Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Sweet Potato Stack Twist

I blogged previously on Southern Living's Sweet Potato Stacks. Cole and I loved them!


Tonight my Bible Study had dinner together to celebrate the completion of our study on Isaiah (!!!) and I decided that I would try to make these Sweet Potato Stacks with a twist...Scalloped Sweet Potatoes anyone?


I used the same recipe, upped the quantities just a bit, a baked it about 50 minutes. It turned out to taste just as delicious at the stacks, and made for what I think of as a perfect side dish.

Last Medical School Test, Done!

I am SO proud of my husband! This week marked his very LAST day of class, ever,  AND tomorrow he takes his very last exam!! (When I say last test, I mean last test based off of classroom lectures. He will still be tested after each rotation). It has been a long 2 years of studying for him, but we have made the very best of it. It has surprisingly flown by! He has made it to the end of the first 2 years of classroom work!!

Here are a few pictures that I hope we will look back on and smile, knowing that all the hard work was worth it!

Studying at the beach house

Studying in Greer

Studying at our house

Studying at the library

This celebration is not to say that the studying is over...quite the contrary. Let the board preparations begin! June 24th at 6pm will really be the end to the nose in the books and the most grueling part of medical school.  The next 2 years he will be on rotations and getting to apply all the knowledge that he has gained. Proud of you!!!

Sunday, May 1, 2011

Farmer's Market Outing

I am almost embarrassed to say that I have lived in Charleston for almost 2 years now and, until yesterday, have not been to the Charleston Farmer's Market at Marion Square.  Frances and I walked down to the market and had so much fun! Many local vendors and farmers set up booths from 8am-2pm every Saturday from now until around November and sell (and give samples!) their handmade and homegrown goods. The market also turns into an open-air cafe with various cooking booths. Frances and I enjoyed a yummy crepe! Since now is the beginning of the summer produce, it was in abundance. I snatched some baby squash and zucchini and butter beans. I also purchased some handmade ravioli. Their were so many pastas I had a hard time deciding! I ended up with  1) goat cheese, lemon, and chive  2) crab and avocado  3) butternut squash...YUM! And, what a fast dinner! I cannot wait to try them.  The cans in the picture are sweet potato butter and balsamic pepper jelly. Of course, a trip to the farmer's market wouldn't be complete without bringing home a fresh bunch of flowers!

I will be out of town the next 3 weekends, but after that, I plan to be there on Saturdays! Call me if you want to join!

Friday, April 29, 2011

The night before last I opened up a Dove chocolate piece to indulge in during my studying. The message inside read "You are allowed to do nothing"!! Best one I have ever gotten, and I took the advice, relaxed a little, and then went to bed. I find myself ALWAYS in a hurry. I get ready in a hurry, study in a hurry, do chores in a hurry, eat in a hurry, on and on... trying to fit in as much as possible. I think part of it is my personality, and the big other part is I really have that much to do.  I am often in need of a little reminder to slow up. Maybe I just need to eat more Dove's...what a good excuse for chocolate!

Speaking of relaxing, when I finish my last exam on Tuesday, I will have 10 days to R.E.L.A.X. before our departure to North Africa. No school, no work, no plans! Can you plan not to plan? Not sure, but I have!

Despite exams, I had a wonderful birthday yesterday! The best part was seeing and talking to so many of you!! I enjoyed an early run with Patricia, a free Starbucks latte (yes, Starbucks gives a free drink on your birthday), and then lunch with Tricia and Mary Ann at The Glass Onion.

I am looking forward to being able to celebrate my birthday this weekend too. Tonight I am going to eat fresh seafood with some girlfriends at Bowen's Island, followed by an after party of watching the royal wedding! Cole is taking me on a birthday date on Saturday :)

Thank you all for my wonderful birthday wishes!!! I am so blessed to have so many great friendships!

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

4 Down, 2 to Go!

Exams on my birthday week...yuk!!

After my exam this morning, I headed downtown with 2 goals 1) sunglasses and 2) use my HandPicked Groupon.

Sunglasses, check! If you ever need sunglasses, King Street is about the best place to go. I spent about 2 hours wandering and trying on glasses at Sunglass Hut, SEE, Jackson Davenport, and another optometrist store. My options were not lacking. I ended up with a pair of Costas from Jackson Davenport (thank you Frances for the recommendation) and love them! I debated on style vs. sport glasses and I think these are a nice mix.
CostaDelMar Isabella
Next on to HandPicked. As I have already mentioned multiple times...I love Groupon! My mom treated me to this one! I am usually one for more classic jewelry, and their selection is definitely trendy, but for the prices, I don't feel bad about getting some things I know I may not like in 20 years!! I have been known to say that I will never buy anything I could make...but let's be honest...I don't have time to make jewelry these days! I chose two fun pieces!




Now it is 3 o'clock and I am just now getting starting on my exam for Friday... story of my life!! I best get to it!!
Publish Post

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Christ Has Risen!!

On Friday night, our church had a Good Friday service. It was a very different service than what we are normally familiar with. The lights were off and the entire atmosphere was dark and heavy. The service was led by a powerpoint so that no one spoke and we sang, read, prayed, and took communion. The focus was on seeing the immensity of our sin. Isaiah 53 was the theme. 

On the way home, we discussed what value, if any, that a service has on having the focus solely on Christ's death without the resurrection. We determined that for us, it was indeed very beneficial! Today, the celebration in our hearts was so much greater, having first experienced how undeserving we are of Christ. I find myself often on Easter so thankful for the empty tomb with little opportunity to focus on His death first. 

On a lighter note...Cole and I dyed Easter eggs last night! Who knew this childhood tradition could still be so much fun!

Here are a few of our techniques! On this one we used a wax crayon to draw on the egg before dipping it. 

The next photo is called "marbling". I got the idea from Martha Stewart's Living magazine this month. Basically, you dip the eggs, let them dry, and then use a darker/different color with olive oil mixed in and dip again. Pretty cool! 

Cole marbled his Clemson egg too!

This is one of my favs. 
Happy Easter!!

On my run this morning, a bunny hopped out of the woods beside me! I got to see an Easter bunny today :) 

Chocolate Egg Nests

Cole and I are going to a potluck cookout after church today, and this is what we made last night to bring!
Aren't these the cutest thing? I made "No-Bake Cookies" and then topped them with a 3 pastel colored robin eggs and peanut butter M&Ms. Thanks Tassie for the inspiration! 



Happy Easter!!
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...