Happy New Year!

Lots of headlines I've seen recently are joyously proclaiming the end of 2008. I'm a little sad. 2008 was a tremendous year for our little family, lots of firsts. Stephen and I celebrated our first full year as a married couple, and oh yeah, we also had our first baby (that's sort of big, right?). Although I'm sad to see this special year go, I'm also excited to see what God will do with our family in 2009. Lots can happen in one year! 

Before 2008 completely disappears from our memories, Stephen and I would like to share one of our favorite things that we discovered this past year ... (drum roll, please) ...

Broccoli Casserole!

I make this at least once a week (sometimes twice!). Here's the recipe, very easy:

Ingredients:

2 packages of frozen, chopped broccoli (or just one big ol' bag)

2 packages of Uncle Ben's 90 sec. Long Grain Wild Rice

1 can of cream of chicken soup

1 can of cream of mushroom soup

1 onion, chopped, sauted in 1 stick of butter (this is not a low-fat recipe)

1 (2 oz). package of shredded cheddar cheese

What to Do:

1. cook the broccoli as directed while you're sauteeing the onion in a skillet

2. microwave both packages of rice

3. combine everything in a big bowl, mix

4. pour into a 2 qt. casserole dish

5. cook for 35-40 minutes at 350 degrees

This makes about 4 good-sized servings, and it's delicious! Let me know if you give it a try.

I'm still working on getting everything back to normal around the house, but it's slow-going. We came back with more than what we left with, so I've got to find places for everything. A place for everything and everything in its place. I've noticed that I can sometimes have a "Martha" attitude and put getting things done above nurturing relationships. I'm working on fixing that. There's a great website I've found that has sermons by some pretty good preachers, and one of the sermons is on that topic. Mary and I listened to that today; it was very convicting. It's by a terrific preacher named S. M. Davis, and it's called "The Attitude No Lady Should Have." He's got lots of other good ones on that site, too. Stephen downloads them for me onto our mp3 player and Mary and I listen to them. Stephen likes to hear them when we go on long car rides.

Mary is starting to wake up from nap #2, so I better get going. We hope everyone has a wonderful 2009!