My friend Shannon passed along a starter cup of amish friendship bread about 10 days ago and today was my baking day!
The recipe calls for instant pudding powder in the flavor your choice and says you can add nuts or chocolate chips. Well I used banana pudding and added chocolate chips. Aside from forgetting to grease the pan (the edges are now burnt) it is quite delicious! More like a dessert cake than a bread.
I am so pleased with my baking ability, I plan to go get some yeast and make my own pizza dough for dinner tonight. We will see how that goes!
Hope this find everyone happy, healthy and warm!
Love,
your baking-crazed richmond rices.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Saturday, February 21, 2009
debbie downer :(
I apologize for being brief but there isn't a whole lot to say...
Rick's Aunt Janet passed away on Friday early evening. She has been sick for quite awhile but seemed to be getting better. It was quite a shock. Rick and I are both doing as best as can be expected.
The funeral will be Tuesday, February 24 and the burial will be sometime the following week as there is a lot of paperwork to be filed.
Janet and Dan have the most amazing love. The first time I met them was for Don's (Rick's Best Man) homecoming party. On our way home from their house I told Rick that I wanted him and I to have the love they have... it is truly one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen.
She will be missed dearly by everyone who has ever met her.
On a happier note, I got my stitches out today and my face is looking very good considering.
I hope this finds everyone happy, healthy and loved.
Love,
your debbie-downer richmond rices.
Rick's Aunt Janet passed away on Friday early evening. She has been sick for quite awhile but seemed to be getting better. It was quite a shock. Rick and I are both doing as best as can be expected.
The funeral will be Tuesday, February 24 and the burial will be sometime the following week as there is a lot of paperwork to be filed.
Janet and Dan have the most amazing love. The first time I met them was for Don's (Rick's Best Man) homecoming party. On our way home from their house I told Rick that I wanted him and I to have the love they have... it is truly one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen.
She will be missed dearly by everyone who has ever met her.
On a happier note, I got my stitches out today and my face is looking very good considering.
I hope this finds everyone happy, healthy and loved.
Love,
your debbie-downer richmond rices.
Monday, February 16, 2009
good news and bad.
The good news is that the dentist says my x-rays look great and he doesn't think anything is going to have to be done for my tooth. He said the nerve could still die later on down the road but there is no way to predict that or anything that I can do to prevent it. He thinks that the soreness I feel will tighten back up and should be good as new in a few days.
As for the bad news, my dentist and my mother both think that plastic surgery might be necessary. Its not that the ER doctor did a bad job with the stitches, it is that the cut is so jagged and at such an awkward position the scar won't blend in at all and is probably going to be very obvious. But there is nothing a plastic surgeon can do until it is healed so I will cross that bridge when I get there.
Have I mentioned how amazing Rick has been? Whatever I need, he has done.. from sitting in the ER holding my hand during my stitches all the way to doing the laundry, cleaning the apartment and driving all around town to find something for me to eat with a fat lip and a loose tooth.
My mom was kind enough to take me to the dentist today so that Rick didn't worry about me driving on pain pills. She also took me to the grocery store to pick up some things for dinner that are easier for me to eat.
Some very special girlfriends came by with valentine pasta, flowers and a movie for Rick and I to watch which was beyond thoughtful. Thanks Shannon, Erin and Sara!
So a pretty crappy situation turns out to be another reminder of how blessed I am.
I hope this finds you all happy, healthy and feeling the love as much as I am.
Love,
your blessed richmond rices.
Ps. Below is a picture of my awesome lip.
Proceed with caution, as it is not the most beautiful sight to see.
Ouch!
As for the bad news, my dentist and my mother both think that plastic surgery might be necessary. Its not that the ER doctor did a bad job with the stitches, it is that the cut is so jagged and at such an awkward position the scar won't blend in at all and is probably going to be very obvious. But there is nothing a plastic surgeon can do until it is healed so I will cross that bridge when I get there.
Have I mentioned how amazing Rick has been? Whatever I need, he has done.. from sitting in the ER holding my hand during my stitches all the way to doing the laundry, cleaning the apartment and driving all around town to find something for me to eat with a fat lip and a loose tooth.
My mom was kind enough to take me to the dentist today so that Rick didn't worry about me driving on pain pills. She also took me to the grocery store to pick up some things for dinner that are easier for me to eat.
Some very special girlfriends came by with valentine pasta, flowers and a movie for Rick and I to watch which was beyond thoughtful. Thanks Shannon, Erin and Sara!
So a pretty crappy situation turns out to be another reminder of how blessed I am.
I hope this finds you all happy, healthy and feeling the love as much as I am.
Love,
your blessed richmond rices.
Ps. Below is a picture of my awesome lip.
Proceed with caution, as it is not the most beautiful sight to see.
Ouch!
Sunday, February 15, 2009
what a day!
Rick and I mostly had an outstanding valentines.... until we spent a portion of the evening in the ER getting stitches in my lip.
Yes, that is right stitches. My shoe's sole isn't fully attached at the toe.. and sometimes when I step I drag my foot. Well I was walking on the concrete and I tripped over my own feet. I wish I had a better story...
The sidewalk was at a downward angle so when I fell the impact was in my wrists and knees but my body went forward because of the physics in the situation... and I sort of skidded down the sidewalk.
It sounds a lot worse than it was. I have 6 stitches in a horseshoe shape between my lip and nose. I'm very lucky I wasn't on a different sidewalk or I could have broken my nose. One of my front teeth hurts pretty bad so I am going to try and get an appointment tomorrow to see the dentist, just to be on the safe side.
I am not one that has ever really been concerned with looks but I am having a hard time with the fact that I could very possibly have scar on my face. And then I get really bummed because its so out of character for me to care about something that is so silly.
Other than that I am in pretty high spirits considering the situation. There isn't much I can do about any of it right now, so I am just trying to see whatever God is trying to teach me.
Hope this finds you all happy, healthy and with your lips still intacted!
Love,
your half-sewed-up richmond rices.
Yes, that is right stitches. My shoe's sole isn't fully attached at the toe.. and sometimes when I step I drag my foot. Well I was walking on the concrete and I tripped over my own feet. I wish I had a better story...
The sidewalk was at a downward angle so when I fell the impact was in my wrists and knees but my body went forward because of the physics in the situation... and I sort of skidded down the sidewalk.
It sounds a lot worse than it was. I have 6 stitches in a horseshoe shape between my lip and nose. I'm very lucky I wasn't on a different sidewalk or I could have broken my nose. One of my front teeth hurts pretty bad so I am going to try and get an appointment tomorrow to see the dentist, just to be on the safe side.
I am not one that has ever really been concerned with looks but I am having a hard time with the fact that I could very possibly have scar on my face. And then I get really bummed because its so out of character for me to care about something that is so silly.
Other than that I am in pretty high spirits considering the situation. There isn't much I can do about any of it right now, so I am just trying to see whatever God is trying to teach me.
Hope this finds you all happy, healthy and with your lips still intacted!
Love,
your half-sewed-up richmond rices.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
el dia del amor
They say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. As we all know, I do not cook so my only option is to appeal to Rick's sweet tooth (which I think might work better!)
So, I woke up at 8am to bake him valentine's cupcakes.
You are probably wondering why I would bake any kind of cake seeing as how we both dislike cake, but this isn't just any cake... it is pillsbury funfetti cake... which I spent a month trying to find! It is our favorite and the only cake we really eat, and seeing as how little debbie won't give me her twinkie or ho-ho recipe, the perfect present for Rick. I found the Spring colors but no valentines colors until last week! Happy just isn't the right word.
Last night, Rick and I went to the firehouse theater to see The Pumpkin Pie Show. It was awesome! It is a series of shorts done by a guy and a girl and they are random in that they draw them out of a hat as they go along, so no two plays are never the same. It is hard to explain but we really enjoyed it. One minute I was crying because it was so serious and sad and then the next minute I am crying because I am laughing so hard. So good in fact that we are thinking about going tonight!
Tonight we are also planning go out to dinner for a special date night!
Sunday, we are going to go to church and hopefully the weather will be nice enough to do something outside in the afternoon, but we shall see.
Hope this finds everyone happy, healthy and feeling the love!
Love,
your sugar-highed richmond rices.
Ps. For those of you who are book worms, you should check out bookmooch.com, it is a book bartering website where you mooch books from other people and all you have to do is pay for the shipping to send your books out. I forgot how cheap the postal service is! I mailed out 5 books for $12 and one of them was out of the country! Just thought I would pass my new obsession along...
So, I woke up at 8am to bake him valentine's cupcakes.
You are probably wondering why I would bake any kind of cake seeing as how we both dislike cake, but this isn't just any cake... it is pillsbury funfetti cake... which I spent a month trying to find! It is our favorite and the only cake we really eat, and seeing as how little debbie won't give me her twinkie or ho-ho recipe, the perfect present for Rick. I found the Spring colors but no valentines colors until last week! Happy just isn't the right word.
Last night, Rick and I went to the firehouse theater to see The Pumpkin Pie Show. It was awesome! It is a series of shorts done by a guy and a girl and they are random in that they draw them out of a hat as they go along, so no two plays are never the same. It is hard to explain but we really enjoyed it. One minute I was crying because it was so serious and sad and then the next minute I am crying because I am laughing so hard. So good in fact that we are thinking about going tonight!
Tonight we are also planning go out to dinner for a special date night!
Sunday, we are going to go to church and hopefully the weather will be nice enough to do something outside in the afternoon, but we shall see.
Hope this finds everyone happy, healthy and feeling the love!
Love,
your sugar-highed richmond rices.
Ps. For those of you who are book worms, you should check out bookmooch.com, it is a book bartering website where you mooch books from other people and all you have to do is pay for the shipping to send your books out. I forgot how cheap the postal service is! I mailed out 5 books for $12 and one of them was out of the country! Just thought I would pass my new obsession along...
Sunday, February 8, 2009
from the rice cache x3.
Because I have been slacking on the random photographs, I thought I would post a few.
I believe all of these were taken with disposable cameras and that is why the quality is so poor, so I apologize in advance!
Rick and I in Denver.
Once my dad realized how much I cared about Rick, he bought Rick a plane ticket to Denver. I believe my dad felt it was important for Rick to see what I was doing in Denver for him to really and truly understand who I was.
As most of you know, I moved to Denver about 2 months after I met Rick. So the months I spent in Denver where pretty important because Rick and I were doing the long distance thing so early in our relationship.
My mother-in-law recently told me that this trip was when she knew Rick was going to marry me. Rick had never been on a plane before and was actually terrified of flying but he took his first plane ride to visit me and experience a part of Denver, not many people have seen. I think this was when I knew he was the guy for me, too!
Rick and I outside of Tiger Stadium, obviously!
This was Rick's second plane ride. My whole family flew down to Baton Rouge for our annual family football game. This was Rick's first LSU football game and the first time he ever met my brother. LSU won!
Our first New Years in New Orleans!
This was Rick's third plane ride. We went down for the bowl game with my folks and celebrated NYE at the Pat O'Brien's on the riverfront. We ate gumbo, jambalaya, drank hurricanes and danced all night. It was absolutely fabulous.
I guess the first plane ride must've been when Rick decided he wanted to marry me because he promptly went boarded one after the another. I don't even think Rick can count all the planes hes been on now!
Well, hope you enjoyed a trip down memory lane!
Love,
your somewhat-nostalgic richmond rices.
I believe all of these were taken with disposable cameras and that is why the quality is so poor, so I apologize in advance!
Rick and I in Denver.
Once my dad realized how much I cared about Rick, he bought Rick a plane ticket to Denver. I believe my dad felt it was important for Rick to see what I was doing in Denver for him to really and truly understand who I was.
As most of you know, I moved to Denver about 2 months after I met Rick. So the months I spent in Denver where pretty important because Rick and I were doing the long distance thing so early in our relationship.
My mother-in-law recently told me that this trip was when she knew Rick was going to marry me. Rick had never been on a plane before and was actually terrified of flying but he took his first plane ride to visit me and experience a part of Denver, not many people have seen. I think this was when I knew he was the guy for me, too!
Rick and I outside of Tiger Stadium, obviously!
This was Rick's second plane ride. My whole family flew down to Baton Rouge for our annual family football game. This was Rick's first LSU football game and the first time he ever met my brother. LSU won!
Our first New Years in New Orleans!
This was Rick's third plane ride. We went down for the bowl game with my folks and celebrated NYE at the Pat O'Brien's on the riverfront. We ate gumbo, jambalaya, drank hurricanes and danced all night. It was absolutely fabulous.
I guess the first plane ride must've been when Rick decided he wanted to marry me because he promptly went boarded one after the another. I don't even think Rick can count all the planes hes been on now!
Well, hope you enjoyed a trip down memory lane!
Love,
your somewhat-nostalgic richmond rices.
what a happy day!
With the not-so-good economy, Rick struggling to make 40 hours a week and trying to focus time on his new excavation company, as well as Rick's birthday coming up (I'm planning something pretty awesome!) I have picked up a part-time nanny gig 2 nights a week as well as some babysitting on the weekends.
The child I nanny for, Jaden, is the son of a single mom who is in her last year at VCU before going to med-school. I hang out with him 2 nights a week while she is taking classes. She is awesome and so is he. They make a great family and I looove hanging out with Jaden. He is only 4 years old but definitely holds the "man of the household" role down, not to mention his idea of fun is playing games that teach him about his letters and numbers. I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to handle nannying right after teaching 26 kids all day but I've actually really enjoyed the slower pace and more intimate teaching that I am able to do with Jaden.
With that said, it shouldn't come as a surprise that Rick and I realized the little bit of time we do get to spend together has been pretty lame as you probably saw from the last blog and our redundant schedule. So we have decided to mix things up a bit and add some new things to our schedules that our just for us.
A friend of a friend has been trying to bring us to his church for quite sometime and neither of us motivated ourselves to go check it out. It sounded like a place that would suit us but there was always some excuse. This morning we finally motivated to go and boy, was it worth it!
Rick and I both left church feeling very refreshed and alive!
The Commonwealth Chapel is a nondenominational church that is very motivated to giving back to the community, which we love. They do a lot of mission work within our community as well as around the world. The actual church is located about 7 blocks from our house, but because their Sunday service has grown so much they have it at the National, one of the newest music venues in Richmond which is quite awesome! We already love going to the National so it makes it even cooler to be able to worship there as well.
So, here begins a commitment that Rick and I have made to each other as well as to God to stay committed. And if this church ends up not being a good fit for us, finding one that is. We both felt so spiritually charged we decided it would be good for us as individuals, as a couple and in the preparation of having a family one day.
After church, we had some lunch and went to Maymont Park to enjoy the gorgeous weather. We had a lot of fun walking around and seeing all the final projects that have been under construction for quite some time. We are planning that some sort of outdoorsey walk/hike will be part of our Sunday routine. Perhaps as built-in time to reflect on our 1.5 hours at church, together and individually.
So.. we get back from our wonderful day and I am sifting through all of my neatly organized scrapbook/arts and crafts things (thanks to my fabulous husband) and I find some of my old journals. I haven't really journaled since Rick and I got engaged but it was pretty amazing to revisit my time in Denver, the writing workshop I attended in Big Sur, California, and our last few months before our big move to Oregon.
Maybe after I have read through all of them I will have much more to blog about! I bet there is a lot of speculation as to where Rick and I would be right now and I am very curious as to how accurate my thoughts were.
Maybe finding those journals was a sign to get back into it... so that I will have something to read in a few years to see again if my life speculations are how our life actually turns out! Who knows!
Well, I hope to start updating more often than every 2 weeks. I guess in Oregon I felt like the things we were doing were so much more relevant because there wasn't very many people to share in our experiences... I felt like our life was just so exciting! But I guess we did have many exciting things happening... Now we are just a boring married couple! :)
Hope this finds you all happy healthy and absorbing all the sunshine you can!
Love,
your spiritually-enriched richmond rices.
The child I nanny for, Jaden, is the son of a single mom who is in her last year at VCU before going to med-school. I hang out with him 2 nights a week while she is taking classes. She is awesome and so is he. They make a great family and I looove hanging out with Jaden. He is only 4 years old but definitely holds the "man of the household" role down, not to mention his idea of fun is playing games that teach him about his letters and numbers. I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to handle nannying right after teaching 26 kids all day but I've actually really enjoyed the slower pace and more intimate teaching that I am able to do with Jaden.
With that said, it shouldn't come as a surprise that Rick and I realized the little bit of time we do get to spend together has been pretty lame as you probably saw from the last blog and our redundant schedule. So we have decided to mix things up a bit and add some new things to our schedules that our just for us.
A friend of a friend has been trying to bring us to his church for quite sometime and neither of us motivated ourselves to go check it out. It sounded like a place that would suit us but there was always some excuse. This morning we finally motivated to go and boy, was it worth it!
Rick and I both left church feeling very refreshed and alive!
The Commonwealth Chapel is a nondenominational church that is very motivated to giving back to the community, which we love. They do a lot of mission work within our community as well as around the world. The actual church is located about 7 blocks from our house, but because their Sunday service has grown so much they have it at the National, one of the newest music venues in Richmond which is quite awesome! We already love going to the National so it makes it even cooler to be able to worship there as well.
So, here begins a commitment that Rick and I have made to each other as well as to God to stay committed. And if this church ends up not being a good fit for us, finding one that is. We both felt so spiritually charged we decided it would be good for us as individuals, as a couple and in the preparation of having a family one day.
After church, we had some lunch and went to Maymont Park to enjoy the gorgeous weather. We had a lot of fun walking around and seeing all the final projects that have been under construction for quite some time. We are planning that some sort of outdoorsey walk/hike will be part of our Sunday routine. Perhaps as built-in time to reflect on our 1.5 hours at church, together and individually.
So.. we get back from our wonderful day and I am sifting through all of my neatly organized scrapbook/arts and crafts things (thanks to my fabulous husband) and I find some of my old journals. I haven't really journaled since Rick and I got engaged but it was pretty amazing to revisit my time in Denver, the writing workshop I attended in Big Sur, California, and our last few months before our big move to Oregon.
Maybe after I have read through all of them I will have much more to blog about! I bet there is a lot of speculation as to where Rick and I would be right now and I am very curious as to how accurate my thoughts were.
Maybe finding those journals was a sign to get back into it... so that I will have something to read in a few years to see again if my life speculations are how our life actually turns out! Who knows!
Well, I hope to start updating more often than every 2 weeks. I guess in Oregon I felt like the things we were doing were so much more relevant because there wasn't very many people to share in our experiences... I felt like our life was just so exciting! But I guess we did have many exciting things happening... Now we are just a boring married couple! :)
Hope this finds you all happy healthy and absorbing all the sunshine you can!
Love,
your spiritually-enriched richmond rices.
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