Praise you in this storm...

Hi everyone...
I am at a loss of words right now... very thankful to be here and be able to write to you guys.
I am very blessed to have no damage at my apartment in Tuscaloosa, AL. And my family in Cullman, AL are all safe. Thank you Lord.

Please continue to remember the south in your prayers!

Casting Crowns "I Will Praise You In This Storm" was a song that one of my friends who lost her place mentioned... what a powerful message this song has...

Blessings to everyone,

Wednesday's Forecast

Run for the hills!!

Okay so this weekend I went home... the cows came to eat and I tip toe to the fence and start taking pictures of them.... One click and they see me and SPLIT! I mean do you see them taking off! You would have thought I screamed or something... 

Rounding the corner on 2 wheels!

Speaking of cows... they lay down when it is about to rain. Y'all know that?

Well it happens on the Thompson Ponderosa... maybe I should conduct research on weather folklore next? I think it would be a great thing to do this summer... I just happen to have an area (cough cough a pool) with a view of cows (pictured above) whom I can observe and take note of their laying down occurrence and see if it corresponds with rain drops. 

Just sayin'

But on a serious WEATHER note... tomorrow will be a BIG severe weather event.

The weather will be nasty tomorrow... when my 2 weather professors came in today and were concerned... I became triple concerned. 

Do be careful and remember it is better to be prepared... the weather will do what IT wants to do not what we FORECAST it to do. Meteorologists and weather enthusiasts can read upper air data and the surface maps but at the end of the day "numbers can be there and we still might not see anything or we might see a lot of something and no numbers to support it."

So since my research area is weather... and how to keep the society better informed in dangerous situations like tomorrow, I thought I would offer up some of my own personal preparedness plans. 

Just think about the places you could be when you hear or receive a tornado warning alert...

1. In the case you are in your car... a tornado warning is issued.

Where would you go? If you see the tornado (usually it will be a rotating funnel coming out of a bigger cloud.. whether it touches the ground or not... it can touch down at anytime and be destructive) I would pull over and get in a ditch, grab anything in your car that you can protect your head with and lay flat in a ditch. If you feel comfortable and are close to home I would drive home and RUN in and get in your safe stop ASAP. Or if you know someone who lives VERY close- go seek shelter there. 

The key here is... your car is a BAD place to be during a tornado... but there are safe places to get if you are stuck in this location. You can avoid being in this situation by monitoring the weather during the day and especially before you are about to drive somewhere... I recommend the "check the weather" option.

2. In the case you are at work...

If your workplace (students this is school for you... woohoo we love to learn) does not have a severe weather plan (WHAT? Everyone doesn't care about weather??!?!?) or you do not know what to do, I would go to the lowest part of the building. Be sure to stay AWAY from windows and remain in the inner most area of the building. 

3. In the case you are at home...

Say, like myself, in an apartment- you should go to the inner most room. For me it is my bathroom... if you are on the first floor 

(like me... and yes I chose it because of weather.... don't laugh) 

be sure to stay away from the windows.... turn the TV weather man up on the television if you have power (sometimes just hearing someone's voice can keep you calm). Bring your phone or lap top so you can pull a radar up (those posted yesterday are great sites to bookmark click here) and call someone if you need to calm yourself down. Also grab something that will offer protection... pillows, mattress, anything to protect you if debris fell on top of you.

Just remember all you can do is prepare for the storm... go ahead and think through your plans tonight. Maybe call a friend who has a house with a basement or safe room and see if you can head over after lunch tomorrow, just to be safe. If you are not a list maker... I urge you to make a list of your schedule tomorrow and see where you will be after lunch. If it is somewhere safe (on campus... or wherever) might just want to be prepared to hear the tornado sirens go off and be able to make sure you are safe at any point after lunch (or before... no 100% on the location and timing with weather).

Go ahead and check out your local forecast and what you should prepare for at: www.weather.gov

and get prepared and prepare those that you interact with tomorrow if you are at risk :)

Stay safe out there!

Back to "overload week" I go... and monitoring this monster storm system!

YIPPEE for preparedness plans!

Not so Dead Week...

Hi!

I hope y'all had a wonderful Easter and an enjoyable weekend celebrating our Risen Savior :)

Off the back porch... not a bad view huh?
;) 

My dad and mom, my mom's parents, me, sister, and my brother in law!

I had a great time spending time with family and friends... I went home and even snapped a few pictures at the farm my parents live on... can't wait to share them this week! Lots of cookin and relaxing on the Thompson Ponderosa went down this weekend to prepare me for.....

...DEAD week for those of us in school in anyway-- by the way, this doesn't exist in graduate classes, they just like to tease you with the title. It is actually OVERLOAD week in grad world.. where all your professors remember assignments they never got to give you (score... NOT) and can also be known as OVERWHELM week. Do pray for me (and all the students out there) that I (and everyone) will remain calm, cool, and collective as I press forward to complete my FIRST year of grad school :)

Baby Micah has open heart surgery Thursday (it is the children's minister new born baby)... do say a special prayer for him and his precious strong family! 

Some strong storms are coming if you are in the South... do stay alert to weather information and remember that storms don't pick who they will hit... Mother Nature has free roam when it comes to severe weather! Here is some websites I check-- ABC 33/40 Blog, Birmingham National Weather Service Homepage, and Go here to get your local weather by typing in your zipcode (similar to the weather channel but the government version).

Hope Monday is ending on a good note for everyone!

Have a terrific Tuesday... laugh a lot!

Happy Easter!!

He has risen!

Happy Easter y'all!!

I hope you got a rockin' awesome basket with some rockin' Easter goodies!

Enjoy time with your loved ones today.

Basket 2 and Herb Harvest 1

Here is Harvest Basket numero DOS!!

Snowsbend Farm 

What do we have here??

First, what we do not have pictured above...

Freshly made whole wheat baguette from Mary's where we pick up our Harvest Basket

AND

Pictured above:

- 4 pints of strawberries (2 bonus packs because they ran out of fava beans... no worries we will get some next week)

- Salad Mix

- Mustard Greens

- Baby White Turnips (they gave us a rockin' awesome recipe that includes these and cumin)

- Spring Onions

SCORE!!!

I am happy to report that I did not spend any money this week on food... not a penny! David didn't either! We're lovin' this harvest time and Sunday prep day and having meals ready to go for the week for each of us :)

EXCITING!!

TADA...

First herb harvest!!! Yah! A whole basket full :)

Coming soon... a step-by-step post on how to cut herbs without killing them.

I will admit... David and I watched 3 videos to make sure we would not kill our dear ones. 

And this week David bought a Herb Gardening Book lol... we will be professionals before y'all know it haha 

;)

Have a great Saturday guys! 

Get ready for the Easter bunny!

Good Friday and Earth Day!

What an AWESOME God we have who sent his Son to die for us....

So we could be His little lights on Earth who shine BIG...

And one day sit beside Him on the Throne.

What an AWESOME God we have.

Good Friday to y'all!

Let your light shine this special weekend (and every day) for our Lord who defeated death!

What an AWESOME God who gave us a ROCKIN' awesome Earth!!

Speakin of this planet we live on called EARTH....

Happy Earth Day! 

Are you making a few lifestyle changes? I hope so! 

Buy Mason Jars... they are amazing cups, containers, etc!

 I wrote many other ways in that post there... just click on MASON :)

It has been a great day... a good friend who got me this job I am working at now came by the office to see us... and bring us Gigi's Cupcakes... bless her! WE just adore her... she is an intelligent gal, a lawyer (graduates in May), and drop dead gorgeous (and a fellow brunette hah wooho)! Loved seeing her!

For Earth Day and Good Friday I would like to share a few (okay more like a handful) of my favorite pictures taken anywhere from California to Arizona to Alabama!

We have been blessed with a precious Earth... do your part in taking care of it! 

Arizona wood... isn't is the prettiest? I see HGTV peeps turn these into lamps...
(I obviously couldn't slip one into my baggage... I wanted to try don't get me wrong).

A close up of something similar to the wood in picture 1... abstract a bit :)

Again but from a different location... I thought it was beautiful!

Weather in Colorado... This was taken from my seat in an airplane (haha like I would be in anything else that high). You can see the thunderstorm processes and the rainbow!
I am a weather nerd, did I mention this? 
;)

Vineyard in California... breathtaking huh?

Beach... such a serene place to be.

Farm land... just beautiful.

Have a good Good Friday and Earth Day :)

Take a deep breathe today.

In Class Rebel

No I am not blogging in class... who would do that???

ME! 

I know I am a rebel... and it feels great!

Anyways... here is what I would love to have in front me right now....

Special bottle of wine from my cousins in California :)
Love them so much!!

Homemade pizza from the DC Kitchen.

Flowers from the DC Garden... gettin tired of "DC" yet?
Haha!

And THE OFFICE! 

Ahh... another episode with Will Ferrell tonight and I am missing it...

RIP Bob the DVR

David picked up the CSA Harvest Basket #2 today!! Woohoo can't wait to share what we got tomorrow... and I am feeling SO much better, Praise the Lord :)

Rebel out...

Rain Here Rain There

Today is the 1 year anniversary for the BP Oil Spill... and it is Earth Week. 

I remember last year, how ironic it was watching the oil just spill into the ocean during Earth Week, when we were supposed to be striving to make lifestyle changes (as a nation) to be more friendly and loving to our planet.

Hard to believe it has been a year since the oil spill.

Businesses, homes, people, and animals... everyone/thing was affected. 

Between that and the recent storms... I don't see how people think "bad" things can't happen to them. A tornado CAN happen to you and CAN hit your home. Our oceans CAN be and HAVE been polluted. But we CAN do something. We can help out... whether it is staying informed during severe weather or picking up a plastic bottle and putting it in the trash can/recycle container on your way to class :) 

JUST DO IT!

_____________________________________________________

RAIN EVERYWHERE!

What a thunderstorm we had this morning... whew! 

I am thinking the DC garden looks like this again... I would go check but it is still lightning...

These were taken Friday after the horrible severe weather we had...

Shockingly I took these with my iPhone.... not shockingly... what am I sayin... it is an iPhone.

(ewww ahhhh)

Poor little DC Garden Plot #2... but hey this is a natural process. Can't really turn off the rain or put a huge umbrella over the plot. 

I think David would if he could... 

After checking on the garden... we took a stroll down by the river.

We contemplated on whether to invest in a boat in the case the river "over-flowed."

(as if either one of us had money to currently invest ha) 

Luckily my little apartment is far enough way and uphill of the river, like a 2 minute walk... 

SOO I would like to think I have time to gather my belongings and drive away from the rising waters... maybe...

This is a cool little spot... you feel like you are in a lush rain forest!

I thought the log was pretty... 

this wasn't from storm damage... as far as I know it has been this way for a bit.

Good place for an Easter egg hunt if you ask me...

So pretty... and serene!

Barefoot boy on the loose!

Washing his  feet off... or just playing in that little stream... 

Such a sweet boy.

Have a wonderful Wednesday... 

and try to make one change today to show some love to our God-given Earth...

Soup and Salad

Post turnip green victory... 

I decided to use the salad mix and spring onions from our harvest basket.

Here is the spread... 

For the Spring Onion Soup

Link for the soup recipe we tweaked (had to made it milk free and we didn't have 2 pounds of onions, so we tweaked accordingly): Martha Stewart's Soup Recipe

Ingredients:

1. Chicken Stock

2. Water

3. Salt and Pepper

4. Spring Onions (Bulb and about half way up the green stem)

5. Olive Oil

Cookin Steps: 

-Heat your soup pot over medium heat; 

-Prep your onions, cut thinly; 

-Drizzle olive oil in; 

-Throw your onions in and some salt; 

-Cook until translucent and put some pepper in there; 

-Pour in some stock and water; 

-Cook for 5-10 minutes (more if you used more onions); 

-Then we got my immersion blender out and pureed it!

This made about 3 cups... so two servings (that was with 4 small spring onions)

For the Chicken
Baked in the oven with some light seasoning... salt, pepper, olive oil. I follow the directions on the package... usually 350 degrees and then time depends on how many pounds you are cooking up (usually between 30-50 minutes).


For the Salad
I used the salad mix from Snowsbend... and a new salad dressing :)
I am not a big salad dressing fan... I would rather eat a salad plain or with lemon or lime juice and olive oil. BUT this dressing is great! 
Must try it :)

Annies's Organic Balsamic

To get this meal on the plate:
-I put a layer of salad mix down;
-Placed Easter egg radishes and carrots on the outside of the salad bed;
-Sliced up 3 ounces of chicken;
-Drizzled on a little dressing and some goat cheese to top it off;
-And last but not least, dipped me some yummy spring onion soup!

Glass of water in my mason jar and this girl was ready to eat!

Sickness update... I felt awesome Sunday and Monday and might have did a little too much... today I feel like an elephant is sitting on my chest! Boo! So back to the teas and probably to the doctor tomorrow morning.

Calling all prayer warriors out there... our children's minister at church and his wife welcomed a precious baby boy Monday morning. He has been transferred to UAB and is being looked after by some great doctors. Say a prayer for this little guy and his sweet precious family please :) I am not sure on the details so just lift the Hathcock family up in your prayers!

Hoping everyone had a great start to the week... can't believe it is almost Wednesday already!

Take care :)

Turnip Greens

I got color happy with this post... beware ;)

Confession: I have been avoiding the turnip greens in our harvest basket for a few days...


I just needed time to gather my thoughts and muster up courage to attack the green monster.


I LOVE vegetables and it is very rare that I find one that I won't just eat raw... I grew up on a farm so we always had a garden; therefore, I am just not scared of veggies.


BUT when I saw that we got turnip greens, I was just stumped. I had seen my mom, her mom, my dad's mom, etc. all "can" them but never any other way (referring to the cooking method). SO obviously I had to get on a hunt for some turnip green recipes. 


Side note: we used the spring onions in a soup (SOOO GOOD). I will post pictures soon!


Back to the green monster... 


This morning I came back from CrossFit class and just decided I would throw them in a pan with some oil and mushrooms. And put 2 eggs on top... I mean why not? 


In my book, anything with an egg on top will taste good (I was out of bacon so sad so sad, but I bounced back with the mushrooms). 


Back to the green breakfast...


I took the turnip greens (gave them a good talkin' to), washed them, cut the hard stem out, and rolled them up in a towel to dry.


Warmed up my pan over medium heat... once it was warm I put olive oil in.


Back at the cutting board, I took the turnip greens and just layered them on top of one another (like pieces of paper), and then roll them up (like a sushi roll), and cut thin slices (like ribbons).
Threw them in the pan with some salt and pepper and sauteed them up.

See the "ribbons" I was talking about? 

Took the mushrooms and sliced them and put them in there too.


Put that turnip green and mushroom mixture on my plate. Along side with some slivers of Easter egg radishes... to give it some crunch and spice :)

The color of these guys were gorgeous! And it is festive, "Easter" egg radishes ;)

Took the eggs and fried them up.... I like mine runny... but I over cooked them this morning... oh well still delicious and still goes on the plate the same :)

The eggs are under there!
I topped this with goat cheese and pesto.

David and I had our "prep" day yesterday and we went and cut our FIRST harvest of herbs!

We made pesto with our basil, made some hummus, a pizza, baked chicken with some fresh herbs, and made the spring onion soup! Whew! David was the head chef while I was the assistant yesterday... we try to switch up!

And instead of doing some homework I cleaned the apartment up and did my laundry... even changed out my bedding to the lighter stuff :) This took a while... I think from 2-8. I get side tracked with little jobs, going through donate clothes pile, organize linen/random closet, etc.

Always my downfall during cleaning, ask my mother and sister. 

Back to breakfast...

I ate in my big blue comfy chair and set up my breakfast on a tray. 

Here is what it turned out to be:

Loving my flowers!
I freshened the bundles up yesterday while I was playing in the dirt planting some herbs!

Had to have some fruit.. good ol' orange!

Black coffee makes me happy!
Speaking of... I am cleaning the coffee pot as I type (running water and vinegar through it... down to the last run of cold water).

SO delicious! 

So I have conquered the turnip green monster! 

As my magnet that my best friend got me says:

Image Link

Check! 

I enjoyed them this morning :)

Y'all have a great Monday! 

Laugh a lot today... strengthens the core and the heart :)