Sick.

So a couple posts ago when I was making fun of my husband for being such a typical sick guy.. well. His sniffle plague ended up plaguing us both and turning into a respiratory infection for him, hence the no bloggage. I learned my lesson and found out that what goes around comes around when you're married, I'm a bigger baby than my husband, I won't ever take steroids again no matter what the doctor says, and it's always better being sick with your best friend then by yourself.
  
Our week at a glance.

  

necessities.

brother came for a wii visit

love when Rands helps with dinner. I've never seen veggies chopped so perfectly.

check check checkin it. Prepping before first mobile studio session this weekend!

 Stay tuned.

FF no3: Ellie.

Happy Birthday ElleBell!

I'm clearly doing really well staying on top of posting, especially Friday Features on Saturday. At least it's one day late instead of a week. Or never. Anyways, this one goes out to my dear little sister, Elisabeth Victoria Stinson. We celebrated her first teenaged day (technically on Feb 1), with a girls-only (how it will be until shes 30), tea party at the barn. I really can't believe it/have a little taste of what it will be like to experience my own children growing up, as I feel like I raised her for a good 5ish years of her life. I still remember the day my mom told us she was pregnant, at 42 mind you, in a Father's Day card. I had never seen my dad more.. shocked/scared/faintish/excited? 

Ellie was such a precious baby, toddler, child and now teenager. She loves Jesus a lot which is awesome, obsessed with peace signs, always ready to love anyone without limits, gather whoever is willing to play a board game, hang out with kids either 10 years younger or 10 years older than her, and currently has a huge dose of boy craze. Welcome to the teen years Elle! Love ya gurl.

♥  

Happy Monday

       Search me & know my heart O God, test me & know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me & lead me in the way everlasting. Psalms 139:23-24

     As this Monday ends, the bachelor is on in the background and I'm  wanting to vom, but for some reason I just can't turn it off. How are these people, people. Anyways, I'm not going to go on a reality-ish show rant, because it is a guilty pleasure as terrible as they are. And I'm reading a 800+ paged book to compensate for brain cells lost. Btw, currently on page 30!

     Today was a good one for a Monday, even though Monday's aren't ever too terrible to me. This weekend was relaxing, and I really enjoyed the start of the series my pastor at Summit is starting, about the Wealth of Wisdom in Proverbs. It has challenged me/us to really pray and think about how wise we are with our money, yet even more, wisdom in relationships. This week I'm meditating on Psalms 129:23-24. Even though it's not a Proverb, I desire God to search and know me, to test my thoughts, so that He will help me become more wise in important decisions like relationships & money (because money is such a huge necessity but can become such a "cruel master", though relationships matter more). I think this verse is a great daily prayer, and I'm challenging myself to make it just that. 

     Now for a few small things that was enjoyed over this weekend. Tonight I made another delish-quick & healthy meal that Randy and I decided we could live off of (even though he woke up pretty sick today, so it could be his off-set taste buds?).He gifted me this cookbook over Christmas, and it's a winner.

                      chicken with goat cheese & basil

        -4 Skinned chicken breast fillets

                                 - 3 1/2 oz soft goat cheese

                                  -small bunch fresh basil

                                  -Olive oil

                          

                           1 Slit along one long edge of each chicken breast, and make small pocket. Divide cheese

                           equally among pockets and tuck three or four basil leaves in each. Close openings and

                           season with salt & pepper.

                           2 Heat oil in skillet, add chicken, and fry gently for 15-20 minutes, turning several times.

                           3 Serve warm, garnish with a sprig of basil ♥

Because Rands woke up plagued  by the sniffles (mentally? jk boo, loves ya), I also made some vitamin-c- packed- home- made juice, with our new-ish Juicer. This is definitely one of the best wedding gifts that we finally have room for to use, and if you have never used one, I would highly recommend it. They're amazing. Great dose of veggies covered up by the fruits.. yumz. So hopefully this will be the cure! 

And finally, I have to share one of my favourite little hole-in-the-walls called the Bargain Box. My Mom introduced me to the Junior League thrift store awhile ago, and now I frequent it probably once a week. It's based near Park Avenue (Orlando), and I have found a lot of treasures. They have great purses, housewares, and many other random delights.

 This is the latest 25 cent purchase I made-I'm a Proverbs pro now. right. Anyways, It was originally a few dollars, but apparently I went in on their weekly sale which was extra awesome. I asked the elderly fellow cashier what day their weekly sale is held on, and his answer: "you just have to come back everyday to find out." SO I have no choice. Or helpful information on that currently. But they do have them, and it's usually half off and sometimes whatever price they feel like giving you when you check out. Love em.      

503 N Virginia Ave
Winter Park, FL 32789
(407) 644-4043

      P.s. Some really exciting news- my great friend Hannah had her baby girl, Charlotte today! Wish I could walk to Chicago to see them both, but I already love her. So congrats Hannah & Matt, and we love you!

Little Gems

These are just a couple of things in my life that make my heart happy, specifically this week.

1. Children, especially my nanny kids Ada+Trey who are really shy when it comes to cameras obvi. So this is a preview of what I get to enjoy/experience in my daily life. I don't know why it filmed weird, I guess I'm not a ipod4filmpro.

2. Locally grown produce, especially from the backyard of my great friends & neighbors,  Molly & Josh. They were so delish (thanks Molls!)and pink-ish inside which was a fun surprise for an orange.

Friday Feature no.2: Sarah.

                              Happy Birthday!

Somehow this Friday Feature fell on Saturday. Actually it's because we spent the day celebrating the lovely lady above, that I didn't even know Friday had come & gone. Anyways, I'm dedicating this feature to Sarah J. Dixon, borned 24 years ago.

About Sarah: She is almost a nurse, lover of Jesus, hilar, adorable and single (all you guys that read my blog minus Randy, which may not exist, send me your applications for dateship inquiries). So I love her, she's pretty much my sister, I call her that so peoples get confused, and I'm so happy we got to celebrate her bday with a magic game, lots o' hand holding, cupcake themes, free basketball gifts from our sthuper sthweet waiter and to top it off, a VIP dance night- cause that's how we roll.

S.J.D.- Thanks for being borned and I love you.  

LotsOthoughts.com

     I feel like this is going to be a boring, but my 2 followers love this kind of stuff. I think. Anyways, even though this season of unemployment for Rands, half unemployment for me, isn't always the easiest especially as newlyweds (not that olderweds have it easier, just another thing to adjust to), I believe that God is teaching us a lot. One thing, is just to enjoy this time together because I'm surrounded by people with full time jobs + kids + school, etc., who aren't able to just drop what they're doing and be with their loved one. 

   A fav activity for the Kett duo is bike rides, especially when its 76 degrees and cloudless skies. Even though I really get stressed dodging the drivers in china town, we got free air from nice dudes from loco motion (BTW- if you are an Orlando-ian, the one near Park Ave is closed. Darn all those indy kid bike stores now), did tour de Baldwin park, made delicious smoothies at home, and after our dinner of home made chicken nuggets, I randomly craved chocolate per the norm. 

So I googled easy chocolate cookies and made them. It was easy and Rands and I killed most likely 10 each. I would put the recipe, but it's really too embarrassing because they were so easy. So maybe I'll put the link. Fine here Deliciouspoocookies. 

And finally, I got a book from the library today I ordered with great determination. I am working on my book a.d.d. this year, and just finished my first of the year (if you're married, its called Sacred Influence and it had some pretty biblical sound advice for wifey's/some kinda eh). So I decided to go with Anna Karenina. It's only 817 pages. And my dear friend Denise inspired me to read it when we were in Malawi together a few years ago. It's the "greatest novel ever written" after all, supposedly. So why not start there? And just in case you aren't familiar as I wasn't, it is the same author of War & Peace.   

So wish me luck! I'll most likely ware out my renewal privileges. And become a recluse. But it will be totally worth it. Also, if you're into reading and being non-social, check this out- it's pretty legit & helpful http://bookseer.com/. Now time for Top Chef All Stars.

mlk holiday day

"A bachelor's life is a fine breakfast, a flat lunch, and a miserable dinner."
                         Francis Bacon.

According to Bacon, Randy & I definitely live a bachelor's life.

Today was a productive MLK holiday at the Ketterman's, filled with reading, an attempt to jog in our condo gym, exciting chats about the future, and MLK of course, and I got to spend some crafty time with one of my bests, Christie M. Augello (stay tuned for our creation, it's the child must-have for 2011). 

When I have time off, I enjoy making really good breakfasts', because it is definitely the best food-idea God came up with. After chocolate. Anyways, I made one of our faves, a Kitchen Sink Frittata. My mom gave me this recipe, along with my first cast iron skillet for my birthday (encouraging my wifery skillz). It's so simple, tasty and looks difficult to make. All my favorite things in a recipe. Enjoy!  

                           Kitchen Sink Frittatas

Serves 4

 Ingredients:

• 6 Eggs (I've done egg whites for a healthier alternative, just a little lighter than original)
• Salt & Pepper
• 2 cups leftover cooked vegetables, meat, pasta, rice, cheese, or whatever you have on hand
• 1 1/2 tablespoons butter

1. Preheat the over broiler.

2. Whisk the eggs in a large bowl. Season with salt & pepper to taste.

3. Mix in all the other ingredients except the butter.

4. In a large ovenproof skillet (a 9- inch cast-iron frying pan, for example), melt the butter over medium heat.

5. Add the egg mixture and cook until the bottom and edges are set, but the eggs are still runny on top.

6. Remove the skillet from the stove top and place it under the broiler. Broil for about 3 minutes, until the eggs are set and the top is slightly browned.

7. Let the frittata cool, then cut it into wedges and serve directly from pan.

I have added other spices and variations, and below are some other good ideas for combos:

• WESTERN: ham, cheese, peppers, green onions
• GREEK: Feta cheese, olives, plum tomatoes, spinach
• SOUTHWESTERN: salsa, avocado, corn, monterey jack cheese, jalapenos, cilantro
• ITALIAN: sausage, tomatoes, garlic, basil, Parmesan cheese
• VEGGIE: zucchini, tomatoes, mozzarella, broccoli, mushrooms

Friday Feature

I have decided that every Friday, I am going to feature a cool person I know/met/or someone that's doing something with their lives that is beyond themselves. Mainly for promo opportunities for them, obviously, and double F's in Friday & Feature is fun. So here is- the FIRST EVER FRIDAY FEATURE.

This week, I am featuring Kristian Stanfill. He sings music (like) for Jesus (quadmillionth like), and it's really rock and roll. This album dropped this week on 1.11.11, it will change your life and you can buy it HERE.  

First Post:

                     First Marriaged New Years

                                               

                   First Marriaged Christmas 2010

  

  

In my very first post ever, I wanted to include the most recent self-project R and I did this week. It was a 3-day mini cleanse, meant to "reset our digestive systems." Gwyneth Paltrow did it and suggested it in her blog- and she's pretty cool. So of course I'll do that too.

What we took from our honorable decision to better ourselves: we are miserable/grumpy people without coffee, chips & salsa and preservatives. Gwyneth you win. However, we agreed that we did feel much cleaner and it doesn't take much to make great, clean meals. Here is the Link to my bff GP's blog, and the Dr. who made the cleanse and other cleansing options: http://goop.com/newsletter/111/en/