Favorite Five Friday

Today, and every Friday, I’m going to share a list of five favorite things from the past week… that is unless I’ve had so many favorite things that I share fifteen favorite things!  Normally, I’ll include pictures, but since I forgot to take my camera with me this week, I don’t really have any.  Shame on me.

1. Sunny, bright, warm Portland days!  I love the rain here, but having the occasional sunny day is simply delightful!  Sunny days always remind me of God’s comfort and encourage me; I love it!
2. Candles.  John surprised me and let me pick out one Yankee candle, as well as some tealights and tealight holders from Target.  I got the Vanilla Lime candle, which is a fantastic, fresh scent!  And I love the tealights!  We mixed and matched five holders; I love the way they look in our bedroom.
3. French press.  My friend gave us a French press this week!  It is lovely.  While I love the pour-over filter we had been using, the taste of French pressed coffee is so much smoother.
4. Lunch dates with new friends.  Or just hanging out with new friends.  God has blessed us with some new friends who are an encouragement to us.
5. Good music.  I downloaded Coldplay‘s new single, Every Teardrop is a Waterfall, this week.  Love it!  I think Coldplay is successfully branching out into new sounds, improving upon the sound they began to develop in their last album.

There you have it for this week!  Enjoy your weekend and stay tuned for a tale of my adventures tomorrow!

My summer bookshelf

 

I’ll just be real with you.  I LOVE reading, and I’m a nerd.  After all, I did study English literature in college.  With summertime here, I’ve decided to dive back into reading.

My first challenge is to read the entire Patricia Cornwell series.  It’s eighteen books long, so I’m giving myself some time, but not too much.  I’m already nearly done with book six!  The books are good, not the novels of the great classic writers, but definitely not bad.  To be honest, I’m reading them mostly for the challenge of reading the entire series; however, these books have a way of capturing my interest near the end, making them nearly impossible to put down.  I’ve stayed up way too late several nights just to finish one.

I also have a list of random books that I want to read this summer.  I’m confident it will grow and expand, but I’ll share what I have so far.

1. Catch-22
2. The Catcher in the Rye
3. Pride & Prejudice (for like the 4th time I think)
4. Invisible
5. Sometimes a Great Notion
6. Lover’s Dictionary
7. Eat, Pray, Love (research for a project)
8. The Happiness Project (further research)
9. The Hunger Games series

And that is what I have so far.  It’s a small list, in desperate need of expansion.  What are your recommendations?  What’s on your summer list?  I’d absolutely love to know!

Arroz a la cubana

In the 2007-2008 school year, my husband John spent a year abroad in Spain.  He came back with the tales of many adventures, along with new favorite foods and a desire to wander and explore the entire world.  One of his new favorite foods is a dish that he makes quite frequently; it has become a staple in our home!  It is delicious and simple, perfect for when we are tired or just craving something low-key and homemade.  Without further ado, below is the recipe for Arroz a la cubana.

Arroz a la cubana

Ingredients:

• 1 C uncooked rice
• 2 C water
• Dash of salt (if desired)
• 4 eggs
• Small can of tomato sauce (I use a flavored tomato sauce, like basil, oregano, and garlic, for additional flavor.  Salsa can also be used as a substitute.)

Instructions:

In a saucepan, bring the rice, water, and salt to a boil.  Cover and let simmer for 15 – 20 minutes or until rice is thoroughly cooked.  In the meantime, cook the eggs according to your preference (we enjoy over easy eggs).  On a plate, serve the eggs over a bed of rice.  Top with tomato sauce.  Enjoy!

Please note that this recipe is for two to enjoy.  It can easily be made for one by cutting everything in half, or it can be made for many by adding more rice, eggs, and tomato sauce.  It’s a very flexible and delicious recipe!

Tuesday Thoughts

After more than a month of “vacation” (aka writer’s block) from blogging, I’m back!

And I’ve decided to reformat my blog once again… this time I have focus, so hopefully it will stick!  Each day will have a specific theme; for instance, Tuesdays will be a day for me to post my thoughts on the world around me.  I really just liked the alliteration of Tuesday thoughts.  I’m a nerd at heart, what can I say?  I may decide to share other random thoughts, perspectives, pictures, music, recipes, whatever in addition to each day’s themed post, but I make no promises.  Time will tell, I suppose.

Anyway, today’s thoughts are fairly basic.  I’m back to blogging, with a new focus and purposeful intention that I feel like I’d lost since returning from China.  I’m also starting a new project with my husband that will be unveiled soon!  I would tell you to hold your breath in anticipation, but since it may take a few days to get up and running, I don’t want any of you to pass out…  Additionally, I have a few more writing projects under way that I’m sure I’ll share with you all soon!  Until then, I have one question for all of you.  What would you like to see on this blog?  Are there any themes, ideas, or adventures you would like me to share?  I’d absolutely love your feedback!

The waiting game

I have good news to report today!  Lots of good new actually….

1. My second interview at The Shop went really well last night!
2. I have a job interview at yet another Coffee Shop on Tuesday at 4pm.
3. The apartment complex agreed to extend the hold on our apartment until at least Monday.

While we do have to wait until at least Monday to receive an offer letter (managers like to take the weekends off… who knew?) and give it to the apartment complex so we can sign a lease, at least we didn’t lose the apartment.  I also have three serious job prospects.  Though it is frustrating to have to continue to wait, God is providing.  We have a roof over our head and food to eat.  So that’s good.

Over the weekend, I’ll edit and publish stories about our adventures here.  They involve the low-down on both the apartment and job searching, as well as restaurants and cultural differences/observations about life here in the Pacific NW.  Stay tuned!