Pork Cabbage Rolls

For dinner tonight I decided to make cabbage rolls. I took some already slow cooked pork- added onions, carrots, an egg, bread crumbs, and sour cream. Rolled up in some boiled cabbage leaves and baked in a garlic balsamic marinade. Even my husband like them- although when he saw me cooking them he said he wouldn't like it because he hates cabbage. I told him it would taste good and not like regular cabbage when it was all done. And I was right!

In the Dog House

So my hubby, Caleb, and I recently rescued a puppy- half shepherd half lab- and named her Shakira. So our latest project has been building a dog house. Caleb designed a 3D layout on his computer using his amazing engineering skills. We went out and bought the materials- 2x4s, plywood, shingles, nails, screws, and paint. Then we got to work. Here is pictures of our progress and the finished project!

Raised base and half the walls

All four walls and arched door

With the roof on and Caleb inside

Finished product

Caleb used his new Dremel and even made Shakira a name plate

Paradise Trifle

So I wanted a fruity dessert for our house party tonight. I started searching allrecipes.com and I found this: Strawberry Trifle. However I put my own twist on it. I drizzled coconut tequila over the cubed angel food cake before starting the layering process. And instead of vanilla pudding I substituted cheesecake pudding. Yum!

1st Layer: 

I arranged the bananas around the edge so you could see them 

from the side when finished. Just to make it look prettier!

2nd Layer: 

I used strawberries for the outside layer this time. 

Finished! Just topped with whipped cream 

overflowing with yummy goodness!

The Truth about True Love

So I recently picked up a book, "The Power of a Positive Wife." I'm only three chapters in but I wanted to share some key points I found and my thoughts on them. This is not only relevant for people who are already married but also for people who are dating/thinking of getting married. Hope you can get some insight out of this too:

Myth: There is only one "true love" out there for every woman- let's hope we don't choose the wrong one!

- No where in the Bible does it say there is only one person right for you to marry. Having these thoughts can be dangerous once you do get married. If everything isn't easy and romantic and happily ever after like in the movies and you start noticing flaws or changes in your husband, you may start doubting your choice and thinking you chose the wrong, Mr. Right.This can lead to temptations that would violate your marriage if you thought the right guy was still out there somewhere.

" When we subscribe to the notion that there is one perfect person for each of us, we tend to believe that once we find him, there will be no work involved in the relationship. Certainly, we should look for a spouse who exhibits the character qualities and Christian values that we know we want in a lifelong partner. But when we find that seemingly perfect guy, we must accept the fact that love will still be work. True love doesn't mean having a relationship of ease, it means making the continual choice to love and forgive.....True love isn't discovered; it's created."

Myth: I can fall out of love with my spouse.

- "The idea that marital love is something we can fall in and out of is an unfortunate, yet common belief. It's almost humorous to think of people strolling merrily down the path of life, falling in love, vowing to stay in love forever, but then somehow magically falling out of it. It's as if they're on autopilot and they have to go wherever love takes them. They have no power or say-so in the matter. When love is defined as a feeling that comes and goes, it takes on a mind of its own."

There are four different kinds of love-
1. Affection love- like that from a parent to child
2. Friendship love
3.Pleasure/Desire love- sexual
4. Divine love- selfless, like that from God

A marriage should involved all 4 of those types of love. Does that sound like something that you can just fall in and out of?

"Typically when people say they have 'fallen out of love', what they really mean is, 'I am no longer willing to work at loving you. I would rather follow my own pleasures and look for someone else to make me feel good about myself.'" We should not find worth in our husbands, but worth in God.

No one is easy to love! We all have flaws, not just men. So think about what they have to put up with as well. "True love loves past the weaknesses and builds on the strengths."

So women, be careful while dating- this is the time when you can choose to say goodbye to a guy, so make your mistakes now and learn from them. Love is a powerful thing and you shouldn't toss the word around loosely. I learned through my dating experiences that usually the feelings at the beginning of a dating relationship are not the true love described above. So make sure you mean it when you say it.

And women who are already married, make the daily decision to truly love your husband and not focus on their weaknesses. Work on your own weaknesses and encourage each other in your personal lives together and with God.

Read more of this book:

Recent Concoctions

Here are just a few meals I have tried or created on my own:

This is almost a weekly snack (meal) that me and my husband indulge in: tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, on top of triscuits drizzled with a mixture of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and fresh chopped basil leaves. 

Sauteed carrotts mushrooms and bean sprouts in sesame oil, soy sauce, ginger, onion, and garlic all over a bed of raw cabbage

White chocolate cookies and cream cheesecake- baked

Soy milk, greek yogurt, and frozen fruit smoothie

French toast topped with raisins and caramel for breakfast

Give me any suggestions of your favorite recipes!

Recent Projects

I get in a creative moods and that's what happened this past week. Take a look at what me and my husband handcrafted this past weekend together! What to have him help me with next......?

Decorative and Functional Kitchen Trellis

I found this idea in a book (501 Decorating Ideas under $100- Better Homes and Garden)

We bought the plywood, Caleb, my talented husband used a jig saw to cut out the design I drew, add some paint, nails, hooks, and screws and voila!

Mason Jar Hanging Light

After browsing Pinterest and looking at so many things you can do with mason jars I decided on this one. Grabbed some wood, had the hubby drill 1 in holes in a pattern we predetermined, glued and nailed the lids to one side and then spray painted. Next we screwed the jars in and after adding jute hangers on both ends and screw hooks to the beams on our back porch I hung it up and stuffed christmas lights through the holes from the top.

Introduction

Hey everyone!

So I finally decided to join the blogging world. I was treating facebook like a blog anyways so I figured, why not? This will be where you can find all of my latest ideas/projects, thoughts, photos, recipes- I love to cook and experiment- and anything else I find relevant enough to post for the world to see. This won't be some super detailed "how to" on recipes or projects though, but if you need more info to try something yourself, just ask! Since this is a random and spontaneous blog with no set subject, keep checking back as you will never know what you might find- hence the name- Haphazard Times. I will start with a few posts to catch people up on what I've been up to lately.