Whitakers by Grace

Monday, September 14, 2015

Restart Day 1

I missed a day already, so I'm starting back at day 1. I'm gonna get through this time!

I like taking recipes and experimenting with modifications. Sometimes they don't turn out so good, like the time I made lemon bread using dates instead of sugar and applesauce instead of oil. (one word: doughy) But other times they turn out great, like a cookie recipe I tried.

Doesn't it look yummy?

Here's the original recipe, from cupcakesomg.blogspot.com

1 cup almond butter
1/4 cup honey
1 egg
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Mix all ingredients together. Place by spoonfuls onto cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

And, here is my variation. Same mixing instructions, just slightly different ingredients.

1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup almond meal
1/4 cup honey
1 flax egg (1 Tbls. ground flax seed mixed with 3 Tbls. water, let sit for 2 minutes)
1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup chocolate chips (optional)

You should try out both recipes some time. :) And have fun experimenting with your own recipe modifications!

Saturday, September 12, 2015

Day 4

Last night we went to a parenting class with our church, 'cause it's never too early to start getting prepared. Seriously. A few couples there said, "I wish we would have gone to a class like this before we had kids." We are blessed to be able to get guidance before kids.

One thing that stood out to me was that the Bible is not a manual for parenting, it is a framework. God never goes into detail about how you should raise your children. He gives you guidelines. Then He gives you wisdom when you ask for it in prayer - wisdom to know the more specific ways you can/should raise the children He gives you. Aside from the guidelines in Scripture, there is no "right way" to be a parent.

This comes as a relief, 'cause I know I don't have to do everything "right", but it also is intimidating 'cause I know I have to figure things out when the time comes. However, I have hope knowing that God will show me the best way to raise children and the grace to do it too, if I come to Him and ask for help.

God is good!

Friday, September 11, 2015

Day 3

One year ago today, I bought my wedding dress. Hard to believe it's been a whole year - seams like only a few months ago. It only took a little over 2 hours to find the perfect dress for me. My consultant did a great job!

When I picked out my dress 1 year ago, that's when I started feeling like I was actually going to get married. I thought "Oh my goodness, this is really happening!" It was a good feeling. :)

Thursday, September 10, 2015

Day 2

I've been reading a book called Trusting God, which is very helpful. It helped me see that I have a lot of growing to do in this area - I tend to be anxious instead of trusting Him. Here's a quote from the book.

"We are in the hands of a sovereign God who controls every circumstance of our lives and who rejoices in doing us good (see Jeremiah 32:41)."
"God does have a purpose and a plan for you, and God has the power to carry out that plan."
"Because we know God is directing our lives to an ultimate end and because we know He is sovereignly able to orchestrate the events of our lives toward that end, we can trust Him."

This is so encouraging! :)

Wednesday, September 9, 2015

30 day challenge - day 1

I'm challenging myself to post something on this blog for 30 days in a row. Not just a meaningless "here's my post for today", but something worthwhile. If I miss a day, I start over. We'll see how this goes.

So, you know how when you use a juicer, there's a lot of vegetable/fruit "meat" leftover? I've come up with two yummy ideas to use the pulp/flesh/meat instead of throwing it in the trash.
1) Mix it with some oats and seasonings, squish it together, form a round patty, and fry it in a pan on the stove. Now you have a veggie burger!
2) Mix in some seasonings, stir-fry it with oil, and add it to rice or noodles (by itself is great too). Voila, healthy, tasty vegetable stir-fry.

You could probably use it in bread as well, like for zucchini or carrot bread, just be sure to squeeze out any excess juice first.

Have fun juicing! :)

Monday, August 10, 2015

what's been happening

So, what have I been up to the past few months? Let's see...

I've been taking care of all the normal "house duties" - cleaning, cooking, laundry, etc. Nothing exciting there. Though, I think it's exciting being able to plan out the menu and go grocery shopping. :) Also taking care of our house plants is fun. For example:

I've been spending time with family and friends, though not as much as I would like. I went on a few road trips with Quentin, which were fun and relaxing. I've been reading and working on my cross stitch. I've been trying to eat healthier and exercise more, to get my body in the best shape possible before Quentin and I decide to get pregnant. (I should have started doing this a long time ago, but I've been lazy)

I've been taking care of Mabel. She is the sweetest kitty!

And I've been helping Quentin at various landscaping jobs. That's been fun. We helped spread mulch at my parents' house, replanted in the front yard of Quentin's parents' house, and installed a garden at the entrance to an elementary school. It's fun watching the process of landscapes going from drawings to plants.

It's been a good few months. :)

Friday, August 7, 2015

Introducing

I'd like to introduce you to the Whitakers. :)

First is Brian and Andrea, my 2nd parents (Quentin's dad and mom). They live about 15 minutes away from us, which is great 'cause I really enjoy spending time with them! They are both very generous, kind, loving, and follow the Lord in everything. They are a blessing, and I love them both! They're getting ready to go on a date in this photo.

Now for Quentin's siblings.
First is his sister Rachel. Her husband is Matt, and they have a daughter named Belle. Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of them. They live in Ohio. I've only spend a few hours with them, but they are a very nice family.

Next is Quentin's oldest brother Justin. Justin and his wife Beth live a little less than 10 minutes from us. They have 2 biological children - Cadence and Alayna - and 2 children they adopted from Ethiopia - Joie and Brenden. They were the first Whitakers I met besides Quentin's parents, and even when I was only dating Quentin they treated me like family. They're very kind and generous. The kids always give me hugs and are happy to see me.

Brent is next in line. He married a beautiful Korean lady, So Young. They have 2 children Olivia and Ian, and are expecting another in December. They live in Kentucky, and we visited them last year. I don't know them as well as I'd like to, but I do know that they love the Lord and their family and are very sweet and generous.

Next is Scott and his wife Amanda. They live in West Virginia, and have 2 daughters Cambria and Avery. Scott initiated our wedding ceremony, which was really special. They are both strong in the Lord and are very generous. (see a theme going on here?) I'm looking forward to getting to know them better when we visit later this year.

Quentin is next in line. You already know what he looks like, so you don't need a picture.

Oh, I'll just put a picture on anyway. :)

Alright, the youngest brother is Doug. He shared the apartment with Quentin while I and Q were dating. It was fun to hang out with him and Q, even when he teased us a lot. =P He's in Colorodo now. It would be cool to go visit him some day. He's a great guy!

And last, but definitely not least, Quentin's youngest sisters. Karina (on the right) is 9 and was adopted from Guatemala, Makaila (left) is 5 and was adopted from Ethiopia. They are both super sweet girls, and I'm glad to call them my sisters. Can't wait to see how they grow to be young ladies!

There you have it. This is my new addition to my family. The Whitakers are a super amazing bunch of people!

Wednesday, August 5, 2015

I'm Back

It's been almost 5 months since I last posted. That's because my laptop is broken, and I've been too lazy to figure out my password to log in on Quentin's.

These past months have been the best ones ever! Mainly because I'm married now. =D I know, that's what most newlyweds say. But it's true. I would not trade my marriage to Quentin for anything in the world.

Oh yeah, I updated my look and name of this blog. It's more for us now instead of just me. The reason behind the name is that it's only by the grace of God that we met each other and fell in love, and only by the grace of God that we can have a successful lasting marriage which reflects Christ.

The first month of marriage was tough, because Quentin was working 2 jobs, one of which was night shift. We didn't see each other much, even with me not working. But God gave us strength to persevere in that time, and blessed us in early May with Quentin's dream job. He is now working day shift as a landscape designer for a prominent company, which is what he's always wanted to do. And he gets to do the design drawings at home a lot, which is an added bonus. We are so grateful for this job, and hope Quentin will be in it for many years.

I've decided that I'm not going to pursue another job, unless we need it. We are financially doing well right now. I have always wanted to be a homemaker (aka stay at home wife), so I am ecstatic that I get to do that! =D Maybe this time next year, I will be a stay at home mom too. We'll see.

You're probably wanting to see some wedding photos, so here are a few. God gave us the perfect weather for our wedding in March.

my good friend Kasey fixed my hair

St. Mark's is such a beautiful church!

Quentin's mom helped with all the flowers, and did an amazing job with them!

The groomsmen, with Quentin in front

bridal portrait

me and my beautiful bridal party

Quentin's face when he first saw me walking in

Dad walking me down the aisle

saying our vows

unity candle

I love this picture of right after our kiss! (I stood on a stool during this)

the Sweigart clan

the Whitaker clan

the entire wedding party

a few couple shots

cutting the cake

I got him with icing!

our get-away car

and the grand exit

It was such a wonderful day. Could not have asked for better. And I could not have asked for a better husband. Quentin is the perfect match for me. Many of my weaknesses are his strengths and viceversa, so we balance each other very well. He is such a loving, kind, generous, hard-working man, committed to living for Christ. I am so blessed to have such an amazing husband!