We have a new niece!!

I am thrilled to announce the birth of my sweet niece, Luana Lynn Mafuiana!

Luana was cozy as could be in her Mama, Alyssa's tummy and did NOT want to come out (that sounds familiar...)! A week over due, she was born September 24th at 8:02am in Nelspruit, South Africa. Luana was 3.66kg and 51cm (that's 8lbs 1oz and 20 inches for the Americans!). She has lots of curly brown hair under her hat and dark grey eyes--what a cutie!

Alyssa did have to have an emergency c-section as Luana was in distress after eight hours of hard labor with very little progress. Both mother and daughter are doing well. Luana is a good eater and Alyssa is in good spirits. Claudio is a proud papa and loves his beautiful girl! Praise GOD for this precious life!

Congratulations, Claudio and Alyssa! We love you and pray God's blessings on your family!

Hot off the Grill!

We had a fabulous Labor Day weekend, which will be chronicled here over the coming week, but for today, I thought I better get those yummy grill recipes from our party last week up and running. Enjoy your grill while you can!!

Grilled Marinated Shrimp
(printable recipe found here)

1 c. olive oil
1/4 c. chopped fresh parsley
1 lemon, juiced
2 T. hot pepper sauce
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 T. tomato paste
2 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground black pepper
2 lbs. large shrimp, peeled and deveined with tails attached
skewers

1. In a mixing bowl, mix together olive oil, parsley, lemon juice, hot sauce, garlic, tomato paste, oregano, salt and black pepper. Reserve about 1/4 of the mixture for basting later. Pour remaining marinade into a large resealable bag with shrimp. Seal and marinade in the refrigerator 2 hours.
2. Preheat grill for medium-low heat. Thread shrimp unto skewers, piercing once near the tail and once near the head. Discard marinade.
3. Lightly oil grate. Cook shrimp for 5 minutes per side, or until opaque, basting frequently with reserved marinade.

Unbelievable Chicken
(printable recipe found here)

1/4 c. cider vinegar
3 T. prepared coarse-ground mustard
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 lime, juiced
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground black pepper
6 T. olive oil
6 chicken breasts

1. In a large glass bowl, mix the cider vinegar, mustard, garlic, lime juice, lemon juice, brown sugar, salt, and pepper. Whisk in the olive oil. Place chicken in the mixture. Cover, and marinate 8 hour, or overnight.
2. Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat.
3. Lightly oil the grill grate. Place chicken on the prepared grill and cook 6 minutes per side, until juices run clear. Discard marinade.
   

London Broil
(printable recipe found here)

3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 c. soy sauce
2 T. vegetable oil
2 T. ketchup
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. ground black pepper
1 (2lb) flank, round, or "London Broil" steak

1. In a small bowl, mix together garlic, soy sauce, oil, ketchup, oregano, and black pepper. Pierce meat with a fork on both sides. Place meat and marinade in a large resealable plastic bag. Refrigerate 8 to 24 hours.
2. Preheat grill for medium-high heat.
3. Lightly oil the grill grate. Place steak on the grill and discard marinade. Cook for 5 to 8 minutes per side, depending on thickness. Do not over cook, as it is better on the rare side.

Stretch!

It's been a while since we've had a Jared and Bethany update, so I thought, "Hey! Why not today!?"

Jared and I have been almost frantically busy this summer on one house project after another. I think I'll wait to give the long tale of remodelling until I get around to taking some photos. But, just to make a short list of our projects:

1. Paver sidewalk and patio
2. Radon remediation system for the crawl space
3. Kids rooms have been painted and "decorated"
4. Kids bathroom has been gutted of old towel bars, mirror, shower doors, faucets, and now has a fresh coat of paint, shower curtain, new faucet and shower head, as well as new towel bars. A cheap, but effective redo until we want to tear up flooring, vanity, toilet, etc.
5. Master bedroom has had the popcorn removed, took down the vertical blinds, painted and put in a fancy new ceiling fan.
6. Living room and dining room have had the vertical blinds removed and been painted
7. The kitchen has been painted, all new hardware, new deep sink, new garbage disposal, new refrigerator, and range.

Next on the list is all new flooring, some hardwood and some carpet, but it will be a while before we do that. The appliances weren't exactly part of the plan at this point, so we'll be saving for a while before we get rid of the classy blue carpet and cracking tile in the kitchen... So far, though, it's really coming together and really starting to feel like our home. I will be busy sewing this year to make some personal touches, but we have time.

Jared has also started a small group for Dads through our church. The group has been working their way through Chip Ingram's series Effective Parenting in a Defective World and has had some good times together. I'm so thankful that Jared has taken the initiative to start the group that I'm sure will be a blessing to everyone who is part of it.

Jared has also become Mr. Social at work (big surprise!) and has been busy organizing lunches out, as well as a big house party here last weekend. We had a blast! I will be posting some of my winning recipes from that get together next week...

Meanwhile, I have been trying to get plugged in to ministry in my own way. I am on the steering team for MOPS of Brevard this year and am looking forward to getting to know the ladies in the group and serving them however I can. We have a lot of struggling moms here, just like everywhere else, so I'm sure that it will be an exciting year to see how God will work. I'm also a small group leader for the kindergarten Sunday School class. Last week was the first week and I covet your prayers for this new experience. Kindergarten is tough and a class with 3 girls and about 15 boys makes it that much tougher! Pray that God would use me to show these kids his love. Finally, I will be joining a Ladies Bible study Fridays that I am really looking forward to! It's based on some of the Deeper Still material looking at the life of David and should be really fantastic.

So, that's us in a nutshell. Busy, busy, and very blessed.

Burgers and Poppers

I have two recipes that are sorta Pioneer Woman's and sorta just ours. (please note, though that the photos are all hers, isn't she amazing!?) Either way, these recipes are filled with artery clogging goodness that I'm guessing no one in their right mind would miss out on. Seriously. This is GOOD STUFF!

Our New Favorite Burger

2 pounds 80/20 Ground Beef
Texas Pete's Hot Sauce
1 Red Onion, sliced
Crumbled Feta Cheese
Real Mayonnaise
Cajun seasoning, to taste
2 Tbsp. Brown Sugar
Kaiser Rolls
Your favorite lettuce (or not)
Butter
Salt and pepper

1. Mix up the ground beef with 1 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper. Add a few dashes of hot sauce. Form the burgers into desired number of patties-- sixish is always about right for us.
2. In a medium skillet over LOW heat, melt 2 Tbsp. butter. Dump in the sliced red onion, then add the 2 Tbsp. brown sugar. Toss to combine the ingredients, then allow the onions to caramelize for about 20 minutes, tossing occasionally.
3. While the onions are caramelizing, make the spicy mayo by combining 1/4 cup mayonnaise with a few shakes of Cajun seasoning. Taste test for perfection!
4. Grill the burgers over MED / MED-HI heat. When they're almost done, lightly grill butter buns.
5. To assemble the burgers, spread the buns with spicy mayo, then burger, then caramelized onions, then crumbled feta, then greens (if you wish). Enjoy!!

Bacon-Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers

10+ jalapenos
Bacon, thinly sliced
1 (80z) pkg 1/3 less fat cream cheese
2 green onions, minced
1 tsp. Cajun seasoning
Apricot jam

1. Preheat oven to 375F.
2. Combine cream cheese, green onions, and Cajun seasoning in a small bowl.
3. Prepare the jalapenos by slicing in half lengthwise, removing the seeds and white membrane. (You may want to wear gloves for this.)
4. Next, fill the jalapenos halfway with cheese mixture, then a bit of apricot jam, then wrap the whole thing in half a slice of bacon, securing with a toothpick.
5. Bake on a pan with a rack for 20 minutes at 375F. If the bacon isn't crisp enough at this point, turn on the broiler for a few minutes to finish them off. Youcan also grill these puppies, but be prepared for a bit of mess and some flare-ups!

NOTE: For make ahead goodness, these can be frozen once assembled for use at a later date. Also, you will likely have leftover cheese--this is great on crackers or just save it for when you're craving these puppies again-- like tomorrow!

First Day of School!

Time sure does fly. I can hardly believe that four years have flown by so quickly! But, believe it or not, our family took a big step this last week, we moved into the school years...

Ruby Rae started preschool last Wednesday and was VERY excited. Ruby will be attending the First Baptist W.E.E. School in Brevard three mornings a week (MWF). Before setting off for her first day, Jared and I coerced Ruby into a short photo shoot to commemorate the big day! (I mean, we'd probably be in pretty deep doo doo if we didn't get first day of school snapshots!)

The week before school started, we went to an open house in her classroom to meet her teacher and see the classroom. Ruby was at home right away (as was Max!), while Jared and I worked on reams of paperwork. After a while, Ruby came over to us and said, "Why are you guys still here!?" Apparently, we're no longer needed!

Jared and I also got a good chuckle when one boy shouted out across the room with his super southern accent, "Miz Baaaaab, eye thank wer gonner haf ter fix thas!". Oh my!

For the first two days (Monday and Wednesday) the class was divided into two so that her teacher, Mrs. Babb, could get to know the children a little better. Ruby, whose first day was Wednesday, was the only girl that showed up that day, but it didn't seem to bother her at all. I guess there are quite of few payoffs for having a little brother!

According to Ruby, the highlights of her first day included: playing on the playground, having chocolate chip cookies for snack time, and NOT getting a time out. Also, there was a lot of talk about "Wedder Bear". Let me tell you, it took me an age and a half to figure out she was trying to say "Weather Bear"! It was too funny! So, apparently Weather Bear tells the children the weather for the day by pointing to sunny, cloudy, rainy, or snowing. I have a feeling Weather Bear points to rainy an awful lot around here.

Friday, I squeezed a bit more information out of her...

1. They had to play inside because it was too wet outside.

2. "Wedder" Bear had been moved and was now pointing to rainy and cloudy.

3. They did not have chocolate chip cookies, but some other kind of cookie.

4. They, once again, had apple juice. And Ruby DOES NOT WANT APPLE JUICE! (I advised her that a simple "no thank you" would work nicely to remedy that problem.)

5. She didn't get a time out, though two boys did.

6. They watched part of a penguin movie.

7. She drew a lovely family portrait including all of us, even "our little pup Hazel".

Today, Ruby's third day of school, she was still all smiles. Here is today's report:

1. She didn't get a time out today!

2. She had music class today, and no, they did not sing, play instruments, or dance. Hmmm...

3. They had cupcakes today! It was someone's birthday--hurray!!

And that about covers her report. After that she was pretty urgent about getting some lunch, which is understandable after all that hard preschoolin'!

I'm sure that the coming year will bring lots of funny stories and we're very exicited about this new stage of life. Max and I are having a great time enjoying some time together on our own and Ruby couldn't be happier.

Life is good.

Cute Quotes

Ruby: I've got an idea Max!

Max: Wha' Wuby?

Ruby: Let's play Princess and the Pea! Do you want to be the pea?!

Kayaking the French Broad!

Several weeks ago, we were invited to join Jared's boss, Roger, and his family for a day of kayaking and decided to take him up on it! Here are a few photos from the trip...

On our way! Jared had Max sitting on his lap in his kayak and Ruby sat up front with Hazel running here and there in mine.

Ruby had a great time while I floundered a bit trying to figure out how to paddle without ending up stranded on the rocks!

Fun in the sun!

Ruby decided to take a turn paddling. When it became clear that we were destined to float down the river backwards under loads of low branches that MAY have snakes in them I decided to take over again.

Daddy and Max, cruisin'!

Ruby and Hazel hanging out. Hazel was up, down, in and out on the trip. She only jumped out of the boat once and apparently she CAN swim (or at least doggy paddle, haha!).

We saw a lot of pretty sights along our four hour paddle (with stops), but the paddling by the Biltmore was pretty great. At least until I almost tipped the boat while ogling the Segway tour group! Oh, and then I dropped my new camera into a puddle at the bottom of the boat. Yes, I was on a roll...

So, that brought an abrupt end to the picture taking (though it turned out that the camera is fine thankfully!), but it was a great trip! We hope to try it again... maybe this fall with the changing colors.