Picture Updates!

Winter is here...
we miss the fall...
and hardly remember summer!

Our kitchen remodeling project...that used to be a full wall, so the kitchen was so dark and not great. therefore we took out a chunk and half of the wall and eventually it will be a breakfast bar area with some shelves on the side. Now its just a mess.
AFTER WE PAINTED :) love it
BEFORE WE PAINTED

Minx sitting on the sleeping Andrew
Our kitten :)

So...
Life is still busy. This past weekend was Remembrance Day, so we had a long weekend. On friday we had Dave and Ashleys wedding, which was beautiful and SO much fun. We danced the night away. Saturday I went over to Cindy's house with Katie and her daughter Ava and we made some Christmas cards. Then, in the night, we went to a Haiti fundraising dinner. On Sunday we went to First CRC again (we are really liking it!) and after just cleaned cleaned cleaned! 7 loads of laundry later and furniture moving =our house in tiptop shape. For dinner we went out to Dad and Debbies house. We had apple soup! Quite tasty! and a Roast with potatoes for main course and crepes for dessert. This week should go by without a problem.

Oh, and the contest went really well. We got first PLACE!! All that hard work paid off :)

Here was our Menu:

Smoked Whitefish on a wild rice and lentil crepe with a grainy mustard celery root slaw

then,
Braised bison short ribs sausages with lentil and homemade rocotta cheese perogies. Pan roated guinea hen with a wild mushroom sauce and pickled beets.

for dessert: dark chocolate cherry triffle(the laters being mousse, whiskey and amoretto soaked pound cake , sour cherry compote, crumbled almond cookie, more mousse.

Early Mornings

This week I wake up and go to school by 7am so I can practice with my partner for the cooking competition/scholarship contest I am in. It'll be like this for abit. I feel like a real chef though putting in 13 hour days...WOO COOKING!

Also i got a letter from my best friend Emily today...Made my day/night/week/weekend! Miss her even more though. I miss a lot of people from home.

Weekend Recap...

Friday: I worked til 9pm

Saturday: Woke up and got to school by 10am to help with preparing food for feeding the homeless thanksgiving dinner. I sliced and sliced and sliced turkey! Then Andrew, Laura and I packed up and went out to the acreage (we brought minx too!) We spent the rest of the day lounging then Cindy, Ryan, Tyler, Wes, Brent, and Grant came over and we played a really fun card game that had us running all over the house! We eventually took the game to a bigger scale and had a scavenger hunt type thing in Devon. (My team won! )Then we had a bonfire. And earlier we ate homemade pumpkin pie that Cindy made from scratch..so good!

Sunday: We slept in and then listened to a sermon from BCRC on 1 John 3. Then the rest of the day was lounging , studying, prepping food etc.

Monday: Thanksgiving!! We woke up and the power was out! So we couldnt start cooking the turkey until we packed up everything to go to Trish's house and right as we are about to walk out the door the power comes back on!!! So noon the turkey was put in. Then we did homework and made more food until about 5 when we had dinner. Good times. I love my family.

Turkey Dinner...plus Minx

Turkey Dinner!:

Turkey, Stuffing, Sweet Potato Wedges, Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes, Corn, Gravy, Cranberry Sauce, Apple Pie, & Pumpkin Pie+Interesting Music+Laura& Andrew = AWESOME DAY
And this is me and minxy on a sleepy day :)

Happy Thanksgiving...

This weekend is Canadian thanksgiving! So Andrew, Laura and I will be celebrating on monday with a full on turkey dinner. Im SO excited to cook. Im thinking turkey, garlic mashed potatoes, corn , green beans, homemade stuffing and gravy, sweet potato dish and pumpkin and dutch apple pie...wish me luck!

This week went really well. I sent in an acceptance letter for a scholarship cookoff contest and got in! First year students are partnered with second years. So my partners name is Allen, and my teacher was so happy I got him, cuz he is one of the best students right now! woo hoo! so the contest is november 5, and we are going to meet this tuesday to start preparing for it. I am SO EXCITED. k bye

A weekend with Gloria!

This weekend Gloria came to visit! She got flown in for a concert in Calgary on friday, so Andrew, our friend Jaryn, and I all drove down to see her. We were also hanging out with Nicole and Russ, some of our other friends. The cool part is that our thing in common is that we all went to Capernwray! So yeah, drove down friday night and stayed at Nicoles house with the girls. Andrew stayed at his buddies house. Saturday morning we went out to Cora's downtown for breakfast with Chris, Trevor, and Raelene (the 2guys are Andrew's friends from Capernwray and Raelene is Trevor's wife). Then we went over to the little festival/BBQ that Nicole's brother was putting on at their church as an outreach. Gloria and Jaryn sang and then this old guy came and was like, "I have my congos in my car, can I play with you guys?" they said sure, so there was a sweet jam session. Andrew won a corn eating contest. typical. After that we drove back to Edmonton and went over to Bryans house for his birthday. Sunday we went to Connie's Church, First CRC. I loved it. Lots of old people and lots of young couples. :)Which is good for Andrew and I. After church Glory and I went to West Edmonton Mall, which is what you kinda have to do if you go to edmonton. After that it was time to take her to the airport and say our goodbyes. (Miss you already glor!) When Andrew and I got home we started the renovation of our kitchen wall... it was fun ripping parts down! Then I got to skype with my sister Anne. Good talks. Now were off to bed...wonder what God has in store for this week?!

Recipe...

For about 2 lbs sliced chicken...

2 onions finely diced

1 piece of ginger, peeled and grated

2.5 tablespoons garlic, minced

olive oil

cumin

turmeric

garam marsala

coriander

cayenne

5-7 mangos

2-3 cans cocoanut milk

liter of cream

Heat olive oil. Put onion, ginger, and garlic and stir constantly to sweat them (meaning get their flavor but dont put color on them.)add Spices to flavor...the more cayenne the spicer so be careful. Add chicken, mangos, coco milk and cream. Add more spices and salt and pepper to season! Taste lots throughout the process, cuz thats what a good and smart chef does!

Serve on basmati rice...and maybe garnish with some sliced green onion. Sorry no picture, I'll have my phone to take one next time.

Mango Cocoanut Chicken Curry

Today, in Short Order class, my group made Mango Cocoanut Chicken curry for our daily special...and I don't mean to brag, but WOW was it good! I had the idea from this past weekend when Andrew, Laura, and I had a canned version of it. It was pretty awesome too, but I thought how great it would be to make it from scratch. So, with the help of my chef professor, we did!

And it sold :) I felt proud. I also felt proud because today was the day our teacher takes us aside and tells us our grade and just how we have been doing so far, and he gave me the highest mark he has ever given and that I am doing a great job and he sees that I am a natural leader and that he sees alot of him self in how I work. It feels great because I am working hard and pushing myself and loving what I do. Although I can't let this praise get to my head. So I am praying for humility and my attitude. And thanking the Lord each day for this amazing opportunity to go to school and mom and dad too!!!

love you,

e

Married!

some wedding details
andrew and i
ceremony
andrew
me.
Hey,

Thought I would start this up again. At least try. My life is VERY busy here! Being married, full time student and having a job, well yes I'm busy! Wake up around 6-6:30 do anything from exercise/shower/read my Bible then go to school. Classes are from 8:15 to 1:15 and then 1:30 to 3:10 and then work right after that until 8-9pm. Then home to my sweet husband Andrew and our cat Minx.

We have been busy hanging out with friends doing some of the following: Bible study, camping/hiking, bonfires, birthday parties, dinners, shopping, and just hanging out. thats lots of fun. ill try to get some pictures up.

This morning I read 1John(love it!) and psalm 25 in honor of Emily's birthday yesterday. :)

Thats it for now...off to work.

-e

Away from home?

Ok so these are in reverse order that i wanted to put them on but here is backward since being home... Got engaged Oct. 7, 2010
Moved into my first (and only ) apartment all by myself, downtown Milwaukee August, 2010
I visited Andrew in Canada. We climbed a little mountain Aug. 2010
Andrew came to Wisconsin and we hung out with some mutual friends: Chris and Calvin, plus hanging out with family and friends July 2010

I can't believe I am coming up to being away from New Zealand for almost a year. I miss it everyday, I feel like I am away from my home. It is cool to see what God has done in my life since coming home. In my relationship with my family, deeper relationship with my friends, a God-fearing husband to be ;), my own apartment, a full time job, a Bible study, and much more. It is definitely harder in the real world to keep my heart focused on Christ and to be in His Word and talking with Him. Capernwray had this uplifting greenhouse to grow heaps in my faith, and I am finding it hard being planted out in the big 'woods' of Milwaukee! God has me here for a reason though. (Although I won't be here for long...162 days til the wedding and after that honeymoon-home-pack-road trip to Canada-culinary school-married life forever :)...I love you Andrew)

Purpose of this starting up again was to keep me accountable and I guess uplift and encourage anyone who still reads this long-outdated blog of mine. Thank you Shelly for encouraging me to start this up again. Plan goes as followed: look back on my Capernwray notes, reflect and talk about it. Hope some cool things resurface and I can share what I learned in New Zealand to you.

love,

Elizabeth