10 Week New Meal Challenge: Week 9

For this week's meal I made one of my very favorite dishes: chicken and dumplings! My great-grandmother taught me how to make her delicious chicken and dumplings recipe years ago. However, she uses shortening in her dumplings and we try to avoid it, so I looked online and made my own recipe from a collection of several others I found.

Photo courtesy of Google Images

I seasoned the homemade chicken broth with salt, pepper, and onion powder before adding the shredded chicken and bringing the soup to a simmer. Next, I added the dumplings by the spoonful, which I made by combining the following ingredients:

3 cups flour

2 T baking powder

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 cups milk

6 T vegetable oil

The dumplings were ready after being brought to a boil and then simmering for about 20 minutes. It had been a long time since we'd enjoyed chicken and dumplings, so it was a big hit! For this week's other meals, visit the following links:

Clara's Pasta Salad
Jenna's Egg Rolls

Next week is the very last week of the 10 Week New Meal Challenge! Please email me or leave a comment if you would like your new meal included. I am excited to see the new week's meals!

10 Week New Meal Challenge: Week 8

For this week's meal I made a spicy chicken soup recipe I found at allrecipes.com. It reminded me a lot of a taco soup except with shredded chicken instead of ground beef. We added tortilla chips, shredded cheese, and sour cream on top. It was very good!

This week's other meals include the following:

Jenna's African Meal
Katrina's Roast Chicken 
Lisa's Vegetarian Goulash

Only two more weeks remain in the 10 Week New Meal Challenge! It has been so inspiring to read about others' recipes over the past weeks. Please leave a comment or send me an email if you'd like your new meal included in next week's entry (or if I am missing any from this week).

Cheesecake Wedding Cake

I hesitate to write about my homemade wedding cake because, unfortunately, the only finished picture I have is in my mind. You will need a lot of vision to understand what I am attempting to explain!

I am baking a New York-Style classic cheesecake wedding cake with one four-tiered cake in the center and four individual single layer cakes surrounding it. There will be cherries poured on top of each cake, adding a hint of Christmas red to the winter white theme.

The restaurant I bake for freezes my cheesecakes and I usually freeze the ones I sell to farm customers, so we are confident that the quality is not greatly compromised by freezing the cakes. This is very helpful because I am able to complete the baking and freezing of the cakes within the next several weeks instead of having to wait until a few days before the wedding. I am excited to begin baking, but lately I have been struggling to stay on top of other cheesecake orders (I've received thirteen cheesecake orders for this week, which is a great blessing!). We found the following cake plates at a discount store:

Last night, sweet Sheridan and I took the colorful ribbons out of them and began replacing them with off-white ribbons:

The display will be on a round table in the main reception tent. The center cake (with four tiers) will have a 12'' cheesecake, 10'' cheesecake, 8'' cheesecake, and 6'' cheesecake. Surrounding the center cake will be four 8'' cakes on their individual cake plates (we still need to finish threading the off-white ribbons through most of them!):

Because the amount of cheesecake being displayed as the wedding cake will not be enough for our guests, we will have slices from other cheesecakes (less-than-perfect/cracked cheesecakes, which are luckily not noticeably cracked once sliced) already on their individual plates being stored in fridges in one of our barns so our wonderful server girls will be able to pour cherries on top and deliver them to our guests in the reception tent.

I am looking to buy the pillars to go between the tiers on the center cake. Does anyone have suggestions as to where I could purchase inexpensive, simple-looking pillars? I have found sets made by Wilton at Michael's, but I am trying to avoid them because I think they look too gaudy. I'd appreciate any ideas you may have!

Wedding & Home Guest Book

Several years ago, when visiting our friends, the Girottis, at their lovely home in the Shenandoah Valley, we were invited to sign their family's guest book. For years they had been collecting their guests' notes, signatures, addresses, and occasional photos in a guest book in their family room. I immediately fell in love with their idea and made a note in my journal that, should it be the Lord's will for me to one day marry, I would definitely want a similar guest book in my own home!

Photos courtesy of Crane & Co.

When I was searching for the wedding guest book for our friends and family to sign as they enter the church prior to the ceremony, I remembered this idea from years ago and decided to incorporate my wedding guest book into my future home's guest book. I wanted a guest book in a traditional style that would suit our needs at the wedding as well as in our future homes. I also wanted something that I knew would be available many years from now in a similar style so I could add to the guest book collection when the first book was filled.

After searching online, I decided to purchase a beautiful guest book from Crane & Co. I think it will be so much fun to look through this book many years from now and recall those who shared in our joyous wedding day as well as reminisce about the opportunities we had to welcome others into our home throughout the years.

Thank You for the Ideas

Thank you so incredibly much for your many, many going away dress ideas! I have been in town all day at various appointments and running wedding-related errands and was welcomed home to an inbox full of comments with your great ideas! I look forward to researching the links soon. Unfortunately, I did not have an opportunity to write a wedding update post today, but I look forward to writing again tomorrow.

Going Away Dress Dilemma

You may remember that this past spring I requested help finding a pattern for a dress similar to the one pictured above. I wanted to find a way to make my own "going away dress" because, although I adored the classy style and color, I was definitely not going to spend $600 on the one pictured above. Some of you left helpful comments and linked to dress ideas and patterns. Two people suggested a Vintage Vogue pattern from the 1950's that looked nearly identical to the dress I loved, so I happily purchased the pattern and fabric and began working on the project. I was only able to work on it occasionally over the summer, but I knew I needed to get serious about it if it was going to be completed before the wedding. As I tried to finish it last week with a lot of help from Mama, we both agreed that it was the most confusing pattern we had ever worked with! Finally, when the bodice was ready for me to try on, it looked terrible! Not only was it too tight, but it was just an altogether awkward fit. I was discouraged after spending so much time on it. Fortunately, most of the fabric is still in large pieces so I will be able to use it again in the future.

I am at a total loss as to what I should do about my going away dress! We are getting way too close to the wedding for me to attempt another big sewing project. I really want to wear something timeless and elegant and I don't want to wear my wedding dress when leaving the reception. I am considering buying a dress and would be thrilled if anyone has any suggestions for a dress that is very similar to the one pictured!

10 Week New Meal Challenge: Week 7

This week I made a broccoli cheddar soup I found last winter at my friend Alli's blog. It is supposed to be similar to the delicious broccoli cheddar soup at Panera. The flavor was good, but when I added the cheese to the soup, the cheese did not melt but instead turned into very tiny clumps! The soup was very hot and I continued to try to melt the cheese for a long time, even taking some out and microwaving it, but it still would not completely melt. Does anyone have any ideas as to what would cause this? I added rice to the soup so the cheese would not be so obvious.

 Photo courtesy of Google Images

This week's other meal entries sound very good:

Angelina's Chicken Pot Pie
Jenna's Golden Cheese Chowder
Leigha's Taco Soup
Lisa's Lemon-Roasted Baby Potatoes
Sarah's Pesto Stuffed Vegetables

I hope everyone is enjoying a restful Lord's Day and gearing up for a productive new week!

Invitations Are Out!

The invitations were sent earlier this week!

Stephen and I wanted a very traditional invitation and modeled ours after his maternal grandparents' wedding announcement. My friend Luci kindly sent an extra invitation from her wedding, so I used her classy, traditional Crane & Co. invitation as my guide when I searched online, in stores, and even at office supply stores (with the thought of buying only a few invitations and then making copies) to find the best way to emulate her beautiful invitation's paper weight, border, and raised lettering.

After much research, I found the best deal would be for us to place our order through Hallmark. It was so comforting to be able to work with real people instead of cyberspace, especially because we could hold someone accountable for their mistakes. I couldn't be any more pleased with how the invitations turned out. They are exactly what I wanted. I already have plans to frame one in our home someday!

Although we got a very good price, it still ended up being one of the larger expenses of the wedding. Since this expense would fall into the "extravagant purchases" category because a less expensive invitation could have easily conveyed the same pertinent information, I have been baking many cheesecakes and selling them to our farm customers to help defray the cost. I originally wanted to raise $1,000 in cheesecake profits (which covers the invitation cost and then some...) and am still very hopeful to reach my goal before the wedding. I recently crossed over the $600 mark and hope that sales will grow as the holidays approach (as they have done in previous years).

Today I excitedly checked the mail and found the first three response cards! My hair is windswept in the picture due to my running home to open the envelopes. I can't wait until the mail comes on Monday!

I look forward to posting Week 7 of the New Meal Challenge tomorrow. Also, two wedding-related entries have been published during this past week at the incredibly inspiring wedding website I am enjoying writing for: Elizabeth Anne Designs. Last of all, I have enough wedding-related blog posts drafted to continue throughout next week, so my one week of wedding entries is turning into two!

Sweet Bell Ringer Girls

When I was a little girl I was the bell ringer in a wedding, which meant I walked down the aisle ringing a little bell to signify that the bride was coming next. For years I had planned to include some of the young girls from among our family's dearest friends so this would be a special memory for them as well. Although most of them are too young to understand the story of God's faithfulness in uniting Stephen and me, I pray that they may one day look back at the pictures from this event and be encouraged by our courtship and marriage.

I found a beautiful white dress for less than $20 on eBay and ordered one for Sheridan so Mama and I could make sure the dress was of acceptable quality and the sizing was accurate. The dress looked so sweet on Sheridan so we encouraged the mothers of the bell ringers to order identical dresses and have them shipped to their individual homes. We were even thrilled to realize that the flower on the front is detachable and can be used as a barrette in the girls' hair on the day of the wedding.

Finding bells for twenty seven girls became a concern when we couldn't find them online for less than around $15 each! As the Lord has done time and time again, He provided these pretty little porcelain angel bells for the most reasonable price possible at the most unexpected place - the Dollar Store! They were all just $1 each! I didn't especially love the angels at the top, but the girls' hands will be covering the angel almost entirely, so only the ivory bell and roses will be visible. Because we could only find twelve at our store, I emailed a picture to both of my grandmothers and asked if they could keep an eye out at their local Dollar Stores. Within days we had collected more than enough from an assortment of Dollar Stores!

I am so thrilled when I hear from the mothers and older sisters how the young girls are so excited about their special job as bell ringers!

The Bridesmaid Dresses

In the same way that God provided my wedding dress for an extremely reasonable price ($30) and Sheridan's beautiful flower girl dress for another very reasonable price ($35), He has placed many other incredible deals in our path. Occasionally throughout the wedding planning process the myriad details have become overwhelming and discouraging, yet God has been faithful to bring unexpected blessings to cheer and encourage me.

The bridesmaid dresses were another amazing story of His provision for us! I have been a bridesmaid in several weddings and know all too well the feeling of spending $100-$150 on a dress I will likely never wear again, so I really wanted to spare my eight bridesmaids from this unfortunate dilemma. I looked online for months, searching for a reasonably priced dress that would not cause my wonderful bridesmaids to be freezing cold in December. It was nearly impossible to find a dress with straps, let alone sleeves!

I knew I wanted a dark color to provide a striking contrast between their dresses and my white dress, but I was flexible in the actual choice of the dark color. The wedding's color palette is winter white (for color palette inspiration, check out The Perfect Palette), so the dark bridesmaid dresses would be the only item of their color in the wedding. 

After much discouragement in searching for the perfect thrifty and warm bridesmaid dress, Mama and I were shopping together in Dillard's one evening when Mama found a gorgeous, high quality, navy blue designer dress with a matching bolero for only $53! It was a classy and flattering Calvin Klein dress that was originally $178 and had been discounted several times. Unfortunately, she searched the store thoroughly and only found that one dress. We both agreed that it was the absolutely perfect dress and the price could not be any better, so we went to customer service and got a list of all the identical dresses in any size throughout the entire country. Mama called the stores and bought all of the dresses the following day! Within the next few days, packages began arriving from all over the country. Altogether, there were twelve dresses in various sizes. I delivered or shipped the dresses to each of my bridesmaids and am now returning the extra dresses.

In order to cover the taxes and shipping fees, each bridesmaid ended up paying $66, which is still a very inexpensive cost for a bridesmaid dress. Also, although everyone will be wearing the bolero at the wedding, the dress is beautiful with or without it, creating a classy look for both summer and winter events. One of my bridesmaids already wore her dress to the formal dinner on a cruise and another bridesmaid plans to make hers into a tea length dress after the wedding so she can wear it to a dance next spring.

I even bought an extra one for myself (also just in case anything terrible should happen to any of the other dresses on the day of the wedding!) and look forward to wearing it to formal events in the future!

Everyone is hemming the front of the dress to make it floor-length, but maintaining the small train in the back.

I don't particularly care for the one-shoulder style of the following bridesmaid dresses, but this picture gives an idea of the look I am striving for with dark navy blue dresses and ivory bouquets:

God has been so kind to provide so many wonderful things for me! It is exciting to watch Him at work even in little details like this one.

Sheridan's Flower Girl Dress

{Entry Written by Mama}

Ever since Meredith first learned, almost 4 years ago, that she would finally have the sister she had prayed for, she has said that she wanted Sheridan to be her flower girl, should Meredith marry one day.

What a special blessing that Meredith's wedding is occurring when Sheridan is at the perfect age to be absolutely thrilled to be a flower girl. Although normally quiet in public, Sheridan will tell complete strangers that she's going to be a flower girl. When she discusses the upcoming wedding, she usually says, "At Meredith and my wedding...." We have to remind her that really just Meredith is marrying Stephen and that she will continue to live with us for a long time!

As I began to search for a flower girl dress for Sheridan, I found that the ones I most liked were way out of our wedding budget so I began to study them closely and wonder if I might be able to make one myself. While pricing fabric, lace, sequins, pearls, and ribbon, I quickly understood why the dresses I liked were so expensive.

Inspired by Meredith's wedding dress story, I wondered if I might find a wedding dress at a thrift store and be able to use the fabric and laces to make an inexpensive replica of the flower girl dresses that looked so special online.

If anyone ever followed me around a thrift store, they would surely assume I was not completely sane as I often, when finding just the exact thing I was hoping for, thank the Lord out loud as if He were standing right next to me. Such was the case when I found the most beautifully embellished, satin wedding dress that could be used for creating a flower girl dress for Sheridan. It was $34.99 - not too big of an expense should the project be a flop.

Since the dress was a women's size 12, there was plenty of fabric to work with. I figured it would be easier to keep the hem line and other tailored angles in tact, so I cut the various pieces of the gown down to the size of one of Sheridan's sundresses that I used as a guideline. The wedding dress had such beautiful details in the covered buttons and exquisite sequins, lace, and beads so I tried to preserve them when reconstructing the dress.

The final stitches were made today as I tried to figure out how to "bustle" the train so Sheridan can run around at the reception.
I'm not known for quality sewing skills so I'm sure Sheridan will be leaving a trail of pearls behind which were not securely reattached during the reconstruction. I just hope she'll fair better than Oliver, Sullivan, and Harrison who went with Meredith to our area's annual Civil War Ball a couple of years ago. They left in Civil War Soldier costumes made lovingly (not skillfully) by their mother and returned as those wounded in battle with rips in shoulder seams and, worst of all, splits clear through in rear pants seams!

It Was Easy to Say Yes to the Dress

Through the handful of times I have watched TLC's "Say Yes to the Dress" I have found much more entertainment in all of the crazy drama displayed by the bride and mother of the bride than in the actual choosing of the dress. The story of finding my bridal gown is far from typical!

Blog entry from September 23, 2007:

"Here Comes the Bride"

If you're anything like my dad, who asked in his usual blunt tone, "Did I miss something?", I will assure you, I am not engaged, nor do I have any reason to be out purchasing wedding gowns, but...

I was at a thrift store last week and, since I often buy clothes from thrift stores to resell on eBay, I looked through the wedding dresses as I looked through everything else. In the past when I've looked at the wedding dresses, they are all way outdated with huge sleeves or they're around $100, which I think is a little bit too risky to hope that I could sell it for much more on eBay.

But this time, I found an elegant, classy dress for only $29.96, and it just happens to be my size. I looked all over the dress for any problems, and I only noticed a few tan dots at one edge of the train, but I think they will come out with a bleach pen. There are so many sequins and pearls and the train is really long. I found a similar one online and it was $1000.

When I got home, I showed it to Mama and she encouraged me to try it on. It fits perfectly! I haven't decided if I'm going to sell it on eBay or save it, but for now I think I'll hold on to it for a while...

In the years that followed since writing the entry above, I have seen a plethora of bridal gowns when shopping with engaged friends, yet I continually fall more and more in love with my inexpensive thrift store dress!

Over the years, when I would try the dress on just to make sure it still fit, I would gain a renewed confidence that, in the same way that God provided the absolutely perfect dress for me (which fits as if it were custom tailored specifically for me), in His timing He would also provide a husband who would be perfectly suited for me. He truly did!

Of course I can't show pictures of my bridal gown prior to the wedding, so I will only say that it is white (!), very traditional, and perfect for a winter wedding.

Week of Wedding Details!

Photo courtesy of Google Images

I have scarcely mentioned the wedding details ever since we booked the church in early June, yet so much has happened since then. We are in the final stretch and the days are passing so quickly. I plan to post new wedding-related entries each day over this upcoming week to catch you up on the exciting details and happenings.

For a quick overview:

The wedding dress is ready to be picked up from the dry cleaner, the bridesmaid dresses have been purchased, the flower girl dress has been completed, my going away dress is underway, the bell ringer dresses have been chosen and are being ordered by each family, wedding shoes have been purchased, and my handmade veil has been received.

We have met with the minister, chosen our vows, planned the wedding service, purchased the rings, and the organist has been secured. Boxes and boxes of invitations, envelopes, response cards, reception cards, etc. have arrived and will hopefully be sent out within the next several days, etiquette regarding the assembly and addressing of invitations has been thoroughly researched, invite list compiled, and the guest book has been ordered and received.

The flowers are being taken care of, my bridal bouquet has been chosen, arrangements have been made with our photographer, and bridal portraits will take place in a couple weeks. The reception menu has been planned, some h'ordeuvres have already been prepared and frozen, a large heated tent has been reserved, a live band secured, decorations purchased or created, and websites and magazines perused for creative, thrifty ideas. The wedding cake flavor and style has been chosen, practice cakes have been made, and cake display plates have been purchased.

Scaffolding is up around the house, shutters are down, exterior power washing has been completed, paint has been purchased, back porch roofing has been removed, new roofing is being installed, back porch's floor has been torn up, and tile is soon going down.

Homemade jam wedding favors have been made and hotel guests' welcome gift baskets have been purchased and are ready to be filled. Luggage has been purchased, honeymoon has been booked, and plans have been made. Emails have been neglected and my once clean and orderly bedroom has been left in disarray with everything from bell ringer bells to wedding cake plates!

There is so much ahead. For every one of the ''finished details'' listed above, I could write three unfinished details.

Please pray for my family as we spend these last two months together. Pray that our memories will be sweet and not stressful.

Also please pray for me as I transition to becoming a new wife. I am so excited, yet at the same time I realize it is going to be a huge adjustment with new joys and challenges. I love Stephen so much and want to be the perfectly suited help meet for him, so please pray that the Lord will mold me into the godly wife I should be.

Please pray especially for our focus as we plan this event. When I first heard that some of my extended family has already booked their flights and reserved their hotel rooms, it hit me as confirmation that this truly is happening! People are rearranging their schedules for this event... in just two months! I feel so blessed and honored, yet overwhelmed with the many tasks ahead.

I want this to be a special day for the dear friends and family who are kindly making an effort to support Stephen and me. But more importantly, I want for God to be glorified through the covenant we are making. I regret that I sometimes lose sight of the real focus and get so caught up in the meaningless details, so I need a lot of wisdom and discernment as I strive to maintain my focus on our marriage and not just this one day wedding celebration.

Thank you for your prayers and stay tuned for wedding updates throughout this upcoming week!

A Special Day

Today is my wonderful soon-to-be husband's 24th birthday. Although I am saddened that we do not get to share this birthday together, I am cheered by the thought that we will spend my upcoming birthday together on our honeymoon!

Over the recent months, Stephen has been reading through the Bible in an intentional manner where he is memorizing scripture and it is truly becoming more and more a part of who he is. He has written hundreds of pages of notes as he has studied - almost like his own commentary - and he has almost completed the entire Bible! I am continually challenged by his perseverance in this most important endeavor. Occasionally, when we talk on Skype in the evenings he will ask me to quiz him on something he has recently read. I read a random verse of the New Testament and he can almost always tell me exactly what book and chapter it is from! He is so diligent with every project he pursues, but I am especially thankful for his efforts in this project as I know it will be incredibly beneficial to our future family.

Stephen is both the most accomplished and the most humble person I have ever known. He is the perfect balance of absolute brilliance and intelligence beyond my comprehension, yet also an abundance of kindness, faithfulness, wisdom, and visionary leadership. He is so intense and disciplined, yet he takes the time to be sweet to me and care for me. I can't wait to be his bride in only nine weeks!

10 Week New Meal Challenge: Week 6

We had a few chilly fall days during this past week so I decided to make a brunswick stew recipe for this week's new meal. I love brunswick stew and this recipe was so flavorful!

Photo courtesy of Google images

However, some family members said it should not be called a brunswick stew because the ingredients were different from what we consider to be a typical southern brunswick stew (the recipe included green peppers instead of butter beans, ground pork instead of pulled pork, etc.). Also, although I thought it was so delicious, it contained more meat than our family usually consumes in an entire week... if not two weeks... so it would not have been very economical were it not for the fact that we recently had to slaughter a cow, we had just enough pork in the family freezer (if meat is in the "family freezer" it means that the seal broke or something else happened that would cause it not to be included in the farm's inventory), and we had leftover chicken in the freezer from last week's meal. You can read the recipe at allrecipes.com. The name is actually "Get a Husband Brunswick Stew", so you girls who are not yet taken may want to head on over! ;)
 
Check out this week's other new recipes!
 
Clara's Potato Salad
Laura's Early Autumn Minestrone and Courgette Carbonara
Leigha's Cavatini
Lisa's Vegetarian Chili
Morgan's Sausage Cheese Pie

If anyone else would like to be included, feel free to let me know and I will add your link! Also, Katrina didn't post this week's recipe on her site, but it is instead included below:

Easy Pork Chops by Katrina

I've tried this recipe both pan fried and oven roasted now and both way have earned raves. It was noted that on the stove top version, the soy sauce dominated, whereas the oven roasted versions seemed more orange-y.

Ingredients:

2 pork chops

1/2 cup of orange juice (more if you like)

1/4 cup of soy sauce

2 cloves of garlic, minced

Set the chops on a plate prick them with a fork.

Mix orange juice and soy sauce and garlic and pour over the pork making sure it's covered well.

Cover the plate and chops with plastic wrap and let it sit for about 30 minutes.

Pre-heat the oven for 350 if you're going to put them in the oven.

When the chops are ready, place them either in pan w/a little bit of cooking oil and cook them up. OR place them in a oven dish, toss in a few potatoes cut up and pricked with a fork and cook for about 25 minutes.

Serve w/salad.

10 Week New Meal Challenge: Week 5

We've arrived at the 10 Week New Meal Challenge's half way mark! So far, over 20 new meals have been made between the assortment of bloggers writing from four different countries: Australia, Canada, Scotland, and the United States. Thank you to all who have participated, and I encourage others to join in over the following few weeks!

Photo courtesy of Google Images

Stephen likes Chipotle a lot, so I had been wanting to find a way to make authentic tasting Chipotle burritos. I searched through several online recipes and learned that Chipotle adds cumin to the black beans, lime and cilantro to the rice, and green chiles to the corn. In addition to this, I cooked the chicken with homemade taco seasoning and onions before adding shredded cheese, sour cream, pinto beans, lettuce, and salsa to the flour tortilla burritos. I served them with my homemade cornbread and the entire family liked the meal a lot. I can't wait to make it for Stephen!
 
I am getting this posted earlier than during the previous couple weekends, so if anyone else was hoping to be included in this week's entry, please feel free to leave a comment and I will gladly add your link. Be sure to check out this week's other exciting new meals!

Angelina's Lemon Basil Shrimp Pasta
Clara's Pizza Scrambled Eggs
Jenna's Holiday Hamballs
Katrina's Convertible Recipes
Lisa's Vegetable Stuffed Croissants, Vegetable Quesadillas, & Vegetable Couscous Loaf 
Morgan's Biscuits