I spy something RED...

And they're juicy, delicious, and popping up everyday!

One month later...

Our tomato plants and herbs are growing like crazy and we've had some great food as a result! It has been a little over a month since we planted them and it is amazing how big our tomato plants are! We haven't been able to enjoy those yet, but I have been using the herbs a lot! Here are some pictures of the progression and I also thought I would share a few of our favorite recipes with our fresh herbs! More of these to come I'm sure!

With these few recipes, you don't have to use fresh herbs, but the FRESHNESS of the herbs, lemon, garlic... that's what makes them so yummy! And, if you live nearby, I'd love to SHARE some herbs...we can never use all of what we have! I'll offer the tomatoes soon enough!

Enjoy and feel free to share any of your favorite recipes with fresh herbs!

Grilled Herb Shrimp
Copyright 2001, Barefoot Contessa Parties!
Serves: 6 servings

Ingredients
2 pounds large shrimp (16 to 20 per pound), peeled and deveined
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium yellow onion, small-diced
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
1/4 cup minced fresh basil
1 teaspoon dry mustard
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup good olive oil
1 lemon, juiced

DirectionsCombine all the ingredients and allow them to marinate for 1 hour at room temperature or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days.

Skewer the shrimp. I use 3 or 4 shrimp on a 12-inch skewer for dinner. Heat a grill with coals and brush the grill with oil to prevent the shrimp from sticking. Grill the shrimp for only 1 1/2 minutes on each side. (We did this on a grill pan and that works great too)

Pesto
Copyright, 2001, Barefoot Contessa Parties!, All rights reserved
Serves: 4 cups

1/4 cup walnuts
1/4 cup pine nuts
3 tablespoons chopped garlic (9 cloves)
5 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups good olive oil
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan

DirectionsPlace the walnuts, pine nuts, and garlic in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process for 15 seconds. Add the basil leaves, salt, and pepper. With the processor running, slowly pour the olive oil into the bowl through the feed tube and process until the pesto is thoroughly pureed. Add the Parmesan and puree for a minute. Use right away or store the pesto in the refrigerator or freezer with a thin film of olive oil on top.

Notes: Air is the enemy of pesto. For freezing, pack it in containers with a film of oil or plastic wrap directly on top with the air pressed out.

To clean basil, remove the leaves, swirl them in a bowl of water, and then spin them very dry in a salad spinner. Store them in a closed plastic bag with a slightly damp paper towel. As long as the leaves are dry they will stay green for several days.

(I froze this in ice trays and now have lots of "pesto cubes" in the freezer that I can take out "as needed"!)


Lemon-Thyme Chicken
Serves: 4 servings

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut in half crosswise
1 lemon
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for frying
4 fresh thyme sprigs
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

DirectionsPut the chicken into a shallow dish. Grate the zest from the lemon over the chicken. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze over the juice. Add 3 tablespoons of the oil along with the thyme, and garlic. Mix everything together so the chicken is well coated with all the flavorings. Cover and let sit for 30 minutes, or refrigerate for up to 4hours.

When you are ready to cook, remove the chicken from the marinade, scrape off the herbs, and season with salt and pepper. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and put a thin coating of olive oil into it. Cook the chicken, working in batches if necessary, until it is golden brown and cooked through, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Remove the chicken from the pan and let it rest for 5 minutes.

herbs + tomatoes = yummy, fresh food for summer!

Today a long-time request of mine was granted when Brad and I planted some fresh herbs and a few tomato plants! I love to cook, especially with fresh ingredients...so, having an assortment of herbs in my own backyard will be much cheaper than buying them weekly at the store! We also LOVE tomatoes in the summer...BLT's...caprese salad...fresh pasta sauce... So, it will be fun to walk on the back deck to get those as well! We have never had any sort of garden, so this will be our experiment and maybe we'll plant some more stuff next year! We had fun with our little get-our-hands-dirty project...enjoy the pictures!

**If you live locally, we were able to find most of our herbs, tomato plants, and planter boxes at ACE Hardware in Cornelius...they had a GREAT selection and were very helpful! Happy Gardening!

The couch saga...

So, I need to vent. Not that I haven't already vented enough, because I have exhausted this topic (sorry Brad), but I thought I would let off a little more steam.



Back in May, about 6 weeks before we were to move into our new house, we ordered some new furniture. We have a family friend that owns a furniture store, so we were able to order a few different things through them and they basically act as the "middle man" between us and the furniture manufacturers. We successfully got all of the furniture we ordered throughout the last few months, EXCEPT our couches. We ordered a couch and a love seat, as well as a chair for our living room. The chair has a pattern on it and is "piped" in a chocolate brown fabric--the same brown fabric as the couch and love seat. If you're bored already, hang with me, these details matter :) So, we get the chair and we love it. We continue to wait for the couches and after a few months of "vague communication", the furniture company let's us know that the fabric that we ordered to go on the couches is back ordered and they will have to get back to us in August to let us know when it comes in and when we can expect to get our couches. Why it takes a month and a half to tell someone something is back ordered, I don't know. This was SO frustrating because if we had known it was back ordered, we could have ordered something different, but we didn't and we had already received the chair with the matching fabric (see I told you it would be important later) so, we're feeling stuck with the couches! I didn't think I could get any more angry at this point at the lack of communication and poor business that we're dealing with, but yes, it continues to get worse... So, August comes and goes... we're in communication with our "middle man" but he can't get any honest answers from the company. Did I mention I have had a few complete crying breakdowns up to this point (only because I'm pregnant of course)? Well, the saga finally came to an end yesterday when Brad got a call from our "middle man"...he broke the news that he had just officially found out that the furniture company was BANKRUPT! Our fabric wasn't on back order, they just couldn't afford to order it! And they waited almost 4 months to tell the truth! Uuuuuuurrrrrrrrrrrggggggggghhhhhhh!!!!! So, here we are, stuck with our cute chair in need of finding couches to match and still using our old couches that are comfortable, but not so cute with the chair :) To some degree, we are relieved that this part of the process is over but just frustrated over all the wasted time that we could have had new couches! So, this weekend, we're on the hunt, and dangit, we will find some new couches! If I sound like a brat, please forgive me, I'm pregnant, emotional, trying to nest and these people have been in my way!



On a reflection note, I am really disappointed in how much situations like this seem to rattle me. I hate for my expectations to not be lived up to, I hate to get disappointed, and I hate for my plans to be interrupted. To say the least, this all seems to bring out the worst in me and I must admit, it's pretty ugly. I will continue to try to take deep breaths (thanks to Brad's prompting) and try to get a little perspective... Life is certainly much bigger than new couches or anything else we possess for that matter. I have so many other things to be thankful for and to find my security and hope in... So, I'll make my prayer this, Lord, help me not to place all my hope, expectation, and plans into anything or anyone else but you... and when I do fail and rely too heavily on these other things, give me the grace and perspective to acknowledge you and how you forgive me even though I make the same mistakes over and over. Amen.

warm and toasty...

Hot sandwiches...hmmmm... So, if you know me and a few of my quirks, you know that I refuse to eat a sandwich that is not warm, toasted, called " a melt", or HOT in some way! Call me high maintenance, but hey, we're all picky sometimes, right? So, it was an exciting birthday since Brad gifted me a yummy panini maker... previously one of Oprah's favorite things and now one of mine! It is so fancy...I can make paninis, quesadillas, a perfect grilled cheese, or even cook a steak or a burger on it! This is all making me very excited as I think of all the days I will be at home with my little one in the coming months...and eating very yummy lunches! And if you're lucky, maybe you'll get to have lunch at the Fiehler house with me and feast on a hot sandwich! Thanks babe...LOVE IT!

our little house guest...

As some of you know, we have had our dear friends, the Clarks, staying with us for the past few weeks. They are in the process of doing some work on their new house and have been staying at our house in the meantime. Most people say, "How is that working out?" or "Is that hard to have people in your house that long?" And I think all that we've realized in the process is what we've already known...that our friendship with Ryan and Sharon is a rare and amazing one...we have a closeness and comfort with each other that is rarely found between two couples and we are SO thankful to be able to share life with them all the time! We love you Clarks!


After eating a lot of meals together over the past few weeks, Elle, who is almost 4, has had fun helping us out in the kitchen. These pictures are from a few nights ago when she helped Brad make some meatloaf and the rest of dinner...it was so cute!

and the NESTING officially begins...

nest[verb]
1 : to build or occupy a nest : settle in or as if in a nest 2 : to form a nest for

So, yes, just like the birds, this is what us pregnant girls do...we prepare a little nest for our babies on the way! And with only 9 weeks to go, the nesting is in full force! This week the nursery finally started to come together... we got our furniture and our BEAUTIFUL bedding--all hand made by Brad's mom--the talented seamstress! I couldn't have imagined how much I would love it once it all came together this week! It's looking very cozy in there and all ready for a little one to arrive! It will be fun to see if it's a little "she" or a little "he" that sleeps in that crib! Enjoy these few pictures of our new nursery!

our new abode!

Well, several of you have requested a few pictures of the new house so I thought I would satisfy you with a few of my favorite "spots", including the deck/screened in porch, the kitchen, the dining room furniture, and "my nook" as we're calling it (easily my favorite place in the house)! It is all a working progress as any new house is, but we're feeling quite settled after about 10 days here and I think I've done pretty well to be 6 months pregnant and growing :) Enjoy a few pictures and to see the rest, you'll just have to come visit us!

out with the old...in with the new...

It was June of 2004, 4 years ago...Brad and I had begun the process of "looking" for new places for him to live in Huntersville and since we knew we were going to get engaged sometime soon, we knew that new place would also be "ours". We looked with our realtor for just a weekend when we stumbled upon the neighborhood we loved and a few houses as well. We weren't prepared to buy something right away since we wanted to get engaged first, but we found our house--the perfect house for us--and it was a great deal we just couldn't pass up. We signed some papers and began the buying process. Who knew the ring would come so soon after... It was Saturday, June 12--six days after we signed a contract--and I thought it would be a good idea to go take some measurements at the new house. Brad used what I thought was "my plan" to work up a scheme that I was clueless about! We showed up to the empty house...walked in...only to find a few things, including a vase of one of my favorite flowers, gerber daisies, awaiting us. It took me a minute to clue in, but before I knew it, Brad propped me up on our kitchen counter and said some nice things that I definitely can't remember now before he asked me to be his WIFE! It was such a sweet moment and such a big marker in our lives since we were sitting in our first house and thinking about our new life together!

This is a huge part of the reason why moving out of our first house is a little bittersweet. Sure, I loved our landscape and our paint colors and some of our neighbors... but it will be the sweet memories of starting our life and marriage together that come to mind when we remember our house on Spruell St.

So, just on down the road, literally, we are settling into the new abode and we love it! We feel so blessed and are excited as well to think about this new season of life of starting our family in this house! Good times are ahead...

All packed up with a pretty little bow...

Well, anyone who has talked to me lately knows I've been doing A LOT of packing... we're closing on our new house tomorrow, so we've just about got our entire house in boxes or some form of packaging. As I have been in the midst of this process, I've had several moments of delight. You see, I have a deep satisfaction in starting a task and completing it...like bubble wrapping and paper coating, fitting things perfectly into a box, and closing it up with the perfect amount of tape (double tape that is). There is something about putting away things neatly in a box, sealing it up, and not seeing it anymore. (I know this is making a lot of you "unneat people" want to punch me through the computer :) But, isn't life like this? I love to organize and pack up all of my struggles, thoughts, and issues into boxes, double taping them to ensure that no one is able to see what's really going on... And unfortunately, I've gotten pretty good at this strategy. So, I continue on my slow-paced journey of learning the hard way, of course (is there any other way to learn things?), that I am loved--NOT because I "have it all together", but actually because I'm quite a mess and am in great need of THE ONE who does have it all together... I'm so thankful to people in my life that love me this way and to my God, who happens to be passionate about people with "junk" in their lives. I hope I can grow to be more comfortable with "my junk" out sometimes for other people to see, knowing that I'm not defined by how "neatly my boxes are packed". And at least for now, maybe I'll just be reminded of this when I'm unpacking all of the boxes in the new house! You are sure to see a mess if you come visit us anytime soon and I'll try really hard not to apologize for it! :)

SOLD!!!!!

Just wanted to share the great news that we SOLD OUR HOUSE! Anyone who has talked to us in the past few weeks knows that we have been just a little stressed about getting our house sold before our new house was ready to close (it's been under construction)! We could not be more thankful and are finding it easier to be excited about the new house! So, if you want to know what we'll be doing for the next month...packing, packing, packing! We'll be closing on June 20th with our new house and can't wait... Here's a picture of it "under construction"!