Lessons in White Elephant Gift Wrapping......

I realize it has been almost two months since I have blogged, but the past two months have been CRAZY. More on that another day. I am just popping in to write about something that's been on my heart lately.

The other night Scott and I attended a Christmas party where we had to take a white elephant gift. I love these because it is fun to wrap the gift to the prettiest I can get it. I spent lots of time getting the perfect paper and wrapping it beautifully and topping it with a huge toule bow on top (and yes, there may have been glitter involved). You see, the goal is to make the gift as pretty as possible to cover up what's on the inside-usually some version of a tacky gift-and to woo others to pick the pretty gift, in hopes that they will unveil the gift in all its outer beauty to the monstrosity within.

How often do we judge something or someone based on what's the outside? Or make ourselves appear beautiful on the outside while doing very little to take care of what's on the inside? I am reading The Greatest Gift, a Christmas devotional by Ann Voskamp. A portion I read today spoke to me, and since her words are much more eloquent than mine, I will share portions of it below:

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7

"It's strange how it affects us-from housekeeping to soul-keeping: if it's mostly the surfaces that absorb us, then we're mostly superficial. When my priorities aren't the things seen-when my priorities are rather all things unseen-it's only then that my life begins toy ave substance and weight."

"Your God never stops turning things inside out, seeking all things unseen, reversing the ways of the world. God never stops looking on the heart. God never stops looking for the world's second, the unseen unimportant, and calls them the important firsts. Which means He raises Abel instead of Cain, Jacbo instead of Esau, Isaac instead of Ishmael, Moses instead of Aaron, David instead of Eliab."

"Which means he raises the unseen and forgotten: Sarah instead of Hagar, Leah instead of Rachel, Tamar, Hannah, Ruth, Rahab."

"Which means that long after the unseen and forgotten son of Jesse was anointed king in Bethlehem, there was another unseen and unimportant One born in Bethlehem-One who was left out with the sheep because no one made room for Him either." 

"He who was the most beautiful One became the most ugly...that our ugly hearts might become beautiful in the eyes of God. Who knows of another love story like this?" 

So, there you have it. God loves you as you are-we are beautiful in His eyes and that's all that matters. To put it metaphorically, he takes the gifts that have the worst gift-wrapping job and opens it to something beautiful. And that's what makes this season the most wonderful time of the year. 

Until next time be blessed.....

Gender Reveal & A Baby Update

I promise this blog will not become a blog that blows up with all things pregnancy. Because let's be honest, most people don't really care that much about seeing sonograms, or hearing about what I am craving (or not craving) or reading about how much weight I have gained (or lost), or learning what fruit my baby resembles on a particular given week. And to be honest, I really don't want to divulge that information or weekly pictures of my pregnant self for all the world to see. So, I will try to spare my readers all the pregnancy details. However, we have received quite a few inquiries about whether Baby Stier is a boy or girl, so I thought I would do a quick post on the gender reveal and Baby Stier.

Basically, this sums it up best:

Yes, It's a girl. I don't know why I thought it might be anything but a girl, but there you have it. It, is a she! When we went to the doctor, we had the sonographer (who is the best sonographer on the planet by the way) write it on a card. Scott and I then went to lunch and opened the card together. This allowed us to have a little moment of finding out the gender just the two of us. He was shocked. However, I had a little feeling "it" may be a she! The funny thing is the first words out of Scott's mouth were, "Well, I guess we better start saving for the wedding now." You can say that again. He then proceeded to say, "I have a feeling this means that we are going to have a house full of girls." Me too......

The question then becomes, "So how did you reveal the gender?" We didn't want to have a big gender reveal party. It was stressing me out just thinking about it, and who needs stress? So we called Scott's family via Google Hangout and held up two outfits, one pink and one blue and dropped the blue one leaving only pink. It was very cute and fun. It was fun that despite the distance, we were able to all be face-to-face and share in the exciting news. Technology knows no state boundaries. It is a beautiful thing.

Next, we had plans to get together with my family and just decided to tell them when we saw them next, which just so happened to be almost two weeks away! At first, it was difficult to wait that long, but the longer we waited, the more fun it was. Everyone was guessing. And the anticipation was building. My sister, Jenifer, even said I slipped and called "it" a "he" when we were chatting on the phone. She told her husband but "promised they wouldn't tell a soul," except that she proceeded to tell the whole family. So, everyone thought we were having a boy except Dad and Patrick. Which made the reveal that much better. It was a blast.

As Scott and I were talking about how we wanted to tell my family, I thought some balloons coming out of a box or pink cupcakes would do the trick. However, according to Scott, "that would be boring and anti-climatic." Thus, the brainstorming session began.

After many interesting ideas, most of which I will spare you the details, Scott lands on the idea of a live dot race. You know, the kind that they play at the seventh inning stretch? All I could think of was pregnant lady running around the yard, the same pregnant lady who has barely been able to get out of bed some days. Great idea. As I sat there, getting ready to veto another idea, Scott starts talking about it with such enthusiasm. It's like he read my mind because he liked this idea so much he said, "Don't veto it yet." So we drove and talked and somehow, someway, he convinced me it was a good idea. So there you have it: in my parent's back yard, we ran around, he dressed in blue and me in pink, doing a live dot race. And he was right, it was a good idea. It was hilarious, creative, and kept everyone guessing right down to the minute I passed the fallen blue horse and ran across the finish line! It was pretty epic if I do say so myself. And the family that was convinced it was a boy because I "slipped and called 'it' a 'he'" was in shock. Pretty great.

Moral of the story: There is never a dull moment being married to a man with a carefree spirit who lives with child-like wonder. He is always busy, never quiet, and always making me laugh. And so sometimes, you just have to roll with it because I am learning life is more fun that way. Not only are there lots of laughs, but great memories are made. Plus, when your husband is convinced something is a good idea, sometimes rolling with it is a good idea, especially when you realize he is about to be outnumbered and may or may not be vetoed a lot more in the days to come.....

So, yes, if my husband wants a dot race, I will run my pregnant self amuck around the yard and let my child-like spirit run free. And make a memory that we have for many years to come. And yes, in case you were wondering, it was way better than balloons coming out of a box or eating pink cupcakes. This little Stier family takes entertainment value very seriously.....

The natural next question we get is: "Is that what you thought it was going to be?" Or, "Is that what you wanted?" To be honest, we both had "thoughts" on whether we would have a boy or girl. However, this pregnancy has not been the easiest thing I have ever done. I guess I had visions of sugar plums and fairies where I would be glowing during my pregnancy and be able to eat whatever I wanted with no excuses. However, I have experienced quite the opposite. I have had a bit more complicated pregnancy than expected on top of being super sick most of the time. Needless to say, I have not yet seen the "glowing" and definitely not been able to eat whatever I want, or even much at all. With all that being said, we are just praising God that we have a healthy baby. Boy or girl, we feel very blessed to be at the point we are at today....so yes...we are excited we are having a girl!

The final question we get is "Have you picked out a name?" Or, "Have you talked about names?" Or, "What is her name?" To answer these questions, yes, we have talked about names. No, we do not have a name yet. In all honesty, with me being so sick on top of trying to keep up with work and all the other activities going on in our lives, we really haven't talked too seriously about it. We have a very long list. So unless we are able to somehow reduce the size of that list, this Baby Girl may not get a name until three days after she is born. Moral of the story: naming a baby is hard. I mean it is something she will live with for the rest of her life, so it is something "we" are taking very seriously...or in other words....it may take us a while to agree or decide on a name. And truth be told, once we do have a name, we will probably wait until her arrival to reveal the name. So stay tuned....

So there you have it. The Stiers are having a baby girl. For all those readers out there, thank you for reading and for your interest in what is going on in our lives. We so appreciate your love and support and are excited about the next stage of becoming parents. We covet your continued prayers for a continued healthy baby.

Until next time, be blessed.....

We Need a Little Peace

Lately, my soul has been at unrest. Perhaps it is the heightened hormones from pregnancy. Perhaps it is all the emotions that come with the reality that we are becoming parents. There will be a little human being completely dependent upon us for everything. That.is.daunting. Perhaps it is that there is already the tendency to compare myself to other moms. Cloth diapers or not. Bottle feeding or not. Organic food or not. To work or not to work. The list goes on. I have a feeling this is only the beginning. Or perhaps it is the fact that there have been quite a few people who have lost loved ones around us. Yes, the reality of death looming has been at the forefront of my mind. So, my soul has been at unrest.

Perhaps one day, I will do a blog series about peace and things that cause unpeace in our lives. (I think I just made that word up, but we'll roll with it). However, for now, I will share a song that spoke to me this morning. 

Until Next time, be blessed......

Football Food Friday

Well, it's official: it's September 5! In my mind, this means Fall is about to be in full swing. I.love.fall. It is officially my favorite season. I have living in Virginia to thank for that one. And just because we now live in Texas and don't have the mountains, crisp morning air (yet), and leaves changing doesn't mean I can't still enjoy the season!

With fall comes one of my other favorite things: college football, Baylor football in particular. I have my best friend to thank for this. I never imagined that 6 years ago, I would fall in love with football. Katie, thanks for taking the time to sit down with a girl at a football game who "didn't know what inning we were in." Because of your patience and teaching me the game, I am forever changed! (And Dad said just yesterday, he never would have imagined he would have thought I would love football this much). So thanks! It has become one of my favorite past times and something Scott and I enjoy watching together. And on the occasion I get to go to a game, a place where great memories are made. We can't wait for BU Homecoming 2014 and watching our Bears in the new McLane Stadium!

So, in honor of football season, I thought I would start a new Friday Football season tradition and post some of my favorite football-watching snacks-let's just call it Football Food Friday! Hopefully it will be a good place where I can share some of my favorite recipes before the start of the weekend and all the football-watching we will partake in the upcoming weekends ahead! So, here goes Football Food Friday: Edition 1.

1) Buffalo Chicken Dip:

I made this for the Super Bowl party we attended, and it was a HUGE hit. It.was.gone. It is a recipe I got from a friend, so sorry it is so long and I couldn't link to it, but it is worth it, I promise!

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cut into chunks to help cook faster)

1 C ranch dressing

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese softened

1/3-1/2 hot pepper sauce (I use Texas Pete's…use whatever amount you want for heat…I lean more toward the 1/3).

2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place chicken into a saucepan. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Simmer over medium heat until chicken is tender enough to pull it apart with a fork. Drain and cool until you can touch it to shred it, but you don't want it too cool that it's difficult to shred. Shred of chop chicken.

Mix the cream cheese into the chicken until well blended, then stir in the ranch dressing and hot sauce. Pour mixture into a 1 to 2 quart casserole dish. (I typically use a 9x9 pyrex). Then, top mixture with cheddar cheese.

Bake uncovered 15-20 minutes until cheese is browned and sauce is bubbly. 

I served this with french bread, which I cut up, spread with butter, and baked on 350 for 3-5 minutes. I also served celery, which both hold up to the density of the dip. ENJOY!

2) Saltine Toffee

One of my college roommates used to make this, or a similar recipe and it was always SO good. So I needed an easy recipe this past weekend for our BU watch party and came across this. It was another hit! I used saltines, but I think next time I make it, I will use Keebler Club Crackers. Also, I saw one recipe where they used Hershey bars instead of chocolate chips, and I think I will also try this next time too. I also saw where some people used 1 cup of chocolate chips and 1 cup of chocolate chips and some recipes where people crushed Heath Bars and sprinkled those on top instead of pecans. I only put pecans on half for those that weren't huge pecan lovers! So, feel free to take this recipe, get creative, and make it your own. But it is perfect for football-watching because it's a little grab and go snack! 

3) Chex Mix

I make this all.the.time. And it is a hit every time. Bottom line: you can't go wrong with chex mix. If you want to get creative try adding ranch. It's also a hit! 

4) Caramel, Marshmallow, Chocolatey Goodness Chex Mix

Another one of my college roommates introduced this to me and it is SO delicious. Another one that is a complete hit! So yummy! 

5) Spinach Dip

I made this for another party recently, and again, HUGE hit and it is SO easy I almost feel bad! Honestly, it is super easy to make but has the taste of something that took hours to make! And it's a crock pot recipe, so it is a definite win-win! I promise it will be a hit at your football watching party too! And be sure to check out Shay's foodie blog for more wonderfully tasty recipes. I tell everyone I know about this because it really is full of wonderfully tasty and easy recipes! 

Hope everyone is enjoying the start of Football and Fall as much as we are and Sic Em Bears!!!!!!

Southern Charm

Last week, Scott and I took a little trip down south. We had plans to go visit his family, so we decided to go a few days early and take a little trip to Charleston, SC to have a mini anniversary celebration. We always fly in and out of Myrtle Beach when we visit the Stiers, which is only a couple hours from Charleston. So we rented a car and were on our way! It ended up being the perfect little getaway. We were only there for three days, but it was just the right amount of time. We soaked in the Southern Charm, had so much wonderful food, and saw some beautiful sites (College of Charleston, I'm looking at you). It was some much needed R&R and we cannot wait to go back again!  

Where we Stayed: Inn at Middleton Place (Highly recommend)

Places we Ate: Blossom. Market Street Deli. California Dreaming.

Sites we Saw: Gardens at Middle Place. College of Charleston. Charleston City Market. Battery Park. Rainbow Row. The Citadel. 

Until next time be blessed.....

Three Years and Counting

Three years ago today, this happened:

It is hard to believe that three years have gone by already. Boy has it flown! Most days it feels like we just got married, and then other days it feels as if we have been married for years. But I really cannot believe we are three years in already! 

I recently had a friend get engaged, and she asked me if I had any marriage advice. As I sat there and thought, my first reaction was, "I am not the person to be giving marriage advice. I still haven't gotten this thing figured out and we are almost three years in!" The longer I sat there and the more I thought about it I realized, no, I do not have any "good advice" to give. However, I have learned a few things along the way. And while I don't know much about marriage, I definitely know more than I did the day I walked down the aisle. Boy, do I know more. In fact, that day I basically knew nothing,  which is funny because Scott and I thought we were so prepared for marriage. But as much planning and premarital counseling as we did, nothing quite prepared us for what lie ahead. Like nothing. Except maybe a vision from God into our first year of marriage. But I guess some things you just have to learn as you go. Here's a few things I have learned along the ride......

1) Don't sweat the small stuff. I am so far from perfect in this category, mostly because I am type-A and can be a little stuck in my ways (and maybe sometimes think others should be stuck in my ways too). However, I recently had someone tell me a story of an elderly lady she had recently met. The elderly lady told a story about how her husband had recently died, but when he was alive, he would spill his coffee every morning on the table and leave it there and she would have to come behind him and clean it up. Every. single. day. I can imagine that would be annoying. However, now that her husband was gone, she missed cleaning up that coffee spill every day. This was a kind reminder not to sweat the small stuff, because there are more important things in life than coffee stains. As the old saying goes, there's no use crying over spilled milk......... 

2) Let your spouse be themselves. This one has probably taken me the longest to figure out. For those of you that know me and Scott, we could not be more opposite. We also have so much in common, but on the external, we could not be polar opposites. I am an introvert to the extreme. In fact, I would be happy being in a room, by myself, writing and reading pretty much 95% of the time. When we go out in public, I would be fine going in, not talking to a soul, and then leaving to go about my day. In fact, I have been known to be called a wallflower, and if you see me in public, you may see me standing against a wall waiting on my husband. Because Scott, he talks to everyone. In fact, he could talk to people for days. And when we go somewhere, he will work a room and make sure he has talked to everyone. And on top of that, he sometimes talks loud, is very gregarious, and most people know when he (or we) enter a room. For the longest time, this was so hard for this girl who just wanted to slip in quietly somewhere without being seen or noticed. And on top of that, he eats weird things. Like really weird things. However, I have learned that when I tried to squelch that gregarious spirit or tell him what he can and cannot eat and try to form him into a mold that I think is the right mold, I was only squelching his spirit. So, while I far from perfect at this, marriage has taught me to let my spouse be who he is. God created him to be that way, so God wants nothing else! 

3) Have fun and be spontaneous but realize romance isn't everything. I wish I would have learned this about 15 years ago. It would have made my life so much easier. Don't get me wrong, I am a huge romantic. I mean Scott proposed to the tune of Pride and Prejudice, complete with a Mr. Darcy outfit. If you don't know I am a hopeless romantic by now, well, I am at a loss. I love it when Scott brings me flowers and takes me on dates and surprises me with getaways. There really is not much that makes me happier. And it is important to continue to date each other in marriage, have fun, and be spontaneous. Do things like dance in the kitchen or go on a picnic or eat cake at 10 at night. Because you are creating memories and memories are good. But honestly, while I love these moments, marriage has been teaching me to appreciate the mundane with Scott and not to expect the flowers and presents all the time. Because honestly, about 85% of our time (if not more) is spent on the mundane, like groceries, dishes, laundry, cleaning the house, going to meetings, getting the oil changed in the car, running errands, taking care of each other when we are sick (which has been a lot lately for this pregnant self), and finances. I have realized that the mundane tasks of everyday life are acts of love too and can convey things that flowers and fancy dinners and surprise getaways cannot. Being romanced is fun, but the everyday activities of life are good and meaningful too. And can be fun if you make them. Just add ice cream. Ice cream makes everything better.....well except finance meetings. That calls for something a little stronger than ice cream around the Stier home.....like lots of Diet Coke and a little tuning out by this spender. 

4) Find something you both like to do and do it together. Take a walk. Play a game (our favorite is rummikub). Travel. Canoe. Ride a bike. Whatever it is, find something you like to do together and do it. Traditions are fun and another way to make memories. Oh, and Taco Tuesday is a highly recommended Tuesday tradition from the Stier household. You won't regret it. 

        

5) Love deeply. This has really hit me hard lately. I learned about an acquaintance that recently lost her husband at age 27. Ever since I heard about this, it has weighed heavily on my heart and mind. The night I found out about it, I lay in bed next to my husband realizing that this young widow would never lay next to her husband again. Tears started rolling down my face, mostly because I was convicted. I realized in that moment, I do not do the best job at loving my husband well. I do not do the best job of loving him deeply. I do it to others around me, but at times when I am called to love the person I am closest to, I fail, mostly because I know he will be there with open arms to take me back in, while I cannot say the same for others. In addition, on that particular night, Scott and I had gotten in a fight before bed. That night, I was given some perspective, very deep and grave perspective. Then I began to think, "What if that was the last thing I said to him?" And it hit me like a ton of bricks. Love well. Love deep. Because the Lord gives and the Lord takes away and let's make the moments count while we have them. 

Last, leave room for grace, lots and lots of grace. Like limitless amounts of grace. Because we all make mistakes. And marriage lasts a lifetime. That's a lot of mistakes that call for a lifetime amount of grace. And I am not saying grace is easy. It is hard and marriage is sometimes really hard. But with a lot of grace (and a lot of laughter), you will teach each other more about the heart of Jesus and show each other the love and grace of Jesus in ways that no one else can and that's pretty neat. 

Happy Anniversary Love. Here's to learning more about life and marriage and to learning how to love better and more deeply with you by my side. It really is a privilege to journey alongside life with you. 

Until next time be blessed..................

Stier Family Update