What's been cookin at the Smith house? Glad you asked...

As promised, here are a few of the recipes we have been enjoying.  We had nephews in town this last weekend, so the mummy hot dogs as well as the spider cookies were a huge hit!  I enjoy the Ramen salad quite a bit, but it makes a HUGE batch-so plan to share some unless you have some big appetites at your house! The calico bean bake has a fall/chili/soup feel to it--you can make it in the crockpot or oven, whichever method fits your lifestyle better.

Something about fall makes me crave pumpkin ANYTHING--so I found a somewhat healthier version of one of my favorites-pumpkin bread.  It turned out really great and is super moist--definitely worth trying!

Crescent Mummy Hot Dogs

http://www.pillsbury.com/Recipes/ShowRecipe.aspx?rid=16015&WT.ac=HP_Middle_Feature_Picture

Peanut Butter Spider Cookies

http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes.aspx/peanut-butter-spider-cookies

Calico Bean Bake

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Calico-Bean-Casserole/Detail.aspx

Ramen Noodle Salad

http://www.mattfischer.com/ramen/?p=405

Healthified Pumpkin Bread

http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes.aspx/healthified-pumpkin-bread

Last, but most definitely not least, all of this food made for some SUPER happy boys!

Trip to Dallas

This last weekend I was in Dallas for a wedding of two good friends.  It was the perfect excuse for me to head back and see all of my friends--what a great time it was!  I got to see three of my favorite ladies-Adrianne, Kayla and Kenya--among many others.  I really miss my first "home" away from home.  I miss the relationships that I have there, and the spiritual growth that I experienced there.  I miss all of the shopping, and even the busy roads.  My time there reminded me of just how great it was when we lived there.  We love being close to our blood family--but we really miss being with our spiritual family.

Neither Keith nor I have gotten "plugged in" here yet in Omaha.  I don't know if I ever will find my "Adrianne" here in Omaha--my spiritual diva, the one that I go to when I need to talk about anything and can always expect Godly, sound advice.  I haven't found my "Tammy"--the one that I can call at any time for any thing and expect her to be available and willing to go shopping or just hang out and pass the time.  I miss my girls--I miss my church and I miss the fellowship.  I mean, where else are you going to see two beautiful girls raised in the Lord that can recite every line to every Disney princess movie? (and randomly break out singing "I'm too sexy" in the car ;)

It was really really hard to say goodbye, but I am convinced that God's purpose is above my heartache.  I am convinced that I am here in Omaha for a purpose--a purpose that is greater than my love for the people in Dallas.  Until our paths meet again, we just have to keep visiting and staying connected spiritually--I LOVE YOU GIRLS!

My Adrianne

My Tammy (and Kevin)

My Girls (Kayla and Kenya)

The "Other Men" in my Life

As most of you know--we are a family blessed with nephews--not a girl among them...on EITHER side.  But, I do love these boys-they are amazing and have taught me so much, in their few years on earth.  Here are some updated pics.

Braydon, Carter and Isaiah are SO much fun!!  We especially love Husker season because it means we get to see a LOT more of them than usual!  Braydon is still struggling with some infection from his surgery in February, but continues to have an upbeat attitude in spite of all of the obstacles--continue to shower our B-man with prayers!  Carter is fast fast fast--everything he does is at high speed--which makes him that much more fun to chase around. Isaiah has mastered running and is often chasing his older brothers.  He loves his new cousins Kaden and Andrew and gives them lots of hugs and kisses when he's around them.

Kaden and Andrew (the twins) are growing well!  They are so cute and we LOVE having them here in town with us--they change every day it seems and are learning to crawl.  I think all of our houses are about to experience baby-proofing once these two are mobile!

Joshua and Jaxson are a bit closer now, only 2 hours away.  Joshua is in preschool this year and loves riding the bus.  Jaxson, like Carter, is full of energy and fun to chase around--must be a second child thing.  They are so much fun and I wish we got to see them more!

Recent cooking creations

I love cooking...anything, really, aside from seafood.  So...I thought every once in a while I would put up some pics of the things we have been eating--Keith loves to take pictures of it, so that should work out nicely :)  Enjoy!

Grilled Chicken Kabobs (Sandra Lee "Semi-homemade")

Chicken Caesar Salad in Bread Bowls (Betty Crocker)
http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes.aspx/chicken-caesar-salad-in-bread-bowls

Southwestern Chicken Salad (Betty Crocker) http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes.aspx/southwestern-chicken-layered-salad

                              

Summer Recap

Since summer is officially over I decided maybe I should blog/reflect on what the Smith family did this summer.  It was an eventful one for us, and we kept busy most of the time.  Our summer started out by running a 20K in Des Moines, IA (the Dam to Dam)--that's 12.6 miles for those of you who are metrically challenged, like I am.  It was a great race-tons of encouragement along the way, and we really enjoyed it.  Most of all, it was a great way for Keith and I to train together, and it paid off.  I think we'll probably do it again next year.

We took multiple "mini vacations" courtesy of the army, including two trips to Chicago, one to Kansas City and one to Branson.  We were actually surprised how much fun Branson was, it was all old people-but they were really nice.  As someone mentioned during on the of the shows we went to, people in Branson aren't afraid to talk about Jesus--we enjoyed that :)  We saw an acapella group of brothers ("Six"), and then Keith wanted to see the magic show in town ("Kirby Van Birch").  Both were great and we had a wonderful time.  Keith was in chaplain meetings all day, which meant I got a LOT of time by the pool or shopping--perfect vacation if you ask me.  Keith also got to meet up with his friend Bryan Walker, his battle buddy from one of the chaplain training sessions.  Bryan will be heading to Afghanistan soon, so it was great for Keith to be able to give him a little insight on the life of a deployed chaplain.

August brought a GREAT vacation with the Johnsons.  We headed up to Minneapolis with all of our camping gear and loaded up the car for the Boundary Waters for a five day canoe trip.  Without going into too many details (see Mandy's blog for the full story) we were only there one night and saw two bears--which ate all of our food.  So, that was an unexpected adventure, but we still loved (mostly) every minute of it.  We were also able to spend some time with the Flaas and Olsons-it was great to spend time with such Godly couples and get a better grasp on the meaning of true fellowship as Christ talks about it.

Now that football season has started, I feel like I see red everywhere--not that I don't love it--being a Husker is great.  My poor cowboys, though, are having a rough season--I guess a fan is with their team through thick and thin...right? :)  That's all for now-thanks for checking in on us!

The somewhat "finished" product.

I know you've all been waiting to see the pics of our house--we have added a Smith flair to it and are happy to show you some pics we've recently taken. I've been blessed with a creative husband who LOVES to decorate, so things really came together nicely :)

Not much is new in the Smith house, although we could have "job news" here in the next month or so, which is VERY exciting for Keith--keep him in your prayers. We are taking off for the Boundary Waters August 5-9th which we are both really looking forward to, it'll be our mini vacation for the summer!

Hope you all are doing well and enjoy the pics.

Crystal

Well, it has been almost 2 months since we moved into our house and we absolutely love it!  We love having a space to call our own...well, just space period.  We are fully moved in and packed, and have most of the walls covered with something or other.  We have some decorating left to do, but it definitely feels like "home."  

Last weekend we celebrated the resurrection of our Lord with my (Crystal's) side of the family.  It was quite the squeeze-but we officially know that we can have 18 people in our house at once :)  It was a blast, and I really enjoyed cooking and serving the meal!  My grandparents came from almost 4 hours away, so that was very special!  I think at the end of the day, we were all stuffed beyond belief and had another reminder of just how blessed we truly are!

We have some fun trips planned for the summer that we are really looking forward to.  In just a week or so Keith and I are headed to Chicago thanks to the Army for a Yellow Ribbon Event-something for families post deployment-should be a good time with some helpful info.  Then at the beginning of June we are headed to Branson for an Army Chaplain conference.  Hopefully we will be able to see a few familiar faces and enjoy the sites the city has to offer.  In August we are heading to the Boundary Waters with some college friends--lots of outdoorsy stuff, which we both love, so we are excited about that!  

Keith has really vamped up the job search, so hopefully soon the Lord will reveal his plan for His ministry through Keith.  He is getting anxious to say the least, and though he is VERY patient, it has been 3 months already :)  All in God's timing--but please pray for him.  I think he can only handle being the "house husband" for a short time longer, though he does a great job of it!  

Hope this finds you and your family doing well.  We would love to hear from you!  Come visit if you're in the Omaha area-we actually have room for guests now!  Take care and God bless!

Crystal

PS-here are a few pics of us doing yard work and the new twin nephews!

We bought a house!

One of our goals while Keith was in Iraq was to save up to buy a house.  Well..we didn't realize that it would be so quickly-within two weeks of Keith being home, we became homeowners.  We love our new place though, and are excited to move in.  We close on the 19th and would LOVE any moving buddies :)  Enjoy the pics, but ignore all of the fancy furniture--we don't get to keep that :)  Any and all of you are welcome, as we will now officially have a "guest bedroom."  We love having company--just give us a call!

Crystal