Superbowl Recipe

I have a really good dip recipe I thought I would post since the Superbowl is coming up. I LOVE this dip, and Arnold does too. You will love it too! Everyone always loves it, and it's so easy. It's hands down my favorite!

Cream Cheese Rotel

1/2 roll of Jimmy Dean regular sausage
1 can regular Rotel
1 box of Cream Cheese

Brown and drain sausage. Drain Rotel and add to sausage. Warm Cream Cheese in microwave until very soft. Add cream cheese to sausage and Rotel mixture. Stir. You may want to microwave it for about a minute to make sure the cream cheese will mix well with the sausage and Rotel. Serve with Tostitos. You can easily double this recipe.

ENJOY!

It's a Fifteen Month Old Life

Life with a fifteen month old only gets more interesting every day. Peyton has a few new tricks that she likes to pull these days. One thing she likes to do is hide under the table when I go to the washing machine, hide behind the curtains in our bedroom in the dark, and hide behind the rocker in her room in the dark. We have no worries about our child being afraid of the dark, it apparently doesn't bother her in the least. However, it bothers me that she hides and is very quiet. So I frantically go about the house searching only to find her in the dark crouching behind something or under something. Another one of her tricks is getting up on the couch. Since I have permament booty marks in the couch now because it's all I want to do, you know, lay on the couch and die, she thinks she has to be on the couch too. I do not like this because she climbs all over me, runs to the other end, pulls the curtains and the blinds very roughly to look out, and sits dangerously close to the edge. There is never a dull, clean moment in our apt. these days. It always looks like the movie Twister was filmed inside. And just think, in a few months, I'll have a little baby too. :)

Our Life

Our life for the past two weeks has been pretty busy and filled with sickness. Arnold has been going to the library every night to work on his dissertation. He figured that he has 38 days left to finish. Pray for him! So that means every night I've been with the munchkin, just trying to survive. Most nights I lay on the couch, sick and feeling nasty, watching her play and hoping she will be content while I am in misery. I had not one day of sickness when I was pregnant with Peyton, but this one has been a whole different story. I'm going to be as big as a whale by the time it's all over because I'm constantly eating to try and avoid the sickness. Then this weekend Peyton got sick. It's a cold with a bad cough, and I'm debating whether or not to take her to the doctor. But some good news is that my roommate from college now lives in New Orleans as of last Wednesday! So it's been really cool to hang out with her.
And my consolation is that it's FRIDAY! Woo-hoo!!!

and the Lord answers.

The Seminary announced their budget cuts yesterday. The most sweeping change was the loss of medical and life insurance for any student employees. The traditional categories of career staff and student staff were changed. Any employee (or their spouse) taking more than one course will lose their medical and life benefits. Most of the seminary is staffed by students or by student wives, so you can imagine the reaction.

The change will take effect in two weeks.

As a doctoral student in the dissertation stage, I am able to keep the insurance until August 1st. This is a small one time exception. What happens after that? All doctoral students who are employed by the seminary will lose their benefits in August.

The second change is that the faculty and staff will receive a 5% pay cut. Senior administrators will take 7% and the president will take 10%.

These are tough times, but nobody was laid off. I know the seminary will remain just as strong as ever with a few changes. There are no easy decisions. I am confused, but thankful all the same.

You can click on the link for more information.

NOBTS Announces Austerity Budget

-Arnold

Budget Cuts

New Orleans Seminary is announcing their budget cuts today. We have a big faculty and staff meeting this morning. The other seminaries have made some changes to faculty and staff already. A lot of our changes occurred after Hurricane Katrina, so I hope nothing too drastic happens today... but you never know.

I am close to graduating, so there is not as much stress. With Joy pregnant, I can't make too many changes. I know the Lord will take care of us and the Seminary does have to make changes to survive.

-Arnold

A New Weather System on the Horizon

This is not a picture of a hurricane. It is what you think it is...baby #2. (Arnold thinks ultrasound pictures look like hurricanes or weather systems). The baby is 7 weeks old, and I am due August 29 (the anniversary of Katrina...crazy). We are very excited, and were a little surprised. Let's just hope this quiezziness passes soon.

My Granny

Below are pictures from Christmas that I've been wanting to post. My Granny is almost 90 (in 7 days)!


Here are four generations...Peyton, me, my Mom, and my Granny


My mom with Peyton, who didn't want to cooperate


My Granny, me, and my sisters

Back to the Routine

Back to work! I have had an awesome three week vacation for Christmas and New Years, and now it's time to get back into the routine. Peyton is not at daycare this time, she is going to be staying with a family here on campus. They have a little girl and a little boy, so I think she's going to have a good time with them. Ever since she had tubes put in her ears, she's been a little angel. Except for last night, she was whiney, but I think she just wanted me to get down on the floor and play with her.
By the way, I forgot to tell you a funny story that happened in SC. We let Peyton run around with just a diaper on one night. Well, of course, she takes it off. Then she squats down in my mom's kitchen and tries to put her diaper back on. We thought, "Oh how cute! She's trying to put her diaper back on." Yeah right! There on the floor, left behind, was a pile of poo and pee. It's amazing how many messes children make. But they're so much fun!

We're Back

We're back! It's been a really long time since we've blogged anything. This is partly due to the fact that Saturday we got home from SC after being there two weeks. I had to get everything unpacked, cleaned, and put up because Monday morning, Peyton had a little surgery. She had her adenoids removed and tubes put in her ears. She's been really great since the surgery, like really great!!! But I had quite an experience even getting to the hospital. We had to be there at 6 am. It was rainy, foggy, dark, and I went to the wrong hospital. Then I had to get directions to the right hospital. Then I got lost again, and ended up at the end of the levee. By this point, I was already about 45 minutes late. But needless to say, we did make it there, and they took her back anyway.
I will try to post some pictures soon. I know I say that all the time, but I really will try. Maybe later this afternoon.