Nealy's Baby Shower

Last weekend was Nealy's baby shower! She is due January 23rd is is having a girl! I am SO excited to be an aunt (on my side of the family).

Potato and Ham Casserole

I'm not much of a casserole-maker, but I like this one because it's very easy, very yummy, and can be breakfast, brunch, lunch, snack, or dinner. You can use light ingredients to make it a little more healthy. I made it for Natalie's baby shower and had a few requests for the recipe, so here ya go! :)

Potato and Ham Casserole

1 onion, chopped and sauteed

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 16-oz container sour cream

1 8-oz tub cream cheese

1 packet italian dressing mix (Good Seasons)

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (can be mixed in or sprinkled on top)

2 cups cooked diced ham

1 2-lb package frozen hash brown potateos

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Put into a large casserole dish (a 13 by 9 inch pan works, too) and bake at 350 degrees for one hour.

29

My husband is turning 29.

This weekend, I pulled off a huge surprise. For weeks, I have been planning for Matt's family to come visit us for the weekend... Friday night, Matthew and I went wine tasting just the two of us, and then we met his parents at Gino's (once again) for pizza. Matt got there and said, "We have reservations for 'Waite'" and then the hostess pointed us to where they were sitting. He was super surprised. Saturday morning, his sister and her family showed up (I may have lied to Matt a little and told them they couldn't come...) Once again, he was surprised! We went downtown Chicago for the day (Art museum, Grand Lux Cafe, the American Girl store, etc). This morning (Sunday) we spent at the hotel swimming and hot tubbing. It was a very fun weekend.

I really can't believe Matt is turning 29 (on Wednesay, Nov 12 by the way). It kinda makes me feel old! But I don't know--the older I get, the more I really realize how life is SO short and how eternity in heaven is SO unimaginably long (good long)... and how I want to live THIS life like I realize what's important. This has been on my mind a ton lately--just with Matt looking for a job, with us deciding where to live, etc--I just don't want to live my life for the American dream. I want to live it for the Lord and serve and love him fully.