I had my last day of work this past Friday, which means that I've now begun my dream job. I'm a stay-at-home mommy! It still hasn't sunk in just yet. When I awoke this morning, it was surprisingly hard to convince myself that I really wasn't going back to work. Not ever. It almost feels like summer vacation has begun.

So anyway, we're moving to B'ham in a matter of days. Ever since my last day of work we've been busy packing, cleaning, and keeping the cats and baby in line. It's amazing how moving everything around can make you realize what a poor housekeeper you are. I have a baby and worked full time, but still. How did we live like this?

Updates will still be scarce until we get our internet up and running after the move. I can't wait to begin blogging more regularly!

One month. That's how much longer until I get to start my dream job, and begin a brand new chapter. I can't believe just how quickly the years here in Houston have flown. We left Chattanooga as newlyweds and fresh college grads to really begin our lives in a brand new city. Stu continued in school, while I launched my career. We found a great church and wonderful friends.

We're leaving 4 years older, hopefully a little wiser, with 2 cats and a baby. We're going to start afresh, with new friends and a new church. We'll have to establish a new routine. I cannot wait to stay at home with Maddie and run our household full-time.

One week. That's how much longer until Maddie is no longer in daycare. We love the people there, but we are ready to have her be taken care of by one of us. (We also can't wait to not have this as an expense!) Stu has the month of May off, so while I'll still be working, he'll get to play stay at home daddy.

It's hard to believe just how close we are to such big changes! It's almost like we have senioritis in high school--we can't wait to be done!

I was reviewing my archives to see if I had ever posted this recipe, and I hadn't! This is one of our favorites--we have it probably once every week or two. Don't be scared off by the long ingredient list, as it comes together quickly. This is also a mild curry, but very flavorful. Add more paprika or cayenne if you want more kick.

I especially craved this when I was pregnant with Maddie, so I made it often. For some reason, it just hit the spot, as well as any other Indian or Greek dish.

Indian Chicken Curry

1 Tbsp coconut or olive oil
1 med onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
3 Tbsp curry powder (I like the one from Whole Foods, but it's cheaper to make your own!)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger powder or minced fresh ginger
1/2 tsp paprika, or to taste
1-2 bay leaves
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized cubes
2 potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
1 c. plain yogurt
1 c. coconut milk (about 1/2 can)
1 Tbsp tomato paste

Heat oil over med-high heat, add onion and cook 5 min. or until soft. Add garlic, curry powder, cinnamon, ginger, paprika, and bay leaves and roast 1 min, stirring constantly. Add remaining ingredients, and reduce heat to simmer for 20 min. Serve over rice. Makes 3-4 servings.

Edited to add: Agh! I forgot about salt! You'll need to add about a teaspoon of salt to this, or it will taste really bland.

I have to take off of work today, since our daycare was closed for the holiday. I thought I'd take a moment and update with all news from around here.

--We're going to Birmingham! Stu was accepted into the residency program at the University of Alabama. We are so excited about this, since we'll be only 2 1/2 hours from friends and family in Atlanta! Match Day itself was quite an exciting day--lots of good food and a wonderful time with friends.

--Speaking of Match Day, they have a "jackpot" tradition at the school. Everyone that matched is called up one at a time to receive an envelope with their residency location recorded inside. As they come up to the stage, they drop a dollar in a basket. At the end, the very last name called gets to keep all of the money in the basket. Guess who won? I think Stu was so flustered by the end that he wasn't as excited as I was, but we won $180! He stays he felt panicked that there had been a mistake and he hadn't matched at all. Poor guy!

--Two weekends ago we flew to Alabama to find a house! We felt that with the market the way it is now, and the fact that we need more space, it was time to buy. House-hunting was so much fun! We spent 2 days searching. I wish I could say we found the perfect house, but it didn't quite work out that way. Hubby found one he loved (a new house that needed no work), and I got my heart set on another (an older home where the laundry was separate from the house, meaning a walk in the rain to wash clothes) We had to compromise on this one, and went with the new house. I guess that's part of being married! The house will be cute with some work, though, and the garden is a complete blank slate. All that's out there is sod! I'm going to have so much fun back there.


--Maddie is starting solids now. She seemed eager to eat our foods, plus she's been Miss Fussypants and I think it's because she's teething. I fed her some rice cereal, and she loved it! She kept opening her mouth for more. My little girl is growing up so fast!



--Work has been terribly frustrating the past month or so. I don't want to get into details, but I just really needed to vent a bit. I'll post more details after my last day (May 22nd!), but if you're curious you can e-mail me.

--I probably won't post much, if at all, until after we move. We'll be so busy wrapping things up, packing, etc, that I just don't think I'll have much time for blogging. Hopefully, once I'm staying home with Maddie, I'll find the time to post more regularly.

Tomorrow is the day.

We will find out where we will spend the next 3 years of our lives. I'm excited, but a bit nervous, too. The time has moved so slowly, but it's finally almost over!

I've got another headache (bleh!), so this will be short. I'll let you guys know where we're going tomorrow!

Oh. My. Goodness.

I had completely forgotten just how wonderful it is to possess a remote control. We've been flipping stations manually for about a year now. The TV we have is one Hubby's dad no longer used, and he had lost the remote long before. (And I know about universal remotes, but this TV brand is so special that it doesn't work with them.)

At least we don't have cable, so we only flipped between 2 stations.

We got the coupon for our converter box in the mail the other day, and we were so excited that Stu went out today and bought one. Being the handy-dandy man that he is, he hooked it up no problem and got the digital TV working. And it is awesome--the stations come in clearly, and we even have more than we started with! All for the $20 after using the coupon.

When Stu opened the box to the converter, both of us did a giddy dance to celebrate the new remote that was an unexpected surprise. Now I can nurse the baby and change the channel all at the same time!

Oh, and for those who want to see what the baby looks like now, here's a random picture:

I mentioned awhile back that we were deliberating over our residency program choices, and last weekend we finally hashed it all out and submitted our ranking!

So here it goes:

Nashville
Columbia, SC
Birmingham
Chattanooga
St. Louis
Charlottesville, VA
Augusta, GA
Dallas
Houston

You'll notice that this list is way different from the one before. The Chattanooga and Augusta programs were just not really good enough, so they went lower on the rankings. St. Louis and Charlottesville were much better programs than I gave them credit for, so up higher they went.

Stu feels that the Nashville program (at Vanderbilt) is very competitive and so he probably won't get in there, but we went ahead and ranked it first anyway. So, we may end up with our 2nd or 3rd choice, and we feel that both would be awesome.

Match Day is a little later than I realized--it's on March 19th this year. So it's still one month away before we find out where we'll be! Be praying that it all works out for the best! :-)