It's been a while....

I haven't blogged in ages.  Life hadn't changed much until recently.  I've just been working as much as I can.  Chad has looked for jobs, but hasn't had much luck in that department.  Our money has been slowly dwindling.  We figured out last week that we really only have enough to make it until the end of May and then we will be done.  Last weekend Chad went back to Cincinnati to preach at his old church,  to look into possible future ministry opportunities and to see about going back to school to finish his degree.  We feel like God is leading us to go to Cincinnati.  We fought against that idea for a long time, but as the money is dwindling and things just aren't working out too well here, we decided that it was for the best.  We almost feel like God had to take us to the point where all the doors were closing here in Chicago for us to be willing to make a change.  Chad is going to be able to get his old job back in Cincy. We're not sure about all the details yet, but Chad will be probably be moving to Cincinnati before I do and all our stuff does.  He can go down and start working before we have a place to live and be able to look around and see the places we are interested in, in person.  I can be here getting the apartment packed up and ready to move so that when we find a place to live, we can be ready to go.  Life is probably going to be really crazy for a while and there are a lot of unknowns which is kind of scary, but I'm getting excited.  God has been providing so many things and we are excited to see what God is going to do. 

I've done a lot of cooking lately and have been looking for more recipes all the time.  Since we haven't had much money, I've had to get creative with my recipes.  Black beans and rice has become a staple in our diet.  We love it and I've gotten more creative with the ingredients and spices I add.  It's total comfort food for us.  Today I made some rice pudding for the first time.  It was really easy to make and it's tasty too!  Chad loves it!  I found the recipe online here. I added a little cinnamon and used regular raisins because I couldn't find golden raisins. 

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup uncooked white rice
• 2 cups milk, divided
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2/3 cup golden raisins
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. In a medium saucepan, bring 1 1/2 cups water to a boil. Add rice and stir. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
2. In another saucepan, combine 1 1/2 cups cooked rice, 1 1/2 cups milk, sugar and salt. Cook over medium heat until thick and creamy, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in remaining 1/2 cup milk, beaten egg and raisins. Cook 2 minutes more, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, and stir in butter and vanilla. Serve warm.