my day off

Well, sort off. I have been anticipating today for about a month now as a day of major spring cleaning around here. So even though I have the day off, I am filling it with all kinds of cleaning that this organized, yet not into deep-cleaning girl, is not used to. I'm glad I am doing it now because I can't imagine where you put a belly that is nine months pregnant when you scrub your bathtub! And can you get carpal tunnel from scrubbing? I sure think so!

I realized that there are things that I cleaned today that I confess, have not been done in the five years we have lived in this house. I won't tell you what but just know they are major so if you have stayed at my house and seen them, I'm sorry! My companions today are double in number, due to the fact that we are dog sitting for my parents for another day or so. These two aren't any help to my cause:

But they are cute and I am glad someone is taking a nap!

Knowing that today was set aside for such activities, I fully soaked up the weekend and Saturday was blissful on a few levels including being part of Molly's shower. It was such a sweet time with the women that love her, a group from all pieces of her life. I think we are kindred spirits in many ways as we anticipate the arrival of our little ones exactly two weeks apart from one another. We love the little details of ribbon and words and her shower reflected exactly those things, so fitting for Molly. One of my favorite things was the fact that this scripture was incorporated into the time.

We had to document this time in both of our lives with a few pics of course! (notice that we are both rocking the same Liz Lange jeans from Target). Here we are at 30 weeks and 28 weeks:

happy friday

I heard this song for the first time this morning and it made me smile:


more here.

Also Happy Friday to Marsha who won the Shutterfly giveaway!

weekend update

This weekend I determined two of God’s gifts in this season of my life:
sleep
carbs

In no particular order, both are better than ever, even in the second trimester when it is no longer about surviving days. I officially slept over 12 hours on BOTH Friday & Saturday evening and when I wasn’t sleeping, enjoyed a great date night out with Ry-one of the first in a while it seems where I haven’t begged off plans in exchange for sitting side-by-side on the couch. We lived it up and split our favorite burger, the Whiskey River, at Red Robin where I forced myself to also order a side salad to compliment the fries and other goodness.

I have thought about, looked at, despised, loved and been sick of food in general over the past few months more than I care to admit yet at the same time, there is something in me that is committed to nurturing this baby well, with an occasional burger here and there, but balancing those out with good things. I have always been interested in healthy eating but I think this little one is helping me heal some places that don’t know boundaries with food and it’s amazing to me how my body keeps telling me what I need. In addition to the great food, we just had a fun date together and it felt good to be out, enjoying time with my hubby. I haven’t thought about yet the MAJOR changes that having a child will evoke in our relationship specifically as much as I have thought about how he/she will change our life. Thankful there is a 9 month period from beginning to end to prepare and learn some of these things together.

As far as the rest of the weekend, on Saturday we dug into some more home projects and by that I mean Ryan dug into some home projects and I ran to get Subway for the workers and did some minor yard work. I also got to spend a few hours with my little nephew Lucas while his momma ran some last minute errands before sweet pea arrives TODAY! I finally get to become an aunt to my little niece this afternoon and God is so good. After the loss that Rochelle and Steve have been through, I am so happy and thankful to meet their healthy little girl. I can’t wait to get the call and hear all about her- I’m sure pics are to follow after we visit her tonight and next Sunday we will be doing a postponed Thanksgiving celebration with the whole fam including this little one- so much to be thankful for!

Sunday was more good stuff; church and then on our way out, literally as we were driving out, some friends rolled down their window and invited us to breakfast for lunch at their house with their 4 fun kiddos. We haven’t hung out with them in probably two years, and at that time they had two kids but have since adopted two more from Ethiopia so now have two boys and two girls, who taught me to play golf with skip-bo cards and made us laugh over a feast of French toast made with bagels, hashbrowns, bacon and scrambled eggs hot off the griddle. I also got a chance to sit at the kitchen counter with Tami after the meal and over full mugs (decaf) talk about life and friendships and everything in between. I have a feeling these next few weeks will fly by as we cruise into the holiday season and I’m looking forward to more weekends of sleep, carbs and whatever else is to come.

lullabies and line-dancing

Yes, something sweet and something Southern, all in one weekend and the combo made for a great Saturday from beginning to end. The first being Michelle's baby shower thrown by yours truly in honor of her little baby boy coming in October. I loved being able to share Michelle's joy with many of the friends she has met since moving to Holland 5 years ago. More pics to come of the day and the little bird/nesting theme that surrounded the celebration but for now, here is one of BrieAnna, Michelle & I.


And if that weren't enough excitement for a rainy September day, our Youth Group Fall Kick Off was planned long before we knew the weather and I was so happy with the way it turned out despite the rain. We held it at Post Family Farm and descended on the place with thirty-some high schoolers, chili and cider and our dancing shoes. It was originally set to be a square dance but some last minute changes turned it into a line dance. After the first one was "cupid shuffle"...I knew it would be more than alright. Here is a picture of me and my cowboy which Ryan affectionately titled "Gap Goes Cowboy" or something of the like:

Some other fun pictures from the night:




I still secretly think that half of the fun of doing youth group is being with the other leaders and sometimes we sneak off for a few minutes for our own little pow-wow. It's just nice to be part of a team where everyone loves to be together and I don't want to take that for granted. Here is my partner Jana & I working our moves on the barn floor...YeeHaw!

I've been a bad blogger

Can't believe it has been over a week and a half since I last blogged. It's kind of like any other habit, that once you get out of it, the easier it is to stop for a bit. So for the sake of time and interest, here is a little catch up on the past 10 days...

Part of my hiatus may have been due to the fact that this came:

Those who know me know I can't say enough about Shauna's ability to put life to words in her writing. So there I sat, on a quiet little park bench in Zeeland reading away with the bubbling of the fountain as my soundtrack. My own little piece of heaven as I underlined and starred pages, filling the margins with my own pieces of bittersweet reflections. I will save my favorite reflections for a future post (or two), especially in anticipation of Shauna coming to share this fall with Grand Valley's Campus Ministries and all of the girls Stacie & I love there. It's going to be a beautiful evening, I can feel it already.

On the topic of writing, I have been doing a bit more of it, which is partly why my blogging is slacking. I have for awhile been wanting to put my heart to paper, to reflect on the past few years at a deep level and really get some of my journey written down. I have failed miserably at journaling during this time so I'm kickin it Doogie Howser style and typing away. I hope to someday share some of those reflections but for now, they are between me and google docs.

As far as life outside of words goes, Emily & Dennis came this past weekend, a wonderfully refreshing time full of lots of coffee on the couch and my favorite part of the weekend perhaps--antiquing. Emily requested that we hit up a few local spots looking for unique pieces to accent their new home which I know she will write about here....(hint hint)...

We had some great finds-- mainly right here in Zeeland at the new Not so Shabby downtown and Second Chance Designn in Holland. Emily also brought me the best kind of present, something I have been wanting to buy myself. Coasters from our creative friend Mandii @ Blue Eyed Pearl (also found here). She created a mix and match set for me and each of them are so beautiful and unique. I haven't taken a picture of them yet but here is one of another set from her etsy store. Go check them out- you will love them too!


And now here we are, on the front end of another gorgeous Michigan weekend and I am in my bathing suit as I write this, having spent a warm sunny day at the beach. It's about time for my bi-weekly Aldi run- oh yeah! Hope you are enjoying summer days as well.

cottage life

This weekend was an unexpected getaway for Ryan and I and we spent the whole weekend at my grandparent's cottage, just the two of us and Toby of course. We did nothing more than take naps, read, talk and eat good food. It is a MUST to have a bowl of ice cream every night around 9:45 at the cottage...We haven't had any time with Ryan's school schedule and such to do that since Israel and it makes such a difference to just breathe deeply for a few days.

I didn't even take any pictures intentionally so that we would just enjoy the slow life and that we successfully did. Our one outing included a trip to the local small town theater to see this movie:

and oh my goodness, the cast was amazing.

I loved the depth of the plot and would encourage you to check it out yourself. Leonardo has really flourished as an actor, in my humble opinion, since the original days of Titanic. Not that I saw it 3 times in the theater or memorized many lines from it in high school or anything. Regardless, it was a talented bunch and a great thrill from beginning to end.

I also realized this weekend that my fast food snobbery is turning around thanks to McDonald's new smoothies and the good ole snack wraps. Not sure this is something to be proud of but more of a confession that you can't knock it till you try it...

And last but not least...a giveaway winner!! Happy that after all of her entries in past giveaways, Bethany will now be rocking this flower in her hair, on her summertime bag or wherever she pleases:

we interrupt the Israel blogging for:

an update on normal life:

A wonderful Memorial Day weekend in Michigan kick-starting the summer of things I love around here like a Saturday morning in Holland with Christina & running into friends:

(Kate this picture is for you).

We spent Saturday between benches & shops, sipping JP's...tulip time blend of course while we caught up on life, thankful for great friendships like these. I did have to pick up a bag of Good Life granola at the Farmer's market of course!

We are usually on a wine tour on this front bookend of summertime; last year we were these two cats:


Due to just having traveled, we decided to keep it local this Memorial Day. We spent a lot of time around the house, had a bonfire with the neighbors and spent Sunday night & all day yesterday at the cottage.

The weekend also included my first attempt at schnitzel, something we ate in Israel and fun to share with my Dad & Evon. I continue to process deeply and realize that something in my paradigm was reshaped by our time in Israel. Thank for for your encouragement to keep writing...a few more posts left including these working themes:

hospitality & hope
Galilee: a few little fishing boys
traveling & teachings
mountaintops & making disciples
the shining city: Jerusalem

The beginning of June also marks the beginning of my birthday month--which my sister in law reminded me this morning via facebook. Haha. love that my family engages in this silliness.

For some good reading today, head over to Molly's new blog for her "coffee for thought" today. I met Molly two years ago through working at William Edwards; were both different girls in different jobs and our friendship has continued to be a blessing through the ebb and flow of the past two years. To know Molly is to love Molly & I am so glad she has started to share her writing with the world at large.

I had a million dollars

I'd give gifts.

A stark realization this weekend...I think my love language and the love language I express towards others may vary....all you experts out there, is this even possible?!

I really feel so loved when someone does something kind for me (acts of service) yet I really enjoy giving gifts to those I love. You can take a quiz here if you want to know more about your love language.

On a deeper love, part of why I love giving gifts is that they mark celebrations. I have lots of projects in the work right now for Mother's Day gifts (to be given @ Easter because we will be gone over Mother's Day), baby gifts-- one for my friend Sarah who delivered her second daughter Avery this morning, and this past weekend it was a little housewarming gift for these two as they begin life in their beautiful new home in Chicago:


What celebration would be complete with a trip to Target, late night ice cream and a movie, worshipping together...and last but not least, a delicious brunch at Glenn's Diner?


Celebrate what you want to see more of. --Thomas J. Peters

shenanigans

Lots of interesting firsts in the past few days. My first visit to "cash4gold" and and my first cooking demo...

Life continues as usual with my processing life stuff and ups and downs and maybe I will write more about that in coming days, but for now, I'm focusing on the carefreeness of the past 3 days. Like the lunch date that Amber & I had @ Real Food Cafe (A-MAZING quesadillas with chicken & artichokes and feta) and then jumping in her car to hit up Cash 4 Gold. Oh yes we did. You can read about the rest of our adventure here as told by Amber.

Yesterday, Michelle & I headed down to 2 antique shops on a mission. Project update the spare bedroom began @ Blue Star Antique Pavilion and about 3 booths in we hit the jackpot. The thing I love about spending time with Michelle is that we chat and tell stories and update each other on life, going from serious to carefree within a moment's notice.

A few weeks ago after the swap, we started talking about a vision for her & Britton's guest room which gets quite a bit of use since both of their families are from out of town. It has been nicely furbished to this point with pieces they already own, a nice bed, a side table, a mirror, the necessities. So we weren't starting from bare bones but knew that we wanted to take it in a whole new direction. So when we came across 2 nice side tables, 3 frames made out of old trim and a shabby chic shutter to serve as a headboard, it was a package deal.

This was the point in which Michelle knew I would write about our finds:

We'll take it! And it pays to ask about discounts because we found out that you can get 10% off most things at these types of antique malls.

From there we entered our destination into the GPS & headed to something I was really looking forward to. Jodi Michelle's cooking demo! Jodi & I first met probably 2 or so years ago when our husbands' business were both in the same building and have not had a lot of opportunities to get to know one another since then but I jumped at the chance to check out her cooking demo. Plus the menu sounded delicious and she hooked us up with some of these from the etsy shop "Kitchen Stories" :

It was a wonderful afternoon and I loved being in such a comfortable home with other women, some of which I knew, some that I didn't. We shared cooking tips, asked questions and learned a lot about the art of cooking salmon, how to make a delicious curry dip and the cake. oh the cake. I loved reading Jodi's perspective on the day (I think you will too) and am looking forward to recreating some of the recipes again soon!

my life as a homebody

here I am, Saturday night sitting with a glass of Crane Lake merlot (Michigan's version of 2 buck chuck) in hand and looking across the couch at my hubby while he plays new music for me on his computer and makes me guess who the artist is. Nights like these just can't be replaced. I think this is the "new" date night that never gets old.

It has been a good, at-home weekend consisting of not a whole lot more than a quick dinner out last night, a few loads of laundry, coffee with a friend this morning in GR at the Sparrows Coffee, Tea & Newsstand, and finally seeing "the Blindside" with my bro this afternoon. Now I am settling in for the evening with a new book that I will be reading through & discussing with a friend. Amazon just brought this one to my doorstep:

A Hole in The Gospel by Richard Stearns, the CEO of World Vision

I am in a season where I feel like I have time to read and process and I know I need accountability to do it so I am looking forward to being challenged and having someone to flush my thoughts out with. Any other good reads out there right now that I should know about?

a weekend away

All of my Nervous Nelly weather checking paid off as I cruised my way down clear highways and over the skyway Friday night to see "The CITY", you know, Chicago! Emily and I planned a somewhat impromptu weekend of just hanging out. And although I could only stay for about 24 hours, each of those hours was rich with conversation, good rest, and great food.

Here is what we did besides chirp chirp chirp like little birds as Dennis likes to call us as we caught up on everything.

One of the things I love about visiting Emily is that she knows so much about the neighborhoods, which may come in handy if she ever takes my advice and pursues a career as a realtor. Friday night she took me to BITE where we drank some red wine (bring your own) over my Thai Green Curry with chicken and jasmine rice. Love it when there is enough bite to make my nose run because it reminds me of India. Then we went back to her casa and did all the things we like to do like lay on her bed and talk and fall asleep to HGTV in the background.

Saturday brought more goodness as we ventured out in our pjs to Milk & Honey where we snagged some good coffee and egg dishes...isn't it cute:

We didn't stay becuase we had a serious movie date with Julie & Julia. BON APPETIT. I loved that movie in the theater and can honestly say I loved it just as much this weekend in my pjs by the light of the Christmas tree.

The rest of the day flew by with a little run (haven't done enough of that lately, was feeling it for sure and may have to just continue because I missed it). Now that I think about it, that buzz hit me last time we visited Chicago. The day was capped off with a drive over to another neighborhood where we saw some really cute boutiques and enjoyed a late lunch at the Southport Cafe and continued to take bites off one anothers' plates becuase that is what we have done since our friendship began 8 years ago in Olson Hall. Some things never change.

it's friday!

and I'm up early! so here are a few things to celebrate and one to pray for:
-we got our family pictures taken on Sunday and I have my proofs already! (note above). Why didn't we do this sooner? I can now replace the pictures that have been in frames for 2 years.
-my dog seems to know it is cold sometimes in this old house and has decided that cuddling at my feet is the perfect place to be, I agree.
-headed tomorrow with Ry and some other youth group leaders to the Lead Now conference for the day on the East side to see Donald Miller, Francis Chan, Matt Chandler on the big screen as a church there is doing a simulcast of this conference:

Did I ever menion how much I love conferences? Truly love them. The organization of them, the coffee breaks, the sessions, taking notes. I'm there.

I also have a prayer request to share as we navigate the next few weeks. Ryan's grandpa who was the best man in our wedding has since been struggling with Alzheimers and things are moving quicker than we thought they would in the last few weeks. If i can boldly ask you to pray for peace in this situation for our family, that would be much appreciated. I am honored that I got a chance to know Grandpa so well while we were dating and know that he has served such a full life ministering to his family and others around him.

weekend run down

that's right twitter style again. I know you are wondering why I don't just get an account and give you a play by play daily. In a moment of weakness I tried to do just that but since I closed my account over 6 months ago, I am locked out. Or maybe I lucked out because I fear I may struggle with boundaries there. Here it is, for nothing more than my own personal joy:

Friday night:
-@redbox and happy I reserved The Proposal online first
-forget the frozen pizza, hubby says we are going to pick up Wolfies and somehow Starbucks Java chip ended up coming home with us too.
-in bed by 10:30 and happy to be there!

Saturday:
-up by 7 to get a start on the day and do my Explore the Story reading on the treadmill at the local gym
-rushed to coffee with my girlfriends from @FBHS, why do I struggle to be on time so much?! Left there to run to Meijer & then back home before the couple's baby shower
-hubby took one for the team by eating jars of baby food while blindfolded; was on standby with a big bucket while he tasted peas, squash, ham & gravy. yikes
-jam session on the way to David Crowder Band and grabbed Quizno's on the drive. Not holding to the restaurant budget too well this weekend, but at least we used coupons!
-Got to the concert early to get good seats, only to find that they are assigned...and we were in the 3rd row! Decided that when the Lord returns, I want to be at a David Crowder show singing "You are my Joy" or something of the like.

Sunday:
-EARLY morning to set up breakfast for the high school session that Ryan taught this morning from 8:30-noon. Was so proud of his passion for who God is and the way he is loving on high schoolers.
-took a FULL out nap in my church clothes and then realized that I had dog hair all over my new black sweater dress...but it is from Meijer so I machine washed it this afternoon
-bummed around and watched the latest episode of GLEE on Hulu.
-ended the night with youth group, hanging out with 50 of our favorite high schoolers, including a leader's skit involving a sword, a cat, a vegan, a human table & a waiter.
- a late night walk around Zeeland with the hubs and our pup, realized 1/2 mile in that my boots were not the most practical option but earned me some fall fashion points.

what? friday already!?

Rare are the weeks that Friday sneaks up on any of us, right? This has been one of those and I don't know where alot of the time went but I do know that I was more focused and productive than I have been in a LONG time. Including the 5 hour stint today taking in too much coffee at lemonjellos. I simply had to relocate to finish the EGM youth group directory because Thursday is my day to work at church and Laura is out of town this week so it was all me. So to avoid doing laundry, playing with Toby, and any other distractions I could find, that was my retreat.

I also had 2 really great Uppercase Living parties last night and tonight so between my regular job and all of this, plus maintaining some semblance of a social life, I am ready for Friday! I can't complain though, somehow all of the pieces seem to fall into place and I am really loving going into people's homes and helping them find just the right thing to decorate with. It has definately helped me increase my public speaking confidence as well, which I feel like is a skill that will never go to waste. Anyways, enough ramblings for tonight- looking forward to a weekend. Maybe Redbox will have The Proposal available. Give me some frozen pizza and this guy, I'm set.

haha. explanation here. This was last weekend at the Pumpernickel's Casual Cafe in Union Pier which carries Ryan's top favorite EVER gelato, toasted coconut. Like a kid in a candy store.

fall adventures

I had been looking forward to our day away with Justin and Jamie ever since we planned it back in early September. Both Jamie and I are such planners that we usually have our respective vacations planned down to where we will eat dinner, visit, stay etc. But this day was reserved with conscious effort to go with the flow and that we did. We started with our local fave, @ The Diner in Zeeland for breakfast. Good local fare, everyone is always happy with their selection and since Ryan and dined at IHOP the night before on a whim for pumpkin pancakes, I started with staples, coffee and oatmeal.

From there, we headed south, using the Garmin and road signs as our guides. First stop, Crane's Orchard for some U-Pick Honeycrisps and the search for the perfect pumpkins. Ryan so spoke my love language when suggesting the perfect pumpkin/gourd combo to go on our front porch. (And I have my Welcome up so I will take a pic soon!) We hung out there for a bit, wandering up and down the rows, taking pics and apples.


My dear friend Jamie, who was one of my first friends at Evergreen when we started attending 5 years ago. We have been in various small groups together Ryan and I were engaged and began our married life, prayed with them as they anticipated the birth of their little cutie, Alexis, this spring and continue to value their friendship so much. If God does call us somewhere else in the next few years for Ryan's seminary years or even ministry in another place, I know they are "lifer" friends.

After Cranes, we spent the rest of the day adventuring Southwest Michigan and hit the following wineries:
Fenn Valley, Round Barn, Hickory Creek, Free Run, Karma Vista... I think that is all of them. Gorgeous views and lots of pit stops along the way where we saw God's creation in the trees and winding roads.

At one point in the day, we stumbled upon the Chocolate Garden with the creamiest, most delectable...and expensive truffles we have ever had. Ryan and I shared a 2-pack of dark chocolate coffee truffles. Oh my. Check them out if you are a chocolate lover and travel 94 between St. Joe & Chicago, you won't be disappointed.

We ended the day with a trip to the Stray Dog in New Buffalo for dinner and HAD TO partake in our tradition of ordering a stray dog as an appetizer. Let me break it down: a cheese stuffed, bacon wrapped, deep friend hot dog with caramelized onions and fries. Which without splitting 4 ways would nearly put you into cardiac arrest.

What a gift this day was, between Ryan's 21 hours, my balancing 3 part time jobs (sounds worse than it is), and striving to life in each day for what it has. It totally energized me for a new week and each time I pull into the driveway and see my new little pu'nkins, I will smile for sure.

I LOVE FALL. Can you tell by my obsessive mention of the pumpkin baking, the red tree, the necessity of gourds? All of it. We have had some awesome weekends with friends enjoying the traditions of fall and before I tell you in about this weekend's events, I have to go back a few weeks and tell you in pictures about when they came:

We were so excited because it was the big ArtPrize opening weekend that I wrote about here and even though they are the type of friends that you can stay in your comfy clothes and drink coffee all day with, we wanted to share the adventures of our city. We spent the day Saturday downtown checking out a bunch of different venues and made our 2nd trip to Hopcat



I think my hubby was inspired...this was his artsy pic of the day of muah.

a week in pictures

this week has literally flown by and now that we are back at a weekend...here is the week in review. I have been trying to get better at taking pictures, even if I never do print any of them. Speaking of, I found out you can now have your blog printed in book form here. So, if anyone wants to do some early Christmas shopping for me...hint hint. On to the week:

Sunday night was our first small group night with the youth group girls and Leah and I are off to a great start. We kind of out number the seniors but are praying for them to bring lots of friends! Birthday Beads and a Tiara were present as we celebrated Courtney's big 1-8.



last night as part of small group we had a surprise shower for Randy & Dana who are expecting their first little one next month. Kate, whose house it was at was so cute, she got Baby Ruth, Sugar Babies, and Runts to go along with delicious lemon chiffon cake ala Costco.



Me, Kate, Dana, Jamie and Kelsey

Then came the adventure of the week...Suzy Homemaker attempt number 57. I have had this scone mix for about 6 weeks now, since Christina moved and gave me a present. Yes, you read that right, she gave me a set of tea and some scone mix in honor of all of the great time we have spent in coffee shops over the past year. Here is a pic before...and since I love fall so much I upgraded them to Pumpkin. An experiment all in itself. I also made peach crisp for when Emily & Dennis roll in tonight to spend a weekend here! Notice how small the scones are before baking and then the explosion they took on when they got huge! Maybe it was the pumpkin? Either way, I cannot wait to enjoy them with a cup of coffee tomorrow for the quintessential fall breakfast.

comings and goings

Finishing up a good weekend including grilling out Friday night with some friends on their deck, a much overdue walk with my sweet friend Allison, a 50th anniversary party for our great Aunt & Uncle and tonight, ooh tonight is definitely the icing on the cake as I am going to go out with some of the senior girls from youth group & my co-leader Leah. McLeah as we used to refer to each other when Grey's first came out because even though neither of us watched it, everything was McBekah and McYouth Group...you get the point. I don't think I have really written about yet that I am back in the youth group scene and I am so totally thrilled to be back.

Taking a step back last year was the right thing for the time being but man, I can't wait to dive back in with these girls. more to come on this as fall unfolds I am sure.

Other than that, I am trying to get back into my habit of cooking dinner...remember when I was planning meals monthly? Well I can't say that I am back at that point post summer meals of campfire food and ice cream and burgers. But I will say that I am attempting to use what I have creatively and here is the latest inspiration:

Rachel Ray's Quesadilla Casserole:

You need:
3 tbsp vegetable oil
3/4 cup chopped onion
1 29 oz. can black beans, drained but save 1/2 cup liquid
1 1/2 cup frozen corn thawed
3-5 flour tortillas (depending on how many layers you want to do)
8 oz Monterrey jack cheese


Preheat the oven to 400
Heat Oil in a skillet at medium heat & add onion and cook for 5 min. Add half of your black beans and mash into a paste and add extra bean juice :)
Grease heavy ovenproof skillet, I used my pie pan!
In a bowl combine corn, any seasonings to add flavor, and remaining beans
Place tortilla in the bottom of your pan, add a layer of your onion/bean mix and a layer of your corn mix, a handful of cheese and repeat
Your top layer will be filling & bake for 30 min.

* Next time I am totally going to add in some shredded chicken or beef because we just love meat. personal preference. I also served it with some salsa and sour cream... would be great at a tailgate party or fall bash with tortilla chips too. mmm..