My food philosophy is very closely tied into my faith in God. My philosophy basically is that God made us so He knows what's good for us. And so I try to eat things as closely to what He originally made as possible. I prefer food in it's most natural state.
This has been a process for me. When I got married and became responsible for meal planning and shopping for my family boxed mac and cheese and cereal were regular staples in my cupboards. I NEVER bought real butter...margarine is cheaper after all! I placed the value of foods on how cheap and quickly they could be prepared and still taste yummy.
When I developed an auto immune disease around 6 years ago, I really began to change my view of food. My priorities in regard to food changed dramatically.
And then I became pregnant with twins and I was determined to carry them full term. So I put my faith in God and I did what I could with nutrition to insure a safe and healthy pregnancy. I ended up carrying them full term and delivering them at home (not on purpose!) and having a healthy 8# 4oz boy and a 6# 13oz girl. Praise God!
All of my pregnancies taught me something about God. He made our bodies and He knew what He was doing when He did it. And so obviously the things that He has provided for us to eat are what is going to make our bodies function at their best, right?
My most recent stepping stone in this process is making a commitment to buying and using only seasonal produce. Not only is it more cost effective to do this, it supports more local agriculture and it has health benefits as well! God is amazing! I mean, think of the health problems people face in the winter...colds, flu, infections of all sorts. Now think about the produce that is in season during this time...lemons, oranges, apples, pears, lettuce...all of which are rich in vitamin C, super antioxidants and fiber (which cleanse our body of bad stuff). God gave us what we need to fend off these illnesses...exactly when we need it!
For me, putting it in that light gives me purpose. (I'm not saying this is a moral issue and if this is not a priority for you, then please understand I'm not saying it necessarily should be...I understand that we all have different views and priorities!). But I love finding God in ways that I never have before. I love seeing Him while I'm grocery shopping...or while I'm preparing a meal for my family. It helps me to refocus and realize that all of this only matters because of Him, and it reminds me to be thankful because I am truly blessed!
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Thursday, November 10, 2011
I've Got The Itch!
I have never been a shopper. When I was in college I kind of developed an unhealthy relationship with shopping. I used it to fill my voids (along with food and promiscuity). And up until the last couple of years, while I didn't have access to a lot of money, I spent a lot of money that I shouldn't have to comfort myself. Of course, we all know THAT drill. It's not really comforting because then you feel guilty.
For the last few years God has really curbed that appetite in me. He's taught me that nothing--not shopping, not eating, not fulfilling the desires of my flesh, not inflicting pain upon myself--NOTHING will fill the God shaped hole in my heart except HIM.
The last week or so I've really had an itch to shop.
Honestly, there are a lot of things we need (Nathaniel's tennis shoes have been duct taped closed and now the duct tape isn't holding...AKA He NEEDS shoes) but there's also a very limited budget for those things...and some of them will have to wait.
I've been struggling with contentment.
I've been focusing on the fact that all of my jackets and warm clothing are too big for me...and brushing aside the fact that I have a jacket at all. I've been focusing on the fact that other people's kids have multiple pairs of shoes instead of on the fact that my kids have shoes.
It's so funny how I kind of expect God to meet my standards. If I don't have multiple pairs of shoes, God hasn't met my need for shoes...right?! Kind of like the Israelites in the desert. They didn't have 5 pairs of shoes to choose from, but they had shoes that didn't wear out. They didn't have a big Thanksgiving feast to eat every day, but they had manna.
God never said that he would buy me a pair of new running shoes, he would give my kids the same standard of living that all their friends have, or that I would have a jacket that fits. But I have running shoes, my kids are clean, fed and happy and I have a jacket.
And at the end of the day I am truly blessed. Not being able to just go and shop away my sorrows helps me to depend on God instead of a new pair of shoes. It's helps me to remember that my treasure is not here. That my focus is not on fashion. It's on Jesus.
God is so awesome! Today I am thankful for warm clothes and shoes. And that God doesn't give me everything that I think I want, because what He has to give me is always so much infinitely better.
For the last few years God has really curbed that appetite in me. He's taught me that nothing--not shopping, not eating, not fulfilling the desires of my flesh, not inflicting pain upon myself--NOTHING will fill the God shaped hole in my heart except HIM.
The last week or so I've really had an itch to shop.
Honestly, there are a lot of things we need (Nathaniel's tennis shoes have been duct taped closed and now the duct tape isn't holding...AKA He NEEDS shoes) but there's also a very limited budget for those things...and some of them will have to wait.
I've been struggling with contentment.
I've been focusing on the fact that all of my jackets and warm clothing are too big for me...and brushing aside the fact that I have a jacket at all. I've been focusing on the fact that other people's kids have multiple pairs of shoes instead of on the fact that my kids have shoes.
It's so funny how I kind of expect God to meet my standards. If I don't have multiple pairs of shoes, God hasn't met my need for shoes...right?! Kind of like the Israelites in the desert. They didn't have 5 pairs of shoes to choose from, but they had shoes that didn't wear out. They didn't have a big Thanksgiving feast to eat every day, but they had manna.
God never said that he would buy me a pair of new running shoes, he would give my kids the same standard of living that all their friends have, or that I would have a jacket that fits. But I have running shoes, my kids are clean, fed and happy and I have a jacket.
And at the end of the day I am truly blessed. Not being able to just go and shop away my sorrows helps me to depend on God instead of a new pair of shoes. It's helps me to remember that my treasure is not here. That my focus is not on fashion. It's on Jesus.
God is so awesome! Today I am thankful for warm clothes and shoes. And that God doesn't give me everything that I think I want, because what He has to give me is always so much infinitely better.
Monday, November 7, 2011
Granola Bars!
The desire to cut out processed/convenient foods has greatly impacted our lives. I think that most of us dread and are turned off by the time that is involved in making things from scratch. And I'll be honest, it does require a lot of time in the kitchen...but I honestly don't think that whipping up a batch of granola bars takes any more time than running to the store to pick up a box of granola bars...and you skip all the extra junk that is in store bought granola bars!
I will say that I prefer to send a piece of fruit and in the winter when our orange tree is producing, that's pretty much our staple school snack. But I like to mix it up a little sometimes with some homemade goodness.
The thing I love about these granola bars is that I know exactly what is in them, they are sturdy--they can survive a backpack and still remain intact, and it's easy to "mix it up".
Here's what you'll need
4 1/2 cups of oats
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup maple syrup (you could substitute brown sugar, if you prefer...use the same amount either way)
2/3 cup melted butter
2 cups total of whatever "pieces" you want to add--chocolate chips, dried fruit, nuts
Preheat your oven to 325 and prepare a 9x13 pan (butter/flour whatever you want to use to keep the bars from sticking).
Mix all of the dry ingredients together (I don't bother with a mixer...a pastry blender would work well...I use a spatula). Create a well in the dry ingredients and add the wet ingredients to the well. Mix everything together and spoon and press into your prepared pan.
Bake around 20 minutes or until the edges are a golden brown.
Let me know if you try them and tell me what you think or how you improved them!
I will say that I prefer to send a piece of fruit and in the winter when our orange tree is producing, that's pretty much our staple school snack. But I like to mix it up a little sometimes with some homemade goodness.
The thing I love about these granola bars is that I know exactly what is in them, they are sturdy--they can survive a backpack and still remain intact, and it's easy to "mix it up".
Here's what you'll need
4 1/2 cups of oats
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup maple syrup (you could substitute brown sugar, if you prefer...use the same amount either way)
2/3 cup melted butter
2 cups total of whatever "pieces" you want to add--chocolate chips, dried fruit, nuts
Preheat your oven to 325 and prepare a 9x13 pan (butter/flour whatever you want to use to keep the bars from sticking).
Mix all of the dry ingredients together (I don't bother with a mixer...a pastry blender would work well...I use a spatula). Create a well in the dry ingredients and add the wet ingredients to the well. Mix everything together and spoon and press into your prepared pan.
Bake around 20 minutes or until the edges are a golden brown.
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Sometimes My Kids Set Me Straight
In a flurry of brushed teeth, clothes changed and laid out, they got into bed.
Here's where I sighed a BIG sigh of relief.
And then from the boys room I heard a voice, "Mommy, can we say a prayer?"
This is what went through my head...Yeah, jerk mom! Why didn't you ALREADY say a prayer? What kind of mom ARE YOU?!
So I got the girls out of bed and we all gathered in the boys room. And let me tell ya, a portion of that prayer was a humbled pleading for God to change me and thankfulness for the ways He already has.
On some days I think my parenting goal is simply to survive. But that's not what parenting is about. Yeah, there are rough days. But parenting is about showing them who God is. Even our imperfections can point their hearts toward Him. Because our imperfections remind us, and them, that they need a Savior and that we are not it.
So, yeah, I'm not a perfect mom. I am a deeply flawed mom depending on the grace of God to change me and to leave my children as un scarred by my imperfections as they can be.
Praise God for His mercy and grace!
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
With Me, It's All 'Er Nothin', Is it All 'Er Nothin' With You?
I tend to be an all or nothin' kinda girl. If I get everything on my to-do list done then I feel good and it's been a successful day, but if not, I'm depressed and feel like a failure.
Recently I was reading the creation story and I started to ponder the fact that God did what He did on certain days, then He looked at what He had done that day and was satisfied...and then left the rest for "tomorrow". He didn't do it all in one day, and presumably, He could have. And when He was done for the week, He took a day off.
I think it's pretty common for moms to feel pressured to have a clean home, clean children, a meal on the table and still have time to give our husbands some attention at the end of the day. We give ourselves so much to do every day that something has to give...whether it's going through the drive thru for dinner or being tired and grumpy with our husbands!
Until the last few months, my home was either a complete mess or spotless. For the past few months it's been varying degrees in between. It's pretty clean most of the time. And most of the time my laundry is done. But sometimes I go to bed with laundry on the laundry room floor...and while I hate it, I'm learning to tell myself "well, I guess I'll try again tomorrow!"
Let me tell ya, a few months ago if I had a streak of keeping my laundry done and then "failed" one day, I would have given up. But I've been pondering the creation story and I've come to some conclusions that have had really good repercussion in my life...
1. Not everything has to be done in one day. God did what He did and then stood back and enjoyed the view. So, do what I can but leave enough time to enjoy the fruits of my labor with my family. Because that's the reason we do it all anyway. If we're "doing it all" but missing out on time with our kids or husband and opportunities to serve others...then what's the point?
2. Do SOMETHING every day. Again, do what I can and when I'm done don't listen to the voices that are in my head listing all of the other things I should get done. Just shut it off until tomorrow. There are more important things in life than having every can in my pantry facing forward.
3. Take periodic rest days. This is hard. It's so hard to take rest days. But God thought they were necessary and went to great lengths to enforce the Sabbath day with the Israelites.
I think that viewing this through the creation story has really helped me to look at God in a new way. It's baffling how each thing I learn about Him just reinforces to me how utterly good and completely amazing He is!
The thing is, everything we do is to prepare ourselves and our families to serve others and love God...keeping our homes is one way that we do that.
Recently I was reading the creation story and I started to ponder the fact that God did what He did on certain days, then He looked at what He had done that day and was satisfied...and then left the rest for "tomorrow". He didn't do it all in one day, and presumably, He could have. And when He was done for the week, He took a day off.
I think it's pretty common for moms to feel pressured to have a clean home, clean children, a meal on the table and still have time to give our husbands some attention at the end of the day. We give ourselves so much to do every day that something has to give...whether it's going through the drive thru for dinner or being tired and grumpy with our husbands!
Until the last few months, my home was either a complete mess or spotless. For the past few months it's been varying degrees in between. It's pretty clean most of the time. And most of the time my laundry is done. But sometimes I go to bed with laundry on the laundry room floor...and while I hate it, I'm learning to tell myself "well, I guess I'll try again tomorrow!"
Let me tell ya, a few months ago if I had a streak of keeping my laundry done and then "failed" one day, I would have given up. But I've been pondering the creation story and I've come to some conclusions that have had really good repercussion in my life...
1. Not everything has to be done in one day. God did what He did and then stood back and enjoyed the view. So, do what I can but leave enough time to enjoy the fruits of my labor with my family. Because that's the reason we do it all anyway. If we're "doing it all" but missing out on time with our kids or husband and opportunities to serve others...then what's the point?
2. Do SOMETHING every day. Again, do what I can and when I'm done don't listen to the voices that are in my head listing all of the other things I should get done. Just shut it off until tomorrow. There are more important things in life than having every can in my pantry facing forward.
3. Take periodic rest days. This is hard. It's so hard to take rest days. But God thought they were necessary and went to great lengths to enforce the Sabbath day with the Israelites.
I think that viewing this through the creation story has really helped me to look at God in a new way. It's baffling how each thing I learn about Him just reinforces to me how utterly good and completely amazing He is!
The thing is, everything we do is to prepare ourselves and our families to serve others and love God...keeping our homes is one way that we do that.
Countdown to Thanksgiving: Today I am thankful for laundry. I am thankful that God can (and does) take the things I struggle with and moan and groan over and uses them to change me!
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Keeping Up with the Joneses
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| Me and Lilla bein' silly. |
And up until the past few years I've kind of had a sense of entitlement about it all. And we've felt a pressure to be able to put presents under the Christmas tree, to be able to take our family out to dinner to socialize with friends and family (because that's what people do, right?!).
In the past year or so I've really realized just how ridiculous that is.
Life isn't about presents under a Christmas tree, or going to movies or eating ice cream. And while it's fun to be able to do those things, we can't do those things and still pay our bills.
We've stopped feeling pressured to keep up. Our clothes are worn, we probably won't be going to the movies anytime soon and we'll be staying at home to eat our meals....but don't feel sorry for us or think our life is less fulfilled because of those things. Because our clothes have character, our living room is our theater (we see a Tony Award worthy play every week!), and our dinner table is set and enjoyed with love. And we're less distracted (than we used to be) by material things, which leaves us more time to enjoy each other and think of others...which is what life is all about!
And that definitely works for us!
Monday, October 31, 2011
How To: Ski Ball-- Lessons from the Life of Elisabeth
I'm pretty sure there's not a person alive who enjoys life more than Elisabeth. She's a free spirit, with a song on her lips, a smile in her heart and, I'm convinced, magic in her step. She leaves a trail of sparkle everywhere she goes.
Tonight my dad treated our family to a trip to John's Incredible Pizza. Elisabeth spent most of the time at the Ski Ball game. When one game would end, without inserting more tokens, she would push the 'start' button and a new game would begin (see?! I told you she is magic!).
Elisabeth's approach to Ski ball is a unique (and fairly dangerous) one.
First of all, the balls must be named and assigned a familial position (mom/dad/sister/brother). Then, she closes her eyes and tosses the ball. Sometimes the ball heads in the general vicinity of the alley she's playing on, and sometimes not. Sometimes you can't tell which alley she's playing on because she's technically playing on them all. It doesn't matter if she gets the ball in her own gutter or the one next to her...the fact that the ball didn't roll back to her is an accomplishment to be celebrated! And believe me. Every. Single. Ball. is celebrated with a parade and dancing and giggling fit for Disneyland.
I am pretty sure I've never seen a kid enjoy Ski Ball that much. And I'm pretty sure I've never enjoyed watching a game of Ski Ball that much.
It's amazing how some people just spread joy. They don't have to tell you to be joyful...because theirs is infectious.
It's a good reminder. Not only to be joyful in even the most mundane tasks but in how our attitude affects the people around us...and that life is too short to not be silly sometimes!
Tonight my dad treated our family to a trip to John's Incredible Pizza. Elisabeth spent most of the time at the Ski Ball game. When one game would end, without inserting more tokens, she would push the 'start' button and a new game would begin (see?! I told you she is magic!).
Elisabeth's approach to Ski ball is a unique (and fairly dangerous) one.
First of all, the balls must be named and assigned a familial position (mom/dad/sister/brother). Then, she closes her eyes and tosses the ball. Sometimes the ball heads in the general vicinity of the alley she's playing on, and sometimes not. Sometimes you can't tell which alley she's playing on because she's technically playing on them all. It doesn't matter if she gets the ball in her own gutter or the one next to her...the fact that the ball didn't roll back to her is an accomplishment to be celebrated! And believe me. Every. Single. Ball. is celebrated with a parade and dancing and giggling fit for Disneyland.
I am pretty sure I've never seen a kid enjoy Ski Ball that much. And I'm pretty sure I've never enjoyed watching a game of Ski Ball that much.
It's amazing how some people just spread joy. They don't have to tell you to be joyful...because theirs is infectious.
It's a good reminder. Not only to be joyful in even the most mundane tasks but in how our attitude affects the people around us...and that life is too short to not be silly sometimes!
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Avoiding Convenience Foods
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| Photo Credit http://www.whattomakefordinner.org/ |
I also know the temptation to drive to the drive thru at that point. I've been there and done that.
Fast food and even most store-bought convenience foods are hard on the budget. And over the last few years we have gradually cut out 95% of our fast food/convenience food consumption. I do still buy the occasional box of Dino Bites and even less often we go for fast food.
The thing is, I still have days where I'm dog tired...and realize at the end of the day that I have no idea what we're gonna have for dinner. All of this has been a learning experience for me and I've discovered that there are a few things that profoundly effect the peace of our home around 5 o'clock in the evening and make dinner a much more pleasant experience for my whole family.
1. Meal planning. I don't do anything fancy. There are some really cute, free (woohoo! who doesn't love free stuff?!) menu planning pages out there. Sometimes I'm all fancy and use one of those and sometimes I use a blank sheet of paper that nobody but me could make heads or tails of. My family really enjoys it when I post my menu plan on the fridge so they can check it and either get excited about dinner or check their attitude and count their blessings that they get to have their least favorite meal instead a bowl of grasshoppers.
I should note that I don't necessarily decide in advance on what day we will have which meal. Sometimes I just make a list of the assortment of meals we'll have for the next two weeks and then decide on a daily basis what we'll actually have on that day.
2. Make a grocery list based on my meal plan. I try to base my menu plan around a few key ingredients. Like if one recipe calls for half of a whole chicken I would either have that meal twice or find another recipe that calls for the other half of the chicken...so I don't end up wasting half a chicken because we're having beef all the other nights...you know what I mean?
3. Make a big batch of ingredients that take a while to cook, like brown rice (which takes 25-40 minutes) and beans (which can take HOURS to prepare) to keep in the fridge (I know that you can buy canned beans but I just think dried beans are healthier). Tonight I did a variation of Cheesy Beef and Rice. The rice was already cooked so I threw it in the casserole, and since I had them in the fridge I included lentils...so I cut at least half an hour off of dinner prep time (and the dishes I would have had to dirty to cook them are already done!).
4. I unload my dishwasher before starting dinner prep so all I have to do is stick the dishes in as I am done using them and most of the dishes are done before we even have dinner. The kids are also in the habit now of putting THEIR plates in the dishwasher. So I don't have a sink full of dishes staring me down and overwhelming me after dinner and I can sit and enjoy dinner with my family in a stress free environment!
Convenience foods are...convenient but it's not that difficult to make homemade dinners more doable. And nothing beats the fun (and confidence boost) of my kids trying to think of the name I should give the restaurant they think I should be head chef of.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
People are More Important than Food
I love studying nutrition. I love seeking out information on how to help my body function at it's highest capacity.
But you know what I've noticed? I've noticed that sometimes this "knowledge" leads to my looking into other peoples grocery carts and thinking to myself "oh my goodness, I can't believe they eat that!"
Which has lead me to several observations.
1. The world of nutrition is a lot like the "religious world"...there are a bunch of people who ALL think they know the truth and anyone who disagrees is either insincere or just ignorant.
For example:
Some people (who are considered experts) say you should take generic fish oil. Other experts say those experts have got it all wrong and you should take krill oil. Still other experts say both of those experts have it wrong and you should take cod liver oil. And the funny thing is, they all have "evidence" to back up their claim.
Sounds confusing, doesn't it?
It basically comes down to who you trust. And the thing is, the people who follow these people obviously benefit from doing so...so maybe they all have their place and maybe God never intended for us to get so uppity about it all.
2. I think that sometimes nutrition gets taken out of context. Yes, we should strive to be good stewards of our bodies. Yes we should use self control and do what we can to keep our bodies working at their optimum level so that when our "neighbors" need our help we are healthy and able to do so...but when our nutrition views take precedents over who we will and won't socialize with or how we view people who don't agree with us or follow a different plan...then it is out of it's context.
3. But the thing is, it doesn't matter how much fish oil (or krill oil or cod liver oil) we take...we don't have the power to add even one day to our lives.
4. Eating healthy foods (and taking supplements if you choose to do so) is only meaningful in the context of being a servant, of loving God with everything that we are...because our bodies are not our own.
5. If nutrition gets in the way of loving people, it has lost it's meaning. If I place so much emphasis on nutrition that I find myself using it as a basis of judgement, then it has no value.
I'm going to continue to strive to feed my family healthy things. But I'm going to do it with the understanding that whether I take krill oil or fish oil or cod liver oil (or follow a specific diet or nutrition plan) only has eternal value if it aids me in loving God.
All we can do is our best and if a friend wants to meet me at McDonalds for lunch...that person has more value than my nutritional stance on the food offerings of McDonalds. I will happily and without regret or reservation gobble up a cheeseburger and maybe a fry or two...all in the name of love!
So there you have it! :)
But you know what I've noticed? I've noticed that sometimes this "knowledge" leads to my looking into other peoples grocery carts and thinking to myself "oh my goodness, I can't believe they eat that!"
Which has lead me to several observations.
1. The world of nutrition is a lot like the "religious world"...there are a bunch of people who ALL think they know the truth and anyone who disagrees is either insincere or just ignorant.
For example:
Some people (who are considered experts) say you should take generic fish oil. Other experts say those experts have got it all wrong and you should take krill oil. Still other experts say both of those experts have it wrong and you should take cod liver oil. And the funny thing is, they all have "evidence" to back up their claim.
Sounds confusing, doesn't it?
It basically comes down to who you trust. And the thing is, the people who follow these people obviously benefit from doing so...so maybe they all have their place and maybe God never intended for us to get so uppity about it all.
2. I think that sometimes nutrition gets taken out of context. Yes, we should strive to be good stewards of our bodies. Yes we should use self control and do what we can to keep our bodies working at their optimum level so that when our "neighbors" need our help we are healthy and able to do so...but when our nutrition views take precedents over who we will and won't socialize with or how we view people who don't agree with us or follow a different plan...then it is out of it's context.
3. But the thing is, it doesn't matter how much fish oil (or krill oil or cod liver oil) we take...we don't have the power to add even one day to our lives.
4. Eating healthy foods (and taking supplements if you choose to do so) is only meaningful in the context of being a servant, of loving God with everything that we are...because our bodies are not our own.
5. If nutrition gets in the way of loving people, it has lost it's meaning. If I place so much emphasis on nutrition that I find myself using it as a basis of judgement, then it has no value.
I'm going to continue to strive to feed my family healthy things. But I'm going to do it with the understanding that whether I take krill oil or fish oil or cod liver oil (or follow a specific diet or nutrition plan) only has eternal value if it aids me in loving God.
All we can do is our best and if a friend wants to meet me at McDonalds for lunch...that person has more value than my nutritional stance on the food offerings of McDonalds. I will happily and without regret or reservation gobble up a cheeseburger and maybe a fry or two...all in the name of love!
So there you have it! :)
Monday, October 24, 2011
God Designed Girlfriends Book Club
I have wanted to be in a book club for so long. I have literally been searching for a group of girls that would get together and discuss literature/fiction...well, really ANY type of book...with me.
Recently I found a girl who not only wanted to get together to discuss books...when I asked her she jumped up and down and hasn't stopped talking about it (and asking about it!) since I asked her.
Well, tonight after several weeks of trying to find a time to have our first meeting...I put the kids in bed and MADE time.
I'm not sure what our first book will be...we are planning to have that decided by Sunday evening. Tonight we just talked about books we've read recently, what we liked and didn't like about them and which character was our favorite.
Can you tell we had fun?!
Any book suggestions?
Recently I found a girl who not only wanted to get together to discuss books...when I asked her she jumped up and down and hasn't stopped talking about it (and asking about it!) since I asked her.
Well, tonight after several weeks of trying to find a time to have our first meeting...I put the kids in bed and MADE time.
I'm not sure what our first book will be...we are planning to have that decided by Sunday evening. Tonight we just talked about books we've read recently, what we liked and didn't like about them and which character was our favorite.
Any book suggestions?
Friday, October 21, 2011
Pumpkin Pie!
Today started out rough. I had this wonderful plan that I was going to work outside in our yard all day.
I wheeled the lawn mower out to the front yard, fully expecting my plans to gracefully fall into place. But after an hour of trying to start the dumb thing and actually crying (yes, I did cry over the fact that the lawn mower wouldn't start...I'm ridiculous...I know...I'm pretty sure there was a pride issue here) I finally gave up (that is painful for me to say...maybe God was workin on my pride??).
So instead I decided to wing my way through making a pumpkin pie (w/ a graham cracker crust to change it up and homemade whipped cream), completely from scratch. I researched the components of pumpkin pie and then decided to kind of wing my way through it.
I started off making graham crackers. I doubled the recipe so my family would have some to eat since they are soooooooooo good. I put half into a plastic bag and crushed them and mixed them with a little coconut oil and pressed them into a baking stone.
Then I mixed up the goop for the filling. I used honey and maple syrup as my sweeteners in place of white sugar, four eggs, typical pumpkin pie spices, a little salt, a little vanilla, some of the fresh pumpkin puree I whipped up yesterday and whipping cream (most recipes call for condensed milk but I don't have any and canned milk seems kind of yucky to me!).
I filled the crust with the filling and stuck it in the oven until it looked done to me.
I kind of chickened out of the whipped cream but at the last minute whipped up a batch. So YUM! And just as easy as getting cool whip from the store (easier in my case because I had all the ingredients--heavy whipping cream, honey and vanilla--on hand).
I pulled the pie out of the oven and let it cool for a bit and then served up pieces--complete with a dollop of whipped cream--to my family.
And the verdict?! While it tastes REALLY good (although probably not the best I've ever had...but it was very much fresh and THAT was a nice change)...the consistency was not what I had hoped. Using honey and maple syrup make it a little heavier, I think, than white sugar and some adjustments need to be made there.
Also, if I use the same proportions I think two smaller pans would work better...the filling struggled to get cooked completely through because it was so thick.
Overall it was a success. Not because it was the best pumpkin pie ever consumed...but because I put myself out there to create something (which has been really difficult for me to do in the past!), I did my best and even though it wasn't a complete success I learned something and hopefully my next attempt will benefit from the wisdom and experience I gained from this one.
So instead I decided to wing my way through making a pumpkin pie (w/ a graham cracker crust to change it up and homemade whipped cream), completely from scratch. I researched the components of pumpkin pie and then decided to kind of wing my way through it.
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| Yes, those are kid fingerprints. Don't judge me. :) |
Then I mixed up the goop for the filling. I used honey and maple syrup as my sweeteners in place of white sugar, four eggs, typical pumpkin pie spices, a little salt, a little vanilla, some of the fresh pumpkin puree I whipped up yesterday and whipping cream (most recipes call for condensed milk but I don't have any and canned milk seems kind of yucky to me!).
I filled the crust with the filling and stuck it in the oven until it looked done to me.
I pulled the pie out of the oven and let it cool for a bit and then served up pieces--complete with a dollop of whipped cream--to my family.
Also, if I use the same proportions I think two smaller pans would work better...the filling struggled to get cooked completely through because it was so thick.
Overall it was a success. Not because it was the best pumpkin pie ever consumed...but because I put myself out there to create something (which has been really difficult for me to do in the past!), I did my best and even though it wasn't a complete success I learned something and hopefully my next attempt will benefit from the wisdom and experience I gained from this one.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Randy Travis Does it Again
Riding my new bike has brought back so many good memories of my childhood. I remember doing doing tricks...like standing up on the bike and steering with my foot or something and I remember how scared I would be but how exhilarating it was at the same time. My brother and I would make ramps and stuff (really it was my brother and his meany friends that built them and sometimes they'd let me use them). My bike riding adventures are some of my best childhood memories.
I've been riding bikes with my kids. It's so neat to see the same joy in them, and to feel it again myself and knowing that I'll be a part of their good bike riding memories makes it even more special to me.
All of this reminds me of a Randy Travis song...I'm not sure why but I get a lump in my throat every time I hear this song...and it's been stuck in my head for the past few days! (Just FYI, the pictures are random...sorry if that bothers you!)
I've been riding bikes with my kids. It's so neat to see the same joy in them, and to feel it again myself and knowing that I'll be a part of their good bike riding memories makes it even more special to me.
All of this reminds me of a Randy Travis song...I'm not sure why but I get a lump in my throat every time I hear this song...and it's been stuck in my head for the past few days! (Just FYI, the pictures are random...sorry if that bothers you!)
Monday, October 17, 2011
The Crazy Bike Lady
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| My awesome new bike! |
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| My little luggage rack...it extends. So I can even ride it to do small shopping trips! |
I'm pretty sure I'm officially our towns "crazy bike lady". Pretty soon I'll be pulling one of those child seats full of cans and bottles and swatting at invisible flies.
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| My super awesome cup-holder and basket!!! |
Well, so Michael decided that we would purchase a bike for me to ride around town when the kids are at school to save money on gas. Woohoo! So far it's saved us $7.26. Not much but it will add up over time! I'm looking forward to keeping track of it.
The funny thing is, after a day of feeling really good about being able to make some purchases that we need and looking forward to making some repairs (like a broken window in our living room) we found out that the transmission on our "wild indian wagon" was going to need to be rebuilt. There went the remainder of our little cushion. And our window is still broken.
I have to tell you, I was angry. I was frustrated. I felt guilty, like I had misused our funds.
When I go to the grocery store, it's stressful. All the way there and all the way through the store I pray. I ask God to help me make wise decisions and to make purchases that will benefit my family and make the best use of our resources.
And so, when we received this extra money and I was able to go to the grocery store, I was still counting on being able to do our regular grocery shopping (I didn't purchase things like eggs that are fairly easy to come by in our normal budget...I bought meats and things that we don't normally get to buy but that will last a long time). But with the car repairs, it just wasn't possible.
You know, I guess I thought that God owed me. I thought that since I work so hard to be frugal and be a good steward that God was "rewarding" me for all my hard work and that I deserved that money. And when it was "taken away" I got a angry (wow, sounds like toddler drama!).
But Michael reminded me of something. There is a long chain of events here. And if any of the events had varied much, we would be "up the crick".
Back in June when we were returning home from Texas, our van broke down and Michael's parents let us bring theirs home. If that hadn't happened, we would not have a working vehicle (Michael's motorcycle needs some repairs), Michael would not be able to go to work or school and he'd probably have lost both.
Also, it's very interesting that we received this unexpected money just TWO DAYS before the transmission went out. If we hadn't received that money we would not have been able to pay for the repairs.
It's amazing how selfish and spoiled I am. And how easily I fall into the mentality that my good works can earn blessings from God. And that if I'm "good" God owes me good things.
It reminds me of the Israelites when they were about to enter the promised land and God warned them that in their prosperity it would be easy to forget where they had come from, where HE had brought them from and what HE had done for them. They complained about the food, they complained when they were thirsty and constantly disobeyed God, but He took care of them. Yeah, they were in a desert but He GAVE them food (they didn't even have to hunt for it, all they had to do was pick it up), He gave them water, He even supplied them with sandals that never wore out.
God is good. Yeah, we're broke again. But we are taken care of, and while I'm not going to presume to say what God does and does not do, some amazing things have happened in the last week. And there is nothing to do but to praise God for His goodness and mercy.
Friday, October 14, 2011
Bedtime Routines
I am probably the most unorganized mother ever conceived of.
I do things in a whirlwind. I wait until conditions are at their absolute worst and then I decide to do something.
So in the midst of all my FlyLady madness...I added some things to our kids bedtime routine that have made our evenings and mornings infinitely more peaceful.
1. I started having them pick out and lay out their clothes for the next day...including socks and shoes. Okay, now I've always laid my kids clothes out, if they got laid out...which was a rarity. But I can't even tell you how much easier my life is. Now sure, somedays my five year old son goes to school in camo shorts with one orange and black pumpkin tube sock and one white ankle sock...but between the peace of not having to do it myself and the giggles I get when I see what they've chosen...it's a good situation.
2. We divvied up the shower...Nathaniel, Lilla and Elisabeth at night and Caleb and Uriah in the morning. It's fast. It's easy. It ensures that everyone takes a shower every day and there's usually some hot water left. When you have a bazillion kids this is a concern.
3. All of them are required, as part of their homework, to read for 20 minutes at home. So after all the bedtime chaos I've been having them all get their book and go and lay in their beds and read before going to sleep. I time them for 20 minutes and then ask them to find a stopping place and give them a few minutes to get there. Bedtime is so much easier and it's fun to see them getting into the habit. Because it's a good one, I think.
Sometimes I get stuck condemning myself for all of my shortcomings that I fail to see the good things that are happening and I have to stop and really thank God for all of the good things in my life. Because He is Good. And it's amazing and wonderful to stop and witness the evidences of His grace in my life!
I do things in a whirlwind. I wait until conditions are at their absolute worst and then I decide to do something.
So in the midst of all my FlyLady madness...I added some things to our kids bedtime routine that have made our evenings and mornings infinitely more peaceful.
1. I started having them pick out and lay out their clothes for the next day...including socks and shoes. Okay, now I've always laid my kids clothes out, if they got laid out...which was a rarity. But I can't even tell you how much easier my life is. Now sure, somedays my five year old son goes to school in camo shorts with one orange and black pumpkin tube sock and one white ankle sock...but between the peace of not having to do it myself and the giggles I get when I see what they've chosen...it's a good situation.
2. We divvied up the shower...Nathaniel, Lilla and Elisabeth at night and Caleb and Uriah in the morning. It's fast. It's easy. It ensures that everyone takes a shower every day and there's usually some hot water left. When you have a bazillion kids this is a concern.
3. All of them are required, as part of their homework, to read for 20 minutes at home. So after all the bedtime chaos I've been having them all get their book and go and lay in their beds and read before going to sleep. I time them for 20 minutes and then ask them to find a stopping place and give them a few minutes to get there. Bedtime is so much easier and it's fun to see them getting into the habit. Because it's a good one, I think.
Sometimes I get stuck condemning myself for all of my shortcomings that I fail to see the good things that are happening and I have to stop and really thank God for all of the good things in my life. Because He is Good. And it's amazing and wonderful to stop and witness the evidences of His grace in my life!
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Ten Years In
Do you know what the statistics are for couples who get married under the same circumstances that Michael and I did? I don't know either. But I know they're not good.
Someone actually told me, shortly before we got married, that Michael and I would be divorced within five years.
There is a lot of literature out there about how to deal with strong-willed people but sometimes being a strong-willed person has it's benefits.
So here we are, ten years in.
I'm not going to say it's been perfect. There have been a lot of moments that haven't even been good. I will tell you that we are the happiest we've ever been. I feel closer to Michael and we have more fun together than we've ever had before.
So, ten years in...what lessons have I learned?
Well, I've learned that whether or not I am happy is my choice and my responsibility. If I'm not happy and my attitude stinks, it's not Michael's fault.
Michael is not only my husband, the father of my children, but also my brother in Christ. And all of the teachings that Christ did about how I should treat my neighbor...apply to my relationship with Michael.
TV shows, media and the world are not good measures of what a marriage should be. Their marriage advice comes from a worldly perspective, not a godly one. Be very careful about taking advice from them or modeling a relationship after them.
It is freeing to submit. This is probably my biggest issue. Michael doesn't have to earn my respect or my submission. I submit to Michael because I love and trust God. He has my respect because of WHOSE he is, not who he is.
Prayer is more powerful than nagging.
God's plan is awesome. It works. It is so much better than the ones men come up with.
I suspect that at the end of the next ten years I'll still have learned the same lessons, but hopefully I'll be a little better at living them out.
Someone actually told me, shortly before we got married, that Michael and I would be divorced within five years.
There is a lot of literature out there about how to deal with strong-willed people but sometimes being a strong-willed person has it's benefits.
So here we are, ten years in.
I'm not going to say it's been perfect. There have been a lot of moments that haven't even been good. I will tell you that we are the happiest we've ever been. I feel closer to Michael and we have more fun together than we've ever had before.
So, ten years in...what lessons have I learned?
Well, I've learned that whether or not I am happy is my choice and my responsibility. If I'm not happy and my attitude stinks, it's not Michael's fault.
Michael is not only my husband, the father of my children, but also my brother in Christ. And all of the teachings that Christ did about how I should treat my neighbor...apply to my relationship with Michael.
TV shows, media and the world are not good measures of what a marriage should be. Their marriage advice comes from a worldly perspective, not a godly one. Be very careful about taking advice from them or modeling a relationship after them.
It is freeing to submit. This is probably my biggest issue. Michael doesn't have to earn my respect or my submission. I submit to Michael because I love and trust God. He has my respect because of WHOSE he is, not who he is.
Prayer is more powerful than nagging.
God's plan is awesome. It works. It is so much better than the ones men come up with.
I suspect that at the end of the next ten years I'll still have learned the same lessons, but hopefully I'll be a little better at living them out.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Changes, Changes, Yummy Changes!
I love cooking from scratch. I love using fresh ingredients in their whole-est, most natural state I can get my hands on. I've even wanted to try my hand at canning. I love the idea of having a pantry full of yumminess that has been preserved at my hand.
Gradually I've tried to cut out canned and processed foods. This week...I learned to make my own pumpkin puree! Woohoo! One step closer to not being dependent on convenience foods!
You might think I'm crazy, and there are a lot of details that I have to work out, but starting January 1st (I actually have a feeling it will be a gradual process between now and then) I plan to begin a year of working with the freshest, whole-est foods that I can get my hands on.
Does that mean making my own butter or buying it raw and as unprocessed as possible? Can I find a dairy farmer to purchase fresh milk from? What budget-ary adjustments will I have to make? Where can I purchase unprocessed grains to grind for flour? How do I start a compost pile, an herb garden and how big of a garden should I plant next year?
I don't know the answers to all of these things. I'm currently doing research. If you have any websites or advice please send them my way.
At this point I'm excited...and a little overwhelmed by the things I don't know.
There's a lot to be done...but I'm excited to see the results and enjoy the fruit of my labor! And see the difference a whole foods diet will make in the health and lifestyle of my family!
Gradually I've tried to cut out canned and processed foods. This week...I learned to make my own pumpkin puree! Woohoo! One step closer to not being dependent on convenience foods!
Does that mean making my own butter or buying it raw and as unprocessed as possible? Can I find a dairy farmer to purchase fresh milk from? What budget-ary adjustments will I have to make? Where can I purchase unprocessed grains to grind for flour? How do I start a compost pile, an herb garden and how big of a garden should I plant next year?
I don't know the answers to all of these things. I'm currently doing research. If you have any websites or advice please send them my way.
At this point I'm excited...and a little overwhelmed by the things I don't know.
There's a lot to be done...but I'm excited to see the results and enjoy the fruit of my labor! And see the difference a whole foods diet will make in the health and lifestyle of my family!
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| My first use of my fresh pumpkin puree! |
Saturday, October 1, 2011
My Love Affair With a Fruitstand
I drive through the gravel, come to a stop, take a deep breath and get out of the car.
Walking into the midst of our local fruit stand, for me, is like a drink of milk with a chocolate chip cookie. It's like fitting the last piece of a 1000 piece puzzle after you spent hours searching for the missing piece and then finally found it stuck to your behind. It's like the epidural taking effect in the midst of labor pains (although I wouldn't know what that feels like...I'm pretty sure I can imagine).
And I am sooooooooooooooooooo tempted to spend my entire grocery budget on pumpkins and apples (and all of the other produce, nuts and locally harvested honey and squashes).
I don't know, do you think my family could survive for two weeks on only pumpkins and apples?!
Have you ever noticed how utterly breathtaking apples are? Did you know that they are members of the rose family??
I'm pretty sure I would swoon if Michael ever showed up with a bouquet of apples. Or pumpkins. (ahem! Our anniversary is in 11 days...hint, hint!)
Walking into the midst of our local fruit stand, for me, is like a drink of milk with a chocolate chip cookie. It's like fitting the last piece of a 1000 piece puzzle after you spent hours searching for the missing piece and then finally found it stuck to your behind. It's like the epidural taking effect in the midst of labor pains (although I wouldn't know what that feels like...I'm pretty sure I can imagine).
And I am sooooooooooooooooooo tempted to spend my entire grocery budget on pumpkins and apples (and all of the other produce, nuts and locally harvested honey and squashes).
I don't know, do you think my family could survive for two weeks on only pumpkins and apples?!
Have you ever noticed how utterly breathtaking apples are? Did you know that they are members of the rose family??
I'm pretty sure I would swoon if Michael ever showed up with a bouquet of apples. Or pumpkins. (ahem! Our anniversary is in 11 days...hint, hint!)
I'm the Mom...
whose daughter shares culinary tastes with bovines.
who frequently says things like "go eat your dinner!" when I really mean "go finish your homework!"
who after being stuck at home to conserve gas, finds it necessary to draw mustaches on everyone in the family and head to Target...
who gets momentarily mistaken for a bank robber
who hates homework
who daily has to apologize
whose stellar ability to block out deafening noise should probably be studied by NASA.
whose tooth fairy career has failed miserably
and who is blessed beyond measure.
who frequently says things like "go eat your dinner!" when I really mean "go finish your homework!"
who gets momentarily mistaken for a bank robber
who hates homework
who daily has to apologize
whose stellar ability to block out deafening noise should probably be studied by NASA.
whose tooth fairy career has failed miserably
and who is blessed beyond measure.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
A Day of Rest
It's always struck me as odd how adamant God was with the Israelites that they take a day of rest. And how hard it was for them to do it. They even ended up making crazy laws about exactly how far they could walk because they wanted to know EXACTLY where the line was.
But I guess I kind of know how they felt. I have such a hard time feeling like it's okay to take a rest day from running/exercise.
And not only is it okay, but it's actually good for me. I always have a good running day the day after I take a rest day.
But it's so hard to actually do it. Michael teases me that instead of running on my rest days I do something even more hard on my body at home.
And it's kind of true. I can't even tell you the inward struggle I had this morning to simply walk instead of run. And then not to rush home and do a strenuous workout video to make up for not running.
I'm afraid that if I stop for a day I might not ever do it again. I might just let it all go. And that's scary. Because I don't want to let it all go.
I believe that I need rest. I've seen the benefits of it. But it's so hard to trust and not try to make excuses and workout anyway. Even though I know, logically, that it would not be beneficial to my body.
It's all so typical of me. Instead of sitting back and letting God work, letting Him direct my steps, I think I have to take matters into my own hands. I think that if I just read one more chapter in my Bible then God will really forgive and love me. If I just get up at 4:45 am when my alarm goes off, then I'm saved. And if I don't do those things...I'm a loser who can't even get out of bed for God's glory and I've punched my ticket to hell.
I'm a mess. I'm a mess who keeps trying to clean itself up. And if messes could clean themselves up, my life would be a lot easier...but they don't. So I guess I'll just have to rely on the custodian of my soul to do it for me.
But I guess I kind of know how they felt. I have such a hard time feeling like it's okay to take a rest day from running/exercise.
And not only is it okay, but it's actually good for me. I always have a good running day the day after I take a rest day.
But it's so hard to actually do it. Michael teases me that instead of running on my rest days I do something even more hard on my body at home.
And it's kind of true. I can't even tell you the inward struggle I had this morning to simply walk instead of run. And then not to rush home and do a strenuous workout video to make up for not running.
I'm afraid that if I stop for a day I might not ever do it again. I might just let it all go. And that's scary. Because I don't want to let it all go.
I believe that I need rest. I've seen the benefits of it. But it's so hard to trust and not try to make excuses and workout anyway. Even though I know, logically, that it would not be beneficial to my body.
It's all so typical of me. Instead of sitting back and letting God work, letting Him direct my steps, I think I have to take matters into my own hands. I think that if I just read one more chapter in my Bible then God will really forgive and love me. If I just get up at 4:45 am when my alarm goes off, then I'm saved. And if I don't do those things...I'm a loser who can't even get out of bed for God's glory and I've punched my ticket to hell.
I'm a mess. I'm a mess who keeps trying to clean itself up. And if messes could clean themselves up, my life would be a lot easier...but they don't. So I guess I'll just have to rely on the custodian of my soul to do it for me.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Running the Race That's Marked Out for Me
Honestly, my attitude stunk for part of it...but for the part it DIDN'T ...it was a great day!
This morning when I headed out for my run I didn't really have a plan. So the closer I got to my running place I began to formulate a plan.
I started out following a 5k training program, but the first day I couldn't even run the assigned period of time. I had to stop halfway through. And seeing as how I'm signed up for a 5k that requires me to run the entire time, that was a bit scary. So I decided to go all rogue and do my own training plan.
Basically, I started with running for a minute and walking for 2. Everyday lengthening the time I run and lessening the time I walk. My longest run (all at once without stopping to walk) before today was 11:20.
So today I decided on a length of time to run and a length of time to walk.
I arrived at my starting place, my music began and I took off.
When I'm running, even though I have a set amount of time to run, I find a place in the distance...a tree or a sign or a bench...and fix my eyes on that and just keep telling myself "just make it to that point".
Well today, when I passed my first marker and my time was up, I smiled to myself and thought..."eh...I can keep going".
So I picked out the second visual marker. And passed it.
Then the third. And I passed it as well.
I passed all of my visual markers four times each. As I would pass, I'd smile to myself and think "maybe I can make it to the next one". (I have to admit, pulling that hill for the fourth time did not bring a smile to my face until after I reached the top.)
And I did that for four miles...42 minutes of straight running.
FOUR. MILES.
I have to be honest. It wasn't until I had passed my last marker before the finish line that I really considered how long/far I had run. I just ran from one marker to the next.
And it made a difference. I did something I wasn't even sure I'd be able to do in November. But I did it. And it was amazing!
I'm a runner. And that, my friends, is absurd!
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Guess what? (NOT Chicken Butt)
Guess what?! I'm pretty sure I never in a million years would have ever thought I would say this.
And I'm pretty sure that the people who know me best would agree.
I love running.
There. I said it. I love running!
I actually look forward to it and miss it when I don't have time to leave the house to do it.
Yeah, yeah, it hurts. And sometimes I want to stop in the middle. The awesome thing about that is...if I can get through those little rough patches...and get to the end of my predetermined running time...I end up thinking "hey, I feel like running a little further". And I do. And then I think "hey...I'm almost done, why not just run a little further?!" And I do. And I cross that finish line thinking...wow! I did that! That's amazing! And I can do it again tomorrow.
And I actually look forward to doing it tomorrow!
But tomorrow, I will not take a nap and I will go at my regular time when the delta breeze has had 12 hours to create the perfect running temperature...just for me!
And I'm pretty sure that the people who know me best would agree.
I love running.
There. I said it. I love running!
I actually look forward to it and miss it when I don't have time to leave the house to do it.
Yeah, yeah, it hurts. And sometimes I want to stop in the middle. The awesome thing about that is...if I can get through those little rough patches...and get to the end of my predetermined running time...I end up thinking "hey, I feel like running a little further". And I do. And then I think "hey...I'm almost done, why not just run a little further?!" And I do. And I cross that finish line thinking...wow! I did that! That's amazing! And I can do it again tomorrow.
And I actually look forward to doing it tomorrow!
But tomorrow, I will not take a nap and I will go at my regular time when the delta breeze has had 12 hours to create the perfect running temperature...just for me!
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Love Smells!
Ever wondered what love SMELLS like?
I'll tell you what it smells like...
it smells like chocolate chip cookies.
it smells like freshly baked bread.
it smells like freshly laundered towels and socks.
it smells like stinky feet.
it smells like Lysol Toilet Bowl cleaner.
it smells like freshly cut grass.
it smells like freshly mopped floors.
it smells like a burning candle.
it smells like bubble bath.
it smells like freshly sharpened pencils and big pink erasers.
it smells like a sweaty kid rushing through the door bursting with exciting news from the day.
I woke up with a bad attitude today. Aw...I'll be honest...it's kind of been an epidemic for the past couple of weeks.
Today I thought about attempting to cure it by taking a nap. But I baked cookies instead.
I think it was a good idea!
I'll tell you what it smells like...
it smells like chocolate chip cookies.
it smells like freshly baked bread.
it smells like freshly laundered towels and socks.
it smells like stinky feet.
it smells like Lysol Toilet Bowl cleaner.
it smells like freshly cut grass.
it smells like freshly mopped floors.
it smells like a burning candle.
it smells like bubble bath.
it smells like freshly sharpened pencils and big pink erasers.
it smells like a sweaty kid rushing through the door bursting with exciting news from the day.
I woke up with a bad attitude today. Aw...I'll be honest...it's kind of been an epidemic for the past couple of weeks.
Today I thought about attempting to cure it by taking a nap. But I baked cookies instead.
I think it was a good idea!
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Help Wanted
The other night I saw the movie The Help. I read the book a few months ago and I couldn't put it down!!
While I will admit that I did enjoy the book a bit more than the movie (some of the castings didn't seem quite right to me) I did enjoy both a good deal.
What gets me most in stories like that (and about the Holocaust) is not the actual perpetrators of the crimes...because they actually are deluded into thinking they are right (and as much as I hate to admit it...and I pray it is not to that grotesque extent...we all have blind spots). What gets me is the people who see that the crimes are wrong but are too afraid of what will happen to them or what their friends will think if they actually do the right thing (like Skeeter's mother).
Well, I know you'll probably find this dramatic...but from what I hear people who blog tend to be on the dramatic side...so...I guess it's to be expected.
Today while I was walking home from my 5k training there was a woman unloading a large load of groceries. She had unloaded the trunk, setting her purchases on the retaining wall so she wouldn't have to carry it all up the steps and all the way to her door.
I saw her, saw that she needed help, and I even wanted to help her. But I didn't.
It's not that I felt like helping her would have cut into my workout...it probably would have given me a little extra calorie burn.
I was afraid of what she'd think of me. I was afraid that she would be afraid of me and that I was somehow going to take advantage of her. I thought about giving her my phone and telling her to keep it until I had finished helping her...so she'd have something of value of mine to ensure I wasn't going to steal her stuff or harm her in some way.
But I kept walking. And kicking myself.
I totally passed up an opportunity to help someone who obviously needed it. And why?! Because I was afraid of what she'd think of me.
So yeah, this isn't the Holocaust and my lack of assistance didn't lead to anyone being physically harmed (well, she might get a little dehydrated out there in this heat!) but I saw someone in need and I didn't help them. And no matter the situation - how mild or severe...that is not right. Not everyone can be Schindler or a Martin Luther King Jr...be we can all do SOMETHING. And if EVERYONE would just do SOMETHING...a lot would get done!
But alas, I missed my opportunity. I pray that God will give me an opportunity!
On a lighter note...in my 5k training I totally beat my goal time by 1:30 today! And when I hugged Michael today he said "wow! You're all muscle-y". Woohoo! Progress!
While I will admit that I did enjoy the book a bit more than the movie (some of the castings didn't seem quite right to me) I did enjoy both a good deal.
What gets me most in stories like that (and about the Holocaust) is not the actual perpetrators of the crimes...because they actually are deluded into thinking they are right (and as much as I hate to admit it...and I pray it is not to that grotesque extent...we all have blind spots). What gets me is the people who see that the crimes are wrong but are too afraid of what will happen to them or what their friends will think if they actually do the right thing (like Skeeter's mother).
Well, I know you'll probably find this dramatic...but from what I hear people who blog tend to be on the dramatic side...so...I guess it's to be expected.
Today while I was walking home from my 5k training there was a woman unloading a large load of groceries. She had unloaded the trunk, setting her purchases on the retaining wall so she wouldn't have to carry it all up the steps and all the way to her door.
I saw her, saw that she needed help, and I even wanted to help her. But I didn't.
It's not that I felt like helping her would have cut into my workout...it probably would have given me a little extra calorie burn.
I was afraid of what she'd think of me. I was afraid that she would be afraid of me and that I was somehow going to take advantage of her. I thought about giving her my phone and telling her to keep it until I had finished helping her...so she'd have something of value of mine to ensure I wasn't going to steal her stuff or harm her in some way.
But I kept walking. And kicking myself.
I totally passed up an opportunity to help someone who obviously needed it. And why?! Because I was afraid of what she'd think of me.
So yeah, this isn't the Holocaust and my lack of assistance didn't lead to anyone being physically harmed (well, she might get a little dehydrated out there in this heat!) but I saw someone in need and I didn't help them. And no matter the situation - how mild or severe...that is not right. Not everyone can be Schindler or a Martin Luther King Jr...be we can all do SOMETHING. And if EVERYONE would just do SOMETHING...a lot would get done!
But alas, I missed my opportunity. I pray that God will give me an opportunity!
On a lighter note...in my 5k training I totally beat my goal time by 1:30 today! And when I hugged Michael today he said "wow! You're all muscle-y". Woohoo! Progress!
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Me? A Runner?
When I signed up I had two choices...I could go for the untimed noncompetitive 5k and do a walk/run combo or I could sign up for the timed 5k run.
The rules are very clear.
If you sign up for the competitive/timed run...there is no stopping to walk.
So, which one do you think I signed up for? The reasonable one? The one that most fits my fitness level? The one where I CAN WALK IF I NEED TO?!
No, no I did not.
Am I nuts?! Probably.
The thing is, I don't consider myself a runner. And I will admit that, in my 2 event 5k history, I haven't trained at all.
Well, I'll tell ya what. Today I started training. Because I'm scared.
So, I'm sure you're asking yourself...if I know this is nuts, why did I do it?
I'll tell you why I did it.
I did it because I know that I have absolutely no chance at being the best or winning. In fact, I'm probably going to come in last. And because I need to learn to be okay with that.
I stop myself from doing things I want and need to do because I'm not as good as another person who does it.
I need to beat my mind and body into submission so that I don't stop working/serving/loving because I don't do it as well as somebody else. I need to learn that it's still worth the effort.
My Conspiracy Theory Concerning Socks
Sometimes I wonder if there is a secret sock tax that the government imposes by way of our dryer...or maybe they steal OUR socks and distribute them to their employees as part of their benefits package.
If I suddenly go missing you'll all know that I stumbled upon the governments secret sock plan....and that if you want to protect your socks...don't put them in the dryer!! :)
Or maybe there's some magnetic balance in the world that must be maintained by socks...and when there are too many socks in the world they gravitate toward a black hole until the balance is restored.
I'm just kidding. The constant stream of missing socks is quite frustrating but I'm not really a sock conspiracy theorist.
Although I would like to know where all the socks have gone.
If I suddenly go missing you'll all know that I stumbled upon the governments secret sock plan....and that if you want to protect your socks...don't put them in the dryer!! :)
Or maybe there's some magnetic balance in the world that must be maintained by socks...and when there are too many socks in the world they gravitate toward a black hole until the balance is restored.
I'm just kidding. The constant stream of missing socks is quite frustrating but I'm not really a sock conspiracy theorist.
Although I would like to know where all the socks have gone.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Loser or Not?
I haven't been being as open about my weightloss/or lack thereof lately. I'm not sure what that means.
I do have my reasons.
Out of the past 5 weigh-ins I've gained 3 times. I was not emotionally ready to share that information. Because while most people mean well and are encouraging...there are the people who think I've gone back to my old habits and lecture me about what I'm doing wrong. And when you're working hard it's difficult to have someone tell you that you're doing it all wrong...especially when they don't know what you're doing at all.
Last weeks gain, I'm pretty sure, was the result of a heavy workout schedule. I hadn't worked out like that in a couple of months and restarting always makes me gain.
But, I have to admit, these past two weeks have been challenging for me. Trying to figure out what's going on and rededicating to everything and assessing to find areas where I need improvement.
Today and last week are the first time in the past 13 months where I've been tempted to not weigh-in. I did weigh-in last week and I will weigh-in today.
I am scared today. I'm afraid of the emotions I'll feel if there's another gain. Afraid that I AM going to fall off the wagon and just go back to my old habits. Afraid that I'm going to be stuck here and give up and not lose anymore or get to my goal weight.
Because I have to admit...I'm shocked that I've made it this far. I honestly don't think that I thought I ever would. I think I thought that I'd be fat for the rest of my life.
It's scary. I'm scared. I know that a gain would just provide me with an opportunity to grow...and I want to grow.
So if God has a gain for me today...then I'm (trying to be) okay with that. I want what He wants for me.
I just hope he wants me to lose! and not gain!
I do have my reasons.
Out of the past 5 weigh-ins I've gained 3 times. I was not emotionally ready to share that information. Because while most people mean well and are encouraging...there are the people who think I've gone back to my old habits and lecture me about what I'm doing wrong. And when you're working hard it's difficult to have someone tell you that you're doing it all wrong...especially when they don't know what you're doing at all.
Last weeks gain, I'm pretty sure, was the result of a heavy workout schedule. I hadn't worked out like that in a couple of months and restarting always makes me gain.
But, I have to admit, these past two weeks have been challenging for me. Trying to figure out what's going on and rededicating to everything and assessing to find areas where I need improvement.
Today and last week are the first time in the past 13 months where I've been tempted to not weigh-in. I did weigh-in last week and I will weigh-in today.
I am scared today. I'm afraid of the emotions I'll feel if there's another gain. Afraid that I AM going to fall off the wagon and just go back to my old habits. Afraid that I'm going to be stuck here and give up and not lose anymore or get to my goal weight.
Because I have to admit...I'm shocked that I've made it this far. I honestly don't think that I thought I ever would. I think I thought that I'd be fat for the rest of my life.
It's scary. I'm scared. I know that a gain would just provide me with an opportunity to grow...and I want to grow.
So if God has a gain for me today...then I'm (trying to be) okay with that. I want what He wants for me.
I just hope he wants me to lose! and not gain!
Monday, September 5, 2011
The Voice of Truth
I won't bother telling you that I'm at the end of my rope. I've become convinced that only God really knows that information.
I will tell you that I am sorely incompetent.
Today, after having to discipline one my kiddos, my fear and unworthiness and just plain ignorance and lack of know-how and my loathsome parenting/being a person skills overcame me.
I think I might have actually completely freaked them out.
All I could do was sit there and cry and beg God to help me.
I want to show them Jesus. I want to display the gospel to them with my life. I want to be the strong mother and role model that they need.
But I'm not. I'm just not.
The other day I wrote a few of the areas I fall short in, but the truth is, there aren't ANY areas where I don't fall short.
But I am hopeful. I know that God can work in my life. He has. I reached this point about my weightloss a little over a year ago and He has done WONDERS in that area of my life since then.
He has blessed me beyond comprehension. I am thankful.
I need Him. It is abundantly clear. I need Him.
Praise God for His mercy and grace!
I will tell you that I am sorely incompetent.
Today, after having to discipline one my kiddos, my fear and unworthiness and just plain ignorance and lack of know-how and my loathsome parenting/being a person skills overcame me.
I think I might have actually completely freaked them out.
All I could do was sit there and cry and beg God to help me.
I want to show them Jesus. I want to display the gospel to them with my life. I want to be the strong mother and role model that they need.
But I'm not. I'm just not.
The other day I wrote a few of the areas I fall short in, but the truth is, there aren't ANY areas where I don't fall short.
But I am hopeful. I know that God can work in my life. He has. I reached this point about my weightloss a little over a year ago and He has done WONDERS in that area of my life since then.
He has blessed me beyond comprehension. I am thankful.
I need Him. It is abundantly clear. I need Him.
Praise God for His mercy and grace!
Saturday, September 3, 2011
It's The Little Things
You know how when you're a kid you can't wait to grow up? You day dream about how glamorous it will be.
My imagination went something like this...
Ha! It's funny. I now think 14 is too young for anything.
Michael doesn't smoke a pipe or wear slippers. We don't have a chair by the fireplace or even a fireplace. I do rub his feet sometimes but definitely NOT everyday.
He does tell me that my roast is his favorite but my table isn't decorated, unless you count mismatched dinner plates and silverware placed in the general vicinity of the plate.
I can barely make a cake at all, and 90 layers are definitely OUT OF THE QUESTION...as are ingredients I can't get at Walmart or Costco.
The only nursing I do is cleaning and putting a band-aid on the occasional skinned knee. There definitely aren't any doctors around...but I'm pretty sure I couldn't save anyone's life.
Yeah, my life is glamorous though.
Today we totally went and got four new tires put on our suburban. And then we got pizza at Costco.
My imagination went something like this...
I would get married when I was 14 (because 15 is WAY too long...you're an old maid by 14 and 1/2).
I'd spend all day every day kissing my husband or waiting to kiss my husband (but I somehow managed to keep an impeccable house and make gourmet meals).
When he drove up in the driveway I'd rush to the door with his slippers and pipe in hand. I'd kiss him and lead him to his chair by the fire, hand him his pipe (I don't know where the pipe came from...I don't even think I've known a man who smoked one!), take off his shoes, rub his feet, put his slippers on and then rush into the kitchen to put a perfectly cooked roast on the perfectly decorated and set table.
Then we'd sit down to dinner and he would exclaim over the roast while I served him dessert (probably some 90 layer cake with some ingredient that I had to hike across Death Valley to get...all without breaking a sweat or smudging my bright red lipstick).
Somehow in all of this I managed to be a nurse and save the lives of my patients...for some reason the doctors were never around in my imagination.
Ha! It's funny. I now think 14 is too young for anything.
Michael doesn't smoke a pipe or wear slippers. We don't have a chair by the fireplace or even a fireplace. I do rub his feet sometimes but definitely NOT everyday.
He does tell me that my roast is his favorite but my table isn't decorated, unless you count mismatched dinner plates and silverware placed in the general vicinity of the plate.
I can barely make a cake at all, and 90 layers are definitely OUT OF THE QUESTION...as are ingredients I can't get at Walmart or Costco.
The only nursing I do is cleaning and putting a band-aid on the occasional skinned knee. There definitely aren't any doctors around...but I'm pretty sure I couldn't save anyone's life.
Yeah, my life is glamorous though.
Today we totally went and got four new tires put on our suburban. And then we got pizza at Costco.
Thursday, September 1, 2011
When I'm Not Feeling It
I'm not feeling very spiritual. I haven't been for the past few days.
I love God and I haven't lost my desire to love people as a result of that love. But I'm just not feeling close to God.
I know it's my own fault. But I kind of feel like when you can sense something is wrong but you can't put your finger on it? That's how I feel.
I know, I know. I'm using the word 'feel' and 'feeling' a lot and that's probably one of my problems. Because with a stinky thyroid like mine...sometimes I feel like I want to punch people in the face. But alas, I must restrain myself.
Maybe my whole problem is that I'm relying on my flesh to fuel my spirituality. Ugh.
Or maybe my hormones are just in the slump part of my cycle and in a few days I'll feel all sunshine and roses and singing in the streets again.
I guess I better feed my spiritual wolf...because right now it feels like the flesh wolf is winning and that's not a victory to be celebrated. Maybe that's the whole problem...I'm starving my spirit.
So, I guess I better go cook up a big roast beef dinner for my spirit.
Any good recipes or cheesy metaphors to inspire me?!
I love God and I haven't lost my desire to love people as a result of that love. But I'm just not feeling close to God.
I know it's my own fault. But I kind of feel like when you can sense something is wrong but you can't put your finger on it? That's how I feel.
I know, I know. I'm using the word 'feel' and 'feeling' a lot and that's probably one of my problems. Because with a stinky thyroid like mine...sometimes I feel like I want to punch people in the face. But alas, I must restrain myself.
Maybe my whole problem is that I'm relying on my flesh to fuel my spirituality. Ugh.
Or maybe my hormones are just in the slump part of my cycle and in a few days I'll feel all sunshine and roses and singing in the streets again.
I guess I better feed my spiritual wolf...because right now it feels like the flesh wolf is winning and that's not a victory to be celebrated. Maybe that's the whole problem...I'm starving my spirit.
So, I guess I better go cook up a big roast beef dinner for my spirit.
Any good recipes or cheesy metaphors to inspire me?!
Sometimes I...
It's so easy to only show the positive side of things online...obviously we all want to put our best foot forward and we want everyone to think the best of us.
Yeah, nobody follows "the letter of the law" but I certainly want you to think I do. I want you to know all the good things I do and I want to hide all the garbage in my life. So, for the sake of really being honest and portraying a balanced (well, ya know) view of my life...
Sometimes I don't feel like unloading the dishwasher so I pretend I forgot to run it and run it again.
Sometimes I stop working out in the middle of a workout.
Sometimes I sleep in and let my kids watch cartoons on Saturday morning.
I absolutely would not want you to look inside my fridge right now.
I've been on day 24 of the FlyLady BabySteps for like two weeks now.
I pretty much only straighten my couch covers when someone is coming over.
I'm behind on laundry right now and I'm folding socks just in time for my kids to wear them.
And now...for your reading pleasure (or maybe not...remember how I said this is a blog to read if you want to feel better about yourself? I'm pretty sure a monkey could write better poetry...but hey...I'm putting myself "out there"...where ever "out there" is. I thought about writing Michael a poem...but then he really dislikes my poetry so it would be more of a present to NOT write him one! So I wrote one about the laundry.)
Ode to Laundry
Laundry you lie there
a cowboy at dawn
walking ten paces
gun swiftly drawn
You lie there and grow
like a bowl full of yeast
You smell and consume
like a big burly beast
Someday I'll conquer
this challenging foe
The floor in my laundry
refreshingly show
Yeah, nobody follows "the letter of the law" but I certainly want you to think I do. I want you to know all the good things I do and I want to hide all the garbage in my life. So, for the sake of really being honest and portraying a balanced (well, ya know) view of my life...
Sometimes I don't feel like unloading the dishwasher so I pretend I forgot to run it and run it again.
Sometimes I stop working out in the middle of a workout.
Sometimes I sleep in and let my kids watch cartoons on Saturday morning.
I absolutely would not want you to look inside my fridge right now.
I've been on day 24 of the FlyLady BabySteps for like two weeks now.
I pretty much only straighten my couch covers when someone is coming over.
I'm behind on laundry right now and I'm folding socks just in time for my kids to wear them.
And now...for your reading pleasure (or maybe not...remember how I said this is a blog to read if you want to feel better about yourself? I'm pretty sure a monkey could write better poetry...but hey...I'm putting myself "out there"...where ever "out there" is. I thought about writing Michael a poem...but then he really dislikes my poetry so it would be more of a present to NOT write him one! So I wrote one about the laundry.)
Ode to Laundry
Laundry you lie there
a cowboy at dawn
walking ten paces
gun swiftly drawn
You lie there and grow
like a bowl full of yeast
You smell and consume
like a big burly beast
Someday I'll conquer
this challenging foe
The floor in my laundry
refreshingly show
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
So I've Been Nominated for (Worst) Mother of Year (more like, Millenium)
So today is Michael's birthday. And since he's such a nice (or should I say manly? I've heard men don't like to be called nice or sweet...hm?? Where's Dr Laura when I need her?) husband I thought I should go out and find him something nice (err...manly?).
So I did. And then, just to torture him I TOLD him I did.
So I headed home and stopped at a fruit stand, on the way, to pick up a snack for the kiddos.
At this point I was feeling very confident...I'd get home in plenty of to pick up the house and get ready for the kids to arrive.
So I pull up into the driveway and see that the garage door is open.
We've had our share of thievery so my heart skips a beat at the thought of all of our kids bikes being stolen.
I stop and turn the car off and happen to look in my rear view mirror. Across the street on our Elisabeth's little pink bike is a little girl (baring a stark resemblence to Elisabeth herself).
And then I remembered.
The kids had a minimum day today...which means they had been home for almost an hour.
I panicked and ran into the house...where the kids sat watching a movie as if there were absolutely nothing out of the ordinary. One was even DOING HIS HOMEWORK.
There are a million things that could have gone wrong. But they didn't.
God was definitely in my house today. I guess He must have figured that with a mother like me He better pay extra attention to these wild indians.
Oh and we have an ongoing battle for who can get the most pieces of ice into this particular cup...Nathaniel just beat mine...he fit 40 cubes into the cup!
Yeah, pretty sure that makes us redneck.
So I did. And then, just to torture him I TOLD him I did.
So I headed home and stopped at a fruit stand, on the way, to pick up a snack for the kiddos.
At this point I was feeling very confident...I'd get home in plenty of to pick up the house and get ready for the kids to arrive.
So I pull up into the driveway and see that the garage door is open.
We've had our share of thievery so my heart skips a beat at the thought of all of our kids bikes being stolen.
I stop and turn the car off and happen to look in my rear view mirror. Across the street on our Elisabeth's little pink bike is a little girl (baring a stark resemblence to Elisabeth herself).
And then I remembered.
The kids had a minimum day today...which means they had been home for almost an hour.
I panicked and ran into the house...where the kids sat watching a movie as if there were absolutely nothing out of the ordinary. One was even DOING HIS HOMEWORK.
There are a million things that could have gone wrong. But they didn't.
God was definitely in my house today. I guess He must have figured that with a mother like me He better pay extra attention to these wild indians.
Oh and we have an ongoing battle for who can get the most pieces of ice into this particular cup...Nathaniel just beat mine...he fit 40 cubes into the cup!
Yeah, pretty sure that makes us redneck.
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Lessons Learned (Errrr...LearnING)
I don't know the exact date or how long we had been married. I can't even remember the person or specific circumstance...but I can tell you the exact words that I said and Michael's eye opening response to me.
It's really pretty ridiculous and I'm embarrassed to share this with you...but for the sake of authenticity...I'm going to.
A few years ago, as Michael and I were leaving some social event, I complained to him that someone (most likely female so I'll probably refer to this person as a "her" even though I don't even remember who it was) hadn't spoken to me.
Now, I'll stop right here. We had been married for a while because I'm pretty sure that all five of our kiddos were in the car...so Michael had probably heard similar nonsense from me on too many occasions to count. I'm extremely over analytical and I am constantly looking for proof that people don't like me.
Anyway, in response he says (very nonchalantly) "well, did you talk to her?".
Okay, at this point I was in shock. I probably replied with something similar to..."are you taking HER side?" and then I'm sure I started crying and Michael wished he'd kept his mouth shut. I shudder at the memory.
I have to admit...I was completely shocked by the question. You mean, it works BOTH ways? They don't have to come to me?! And if they don't it's NOT necessarily a slight?!
Huh. Whooda thunk it?! I obviously didn't.
I don't know why this was so eye opening for me or why I had never considered it before. I guess it was just selfishness.
And even though I'm sure Michael doesn't remember asking the question or my resulting tantrum (do you remember each speck of sand?) I really appreciate him asking it.
While I won't say I've never felt slighted since...or been selfish in social situations...it made me aware.
It made me aware and much more compassionate because if I could be that ignorant about something so obvious then maybe when someone else does something thoughtless, or even rude, they are honestly just oblivious and they really don't mean anything by it.
It's made me much more optimistic in relationships. I spend a lot less time wondering if people like me and looking for the evidence either way. I assume (or at least TRY to!) of other people what I hope they will assume about me...because really...there are NOT enough hours in the day to analyze everyone's words and actions and love them too. And that's what I want to do...love people.
It's really pretty ridiculous and I'm embarrassed to share this with you...but for the sake of authenticity...I'm going to.
A few years ago, as Michael and I were leaving some social event, I complained to him that someone (most likely female so I'll probably refer to this person as a "her" even though I don't even remember who it was) hadn't spoken to me.
Now, I'll stop right here. We had been married for a while because I'm pretty sure that all five of our kiddos were in the car...so Michael had probably heard similar nonsense from me on too many occasions to count. I'm extremely over analytical and I am constantly looking for proof that people don't like me.
Anyway, in response he says (very nonchalantly) "well, did you talk to her?".
Okay, at this point I was in shock. I probably replied with something similar to..."are you taking HER side?" and then I'm sure I started crying and Michael wished he'd kept his mouth shut. I shudder at the memory.
I have to admit...I was completely shocked by the question. You mean, it works BOTH ways? They don't have to come to me?! And if they don't it's NOT necessarily a slight?!
Huh. Whooda thunk it?! I obviously didn't.
I don't know why this was so eye opening for me or why I had never considered it before. I guess it was just selfishness.
And even though I'm sure Michael doesn't remember asking the question or my resulting tantrum (do you remember each speck of sand?) I really appreciate him asking it.
While I won't say I've never felt slighted since...or been selfish in social situations...it made me aware.
It made me aware and much more compassionate because if I could be that ignorant about something so obvious then maybe when someone else does something thoughtless, or even rude, they are honestly just oblivious and they really don't mean anything by it.
It's made me much more optimistic in relationships. I spend a lot less time wondering if people like me and looking for the evidence either way. I assume (or at least TRY to!) of other people what I hope they will assume about me...because really...there are NOT enough hours in the day to analyze everyone's words and actions and love them too. And that's what I want to do...love people.
Friday, August 26, 2011
How to Know If you Should Skip Your Neighborhood When Trick Or Treating
I think in most neighborhoods there's one neighbor that lives to the beat of their own drum. Who lives outside of the pressure to keep their lawn perfectly manicured, and embodies the character "Pig Pen" in the general upkeep and appearance of their home, and general lifestyle.
Well, in OUR neighborhood, WE'RE the ones.
There are 7 houses on our block, and all of them have their lawn mowed by a certain "yardman" in a little rickety truck. He does every house on our block, except ours, and it's obvious.
So there's that.
And there's Elisabeth.
Elisabeth is the incarnation of what it would look like if God used this recipe to make a person: a field full of wild flowers, aurora borealis, an awesome piece of music that you can't help dancing to, and a mischievous little puppy.
Elisabeth picks our neighbors unripe fruit and flowers, climbs their trees and plays in their yards uninvited and unaccompanied. She leaves her toys in their yards so it looks like they have messy kids (none of them have kids...messy or otherwise), which totally ruins the look of their perfectly manicured lawn.
And she just got a bike. So all of this will be done at higher volume and frequency.
She does all of this with a song on her lips, dance steps instead foot steps, in her princess dress of choice for the day and the make up look she chose and applied using permanent markers (that won't come off for at least a week!).
I DO try to keep a handle on her...but she's fast...and quiet. And I have a bazillion OTHER kids to distract me! Seriously, if NASA needs some help with their stealth research...Elisabeth is an expert.
So trick or treating in our neighborhood is kind of tricky. I'm kind of afraid the candy will be laced with Ritalin or something.
There are 7 houses on our block, and all of them have their lawn mowed by a certain "yardman" in a little rickety truck. He does every house on our block, except ours, and it's obvious.
So there's that.
And there's Elisabeth.
Elisabeth is the incarnation of what it would look like if God used this recipe to make a person: a field full of wild flowers, aurora borealis, an awesome piece of music that you can't help dancing to, and a mischievous little puppy.
Elisabeth picks our neighbors unripe fruit and flowers, climbs their trees and plays in their yards uninvited and unaccompanied. She leaves her toys in their yards so it looks like they have messy kids (none of them have kids...messy or otherwise), which totally ruins the look of their perfectly manicured lawn.
And she just got a bike. So all of this will be done at higher volume and frequency.
She does all of this with a song on her lips, dance steps instead foot steps, in her princess dress of choice for the day and the make up look she chose and applied using permanent markers (that won't come off for at least a week!).
So trick or treating in our neighborhood is kind of tricky. I'm kind of afraid the candy will be laced with Ritalin or something.
Not really...we just encourage Elisabeth to choose a full body costume wherein she is unrecognizable.
:) I'm kidding about the costumes and ritalin.
Her sweet little freckle face is the absolute cutest! And I love her so much. She makes our life more interesting and I wouldn't trade her for any other, less active and less imaginative little girl.
Photo courtesy of Alisha Hurt Photography
And who knows?! I said that I would be open to anything and everything that God has for me. Maybe He's using Elisabeth to prepare me for a career in the circus.
Her sweet little freckle face is the absolute cutest! And I love her so much. She makes our life more interesting and I wouldn't trade her for any other, less active and less imaginative little girl.
And who knows?! I said that I would be open to anything and everything that God has for me. Maybe He's using Elisabeth to prepare me for a career in the circus.
A Magic Mirror (Random and Shabby Attempt at Poetry #2 :)
Words rejected, hang in mid-air
He says I am beautiful but do I dare?
believe his eyes telling me so
crosswise, adverse from what I know
is painfully true and frightfully right
I walk rather quickly away from the light
Afraid he might notice, afraid he will see
the truth in my mirror, the plain that is me.
He says I am beautiful but do I dare?
believe his eyes telling me so
crosswise, adverse from what I know
is painfully true and frightfully right
I walk rather quickly away from the light
Afraid he might notice, afraid he will see
the truth in my mirror, the plain that is me.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
From Promise to Inception
When I'm reading the Bible sometimes the timing of everything gets all jumbled in my mind. I forget that not every single event is recorded and that sometimes years and years would pass between recorded events.
Sometimes I get impatient. I want God to change me NOW. I want to walk away from whatever bad habit I'm in and never do that thing again. But I think that this is just another manifestation of God's higher thought process.
Take Abraham for example. God promised him a son, something that, based on his knowledge of the world, seemed impossible. So he waited.
(this is the part where, if this were a movie...there'd be grasshoppers chirping)
He got impatient. He got impatient and he had a son with Hagar. And was surprised when God informed him that Ishmael was not the promised son. While God was busy getting everything together and working out his plan, Abraham became so anxious for the destination that he wanted to skip the journey.
Sometimes the journey is about more than just "getting there". Sometimes we need the journey to prepare us for the destination.
If, 140 pounds ago, I'd woken up one morning and was miraculously at my goal weight, what do you think would have happened? Most likely, I would have regained it all...because I didn't have the journey to learn the lessons I needed to prepare me for my destination. Because I'll tell ya, 140 pounds ago there's no way I could have gone on a cruise and LOST weight. There's no way that I could have gotten to Day 24 of the FlyLady Babysteps.
The struggles, trials and setbacks teach us perseverance...they make us long for the destination even more so that in the midst of the Valley of the Shadow of Death...we'll keep walking.
So, yeah, it's really easy to get hung up on the junk of this life. The bad habits, etc. And sometimes it's hard to see God working and I start wondering if He is...and I get discouraged because I have so many bad habits and I fall in so many ways.
I have to trust Him. He said that if I would trust Him, that He would make my paths straight.
God sees the big picture...he knows where ALL the roads lead. He's our compass and I can't get impatient and start thinking my compass is off...because He's never off!
My point is,
1. I have to trust God and persevere in that trust...don't get impatient.
2. When I take a little detour...don't waste time putting myself down or being depressed...look at where I went wrong and mark that road on the map so I don't take it again.
God is faithful and He has blessed me beyond comprehension. Praise God!
Sometimes I get impatient. I want God to change me NOW. I want to walk away from whatever bad habit I'm in and never do that thing again. But I think that this is just another manifestation of God's higher thought process.
Take Abraham for example. God promised him a son, something that, based on his knowledge of the world, seemed impossible. So he waited.
(this is the part where, if this were a movie...there'd be grasshoppers chirping)
He got impatient. He got impatient and he had a son with Hagar. And was surprised when God informed him that Ishmael was not the promised son. While God was busy getting everything together and working out his plan, Abraham became so anxious for the destination that he wanted to skip the journey.
Sometimes the journey is about more than just "getting there". Sometimes we need the journey to prepare us for the destination.
If, 140 pounds ago, I'd woken up one morning and was miraculously at my goal weight, what do you think would have happened? Most likely, I would have regained it all...because I didn't have the journey to learn the lessons I needed to prepare me for my destination. Because I'll tell ya, 140 pounds ago there's no way I could have gone on a cruise and LOST weight. There's no way that I could have gotten to Day 24 of the FlyLady Babysteps.
The struggles, trials and setbacks teach us perseverance...they make us long for the destination even more so that in the midst of the Valley of the Shadow of Death...we'll keep walking.
So, yeah, it's really easy to get hung up on the junk of this life. The bad habits, etc. And sometimes it's hard to see God working and I start wondering if He is...and I get discouraged because I have so many bad habits and I fall in so many ways.
I have to trust Him. He said that if I would trust Him, that He would make my paths straight.
God sees the big picture...he knows where ALL the roads lead. He's our compass and I can't get impatient and start thinking my compass is off...because He's never off!
My point is,
1. I have to trust God and persevere in that trust...don't get impatient.
2. When I take a little detour...don't waste time putting myself down or being depressed...look at where I went wrong and mark that road on the map so I don't take it again.
God is faithful and He has blessed me beyond comprehension. Praise God!
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Supermom's Tool Belt
I've always been the sort of girl who runs around barefoot. I don't know, something about the power I felt when my feet hit the pavement and the freedom of grass between my toes. Yeah, I'm sure Jeff Foxworthy would call me a redneck.
Buuuuut....having kids does things to your body. And not just the outside of it.
I like spinach. SPINACH I TELL YOU. And naps. Oh naps...how I long for thee.
And in the past year, I have acquired a love, a very fervent love, for my tennis shoes. I feel powerful when I wear them...like ANYTHING is possible. It's like I've been given a compass and my very own private jet complete with pilot.
When I'm wearing tennis shoes and a pair of big, dangling earrings I can almost feel my cape blowing in the wind.
Who needs birds and mice when I've got my tennis shoes?
Buuuuut....having kids does things to your body. And not just the outside of it.
I like spinach. SPINACH I TELL YOU. And naps. Oh naps...how I long for thee.
And in the past year, I have acquired a love, a very fervent love, for my tennis shoes. I feel powerful when I wear them...like ANYTHING is possible. It's like I've been given a compass and my very own private jet complete with pilot.
When I'm wearing tennis shoes and a pair of big, dangling earrings I can almost feel my cape blowing in the wind.
Who needs birds and mice when I've got my tennis shoes?
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
My Food Network Show: It's the Thought that Counts!
So, if I had a show on the Food Network...it would be titled "It's the Thought that Counts" and it would be all about how it's okay to make cakes that look like instead of cooling the cake and then frosting it, you shoved the baked cake and frosting into the blender and then formed it into a cake shape...because it's the thought that counts.
Today my sweet Lilla turned 7 years old.
I made the Raspberry-Laced Vanilla cake on the back of my cake flour box. It was sooooo yummy...but I would suggest cutting it in half...it's REALLY calorie dense. One eighteenth of the cake is 21 Weight Watchers PointsPlus...and I get 30 in a day.
Now, I am going to trust you with these pictures...because I am probably the worlds worst cake decorator. But I try...and I guess if it is really the thought that counts...then I'm okay.
Today my sweet Lilla turned 7 years old.
I made the Raspberry-Laced Vanilla cake on the back of my cake flour box. It was sooooo yummy...but I would suggest cutting it in half...it's REALLY calorie dense. One eighteenth of the cake is 21 Weight Watchers PointsPlus...and I get 30 in a day.
Now, I am going to trust you with these pictures...because I am probably the worlds worst cake decorator. But I try...and I guess if it is really the thought that counts...then I'm okay.
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Our At Home Science Experiment
So we've been looking for an extra curricular activity for Caleb. He's really struggled in school for the past couple of years and his self esteem has suffered a lot!
Michael and I are very hopeful this year though...Caleb hasn't been this excited about school since Pre-K.
At first I was going to put him into piano lessons. But in reading Courage and Calling I was made aware that that was MY regret about the past...and that it might not necessarily be right for Caleb. So I asked him what HE wants to do.
He got really excited and said he wants to do something science-y (my word, not his). So I've done research and found some really cool programs at places like the Exploratorium and The Discovery Museum. I especially like what I found at The Discovery Museum...they have a robot building workshop...SO UP CALEB'S ALLEY! The only problem is...these places are around 90 miles away...and I really can't see us being able to drive up to Sacramento or San Fransisco very often at all.
So I decided to have our own little science workshop in our kitchen. So I did my research and decided that Chocolate Chip cookies would be our "experiment".
We learned A LOT! We decided to take the Nestle Tollhouse cookie recipe and tweak the ingredients to create the exact cookie we wanted...thin and crispy and perfect for dunking in milk.
We used 50% more baking soda to raise the acidity level of the batter so that their setting temperature would raise and cause them to spread more.
We replaced one egg with whole milk. Eggs fluff up and since we didn't want that...we replaced an egg with milk.
We also used more white sugar and lessened the brown sugar to decrease fluffiness.
And let me tell ya...we were absolutely successful. They are the best milk dunking cookies I've had!
Next up: Fluffy Chocolate Chip cookies and Chewy Chocolate Chip cookies
Michael and I are very hopeful this year though...Caleb hasn't been this excited about school since Pre-K.
At first I was going to put him into piano lessons. But in reading Courage and Calling I was made aware that that was MY regret about the past...and that it might not necessarily be right for Caleb. So I asked him what HE wants to do.
He got really excited and said he wants to do something science-y (my word, not his). So I've done research and found some really cool programs at places like the Exploratorium and The Discovery Museum. I especially like what I found at The Discovery Museum...they have a robot building workshop...SO UP CALEB'S ALLEY! The only problem is...these places are around 90 miles away...and I really can't see us being able to drive up to Sacramento or San Fransisco very often at all.
So I decided to have our own little science workshop in our kitchen. So I did my research and decided that Chocolate Chip cookies would be our "experiment".
We learned A LOT! We decided to take the Nestle Tollhouse cookie recipe and tweak the ingredients to create the exact cookie we wanted...thin and crispy and perfect for dunking in milk.
We used 50% more baking soda to raise the acidity level of the batter so that their setting temperature would raise and cause them to spread more.
We replaced one egg with whole milk. Eggs fluff up and since we didn't want that...we replaced an egg with milk.
We also used more white sugar and lessened the brown sugar to decrease fluffiness.
And let me tell ya...we were absolutely successful. They are the best milk dunking cookies I've had!
Next up: Fluffy Chocolate Chip cookies and Chewy Chocolate Chip cookies
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