Lately I've been hit by the realization that I'm surrounded by emptiness. No, that doesn't go far enough.
I'm finding nothing but emptiness in the things that used to fill me up.
"Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Jesus Christ my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ." (Philippians 3:8.)
There are so many things that simply don't matter.
There's really only one thing that will matter in ten minutes, ten days, ten years, a lifetime.
Jesus is alive.
As details about today's shooting in Connecticut flood the internet, St. Paul's words become louder and clearer than anything I've ever heard with my physical ears.
My heart has this overwhelming need to stand still this evening. All the little things that seemed earth-shattering before are empty and pointless now. I stare at the knitting project that I was convinced was going to be the death of me. Now it's just an insignificant pile of wool.
All I can think about is the fact that I'm still breathing, and I still have a husband and nieces nephews to hug the stuffing out of.
I have this overwhelming need to put all the useless crap on hold just for tonight. I need to hold onto this truth with everything that I am.
Jesus is still alive.
Friday, December 14, 2012
Monday, November 5, 2012
Italian Meatballs
I had posted on Facebook that the hubby and I have instituted a new tradition: Crockpot Sunday! It's pretty simple: We throw dinner in the crockpot on Sunday morning before church. By the time we get home from church, the kitchen smells absolutely fantastic!
I've been falling in love with cooking, and I very rarely leave recipes the way I find them. I usually add or tweak at least one minor thing, and most of the time it still turns out great.
Here is the Italian meatball recipe we tried yesterday. Enjoy!
(Adapted from "Betty Crocker Money Saving Meals)
Italian Meatballs with Marinara Sauce
3/4 lb ground beef
3/4 lb ground pork (we actually used 1 1/2 lbs of beef and it worked just fine)
1 small onion, chopped (1/4 cup)
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon oregano
1/4 cup Italian-style bread crumbs
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 jar (28 oz marinara sauce)
If you yell "ta-da!" like Meryl Streep in "Julie and Julia" when you finish chopping the onion, I'll totally be your friend :D.
Heat oven to 375. Line 9 by 13 pan with foil and spray with cooking spray. In large bowl, mix all ingredients except marinara sauce, basil, and oregano. Shape mixture into 1 1/2 in. balls. Place in pan. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until no longer pink in center.
Place meatballs in 3 1/2 to 4-quart slow cooker. Poor marinara sauce over meatballs. Add basil and oregano and stir gently.
Cover and cook on low heat setting 6 to 7 hours to blend and develop flavors.
Time saving trick: If you're trying to get the meatballs in the crockpot before going to church like we did, chop up the onion and garlic ahead of time. I probably could have made it even quicker by cooking the meatballs the day before.
I've been falling in love with cooking, and I very rarely leave recipes the way I find them. I usually add or tweak at least one minor thing, and most of the time it still turns out great.
Here is the Italian meatball recipe we tried yesterday. Enjoy!
(Adapted from "Betty Crocker Money Saving Meals)
Italian Meatballs with Marinara Sauce
3/4 lb ground beef
3/4 lb ground pork (we actually used 1 1/2 lbs of beef and it worked just fine)
1 small onion, chopped (1/4 cup)
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon oregano
1/4 cup Italian-style bread crumbs
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 jar (28 oz marinara sauce)
If you yell "ta-da!" like Meryl Streep in "Julie and Julia" when you finish chopping the onion, I'll totally be your friend :D.
Heat oven to 375. Line 9 by 13 pan with foil and spray with cooking spray. In large bowl, mix all ingredients except marinara sauce, basil, and oregano. Shape mixture into 1 1/2 in. balls. Place in pan. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until no longer pink in center.
Place meatballs in 3 1/2 to 4-quart slow cooker. Poor marinara sauce over meatballs. Add basil and oregano and stir gently.
Cover and cook on low heat setting 6 to 7 hours to blend and develop flavors.
Time saving trick: If you're trying to get the meatballs in the crockpot before going to church like we did, chop up the onion and garlic ahead of time. I probably could have made it even quicker by cooking the meatballs the day before.
Friday, November 2, 2012
Love-Hate Update for Nov. 2nd '12
I know I've hit a new low for posting. A lot's been happening. Right now I'm not really sure how much to share publicly, so I'm erring on the side of caution on this one. I'll share more as I feel led to. For now, I'll do another love-hate post.
Loves and hates for November 2nd:
Love:
-laughing with the hubby so hard it hurts
-our crazy lovable Esther, who has made it clear that her 11 years are not going to slow her down. This week she has taken up howling at cars outside and spring-boarding off the furniture!
-coffee. Need I say more? :p
-slowly learning that God is REALLY in control, and things REALLY work out even you haven't the faintest idea how
-my body is coping with stress much better than it used to
Hate:
-Dad got another low WBC count, which meant 50% strength for the chemo this week.
-how everyone has the (Incredibly Mistaken) idea that non-smokers don't get lung cancer
-feeling like I don't really have enough time to fully address all of my complicated emotions about my dad having cancer
-Election season. It's always infested with fear, judgment, paranoia, and cynicism. Let's leave it at that.
Happy Friday, everyone!
Loves and hates for November 2nd:
Love:
-laughing with the hubby so hard it hurts
-our crazy lovable Esther, who has made it clear that her 11 years are not going to slow her down. This week she has taken up howling at cars outside and spring-boarding off the furniture!
-coffee. Need I say more? :p
-slowly learning that God is REALLY in control, and things REALLY work out even you haven't the faintest idea how
-my body is coping with stress much better than it used to
Hate:
-Dad got another low WBC count, which meant 50% strength for the chemo this week.
-how everyone has the (Incredibly Mistaken) idea that non-smokers don't get lung cancer
-feeling like I don't really have enough time to fully address all of my complicated emotions about my dad having cancer
-Election season. It's always infested with fear, judgment, paranoia, and cynicism. Let's leave it at that.
Happy Friday, everyone!
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
The Importance of Yesterday
The Importance of Yesterday
It happens every so often.
I get so caught up in who I am, and where I’m going, that I forget who I
was.
If you took a good look at who I am, who I was would shock
and probably horrify you.
I was a girl who looked for love, acceptance, and
fulfillment in a lot of wrong places.I battled an eating disorder for many years.
I was trapped in the lie that if I could work just a little
harder, God would love me more.
I was hiding an addiction to self-injury for most of my
teenage years.We need to remember that everyone we meet has their own yesterday. It’s easy for middle-class people to take one look at a homeless person and separate them from their yesterday. It’s easy to assume that who they are today is who they’ve always been.
It’s easy to assume that this person over here, who I’ve
decided is inferior to me, is more hopeless and in need of Christ than I am.
That’s why judgment is so spiritually toxic.
When we judge, we dismiss the fact that none of us can break
free from our yesterdays alone.
Friday, October 12, 2012
Love-Hate Update for Oct. 12, 2012
I really want to write about what's happened this week, and as you'll see, I am really tired and don't feel up for writing anything too involved. So I decided to try this Love-Hate format I've seen on a couple different blogs.
Loves and hates for this past week:
Love:
-selling a shawl on my Etsy website
-falling asleep with a very cuddly Esther (our new cat) on my pillow just about every night
-an amazingly calm Tuesday morning with my wonderful group of toddlers. Love seeing those kiddos every week!
Hate:
-Dad's low white blood cell count, which prevented him from receiving chemo this week
-insanely high fatigue level from what seems to be thyroid problems after enjoying the best health I've had in years
-Mom will need to have skin cancer removed. This makes the 4th cancer diagnosis to hit my family in about 6 months. Not really finding the words to express how much I hate this.
I guess that's about it for today. Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!
Monday, October 8, 2012
Our Hand-Powered Washing Machine!
One thing we've been wanting to do is wean ourselves off of using the washing machine and dryer all the time. We were tired of using so much water just to save a little time. Plus, those machines are energy vampires!
A few months ago, we took the plunge and bought a hand-powered washing machine, and we've been thrilled with the results! I'd say I do about two-thirds of our laundry in the Wonder Wash. (I still do sheets and towels in the dryer because they're too big. I also use the machine occasionally if I'm too worn out to use the WW.) If we have kids, I'll use the Wonder Wash for the cloth diapers. At this point I honestly can't say how much of our laundry will go into the Wonder Washer once I'm doing laundry for a family instead of a couple, but I'll certainly use it as much as I can.
I'm sure you're all wondering, "Doesn't that take forever?" And believe it or not, it doesn't! :) It takes less than 5 minutes per load.
And for an added bonus: Since we live in an apartment, every load I do in the Wonder Wash is one load we don't have to shell out a handful of quarters for! :D
If you've ever wanted to try a hand-powered washer, I say just buy one and give it a try! You can use it as much or as little as you want while you're getting used to it.
A few months ago, we took the plunge and bought a hand-powered washing machine, and we've been thrilled with the results! I'd say I do about two-thirds of our laundry in the Wonder Wash. (I still do sheets and towels in the dryer because they're too big. I also use the machine occasionally if I'm too worn out to use the WW.) If we have kids, I'll use the Wonder Wash for the cloth diapers. At this point I honestly can't say how much of our laundry will go into the Wonder Washer once I'm doing laundry for a family instead of a couple, but I'll certainly use it as much as I can.
I'm sure you're all wondering, "Doesn't that take forever?" And believe it or not, it doesn't! :) It takes less than 5 minutes per load.
And for an added bonus: Since we live in an apartment, every load I do in the Wonder Wash is one load we don't have to shell out a handful of quarters for! :D
If you've ever wanted to try a hand-powered washer, I say just buy one and give it a try! You can use it as much or as little as you want while you're getting used to it.
Friday, September 28, 2012
Make your own shower and glass cleaner!
I've been wanting to share my product recipes on here for awhile, and I'm finally getting around to it!
The first recipe I'm going to share is the homemade shower cleaner we've been using for several months. It also works on mirrors! I have yet to try it on windows, but I'm sure that would work too.
Supplies:
-spray bottle
-white vinegar
-small amount of scented organic detergent or soap (we use Dr. Bronner's; Target has started carrying it, can also find at whole food stores and online)
And yes, that's really all you need!
What you do:
1.) Fill up spray bottle no more than about 1/4 of the way with vinegar (too much vinegar can soften the grout between the tiles
2.) Fill it up the rest of the way with water.
3.) Add a splash of soap or detergent to kill the smell.
4.) Shake the daylights out of it! (Dr. Bronner's soap clumps up a bit when you first mix it up; it's just the reaction between the soap and the vinegar. It evens out over time.)
And yes, that's really all you do! :)
The first recipe I'm going to share is the homemade shower cleaner we've been using for several months. It also works on mirrors! I have yet to try it on windows, but I'm sure that would work too.
Supplies:
-spray bottle
-white vinegar
-small amount of scented organic detergent or soap (we use Dr. Bronner's; Target has started carrying it, can also find at whole food stores and online)
And yes, that's really all you need!
What you do:
1.) Fill up spray bottle no more than about 1/4 of the way with vinegar (too much vinegar can soften the grout between the tiles
2.) Fill it up the rest of the way with water.
3.) Add a splash of soap or detergent to kill the smell.
4.) Shake the daylights out of it! (Dr. Bronner's soap clumps up a bit when you first mix it up; it's just the reaction between the soap and the vinegar. It evens out over time.)
And yes, that's really all you do! :)
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