It makes me so sad to see things not being used and enjoyed - a beautiful old quilt shoved away in a corner, lovely flowers that were received as a gift and never put in a spot where they could be seen and enjoyed, much less watered and taken care of. I just don't get the point.
Wow, and then I turn to Psalms and find "...the Lord takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the humble with salvation and adorn the wretched with victory."
He takes pleasure in us, He enjoys us!
And He wants us to enjoy and be joyful as well; the very next verse is "Let the saints be joyful in the glory and beauty (which God confers upon them); let them sing for joy upon their beds. Let the high praises of God be in their throats..."
Monday, July 27, 2009
Sunday, July 26, 2009
What's cookin'
I dunno what's up with me but I've been dying to cook recently (and knit, but that's another story) so my first opportunity this weekend I got out several new recipes along with a few old ones and made:
*biscuits for breakfast
*cupcakes for a picnic
*cream cheese frosting
*cooked carrots for supper
*chicken tetrazinni (a new recipe)
*carrot cake (to surprise dad, it's his all time favorite)
and a super delicious new find:
*feta stuffed tomatoes
These were absolutely wonderful!!! If you have any good tomatoes this summer you have to try them. You basically slice the tomatoes in half, scoop out the inside, chop it up a little and mix it with feta cheese, green onions, some fresh parsley and a bit of salt and pepper. Refill the tomatoes and bake them for 15 minutes. I never would have thought of eating these warm but they were actually delicious, heated just enough to be warm but not so hot that they felt cooked or that the cheese melted too much.
It was amazing how much my family enjoyed having something a bit different for supper. We tend to get stuck in a rut of always cooking the same things and some new recipes have been the needed trick. I've gotten a few cookbooks from the library here and there and spent a bit of time this weekend copying out the recipes I want to try so now I have a whole arsenal :) Do yall have any new favorite recipes? I'd love to hear what yall are cookin' these days!
*biscuits for breakfast
*cupcakes for a picnic
*cream cheese frosting
*cooked carrots for supper
*chicken tetrazinni (a new recipe)
*carrot cake (to surprise dad, it's his all time favorite)
and a super delicious new find:
*feta stuffed tomatoes
These were absolutely wonderful!!! If you have any good tomatoes this summer you have to try them. You basically slice the tomatoes in half, scoop out the inside, chop it up a little and mix it with feta cheese, green onions, some fresh parsley and a bit of salt and pepper. Refill the tomatoes and bake them for 15 minutes. I never would have thought of eating these warm but they were actually delicious, heated just enough to be warm but not so hot that they felt cooked or that the cheese melted too much.
It was amazing how much my family enjoyed having something a bit different for supper. We tend to get stuck in a rut of always cooking the same things and some new recipes have been the needed trick. I've gotten a few cookbooks from the library here and there and spent a bit of time this weekend copying out the recipes I want to try so now I have a whole arsenal :) Do yall have any new favorite recipes? I'd love to hear what yall are cookin' these days!
Monday, July 20, 2009
Cynthia's Wedding
It's hard to believe its all past us now, all the stress, fun times, annoying company, "new" friends, frustrations, tears and joys. It sounds awful, but I'm glad its over, even the dog was starting to have adverse affects from all the stress and commotion! I don't know what yall are interesting in hearing as far as details so here are a few pictures...
Picnics at the church during set up. After stringing lights along the ceiling in the fellowship hall and taking them down 36 hours later, I feel like I'm on an intimate level of friendship with those tiles...
Rehearsal
Lots of fun with my favorite cousin.
Picnics at the church during set up. After stringing lights along the ceiling in the fellowship hall and taking them down 36 hours later, I feel like I'm on an intimate level of friendship with those tiles...
Rehearsal
Lots of fun with my favorite cousin.
Monday, July 6, 2009
Routine
Rhythm - it's amazing how much it helps calm and settle me; it is the essence of the routines I've created for myself. These routines are a huge part of the life-giving force that help keep me focused, centered, and on track each day and week. They remind me to be intentional, to make time for the most important things, and to have balance in life.
Some of the routines in my life right now are:
*going to church on Sunday nights with Lindsey and then going to Starbucks afterward to discuss the sermon and mentally prepare for the next week
*consistent morning times of yoga and stretches, "thinking time" while I shower, time with God and then usually a bit of time to knit or catch up on a project before breakfast
*Friday mornings free from school work or teaching to do something fun - a trip to the yarn store, visiting a friend etc.
What are some of your routines?
Some of the routines in my life right now are:
*going to church on Sunday nights with Lindsey and then going to Starbucks afterward to discuss the sermon and mentally prepare for the next week
*consistent morning times of yoga and stretches, "thinking time" while I shower, time with God and then usually a bit of time to knit or catch up on a project before breakfast
*Friday mornings free from school work or teaching to do something fun - a trip to the yarn store, visiting a friend etc.
What are some of your routines?
Saturday, July 4, 2009
The other side of this season
Some of you know that I've been going through a very difficult situation these past few weeks. Something so hard I never thought good things could come out of it. (My head kept telling me that it was possible, but my heart was hurting so much that it refused to believe it.) And yet here I am, not yet all the way through this situation and I'm already seeing so many ways that God has been at work.
The biggest of these is simply in the person He has been "growing me into" these last few months. There has been much subtle growth that I didn't even recognize until I was faced with this difficult circumstance and suddenly found myself responding completely differently than I know I would have in the past. It sounds almost pompous to say it, but I feel much more mature, much more of the woman I know God intends me to be.
As this struggle has brought me closer to God, one thing He has been teaching me is that I don't have to let circumstances completely run my life. In the past if I was facing something difficult it consumed my thoughts, drug me down and left me constantly stressed out. Since I'd always done this it just seemed normal, I don't think it ever occurred to me that maybe that wasn't the best way to "deal" with difficulties. It was almost as if I thought that if I stressed about it enough that I would come up with the answer. And so I've been learning that it's okay to set things aside emotionally. Every time it tries to creep back in I remind myself, "Now is not the time to worry and fret over it" and then later (usually after I've calmed down, talked to God and gotten a fresh perspective), I go back and think about it some more, answer the email, make the phone call etc. It has had an amazing effect. There has been so much more peace as my heart has been able to rest without constantly being stressed out.
So beyond the pictures and chatty updates of the last post, this is the other side of this season. A time of hurt and difficulties, but also of tremendous growth.
The biggest of these is simply in the person He has been "growing me into" these last few months. There has been much subtle growth that I didn't even recognize until I was faced with this difficult circumstance and suddenly found myself responding completely differently than I know I would have in the past. It sounds almost pompous to say it, but I feel much more mature, much more of the woman I know God intends me to be.
As this struggle has brought me closer to God, one thing He has been teaching me is that I don't have to let circumstances completely run my life. In the past if I was facing something difficult it consumed my thoughts, drug me down and left me constantly stressed out. Since I'd always done this it just seemed normal, I don't think it ever occurred to me that maybe that wasn't the best way to "deal" with difficulties. It was almost as if I thought that if I stressed about it enough that I would come up with the answer. And so I've been learning that it's okay to set things aside emotionally. Every time it tries to creep back in I remind myself, "Now is not the time to worry and fret over it" and then later (usually after I've calmed down, talked to God and gotten a fresh perspective), I go back and think about it some more, answer the email, make the phone call etc. It has had an amazing effect. There has been so much more peace as my heart has been able to rest without constantly being stressed out.
So beyond the pictures and chatty updates of the last post, this is the other side of this season. A time of hurt and difficulties, but also of tremendous growth.
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