Third time's a charm?

So I'm not going to bore you with the details,  but after a long side journey,  I'm back home and getting the writing itch again. We've moved (yes, again) and now have the best location of all - a peaceful acreage just a quick 8 minutes from town. Love it!

I've been contemplating joy a lot lately,  and this is one place I found it:

Ok, so that wasn't actually the photo I planned to post,  but it works too. You know what brings me joy? Family. I saw this product at Starbucks and immediately texted my brothers. The moon cheese had finally been harvested! We were big fans of Wallace and Grommit claymation movies, and the episode of rocker ship-ing to the moon instead of the grocery store was instantly added to sibling dialogue.

Family is by birth or choice - the word that started as describing a blood connection has expanded to include lifelong friends.  It implies commitment and acceptance and forgiveness, even tho forgetting isn't always possible or wise. I have been blessed with a biological family where I feel safe; others may find that security in a tight-knit community that looks very different. But whoever your "family" is, I hope they bring you joy. ~~

The End...for now :)

Dear readers (if any are still reading this after weeks of non-entry!)

Clearly, I am not disciplined enough to stick with this without a clear goal. :)
So, rather than continue to feel guilty without repentance - I'm quitting this!
Maybe I'll pick it up again someday when I've got more direction for it, but no promises.
I'd love to continue to stay in touch with you through Facebook or email or phone or letter, etc.

Thanks for sticking with me this long! :) ~~

Herding Cats

"Only children are just...missing something." Not to put you down if you are one - I'm sure there are many benefits. But I have talked to enough only children (and spouses of only children!) to feel comfortable in this generalization. My last brother has at last finished high school last week. We had his party and all of us came from wherever we are to hang out for three solid days. It took us two hours to make cold cereal for breakfast what with everyone trying to get the other to do it and every sentance reminding someone else of a quote from a favorite family movie, prompting another to make some kind of wisecrack leading to a brief wrestling match leading to the winner attempting to convince the loser of their solemn duty to get out the breakfast bowls. I cried from laughing so hard.
     I cooked, drained, rinsed, oiled and packaged ten boxes of pasta. The single bathroom was always occupied at the wrong time. (Actually, it was always occupied. Period.) We took a family photo. (I think I should get an award for corralling eight cats, I mean people, and coercing them to behave and stand still multiple times "to get a good one!" and ensuring a semblance of color coordination. They think I should get an award for being bossy.) We caught up on seven diverse lives. (And all the lives of everyone connected in any way with any of those seven lives!) We managed to catch Pirates 4, consume almost four large pizzas, hit some baseballs, and make it home to bake and butter and season seven bags of breadsticks way too late at night.
     At the baseball field, I claimed all time catcher as soon as I could. (By catcher I mean ball-picker-upper because I sure wasn't about to run around trying to catch all those fouls!) From that vantage point I could be part-time spectator and full-time sentimental sap. I watched those four boys who are now grown men run around in the outfield and my heart overflowed. Not a bad one in the bunch. They are all, every one, men of integrity and responsibility, of humor and kindness. They know how to treat a lady right and they always will. They hold their jobs and their money. They think critically and are quick to help others.
     Our family wasn't perfect. In fact, like most others, some aspects were downright dysfunctional by some standards. But those four men made the choice to be amazing. Sunday morning we filled the whole row at church and I felt like standing on the chair and shouting, "Look! These are my brothers and they are four of the coolest men I have ever met!" They are all seeking God and trying to figure this life out.
     So thanks little brothers. Thanks for giving me the honor and blessing of watching you grow up. I am so stinking proud of every single one of you. But you still have to fix my breakfast. :)
~Stick to it!

Short fiction story

"They say that you don't need to be intimidated by anyone. 'We all put our pants on one leg at a time.' Or something like that. I appreciate the sentiment, but it just simply isn't true. Case in point: I dress both legs at once. They also say, 'Necessity is the mother of invention.' I sleep four feet off the carpet on a platform of two-by-fours. Leaves room for underbed storage. Two levels worth, in fact. I reside in a 3rd floor walk-up studio. Not much space for excessive...anything. As if I wanted to carry excessive stuff up that many stairs.
    Anyway, when the alarm goes off, I fling an arm to my handy dresser and tug a drawer out to rest near the comforter. I flop, fish-like, into clean underwear and then open another drawer, this one near the ruffle. (Jeans on the left, for most days. Dress pants on the right, for days when I've gotten out of bed and turned the light on because I actually care what color they are.) I haul my torso upright, pushing feet at the waistband and sliding the cuffs to knee height. Like a kid at the park, I slide off the edge - into my pants and to a standing finish.
     (Except some days it's more like a kid at the pool. You know, the one who has to be rescued by the lifeguard because he forgot that the water is only three feet deep and still has his legs in the air and panicked at the thought of his imminent death by drowning. Some days my feet get caught on the dresser and I find myself flailing ineffectually as gravity wedges me in a V between my two levels of underbed storage and the too-handy dresser.)  
     Lastly, I bend down to the bottom drawer of tshirts. While there, I carefully touch each pinky toe twice. This, I am confident, counts as exercise. I unfold, arms overhead, dropping the shirt on as I stretch. Now I am ready for the day.
     And when I meet someone new, I will not be intimidated. They, after all, put their pants on one leg at a time."
~Stick to it!
    

Of May 21, 2011

There's a lot of hullaballoo about this Saturday. End of the world or wacko story? Call to prepare or just one more cult off its rocker? Personally, I'm just living life. I got to a point in my life where I decided - you have to pick something. Evidence is strong that people need something bigger than themselves. The more people you talk to, the more options of what that "something bigger" is. They are too contradicting to all be true. So you pick. One might call it playing the odds. In a sense, we are all gamblers. Most options give you some kind of second chance - reincarnation, purgatory then heaven, or simply nothingness. Not too bad. Some, though, make this life really matter. One shot, then eternity - heaven or hell. I like my odds. Don't get me wrong, I stick with Biblical Christianity for many other reasons. But I'm ok with living with the tension of a slight bit of uncertainty. Sooner or later we will all die and truth will no longer be debated.
     But I digress - what about Saturday? If you can't get in touch with me on Sunday and the rest of the world is in chaos (even more than usual) with thousands of disappearances across the globe - I would suggest you rethink your former spiritual positions. But if the Judgement Day RV's are still occupied come May 22, my faith hasn't changed. If the God of the Bible is right, than this life has an end. Whether by death or by Rapture, I won't be here forever. And if I care about you and your future, at some point I might ask you to consider your odds.
~Stick to it!

Homemade Chai

One of the great things about being home is the time to play! My Better Half eats cooking experiments on a regular basis! :) Some successes so far: Cajun Chicken (or Beef) Alfredo, Red Pepper Beef over Rice, and Autumn Pork (with apple butter and sweet potatoes.)
     But today I tried making Chai. After comparing several Googled recipes, I picked one - and of course, immediately changed it. I'm not the kind of person who will go out and buy ingredients just for one recipe. If I don't have it on hand - it ain't goin' in. (Which is one reason why it's good MBH isn't picky. Sometimes substitutions are...interesting!) Here's what I did: (And I like it!)
    
1 1/4 t ground cinnamon
1 t ground cardamon
3/4 t ground cloves
1/8 t ground ginger
4 whole black peppercorns
3 c water
*Bring to a boil, reduce to med-low and simmer 5 minutes.
*Remove from heat, cover, let steep 10 minutes.
*Return to boiling.

Add 2 chai (or regular black) tea bags.
*Remove from heat, steep 5 minutes.

Add 3 Tb brown sugar
Add 1 c 2% (or whole) milk
*Heat on med-low 2 minutes.

*Strain anyway you want to. Or can. (I poured the mixture into a measuring pitcher, then through a mesh tea ball into my cup. Not very efficient, but that's what I had.)
*Enjoy! (Or refrigerate and enjoy chilled later.)
~Stick to it!

Resolution update

Back in January I established four 2011 resolutions. Thought I'd take a look back on how I'm doing...
     SPIRITUAL - Have a daily quiet time. Well, the daily might be a bit of a stretch, but 4-5 times a week is working. A few (highly recommended) books I've been using:
"A Diary of Private Prayer" by John Baillie. Penned in 1949, with prayers for each morning (Praise/thanks) and evening (confession/supplication) and a couple extra for Sundays.
"The Power of a Praying Wife" by Stormie Omartian. Without bashing men or guilting women, let me just say that I think a wife has the determining role in the climate of a marriage. She chooses to build up her house or to tear it down and prayer is a great way to build it.
"Principles of Spiritual Growth" by Miles Stanford. Written as mentorship letters, each chapter addresses...a principle of spiritual growth! (You didn't see that coming, did you!)
"The 17:18 Series" published by Full Quiver LLC. The coolest Bible study book I've ever found. You word-for-word handcopy books of the Bible on the right-hand pages. Left side is primarily blank, for your notes, study, word definitions, reflections, whatever. Any pace you like, as deep or shallow as you choose.
     EMOTIONAL - I want to be more gracious. This one is a little uncomfortable right now. I'm convicted of some long-standing unforgiveness in my heart. As much as I desire to forgive, humanly, I am finding that I can't. How do you forgive someone who just keeps hurting you? Without going into details to explain, let me just say that this is a friendship I am called to continue. (No, not my husband, family, or even a close friend!) So I find that I rely on God to give me grace for each encounter, and trust in the power of the Holy Spirit to change my heart since I can't.
     MENTAL - Still reading "Sacred Marriage" by Gary Thomas. I decided to underline quotes. And, of course, I couldn't start underlining halfway through the book! So I started over. Still good. :)
     PHYSICAL - Tried Yoga Thursday night and even this morning. (9am - not ideal, so it may not last.) A little bit sore, but glad to be doing something again. I'm aiming (not obsessing) for 1600 calories over five meals per day. So far, so good - I still feel like I'm getting enough food. (That is the determining factor in any diet - not a fan of being hungry.) Did you know that you can eat about 30 cups of raw spinach and still only consume about 300 calories? Think you'd be full? (I have neither tried this, nor recommend it. 30 cups of anything green in one meal is overkill. Just my opinion!)
     ~Stick to it!