Last week the munchkin and I were able to visit our family down south. It was a blast! I was able to see some dear friends, meet some new ones, spend time with my precious Mom, and soak in some much needed vitamin D (aka - get a white girl's sunburn).
One of the unique facets of the visit was the near constant threat of needing to evacuate the house. My folks put their house on the market a few days before we arrived, and during our stay, we had to take off for a house showing nearly 8 times! Since houses tend to sell better when there is little paraphernalia laying around, Mom has been de-cluttering for a good month or two.
When I first arrived, I was amazed at how drastically paring down "stuff" had made the house look rather magazine-like. The house looked so much more open, clean, and fresh. No magazines stacked on the table, nothing stored on top of cabinets, only select books were displayed on the bookshelves etc,...it looked fantastic. I was struck by how much "stuff" can take over the nooks and crannies of our homes before we realize we're being overrun. Is it a post-depression era mentality that has caused later generations to hoard? I'm inclined to think that the root of collecting is just plain ole' sin. Mom kept commenting during our visit how much easier life is not having to keep up with so much. This was inspiring.
Returning home, I had a fire burning underneath me to do some de-cluttering of my own. Having had some coaching from Mom, I had to think differently in order to attack our stuff. Do we really use all of our coffee mugs? Do we really need so many papers/pictures/stuff smothering our refrigerator? What exactly is taking up so much space under the bathroom cabinet?! Do we use these products anymore and why are we storing them?
After several hours of work, the house looks SO much better. Hubby and I are happier, too! Having only a year of marriage under our belts, I hope we can train ourselves this early on to assess if anything we bring into our home is necessary, or just junk that will clutter our lives.
As usual, God was up to more than just having me de-clutter, and turned the cleaning process into something spiritual. He brought some questions to my mind:
"What is cluttering my spiritual life? Are there things filling my heart that I need to get rid of? Are there old thoughts or attitudes that need to be kicked out? What lies have I believed that effect the way I act towards others, and ultimately, toward God?"
De-cluttering has looked like:
Remembering Who I belong to and the miraculous gift of salvation. Being thankful for having such a loving husband and precious daughter. Praying like my life depends on it and knowing I won't ever be able to pray enough. Reading the Word and believing it. Rejecting the lies the enemy tries to feed my mind via comparison to others. I need to be faithful to where the Lord has called me and nowhere else.
There is a fresh feeling in both my home and spirit with all this de-cluttering going on. I marvel to think of how closely the physical and spiritual are intertwined. In the future, I will do well to remember that if the home is stuffy, it's probably a reflection of my heart and time to de-clutter.
By way of loving whomever reads this blog, I must ask: Is there any de-cluttering that you need to do?
July 27, 2011
July 15, 2011
Drama! Drama!
Fact: I am a great sucker for BBC and Masterpiece Theater dramas.
I was first introduced to the epic mini-series, Pride and Prejudice, by my girl's Bible study group at age 16. Fresh from swimming in the pond, shooting snakes, and driving the tractor, I thought the girls were a bit nuts when they told me their favorite movie was a 5 hour British mini-series. One night at a sleep over, the show was played and I was hooked. This was a pivotal moment because from that point on, my craving for British drama only intensified.
Not too many years ago my family went on an incredibly long kick of watching BBC and similar type dramas. We devoured Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, North and South, Wives and Daughters...whatever we could get our hands on. Dad even joined us! As much as he made light of it before, he grew a quick appreciation for the wit of British humor.
Once we'd seen the staples, it was always a sort of treasure hunt to find new dramas to watch with Mom and my sisters. We'd get a lead from friends on a new-to-us series and soon enough it would become our latest favorite. Cranford was one of the last discoveries my sister and I made before leaving home.
When Andrew and I were creating our wedding registry, the one movie I had to add to the list was P&P. Fear not dear friends, it was THE version with Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth. (Is the any other?!) Andrew registered for some movie with Clint Eastwood that I'd never heard of..."Dirty Harry". THAT should have been one of my first clues that I shouldn't expect him to sit down with me over a cup of tea and savor the lines of Jane Austen for 5 hours. He's a good sport about shorter romantic movies, but when it comes to 5 hours of it, I appreciate and respect his manliness.
A couple months before Olivia was born, I discovered that Cranford had a sequel! Delighted, I immediately added it to our dvd cue and was later asked by my husband "What in the world is Crandford?!". He saw a little bit of it one evening as I lay on the couch in my whale-like state and surmised that the lack of sufficient female drama in my own life, having moved away from Mom and my sisters, was being made up for through this type of show. From this point on he referred to "Cranford" as "Lameford".
Not too long after I saw "Return to Cranford", I got a recommendation for a new mini-series called "Larkrise to Candleford". At the time I was unaware that it was a FORTY PART SERIES, but after enjoying the first show, lined up the Netflix cue and anxiously awaited the arrival of the following dvds. I watching the mailbox like a hawk in between keeping house and studying up on all things baby. My husband was kind enough to let me temporarily dominate the dvd cue, but I think I had it on rough terms because he relentlessly referred to it as "Larkrise to LAMEford". Har-har, very funny.
Now that Olivia is here, I plan to indoctrinate her from an early age. We will dress up and have tea. Our humble home, urr...estate, might be called something like Weatherfordshire. Not to be confused with Worcestershire. We will exemplify the most admirable qualities of Elizabeth Bennett, and try our hardest to avoid any feelings of pride or prejudice. We will wear our nicest frocks for visits with company (or shorts and t-shirts...minor details), and write letters to our family in our finest hand. Perhaps in the winter, when the days grow very cold, we will snuggle together under a blanket and enjoy a good movie together. One this is for certain, when my new little buddy begins to speak, "Lameford" will NOT be part of her vocabulary.
I was first introduced to the epic mini-series, Pride and Prejudice, by my girl's Bible study group at age 16. Fresh from swimming in the pond, shooting snakes, and driving the tractor, I thought the girls were a bit nuts when they told me their favorite movie was a 5 hour British mini-series. One night at a sleep over, the show was played and I was hooked. This was a pivotal moment because from that point on, my craving for British drama only intensified.
Not too many years ago my family went on an incredibly long kick of watching BBC and similar type dramas. We devoured Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, North and South, Wives and Daughters...whatever we could get our hands on. Dad even joined us! As much as he made light of it before, he grew a quick appreciation for the wit of British humor.
Once we'd seen the staples, it was always a sort of treasure hunt to find new dramas to watch with Mom and my sisters. We'd get a lead from friends on a new-to-us series and soon enough it would become our latest favorite. Cranford was one of the last discoveries my sister and I made before leaving home.
When Andrew and I were creating our wedding registry, the one movie I had to add to the list was P&P. Fear not dear friends, it was THE version with Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth. (Is the any other?!) Andrew registered for some movie with Clint Eastwood that I'd never heard of..."Dirty Harry". THAT should have been one of my first clues that I shouldn't expect him to sit down with me over a cup of tea and savor the lines of Jane Austen for 5 hours. He's a good sport about shorter romantic movies, but when it comes to 5 hours of it, I appreciate and respect his manliness.
A couple months before Olivia was born, I discovered that Cranford had a sequel! Delighted, I immediately added it to our dvd cue and was later asked by my husband "What in the world is Crandford?!". He saw a little bit of it one evening as I lay on the couch in my whale-like state and surmised that the lack of sufficient female drama in my own life, having moved away from Mom and my sisters, was being made up for through this type of show. From this point on he referred to "Cranford" as "Lameford".
Not too long after I saw "Return to Cranford", I got a recommendation for a new mini-series called "Larkrise to Candleford". At the time I was unaware that it was a FORTY PART SERIES, but after enjoying the first show, lined up the Netflix cue and anxiously awaited the arrival of the following dvds. I watching the mailbox like a hawk in between keeping house and studying up on all things baby. My husband was kind enough to let me temporarily dominate the dvd cue, but I think I had it on rough terms because he relentlessly referred to it as "Larkrise to LAMEford". Har-har, very funny.
Now that Olivia is here, I plan to indoctrinate her from an early age. We will dress up and have tea. Our humble home, urr...estate, might be called something like Weatherfordshire. Not to be confused with Worcestershire. We will exemplify the most admirable qualities of Elizabeth Bennett, and try our hardest to avoid any feelings of pride or prejudice. We will wear our nicest frocks for visits with company (or shorts and t-shirts...minor details), and write letters to our family in our finest hand. Perhaps in the winter, when the days grow very cold, we will snuggle together under a blanket and enjoy a good movie together. One this is for certain, when my new little buddy begins to speak, "Lameford" will NOT be part of her vocabulary.
July 10, 2011
Redeem the Time
Last week, Chick-Fil-A had their annual "Cow Appreciation Day" where if you dress like a cow, they give you a free meal. The year before, I joined some friends and we (one more eagerly than the rest of us) set out to our nearby Chick-Fil-A dressed as bovine and received our prize. Andrew was unable to go b/c he was working but assured us that he WOULD have gone with us.
Lately the Lord has been putting on my heart to make more of life than I have been. As silly as it may sound, I got really excited when I saw the update that Cow Appreciation Day was coming up again. Andrew assured me that he would dress up with us, so I cut up felt and added spots to our clothing. Olivia looked particularly adorable with her little cow ears. She was grumpy before we left so I teased Andrew that she had a case of mad cow disease.
We grinned when we walked into the store and heard "oohs" and "ahhs" about the baby cow that had just come in. We grinned as we sat eating our food, looking at each other with black felt tucked into my hair and under his hat. We grinned looking at our little calf contentedly chewing on her hands. It was one of the silliest, grinning-est meals we'd had in quite a while. Was it the felt ears on our heads? Or could it be that we were making more of that moment than we might have otherwise?
I'm challenged to be more intentional about making moments special. To pull out the nice dishes...just because. To put on a record and dance. To not take myself so seriously that I can't celebrate silly things like Cow Appreciation Day. To celebrate half birthdays, winter's half over day, Sabbath meals, and whatever else may present itself. By seeking moments to celebrate, I can't help but think we give glory to our Father for being a joyful people.
Lately the Lord has been putting on my heart to make more of life than I have been. As silly as it may sound, I got really excited when I saw the update that Cow Appreciation Day was coming up again. Andrew assured me that he would dress up with us, so I cut up felt and added spots to our clothing. Olivia looked particularly adorable with her little cow ears. She was grumpy before we left so I teased Andrew that she had a case of mad cow disease.
We grinned when we walked into the store and heard "oohs" and "ahhs" about the baby cow that had just come in. We grinned as we sat eating our food, looking at each other with black felt tucked into my hair and under his hat. We grinned looking at our little calf contentedly chewing on her hands. It was one of the silliest, grinning-est meals we'd had in quite a while. Was it the felt ears on our heads? Or could it be that we were making more of that moment than we might have otherwise?
I'm challenged to be more intentional about making moments special. To pull out the nice dishes...just because. To put on a record and dance. To not take myself so seriously that I can't celebrate silly things like Cow Appreciation Day. To celebrate half birthdays, winter's half over day, Sabbath meals, and whatever else may present itself. By seeking moments to celebrate, I can't help but think we give glory to our Father for being a joyful people.
July 7, 2011
Pork chop-chops w/ Hoisin sauce
I used hoisin sauce for the first time. I saw it in a recipe and thought I'd give it a try. Last night we had pan fried pork chops with steamed veggies and white rice. Andrew told me he wasn't a fan of pork chops (of course I discover this AFTER I've just bought several on sale!), but my gracious man said he'd give them a try. While I managed to avoid over cooking the pork chops, I'm attributing the success of the dinner to the delicious hoisin sauce. Andrew loved them, so they're sure to be on the menu again soon.
For the sauce, I mixed up:
1/4 cup of hoisin sauce
2 T. rice vinegar (Tablespoon also known as a glug-glug)
4 T. soy sauce (or Bragg's Amino Acids)
1/2 tsp. ginger powder (or freshly grated ginger)
1 dash of cayenne powder
I mixed this up and poured it over 3 medium sized pork chops and let them simmer on low for just a few minutes before serving. In the future, I will make a double batch of the sauce. It had a bit of bite to it and was a delightful with the white rice and veggies.
**The only great downside to hoisin sauce is that it's not gluten free. :-P
For the sauce, I mixed up:
1/4 cup of hoisin sauce
2 T. rice vinegar (Tablespoon also known as a glug-glug)
4 T. soy sauce (or Bragg's Amino Acids)
1/2 tsp. ginger powder (or freshly grated ginger)
1 dash of cayenne powder
I mixed this up and poured it over 3 medium sized pork chops and let them simmer on low for just a few minutes before serving. In the future, I will make a double batch of the sauce. It had a bit of bite to it and was a delightful with the white rice and veggies.
**The only great downside to hoisin sauce is that it's not gluten free. :-P
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