A Long Post for New Year's Eve

Today has been a quiet day around here. We had a pajama day with a few exceptions...the children got dressed to go play outside with Jasper this afternoon and I went to a funeral. Sid was really the only one who managed to stay in his pj's all day. Anyhoo, as 2008 winds down, my family is snug as a bug in a rug with a fire going in the fireplace and the Muppet Show on TV. We'll probably all be in bed before midnight and I'm okay with that.

Today I've been reading the blogs I enjoy and seeing the different ways people are wrapping up a year's worth of posts. I wanted to do something clever and I might tackle that in another day or two. What I want to share tonight, however, is something I found in a stack of papers on our office desk (yes, I'm finally slogging through the office and organizing it and it's only taken me six months to get to it). As I read it, I thought to myself "Now this is what I want for 2009." I hope it speaks to you as well. May you enjoy all the blessings 2009 will bring!

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desiderata

Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and ignorant; they too have their story. Avoid loud and aggressive persons; they are vexatious to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter, for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time. Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment, it is as perennial as the grass. Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore, be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be. And whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul. With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

(Copyright 1927 by Max Ehrmann)

Trader Tuesdays - Chips and Dip with a Twist

This is a really neat recipe that can be used for either an appetizer or light dessert!

Apple Berry Salsa & Cinnamon Chips

2 medium Granny Smith apples
1 pint strawberries, diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
2 kiwi, peeled and diced
1 small orange
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar (I use Splenda)
2 tablespoons apple jelly or apricot jam


Peel, core, and coarsely chop apples. Dice strawberries and kiwi. Put in bowl. Zest orange to measure 1 teaspoon. Juice orange to measure 2 tablespoons juice. Add orange zest, juice, brown sugar and jelly to fruit mixture and mix gently. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Serve with baked cinnamon chips: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly spray 8 (7 inch) tortillas with water. Combine 1 tablespoon sugar and 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar evenly over tortillas. Cut each tortilla into eight wedges and bake at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned and crisp. Cool completely. Yields 64 chips.

*Sometimes I use already prepared cinnamon pita chips instead of making my own. They work just as well without the fuss, although making the tortilla chips is a fun parent/child activity.

Goodnight Prayer

Emily's goodnight prayer tonight went as follows...

"Dear God, thank you for parents and fruits and vegetables. Because I would be an orphan without parents and fruits and vegetables make me healthy. Amen."

Picture Sunday

Here's a sleeping Jasper, who really should be named "Spoiled Rotten" because he is just that! The red harness is his Christmas present...he's a little easier to walk with this instead of a traditional collar. He's also a little easier after living here for a week. He recognizes some basic commands like "Sit" and "Down" and "Come here." We're working on "Stay" but I think that's going to take a LOT of practice!


Keith (a.k.a. Pirate) got this pirate hat at a friend's house last night. He's been wearing it ever since and refers to himself in the 3rd person as "Pirate." Here are a few examples:

"Pirate needs to go potty."
"Pirate not hungry."
"Pirate want chocolate."
"Pirate take bath."

It's hilarious.

Sid and Emily on Christmas Eve before we headed out the door to church. It was 80 degrees hence the Hawaiian celebratory Christmas shirt on Sid.

Tonight I was in the kitchen cooking dinner. Emily was passing through and Jasper was following her. As I turned back to the sink, I stumbled over Jasper and fell to the floor. I banged up my arm on the counter on my way down and it knocked the breath out of me, but I was fine. Sid came running into the kitchen to check on me...

Sid: "What happened?"

Me: "I'm okay. I'm okay."

Emily: "Mommy tripped over Jasper."

Me: "I'm fine. I just hit my arm."

Emily: "Well, at least Jasper wasn't hurt."

It feels good to be loved. :)

Friday Five

MaryBeth brings us today's Friday Five from RevGals...

It's Boxing Day!

Whatever that may mean to you, I invite you on this day to simply share five things that today, December 26th, will bring for you.

(1) Shopping! My new camera needs a memory stick for photos so I'll be venturing out to the mall in a little while.

(2) Girl's Day! Emily got a Build-a-Bear gift card from her Oma. So Aunt Shannon, Oma (Aunt Shannon's mother), and I are going to have some girl time this afternoon. Emily's been awfully clingy the last couple of days...usually a signal that it's time for a girl's day with my undivided attention.

(3) Travel! We came up north to Aunt Shannon's and UnclePaul's yesterday afternoon and spent the night. It has been so nice to just laze around, watch TV/movies, visit, play. I even got to sleep a little later than usual this morning. We'll head home later this afternoon where I have laundry and vacuuming on the agenda.

(4) Leftovers! Our Christmas dinner with Uncle Paul and Aunt Shannon was very unconventional...Paul cooked the best burgers ever and fries on the grill. There's a burger with my name on it in the fridge for later. :)

(5) Cleaning and sorting and organizing! My project for the next few days is the home office. It WILL be ready for the new year. I think I'm going to just look at it tonight, though, and decide how best to proceed first thing in the morning.

Hope you all had a very Merry Christmas!

A Picture Is Worth Five Blinds

So Jasper was left unattended today for about two hours. During that time, he shredded the window blinds on five windows. At least he didn't poop on the floor, right?!

Trader Tuesday - Feeds 10-12!

This Italian Chicken recipe makes a whole lotta food. It's great for feeding a crowd!



*Note: The original recipe calls for one 3lb chicken boiled in enough seasoned water to make 1 quart of stock. Because I'm all about taking the easy way, I cook chicken breasts in the crock pot during the day and then use that chicken and broth for the recipe in the evening.

Italian Chicken

3 lb cooked chicken + 1 quart of stock (to be used for cooking pasta)

2 tablespoons oil or bacon drippings

4 ribs diced celery

2 white onions, chopped

3 bunches green onions, chopped

1 bell pepper, chopped

2 small cloves of garlic, minced

2 small cans chopped ripe olives, drained

2 large cans chopped mushrooms, NOT drained

salt & pepper to taste

1 tablespoon chili powder (optional)

juice of 1/2 lemon

1 12oz package egg noodles *cooked in chicken stock*

1 can tomato paste

1 lb sharp cheddar cheese, grated

Saute celery, onions, green pepper, and garlic in hot oil until clear and limp. Add olives, mushrooms, and seasonings. Combine with cooked chicken, cooked noodles, tomato paste, and grated cheese. Pour mixture into a 9x13 (or larger) dish. Bake 45-minutes at 350 degrees.

This can be prepared the day before serving and reheated.

Puppy Love

Apologies for the poor quality cellphone picture...better pictures coming after I get my new camera (sing-songy voice!).

This is Jasper.


Jasper, our new weimeraner, arrived on Friday. Although he won't be one-year old until January, he is about 60lb (by our estimations before the first vet visit tomorrow). He's a beautiful silver brownish color. And in true puppy style, Jasper is all legs and awkward and STRONG - he took me for a walk/run around the block yesterday!

Technically, Jasper is Emily's dog. She's been asking for a dog for quite a while. Sid and I kept putting her off...we needed to be in a home of our own, we needed to have a fenced-in back yard, Sid needed to finish training. Check, check, and check. So when Sid's sister called about two weeks ago and said she had gotten a call from the Clarksdale animal shelter (Alice is their number one customer and advocate -- she has six cats, four (?) dogs, and a couple of goats) to say they had a weimeraner that needed a good home, we agreed the time was right. Emily has been very good about feeding, playing, and walking with her new puppy.

Now, I say "technically, Jasper is Emily's dog" because Jasper and I have become fast friends. Sid accused me of having a crush on Emily's dog and he's right...I love me some Jasper! Miti, on the other hand, does NOT love Jasper, who has been very interested in her. At their first meeting, she stood up on her back paws and swatted him across the nose and hissed. Jasper looked a little confused at first and since then has been pretty good about keeping a wide berth between them. However, if he just happens to pass through a room where Queen Miti is sitting, she hisses at him. This morning, Sid said Miti was stalking Jasper through the kitchen. I don't believe him...not my sweet fourteen-year old kitten!

Anyways, now our home is complete...we have one girl child and one boy child, one cat and one dog. We're done!

1st Corinthians 13 - the Christmas one

A Christmas Version of 1st Corinthians 13

If I decorate my house perfectly with plaid bows, strands of twinkling lights and shiny balls, but do not show love to my family, I'm just another decorator.

If I slave away in the kitchen, baking dozens of Christmas cookies, preparing gourmet meals and arranging a beautifully adorned table at mealtime, but do not share the true meaning of Christmas, I'm just another cook.

If I work at the soup kitchen, carol in the nursing home and give all that I have to charity, but do not demonstrate kindness to strangers, it profits me nothing.

If I trim the spruce with shimmering angels and snowflakes, attend a myriad of holiday parties and sing in the choir but do not focus on Christ, I have missed the point.

Love stops the cooking to hug the child. Love sets aside the decorating to kiss the husband. Love is kind, though harried and tired. Love doesn't envy another's home that has coordinated Christmas china and table linens. Love doesn't yell at the kids to get out of the way, but is thankful they are there to be in the way. Love doesn't give only to those who are able to give in return but rejoices in giving to those who can't.

Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things. Love never fails. Video games will break, pearl necklaces will be lost, golf clubs will rust, but giving the gift of love will endure.

"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."


(Author Unknown)

Friday Five - Countdown to Christmas

Songbird extends this invitation over at RevGals for this week's Friday Five:


It's true.


There are only five full days before Christmas Day, and whether you use them for shopping, wrapping, preaching, worshiping, singing or traveling or even wishing the whole darn thing were over last Tuesday, there's a good chance they will be busy ones.


So let's make this easy, if we can: tell us five things you need to accomplish before Christmas Eve.


(1) wrap presents -- we have everything but nothing is wrapped...and I prefer wrapping paper to gift bags!



(2) complete the application paperwork to take my prevention specialist certification exam next Spring -- I've just been putting it off and playing on facebook instead.



(3) decorate the house -- Sid and I are pathetic in that there are minimal Christmas decorations around our house...Keith hasn't noticed and Emily doesn't seem to care. What kind of parents are we??



(4) practice "Sweet Little Jesus Boy" -- I'm singing it during the 10:00p.m. Christmas Eve worship service



(5) get Sid's third present -- everybody gets three presents because it was good enough for Jesus, it's good enough for us!



*******************************************************************


Josh comes home today! He's on leave for two weeks and then goes back to Fort Sam Houston to continue his training. We're pretty excited about seeing him.

Yay! and...

Boo! It is 80 degrees here right now. I'm in short sleeves, capris, and flip-flops. It's just wrong!

Semi-good phone pictures because I don't have a camera

The Christmas program at Keith's school was Tuesday. I'm still without a camera so I borrowed one from the office, which turned out to be a piece of crap. The following pictures were taken with my phone:




Isn't he just the cutest bug? All the children wore Santa hats to sing in the program. All the children except Keith. At least he was agreeable to wearing a red shirt.


Have I told you about my camera accident? I was at the Reading is Fundamental book distribution about two weeks ago, walking around with my camera in my pocket so I could get some candid shots of the children selecting their books. I tripped...over my own two feet...and fell into one of the display tables. Luckily (insert sarcastic tone), the camera in my pocket took the brunt of the fall instead of my hip. Totally broke the lens. Ugh. I have been most distraught about it because I like to take pictures and I'm missing out on some good stuff that the camera on the phone just can't capture. However, I had this conversation with Sid a few days ago:


Me (agitated sigh): "Gah!! I've GOT to get a new camera. I NEED one NOOOOOOOW. (visualize whining and infantile stomping of foot) Please? Can we go get one now?"


Sid: "If you would just wait until Christmas and shut-up about it, you just might get one."


Me: "Score!"


Oh, and while I'm on conversations? Here's one with Emily that Sid and I had a few days ago that still makes us shake our head and wonder if we're smarter than a 6-year old:


Sid (teasing me about something that I can't remember): "That's because you're a kleptomaniac."


Emily: "Daddy, that's not true!"


Sid: "Do you even know what kleptomaniac means?"


Emily: "It's a person who habitually steals."


TOTAL silence in the car while Sid and I look at each other and mouth the words "Holy Sh!t!" Not only did Emily know what "kleptomaniac" means, she used the word "habitually." That's not even a word that I use in my regular vocabulary and I'm almost 40! At that moment? I would not have won the "Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader?" game because I had just gotten stumped by a 6-year old.

Okay...this is funny. Go read it. Now. And giggle.

Company Christmas Party

The husband sends this out every year. And every year it's FUNNY!

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December 1st
TO: ALL EMPLOYEES

I'm happy to inform you that the company Christmas Party will take place on December 23rd at Luigi's Open Pit Barbecue. There will be lots of spiked eggnog and a small band playing traditional carols...feel free to sing along. And don't be surprised if our CEO shows up dressed as Santa Claus to light the Christmas tree! Exchange of gifts among employees can be done at that time; however, no gift should be over $10. Merry Christmas to you and your family.

Patty Lewis
Human Resources Director
______________________________________________________________________________
December 2nd
TO: ALL EMPLOYEES

In no way was yesterday's memo intended to exclude our Jewish employees. We recognize that Hanukkah is an important holiday that often coincides with Christmas (though unfortunately not this year). However, from now on we're calling it our "Holiday Party." The same policy applies to employees who are celebrating Kwanzaa at this time. There will be no Christmas tree and no Christmas carols sung. Happy Holidays to you and your family.

Patty Lewis
Human Resources Director
_______________________________________________________________________________
December 3rd
TO: ALL EMPLOYEES

Regarding the anonymous note I received from a member of Alcoholics Anonymous requesting a non-drinking table, I'm happy to accommodate this request, but, don't forget, if I put a sign on the table that reads, "AA Only," you won't be anonymous anymore. In addition, forget about the gifts exchange-no gifts will be allowed since the union members feel that $10 is too much money.

Patty Lewis
Human Researchers Director
_______________________________________________________________________________ December 7th
TO: ALL EMPLOYEES

I've arranged for members of Overeaters Anonymous to sit farthest from the dessert buffet and pregnant women closest to the restrooms. Gays are allowed to sit with each other. Lesbians do not have to sit with the gay men; each will have their table. Yes, there will be a flower arrangement for the gay men's table. Happy now?

Patty Lewis
Human Racehorses Director
_____________________________________________________________________________
December 9th
TO: ALL EMPLOYEES

People, people-nothing sinister was intended by wanting our CEO to play Santa Claus! Even if the anagram of "Santa" does happen to be "Satan," there is no evil connotation to our own "little man in a red suit."

Patty Lewis
Human Rat Races
______________________________________________________________________________
December 10th
TO: ALL EMPLOYEES

Vegetarians-I've had it with you people!! We're going to hold this party at Luigi's Open Pit whether you like it or not, you can just sit at the table farthest from the "grill of death," as you put it, and you'll get salad bar only, including hydroponic tomatoes. But, you know, tomatoes have feelings,too. They scream when you slice them. I've heard them scream. I'm hearing them right now... Ha! I hope you all have a rotten holiday! Drive drunk and die, you hear me?

The Bitch from Hell
_____________________________________________________________________________
December 14th
TO: ALL EMPLOYEES

I'm sure I speak for all of us in wishing Patty Lewis a speedy recovery from her stress-related illness. I'll continue to forward your cards to her at the sanitarium. In the meantime, management has decided to cancel our Holiday Party and give everyone the afternoon of the 23rd off with full pay. Happy Holidays!

Terri Bishop
Acting Human Resources Director

Trader Tuesdays - Appetizer! It's what we eat before we eat!

Oh my goodness, Friends...this dish is soooooooo gooooooood! It's a new recipe to me so I did a trial run of it over the weekend. It was gone by Monday morning and I'm pretty sure I ate most of it. I'm taking it to a party tonight and anticipating bringing home an empty plate.

Sausage Squares

1 lb sausage (mild or spicy, whatever you like)
1 pkg cream cheese
2 pkg crescent rolls

Brown sausage. Drain and mix with cream cheese. Spread one package of crescent rolls on the bottom of a 9x13 dish. Spread sausage mixture on top. Cover with the second package of crescent rolls. Bake at 350 degrees or until lightly browned. Cut into squares.

Note: This is NOT a low-fat dish. Do not try with low-fat or fat-free cream cheese because...yuck.

And It's Monday Again

Greetings! This is just a plain old Monday post...nothing very exciting going on right now.

Today I am finishing up backpacks for the students at one of the local elementary schools. My agency and my church work together to provide two backpacks, one male and one female, for each classroom. The teachers use them as incentives and give them to children in their classroom at their discretion. It may go to the child who has shown the most improvement or had perfect attendance (which, surprisingly, is not easy to find anymore) or went the extra mile on a project, etc. The backpacks have been filled with books, games, pencils/paper, healthy snacks, key chains, etc. A total of 48 backpacks will be loaded up into my car and delivered later this afternoon.

On my way to work this morning, I ended up behind a tricked-out hunting truck with a bumper sticker that had the Rebel flag on it and said "Why apologize for being white?" The driver had a mullet. As I was passing him, I noticed a stand on the side of the road with signs indicating they had PedEggs and stun guns for sale. Quite an irresistible combination right there, huh? If you throw in the Griswold-esque Christmas light display at the house down the street, you've got a regular redneck jungle around here!

Temperatures around here for this week are supposed to range from 75-80 degrees during the day. Today's high is targeted at 77. Next Sunday? The high will be 54 degrees. Once again, I find myself standing in front of a closet full of clothes with nothing to wear.

My new addiction is the myFarm application on facebook. I heart it.

Could this post be any more boring? I submit it could not. If you're still awake after reading this, thanks for stopping by! And come back tomorrow...I've got a GREAT recipe on deck for Trader Tuesday!

This Makes Me Laugh Every Single Time

Check out the husband's blog for this -- he starts reciting it around the house right about this time of year. Enjoy!

Friday Five: Windows of the Soul

This week's RevGals Friday Five is posted by Sophia:

This Friday Five is inspired by my husband's Lasik surgery yesterday....He'd been contemplating it for a while and was pushed over the edge by the fact that we put too much money in our healthcare spending account this year and it would have been gone anyway. (There was only enough for one eye, but the kind people at the eye clinic figured out a way to divvy up the charges between surgery and followup in January=next year's spending account). So please say a little prayer for his safe recovery and share with us your thoughts on eyes and vision.



1. What color are your beautiful eyes? Did you inherit them from or pass them on to anyone in your family?

My eyes are a dark blue. I've been told I have my Aunt Emily's eyes, which really pleases me because I loved her so! Both Emily and Keith have my blue eyes although their eyes seem to be a lighter blue.


2. What color eyes would you choose if you could change them?

I've always thought hazel eyes were pretty and mysterious.


3. Do you wear glasses or contacts? What kind? Like 'em or hate 'em?

I wear both glasses and contacts. Contacts most all the time because I am vain! I wear the daily lens and like them just fine. I'll wear my glasses if I have to, but they are so thick it makes me self-conscious. Sid jokingly called the "the Hubble" one time and the name stuck. Now we joke about NASA calling because my lens interfere with their satellite communications! Seriously, I am a -10.00 in both eyes!


4. Ever had, or contemplated, laser surgery? Happy with the results?

About seven years ago, we saved up for me to have LASIK. It ended up I wasn't a candidate because my cornea was too thin. The doctor actually told us to take the money and go on a cruise!

Ironically, I made the LASIK assessment appointment for Sid this morning. He needs to have the procedure done at least six months before deployment. It's his Christmas present! (and he knows about it so I'm not spoiling the surprise here)


5. Do you like to look people in the eye, or are you more eye-shy?

Definitely like to look people in the eye. And I like to be looked in the eye when someone is speaking to me.


Bonus question: Share a poem, song, or prayer that relates to eyes and seeing.

BE THOU MY VISION is one of my most favorite hymns!

Sigh...The Week of Meh

I have felt so flat this week. It's the only way I know how to describe the way that I've just been going through the motions every day. That's the best excuse I have right now for my lazy blogging style this week.

So it snowed today in South MS. And by "snow" I mean "icy rain that melted as soon as it hit the pavement and turned to slush but it was enough to cancel school" kind of snow. Yep, no school. HOWEVER, because the roads were clear, I had to go to work. I even called my boss and asked what the protocol was for inclement weather since school was closed for the kids. Apparently, the protocol is that you take a personal day because the office was going to be open. Gah!

Does this look like the face of a child who does not believe in Santa Claus? Well, it is. Some yahoo at the YMCA told Emily there was no Santa Claus. When she told me and Sid, we started to talk about believing in Santa, the spirit of giving, blah, blah, blah. Her response? "Well, I had kind of already figured it out. It's okay." That was the most disconcerting part right there...no fuss, no hysterics, just a matter-of-fact attitude. She even seemed to be pleased to be in on the "secret" and promised not to say anything to her brother. It just doesn't seem right.

It's Not Plagiarism When You Give The Person Credit

You must watch this clip over at my friend Maureen's blog.

Hi-larious!

Trader Tuesdays -- Skillet Spaghetti

We eat a lot of spaghetti around here...it's one of the few meals that all of us can agree on! I'm usually on the lookout for variations on traditional spaghetti. I found the following recipe on the back of a can of Del Monte spaghetti sauce. I bought the can, used the recipe and the sauce for dinner one night last week. It was different enough to satisfy me and still spaghetti-like enough to satisfy everyone else at the table. It's a winner!

Skillet Spaghetti

1 lb ground beef (can also use ground turkey or ground sausage)

1 cup chopped green pepper

8 oz uncooked spaghetti noodles, broken in thirds

1 can or jar (26 1/2 oz) of spaghetti sauce

2 cups water

Brown ground beef in skillet until browned. Drain. Add green pepper, noodles, 2 cups water and spaghetti sauce. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until spaghetti is cooked. Serve garnished with Parmesan cheese.

(Yields 4-6 servings)

Picture Saturday

Our new house has a genuine fireplace! We even bought fire wood last week and have it stacked in the carport. Sid has been making fire all week, but this morning I started my first fire. Pretty cool, huh?


Miti, the girl cat, in her latest favorite daytime sleeping spot...on top of the cable box.

Miti, the girl cat, in her favorite nighttime sleeping spot...my pillow right above my head.

Friday Five

Sally over at RevGals brings us this week's Friday Five:

"Imagine a complex, multi-cultural society that annually holds an elaborate winter festival, one that lasts not simply a few days, but several weeks. This great festival celebrates the birth of the Lord and Saviour of the world, the prince of peace, a man who is divine. People mark the festival with great abundance- feasting, drinking and gift giving....." (Richard Horsley- The Liberation of Christmas)


The passage goes on, recounting the decorations that are hung, and the songs and dances that accompany the festival, how the economy booms and philanthropic acts abound....

But this is not Christmas- this is a Roman festival in celebration of the Emperor....This is the world that Jesus was born into! The world where the early Christians would ask "Who is your Saviour the Emperor or Christ?"


And yet our shops and stores and often our lives are caught up in a world that looks very much like the one of ancient Rome, where we worship at the shrine of consumerism....

Advent on the other hand calls us into the darkness, a time of quiet preparation, a time of waiting, and re-discovering the wonder of the knowledge that God is with us. Advent's call is to simplicity and not abundance, a time when we wait for glorious light of God to come again...

Christ is with us at this time of advent, in the darkness, and Christ is coming with his light- not the light of the shopping centre, but the light of love and truth and beauty.


What do you long for this advent? What are your hopes and dreams for the future? What is your prayer today?

In the vein of simplicity I ask you to list five advent longings...

(1) I long to completely appreciate my life for the good life that it is...I have a husband who is too good to me, happy and healthy children, a job I really enjoy, reasonably good health, friends...the list is long. And yet? there are times when it just doesn't seem to be enough. I want it to be enough.

(2) I long to be able to let go of the shame of being let go from a job and the fear of the church that resulted. Feeling safe in church again would be such a blessing.

(3) I long to be the kind of mother my children are proud to have...one who is mentally, emotionally, and physically fit.

(4) I long for genuine relationships rather than friendships based on status. Why is it always about who you know?

(5) I long for complete obedience and humility to follow God's leading...even when it's out of my comfort zone or impossibly out of my reach or undesirable.

**********

That was my serious list. Now, because I am only human, here are my super materialistic longings...

(1) a vacuum cleaner

(2) a manicure

(3) a state-of-the-art kitchen

(4) a personal trainer

(5) a maid

Picture Thursday - Thanksgiving Edition

Thanksgiving was lots of fun! We went non-traditional and had steak and shrimp...it was FABULOUS. Like most holidays, we spent it with our best friends, who are also the children's godparents, Paul and Shannon.

There was the stealing of Keith's sugar.

There was also the holding on to Uncle Paul's head for stability up in the tree.

Here's the fearless one high up in the tree...I think this is my current favorite Emily picture.

And there was plenty of time for some of this...

Trader Tuesdays: Apple-Cranberry Crisp

Okay...okay...I know I haven't been around the last few days. Here's my dessert recipe for today. Tomorrow will be back to normal...or as normal as it gets around here!

Apple-Cranberry Crisp

4 medium Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced

1 tablespoon lemon juice

3 tablespoons sugar (I use Splenda)

1/2 cups dried cranberries (these are also good on oatmeal...I'm just sayin')

1 cup uncooked old fashioned oats

2 tablespoons brown sugar (I use Splenda brown sugar)

2 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine apples, lemon juice and sugar; toss to combine. Place apple mixture in bottom of a 9-inch pie plate. Sprinkle cranberries over the top and set aside.

In another bowl, combine oats, brown sugar, butter and cinnamon. Mix with a fork or your fingers (the cook's best tool, as Ina Garten the Barefoot Contessa, always says) until mixture is combined and crumbly. Sprinkle crumb mixture over apple mixture.

Bake until filling is bubbly and top is golden brown, about 50-55 minutes. Yields about 6 servings.

Oh, yeah...ice cream is really good on this! :)