Adventist Homemaker

What's On My Nightstand?

2012-01-24T19:30:00.004-07:00

My internet availability this week has been intermittent. Hubby says it's a miracle that my internet is working at all, that there is no reason why it works, and that it will probably disappear at any time. In the meantime, I'm grateful for the chance to write a blog post and join in on this month's Nightstand.

For the month of January, I challenged myself to read nothing but the Bible. So far I've stuck to that challenge! I wrote about week 1 and week 2 already.

In total, I've read:

Judges 12-21
Ruth
1 Samuel
2 Samuel
1 Kings
2 Kings
1 Chronicles
2 Chronicles 1-33

By the end of the month, I hope to finish 2 Chronicles and then read Ezra and Nehemiah.

I am very excited to dive back into fiction and nonfiction books during February. I've visited the library several times to pick up movies and some study materials for my husband. While there, I had way too much fun browsing the stacks. I brought home way more books than I could ever hope to read in a month! Here is my priority list...

December 1941: 31 Days that Changed America and Saved the World by Craig Shirley - A review copy. I wasn't able to read it in December and need to review it soon.

Everyday Life in Traditional Japan - I've had this book on my list for months but haven't finished it. I'm about halfway done and need to just buckle up and finish the rest.

Dry As Rain by Gina Holmes - I loved her first book and was excited when I found out another had been published. I put this book on hold at my library when they ordered it and I will be the first person to read it!

A Walk Across by the Sun by Corban Addison - This book was promoted in a recent Goodreads newsletter and sounds really intense. It's not my normal genre, but I'm looking forward to seeing why people are raving about it.

Happy February reading!

Leave of Absence

2012-01-17T12:41:00.002-07:00

This morning my laptop's network card died. Sadly, it was a very sudden and unexpected death. The timing of things is very interesting.

Last week - my husband's desktop died (4 years old)
This week - my laptop's network card died (5 years old)
Ongoing - my cell phone is freezing up and I expect it to die at any time (3 years old)
Ongoing - our tv display is slowly dying, pixel by pixel (20 years old)

We still have a number of computers around the house, since my husband is an IT guy and seems to collect these things. I have a Dell Mini and an HP Tablet, but neither of them are my primary workhorse. My husband still has his work laptop, which is good because otherwise he wouldn't be able to work from home anymore.

We really, really want to replace some of the dying electronics. We shopped around for a television and blu-ray player at Christmas but decided to wait until we paid off our last credit card. Then the computers started dying. We wavered a bit on replacing them but decided that we are going to remain faithful to our financial plan of paying off the last credit card. Lord willing, provided the dentist appointment next week is routine, we should send in our last credit card payment in six weeks.

I am very excited that we are so close to being out of credit card debt! I am also mourning the loss of my primary laptop. The two emotions are conflicting but the desire to be out of debt is stronger.

However... I will be posting very little until I am able to replace my laptop. I love the Dell Mini's size, but it is a pain to type on. I have lost access to my RSS feeds and thus will not be able to keep up with everyone's posts. Productivity around the house should be very high without ready internet access and without the distraction of fiction books!

I'll be back as soon as I can. Until then, stay safe and have a wonderful January!
~Cassandra

Bible Alone - Week 2

2012-01-14T14:13:00.002-07:00

I have remained faithful to my challenge of reading nothing but the Bible for 30 days. Earlier this week, though, I visited the library to pick up a few books for my sick husband. While I was there, I also picked up several books for me to read once February starts. If I had enough time, I would have curled up in the stacks with a library Bible and read for awhile. It's such a peaceful place!

Since last week, I've read:
2 Samuel 5-24
1 Kings
2 Kings 1-4

I've picked up on a few things this week. My biggest realization is that God doesn't fit into the box we like to cram Him into. Two specific stories made me pause and take notice.

The background: King Ahab (an evil king) was told by a prophet of God to soundly defeat the Syrians. Instead of killing the Syrian king like he should have, Ahab made a treaty with Syria and allowed the king to live.

The first story that made me take notice: 1 Kings 20:35-42. Here we have a prophet of God who instructed another man to strike him, but the man refused. The prophet told the man that he had disobeyed God's orders and that the man would immediately be killed by a lion. It happened. Then, the prophet of God, disguised, visits King Ahab and lies to him about a scene on a battlefield. King Ahab believes the story and condemns himself by ordering judgment on the disguised prophet. The prophet reveals his identity and passes on Ahab's judgment from God, the same judgment that Ahab had decreed on the prophet.

Why did this story strike me? First - The prophet of God ordered another man to hit him and pronounced a judgment when the man didn't comply. That is difficult to comprehend as I cannot picture someone today believing that God would order a man to hit another man. Second - The prophet of God went to King Ahab and lied in order to pronounce judgment on Ahab. God was behind all of this! It's not the way we would expect God to act unless we are open to God working in mysterious ways.

The second story that made me take notice: 1 Kings 22:19-23. In this passage, God's prophet Micaiah is telling King Ahab about a vision he had that took place at God's throne. God asks the host of heaven who will persuade Ahab to go into battle so that he will fall. Several voices make suggestions and then a spirit comes forward. This spirit tells God that he will be a lying spirit in the mouth of Ahab's prophets (those that only told Ahab what he wanted to hear). God said that this plan will work and sends the lying spirit to speak through the false prophets.

Why did this story strike me? Well, is this a literal story or was Micaiah using an illustration? Does God send lying spirits to deceive people so that His plans will be fulfilled? I believe this is a supported possibility and one that we have to be open to. It doesn't fit the traditional picture of God! I was taught that God is loving, kind. While this is true, there is more to God than these attributes. The stories illustrate this but we have to be open to God being more than just a loving Father. Sometimes He does things we don't understand or that go against the character that we believe He possesses.

I am looking forward to reading more. I pray that God will keep my heart open to receiving the truth about Him, not just reinforce preconceived ideas. God is bigger than we think.

Scripture Memorization - How I do it

2012-01-12T20:09:00.012-07:00

Mara Wildflower asked me last week how I go about memorizing my Scripture texts. I actually use the same flashcard program that I use for my Japanese studies. It took me awhile to realize that the program would work great for memorizing Scripture because I'm not used to thinking outside the box. HA!

Anki is a free program that is used as a substitute for physical flashcards. The program uses SRS, a Spaced Repetition System. This is a fancy way of saying the algorithm determines when you are about ready to forget the information on the card. As soon as you've almost forgotten, the program tells you it's time to review again. Studies have shown that this is the best method for inserting information into long term memory.

Joshua 1:9 flashcard - front
(Ignore that the card was due in three days. I didn't have any current cards and wanted to get this post up tonight.) This card is testing the section in blue that displays as [...]. When I think I know what part of the text is missing, I click "Show Answer." I have created one flashcard for each line in the Scripture, plus another flashcard testing the book, chapter, and verse where the text is found.

Joshua 1:9 flashcard - front and back
Now the answer is displayed in blue on the bottom card. Here I can choose several options - again (fail), hard, good, easy. I choose how difficult it was to recall the answer on the flashcard. Then, Anki uses the SRS algorithm to determine when I should study that card again.

My Anki decks
I'm done with my flashcards today. First thing in the morning, though, this page shows how many flashcards are due in each deck. As you can see, almost all of my decks are for learning Japanese and then there is one deck for memorizing Scripture. The "Due Today" column is how many cards are due that day. The "New Today" column shows how many cards I have not yet studied for the first time.

There are a lot more options within Anki but this is a basic overview of my study methods. Reviewing the Scripture deck only takes a couple minutes each day and I quickly become familiar with each verse that I've entered into the program. It takes longer to completely memorize a text but the program tells me when I need to review. Then each week I add a new verse to the cards and start learning the new text.

Hopefully this helps someone! It's free, it's convenient, and it's easy to use. It's a great way to memorize God's word!

Menu Plan Monday - back in the saddle!

2012-01-09T14:58:00.003-07:00

It has been ages since I've written up a menu plan and even longer since I've posted one. This week we're trying three new recipes, all linked below.

Sunday
Brunch – Oat Waffles
Dinner – Green Bean Casserole, Mashed Potatoes and Gravy, Roasted Mushrooms, Riblets

Monday
Breakfast – Green Smoothies
Lunch – Leftovers
Dinner – Pizza, Broccoli

Tuesday
Breakfast – Green Smoothies
Lunch – Tomato and Avocado Sandwiches, Spanish Yellow Rice
Dinner – Breakfast Burritos

Wednesday
Breakfast – Green Smoothies
Lunch – Salad, Hearty Vegetarian Chili
Dinner – Pasta, Broccoli, and Garlic Bread

Thursday
Breakfast – Green Smoothies
Lunch – Brussels Sprouts and Shiitake Mushroom Soup, Cornbread
Dinner – Sushi, Gyoza, Curry Udon

Friday
Breakfast – Green Smoothies
Lunch – Tomato and Avocado Sandwiches
Dinner – Tamale Pie (Newstart cookbook)

Sabbath
Breakfast – Green Smoothies
Lunch – Leftovers
Dinner – Pizza!

Last night I made roasted mushrooms for the first time. Yum! I wish I had thought to take a picture. I found the recipe on a package of Bella mushrooms. The recipe sounded good so we decided to try it. I couldn't find the fresh herbs needed, so I used dried. Because I changed the recipe (therefore not violating copyright), I'm going to post it here for anyone else who wants to try them.

Roasted Mushrooms

8 oz package of bella mushrooms, mushrooms cut in half
2 Tbls olive oil
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tsp dried rosemary

Preheat oven to 475 degrees.
Mix all ingredients.
Spread on a baking sheet.
Bake for 15 minutes, stirring once after 7.5 minutes.
Enjoy!

This week's memory text - Zephaniah 3:17

2012-01-08T19:39:00.003-07:00

The LORD your God in your midst,
The Mighty One, will save;
He will rejoice over you with gladness,
He will quiet you with His love,
He will rejoice over you with singing
Zephaniah 3:17.

I am really excited about this week's memory text. It is such a beautiful promise! I can't even imagine God, the Almighty One who created heaven and earth, rejoicing over me with singing. What an awesome thought!

Mara Wildflower had asked how I memorize these texts. Later this week I'll post screen shots of my flashcard system. It works great!

Bible Alone - Week 1

2012-01-07T19:19:00.003-07:00

For January's 30 day challenge, I decided that I wanted to spend the entire month reading only the Bible. No other books, whether they be fiction or nonfiction. I was very tempted to allow myself to read books about the Bible but I knew I would end up reading those instead of the Bible. That's not the point of the challenge... I wanted to spend the first month of the year immersing myself in God's word.

In the course of one week, I've read -
Judges 12-21
Ruth
1 Samuel
2 Samuel 1-4

I like this pace of reading. It's not as fast as the Bible in 90 Days, so I don't feel like I'm just skimming. But I am reading fast enough that I'm getting entire stories in one sitting rather than disjointed chapters.

Unfortunately, I've been sick since Tuesday. This has seriously challenged my decision to read no books but the Bible. I have wanted so badly to curl up on the couch with a fluffy and entertaining fiction book. Thankfully, I've kept to my resolve! It has been a blessing this week and I look forward to three more weeks of the challenge.

2012 Resolutions - Homemaking

2012-01-06T13:20:00.003-07:00

This is my last post about resolutions/goals for 2012. Looking over last year's goals, I realized I didn't have any that specifically related to homemaking. I find that hilarious as homemaking is my full time job!

This year's goals

Continuously improve my relationship with my husband

Date Night - Implement a monthly date night.

Have fun working through The Love Dare. I've heard great things about this book!

Read Love and Respect again, taking time to implement some of the counsel. When I read this book the first time, I was amazed at the amount of truth it contained and realized that I definitely need to respect my husband more.

Homemaking Binder - I already have several resources bookmarked to get me started.

Copper's Wife - Keeping House blog posts

Bren's Home Management Binder

Home Sanctuary's Housekeeping Schedules and Daily Home Management

Recipe book - I've already started one, but it's gotten out of control. I think I have 20 loose recipes in the front that haven't been put in protector pages yet. I need to take everything out of the binder, figure out what we actually like, and reorganize the entire thing. Eventually, I also want to type all of the recipes out in OneNote and print them again. Right now I have recipes cut out from magazines, printed from the internet, and copied from cookbooks. It's a mess!

Daily schedule - This is the bane of my existence. I thrive on schedules, plans, and lists. However, my dear hubby works from home most of the time and his work center is set up in our living room. It is nearly impossible for me to stick to a schedule when he makes frequent calls to clients and coworkers. I won't complain because I love him being home! But maybe we need to discuss moving his "office" to our spare bedroom so that I can be more productive without worrying about interrupting his work.

My blog - It needs a major overhaul. I have a new domain set up but I wanted to set up a new blogging template before announcing the change and redirecting the site. Unfortunately, I know next to nothing about blogging templates! I will embrace the challenge and try to come up with something new.

Finances

Pay off our last two credit cards. We paid off one last night and only have two more to go. If no emergencies arise, we will be done paying off credit cards by the end of February!

Save up six months of living expenses as a full emergency fund. Right now we have a baby emergency fund but it needs beefed up.

Start paying off our massive student loan debt. This goal will be around for years.

I really look forward to accomplishing these goals. I fully believe 2012 will be a wonderful year!

2012 Resolutions - Personal

2012-01-05T14:56:00.003-07:00

As I'm writing out my 2012 resolutions, sometimes I wonder if I'm overdoing it. Then I look at the types of goals I'm including and believe it's all doable. Personal goals are on the bottom of the list, though, so if I find myself floundering, it will be something on this list that gets dropped.

Last years goals

Complete my reading challenges - honestly, I have no idea how I did on this. After a couple months, I stopped choosing my books based on reading challenges and instead picked books that struck my interest at the time. I had a lot more fun being flexible with my reading than forcing myself to read specific titles or genres.

Continue learning Japanese. Sub goals:

Read 6 children's books in Japanese - I read one. This was much harder than I anticipated and it took me hours to read just that one book.

Study for 365+ hours total in 2011 - Success! I studied for 400.02 hours total. 11:50 on New Years Eve found me studying my vocab lists to push myself over that 400 hour mark. I am so happy with my total!

Study every single day. Monthly average of one hour/day - Partial success. I did study for an average of one hour/day but it wasn't a monthly success. Some months I only studied 15 hours whereas some I studied 45 hours.

This years goals

Quilting

Participate in the Color Palette Challenge. Choosing fabric is the hardest part of quilting and I think this will help immensely.

Complete a quilt for me. I'm currently finishing up my fourth quilt and each one has been a gift. I really enjoying giving my projects away but I also really want my own quilt to cuddle under while reading a good book.

Japanese

Take and pass the JLPT in December. This exam (Japanese Language Proficiency Exam) is offered once a year and I'm aiming for level N3, which will prove that I have intermediate level reading and listening skills. I am not ready for this exam yet but I have 11 months to prepare.

Start reading materials written for native speakers. Right now, almost all of my reading involves materials written for those learning Japanese. I need to start reading websites, books, articles, etc. that are written by native speakers for native speakers.

Maintain my 1+ hour/day average but with more day to day consistency.

Reading

No specific goals but to continue pushing myself outside of my comfort zone. More nonfiction, more classics, less mediocre fiction.

I have one more area of goals to blog about - homemaking. I'm still working on that list so it will be posted once finished. Overall, I think 2012 is going to be a great year!

2012 Resolutions - Health

2012-01-03T11:20:00.004-07:00

It's funny that I'm writing this post today as I'm sick. Thankfully, it's just a cold and I hope to be feeling better soon.

Last year's goals

Participate in the SOS Kitchen Challenge - failed.

Run a 5k - Success! Not only did I complete three 5k's, I also ran a 4 mile race! In October I ran my fastest 5k, just under 40 minutes.

Learn how to bake - I started this but got derailed over the summer.

This year's goals

Become more fit. This is a vague goal but I have a plan in place. Right now, I am progressing through week 7 (of 13) of the P90X fitness program. Once that program is complete, I am going to focus on my running again, ultimately aiming for a 10k race this fall.

Learn how to bake. One of my 30 day challenges early this year will be baking everything from scratch. I can't wait!

Increase the amount of local and organic produce in our diet. I have access to a lot of local produce and need to start taking advantage of it. Ideally, this will mean early Sunday morning trips to the farmers market.

Watch one documentary and read one book each month on health and wellness. We have a Netflix account and they have many documentaries available to watch online. There are also three libraries within 15 minutes of my house. Between Netflix and the libraries, I have access to plenty of material.

I am happy to say that last year I reached my weight goal, losing a total of 67 pounds. I know that weight alone is not an indicator of good health and I am hoping to improve both my fitness levels and my nutrition this year. Having better health will also allow me to be a better witness for God as it will improve mental clarity and honor my Creator.

I beseech you therefore, brethren,
by the mercies of God,
that you present your bodies a living sacrifice,
holy, acceptable to God,
which is your reasonable service
Romans 12:1

2012 Resolutions - Spiritual

2012-01-01T18:19:00.005-07:00

I love New Years. I love that we are gifted, all at once!, with a brand new year, month, week, and day. What a clean slate! I have a few goals in mind for this year, some specific and some general. I thought I'd separate each aspect of my life into individual posts and detail some of my hopes and plans. Of course, this is all dependent on the Lord's will. As James 4:15 says, "you ought to say, 'If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.'"

Last year's goals

Study Genesis in depth - this goal was mostly met. I read all of Genesis in multiple translations but only completed the in-depth study on the first half.

Keep reading the Bible every single morning - success! I think I only missed 3 or 4 days all year. This morning time with God is vital.

Start a prayer journal - failed. Completely.

This year's goals

Start a prayer journal. I really need to put a priority on this as I think it will make a huge difference in my prayer life.

Memorize 52 verses. I want to memorize 52 different verses of Scripture this year, one each week. That is a doable goal, one that I only need to commit myself to.

Increase the amount of time I spend reading the Bible every morning. Most mornings, I read two chapters. This only takes 10 minutes or so. I need to read more each morning and spend more time contemplating God's word.

image courtesy of stockvault
My 30 day challenge this month relates to this last goal. I have committed to starting the year off with God's word, reading nothing but God's word. For the next 30 days, the Bible will be my only book. I really enjoyed my month of nonfiction last month, but I want to spend more time with God. When I start looking around the house for a book to read while I have a few minutes of downtime, I will pick up the Bible. When I read before going to sleep, I will pick up the Bible. I think this challenge will be both difficult and rewarding.

As today is Sunday, it's time to pick the verse I'll be memorizing this week.

Behold, God is my salvation,
I will trust and not be afraid;
for the LORD GOD is my strength and song
Isaiah 12:2

What are your spiritual goals for 2012?

Happy New Year!!

2012-01-01T00:01:00.001-07:00

Happy New Year, everyone!!

May we each follow God this year, wherever He might lead. God is good!

The Girlfriends Guidebook - a book review

2011-12-30T14:39:00.005-07:00

I was contacted about reviewing a new book by Marian Jordan titled The Girlfriends Guidebook, a book about "navigating female friendships." Since I got married, I haven't really maintained any female friendships. I did make and have kept several friends that were introduced through my husband. However, I don't currently have any close female friends. I was hoping this book would help with that.

I love the warning that is issued at the beginning of the book. In the introduction, the author warns that you should "please read this book for yourself... not for your girlfriends!" (2). It's too easy to read advice about any aspect of life and want to apply it to others. However, advice should first be applied to ourselves!

The goal of this book is to "examine friendship from the perspective of God's Word" (22). Looking over the book, it does fulfill that stated purpose. The Girlfriends Guidebook examines friendship and uses lots of Scripture texts to show what qualities a woman should provide in a friendship and what qualities to look for in a friend. Jordan states three reasons for friendship - companionship, sanctification, and service. She outlines each of these purposes and shows how these purposes are illustrated in Scripture. I thought each purpose was well illustrated and supported.

I think my favorite quote in the book is in chapter three. It states that "if the cry of our hearts for love and acceptance is not first realized in a relationship with Jesus Christ, then great disappointment awaits any woman who believes she'll find it in a friendship" (48). I think this quote is applicable to any aspect of life. If we do not have a relationship with Jesus Christ, we will be disappointed in anything we try to secure love and acceptance from.

After reading the book, I was left with one question - are girlfriends necessary to a married woman? Is there something that a close female friendship provides that a spouse does not? My husband is my best friend. Would developing a bosom female friendship provide something that I cannot or should not seek from my husband? I'm not sure.

Overall, I thought this was a very solid book. The tone is a bit girly for my taste, referring to Sex and the City, shopping, and boys. I'm not quite that girly and couldn't really relate to some of the author's illustrations but the book still resonated with me.

Thank you, PR by the Book and B&H, for allowing me to read and review this book. It was provided to me free of charge in exchange for my honest opinion.

For another interesting review of this book, please visit Reading to Know.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T18:09:00.002-07:00

“Behold,
the virgin shall be with child,
and bear a Son,
and they shall call His name Immanuel,”
which is translated,
God with us
Matthew 1:23.

My favorite Christmas song:

Plans? What plans?

2011-12-20T22:18:00.003-07:00

I had plans for this week. HA! They have been completely thrown out the window. There are a few things I still want to do this week but we'll see how much actually gets accomplished. Supposedly, my hubby will be working at a client all day on Friday so I should be able to be very productive.

Tonight... we are doing something crazy. We are going to the midnight showing of The Adventures of Tintin! Then, first thing tomorrow morning, we are doing a 90 minute yoga session. I'm sure we could have timed these two events better, but tonight is the theatre release and my husband has been looking forward to it for months. He grew up reading the Tintin comics and was really excited when he found out they were making a movie.

I hope I'm able to achieve some level of coherency tomorrow! I'm sure we'll be tired but it's worth it to make my hubby so happy!

This week's memory text - Joshua

2011-12-18T21:40:00.004-07:00

Last week flew by like a whirlwind. I'm way behind on last week's memory text but I'm adding another for this week. There's no reason I can't learn two!

This text really stood out to me in yesterday morning's Bible reading. I was feeling rather abandoned because my husband's work is taking up almost all of his time lately. But there was a message in this text just for me.

Have I not commanded you?
Be strong and of good courage;
do not be afraid, nor be dismayed,
for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go
Joshua 1:9.
From the mouth of the Lord - Be strong. Be of good courage. Do not be afraid. Do not be dismayed. For the Lord your God is with you.

Even if things are hectic at work, though my husband is extremely busy with work and I feel lonely, God is with me. I can be strong and have courage. God is with me.

This week's memory text - Deuteronomy 10:12

2011-12-11T22:24:00.003-07:00

I haven't done a memory text in awhile. This week, I'm going to learn the same text in both English and Japanese.

And now, Israel,
what doth the LORD thy God require of thee,
but to fear the LORD thy God,
to walk in all his ways,
and to love him,
and to serve the LORD thy God
with all thy heart and with all thy soul
Deuteronomy 10:12

イスラエルよ、今、あなたの神、主があなたに求められる事はなんであるか。ただこれだけである。すなわちあなたの神、主を恐れ、そのすべての道に歩んで、彼を愛し、心をつくし、精神をつくしてあなたの神、主に仕え

Some of the grammar for the Japanese text is a bit above my skill level. It might take me more than a week to learn it!

A month of nonfiction - week 1

2011-12-07T14:37:00.004-07:00

In my last Nightstand post, I talked about how December is going to be a month of nonfiction reading. Now that week 1 is complete, I wanted to give a quick update.

Reading nothing but nonfiction is hard! Hubby and I like to read shortly before bed every night. At the end of the day, especially one where I've studied Japanese for an hour or two already, the last thing I want is heavy reading. I know not all nonfiction is heavy. It's just so much easier to curl up with a novel!

So far I've read:

Lost in Shangri-La

Vermeer: A View of Delft

Up next:

The Girlfriends Guidebook

Behind the Veils of Yemen
I've already started reading The Girlfriend's Guidebook. It's a review copy so I'll have a post about it here when I'm finished. Actually, both of the books next on my list are review copies. Someday I'll start reading the massive pile of books already stacked up in my spare bedroom!

D9P backing and the beginnings of a new quilt

2011-12-05T20:54:00.003-07:00

Yesterday, hubby and I visited Joann's and picked up the backing for my double 9 patch quilt. I had such a hard time deciding what to use! Should I buy a solid or a print? Should it be a subtle print or something bold? Purple? Pink? Blue? Green? I looked at the walls of fabric and felt completely overwhelmed.

I found a simple floral print I liked, printed on a white background. However, I've been hesitant to use any white in my backings as I know it will get dirty very fast. I decided that since this quilt already contained fabric choices that were not... wonderful... I would just go for something simple: a light pink to offset the very bold top.

I'm not sure I made the best choice, but I've found I learn better by trial and error. If this doesn't work, then I will know better for my next quilt.

Over the weekend, while I waited until we had an opportunity to visit the fabric store, I started another quilt. I just couldn't help myself. Since high school, I've been wanting to make a denim quilt, one I saw on HGTV. I couldn't find the exact pattern, though I had printed it years ago. Who knows where those papers disappeared to! I'm still not sure exactly what pattern I'll use, but I decided to start prepping the fabric.
A bucketful of jeans
I've been saving jeans for years. Some of the jeans have holes in them; others I grew too fat or too skinny to wear. Now I only wear skirts so all of these jeans are going into my quilt. Who knows? Maybe I'll have enough denim for more than one quilt.

What I have cut so far
What still needs to be cut

While at Joann's, I found the perfect flannel backing for my denim quilt! Even better, it was 70% off! I bought the rest of the bolt.
Kitties!

There is still a ton of prep work to be done on the denim. I haven't cut squares out yet. I've only cut the useless parts of the jeans away from the usable fabric. Once I determine the size of my squares, I can actually begin cutting the blocks. First, though, I need to finish the double 9 patch quilt. I just needed something to keep myself busy while waiting to buy the backing fabric!

Happy quilting!

Double 9 Patch Quilt - Borders Added!

2011-12-01T22:01:00.004-07:00

It's really late for me to be posting but I was so excited that I just couldn't wait until tomorrow.

I finished adding the borders to my quilt!!

I'll have to see about getting a better photo of the quilt, probably laid out on my living room floor. My photo accidentally cut off part of the blocks in the top corners! It's hard holding anything up in the air when you're in the middle of an intense workout program...

At the beginning, I wasn't sure I liked this quilt. It's a bit too bold for me. However, I had to work with the fabric the church gave me and then supplemented with a couple trips to Joann Fabric. The quilt is growing on me now. It still won't be my favorite, but at least I'm willing to admit now that I made it!

On Sunday, we're headed to Joann to buy backing for the quilt. Then I can start the sandwiching process and the quilting. I can't wait!

30 Day Challenges - Recap and December's challenge

2011-11-30T16:41:00.004-07:00

I have finished two 30 day challenges, both of them relatively easy and not much of a "challenge." First was the Get Dressed challenge. That one went very well and I got into the habit of changing out of my pajamas or workout clothes as soon as possible. I've spent the last six weeks wearing skirts and sweaters around the house, being much more presentable on a moment's notice! It's been nice and lends itself well to productivity.

My second challenge was to drink more water. This challenge didn't go as well as my Get Dressed challenge, but it did make me more aware of my water consumption. I don't drink enough! I'm currently on week 4 of the P90X workout program, plus I run several times a week. With all of the exercise, and living in a very dry state, I don't drink enough water and am almost constantly dehydrated. November went far toward helping me rehydrate, but I still don't drink enough several days a week. Thankfully, the challenge helped me to keep water nearby and make sure the water filter remains filled.

For my third challenge, I am choosing something more difficult. For the next 30 days, I will be reading nothing but nonfiction. I mentioned this briefly on my Nightstand post. I read a lot of drivel, or what Charlotte Mason calls "twaddle." Knowing that, I decided to challenge myself to read nothing but nonfiction for an entire month. My nightstand post outlines what I plan to read but I'll update periodically as I finish books. I can't wait to see what things I might learn this month!

I'm brainstorming ideas of what I might challenge myself to do in 2012. I want to keep the challenges somewhat related to homemaking, as that is one of my primary focuses in life. God, my husband, and my home. I want each challenge to improve one of these areas in my life, not just something I do for the sake of doing something. Any ideas? Want to join me on a 30 day challenge?

Thanksgiving in Wyoming

2011-11-29T16:25:00.004-07:00

I have returned from my trip to Wyoming. Overall, it was a good trip. I'm so glad I got to see my grandparents. My grandfather is 84 and isn't doing very well. We have plans to see him next July for a family reunion but thought it might be wise to make this trip Just In Case.

Buffalo
Snow!
Grandma playing Angry Birds on my tablet
Josh trying to get Grandpa to try a temporary tattoo
Three generations of boys
Grandpa, Josh, and I
Josh and I with the grandparents

In addition to visiting with my grandparents, I was also able to see an old friend of mine. I hadn't seen her since my wedding six years ago. It was nice to be able to chat face to face! Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures of the two of us.

Hopefully we'll all be together again next July. If not, at least we were all able to spend some time together this Thanksgiving. For that, I am thankful.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-23T21:49:00.001-07:00

Enter into his gates with thanksgiving,
and into his courts with praise:
be thankful unto him,
and bless his name.
For the LORD is good;
his mercy is everlasting;
and his truth endureth to all generations
Psalm 100:4-5.

What's on My Nightstand? Nothing but nonfiction!

2011-11-22T06:19:00.000-07:00

Looking over my list this month, I haven't had very good luck with my selections. Most of the books were mediocre. My best read was a children's novel!

COMPLETED (links are to my full reviews)

Children's literature

The Time Garden by Edward Eager - 2 stars. I would have loved this book as a child but it just wasn't good as an adult reader.

Meet the Austins by Madeleine L'Engle - 3.5 stars. Great book, would make a good read-aloud. I can't wait until I have children and can share quality literature with them.

Christmas with Anne and Other Holiday Stories by L.M. Montgomery - 4 stars. I wish I'd read this as a kid! Great book. It was nice seeing Anne again.

An Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving by Louisa May Alcott - 3 stars. A solid story.

The Giver by Lois Lowry - 4 stars. My favorite read during the month of November!

Eight Cousins, Or, the Aunt-Hill by Louisa May Alcott - 4 stars. Loved it, loved it, loved it! This was another favorite for November.

Christian Fiction

John 3:16 by Nancy Moser - 3 stars. A quick read. I stand by what I've said before: her historical fiction is better!

Thicker than Blood by C.J. Darlington - 3.5 stars. A good debut novel. Can't wait to read more!

Classics

Fernande: The Story of a Courtesan by Alexandre Dumas - 3.5 stars. A very serious book by the author of The Three Musketeers. Great moral application, still applicable today.

Secular Fiction

The Nanny Diaries by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus - 2 stars. I bought it to read on a plane. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.

My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult - 3 stars. This was my first Picoult book. My sister-in-law loves her books so I'm giving the author a try.

IN PROGRESS

Lost in Shangri-La (Memoir) by Mitchell Zuckoff - Still working my way through it. It's a good story but I'm reading it in spurts.

Eight Cousins (Children's Lit) by Louise May Alcott - Almost done! This will be another favorite.

The Girlfriends Guidebook: Navigating Female Friendships (Christian Nonfiction) by Marian Jordan - Just started.

Vermeer: A View of Delft (History) by Anthony Bailey - I WILL finish this book.

For the month of December, I am tackling something completely different, something very unusual and difficult for me. For 31 days, I will be reading nothing but nonfiction books. Why? I came across a video on TED about 30 day challenges, trying something new for 30 (or 31) days. As evidenced by my list above, I read fiction almost exclusively. It is only recently that I've been branching out and reading classics. I decided it's time I push myself even farther out of my comfort zone and try reading nonfiction only for 30 days.

What's on my reading list so far:

The in-progress books listed above, except for Eight Cousins. I should have that novel finished tomorrow.

Behind the Veils of Yemen: How an American Woman Risked Her Life, Family, and Faith to Bring Jesus to Muslim Women by Audra Grace Shelby - A review copy that I am very excited to start reading.

December 1941: 31 Days that Changed America and Saved the World by Craig Shirley - A review copy. I had no idea this was such a huge book (544 pages!) until I received it in the mail.

Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business by Neil Postman - If I am somehow able to finish all the books I am currently reading, plus the two review copies, I will tackle this book.

Whew. I am not going to pressure myself to start and finish all of these books before Christmas. I will do the best I can, but hopefully with the variety I have in my stack, I will not find myself longing for a novel. One can hope!

31 days of nonfiction

Happy December reading!

Fast week!

2011-11-18T15:52:00.003-07:00

I've been feeling contemplative all this week but haven't yet felt like I could share online. I'm slowly figuring out what is most important to me and reorganize my time around those priorities.

One change I've made this week involves my weekly room assignments. I designate one weekday to each room in our house. That's where I will concentrate my housekeeping efforts on that day, though the entire apartment will get a quick pick up/vacuum almost every day. Fridays are always busy because I'm prepping for the Sabbath, making sure we have church clothes, a meal for Sabbath afternoon, a tidy house, and that all has to be complete by sundown. Come sundown, my work week is over and I'm ready for the Sabbath.

Prior to this week, I would clean the bathroom on Friday. While it's not labor intensive, it does take time to thoroughly clean the mirrors, sink, toilet, floor, and shower. Cleaning the bathroom, on top of my normal Friday activities, always seemed so hectic. This week, I decided to clean the bathroom on Thursday. Wow! That made a huge difference on how rushed I felt today. I was able to take my time with each chore, cook, clean out the fridge, wash and put away the laundry, and tidy the apartment. It was such a nice change, one that I will definitely be making permanent.

I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend! I'm off to tend to our supper and relax.

Quilting Update

2011-11-14T20:56:00.003-07:00

My husband had a four day weekend so I have yet to brainstorm my schedule and priorities. We went to church, played games, watched a movie, and just enjoyed the time at home. However, I did spend a few hours working on my quilt! I would consider that productive.

The only thing left on the quilt top is to add the borders. Then I get to shop for backing! I'm excited that this quilt is almost done. I have no idea what's next on the project list, though I have a few ideas in mind. I guess we'll just have to see how long it takes me to finish this quilt.

So many quilts and so little time!

Quick update

2011-11-11T15:32:00.003-07:00

It's amazing how fast time flies. This week, we've been diving back into our normal routine, my husband concentrating on his work and me trying to shift back into the housework. Once you get out of routine, it's hard to get back into it!

On Sunday, hubby and I started the P90X fitness program. It's intense! Workouts are around 60 minutes, 6 days a week. Today was day 6 so we get tomorrow off. On top of that, we're trying to stay current with our running schedule. We had two 1 mile runs and one 2 mile run this week. The running is scaled back but we're trying to keep our legs aware of what running is.

On the homemaking front, I've been struggling with my emotions a bit this week. I know I've been spending way too much time on things that don't really matter and not enough time on the things that do matter. It's too easy to spend 30-60 minutes wrapped up in a good book. I have a couple of really addicting games on my tablet. While I do not think these activities are inherently bad, I do feel that there has to be balance. Without it, nothing gets done.

There isn't much time left before sundown today, for which I am grateful. I'm looking forward to the Sabbath and going to church tomorrow. My homemaking ponderings will have to wait until Sunday. I am planning on sitting down with a cup of tea and my computer and making lists of what I do everyday versus what should be done. I need to get back to a good schedule.

Last Sabbath, I chatted with my grandma in Wyoming. It turns out my grandpa isn't doing very well and Grandma isn't sure how much longer he's going to be with us. My brother, my dad, and myself were planning on taking a trip to Wyoming late next spring but we moved the dates up. Now we're going to Wyoming for Thanksgiving. This was completely unexpected and has definitely thrown me for a loop. I like knowing WAY in advance when I'm going to travel and I'm not quite prepared to be away from home again, especially when my husband can't go with me. I'm flying up to Denver, which is where my brother is also flying to, and we're both getting picked up by my dad, who is driving from Texas. Then we'll be driving up to Casper for three days. While I'm not prepared to travel again, I am looking forward to seeing my grandparents.

On a much lighter note, I still haven't made a good pumpkin pie! The one last Friday was bland. I made another this week but something was off with the consistency. It was like eating pudding. I have two more recipes to try but something has to work out! Making pumpkin pie should not be this hard.

I hope everyone has a great weekend! I'll try to get back to regular posting next week, detailing how things are going with my priority lists and schedules.

Pumpkins!

2011-11-04T15:28:00.007-07:00

I seem to be on a pumpkin kick today. Yesterday afternoon, I baked a pumpkin and stored it in the fridge, knowing I'd probably be using all of it today. Sure enough, all I have left is enough pumpkin to try making a pumpkin spiced latte!

First I made muffins. The recipe made two dozen. They are very good but I think next time I'll cut the recipe in half and serve them as a dessert.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

And of course, I had to make pumpkin pie! I'm still testing recipes, trying to find one that we love. We've tried a few that we've liked and a couple that were nasty, but haven't found the perfect recipe yet. Hopefully this one will be the winner.

Tofu Pumpkin Pie

Today hasn't been all about baking. I also made a new dish for lunch - Basil Garlic Linguine. Even hubby liked it and he typically prefers expensive jarred sauces. I altered the recipe a bit, sauteeing the garlic and heating up the entire sauce. Then I stirred in the basil right before serving. Yummy! Definitely a keeper.

Tonight I'm trying this recipe for Mushroom and Rice Cheezy-Q's. I'm so glad tomorrow is Sabbath and I'll have a day off from all of the dishes!

The best part of it? I still have these beauties to bake into something yummy!

30 day challenge - water

2011-11-02T21:37:00.000-07:00

My first challenge is still underway and going well. I knew starting the challenge that I would have a slight advantage as we were planning a 9 day vacation. When you're out of town and visiting family and friends, you have no choice but to dress up! I thought that it would be a good start to my challenge and get the ball rolling for getting dressed up at home. So far, so good.

As the Get Dressed! challenge is going well and is almost half over, I decided to start another 30 day challenge and let them overlap. For the month of November, I am concentrating on my water intake. While there are a few days here and there that I drink enough water, most days my water intake is too low. Living in Arizona, that is detrimental to both my exercise routine and my skin's health.

We own a Brita water filter, so I am going to track my water intake. Various resources have suggested a different recommended water intake. Some said that you should drink (in ounces) your body weight divided by 2. Other calculators suggested I drink 70 ounces of water based on my body weight and activity level. I decided I am going to aim for six of our 12 ounce glasses of water.

So far this month, I've been doing well! Yesterday I drank 6.5 glasses of water and today I finished 7. Hopefully this will help my skin and my ability to exercise! Even though it's a 30 day challenge to drink more water, I am hoping this will jump start a lifelong habit.

What's on My Nightstand?

2011-10-31T15:04:00.000-07:00

We have returned! I have tons of photos and stories to share but it will be awhile before everything gets written and the photos are edited.

Note - this was supposed to be published while we were in Portland but Blogger was not cooperating. I tried to publish it several times but wasn't having any luck. So, I'm going to post it now! Better late than never.

I've read quite a lot this month, though a good portion of it is children's classics. My husband and I are in Portland this entire week so I probably won't get much more reading done this month!

COMPLETED (links are to my full reviews)

Children's literature

Betsy-Tacy by Maud Hart Lovelace - 4 stars. Very cute story.

Betsy-Tacy and Tib by Maud Hart Lovelace - 4 stars. Cute but not quite as good as the original. Would make a good read aloud for young girls.

Number the Stars by Lois Lowry - 4 stars. Another excellent book that somehow escaped my reading list as a child.

The Twenty-Four Days Before Christmas: An Austin Family Story by Madeleine L'Engle - 3.5 stars. Great story. Put me in the mood for Christmas!

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle - 2 stars. Loved it as a kid but now have reservations about some of the spiritual aspects of the book.

Classics

Lady Susan by Jane Austen - 3 stars. Not as good as some of her other books.

Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson - 3 stars. I would have hated this book as assigned high school reading.

Christian Fiction

Scared: A Novel on the Edge of the World by Tom Davis - 4 stars. Heart wrenching story. Highly recommend.

The Yada Yada Prayer Group
by Neta Jackson - 3 stars. Just ok. Won't be continuing the series.

The Choice (Lancaster County Secrets, #1) by Suzanne Woods Fisher - 3 stars.

Crossing Oceans by Gina Holmes - 4 stars. Not your typical Christian fiction. It hurt to read this book but it was touching!

Memoir

The Secret Holocaust Diaries by Nonna Bannister - 3 stars. Not as good as I had hoped. Great story but the formatting of the story/book made it extremely difficult to read.

Nonfiction

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Decluttering by Regina Leeds - 3 stars. Motivational but a walking advertisement for The Container Store.

Secular Fiction

Spinning Forward by Terri DuLong - 2 stars. Dropped it. Would have been an alright story but for the explicit love scene 2/3 of the way through. Ugh.

IN PROGRESS

Lost in Shangri-La by Mitchell Zuckoff - Just started.

Happy November reading!

On our way!

2011-10-20T22:23:00.001-07:00

We are packed and ready to go. Portland, here we come!

The Whole Bible Story - a book review

2011-10-19T12:32:00.006-07:00

I really dislike giving negative reviews of books, especially when it's a book that has been "gifted" to me by a publisher. Unfortunately, I have to warn people away from The Whole Bible Story. An equally distressing fact is that I lost the note card I was using to write down places where the author presented information contradictory from the Bible.

The three biggest contradictions that I can recall:

1 - The author writes that "because the people had worn flashy jewelry and clothes while worshiping the golden calf, Moses said they were prohibited from ever dressing like that again" (pg 49). This instance is referring to Exodus 33:5 and 6 where God tells Moses to "'say unto the children of Israel, Ye are a stiffnecked people: I will come up into the midst of thee in a moment, and consume thee: therefore now put off thy ornaments from thee, that I may know what to do unto thee.' And the children of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments by the mount Horeb."

Nowhere in this text does God or Moses say it is a permanent ban on jewelry and flashy clothing. As a matter of fact, God talks in Isaiah about dressing Israel in jewels as a sign of His favor.

2 - The author implies that the Bible itself commands a change of worship from Sabbath (Saturday) to Sunday. Nowhere in the Bible does God or the early Christian church advocate such a change. The change to Sunday worship began several hundred years after Christ died (Council of Laodicea, Canon 29, 363–364 AD).

From the book: "In Troas, the church met on Sundays to honor the day that Jesus rose from the dead. They shared a meal together, which included the celebration of the Lord's Table, also known as Communion" (pg 281).

This meal, and Paul's sermon, was actually on the Sabbath and last until after midnight on Saturday evening/Sunday morning. The Bible does not state that Sunday is the Sabbath, nor does it state that worship should be on Sunday to honor the day Jesus rose from the dead. The Sabbath was instituted at Creation, as a memorial to the work God completed. It was established as an everlasting covenant with God's people, not a day that could be changed at will by man.

3 - The author states that "David eventually married Saul's oldest daughter, but he fell in love with Saul's other daughter, Michal" (pg 94).

However, the Bible says: "but it came to pass at the time when Merab Saul's daughter should have been given to David, that she was given unto Adriel the Meholathite to wife" (1 Samuel 18:19). The Bible never states that Merab and David were married, only that they were supposed to have been.

The premise of this book is interesting - "The purpose of this book is to tell the story of the Bible" (pg 11). It is not a paraphrase or a translation. It merely attempts to tell the story of the Bible while leaving out Old Testament laws, Psalms, Proverbs, the epistles, and the book of Revelation. The purpose of the book is to allow someone who is not familiar with the Bible stories to become acquainted with them while avoiding getting bogged down in some of the "more difficult" sections. That's all well and good, but in stripping the Bible of the Psalms, the epistles, and other books, The Whole Bible Story lacks a soul. The reading was extremely dry, "just the facts, ma'am."

Thank you, Bethany House, for allowing me to read and review this book. However, I cannot in good conscience recommend it.

This week's menu

2011-10-18T16:51:00.004-07:00

On Friday morning, we are headed to Portland OR for nine days. Our first vacation! A dear college friend of hubby's is getting married the second weekend we will be there. We are really excited! In light of being gone, we are spending the week trying to clear out our fridge.

Sunday
Breakfast – Smoothies
Lunch – Avocado Sandwiches
Dinner – Pizza

Monday
Breakfast – Smoothies
Lunch – Homemade ramen - This was REALLY good. Definitely a keeper.
Dinner – Macaroni and cheese

Tuesday
Breakfast – Fruit
Lunch – Leftover mac&cheese
Dinner – Sloppy Joes
*soak almonds for tomorrow's tuna salad sandwiches*

Wednesday
Breakfast – Company Oatmeal (Newstart, pg. 20)
Lunch – Tuna Salad Sandwiches
Dinner – Spaghetti

Thursday
Breakfast – Smoothies
Lunch – Tofu Cutlets (Newstart, pg. 117) made into sandwiches with BBQ sauce
Dinner – Burritos

Friday
Breakfast – not sure what to eat before the flight (10am and lunch won't be until 2)
Lunch – SushiBen2Go - Japanese food!
Dinner – Portland, tbd

Sabbath
Breakfast – Cold cereal and fruit, picked up from Food Fight Grocery on Friday
Lunch – A picnic lunch. We're spending Sabbath on the coast!
Dinner – ChixStix - Japanese food!

30 day challenge - get dressed!

2011-10-17T10:23:00.006-07:00

I find it interesting how timing works. You see a mention of something specific in an email and then again a day or so later in a blog post. The two information sources are completely unrelated and yet they mention the same specific idea.

First my brother emailed me this video:

Then, I read a post on The Modest Mom about a 30 day Get Dressed! challenge. What a perfect start to the idea of 30 day challenges. I don't know about you, but being a housewife and not being required to see anyone most days allows me to dress down as much as I want. Fun, yes. Attractive, no. I spend most days in workout clothes or a denim skirt and t-shirt. I'm sure my husband would appreciate it if I looked nicer!

So, my first 30 day challenge - get dressed! Every day. All day. I will wear a skirt and a sweater/blouse, or a dress, and take a few minutes to style my hair. Some days I'll even put on some lipstick.

Want to join me?

Quilting update - two rows complete

2011-10-12T16:18:00.008-07:00

My quilt top is finally coming together. Last week, I completed the last of the 20 blocks.

Today I sewed the first ten blocks into two rows.

I want to sew the other half of the blocks into rows before sewing these two rows together. The quilt is coming out a bit smaller than I had hoped. I think it was a problem with my seam allowances not being exact and having to cut each block down to the same size. If I have enough of the dark pink fabric or can find more at Joann, I will add a small border before putting together the quilt sandwich.

Hopefully I'll finish the top this weekend. I can't wait to finish this quilt and move on to my Christmas projects - table runners!

Menu Plan Monday

2011-10-10T16:45:00.004-07:00

Monday
Breakfast – Smoothies
Lunch – Leftovers
Dinner – Garbanzos A La King (Newstart, pg. 106)

Tuesday
Breakfast – Cereal; raspberry muffins
Lunch – Tofu Cutlets (Newstart, pg. 117)
Dinner – Spaghetti; garlic bread; salad

Wednesday
Breakfast – Smoothies
Lunch – Toasted Avocado Sandwiches
Dinner – Macaroni and cheese (Newstart)

Thursday
Breakfast – Company Oatmeal (Newstart, pg. 20)
Lunch – Homemade Ramen
Dinner – Eating out with brother and family for our anniversary/hubby's birthday

Friday
Breakfast – Potato Pancakes (Newstart, pg. 31)
Lunch – Easy Vegan Pad Thai
Dinner – Spaghetti; garlic bread; salad

Sabbath
Breakfast – Smoothies
Lunch – Unsure; brother will be eating with us
Dinner – Homemade pizzas

Last week's successes:
Pumpkin pancakes
Macaroni and "cheese"

First spelunking trip - in photos!

2011-10-05T17:26:00.022-07:00

Starting up the trail

We're hiking up there?

Almost to the cave!

Climbing down through the cave entrance

Hubby looking amazing

Tiny tunnel I was crazy enough to crawl through

What's on the ceiling?

Cool formations!

Massive stalagmite

It's taller than I am!

Most of the spelunking group

Light at the end of the tunnel

Colorful bug

Hubby and I at the top of the trail

View from the top

Hiking back down

Souvenirs!

Menu Plan Monday - a failure and a few successes

2011-10-03T14:34:00.007-07:00

I'm excited to do some real cooking this week but I've been feeling run down the last two days. Frustrating! My brain is active but my body is tired. We'll see what I can accomplish.

Sunday
Breakfast – Waffles with homemade Strawberry spread
Lunch – Quesadillas
Dinner – Mac & cheese (Newstart, pg. 107)
*Make pumpkin pie! (Newstart, pg. 57)*

Monday
Breakfast – Smoothies – banana/strawberry
Lunch – Subs
Dinner – Better Burgers (Newstart, pg. 114); mashed potatoes; brown gravy (pg. 86)

Tuesday
Breakfast – Cereal and raspberry muffins
Lunch – Grilled avocado sandwiches
Dinner – Pasta with the yummy, yummy sauce; garlic bread; vegetable or salad

Wednesday
Breakfast – Smoothies – banana/raspberry
Lunch – Subs
*Make beans for dinner, pg. 118*
Dinner – Haystacks (Newstart, pg. 119)

Thursday
Breakfast – Cereal; toast; apple or orange
Lunch – Leftovers
Dinner – Pasta with the yummy, yummy sauce; garlic bread; vegetable or salad

Friday
Breakfast – Smoothies – banana/strawberry
Lunch – Subs
Dinner – Homemade ramen
*make Zucchini Spinach Lasagna for Sabbath, (Newstart, pg. 128)*

Sabbath
Breakfast – Smoothies
Lunch – Zucchini Spinach Lasagna
Dinner – Pizza!

Last week's successes:

Yummy Pad Thai

Hubby - "You said put the salsa and chips on the salad, right?"

Sexi Mexi Salad
My Sunday bummer:
Pumpkin pie
It looked really good. It smelled good while baking. But it tasted nasty. The entire thing was tossed out. It was a new recipe, one that used dates to sweeten the pie instead of brown sugar. It also had different spices than I'm used to (cardamom?). It was just an big failure.

Oh well! I still have these beauties to cook up.

October reading challenge - Maud Hart Lovelace

2011-10-02T20:53:00.003-07:00

I found an event I have to participate in, the Maud Hart Lovelace reading challenge. I have seen Lovelace's books praised on a number of blogs but I have not yet read any of her books!

It looks like my library has at least the first three books, so I aim to read those three.

Betsy-Tacy (1940)
Betsy-Tacy and Tib (1941)
Betsy and Tacy Go Over the Big Hill (1942)

I believe we are visiting the library on Tuesday evening so I will pick the books up that evening. I can't wait!

Today's productivity

2011-09-28T17:24:00.007-07:00

Hubby informed me last night that he'd be out all day today. Normally, he's home working all or part of the day so this was unusual. I decided to embrace the quiet house and get a ton of stuff done. I promised hubby that he'd be impressed by my productivity when he got home. I think I succeeded, though he's not home yet to confirm.

Today, I...

vacuumed,
swept the kitchen and the kitty box room,
washed dishes,
cleaned out the fridge,
tidied up the entire apartment,
finished a memoir I was reading,
studied Japanese for over an hour,
made a more fancy lunch than normal,
made huge progress on my quilt,
returned some emails,
updated the budget,
completed two loads of laundry,
and a few other small things.

Whew. And since hubby is still not home, I'm writing a blog post. I love productive days! Once I'm done with this post, I'll either spend some more time with my Japanese studies or keep working on my quilt. Hubby is working way up north today so when he calls to tell me he's on the way, I'll still have enough time to prepare dinner.

Bruno under the ironing board

4 blocks complete!
8 more D9P blocks to sew together. There will be 12" solid blocks of the dark pink fabric between each of these D9P blocks. I haven't cut those out yet, so I can't show what it will look like. This is a new pattern for me and I think I like it. I'm not sure about all the fabric choices, but the pattern is fun.

Here's to a day of great productivity!

What's on My Nightstand?

2011-09-27T06:52:00.000-07:00

I've read a lot this month and I finished the majority of what I aimed to finish in September. This month I took to heart some advice to grasp even the 5 minute periods available for reading instead of waiting until a chunk of time comes available. I've been amazed at how much more I've been able to read, even if some of it is in snippets!

COMPLETED (links are to my full reviews)

Biography

Cleopatra: A Life by Stacy Schiff - 3 stars. Interesting book, but not much detail about Cleopatra herself.

Classics

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe - 3 stars. Vivid, but depressing. Not my cup of tea.

The Hunchback of Notre-Dame by Victor Hugo - 3 stars. Not my average read but I'm glad I took the plunge.

The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas - 3 1/2 stars - I couldn't put it down. Did you know there are SIX books total in this series? And of course, the one I most want to read is also the last. I'll be busy for awhile.

Christian Fiction

Stray Affections by Charlene Ann Baumbich - 3 stars. A quick, fluffy read. A good counter to The Hunchback of Notre-Dame!

The Noticer by Andy Andrews - 2 stars. An inspirational speech disguised as a short novel. Did not like, do not recommend.

Kelly's Chance by Wanda E. Brunstetter - 2 stars. Cheesy. Boring. I won't be continuing the series.

Snow Melts in Spring by Deborah Vogts - 3 stars. Quick and easy read.

Memoir

Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace ... One School at a Time by Greg Mortenson - 3 stars. I struggled through this one even though the story was fascinating. Not sure why.

Secular Fiction

Fantastic Voyage by Isaac Asimov - 3 stars. A quick read, very unique plot line!

Everyone Is Beautiful by Katherine Center - 3 stars. A hilarious read.

The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett - 3 stars. I've seen all the movies and decided to read the book. It's not as good as the movies, unfortunately.

Life Without Summer by Lynne Griffin - 2 stars. Depressing novel.

When We Were Strangers by Pamela Schoenewaldt - 4.5 stars. Excellent novel by a first time author. I can't wait to see what else she writes!

IN PROGRESS

Becoming a Woman of Excellence by Cynthia Heald - I will get through this one eventually. (Bible study)

Vermeer: A View of Delft by Anthony Bailey (Biography)

Marriage: From Surviving to Thriving by Charles Swindoll (Christian Nonfiction)

The Secret Holocaust Diaries by Nonna Bannister (Memoir)

Everyday Life in Traditional Japan by Charles J. Dunn (Nonfiction)

Upcoming
What I am particularly excited about:

Lady Susan by Jane Austen

Thicker than Blood by C. J. Darlington - I've heard such good things about this book!

Lost in Shangri-La by Mitchell Zuckoff - I've also heard great things about this memoir.

John Adams by David Mccullough - Hopefully I can squeeze in this chunkster. I had no idea it was such a huge book until I grabbed it from the shelf. My father-in-law sent us the movie and, of course!, I have to read the book first.

Happy reading, everyone!

Menu Plan Monday - on time!

2011-09-26T08:04:00.007-07:00

We unexpectedly spent all day yesterday shampooing our carpets, shifting things around, and waiting for everything to dry. I didn't have time to make my planned dinner so the menu has already been changed! Instead of pierogies, we had burritos from Chipotle. I couldn't face the kitchen after all that work on the carpeting. Not that I mind a spontaneous Chipotle dinner...

Sunday
Breakfast – Smoothies
Lunch – Quesadillas
Dinner – Homemade Potato, Onion, and Cheeze Pierogies
*soak garbanzo beans overnight for burgers*

Monday
Breakfast – Cereal and fruit
Lunch – Stir fry with garlic sauce, Newstart cookbook pg. 182
Dinner – King Burgers, Newstart cookbook pg. 115

Tuesday
Breakfast – Smoothies
Lunch – Sexi Mexi Salad
Dinner – Pasta with yummy, yummy sauce; garlic bread; vegetable or salad

Wednesday
Breakfast – Cereal and fruit
Lunch – Toasted Avocado Sandwich, Newstart cookbook pg. 150
Dinner – Easy Vegan Pad Thai

Thursday
Breakfast – Smoothies
Lunch – Subs
Dinner – Pasta with yummy, yummy sauce; garlic bread; vegetable or salad

Friday
Breakfast – Cereal and fruit
Lunch – Subs
Dinner – Quick Hawaiian Dinner, Newstart cookbook pg. 135
*Make lasagna for Sabbath*

Sabbath
Breakfast – Smoothies
Lunch – Zucchini Spinach Lasagna, Newstart cookbook pg. 128; salad
Dinner – Pizza!

Last week's biggest success in the kitchen:

Stewed Strawberries cooking

Stewed Strawberries on Waffles Perfect
(Newstart cookbook)
The strawberries were awesome! So easy to make and really tasty. It was our biggest success from the new recipes we tried last week. As I was editing the photos for this post, I had a sudden curiosity about the possibility of adding strawberries to my waffles. That would make an even more perfect breakfast!

Cosmetic damage? It could be worse.

2011-09-22T16:33:00.002-07:00

On Tuesday evening, I received a bit of a nudge from God.

First, a tiny bit of background. Last weekend, we drove down to my brother's house in Sierra Vista to spend time with his family. On Sunday, as we were driving between Phoenix and Tucson, we ran over a tire in the middle of the freeway. The car in front of us swerved to miss it but they waited until the last minute and we didn't have enough time to react. We ran right over it.

I ignored and intentionally forgot to check for damage for two days. On Tuesday evening, we needed to run some errands so I checked the front end of the car. Under the headlight, the front end is smashed. It's ugly. I was really upset about it but knew we wouldn't do anything about it since it was obvious it was just cosmetic.

Our first errand was to get gas. I was stewing over the car, crying about the loss in value, our $500 deductible, and how ugly the car is now. After getting gas, we tried to start the car. Click. Click. Click. Dead.

A very nice gentleman gave us a jump start and we headed over to Pep Boys. As we were also due for an oil change, we asked them to include that in the list for the evening. $195 later, we have new oil and a new car battery.

The lesson in all of this? It's not worth getting upset about something that doesn't truly matter. It's just a car. If it runs, if it gets my husband to his client appointments, who cares what it looks like? If it's reliable, does some cosmetic damage really matter? It could be worse. We could have no car at all! We are blessed to have a reliable car and I need to remember to thank God for providing it, warts and all.

Unfocused Afternoon

2011-09-14T17:17:00.004-07:00

I woke up this morning with a plan. Breakfast. Housework. Japanese. Lunch. More Japanese. Quilting. Reading. The first part of the day went really well. I made banana french toast, completed all of my housework, and studied Japanese for an hour. After lunch, I pulled out my supplies and prepared to spend several hours working on my quilt.

Today I was supposed to add a new pink fabric into my double nine patch blocks. It was on the cheaper end of the options at Joann Fabrics. 100% cotton, I think (usually I check but maybe I missed it this time). I washed it and everything looked fine. Ironed it. Cut it and everything looked fine. Then I started sewing it together with the blocks already completed and ran into problems. When I ironed the newly sewn seams, the fabric shrunk. It was the weirdest thing. I needed to replace the fabric I just bought.

So, now that I couldn't work on my quilt, I didn't know what to do with myself! My plan was thrown off. My schedule was off kilter. I could think of plenty of things that needed done but couldn't decide on any one of them. I felt paralyzed for some reason. It was frustrating.

I ended up spending some more time with my Japanese studies, reading a bit, and catching up on some correspondence. When I told my husband what happened this afternoon, he told me that I was productive but it wasn't the productivity I had planned on. Then why did I feel like I was wasting the afternoon? Why did I feel like I was being useless and was throwing away several perfectly good hours? I have no idea why I couldn't just let go of my intended activities and embrace something else. A control issue? I don't know...

Not a Monday menu post!

2011-09-12T19:47:00.005-07:00

I can't post a Monday menu post because I have no idea what we are eating this week! We were going to wait until today to go grocery shopping so I didn't rush to have a menu complete. Then we ended up going grocery shopping on Saturday night because we were already out. So we'll be eating whatever I can cobble together from our cupboards! I do know we're having tacos and spaghetti. Everything else is up in the air.

This morning's smoothie - bananas, blueberries, and strawberries. It was yummy!

Here is what I accomplished on my quilt this afternoon. I cut out all the squares that go between the nine patch squares I sewed last week. Everything is stacked and ready to be pinned and sewn.

The double nine patch in the center of my cutting mat is not sewn yet but that is what each 12" block will look like when complete. Tomorrow I hope to make great progress toward getting those blocks complete.

This week's memory text - Psalm 33:5

2011-09-11T17:32:00.003-07:00

I did a terrible job memorizing my text last week. But I'm going to double up this week and add in the next text anyways. I love this Psalm and really want to finish memorizing it.

Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous:
for praise is comely for the upright.

Praise the LORD with harp:
sing unto him with the psaltery
and an instrument of ten strings.

Sing unto him a new song;
play skilfully with a loud noise.

For the word of the LORD is right;
and all his works are done in truth.

He loveth righteousness and judgment:
the earth is full of the goodness of the LORD.
Psalm 33:1-5

The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord! Just last night we were blessed by a sudden thunderstorm. The lightning was amazing and I felt like God is all powerful. Praise the Lord for His goodness!

Simple Woman's Daybook - September 9th

2011-09-09T16:52:00.004-07:00

FOR TODAY

Outside my window... blue skies after an unexpected thunderstorm this afternoon

I am thinking... about working on my current quilt top once dinner is complete

I am thankful... that I did not slice into my finger while trimming photos! The knife barely missed.

From the learning rooms... I finished The Hunchback of Notre Dame today and will be starting The Three Musketeers next week.

In the kitchen... waiting for the tofu to finish pressing so that I can make curry for dinner

I am wearing... blue jean skirt and a simple gray top from Old Navy

I am creating... a new quilt top!

I am going... to church tomorrow morning, the Lord willing

I am wondering... which church I will attend

I am reading... several books at the moment

I am hoping... that my hubby will have the entire weekend off from work

I am looking forward to... the Sabbath! An entire day to spend with God

I am hearing... hubby talking to his mom on the phone

Around the house... all is quiet and all is clean

I am pondering... Levitical laws and which are applicable today

One of my favorite things... quilting and my kitty

A few plans for the rest of the week... curry, quilting, and a good book

Here is picture for thought I am sharing... three sets of 9 patches are complete. Two others are partially complete.

Have a blessed weekend!

Menu Plan Monday... on Tuesday, again!

2011-09-06T20:48:00.002-07:00

First it's being out of town and then it's a three day weekend. I have to become better at keeping to a schedule!

This week we're again eating mostly out of our pantry. I'm surprised at how short the shopping list was, mostly produce. That's a nice change!

Monday
Breakfast – Smoothies
Lunch – Leftovers
Dinner – Breakfast Burritos

Tuesday
Breakfast – Smoothies
Lunch – Avocado sandwiches
Dinner – Homemade macaroni bake with spinach and mushrooms

Wednesday
Breakfast – Smoothies and toast
Lunch – Pitas
Dinner – Stir fry with garlic sauce, pg. 182

Thursday
Breakfast – French toast, pg. 27
Lunch – Leftovers
Dinner – Tacos

Friday
Breakfast – Smoothies and muffins
Lunch – Breakfast burritos
Dinner – Curry with potatoes, carrots, tofu, and onions

Sabbath
Breakfast – Pancakes
Lunch – Not sure...
Dinner – Pizza with onions, mushrooms, and fresh basil

Sunday
Breakfast – Smoothies
Lunch – Quesadillas
Dinner – Pasta with the yummy, yummy sauce

D9P quilt progress

2011-09-05T21:22:00.006-07:00

Remember this quilt? I was working on it back in July 2010. Eek. Time does fly and I am really slow at my quilting. Anyways, I've returned to working on that quilt, a double nine patch.

(Side note - I've seen D9P stand for Double 9 Patch and Disappearing 9 Patch. I wonder which one is correct or if both abbreviations are correct...)

Today I tried something new - strip piecing! It worked really well and sped up the process. I should have tried it sooner.

Strip piecing

Today's accomplishments

Tomorrow's plan - working on the green blocks. I've discovered I can complete 10 patches in about 2 hours if the strips are already cut. Hopefully I'll get faster as I get the hang of this pattern. If not, at least I'm having a lot of fun and listening to many Japanese podcasts while sewing!

This week's memory text - Psalm 33:4

2011-09-04T16:47:00.002-07:00

This week I'm adding a verse to the passage I've been memorizing.

Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous:
for praise is comely for the upright.

Praise the LORD with harp:
sing unto him with the psaltery
and an instrument of ten strings.

Sing unto him a new song;
play skilfully with a loud noise.

For the word of the LORD is right;
and all his works are done in truth.
Psalm 33:1-4

Such a great passage! The more I read the Bible, the more verses and passages I find that I want to memorize. One could easily spend their entire life memorizing passages and still have more to enjoy.

Third quilt completed!

2011-09-02T15:24:00.005-07:00

This week I finished my third quilt! This is the second quilt I've picked out a design and fabric for, though it's the first quilt for which I made decisions without assistance from an experienced quilter.

quilt draped over a chair

entire quilt

close up of my favorite part of the quilting

the back - hard to see the quilting

I learned a lot with this quilt. Next time, I'm picking a more interesting backing. This one is boring. First I tied this quilt but I hated the way it looked. So I picked out all that work and then quilted it. Much better!

Now I need to send this quilt off to my grandpa. It was supposed to be a Christmas present last year, but... He'll be getting an early Christmas present this year!

I can't wait to start on my next quilt!

A couple quick book reviews

2011-09-01T18:18:00.004-07:00

I was contacted about reviewing Eat Your Peas, Faithfully: Simple Truths and Happy Insights. It is a cute little book! It's not exactly my style of book, as it is rather fluffy. However, hardcover and compact, it makes a great gift for someone who reads books like the Chicken Soup for the Soul series. The snippets of wisdom are easily digestible and the book's illustrations and designs are gorgeous.

Thank you, Thomas Nelson, for a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Let me preface this review by saying that I love Nancy Moser's Ladies of History series, which is based on real women in history. However, I am not so fond of Moser's original fiction. An Unlikely Suitor is just not on par with the Ladies of History series. Moser makes history come alive, as she's excellent at making the reader feel as if they are experiencing the settings while reading. The original plots just aren't on par with the historical details and settings. I'm afraid I'd have to rate this book in the same category as most other Christian fiction: a quick read but forgettable. Please, Ms. Moser, add to your Ladies of History series!

Thank you, Bethany House, for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

I have to toss in one more review for a book that was NOT given to me in exchange for my honest opinion. This was a random selection from my library's "new books" shelves. I was originally attracted to the spine of the book, showing spools of thread. Then I read the back cover and knew I had to read this novel.

From the publisher's website: A moving, powerful, and evocative debut novel, When We Were Strangers by Pamela Schoenewaldt heralds the arrival of superb new voice in American fiction. A tale rich in color, character, and vivid historical detail, it chronicles the tumultuous life journey of a young immigrant seamstress, as she travels from her isolated Italian mountain village through the dark corners of late nineteenth century America.

All I can say is that it is an excellent book. It really is rich in color, character, and vivid historical detail. I laughed and I cried. The ending is a bit rushed but the novel was wonderful. I can't wait to see what else this author writes. (Just a small warning - the novel does contain a very short but heart-wrenching rape scene.)

I have one more book review to write, for The Whole Bible Story. That review will take me a couple more days to finish writing...

Menu Plan Monday... on Tuesday!

2011-08-30T14:24:00.004-07:00

I am back from all of my running around. Sierra Vista, San Diego, and family staying in my home. Whew! I need a vacation from my vacation... I've slept for 11 hours each the past few nights. I am definitely worn out! I can't wait to get back into the housekeeping routine.

And that started with this week's menu. I completed the menu on Sunday morning but for some reason didn't get it typed up until this afternoon. Because I've been cooking out of a cookbook, I've been buying a lot of ingredients and my cupboards are getting rather full. This week, I planned meals around what I already had on hand instead of buying a bunch of groceries. By next week, our cupboards will be pretty bare and we'll have to do massive grocery shopping again.

Monday
Breakfast – Smoothie and banana bread
Lunch – Chow Mein
Dinner – Japanese: gyoza, udon, sushi

Tuesday
Breakfast – Banana French toast
Lunch – Pitas, chips, and salsa
Dinner – Homemade macaroni bake with spinach and zucchini

Wednesday
Breakfast – Smoothies and toast
Lunch – Stir fry with garlic sauce, pg. 182
Dinner – Breakfast burritos

Thursday
Breakfast – Smoothies, cranberry orange muffins
Lunch – Subs
Dinner – Tacos

Friday
Breakfast – Waffles
Lunch – Toasted avocado sandwiches, pg. 150
Dinner – Riblets, mashed potatoes with brown gravy

Sabbath
Breakfast – not sure yet
Lunch – Hiking! Picnic lunch
Dinner – Pizza with onions, mushrooms, and fresh basil

Gone again

2011-08-25T03:55:00.002-07:00

It was very last minute. Yesterday I traveled to Tucson with my husband and spent time with my sister in law while my husband worked at a client's office. While we were visiting, my sister in law invited me to accompany herself, her sister, and my nephew for a three day jaunt to San Diego. Sure!

We are headed off early this morning. My husband is dropping me off in Casa Grande at 6:30, where my sister in law will meet me at 7. Hubby returns home and we proceed to San Diego. I am so blessed to have a husband who encourages me to spend time with my family! I am also blessed to be able to afford these short trips.

In October, my brother, his wife, and their son will be moving back east for his military assignment. This will be the first time they've lived in a different state, other than my brother's assignments in Iraq. I will miss them terribly! I have been excited to spend so much time with them lately, a chance to get to know both my nephew and my sister in law better before we live over 1,000 miles from each other.

I've been gone a lot and I look forward to life returning to normal next week. My blog posts have been intermittent as I haven't been home much in the past two weeks. I miss my hubby. We are normally inseparable. But I am thankful for the time spent with family, for being close to them now. When they have moved and I don't see them for a year at a time, I will be very grateful to have these recent memories.

What's On My Nightstand?

2011-08-23T12:25:00.006-07:00

It's already time for the monthly Nightstand link up! August has flown by as my family came to visit again. My dad spent four days at our home and then my dad and I visited my brother's family for four days.

I've spent August trying to clear off my nightstand so that I can start over with a clean slate. I've had a few books sitting there for months and way too many books checked out from the library. August saw a lot of these books completed but I still have a few books left. Hopefully I'll be caught up by the end of September!

Completed

Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne - 4 stars

Lady in Waiting by Susan Meissner - 3 stars

Journal Of Sean Sullivan, A Transcontinental Railroad Worker (My Name Is America) by William Durbin - 3 stars

The People of Sparks (The Ember Series, #2) by Jeanne DuPrau - 4 stars

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis - 4 stars

The Prophet of Yonwood (The Ember Series, #3) by Jeanne DuPrau - 3 stars

The Diamond of Darkhold (The Ember Series, #4) by Jeanne DuPrau - 3 stars

What's left in my pile

Cleopatra, a Life by Stacy Schiff - I have to return this one to the library tomorrow! 102 pages left to go.

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe - An impulse selection from the library.

Everyday Life in Traditional Japan by Charles J. Dunn - Hubby bought it for me to learn more about Japan.

1776 by David McCullough - I've seen this book highly recommended on a number of blogs. Can't wait to dive into it!

Love & Respect by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs - I plan on blogging through Love & Respect so this book will take awhile.

Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson - A good book but one I just can't seem to finish. It meanders too much to hold my interest for long.

Becoming a Woman of Excellence by Cynthia Heald - Slowly working my way through this one. So far it's alright!

Now to link up and browse through other blogs to add even more books to my to-read list. Yay!

Away

2011-08-18T15:22:00.001-07:00

I will be back on Tuesday next week. My dad has been in town since Sunday afternoon and I'm headed down to Sierra Vista to spend several days with my brother, SIL, and nephew. Fun! I hope everyone is having a great week!

Last long training run before the race

2011-08-09T22:18:00.002-07:00

We have a 5k race scheduled on Sunday. I'm so excited!

Tonight we ran 3.13 miles, the last long run before the race. It's 95 degrees outside, so definitely not ideal running weather. We ran it in 43 minutes.

I'm getting faster but I'm still not meeting my time goals. I really want a sub-40 5k. Hopefully I'll be able to run a bit faster when the weather cools down. I've read ideal running temp is 60-65 degrees. That's a bit off our 95 degree running weather.

Tomorrow - 1 mile run, fast as possible
Thursday - 1 mile run, nice and easy
Rest until race on Sunday morning

Menu Plan Monday

2011-08-08T19:32:00.004-07:00

I am still working my way through the Newstart cookbook. We've had some successful meals and a couple we've thrown away. But I'm glad we decided to cook our way through the recipes.

Three Bean Salad
Sunday
Breakfast – Smoothies
Lunch – Quesadillas
Dinner – Stuffed Green Peppers, pg. 109; salad; French bread

Monday
Breakfast – Meal-In-One Breakfast, pg. 22
Lunch – Leftovers
Dinner – Spaghetti; garlic bread; green beans

Tuesday
Breakfast – Smoothies
Lunch – Mini French Pizzas, pg. 125
Dinner – Tacos

Wednesday
Breakfast – Scrambled tofu with onion & mushrooms; Peach Breakfast Cake, pg. 26
Lunch – Subs
Dinner – Lentil Links, pg. 111

Thursday
Breakfast – Smoothies
Lunch – Pitas with hummus, spinach, tomatoes
Dinner – Tofu Oat Burgers, pg. 116

Friday
Breakfast – French Toast, pg. 27
Lunch – Subs
Dinner – Almond Rice Loaf, pg. 112

Sabbath
Breakfast – Smoothies
Lunch – Leftover Almond Rice Loaf
Dinner – Pizza – mushroom, onion, fresh basil, garlic

New recipes scheduled for this week - 8
Total Newstart recipes cooked - 25/269

*Linked up at Menu Plan Monday

This Week's Memory Text - Psalm 33:3

2011-08-07T17:07:00.002-07:00

This week I am memorizing the next verse in this passage.

Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous:
for praise is comely for the upright.

Praise the LORD with harp:
sing unto him with the psaltery
and an instrument of ten strings.

Sing unto him a new song;
play skilfully with a loud noise.
Psalm 33:1-3

I don't know why I like this passage so much lately but I've been finding joy in reading it almost every morning! I wish I knew how to praise the Lord on an instrument. Alas, all I have is my poor voice. I'm so thankful that God looks at our heart, not at our singing ability!

Love & Respect

2011-08-04T20:17:00.003-07:00

Would anyone be interested in reading Love & Respect, by Emerson Eggerichs, along with me? I read it last year and really enjoyed it. Unfortunately, the book was a library copy so I wasn't able to take my time with it. This time, I want to read more slowly and try to implement some of the principles.

The book is based on Ephesians 5:33. From inside the book jacket: Psychological studies affirm it, and the Bible has been saying it for ages. Cracking the communication code between husband and wife involves understanding one thing: that unconditional respect is as powerful for him as unconditional love is for her. It's the secret to marriage that every couple seeks, and yet few couples ever find.

If anyone is interested in reading along with me, just let me know. I was thinking a chapter a week and I want to discuss it in a blog post - what I learned, how I implemented it, what happened.

Sticker Charts - for Homemakers?

2011-08-02T19:18:00.003-07:00

It was a crazy idea but I decided to try. Tofugu is my primary resource for learning Japanese. One day, Koichi posted about "Using 'Jerry Seinfeld’s Secret To Productivity' To Learn Kanji." This strategy involves a calendar and a goal. It's a great idea for learning kanji.

Well, I thought about using this idea for homemaking. Having a clean kitchen is so nice! Unfortunately, most nights I feel lazy and just leave the dishes until breakfast. It's not fun waking up to a sink full of dirty dishes.

First - I set a goal: to wash, dry, and put away all the dishes before going to bed.
Second - I printed out the nice calendar that Koichi so kindly provided.
Third - I bought a set of really cute stickers from Walmart.
Fourth - I started trying to create a streak!

It's motivating to see a solid line of stickers! If I skip washing the dishes one night, I have to break the chain. Some nights I'm motivated to do dishes only because I want my sticker. Other nights, I'm motivated simply by having a clean kitchen. My chart currently has a streak of 35 days of clean dishes. Whatever works!

Do you think this method would work for you? How else can it be applied?

This post is linked to:

Menu Plan Monday

2011-08-01T11:44:00.003-07:00

Cooking through the Newstart cookbook is still going really well. Last week I didn't make everything on the menu and this week I picked out an even greater number of new recipes to make! We'll see how many of them I will actually cook. I do my best to stick to the menu but occasionally I run out of cooking time or my produce goes bad faster than expected.

I make my menus/shopping lists on Thursdays each week and complete most of my grocery shopping on Fridays. That's why they are Sunday-Sabbath, not Monday-Sunday.

Sunday
Breakfast – Smoothies (banana/peach)
Lunch – Quesadillas
Dinner – Pasta with yummy yummy sauce and garlic bread

Monday
Breakfast – Oat Waffles, pg. 30
Lunch – Stir Fry
Dinner – Pasta Italiana, pg. 127; Onion Rolls, pg. 7
*Extra – Make Tofu Mayonnaise, refrigerate overnight, pg. 158
*Extra – Make Three-Bean Salad, refrigerate overnight, pg. 141

Tuesday
Breakfast – Smoothies (banana/peach)
Lunch – Subs with Tofu Mayonnaise, pg. 158; Three-Bean Salad, pg. 141 (didn’t make last week)
Dinner – Tacos

Wednesday
Breakfast – Breakfast Bar Muesli, pg. 24
Lunch – Subs; Potato Salad, pg. 143
Dinner – Mushroom Stroganoff, pg. 139

Thursday
Breakfast – Smoothies (banana/strawberry)
Lunch – Pitas with Cucumber Raita, pg. 151
Dinner – Tofu Walnut Loaf, pg. 113

Friday
Breakfast – French Toast, pg. 27 (didn’t make last week)
Lunch – Leftover Tofu Walnut Loaf
Dinner – Better Burgers, pg. 114

Sabbath
Breakfast – Smoothies (banana/strawberry)
Lunch – Chow Mein
Dinner – Pizza (mushroom, onion, fresh basil)

New recipes scheduled for this week - 12
Total Newstart recipes cooked - 18/269

*Linked up at Menu Plan Monday

This Week's Memory Text - Psalm 33:1-2

2011-07-31T17:55:00.002-07:00

This week I made a conscious effort to spend more of my prayer time praising God. It was kind of awkward! I realized it's a lot easier to ask God for things I think I need rather than praising Him for things He's done.

Do you think there is a difference between thanks and praise? I suspect there is.

Thanks - "Thank you, Lord, for protecting me on the roads today as I drove to and from the grocery store."

Praise - "You are wonderful, God! You are strong and offer protection to your children as they travel the busy roads."

For me, the first type of prayer is easier to say, both out loud and in private prayers. David wrote many hymns of thanks and praise and he didn't seem to have any issues praising God. Maybe with time, it will become easier.

For this week's memory text, I'm going to add the verse following the one I learned last week. I think it will be great to learn an entire passage.

Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous:
for praise is comely for the upright.

Praise the LORD with harp:
sing unto him with the psaltery
and an instrument of ten strings.
Psalm 33:1-2

Cupboard mess

2011-07-29T17:27:00.003-07:00

I have been cooking from scratch for several weeks. For the most part, it's been great! Most of the food has been good and I've added a couple of meals to our favorites list.

Cooking from scratch requires that I buy a lot of food from the bulk bins: nuts, seeds, flours, rice, beans, dried fruit. Because of this, I am running into two problems.

1 - I'm slowly killing the environment with all of these plastic bulk bags. It's ironic, as I use reusable shopping bags to carry my groceries home!
2 - My cupboard is overflowing with ingredients and it's hard to find anything.

Help! Does anyone have any suggestions as to what I could do to eliminate at least one of these problems?

My scary cupboard

What's On My Nightstand?

2011-07-26T09:52:00.001-07:00

Completed in June and July (links are to my reviews)

The Naked Sun, Isaac Asimov - 3 stars
The Robots of Dawn, Isaac Asimov - 3 stars
The Help, Kathryn Stockett - 4 stars
Mornings with Mailer: A Recollection of Friendship, Dwayne Raymond - 3 stars
The Boxcar Children, Gertrude Chandler Warner - 3 stars
Have a New Kid by Friday, Dr. Kevin Leman - 4 stars
The Faraway Horses, Buck Brannaman - 3 stars
Ramona the Pest, Beverly Cleary - 2 stars

Wow. Looking at this list, I am surprised. I thought I had completed more books than this. I think it's because I have a few books waiting to be reviewed and way too many in progress. Lately, I've been having a hard time finishing books, instead skipping around from book to book.

In Progress

City of Ember, Jeanne DuPrau - YA science fiction
Cleopatra, a Life, Stacy Schiff - Biography
50/50: Secrets I Learned Running 50 Marathons in 50 Days, Dean Karnazes - Health & Wellness
The Amber Room: The Fate of the World's Greatest Lost Treasure, Adrian Levy & Catherine Scott-Clark - History, Russia & WWII
Quiverfull: Inside the Christian Patriarchy Movement, Kathryn Joyce - Nonfiction, Religious Studies

Upcoming

I don't think I'll get through all of these books before they are due back at the library. The last couple times I visited the library, I succumbed to "hey, this looks good!" a few too many times. Ha! I've been in a reading mood lately but haven't had enough time to read so the books just keep piling up. And now that it's a Nightstand day, I'll be adding more books to my reading list!

Happy reading, everyone!

Menu Plan Monday

2011-07-25T10:52:00.005-07:00

I am still working my way through the Newstart cookbook. I think it's going to take awhile before I make all of the recipes. As we complete a recipe, I put a little check mark next to the recipe title in the index. The check marks are very sparse compared to the number of recipe titles. At least I won't be running out of recipes any time soon!

Sunday
Breakfast – Smoothies - banana/peach
Lunch – Quesadillas
Dinner – Apple Burritos, pg. 28 with Maria’s Tortillas, pg. 10

Maria's Tortillas

Monday
Breakfast – Smoothies - banana/strawberry
Lunch – Subs
Dinner – Broccoli Amandine, pg. 108
*Extra – Make Three-Bean Salad, refrigerate overnight

Tuesday
Breakfast – Smoothies - banana/strawberry
Lunch – Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with Three-Bean Salad, pg. 141
Dinner – Spaghetti with homemade tomato sauce, pg. 96

Wednesday
Breakfast – Banana French Toast, pg. 27
Lunch – Subs
Dinner – Lentil Links, pg. 111

Thursday
Breakfast – Smoothies
Lunch – Stir-fry
Dinner – Tacos

Friday
Breakfast – French Toast, pg. 27
Lunch – Subs
Dinner – Tofu Loaf, pg. 113
*Extra – make pumpkin pie – Crust – pg. 58, pumpkin pie filling in cupboard

Sabbath
Breakfast – Smoothies
Lunch – Chow Mien
Dinner – Pizza – onion, mushroom, basil

Last week, I made summer vegetable enchiladas. The filling was extremely colorful!

We enjoyed the new cheese sauce and the tomato sauce but thought the filling was better suited for stir-fry. At least the enchiladas looked pretty!

This Week's Memory Text - Psalm 33:1

2011-07-24T12:00:00.003-07:00

I have been faithfully reviewing my old memory texts but I haven't added any new ones in awhile. It's time to learn a new verse!

This week's text:

Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous:
for praise is comely for the upright.
Psalm 33:1

My prayers are mostly requests. I know I need to spend more time in praise. This week I want to make a more conscious effort to rejoice in the Lord, to praise Him in prayer. I also want to listen to more hymns as I go about my housework and my day. I have a lot of contemporary Christian music but there is just something special about listening to old hymns.

Let us spend some time rejoicing in the Lord this week, focusing on His goodness. I have a feeling that will help me be more cheerful!

My nephew's quilt - completed

2011-07-21T13:42:00.013-07:00

Here is what I have been doing much of the last 6 weeks. Being the procrastinator that I am, I waited until the last minute to start on my nephew's quilt. While I was able to pull it off, it was a whirlwind and I wish I had taken my time. Still, I am very happy with how the quilt turned out! I learned a lot with this quilt and can't wait to start my next!

Some of the fabric

More fabric

First block

A bunch of blocks

Strips of blocks

Basting the layers in my tiny kitchen!

All done! My favorite quilt thus far.

Landon and his new quilt

"Thanks, Aunt Cassie!"

Menus!

2011-07-20T09:52:00.002-07:00

I am finally back home. Whew! I thoroughly enjoyed my vacation but I'm also glad to be back to a routine. Breaks are nice once in awhile but I thrive on routine and plans!

One of the first things I did was create a menu for this week. Hubby and I are trying to lower the fat in our diet. We decided to break out the Newstart cookbook and start cooking our way through it. Well, I'm cooking and he's taste testing. All the recipes listed with page numbers are from Newstart and the rest are recipes I already make.

Sunday
Breakfast – Perfect Waffles, pg. 30
Lunch – Quesadillas
Dinner – Hot dogs
Other – Make Whole Wheat Bread, pg. 5

Monday
Breakfast – Rice Waffles, pg. 29
Lunch – Subs
Dinner – Scrambled Tofu in burrito shells, pg. 33

Tuesday
Breakfast – Smoothies
Lunch – Sandwich with nut butter and fruit spread (homemade), see pg. 140 & tofu cottage cheese, pg. 141
Dinner – Macaroni & “cheese”, pg. 107

Wednesday
Breakfast – Rice crepes, pg. 32 with blueberry topping, pg. 39
Lunch – Leftover macaroni & cheese
Dinner – Orange chicken

Thursday
Breakfast – Smoothies with toast
Lunch – Subs
Dinner – Pasta with yummy sauce, garlic bread

Friday
Breakfast – Cold cereal and fruit
Lunch – Avocado sandwiches
Dinner – Summer vegetable enchiladas, pg. 121

Sabbath
Breakfast – Smoothies with toast
Lunch – Leftover enchiladas
Dinner – Pizza with mushroom, olives, and onions

I'm so happy to be cooking again!

Hiatus

2011-07-08T19:24:00.002-07:00

I hate to do this, but I'm taking another week off blog posting. My family being here was wonderful and crazy busy. They left and I stayed crazy busy. Now it's my turn to go down to their home and be crazy busy for another week. I hope to return to regular blog posts around July 18th.

I am so thankful for the Sabbath! I really need the weekly break.

2011-06-25T23:13:00.001-07:00

I did not mean to disappear without an explanation post. Four members of my family are currently staying at our home. My mother's wedding is tomorrow and we have a family get together on Monday.

I will be back in several days! Hopefully everyone is having a wonderful weekend!

Jesus Himself created the world

2011-06-19T22:46:00.003-07:00

I'm quite excited that the Blogging Through the Gospels schedule has now reached John. I segued into some other Bible reading over the past couple of weeks, focusing mostly on Psalms. But John is my favorite Gospel and also one of my favorite books of the entire Bible.

I love that John immediately makes God more personal.

All things were made through Him,
and without Him nothing was made that was made.
John 1:3

He was in the world,
and the world was made through Him...
John 1:10

Jesus was the hand that guided creation. It was Jesus' voice that spoke the stars and the flowers and the tigers into being. It was Jesus' hands that molded Adam, that formed Eve.

Sometimes it is difficult to know God the Father; He can seem distant. However, John immediately points out that Christ was at Creation. This makes the Father seem more approachable somehow. Jesus is "in the bosom of the Father" (verse 18) and Jesus shows what the Father is like.

Father, thank Your for displaying Yourself through Your Son. Thank You for creating us through Jesus, for allowing us to be Your children. Thank You for being so wonderful. Amen.

If you're interested in joining in with the reading, here is this week's schedule.

Psalm 111

2011-06-15T17:35:00.002-07:00

I just wanted to share this beautiful Psalm. I have been meditating on this one chapter for a week now and I'm still finding great joy in reading it.

Praise the LORD!

I will praise the LORD with my whole heart,
In the assembly of the upright and in the congregation.

The works of the LORD are great,
Studied by all who have pleasure in them.
His work is honorable and glorious,
And His righteousness endures forever.
He has made His wonderful works to be remembered;
The LORD is gracious and full of compassion.
He has given food to those who fear Him;
He will ever be mindful of His covenant.
He has declared to His people the power of His works,
In giving them the heritage of the nations.

The works of His hands are verity and justice;
All His precepts are sure.
They stand fast forever and ever,
And are done in truth and uprightness.
He has sent redemption to His people;
He has commanded His covenant forever:
Holy and awesome is His name.

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom;
A good understanding have all those who do His commandments.
His praise endures forever.

There is so much to ponder in this chapter and I really should start writing my thoughts down. "The works of His hands are verity and justice." Amen!

June 12th 5k race report

2011-06-12T19:37:00.005-07:00

Awesome tech shirt from today's race and my running skirt
I'm not sure if this post will be interesting to anyone other than myself but I love race reports. I finally have a chance to write one!

Pre-race
I started training on April 18th, after 6 months without running. Before I stopped running last year, I reached 3 miles on a training run and quit. Why? I think it was mostly laziness. I had an off day and then never got back into the schedule. Hubby encouraged me to pick a 5k this summer and train for it as a way to get down to my goal weight. I picked June 12th as I thought I could get in shape fast enough. We registered for the race and started training.

Between April 18th and today, I logged 20 training runs. My longest training run was 4.18 miles, a day I had energy to burn and decided to see how far I could run before running out of energy. All in all, we logged 42.83 training miles.

Last night, I was excited but nervous about the race. We've participated in other 5k's before, but I either walked or walk/ran them. This was my first attempt to run the entire race. I went to bed around 10:30 and planned on getting up at 5am. It's not the optimum amount of sleep but I'm used to going to bed around midnight on Saturday night.

It was a terrible night of sleep. I woke up so many times and had a hard time falling back asleep each time. When the alarm finally went off, I was grumpy and nervous about what the lack of sleep would do to my ability to finish the race running. We left the house at 5:30 and arrived at the race site at 6.

Going into the run, I had one goal - to finish. I was not really concerned with times, figuring that I could try to beat my time in future races. The only important thing was to run the entire race and finish. For my next 5k, my goal was to finish under 40 minutes. However, this race was supposed to be all about actually finishing.

The race
The race itself started off with a bit of a whimper. We lined up toward what I thought was the back of the pack. Hubby planned on running this race at his own pace so I knew I wouldn't see him again until after the finish line. The gun went off and I wondered if that was the beginning. We were far enough back that I couldn't really see the starting line and I wasn't sure if it was actually happening! But soon, the crowds started moving and I crossed the starting mat.

I immediately turned into Moses parting the Red Sea. Even though I thought I had lined up near the back, it turns out that a crowd of people had lined up right after we did (only 2 or 3 minutes before the race started). Though I tried to stay out of the way, I was passed by a ton of runners on both sides. Even moving to the edge of the path, I was still getting passed on both the right and the left. That was rather discouraging, seeing myself get passed by at least 100 people right off the bat.

Thankfully, I very quickly settled into my own comfortable pace. I've read numerous stories of runners starting off too quickly and paying for it later in the race. I've only ran 3+ miles several times in training and still lack the confidence that I can actually finish. So, I found what I thought was my comfortable training pace and settled in for the run.

Mile one seemed really long. Each of the races we'd previously participated in by this running company were mostly on dirt. I was anticipating that. It just felt like a long mile and I had assumed that I missed the sign. Nope! I finally passed the sign for Mile 1. I had already been passed by what seemed like hundreds of runners and was already feeling the effects of running on a dirt trail when I'm used to sidewalk.

Mile two went by faster. We ran out a long straight stretch of trail and found a water station at the very end. By this time, I was extremely thirsty. Even though I hadn't planned on stopping at a water station, I walked through it and took a quick drink of Gatorade (bleh). It was the first cup available and I didn't really care at the time. Drank that and quickly went back into a run.

After the first long stretch, the rest of the run was curvy and very mildly hilly. There were 4 or 5 gullies that we had to run down and up out of. My training is entirely on sidewalk and it is relatively flat around my house. I had to walk up half of these gullies and I wasn't sure if that alone disqualified me from claiming to have run a 5k. The walk times were all extremely short, maybe 15-20 seconds each. I just couldn't force myself to run up the steep sides of these gullies. Somewhere in this stretch, my side started aching like it did during several of my training runs. I concentrated on something other than the pain and realized at the finish line that the side ache had disappeared at some point and I hadn't even realized it.

Mile three went pretty well. I was playing leap frog with four different women, passing them while they were walking and being passed by them while they were running. At the end, one of them left me in the dust, I barely beat the pair of ladies immediately behind me, and the fourth lady had disappeared. During the last half mile, several really nice and fit runners were running the course backwards and encouraging those of us who were still out there. I almost cried when one of them said we were almost there and were doing a great job.

I reached the final corner and was informed by a bystander that the finish was just around the corner! As soon as we rounded the corner, I could see the finish line and started picking up the pace. I spotted the clock and saw that it was nearing 41 minutes. I had passed the start line at 1 minute and change. Could I possibly reach the time goal I had set for the next 5k? I sprinted as hard as I could but my legs were pretty tired. Those "hills" had worn me out.

I crossed the finish line at 41 minutes and change. Had I done it? I finished! I had run almost the entire race, other than a few steps at the water station and several of the uphill portions of gullies. I was going to count it as a completely run 5k, as I didn't require any walk breaks on the flat or the downhill. Did I beat my goal for the next 5k of coming in under 40 minutes? No way to know until the results were posted online later today.

Post race
I found my hubby right after crossing the finish line. He was standing with his boss, who we had invited to run with us. Boss had only run marathon races before today and we wanted to give him a taste of the smaller races. Both of them were pretty happy with their runs and were awaiting official times.

We went through the food line but I only took several slices of watermelon. The bagels might have been vegan but I wanted to hold out for food at home. On the drive home, I mentioned to hubby that a big veggie sandwich from Subway sounded really good. He agreed so we stopped by at the Subway by our house. I was right. That sandwich totally hit the spot, even though I wasn't used to eating subs at 8:30 in the morning!

Official times -
Gun time: 41:15
Chip time: 40:02
Pace: 12:54 minute miles

I just barely missed the 40 minute mark. Bummer! That's ok. I wasn't aiming for it. If I had known that I was that close to 40 minutes, I could have started sprinting just a couple seconds earlier. I didn't know, so I'll get it next time! All in all, it was a good race and I'm glad I ran it!

(As a side note, I started running again to lose the last couple pounds needed to reach my goal weight. Well, I passed my goal weight and am now 5 pounds below that. Obviously my goal weight isn't my ideal weight as I'm still losing even though I eat a ton! Hopefully I can trim the fat a bit more and develop a bit more toning.)

We're now registered for a race on July 4th, a 4 miler. So far, I've only run that distance once so I will just be aiming to finish the race; no time goals. In August, I'll run another 5k and try to beat the 40 minute mark. I can't wait!

Procrastination - Don't do it!

2011-06-10T17:19:00.002-07:00

I am learning once again the evils of procrastination. You'd think I would have learned this specific lesson by now, as I've been struggling with it my entire life.

In 13 days, my brother, his wife, their son, and their daughter will be arriving for their 6 day stay at our house. In 15 days, my mom and her fiancé are getting married.

Has my bridesmaid dress been hemmed yet? It's in progress.

I planned a quilt for my 4 month old nephew; have I started that yet? Actually I did but I discovered today that I have to redo all of the work I've done so far (one full day's worth).

Is my house clean for their impending visit? It's not bad but I still have some work to do.

Have I started planning the family party that's scheduled for the day after the wedding? Hmmm... nope!

Do I have any time this weekend to get started on any of the above list? Not exactly! Tomorrow is the Sabbath. On Sunday morning, I'm racing in a 5k just north of Phoenix. In the afternoon, I'm driving with my mom and her fiancé to pick up my niece and deliver her to my brother, who will be meeting us an hour south of here.

Am I complaining? Not really. Just lamenting the fact that I can't seem to learn the simple lesson of planning ahead and being prepared. Some of my earliest school memories involve staying up really late and getting up super early to finish a project that was assigned a month earlier. Oops! That was 20 years ago and I'm still doing the same thing.

I'm claiming this promise:

I will lift up my eyes to the hills—
From whence comes my help?
My help comes from the LORD,
Who made heaven and earth.

He will not allow your foot to be moved;
He who keeps you will not slumber.
Behold, He who keeps Israel
Shall neither slumber nor sleep.

The LORD is your keeper;
The LORD is your shade at your right hand.
The sun shall not strike you by day,
Nor the moon by night.

The LORD shall preserve you from all evil;
He shall preserve your soul.
The LORD shall preserve your going out and your coming in
From this time forth, and even forevermore.
Psalm 121

I'm not claiming it because I'm hoping God will help me get everything done in time. I'm claiming this promise because God cares about the deeper matter - my sin of procrastination. The Lord is my keeper and I know this is a habit He wants me to overcome. With His help and guidance, I can do it!

A quick photo post

2011-06-07T16:42:00.006-07:00

I haven't been spending much time online lately. The internet can really suck up all of my time if I'm not careful so I've been avoiding it. It's been hard for me to moderate my internet time so I've been staying offline rather than struggling to control how much time I spend online.

Just a few of the things I've been up to lately:

My first ever attempt at making sushi

Falling in love with my nephew

Rescuing a baby dove

Very slowly working on my quilting

Studying Japanese everyday (photo credit)

I want to stay in touch with friends I've made from reading various blogs. I will try to spend some time online to keep in touch without losing hours to aimless web surfing! Hopefully everyone is having a glorious week!

Menu Plan Monday

2011-05-30T17:38:00.004-07:00

I am SO happy that I am finally feeling normal. In fact, I was feeling so normal last night that I ran 4.18 miles. Now I'm a bit sore but it's a good feeling.

We actually ended up with too many meals planned this week and I'll have to prioritize what I'm cooking. It's so nice to have options.

Monday - Spaghetti
Tuesday - Garlic ginger noodles (new recipe)
Wednesday - Tacos
Thursday - I will be attempting sushi for the first time but not sure what to make with it. Miso soup/gyoza/soba noodles/or...
Friday - Thai Green Curry (new recipe)
Sabbath lunch - 8 minute vegan enchiladas (new recipe)
Sabbath dinner - Homemade pizza

Writing up our menu is making me hungry!

What's On My Nightstand?

2011-05-24T13:17:00.003-07:00

I really need to stay on top of my book reviews. Several of these were read earlier this spring but I'm just now getting the reviews written! Oops!

Books completed in May (links are to my reviews)

The Castle by Franz Kafka - 3 stars
A Heart Most Worthy by Siri Mitchell - 4 stars (read in April but posted the review in May)
The Walk by Shaun Alexander - 2.5 stars (read in March! but posted the review in May)
The Boy, A Holocaust Story by Dan Porat - 3 stars
Moon Over Tokyo by Siri Mitchell - 3 stars
The Caves of Steel by Isaac Asimov - 4 stars

Currently reading

Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy - I have read just over half this book so far and am gaining some great insights into WWII, Bonhoeffer himself, and how the church dealt with Hitler's rise to power.

To-read in June

Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God, by Francis Chan - I meant to read this in May but have spent all of my time reading Bonhoeffer.

I have a pile of library books but I know Bonhoeffer will probably take another week to read. I'm leaving June very flexible for reading options. Usually I don't like not having a list but today I'm feeling very relaxed about the whole thing! We'll see how it turns out.

Still MIA

2011-05-20T13:55:00.003-07:00

*sigh* I am still having minor health issues and have not been able to use my glasses for the last several days. That makes using the computer relatively difficult! I hope to be back on Monday. If anyone is still reading, have a great weekend! :)

MIA

2011-05-13T18:10:00.003-07:00

I've been rather light on posts this week. It was not intentional. It has been an amazing and crazy week. Unfortunately, now I'm down with some sort of an eye problem. Doc put me on two different antibiotics but I haven't taken prescription medication in years and my body is not appreciating me taking it now.

Hopefully I'll be back Monday!

My new nephew

2011-05-11T18:41:00.001-07:00

Last night, I met my nephew for the very first time. He's three months old and so adorable!

I only got to see him for a couple hours but we'll see him and his mother again on Monday for a bit. Then nephew, his mom, and his dad (my brother) will be staying with us for almost a week in June. I am so excited!

2 book reviews

2011-05-09T10:40:00.005-07:00

I have seen Siri Mitchell praised around the blogsphere but had never read one of her books. When Bethany House offered a copy of her newest book for review, I jumped on it. A Heart Most Worthy is not great literature, nor does it claim to be. However, what a great weekend read! The characters were engaging, the plot was interesting, and I read the entire book in one evening.

The biggest draw of this book is the characters. They just come off as so real. They grapple with normal issues, just like the rest of us. They have good days and bad days. They go to church but aren't sure if they have a real understanding of God. It was just so believable. The plot wasn't as believable, but the characters really made the story come to life. If this book is a reflection of Mitchell's other works, I will be reading more!

Thank you to Bethany House for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Another recent review copy received is The Walk by Shaun Alexander. I wanted to like this book; I really did. I think the main issue is just that I wasn't the target audience.

Football references mostly worked for me because I watched football for years with my dad. However, the steps a Christian moves through in his life are completely action based. As a woman, I am more emotion based. For me, spiritual maturity is more about beliefs and emotions and the actions that come from that, rather than a desciption of behaviors that a Christian would exhibit during certain stages.

Also, if you were to look at what God prefers - actions or heart - the Bible comes out on the side of the heart.

As a woman, the book just doesn't resonate. Hopefully it appeals more to a male audience, as I feel the book does have merit. Just not for me.

Thank you to Waterbrook Multnomah for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

God desires a close relationship with us

2011-05-08T16:29:00.001-07:00

I was so blessed to be able to write a guest post for today's Scripture reading! Visit Mom's Toolbox to read what I learned in Mark 3.

God was tempted

2011-05-06T21:32:00.004-07:00

We have started the book of Mark! If you would like to join us, here is the devotional for today's reading.

Mark has very little preamble. It jumps right into the action!

And He was there in the wilderness forty days,
tempted by Satan, and was with the wild beasts;
and the angels ministered to Him.
Mark 1:13

This ties in with the post I did about how Jesus knows how I feel. We really do serve a God who knows what it's like to be human. Not only did Jesus experience the full range of emotions, He was tempted by Satan.

It is really reassuring to me that God knows how I feel. I do not have to go through struggles alone, because there is Someone who understands and is always available for comfort and help.

Father, I love you! Thank You for the Sabbath, for the time to spend with You. Please forgive me for not acting like You today, for letting my frustrations turn me angry and a bit bitter. Change my heart, Lord! Help me to be like You. I pray for this in Jesus' name, Amen.

He's alive!

2011-05-05T22:39:00.002-07:00

There was no specific Gospel reading today, just a day for reflection over what we've learned so far from Matthew. Because I didn't post on yesterday's chapter, I thought I would post that today. It sums up Matthew nicely, I think.

He is not here; for He is risen, as He said.
Matthew 28:6a

My God is alive. He faced death, felt forsaken, and rose from the dead. He is risen!

I am with you always, even to the end of the age.
Matthew 28:20b

Not only is my God alive, but He is with me always. This is such an incredible promise and I'm so glad that Matthew decided to end his writing of Christ's life with this promise. My God is with us always. A personable, loving God. Someone I can get to know. With me always.

Father, thank You for displaying Yourself to us through Jesus Christ. You are an amazing God! I love You so much! Thank You for being with me always. Amen.

God has felt forsaken

2011-05-03T19:13:00.003-07:00

Today's reading was Matthew 27:27-66. This section would have been incredibly depressing if I had not known the end of the story. Soldiers mocking Jesus. Jesus being nailed to a cross. Pain. Suffering. Death. Burial. A guarded tomb.

So what did I learn about God?

And about the ninth hour
Jesus cried out with a loud voice,
saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?”
that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”
Matthew 27:46

Jesus has felt like He has been forsaken. He knows! My God knows what life is really like. He knows what it means to struggle. To feel depressed. I heard this same message just a couple days ago. God understands.

When I feel down, I can reach out to God and know that He understands. If you need comfort, isn't it best to go to someone who understands where you've been? If I need comfort, I can go to God because He knows. It sounds like such a simple message, but I needed to hear it today.

Father, thank You! I was feeling down today. Struggling with my emotions. But I am reminded now that You understand me better than anyone else. Please help me to remember to turn to You instead of feeling like there is no one who can understand. Thank you!

God is... ?

2011-05-02T18:35:00.003-07:00

If you're following along with the Gospel reading, today's section is Matthew 27:1-26.

To be quite honest, I wasn't sure what to think about today's text. Only a small portion of the chapter directly involves Christ; instead, it deals with the events going on around Him. I'm reading through the Gospels with the specific intent to learn more about God's character and I'm not sure what this section is teaching me.

Now Jesus stood before the governor. And the governor asked Him, saying, “Are You the King of the Jews?”
Jesus said to him, “It is as you say.”
Matthew 27:11

Here, we have Christ telling Pilate nothing. Pilate asks Him a question and Jesus confirms that Pilate already knows the answer.

And while He was being accused by the chief priests and elders,
He answered nothing.
Matthew 27:12

Jesus doesn't even respond to the priests and elders.

Then Pilate said to Him, “Do You not hear how many things they testify against You?” But He answered him not one word, so that the governor marveled greatly.
Matthew 27:13-14

Again, Jesus doesn't defend Himself. They were smearing His name. Creating lies about Him. Falsely accusing Him. Misrepresenting God. And Jesus doesn't defend Himself.

I'm not sure what to think about this passage. What is it teaching us about God's character? I'm still thinking about it. Any ideas?

God knows how I feel

2011-05-01T21:04:00.003-07:00

We are just about to finish up with the first Gospel, the book of Matthew. Today's reading is Matthew 26:36-75. If you would like to join us, this week's reading schedule is posted here.

This is a really heavy chapter. Jesus is arrested in the garden of Gethsemane and begins His trial. But first, Jesus goes through an intense prayer session, pleading with God that He does not have to undergo this ordeal. As always, He offers to do the will of God, even if that means death.

However, while this entire passage is worthy of study, I was struck by something a bit different.

Then He said to them,
My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death.
Stay here and watch with Me.
Matthew 26:38

God knows exactly how I feel! This is not just an intellectual knowledge, but the knowledge of someone who has experienced the full range of human emotions. Jesus felt depressed. Got angry. Was exceedingly sorrowful. While He was on earth, He did not just experience the positive side of human emotions. He experienced the full range, from exceeding joy to exceeding sorrow!

For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

He know how we feel!

Father, thank You! Thank You for not being distant, for not being separated from Your creation. Thank You for allowing Jesus to undergo the same temptations and emotions that I face. Thank You for giving me the promise that You understand! And that I can come boldly to Your throne for both mercy and grace. Thank You! In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

God is love

2011-04-30T15:56:00.002-07:00

Are you interested in reading through the Gospels? Join me at anytime! Today's reading is Matthew 26:1-35.

Now as they were eating,
He said, “Assuredly, I say to you,
one of you will betray Me.”
Matthew 26:21

I know this text doesn't exactly say that God is love. It's more of a direct revelation as to the heart of one of Jesus' disciples. However, if you look at the context, Jesus is having His last meal before He dies. He knows it! This should have been a time of bonding the disciples together, reminding them of what was going to come, and talking of the promises of Jesus rising from the dead.

While some of that did occur, Jesus also revealed that one of the disciples is going to betray Him. Jesus doesn't kick Judas out. He doesn't condemn Judas to hell, though He does say in this passage that it would have been better if Judas had never been born. Jesus doesn't get angry and scream at Judas. Instead, Jesus reveals the truth with sorrow.

To me, that shows a huge amount of love. Jesus is facing death. Betrayal. Punishment for the sins of every single person who has ever lived. And yet He is still sorrowful over one person who makes a tragic choice. That shows me that God still loves us even when we sin. We still have to face the punishment of our actions but God still loves us. If Judas had repented, Jesus would have forgiven him. That is love.

Father, thank You for loving me. Thank You for loving me even when I sin and disappoint You. Please help me to accept Your love, to love You more, and to share that love with other people. I pray for this in Jesus' name, Amen.

God reveals Himself

2011-04-28T17:49:00.002-07:00

Today's reading is Matthew 24. I love this chapter! A focus on the second coming of Christ is hugely emphasized in my church, as evidenced by the Adventist portion of the denomination name.

We could spend a month talking about this one chapter and not exhaust all it contains. Alas, I had to pick only one verse.

But as the days of Noah were,
so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.
Matthew 24:37

There are two things I want to point out in this verse:

1 - "...so also will the coming of the Son of Man be." Jesus' coming is definite. We can look forward to it! He is coming and will take us home with Him. A perfect world. A chance to spend eternity with our Creator. I can't wait!

2 - "But as the days of Noah were..." God does not want us to be ignorant. Many times in the Bible we can find written the words "he who has ears to hear, let him hear." God does not leave us in the dark, wondering if He exists and if He will return. He gives us clear evidence, many signs in this chapter alone. We just have to open our ears and hear Him!

Father, thank You for sharing knowledge with us. Thank You for not leaving us in the dark! Even though some of the signs of Your coming are frightening, I know that You are with us. Please help me to rest in You instead of getting distracted by the things around me. I pray this in Jesus' name, Amen.

"For One is your Father"

2011-04-27T20:37:00.002-07:00

Today's reading is Matthew 23. Woah. What an in your face chapter! Hubby sat down with me this evening and we read the chapter together. After finishing, I mentioned that it would have been really hard to be on the receiving end of Christ's rebuke. I can just imagine the group of men standing near Jesus as their faces get redder and redder and their bodies get more and more tense with anger. They deserved the rebuke but it would have been really difficult to hear in person!

That said, I can still seeking out more information about God's character. Here is today's gem:

Do not call anyone on earth your father;
for One is your Father,
He who is in heaven.
Matthew 23:9

I'm not certain that I fully grasp the meaning of this verse. At first, hubby and I discussed the possibility that it was instructing us to not call our biological father "father." That can't be it, though...

Instead, I think the verse is saying that we should not treat anyone on earth with the same measure of spiritual respect that we offer God. We don't need a human mediator to explain God, to forgive our sins, etc. Instead, we go directly to God in a one on one relationship. I don't have to approach another sinful human being in order to talk to God. I can talk to Him directly as He is my Father.

Father, I thank You for being my Father. Thank You for caring for me and for showing that I can come to You directly. Please help me to remember that I can approach You without fear because You are always willing to hear me. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

The God of the living

2011-04-26T17:09:00.002-07:00

I had to read through this chapter several times to figure out what I could learn about God's character. Several of the parables are really interesting but are more about us than about Him. Finally, I stopped on this verse:

I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.
God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.
Matthew 22:32

I can't exactly put my finger on why this text is so awe-inspiring to me. Maybe because God is the same throughout history. He is the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and Jacob. Not was, but is. From generation to generation, God is the same.

He cares about the living. God cares about me. And you.

We have hope in a future life. Death is not the end. God is the God of those who have died but they will live again. If we choose to accept Him, death is not permanent. We can live again and live with Him!

Father, thank You for being my God. Thank You for being the same throughout history, for being Someone we can rely on and trust. Please help me to remember that You are eternal. Thank You for the hope that this life is not the end, that there is still more to come. Thank You for making that possible for anyone who chooses. Amen.

What's On My Nightstand?

2011-04-26T10:42:00.005-07:00

I can't believe it's already time for a Nightstand Post. This month has flown by. My husband and I took a week off for vacation, I spent hours trying to find a bridesmaid dress, and hubby's work hours after vacation were crazy. It has been a great month, but busy!

Bruno checking out my to-read pile
I read too many fiction books this month. In May, I'm going to try to read more nonfiction.

Books completed in April (links are to my reviews)
Bento Box in the Heartland - 3 stars
Dawn's Prelude - 3 stars
Remembering the Kanji I - 5 stars
Love Finds You in Lahaina, Hawaii - 4 stars
Courting Miss Amsel - 4 stars
The King's Daughter - 3 stars

Currently reading
Theology - Matthew (Bible) - I've been following the Blogging Through the Gospels schedule but haven't been doing much of the blogging. I really need to remedy that.

Theology - The Whole Bible Story: Everything That Happens in the Bible in Plain English (review copy)

Classics - The Castle, Kafka - My husband's classics challenge for me this month. Don't tell him, but I'm actually kind of enjoying it.

To-read in May

This is my "nightstand," which is actually an end table next to the couch. The pile on the right consists of a Japanese New Testament, KJV, NKJV, and NIV Bible. Right now I'm mostly reading out of the NKJV but I like comparing to the others when I come across hard passages. Under the Bibles is a small stack of magazines from my church. That stack will likely grow before it gets smaller...

The huge stack on the left is my library pile. Even when I go into the library with just one book on my list, I walk out with at least three. Surprisingly, I've been finishing almost every book I've checked out! As much as it pains me, I am trying to limit my library trips to ensure that I can complete every book.

Priorities for May:
Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God, by Francis Chan - YLCF's May read along

Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy, by Eric Metaxas - I have heard great things about this book and was really excited when I found a copy at the library yesterday. I thought it would be months before I'd get my hands on it!

The Robots of Dawn, by Isaac Asimov - Hubby's May classic challenge. I don't know much about this book and I've never read sci-fi other than H.G. Wells' The Time Machine. We'll see how it goes.

Menu Plan Monday

2011-04-25T17:10:00.003-07:00

Two new recipes this week! I keep intending to complete this in advance but I'm still writing up my menu at the last minute. I'll try again to have a complete menu and shopping list by the end of the week.

Monday - Taco salad (new recipe from last week)
Tuesday - Soba noodles & gyoza
Wednesday - Tacos
Thursday - Orange chicken
Friday - Mushroom-Spinach Curry (new recipe)
Sabbath dinner - Homemade pizza
Sunday - Rigatoni with homemade sauce

I can't wait to try these new recipes, especially the taco salad. I cooked the black beans this morning so we're definitely having it tonight. Three weeks on the menu and we're finally going to try the recipe!

Earth Day

2011-04-22T15:54:00.004-07:00

Today is Earth Day! I believe that taking care of the earth is important because God gave it to us.

Then the LORD God took the man
and put him in the garden of Eden
to tend and keep it.
Genesis 2:15

God could have created this world in just an instant. After all, He spoke everything into existence. Instead, He took six days to create the earth, making it a perfect home for man to live in.

Although sin has destroyed much of the beauty, our planet is still beautiful. If you keep your eyes open, you can see the fingerprints of God. Just watch Planet Earth or Planet Seas to see some of the beauty. Or, take a look in your own backyard. God gave us a huge gift and told mankind to tend and keep it.

There are many, many things we can do to benefit our world. They don't even have to be environmental causes, per se. Taking care of our fellow human beings is also a great way to celebrate Earth Day.

Environmentalism, recycling, reusing, reducing our impact on the planet... all of these things have been on my mind lately. I think the tsunami in Japan brought the issue to the forefront of my mind. Looking at the photos and videos of some parts of Japan, I cry. Not only are the people forced to start their lives over, the environmental impact is huge. What do you do with all of the wrecked buildings? The cars? The trashed belongings? All of that trash has to go somewhere.

Lately, I've been looking into the zero waste lifestyle. Don't Waste Your Homemaking brought it to my attention by posting this video.

I'll be sharing more later about my first attempts at reducing my waste. Even though I have no intention of going this extreme, it's a great motivation!

Are you doing anything specific to celebrate Earth Day?

My God is powerful

2011-04-22T07:17:00.003-07:00

Today's reading is Matthew 19.

But Jesus looked at them and said to them, "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."
Matthew 19:26

When you look over the chapters we've read thus far, it's easy to see how all things are possible with God. So far, God has calmed storms, healed the sick, made the blind see, forgave sins, fed a huge crowd from just one lunch (twice!), and raised someone to life. God really is powerful!

And yet He has a soft side.

And He laid His hands on them and departed from there.
Matthew 19:15

To put this verse in context, little children had been brought to Jesus for Him to bless them. The disciples tried to keep the children away. However, Jesus intercepted them and laid His hands on them. The God of the universe who can raise the dead also takes the time to bless little children. What a God!

Father, thank You so much for revealing Yourself through the word. Thank You for being both powerful and compassionate at the same time. Please help me remember your compassionate side, not to be nervous about how powerful You are compared to how weak I am. Thank You for demonstrating that you care for each of us! Help me to show that love to others. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

Hear Him!

2011-04-20T17:33:00.004-07:00

I've been keeping up with the reading but my blogging has been a bit intermittent in Blogging Through the Gospels!

While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!”
Matthew 17:5

This description echoes what happened at Jesus' baptism. At that time, a voice came from heaven saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased" (Matthew 3:17). Throughout Jesus's life, God gave evidence to man that He was well pleased with His Son.

I take this to mean that we are to both hear Him (as the Father commanded) and act like Him. Everything Jesus did was approved of by His Father. They acted as one.

Father, please help me to be like You. Like Your Son. Thank You for sending Jesus as an example of what You are like. Please guide me today, tomorrow, and after that. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

If you want to join us in the reading, please visit today's devotional guide and jump right in!

Menu Plan Monday

2011-04-18T18:40:00.003-07:00

Only one new recipe this week. The rest are old favorites.

Monday - Orange chicken
Tuesday - Tacos
Wed - Soba noodles & gyoza
Thursday - Taco salad (a new recipe from the Boca Burger package)
Friday - Curry
Sabbath lunch - Ramen
Sabbath dinner - Pizza with mushrooms and red onions
Sunday - Rigatoni with homemade sauce

Here is a photo of one of our new favorites, Greek Delight. I've switched this meal to the occasional lunch as it requires very little assembly time (a much needed requirement for dealing with my husband's unpredictable schedule).

Yum!

This week's memory text - Psalm 28:7

2011-04-17T20:25:00.002-07:00

I haven't posted a memory text is several weeks. This week I picked a verse that is an awesome praise to God and a wonderful promise.

The LORD is my strength and my shield;
My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped;
Therefore my heart greatly rejoices,
And with my song I will praise Him.
Psalm 28:7

I look forward to memorizing it!

Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath

2011-04-16T17:22:00.003-07:00

For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.
Matthew 12:8

I had plans to write a fancy blog post about the Sabbath but right now I just have thankfulness in my heart. No grandiose thoughts, only a heartfelt thankfulness for being blessed with the Sabbath.

My husband worked some crazy hours this week. On Wednesday night, he was up until 1AM. Thursday night, he wasn't finished with work until 3:30AM. We are tired. I don't stay up quite that late, but I stay up as late as possible to keep him company. We try to sleep in as much as possible but the cats start bugging around 5AM.

So, when Friday night comes around, we are usually exhausted but ecstatic that Sabbath has arrived. Last night we collapsed into bed at 8 and slept for 12 hours.

Anyways, I am really having a hard time putting thoughts together. I said all of that to say that I am so glad that the Sabbath did not end with Christ's death. We still have a weekly rest day, a day to spend in communion with God. We need the Sabbath every week. Christ knew we would need a day to recuperate and spend with Him. It was a huge gift to mankind and I am so grateful for it.