Simple Meal Plans: Follow the Book

I used to be sooo good about making meal plans.  When you have six little ones around all the time, it's a must.  These days, I have only one little one around - and he's not really little - so I have gotten rather lazy about planning.  I can get away with it for awhile, but there are drawbacks to not planning.

Read the rest here ...

Wednesday walk

Well, this morning my dear friend, Amber, and I got back to our morning walking.  We meet at 6:15 at her house (only once or twice a week because of morning schedules) and make a circuit of her neighborhood, past huddled groups of high school students waiting for the bus, sleepy houses, and the occasional dog walker.  We often pass firemen from the nearby station out for their morning run.  They are always friendly with their greetings.

It was chilly and damp this morning, a light mist giving way to a drizzle part way through our walk.  But we were prepared.  Wool hats, rain coats, and gloves.  It was fine.

I love my morning walks with Amber.  Such good conversation and always food for thought.  We range from kids to books to food to education to gardening to knitting to ... well, you get the picture.  Our walk is never long enough for our conversations.  This morning we sat for a bit on the chairs on her porch and talked some more.

Now, back home I feel a little chill in my bones.  I'm ready for the oatmeal that's bubbling on the stove.  The coffee is about done brewing in the press and my basket of books is waiting for me.  It's a rainy day and I'm thankful for a warm house and good work to do at home today: preparing for Friday's class, working with fabric, finishing that second mitten for Matthew, planning meals.

This week"s reading includes Steinbeck's Travels with Charlie in Search of America (thanks, Kandyce and Jonathan for giving it to Joel!), Bernd Heinrich's Winter World. , and Andrew Murray's With Christ in the School of Prayer.  As I read Murray, I follow T's thoughts on the book. Oh, and when I walk by myself, I'm listening to Elizabeth Gaskell's Wives and Daughters.

Oatmeal's ready now, but one last thing.  Did you all hear about the Cooper's Hawk in the Library of Congress?!

                                                       

Wow!

_____________________
photo by Abby Brack/Library of Congress

Fourth Monday

This morning, I read:

The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me...(ESV)

and in another version,

He who sacrifices thank offerings honors me... (NIV)

Psalm 50:23

The dictionary gives definitions:

thanksgiving - "the act of giving thanks; grateful acknowledgment of benefits or favors."

sacrifice -"the surrender or destruction of something prized or desirable for the sake of something considered as having a higher or more pressing claim."

So, how is it that giving thanks is a sacrifice?  What does it mean that acknowledging benefits or favors is the surrender of something prized?  What do we give up when we offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving.

We give up control and self-exaltation. We give up the illusion that everything we have has come to us as a result of our striving, our intellect, our skill.  Oh, we may work hard and be smart and talented, but saying thank you to God helps me to recognize that all I have, even if I have worked hard for it, is all a gift, because even the ability to work for it is a gift.  Every breath is a gift.  I can't manufacture a single one on my own.

We give up our self-limited assessment of what is good and bad.  It is a not so hard to say thank you for the things I deem to be good in my life.  I don't always do it and in a sense, it does involve a sort of sacrifice to take the time and effort to voice or pen my thanks.  But it is a small sacrifice when what I am giving thanks for is something I like - a good night's sleep, a beautiful bird, a happy family gathering, good food.  

What is harder to do is to thank God for the bad things, the things that don't look good or in any way feel good to me.  This costs me more because if I say thank you for the brokenness, the tragedy, the hurt, the pain, the plans that did not go as I had hoped, I am acknowledging that these things are a part of God's will for my life and that they are ultimately good. (1 Thessalonians 5:18 and Romans 8:28).

This costs me.  I have to surrender what I want, let go of what I prize, forgo what I desire for a higher and more pressing claim. Giving thanks for things for which I feel no natural gratitude forces me to recognize that God orders my circumstances for purposes beyond my limited vision.  It is an uneasy, unnatural, uncomfortable position, which is only abated if I see the happy ending on the horizon.  But that happy ending is often clouded and hidden.  And it may just be that there is no happy ending ... in this life.

I re-read the verse again, all the way to the end:

The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me;

to one who orders his way rightly I will show the salvation of God!  

There's a promise in there.  Two actually.

Offering thanksgiving as my sacrifice glorifies God.  That's the first promise.  How exactly saying thank you for the hard, ugly, bad things can glorify God is what I was trying to get at above.  When I am less and He is more, He is glorified.  When I accept as good whatever circumstances He gives, I acknowledge my limited scope and His boundless knowledge, wisdom, and power ... and He is glorified.  I think that's how it works.

The second promise is this: I will be shown the salvation of God. That's the happy ending.  The great thing is, though, that this salvation is both future and now. I look forward to it and I live in it.  Today.  I think that's what Ann is talking about when she writes, "Our very saving is associated with our gratitude."

So today, I offer thanks for ...

1645.  The move to North Carolina, a bit more than 8 years ago.  I didn't want to come.  It was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do.  It has had unexpected hardships, both physical and spiritual.  It was God's good plan.

1646.  A divisive season in our church life a few years back.  It was another of the most painful things I've ever gone through.  It ate up my soul for awhile and made me want to quit and run away, far, far away.

1647.  Brokenness and pain in my family.

1648.  Physical distance from dear ones.  Especially hard after they have all been here.

1649.  Friends who have gone through and continue to go through heartbreaking tragedy and painful trial: a stillborn baby, the loss of a son, continuing confusing illnesses and surgeries, unwelcome news from the doctor, life plans that didn't go as hoped, financial struggles.

In some of these things, I can see how God has worked and is working.  In others, it is a mystery.  I hope, simply that as I train my heart to the sacrifice of thanksgiving, God is honored.  It is a hope that the Psalmist holds out to me this day.

Starlings on Otmoor

We'll be watching this video in class today and talking about how they do it - how the starlings fly like their dancing, like a wave across the sky - and not crash into each other ... ever. Stunning!

Doting Gramma

Yep, that's me.

Thanks to my d-i-l, Kandyce for the picture!

And by the way dil, means heart in Hindi, Kandcye told me.

Some people like to call their son's wives 

daughter-in-love instead of daughter-in-law.

Let's just say that I am incredibly blessed by my

two dils (and my sil).

All three of them have my heart!

As does the stinking cute little girl in the picture.

Third Tuesday 2011

It's a good thing, when you feel weak and tired,
when the last of your visiting children has hopped on an airplane to a far-away place,
when the exhaustion finally begins to hit, 
and you feel the let down of all that time of sweet togetherness
and really just want to crawl in the bed
and cry.

It's a good thing to stop and remember the gifts of recent days, large and small,

And to tell Him thank you for:

children...
who come home for long breaks
and those who call when they leave home
and skype
and those who send beautiful notes
and those who bring over laundry and jump dead batteries
and those who let me hug them and cry way too early in the morning

the sweetest little granddaughter in the world...
who can say Gramma now so clearly
and smiles when she sees me.

friends...
who read emails late at night and respond
who pray fierce prayers
and give you strong counsel
and shoot you an expression across a hall that says "I understand."
and those that laugh with you

parents...
who are brave 
and generous
and supportive
and don't quit
and break up snow with a pitchfork
and try the latest gadgets
and are OK after a trip to the ER


a husband...
tender
persevering
wise
who loves babies
and the word of God
and welcomes visitors
even when he's really tired
and walks every day
and almost, always says yes when the question is, Daddy, do you want to play?

Every good and perfect gift 

comes from above, from the Father of  lights 

who does not change like shifting shadows. 

James 1:17


#'s 1617-1644

My Mid-Year Reflection...

on our middle school field biology class.  At the Childlight USA blog.

Second Tuesday - 2011

Quiet morning time with Bible and books
A hug from behind, a kiss in passing
A caring phone call
Chocolate chip pancakes
Real maple syrup


Red-bellied woodpecker and yellow-rumped warbler
Goldfinch and Carolina wren
White-throated sparrow and chickadee
Flash of male cardinal
And swoop of mockingbird

Snow and a runner sled loaned by a neighbor
Dogwood branches and buds encased in ice
An icy walk around the block
Crust of ice on the snow cracks under our feet
Warm boots, warm coat, warm hat
Hot drinks

Newlyweds here for dinner
Games and boys here to play them

A warm bed and a warm embrace awaiting

Thank you, Father, for the good gifts of this day.

#'s 1591 - 1616

All bound and ready to go

A year ago, I went to the fabric store.  Seven months ago, just before their wedding, I finished piecing the top and gave it to J and K.  I brought it home with me after the wedding to be quilted.  The machine quilting was done by Rebecca, who finished that phase of the project just before Christmas.  Sunday, I finished sewing the binding around the edges.  Today, I made and sewed on the label.

My first wedding quilt is done and going in the mail tomorrow.  It was almost exactly a year from the first fabric purchases until the final stitches were in.  I have loved it from start to finish.

Catching birds

Well, now that Thomas has moved out, the job of catching birds that get themselves caught on the back porch has fallen to me.  Since last Sunday, I have caught three birds: a Mourning dove, a Yellow-rumped warbler, and a White-throated sparrow.  That's a record for one week.  What is it with these birds?   Why do they keep coming into the screened porch? 

 Zenaida macroura 

Beautiful, isn't it.

While we're on the subject of birds, some of you might be interested in this resource, the Feeder Birds Coloring Book, a downloadable pdf  from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

HT  Barb at the Handbook of Nature Study blog

And then we had a wedding: Part 5

Someone was quite popular at the wedding!

With Aunt Anne (my beautiful sister)

 Mamaliz (my beautiful mother)

 Dear friend Lillian

Uncle Joel and Caden

Cousin Joseph and friend, John Thomas (Lil's son)

She also danced with Papa (Coty) and ate lots of good food.  

We were just sad Miss Clara (and her mom and dad)  had to leave later that night for the long drive back home.

And then we had a wedding: Part 4

And after the wedding and a few pictures, a very fun reception!

We danced...

 

 

and ate...

sang some songs...

and danced some more.

There were toasts and cake cut,
Flowers tossed and bubbles blown,
and tin cans on the back of the car
as Thomas and Kay drove away...

Oh, what a perfect reception!

Once again, I am so incredibly thankful for all the special folks who helped us - family and friends who baked yummy treats and loaned beautiful silver for our tables; Albert, who emceed the reception; Mr Hayes, who jumped right in and took care of little details; and so, so many who pitched in, celebrated with us and then, bless their hearts, stayed to help us clean up!

------------------------

thanks to Gray Kasko and Jennifer Mauney for their photos

And then we had a wedding: Part 3

Kay and her mom before the wedding

Joel getting ready after Luke made a quick trip to Target for black socks!

Thomas and Coty before the wedding

Thomas watching his bride walk down the aisle

Saying their vows

Our whole family!

Jonathan and Kandyce, Joel, me, Coty, Kay and Thomas, Andrew, Erin and Clara, Luke, Matthew

And then we had a wedding: Part 2

Friday morning, I bought flowers.  Then I spent two quiet hours at the church all by myself, arranging flowers for the tables and beginning the cooking.  It was a sweet, uninterrupted time to get my thoughts together and enjoy the beauty of the flowers and the smells of good food cooking.  I was fun to the see everything falling into place according to the plan!

Kristin, Jonathan and Kandyce, Erin and Luke all joined me at various points in the morning and I got home in the afternoon by the time I wanted to.

Back to the church at 4:00 to give instructions to my incredible dinner helpers, Natalia, Paula, and Cindy.  Thank you, you three, for your seamless, grace-filled help.  After that, it was upstairs to the rehearsal, already in progress.

I will not bore you with rehearsal details but will say that rehearsals are necessary, especially when you have a large wedding party.  People who can coordinate rehearsals and weddings and tell all those people what to do, when to walk, how fast to walk, where to stand, etc., etc., etc. are also indispensable.  We had two people "running the show."  Thank you, thank you, thank you Erin and Carla.  You made everything go smoothly.  You noticed details.  You kept everybody in line.  Not an easy task with this crazy bunch!

 

Then it was time for dinner.  Lights were twinkling, food was set out on the buffet table, people found their seats and the festivities began.

Here I am very sorry that I have no good photos. Aaaaaargh!  Many of us, in our post-wedding conversations, shared that the rehearsal dinner was one of our favorite times of the whole weekend.  The food really turned out just as I had hoped, everything went smoothly and the comments to Thomas and Kay, shared by family and friends - stories, words of wisdom and the like - were so heartwarming, funny, and special!

So, here's the lesson I learned.  I should have given my camera to someone else and told them to take LOTS of pictures.  Because, clearly, I was too busy to do it.  I'm just hoping some other family members and friends did a better job than I did in the photo department. 

In case you're wondering, I have posted the dinner menu with my tweaks and links over at Good Food.

And then we had a wedding!

Our anniversary was Wednesday. On Thursday, we went into high gear to get everything ready for Thomas and Kay's wedding. My main task was the rehearsal dinner on Friday night.  I had decided that I wanted to cook it all myself, making a special dinner with foods that Thomas and Kay would really like. I asked them for suggestions and planned the menu around their choices.  During the planning process, I had moments of doubt.

Will we be able to pull this all together?
Will we have enough food?
Will I manage to prepare and serve a special dinner for sixty people and keep my sanity?

I am happy to report that the answer is yes to all three questions.   (Quiet, those of you who question the preservation of my sanity or perhaps wonder if there was any there to begin with!)

Anyway, here are a few suggestions if any of you have weddings in your future and plan to do major portions of the preparation yourself:

1) Do your research.  For me, that meant carefully checking out the kitchen where I'd be doing the food prep, testing recipes, and comparison shopping for ingredients for the dinner.

2) Make a detailed plan.  Once I had chosen the menu and settled on recipes, I started figuring out just what I could do ahead and what had to wait til the day of the dinner.  Some things I could make ahead and freeze.  Gravy could be frozen, rice for the casserole could be cooked ahead and frozen.  I also made a very detailed shopping list and preparation guide, ordering when things should come out of the freezer, what would get cooked first, etc.  My plan saved me, eliminating the moment by moment stress that can occur when things really get rolling.  I lived by my plan.  I carried it with me everywhere for a few days before the wedding!

3)  Call in the troops and delegate. Help is golden.  I had a LOT of help and I had INCREDIBLE help.  They are what kept me sane and smiling.  I felt so buoyed by all my helpers.  I could not have done it without them.

So, here we go ....

Thursday afternoon we went to the Family Life Center at the church and moved bleachers and basketball goals.  We cleaned and pulled trees out of the storage closet.  We arranged tables and chairs.  We spread tablecloths and set the tables for Friday's dinner.  We hung lights.  I had an army of help!

Singing helps, too.  Matthew and Jonathan serenaded us with all the love songs they could think of while taking cups out of plastic sleeves.

Not many people get to chop mushrooms with a cowboy. I'm lucky that way.

In addition to setting everything up, as you can see, we did some food prep on Thursday.  We rinsed and dipped chicken breasts in coating, we chopped mushrooms and kale.  I got a blister on my chopping hand.  It was a LOT of chopping.  We got everything as close to being ready for the oven as we could on Thursday afternoon...

and then, that night, we went out to dinner.  

21 of us.  

Delicious food, a fire in the fireplace, 

crayon drawings on the paper table cover,

lots of laughs.  

That was not in my original plan but I am very thankful that someone else was thinking ahead, too!

Thanks, Bapa and Grammie!

It was the perfect ending to the day.

Looking back at the holidays: Part 7

And two days after the birthday, an anniversary.

Happy 31 years, sweetheart!

 With so much going on, we didn't really celebrate.  I'm hoping for a trip to Denver in April to celebrate!

Looking back at the holidays: Part 6

Our week also included a birthday.
Happy 22nd, Thomas!

Looking back at the holidays: Part 5

We had quiet, too. 

Early  mornings when this little one was up early searching for the kitty...

and eating breakfast with Papa.

Reading...

Braiding...

sewing, and walks.
Even with this many people in the house, we had quiet spaces.

Looking back at the holidays: Part 4

A bit of Christmas knitting for Clara

Both hat and mittens are free Ravelry downloads from Kristina Schmidt.  The hat is Oliver's Earflaps and the mittens, Kyla's mittens.  Both knitted up so quickly in a bulky wool yarn from my stash on size 10 needles.