"Don't call my 2 year old terrible."

I stumbled upon this article the other day, talking about Pink (the singer). It wasn't super interesting or anything, but one thing struck me. She was interviewed about her 2 year old and the phrase "the terrible twos" inevitably made it's way into the discussion.

The article reads: The Grammy-winner admits that her toddler can be challenging, but is nonetheless quick to dismiss any negative labels. “Oh, I don’t call them terrible. I think she’s tender,” Pink tells People.

I gotta agree with her here. 
It's something I've noticed in the short 9 months of my parenting career - people (including complete strangers) are very quick to speak negative things over your kid. Even when they are 2 months old and hardly move. 
I've had people say... 
"She's so cute, she's going to be spoiled rotten." 
"Oh, just wait till she can crawl/ walk... then she'll be a little terror." 
"Oh, she's cute now, but just you wait until she hits the terrible twos." 
"Oh, she won't be so sweet for long." 

and on it goes. 

I think I'm gonna put my foot down. 
I mean, seriously. Please don't speak such negative words over my kid. If you want to speak negative words about the terrible twos, and nasty, horrendous little toddlers over your own children, then fine. I don't recommend it, but it's your choice. But over my kiddo? No way. 

Here's the thing... I believe that, as a principle, you have what you say. 
Think about it. 

Have you ever noticed that the most miserable people in your life talk about how miserable they are all the time? And the people who are happiest talk about being happy all the time? I suppose we could argue a case of "what came first? The chicken or the egg..."

But let's think about this idea for a minute: you have what you say. 

This is why advertising works so well.
You are bombarded with wonderful images and words about, to take a very relevant example, Pumpkin Spice Lattes. "Get one. You love them. PSLs are the best." You think and tell people over and over, "I need one. I need a PSL right now. Do you want to go get PSLs together? OMG. I need one." And sooner or later, you end up at Starbucks in line for a PSL because you want one.
And then you tweet/ instagram about how awesome it is.
And go get another the next day.
[This is a neutral example. No positive or negative opinions here. Just an example to show how much the words you say and read influence you.]

Teachers also know this to be true. There is great emphasis on positive behavior reinforcement in the classroom these days. Part of it is in what you say to the students.
"Wow, GREAT job, boys and girls. You are so good at working quietly."
"Wow, I see so many students focused on their work."
And a lot of teachers have eliminated the, "you never do your homework! you always are in trouble!" type phrases from their vocabulary. Because they know that if they keep telling little Sally that she's always in trouble... then, guess what? She'll keep getting in trouble.

We do positive and negative self talk all the time. Even subconsciously.
Say you have an event or meeting coming up that you're dreading.
You start out with a slight feeling of not looking forward to it.
Over the course of the week, you think and murmur to yourself repeatedly, "This is going to be terrible. Ugh, I can't stand these meetings. They stink. I'm not going to be ready. I'm going to screw up my presentation. I'm so nervous. It's going to go horribly. What a disaster."
And then by the time the big day arrives, your stomach is so twisted in knots that you feel like you're going to puke.
What if you had been saying, "I can do this. It's going to be great. They're going to love my presentation. I'm going to speak clearly and people will think it's awesome!"
You might not be 100% nerve-free, but I bet you'd be a lot less anxious than if you had taken the first route.

I've probably gone too far and exhausted this topic, so I'll spare you any more.

I guess my point is - you may not think it really matters, what you say. But it does. Some people call it self-fulfilling prophecy. Call it what you want. Eventually, as a principle, you will have what you say.

I know people are just making conversation (often with a smile) when they say, "oh one day she'll be a little terror," but even casually, I just don't want those things spoken over my kid.

So, I'm with Pink on this one, folks.
Don't call my 2 year old "terrible."
And don't say my 9 month old will be terrible when she's 2. She'll be wonderful. [Perfect? no. I'm not advocating living in complete denial and just walking around saying lots of positive wonderful things that aren't true all the time. I'm just talking about your general patterns of speech and how they affect you.]

My dad said he used to call it the "terrific 2's."
That works for me!
Terrific 2's it is. I'm sure they'll be here before they know it.

Does this resonate with you?
Have you had any experience with this? Either for yourself or your kid(s)? Share in the comment section!

Article - A Hidden Calling

I read this article the other day.
It was so moving to me.
Read it.

After reading it, I started thinking...
His parents really missed out. I mean, he was first entrusted to them. And God had a plan for that little boy, so He used the nanny instead. She made much of her influence on that child. Praise God for her.

As for me, who knows what my kid will do one day, or who they will grow up to be?
One thing is certain though - God has placed little Adelyn in my hands.
And I have great influence over her.
She has been entrusted to me.
That is seriously humbling.

In the midst of diapers, learning to crawl, and bananas smeared everywhere, the reality of her little heart sometimes escapes me. She is a little person, with a soul. She has a heart to mold, impress upon, shape.

This is my calling.

And if you have kids, it's your calling too.

God, give me the grace to raise her well. May she will follow you, and change the world for the better.

Whether the children in your life are your own or somebody else's, this article is a great reminder to be aware of the influence you have over others. Especially kids.

You never know who they'll be one day...

Monday stuff.

i have been on the phone allllll day.
AHHH!!!!

Fun phone calls - playing travel agent with my mom and with my sweet friend, both of whom are coming to visit us in the next two weeks. [Side note: we have visitors 4 weekends in a row! woohoo!]

Not fun phone calls - so.many.financial.aid.loan.bank.insurance type phone calls. LAME-O!

Also, a bike ride with Addie 10 minutes farther than we were actually going because I accidentally google mapped directions to the Harvard Bank ATM instead of the actual bank, which was very close to our house. Oh well. She was patient and the weather was perfect for a little bike ride.

Speaking of my patient, perfect angel... I tried this bow on her today. It was so hard to get a picture of her still... this girl is on the move. [Excuse the TERRIBLE quality. iPhone cam + movin baby]

This is not a Monday thing. But sometimes, if I'm holding her, she just launches at me, grabs my face and gives 'kisses.' She is so affectionate and sweet! This was one of the first things she learned to do associated with a word. :)

My husband walked in the door from class/ work today and could see my level of whatever you want to call it [not stress or tension; but some sort of hyperactive crazy-eye look that communicated I NEED TO NOT BE DOING WHAT I'VE BEEN DOING]... and the second sentence out of his mouth was, "do you want me to have Addie for a while while you got a coffee shop or on a walk or something?"

I was out the door faster than Addie crawls for cords that are in eye-sight!
Okay, actually, I wanted to hang out with him, so we had dinner and he and addie and I walked to starbucks. Then they left. And I stayed. [sweet serenity and solitude!!]

By the way, I ordered that caramel apple spice with so much pizazz and excitement. I'm sure the barista was quite overwhelmed by me. Also, I think it's cool to be chill when you're a barista in cambridge. So my level of enthusiasm screamed "i am not cool."

oh well. Addie thinks I'm cool.

I was going to make these for dinner.
But then the aforementioned offer came [and I noticed you have to make them 2 hours before you want to eat them] and it was already 6... so... frozen pizza it was.
Amazing dinner tomorrow night. Maybe.

I put out a couple plugs for taking in another little one part-time with my Addie girl to supplement our income.  I got SO many responses. Praise the Lord. I'm pursuing several options and going to see what works out.

And now for some pics that have nothing to do with Monday...

These are just growing in front of a house up the street. Such happy flowers!

Addie and I strolled through Anthropology for an afternoon outing last week. [Sometimes us girls just need a little outing.] They had so.many.pretty.dishes. And mugs. I swoon for pretty mugs!!

 And they had magnetic timers. Someday, I'm going to make a cute sign for my fridge that is dry-eraseable and has 3 columns. And I'll put one of these timers under each column. And then I'll write what the timer is for, so that when I am trying to keep track of 3 different things baking... none of them will burn. And this awesome DIY project will look so cute and crafty that you will pin it like crazy :)

 so many pretty dishes.

 She is learning by experience that it's harder to have her bottle on her stomach. I try to turn her over, but she's persistent. So, whatever. To each her own.

 So happy in the morning while mom is getting ready.

 On a morning walk. Perfect for a blanket, a hat, a fleece (and a coffee.) Mmmm.

Off to watch the West Wing. With my husband. We are loving this show.

Happy Monday folks.

Bike Ride Success!

A couple weeks ago, I wrote about a failed bike mission. After we got over the trauma, we ordered another helmet. No stranger to bike rides ending in tears, we set out on a new mission with a bit of a different strategy.

New Mission: Ride the bike and come back with minimal tears. 
New Strategy: Go with dad too; do not have a particular destination goal in mind. Just ride the bike. 

This is where we headed - the Charles River bike path a mile or 2 from us. 

Well, we were having such a grand old time that we stayed out a bit too long. All of the sudden, we hit the too-tired-to-be-on-a-semi-bumpy-bike-ride. So we promptly proceeded to turn around. A 15 minute ride to get back home, and the tears started coming. At one point, she was crying hard. Hard enough that onlookers wondered if perhaps we had snatched that baby on the back of our bikes screaming her lungs out. Oh dear.

We made it home. Really, it was much more successful than the first one, especially since the helmet worked and wasn't terrible. She'll get used to the whole thing. Meanwhile, we had some bonding time with our helmet while waiting for dad to put the bikes away.

kisses for the helmet.

Status: mission success. 

Of course, there were some tears, but really, it wasn't that bad. And we've been on the bike 3 times since then without a tear! In fact, it turns out, people are very nice to you as a biker when you have a smiley, chubby-cheeked baby in a bike seat with a cute flowered helmet.

Living Proof Live Simulcast Recap

The other day, I mentioned I was attending a simulcast of a Living Proof Live event with Beth Moore teaching.

I am still processing.
Learning.
Allowing the Lord to change me and sink those principles so far in I can't forget them.

She suggested not to "tweet it before you eat it" - which of course I laughed out loud to, and then subtly tried to put my phone down, hoping no one noticed I was about to tweet something she just said. (Just kidding. Or am I?)

Anyway, it's been a couple days, and these were my major takeaways so far. Just the point-by-points. Maybe I'll be able to summarize and explain them more later. Maybe not.

#1
Romans 6:6 reads "We know that our old self was crucified with [Christ] in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sn."
Some things in our lives need to hear a loud "NO LONGER." 

#2
No door is too dark that Jesus Christ would not be willing to enter and make himself the exit for even 1 person. We can't get him dirty. He will go anywhere for anyone. He wants you. No matter what you've done, where you've been, or who you are. If I whole-heartedly believe this, I should be extending his grace to everyone I meet.

#3
Living with your 'salvation by grace' but your works under the law will make someone neurotic. The whole Christian life is to be lived out under grace.

#4
It's time to let the old dead self go.

#5
The prodigal son said to his father, "I am no longer worthy to be called your son." I have often thought this and come to God saying, "I am no longer worthy Lord." The problem with this reasoning/ repentance is, it assumes I was at one point worthy. I was never worthy. Jesus Christ is worthy enough for me.

#6
Grace is not the equal antithesis of our sin. If I have sinned, for example, to a "9," I do not get a "9" in grace... I get a 9,000,000. Grace is infinite. It drowns my sin.


Oh my goodness, that summary does not even do justice all the Lord is teaching me. Back into the Word I go to study and learn and let it all sink in. Lord, help me to get this grace thing.

2014 "identity declaration song"
source

Comment Luv Take 2

I tried Comment Luv. It didn't seem to work. I just wanted to give y'all some comment luv! Okay, take 2. I'm sure take 1 fail was the result of a user error. :)

Once again, I pose the same questions... 
Would you please leave a test-comment below? (If you have a blog or website, it's important you fill out the box that says "site URL.")
Here's the feedback I'm looking for...Is it easy?
If you blog, is the link to your most recent post working & accurate?
If you don't blog, is this type of commenting the same, worse, or better than before?

I'm not set on having this type of commenting installed on my blog - only if it makes it a better way to connect with readers.

Thoughts??

p.s. if you want it too, here are the instructions I used :)

The Jesus Storybook Bible Spoiler Alert!

source

Spoiler Alert - I'm going to give you the ending of the Jesus Storybook Bible.
Only because it moved me to tears as Addie and I were reading it this morning.
(Okay, I was reading out loud while Addie was bouncing and moving all over the place, trying to eat the pages.)

I suggest reading it out loud. Or whisper it. Something about hearing the words makes them all the more beautiful.

  It was hard to squeeze all John saw into words. And fit it onto a page. And cram it into a book. All the words on all the pages of all the books in all the world would never be enough. 
    "I am the Beginning," Jesus said, "and the Ending!"
    One day, John knew, Heaven would come down and mend God's broken world and make it our true, perfect home once again. 
    And he knew, in some mysterious way that would be hard to explain, that everything was going to be more wonderful for once having been so sad.
    And he knew then that the ending of The Story was going to be so great, it would make all the sadness and tears and everything seem like just a shadow that is chased away by the morning sun. 
    "I'm on my way," said Jesus. "I'll be there soon!"
    John came to the end of his book. But he didn't write "The End." Because, of course, that's how stories finish. (And this one's not over yet.) 
    So instead, he wrote: "Come quickly, Jesus!" 
    Which, perhaps, is really just another way of saying...



To be continued...

[To get the full effect, you'll just have to buy one so you can read it with the pictures and the page turns.]

//

Paraphrase of John 1:12-13 (still quoting the Jesus Storybook Bible here.)

For anyone who says yes to Jesus

For anyone who believes what Jesus said

For anyone who will just reach out to take it

Then God will give them this wonderful gift: 

To be born into

A whole new Life

To be who they realy are 

Who God always made them to be - 

Their own true selves - 

God's dear

Child. 

Because, you see, the most wonderful thing about this Story is - it's your story, too!

Are you are a part of His story? 

Did you see he tagline on the cover of this Bible?

It says: "Every story whispers His Name." 

How beautiful. 

This sweet children's Bible has taught me a thing or two and I am seeing Jesus throughout the Bible in a whole new way. 

Grace Incarnate.

Geez Louise - between reading this storybook Bible and studying with the Thru the Bible teaching (I'm listening here), I am brought to my knees over and over these days. 

I cannot get enough.

God is so good. 

So faithful. 

p.s. This is by far the best children's bible I've ever seen. I am not an expert, but I do know my way around the children's book section at a book store. This is worth it. The small one is $12.18. I don't know how much the big one is. If you have kids in your home, or in your life, take the plunge & get one. You won't regret it!

Have I convinced you? :)  

Christian Healthcare Sharing

We recently joined this Christian healthcare sharing ministry.

When I first heard of it and checked out the website, I was skeptical, to be honest. My first thought was - what the what? that's weird. I think what came out of my mouth to my friend who told us about it was "ohhh. interesting."

But, she showed me! The more we learned, the more we realized it is what made sense for us in this season of our lives.

We are excited about the approach this ministry takes and to be a part of it. I had never heard of healthcare sharing before my friend mentioned it, so I thought I'd share about it with you, just in case you have never heard of it & it's what also makes sense for your family in whatever season you may be in.

:)

New Comment Luv Installation

I just installed 'commentluv' on my blog & want to see how it works.
It allows others to see the most recent posts you've written on your blog or website if you comment below.
I have been seeing it a lot of places on the internet. I'll be commenting on a blog and realize it posts a link to my most recent article. Well that's kinda cool! I thought. I wish I had a website that would do that. As it turns out, any old blog can just install the commentluv plug-in. So I gave it a whirl.
Do you mind trying to leave a comment below?
Here's the feedback I'm looking for...
Is it easy?
If you blog, is the link to your most recent post working & accurate?
If you don't blog, is this type of commenting the same, worse, or better than before?

I'm not set on having this type of commenting installed on my blog - only if it makes it a better way to connect with readers.

Thoughts??

p.s. if you want it too, here are the instructions I used :)

Cooking Series #3 - Making Produce Last

It took me a while, but I finally figured out how to buy fruits and vegetables and not have to be at the store every 3rd day getting them fresh, or throwing them out because they went bad faster than we could eat them. (Maybe you already do something similar to this & I am slow on the uptake...)

I mentioned yesterday how I make lettuce last longer. You will be SHOCKED how long lettuce lasts if you start doing this. For all non-lettuce produce items, these are the main principles I follow:
1.) Buy them at a variety of ripeness the day you're at the store
2.) Eat the stuff that goes bad faster first.

It's not rocket science, I realize, but hey, like I said, this strategy took me a while to figure out.

I'm just going to talk fruit today since I think it's generally harder to make it last.

On a trip to the store where I'm basically all out of produce at home, I will generally buy the following (if they are at what I deem to be a good price):
Strawberries (1-2 containers)
Blueberries (1 container once in a while)
Bananas (6-8)
Avocados (3-4)
Peaches (3-5)
Cantaloupe (1)
Pineapple (1)
Apples (5-10)
Clementines (during the fall/ winter only)
Tomatoes (do we know yet if this is a fruit or vegetable? I always thought veggie but I'm going to pretend it's a fruit today so I can include it in this discussion.)

Strawberries seem to go bad the fastest around here. I usually wash them & cut them up on day 1 or 2, which seems to make them last longer. They're gone in a day or two.

Blueberries - I have mostly given up on them since they are expensive and we don't just eat them by themselves. But sometimes, if they're on sale, I buy a container for either a fruit salad or for putting in my cereal in the morning.

Bananas - Addie and I either each have one every day or we split one. When I buy them, I buy a few that are almost ripe and a few that are very green. If ever I buy too many, I save the last 4 and make banana bread... with chocolate chips. [Always chocolate chips.]

Avocados - Addie eats 1/3 or 1/2 an avocado every day. Same strategy as bananas - I buy a couple that are already ripe and a couple that aren't green. If all of the ones at the store are already ripe, then I just buy 1 or 2. At home, I cut the ripe avocado in half, and scoop out one half for her to eat. I leave the other half, put it in a ziplock baggie (or tupperware container) & pop it in the fridge. It lasts another day or 2 still green!

Peaches - I don't buy these as often, but when I do, I just buy a few because we don't eat them a ton and their ripe window seems short.

Cantaloupe - I often buy the least ripe cantaloupe available. Between our bananas, strawberries, and avocados, we are usually set on produce for the first couple days, so I want the cantaloupe (and the pineapple for that matter), later in the week. You know a cantaloupe is ripe by the smell (and supposedly the color... but I think smell is easier.) If it smells like cantaloupe, it's ready to go. So I try to find one that doesn't smell like cantaloupe.  When I cut it up at home, I usually cut it in half, cut up one half into small pieces & put it in a tupperware. This lasts us 2-ish days. I saran wrap the other half and pop it in the fridge for when the first half runs out.

Pineapple - once the cantaloupe is gone, the week is almost over and the pineapple is ripe.  You know it's ripe because the outside has turned more yellow than green & you can pretty easily pull out the leaves (or whatever the spiky things on top are called). Chop up the whole thing... put it in a tupperware. And it lasts us another 2 days.

Apples - These seem to never go bad. haha. I'm sure they do, but I have never experienced it. I buy several and eat 1 or 2 per day as a snack. Sometimes on the go, sometimes with peanut butter. I like gala or braeburn for snacking & granny smith for baking.

Sometimes, (like if all the produce at the store is ripe and it's hard to find not-yet-ripe items,) I go crazy, and cut it all up and throw it in a fruit salad. If I'm going to do this, I usually also buy blueberries, red/purple seedless grapes & kiwi. Then my fruit salad consists of strawberries, cantaloupe, pineapple, kiwi, blueberries & grapes. A fruit salad with all the colors of the rainbow is way prettier and thus, more fun to eat :)

Well - there you have it. More opinions on buying fruit that you ever wanted. Is that too anal? What strategy do you use? Were you already using a similar strategy? Did I miss any fruits you love? Is anyone else mourning the fact that summer (aka: fresh, cheap fruit season) is almost over? Share some opinions & comment love below!

August Recap

I had to write the date on something today. Did you know it's September 17? Holy cow! Where did August go? And half of September?

Agh.

Want to know what we did in August?

Well, we...

saw the famous "Make Way for Ducklings" statue at Boston Public Gardens

Learned to sleep in the stroller

Had seafood on the sea.

 Went to the Boston Common to play in the giant splash pad.

Got messy while eating.

 found our favorite local pizza place!

tried canolis

 battled fruit flies. 

 gave up on fruit flies in order to tackle pantry moths. 

became more city-ish with an ergo, a small stroller, groceries on bicycles, & zipcar.

So that was August... well, the part we lived in Boston for anyway.  

Cooking Series #2 - 3 Easy, Healthy Habits

Crock pot sesame chicken with a side of green beans :)

So, let's get something straight... We are by no means health nuts. We don't follow special diets, eat gluten free or vegetarian. We like ice cream and carbs, and I love me 1 or 2 or 7 cups of coffee in the morning.

BUT, we realize that we better have some good eating habits if we want to make it to our 50th anniversary married. So, we eat vegetables.

Some healthy habits I have found to be very simple for us are...

DRINK WATER
I know you've heard this before, but here's how this works for us. We don't generally have pop around the house. Or any other kind of drink except for coffee, tea, milk, and water. This is a huge money saver & when we're thirsty, we drink water. Pretty simple - if you don't have sugary drinks around, you will be less likely to drink them.

SALAD 
At least 3-4 nights a week, I make a salad as a side for dinner. Our salads are plain jane. Our salads are not fancy. But they have leafy greens, so they're good for us.

We typically rotate through these 2 types of salads:
Spinach + strawberry + feta + walnuts + balsamic
Romaine + tomato + feta + croutons + balsamic OR homemade ranch. [Homemade meaning combine the mayo, buttermilk, and ranch packet in a container- this is surprisingly healthier than a store bought bottle of ranch dressing.]

But, you are sighing to yourself, how ever do you get your lettuce and produce to stay fresh all week, oh expert chef.  Well, dear friend, I'm glad you asked. The wise old internet once told me that if I wash my lettuce, and wrap it in paper towels, it'll last longer :) And it was right! I usually buy a bag of 3 Romaine Hearts for $3. Then, the first or second day I have it, I rinse/ wash it and pat it dry and wrap each one in a separate paper towel. Pop it into ziplocks and it's ready to go for the week. I usually chop up a whole romaine heart at a time and that chopped up lettuce lasts us 1 1/2 - 2 meals.

As my first graders used to say (in that sing-songy child's voice first graders do oh so well), EASY PEASY LEMON SQUEEZY!

PAMPERED CHEF VEGGIE STEAMER
Um, please do not stop reading at the word's "pampered chef." This is an 11 dollar product that will revolutionize your vegetable experience. Plus, it comes in blue now, so that's fun.
1. Chop fresh vegetables. (You can use frozen instead if you want.)
2. Put them in the pampered chef micro-cooker
3. Microwave them for 2-3 minutes
4. Enjoy delicious, freshly steamed vegetables.
This is real. I kid you not. No added water, no stove, no catch. 

Though I don't use it much in the summer, this thing helps us survive the winter. We use it for broccoli (fresh) or frozen green beans most nights. The reason I buy green beans frozen is 1.)The fresh ones don't last as long & never seem to be that great where we are 2) you have to rip the ends off the fresh ones 3.)The frozen ones are delicious! I buy the whole/ fresh kind, not the cut kind that are tiny cylinders.  Broccoli on the other hand seems to be good all year long, is super cheap fresh, and lasts a long time in the fridge.

There are 2 sizes of the veggie steamer - I gave my small one away because it is that amazing, so now we only have the large one, which works great. If you're buying one, I recommend the large one. Go big or go home. Oh, the other reason you need the pampered chef micro-cooker is because it defrosts meat in less than 10 minutes. And goes in the dishwasher. And doesn't get too hot to hold. [Now that I think about it, I should ask pampered chef to pay me for this 5-star review.]

The other winter veggie we use on a regular is canned corn. Kernels. Not sweet cream (gross). I just heat this on the stove in a saucepan or in a bowl in the microwave.
In the summer, we are corn-on-the-cob folks. I mean, we've been living in Nebraska for 2 years, people.  [Side note: I bought corn on the cob out here in Boston recently, and I was almost offended they even sold it in the store, it was so terrible. 1 point Nebraska.]


Up tomorrow - how to shop for fruits and veggies that will last you over a week.
How's that for suspense?

Praying Psalm 85:4-13

Now, this would be a good thing to pray on a regular basis. 

You could pray it over people you know. 

Over your church

Over your marriage or your kids

Over your heart

Over your neighborhood

Over your friends

Over your ______ ...The possibilities are endless!

Call it out loud my friend... Your prayer is heard. There is a God who listens. And He is good. And He loves you.

(It's from Psalm 85:4-13.)

Restore us again, O God of our salvation…revive us again, 
that Your people may rejoice in You.
Show us Your steadfast love, O LORD, 
and grant us Your salvation.

Let me hear what God the LORD will speak, 
for He will speak peace to His people, to His saints; 
but let them not turn back to folly.

Surely His salvation is near to those who fear Him, 
that glory may dwell in our land.

Steadfast love and faithfulness meet; 
righteousness and peace kiss each other. 
Faithfulness springs up from the ground, 
and righteousness looks down from the sky. 
Yes, the LORD will give what is good, 
and our land will yield its increase. 
Righteousness will go before Him 
and make His footsteps a way. (ESV)

new beginnings for women's ministry

Yesterday, I ended up with the chance to have 4 other ladies over from the new church we're attending. Let me just say - they rocked my evening! I was so so so blessed by them....
Their hearts for the Lord
Their excitement about providing meaningful, purposeful ministry activities for women
Their desire to see women grow in their relationships with Jesus
Their laughter
Their welcomingness towards me [is "welcomingness" a word? nope, don't think so]

They came over AFTER WORK & stayed until 11 pm!
Praying, brainstorming, listening.
People were honest, articulate, creative, fun & brilliant!

What a great night.

Watch out Cambridge! Hope Fellowship women's ministry is coming hard core this fall.
Can.not.wait.

Oh! And tomorrow... I get to do this with some women from church. I do love me some of her Bible teaching. (Gettin' my southern grammar on in preparation!)

Cooking Series #1 - 3 Easy Recipes

When I'm making dinner, I often think, "I should blog... this recipe OR quick-tip OR go-to dinner."
So I've decided to do a series on cooking for regular folk. In this series, I will cover...
My favorite go-to meals
Easy, healthy sides
Simple entertaining
How to eat well on a budget
Recipe Organization
Dessert

Let's start with 3 of my favorite go-to recipes.
If I need a filler for the menu on a given week, one or two of these definitely make it on there.

1. Tilapia - even if you're 'not a fish person' or 'don't cook fish', this is SO easy and yummy. trust me! Oh and, apparently I love this tilapia recipe so much that I posted it twice within two months of each other here. So, if you weren't convinced with the first link, try this one!
2. Chicken Pad Thai - delicious & friendly for your gluten free friends.
3. Chicken Enchilada Soup - this one is only a go-to recipe in the winter for us.

Don't worry - more of that deliciousness to come in the following days! Are you going to try anything?

Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Soup

Ingredients
3 cups chicken stock
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken [I never measure this. In the past, I've used rotissere and boneless skinless breasts. When I use the breasts, I put them in first (whole; uncooked), and then dump everythign on top of them. I shred before serving. This is my favorite (and easiest) way to do the chicken!]
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, optional [I cut this WAY down. Cayenne pepper is h-o-t!!]
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 (10 oz) can diced tomatoes with green chilis
1 (4 oz) can diced green chilis
1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups frozen corn
1 (6oz) can tomato paste
2 large flour tortillas, cut into thin, 2-inch long strips [I often skip these]
1 cup shredded pepper jack or Monterry jack cheese [any shredded cheese works fine!]
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 chopped fresh cilantro

Optional garnishes: crushed tortilla chips, more shredded cheese, avocado, more sour cream, more chopped cilantro. [I sometimes end up eating it like soupy/dip with chips! yum!]

Directions
In a slow cooker, combine everything except the tortilla strips, shredded cheese, sour cream & cilantro. Cover and cook on low for about 4 hours. Stir in tortilla strips and shredded cheese. Cook for an additional 2 hours on low, or until tortilla strips have dissolved into the soup and thickened it. Just before serving, stir in sour cream and cilantro. Top with additional garnishes & serve.

Source: letsdishrecipes.com

Random Links

An interesting article on abstinence and sexuality in our current culture.

The truth about adoption... 1 year later & 2 years later.

The economics of piano lessons.

A review of 12 (yes, 12!!) different kinds of digital photobooks.

Another photobook review, in case the 1st one left you on the edge of your seat, hoping for more...

Shamless blog-promotion plug: follow me on bloglovin. [Sign in with facebook, click 'follow']

Technology myths debunked.


Have you found anything interesting on the internet this week?
Link to it below!!

clarification of a promise

A few weeks go, I shared that I had begun a new Bible study with a program called "Thru the Bible," taught by J. Vernon McGee.  The study takes you through the entire Bible, chapter by chapter in 5 years. Every 25 minute 'episode' is available here for (legal) listening or free download.
I literally look forward to it each day. And when that day's teaching is done, I am so torn between listening to another or pausing to let what I just heard soak in.

I am learning SO much.
Exhibit A - the page in my Bible with Genesis 4.

Side note on writing in your Bible: I used to take notes from sermons primarily in notebooks and only write down the occasional key phrase. I also underlined a lot. Then I had a Bible that was basically ALL underlined and I'd come across a verse & think, I wonder why I underlined that.  More recently, I got a wide margin Bible & mostly take my notes in there. I figure, it's easier to look back and remember what I've learned if it's right there. Also, there is less underlining. I don't have a totally systematic Bible marking system yet but, baby steps.

End side note.








Ok, what I really got on here to write about was what POPPED out to me from Genesis 15 today. Here's how Genesis 15 starts:

    After these things, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: "Fear not, Abram, I am your shield and your exceedingly great reward." But Abram said, "O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?" And Abram said, "Behold, you have given me no offspring and a member of my household will be my heir." And behold, the word of the Lord came to him: "This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir." ... And Abram believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness. 

Here it is in The Message translation (which, in my opinion, is helpful at times for clarification but not great for in depth study).

After all these things, this word of God came to Abram in a vision: "Don't be afraid, Abram. I'm your shield. Your reward will be grand!" Abram said, "God, Master, what use are your gifts as long as I'm childless and Eliezer of Damascus is going to inherit everything?" Abram continued, "See, you've given me no children, and now a mere house servant is going to get it all." Then God's message came: "Don't worry, he won't be your heir; a son from your body will be your heir." ... And Abram believed! Believed God! God declared him "Set-right-with-God." 

There is so much we could learn from this passage, but I really just want to point out one thing today. Okay, maybe two, or three... 

1.) Abram (his name before God changed it to "Abraham") was honest with God. God said "I'm your reward Abram!" And Abram says, essentially, "Look God, you've already promised me a lot - a great nation with tons of offspring, and I don't have a kid. In fact, my wife is unable to have babies. So, while your gifts and rewards might be nice, won't they be kind of useless if you don't make good on your promise and my servant Eliezar gets everything?"  [fair point.]  

Do you ever feel like that? Not so sure about what God has promised you? I got to wondering... what do I do in that situation? 

Call a best friend.

Tweet about it. 

Find a verse about faith. 

Suck it up and force myself to 'just believe it.' 

Call my mom.

Complain to my husband. 

Pretend it's God's will for me to be miserable in the waiting period.

What did Abram do? He responded to God with honesty & poured out his heart. He asked God what the heck is going on?!

2.) God answered him with clarification that demanded faith. I love that God didn't say, "You know what, Abram. I'm God. Just suck it up, try harder, & believe me already." He heard Abram's plea & questioning. Perhaps He knew that Abram wanted to believe God. I don't know why, but for whatever reason, God clarified the promise. Keep in mind, he's already appeared to Abram 3 times and given him the promise of a great nation and many offspring. So you'd think Abram wouldn't be doubting it, or maybe that God would be frustrated with Abram for asking. 

I wonder if Abram had started to wonder what God meant when he said, "I shall make of you a great nation... to your offspring I will give this land." (Gen. 12:2,7) Putting myself in Abram's shoes, as the years go by and I don't have even 1 son, let alone a whole nation, I would start to wonder this... maybe God meant a figurative nation? If my servant inherits everything and his kids become great, then technically, they are my heirs and my nation. 

But God says to Abram, "This man shall not be your heir. Your very own son shall be your heir." My Bible has a footnote that the Hebrew here literally translates into, "what will come out of your own loins shall be your heir." (Wouldn't it be awesome if we still said this? This is my daughter, Adelyn who came out of my loins.") So, the kid that comes out of your own loins will be your heir.

How's that for clarity?

3.) It was good enough for Abram. He 'believed God and God declared him set-right-with-God.' Now that is a good place to be. And there is a LOT more to that last statement that I'm not going to explore right now.

Do you need clarification on a promise from God in your life?
Have you tried asking?

Cloth Diapering Plunge

I think I'm going to take the plunge into cloth diapering.  I briefly mentioned the possibility a few weeks ago. And a couple friends are probably laughing because I've been 'thinking about it' since I was preggo.

[Disclaimer: this post has some boring budget breakdowns & mentions poop.]

One reason I had decided not to do this earlier was because Miss Adelyn is a serious pooper. We used to do prunes in the morning, but she would poop 4-5 times a day!! Off of prunes, on a pretty regular formula/ solids diet, she is down to 1 (sometimes 2) times per day.  4-5 times a day with a poopy diaper didn't seem worth the switch over to cloth.

But now that her intestines are less enthusiastic, AND our local kids resale store has bum genius at $4 a pop AND I'm almost out of disposables at home, I started thinking about it again.

Our sweet girl is a heavier wetter (meaning more diapers per day)ever since we switched to formula. [More about that another time.] As I did the cost breakdown, it seemed like a no-brainer for our student-loan-living budget.

Here's why.

She uses 5 diapers per day minimum. (This girl produces some serious wet diapers at night so we use size-up huggies snug n dry overnight and I do not plan to change that.) I've been ordering diapers on diapers.com which seems to be slightly discounted. Also, we now live in Boston without a car, so lugging a box of 200+ diapers either on my bike or in the stroller doesn't sound like loads of fun - especially through the snow, which I hear we might get some of this winter... At the price I've been getting them it's approximately $.23 per diaper x 5 per day (minimum) = $1.15 per day.

Even if she is perfectly potty trained on her 2nd birthday, we still have 478 days of diapering to go.
At $1.15 per day, that's $549.70

But wait.

Our local kids resale store just took in a ton of bum genius 4.0 diapers (seemingly the most popular brand on the market) that are in GREAT shape. They are selling them for $4.00 each.

FOUR DOLLARS. 

We have an in-unit washer/dryer that is apartment sized, so I do laundry every couple days anyway. And it's unlimited included already in the cost of our rent. So water cost isn't really a factor.
I was thinking 15 would be a nice number. (Wash every 2 days, but still have enough for that day while the others are in the wash.)

$4 x 15 = $60.00

Plus, I think I'll get flushable inserts & probably put at least one in per day before her morning nap, which usually ends with a lovely 'present.' $8 for a box of 100 on amazon. If I have to buy 8 boxes of those over the next 16 months, that's $64.

So far, our total is $124.

Okay, so for Addie, we're only saving $425.

Not that much money in the grand scheme of life.

But wait, again.  We'd like a few kids. Somewhere above 3 and under 10. ;) ;)

Let's say we can use these diapers for 2 more kiddos after Adelyn, starting at age 3 months.

That's 640 days of diapering per kid.
1280 days for 2 kids.
At $1.15 per day.

$1472 to diaper 2 more kids from 3 months to age 2. 
Plus the $425 from Addie.
Now our total is $1897 saved.
And maybe we'd be able to use them on a 4th... I don't know how long they last.

Lord willing, $1897 would be a doable amount to spend on diapering over the next couple years.
I am so so so thankful that we are not in a place where we literally HAVE to cloth diaper to make ends meet.

On the other hand, with the flushable liners, no-smell pails, and in-unit washer/ dryer, the hassle factor is very minimal for me. I recently picked up a couple at the resale store I mentioned and haven't minded them at all. It feels almost the same as regular diaper-changing. In fact I would be happy not to have to empty the diaper genie (or beg Ben to) or remember to order more diapers.

And for basically no hassle, doing something I don't mind doing, I could think of other ways to spend the $1897.

Like saving for a car. Or a downpayment.
Or new shoes.
Or all the many children's books I dream of adding to our library.
Or fabric.
Or amazing handmade gifts for all my friends.
Or Christmas.
Or missionaries.
Or finishing off those undergrad loans.
Or putting a tiny debt in the grad loans.

Plus, there's the cute factor of a cloth-diapered bum.
Maybe, just maybe, I'll share a picture with you once we are fully cloth diapered over here.

the war on pantry moths continues

For those of you who have been eagerly awaiting an update on the pantry moth infestation, today is your lucky day.

On Sunday, we declared war against the pantry moths.
Emptied cabinets, vacuumed up larvae (GROSS), wiped with vinegar, placed bay leaves, etc...
The next day, we saw a couple more moths. While disappointing, we figured it'd take a couple days of killing the ones that already existed before we saw a major victory.

Alas!! Over the last few days, we have still seen moths.

I cannot describe to you the murderous anger that wells up within me each time I see one. I run for the fly swatter and violently 'swat' it to death.

And then... later in the day, I'll see another, as if they're rubbing it in my face that we can't get rid of it - nah nah nah boo boo.

Our super high quality cabinets have cracks in the corners that lead to cracks in the wall, so we thought perhaps they have laid their nasty little baby moth larvae in there. Addie and I ventured to the local hardware store to get a bottle of 'cracks and crevasses' bug spray... the kind with the long, skinny stick on the end that will, well, get in the cracks and crevasses.  They only had the kind intended for cockroaches, but I figured what will kill a cockroach will certainly kill a pantry moth. The hardware store owner also suggested a pantry moth trap. $6.95? Bargain. Can't put a price on freedom, folks!

So, I put the trap in the cabinet in the afternoon, but waited for Ben to come home and spray. Something about that cockroach spray bottle... I pictured reaching it into the cracks of the wall and a million little moths flying out at me. Saying I don't like bugs is the understatement of the year. (If you know me well, you are laughing.) Needless to say, I waited for Ben on the spray. Well, we ate dinner, put Addie to bed, hung out & watched an episode of the West Wing or 2 and then I remembered I wanted him to spray!

As we walked into the kitchen to find 5 or 6 of these suckers on the ceiling and in the infested cabinet! Ugh. Nasty, persistent little buggers!
I nicely asked begged the hubs to spray said cabinet, and surrounding counter space, and walls, and windows. At some point, he told me enough was enough. He doused the area & then we went to bed.

No sign of any moths this morning, but we're going to wait a couple days to put some food in and see what happens. Meanwhile, I am washing every single dish and container we own in the dishwasher in case there are camouflaged moth larvae implanted in them.

The war is not yet over.

Pork Tenderloin

This is a delicious & healthy recipe that takes about 10 minutes to prep... what more could you want from a dinner!?

Pork Tenderloin
from: mi madre
time: 10 minutes prep; 1-8 hours marinate; 45 minutes bake

Ingredients
2 lb. pork tenderloin
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/2 med. onion, minced
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp. basil
1 1/2 tsp. parsley
3 T. soy sauce
1 T. vegetable oil

Combine all ingredients (except pork) in a food processor or blender.  Pour mixture over pork.  Marinate 1-8 hours in a ziplock bag, turning occasionally.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.   Cook 30-45 minutes or until meat thermometer reaches 160-170.

Downside - 2 lbs of pork tenderloin costs about $10 unless it's on sale...
Upside - it makes a lot of food; we eat it for lunch and dinner several days in a row; it's tasty reheated; you can always buy 1 lb. and cut the ingredients in half :)

enjoy!

The Best Fish Tacos You Will Ever Eat in Your Entire Life

I made (and ate) fish tacos for the first time ever.
And they were delicious, if I do say so myself.

The salmon out here is not too shabby. Actually, it's phenomenal and it's affordable too - at $6.99/lb, even those of us eating our meals at 5.8% interest can enjoy some fresh fish.

I used this recipe when we had a new friend over for dinner and it was a big hit.
I highly recommend you make it soon. Probably tonight. You will not regret it.


I forgot to take pictures the first night, but this is what it looked like for leftovers the next day (when I was out of feta, for which the recipe calls).

Let me know if you try it !

How to get rid of pantry moths

This is what our Sunday night looked like:

But Renee, you are wondering, why would you be reorganizing your kitchen when you just moved in and it was so beautifully & perfectly organized already? 

3 Words: pantry.moth.infestation.

The word infestation makes me want to puke. I literally had the physically heebie jeebies. I felt like things were crawling on me at the thought of those nasty moth larvae lodged into the bottom of my canned goods. 

Disgusting.

Mad props to my AHmazing husband who did all the nasty vacuuming and moth destroying.

If you ever have to de-infest, this is the method we used.

I'll let you know in a few days if it worked.

When we were done, we ate brownies & watched The West Wing.

Was your Sunday night as awesome as ours?