Clean and Fresh

What is it about this time of year? I literally want to throw out everything nonessential in my home. I want clean and spare. I think it may possibly be a rebound effect from Christmas decor...I may not put as much up next year. We'll see. At any rate, I would love to move in here. And it also has me thinking about my priorities in life. I don't want to be consumed with "having". Scripture says "Godliness with contentment is great gain". I want to be content with what I've been given. And I want to be able to enjoy what I have. This article says it much better than I ever could. You know...I'd move into her house too. :) Currently, I'm practicing being content-with a sweet kitty helping me post!

Tabi thinks it would be a good idea if I spent more time napping. You know-she may be right.

A year in Pictures

The Christmas Tree- with lights only.
Aaron's car decked out for "trunk or treat"
Our trip to the beautiful north Georgia mountains this fall
Some photos from a photo shoot with the talented Jessica Villemain


At the Aquarium with my sis-in-law and nephew and niece
still at the aquarium...love this photo.
The clan at the farm.
My niece at the farm this summer
Doing some local mission work with friends from Church

New Year...renewed interest.

Wow. It's been almost a whole year since I've posted. I hate that. But, I stopped because I was going through some rough things. 201o has not been the best year. And, honestly, I didn't trust myself to put a whole lot of my thoughts out there to be "published". But, I'm also sad I didn't post because we did have some good times and creative ideas that I wish I could have shared with everyone. We made more progress on our house. All that's left is the kitchen and our master bathroom. Those require more than just a coat of paint and some pretty things. I have high hopes. 2011 is a new year. I'm so thankful God gave us the changing of seasons and passage of time to help us refocus and renew. It's such a blessing. I also have a new job. No longer am I a school nurse. I went back to my roots in the ICU. I'm loving it. It was a good change. I do miss the kids and many of my coworkers at the school, but they are just a visit away!

So, to begin the year, not only do I want to restart this blog, but I'm beginning to start a new one with some ladies at my church. Check out the inspiration and purpose of it at www.plantedatoakhill.blogspot.com

Come follow us and read through the Bible in a year with us! We'd love to have you! And, stay tuned around here for the projects and cooking adventures of 2011. First up...dinner with some friends this Friday. It's their anniversary. I'm thinking something special and romantic...

Happy New Year.

long time no see...

Oh my word! Is it really January 25, and I haven't posted since December 27th?? Time flies, but unfortunately I haven't been having all that much fun!! Not that it has been all bad, but I promise you, Satan must have read my last blog post on "being still" and then decided to completely rock my world. Well, I shouldn't really say that, because the things that have rocked my world since the new year have been products of Satan's hands going back a long while. But can I tell you that I am living proof that "all things work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose"?! I am!! The new year brought the resignation of both our worship leader and head pastor, respectively. In it's wake were left a lot of hurting people and an overwhelmed staff, who were also dealing with hurts of their own. Thankfully, I feel that God has already begun to lead our church on the precarious road to healing by drawing us back to Him. To say that God has stretched both Aaron and I through this experience would be the short version. But He has come through for us in ways beyond our imagination and it has been an absolute honor to be along for the ride. It isn't over yet, by any means, but we are assured of who our conductor is and want to be no where else but on His train!!

That said, I have managed to squeeze in a few fun adventures in the kitchen! I made my very own chicken stock!! :) Well, not MY very own, it was Ina Garten's recipe, but the batch I made was my very own! (I made 1/3 of the recipe, my stock pot is not that big!) And may I say that it made some yummy Italian Wedding Soup! (Even though Aaron complained about the "seaweed" in it, i.e. spinach...) For those of you wondering, I left out the white wine.

The February issue of Better Homes and Gardens had lot of amazingly decadent recipes that I am really looking forward to trying. In the works tonight is the Vanilla tart with nutmeg crust and spiced pears. I have the tart shell and filling made, it is currently cooling, and tomorrow I'll make the spiced pears to go with it. I'll let you know how it turns out. But, if the "samples" I've had thus far of the filling are any indication...it's going to be gooooooooooddddddd!!

Stillness.

"Be still and know that I am God."

Ps. 46:10

"Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him.."

Ps. 37:7

We had a wonderful, wonderful Christmas. We spent the 23rd and Christmas Eve at Aaron's parent's, enjoyed the Christmas eve service with them and then headed to my parents for Christmas Day and the day after. We thoroughly enjoyed our time with family, celebration of the birth of our Savior, and we got some wonderful gifts. The Wii from Aaron's parents and my cookbooks from mine topped my lists. Be looking for some posts on my new cooking adventures!

But can I tell you a secret? I love the time after Christmas before New Year's almost more than Christmas holidays. When I was a child, the post-christmas absence of gifts and family was always a let down. All the excitement was gone and what did you have to look forward too? Now, I find the slower pace, lack of pressure to cook, buy and go a welcome reprieve. I want to hole up in my house and read, plan, reprioritize and organize to my little hearts content! My mind is spinning with ideas and thoughts of things I would like to do or do differently in the coming year. Right on cue, our lesson in Sunday School this morning was on learning to be still before the Lord. Priscilla Shirer, in her study "He Speaks to Me" used the example from John 6: 10 where Jesus, as he's about to feed the 5000, told the people to "sit down" so they could be fed. I have a hard time sitting down. But I have an even harder time stilling my mind. In fact, it seems like the stiller my body gets sometimes, the faster my mind goes. But, as Priscilla said, sometimes God needs us to sit down, and be still, so he can fill us up. More than I need anything, sometimes I just need to be filled. We run and go and do on empty so much! We end up settling for the leftovers and overflow of what God gives others instead of what He tells us personally. So, in this time of year, I'm trying to learn a little about stillness. And hopefully, in the coming year, I'll be able to find time for some stillness as well. I hope you do too! What do you do to find time to be still before the Lord? How has he worked through that time for you?

Baking and...mugs??

For me, growing up, Christmas included LOTS of baking. My mom literally starts in October, makes cookies or dough that she can freeze until closer to Christmas and bakes, and bakes, and bakes. I enjoy baking, but don't particularly relish starting in October. Mom gives most of her cookies away as gifts. I mean, come on folks. In keeping with the "unclutterer" theme from the last post, cookies are an excellent idea. Once you eat them, you no longer have anything to try and store! Really, how many Christmas mugs do you need? That said, since I wanted to make cookies as gifts (and I needed a lot of them for Aaron's sunday school teachers) I had to be a little discerning about what recipes to make. (Because I DIDN'T start in October...) Requirements were: 1. Taste good. 2. Make a lot in one batch. 3. Fairly uncomplicated recipe (read quick)

4. Look pretty without me having to spend hours decorating with icing.

I ended up with these three. Maybe next year I'll add a fourth. These are a little more complicated, but I love that they are red and green. Sound yummy too. I'll let you know. Anyway, these are what made the cut this year. The first two are tried and true favorites from the past year or two, the last a new addition for this year that will DEFINITELY be added to the list of "must bakes" each year.

1. Chocolate caramel cracker bars. Yummy. I love chocolate and caramel, these also have a hint of peanut butter. Can you go wrong with that combination? I submit that you cannot! Best of all...no bake. :) So easy and fool proof. You can get a batch done in 30 minutes!

2. Gingerbread cookies. I scrimp a little on the ginger, too much gives them too much "bite" for me. Now, I know I said "don't spend hours decorating with icing" was a requirement. I get around that by always baking them in snowflake shapes, and decorating is easy with simply white royal icing, as opposed to making it into twenty different colors and spending hours making intricate shapes.

3. Peppermint chocolate kisses. You have no idea how ecstatic I was to find this recipe. I have looked for a peppermint chocolate cookie recipe for the past several years. I've always felt a little let down by peppermint bark (not enough peppermint flavor, chocolate not quite right etc.) and other cookie variations that were too complicated, made too few and took too much time (i.e. peppermint sandwich cookies) or just weren't what I was looking for. These are AMAZING. The peppermint meringue is light and airy, practically melts in your mouth. Add the melted chocolate to the bottom and the crushed peppermint and you have a trifecta of chocolate peppermint goodness. They are adorable as well! Oh, and did I mention that one batch makes about 100 cookies?? Check, check and check!!

Now, I know I ragged on mugs. But, in defense of all mug givers out there, presentation is half the gift. So, I bought some white bakers boxes that were just the right size for what I needed. Aaron worked his photo shop magic and make a cute card. Add a pretty red ribbon and you have a lovely gift!

I know it's a little late...but Christmas caught up with me! I hope you had a good one!

Lately loving...

It's the Monday before Christmas. Despite all my best efforts, I still feel like I have a million and a half things to do. It doesn't help that I slept till 10:30 today either. Oh well. It's not like I have to go to bed early tonight.

My husband has made himself "scarce"...he doesn't like to hang around when I'm in "work mode". My primarily task oriented personality takes over and I can get very ummm...businesslike...when there is a lot to accomplish. I actually LIKE doing most of the tasks, baking, wrapping gifts...it's the extra laundry and getting the car serviced and things like that thrown in there that turn my mood a little sour. I'm trying to work on it. Which is why I'm here! I decided that doing a few extra fun, unnecessary things that I enjoy today and don't take up a ton of time will help my mood. So, here are a few things I'm really liking right now.

*This blog. Unclutterer. I really dislike clutter. I'm beginning to dislike it more and more. Buying a home and having a house and yard to maintain has taught me that you actually have to MAINTAIN those things. Who knew, right??? And while I enjoy those things, I've realized it can become a slippery slope from owning these things to things owning you. The blog really makes you think about what you value in life and working to make the "excess" as minimal and streamlined as possible. As a Christian, obviously you have to put on God's lenses here and focus on what He would have you value in life too. I'm pretty sure it isn't "stuff". Plus, in this economy, clutter is a huge waste not only of time but resources as well. Aaron says we don't have clutter. Suffice to say we have very different views on what clutter is. :)

*My sister-in-law sent me this. Awesomeness, with no clutter, and FREE. If you still have presents to wrap...check it out!

Now...off to check a few things off the to-do list. Have a great, productive, day!!