Cooking, cleaning, and other home-based adventures

Recently, I have spent much time in the kitchen. Last weekend, I made Caribbean stew, scones (from a mix...I cheated), and dinner with my dad (coconut shrimp with an apricot sauce, steamed asparagus with Hollandace sauce, and a delicious grains mix from Trader Joe's). This weekend, I made a 10-bean soup for dinner tomorrow, a crock pot recipe for today, couscous and with sauteed kale and other veggies, plus carrot raisin bran muffins. The bold new experiment last week: kale. I have decided I like it sauteed with olive oil and pine nuts. This week: Edam cheese. I may make crepes and foccacia bread too. Now, if only I had friends who would be willing for me to subject them to my cooking, I could have a dinner party.

As for cleaning, I am not on the ball nearly as much. I had to convince myself to clean for 20 minutes today to receive the good-feeling endorphins from it. So, I have decided to make a declaration on here...for accountability. For the next month (through Feb. 28), I will clean/organize a minimum of one thing per day, no matter how exhausted I am. I will return with the results...

Snowflakes

This morning, there was just enough of a coating on my car from the snowflakes for me to notice each individual one. I was amazed at how each one was different. Then I noticed how the snow had piled up all around. The individual snowflakes were EVERYWHERE. It's amazing that God takes time to painstakingly make each one, yet there are billions of them. I started thinking about how many humans had ever walked the Earth and how God knows each one so intimately. There are billions upon billions of people who have ever lived on this Earth over thousands of years, yet God knows each one intimately and creates each one uniquely. I then began to think about people's legacies and most never leave a unique mark, yet a few, those snowflakes on my car, stand out. Their uniqueness may have required for them to stand up to others when it was tough or go against the grain. Yet, most people fade into the masses because it is easier than being unique. Ephesians 2:!0 says, "For we are God's workmanship (or work of art), created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Yeah, I am called to be unique by my Creator...I just need to figure out how to do that. Oh the things I learn from snowflakes...

2009...the longest post ever

Ok, I know it's 2010 and I should be posting about New Year's Resolutions, but I am a little behind in my posts always. If I was to title 2009, it would be "The Year of Change". Starting with my cousin's snowmobile accident on New Year's Day and ending with my New Year's Eve celebration at my sister and Brother-in-Law's (BIL, as I like to call him) new apt...there was enough change to make anyone exhausted. With much prayer and preparation, I completed two marathons this year in January and April. I attempted my first triathlon this summer, in addition to watching both my sisters graduate (1 high school, 1 college), and assisting with my middle sister's wedding. It wasn't the wedding that was so hard to fathom, it's the marriage. My sister now has a different last name, different family, and different home. She now calls our house "Mom and Dad's", has a Christmas tree with all the ornaments Mom has given her over the years, and allegiance to someone other than our family. Her name is no longer on our Christmas cards and her room is "the room that used to be Megan's room" (as my mom called it today). I think that this will be a work in progress to accept this. My youngest sister is now a freshman in college, where she is growing and learning exponentially. She is amazing in so many ways and is discovering how she can be independent, one day at a time. My parents continue to work insane hours, but I seemed to have joined their ranks. As much as I hate it, I sometimes work way over 40 hours. However, I have come to accept this as part of my job and am actually enjoying this. Our system has failed our children in so many ways, but I feel at least I have made a small dent in that. This is my calling for now and for that I am grateful. That, I guess, is the best I can hope for at this point in my life. My parents continue to creep up in age...my dad will be 55 in 2010 and my mom turned 50 this year. I don't feel like they are old, but it is weird that my dad is almost able to get a senior coffee at McDonald's. My grandpa had a stroke this summer, likely due to the stress of family events. He lost part of his vision in both eyes and has a major blockage near his brain that is taking a specialized team of experts to possibly remove it without killing him. My extended family talked with me a few weeks ago about my grandma's health. They are worried that she has lost too much weight and is displaying the beginning stages of Alzheimer's. Her sister is placed in residential care for Alzheimer's. The biggest change this year possibly was my Uncle Jeff's death. He died of heart failure that likely was a result of years of heart disease. My cousins were a month and a half from being 16. He was 47. My aunt has grieved much, as can be expected. We have attempted to support her through this time, but there is no consolation for such a permanent loss of a spouse.

As much as I could lament over the difficulty of trials this year, I have so many things to be thankful for. Megan and Bradley were married on a whole lot of faith and little money. Neither had jobs lined up after the marriage. However, in the wake of my uncle's death, they opted to move to Ohio with my aunt. Bradley received a job after months of prayers almost as soon as my cousins had received their license. Bradley had no contacts at the company and no previous experience. Not to mention, there is still a recession occurring. They found a beautiful apartment within their price range in a convenient location almost as soon as Bradley had received his job. They are now settling into life in Ohio well and loving it. They have met people in the church who they enjoy and my sister is now subbing in various schools in the area and working at Panera Bread. She is not teaching as she had hoped, but it is a really good way for her to get into several school systems and see which ones she likes or does not like. She loves Panera and already says that she would like to work there in the summers when she is teaching. Megan read Kristen and I bedtime stories the other night when we were there and made all of her stuffed animals kiss me. Her kids will really love her when she has a classroom. Landon's knee healed extremely well from the surgery. In fact, it healed so well, the surgeon attributed the healing to God, stating "I am good, but I am not that good." He needed further surgery, but his knee had healed so well, what was once shreds of muscle became a functioning knee. Landon's dad was pushing him in a wheelchair at Easter, but was able to see him up and walking before his death in June. In fact, a few days before his death, he was at my little sister's Open House telling the story of Landon's miraculous healing of his knee. We were able to go to Tennessee and New Mexico this year for very little money. Someone donated the time share condo in TN to us because her points were about to expire. We were extremely grateful. My job has thrown many curve balls, but I feel as if I am getting the hang of it. I don't know if everyone else has as many bumps as I have out of grad school, but I feel comfortable in my job. I have a lot to learn, but I feel as if I am learning a little more everyday. I look forward to 2010 being a year of growing, learning, and trying new things, in addition to mastering some old things. Plus, I really need to get organized.