inHIShands

"10 easy steps"

2012-02-17T14:07:00.001-06:00

I sometimes wish there were "10 easy steps" to everything! But alas, I'll take what I can get. Thought a few ideas on this list were noteworthy and may make an appearance in my life over the next year, and was glad a few things I already do were on the list. Wanted to share, and keep a reminder for me as well. Thanks Tammi for posting this on Facebook :)

Meal Planning Monday

2012-02-13T10:30:00.000-06:00

A few people have asked me about some of my meal planning tips and so here are a few for easier meals without sacrificing a lot of time and without using a lot of pre-processed foods.

1. Meat. You don't have to plan months of meals in advance to take advantage of OAMC (once a month cooking) tactics, you can start off small with just one meat that can be used in a bunch of different recipes.

I have a ground beef mix I make and use for 12 different recipes. I throw all the ingredients into a crockpot, cook it until it's still somewhat pink (and the chunks can be worked out with a fork), then just distribute the mix between 12 ziplock bags, it takes about 12 lbs, which I can JUST fit in my crockpot, to make enough for all 12 recipes.

Or, I get a turkey at post-holiday sale prices, roast it like you would your holiday turkey and you can get about 1 meal (for 2 people) per pound. I have about 14 recipes I can use leftover turkey in, I just pre-divide and package the meat into 15 ziplock bags. Not to mention, you can have a traditional turkey dinner anytime, I add stuffing to my turkey, then freeze it with the drumsticks/wings, freeze some baked potatoes, package it all together and I include this as one of my planned meals. Mmmm, turkey dinner in July :)
Both of those options are just one day of work which would do most of the work ahead of time for about 2 weeks worth of meals. As you get more experienced you could probably fit them both into one day since you basically don't do much as the meat's cooking. You could start cooking one and then just before it's done, start cooking the other, then you can package the meat that's finished while the other one cooks.

2. Easy & Healthy - You may have a lot of easy recipes, but they are easy because they have you dump pre-processed soups,dressings, and sauces, preservatives, etc. into your dish. I wanted easy but healthy so I searched for substitutions for my previous go-to ingredients. Most are made with ingredients I typically have in my pantry anyway but to save time I have pre-mixed a lot of these as dry ingredients (stored as mixes) and then when I need them I only have to mix in the wet ingredients to get my sauce, and I only need to make as much as I need, so less wasted food! And I can pronounce and know exactly what is in every one of these.

Condensed Soup substitute - this would replace the base, if you want the flavor (cream of ....chicken, mushroom, asparagus, cheese, etc.) then you could add that actual ingredient into the powder/water mix. I found this one courtesy of Pinterest of course :)

Tomato Condensed Soup substitute - this one is just for my mom, who upon hearing about the above sub immediately wanted to know, 'but what about tomato soup'. here you go! I haven't tried it yet but it had a lot of good reviews.

Dry Onion Soup Mix substitute - when I mix this to get a soup or a wet base I mix it with my homemade broth.

Boullion Cube substitute - I only use this when it calls for dry boullion, otherwise I just use my own homemade broth.

Evaporated/Condensed Milk - because I usually have these ingredients on hand and then I can make the quantity I need rather than buy a whole container.

Apricot Jam (or any jam) - apricots (soaked in water until soft) or can of apricots (stored in water, no sugar/syrup), 1 tbsp honey, puree in blender. I pour these into an ice cube tray and then once frozen I pop them out and store them in a ziplock bag and use 1 cube as 1 tbsp.

Salad Dressings substitute - again, easier to have these ingredients on hand than a bunch of bottles of dressing, and I can control how much sugar I want to add. These of course are just my staple dressings that I use in the most recipes....not typically dressings I add to my salads.

Hope this makes some of your lives easier and healthier!

Sunday Stewardship Update

2012-02-12T12:10:00.000-06:00

Just a quick update on my stewardships.

Finances - to organize my wallet Dave Ramsey style I've previously used the cash envelopes but they rip so easily so I wanted to come up with a more sturdy version. A girl in my class sewed cloth envelopes with zippers but then I couldn't see inside them where I'd like to still keep a tally sheet, so I thought of the clear envelopes with zipper seals I often get in cosmetic bags, found them online for $1.75 each! Then I went to Value Village, found a wallet I can repurpose to fit these plastic envelopes into. I hope to finish this weekend!

Home - small groups haven't started yet so I haven't stricly followed my cleaning plan because a couple of other projects have topped my priority list and they are covering my dining room table :) But my living room has just seemed to stay tidy for a change, which is nice.
My meal planning is finally done (the majority of it anyway, I've written a whole seperate post on that, coming soon). And I even have a meal planning board I made (with inspiration from Pinterest of course). I bought the frame at Value Village as well, took out the old painting, painted/antiqued the frame to my liking, then added some of my fav pieces of scrapbooking paper behind so I have 5 blocks for the 5 days of the week I plan for.

Just need hubby to hang it up and I can start using my cute Dollorama dry erase markers to layout my plan a week at a time.
I also talk about my food from scratch in my meal plan post, other than that I haven't added anything new to my repetoire yet.

Body - I have actually really been slacking on the exercise, especially the 6 am strength training sessions, I really need to be more disciplined about going to bed at a reasonable time instead of getting carried away with all my fun projects! I haven't been on the treadmill for over a week either. Where are my discipline inspirational quotes when I need them!
I am however doing fairly well on my eating plan, sticking about 98% to the foods I should/should not eat, and I'm STILL not counting calories!! I feel like I'm doing so well in fact I felt confident enough in my weight maintaining to purchase a second pair of pants at my new lower size and I now am that size from 2 different stores! Lol. Don't you hate it when one store says you are one size, and another says you are a different size? I love the validation I actually have shrunk a size :)
I'm also doing well on cutting out caffeine, I've only had a partial cup because I wanted a hot drink and tea wasn't sweet enough but hot chocolate was too sweet, so I had a cafe mocha. Not bad, less than a cup in 42 days!

Earth - I was able to buy that grass fed beef from a local farm and I really liked it! After pricing out the difference I think it was well worth the slight cost difference and I'm going to keep purchasing from there. That means I should have a mostly local meal at least once per month because I'm sure to use local potatoes and carrots with at least one of my beef recipes that often.
I've found more ways to conserve water, like the water I use to rinse the coffee carafe I let soak all day (coffee is a really tough stain to remove if I don't), and then I use that water to rinse Sean's coffee thermos at the end of the day, and also rinse out the re-usable coffee filter. I'm trying to think of reuses like this for water and change my thinking about how 'disposable' water is. My only beef is with our water tap it takes too long for water to get from hot to cold or cold to hot...wastes a lot of water that way. I try to use some of that for soaking dirty dishes but even after they are filled the water still isn't at the right temp sometimes. :(

Talents/Purpose - I've been doing my best to blog the moments I want to remember, but funny enough, a lot of the moments I want to remember are just a lot of warm fuzzies between hubby and I lately, or a great chat with a great friend, most of which are too personal to share here. I guess I should remember to write those ones in the journals : / Or, I have posts about things that are not done yet, like a pile of gifts for a friend about to have a baby...but can't share it until she has that baby! I do however have a few larger posts I'd been working on for some time finally scheduled so I can start concentrating on the little daily entries....or I'll try!
I am super pumped and busy with a new creative outlet though! I joined a Facebook challenge from a friend for a 'Hand-made Pay-It-Forward', where the first 5 people to comment on the offer would receive something handmade by in 2012, and so I commented to receive something from her and then paid it forward and offered the challenge on FB as well. I threw a bunch of ideas around but then I stumbled on an idea on Pinterest (gotta love that Pinterest!) and at first thought it was a perfect addition to the stack of gifts for my friend who's having the baby, but then I realized the potential I could create out of this idea. I bought all the supplies and started on my first one and oh do I love it! Not only the finished product but I loved the process, wondering at each step of the creative choices, if it will look the way I hope, and just watching it develope into something beautiful at my hand. I have SO missed the feeling of creating like that! I'll defintely have a whole post of all the items I give and receive...because I 'signed up' for other friends who then paid it forward as well. I can't wait!

Communities - So our January date was Sean's turn and we ended up having a 'shoulder-shoulder' date and we didn't get a 'face to face' time, however we did have a long car ride and talk which I actually like just as much as the 'face to face', so I'll chalk January up to be a success with the his and hers connections.
Have definitely been keeping up with the couple-friend community, had an evening with one of our good couple friends and have a date for another evening of fun with a different couple friend for the end of Feb. Need to squeeze in some time with my girlfriends though....don't be surprised if one of you gets a call :)
And we invited 2 couples over from Church for a potluck dinner but it probably won't work until March.
Also just had a conversation with our ministry director about the women I will be starting a small group with for recovery, hopefully that will be starting in 2-3 weeks as well! Yay! Sean still hasn't decided if he wants to start leading a small group or if he'll be joining another one already in progress.

Growth - my media fast on Tuesdays has been mostly successful, although it's hard to get Sean to turn off the t.v. for a few shows he enjoys so sometimes, even if I'm off in the dining room I can get a little sucked in. BUT, at least I have been off the couch every Tuesday, I have spent it finishing the meal plans, reading, creating, organizing. It's amazing how one evening a week on that stuff can make me feel so much more productive than I used to feel :) I really do find myself also growing, I feel like I want to sit on the couch less in general, I don't like vegging in front of my computer for as many hours as I used to, and t.v. is slowly losing it's appeal....I've stopped Grey's Anatomy watching, and when other shows are not on I have been better at not just replacing them with something new.
I've now got 2 books on the go, both non-fiction - The Case for the Real Jesus, and Poetic Medicine. Both really good....but unfortunately my creative and meal planning endevors have cut my reading hours short. I think this upcoming Tuesday I will at least pick up one! Same with my Bible, now that I have a Bible I need to 'chew', it's hard to just read a chapter, it took me half an hour to get through one chapter!
My prayer time has been intentional but interesting, because I have the new listening prayer techniques I feel like I'm just getting started and then my 'time is up'. I need to practice shutting off my mind faster - maybe use some meditation tips I heard about. But I'm adapting, trying to find ways to keep it a part of every day.

Living my Life - I've mostly been spending time trying to pay attention to what I feel I need in the moment, if I need a time just to let my body rest I finally let myself veg, list be damned, or if I've been vegging too much I get off my butt and look at my list until something appeals to me. If I've been needing social time I take some time to visit with people, even if it's through emails, or squeezing in some extra time before or after Church.
I did pamper myself, getting a manicure early in January, a french gel mani, which I loved how it looked but I just don't have the kind of time for maintenance it requires. Wish I did, I really liked them.
In addition to that, I'm feeling like I'm becoming more high maintenance these days, as my hair has been harder to upkeep than I thought it would be after cutting out the salon cost from my budget. The box bleaching I've got down but the hair cuts are hard! I really only need a short trim and I'm going to have to pay $30ish for it! I refuse to do the Magic-Cuts thing, and even that is $18. Is it just me or is that much money for cutting an inch of hair ridiculous! I'd go to a hair school but they are only open when I work.
I'm also going to pamper myself with a short road trip. It's really short, like only 30 min. outside the city, but it's my turn to plan the anniversary date and I really wanted us to 'get away' from it all, be far removed from everything 'usual' and be holed up together for a full 24 hours. I found a nice little place I can't wait to try out, they have a great deal if you don't stay a Friday or Saturday so we're taking the Monday after off and going Sun-Mon., for only $59/night! We really like being on the road together so even the trip there and back will be nice.

Financial Friday - Things I learned from Dave Ramsey

2012-02-10T11:11:00.000-06:00

Since last October I have been attending weekly sessions at Church of Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University. Being that I:
a) was raised Accountant, oops, I mean BY an Accountant (budgeting babysitting money on financial graph paper when I was 12), and
b) am financially hypervigelant (being that I learned from my 2 years of carelessly letting someone run my finances reactively, and being that I'm a geek),
I've been a follower of financial blogs and have been budgeting on a coloured, multi-tabbed spreadsheet for several years.
I was hopeful I would get something out of the course, like in the area of investing or saving for retirement, areas I was pretty sure I knew very little about. But I was even finding very useful tips with budgeting! This is what I thought I already excelled at! Granted I was 10 steps ahead of people who didn't budget at all, but frankly I was surprised how much more there was to learn about budgeting that I hadn't.

So, anyway, here is a brief summary of the great tips I have already implemented, or will as soon as I can.
1) Emergengy Funds - this isn't just one step, there are a bunch of little steps, but the most important first thing to do is to have $1000 in savings because unexpected events are 100% guarenteed to happen. On average a significant (about $1000) cost unexpectantly happens to people at least every 10 years. Most people use credit card for these unexpected costs, that's their 'emergency fund', but as you'll see in the next step, that's the worst thing you can do.
a) As your budget allows you will want to start sub-divisions of further emergency savings, also called a sinking fund approach, or self-insurance. i.e. a fund for home/car repair/maintenance, a fund for purchasing a new/replacement vehicle, furniture, Christmas gifts, property tax, etc. Anything that blows the budget but you can anticipate it coming. I did this on a very small scale but have now added so many self-insurance categories to my budget.
b) After debt is all paid off come back and save some more, save 3-6 months of expenses (necessary expenses to live on, not spending). This is in case of even bigger unexpected events, like unable to work due to illness, unemployment (taking a lower paying job), large financial loss, etc. Again, this is self-insuring yourself against life, an emergency fund is not an investment (don't place it in an account with penalties for withdrawl), DO NOT touch it for anything other than a real emergency.

2) Budget - If you hate that term, call it Cash Flow Planning :)
a) The very first entries into your cash plan, your priorities, should be the 'four walls', the necesseties needed to live, recommended % of net income shown in brackets after: Food (5-15%), Shelter/Utilities (30-45%), Clothing -bare minimum (2-5%) and Transportation -needed for work (10-15%). Total percent of the four walls shouldn't be more than 65%.
b) Every penny of income needs to be accounted for in the plan, budget each month until a zero balance. Tracking every last expendature will help you figure out where you are overspending or not planning for things you could be prepared for. Here is Dave's 'Monthly Cash Flow Plan' online, it mentions some categories even I hadn't remembered to put in my budget.
c) Using cash makes it easier to stick to the budget, paying with ATM/debit or credit automatically increases $$ transactions. The envelope system for cash allows instant tracking and when the cash runs out the spending stops. Challenge yourself to use cash in the areas you typically overspend if you feel you can't move to a complete cash budget right away.

3) Dump the Debt - these are actually more like reasons not to dump debt with a few tips on how.
a) Saving vs. Loan payment - a loan purchase of $4000 has $211 monthly payments at 24% for 24 months, end up paying $5064 in total. Saving $211 for 19 months will equal $4000. Will save you $1064 and 5 months of $211 in expenses.
b) Paying interest vs. Earning interest - that same $1064, if you saved it instead of paying it, invested from age 25 to 65 at 6% interest would earn over $10,000, at 12% would earn over $95,000.
c) Credit is marketed to us as a need, they make billions off us in interest. Credit scores are not necessary, you can be a millionaire but with paying for everything with your cash you will have a bad credit score. Creditors are hunting for the weakest pray, be strong and realize you don't need it.
d) Once you have a $1000 emergency fund, immediately stop borrowing, do not take on any more debt.
e) Pay off all your debt (other than mortgage) with the Debt Snowball. Paying off smallest debts first, then applying those payments to the next lowest debt and so on. Proverbs 6:1-5 - you may wander or stumble into debt but you need to run with gazelle like intensity to escape the hunter. You may have to sell something(s) or get more income temporarily, depending on the amount of debt you have, but if you don't escape it, continually paying the interest on that debt will stalk your financial peace and ability to take care of yourself in retirement.

4) Make Smarter Purchases - the less you spend the more you can save....for more peaceful spending later :)
a) Don't buy into marketing tactics, most 'great deals' have so many strings that less than 10% of people actually qualify. Get at least 3 quotes and wait overnight before making a large purchase.
b) Carefully consider your buying motives, pay attention to the physiological responses your body makes with big purchases, do not buy because of the way things make you feel, do not medicate with stuff.
c) Consider the 'opportunity cost'. Dave Ramsey gave the example of a young man who got a well paying job early in life, saved enough for a $40,000 mercedes but in the end liked having the security of the money instead, invested wisely and about12 years later pulled up next to a guy in in the exact year mercedes he had wanted, the guy had bought it for $4,000 and he had $300, 000 in his savings.
d) Purchasing impulsively is immaturity, like a child getting upset if they can't get what they want. Adults can still get what they want but are mature about it and plan to purchase it in the smartest way.
e) Cash is king - it's visual, it's emotional and it's immediate, people will reduce prices for payment in cash because they only get a percent of what's put on credit. With cash you feel the power to walk away if the 'deal' is not good enough.
f) Bargain hunt, in addition to comparison shopping, try to buy used before new (always use common sense with this, not with safety items, particularily baby cribs, seats, etc.), and don't be afraid of negotiating (almost all world markets other than America's run this way).

5) Investing - first rule of investing, keep it simple
a) Just like your self insurance should not be considered an investment, your investments should not be mixed with your real life insurance. Life insurance should be only life insurance, only covering income someone would lose should you die (or income you would lose should your spouse die). It should not be permanent, if you are smart about your money eventually you will not need this 'income replacement insurance', so do not get the 'cash value' building insurance, all you need is a term policy (recommended 10 x salary you are replacing, invested at about 10% should provide annual income through interest)
b) Start as soon as you can (after 4 walls and debt, other than mortgage, gone) because the first big factor in investing is time, compound interest works in favor of time, no matter how little you start putting away. Aim for 15% of your income, but start with any extra you have - for the cost of a $3 coffee every day over 60 years you could earn in interest (estimating 12%) $11 million dollars.
c) Diversify your investments - the general recommendation (not taking age into account) is 25% in an income fund (low risk, lower rate of return), 25% growth (medium risk, mid-range rate of return), 25% aggressive growth (high risk, high rate of return), 25% international (in case domestic funds in economic slump). This is a typical standard for mutual fund diversification.
d) Mutual funds are a managed pool of investors, giving the benefit of experienced market analysts and power of 'big purchases', so they typically have better rates and are less risky, they have more stable performance and are good long term investments.
e) Property/Real Estate is only a good investment if you already have a lot of liquid assets as it is one of the investments that ties your money up for a great length of time. If you buy a home though, treat it like an investment, get inspections and surveys done, be smart about it, only 'invest' in a house you could 'unload' quickly if need be.

Just a reminder this is a very abridged summary of my highlights from 13 weeks of video and reading his book, there were many other nuggets of information that were tucked in there that may be even more beneficial for you than they were for me so I highly suggest taking the course or reading his book. As Dave says, living like no one else now (in a disciplined way) and later you can live like no one else (in financial freedom to afford whatever you need/want). Also, he admittedly isn't the end all be all of finance advice, feel free to keep researching for more information, he always advises talking to experts so you can get advise based on your specific situation.

Best of luck!

Right Now

2012-02-08T15:17:00.004-06:00

I'm playing on Pinterest today....how's this for optimism?

I couldn't deny it any longer, there were some Pins I just couldn't help but Pin, so I had to make an album.

Miscellany Monday

2012-02-06T12:35:00.000-06:00

~ well, it's been over a month again since I did this catch up, maybe I'll have to call this Miscellany Monday Monthly! by now I've forgotten all that has happened since just before Christmas!

~ New Year's we did our usual thing and stayed in with Chinese food and video games. we really like the low key start to a new year after the hulabaloo and chaos of Christmas gatherings for almost an entire month. plus we stay off the road where drunk driving is still way too much of a problem.

~ I tried out another version of homemade pizzas where I don't have to make the crust :) just use naan bread, or pita bread! it was really, really good! it will be nice in a pinch instead of frozen pizzas, I just have to keep naan bread in the freezer.

~ the second weekend in January, our leader at Celebrate Recovery took out our core leadership and their spouses to a 'Christmas present' dinner at The Gates! I've wanted to go there for awhile now and it did not disappoint, really delicious food and nice atmosphere. I was inspired by my maple squash soup to try and make it on my own, turns out the ladies I was with have before and gave me their recipe tips. This was my white chocolate raspberry cheesecake for dessert.

and this was someone else's lemon tort, but it was so cute I had to take a pic.
~ then at work we have 2 co-workers, Tanyss and Cam, who have babies due the same day at the end of January, so the 13th was Tanyss' last day at work. I spent most of that week putting together a double shower including gifts and planning lunch for her last day. these are the gift baskets, including scrapbooking kits I put together from my stash I'm selling off.

Yes I also made the cards in each gift basket, no I did not make the cupcakes, credit for those goes to Alex.

~ last night I made this gem I've been eyeing on Pinterest for awhile! awesome idea and soooo yummy ;)

~ the rest of January was spent finishing up the Financial Peace course at Church (I will have a blog on that soon enough :), a few visits with friends, and finishing up my meal plans so that I could finally do my big shop/cook/pack weekend.....which started last Saturday and has now turned into almost a full week. Only Thur. and Fri. weren't spent on it because I had Celebrate Recovery meetings. it's a little exhausting being on your feet that many nights in a row but I know it will be worth it for the next 22 weeks when I've got 6 days of meals planned for every one of those weeks!

~oh, and one last thing, Happy Birthday to my sister Jodi!! today is her 31st birthday.

Listening Prayer

2012-01-25T13:49:00.002-06:00

Our Church has a young adults ministry, Fusion, where they plan events/special speakers 5 times per year and typically we haven't gone, for various reasons it has never interested us. Last Saturday they had such an event and this one really peaked our interest. Our favorite worship music leader (who no longer leads) came back for this one night, and a friend of ours from Southland's Church plant, Waves of Grace, was the guest speaker! We have both really loved our conversations with him and looked forward to his take on the topic - Listening Prayer.
Now, he currently works at Southland, has ever since our WOG disbanded, and we first encountered listening prayer through Southland in late 2006, so we knew he would know his stuff. But he's also a REALLY passionate and fun speaker, so we knew it would be entertaining.
When a friend of mine also wanted to go I knew there were no excuses, we just had to go. And we were not disappointed.
Here's just a little of what we learned.
1. God still speaks to us and we can hear him! God knew that the Bible would just be interpreted by the elite intellect if he did not continue to provide us with the Holy Spirit as interpreter. He said in the Bible he has hidden his truth (secrets of the kingdom of God) from the wise, because the wise are not humble enough to listen to the Holy Spirit. Do you know who is most open to the Holy Spirit? Children! Luke 10:21.
2. God provides us with revelations we think we come to on our own, but those inklings can be the Holy Spirit moving us in a direction. We may not all have Paul moments, but if we are moved or have knowledge that are not from human reasoning or teachings or any human source then the source has only 2 other options, God or Satan. Only with practice and spending time in the Word will we know which promptings to follow.
Here's an example of an inkling he shared with us. (Story paraphrased) Just the night before he had taken out all his youth leaders for a night of evangelism, just hanging out on the street and see what opportunities arise. One leader felt inclined to go to a certain restaurant so he did, he walked into a mostly empty place and made polite nodding contact with the one other person in a booth. He felt a nudge to ask, 'are you ok?' A simple enough question that could have been brushed off, but the young man blurted out, 'No! I'm terrified of dying?' He asked another simple question he felt prompted to ask 'Do you believe in Hell?' 'Yes I do.' 'Do you believe there is also a Heaven?' 'Yes, I guess I do.' 'Do you realize you can go to Heaven instead of Hell?' In that brief conversation the guy realized he wanted to go to Heaven and he committed his life to Christ right there. In under 5 minutes! Then he got alarmed and said, 'I need to go home. My roommate. I need to tell my roommate he doesn't need to go to Hell!'
Now, this doesn't happen every time we follow the Holy Spirit's promptings, but it goes to show what can happen if we allow ourselves to be guided by the omnipotent One and not our own agendas. He had a few great examples of following promptings that led to transformed lives, simple yet amazing testimonies!

But that wasn't the really profound part. Then he led us into listening prayer, we closed our eyes and he asked prompting questions, such as:
Do you remember a time a scripture or a sermon have jumped out at you and grabbed your attention?
Do you remember getting a prompting to do or not do something?
Have you had a dream or waking dream you felt meant more?
Where do you think God wants to meet you?
Why do you think God wants to meet you there?
What do you think God wants to say to you?
What do you think God wants to tell you about how he values you?

Both Sean and I received very impactful messages from God, in visions, in conversations, in feelings. It was SO amazing. Every time I've been lead through listening prayer it feels this way. But he gave such great ideas so that I don't have to wait to be led through it for it to happen again. And guess what, I've been doing it just about every day since!

Some tips he gave I've been using:
1. When he asked us, where does God want to take you?, I pictured a meadow in a valley, surrounded by lush fields of wild flowers and tall grass, surrounded by mountains, near a lake with brilliant sun beaming down on me, and I sat cross-legged in that field with Jesus. Now, every time I want to listen to him, I go there. It calms and silences me so I can hear his still voice.
2. He suggested anything that spiritually grabs our attention, right it down, then start writing a dialogue. Lori: Why is this _______ (song, verse, moment) significant? God: Because..... Lori: What do you want me to do with .....etc.
Keep asking different questions. Sometimes they may not be the right questions, this may cause silence, and you learn to keep asking differently until you receive answers again. Sometimes what you hear may not be God, they may be your own thoughts, or Satan's, still write it down, then compare it to the Word and for confirming or contradiction to find it's origin. If it doesn't contradict, pay attention to the answer, even if you think it might be your own thoughts, if you aren't obedient and it WAS the Holy Spirit prompting you, then what?

I am so glad I followed the Holy Spirit's prompting to attend this particular Fusion night :)

I'm a star!

2012-01-17T15:18:00.001-06:00

I can't remember if I mentioned this way back in September-ish, but I was in a video promotion we made for our Celebrate Recovery Program at Church. I was finally able to get a copy to use on our webspaces and thought I'd share the link here as well...check me out here! :)

Sexual Healing - not the Marvin Gaye version

2012-01-13T14:35:00.003-06:00

This is a message I definitely could have heard, and from a man, back when I was a teen. Share this with every teenage girl (and older!) you know!

This guy has some awesome youtube videos, like Jesus >Religion.

The Good Steward - 2012

2012-01-08T16:01:00.000-06:00

Last year was a pretty great year. Maybe it's because I didn't start out by putting too much pressure on myself, but I sure rose to every challenge and made a lot of progress on the areas of my life I wanted to be a much better steward. I partially have my Stewardship Goals list to thank for that, but really I was able to focus on those priorities without the 'push' of a to-do list :) So, since it worked so well last year I've got another one for this year!

Stewardship of My Finances

1. Before buying anything new first consider reusing/recycling –something from last year I didn’t get to do a lot of, but aiming for this again this year. A sewing machine is one of the first things on my list....so I can repurpose some clothes/cloth.
2. Pay off ALL debt and invest smarter – on track this year to pay off last loan other than vehicle and house, hope to start applying those loan payments to vehicle payments by mid-year. And I just diversified my current pension plan investments, will be keeping my eye on those this year. Depending on how things are going I want to start buying shares in my company this year as well.
3. Give more tithe than we already give – continue this plan, and as I mentioned in my recap of 2011, we already have a plan to move money from an area that shouldn't have been used as an investment, upon cancelling that we'll be using the cash value we built up towards our Church's building fund.

Stewardship of My Home
4. Better scheduling of Fly Lady cleaning tactics – with at least 1, usually 2, and potentially more, days per week where we are out of the house for the whole evening after a very quick supper, I couldn’t do a tactic everyday, so I went back in my calendar and lumped a few very small or like tasks together and eliminated a few I just never found needed, so now the tactics fit much better around my busy days and take advantage of the free(r) days. Plus, I have a new item on my list (further down) that will require an emphasis on a cleaner living/eating area, so I wanted those areas to be my focus, the rest can live under a little dust a little longer.
5. Establish a Meal Plan – I am still in the process of revising some of my recipes for my change in eating habits the last half of 2011, but once I finish I will have 2 sets of meal plans, each with 3 months worth of meals, which I’ll use 2 times each year (with a little wiggle room for trying new recipes). I attached the recipe name to the frozen pre-packaged meal last time and in my non-frost-free freezer the ink got wet and blurred, so I have/will laminate my recipes which I printed in full this time to make it easier to pre-package all the ingredients at one time, last time I needed my laptop around for that....and at cooking time, which is just silly.
6. Make as much food from scratch as possible – some foods I want to add to this list this year is homemade potato bread, and I would like to can my tomatoes and any other produce I end up with a lot of (depending on how I do with my container gardening this year!).
7. House Improvements – due to our financial goals our improvements will have to be on a need basis only, which is our shingles and our tax money is already 100% dedicated to it. I might be able to squeeze out some money to finally paint over some chips in the walls though.

Stewardship of My Body
8. Wake up at 6 am for strength training – I received a pretty clear message last year that I cannot use lack of time as an excuse for activity (or prayer) and specifically I should wake up earlier for this, so at 6 am I wake up, lift weights or do pilates, and then I pray. Specifically I want to gain some upper body strength and define my flabby arms a little, as I hope to have my latest tattoo design finished and done this year, which will be on my right shoulder/bicep.
9. Lose 8 lbs and maintain that weight – the goal weight I’ve had for myself is only 8 lbs away! I intend to keep up what has worked, which in addition to above (meal plans that cut out processed junk and fast food, and strength training) I am running twice a week for no less than 30 minutes (see more below) and I’m continuing with some key food choice changes:
Twice per week: no shrimp/pork, no dairy unless fermented or other than cow milk, no white rice/bread/pasta/potato, no sugar, no snacks unless fruit and/or nuts.
Once per week: no meat
All the time: 99% pork eliminated, add more protein sources, 75% complex carbs, more natural fats, more fish, more fish oil vitamins, more veggies (specifically dark greens & cauliflower).
10. Run/Jog the Father’s Day 10 K – When my sister Tami ran the 13 mile last year I was so proud of her, and even if she’d only done the 10 K it inspired me to even once make a goal that required discipline and significant activity! I’ve known other people who have done the 10k and they weren’t tremendously in shape, and I know I can walk that with almost no effort (given I have 4+ hrs), but I want to run/jog as much of it as I can.
11. Quit an unhealthy habit – I was inspired by a ‘New Year’s Resolution’ sermon at Church, and even though I don’t make resolutions anymore it got me thinking not just about adding healthier routines to my life but also cutting out the unhealthy. Coffee is a habit I picked up from a certain someone who’s second home is Starbucks, and then at work I got to having some when the office is cold or at that 2 pm crash but I don’t even really like it unless I add a bunch of sugar, cream, etc. So, since I’m going to get dragged to Sbux anyway, and I’ll still occasionally need a hot drink to warm me up I’m switching to herbal tea (not caffeinated). I’ve never been much of a tea drinker but lately I have found some really yummy teas that don’t even need a lot of sugar or cream....definitely not as much as I put in coffee anyway! Two of them happen to be served at Sbux, so I’m set!

Stewardship of My Earth
12. Continue composting and gardening – composting I’ve been very successful at, gardening only moderately so, but I’m going to keep on trucking! I’m sticking with the container gardening because of the lack of pests or weeds (yay) but I will have to make some modifications to my soil, watering, and amount of plants, as well as pay more attention to the weather as the cold nights (despite very hot days) nipped my peppers in the bud, hahaha.
13. Eating local – I’m not sure I can commit to whole 100 mile meals but, in addition to my garden harvests I intend to shop at Farmer’s Markets much more this year now that I have some experience under my belt. I’m also determined to start buying free range/grass fed beef, chicken and lamb this year. I stumbled on to a chicken through a friend last year but now I also have a direct farm hook up!
14. Acts of Green – I want to keep up what I’m already doing/trying, specifically conserving more water, turning off/unplugging appliances daily, and again trying to dry my clothes instead of using the dryer. A new one to add, which I’ve already been working on is using less gas; being easier on the gas peddle, walking when I can, and fixing up the bikes to ride to Church.

Stewardship of My Talents/Purpose
15. Blog/Journal- I want to keep capturing the moments in life that may or may not stay in my memory on their own. Even looking at my 2011 FB statuses was a great reminder of a few things I had forgot happened. It makes me sad I may forget some wonderful moments, and so I will continue to focus on this. In addition, I may have found a few girls who would like to hang out and do creative journaling together....I’m dreaming of the possibilities :)
16. Capture memories in scrapbooks and photobooks – in keeping with my last goal, I specifically want to capture big milestones before they are too many years ago, like weddings and the nieces and nephews. I think my wedding album is certainly my last physical scrapbook (and provided I can buy some refills, it WILL be done this year!), the rest will be photobooks. I would also like to create journal/memory books as gifts for next Christmas.
17. Continue developing my creative tendancies - I don’t really have anything specific in mind, I just don’t want my creative passions to get lost among all my other goals. Creativity is very important to me but this seems like a year I may not have specific goals, other than some that overlap with other areas already mentioned. But, as a reminder for my ‘spare’ time, do something creative with it!
18. Continue my work at Celebrate Recovery – I hope we grow soon so I can delegate a few things to some new volunteers, but I’m loving being in this ministry and my particular role is challenging but fun. I also likely going to be adding another night per week by opening ny home (therefore the need to stay on top of cleanly/tidyness) to a study group for women with anxiety, these study groups go deeper into self-study than the weekly lessons on Friday nights. It makes me busier but I’ll work something out, it will be worth it!

Stewardship of My Communities
19. Marriage community – we did a marriage series at Church and we learned that men connect better doing something “shoulder to shoulder”with someone and women connect better doing something with “face to face”interaction. So I hope to do at least one 1 hour per month of his and her connections (2 hours total). I’d make it a longer period of time but 1 hr face to face just about killed Sean last time, lol.
20. Winnipeg Community – once again will be trying to donate blood before my next tattoo!
21. Friend/Family/Neighbour Community – doing things for people they can’t do for themselves is awesome, want to keep this up.
22. Aunty Community – babysit all of the munchkins again at least once.
23. Friend Community - organize/host at least one gathering of friends every other month.
24. Church Community – invite at least 2 different couples over, at least 2 separate occasions.
25. Small Group Community – Sean is finally talking about this more seriously, I’m hoping this is the year we finally get back in a small group! We may even have it in our home (again, reason for #4) I had a women’s small group that might be starting I was invited to, it hasn’t happened yet but that would be great as well.

Stewardship of My Growth
26. Continue to step out of my comfort zone – avoid labelling ‘that’s not me’and just try things first!
27. Media fast Tuesday evenings – I think I failed at this last year because it was too ambiguous. I’m making the effort to unplug EVERY Tuesday evening! Being forced to avoid the couch (because then t.v. will be just too tempting) will not only help me get my butt on the treadmill, or cleaning/tidying a little, but also do all those things I never seemed to get done (try learning guitar, play with my camera skills more, etc.)
28. Read at least 6 books, at least 4 non-fiction – another reason for an unplugged Tuesday, my pile of books to read grows faster than I know what to do with!
29. Bible Reading and Prayer – My iPhone prayer checklist has come in handy and I’m going to be using it at 6 am to keep me organized who I want to pray for, but I’ll also be journaling (in a journal I already placed next to my exercise area) to just summarize what I prayed for each person. Also, I bought a new Bible, the Expanded version, I’m so excited to read this Bible, with amplified and literal translations, references to other verses talking about the same thing, giving cultural commentary. This is a Bible you don’t just read, you chew! I think that will help me get over my habit of skimming areas I’m too familiar with. I also plan on creating a timeline and reading it chronologically rather than the order it is in the Bible. I like history, I think it will help by giving it a more historical/archealogical viewpoint.

Stewardship of Living My Life
30. Take a short road trip within Manitoba – I’m far too nomadic to not travel, I need some open road and change of scenery now and then. Finances be damned! :) I just need to go somewhere, anywhere.
31. Go to some kind of art showing – although it may just grow my list of pieces I want in my home, I love looking at art and photography, even if I can’t have it.
32. Pamper myself – treat myself to an out of the home pampering at least twice, and an in home pampering at least twice.
33. Relax – I want to learn how to just be, to stop doing (and vegging in front of the t.v. doesn’t count). I heard a speaker, Mamma Maggie, at the GLS this fall and I just loved something she said, and I want that.
“Silence your body, to listen to your words. Silence your tongue, to listen to your thoughts. Silence your thoughts, to listen to your heart. Silence your heart, to listen to your spirit. And silence your spirit, to listen to His Spirit."

So there it is, and it's even 7 less items than last year! Yahoo!

Welcome 2012, I look forward to spending time with you.

2011 Year in Statuses

2012-01-04T11:01:00.003-06:00

The last few years I've done this FB app, I love looking back at these 'status' moments over the last year, makes me feel even more blessed.

Top 2011 Gifts

2011-12-27T19:52:00.000-06:00

In no particular order:

1. I found out a month ago my sister Tami is pregnant again...an early present :)....but I found out yesterday that her husband was in fact going to allow 'us' to find out the sex!! I'm so excited, this is the first neice/nephew I will know in advance!

2. Several years ago my family decided we were done with presents for each other and would much rather just enjoy our time together and only spend money on the kids. This year my other family (Sean's family) decided that from now on that's what we're going to do as well! Yay! I'm not a humbug by any means, I really love giving gifts, but it's very hard to buy them presents so usually just exchange gift cards anyway. We've been trying to get them on board with this for a few years!

3. The hilarity that ensues when my family plays games at Christmas. We played this one again this year...

Some examples: everyone is supposed to name a 'thing you would like to do in a blackout'...answer 1 - kick Kellin in the nuts, answer 2 - fondle, kiss, cuddle. It took us all round to get Sean was answer 1, even though it's pretty obvious :) Dad unfortunately was the owner of answer 2 :( Then last question was 'some thing you wish you didn't know'....best answer - that dad wants to fondle, lol! Tami, that was a good one.

4. The Bible I'm getting with the Hull's gift certificate I received! I've really been wanting a few different Bibles, a Parallel Bible, an Amplified Bible, an Archaelogical Bible....I found the Expanded Bible that has a good combination of all those versions :) I had to order it because they only had a boring hard cover, but it's worth the wait.

5. Almost a whole day of my neice Brooklynn stuck to my side. Usually this lasts for a shortwhile but everytime I turned around she was next to me or saving a spot for me. I love it.

6. And of course, as usual, the huge smiles (or otherwise equally adorable looks) on all the kids' faces as the magic of Christmas takes place.

Stewardship Saturday

2011-12-24T21:28:00.000-06:00

So here is a recap of my 2011 Stewardship Steps and how I've grown through the year, for more details you can search my label "Stewardship". I am much preferring this to type of 'to do' list, not because I was able to accomplish so much more of my list, but most of the items I was doing without even monitoring it against my list, it truly is a reflection of my heart and what I want my life to look like!

Stewardship of My Finances
1. Before buying anything new first consider reusing/recycling -this is something I still have to work on better, but not being able to find a suitable used item to buy did sway me from buying some things altogether, realizing we could live without them. Part of the Financial Peace course talked about where to find bargains, I think if I have enough time in 2012 I'm going to do more garage sale/consignment store shopping!
2. Smarter money management - with the Financial Peace course I was able to pay off $2500 in debt and save $500 in just 2 months, as well as on track to pay off another $3000 by Spring, and to pay off our vehicle 1.5 years early.
3. Give more tithe than we already give - already have a plan (again, thanks to Financial Peace course :) to move money from an area that shouldn't have been used as an investment, upon cancelling that we'll be using the cash value we built up towards our Church's building fund.
4. Cap my Stampin’ Up! expenses to 50% of 2010 expenditures- not only did I just about stop all expenses altoghether, but I went out of business and sold off about 66% of my inventory for a decent amount....which helped pay off debt.

Stewardship of My Home
5. Schedule a small Fly Lady tactic every day, to maintain a tidy & welcoming home without a LOT of effort - as I've mentioned, I'm not quite on par with the 'per day', but my whole home has been in a state of easy maintenance for most of the year, especially with short notice guests, it takes hardly any effort to make our home more welcoming and tidy.
6. Establish a list of at least 60 staple recipes and rotate in a 12 month menu - My meal plans ended up being 90 in number, which I organized by meat/flavor and rotated per week, then OAMC/d most of the meat after a Costco shop. This plan has kept me right on track, I blogged them all with the title "What's on the Table Tuesday". It's been a life saver and will be doing it again next year!
7. Make as much food from scratch as possible to avoid unnecessary preservatives & packaging & cost - I have made the following from scratch this year:
~roasted red peppers    ~almond butter      ~homemade broth   ~oregano infused olive oil & vodka
~tomato sauce with stewed veggies and spices   ~dry soup mixes (no chemical or preservatives)
~roasted turkey for OAMC as well as lunch meat, instead of deli meat   ~homemade granola
~naturally flavored my plain yogurt   ~flavor infused rice in my rice cooker
~homemade dressings with veggies blended with mayo (bought with no unpronouncable ingredients)
~homemade tomato soup ~homemade turkey stew   ~homemade fries in my Actifry
8. Improve yard, by installing brick patio, add BBQ pit & replace broken sidewalk - due to our finance goals changing, and a few unplanned for expenditures, this will be on hold for awhile, but still want to use discarded sand bags from the city to lay brick over, and will still utilize the annual summer deal we get an inside scoop on.
9. Finish improvements to upstairs bathroom - all finished as per this post.

Stewardship of My Body
10. Create a list of weekly weight loss motivators/challenges to last through year - although I stopped following the list after a few months I have in other ways built up some of these as habits and that was what I wanted to do, was create more awareness of my actions and develop good habits. I work out on the treadmill twice a week unless I walk significant amounts outside the house. I wake up at 6 am to do weights or pilates at least 2 times per week, aim for 4 times per week. I snack way less and more healthy when I do, drink more water and less sugary drinks, eat in moderation and no longer eat based on how much I've worked out. I eat more clean foods (partly 'less processed', partly based on the Maker's Diet).
11. Lose 20lbs and maintain that weight - I have lost 12 lbs and with my new 'whole health' perspective I am confident I can shed the rest of the weight.
12. Try a Zumba class to make being active enjoyable again - I did not have a chance to try this after all, but with running becoming more enjoyable again I'm not too worried. A friend of mine is hoping to get trained as a Zumba instructor and so I look forward to still trying this one day, and as her student would be even better!
13. Create/maintain a better daily health routine - I have to love my body and not just my image, my body is also affected by how I treat my skin, my teeth, taking my vitamins, etc. I have remarkedly improved in this area and actually have reduced the amount of nose bleeds I normally get due to taking allery medication and nasal flushing habits. My hip hasn't been a problem all year, probably due to increased activity and vitamins.

Stewardship of My Earth
14. Assist composting with more room in yard & kitchen caddy - we removed a bush to make room for a large compost area and I recycled plastic containers to make my own kitchen caddy.
15. Grow my own vegetables, fruit, herbs or purchase from Farmer’s Market - my experiment with container gardening wasn't as successful as I'd hoped, my carrots and peas were tiny and my peppers never came in at all, but I got a bush of oregano I have to end up giving most of it away! I did learn from it though and hope to make modifications to make it more successful next year. And I did hit the farmers market a few times, which was mostly good, although worms in the broccoli was not something I was a fan of. Having a 1000 ml container of honey for $5 I do like!
16. Have a 100 mile meal once a month - I wasn't nearly as diligent as I'd hoped I would be with this, meat is the hardest to be intentional about so I hope realizing that I can do better than 4 meals per year next year.
17. Use organic/natural herbicides & pesticides - with container gardening I didn't have to use pesticides and I did find an organic herbicide but due to the frequent rainy weather I ended up manually pulling all our weeds this year. That's a natural weed killer :)
18. Find 3 more ‘One Million Acts of Green’ I can try - it was hard to find 3 because most of what' left on the list is pretty major. I wanted to try conserving more water (which I learned about during my Justice Journey), turning off/unplugging my computer - and as many other appliances as I can remember - daily, and drying my clothes instead of using the dryer. I did somewhat well with the appliances, water conservation I could do better in some areas but I've really tried to multi-use cleaning water and we also got a free kit from the City of Winnipeg to attach to our shower heads to reduce water. I dried a few pieces of clothes on our inside clothes line but didn't even get one whole load on the outside line for drying. I blamed the moist weather we seemed to get every other day in the summer, but I'm sure I could have found a way. Another one to try next year.

Stewardship of My Talents/Purpose
19. Blog truth insights I receive - these are fewer and farther between than they used to be, but I believe I'm sharing a different kind of insight now...when I get a chance to blog. My time and my insights have mostly been shared now with my Recovery group every Friday night.
20. Start focusing on developing my other creative tendancies other than papercrafts - things I've created in the last year:
~ frames for my bathroom     ~ bracelet for myself    ~ started sewing a purse from old tank tops
~ started saving old clothes for pieces of a quilt I'm going to sew ~ wrote a poem
~ created our 2011 Christmas photo card
21. Capture memories in scrapbooks and photobooks, finishing at least one of each - I couldn't finish my wedding scrapbook because the type of pages used by that album are extinct! I might have to try ebay. But I did finish a dating 'scrapbook' that I did through blurb books, it has the ease of creating a photo book but I could use digital scrapbooking pretties to make it look at some points like a scrapbook.
22. Continue at least one entry per journal per month - I only did this about every other month, but it's something I still want to strive at.
Stewardship of My Communities
23. Set aside at least 2 hrs per week for quality time with Sean, not including date nights - this may have been a bit ambitious in hindsight, maybe a total of 6 hours per month is more reasonable. We did however spend a lot of time serving next to each other, which was definitely quality time :)
24. Donate blood at least once - due to my tattoo retouch I wasn't allowed to give until September....when I got crazy busy. Gotta try for this one again next year.
25. Volunteer to help someone with something they can’t do for themselves 2x per year - have done more than 2 times this year! Puppy fostering for several months, giving rides to friends without a vehicle, we even tried to pay for someone in financial need to be able to take the Financial Peace course but this term no one needed our donation.
26. Babysit one or some of my nieces/nephew(s) at least once - babysat all of them once and the girls twice.
27. Organize/host at least one gathering of friends every other month - this was completely on pace, actually ahead of my goal, until September hit, but most of my 'gatherings' have been one-on-one with girlfriends since then.
28. Invite at least two couples from Church into our home for a meal - yay! I got a 100% on this one! Although technically one was in our backyard not IN our home :)
29. Volunteer in mentorship opportunities at Church - well....there is that little thing I do called Celebrate Recovery every Friday night.

Stewardship of My Growth
30. Step out of my comfort zone, and any time I get a case of ‘that’s not me’s’, attempt to try whatever it is anyway - nothing significant in this area comes to mind...of course I could be getting better at not labeling myself in the first place.
31. Learn to play guitar - I received another lesson this summer and realized I need much shorter nails to keep that up. Oh, and more time.
32. Read all non-fiction books on my shelf - got through 2 of the 6 and had another 5 added to my shelf :(
33. Improve my photography skills - this may have to be a backburner, it's been on my list for far too many years now, with no time put to this at all really. But maybe if I put it on my list I'll actually be reminded that it's important enough to be on my list, and give it a whirl during some free time, lol.
34. Media fast one day per month - I actually completely forgot about this one after my fast in the Spring, but I've probably 'accidently' done this most months.
35. Keep up prayer journal and bible study blog - well, unfortunately the same tale, same sad ending for this goal. However I did create a prayer 'checklist' on my iPhone, one for all the important people in my life and other prayer requests that come up, so when I'm staring at my phone looking for something to entertain me while bored, I can be prompted with who needs prayer for what. I did also start listening to the New Testament on CD in the car and I finished the whole NT just a few days ago. I should get the OT version for next year.

Stewardship of Living My Life
36. Read to relax and be entertained in a healthy way - only got through one fiction book
37. Take a trip with hubby to Las Vegas - no trips until all but vehicle and house debt is paid off.
38. Go to at least one Folklorama pavilion - yup, went with mom and sisters
39. Go out on the town by myself3 times - only did 2 out of 3 times, but I got a mani-pedi one time! No art gallery this year though, maybe next year.
40. Take at least 4 hours per month to pamper myself - as I wrote in one of my last posts, pampering myself hasn't been quite as important to me as it once was. I still should make some time now and then to unwind in a bubble bath though.

Can't wait to start on my next list!

My home away from home....

2011-12-23T13:26:00.000-06:00

....is our Church. I've mentioned a little about it's growing and how exciting this time is for our Church family. We've been growing in leaps and bounds for about 4 years now but between wanting to stay in Elmwood and needing more Sunday morning seating our options have been rejected over and over again for quite awhile now. In the mean time we've squeezed in a third service but in a building down the street (at MBCI) which we have to rent, we had to buy two sets of visual/sound equipment, AND our staff have to run back and forth between the buildings to serve at all 3 services! It's not an ideal location so it's been hard to get people to move over to that service (us included, we tried it and just couldn't hack it).

Then, our Pastor, during the GL Summit's session on Audacity, heard God saying our building plans were not audacious enough, and that we had to first set our audacity towards seeking the lost, reaching even more people rather than a fancy new building, and God would provide once we were doing that. So that's what he preached from the pulpit, and then a few weeks later he went to a conference for growing Churches and found a model that tugged at his heart. There was one Church there that instead of building one ginormous Church they decided to aquire smaller buildings within walking distance of where they already were and each place would have it's own live worship music and announcements and coffee time, kidzone would be in the main building, but the message part would be a live feed of the sermon at the satellite location. And you never knew which building the actual live pastor would be at or if you were getting the feed that Sunday :) This type of model could give us a total of 2000 seats at about 1/4-1/5th the cost of one 2000 seat building! We already have a second smaller building we could maybe utilize this way.
All of a sudden, shortly after he came back, several smaller buildings near by all became available for sale! A plan began to form.
Here's a bit what that looks like:

Riverwood Building Tour, Supper & Vote from Riverwood Church on Vimeo.

Our members voted 100% in favor of going ahead with a bid on a property just a month ago that we we are now signing paper work to purchase, that would also give us parking we were sorely lacking, as well as a second building that is almost auditorium ready, that would give us about 300-400 seats, so up to 900 more seats Sunday mornings, as well as room for even more buildings to be built in the future. Then the old YFC (Youth For Christ) building talked about in this clip was also just voted on, on the 11th and passed with 98% approval and our bid was just accepted this last week!

We are SO excited about the potential for our Church and our different ministries to grow with this plan! And it's interesting that the Church Sean first attended with me exactly 10 years ago was our Church plant from Southland (my Steinbach home Church) and it was held in this very YFC building. It's amazing how God works, Merry Christmas to Riverwood, what a gift!

Wellness Wednesday

2011-12-21T19:09:00.000-06:00

Well, I'm happy to report that even though my weight 'pendulum' did swing back about 2-3 lbs, I lost those again and another 2 lbs! I may not have gone down a whole size but my size 14 pants are all very loose, some in a flattering way :) and some are just about to fall off all together and make me look like I lost my butt, lol.
Here's what I looked like in a certain shirt where I couldn't hide my gut, and what I look like in it now. The pants I'm wearing in the second pic were my tightest pair.

I'm lovin' this new healthy living. I've stopped counting calories, I haven't even been doing my 15 min. weights/pilates every morning, I've been eating Christmas baking and have eaten out a little more lately, but I've been paying attention to when I'm full more, I've stopped most weekday evening snacking, as well as sticking to my 2 detox days & 1 vegetarian day each week. I feel like I have way more freedom than I've had the last 4 years since I orginally began this weightloss journey. And I'm 2 lbs lighter than the low I hit in fall of 2008 when I was working at it the hardest.
Back then I hit 30 lbs total since early 2007, now I've lost 32 lbs. 32lbs!!! That's almost the size of my neice!!

Not to mention I probably lost about 15 lbs back in early 2003 (just before our wedding). This is me at my heaviest.

And I lost about another 5 lbs in 2005. So, from my heaviest point to now I've lost about 50 lbs! When you tack on the weight of another (albeit tiny) human to your body it's a little eye opening how overweight I was. And even though I feel I have about another 10 lbs to go, it makes me feel so able to conquer the last (and likely hardest) bit of weight. It may have taken me 8 years but I've lost almost 50 lbs, I can handle another 10. God has given me so many tools and support systems along the way, and he's given me value for myself that I used to never have. I am a new creation, my mind has been renewed, and in turn so has my body. PTL.

What's on the Table Tuesday

2011-12-20T12:53:00.000-06:00

Well, this is the last week of my meal plan, I can hardly believe it lasted almost 4 months!! Portions will likely be changing in my future pre-packing of these recipes because we had more leftovers than anticpated, but otherwise I'm so excited to try this again, and likely will be over the holidays! I am of course revising my list somewhat, as I have changed me dietary needs since I first created this list, and I think I may add in a few new recipes to try out as well, but this has made my life SO much easier and our grocery budget SO much cheaper :)

So, without further ado, here are the last of my meals, which actually don't follow my current dietary weekly plan, but it's all that's left over so gotta eat it :)

Ham Melts - Going to fry up some slices of ham from a honey ham roast, add them to some rye bread with mustard and mozarella and stick in my paninni press. Yum.

Spicy Peanut Spring Stir-Fry - which I'll be serving over brown rice. I can eat it without the carbs (like I did a few weeks ago with the chicken variation, although those shanghai noodles are hard to pass up!) but if I add a complex carb it keeps my cravings at bay for the rest of the evening.

Ham Primavera - my own version of this recipe I modified, I'm going to miss it with my elimination of ham. Maybe I'll have to try and find a good substitute and keep this fav. Farmer sausage can be bought 50% beef but still has a mostly pork flavour, maybe I can sub that.

Baked Falafel Balls - in Naan bread with tzaziki sauce and a side of curry fried potatoes. And just a side note, my vegetarian meatballs last week I actually loved! I fried them up nice and crisp (actually forgot the beans so I used textured vegetable protein, subbed quinoa and a little panko for bread crumbs, but probably should have added some refried beans just to make it all stick together better, they were a bit crumbly) and dipped them in a little ketchup - which I usually do with meatballs anyway - and I was a happy camper. The fritters were great as well but I need to shred the veggies thinner next time as they didn't all get cooked through.

Farmer Sausage Burgers (50 pork/50 beef) - served with some saurkraut perogies for the hubby, since I can fill up on these burgers alone!

Lumaconi Pasta - a one dish casserole that I am ever so fond of!

Triple 'P' Salad - a salad my sister Jodi introduced me to and I find it an awesome way to use leftover poultry, and it has every food group all included in this delicious salad!

Thanks for joining me on this adventure, I'm glad it inspired a few of you along the way. I'll be sure to add a recipe now and again as I change things up in the future.

The Night Before Christmas

2011-12-19T09:27:00.002-06:00

Our Church has an annual tradition of having our Christmas production/service on the 24th instead of the 25th, leaving the 25th for family celebrations (other than the meal they serve at our Hope Center for the Elmwood community who have no Christmas celebrations of their own).
This year our production is looking really awesome! Not that it isn't enjoyable every year :) But if any of my friends are into musical theatre, our Church has a very talented group of actors/singers/dancers who will be putting on a production all day Dec. 24th! It's a modern twist on an old story, a fun entertainment for the whole family. There will be hot drinks and treats, Sean and I will be hanging out in the fireside room all day, if any of you come, drop by and see us there!
Click the picture to link to all the details. And below is a little vimeo about it.

Word on the Street from Riverwood Church on Vimeo.

She let herself go

2011-12-17T15:25:00.001-06:00

I have found myself over the last few months paying way lessattention to my looks. Not that I’ve let myself go completely! But I’ve letmyself go a little, in a good way. I have never been high maintenance,but there are a few things I was particular about, like my hair having to be‘just so’ – I hated stray hairs or unsmooth pony tails, etc., and I had to getrid of chipped nail polish quickly, and thinning out my eyebrows. But,time is in short supply these days, so I haven’t stayed on top of these thingslike I used to. And at first it bugged me. A few times I’ve noticed mylack of maintenance upkeep on Fridays and of course there is NO time on Fridaysto sneak in a quick ‘fixer upper’, but there is another reason I end up notworrying about it. I stop and think of the message I may be sending withhaving to appear 'perfect', having to have a ‘pristine finish’ to my appearance. I may feel prettier,but a less than perfect exterior may actually be more inviting to the people Isee Friday nights. I think of when I was in my darkest moments I might have (and likely did) begrudge the 'perfection' I noticed in others.

So, I'm letting myself go. I waited a few weeks longer than normal to touch up my roots. I have almost every finger with chipped nail polish. I have some straggly hairs that refuse to be tamed and I don't care. I may have worn the same top last week because I haven't had time for laundry. And I think I'm becoming a better person for it.

My God Story

2011-12-15T12:50:00.002-06:00

Our pastor asked us recently to share our God stories on his blog, I decided to share, I hope you check it out here. Mine is the fifth story.

Miscellany Monday

2011-12-12T18:30:00.000-06:00

~ well, I haven't done a 'catch up' Miscellany Monday since October, thought it would be an easy way to catch up on all that's happened so far in December!

~ Dec. 3rd we went to the Doc Walker concert at Pantages Playhouse. They are a Manitoba Country band and they haven't had a concert (except Country Fest-like concerts) since they opened for Paul Brandt back in like 2002-ish. We've been hoping they would someday soon have a concert we would attend in Winnipeg and were ecstatic to find out they were coming. We even got pre-sale tickets, front row! It was a great show!

~ Dec. 7th we started another short stay-cation because we went to the Paul Brandt/High Valley concert this evening. We see Paul Brandt everytime he comes to Winnipeg, and High Valley opening was a bonus! We've been waiting 4 years for him to come back (he came to Portage la Prairie 2 years ago, we went to that one too)! It's funny, we found out only a few days after buying Doc Walker tickets but we made it work to buy 9th row center tickets for Paul too. His concerts get better and better every time!

~ Dec. 8-9th we took off for some errands/appointments and relax time before the holidays, since Sean couldn't use the last of his vacation time during the holidays. Got a mani/pedi from Groupon that I used and it was actually a nice little place, I've already got plans to come back.

~ Dec. 8th our recovery leaders had our monthly meeting and it was a really awesome time of connecting. We had a chance to share more significantly with each other, earn a little more trust with each other, pray for one of our own who is struggling medically (and prayers were immediately answered the next day!).

~ Dec. 10th was my office Christmas party which was a great time of visiting as always. We've been trying out different venues, trying our best to combine being able to freely visit (not a table dinner where you only visit in your radius) but also a relaxing time where we are served and don't have to work at the meal in amongst visiting (like the potluck we tried last year). I think we were closer this year, however the room wasn't as private as we thought and so other parties on the same floor kind of squashed us in a corner and we had trouble hearing each other as the evening went on. Practice makes perfect, but it was still a really great time.

~ Dec. 11th was our annual mom and daughter Christmas baking day....which my two neices were able to help (slightly) with this year for the first time. We of course got caught up in baking and visiting, only got half done, I forgot to take pictures, but here are some of the results :) Including the shortbread dough I had to bring home to bake tonight.

And of course, the usual bits of life have continued in amongst it all as well. Looking forward to life quitening in a month (yes a full month), but will enjoy the time with family and friends, even amidst crazy chaos, until then.

What's on the Table Tuesday

2011-12-06T10:18:00.000-06:00

Here are the recipes for my meal plan these next two weeks:

Something Different Stew - substitute white potatoes with sweet potatoes.

Spicy Peanut Spring Stir-Fry - serve over shanghai noodles for Sean, throw in some extra veggies like waterchestnuts and babycorn for me.

Apple Onion Pork Chops - served over Fresh Quinoa Pilaf.

Shell Pasta in Marinara - (the vegetarian meal) marinade roasted veggies in tomato sauce for at least an hour, pour over pasta and sprinkle liberally with cheese.

Tuna Melts - my grill has a paninni setting, going to make some tuna salad, with chopped pickles, top with mozzarella and grill, and a side of fries (in the Actifry of course).

Crispy Ranch Chicken - substitute panko for shake n' bake, serve with sweet potatoes and a side of veggies.

Lemon Pepper Tuna Quinoa Stir-Fry - with quinoa, this grain has a lot of protein so I include it on my detox days.

Lasagna - one layer ground beef, one layer tomato sauce marinade roast veggies. I love lasagna, especially because it will probably give me leftovers for the weekend :)

Veggie Fritters w/ Meatballs (add 3/4 cup walnuts, sub beans for soy, add onion, cook in broth)

Crab Salad Subs - we love the seafood sub from Subway, but making it our own is even better! Just mix imitation crap (shredded with a fork) with some mayo, a small squeeze of lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste. I top it with swiss cheese, tomatoes and black olives, yum!

Here is the host blog of Titus 2sdays, a great place for house-wifery and godly woman(wife)hood!

Heal ~ Change ~ Grow - Part One

2011-11-30T11:30:00.000-06:00

I've briefly mentioned the book Changes That Heal in my blogs over the last year, and I just can't get over how differently I relate to people now, how I've been able to let go of so much of my anxiousness, my attempt at control over situations, the world, and people. And as I see through healed eyes I now see so much more clearly the pain of those around me. There is no doubt this book has changed my life!

I've recommended these books to so many people, but there are a few close people who don't have time or inclination to read books like these so I've been spending some of my time trying to summarize the most key principles and blog about them so that some of them, or even just one of them, may be able to start applying these healing principles to their own life.

First of all, here are some key indicators, if they are consistent or prolonged, that something in your life needs healing, that something you are struggling with is out of control that you alone cannot change:
~Feelings of guilt                   ~Broken Relationships
~Anger/Resentment              ~Eating/Substance Issues
~Sadness                              ~Judgementalness/Highly Intolerant
~Aimlessness/Emptiness        ~Excessive Care-giving
~Panic/Anxiety                      ~Feeling Obligated
~Indirect Resistance               ~Blaming

These are just a few of the indicators, the ones I've felt personally.

So, to start I'll summarize by saying that just about every issue we have boils down to relationships; our relationship with God, with ourselves, and with others. Not being in a healthy relationship with any of those will result in some brokenness. But what does it take to make those relationships right?

There are 2 integral ingredients, both for personal health~change~growth, and consequently healthy relationships:

Truth
God's truth - it is truth that God created the world with order and structure, laws of nature and moral law. God knew that even his original design, flawless as it was, needed guidance, needed one point of obedience, Adam & Eve had one law, not to eat the fruit of the tree of good and evil. He's given us his written truth, he became living, breathing truth, and he gave us a universe full of the truths he created.

Our truth - there is reality and then there is our reality. When we live outside of healthy relationship with God and others we can create our own reality, our own truth, because we have no 3 dimensional perspective. Only by opening ourselves to being completely honest about everything; who we are, what we've been through, what we've done, etc., can we begin to see the world as it really is and then act on that reality, instead of making choices based on the reality we created, and live alone in. Disowning our truth, our feelings (good or bad), is to ignore our responsibility for them, we can't act on what we deny, and that is one of the most destructive things we can do to ourselves and others.

Relational truth - we were created to be relational. God is a relational being, three in one, and we were created in his image...we have a built in need to have relationships because we are just 'one in one'. And deep relationships, with truth and accountability are the kind of relationships we crave, because accountability will keep us from drifting back into hiding and hypotheticals, they will remind you of the truth you desire but forget. Only in complete relational truth will vulnerability and humility flourish.

Grace
God's grace - we are safe from condemnation with God's grace. He doesn't want us to feel condemned or judged, he has something to teach us but he wants to teach us in love, to give us freedom, and to give us healthy relationships, and he gives us mercy in abundance when we mess up.
In John 8:2-11, Jesus tells the adulterous woman, "Neither do I condemn you (grace). Go now and leave your life of sin (truth)."
And God knows that he who is forgiven much loves much. Luke 7:40-43, "Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them do you suppose will love him more?"

Our grace - if anyone's theology will not allow them to help someone who is hurting then their theology is not big enough to hold the love of God. Some Christians label all problems as sinful, but being sinful isn't actions or results, it is a state of being we are all in constantly. Labelling other people as sinful is trying to create a community of 'only perfect people allowed', we all know that no one is perfect or ever will be, pretending otherwise is denial. So realizing this we need to give everyone the grace we hope people will give us. Only being a grace-full person will make you a 'safe' person for other people to trust, and without trust their can be no real intimacy.
Micah 6:8, "And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."

Relational grace - we hide within ourselves not only because of truth but we hide because we've have emotional baggage we haven't experienced grace in. We either have been injured by others or we have injured others ourselves, and both of those cause guilt/shame. But there is grace in admitting that pain, exposing it to the light of day.  Humility became a virtue because of the founder of Christianity - Jesus, but now it can be hard to find a Christian community that welcomes a spirit of humility that includes openness about struggles with painful issues. But remember, 'blessed are the poor in spirit', those who can admit they don't have it 'all together spiritually' will find grace in relationships, because other people are drawn to vulnerability and humility. People are drawn to the truly humble because in their presence they feel grace for their own pain is possible and they feel like they are with someone who is honest and trustworthy.

The combination
Grace (safe from condemnation) + Truth (reality, true intimacy) = acceptance of your true self (good and bad) -> leads to healthy relationships with yourself, others, and God. And when you are in healthy relationships it is much easier to grow and change in the areas of your life you know you need to, because you are surrounded by grace-full and honest support.

There is a third ingredient but, I'll save that for another post....this was quite enough to chew on :)

Right Now

2011-11-29T12:00:00.000-06:00

Buried up to my eyeballs in month end accounting paperwork. Yes this is my actual office right now, I used an 'archive' effect on my photo :)

What's on the Table Tuesday

2011-11-29T09:01:00.000-06:00

Weekly posting of my meal plan has been a little bit of an ordeal lately, so I think I'm going to keep it at every other week to add some manageability to this undertaking. I think I'm almost done listing my meal plans, but it's already lasted me much longer than I thought because various things, like bigger portions than needed, sickness, and other stuff interrupting cooking at home, but now I'm also adding to the mix a vegetarian meal once per week, so my original meat breakdown of 90 meals is going to stretch even farther into December.

Also, meats are a going to continue being a little mixed up, not exactly the original 'one type per week', since things have been thrown out of balance a little, so I'm just going to list all meals from my plan per two week period, rather than a day by day account. This two week period won't have ten meals, as I was sick for a good chunk of last week, plus we had a few dinner plans outside the house this week.

Tropical Chicken - the details I already wrote about here.

Teryaki Basa Fillets Stirfry - I was going to try a black bean sauce I bought, since we tried it with fish at a Chinese restaurant and loved it, but the sauce went bad so I replaced it with Teryaki sauce. Once again, fried the veggies in my Actifry.

Sweet Chili Chicken - substituted ground turkey for chicken, mixed chili powder in with my homemade tomato soup, eliminated onion soup mix, and pureed canned apricots instead of jam. Served over sweet potatoes fried in my Actifry.

Steak - grilled steak to perfection in my Cuisinart grill, fried up some Sweet Potato Fries in my Actifry. Can you tell I love it yet :)

Sundried Tomato & Bacon Risotto - this is going to be my vegetarian meal, I'll leave the bacon in for Sean and then pick it out for me (and give it to him, which he'll LOVE me for :). I'm going to give it a bit more substance by adding roasted red peppers and zucchini (grilled on my grill), and I think I'll try baking most of it instead of pan frying.

Beef Taco Salad - fry up some beef tenderloin strips in taco seasoning and broth, add some left over brown rice, serve on top of a bed of lettuce and jalapeno & cheddar Doritos, topped with chopped tomatoes, red & green peppers, black olives, and lots of cheese, with salsa and plain Greek yogurt on the side (instead of sour cream).

Here is the host blog of Titus 2sdays, a great place for house-wifery and godly woman(wife)hood!

Forgotten Foto Friday

2011-11-25T12:21:00.001-06:00

So there is a new blog-post inspiration making it's way around my bloggy friends, and I like it! I need an easy post idea these days :)
The premise is to dig through some old pics you may have forgotten about, on old memory cards or hard drives, maybe pictures that stayed digital - never were printed (which is almost all of mine!). Since I don't keep mine on memory cards, always download them monthly if not sooner, so I just picked the year 2006 to go through because it was before I was on blogger and facebook, and likely some people haven't seen them :)

First, our pictures to Louisiana, we drove down to the Gulf of Mexico where it still looked like this one year after Hurricane Katrina.

I bought a really nice new camera that year and it had a timer so I did my own 'photo shoot' :)

And these are our Christmas photos that year...Sean not wanting to cooperate as usual, so I put the kitty on his lap to get a smile, at least I didn't get a scowl.

Wellness Wednesday

2011-11-23T12:43:00.000-06:00

For many reasons, as well as lame excuses, my determination to get healthy again was undermined and derailed by life. BUT, the important thing is I keep getting back up, dusting myself off, re-evaluating and starting all over again with new determination.

My plan back in the summer, from all my inciteful reading, came down to "I now know that being physically healthy is also part of being healthy mentally and spiritually as well. AND I don't have to deprive myself, just discipline myself." I was building self-control, so I'm building on that, cutting back unhealthy things I won't miss, and finding really tasty food that is healthy to have instead of my default sugar and salt. Also, to get back into being more active. I mentioned I did lose about 3-4 lbs and luckily stayed there through the crazy fall I've had, but starting again I knew I wanted to start off with a bang. Even though counting calories worked for me at first, it just isn't cutting it anymore. And, I'd love to not have to count calories the rest of my life. I hope with forming a habit of self-control and discipline I can stop.

Many reliable weight loss programs start off with a detox/cleanse of sorts, and Dr. Oz recommends if you have a hard time cutting back on carbs (a carb addiction) you should abstain for at least a week to kick the habit. So I created my own detox/elimination meal plan based on the Maker's Diet book I read. In addition to that info I found a challenge for 21 days on Pinterest that I just knew I had to take up.

Source: weheartit.com via Lori on Pinterest

And no Starbucks! I have a whole album of motivation there on Pinterest now....like 'Love my body, not my image', and 'My stomach is not a wastebasket'....there's lots of great nuggets that push my self-control buttons!

But anyway, back to my detox/cleanse/elimination meal plan. For 21 days I eliminated a bunch of foods that have some ties to weight problems, health problems, and mess up your body with toxins, unbalanced hormones, insulin levels, etc., and to start from a 'clean slate' so to speak. No starchy or gluten carbs, no dairy, no processed sugar, no soy, and eating 'clean' foods in general. Reduced pork and bottom-feeding seafood. Seems like I've cut out just about everything but you'd be surprised how much I have enjoyed food and been filled over the last few weeks.

Here's a few glimpses of what I've enjoyed eating over the last few weeks.

Breakfast I did a protein shake with coconut milk and water only, but the protein powder is vanilla flavored and it tastes like yummy milk basically. I'd also add a fried egg in coconut oil, what a delish combination. I heard a weight loss tip that promotes eating a lot of protein in the morning and so that's why I chose this.

For lunches I mostly had turkey in my own dressing (roasted red peppers pureed with a little mayo) or tuna with red curry and mayo, over spinach.

Then in between meals I'd munch on celery with Almond Butter, that I made myself!

And a lot of yummy fruits.

Suppers I had a lot of food I normally have, just no potato, pasta or rice on the side. And I love my bullet, because making my own sauces/dressings in it were so simple, no preservatives or unwanted ingredients to worry about but still a yummy and simple sauce. I posted my supper recipes here, but here are some photos.

Lemon Dill Chicken

Creamy Pesto Fish

Skillet Rosemary Chicken (Basil substitute)

Curry Seafood Steamer

For night snacks I ate frozen grapes...wow, where have those been all my life....and a variety of unsalted, unroasted nuts other than peanuts.

The third week I could add in sweet potatoes, so I made my safeway-rip off Hearty Homemade Tomato Soup for lunches, minus the dairy.

However I got the flu and ended up eating mostly nothing for 2 suppers, I had left over hamburger soup from last week, but finally felt up to cooking on Thursday, when we had this for supper, I love my grill and Acti-fry! The sauce on both the chicken and veggies was pureed apricot, balsalmic vinegar, honey, and just a bit of mango chipotle kraft dressing for kick. All fried in a little coconut oil...it's my own version of Tropical Chicken. Yum! I've come to realize I can alter a lot of my fav recipes.

And, what do I have to show for all this? Well, it sure motivated me to make the most of my activeness, why waste all that hard work just to grow fat cells on the couch, so I started waking up early again doing weight lifting and pilates, and getting in some good prayer time in between sets. Also increased my walks on the treadmill again - which I am really loving again as well. I took greater care of my body in general, valuing other ways to take care of my body externally and internally, better sleep, vitamins, skin care, etc. I actually received a couple of months worth of U-Weightloss vitamins from a friend who can't take them afterall and didn't want them to go to waste! Weightloss plan pills for free, yes please!

I also hardly crave the junky food anymore. Honestly you wouldn't believe what I've had to face since Nov. 1st! I forgot I'm in a cookie of the month club (fundraiser) so 2 batches of homemade delicious cookies in the house. And my sense of smell has miraculously turned off, because I was able to crunch on my celery and apple happily while my whole office ate pizza under my nose. Then more fantastic baking at the Wednesday night financial course (every participant at each table takes turns bringing something). The Christmas lattes are back at Starbucks now (they are a particular weakness). It's funny, I gave up sugar for lent 2 years ago and mid-way through I was going crazy but I guess different motives = different results, because I really haven't been all that tempted.

And what about weight loss? Well, there was a bit of that too :) I lost 7-8 lbs. I'm floored that's how much I lost actually, never thought it would have been that significant. I'm not going to rest on my laurels though, I know some of that weight may come back on, the pendulum swung far because of how different my actions have been, but it will swing back a little once I am not eating that way 100% of the time. But this whole experience has fuelled me not to fall back into the same old bad habits. I've said that before, but I never focused on the majority of my diet being healthy, it was all about low calories and burning calories so I could eat more calories. This time I think I'm going to keep up this meal plan 2 days per week, and also have a vegetarian meal once per week, but even though I'm allowed to eat anything I want the other 4 days of the week I'll still be disciplined about choosing healthier options and everything in moderation. I'm determined to remember how good healthy food has tasted, how good having strength and energy feels, how I haven't felt deprived and so I don't need to turn to food and laziness for rest or reward. I am at my lowest weight since about 2001 now...by 1 lb :) But I am taking every victory and running with it!

Right Now

2011-11-16T13:20:00.001-06:00

Looking at my fav artists.

Dreaming of art for my walls.

Dreaming of making my own art.

Stewardship Sunday

2011-11-13T11:06:00.000-06:00

Well, it's been several months since I updated my stewardship/ 'hope-to-accomplish' list (NOT my 'to-do' list :), after updating it in July, life just got swamped but I'm thankful I've still made progress without it being at the forefront of my mind! Maybe it's just ingrained in me now :)

Stewardship of My Finances
As of October I started Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University every Wednesday evening at Church, until January. WOW! I thought I was hyper-anal-retentive when it came to my finances but my eyes have been opened! With many more tools at my disposal I have done an overhaul on our finances, re-prioritized with hubby, and we're back on track.
We had some huge paradigm shifts from his speaking and realize some bad choices we made that we didn't think were as dumb as they were, but taking into consideration Sean is on a wage freeze going on 3 years and if he quits he likely will be going down in wage, we weren't making the smartest decisions over the last year. But I'm excited to see progress on fixing those already!

Stewardship of My Home
5. Schedule a small Fly Lady tactic every day
I'm still at the point I could step this up a little, but I still haven't had to tidy my living room or clean off my dining room table in about 6 months! So I'm still happy! And I've been de-cluttering like crazy, we're selling and giving away stuff weekly it seems, lol. Partly to fix our finances, selling stuff has/will help pay off some debts, but even giving stuff away has felt SO good! Less to worry about, less to clean/tidy, and making other people happy. I love it!
6.Establish a list of at least 60 staple recipes and rotate in a 12 month menu
My meal plans have kept me right on track, they haven't failed me yet, I've stuck to it every week...and blogged a "What's on the Table Tuesday" to track my weekly meal plans. It's great because I can pick the easiest meals that week to make for our busy Mondays and Fridays and we haven't had to eat out unnecessarily at all, not once! Awesome, hey?!
7. Make as much food from scratch as possible to avoid unnecessary preservatives & packaging
Food I have made from scratch in the last few months....I can't remember if I've mentioned this here or not but I've roasted my own red peppers a few times now. I've just made my own almond butter for the detox/cleanse I am on. I've been using homemade broth instead of boullion for a few months. Oregano flavoured olive oil and vodka, and dried oregano...with my own grown oregano. Tomato sauce from canned tomatoes blended with raw veggies and spices - all with no additives.
I have two recipes I'm going to try soon, one a replacement for condensed soups made from all natural (no chemical or preservatives) dry ingredients that you can just mix with water/milk when you need, the second an all natural replacement for onion soup mix.

Stewardship of My Body
We don't have the puppy anymore so my all the exercise I was getting walking him now had to be done on my own motivation and will power. BUT, I finally got un-busy enough on our vacation in October to start on the treadmill again, minimum once a week, and I'm really enjoying it again! YAY! I'm also waking up early at 6 am again to alternate days with weights and pilates.
I am also on a detox/cleanse/elimination meal plan...refocusing my idea of health, what I'm putting into my body, how much, how I'm sustaining my body or hurting it, etc. I have a more indepth post about the health of my body that I am working on....I'm waiting until I'm done this 'kick start' program of 3 weeks so I can post about the results too, so that ends on Nov. 21st...I should have a post done shortly after.

Stewardship of My Earth
15. Grow my own vegetables.
Well, the garden is dead and frozen now. I didn't get quite as much out of it as I had hoped...no peppers at all. But, live and learn and try again next year with some new information! Most of the Farmer's Markets are closed now but I hope to make a special trip to a few 'local food' markets that are year round, hopefully at least once a month.
16. Have a 100 mile meal once a month.
I did have a 100 mile meal once in July, August and October. My September is a blur due to the start up of my volunteer job but that's mostly settled down now and so I hope to start this again...as long as I can take the time to go to those local markets.
17. Use organic/natural herbicides
Never did have the weather or time to use the organic spray, but I did ALL weed pulling by hand! If that isn't organic and natural, don't know what is :)
18. Find 3 more ‘One Million Acts of Green’ I can try
I've been successful at shutting down the computer every night, unplugging appliances not in use, still saving up compost, even through the winter, in the garage. I've been less consious of my water use lately, I want to get back to conserving it better. And now that it's winter, probably won't be airdrying clothes, but I am making sure I have full loads and still using cold water. I'm also getting more into repurposing items rather than throwing/giving them away, so that I don't have to buy other things. I am hoping to clear out space in my craft room (selling stuff) for a second hand sewing machine so I can repurpose clothes rather than buying new clothes, etc.

Stewardship of My Talents/Purpose
Well, this has flourished in abundance since my last post. June 28th I heard officially for the first time about a recovery program at Church that I knew I wanted to be involved in, I just wasn't sure in what capacity. My leader from the book study facilitating I did contacted me, did an informal meeting/interview and then offered me a LEADERSHIP position for the whole program! Not just a table leader, the Administration/Promotions leader. YIKES! I told her I had to think about it, but the 'job description' fit right into my talents and strengths, and I'd still get to facilitate a group of people who've been through some/most of the same struggles as myself. I didn't think I was entirely capable but she proved me wrong and I've proved myself wrong :) I've excelled at this job, even though it's exhausted me some weeks, and I love it! I feel I am doing almost everything that I do best AND blessing other people who are in pain and hurting. It's win win.

Stewardship of My Communities
25. Volunteer to help someone with something they can’t do for themselves
Other than what I've previously mentioned, not much new on this task.
26. Babysit one or some of my nieces/nephew(s)
In Steinbach right now babysitting my two neices and my nephew at their home, Saturday to Sunday, while their parents are off on a vacation trip for the long weekend.
27. Organize/host at least one gathering of friends every other month
Now over the year have had 8 outings/gatherings with friends that I've either instigated or hosted, 6 more outings with friends that I didn't even instigate. And no, it wasn't all the same friends :)

Stewardship of My Growth
35. Keep up prayer journal and bible study blog
Still haven't been keeping up with the actual documentation part of praying and reading my Bible, but I have still been praying and spending time in scripture more consistently. I've finished the whole New Testament on CD except Revelation. I'm listening to that one sparingly because I want to make sure it has my full attention so I can really learn from it, since I'm not as familiar with it.
I've also got prayer reminders on my phone, a whole list of everyone I'm keeping in my prayers, and I rotate through them in the mornings in between my workouts and getting ready. And I also have a prayer reminder in our car because we were challenged to pray for people we could bring to Church in the next 2 years. After praying and thinking about it, Sean and I came up with the number 7 (combined) that we wanted to be able to bring to Church in the next 24 months, so this reminder is there so I can concentrate on praying for those 7 people every time we're in the car.

Stewardship of Living My Life
38. Go to at least one Folklorama pavilion
Done, and I posted pictures back in August after I went with my sisters and my mom.
39. Go out on the town by myself
When I go out by myself I tend to shop....I have to stop that (for several reasons) but I still have a mani-pedi I intend to get before my Groupon for it expires in December. I still would love to hit the art gallery, there was even a show by one of my fav photographers, Jason Poturica, but I think I missed it. Life has just been too busy unfortunately.

So yeah, I'm just living life and I'm glad my core values are shining through without me having to 'work at' them for the sake of making them a priority, I just am working at them because they are valued parts of my life. Love it!

If you don't know me by now

2011-11-10T12:00:00.000-06:00

So, one of my first rebellions against getting 'old' was getting a tattoo and another one I've been contemplating since is some pink hair. Well, I finally went for it!

That was actually in August, but I've been tempted to try even more dramatic pink since...maybe. I have this side of me that itches to be wildly spontaneous and care-free with an equally itchy side of insecure and calculated detail-obsession.

Recently I stumbled across a blog of a woman who I at first observed as a heavily tattoo'd free spirit, and then came across her scrapbooking section. Huh? Only for a second was I befuddled before I realized I am a tattoo'd scrapbooker! LOL. I sometimes have this view of myself, of this mousy wall flower, especially when I say I like scrapbooking and crocheting....if you google renowned scrapbookers you would see they are typically not ladies you would suspect have tattoos.

That got me thinking about other things in my life that seem a little unreconcileable to those who might label me based on one aspect of my life. Some of my personalities may overlap but you could see one side and then be completely blind-sided by one of my others. Of course, I don't have multiple personality, I'm just well rounded ;)

The Nerd                            The Bohemian
Accountant/Admin                       Nomadic - love travelling
Author wanna-be                         Love whimsical clothing
Hyper-organized - color coding     Tattoo'd
5-page budget spreadsheets          99% cosmetic-free
Love a nice pant suit                   Eclectic creativity
Sci-fi shows/movies fan                Musicality
Crime or Medical drama fan        Frugal - minimilist wannabe
Know my techy stuff                  Motto: Love & Be Loved
Read-a-holic (fiction & non)        Dream: Live off the land
Librarian childhood aspirations     Create things from scratch
Addicted to iPhone & laptop        Care for God's creations
Video game player                     Passion for justice ministries

The Country Girl Next Door     The Girly Girl
Most comfy in jeans & a T                Pink! (well all colours of the rainbow really)
Country music has most heart            Shoes - high heels
Love to cook & bake                         Sparkles & Glitter
Animal lover                                     Dream: magazine worthy house
Nature lover/outdoorsy                      #1 gift - spa & pampering
Hometown spirit/loyalty                     Art Galleries & Museums
Love time with family                        Painted fingers & toes
Goes to football games                       Shop-a-holic
Hangs out with hubby's buddys           Prefer a glass of sweet white wine
Wears an apron                                 Sunset roses my fav flower
Scrapbooks & crochets                      Love me some sundresses & skirts
Not afraid to get dirty                         No less than 5 purses in the closet

Does anyone else feel they are sometimes several people inhabiting one body, am I an enigma (haha) or are all women crazy like this :)

What's on the Table Tuesday

2011-11-08T21:03:00.002-06:00

Well, for some reason my last week's Table Tuesday didn't post, and disappeared all together! So, I'll do two weeks at once. These two weeks are a little different anyway, I'm on an elimination cleanse/detox meal plan to kick start my new health plan. No starchy or gluten carbs, no dairy, and no sugar, no soy, and eating 'clean' foods in general. It hasn't been as bad as it sounds :) I actually have a seperate post about how easy it actually was....and more about health in general.

So, without further ado, here are this week's 5 meals, any side dishes were for my hubby who doesn't need to follow this detox :) Meats are a little mixed up, not exactly the original 'one type per week' I originally started with but these were the recipes that worked with my detox.....and as usual with some additional notes to add to what I've already mentioned in my meat breakdown:

Week One

Monday - Turkey
This was an easy one, I threw roasted turkey leftovers into a yummy salad Sensational But Simple Salad , minus the dressing. I put on a mango chipotle dressing instead, which was fabulous.

Tuesday - Seafood
Curry Seafood Steamer is a yummy meal chalk full of veggies to fill me up instead of carbs. I didn't eat the potatoes, and eliminated the scallops as 'bottom feeding' seafood is also recommended in the book I'm basing most of my detox on, but I just can't live without shrimp!! :) And curry is a great flavor to add so I don't miss sauces like soy sauce, hoisin, teryaki in my stirfry.

Wednesday - Beef
Spanish Rice with Beef is also an easy recipe to change up just a little to make work. I used beef tenderloin strips to eliminate fat, I took out the corn as it's a very starchy veggie, and I replaced it with red peppers. For hubby I served with brown rice but I added it to cooked lentils for me and I actually loved it! My first time having lentils and I'm sold.
Thursday - Chicken
Lemon Dill Chicken doesn't get any easier than this, especially since the same sauce ingredients are awesome to bake potatoes and asparagus in. I of course skipped the taters but was really happy with my chicken and asparagus, barely even missed them.

Friday - Seafood
Yes, we're having fish again, because I've ditched pork (mostly) during this detox as well. I found this Creamy Pesto Fish recipe in a Kraft magazine and have been itching to use it, now's a great time because mayo isn't dairy!! Me loves the pesto sauce. I served this over rice for hubby and then served us a side of some green peas.

Week Two

Monday - Chicken
Skillet Rosemary Chicken because I'm in love with how organic the picture looked in the magazine :) It was just as pretty when I made it last night, and delish! I subbed fresh rosemary for basil, still a great combo. For more substance I added asparagus again. I'm really into the lemon, potato, asparagus combo, can you tell?

Tuesday - Seafood
Tuna Cakes were a bit of a treat, the panko in it is technically 'illegal' but it's made with rice flour and so I count it as gluten free :) And I don't add the full 2 cups. But the counter balance is all the protein! Tuna and eggs...and again I throw in some curry to avoid sauces, and ate it with some left over peas while hubs served it over some rice as well.

Wednesday - Beef
Hearty Hamburger Soup is on the menu tonight, going to stew in the crockpot all day because we've got like 20 minutes to eat tonight! No potatoes in this one, but mom sometimes added pasta/rice instead, I've got leftovers of both (since I can't seem to get used to cooking in proportion for one) so I'm going to add some to Sean's bowl but not mine.

Thursday - Turkey
I found a recipe that I actually haven't made digital yet, but it's a turkey breast crusted with nuts...I think I'll use cashews instead of the hazelnuts it calls for, and then it's baked on lemon slices. I think I'll bake potatoes and asparagus on the lemon slices while I'm at it.
Friday - Pork
My one little pork cheat, bacon! Doing a simple bacon and eggs meal tonight.
Here is the host blog of Titus 2sdays, a great place for house-wifery and godly woman(wife)hood!

Good Monday Morning Mr. Winter

2011-11-07T12:15:00.001-06:00

Miss You

2011-11-06T13:05:00.001-06:00

I keep talking about these posts I have just waiting to be written, but once again blogging is on the back burner so that life doesn't get too overwhelming. I started a course at Church on Wednesdays, David Ramsey's Financial Peace University, and so not only do I have that evening booked, but homework during the week, and then pre-Friday night recovery prep work and then the actual Friday nights. I'm not overwhelmed yet but this is just about it as much brain power that I can add to my life right now on top of a full time job.
I do miss being here more though. Especially being here 'in mind'...I feel like I'm not here intellectually like I was. I miss the time I had sitting here, hammering out my thoughts, having entries that serve as a diving board for searching God's word, and then the cool feedback that would just get me thinking more. At one time I thought there was a part of my blog life that would become a bigger part of my purpose, I still get these great ideas for a post to write, but just can't seem to squeeze the extra energy or time out of my life to bring them to fruition.

But there is a season for everything. I'm talking with my co-leaders tonight about a recovery blog. Maybe this is where I was being led. Maybe not. Only time will tell.
But I just wanted to say...I do miss being here.

Wisdom Wednesday - Leadership

2011-10-26T13:18:00.000-05:00

Just a brief recap of the highlights for me from the Global Leadership Summit teachings:

~ Bill freakin' Hybels - God might call you to something that will never succeed, he may just be leading you to humility and leaning on him, like Jeremiah. To be a relentless leader you have to be a relentless learner. Leaders rarely learn anything new without having their world rocked and their bell rung. Challenging yourself, we are most productive when we are progressing past appropriately challenged, when we are almost dangerously challenged. You can't solve problems you refuse to name. Don't lose the plot, continually re-examine 5 core principles for your life. Never count yourself out, be determined to make your next five years your best five years ever. How you finish is how you’ll be remembered.

~ Dr. Henry freakin' Cloud - Communicating with 'fools', especially those threatening your vision. "God has called you to be a steward over a vision, a steward over a vision for the specific reason of changing something in a community or a world or a family or a nation." You can't let fear of confrontation threaten your vision.

~ Cory Booker (Mayor of Newark) - Be the kind of person whose light shines long after their gone....like a star. Stand up for SOMEthing. Do SOMEthing. Don't waste your life, a lot of people suffered a lot to give you the life you have. "You are the result of a grand conspiracy of love."

~ Seth Godin - People (consumers) are no longer interested in being fed average products for average people, fitting into cookie cutter molds meant for most but not all. We want to belong but we want to be unique, and so society has formed 'tribes' and we consume based on what appeals to our tribe, not the masses. Everyone has something to offer, because everyone is an original, everyone can find a niche and create one-of-a-kind experiences for others, making art out of work.

~ Michelle Rhee - Not on my watch! Be willing to put everything on the line to do what's right.

~ Mamma Maggie - "Silence your body, to listen to your words. Silence your tongue, to listen to your thoughts. Silence your thoughts, to listen to your heart. Silence your heart, to listen to your spirit. And silence your spirit, to listen to His Spirit."

~ Erwin McManus - Christians used to be the best story tellers, tell your story with passion and realism so that other people can see themselves in your story, and they will want what you have. Whoever tells a great story, shapes the culture. Become the cultivators of human talent.We need to be the stewards of human potential. The church needs to reclaim it’s place as the epicenter of creativity.

~John Dickson - Humility is common sense - None of us is an expert in everything. Humility is beautiful -We are more attracted to the great and humble than to the great who know they’re great. Humility is generative - It leads to new ideas. Humility is persuasive -The most persuasive person is the one who has your best interest at heart. Humility is inspiring - If there is someone with greatness but is unavailable, we just admire them, but if someone is humble and open, we feel we can be like them.

~ Patrick Lencioni - Service requires the server to be vulnerable—to embrace uncommon levels of humility, selflessness and transparency for the good of those they are serving. Because we fear rejection, we have terminal kindness - but kindness without truth...which will kill relationships, businesses, etc. As Christians we are called to be rejected. Speak kind truth. Avoiding vulnerability is denying your humanity. Genuine vulnerability or serving others by purposefully 'lowering' yourself to benefit others actually raises you up, you are more attractive to others.

~ Steve Furtnick - Audacious faith is the difference between daydreaming and being a visionary. Only God can do what God can do, only you can do what you can do, so do what you can do and let God do what he can do. Chances are, if your plans don't intimidate you they are insulting to God.

Wow! My personal take-aways. I am an original, I am a creative creation made in the image of my creator and only I can do what I am meant to do. I have a responsibility to, and stewardship over, the vision God has planted in me, to use my life to serve others, and I can do it best embracing a spirit of humility not weakness. I have to guard that vision, take a 'not on my watch' stance, not letting anything interfere with it, including having a willingness to sacrifice everything to accomplish that vision, no compromise, even if it means failure, rejection or danger. Only God can produce results, I can only do what he's created me to do.

What's on the Table Tuesday

2011-10-25T12:42:00.000-05:00

Here are this week's 5 meals, one of each meat type, with some additional notes to add to what I've already mentioned in my meat breakdown:

Monday - Pork
Quick and Easy Grilled Pork Chops is a terribly easy recipe where it consists mostly of Italian dressing, so easy so yummy, how versatile the good ol' Italian dressing is, no wonder it's a mainstay in our fridge. Sometimes I add it to potatoes and bake them as a side dish with the pork chops, or a marinated vegi salad with the dressing.

Tuesday - Turkey
We are having a double date with a couple over for dinner and a movie at our house tonight, so I'm making Sweet Chili Chicken but with turkey tonight. This meal came up in conversation with her before and she thought it sounded good, so I'm going to test run it for her tonight. Plus, I STILL have left over turkey to use up, lol.

Wednesday - Beef
Cheeseburger Stuffed French Bread is a great way to change up the typical burger or sloppy joe, it's a neat combination of them both actually. With pre-cooked ground beef it takes no time at all to whip up these awesome 'burgers'.

Thursday - Chicken
Another wonderful Italian dressing fav recipe, Spaghetti Supreme which I've made before but this time it's chicken instead of shrimp. Throwing in tomatoes and mushrooms is easy to make this a one-dish meal.

Friday - Seafood
Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Shrimp is a treat for my hubby, his two favs all in one meal, and I'm just glad it's pretty easy to make, especially in muffin tins ;) I wrap the bacon around the edge of each muffin cup then sit the jumbo shrimp in the middle, it's all contained and easy to hold the sauce around each 'wrap' perfectly. This is great over rice.

Here is the host blog of Titus 2sdays, a great place for house-wifery and godly woman(wife)hood!

Highlight Reel

2011-10-24T08:30:00.000-05:00

Here's some of the photo's highlighting the last few weeks :)

529 Wellington...a gift from Muki's mum.

Zoo date, although kitties were all sleeping, lions opened their eyes for one pic each :) couldn't barely even make out tiger cubs so didn't bother with pics.

Triple B's for Sean's (belated) birthday.

Thanksgiving Dinner in Altona.

Bomber Game against Montreal.

Life is good.

What's on the Table Tuesday

2011-10-18T12:41:00.000-05:00

Here are this week's 5 meals, one of each meat type, with some additional notes to add to what I've already mentioned in my meat breakdown:

Monday - Turkey
Well, I really did my best not to do anything on vacation last week, including meal prep, so one of my easy meals is going to be on Monday night this week. I'm making Sweet Asian Chicken Salad Sandwiches with leftover turkey on croissants, yum!! I'm into my second week of turkey leftovers, but I ain't complainin', I love turkey!

Tuesday - Pork
Apple Onion Pork Chops is one of my easier recipes, but I think this will be the last time I'm making it, well making it this easy anyway. I'm more conscious of the processed food I'm using, so there are far too many ingredients on apple sauce and onion soup mix than I care for these days, I'll likely make my own apple sauce and herb/onion mix to use next time. Plus I'm trying to almost eliminate pork from my diet, so I think I may switch out pork for lamb, which I think I've found a place to buy it locally at not too hefty a price.

Wednesday - Beef
Another variation of this casserole, Homemade Mac & Cheesy Burger Bake, with a 'hamburger helper' spin on it. With ground beef I add mushrooms and extra cheeses to this casserole, combining it all the night before and then just needing to bake it before we run out the door for our Wednesday nights out. I'm also trying to find a substitute for 'condensed soups' that so many casseroles call for, I think I might have found something...I'll let ya'll know if it succeeds!

Thursday - Chicken
I've been craving Chinese lately so I'm excited a stir-fry falls into my recipe plan this week ;) Spicy Peanut Spring Stir-Fry is my indulgence this week, and it doesn't even take a lot of time, not that I have to save it tonight.

Friday - Pork
Yes, we're having pork again. Which, yes, I did just say in this very blog I'm cutting back on pork, but due to an elimination diet/cleanse I'll be starting Nov. 1st, I had to shuffle pork out of those few weeks all together, and replace it with other meals that would fit into the restrictions, so I'm having double pork this week. Well, partial pork, it's mixed with ground turkey for this recipe, The Italian Job. A one dish meal, this time I'm going to try stuffing the recipe into extra-large pasta seashells, we'll see how that turns out.
Here is the host blog of Titus 2sdays, a great place for house-wifery and godly woman(wife)hood!

Miscellany Monday

2011-10-17T14:06:00.002-05:00

~ well, I haven't done a 'catch up' Miscellany Monday for awhile again, like a whole month!

~ as I've said previously, September to mid-October is usually my busyest season, this year especially with my part-time volunteer job that takes about 8 hours weekly, 5 of which are on Fridays. this year we also decided to volunteer at the Global Leadership Summit that our Church hosts each year, which took most of our Sept.28-30th, but it was such an awesome experience! I'll have to have a full post in the near future to include even just some of the great insights I was blessed with being able to sit in each session. I was lucky enough to be our Pastor's gopher, so I had to be wherever he was, which was in every session :) it was SO amazing, anyone who has a chance should go. and of course, volunteering I met even more Riverwooders, it was great getting to know so many cool people.

~ our recovery program has just passed it's fourth week and I feel really good about our start, although we do hope to continue building, we're a fairly small group so far. I'm thinking I'll be opening a blog and/or FB page for it soon, so stay tuned, I'll share that link with you when the time comes.

~ we had two Thanksgiving dinners, one at our place, one in Altona, both were super filling and great time with the family....pictures to come.

~ we had a week off last week, a great time to just let our minds and bodies relax and rejuvenate, individually and as a couple:
~ as a couple, we enjoyed an elegant lunch at 529 Wellington, courtesy of a gift card from Muki's mom, our last thank you present (I hope!), but it was a real treat! we took a trip to the zoo, but everyone was really quiet, especially the sleeping tiger cubs we really wanted to see, they were too busy snuggled right into momma to see anything but a few stray paws sticking in the air. we went out for a game of pool, and while I am getting better, even my allowed flukes are no match for Sean. we shared some great conversation time, especially on our road trip to and from Altona.
~ individually, I caught up on some reading, played around with some new digital software on my phone, created a blurb book/scrapbook on our dating years, and made a nutrition/health stewardship plan for myself that I need to impliment and get back on track now that I'm not so busy.

~ caught up on some cleaning and Fly Lady tactics, plus some deep 'puppy removal' cleaning. kinda did 'spring cleaning', sorting and disgarding clothes, books, craft supplies, etc. that no longer need space in our home. I'm hoping to do more of that with my craft supplies so I can sell a bunch sometime this winter.

~ also started a financial course through our Church, Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University. not even a full week later I like some of the changes we're making fiscally and I look forward to 12 more weeks of great insights. it just started last week, and I think 9 spots were open, so anyone free on Wednesday nights (7-9 pm)who wants to join the course, just let me know and I'll see if I can get you in one of those last spots. there is a cost, but you receive his book, a workbook, audio CDs of the whole series, access to a bunch of online tools, and more.

~ oh, and now that we know that Mr. Muki won't be returning, we talked about a plan for a dog for us. like children, this is a responsible, well thought out process for us, so we're going to wait until Spring when we can take some vacation and have a snow-less backyard, and then we'll start looking for the specific dog we have in mind. we're open to the dog that wants to adopt us, we just have a few criteria to make this a life-long (puppy life that is) decision. and we have some friends who may just be puppy-shopping at the same time...this is going to be fun!

~so, that's been our last month, well some of the highlights anyway :)

Sorry

2011-10-13T10:22:00.000-05:00

I should have stated at the beginning of the week, I'm on vacation! Well, stay-cation :) And while I have a bunch of blogs rattling around this brain of mine, I first have to get in some much needed R&R and hubby time while I can.
Just wanted to let you know so you didn't think I fell off the face of the earth :)

Hope or Presumption

2011-10-06T13:29:00.000-05:00

Awhile ago I wrote about 'expecting miracles' and how even though I know and have complete faith God is very capable of giving me a miracle child, I have had trouble expecting that for myself. I wasn't sure I should expect the miracle I wanted, so I expected a miracle in general.

Where do you draw the line between being hopeful and being presumptuous?

Like with healing, I know miraculous healings can and do still happen today, and I faithfully pray for those miracles when I pray for people who need healing. Yet I get this urge to always end that prayer in, 'but your will be done.'

As much as I believe miracles are completely possible, I also know that God has a perfect plan, and sometimes that perfect plan does not include miracles. Not the kind we are asking for anyway.

I think there is a different kind of miracle he does in those circumstances. When all our plans and control fail, we naturally succumb to helplessness....and in that place we can surrender our heart, soul, mind and body to him, he fills the emptiness and heals the brokenness in his perfect way, and anything we thought we desperately wanted, we would gladly forfeit for that relationship we have now. This is the miracle I am content to have received.

Just look at the books of Jeremiah and Lamentations. Even after a life of obedience that resulted in no external success, even at the end of righting a book all about lamenting his life he said he wouldn't change a thing because of his relationship with God.

YET. Jeremiah has one of the most hopeful verses in all of the Bible, used by many people, including myself, to give themselves/maintain hope. "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11.

I finally feel like I'm at a place where he knows I trust his plans completely, I know he has plans to give me hope, not harm. I would completely forfeit my dreams of children if he asked me to, because I want to have that perfect purpose he created me for....not my own. And I want to be in right relationship with him, by being obedient to his will for me. Not that I expect that will be easy. What I expect is that he'll continue to give me the miracle of peace in choosing him.

But.

I don't feel he's asked me to forfeit my own dreams yet. I only feel that way sometimes because of lack of 'results'. But I haven't yet discovered that dream doesn't walk hand-in-hand with my purpose.

And that is why I don't feel presumptuous believing that my miracle could still be mine one day.

So, for now, I am full of hope again.

And expecting miracles that look like children to call my own.

Right Now

2011-10-05T12:46:00.000-05:00

I love fall.

What's on the Table Tuesday

2011-10-04T10:30:00.000-05:00

Here are this week's 5 meals, one of each meat type, with some additional notes to add to what I've already mentioned in my meat breakdown:

Monday - Turkey
The pace slows down a little this week, a nice change! Today we're having turkey so we're not sick of it by Sunday when we have our first Thanksgiving dinner :) Decided to forgo my original plan for this turkey, which was to have it 'traditional style', the potatoes, the gravy, the veggies. Originally I didn't realize this week would match up with Thanksgiving! So instead, we had turkey melts on rye bread....with some bacon of course.

Tuesday - Chicken
Honey Glazed Chicken is a real favorite chicken recipe, the honey just makes it divine! And it's so simple. I already froze the chicken in the sauce, so all I have to do is cook and add a side. I might try some honey-glazed carrots for the side.

Wednesday - Pork
For a change we're having our pork as Farmer Sausage (50% beef actually...trying to cut back on pork). I have an old family favorite recipe that usually calls for weiners but I am going to use sausage instead. We serve this over white rice and often a side of carrot sticks because we make the sauce really tangy, it neutralizes that a bit. This is another easy recipe....it must be easy, my mom made it all the time when she worked and was raising us :) We'll make it out the door in plenty of time.

Thursday - Seafood
Chicken & Shrimp Almond Guy Ding, which I already made a few weeks ago with chicken, now I'm making it with Shrimp....because I love this stirfry a lot! Stirfrys are so easy, and include almost all food groups. This time I'll be throwing in some fried shanghai noodles (the fat ones).
Friday - Beef
So, for our busy Friday, where we're going to be trying to leave even earlier now, as we've kindof lost our setup team, I'm re-heating Meatballs I already cooked and then froze, serving them over spagetti, then topped with tomato and mushroom sauce, and of course sprinkled with cheese. I really don't know how I would have managed these nights if I hadn't started freezing pre-cooked meat....McDonalds and I might be on a first name basis by now!
Here is the host blog of Titus 2sdays, a great place for house-wifery and godly woman(wife)hood!

What's on the Table Tuesday

2011-10-04T09:30:00.001-05:00

Well this was supposed to have been published last Tuesday....better late than never :)
These next 2 weeks I am kick starting some serious (yes...again) weightloss. I am eating an elimination diet, no dairy, only certain oils and meats, no carbs, no sugar, no starchy veggies, no stuff I can't pronounce, so if you notice any of that in my recipes I have substituted or it's in their just for hubby and I've removed it in my portion. I love that I found so many of my recipes that cooperated with this cleanse!!
Here are this week's 5 meals, one of each meat type, with some additional notes to add to what I've already mentioned in my meat breakdown:

Monday - Turkey
A good ol' Granny's turkey roasted to perfection....this is not still leftovers from Thanksgiving, this is from my turkey I cooked back in summer, and no I'm not tired of it yet! For myself I'm serving it with Sensational But Simple Salad minus the dressing, which I'm not sure yet what I'll sub with , but for hubs I'm making it 'Sean style', mixed with a condensed soup mix and noodles with mushrooms. That was his formula when baching it, meat+condensed soup+pasta/rice+canned mushrooms, alternate poultry, pork beef, and alternate cream of chicken, tomato, and cheese soup. Yikes! But he loves it.

Tuesday - Seafood
Nothing like a stirfy to get in LOTS of veggies in your meal :) With this stirfry Curry Seafood Steamer I can pack in a lot of flavor with curry without a lot of condiments/sauces full of chemicals and/or fat. I won't be eating the potatoes in it, but that's ok, I'm also adding carrots and snap peas, so I'm sure it will be filling. And I'm going to make it in my Actifry, it does stirfry with only 1 tbsp oil!! Coconut oil at that....yum!
Wednesday - Beef
Spanish Rice with Beef with lean beef tenderloin strips instead of ground beef is another meal that can be low on fat, especially with just spices and not sauces, with a great mix of a lot of veggies. I'll be removing the corn for me, and will be serving with brown rice for Sean and lentils for myself.
Thursday - Chicken
I mentioned last week how much I love Italian dressing, and Lemon Dill Chicken is another reason why, especially because this sauce is great for baking potatoes in as well. That will be for Sean though, I will be enjoying this with just a side of asparagus.
Friday - Seafood
Yes, we're having seafood again, this time fish. I've been excited to try this Creamy Pesto Fish , I love Pesto, it's such a yummy and natural 'sauce', never thought to try it with fish...anything to make fish yummy :) And did you know mayonnaise actually has no dairy? Go figure...I can eat it! YAY! Sean will be having this over rice but I'm just going to have it with peas salted with sea salt.

Here is the host blog of Titus 2sdays, a great place for house-wifery and godly woman(wife)hood!

Challenging

2011-10-01T16:11:00.001-05:00

it was a really challenging week...

getting 5 days of work done in 2.

dealing with a doggy with poop issues too disgusting to get into.

trying to squeeze in personal appts. before the volunteering started on Wed. afternoon, a fast food lunch was the best solution for sustenance, until I chose a McDonald's across from a highschool at 12 noon. never.again. never.

some physical labor to get the many, many, many boxes of resources for the Global Leadership Summit from our Church to the GLS site.

some fun setting up the 'book store' at the GLS site, working with Sean at this was a glimpse at our dream of opening a bookstore/coffee shop. and browsing the books I wanted ahead of time....dangerous :)

in the hour we were home between setup and our busy Wed. evening we had supper and said good-bye to Mr. Muki puppy, as his momma could take him back indefinitely. we're not sure if she'll need us to take care of him again, but he is gone for at least a few weeks. it was hard to say good-bye to the little guy, even with that issues that morning and yellow stains I now have to pay to get out of my carpet. it was hardly his fault we know, can't be easy being away from your home and mum for so long.

then all Wed. evening prepping for Friday night, a new weekly schedule that will continue as of this week.

Thursday started out earlier than work, being at the GLS for 7 am. right away, my reputation for responsibility with my leader on Friday nights led to becoming our Lead Pastor's runner in addition to being a greeter. that was great because I had to be in the sessions with him to do whatever he needed, so I got to listen to every single session, how awesome was that!

Thursday night, a bit of relaxing after a quick supper, then to bed early for another early morning of 7:15 Friday morning. Another day of running around and smiling pretty, bought some great books, heard some great sessions. Then leaving a bit early because our Friday night was just a few hours away and needed setup as well.

Sean had been able to get away from the GLS to setup most of the physical stuff, but we still needed to spend from 5-7pm preparing, then our evening ran until 10 pm.

A long, challenging, emotional, tiring, but mostly awesome week.

What's on the Table Tuesday

2011-09-27T12:00:00.000-05:00

Here are this week's 5 meals, one of each meat type, with some additional notes to add to what I've already mentioned in my meat breakdown:

Monday - Chicken
Yet another hectic week on the schedule, today is no exception, have some training on printing promotional material for Friday nights right after work, so going to need to be a quick one after I get home. Going to throw together some chicken tacos with this recipe Shredded Taco Chicken already made, frozen and now thawed, along with some brown rice left over from last week. Whipped up some homemade salsa Sunday night and good to go.

Tuesday - Turkey
Homemade Mac & Cheesy Broccoli Bake with turkey this time, for my Tuesday on which I'll actually have time for longer prep time. The turkey is pre-cooked and the pasta I cooked for all this week's meals Monday night, so still not all that labor intensive, giving me time to prep some other meals for this week ahead of time.
Wednesday - Beef
Quick and easy this night, with Easy Beef Strogonaff, for our now consistently busy Wednesday night for both of us, off and running to Church by 6 pm, so the pre-cooked ground beef and pre-cooked noodles get heated up in a pan with the rest of the ingredients, easy peasy.

Thursday - Pork
Tropical Mustard Glazed Pork Chops are on the menu for Thursday, my other night I actually have time to cook. The sauce has similar elements to the Potato & Asparagus Toss so having that as a side again, due to asparagus that needs to be used up...again. That asparagus is becoming a constant around here :)

Friday - Seafood
Last one dish of the meal of the week, I love recipes that meat, starch and veggies are all thrown into one :) We're both involved Friday nights now as well, so the Turkey, Bacon Pasta Salad With Lemon Basil Dressing is in order, but I'm switching the turkey for Tuna.

Here is the host blog of Titus 2sdays, a great place for house-wifery and godly woman(wife)hood!

Right Now

2011-09-23T13:07:00.001-05:00

I'm......

~ trying not to be nervous about our recovery launch night, TONIGHT!

~ taking just a short lunch because I'm trying to get as much work done as possible since I'm only working 7 out of the next 15 work days.

~ skimping on lunch because we're soon going to have chocolate birthday cake to celebrate 2 b-days in the office.

~ staring at my 'corner of joy' and missing the kidlings. I really need to call the girls and ask how school has been these last few weeks (yes they are both in school now!)

~ hoping I win the Ted Dekker - Mortal contest for a trip to Rome! I really need a free get-away!

~ looking at my chipping nail polish and peeling nails, I really need a manicure.

~ debating between Facebook and Google +, I haven't looked at Google + enough to know if it does or doesn't have the same privacy concerns....and I REALLY don't want to start over with all my pictures and stuff. I purposefully use FB as a visual 'catch up' for those my friends I don't get to see/talk to often or who are far away....it's taken me since I joined FB 4 years ago to accumulate my albums, I don't want to have to do that all over again. Plus it's a tool we might be using for our recovery groups, an info page if you will, I don't know that Google + will be as 'organization' friendly. hmmmm......

What's on the Table Tuesday

2011-09-20T10:50:00.000-05:00

Here are this week's 5 meals, one of each meat type, with some additional notes to add to what I've already mentioned in my meat breakdown:

Monday - Turkey
After a busy weekend I'm glad I can just pull out some roast turkey drumsicks/thighs, heat those up, and make a quick salad for this Monday night dinner I had no time to prep for :) For the salad I'm going to make one of my favs, Sweet Summer Salad. I think will go well with turkey, and I have some feta to use up.

Tuesday - Pork
Sweet Apple Pork & Potato is a delicious crockpot, one dish meal, which I'll make ahead on Tuesday and then just turn on the crockpot as I leave the house for work Tuesday morning. I cut back on the apples a little because it was a bit sweet for hubby's liking last time, but apples, sweet potato and pork are a fantastic combination. It doesn't hurt there's bacon, which is why hubby drew my attention to this recipe in the first place :)

Wednesday - Beef
Quick and easy this night, with some pre-formed hamburger patties, I'm just going to cook those along with some potato wedges and it's burgers and fries for us. Wednesday has now become one of our busy nights instead of Tuesdays, and not only will Sean be leaving for Church early in the evening, but I will be joining him to use the Church photocopier and supplies to print bulletins and handouts for my Friday night recovery service.

Thursday - Seafood
Smoked Gouda Tilapia Rolls are on the menu for Thursday. The sauce used in this recipe is almost identical to that used by the roast I'm making on Tuesday, so I actually cheat, save the sauce from the crockpot after I've removed the roast, and then I just use it in this recipe instead of the broth & vodka :) Makes this gourmet-like dish 'fast food'. Gotta love that! I think it will go well with the Sundried Tomato & Bacon Risotto.

Friday - Chicken
Going to crockpot it again during the day with Barbecue Cola Chicken so we have a quick, yummy meal ready for us when we get home and then I can quickly be off for a long and busy Friday night. I'll probably have just enough time to roast some veggies 'grilled' style for a delicious and healthy side.

Here is the host blog of Titus 2sdays, a great place for house-wifery and godly woman(wife)hood!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-09-14T12:58:00.004-05:00

What's on the Table Tuesday

2011-09-13T13:12:00.000-05:00

Here are this week's 5 meals, one of each meat type, with some additional notes to add to what I've already mentioned in my meat breakdown:

Monday - Pork
Meat-Lovers Pizza Salad is a great meal to make ahead and have ready for a night you need a quick meal, I made enough for leftovers another night in case traffic kept me from getting home in time to make a quick meal Tuesday or Friday. You can throw in just about anything you put on a pizza, this time I used leftover italian sausage, bacon, ham, turkey pepperoni, mushrooms, black olives and red peppers. Yum!

Tuesday - Turkey
Toasted Tasty Turkey Melt with sweet potato fries of course :) Quick and easy for our busy Tuesday nights.

Wednesday - Beef
Pork
Beef and Broccoli Stir-fry another one of our favorite 'chinese' meals, going to make this with some sticky white rice.

Thursday - Chicken
Aussie Chicken
This is our fav chicken recipe, and they are so loaded and filling we often just have veggies on the side, like maybe even more fried mushrooms :)

Friday - Seafood
Spaghetti Supreme with Shrimp. Another quick and easy all-in-one meal, a different way to serve pasta without resorting to my usual italian recipes.

Here is the host blog of Titus 2sdays, a great place for house-wifery and godly woman(wife)hood!

Miscellany Monday

2011-09-12T12:59:00.002-05:00

~ well, I haven't done a 'catch up' Miscellany Monday for awhile, so much seems to have happened since, yet not a lot to 'write home about' as it were. the last few weeks I've been holding back on a lot of doing, trying to not let myself get overwhelmed during the very busy period before/during our launching of our recovery program at Church. not to mention the season change has seemed to contribute to making me exhausted because I've purposely held back on my vigorous exercise and increased my sleep but I'm still pretty tired/lacking energy. so therefore I don't have all that much to catch up on.

~ for my promotional role I've done so much already; I've created a weekly bulletin template and inserted the first 4 weeks worth of lessons into the template, created the preliminary brochure/handouts for more information to newcomers, created powerpoints for some of the worship music lyrics, created a script and premise for a video promo - as well as taped a clip for said video, wrote my testimony, created a schedule calendar for the year, am maintaining an inventory of our materials for purchase, created signs and building maps, and a few other little things. this is in addition to the couple hours I've spent each week studying the materials for the program, a few hours at a team leaders meeting which will continue each week in addition to time I spend involved in the Friday night program, where I will be running the resource table, running visuals (for now), co-leading a table for sharing women's hang-ups, and just helping things keep a float in general while we're still building a team to run the program. and breathe.

~ I have had several of my dear friends who also happened to be going through a few struggles these last few weeks, and have all reached out to me for prayer and support. Sean reminds me not to take on too much but I can't turn down a friend in need, I will always be there to talk with them, and pray for them. it really doesn't drain me, other than it's hard on the heart sometimes.

~ we spent the last 2 Sundays watching football with my brother-in-law and will be spending the next Sunday there too for his birthday. I have been trying to encourage Sean to spend more time with him so this has been good, if only we didn't have to watch the Bomber's lose while doing it.

~ we did go on two dates the last two weekends, first dinner at Fude again, although we weren't as impressed with the menu this time, however we didn't know until after it was Vegan month which made for much less selection for us meat lovers. then we saw Planet of the Apes: Rise of the Apes on Saturday and it was awesome! we've fallen for the franchise, being that we really like monkeys I don't know why we didn't ever watch the originals before the remake a few years ago. I cried for the main ape and I said 'holy crap' about a dozen times!

~ the rest of the time I've been trying to keep myself on the couch (feels more like I'm resting my body that way), so I've been reading, digital scrapbooking, video gaming, and painting my nails so then I physically can't so anything :) I'm hoping I'll be feeling more rested after we've settled into autumn, new routines, and our program, but until then I'm going to be giving myself hefty doses of rest and relaxation. we'll see what that means for my blog time....sorry in advance for the absence.

Laugh of the Day

2011-09-09T13:26:00.000-05:00

Oh if only I could be satisfied with this cleaning routine all the time, but alas I will just have to be ok with letting my sense of humor conquer my sense of organization today :)

Pain

2011-09-07T13:25:00.001-05:00

In the last 3 weeks I have added so many people's pain to my prayer list. I am pained by all the hurts around me, I hate to see the people I care for in turmoil....for any length of time. Some are dealing with years and years of pain. Others have painful decisions to make, torn between two options, neither of which feels like they are good. Others hadn't realized the depth of the pain until it spilled all over their life.

I've been in those places, I know how much it hurts.

I know how alone you can feel in that pain.

Like you are the only one.

Like no one could possibly understand.

Like everyone looks at you differently when they know.

Until you finally find a 'me too'. A weight gets lifted. And then another 'me too'. You begin to feel some comfort and hope. And the more 'me too's' you meet the more light is shed on the pain and you begin to find what you need to overcome it.

2 Corinthians 1:4 says "He comes alongside us when we go through hard times, and before you know it, he brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us."
This is exactly why I had to become involved with a group who aligns themself with this same belief. Where we can help people share so they can find their 'me too'. Where pain doesn't have to be hidden, struggles that are spoken can be broken. Where no perfect people are allowed, because that's called being in denial. Where no pain is too big or too small. Where you can find hope and eventually peace.

It might break my heart a little to relive their pain, and my own, but it's worth it, because I just me be their 'me too.'

Tune Tuesday - God Gave Me You

2011-09-06T11:27:00.000-05:00

I'm pre-empting What's on the Table Tuesday for Tune Tuesday. I was going to do Musical Monday but then my Monday just disappeared all of a sudden :) And this week being short, and busy, I am not really following the meal plan this week anyway!

So here's the music I wanted to share. I love, love, love this song. It's stuck in my head and I don't mind one bit. See lyrics and hear song with this youtube video.

What's on the Table Tuesday

2011-08-30T10:38:00.012-05:00

Here are this week's 5 meals, one of each meat type, with some additional notes to add to what I've already mentioned in my meat breakdown:

Monday - Turkey
Maple Country Turkey Sausage Burgers, sweet potatoe fries and Sensational But Simple Salad.

Tuesday - Beef
Beef Stew
Another quick meal for Tuesday, love the crockpot meals, throw everything in, turn it on, leave for work, come home and eat yumminess!

Wednesday - Pork
Cantonese BBQ Pork
One of our favorite 'chinese' food items is BBQ pork, going to make this with some fried brown rice, mixed with a fried egg, diced carrots, peas, and corn.

Tuesday - Chicken
Fantastic Chicken Amaretto
This has an amazing taste to it, the amaretto moistens the chicken deliciously! I'll be using the Potato & Asparagus Toss side dish again because it uses some of the same flavors, and it's easy and yummy :)

Friday - Seafood
Tuna & Bacon Pasta Fina
Tuna has never tasted SO good! I'll likely throw in a lot of brown mushrooms, and fry them up with it, they are a great complimentary taste to the bacon & parmesan.

Here is the host blog of Titus 2sdays, a great place for house-wifery and godly woman(wife)hood!

Pinkified

2011-08-27T15:45:00.000-05:00

I have been pinkified :)

I finally did it, I dyed my hair pink...a little ;)
next time I think I'll try more, I love it!

2011-08-26T21:51:00.000-05:00

I love....
I love Sean.
I love Sean for the steps of faith he took to delve deeper into Church once again.
I love that Sean opened himself to more relationships at Church and they've led to so much more.
I love that Sean really dug into applying what he's been learning from Sundays and other material he's read.
I love that these things have led Sean to dive into serving passionately and sacrificially and he still wants to do more!
I love that Sean is reaching out and letting more people in his life in ways he never has before.
I love that Sean is opening up about his weaknesses to others, and trying to learn to overcome them and be accountable to others for them.
I love that Sean is succeeding at overcoming some of his weaknesses.
I love that Sean is seeking God's will and even choosing situations he was against less than a year ago.
I love that Sean finds solace and encouragement from serving, even after a bad day at work, and he'd rather go than miss a night because of how good he feels after.
I love that Sean is beginning to see blessings in other areas of his life he had almost resigned to 'suffering through'.
I love the Sean I had. I love the Sean I have. I will love the Sean God is moulding him into.
I love Sean for giving me another dimension of experiencing God's power, love, grace, truth, patience.
I love God for blessing me with a life I get to share with Sean.

Best Things in Life aren't Things

2011-08-24T10:56:00.000-05:00

A hand-me-down skirt from a co-worker who has fabulous taste!

What's on the Table Tuesday

2011-08-23T10:30:00.001-05:00

Here are this week's 5 meals, one of each meat type, with some additional notes to add to what I've already mentioned in my meat breakdown:

Monday - Leftovers
Apparently even with my attempt at pre-packaging smaller proportions I already had some leftovers that needed eating, so no meal plan menu Monday.

Tuesday - Chicken
Shake n’ Bake Almond Chicken
Another quick meal for Tuesday, the chicken is already pre-cooked, and it's a homemade shake n' bake that Sean loves. I made brown rice last week so I can quickly make this Mushroom and Almond Rice Pilaf, keeping the almond theme going. And I love roasted asparagus with almonds as well, so that will make for a nice veggie.

Wednesday - Pork
Root Beer Roasted Ribs (Boneless)
Mmmmmm, I love ribs! My only beef is that there is usually too much bone and not enough meat. And Sean isn't a fan of having to dig his meat from between bones, so I decided to make ribs boneless! To me they are just like ribs but better, the key is cooking it like ribs and not just pork in BBQ sauce. AND I get to use my birthday present from my cousin Pam....mmmm....raspberry chipotle sauce! I'm serving this with sweet potato fries and Italian-Marinated Vegetable Salad.

Thursday - Beef
Leader's Pie
This is another all-in-one dish that hubby co-created....he came up with the idea and I made it happen :) It's kind-of got a hamburger helper casserole vibe, but with spinach, mushrooms and potatoes it's much healthier and heartier.

Friday - Turkey
Curry Turkey
This one is an old family favorite my mom used to make. I love curry, but Sean isn't a big fan usually, so I think I'm going to try to find some red curry, which is a bit sweeter and he can tolerate, and try that instead of the yellow/green curry mom used. If not, I will make my half with curry and Sean's half with his choice of spice/sauce. Garden fresh carrots are a great side, takes the edge off the curry a little.

Here is the host blog of Titus 2sdays, a great place for house-wifery and godly woman(wife)hood!

Books, Books, Everywhere a Book

2011-08-20T13:43:00.001-05:00

Well, I started my year off with a bookshelf half full of books I was determined to read by year end. I have not read a one. I keep getting gifted books (thank you!!), borrowed books (thx too!), and find myself wanting to re-read books! Ack!

These are my most recent reads, and hopefully my next reading post will include at least ONE book from my original list.

After No Perfect People allowed I was borrowed two books from my friend. The Purpose of Womanhood was a good read but it wasn't anything new to me, I'm already a pretty firm believer I'm equal but different, and that I am the one called to submit to my husband and he's the one called to lead us.

The second book was The Maker's Diet, and this one did really open my eyes to things I was already somewhat beginning to understand but tied it into God's original dietary instructions for the Jewish people. I've always been of the opinion these were for spriritual cleanliness, but there are very valid connections to physical cleanliness. It's not necessarily about organic, it's about food being the way it was before it was tampered with by human knowledge. And how God knew about the internal health qualities of some food long before we did, and had the Jews avoid food based on that wisdom. I haven't decided to follow the entire change in my diet, but I have definately changed my perspective on some certain foods and am now limiting them, and some foods I'm definitely trying to find alternatives for. I am avoiding giving details because a) learning about some foods is not appetizing, and b) there were far too many details to summarize. But if you are already leaning towards AVOIDING; horomone-injected foods, meats fed on anything but grass, figuring out what 'healthy fats' really are, etc. then I would definitely recommend you read this book. Or if you have severe physical ailments that haven't been able to be treated successfully with modern day medicine, this may be an eye opener for you as well. If I ever get that ill, I would certainly take on changing my whole diet to it's recommended plan.

Then I read Reshaping It All, by Candace Cameron Bure. She was one of my fav stars as a kid on Full House, and I identified with her being that I was a bit larger than my skinny counterparts as well. To find out she is a Christian and struggled with her weight and kept it off without giving up any particular foods (not that she didn't give up anything to acheive it, just didn't follow an elimination diet), I was thrilled to find out she talked about it all in this book. I've been wanting it for several months now and Sean got it for me for my birthday. I have loved it, she has such great examples to tie into the princple point she's trying to get across in each chapter. And the fact that she still loves to eat, that eating at restaurants is her 'treat' just as it is mine, it made each point hit home for me all the more. I have been so much more aware of my eating habits since reading this book, I'm fairly sure it's one of the keys in my ability to start dropping weight I haven't been able to for a couple of years!

Anyway, now I have a fiction book to read finally :) It's not even the latest Ted Dekker book anymore, but I have to read it before the latest does release on Sept. 13th! I can't wait to dive back into his world. Then I'll have that book shelf of non-fiction calling out to me again. Good thing I'm down-sizing our cable package :)

Funny Friday

2011-08-19T14:29:00.000-05:00

Laugh of the Day!

It's too bad I don't want this colour, Sean would be sold on anything called Bacon! :) lol.

It's no Starbucks....

2011-08-18T09:48:00.000-05:00

lemon raspberry loaf, but considering it's HALF the calories! and way less than half the cost, I am pretty pleased with the version I found.

and so were my guinea pigs at work....who all raved about it, and asked for the recipe.

as did some of you :)

so here is the recipe.

which I think would go well with my home-brewed Passion Iced Tea Lemonade....also a Starbucks rip off.

Wordless Wednesday - Homemade Lemon Raspberry Loaf

2011-08-17T11:55:00.000-05:00

What's on the Table Tuesday

2011-08-16T12:00:00.003-05:00

Here are this week's 5 meals, one of each meat type, with some additional notes to add to what I've already mentioned in my meat breakdown:

Monday - Chicken
Fabulous Fritos Cuban Cooking
This is one of my new favorites one dish meals, and I got a tip to make it (and all cooking/baking) healthier and tastier by using coconut oil, I can't wait to try it! I have some white wine I need to use up that I will sub for the vodka, and I have some asparagus I need to use up so I'll add that instead of carrots.

Tuesday - Turkey
Turkey, Bacon Pasta Salad With Lemon Basil Dressing
Tuesdays we need a quick meal as Sean runs off to his serve at his Church ministry early, so since the turkey is already pre-cooked, this is a fast and easy and yummy meal. I love pasta salads, especially one you can throw meat into and make it a one-disher. And, again, got some asparagus I need to use up.

Wednesday - Pork
Pepsi Pork Roast
Yes, I'm doing roast again, but I wanted to get the left overs for sandwiches later on in the plan. As my side dish for this roast I am also making Potato & Asparagus Toss, I'll be using more of the farmer's market baby red potatoes and....you guessed it, asparagus to use up.

Thursday - Beef
Multi-Meatloaf/Meatballs
I made the mini-meatloaves with BBQ sauce and cheddar stuffed in the middle. And of course, a great side for some good ol' meatloaf is some Slow-Baked Mac and Cheese.

Friday - Seafood
Mango Fiesta Shrimp
This one was a much modidfied recipe from my vodka recipe book, actually 2 recipes combined and then Lori-fied. I'm adding red peppers, roasted and/or pepper flakes, to almost everything these days! I love it
Yum, can't wait. It's funny how excited I get for my meals with this blog entry. It makes it even better that I know I've already pre-portioned them to meet my calorie allowance, and pre-prepared them so I know I don't have a lot of work to do after work every day. This plan is genius :) (if I do say so myself).

Here is the host blog of Titus 2sdays, a great place for house-wifery and godly woman(wife)hood!

Wellness Wednesday

2011-08-10T11:02:00.049-05:00

So, I'm finally losing weight again! Despite celebrating my birthday for almost 2 weeks straight :)

I am down to a weight I haven't been since probably 2009. After hitting my top weight loss (at one time) of 29 lbs September 2008, it slowly crept back on during some hard times over the next 2 years and by last fall I had gained back 8-12 lbs, fluxuatingly. Now, I'm back to only having 5-6 lbs over my original loss! I know it's only a difference of 2-3 lbs but they have evaded shedding for almost 2 years! I of course originally had wanted to lose another 13 after those 29, so I still have about 19 lbs more to go over all, but I'm finally moving there significantly!

I changed a lot in my habits recently so for posterity (I want to remember what I'm doing right!) here are most of the contributing factors:

~ I've been reading a few books on diet (not eating fads, habitual food guides) and health, which have given me new information on what I am putting in my body, and what I'm not giving my body that it needs. some of the below changes are because of that, some have yet to be implemented.

~ stuck strictly to my calorie allowance during the weekdays, even when I ate 'out', and no extra food when I exercised (my calorie counter app automatically calculates an increase in my calorie allowance based on exercise, and I tended to then allow myself to eat those calories).

~ on weekends I did allow myself to eat the calories that I had earned back through exercise, but not over that. previously I would indulge quite a bit over my allowance on weekends.

~ started being more regimented in taking my vitamins and added more; stronger dose of Vitamin C and Omega 3s, and added Cod Liver Oil pills too.

~ started adding 5 min. here and there of weights and yoga, managed about 4 times per week.

~ started walking more vigorously when I'm walking the dog, when he dawdles I tended to dawdle too, but now even when he is slow I try to move on the spot instead of just standing still.

~ having less snacks after supper. I had typically would have some snack every night, now it's been every other night and mostly fruit, but whatever I choose I have much smaller snack portions as well now.

~ pre-calculating and preparing weekday breakfasts and lunches I bring to work; pre-planned means meeting my calorie allowance, and I plan out a variety of foods so that even though I eat the same thing everyday it's 7 different foods, as well as balance of fruits/veggies, fiber, protein & healthy fats. I have a small protein shake I make myself, a mini chocolate raspberry muffin, a small banana with a teaspoon of nutella, 6 baked pita crackers topped with a little cottage cheese and tomato slice each, a baked egg (over-medium in a muffin tin in the oven, no extra fat), another fruit, and a handful of unsalted nut mix. all that is only 635 calories.

~ I spread my work meals throughout the day, to help my stomach get used to portion control and it also is supposed to increase metabolism eating more smaller meals.

~ increase my water intake which had dwindled down to maybe 2-3 cups per day from 6-8 cups I used to drink. now I've been back up to over 6 cups per day for the last 2 weeks. I keep neglecting how important water is to metabolism, and fat & toxin flushing.

~ going through the 12 step recovery program we'll be launching at Church in the fall (the leaders need to go through lessons before we can lead them :) and answering questions about the out-of-control areas in my life have led to some hard answers I've had to give about why I eat when I don't need to.

~ talking to a friend about eating habits and hangups I have, and the obstacles to having a healthy, active lifestyle, trying to make myself accountable to her.....and being there for her the same way. I need that additional voice to encourage me to make the healthier choice sometimes.

Last time I had a go at losing weight, I had so many motivators to help me lose weight; my hip, my fertility, my sleep deprivation/snoring, and just being able to keep up with the children in my life. Now that most of those are not an issue or not weight related issues, I had lost most of my motivation (because of course there is always appearance & self esteem). But as I begin to realize why I don't habitually choose the healthiest lifestyle that fits me I now know that being physically healthy is also part of being healthy mentally and spiritually as well. AND I don't have to deprive myself, just discipline myself.

I think I've finally made lifelong changes and I hope to keep building on them.

What's on the Table Tuesday

2011-08-09T10:00:00.004-05:00

So, I wanted to start my 80 meals plan sooner but thought it best to use most of the meats I already had in my freezer first, which means this week is our first week on my plan. Each week I thought I'd post the current week's meal plan on Tuesdays (link up to Titus Tuesday while I'm at it, accomplished homemaker that I am now, lol), as a record of my plan, and because I received a few requests for the menu and recipes I used. Here are this week's 5 meals, one of each meat type, with some additional notes to add to what I've already mentioned in my meat breakdown:

Monday - Seafood
Spicy Ginger Shrimp
Mmmmm, I love me some stir fry, the only thing that makes it better is shrimp! I'm going to be using green peppers instead of red, since that's what I have on hand, but a stir fry needs LOTS of veggies, so from a bag of mixed veggies I bought at Costco (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots & squash) I'm adding about 2 cups veggies as well.

Tuesday - Pork
Salsa Sausage & Potato Bake
I love this all in one dish, so easy and yummy! A nice change from the usual tomato-based meals I used to make. I have farmer's market baby red potatoes to use, my own homemade salsa, my own homemade roasted red peppers, and some frozen shredded cheese from the Costco trip.

Wednesday - Beef
Pepsi Pork Roast
I am using one of my substitutions, making this for the roast beef rather than pork roast. As my side dish for this roast I am also making Creamy Dill Potato Casserole and some carrot sticks on the side, fresh from my garden! I'll be using more of the farmer's market baby red potatoes for the casserole. The nice thing is I'll be saving leftovers from this roast for easy roast beef sandwiches for a meal in the future :)

Thursday - Chicken
Homemade Mac & Cheesy Broccoli Bake
I am adding chicken to this very easy casserole to make another one dish meal. Frozen broccoli already pre-portioned from Costco trip.

Friday - Turkey
Turkey Tacos
I'm simply exchanging ground turkey/pork for ground beef for this meal. I have the remaining green peppers, some homemade roasted red peppers, homemade salsa, and frozen shredded cheese from the Costco trip, as toppings. One day I hope to get brave enough to make my own tortillas!

Well, that's this week's plan, I'm so looking forward to good eatins' this week, and the weeks to come!

Here is the host blog of Titus 2sdays, a great place for house-wifery and godly woman(wife)hood!

Miscellany Monday

2011-08-08T21:48:00.000-05:00

~ life is getting better all the time, as I look back at my week it's hard NOT to feel blessed with all the great people I have in my life, and all the great things God is doing in my life.

~ here are some pictures of the great time I had with my mum and sisters at Folklarama's Ethiopian pavilion. Tami's adoption is through Ethiopia so we thought it would be great to get an idea of their culture. adorable little children running around, dancing along with the performers, made Tami a little more eager for the day she has her own I think.

~ been battling the cold Sean has had for over a week now, it still hasn't managed to get me :)

~ cleaning and decluttering slowly but surely has led to a pretty big pile of stuff I need to get rid of, if they don't have a curb-side giveaway soon I'm going to have to make a trip to Value Village asap.

~ the weather has been so terrific, spending more time in the yard again, and making plans to go for walks with friends, especially friends who want to feel the burn like I do!

~ I'm getting right into my role as Promotional Materials leader for Celebrate Recovery, so many ideas rattling around in my brain, I can't wait to see them come to fruition.

~ made my own roasted red peppers, bought a big bag of them at Costco and then followed some online directions I found to making them roasted, just like the ones I've been buying in a jar. also made my own salsa, just a can of herbed, stewed tomatoes, some red onion, a bit of garlic, some of my recently made roasted red peppers, a few drops of Frank's Red Hot sauce, and chipotle seasoning from Tupperware. yum!

~ books keep getting added to my 'to read' pile, I've just finished 2 books recently, almost done a third, and yet I still feel like my stack hasn't moved at all!

~ inpromptu date surprised me Saturday afternoon when Sean all of a sudden took me to play pool and have some appys for lunch. he doesn't do spontaneous very often, and going out is especially not usual when he's fighting a bad cold, but his spirits have been up recently so I'm glad for the chance to enjoy his company, doing something fun that reminds me of back when we were dating.

~ Sunday ended up being the perfect beach day for my family's celebration of all summer birthdays. we went out to St. Malo, played in the water, on the beach, had Rollkuchen made by Tami & Kellin, with watermelon and burgers. What a great way to cap off birthday partying and the week!

Wordless Wednesday - Lunch

2011-08-03T12:37:00.000-05:00

Miscellany Monday

2011-08-01T11:22:00.001-05:00

~ well, birthday week is almost over :) it's made it a busy week but I'm so blessed to have so many people who want to help me celebrate my birthday, I feel so loved <3

~ here's some pics of the birthday pedicure and dinner last Tuesday that I mentioned last week.

~ my birthday necklace arrived FAST and I was wearing it already by Wednesday :)

~ finished writing my testimony, boy that was HARD!....leaders need to have a written one prepared because testimonies are part of the recovery ministry. I can have a convo about it no problem, but ask me to simplify it, make it to the point, and approx.10 min. long, yikes!

~ finished my first brochure to announce the launch of the recovery program!

~ Muki's mamma came by for a visit on Wed., with the usual Chilean bottle of vino. when she took him for a walk we took the opportunity to do a thorough house clean, like clean up little messes (when people knock or ring the doorbell when we're not there he gets a little scared), and wash all the fabrics, etc. this product, b the way, is an AMAZING stain remover if you are ever needing one.

~ went to to our first Bomber game of the season on Thursday and boy what an exciting game, and we won! I have never heard the crowd that loud, ever.

~ took the day off work on Friday to sleep in, go for breakfast while the car is getting some routine maintenance, and have a long weekend with my hubby who doesn't get Monday off. we wandered the mall where Sean bought me a book I've been wanting for awhile now.

~ we also went to see Transformers - Dark of the Moon 3D for our July date, which was fun.

~ also had our first Celebrate Recovery Leaders Team meeting on Friday. we will meet every Friday for 2 hours until it starts and then it runs every Friday evening all year round.

~ on my actual birthday we took it slow, mostly a typical Saturday. I got so many FB birthday greetings, some all the way from Hong Kong, Pompeii, Papau New Guinea, Alberta and Northern Manitoba :)

~ I'm determined to use my birthday dinners as a way to try new restaurants, it's worked 4 years in a row now ;) (hubs isn't too fond of trying new things) this year I picked Hermanos. it was awesome, tied with last year's birthday at Fude for sure. the steak was the best we've ever had. here are a few pics.

chicken & sausage empanadas

I would have taken a picture of my steak topped with shrimps half the size of my hands! but I dug into deep by the time I realized the plate looked a little too devoured for a decent picture. but take my word for it, excellent food!

~ today is another birthday tradition, ok, just started last year, but it's bound to keep going :) my baby sis has a birthday the day after mine, and she and I happen to find ourselves husband less on the August long weekend Monday, so we along with my other sister and my mom make a girls day of it. those details I'll have to give you later because I'm off and running for another day of fun.....

Thank You Notes

2011-07-31T08:17:00.019-05:00

Dear Tami,
Thank you for sharing my birthday weekend with me! It really does make birthdays that much more special, knowing that whether we are together or apart during those days, having this bond of celebration with a wonderful sister like you. Happy Birthday, and see you tomorrow!

With much gratitude, love and affection,

Lori

Wordless Wednesday - The Hood (mine that is)

2011-07-27T15:56:00.000-05:00

Miscellany Monday

2011-07-25T13:21:00.001-05:00

it's been another few weeks to catch up on what's been going on around here, summer is keeping me soooo busy!

~ my garden is looking great, only about another week and I can harvest most of it! my tomatoes are bigger but not any redder, we'll have to see about those. and I have a plan for the exploding oregano, but we'll see how that goes. in the meantime I'm munching on Farmer's Market goodies.

~ I finally finished a special project that, while I wasn't required to make my submission more than words, I had SO much fun making it pretty with my digital creative tools. seeing the finished product I was even told I was insanely talented at digital scrapbooking. awwww :)

~ I finally finished the book No Perfect People Allowed, I would highly recommend it! Now I have 3 more books lined up to read, and none of them were on my shelf a month ago, but at least 2 were borrowed and not bought :) I also have 2 recovery study books to read before the end of the August because.....

~ I just accepted the "Assimilation Leader" position in the new Celebrate Recovery program launching at our Church. I had expected I would just be another table facilitator again, but in the intro meeting I knew I could assist this position as well. turns out our Recovery Ministry leader thought I could do it all. after looking at her slightly revised job description I knew I could do it. basically I take care of all promotions and promotional material. it would be creating materials to print, for evisuals, for the website, etc., and maintaining and selling an inventory of the books, etc. I can still help facilitate, which I'd especially like to do if there is a group of people with financial 'hang-ups', but my focus is promotion. however, the next day after I accepted the role, I got a bit of my anxiety back because of it. this I am pretty sure is a spiritual attack to stop me from doing this, so pray for my confidence and trust in God's confidence in me.

~ Sean had family in from Edmonton this weekend so we were able to spend a few hours visiting and catching up with this cousin we only see every few years, plus Sean's Aunt, who although she lives in Winnipeg, we hardly get to see her either. we got to hear about many of his cousins I've still never met, and who he hasn't seen since he was a kid. another reminder we need to (translate, I need to finally convince Sean) to take a roadtrip out west soon!

~ the birthday celebrating has begun :) I bought myself a little present at the Forks on Wednesday, I've been looking for a mother of pearl ring and found one that's just perfect! I also found out I was getting money for my birthday so I decided to order a necklace I've been eyeing that is just lovely, and it's made by a local jewellry place, Jake & Cleo who use reclaimed silver, so it's even eco-friendly and sustainable! this is similar to it. I also received a lovely card that made me teary, and a bottle of sparkling wine from my MIL. tomorrow I go out with my birthday pal for our yearly pedicure and supper (her birthday is today, happy birthday!).

what a great, sun-filled week it's been! love the temps we got this week, a little more sun-kissed, a less weeds. no complaints!

I need help finding this....

2011-07-21T10:43:00.000-05:00

I have a fantastic gift idea but I need small (5-8oz) glass bottles/decanters with corks or some sort of stopper/lid. And I need quite a few of them, like 50-ish :) So I need them pretty cheap! Anyone know of a place in Winnipeg that would sell what I need?

Source: google.ca via Lori on Pinterest

Wordless Wednesday - solo night out at the forks

2011-07-20T21:28:00.000-05:00

Titus Tuesdays - Meat for 90 Meals under $300

2011-07-19T12:12:00.001-05:00

I have on my list things I hope to accomplish this year a task to compile a list of my staple recipes (I guestimated 60) that I would regularily rotate through for more variety and more even usage of the meat inventory in my freezer. I ended up with 80 recipes, so I categorized them by type of meat, made a recipe/meal plan for each meat each week, so 16 weeks (5 planned meals per week, leaving 2 unplanned/spontaneous meals per week) worth were ready to be assigned to my recent Costco shop, which just so happens about every 4 months (how perfectly timed with a 16 week meal plan!).

There are some meats I don't get at Costco, but after I had bought all the meat I thought I needed I cooked that which I wanted to freeze pre-cooked, then divided and ziplocked it all and stapled the recipe/meal plan to the ziplock and stuck it in my freezer. I found I was a tad short on some of the bulk meats, so I bought just enough extra to fit my plan, but I also got much more out of some packages than I thought, so I actually ended up with enough meat for 90 meals.

This is what I bought and how many meals (meals being for the two of us) came of it:
Whole Turkey (roasted myself) - 13 meals = $2 per meal
compare pre-sliced turkey @ 4 meals for $24
prep time & basting = 15 min., 45 min. pulling the meat off.
amazing how far it will go when 5 people aren't pigging out, lol

Ground Turkey* - 4 meals = $6 per meal
(*mixed in with some Ground Pork for more flavor and moisture, included in cost)
Chicken - 16 meals = $3 per meal
Pork Tenderloin - 7 meals = $2 per meal
Italian Sausage* - 4 meals = $3 per meal
(*mixed in with some Ground Pork/Turkey to lower calories, included in cost)

Ham - 5 meals = $2.25 per meal
Farmer Sausage - 3 meals = $3 per meal
Ground Beef* - 8 meals = $2.5 per meal

(*mixed in with some Ground Pork to lower calories, included in cost)

Beef Tenderloin - 6 meals = $2.75 per meal

Roast Beef - 3 meals = $6 per meal
Shrimp - 7 meals = $4 per meal
Tilapia/Basa Fillets - 4 meals = $5 per meal
Tuna (cans) - 5 meals = $1.75 per meal

So, just the meat alone works out to about $3.25 per meal, $1.63 per person!

I was also able to get another 5 cups broth from roasting turkey, plus 4 cups drippings for future gravy making.

I also pre-packaged some of the freezable side-dishes that would accompany the meats. This is what my freezer looks like now :) It didn't even all fit, I had to put the seafood in my upstairs fridge freezer.

I am so excited to start my new meal plan rotation system :) And I can't wait for my low grocery bill each week :) Between that and my Costco supply of side dish ingredients, the only groceries I'll need to buy for the next 16 weeks is dairies (but not much cheese, bought and froze that too), fruits, the occasional veggie, like mushrooms (the rest is already frozen, or will be from my garden or the farmer's market), bag lunch ingredients (and bag breakfast stuff too, I eat breaky at work), eggs, sauces/condiments, and the occasional snack. And I'm working on eliminating buying some of those things too, lol.

Here is the host blog of Titus 2sdays, a great place for house-wifery and godly woman(wife)hood!

Musical Mondays

2011-07-18T13:43:00.000-05:00

Yesterday we sang a song in Church we've sung before, although it was sung in a slightly new way. We were hosting Jodi King for our worship yesterday, she used to go to the same Church as our pastor 19 years ago. I heard her first at The Lighthouse when we were checking it out because of friends who went there and loved her voice then. She's since been on the radio on the pop charts, I've heard this one I like in particular, and a few others.

I don't know if it was her, or just my mood that morning, but I felt this verse of Nothing But The Blood (Matt Redmans updated version) much more deeply.

Your blood speaks a better word

Than all the empty claims I’ve heard upon this earth
Speaks righteousness for me
And stands in my defense
Jesus it’s Your blood

I've heard a lot of 'supposed tos' in my day.
About my ex.
About bad jobs.
About love.
About motherhood.
Most of them are empty claims.
Nothing has spoken any redemption or hope into my life like the blood of Jesus.

Top Ten Thursday - Top Ten Apps I'm Addicted To

2011-07-14T08:56:00.000-05:00

Ok, I realize I have a problem, I'm addicted to iPhone apps. I can't seem to stop myself from looking at that little screen all the time! Here's a few reasons why:

Top Ten Apps I'm Addicted To
1. Pinterest - a mobile version of my addiction to cataloguing pictures/websites

2. Lose It - a calorie counter and exercise tracker

3. Daily Tracker - a daily planner on steroids! lists, check lists, calendars, distance trackers, etc.

4. Groupon - notifies me of the Groupons daily, I've already saved $55 (spent $50) on things I would have bought anyway

5. Mobile RSS - a way to quickly read my blogs I follow, with updates as soon as they are posted, and I can open full version blog if I want

6. Instagram - cool app for digitally enhancing photos, and you know how I love to do that! :)

7. Poynt - a great directory that detects your location and categorize your searches, restaurants, movies, etc.

8. Grocery Gadget - an easy tool to not only make a grocery list but track household inventory and make a list per store

9. Dragon Dictation - voice recorders are great for needing hands and eyes on something else, but a voice recorder that takes dictation and turns it into text! awesome!

10. Shazaam - you know when you are listening to the radio and love a song but can't identify it and they don't mention it? turn on Shazaam and it will identify the song and artist!

Stewardship Sunday

2011-07-10T09:28:00.062-05:00

I finally feel like I've really been getting at my 'hope-to-accomplish' list (NOT my 'to-do' list :), after just updating it in May, I already have several more items to scratch off!

Stewardship of My Finances
Pretty much the same.

Stewardship of My Home
5. Schedule a small Fly Lady tactic every day
I may need to step this up a little, but I haven't had to tidy my living room or clean off my dining room table in about 2 months! So I'm happy!
6.Establish a list of at least 60 staple recipes and rotate in a 12 month menu
Well, I finally have all my recipes sorted, entered them into my blog Recipedia, and I actually have more like 80 meals. I have sorted them into a spreadsheet by meat ingredient (as well as recipes, including sidedish and flavor type, so as to rotate those as well), and now that I've done my Costco shop I am half way to preparing/cooking them all and placing them in my new standup freezer according to meat.
I then intend to fasten a lamenated (in other words, re-usable) recipe name and list of ingredients to each bag/container of meat in my freezer, and then intend to pull up one of each meat type up into the upstairs freezer/fridge for the upcoming week's meals. How freakishly organized am I! Geeky girl strikes again.
7. Make as much food from scratch as possible to avoid unnecessary preservatives & packaging
And I'll cost to that list! I can't believe how much we are spending on groceries these days! I have looked at some of the things we spend the most on and am trying to find ways to make those items from scratch or something.
First thing I did, bought a turkey in July. No where near any typical turkey holidays, I intend to stick it in my roaster and relish in all the ways I can save money on all the poultry we eat. It was about a 12 pounder, and it didn't even cost all that much, about the same as 2 pre-sliced turkey packs we buy, they are like $13 each!! No More! I'll slice my whole turkey for the turkey melts we're addicted to lately. I will make the small bits I am good at scraping off a carcass (and use the carcass itself) for soups/stews....which goes a long way! And then I can substitute turkey in some chicken recipes, save money on the skinless, boneless chicken we buy (that's the only kind we buy).
Second thing I intend to try, homemade granola bars. I've done homemade granola and have a recipe I love, but hubby is buying granola bars for breakfasts and mid-day snacks, going through like 3-4 boxes a week, again that's about $9-15 per week depending on any sales. I could make that for a few dollars! Hopefully trying this out soon.

Stewardship of My Body
Pretty much the same, although I do have great intentions about starting weights and yoga again, AND I want to try to start running, see if I can build up to a decent 5 K so I know if I can do a decent 10 K next Manitoba Marathon. I think I need to try on my treadmill first though, could only run 15 min. on cement. That's still 13 more minutes than before my sketchers.

Stewardship of My Earth
15. Grow my own vegetables.
I should have some to eat in a few weeks, I've seen the first marble-sized tomatoes develop. I think I could have baby carrots and potatoes now if I wanted :) Hopefully will squeeze in my first Farmer's Market trip this next week to fill the gap until I have my own locally produced produce.

16. Have a 100 mile meal once a month.
Ack! I still haven't done this, even though the Farmer's Market has been open one month! Even though I found out about an awesome store near-ish work that has all Manitoba produced food, that is fairly decently priced. Even though I added to my recipe list which meals I could easily turn into Manitoba made! We had our first 100mm, this week, mmmm, homemade perogies.
17. Use organic/natural herbicides
Found one, at Costco of course. However, due to 'don't spray before rain' I haven't had the free time to use it on days it will be dry shortly after. So, manual weed pulling is organic, isn't it! And builds muscle! 18. Find 3 more ‘One Million Acts of Green’ I can try
I've been doing fairly well at shutting my computer down just about every night. I've been also working hard at using water pouring from the tap for shorter periods of time, or multi-tasking with it. I haven't air-dried clothes yet though...hasn't been all that dry outside in our province lately.

Stewardship of My Talents/Purpose
Pretty much the same although I did fit in another creation and finished that bracelet I mentioned last time.

Stewardship of My Communities
25. Volunteer to help someone with something they can’t do for themselves
We have become friends with a couple at Church who don't have a vehicle so we've offered them rides to and/or from Church a few times. Car Karma we call it, as when we were carless we appreciated rides SO much!
26. Babysit one or some of my nieces/nephew(s)
~Took the girls, Brooklynn and Avery for a few hours one Saturday afternoon in early May
~Babysat Teigon June 23rd
27. Organize/host at least one gathering of friends every other month
Have had 3 outings/gatherings with friends that I've either instigated or hosted.

Stewardship of My Growth
Pretty much the same other than...
35. Keep up prayer journal and bible study blog
The actual documentation part of praying and reading my Bible hasn't happened so much, but I have been praying and reading more consistently. Well, not really reading...listening to my NT CDs in the car :) Started the NT in one year reading plan, and even though not fully following plan, I am in Acts now.

Stewardship of Living My Life
Pretty much the same other than...
38. Go to at least one Folklorama pavilion
Plans in the works for another girls day/night out (my mom and sisters) this year on the same day we did it last year, Monday of August long. Since my hubby works and one of my BIL's, Kellin, has a retreat that week, it's perfect timing for us to spend a day together and I thought this year we could do the African pavilion, which is supposed to be one of the best, and will give us a taste of what Tami & Kellin experienced in their trip to Africa a few years ago.
39. Go out on the town by myself
I intend to have a spa night soon, very soon!

I'm really lovin' this kind of list, feeling very accomplished yet not stressed :)

Fill-in Friday

2011-07-08T22:13:00.002-05:00

1. My plans this summer include Folklarama, birthday dinners, maybe a trip to the in-law's spot near Lake of the Woods.

2. The best summer I ever had was ....well, considering hubby and I don't have a lot of summer plans, ever, I would have to say it's likely it was a summer with my family. Last summer when we spent a week up at a lake in N.Sask. was pretty awesome, I loved everything about it, time with the fam, the kids, nature, camp fire, smores, BBQ every day, the beach....good times.

3. Summer is longer hours for more socializing and making excuses to be out in the sunshine.

4. My favorite summer food is any meat off the BBQ.

5. The best way to quench a summer thirst is with slurpees (we aren't the slurpee capital for nothing).

6. My summer uniform consists of shorts and skirts and tank tops.

7. The best thing about summer is all the energy I seem to have all of a sudden. It must be the vitamin D.

Miscellany Monday

2011-07-04T07:19:00.002-05:00

~ it's been a few weeks to catch up on what's been going on around here. on the 22nd we took the day off to go to the Ex, but didn't know it didn't open up until 3 pm, so we went to the zoo first. it was overcast but still a really good day just hubby and I.

~ then on the 23rd I was able to babysit my nephew Teigon here at home while Tami & Kellin went to the Bomber game. cutie pie babbles a lot these days and is taking quite a few steps on his own. he likes to 'escape' when having his diaper changed and crawls across the bed as fast as he can until I grab his chubby lil' legs and pull him back to me to get tickled....that results in the cutest gurgly coos :)

~ a few days later I held a $5 sale to clear out some retired/retiring/extra crafty product, actually a lot of it is still for sale if you are interested check out the items here.

~ next was the info night on the next steps for the recovery ministry I've been involved with at Church, I'm really excited about the program we're starting and how I hope to be involved. It will be a 12 step program, but not just for habits, but hurts (i.e. abuse) and hangups (i.e. anxiety, finances, eating disorders, etc.). so much potential for helping, so many things seeming to fall into place. tingles.

~Wednesday my friend came over and I've been able to finally give her the tea wreath and have a short visit. we've determined we have to spend an afternoon at the St. Norbert Farmer's Market together and then relax in my yard with some Reisling wine. Summer and hanging out with friends....the best.

~ Friday we just slept in, then I did some baking, Sean watched the Bomber game on t.v., and then we spent the evening on the downtown Keg patio hoping to see the fireworks, but decided against trying to stick it out to drive in the crowds flooding the area and thought maybe we could see them from our back yard. we couldn't, lol. but we could hear them. we did see some though, when some neighborhood kids set them off behind the Y near our place.

~ Saturday we had brunch with some friends we hadn't seen in a really long time, especially for longer than a few minutes. it was a beautiful morning, sunny but not too hot, good food (baking from yesterday and some brunchy recipes I've been wanting to try), good conversation, a great catch up time, and it doesn't hurt they brought a fantastic present....for me anyway :)

~ we capped the long weekend off by having a spontaneous lunch with some friends from Church and had a really great visit. talked about everything from Spaceballs to bacon to house repair responsibilities. good times :)

~ there is just something about summer, the energy and life and relationships that summer blends together....rain or shine :) gotta love it!

Photo Diary - Day TwentyNine

2011-06-30T18:58:00.007-05:00

well, my last photo diary day is here! I did it, a photo post every day! (well, all but the first day, lol).

today is the perfect day for this.....what a great way to start the long weekend, and a way to avoid complaining about the heat ;)

Top Ten Thursday - Things I've got done on/in my house

2011-06-30T17:32:00.000-05:00

Here is the original list of items I wanted to get done on/in my home and I'm done just about every one of the 'small' things!

1. Hang the two collage frames (check)

2. Finish my upstairs bathroom (check)

3. Remove the bush in the back corner of our garden (check)

4. Try container gardening (check)

5. Replace our dishwasher (check)

6. Re-frame the windows (check, thanks to my BIL John)
old

new

7. Detectors.
This wasn't on my list but we upgraded the smoke detector (it can detect two kinds of heat and smoke!) and a carbon-monoxide detector, which is becoming a home requirement in these parts lately, due to some CM poisonings.

8. My indoor herb planter, courtesy Tupperware. (on a different list, but still check)

9. Remove puppy stains from the carpet.
Ok, doesn't really count, but I was one shy of 10, lol.

10. Get a standup freezer rather than a chest freezer (check)

I am so excited about this freezer! Now that I've organized ALL my recipes by meat, I hope after my next Costco trip it will look something like this!

Source: bhg.com via Megan on Pinterest

Source: bhg.com via Sarah on Pinterest

Then I can rotate better through my recipes :) AND, I found this awesome & easy way to make it more organized, a dry-erase inventory list ON the freezer!! YAY!
(yes, I realize how dorky being this excited over a super-organized freezer makes me sound)

Source: chiotsrun.com via Kim on Pinterest

Photo Diary - Day TwentyEight

2011-06-29T19:57:00.000-05:00

what a beautiful, hot, night for some iced passion tea lemonade! ahhhh! and the lovely company didn't hurt either....we really need to do this again soon, and for longer. yay summer!

Pizza Salad - Titus Tuesday

2011-06-28T21:53:00.000-05:00

Well, food continues to be the theme of my Titus Tuesday posts...although I do have another spouse related post rattling around my brain, food posts are just too much easier these days.

I found a salad that just screamed 'TRY ME' while searching for picnic salad ideas for our Father's day picnic in the park and it was a hit, and SO easy, so I thought I'd share :) It's Pizza Salad! The recipe I found was actually this, but here is my version since mom can't handle pepperoni, and because you can buy tomato oregano dressing, and I thought shredded cheese would mix better (there is actually a pizza shredded blend :)

YUM!

By the way, here is a great place/blog to check out more homemaking and house-wifery!

Photo Diary - Day TwentySeven

2011-06-28T18:56:00.007-05:00

new ministry possibilities I learned about tonight! so exciting, can't wait to dig in deeper!

Photo Diary - Day TwentySix

2011-06-27T23:56:00.000-05:00

old familiar Hwy #1. I've been driving this stretch of road between Steinbach and Winnipeg for 17 years now!

Nice to Be Needed

2011-06-27T11:58:00.000-05:00

My company is a global company, with offices all over the world, on several continents I, and several other staff members, would love to visit. We were discussing this, as a co-worker mentioned her boyfriend will have a 6-month work stint in Italy, and she was hoping she might be able to swing some work in Italy during his time there. Then came the subject of the 'staff exchange' program we have, where a staff member can exchange positions with another Golder office anywhere in the world for a year (provided the exchange is fairly equal). We've actually worked with one of these exchange staff from Australia when we worked with our Burnaby, B.C. office occasionally.

I of course expressed that would be very cool. Several people (including our office manager) piped up that I wasn't allowed to leave, and one clarified, because it was hard to find someone as capable as me (varying job responsibilities, not just 'admin'). So I said, "If I can find someone as capable as me, somewhere in the world, I can go?" My manager says, "No, because you won't find anyone."

Awwww. It's nice to be needed :)

Photo Diary - Day TwentyFive

2011-06-26T18:55:00.007-05:00

a little vistor at this morning's girl-coffee-chat before Church. we think it lives in the huge planter in front of Starbucks with 2 siblings.awwww.

in*HIS*hands

"10 easy steps"

Meal Planning Monday

Sunday Stewardship Update

Financial Friday - Things I learned from Dave Ramsey

Right Now

Miscellany Monday

Listening Prayer

I'm a star!

Sexual Healing - not the Marvin Gaye version

The Good Steward - 2012

2011 Year in Statuses

Top 2011 Gifts

Stewardship Saturday

My home away from home....

Wellness Wednesday

What's on the Table Tuesday

The Night Before Christmas

She let herself go

My God Story

Miscellany Monday

What's on the Table Tuesday

Heal ~ Change ~ Grow - Part One

Right Now

What's on the Table Tuesday

Forgotten Foto Friday

Wellness Wednesday

Right Now

Stewardship Sunday

If you don't know me by now

What's on the Table Tuesday

Good Monday Morning Mr. Winter

Miss You

Wisdom Wednesday - Leadership

What's on the Table Tuesday

Highlight Reel

What's on the Table Tuesday

Miscellany Monday

Sorry

Hope or Presumption

Right Now

What's on the Table Tuesday

What's on the Table Tuesday

Challenging

What's on the Table Tuesday

Right Now

What's on the Table Tuesday

Wordless Wednesday

What's on the Table Tuesday

Miscellany Monday

Laugh of the Day

Pain

Tune Tuesday - God Gave Me You

What's on the Table Tuesday

Pinkified

Best Things in Life aren't Things

What's on the Table Tuesday

Books, Books, Everywhere a Book

Funny Friday

It's no Starbucks....

Wordless Wednesday - Homemade Lemon Raspberry Loaf

What's on the Table Tuesday

Wellness Wednesday

What's on the Table Tuesday

Miscellany Monday

Wordless Wednesday - Lunch

Miscellany Monday

Thank You Notes

Wordless Wednesday - The Hood (mine that is)

Miscellany Monday

I need help finding this....

Wordless Wednesday - solo night out at the forks

Titus Tuesdays - Meat for 90 Meals under $300

Musical Mondays

Top Ten Thursday - Top Ten Apps I'm Addicted To

Stewardship Sunday

Fill-in Friday

Miscellany Monday

Photo Diary - Day TwentyNine

Top Ten Thursday - Things I've got done on/in my house

inHIShands