Lessons I'm Learning: Embracing the unknown

photo by nicole st. john

It feels like right now Michael and I are settling into a season of unknowing: While I'm working on a month-to-month freelance gig and looking for a full-time job, Michael is finishing up his last year of school and preparing to be a teacher. But as we all know, the teaching profession isn't all that ripe if you aren't a math/science/special ed teacher, so even there this is a big question mark looming overhead about what will happen.

And yet, while neither of us know what the future will bring and everything seems continually up in the air, I'm beginning to see the Lord at work, teaching us to release our worries, teaching us to let go of our need to have everything guaranteed for months to come, teaching us to be satisfied with a limited amount of foresight for our daily bread, teaching us to trust and increasing that trust day by day, month by month.

You, see, in spite of "not knowing" for the past 5 months, every month has been provided for us, whether it's income, groceries, a broken computer or anything else. Over and over again, he's showing us to continue on in faith and allow him to provide for us continually.

And for that, I'm learning to thank the Lord for this. I know I should praise God for the good and the bad, because you never know what He has in store to redeem the bad or the unfortunate. But it's only now where I'm able to start seeing and recognizing the fruits this experience has allowed us: growing our relationship with God, but also teaching us about being wise with our finances and learning to lean on one another.

It's beautiful when these sorts of truth begin to reveal themselves, when the foggy veil starts to pull away and the clarity of hindsight gives way. I've been listening to the free music web stream, live from the International House of Prayer and they're playing a song as I write that goes, "He's giving me counsel, even in the night. He's giving me counsel; I will bless the LORD." What a great encouragement to know that!

(I would definitely encourage you to log on and listen to the IHOP webstream. I just let it play in the background while I'm working, emailing, whatever. I've had the privilege of getting to visit there twice now, and love what they're doing there and the example they're setting with their commitment to around-the-clock prayer and worship.)

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The Fruits of the Freezer: Getting More Out of Your Produce

image from x-ray_delta_one

One thing I've started trying to do more of is making use of my freezer. Especially when only cooking for two, there's a lot of room for food--and produce especially--to go to waste. But after doing some research, I discovered that, with the right amount of preparation, you can freeze just about anything.

So, in our freezer you'll find whole lemons, potato wedges, cubes of frozen chicken and vegetable broth, an extra loaf of bread, carrot sticks, even onion and garlic cloves. Not only does this cut down on food waste but also on many last-minute grocery store runs, if all you have to do is thaw and defrost.

I've also found that buying the produce fresh and then freezing it myself is more cost-efficient. (Plus, I like the satisfying hands-on, DIY aspect of it!)

I'd like to get more adept at making more meals in bulk and freezing extra portions for later, but that will come in time. (A good cookbook for that is "Don't Worry: More Dinner's in the Freezer," but I haven't made anything from it yet.) For now, I'm living--and learning--by baby steps!

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The sweet comforts of the coffeeshop

a warm hot chocolate for a cold, Atlanta night

Michael and I are pretty simple when it comes to being entertained: A movie every once and awhile. Going to local shows his friends are playing. And coffee shops.

There's something about getting out of the house and exploring a nearby coffee shop--even when it means piling on layers to withstand the biting cold outside. Whether it's seeking out favorite spots in Atlanta, Grand Rapids or while visiting family in Cincinnati, this is one of the pastimes and simple pleasures we enjoy together.

Last night, we treked over to one of Michael's favorite Atlanta coffee shops, where I ordered a tasty little hot chocolate treat. (By the way: While I love making hot chocolate from scratch, I don't always like having to stand over a stove to make it happen. So to liven up an ordinary packet of hot chocolate, I've started adding just a dash of flavored coffee creamer. Works wonders.)

Michael concentrated on a book he's studying as he prepares to take his teaching license test (which will take place this Saturday; all prayers appreciated!). I pulled out my laptop and researched tax info and recipes and read blogs. It was simple, but it was a lovely way to wrap up an otherwise ordinary Monday.

P.S. To stay updated, you can have all my future blog posts sent directly to you via email or RSS feed by clicking on those links. (Let me know if they don't work.) Thanks for reading!    

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Helpful Homemaking Tip: Meal planning with spreadsheets

photo by njum

So I'd heard about people doing weekly meal planning and thought it sounded like a good idea, but how necessary is it when you're only cooking for two people?

Well, given that I'm not really a foodie and quite satisfied with a good club sandwich, it didn't take long for me to see the light: We were getting to the point where it seemed like every night there were 4 dinner options to choose from--pasta, veggie burgers, tacos/quesidillas or salad. Frankly, I was getting burnt out and overwhelmed at the idea of "what's for dinner?" or trying to hunt for a recipe last-minute.

So, while I was catching up on my blog reading, I read a post on Passionate Homemaking. The post was talking about how she takes one hour each week to prep for the coming week--including planning her meals.

Though I'd heard it before, this is when it clicked: I. Need. That. Something to guide me through my culinary quandries and take the stress out of it.

A bit more Googling brought me to a downloadable Excel spreadsheet for weekly menu planning. You can customize it and add in your own typical eating fare. (We don't do much meat, so this was great for our needs.) Brilliant.

Then, when menu-planning (and grocery-shopping) time comes, all it takes is a few clicks of a button and you're set. I even added a section of "Recipes to Try" with notes about any required ingredients that we don't normally keep in our pantry.

What's on the menu tonight? Among other things, a new glazed-carrots recipe I found online. Bon appetit!

Linked up at Kitchen Tip Tuesdays!

Related Posts
A List of the New Recipes I've Tried
Misadventures in Cooking: From "Polenta" to "Placenta"

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A lesson from the Garden of Eden: How God prepares for us

photo by stitch

In celebration of the new year, I went back to Genesis 1 to read: “In the beginning, God created…” I read through this chapter, noting the order he created things in and wondering about the significance, like how the birds and fish came before land animals.

Anyway, then God creates man and woman and gives them the command to live on this earth. “God said, ‘Look, I have given you all the plants that have grain for seeds and all the trees whose fruits have seeds in them. They will be food for you.” (Gen. 1:29)

As I read that, I noted the significance of the fact that, even before he created this man and this woman, God had already prepared their environment for them. They didn’t have to ask for food or even know a world without provision--it was ready for them as soon as they stepped onto the scene.

And I realized how that’s still God’s nature:  To go ahead of us, prepare the way for us, even before we ask or know what’s happening, he’s at work. What an encouraging reminder for me during this time, when my environment (at least job-wise) is rather bleak and hazy. I can trust that despite what my eyes may see, God is at work, prepping the landscape of my future that will get me through.

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Welcome to 2010: Looking forward to the year ahead

Happy New Year!

As it is every year, the fact that another 365 days have passed still catches me off guard and murmuring along with everyone else, "Where did the year go?"

Fortunately, I know where much of it went: getting engaged, planning a wedding, getting married, moving across the country, setting up our first apartment. Still, it's mind-boggling to look back and realize, "This time last year I was only... we were only...!" A lot sure has happened.

This year, in lieu of store-bought gifts to each other, Michael and I decided that our Christmas present would be a nice date night, complete with a stay in one of Atlanta's finer hotels and well deserved massages for both of us!

Over dinner, Michael pulled out a little notebook in which we would reflect over our marriage so far (almost six months) and set some goals for the year ahead. We talked about how to grow our spiritual connection with each other and getting involved at our church.  We talked about our financial plans for saving for the future and continuing to make time (and room in our budget) for dates.

They were pretty simple and amounted to only a short list. But it was a great opportunity to intentionally sit down and discuss these kinds of things, and also to rejoice over the fact that we both have been very pleased with the state of our marriage thus far. The past few months have been full of opportunities that have taught us patience and forgiveness, humility and grace toward one another. And, by the grace of God, we've tucked our tails between our legs and buried our egos and embraced those lessons, watching our relationship grow all the better for it.

I just started reading the book "This Is Your Brain In Love" by Dr. Earl Henslin, who is a Christian therapist and writes about the role your brain has in having a healthy, passionate marriage.  This statement really stood out to me: "...it is rare for people in their twenties to experience the kind of passion that a couple in their later years is capable of enjoying."

I love Michael, and I look forward to watching our love continue to grow, deeper and wider as the years progress. Here's to the first New Year of many to come...

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