A Little Visual Reminder of a Spiritual Truth

Around here, Mondays and Thursdays are laundry days. I've said before on this blog that in any given week, I do 20 loads of laundry. That's not including sheets. Clearly, laundry could monopolize my whole life. In order to avoid that, I do laundry 2 days a week so that the other 5 I can think about anything else. It should also be said that I don't actually dislike doing laundry. The machines do most of the work, and my kids do the rest once I have their clothes sorted into piles. I don't typically even fold the older kids' clothes anymore as they can hang, fold, and otherwise manage their belongings on their own. Really, not a bad deal all around.

However, 2 weeks ago, life was different. Monday, the laundry happened as planned. Everything washed and put away. Lovely. But then Thursday, somehow, the schedule got jammed and no laundry was done at all. Neither on Friday. Nor Saturday. Clearly not Sunday....and so came Monday again. And *this* is what I faced. And conquered.







Yes, that is a full sectional covered with piles of washed, dried, sorted, folded, and alphabetized laundry. (well, not really alphabetized. I'm not *that* neurotic). That was some mountain, let me tell you! It is amazing none of us were wandering around in our birthday suits on Monday morning waiting for the first load to come through the system! Yowza. The morning was consumed with the running up and downstairs to exchange the washed and dried items from their respective places, and the afternoon was consumed with the sorting, piling and folding (which I only did for the sake of the photo, if I'm being honest.) And I took the photos to remind myself to not let that happen again. Having a couple of days off in the laundry department seemed like an okay compromise in a busy week until Monday arrived like a hurricane.

Ever feel like that in any area of your life? Just let it slide a little here or there to make the day easier, or to avoid conflict, or to avoid admitting you were wrong, and next thing you know you are facing a mountain of a problem that could have been quickly, and easily usually, solved had you tackled it when it was tiny, or at least new! A friend told me once that the hardest part of a 5 kilometer run would be the first 10 steps. It is true!

What is there in your life today that if you just started it, would be easily accomplished? What chore could you scratch off your to-do list? What relationship could you mend? What sin could you irradicate from your life once and for all?


Lord help me to be diligent in every task at hand, no matter how menial or trivial it seems. Help me to not be a procrastinator. And most of all, help this physical reminder of too much laundry remind me to keep my heart in check, to keep short accounts in my relationships, to deal with secret (or not so secret) sin quickly.

Wow-ful Women Wednesdays

*sigh*

Foodie Fridays

My husband preaches at our church occassionally. I always love hearing him speak. Inevitably he says something that is just so "him" that it makes me smile. Sometimes he slips in a little joke that only I'll get. Sometimes he invites the whole congregation over to our house for supper.

Nope. Not kidding! :-)

And this made me smile too. We love having company over and are constantly making plans for who we can have over next. On Sunday afternoons, the question from the kids is always, "Is anyone coming for supper tonight?" and if we say no, the answer is, "Oh. That's too bad". We love company. And I love cooking. It is a win-win.

Not that everything I cook is Martha-Stewart-esque. Often it is really, really simple. And that works because then I can visit instead of stew in the kitchen. (get it? "Stew" in the kitchen?)

So today, here is a simple salad and a simple main dish that would go nicely together (I think) for a weeknight dinner, or for a casual meal with friends. And they can both be made up ahead so you can just slip it all on the table once you feel like it!

Ginger-Citrus Salad

1 head of green or red leaf lettuce, torn
1 english cucumber, sliced
1 red grapefruit, sectioned (juice reserved)
1 orange, sectioned (juice reserved)
1/4 red onion, sliced thinly
handful of sunflower seeds
dried ginger to taste
pepper to taste
honey to taste

In large bowl, combine lettuce, cucumber, grapefruit and orange, and red onion. Toss gently. Sprinkle seeds on top.

To section the fruit, slice a small round horizontally off the top and bottom of the fruit to make a flat top and bottom. Then, holding your knife at the top horizontal cut, cut downward between the fruit and the white pith all around the fruit. Then, holding the fruit in your hand, wiggle the knife in between each white pith to get the slices separated (this is seriously harder to explain in writing than to do in the kitchen, believe me!)

In a small bowl, collect all juice from fruit (some will be on the cutting board, some more will be able to be squeezed from the remaining pith/peel bits).

Add the ginger, pepper and honey to the juice to taste. The ginger will make for a really good spicyness and the honey will temper the heat to be quite palatable, so don't be afraid to put a bit more ginger and pepper in than you might first think. If you don't think you have enough dressing to cover your whole salad, feel free to add a little white wine vinegar or lime juice to stretch it. Don't toss with the salad until you are ready to serve. Yum. Yum. Yum.


Thai-Inspired Chicken and Rice
Breaded Chicken Breasts (like from M&M Meat Shops...I told you I take short cuts!)
2-3 Green and/or Red Peppers, cut in strips
1 pound green beans (or more depending on how many people you are serving)
2 cans coconut milk
Chile paste (to taste. They give ideas of how much to use on the label...look for it in the international aisle in whichever heat level you like).
A couple of spoonfuls of peanut butter (assuming you aren't allergic!)
Cooked rice (cook ahead of time and reheat, or just keep warm in a crock pot.)

Cook the chicken breasts according to package instructions.

Meanwhile, saute the pepper strips and beans in olive oil, until softening. Stir in the chile paste and peanut butter (if using), and stir until all melty and blended. Slowly stir in the coconut milk until all incorporated together. Now simmer on low until you need it. (within reason. This won't simmer nicely forever!)

Serve hot, cooked rice with chicken and sauce over top. Delicious!

To make this even more make-ahead-ish, you could layer the cooked rice and cooked chicken in your crock pot, pouring the sauce and veggies over all. It can keep warm in your crock pot for a lengthier time that way, but the presentation isn't as nice.

Enjoy!

Wow-ful Women Wednesdays -- St. Patrick's Day Edition

A little Canadian, Celtic goodness for you today here on St. Patrick's Day. Does that even make sense? Does that tie in? Well, as much as dying your mashed potatoes green makes sense, I suppose (which we AREN'T doing by the way!).

There are about 45,000 videos I could have picked from today for Ms. Natalie MacMaster, and I'm pretty sure I still didn't pick my favourite. She is something else! There are her heart-wrenching balads, and the accompanying she does for other stunning vocalists. Then there are these toe-tapping jigs and the reels with step-dancers. Oh, and then there are the ones where she dances herself sans fiddle, ....how is a girl to choose?

This one a little bit blew my mind. Pretty sure I've never moved any part of my body that fast ever in my whole life. Very impressive! Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Foodie Fridays

Today is not a "rocket science" post, but this is one of those tips that made me tap dance with glee when I first found out about it. Definitely falls into the Domestic Diva category. In fact, if you happy dance over this too, please let me know.

This is SO easy and SO yummy! This may make you want to eat pasta with much more frequency, and your family will likely thank you for it.

Want to make a fabulous Alfredo sauce? Want to make a fabulous Blush sauce? Want a Pasta Primavera to go mad for? Well *I* know the secret ingredient. And because I heart you folks so much, I will tell you what it is....


Plain, Low-fat, Cream cheese.


Yes! The recipes today are barely recipes at all. Watch how easy this is...

For a really good blush sauce, take your favourite pasta sauce (canned, jarred, homemade, doesn't matter! I've even used a can or two of stewed tomatoes!) and while it is slowly simmering, waiting for the pasta to cook, melt in some cream cheese. I use one container of "spreadable" cream cheese for a meal around here (which would mean 1 cream cheese to 2 jars of my marinara sauce). Sometimes it is just that simple. Sometimes I add ground beef. Always a liberal sprinkling of parmasean or asiago cheese. Toss with your pasta of whichever shape you prefer and you are done!

Alfredo Sauce? Easy: 1 cup of milk (or more depending on how thin you want it), 1 tub of cream cheese, 1 cup of parmasean cheese, and 2-3 cloves minced garlic (optional). Simmer, until hot through. Toss with fettucine (or seriously ladle it up like soup. This stuff is GOOD!)

Primavera: 1 cup (or so) chicken broth (or veggie broth), 1 tub of cream cheese, a pinch of dried basil (fresh is better) and as many of your favourite veggies as you like chopped in to bite sized pieces. Heat some oil in a deep frying pan. Toss in the veggies to start to soften. Add the cream cheese and basil. As the cheese melts, slowly add in the broth (keep stirring) so that the cheese incorporates into the broth. Heat through and toss with your pasta (I like rotini for this. The Spiral shaped pasta grabs the veggies and sauce nicely). And of course some grated parmasean on top is delicious! I also use this base as my white sauce for a vegetarian lasagna that I make (then I stir in ricotta cheese and...well this is getting too complicated for here!). Easy peasy!

So how about that? Could this be any easier? No fussy white sauces, no strange thickening agents. Just YUM! I could go on here about how I use cream cheese to make the universe's best Cream of Tomato soup, but I'd rather just have you over someday for lunch and show you :-)

Let me know what you think!

An Open Letter

To the Two, Beautiful Teen-Aged Girls I Just Saw at the Store,

You are lovely. Really. You are super cute in your skinny jeans and puffy jackets with your little co-ordinating scarves. You are truly adorable. Your hair is perfect, your make-up is perfect, your smile is perfect, and even your manners, with the cashier and with this strange old woman (me) behind you in line, were perfect.

I think you are probably super nice girls.

But please try to convince me that one of you *really* wanted that small container of pomegranate seeds and a green apple for lunch. And that the other one of you *really* wanted those two hard-boiled eggs for lunch. Period. With nothing else.

Really? I remember being 16, and I'm pretty sure that none of those items were ever on my list of cravings. Pretty sure that none of those items were foods I requested for my birthday party, or grad party, suppers.

I also remember being 16 and "losing" 20 pounds one month by exercising excessively and eating virtually nothing. And then gaining 35 pounds back the next month. It wasn't fun. And the person I was trying to impress didn't even notice.

I know, I know, Pomegranate seeds are very rich in antioxidants. And I enjoy a good, crunchy Granny Smith as much as the next girl, and sure eggs are high in protein and good for energetic people blah blah blah. But do you really think that is enough calories to sustain you? Enough calories to help you remember what you are studying? Enough to make you feel full until supper tonight?

Maybe I'm old and grumpy. Maybe I'm jealous that even when I was 16 I didn't look like you. Maybe I don't know as much about nutrition as I think. But let me sound like your mom for a minute: You are seriously lovely girls from my first impression of you. I would hate to see you hurt yourself in this way over a jean size or two.

Tomorrow could you at least sprinkle those seeds or slice those eggs on top of a salad? This whole thing makes me a little worried for you, though I don't know you, and very careful of what I will try to instill into my girls as they are rapidly approaching your age.

Thanks for listening. I know you probably disagree, and I wish I could convince you, but you really are lovely. And whatever little tiny goal you have? It won't make you happy.

Sincerely,
An Old Woman who Noticed.

Honouring

My Grandmother is 91. When I was little, she was old. She's always been old. I remember when she would go out on my great-uncle's fishing boat for the day with my Grandpa. I remember thinking, "Someone needs to tell her she's too old to do that. That's not safe." She was in her 60's... I guess that seemed old when I was 8.

She has always had gray hair that my mom would put in rollers for her. Little pokey black rollers with metal brush-hairs to keep her short little hair nicely fluffy. She was super cute. My mom would stand behind her, and Grandma, seated and holding the bag of rollers in her lap, would pass them over her shoulder, one at a time, to my mom.

Grandma loved going shopping with my Grandpa. They would just spend the day tooling around and eating at Bob's Fish and Chips on Hamilton Road. Some days they'd pick up Mary Brown's Chicken to eat at home on TV trays, watching a Blue Jays game.

When my Grandpa was dying of cancer, she cared for him at home, administering many, many pills and cooking several meals a day trying to find something, anything that would taste good to my Grandpa. And when he would fall asleep in his hospital cot they had set up in the guest room, Grandma would sleep on the single guest bed, holding his hand through the hospital bed bars. Then in the morning, Grandpa would say "Mary, I think there's room up here for you if I squeeze over a bit." And so, they'd have a little snuggle before starting another day of pills and no appetite.

When my Grandpa died of his cancer, my Grandma said, "I'll never be as happy again as I was with Ed, but I'll be as happy as I can."

Somewhere during these last 15 years since Grandpa died, Grandma forgot that optimistic outlook. Grandma has forgotten quite a bit, actually.

And so, as she is forgetting where she put her keys ("There, on your wrist on the elastic, Grandma, like they always are."), or when she moved into this new apartment ("19 months ago, Grandma"), or why she can't go home ("Well, you sold the house a decade ago, Grandma"), or even if she ate breakfast, lunch, and supper today, my Mom and Dad, and my aunt and uncle are caring for her and honouring her in the most tireless, loving, compassionate way.

My pastor recently looked at the fifth commandment, as we have been studying the Ten Commandments, in which we are called to Honour our fathers and mothers. My Mom is doing a brilliant job of honouring her mom in these, potentially, last days for my Grandma. She visits almost everyday (except for the days my uncle visits), does her laundry (even though the staff at Grandma's home would do it...Grandma just feels strange letting strangers touch her laundry), answers dozens of phone calls a day some days, and takes homemade cookies and fresh fruit for her to nibble on when she can't remember that she's eaten today. She even still does my Grandma's hair up in rollers, even though now, for the first time in decades, my Grandma is too tired to pass the rollers over her shoulder. She often falls asleep in the chair while my Mom puts her hair up.

What is remarkable to me in all this is not that my Mom is loving her mom so beautifully. That's not surprising. What is surprising is how she is able to consistently serve her with patience and love even when my Grandma gets tired and cranky and ungrateful. And even when my Grandma forgets who my Mom is. Somehow, my Grandma remembers that she has a daughter named Linda. She just can't connect the fact that this lady who comes every day, is her daughter Linda. My Mom just puts on a brave face and reminds her. "I am your Linda, Mom. I am your Linda." And even when Grandma forgets and calls her by another name, or asks my Mom, "When will Linda come and see me?" for the hundredth time, my Mom still honours her, and loves her, and serves her.

When I ask her why she keeps going and how she keeps going, my Mom just smiles and says, "My Mom has taken such good care of me for so long, and put up with me when I was sick, and cranky, and grumpy, and ungrateful, and undeserving of being loved. She is a woman who deserves to be honoured. She's my Mom."

Lord, make me a woman who is humble enough and others-centered enough to honour other women in my life. And make me a mother who is easy for her kids to honour as I age because of how I cared for them in their early years. I pray my daughters and my sons would honour me because I have earned and kept their genuine love and admiration, not merely their biblical duty. And bless my Mom and Dad today in a special way, giving them endurance and longsuffering as they sacrificially care for my Grandma. And for the other women I know who are caring for their eldery parents, Lord I pray for them too, that you would give them an extra measure of mercy and patience as they love those you've entrusted to them.

Foodie Friday

This recipe is for my dear friend Laurie, who has been patiently waiting for me to post this somewhere. I made this for her and her fantastic family on her birthday, which was also New Year's Eve and our joint Resolution Run, my first ever 5km. She is such a delight to me. Truly a kindred heart.

This is one of our favourite recipes: Enchilada Casserole.

So first some disclaimers: I will type the recipe as written but you need to know that I always think it is going to be too dry and that there won't be enough sauce to satisfy me, so I add a can of diced tomatoes, or a jar of salsa. (that's what I did with you, Laurie). But sometimes then, it serves up really sloppy, so use your discretion. Or make two and stick one of them in the freezer and compare! My changes will be in italics.

Enchilada Casserole from the London Free Press

3 cups Red Chile Sauce (see below)
12 Corn tortillas (I use 6 large Whole Grain Tortillas)
3 cups cubed, cooked chicken (we also like it with cooked ground beef, or for a vegetarian version, a mix of Black Beans and Kidney Beans)
(We add some frozen corn and diced green or red pepper here too)
1 pound (500 g) Monterey Jack or Mozzarella Cheese (or old cheddar)
1 1/2 cups diced onion (sometimes I omit this as the kids aren't wild onion fans)
2 cups shredded romaine lettuce
1 1/2 cups diced tomato
1 1/2 cups light sour cream

Preheat oven to 350F; lightly grease a 9x13 pan.

Spread one cup of sauce over bottom of pan. Layer 2 Tortillas overlapping as necessary.

Layer chicken, 1/3 of the cheese, and 1/2 the onion, and cover with some sauce. Repeat layers of Tortillas, chicken, cheese, onion (add the diced peppers and corn here too, if using), and sauce. Cover with remaining two tortillas, remaining sauce, and remaining cheese.

Bake 25-30 minutes, or until bubbly and hot through. Serve with lettuce, diced tomato, and sour cream as garnish. (We also like to top with diced avocado and sliced black olives)
Serves 8-10

Red Chile Sauce
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 cup finely diced onion
1 tbsp minced garlic
3-4 tbsp red chile powder
2 tbsp flour
2 1/2 cup water
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp cumin

Heat the oil. Saute onion and garlic 3-4 minutes. Stir in chile powder and flour. Slowly add the water and cook until thickening. Add oregano and cumin. Bring to a quick boil. Simmer 1-2 minutes. Salt to taste. (Add a jar of salsa, or diced tomatoes before simmering if desired)


We LOVE this. Love love love it. To be fancy and pretty sometime, you can also make this in a springform pan. Just for sure don't add the extra jars to the sauce then. You will want it drier for certain. Just stack the tortillas one at a time in your 10 inch springform pan and you have a really impressive Towering Enchilada Pie (or at least, that's what I'd call it!) :-)

Let me know what you think!

Thank you, Mr. Chambers

My intention is to read through "My Utmost For His Highest" by Oswald Chambers in the mornings. Sometimes, I get behind. Like this week. However, I find it interesting that often the weeks that I get behind and I choose to "catch up" on the reading, the devotional reading that I missed speaks right to what I've been thinking about or hearing about elsewhere. And so it was today.

Our church is doing an 11 week sermon series on the Ten Commandments, which has been incredibly thought-provoking and action changing for me. I found that this selection from "My Utmost" on February 12th really tied up some loose thought-ends for me. It is a bit of a lengthy read for a blog, but please read his words and tell me what you think.


We don't consciously and deliberately disobey God--we simply don't listen to Him. God has given His commands to us, but we pay no attention to them--not because of willful disobedience, but because we do not truly love and respect Him. "If you love Me, keep My commandments (John 14:15)." Once we realize we have constantly been showing disrespect to God, we will be filled with shame and humiliation for ignoring Him.

"You speak with us, ...but let not God speak with us..." (Ex. 20:19) We show how little love we have for God by preferring to listen to His servants rather than to Him. We like to listen to personal testimonies, but we don't want God Himself to speak to us. Why are we so terrified for God to speak to us? It is because we know that when God speaks we must either do what He asks or tell Him we will not obey. But if it is simply one of God's servants speaking to us, we feel obedience is optional, not imperative. We respond by saying, "Well, that's only your own idea, even though I don't deny that what you said is probably God's truth."

Am I constantly humiliating God by ignoring Him, while He lovingly continues to treat me as His child? Once I finally hear Him, the humiliation I have heaped on Him returns to me. My response then becomes, "Lord, why was I so insensitive and obstinate?" This is always the result once we hear God. But our real delight in finally hearing Him is tempered with the shame we feel for having taken so long to do so."


What do you think? Are you obeying His commandments knowing that that is in a very large, primary part, how He speaks to you? Are you asking Him *not* to speak to you hoping to hear only from other people or books or podcasts that you could ignore if you wanted to? Or are you just not listening at all, hoping that you have enough of your spiritual walk figured out that you don't need guidance? Those are hard questions to consider, and certainly ones that drive me to my knees in prayer as I examine my own heart.

Lord, build in me the love for your law, and a delight in your word that I have not previously known. Let me rest in the truth that your Word is more than enough, speaking to my every need and question. Help me to be not only a hearer of your Word but a doer, effectively living out Your principles in this watching world.

Simple Woman's Daybook

Outside My Window... Still pretty pitch black out there.

I am Thinking... about my good weekend, and hoping to carry that optimism into the coming week.

I am Thankful For... a husband who went for a run with me yesterday (even though I *really* didn't want to) and for his pushing me to run just a little farther than I meant to so that I can now say I have run 6.3km in a row, without stopping, for the first time in my life!

From the Kitchen... coffee, but no cream in the fridge, so a spoonful (or 4!) of hot chocolate mix stirred in to get my brain functioning.

I am Wearing... a groovy, funky, soft and sleak, and fluffy poncho thing that my mom knit for me several years ago that simultaneously makes me feel sophisticated and like curling up for a nap.

I am Creating... some kids with really weird senses of humour!

I am Going... to need to hurry and finish this blog because the kids are all awake!

I am Reading... The Brothers Karamazov and can't put it down. And realizing I totally would have skipped over hundreds of pages of it if I ever had to read it in a school course.

I am Hoping... to finally get lyrics to this song I'm trying to write. Seriously about to throw it out the window! :-)

I am Hearing... a remarkable peace and quiet in a house of this many children.

Around the house... laundry day!

One of my favourite things... seeing my husband and oldest girl enjoy a cup of tea and bible study together on the couch.

A Few Plans for the Rest of the Week... a lovely dinner guest, a trip to the library, and lots of laughter (hopefully!)

A Picture thought I'm Sharing...(wistfully waiting for a spring day like this!)