Back in the saddle...

The Garden

Last year we put in a small raised bed so that we could have a little vegetable garden.  I didn't know much about gardening and we planted things sort of haphazardly.  We got lots of squash, a few cukes, and little else.  This year I took a little more organized approach and here is what we have so far.

Lots and lots of tomatoes this year! Last year we only got a couple because it was so cold. 

This little yellow flower will be a cucumber.  Amazing!

These flowers will be beans. 

Nathan is so excited that the tomato plants are as tall as he is. 

This is ONE zucchini plant!  Look at the size of those leaves!!

Our first zucchini!  We ate it with pasta.  Yumm....

 

One of my potted Gerbers.  Totally makes me happy!  

 

And last but not least one of our nuts!  Nathan took this picture and it just makes me laugh so I thought I would share it with the world. Karin Rowe you are awesome!

 

Be it ever so humble...

 Growing up we moved a lot.  Granted we stayed in the same city but every couple of years we would move to a new house.  I never really felt like I had a place that I could put roots down or really call home.  When I married my husband and we ventured off on our own all that changed.  His parents house really became home to me.  It was the place that we could always return to, to relax and feel safe and loved.  This was an entirely new experience for me and sometimes still catches me wonderfully off guard. 


Yesterday my mother-in-law, Rob, Nathan, and I all went tubing down the Muskegon River.  Other than a sunburn and getting a little far behind the rest of the group I had an amazing time.  There was however one moment where I was wonderfully caught off guard.  Floating down the river all by myself, I looked up into the canopy of trees and heard Rob and Nathan giggling and splashing in the background, and realized how familiar and right everything felt at that exact moment.  All too often I feel like I'm just visiting, at that moment I felt like I was home.  Here is the most amazing thing, while it felt really good to be surrounded by things familiar I realized that it wasn't the location that made me feel like I was at home, it was being with my son, and husband and mother-in-law. 

A sense of home isn't about location but family.  Most people figure this out quickly, but for a girl who really had no experience with neither growing up, it was an epiphany.

Thank you God for beautiful moments of growth.

Jumping off the hamster wheel....

This week Rob and I have jumped off the hamster wheel that is our crazy lives for a little respite.  We are on vacation spending time with our family, just trying to catch our breath.

It's amazing the things that God is saying when you finally get away from the noise and craziness to hear Him. 

I'm still processing how and what He said to me at Congress and all of the little things He's been saying through the noise. I hope to share several times this week about being yourself, resting in Him, digging into the Scriptures, friendship, the passing of time, and maybe even a few pictures of my aprons that I'll be working on.  

Praising God for an extended Sabbath rest and looking forward to sharing what God is doing!

No excuses....

Usually when I am feeling any type of negative emotion, ie. anger, sadness, disappointment, frustration, etc, that is caused by another individual or group of individuals I make excuses and don't allow myself to feel that emotion.  I tell myself the other party couldn't possibly have meant it that way, or maybe I'm just being a baby and I need to put my big girl pants on and deal with it. 

Well, in an effort to "live honestly", I just want to say publicly.....I"m angry, hurt, and disappointed.  For all of you TSA folks out there, it has nothing to do with The Army.  (I thought that I should say that so tongues don't start wagging.  :) )

No excuses, no apologies, just what I feel. 

Am I supposed to feel better now?

Creatively Constipated

This is what I look like when I try to make art. I've had this problem for several months now and I can't seem to shake it.  I have a lot of ideas rolling through my head but when I sit down they roll right out.  I can't knit, I can't make stuff, I even struggle doodling. 

Here's the thing, I know I'm no great artist but being creative is a big way that I connect to God, release emotions, and really get to know myself.  So when I'm creatively constipated it's really bad.  I mean really, really bad. 

I did start a project last night and plan on working on it a little today.  I have no end result in mind, I just needed to do something....anything.  I hope to post a completed piece soon, but until that time I would appreciate your prayers, and if you see my muse can you send her home?  Tell her I have chocolate. 

By Popular Demand...This weeks menu!

I've had several people express interest in how I do my meal planning so I thought I would share how our family does it.

This all started because we were spending a ridiculous amount of money eating out.  I'm talking 3-4 times per week! Everything was a rush and we weren't enjoying the food or our time together.  So we decided to eat at home more.  As a busy officer I know that, realistically, I cannot cook meals from scratch seven days a week, so I came up with my master plan; I cook at least 3, sometimes 4, meals from scratch each week.  For the rest of the week we eat leftovers, have FFY night (Fend For Yourself), or Rob will cook.  This has worked extremely well for our family for about 3 years now, but it does take a bit of planning. 

I usually sit down with my planner Sunday evening and see what the week ahead looks like.  Monday's are crazy busy so Rob usually will bring in leftovers to the Corps or he'll make something.  (I really have a great husband!) We usually have dinner guests over a couple of times a week, so I know that I need to plan for a couple of larger meals.  I also usually plan one homemade dessert during the week, usually when we have guests. 

It's really important to know what you have on hand.  I usually keep my pantry pretty well stocked and have recently started putting all of my dry goods in wide-mouth canning jars. I can see what I have and how much and it keeps my cupboards nice and tidy. 

I actually made a reusuable shopping list.  I printed out the different categories that I normally shop for, then I laminated it with thick plastic.  I just use a wet-erase marker to make my list and then when I'm done I just wipe it off.  I'm actually going to revise it soon and also make one for meal planning. 

Since we've really started making an effort toward eating healthy all of this menu planning stuff has made it super easy. 

Here's the Menu for this week:

Tuesday:

• Steaks on the grill
• Baby Reds with Roasted Garlic (Pioneer Woman Recipe)
• Brussel Sprout Sesame saute (Clean Food Recipe)
• Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Wednesday:

• Pasta with Tomato Blue Cheese Sauce (Pioneer Woman Recipe)
• Garlic Bread
• Salad with homemade salad dressing (not sure what kind yet)
• Banana Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies ( I have a LOT of bananas to use up! Heck if you're interested I may even send you some.)

Thursday:

• Honey Mustard Chicken
• Garlic Mashed Potaoes
• Roasted Asparagus

Friday-Sunday, I am at Women's Camp so the boys are on they're own!


Hope someone finds this helpful.