A Smile that Lights up the World

Last week we packed up our stuff and went on a mini-vacation.  We went to an indoor water park and visited David's sister in Ohio.  And I have lots of pictures of that I'm going to share.  But not today.  Today I want you to see Nadine.  Her smile can light up the world.

I met  Nadine almost 2 years ago in Peredo, Haiti.  She is a young girl (14 now) who has multiple cysts in her abdomen.  Because of this, she has been very  excluded in her tiny village.  She doesn't go to school.  Her social contact is very limited.  People didn't know what was wrong with her.  But my friend Ginny knew God had a plan for her.  With a lot of paperwork, footwork, and Godwork, Nadine is here in Columbus getting ready for the medical treatments she needs to have her cysts removed.

I'll be very honest and say I was nervous to see Nadine again.  I don't know very much Creole, so I didn't know how we would communicate.  But more pressing on my mind were my kids.  We have been praying for Nadine every night for over 6 months.  They've seen pictures of her, but how would they react to a girl with a huge belly?

In the end, I had nothing to worry about.  My kids acted just like my kids.  Noel, played with Joe (the host family's son) on his Ipad, and Elise make fast friends with Nadine.  They both love Dora and stickers, and that was enough.  

It was so wonderful to see Nadine in such a warm, loving environment, especially after all of the heartache and hurt she has faced.  The people of Haiti are more resilient than you can imagine; that is one of the qualities about them that I love.  Her host parents, Sheree and Dave, are wonderful people.  I am hoping we can go and visit again, as Nadine will be there for several months.

As we were leaving, David asked me what I thought Nadine's future looked like.  I could easily travel down the road of what-if's:  What if her cysts come back?  What if she can't function on her own?  What if she is still excluded?  And then I looked at all of the ways God has worked in this young woman's life already, and I have to believe that she is exactly where she is for a reason.  We all are.  We can sit and worry about tomorrow (which is very tempting), or we can be thankful for each day we are given and honor God with our lives.

Please continue to pray for Nadine, as well as the Tata family whom she is living with.  It is hard work taking care of her, and she has a long road ahead.  If you are interested in sending her a card or picture, please let me know, and I'll get the address for you.

Trying to get a "foto".  Nadine loves swinging!

I think she would have let me push her all day.  

Oh, and she was singing the Dora theme song while I was pushing her!

Another  David for Nadine to love!  

She proceeded to tackle him right after this picture.

Mama Sheree

Do you think she's tired of getting her picture taken yet?!

Yes, Noel was there.  He was in Angry Bird heaven with Joe.

Pretty sure this is the best picture of the day.  I love the look on Elise's face, as Nadine is looking at the coloring book she picked out for her.

What girl doesn't love stickers?

It's hard to blog when your computer is in a box.

We got new carpet in the living room last week.  This meant that we cleaned out pretty much everything from the living room.  We even threw our old desk away.  So, needless to say the computer was inaccessible most of last week.  I wish I had the computer, because a lot of thoughts ran through my head that I wanted to write about.  Of course now they are all forgotten.

I wanted to write about how David had a hilarious encounter with a lady who runs a storage facility here in town.  She wouldn't stop playing online euchre to help him, but she did say, "God bless ya!" on his way out.

I wanted to write about my new food, the tomatillo.  I made salsa verde, and it was really good.  mmmmm. . .

I wanted to write about how we are going on a mini-vacation this week, and how I'm so excited to get away for a few days.

But most importantly, I wanted to write about Nadine.  Unless you have never read my blog before, you know Nadine.  Well, after many months and lots of work from many people, Nadine is in Columbus, Ohio getting ready for her surgery.  I am so thankful that this has worked out.  It has been such an amazing journey to walk through with the kids.  To hear my kids pray for Nadine every night and see those prayers answered over time has been life-changing.  And now we get to go see her this week.  I am nervous how it's all going to turn out, with the language barrier and everything else that makes us different.  But the Holy Spirit keeps reminding me that this is what we were meant to do.  Just this morning I read the passage in the Bible where Jesus says that whatever we do for the least of these we do for Him. I'm afraid I don't live this out on a daily basis, but my prayer is that God will continue to change me into the person He wants me to be, that I will hold onto the stuff of this world less and less, and hold onto Him more and more.

And that beats any old tomatillo.

Weekend Away

This past weekend I had the chance to do something I rarely get to do.  No, I'm not talking about hanging out with Michelle Duggar (who I DID see this weekend, more on that later) or watch multiple hours of college basketball (which I DID do when I got home).  I'm talking about going away for the weekend without my kids or husband.

My friend Alison and I went to the Hearts at Home conference in Normal, Illinois.  Now, I am not one to usually attend these kinds of things (and neither is Alison).  Frankly, we are more at home with "boy" things (see earlier paragraph about watching hours of college basketball), but this conference was calling our names because:

A)I went to college in Normal.
B) Alison grew up in Normal.
C)Alison's friend was one of the workshop speakers and had asked her to come.
D)Hey, let's be honest, it's a trip away for 2 days.

So, Friday afternoon we loaded up and drove to the Land of Lincoln.  Our first destination was a trip down memory lane, where we saw my old apartment, Alison's childhood home and elementary school, and an assortment of nostalgic places for the both of us.  The weather was beautiful, so we spent the afternoon driving around and looking at how some things in Bloomington-Normal were exactly the same and some were completely different.

Then we went to get our registration stuff for Hearts at Home, which didn't start for us until Saturday morning.  Oh, my, were there a lot of women!  We quickly got through the enormous lines, hid our complimentary-yet-hideous tote bags, and headed over to Avanti's, a town favorite restaurant.

Now, let me just stop here for a second and say that if you try Avanti's for the the first time and you aren't impressed, it's okay.  It's nothing special.  What we love about it is a)cheap prices b)lots of memories and c)the BREAD.  Oh, heavens, the bread is sooooo good!

But we weren't dining alone at Avanti's.  Nope.  As it turns out, my amazing friends Matt and Jenni Collins (who live in Fort Worth) were visiting Matt's parents (who live in Lincoln) for Spring Break.  So not only did I get to eat at Avanti's, but I got to eat it and talk with three of my greatest friends in the whole entire world.  AND I DIDN'T HAVE TO TAKE CARE OF MY CHILDREN AT A RESTAURANT!  (yes, that was in all caps for a reason).

After a wonderful supper (and a trip to the take-out window where Alison purchased no less than 10 loaves of Avanti's bread--for her family) we drove to Lincoln for the night.  Instead of staying at a hotel, we opted to shell out 15 big ones and stay in the dorm at Lincoln Christian University.  The bonus was that we got to see Matt and Jenni's kiddos and Matt's parents.

Saturday was the conference.  I won't go into all of the details (this post is already long enough), but it was good.  The speakers were from all different backgrounds, and the topics were all very relevant.  Alison's friend, Marianne, spoke about how we can teach our children to be more grateful, and it was really, really good. She talked about how our society has taught our kids that stuff is what matters, not people.  I left really inspired to be more conscious of what messages I am giving my children.

We did hear Jim-Bob (I can't believe I just typed "Jim-Bob" in my blog) and Michelle Duggar give their story.  They are nice people, and I think they do really love their kids and God.  I'll leave it at that.

Some other highlights of the day included:
*sneaking off during lunch to see a St. Patrick's Day Parade
*hanging out on my old campus
*getting to talk to Marianne afterward

And on the way home, I was reminded why Alison is just about the only person I would go to a ladies' conference with.  Right before we left, we went to the bathroom, and there was a little counter with things like lotion, mints, kleenex, etc.  Next to it was a little paper sign that said "Take what you need for the MOMent." (Oh, don't you just love the terrible pun?)  So, about halfway home, I say, "You know, I wish I had stolen that sign in the bathroom."  To which Alison answers (while pulling it out of her bag) "And you know I did."
Love it.  Absolutely love it.

Hope your weekend wanderings were as wonderful as mine.

It's a rollercoaster

I love the TV show Parenthood.  It's one of my favorite shows on right now.  Actually, I'm really bummed that the season is over.  But a comment on a friend's blog made me think about the original movie Parenthood, with Steve Martin and a slew of other people.  This is one of the best scenes in the whole movie:

Sometimes I forget that my kids are just that:  kids.  I want them to act exactly how they are supposed to, and I get to stressed out when things don't go exactly as planned, but that's the excitement of life.  I think back to all of the craziness that has happened because of my children, and I wouldn't miss it for the world.  Life really IS like an amusement park.  We can choose to do something that scares us--take a step of faith in our career, our work, our service, our family--or stand on the side and watch.  Will it always be wonderful?  Nope.  But was it worth it?  You bet.

P.S.  This clip cut out a few seconds too soon, because right after this, Gil (Steve Martin) says, "Yeah, well if she's so smart, how come she's sitting in the neighbor's car?"  Love it!

Get out there and enjoy the ride today!

Thursday Thank You's

Today I am thankful for. ..

501.  my upcoming trip to Illinois with Alison. Soooo excited!

502.  new babies (not mine!)

503.  NADINE IS COMING TO THE STATES ON MONDAY!!!!!

504.  getting to take the kids outside every day this week.

505.  quality time with each child one-on-one.

506.  new carpet coming next week.

507.  and in honor of the new carpet:  a new vacuum! My 11 year-old, $60 vacuum just isn't cutting it anymore.  Go figure.

508.  My Wonder Woman coffee mug.  How can I drink from it and not smile?

509.  Reading Catching Fire.  Let the late nights commence.

510.  March Madness, Baby!


What are you thankful for?

Back on Track

Okay, so last week's new food was a total fail.  I bought jicama, and had a couple of different ideas what to do with it.  And then I waited too long and the jicama tasted funky, so I didn't make anything with it.  But I had already bought Napa cabbage to make a jicama slaw with, so I already had this week's new food:  Napa Cabbage!

I ended up making a slaw with it, and it is super yummy.  It reminds me of the Oriental Salad everyone makes with broken up Ramen noodles and sesame seeds.  It is basically chopped up cabbage, green onions (I used a small yellow onion), and cilantro.  For the record, I love anything with cilantro.  Cilantro for me is like bacon:  it makes everything better.  The dressing is vegetable oil, rice vinegar, soy sauce, and sugar.  Then you top it off with toasted slivered almonds.  I had cashews, and they worked just the same.

So, it was all good in the end, and although I missed a week, and some jicama, I found a new side dish that is worth repeating.

A Stack of Cards

Next to my desk sits a box full of cards.  Regular cards from a craft store.  But with a little bit of teamwork last night, those cards might just mean something.

You see, all of the youth group girls (and sponsors) got together and wrote encouragement notes yesterday.  We wrote them to girls we had never met, but are our sisters in Christ.

These girls are single mothers in Kenya, Africa.  They are living in a maternity home called Mercy House.  If you want to know more about Mercy House, check out this website.

These single moms are here because there is basically nowhere else to turn.  Most of them have little support elsewhere.  I cannot imagine how scary it is for them.  But while these girls are at Mercy House they are fed, protected, taught, and encouraged.

One way they can be encouraged is through us!  So we wrote them notes filled with Bible verses, words of encouragement, pictures of flowers, reminders of how beautiful they are.  A tangible way for girls in Indiana and girls in Africa to connect.

And when I head out to the post office to mail these on, my hear will be full once again, knowing how awesome it is when we jump on board with what God is doing.

Full heart

My heart is full today.

The sun is shining.  I'm sitting here watching the beginnings of March Madness begin while my husband and son are bonding over a video game on the Kindle.  They are two peas in a pod if ever there were.

We ate at a restaurant, and the kids were good!

We are taking steps towards selling our house.  We went and looked at one today that was very promising.

My online class is over!!!  Yee-haw!!!!

This coming weekend I am going to a women's conference with my friend Alison.  Weekend away + Alison = Good times.

Life can get hectic and busy if we let it.  The days can slip by without any meaning.  But for right now, for this moment, I am thankful and aware that life is so very good.  We have been given so much.

What are you thankful for?

No excuse for my absense

I wish I had an excuse for not writing for so many days.  I HAVE been busy.  But the truth is that my mind is full of different posts, and I don't know where to start.

Should I write about my weekend getaway to Chicago with David?  Soooooo much fun!!

Or should I write about going to a purity ring ceremony with my Bridges girls and how much it moved me?

Or should I write about my kids and their antics while Grandma Linda and Grandpa Ed came to visit?

How about my new food--jicama--what in the world am I going to do with jicama?

Better yet, I can write about how much time I am going to have in a couple of days when my online class is over!!

No, wait!  I can write about how we are meeting with a realtor to put our house up for sale.


See?  Too many choices to even pick one.  So all that's left is this messy post with too many points, not enough details, and zero pictures!!  Ugh.  Depressing.

I think I'll go have a soda. . .oh, wait. . .that's another post:  how I gave up soda for Lent. . .

This I Believe

I'm almost done!!!!  I have just a few days left of my class to keep my teacher certification!  Can I get a big Yee-Haw?!!!

The class has been about teaching multi-culturally, and although I am ready to be done, I have learned quite a bit.  My final assignment was to write a belief statement about my values towards multicultural education.  I wanted to share what I came up with.

"This I Believe"

 We are all so different, and so much the same. 

This I believe.

We all have trials, some are much harder than others, but nobody goes through this life without hardship.  Nobody.  If you see someone and think their life is easy, you aren’t seeing the whole picture.

People are hurting.

Physically, emotionally, spiritually, relationally, mentally hurting.

But the beauty is that the hard times, the tough times, are the ones that shape each of us into something beautiful.  A unique creation. 

“You make beautiful things out of us. . .” Michael Gungor, “Beautiful Things”

One hobby I really enjoy is mosaic work.  You take broken glass or pottery and glue it onto something to make a new cover, like a vase or a picture frame or a table.  Our lives are like mosaics.  The parts that are broken can end up turning into beauty.  An old coffee cup transformed into a priceless piece of art.

We all want to be heard.  Whether you are living in a hut in Kenya, a high rise apartment in Japan, or a farm in Oklahoma, you want your voice to matter. 

Everyone wants their life to mean something.  We search for it. Dream of it.  Study about it.  Write songs about it.  We want to look back at the end our life and know it has been better because we were in it.

And nobody can do it alone.  Nobody.  You might trick yourself into thinking you can do this life alone, but you can’t.  We need each other. 

We hurt.

We speak.

We try.

We join.

We love.

This I believe.

Halfway There

This week "Thursday Thank You"'s hits 500.  That's halfway to 1000, which is my goal.  If you haven't read the book 1000 Gifts, read it.  I think I've said that, oh, a thousand times, so just believe me and do it.

This week I am thankful for. . .

491.  getting to be just a small part of the work that is done through Kokomo Urban Outreach.

492.  my husband, who graciously offers to give the kids their baths most nights.  Have I mentioned how much I love him?

493.  the journey of Lent and what I am learning through it.

494.  family dinners.

495.  new recipes.

496.  answered prayers, especially for my dear friend Jennifer and her family.

497.  my stubborn son, who still makes me smile.

498.  my sassy daughter, who can rock footed pajamas like no other.

499.  our first step in looking for a house to buy.

500.  a Wittenbach visit this weekend.

What are you thankful for?

Turnip the Music

I hope you all are sick of my food puns.  Sorry, I just can't help it.  And I'm just not very creative with blog titles.

Anyway, as you can guess from the title, this week's new food is the turnip.

This is what a turnip looks like.  I hear that turnip greens are really good for you.  The turnip has some vitamin C, and I think it's lower in carbs than the potato, but nothing crazy nutritious.  I tried to find a recipe for turnips, but I didn't have all of the ingredients for any of them.  I did find a recipe for turnip fries.  And although I've already made parsnip fries, I decided to go for it.

First step is to peel the turnip.

Then cut the turnips into fries.  Drizzle with a little oil.

Put them on a pan that has been covered in foil and sprayed with Pam (or the Meijer equivalent of Pam).  Mix  together a couple of tablespoons of Parmesan cheese and 1/2 teaspoon each of garlic salt, onion powder, and paprika.

Bake at 425 for 20 minutes.

The verdict?  Really good!  I'm so glad I didn't go with something different, because these were much better than the parsnips.  They had good flavor and were just the right texture.  We ate them all, so I would consider this adventure a success.

Now it's onto something new!  Any suggestions?

Crossing the Line

Yesterday at Bridges we did an activity that was incredibly powerful.  It reminded me exactly why I work with these students.

All week they had been discussing diversity.  To finish the week, the leaders wanted to show the students that no matter how different you may feel, you are not alone.  So, they had all of the students line up, shoulder to shoulder, on a line.  Then Casey, the leader, proceeded to read a statement.  If the statement applied to you, you  crossed over the line and walked about 6 feet across the room.  There you turned around and faced the rest of your peers.  Those left standing gave the "I love you" sign with their hands.

The statements started off very simple.   Statements were easy, like:

I am a male.
I am a female.

But as the activity went on, things got deeper and more serious.  These were just a few:

I have been made fun of before.
Someone in my family has a disability.

And then we got very intense.  A couple of the more intense ones were:

Someone in my family is currently in prison.
Home is not a place where I feel safe.

And each time, students crossed the line, only to find that they were not the only ones dealing with these issues.  Many, including myself, were moved to tears, as kids walked across the line, some with arms around each other, to step out and say, "Yes, this is me. This is the stuff I deal with."

One of the statements that really touched me was "My parents are either divorced, separated, or were never married."  I'm not exaggerating, over 75% of the students crossed the line.

As we debriefed after the activity, students shared what this meant to them. Many shared that it was such a relief to know that others were struggling with the same things they were struggling with.  Some were just so encouraged by the fact that nobody laughed when they crossed the line.  Some cried, saying that it was the first time they had really acknowledged these things.

We hugged.
We cried.
We left thankful.

And I was reminded why I love working with Bridges kids.  They can be frustrating and challenging and, well, middle schoolers.  But they are also full of strength and passion.  They are funny, smart, and brave.  And I get to walk alongside them and tell them that God loves them and has a plan for them.

Maybe it's time we all crossed the line and were open and honest about what we are dealing with.  Maybe it would help to know that I'm not the only one who is lonely, or who is scared I'm messing my kids up, or who has no idea what to do with their career.  Maybe putting it out there will help others see that they are not alone either.

You never know

God has plans.

Big plans.

Did you know that?

Do you believe it?

I say I do, but sometimes I forget.  And then God reminds me in ways that pretty much blow my mind, and I am stunned and thankful and humbled.

Let me back up, oh, 17 years. My first year of college was almost over, and everyone at Lincoln Christian College (now University) went on one of the many missions trips that was scheduled.  For some reason, I ended up with almost all seniors on a trip to Jamaica.

It was a trip that affected me for many reasons.  It was my first airplane ride.  My first experience with cross-cultural ministry.  My first time seeing true poverty.  I left a changed person.

Another way the trip affected me is that I made some friends who are still my friends all of these years later.  They live all over the map, and it has been so cool, thanks to Facebook, to reconnect with several of them.

Two of these people are Hank and Julie.  They were engaged at the time of our trip, and I didn't really know them very well before the trip.  Just in the short time I spent with them, I saw their love for God and also their incredible love for children.  I still remember one little Jamaican boy from the church we were working with completely in love with them.  I don't think he let go of them the entire time we were there.  I also remember thinking, "These two are going to be great parents."

Fast forward to 2010.  I went with a group from our church to Haiti. I've written lots and lots about Haiti, but the important point here is that I made yet another friend:  Ginny.  She still lives and works in Haiti, although now it's in Port-au-Prince and with a different mission.  But we still keep in touch and have tried to help her on different occasions  (Like with Nadine).  About a month ago, she sent out an email about a little boy named Noah who needs to come to the U.S. to have a corneal transplant.  It is all set up to take place in Boston, but they need a host family to take care of him while he is recovering.

Through the wonders of the internet, I knew that Hank and Julie, along with their daughters, lead a church in Boston.  I sent them an email, hoping that they would know someone in the area who could help Noah.

Long story short (too late):  Noah is going to be staying with Hank and Julie.  Julie just sent me an e-mail explaining all of the cool ways God has worked to put this all together, including lots of people from their church.

So, to re-cap, two different missions trips, two sets of friends, two decades apart, all came together to help bring about sight for a little boy in Haiti. You can't tell me that God didn't have a plan.

Does God need me?  Nope.
Does God love to let me be a part of His plans?  Absolutely.

I know this post is long.  If you've read it all, I applaud you.  I just couldn't help sharing that God works in ways we might not ever understand, and it's amazing when we get to see just a glimpse of it.

Keep looking. . .

Plan B

My Valentine's gift was supposed to be a night out to Indy with David.

Yeah, that didn't happen.

We had two sick kids from  Thursday night until Saturday morning.  And while they were feeling tons better on Saturday, I didn't want to risk having someone else watch them and leave town.

Enter Plan B.

I decided since we couldn't go out, I would try and make something special for us to eat.  These are Soba noodles, which are made from buckwheat.  I found them on clearance at Meijer and did some research on Pinterest.  You cook them just like any other noodle, and then rinse under cold water.  You can eat them hot or cold, and they are usually used in Chinese/Asian cooking.

Once I cooked the noodles up, I mixed a little sauce for them of rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, honey, sesame oil (forgot to add to the picture), and green onions.  I also stirred in some rotisserie chicken to add a little bulk to the meal.

Mix it all up and add some toasted sesame seeds.

The result?

Really good.  This was one of the best "new food" tries we have had so far.  David went to the local chinese take-out place nearby and bought some eggrolls to go along with the noodles, and I steamed some asparagus as well.

And while it wasn't the same as going out on the town with the hubby for Valentine's, it was a welcome relief from sick kids and working late.

Who knew Soba noodles could be so romantic?

I spoke too soon. . .

I had a post planned about this guy who sits in his wheelchair by the side of the road with a sign that says "Will Work for Food".  I have a dilemna about him, but I will have to save that post for another day. We had quite an eventful night in the Wittenbach house last night.  Both kids were throwing up all night.  It was surreal.  I can't believe how much laundry we did in the middle of the night.  Nobody slept, and everyone is kind of cranky this morning.  But I am so thankful that we survived the night without a trip to the ER (which Noel has been known to do when he gets a stomach bug) and it reminds me again of how healthy we all are most of the time.  Health is one of those things you don't think about until you don't have it.

Thursday Thank You's

This week I am thankful for. . .

481.  my sous chef, Noel.

482.  watching Elise dance all day.  I wish I had that kind of spirit.

483.  borrowing exercise DVD's from the library.  It's been a fun change of pace.

484.  Valentine's party at Noel's preschool.   Double thankful that we weren't there on the day a little girl barfed all over!

485.  a great fundraiser banquet at church Friday to help raise money for the youth trip to Haiti this summer.

486.  not having to change a single poopy diaper anymore!!

487.  having the discipline to do memory verses with the kids.  This was something we started with the new year, and has been going really well.  Wish we started this 2 years ago!

488. date night and plans for a getaway without kids!!!!

489.  a funny text conversation with an old friend.  Made me laugh all night.  There is something about a friend was your friend even when you wore flannel shirts and pegged jeans.

490. the end is in sight for my online class!  Let the re-certification begin!

What are you thankful for?

New Foods Continue!

Lest you think I have forgotten about my "new food" resolution this year, I have not.  I have just forgotten to take very many pictures or post what I have made.  This past week the new food was. . .

The Opo Squash!

Isn't it crazy that there is a squash out there that I've never heard of?

You're on the edge of your seat; I can tell.

The little sign on the Opo Squash said you can use it any way you use a summer squash or zucchini.  So that's exactly what I did.

I diced it up (no peeling necessary)

And threw it in with my vegetable soup.  It tasted just like zucchini.  I kept some out to steam on its own so I could see what it tasted like, but it got left out.    

So, it's on to more food adventures.  Any suggestions?  I'm thinking a new grain is on the horizon--maybe cous cous or quinoa?  

Thursday Thank You's. . .on a Tuesday!

Sometimes giving thanks is easy.  Sometimes I can rattle off 20 things I am thankful for.

But sometimes it's hard.

Sometimes expectations lead to disappointment.  I'll be honest on this blog (for all 4 of you who read this) and admit that I am going through kind of a rough spell.  Life is kind of a struggle right now, and I am lonely.  In a life filled with questions from a 5 year-old and chatter from an almost 3 year-old you would think what I want is some peace and quiet.  And believe me, I do.  But more often than not, what I want is conversation.  Good conversation.  The kind where there might be laughter and tears in the same few moments.  The kind where you haven't looked at the clock because the time doesn't matter right now.  I'm missing that right now.

I say all of this not so you feel sorry for me.  Not in the least.  I live a very blessed life, and I try every day not to take what I have been given for granted.  But I say all of that to confess that sometimes it is difficult to give thanks.  Last Thursday I didn't want to give thanks.  I was busy and a little ragged and, if I'm being honest with myself, full of self-pity.  So I didn't post what I was thankful for.  And that nasty attitude has continued through tonight. I was reminded tonight that giving thanks doesn't mean everything is wonderful.  Giving thanks is seeking God's blessings and finding it in the midst of  hard time.

And so this list of thanksgivings is going to be a little different, because it's going to be truths from the Bible. I hope these truths speak to you like they continue to speak to me.

Today, I am thankful. . .

471.  that I am fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14)

472. for the comfort of the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5)

473. for God's forgiveness (Matthew 26:28)

474. for God's promises that I can hang onto (2 Peter 1:4)

475. for music to praise Him (Psalm 69:30)

476. for God's unending love.  (Psalm 107)

477. that I am not a slave to sin anymore!  (Romans 6:17)

478. for examples of faithfulness I see in others.  (Ephesians 1:15)

479. for answered prayers (Philippians 4:6-7)

480. that no matter what, I am God's child, and I can place my value in that (Colossians 1:12)

What are you thankful for?

Some pictures for your enjoyment. Oh, and a little soup

Okay, so this has been a rarity around here.  My kids are actually pretty disappointed because they like playing in the back yard.  I'm disappointed, too, because we had to cancel this year's ski trip :(

Sigh.

In other news. . .

My brain is still completely fried from my class, and I'm dealing with some moral dilemmas in the class, but that's not what I want to share on here.

This is what I want to share.  Aren't my kids cute?  Especially when they choose their own clothing?  Originally Noel came out with shorts on.  But you have to appreciate their independence.  And their love for each other.  It's a good thing she's cute, because she has been throwing some major fits recently.  Old girl is going to send me over the edge.

In "new food" news. . .

This is escarole.  It's similar to lettuce, but with a little more cabbage-y flavor.  I found a recipe on Pinterest (of course) called Chicken Escarole soup.  It was super easy:  canned tomatoes, broth, noodles, chicken, and escarole.

Success!!  This was by far the best "new food" try we have had.

This kid loved it.

Noel even ate it.

We are on a new food roll!!!!!

Oh, wait.  No we're not.  Enter the prickly pear.

I thought they looked kind of fun, and the label said they had a berry flavor.

I had to wear a glove to hold them.  They do live up to their name.  But as for the berry flavor. . .bleh.  The prickly pear was a total let down.  I think I either didn't do it right, or this fruit is just not for me.  But that's part of this experiment.  Now, if I ever see a prickly pear on chopped, I'll know what they are messing with.

A bunch of yuck.

Sorry.

Have a great day!

Thankful

I AM thankful.

Thankful that right now there are three kids (2 of which are mine) playing loudly in my living room.

Thankful that David is on his way home from a business trip.

Thankful that I had an awesome day at Bridges.

Thankful for a life spared in a car accident this week.

Thankful for a huge group of kids at church who have committed to going to Haiti this summer.

Thankful for french toast and bacon and all things syruppy.

I just can't make a list all numbered nice and neat.  Not tonight.  I'm too busy soaking it all in.  So quit reading my blog and go be thankful.

Let me bore you with some more food pictures

I am 3 weeks into an online class to keep my teaching certificate.  I am up to my ears in reading articles and writing responses.  My brain is kind of fried.  In my mind I have 3 or 4 blog post ideas in which I am really witty and/or inspiring.  I want to write about the shootings in Kokomo last week.  I want to write about what I'm learning in my class.  I want to write about a movie we watched the other night that was fascinating ("The Greatest Movie Ever Sold".  But all of the words are kind of muddled, and I am sick of staring at the computer screen.

So, instead I will share this picture from a few months ago.

Someone likes the markers.

David was trying to give her this very serious speech about how we don't draw on ourselves with marker.  He kept saying, "Do you think this is funny?"  And I am in the hallway whispering, "Yes.  Yes it is funny."

She is my little girl.


In other news, our new food this week is polenta:

I totally chickened out and bought the already made polenta.  This is what it looks like when you take it out of the tube.  All I did was slice it up and fry it in a little oil with some salt and pepper.

After 3 or 4 minutes I flipped them.

And then I put some chicken on top of it.

Overall, it was pretty good.  I wish I had put a little more sauce on the polenta, but it was good.  I have a little more in the fridge, and I'm trying to figure out what to do with it.  Any suggestions from polenta lovers out there?

You've been hit by. . .a smooth(ie) criminal

I'm going to admit first off that this blog post would be much more interesting if I had actual pictures of these smoothies, but I'm going to tell you something:

Taking pictures of food is hard when you have 2 young 'uns right in front of a blender and loads of messy stuff.  I do not recommend.

All of that to say:  we are a little smoothie crazy around here.

It all started out with the beet smoothie.  I was trying to find different ways to use the beet.  I discovered that my kids will drink almost anything if you call it a smoothie and add a bendie straw.

Side note:  EVERY restaurant should have bendie straws.  My kids end up with their drink all over them because they are too short to drink out of the big straw in the little cup.  Okay, back to the smoothies.

For the past 3 weeks or so we have been having smoothies about every other day.  They are a great way to get some fruits and veggies into our diets, and the kids love hitting the buttons on the blender.  I don't really have any recipe to share, but I will tell you what we do.

Get lots of different frozen fruits from the grocery store.

Put a little yogurt in the bottom of the blender (maybe half of a single-serving container)
Add a banana or an orange or some other kind of fresh fruit (today we did a clementine)
Add the frozen fruit
Add any other goodies you want.  Today we added some instant oatmeal.  The other day we added fresh baby spinach.  I've added flax seed and wheat germ before, too.
Blend.  We start on low and gradually add speed.  If the mix is too thick add a little fruit juice.  The beauty is that the frozen fruit makes it almost slushy-esque, so we don't even have to add ice.

And there you have it!
Anybody have any other smoothie ideas out there?

Thursday Thanks

In case you don't read my blog on a regular basis, I started counting the things I am thankful for.  Every Thursday I add some more.  We have so much to be thankful for.  If you haven't read "A Thousand Gifts" by Ann VosKamp, leave this blog immediately and go get it here.

This week I am thankful for . . .

461. one week of my online class under my belt.  7 more to go!  I'd like to blog a little about what we are studying once I get some extra time.

462. the lack of diapers around this house!!!  Yee haw!

463. the season pass to the Children's Museum that my mom bought us for Christmas.  We took advantage of it for the first time this week and had a wonderful time.

464.  good parent-teacher conference with Noel's teacher.

465. good medical news for a dear friend.

466.  Vicks Vapor Rub.  Goodness in a jar.

467. strong, healthy bodies.

468. discovering we can have the Food Network with no additional charges!

469. hearing my kids pray.

470.  NADINE!!!!!  Nadine is about 99% sure to get to come to the states, and we probably get to go see her when she's here!!!

What are you thankful for?

A Parsnip or Two

This week our new food was parsnips.  I had never in my life tried a parsnip, so when I saw them at the grocery store and they looked like white carrots, I grabbed them up.  I also had a recipe book from the library with a recipe for parsnip fries, so I tried it.

I gathered up my ingredients:  parsnips, olive oil, salt, and pepper

I washed and peeled the parsnips

And cut them into sticks

I tossed them with with the oil and salt and pepper and cooked them at 450 degrees for about 35 minutes, flipping them halfway through.

And this is our finished product.

They certainly looked good, but how did they taste?

Actually, kind of bland.  I made a dip of sour cream and chili powder to dip them in, and that was pretty good, but the parsnips kind of tasted like sweet potatoes that weren't sweet (which isn't the same thing as a potato, strangely enough).

The verdict?  I probably won't be making more parsnips any time soon, but if a recipe calls for them, I know what I'm getting myself into.

Stay tuned for more food investigations

Prayer for Nadine

This is Nadine:

She is a young Haitian girl who lives in the village of Peredo.  I had the chance to meet Nadine when I went to Haiti a year and a half ago.  She has had this growth almost her whole life.  In fact, her mother didn't put her in school because she figured she was going to "die anyway".

My friend Ginny has been working incredibly hard to get medical care for Nadine.  After some tests in Port-au-Prince, we found out that Nadine has a series of tumors that can be removed, but it's a pretty serious surgery.

So we prayed.

And God answered that prayer in the form of a doctor (and a hospital) in Columbus who is willing to do the surgery for free.  So Ginny has been working even more incredibly hard to get the paperwork done so Nadine can come to the states to get the medical care she needs.  The longer she has these tumors, the more difficult her health situation becomes.  We almost lost her a few months ago to a bout with cholera.

So we keep praying.

Every night.

Praying.

Noel and Elise talk about Nadine like she's a girl who lives down the street.
"When is Nadine coming to get her surgery?"
"I don't know yet."
"Can we hang out with her?"
"I sure hope so, Noel."

Tomorrow is a crucial meeting with the embassy for Nadine to be cleared to come to the states.  Will you please pray for her today and tomorrow?  Please pray that they will allow her to come.  I believe that God has a plan for every person, including Nadine.  And I believe that part of that plan is allowing so many of us to be a part of her life.

Please join me.
Pray.

Fry it up

My friend Ginny suggested that I put plantains on my list of new foods, so this week is plantain week!

A plantain looks similar to a banana.  You can cook them green, yellow, or with brown spots.

If you're looking for plantains, they are with the bananas in the produce section.

Although they look like a banana, their texture is more like an avocado on the inside, and the peel has to be cut off, not peeled off.  

I looked up a couple of different plantain recipes, but most of them just said to pan fry them in some butter, so that's what I did.

Make sure you have some paper towels/newspaper to drain them on afterwards.

Place plantain slices in the pan and let them cook for 2-3 minutes.  

Flip them and let them cook another 2-3 minutes.  One recipe I read called for squishing them a little with a glass at this point.  I think I will try that with my next plantain, to get them a little thinner.

And this is your finished product.  The plantains got 2 thumbs up here at our house.  When I ate plantains in Haiti, they were served wish fish and this amazing spicy coleslaw.  I wish I had made some of that to go with the plantains, but they were very good.  

Any more suggestions for foods to try here at Wittenbach Test Kitchens?  

Happy Eating!

Here I Go

I am starting an online class tomorrow for 8 weeks.  It's called "Cultural Competence" and the book we are reading is "We Can't Teach What We Don't Know, White Teachers, Multiracial Schools".  I am really interested to see how this class goes.  As I have been working with Bridges, I have learned that there is a big difference between where I taught in Noblesville and working with students at Central Middle School in Kokomo.  I hope to be able to share some of the things I learn on this blog, but please forgive me if I don't get around to it for a while.  I'm still trying to figure out how I'm going to sneak 6-8 hours out of every week to complete this class.  But I know it will all get done.

In other not very important news, we took the kids sledding this weekend, and they were so good.  Before this year, this is how sledding has gone for them.

Elise:  never touched a sled until Saturday
Noel:  1st year out--wouldn't get out of the van
           2nd year out--went down, but wouldn't walk back up the hill

So, it was a great surprise to find them both having so much fun going up and down.  Noel loved going down on his belly, and Elise liked riding double with Noel (until they crashed and he knocked her face right into the snow--minor detail).  I want my kids to enjoy the outdoors as much as possible, and we had such a good time as a family sledding.  Of course, we didn't bring a camera, so you'll have to just imagine us all bundled up and hurdling down a hill, but you get the idea.

Happy Monday, and Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.  May we all live with passion and conviction like he did.

Violence in the Bible and other things I'm unsure of

This month I am teaching the high school students at my church on Sunday mornings.  We are working our way through 1 & 2 Samuel, slowly but surely.  But I also just finished "Jesus for President" by Shane Claiborne, so the idea of Jesus not wanting violence is at the forefront of my mind.

So when we read in 2 Samuel that David's men were off raiding and plundering another town, I have to ask myself, "Was this really part of God's plan?"  I know that there were times in the Bible when God called for war.  I know there was bloodshed.  But, was ALL of it God-ordained?  I'm not so sure.  And I'm definitely not sure how to explain something I don't understand to the students.  But I think there is something to being honest and upfront with students in your own struggles with studying the Bible, so that's what I'll be sharing on Sunday.

On another church note, our church is getting ready to do a 6-week study on the book of Nehemiah.  They are asking everyone to come to both services so they can meet in small groups to discuss the book and study it further.  (insert sarcastic gasp!)  They have seriously been almost-begging people to make it a priority to come for 2 WHOLE HOURS on a Sunday.  You would think this is the biggest sacrifice we will ever have to make!  This is one of those moments when it's clear to me why I am not in a paid ministry position, because I would not be able to control my mouth.  I'd get up front and say, "I know it's Sunday and we are all over-committed to other stuff, but seriously, get your butt here for 2 hours for this study.  Is it too much to ask for 6 weeks?!  Come on, people! Are we the church or not?  We'll drive our kids all over the county every day for games, band, clubs, etc. but. . .

Deep breath.

Maybe I WILL have to resort to violence afterall.  Ha!

Have a great weekend, everyone!  Do something this weekend to show love to someone else.

I

Thursday Thank You's

I am thankful for. . .

451. a warm, dry house to sleep in.

452. cooking with Noel.

453. shopping with Elise.

454.  sharing good books with good friends.

455. healthy bodies.

456.  prayer.

457.  forgiveness.

458.  downtime with the kids.

459. people who are honest and transparent.

460. getting to travel through this life with David.  There's nobody else I'd rather laugh with, cry with, serve with, fight with, raise children with, and love.

What are you thankful for?

This is what you get when I forget your birthday

I've been crocheting quite a bit this fall/winter, and I was kind of tired of hats and dishrags, so I found a pattern to make a little monster stuffed animal.  I made it for my niece, whose birthday always gets looked over because it's the 26th of December.  Before I added the face and arms it looked like a giant tooth.  Maybe I could sell them at the dentist's office.  Anyway, now my kids want ones, so I'm onto an orange monster for Noel (with no flower, of course!)

Also, just in case I totally fall off the blog wagon for a few weeks, I am getting ready to take an online class.  I'm actually very excited about it, and I hope to write about it once we get started, but we'll see how much extra time I have.

What kinds of creations are you making these days?

I'm always late to the party

So, if you see me this week and I am climbing a tree or trying to camouflage my backpack, just know that I have finally started reading The Hunger Games.

And I can't put it down.

I think part of it is that those darn Harry Potter books, although I love them, were so stinkin' long that a 300 page book seems like a pamphlet now.  The story goes so quickly.  I am usually not a science fiction reader, but this book really makes some statements about the American culture, and it's fascinating to me.  If you haven't read this book, give it a try.  And if you have, I'd love to hear what you thought about it.

Sorry this post is so short, I have a hive of tracker jackers behind me and I have to run.

Just Beet It

Is that the worst pun ever?  Probably.

Anyway, this week's new food is the beet.

I have eaten beets before, I've just never cooked them myself.  I actually have pretty fond memories of eating pickled beets when I was growing up.  I can't believe I like them when I was a little kid--it seems like an old person food to me--but I did.

I started looking at different ways to cook/eat beets.  Most recipes called for roasting the beets before you do anything else, so that's the first thing I did.  I just cut the stems off, washed them, wrapped them in foil, and baked them at 400 for 45 minutes.  Once they cooled, they were super easy to peel.  (I DO recommend using a paper towel to peel them, because beets stain something awful!

This is what they look like after roasting and peeling.

So, then the big question was what to do with these beets?  David told me that he really doesn't like beets (he didn't have the fond childhood memories I did), so I tried to come up with something else.  And, thanks to Pinterest, we made beet smoothies.

Yes, you read that correctly, beet smoothies.

We put a couple of beets in the blender with ice and frozen fruit (mangoes and raspberries were what we had in the freezer), and pureed the heck out of it.

Now, for the record, the kids didn't have too much beet in their smoothie.  I didn't know what it was going to taste like, and I didn't want to turn them off to smoothies, so they just had a little bit of beet in theirs.

So, the verdict?  Not bad.  Not great, but not bad.  I think if I had added a little bit of sweetener, it would have been pretty good.  However, the good news is that smoothie made me feel great all morning.  I didn't even have a cup of coffee, I felt full and had lots of energy.  So, I think I'll be making some more beet smoothies in the future.  But I probably won't have anyone in this house begging me to share.

Any suggestions for the next new food?

Just go ahead and slap that "hypocrite" sticker right on my forehead

Okay, so we go to Meijer a lot.  Like, every few days a lot.  And for the past few  years, we have developed a friendship with Donna, one of the greeters at Meijer.  Both kids love her.  We know the days she doesn't work, her grandkids, her vacations.  And I like to pride myself that we have become a kind of witness to her, sharing about Haiti, church, our Christmas traditions, etc.

And then today it all went down the drain.

Not with Donna.  No, she's still our pal.

Another cashier.

She is in there every time we are in there as well.  She's not as friendly as Donna.  Not as easy to talk to.  In fact, I'll just say she's kind of odd.  And the whole time we were doing the self check-out today, she is over at our aisle, just waiting.  I couldn't figure it out, and then as I start making small talk with her, I realize that all this time she wanted us to befriend her the way we have befriended Donna.  She is lonely.  She needs Jesus.  And I should be showing her God's love.  But all of this time we've been having fun and laughing with Donna we could have been showing her just as much love and attention.  I don't even know her name.

I feel sick just thinking about how much of a hypocrite I am.

It's soooo easy to love the loveable.  To hang out with people who are like you, who are good at conversation, who aren't awkward.  But Jesus didn't say, "Love those who are easy to love."  He said to go out and find the outcasts, the lonely, those in need, and love them.  And it's not going to be easy.  

But as my friend Ginny always says, "God never promised anything would be easy.  He just promises we never have to do it alone."

Some of you may think this story sounds trivial, but I'm a stay-at-home mom.  I don't have co-workers anymore.  No students.  Not even a boss.  So the people I talk to at the store, at the gas station, across the street, those are the people God has put in my path to show His love.  And today I was reminded of that in a big way.

May we never lose sight of His love and those who need it.

Thursday Thank You's

This week I am thankful for. . .

441. getting to sleep in my own bed!

442. our portable DVD player.  Makes long car rides much more enjoyable.

443. my nieces and nephews.

444. coats, hats, gloves, and shoes for my children.

445. a good book.  Just finishing up Jesus for President by Shane Claiborne, and although I don't agree with every single thing he writes, I think it's a book everyone should read.

446. sunshine.  For me, it doesn't matter what the temperature is, it's all about the sun.

447. hearing Elise talk about Jesus.  (Sidenote:  Sometimes she adds her own little flair to Bible stories.  The other day she told Noel, "And the next day, Jesus got up and made homemade sausages."  What?  Just roll with it.)

448. helping Noel ski down a hill for the first time.

449. time off for David.  He works so hard, and he was in definite need of a break!

450.  second chances.

What are you thankful for?

Cleaning House: What works for me

Two cleaning/cooking posts back to back?  How domestic of me!

I will be the first to say that my house is not sparkling clean every day.  I have a 5 year-old and a 2 year-old.  We are constantly in "pick up" mode around here.  But I have found one way to reduce the amount of time I stress about cleaning:  a cleaning schedule.

When I first left work to stay home with Noel, I felt like all I did was clean.  I wanted to go to bed every night with a clean house, and so I was disappointed every night when the house didn't get clean.  I would say in my mind, "This is my job now.  Why can't I get it right?"  And then David (and others) reminded me that my job is not to clean the house.  My job right now is to raise my children as best as I can.  Does that mean the house can be a pigsty?  Absolutely not.  But it isn't my first priority.

And so I created my cleaning schedule.  Here's what works for me:

Monday:  clean one bathroom and one bedroom
Tuesday:  clean one bathroom and one bedroom
Wednesday:  clean one bedroom and dining room
Thursday:  clean kitchen
Friday:  clean living room

Every day:  one load of laundry, dishes, pick up
Every 2 weeks:  mop hallway and foyer,

I don't ALWAYS stick to this schedule.  Sometimes I mix it up, sometimes I get behind, heck, sometimes I skip the mopping all together.  But it keeps me from getting overwhelmed and from spending all day stressing about the need to keep the house clean.

I'm linking this up to one of my favorite blogs:  We Are That Family.  Check out more "What Works for Me" ideas over there.

It's all chard to me!

Okay, so I haven't really done a good job with New Year's resolutions for several years.  In fact, a few years back, we decided to scrap the idea and come up with New Year's predictions.  We still do that, but I have decided to actually make a resolution:

Every week I resolve to cook with a food I've never cooked with before.

Are you as excited as I am?

So, to start things off, tonight I cooked my first new food:  Swiss Chard.

Swiss chard is a dark leafy vegetable, and the flavor kind of reminds me of spinach, but not quite as strong.  I looked up a bunch of recipes on Pinterest, but opted instead for a recipe from a Cook's Country book I found at the library.  It's just simple sauteed chard.

First, you wash and cut it all up.  Take the stems off, chop them up, and put them in a separate bowl.  They take a little longer to cook.  I actually bought Rainbow Swiss Chard, and the stems were hot pink and bright yellow.  Very pretty!

Next, cook up a little garlic, one minced onion, and the stems of the chard for about 5 minutes in a little oil.  I cooked the garlic a little first before adding the rest to make sure it got cooked through.

Then you throw in the chard leaves and cook until it's wilted, about 5 minutes more.  Then, after you take it off the heat, add a little bit of lemon juice and salt and pepper.

Finished product!

And the verdict?  Not bad.  I know chard is really good for you, and it tastes better thank spinach (according to David).  Now that I know what it tastes like, I can see using it in a quiche or something with eggs.

Next week's new food?   To be determined at my next Meijer visit.

Happy cooking!