Vacation at Red River Gorge

Some recipes from our family vacation at Red River Gorge in Frenchburg, KY....

Monday supper - Chili cheese dogs, BBQ chips, and hot cocoa 

Tuesday breakfast - Breakfast bagels with ham and cheese 

Tuesday lunch - Chicken satay skewers and southwest salad 

Tuesday supper - Hamburgers, sweet potato fries, and double chocolate s’mores 

Wednesday breakfast - Breakfast burritos with ham, cheese, tomatoes, and red & green bell peppers 

Wednesday lunch - Baked potatoes, southwest salad, and sweet potato fries 

Wednesday supper - Campfire pizza log, southwest salad, sweet potato fries, and cinnamon-rolls-in-oranges

Thursday breakfast - Breakfast burrito leftovers and cinnamon roll leftovers (recipes to follow in future post, along with more pictures)

Followed by coffee at Sherri’s Cafe in Winchester, KY....

We needed a vacation to get a break from life’s stresses. I realize now that before vacation my primary stressors were 1) watching my husband struggle under his heavy load of responsibilities and being mostly unable to really help with anything, and 2) staying discouraged from the many battles & conflicts that are regularly being thrust upon us.

Day 1: Getting ready - 

This day was marked by stress over not being able to do for my family what I want, or to do it as well/successfully as I’d like. I was thankful to be  able to breathe some when I stopped to nurse Levi, and while we were traveling on the road. Then we arrived at the cabin, and problems that had begun on the road continued, I was discouraged that our needed vacation was (and would continue to be) marked by the above stressors also - helplessly watching my husband struggle with stuff, and relentlessly striving for a peaceful existence amid the frequent/daily/inescapable battles. 

Day 2: Hiking, campfire, s’mores 🥾 🔥 🍫 🍪  

Realized that maybe God’s calling for me had always been to live a chaotic, stress-filled helping life - since, after all, He’d laid helping on my heart from my earliest days. I don’t feel like I’ve ever been that kind of person, but ... perhaps if I’d stayed able-bodied throughout my entire adulthood, maybe I could’ve struggled with pride  - so maybe that’s why He gave me the disabilities that make this helping lifestyle soooo much more difficult? Perhaps my disabilities are my necessary humility factor, similar to Paul’s thorn in the flesh and Jacob’s wrestling-prayer limp?

Or perhaps I’m partly paying the consequences for my own poor choices leading up to my accident ... staying up late the night before to do homework, sleeping late that morning, struggling to try to make it to school on time, and turning left before there was quite enough space to do so.

Whatever the reason, I know that I’m not perfect, I’ve never been perfect, God is perfectly good, He has always been both perfect and good, and there IS some reason greater than me as to why I have to endure the extra hardship of all these stresses and disabilities at the same time. Not that knowing this makes it any easier to helplessly watch my husband struggle, or to helplessly struggle for peace with people who don’t want peace.... Maybe someday I’ll learn the secret to enjoying these struggles. 

Anyway, yay for the struggle at least being a lot less for a little bit! It was really, really nice to have a brief reprieve from most of our normal world with all of its busy, hectic, drama-filled craziness.

Day 3: We have a 7-month-old!!! 

And he started pulling up tonight, motivated by his close proximity to the dinner table while sitting in the pack-and-play. 

Day 4: Going home with recharged batteries -

Back into the craziness. Back into the drama with my attention-challenged, extra-easily-overwhelmed TBI brain. I’m ready though. Ready to be overwhelmed, ready to lean into Jesus Who has promised to be there with His everlasting arms whenever I falter, ready to lean into my husband, ready to hold my children close, ready to cry more than other people think I should, ready to have no defense. Ready to keep struggling for more faith & hope while living, loving, serving. Ready to keep journeying with the best of Guides Who suffered Himself before dying for me. Ready to keep learning from the best and most patient of Teachers. Ready, not prepared, but here I am....

Lazy Woman's Chocolate Cake and the "Lazy" Way to Find Love

Apparently laziness makes the best cakes and the best love stories. This is the recipe that my brothers and my husband have most often asked me to make for their birthdays.

You don't really have to sift all the dry ingredients - you can literally just mix them in lazily and it'll still taste just as amazing!

And you don't really have to work hard to be "good enough" for the right man when God brings him around - you can literally just be yourself, and he'll love you just the way you are! Now, having him in your life will definitely change you for the better; but that's beside the point.

It's a lot like the Divine love story! We don't really have to work hard to be "good enough" for God to take us into His family - we can literally just ask Him in faith and trust that He'll do all the work for us. Again, having Him in our lives will definitely change us for the better; but that's beside the point.

Anyway, back to my love story....

Before I met my husband Christopher, all the guys who I liked or who liked me seemed to want/need me to change something.

One of the first guys I liked believed that short-sleeved shirts were sinful, so I wore only 3/4-length-or-longer sleeves for a while just to see if I could do it. 

Another guy who wanted to court me (we had two dates) wanted me to move to his home-state (where I knew no one), and we wouldn’t actually be going to church anywhere (just nursing home services). He also wanted to know which school subject I felt like I could teach the best in homeschooling his five children from a previous marriage.

Still another guy wanted help on his farm (again, in another state). He needed a place to stay, help writing his occasional sermons, and special water - he couldn't drink local water anywhere because it made him sick. 

One guy told me that although I could keep wearing skirts since that's my preference, he really preferred the blue-jeans look on women.

Another guy wanted me to agree the “food” at McDonald’s was too unhealthy to ever think of even touching.

And then there was the guy who kinda liked me (and I thought I loved him, but it was really just gratitude & friendship). He shared a lot of his fitness knowledge, which really helped in my recovery when I'd sort of hit a hump. We had some great talks, and we texted regularly for a while. But when it came down to it, I just wasn't recovering enough (or recovering fast enough) to be/become "good enough for him." And eventually he let me know that we needed to stop "talking."

That one was kinda hard for me to get over, so eventually I asked advice from one of the leaders at my summer internship with Joni & Friends Arizona. She gave me the excellent advice to "wait for someone who will love you as you are." 

So I took steps to let go of those wistful feelings for the guy who was "too good for me." 

And just a few months later,  my Knight in Shining Armor sent me a message on Christian Mingle that started the relationship that led to the marriage that has become a more wonderful love-relationship than I had ever dreamed possible!

So yeah....

I guess it's all about lazy loving & lazy baking! 💘

 

 

 

Sweeter: Just to Be With You

Our Jesus loved us this much!

And He still loves us this much!

And He always will love us this much!

"I've heard it said that a man would climb a mountain

Just to be with the one he loves

How many times has he broken that promise

It has never been done.

I've never climbed the highest mountain

But I walked the hill of calvary

Just to be with you, I'd do anything

There's no price I would not pay

Just to be with you, I'd give anything

I would give my life away.

I've heard it said that a man would swim the ocean

Just to be with the one he loves

How may times has he broken that promise

It can never be done

I've never swam the deepest ocean

But I walked upon the raging sea

Just to be with you, I'd do anything

There's no price I would not pay

Just to be with you, I'd give anything

I would give my life away.

[Bridge]

I know that you don't understand 

the fullness of My love

How I died upon the cross for your sins

And I know that you don't realize

how much that I gave you

But I promise, I would do it all again.

Just to be with you, I've done everything

There's no price I did not pay

Just to be with you, I gave everything

Yes, I gave my life away."

Sweet: Julie & Julia

A friend who knows my love of cooking sent this movie from across the Pacific, all the way from Cambodia. 

Like, a year ago or something! Then I put it away and immediately forgot where I put it. And I've been looking for it for, like, a year. 

Then, while going through a desk drawer a week or two ago, what do you think I found? Sure enough; there it was!

So I watched it, and wow! I didn't even realize until later that I was watching a true story about something that had actually happened! The movie chronicles Julie Powell's journey of spending a year cooking through her hero Julia Child's book Mastering the Art of French Cooking. It also follows Julia Child during her time in France that inspired her to write the cookbook. 

But the movie's not just about cooking; it's also about writing and international travel, and it gives a poignant glimpse into the two women's marriages. I'd call it an emotional masterpiece!

Disclaimer: In addition to a little bit of cussing, the movie contains a couple of dirty scenes; so I don't recommend it for kids. Although I liked the movie in general, there were 2 or 3 things - they weren't TOO bad - that I feel should have been left out.

Books don't have scenes, though; so now I've really gotta read the book! :)

The Love Test

How do you think you would do?
Here's how it goes: First, read 1 Corinthians 13 to discover God's definition of love.

Love suffers long and is kind;
love does not envy;
love does not parade itself,
is not puffed up;
does not behave rudely,
does not seek its own,
is not provoked,
thinks no evil;
does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;
bears all things,
believes all things,
hopes all things,
endures all things.
Love never fails.
(1 Corinthians 13:4-8a).

Then read it again inserting Jesus' name wherever it says "love." The one Person Who always expresses love perfectly!

Jesus suffers long and is kind;
Jesus does not envy;
Jesus does not parade Himself,
is not puffed up;
does not behave rudely,
does not seek His own,
is not provoked,
thinks no evil;
does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;
bears all things,
believes all things,
hopes all things,
endures all things.
Jesus never fails.

The final step in this test is to read the passage a third time, this time inserting your name wherever it says "love."

_____ suffers long and is kind;
_____ does not envy;
_____ does not parade himself,
is not puffed up;
does not behave rudely,
does not seek his own,
is not provoked,
thinks no evil;
does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;
bears all things,
believes all things,
hopes all things,
endures all things.
_____ never fails.

Be honest now. . . . How did you do?

Bending Over Backwards

 

"I'm not bending over backwards for them!" Have you ever heard someone say that?

It's probably not healthy to do this in relationships to get people to like me quite as much as I do, but isn't that the spirit of the Golden Rule? And doesn't our Father want us unified? Isn't a good friendship worth a little effort?

A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches,
Loving favor rather than silver and gold (Proverbs 22:1).

Strong Man or Strong Woman?

A strong man plus a weak woman

equals a chauvinist and a doormat –
a macho man and a slave girl.

A strong woman and a weak man

equals a feminist and a doormat -

a screaming shrew and a mouse.

A strong man and a strong woman

who wants to take charge

equals a constant fight for control.

A strong man and a strong woman

who gladly follows him

equals a beautiful dance – a real romance.

The Proverbs 31 woman was strong.
She was valiant.
And she gladly supported her husband so much

that his strength increased.
Should that really be surprising?

She Wants to Be a Homemaker

To me she is a beauty queen

I love to watch her on the screen

In our home movies

And when she sings around the house

She's got a voice that knocks me out

She is my favourite singer.

But you won't see her on T.V.

Or hear her on the radio

Worldly fame is not her aim

And she's the first to let you know

She wants to be a homemaker

It's her dream to raise a family

And give her love to just one man

And I thank God it's me

I'll never underestimate her

'Cause she could take this word and turn it on

But she takes her love

And makes our house a home.

She can't afford to spend her day

In a old soap opera haze

She's much too busy

At night she puts the kids to bed

She's makin' sure their prayers get said

Before she lays down with me.

It's plain to see

That she's not seeking glory on this earth

'Cause she believes in honesty

And the joy of giving birth.

She wants to be a homemaker

It's her dream to raise a family

And give her love to just one man

And I thank God it's me

I'll never underestimate her

'Cause she could take this word and turn it on

But she takes her love

And makes our house a home.

~ Paul Overstreet

Marriage, Petticoats, and Waltzes

I just finished reading C. S. Lewis's space trilogy and found it very good, just full of insights into the Christian life! Of course, I also found myself wishing the book was mine instead of the library's so that I could mark through all the curse words for future readers. Why would a Christian author put such words in his book? At any rate, it was a tremendous series overall! Here is one of my favorite quotes from That Hideous Strength:

“Did you understand his views on marriage?”

“My dear, the Director is a very wise man. But he is a man, after all, and an unmarried man at that. Some of what he says, or what the Masters say, about marriage does seem to me to be a lot of fuss about something so simple and natural that it oughtn’t to need saying at all. But I suppose there are young women now-a-days who need to be told it.”

“You haven’t got much use for young women who do, I see.”

“Well, perhaps I’m unfair. Things were easier for us. We were brought up on stories with happy endings and on the Prayer Book. We always intended to love, honour, and obey, and we had figures and we wore petticoats and we liked waltzes. . . .”

“Waltzes are ever so nice,” said Mrs. Maggs who had just returned and given MacPhee his slab of cake, “so old-fashioned.”

~ From pp. 509-510, Quality Paperback Book Club, 1997.