hey, it's ok (tuesday) 3.13

hey, it's ok


...to begin this list on monday and publish it on wednesday (but keep the date as tuesday)
...to hope peyton signs with the titans...it would be nice to have him in town for awhile (especially while the colts rebuild which is code for 'suck for a few years')
...to be a slight bit obsessed with swagbucks. if you haven't joined yet, you totally should. (and if you click on that link i get your referral :-)
...to be oh-so-glad that spring has arrived in tennessee.  it was 80 yesterday. anthony and i had cocktail hour on our deck when we both got home from work. this is bliss -- when the temperature rises but the bugs haven't appeared yet!
...to have only just borrowed the first hunger games book.  hey, i still have not read/watched either twilight or harry potter (and won't) so i'm way ahead of my own game on this one!
...to make a recipe that flopped. i'm usually pretty confident in the kitchen and spotting recipes that anthony and i will both like, but the south indian mac and cheese (while it looked and smelled great) was just not our favorite. i'll still eat the leftovers, but i won't be making it again. (i put the link there since i won't be putting it on the blog, just in case anyone wants to try it...)
...to have a standing date with a friend to watch good bad tv 
...to just really be creeped out by some people


please visit amber's blog!

about that "anti-Christian" sentiment that's going around

i've seen a lot of concern lately
some from friends of mine, some from acquaintances
that there is a lot of "anti-Christian" sentiment going around


some are concerned about shows calling Christians "bitches"
some think that there are definite slants against Christianity in the media or on mainstream shows


and while that may be (somewhat) true
i just have one simple question to ask:


have we given anyone (outside our faith) a reason to be pro-Christian?


you see, i see a lot of anti-gay sentiment on those same facebook pages
or anti-anything that isn't Christian in some Christian's opinion
or anti-whatever political party you think isn't right
or anti-...you name it


i don't see a lot of Christians being "pro" anything 
(except pro-life, but i won't get into the linguistics of that one)


so why
why in the world, if we aren't standing up for social injustices
if we aren't loving on people the way we are commanded to 
if we are speaking ill of anything and everything on the planet that we think is "wrong" or "unnatural"
why on EARTH would we expect anyone to be "pro" us?!


i've been accused of being "too soft" in the past
of showing too much compassion or too much tolerance for others.
i'm sorry (actually i'm not), but i'd MUCH rather err on the side of too much mercy and grace
than be a part of the "anti-everything" movement that pervades our faith community.


i'm here to tell you, that i'll be pro whatever helps me reach the ones who are longing for hope
i'm pro-LIFE, pro abundant God-filled amazing life
i'm pro mercy


i'm pro-love


and no, i don't always get it right
but my errors (like everyone else's) are covered in grace
and if i love too much for your taste?
get used to it :-).  i'll be loving on people until i draw my last breath


because that is my calling

it's a great day to hang out with your youngest sister in law

anthony's little sister (she's 16) is spending the day at our place today, so it's rock band and movie time.  we love the chance to kick back with family, and try to make it a point to spend time with hailey often.

so pretty much we're spending the day together and then going to see the other sister, kat, in a play that evening.  a couple of our other friends (rose and caitlin) happen to be in the same play, so it'll be cool to see them all perform.

so that's basically it -- a chill day spent with people we love.  tomorrow is church and then natasha and i will have our weekly viewing of once upon a time...

hope you have a wonderful weekend!

recipe of the week: (slow cooker) hungarian goulash

hungarian goulash

(slow cooker)

i did my normal research for this recipe by finding several and then taking elements of my favorites to create my own.  the top two 'contributors' to this recipe can be found here and here

2 pounds lean beef stew meat

1 onion, diced

2 tbsp flour

2 tbsp hungarian paprika*

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

2 tsp caraway seeds

1 can diced tomatoes

1/2 cup beef broth

1 tsp worcestershire sauce

3 cloves garlic

1 bay leaf

1/2 cup sour cream

*definitely recommend getting the hungarian.  it gives the recipe a unique taste.

first of all, let me just say, i'm spoiled.

i've been getting fresh meat from the butcher counter at whole foods

and we.are.loving it

this is a recipe that takes a bit more prep work than some slow cooker recipes
but seriously 10-20 minutes is completely worth it.
first, working in batches if necessary, brown the stew meat slightly.  i threw it all in and just removed it as the bottom pieces browned.

add the flour, paprika, salt, pepper and caraway to season the meat while browning.  obviously, if you're working in batches with the meat you'll want to split the seasoning evenly as well.

 once the meat is browned (remember, you're not cooking thoroughly, just a bit of brown) transfer it to your crockpot.  in the same pan as you've browned the meat, add the onion and garlic cloves

 saute for about 3-5 minutes and then transfer them to the crockpot

 deglaze the pan by pouring in the beef broth and worcestershire.  

top with the tomatoes, add the bay leaf, and let it simmer for about 5 minutes

 pour beef broth and tomato mixture over the rest of the ingredients in the crockpot

cook on low for 8 - 10 hours.
when you arrive home (or about 20 minutes before dinner), add the sour cream and stir through the mixture.  at this point, cook your egg noodles according to package directions.

 unfortunately, that's where the pictures ended that night for me...it was that good.  ha!  i did get a snapshot of some of my leftovers at work.  sucky photo, but i'll get a good one next time, i promise.

oh! and of course, nutrition facts for this.
based on 6 servings per recipe as input into myfitnesspal.com, this is what we've got:

not bad, right?
have a good one, folks :-)

thursday's ten or so*: the Ty edition

this week is a little different
as life seems a little more precious, a little more sacred
we heard friday night that a former student of ours in the youth group we served in for years
was hurt badly on a texas interstate
and the news came late saturday that he had succumbed to his injuries.
he was 18
and he was struck while he was walking back to his car after checking on a car that had been rear ended a couple of cars in front of him
and if you knew him, you'd not be surprised by that either.


i prayed LIFE over him when i learned of his accident
(some of you joined me on that when i posted it on twitter and facebook, and i thank you)
and oh, how those prayers were answered
he's having the most abundant life right now


so here's ten or so things i was reminded of through Ty's life (and death)


you don't have to be old to have lived a lifetime
there are stories upon stories about the amazing things this kid did...and he hadn't even hit his 20s.  don't tell me you're too young to make a difference or that no one will listen to you because of your age.  just DO good, and people will notice


living generously is (really) the best way to live


people notice your smile
(he had a signature grin...that's been mentioned more than any other singular thing except his faith)
they also notice your lack of smiling, for the record


when you lose yourself in worship you really do stop caring or noticing what others think


you make more of a difference in the small things than you think


people will both love and tolerate your quirks, but they are uniquely yours and will be missed if you aren't around


don't take yourself too seriously...people will love you for it


life is a lot more fun when it's lived as one adventure after the next


we should take notice of the young ones
they're out there changing the world. i'd like to join them.


the funeral is tomorrow (friday).
please pray for Ty's family -- his parents and two sisters, the friends that are hurting badly, and all those who feel a light is gone from their life.  while i know Ty is on the ultimate adventure, i'm also sad to know i'll never see that grin again this side of heaven.


*i've changed it because some weeks i have exactly ten things to share but most weeks i don't.  so, yeah. :-)

monday's memory: the one with february's 366 photos

another month has gone by already -- CRAZY.  here are the photos that (somewhat) tell the story of my february. 

recipe of the week: asian chicken noodle soup

i stumbled across this recipe a few weeks ago and knew that i wanted to make it. i love asian soups (or food) in general, and a twist on chicken noodle soup sounded fantastic!  i changed a couple of things, but most is fairly close to the original.


asian chicken noodle soup
(serves 5ish; takes 30 minutes)


2 tablespoons sesame oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons ginger, peeled & grated
2.5 cups pre-cooked, shredded chicken breast*
1 teaspoon chili sauce
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
3 cups chicken stock
2 cups water
2 tablespoons of lime juice
scallions and cilantro to taste
55 g rice noodles**


*when i have a recipe that calls for shredded chicken, i cook it with olive oil in my grill pan and then shred it with my stand mixer (dough blade).  most pre-packaged chicken is full of added sugar and chemicals and i find that it's cheaper and healthier to just buy chicken breasts and go through the extra step.  seriously, it takes 10 minutes.  :-) i cook it while i'm gathering the rest of the ingredients.
**my husband didn't like the texture of the rice noodles, and i could take or leave it.  next time i'll be trying it with udon or lo mein noodles for a thicker noodle texture.


heat oil in pan over high heat
add garlic and ginger and saute for 2 minutes
add chicken, chili sauce, fish sauce and soy sauce.  

cook for 2 minutes and then add the chicken stock and water.

bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.  while this is happening, place the noodles in a bowl and pour boiling water over them until they are covered.  let them sit the 10 minutes or so you are simmering the soup.
remove soup from heat and add lime juice, scallions and cilantro.

divide the noodles evenly into bowls and ladle soup over them.

according to the original recipe, this serves 4 people.  however, those portions seem huge to me.  we easily got 5 servings of soup out of this.  however, based on the serving size the original recipe called for, this soup contains 246 calories per serving.

 (screen shot from my fitness pal app, where i loaded every ingredient i used into the recipe.)


clearly this isn't a stand-alone dinner, but we added edamame and asian dumplings from trader joe's into the mix, so we were good.


i will also add that if you're expecting a soup that is full of flavor-punch, this isn't the one. :-)  i did add some sriracha to mine and that made it perfection for me, but if you don't like added heat you may want to bump up the ginger and garlic and even add an onion or two.

hey, it's ok (2.28)

hey, it's ok


...to be totally excited that it's in the 70s this week
...to race your husband home from work.  (hey, i left at 6.30 am and he started his day a few minutes before 9. i just wanted to walk in the door first!)
...to have eaten a proper full dinner and STILL indulged in the free pancakes at ihop. my cell group meets there every 2 weeks on tuesdays, and our meeting coincided with free pancake day. i couldn't turn down the free stack (and i only ate 2...gave the other away)
...to really need to catch up with blogging. one of these days.
...to be thrilled beyond belief that my hardworking husband got offered (and accepted) a full-time position where he's been working temporarily for 6 months (at UBS). he does some sort of tax financial client portfolio stuff. he likes it because he gets to solve problems and figure out more efficient ways to do things all day. i like it because he's happy at work and we have insurance now (hey, just being real).
...to have cried a bit at the series finale of parenthood. if you watch, you know why (and you cried too, admit it)
...to roll your eyes every time you see the commercial with people whining talking about their cell phone battery dying. ever heard of charging your phone?!


visit amber no matter what, but especially if you have a list to share!

ash wednesday 2012

and so here we are again.
another year come and gone, and it's ash wednesday yet again

and yet again, i've come to a place of wondering if i celebrate
and why
and is it too legalistic to partake?

all those questions seem silly
yet i ask them
almost as if it's become a part of my Lenten ritual
to remind myself
to remember

the answers are simple:

of course i'll celebrate this season
this somber remembrance

because of His life

and legalism has no place in my life
so it is not welcome in my life here either

but what
that is the question that plagues me every year

last year, i heard the Holy Spirit clearly whisper
'give up stress'
and while people looked at me like i was insane when i told them what i had given up for lent
i knew it had a deeper purpose

in a wedding planning on a budget year
i HAD to eliminate as much stress as possible
so consciously thinking of it for 40 days
made it a little easier as the day approached
{not saying that i never got stressed...but i'm convinced this time of preparation helped alleviate some!}

this year?
well, He hasn't shared my "sacrifice" with me yet
but i know Him...He will

and even as i type that i smile
because for me lent always becomes more than a sacrifice
it becomes a continual reminder of His life
and therefore how my life should be

sometimes i wonder if we celebrate lent
simply for that recall
the realization that our life should mirror His
and the fewer distractions (even if they are good)
that we have
the more pliable we become
to be molded into that lifestyle

when i look at it that way
it becomes less about sacrifice
and more about casting off any extra "stuff" that gets in the way

even if it's just for 40 days