Cancellation of giveaway and farewell

Well, Hippie and I sure appreciate the few of you who read our entries in Table Tuesday and Food Journey Friday. However, if we're being honest, there are very few of you! :)

In emailing with sweet Natalie, we have both decided that the contest (see two previous entries) will be called off, and we will say farewell to our fun series. There just aren't enough consistent readers to warrant the time and effort it takes to establish a very successful blog or series. We apologize to those of you who were interested in the giveaway. In the blogs I will soon recommend, there are always great giveaways going on!

Part of what has motivated my stepping back is that I'm not a great or very successful blogger. I don't say that to be falsely humble, so don't say sweet things like "oh yes you are", etc. I love writing. I'm sure I could develop further if the Lord wanted me to at this stage. But at this point, there simply are far more well-written, well-thought-out, and consistent blogs out there. Check out Passionate Homemaking, for instance. Or Naturally Knocked Up. Or Simple Mom. Or Keeper of the Home. Catching my drift here? :) These ladies work really hard to bless us through their thoughts, research, giveaways, exhortations, and challenges. And I just can't bring myself to take the time to emulate them right now in the writing realm.


The other part of my motivation for stepping back from this and other media (such as my current limitation of facebook) is Ephesians 5:15-16, which says,

¹⁵Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, ¹⁶making the most of your time, because the days are evil.

I was studying this verse recently as we have been making our way through Ephesians. I wondered, is facebook a wise use of time? Is blogging wise for me? I'm not saying these things are bad, evil, useless. They can all be used for His kingdom (and I believe all the blogs I have mentioned ARE being used for His kingdom). However, I'm unconvinced of my own effectiveness in this realm.

My brother-in-law gave my hubby a funny "demotivational poster" for Christmas. It reads: BLOGGING. Never before have so many people with so little to say said so much to so few.

HA! It ironically sits on the desk from which I am currently blogging. I don't believe all blogs are fruitless. The ones I've mentioned are of great encouragement to me- I reference them frequently. However, I have wondered as of late how truly effective this blog is. Most of what I want to say is already being said quite well on these other blogs. Again, this is not to fish for compliments. I'm just being honest!


So allow me to thank you readers who did join us for the Food Journey. I pray that you will be able to continue on your own food journey successfully, and that Hippie and I may be of encouragement to you. Feel free to email us if you so desire! But for now, we will say good-bye to this fun series.


This is not goodbye to blogging forever. I just need to figure out the most fruitful use of my time for the Lord's glory. Well, really, it's His time. I just want to seek to honor Him fully and walk wisely.


Blessings in Christ,
Sarah

My amazing Turkey Soup adventure!!! :)

I enjoyed and was challenged by Hippie's post this week. I don't have any hard and fast "food rules" in my house... yet. I think one really strong place to start is 1 Corinthians 10:31:


"Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."

Wow. Think with me for a moment. Let's say that the average American lives to be 78. And from the time we're 3, let's just say we eat roughly 3 meals a day (though we all know it is usually much more than that!). By my very rough calculations (and not counting our baby sustenance): 76 years * 365 days per year * 3 meals per day = roughly 85,410 opportunities to glorify God through eating. As His child, what great joy do I have than to seize each and every opportunity to bring Him glory!

But I digress. Sort of. The point is this: I pray that this will be a year when I really start praying, focusing, and bringing God glory through the countless meals I prepare and consume. What about you?


Sorry for the long post today, but I had a triumph in the kitchen today which I just had to share. A homemade turkey soup, very low in oxalates, and perfect for a snowy/sleety day here in Memphis. And a triumph for me mainly because I didn't use a recipe! So it's all my own. It makes me smile.

Smiling with my pot of soup, the snowy scene behind me!

Here is a rough idea of my what I did and why. Skip it if you want-- At the bottom I will post a more concise recipe.

I cooked 1.5 cups of white rice in a large pot using chicken broth and water, according to package directions. White rice is not optimal, so if you do not have to consider oxalates, use brown! In the future I will most likely opt for barley which is one of the only whole grains that is also low in oxalates.

Meanwhile I chopped whichever aromatic veggies I wanted to use/happened to have. I used parsnips, onions, and carrots. The onion I basically diced, the carrots were baby carrots I just cut in half lengthwise, and the parsnips I cut in in little rings. If you don't already know, Parsnips look like fat white carrots. I chose them for a few reasons: 1) I had them leftover from another recipe. 2) They resemble carrots in shape and texture but add a different flavor. 3) As celery is not permitted on a low-oxalate diet, parsnips added a nice different flavor that is lacking without the celery.

While the rice was still cooking, I melted some butter with olive oil in a pan and started the veggies just to soften them a bit and give them flavor. I added about 2 cloves of minced garlic and a bit of salt and pepper. When the rice was almost done cooking, I added the veggies and filled the pot with more chicken broth. I had to use store-bough broth this time but definitely intend to use homemade as much as possible in the future.

For seasoning I added: rosemary, 1 bay leaf, some pepper, and I think that was it! No salt was really necessary as the broth and other stuff was already salted.

Finally, I added the package of turkey that I had frozen from the Thanksgiving leftovers. It was still pretty frozen in a block, but I just turned up the soup and let it defrost in the broth. I let it simmer while we played outside in the snow (!!!) and it was ready when we came in from the cold!

AHHH! What joy this little child brings us! And Daddy was home for a snow day, per his boss's suggestion. We enjoyed the snow.

Okay, back to the recipe. Things I love about this recipe:
1. I made it up.
2. I didn't have to buy anything extra: this was literally all leftover stuff or pantry staples.
3. It was delicious and perfect for snowy weather.
4. It was perfectly low in oxalates.

Things I would alter about this recipe:
1. Homemade broth instead of store bought.
2. Barley instead of white rice.
3. Organic items as available/affordable.

I have to say that I felt very nourished after this meal, and very accomplished for throwing it all together. The nice thing is that it is so simple, not at all overwhelming, and so incredibly satisfying!

So here is a more concise recipe (what I can come up with from what I did):

1-2 lbs of leftover turkey or chicken
1.5 cups rice, barley, or other grain cooked with broth and chicken
Carrots, baby, cut in half lengthwise
Parsnips, chopped
1 Onion, diced
1 Tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
Chicken or turkey broth, enough to fill your biggest pot
Rosemary to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
1 Bay leaf

Cook the rice or grain according to package directions using broth and water. Use your soup pot to save dishes! Meanwhile, prepare veggies (wash and cut). Saute veggies in frying pan with butter and olive oil on medium-high for a couple of minutes while the rice finishes up. When rice is cooked, add all the veggies directly to your soup pot. Add your meat and enough broth to fill up the pot. Sprinkle some rosemary (about a teaspoon of dried?), add bay leaf, and pepper to taste. Cook on medium-high until veggies are soft, then turn on low to simmer until you are ready to eat it!

Lastly, ENJOY!!!! And may it all be for the Lord's Great Glory!

Warm blessings,
Sarah

Worship Wednesday: the importance of morning

Let me hear Your lovingkindness in the morning;For I trust in You; Teach me the way in which I should walk; For to You I lift up my soul. Psalm 143:8


There is something about the morning and getting in tune with God. For me, it is crucial to do so. Typically, I need to do it before I do anything else in the day, though lately I have found it quite difficult to get up that early. Today I just couldn't.

Regardless, the morning is such a special time with the Lord. Scripture reaffirms this principle time and time again-- that his mercies are new every morning, that we are to seek Him in the morning, and so on. It's not that He changes as the day goes on. No, He stays the same- Praise Him! But we change, and not for the better.

If I don't start out seeking Him, the likelihood that I will seek Him later in the day is just not very great. I think it goes back to understanding our own tendency to sin... Though we have been made alive in Christ, we are still in our old bodies which are still sin factories, just ready to produce sin at any opportunity. The only way to keep that from happening? Dying to self first and constantly, and living to Christ alone.

So Lord, let me hear Your lovingkindness this morning. I trust in You. Teach me the way in which to walk. I lift up my soul to You.

That's how I worship today.

Worship Wednesday

Titus 2 instructs us, among other things, to be "pure."


I read in book once that CS Lewis once said, "The good man is sorry for the sins which have increased his need. He is not entirely sorry for the fresh need they have produced."

Today I will praise the Lord for His everlasting kindness and forgiveness. I need Him more today. Or at least, I am more aware of my need. While I'm not really sure about the truth of this quote, or even how Biblical it may be, I have to admit that true repentance and subsequent forgiveness are unmatched in their ability to keep me humbly seeking Him.

As Paul said, it's not like we're supposed to sin so that grace may abound (may it never be!). But instead of wallowing in the ways I frequently fail my God, I can look to Him and be awed by His glorious grace. The grace that washes away all sin- every unrighteousness- as He is making me more like Jesus. I can look to Him and trust that His forgiveness is complete and sufficient. I can cry out to Him, "change me!" and know that He is already in the process of doing just that.

That's why I worship Him today. He is worthy, beyond worthy, to be praised every moment of every day. That's just why I happen to be praising Him today.

Hallelujah to the God of abundant grace!

"He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us." Ephesians 1: 4-8a

Why are you worshiping today?

Yearn

Last week, our small group went to a Shane and Shane concert. If you haven't heard of them, get some of their music. Really. They are amazing.

holy design

this place in time

that i might seek and find my God

my God

Lord i want to yearn for You

i want to burn with passion

over You and only You

Lord i want to yearn

Your joy is mine

yet why am i fine

with all my singing and bringing grain

in light of Him

oh You give life and breath

through Him You give all things

in Him we live and move

that's why i sing

or this one... Vision of You:

Come meet us, King Jesus
Oh wind of change blow through this temple
Sweet Spirit of God, come and mend our hearts
For all we have are songs
Unless You come

Awaken what’s inside of me
Tune my heart to all You are in me
Even though You’re here God come
And may the vision of You
Be the death of me
And even though you’ve given everything
Jesus come

Come free us, King Jesus
It’s the only way that freedom’s given
From You and You alone
In the work You’ve already done
For all we have are songs,
Unless You come

Here we are, Lord
In this place
Crying out for
Your embrace
To hear Your voice
More than songs
Please come
Jesus come

Anyway, I'm up late tonight. Pondering. My heart is burning (and not from the mexican food we had for dinner). I am longing. I long for the church of Christ to rise up and be what He has called her to be. It's dangerous to think these thoughts, I know.

After the concert last week, I was praying this song. I WANT to yearn for Him. I want to burn with passion for Him- only Him! And uh oh, I think He is answering me. Those are dangerous prayers to pray. But they're true.

"May the vision of You be the death of me."

Oh man. Deep thoughts for a Tuesday night.

Hyper-Productivity

Last week was an amazingly productive week. My hubby said that I was scarily productive- intimidating to him, actually. Ha! All I have to say is that it was the Lord!

The biggest change in my week last week was that I got up each morning to be with Jesus before my day started. Since Holman usually wakes up around 6:15-6:30 for the day, my day had to begin earlier. My sweet husband took over getting the baby out of bed and visiting while I finished up... So I started my priority time around 5:45.

Let me just say that it wasn't easy... and it wasn't by my own strength. It was the Lord, faithfully sustaining me and giving me energy for each morning devotional. The time with Jesus made a marked difference in my attitude, time management, and productivity. Just ask Ryan!

The Lord blessed me in such a special way because of the time I spent with Him. I noticed such a huge difference in myself. The other huge difference in our week was that we intentionally spent much less time watching the television. You simply do not realize the hours that are sucked away by that t.v. until you intentionally do not watch it. We purposed not to watch TV except if we were really sitting down to watch one thing. We had so much more time!

This week is off to a pretty good start, but I am hoping tomorrow will be even better and more productive. On my to-do list:

1. Priority time
2. Run/walk with Holman and Bailey (I am training for a 5k!)
3. Prepare the house for Small Group
4. Trellis my peas
5. Ironing
6. Cook "killer beans" and corn on the cob to go with our cheeseburgers for small group. I got the recipe from my grandma! I will share it sometime soon.
7. Work on invitations for Sara Gentry's baby shower. They're expecting baby #2!
8. One load of laundry, start to finish

I figure if I write it out, maybe it will keep me on track tomorrow! I will report in on how I did.

Thanks for reading! I am so excited about what God is doing in my life, especially in energizing me for my home. I praise Him how He is able to refresh our spirits and remind us of our callings. My calling is here at home, and boy do I love it!