A Few of My Favorite Things

(1) My deck: which I miss so much!



(2) Insulated Starbucks cup: which I got for Christmas from the Fullens!




(3) My bike: which I also miss so much!



(4) Pampered Chef batter bowls: one of my best purchases ever. I use them all the time.



(5) "For Every Body" candles from Kohls: as good as Yankees but half the price!




(6) Coffee Grinder: I didn't know coffee was supposed to taste this good! (last year's Christmas present from the Fullens!)




(7) Tongs with silicone tips: I use them for everything!




(8) Ball stackable freezer containers: from freezer to lunch.




(9) Fridge water dispenser: LOVE this handy-dandy dispenser from Walmart. I'm drinking more water because of it!




(10) Snow!




(11) Magnetic Knife Rack: Target



(12) Sea Salt Hand Scrubs: my guilty pleasure. Bought this one at Wegmans but so far I've liked all the brands I've tried.



(13) My iPhone: I know, I know. You've heard it before.

The Other Half

After making the recipe in my previous post, I had a half of a cooked spaghetti squash leftover. Tonight I mixed it with...

onion and garlic sauted in olive oil
sliced turkey kielbasa browned in above
1 can italian diced tomatoes
garlic salt
topped with parmesan

Oh my yummmmm!!

I also discovered a unique way to bake spaghetti squash casseroles. Right in the shells! Neat, huh?

After hearing everyone's horror stories of crowded stores today, I was surprised by the emptiness of Weis. In and out with no problem.

Few of the best deals:
Whole Roaster Chicken: $4.50 (my Christmas dinner!)
Poinsettias: $3 (didn't buy any but wanted to let everyone know!)
Clementines: $4.99 (lowest price I've ever seen!)

Watching a fourth version of "A Christmas Carol" at the moment. Never tire of this story. Wish I had the book to read on Christmas day.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Today's Menu

You probably know I have Type II diabetes. Not proud of it. I don't usually check my levels but decided to this past week. Yikes...they've never been so consistently high. If my Dr knew the numbers he'd probably be doing something drastic, quickly.

You probably know I love to cook. But I've grown tired of my normal recipes. So I decided to look for some new ones. I LOVE allrecipes.com. You really can cook tasty, healthy food if you work at it. It's all about using spices and zesty vegetables (onions, garlic, peppers, etc). I'm just usually too lazy to bother.

So I'm going to try this tonight because I have most of the ingredients on hand. I'll let you know the result. Do you think this would freeze well? Should I also try the "Mock Coconut Pie" made with spaghetti squash?

Baked Spaghetti Squash Casserole

Ingredients
• 1 spaghetti squash, halved and seeded
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1/2 cup diced green bell pepper
• 1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
• 1/4 cup diced red onion
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can Italian-style diced tomatoes, drained
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 1/4 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. Place squash on a baking sheet, and bake 40 minutes, or until tender. Remove from heat, cool, and shred pulp with a fork.
3. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a casserole dish.
4. In a skillet over medium heat, cook the ground beef until evenly brown. Drain, and mix in the green pepper, red pepper, red onion, and garlic. Continue to cook and stir until vegetables are tender.
5. Mix the shredded squash and tomatoes into the skillet, and season with oregano, basil, salt, and pepper. Cook and stir until heated through. Remove skillet from heat, and mix in 2 cups cheese until melted. Transfer to the prepared casserole dish.
6. Bake 25 minutes in the preheated oven. Sprinkle with remaining cheese, and continue baking 5 minutes, until cheese is melted.

What a Hump Day

I know this is painfully long. But if you want to hear how I made a complete fool of myself, you'll want to read on.

I write for a read thru the Bible blog. A month ago I decided to write all three of my December posts so I wouldn't have to think about it during the holidays. Good intentions but I didn't quite complete the goal. Instead, I started the one that was supposed to post today, completely set it up but didn't finish it. Had every intention of getting back to it. I didn't forget about it. Remember this was a month ago. Bear with me.

The post was on the entire book of James. So all I wrote (a month ago!) was, "James is a book full of rich truths in every verse. It is impossible to do it justice in one day."

So yesterday I knew that I had to finish the post. It was written on my to-do list and I had my phone setup to shout reminders to me. I didn't forget. Well, until it was 8pm and I was still at work. I had woke up yesterday morning with this...


By 8pm it was really bothering me, even causing pain in my head. So I went to shut down my laptop and pack up my office and my computer wouldn't turn off...just sat there spinning. I finally decided, "I really don't need to take it with me (uh huh). I'll just let the battery die and reboot tomorrow." You know where this is going.

I go home and it never even crosses my mind all evening that I had forgotten to post. I went to bed looking forward to closing my eye(s). At midnight my phone alarm goes off..."BLOG POST"...AAAAAHHHH! One minor detail I left out was that posts must be completed by 4am so that West coast readers can see them in their morning hours. So here it is midnight, I realize I have 4 hours to finish the post and I don't have my computer (no, I don't have a computer at home). I realize there is nothing I can do about it and it really isn't the end of the world. So I adjust my alarm to get up a bit earlier so I can get to the office to post as soon as possible. Sorry, West Coast.

I wake up in the morning and my eye is now swollen and crusting. Yep, pretty sure I had pink eye. I also had two other physical symptoms but I'll spare you the details. Let's just say, I was feeling like crap. I get to the office by 8am and I boot up the computer...no problems. Until I read an email from a friend/pilot/fellow blog writer named Paul. He wrote, "??? Was that intentional? Either way, it made me laugh! I'm in Tampa. Be home later today. We'll talk." I immediately wondered what in the world he was talking about. How could he have read my post when I hadn't pos..............AHHHHHHHH! (for the second time that morning!). A month ago when I setup that post I had even scheduled it! Meaning that it automatically posted at 4am this morning even though it wasn't finished. And remember what it said?...

"James is a book full of rich truths in every verse. It is impossible to do it justice in one day." Period. That's all. Out there for everyone to see.

Well, I don't know if anyone on the West Coast read it but it certainly gave Paul a good laugh. I quickly "unposted" and set to work on finishing it. But first I shot Paul a quick email saying, "Computer issues, pink eye, female issues, intestinal issues...need I go on??? What I really want to say is, 'Shut up! You're in Tampa!' :P"

post finished. scheduled at 9:20am. done. sigh.

Now I was free to address the eye issue. Dr says it's not pink eye but he wasn't sure what it was. Said I had an abrasion and infection. But it's treated the same as pink eye anyway. So to end my Hump Day, I head to the pharmacy after work this evening to pick up my prescription that was called in at noon. They don't have it...out of stock but it will be in tomorrow afternoon. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? DON'T YOU OWN A PHONE? YOU COULDN'T CALL ME TO TELL ME THIS SO I COULD GET IT SOMEWHERE ELSE?

I leave for PA tomorrow and will just have to hope they have it in time. I was about to post a plea on facebook asking if anyone has drops on hand when a friend texted me and asked if I needed drops!

Happy Hump Day to me!

"We Need to Talk"

A friend and I were talking about that dreaded phrase this morning. She's a principal and hears it from both teachers and parents. In my world it comes from volunteers, team members, family or coworkers. It never means anything good, does it?

I told her that I wondered if it's possible to change the trend. What if every time WE said, "We need to talk", that our talk contained nothing but praise, encouragement and appreciation. After awhile those who worked with us might actually look forward to the phrase instead of dreading it.

My friend even took the effectiveness one step further. She said if she took the time to call a parent to simply rave about their child, the number of "We need to talk"s may actually decrease! The power of the positive is so effective yet we tend to under-utilize it.

I'm hoping I can prevent "We need to talk"s this coming year.

Revision...

Make that five headaches in a week. I've decided to do something I vowed I'd never do...get a massage.

A Week in Review

• Totally enjoyed last weekend's snowfall. My neighborhood was incredibly beautiful.
• Was blown away by last week's message on Atonement. God's plan is mind boggling.
• Wrapped loads of presents for two families this week...11 kids worth. Backache.
• Spent four hours on Friday organizing the food pantry and bagging Christmas meals at NESAP. I'm totally hooked on this new found love. Had to force myself to stop. I apologize in advance for future posts repeatedly raving about this hobby.
  
• Saw Disney's "A Christmas Carol" in 3D last night. Very awesome. Ate too much popcorn which wasn't even good.
  
• Made pretzel kisses for a cookie exchange tomorrow.
  
• Made two more batches of Baked Oatmeal (see below). Gave one away.
  
• Attended a Christmas brunch this morning to meet a Moroccan woman. She never showed but we had a great time regardless.
• Have had four headaches in a week.
  
• DRYER FIXED!!! Doing laundry tonight at home for the first time in a month.
• Garbage disposal fixed, too!
• Made a return at Kohls. Wasn't in the mood to shop so didn't buy a thing.
• Was doubly blown away by tonight's message at LifePoint, Part Two of Atonement.
• Watching "It's a Wonderful Life."
  
• Praying for snow.
• Would love a Starbucks right now.
  

It's Beginning to Smell a Lot Like Christmas

Bing's White Christmas
Tree lit
Candles burning
Presents wrapped under the tree
Snow covered lawn

The perfect setting for some holiday baking.


I've been craving warm chocolate chip cookies but really don't want a whole batch sitting around the house. But a friend, who is a mother of seven, is stopping by this afternoon (to drop off her kids' presents so I can wrap them!!!!). So I decided to whip up a batch of tollhouse this morning so I can send most (but not all) of them home with her.

As they were baking, I started cleaning out a cupboard and came across a container of oatmeal that was almost empty. Oooooooo! While the oven is hot, I'll whip up some Baked Oatmeal! If you've never had it, you are missing out on a wonderful Lancaster County comfort food. It is like a crumbly cake that you serve warm with fruit and milk for breakfast. Suggestions: raisins, apples, peaches, cinnamon, blueberries, etc. Great for Christmas morning. My favorite is peaches (with some of the juice, of course) covered in milk and warmed in the microwave.

Bing's White Christmas
Tree lit
Candles burning
Presents wrapped under the tree
Snow covered lawn
AND FRESH BAKING SMELLS...

...the recipe for a perfect Tuesday. Now off to work.


Baked Oatmeal

1/2 c oil
2 eggs
1 t cinnamon
2 t baking powder
1 t salt
1 c milk
1 c brown sugar
3 c oats

Mix all ingredients. Pour into 8x8 pan. Bake 350 for 30 minutes.

Thanking God for YOU

There has been a plethora of thankfulness filling the web waves this week. I, too, wanted to start this day by pausing to reflect. I've been thinking about the themes I've seen others post: gratitude, thankfulness, gratefulness, attitude. The discussions usually include a form of the word "choice" such as, "Thankfulness is choosing to have a grateful attitude."

For the past few weeks I've chosen to post daily gratitudes on my fb wall. It has been a tremendous exercise which has truly affected my attitude. I shouldn't keep this idea exclusively for November. I think the word "blessed" is so overused in America and the church. But it is the only word I can think of to use today. I am truly blessed. Above and beyond.

My day's agenda is to decorate my house for Christmas then devour a Thanksgiving meal this evening at the home of friends. I wish I could see all the people I love today and wish them all a HUGE Thanksgiving wish and let them know how thankful and blessed I am to have them in my life. Instead I'll settle for wishing you, my small but faithful blog audience, a very wonderful day of giving thanks. May you choose to be thankful the remaining 364 days of the year as well.

A Lesson in Perspective

The past few months God has been poking and prodding. The messages? Do something beyond yourself, get out of your bubble, use your time, use your gifts, you have too much, you are under-utilizing what I've given you. At MOPS I shared this journey that I've been on and how I've been convicted in these areas. But I admitted to the moms that I hadn't found that "thing" yet...what God was specifically calling me to do.

I think I discovered it today.

There is an organization in my neighborhood that assists families in need. I can actually walk to it (or bike to it!). I've known about it for years and tell people about it and have even dropped off donations when I've cleaned out my closets. But I've never gone IN to volunteer. Until today.

In the basement they house their food pantry. It was an organizer's paradise! They already have a great system in place and are running things very efficiently. But with the two seasons of giving approaching, they were inundated with food donations today. I set to work. Too much detail to go into here. That's not the point of this post (I'll share info with you if you want to know).

I spent 2.5 hrs in my element. I felt like it was only an hour. They actually had to MAKE me leave because they were closing but I didn't want to stop. While there, several families arrived and were given food. I saw need. I saw gratefulness. I saw mercy. I saw care. I saw appreciation. I saw giving. I saw selflessness. I saw Jesus.

I came home and turned on the Food Network. Ironic, I know. As I merged back into my way of life I began seeing things through different eyes. I saw excess. I saw want. I saw waste. I saw extravagance. I saw frills. I saw selfishness. I saw me.

This incredible lesson in perspective emerged. How much different would my life be if I spent more time with those who have less rather than those who have more? Years ago a friend told me that when the Parade of Homes was scheduled in his town (a tour of incredibly beautiful mansions in your area) instead of attending the Parade, he would take his family on a drive through the poorest section of a nearby city. Wow! Talk about perspective! But I could totally see his point. I attended a Parade of Homes once and I found myself wanting MORE. Wish I had that, go out and buy this, I need that, etc. It was sickening. What if I saw how those who have so much less than I lived? Instead of wanting more, I'd be embarrassed at how much I already have.

Perspective. Who you hang around really does affect you.

I can't wait to go back to NESAP tomorrow. And Wednesday. Wish they were open on Thanksgiving.

Almost One!

Copy and Paste

I write for a read-thru-the-Bible-in-a-year blog here. Today's post was so convicting to me I thought I'd duplicate it here.

Scripture:

"I too was convinced that I ought to do all that was possible to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth. And that is just what I did in Jerusalem. On the authority of the chief priests I put many of the saints in prison, and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. Many a time I went from one synagogue to another to have them punished, and I tried to force them to blaspheme. In my obsession against them, I even went to foreign cities to persecute them." (Acts 26:9-11 NIV)

Observation:

I'm not sure I ever realized the full extent of Paul's bloody past. Traveling from synagogue to synagogue looking for Christians to kill? Going to foreign cities with the intent to murder? He definitely was passionate about his cause. It sounds like he wouldn't let anything hold him back.

Therefore, his conversion was all the more incredible. How could a person do a complete 180 so quickly? One day he's slaughtering Christians, the next day he's championing them. Now that's unheard of transformation! Something so completely impossible to do with our limited human capacity. This had to be a supernatural, divine change of heart.

Application:

I think that we spend a lot of time "waiting" for transformation... depending on a "process" that takes time. We talk about baby steps and "time heals" and a gradual learning process. How many times have I heard and even said, "It's a process. Take one step at a time and God will teach you." I know all those have been tested and proven and I've personally experienced areas of healing through slow painful processes. So, yes, they're tried and true. And sometimes they work.

But why don't we ever expect complete, instant transformations? If God could instantly turn a cold blooded murder into a passionate cause for Christ, can't He do similar 180s today? Can't He remove my addictions instantly? Can't He heal my illness completely with no residual symptoms? Have we limited God? Maybe we expect too little. Maybe we ask for too little. Maybe we've become so accustomed and comfortbable with "the process" that we've neglected the Provider. Maybe we don't want to be transformed.

Prayer:

God, You are a God of miracles. You can breathe life back into a dead man. You could destroy this entire planet with a word if You willed. You are powerful. Yet I don't expect Your power in my life. I don't ask for Your miracles. I settle for human ways instead of expecting Your supernatural power to transform me. I'm sorry, God, for not permitting Your power to change me and thus be a testimony to Your greatness. Show me areas today that only Your incredible transforming power can change in me. Amen.

simply spoken (that would be me)

Catalyzed

Some of our staff attend this conference yesterday. Here are some of my main take-aways:

• How do we exist in the tension between staying current and staying committed to a vision that is being effective?
• Overactive management is a momentum stopper. Managing to sameness and predictability stifles momentum.
• Don't fund mediocrity. "Is this a significant improvement over what we've done before?"
• We can reach more by doing fewer things well.
• Find someone one or two steps ahead of you and learn how they THINK, not what they do.
• What have we fallen in love with that's really not as effective as it used to be?
  
• Over time, sustaining the model can become the mission.
  
• Date your program, marry your mission.
• "If we got kicked out and the board brought in a new CEO, what would he or she do? Why shouldn't we walk out the door, come back in and do it ourselves?" - Only the Paranoid Survive by Andy Grove.

Be Careful What You're Thankful For

At a friend's suggestion (it's going around on facebook), I've been posting something that I'm thankful for each day during the month of November.

This morning I saw a man standing in the rain as he removed his laundry from a clothesline. I decided that today's post should be "I'm thankful for my washer and dryer."

I'm sure you've guess where this is going. I came home, sorted three loads and got started. I just went down to remove the "dry" load only to discover it sitting in the dryer still wet. The dryer runs but the tub doesn't rotate. I now have two loads of wet clothes sitting in my basement. Which, btw, are needed before church tonight!

I hope that guy is thankful for his clothesline.

Not My Normal Friday

I had a very important medical appointment scheduled for 9:4o this morning and the Dr's office is about an hour away. I woke with a migraine, downed 2 Excedrin Migraine, dragged myself to get ready and left by 8:45. So far, so "good."

I got out to Rt 30 and got stuck behind a flatbed truck. One of the features that I love about the new Rt 3o traffic circles is that they are two lanes wide. So as the truck and I approached the circle I considered passing it. But I decided there was no real reason to...he wasn't driving too slowly and I wasn't running late. So I let him merge in front of me and continued to follow him on Rt 30.

About a half a mile later, it happened. The truck and I came to a ridge at a top of a hill and the cars in front of us had, unknown to us, slammed on their brakes for some reason. There was nothing we could do. The truck slammed on its brakes sending smoke and rubber flying as it crashed into a small white car. I slammed on my brakes, sending the contents of my car flying forward. As the truck swerved to the right into a lawn, I swerved to the left to miss both vehicles. An oncoming car had already swerved onto the shoulder so I had room to pass through and avoid the entire accident. Unbelievable! On the lawn where the truck landed were two little girls screaming their heads off as they were chasing the cause of the accident...

Yes, their stray dachshund donning a green coat was darting back and forth in traffic. Not kidding.

I pulled over to make sure everyone was alright and to wait for the police so I could offer to be a witness. The girls caught their dog and ran to their house. I never saw them again. I waited for about 15 minutes but when the police still hadn't arrived I told the men involved that I really needed to go. I left them my name and number if needed but I never got a call.

I got in my car, checked my phone and discovered a sweet message from a friend saying she was thinking about me (thanks, friend!). I headed to my appointment knowing I was now going to be cutting it close. As I replayed the accident in my mind (with my headache now raging) it dawned on me. If I had passed that truck at the traffic circle, I would have been the one to rear end the white car and I mostly likely would have been hit by the truck from behind. There was no way the truck could have stopped in time to avoid hitting me. I would have been sandwiched between the white car and the truck. Now I was shaking.

I turned onto Rt 91 and got stuck behind a John Deere tractor. Good grief. He turned shortly.

I approached Rt 32 in Gamber and a cop was following me. Now I had to drive slowly! Time to call the Dr's office. I explained, they understood and told me to take my time.

On Rt 32 in Howard Co I sat in construction...not moving. By this time I had "given up"...there was nothing I could do, everything was out of my control so I might as well be calm about it all.

I arrived only 15 minutes late.
I survived the medical procedure.
And I lived another day to tell about it.

And I'm still not a dog-lover.

Vacation, October '09

Disclaimer: Kathleen took these photos (except for the one blurry fishermen one which is from my phone).


The view from "our" house at sunset.







A day at Assateague Island:


Ocean City, MD. Have you ever seen it so deserted?! We rode out onto a fishing pier.




We really DID bike a lot. Just didn't get pics!