Saturday, March 31, 2012

lemons: lemonade or lemon bars?


The backyard is a large part of the reason we bought the house we are in - it has room for my kiddos to run around! Unfortunately, 2 trees were planted smack dab in the middle of it. One is a lemon tree of sorts and the other is an avocado. We have grand plans for where those trees currently reside and so they must come out. No biggie, until I stumbled across an irresistable lemon bar recipe. These bars are dangerous and must be distributed to friends and family shortly after they are made or they will be eaten by me and my husband within 2 days. A 9x13 pan of them - gone.So now, we are looking at losing that tree with in the next month as we proceed with the plans for the backyard and I find myself saddened by the thought of it being gone! Now mind you, I only like half the tree. One half has these delicious lemons (Meyer's, I believe) and the other half has these HUGE wrinkly lemon-like thingys that don't seem to be good for much. The branches for the huge wrinkly lemons have gigantic thorns. But I don't think we will be able to salvage just half the tree so, alas, I lose it all. However, I have every intention of planting a new lemon tree in a much better location on account of the absolute delicousness of these amazing lemon bars:

Today's gift of survival: The Best Lemon Bars (you can find the original recipe here). I found this recipe on allrecipes.com and was so pleased with them that I never looked for a different recipe. Plus this recipe has real butter in it. I like butter. A lot (yes, that is two words, my high school English teacher finally got that through to me).
Ingredients:
1 C butter, softened
1/2 C white sugar
2 C flour
4 eggs
1 1/2 C white sugar
1/4 C flour
2 lemons, juiced
powdered sugar for sprinkling

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl, blend together softened butter, 2 C flour, and 1/2 C sugar. Press into the bottom of an ungreased 9x13 pan.
3. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until firm and golden. In another bowl, whisk together the remaining 1 and 1/2 C sugar and 1/4 C flour. Whisk in the eggs and lemon juice. Pour over the baked crust.
4. Bake for an additional 20 minutes in the preheated oven. The bars will firm up as they cool. (I put them in the fridge for a bit). Sprinkle powdered sugar on top of the bars.
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I know this is just too easy of a follow up, but they say when life hands you lemons, make lemonade! I prefer to make lemon bars because the lemonade I like comes in a powdered form that I just mix with water and that's just fine with me.

But getting back to the point: It is easy to allow yourself to get frustrated, down in the dumps, grumpy and complainy (not a word, but you understand the meaning, I'm sure) when things don't go your way. But the phrase "giving thanks in all things" comes to mind. I know it's not fun to have someone tell you that the kids in Africa have it so much worse than you or that there are people which much worse diseases than the stomach flu that you are dealing with when you are in the midst of your own crisis and you should be grateful that you're not as bad off as them. And those perspectives are good to have. But I'm not sure that's what was meant by that phrase "giving thanks in all things."

I think that God is pushing us to look at the big picture. We are some fortunate folks, those of us who have been granted salvation (and by being "granted" I mean we asked and He gave). And if you are one who has accepted this incredible gift, our hearts should be FULL of gratitude ALL the time! Because some day, we aren't going to be on this earth, dealing with all the garbage that is thrown our way each day. No, the place we are headed is nothing like this old earth. And even in the midst of my hardest struggles, I have been able to smile simply knowing that this is not what God has planned for my future and I have something greater to look forward to.

(p.s. to this: Sometimes life here can really get you down. It's okay not to be happy in everything. It is a heart attitude that I am thinking of, one of gratitude despite the unhappiness of the situation. Of course, this is just my perspective...)

So, until that day, we will wade through it all, finding ways to survive the irritation of the neighbor's constantly barking dog, or that mess that appears in our child's wake in every single room, or the bird that left a gift in your hair, or the fender bender that happened in the parking lot, or... you fill in the blank. Who knows, maybe we can even find it within us to smile through it. I'm going to survive this rain that makes me grumpy by eating the best lemon bar with a great cup of coffee...


KC




Friday, March 30, 2012

stomach aches and facing fears

A month or so ago my oldest (she's 6.5) got a stomach bug. It was pretty tough on her. And the after effects lasted a week. This morning, the effects reared their ugly little heads in her and brought me back to my little kid years. This morning, my strong, confident girl had a bit of a stomach ache. That bit turned into tears as we approached school. The anxiety of going through the horribleness of that stomach bug again multiplied that little tummy ache into a gigantic monster of fear growing in her belly.

So what did I do? I took her home. Yes, I pay good money for my daughter to go to her school. I love and adore her teacher. I don't want her to miss a single thing at school. But I took her home because she was me. Anxiety and fears lived rampant in my little heart as a child. Probably stemming from my shyness. These anxieties showed themselves as stomach problems often through my elementary years. To the point where my parents took me took the doctors for tests and x-rays and such. I remember drinking chalky drinks and awful medicines. It was awful (and followed me up into my high school and college years - for many years I relied on Di-gel to cure all my stomach ailments).

So rather than force the issue with my little girl, I took her home. I fed her a couple cooked eggs (comfort food after sickness) and her very conscientious Daddy had a gentle little talk with her through her tears. Half an hour later, we hopped in the truck and drove back to school to have a belated start to a great Friday at school.

Today's gift of survival: Because of all that I went through as a child, I'm hoping that I can help my daughter avoid or at least learn how to cope with her fears. I wouldn't say that we ran away from her fears today. But we listened to them and gave them validity. I'm sure there are some who would disagree with how I handled this morning, but I can tell you this: my little girl walked into school confident and feeling good rather than nervous and sick to her stomach. And you know what? I feel okay with that decision.

There's a verse in the Bible that tells us that God is not going to give us more than we can handle here on this crazy, sometimes scary planet we live on. I think the best part is knowing that whatever it is that life throws at us, no matter how hard it is thrown at us, we don't have to handle it by ourselves. We have a heavenly Father standing right next to us with a catcher's mitt. He'll help us catch it instead of letting it hit us smack in the face (another fear as a kid playing catcher... another story).

So how, exactly, does He do that? Well, in my toughest of times, I have found myself immersed in His word. And our conversations are much more frequent. Almost constant. Even little prayers here while I'm driving and there when I'm feeling overwhelmed. Sometimes, in the evening, through my toughest trials I would step outside, stare at the stars and cry. He saw me, He knew what I was asking for, and I didn't have to say a word. And on the back side of things, my relationship with my Father has grown because we have spent so much time together walking and talking.

It has been said that wisdom is gained when you walk through the trials of this life. It's no wonder because of the amount of time spent with the Lord. So be careful when you ask for wisdom because often times you've got to walk through trials to gain it. But I guarantee that it'll be worth it on the backside.

Thursday, March 29, 2012

garage sales and satisfaction


Today's coffee is brought to you by a Campbell's Tomato Soup mug. Which leads right into pretty much my favorite topic: garage sales!! Oh, the treasures that I find! The thrill of the hunt. The potential projects. The endless possibilities! Can you tell I'm passionate about garage sales?!






I come from a long line of garage salers. Well, my Mom and Dad, anyway. I don't really have any special memories associated with the brand new store-bought gifts that I received, but when my mom stopped by a garage sale, the gifts she came home with were AWEsome! I remember this heavy old baton that I tried and tried to learn how to twirl. Dreams were created with that baton! Another time she brought home a big bag of Barbies with clothes - some of the Barbies even had custom hair cuts. And the stuffed animals!! Each one that I got had a special name and a special place in my heart, especially the really soft ones. (I think I passed my passion for stuffed animals onto my daughter: her floor is covered with them.)


Today's gift of survival: We moved into our new house about 5 months ago. Decorating and re-decorating is constant around here. But it has made me realize how much of my house is filled with items that I have treasure-hunted for. A dear friend walked into my house once and commented on how much she liked the way I had decorated. She said it made it comfortable, homey. That comment alone changed my house from a place filled with junk, to a home I take pride in.



As I find myself in need of specific types of furniture to fit in this new house, I don't usually search the stores. I frequent garage sales, thrift stores, Craigslist, and garage sale posts on Facebook. The items I find are usually one of a kind. I can't tell you how many times someone has said, "I love that chair, or toy box, or end table - where'd you get it?" More often than not, the answer is "a garage sale!" I used to respond sheepishly, but have since taken a bit more pride because there is no shame in having unique pieces of furniture in my house!




I have learned that life here on earth is not really about who has the most or who has the best. It is being satisfied with what God has blessed you with. You see, I have a mansion reserved for me up in heaven, filled with the best of the best. I don't know exactly what that means up in heaven - it probably looks a lot different than the best of the best here on earth. And that's fine with me. I trust that God's got some pretty amazing things in heaven, and I know it's better than what's here on earth. But until that day when I move into my heavenly mansion, I will find joy here among all my garage sale treasures that make this house home.

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

moments and meals

As I was awakened (before my alarm went off) this morning by my son crying from his bed, I got up to discover a soaked boy and a soaked bed. I whisked my boy out of his pjs and into dry clothes and added "clean L's sheets" to my mental list of things to do today. We crawled back into my bed for a few precious moments of snuggle time before my alarm actually did go off, and I treasured him for a bit as his face was aglow, playing some sort of kid games on my iphone.

I grab those moments and hold on tight, because in a few minutes, lif
e, crazy life begins and there is little time to slow down. I touch his hair, I tap on his nose, I smile back at the little grin thrown my way, and I even enjoy the tapping of his feet on my legs as he is antsy to get up and get going. The alarm goes off and I hit snooze, hoping for a few more minutes, knowing that I must get up... so I do.

In the busy-ness of the day, God has found a little corner of peace and quiet to meet with me. After J is at school and L is busy playing around the house, I sit down with a simple breakfast and a delicious cup of coffee at my well-loved and well-worn kitchen table. I scroll through facebook on my phone until I come to Proverbs 31 Ministries. I spend some time letting other women of the Lord guide me and encourage me through the walks they have taken with our Father. As I finish my breakfast, I spend a bit of time asking God (sometimes pleading) for a bit of help to make it through the day. Then I fill that Strawberry Shortcake coffee mug up with creamer, add a bit of coffee and with my second cup of coffee, I'm ready to face the day head on!!


Today's gift of survival: Two dear sister-in-laws and a dear friend came over this morning and within 2 hours we
had made four meals for each of us to take home (total of 16 meals!) These pans of deliciousness went directly into my freezer just waiting to make my life easier this week and next. We've been doing this for just about a month now and it has taken SO much stress out of my routine. When I get groceries, I shop for 1 meal (4 times the ingredients). When I write out my menu for the week, I look in my freezer and plan accordingly. I no longer think about dinner 30 minutes prior to when we plan on eating. I think about it in the morning and either throw it in the crock pot or pull a meal out to defrost. At dinner time, we follow the delicious smells wafting through the house back to the crock pot, or I turn on the oven, pop in the meal, and 30 minutes later: voila! dinner! (Today's meal-making menu, just to make your mouth water, included Teriyaki chicken, Salisbury Steak with a mushroom sauce over egg noodles, Rotini with chicken in a creamy Alfredo sauce, and Bowtie Pasta and chicken with Pesto sauce).

Additional benefits: Uplifting and encouraging conversation among Christian women while we make our meals. New recipes to try without having to put a lot of thought into it. Children eating things they
haven't eaten before (I honestly have no idea why this is happening, except for maybe knowing that this was created by someone other than their mother makes it SOOO much better). Less temptation to go out to eat simply because I have a freezer full of yummy food! When I hear of a family in need of dinner brought to them, guess what? my freezer's got a bunch of great options. Leftovers for hubby to take to work and for me to have for lunch the next day. And four happy women who don't have to think about dinner 4 times this week. Amazing, simply amazing. Why did I not put this plan into action sooner?

After a busy, and satisfying day, I find myself again treasuring the moments like this evening as I hear the mumblings of my children reading their books upstairs before they fall asleep (soon to be interrupted by requests for a drink of water or music to fall asleep to or fear of the non-existent monsters under the bed...)