Wednesday in the Word: Look Up

 

I’m back with another nugget I learned from my study on Acts. SO MUCH goodness in this book. So many rich lessons.

                This week I read the story of Stephen, who is known as the first martyr for the Christian faith. It’s a hard piece to read, but this one part just hit me the moment I saw the words on the page.

                In the moment just before he was killed, it says that Stephen gazed into Heaven and saw the glory of God.

                With all the chaos around him, he looked up. With all the emotions swirling inside, he looked up.

                Our study book, written by Erica Wiggenhorn, said this of those around Stephen: If only they had looked up. Think of what they missed. Where is your gaze resting today, friend? Are you looking at the crowd? Your circumstances? Or are you looking to Jesus?

                I do not want to miss anything. Our lives right now are noisy – from good and hard noises – and I don’t want to be so consumed with those things that I miss out on looking up.

                I’ve actually been trying to remind myself to physically look up to remind myself to keep my focus on Christ. Sometimes that happens more easily than others, but I’m working on it.

                So that’s my thought to share with you today. Look up. Life feeling noisy? Look up.

Tuesday Tales: Reunions for Days, Part 1

 

Several months ago…maybe even a year ago??...I saw that my high school class reunion was going to be held this past Saturday. I put the date on the calendar, and then a couple of months ago, Ryan received an invitation to his family reunion on the same day. Of course! Why wouldn’t they both be on the same day out of all the days in the year? 😊

                With some creative scheduling and a generous friend who loves our Lexi Grae, we were able to make it to both reunions, so today I thought I’d give you a little peek at the family reunion.

                Ryan’s mom was the consummate planner, and when she was alive, holiday gatherings happened regularly – including the entire extended family. They gathered at Father’s Day and again at Christmas, and Ryan loved being able to meet up with this side of the family. After her passing, those larger, extended gatherings stopped. Until now.

                One of Ryan’s cousins, who lives down near Indianapolis, hosted this event, and we enjoyed getting to see their pretty house!

                If Ryan’s mom had been there, we would have had about 100 pictures taken – including a group photo – but I did not get quite that brave. Here’s what I can offer you, though!

                This was a pitch-in meal, and we really wanted to take some nice healthy food, but alas, when you’re going to be on the road for about twelve hours with no way to properly refrigerate, healthy food is hard. So we just dug into the recipe archives and took some fun treats we never get to have anymore.

                Turns out I still know how to make Peanut Butter Chocolate Deliciousness and Halloween Party Mix!

                We had a gorgeous day for our drive to this reunion. Took us about two hours to get there, and we had fun on the way!

                Here is Ryan with his cousin, Kevin. When we lived in Kokomo, we went to the same church, and when I worked in the church office, I got to hang out with Kevin a lot, because he worked part-time at the church in addition to his job at the fire station.

                Ryan and his Uncle Dave. Uncle Dave is one of Nita’s brothers, and he recently retired from pastoral ministry.

                I had to find some friends for a picture, too! This is Kevin’s wife (Debbie) and Ryan’s cousin, April. Both of them, along with the rest of Ryan’s family, have been so sweet to welcome me in as a part of the family!

                I love this picture of Ryan talking to Aunt Ruthie – his mom’s sister. We haven’t seen her in a long time!

                I took this picture to show to my mom. This is one of Ryan’s cousins, and when he was just a toddler, my mom taught him in Sunday School. He has grown up to be a fantastic young man, and every time I see him, he asks about Mom and Dad. So I asked him if we could get a picture, and Mom was excited to see him!

                We both had to get a picture with Aunt Ruthie!

                The reunion really was a lot of fun. We enjoyed the food and all the family we don’t get to see too often, because we live a distance from most of them!

                Come back on Thursday and check out the class reunion fun!

Menu Monday: Nourishing Body and Soul

 

                Welcome to another strange week of dinner ideas!! (Boy that’s inspiring, isn’t it??)

Monday: Cobb-ish Salad

I forgot to boil eggs, and to be honest, I’m not sure what it is about a cobb salad that makes it cobb. Is it the egg? If so, then this was a fail. But it was so good. I air fried chicken thighs (because Ryan loves them) and added mixed greens, cherry tomatoes, avocado, and pepitas. So good!

Tuesday: Chicken and Broccoli Sheet Pan

This was a fast, easy dinner. I used two bags of frozen broccoli and some boneless skinless chicken tenders and baked them on a sheet pan for about a half hour. I used to really love this combo, but it’s not hitting the mark for me right now. Anyone else go through seasons when food just kind of falls flat, even I it’s something you used to love?

Wednesday: Ground Turkey and Bell Peppers with a Side Salad

This is an easy meal. Ground turkey with Italian seasoning…chopped bell peppers…cooked on the stove top! I added a little side salad of spinach and chopped peppers. Easy and good! (The meal also made a bunch, so we were able to have leftovers several times.)

Thursday: Fajitas!!

I actually never ate dinner on Thursday, so let me tell you about my lunch! I ate out at a Mexican restaurant with a friend, and I ordered chicken fajitas. I love arroz con pollo at a Mexican restaurant, but I know all the cheese and rice isn’t great for me, so fajitas for the win!

Friday: Leftover Ground Turkey and Bell Peppers

Told you this was great for leftovers!

Saturday: Chicken and Green Beans

UTTERLY failed to take a picture of this one. I was at my class reunion, which was catered, and I totally forgot to take a picture of my plate. I had chicken breast with green beans and a little bit of salad.

Sunday: Grilled Fish and Steamed Green Beans

Big thanks to Ryan for grilling up a bunch of fish for us so we could eat for a few days! So tasty. Grilled tilapia is about the only kind of fish I can handle!

Sunday Scrapbook: Moments from the Week

 

Good morning on this last Sunday in September! (HOW?!?!?) Ryan and I had a long, full, fun day yesterday that I’ll tell you more about as the week goes on, but we came home with full hearts last night! Here’s a quick look at our week and some of our favorite moments!

                Last Sunday I had the most glorious afternoon catching up on some hard-core scrapbooking. I’ve been doing a pretty good job of keeping up with our day-to-day adventures, but I had gotten behind on some of the detail work of the books: like proofreading and finishing touches. I spent all afternoon working on that, and it filled my heart with joy!

                Monday evening was the ONLY evening that Ryan and I had at home together this entire week. It was kind of gross outside, so we couldn’t go for a walk. We just sat and enjoyed being together in the same room, watching football (him) and reading (me). By the end of the week, I really wished for another day like this one so I could spend more time with him!

                Ryan had to work late on Tuesday to help with a special dinner at Swiss Village. I worked hard at home, baking bread, making some meals ahead, and I even cleaned up the entire kitchen, so it would be nice and sparkly when Ryan came home. (Usually I cook and he cleans, but I knew he’d be worn out from a long day when he came home, so I wanted to surprise him with a clean kitchen.)

                We had another long day on Wednesday – but I enjoyed a small break in the afternoon when I went to visit Mom and Dad. Dad was asleep, but I talked Mom into going to the ice cream activity in the dining room, and she ended up having a fun time seeing people she doesn’t often get to see (because they all have moved to different areas).

                My longest day was Thursday. I worked from 8 a.m. to about 9:30 p.m. and was kind of a cranky, tired, decaffeinated mess when I came home. But I would have been a MORE decaffeinated mess had one of the sweet ladies in my Bible study not popped by the church to drop off THIS beautiful gift for me!! What a sweet gesture!

                Friday I drove to Marion to attend a funeral and support one of my friends in her time of loss. It was a beautiful service, and I was so glad I went. While I did that, Ryan was assisting with a cinnamon roll demonstration at work. His job really IS “other duties as assigned!”

                Yesterday we went to TWO reunions! We started out at Ryan’s family reunion and ended up with my high school class reunion – with some errands completed in between the two. It was a good day, and the bonus? Lexi had the time of her life with her sitters, who completely spoiled her, by the way!

Saturday Suggestions: Inspirations for Your Weekend

 

                Thank you so much for your kindness and texts yesterday as I took a day to collect my thoughts. Yesterday was a better day. Today is a BIG day, and I can’t wait to tell you more about it next week! Meanwhile…here are some links for your Saturday.

I love a good buffet setup. In our current home, we often serve food buffet-style to groups, because we like to maximize the space on the table for actual eating! While we typically keep that buffet presentation simple at our house (because we’re using our everyday countertops), here are some cute ways to have an adorable buffet presentation. So if you’re setting up a proper party somewhere, this might help you keep it amazing! Several of the ideas incorporate DIY, so if you don’t own a bunch of fancy serving pieces, that’s okay!

I love the original Little House on the Prairie, and one of my favorite characters was Albert. I know he is a controversial character for some, since he wasn’t in the books, but I loved him (and possibly had a crush on the actor back in the day). I ran across this tiny interview that tells how Albert’s character even came to be. I’d never heard this before!

I know that when it comes to house décor, we are pretty deep into fall already, but if you haven’t decorated yet, and/or you feel like you need to add a mid-season refresh, Heidi has some simple ideas for your kitchen!

I love a good hymn on the piano, and that phrase is not usually followed by “and this sure was a funny one!” But I happened upon this rendition of the hymn “He Keeps Me Singing,” played in the style of various composers. It made me smile – and jealous of his talent!

Brooke’s blog is based on petite fashion, and even though I’m not petite, I like her style and enjoy seeing her outfit ideas. In this post, she styles one (very cute!!) dress multiple ways. It’s a good fall inspiration, so if you’re looking for some ideas, here you go!

Have you heard of these Advent boxes? They are higher in price than I would normally spend for an Advent calendar, but I think it’s really cool to be able to sample treats from local places. They have them for most states, some regions, and even adventures like Route 66. It could be a really fun and different sort of Christmas adventure! I drooled over the Indiana box, by the way.

Friday Fun: Out of Office

 

It’s not often that I have to pull one of these days…but I am doing it today.

                Yesterday was a long one. I left home at 7:30 in the morning and didn’t get back until after 10 p.m. I was an unraveled, crying mess by the time I got home, and even though I’ve been sitting here staring at this page for a while, I don’t have a single thought worth blogging. Certainly no fun thoughts.

                So I’m hanging up my out-of-office sign today. I will be back tomorrow with regular programming, but I have nothing left to offer for this day.

                Here’s to a new day, friends.

Throwback Thursday: A Glow-Up for the Island

 

Back at the beginning of the month, I promised a whole, proper post about our recent kitchen island glow-up. Today is that day!

                I’ve told you about the island before, but it’s been a while, so let me refresh your memory.

                This island was a custom-made gift for Mom from Dad back in the early 2000s. Mom had this butcher block cutting board that she hefted in and out of a kitchen cabinet every time she wanted to bake a pie or make noodles. And as the resident candy maker, she also had to haul a heavy piece of marble in and out of the house every time she made her Christmas candy! Dad took both pieces to a friend of his, who set them in this island made specifically for Mom’s height, and it was a fixture in their kitchen for 20+ years.

                When Mom and Dad moved to the apartment in Swiss Village, she knew she wouldn’t have room for it, but she did not wish to sell it with the house. She asked me if we could take it, and I was quite happy to do so. Our island was a low-budget Amazon special, so having a memory-laden piece was definitely an upgrade.

                I’m sorry you missed the day Ryan and I lugged it up the steps and into the house. Have I mentioned lately my lack of upper body strength? Did I mention the marble and butcher block? It was quite the spectacle. But we got it inside, in one piece, without losing fingers or toes.

                And then we laughed. Because, as I said, this piece was made for Mom, and she and I are not the same height. The island was wayyyyyyyyyyy too short. Ryan came up with the cost-effective solution of purchasing some bed risers. Perhaps not the most aesthetically pleasing, but they worked for a couple of years!

                We are getting ready to make some cosmetic changes in our kitchen, so we decided to start with the island. The first step was to attach permanent feet to the piece. Ryan picked them out, and I love them.

                Then he worked for a couple of weeks to paint the body of the island. (I know that painting furniture is not for everyone, so it’s okay if it’s not what you would have chosen. But this worked for us, and we like it!) We did not paint the top – so it matches our trash cabinet! White body, wood top. Even this change brightened the kitchen immensely!

                We ordered some new hardware to match the rest of the kitchen, and when Ryan finished it, it felt like it was always meant to look just like this.

                I’m excited to see the rest of the kitchen slowly transform, but that will be a winter project, so stay tuned!

Wednesday in the Word: Without Ceasing

 

I’m loving the Acts study I’m doing with the ladies from church each week. I’ve done this study before, but it’s been about a decade, and as is true with many studies of Scripture, seeing the same words in different seasons brings new understanding I wouldn’t have been ready to see before.

                This week we studied chapter five, and there were several sentences that snagged my attention and challenged me. One of them was the very last sentence in the chapter: they did not cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Jesus.

                They were the apostles, who had recently been imprisoned, given a cease-and-desist order, and beaten. Those are some pretty significant and seemingly valid reasons to quiet down. I think most people would have understood if they changed tactics or stopped entirely.

                But they didn’t.

                They knew what God had called them to do, and they did it without ceasing.

                In our study, we’ve been talking about the boldness of the early church. Boldness is not an area where I excel, so this has been a real challenge for my heart. And this part made me pause, because I realized the actual sacrifice behind their decision to continue. A sacrifice of comfort and safety and so much more. And the continuation was not tentative or hesitant in any way. It was without ceasing.

                Wow!

Tuesday Tales: The Rains Came Down

 

When we first looked at this little house on the lake, we asked about flooding issues, because, well, the lake is up close and personal. We were told that while that may have been an issue years ago, the lake has good drainage and flooding isn’t a problem. (And that is true!) Our inspector told us he found no signs of water damage on the house. (Although he also told us we had a good roof and that didn’t turn out to be the truest statement in world, so…)

                Therefore, we were most surprised when, two years ago, we found our living room carpet wet when the lake waters weren’t even all that high. That’s when we learned the yard didn’t have proper drains, and a saturated ground led to water in the house. We cleaned it up, hired a fantastic crew to add drains to the yard, and we’ve stayed dry ever since.

                And then came last week.

                We went to bed Tuesday night to a fantastic lightning show that was still showing off when we fell asleep. We knew it rained in the night. We might have even been aware that it rained ALL night. But we don’t have a rain gauge and we didn’t know it rained something like six or seven INCHES that night.

                We went to bed Wednesday night to a fantastic lightning show that was still showing off when we fell asleep. We knew it rained in the night. We might have even been aware that it rained ALL night. But we hadn’t bought a rain gauge in that 24 hours either, and we didn’t know it rained something like ANOTHER six or seven inches that night.

                I took Ryan to work Thursday morning, since his truck was in the shop, and I made my way to church to teach Bible study. Imagine my utter surprise when I arrived at church to find half our parking lot under water.

                I worked for an hour or so and as the time to start Bible study neared, no one showed up. One lady texted to say she had tried to get there but gave up and turned back home because she couldn’t find enough clear roads. Finally, one lady showed up and said the church road was under water in in two places. WHAT!? It hadn’t been an hour before!

                We elected to pray and leave without formally meeting. I picked my way back to my car – which was closer to the flooded part of the lot than it had been when I parked – and carefully made my way home. I was able to get through until I got near home, and then I encountered deep water on the highway. I’ve never seen ANY water on that highway. And it was deeeeep.

                It rained on and off, and I took pictures of the water outside our house, which was admittedly higher than I’d ever seen it. In fact, it was spilling over the rocks and getting closer to the patio. I sent the pictures to Ryan who asked me to come get him so we could go get sandbags from the town and start building a barrier.

                I’d seen the text go out from the town, asking people to come fill sandbags, and I was so thankful, when we showed up, that they were there, working to prepare. What a gift! Ryan backed up the truck and a gentleman loaded 21 bags into the bed. We brought them home, began building, and Ryan went back for 50 more.

(borrowed photo)

                We unloaded and stacked as fast as we could, which I’ve been told, was a last for me. I ended up straining my back/neck and was a MESS a couple of days later. Maybe I really am more of a writer than a bag-barrier-builder.

                We were so gross when this adventure was over.

                There were so many people from our church and neighboring towns that had it SO MUCH WORSE than we did. This was worse than we had ever seen, but it stayed very much at bay for us. We did get nervous that evening, because we discovered that in order to clear the water off the highway, they were pumping the flood waters into the lake. So even though it had stopped raining, we were still taking on water!

                By evening, there was a little water pooled inside our bags, but everything else stayed out. And Ryan got up to check it during the night, but it was no worse. By the next day, the waters receded.

                We are still very waterlogged for sure, but we are quite thankful for drains that work (we’d be sharing a VERY different outcome without them) and flexible jobs that allowed us to come home and tend to the mess and the kindness of strangers who filled sandbags and gave them away. Blessings upon blessings!