I'm a Better Cook Than This

I've been meaning to write about this story for a week now.  Things have gotten in the way:  a computer crash, a new computer, new photo editing software, puke.  But now I'm home from work with a little girl who is still sick but sleeping.

A coworker of Ryan's and a friend of ours, recently had a baby.  Baby Tyler is adorable and such a blessing after a very painful road.  The least I could do was to bring her a meal.  I set out to make my standard "New Mom Meal" - Homemade Mac N Cheese, Green Beans with Nuts, and some sort of a dessert.  It was a busy day so my dessert was cookies baked from frozen dough.  I know I know.  It's not like me but I was in a bind and that's why I usually have some on hand.

I was multi-tasking for sure.  I had the cookies in the oven, the pasta boiling, nuts in the toaster oven, and the green beans steaming.  I kind of felt like Rachel Ray.  This was my 30 minute meal (minus baking time for the mac n cheese.)

I got distracted and went to the other room for a minute or maybe 10.  I have a toddler - these things happen. When I came back something smelled funny.  It was then that it occurred to me that I never put water under the green beans and I was cooking them dry.  Oops.  I've done that a few times before and just added water after the fact and saved the green beans. 

When I picked up the pot to bring it to the sink, I noticed that my stainless steel pot was literally melting.  I'm talking liquid metal.  I put it down on one of the other burners and quickly called Ryan.  The pot had a glass lid on it which was now starting to pop and sounded like it was going to explode.  By now my pasta needed to be drained and my cookies were ready to come out of the oven.  I was scared to even go back in the kitchen. 

I ran in quickly and drained my pasta, took my cookies out of the oven, and ran back to the safety of my family room.  Boo!

Fast forward 45 minutes.  My pot is cool and ruined. 

I have 5 or 6 piles of hardened molten metal. 

My green beans are in the trash.  And so is my pot.

 
So what do I do?  I finished my mac n cheese and started my green beans over again.  With water this time.  And they turned out perfect this time. 

I thought for sure Ryan was going to sign me up for "Worst Cooks in America".  But instead I was singing "Hip Hip Horray!  Tracey saved the Day!(I think I've been watching too much Super Why)   And the look of contentment on Ashley's face holding her sweet baby was worth my melted pot.

Made to be Obsolete

It's hard to move on from Tragedy. But we have to. And from tragedy I have moved to complete irritation.

As my husband would tell you, my job is to "Do Computers". Actually in reality I am a software developer. What I know about computer hardware is by necessity only. I hate working on computer hardware issues. But it's part of my job. So I do it begrudgingly.

At home, we run a small health business. If you have never checked us out you should at www.RenewedHealth.com. And while you are at it, follow us on Facebook.

Alright...back on track and past the cheap ploys. We bought a computer a little over a year ago for our home use. All we do on it is surf, email, and the accounting for the business. It's really minimal usage because the last thing I want to do when I get home is get on the computer. (My iPhone is a different story. Don't get Ryan started on how much he wants to smash it. Addicted much?)

The computer has been working great. It should. It's just barely out of warranty. And then the power supply blew on it last night. And of course it's a "special" power supply that only the manufacturer can supply for way too much money.

It just irks me to no end that this manufacturer would purposely make parts that no one else does. It's like they are making parts and computers that are made to be obsolete.

And this got me thinking to what we have on this earth that doesn't wear out and become obsolete. Almost everything does. So here are my top 5 things that I plan on having for my lifetime:

1. My China - It's my Mom's china from when she got married. It's beautiful and special because it was hers.


2. My photo albums. - It's such a treasure to have all your memories documented, especially when my little girl is growing up sooo fast.

3. My stuffed lion that my grandmother gave me the Christmas before she died. I was 4. I named it Some because I only knew my grandma some. Not only is it a great childhood memory but it's a great reminder of love of family.

4. My Wedding Ring. - It signifies the most important earthly relationship I have.


5. My Bible. It's definitely there for the long haul. Since it is living and all.

Am I missing anything?

Tragedy

It's hard not to think about Japan right now.  The thought of everything that they are going through is mind boggling.  We have been watching a lot of the coverage but it gets to be too much.  And we turn it off.  Because you can only take so much.

And then you turn it back on because how can you not watch as the world watches.  It's hard to even imagine what it would even look like to see this.  The devastation is huge.

But when it's just pictures of rubble it's easier to detach.  And then you start to see the faces of the tragedy and the compassion just grows.  This mother is clinging to her daughter and I can definitely relate to that.

In the past when there have been massive tragedies, like Haiti, it was just a disaster and a clean up (and I say "just" in the most sensitive way possible because we all know that wasn't just a small tragedy either).  But this time the threats are continuous.

So we pray for these people who we don't know in a country on the other side of the world.  And we weep with them.  And we pray for mercy.  Because they can't turn this tragedy off.


*pictures courtesy of www.USATODAY.com

While I'm Waiting

Another month has passed and I'm still waiting.

And with each passing day I feel a little more like my life is passing by before me.  That I'm wasting it thinking about what could have been, what should have been.  And that is what I'm doing.  Wasting.

Tonight on the way home from meeting with a friend I turned the radio on.  I heard the last line of a song and it was all I needed to hear tonight.  I turned the radio right off and contemplated what I was doing during this season of waiting.

God gave me the clear answer of what I should be doing.

"I will serve You while I'm waiting.  I will worship while I'm waiting" - John Waller  

In case you have never heard the song before, here's a video.

Back to Reality

It's been a while since I blogged.  I'm not hitting my 5 blogs a month this month unless something very dramatic happens in the next 6 days. 

Since my last entry Ryan and I went to Mexico with his company.  It was a great time full of relaxation, guacamole, spa treatments, pretty dresses, blue lagoons (that's a drink that left my tongue blue for days if you were wondering), and good times with friends.

It started out a little rough when I dropped Ainsley off the night before we were supposed to leave at my faithful nanny, Mary Beth's house.  The drop went well and we were all packed by 10:00 ready to leave for the airport at 5:45 the next morning. 

I got the dreaded call at 10:20pm that night that Ainsley was sick and throwing up.  She had gotten the stomach bug.  I have to say that it was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do - listen to my child cry for me over the phone, knowing that I couldn't go to her.  Mary Beth earned sainthood that night as Ainsley continued to be sick every 20 - 30 minutes until 4:00 am.  It was horrible.  But we knew it was a quick moving bug and she would be fine by the time we got to Mexico.  And she was. 

And we were able to really relax.  And it was amazing.  And my hair grew exponentially.  And I ate this soup that was half cream of spinach and half cream of tomato and stayed seperate but in the same bowl.  How cool.

We got back late on Sunday night to go to a full work week ahead.  I was catching up on my laundry when my dryer broke.  It's been on it's last leg for years and needed to be replaced desperately, but definitely not the week after vacation when the laundry back up was so high.  So I did what any sane person would do, I bought more laundry baskets...and a new dryer. 

It felt like we were finally catching up when Saturday night I came down with the same stinking stomach bug that Ainsley had a week and half earlier.  Kick my butt and knock me upside the head.  That stunk.  It was the worst I have been sick since who knows when.  Yikes.  The mommy guilt for leaving Ainsley hit a little harder too.  But I'm recovering.  And I have lost all the weight I gained in Mexico. 

And tomorrow looks like just a normal day.  Thank goodness for that.

Although I wish this was still the view out of my bedroom window.

Release

I've been listening to Christian radio in the mornings on my way to work.  Now that Ainsley is old enough to remember songs and understand what people are saying, I feel it's necessary to make sure that she hears wholesome truth.

Since New Years they have been talking about picking a word for the year, something that describes what you want your year to encompass.

So this year I am choosing the word RELEASE.

My whole life I have struggled with releasing my plans and trusting in God's plan.  This has become particularly apparent since the miscarriage.  I had this plan of what our family was supposed to look like.  I wanted 2 kids less than 3 years apart.  And when I got pregnant back in October I knew that God had signed on to my plan.  My children were going to be exactly 3 years apart.  Perfect.

Then we lost the baby.  And one of the hardest things for me has been letting go of the plan.  The ideal.  It's gone.  And with each day that passes, it gets further away from my plan.  And I have been thinking about it like that for 2 months now.

Then in Sunday school at church this week we were talking about idols.  And how we can take a healthy desire and move it into a demand.  And that is what I have done.  I've been mad that my plan is ruined.  And it has made me a bitter and inpatient woman.  I am much shorter with my husband and little girl.  I'm not happy.  I'm just not in a good place.  It's like a glorified temper tantrum because I didn't get what I want.

And so this morning they were talking about the words for the year again.  Prior to today I had no real thought of actually picking a word for myself.  And then God gave me one.  It was crystal clear.  And I can't get it out of my head.

RELEASE.

And so my prayer for the year is that He will grow me in a way that I can learn to release my desires to Him and that He can show me His desires for my life.  I want to think that with each day that passes I am further on His plan.  I can't wait to see how He uses this word in my life over the next year.

 Isaiah 55:8-9

 ⁸ “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
   neither are your ways my ways,”
            declares the LORD.
⁹ “As the heavens are higher than the earth,
   so are my ways higher than your ways
   and my thoughts than your thoughts. 

I Hate Rodents

You all know we have chickens.  I'm not a huge fan of animals that flap but these 3 have grown on me.

What you may not know is that I don't like small animals.  Ferrets, hampsters, guinea pigs, mice are all on my list.  I hate them.  Nasty. 

Today I was outside giving the dogs a bath and Ryan asked me to feed the chickens and check for eggs.  I opened up the door and I saw a fluffy rodent and screamed and ran like a little girl.

(Sorry it's in black and white.  I was working on portraits of Ainsley)

I asked Ryan to kill it but since it was only a "baby" he couldn't.  So he hit it with the hose.

It ran away too slowly if you ask me.

And climbed the fence.

And walked the fence for what felt like forever.

And then it went home to tell it's mother where to find fresh chicken meat.  I hope we don't regret the decision to spray it away later.  I know Amy Jo, Sadie May, and Peggy Sue hope so too.