See This Movie!

I can't wait until this comes out. Whether or not you will agree or disagree, you should watch it. It's worth it to know both sides of the issues that plague this country.

The Learning Curve

I have written this post a number of times and then scrapped it. It was either too long or too short or too pathetic or too vulnerable or too...you get the picture... So, here goes the version that I chose:

I have set a lot of personal goals this year. As I have said many times before, Liam has changed my life. He makes me want to be a better person. End of story. I think this season of life - motherhood, new found "adulthood", being out of the professional rate race, etc... - has mandated several changes as well. I have been craving and striving for simplicity, but I also have the type of personality that beckons me to make LONG lists, volunteer for everything and strive for unattainable standards. Herein lies the struggle that has marked a large portion of my life. For my teen and young adult years I joined every club, engaged in every hobby, had friends in every clique, took every class, and went on every trip. I kept my phyisical life (clothes, hair, makeup, etc...) simple so that I could shoot for the moon everywhere else. What I didn't realize is that I was also keeping my relationships and commitments simple....a little too simple....like "do you have any real friends or just a lot of surface friends?" kind of simple. Like "are you really a Young Life leader or do you just show up for Club and Campaigners twice a week?" kind of simple. This just left me lonely and empty. So much going on with nothing REALLY going on. In response (or rebellion...I haven't firmly decided), I tried the "do nothing" theory for the next few years. I just did the basics, work/school, clean, cook, errands, blah... I had one friend: Jon. I mean, I had "friends," but I really only had ONE friend, capiche? I didn't commit myself to any hobbies or any groups or any studies. Nothing. Boring. Lonely. Empty. Same boat. So, what did I learn? Nothing. So, what did I do? Started over. Slowly I added things...Bible studies, leadership roles, friendships, a baby, hobbies, jobs.... Aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!!!!!!!! And so the cycle continues.

These first several month of 2009 the Lord has slowly been revealing to me His Spirit, His purpose, His desire for the way I will live my life. It has everything to do with Him and not so much to do with me. I guess that's what has been wrong all this time (uh...hello...). God does not have a spirit of chaos. He does not have a spirit of calamity. He has one of peace. Peace does not mean boredom or apathy or laziness. This peace actually leads to fulfillment.

This week I feel I have finally found a way to verbalized what He has been trying to teach me. I cry MARANATHA! May the Lord cometh! May he come and save me. May HE come and save me from MYSELF! I don't need to put so much effort into it that it is ME who is doing everything, leaving little to no room for HIM!

Lord, wage war on our pride and need for control. Humble us so that you can do your mighty work in us and through us!

In the words of the Shaker Elder Joseph Brakcett:

'Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free,
'Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be,
And when we find ourselves in the place just right,
'Twill be in the valley of love and delight.

I am becoming Amish....

Just kidding :)

Quaker.

No really....Menanite....

Free Stuff!!!

Well, sort of. In case y'all missed the comment on my last post, Woodsman toys has offered to give free tax and shipping on any order from their site if you say you found out about them on TMM! Read below:

Wow, what kind words. I would like to thank you so much for noticing what it means to be hand made with loving care. We take great pride in our creations and have been green and lead-free for 23 years. I would like to offer everyone who visits this wonderful site Thoroughly Modern Momma a special offer so their precious little ones can experience the pleasure of a handmade wooden toy. Simply say you found us on TMM in the message box on our order-form and we will pay the shipping and the sales tax. Please allow 1-2 weeks for delivery and be ready to pack up all of your child's other toys! They won't be needed. And if anyone would like to place us on their gift registry I will be happy to extend the same offer.

With Warmest Regards,
Doug Gold
The Woodsman
www.thewoodsmantoys.com

Yippee Skippee! I just love stuff like this :)

We have been super busy around here, so I haven't done much blogging lately. I have a couple of things I've been mulling over that I need to type out, so I'll be back soon!

The Woodsmen Toys

Love these! I hope to be getting some soon. Check them out

http://www.thewoodsmantoys.com/





They are a little pricey, but too darling to resist. They have stuff for girls too! I can just see Liam having a blast with these and I wouldn't have to cringe every time he put one in his mouth worrying about lead paint and other toxins. Hooray!

Mediterranean Rice

Okay, so a couple of weeks ago I asked for some recipes. Thanks to all of you who commented or emailed! I have tons of stuff to try and it all sounds so yummy! I tried a couple of recipes and forgot to take pictures (oops!) so this is my first documented dinner. I will try to re-do the others with pictures soon!

This recipe is from my Aunt Beth and I am seriously obsessed with it right now. I am actually snacking on the leftovers as I type...hehehehe. I am not big on pork or red meat and Jon despises all shellfish, so we eat a lot of poultry around these parts. A lot of time it's just plain old grilled chicken off the George Foreman....boooooring. This side dish is the perfect thing to add exciting flavor to a meal like that. Here goes:



Mediterranean Rice:

1 box long grain and wild rice (with seasoning mix)
1 12 oz jar marinated artichoke hearts
12 green olives with pimentos, slice
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/2 green pepper
4-5 green onions (to taste)

Cook the rice according to box directions minus the butter and/or oil. Drain the artichoke hearts, reserving the liquid, and chop to desired size. Add artichokes and olives to rice. Chop peppers and onions to desired consistency and also add to rice. Whisk together mayo and reserved liquid from artichokes. Add to rice mixture and chill. Serves 4-6.

***TMM version - Jon will not bite into a chunk of pepper or onion. Period. Neither one of us hate onion, but we don't LOVE it either. I only used 1/4 green pepper and 1 green onion. I grated the pepper and the white part of the onion on a microplane. That way we still got the flavor. Then I thinly sliced the green part of the onion because it was easier and prettier :) I may add a little more green pepper next time. I decided to try and serve the dish warm because I didn't have time to chill it before dinner. It was just as delicious! The dressing sets up more when it is chilled, so you may want to add less of the artichoke juice if you are going to serve it warm.***



My aunt said that the lady she got the recipe from is middle eastern and adds curry powder to taste. If you are a fan of this kind of cuisine it may be a good thing to add. I served this rice with baked lemon chicken (chicken breast, salt, pepper, garlic powder, lemon juice) and a bag of publix caesar salad. I think it would also bee god with fish, too. If you don't like olives or marinated artichokes or anything with a "vinegary" flavor, then you will not like this dish. I happen to LOVE these things, so it was perfect! My husband is super picky and even he liked it. Give it a try and let me know what you think!

What's for dinner?

I don't know. That's the problem. I am so tired of my old cycle of chili, spaghetti, chicken casserole, tacos, etc... I need some fresh new ideas. So, I thought I'd ask you guys, my friends! Do you have any scrumptious recipes that you think I should add to my repertoire? If so, either post them in the comments or email them to me and I will repost my faves so that everyone can try!

Here's my first recipe. It's not technically a "meal", although I could make one out of it. Here is my friend Melissa's recipe for Easy No-Knead Bread. It is sooooo delicious. Per her recommendation, we ate it with dinner. Then put butter and sugar and cinnamon on slices the next morning and popped them in the toaster oven for some ridiculous cinnamon toast! Enjoy and let me know if you have any questions!



Combine and set aside:
2 c. flour
1/4 c. sugar
1 T. salt
2 pkgs. dry yeast (1/4 oz. each)

Heat until warm:
1 c. water
1 c. milk
1/4 c. vegetable oil

Have on hand:
1 egg
2 to 2 1/2 c. flour
butter

Mix egg with liquids, then stir all into flour mixture. Blend at lowest speed on mixer, then blend on medium for 3 minutes. By hand stir in another 2 to 2 1/2 c. flour. Cover, let rise 50 minutes until light and doubled in size. Stir down. Spoon into greased 6" x 9" loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 30-35 minutes. Brush top with butter.

I will tell you that this recipe requires a loaf pan larger than the one I got as a wedding gift in the pyrex set of glass dishes. If this is all you have, just fill the pan about 2/3-3/4 full of dough and discard the rest or try to make rolls out of it or something. Also, when my friend Melissa made it, it was raining outside so at the part where it says to mix in another 2 - 2 1/2 cups of flour, she had to had more to get it to the right consistency. The dough should just be pulling away from the sides of the pan.

This bread is G.O.O.D. Bon Apetite!

A Tree

“Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, and come with me. See! The winter is past; the rains are over and gone. Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land. The fig tree forms its early fruit; the blossoming vines spread their fragrance. Arise, come, my darling, my beautiful one, come with me.”

God spoke to me through a tree this week. I'll tell you how:



This is my patio peach tree. Jon and I bought it last summer because our "backyard" - the size of a postage stamp - was looking dull and dreary. Our dogs had killed all the grass in it, so we replaced it with pinestraw and outlined the patio with brick. It looked nice, it was just really....brown. Well, this poor tree was not very well taken care of. We were in and out of town a lot and it started losing its leaves a little early. I tried to revive it, but fall was in full swing. So, I wasn't sure if it had been revived and was just losing its leaves because it was fall, or if they were falling off because the tree was dying.

Assuming it was too far gone, I neglected it most of the fall and all winter....not watering it once. I figured people that came to our house would just think this was its "winter look" and in the spring I would purchase a new one with leaves and try again. Well, low and behold, this past week we noticed some red buds on the darn thing. And by this weekend, voila! I'm usually not a huge fan of pink, but seriously....how could you not love this tree! It is beautiful! The color! The bunches of blooms! I can't even believe my eyes!



This tree is a perfect example of how God and I work together. I take control of things until I can't figure it out or life wrecks it and then I leave them for dead. After I've released my white knuckle grip, God works undercover to create beautiful things that inspire glory and wonder. He reveals them to me only at the right time - when their color and fragrance are at their peak. Then FINALLY I step back and worship. Finally I see what He was doing all along, despite my attempts to control and eventually kill it. Finally I give Him the glory He deserves.

I sing this song to Liam every night. I started doing it because I wanted to pray these sweet words over him every night, but I have found that it is mostly myself who is blessed by their message:

Great is thy faithfulness
Oh, God my Father,
There is no shadow of turning with Thee.
Thou changest not
Thy compassions, they fail not
How thou hast been, thou forever will be.

Great is Thy faithfulness
Great is Thy faithfulness
Morning by morning, new mercies I see
All I have needed
Thy hand hath provided
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto me.

The days are long... But, Hallelujah! In the morning, the mercies are new!