hint for the day*

if you are having a "feeling sad" day,
do NOT under any circumstances listen
to a keith urban cd.

* true 100% of the time in a clinically tested trial.
** resulting condition may be improved upon by listening to "need to breathe." pronto.

for lisa

Lis, this reminds me of you. oooooooohhhhhhhh. aaaaaaaahhhhhhhh.

you can find it here.

go george

yup. got the georgenator at target this weekend. it was on sale for $40 bucks. i don't know if that is good or bad, but i thought it was worth the risk.

and the first steaks were pretty good! i bought some semi-thick cuts of sirloin at the local grocery, and marinated them for an hour or so (soy,worchestershire, olive oil, steak spices and a bit o brown sugar) then grilled em for about 5 minutes. opened up the grill, dumped on more marinade and let them go for another 30 secs or so.

the resulting steak was tender with just a touch of red. just the way i like it! phillip's was a little more "done" and next time i will cook them just a little less. but until the weather straightens out, and my outdoor culinary expertise improves, i'm good to go.

grilled cheese sandwich, YOU are next!

one more time

well, i officially made it thru the april '08 blizzard. now, if we can just make it thru the inevitable may '08 blizzard (yep, i'm holding out for one more) - we'll be in the clear.

most of the plants did fine, although one wimpy walmart plant and a tomato plant did not see the joy in 4" of frozen snow...oh well. the daffodils were AMAZING. they were icey and covered completely. one day later, they are fine. i want to be a daffodil :)

i've got a few things in the greenhouse, some seeds i planted last week when it was in the high 7os, and a few perennials i bought yesterday at the Lutheran Church plant sale. i hear that lutherans are pretty good gardeners, so i bought some bee balm, and a globe thistle and some unnamed perennial grass that was reddish green. hopefully i'll get some more things going this week. not sure if it's too early or too late for the greenhouse. obviously i need some training :) but it looks good, and is functional. gotta paint it, but will save that for warmer times.

yesterday i decided to impress phil with my culinary expertise. i made a lovely dinner of roasted potatoes, honey lime chicken (made up the recipe myself!) and garlic bread. i forgot, however, that he had to work late. so he ate heated up gourmet food at 8pm last night....he said it was still pretty tasty. i'm looking forward to getting back to healthy eating, we have been doing a few too many pizzas lately.

speaking of healthy, does anybody have a george foreman grill? i think i'm going to go buy one today, they are on sale at target (kristie, stay away ;)) my outdoor grill sucks, and phil does not have much time to cook these days, so i'm thinking an indoor option might be better. and quicker. tell me if you think that is dumb.

k. enough for middle of the weekend nonsense posts. see you next week!

facetious friday

thank goodness it's finally spring!

big daddy

another concert comin' our way.

may 9th
central baptist church
7 pm

tickets: $20 and $30

who wants to go?!!!

green and blacks

green and black, that kind of describes this spring, doesn't it? so, with another darn rainy day, and another tantrum over the weather brewing, i'm going to switch gears and concentrate on ... chocolate.

yum. have you tried this brand of chocolate bars yet? i got mine at target. 2 bars. 1 of which i devoured almost immediately, the 2nd of which i am afraid to open.

organic chocolate is GOOD. i mean, i grew up on hershey bars, but i will never think about them the same again! they seem fake compared to this stuff! it's ... earthy. and more textural. and intense. heck, you don't even eat the whole bar in one sitting, because it's actually satisfying.

ummmmmm. might have to dig into bar #2 today if the rain doesn't go away. or i could just look at the pretty packaging. tough choice :)

one fine day

well, earth day was loverly yesterday. after the last few months of hormones, relationships, work and winter, i really really appreciated a beautiful day. about mid-afternoon, i decided to dump my responsibilities and go work in the yard for awhile. fun!

i have a new/old grandma wheelbarrow that i got for $8 last week at an estate sale. very handy ...


it matches my green gardening shoes that i got for .25 cents this winter at the thrift store ...



and they both contrast nicely with the $5.99 worth of daffodils i treated myself to! Happy Earthday to Me!"



I also uncovered one little tiny daffodil growing in the rock garden, a remnant from LAST YEAR's splurge of yellow from the gardening center.



ahhhhhhhhhhhhh. i think the choice to go outside was a better value than a day in therapy :)

God is green

you know how every once in awhile, a fleeting thought kind of tugs at you, and you know deep inside it probably has something to do with God, and maybe even why you're here?

usually when this happens, we allow ourselves a second or two to dream about the possibility God places in each of our hearts, then we just let it slip out of our grasp. we go back to the world, instead of remaining in the realm of possibility, the place God is.

that's how it is for me with earth day. every year on earth day, i dream. i dream about the world that God created, and how important it is to be good stewards of the earth. i dream about growing up in the 70s, where all the videos about the earth's destruction that we viewed in geography class sunk in deep. i dream about the joy in my heart when i go outside to a garden of amazing creations, and it calms my soul and tells me Who is in charge of things.

and i wonder. wonder about the Awesome Creator of all things. and wonder about myself, too. i pose myself the question: if i could do anything besides dream, what would i do? would i go out and do something with my hands, and grow things, and lead people to the peace that comes from being in the center of God's handiwork? would i simply grow a garden with little kids, or old people, just be in community, and would we all just "see" Him? would we talk about the beginnings of the earth, and the stuff about creation that is thrust at us in school, and is not exactly truth? would i have dirty hands every day, and feel more alive?

i have recently been given the challenge/opportunity to work with a client to define "going green" as a viable option for rural communities. what does rural sustainability look like? what does one actually DO in small-town SD to make a difference in the world? it's a big question, a culturally popular one, but also one that melds with being a Christian, with living in accordance with the Bible. After all, Genesis is really where all of the ideas about "green" living actually came from, right?

The LORD God took the man
and put him in the Garden of Eden
to work it and take care of it.
Genesis 2:15

Anyhoo, here are some links i am going to check out today, Christian organizations dedicated to the environment:

http://www.restoringeden.org/
http://www.creationcare.org/
http://en.arocha.org/about/index9.html
http://cesc.montreat.edu/ceo/CEA/

happy earth day everyone!

books books books

finished this book this weekend. it was kind of creepy, but i liked it.

then i started "prodigal summer" by barbara kingsolver for the 3rd time. i am determined to read it, durn it!

then i ordered "eat pray love" and "water for elephants" per karen's suggestions.

should be set for a coupla weeks.

cooler than normal today with a small chance of rain

we had one gorgeous day this weekend, and one okay day. today, it's looking a bit grey again and i have decided to try not to keep track.

the greenhouse is partially finished, but not quite there yet. i hope we get it far enough along to place it in the back yard this weekend. we have decided to build a "foundation" for it out of the pink quartzite stones that were dug up from my foundation when i had some landscaping done a couple of years ago. then, it will truly be a recycled treasure. i'll take some pics when i get more batteries for the digital camera.

i believe that the desire to see this greenhouse in action is going to be my motivation for the whole entire week! so. fun.

april fools

i woke up this morning, and convinced myself it was saturday. i decided to sleep in, and was thinking about all the things i needed to accomplish. i'm not sure exactly when reality hit through the fog in my brain, but i was sad when i discovered it's only friday. and gray. a gray friday in what seems like a very long gray week. sigh.

last night, the concert wasn't exactly what i expected. i knew i was in for trouble when we walked into the venue, and there weren't any chairs. only an empty gym floor, and a thin row of bleachers in the back. for the old people. except that bleachers aren't really for old people, are they? not that it mattered, because the median age for the concert was 13. to be honest, 13 year old christian kids are just as annoying as any other 13 year olds. thank God for youth pastors and others who dedicate their lives to this age group. i don't know how they do it.

i digress. we ended up sitting in the front row of the bleachers, and after 2 hours of warmup bands that were "unseasoned" i was about ready to fall over. then about 45 minutes of preaching. which is fine if you are awake, but i was starting to not be. then, finally, the band, who was apparently not as naive as me, because they started playing a bunch of silly stuff to get the kids in the audience jazzed up. lots of jumping about at that point. when phillip looked at me with a "what the heck are we doing here" look, the decision to go home was instantaneous. we were home by 10pm. a proper time for a school nite :)

so, this morning, i am listening to a freshly downloaded building 429 album, and enjoying the comfort of my comfortable chair immensely. thank you Lord :)

listen. breathe. repeat.

so today is another grey day. boy oh boy, this has been a tough spring. no relief in the forecast, ever.

that is why i am grateful that God made music. i seriously think He knew we would go bonkers without it!

tonite i get to see Building 429, who i have liked on the radio, but never listened to a whole lot. hoping that after the show, i will have new band to love...and that phillip and i will NOT go crazy because God loved us enough to bring them to SF today (in spite of the weather)!

maybe

ooof. went for a walk around the yard at lunchtime. planted the subtle colored flower i bought last night at walmart. instant happiness.



then, when i was chasing the cat around the flower bed, i noticed something sticking up out of the dirt. then another something. then quite a few somethings.





i take back the statement i made to phillip two days ago that "i planted all those #$%^* tulips last fall, and not one came up."

perhaps there is hope.

grow up

last night, phillip started to make a little mini greenhouse for me out of some of our old storm windows. i made him PROMISE promise promise to have the project completed by the weekend, so i can start using it. of course, i followed up with a trip to menards, and some peat pots and a few seed packets. since last year was pretty unsuccessful in the indoor seed growing arena, i thought i'd try to beat the clock a bit by starting some seeds outside this year. nothing ventured, nothing gained.

the inspiration? karen and her tomato dreams, and the whopping $1.79 i paid for ONE tomato at the grocery store on monday night.

gardening will save the world!!!!

or at least allow me to keep feasting on tomatoes.... :)

i (kinda, sorta, maybe) do

ay yi yi.

this week, no wait, this life, has been kind of stressful. and to be completely honest, i am pretty much falling apart. i have never been one to handle stress real well. i worry. and i eat. and i think. and i repeat the cycle, over and over.

i also have not been really close to God. i don't know how or why, but i do know that if you decide to leave Him and go out on your own, He will let you. oh sure, He's still there, waiting for me to return. but i don't feel His presence much. and that feels....crappy.

so there. that is the foundation of the story. and most surely the reason for the stress. but the detail i am stressing about is GETTING MARRIED. oh sure. i have the guy i love. but after nearly 3 years, i am questioning whether i have ever REALLY committed to anything. because i am scared. of commitment, that is. what if i change my mind? what if i am not ready? what if bad things happen? what if my life becomes completely different? what if I MAKE A MISTAKE?

my whole life, i've been afraid of making a mistake. somewhere in me, at an early age, it was suggested that mistakes are bad, and you don't want to make them. and my whole life, i've been trying to avoid them. in the process, i've screwed up tremendously. i mean big stuff. bad, damaging stuff that hurt me, and others. some things i can never repair, and many things that God has healed and turned into something more beautiful. i see my relationship with phillip as one of those good things. a good, beautiful thing.

still. there is that huge. underlying. fear.

anyway, long story short. we have not set a wedding date yet (late summer SEEMED like a long time away a few months ago)! but this week we found out that phillips lease is going to be over in june, because his landlord's daughter has decided to move home to live for awhile. so the question becomes, do we just get married sooner, rather than later, by a few months?

while phillip waits patiently for life to unfold, i fret. and think. and eat. and forget to ask God, who ultimately knows and is not telling, unless i ask.

pray for me that i will stop worrying, and start following.

on the flip side

and to contrast that last post, take a look at these baby chicks i just found in blogland. no chickies were hurt, the dye is 100% natural vegetable dye and only lasts a couple of weeks.

doh. in love.

snow pics

although we didn't get a whole lotta snow in sioux falls, here are some pics i snagged off the news website.

poor baby cows!

you've got to be kidding me

nothing warms the soul like waiting for a blizzard that is predicted to bring up to a foot of snow by tomorrow...which is mid April, in case you have forgotten.

do you think God is trying to teach me a thing or two about perserverance?

sigh.

choosing

after much hand wringing and clicking on colors and sizes and styles, i finally chose two pair. unfortunately, they didn't have choice #1, the orange webby shoes. so i decided to try the keens in red. and a cute pair of rocket dog black "basic" ones. now, i'll need a few (or eight) pair of flip flops, and the summer shoe wardrobe will be set!

so.much.fun.

it's all her fault

kristie the shoe shopper always posts about cute shoes over at serendipity.

but i did take a peak at the website 6pm that she mentioned.

um, i found a couple pairs i liked.

i hate that.









trip to scheels over lunch today, carey?!

visitor

just now, my view from the office window showed a furry little friend. no wonder siesta was thumping her tail and flailing about! brave boy....

2 for 2

so, reading "the shack" a couple of weeks ago set off the book lovin' part of my brain, and made me want to read again. especially fiction. for a long time, i have not read much fiction. mostly, i've been doing bible studies, and christian "help" books and craft books and cook books. with magazines thrown in for instant gratification.

but i really do love reading fiction. this past week, i read "the penny" by joyce meyer. it was a "God fiction" book. i really liked it. found it at the library, too. what a concept. maybe i'll use my library card that i've had for about a decade!

oh, how i wish i had a reference back to ALL THE BOOKS that susan and karen were "currently reading" on their blogs. dang. suggestions welcome :)

almost

i can almost feel it now. so can the birds, and the trees, and the grass. we ALMOST have gotten to the good part :)

happy friday everyone!

horton

last night we finally saw Horton. we were the only people in the theatre! no little kids to ruin the fun. ha.

anyway, it was worth the ticket price. at first, i was kinda worried because it IS probably a movie for children. but with jim carrey, steve carrell, and an evil kangaroo voiced by carol burnett, the movie really had some adult appeal too. and of course, the animation is so so so amazing. better than good.

and the BEST part? a rousing group singalong of a favorite REO Speedwagon song from my "growing up" years! i love that the makers of these movies make sure they are thinking of the adult audience when they write them. i doubt too many little kids will laugh at the song, but phillip and i both did. heartily.

thumbs up to horton :)

inspiring

found this artist on the web. makes beautiful little 4" collages and sells them. one a day. i would like about a year's worth ;)

go take a look.





http://acollageaday.blogspot.com/







warning: it's REALLY easy to click that "buy now" button. just bought the "blue flower" above for my yet-to-be-completed blue/green bathroom.


!UPDATE! i hope the blog title doesn't mean i'll be BUYING a collage a day! aaaaaaggghhh. found another one. must. have.

come to the table

okay peeps. i need your help. yesterday i got a call from a woman in my church, asking me to be on a "brainstorming" committee for our churches' efforts (FINALLY) to increase our hospitality to newcomers. our church is such a great place. great worship, great people, great pastor and real presence of God. NOT so great at reaching out. or touching people who may just come for a visit.

anyhoo. here's where i need ya. what's important to you when you go to a new church? how would you like to be welcomed? what's the best/worst experience you ever had? i'm looking for ideas, whether you were going to church for the first time, after you moved to a new town, or just trying out something different. every situation applies.

i'll admit, i know some professionals read this blog, so i'm hoping they pipe in too (yeah, ellen, that is you). my friend ellen works at a church in sioux city that does a thing called 4 bases, which is a series of classes designed to help people discover and learn where they might "fit" at their new church home, and grow with God along the way. i like that idea.

any other good ideas? a nice homemade apron, courtesy of moi goes to the best "brainstorm" i receive :))

song for the day

love love love.