Honesty

Here are the things that are really going on in my life....not to say what I've written in the previous days and weeks has been false. I just have a couple heart issues that I haven't bared to the world and, for some unknown reason, I'll lay out today.

I'm getting involved with the youth ministry at my church. Truth? Those teens intimidate me, and I'm worried about my efficacy in ministry with them. I had lunch with a friend yesterday, though, and she gave me great advice. I'll try to keep those things in the forefront of my mind. And bathe the whole thing in prayer!

I have this list of things I want to get done, but each day passes and I'm lucky if I accomplish the maintenance stuff, much less new projects, creative projects. Why is this?

I am trying to lose some weight, and am starving!! Can this really be the answer? I know in part it is, because I simply eat too much. I'll start there, then work up to making what I eat really healthy (although that is already in my mind). Baby steps for me! I'd like to make exercise part of the equation, too, but apparently not this week as it is currently 2' F, and I am fighting a migraine today. 

And then, to top it all off, I basically engage God in tiny, short prayers, and on Sunday. Is this the way I want to conduct this most precious of relationships? NO! That one, I will answer today, by signing off this computer, closing my e-mail, turning off the TV, and spending some time with my Father right now! What better way to make immediate progress in my life. 

Whew! Seems like a lot on one plate, but I'll just keep working, little by little. (Here's a little progress - I've actually been washing my dishes and cooking dinners! Ha! I knew I was doing something right!)

Simple things

lunch with a friend

starting a new project

washing all my dishes

doing laundry

enjoying tennis on TV

cooking soup for dinner

a crackling fire

the cats sleeping

All good!

Friday morning

I wake up this morning so relaxed and happy about the state of my life. Although there are a number of things that aren't the way I want them (children, weight, size of my kitchen), my life is such that I can still sit back and say, "Thank you!" to God. My time is pretty much my own to use as I see fit, I'm doing a better job at using that time wisely, I'm eating a little better, exercise is more in my head (haven't actually done anything yet, but I'm getting there), Tim and I are doing just fine, I'm cooking good food, keeping my house neater, and spending lovely time with friends and family. I'm reading good books, having fun watching the Australian Open tennis tournament, working on discipline in several areas. 

I know that I've said this before, but this morning it is my primary thought:

Life is good.

And for that, I'm extremely thankful.

Zoo time

Oh, it was a beautiful day here yesterday! The sky was clear blue with not a cloud in it! No wind, warm sunshine, temperatures around 65'. It was amazing! My sister and a friend decided to take their 3 kids to the zoo. We had a lovely morning, just wandering around, going at the kids' pace, having a great time. They both loved the animals - which was very fun to watch. How about this cutie?

After the zoo, my friend and I went out for lunch, then over to her house to hang out. I stayed and stayed. I must say, it was a very lovely and relaxing day. 

Such an amazing day filled with laughing, sharing, talking, relaxing, just enjoying life. You know how every once in a while you get a perfect day? Well, that was just about perfect. Yummy!

Another tasty treat

I don't have much exciting going on right now, so (per TC's request) here's another recipe I discovered last week. It is VERY quick...especially if you happen to have leftover chicken or turkey, and leftover rice (I suppose pasta would be almost as good...). Super yummy, too! Thanks to Kathy Gunst at www.here-now.org/downloads/food/soup.doc.

about 6 c. turkey or chicken broth

1/4 c. finely chopped fresh parsley

2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh thyme

2 c. cooked rice

2 c. chopped cooked chicken or turkey

2 large egg yolks

salt and pepper

juice of 1 lemon

Put the broth in a large pot and bring to a simmer. Add the parsley, thyme, rice, and turkey/chicken to the broth. Simmer over a low heat. In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolks with salt and pepper. Add a little of the broth to the egg yolks. Whisk together well to temper the egg yolks. Add it all back into the soup. Whisk until fully incorporated. Add the lemon juice a little at a time, to taste. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Heat gently for 5-10 minutes to let the seasonings get flavorful. 

Don't let the soup boil, or the egg yolks will curdle. 

Voila!  Delicious soup! 

Seriously - it took about 15 minutes start to finish. I don't think it would matter much what kind of rice you have. I had leftover rice with parsley and almonds in it I'd made to go with some mole. That was delicious, so I think whatever would be great! Try it!

Oh, and by the way...can you tell what super cute bowls these are? They are some kind of Japanese fine china that has the cutest cats on them...(meaningful pause)...that I got at TJ Maxx, my favorite store. Seriously. I LOVE them! Sad part of the tale? I only have 2 bowls, two saucers, and 2 tiny sauce-dipping bowls. Ah, the simple joys of life.

Life as usual

Well, my marathon day of housecleaning/sorting didn't quite work out as I'd expected. Of course, as so often happens (is it something psychosomatic?), I woke up with a damned migraine! That ate into my day by quite a few hours. After lunch and a nap in the sun with Charlie, that migraine let go and I ended up getting quite a bit done. I sorted through two big baskets of papers, ending up with several categories of piles: throw away, burn, do asap, file eventually, and put away. The toss pile is the biggest (yeah!), then file eventually (I'll take some cold winter day to do this), and then the put away. That can be accomplished quite quickly, leaving the do asap. I'll just sit down some morning next week and tackle that. 

Ooh, feels good to get this done. Now all I have to do is keep it up. Maybe someday I'll get my office organized with files (imagine that!), shelves, and cubbies. Then I can really keep this place going. All it will take is one good trip to Lowes (for shelves) and Goodwill (for containers - no need to buy them new if I can find them used, baskets and such). We'll see how I do between now and then. 

Wow! It's only Jan. 15 and already I'm making progress on my Year of Discipline. There is hope for me, yet. ;-) Note the put away pile on the left!

In other matters, I made a tasty dinner last night, if I say so myself. I started with coarsely chopped onions in a small amount of good quality olive oil. When they started to get translucent, I added peeled, chopped sweet potato (about 1/2" size pieces), and some more

olive oil. I just kept cooking them, stirring often, at a pretty low heat, until the potatoes were almost soft. Then I added some peeled, chopped apple - any kind you might want. When the apples were soft, I seasoned it with salt and pepper, squashed it all together with the back of a spoon and served it. Yummy, easy, pretty healthy! Oh, and pretty, too... 

Tonight's dinner? Hmm... No clue yet. 

Blog and book weenie alert!

Ok, so maybe I have too much time on my hands, but I decided to start...yes...another blog. Now, hold on. I only have 2! This new one is all about books. Books, books, books! I'm going to act like a real literature know-it-all and start reviewing the books I read, and catch you up on books I've enjoyed in the past. Check it out - you might learn something...or more likely, teach me something!

www.cindysbooklist.blogspot.com

Time

Morning sun creeps over the horizon 

coloring the mountain's face with pink and gold, 

snow, deeper than it looks, reflecting the brightness, 

reflecting the days that have passed -

so few for me, so many for it. 

A millennium, is it, since it's life began?

And mine, just a blink, a flicker in the cellulose of time.

Today I'm faced with empty calendar pages - 

to fill, to organize, to plan.

All my good intentions to be set down on paper.

How best to fill my days?

What will feed me, and those I love?

But what is a plan in the light of Providence, for we know

we plan our ways, 

but do not direct our own steps.

So I'll plan in pencil, eraser close at hand.

And watch the unfolding as it comes.

I wish I could plan no more hurt for you, 

no more hard lessons. 

I wish I could hold out my hand to you, 

but my own hurt stays my reach.

Hear me anyway, across the miles, 

saying I love you in a cowardly whisper,

afraid of your pain.

And plan on my love following you as you journey.

You may not hear my footsteps,

but I'm not far behind,

trying to catch-up so I can help shoulder your burden,

watching the mountain,

waiting for God to do the work in me.

Still crazy after all these years...

Tim and I snuggled for a few minutes last night when he came to tuck me in, as he does almost every night. He goes to bed around midnight; I and the cats are asleep by ten. Lying with my head on his chest, listening to him breath I told him three of my favorite things about him. "What do you like best about me?" I asked. He chuckled. "You have to pick something or it's a cop-out," I almost whined. He sighed loudly, and I thought he was thinking hard about what his favorite things are. What would he say? My hair? My brown eyes? My loud laugh? "You have to pick," I teased. 

"Oh, honey," he said in a poignant, almost pained voice (and for just a second my heart felt a flutter of fear), "I love everything." And with that he gave me a big squeeze and a kiss.

How wonderful to find myself still in love even after 22 years. "Nothing stays the same?" Maybe, but some things get even better with time.

"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"

Sentimentality alert! High emotion alert! Don't go see this tremendous, moving, and beautifully made movie unless you are prepared to laugh and cry (emphasis on the latter). 

I went to the movies last night with my wonderful younger brother. [Sidebar: After my mom died in 1996, my dad fairly quickly got remarried to a woman who is significantly younger than him. In marrying Janice (who is lovely), Dad gained two more kids. Melissa is now 21 and Matt is 19. They are both amazing people, and I actually adore both of them! As far as blended families go, ours is pretty loving, peaceful and...well...blended. ;-)]

Anywho, Matt is heading back to college in a day or so, and he and I decided to enjoy a quiet evening of sushi and a movie - just the 2 of us. We go to this movie, not really knowing what to expect, but both of us quite desirous of seeing it. When he asked what I thought it would be about, I said I thought it would be filled with "human emotion." He sort of chuckled. And, boy, was I was right.

How do we enter this world? Naked, helpless, innocent. What if you were born different - not like most people. Were you? What is your life like? What is it like just living life for those who are significantly different, disabled, unusually talented, geniuses, obviously gifted in some way? Those who do not blend in with the rest of the world. Do we really see them, or do we only see their differences? And when we realize what an impact our lives have on others, how do we consistently make the right choices, some that are best for us and some that are best for others? How is it possible to make the choice to fully embed yourself in love, knowing it could be lost to you? Would it break your heart? Would I actually die?

A tumble-jumble of thoughts, questions, images. A night of beautiful pictures, music, an amazing story, but a haunting one. As Matt put it, "That blew my mind."

Who am I? A ramble and a question...

We all know about New Year's resolutions. I usually don't put much thought into this common ritual, but just continue working on stuff I already was doing...or planning on doing but hadn't gotten to yet. :-) This year, though, as I was figuring out this blog title and then thinking about rewriting my profile (how do I describe myself in a short paragraph?), the question popped into my head: Who am I?

How do I define myself? By who is in my life (husband, father, sisters, cats, etc.)? By what I do (job, activities, volunteering)? By what I believe? For me, I certainly am not defined by what I have. At least that much I know. I think in some ways this question isn't really very important. After all, does how we define ourselves have a real impact on how we live our lives? Other than my core beliefs about God, I don't think it does for me. Does that, then, answer my question about how I define myself? Partially, and in the important ways, yes - by what I believe. 

This question is, however, for many a very important and complex one. It is a question they spend days, months, even years trying to figure out. Why is it so important? Are the details of who I am not very important to define for me because so much of my identity is fixed on my beliefs about God and where I fit into His plan? That does, indeed, give me great comfort and a solid sense of who I am overall. It does allow me to traverse life's path without having to constantly struggle with who am I, why am I here-types of questions, and for that I am very grateful. 

How do you define yourself? Do you know who you are in relation to eternity? Does God have a hand in your definition? I don't usually ask those kinds of questions here, but I just can't help myself this time. So, who are you and who will you work to become this year? Let God have a part in it. Ask Him to show you who you are and who you can be. He will meet you wherever you are and take you along a better path. Of that I am certain. That I can state with full confidence.

My new blog

Hi, all, 

Welcome to "Write Out of the Blue." Not much exciting going on here - just my little life. Good grief, I sure thought a long time about what to call this blog. My preferred titles were all taken, so I had to go back to the drawing board. If you're wondering what this title is about, here is a quick synopsis...

I called my first blog "New Adventures 08" because I was quitting my job, going on an overseas trip, and rediscovering the hausfrau within in me! Now that it's been a year, I thought about just going with "New Adventures" but someone else is using that. I thought about "IndoGirl" since that's who I am (born and raised in Indonesia - that is). I even tried some cooking-centered titles since I do love to cook! Nothing seemed quite right. 

I settled on this title because writing is what I do here, and what you read comes right out of the blue. Whatever is going on, whatever I'm thinking - that's what you get. I thought it made sense. So, happy new year! And welcome to my blog...again, to many of you. ;-)