Life Interrupted

I'm attending a women's Bible Study right now on the book of Jonah, and I have to admit that when I found out this was to be the topic of the study, my first thought was "Jonah? That seems kind of boring. Isn't it just about a guy who gets caught in a storm and then stuck in the belly of a whale (ahem, big fish) for 3 days? Why would they choose THAT for a 6 week women's Bible study?" But from the very first video we watched (hosted by the vivacious and comically direct Priscilla Shirer) I was hooked. Jonah is about so much more. It's about a man - a prophet nonetheless - who decides that God's plan for his life is an interruption that he'd just rather avoid. And not just avoid - but actively run away from to the farthest place a boat would take him. And then a storm hits (another interruption), and he's found guilty and thrown overboard (interruption), swallowed by a sea creature (minor interruption), and maybe most interestingly of all, deposited right back on the shore of Joppa, not Ninevah where God had wanted to send him, but the very place this whole mess he'd made had started. All that for nothing? Just a big huge interruption? I think not, my friends. As blind as Jonah was to God's reasons for sending him to Ninevah "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways, declares the Lord" (Isa 55:8), the very details of his story led to a crew of sailors being saved, the nation of Ninevah being saved, the restoration of Jonah from rebellion into obedience, and a story that made it into the very word of God for millions of people to read, relate to, and be encouraged by! Jonah never could have guessed that his story, full of his own personal disobedience and God's continual "interruptions", could have had an outcome so far-reaching!

What the story keeps asking us to consider is how we view the "interruptions" God puts in our lives. From the big life-changing ones down to the daily irritations. We love to plan, we love to control, and sometimes we just don't do so well when we lose our grip on either one. But look where Jonah's many "interruptions" eventually brought him! I can think of several huge and painful "interruptions" that happened in my life that, at the time, seemed to make no sense. Some of these things are still painful, but I've realized that they have brought me where I am today. Because of these interruptions I have been forced to grow and change and I've definitely had to lean on God. Had I not been so rudely "interrupted" I may have grown stagnant in my own contentment with life. Had I received everything I wanted in the time and place that I had wanted it, I may have missed a true understanding of my need for God and been thoroughly self-satisfied.

A quote from the study guide that helps us see how we define "interruption" is:

"Interruptions only become positive when we consider the person or the circumstance interrupting to be more significant than that which currently occupies our attention"(Shirer 13). An illustration she made that makes this so obvious is the following: if you're just about to sit down to dinner and the phone rings with a pesky telemarketer on the other end, well, that's an interruption. But had the caller on the other end of the line been Publisher's Clearing House telling you that you'd just won a few million dollars, well, suddenly that call isn't so much an "interruption" now, is it? It all depends on what we view as important. If God is truly the most important thing in our life, then any plans he has for us, no matter how different they may be from our own, shouldn't be viewed as an "interruption" of our life, but should be welcomed and celebrated! Granted, this is easier said than done - especially when "interruptions" seem to be cropping up all over the place (like today when Oliver woke up with huge swollen welts on the back of his legs (an eczema flare-up) and I had to get last-minute help with the girls so I could get him to the doctor, or when I got a phone call this evening that our "nanny" who helps twice a week so we can go on a date and to a couples Bible Study was offered a full-time job elsewhere and would no longer be able to help us) but at least with this knowledge we can try to see them for what they really are, not mere interruptions, but invitations to align our wills to God's will and shift our focus from our own very narrow (and, ahem, usually selfish) plan to a plan that is so much bigger, and greater than anything we could ever imagine. Who knows where these "interruptions" will lead us, or what they may set in motion that may have great effect on the lives around us!

"The Lord is righteous in all his ways, and kind in all his deeds" Psalm 145:17

"In everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." I Thessalonians 5:18

"I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart." Psalm 40:8

"So Jonah arose and went to Ninevah according to the word of the Lord." Jonah 3:3

Baking Fun and Goodness

Today there was sun, snow, rain, hail, more snow, more hail, and then just cold, damp skies. It felt like the world needed a little bit of homemade bread...or at least I did. I Googled "best easy bread recipes" and found one on Allrecipes.com called Simple Whole Wheat Bread that looked and sounded delicious (how can you go wrong with a recipe that calls for lots of butter and honey?) So right after the kids woke up from their nap we decided to have an afternoon of baking fun! I didn't know if they would be interested or not, but as you'll see...they got quite involved:)

After I mixed the warm water, yeast, honey, and flour together, I let the babies try some honey. Let's just say Oliver licked every spot of honey off of his sticky little hands, and Audrey licked the spoon and somehow got her hands on the measuring cup I had used for the honey and licked that clean too. I think they liked it. Meanwhile, Gracie was eating her chicken and green beans like a good girl:)

As I was mixing the whole wheat flour into my bubbly, gooey dough I realized that making bread is messy business. I forgot to flour my hands before pulling the dough out to knead which made my hands a sticky mess, the countertops were well-floured, and I had a tower of dirty dishes (a tribute to my baking endeavor) in my sink. I secretly hoped it would be phenomenal bread that would take my breath away and make me never want to purchase store-bought bread again as to somehow justify the effort and mess.

While I baked, the little ones decided to pull all of my bakeware out of the drawer beneath the oven and slide them around the hardwood floors running as fast as they could and randomly crashing into things. I wonder if they thought that was what I was doing? Do they equate the word "baking" with loud crashing tin and a huge mess in the kitchen? I guess that's not too far off...

Since the whole process took over 3 hours, I had to put the babies to bed before the loaves came out of the oven. I brushed the tops with butter and was absolutely amazed at how beautiful they all looked! I let them cool for about 7 minutes (I couldn't wait a second longer), turned them out of their pans, cut a slice, and you know what? They were phenomenal. And the first thought that crossed my mind just happened to be how utterly scrumptious my homemade bread was and how I've never tasted anything so warm, chewy, and delicious in my entire life. I won't rule out stale, prepackaged, store-bought bread completely - :) - but I think I just may make bread making a monthly tradition in our home.

Simple Whole Wheat Bread

Time: About 3 hours

Yield: 3 beautiful loaves

Ingredients

• 3 cups warm water
• 2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast
• 1/3 cup honey
• 5 cups bread flour
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions

1. In a large bowl, mix warm water, yeast, and 1/3 cup honey. Add 5 cups white bread flour, and stir to combine. Let set for 30 minutes, or until big and bubbly.
2. Mix in 3 tablespoons melted butter, 1/3 cup honey, and salt. Stir in 2 cups whole wheat flour. Flour a flat surface and knead with whole wheat flour until not real sticky - just pulling away from the counter, but still sticky to touch. This may take an additional 2 to 4 cups of whole wheat flour. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to coat the surface of the dough. Cover with a dishtowel. Let rise in a warm place until doubled.
3. Punch down, and divide into 3 loaves. Place in greased 9 x 5 inch loaf pans, and allow to rise until dough has topped the pans by one inch.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 25 to 30 minutes; do not overbake. Lightly brush the tops of loaves with 2 tablespoons melted butter or margarine when done to prevent crust from getting hard. Cool completely

Creative Ways to Decorate with Tea Cups...

While searching for instructions on how to grow plants in tea cups, I found this article with even more creative ways to use them whether they be old, mismatched, or even chipped! A dear friend of mine makes lovely birthday/housewarming gifts by collecting unique coffee cups, small bowls, and tea cups at thrift shops and yard sales, and then transforming them into little decorative planters by adding soil and a small plant! (#3 below gives further directions on how to properly grow plants in a teacup) So pull those old tea cups out of your cupboards and turn them into something lovely and practical this very afternoon!

Instructions

1. • 1

     For a creative and dainty candle holder, place a tea light or small votive candle inside a tea cup. Trim the wick and light to bring instant ambiance to any room. Add one to the bathroom, dining room, living room, or master and guest bedrooms.

   • 2

     Place a 1 cup scoop of your favorite scented potpourri into a tea cup to freshen a bathroom, kitchen or laundry room.

   • 3

     Turn a kitchen or garden-style (bay) window into a miniature flower or herb garden using three or four mismatched tea cups and saucers. Simply add 1/4 to 1/3 cup of small pebbles to the bottom of the tea cup. These will provide your plants with needed drainage. Then add about ½ to 1 cup of potting soil on top of the pebbles. Place 3 to 4 seeds or 1 young plant. such as an African Violet, Baby Tears, Ivy or any kitchen herb, into the soil. Water lightly and place in a windowsill receiving filtered sunlight.

   • 4

     Display a collection of shells or buttons in a tea cup.

   • 5

     Tie an 8 to 10 inch piece of thin (1/4 to 1 inch width) ribbon to the tea cup's handle and make a bow. For added interest, tie a small silver spoon to the ribbon as well, or simply rest the spoon on the saucer.

   • 6

     Use a pretty patterned tea cup on your dresser to collect loose change or earrings.

   • 7

     Place an elegant tea cup (or two) on a desk to hold paper clips, tacks or stamps in style.

   • 8

     Use a fancy tea cup in a bathroom to display small decorative soaps, cotton balls or bath beads.

     article found at: http://www.ehow.com/how_4540814_use-tea-cups-decorate-home.html

Good Earth Tea's "Tag You're It" Quote Winners!

A few months ago I composed an original inspirational quote for Good Earth Tea and entered it in their "Tag You're It" competition. Last month they contacted me to let me know that my quote had been selected and would be printed on the tags of their Sweet and Spicy Tea along with the other 24 winning quotes. This week they published the winning quotes on their website which can be viewed and enjoyed at:

http://www.goodearth.com/winners.html

Balsamic Chicken Sausage with Green Lentils

*picture stolen from Google images...the recipe below comes out even prettier - but we ate all of it before I thought of taking a photo!

I picked up the Food&Wine 2007 annual cookbook at the used bookstore the other day and decided to try 5 new meals this week. Tonight's pick was "Lentils with Chicken Sausage". I was pretty sure Robert and I would like it (which we did), but I had no idea it would be such a hit with the kiddos! I don't think I've ever seen Grace open her mouth so wide, and Audrey was picking up her bowl and slurping it down! Oliver seemed to like it too (duh - it's food), but I thought it was funny that he picked the spinach out of each bite:) Here's the recipe - with a few minor adjustments/tips. Oh, and as you can see, I've given it a slightly more colorful and descriptive name...the other one sounded so tasteless and boring!

Balsamic Chicken Sausage with Green Lentils:

1 C dried green lentils

4 C chicken broth (you could even use 3C - ours was pretty "soupy")

1 carrot, cut into 1 inch pieces

1 celery rib, cut into 1 inch pieces

1/2 small onion, coarsely chopped

1 garlic clove, cut into pieces

2 T olive oil

4 thyme sprigs

1 C baby spinach leaves (stems removed), coarsely chopped

salt and pepper

*4 precooked chicken sausages, thickly sliced

1.5 T balsamic vinegar

*I used Trader Joe's Sweet Apple Chicken Sausage (comes in a pack of 5). You can also use Aidells Chicken&Apple sausage - just make sure the chicken sausage you choose is somewhat sweet. Lentils can be pretty "plain" - and the sweetness really adds to the dish and gives it some extra flavor!

1. In a large soup pot, combine the lentils and chicken broth. Cover and bring to boil.

2. With either a food processor or onion chopper, pulse carrot, celery, onion, and garlic until all are very finely chopped. In a large skillet, heat 1T olive oil. Add the finely chopped vegetables and thyme sprigs and cook over medium-high heat until veggies are soft (about 3 minutes) stirring frequently so they don't burn. Add cooked veggies to lentils/broth. Cover and cook over medium heat until lentils are tender (about 20 min). Stir the baby spinach into the lentils; season with salt and pepper.

3. Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1T olive oil in the skillet. Add the sliced chicken sausages and cook over medium heat, turning sausages occasionally until browned on all sides (about 8 minutes). Add the balsamic vinegar to skillet and toss and cook for 1 minute more.

4. Spoon lentils into bowls discarding thyme sprigs as you find them. Top with chicken sausages and serve immediately!

I'll be making this one again soon...let me know how you like it!