What's Up

One of the things I've sort of settled on as a kind of New Year's Resolution (which isn't, really, but that seems like a good enough thing to call it) is to get back to blogging a bit more. I've missed it and even if only 2 people are reading, I guess that's okay :o) So today's post is more along the lines of one of my monthly status reports because there are a bunch of things rumbling around in my head right now. So here we go:  

Thankful for... God's amazing mercy on my family. Last Friday my 93 year old grandma had what they call a mini-stroke (bleeding in her brain) and was taken to the ER unable to speak coherently, control her movements, etc. By Sunday evening mentions of hospice/pallative care were being discussed and chances of recovery were extremely small. However, yesterday some time gma decided she wasn't quite done with this family and she suddenly woke up, became responsive, asked questions and began responding well to sensitivity tests (visual, hearing, muscle control, etc.). The nurse updating me was so excited to tell me the good news and included "it is really nothing short of a miracle, everyone here is just completely amazed!" Now, gma is 93 and she's lived a really full life. None of us are under any illusion that she's going to stick around for another 20 years (although some of us secretly think she's going to outlive us all and it'll be her great-great-grandkids having this same conversation 30 years from now) so even if God is pleased to keep her here another few days, or weeks or months, that's pretty merciful of Him to do that. I'm 2500 miles away and it's been really hard for me keeping updated via long distance, but I know it's even harder for those there. Even still, God is astoundingly merciful.

Wondering... "what husbands think is the most valuable character trait in a wife".  I use quotes there because that's what my friend Kim tweeted a couple of days ago and I thought it was a brilliant question.  A question that wives should ask their husbands and husbands should ask their wives, in return.Not just ask, but prayerfully consider the answer and honestly ask themselves if they're living out that character trait that their spouses find most valuable.

So, I did that today and Kev's answer was, after thinking about it for a few minutes, understanding.  Now we both agreed that there would be a lot of different answers from men, depending on the health of their marriage, personal cicumstances, etc.  He explained that from understanding comes compassion, attentiveness and other good things that go into a strong marriage.  On the flip side, the first thing that came to my mind as the most valuable character trait in a husband was integrity.  I am curious though what other husband and wives would say is the most valuable trait to them.

  Happy about... the print quality and the merch quality of all the products I've ordered from zazzle in the last month.  I took advantage of some really great sales over the holidays and I've started some product reviews on the store blog that you can read here. I'm not just a designer that sells zazzle products, I'm a diehard zazzle customer too - they're THAT awesome!

I found this handsome super-model wandering across my deck today in one of my designs, and he happily agreed to pose for me for the product review I blogged today.  It was pretty handy the way that worked out.

Wondering... if everyone is slowly going insane.  In my readings lately I'm learning about John Piper and lectio divina, so-called pastors using sex as a hook to get attention and draw people in (oh yeah, and sell books, lest we forget that part), and more and more nonsense and controversial junk everywhere I look.  To be honest, my first thoughts when I read some of this stuff are along the lines of "what are you, completely stupid?"  I'm afraid the answer might be yes.  It seems discernment, tact, propriety, timing, common sense and sound doctrine are just totally out the window and it's anything goes, jump on the modern culture bandwagon and throw caution to the wind.  Well, that's just plain stupid. Yep, I said it.  Outloud, too.

Hopeful... for my mom's upcoming hip replacement surgery on Friday.  She had the other one done 18 months ago and it never healed the way it should have but her new doctor seems to think with both tires rotated (even if one still off kilter a little) she'll regain a much better alignment and her new hip will sort of compensate for the other one.  I sure hope that's the case and would ask those reading to keep my mom (and the rest of my family) in your prayers.  It's been a really tough week in my world and we could sure all use some peace of heart and peace of mind.

Status Report - January 2012

Sitting...at the kitchen table on my laptop that my fabulously wonderful husband Kevin bought for me last Christmas. :o)  It's still one of the most awesome and useful things anyone has ever bought for me.

Drinking...coffee with french vanilla cream

Listening to... the sounds of the washer and dryer both running and the space heater next to me blowing warm air into the room

Getting... anxious for normal routines to resume. Kev goes back to work today but the kids are still off for another 5 days.  Kev and I were just talking about that the other day, and both agreed that as much as we don't always like the details of normal routines, it's the routine itself that helps us keep it together.  We did manage to get the house back in order and get all the Christmasy things tucked away however.

Hoping... this isn't going to be one of those winters they're still talking about 30 years from now.  I think I've mentioned that before in a recent status update but it's a valid hope so it gets a repeat performance. Also hoping that Kev's illness isn't worse today, since he was pretty stuffied up and miserable yesterday.

Thinking... about a book review I read this morning that made me cringe.  Without naming the book or the authors suffice it to say it was a review on a book written to and for married couples on the subject of physical intimacy.  I haven't read the book itself (and have no plans to) but the review was fair, balanced and honest (even appreciative at times).  So why did it make me cringe?  It seems we live in a time where nothing, and I mean nothing is out of bounds, private or too personal to share with a book audience or 82 bazillion people on the internet.  I'm not sure where this mindset came from but I come from the generation where private things are private and personal things stay personal.  So, this culture's open and public mindset completely clashes with the one I have and grew up with.  Some will call me prudish or victorian or one of those other obnoxious insults for thinking the way I think but that's the way it is for most of my generation (the ones not trying way too hard to be hip and relevant and all that, anyway).

Making... plans for our Florida vacation this spring.  We're all so excited to go and see things we've never seen, do things we've never done and meet some great friends we've only been able to correspond with online for years, but never met in person.  Lord willing, it'll be a super-fantastic awesome and memorable trip. By the way, am I the only one who always types 'Floriday' first and then has to backspace to correct that?

Realizing... that not only do I not have the readership here I once did, but the length of this post is probably 20 miles too long for most folks these days anyway.  We're in the tweet-generation now where 140 characters seems to be the most information folks want to take in at once.  In some ways this is good, but in other ways it's kind of disturbing and makes me wonder how that affects our thinking and reasoning and conversation skills.  I suspect I'm not the only over-40 dinosaur that has had these thoughts.

That's about all I have for today! I wish you all an amazingly blessed and joyous 2012.

Insanely Delicious Layered Salsa Dip

I've probably posted this recipe at some point over the years but a.) I'm too lazy to look for it and b.) I don't really use a recipe anymore I just wing it, so this is the new and improved wing-it version:

2 bricks of cream cheese softened to room temp
1 tub of sour cream
1 cup of salsa (mild, med. or hot, depending on your preference)
1 envelope taco seasoning mix
2 cups grated sharp cheddar
*sliced black olives
*guacamole or avacado chunks
*sliced jalapenos
*salsa

In a large bowl whisk together the softened cream cheese and salsa.  Spread into a pan and cover the bottom completely with this first layer.  Use the same bowl (saves on clean up, girls!) and whisk together the sour cream and taco seasoning, then spread that over the cream cheese layer.  Grate roughly 2 cups of cheese and layer that on top of the sour cream mixture.  *Dot the top with black olives, guacamole, sliced jalapenos or more salsa - these are all optional.

Serve with tortilla chips and be VERY careful, it's been descibed as stupidly-insane yummy. I can vouch for that too since I'm the one who described it that way!

Enjoy!

Farewell 2011

Today on this New Year's Eve day as the family watches our annual New Year's Eve Lord of the Rings marathon (blu-ray extended versions - it wont be over until around 9pm) and the chili simmers in one crockpot and the wassail simmers in another, I thought it would be a really good time to shake the cobwebs off this old blog and take a look back at 2011.

In some ways, 2011 was a really fantastic year.  In other ways, ways that are entirely too personal and that cannot be shared here, it was one of the worst years I've experience in my adult life. However, as my Christian friends are always faithful to remind me, trials bring about growth and sanctification and great and painful trials bring about these things in a deeper way than you ever thought possible.  So as much as I hate great and painful trials, just like we all do, I thank God for the sanctification that comes as a result of them.  Putting the negative stuff aside I'd like to dwell on those things that made 2011 a fantastic year.

So many great things happened and just a few of those were

• our 14 year old's grade 8 graduation (they make a big deal out of that here in Ontario) and then entering high school
• the super fun Canada Day fireworks/bbq party we held and all the people who came (oh yes, Lord willing we're doing that again next year, it was so much fun)
• our 4 week road trip out to Washington (and the side trips we took to Devil's Tower in Wyoming and Mt. Rushmore in South Dakota) to see family (and meeting this Squirrel and Mrs. Squirrel in Montana on the way back home)
• mine and my husband's rededicating ourselves to a healthy, solid marriage (which has resulted in a better relationship for us than we've ever had, I highly recommend it to all married couples!)
• the ongoing success of my graphic design business primarily at my zazzle shops
• the ongoing, tireless, faithfulness of my friend Kim to put up with my bazillions of faults and warts and forgetfullness and remain my friend despite it all (and always being an encouragement towards bettering myself, and making me laugh too)
• the blessing of being able to see almost all of my extended family after 10 years of being away from home
• the news of yet another grandbaby coming in the spring of 2012 (it's a boy!)
• the successful knee surgery and quick recovery for our oldest daughter

The more I think about it the more I could add to this list and make it really really really long, but I won't do that.  Suffice it to say, I am continually and incredibly blessed by so many things that it almost seems sometimes like it's too much. I know I certainly haven't done anything to deserve it.  However, God knows what He's doing and I won't question that.

With tomorrow being the New Year, I think I'm going to make a couple/few resolutions.  Now, it's been forever since I've done this so I don't know how well I'll stick with them but I'm putting it in writing this time so maybe someone reading can help keep me accountable once in a while and ask how things are going with these resolutions.

1. Lose another 20 pounds.  I've lost roughly 30 pounds this year (it fluctuates, sometimes it's 30, sometimes it's 35, my scales are picky) but it's that last 20 that really needs to go so that my clothes fit the way they should. The plan to do this is to continue working out (cardio and toning), continue to avoid junky snacks (I've done pretty good there) and continue to eat healthier foods overall.  I've leveled out over the last month so I need to step up the cardio and toning and that should make a difference.

2. Stop drinking coffee at night.  Horrible habit and I really want to wean myself off the caffeine after dinner.  This one should be fairly easy and I plan to begin this tomorrow.

3. Improve my church attendance record!  Between hubby's work schedule, not being able to sleep when he's on the midnight shift, going weeks or months at a time with only 1 vehicle, illnesses (mine or the kids), snow and whatever else, it makes it pretty rough to make that drive into town and get to church.  We all miss our church and the fellowship and that's yet another reason that we're looking forward to moving into town and out of the country by the summer of 2013, Lord willing.  I'm not sure if we'll be able to be at church more in 2012 than we were in 2011 but I'm sure going to try.

Well, that's about all I have to share today.  The funny thing is, one of the most trivial things I'm looking forward to in 2012 is being able to say it's my birthday on 12-12-12.  I know it sounds silly, but it's kind of cool at the same time. 

Happy New Year everyone, may you be richly and wonderfully blessed and may it be your best year ever!