Glorious Efficiency

I try so hard to be as efficient as possible, so here's today's tidbit:

I prefer to have a "laundry day" over doing a load or two daily.  I have a friend who can't sleep unless all the washables in the house are laundered every day...I sleep just fine amid my piles:)  Anyway, a while back, I couldn't help but feel like maybe I needed two dryers to keep up with my washing machine's capabilities.  The washer can do a load in half the time it takes the dryer.  So then I got smart.  I always hang dry our sheets and blankets indoors or out-and yes, I have left blankets out in the rain because I can't remember anything:)

Here's how I work efficiently:  I wash a clothing load, and when they go in the dryer I put a blanket in the washer.  When the blanket is clean, I hang it up and put in another clothing load and by the time the dryer is finished with the first load, I've washed two loads for every dryer cycle.  The key is definitely using my timer...because I can't remember anything.

What do you do to improve your efficiency?

Something Beautiful

I was given this skirt by my sister that is a dark and light blue seersucker material.  I LOVE IT.  But, unfortunately, it looks awful on me.  Its tags were still attached, so my gut feeling is that it didn't look so hot on her either :)  I held on to this skirt hoping one day it would miraculously look good.   It still doesn't...so...I decided it would make a beautiful purse.  I decided that about 6 months ago.  I have finally gotten started creating my masterpiece.  I took a trip to the Goodwill and found a leather purse that I could repurpose-don't worry, it was ugly.

I really didn't think it would turn out as cute as it has.  I thought it would scream, "Homemade!"  (I'll show pics when it's done.)  I'm so proud:)

In taking this leather purse apart, I realized that someone took their time to make the one I was destroying.  Don't get me wrong, I'm glad it didn't end up in a landfill, but it saddens me to mess up someone else's hard work-not to mention that, judging from the "made in ______" tag, I can assume they probably were severely underpaid.

All that to say, it seems very parallel to God's working in our lives.  Sometimes things have to be destroyed in order to create something beautiful.  We may lose a job and then a home, but in the end have an appreciation for the new job and home that we would never have had before.  Perhaps it inspires us to help others who may be in a similar situation that we can help get them through.  God has created a heart of compassion, a heart of gratitude.  We have been made into something beautiful. 

I know God has worked in my life in similar ways.  What has God used to make you more beautiful?

Food for thought

Every paycheck (every other week), I make a list for the next two weeks of meals.  I've recently required inspiration via cookbooks to dig out of my apparent monotony.  The good news: two new recipes to try in the next 14 days...bad news: my fam is rather picky, so it is really difficult to find new recipes that the majority will appreciate. 

I'm sure you can relate on some level to my pain.  I look over my list of 12 dinner meals and realize that all but three of the meals I have planned will be unliked by someone.  And yes, I only plan 12 because, inevitably, I will not cook for at least two meals.  I leave some room for leftovers or nights we eat out.  Even then, I probably won't cook all 12.  I HATE cooking on the weekends, and since I work on Fridays, I don't usually like to do my marathon "cooking and preparation" that I do during the week.  I need to fix that:)

So now I make my grocery list--on the same paper--according to the meals I have planned.  I can easily go down the list and add ingredients I need for each meal.  I have a special section reserved for Sam's Club.  Thank you Greg for usually tackling that one!!

The kids are out of school for Spring Break next week--yay!!  I'm planning to try to make homemade Vanilla Wafer cookies with them.  We'll also be making Sourdough bread and Banana bread. Yummy.  Hopefully I'll remember where my waffle iron is so we can make those with some strawberries and homemade whipped cream:)  Maybe I'll show them how butter is made with the leftover cream--Science class?  We'll roll chunks of chicken in some Shake'n'Bake to make our own nuggets for lunch.  I'm sure we'll come up with more fun food...

What do you like to cook that pleases everyone?

A matter of the heart

Breathe out a prayer, breathe in a blessing.  That's my mantra this month.  We need only ask...

I'm currently reading Frank Peretti's Piercing the Darkness.  I love a book that points out the obvious things we just don't consider on a regular basis.  This particular book highlights the importance of prayer in a slightly Sci-fi kind of way:) 
I remember reading The Shack which is somewhat controversial, but if you read between the lines, you get a great glimpse of what we humans can't grasp--that God should not be put in a box by us.  He's not the old bearded white guy we tend to imagine.  He can and will do whatever it takes to catch our attention. 
Just like Mandesa says, "...He'll do, and He'll use whatever He wants to--to tell us--I love you..."

I get really choked up by the thought that Jesus CHOSE death.  It didn't just happen.  Many of us would choose to die in our loved-one's stead.  And ALL of us are Jesus' loved ones that he CHOSE to die to spare us--so that we might live.  I think we hear it so much and read it so many times throughout our visits in church and bible studies that we tend to take it for granted.  Take a moment sometime in your near future to go to a quiet place and seriously contemplate what it must have been like for Jesus.  Imagine that one of your children or other loved one should be the one punished, but you have chosen to take the horrific death in their place. Walk your way through the beatings, humiliation, torture and finally, the last desperate breaths of life that were endured in your stead.  When you take the time to meditate on that, you can't take it for granted any longer.

Forecast: Sunshine : )

I feel like I'm finally beginning to wake up after sleeping a little too soundly.  I have been discussing some of my anxiety issues with some friends, and I've been amazed at how similar some of their stories are to mine.  I find it so sad that although my life isn't that complicated, I just can't keep it all together.  Depressing!

BUT, I have begun to see some sun peeking through my self-imposed clouds.  I have really been focusing on the small things.  Letting the sun warm my skin on the one day it was nice enough.  Turning off the radio and rolling down the windows just to listen to the wind. 

I tend to want to be entertained.  Be it a movie or a book, I don't spend a lot of time just being.  Well, I'm changing that.  I'm going to find out what the wind wants to whisper to me. 

Have I been so wholly consuming my time that I've forgotten how to be still?