Envious

I've written on here before that I struggle with contentment.  It's something that I'm constantly striving for.  Sometimes I'm doing good in this area.  Then, other times the ugly old face of envy creeps up.


That's why I've had to be careful with what I feed my mind.  I love watching shows like House Hunters.  But, it often ends up making me upset.  I've recently started a Pinterest account.  And, I enjoy finding really fun & inspiring ideas.  But, again, there's a fine line between getting inspiration and longing for something you don't have.


I also get Country Living magazine.  I really, really like this magazine.  It's probably my all-time favorite.  It's got a little bit of everything:  recipes, gardening tips, info about vintage finds/collectibles,  DIY ideas.  But, my favorite part is looking at the pictures of featured homes.  Usually the homes are old farmhouses that have been restored & renovated.  The results are what I call 'farmhouse chic'.

This picture is from the kitchen of a featured home from April's issue.  I love this look.  So bright & airy, yet maintaining it's farmhouse charm.  Here is where envy starts to creep in.


The houses they feature are, of course, owned by people who have the money to spend to make them as beautiful as they are.  Even though mentions are made in the articles about 'working with a budget' or 'cost being an issue', I get the definite sense that these folks don't REALLY know what it is to have very little to work with in terms of finances.


And, then I read something that makes me downright mad.  This beautiful home set on a 20 acre property is owned by a husband and wife.  Two people.  Two!   Here's the quote that got my blood boiling...


  "Inside 2300 square feet accomodated the couple beautifully when they spent all day outdoors, but come winter, the space felt...cramped.  DiMauro had grown weary of sharing the one full bath with frequent weekend guests.  And Windley, who had followed her passion, painting full time, felt hemmed in by her tiny office."


Um.  


Ok.  I know.  2300 square feet by American standards isn't considered 'large' anymore.  But, somehow our family of 6 makes do in our home that is right around 1600 square feet.  If they would like to talk about feeling cramped...try being cooped up inside over winter with 4 rambunctious little boys.


See.  It's that ugly envy face again.  


And, I have to wonder...if we didn't have television shows, internet sites, and magazines to tell us what we don't have but ought to wish we had, would we care as much as we do now?  Would we be envious or oblivious that we didn't have as much as someone else?  


And, I've said this before, and I'll say it again....even most of the poorer folks among us in the U.S.  live in luxury compared to so much of this world.  Yes.  Luxury.  Do you remember this link about Hong Kong's cage homes?

Or the slums of Calcutta?

Or the poor in Kenya?

Or war-torn Afghanistan?

Or the poor of Appalachia in our own country?

This all puts it into perspective pretty quickly.  


I pray that it doesn't take extreme loss and devastation within our own country to remind us how blessed we are.

He's Back!

Who is back?  My husband!!!  I didn't mention it on here before, even though it's been at the front of my mind. But my husband just got back from a 9 day trip to Jamaica.  He went with a missions/work team from our church.  (Not the kind of stuff I wanted to announce on the world wide web while we were home alone...know what I'm sayin'?)


This trip was especially nostalgic for him because they went to the YWAM (Youth With A Mission) base in Montego Bay, Jamaica.  It's the same YWAM base John went to with his high school senior class 20 years earlier.  (John went to a small Christian school).


Also, one of his younger cousins is currently there as a staff member.  So, John was also excited to get to see him.


We definitely missed him while he was gone.  Nine days without my husband is the longest we've ever been apart since we've been married.  And, our boys definitely missed their daddy too!  There is great rejoicing in the land now that he is home.


He came back with some great stories & pictures and I'd like to share some of them here.  But, he took the camera with him to work, so I can't download the pics right now anyway.  It will have to wait for a future post.


In the meantime, we are so relieved to be back to 'normal' life!

Back on Track

A confession...I've gained back 5 of the pounds I worked so very hard to lose.


My weight loss has been stalled since around Christmastime.  I gave myself leeway over the holiday season intending to get back on track.  But, at my best I was just maintaining.  And, at my worst?  Well, I gained.


And, I MISS the way healthier food makes me feel.  I miss the light yet satisfied feeling after eating (instead of heaviness).  I miss the energy.  I miss the confidence in myself and my ability to treat my body kindly.


So, hold me accountable please blogging friends, because I need to get back on track.  


And, please forgive the cheesy 80's video...but this is the song that's been on repeat in my head. :)  (I gotta get up and back...right on track. )

Today's Facebook Posts

I feel  like I've been neglecting my blog of late.  It seems like such a huge task sometimes to sit down and write a well thought out piece.  And, I often experience writer's block.  What topic would really work well as a blog post?


Yet I'm constantly posting things on Facebook.  It's easy there.  Quick little blurbs that are at the front of my mind.  And, I'm embarrassed to admit that I post there multiple times a day.  


So today I thought I'd give you a sampling of what a typical day on Facebook looks like for me.  Here are my Facebook posts (thus far) from today....


Woke up late & wasn't really awake as the boys got ready for school this morning. It wasn't until we were standing outside waiting for the bus that Wyatt pointed out that Edison was wearing the same dirt & ketchup covered pants he had on yesterday. If it had just been a mark or 2 I would've let it go, but they were filthy! We ran inside quickly to change his pants, with a minute to spare before the bus came. My question of the day: Why do boys seem to have an aversion to wearing clean clothes??


I know the Hunger Games series & the movie are all the rage right now. And, I'm probably the only person who hasn't read the books or seen the movie. But, something about the whole storyline & concept really disturbed me anyway. I was pretty sure it wasn't something I could watch and not come away from upset. One of the bloggers I read (who did let her children read the series & took two of her older children to see it) wrote a post today about her true feelings on this movie after seeing it & why she decided to break her promise to her 11 year old daughter to take her to see it. A must read for any parent who's considering taking their kids....http://bjdentonfamily.blogspot.com/2012/03/on-games-midnight-and-broken-promises.html


Ok - I give in. I'm gonna go start a fire. It's so chilly! And, it looks like the temps are about as warm as they're getting today & tonight will be below freezing.




I'm so perplexed by craigslist postings where people say something is new (purchased less than a year ago, sometimes only a couple months ago) or never used, but they are selling because they changed their minds, are changing their decor, etc. Do people really have money to throw around like that?


So there  you have it.  A sampling of what you are missing if you don't see my Facebook page.  And, a sampling of what's on my mind today.


Have a great Monday.

What I'm Reading

I got this book from the library about a week ago & just started reading it today.  So far it's quite interesting!

Have any of you read it yet?  

Be Careful When You Purge

So, apparently in one of my purging fits of  "I'm going to get rid of anything I haven't used in a long time", I must have gotten rid of my mini-muffin tins.  Why I thought this was a good idea, I don't know.


It must have been the same purging fit when I got rid of my bundt pan.  Another item I regret not having & have since needed.


Note to self:  Be careful when you purge.  And, be especially careful about purging baking related items.  


Lesson learned and taken to heart.  I shall now go bake regular sized muffins instead of the adorable little mini muffins I wanted to make.

Are You Missing Out on the Feast?

Earlier this week I tried out a new chicken enchiladas recipe.  While I was assembling the enchiladas, my boys were there watching & snatching pieces of the cooked chicken that were going in to them.


My son, Wyatt, was eyeing the process warily.  He is my picky eater.  And, he especially dislikes when things are mixed together & he's definitely not one to try new things.  (He's my son who dreams of being old enough to buy his own pickles & sit & eat them out of the jar in front of the tv.)

"What all are you putting in there?"  He asked.  I already knew before-hand this wasn't going to fly with him, but as I told him a bit of the recipe, his face confirmed it.


"Ew.  Can you just save me some chicken?"


Now normally I don't make special exceptions with our meals.  But, I knew he would not eat the enchiladas.  And, I already had the cooked chicken set aside.  It was easy enough to save some.  But, I thought maybe I'd even offer to make some special enchiladas just for him (again, not a normal occurrence).


"What if I made a couple with just chicken & cheese wrapped in the tortilla?"  


"Nah.  Just chicken."  


So I set aside some plain old chicken for him.  And, when our family sat down to eat, there was Wyatt eating plain cooked chicken - slightly dried out, with not a whole lot of flavor - while the rest of us feasted on what turned out to be a really delicious meal of chicken enchiladas.  

image found here

We experienced a range of flavors & textures as we added sour cream, cilantro, & lettuce to our meal.  And, there sat Wyatt, not knowing what he was missing.

image found here

As sometimes happens, God spoke to me through this interaction with my son.  How often has God prepared this amazing feast for me, but I am too scared or unwilling to try something new?  I tell Him, "I'll just stick with the plain chicken.  I'll stick with what I know." And, what I don't realize is I'm missing out on all the flavors, textures, & nuances of what God had actually had waiting.

Will the plain chicken still nourish me?  Sure.  Have I experienced the fullness of God?  Probably not.

Maybe this applies to you, maybe not.  I know I tend to be someone who struggles with change, someone who is often fearful of new or different situations.  This missing of the feast could happen in so many ways....

 - in worship

 - in exploring spiritual gifts

 - in opening our lives to places God wants to take us or people he wants us to interact with

 - fill in your own example here________________________

Are you missing out on the feast?

"Taste and see that the Lord is good..."  Psalm 34:8