Jobapalooza: Work and Our Spiritual Lives: How do they mesh?

Welcome to Jobapalooza, where we are celebrating all things work. Why? Because I got a job!

I love when God brings a word to you right when you need it... do you know what I mean? Like if you have been struggling with forgiving someone and you walk into church and the sermon is on forgiveness, or if you just can't make a decision about something and He brings like five people who don't know each other but all say the same thing to you?? Anyhow, I have been reading (for like two months now) Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Life Together: The Classic Exploration of Faith in Community. And today wouldn't you know the part I was reading had to do with work. Ha. Why is this funny? Because God just provided a job for me, after four months of unemployment. I start next week. Apparently, He had some things He wanted to teach me before I got back to the workplace. SO of course I am going to share those things with you.

Ok so in the book, he has been going through the different elements of what should make up the morning family devotion, and after he talks about prayer he starts in on how after the devotion you go to work. He says "Prayer and working are two different things. Prayer should not be hinder by work, but neither should work be hindered by prayer." It sounds almost sacrilegious doesn't it? Surely prayer is more important than work, thats what most of us are taught to believe. But is it? He goes on to point out that God has commanded that man work for six days and rest on the seventh, that God expects and wants man to work. How often do you think about your work as something God wants you to do (SAHM's I am counting your staying at home a job too)? I think we have slipped into a common thought of work being something we have to do to get money, and not work being something God wants us to do in order to sanctify us (me included in this).

Work plunges men into the world of things. The Christian steps out of the world of brotherly encounter into the world of impersonal things, the "it"; and this new encounter frees him for objectivity; for the "it"-world is only an instrument in the hand of God for the purification of Christians from all self-centeredness and self-seeking. The work of the world can be done only where a person forgets himself, where he loses himself in the cause, in reality, the task, the "it". In work the Christian learns to allow himself to be limited by the task, and thus for him the work becomes remedy against the indolence and sloth of the flesh. The passions of the flesh die in the world of things. But this can happen only where the Christian breaks through the "it" to the "Thou," which is God, who bids him work and makes that work a means of liberation from himself. pg. 70

He goes on to describe that seeing the "Thou" through our work becomes what Paul calls "pray without ceasing". That in being able to see God and work for him and not yourself or others, this is where prayer becomes an every moment thing.

"Thus the prayer of the Christian reaches beyond its set time and extends into the heart of his work. It includes the whole day, and in doing so, it does not hinder the work; it promotes it, affirms it, and lends it meaning and joy."

Have you seen your "work", whatever it may be, as a way to please the Father? Have you thought of it as a way for Him to refine you? Have you worked at your job as if working unto the Lord? I think when we see it this way, it will be easy to talk to the Lord all day about it, about what we are doing, what we are struggling with and asking for His strength and character instead of our own.

What a good lesson for me before I return to work! I will be an "Office Associate", which is a nice and new way to say secretary. It will be easy to think this job doesn't matter spiritually, but that just isn't true. This is an opportunity for the Lord to refine me, and in the process to "bring many sons to glory".

How about you, have you ever thought about this? How do you view your job? What struggles do you have with meshing your relationship with God and the place you spend majority of your day at?

Jobapalooza: The Stats

Welcome to Jobapalooza, where we are celebrating all things work. Why? Because I got a job!

The Stats:

35+... The number of jobs I have applied for this summer.

20... The number of cover letters I have written this summer.

7... The number of interviews I scheduled this summer.

6... The number of interviews I actually had this summer (I cancelled the last one).

6... The number of interviews I felt really good about this summer.

1... The number of interviews that resulted in a job this summer.

So many I cant count... The number of times I have asked and rehearsed interview questions in my head.

So many I dont want to count... The number of jobs I have looked at on the internet.

Numberless... The blessings the Lord has lavished on me.

Jobapalooza!

Welcome to Jobapalooza! What is Jobapalooza you ask? It is my week long blog celebration because I got a JOB! So what will it entail?

• A post each day about work, looking for work, being unemployed etc.
• Things I will miss about being unemployed
• Things I won't miss about being unemployed
• A look at working and our spiritual lives, how do they mesh together?
• A Q&A with yours truly (but only if you guys participate and make it happen!)

Ready to party?? Haha!

The Q&A Post:

I realize that there are probably questions you have wanted to ask me over the course of the last four months like: why did you leave your job, why didnt you go get a part time job, why did you major in that??!! etc etc. Well now is the time to ask these questions! I am mainly doing this for me, I want to reflect as much as possible over what I have learned during this whole process. So please join in and help me do that! Ask anything related to me and a job and lack there of. Come on... don't be afraid... I don't bite... I am not easily offended... Bring it on!

I will answer the questions on Saturday, so please ask before then!

Why I Love This Week

Heather, who writes at Live.Love.Laugh., does a post each week entitled "Why I love This week". It is a neat concept, starting your week off with looking at the good things that are coming instead of dreading another week. So I wanted to join in this week...

• Fall weather has finally showed up and I love it! It is crisp outside and I have turned off the air conditioner and opened windows! Yay!
• I finally have a week where I do not have to worry about finding and applying for jobs! Instead I get to spend the week enjoying myself and doing projects I want finished before I head back to the workforce.
• Mr.Pate is no longer sick (he had strep throat AND the flu last week!), so we get to actually touch and sleep in the same bed and enjoy each other!
• I get to enjoy my youth group! I have missed the last two wednesdays, so I am pumped to get to hangout with them again!
• Did I mention I have the peace of knowing I have a job??!!

What do you have to look forward to this week?

Menu Plan Monday 9/28-10/4

This week is our last week of "normal", or what we now know of normal. Next week I begin my new job (Yay!) and Mr.Pate will be working alot of nights at Starbucks (yuck! what perfect timing right?). So who knows what we will be eating! HA!

My meals for the first half of this week are all things we had on hand, and the second part of the week recipes are things I have majority of the ingredients for. I am mentioning this because this is a key way that I meal plan- "planning for what I have". This can save you money and not waste ingredients that go bad in your pantry or fridge. Try it this week- look at what you have and think about what meals you typically use that for. Hope it helps you save some molah! On to the plan:

Monday: Skillet Lasagna and Green Beans

Tuesday: Grilled Steaks, Mashed Potatoes, and Broccoli

Wednesday: Dinner at Dustin's

Thursday: Taco Bar

Friday: Game Night at church (It's Potluck). I am taking KY Crescent Roll Casserole

Saturday: Eat out

Sunday: Church Picnic! I'm taking Deviled Eggs

Skillet Lasagna

3 garlic cloves, minced (i leave this out)

1 lb ground turkey breast

salt and pepper

8 lasagna noodles, each broken into 4 pieces

1 (26 oz) jar tomato sauce

1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella

3/4 cup ricotta

1. Warm oil in a 12” skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic and cook until fragrant.
2. Add turkey, salt and pepper and cook until no pink left.
3. Scatter lasagna noodles over turkey. Pour tomato sauce and 2 cups water on top of noodles, bring to a simmer.
4. Then reduce heat to low, cover and cook at a low boil until noodles are tender, about 20-22 minutes stirring occasionally.
5. Sprinkle 1 cup mozzarella onto the mixture and stir to combine.
6. Remove pan from heat and spoon heaping tablespoonfuls of ricotta on top of lasagna. Sprinkle remaining mozzarella, cover and let stand for 4 to 5 minutes.

Head over to Org Junkie for more plans!

Julie & Julia... my take on it

Well I have finished Julie & Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously by Julie Powell. And now I feel like sharing my opinion on the book with you, whether you care or not. Ha. Just kidding. Well not really, I am going to share. But you can choose to stop reading. I won't judge you. Maybe.

I finished the book in a week, which is super fast for me. It is an easy read, meaning it does not take alot of brain power to understand what she is saying so you can read quickly and still understand.

Things I liked about the book:

• I love reading about or watching people cook, so hearing her adventures in cooking French food was fun.
• She is very real in the book, showing all her sides whether good or bad, and I found that refreshing.
• Learning even more about Julia Child, I swear guys she is addicting in some strange way.
• Her husband, he comes across as such a loving and sweet guy.

Things that annoyed me about the book:

• She is as negative as they come. I actually think she tried really hard to come across as overly negative.
• I feel like she tried way to hard to be a funny or witty author. She wrote like this alot, where it felt forced (the humor that is). Now I love when Will Ferrell does these type of humor in movies, but it just didnt feel real to me in the book. So it annoyed me each time bc I felt like she was being fake and, as afore mentioned, overall I felt she was super real in the book. Exhibit A:

(If it had been Eric with me, the day would have ended with us rebuilding a diesel engine with a giant timer ticking over our heads, in front of a live studio audience, while Hi mechanics nduwho disapproved of my mode of dress jeered at us and pelted us with stones. Or something.) pg. 51

• The fact that Julia Child apparently didn't like Julie or the project & that Julie never ended up meeting her. By the time Julia said this though she was like 92 or something, and we all know how most 92 year olds get kinda grumpy.

Overall I would recommend the movie over the book. I know this doesn't happen often, but the Julie in the movie was sweet and timid and lost as opposed to the real Julie who is boldly negative and self-indulged and lost. Maybe watching the movie first ruined it for me? And that's all I have to say about that.

thoughts on getting a job #5

when you finally get a call letting you know you have been selected for the position you wanted all along, you need to immediately shout, scream, dance, and call your sick husband to cheer him up with the fabulous news!!!

ps.... I got a job at WKU today!!!!

I would like to approach the bench please!

I was called for Jury Duty this month. This means that I, along with tons of other people, had to go to the courthouse on September 1st and sit through an orientation. Then I was given a number to call each day after 4:30 pm to determine if my services would be needed the next day. It is September 23rd, and today was the first day my services were needed.

So I got up this morning, hung out at Starbucks for an hour, and then headed to the Justice Center. There was in fact a case today. When I walked in today, there were actual lawyers and a defendant sitting at their special tables. The court clerk called 32 names at random, of which I was not one, and directed them to sit in chairs at the front of the court. The lawyers then proceeded to questions these people to determine if any of them would have a strong bias against either side of the case, and if so, then excused them from the case. Sound thrilling? It wasn't.

Here are my thoughts on my hour and a half spent sitting in the courtroom today:

• lots of people have a bias when it comes to a child support case
• it annoys me to no end when crowds start murmuring when I feel like they should not be (for example when someone has 'approached the bench' to talk to the judge)
• some people will judge anyone, no matter if there is some kind of cause or not
• women are such talkers
• people in general are dumber than I gave them credit for
• you must be asked the same question three different ways before you answer honestly, apparently (how hard is it to say yes to the question 'do you know the lawyer?' if in fact you are involved in a lawsuit that involves said lawyer? why do you need to wait to say yes when two questions later you are asked if you are involved in any lawsuit and you indeed say yes and it happens to involve that lawyer... ugh)
• sitting in a courtroom is a great place to catch up on some reading
• judges have the best jobs ever- this is the first case all month... what have they been doing?

One Letter at a Time

I saw this on Heather's blog and decided it looked fun and I wanted to do it. So here it goes:

One Letter at a Time...

A - Age: 26 (soon to be 27 in Nov)

B - Bed Size: Queen and staying that way, I feel all alone in a King!

C - Chore you hate: Laundry... it just keeps coming!

D - Dog's Name: Joey

E - Essential start your day item: My Bible and Coffee

F - Favorite Color: I have a hard time choosing... earthy tones or black or blues or greens

G - Gold or Silver or Platinum: white gold or silver

H - Height: 4' 9½"

I - Instruments you play: Not a one

J - Job Title: UnEmployed

K - Kid(s): Hopefully someday

L - Living Arrangements: mr.pate, me, joey & zoey live in a 2 bed/1 tiny bath 60 yo home in bowling green, ky and love it!

M - Mom's Name: Janet Denise but we call her denise

N - Nickname(s): Bre, Brina, SOG (in high school)

O - Overnight hospital stay other than birth: they stole my thyroid two years ago

P - Pet Peeve: when people think they know it all, when people interrupt you, when people rub their feet on the carpet

Q - Quote from a movie: "The concept is grasped... The execution is alittle elusive." (Princess Diaries 2) "You sit on a throne of lies... you smell like beef and cheese.." (Elf) The Starbucks quote from You've got Mail... too many to name basically

R - Right or Left Handed: Right

S - Siblings: Misty Ann Donoho, my fabo older sis

T - Time you wake up: 7 am to an 80 lb dog sitting on me wanting breakfast

U - Underwear: yes i wear them?

V - Vegetable you dislike: onions!!!

W - Ways you run late: trying to fit too many things into my small time frame, or if i got started watching a show i have a hard time leaving, or if i am leaving people i am always late bc i dont like to say goodbye

X - X-rays you've had: throat, wisdom teeth, not sure of any others??

Y - Yummy food you make: peanut butter pie!

Z - Zoo Favorite: monkeys, elephants, hippos

a few book reviews

so as you can tell, i have been reading quite a bit lately. but i am not really a writer (i just tell you whats going on inside my head) so i have put off book reviews because i feared i couldnt do them justice. today i just decided to suck it up and tell you about the books in my own words, which wont be eloquent or catchy. consider yourself forewarned.

✓Total Church: A Radical Reshaping around Gospel and Community by Tim Chester and Steve Timmis

"In Total Church, Chester and Timmis first outline the biblical case for making gospel and community central and then apply this dual focus to evangelism, social involvement, church planting, world missions, discipleship, pastoral care, spirituality, theology, apologetics, youth and children's work. As this insightful book calls the body of Christ to rethink its perspective and practice of church, it charts a middle path between the emerging church movement and conservative evangelicalism that all believers will find helpful." (From amazon- they could explain it much better than i)

I personally loved this book! I yearn for this kind of real community and commitment to the church above all. I think in American culture we are the exact opposite- we seek to find our real community outside of the church and we put church as the last priority! I am still pondering alot of things from this book and how to incorporate them into my life. Would definitely recommend you read it!

✓ Be-With Factor: Mentoring Students in Everyday Life by Bo Boshers and Judson Poling

I have already written about this one a little here, but I would recommend it to anyone in youth ministry. If you are strapped for time I would recommend just skipping to the last two or three chapters, thats where all the practical part is.

✓Handbook on Counseling Youthby Josh McDowell and Bob Hostetler

I had planned to read this one cover to cover, then when I got it I realized its just not that kind of book. It is a reference style book that is meant to be a go to when you have youth struggling with a certain issue. Good to have on hand and be familiar with.

✓ Treasure Principle: Unlocking the Secret of Joyful Giving by Randy Alcorn

I loved loved loved this short book. It really focuses on the heart of giving and grasping the understanding that its all God's anyways. It was a very quick read (and I am a slow reader) so I would say everyone should read it. It challenged me to, in the words of Elizabeth George, "hold nothing tightly and everything lightly".

✓My Life in France by Julia Child and Alex Prud'Homme

It was fabulous! After seeing Julie & Julia this summer and finding out that part of the movie was based on this book, I just had to read it! She just had such a drive and passion for life. And just hearing about their lifestyle in France, with days spent in the markets and time reading and writing, made me yearn for the days of slower life so bad! Reading this book makes you get lost in another time and place. Also I loved how much she loved Paul and vice versa, it was beautiful. Read it!

A Handbook for Ministers’ Wives: Sharing the Blessing of Your Marriage, Family and Home by Dorothy Patterson

Notice this one doesn't have a check-mark, because I didn't finish it. I just couldn't. It was painful! I went into this book thinking it would be full of challenges and tips on how to better minister as a family. Well, it is a detailed account on how to be a 'first lady" in ministry, which means how to be a minister's wife. She had some good points, but it was just like overload for me. Everything she shared rubbed me as a "how to be prime and proper and perfect". It just wasn't for me, I like to wear jeans to church and serve people off of the stove... so sue me.So i finished half of it and decided i just didn't want to waste my time with the other half. Wouldn't recommend it.

Those are all of the books I have read so far. I am currently working on Life Together and Julie &Julia.

The F-I-R List

The "Fall Into Reading" List, that is!

I have discovered that I want to read like every book imaginable and that I have a hard time picking and sticking to certain ones. Regardless, making and posting the list really has helped my read more (i have finished 4 whole books from my book list and am working on 2 others!) so I will continue on. So without further ado, here are the books I think I will be reading this fall in no particular order:

Julie & Julia by Julie Powell: This is the book that the recent movie Julie and Julia is based on. I have started it and can tell you it is way different than the movie and pretty crude at parts, but overall I am liking the point.

The Duggars: 20 and Counting! by Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar: This is a book the Duggars wrote to share their family philosophies and everyday habits etc. I dont have cable, so I dont watch the show but I am intrigued.

On Becoming Babywise by Gary Ezzo: This is a book about one method for training your child to sleep etc. I am not pregnant but want to be prepared for one day.

Teach them Diligently by Lou Priolo: Saw this book on Lindsey at Passionate Homemaking's booklist and wanted to read it for myself. I think it will be helpful for when I have kids but also now with my sunday school class etc.

The Journals of Jim Elliot by Elisabeth Elliot: We have this sitting on our book shelf and I have never read it. But I have read several of her books where she shares about him and I think it will be challenging and enjoyable.

Instructing a Child's Heart by Tedd and Margy Tripp: mr.pate and I took a class based on one of Tripp's other books and loved it. So if the library can get it on interlibrary loan then this one is in.

Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis: The Christian classic about what our faith is all about. I have attempted this book a few times and gave up because he is hard to read. This time I am older and more determined I think.

Life Together by Dietrich Bonhoeffer: currently reading this book and totally loving it! it is a hard read, but so worth it. anyone who really wants to improve in how they love the people around them, i would suggest this book!

The Giver by Lois Lowry: My childhood favorite, I figured it was a good time to revisit it!

Time to get busy! Head over to Callapidder Days to see what everyone else is reading! If you have a blog, join in. And if you dont have a blog, post your lists in the comments section on this post!! Let me see what you are reading friends....

100

This is officially my 100th blog post. I say officially because I have two other posts that were written before this one but are scheduled to post later... yes I write most of my posts all at once and then schedule them to come out all week (did you think i did nothing but sit at this computer and type all day! ha). nonetheless, according to blogger i started this blog in June 2008. and in a years time I have written 100 posts of nonsense.

I brainstormed several clever ways to post for the 100th time, but am i really that person? nope. i am neither trendy, funny or clever. so i abandoned those ideas and just thought i would blame those who got me hooked.

100 posts ago, kristi and natalie got my started on reading blogs. one day while i sat at my desk in the IM-Rec sports office on a hot day, i decided to start a blog of my own. i had no idea what to write and felt like an idiot... but it gave me something to do and i enjoyed other peoples blogs so much! you can read my first post ever here. pretty lame, but thats pretty much me!

over 100 posts later, i am addicted to this blog world. a 100 posts ago i had no idea the subculture that awaited me... really the subcultures because i have found that ANYONE can find their niche in the blog world. enjoy cooking? theres a blog for that! passionate about crafting? theres a blog for that! crazy about couponing? theres a blog for that! and for homeschooling, music, reading, home decor, social justice, health, working out, gossip, etc etc etc. (just realized how much this sounds like an iphone commercial... sorry i watch alot of tv!)

so here is to 100 more posts in what has totally become my online journal, accountability partner and friend to run to when no one is around. ok now i really do sound completely lame. peace out homies!

Menu Plan Monday 9/21-9/27

Well its time again to share what we will be eating around here this week. But first a few words about meal planning in general.

I have done menu planning basically since I got married in 2006 and mr.pate bought me a magnetic pad that had the days of the week listed on it. For me I find that if I don't plan, i don't cook. I am not a "cook" or "chef" by any means- meaning I cannot just throw something together. The thought of doing that terrifies me! I am a recipe follower. So if I have not already taken the meat out to thaw or bought all the essential ingredients or calculated how long the meal will take to cook, then chances are I will be throwing in the towel and begging mr.pate to take me out instead! So it saves us money, time and improves our health for me to menu plan. There are times I am better about this and times when I get lazy. This past month I have been very intentional about it and "planning for what I have" (more on that later) and it has majorly showed. We have only eaten out on Sundays, when we are traveling, and once due to planning failure. I have come in almost $30 or $40 under budget for the month in groceries and we haven't gone over in eat out money (which we usually do). So let this be a testimony to those of you who dont meal plan but are trying to save money or eat out less, meal planning might just be your answer!

Now on to the plan!

(Recipes are either linked or typed out below)

Breakfasts

cereal, green smoothies (never made them last week!), mocha chip muffins

Lunch

bagel sandwiches, fruit, yogurt, pretzels etc

Dinner

Monday- One dish chicken bake & green beans

Tuesday- Pot Roast w/ potatoes and carrots

Wednesday- Dinner at Dustin's and Church (I have a job interview Wednesday night- pray)

Thursday- Skillet Lasagna

Friday- Leftovers or Steaks on grill (I will be out of town, so whatever he decides)

Saturday- Same as Friday

Sunday- Out to eat at Peppers!

One Dish Chicken Bake

1 pkg Stovetop whole wheat stuffing mix

4 chicken breasts

1 can cream of mushroom soup, 98% fat free

1/3 cup sour cream (I use fat free)

1. Preheat oven to 375º.

2. Stir stuffing crumbs and 1 ½ C hot water, just until moistened and set aside.

3. Place chicken in a 2 qt baking dish that has been sprayed.

4. Mix soup and sour cream; pour over chicken and top with stuffing.

5. Bake for 35 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Makes 4 servings.

Pot Roast

1 roast (take your pick)

2 packet McCormick’s Savory Pot Roast seasoning

1 cup chopped carrots

2 baking potatoes cut up

1 cup diced celery

1. Mix seasoning according to directions and pour into crock-pot.

2. Add roast.

3. Chop all veggies and add to crock-pot.

4. Cook on low 8-10 hours.

Skillet Lasagna

oil

3 garlic cloves, minced (i leave this out)

1 lb ground turkey breast

salt and pepper

8 lasagna noodles, each broken into 4 pieces

1 (26 oz) jar tomato sauce

1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella

3/4 cup ricotta

1. Warm oil in a 12” skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic and cook until fragrant.

2. Add turkey, salt and pepper and cook until no pink left.

3. Scatter lasagna noodles over turkey.

4. Pour tomato sauce and 2 cups water on top of noodles, bring to a simmer.
5. Then reduce heat to low, cover and cook at a low boil until noodles are tender, about 20-22 minutes stirring occasionally.
6. Sprinkle 1 cup mozzarella onto the mixture and stir to combine.
7. Remove pan from heat and spoon heaping tablespoonfuls of ricotta on top of lasagna.

8. Sprinkle remaining mozzarella, cover and let stand for 4 to 5 minutes.

Head over to Org Junkie to see what everyone else is having!

Calming the storm

An exert from my bible study this morning, I hope it challenges and renews you today!

The point is not that we have nothing to fear but that His presence is the basis for our courage. Christ does not always immediately calm the storm, but He is always willing to calm His child on the basis of His presence. "Don't worry! I know the winds are raging and the waves are high, but I am God over both. If I let them continue to swell, it's because I want you to see Me walk on water." We'll probably never learn to enjoy our storms, but we can learn to enjoy God's presence in the storm!

Beth Moore, Living Free p 90-91

Show us your life- Dinner Recipes!

This week on Kelly's Show Us How You Live, she is featuring favorite dinner recipes. You know I love sharing and getting new recipe ideas, so i have to join in! Mr.Pate's absolute favorite dinner here is chicken cordon bleu, but since I dont have it typed into the computer yet you wont be getting that one. So our second favorite recipe is Brown Gravy Pork Chops. These are the most tender, juicy, yummy things ever. I used to not even like pork chops at all, but these things changed my mind! Enjoy or as Julia would say Bon Appetit (i finished the book last night! yay! a post on that later)!

Brown Gravy Pork Chops

3 packets of Brown Gravy mix

4 thick pork chops (w/ or w/o bone)

1. Make the gravy according to directions on packet then pour into crock pot

2. Brown the pork chops in a skillet, until they are no longer pink. (really it is like 'whitening' the pork chops)

3. Place pork chops into the gravy

4. Cook on low 8 hours (or high for 6) then enjoy!

This post is also shared with Crock Pot Wednesdays at Dining with Debbie!

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MY AWESOME AUTUMN GOAL LIST

So I was randomly reading a blog the other day, and came across an interesting goal list. This goal list was not made up of things the person thought they needed to do, or should do, or felt obligated to do. it was not a list of things they would have to force themselves to do if it killed them. it was a list made up of things they wanted to do simply for the fun of it. yep completely focused on pleasure and nothing more. and i loved the idea of it! so without further ado, my list-of-things-i-want-to-do-in-autumn-simply-because-i-want-to-do-them-and-i-wont-feel-bad-about-it:

1. lay in my hammock at least once a week
2. have a leaf fight
3. eat a carmel apple with nuts
4. make s'mores in my backyard (yes i live in the city limits and if anyone of you tells on me i am coming after you!)
5. go to a bonfire and hayride (someone is going to need to have one of these so i can do this... please?!)
6. dress up for halloween
7. carve an amazing pumpkin (Sims family pumpkin carving 09 is just around the corner-oh yea!)
8. make something crafty out of some natural fall stuff...
9. make pumpkin choc chip cookies

Fall into Reading 2009

I am joining the Fall into Reading Challenge at Callapidder Days. What is it you ask? It is a low pressure reading challenge that helps keep you accountable for getting your reading goals done. Here are the basic guidelines:

• Create a list of some books you’d like to read or finish this fall. This is the only real requirement for participating in the challenge.

• Feel free to set some additional reading goals (such as reading to your kids two hours per week, getting through your pile of magazines, etc.). However, this is not required; setting additional goals is completely optional.

• Write a blog post that includes the list of books you want to read (and any additional goals you’ve set), and get ready to post it on your blog on September 22nd.

• Visit Callapidder Days on September 22nd to sign up for the challenge. I’ll have an official launch post up that morning, complete with an area for you to submit a link to your personal Fall Into Reading post, where it will be added to the master list of participants.

• Read! Work on your goals throughout Fall 2009.

• Report your results. Write another blog post in December to let everyone know how you did. (I’ll post an official wrap-up to the challenge on December 21st, where you’ll be able to share your results.)

• Have fun! Visit other participants to see what they’re reading. Write reviews if you’re so inclined. But most of all, enjoy your fall reading!

So I am working on my list now (which will only be a little different than my book list for 2009) and will post on tuesday. I don't know what it is but I have definitely caught the reading bug lately. Maybe it is the fact I am not working nights and weekends (or anytime for that matter- keep praying for a job!)?

All of you bloggers should totally join. And for my dear friends that only read blogs but refuse to grace the blog-world with your visual presence, start making your lists and be ready to post them in the comment section on tuesday!! Lets start reading folks!

a thought from julia...

i am currently reading "My Life in France" by Julia Child... well almost done actually. And it is a great read. she is just a funny and inspiring lady. anyhow, on one of the many pages i have been devouring lately, julia said:

"i was thirty seven and still discovering who i was."

this struck a chord with my heart instantly. i think it is because the season of life i seem to be in right now is continually showing me that i have alot to discover about myself. a few weeks ago, while talking to one of my very best friends, she said that she still finds herself thinking 'when is my life really going to start'. it resonated with me, because i find myself constantly thinking "well i will do such and such when i get older or when things settle down or when i get a job or when justin doesnt have to work so much etc etc etc". but the thing is, those times may or may not come and go and still i dont do 'such and such'. its like we are always putting that part off and putting the urgency of the mundane for today's work. do any of you do this?

randomness i know. and i am not sure i have a point, i just loved the quote and the reminder that i will continually be discovering who i am (especially spiritually) for eternity. but our Lord knows me so much better than I know myself.

** i was looking for this quote i love for this post, but cannot track it down. it says something to the effect of not sacrificing what is holy on the altar of what is urgent... anyone know this quote??

Crock Pot Wednesdays- Asian Tomato Beef

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This week I am using my crock pot for SnoWhite's Chicken Parm , but since thats not my recipe I thought I would share a favorite that my brother-in-law Dustin is making us tonight! It is from a Campbell's Cookbook (or several I am sure, they repeat alot!), which if you are not the most skilled chef is a great cookbook for you. It is yummy!!!

Asian Tomato Beef

2 cans (10 3/4 oz each) Campbell's Condensed Tomato Soup

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/3 cup vinegar

1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 (3 or 3 1/2 lb) boneless beef round steak, 3/4 inch thick, cut into strips

6 cups broccoli flowerets

8 cups hot cooked rice

1. In slow cooker mix soup, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic powder, pepper and beef. Cover and cook on low 7 to 8 hours or until beef is done.

2. Stir. Arrange broccoli over beef. Cover and cook on high 15 minutes more, or until tender-crisp. Serve over rice.

Serves 8.

Head over to Dining w/Debbie to see what others are cooking in their crock pots. I love me a crock pot!