And Now For Something Completely Different...

The last few days have been really hard and I've lost some of my momentum. I had planned to write this week about the feelings I've had concerning the community I lost, but I'm feeling a little gun-shy. So, I've decided instead to write about cooking today.

A few years ago, I was listening to Focus On The Family. There were two ladies (Mimi Wilson and Mary Beth Lagerborg) on the program talking about the concept of Once-A-Month cooking. I was fascinated! I'm not going to mince words here: I HATE to cook. But the "planner" in me couldn't believe what I was hearing. I could make a month's worth of food in one day and not have to cook again for the next 30 days? I was sold instantly! Whenever the subject of cooking comes up in a crowd and I mention this method of meal preparation, people always have questions about how I do it and what kind of things I cook. I thought maybe I'd use this blog to give a short series. Maybe once a month or so, I'll give my tips and recipes. I will warn you now; Martha Stewart I am NOT. Have you ever tried to cook her stuff? I have twice: Once was a birthday cake for my dad that took about 10 hours to make, and the other was an ice cream dessert that also took many hours and the patience of Job. I'm sorry, but life is too short for me to waste in the kitchen making the perfect dinner! The simpler the recipe, the more appeal it has to me. My recipes may offend the gourmet cooks out there. I have a list of about 30 recipes that have been successfully frozen and then reheated for dinner, and I'm always on the look-out for more to add to my repertoire. So, if you have one to share with me, I'd be most appreciative! My tip for today is that there are several books out there about cooking and freezing that will help, but you should start with what you know. More of your recipes are freezer-friendly than you may think. Most times, you just have to learn by trial and error. Fix double the recipe so that you have plenty for dinner tonight, and then put the left-overs in the freezer. Pull them out after a week or two, then thaw them out for another dinner. If it's a casserole, prepare two but cook one and put the other in the freezer. Then all you have to do is thaw the casserole and cook. A lot of the meals I freeze have been prepared up until the cooking stage, so that all I have to do is thaw and toss it in the oven. It tastes more like it's been freshly prepared and the house smells all yummy.

Since we still have several more days of chilly weather, I thought I'd give you my super simple chili recipe:

1 pound ground beef, browned

2 cans chili beans, don't drain

3 cans of diced tomatoes

4 tablespoons of chili powder

I like to make one of those cans of diced tomatoes into crushed. Mix all of this together in a one-gallon freezer bag. All you have to do is thaw and cook it on the stove for a couple of hours. I let it simmer with a lid on for most of that time, and then let it thicken up with the lid off for the last 30 minutes or so. Or, just try your own personal recipe. I guarantee it will hold up just as well as mine does in the freezer. Good Luck!

How's That Workin' For Ya?

By now you are probably wondering how this schedule I put together is working out. Have you ever heard the quote, "If you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans"? Well, He must think I'm a real stand-up comedienne. My kids have had only one five-day school week in 2010. I've seen more snow this winter than I think I have in my entire life. There have been too many sweets in the house with my daughter's birthday, Valentine's Day, and those evil Girl Scout cookies; you can probably imagine how well that "getting in shape" thing is going. I've had my mom and sister here for a week. Don't get me wrong; I LOVE my family!! It just stresses me a little to change the family routine to accommodate extra people in the house. Maybe most of you can roll with the punches and improvise when your day doesn't turn out how you planned. I desperately wish I were like you. I do NOT adapt well to change. This is probably not news to you, since I've already written about how difficult changing churches has been on me. This not knowing from day-to-day whether my kids will be home or in school has thrown me for a loop. Please excuse me for being crass, but in the words of the great Dolly Parton (Steel Magnolias), I'm so confused I don't know whether to scratch my watch or wind my butt! Instead of pressing on when my schedule is changed, I tend to just consider that day a lost cause and try again another day. Unfortunately, I can't seem to find any make-up days.

Sheesh; does this post sound as scatter-brained to you as it does to me? I hope very soon I can attain some sense of normalcy and sanity in my life. If any of you out there have that ability to adapt to life's little curve-balls, could you please give me some pointers? Help a sista out!

Home Sweet Home

In 1996, Tim and I moved from the upstate of South Carolina, the place where we grew up. Tim was offered a job in Nashville, Tennessee where his dad and other members of his family lived. We both welcomed the opportunity, but for me it meant leaving behind my family and, for both of us, our friends. We began our "church search" right away. Nashville TN is the place to be if you worship in a Church Of Christ. There's one on every street corner. We visited a number of different churches, but never found a reason to visit more than once. I was not working, so I had no way to make friends. I was feeling an increasing sense of loneliness. I was talking to the wife of one of Tim's coworkers at the office Christmas party about our efforts to find a church when she suggested we visit her church. We decided to visit Antioch Church of Christ the very next morning. Leisa told us where to find the Young Couples class. Right away we could tell that this place was different than any of the other churches we had visited. It felt like a family. Several couples talked to us and we were introduced to the whole class. They said that the saying in class was, after your 3rd visit, they considered you part of the family. One couple asked us out to lunch that very first Sunday. We never looked at another church and placed membership within a month. Antioch felt like home and I had finally found the family and friendship I had been craving.

This was a group of believers that was closer than any I'd ever been around. There was always some sort of social event going on and an annual marriage retreat. Over the years, we grew into the Young Families class as we all began having children together. We didn't have as much time for social events, but we remained as close as ever. We helped each other move into bigger houses for our growing families. When I was on bed rest with both of my pregnancies, they brought me food and helped us finish our nursery. Older couples came in to teach parenting classes and mentor us. They became parent figures, especially to me since my family was several hours away. One of the best things about this group of people was their passion for prayer. In fact, our lessons in class were frequently shortened because of the desire to share both our hurts and our praises. We were the body of Christ described in Romans 12:15--"Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn". We helped each other through the good and the bad. They cheered for us when we announced pregnancies. On many occasions, we surrounded one of our own, laying hands on them while lifting them in prayer. This was done for Tim and I twice. Once when my sister was diagnosed with numerous blood clots and doctors were giving us little hope that she would survive, and again when we discovered that Pierce was autistic. If they couldn't be there physically, they would pray with you over the phone. As a class, we experienced births, adoptions, promotions, divorce, job loss, military deployment, cancer and other life threatening illnesses, and death. From this group of people emerged the closest friends we had ever known. It's where "the hens" were born. I just knew this was the church that would baptize my children, give them their high school Senior Ceremonies, host their weddings and our 50th wedding anniversary. This was the church that would perform my memorial service one day.

There's a song about Nashville by the Indigo Girls with the line: "Your town is made for people passing through". Some of our friends were called away by jobs or mission work. The faces would sometimes change, but the sense of family was always there. A couple of times, there were issues with church politics. We lost a few families to other churches, but our group still thrived. Most of us thought that even if we didn't always see eye to eye, the family at Antioch was too precious to give up on. But in 2008, things changed for good. I don't want to point fingers or assign blame, but I think it's safe to say that the Antioch family was ripped apart. One by one, the families that I had loved for 12 years slowly began to leave.

I will address my feelings about this in another post. The purpose of today's post was to illustrate a picture of the community that I once belonged to and perhaps help you to see what I've been mourning over this past year. I'm sorry this post has been such a downer and I promise they won't all be this serious!

Get Movin'

I guess you're wondering what could put me in such a funk for over a year. It actually is a break-up. Not of a marriage but a community. I plan to elaborate more in future posts, but today I'd like to share with you my plan of action. My friends and family will tell you that I am a planner. I like schedules and lists. For example, when my first-born was an infant and not sleeping at night, I was introduced to a book that taught me how to put him on a strict sleep, eat and play schedule. It worked within days, I might add. When we went to Disney World a couple of years ago, I had a typed itinerary for every day of the trip. I have "to do" lists scattered all around the house. I don't know why, but seeing things on paper is motivating for me. I find the act of checking something off of my list highly satisfying. So, knowing this quality about me, I set about scheduling my days in order to be more proactive about life.

Exercise- Not that I was ever in fabulous shape, but a couple of years ago I was training for a half-marathon. Don't be too impressed; I was only walking it. I managed to lose 10 pounds and felt pretty good about myself. Last summer, I became alarmed at the pot-belly I had developed. I began to wonder if I was pregnant like those crazy ladies on TLC that claim they had no idea they were with child until the day they went to the bathroom and...Surprise! Out popped a baby! I even thought that maybe my doctor would tell me I had fibroids. Alas, it was just fat. The common weight gain of a woman in her mid-30's. So, I am taking up walking again. Until the weather warms up, I am walking on my treadmill every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I'm trying to walk three miles each day.

Mondays- This will become my grocery and cleaning days. I've never been Miss Susie Homemaker, but I've been extremely lax in my housework lately.

Tuesday- I haven't quite decided what to do on this day. I hope it will become my blogging day. I'll get back to you on this one.

Wednesday- This is to be my project day. We are a family of "starters", but we lack the follow-through to finish things. I have a list (imagine that!) of projects that need to be completed, and Wednesday will be my day to knock a few out.

Thursday- I have planned a day of rest; my Sabbath, if you will. At least for the six hours I am alone, I plan to read or nap with the ringer turned off of the phone. I'll try very hard to stay away from the computer during that time as well, but I'm not making any promises.

Friday- Scrapbooking Day! I know most of you see this as a hobby, but I consider myself to be the family historian. I am several precious years behind on this endeavor. It is my hope to get caught up this year.

So, there you have it. It's not life-changing, but this schedule is a start to getting my life back on track. Along the way, I hope to reconnect with God and my family, but I'll have to discuss those efforts in another post.