Friday Five - Emptiness

Today's Friday Five is, by design, a bit empty. There's a lot of freedom in the instruction to give five things we do when we aren't feeling the creative juices flowing or need to be inspired.

Get Frustrated - not gonna lie, I hate feeling uninspired. I especially hate it when I want to do something. Not saying this is a productive response, but it's definitely an honest one! Sometimes this frustration turns into action, and sometimes it just turns into pouting!

Do Something Mindless - if I'm in a crafty mood but not feeling a ton of inspiration, I'll head out to my work bench in the garage and take care of some of the little details of general projects like priming wood pieces or sorting various supplies or labeling containers. Often I'll discover something I had forgotten that can inspire me, or at the very least feel good about how everything is ready to go when inspiration does strike!

Play around on Pinterest - I probably waste way too much time goofing off with pinterest, but I'm completely hooked. And in fairness, it really is a great source of inspiration!

Use Prompts - in the case of wanting to write/journal, I will often turn to prompts of some sort to get me going. I found some neat printable journaling pages thanks to pinterest, and while, as a whole, they're not my style, they do usually have at least a couple of inspiring quotes on each of them that can give me something to begin reflecting upon. I've also used some books of poetry and prayers in the same way.

Get Started - This is often the one that I have to use in sermon writing. After a while, if nothing seems to jump out at me, I will just start writing and see what comes out. I usually wind up discarding the first hour or so of work, but I often wind up on a good path (and it ends up taking less time once I know where I'm going!) instead of sitting doing nothing for twice as long and still not being happy with the first thing I stumble upon!

What do you do when your creative flow has slowed to a drip? Don't forget to leave me a comment if you stop by, even if just to say hello!

Friday Five - Freedom

Today's Friday Five is asking us to consider times of release, detachment, and freedom of other forms in various categories.

1. Physical - I guess when I think about physical freedom, it takes a little bit of reflection for me because I've been largely blessed with good health. The only serious injury I've ever sustained was hurting my knee in high school and having to wear a brace and go through a few rounds of physical therapy. Eventually, I weaned off of my brace, but I don't remember there being this moment of a sort of sigh of relief when I was totally without it. If I've ever experienced that "sigh of relief" physically, it's when I take my bra off after a long day!

2. Spiritual - I definitely think about Camp Sumatanga when I think of experiences of spiritual freedom. That was the place where I felt free to explore my own faith and the practices that nourished that. I saw and felt and tasted what a truly open table was like and understood what it meant to be invited into a community that loved me simply for who I was right then and there.

3. Emotional - I don't have them all that often, but having a really good cry always feels amazing when it's over.

4. Vocational - When I found out I was going to be a solo pastor right after graduating from seminary, my first reaction was being both excited and nervous by all the freedom I would have without a direct supervisor who was overseeing everything I did on a regular basis (or so I thought!) Now, when I think about vocational freedom, my understanding is very different. Although my ordination journey has taken some different turns than I was expecting, it really has enabled me to live into a new kind of freedom as I discover where I am being called at this time in my life and ministry.

5. Relationships - Relationships are a messy thing. Through the continuing education class I have been doing this year, I have had a lot of time to look at and think about family systems theory in all sorts of settings (not just family of origin) and I have learned that distance, detachment, separation, and "freedom" aren't always the best and most healthy things, and they definitely aren't always easy. If you want an example from my own life, you can go read about my last birthday! I definitely experienced a certain sense of freedom and release but it definitely came with a price.

So the one thing I've learned from my life, is that freedom and release aren't always what is needed. Still, I appreciate all my experiences of freedom and what they've taught me and allowed me to become.

Week 58

Time to check in once again with my 101 things list. Nothing can be crossed off, but progress is being made. I didn't realize how much "buying" or "getting" was on here!

3 - "put money in savings" - we're working really hard on this and were making good progress, before the purchase of a new vehicle put a little dent into things. (That's another post for another day) Still, I'm very confident that, by the end of this project, this will be complete (and stable!)

11 - "china cabinet" - we're going to try to go look at Ashley next month and then make a decision.

19 - "journal" - I've got a new sort of coloring devotional journal that I'm looking forward to exploring. I also bought myself a "regular" journal and have found some interesting prompts to use as some guidance.

35 - "painted pottery" - I'm not quite as keen on doing this one any more, but I'm not going to take it off the list. I have taken a craft class and started doing some beaded embroidery and that sort of scratches this itch, but more about that later.

49 - "cake from scratch" - this one may take place in stages. I've got a recipe for a home-made cake mix so I may make the mix one day and the cake another. I'll still count it because it's not a store-bought mix. Who knows, maybe I'll just get on a roll and do it all at once!

60 - "rewrite M.Div thesis" - I'm not to the re-writing point but I am starting some of the reconsidering and expanding ideas.

74 - "ceiling fan on porch" - we're halfway there! The old one came down, now a new one just needs to go up!

81 - "counselor" - I've already expressed interest to Allison, the director, so now I just have to actually go do it. Hooray!

Good things are happening. Now to keep the ball rolling!

Crock Pot Chicken Enchiladas

This is a change from my usual "throw it in and run" crock pot cooking. It actually took about 20 minutes to put it all together, but considering how many people this could feed, that's not bad.

I started with one of my bags of cooked, shredded chicken that I'm guessing was about 1.5 lbs. I tossed it in a bowl with 1 can of enchilada sauce. I scooped a spoonful onto a small corn tortilla, rolled it up, and stuck it in my slow cooker. I didn't put any sauce in the bottom, just sprayed the liner. I kind of wish I'd put a little sauce in the bottom, but I'll remember that for next time!

I was able to get about seven in each layer. After I got the first seven in the cooker, I put a little bit of sauce over the top, and began working on the second layer. I ended up having enough chicken for about 17 enchiladas, but I could have easily fit several more. I poured all the remaining sauce over everything so it would run down over everything, then just put on the lid and let it do its thing on low all day. Because the chicken was pre-cooked, it probably didn't actually need that long.

It came out really nicely. The tortillas were nice and tender, but not mushy (which is why you have to use corn instead of flour. Flour get mushy!) It could have stood a little extra sauce, but we topped them with our favorite respective toppings. It also re-heated really well, both in the over and in the microwave. This is definitely a keeper!

One thing I may try next time is to make it more like a mexican crock pot lasagna - save myself all the rolling and layer it in the crock pot (adding cheese.) You could also toss in some beans and any other veggies you may want, then just top it however you like! This could make an excellent football party food, especially if you don't want to do soup but want something more substantial than just finger foods

So the quick summary -

1.5 lbs cooked shredded chicken mixed with 1 can enchilada sauce (I used red, but you could definitely use green, too)

1 package small corn tortillas (I used 17)

1 extra can enchilada sauce for topping

Cook on low 6-8 hours

Organization Evaluation

I am forever looking for ways to sort, categorize, and label my life. Pinterest and the endless photos of perfectly stacked and labeled containers for everything under the sun serves to both inspire and infuriate me.

This year I decided to take on getting organized in a new way. We are starting fresh in our home this year in so many different ways, so I wanted to make the most of it from the very beginning.

I saw several ideas that were genius, but wasn't able to put them into practice like I may want so they got modified.

I decided that, first and foremost, we needed a command center for our kitchen so that everyone would be on the same page. We had a little mail sorter that I had purchased for my first apartment in grad school, but it really wasn't serving much of a purpose for us except to take up space, so it had to go. Then I had to decide what to use to replace it. I looked at making various magnetic and/or dry erase boards but nothing seemed to fit. I did see an idea for making a folder for each week of the year to keep up with things. Between that and some great "family planner" printables I'd had taking up space on my hard drive, I decided to give it a shot.

I had seen a really neat hanging organizer that had a very large pocket on top specifically designed for holding file folders, two smaller pockets on the front, and four large hooks along the bottom. I filled the top pocket with my weekly folders, designated one small pocket for our various coupons, and used the hooks on the bottom for holding two key note pads. One had "to do" and 'to buy" lists on it. The other I used for my weekly meal plan.

The folders haven't worked as well as I had hoped. Maybe if we had kids with homework and a reason to get into the folders every day it would work better. But since it's just the two of us, I don't need the calendar pages to keep up with what's going on with us (and Jeff doesn't ever look at it!)

The one thing that has worked great for us has been the monthly budget accountability sheet I made up for us. That does get updated at least once a week! I think having maybe two folders (one for current/upcoming months and one for completed months) will serve us best.

The meal plan pad has been helpful, if not always accurate. I'm doing a better job about being aware of what I can and can't do on certain days and making it work for me, like making crock pot meals on the nights when Jeff will beat me home because that way dinner will be waiting for him! Otherwise, he'll eat salad and I'll just say "what's the point?" and make a sandwich!

The "to do" and "to buy" lists haven't worked as well as I'd hoped either. I generally keep my shopping list on my phone, but I definitely see the advantage of doing it both ways so if Jeff decides to go for me sometime he has the list!

I have an idea for the "to do" list, especially as it relates to household chores. I'm really digging the idea of laminated cards for each room that can be put on a metal ring and hung from one of our hooks. Actually, I'd probably get two rings - one for "to do" and one for "done"

Next on the agenda is getting my closet more organized, then the pantry and freezer! What sort of system have you devised for keeping yourself and your family in order?

Week 55

I keep putting off doing an update about my 101 things because I wanted to wait until I had something else I could cross off the list. Well, I started writing this update on progress, but then got a great last-minute surprise and was able to cross something off the list~

87 - COMPLETED - Jeff got us tickets to go see Marvin Hamlisch with the Alabama Symphony on Saturday. I've got to say, I miss my days of student tickets for $10! Still, it was great. We had a wonderful time!

The rest of these are still in process, but there is some active work taking place! I'm not being a total slacker on all this stuff!

3 - This one is going really well. Thanks to our new budget, I think we'll have this one completed by summer!

11 - We found one we both really like at Macy's here, and it's on sale so it's within what we thought we would spend. The problem is that our "home improvement funds" are mostly going towards getting the house painted right now. I've had such a hard time finding one I like that will fit in our small dining room, I'm really hoping it will stick around long enough for me to get it. Anyone think I need a half-birthday gift?

14 - So far I've been to one (Utah). I'm trying to figure out WHICH new states I want to visit and how I want to go about visiting them. Suggestions are welcome. If you're planning a trip and need a traveling companion, let me know!

20 - This one is still on the short list. Probably in March we'll see what we can do to get this in the works

34 - I'm doing this one with my step-mom, probably in March. Yay!

36 - In all honesty, this one isn't going to happen until at least Lent, and maybe not even then. I have done one week, and I really don't have any desire to do the second week. We'll see.

42 - obviously I can't say much about this one until after the fact, but I have a few ideas.

47 - I'm guessing this will probably happen when we do our spring cleaning

57 - I've found some instructions online that seem easy enough, now I just need an excuse to try it out. I've pretty much decided that since I'm a better hand-sewer than machine-sewer, I'd be a better hand-quilter, too. That means it'll take me a lot longer, but I think I'll enjoy it more! When I put it on the list, I did it with the intention that it (and number 21) would go hand in hand with number one because I'd be making baby stuff. While that may still be the case at some point, these are both pretty big projects that will take some time so I might as well get started!

So that's where I am! If you want to help out with something or have some suggestions, please of please share them with me!

Being a Do-er

In the past few days I got the urge to actually try a bunch of the stuff I have found on pinterest. I knew I needed to go to the grocery store this afternoon, so I picked up a few extra goodies.

I started with Japanese Onion Soup. I think I put a little too much pepper in it but it was quite tasty. I was proud of myself! I ended up putting a lot of it into my new silicone ice trays so I can keep it stashed in the freezer for whenever I get the craving for a bowl of soup!

I then moved on to dry mixes for cream-of-whatever soup (I did chicken this time), ranch dressing, and italian dressing. I haven't tried mixing any up yet, but they are safely tucked away in the pantry waiting to be tried out.

Finally, I decided we needed a little sweet treat. I decided to try some cake-mix cookies. Even though I already had spice cake mix in the pantry, the picture on pinterest was of strawberry cookies and so that's what I got in my head and that's what I wanted. I threw together the cookies very quickly and they were absolutely awesome. I got some vanilla glaze to go on them, but decided maybe I'd just make little cookie sandwiches with my cream cheese icing. I haven't made it that far, but I'm keeping that one as a possibility (if I can keep two cookies long enough to try it!)

It was so much fun to get back in the kitchen and be really productive! I'm really getting into making more stuff on my own so I don't have to use as much canned stuff. It was nice to fantasize about clearing out a lot of room in my pantry! The only down side is that I'll need a much bigger freezer to store it all!