Live Blogging it, Instant Pot Version

4:30  Decide we will have dinner in the brand new Instant Pot (which I purchased for a fabulous low price at Kohl's of course).
4:31  Commence reading all the directions.
4:32  Feel terrified that the house will blow up due to exploding pot pressure
4:40  Feel vaguely competent and begin looking for a recipe.
4:42  Gather ingredients for mexican chicken recipe.
4:46  With great trepidation, begin the Instant Pot cycle and pray we live to see tomorrow.
4:46:05  Adjust cycles several times, re-reading non-user-freindly directions and searching fruitlessly for an apparently misnamed function.
4:50  Watch the steam valve spew steam, and remind all the children to give the Instant Pot a wide berth at all times, lest death occur.
4:55  Approach the Instant Pot, being certain the valve is in its low, resting position.
4:56  After removing the lid, attempt to shred meat and find it is done, but not at shreddable done-ness.
4:56:05 Feel frustrated.
4:57  Add two more minutes to timer and hope for the best.
5:01  Attempt to speed along the valve-dropping process, touch the valve (as the directions say can be done), and jump backward a mile when steam wails out of the valve.
5:02  Take deep breaths and remind myself that I am in charge of the Instant Pot.
5:03  Pour myself a glass of wine.
5:04  Attempt to remove the lid and find that it is stuck.
5:05  Listen to ridicule from my eldest son. Stick my tongue out at him.
5:06  Re-read the directions AGAIN to see what is wrong.
5:07  With great fear and trembling, mess with the valve thingy and let out the rest of the steam.
5:08  Finally open the lid and give great thanks that the meat is shreddable now.
5:09  Shred meat in kitchenaid mixer (one of its amazing uses!).
5:10  Serve dinner to family.
5:11  Call the Instant Pot a qualified success.

Stack 'Em Up!

Two months.  That's how long it has been since my eldest girl left for college.  Two months of getting adjusted to life around here without her.  Two months of her getting adjusted to her new life.  I've missed her terribly, but I've also been surprised that I've been doing all right in her absence.  I'm so proud of her. . .she's working hard - at her job, her studies, her extra curriculars, making friends, and keeping her faith nurtured while away from home.

And like I said, we are finding our way as a household of six.  Getting out six plates instead of seven. . .me and the kids being able to fit into our teenager five-seater instead of needing an SUV. . .moving  two of the kids into new bedrooms and reorganizing. . .'circling up' to say our morning prayer with six instead of seven. . .the list goes on.

BUT - this weekend, we got a brief few days to be all together again.  My girl had a long weekend and came home, and it was glorious.  She helped out in my classroom, she hugged and loved and played with her siblings, we baked cookies and bread and made chili (until the power went out - for 24+ hours 😐 ).  We watched movies and cuddled on the couch, she flopped on my bed like old times and talked to me at bedtime, and we laughed and laughed and laughed.  It was good for my soul.  Saying goodbye today (while not as hard as two months ago) evoked a few tears from both of us.  Having everyone home just feels right.

And I remembered what I blogged about a year ago (you can read that blog post here). When my kids started driving, I had them enable the Find My Friends app on their iPhones, allowing me to see their location.  I only look at it if I have a concern about someone's late night drive or arrival time, but it's very comforting to have when someone is running late etc.  And as I blogged about last year, when everyone is home, the little circles with everyone's pictures on them are stacked up neatly together, right on our house.  Oh - how I love seeing them all here!

I know my kids leaving the nest is exactly what they should be doing; it is what we have been preparing them for.  We want them to spread their wings and fly.  But I cannot tell a lie.  When all the circles are stacked up at our house on my little iPhone map, my heart soars.

When all of us are home together, all is right with the world. 💗

Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder

Last night, on the drive home from a lovely wedding, my husband said this to me:

"I was looking at you tonight, and you looked so beautiful".

I told him thank you and pondered his words.  I was so appreciative to hear them: I never take for granted those kinds of affirmations.  I try always to take those declarations to heart  -- not because my husband doesn't say them often enough, but because I know that with each compliment, he is showing his love for me.  

Last night in particular I was thinking about beauty.  I am not beautiful by worldly standards, but my husband thinks I am.  And why is that?

I thought about it as we drove home, and realized I could apply the same thought to how I see my husband. Objectively, he is a handsome man (I know I can't exactly be objective, but I KNOW this to be an objective truth! :).  Yet as I was thinking about his face, I realized how beautiful it is to me.  You might look at him and notice he is good-looking, but I get to see so much more.  I see his lovely features and easy smile but I also see our shared history:  I see our children, our years together, all our moments - both the good and the bad.  In his beautiful face I see our commitment to each other, the marriage that sustains our love.  I see him as the selfless father he is, giving and giving to our family, no matter his exhaustion level.  I see in his face his deep desire to lead the people of his flock to Christ, and his commitment to truth.  I see his integrity, his honesty and his wisdom.  I also see his weaknesses and areas of struggle, and I love him all the more for them.   

Through the window of his face and physical body, I see who he is.  And many of his close friends could say the same of him to some degree.  But I am grateful and blessed to see more.  To look into his face and see things that no one else is able to see.  God gifted me this man, and through him I am able to see true beauty. Through him and our marriage, I am able to see a little glimpse into heaven.  

And it's beautiful.

You are altogether beautiful, my love; there is no flaw in you.

Song of Solomon 4:7

The Week in Pictures

A visual sum up of my week:

Van Gogh's "The Starry Night" with my preschoolers!  We've been learning about the color blue in preschool, and this week we watched a little snippet of an old favorite series of mine - Baby Einstein. My children cut their teeth on Baby Einstein, and watching the 2-minute segment of Baby Van Gogh instantly took me back to those years!  My little preschoolers were mesmerized by the images as we talked about the color blue.  Then, after seeing the Van Gogh painting in the video, we went on a field trip down the hallway to see the real thing hanging on our school wall.  Later, we painted our own version of the painting.  They loved exploring the color blue!

My experience with Hello Fresh.  After some research (mostly via Facebook, not gonna lie), I decided to use the coupon I had and try Hello Fresh.  I spent $11 to get two two-serving dinners - not too bad.  However, when the package arrived, the ice packs were completely thawed, and the meat was cool at best.  The picture above shows one of the brown bags filled with ingredients, which broke apart as I pulled it out of the box.  Everything was damp with condensation.  I had to pitch all refrigerated items.  I contacted the company right away, and they gave me a credit for another shipment.  I still have to pay shipping for the new shipment, so I am debating trying them again. The good news? We did get a teeny tiny bottle of white rice vinegar out of the deal, so there's that.

A different take on the beautiful Proverbs 31 passage.  I love Proverbs 31, and I aspire to be that kind of woman (though my children have yet to rise up and call me blessed), so I have mixed feelings about this little spoof.   It completely sums me up, but it feels a little too irreverent to me.

Readers!  Yes, my dear friends, I have to admit that I have succumbed to reading glasses.  I have had them for less than 24 hours and they have changed my world.  I am not even kidding. I had no idea that my phone, medicine bottles, the computer and book pages could be so crisp and clear!  It is seriously unbelievable.  I have had a lot of trouble with my eyes this year, and to have a success like this makes my day!  $9.99 at Walgreens for the win!

Growing Pains

I recently ran across a list of words my youngest mispronounced when she was very little.  And oh - my heart was transported back to that little girl -- the one who asked hundreds of questions every day, the one who gave me a heartfelt blessing each night. . .the one who talked to popcorn at Target.

How quickly the time is passing with little K.  She is growing into a lovely little lady, a third grader who loves to read and learn about robotics and sing and dance.  She is a joy to all around her, and I love the kind heart we see blossoming in her.

But as I read over this little list, my heart ached a bit for the sweet little one she once was.

Wash Mouth - Mouthwash
Scunscreen - sunscreen
Cupcapes - cupcakes
Glubs - gloves
Kineapple - pineapple
Christmas presidents - christmas presents
Oktoberfestible - Oktoberfest
Dentister - dentist

Sometimes the smallest things take up the most room in your heart.

Winnie the Pooh

Golden Anniversary

My parents celebrated their 50th anniversary last week.  A few stats:

18,250 days together

2 beloved daughters

8 adored grandchildren

3 houses

1 hometown

lots of laughter

many sorrows shared

plenty of compromises

much love and grace

Fifty years is a long time to be married to a person. When you're married that long, every moment isn't always full of roses and rainbows -- sometimes there is hurt, anger and frustration.  But in a solid marriage, with Christ at its center, those moments are overcome with a firm commitment to the vows they made to each other and to God.  And in the case of my parents, nothing could be truer.  Through hard times and good, happy and sad days, their marriage remained strong and sure, rooted in Christ.  

I am grateful for the example they have shown me, and I pray God grants them many more years together.

The Communion of Saints

Several years ago, I blogged the following here, on the Sisters of Katie Luther blog.  I was talking to my daughter about my dear grandma, and the communion of saints that unifies us. I have always found the communion of saints beautiful and comforting.
My eldest girl left for college two weeks ago today. I'm doing better than I expected, but I still miss her very much.  I miss sharing our days together - both the exciting and mundane details. While we are still so very well connected via text and FaceTime,  it just isn't quite the same while she's away.  But the very first Sunday she was away, I asked her this: "Did you have communion at church this morning?" And she said she did.  What a joy to know that though we are miles apart, we are united together in Christ through his body and blood.  Such knowledge does this mamma's soul good.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. . .

Hebrews 12:1

“Riddley, Riddley, Ree!  I see something you don’t see, and the color of it is. . .”  My five-year-old daughter loves to play this old family game, passed along for a few generations.  I recall playing it with my beloved grandma, as she sat under the hair dryer in my childhood kitchen.  

After being told where the game originated, my little daughter has begun asking me about my grandma, who passed away when I was pregnant with her older sister in 2000.

“Tell me about your grandma”, she says often.

And I begin with great memories. . .she loved Coke, ham sandwiches, and shopping.  She was widowed young and reinvented her life by becoming a real estate agent.  She adored her family, took pictures of everyone all the time, and said “Hello, love”, when we talked on the phone.

But above all else, she loved her Savior.  She had a faith that emanated from her very being.  Everyone who knew her knew that she put Christ first in her life.  Her constant prayer was for unbelieving family and friends to come to know her Lord.  She was an amazing witness and example of faith in action.

And as I cuddle in bed with my sweet babe, recounting all these things, perhaps not surprisingly, we came upon the beauty of the communion of saints.  Explaining the communion of saints to a five-year-old, child genius as she is (I’m her mother, I get to think that!) is no small undertaking.  I proceeded carefully, traveling along something like this:

“Do you know how Mommy and Daddy and your brother and sister take communion every Sunday?  We take communion together, and we also take communion with all the people at church that Sunday, right?”

She agreed, so I continued.  “Well, you know that your grandparents and aunts and uncles take communion every Sunday, too, right?  Even though they are far away, we are communing with them, because we all believe that Jesus is present in the bread and wine.  So, we are not actually standing next to them, but we are still communing with them.”

She nodded again, so I took the final leap.   “It is the same thing with all the people who went to heaven in Jesus.  Though we are not standing together, we are united in Jesus’ gift of His body and blood.  Each time we take communion, we are together with all believers!”

I’m not sure just what she retained, but the seeds were planted.  What a glorious gift, this sacrament!  Together with all believers, it binds us to Him and strengthens us for our journey here on earth.  Praise God for His holy sustenance!

Yet she on earth has unionWith God, the Three in One,And mystic sweet communionWith those whose rest is won.O blessed heav’nly chorus!Lord, save us by your graceThat we, like saints before us,May see You face to face. 

The Church’s One FoundationLSB 644