Wishing for Spring...

Our apartment was still decorated with greenery and light blue and white and silver and sparkles and snowflakes. Last week, in a fit of longing for spring (and perhaps a much-needed break from homework!), a friend and I headed to Michaels to check out their new merchandise.
I had an idea of what I was looking for, but not a specific list :)
1) florals for a new arrangement
2) maybe wreath-making materials
3) possibly some other spring-ish decor

Here's a taste of what I came away with:

Some decor for the windowsill behind the couch...

And a new spring-ish arrangement! I LOVE the combination of colors in the arrangement + the color of the table- SO much ♥

Aaaaaand... a grapevine wreath, a few spring florals, plus a butterfly = a cheery spring wreath to brighten up the hallway and make the return home even cheerier :)

Yesterday and today, it snowed. However, I would like to believe that spring will still come... someday! Until then, I'll pretend from inside my apartment that winter is on its way out :)

3 more things: Savings, Amusement, and Jeopardy!

1) Save $10 on a $25 Yankee Candle purchase- printable coupon

2) Reading reviews on this Dyson vacuum, the first one made me giggle:

"This was purchased for my 95 year old father-in-law's house. He is now in a nursing home and his daughter is doing the cleaning out that has been needed for several years! The vacum works great, picks up so much ground in dust and dirt and removes all those cat hairs from his cat. In fact I am so pleased as is my sister in law that I plan on saving to purchase one for myself."

Er, what is WRONG with a bit of this phrasing? The image I pictured as I read is hilarious- but maybe it's just me :)

3) Ken Jennings on why Watson had an unfair advantage in the recent Computer vs. Humans Jeopardy match

Want and Repentance

I don't have a lot of original content to post at the moment since Homework is my task-of-the-moment. However, there are a couple blog posts I read recently that have been lingering in my mind that I wanted to share here.

The first is an excerpt from this blog:

“My children,” he said in his feeble voice, “never forget what you have just heard. Have absolute faith in God and never despair of His pardon. I love you dearly, but my love is nothing compared to the love of God. Even if you should be so unhappy as to commit some dreadful crime, never despair of God. You are His children; humble yourselves before Him, as before your father, implore His pardon, and He will rejoice over your repentance, as the father rejoiced over that of the prodigal son.”

This reminder of the sort of love God has for us and His joy at our repentance gets me every time. I don't know if I will ever cease to be amazed at the incredible forgiveness pictured in the story of the prodigal.

The other is a bit from this blog, which is amazing:

What will I believe is greater today? My problems? Or God’s provisions? What this moment holds is always His provision and He never leaves nor forsakes.

Because this is it:

The needs of our day are great but our God is greater and we call Him Providence because we believe: He is the One who always provides.

And when God provides, He should be praised, and if God always provides, shouldn’t praise always be on the lips?

We are the people provided for and praise is our song.
God has made provision. So we will make praise.

I have everything I need. Not what I think I need. But what He knows I need. I can trust His love. I can trust what He gives. I can trust His provision of this moment.

To me, this was a much-needed reminder that God is greater- so MUCH greater- than all of my needs. His ability to provide for my needs is beyond what I could imagine. No problem I face is a challenge for God's resources and ability.

Recently, the security of our bank account was compromised, so we closed the old account, and opened a new account. This was all a few days before our paychecks would post, so we updated routing numbers at work and the bank (we thought) took care of everything on their end so paychecks would post to our new accounts after hitting the old, closed accounts. However, that was a week ago. The money is still not in our new accounts. I was doing okay at waiting at first. Now, there are bills that need to be paid and money I was counting on using that is not there in our accounts. I've been stressing over it all because it is SO out of our control at this point. Yet, reading the above post reminded me that God knows where our money is, how long until it will post, when our bills are due, and how to make everything transition like it was supposed to. And HE will make it happen when the time is right. Our job now is to rest- to trust- in Him. [And continue to call the bank every few days to find out what's up with the transfer!]
Trust is so much trickier in practice than in theory!

Crunchy shopping, here I come :)

Budget allowing, of course... However, since some friends posted recently about what they put on their skin and why it's important to them to be careful about what sort of soaps and lotions and cleaners and more they use, it's gotten me thinking.
I'm not ransacking the cupboards and throwing out the Clorox and Windex and Colgate. Really, I'm not!

However, as our stock of these items runs low, I'm looking for better replacements.
Our laundry detergent just ran out. I'm still looking for a tried-and-true liquid detergent recipe since I prefer that to powdered laundry soap. Until then, I'm using a Method detergent I saw at Target. I noticed such a difference in the amount of detergent residue there wasn't compared to the All we'd been using. I am a fan.

For now, we're using Crest or Colgate; once it's used up, I'm hoping to go a more natural route- perhaps Tom's of Maine?

[photo from The Daily Green - Green Depot]

I'm wanting to make little changes here and there. Common items, like vinegar, lemon juice, & baking soda, are amazing cleaners! I have some less-common things on my shopping list at the moment- tea tree oil, grapefruit seed extract, borax, and some essential oils.

It's not so much about saving the planet as it is taking care of our bodies and not using chemicals that are far harsher than they need to be and adding those contaminates to the water and the air.

Links:
I've heard fabulous recommendations of this soap over at Strawberry Hedgehog and am dying to try it!
Check out this awesome natural fruit & veggie wash - A great way to clean off the pesticides fresh fruits & veggies (unfortunately) come loaded with!

While browsing the interwebs..

Various:
- Brian Jacques, author of the Redwall series, passed away this weekend :( I love his vivid writing, and reading about what a kind man he was, I'm even sadder to hear this news.
- Here's an interesting "what if..." about what our lives could look like if there was a social metric
- A fascinating look at one man's discovery of a way to crack some lottery games

Crafty:

One of my friends posted a tutorial on how to make felt coffee cup sleeves which are adorable, practical, eco-friendly, and easy to make, too! Definitely on my to-make list!

Marriage-related:

Loved this perspective on still loving your husband even when not feeling fabulous (like... while pregnant!) - [In Morning Sickness and in Health: How to bless your husband when you feel like throwing up on his shoes]

Men crave happy women. They want to feel like all is right with the world, like they’ve worked hard, and see? It’s all paid off. Someone is delighted with them. They made their woman happy. A lot of men out in the world are seeking those smiles in evil, destructive places, but shouldn’t we be giving our husbands the wholesome, genuine version at home?

These other links... I'm not even sure how to preface them. They are beautiful. They give a picture of marriage in all of its vulnerability and closeness and wonderfulness.

- How Can I Be a Better Wife?

“How could you be a better wife?” I take a deep breath, ready to cup his heart exposed.

“When I tell you that you’re beautiful, hear me.”

I look away. Hide behind some fig leaves.

His voice finds me.

“When I tell you the things I love about you, accept what I’m saying. Don’t shrug it off.”

I want to shrug it off.

This is how I can be a better wife?

He knows me. He’s right.
Accepting the caress of grace can terrify. Why is it hard just to let love?

- How to Really Fall in Love Again

Fall in Love in Four Minutes A Day

It only takes four minutes a day to move into a deeper heart place. It only takes four minutes a day to connect in soul intimacy; to breathe in oxygen for the other half of my heart. Don’t and I too begin to suffocate, the death heave. I wish someone had told me in the beginning.

Four times a day think on love. When I leave the marriage bed, leave the front door, when I return to front door, return to marriage bed. These are the four critical archways of time in our day. Touch or whisper a sweet nothing when passing through these gate points, and we walk into hours of closeness. Forever love fixates like fresh love...

Love is more than words. Love is the life-weaving, a braid of a three fold cord, Love Himself in the center.

- Making of the Marriage Bed

Why is it easier to earn love than simply accept it?

And why would a woman rather scrub the grime of the tile grout in the bathroom for her husband, make him plates of heaping mashed potatoes, light the candles, scour the pots, wash his underwear, rather than say yes to his wooing? Is it pride or is it shame (and maybe they are the same only by different names) or is it a symptom of a deep wound bleeding unseen or just blatant apathy and why rebuff the advances of the man who gave the ring and his promise and all of his bare male heart?

Be sure to read to the very end- to the part about the box on their dresser collecting dollars + the Ann Landers letter that inspired it :)

Good marriages- beautiful marriages- don't just happen, but they're worth every bit of work that goes into making them so.

My go-to appetizer discovery of 2010

Around Christmas, everyone was posting their favorite holiday recipes and I printed off a few that I wanted to try. For Christmas, I made a bunch of food, tried some new recipes, and discovered some things that are going to become standards in my recipe books. This post is about one of my new favorites.

We're signed up to bring treats to something tomorrow night and instead of going with something sweet, I put together this savory appetizer.

Cheese and crackers has nothing on this.

First, mix together:
* 1 envelope of Good Seasons Italian Dressing
* 1/2 cup vegetable oil (I use olive oil)
* 1/4 cup white vinegar (I use apple cider vinegar)
* 2 TB water
* 2 TB minced green onions
* 1 1/2 tsp sugar (I use xylitol)
Set it aside.

Next, slice cheese into small squares:
* 12 oz package Monterrey Jack
* 12 oz package Sharp Cheddar

Also needed:
* 8 oz package cream cheese (I use neuftachel) - not softened
* 4 oz jar diced pimentos, drained

To assemble, spread cream cheese on one kind of cheese slices, then top with the other kind of cheese (think sandwiches..) and arrange them in the serving dish. Continue until cheese is all sandwiched (not all cream cheese will necessarily be used up).

Spread pimentos across the cheese, then pour the oil/vinegar mixture over everything.

Allow to marinade overnight, then serve with crackers. Keep a fork nearby to assist in serving :)

Be sure to share!

[Source: Beauty & Bedlam]

Crafts and cursive

So... apparently it's been a while since I posted?
I really didn't realize that it had been over a month. Life has resumed the "normal" of a college student. A new semester has begun, the rhythm of classes and prof expectations is sort of there, and we're trying to settle into this current phase.

I've had several cooking fails lately (burned bbq beef, bony chicken/rice, over+undercooked pizza) and my will to cook is SO diminished! Hoping to help, I organized my recipes/binders yesterday so it's easier to find recipes I'm looking for. Minimal inspiration, alas. However, I'm cooking from the pantry, so soup and tuna are on the menu for today.

Along with the wicked snowstorm/blizzard Event going on, I've been sick and apparently shared the virus with my husband, so we're definitely laying low! Homework is on the agenda, but after a few days spent sick and foggy-headed, it is even tougher than I'd expected to get back into homeworking!

As I've been getting into gear with homework, I perused some blogs and found some super fun projects:
- Make-it-yourself chocolate box
- Cute printable valentines
- Love these classic school theme baby shower ideas

A post I read earlier today made me think about education and kids and the purpose behind it all. I loved this line in particular:

One of the reasons that I chose to homeschool was because I believe very strongly that the skills my children need are not just ones that can be quantified by tests.