We Interrupt Your Regular Programming...

I've been doing some thinking...

About change.

About how I need to work on some things myself (and, really, I'm putting myself out there, blog readers, because sometimes it's good for others to know "stuff" about you):

• My tendency to be negative.
• My inability to let go of grudges and hurt and anger from things that happened two years ago.
• The way I eat and dress (i.e. more local, fair trade).
• My tendency to be sharp-tongued.
• The way I sometimes avoid people just because I don't feel like talking for whatever reason.
• The fact that I'm very selfish.
• The fact that I live the way that I do even though I know millions are suffering all over the world.
• The fact that I am sometimes not a very good wife. At all.
• The fact that I can have a crazy temper at times.
• The fact that I can go a whole day (sometimes much longer) without living like Jesus. At all.
• The fact that I don't REALLY love people, I just brag to others that I do.

Okay. I told you all I was doing some thinking. And, really, I don't want to put all that out there because I want to tear myself down or because I want people to tell me that I'm not really that way. Because I am. Really. So, like I said, I've been doing some thinking about changing.

But, equally as important as looking introspectively, I have been thinking about how I'm supposed to change this world I am in. I know that I want to change the world, but how do I even begin? I mean, there are thousands of people dying each day from disease and starvation and lack of clean water. How do I tell myself that I know that fact (so that makes me better than those who are ignorant or "uncaring") while I'm taking a ten minute, hot shower? Or going out to eat and stuffing myself with food? Really?

How do I reconcile the fact that I'm wearing clothes that a little, precious, 8-year-old (or younger) child probably made for less than eight cents an hour just because they were "cute" or were on sale?

How do I take my morning walk with a dear friend and see a huge, amazing house right next to a rundown, unkempt house, and judge the owner of the beautiful house, knowing that I don't even care about my next-door neighbors? How do I live on a daily basis knowing that people in my own town don't know where their next meal is going to come from or where they're going to sleep that night?

How do I deal with all these things and so much more? I can't just sit by and take every day for granted any more. Nope. I have got to do something.

So, to start, I'm going to really throw my whole being into loving people. Truly, honestly loving people. Trying to make their lives better. Even if it's just a smile and a compliment. Just something to show them that I love them.

I mean, that's just one thing. But I've got to start being that change, and honestly loving someone is the best way I know to start. I have a pretty good feeling that the rest will come.

So, while I completely understand that this will not solve the world water crisis or end child labor or even stop the problems in my own town, I know I have to start somewhere.

Won't you join me?

Welp...

We went to Ohio. Again. I think I'm addicted!

This time, we ate at the 2nd Street Market in Dayton for breakfast. I had a brie and berry crepe. John David had a veggie crepe. Collin had a Thai omelet. Dad had a Greek breakfast pizza. And, Mom had a cinnamon bagel. Diverse? Yes! Delicious? Oh, yes!

We spent the whole weekend just spending time with each other. Mom and Dad have a pond, and we took their kayaks out on it! We had the dogs outside, just hanging out. John David got close to the "shore" in the kayak, and guess what? Capo, our so-very-prissy-could-be-a-girl-never-likes-to-be-outside-or-wet dog, jumps straight into the water and onto the kayak. Who knew? But he really LOVED the boat.




Penelope did not and so there are no pictures of her.

We ate at this amazing German restaurant in the Oregon District of Dayton. JD and I took this classy picture! I love it!


Sunday, we spent time with my Grandparents and Great-Grandma. I love them so much and really hate that we live so far away. :( And, of course, because I'm not a good photographer, I did not get pictures of/with them. I'm working on it, just give me time!

But, nonetheless, my weekend was phenomenal. Again. I can't complain, that's for sure.

Veggie-Stuffed Bread and Grilled Sweet Potatoes

Ok. I've been slacking on my food posts. I'll admit it. But, today I am featuring two recipes, so it *kinda* makes up for it. Today, I present: Veggie-Stuffed Bread and Grilled Sweet Potatoes.


Cast of Characters (first picture): Any veggies I had in the garden (beans, squash, and jalapeno pepper), onion (not from the garden), and frozen bread dough.


You set a loaf of the frozen dough in an oil-drenched bowl in the morning, put some more oil on the top of the dough, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and put in the microwave. Don't turn the microwave on, it's just a safe place for the dough to rise because there aren't any drafts in there. And, voila, your dough will rise and be ready by the time you start cooking dinner.


Cast of characters (second picture because I was making this recipe up as I went along): same veggies, balsamic vinegar, a pizza seasoning grinder (if you don't have one of these, run, don't walk, to your nearest Kroger and pick one up because they're amazing!), and shredded cheese.



Ok, one down, one to go. Cast of Characters for sweet potatoes: sweet potatoes, brown sugar, cinnamon, butter and aluminum foil (not pictured).


Peel the sweet potatoes.


Chop the sweet potatoes.


It's kind of hard to do, so just do it whatever way is easiest for you. I have to almost throw all my weight down on the knife to be able to cut through the potato, but, trust me, it's so worth it!


Cut off a long piece of aluminum foil. Cut up two tablespoons of butter and lay them down on the foil.


Top with chopped sweet potatoes and about two handfuls of brown sugar.


Sprinkle with about one or two teaspoons of cinnamon.


Top with about two more tablespoons of butter, all cut up.


Fold into a packet (make sure it's completely closed and that there aren't any open areas). It's ready for the grill! Put on the grill for about 45 minutes.


While the potatoes are cooking, get your very handsome husband to trim the green beans for you (or you can do them yourself, whatever works). :)


Chop all your veggies (not pictured, sorry), and saute them on the stove until they're soft and starting to brown a little.


Add TONS of the pizza seasoning and some fresh basil. Also, add some balsamic vinegar (not pictured, once again, because I was making this up as I went along).


Get your dough ready by separating it and forming it into four circles. Side note: I worked with mine too much, so it didn't want to stick together. Don't do that! Next time, I'll know!


Top with sauteed veggies.


Add some cheese.

Fold over into little rolls. Really push the seams together (again, because I worked with mine too much, it did not work very well for me).


Put them on a cookie sheet and cook at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes.

There you go!

I will not change anything on my sweet potatoes, but next time, I will add some pesto or tomato sauce or white sauce to my veggie bread. It was good, but needed something. So, you may want to try experimenting, too. Let me know what you come up with!

Happy grilling/cooking!

2000

I am only about 70 or so page views away from having 2000 views, and so far I've only heard from about, oh, 10 of you readers. I would love to hear from more of you. Really. If you're not a blogger, then you don't understand the rush you get when someone comments on your blog. It's pretty darn cool if you ask me. :) But, if you are a blogger, then you do understand how good it feels. So, please comment. Please.

If you notice that you're the 2000th page view (and don't just keep refreshing your page so that you get to be the 2000th view because that's not cool, and I can tell that you did that, and you won't get a prize) and you comment on this post, then there may be a special prize for you. Or maybe not. You'll just have to wait and see (see parenthesis above for special request). Just scroll down to the very bottom to see what number you are.

Really, I'm just trying to get more comments. Because I know you're out there. :)

Dad...

You are the best father a girl could ever ask for.

You've taught me so many things just by example: wisdom, honesty, work ethic, kindness, selflessness, listening and thinking before speaking, and unconditional love.

Thank you for always loving me, for always being there for me, for always having time to listen, for hanging in there during my teenage years, and for giving me your eyes. :)

I know that I'm all grown now, but know that I really miss our "dates" every Saturday. I miss being able to crawl into your lap, knowing I was always safe there. I miss being around you every day (stupid new job in Dayton and stupid me for growing up).

I know that I have another man in my life now, who treats me like the princess you always told me I was, and who I know will be an amazing father to our little girl one day like you were to me. But please know, Daddy, that I will always be your little girl. Always.

Happy Father's Day!

* Side note: Our computer crashed about 2 months ago, and I now have NO pictures of me and my dad together. Ugh. So, I stole the above picture from facebook. Sorry, Dad. We'll have to remedy the whole "no pictures of us" soon. :)

My Week...

Has been absolutely wonderful. My mom and I have spent tons of time together. We went to Nashville, shopped, ate delicious foods and just enjoyed spending the week together. The ONLY negative (well, besides her leaving today) is that Wonders on Woodland was closed when we got there. Apparently, it's only open Thursday through Saturday.

Last night, we grilled out and I made sweet potato packets that were so good (if I do say so myself)! I also grilled squash and green beans from the garden, and mom made refrigerator pickles.

Garden update: I WOULD take pictures, but, really, it just looks like a field of green because I planted everything way too close together. It's like a jungle when I go to get any veggies. My squash has overtaken my beans, and my cucumbers have overtaken my peas. Oh well. Veggie count so far: 14 squash (yikes), 6 cucumbers, and about 30 or so beans. Still waiting on my tomatoes. I literally have about 50 growing on my plants, but none are ripe yet.

Pictures soon. I promise.

Sorry, again, for my slacking in blog posting.

Mom, I love you and miss you already. I wish you were down here all the time, but the fact that you live so far away makes me really treasure the time we spend together. Thanks for all the meals and everything you bought for me (you really shouldn't spoil me). Can't wait to see you soon! Love you so much!

Consignment...

On Saturday, Dacia, Beth, and I went to Beverly Hills Bargain Boutique and we all found some nice clothing (a dress and some shirts for Dacia and a shirt for Beth). I have been looking for a dress for my cousin, Allie's, wedding next month and now my search is over!! And, I didn't just find any dress, I found a Tracy Reese dress for $40. Normally, Tracy Reese dresses are around $250 and up. How amazing is that? I'm so proud of myself. :)

Tomorrow, Mom and I are headed to Nashville to go shopping. We're going to hit up Wonders on Woodland while we're down there. We're looking for a new (to us) couch (our black one, while very cute, is not comfortable at all). So, I hope to find one down there. I hope. Maybe.

That's it for today's installment. Just know that Beverly Hills Bargain Boutique NEVER disappoints when it comes to designer clothing. You should try it out sometime. Really.

It's Been One Week...

And, I'm very sorry about that. Time just got away from me. I kept meaning to blog, but then didn't.

If you live in Bowling Green, you know how unbelievably hot it has been outside. I guess that hasn't really given me much energy for blogging. However, I have been busy doing other things:

I have began walking at 5:30 am with my dear friend Dacia (there's a blog coming about that). I have already started experimenting with squash recipes as I harvested 10 squash in 2 days (there are two blogs coming about that: 1) gardening 2) recipes). I listened to eventhesky play last Monday (once again, I will blog about that). I worked out in my now overgrown, fully-producing garden and will have an update and pictures this Friday. I made jam (again with my dear friend Dacia), and I'm planning on blogging about that. And, my mom is coming in tonight for a few days, so I'm sure I'll be blogging about our time together. Oh, and I found a place near Scottsville that sells mid-century modern furniture, so JD and I are going to take a trip there soon.

See? I have plenty to write about and will do shortly. I promise.

Sorry that I have been negligent. It's just that too much has been going on. Remember when summer was a relaxing time? Yeah, I think I remember that too. Wish that was still true...

:)

Love and Peace,

Monday, Monday...

Because it's Monday, and I'm busy working on a project with my boss, I'm going to leave you with this amazing blog I found not too long ago when I was searching the internet for mid-century modern design. And, she is from Nashville so when she posts blogs about the stores where she shops down there, I copy her and visit those stores. She's always spot-on. I wish I could meet her in real life. I'm sure we would be great friends! :)

And, on another note, if you're in Bowling Green tonight and have a hankering (those are the types of words we use in the South, in case you didn't know) to hear some good music, then get yourself down to the Starbucks on Campbell Lane to hear eventhesky play. The band is comprised of my husband, my brother Collin, and two of our great friends Allen and Michael. Plus, there MAY be a special guest singing. I don't know, though. You'll have to come out to hear them! What's better than a patio, coffee and good music in the summer? I don't rightly know (rightly: another thing we say down here in the South).

Hope to see you there! And, I hope you enjoy the mid-century modern blog as much as I do!

Who We Are (and Garden Update)...

People always ask me what Ekklesia is. It is so hard to explain. Really. I don't know how to define what we are, and that is really the most beautiful part of Ekklesia. We aren't really defined by a certain set of rules or something. We're just us.

We were supposed to go camping this weekend, but because of rain and storms, we had to postpone it. But, we spent the whole weekend together still and "camped" in our own way. I took some pictures (Sorry, again, that I'm not a good photographer, but everyone has talents. It's obviously not one of mine. I do what I can.) of the weekend and am going to try to explain what Ekklesia is at the same time:

It is not defined by age.

It is joy.

It is beauty.

It is intentionally living close to each other.

It is music and laughter.

It is trying to live a life of peace, love and giving.

It is sharing meals and life together.

It is love.

It is the best way we know how to follow the way of Jesus.

To ask me what Ekklesia is is to ask me who I am. They are one in the same. We are more than a small group or friends. We are a community of people who do life together. Truly. We are Ekklesia. I don't know what I would do or who I would be without these people in my life. And, I am so thankful for every single one of them. I love you.

Now, for the garden update. It's getting so big, and we're starting to see the fruits of our labor (literally).

Little bitty cucumbers.

Squash.

Tomatoes.

Lettuce.

Peaches.

Back view of the garden.

And, what Capo does when we are in the garden (Penelope is always running around the yard, chasing birds).

Hope you all had a great weekend!