bits of sunshine

how about some stir fry?

this might be the best stir fry you've ever eaten.  or never eaten.  because if you haven't made this recipe yet, it is the best stir fry that you've never eaten.  so you should make it, and eat it, and then it will be the best stir fry that you've ever eaten.  whew!

first you should make some rice.  our favorite is basmati, but use your favorite.  you can cook it how you like, but my mother-in-law told me her tried-and-true way to make rice just-about-perfect every time.  pour some rice into a saucepan.  it'll about double in size as it cooks, so, use your judgement on how much to make.  stick your pointer finer straight into the pan; just touch the top of the rice.  holding your finger there, fill the pan with water up to your first knuckle.  put the pan on a burner.  bring to a boil.  turn the heat to low.  cover the pan.  simmer for 12 minutes.  remove from heat, keep covered till ready to serve.  that's it!  just-about-perfect rice, every time!

while rice is simmering, brown some chicken or pork or cook some shrimp - whatever meat you want.  do some tofu if you want a vegan stir fry.  set aside. 

chop up a whole bunch of veggies.  i usually use broccoli, purple cabbage (which my kids think is really cool and good), onion, celery and carrots.  ben requested that i add water chestnuts next time.  throw in whatever you like.  stir fry these in the oil of your choosing (olive, grapeseed, coconut, bacon grease, lard, etc.)

while these are frying, make the sauce.  this is equal parts liquid aminos (soy sauce, tamari - your choice) and oil of your choice (see above), and half that amount honey - or for you vegans, or me the cheapskate, dandelion jelly (or some other sweet syrup), also garlic to your taste. cook till brown and bubbly. 

when the veggies are done to crisp-tender, add the protein (meat or tofu) - or just leave as a veggie stir-fry.  stir together. 

then pour the sauce over.

serve over rice and top with a handful of cashews, if you wish.

enjoy! 

in the morning

it's grey.  for the fifth(?) day in a row.  heavy sky.  cold.  windy.

but i'm sitting here.
in my warm living room. 
by a fire.
in the lamplight.
with one brown dog sleeping by my feet. 
one kiddo sleeping in my bed. 
one in her own. 
ben off working for our friend. 
he is so good to keep plugging away while he waits for his real job to start.
(it's been too dry for any burning around here. 
now there's been rain. 
maybe there'll be some fall burning yet.)

waiting. 
that's been the word we're working with here.
in so many ways. 
we are making plans. 
and plans are finding us. 
but there is still a lot of waiting.

and some of it, hoping. 
it's hard to believe that some of the goodness we are working towards could really happen. 
it's hard to believe that something so good could work out. 
sometimes i'm afraid to even hope . . . 
but then i am reminded
to hold on to Hope tightly, with both hands.

and then i remember to trust. 
to rest. 

. . . the righteous shall live by faith. 
i think that when we live by faith,
in those moments,
we are righteous. 
and when we are righteous,
in a work-in-progress sort of way,
we are more able to live by faith. 
if it seems slow,
wait for it;
it will surely come;
it will not delay. 
Habakuk 2:3+4

we are waiting. 
even when the answers,
the closures,
the open doors seem slow,
we are waiting. 
because in God's timing,
they will surely come. 
He will provide. 
He will not delay.

i've missed visiting with you, my friends. 
i'll try to be back in this space more. 
i hope you have a cozy weekend. 
love, ~e

maddie + isaac + elizabeth were in a wedding

last saturday.

it was the only nice day out of many, many days here lately.  a gorgeous day to be outside.

people kept thinking that my husband was zac brown's look alike . . .

isaac actually carried the real rings in his box.

maddie was so poised and lovely.

i cried when the groom sang the luckiest to his new bride - ben and i could have been singing it to each other . . . oh, wow.  the words.  i cried so hard i had snot running . . . what a lovely look for the matron of honor, hmmmm . . .

and in my speech at the reception, i reminded all of us who are married to remember that on our wedding days we knew that our spouse is the best thing that ever happened to us - it's easy to know that when everything around us is beautiful and perfect and everyone is our fan.  but we need to know that when it's not pretty, when the blood and guts and real stuff of living set in, we need to know that our spouse is the best thing that ever happened to us and treat them that way.  always and above all, treat them as what they are - the most wonderful and our most favorite. 

i am the luckiest.  and so are you.  know that.

just an early morning look around and thinking out loud

sometimes, latley, i've thought about what i would take with me if we had to leave our house for good.  i don't know why that's been on my mind.  but it has made me realize that i really want to get all my pictures organized in some way that it would be very easy to grab them and have them all.  cause really, of all the lovely things we have, dishes that belonged to both my grandmas, gifts from my mom, handmade quilts, things my kiddos play with, books and more books, the stuff of everyday living . . . if we had to get out, for whatever reason, i would want us all to be able to grab our Bibles and all our pictures. 

and then i look up at some of my favorite pictures on the wall, and i realize that people, all through time, have had to pack a suitcase, or stash things in a skirt or an inside coat pocket, and leave home, for all sorts of horrible and tragic and brave and wonderful reasons.  and may of them could only bring one small thing - a broach, a watch, one or two photographs - and that was what they had for keeping memories. 

keeping . . . what's important . . .

i'm in the process of paring down in our home.  and trying to organize.  throwing away.  giving away.  trying lighten the load - both mentally and in our physical surroundings.  living in ten different homes through our almost-eleven years of being married has not helped the organization one bit.  there are boxes of things that have followed me around.  i've thought i haven't opened that box in 4 years, i should just throw it away.  but i know some of what's in it (like baby cards, or a tiny pair of shoes, or a journal, or papers that i know will be helpful for homeschool) and just can't.  so, i need to work my way through some of those boxes.  and do some throwing, and some putting away. 

i keep thinking things like, if i die, i would be so embarassed to have someone go through my things.  so, i need to remedy that.  because it weighs on me.  and i don't need stuff to weigh on me. 

so, one step at a time.  i brought a filing cabinet up from the basement earlier this week and went through the whole thing and one shelf in my kitchen cupboard.  i threw away a huge pile of papers and junk and put everything else in labeled folders in the cabinet.  (i found lots of random pictures.  see, this ties into my original thoughts . . . )

i found this idea on pintrest.  i'm going to start in on it, a month or two at a time.  i think it is an excellent way to keep our memories.  they would be easy to look through, easy to grab.  and all in one place.  they would be books that i would be proud to have people look through when i'm gone.  it'll be a great step in the right direction. 

and i'm going to keep plugging away, a box and pile at a time.  i'm going to lighten my load.  and i'm going to keep looking for my balance of keeping what's useful and getting rid of things that are just things i'm hanging on to for . . . for what.  i want the things that i keep in my home to have a purpose (even if the purpose is simply that it is beautiful to me) and to be kept in such a way as to be accessible and useful to me and my family.

paring down.  lightening the load.  making home.

happy thursday, my friends.  happy cold, windy, snowy, fall-is-definitely-here thursday. 
~love, e

 

10.2.12

  waffles for supper.  cinnamon butter.  lemon curd.  strawberries.  maple syrup.  whipped cream.  sprinkles.  five extra buddies here to share it with us.  sunshine all day.  breeze continuing.  leaves falling, falling, falling.  change is in the air.  in more ways than one.