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Humanity

I haven't seen this saying in my news feed lately. Instead, we're seeing some of the worst parts of humanity revealed. Scrolling through social media or watching/reading the news can be overwhelming and discouraging, depending where your hope lies and how you view people. Who do we look to when these huge problems are in our face? The government? Rich entrepreneurs? Activists? The legal system? Protesters? Celebrities? Authors and pastors? While God can work through any avenue, we aren't to place our hope ultimately there. These are not just political issues, not just race issues, not just legal issues, not just rights issues, not just health issues. These are heart issues. There are so many things I could say about this, but I only have fifteen minutes of quiet before a child will emerge from her quiet time. So this is the main point I want to make: What would the world look like if you were humble? If we were all humble? The way people view those who look differently, thi
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Magic

We recently watched The Polar Express as a family. I remember loving the slideshow of it as a kid--the elementary school librarian would show it each year before Christmas. Our oldest daughter is four and we've had many conversations this year about Santa. As over-analyzers, Matt and I can't just go with the flow and try to convince her that Santa is real. Many talk about the "magic" of Santa, and how they don't want to ruin that for their kids. I'm not here to argue about what you should tell your kids about Santa, but I do want to share my thoughts on this "magic" business. Our daughter, like most four-year-olds, is really into pretending. She also loves watching shows and reading books. Often, she gets that hopeful sparkle in her wide eyes and asks things like, "Are superheroes real?!" or "Are unicorns real?" On a basic developmental level, she's forming an important life skill of being able to differentiate between wh

Chicken & Gnocchi Soup (Olive Garden Inspired)

A few years ago I found a "copycat recipe" online for Olive Garden's Chicken & Gnocchi soup (anyone else love that bottomless soup, salad, and breadstick lunch special??) and have modified it a bit each time I've made it. It's my go-to meal to take to friends with new babies because everyone raves about it and big brothers and sisters love it too!  The measurements can be adjusted a bit for your preferences, but here is how I've been making it: Ingredients: 2 cups chicken breasts, cooked and diced (I roast them with salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and Italian seasoning blend) 6 cups chicken broth (I make it with Better Than Bouillon) 2 cups cream 1 cup celery, finely diced 1 1/2 cup carrots, finely sliced 1 cup onion, finely diced 3 garlic cloves, minced 1 cup fresh spinach, chopped  1 tablespoon avocado oil 1 teaspoon dried thyme 1 teaspoon parsley 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 pound potato gnocchi* Parmesan cheese, as desired Heat up a sto

More alive

Sometimes I don't feel much. Life feels like a continuously expanding to-do list, and I get in "task mode" and wonder why I want to pull away from everything. In the moment I struggle to put my finger on it, but I know I need a break. And then something awakens my senses and it's the epitome of refreshment. Last night, it was listening to Spiegel im Spiegel by Arvo Part , the song I walked down the aisle to, which Matt and I often listened to in our little studio apartment in Chicago. It also reminded me of the times I picnicked at the Pritzker Pavilion while listening to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra on amazing summer days in the city. There's something about old memories that help me be less detached from myself. As I talked to Matt about this, he said something along the lines of, "that's why art is so human." Because it reminds us that we're not just here to do tasks and stay alive. Art seems like an extra, because it's not

Parenting As Ministry

Whenever I hear people talk about trying to view parenting as ministry (or even your most important ministry!), I think of things like family/bedtime devotions, and serving--because our babies and toddlers need our help with most things. So, we read the children's Bibles and theology flash cards and pray together and I clean the children and all the things and make the food and carry them and get up in the middle of the night, etc. And I definitely have room to improve with the discipling and serving. But what good is all that if my interactions with my children throughout the day are not loving? Parenting a toddler has made it exceedingly clear to me how much I struggle with patience and gentleness. I feel like Paul in Romans 7, because I hate the thought of talking down to my kids or yelling or expressing my frustration or annoyance... but I struggle to stop doing what I hate!  This past weekend I was at a marriage seminar with teaching from Dave Harvey, and the idea that

Deviled Eggs

I've always loved deviled eggs, but can never bring myself to hard boil and peel eggs. Ugh. But, Costco saves the day again! They have organic hard boiled, peeled eggs at a wonderful price. So suddenly the thought of making deviled eggs feels possible! Here's how I did it. I know if you're making this as an appetizer, you'll do a much bigger batch, but these were just for Matt and I :) Ingredients: 3 hard boiled, peeled eggs 1/8 cup Miracle Whip Light 1/2 tsp yellow mustard Several drops buffalo/hot sauce Pinch of salt Paprika Cut the eggs in half length-wise. Squeeze each half to pop the yolks into a bowl (SO EASY). Also put in the bowl the rest of the ingredients, except paprika. Use a fork to mix it all up. Then spoon the mixture back into the eggs. If you want them to look fancy, feel free to pull out your frosting supplies and pipe the filling into the egg whites. But I decided sprinkled paprika is fancy enough for me!

Chicken Pot Pie

Sometimes even those of us who pride ourselves in making things from scratch finally get honest with ourselves and admit we need to compromise. Since I was making all of our food for Christmas, one compromise was buying pie crust instead of making it from scratch. And since I bought it at Costco, I had a bunch in the freezer. So here I am, finally using some more of that pie crust. And it is delicious and I have no shame!  I decided to start with a Betty Crocker recipe and make some modifications to my liking instead of wasting time searching online amongst everyone claiming their recipe is the best. Here's what I ended up with: 1 1/2 cups (roughly) peas, sliced carrots, and sliced mushrooms (or you can switch these with celery, broccoli, or cauliflower if that's what you like) 1/2 cup chopped onion (I used leeks) 2 cups cut-up cooked chicken (another suggestion for convenience: use a rotisserie chicken!) 2 tablespoons butter 1/2 cup all purpose flour 1 1/2 cups chicken