Usually, being strong isn't about the marathon running. It's about taking the next step, willing your body to keep going even when it wants to quit, or doesn't even want to start. At first I was intimidated by my one word this year - Strong. But part of being strong is giving myself permission to not be a marathon-runner right away. It's admitting that I am weak and need the will to get going. It's knowing what "muscles" need strengthening, and taking the next step.
I'm feeling the burn in my soul this week after taking several baby steps. I'm tempted to backslide already, but honestly? The burn feels good.
Baby steps to strength this week:
1. Prayed so much more
2. Started meal planning on Say Mmm... (and followed the plan!)
3. Made a long-delayed appointment
4. Took down Christmas decorations
5. Cut back on social media time a bit
6. Committed to memorizing Romans 1, 8, and 12 this year!
7. Memorized Romans 1:1-2
8. Cut back on caffiene intake a bit
9. Limited my purchases while clothes-shopping
How are your goals for the year coming along? What baby steps are you taking?
1.12.2013
1.04.2013
On being Strong in 2013
Happy New Year, friends! I hope you all had a fantastic and meaningful Christmas. I took a little break from writing in December, and am truly happy to be back here to share my focus word for 2013. Have you heard about oneword365? I love this concept of choosing one word that describes who I want to be, and focusing on it for a whole year; my big-picture personality would much rather have a "focus" than a specific goal.
I chose a word in 2012, and needed it desperately -- Faith. Last year was probably the hardest one of my life, between learning to parent two active boys, dealing with chronic sinus infections, and struggling with stress. I was forced to lean on God each day because I felt like I had so little to give. Faith gave me eyes to see that the Lord was using my stress and pain to grow me and show His strength in my weakness. Faith led to taking some risks. In faith, I wrote about the hard things, trusting that God could use my story instead of worrying about what people would think of me. In faith, I applied to be an (in)courager for working moms, and was so blessed by the understanding and fellowship in our little group. Faith in God in the little things is changing me.
I struggled to find the right word for 2013. Freedom and passion came to my mind first, because I do want to cultivate those ideas in my life . But then I began to think and pray about what I really want for myself, what I'm really struggling with, and what I think God wants to grow in me. I thought of how weak I've felt, how beaten down my spirit has become, and decided to focus on being Strong in 2013.
"'My {God's} grace is enough; it’s all you need. My strength comes into its own in your weakness.' Once I {Paul} heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ’s strength moving in on my weakness. Now I take limitations in stride, and with good cheer, these limitations that cut me down to size—abuse, accidents, opposition, bad breaks. I just let Christ take over! And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become." - 2 Cor. 12, MSG
Strong makes me slightly uncomfortable. It feels prideful, and not very feminine. But I'm not talking about being strong on my own. Like Paul, I need God to be strong in my weakness, appreciating the gift of God's grace. This strength is not about bulldozing people or being strongwilled. This strength is about acting in faith when God pulls my heart -- not backing down, not being afraid, not giving up.
For me, Strong is going to be both spiritual and physical. My body is worn down and needs to recover from childbirth, stress, and illness. I want to feel strong and confident in my body, to be a good steward of the health God has given me. And honestly -- I want my abs back. ;)
Do you have a focus for 2013?
{Many thanks to Melanie of Only a Breath for designing my Strong button! What a blessing she is! I'll be linking up at her blog regularly for accountability throughout the year.}
I chose a word in 2012, and needed it desperately -- Faith. Last year was probably the hardest one of my life, between learning to parent two active boys, dealing with chronic sinus infections, and struggling with stress. I was forced to lean on God each day because I felt like I had so little to give. Faith gave me eyes to see that the Lord was using my stress and pain to grow me and show His strength in my weakness. Faith led to taking some risks. In faith, I wrote about the hard things, trusting that God could use my story instead of worrying about what people would think of me. In faith, I applied to be an (in)courager for working moms, and was so blessed by the understanding and fellowship in our little group. Faith in God in the little things is changing me.
I struggled to find the right word for 2013. Freedom and passion came to my mind first, because I do want to cultivate those ideas in my life . But then I began to think and pray about what I really want for myself, what I'm really struggling with, and what I think God wants to grow in me. I thought of how weak I've felt, how beaten down my spirit has become, and decided to focus on being Strong in 2013.
"'My {God's} grace is enough; it’s all you need. My strength comes into its own in your weakness.' Once I {Paul} heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ’s strength moving in on my weakness. Now I take limitations in stride, and with good cheer, these limitations that cut me down to size—abuse, accidents, opposition, bad breaks. I just let Christ take over! And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become." - 2 Cor. 12, MSG
Strong makes me slightly uncomfortable. It feels prideful, and not very feminine. But I'm not talking about being strong on my own. Like Paul, I need God to be strong in my weakness, appreciating the gift of God's grace. This strength is not about bulldozing people or being strongwilled. This strength is about acting in faith when God pulls my heart -- not backing down, not being afraid, not giving up.
For me, Strong is going to be both spiritual and physical. My body is worn down and needs to recover from childbirth, stress, and illness. I want to feel strong and confident in my body, to be a good steward of the health God has given me. And honestly -- I want my abs back. ;)
Do you have a focus for 2013?
{Many thanks to Melanie of Only a Breath for designing my Strong button! What a blessing she is! I'll be linking up at her blog regularly for accountability throughout the year.}
12.08.2012
Cookie traditions (and the best ginger snap recipe ever)
I'm a cookie girl. (Well, and an ice cream girl and chocolate girl. But that's for another time.) Growing up, our family would make my great-grandma's sugar cookies for almost every holiday. I remember the excitement of helping my mom mix the batter, squishing down the cookies with a sugar-coated glass, squeezing frosting out of plastic bags. My brother and I always enjoyed eating the "ugly" ones.
When I got married, I learned my husband came from a cookie family too. His family would have a cookie-baking marathon in December each year, making piles of ginger snaps, spritz, and chocolate chip cookies. When we married, our traditions merged... and I learned to make their cookies the "right" way. It took a few years to learn that I couldn't mess with perfection. Whole wheat flour was not an acceptable substitute! ;)
Last weekend, I was both excited and nervous about attending my first cookie exchange with friends from church. I wanted the cookies to be just right -- and needed to make 140 of them! Here are five of the lessons I learned about marathon cookie-making:
Lesson 1: Use good recipes.
I was confident in the ginger snap recipe that had been passed down for three generations on my husband's side. The chocolate peppermint cookie recipe I found online looked amazing, but I had never tested it. I was feeling a little unsure about that one, but it turned out great!
Here is the ginger snap recipe (I hope I'm not breaking any unspoken rules of secrecy!):
Christmas Ginger Snaps
(Recipe from Great-Grandma Petrykowski, Grandma Metzger, and Mom Prihoda)
Cream: 1 c. sugar, 1 c. shortening (I used butter because I'm healthy that way)
Add:
1 egg
2 Tbsp molasses (I used a bit more molasses and less sugar)
2 c. flour
1 tsp ginger (I used extra ginger and less of the other spices)
1 tsp cloves
1 tsp nutmeg
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
Roll into 1" balls, roll in sugar, flatten with fork. Bake at 375* for 10 minutes. (Careful - they burn easily. (But I didn't have any trouble with burning.))
As you can tell, even with the most perfect recipes, I'm not great at sticking to directions. :)
Lesson 2: Make sure you have the ingredients.
I actually planned ahead this time and checked the ingredient lists. I'm glad I did, because apparently when you triple cookie recipes you need an exorbitant amount of butter and eggs. ;)
Lesson 3: Recruit good helpers. Especially if you have kiddos that need attention.
I was so grateful my mom happened to be taking last Friday off, and was willing to help make 140 cookies. I would've gone insane without her. My oldest happens to love helping mommy in the kitchen, but his attention span is only so long!
Lesson 4: Make a few extra for taste-testing. :)
When I got married, I learned my husband came from a cookie family too. His family would have a cookie-baking marathon in December each year, making piles of ginger snaps, spritz, and chocolate chip cookies. When we married, our traditions merged... and I learned to make their cookies the "right" way. It took a few years to learn that I couldn't mess with perfection. Whole wheat flour was not an acceptable substitute! ;)
Last weekend, I was both excited and nervous about attending my first cookie exchange with friends from church. I wanted the cookies to be just right -- and needed to make 140 of them! Here are five of the lessons I learned about marathon cookie-making:
Lesson 1: Use good recipes.
I was confident in the ginger snap recipe that had been passed down for three generations on my husband's side. The chocolate peppermint cookie recipe I found online looked amazing, but I had never tested it. I was feeling a little unsure about that one, but it turned out great!
Here is the ginger snap recipe (I hope I'm not breaking any unspoken rules of secrecy!):
Christmas Ginger Snaps
(Recipe from Great-Grandma Petrykowski, Grandma Metzger, and Mom Prihoda)
Cream: 1 c. sugar, 1 c. shortening (I used butter because I'm healthy that way)
Add:
1 egg2 Tbsp molasses (I used a bit more molasses and less sugar)
2 c. flour
1 tsp ginger (I used extra ginger and less of the other spices)
1 tsp cloves
1 tsp nutmeg
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
Roll into 1" balls, roll in sugar, flatten with fork. Bake at 375* for 10 minutes. (Careful - they burn easily. (But I didn't have any trouble with burning.))
As you can tell, even with the most perfect recipes, I'm not great at sticking to directions. :)
Lesson 2: Make sure you have the ingredients.
I actually planned ahead this time and checked the ingredient lists. I'm glad I did, because apparently when you triple cookie recipes you need an exorbitant amount of butter and eggs. ;)
Lesson 3: Recruit good helpers. Especially if you have kiddos that need attention.
I was so grateful my mom happened to be taking last Friday off, and was willing to help make 140 cookies. I would've gone insane without her. My oldest happens to love helping mommy in the kitchen, but his attention span is only so long!
 |
| My sweet helper, making only a little mess. |
The ginger snaps were chewy, with just the right blend of spices. They're delicious with a cuppa chai tea! The chocolate peppermint ones were so rich and chocolatey, with a nice crunch of peppermint on top. Yum!
Lesson 5: Survey your accomplishment, and leave the dishes for later.
After making 140 cookies, I was exhausted. I called the hubs and asked him to pick up take-out, and left the dishes for the next day. :)
All of the work was worth it when I got to spend a few hours with friends from church trading cookies and catching up. Plus, now I have enough cookies to eat and share throughout the Christmas season. Unfortunately, I didn't catch any pictures of that day because we were too busy having fun! (Also, I brought the kiddos because the hubby was at work, and was going crazy chasing them around.)
It makes my heart happy to be forming new traditions with my friends and family. Do you have any cookie traditions? What is your favorite holiday cookie recipe?
{I'm happy to be linking up with Leanne Penny's Cookie Exchange. Leanne is one of my new favorite bloggers -- she has an incredible story of journeying toward healing and peace after awful tragedy. Thanks, Leanne, for hosting!}
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