I will be sitting out this week, as I don't have to slightest clue what toddlers eat, since I haven't lived with one since my now senior-in-high-school-aged sister was one. I will most definitely be paying attention to all the suggestions, as I'm sure I will be needing them in about two years.

I've spent the last half hour putting together the outline of posts for the coming week (a first for me!) in preparation for the busy week ahead. I'll be home, but I'll be working on an adorable dress for a friend about to have a baby. It's frilly and girly and the cutest thing in the world. Her baby shower is this coming weekend, so I'm hoping to finish it up during the evenings this week. I should still be posting regularly.

I spent the day puttering about the house, since my hubby is on call tonight. I made granola, worked on the baby dress, did dishes, found an amazing cheesecake recipe to make later, and read a lot. I didn't quite accomplish everything I set out to do, but at least I made some headway. The book reading took up a fair share of my time. :-)

It's so wonderful to have time to be productive and have time to reflect by myself during the quiet of the day. I guess that's the introvert in me! Really though, after a full week of work and being around people it's nice to have the quiet. Just the sound of the dishwasher running and a kitty at my feet is enough for me! :-)

. . . and I'm glad I took the time to do so, even if it doesn't matter so much this late in the primary season.

I've been reading Louisa May Alcott's classic "Little Women" for the first time since elementary school, and I had forgotten what a charming little book it is. I only remembered bits and pieces of it, and that is mostly from the Winona Rider version of the movie, but of course the book is much better!

I just finished a chapter entitled "Experiments," where the two oldest March sisters find out they have a summer to do as they please. The younger two decide they want to spend their days as carefree as well, and their mother decides this would be a great lesson for them all. The girls neglect their chores and play and do as they please, only to find themselves bored and irritable. Towards the end of the chapter, Mrs. March feigns fatigue and allows their maid to have the day off, and instructs the girls to take care of themselves as they desire. The day turns into a disaster, and they discover just how valuable, meaningful, and enjoyable work can be.

What a wonderful chapter this was! Hard work, especially around the house, is something that I sometimes have a lot of trouble bringing myself to do. The chapter made a point to emphasis the little touches that made their home comfortable--a fresh flower in a vase, a freshly made bed, and so on. They dearly miss these things when no one is up for doing them. I would love to have a home that is as cozy, but my laziness usually wins out.

I found the benefit of a well-kept home appealing, but also just the appreciation of a job well done. The March sisters learn what trouble and discontent happens when one is idle, and what joy one has when work is done well. This is a lesson I still am learning, and I hope it is one I will take to heart.

I'm currently in a very encouraging women's Bible study, in which we are discussing the book of Proverbs. The lessons are thematic, rather than by chapter, and we have had many wonderful lessons thus far. I just returned from an especially meaningful one on the subject of money, prosperity, and wisdom. This prayer was the last topic for discussion of the evening:

Proverbs 30:8-9

8 Remove far from me falsehood and lying;
give me neither poverty nor riches;
feed me with the food that is needful for me,
9 lest I be full and deny you
and say, “Who is the Lord?”
or lest I be poor and steal
and profane the name of my God.

I set a few goals for myself this past weekend, and so far I have been able to sorta keep up. Tonight I made turkey broth with a leftover bird I purchased at Thanksgiving for 37 cents a pound. It's been chilling in my freezer ever since. With the leftover meat I made turkey salad for tomorrow's lunch, and I have also prepped the dough for tomorrow's calzones. But enough about food, I seem to have mentioned it frequently as of late.

At the beginning of the year, I mentioned my probable participation in the Puritan Read-a-long, but I have yet to receive the books I ordered. I've heard that the company I ordered from has received so many that they are running low on stock! I'm sure that's why it's taking so long. I'm still hoping to play along, but for now it looks like I will have to sit this out. I tried to reserve a copy of the first book at the library, but I guess Puritan greats are not high on the "must-read" list for the general public, so they did not have a copy. :-(

Oh, and I just won an adorable 1950s sweater from ebay. It will look adorable with a pair of jeans and a white-colored shirt. This was a treat for me using money received from Christmas, and I plan to use the rest of it for other fun, but more necessary things, such as socks. All mine have holes!

I spent this past weekend creating a meal plan for the week, and I noticed something--almost every recipe is one that would be recognized as taken from another culture. Tonight I made curry, and later this week I plan on making quesadillas, Asian style pork chops, and Greek pasta. Barbara Kingsolver mentions in her book "Animal, Vegatable, Miracle" (which I still plan to review, someday) that American food is known for what it is not, rather than what it actually is. Can you even define something by what it isn't?

Does that sound accurate to you? What defines American food, and what does a quintessential American dish look like? Is it even important to identify with a food culture?

Speaking of food from different cultures: Ashley, guess what I saw at the grocery store tonight. Inca Cola. How about I buy you a bottle for nostalgia's sake? I'll bring it by next time I'm in town. :-)

I just returned from Kroger, where I happened to find organic, hormone- and antibiotic-free milk, for 2 dollars. And this wasn't the little single serving carton size, this was a whole gallon. So I will be drinking a whole lot of milk in the next 6 days. (I do plan on freezing some for baking and cooking.)

On a side note, I've heard that the above-mentioned variety of milk is much better for you than the regular kind, but my husband made a good point: Straight from the cow milk would have hormones as well, since the cow produces them naturally in order to lactate. So my question is, what is the big deal about cow's milk being "hormone-free"? Is it because they are artificial and worse for you than natural hormones (I'm not sure if that's true or not) or is being hormone-free a claim that organic companies make in order to sell more milk?

This isn't enough to stop me from buying it from time to time. I'm just curious.

I seem to have gotten distracted yesterday painting my fingernails a lovely shade of scarlet, and I quite neglected to post. Priorities, you know. So just pretend this was written on Saturday, okay?

No, I don't have an addiction problem. I don't take it all that often.

I saw this article on Ashley's sidebar discussing unusual triggers for migraines. I don't believe I have mentioned this before, but I am a migraine sufferer. It started a several years back before I got knew just how crazy my eyes were and how desperately I needed glasses. You see, I have one eye with near perfect vision, and the other, well, let's just say it is a bit myopic.

Okay, more than a bit.

As a result, I tend to have serious eye strain when doing computer tasks or driving. Before I got glasses, I would have these migraines about 3 times a week, sometimes so bad that I would have to throw up (pleasant, I know) or hide in a dark, quiet room as sounds and light would make the symptoms worse. Now that I have the glasses, the migraines are much less frequent and only happen when I'm in front of a computer for very long periods of time.

For me, there are only two ways to help get rid of a migraine. I can sleep it off, which really isn't a possibility if I am at work, or I can take Excedrin Migraine before it gets really bad. I'm the type of person who doesn't take a lot of medications, but this has really been helpful for me. The article mentions how the combination of acetaminophen, aspirin, and caffeine help bring relief. And it really does. God bless those scientists who discovered that.

Which reminds me that I had better take some now, as my head is already beginning to throb just thinking about all this stuff. Bleh.

Goodness, I can't believe it is almost my bedtime already! Hubby and I headed to Central Market for some goodies for the week (I found some beautiful heirloom tomatoes), then watched a movie. By the time I sat down to get some stuff done, I found that it was already 10! Well, I imagine I'll have something a little more meaningful tomorrow.

Literature adds to reality, it does not simply describe it. It enriches the necessary competencies that daily life requires and provides; and in this respect, it irrigates the deserts that our lives have already become. --C. S. Lewis

It's been a very lazy day here and I can't think of anything remarkable to say other than it's warm outside and my kitties are cuddley and way too cute. You can never speak too much about kitties.

I'll be returning to more thoughtful fare with a "Sunday Ponderings" post tomorrow.

I'm typing this in our big comfy easy chair with a kitty cuddling in my lap and football on TV. It's wonderful to be home to relax after a busy holiday season visiting family and friends on both sides. Now that I have the chance to wind down, I have had more time to reflect and realize just how truly blessed my year has been.

In January, we adopted a brand new kitten. Lucy has been an absolute joy to have in our home! (Even if she does like to rip up carpet!) Stuart started his third year of medical school and rotations. I got to be a bridesmaid in a wedding this past summer for my younger sister. I'm so happy for Julie and my new brother-in-law, Tyler. I received a promotion at work this past fall, and we also decided to adopt another kitten. We love our Lily, who is such a cuddler! Over Thanksgiving, I was able to see old friends and get back in touch with one I hadn't seen in a while. Christmas brought more good times with family and my cousin's wedding.

But more than all this, it has been wonderful to know how much the Lord cares for us. Along with the good, we have also experienced the bad, but I know that the Lord is faithful. I'm excited to see what He has in store for the coming year.

Never, ever, ever under any circumstance fly to Chicago in the middle of winter. You might end up in St. Louis instead. That is all.

When I was in middle and high school, I ran track. I started as a sprinter, and then moved to long distance. I didn't excel at either - I think my race was more the 400 m - but I stuck with the long distance for a long time. Sometimes it was so hard to keep going... Panting heavily, my chest aching, my muscles screaming for respite. Those races would take a lot out of me, as I pushed myself to make it to the finish line. I would talk to myself to keep me from quitting. One passage from Isaiah kept me going:

Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and His understanding no one can fathom.

He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.

Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;

but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.

- Isaiah 40: 28-31

There are two passages of Scripture I always read outloud whenever I am feeling down or discouraged: Psalm 139 and Isaiah 40. I would cling to the latter chapter when I was running. The idea of soaring like an eagle... running and not growing weary! I must admit, as I came panting to the finish line, I rarely felt that I was soaring. That's something I look forward to being able to do in Heaven!

This passage doesn't refer to just physical strength, though. How many times do we feel weary from life? Tired of running... Worn out from whatever trials we may be facing... "Even youths grow tired and weary..." For me, some of the biggest trials have been waiting... Waiting for the time to be right, waiting for the next bend in the road. I've gotten tired of the monotony of daily life during those times.

The beauty of this passage is that it offers hope to those of us who are tired and weary. Have you not heard? The LORD doesn't grow tired. He always has the strength needed to get to the end. And the best news of all - He freely gives it to those who "hope in Him". They will feel strengthened, renewed. They will soar on wings like eagles. Wow!

God has blessed me a lot - I haven't had to deal with some of the difficult trials that others have dealt with. In some ways, I don't feel that I can truly speak of the wonderful strength that God has to give us. I can only offer what His word says, through His prophet Isaiah... He knows you don't have the strength to finish on your own. That's why He is standing there right next to you, giving you a water bottle and giving you that extra boost of energy you need to make it to the finish line!

Can I say it again? Our God is so good.

"...And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one..." Hebrews 11:13-16

“Where are you from?”

It was an innocent question, but I struggled with how to answer honestly. How do you define "from"? Where you were born? Where you live now? Where you've lived a majority of your life? Where your parents are from? How can you sum up your life's background in one answer?

My answer is complicated because I have moved many, many times in my life. I have lived in four countries, six states, and countless cities. My best friends in high school were French Canadian, Venezuelan, Korean, Chinese, Peruvian, Guatemalan, and American. I have spent most of my life in a country where the national language is not my mother tongue. I have experienced the beauty of God's world, and the people He loves - all races, all nationalities, all cultures.

"But where are you from?"

Oh right, you probably want a more specific answer than "Earth". For a long time, I have struggled with my identity as a missionary kid trapped in the feelings of not belonging anywhere. This started my ponderings of what exactly is home, and whether I would ever find a satisfactory answer.

The best way for an artist to answer a question is to ask it visually. The result is my senior art show two years ago, where through 8 pieces I explored all the different ideas of what "home" is to people. I learned a lot of interesting things. My conclusion: I probably will never find a true home on this Earth, because my home is in heaven (Hebrews 11:13-16).

During the opening reception of my show, a lot of people came up to me and explained how they, too, don't know where to call home. Some are missionary kids like me, others military brats, and still others have just moved a lot. I think a lot of us are in the same boat, and it's comforting to know that Jesus understands, and promises to provide that home in Heaven. A Home that will never go away, where we can worship Him forever. While I might still desire to have an earthly home, I know that I can always answer, "My home is still to come."

"For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come." Hebrews 13:14