Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Misc.


:: I slept better last night than I have in weeks. I'm not sure what that says about my usual bed partner.

Seriously, though, this has not been the case before now. I think I've officially grown accustomed to Daniel's mini-trips here and there. I should be! He's gone on a several-week missions trip out of the country every year for the past 4 years, as well as leaving regularly for weekends away since a month after we got married. Believe it or not, last night was the first time in Daniel's absence that I've not woken up to every little sound throughout the night. (i.e. Does the furnace always make that noise or should I be concerned?)

:: Repentance and forgiveness is so cleansing. One thing I am reminded of over and over again is that it doesn't even matter whether or not the person you may have offended actually was or wasn't; the important thing is that we respond to the Holy Spirit when He convicts us so that our hearts remain soft and pliable.

:: There is nothing on TV these days. Nothing. Especially when you only get the 13 basic channels (2 of them being weird Canadian sitcoms or curling competitions; 2 of them being the exact same duplicated PBS programming). I think I enjoy American Idol more because it's actually something we get that I will watch than because of the actual show itself.

:: Yesterday I packed the kids up and we spent the majority of the day at Mom's house. She made a really delicious stir fry for dinner and I could kick myself for not taking pictures so we could post it all on momandus this week. It was one of those meals that gets made when the cupboards are pretty bare and you're just cleaning out, but if you only saw the finished product you'd never know.

Those are the best kinds of meals for those of us who live in the real world (sorry, Martha) and on a budget!

:: Speaking of cooking, I made homemade whole wheat tortillas the other night that were really delicious. (ht: Jackie) Next time I'm going to make them thinner by making more like 14 7-8" tortillas (as opposed to the 12 I made last time) because my last batch was a little thicker and breadier than I prefer, but all in all I was tremendously pleased with how simple and yummy and inexpensive they were! I've already decided that I want to try to make a huge batch once a month or so and freeze most of them so they're still a very convenient food.

:: I'm on day 18 of a consistent and manageable-for-a-mama exercise routine. I won't say more until I am past day 21, which they say is the marker for establishing a habit, but so far it's been really awesome. What I actually accomplish isn't the amazing thing; the fact that I've been doing it is!

:: Yesterday Mom helped me pick out paint colors for my bedroom. Tomorrow I'm planning on picking up the paint so that it's here and ready for whenever my benevolent helper says she wants to assist in taking it on. To say I'm excited would be an understatement. To say I'm nervous would also be an understatement. Somehow paint never looks quite the same on the walls as on the chip. I'm really really hoping that I'm pleasantly surprised rather than... well... deeply disappointed.

:: OK. I'm done rambling.

For now!

11 comments:

  1. Wow, have you really exercised 18 days in a row?!  You will definitely need to share your secret once you hit day 21.  I am happy if I can exercise 3 days a week.

    ReplyDelete
  2. your "benevolent helper" says BRING IT ON.
    I am eager to see this elusive color!

    ReplyDelete
  3. @loribruehle - I guess I wrote that kind of confusingly. To clarify: I have exercised 6 days/week for almost 3 weeks now. Really, I should be able to exercise on Sundays, too, since Daniel's home in the afternoons, making it even simpler, except that I'm usually way too tired to motivate myself!

    ReplyDelete
  4. @thisrequiresthought - I can't believe I was just on the phone with you and forgot to make plans for painting.  Remind me next time we chat!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I dont do all that well when Dale is away.  Probably a big part of that reason is because he doesnt travel all that often.  When he went for the interview last week, I think I slept all of about, oh... 3 hours that night! 
    I am eager to hear your exercise plan too.  I love TaeBo but know my body is far from ready for that right now.  My Gazelle is about as far as I can get -that and the bouncing I do with Cole in my arms.  His 20lbs of weight probably help!
    Going to have to get that tortilla recipe from Jackie myself!
    Oh, and do you have or have you looked into SkyAngel?  They just added a bunch of new channels since they are now IPTV instead of satellite.  We love it and dont even miss cable! 

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hey, Bri- Guess what I purchased yesterday? Millet! Yup, you've inspired me!  :)  Now I just have to decide how I want to use it in a meal tonight.
    I used to have trouble when Lucas would be gone but now it doesn't bother me, unless he's M.I.A. from where he's supposed to be. ;)  Of course, he's never been gone for as long as Daniel has. I think the longest Lucas has been gone, was 2 days. So, not too bad. Fortunately, I've gotten really good at shopping, etc. with my 3 kiddos, since he's typically gone for 16 hours of each weekday and at least 8 hours on Saturday and Sunday. Absence does make the heart grow fonder!
    Are you willing to share that tortilla recipe? I've always wanted to make them myself but I like recommended recipes, for that sort of thing.

    ReplyDelete
  7. @christian_mommy_mary - the link above ("whole wheat tortillas") will bring you to the site Jackie tipped me off to. Or here you go:http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/flourtortillas.htmMillet is very plain, like rice or couscous, so as long as you make something with flavor and moisture, it's great!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Thanks! I'm thinking about a chicken, vegetable, millet soup and a loaf of French bread.  :)
    Tomorrow, I'm going to try that tortilla recipe and make chicken fajitas!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I laughed with your real world budget note! Isn't that so true? I have tried homemade tortillas as well, and they are very tasty, although, I haven't delved into the whole wheat thing with my children. Their taste buds haven't been trained very well I'm afraid. I'm into the whole painting thing right now too. Are you planning on a big color change leap? or a subtle facelift? 

    ReplyDelete
  10. If you mentioned it I missed it, but what color are you doing your room?? I can't wait to have a place of our own to paint colors!! I feel for you when Daniel is away. Gabe is not away over nights but definitely late into the evenings sometimes. No fun!Did you make it to the new Walmart? Those tortillas sound delicious! I am going to have to try them.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I can totally relate to the stir-fry dinner being "one of those meals" that gets made when you're cupboards or fridge is getting bare.  Yep, that's what we are having tonight!

    ReplyDelete