Please come to my new home (if you don't mind the boxes!)

My blog has moved! Please come visit me at www.twotalentliving.com (now defunct and moved to a different domain).

Just stopping by

I haven't written much this week because we've just had a full week. This is the busy time of year for our business so we are spending many long hours working. We are thankful though to have lots of work because we know there are many people who do not have jobs or enough work.

We've been hoping to get my blog switched over to the new location. I've had the domain name registered for quite a while, but we haven't used it. Unfortunately/fortunately David has been so busy with work that he just hasn't had time to work on it and I'm technically-challenged so the chances of me doing it alone are nil.

But I am looking forward to getting the new site up. There are a lot of things I want to do that the Blogger system doesn't let me do.

So now you know where I have been. Thanks for the comments people have left recently. I receive all the comments in my mailbox and I read all of them even if I don't respond to them.

Hopefully I will be able to get back here again this weekend!

Bonnie's Baked Beans

These are my mom's baked beans and my favorite. This recipe can be cooked either in the oven or in the crockpot.

4 strips of bacon, cut into pieces
1 large minced onion
2 large cans baked beans with pork
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp prepared mustard
1/4 cup chili sauce
1 drizzle of molasses

Saute bacon and onion until bacon is crisp and onion is yellow. Stir in all other ingredients. Pour into a greased 3 quart baking dish. Bake uncovered at 300 degrees for 2-3 hours.

Of birds, butterflies and summer weather…

Random thoughts from our yard...

If you think birds are eating the buds off the Japanese maple in your front yard, think about what that means and try to stop them. It’s a funny thing. If they eat the buds, your tree ends up with a lot less leaves. Go figure.

We had our first baby birds of the season yesterday. Lots of fluttering and squeaking and begging mom for food by a little sparrow.

Is it fall yet? Yesterday it was 81 degrees with a heat index of 86. That’s enough summer for me. I don’t know how people live in the deep south. Five or more months in the 80’s and 90’s with humidity is simply beyond my comprehension.

If someone came to our house, they wouldn’t know what we are talking about when discussing birds. We have our own names for some of the birds (and other creatures) we get at our feeders.

tweeters = goldfinches

chippies = cardinals (Unless it is a couple; then they are Mr. and Mrs. Chippy)

deedees = chickadees

little guy = red breasted nuthatch (so as not to be confused with the bigger white-breasted nuthatch)

dorky bath birds = I don’t actually know what they are. They are larger dark birds and we’ve never taken the time to get out the bird book and find out what they are. They are just so funny to watch in the bird bath that this is the name that David came up with.

Hoover = David gave this name to the chipmunk because he cleans up the ground under the bird feeders just like a vacuum cleaner.

weasels = squirrels

Robbie and Roberta = robins who come as couples

We put in four more butterfly bushes this past weekend. We had three last year and really enjoyed seeing the butterflies. This picture is one I took last year. I am looking forward to taking a lot more pictures this year. We loved the butterfly bushes because they were easy to care for and gave us lots of color throughout the summer and into the fall.

I'm still standing (and learning some good lessons in the process)

I wrote a few weeks ago about my adventures in not sitting. Well, here we are three weeks later and I'm still not sitting much. Thankfully I can sit a bit more, but as David said the other day when we were in the car coming home from physical therapy - I'm good for about three miles and that's it.

This has actually been a good exercise. We talk about moving into a country setting and moving to northern Michigan. We don't know for sure yet if that is God's will for us, but it has been an interesting experience for me to get a feel for what it would be like to be home a lot more than I usually am. Before this bout with back problems, I usually went somewhere most days, mostly to just get out of the house for a few minutes. Since we work at home and are home 24/7, sometimes a trip to the neighborhood grocery store is just good for morale. I was never sure how I would handle moving out of the city and not being able to go do things whenever I wanted to. I've discovered I would probably do better than I thought. Partially because I’ve learned there really isn’t all that much I care to do when it comes right down to it and partially because I’ve discovered the joy of internet shopping, catalog shopping and home delivery. I’ve started doing more of it out of necessity and I think I will continue to utilize these options more and more. With the price of gas so high and my time being valuable, spending a few dollars on shipping actually is a great deal.

So I'm learning some good lessons in the midst of all this. But I am looking forward to the week when I can sit down every day for long stretches of time. I've missed my glider rocker these past five months.

Microwave Frittata for Two

I tried out this recipe today. I think I cut it out of one of those Kraft Food Magazines they send me every few months. It was good and quick. I used red peppers and green onions instead of green pepper. I also added some salt and pepper. I used a 9-inch glass pie plate since that’s what I had and it only took about 4 and ½ minutes to cook rather than 6.

4 eggs
1 Tbsp water
½ cup shredded cheddar
½ cup chopped green pepper

Spray 8-inch microwaveable pie plate with cooking spray. Wisk eggs and water in bowl and pour into pie plate. Sprinkle with cheese and green pepper.

Microwave on high approximately 6 minutes or until eggs are set and cheese is melted.

Follow-up regarding women blogging

I wanted to provide the link to a post R.C. Sproul Jr. put up yesterday. I think his clarification of his intentions is helpful.

So where was I the last few days?

I have to admit that I didn’t do a whole lot of writing here the past few days because I was spending a lot of time reading other blogs. There has been a controversy of sorts in the Christian blogging world regarding a blog entry written by R.C. Sproul Jr. about women bloggers. (My summary of his entry – he thinks they can be dangerously unbiblical and should not “teach” theology.)

In an effort to stick to my original intent with my own little spot in cyberspace, I’m not going to spend a lot of time commenting on it. I would rather post pictures of God’s creation and encourage people to walk more closely with their Creator. I’m not sure if R.C. would approve, but my husband does and that’s about all that matters to me. (That should give you an idea of whether or not I agree with what R.C. wrote.) I've had enough debating/discussion/attempted blackmailing with various people about women's role in ministry and the church over the past few years to last me a lifetime. (Gee, I wonder if that's partially why this blog is not going to go to those kinds of places on a regular basis and we stick to butterflies, pinecones, Spurgeon quotes and chicken marinades?)

However, if you find controversy interesting, here are a few places you can go and read some comments and discussion.

Reflections of the Times (Not specifically about the R.C. incident, but a good explanation of why women blogging is biblically ok)

Reflections of the Times (A follow-up to the previous article and about the R.C. incident)

From The Prairie (I love her Spurgeon quote!)

Threefold Cord (Lots of comments and discussion on this one)

Walking Circumspectly (Lots of links)

Trusting the Creator

All I have seen teaches me to trust the Creator for all I have not seen.
Emerson

If I can't believe that the spacecraft I fly assembled itself, how can I believe that the universe assembled itself? I'm convinced only an intelligent God could have built a universe like this.
Jack Lousma, astronaut

The man who cannot wonder…is but a pair of spectacles behind which there is no eye.
Thomas Carlyle

Lemon Herb Honey Marinade

This is my favorite marinade for grilling boneless chicken. I often have David grill up a whole bunch and then freeze the extras for eating later or putting on Chicken Caesar Salad.

½ cup ReaLemon Juice
1/3 cup olive oil
1 clove garlic, chopped
¼ tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 Tbsp fresh parsley
1 Tbsp honey
1 tsp dried sweet basil
¼ tsp oregano

Mix all ingredients in a ziploc bag. Add chicken breasts. Marinade chicken in refrigerator 4 to 24 hours. Grill.

Freeing Up Cash

As I wrote before, several of the ways we have simplified our lives have had to do with money. I thought today I would share some simple ways we have freed up additional cash.

Notice I didn’t say “ways that we save money”. In order to “save money” at the grocery store, for example, you actually have to take the money you would have spent and save it. Most people don’t save their savings from when they buy things on sale. The money never sees the savings account. I think a more accurate way to describe it is “freeing up cash”.

Here is a list of ways that we have freed up cash for other things that are more important. Most of them aren’t really all that significant on their own, but over a year they add up. In order to show the profound impact these choices can make, I’m also going to show how much these choices add up to over ten years and twenty years.

Cutting David’s hair myself:
$299/year, $2,990/ten years, $5,980/twenty years

Changing our car insurance to a flat payment rather than installments:
$10/year, $100/ten years, $200/twenty years

Canceling long distance service and using long distance phone cards from Costco (3 cents/minute):
$300/year, $3,000/ten years, $6,000/twenty years

Adding a little extra water to our grape juice when I make it:
$9/year, $90/ten years, $180/twenty years

Only getting the Sunday paper rather than every day:
$50/year, $500/ten years, $1,000/twenty years

Basic cable rather than full cable:
$432/year, $4,320/ten years, $8,640/twenty years

Not buying new cars and keeping the cars we do have a lot longer. This results in lower insurance payments, not paying depreciation on a new car when we drive it off the lot, not paying for all of the fees we would incur every time we purchase a different car (new or not), not making monthly payments, etc. (This is a rough estimate since this is a lot harder to calculate and I’m doing this off the top of my head with just a calculator.):
$6,000/year, $60,000/ten years, $120,000/twenty years

Using two printers for our business. We use one with high quality ink for important things (photo restoration projects, business letters, invoices, etc.). During our busy season we can be printing hundreds of pages of drafts a day and we use an inexpensive printer and cheap ink cartridges for that:
$400/year, $4,000/ten years, $8,000/twenty years

Those are just a few things that came to me off the top of my head. I didn’t write anything about grocery shopping, clothes, etc. There are lots of other ways that we cut costs. But just the ones above add up to these totals:

$7,500/year
$75,000/ten years
$150,000/twenty years

I think most people can make similar changes in their own lifestyle without a lot of extra effort and I don’t know anyone who wouldn’t want to free up $150,000 over the next twenty years.

Here’s to freeing up cash for the most important things!

Fascinated by the Weather

Among the many things my husband and I have in common is the fact that when we were younger we both wanted to be TV weather people. We are fascinated by weather, clouds, storms, and the like. Fortunately our basic cable does NOT come with The Weather Channel.

Here are two sites we access regularly for the forecast, storm information and radars. You can click on your area for specific information.

NOAA

Intellicast National Radar Loop

Enjoy!

Cyber Hymnal

The Cyber Hymnal is a great resource for finding hymns. The tunes are MIDI files so it is not like listening to a CD, but they allow you to hear the tune and find the words.

If you aren't familiar with Day by Day, the hymn I just posted in my other blog entry today, you can listen to it here.

Day by Day

My husband and I grew up in different denominations but we grew up with the same hymnal. We have copies of those hymnals in our home and we enjoy singing from them. My hymnal is a little different in that it has an additional section of Swedish hymns in the back. The denomination was started by Swedes and there was a strong Swedish influence for many decades.

One of my favorite hymns is one of those Swedish hymns.

Day by Day

Day by day and with each passing moment,
Strength I find to meet my trials here;
Trusting in my Father’s wise bestowment,
I’ve no cause for worry or for fear.
He whose heart is kind beyond all measure,
Gives unto each day what He deems best.
Lovingly its part of pain and pleasure,
Mingling toil with peace and rest.

Every day the Lord Himself is near me,
With a special mercy for each hour;
All my cares He fain would bear and cheer me,
He whose name is Counselor and Pow’r.
The protection of His child and treasure
Is a charge that on Himself He laid;
“As they days, they strength shall be in measure,” –
This the pledge to me He made.

Help me then in every tribulation
So to trust Thy promises, O Lord,
That I lose not faith’s sweet consolation
Offered me within Thy holy Word.
Help me, Lord, when toil and trouble meeting,
Ever to take, as from a father’s hand,
One by one, the days, the moments fleeting,
Till I reach the promised land.

Happily Ever After

I am a paper and pen kind of gal. While I know there are people who live and die by their Palm Pilots and Blackberries, I am not one of them. I still use a classic size Franklin Planner with a tapestry cover and flowery pages. It must be the writer in me and the artist in my husband but we can’t imagine switching to something that we can’t write on, doodle on and otherwise use our artistic side.

Anyhoo, this morning I was going through my April pages to make sure I didn’t lose any important information before I recycled them. I was reading through the various quotes and found a few that were worth adding to my collection of quotes I’ve had since college.

It is only possible to live happily ever after on a day to day basis.
Margaret Bonnano

I’ve written before about how I met my husband and how blessed I am to be married to David. We’ve been married about eight and a half years so in a way we are no longer newlyweds (although sometimes we still feel like it!). Yet we both know that just because God brought us together doesn’t mean our marriage is fail-proof. We are both fallible humans, redeemed by the blood of Christ, but we will still struggle with sin until the Lord calls us home. There are no guarantees that any marriage, a Christian marriage included, will endure. It is only by the grace of God that any Christian marriage doesn’t end up in destruction and divorce. For us to live “happily ever after” we have to make wise, biblical choices that protect and nurture our marriage each day.

I remember one time someone I knew (who was single) made a comment about adultery. The comment was to the effect that this person could never do that and it was said in a somewhat prideful way. I immediately had a check in my spirit. My thought was that if you think you are above doing that you don’t know the potential depths of sin that exists in each of our lives. I believe a healthy fear of falling (or walking) into sin is one of the best defenses against that very sin.

So I’m going to keep working on my marriage each day because I do want the “happily ever after”. God gave us a wonderful start to our story and we want to be good stewards so the whole story will be a happy, God-honoring one.

Herb Roasted Tenderloin with Oven Roasted Potatoes

I made this yesterday for Sunday dinner. It is so easy to put together, but tastes like it took a lot more work. When I make it for the two of us, I just use one tenderloin and adjust the amount of potatoes so I have the right amount for two meals. I served it with a French Style Bean Salad.

1/3 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp rosemary, crushed
2 tsp thyme, crushed
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
2 and ½ lbs red potatoes, quartered
2 whole pork tenderloins (3/4 – 1 lb each)

Stir oil, garlic and seasonings. Coat meat with 3 Tbsp of seasoning mixture. Place meat in large roasting pan. Toss potatoes with remaining seasoning mixture and arrange potatoes around meat in pan.

Roast at 375 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until meat thermometer registers 155 degrees and juices run clear, stirring potatoes after 20 minutes. Broil on top rack of oven 5 minutes to brown. Let stand 5 minutes before slicing.

French Style Bean Salad

David really likes green beans so I try to make them in various forms - steamed, in recipes, etc. This is a great cool side item for the hot summer months.

1 can French style green beans, drained
2 tsp lemon juice
1/8 tsp salt
2 and 1/3 Tbsp mayonnaise
1 and 1/3 Tbsp chopped onion

Mix lemon juice, salt, mayonnaise and onion. Pour over beans; toss well. Refrigerate and serve.

Advice or Counsel?

I heard a pastor speak today about knowing God’s will and something he said struck me as being significant.

Should we seek advice or counsel? Should we give advice or counsel?

As I said before, I think words are really important and carry significant meaning. Just ask my husband who is often the recipient of my questioning – “Do you mean xxx or did you mean xxx?” Precise words matter to me because they carry different nuances. So when the pastor talked about the difference between advice and counsel, I noticed.

His idea was that we should not ask other Christians for advice when we are seeking to know God’s will. Instead, we should ask them for counsel by asking, “What do you think the Bible teaches about my situation/choice?”

That got me to thinking… Do I offer advice or counsel? Do I point people to my own wisdom or do I point them to the wisdom and principles of God’s Word? Ouch. It is easier to rattle off our own “wisdom” than pull out the Scriptures and help someone think biblically through a choice.

So this was a helpful sermon for me. I’ll be trying to put this into practice and ask God to help me be a better counselor when opportunities arise.