Home Sanctuary

Back on Track

A couple of years ago, I found myself starting the month of December working on a children's church design that had a "train" theme. I looked at hundreds of images of trains in order to come up with ideas for the space. And as I juggled the month's shopping, baking, decorating and work, I had a "train" theme revelation.

It was about the thing that makes trains so efficient: yep, the tracks.

Riding the rails keeps those trains moving like clockwork.  Engines can pull their loads into the train stations at the exact minute they were scheduled because those tracks guarantee that their trip will be exactly as it should be. 

December is one month out of the year when it seems like everything "falls off track" for me.  Actually, it starts with Thanksgiving...when I overindulge in the food and goodies that are arrayed so beautifully before me.  But I also get off track in my housekeeping, my Bible reading, and my (ahem) exercise.

Today's Small Thing is to get back on track now....instead of waiting until New Year's Eve to make an overdue resolution. 

Do you need to get back on your diet?  Today is the best day ever to do it.  Is your house a disaster?  Today's your day take out your housekeeping schedule and work on today's tasks.  Did you forget about exercising?  Try taking a walk.  You may choose whatever you need to in order to get "back on track!"

Ride the rails in style today! Hop on the tracks in one area of your busy life...and watch things start running like clockwork once again. 

In what area have you fallen off the tracks? What will you do today to get back on them?

Song of the Day: Take the "A" Train, Duke Ellington with Count Basie

Kristina Kuzmic's Apple Berry Bake...and CG Coffee

As promised, here is another fabulous dessert recipe from The Ambush Cook, Kristina Kuzmic. I can't wait to try this one! Don't forget that The Ambush Cook premieres tomorrow (Sat), Dec. 3rd at 12 pm (ET/PT).

Cheer Kristina on through your tweets and FB to let people know about the show. I don't have cable, so I'm having a friend record it for me :). An easy way to support her is to go to the official trailer site and "like" the page and tweet it. Just click the buttons that are at the top of the post. Simple!

APPLE BERRY BAKE

Recipe courtesy of Kristina Kuzmič

 

Filling:

4 Granny Smith apples, peeled and diced into 1-inch pieces

½ cup fresh blueberries 

¾ cup fresh raspberries 

2 Tbsp all-purpose flour

¼ cup brown sugar

Cooking spray (for baking dish)

 

Topping:

¾ cup white sugar

1 tsp baking powder

¾ tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp salt

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

½ cup quick oats

1 egg

¼ cup butter, melted 

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly coat an 8 inch square baking dish with cooking spray. Place the apples, blueberries and raspberries in the dish and toss with flour and brown sugar.  In a mixing bowl, combine white sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, flour, oats, and egg.  Mix with a fork until well combined.  Drop chunks of the dough all over the fruit.  Drizzle with melted butter.  Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until topping is golden brown. Serve warm, with ice cream or frozen vanilla yogurt. 

 

Yields: 6 servings

 

 

And now, time for some Company Girl Coffee. It's our way of connecting with each other by linking up below....and gives you all a chance to visit each other's blogs. Why just depend on the comments to get to know one another when you can actually go see where other readers live? That's what this is for. Non-bloggers can participate in the comment section, of course - and we welcome that! Simply chat about what is going on in your life, how you came to find Home Sanctuary, or what you are doing to create a bit of sanctuary in your home....whatever you'd like to talk about! 

Linkytools is having some problems today, so leave your link in the comment section and we'll find each other that way! Have a great weekend, everyone!

Emergency Room Visit

Hi Company Girls! I'm late getting today's post up.....thanks for your patience. We spent a looong evening in the emergency room last night with our son, who injured his shoulder in a hockey game.

The doctor says it is a deep contusion and possible separation, but nothing is broken or fractured - yay! With that good news, we dragged ourselves home after midnight and fell into bed. I'll have our coffee post ready in just a little bit....after I've had another cup of REAL coffee!

Love you all, Rachel

Patterns

I've been working in the gorgeous home of one of my favorite clients this week. This is the third home I've painted for her over the past 15 years, each one filled with treasures and incredible style. In this master bathroom, my client wanted huge trumpet flowers and vines to make a "wow" statement, and a few oversized dragonflies on the ceiling for a little bit of whimsy.

The trumpet vines and flowers were easy for me to freehand. Flowers and foliage can be wild and free-flowing and look wonderful without overthinking the layout. Here is part of it in progress.

 Before adding final layers of highlights and shadows:

The dragonflies, however, were another story. For those, I needed to make a pattern so I could get just the right size and placement. By drawing the pattern on paper and cutting it out, I could tape it up onto the wall to see how it would work.

After I worked out the details on my pattern, I traced it onto the wall and filled it in with paint.

I was able to take the same pattern and flip it over to use in another area. Hooray for patterns!

Patterns are important, not just in art.......but in life. We make and follow patterns everyday: patterns of behavior that were modeled to us as children, patterns of learning that shaped us, patterns of spending, and patterns of eating, just to name a few. Some of those patterns are healthy, but of course, some of them are not. 

Do you have a pattern of worry when life brings you challenges? This is one many of us have "cut out and placed on the wall" so we can repeat it over and over again, even though scripture tells us that we can trust in God's faithful care. Maybe your pattern is to turn to food, or shopping, or the internet when life feels out of control. Perhaps you've done it so many times you don't even realize that you're following a pattern that isn't anywhere NEAR the one that God has offered to you through Jesus Christ.

Today's Small Thing is to consider the patterns in your life....both the good and the not-so-good ones.

December is a perfect month to consider some of life's deepest questions, especially when so much activity revolves around the birth of a little baby in a lowly stable. Does your life reflect a simplicity of faith that is patterned for you in the pages of scripture? Are your attitudes shaped by the Word of God, or by the words that were spoken to you in your past? Are you creating new thought patterns based on faith and grace, or are you relying on the old patterns of your mind and wondering why things never change?

Ask God for wisdom today. Here at Home Sanctuary, we spend a lot of time working on creating new patterns for tackling clutter and disorganization, but on a deeper level we are setting blueprints in motion that are truly life-changing. We are taking daily steps that do so much more than just cleaning potties and sinks....we are taking on new patterns of thought that say "yes" to living a better life. "Yes" to stepping outside our comfort zones. "Yes" to being all God wants us to be. I believe that with all my heart.

Say "goodbye" to unhealthy, unworthy patterns in your life today. And say "hello" to the ones that create life, faith, abundance and blessing.

What patterns are you letting go of? If you'd like to share, we can pray for one another today so that we can be equipped to pattern our lives on God's Word. He has so much to offer us, if only we'll let go of our old patterns and embrace His!

Song of the Day: Come Home Running, Chris Tomlin