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I'm on Grandbaby #3 Watch

If I seem a little bit giddy, it's probably because every other minute I'm thinking about the imminent arrival of my third granddaughter, Hazel Marie. Lauren is my oldest daughter, and she is READY for this baby to come!

 

 

Hazel was "due" on Monday, but of course she will come when she's good and done in there.

She will be joining sister Ivy Grace (age 2), who talks about her constantly.

 

 

Last year at this time, we were waiting (and waiting) for my daughter Meghan's first baby to arrive. Two and a half weeks past her due date, Heidi finally arrived on her mama's birthday, August 2.

 

 

Heidi is almost one year old!

 

 

 

The past two summers have brought baby girls into my life. 

It's only right that they should meet up with their moms at Target, for a little retail therapy. Being a toddler is tough, man. 

 

And as I look forward to this new one, I'm filled with excitement. 

 

 

Another little girl to read books to, be silly with, and have tea parties together. We shall play in mud puddles, learn about nature, watch clouds, and chase butterflies. I will teach her how to take naps in forts, which is one of my specialties.

We'll get to make memories for life.

I can hardly wait!

I'll be taking a break from blogging so I can focus on this special time....I'll keep you posted, though, on Hazel's arrival.

Love, Rachel

For When You're Feeling Angry About Current Events

I've been thinking.

And you know how I get quiet when I'm thinking, right? I've tried to sit down and write a decent blog post over the past week or two, but I've been stuck. 

Lately there's been such a clamor of voices all around me that I've just had to pull my head in like a turtle to process it all. It seems that everyone has such loud opinions about everything right now: gay marriage, politics, the war on terror, abortion, nuclear arms deals, the imminent collapse of civilization as we know it... pick a topic and there's a chorus of outrage and anger that erupts.

I get it, I get it. Believe me, I do.

And I'm all for righteousness, and fighting the good fight, and standing up for justice. There is certainly a need and a place for it.

But I've got this gnawing feeling in my stomach that we, as people who bear the name of Christ, are missing something really, really important.

 

I keep thinking that while we are waging the culture war, we are losing the love war.

 

And this is what I want to say:

 

Let's bring back the fruit of the Spirit, y'all.

 

When did it fall from fashion?

Galatians 5 puts it this way:

 

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things. (NLT)

 

I guess I'm trying to figure out where in the Bible Jesus might have said, "Be the loudest and most abrasive person in the room so you can get my message across."

Or where He might have commanded us to criticize anyone who holds a different opinion than us.

I can't find a scripture to support name-calling, or finger-pointing or hate-mongering. But we do it anyway, because "we have Right on our side," and it entitles us to judge and to belittle and to scorn anything that smacks of oh, I don't know...too much liberalism, too much conservatism, or compromise, or even a (gasp) slightly different interpretation of scripture.

I just haven't seen a whole lot of love lately, and it bothers me.

 

I see indignation and wrath as our default setting. We're so quick to put our dukes up and assume a fighting stance at the mere mention of our pet topics.  

 

But is this how we should act? I'm struggling here, folks.

 

Allow me to put forth this today:

 

As people of faith, we should take a higher road.

 

Let's be the ones to love people who disagree with us. Let our words be balm and healing to those who are wounded around us.

Let's stop having to be right about everything, and instead build bridges made out of gentleness and goodness. Right will win out in the end, anyway.

Let's quit having to say the last word; and with gracious self-control, listen to the other side. We might learn something.

Let's outdo our enemies, whether real or perceived, in kindness.

Let's not qualify our generosity for only those who "deserve" it.

When we start to lash out in anger, let's ask, "what would love do here?" 

 

Jesus said, "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. ³⁵ By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:34-35

 

Love one another, love one another, love one another.

 

I can think of no better example of this than the members of Emanuel AME Church and the people of the city of Charlston, after the racially motivated shooting that killed nine. Their words and acts of forgiveness inspired a fresh wave of reconciliation across the country, and made me examine my own heart in a new way.

This kind of grace - this fruit of the Spirit in the face of evil - is more powerful than anything else I can imagine.

It leaves me in awe of what is right and good, and it pulls me toward it.

 

It pulls me to Jesus.

 

And isn't that really what it's all about?

Today, let's put down the anger and run toward the love. Let's be part of something bigger and grander and more beautiful than anything this world can understand.

  

Let's bring back the fruit of the Spirit, and let's set our world on fire with it.  

 

Perfect Cold Brew Coffee Recipe

 

My newest obsession is cold brew coffee. In a word: YUM.

 

Perfect for summer afternoons when you need a little pick-me-up, this recipe will make you happy because it's simple, makes plenty, and tastes divine. Because it is literally brewed cold, (as opposed to brewing hot, then pouring over ice) it has a mellow flavor and a greatly reduced acidity factor.

 

Not many things fall into the "This Changed My Life" category for me, but this cold brew coffee would qualify - it's that good.

 

So, with a shout-out to my son-in-law, Nathan, who shared his technique with me, here goes:

 

1. Make a Concentrate.

Measure 3 parts water to 1 part coffee.

I happened to have Starbucks on hand, but any dark roast coffee will work.

I use 1 1/3 cup coffee for 4 cups of water. This tests my math skills, for which I need more coffee. See how this works?

 

 

2. Stir well, and let brew on counter overnight, or up to 12 hours.

 

Make sure those grounds are all mixed in! That's goodness, right there. 

 

 

3. Pour your brew through cheesecloth or coffee filters to remove coffee grounds.

 

I use a coffee filter in a small colander over a bowl. Note: It drips through verry slowly, and it's difficult to be patient at this point. 

 

 

4. Pour your strained concentrate into a pitcher or jar.

 

 

 

5. Dilute the concentrate with equal parts water. 

 

I add about 4 cups of water to my 4 cups of concentrate. 4+4 adds up to 8 cups of deliciousness...plenty for several afternoons worth of enjoyment.

Feel free to adjust the ratio according to taste.

 

 

6. Serve over lots of ice, leaving plenty of room at the top for Half and Half and sugar. Or sweetened cream.

 

 

 

I like lots of cream and sugar. YUM.

 

 Pioneer Woman (who makes a huge vat at a time) highly recommends sweetened condensed milk and I can only imagine how heavenly THAT must be.

PS I tried PW's recipe too, but again...my math skills. Reducing a gigantic quantity to a manageable scale was too much for me.

 

 

Enjoy!

 

 

 

Have you tried cold brew coffee yet? I promise you it will change your life, or at the minimum, your outlook on it. It's possibly the best thing I've accomplished this year.

5 Ways to Simplify Your Life Today

We all want to simplify our lives -- starting tomorrow. We would start today, but we've got too many things on our plate to begin the process, right? I hear ya.

 

Here are five things you can do today that will make a difference immediately, regardless of how complicated your schedule is.

 

1. Decide what's important. 

Make a list of the three or four essential things in your life. What would happen if you eliminated everything else today? Imagine the "worst case scenario" if you didn't make that batch of brownies for the PTO, or if the laundry didn't get done, or if you didn't chaperone the field trip. Chances are, life would go on.

Do the essentials first, and THEN fill in with the extras.

 

2. Be a Uni-tasker. 

Do one thing at a time. Multi-tasking has become a way of modern life, but it actually makes you less focused, less engaged, and less efficient. It robs each task of your full attention, energy and creativity. Doing one thing at a time means that you are present and able to make the most of each moment.

When you stop juggling "the next thing," you'll find the beauty and joy that's in front of you right now.

 

3. Unplug. 

If you start having heart palpitations every time your phone or device is not in your hand or on your person, it's a good sign that you're addicted to it. Limit your email checks to a few specific times each day, and consider that Facebook can function just fine without your current status. Change the notification settings on your devices so you are not distracted by alerts popping up. 

Here's what I learned when I took a Social Media break last year. I still struggle with this, and have to constantly recommit to unplugging.

Social media has its place, but let's be honest: it crowds out real living.

 

4. Embrace "Enough." 

In a culture that celebrates the "new and improved" versions of everything, we can easily get sucked into thinking we need more and better stuff than we already have. Do you have food to eat? Clothes to wear? A car to drive? You have more than billions of people on this planet. You have enough. Practice gratitude and model it to your children. Less stuff = less to take care of, less to worry about, less to spend money on.

Less stuff = freedom.

 

5. Say "no." 

Truth: You will always be asked to do more than you can or should. Setting healthy boundaries around the things you value (your family, your time, your faith) means that you'll have to say "no" to good things in order to preserve the best things in your life. Make a habit of asking for time to think about a new commitment before adding it to your already-full life. Discuss it with your spouse and family, or a friend, before you commit to anything. Others can help you see your own limits when you can't.

Learn that a healthy "no" brings a "yes" to peace and simplicty.

 

The past couple of years, I've committed to breathing.

To simplifying.

To letting go of the unnecessary.

I've found that it takes a constant effort to keep chaos at bay and simplicity at the forefront. These five things are helping me make better decisions and enjoy each day to the fullest....and I am breathing. Are you?

How about you? What is YOUR best strategy for simplifying? What will you do today that will make life better? I hope you'll share!

I'm on The Sorta Awesome Podcast Today!

 

I have the fun pleasure of being the guest co-host on the Sorta Awesome Podcast with Megan Tietz this week!

 

You might know Megan from her former (very popular) blog, Sorta Crunchy, and her book, Spirit-Led Parenting - From Fear to Freedom in Baby's First Year.

 

Megan and I have been online friends for years, but this the first time we've had the chance to sit down and chat. We talked about everything from cold-brew coffee, to parenting adolescents and teens, to finding wisdom in unexpected places. She is delightful, y'all!

 

Listen Here - Podcast

 

I'm a regular listener to Sorta Awesome - I use my laundry-folding/dish-washing time to catch up with Megan and her co-hosts. There's always something great going on with these gals!

Sidenote: one of the things I've been learning from the podcast is about the Myers-Briggs personalities (ENFP, anyone? Or INFP? I still don't know), which Megan is pretty much an expert in. Fascinating! Scroll through the archives and you can find plenty on that, including this one here.

 

Hop on over to take a listen! Of course, Flash is one of our topics, and it was fun to share one of my favorite stories from the book.

 

Talking with Megan reminded me again how God uses the ordinary moments in our lives to reach out to us, interact with us, and show us His love.

 

 

See you there!