wish list

I am a save-money-get-a-good-deal sort of girl. I rarely buy anything unless it's on sale. The times I've bought an article of clothing for more than $50 I could probably count on 2 hands. But if I $300 just laying around, I think I could totally get on board with splurging for this bag.

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It's just so pretty...and functional...and beautiful...and awesome. J.Crew, you can do no wrong.

a servant's heart

For the past few weeks, Tim and I have been going through a servant's class/Bible study at church. And it has been so good for my soul, and I'm so incredibly thankful to be a part of this church we now call home. We've been discussing what it means to be a servant of the Lord and what exactly that may look like for each of us - whether it's nursery or children's ministry or worship or cleaning the bathrooms.

Through the Bible study, I've been realizing just how serious it is to serve and lead others. It should not be taken lightly. I don't say this to make it seem dramatic or intimidating, but because of the fact that these are people's babies, children, parents, and lives we're dealing with...and they all belong to the Lord. As cleaners, teachers, babysitters, and counselors we have a responsibility to be the hands of feet of Jesus.

The other night, we went over seven things that should always be on a servant's heart. It was convicting, to say the least. And I know I'll need to review this list daily if I am to serve God's people well.

the state of hockey

disclaimer: please watch/listen to this while you read this post. for real.

Last week I fulfilled a life goal: attend an NHL hockey game. The best part was that it was free. Ah the perks of being married to someone in the corporate world where they have weekly drawings for sporting event tickets. We may have spent $7 for a hot dog and $15 dollars for parking and gotten home at midnight, but it was soooo worth it.

produce card

Tim and I have been talking a lot about food lately, and I feel like I'm constantly reading and researching, trying to get to the bottom of the whole organic vs. non-organic debate. For the most part, the jury is still out on our decision of this now-common topic. I'm not a "jump on the bandwagon" sort of person. I know that for the most part, things at the grocery store marked "organic" are better for me, but I need to find out on my own just why that is, and, in addition, figure out if it's worth it for us to pay almost double for something that is organic. It's just not something I'm going to start doing on a whim.

Many times during all this talking and thinking and researching, I start to get very overwhelmed by the amount of information and differing opinions out there. Being the cynical person that I am, it sometimes makes me want to dive into a bag of Cheetos and down a Mountain Dew just for spite. So instead of trying to take on researching all food ever, I've started breaking it down into manageable topics and issues. Since we eat a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables, right now my researching has been focused on fresh produce and the subject of pesticides, also known as "The Dirty Dozen" and "The Clean Fifteen." And while I am still not yet willing to shell out twice as much $$$ for organic apples, it is good to know that there are fruits and veggies out there that people actually recommend to not buy organic, such as pineapples.

I am a big believer in the grocery list. Without it, I get all impulsive and distracted and usually end up buying one weird/not needed thing just because it was a good deal. And even though I've read over and seen the "dirty dozen" and "clean fifteen" lists many times now, I would never remember them all. So I made a handy dandy little card that fits in my wallet. I'm planning on printing mine at a local print shop and having it laminated.

Here's the link to download and print a produce card. Happy eating!

lunch time

Lunch is always a good idea, and can never seem to come soon enough. I used to say that breakfast was my favorite meal of the day, but I've been in sort of a breakfast food funk lately and lunch is quickly taking it's place. Since I'm able to run home for lunch, I don't always have to rely on leftovers. One of my favorite things lately has been to make a rice bowl consisting of white rice, black beans, salsa, cheese, and a few squirts of lime. It's filling, it's fresh, and it's fast.

I'm also a huge sucker for sandwiches, especially sandwiches made with onion bagels. Last week, while flipping through my recipe binder, I rediscovered a "recipe" I had ripped out of a Real Simple magazine awhile ago. It was a page of sandwich pairings and ideas, and this one really caught my eye.

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Avocado mixed with fresh lemon juice, a few sprinkles of salt and pepper, topped with freshly sliced crunchy radishes. I have eaten this twice in the past 3 days. It is so simple, but soooo good! Watch out rice bowl, you've got some competition.