Four Monthiversary

~ Emily ~ 3 Comments

Today, Tim and I celebrate four months of marriage.  Seems like a small feat, but I am thankful for every day, every week, every month I get to share with my love.

Leaving our family and friends last week provided a great opportunity to create a wedding slideshow for our loved ones to watch at a little Labor Day gathering.   Moving preparations were all encompassing, so we finally sat down and went through the one-thousand plus pictures our photographer had given us months ago.

A wellspring of emotions rose up with each photo as I remembered the joy of that day – May 11th, 2012.  There is much to be said for letting those memories wash over you – reliving the thrill of the first look, the nerves of waiting to walk down the aisle, the excitement of being pronounced “Mr. and Mrs.”  Those memories are wonderful medicine for the stress of moving and the anxiety associated with a new job and a new season in life.

As I watched snapshot after snapshot come across the screen, I was thankful – thankful for the gentle, caring, strong man that I married, thankful for the friends and family standing and sitting around us, and most importantly, thankful for God’s evident hand in bringing Tim and I together.

Four months later, I still see God so evidently involved in the path our lives have taken.  On May 11th, neither of us would have guessed we would celebrate 123 days of marriage in Idaho; but, now, I can’t imagine anything else being what God had planned.

My prayer for the next four months (and the next four months…) is that Tim and I would embody Psalm 34:3 – exalting the Lord for the good things He has done and magnifying His name in all that we do and say.

Lord, let our union be a reflection of Your love for us, Your children.

Oh Magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together.

Just in case you’re wondering who took these lovely wedding photos… Check out Bobby Schneider – he’s super talented and a blast to work with!

Greek Yogurt Ranch Dip

~ Emily ~ 3 Comments

At the risk of sounding a tad bit crazy, I have to admit that I’ve always found raw carrots difficult to eat.  All those orange fibers don’t seem to go down without a fight.  No matter how much I chew or how small the carrot is to begin with, swallowing is quite the challenge.

After some trial and error, I discovered that a little lubrication helps the consumption process.  My favorite carrot combination is ranch dressing, but sometimes I feel bad about eating those healthy veggies slathered in preservative-heavy bottled dressing (especially since I go with the processed light version).

Yesterday, a perfect storm of circumstances led me to create a better version of my go-to snack.  Our belongings are still in transit which means no kitchen supplies except two knives, two forks, and paper plates.  We subsist on food out or food we can whip up with minimal gear required.  On a recent grocery store trip, a two-pound bag of baby carrots found its way into our Fred Meyer cart, along with Greek yogurt (on sale!) and a packet of ranch dressing mix.

A quick stir (with a knife, of course) and short stay in the fridge later, there was a thick, creamy, ranch dressing substitute waiting to guide those carrots down my gullet.

Plus, greek yogurt has more protein compared to salad dressing or sour cream*

Ranch Greek Yogurt Dip

  • 1 (16 oz) container 0% plain greek yogurt (Chobani is my favorite)
  • 1 – 2 (1 oz) packets of ranch dressing mix

Mix contents of dressing packets into greek yogurt until evenly dispersed.  Dip away!  Flavors will be more pronounced over time.  I used two packets of dressing mix because greek yogurt is a strong base flavor, but one is totally sufficient.

This dip would be a great substitute for mayonnaise on a sandwich.  It would also make a killer alternative to the mayo/sour cream in this Parmesan Crusted Chicken recipe floating around Pinterest.

* Per 2 tablespoons: light ranch dressing – 0g protein, light sour cream – 2 g protein, greek yogurt – 3g protein

6 WAYS TO TRANSFORM TEA TOWELS

~ Emily ~ 1 Comment

In my efforts to simplify and down-size while Tim and I were still in limbo, I went through my possessions (most of which were already boxed and waiting to find a home wherever Team Gardner settled down).  I was still finding things I could let go of after the third round of sorting and decision making.

One box in particular, however, gave me some trouble.  In lieu of the typical tchotchkes, I like to buy tea towels from places where I travel.  A year abroad combined with a love of linens left me with quite the collection – 35 tea towels to be exact.  (I have a problem…) Most are unused, treasured for the memories they conjure not their practical purpose.

In order to legitimize keeping this bountiful collection, I needed to start utilizing these towels.  Since every room in our new apartment does not need five or so hand towels stacked, folded, or hanging about, I looked to my favorite source of inspiration – Pinterest! – for some crafty ideas.

 

Here’s some easy projects I ran across that might help me put my collection to good use:

  • Cute tea towel pillow covers that require only basic sewing skills.
  • Give Fido something soft to chew on with this easy to make dog toy. Great project for recycling old or stained tea towels.
  • Shoe bag. Beach bag. Makeup bag.  This is truly a multipurpose carry-all.
  • I go through a journal in a matter of weeks, so buying fancy ones get a bit pricey.  Creating fabric journal covers out of tea towels helps beautify cheaper models.
  • Wrapping gifts is half the fun of giving them.  Use a tea towel to wrap up a gift and the recipient gets two gifts in one!
  • I adore the simplicity and ease of using tea towels to create cafe curtains or a valance.  Plus, you can quickly change them out for a different season or color scheme.

If you’ve repurposed tea towels, please share your project!

ON LETTING GOD DO HIS THING

~ Emily ~ 3 Comments

Based on my perfectionist and overly studious tendencies, it’s not a major shocker that I was an obsessive note taker in school.  During lectures, in my textbooks, from a power point, I would be making notes.  Even though I’ve been out of school for four years and, thus, not pouring over textbooks and the like, I generally read for pleasure with a pencil in hand, making notes or underling quotes I like or find interesting.

Note taking has leaked into my devotional time as well.  My Bible is underlined and scribbled in – there’s even a smiley face and doodle or two.  Not only does this help me engage with what I’m reading, it also helps me recall what I learned when I run into it again.  And let me be honest, parts of the Bible can get a bit dry.  Sometimes I just need an external occupation to keep me interested and interacting with the words that I’m reading.

Regardless of my motivation for reading the Bible with pen in hand, I’ve always been blown away by how God has used those notes to meet me where I am.

He works in such timely and unexpected ways.  During the three hour solo time at high school summer camp (July. Lake Shasta. Houseboats!), I ran into some of my Bible scribblings.

A year ago when NewSong was at houseboats, I was at Hume Lake as a jr. high counselor with my old church.  It was a really difficult week for me.  My parents had just left for a month.  My boyfriend of a month was unreachable because Verizon cell reception is nil at Hume.  My worth as a leader was being rocked because of the abundance of peppy Hume staff.  I was feeling lonely, uncertain and way out of my comfort zone.

Already feeling discouraged, I sought refuge in the Psalms.  David’s honesty and ability to praise God amidst his struggles has always been encouraging – and I was feeling in need of some encouraging.  I decided to read a Psalm a day, beginning at Psalm 35.

Wednesday’s Psalm, in particular, gave me a sense of peace.  In Psalm 37, David says, “find rest in the Lord.  Do not fret.  It only causes harm.”  Not only was I being a major fret face, but I was fretting over misplaced priorities.  Pining after Tim and feeling inadequate as a leader were keeping me from serving selflessly.  After some initial resistance, I was able to start surrendering my desires for the future and move past some of my insecurities – at least put them aside while I was supposed to be pouring into students.

Psalm 37

Fast-forward 12 months and I’m at the park during solo time, following along with the devotion for Friday.  I flip open to Psalm 37 as directed.  A date was printed above it.  7.13.11.  Exactly one year after finding solace in those words at Hume Lake, God directed me to the same Psalm.

Though I was not dealing with the same type of fretfulness, God knew I needed to read David’s words again. That boyfriend from a year before was now my husband and we had spent many months in the ups and downs of a ministry job search.  I went in to the houseboats trip needing direction, confirmation, and peace about the most recent developments in Tim’s job hunt.

God spoke a specific exhortation and encouragement to my heart from Psalm 37.

Exhortation:

Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass. (v.5)

In my efforts to be in the know and manipulate circumstances to fit how I envision things should go, I don’t always abide by this simple formula:

Commit. Trust. Let God do His thing.

Encouragement:

The steps of the godly are directed by the Lord.  He delights in every detail of their lives.  Though they stumble, they will not fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand. (vv. 23-24)

Even though I don’t always follow the aforementioned formula, God takes great pleasure in orchestrating every detail of my life.  I can certainly trip myself up, but He won’t let me fall.  My hand is held fast and firm in His own grip.

I am holding you by your right hand — I, the LORD your God. And I say to you, ‘Do not be afraid. I am here to help you. Isaiah 41:3

The Next Chapter

~ Emily ~ 6 Comments
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Floating Boardwalk: Coeur d’Alene, Idaho

Curled up on my parent’s couch, I wonder if I’ve come full circle.  I’ve sat on this couch for years – watching Saturday morning cartoons with my siblings, stretching out to do homework, chatting with friends and family.  I celebrated the monumental and the trivial in this living room.  I mourned the loss of precious people in this living room.  I grew physically, emotionally, and spiritually in this living room.  I lived in this space with people I love.

It seems fitting that I would spend my last night living in this house sleeping on the couch.  Husband is on a twin in my old bedroom.  Most of our possessions were loaded onto a moving van this morning, the remainder packed tightly into Blueberry for our three day trek to Idaho.

This couch is a period, the punctuation concluding a fantastic chapter in my story.  Since my life is such a page turner (or so i’d like to think), i’m anxious to read what’s next.  A year ago, 6 months ago, heck, 2 months ago, I would not have guessed Idaho was part of the next chapter for me and Tim.

God has proven a trustworthy author thus far, so, in faith, the pages continue to turn.  A new chapter for Team Gardner begins tomorrow morning!

Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it’s the Lord’s purpose that prevails.

{Proverbs 19:21}