Spring..err.....Fall....Cleaning...

I took a look around my house yesterday and realized that my family has a severe problem. We keep everything!!! If we replace something old and broken, we keep the old and broken thing as well as the thing we've replaced it with. It was getting ridiculous!! So yesterday I put my foot down and made some changes. In our living room, we had an old broken TV and a new TV, an old nasty couch and a newer couch, an old TV stand and a better TV stand, so I gave away what I could (can you believe my neighbor wanted my old broken TV?) and chucked the nasty couch, and the old TV stand. I washed my carpet and the walls. I can't believe the ROOM I have now! We can actually move without bumping into things! I did the same thing to the kitchen last weekend. Next weekend I'm going to tackle the upstairs. I've decided that this will be my Saturday gig for the next little while till every room has been purged. I don't know if it's because I'm trying to simplify things before my surgery or because our house really is that bad, but it feels good to redecorate with a minimalist attitude. It seems that the kids like it too...they seem much more comfortable and today Declan said, "Mom, this is WAYYYY better than the last room!".

But today is Sunday and a day of rest...no more cleaning for me today. Today I think about my Lord and Saviour who has blessed me abundantly. He has given me more than I could ask or think...Eternal life (what a gift!!), good health, a home, children, a husband, a good job, a music career...life abundant! I am so thankful.

What did you do this weekend?

Protective...good or bad?

People who know me well know that I am very protective of people that matter to me. I don't like seeing someone I care about get hurt or be taken advantage of. There have been times when I've let that protective side of me take action (most of the time it was not needed, my friends and family can take care of themselves quite well) and not always with good results.

Protectiveness (is that a word?) can be a good thing when looking out for your children. It helps keep them from things or people who could harm them. On the other hand, a little harm is what allows us to grow as human beings. I wouldn't be the person I am today had I not gone through some of the rough times I had as a child. Where do you draw the line? When is it okay to be protective and step in to help and when is it not okay? There are many schools of thought on this subject, but I can't say I've really found the answer to that question.

I have a friend who is currently going through some stuff. I feel that this friend is being taken advantage of and I would love to step in and "save the day" but at the same time, is it really my place to do so? Being outside of the situation, I feel like I can see the solution plain as day but my friend doesn't seem to see the same answer. Now, I could be (and frequently am) wrong about the answer to the problem. If I am wrong, it could ruin this person if I took any action. If I'm right, my friend's life could get much easier. So what's a person like me to do? Sit and watch and listen as my friend goes through all of this without saying anything? I'll tell you the answer I learned from a very wise lady I know (thanks Mom)...

My Mom taught me through her own actions in this area that sometimes the best thing that we can do for our friends and family when we see them going through hard times is to pray for them. We don't know all the answers since often we don't know the whole story (we only get one side). It is better to trust the One who sees and knows all than to trust our own judgement. So this is how I'm spending my weekend. Praying for my friend, and trusting that God has everything in hand and knows how to deal with the situation.

When I decided to pray for my friend, this song came to my head. I can't remember where I heard it but it suits this situation...

You know better than I
You know the way
I don't always need to know why
I'll take what answers You supply
For You know better than I

Thank you Lord that You know better than I...

Soup...

I made four types of soup yesterday and froze them for future use. I made Brocoli and Cheese soup, New England Clam Chowder, Hamburger Soup and Mushroom Chowder. Declan and Rowan taste tested each one and gave their approval. Today I intend to make Beef Barley soup, Split Pea soup and possibly a chicken soup of some kind.

In case you didn't know, I'm a soup maniac! I love soup! When it's cold outside, a bun and soup is the perfect meal for me. Since my kids have inherited my love for soups, (and it's a great place to hide those veggies they don't like eating), I keep my freezer well stocked with soups in the winter. Declan's favorite? Brocoli and Cheese soup. A helpful hint for others who have picky children...Declan likes the taste of veggies, he just hates the texture. When I figured out what the problem was, I started running my veggies through the puree cycle on my blender. Declan will eat any veggie I give him as long as he can't see it and can't feel pieces of it in his mouth. As such, creamed soups are awesome for him. I usually keep potatoes in chunks but any other veggie is pureed. Rowan is not a huge meat fan but she'll eat small pieces in soup.

I find most of my soup recipes on allrecipes.com. If you feel like making soup, that's a great site to start looking for recipes. I typically only try recipes that have 5 stars and I always read the comments because often someone has tried a variation that looks good to me. I've only had two soup recipes that I didn't like - one because I found out I'm not a fan of italian sausage and one was just too salty - easily remedied for next time.

So if you want to fill up your freezer with something quick and easy that you can take to work for lunch or have for supper on those nights when you can't figure out what to cook...try soup!!!