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Planning for the Holidays

The Christmas decorations have been up in the stores for months, ads are playing on TV, and a suffocating feeling of being overwhelmed is beginning to engulf me. I feel like Scrooge. It’s not that I’m against Christmas—far from it—but I’m very much fed up with the commercialized substitute our culture feeds us. It makes me want to crawl under a rock and stay there until January.

Every year I rebel against spending money we don’t have, baking things I shouldn’t eat, and the self-imposed pressure to decorate the house—knowing I’ll have to put it all away again a few weeks later. Yet I eventually find myself doing all those things anyway.

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We’re Expecting Houseguests!

The calendar says November, Thanksgiving is two weeks away, and Christmas isn’t far behind. For years you’ve extended invitations to everyone in your family, and no one has come to visit. But this year…. Your sister just announced that she and her husband are bringing their eight kids. Five minutes later your in-laws called to say they’re finally free this year. Your other sister found out everyone was coming, and didn’t want to miss the excitement. And by the way, can she bring her (humongous) dog? And her boyfriend?

At first you were excited about having a family reunion… but now reality is setting in. Where will you put them all? How will you help them feel welcome?

Pete and I once successfully hosted twelve family members (in addition to our nuclear family of four) in our three-bedroom house… for an entire week. (Five more people stayed with a neighbor, but ate with us.) It would easy now that our kids are grown and on their own—we have two dedicated guest rooms plus another bed in my home office. But we used to live in an area where housing prices were very high, and houses were very small. Where did we put our overnight guests then?

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Sweet Potatoes with Pineapple Sauce

If you’ve been at all conscious lately, you realize that Thanksgiving is a mere twenty days away. I like being helpful, so I thought I’d share one of our family’s Thanksgiving recipes. About ten years ago, in an effort to eat a bit healthier, I decided to trim a lot of fat and sugar from the  traditional “Candied Sweet Potatoes with Marshmallows” that most of us grew up on. In spite of the lack of sugar high, everyone liked my alternative so much that I received nary a complaint. I’ve served it every year since.

The recipe is easily doubled, but allow more time for the potatoes to cook (a bigger pot with more water takes longer to heat).

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Staying Flexible

Sometimes all the best-laid plans don’t work out. I’d flown from Colorado to Washington to spend a few days visiting a good friend I’ve known since we were roommates in college. We’d hoped to go for walks in the woods, strolls on the beach, photo safaris to some local scenic hotspots. Instead, as I write this, I’m lying on her couch with a 100-degree fever, a stuffy nose and a throbbing headache.

I’d feel even worse if I thought I’d given my germs to her family, but it’s pretty obvious the sharing went in the other direction. I’d hoped to avoid the flu that her husband and kids were down with, but all the hand-washing and tea-drinking were to no avail. I got sick anyway.

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A Camping Adventure

It seems every campground has one group of campers who are a bit odd, somewhat annoying, clearly incompetent. I just never thought that would be us.

The camping trip was rather spontaneous. Karin wanted to see Olympic National Park, and I was game, but since we were staying near Tacoma, it was a lot of driving for one day. We wavered back and forth, trying to decide what to do. Then Karin’s in-laws offered to loan us their pick-up truck with camper shell. It was the perfect solution. Throw a foam pad and a couple of sleeping bags in the back, and we could stay overnight, giving us plenty of time to see the rain forest. We didn’t want the hassle of a real camping trip, just a place to sleep for one night.

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Cheapest Fill-ups for Your Gas Tank

Your gas tank is sitting on empty, and it’s time to fill ’er up on your way to work. But with prices changing daily, which local gas station has the cheapest gas today?

Bgasbuddy_logoefore you hop in the car, check out GasBuddy.com. It’s a simple website that lists many (unfortunately not all) of your local gas stations, and gives the current prices. You can search by city, state, or zip code. As I write this in early October, our local prices range from $2.03 to $2.45/gallon. Considering we usually put around 12 gallons into our Subaru’s tank (we try not to let it get too low), that’s a potential savings of over $5—nothing to sneeze at.

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An Oasis in the Desert

How many times have you laid in bed, staring upward, trying to pray, but feeling that your thoughts are being absorbed by the ceiling? Or you’re diligently reading through your Bible, hoping the Holy Spirit will speak to you, but all you get are meaningless phrases, and you’re not even in the genealogies? You’re praying, you’re reading, you’re listening, begging, for some sign of life, but all you get is silence?

If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone. We’ve all been there. When I committed to writing this blog, I realized that I was going out on a limb. Because, more importantly than the recipes, media reviews, and hopefully helpful advice, I want to share my walk with God. A hundred years from now it won’t matter how the carrot cake tasted, or even what our credit rating was. Our relationship with God is eternal .

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Are You Wishing You Weren’t Single?

A friend sent me a link to this article: “When Waiting is the Hardest Part of Waiting.”

Blogger Melanie (aka “Big Mama”) writes about coping with being single when you would much rather be married. She has done so with eloquence, humor, and great wisdom. I wish I had read this when I was waiting for my husband to come into my life. And now, even after thirty years of wedded bliss, it’s a great reminder that happiness and self-worth do not depend on one’s marital status. Read this and be encouraged.

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Company Meals

The phone rings about three o’clock on a busy afternoon. Pete wants to bring someone home for dinner. Is it all right with me? With a hurried look at my to-do list, and a quick prayer for help, I agree. He hangs up happy, and I start wracking my brain. I’m suddenly feeding someone I’ve never met before. What should I serve?

This is actually a pretty common scenario at our house. Pete collaborates with ministries all over the world, and he frequently invites out-of-town visitors for a home-cooked meal. As hostess, I want to make these guests feel welcome, while filling them with good food. With years of practice, I’ve learned some helpful tips, which I now pass on to you.

For the most part, you can serve your company the same food you’d normally eat. It is their part to be gracious and thankful for whatever you offer. Don’t feel pressured into putting on a special feast, or spending a lot on expensive ingredients. Not everyone is a gourmet chef.

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