harvest soup

so i've been trying for two days to upload one short little video, but so far, no luck. instead i've decided to tell everyone about my wonderful soup success from this week! i am happy, of course, that it was really yummy and had rave reviews, but i think i'm even more excited about the fact that it was super thrifty!

i got everything in it through angel food ministries, basics i had on hand, food left from former roommates or friends when they've gone overseas, or from a sam's club $5 rotisserie chicken(which i keep bags of chicken and homemade stock in my freezer). It was super hearty and delicious.

Harvest Soup

1 bag frozen Edamame steamers (left by friends going overseas)

1/2 Small Bag of Soup Bean Mix (Angel Food)

2 small white onions (Angel Food)

1/2 of a red onion

Minced Garlic

3-4 cups of Shredded Chicken (Sam's Rotisserie)

5 cups of Chicken Broth (homemade from Sam's Rotisserie)

2 white potatoes

2 red potatoes

1 bag of frozen mixed veggies (corn, green beans, etc) (Angel Food)

1/2 bag whole wheat noodles (left by a former roommate)

Spices (Salt, Pepper, Basil, Bay leaves and Savory)

1/2 bag Spinach

I steamed and shelled the Edamame. I soaked the Bean Mix. The next day I sauteed the onions and garlic while boiling the cut up potatoes in water. I cooked the Bean mix. I defrosted the frozen chicken, broth, and veggies and then threw them all in with the cooked beans and added spices. I added the Edamame to cook and then the potatoes when they were almost done. I put in the noodles towards the last 10 minutes of cooking. The last thing I threw in was several large handfuls of spinach.

one of my friends commented that she felt like she had thanksgiving dinner in a soup when she had it for lunch yesterday. what a compliment! i just really was wanting to use the edamame in something! but i am pretty pleased with this yummy soup/stew. i think the recipe is a keeper. and binkley girls, look close in the background. do you recognize the napkin?? thanks to kelsey and travis's wedding, i've made the switch to using only cloth napkins! i love it!

pumpkin carving!

this is totally belated, but i wanted to post a few pictures from our pumpkin carving party a few weeks ago.  unfortunately really hard life stuff came up and has delayed me, but better late than never!

we must have had at least 20 pumpkins, if not more.  everyone went to town.  we had patterns, but by the time i started mine, i didn't like any of the patterns left.  i wasn't in the mood to do spooky so i freehanded a flower.  i took my work very seriously, as you can see.

to top off things, several of us made harvest-y treats.  i am very pleased with what i made, a little idea from a kids' activity book.  these mini "jack-o-lanterns" were actually hollowed out oranges that had pumpkin pie filling baked in them.  the faces were made possible by good ole sharpie and voila!  cute little jack-o-lantern pumpkin treats!  easy and fun!  a two year old helped me make them!

it only feels like everything will change

today it feels like our entire world is shaken. 

today hurts.  

today there is fear in the air.  it feels like nothing will ever be the same and that the only possible outcomes could be bad.

that decisions of others could ruin everything forever.

but what of my sovereign God?  He is bigger.  He is stronger.  He is holy.  

and He will reign.  even when you feel like things possibly couldn't get worse - He is bigger than your fear, your hurts.  

this applies to some aches on my heart today and i'm sure will apply to about half of my friends tomorrow, when the candidate they believe in doesn't get elected.  

all i can and will say over and over is - Glory to God in the Highest.  He is first and last.  He is great and glorious.  and we need not live in despair because - Behold!  Even now He is making all things new!  even now i wonder how i can type this through my tears and all i can say is that deep down, i know that there is no greater truth than God's sovereignty.  

Christ in you is the hope of glory.  hold fast to Him.  hold fast to hope.  take every burden to Him for He is everything.

gypsy wedding

while i was in bulgaria, i got the chance to go back to berkovitza and see two of the girls i worked with get married. the girl in video was celebrating her 1st day of the wedding, and later that evening we took part in the 3rd and final day of the wedding celebration for her first cousin.

from what i saw, it was a whole lot of this style of dancing and a lot of food. an interesting cultural experience for sure.

the white girl in the wedding party is michelle. she's with nmsi and has just moved to berkovitza full time. she was a bridesmaid in both weddings. doesn't her dress look like Belle's from Beauty and the Beast??

el presidente phil

this is nmsi's president phil.  he loves all of our kids.  he cares for each of our workers deeply. he's been given so much wisdom from God.  

and during triennial, when one of our 2 year olds got horrible motion sickness on the bus - he helped me clean up throw up.  

that's a good president.

we're blessed.

i miss a couple of people

it was wonderful reconnecting with friends at the triennial (my organization's conference and retreat - held every three years for everyone that works with us around the world).  it was in bulgaria and greece.  

the hard part, however was saying goodbye to wonderful friends all over again, knowing that there is a possibility of not seeing them again for 3 years.  

i miss a couple of people.

back

so a month later, i'm back in the country.  i've been in bulgaria and greece, so my plans are to do a few post-triennial posts over the next few days.  we'll see if it's actually accomplished.  

stay tuned.