Popcorn: so hot right now.

The popcorn business seems out of control. And we have just eaten it up. Why all the ridiculous kitchen appliances? Why all the microwavable varieties in expensive and wasteful packaging? Not to mention paying like $4 for a bag of novelty pre-popped corn at the store?

During all the purging I was doing surrounding our move, I got rid of our "air popper" on the hunch that it was absolutely unnecessary. Man, was I right.  All along, all we needed was a pan, some oil, and popcorn kernels. We were in awe last night. We were so excited. We're never going back.

We put the pan on the burner and turned on the heat, poured in some olive oil, poured in enough kernels to cover the bottom, put the lid on and waited. It was magic. Towards the end as the pan filled, the popcorn pushed up the lid a little - classic! I stirred some salt and garlic powder into melted butter and we poured that over the top. It was delicious (even before adding the butter). And I'm very excited to try making different flavors.

Now we have one more item we can buy in bulk and keep stocked in our kitchen (virtually endless shelf life) for an anytime snack that is easy, healthy, cheap, and super fun. Popcorn: what a fantastic idea on God's part.

Housewarming/Birthday Party: Everyone's invited!

Hello friends!

We moved to Arkansas this summer! We're renting a house on the campus of Ecclesia College, where we're both working. Keith is the new soccer coach at Ecclesia & Lindsay is working in Financial Aid.

We wanted to open up our home to old friends & new friends to see our new place & celebrate Keith's birthday (8/26). We understand that most of you from back in Illinois won't be able to make it, but we still wanted to extend the invitation. :)

PRESENCE as PRESENTS: no gifts please!

Shalom!

Lindsay & Keith

Pathways to the Sabbath.

I'm sharing an excerpt from an email to Natalie. It's making reference to a wonderful sermon series from The Journey called Rhythms.

So today I had the special treat of Keith getting to join me for a sabbath, because the school has today off for Presidents Day, I think it is. So I had him listen to the first two of the series with me, so he could catch up. And I really appreciated hearing them again.

Right now, the pathways stuff is on my mind. What are your pathways? I was thinking about how the pathways fit into the sabbath; how the sabbath is a prime opportunity to pursue God via your pathway. My pathways I think are the contemplative, worship, and some naturalist.

But I definitely feel very alive and close to God while homemaking. Making a home. Creating a home. That's literally what is feels like to me--creative. Creating a sanctuary, bringing order, bringing beauty, bringing warmth & safety.

So back to how pathways fit into sabbath. Since I started getting really intentional about taking sabbaths it's been this journey of finding out what the sabbath means for me. If the sabbath was created for me, how can it best serve me? Anyway, I always felt like I should avoid housework on the sabbath, because it was work. And in all the sabbath stuff I've been studying, you hear about how women need a break from that stuff.

But for me in my life right now, I've been putting in tons of time at the cafe and totally neglecting our home. It's been a mess. And it bothers me because I want a home of peace & order. So, the one day that I'm home (sabbath) I feel like I should try to not do it, even if I really want to.

But I think I'm seeing that housework is a pathway for me. It brings me a lot of joy & satisfaction. Like I said, it's creative for me. And you know what? Just like Darrin was saying, that pathway leads into the others. Once my kitchen is clean I just want to sit at my beautiful clean table and read & write & look out the window! Once the floor is clear I want to put on worship music & dance around & sing or bow down on the floor. And I want to have people over to fellowship! Isn't that cool!?

So right now I think I'm deciding that housework is not off limits to me on my Mondays. Not that I should spend my whole day doing housework, but taking some time to clean things up will really edify me & my sabbath. It's totally a pathway to God. I'm really excited about this!

News.

Hello friends,

You are my audience. My friends & family who want to know what is going on with me. And please, if you read what I write, and are glad to have read it, leave me comments. I think when this becomes what feels like a one-sided conversation it's discouraging. Thanks!

Some news items:

• We moved to a new apartment through Keith's resident manager job, and it is wonderful. It's a two-bedroom that's over twice the size of our place at Lamoine Village. It really feels like I am a woman with a home. We are still just praising God for it. He taught us so much about contentment in our last two tiny places, and we are so thankful for that. Now it feels like our territory has been expanded.
• Keith is the new worship leader at the Vineyard church here in Macomb. They lost their former worship leader a few months ago, so one Sunday Keith and I guest-led worship there. To make a long story short, they loved us & created a paid position for Keith as the Sunday morning worship leader. It was hard to leave the Crossing, but the guys there commissioned us with all the best wishes; praise God.
  
• We first got to know the folks at the Vineyard when I started working at Cafe Aroma a few months ago. I was in the market for a local coffeehouse job and some good friends of mine had worked there in the past. So when they needed some help, I volunteered & it was a great fit. Cafe Aroma is run by the Vineyard church. I've had a vision for coffeehouse ministry for probably close to ten years, so this was a neat opportunity for me. Right now I'm working Tuesday through Friday 11a to 2p, and we often play music there on Friday nights for Open Mic. So come by & visit sometime.
• Speaking of Cafe Aroma, Nate & Mere's band Leaving the Boats came & played an amazing show there on October 24th.
  
• I was in this movie with Shia LaBeouf.
  
• I got myself a new Moleskine journal & I love it.
  

Love,
L. xo

Polaroid instant camera status: Secured.

Thanks, Camera Land (our local camera shop on the Square), for having one used Polaroid camera in stock, waiting to be taken home by me. Now I just have to buy film (Camera Land did not carry any instant film). And as far as the rumors go about Poloaroid soon ending production of their instant film, it appears to be true. However, as the man at Camera Land told me, and as I have verified, Fujifilm continues to produce it. ::relief::

I want to use Polaroid photos in my arts & crafts; we will wait to see the fruition of that.

Along the same lines, to my great joy, Countywide Office Supply (where I purchased my label maker) had my typewriter ribbons in stock. I was definitely expecting to need to order it. Local businesses are magical places.

Since procuring the typewriter in January (from my mother & father-in-law's basement) it has opened a new door in my creative expression. There is something about writing in physical reality on paper, at the speed of typing, and with the clarity and uniformity of typed text. The look of typewriter text is classic and evocative and tangible. I have been taking pages of beautiful catalogs or drawings and typing scripture or poems or other text on them (example to the right). I've written cards & letters with it, and I find the typewriter the easiest way to do creative writing or to journal. I love it.

Speaking of arts & crafts, I'm going to take another art class at Western this fall. I'm definitely ready to return to that.


Update:
Film secured. Walgreen's is still carrying the Polaroid instant film; who knows for how long? Hopefully when it's no longer produced they (or someone) will carry the Fujifilm instant film. And wow: expensive. Each picture is to be used wisely.

I carefully chose my first shot: the view out our front door. Isn't it beautiful? I can't believe the beauty of nature we get to live in here in humble university housing. Our outside surroundings definitely make up for the couple of flaws inside the apartment.

Arts & crafts.

My label maker came in today. I ordered a manual, old-fashioned label maker through Countywide Office Supply on the Square. I've wanted one for months to use in my art & crafts. I like trying to find things secondhand first, just to avoid the unnecessary use of new resources. I bid on a couple label makers on Ebay, asked for one on Freecycle, and browsed the local thrift store multiple times, all to no avail. So, my next choice, after secondhand, is to support local business. Countywide didn't have any in stock, but they were happy to order it for me.

On the same trip to go pick it up, I got Keith a little memo pad that he had mentioned wanting to get. When I got home I promptly opened my new label maker & decorated the new memo pad.









My next order of business was to add the text to this drawing I had made of Keith.













I've found these two wood art gems at thrift stores. The one to the left has the definition of faith and has been a huge encouragement to me as I wait in faith.

I like the counsel in this one on the right to be still & listen.







Comments welcomed.

The inspectors just came back.

And this time I'm not crying.

We worked pretty hard over the weekend on it, and then while I was in Chicago Sunday night through this morning, Keith finished up--and did an amazing job!

The best anniversary present!

We've sprayed white distilled vinegar on our mold a number of times, and then reluctantly tried a bleach cleaner, but nothing's really changed so far:

We're anxiously waiting the arrival of our tea tree oil in the mail, which is supposed to be a super-effective natural treatment.

But we passed regardless!

And now that it's all cleaned up, come over! There's room on our two vintage couches for everyone, and enough musical instruments to go around.

Three ways to kill mold naturally.

If anyone else is having mold problems in their home, here is a great article about natural treatments for it:

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/three-ways-to-kill-mold-naturally.html

Inspection failed.

On Tuesday two grad school-aged building managers with name badges and clipboards came by our apartment for our annual health and safety inspection. I was home alone at the time and welcomed them in.

We failed.

I was very embarrassed. After they left, I cried. Then I went to go meet Keith as he was walking home from work and cried to him. Just silly feelings, but they hurt nonetheless.

Too much clutter. Dirty dishes. Mold in our ceiling (which has been there since we moved in & I see more as the university's responsibility). I told them (which was meant as a compliment) that I had only seen one bug the whole time we've lived here. They questioned me to find out what kind it was, deduced without evidence that it was a cockroach, and wrote it down on our evaluation as another category that we failed.

I knew that none of that really mattered, but it just really hurt my feelings.

Especially since much of the clutter was simply stuff we had brought into the apartment from the car after our many recent travels, and we just hadn't had the time to go through it all yet.

We've been wanting and planning to get the place back in order so we can joyfully show hospitality more easily again...

It's just now we will be doing it with a deadline and the added motivation of avoiding eviction.

They'll be back in a week.

I am humbled.


Blessed be the Name of the Lord.