Life According to Maran

Booking It 2011: Sacred Parenting

2011-08-15T11:41:00.000-07:00

I've been a little slow in getting my reading done. But, I did finish a book in July. I read Sacred Parenting by Gary Thomas. I must say that I have yet to read a book by Gary Thomas that I didn't like, this one is no exception.

While Sacred Parenting is not a step-by-step how to guide on how to raise godly children, I found it challenging and convicting. Much of the book focuses on how parenting shapes us as parents through challenging us to put service before comfort, control our anger, and look beyond glamor to glory.

The book is easy to read and I found it convicting. I don't have children of my own, but have a step-daughter who is with us for very limited amounts of time. I am now trying to learn to control my anger/temper and try to put things in the place they rightfully deserve. I will definitely read this book again when I have my own children as shaping our souls is a lifelong process.

31 Days to Clean

2011-04-27T17:09:00.000-07:00

I just saw this on Money Saving Mom and thought it just might be the motivation I need to get my house cleaned up. You should check out 31 Days to Clean and join the Group Challenge from 5/1 to 5/31 following the e-book.

Booking It 2011: Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day

2011-04-10T15:06:00.000-07:00

This month I read Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day. I have to say that I really loved this book. My family seems to eat a lot of sandwiches and, therefore, we go through a lot of bread. I don't like buying the cheap $1.00 per loaf bread that I can get at the grocery store nor do I like paying $4.00 per loaf at times for the good bread. So I thought this might be a good alternative to keeping bread in my house but not breaking the bank. I tried 3 different recipes from the book: Soft American Sandwich Bread, Crusty Sandwich Bread, and Boule.

The Soft American Sandwich Bread was ok. I didn't get great results with it. The crumb was somewhat dense and it had some issues cooking all the way through (this may be that it the dough was pretty cold when it went in as my house is on the cold side). In comes the Crusty Sandwich Bread. I LOVE this bread. The flavor is great and the crumb is light and fluffy. My husband liked it better stating that he found it easier to cut small slices for sandwiches. The boule turned out well as far as texture and taste, but the loaf spread quite a bit. This could have been from resting for too long or that more flour needed to be dusted onto the loaf.

I enjoyed cooking from this book and hope to try more recipes from it after getting a copy for myself.

Booking It 2011 - Sacred Influence

2011-04-03T17:36:00.000-07:00

This month I read Sacred Influence by Gary Thomas. I have read a couple of Gary's other books and must say that as convicting as this book was, I really enjoyed it. The book is a man's perspective on how a woman can best serve her husband. The most interesting point that he made was that a woman should give up some of the things that she wants in order to best serve her husband and her family. I find this point interesting because it is completely counter-cultural. The book also suggests that women ask their husbands how they can better serve them by asking "What would like me to do that I am not doing?" The question gives better insight into how what our specific husband wants us to do.

This book was very convicting in that this is not how I have approached my marriage over the last 4 years. It gave me a new way to approach my husband, how to approach my marriage, and how to serve God through all of this.

Booking It 2011: The Happiness Project

2011-02-17T11:20:00.000-08:00

This month I read The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. I didn't know anything about this book prior to reading it this month, so I didn't have any expectations. I have to say I really enjoyed the book. It was easy to read and very easy to relate to. I can especially relate to the clutter issue as my home has not been a place that I want to be as of late because it is so cluttered. I will definitely be taking her advice on clutter and I may start my own happiness project in the next year. While I do believe that true happiness is found through faith in Jesus Christ, I think that the methods in Gretchen's book are the key to feeling more at peace with life. For example, my home has not been a source of refreshment because it is full of clutter. By clearing out the clutter, I will feel more settled and refreshed in my home, my husband will feel more at peace because it is not cluttered, and I will have more of a leg to stand on when I expect my daughter to clean up after herself around the house. I also like the idea of increasing my energy and vitality through exercise which is in line with my goal of running a half marathon this year.

In short, I enjoyed reading this book and highly recommend it to others. Now, on to Sacred Influence.

Household Management Notebook

2011-02-06T09:45:00.000-08:00

I have become faced over the last several months at how unorganized my life is. I have my personal planner that helps me organize my schedule but trying to keep my husband's schedule and the schedule with his daughter in order has been difficult. That's why I was so excited by the challenge from Life As Mom to develop a household management notebook. After pouring through ideas on how people have done it and resources available to create my own, I have finally come up with my own household management notebook.

To highlight a few of the things that I am so excited about:

1) The to-do lists

I printed off the 52 Weeks of Organizing list from orgjunkie so that I can continue to get the rest of my house organized and less cluttered. I also printed off the daily docket from simplemom. This will be laminated so that I can save paper. I am also using the cleaning lists from moneysavingmom. This double-sided with the monthly/semi-annual list on the back and will be laminated so that I can re-use it. I also printed the preschooler chore chart from simplemom so that Quinn can do chores when she is with us. This will more than likely not be kept in the notebook, but on her bedroom door.

2) The calendar

I have to say that this is the part I am most excited about. I have told my husband for a couple of years that I am going to start a family calendar. If something is on the family calendar, it is set in stone. Now, I have finally done it!! There is a calendar for each month and there is an ink color for each type of event (black is family, green is Nathan & I, blue is Nathan, I am purple, & pink is Quinn). This will give order to our house and everything can be in one place and once it is on the calendar, it can't be changed.

3) Birthdays

With so many people in my family and some birthdays so close together, I can't always keep them straight. I printed the birthday organizer from yourway.net and included birthdays and anniversary for everyone in our family but cousins. That way, I can plan better and get cards or send a card to everyone for their birthdays.

4) Christmas (I tried to get a picture of this section posted, but it wouldn't upload right)

Christmas the last couple of years has been ridiculous. I wind up doing all the planning with very little time. I used the planning pages from organizedchristmas. I look forward to getting all my gift giving, parties, and baking planned so that I can relax and enjoy the reason for the season.

There are other dividers for phone numbers, emergency/medical information, and school.

Booking It in 2011 Reading list

2011-01-11T12:10:00.000-08:00

I came across this on-line book club and have wanted to do more reading throughout the last couple of years. So, this seemed fun and I decided to try it. So, here is my reading list:

February 2011 - The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin
March 2011- Sacred Influence by Gary Thomas
April 2011 - Artisan Bread in 5 minutes a day by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois (I'll also include Healthy Bread in 5 minutes a day since I own it).
May 2011 - Finding your purpose as a mom by Donna Otto
June 2011 - Captivating by John and Stasi Eldredge
July 2011 - Dancing with my Father by Sally Clarkson
August 2010 - The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
September 2010 - Organized Simplicity by Tsh Oxenreider
October 2010 -Not Your Mother's Casseroles by Faith Durand
November 2010 -The Reluctant Entertainer by Sandy Coughlin
December 2010 - Skin by Ted Dekker

I also hope to read Father Fiction by Donald Miller. I also have a box of books my brother's now ex-girlfriend loaned me, so I may also pull some things from that. I'm really excited about this and look forward to some accountability to get me reading again.

The legend of Colton Harris-Moore?

2010-07-15T10:44:00.000-07:00

In recent months, I've been following the story of Colton Harris-Moore. Perhaps I've had increased interest because he grew up near where I currently live and work. However, I find that the level of support he has received from so-called fans is disturbing. Colton Harris-Moore is a criminal with federal charges who eluded law enforcement officers for 2 years during which he racked up quite the resume of criminal activity.

While I understand that some criminals gain popularity and fascination due to their notoriety, Robin Hood stands out as the most legendary. However, he stands apart from other criminals. Robin Hood stole from the rich to feed the poor due to wrong doing by Prince John. Prince John was over taxing the people to the point that they could not afford to live. So, in steps Robin Hood who steals from the rich, who were most likely not taxed as highly, so that the poor can support their families.

While I don't support vigilante justice, there is a difference between Robin Hood and Colton Harris-Moore. Robin Hood was responding to wrong that was being done in his culture whereas Colton Harris-Moore was not. Robin Hood was doing something noble (illegal but for a noble purpose) whereas Colton Harris-Moore did not. So, why is Colton Harris-Moore being celebrated a hero? What he did was selfish. He wasn't giving his "loot" to people who needed it. I'm sure he used it to get by for the last 2 years. Furthermore, by promoting a celebrity-like status (there is talk of making a movie based on his life), we are showing people that it is ok to be a criminal, that it's glamorous, and you aren't really living if you are "living on the wild side." What is that teaching our children? Why haven't we figured this out as a society and will it ever get through to people that this is perpetuating the problem?

Royal Family Kids Camp

2010-07-02T22:36:00.000-07:00

I returned home from my 10th year serving at Royal Family Kids Camp in Bellingham, WA. I absolutely love this ministry. I love that kids who have had to grow up too fast are allowed to be kids for a week and experience true unconditional love. I also love the outpouring of support from the community. This year Mallard's Ice Cream and Boundary Bay Brewery gave at the very least a great deal on ice cream and root beer floats respectively for the root beer floats at the Carnival. People give what they can so that they can contribute to the happiness of a child's life that has not known a whole lot of happiness. Kids who have been neglected and abused get to see that there are people in the world who truly love them for who they are who may not have known them before that week.

Despite all the love I have for this, I hate sending my kids home. I hate sending my kids back to families that don't take care of them. Families that feed off of drama and chaos. Families that don't protect the weaker child to the point that a child who was so sweet and almost emotionless all week, never crying, is sobbing as she watches the video and is afraid to go home before someone who isn't her mom takes her home because her mom apparently couldn't be bothered to bring her to the church or pick her up from it. I hate sending my kids home. I don't understand how some people can break their kids like that. I wish more people would step up to fight for them and show them true love and how families should be. It makes me sad.

Decision

2010-05-20T18:40:00.000-07:00

I watched "Julie and Julia" the other night and I'm feeling inspired. I want to quantify this for those that know me that I will not be cooking through a cookbook in a year (unless maybe it is the Serendipity cookbook but that's not going to happen). I love to cook but I have no desire to learn how to cook a live lobster. And even if I did, it would go to waste because I don't eat seafood nor can I stand the smell of it. What impressed me about the movie was how she found a creative outlet for herself in the midst of a job she found tedious and didn't like.

I've also spent time reading my sister's blog over the last several weeks and have been inspired by that as well. I enjoy the window into the lives of my sister, my brother-in-law, and my adorable, spirited nephew.

With those 2 things combined, I have decided to use my blog on a more regular basis to document my musings on life but also serve as a creative outlet. I don't know what shape it will take, but I'm excited to see where it goes. I can only imagine you will get a good dose of many things in my life - knitting, my attempt to start my own business out of my home (which will not be worked on for sometime), my journey into living frugally to name a few, and occassionally my love of (almost) all things psychological as well as share my adventures in being a step-mom. While I don't believe any of these things will become how I identify myself as I find my identity as a child of God, I have come to a realization that I need a creative outlet. I love knitting but have gotten out of it in recent months as I have not had time to do it. Since BSF is done for the summer, I have decided to use some of the time that would normally have been devoted to that to finish some projects including unpacking boxes that have been sitting in my bedroom for over a year and a half. So, I hope that you enjoy this journey with me. It should be interesting.

Christmas Dichotomies

2009-12-13T12:58:00.001-08:00

I love Christmas time, but I hate the cold weather that accompanies it. I also love giving people gifts, but I hate promoting materialism and fighting crowds to buy things for people. I just wish that more people celebrated the actual reason for the Christmas season and not the perversion that it has become.

Fall

2009-10-24T19:32:00.001-07:00

I love fall!! The colors are rich and beautiful! The temperature is crisp but not too cold!! Plus, you can do fun things like go to a pumpkin patch, carve pumpkins, and eat pumpkin pie.

LYS Tour

2009-05-20T21:24:00.000-07:00

Finished the LYS Tour on Sunday. I love yarn. It's fun to visit shops I owuldn't otherwise visit and see different yarns.

Emissions Testing

2009-05-09T14:12:00.000-07:00

I had to get my car tested for emissions today so that I can renew the tabs. I think this is the biggest waste of time. I have to spend time doing it and then pay to have it done while worrying about whether or not it's going to pass and I'll have to pay more money. I'm not anti-environment. I just think it's dumb.

Work

2009-04-25T10:22:00.000-07:00

My job is bringing a whole new set of demands. While the company I now work for invests a lot in its employees, I feel that they see their employees as expendable. I'm often changing my schedule to accomadate their lack of planning. We'll see how long I choose to work for them.

Scavenger Hunt

2009-04-09T17:01:00.000-07:00

Here are my results for the scavenger hunt.

6)Voldemort and Harry

5) Snape and Harry

4) Dumbledore & Professor McGonagall

3) Draco and Snape

2) Harry and Hedwig

1) Ron, Hermione, and Neville

Life

2009-03-29T14:16:00.000-07:00

I hate birthdays. Everyone around me expects me to enjoy them and relish getting older, but I don't see it that way. It's not like you just wake up one morning and are magically older and wiser. Life is a process. So, as my birthday approaches, I'll try to reflect on what I've learned this year, but not put so much stock into what the day means to everyone else.

Life

2009-03-21T21:45:00.001-07:00

Life is interesting. Sometimes I don't know what to think about hte paths it leads me down. I applied to graduate school 2 years in a row, but did not get accepted into the program. However, I think I have learned valuable lessons through it and perhaps its just not the time for me to be back in school. We'll see.

Bored!!

2009-03-09T12:37:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting at work with really nothing to do for all intents and purposes. The kids that are here won't get up and I am limited on what I can do since I have to provide supervision for them. What to do, what to do?

Boxes, boxes, and more boxes

2008-10-11T16:32:00.000-07:00

My apartment has been taken over by boxes. The reason being that our offer on the condo was accepted and we close on the 27th. Now I have the fun job of packing up all the stuff in our apartment to get it ready to move. I also get to figure out how to vacate our apartment by noon the 31st and get it all cleaned up. But, we will then own a 2 bedroom condo and gain equity. Hopefully by the time we are ready to sell and upgrade, the economy will be better and we can get more for it.

House

2008-10-02T16:18:00.000-07:00

We made an offer on a condo in Edmonds. We're supposed to hear back on whether or not our offer is accepted by Monday. Hopefully it is. I'll try to post pictures later.

What a week

2008-09-28T14:22:00.001-07:00

My husband started school this week doing prerequisites for a program in computer programming. We may have found a condo that we like and might put an offer in by the end of this week. And my mother wants me to try and finish test knitting a baby sweater she designed so that she can give a completed pattern to the person who is giong to publish it.

House Hunting

2008-09-17T21:06:00.000-07:00

My husband and I have been looking at houses. While the possibility of owning and gaining equity instead of throwing money down the drain (otherwise known as renting) is exciting, I find it kind of depressing. The places we are looking at are either out of our price range, in bad areas of town, or in really bad shape. I don't want to move again in just a few years because we have outgrown our living space, but that may be what happens.

Plans, Plans, Plans

2008-09-08T18:32:00.000-07:00

Life is what happens while you're making plans. This weekend, I spent an unexpected extra 4 hours in a CPR class taking the First Aid portion that I am already certified in. Then, my husband changed our normal Sunday schedule to watch the Seahawks game. Well, blessed are the flexible for they shall not be broken.

Football season

2008-08-30T17:14:00.000-07:00

So, Friday night was the last preseason game for the Seahawks. Basically this means that for the next 5 to 6 months my life will revolve around my husband watching football games ("No, we can't go to community group/watch "Big Bang Theory because the Seahawks are on"). Now one would think that having a husband captive in front of the TV who wants his wife to watch would mean that he could help with things that don't require getting up and moving from in front of the television. However, this is not the case and here is the story to illustrate.

So, I asked my husband to help me wind my yarn for the Harry Potter sock swap. He held the yarn out while I wound it while I listened to him whine the entire time. He was fired just short of finishing it because his whining was incessant. I then spent the next hour and a half trying to unknot what he had been asked to hold and got to bed around 11pm. Suffice it to say, he will not be asked to help again and I will be asking for a ball winder and swift for Christmas.

Gryffindor Quiz #1

2008-08-22T10:39:00.000-07:00

Here are my answers to the Quiz for the Harry Potter Sock Swap

1) A niffler is a black, fluffy, long-snouted creature that burrows in dirt as if it were water. The Pros of owning one are that they are gentle and affectionate and good at finding treasure. The Cons of owning one are that they are strongly attracted to anything shiny which can make them difficult to control (ie, a niffler may attack you to get at something shiny you are wearing).
2)If you are caught flying a magic carpet, you would be reported to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement in which the Improper Use of Muggle Artifacts Office is a part of.
3)I think I would of been best at the 2nd task in the Tri-Wizard Tournament (The Lake) because I'm usually pretty good at sorting out riddles and I am a good swimmer. Plus, if someone important to me was hidden at the bottom of the lake, nothing would prevent me from saving them.
4) I would have been least successful in the 1st task (The Dragons) because I don't like getting hurt and would have tried to stay as far away from the dragon as possible to avoid getting burned. This also strikes me as the most dangerous and I don't like danger.
5) Using ground scarab beetle, cut-up ginger root, and armadillo bile would make Wit-sharpening Lotion.
6)Veritaserum is a powerful truth serum that is colorless and odorless (looks like water). It is used to have the drinker give information that they are keeping secret. 3 drops of the potion has the drinker spilling their innermost secrets.
7) Harry battled a Hungarian Horntail in the 1st TriWizard Tournament Task.
8) The badges everyone wore after Harry was named the 4th champion read "Support Cedric Diggory - The REAL Hogwarts Champion!" in luminous red letters. When pressed, the badge changed to read "Potter Stinks" in green letters.

Scavenger Hunt

Dean Thomas - http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/harrypotter/images/thumb/e/e0/Dean_thomas.JPG/200px-Dean_thomas.JPG

Seamus Finnegan - http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q30/perkel4346/Blog%20Pictures/devonmurphy.jpg

Harry and a dragon together - http://lh3.ggpht.com/_G43RLRLrQps/R31DYQLcMAI/AAAAAAAABtM/e3an_ZQ3dv4/2005_harry_potter_and_the_goblet_of_fire_086.jpg

Hagrid - http://image.guardian.co.uk/sys-images/Film/Pix/gallery/2002/10/23/Hagrid3.jpg

Hermione and Viktor Krum together - http://ceraphis.com/hp/wp-content/uploads/2006/04/viktor.jpg

Fun!!

2008-08-16T15:48:00.000-07:00

I had the day off yesterday in an attempt to use up my remaining benefit time before it disappears at the end of the month. We'll see how successful that is as I have not used all of it since I have worked at my current job. I got a lot of things done as I have developed a list of things to do for myself on my Fridays off (I'm not working a Friday until September).

My husband and I had a date last night. We went to see "The Dark Knight". I am so sad that Heath Ledger died. He's so talented and really created a unique character that I don't think could be matched anyone else and is not like any other character he played in his career. My only complaint was that it was rather long.

I finally found the perfect yarn for the sock swap and I think I've decided on the pattern. We'll see.

Vacation

2008-08-08T16:13:00.001-07:00

So, I just returned from camping in Oregon with my husband yesterday. I'm really glad that my knitting didn't come back smelling like campfire. I don't think I will take knitting on a camping trip again. However, Oregon was pretty and we enjoyed being able to relax. Now we are in Bellingham visiting my family and friends until Sunday. My new missions for this part of the vacation is to convert my mother into a lover of Malabrigo and to find yarn for the Harry Potter sock swap. There is so much out there to choose from.

Decisions, Decisions

2008-07-29T17:31:00.000-07:00

Life is full of decisions. I am currently faced with a number of them. Do I stay at my job for another year even though I am not happy and don't feel appreciated? What type of graduate program do I apply to? Should I pursue the Ph.D. I have planned on getting for a long time or do I pursue a master's and get the Ph.D. later? Life is complicated and is sometimes overwhelming. Hopefully, I'll find answers to these dilemmas.