Kristin's Day 31 - A blow-up. Mommy style.

Tonight was ROUGH. Andy doesn't get home from work on Mondays until 8pm so I get to handle the kids, homework, baths, dinner, and the like. Most of the time we do just fine but tonight was just hard. I was trying to make shrimp and veggies tossed with pasta and lemon butter sauce. I can't even eat it, but I still cook for the family.

 Micah was SCREAMING, Nastassja and Peyton are scream fighting, and Nate wants me to bathe him immediately. I'm attempting to make a new recipe for lemon butter sauce that calls for clarified butter. That takes time I didn't have but whatever.

I put dinner on pause, bathe Nate (while the others are still screaming), and while I'm in the kids bathroom, I find Nastassja's clothes strewn on the floor, toothpaste cemented to the sink, and a pink ring in the toilet (cause they never flush it...ahem). I take a few minutes to clean and return to dinner. I bring Micah in the kitchen and give him a spatula to play with and finish up cooking. The kitchen now looks like a lab experiment.

I call everyone for dinner and as Nastassja descends the stairs I hear
"Mom, I only get one shrimp?!!"

I had a physical reaction to her statement. You know...that explosion that happens behind your rib cage. I wanted to lay into her. I wanted to...UGHHH!!!!

I yelled at her and told her what she should've said. I reminded her of ALL that I had done today and how she should be more grateful. Gesh. Micah starts screaming again. Joy.

Then the boys came up and started playing some game around the table instead of sitting down. Again I yelled. I told them what they needed to do.

At this point I'm frustrated with myself . I'm supposed to be in able to handle some stress and not lose my cool, right??

Nope. I'm still gonna mess up...all the time. Tonight, as I reflect on the day, I know that God is still working on me. I'm not who I used to be, but I am continually leaning on Him to mold and shape me into who I'm supposed to be.

On another note: I am SO SO SO SO SO excited for Kelly and Dallas. Their precious sons will come home next week!!!!!!! God is so good.

Out like a lamb~Kelly's Day 31.

I don't even know what to say about today.

March was tough. The whole "In like a lion, out like a lamb" thing totally pertained to March this year. We had a rainy...RAINY... March. It messed up our soccer practices and games. It delayed our landscaping plans. And, I thought Mary Poppins was going to float in for Tate's soccer games yesterday. I actually think I still hear the wind today. However, this 31st day was beautiful. bEAUTIFUL! Not a cloud in the sky.

Beautiful temperatures.

And, today was our boys' visa appointments at the Embassy in Port-Au-Prince.

I got that crazy call that every adoptive parent dreams of this afternoon. It went something like this: 

Kristi: "Kelly, I have some good news!"

Me (thinking I was just going to hear that the visa appointment went well): "Okay?"

Kristi: "God's Littlest Angels has proposed travel dates of April 7-10th!"

Me (After I picked my jaw up off the floor, screamed a silent scream, and was quickly brought back into earth time when I saw a cop radaring people): " You mean, MONDAY?! WHOA!"

I immediately threw myself into scramble mode:

Where do I put my kids?!

What do I do with all this garage sale stuff in the middle of my dining room?!

How am I going to check our soccer team into the tournament?!

Is it too late to hire someone to deep clean my house?!

I wonder if I can make 20 more freezer meals before we go!

Man! I need orphanage gifts!

Naomi needs a tea party dress...

Wait! I still have a dog! What am I going to do with the dog while we are gone?

It rolls on...

...the internal monologue rolls on.

Interestingly enough, when God ushers you into something new, it's usually scary, and Satan would be remiss to resist an attack considering our potential weakness. I am always careful to blame Satan for something that God might be using to refine me, however, after Pastor Steven's preaching on Crashing the Chatterbox, I'm more aware. For instance, MY GOD will never use my painful past to cause me to question my future. MY GOD is FOR ME!  He will not bring my past up in order to well guilt up in me. I learned that He will ALWAYS guide me through my past by gently taking my hand and saying, "Kelly, we've got some work to do. Let's do this together." After God and I have worked through these things together, it's not my job to allow someone to try to drag me back into it. I can ignore that accusatory voice because it is NOT OF GOD. Satan, THE ACCUSER, comes to steal, kill and destroy. JESUS has come that we may have life to the full.  I owe no explanation to man for what God has called me into or away from.

God has prepared me mentally for this season by the amazing teaching I receive Sunday in and Sunday out by my pastor, Steven Furtick. God has prepared me by ushering me into this fast. Kristin and I quickly learned that God was honoring my obedience by speeding me toward the finish line of this three year marathon we like to call "adoption." After I became aware that God was going to finish this thing, I became confident in Him. My faith was made stronger. I felt confident enough to pay for soccer camps for the boys this summer in June. I stepped out in faith and signed them up. After that exercise in faith, I bought tickets to our soccer club's new professional team's first home game May 16th. I bought 7 tickets, sure that the boys would be home by then. He honored all of that.

I'm sure God is teaching and refining Kristin as well, but I'm simply blessed to have a friend who would sharpen me and nudge me toward Gods calling. I needed my friend to finish this race with me. It's humbling to me to know that she went through this Beyond Vegan thing with me AGAIN to hold me up. Tonight, I wanted to celebrate with a toast...just one glass of wine. I asked The Man what he thought, and I got mad when he told me I should hold to the fast. Now that I have, I'm glad I did, because it's just one way I can honor my friend who sacrificed in order to usher me in to God's wide open arms. 

Two ARE better than one.

Yes.

When one falls down, the other will lift him up.

Thanks, honor and praise be to the Father to the Fatherless.

He is absolutely relentless.

His love is absolutely relentless.

Kristin's Days 28-30 - YL, movies, and pudding

Sorry I am not able to blog everyday. It's hard! A lot has happened over the last few days.

I have met with my YL friends everyday, sometimes a few appointments in the same day. I love these girls. I love talking and spending time with them. I love sharing life with them. I feel like God is doing and going and working in ways I cannot fathom. This fast is helping me remember that. My physical body is not so happy with me, but my spirit is thriving and wanting more!

We are praying that our YL friends will accept the love God has for them and that His love would transform them from the inside out. We are praying that we can take at least 30 kids (that's a human goal - our God goal is 48 kids) to camp this summer. YL camp is like paradise on earth for teenagers. It gives them an opportunity to unplug from the digital side of life, experience fun on an epic level, and hear/process the Good News all in one week's time. Every kid we've taken has agreed that it's the best week of their life. Please help us pray that fill our spots soon!

Saturday I went on a date with Andy. We went to Sitar of India in Hagerstown. I had this cauliflower potato dish without rice. It was good, but I wanna go back when I can eat Naan (awesome bread). After dinner we watched 'God's Not Dead'.

I prepared myself for the typical Christian movie...ahem. Surprisingly, it was really good. If you haven't seen it yet, please do. It was completely worth the ticket price. If anyone wants to go, I'm willing to see it again!!

As far as food goes, I'm not eating anything new. I did make Chia Seed pudding using the recipe that Sarah Miller gave me. I substituted pureed Medjool Dates for the maple syrup. It was really good!! Thanks Sarah! Breakfast for the next few mornings is taken care of!

Here you go - Vanilla or Chocolate Chia Pudding by Sarah Miller
1 cup soaked cashews - overnight
2 1/2 cups water
3/4 cup maple syrup
2 vanilla seeds (or 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch sea salt
 2 TBSP of cocoa powder if making chocolate chia
1/3 to 1/2  cup chia seeds
What I’ve discovered is that the secret to the texture I want is soaking your cashews overnight and the amount of time you blend your cashews and water.    I want it as close to a cashew milk as possible. 

Take 1 cup of cashews and 2 1/2 cups water and blend in your Vitamix or blender.  Allow this to blend until you barely see any remains of the cashews.  To this mixture add 3/4 cup of maple syrup, (less if you don’t like it as sweet) a pinch of salt, cinnamon, vanilla, and cocoa powder.  Blend for another 1-2 minutes.  Place this mixture in a bowl and add your chia seeds.  If you want it thicker add more chia, thinner add less.  Place in refrigerator and allow to sit for 10-15 minutes then stir it again. Chia will clump together if you don’t stir it and you’ll have a difficult time getting the right consistency!  Place chia mixture back in the refrigerator and allow to set overnight.  Enjoy for breakfast in the morning!

Kelly's Day 28

I woke up this morning with a throbbing headache. I think I might be getting sick.

After I got the kids off to school, I went to TOWN on my house. I gutted the drawers, closets and crevices of the three bedrooms upstairs. Gutted my closet and part of our attic. Did four loads of laundry....all before noon. It's official. We need to have a yard sale or rent a dumpster...or have a bonfire. Anyone have ingredients for s'mores? Oh, wait...

I finally got my Haitian Sensations' sizes, so I was able to organize dressers and assess the situation to figure out what I need to get before we go grab our boys in a couple of weeks!

When the kids got home from school, we left for gymnastics and soccer. On Fridays, we leave at 2:45 and get home after 7. Today, it was raining. Thankfully, I had just restocked he car with enough new umbrellas to go around, so I whipped out this brand new umbrella, and I heard a "DOING" noise. The umbrella part popped off. Can I please now take a moment to tell the world that THIS is what happens to me when I try to bargain hunt? Thank you. 

We got home around 7:20. I got the kids all cleaned up and dried off, and as I look over at my trash to treasure heap in my dining room, I can't help but feel accomplished!

Breakfast was a bunch of peanut butter and some OJ.

Lunch: 3/4 of a bag of snap peas...totally unsatisfying.

Snack: tortilla chips. I don't know why I keep going back to those. They continue to do me wrong the next day in yoga. I'll let you know how tomorrow morning goes.

Dinner: a large order of fries from Chick-fil-a and more OJ.

That's all she wrote for now!

Grace and Peace!

~k

Lost in space~Kelly's day 27

I feel like the last few days has been pretty redundant in the food intake arena.
Breakfast: peanut butter
Lunch: can't remember.
Dinner: Amy's lentil vegetable soup, avocado, and some OJ.

This morning, I went to a power yoga class. I drank probably 40 ounces of water afterward. That is how much sweat that class produced.

I flipped my dog into wheel, and then "got lost" and couldn't figure out which way was up or down. Don't you love it when you get into a pose and can't figure out where you are in space or how to move your arms or legs? It's happened to me twice in the last week. I don't think that's related to my fast though. Today, when I was trying to figure out how to turn out of wheel the way turned into wheel, and last weekend, when I was trying figure eight for the first time and was literally (verbally) coaching my legs to straighten...they wouldn't.

Tonight, I went to my favorite Holy Yoga class taught by my friend, Kyla.  It wasn't easy, either.. I don't know what I was thinking trying to take both of their classes in the same day.

I have seen some moves of God in the last couple days...even in "small" ways. One example would be that He sort of clued me in to an issue involving our soccer schedule before a somewhat stressed out sounding coach called me about that exact issue the next morning.  See?  Our God in in the details!

That's a wrap!
Have a great Friday!

Kristin's Days 24-27 - You Kombucha Mucha??

SO! It's been a few days. Monday night I literally fell asleep at like 8:30 and then Tuesday and Wednesday? I did not stop from the time I woke up until the time I went to bed.

I got to try some new stuff though. Everything else is the same.

On Tuesday, I ate carrot, ginger, cashew soup from Pure and Simple (took some YL chicks) it was pretty good. I have never thought of soaking/pureeing cashews to thicken soup. Huh.

I also tried this weird fermented stuff...Kombucha. I was shopping and it was on sale in the 'organic' section of Martin's. I heard it was good for you? So I bought it. I got Raspberry/Chia, and on the drive home, I cracked the bottle open and chugged some down with a few handfuls of nonGMO kettle chips lol. I called my friend, Millicent Frick, and asked her what I was drinking. The chia seeds made this taste kinda like raspberry flavored snot. It smelled weird.

Millicent told me that Kombucha is a fermented mushroom that is excellent in helping you detox and aids in digestion. Fermented mushrooms?? Who comes up with this? Eh. It tasted ok. I got two bottles and I'll probably buy more someday.

I also went back to the YMCA. It's been almost a year since I've been there so I thought I'd try a Yoga class and I took Sh'bam this morning. Working out during this fast is NOT easy. I didn't eat enough before my two hour workout this morning (Yoga ad Sh'bam back to back) and I thought I was going to faint at the end of Sh'bam! I promise I'll eat better before workouts next week (;

Today I thought I could really eat like this forever. That train of thought lasted approximately 5 minutes. I love cheese. It tastes darn good. I will eat it again.

Short and Sweet ~Kelly's Day 26

This was a pretty busy day. This morning, I shoved enough peanut butter in my mouth as I ran out the door. After I got the kids to school, I ran out to Starbucks and grabbed a Peppermint tea so I could study up on my Holy Yoga stuff. After that, I ran home to eat lunch (guacamole and chips and...hmm...huh. I guess that was my lunch?) Then, I grabbed the Pixie from preschool and went to Chick-Fil-A, where I had some fries (Oh! Good! I had more than chips and guacamole!).

Later on today, I realized that I had time to run to yoga tonight, so I held off on dinner. Those tortilla chips didn't sit well during yoga. I'm seeing a trend here.

I just finished my Spicy Thai Cucumbers that The Man got to go last night.

Nothing new under the sun today. I'm a little worried about my yoga class in the morning. Last time I went to this instructor, I was sore for four days...and that is when I was still eating regular food (I think)! I don't know how to prepare for this class, but I have my regular Holy Yoga class tomorrow night, so I'm a little scared for tomorrow.

Anyhow, sorry this post is short and has no real meat. I guess that's fitting though, seeing as how *I* have had no real meat today. Da-dum-Cheesh! Oh dear...

My Birthday~Kelly's day 25

Day 25 was my birthday. I knew it going into this fast that there would be no cake. No yummy birthday dinner. No wine, but when the day actually got here, I was seriously disappointed. 

I love birthday cake.

Actually, forget the cake.

Just gimme a bowl full of buttercream frosting and let me go to town.

I think I just drooled a little.

(Joke)

My birthday began with a breakfast of my least favorite:

celery and peanut butter.

In my opinion, celery, when teamed with peanut butter, just ruins the peanut butter.

Judge if you wish.

A friend of mine sent me a birthday picture of HER celery and peanut butter snack.

I am seriously considering unfollowing her on Twitter.

The Man surprised me by asking a few of my friends to come out for my birthday dinner with us! Pictured below in order from shortest to tallest is me (with my birthday water), my friend, Jen (with her wine), and my friend Britta (with her wine). Taking the picture is The Man (with his beer-maybe that's why it's blurry). I have no idea why I had a kung foo grip on my glass, but doesn't my wrist look ripped? I just love these girls! They always love to have a good time, and the times are always positive and happy!

Jen and Britta brought me a birthday present: A Starbucks gift card and a box of nuts! I mean, is that so awesome, or what?!

Maybe it was because I was still recovering from lack of sleep over last weekend, but exhaustion set in on my birthday. I tried to take a quick nap in the morning, but my feet were freezing, and I gave up. Maybe it was because I'm not able to get enough calories. Maybe it's because I'm not getting the right kind of calories. Maybe I'm getting sick. Who knows? But, I was tired. I hope I wasn't a party pooper at my own party.

We (and, by "we," I mean "they") ordered this amazing appetizer. I had a small taste of the guacamole. It looked amazing. I can't wait to go back and try it!

It's not just the lighting here, folks. I had edamame for my appetizer. It was just your typical edamame. Nothing new under the sun. 

So much work.

Three little beans.

So much "stuff" to clean up afterward.

Why do people eat these, again?

Does anyone just crave edamame?

I mean, is it anyone's FAVORITE food?

I don't get it.

AND, for the main dish, I got an order of...drumroll, please...

...SPICY THAI CUCUMBERS!!!

...and Jen shared her sweet potato fries with me.

...that's what friends do.

...especially when you put in your own order for sweet potato fries, and they never come.

So, I called Kristin earlier in the day to say this:

"I'm back in Beth's pants."

That means, I've officially lost a size.

She has, too.

But, since it's not about the food or dropping weight, I don't even care.

I told Kristin I was pretty ticked because I couldn't have my birthday cake, REAL food, or wine on my birthday, and she reminded me that God has honored my commitment to Him through my eating, and to look back at what big things He has done since this fast began! She's right, but I still wanted my cake. Even so, the temptation to have a glass of wine on my birthday was great. It's pretty hard to turn your birthday into a day that is NOT about you. In America, our birthdays are supposed to be "OUR DAY." I mean, there's a song about it..."It's my party, and I'll cry if I want to..." I have a friend who celebrates the entire MONTH of her birthday. While celebrating life is a good thing, and it's great to feel special on our birthdays, yesterday was "the Lord's day." It was just another day. A special day where I was getting texts, phone calls, FB "Happy Birthdays" from friends of old, and special birthday dinners with new friends, and whereas it was the day that the Godhead created their favorite child of all, it was just another beautiful day in God's Kingdom...a day where I felt completely loved by my friends near and far.

So, thank you for making me feel special!

Thank you, Kristin, for reminding me that I am second!

Thank you, Brooke Boon, for reminding me that *I* am God's favorite (even though we all know that YOU are God's favorite)!

Thank you, Dallas, for loving me through my ugly!

Thank you, Jesus, for sending ARMIES to fight fights that I'm unaware of!

New Jersey~Kelly's days 21-23

I have been in training to become a Holy Yoga Instructor. This past weekend, I was blessed to head north to New Jersey for an Arm Balance workshop and Holy Yoga touch training. I can now massage and help work stress out of your body if you dare (wink, wink). The Man is my practice "dummy" for now. I was excited to go because it was me, and 30ish if my Holy Yoga sisters at a beautiful bed and breakfast that was less than a block from the ocean. I could see it from my bed.

On my way into this cozy ocean side town in NJ, I was reminiscing about the days of old. The days when The Man was a pilot in hue Air Force, and we were stationed in the Garden State...the days when we had season passes to Six Flags...the place where Tate was born...where we met our best friends who introduced us to Jesus...where we learned what Young Life is...the place where I gave my life over to Jesus...when I passed the lake that my pastor wanted to stop to baptize me in. After we realized it was on Six Flags property, we just continued on down the highway until it ended...at the ocean. When we found the end of he road, we got out, and I was baptized there. Memories, memories! But, when my GPS took me to he very end of the highway, I was there again. I spent the whole weekend in that little ocean side town where I was baptized ten years ago. I had come full circle as God moves me into a new ministry. 

The whole weekend was about Jesus. He was the center of it all. He took his seat of honor as we basked in he salty sea air in the gorgeous town.

I learned some new arm balances that I need to clean up now that I'm home! Check out my hummingbird!

I took tons of food and drink that helped me get through the weekend, but it was pretty easy to find food that fit into my fast. First night, I had a taco at Surf Taco. Corn tortilla, black beans, spinach and avocado. Lunch on Saturday, we hit this little vegan restaurant! God is so good to me! He even put a vegan restaurant there!

However, the WORD that I left there with came during a Gentle Holy Yoga class. Because the light was shining in my eyes when class started, I turned to face the opposite direction of the other women in my row. Later in the practice, we were instructed to hold hands with our Holy Yoga sisters, but because I was facing the other direction, I had no one to hold hands with. I got to thinking and praying..."isolated again, God? HERE?! I'm already isolated at home. I can't take this here. I might as well leave now." In fact, I wanted to get up and run out of there right at that moment. In that moment, sweet Diane knelt down by my side and held my hand, and I heard God whisper to my spirit, "Lo. I am which you always, even to the ends of the earth." Promise.

I went to New Jersey expecting to learn some new arm balances, and I did. I went expecting to meet some new friends, and I did. I went to learn how to add massage and touch to my classes, and I did. I did not expect to meet with God in such a powerful way, but He ushered me into town as I literally drove down memory lane to get here. His promises and faithfulness never end. 

...they never, ever end.

Kristin's Day 23 - What is love?

Over and over we are told in the bible to love God and love others. Those are the greatest commandments. We are to love as he loves, we are to be his hands extended, and are to represent him. What is love?

We say hate the sin, love the sinner (I HATE that quote cause we twist it up all kinds of ways), but we still end up pointing fingers, saying mean things that hurt others, and then wonder why no one wants to experience this LOVE - this God - that we believe in.

I was scrolling Facebook tonight and saw two things...

At first I judged. I thought...man...that's disgusting. Then I thought about it for awhile. This guy did this because he wanted to. Then I really thought about it. He was created in the image of God, just like me. Yeah, I personally would not choose to do what he did on my body, but that doesn't make him any less of a person. In our culture/society, it would be difficult to get a job in most places. I don't  know if blaming the government is the way to go, but blaming our culture as a whole? Maybe.

Then I see this.

 

It was posted by someone I respect very highly. I know that they did not mean any harm in posting it and it is true to a point, but if I didn't understand God's love and read this?

Before scrolling FB, I had an awesome time with four beautiful YL friends. We went to Sweet Frog and talked, joked, and laughed. On the way home our discussion turned deep. Friends, people listen to what we're saying, they hear what we say to and about others, and it makes them question and doubt their faith rather than affirming it. What is love? What does God mean when he says love God and love your neighbor as yourself? 

 

Do we judge others? If you say no I'm calling you a liar. What were your thoughts when you saw the first picture? If that were me, I would want someone to love me. I want to love others to the truth. I'm still learning how to do that everyday. Are you learning too?

Food for today? Eh, same old...same old, EXCEPT

Portabella mushrooms caps. They say they're like steak? Ah...no they are not. BUT, they will do for now! Pretty tasty dinner!!

Kristin's Days 21 &22 - It just occured to me...

This week has been beyond crazy. Wait, let me rephrase that. The
last month has been beyond crazy. Andy and I are booked solid and we only see each other during transitions. Nuts.

Since we married in 2002, we try to do a date night once a week. Some of you think that's crazy - like who has time for that? Technically, we don't but if we do not connect with one another at least once a week? Everything in our relationship starts to get stinky. We get shorter with one another. We do not communicate well...it's like a snowball. Date night (although it's become quite a cliché) is essential for our marriage.

So, that's why it's kinds hard to blog everyday. I either do a really short one or I'm typing when I should be sleeping!!! I think I might try to blog earlier in the day or something. We'll see how it goes.

There were some hard food choices in the last two days. I took Colleen to Panera yesterday. They did not have my black bean soup, so I got garden veggie soup. Ugh. I picked out the pasta, but ended up eating the barley. Barley is too hard to pick out. For dinner Andy and I hit up Waynesburger (it's awesome) before going to see Damn Yankees at WASHS. I ordered a salad without cheese, hummus, and French fries. Have you ever tried hummus on salad? Not bad...not bad...

Late last night, I had a sleepover with my YL friends. They brought food, most I couldn't even eat, and we stayed up till 3am talking, watching movies, and playing games. This morning I made the girls Belgian waffles and bacon. I made myself some tea and a smoothie...

Tonight, I went to my YL friend's 16 birthday party. It was held at Rolling Mill Tavern in Rouzerville. They have some yummy food and this spread was equipped with burgers and wings...ugh. I ate potato chips, veggies, and actually rolled French fries in leaves of lettuce. Hey, I was trying to make the most of things!

 

As I was driving around this evening it just occurred to me that Jesus' disciples didn't 'get it' until he left and the Holy Spirit came. At one time, Jesus had hundreds maybe even thousands following him around, but in the end, even his closest disciple had a temporary case of betrayal, and the ones who once followed him around turned around and wanted to murder him. 

 

Friends, I have the privilege of working with some of the most amazing teenagers ever. They are just incredible. Sometimes I wish I could make them understand the love God has for us and poke that change God does inside to come along. I want them to experience what I have experienced. God completely and totally changed me - heart, mind, soul, and spirit. He gave me confidence where I lacked it. He gave me a new identity that I never would've saw coming.

 

It just occurred to me that even Jesus couldn't make that understanding come for his disciples. He had to wait until the Holy Spirit opened their minds and gave the wisdom and understanding they needed.

 

In the end, I have to pray, be there, and be willing but it's God who does the work. We say that ALL the time, but do we understand what that means? Do we live that out as we interact with the ones we have the honor to love?

 

THAT FRIENDS, that lil tidbit of info was my meat today. My physical is certainly craving all kinds of food right now, but my spirit needs nourishment. I've been getting some bit by glorious bit. Fasting is hard, but the benefits for the soul/spirit? TOTALLY WORTH IT.

Kristin's Day 19 and 20 - The roles have reserved and it's SO weird.

Last week, I looked at my husband wide-eyed and completely baffled. Then, it happened again Tuesday and Wednesday. Shocked. Amazed. Oh...and a bit weirded out.

Let me explain.

As a newlywed and young mom I was...how you say...OCD, anal, crazy clean lady, mirco manager. When it came to the kids, house, and any youth activity Andy and I were assigned to - I led the charge. I gave the orders. I issued the reminders. I became impatient and angry when Andy messed up or forgot or did things late. I felt like he didn't hear me sometimes or he did what he wanted before doing what I asked.

Well friends. Kids happened. More kids happened. Several moves happened. Young Life happened. Then, even more kids happened. God started changing me. I worried about the house less, yelled at the kids less, and starting forgetting just about everything. I don't think the forgetting thing is God? I don't know.

After Micah, pretty much all my OCD, anal, crazy clean lady, micro manager just ran out. Sure I still like a clean house, clean kids, and everything organized but really - as a wise woman once said - Ain't nobody got time for that! I forget to do things 5 mins after Andy asks me. I do not do things in a timely manner for YL events half the time. Andy feels like I don't hear him sometimes. He asks me five times to do the same task.

Last week, I looked at my husband wide-eyed and completely baffled. Andy got miffed when I did not do things in the manner that he wanted before YL one night. I ran behind schedule, I forgot stuff...I...I...WAS LIKE ANDY WAS 10 YEARS AGO! Well, shoot. The tables have indeed turned. Now, here's hoping we find a good balance in these reversed roles. Oh my word.

Food the last two days? Completely and totally uneventful and frankly boring. Folks...I'm eating the same stuff all the time. I get these awesome recipes, but most of them have flour, or grains we're not eating, or sugar. UGH. I love y'all, but I can't eat half of what you send. I'll be sure to try it in 20 days lol.

The highlight of my food choices?
1. I mastered baba ganoush!
2. I made uncooked stuffed peppers with guacamole.
3. They finally got sea salt pop corners back in stock at Martin's - it's the little things.

I'm in a fog ~Kelly's Day...19?

Went to Starbucks with a friend this morning. She learned all about my fast. We go to dinner about once a month or two with another friend. I was running a little behind, so I poured a huge glass of OJ for the road. When I got there, I has a mint tea. Later on, my friend posted that we need another girls night out, and the restaurant that was suggested is of the vegan sort! How sweet was that?!

After Starbucks, I ran to Target to try to find some BV approved food to take with me for my weekend in New Jersey with my Holy Yoga sisters! We are staying at a Bed and Breakfast, and I'm so pumped to take an arm balance workshop and Flow class with Brooke Boon, Founder of Holy Yoga Friday night!  I'm a little nervous about food.

Another perk of my trip is that I get to spend a little bit of time with my Bestie, Elizabeth, and get to meet Baby Macy and see her kiddos and Stewart. No amount of time is ever enough when you're with dear friends, but I'm looking forward to it.

Lunch...
Avocado
Peanut butter
Celery sticks
I think I ate something else, but the fast fog is in full force.

For Dinner, I got to thinking that I haven't had enough calories today, so I popped open a jar of olives open and ate half of them. Then, I...wait. I had the avocado for dinner, not lunch. I officially don't know what I had for lunch. I also ate a bunch of French fries, which I refuse to study the ingredient list for. I'm 97% sure it has "bad stuff" in it.

I'm sure you can throw in a couple more cups of OJ.

I know this weekend is going to be great. I know it will be good to be with like minded people within the Holy Yoga community. I know the training I will receive in massage and touch techniques will be amazing. I'm sure the people I will meet will be lifelong friends. I'm a little torn because I'm missing my son's soccer tournament and tryouts and practice. I know I need to remember that "I am NOT that important!" I know everything will go smoothly. I tried my best to set everything up to make it easy for everyone.

I know this is pretty disjointed. My brain is going in three or four different directions today.  Better luck tomorrow after I've had time (6hours to be exact) to think/pray.
Grace and Peace!

Breakfast of Champions~Kelly's Breakfast

Nothing about being Beyond Vegan is convenient. There is no such thing as "fast food."

Kristin's Day 18 - Bean Dip, Bean Threads, and Jelly Bean Toes...

I am trying to develop a liking for beans. Beans are a good source of protein for me right now. I don't really eat them often cause I'm not a huge fan, but right now? I'm trying to befriend them.

I had a banana for breakfast and then I rushed off to WASHS to teach English 10.

After first block, I had bean dip with blue corn chips. I can get down with the spicy refried beans. You can get the vegetarian kind, but most add sugar. It took me a bit to find one without the sugar.
Thank you again, Martin's of Maugansville.

After most of third block, I ate the third lunch shift. I ate some more of that mashed potato sauce stuff...yuck, and an apple with almond butter

After school I had some more corn chips...

For dinner I made the family chicken, rice, broccoli, and gravy. I ate that bean thread vegetable soup I made last night. Let me just say at this point in the game, crushed red pepper makes everything taste better!

After dinner I had salsa and...you guessed it...chips. LOL maybe I need to add more beans and less tortilla chips? Oh my word.

Tonight was YL club. One of the games was Jelly Bean Toes. Girls use their toes to extract jelly beans from  water, then they put said beans directly in a boy's mouth using, yep, their TOES!

THOSE BEANS ARE FUNNY!!!!

 

So, there you have it!! Nothing really awesome...I just spilled the beans is all. Beans can be black, red, white, jelly, or wait...why are navy beans not blue? Oh well. That's enough on beans for now.

McHales Irish Pub and Nonviolence~Kelly's Day 18

If I told you about my morning, you would understand why I forgot to eat breakfast. In short, I drove to our Elementary school twice and got stuck in school traffic twice, which translated into me driving for almost an hour before 7:40, and the only thing I had to show for it is that my children were at school, Chris Stombaugh's signature, and twenty bucks to pay Coach for tournament per diem.

When The Pixie and I finally got home, I had to jump on a Holy Yoga prayer call. The gal officiating the call accidentally overslept, so I sorta led it.

Ran Pixie to school.

Ran to yoga.

Ran to REI.

Ran to the mall.

Ran to World Market-scored big time.

Ran to pick Pixie up.

Lunch:

1 Avocado

Couple of handfuls of Cashews

Amy's Black bean soup

By mid afternoon, I was running WAY LOW on energy, but mid afternoon is typically when my day just gets fired up, so it was homework, then down to Rock Hill for agility training.

We went to this Irish Pub for dinner. I thought I was going to get stuck eating French fries for dinner. I mean, when you think Irish, you think fish 'n chips or potatoes, right? I guess I had a 50-50 chance.

Turns out, I had a pretty good selection to choose from. I might have gotten a little excited when I ordered. I ordered steamed broccoli, a side salad with no cheese or dressing, and a plain baked potato. It was awesome! Meanwhile, The Man threw down fish'n chips, and the kids had your typical kid stuff.

the Man ordered an appetizer called " Leprechaun Balls."  They appeRed to be some kind of jalapeño/velveta looking cheese balls that were breaded and deep fried. They were a big hit among the cheese eaters...even Darby, who typically reacts to spicy things as one would react if they had been set on actual fire.

Interestingly enough,in my yoga class this morning, the teacher was talking about an idea called nonviolence that those who associate yoga practice with Eastern religions would subscribe to. While I do not choose to associate my yoga practice with Eastern religion, but rather, with Jesus, I respect other ideas and try to see if there's anything God would have me learn through my teachers...just as I would seek to learn through interactions with any other person in my life.  Today, the one thing that stood out is that she said we should not be "violent" against ourselves...including our thought life and self talk. I think my jaw dropped when she said that, because that definitely aligns with the Crash the Chatterbox series my church just finished up. I even told her during class that "I can't do half moon pose." I can do other poses which I consider "harder," but half moon is my nemesis, and it kicks my butt every time! She (rightly) corrected me by reminding me that "I'm working on it." I realized that as soon as my instructors say " half moon,' I instantly hate life and start all the negative self talk. What God wants is for me to see myself as He sees me...I am more than a conqueror!  I think we should all exercise a little more love toward ourselves, knowing that our confidence is not in ourselves, but in The Lord!

And then I had a tall glass of orange juice.

Selah!

Kristin's Day 17

Today was completely uneventful. We had more snow, another snow day (Andy included - he works near DC), and I literally wanted to lay down and be lazy all day.

PS - laying down and being lazy with three kids and a 6 month old is impossible...don't try it.

Breakfast: Dehydrated apples (disgusting I need a good recipe or something) and PB

Snack: Tortilla chips

Lunch: I made myself mashed potatoes with unsweetened Almond milk, salt and pepper and poured some Indian type sauce on it. Not so tasty.

Dinner: I made the family Pasta Cabonara and ate an avocado

Snack: 1/2 of a can of spicy Beyond Vegan Approved refined beans and nonGMO blue corn chips

Before bed - a ez-peel kid orange and a spoonful of PB

I made myself spicy vegetable bean thread soup tonight. I have learned that bean threads are SO much better the next day. So I'll let you know how that goes after lunch tomorrow.

Tomorrow and Wednesday I get to sub for an English 10 teacher at WASHS. I LOVE subbing for English. Can't wait!!

I used to teach in Howard County Public Schools about 12 years ago (man...that makes me feel OLD). Teaching in the special education field takes a toll on you. The paperwork, meetings, more paperwork, testing, and more paperwork was just ridiculous. Substitute teaching allows me to be in the classroom without all the back work. It's like the best job for me. I am so thankful that I get to do it!!

Tortilla Chips, Yoga and St Patrick's Day~ Kelly's Day 17

I'm getting to the point where food is just not hitting the spot anymore. I can tell because when I'm stuffed to overflowing, I'm still not satisfied. Indian food is not cutting it. Neither are tortilla chips.

I speak from experience.

This afternoon, I went to town on some tortilla chips. By "some," I mean 3/4 of a bag...and then I went to yoga.

BAD.

LIFE.

DECISION.

I can't believe I did that. Because I ate all those chips....and then went to....yoga.

Running? Sure.

Football? Probably.

Any sport where you have anywhere to throw up...definitely.

Yoga? Oh. NO. Friends, NO!

Weird things happen to your body when you take a yoga class.

Things that should happen to an empty body happen in a yoga class.

I love Saint Patrick. He is a perfect example of God making beauty from ashes. He went from a young man who was kidnapped by Vikings, and I'm not talking the Minnesota type, to a man who took The Gospel to Ireland, using what the Irish know (CLOVER) to explain how the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit could be one. Patrick geared his disciples up with the sword of the spirit and taught them a powerful prayer.

I'm always empowered on Saint Patrick's Day because of this prayer! I hope you will read it and be blessed ( and, do make sue you insert "Christ on my right" after "Christ on my left." ;)

Kristin's Day 16 - I CHOWED DOWN TODAY!

I ate so much today. SO MUCH. Peyton was still pink eye icky this morning so he and I stayed home from church. He had his regular waffles, yogurt, and milk and I grilled up three slices of Polenta (imported from Italy so nonGMO) with marinara sauce. Gross? Well when it's cold I HATE drinking or eating something cold for breakfast. Things like eggs, oatmeal, and pancakes are out of the question so polenta it is. Eh, it wasn't bad.

For a snack I had a green pepper and hummus

For another snack I had Skinny Pop

For another snack I had a sliced banana that had dollups of PB on them

For lunch I had Bombay Potatoes (I like them lol) with two corn tortillas

For another snack I had blue corn chips with the rest of that Indian food out of a can

For dinner I had a can of Amy's Lentil Soup and more corn chips

For another snack I had Sweet Frog with one of my YL friends, Taylor. YES. Sweet Frog without the yogurt - I remixed it by getting all fruit and topping it with nuts. Genius.

See? Told you. I CHOWED DOWN!!  I probably ate a bit too much, but my stomach is actually satisfied before bed for the first time in awhile.

This fast is kinda hard when you have to eat with other people. Especially with my YL friends. How do I explain the way I'm eating right now? Will it sound CRAZY? Idk, Taylor was ok with it. She said that she wanted to do it with me next time. NEXT TIME??? LOL.

I need to start relying on God to get me through the day more. This fast can deplete your energy if you're not eating like every two hours. Eating that much is like exhausting! Is it possible during a fast to seek God for the energy needed to do life? I sure hope so cause it was hard consuming all that food today lol. There will be busy days where it's not possible to eat all day. It would be nice to lean on him in general for all things. WOAH. Mind blown.

People. For the most part, I look to food to fuel me first...not God. Holy crap. Well...huh. I never even thought about that. How often do we look to food or friends or phones or cars or jobs or money before God? I don't know about you, but I'm so guilty of seeking those things first so many times. I know God provides everything we have and the things I listed aren't 'bad' but friends...do we seek him first?

"Seek first the kingdom of God and all these things will be added unto you."

Just in writing this blog post this verse has taken on new meaning for me. I hope you catch my drift (;

An Exercise in Crashing the Chatterbox~Kelly's day 16

I don't like potato chips. Some of you are unfriending me on Facebook as we speak, but I don't. HOWEVER, as it is one of only a few things that aren't actual fruits and veggies on this fast, I have come to an agreement with them. They satisfy, and I'll eat them. I found this "Kettle" brand potato chips. Ingredients: Potatoes and salt. Check the little blue box on the bag-NO GMOs in THIS bag! That's what a girl likes to hear! Do I sound like I've lost it? 'Cause I feel like I have.

Went to World Market today in search of a dining room table bench. We have to fit two more rears around the table in a month or so! While I was there, I overheard this lady say, "I just have to go look in the exotic foods section." After I grimmaced and finished judging her word choice (what high-falutin town is SHE from?), a lightbulb went off. "HEY! HEY! ...I NEED TO HAVE A LOOK IN THIS..."EXOTIC FOOD SECTION!!!" So, like any good creeper does, I followed her to the Indian food section...where I found those Bombay Potatoes Kristin blogged about a few days ago. I quickly rang Kristin up. The conversation lasted about 12 seconds. It went like this:
Kristin: "Hello?"
Me: "Were those Bombay Potato things made by Tasty Bite?"
Kristin: "Yes."
Me: "Did you see all the other Tasty Bite variations?"
Kristin: "Yes, but most of them are not Beyond Vegan approved."
Me (looking at the ingredient list of the other bags): "Oh. I see. Okay, thanks! Talk to you later!"

I also bought some of those boxes. What is it with Indian Food? Don't they have English translations?! I mean, I bought:
Amritasri ALOO MUTTER~"Who's your mutter?"
and
Mughlai DAL PALAK
YUM!
I hope these taste better than they sound.

 

I have to say that church was great this morning~as usual, but the rest of the was sort of disappointing. Here's the short list:

1~Both our soccer games were cancelled...AGAIN. I'm the team manager, so I have to reschedule them.

2~I went and bought a dining bench today. It was on serious sale, and I got an extra 15% off on top of that. It had an imperfection that I knew about, but I figured I could just sand it down and re-stain it. When I got it home, The Man asked if it was like that because of a screw. It was. He returned it. So, my savings of $160 was actually a #benchfail.

3~The Man and I have been talking about getting a new computer for about 4 years, but I've been fine with this one because it STILL WORKS! ...SLOWLY ...but it's fading fast, and it's time to retire her. Since we've had her since 2006, I'd say we got our money's worth. Today is the day we lay her to rest. In addition, The Man bought me an ipad air. I wanted an ipad mini. We discussed that earlier today, but he didn't hear the mini part. He came home with the ipad air. Argument ensued. What a spoiled brat I am. I get that, but I didn't want to cart around this "gigantic" ipad everywhere. He ran back and made the exchange. I'm blessed. I know it. It's still frustrating when you feel like you aren't heard.

4~I tried the Bombay Potatoes. I could have used a little less Bombay and a little more potatoes, but that's just me.

While I was trying to get my sick "Baby bear #2" in bed, my "Baby bear #3", aka "The Pixie" was downstairs (even though I told her to go put her jammies on) de-booksleeving all the books in our bookshelf.

You know, after learning how to CRASH THE CHATTERBOX for FIVE WEEKS, you'd think I'd catch on a little faster, but no. I still got pretty darn mad pretty darn quickly and yelled, and kicked a pillow before I realized how silly that was and how I am NOT the only mom whose children do things like this, that I am NOT the only person in this house that cleans up after themselves and RESTORES order instead of creating chaos (although the unflushed "poop toilet" I found upstairs would suggest otherwise). Chatterbox: "Your kids are out of control. They don't even flush their own poo. You are not fit to parent orphans. I'm going to destroy you when the boys come home." I also flew off the deep end over that ipad air because the "Chatterbox" was telling me, "He never hears you. He doesn't value you or respect what you want."

When I got to trying to reschedule our soccer games, "Chatterbox" chimed right in..."No one respects you. Sure. You volunteer to do this job, but you annoy the coach so much that he won't even give you his other manager's phone number so you can reschedule this match." And, my favorite, "You should never even TRY to save money. You always mess up when you do. You idiot. You always mess up. The Man knew right away that the problem was a screw on the underside. Don't you know anything?"  We learned today that we need to combat the lies with TRUTH!

SO, here goes, and I'm writing it in BOLD---SO THE CHATTERBOX WILL HEAR ME:

Round 1~I am a GOOD MOM! God gifted me with extraordinary children! SMART children! Children whose brains are always wondering what is BEHIND THE COVER! Children who are BUSY exploring! ...Children who are so busy exploring that they forget to flush the toilet! I am blessed to be their mom! HE KNEW THEM when He formed them in my womb and in the womb of their birth mother! MY GOD HAS BIG PLANS FOR THEM, and I GET TO be a part of it!

Round 2~My husband might not listen to me over his own internal monologue all the time. I need to figure out how to  make sure we do not miscommunicate. BUT, MY HUSBAND loves me and CONSISTENTLY lays his own life down for me! He LAVISHES me with gifts, hugs, attention, praise and constant encourgement!

Round 3~Our coach does not live his life to honor the God that created him. I will CONTINUE to pray for him and serve him and our team in a way that honors God so HE WILL GET THE GLORY! ALL honor and praise to God! It's not about rescheduling matches. It's not even about soccer. It's ALL for Him.

Round 4 (for the K-O)~God knows what I'm made to do! I'm good at MANY things! Saving money might not be one of them, but I KNOW the plans He has for ME! Plans to PROSPER ME!

THAT'S HOW YOU "CRASH THE CHATTERBOX," FOLKS!

 

Kristin's Day 15 - I cheated...by accident.

It was date morning. Just Andy and I out to breakfast. I decided that we should hit up Greencastle's Pure and Simple Café. It is absolutely adorable and has local, organic, awesome eats. You should totally go if you live in this area.

Andy got a locs omelet with coffee and I got an almond joy smoothie with tea. Delicious.

As I was perusing the offerings I came upon Chia Pudding (vegan with cashews, chia or is it chai?, vanilla, and cinnamon HOORAY!) I ordered a serving a took a pic just cause it was purdy.

It was a glorious little bowl of YUM. Andy said that I could lick the bowl as he noticed that I was thoroughly enjoying it. He also said that I actually looked happy as I was eating lol. I wanted to buy more or learn to make it, so I asked. The waitress said they only make three to four servings at a time and that I couldn't really buy much at once. So I asked how they made it...I should've just kept my mouth shut.

I learned to my dismay that in addition to the ingredients listed above, they also add maple syrup. DARNIT!!! Maple syrup is technically not sugar, but it's not part of the Beyond Vegan Approved list of foods to eat. Dash it all folks, dash it freakin all.

Ugh. The rest of the afternoon included picking up trash in the neighborhood, learning Peyton has pink eye (gross), and making dinner.

I made the husband and kids tacos and shredded the cheese myself as a drooled.

For me? I cut up a spicy black bean burger and topped it with curry stuff out of a can and salsa on corn tortillas. It was not very good, but I ate it.

Then I went to a Jamie Grace Concert with my friend Meagan Yellot. We had a good time. I really like that Jamie Grace. She made a point tonight that I know but it's nice to hear.

Sometimes we pray for things really hard and nothing changes. People stay sick, some people die, circumstances may not change. We get discouraged and full of doubt and anger, but God is bigger than anything we have to face in this world. Some things just don't make sense. Things in this world SUCK. But God is bigger than anything we have to face. Children die, cars give out, cancer gets diagnosed it isn't fair.

BUT GOD IS BIGGER THAN ANYTHING WE FACE. Yes Jamie Grace and we need to live like it if we say we believe in him.

Feelin' loved! Got my bonus! ~Kelly's Day 15

I woke up this morning and drove up to Belmont, NC to Simply Yoga for my Power Flow class. Every Saturday morning, I'm blessed with another amazing morning view as I drive over the water-.evidence that our Creator is in the details! You'll have to excuse my photography skills. I was trying not to run off the bridge. I gulped down a spoonful of peanut butter and sprinted out the door, choking all the way to the car.

 

The Man is fortunate enough to work for a company that gives bonuses. We get them in March...March 15th to be exact. Last year, he gave me MY first bonus! I bought some clothes and new plates and coffee mugs and utensils. This year, my bonus was better than last year's! SO after power flow, I ran into Charlotte to pick up our new trundle bed, and then ran to Southpark Mall to hit up the Lululemon store for some new yoga clothes, a couple shirts, some new accessories. Since I was up there, I hit up Cowfish for some more...you got it...SPICY THAI CUCUMBERS! I wanted to hit up Whole Foods while I was up there, but I'd already been gone for four hours, and I didn't want to waste the whole Saturday. I scarfed some Thai Cukes down in the car. Check out the loot:

 

 We worked in the garage when I got home. Our garage is some sort of leaf collecting vortex. It's actually VERY weird how true that statement is, but The Man worked his tail off while I was gone, and I felt very loved that he worked so hard! He also assembled the trundle bed while I was running the kids to their friends' houses. After he packed the car for a trip to the dump, he took my car and cleaned it! WOW! Is it MOTHER'S DAY?!

After my son drank all but the last 1/16th of the jug of OJ, I had to run to Walmart, where I stocked up on a few things I had forgotten to purchase since I'm so obsessed with finding Beyond Vegan approved things to eat, namely Milk and Orange Juice, cereal and snack foods. I would also like to add that I have been out of chapstick for a solid two weeks now, and my lips feel like they're about to explode. Even so, I forgot to purchase chapstick...again.

I had some Amy's Organic Soup for dinner. I'm sure my cholesterol count just shot through the roof, so I rounded out dinner with some Kettle Chips.

If you've ever been to Younglife camp, you KNOW what "BIG COOKIE" is. We make big cookie at home with homemade vanilla bluebell ice cream. It's heavenly. To DIE for. My family is eating it right now...and they are complaining about having brain freezes.

And, speaking of brains. Mine isn't working anymore.  I didn't even remember what a "DRIVEWAY" was called today. Thankfully, my trusty friend, Beth, was there to help. Thanks, Beth!

Kristin's Day 13 & 14 - Brooms and Banquets

The last four days have been a WHIRLWIND. I have not been to bed before midnight in quite some time and it caught up to me this morning. I entered what I affectionately call 'fast fog.'

Fast Fog - a period of time during a long fast where the body and mind operate in what could be defined as a fog or impaired state. Energy levels are diminished, thoughts are even more jumbled, and emotional well being can fluxuate in a matter of minutes several times per day.

Yesterday I subbed, hung out with the magnificent Chandler Reed, sorted a marvelous size 10 wardrobe provided by my Mom, Sharon, for Nastassja, and helped host Broomball. It was a crazy day. I didn't eat enough. I did not eat anything new so I'll save you the report. Here's few pics from last night.

Today I woke up with a splitting headache. I pulled on clothes and ran to Hagerstown to have what served as breakfast with the beautiful Kayla Shanholtz. She had lo mein and General Tso's chicken. Me? I had a cabbage, broccoli, celery, carrot mixture, corn, and a small fry from McDonald's.

Then with  my splitting headache still pounding the mess out of my skull, I went grocery shopping at my favorite Beyond Vegan food supplier: The Maugansville Martin's. I spent some time there scouring the shelves for new approved foods and they delivered. I got some Indian food that lifted my spirits, plantains, non GMO grits/polenta, corn tortillas, and almond butter. When I got home, I heated some corn tortillas and an Indian food pouch that contained something called Bombay Potatoes. DELICIOUS!! I used the tortillas as Naan (not the same but not terrible) and thoroughly enjoyed lunch.

I took some Advil. Good life decision.

Dinner? Yeah ummmm, we attended a Benefit Dinner for San Mar home. Andy had this awesome looking chicken pinwheel plate with rice and veggies. I had a plate of veggies. Yep. Andy also ate my cheesecake. My chocolate peanut butter cheesecake. Yeah. I left hungry.

Went I got home I heated some chick peas and spinach then smothered them some Indian sauce that I bought today. I am so thankful for Indian food right now. Beyond Vegan approved and full of flavor? Thank goodness!!!

God is in control of all things. We can not and do not understand, but there is something that happens when we fast. It's like we get recalibrated, reset, detoxed in a way. If you have a relationship with God and have never fasted, I encourage you to do so. Join us if you'd like!!

"CRUNCHY MIX," & what's wrong with my avocado? ~Kelly's Day 14

I wish I could tell you that I woke up and ate this amazing breakfast of, say, Apples and peanut butter, but I keep forgetting to eat breakfast! I fed my children before school! Does that count?

Around 11 o'clock, and after my friend, Lauren, and I left the GUN STORE (Do I sound like I could kick someone's butt right now? ...like someone you don't want to mess with? You never know in South Carolina. I could be packin' heat every day, and you would NEVER KNOW), I realized I was famished. I ran through the McDonald's drive through, and despite a very confusing conversation between the two ordering takers, the other driver and myself, I ended up with a large french fry. I am about 90% positive that they are not 100% potato, but I will refuse to ask for now.

When we got home, I made vegan quesadillas. If you're thinking that they sound familiar, they should. I had them six days ago. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and I looked through the veggies and since everything looked and smelled alright, I went full steam ahead for the veggie quesadillas with that newfangled soy cheese stuff...even though the "cheese" still scares me.

Then, I tried this "CRUNCHY MIX." Ingredients: Adzuki (whatever THAT is...it's the brown bean thing), Lentil and Peas. Can we say...AWKWARD?! First of all, it was only oddly "crunchy." When I hear the word "CRUNCH," I think of chips, not BEANS. "POPPY MIX," yes. "CRUNCHY MIX," a resounding "NO." Were they edible? Yes. Enjoyable? You got it. No. However, I think this "crunchy mix" would be fantastic over a salad...if I could have dressing. I might make my own soon. I make better dressing than you can buy, anyway.

This next picture is noteworthy. I'm not sure I've ever in my life sliced the entire way through an avocado. Maybe you have. Maybe you haven't. But, WHAT is that weird white thing in the middle?! Not gonna lie. I'm grossed out a bit. Still ate it. The picture is grossing me out a bit.

For dinner, I had another veggie quesadilla, an avocado, and the rest of the veggies after I stir fried them with some grapeseed oil. Just add salsa, which I did, and I had a fantastically pleasing meal.

 

SO! TODAY we received our VISA appointment for our two little guys that we have been waiting to bring home from Haiti for TOO LONG! Their visa appointment is MARCH 31st!!! THAT MEANS that we will be traveling to Haiti to bring them home MID-APRIL!!

Blessed.

 

The String Bean, Beer and Duck Fat. ~Kelly's Day 13

Sorry for the delay in my post #13. I know you were all waiting on pins and needles for my daily food diary. Here goes!

Day 13 began with more peanut butter (I need to hit the grocery store again). My friend, Lauren, is in town, and I didn't even have coffee to offer her for breakfast. She was gracious about it, and we hit up Starbucks after we dropped Darby off at school. She even paid for my Grande Mint Tea...and she's in college. That's humbling. Just a little example of grace for ya this fine, Friday morning.

I've also been snacking on grapes that are, shall we say, "past their prime"? They are halfway between grape and raisin, and I'm okay with that. They don't have anything growing on them yet.

For lunch, I took Lauren to this restaurant in Belmont, NC that everyone has been talking about, "The Green Bean." However, when we got there, I realized that I had it all wrong. The name of the restaurant is "The STRING Bean." I figured that with a name like THAT, I would easily be able to find something on the menu that is Beyond Vegan approved. Anyway, we stepped one foot in the place, and I fell in love. They had craft beer from floor to ceiling...every kind imaginable from every single place I've ever lived! ...FAT TIRE, from Colorado...if you look at the picture below, there is a shining beacon of hope in the top left corner...SHINER...from TEXAS! And, although I'm not a huge beer drinker these days, I will definitely pop one open to remind me of the days of old...back when life was simpler.

"The Pixie" was with us, and Lauren mentioned that we were a LITERAL "bull in a china shop." Yep. That's how I roll, Lauren... I have no idea where Pixie came up with the face. She's impossible sometimes.

You know you are engulfed in soccer when your four-year-old walks up to a six pack and says, "LOOK! We should get Coach Tom this beer!" Umm..."Pixie, can you READ? What the heck?" Folks, Coach Tom isn't even OUR coach! Coach STEVE is our coach! I was tempted to buy this for Coach Tom, but I did not.

The String Bean also had a good selection of wine, meats you can buy and prepare at home, and sandwiches that look to die for! I will be hitting this place up frequently when this fast is over! Great, local date night location!

I had a plate of Edamame. Normally, I think Edamame is "too much work," but it was one of two options. I also ordered "Duck Fat Fries." I thought that maybe they were fried in Duck Fat. I never asked. But, after thinking back over that, I think that the fry itself was made of duck fat and then fried in whatever oil they have on hand. Now I am grossed out, and I think I cheated on TOTAL accident. However, this is not the first time in history someone "cheated on accident."

The "short" of it is this. Back in Old Testament times, God's presence existed with His people in a box called the "Ark of the Covenant." God's people, the Israelites, were instructed never to even touch the ark upon penalty of death. We find ourselves in 1 Chronicles 13:1-11. The Israelites were moving the Ark back to Jerusalem~a wonderful celebration had ensued. The Ark was returning to it's rightful place of glory! The Ark was sitting in a brand new wagon with some oxen pulling it while everyone sang songs and played their instruments. Get this. The OXEN STUMBLED (vs. 9), and...PARTY'S OVER. A man named Uzzah "reached out his hand to steady the ark." You would think that God wouldn't want to "FALL OUT" of the Ark, right?! I think Uzzah's response was honest. As his human mind could comprehend, he wouldn't want this "bad thing" to happen all because some oxen stumbled! That would be HORRIBLE, right?! But this is God's response: "The LORD'S anger burned against Uzzah, and he struck him down because he had put his hand on the ark. So he died there before God." ~1Chronicles 13: 10. I think Uzzah's intentions were pure, however, even in his reaction, he disobeyed God. Consequence? Death. Thank God for GRACE! I accidentally ate duck fat...First of all, that is GROSS. Who invented "DUCK FAT FRIES," anyway? MY consequence? Nada. My accidental "breaking of this fast" was covered over in grace. I think another lesson we can learn from this Scripture is that when we see people stumbling, we think that WE have the power to prevent their fall. We go and try to steady them, but WHAT IF GOD'S plan is BETTER...BIGGER?! What if their stumbling is something God is going to use for His glory? What if it is part of His plan to perfect them? What would have happened if the Ark HAD fallen to the ground and burst open?! The story would have played out MUCH differently! A GOOD kind of different!

My dinner was a can of Amy's Organic Black Bean and Vegetable Soup. My friend, Lauren, is an Exercise and Nutrition major (you know, I've asked her no less than four times the exact title of her major since she's been here, and THIS is what I come up with?). She sort of shook her head when I popped that bad boy open. I asked her what her problem with Amy is. She said the sodium content in those soups is WAY HIGH. I looked on the can. 650mg. "Is that high?" She laughed. "The daily allowance is 1200mg." Then, she reminded me of the veggie chips I'd had...the duck fat fries...the edamame...the peanut butter. DANG. I'm surprised I'm still alive after that salty day! And, I find myself shaking my head. I hate it when this happens. James 4:17 popped up, "If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn't do it, it is sin for them."
Really?
...Salt?
...really? 
 I'm going to have to chew on that one for a bit.