Archives for November 2012

Hobby Lobby, The Bible and Me

November 15, 2012 by Amy 2 Comments

So, you know Hobby Lobby, right? It’s the arts and crafts store with all the pretty accessories too? Hobby Lobby is owned by the Green family. Steve Green has been the CEO since 2004.

In 2009, Steve started collecting biblical artifacts which now includes over 40,000 items and called The Green Collection.

In 2011, 400 items were put into a traveling exhibit of biblical artifacts called Passages.

Passages exhibit opened in Oklahoma City, moved to Atlanta and most recently, I found out somewhere on the Internets that Passages moved right here (here for me, not you. well, maybe you.) in Charlotte.

And THEN I realized that the exhibit is literally next door to my office complex (one exit passed IKEA!). When I was at the office yesterday, I realized I could see their building right through the trees.

So yesterday at lunch, I threw my lunch plans out the window and headed over to Passages.

When you walk in the lobby, you’re greeted by displays from Wycliffe and The Voice of the Martyrs. I could have spent a ton of time there alone. The Voice of the Martyrs had these large journals set out where visitors could write sections of the Bible. They had a stand for each Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. I randomly chose to write Luke 22:27-30.

Mm. That’s good stuff.

So once you get passed this lobby section, you go get your ticket in the gift shop. I could have spent lots-o-money. They had books and Bibles and prayer shawls and paintings and all sorts of good stuff. Just love.

With a Christmas special they have right now, I was able to get $5 off my ticket plus an audio tour on an iPod touch which was big points in my book, don’t ya know.

Unfortunately, I was not able to take pictures of the displays but let me share a few things I really liked seeing.

In the first exhibit they had an exact replica of a scroll of Isaiah completely rolled out. It was the original paper stitched together in the original Hebrew. The paper was probably 20 feet long. The scroll really put into perspective what the Bible originally looked like. I mean, I knew it logically, but to see it in person was something different.
They had some original containers that housed The Torah. Jews believed The Torah was literally the face of God so they had very ornate containers. Some were metal and some were ornate fabric.
They had cases and cases of Bibles, all from different countries and times. As an American, I of course have this tendency to believe the world evolves around us. The displays were a good to reminder there have been thousands of years of translations and differing formats. Some Bibles had pictures, some were large, some were small, some had clasps, all in different languages.
They had this one small scroll still bound by a leather strap, probably 6” wide and rolled into about a 1” cylinder. The audio said that’s what one of Paul’s letters to the churches would have looked like. Amazing. You just don’t think of it that way.
They talked a lot about how the Bible has been reprinted and had a lot of emphasis on Gutenberg’s Press. They had a working replica of his press and I was able to get a live printing of 1 Samuel in Latin. It’s so cool, you can actually see Abigail’s name when you look closely.

Unfortunately, I was having to speed through the exhibit. I didn’t listen to the majority of the audio. They had a ton of cool video you could stop and listen to and even printing activities you could participate in. I’d definitely donate several hours to viewing it properly. The site told me so but you know, I had to fit in what I could.

One special moment occurred when I got caught up in a senior citizen group touring the exhibit. The exhibit was pretty empty besides their group and a few of us other straggling individuals. This sweet elderly lady turned to me with the biggest grin and started talking like she knew me. “Isn’t this wonderful? I just didn’t all of this existed.” I made some more small talk with her and moved on. But it reminded me of how we’re always learning about the Lord. We’ll never “get there”. And more than that, it was definitely one of those “this is how Heaven is going to be” moments. We’ll all just know each other and rejoice in the things of God together.

I can’t recommend it enough for everyone in the area—or even close to the area. Definitely take advantage of their Christmas special that is going on now until the end of the year.

This isn’t a sponsored post, just wanted to share!

*picture source of entrance and display cover to Passages Facebook

What I Wore Wednesday: 11.14.2012

November 14, 2012 by Amy 9 Comments

Today’s the day I share my outfits from the week with The Pleated Poppy’s What I Wore Wednesday. I pair my outfits with inspirational photos. Read more about that here.

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Sow a Seed

November 13, 2012 by Amy 2 Comments

Last week I was in my backyard watering a vine my parents gave me from their garden. My version pales in comparison to theirs, but it doesn’t resemble chopsticks yet so I keep watering it.

Beautiful purple flowers are actually blooming, but what caught my eye last week are the seed pods. They resemble a pea pod but in a rich plum color.

I started thinking about how beautiful the seed pod was and just could not let it go. God could have created that seed pod any old way he wanted but he made it this pretty plum color. How awesome is God that he does that? I mean, God could have made its reproduction mechanism in a thousand other, boring ways but he didn’t.

Just a day or two later I ran into this amazing set of Pinterest boards. I wanted to print every board as a magazine, grab a cup of coffee in front of our fireplace and flip through slowly.

I ran into one particular board that left tears streaming down my face.

The title of the board is Nuts, Pods & Seeds. I’d never really thought much about nuts, pods or seeds much but given my fascination with my vine just days prior, I was glued.

So many beautiful, unique ways for these plants and flowers to reproduce. I can hardly stand it.

I started thinking about God’s Kingdom and all these seeds.

In Luke, Jesus teaches a parable about seeds. He says the seed is the word of God. The word of God is planted in a person’s heart and for those that seize it and hold on, it reaches a harvest.

Before His ascension, Jesus sent us on the Great Commission to make disciples—to plant seeds and reproduce.

But he never really said how.

In the same way he gave these plants unique, beautiful ways to reproduce, he gave us each a beautiful and unique way to reproduce and fulfill the Great Commission.

Just think about the one that writes

or the one that speaks

or the one that gives

or the one that paints

or the one that listens

or the one that encourages.

Each gift plants a seed of belief in others. But more than that, just like these seeds and pods, it’s never, not once in the same exact way.

Some writers are fragile and some are tough.

Some speakers are meant to fly and some are meant to dig deep.

Some painters paint with color and others are plain.

Some giver’s gifts are plentiful but others are not.

Some encouragers are spiky and funny and others are soft and small.

You are as unique and beautiful as these nuts, seeds and pods. And just like these pictures brought me to tears in awe of our Creator, you and your unique gifts will do the same.

He could have designed this process in a thousand other, boring ways but he didn’t. Aren’t you glad?

Fall TV Update

November 9, 2012 by Amy 17 Comments

For goodness sakes, it’s Friday. Let’s forget about all the junk going on and live in TV land for a few minutes, yes?

I posted my Fall TV plans a few months ago and we’re well into the season now. Let’s gather around the water cooler and talk about how it’s going.

Once Upon a Time

The first episode of the season really freaked me out with that dementor thing so I turned it off half way in the ep and swore off the show. But then Mary assured me at Allume that the dementor thing had gone away and the season was good.

So I gave it another try and sure enough, this season has been great. I’m not sure I love Mulan or the fact that Snow is separated from Charming but they definitely have been able to keep it going even after everyone realized who they were. The addition of Hook has been fabulous and I am enjoying some more back story. If nothing else, I watch so I can read SortaCrunchy’s recap posts every week.

Revenge

I was doubtful about Revenge but I’m so glad I hung in there. It’s been a fantastic season. There was an episode a few weeks ago that was so good, it could have been a great season finale. I like the addition of the new character. I like the addition of her mother. I like the drama with the pregnancy. Well done, folks.

Parenthood

By far, this season is Parenthood’s best. Great storylines, great acting. Makes me cry. Just brilliant. I’m so entirely thrilled for Matt Lauria in his new role on there. Ryan York + Amber FTW! I just have to post these pictures because oh my goodness, I just do.

I knew him first, Amber, ok? If you have no idea what those are about, go read here.

And before you think there was any funny business going on, I’m obviously happily married and so is Matt. I was hugging Luke, ok? Luke. Who wouldn’t want to hug Luke Cafferty? Matt is actually very awesome and has a BEAUTIFUL and TALENTED wife Michelle Armstrong we got to meet as well so go check her out.

Modern Family

Modern Family continues to keep us in stitches. I wouldn’t say it’s the best season but the Obama line the other night made up for it in spades.

Nashville

Hm, what do I think about Nashville? Intense. Very intense. The acting is superb, really. The storylines live up to its dramatic name. But I kind of hate that the main couple is falling apart. Neither really are faithful to their partners. Both are a bit selfish and shallow. It seems everyone is just chasing money. I miss the rock solid relationship of Coach Taylor and Tami in Friday Night Lights. But the singing and the chemistry. Oh, it’s all so good. I do wonder what you Nashvillian folks think about it?

Oh and since I mentioned Coach, why not another FNL picture?

Someone get Kyle Chandler back on my TV screen, please.

Arrow

This show wasn’t even on my radar this year but I’m so glad I checked it out. This is a fantastic drama/action series. The acting can be a bit sketchy by the main character when he’s trying to play his old character but it has definitely improved over the last episode or two. I enjoy the idea that the main character and Laurel both fight for the good of their city. Above all, the action scenes are just tremendous and worth the watch.

Last Resort

While I’m not on the edge of my seat each week this this show, both Scott and I enjoy watching a show together. I appreciate the intensity and the action and feel more like I’m watching a movie than TV series. Scott Speedman and Andre Braugher are just such great actors, they make me believe in it. Unfortunately, I think the two female characters played by Daisy Betts and Autumn Reeser are weak and if there was any area of improvement, that would be it.

Shows I’ve axed

Elementary

Well, this was no Sherlock. The show was interesting but I found it hard to follow and lacking enough wit for me to enjoy.

Revolution

Bad acting. Bad characters. Horribly slow storyline.

Chicago Fire

It wasn’t a bad show but my Wednesdays were already busy and there weren’t too many characters to like very much. Perhaps I should give it another chance. Anyone really enjoying it?

Mob Doctor, 666 Park Avenue and Animal Practice were too bad to even go into detail.

I still haven’t checked out Beauty and the Beast. Anyone? How is it?

OK that’s it. What say you? Which of these are you watching too and what do you think?

How to Cook Split Chicken Breasts

November 8, 2012 by Amy 6 Comments

November is killing me so far. I’ve worked 13 hours of overtime the past week with more on tap this weekend. I’m planning both the girls’ birthdays (people are Christmas shopping? what?!), trying to keep up with my Bible in 125 days reading, still trying to catch up from being out of town with Allume and tried to stay up for the election on Tuesday night. The time change hasn’t done me any favors. I think my thyroid is all messed up again and I’m feeling extra tired and cranky. Wah-wah. I know, I know. At least I have a house and power. I do realize I could have it worse (NJ, we’re praying for you!). But tired is tired.

The last thing I need is a complicated dinner and I’ve got a super easy one to share with you today. Easy. So easy I feel a little silly sharing.

A little back story here.

When I was first married I was a, eh, simple cook. I think my 3 highlights were spaghetti, breakfast for dinner and Hamburger Helper.

When Pampered Chef started becoming popular in this area, we had been to so many parties that I was running out of items to get. I know, first world problems here.

I picked up this roasting pan and my friend Dani and I would joke “You know, for all those chickens you’re roasting.”

Well.

It’s been at least 10 years and I haven’t roasted an entire chicken yet but I used my pan! with chicken! With skin. And bones. It’s like serious chicken cooking here.

And the best part is it’s EASY. Our local grocery store often has the split chicken breast package on sale and I finally decided I would figure out how to use my roasting pan. And look! Chicken!

And ya’ll, it’s easy.

Rinse off the chicken
Brush the chicken with olive oil
Sprinkle generously (about 1 tsp of each) with cayenne pepper, garlic salt (or kosher salt) and garlic powder
Arrange the chicken on the grate
Cook at 350 for one hour
Let it sit for about 10 minutes
Serve!

The chicken is so juicy, it’s great.

Normally I serve it with rice and a veggie. This week, I was out of rice and just served it with broccoli and cheese.

You may ask about that sauce. Here’s a tip. I buy just the shrimp sauce at our local Japanese restaurant and then use it throughout the week to make all sorts of food better to eat. You get the best part of eating out without the large bill. The broccoli is DIVINE with the cheese dipped in shrimp sauce.

I have yet to find a recipe for shrimp sauce that is comparable. If you have one, feel free to share away!

Now break out those roasting pans and let me know how it goes!

This post is linked to Gluten Free Weekly Meal Plan

What I Wore Wednesday: 11.7.2012

November 7, 2012 by Amy 2 Comments

If you missed last week’s WIWW, I hope you check it out. It’ll explain why I have inspirational pictures along with the outfits.

I’ve had such fun this week with my outfits. They’re not overly creative. I wear jeans almost daily but the colors and patterns bring to mind God’s creations and reminds me to be thankful for his creativity and care.

I adore this scarf necklace below. My workplace held a festival on Halloween including some crafters from our workplace. You can pick up the exact one in her etsy shop Natty & Swank. I love the juxtaposition of the leopard print and flowers. Fierce and floral.

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I’m not loving this gray ensemble below. I wanted to wear my blue flats but I found them the next day hiding under some boots. Next time I’ll pair the gray sweater with my mustard pants. It’s just a little blah but nice and comfy to handle the 8 year old birthday party that day.

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This was almost a Monday-yoga-pants day but I threw my hair in a sock bun and got dressed! You can pick up that necklace at Mercy House Kenya shop.

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I was feeling patriotic and wanted to go with my blue cardigan today.

My favorite accessory is my “I Voted” sticker! But second favorite is my Vintage Pearl necklace from Allume. All of us were given one and given yesterday’s post, it has even more meaning. I do wish I had added some orange into this outfit but sadly, I realized I have almost no orange in my closet. Must rectify!

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My pastor is talking about finances the next few weeks and he preached from Matthew 6 Sunday. I couldn’t help but think about this post.

28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. ²⁹Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ³⁰If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?

I’m reminded that even as beautiful as God has created earth, I am created in His image and He cares for me so much more. I know He does you too.

Mark the Sacred

November 6, 2012 by Amy 6 Comments

A week ago I returned from Allume. Allume’s purpose is the following:

Our goal at Allume is to minister to the woman, the blogger, the story teller. We want to love well, encourage, and spur women on to shine the Light that lives within them. We want to serve you in ways that cultivate the Light in you, help you expand your influence, use your influence well (in your home, your community, or around the world) and encourage you with stories of those who are living out the Light.

While at Allume, I attended Stephanie Bryant’s session on finding your personal brand. In the session, she advised us to create 5 Pinterest boards which would help guide us to find our own brand. I created the following boards:

While I could see there was definitely a consistent style there, I couldn’t quite tell how to pull it together. I still can’t, to be honest (feel free to send me feedback).

I solicited help from a few friends to help me analyze the pins and a friend picked up on one theme within the photography board that I hadn’t noticed in the least upon pinning.

Light.

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While I was pinning these, I had no intent to pin pictures with such an obvious theme of light. I was just pinning photographs that looked pretty to me. Nothing more, nothing less. I didn’t even pick up that it was a theme until many emails were exchanged. But looking back, it’s obvious.

Just a few days after I returned from Allume and pinned these pictures, I started reading through the Bible with a group on Facebook on November 1st. On the first day of reading, Genesis 1:14-15 stuck out to me

And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years, and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so.

I could not shake the idea of lights “marking sacred times”. I had no thoughts of Allume or my boards though.

Gary Morland spent his 31 days series talking about connecting dots in our lives. Some might refer to it as God’s tapestry, seemingly unrelated strings woven together. I’ve definitely seen this at work in my life before.

All these themes of light started coming together in my mind over the weekend.

Before and even during Allume, I was very close to closing this site. I wasn’t sure of my purpose anymore. But that phrase “marking sacred times” has given me my purpose.

Matthew 5:16 calls us to shine our light before men and I look back to Genesis and find my why. Just as the sun and moon mark sacred times, my words help me shine His light, marking the sacred: the sacred moments that he speaks to me, the sacred moments I question Him, the sacred moments I share with my children.

As if all of theses weren’t enough dots to connect, a friend emailed me just the other day, not knowing about my Pinterest boards or Allume’s purpose statement or even my Bible reading and says “I look forward to your posts, they make a difference to me, your light is shining BRIGHT.”

I feel a bit awkward talking about my blog on my blog and “letting my little light shine” might seem juvenile, but for me, when I see God confirming a message in many places, it’s sacred. And you might now agree, I would be remiss not to mark it with words.

And P.S., just as I finished writing these words, I flipped over to my reader and saw these words from Sarah Bessey:

A few months ago, I wrote an essay for Deeper Story called In which I am practicing. It was born out of a turning point in my own life, and I wanted to mark it by writing about it.

Really? Really, God? I think He just likes to show off, eh?

My prayer from here is not just that you’ll continue to come here to read these words, but that you’re looking for your own strings and connecting dots and finding your unique way to mark the sacred.

Lexi’s 8th Candy-Themed Party

November 5, 2012 by Amy 7 Comments

My baby girl Lexi turned 8 on Saturday. I know every parent says it every single birthday, but I really can’t believe she’s been with us 8 years.

She’s been such a joy for us. You never know what Lexi is going to say and you can be sure it’s the gut-honest truth. She’s a black and white kind of gal. She doesn’t love or live half-way.

We celebrated with a candy-themed sleepover Saturday night she’s been planning for months.

I had a little idea to do a life-sized Candy Land game in the back yard and it was so much fun to make and play.

We just had to buy a can of black spray paint for the path outline and then six cans of spray paint for the colored path—purple, yellow, green, blue, orange and red.

We used a garden hose to layout a random path and spray painted the path black. Once that was there, we lined up the other cans and just guesstimated the size of the blocks. We all took turns spraying the path.

Even the girls were able to help paint.

Although, as you can see Lexi below, she had to work to get leverage on some of the colors (so cute!) . A few of the colors weren’t available in the cheaper Walmart brand, so we had to get the ones that were a little more expensive. They were worth it though as they had a mechanism the girls could handle better and brighter paint.

We were going to go back and do another black line but we didn’t want to waste the black paint and it really wasn’t needed.

We made start and finish signs with just piece of spray painted cardboard and a printed sign.

We used the cards from the regular game to advance the play.

When I drew a Candy Land place in the cards, we would hand out a piece of candy for their goodie bags instead of them having to go somewhere else.

When a person would finish, they would get 5 more pieces of candy to add to their bag.

Definitely an easy, cheap and unique game for a party. I’m guessing you could do this with quite a bit of board games!

Lexi had a great time opening presents if these pictures give you any indication:

We had an amazing cake by Sweet Scene Cakes. When I told Sarah about the candy theme she pulled some inspiration from Pinterest and created this beauty.

She switched out the original M&Ms for Skittles and added the Peppermint Patties at Lexi’s request.

Cutting it was quite interesting. We had Skittles everywhere. I wasn’t hearing too many complaints though.

The kids loved having candy at their disposal although it was interesting they were more concerned with putting it in their goodie bag than actually eating it.