Extravagant News

And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them,

"Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of of a great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger."

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

"Glory to God in the highest,

and on earth peace among those

with whom he is pleased!"

How extravagant God's announcement of His Son's birth all those years ago. Such extravagance shared with the least of these - the shepherds in the field. 

And this is how I feel skiing on one of the most extravagant ski areas in the world. Surrounded with beauty all around me -  a sinful servant of the Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

Mundane Melts like Marshmallows

This post is part of a series called

Mundane Mondays
To see how I started the series click HERE.

Well folks,

(despite how slow today has been)

I feel mundane slipping away. I have 3 more days in the office and then a whole blessed week in my favorite state: COLORADO! with my parents and grandmother. Then after a few days back in Chi-town I rush off for my first trip of the new year. DOMINICAN REPUBLIC!
I had no clue where I was going with this series 2 months ago - when out of frustration with my desk job I started blogging regularly on Mondays about turning the Mundane into something,

something...

resourceful

faithful

beneficial

less frustrating

something with PURPOSE for (and with) God.

And through ups and downs

goods and bads

those REALLY humbling moments

I. Found. God.

a God who just wants me - 

with all my weaknesses,

 to accompany Him down the trail with a smile on my face and a trusting heart.

And so this last week in the office before the New Year I'm choosing to celebrate what God has done in my heart.
And how do I celebrate?

with a CROCK POT!

And a new delicious drink every day!

Today: Nutella Hot Chocolate

 The simplest thing I'll probably ever stick in my crock pot

Ingredients:

Milk (Whole, 2%, or skim... whatever you prefer)

Nutella

Directions:

For every 2 cups of milk you put in your crock pot add 1/4 cup Nutella.

Pop it onto high for about 45 min to an hour. Whisk together and then pour into mug to enjoy.

You can keep the crock pot on all day and enjoy this delicious drink multiple times!

And of course, don't forget the marshmallows or whip cream. I  probably put in a 50/50 ratio mallows to hot chocolate, because honestly, I drink this more to eat the chocolate soaked mallows than anything else.

Enjoy!

Holiday Rest

This post is part of a series called

Mundane Mondays
To see how I started the series click HERE.

'Tis the Season...

To be SICK :(

Whether it was the flu bug that is being passed around these days
or perhaps just a small case of food poisoning
I've been unfortunately uncomfortable, had the worst case of tummy aches and been friends far too often with the least comfortable seat in the house

(okay, i'll stop before I give away too much information 

and really gross you, 

my dearly devoted readers, 

away from my blog forever.)

It kept me home from work on Friday and I enjoyed a little alone time at the house
with free hours for reading and channel surfing - which was GREAT!

And then MIRACULOUSLY 

I felt fine enough to enjoy a full Saturday and Sunday of holiday events and community.
Sunday night brought me back to the realization that my body wasn't done craving for

REST!

And making me feel like my stomach was actually a rock quarry and it was trying to grind up some HUGE boulders.

I made it through most of Monday, but returned to the comfort of sweatpants and a fuzzy blanket just to wallow with my stomach pain. Several times I told my host mom, "I can't be sick any longer. There is too much going on this week." 

as I thought through my list of activities:
Community Group, Moving my room,
prayer meetings, Secret Santa gift giving,
Student Training Events, Christmas Parties,
Movies, Weddings... 

all these things that seem so good to me!

But as Barb said,

"Sometimes you don't get to choose when to take a break."

"By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work."

Gen 2:2

In this busy season, where the mundane is quickly slipping away, am I remembering to rest?

Both physically and spiritually...

Am I remembering that this season isn't really about gift giving, or family vacations, or Christmas parties,

or even the mundane things that I'm living with and growing to love,

But that it is about remembering the beginning of a NEW chapter in God's story!

It's about RESTING in the truth that God has a plan

and God is working out that plan,

and another chapter is COMING!

What are you doing to REST this holiday season?

Soup's On!

Welcome to another Thursday

another Community Meal

and another recipe!

Today's Meal is...

SPICY POTATO SOUP

taken from 200 Slow Cooker Creations by Ashcraft and Eyring

Makes 10-12 Servings

INGREDIENTS:
1 lb gorund beef or sausage, browned and drained

(we used pork sausage and it was a good choice)

4 potatoes, peeled and cubed

(we choose to use golden potatoes, which of course required way more than four, but it saved some time because we didn't peel all of them since the skin is so thin)

1 small onion, chopped
5-6 cups of water
3 (8oz) cans of tomato sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon hot pepper

(those last three we didn't really measure)

Optional: cheese, ketchup

(a couple of my co-workers added these ingredients and really liked the flavors they brought out)

INSTRUCTIONS:
Combine all ingredients in a greased 4 1/2 to 6 quart slow cooker.

(I've found liners that fit into your pot... really helps with the post lunch clean up!)

Cover and cook on low heat for 7-9 hours or on high heat for 3-4 hours.

Note: For a more mild soup, omit the black pepper and hot pepper sauce and replace with 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning.

(It's not that spicy on the scale though, though so we left it as is.)

At the last minute a few people ran out and found some soft white bakery bread 
and it really made the meal!

super easy and was quite delicious for a semi-chilly Thrusday

Next week in the office we've got a Christmas Party on Thursday, and the management kick everyone out of the office at noon so they can set up. Therefore, no Crock Pot meal...

But we can't go two weeks with no Crock Pot use.
HOWEVER
I've claimed it as 

DRINK WEEK!
and I'll be concocting some great tastes that can simmer away all day long.
I'll be posting pictures and recipes throughout the week so check back!

I See the King of Glory

This post is part of a series called

Mundane Mondays
To see how I started the series click HERE.

So again, I know my MUNDANE MONDAYS are not arriving on Mondays...

But yesterday was anything but mundane,

as I flitted in and out of staff meetings,

fulfilled curriculum orders that were flying in from our 1st 12 Days of Christmas Sale,

and then ran off to a high school to run some pre-trip training for the students who will join me and Shane for our first trip of the year in the Dominican Republic - woot woot!

I even got in some painting with my host mom, Barb, as we transform the infamous BLUE room into a stylish new Green and Beige room - super cute and I can't wait to move in this weekend!

However, when your days do become mundane, don't forget the power music can play in reminding you of the important things.

Take this one for example - not a Christmas song specifically, but since we're in the season of ADVENT and it speaks of the second coming of the Lord I found it quite powerful when we sang it in church on Sunday!

What songs are you currently listening to that helps pull you out of the MUNDANE and remind you that our Savior has come and is coming again?