EdHart.meWhat’s so good about it anyway? It seems like more often than not I’m struggling to pray with any degree of faith and an overabundance of grief. Anxiety gets the better part of me. Mental distress and a hundred scenarios of bad and worse distract from the exercise of seeking peace and trusting in God’s mercy, provision and compassion. My train of thought looks something like this:
If it’s true that money talks, it’s worth considering what it’s saying. The implicit assumption, of course, is that it gets the owner what they want. That is to say, money talks about the person who’s got it. How powerful they are, how generous they are, how wealthy they are, etc.
Consider Christian giving. What is your money saying when you give it. Is it talking about you or is it talking about God?
If giving money an expression of worship and devotion to the God who provides all things then is there any room for a plaque, or building, or ministry, or scholarship with your name on it?
If you want people to value your opinion, don’t be so eager to offer it.
I built this bench to go with our Rustic Farmhouse Table. Since building it, it’s been a great addition to the table. In addition to the “look” we were going for, it’s really useful when we have a houseful of children and need to cram a bunch of them around the table.
Here’s a better way of attaching the tabletop for the Farmhouse table. Most of the instructions you’ll find on the internet don’t go into detail on the tabletop, but when working with construction grade wood (which most people do for this plan), it can have a tendency to move. This can be a problem, particularly in environments where there are seasonal changes in humidity causing the wood to expand and shift.
Inspired by the DIY farmhouse table design by Ana White, I decided to try this project out. It’s a great project for an ambitious beginner and because it’s a “rustic” design, it’s a pretty forgiving project.
(P.s. If you like this post, check out my Rustic Farmhouse Bed)
I’m writing this post on a pad of notebook paper. I haven’t done that in a long time, but there’s a reason for it. Recently I was waxing eloquently on my WordPress dashboard. I was in the zone and it was pure genius. The poetry of prose flowed and my mind glowed. And then, in an instant (you of course guessed it), it was gone. I hadn’t saved a draft periodically. An amateur mistake. And I know you know the feeling; like a deflated balloon.
Tell me something I don’t know. That’s what we like to hear about.
But the problem with this is that we’re already pretty smart people. And we’re awash with information. The answer to this often results in some pretty cray stuff often accompanied by a cheap stock photo. How often have you seen truth compromised for traffic. Or placid prose which at best is lukewarm.
How about this: Remind me of something I know but haven’t thought much about lately.
This is one of my “go to” recipes when I’m looking for something that’s fast, healthy & totally delicious! Especially if I’ve got some leftover brown rice in the fridge that I’m looking for something to do with. My version here is a knock off of a similar recipe that I saw in Runner’s World back in March and the variations are almost endless.
For me, stir fry comes in 2 categories: sweet and savory. This recipe is in the sweet category with a little heat mixed in. It’s really awesome and if you’re anything like me, you’ll look for a good excuse to have a second helping.
The thing I love about this one is that you can substitute the protein of your choice (shrimp, chicken, beef, tofu) and it’s still just as good. Also, play around with the veggie mix and get what you like. Be creative!
The technique here is key. Once you get the flow down, you can make all kinds of substitutions and come up with your own variation.
First, heat oil in a large pan or wok over medium high heat. Sauté the minced garlic & red pepper flakes briefly and then add the package of frozen veggies. Stir fry until they begin to get tender, around 5 minutes or so. Add the shrimp (read protein of your choice) and cook for 3-4 minutes until pink. Add 1/2 can of pineapple chunks and the juice as well as a generous pour of your jarred sweet & sour sauce. Stir fry together for another 2 minutes until all ingredients are hot & cooked. Serve immediately over brown rice.
My version of this serves 2 people generous portions with sometimes a leftover serving depending on how hungry we are. Use more shrimp & the full can of pineapple chunks (with 1/2 of the juice) and you can stretch it to serve 4. For an added crunch, consider throwing in some unsalted peanuts or cashews.
This is a delicious and really fast recipe and usually only messes up one pan, so cleanup isn’t bad. I hope you enjoy this one as much as I do! Let me know what you think.
Friday night is usually family pizza night. With a houseful of children, getting pizza that everyone likes usually means multiple pizzas and compromises all around (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing!). And when you’re buying a lot of pizza, it can get pretty expensive, so we usually go the route of Little Caesars, Hungry Howie’s or Domino’s when they’re on special. Pretty standard fare.