peculiar treasures

This morning I had coffee with my friend Jamie, a very good friend. Since I've been married & out of the college culture, it's never failed, every time after being around Jamie I think, "She's a treasure." To borrow from Robin Jones Gunn (I read her books in high school) Jamie & I are peculiar treasures. It works so well. I'm the Christy, she's the Katie because I have brown hair & Jamie's hair is red (refer to the Christy Miller series by Robin Jones Gunn).

I love her life. Jamie lives downtown in a little studio apartment within walking distance of the library, the university campus, and so many coffee shops. She's...how do I explain four years of friendship? Challenging. Out of the box, adventurous, spontaneous, curious, interested in cultures, fashionable, sassy, Jamie face, who's also one of the people who has taught me the most about communication. Also about loving people. She works with people who have addictions & counsels them. I couldn't do that, but I appreciate her ability to & her heart to help people break their addictions. She's in a good position to see the brokeness & to help process, advise & intercede. Sometimes the brokeness overwhelmes me, but Jamie encourages me to see that it is so do-able to help people. I see Jesus in her.

Now that I don't see her every day, my glimpses of Jamie mean more, I think. Gotta take advantages of the friendships in front of your face right now. When friends move away I don't want to regret times I could have spent with them and didn't.

Working on those friendships, bit by bit.

This braving the Beauty business...makes me think. God's the most beautiful, He's the beauty I seek...and He brings us into relationships. Not only with Himself, but with other people. I want to be a good steward of the people He puts around me, the close ones, the neighbors, the one...like how Jesus would leave the crowd and go after the one person who was alone, struggling, lost. I'm seeking to be better at that.

Here we go, rocketing into a fun-filled adventure.

the domestic life post

Unashamedly, I am very domestic. This post will aid to reveal the depths of that. To start, here's my recipe (thanks Liz & Erin!) for chicken pot pie, perhaps the biggest culinary success in our household:

Easy Chicken Pot Pie

1 pre-made pie crust (for top & bottom)
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 14 oz. can chicken broth
1/2 cup milk (I prefer soy, yes indeed)
2 cans of canned chicken
2 cups frozen mixed vegetables or 1 lb. bag (cooked)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion, cook for two minutes, stirring frequently until tender. Stir in flour, salt, & pepper. Gradually stir in broth & milk. Cook & stir until bubbly & thickened. Stir in chicken & mixed vegetables. Remove from heat and spoon into crust-lined pan. Top with second crust. Seal the edges and flute. Slice holes in crust. Cook 35 to 4o minutes. The last 15 minutes put foil around the edges to prevent burning. Let stand five minutes before serving.

And there you have it. Someday, perhaps, I'll share my family's sourdough pancake recipe. It's top secret, but what the heck?

Besides making chicken pot pie, this week I've been reacquainting myself with the writings of Laura Ingalls Wilder. Right now I'm a few chapters into Little House on the Prairie. Ah, the domestic life...

i get to sit behind a desk now

We're back, yes we're back home! Strange to call this place home, since we were gone for 3 1/2 weeks, visiting the places where we grew up, other "homes." I concluded five summers ago that people define home to me, so I suppose I have several homes to claim.

It's good to be back in a routine. Both Andrew & I are working today, bless the Lord! It is good to be behind a desk again, sorting out bills, stamping letters, printing checks, and organizing my work space! I sound very type A...

Andrew & I have another baby to meet as soon as we can: little Caleb, Cory & Bekah's new son. I'm very excited to have babies in our lives!

There's nothing like sleeping in your own bed, is there?

Now that we're home, I'm excited to do some decluttering (since I brought so much stuff home with me from my home of origin...things like books, things I accumulated in Japan, treasures), reading, walking, and artistic things.

Maybe I'll post a couple of photos from the trip, soon.