Bugs... it's what's for dinner

Dinner started out so well the other night. I was all geared up to make a new Chicken Pad Thai recipe I got from my friend Lindsey. (well tofu pad thai anyway), I had my ingredients all ready

I was browning my garlic and tofu in sesame oil and when it was almost done I thought I'd add a sprinkle of sesame seeds. So I sprinkled away with abandon

And that's when I had to check the sesame seed container because I thought I had bought white sesame seeds, not black and white sesame seeds. I had, I had. And that was when I realized I just sprinkled bugs on to our food. EW. On a *slightly* better note I think they were at least old dead bugs. I had those spices from my old apt and they were in the frozen tundra of dad's barn for two winters while I lived at Jill's in a box I later unpacked labeled "not very often used spices". I'm not sure at which point they died, but they were definitely dead.

So not wanting to waste my sprouted tofu, or the time I'd already spent preparing it, I called in Doug to help me scrape off the bits of dead bugs from our dinner. mmmmmm, who wants to come over for dinner?!?

I'm not sure how I could so calmly do this, I think if they were alive I wouldn't have tried to rescue it at all, I was just not going to let the bugs win this one!!

So we picked and I continued on with the dinner. It was ok I thought (Lindsey, was your sauce really thick?) I think I would have liked a thinner sauce better, but it was alright.

I definitely love Thai food, I wish I was better at cooking it.

smorgasbord

I finished up a week + of working for my dad. It was fun. We went to a church to do some adjusting of keys and ciphers (organ stuff) and as we walk into the old huge Catholic church I'm telling dad this is exactly the kind of place I want to explore. Dad shook his head and said 'that's what I'm afraid of having you here with me', haha, it was like I was 10 again.

I asked the little old man caretaker if there were any secret passages, he said there was a tunnel from the church to the school, but it was dank and maybe had critters in it, umm, nah.

Dad did say that usually that little old man is cranky, but since I was there he noticed him smiling and even telling jokes. You're welcome!

So dad and I went out for lunch at Panera

chicken hummus power bowl, yum!

and he even helped hem my new scrub pants for work. Although they somehow got a little too short. Sheesh, hemming pants is such an art.

This week/weekend also seemed to be a weekend of fun facts. I learned that mahogany wood is only real mahogany (aka expensive) if it comes from Honduras or the Dominican Republic. The "mahogany" mostly found in stores and lumbar yards is mostly just an African tree Khaya ivorensis, that is another tree in the same color family. Is you mind blown?!

Also this weekend Doug and I had some free fun thanks to our local newspaper. Friday night we went to this owl program at our nature center. As I was telling Doug that turtles often have salmonella, this ornery man poked his head out of his office and proceeded to school me in turtles carrying viruses. So the truth is, pet turtles often do have salmonella because their owners feed them meat (a no-no), but turtles in the wild almost never have it. Then we had a presentation on Owls, learned a lot, and learned that most birds (except the vulture) can't smell. So when they say don't pet a baby bird or it's mom will abandon it because they smell you, he said that is a myth. (Although I don't know why that myth was propagated in the first place). So then a big group of us went out into the woods and the man made owl call sounds while we looked out into the woods. We didn't see anything, but it was a fun evening.

The next night I had read about an international food/culture event at the grocery store. So Jill and her bf met us there and we walked around together feasting on samples. Fun. Then we went and sat and chatted at Starbucks, it was fun.

Sunday was pretty busy, church at my church, then left early to head to Doug's church to catch the tail end, and be there for the funeral/memorial service of his friends who had a late stage miscarriage :(, we then went down to the hospital to visit another friend of his who had surgery. Busy day.

Today I turned in my paper work for my new job, and I start orientation tomorrow, eeeeek!!!

the handy hubby edition - microwave

We made a decision on our microwave and after a couple frustrating days for Doug, and me as the consoler, it's in!

a little help from Doug's dad

looks pretty good I think!

Doug's testing out the vent fan right now as he (well mostly he) is making us some chicken biriyani for dinner. Mmmmm. I'm really not sure how much to expect from that fan though, I can smell dinner all the way from the end of the house (smells good!) but I thought it was supposed to remove all smells... anyway, it's in there now!

tough day

Today was pretty emotionally exhausting. Doug and I were late to church, we had a bonfire with friends the night before and were just tired. But off we went. The sermon was really good, it was about when Rachel died and her dying wish was to name her son 'sorrow', but Jacob refused and named him Benjamin which meant 'blessing'. Then they played this tear jerker video of a 33 year of man/husband/father who died of colon cancer, all the while proclaiming that God was good even if he lived or died.

It was good. And it reminded me of the many times I claimed that promise in my own life that no matter what happened to me, and my failing marriage, that God was good and He could be trusted, and He was still on His throne.

I had never prayed harder in my life, asking God to save my marriage. But it didn't get saved. And God is still God, and He is still good.

Then there was just terrible news that a friend we love, and had celebrated in her cancer healing, had more cancer. And I just cry every time I think about it. And feel so helpless. But knowing that all I can do is in my prayers give her precious life over to the God who made her.

So yeah. A very teary day.

Then Doug and I had a fight in the car, stupid stuff. And in the end it ended up being a good talk about how the ways we were raised shapes us to think that certain things are "better" when really what's "better" is what is best for us. Our marriage. Our family. It ended up a good talk, but it's hard thinking through all that sometimes.

Later we were laying down and I just started crying again. Sometimes I just hate being alive in this messed up world. We're fighting about stupid stuff like cars and vacations and our friends are sick, and marriages are in trouble, and children are being sold into sex slavery, and people all over the world are being killed. It just seems like anything we do is too small. I feel like even if I went and lived somewhere, it wouldn't be enough, there would always be more sorrows.

Doug reminded me that it does make a difference to that one person's life you did help.

Doug suggested that for the next 40 days we pray about what God has for us, and where we can best serve Him. And then appropriately tonight we went to hear a speaker share on missional/intentional living, where you just become friends with people and share your faith as it comes up. Sounds so easy. But it's hard. I will definitely be praying about this, I feel like already I don't have enough time for established friendships, and to make more time for 'the lost' seems like there would be even less. Although I think one way he does it is to invite everyone. Not a super comfortable idea according to my small groups preference, but a way to see old friends and share authentic living with the new. A way for God to move in those conversations and interactions. Worth praying about.

My mom shared this quote about prayer and I love it

"Christians pray in order that they may arouse themselves to seek Him, that they may exercise their faith in meditating on His promises, that they may relieve their anxieties by pouring them into His bosom; in a word that they may declare that from Him alone they hope and expect, both for themselves and for others, all good things." John Calvin

I think that's so beautiful and so true.

God is still good. I hope and expect good things.

cool things

The other day I looked up from the laptop and saw this outside the window:

That turkey's like hey, whyz this cage around the treatz!?!

Him and his friends were roaming the neighborhood

I feel like I'm out in the wilderness!

I've been working for my dad in his pipe organ shop for a bit before I start at the hospital.

It took us both 8 hours to make this (well, there were 2 of them), and the wood pieces were already cut and everything, just the fitting and gluing.

What my dad does is truly an art. I don't know how I didn't inherit more of his patience. A good reason I should not take over the family business - my organs would be all slopped together. But I'm happy he has a job that really encompasses the talents he's been blessed with.

I saw these Christian conversation hearts at the store, how cool!

I hope this doesn't seem flippant, after talking about conversation hearts, but I read an article about ISIS beheading those 21 Christians in Libya, and it made me cry. Those men refused to deny Christ, and were singing to Jesus as they were killed. It's so heart breakingly beautiful. I really hope if I am ever faced with that, that I would have the courage and grace to stand up for my faith. I can't imagine. Here in the US where we still, as of now, have the freedom of religion, I can't imagine it. And while I haven't denied I'm a Christian, I haven't preached Him or witnessed as well as I should. I know God is so proud of those men, and I'm sure their families are too, and I know they are all in heaven with Him now- but it's really, really terrible. Events like this make me long for heaven.

Valentine's day and House Guest

What is Valentine's day with Doug without more frozen flowers!?

Last year Doug surprised me with roses put on my car, and they froze. This year he left the rose in the garage so I wouldn't see it, and it froze.

Also a nice card, m & m's and chocolate covered strawberries.

Doug had a couple surprise places for me, the first this awesome new mediterranean place.

this is an 'I have food in my mouth' smile

We got these $5 humongous chicken shwarma pitas stuffed with veggies, hummus, tahini, and a side of the strongest garlic paste, yum! but my eyes were watering! We ate lunch at 1pm, and were full until 8pm!

Then we went to the new aquarium

It was in one of the local malls and we saw a booth where you can make your own cd, we didn't do it, but had fun taking this pic of rocker Doug. He's was probably belting it out again about food.

Help me please! I want to be free in the sea!!

I don't know how I feel about aquariums, pretty much like I'm sure they'd rather have a free, fulfilling life in the ocean, even if safety not guaranteed versus endless laps in a small pool and people 'petting' them day after day.

Alas.

And then we went out for a late dinner at a delicious Thai place. Mmmmm.

Oh my gosh I wish I could make this.

I did make this for Doug the night before Valentine's

I think he's happier I can make a homemade pizza rather than the delicious curry. He kept saying I can't believe you made this for me :)

Also this weekend we had a house guest

This little Romeo

In typical Becks fashion he was more concentrated on the possibility of dropped food versus any awareness at all of his surroundings. The first night we kept watching September stalk him, it was like, have some care for your own life Becks!!

September was always more curious, she kept approaching him

And eventually they would snuggle on separate sides of us

Good food, library movies, it was a really nice relaxing weekend.

fuds

the microwave decision is still unmade, and hence remains on the counter taking up 1/2 the space. Hopefully we will decide something soon.

Recent eats. I made refried beans in the crockpot the other day. They were really good. Easy recipe.

Topped with sauteed onions, green pepper, cheese and salsa for me, and just cheese for Doug. Bake until cheese is bubbly, and easy, delicious tostadas

I also made another batch of favorite vegan blog girl's Walnut Lentil Loaf. It has onions and walnuts, and yet Doug eats it and likes it! Score!

This thing takes some time to make, but it is good. This time I made the lentils in my rice cooker and when I was done chopping and sauteeing the veggies, they were ready to add.

It doesn't look great, but bakes into a very tasty loaf

you make a sauce from ketchup, applesauce, maple syrup and balsamic vinegar

It does take awhile, but it makes a big loaf and could be enough for 2 people to have 2-3 dinners. After dinner I wanted Doug to have a blindfolded taste test to see if he could tell the Aldi store break and bake cookies from my delicious ones.

First he guessed the store one was mine, and later when I asked him which was my favorite, he picked my cookie. I mean come on, this:

is no store cookie!

In other news, I went up to my parents house the other day and mom and I cleaned my wedding gown. The bustle had come undone and dragged all over the dirty concrete floor all night and I thought it was hopeless. But it came out! So now I can see if anyone on CraigsList wants it. It's so pretty, I wish I could wear it again somewhere!

In annoying cat news this has been happening:

She loves to play in the garage for some reason. These thousands of little paw prints made me laugh.

But this doesn't make me laugh. That plant was there for months and all the sudden she started dipping her paw in the dirt and scooping it out to put on the windowsill. So annoying. And biting big leaf petals off. WHY!?! I have another plant in the kitchen I am rooting, and it's been there, a stem in a big vase of water, again for a month or so, and now all the sudden September is using it for another drink bowl. So finally I wised up and put a piece of saran wrap over that so she can't drink out of it. I may have to try the saran wrap trick with my plant too, at least to get her to keep away from the dirt, but she'll still be able to get at the leaves. I got some cat training books at the library today, maybe she can get under control!

This weekend she is going to have Mr. Becks come visit while his mom is away. I'm hoping they will be best friends! But we trimmed September's nails just in case.... we'll see!