27 December 2013

One Big Lesson from 2013

2013:  a whirlwind year for me.  My husband and I moved twice.  We worked in camp ministry from March to December.  We decided to go back to school.  It all went by quickly, but it felt like a ton of stuff happened!

When I look back on the lessons I learned this year, I think I have quite a few things I could discuss.  I learned lots about how unqualified I am for working in ministry.  I learned that college students can completely amaze you when they are living fully for the Lord.  I learned how hard it is to be in charge of a summer camp program (read:  it's a lot less fun than counseling).  I learned how to make  marshmallows.  Through study of James, I learned how importantly God sees our generosity - and how much I suck at giving.


Moving twice within the year taught me quite a few things about minimizing personal possessions.  Renting and loading and transporting all that can fit within a U-haul and a Subaru is not necessarily fun, but definitely a profitable task.


Part of the minimization process included A LOT of wardrobe decisions.  This leads me to my biggest lesson of the year:



How to Dress Like a Grown-Up

I had always been that girl who dressed in garish colors and gaudy patterns, because I considered my style "artsy."  After getting married, my husband (with a real eye for design) informed me that a plaid skirt, a paisley blouse, and striped tights do not comprise a decent outfit.  I raided my wardrobe, pulling out many blouses, skirts, dresses, cardigans, and pants.  Barely any plain, solid-colored items existed there!  It proved my poor shopping track-record:  I selected clothing items individually, based on each piece's particular beauty (which, to me, meant purple and pink paisleys or red-and-green plaids).

One time, I bought a skirt that I thought was amazing, at my college town's mod consignment shop.  It was a knee-length A-line... and it had POCKETS.   Pockets!!  The fabric itself was cotton, a buttery yellow with a delicate, art nouveau-esque blue-and-purple print.  By itself, it may have been a pretty skirt, but it matched NOTHING.  I thought,  "So... this doesn't match any top I own.  Or any top in the world.  I'll save the fabric and make it into a throw pillow or something."   (Consider the fact that I don't know how to sew).  This year, I finally forced myself to part with it.  I had owned it for nine years.  I think I had worn it about five or six times, total.



That was one of many ridiculous articles of clothing I owned that didn't match anything.  Therefore, since we had to move twice within this year... my wardrobe changed.  I got rid of all my tie-dye.  Yes, a part of me still longs for my beautifully crafted tee-shirts... but my husband prefers that his wife not look like she's still in junior high.

Solid colors were in.  Basic colors were in.  Simple articles of clothing were in.

Pink was OUT.

I did purchase a few new items this year:  black cigarette pants, grey flats, a grey cardigan, a few v-neck women's tees (more flattering than jr high soccer tee-shirts, right?).  I learned that grey is my new favorite color for basic items.  A grey pair of shoes can match with black, brown, or blue pants!  It's like magic!



I surveyed my favorite blouses and cardigans, and then made sure I could match them each with several skirts and pants.  The rest... went away!  The ridiculous patterns, the ugly colors (no shade of pink or coral will ever look good on me), the fun colors that didn't match anything else... all went into the donation bin.  What I was left with was a simple, comfortable, well-fitting, and (dare I say) stylish wardrobe.  I can put together decent-looking outfits with so much ease now.

(If you're rolling your eyes, thinking, "This girl is so shallow, the biggest thing she learned in a year was how to dress?"  ...you're right.  But with my history of hoarding, getting rid of so many clothes was a big deal to me.  And dressing nicely - for the first time ever - was a great result).

It felt very freeing filling up a second massive bin of clothing to donate (to the local women's shelter).  I had so many things - even warm, toasty, winter clothes - that I so rarely wore.  The best way to put it is that it felt right to share all these earthly possessions with folks who actually needed them.


My true inspiration came from a great sermon (heard at Great Island Presbyterian Church) on James 5.  The "moth-eaten" clothing and riches were decomposing not necessarily because their owners were wealthy, but because they didn't put their possessions to good use.  A closet filled with unworn clothing should be emptied and given to the naked.  A pantry full of more food than one could eat within a year could be given to the hungry.  A family's extra car could be given to a person in need of transportation to a job.


So I guess the underlying lesson beneath my wardrobe changes is that... too much is too much.  We've all heard (in magazines; on Pinterest) that if "you haven't worn it within the year, get rid of it."  We all have our favorite jeans, favorite tee-shirts, favorite sweaters:  the ones we wear at least once or twice a week.  Decide for yourself!  Pick those favorite things and key wardrobe items, and discard the extra.  It'll help you see your closet more clearly.  And sorting the surplus clothes to give to those in need is worth it!


How to Dress Like a Grown-Up:  Simplify.  Wear what looks good on you.  And share your extra clothes with those who may need them.

25 December 2013

The 6 Myths of Christmas

This season, I assisted my mother-in-law to liberally decorate their home with all things Christmas.  I think she owns about four-hundred different incarnations of Santa Claus.  I'm not even exaggerating.  Trimming the tree (and the rest of the house) has led me to a few observations about some inaccurate facets of Americanized Christmas.

6.  Joseph:  husband of Mary, professional shepherd.




  These two nativity scenes (among many others) portray Joseph holding a shepherd's crook.  While shepherds were present that night in Bethlehem, Joseph himself was a carpenter by trade.

5.  Someone received twelve drummers, eleven pipers, etc. for Christmas, and loved it all so much that she wrote a song about it.

  Actually, "The Twelve Days of Christmas" is about spiritual gifts, not material presents.  What would you do with those ten lords leaping around your house, anyway?  Read the full story here.

4.  Angels look like either naked babies or winged ladies in dresses.

  I grew up in a home where we placed an angel on top of our Christmas tree.  It was the most beautiful, delicate doll... that I wasn't allowed to play with (too fragile).  She had long, blonde hair; perfect, porcelain skin; and a shiny, white, satin dress.  I'd cluster the other angel ornaments near the top of the tree - cute, glittery angels.
  However, the angels described in scripture seem more like fiery, dangerous warriors.  In many instances of an angel appearing to people, the angel has to calm them down, saying, "Don't be afraid!"  Apparently, angels are pretty terrifying!  Matthew describes the one guarding Jesus' empty tomb as having an "appearance like lightening."  The cherubim in Genesis 3 guard the entrance to Eden with a flaming sword.  The seraphim in Isaiah 6 have six wings each, and fly around shouting about how holy God is.  Wow.  These heavenly creatures sound a lot more exciting than naked-baby cherubs with chubby, pink cheeks!

3.  The Magi showed up the day Jesus was born.

  Matthew 2:1 - "Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem."  Verse 11 actually says they went into the house to worship Him - so the Magi never actually hung out in the barn with the holy family)  After this, Herod ordered all male children age two and under to be killed.  (Joseph led his family to Egypt to hide out for a while).

2.  Three Wise Men came to visit baby Jesus.

  The Biblical account's inclusion of the Magi's three gifts for the Christ-child has led us to believe that there were three wise men.  Additionally, the well-known carol "We Three Kings" re-enforces this view by its language:  each man brings one gift.  "Born a King on Bethlehem's plain; gold I bring to crown Him again,"  "Frankincense to offer have I," "Myrrh is mine..."
  However, the Biblical story of Christmas and Epiphany doesn't actually give a number of wise men, only the number of gifts.  It could actually have been two men carrying three gifts, or four men, or twenty.

1.  Santa Claus.


  There's been a myth going around, saying that parents are the ones leaving presents under Christmas trees on December 24th.  Isn't that ridiculous?  I personally think it's just absurd to assume parents would be interested in building dozens of toys, wrapping them all perfectly, and stacking them in the living room in the middle of the night.  Don't you agree?  I can't imagine leaving that great a job of gift-giving to anyone but Santa himself.  You can watch this documentary for more information.

  If you have any additional observations about the holidays, I'd love to hear them - please comment!  I hope your Christmas is joyful, and I leave you to enjoy this video (Michael Caine's finest performance):

20 December 2013

Recipe: Homemade Marshmallows

Here's a fabulous recipe for soft, fluffy, homemade marshmallows.   Yes, it does have corn syrup and gelatin in it, but there aren't any preservatives AND it tastes infinitely better than store-bought 'mallows.

Plus, you can make them any flavor you want!  They're scrumptious as "plain" vanilla, but you can flavor them with peppermint, coconut, chocolate, cinnamon... anything you can think of!


Here we go:


Combine 3 packages unflavored gelatin with 1/2 cup cold water in a mixer bowl.


In a saucepan, combine 1 1/2 cups sugar, 1 cup light corn syrup, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/2 cup water.  Stir  over medium heat until sugar dissolves, then raise heat until the syrup reaches 240* F.


Turn the mixer on its lowest speed and slowly add the syrup to the gelatin.  Add 1 tbsp vanilla extract (or 1 tsp vanilla & 2 tsp peppermint extract... or whatever flavor you like!).  Set mixer speed to high and let it whip for 15 minutes.





Next, dust a glass 8" x 12" pan with confectioners' sugar, pour in the fluffy goodness, and let set overnight.  Turn out and slice into cubes.  At this point, you could also melt some chocolate chips in a double-boiler, dip the 'mallows in, and let cool - for chocolate-covered marshmallows.  Yum!


Share and enjoy!




Twelve Days of Christmas: Part II

Today is December 20th.  We have decorated our Christmas tree!  It is hard to believe that Christmas is only five days away.  Have you been counting down the twelve days of Christmas?



If so, you may have been led astray by television movie marathons and holiday commercialism!

The Twelve Days of Christmas are actually those days following December 25th.  Traditionally, Christmas was celebrated for twelve whole days, leading up to Epiphany (the day the church commemorates the Wise Men's arrival to visit the Christ-child) on January 6th.

Sadly, Christmas - in America - has turned into an entire month of shopping, busyness, decorating, baking, and anticipation... all for just one day!  As soon as Boxing Day rolls around, the Christmas music is cut off the radio stations, decor is boxed up once more, and we head into the boring part of the winter season.

It makes me sad!  Why don't we have twelve days of celebration?  Why not give people a break from work or school for twelve days of family time and relaxation?  Certainly, the birth of God Himself in humblest human form is worth more than one day of celebration per year.

Well, I know the real reason we don't celebrate Christmas for twelve days.  It's because no one would make any extra money off of it.  All the corporations just want everyone to stress out and buy as much as they can in the month leading up to one day of blowout gift-giving and feasting.

I'd rather we feast for twelve days straight.  I'd love it!  Turkeys, hams, prime rib, duck, goose...

...and the cookies!!  THE COOKIES!!!

Anyways...  I challenge myself (and you, dear reader) to consider Christmas a twelve day-long festival, rather than a twenty-four hour holiday.  Contemplate and worship our wonderful Savior, who "though He was in the form of God, did not consider equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men."  (Philippians 2:6-7).  Compare Philippians 2 and Psalm 8, and be blown away by the awesome power AND complete humility of God.  The all-powerful Creator of the entire universe... was born a helpless baby in a barn... to show that He cares for us.

On the other hand... if you prefer the less Jesus-y, more Santa Claus-y side of Christmas... let's live out twelve beautiful days of gratitude, expressing thankfulness and love to our family and friends; as well as giving generously to those around us.  Merry Christmas, friends!

18 December 2013

Now Presenting....

Welcome to "Pearls of Wisdom!"

After - like - seven years.... I have changed the name of this blog.

"Deterioration of the fight or flight response" sounded cool (it's the name of an episode of Grey's Anatomy, which I watched religiously in my post-college years), but it was kind of long.  It also wasn't very concise.  I think I had written one or two posts in particular on the ideal of striving to act kindly, rationally, and considerately, rather than brashly and instinctually.

I think that topic fits into the broader scope of wisdom in general.  As I tend to write equal amounts of anecdotes, life lessons, and stuff learnt whilst reading... I decided to "officially" change the title and refine the purpose of my blog.

Therefore... Welcome, readers!  I'm looking forward to discussing and sharing tidbits of knowledge, and having some fun along the way.

Cheers!

17 December 2013

Twelve Days of Christmas: Part I

What in the WORLD am I going to do with these ten lords who are leaping all over the house??  Why, oh why did my husband hire these guys to jump around?  And they expect to be fed, too!  I am going to have to buy a whole 'nother ham and a goose just for Christmas dinner!

Praise the Lord... I am just kidding.

But who in their right mind wrote a song about getting all sorts of crazy gifts during each day of the Christmas Feast?  Okay, animals can make nice gifts, if you're prepared to care for them.  I wouldn't mind receiving all that poultry.  But... people?  People!  Why would you give dancing ladies as a gift?

Plus, don't all these things combined sound a little expensive?

What does the "Twelve Days of Christmas" song really mean?

As it turns out, that famous song, "The Twelve Days of Christmas" is about spiritual gifts, not material presents.  What would you do with twelve drummers, anyway?  Start a marching band with them and the eleven pipers?

The story goes like this:  during the sixteenth century, Roman Catholics were facing persecution in England, so they came up with a cheerful holiday tune to secretly teach their children about the tenants of the faith.  Think about this the next time you sing it:

"On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love" (God) "gave to me"
"Twelve drummers drumming," (the Apostles Creed's points of doctrine)
"Eleven pipers piping," (the eleven faithful disciples of Jesus)
"Ten lords a'leaping," (Ten Commandments)
"Nine ladies dancing," (nine fruits of the Spirit)
"Eight maids a'milking," (the eight Beatitudes Jesus taught)
"Seven swans a'swimming," (the seven gifts of the Spirit)
"Six geese a'laying," (the six days of Creation)
"Five gold rings," (the Torah/Pentateuch)
"Four calling birds," (the four Gospels)
"Three French hens," (the three Persons of the Trinity)
"Two turtle doves," (Old and New Testaments)
"and a partridge" (Jesus) "in a pear tree." (the cross)

Read the full story here.

Next time, in "Twelve Days of Christmas:  Part II,"  we'll discover why there are twelve days of Christmas in the first place... and why we don't celebrate them all anymore.

16 December 2013

Change of Address

Well, my husband and I loaded up the ol' Uhaul again this weekend.  It was our second move within the year, and it won't be our last.

No longer in remote Centre County (home to Amish farmers and Penn State), we're living in exurban West Chester.  There is plenty to do here!  The county is filled with apple orchards, independent dairies, wineries, breweries, art galleries, restaurants and markets specializing in local whole foods.  It's a pretty hoppin' place!  And it's pretty great that we don't have to drive forty-five minutes to get to town now.

Although we'll live here only temporarily, we are both excited to enjoy some culture, a time of rest (a "winter break," if you will), and time with family and friends (we can even go to visit some by train!).  Huzzah!

25 November 2013

At the Table

Saturday night:  I was cooking a pretty fabulous dinner.  Chicken and mushrooms were braising slowly in a rich, garlic-peppercorn sauce.  Saffron risotto simmered along, absorbing more and more broth by the cup-full.  The smell of brownies wafted up from the oven.  Then... VOOP!  The power went out in our apartment.  The sizzling sounds quickly faded to silence upon the electric stove-top.

This would have been a gastronomic tragedy; however, our current housing above the camp kitchen permitted us to transport our pots and pans downstairs to continue cooking the meal over propane.  God bless propane.  If we have a real house someday, I so wish to have a propane stove!

The other alteration to our plans for the evening was that we ate at the table, by candlelight, over a tablecloth, with clean, cloth napkins.  Our previous plan was to put food on the coffee table and hunch over it, scarfing down dinner as we continued watching episodes of Breaking Bad.

The candlelit dinner (with a nice Zinfandel) was a much better experience for my husband and me.

Sadly, the two of us often resign ourselves to eating in front of the television.  We blame our surroundings for watching television daily (our home is very remote from friends, and it is too dang cold to play outside!); and yet we look forward to beginning school next year, since our work and new friends will keep us busy.  We also talk about how we don't want to watch television in the future when we have children, and CERTAINLY don't want to eat dinner with them in the living room.

I hope to continue the tradition of family dinners.  My parents had us stop homework or tv-watching every night to sit at the table and eat together.  They'd ask us what we learned at school ("Nooothinnggg.") and catch each other up on the events of the day.  Little did I know that this ritual was the foundation of our training as civilized persons.

In our "grain-bag society," people eat anywhere, anytime they want.  It's why we have drive-thrus at fast-food establishments.  It's why people stuff their purses with granola bars and candies.  It is this ubiquitous eating that has taken away any sign of etiquette and communal enjoyment of meals.

As you head into your Thanksgiving family get-togethers, take time to appreciate the effort put into the meal by the cook, the beautiful place-settings, and the faces of those you love.  Enjoy the conversation, in addition to all that gravy!

All this has been brought to mind because I've been doing a little reading about etiquette.  A very convincing. witty book by Judith Martin has been causing me to consider the implications of a "grain-bag society," and how I'd rather implement solid training-in-eating to my future children (forks and knives, not fingers).  Read on for your enlightenment and amusement:

19 November 2013

Homemade toothpaste.

A neat article, written by a dentist who developed a recipe for home made toothpaste:

The Green Minimalist: Home made, Plastic free toothpaste.: Toothpaste has been one of the problems for my zero waste green lifestyle. We all go through them a lot and they almost always come in plast...

18 November 2013

Purple Gallinule

Purple Gallinule

The colorful Purple Gallinule prefers warm-water marshes and is mainly found in the south and around the Gulf, although it often wanders great didstances and has been seen much further north in summer.  It spends the winter in southern Florida and down into Argentina.  Its nest is a shallow cup of grass stems and reeds, lined with leaves and attached to marsh vegetation.  It lays 5-10 buff eggs, spotted with brown, and the downy chicks leave the nest soon after hatching.

The adult bird has long legs and very large, yellow feet - which allow it to walk across lily pads and floating marsh vegetation.  It has a bright, purplish-blue head, neck and underparts, white under the tail, a pale blue forehead shield, a red bill tipped with yellow and a brown-green back.  The juvenile is much plainer, buffy underneath with an olive back, greenish wings and dull olive legs and feet.  The Purple Gallinule can fly, but is reluctant to do so and also rarely swims.  It eats seeds, grain, insects, frogs and birds' eggs, as well as vegetation.

Excerpt from The Encyclopedia of North American Birds, by Michael Vanner

15 November 2013

Happy Friday!

The menu for this weekend includes:

  • baking brownies
  • dehydrating apples
  • hosting groups at camp
  • continuing work on seminary applications
What's on your plate for the Sabbath?

Here's a great, thoughtful essay to start off your weekend:

06 November 2013

Crazy Fall

 We are crazy.  My husband and I are crazy.  We've been from Maine to Miami in the past two months.  Who does that?  We dipped our paddles into the frigid Gulf of Maine, then dove into the bathwater-warm Gulf of Mexico.  "Why?" you may ask.  Well...

We did camp this summer.  That means we worked 18 hours days 6 days a week for three months.  It was fun.  It was also exhausting.  After the summer, we headed up to Maine to our usual spot:  the family place at Petit Manan Point.  It's Down East.  It was cold.  We bundled up in many layers of L.L. Bean gear and did hiking, boating, reading, and sleeping.  We ate lobster:

After all that fun, we returned to Central PA, and decided that from there, we wanted to hit up the Great White North.  Oh, yes.  I had never been to Canada before - what a beautiful, exotic land!  Along the way, we hit up the Niagara, New York area, exploring wineries and visiting the Falls.  The Falls are SO impressive.  I definitely recommend a visit there, if you can.  We also got to stop at the Corning Museum of Glass, where art and science collide and shatter into a million brilliant pieces.



at CMOG
Toronto Harbour

CN Tower, in Toronto
 So, we finally got to Canada; we finally got to get donuts and a coffee at Tim Horton's (after an earlier misadventure all over Rhode Island - our GPS lies to us sometimes); finally got to use our passports at a border crossing.  The city of Toronto seemed pretty great, but we didn't want to spend money on anything cultural, so we pretty much just ate and walked around.  We did discover something called Poutine.  Poutine!!  It's an incredible concoction of French fries... covered in gravy and cheese.  Oh, yum.  I could eat it daily.

Another discovery included the fact that the stereotypes one hears of Canadians are true:  1.  they are so polite.  2.  they love donuts.

The reason we went to Florida after all this northern nonsense was that over the summer we had been called to help work at a conference at Disney World.  Oh boy!  The magic!

We got a little taste of the typical Disney magic, but spend 98% of the week inside the air-conditioned hotel conference center.  The trip to Florida, however, afforded us the opportunity to visit some camp friends, which was awesome.  Florida is a crazy place.  Two friends go to school in Tampa, and two just moved to the Fort Lauderdale area.  I think they are a bit crazy for doing so!  It is SO hot there; even in late October, it was 90 degrees and insanely humid.  Also, getting around town can be nightmarish at best.  All the worst drivers from New York and New Jersey retire there, so careening around town is a complete free-for-all.  Every car ride was a stressful experience.  Because the Sunshine State consists of cities built between sandy shorelines and swamp, every town is very crowded.  Sprawling suburbia with a zillion shopping centers as far as the eye can see - until you get to the Everglades.  The Everglades were beautiful in their quiet, besides calling birds and fan-boat motors.  We did an air-boat ride to see the alligators, which was fun; although our captain/guide was feeding popcorn to the birds to attract them to the boat.  I think that's kind of counter-productive to conservation, right?  Well, we didn't see a gator eat any of the birds.  Besides that, we swam in the ocean and got to see our fabulous friends!  In short, Florida has fun stuff to do, but I could not see myself retiring there.  It is vacationland, indeed.  Oh wait, that's Maine's title.

Besides all the fun and adventures, we did take the opportunity to visit some graduate schools in the South.  The idea for this came from my memory of every Pennsylvania winter and how much I dislike the slush.  The promise of warmth and very little snow is rather appealing!  Anyways, we visited three schools in North Carolina and one in Virginia.  I also reconnected with an old-time camp friend who highly recommended that school; and we were so glad to hear of her and her husband's experience there!  We also had a great visit with our admissions guide, Harrison Ford (for reals).  Filling out applications now... we're going to give it a shot!

In short, the past two months have been rife with adventure (and driving!) and we are grateful for hospitable friends, generous employers, and God's provision and sovereignty.  Looking forward to where He'll take us next!  We have learned that Florida is fun, North Carolina is warm and promising, but Maine is still The Way Life Should Be.



04 November 2013

November again

It is November already!  A month of traveling caused me to basically forget that October existed.  I missed Halloween!  For the first time... ever?  I think ever, indeed.

I find myself beginning applications to graduate schools.  Essay-writing, proving myself, telling my story...  it kind of comes naturally and conversationally, but I also feel odd in trying to sell myself.

"Accept me!  I'm really great!  I am smart!"

S-M-R-T

So... November will be spent writing essays, sending out reference letter forms, and packing.  Packin' it on up!  I feel like we just moved here, anyway.  Back to the liquor & grocery stores for boxes we go!

08 October 2013

This month:

October will be spent traveling.  My husband and I concluded our summer of directing a camp (three months of s'mores, energizers, crazy college students and curious children) and are very minimally employed.  We still live at the camp.  We serve retreat groups on the weekends, but our weekdays are completely unscheduled.

As much as we enjoy hiking the grounds of our camp, we have seen it all - so we are seeking new places to explore.  In September, we went up to Maine (as usual) and got to check out the towns of Eastport and Winter Harbor (not the usual).  Last week, we did a spontaneous excursion to Niagara Falls and Toronto.  Let me tell you, that was THRILLING.  I have never been to Canada before; it was the second time I've used my passport.  All the Canadian stereotypes you've heard ("Have a donut, eh!") are true! Oh, and Niagara Falls was pretty awesome/beautiful/impressive/marvelous, too.

Anyways, as we're looking to what to do next with our lives, the prospect of grad school keeps appearing faintly on the horizon.  School!  Again!!  I so loved the academic life.  Even though I did fine arts for my bachelor's degree, what I truly loved were history classes, and specifically, art history classes.  The thought of sitting through lectures, scribbling furiously - as I had done for so many years of my life before! - is rather titilating. Arouse my intellect once more, o' university!

So this leads us to October.  We will spend three weeks traveling throughout the southeast, visiting as many schools as we can.  Many of these are in the Charlotte area.  The thought of dedicating myself once more to study - in an even warmer environment (more outdoor playtime!  longer garden growing season!  grits!  barbecue!)  is very, very intriguing.  I am not sure whether it's feasible financially, whether it will make a difference on the future of our careers (maybe each of us will actually acquire a career along the way?)... but I will find out soon!