MMM January 2010: Final Celebration

January 30, 2010 by 18 Comments

Mega Memory Month January 2010

Final Celebration

Mega Memory Month comes to a close.

The last day of the month, January 31st, falls on a Sunday. I love that. Those of us who have memorized Scripture can post our passages and share them on a day of rest and worship.

Let’s share our projects, our progress, our successes!

Link up your posts via Mr. Linky or create something to publish on the Facebook Event page for Mega Memory Month, which you can access (write your comments on the wall!) HERE.

Mega Memory Month Participants(visit! encourage! be inspired!)

1. Erin at filling my patch of sky2. Meagan @ Stand and Consider 3. Andrea@ Hopeannfaith’s Emotional Well 4. Amy@Lavender *Sparkles*5. Ruth @Caribbean Wordkeeper 6. Linda @Soli Deo Gloria

Ann’s Mega Memory Month Project:Colossians 1My original goal was to memorize all of Colossians 1, but I couldn’t finish. So I focused on what I could manage—verses 1-18.My final celebration isn’t fancy. I’m simply going to type it out from memory. I wish it were error-free, but I’m not quite there (I proofed my from-memory version against the original NIV text, adding missing words in red and crossing out words that shouldn’t be there):

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,To the holy and faithful brothers in Christ at Colosse:Grace and peace to you from God our Father.We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints–the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel that has come to you. All over the world this gospel has been is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has already been doing among you since the day you first heard it and understood God’s grace in all its truth. You heard it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a fellow ministry of Christ on our behalf, and who also told us of your love in the Spirit.For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking the Lord God to fill you with the knowledge of his will with through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you might may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. In For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. And He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.

Part of me wonders, Is this worth celebrating? Look, it’s only a little over half what I said I’d tackle, and it’s full of errors!Yet, if it weren’t for Mega Memory Month, I might not have bothered with it at all. So I think it is worth it, and I hope you think so, too.Thank you for joining me in the challenge. Thank you for holding me accountable. Thank you for committing to something mega.In the paraphrased words of Paul from his letter to the Colossians, I hope that this project helped you grow in the knowledge of God; that He strengthened you with all power according to His glorious might. I hope you developed great endurance and patience through it.May we now, at the conclusion of this month, joyfully give thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.In everything, Jesus Christ has the supremacy. Amen.

It’s easy to subscribe to annkroeker.com updates via email or RSS feed.Visit NotSoFastBook.com to learn more about Ann’s new book.

Filed Under: change, lifelong learning, mega memory month, memorization, mind, MMM, self-discovery, simplicity, taking risks Tagged With: ,

Food on Fridays: Rose Recipes

January 28, 2010 by 11 Comments

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Here at the Food on Fridays carnival, any post remotely related to food is welcome—your link does not have to be a recipe. If it’s about shopping for food, food allergies, your favorite childhood food, or the last book you read while eating food, that’s close enough. Link up! Think of it as a virtual pitch-in where you can sample what everyone brings and have a great time.When your Food on Fridays contribution is ready, just grab the broccoli button (the big one above or smaller option at the bottom) to paste at the top of your post and join us through Mr. Linky.Here’s a Mr. Linky tutorial:

Write up a post, publish, then return here and click on Mr. Linky below. A screen will pop up where you can type in your blog name and paste in the url to your own Food on Fridays post (give us the exact link to your Food on Fridays page, not just the link to your blog).You can also visit other people’s posts by clicking on Mr. Linky and then clicking participants’ names–you should be taken straight to their posts.Please note: I return when possible during the day and update this post by hand to include a list of the links provided via Mr. Linky. If I can’t get to the computer to do so, you may access them all by clicking on the Mister Linky logo.

Food on Fridays Participants

1. The Prudent Homemaker (Chicken Flavored Rice)2. Odd Mom (Split pea soup)3. April@ The 21st Century Housewife’s Easy Supper Omelettes4. Stretch Mark Mama (Greek Tacos)5. Tara @ Feels Like Home (BBQ sliders)6. Laura @ Frugal Follies (Challah) 7. Steph @ My Country Haven (Cheddar Bay Biscuits)8. Sara (m&m cookies)9. Newlyweds (Orange Cranberry Muffins)10. P31′s Rachel Olsen (the space excuse)11. Alison @ My Vintage Kitchen12. Kristen (oatmeal bread) 13. Dining With Debbie (emerald stir fry)14. Leftovers On Purpose (Quick Lasagna)15. Breastfeeding Moms Unite! (Mother’s ” italian” Deviled Eggs)16. Marcia@ Frugalhomekeeping (Instant Potato Boats)17. Cheesy Potato Soup

Food on Fridays with Ann

“Mom?” my youngest daughter called out, “are roses edible?”“The petals?” I asked.“Yes, rose petals.”I wasn’t sure. I knew rose hips are edible along with several other flowers like nasturtiums and maybe pansies. But I didn’t know about rose petals.Apparently they are. Assuming they are free from man-made pesticides, that is.This came up because my daughter, who loves reading the Redwall series, discovered some websites posting recipes of dishes mentioned in the books. Dishes like:

  • Abbot’s Special Abbey Trifle
  • Spiced Gatehouse Tea Bread
  • Afternoon Tea Scones with Strawberry Jam and Cream
  • Squirrelmum’s Blackberry and Apple Cake
  • Savoury Nut Tea Bread Squares
  • Guosim Shrew Shortbread
  • Rose Pudding
  • Candied Rose Petals

And there they were—recipes calling for rose petals.Intrigued, she asked if she could try exploring some of the recipes at this website.I’d like to support her interest. To do so, it looks like I need to swing by Kroger to pick up both flour and flowers.Have you ever cooked with flowers? I’d welcome your advice!

“Pink Rose” photo © 2008 Ann Kroeker

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Mega Memory Month January 2010 is under way!

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Filed Under: creativity, Food, Food on Fridays, lifelong learning, nature Tagged With: , , , , ,

The Lecture: Healthy or Harsh?

January 27, 2010 by 2 Comments

Three of my kids take piano lessons from the same teacher, so they take turns going first. They determined the order themselves several months ago. I thought it was all settled. It shouldn’t be difficult to maintain who goes first, second and third, right?At the start of a recent lesson, they argued.“You go first.”“I went first last week.”“No, you didn’t!”“Yes, I did!”The conflict escalated and intensified with much weeping and gnashing of teeth. It got so bad, the teacher had to call me in—I couldn’t believe I was refereeing a shouting match over who goes first for piano lessons! I resolved to end things abruptly by assigning an order.“Okay,” I began, pointing to them one-at-a-time. “You go. Then you. Then you. That’s it. No questions asked.” I started to go, then stopped and grumbled, “We’ll talk about this later.”I climbed into the car gnashing my own teeth…(Please visit HighCallingBlogs to read whether The Lecture that I launched delivered healthy correction or harsh criticism…)

HighCallingBlogs.com Christian Blog Network
Photo by HCB-network member nAncY of Just Say the Word.
“Hammers on Black.” Just Say the Word. 7 January 2010. Web. 27 Jan. 2010. <http://justsaytheword.wordpress.com/2010/01/07/1929/>.

It’s easy to subscribe to annkroeker.com updates via email RSS feed.Visit NotSoFastBook.com to learn more about Ann’s book.

Filed Under: change, children, family, high calling blogs, home, lifelong learning, motherhood, parenting, self-discovery Tagged With: , , , ,

MMM Jan 2010 Final Progress Report (#4)

January 25, 2010 by 3 Comments

Final Progress Report (#4)This coming Sunday marks the end of Mega Memory Month January 2010.Now don’t panic. Don’t scramble to cram in whatever is left.This week, I urge you to simply stay focused and work steadily each day to add what you can and review what you’ve already managed to memorize. Take some time to relax and plan out your Final Celebration. Remember that? I encourage participants to come up with a final project to commemorate and celebrate this month-long memorization journey. You can recite your passage or project and upload the audio file, create a YouTube video of your recitation, type it up, write it out in calligraphy, or create artwork to accompany the words. It’s up to you.We’ll celebrate with you, no matter how close or far you came to achieving your MMM goal!For this week’s Progress Report, leave a note on your progress at the Facebook Event page I set up for Mega Memory Month (write your comments on the wall!) HERE. You can also summarize your progress in the comments of this post and/or link your own Progress Report post here via Mr. Linky.

Mr. Linky instructions:Click on the icon and a separate screen pops up. In one box, you type in your name and/or website; in the other box, paste in the url to your post. It’ll be saved and accessible by returning to this page and clicking on the icon again.I’ll return later in the day and embed the pop-up links into the text itself here for easy access.

Ann’s ProgressI’m getting to know Max McLean’s voice pretty well these days. I could hear his voice in my head when I was mentally reviewing Colossians 1: 1-23 on Sunday afternoon.I don’t even have verses 1 to 21 solid, however, let alone the entire chapter (which goes to verse 29). So this week, I intend to focus in on Colossians 1:17-23 in particular while reviewing the preceding verses, and that may be where I have to stop. I don’t think I can get the rest in a week.And I’m okay with that.Because I can get the rest eventually—verse by verse, week after week—even after MMM Jan 2010 comes to a close.This passage from Colossians 1 is what I’d like to leave you with today, not so much as practice or to report on my progress, but to encourage everyone involved…know that I’m:

asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience…

May the Lord strengthen you during this final week with all power according to his glorious might…that you may have great endurance and patience. Amen.For your convenience, I decided to keep these memorization resources right at your fingertips each week:• Click HERE to read “An Approach to Extended Memorization” by Dr. Andrew Davis, an article highly recommended by Amy at Lavender Sparkles.• Click HERE for my mega collection of memorization tips and techniques.• Click HERE for more inspiration and practical suggestions for memorizing Scripture from Ann Voskamp of Holy Experience.

It’s easy to subscribe to annkroeker.com updates via email RSS feed.Visit NotSoFastBook.com to learn more about Ann’s book.

Filed Under: Bible study, lifelong learning, mega memory month, memorization, mind, MMM, self-discovery, taking risks Tagged With: , , ,

Slow Fragments

January 24, 2010 by 6 Comments

pet catSifting through old e-mails as a kind of virtual decluttering discipline, I came across several “slow” references, articles and resources I’d pasted into an e-mail sent to myself as an impromptu and inefficient filing system.One article was called “Slow Living: It’s About Time,” published in 2002 by Fred First at “Fragments From Floyd.”First, who lives off a gravel road in rural Virginia, points out that even there, his lifestyle is full. “In our country life,” First wrote, “we are as active as anyone anywhere. We can’t be faulted for running away from things to do. But there is a difference between being busy and being hurried. It is hurriedness that our gravel road helps us to avoid when leaving home, an enforced kind of meditation that prepares us to enter the faster world in a slower state of mind.”Choosing to live away from bustling cities, First has been seeking, Thoreau-like, to simplify, simplify, simplify. He pointed out that Mr. Thoreau surely “did not envision modern families cramming the maximum activity and consumption into every mile and minute, each effort and motion.” But First pointed out that while he likes his slower, rural setting, the solution to our addiction to “speed” is not in relocating to a farm on a gravel road; in fact, he was impressed with the “Slow Cities” movement that was gaining speed at the time.

One could live “fast” in the country, or “slow” in a city environment. It seems to be more a matter of individual and collective discipline and temperament than population density. Slowing down requires purposeful and difficult choices in our stewardship of time, and we must become less passive in this unspoken struggle between competing philosophies. The more we succeed at guarding ourselves from speed addiction, the louder the purveyors of faςade and tempo will shout for our attention: bigger signs, louder ads, flashier graphics, gaudier plastic and neon, Happier Meals. Where does it stop, and when?

Where does it stop, and when? The “purveyors of faςade and tempo” will never stop; all we can do is resist and let their words fall of deaf ears.How?Well, I think our only chance is to find our strength and satisfaction in something deeper and more profound than an ideal or philosophy—even the Slow Movement or ongoing simplicity trend—in order to resist those signs, ads, graphics, plastic, neon and “Happier Meals.”We have to listen to truth—God’s Truth—and believe it, cling to it, and return to it again and again as a countermeasure.To resist bulging schedules and a steady diet of bigger-better-faster, we need to eat the Bread of Life to be filled with what really matters.For me to resist the speed of the world, I need to return to the truth of Scripture again and again.For me to resist the voices telling me that who I am and what I have isn’t enough, I need to listen to the voice of the Savior again and again.In Him, I rest. In Him, I am satisfied.

This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.Listen to him! (Matthew 17:5)

Work Cited:

First, Fred. “Slow Living: It’s About Time.” Web log post. Fragments From Floyd. 8 June 2002. Web. 24 Jan. 2010. <http://www.fragmentsfromfloyd.com/fragments/2002/06/slow_living_its_about_time.html>.
“Slow Cat” photo © 2010 by Ann Kroeker.

Mega Memory Month January 2010 has returned!

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Food on Fridays: Tea Distraction

January 21, 2010 by 12 Comments

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(smaller button below)

Here at the Food on Fridays carnival, any post remotely related to food is welcome; that is, the Food on Fridays parameters are not at all narrow. Think of it as a virtual pitch-in where you can sample what everyone brings and have a great time.When your Food on Fridays contribution is ready, just grab the broccoli button (the big one above or the new smaller option at the bottom) to paste at the top of your post and join us through Mr. Linky.Here’s a Mr. Linky tutorial:

Write up a post, publish, then return here and click on Mr. Linky below. A screen will pop up where you can type in your blog name and paste in the url to your own Food on Fridays post (give us the exact link to your Food on Fridays page, not just the link to your blog).You can also visit other people’s posts by clicking on Mr. Linky and then clicking participants’ names–you should be taken straight to their posts.Please note: I return when possible during the day and update this post by hand to include a list of the links provided via Mr. Linky. If I can’t get to the computer to do so, you may access them all by clicking on the Mister Linky logo.

Food on Fridays Participants

1. Amy @ Raising Arrows (Quick Taco Salad)2. Kitchen Stewardship (10 Tips for BEST Ever Homemade Chicken Stock)3. Prudent & Practical {Sesame Turkey!}4. JA @ Gravity of Motion (Warning Signs of Food Allergies)5. April@ The 21st Century Housewife (Tenderloin in Mustard Sauce)6. Tara @ Feels Like Home (garden lasagna)7. Laura @ Frugal Follies (Banana- Cinnamon Oatmeal) 8. Rachel Olsen – P31 (eggs, spies, and Calphalon)9. Rachel Olsen – P31 (eggs, spies, and Calphalon)10. Allie and Pattie @Bramasole…to yearn for the sun11. The Packet Queen (Red Velvet Cake Bread Pudding)12. Sonshine( parmesan crusted tilapia or shrimp)13. Newlyweds (Fish Tacos with lemon butter sauce)14. live once juicy (GF Pizza!) 15. Kathleen Overby16. Sara (mocha cheesecake bars)17. Marcia@ Frugalhomekeeping (Vegetable Cookbook)18. Breastfeeding Moms Unite! (My Birthday Menu)19. Spagetti Meatballs@ Outward Expression20. Carla (Easy- No- Need- To- Buy- A- Mix Cornbread)21. Jen @ Scraps and Snippets 22. Tammy’s Good Plans23. Suzie Lind

Food on Fridays with Ann

I love my tea, as you may recall, especially PG Tips.I make a pot. Pour a cup. Sip some. Get distracted. Lose track of the tea.Find the cup an hour later. Top off the cup with tea from the pot and reheat in the microwave. Get distracted again. Forget the tea in the microwave. Reheat a second time. Sip a little. Get distracted.And so the cycle continues some days.By lunch time, I can no longer drink PG Tips because it’s caffeinated, and as you know, I can’t have caffeine in the afternoon or I’m Chatty Cathy until two in the morning.Check out how distracted I’ve been.Yes, I found three identical mugs of cold tea.Oh, it gets better. Not only did I discover all of these half-full mugs, but I found tea in the pot, as well.By the time I collected them, it was lunch time. I’d made one cup of decaffeinated tea at some point, but which one? I selected mugs from a matching set. They’re identical. I couldn’t tell decaf from caf.To risk choosing one with caffeine in hopes of selecting the decaf mug turned my afternoon into a game of Russian roulette … with tea. If I drink the wrong one, I’m up all night.Not wanting to live on the edge like that, I played it safe. I brewed yet another.Decaf, of course.Now, if only I could remember where I put it?

All tea photos © 2010 by Ann Kroeker

Mega Memory Month January 2010 is under way!

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Filed Under: Food, Food on Fridays, home, tea Tagged With:

Kinship in the Quiet: Laura Boggess

January 21, 2010 by 11 Comments

For the most part, writing is a quiet, solitary effort. I don’t mind, though; in fact, the percentage of my personality that ranks high on the introvert scale actually enjoys it. I’m one of those people who seems like an extrovert and truly enjoys interacting with people, yet regains energy through time alone in the quiet. So sitting at my computer tapping away at a blog post, article or book proposal meets that need. I walk away replenished.But even an introvert needs people; even writers needs community.Enter: HighCallingBlogs.

HighCallingBlogs.com Christian Blog Network

HighCallingBlogs (HCB) believes God cares about our daily work. Through this network of personal websites, I’m finding community and shared values among like-minded writers.HCB focuses on the intersection of faith and work. Throughout the week, featured writers produce content on a given theme or topic within the context of faith and work (work being defined broadly, including however and wherever we work, be it the kitchen, courthouse, or board room). This past year I was asked to help with Family & Parenting content, eventually accepting the role of Content Editor for that area. I was already enjoying online community in the HCB network, but in this new role I’m getting to know the staff members better, as well, finding it an honor to be among a group of excellent, creative, professional and forward-thinking writers/leaders/bloggers.I’d like to introduce to you one of these excellent, creative, professional and forward-thinking people: Laura Boggess of The Wellspring, author of Brody’s Story, and official Book Convener at HCB.Book Convener? Laura facilitates HCB book club discussions. The most recent book was The Wisdom of the Wilderness, by Gerald May, and although I didn’t read the book, I’d still pop in on Mondays and check out the topic. Several of her posts drew me in. Take Power of the Slowing, for example, where she wrote, “What May calls the Power of the Slowing seems to me to be a deliberate effort to be still and know God. A deliberate slowing down, quieting the mind.”A not-so-fast gal like me really appreciated her “deliberate effort to be still and know God.”Laura’s blog, The Wellspring, includes reflections about daily life, whether the subject matter focuses on family, work, or faith. Her recent post, “On Being Quiet,” continued the reflective, quiet, slowing theme that makes me feel connected not only through HCB but also through this longing to stay in contact with our hearts by staying in contact with the Lord…in the quiet. I love what Laura quoted from a book by Matthew Kelty:

We all need contact with our hearts. Without that contact we are isolated from truth, divorced from reality. Quiet is certainly one of the ways to that contact. And peace. I suspect seriously that the single most effective weapon of Satan in our times is noise. I cannot think of a better way to alienation and loss of religion. Fill a man day and night with noise, even beautiful noise. Allow him no time to think, to muse, to ponder, to wonder. Fill his air with sound, his ears with din. His heart will die soon enough. Now you have broken him. He can no longer love.

Laura reflected on that excerpt. “Busy-ness is an idol in our culture,” she wrote. “This is the way of multi-tasking, batch projects—of stretching our umbrella, extending our reach…Not a bad way in and of itself. In fact, it can be quite a good way…But I must not lose the quiet moment in each task; I must not miss the heart connection.”By paying attention, making time for quiet reflection, and being honest and open, Laura seems to maintain that “heart connection” and lead others through a similar contemplative process, whether in an HCB book discussion or a blog post at The Wellspring.With Laura, I’m finding kinship in the quiet.Get to know Laura Boggess:Blog: The WellspringHCB: HCB Book ConvenerTwitter: @twitter/lauraboggess

“Ann as Solitary Writer” © 2010 by S. Kroeker. Used with permission.

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Filed Under: blog, blogging, high calling blogs, Slow Movement, slowing, writer, writers, writing Tagged With: , , , , ,

MMM Jan 2010 Progress Report #3

January 17, 2010 by 6 Comments

Progress Report #3Mega Memory Month January 2010 is over halfway through. Are you halfway through your project?Leave a note on your progress at the Facebook Event page I set up for Mega Memory Month (write your comments on the wall!) HERE. You can also summarize your progress in the comments of this post and/or link your own Progress Report post here via Mr. Linky.

Mr. Linky instructions:Click on the icon and a separate screen pops up. In one box, you type in your name and/or website; in the other box, paste in the url to your post. It’ll be saved and accessible by returning to this page and clicking on the icon again.I’ll return later in the day and embed the pop-up links into the text itself here for easy access.

1. Erin at filling my patch of sky2. Ruth 3. Meagan @ Stand and Consider4. Andrea@ Hopeannfaith’s Emotional Well

Ann’s ProgressI’m behind. Dreadfully behind.The idea was to work on one verse per day. This would work if I’d keep up. But I haven’t.What’s motivating, though, is that as I catch up, I’ll be working on a powerful section that describes Jesus as “the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.” I especially want to know this part by heart.This section reminds me that “by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (verses 16-17).All things were created by Him and for Him.He is before all things.In Him, all things hold together.That’s big.I want to have those words inside of my head, inside my heart…So, to try to catch up, I decided to pull out every memorization tip and technique. For example, I realized I pick up things well through listening, so I decided to hunt down an audio recording of Colossians 1 (NIV). I found it. Who wouldn’t want to hear Colossians 1 read to them by Max McLean (complete with a smooth British accent)? To listen, click HERE. And thanks, Bible Gateway.Search for an audio recording of your own passage and translation at Bible Gateway HERE. (They offer Contemporary English Version, ESV, NIV, Today’s NIV, NASB and KJV).

He is before all things, and in him all things hold together (Colossians 1:17)

Lord, hold these words together in my head.

For your convenience, I decided to keep these memorization resources right at your fingertips each week:• Click HERE to read “An Approach to Extended Memorization” by Dr. Andrew Davis, an article highly recommended by Amy at Lavender Sparkles.• Click HERE for my mega collection of memorization tips and techniques.• Click HERE for more inspiration and practical suggestions for memorizing Scripture from Ann Voskamp of Holy Experience.

It’s easy to subscribe to annkroeker.com updates via email RSS feed.Visit NotSoFastBook.comto learn more about Ann’s new book

Filed Under: Bible study, creativity, lifelong learning, mega memory month, memorization, mind, MMM, self-discovery, simplicity, Slow Movement, slowing, taking risks Tagged With: , , ,

Food on Fridays: Breakfast-for-Dinner for Breakfast Again

January 15, 2010 by 8 Comments

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(smaller button below)

Here at the Food on Fridays carnival, any post remotely related to food is welcome; that is, the Food on Fridays parameters are not at all narrow. Think of it as a virtual pitch-in where you can sample what everyone brings and have a great time.When your Food on Fridays contribution is ready, just grab the broccoli button (the big one above or the new smaller option at the bottom) to paste at the top of your post and join us through Mr. Linky.Here’s a Mr. Linky tutorial:

Write up a post, publish, then return here and click on Mr. Linky below. A screen will pop up where you can type in your blog name and paste in the url to your own Food on Fridays post (give us the exact link to your Food on Fridays page, not just the link to your blog).You can also visit other people’s posts by clicking on Mr. Linky and then clicking participants’ names–you should be taken straight to their posts.Please note: I return when possible during the day and update this post by hand to include a list of the links provided via Mr. Linky. If I can’t get to the computer to do so, you may access them all by clicking on the Mister Linky logo.

Food on Fridays Participants

1. SPF’S FOODIE FRIDAY2. April@ The 21st Century Housewife (Chicken in White Wine & Leek Sauce)3. Laura @ Frugal Follies (Ratatouille [the stew, not the movie]4. Tara @ Feels Like Home (Penne w/mushrooms)5. Heather @ Just Doing My Best (Sauteed Parmesan Broccoli)6. Hoosier Homemade{ Chicken Pot Pie Soup}7. Yvonne@ Stone Gable ( Spicy Grown-Up Gingerbread Men 8. Newlyweds (Baked Cabbage)9. ITWPF{ Hot Chocolate}10. Lemon Cleanse@ Outward Expression11. Moms Magic – Taste Test12. live once juicy (GF Stuffed Peppers or Cabbage)13. Sara (baked oatmeal)14. Carla (Vegetarian Chili) 15. Breastfeeding Moms Unite! (Udon Noodle Miso Soup)16. Trish Southard (Gator Cookies)17. Rachel Olsen – P3118. Amanda@ Coping With Frugality (Mom’s Fruity Muffins)

Food on Fridays with Ann

For dinner the other day I made a gigantic omelet that I couldn’t finish. So I saved half of it in hopes that it would reheat nicely the next morning.It did.Also reheated with great results: a side dish of cubed potatoes, cubed sweet potatoes, and diced yellow and green peppers seasoned with rosemary.It was good with this:While we’re on the topic of food, consider donating to organizations supplying food and water to Haiti.We suggest:Samaritan’s Purse (donate directly to Haiti relief HERE)Please mention in the comments organizations you trust to use funds wisely and provide relief that makes an impact.

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Mega Memory Month January 2010 is under way!

It’s easy to subscribe to annkroeker.com updates via email or RSS feed.Visit NotSoFastBook.com to learn more about Ann’s new book.

Filed Under: Food, Food on Fridays, frugality, simplicity Tagged With: ,

Don't Blink

January 13, 2010 by 5 Comments

*Blink*

One morning I spied my son sitting on one of the kitchen chairs, his toes easily touching the floor. I stopped and stared. Something about his posture and those long, lean legs … for a moment, backlit by the morning sun, my eight-year-old boy looked like a teenager.Now, I was a little groggy, which may have added to the effect, but the thought of him that much older made my heart gasp.I didn’t mention it to him at the time. I just moseyed across the room to make my pot of tea. But later in the day, while visiting the library, we stepped into the elevator and I told him.“This morning when I saw you sitting at the kitchen table, I thought, ‘Wow, he looks like a teenager.’”He laughed.I continued, “I feel like I’m just going to *blink* and you’ll be all grown up.” I squeezed my eyes shut and popped them open wide for dramatic effect.He giggled. Goofy mom…

Today at HighCallingBlogs (HCB) I wrote about how quickly the kids seem to grow and how little we can do to stop it.But I found some writers in the HCB network who seem to know how to slow down and take it all in, experience life through all senses, and relish each moment. I invite you to slip over to HighCallingBlogs.com and read my story along with excerpts of theirs and then let me (and HCB readers) know your secret: How do you take in life when it wants to race forward in a *blink*?How do you relish each moment?In the midst of a life that refuses to slow down, how do you slow yourself?I told my kids about my story, describing how I feel that in a  *blink*, they’re all grown up. Their advice?“Don’t blink!”Read “It Happens in a Blink” HERE.

“Long legs” photo © 2010 by Ann Kroeker.

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Filed Under: change, children, family, motherhood, parenting, slowing