Top Five Tacos

Okay, okay. So you don't want to commit to 52 weeks of tacos. We've rounded up our top five recipes, and without further ado, I present them to you:

1. Chicken tacos with Alabama BBQ sauce (Taste Made) (My husband's favorite, and my second favorite)

2. Instant Pot black beans tacos with avocado crema (With Two Spoons) (So many layers of flavor!)

3. Guinness chicken tacos (The Kitchen Paper) 

4. Instant Pot ground turkey tacos (Eating Instantly) with Old Bay crema (Cooking with Cocktail Rings)

5. Peaches and cream breakfast tacos (Mountain Mama Cooks) 

Runners up:

Red chicken curry tacos (Fit Men Cook)

Greek salad tacos (Work Week Lunch)

BBQ chicken tacos (Tastes Better from Scratch)

Black eyed pea tacos (Great Grub, Delicious Treats)

Southern veggie tacos (Campbell’s)

Real Life Marriage: Relying on the Lord

You think when you marry a person that you are marrying your soulmate. You think that you are marrying your helpmate. You think that you have someone you can completely rely on. You may believe that you will have forever companionship. Lord willing, you will, until death do you part. But no one tells you that marriage will also cut you off from your support system. A godly marriage is such that it cleaves you to your spouse like nothing else. In doing so, it also distances you, at least to an extent, from other parts of your previous support system. Then, when you feel distant from your spouse, you feel alone like never before. All you have left is Christ. He is all you ever had anyway, but now you really feel it.

A spouse is not meant to fulfill you. A spouse is not perfect. He or she will fail. When they do, it hurts. It hurts a lot. It is scary. To take it out on them, though, would be sin, so you have to go to the Lord. You have to ask the Lord (again) to fulfill you and take care of you, for only He can do so perfectly.

Marriage reveals to you the depth of your pride, and how easily you sin. Yes, your spouse may sin, but so do you, and you often sin in response to sin. Marriage shows you, in a very painful way, how much you need the Lord.

I don't know if I have ever had to pray as hard, or recite as many scriptures, or sing worship songs (often tearfully) or preach truth to myself as often as I have had to do in marriage. Don't get me wrong. Singleness was hard. I love my spouse, and I am so grateful to God for our marriage. It isn't easy, though. It makes me need the Lord like nothing else. It make me rely on the Lord like nothing else. This is what I should have been doing anyway. Praise God that though often painful, he has brought me to this good thing called marriage to reveal this again and again to me.

Best Books of 2021

Well, I managed to read 65 books this year. (It helps that I read some for work.) Yes, I did count the Bible, too. It took me a year on a reading plan, but it is a book, so I counted it. (Or should I count the 66 books? That would put me over 100 books for the year!) Anyway, here is my round-up of best reads:

Cookbooks:

Healthy Meal Prep: Time-Saving Plans to Prep and Portion Your Weekly Meals by Stephanie Tornatore and Adam Bannon of Fit Couple Cooks—These authors (a trained chef and his creative partner) put a lot into this cookbook! Readers get twelve weeks of meal prep, each with four meals (1 breakfast and 3 main meals to rotate), which will feed a person for six days. Meals are each 400-600 calories (nutrition facts included). They are healthy without containing too strange of ingredients or being too healthy. There are photos for each meal of every prep. Every prep tells how to do it step by step, and there are shopping lists, too. Tips throughout help readers know how to buy, prep, store, reheat, and so much more. This is a gem of a resource!

Runner up:

The Instant Pot Electric Pressure Cooker Cookbook: Easy Recipes for Fast & Healthy Meals by Laurel Randolph—Simplistic at times, drool worthy at others, I can see why this cookbook has sold over half a million copies. It contains pressure cooker basics and tips about healthy eating. With recipes for breakfasts, dinners, dessert, staple sauces and beyond, the cookbook has something for everyone at every meal. Ingredients are generally not too exotic, either. While I know I do not want to make a few recipes, I would say on the whole, that this cookbook has more recipes than I have time to make, which makes it not just a reference, but a resource for years to come. I might even want to get a larger Instant Pot and some more equipment!

*I own this one thanks to a gift from a friend.

Christian/spiritual:

Seeing Beautiful Again: 50 Devotions to Find Redemption in Every Part of Your Story by Lysa TerKeurst—A collection of devotionals formatted into a beautiful book makes this a treasure trove of a resource for now and the future. Each devotional starts with a Scripture and ends with a prayer. TerKeurst shares authentically about many of her own struggles (even her husband's infidelity) and how she has seen God work through them. She writes a lot about forgiveness, a bit about marriage, and a lot about being human. In the end, she concludes that, “Seeing beautiful again requires us to stay moldable by God” (p. 246). Staying moldable is good reason to read this devotional and begin looking for beautiful all over again.

*My mom gifted me this one.

Runner up:

Let The Nations Be Glad: Third Edition by John Piper—“Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is.” With this quote, Piper sets off on a biblical reflection of what missions and is and is not. He preaches that God’s glory must be over all. He writes of the importance of suffering, prayer, and the doctrine of hell. He writes against the prosperity gospel and for compassionate hearts that desire the salvation of souls from hell. He writes of how the gospel must go to all peoples and all nations. Accessible, yet written in Piper’s very thorough style, this is a book for all believers, because whether they send or go, God calls all believers to the cause of missions.

Fiction:

The Shoebox by Francine Rivers—This is a beautiful short story about Timmy, a sweet foster boy living with Mary and David Holmes. Timmy carries a shoebox with him everywhere. He is the only one who knows what’s in it, that is until he becomes a wise man in the Christmas play and lays his shoebox at the feet of baby Jesus. Then the author reveals a view from heaven. This sweet book includes lovely sketches, recipes from the author and her family, and the biblical Christmas story at the end. Short, but poignant, reading this could become a family tradition.

Runner up:

The Innkeeper by John Piper (11/30/21)--A unique Christmas book with beautiful paintings, this tells the story of the innkeeper who housed Joseph and Mary. Piper supposes that this innkeeper lost his son when Herod ordered the killing of all the young boys after the wise men announced Jesus' birth. In poignant poetry, Piper writes of Jesus visiting this innkeeper and recounting how the innkeeper's sacrifice will result in a sacrifice to save the world. This is a different look at Christmas, but an important one at that!

Marriage:

The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work by John M. Gottman, PhD and Nan Silver—This may be one of Gottman’s best books yet! Based on empirical research, but made extremely practical through questionnaires and exercises contained in the book, these principles for making marriage work, and work well, are accessible to everyone! This book reinforced to me the importance of softened start-ups, accepting a spouse and treating them with love no matter their differences, and acknowledging dreams, even if they are no feasible. The book ends with the “Magic Five Hours” that keep marriages strong. Couples can easily invest five hours a week in their relationships, Gottman asserts, through rituals about partings, reunions, admiration and appreciation, affection, and a two hour weekly date. Marriage takes work, but it is doable work, and the positive benefits for health, relationships, and beyond are well worth the investment!

Runner up:

Now You’re Speaking My Language by Gary Chapman—I expected this book to be primarily about marital communication, but found it to be about much, much more. Chapman writes with a strong gospel emphasis, as well as sound psychological principles. He challenges readers to a higher calling for marriage, to live like Christ instead of for themselves. Chapman places an emphasis on intimacy and lays a theological, as well as practical grounds for building it. This is honestly one of the best and most helpful books I have read of Chapman’s and I wholeheartedly recommend it to Christian couples!

Running:

(This is a new category this year, replacing COVID from last year. It seems apt....)

Run to the Finish: The EverydayRunner’s Guide to Avoiding Injury, Ignoring the Clock, and Lovingthe Run by Amanda Brooks (6/2/21)—This is probably the best book about running I have read so far! The author, a journalist and a run coach, blends tongue-in-cheek humor, personal anecdotes, science, and just enough mindset work to make the book accessible and applicable to runners of all kinds. Beginner runners can find what they need. Recreational runners ready to make running a lifestyle can find what they need. There is good marathon training and recovery advice for those wanting to increase training, as well as a few training plans for improving speed. The book has reasonable advice for warm-ups, strength work, and nutrition as well. It is refreshing to read a book by a “middle of the pack” runner, and upon finishing, I felt renewed in my desire to run, and to make adjustments to my current routine so that I can “run to the finish.”

Runner up:

26 Marathons: What I Learned About Faith, Identity, Running, and Life From My Marathon Career by Meb Keflezighi with Scott Douglas (3/5/21)—Meb Keflezighi is apparently a running icon, one I never knew until this book. A naturalized citizen who came to the United States as a refugee, Meb fought his way into marathoning and record making through blood, sweat, and tears. In this book chronicling the 26 marathons of his professional career, Meb writes about repeated injuries, comebacks, and the mindset that got him so far. Meb repeatedly writes about how the marathon parallels life. When life is tough, the tough dig in deep, and that is exactly what Meb did.

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Readers, what are your favorite books of the year? Please share in the comments section!

Taco Tuesday: A New Tradition

We started a new tradition last year: Taco Tuesday. And we did it Every. Single. Tuesday. Sometimes it was a challenge, but mostly it was fun. I tried to theme the tacos around national holidays from the National Day Calendar. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't. All in all, it was a fun tradition, and one we may continue into the new year (though with less strictness about having to eat the tacos on Tuesdays). Want to start the tradition yourself? I've got you covered with 52 weeks of recipes:

1. Tasty lentil tacos (Taste of Home)

2. Red chicken curry tacos (Fit Men Cook)

3. Black eyed pea tacos (Great Grub, Delicious Treats)

4. Instant Pot black beans tacos with avocado crema (With Two Spoons)

5. Potato-bacon breakfast tacos (Bon Appetit)

6. Oven baked supreme pizza tacos (All Recipes)

7. Cajun ground beef tacos (Cooked by Julie)

8. Sweet potato and black bean tacos (with honey and lime) (Cooking Classy)

9. Taco sandwiches (Food and Family)

10. Mexican meatball street tacos (I Wash You Dry) 

11. Guinness chicken tacos (The Kitchen Paper)

12. Philly cheesesteak tacos (This is Not Diet Food)

13. Vegan tacos with quinoa taco meat (My Crazy Good Life)

14. Cheddar beer chicken tacos (Cheese Curd in Paradise)

15. Grilled chili chicken tacos (The Defined Dish) with tomatillo salsa verde (Simply Recipes)

16. Southern veggie tacos (Campbell’s)

17. Taco dogs (Taste and Tell)

18. Salsa verde tacos (365 Days of Slow Cooking/Carlsbad Cravings)

19. Baked chicken tacos (Mason Woodruff)

20. Instant Pot cilantro lime pulled chicken tacos (The Girl on Bloor)

21. Extra cheesy beef oven baked tacos (Mason Woodruff)

22. Instant pot chicken tacos (The Recipe Rebel)

23. Chipotle lentil tacos (The Full Helping)

24. Greek salad tacos (Work Week Lunch)

25. Spicy black bean and caramelized onion tacos (Blue Apron)

26. Chicken tacos with pineapple salsa (Jessica Gavin)

27. Horseradish chicken tacos (Farm Flavor)

28. Lemon chicken tacos (Taste of Home)

29. Baked black bean tacos (Brooklyn Farm Girl)

30. Egg, green chile and cheese breakfast tacos (Recipe Runner)

31. Chicken tacos with peach salsa (Mix and Match Mama)

32. Creamy jalapeno chicken tacos (Eat at Home Cooks)

33. Chicken fajita tacos (Cuisine at Home)

34. Instant Pot ground turkey tacos (Eating Instantly) with Old Bay crema (Cooking with Cocktail Rings)

34. Peaches and cream breakfast tacos (Mountain Mama Cooks) 

35. BBQ chicken tacos (Tastes Better from Scratch)

36. Vegan tacos with acorn squash and black beans (Lotta Veg)

37. Peanut butter banana swirl tacos (Pepperidge Farms)

38. Street style beef tacos (Just Seasoned)

39. Vegan butternut squash tacos with chipotle crema sauce (This Savory Vegan)

40. Chili cheese tacos (Emily Bites)

41. Lamb tacos (Pinch and Swirl)

42. Roasted corn and zucchini tacos (Budget Bytes)

43. Pumpkin black bean tacos (Peas and Crayons)

44. Veggie tacos (Taste of Home)

45. Cajun chicken tacos (Foodal)

46. Sweet corn and black bean tacos (Cookie and Kate)

47. Baked vegetarian refried bean tacos (Veggie Balance)

48. One pot shredded turkey tacos (One Pot Recipes)

49. Mushroom and corn tacos (Real Simple)

50. Chicken tacos with Alabama BBQ sauce (Taste Made)

51. Buffalo chicken tacos (A Mind Full Mom)

52. Easy tofu tacos (A Couple Cooks)

Want more? Feel free to check out the recipes I have pinned on Pinterest. Or if you just want to make it easy, buy this cookbook on Amazon. Truth be told, this is really where I got inspiration for the Taco Tuesday trend, that and that my husband told me tacos are one of his favorite foods, a fact I previously did not know. The things you do for love...of husbands and tacos.

P.S. We ordered our "Ate a lot of tacos" ornament from Etsy, but sadly, it is no longer available. A similar one is here, though.

Top Ten of 2021

Well, it's that time again, time to wrap up the year. I always find it interesting what and where people read. Most people read on Facebook, and these were the posts with the most reach (in descending order, from greatest to least):

When Fun Isn't Fun Anymore
Payson Vacation
Afghan #65
Afghans 61 and 62
Real Life Marriage: Keeping My Marriage
Best Books of 2020
33.
Real Life Marriage: When the "Stuff" Comes Up
I Need Him.
Real Life Marriage: Deciding Versus Sliding

On my blog itself, the posts visited most often were (in descending order, from greatest to least):

Yoga Revolution (Yoga with Adriene) Review
The Three E's of Trauma
A Review of Yoga Fix 30
I Need Him.
Good Communication: Self-Aware and Selfless
The Importance of Parental Support for Marriage
The Strong Woman
Self Care is My Responsibility
When the Weight is Too Great to Bear
Marriage, Year Two: The Highs

Interesting that "I Need Him" is the only crossover post. And apparently my top posts are still from previous years. Oh well.

I hope you all enjoyed reading, and see you next year.

P.S. If you have a favorite post from the year, please feel free to share in the comments section. Thanks!

Afghan 67

Another one hit the post office!

This blanket is from another pattern off the 20 baby blankets list from which I have been working. Knitting with Chopsticks specified using an additional color (gray), but I did not have it, so I doubled up on the Red Heart spring green. I also used Mainstays white and pink. The bead and bubble stitch were new to me. (I had to re-read the instructions every time I came to a row of them!). They gave the blanket nice texture, I think. I started this blanket around Fourth of July and thought it looked like a watermelon. I gave it to a baby set to come Christmas Eve, so the green and pink seem like a riff on Christmas colors. Maybe this is an anytime blanket!

The size of this blanket seemed larger to me. Mine measured 34 by 55 inches, with 115 total rows. (The author of the pattern measured her blanket at 41.25 by 51.25 inches.) I used my ergonomic J hook for this blanket. It is pretty much the only hook I use, and it works great! I am just thankful I can still crochet and keep crossing blankets off my list!

The Paradox of Christmas

Christmas is a paradox. I have not really thought about it much until this year. This year, the pain of the season has come with a vengeance, and more because of external pain rather than person pain. Friends have lots babies. Friends have lost parents and grandparents. Loved ones have loved ones who are gravely ill. Pets are lost and dying. I have felt bodily pain from ongoing health issues and a few procedures. Isn't this supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year? Because this year, it certainly isn't.

Christmas brings up many feelings. For those with intact families, it brings up special memories and the chance to relive them. For those separated from their families by death or by choices (either theirs, or those of their family), it brings up pain. For families with good boundaries and the ability to enforce them, it brings closeness and warmth. For others, the stress of the season leads to more arguing and bickering and fighting. Or maybe the season brings such a mixture of feelings that it is difficult to delineate between them. Some would rather skip over the season than feel such overwhelm.

As I ponder what Christmas means, though, I think about Jesus. Born as a baby, but still perfectly God, he had to know that he would one day die. How did that affect him? What about Mary? She knew that her baby was God. Simeon prophesied to her, "'And a sword will pierce your own soul too'" (Luke 2:35, NIV). Did she know what that meant? She gave birth to Jesus in pain. Then she lived through the pain of watching him grow up and be crucified. How did she manage?

What about the people of Bethlehem and its vicinity? They lost all their sons two years and younger because of Herod's fear of Jesus becoming greater than him, and subsequent wrath (Matthew 2:16). That had to be exceedingly painful!

Christmas is a paradox, in so many ways. Some years just bring that to light more than others. The paradox of Christmas is eternal, though. Christ come to earth as a baby to die for our sins. Hope, and a reminder that we are hopeless on our own. Life and a reminder that all of us are doomed for death. We cannot have the one without the other. As I, and many others, struggle with pain this Christmas, may we remember Jesus' pain, and that because of Jesus' pain, sorrow does not last forever. Sorrow "may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning" (Ps 30:5, KJV). Either in the morning of a future day or future time, or in the forever morning of living with Jesus in heaven forever.

Merry Christmas to all, in whatever season you may be. Know you are loved, by us, and by the eternal God!