The Shack

The Shack by William P. Young


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I find the longer time passes since reading this book, the more I like it. Definitely thought provoking, I often found myself having difficulty falling asleep due to time consuming self-evaluation. Am I forgiving as I should? Where do my priorities fall? Do I care about others as I should? What is my relationship with God? Luckily, I think I checked out as "fair" which is definitely better than "poor." Before reading the book, I was warned that the beginning is hard to get through. Mack's daughter is abducted and you read the painful emotion that he experiences -- from panic to his own struggle with unnecessary, but very human, guilt. Though I did shed a few tears, this plot was completely secondary to the main story -- Mack's relationship with God, His Savior, and the Holy Ghost. I admit that when Mack meets Papa -- God -- it was a little overwhelming for me. I was a little uncomfortable with how casual it was. But I quickly forgot that in this book God was a big black woman who sang as she cooked, and I began to feel a real sense of love between the characters. I realized that though I don't believe God is a black woman, I do believe that the same tender loving relationship -- the kindness and sensitivity that was portrayed through Papa -- is the same as the God I claim to know. I was satisfied with the concepts and lessons that I had learned, or been reminded of, during the time I read this book, but was even happier with the ending because there was an unexpected closure for me.

I do recommend this book to everyone. It is very interesting and thought provoking (perfect for our little book club).

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Sammy in Motion

Black Bean Enchilada Soup

I feel, recently, that I'm getting much more credit than is due. You see, I have become more frugal, learning to cut our grocery bill quite a bit, eat healthier, etc. But this by NO means designates me as a guru of any kind -- though it does make me feel really cool when people want my recipes and tips. I don't think I do anything unique in my new money saving ways, and I don't find myself particularly creative in the kitchen. But, both of these things, saving money and cooking, I just happen to really love to do. Don't get me wrong though, if I had a sickeningly large budget, I would have a LOT more awesome shoes, more than 2 pair of shorts that fit comfortably, a few more t-shirts, I'd get my hair done more often and it'd be at a nice salon, and I'd consider getting laser hair removal so I'd never have to shave my legs again. Wouldn't that be nice?

I dream of that day...but the truth is, I think if I did have that sickeningly large budget, I'd still do a lot of these things that I'm doing now. I'd probably keep thinking "if I cut here, we can save _____ more each month for our retirement." (Though retirement saving will probably not be happening again until we get a real job.) Does being a saver make one extremely boring? Perhaps. But I also find great comfort in financial security.

Either way, that's who I am. So, back to the original purpose of this post -- (cough cough) -- we, at the Green household have been eating more vegetarian meals for 2 reasons. 1) Meat is expensive. 2) We want to be healthier individuals. I know I've talked about this before, so I won't go into it. But here is a new recipe that we love. Huge Thanks goes to Launi for her Chicken Enchilada Recipe. I took this recipe and just basically replaced it with beans. We love it. It fabulous with chicken, but the beans are super cheap, filling, and yummy. Leftovers are just as good.

Black Bean Enchilada Soup

4 c. chicken or vegetable broth
2 cans enchilada sauce (we prefer Old El Paso)
2 t. chili powder
2 t. taco seasoning
1 onion, chopped
2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
2 c. fat free sour cream
2 cans corn, drained
2 small cans diced green chilies
3 cans black beans, drained (OR I cook a bunch of black beans so they are ready, then freeze them. Add as many as you want 4-5 cups or so)

Put broth, enchilada sauce, onions, chilies, and spices in large pot. Simmer until onions have cooked down (approx. 10 minutes). Stir in cheese and sour cream until melted in. Add corn and beans and cook until warm. Serve with tortilla chips.

My mom and dad loved this when they came out to visit. I think I made it for them twice. When my mom makes it at home, they don't put in the cheese or sour cream. It becomes more of a taco soup and they don't have the extra calories of the cheese. I haven't tried it yet, but like the idea. Cheese is expensive too, so that would definitely help cut the grocery bill.

Girly Girl

Callie does like playing with cars and dinosaurs, but she's a girly girl at heart. While we wait for Sammy during therapy, Callie heads for the house and the pink castle over in the toy corner of the waiting room. Stacking rings she puts around her wrist to wear as bracelets. She loves her headbands, and just today was thrilled with herself after putting one on Sammy. When I put my make-up on, she comes into the bathroom so I can brush my powder brush across her cheeks. She'll smile ready for the day, and walk out. And Callie is all about shoes. She loves shoes and knows what it means when it's time to put them on. "Siiiiii?" (Outside?) It's so cute!

Sammy is Promoted

I did not sleep well last night. It's been happening a lot lately. I think it's the heat. Not sure though. When Sammy woke up at 6:30am, I was too tired. I shut our bedroom door and went back to bed. At 7:00am I got up, took a shower, and went in for Sammy. I held her as she quickly fell asleep in my arms. About 1/2 hour later, she had a seizure. It was so intense that we decided to give her Diastat (her emergency medication), which is Valium really, and she is now knocked out. I held her for about an hour, but she's now contently sleeping on the couch.

Times like these bother me. First, it's hard to see such a tiny little girl have to go through so much. And, that leads to my second issue -- it just doesn't seem fair. Yesterday Marcus shared with me something rather surprising, and today it makes my issues #1 and #2 a little less important.

This week is Girls' Camp in Marcus' home stake. My mother-in-law was asked to speak. Her talk was entitled

"Faith, Trust, and Pixie Dust."

Peggy shared with these young women and their leaders parts of her faith building experiences because of Samantha. I hope she doesn't mind if I share this...but there was a time when she believed if her faith was strong enough, Samantha would be made whole. I believed that as well. And, there was a time when I thought that's what Heavenly Father wanted from me, faith strong enough to heal her, an opportunity for us to see His hand in our lives, to witness a miracle. I have since learned that He does want that, but the faith He asks is not for Samantha's healing, but maybe for my own. He has shown us His hand, and we have certainly witnessed miracles, though different than what I had originally expected. Our family, immediate and extended, has always been close. However, I believe that Samantha has strengthened our bonds. Individually, we have all have grown in faith. Our prayers are more sincere. Our testimonies more solid. Our hearts much fuller. Each member of our family feels a special love for Samantha, a love that has transformed us, and a love that is there because of our spiritual and emotional investment, and because she's just so darn cute. Furthermore, we have been prompted to venture into the land of adoption, a scary, unfamiliar territory that has brought us immense joy. Our lives were made more complete when Callie entered the picture. She brings us so much happiness and laughter, and we truly love her.

I wasn't there to witness it, but I believe her talk was well-received because that night, the leaders decided that our little Sammy was going to be more than a cute little girl, more than a good example in a talk...she's been promoted to mascot for the week. Each girl will get a picture of Sammy to have with them all week long to remind them of the things Peggy shared -- faith in a greater plan and trust in our Father in Heaven. Sammy also reminds me of my divine potential. Because of her physical and mental limitations, it may seem that her potential here on earth is stunted. But when you spend any amount of time with her, it's her spirit that people feel, and that is the reminder of the person I would like to be. I love her. And if all this good is coming because of the difficult experiences she must endure, then something tells me that she's ok with that -- because she's definitely stronger than I am.

L-O-S-E-R

Yesterday I sold an item on craigslist for $15. Yeah!
Yesterday I sold an item on eBay for $5.50. Yeah!
Today, I shipped that eBay item for $7.60! Crud! Next time I won't offer free shipping, or I'll definitely start my price higher. Grrr.

Sugar-Free Green

Yep, I'm doing it. Marcus is excited about it. He's up for the challenge. So that's good. I went out today and refreshed some of my veggies and fruit stash so I'd have some stuff to munch on while I deprive myself of all that is good in this world. I also bought some sugar-free jello for my weaker moments. I should make that up now so it'll be ready when I start to crash. But, I really think I can do it. I'm just going a month. I know that's not extremely long or anything. But we are going to to Disney World in August and I'm not stupid enough to try to do a sugar fast in Disney -- the land of perpetual childhood, fun, and...treats. Wahoo! Here's to sugar deprivation!