The Kitchen, Organized

Okay, this is going to be a fast post since I am supposed to be packing for my trip to my parents' house. But, I am SO excited about organizing my kitchen that I had to share!!

Unfortunately, in my excitement to clean my kitchen, I didn't take many "before" pictures. Actually, I only took one. So you will have to use your imagination for the rest.

I started with the "Spices Cabinet". We have a ton of random spices, mostly given to me by people who didn't want them (gotta love how people think missionaries are just desperate for stuff you don't even want!). But, I don't want to throw them out cause you never know when I will need some Spicy Spaghetti seasoning.

Here is the cabinet before:

And here it is now!

But wait! Where are the spices??


I moved them to a cabinet where I could actually see all of them! And, I put labels on top of each to it would be a lot easier to see what I have and find anything I am looking for. Yay!!


Okay, now here is the rest of the kitchen now (or most of it...for the before shots, just imagine A LOT of junk piled in random places, most of which I threw away because I couldn't even remember getting it!).

Now, before you start freaking out about the lack of food in the cabinets remember 2 things: 1) My roommate literally lives on pretzels and cookies and 2) I have been traveling a lot over the last several weeks, I have just been trying to get rid of what I have. I plan on making a BIG shopping run when I return!





This all literally took me about 5 hours, but I am SO excited to have it finished! I will literally kill my roommate if she messes any of this up (I have already warned her, haha). Unfortunately, Beth wasn't much help....



And Gizmo stayed with me the whole time I was cleaning, but he wasn't exactly helpful...







I'll try and take some pictures again when there is actually food in the cabinets so it will be even more impressive.

Now I must finish packing and get to the airport. Peace and quiet here I come!!!

My Messed Up House

The other day I was hanging out with a kid and he made the following statement:

"Compare your house to mine. Yours is kinda messed up while mine is really pretty. I still like you're house, but mine's kinda nicer than yours".

Now, there was no way that this kid had any idea that my house is somewhat of a soft spot for me, nor do I think he meant anything negative toward me.

I really like my house. A lot. It feels like home to me and despite the endless list of things to fix, I still really love my house. However, I am also kind of sensitive about it because I know it needs a lot of work...and I know that I can't do most of that work. In fact, while a lot of really awesome work has already been done on my house, I have done very little of it. I have a wonderful new kitchen, that was funded by home church and installed almost exclusively by Frank Hinson.

Same story with my floors, installing the washer and dryer, installing my refrigerator, and on and on. I pretty much have to call in a favor (90% of the time it ends up being Frank) or pay someone money whenever something needs to be done at my house. And I hate that. I have put up curtains, and done some painting. I did put together my TV stand and my nightstand, but that's about it.

So, as much as I love my house and want to see it someday become a really nice house, I recognize that I can not do it alone. I am dependent (more than most and WAY more than I would like to be) on others to help make that happen. Especially as I look at the list of things that need to happen. As much as I would love to know how to fix leaks, install windows, tear down and install ceilings, fix lighting, change outlets, etc.; at this point I just don't have those skills. And, I'm not sure where I could fit construction classes into my schedule. :)

All of this got me thinking about my life. There are so many things I would like to change about myself, so many ways I would like to become more like Christ. But I can't do it alone. In fact, even the simplest task in my life can not be done without Him. And to really become the person that God created me to be, I need other people as well. People to show me Christ, show me where I fall short, and to encourage me in my walk.

My life will be so much easier if I can every truly grasp the truth that I can't do it alone!! If I can someday fully understand my desperate need for Him, maybe more and more of my brokenness will actually be restored.

Someday I won't be living in a messed up house. Until then, I am SO thankful that God feels about me the same way I feel about my house. No matter what anyone else thinks, I can't help but love it. :)

Normal :)

The last few days for me have been what I would consider "normal". The kind of days that are full but not busy and are filled with things that make me happy and content, not stressed and overwhelmed. I hadn't realized how many days have NOT been like this until now; which makes me very thankful for them!

On Saturday I went with my friends Elizabeth and Melanie out to Melanie's parents' house (in Delaware) to help out with a Christmas party for some of the kids that live near Elizabeth. There were 7 kids, and while I really only went as a driver, I had a lot of fun hanging out with these kids. They are hilarious! They really enjoyed getting out of the city and being in a real home for a few hours. It made me wish my parents lived closer so I could take kids to their house! (Which is probably why my parents keep moving farther and farther away from me, haha).

I had Prayer Pals Christmas Party shopping to do on Saturday, but the party (including all the driving) took several hours, so I couldn't go until after 10. Thankfully, Elizabeth and her husband Frank went with me and we made it a fun midnight shopping trip. It was very helpful to have Frank as I was shopping for 5 boys and 2 girls, and he thinks like a little boy so we got some great stuff. :)

Bonita, Pedro and Miguel came to church with me on Sunday and just hung out with me for the day. They were hilarious!! They had to stay downstairs most of the time while I was wrapping Prayer Pals presents, and they managed to be very helpful. They cleaned up the basement, threw out an old (kitten poop covered) mattress and box spring and took the dog on several walks. Of course, they also took her running in the mud and left me with some floor cleaning to do, but they were so helpful otherwise, I couldn't really complain.

Sunday night was the Prayer Pals Christmas party...my favorite night of the year!! I was especially excited because I had personally shopped for 7 of the kids, so I couldn't wait to see their reaction! (A lot of the kids' pals found it easier to just send me a check and have me do the shopping...which I actually had a lot of fun with!). As usual, the party exceeded my expectations and we all had a BLAST! This was the first year that we had ALL the pals opening presents together (we usually split them into two separate hours). So, it was a bit crowded but fun.

Here are some great pics!

Miguel was SO excited about these chips. I would guess that they have all already been eaten, haha.





The whole group! :)

I will be uploading the pics to the church website today, so you can check all of them out here!

Yesterday I got to spend the morning babysitting the Hinson boys. Last time I babysat I had so much work to do that they ended up just playing by themselves while I worked. Not fun. So, this time I made sure I could just hang out and play with them the whole time, and we had so much fun!!! Paxton got the game "Perfection" at the Prayer Pals party, so we played that for a long time. We actually got a good system going of Kyler handing me a piece (while saying, "Here Frish") and then me putting in the right place. We beat the clock several times! If course, we still let it pop and scare us. It scared us every time. After it would pop Kyler would say, "Want to do it again, Frish?". How do you say no to that? You can't!!

Incidentally, Kyler has just started calling me Frish. He alternates between that and Trish. Paxton called me Frish for about a year when I first me him, so I kinda like the nickname. :) It's a lot better than what my brother calls me, haha. :)

I also cleaned my room last night! YAY!! Kirsten is coming to stay at my house while I'm away to help take care of Beth, so I figured I should make my room somewhat bearable while she is here. Actually, my room usually stays very clean except when I travel...which I have been doing a lot lately. Its nice to have it all clean again!!

Today, I will be tackling the kitchen. I am reorganizing the entire thing! Don't worry, its not a very big kitchen, so it won't take THAT long (though it will still take some time), but I'm excited to get it done. I'm hoping that once everything has its place, my roommate and I will be consistent with where we put things (meaning, I am hoping she will put things where I think they should go, haha).

My plan is to have the kitchen and the floors cleaned before I go home, and then threaten Kirsten and Jen if they mess anything up. :) When I return I will be organizing the storage in the basement, putting in shelves upstairs (that could be interesting!), painting the dining room, stripping the paint on the banister, and putting together my dining room table (or trying to find someone I can pay to do it, haha). Oh, and hopefully having a plumber come and fix my leaky upstairs.

I have about 3 weeks to accomplish these goals...while also preparing for the Spring semester of Kids Club, starting a Sunday School class and taking over Children's Church every third month. Whew! It WILL all be finished, just you wait and see!!!! :)

I am home! I think...

I had an incredible time away! I stayed in a hotel room that had a fireplace and a jacuzzi bathtub (yay for last minute deals!), both of which afforded me a ton of relaxation. I spent a good amount of time either reading, journaling or sleeping. I did venture out a bit to visit the battlefield (which is enjoyed even more than I thought I would!) and to grab something to eat every once in a while. Still, the majority of my time was spent in quiet, which was both wonderful and hard.

I have a lot of difficult questions swirling around in my head and some difficult issues I am facing with the Lord. Some serious stuff has come up with Linda that has me so confused and questioning a lot. Not to mention, with everything that has been going on in my life and all around me, I have a lot of questions.

So, while I did spend a lot of time relaxing, I also spent a lot of time crying (I know, shocking). But seriously, I don't question people going through hard times, I understand its a part of life. And I totally get (and even see in my own life) how God uses struggles to draw people into Him. I'm not asking for me (or anyone else) to have a life without hurt...I'm just seeking to better understand what to do with that hurt.

I spent most of my "Bible" time studying 2 women; Tamar and Hagar. I will write more about them later, but I found myself feeling connected to Hagar, and desiring to be like Tamar. It was eye opening, and amazing!!

And, I heard God speak. In the midst of my crying and total lack of understanding...I heard God speak. Again, I will write more specifically later, but I do want to share one thing that I learned.

When I hurt, I hurt deeply. (I'm sure I'm not speaking only for me, but I don't want to assume anything, so I am going to speak in first person. You can decide if this is you as well...). Some hurts are superficial, or only go so deep...but others go deeper than I can even describe. Recently I have been praying fervently for several close friends; the mother who miscarried a child, the wife and mother who faced possibly losing her husband, the wife and mother who no longer has any feeling of security or peace in her own home. As I prayed for them, I prayed for peace and comfort...and quickly realized that I had nothing to offer them.

There were no words that could come out of my mouth that would bring the comfort they so desperately needed. Why?!? Because there are some hurts, and we all have them, that go so deep, only God can touch them. Only He knows what it feels like. Only He knows what I feel. Only He knows. Someone else may have faced something similar, but they don't really know. And I need to admit that I don't know.

I have decided that telling someone, who is in the midst of deep pain, that "God has a plan and will make you stronger through this", is kinda like bringing out an "I told you so". You may be right, but it certainly isn't what is going to bring comfort. When I found out my dad had cancer, the only words that meant anything to me were, "I'm sorry". Hugs were a blessing, tears shed with me were an encouragement, but words were just meaningless.

So, I have decided to stop trying to find the words, and start turning to the only one who can truly comfort. When I am hurting, I am thankful for the people that God uses to hug me and cry with me, but I will desperately seek the one who truly understands. And when my friends hurt, I will pray. Really pray. Pray for the healing hand of the Father to touch the deep places that I will never see or understand. And I will trust Him.

During my time away I didn't find all the answers. I did find Jesus.

Unfortunately, I also came home to a really messy house (I really do like my roommate, but we have been living together for 7 months now and she has not once cleaned anything besides the dishes occasionally. seriously) and a serious leak in my bathroom/laundry room. So, in light of not needing words of comfort, I could simply use your prayers as I search for a plumber! (And maybe a maid, haha)

A Rotic Trip

I am heading out on a Rotic Trip tomorrow. What is a Rotic trip? It's a roMANtic trip without the man. :) (I heard that once in college and really loved it, haha).

Anyway, I have been really wanting some time away, ALONE, for a long time. I need a lot of Jesus, without distractions. I had one day over Thanksgiving when I was basically in a hotel room by myself and really loved it. Unfortunately, I was sleeping for a good part of it so I didn't get the chance to really soak up Jesus and some alone time. But, that taste left me wanting more.

So, I started looking on line for some nice but inexpensive places to get away for a few days. I looked near Philly as well as near my parents house. I was looking for a place that felt nice and homey (like a bed and breakfast), but would allow me to be anonymous and really spend time alone (like a hotel). I found a place near Philly that advertised itself as "a unique alternative to Bed & Breakfasts and chain hotels" and thought I may have found the perfect place. I looked at the sites near it and discovered that it was right next to a Revolutionary War battlefield!! While I'm more interested in the Civil War, I still just really love history and would LOVE to spend a few hours walking around a battlefield. So, I booked it!!!

I'm heading out tomorrow afternoon and will be back on Friday. I am looking forward to resting, reading, praying and listening. Actually, I'm hoping that most of my time will be spent listening as I am feeling desperate to draw close to Jesus. The room I am staying in has a fireplace, so I plan on hanging out in front of the fireplace with my "man" for as long as possible. :)

I'm also hoping the weather will allow me to visit the battlefield for at least a few hours. We'll see though!

So, you won't be hearing me until at least Friday. I am so excited I can hardly stand it!!

If you know me...

Then no explanation is necessary for this picture.

Awesome.