Married!

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The day has come and gone. I was surprised. Surprised at how fun a wedding can be…yes, even for a control freak like me!

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It rained. I didn’t care. I ate food even though no one said I’d remember to eat. I laughed. I cried. I danced. I loved every single minute!

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But to be honest, I’m relieved it’s all over! Planning a wedding is insane.

I look forward to attending the wedding of some good friends of ours, tomorrow (on the 3rd anniversary of the big quakes – how cool is that?! ‘Stuff you’ earthquakes). I’m not the bride or the bridesmaid or anything special, just a friend who happened to get to watch two lovely people fall in love, and choose each other, for LIFE.

I know it will be beautiful. I’ll laugh. I’ll cry. I’ll eat, drink, dance the night away AND I won’t have to worry about paying any bills or sending out hundreds of thank you cards afterwards. Phew!

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QUOTES: The World Does Not Have Enough

“The world does not have enough because your part isn’t here yet, and if anything matters, everything matters, you matter, your book, your song, your art, your family, your faith, your hunger for justice, your voice, your peace making, your loving, your kindness, your battle to forgive, your hands, your feet, your mind, your life, matters.”

Sarah Bessey

Sarah Bessey is one of my all-time favourite bloggers. Read the whole blog post titled “In Which We Do It Anway” – it’s utterly beautiful.

U2’s Bono interview about Christ

No Apologizing

Okay….so I am always on the lookout for how celebrities describe their faith.  I find it interesting.  9 times out of 10 they end up creating a God that does not exist in the Bible.  Then along comes this excerpt from a book where Bono from U2 is being interviewed about his faith.  Actually the interview is from September 2010…but never the less it is an incredible read.  The following excerpt is from the poached egg and can be found at this link.

 

Bono: My understanding of the Scriptures has been made simple by the person of Christ. Christ teaches that God is love. What does that mean? What it means for me: a study of the life of Christ. Love here describes itself as a child born in straw poverty, the most vulnerable situation of all, without honor. I don’t let my religious world get too…

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I Like: Amelie

Last night we watched Amelie (Le Fabuleux Destin d’Amélie Poulain). It’s hard to explain what it’s about, and to be honest it is ridiculously random–in a good way!  It has to be one of my favourite films ever. There’s something intoxicatingly beautiful about the French language and the way the whole film has been crafted.  Oh and Audrey Tatou–she is simply gorgeous and her character in this film is quite adorable!  If you haven’t watched it, put it on the MUST WATCH list.

It’s better to help people than garden gnomes.
– Amelie Poulain

The Art of Clothes Swapping

So it’s the end of Winter.  Spring has sprung.  Summer is just around the corner!

How is your wardrobe looking?  A wee bit tired?  If your name is Miriam, then the answer is probably no.  However, for the rest of us – the answer is probably a resounding yes!  It’s not necessarily that our clothes don’t fit anymore or they’ve become worn; it’s just nice to have a change!

So here is my challenge to you:

Step 1 – Go through your wardrobe and take out anything that you haven’t worn in the past 6-12 months (excluding wedding dress or other special items).

Step 2 – Try on each item and if you decide you might wear it again in the very near future (say about 6 weeks), then keep it.  Sometimes you just need a reminder of what clothes you own!  If you can’t imagine yourself wearing it in the very near future, put it in a bag and label it “Clothes Swap.”

Step 3 – Attend a Clothes Swap. Your aim will be to get rid of more clothes than you collect!  i.e. take a shopping bag full of clothes and return home with say 2 good quality pieces that fit you well.

Between our group of friends, we hold a clothes swap about once every 3 months.  They are always really fun.  We don’t literally ‘swap’ one item of clothing for another item.  We just all bring bags of stuff that we haven’t worn recently, lay it out all over the lounge (there are usually about 10-15 of us), and we ALWAYS get some really cool stuff to take home.  I also get a bit of a kick out of seeing other people enjoy wearing clothes that have just been sitting in my wardrobe gathering dust.  It’s so much fun!

If you want to take part in a clothes swap coming up in Christchurch next month, head over here to find out more details.  All are welcome!

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If you’re cleaning out your wardrobe and want to get the bags out of the house as soon as possible, clothes can be dropped off at the SCCC Office during these times:

Tuesday to Thursday
9am – 4pm or by appointment
Ph 379 5497

Address: 510 Colombo Street (opposite Rebel Sports)

Adventures in the Kitchen & The Alluring Qualities of Recipe Books

I like to eat toast.

I like the taste of toast but mostly I am too lazy to cook anything else.  I don’t have to cook for anyone else apart from me (and sometimes the flatmates if they’re home) so I just don’t bother.  Hows that for a bad example of self-care?!  I know that it’s important to eat a balanced diet and and I always have a good breakfast and lunch, however dinner seems to fall by the wayside most days of the week.  That’s when toast comes to the rescue!

However, the past couple of days I have actually cooked a proper dinner. TWO DAYS IN A ROW!

Lamp Chop & Veges

Bacon &Egg Pie

Yes – I took photos for proof.  Bacon & Egg Pie recipe here.

Talking about cooking, does anyone else find themselves collecting recipe books for no apparent reason?  Given my current occupation of toast-eating, it doesn’t make a lot of sense does it? However, I often find myself drooling over beautiful recipe books and wishing I had all the time in the world to embark on wonderful culinary adventures in the kitchen.  Maybe I’ve watched Julia & Julia a few too many times [once].

Here are a few wonderful recipe books that have been calling out to me (some of which I own and some of which I would like to own).

Julia Le Clerc: Made By Hand
All about delicious home-cooked food using natural, fresh ingredients. Yum!

Lynda Brown: The Preserving Book
I have just started learning about preserving. It’s a great skill to learn if you want to save money and make the most of seasonal fruit and vegetables.  Buying fruit & vegetables out of season is not only expensive but is also not as friendly to the environment.

Sophie Gray: Stunning Food From Small Change
I love Sophie Gray (aka Destitute Gourmet).  My mum owns this one. I once borrowed it for a whole year and refused to give it back.

Sophie Dahl: Miss Dahl’s Voluptuous Delights
I own this one. Sophie Dahl is Roald Dahl’s granddaughter and this is part autobiography, part recipe book.

My Kitchen: One-Pot Wonders

Alison Host: Best Of
I own this one.  It’s the recipe book that taught me to cook!

Alexa Johnston: A Second Helping
A tempting collection of traditional home-baking recipes including Sponge Kisses and Melting Moments. Drool.

Does anyone else get sucked into buying recipe books?  How many of the ones you own do you actually use?  I’d love to know your hands-down favourite recipe books.  Tell me your secrets!

Beauty from Brokenness

Today I choose to believe that:

You make beautiful things out of the dust.

And when I find myself in the dust, I find You there, right beside me, wiping the dust from my face, drying my tears. For the broken pieces of my heart are not mine to keep and to despair over. They are yours.

And with those broken pieces you are remaking my heart. You are creating beauty out of brokenness.

Because that’s who you are–Creator God, Loving Father…always pulling me closer.

I can never run from Your Presence.

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