Halfway through March Photo-A-Day Challenge.

Day 1: Up
Day 2: Fruit
Day 3: Your neighborhood
Day 4: Your bedside

Day 5: Smile
Day 6: 5 p.m.
Day 7: Something you wore
Day 8: Window

Day 9: Red
Day 10: Someone you talked to
Day 11: Loud
Day 12: Fork

Day 13: A sign
Day 14: Clouds
Day 15: Car
Day 16: Sunglasses

a teaching moment.

i am home, having skipped church, with two sickie babies this morning. they've been alternating between moaning in discomfort (junky coughs, some low-grade fever, lots of snot), watching finding nemo and up and snacking on peanut butter-filled tortillas, homemade applesauce and kashi cereal.

as i was wiping everybody down in preparation for naptime, i noticed ellie was swinging her arms wide open and then clasping them around herself over and over while saying, "open. shut. open. shut. open. shut."

i smiled at her and asked her to show me which was open and which was shut. she demonstrated correctly, and then i told her that open and shut are opposites. just like happy and sad. (we practiced making happy and sad faces.) and black and white. (we pointed to places in a piece of art on the wall that are black and places that are white.) and boy and girl. (who is a boy? "gray gray!" who is a girl? "ellie!")

i know ellie probably doesn't understand the term "opposites," but i couldn't resist the chance to introduce her to something about language.

i've been reading some about homeschooling lately, and i am no where close to formulating a concrete opinion or plan. (ultimately, it's extremely personal, as evidenced by a question i posted in a recent facebook status that elicited 19 thoughtful responses.) it is just a topic that has peaked my interest so i'm indulging. some of what i've read is very much in favor of a traditional classroom setting in the home. but, fascinating to me, some of what i've read focuses on the family living life and teaching throughout the day, that opportunities to learn are everywhere if you're looking.

regardless of whether i ever homeschool my children, i will always be their first teacher, a fact that thrills me. what a responsibility!

as i progress through the season of preparation in which i have recently realized God has me, i am solidifying seemingly mundane processes in my life such as housekeeping, finances and menu planning. while having a handle on those areas is important in the most basic sense, God has been opening my eyes wide to a less-than-concrete reason to "get it together": having the proper processes in place for the "must-dos" in life allows me to free up mental and physical space in my day to focus on what's really important.

perfect, planned meals, a spotless home and seamlessly organized finances are wonderful in their own right, but what i can pray for, plan for and achieve in the time i am not wasting by being bogged down with disorganization in these areas is the real reward.

that moment with ellie this morning was a result of having a calm mind and peaceful spirit. there was enough space in my brain to see and seize the opportunity. i am so.incredibly.far from having my life as streamlined and up-to-date and organized as i want it. but i'm getting there. and the fruit is showing. for that i am full of joy.

"there has never been the slightest doubt in my mind that the God who started this great work in you would keep at it and bring it to a flourishing finish on the very day Christ Jesus appears."

(philippians 1:6, the message)

eat from the pantry: more than halfway.

nineteen days into the "eat from the pantry" challenge, and the reserves are thinning out. don't get me wrong, there's still plenty to eat. it's just not the kind of grab-it-quick snack type food or the signature staple dinners (we're out of ground beef, only two chicken breasts left) we're used to. landon and i overcame an intense urge to give in and have rosa's for dinner tonight. we had grilled cheese and carrot sticks with ranch instead. carrot sticks as in peel-and-cut-a-large-carrot-into-sticks.

i am proud.

we're boiling eggs and eating sandwiches (sliced sausage my dad brought or peanut butter and honey, for example) on rolls instead of going to buy another loaf of bread. i have plans to make some chicken noodle soup i discovered i have all the ingredients for, and tilapia with brown rice is on the menu for this week. i am also mixing together raisins and chocolate chips and kettle corn in cute jars for satiating snacking urges.

i have gone to the store a couple times for mostly basics, and we are at a third of our typical grocery budget on the 19th of the month.

it's gonna be tough to finish this out for another 12 days, but we're gonna do our best.

how are your cupboards? bare? what out-of-your-box meals or snacks are you coming up with as a result of staying out of the store and within the pantry?

new beginnings.

in honor of new beginnings, we over at our henry home have taken on a couple of challenges to start the new year.

first, the "eat from the pantry challenge." very simply, we are to create january's menu from food already in the pantry, freezer, fridge, etc. no buying food for a whole month. before we started, i bought a few staples, but i am not going to the grocery store for anything except milk and possible fresh fruits and vegetables before february 1. we were still holidaying with family on the 1st and 2nd so our challenge started on the 3rd.

in google calendar, i created a dinner menu for the whole month (a trick i learned from simple mom) with quick and easy-to-make meals that repeat every two weeks. breakfast for dinner on sunday nights repeats weekly (with some variation) because we love it so. snack dinner on wednesday repeats weekly because i have to be at church by 5:30 for worship practice.

this week is as follows:

sunday, jan. 3 -- breakfast for dinner
monday, jan. 4 -- bacon-wrapped chicken, broccoli & breadsticks
tuesday, jan. 5 -- pasta with meat sauce, salad & french bread
wednesday, jan. 6 -- snack dinner (sandwiches, hot dogs, quesadillas, soup, etc.)
thursday, jan. 7 -- tilapia with balsamic browned butter over brown rice with green beans
friday, jan. 8 -- tacos
saturday, jan. 9 -- beef tips over white rice and corn

breakfasts are cereal, waffles, yogurt with fruit, various sweet breads with cream cheese, peanut butter or cinnamon toast, etc. lunches are leftovers or something similar to snack dinner.

part of this challenge is that we are venturing to only eat at home. not out. at all. all.month.long.

i was pretty impressed with how easily i made a month-long menu using food i already have. it's amazing how much food sits in the pantry, listening to the "we have nothing to eat; let's go out" line over and over.

the other challenge we've taken on is a shopping fast. no, i'm not talking about speed shopping. i'm talking about abstaining. completely.

i had the idea as i was praying during the last days of 2009 and the first days of 2010. i have been in the rhythm of shopping because of the holidays, and, really, it's ridiculous how often i find myself going to target or hobby lobby or wal-mart or heb because i "need something."

people, I DON'T NEED ANYTHING.

i can eat from my pantry for a month, for heaven sake. the laundry pile in my garage would make you hide your face in shame (it does me). the kids' toys are plentiful. our decor is fine the way it is for the time being.

i will not step foot in any kind of store for the whole month with the exception of the grocery store for milk and other necessary parishables.

i bought diapers and wipes and toiletries and laundry detergent before my fast began so i would be out of reasons to "run in" somewhere "real quick."

i expect it to be a cleansing experience with positive impacts on my quiet time, productivity and checking account balance.

one challenge that i am actually looking forward to is decorating ellie's big-girl room. i am pretty pumped about what things will be repurposed or found or created for her room using what we already own as a result of this fast.

over the past year or so, i have been going through the slow process of developing new ideals and thoughts on what is important in life, what is beautiful to me. though i am far from perfectly consistent, i keep finding words like reused, repurposed, handmade, simple and minimal replayed in the things that most capture my attention and desire.

it is ongoing and sometimes the growth is slower than i'd like. i mean, i clearly do not have my housekeeping or laundry methods down to anything "simple" or "minimal." but i'm getting closer, closer to weeding out the unnecessary, streamlining the necessary and tearing away all that hinders those things i am truly called to in life.

because i would hate to miss my destiny because i wasted too much time in target aisles and drive-thru lines.

so hello, beautiful new beginning. come into my kitchen for a warm cup of coffee. it's been sitting on the shelf, waiting for you to stop by.