unfaithful

Two and a half years ago, my now sister-in-law introduced me to this beautiful phenomenon called the Butler Bag.

You can read about the details here, but suffice it to say, the Butler Bag is life changing for even the naturally organized, and very probably for disorganized souls who are only organized in their dreams.

So, for two and a half years, I’ve been totally loyal to the Butler Bag. In fact, I’m still haunted by the fact that I didn’t purchase a different style bag before they were discontinued. Unfortunately, I’m just not loving the new designs, and as much as it hurt it me to do it, I purchased a new handbag that doesn’t have built-in compartments (ouch).

Butler Bag, it wasn’t you. It was me. I still love you.

the fatted calf

Aside from the fact that my body's curves generally do not lend themselves to trendy clothes, there are two major battles I face while shopping for clothes: finding pants that are long enough, and finding tall boots that fit my fatted calves.

This is not a woe is me blog entry. Really. This is a shameless plea, for the love of all that is right and good in this world, that these boots I ordered today will fit.

Aren't they beauts? I have a feeling they'll not work out, but a girl can hope.

And on a side note, while I was chatting with the most fabulous customer service rep from L.L. Bean about these fine boots, she asked me first if it snowed or ever got really cold here, to which of course I could confidently tell her that compared to Freeport, Maine, no, no we don't get snow or really, really cold weather. And her response: "Do people wear boots in Alabama?"

I had a solid answer on this one, too. "Yes, yes we do. In fact, girls here wear boots with sundresses. When it's 90 degrees. To a football game. It makes no difference what the weather is like. Southern girls love their boots."

And sweet Deborah, the customer service rep, says, "I guess they probably wear cowboy boots."

Sigh.

different kinds of happy

Last night I went to a benefit concert that featured Sara Groves. She’s a cool girl. Real, transparent, witty, loves Jesus. I’d be her friend.

In one of her new songs, she references a scene from Sweet Land, where when asked by her grandson if she’d been happy, a woman responds, “There are different kinds of happy. Yes, I’ve been happy.”

It’s a true, true statement. And it’s challenging.

Because today, I attended the memorial service for a toddler. In her 28 months on earth, she fought a rare genetic disorder that left her parents wondering when she might walk, talk, and see. They prayed hard for healing, as any parent would. And when she passed from this life into the arms of Jesus, she was healed and made new.

As believers, we know that kind of healing is one that un-believers don’t understand, and it’s the kind of happy they call tragic.

Praise be to God, there are different kinds of happy, and they look different than what we might expect. What are the different kinds of happy in your world?

a tasty treat for the kids (at heart)

There’s something deliciously simple about peanut butter and jelly. I rarely think to eat those tasty sammies anymore, but here is one of my favorite twists on an old classic. I whipped them up tonight for some of my favorite people coming over tomorrow, and you should too. You’ll feel like a kid again.

Peanut Butter & Jelly Bars

2 sticks unsalted butter
1 ½ c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 extra large eggs, room temperature
18 oz. creamy peanut butter
3 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 ½ tsp. salt
18 oz. strawberry jam
2/3 c. salted peanuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 350º. Cream butter and sugar on medium speed, about 2 minutes. Add vanilla, eggs, and peanut butter, and mix on low speed. In a small bowl, sift flour, baking powder, and salt. Slowly add flour mixture to peanut butter mixture and mix on low speed, until just combined. Spread 2/3 of the batter in a 9x13 greased pan. Top with jam, using a knife to spread evenly. Drop globs of remaining dough over jam. Sprinkle with peanuts, and bake for 45 minutes ‘til golden brown.

costco, you tease us so

Bulk buying has never, ever made sense for me as a single person. The Sam’s Clubs and Costcos of the world have been utterly and completely off my radar. “But you can save so much money!” say the frugal moms. “It cuts down my grocery shopping to once a month!”

Really?

Honestly, I’m way, way ahead of my game if I can visit the grocery store just once a week. Planning meals ahead of time for a single girl just isn’t really my M.O. And, even if I did save a couple of bucks on 98 rolls of toilet paper, the warehouse rental fee required to store it all would defeat the purpose.

And yet.

Two of my other single friends and I found ourselves drooling over all kinds of goodness in Costco when we were shopping for a service project recently. Flat screen TVs (wow, that’s pretty cheap!); treadmills (I wonder if I’d be more disciplined with that?); three boxes of Honey Nut Cheerios (ooh, we all eat that); a 12-pack of chewing gum (those average 50 cents per pack!); and well, you can see where this is going.

Yes, we all surrendered and decided that we would embark upon Operation Bulk Buying 2010. Tonight was our first visit. Here’s what went down:

1. We learned a lot about toothpaste preferences and other interesting facts about what vitamins, OTCs, and fabric softener habits we have.
 
2. We each did some cheating on brands to which we are loyal, for the good of the whole. The verdict is still out on Charmin Ultra Soft.
 
3. Transporting the goods to and from the car must improve prior to our next excursion. We cannot continue carrying 300 square feet of aluminum foil, detergent for 75 loads of laundry, 12 boxes of Kleenex, etc. etc. as individual items, and not somehow bagged or packaged.
 
4. We tried on some clothes there (just a cardigan, but still, true confessions here, people).
 
5. I definitely purchased a couple of items I wouldn’t typically buy, but who knows, maybe my friends’ cleaning tips will change my life.
 
6. We saved more money on some items than others, but savings nonetheless.
 
7. Ooooh, this is important – we utilized an app on our iPhones that allows us to share our grocery lists. This was crucial to successful and efficient bulk shopping.
 
8. The male in our group charmed the cashiers into giving us some coupons, which averaged to an additional $3.00 per person in savings.
 
9. I rolled the dice on a new flavor of Tostitos – Roasted Garlic and Black Bean – and might’ve found the best new snack of 2010.
 
10. We laughed a lot.

Whether or not Operation Bulk Buying proves successful or long-term or financially wise, I adore these friends, and for better or worse, I know a lot more about them than before the wild night in Costco.

And in September of 2012, when we finally run out of toilet paper, maybe we’ll go back.

pulling the trigger (on obedience)

The next three months should be interesting. I disconnected my cable today. No fall premieres of my favorite TV shows. (Walker Family, I’ll miss you. Keep in touch.) No nightly news (which I can’t say I loved anyway, really). No celebrity interviews by Oprah in my DVR queue. No participation in the water cooler recaps of the latest reality show eliminations. No football games (that one really hurts). No Lifetime movies during Sunday afternoon naps. (Yes, I love me some Lifetime movies. Don’t judge me.)

Even when I was an intern making barely enough money to pay rent and utilities, cable has always been in my budget (that implies I have an actual budget, which I don’t, but you get my drift). It’s been a 10-year journey from basic cable, to expanded cable, then DirecTV, then Tivo. Ironically and despite the ever-advancing channel guide listings, I still have the same TV I inherited from my parents when I moved into my first apartment after college graduation. I hadn’t pulled the trigger yet on a flat screen TV, or high definition.

But today, I pulled a trigger alright.

“May I ask why you are downgrading?” the customer service agent asked me. I told her it was a financial decision, not a decision resulting from any dissatisfaction. The dissatisfaction part was true. The financial reason bit was partly true. (I had called a year ago and negotiated a lower price on my monthly bill, because I was so outraged at what I was paying for cable service.)

The real reason I disconnected my cable was out of obedience to the Holy Spirit. I confess that many months ago – maybe it’s been over a year, even? – I was burdened with this request, and I managed to suppress it, ignore it, justify the craziness of it.

But recently, I’ve been studying and learning about how to recognize the voice of God. I’ve also been convicted about having never felt really challenged in obedience. Turns out, God kind of won’t let things go, even (especially) if you don’t listen.

So far, He’s explained to me that it isn’t that I was watching awful things; it is about how I was spending my time. He hasn’t asked me to not watch TV; He’s asked me to disconnect my cable and spend my time more wisely. I imagine there’s a slew of other things I’ll learn through my TV fast. I’m looking forward to seeing what this life, sans TV, will look like (including what I’ll call the no-cable discount). I’ll keep you posted.

In the meantime, keep me posted on my favorite shows, will ya?