#HolidayHacksforMom

“The holidays are already stressing me out!” This was a text from a friend recently that ended with that greenish emoji face that looks like it just ate a vat of pickled cabbage.”

These words lifted from editor Leslie Yazel — as she introduced the holiday issue of Real Simple — commanded my attention. I sipped my coffee, twirled back and forth on my kitchen stool, stared at the leafless tree outdoors, and pondered: Does it have to be this way?

Particularly in the month of December, my heart goes out to moms. Year in and year out, she doesn’t just give gifts; she gives heart, soul, and self in order for the rest of the family to be blessed. And for those of us in this role, we want so badly to get it right that we sometimes lose our way along the way.

However, after more than 43 years as a mom at Christmas, life has taught me that the desire to bless does not have to become a bully. With the right game plan, #HolidayHacksforMom, you and I can march steadily forward to a cadence of love, joy, and peace. So mom, here are my #suggestions:

#Minimize:

Your personal expectations - your goal is not to create the perfect Christmas; God already did that for us when He sent Jesus. Your goal is to honor Him as you love and bless those in your sphere of influence.

Your personal goals - be selective. Not every tradition has to be incorporated into the calendar, not every community event has to be attended, and not every cookie recipe has to be baked.

Your personal reading - this is not the time to tackle that thousand-page volume; instead, treat yourself to an audio book or a series of treasured short stories relevant to the season.

#Maximize:

Moments

Currently I am making my way through the book, The Power of Moments: Why Certain Experiences Have Extraordinary Impact by Chip Heath and Dan Heath. As a result, my vision for moments has undergone a radical transformation, and I now applaud the potential even a moment can bring. So, I offer to you the encouragement to embrace:

Moments with individual family members - look for interludes with each child in order to hear their heart in the sea of celebration.

Moments with your husband - sit by the fire, sip cocoa, and enjoy the music that marriage can bring.

Moments with relatives you rarely get to see - take the initiative and invest moments in corner conversations. You will leave the gathering enriched, and so will they.

#Manage:

Your transportation transitions (from this school party... to this office gala, manage the transitions like that of an Uber driver)

Your finances (know when to stop spending)

Your calendar commitments (Ask, “Is this the best use of our evening?”)

Your planning – keep it simple. Place a 3 x 5 card beside your bed. Carry it with you as you move through your day. Create categories of Decorate, Shop, Cook, Attend, and Miscellaneous. Check off items completed, and move forward those items still remaining. Continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of His will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding (Colossians 1:9B) so that you can confidently make wise decisions. Review at the end of each day, and start over the next.

#Maintain:

Simple Habits

Protect your sleep - resist the urge to stay up late just because the house is finally quiet. Rest will work wonders for your personal bandwidth.

Eat fruit and vegetables, and don’t forget the protein - in the midst of holiday’s festive fare, be mindful to incorporate healthy foods, as well.

Get outside for a walk - Like Laura Ingalls Wilder said, “Some old fashioned things like fresh air and sunshine are hard to beat.”

#Make Sure:

To spend sweet, worshipful time alone with Jesus. The star always stops with Him. (Matthew 2:9)

Living With Eternal Intentionality™

1. If these #HolidayHacksforMom seem overwhelming, select just one to use. How it can be helpful to you? So,teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom (Psalm 90:12 NASB).

2. Why is Colossian 1:9B more than just a good suggestion?

3. What transpires within our souls when we allow every star of expectation or commitment of this Christmas season to stop with Jesus? How will this discovery make a difference in your desire to bless, not impress, this December?

May I Please Have Your Recipe?

May I Please Have Your Recipe?

That question always energizes me. And after my friend Beth’s husband made yet another sweeping loop past the appetizer, I understood her request! The delectable in question—

Pimento Cheese*

Three generations (with five individuals actually sharing the same name) mingled, and conversations flowed easily during our Labor Day gathering. No one objected to the noise and interruptions from energetic youngsters. One child needed the dress up clothes; a pair needed a ball and bat. When one toddler impolitely pushed another, no one overreacted. Gentleness flowed with the correction. In this group, we simply relished the joy of shared time and space. For a few precious hours, busy took a backseat to genuine, authentic fellowship, the kind The Bible talks about.

And as we talked, we consumed pimento cheese. While refilling glasses of ice tea… between scuffles… and waiting for the burgers on the grill, we savored the creamy culinary creation, and marveled that each bite tasted better than the one before.

Labor Day is a distant memory, but Thanksgiving is here.

Since pimento cheese transitions well between holidays and households, I often get Beth’s request from others. So just in time for your Thanksgiving gathering, here it is! The ingredients are few, the procedure is important, and the options abound.

Ingredients:

Cheddar cheese - Kraft sharp 8 oz. block (not grated)

Roasted peppers - Mezzetta deli-sliced roasted pepper strips

Mayonnaise – Kraft real mayo

Procedure using a food processor:

• Drain the peppers in a colander, but do not rinse.

• Using the knife blade, chop the peppers in the food processor and remove to drain again.

• Switch to the grater blade and grate the block of cheese.

• Remove the grater blade, replace the knife blade, and add 1/3 cup of mayonnaise, the cheese, and the peppers.

• Pulse cautiously to a texture blended somewhere between chunky and creamy, depending on your preference.

• Remove your pimento cheese, stir in fresh ground pepper, savor a sample with a cracker, and place in the refrigerator.

Procedure using a hand mixer:

• Drain the peppers.

• Grate the cheese by hand.

• Cut the pepper strips into shorter lengths, the smaller the better.

• Place the two ingredients into a mixing bowl, and blend together with hand mixer.

• Add the mayonnaise and fresh ground pepper and blend to desired texture.

• Remove, savor a sample with a cracker, and place in the refrigerator.

Note: when you are ready to serve, stir in additional mayonnaise if the mixture seems stiff. Avoid the tendency to add too much, as this will alter the flavors that have blended.

Options for use:

• as an appetizer served with crackers

  (For Labor Day, I served the pimento cheese in a Bolesławiec pottery bowl at the end of our kitchen island. For the guests’ convenience, party sized plates, individual spreaders, small napkins, and Triscuit crackers were nearby.)

• on a sandwich with lettuce and tomato

• as a topping for a burger

• inside celery sticks

• as a variation for grilled cheese

The Secret:

Three simple ingredients, but no substitutions—

Standing in the grocery aisle, you will be tempted to substitute these dependable ingredients. Don’t do it. Let me explain. For years I made this simple recipe when we lived in Hungary, the land known for its delicious roasted red peppers. And I had to grate my cheese since the prepackaged grated variety was not available. Then, when I returned to the U.S. and started substituting with the grated package, the taste of my pimento cheese was radically changed. It took a tutorial from my eldest daughter to point out my mistake. She was right!

Disclaimer:

Pimento cheese is not for everyone’s palate. But if you like it, you will like this recipe.

Living With Eternal Intentionality™

Most of all, enjoy the blessing of those around you when you are serving this food. Allow Psalm 103 to guide you and yours to a deeper level of gratitude.

Please let me know what you think, after you have tried the recipe.

*And, as always when I share a recipe, I ask if you would please pray for me when you make it.

Twenty Cans of Success (Part 2)

Believing that you can succeed at Christian growth and maturity takes no more effort that believing you cannot succeed.

-Neil Anderson

Our minds have a mind of their own, and yet we have the opportunity to see that transformed! When you and I take seriously the discipline to make our thinking a citadel for The Holy Spirit to reign, an enormous impact occurs in the quality of our lives.

In my observation of thriving believers, over the course of decades, one consistent habit emerges: they have a bulldog tenacity for godly thinking. Such people endure hardship like the rest, yet they seem to sing in its midst.

Indeed, our mental habits hold powerful sway over us. And, when one submits an issue to the Word of God and allows the Holy Spirit freedom to work, authentic change results. Neil Anderson, president of Freedom in Christ Ministries, is a godly teacher, and is known for his bestselling book The Bondage Breaker. His devotional, Daily in Christ, written with his wife Joanne, is one of my favorites. Part One of this two part series was taken from that volume, in hopes of leading us further toward transformational godly thinking.

Now for Part 2:

Twenty Cans of Success

11. Why should I ever be in bondage knowing that there is liberty where the Spirit of the Lord is (2 Corinthians 3:17)?

12. Why should I feel condemned when the Bible says I am not condemned because I am in Christ (Romans 8:1)?

13. Why should I feel alone when Jesus said He is with me always and He will never leave me nor forsake me (Matthew 28:20; Hebrews 13:5)?

14. Why should I feel accursed or that I am the victim of bad luck when the Bible says that Christ redeemed me from the curse of the law that I might receive His Spirit (Galatians 3:13, 14)?

15. Why should I be discontented when I, like Paul, can learn to be content in all my circumstances (Philippians 4:11)?

16. Why should I feel worthless when Christ became sin on my behalf that I might become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:21)?

17. Why should I have a persecution complex knowing that nobody can be against me when God is for me (Romans 8:31)?

18. Why should I be confused when God is the author of peace and He gives me knowledge through His indwelling Spirit (1 Corinthians 14:33; 2:12)?

19. Why should I feel like a failure when I am a conqueror in all things through Christ (Romans 8:37)?

20. Why should I let the pressures of life bother me when I can take courage knowing that Jesus has overcome the world and its tribulations (John 16:33)?

Living With Eternal Intentionality™

From this Part 2 of Twenty Cans of Success, which do you find most helpful on this day in your life?

Please personalize this list by adding two more from your own life: Why should I __________ when the Bible says _____________?