"Sandy" and Cranberry Relish

The infamous Hurricane Sandy passed through our grand state of Pennsylvania yesterday, leaving 400+ closed bridges and roads, 1.3 million residents without electricity, and a plethora of fallen trees, limbs, and leaves in her wake. The hubs and I are fortunate enough to have very little aftermath to deal with. A small but steady leak in the roof has caused some ceiling tile issues in our upstairs bathroom, but no much more. We did, however, both happen to have off work yesterday and today, which was a pleasant surprise!

Our free time included sleeping in (which I for one NEVER do) and spending some rare quality time together, as well as catching up housework, playing music (or, if you are my husband, playing PlayStation), sewing, rearranging my living room, and of course COOKING. 

I LOVE to cook, especially when I have endless amounts of time to do so! Waffles, fresh bread, stew, and apple crisp were a few highlights of the past two days (all made from scratch of course). I also made one of my all-time favorite dishes...something that can only be made in certain seasons because the main ingredient is only available for part of the year...my grandmother's Cranberry Relish! A delicious and very healthy dish, Cranberry Relish is simple, yet unique, with a nice mix of sweet and tart flavors. 

To make it you will need a food grinder.  My parents use an old meat grinder that they attach to their counter and grind by hand.  I prefer my kitchen aid attachment food grinder. =)

Cranberry Relish
6 whole apples (red delicious work well)
2 whole oranges
1 can pineapple slices
1 bag fresh cranberries

Wash all of the fresh fruit, then slice the apples and oranges.  Drain the juice from the can of pineapple slices. 

 

 





Set up your grinder and turn it on. Begin to feed the fruit through the grinder, rotating among the different fruits for a nice mix of flavors. 

 

When you have ground all of the fruit, mix the relish to ensure an even flavor. *Optional: If you find this mixture to be too tart for your palate, add 1/2 to 1 cup of sugar, to taste.* 

 

 

Refrigerate before serving and to store.  This will stay good in your refrigerator for at least 3-4 days.  I often eat a batch over the course of a work week. 

 

ENJOY! :)

 

 

Lacey



Beautiful Custom Greeting Cards, and much more!

I just just ordered a set of BEAUTIFUL thank you cards from Shutterfly!  I used photos from our recent honeymoon in Mexico.  See??!?!??!?

3x5 Folded Card

View the entire collection of cards.

Go to www.shutterfly.com to create your customized cards!  They have great templates for every occasion, which you can personalize with your own photos and messages.  Cards are not even close to the limit of what you can create on their website.  And they always have great sales and offers, so make your way over there and create an account!  Trust me, you will be glad you did. :-)

Enjoy!

<3 Lacey

**Disclaimer: Shutterfly has not contracted me to market or advertise for them.  The opinions in this post are the authors personal opinions, and have not been solicited by any outside party**

My Heart's Desire

Have you ever had a desire that stirs your soul?  A hunger, a longing that you can't stop thinking about?  A calling, a passion, a LOVE..........something that is to the core of your being and that you just can't get enough of?  

For me recently, that has been my feeling for God.  No matter how busy I am with my job, my household chores, planning my wedding... my desire for more time in the presence of my Savior never goes away.  And when I am in those moments of focused attention on  Jesus, on His Word, on His voice, I never want to leave.  It can be 11 pm after a long, hard day, and when I get into those moments, HOURS can pass like a second.  And even though I am tired, I am so refreshed and re-energized! 

The lyrics of this beautiful song mirror the cry of my heart, the longing of my soul, my desire for my life...

In humble adoration, I kneel before Your throne, In brokenness I seek Your face alone, Above You there's no other, Who's able to restore my soul, Come and make me whole

Breathe on me, Power of God come in and change me, You are all I need, Holy Spirit breathe on me

I'm ready to surrender, To give You all my life, No matter what the cost or sacrifice, Reveal to me Your calling, Cleanse me from my prideful ways, Use me now I pray

Breathe on me, Power of God come in and change me, You are all I need, Holy Spirit breathe on me

I will say of the Lord, He is my strong tower, My rock and my fortress in whom I trust, In times of the storm and in tribulation, He is my help and my salvation

Oh breath of God, Restore my soul

{Breathe on Me by Natalie Grant}

Everyday I seek to be used by God, and everyday I am shown ways, small or large, to be in impact for Him on those around me.  Everyday that I ask for opportunities, I receive them, everytime I ask for open doors, they open, every second that I spend seeking more of God and more of his will in my life, the more of it I get.  Things don't always go the way that I planned, but they do ALWAYS go the He plans.  And when my desires are in line with his, its AMAZING!!!  Praying scripture, belief in His promises (remembering that every promise of God is conditional on at least two things: faith and obedience) asking for wisdom, seeking his will, daily submitting EVERYTHING to Him....there is NO BETTER WAY.  I tried living MY WAY.  I practiced my FREE WILL.  All it brought was pain, regret, and unhappiness.  Every second of living for myself was a WASTE OF TIME, such precious time.

Are you frustrated/hurting/unhappy?  Do you feel like there has to be more to life than the daily grind of your job and daily routine at home?  Let me ask you something.  When is the last time that you spent more than 5 minutes on your knees?  Can you truly say that you SPEND TIME with God?  Like any RELATIONSHIP, knowing God requires TIME and ATTENTION!  You have to TALK TO HIM.  You have to GIVE to Him (resources, like time and money, but also love, respect, adoration, and praise!), and to EXPECT from Him in return. Have faith that He will do for you when you do for Him.  Do you LISTEN to God? Or do you do all the talking? Do you spend more time ASKING FROM Him than SUBMITTING TO him?  Ask yourself these HARD QUESTIONS, and be HONEST in your answers to yourself.

Do you admit you are wrong, or do you TRULY REPENT?  There is a difference!  Are you truly giving up your sinful ways?  Is your heart right, or are you knowingly sinning, but refusing to truly give it to God? (Psalm 51)

Are you struggling financially?  Let me ask you this.  Are you GIVING faithfully to God (tithing at LEAST 10% off the top of your income-Deuteromony 29:12-15; Matthew 23:23)?  Because if you are TRULY TRUSTING GOD with your finances, you will NEVER HAVE TO WORRY about having enough.  In fact, God instructs us to give up everything that we have (Luke 14:33), and He PROMISES TO PROVIDE FOR OUR NEEDS (Matthew 6:26).  He repeats over and over again throughout the book of Proverbs that the RIGHTEOUS will NEVER BE FORGOTTEN, NEVER BE LEFT WANTING.  He even INSTRUCTS us to TEST HIM in our giving (Malachi 3:10), promising to bless us for our faithfulness.

When you pray, do you always pray for your safety and well being?  Would you be ABLE AND WILLING to pray like this instead? 

"God, whatever your plan is, whatever your will is, that is WHAT I WANT (Matthew 6:10).  Even if it means enduring pain and loss.  Even if it means constant discomfort.  Even if it means poverty, abandoment from the world, and mocking for my faith (2 Corinthians 1:3-6).  I am ready for ANYTHING life brings, because I am living to store up treasures in eternity (Matthew 6:19-21)!  I know that this LIFE IS TEMPORARY, but that my choices in it will ring for ETERNITY.  I want to choose the only true way to HAPPINESS.  The only true example of LOVE.  The only UNCONDITIONAL FRIEND.  Everything I have gained in this world is truly a loss in eternity (Philippians 3:7-8).

I want to SEE THE WORLD THROUGH YOUR EYES, Jesus.   I want to love EVERYONE (Matthew 22:39).  Not just the poor and needy, but the wealthy and the prideful.  I want to focus on WORSHIPING YOU, in EVERYHING I DO.  I WANT TO LIVE EVERY SECOND WITH A STARTLING AWARENESS OF YOUR PRESENCE, and to LIVE AS IF YOU WERE WALKING BESIDE ME IN PERSON EVERY SECOND.  I want MORE OF YOU."

Would that prayer be hard for you to pray?  Or is it your HEART'S CRY?  Don't misunderstand, I believe in ASKING GOD for healing and for safety.  He has given us His authority (Matthew 10:8), and has instructed us to ASK (Matthew 7:7-8).  But it is important to remember that HIS PLAN IS BIGGER AND BETTER THAN OURS!  So when we ask, we should do so believing that God has told us to do so, but trusting that WHATEVER HAPPENS IS FOR OUR BEST (Isaiah 45:11; Jeremiah 29:11).

This is my heart's cry.  To KNOW GOD to the fullest extent that any human being can.  To live EVERY SECOND for Him, KEENLY AWARE OF HIS PRESENCE.  To show love to EVERYONE, strangers and friends, loved ones and enemies, rich and poor, strong and weak, fellow believers and lost souls.  To be a CONDUIT, to be a MEANS...I want to be USED.  I want Lacey to be less, and JESUS to be MORE!  I want to be anointed by God, I want the Holy Spirit POURED INTO ME.  I pray that God would have unexpected and uncontrollable circumstances come into my life, so that HE has more opportunities to reign in me!

Do you know God's definition of BLESSED?  Read the beatitudes in Jesus' Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:1-12).  Blessed are those who MOURN, those who are MEEK, those who strive after RIGHTEOUSNESS, those who are PERSECUTED.  I want to be blessed, not by having material things or comforts in life, not by having less pain in life than others.  I want to be BLESSED in God's definition.  I want to strive after righteousness, and be joyful in trials and tribulations.  I want to practice humility (meekness) and mercy.  I want to be a peacemaker.  In persecution and pain I will rejoice, knowing that God is calling me BLESSED! 

Does this sound RADICAL to you?  It should!  Does it sound crazy?  It IS.  Its CRAZY LOVE FOR GOD, and it is soooooooo much better than any thing else in life!    

Giveaway to Check Out!

One of my favorite things about the world of blogging that I have so recently become acquainted with is all the giveaways that bloggers do!  Ashley from After Nine To Five is doing an awesome, winner-takes-all, 35 prize give away in honor of her birthday!  Want to get in on the action?  Visit her blog here.

Good luck!  ;-)

A Story of Christmas...

In my usual fashion, I have spent much time reading other blog's, and ignoring the fact that its been two months since I posted anything.  However, I have learned SO much about blogging from reading other blogs.  A few of the big things that I have realized the need to focus on in my posts are more pictures (and better quality- can't wait to get the DSL camera I have been wanting for FOREVER!), a little less writing, and sticking to one topic per post.  So, here is a little over view of a few things from Christmas. 

For those of you out there who are avid DIYers, I found a very creative idea for a festive centerpiece bouquet from Martha Stewart.  Its very simple, and easily made by even the newest DIY convert, yet so pretty!  

Her directions said only to use the white flowers, but I added the green thinking it would be more Christmas-y.  In retrospect, I think that I would have liked the all-white look better, but it still turned out nicely. Don't you think?  (Yes, yes, I know, I needed to iron my table cloths.) 

And it's not Christmas with out Christmas cookies, right?  My friend Jess and I have made it an annual thing to get together and bake 4-6 different types of cookies in one night.  It was a blast and they were DELICIOUS!

Peanut Butter blossoms on the left, chocolate cake cookies in the bottom center, my grandma's gingersnaps (my favorite) on the bottom right, and good ol' chocolate chip on the top center and top right.  Mmmmmmm....

Merry Belated Christmas everybody! :-) 

A Tragic Opportunity

This post is the editorial that I wrote for the December edition of our company newsletter.  

A Tragic Opportunity

by Lacey Reapsome

Penn State.  Jerry Sandusky.  Joe Paterno.  These are words and names that we have heard endlessly for weeks now.  Article after article, news report after news report, and facebook post after facebook post; news of the incident has been unavoidable. 

The wrong doings of these iconic figures in society hve brought many people pain for the victims and their families, and anger toward the man who would dare to do such a thing to innocent children and those who sat idly by.  It has also brought about a broken, hurting student body, both current students and alumni, whose laments have filled editorial pages and facebook pages.    

I am reminded of a quote from Napoleon Hill, in which he stated that “Every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit”.  It is hard to turn from our pain, anger, and self pity and realize that life is bigger than we are, and that every adversity is an opportunity to become stronger and better people, and an opportunity to reflect on our own faults and to learn and grow from the failures of those around us.

David Brooks, a columnist for the New York Times, wrote an article on November 14^th, 2011 entitled Let’s All Feel Superior.  In his article, Brooks brings to light the psychological realities of the human minds ways of dealing with horrific situations.  Normalcy Biases, Motivated Blindness, and self-deception prevent us from consciously believing something that our eyes see.  Our minds instinctively protect us from viewing horrifying scenes.  Brooks references an experiment in which people were shown images, some containing sexual content.  Those participants who were uncomfortable with sex never let their eyes dart over to the uncomfortable parts of the pictures.  In other words, some element of the mind was aware of the content of the pictures before the eyes drifted that way, thus preventing the eye from gazing upon something the viewer did not want to see.

While a large majority of us sit back and judge the actions of Joe Paterno, Mike McQueary, and many of the other people who were somehow informed of the horrifying acts of Jerry Sandusky with children in the showers of the locker rooms of the Penn State football program, there are very few of us who would have the mental strength and gumption to intervene or even to simply report the incident.  Our self-deception allows us to fixate on the facts that we like, and suppress the ones we do not.  Brooks references a book entitled Blind Spots, which points out that “when it comes time to make a decision, our thoughts are dominated by thoughts of how we want to behave; thoughts of how we should behave disappear.”

If it is scientifically proven that we, as the human race, would, in a large majority of cases, do the exact same thing that Joe Paterno and Mike McQueary and a host of others did, why then do we feel that we can sit back and point our fingers in astonishment and question how THEY could have let this happen?  What we should be doing instead is to focus on the opportunity this tragic situation presents to us as students and alumni, as citizens of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and as a society.  The opportunity to right a wrong, and more importantly, the opportunity to learn from the mistakes of others, which will hopefully allow us, as a society, to overcome the biases and mentalities which prevent even good men from doing the right thing in difficult circumstances. 

Link to David Brooks’ article: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/15/opinion/brooks-lets-all-feel-superior.html?_r=1&scp=4&sq=david%20brooks&st=cse

I'm back!!!!....?

Ok, so I realize that I haven't blogged in weeks months.  I am not quite sure how so many people (especially mothers!) not only blog EVERYDAY, but do so including beautiful pictures of their lives and wonderful details of their interactions and passions and all the things that make them tick....  I am jealous that I have not yet been able to get there, but I do intend to. someday.  For now, I am going to attempt to make up for my extended leave of absence with a long post touching upon as many of the subjects I said I was going to blog about as possible.  Here it goes...


Since my last post on August 23rd (feels like that was only a week ago, where has this fall gone!?), I have been to three weddings, including being the Maid of Honor in my sisters wedding on September 24th, which was beautiful and amazing, and soooooo much work for all of us involved .....and, might I add, soooooooo worth it! :-)  These endeavors have only enhanced my own wedding planning as I garner ideas and vendor business cards...speaking of which, our next two wedding "to dos" are choosing the guys' tuxes and planning out our ceremony.....so exciting!!! 


(On that note...


Bridesmaids' dresses are all in, but, I have a quandary which I would love to hear your ideas on.......I found out a week ago that one of my bridesmaids and her husband are having a baby!!! {YAY!}....in JUNE!!! {WHOO HOO!}......which means that she will be like 36 weeks pregnant at my wedding {YAY!.....?}.............
....some of you have probably figured out my quandary by now, which is what to do about her DRESS?!?!? (Its a little big on her now....but 8+ months pregnant is probably going to need more than "a little" room).  I am so excited for them, and so excited to be an [unofficial] "aunt" again.......but what about the dress?....hmmm...........{praying about this one}.... )


Moving on........I have also had a few opportunities to do some FALL shopping and have put together a few fun, fall outfits using some of my new pieces {pictures to come}. 


Scrapbooking and sewing have been in the same situation as blogging...back burner-ed...however, I am going to get some Christmas projects going soon, so stay tuned (or re-tune, since I have been M.I.A. for 10 weeks). :-)


In the cooking realm (the ONE thing that NEVER gets back burner-ed no matter how busy I am) I have been LOVING fall time cooking and baking.  Pumpkin bread, baked sweet potatoes, and butternut squash soup have all been thoroughly enjoyed.  More baking in general because its cool out and the heat from the oven feels cozy has additionally led to more last minute whip-ups such as banana bread, raisin bran muffins, and homemade pizza.  Pumpkin sheet cake, with a creamy, cream cheese icing, was my most recent kitchen production, which was a HUGE hit with all.  {I will attempt to post a few of these recipes this evening}.  


On the family front, my mother has spent the past three weeks in her hometown of Kingsburg, California (3,000+ miles away) helping out her mother, my grandmother, feel better and get some much needed tasks done.  Meanwhile, my poor dad, God bless him, has been such a trooper taking care of three teenagers (yes, I said THREE TEENAGERS) at home by himself, without a working septic system!  Then, this week, his cell phone and the vacuum broke in the same day (when it rains it pours I guess).  So I am trekking up to State College for part of this weekend to give my family 24 hours of my undivided support, and arming myself with my own trusty DirtDevil [unfortunately I don't think there is much I can do for the septic situation].


Reading....Christopher and I have begun reading "Heaven Is For Real" together, and are loving it.  If you have not read this book yet, please consider doing so.  It is such a great reminder of the innocent, trusting, all-consuming faith that children have, and our need to mirror that child-like faith in our relationship with Jesus Christ.  This book is also an innocent, matter-of-fact, and amazing account of a moment in heaven which a 3-year-old boy experienced while on the operating table.  We are about half way through and I have already laughed, cried, and prayed with the family of this little boy in their recounting of such a real-life, yet so supernatural experience.  


That's all I have for now, although I PLAN to get on again tonight to share some pictures and recipes that I do not have with me at the moment. Until then! :-)

Pumpkin Sheet Cake