a few weeks ago i posted about my aspirations for 2012 and have had some significant moments this week that i thought were worth sharing:

• being brave- hayley over tiny twig (via life as an atristpreneur) shared about being brave enough to ask and hear “no.” it got me thinking about all of the opportunities and experiences i’ve been missing out on simply because i don’t seek them out. so i did. i contacted a local antique/handmade shop and asked if i could join their list of dealers and they said yes! the space rental is probably more than i think i would be able to handle, but a real store was willing to sell Love, SB items! all i did was send them an email with pictures and they replied with a rental contract. so cool.
• enjoying my closet- i’ve gotten dressed every morning (well except the 3 days i was sick) and wore clothes that i enjoyed. not because i simply had to wear something to work. it made my days brighter.
• try new things- i taught myself how to knit in the round (connected needles in a circle), which has been intimidating me for the last 3 years. i’m loving it.

in other news, i had a good conversation with friends about what we do and why with our food. we don’t eat and exercise for a certain number on a scale. we don’t own one of those anyways. we decided the life we wanted to live was one where we felt good and chose to live well. so we are. i talked with friends about meal planning and thought it would be helpful to show what this week’s plan was… even if it is just for them.

for lots of us who don’t have kids, it seems silly to cook for just two people…wrong! cook the amount suggested in the recipe and keep the rest for lunch the next day. yes, this means i haven’t made a lunch in over a year. it’s important to take note of how many servings a recipe makes because you only need one serving. still hungry? wait 5 minutes and eat some veg.

here’s what we enjoyed this week (p.s. if i was a serious blogger i’d post pictures of the dishes but these are all from other blogs who did that already):

• sunday- date night leftovers and dinner at a friends
• monday-chili made over the weekend and bruchetta chicken bake
• tuesday- chili and fajitas
• wednesday- leftovers and lemon chicken breast
• thursday- leftovers and overnight curry
• friday- leftovers for lunch and dinner
• breakfasts- i make this on sunday and it lasts until saturday. we split a bagel alongside the eggs.

i usually try 2 or 3 new recipes a week so we don’t get bored with food. i have a few rules when it comes to what we eat:

1. no artificial anything- no flavor packs, make my own sauces when necessary, nothing from a box.
2. if it calls for vegetables, add more- if you are eating healthier to lose weight, you will experience hunger. once your body adjusts you won’t feel as hungry as often. no matter what you are doing it is good to eat veg as long as they are cooked properly and it will fill you up in a good way. have you ever said “ugh, i’m stuffed from all of those garlic sauteed green beans?” probably not.
3. pack the leftovers before you serve- if i’m on top of things, i will put our meals on the plate and in the tupperware at the same time. that way we aren’t given the opportunity to over eat and lunches are already packed!
4. if there aren’t leftovers i’m not making it- cooking once a day is enough for me.
5. minimal ingredients- an even more cost effective way of cooking enough for leftovers is doing it with few ingredients. it’s taken some time to build up my stock, but i have most spices on hand, which saves a lot in my weekly budget. everything else involved is protein and veg so it comes fresh. here’s a helpful guide for kitchen stocking from one of my fave food blogs.
6. within budget- i spend about $60/week for a week’s worth of food. in addition to the meals above i buy fruit and veg for snacks/lunches and make this yogurt. we drink milk, water, and the occasional cocktail. no desserts unless we are serving guests. we eat out 2-4 times per week for dates. those are usually low-ish budget, but to be honest, not cooking and a redbox movie is a great night for me!

writing this out sounds way more strict than it actually sounds. it’s really not that hard after a few weeks of working with it. any recipes to share? i love using pinterest for new dishes, follow my food board here.

click here to buy! enter shipmesb in the coupon code at checkout to get your shipping on the house!

in comparison to 2010, 2011 was a year that felt far more stable. i felt like i was finally getting a hang of this new phase called  (semi) adulthood and i had a better understanding of how joel and i worked in our marriage and the areas i needed to grow. in some ways i feel like God gave me this year to recover from the year before…. there was just so much and i was exhausted.

so? 2011 meant that i learned about what it means to be myself in this new life, set boundaries and say no to things (which included a hiatus from a number of commitments) and invested a lot of time and focus into caring for myself, joel, and those around us. our home has transitioned from far away little india to the heart of brea where we get to love our friends in our home throughout the week. i cooked a lot of good food (if i do say so myself) for a lot of people and have successfully rid our kitchen from almost all chemicals, dyes, faux flavoring and anything else that didn’t come from the earth. i helped welcome thousands of people to my happy place. i got to make lots of pretty things for friends and even more for people i’ve never met in IL, TX, TN, OR, CA, AZ, Canada and India. i’ve been an auntie to some of the yummiest babies and got to watch friends become parents. joel and i traveled to new places together and enjoyed one of the best vacations ever with our dear friends. we led a ministry at our church and have been growing in how we disciple our students together. i spent months learning about the holiness of my Father.

it’s been a good year.

so what’s to come of 2012? fullness. that is what i want to experience.

i want to really live and be present. to enjoy beauty, wear clothes that make me feel good, try new things no matter how big or small, cook and eat food that tastes good, makes my body happy, and that looks pretty. i want to live in full color again. i want to be an active participant in the world around me rather than waking up in 2013 and wonder what happened. i want to slow down. to be a better friend. i want to be brave. i want to better tune my ear to the voice of God and be obedient.

in terms of specifics, i don’t have many for 2012…. which is good for a girl who usually lives by the rules.

that’s one of the good parts about heaven, you’ll never have to change light bulbs.

Revelation 21:23-25 ESV

And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, and its gates will never be shut by dayand there will be no night there.

this past year some things were taken from us that we always knew could disappear- but never really thought they would. but it was also a time when we quietly felt the footsteps of God in our lives and we needed to be grounded by that love. now we know who we are and whose we are- we are family and we are loved by God. we can walk in trust because we will always remember in the darkness what we once experienced in the light- these many, many occasions of family support and solidarity.

so we come now with heads high and hands held and we face the future together with faith and love. and for this we give thanks God!

gentle peace,

Nana

always proud to be a tierney.

we share our freckles, hair, smiles, laughs and much more. thankful to be one of this (big) bunch of cousins with the best nana in town.

O holy night, the stars are brightly shining,

It is the night of the dear Savior’s birth;

Long lay the world in sin and error pining,

Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth.

A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,

For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn;

this song struck me last night. i’ve always loved o holy night, this verse in particular, but part of it was different this time around. a thrill of hope the weary world rejoices.

WEARY

physically or mentally exhausted by hard work, exertion,strain, etc.; fatigued; tired: weary eyes; a weary brain. impatient or dissatisfied with something.

i know for me, weariness prevents me from experiencing the fullness of life. enjoying each moment and day, bite of food, time with friends, and especially who God is. sometimes i feel like i am experiencing the world around me on a black and white tv with the volume on low. but then there is this “new and glorious morn…..” you see, this side of the nativity, life can be like an HD flatscreen with surround sound. color, music, sharpness, full.

i am tired of being weary. living like i’ve never met this thrill of hope.

but i have. he is peace. he is life. he is hope.

Truly He taught us to love one another

His law is love and His gospel is peace

Chains shall He break, for the slave is our brother,

And in His name all oppression shall cease.

Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,

Let all within us praise His holy name.

that’s not a call to weariness. that is the awesome jesus in revelation with eyes like fire, sword, and sweet tattoos who came to literally change everything about our world. jesus came for all of humanity, but he also came for me. for you. so how junky is it that we live in this weariness when he came to remove it. so this christmas? let’s celebrate the gift of life in full color. life in HD. that the birth of jesus also meant that he would die and that is bigger than hope. that is new life- not weariness.

it really is the most intense taekwondo fight i’ve ever seen. did you catch that killer backwards kick? what ninjas.

now, middle school shannon tierney had no problems getting a boyfriend. and now i’m married so i can totally endorse all of these steps. i think joel married me because i finally started wearing eyeliner.

not the comedic quality of the first two, but totally awesome in its own right. i might post on this more later but i might not. i just wanted to do my part as an american and help this video go viral. what i will say is that it shows the value in showing up. how will anything change if we choose not to take part? go father monk. come to tucson and hang out with my nana- you are two peas in a pod.

enjoy!

lost in wonder, love, and praise.

doesn’t it sound awesome?

i don’t think there’s anything else left to say.

the world needs some judah bethany on a monday. cuter than cute.