chicago on our mind

after a long skype today with our sister hannah, I realized that I never posted pictures of our trip to Chicago about a month ago to visit her. we went for a long weekend to meet her roommates (she lives with one other woman and two guys) and see the house she is hoping to buy and use to start a powerful example of living in community. hannah is one of the most inspirational people that i know. she isn't afraid to dream big and has faith that those dreams will come true, assured of the vision that God has given her.



currently, she is dreaming of extending hospitality to her neighbors and those she comes in contact with in her neighborhood of east garfield park. she imagines people living life together and also being outward focused on those around them, digging into relationships in an authentic way that seems rare these days. i could go on and on about hannah, but i'll leave you with some pics of our trip and you can see for yourself how much she cared for us on our trip to see her in january.


deep dish pizza at gino's east- aka cheese and gluten overload!


waiting for the L


some beautiful flowers in the conservatory a few blocks from their house


we even found a banana plant!


guerrila tile mosaiac work


the lights at a yummy gyro place we ate at!


hannah cutting our hair at the salon where she works


the finished product


a rousing game of mennonite madness! one of the many moments of uncontrollable laughter during the weekend.



hannah banana, we are so proud to have you as our sister!

time to relax and what do i do?

why head for the kitchen of course... :)

here's a peek into my afternoon in the kitchen this weekend.

I painted these with simple chalkboard paint and I love how they turned out!

This is admitting one of my guiltiest pleasures- checking out cookbooks from the library. Currently reading Flour by Joanne Chang and drooling over every page.

Food processor = kitchen wonder tool. This one was assembled for us by our brother in law, all from parts he found at the Goodwill bins! (I was making bread crumbs!)

Rosemary Raisin Pecan Crips, created to be like the ones you can buy at Trader Joes. I used this recipe. They're tasty with some cream cheese on top.

Two things I can't live without in my kitchen. Misto- like Pam nonstick spray, only you fill/refill it with olive oil to grease pans, spritz on popcorn, and a myriad of other uses. We like it because we get to buy the big jug of olive oil from the Lebanese store down the street. The other tip- if you're still living in the last century like me and use paper recipes, slip them into a plastic sheet protector before you expect them to brave your kitchen. That way, they survive all the drips, spills, and splatters of your creative cooking!

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Courtesy of Wendy Shaver
2 c butter (room temp)
1 c sugar
1 c brown sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2c flour
2 c whole wheat flour
5 c quick oatmeal
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
24 oz semi sweet choc chips
Opt. 2 cups of chopped pecans or walnuts
 
In a large bowl or mixer, cream butter and sugars. Add eggs one at a time, beating to blend, then vanilla. Mix dry ingredients together, then add to butter mixture. Mix until moistened and blended. Mix in choc chips. Bake 375 degrees for 8-10 mins. *This makes a big batch of dough, so I always bake some right away and with the leftover, I scoop it into balls, freeze it in a single layer, and then keep it in a Ziploc. This way, you can pull out however many you need and always have cookies- warm from the oven. Or you can pop a frozen dough ball after a hard day!*

why do i have such a way of making such a messy kitchen? good thing at our house, the philosophy luke aspires to is, "i cook and he cleans!"

homemade laundry detergent in five minutes flat!

thanks to my dear friend victoria for gifting me The Naturally Clean Home for my birthday last year, i've been slowly trying out homemade cleaners.

here's one that i have been so impressed with the results.

Basic Laundry Soap Powder
*This recipe will wash six average loads, but you can easily double it*
1 cup washing soda
1 cup baking soda
1 cup soap flakes or finely grated pure bar soap (i use fels naptha brand)

Combine all ingredients and store in a heavy plastic container. Use 1/2 cup for an average laundry load.

A few tips... I have found all the ingredients at my nearby Winco and they are CHEAP too- this stuff is way more cost effective than any other store bought detergent. It smells so clean and fresh- not chemically at all. I bought an old box grater from my nearby thrift store and keep it separate, especially for grating the bar soap. I would recommend dissolving the powder in warm water in the washer before you turn the temp to cold and add the clothes.

Enjoy!

yesterday and today

yesterday it was 2012. today it's 2013! yesterday it was snowing and today we went bike riding!

to start the year off right, we took advantage of a spectacular day and headed out to the gorge to ride a trail we've wanted to for a long time. the Historic Columbia River Highway State Trail is off i-84 east at exit 40 and goes for less than five miles in either direction. we saw bonneville dam and stopped in cascade locks for a burger and to warm our toes. the most spectacular sight was the places where water normally flows down freely are covered with ice and frost on the rock walls of the gorge. incredible!

besides getting the chance to be out in nature on day one of a new year, we were able to spend some time reflecting on the full year we had, as well as think ahead to the months coming. although i'm not a person who sets resolutions for myself, i would like to be mindful this year (LIVE WITH INTENTION). more on that later.

for now, i will rejoice that i flossed my teeth more in 2012 and went to the community center once a week to zumba. it's the small things, right? what's something you did in 2012 that you are proud of yourself for doing?

a week off... how wonderful!

i am grateful to my organization for a week off of work. it has been so refreshing! i was lamenting to luke yesterday that it's too bad we can't store up rest. me resting a lot this week does not equal me being any less tired when work starts up again. his retort: i guess we have to enjoy it while we can!

enjoy it we have done. here are some highlights.

the small, boring things like lots of sleeping in and cleaning all those things i never seem to get around to.

then, there are the things that only i would get excited about, like the REI used gear sale today or spending my Christmas money on an apple corer/peeler so i can dehydrate apples with ease! i have also been excited to try recipes from my new cookbook (homemade pantry by alana chernila). yesterday, i made strawberry peach fruit leather!

then, there have been the big things. luke played a jazz show with some of his out of town musician friends. we had our 4th annual ugly sweater party with friends, which was more fun than ever complete with our fried Evan dj-ing and a white elephant gift exchange.

we got to go visit some of luke's extended family at their house on the mckenzie river and enjoyed a dip at terwilliger hot springs in the SNOW! it was majestic and so sweet to spend time with family.

my parents are off in europe having a train adventure, so luke and i spent christmas eve with christian, church and soup- a sandor tradition! since all the nieces and nephews are far off in other countries, we spent christmas morning not opening presents, but snow shoeing with rusty and mary lou at trillium lake on mt. hood. the trees were heavy laden with snow and the silence of the woods was deafening. we are so lucky to live so close to such natural beauty.

side note: another tradition in the sandor family was the Pillsbury orange sweet rolls on Christmas morning. you know the kind- the ones in the can that pops open before you put them in the pan. this year, i tried my hand at a homemade version and they were delectable. never going back! look here for the recipe.

i have managed to squeeze the most out of this week off, and still have a few more days! plan to spend it reflecting on the year of 2012 and all that God has been doing in these months.

if i had to describe relaxation in one word...

it would have to be breitenbush.

the name of a retreat center out in the middle of the cascades where luke and i spent the weekend. we went to welcome winter, to celebrate his birthday a week early, and to RELAX! mission accomplished.

it was raining hard all weekend, and there was even a dusting of snow when we woke this morning. the perfect weather to enjoy many long soaks in the outdoor, natural hot spring-fed soaking pools. that plus an incredible vegetarian buffet at each meal, lots of rest, games, reading (just finished under wildwood by portland local colin meloy and i couldn't put it down!), exploring in the woods, prayer, mate, and down time with the one i love.

my body, mind, soul, and spirit feel refreshed. thank you abba for the creation of a place like that and for all the people who care for it.

a weekend, filled to the brim

three day weekends... the possibilities are endless.

luke and i managed to squeeze in lots of good things this weekend. a movie, caramel corn, roommates and good friends, bike rides, water aerobics. :)

we kicked it off with a work project with church, imago dei. we worked with a group of brothers and sisters from around the city to bless the local DHS office by remodeling the visitation rooms. we took down wallpaper, repainted, replaced toys and furniture and helped create a space that will hopefully be welcoming and help parents reconnect with their kids living in foster care during their weekly visits. i must say that one of my favorite things of being involved in a big church like imago is the reach that we are able to have in our city. my heart is beginning to swell for foster kids, especially as we get involved with Foster Parents Night Out (a monthly chance for us to hang out with foster kids as their parents get to have 4 hours of respite). i'm excited to continue to love on these kids in my community.

on sunday, we loaded our bikes on the bolt bus and headed up to seattle. we got to explore pike's place market, and met up with my cousin scott who goes to UW. the bus ride and the bustling market brought back sweet memories of south america. we even revisted a favorite latin american import store that has all things central and south american, including our favorite kind of yerba mate. scott rode the 30 miles with us to my grandparents in redmond, where my mom and brother met us. we enjoyed some good stories at dinner and then got to shake my grandma's world up a bit when christian, luke and i joined her for water aerobics this morning. my grandparents are beginning to show signs of aging and it sure does make me cherish the time i get with them, each time it happens.

feeling ready and refreshed for the week ahead. thursday is the last day of after school classes in my new school, so i'm looking forward to some down time and montana next week for thanksgiving with luke's family.

hope your long weekend was joyful.