When your kids are babies you revel in every discovery they make, new steps, new foods, new friends…the learning is so exciting. My son is now 13. He is still making new discoveries and taking new steps, but now it seems every one is bittersweet. He bought himself his first piece of clothing, he finds his parents kissing is suddenly gross, he checks out girls and they check him out, he registerered for high school. And for the first time tomorrow is traveling internationally without Mom or Dad (thank you Grandma and Grandpa). 

The clock seems to be ticking and with each tick one stroke closer to midnight when he'll be away…how did college get so near? Did we prepare him enough, did we protect him too much, will he sail through the upheaval of the next 6 years unscathed by what the darker side of life brings so many? 

I wonder if this is a small bit of what God the Father felt as he sent his Son into this world. Did He cringe with each insult? Did He wince at every scourge? Did His heart break over the pain of the cross that held His son, wanting just to hold Him in safety? Jesus had a role to fulfill, a calling to follow and a job to do for this world. No one else could do it. So each step to independence my son takes also takes him closer to what he is here for. My holding him back won't do the world any good....

Except it still makes this sentimental mom's heart want to hold tight, anticipating and preventing every potential pitfall or heartache…

There are weeks when life seems to pull in so many directions. It's then that God whispers 'Trust me only for the next step'. I was reminded of this listening to a podcast by Tim Kellner called 'Real Security and the Call of God'. His words were much more eloquent than mine, but in it he talks about Abraham who was asked to follow, but only ever told of the next immediate thing he needed to do. The promise was big, the stakes were high and yet he followed even while pushing back the doubts and ludicacy of what seemed impossible. 

He calls even us to do and to go and to follow on quests like this. Others look on and say 'You're crazy ________________ (fill in the blank with logic)'. What they don't see or hear is the quiet voice of God calling us. And so we cling to what feels like a rope dangling over an open sea of raging waves, clinging to the voice that is calling us to closeness and dependency on him. 

"Yet, I am always with you. You hold on to my right hand.
With your advice you guide me, and in the end you will take me to glory.
As long as I have you, I don't need anyone else in heaven or on earth.
My body and mind may waste away, but God remains the foundation of my life and my inheritance forever.
Without a doubt, those who are far from you will die. You destroy all who are unfaithful to you.
Being united with God is my highest good. I have made the Almighty LORD my refuge so that I may report everything that he has done."

Psalm 73:23-28God's Word Translation

It was one of the best gifts I have received. It was given to me after my mom died from the women in my bible study group . I'm pretty sure it was a last minute addition to the gift basket but it started a habit that is with me today. The item: a scarf.

The one given to me was a heavy, woven floral tapestry, very soft, thick and long. At the time I was not a scarf wearer (though secretly wanted to be after living in Germany for a year), but the months following my mom's death found me often wrapped in that scarf. The heaviness and warmth was comforting. 

They say scarves are one of the few lifetime wardrobe accessories. Over the years my collection has grown. Today it's my take along travel accessory and I usually find myself wearing one once a week. Sometimes they are just the thing to add a touch of color, or to tie an outfit together (no pun intended). 

You wouldn't think the bible would have much to say on the subject, but here it is...

Ecclesiastes 9:7-10 (from the Message)
"Seize life! Eat bread with gusto, Drink wine with a robust heart. Oh yes—God takes pleasure in your pleasure! Dress festively every morning. Don't skimp on colors and scarves. Relish life with the spouse you love. Each and every day of your precarious life. Each day is God's gift. It's all you get in exchange For the hard work of staying alive. Make the most of each one! Whatever turns up, grab it and do it. And heartily!"

Fitting for today don't you think! Happy Valentines Day!

Image credit: JCrew

'Why do we have backs?' was the little misses question over breakfast the other day. I had never really thought about that, but it was fun to imagine people without backs. Would we always be facing each other? Would we have fronts?

Our explanation for backs was that God gave them to us so we could sit, stand and have a structure to this body of ours. As a user experience designer I see the physical world from the perspective of a creator and designer. God being the ultimate designer. I have marveled at the human body being the ultimate interface and user experience. Good user experiences take skill to plan for and create. Thoughts go into the detail of interactions, affordances, touch points and appearance. These are supported by a backend that seamlessly carries out the functions and requests of the user. 

In the case of the human body, we are both system and user. We can use and care for our own system, yet we are made to interact with others. Here are five signs of a great user experience:

1. Elegant User Interface (The human body, mostly symmetrical and easy one the eyes)
2. Addictive (Talk to a mom with a new little one or a couple in love)
3. Fast Start (From birth we have everything we need to get started)
4. Seamless (Made to rule and integrate into the environment that is earth)
5. It Changes You (Not only always changing but our actions change others)

There are other principles of user experience and over all the body has been so well thought out that it encompasses most of them too. The human body had to have been planned and designed which is one  reason why we've got backs.

My husband and I were talking about what we would do this Valentines day... my idea 'Secrets', the Mexico resort we stayed at last Valentines day. 

That's not something we can do every year so we started thinking about the next time we could go. Maybe to celebrate paying off our house or maybe for our 20th anniversary. At that thought my dear husband said..."Can you believe we've made it almost 20 years? What are we going to do about that?" To which I said, "Well we've made it this long, we might as well keep going." 

The reality is we almost didn't make it. We were separated for about 10 months 8 years ago. My mom, of course, despaired that this was the end. Then she had a dream about me rolling on the front yard with a guy sporting a moustache. It wasn't much later that she noticed my husband growing a moustache. From there she knew the rest of the story even before it happened. 

Well this little card is the latest addition to the shop I have on Etsy, and it's in honor of my mom, her moustache dream and all the love that followed.

I never thought I'd be sharing something so personal as my shower floor. But here it is in all it's sparkling glory. It hasn't always been like this. The last time was shortly after we moved into our house about four years ago. My mother-in-law had cleaned it and it looked great, but over time soap scum and water residue had turned it into a lovely brownish gray. I tried everything to get it clean. Vinegar, Comet, Tilex, Method shower cleaner but no matter how hard I scrubbed it still looked awful. 

A few weeks ago, I was reading on Pinterest (love it!) about a simple solution that would clean it without any scrubbing. I doubted it could be true and so easy, but thought to give it a try. So I mixed: 
1 part warm vinegar 
1 part blue Dawn dish soap 
in a spray bottle and sprayed my entire shower. I let it soak and then it just washed away clean. 

Such as simple solution but I wish I had found it sooner. The same was true in my life. For many years I felt the yuckiness of my heart. It was always there but I didn't really know what to do about it, even though I grew up in church, went to Bible school etc. I wondered how a person could be effective if they couldn't figure out how to scrub the dirt away. 

Over years of searching...finally breakthrough. A friend helped me show my heart to Jesus so he could wash it clean. It was so simple and I didn't have to do anything except be transparent with Him. There is truly a cleaner that cleans and a healer that heals. Jesus is the best cleaning product for the human heart. 


So I can't resist adding a song here...Healing is in your hands...have a listen if you have some time. (Sorry about the quality)

In an effort towards health, both nutritional and budgetary, I decided to make no-bake cookies. I thought if I reduced the amount of sugar, these could possibly qualify as a healthy alternative to granola bars for the kids lunches. At least I know exactly what's in them...

Being the end of the month we are out of grocery money. We don't usually hold ourselves very strictly to the Dave Ramsey plan, though we have good intentions too, but this month we are. It was more of a challenge to ourselves...can we make the food we have stretch to last the month? To that we'll find out the answer tomorrow when I make the kids lunches. 

But for now I know we have our 'granola bar' alternatives if nothing else. No-bake cookies are my kids favorites. I always rely on an old cookbook from my mother-in-law's mom. All the recipes are typed out and it's in an small old blue stained binder. It's a never fail recipe which is a must for me, I'm somewhat of a distracted chef.

This go around I made bars instead of cookies and too our surprise we like them better that way. Well the kids do...cookies don't quite fit my hypoglycemic eating plan. If you would like to give this a try here's the recipe:

2 cups sugar (I only did 1 cup)
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup cocoa
1/2 cup margarine or butter
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 tsp. vanilla
3 cups quick cooking oats
1 cup nuts (optional)
coconut (optional)

Take first four ingredients and bring to a good boil. Cook for 1 1/2 minutes. Then remove from heat and add the rest of the ingredients and beat until well mixed. Then drop by spoonful on waxed paper and let cool. (I smushed it all into a baking dish.)

Recipe credit goes to Mrs. Roy Kliewer. The cookbook is the Cherished Cookery, published by the Junior Mission Circle of the Mennonite Brethren Church of Corn, Oklahoma in April of 1964.


Enjoy!

Photo credit: whatsmeganmaking

As part of my business we do user testing. That is we sit down with web users and watch how they interact with the websites we are testing. This helps us understand where people get hung up and 'drop off' on a website. 

Invariably during the test the participant will make a specific request. "I want to see the site work this way." It would be ideal, of course, to fulfill everyones wishes and for the most part the requests are valid and good ideas, but what the user doesn't see is the big picture. Maybe the requested aspect was intentionally left out for legal reasons. Maybe there wasn't enough budget to justify adding the feature to the site. Or maybe there were platform limitations that led to the current solution. 

It made me wonder if this could be how God views our prayer requests. Ever pray for a million dollars? I have…cause that just might solve everything, right? As a usability tester, I accept the participants wishes readily, but only push to fulfill them if it's in the best interest of all parties involved (business and customer). I am privy to the big picture. It's a reminder to me to trust that God too is privy to the big picture and knows the whys and hows of what is best for me. 

Over the last week, my son and I watched the documentary, 'Fat, sick and nearly dead'. The guy in the movie spent years unwell using 12 different medications daily. One day he wondered if his body could heal itself in the inside, just as it does on the outside. After much research, he decided to go on a 60 day juice fast. By the end of it his conditions were completely gone. It was quite amazing to watch.

At our house we try to eat healthy. Sometimes though it feels like keeping the flood waters at bay. It takes concerted effort to keep the unhealthy foods out. Treats are accessible and easy to buy. One thing that keeps me mindful is my hypoglycemia which is blood-sugar that fluctuates drastically. 

Last year my doctor, in an attempt to stabilize it,  said I could have anything to eat except sugar (including white rice and potatoes), dairy (a sugar), and wheat. With my body's inability to process sugars, the dairy and wheat were fermenting in my system causing yeast issues and inflammation. All good to know and do…but now what to eat? This would require meal planning, something I am not good at. 

This is what has worked:
1. Over the months changing one thing at a time. Milk to unsweetened almond milk. Wheat flour to spelt or oatmeal flour. Sugar to agave nectar. White rice to brown rice. It has forced me to be more creative with meals...somehow it has worked out even when everyone else has pizza. 

2. Realizing how good I feel when I'm eating right. The unhealthy bites of food are no longer tempting when I think of how I would feel afterwards.

3. Keeping lots the fridge stocked with healthy choices.
4. Alternative recipes on the internet. Finding an oatmeal quick bread that can be baked like biscuits as a bread alternative or trying sugar free no bake cookie recipes.

How about you? What kind of dietary limitations do you have?

As a cat owner there is something about your lap being chosen as the place to curl up on. Awww…they want to be close to me and love on me. It's similar to elementary school when you want to be picked for the team, pick me! pick me! 

We all want to be chosen…chosen for a job, chosen as a friend, noticed and chosen. The reality is we are not always selected and not always seen. The cat curls up on a blanket instead of your lap. Someone else is picked for the team and the job is given to someone with better experience. 

And yet…God chooses us. ("You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name." John 15:16 NLT) He is happy to choose us. Think about this next time the cat rejects you, or you don't get picked. The God of the universe, holy and majestic, wise in all things…chose us. It's almost too great a thought.

"Each and every one of us created perfectly in His image. Each one cherished. Each one “one of His favorites”. How would life change if we thought of each other as such? If each person that approached us we treated as beloved of God, cherished by God, one of God’s favorite people?" 
- Kisses from Kate