Things I Love (October Edition)

things heard, things read, holy moments, and once again: bread

I’ve been excited to share this list moth’s list of wonderful things with you, because I have found some really delightful surprises sprinkled into my everyday life over the last few weeks. I feel that entering into the second trimester of pregnancy has given me a renewed love for learning, for living, and for just experiencing the beauty of this world again. I love that feeling of my mind waking up. I have lived through these seasons of pregnancy and life with newborns enough to know that they change quickly and that I have to surrender to the work that God is doing in my life through each one of them. But it is such a relief to feel good and to enjoy things.

So here are some things I have been loving in the last few weeks:

Bread Machines: I know, I know, I can’t stop talking about bread machines. (See my post from two weeks ago called Bread: prayers of a mother and bread machine faith) But they make me sooooo happy. I realized talking to some friends that this is something I actually have come to know quite a lot about, and I have a few tips I want to share if you are new to bread machines.

#1. Buy it at the thrift store. Bread machines are always there. And they cost about 5 bucks. So you can literally buy the machine for the price of a good, quality loaf of bread. Just do it. What can you lose?

#2. Look for a machine that has a bake-only cycle. This is awesome for making quick breads like banana bread or cornbread. Let me explain. Before you go to bed, mash some bananas with a fork, throw them in the bottom of the pan, add everything else that goes into banana bread. Turn the machine on for about 5 minutes to let it mix the batter for you. Select the Bake-Only cycle, set the timer for about an hour (depending on the recipe), and go to sleep. In the morning, wake up to the smell of freshly-baked banana bread with no messes to clean. If you want it hot, simply bake it for 10 more minutes before removing it from the pan. It is like a small miracle. (Another scenario that this really comes in handy is for Sunday lunch. If you happen to get a roast in the crockpot and you have 5 more minutes, you can throw all the cornbread ingredients in your bread machine pan and set it to bake for an hour or so. When you come home from church, you will have hot, fresh cornbread to go with your roast. And again, there is nothing to clean…)

#3. Since you got your machine for $5, do yourself a favor and buy (or check out from your local library) The Bread Lover's Bread Machine Cookbook. This is a huge resource book for the bread machine, and it has over 300 amazing recipes. It also shows you lots of creative ways to use your machine, and has a small chapter on gluten-free breads, which has been my springboard for GF experimentation. Highly recommend this book.

#4: The last thing I have to say about having a bread machine is this: It’s about 7:30 a.m., and I’m writing before my children get up. When they come down, I will warm up the up the Cinnamon-Apple Pecan Oatmeal Bread that is in the machine, make some tea, and we will have breakfast.

Banana Ice Cream:
My neighbors asked us if we wanted some overripe bananas. We said yes, and they brought us a huge box—probably a hundred of them or more. I peeled a bunch of them and threw them in the freezer and have been making banana ice cream with them. It is soooooo good. My favorite is frozen banana, peanut butter, and almond milk. I may have just had two bowls of that. (It is now evening—I am finishing up this newsletter at the end of my day.) Randy votes for a little bit of cocoa powder thrown in as well.

Books:
My teenage girls are a part of a wonderful book club, and this month we read a fascinating book called A Fall of Marigolds by Susan Meissner. The language is the first thing I loved about this book, followed shortly by the intriguing story of two women, separated by 100 years, whose lives are connected by tragedy and a beautiful scarf. It touches beautifully on themes of loss and grief, and also on the role of memory in love. The three of us couldn’t put this book down.

I don’t know how I missed the last few Chronicles of Narnia books. Somehow I thought I had read them all, but when I opened The Last Battle, I realized I didn’t know what was going to happen. I enjoyed this quick read as the ending to the whole story. While it wasn’t my favorite book in the whole series (that would be The Magician’s Nephew…), there were a few scenes that stood out to me as a metaphor for my own life. One in particular involved a group of dwarves in a stable. They thought they were alone, but they didn't realize that the door of the stable was actually a sort of portal to another world. Aslan was there, as well as others who followed him, and to each of them, the room was not actually a closed space but a beautiful, open sunlit forest. They were mesmerized by their surroundings, but the dwarves continued to huddle in a little clump on the ground, unable to see anything but the dirty stable. Aslan set a feast before them with bread and cheese and wine. They took it and tasted it and complained about stable food being not fit to eat. They were unable to taste the bounty. I am holding this picture in my mind because I want to have eyes that see the beauty that is all around me. I want to taste the goodness of God. I don’t want to complain about the shabbiness of my life. I want to see the great expanse of God’s goodness, stretching out forever before me.

Podcasts:
I have been doing some serious storage-closet cleaning, and have loved putting headphones in and losing myself in the work with some really inspiring podcasts. I have been re-loving Sarah Mackenzie’s Read-Aloud Revival podcasts. I used to listen regularly and then took a long break. But coming back has been such an encouragement, especially the episodes about homeschooling with small children, homeschooling with atypical readers and differently-wired kids, and her Q & A with her grown daughter, Audrey. I like Sarah’s low-key, no-stress attitude about homeschool, and her reminder to fall in love with your ordinary life.

Tsh Oxenreider always gives me lots to think about, and I have been inspired in many ways by her writing. I've especially enjoyed her podcast with Seth Haines, A Drink With a Friend, which has influenced me to think more intentionally about my relationship to social media and my smart phone. I loved their recent conversation on the role of AI and the ethics of artists and writers using it for creative work.

Music:
My two-year-old is currently obsessed with Peter and the Wolf by Prokofiev. There are lots of versions of this story about a boy who goes out to hunt a wolf, with each character being played by a different instrument in the orchestra. The music is exquisite, and the story is fun. I don’t really mind listening to this twenty times a day (thankfully…). I like the version read by Sterling Holloway (the voice of Disney’s Winnie the Pooh.) There is also a great recording of a live performance by the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra on youtube.

Have I mentioned The Innocence Mission before? Why do I feel like Karen Peris is one of my best friends, just from listening to her music? I love her beautiful children’s album, A Song is Way Above the Lawn. There is one song in particular called George in the Car that absolutely takes my breath away. It is about how one small beautiful thing can touch you and change the way you see the whole world around you.

Holy Moments:
Sometimes you just catch a glimpse of something that stirs you up inside. I don’t know why seeing this son of mine sitting so still for so long watching the fish in the koi pond in the library garden made my heart well up. He didn’t notice me snapping this picture. There was something beautiful and wholly holy about it. I don’t even know why. I don’t have to.

Thanks so much for being here, friends. I love writing these letters to you.

What are some things you are loving in your life right now? I’d love to know.

Sending thoughts of early-evening autumn walks with a light sweater and a cool, crisp breeze,

Mackenzie

New Podcast Episode:

What does it look like to have faith even when the answers are unclear, when there are problems that don’t resolve, when you don’t know how you are going to make it through? In this episode, I am talking about living with certain faith, even in the midst of uncertain times. I hope it is an encouragement to you.

From the Family:

Randy just put out this recording of his beautiful song, Wings of a Dove, with piano, bass, guitar, Irish whistles, and bodhrán.

My book is now available to purchase! Buy a hard copy or listen to the audio version for free on my podcast by clicking the image above.