reading

We like to read books, lots of books. Here are our favorites so far.

zucchini chocolate chip muffins

I made more zucchini muffins. These had chocolate chips and pecans. I used this recipe from Taste of Home but made some changes to make it a little healthier. Here is my improved recipe:

1 1/2 cups shredded zucchini

3/4 cup all-purpose flour 

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 + cup sugar 

1 teaspoon baking soda 

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 

1/2 teaspoon salt 

1 egg, lightly beaten 

1/2 unsweetened applesauce

1/4 cup milk 

1 tablespoon lemon juice 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips 

1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease muffin tins. Yield: 12 regular muffins 
• Shred the zucchini, then place in a colander and sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Let it sit, for about 10 minutes, while combing the other ingredients, so that the excess water from the zucchini can be released.
• In a bowl, whisk together flours, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
• In another bowl, whisk the egg, then stir in the applesauce, milk, lemon juice, and vanilla.
• With a paper towel, gently press the zucchini in the colander to release any remaining excess liquid. Add the zucchini to the egg mixture and stir.
• Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips and nuts.
• Fill each muffin cup.
• Bake for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
• After 1 day, keep refrigerated.

garden and sneaky weeds

It's June 1st. I finally finished planting my garden this morning. Hopefully I'll be able to harvest something before frost this year. I pulled the weeds out of it (again) Wednesday afternoon. I was pleased to find lots of volunteer basil, marigolds, and dill from seeds that fell on the garden bed from last year's plants.  But when I got out there this morning I had to laugh at a couple plants that I had missed pulling. WEEDS. There was one weed that looked a lot like dill and was even in the line with some of the other dill plants. It became really obvious this morning with all the other weeds out of the way that it didn't belong, but Wednesday it seemed good enough to be the real thing. It made me think about what Jesus says about wolves in sheep's clothing.

Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. (Matthew 7:15-17)

(Paul talks about this too in 2 Cor 11.)

Yesterday Jonathan and I had an extended discussion about how I need to handle a situation where someone has hurt me. One day she told me she wanted to encourage me in my new role as a mom and then literally the next day she spoke hurtful things about me to someone else. Pretty sure that wasn't meant to encourage. It's been a few weeks since the problem happened, and we've seen her a couple times, but she hasn't apologized or even acknowledged the incident. I have forgiven her actions, but that doesn't mean I know how to trust her yet. Sooo, we need to move forward and we need some reconciliation; and since she hasn't initiated it, Jesus says I should. (Matthew 18:15-20) If only that was an easy thing to do. When we've had challenges in the past she doesn't usually want to hear from me and quotes me scripture out of context about peace and love (or for her, peace seems to mean ignoring the problem-- which doesn't work for long for most people, and I can't even imagine the emotional chaos happening inside those that continually sweep things under the rug). Anyway, when I shared this with Jonathan, about how hard it is to talk to her, when she misuses scripture and pretends everything is fine, he reminded me that Jesus used scripture correctly when he was confronted with God's word used the wrong way (Matthew 4:1-11). Jonathan wasn't comparing this person to the devil or a false prophet or teacher; he was just reminding me how I could be like Jesus, not Eve, who was swayed by lies disguised as God's words (Genesis 3:1-7). Got it. Live like Jesus.

So I have to know God's word. I can spot the fake and the lies better when I know the real thing. Just like I can spot a weed when I know what the real herb is supposed to look like. (see how all this relates. loosely.) And Jonathan and I are praying for God's timing in addressing this tough situation and that my motives for dealing with it are correct-- in love for healing.

Right now Phillips' translation of 1 Corinthians 13 is my favorite. It helps me apply God's love in my life in how I am loving others:

This love of which I speak is slow to lose patience - it looks for a way of being constructive. It is not possessive: it is neither anxious to impress nor does it cherish inflated ideas of its own importance. Love has good manners and does not pursue selfish advantage. It is not touchy. It does not keep account of evil or gloat over the wickedness of other people. On the contrary, it is glad with all good men when truth prevails. Love knows no limit to its endurance, no end to its trust, no fading of its hope; it can outlast anything. It is, in fact, the one thing that still stands when all else has fallen. (1 Cor 13:4-8a)