A new gift

So I may have discovered a new gift, a new talent that I never knew before. It never made an appearance before because the circumstances that I was in didn't allow for me to expound on this gift. Just at the right time in my life, it appeared, bursting forth with creativity. Isn't if funny how something in life don't have much of an impact until it hits you, right at that time in life that you don't expect it yet it was only in the time, not any others that it makes such a great impact. What I said just now probably doesn't make any sense to anyone reading, but at least I tried to explain it even if it's hard to explain.

So on to the new gift: COOKING!

Growing up, I would help mommy in the kitchen once in a while but I never experimented with recipes or didn't every on my own to into the kitchen to make things. By the time I reached high school, I was too busy with school that I didn't have any time them either. While in college in the dorms, I didn't have any necessary ingredients or any kitchen supplies to even attempt making anything other than curry rice (which I made quite a few times for birthdays and such).

But now is the time. 1. I'm in my own trailer with my own kitchen, own refrigerator, own food, own will power to not starve. 2. It's summer break and even though I'm in classes and I work some nights, I still have time for lunch and weekends.

So with all these elements coming together, I have discovered that I actually enjoy cooking and it sparks my creative juices to come up with my own creations that are yummy. It started a few posts ago about the pasta with olive oil and spinach and tomatoes. Another night, I mixed a bunch of left overs together for a concoction. Well today a few of my friends came over for lunch at our trailer and though each had their own lunch, I didn't know what to eat. All I knew is that I had spinach quickly rotting in the fridge and raw chicken in the fridge I needed to use up.

At the little Italian Kitchen where I work, they serve a dish called Stuffed Chicken with Gouda Cheese. It's quite delicious. So with that as my bottom level motivation, I went to work. (not knowing of course at ALL what I was doing or how it would turn out)

First I cooked the spinach in olive oil like my mom does at home.
Next I drizzled some olive oil in a pan. The chicken I had was thin sliced chicken breasts (it was on sale). I laid a chicken slice on the pan. Then I laid the cooked spinach on top. Then I sprinkled some cheese on top of the spinach. Then I laid the 2nd strip of chicken on the very top and topped it with parmesan cheese and regular cheese. Then I drizzled a little more olive oil on top and baked it for 15 min at 350 degrees.

I watched it a few time to make sure it was okay and when I pulled it out, the chicken looked done. I cut a piece off to try it and amazingly, it was delicious! I had two of my friends try it and they both agreed.

I was impressed that I even thought of that idea! I realized that cooking is kind of like sewing to me. Sometimes I'll just sit and envision how to sew something. I'll go through all the steps in my head and break it down to the very root of how to sew it. So now with cooking, my mind did the same and got me to this new delicious discovery. :) All I can do is thank God for giving me this ability and a chance for me to use it for His glory!

Belly full,
Sarah

Of mice and curiosity

Yesterday, our teacher talked a lot about curiosity. He read from a book where the author encouraged everyone to foster their curiosity and to find something each day that brings awe or curiosity of amazement of something and write it down. So I decided I want to do that. BUT not in the way that events played out this week.

Curiosity #1 Sunday: Bird Poop

Sunday was my birthday! I turned a big 22 years old. It was a really great birthday with some breakfast made by my best friend, some fun times with the kids at West Towne Christian Church, yummy lunch at Puelo’s Grill, a movie, and taco rice with some good friends. After the taco rice, I walked over to our neighbor’s house to borrow a lighter for the candle for my cake. As I was walking back across the road, I felt something hit my shoulder. I wasn’t sure what it was but I looked over and THERE WAS BIRD POOP ON MY SHOULDER!!!! I looked up and sure enough, a crow was sitting on the line, one lonely crow, just sitting there and POOPING ON ME!!! Well I ran back to the trailer laughing and crying, to get this mug shot taken of me.

Curiosity #2 Monday: Mouse

Monday morning, as I was getting ready for bed, I hear a scream from the kitchen. I go out to see my housemate telling me to look in a jar of lard sitting on the counter. This lard was from the ground beef the day before and it was in a glass jar without a lid. I went and looked in and saw something brownish blackish. I didn’t know what it was and didn’t want to know. I looked again and it moved. My thoughts were poop? Frog? Mushroom? Finally from the side, I realized… IT WAS A MOUSE!!! THERE WAS A MOUSE SITTING IN THAT JAR OF LARD!!! All three of us freak out and so I put a plate over the top so it won’t come out. It was clearly stuck and couldn’t move much in the lard. We knew it was trash day so we needed to transport the jar outside. Danielle and Julia voted me to do the job :P With the camera rolling, I picked up the jar and ran it outside. Maika came over to investigae our screaming. Finally the trash guys came so we ran to them with our dilemma. I brought a container with a lid and they transfer our furry little friend into the container and they said they would let it go far away. Unfortunately this event made us all 1. Late for class. 2 Scared of mice in our house, it was a very funny and exciting moment of laughter and adrenaline.

hi little mousy mousy

if you have facebook, you should watch the video that my friend took of me taking the jar outside!

Curiosity #3 Tuesday: Green Pepper

Tonight, I went into work at the Little Italian Kitchen where I have been working for a few months now. It was really slow the whole night so I helped prepare for the next day by cutting up green peppers. The neat thing about the restaurant is that every  thing is fresh and homemade. So I would cut the green pepper in half and cut out the seeds. These were really big green peppers and when I cut on open, the seeds were pinkish and looked like a flower. I just stood and marveled at how beautiful the inside of this green pepper looked! I walked over to another worker and showed him the inside and told him to look at how beautiful it was! He kind of looked at me weird. I love how even simple things like green peppers can make me marvel of how beautiful God’ creation is. I want to always show people and make them see even just a little curiosity in it’s simplest.

Curiosity #4 Wednesday: Beaver (or gopher… not sure which one)

As Claire and I were driving to Kroger tonight, Claire exclaimed that she saw a beaver or a gopher on the side of the road. We turned around and drove past it 2 more times just to look at it. It was right on the side of a country road sitting up and eating grass. Not usually do we see wildlife that isn’t road-kill.

Sharing the curiosity,

Sarah

Lazy Saturday

I don't think I have ever really understood the concept of a Sabbath or really a day of rest. Even while I was in undergrad in the dorms, saturdays was the day I did homework or get caught up on things but it never was simply a day of rest. Today, Saturday, I have enjoyed it to the max. It's not like a laid down on the couch all day but I simply rested in my mind and my heart. I woke up around 10 after dreaming that I was running in a marathon... (I don't like to run and I kept saying that in my dream too...) After waking up, I just sat in bed and read for a while. I ate some breakfast and went outside to get some exercise walking the trails. I followed a little stream for a while and enjoyed being outside and the quiet and the beauty. During the rest of the day I got the chance to finally clean my room and decorate some. I let my creativity run by finishing a necklace holder for my bathroom. A few times, there was a rabbit outside my window which I watched. I love rabbits! I used to have one as a pet when I was around 5 or 6 years old in Japan. :)

Now it's just the perfect temperature outside and I want to go out again to take a walk. So, I leave you with some more pictures:

a finished product of my room with a few decorations.

yes I know it looks cluttered but it's not, that's just how I display my junk...

my necklace hanger! isn't that soooo cool! I made it out of branches and yarn and tied them together and then tied buttons onto the branches to hang them from. I love it!

my dresser runner. I made this a few weeks ago. I was originally going to store my shoes in it but then it changed to miscellaneous items. 

it goes clear onto the other side where I can store more things!

claire and I at a wedding last weekend. We had a mega wedding weekend where we went to two weddings in two states in two days. It was a lot of fun!

Love,

Sarah

Exodus 15:11