My “House of Dirt”

Biceps follows someone on Instagram that makes him mad. According to him, “they are so good, so in shape, so muscular and so ridiculously strong” it makes him angry that he’s not on that level. As if Biceps could get any stronger or better looking.

My response to his instagram outburst this morning was: “They’re going to die, too.” A callous (but funny?) response, I know. There is no escaping death-unless you are Michael Jackson and you have yourself frozen, of course.

No matter what we do with our time, we will all meet an end. As my pastor has said, “We are houses of dirt.”

I spend almost an hour a day sweating my butt off so that I’m not totally embarrassed to wear a swimsuit. Sure, it’s good for my health, my heart, my longevity-and of course, Biceps appreciates it.

However, whether I’m Ms. Fitness or not (leaning more towards the “not”), I’m going to die and decay and rot. Muscles and fat and all.

I spend countless hours a week ridding my home of softball-sized white dust bunnies, courtesy of two furry felines. Literally, I feel as if my house is really a “house of dirt”.

I wash our clothes, wipe down sinks, do dishes, clean mirrors, mow our lawn, tend the garden, wash the van, sweep up more dust bunnies (and then clump them into one giant fur pile to gross out Biceps).

But, our house could be leveled by a tornado or even a sharknado tomorrow-and all my cleaning, decorating and obsessing would be back to square one.

I watch as the women I know work themselves into a frenzy-and I’m tempted to follow suit. My phone dings, rings and notifies me of something every two seconds. I am constantly “on call” as a realtor. My day doesn’t really end. I could make a little money with this job; or a lot of money and buy everything I’ve ever wanted and then what? I die?

If you have been storing your treasures here on earth-whether it’s a physically fit body, the perfectly clean showcase home, the awards and recognition from a job well done-I want to remind you that we are all made of dirt. We will all die and decay.

And then what?

“But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.” Matthew 6:20

Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

I shared this recipe last year and I have never recycled a post before. But I’ve had so many people asking me how I “made those awesome tomatoes”, that I thought I’d share it with you again with a BONUS feature.

At the bottom of this post, you now have the ability to print off a recipe card, rather than trying to write down all the details on some scrap of paper.

Score!

So, hello there. Don’t you look delicious? Let’s get started on this easy and very pleasing process of roasting cherry tomatoes, shall we?

Here’s all that you’ll need to make Oven Roasted Cherry Tomatoes:

Prep time: 5 minutes, Cooking Time: 1-1 1/2 hrs, Skill Level: Easy
1/2 tsp Basil
1/2 tsp dried Garlic
Cherry Tomatoes-enough to fill a pan
Cooking Spray
9 x 13 pan

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Spray the 9 x 13 pan with cooking spray and pile in the cherry tomatoes. Sprinkle basil and garlic on top, adding more than the 1/2 tsp of each, if necessary.

After about 30-45 minutes, when the tomatoes are becoming soft, carefully turn the tomatoes over once.

Place back in the oven for another 30-45 minutes, or until most tomatoes have turned brown on at least one side.

Garnish crackers with your delicious oven roasted tomatoes and “Laughing Cow” spreadable cheeses. Or use as a pizza or salad topping, on a sandwich or by themselves. They are delicious no matter what you do with them.

From my garden to your brain. I hope you enjoy!

Delicious & Easy-Roasted Squash

The bees are pollinating and doing their thing in my garden. In turn, those creative little buzzy guys are making some UGO (unidentified ground objects) for me to play around with.

Take this mix of zucchini/butternut squash. To understand the enormity of this squash, that is a beefsteak tomato next to it (about the size of a baseball).

This hybrid offered yellowish skin with a beautiful zucchini coating.

I had to taste it-in the raw-and the flesh was sweeter than your average zucchini. I decided then and there, it must be cooked! Or roasted. And eaten. And enjoyed. And boy was it enjoyed.

Here’s all that you need to roast your very own zucchini-hybrid or not (printable recipe on the bottom):

1-2 Sizable Zucchinis
4-8 Cloves Garlic
1 Medium Onion
1/4 C Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to Taste

Preheat the oven to 400.

Start by slicing the zucchinis into rounds, then cut the rounds in quarters.

Slice the onion into large rings and then in half.

Disrobe the garlic and smash each clove (a little bit) with a spoon or the palm of your hand.

Line one or two 9 x 13 pan(s) with aluminum foil and add the zucchini, onions and garlic. Drizzle the olive oil over the top of the vegetables.

Roast at 400 for 40 minutes, stirring once halfway through the roasting time.

Enjoy as a side, or as a full meal-as Biceps did.

Below is the printable recipe for those of you that like that sort of thing.

How to fall asleep fast.

I’ve never been good about falling asleep. Even as a child, I remember playing my favorite cassette tape–”Antshillvania” until I dozed off into a bliss of rainbows and unicorn dreams.

I wasn’t a belligerent child by not going to bed easily—at least, not at that moment. The trouble has always been my racing mind-pinging from one subject to the next, one song to the next, one kitty cat prayer to the next. In today’s world I might have been diagnosed as ADHD.

My mother correctly diagnosed me, however, as having a wildly creative mind.

Last night, while Biceps was out saving the city, my mind wouldn’t shut off. Here’s a typical 30 second snippet from my brain:

“Did I hand out enough flyers on that home?”
“Did I call Cynthia back?”
“What did I eat for lunch?”
“Who wrote, ‘Hippy Hippy Shake?”
“Would Netflix update their past season?”
“I wonder who Des chose to be her one and only (for the next two months)?”
“What will our WOD be in Crossfit tomorrow?”
“Did I remember to harvest the okra today?”

And so on…I needed something to settle me down.

I grabbed my Bible, and remembering what I just heard that morning on the radio, flipped open to Psalms 4.

Psalm 4:7 & 8-“You brought me more happiness than a rich harvest of grain and grapes. I can lie down and sleep soundly, because you, Lord, will keep me safe.”

What else does a girl need in order to fall asleep?