Lake Monona 20K 2017

Way back in 2010, a friend of mine and I decided to run the Lake Monona 20K. Twenty kilometers is 12.4 miles, making it 0.7 miles shy of a half marathon. That's a long way to run! I survived it well enough that I decided to do it again in 2011.

Then, in 2014, I planned to do it again, but my ankles and knees didn't agree. As 2016 came to an end, I found myself considering this long run once more. I asked a few friends, and one of them said she'd do it with me!

Now, we are 17 days away from the May 6, 2017, event. We've been training hard, and it's hard to believe that in just over 2 weeks, all of our hard work will be put to the test. When I registered, I also registered to raise money for the summer mission trip I'm going on with some of the high school youth from St. John's (Evansville, WI). If you feel so inspired, you can make a financial donation. My friend and I should cross the finish line around 11:30am. Come cheer for us!

How to Make a Fishing Bracelet

Looking for a fun, inexpensive, and easy craft project? This fishing bracelet is a great entry into jewelry-making because it doesn't require any tools, and the finished product looks great!

For the after school programs I help lead, we are always looking for fun, easy crafts that fit with the theme for the day. This week, our groups will hear the story of the great catch of fish (Luke 5:1-11). In this story, some men have been fishing all night and haven't caught anything. Jesus asks them to try again, and they catch so many fish that their nets almost break and their boats nearly sink! We will make fishing bracelets to help us remember the story and to help us remember to trust Jesus.

But you might want to make one of these bracelets just because they're beautiful.

To make these simple bracelets, you will need barrel swivels with safety snaps. (I bought mine at Farm n Fleet for $0.69 per pack of 7.)

And you will also need seed beads - I bought mine at Michael's ($2.99 per tube), but you can pick them up at any craft store. I used size 11/0, which are teeny, tiny, so be careful if you are making these with young kids.

Open the swivels, add two beads and connect to another swivel. When it's the right length, you're done! I needed 6 swivels for mine.

I would recommend leaving one swivel without beads and use that for the clasp so you don't have to worry about those tiny beads falling off when you take the bracelet on and off.

How I Managed to Make Peppermint Truffles

I really love peppermint and dark chocolate together. When I was a kid, my grandma made this peppermint ice cream dessert at Christmas, and that's probably what started my love of this flavor combination. We called this Christmas-time dessert "pink dessert," and it consists of chocolate-covered rice crispies and peppermint ice cream. She would laugh and laugh about how much we all liked it saying "it's such a simple recipe."

As soon as Starbucks transitions from Pumpkin Spice Lattes to Peppermint Mochas, I become a frequent customer. I can't get enough! This flavor combination reminds me of Christmas at my grandparents' farm with my dad's family. But it's also plain old super-delicious!

My sister pinned a recipe for four ingredient peppermint truffles, and it caught my attention. You can find the recipe at http://houseofyumm.com/peppermint-truffles/. So earlier this week, I thought I'd try making them. The recipe promised to be easy, and I had some time.

However, as this was my first attempt at making any kind of truffles, I ran into some problems. At first, the middle of the truffle (the ganache) was way too hard. There was no way I was going to be able to scoop it and make little peppermint balls. And I also thought it needed more peppermint. A lot more peppermint. So I added more heavy cream and more peppermint extract. Then the ganache was not firm enough. Ugh. So I added more white chocolate. Finally, I had the right consistency!

I borrowed a melon baller from my mom, which made the truffles just the right size. Also, since these truffles are supposed to be kept in the refrigerator, I didn't want the chocolate to turn white like it does when it has been heated and then refrigerated. That meant added coconut oil - a staple in my pantry.

Here's the 5-ingredient recipe I ended up with for Peppermint Truffles:

• 4 teaspoons peppermint extract
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 10 ounces white chocolate chips (weigh it - it's about 1 3/4 cups)
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (dark chocolate would also be really good)
• 1 tablespoon refined coconut oil

1. Using a double boiler, melt the white chocolate chips. Add the peppermint extract and heavy cream. Stir until all chips are melted and ingredients are combined.
2. Transfer peppermint ganache to a bowl and refrigerate for a couple of hours or overnight.
3. Remove the ganache from the fridge.
4. Melt the semisweet or dark chocolate chips in a double boiler. Add the coconut oil and mix well.
5. Scoop one truffle center at a time and dip into the melted chocolate. Place the chocolate-covered peppermint ball onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Once all the peppermint ganache has been used and dipped, put cookie sheet back into the fridge until the chocolate has hardened.
6. Transfer the truffles to a sealed container and store in the refrigerator.

I got 16 truffles from this recipe, but the first two I made were quite big. I'd think you would end up with between 16 and 18, depending on how big your balls are. Let me know if you make them!

Community Service Ideas: Bandages, Spice Bundles, Activity Packages, and Meals

For the four Wednesdays leading up to Christmas, I planned community service projects for our confirmation (6th-8th grade) students to do. Community service is a big part of our confirmation program, so I was really excited to plan a series of service projects for our youth to complete during Advent. Since we have four weeks, I came up with four service projects: rolling bandages, making spice bundles, crayon/colored pencils and activity book packages, and making a meal.

Bandages: I decided that the first week, our group (55 kids plus 20 adults) would work together to roll bandages for Global Health Ministries (GHM). Our group tore white bed sheets into strips and then rolled the strips into bandages. Once they were rolled, we used a little masking tape to secure them. In about 30 minutes, our group rolled 128 bandages! The bandages will be sent to GHM, which will then send them around the world. I got great feedback from the adults and kids that this was a great community service project!

Youth and adults work together on a community service project to roll bandages.

On the second, third, and fourth weeks, the youth will work together by grade level to complete the other three community service projects, switching to a new project each week. By the time our weeks are done, we will put together 150 spice bundles, 150 activity packages, and 60 meals! That's in addition to the 128 bandages we did the first week. Amazing!

Homemade Taco Seasoning ingredients

Spice Bundles: This is my favorite of the four projects! I have always had a heart for hunger and homelessness issues, and this community service project addresses the issue of hunger a little bit. In talking with our local food pantry executive director, I realized that the people who use the pantry need some help learning how to cook with the items available. We also know that when money for groceries is limited, people are not likely to use their money to purchase herbs and spices. So, combining these issues, I came up with the idea to create a spice bundle that would include two simple recipes - Tacos and Chili - that use the provided spices. I bought treat bags from a party store and the four necessary spices (chili powder, garlic powder, ground cumin, oregano) from the grocery store. The kids put one of each of the spices into the treat bags and attached the recipe card. A simple project that serves our local community!

A completed spice bundle

Activity Packages: I got in touch with our local children's hospital and found out that they need crayons and colored pencils. When I heard that, I suggested that we also make activity books. So, our confirmation students donated crayons and colored pencils, and I created an activity book. For this project, our kids are making 4-packs of crayons or colored pencils and putting the activity books together, which means cutting the pages in half and then stapling the pages together. A nurse from our congregation who works at the children's hospital will deliver the crayons/colored pencils and activity books just before Christmas. This service project is quite simple, but these gifts will be so appreciated by the kids who receive them.


Meals: One of the ministries at our church is called Grace Meals. This ministry provides frozen meals to people who would appreciate the gift of a prepared meal. Anyone from our congregation can come and ask for one of the meals to give to a friend. They are often given to people after surgery or the birth of a baby. But they can really be given to anyone. Our youth were able to learn some new skills (like cutting onions and sautéing onions, peppers, and garlic), work together to put a meal together, and serve our church community.

Jesse Tree

One of my fondest Advent memories from childhood is doing the Jesse Tree with my family. The five of us would gather together for this daily devotion time. Even before I could read, I could participate! We would read a Bible passage, have some discussion about the passage, put an ornament on the Jesse Tree (my job, especially before I could read), and say a prayer.

The Jesse Tree from my childhood that I'm using with my own kids now.

If you are unfamiliar with the Jesse Tree, it is a really awesome way to get ready for Christmas. Each day, you read a Scripture passage and add an ornament to the Jesse Tree. The cool thing is that the whole point of the Jesse Tree is to connect Jesus to the Old Testament, so almost all of the readings are from the Old Testament. The first day, you read Isaiah 11:1-10, which talks about a shoot from the root of Jesse and prophesies the Messiah, Jesus. You also read 1 Samuel 16:1-13, about David being chosen as king. This sets up the idea of the Jesse Tree and allows you to talk about the idea of a family tree. Then, you jump back to the story of creation and make your way through some of the highlights of the Old Testament.

Even though Advent started on Sunday, November 27, it's not too late to start doing the Jesse Tree! You can find the daily readings here. (Most of the readings can be found in the Spark Story Bible, which is the one my son has. That makes it really easy to use with my young children.) There's also a really good description of the Jesse Tree on Feels Like Home. She has a free e-book available for download, which includes an explanation and suggestions for how to do the Jesse Tree. Her e-book also can be re-used each year, despite Advent having a different number of days year, and she explains how to do that.

You can make your own Jesse Tree, or you can find one on Amazon. Whatever you use, it's great to trace Jesus' lineage.

Greek Chicken

About a year and a half ago, I had a friend stop through town on her way from Chicago to Minnesota. She made dinner for my family and me. We liked the recipe so much that we asked her for it. She said, "Oh, I found it on Pinterest. I'll send it to you." It was called Marinated Greek Chicken Skewers, and it was supposed to be made on the grill. Unfortunately, the day she came, it was cold and rainy, so she had to adjust her plan and made them on the stove in a skillet instead.

Greek chicken cooking in the skillet

My husband and I make the recipe fairly often, but we've never made it on the grill. We also tend not to plan ahead well enough to allow us to actually marinate the chicken. One of these days, we'll include that step. In the meantime, here is our version of the recipe:

Greek Chicken
1 1/2 lb. chicken breast, boneless, skinless
3 bell peppers, any color
Marinade ingredients:
2 tablespoons cold-pressed olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (we use the organic lemon juice from Costco)
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 cloves garlic, minced (we use jarred minced garlic)

1. Mix the marinade ingredients together and set aside.
2. Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces.
3. Put the marinade and chicken into a zippered plastic bag and set aside for 30 minutes. (This step can be skipped, if you don't have time for it.)
4. Wash the peppers and cut into bite-sized pieces.
5. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add chicken and marinade. When the chicken is cooked on the outside, add the peppers.
6. Cook until the chicken is done - about 10 minutes.
7. Enjoy over rice!

Pop Culture and Religion: Grilled Cheesus

One of my favorite things is finding where pop culture and religion intersect. I love when tv shows or movies inject some questions about faith. Better yet, I love when an entire movie (or tv episode) is a metaphor about faith. This interest serves me well as Director of Faith Formation (overseeing service and learning for all ages); I do a lot of youth ministry in my role.

As part of my job, I help host evening events for middle school students. Every two months or so, we offer our middle school students the opportunity to come spend time together on a Friday or Saturday night. We play games, sing songs, eat pizza and other snacks, and get to know each other better. We used to also show a movie, but the kids were generally uninterested. They preferred having time to just hang out together. So that past two events, we've switched gears a little bit and we've shown a tv episode to them and used it to have a conversation about faith.

Last spring, we showed "Grilled Cheesus," an episode from the second season of Glee. It's a great episode and shows several of the characters exploring faith - from a devout Baptist to an atheist. It allowed us to talk with our middle school students about prayer in a nonthreatening way. Even if you aren't hosting a middle school event at your church, check out this episode. Last I knew, the entire series of Glee episodes was available on Netflix.

Post-Thanksgiving Watching

Yesterday was Thanksgiving, and I spent the day with my family at my parents' house. It was a pretty relaxing day with delicious food and good company. I even managed to not overdo it at dinner!

I spent some time yesterday and today thinking about Thanksgiving from years ago. And I was reminded of two pretty awesome videos. Whatever your plans are today, you should take the time to watch these. You won't be sorry.

"The Peanut Killer" is a short slasher movie that my nieces, nephew, brother, husband, and I made on Thanksgiving Day in 2007. I'm sure the nieces and nephew are going to be thrilled that I'm posting it here, but seriously, it's a pretty decent story.



The other video is from 2008, and is about a special Thanksgiving festival. This video was made by Tweedee Productions, a video production company where I used to work. I think I helped edit this video, but I don't really remember. You may not want to be eating while you watch this one.




Enjoy! And now that Thanksgiving is over, I can start listening to Christmas music!

Salmon Burgers

My family usually eats pretty healthy meals. We use whole food ingredients, and we try to avoid processed foods as much as possible. With our busy schedule, though, it is sometimes difficult to eat as healthy as I'd like. Last night, I didn't start making dinner for my husband and me until 8:30pm! Yuck. I don't like eating that late.

However, I was able to whip up these delicious salmon burgers and have them on our plates in about 15 minutes. I was so hungry and tired, that I didn't even take a picture!

I served them with some leftover sourdough bread and steamed broccoli. They would've been delicious with a creamy dill sauce, but I'll have to try that another day. This recipe could easily be doubled or tripled.

Easy Salmon Burgers
1 can (6 oz.) skinless boneless salmon
1 large egg, beaten
1/3 cup seasoned bread crumbs (I used what I happened to have in the cupboard, but you could easily use quick oats.)

Mix all ingredients together and form two patties. Heat 1 tablespoon refined coconut oil in a skillet over medium-low heat. Cook until heated through, about 3 minutes per side.

What is your go-to quick meal for busy nights?

Christmas Wish Lists

When I was kid, my parents would ask my sister and brother and me for Christmas Wish Lists. My parents used our lists to help with their Christmas shopping. They would share the lists with our grandparents, too. The best part of this, as a kid, was that I always received gifts that I wanted. At some point, I stopped providing these Christmas wish lists; I'm not sure why. My parents and friends had to work a lot harder to determine what I wanted for Christmas (or my birthday).

Now that I have kids of my own, I want our Christmas celebration to be joyful and centered around the reason for the season. It's so hard to avoid getting sucked into the commercialism of the holiday. It's really fun to give and receive gifts, so I still want that to be part of our celebration. But I do like the idea of being more thoughtful with our requests and with our gifts. An idea I've heard a lot in the last few years is to give each child four gifts: something wanted, something needed, something to wear, something to read.

I really like this idea. I like this idea so much that I created a PDF template for kids to fill out. You can download it for yourself right here.

What do you do in your house to help keep the focus on the birth of Jesus?