Just Waiting.

There are so many unknowns in life. I hate that. I am, by nature, a planner. I like to know what's going on, what going to happen in the future, and how I can make everything better. This has, as you can imagine, posed a huge problem in my Christian walk. God makes the way. Not us. Not me! I think that may be one the biggest obstacles in giving your life over to Christ. I mean, really and truly giving yourself to your Maker. Being selfless is easier said than done.

Our family has lots of decisions and possible changes on the horizon. The easy thing is to do what we think is best and keep on moving. The hard thing is waiting and praying and waiting some more. It is a temptation to be hasty and let your mind sway your decisions. So, we sit, pray, and wait on God to lay our plan our in front of us. Not having an answer is hard. Getting the answer of, "not now," is way harder. We know all the answers will come, and that we will be rewarded for our faithfulness. In these times, I find myself feeling closer to my Father and I have learned, that is His plan. He leads us down uncertain paths to draw us near to Him. For that, I am thankful and still in waiting.

Cheap.

I am so cheap it's ridiculous. I hate spending money. At the same time, I have a slight shopping addiction, so you can imagine the inner turmoil that occurs when I enter a store!

It all started after I had Camden. I started scrimping and saving and learned how to shop frugally. And here's my issue: I shop, I find things that I want, but I can't bring myself to spend the money on them, so I leave with nothing. Boo! Even with gift cards, I over-analyze each purchase. I have a lot of clothes because I buy things so cheap, but some of them I've had for 6+ years. I am afraid to get rid of clothes because I'm afraid to buy clothes. There has to be a medical term for this!

Accomplished.

Today I feel accomplished. It's an especially great way to feel after trying to recover from a crazy week by doing as little as possible for a day or two. Our garage benefited from my burst of energy, as well the kid's tummies! I decided to try out a new recipe that I had my eye on- Black Bean Burgers. They were delicious!

1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
2 tbsp. plus 2 tsp. olive oil, divided
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed, keep aside about 1/4 cup

1/2 onion, minced or grated

3 cloves garlic minced

1 large eggs
1 tsp. ground cumin
½ tsp. salt

Heat 2 tbsp. oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in Panko and toast until golden brown. Set aside and and cool.

Mash black beans in a bowl using a fork or a potato masher until fairly smooth. Add in the whole beans. Stir in onion, garlic, eggs, cumin and salt. Separate into 4 even portions and form into patties. Cook until well browned on both sides. About 10 minutes total.

I served the burgers with a whole wheat pita cut in two pieces, cheddar cheese, and vegan mayonnaise. I had some romaine lettuce on mine as well. Corn on the cob and baked beans rounded out our dinner. It was soooo good and filling! I hope you'll try a new recipe this week. It's so much fun!