Do you ever get so wrapped up emotionally in the people around you that they can change your emotions in an instant? This happens to me sometimes. I get so emotionally involved that I go crazy trying to please everyone and make sure no one is upset with me and everyone is happy and wants to spend time with me. If a friend can’t hang out I think they don’t like me anymore. If someone doesn’t talk to me at church, I assume I’ve done something wrong and they’re upset with me. If I see my friends went out without me I’m hurt and think they intentionally left me out. On the flip side if someone sends a nice text, my mood instantly flip-flops. If someone calls to do something I go from sad to happy. Then someone cuts me off in traffic and I’m frustrated for the rest of the day. And on and on it goes.

This week has been exceptionally emotional and I just sat down and realized I am basing all my emotions on PEOPLE. People. Who will always fail me. Who have a sin nature. People who make mistakes, fail and make poor choices, the same way that I do. I can’t base my feelings on people. My brain gets jumbled. I can’t focus on anything and I get so caught up in it. I read texts over and over trying to see if there are hidden messages. I replay conversations in my head. I over-analyze everything. By the end of the day I can’t sleep because my brain is processing a million things and I worry about things I imagining are happening with all my relationships.

James 1:5-6 says: If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. (ESV)

This is such a great description of how I so often feel. I doubt. I doubt God’s goodness. I doubt the people around me. I lack the wisdom necessary to be grounded in Christ and I get blown and tossed by the wind. Happy, sad, angry, elated. Rollercoaster days abound.

In the song, My Anchor, Christy Nockels so beautifully expresses the answers to my emotional blowing and tossing.

My anchor, forever
My shelter within the storm
You’re my deliverer
You never falter
You’re the rock I stand on

I should be grounded in Christ. I shouldn’t be blown and tossed by the wind. I should be holding so tightly onto my anchor. He should be the Rock I am standing on.

In an article about managing emotions, Joyce Meyer says: You cannot control what everybody else does, but you can control your reaction to it. It’s time to stop letting someone else’s bad behavior steal your joy… With God’s help, you can learn to manage these and every other negative emotion that comes your way…in Christ Jesus, you have the power to change your response. You can rise above your emotions. After all, you are not what you feel.

I am not what I feel! How glorious that is. This week has definitely been one full of blowing and tossing. But today, I am asking God to calm the storm. I am grabbing tight to my Anchor. I am choosing to rise above the emotional waves and praying they would release their power over me. I am not what I feel.

How to Manage Your Emotions God’s Way: Joyce Meyer
http://www.charismamag.com/spirit/spiritual-growth/16305-feeling-your-emotional-best

I promise you will not regret making this! It is delicious. As Shauna would say, stand at the sink and eat cold leftovers, delicious. Try it!

{Chiang Mai Curry Noodles}
Ingredients
1/2 lb. dry Chinese-style egg noodles (or 1 lb fresh)
2 TBSP red curry paste or panaeng curry paste
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cut into bite-size strips)
2 TBSP vegetable oil
1 TBSP chopped garlic
1 can coconut milk
1 3/4 cup chicken stock
2 tsp curry powder
2 TBSP soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
2 TBSP lime juice
1/2 cup cilantro (chopped)
1/3 cup green onions (chopped 1/3 inch)
1/3 cup shallots (diced)

Directions
1. Heat vegetable oil in a saucepan/skillet (that has a lid to use later), and then add garlic. Toss well and add the red curry paste, mashing and stirring to soften in the oil, about 1 minute. Add the chicken and cook 1 to 2 minutes tossing now and then to brown it evenly and mix it with the curry paste. add the coconut milk, chicken broth, curry powder, soy sauce, sugar, and salt and stir well. Bring to a gentle boil and adjust heat to maintain a lively simmer. Cook about 10 minutes, until meat is cooked through. Stir in lime juice, remove from heat, and over to keep curry warm while you prepare the noodles.

2. Cook the noodles in a large pot of rapidly boiling water, until tender but still firm, as little as 2 minutes for fresh and 7 minutes or more for dried. Drain, rinse well in cold water, drain again, and divide noodles among individual serving bowls. Ladle on hot curry, and sprinkle each serving with the shallots, cilantro, and sprinkle each serving with the shallots, cilantro, and green onions. Serve hot.

3. (Optional) For some extra crunch and intrigue, you can make ahead some fried noodle nests to top off your soup. Using 1/2 pound of fresh egg noodles, heat about 2 cups vegetable oil in a wok to about 375 degrees. Carefully add a handful of noodles, let sizzle and brown a few seconds, then transfer to a platter to cool. Serve on top of soup.

Taken from:

http://sarahlookingin.blogspot.com/2013/06/khao-soi-chiang-mai-curry-noodles.html

I never thought writing a book would be so hard! I thought I would just sit down and write and it would pour out of me and I would just recount what happened to me and the amazing lessons I learned (that I still don’t know what they are exactly) And poof, I’d have a book done. But man it is much harder than I thought and much more involved. I thought I’d have grown so much and have so many words of wisdom on suffering and most of the time I just feel like I am blank and have nothing to say. Most of the time I just stare at the computer, or move sentences around. I want to finish it so badly. I am getting into more of a routine. I know I work better in a routine. But it’s still hard. And there’s still a long way to go, but I have a great team cheering me on, and I have a great group of writers that I am working with. I know I will finish, it just seems so slow at this point.

Georgia O’Keefe says “Making your unknown known is the important thing”. And I guess that’s what I am doing. Making my unknown, known. I’m writing this book to share myself. My story. And it might not touch very many people’s lives, but I know it will be healing for me and hopefully encouragement to others.

I love chorizo. But it isn’t very healthy as it is high in both fat and sodium. I am trying to be very careful with what I eat and found a recipe to make chorizo and decided I could do it with ground beef. It tastes very similar to chorizo but is a bit healthier. I’m sure it could also be done with ground turkey but I haven’t tried that yet. It is delicious with brussels sprouts and together they make a wonderful meal.

1 t chili powder
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 t salt
1 t fresh ground black pepper
1/2t oregano
1/2 t cumin
1/4 t cloves
1/4 t coriander
2 T white vinegar
2 T water
1 t olive oil
8 oz ground beef

Heat frying pan with olive oil. Add garlic and stir till fragrant, about 10 seconds, add ground beef and rest of spices, vinegar and water. Chop the beef while cooking so it is fine without any large clumps.

1 lb brussels sprouts
1 t salt
1 t olive oil
chorizo

Boil a pot of water, slice brussels in half. When water is boiling, add salt and brussels. Cook for 8 minutes, drain and rinse with cold water. Add to beef in frying pan and cook for an additional 5-10 minutes until brussels sprouts reach desired doneness.

enjoy!

It is pouring rain. I’ve been watching LOST re-runs, drinking tea, and snuggling on the couch. I have been so horrible at keeping up with my blogging. Something I hope to rectify in this new year.

2015 is over. I do wonder if there will ever be a year where I get to the end and think man, that was a great year! Instead of, that year was hard and I’m glad it’s over because maybe next year will be better. But it never is. Oh well, here’s to hoping 2016 is a better year. And part of it is my own fault. I know I need to make it better. I need to make the choice to be happy, to make better choices, to better myself and choose things that will make me feel useful and productive. As Ann Voskamp says, “Rejoicing in the Lord happens while we still struggle in the now. Struggling and rejoicing are not to chronological steps, one following the other, but two concurrent movements, one fluid with the other.”

We had Christmas at my parent’s house here in Asheville. Pete is now living in the area and Kim & her husband, Colton and their daughter, Elouise joined us as well. It was a small group, but we had a great time. We are definitely enjoying the North Carolina winters. It is so much milder than NY.

Elouise was nappy when we took this picture. Also Kim had her baby yesterday so we are happy to welcome Adaline into our family. She is a snuggly little bundle of cuteness.

Just a quick update for everyone. Did anyone make new years resolutions? I didn’t, but I’d love to hear yours!