O My, Lord! How God (Suddenly) Provides, Part II

Oh. My. Lord.  If you remember my post, O My, Lord! How God (Suddenly) Provides, my husband's job and a house fell into our laps.  Well, God has done it once again.  I pretty much have a job.  A good one--and one I didn't even know existed a month ago.

My stepmom is a legislative auditor--a CPA.  She did a presentation at work with a few other colleagues, and part of her presentation was on performance auditing.  She thought, "This would be great for Kristen."  So, she had me forward her my resume and she sent it to some people she knew in the performance department.  They said they didn't have any openings but would "keep me in mind."

So, I forgot about it.  And, honestly, I wasn't that interested either.  Auditing--sounds boring!  I had been thinking about getting certified to teach english and was prepared to go in that direction.

A week later HR called me wanting to set up an interview.  I was a bit shocked--still uninterested--but set up the interview anyway.

My stepmom offered to talk to me about performance auditing and help me prep for the interview.  We got together to look over some reports and whatnot.

After she explained the basics of performance auditing, I thought, this is perfect for me.  An audit is pretty much a giant research paper--only about a government organization.  You're on a team, conduct field research as well as "library" research, so to speak, and you write a report.  The goal is to find areas within the organization that could be more efficient and make recommendations to them.  So, in 6 months to a year, you become an expert on your assigned organization.

This allows for a great diversity in the job--from medicare to the prison system.  And, you aren't always doing the same work for each audit.  And, and, they are actually excited to have someone with and English background.  That's right! I'll be using my English MA after all!

Back to the interview.  I go in and have the most stress-free, easy going interview ever--and they all knew my stepmom.  After I leave, before I even get to my car, HR calls to set up a second interview for the next day. Sweet!

The second interview wasn't really an interview at all.  I met with some senior auditors and they talked to me about the job.  Then, I did a case study writing exercise, where I had to write about a hypothetical audit.   Nailed it.

But so now, here I am waiting.  The director has unofficially offered me a position--and even knows what audit he'll be putting me on--but we're waiting on my background check to come back.  We're still waiting.

I did a little research and discovered that the office that sends my background check (in PA) is flooded. Seriously flooded.  So, I'm hoping and praying that my paperwork can come through by the end of this week--so I can start next week.  And, of course, I'm praying for the people affected by the flooding.

So--here I am, thanking God for a job (one that I didn't even apply for) and waiting for all the formalities to go through.  And, I'm trying my hardest not to freak out and be afraid that all of this is going to fall through (which is quite characteristic of me).

Say a little prayer for my paperwork and the people in PA! And, hopefully, I'll be working next week!

Vegetarian Recipe: Eqyptian Edamame Stew with Cous Cous

This week I tried my hand at a recipe I adapted from Eating Well.  As I mentioned in my earlier post, Going Vegetarian Once A Week, I've been experimenting with all kinds of fun veggie meals.  I love Middle Eastern flavors, so I was excited to try their Egyptian Edamame Stew with Cous Cous.

Ingredients 

1 lb bag of frozen shelled edamame
1 tsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 zucchini, diced
2 tbsp pressed garlic
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1/4-ish tsp cayenne pepper
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint

Preparation

Cook edamame according to package directions (add edamame to 1/2 cup of boiling water and simmer for about 5 minutes). Drain.

Then, sauté the onion in oil over medium heat for about 3 minutes.  Once the onion begins to brown, add zucchini, cover for 3 more minutes.  

Then, stir in the garlic and seasonings (cumin, coriander, and red pepper). Add tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook about 5 minutes. 

At this point I started the cous cous, which only took about 7 minutes--it was just the plain boxed kind. 

Stir in the edamame and cook for a few more minutes. Before serving add chopped mint. 

And, voila! A delicious, healthy vegetarian dinner! (Well, I did use chicken broth in the cous cous, so it wasn't 100% vegetarian.)

We really liked this recipe, and it only took about a half hour to make.  The cous cous absorbs a lot of the flavor of the sauce.  Plus, edamame is very good for you!

What is your favorite edamame recipe?

   

Going Vegetarian Once a Week

One of my goals in my quest for a healthier, more frugal lifestyle is eating less meat.  Now that I'm not waiting tables (ever again!), I have been cooking dinner regularly.  I love to cook, so I'm pretty excited. 

I've been planning out our weekly menu on a spreadsheet--with links to online recipes, if applicable (a post coming soon).  At least once a week I cook a vegetarian meal.  

There are two main reasons for going veggie once a week:

1. For health.  Americans eat way too much meat.  Its not always a bad thing, but by cutting out meat, I can integrate nutritious ingredients that I don't use as regularly.  Plus, I'm learning a lot about where to find protein--in beans, veggies, and grains.  And, by focusing on veggies, we can get a lot of vitamins and minerals that we often miss in other meals.  Some good info about vegetarian basics can be found at Vegetarians in Paradise. 

2. For the budget.  Lately, I've been trying to buy higher quality meat--less chemicals, hormones, and fillers. The only problem is that good meat is expensive.  So, by cutting out meat at least once a week, it saves quite a bit of money. 

So far I've developed quite a love for quinoa and bulghur wheat. Not to mention beans. We never ate a lot of beans, minus red beans and rice.  And, one of my goals is to cook more with greens--like collard greens and mustard greens.  

I've been on the search for some good vegetarian cookbooks, and have found some great websites with vegetarian recipes.  Everyday Vegetarian and Eating Well are just two sites that have some good ideas. I'm excited, too, about experimenting with Indian, Middle Eastern, and Thai recipes. 

I'll be posting some recipes soon!

What's your favorite vegetarian recipe?

The Oil Cleansing Method

For about a month now, I've been using the Oil Cleansing Method to wash my face.  I had read about before and was intrigued.  So, while I was unemployed I figured I might as well try it.

My face hadn't been looking to good up until this point.  I bought some of those face wipe things when I was waiting tables because they were quick to use when I got off late.  They did not work.  In fact, they may have caused me to break out more.

On top of the faulty wipes, I went off the pill (not trying to have babies yet, though!).  So, my skin went crazy.  It was like puberty all over again.

Cue the Oil Cleansing Method.  Why the hell not, right?

What is the Oil Cleansing Method you ask?  It sounds crazy, but it really makes sense.  Instead of using harsh facial cleansers, you clean your face with oil.  Yes, oil!  The thought process is that oil dissolves oil.  So, when you massage oil into your skin, the fresh oil purges the dirty oil.

What I do is mix one part castor oil, one and 1/2 parts olive oil.  You can use a variety of oils in place of olive oil, but the castor oil is a must.  It is really good at dissolving dirt and the like.  If you have dry skin, up the olive oil.  If you have oily skin, up the castor oil.

I massage the oil into my (dry) skin for about 5 minutes, focusing on the bad areas.  Then I run the hot water, getting it as hot as I can.  I wet a clean wash rag, wring it out, and put it over my face.  The steam opens your pores.  I repeat with the wash rag about five times.  Then, I wipe my face with the rag to get off the excess oil.  Voila!

Your face shouldn't be oily--if it is you used too much.  Nor should it be tight or dry.  You shouldn't even need moisturizer.

So far so good.  My face is not blemish free yet, but my skin does look radiant.  My problem is that its a bit time consuming, so sometimes I forget to do it.  I try to do it once a day.  This past weekend, I forgot for like 3 days straight and I broke out again.  Gasp! But now that I'm regularly cleansing my face its looking a lot better!  Hopefully pretty soon I'll be blemish free!

For some more info check out: Crunchy Betty, The Oil Cleansing Method, and Simple Mom.  

The Greatness of Giving

Giving money away? That doesn't sound like frugal spending, does it?

But really, the whole point of living frugally is to be able to give money away.  There is something powerful in being a generous giver.

As you may know, my husband and I are working to be debt free, and hopefully we'll be there in six months. Once we are debt free we can start saving for the down payment for the house, pad our savings, and accumulate money for giving.  Without a car note or credit card debt, we should be able to do some serious saving!

About two or so years ago, we started giving half our tithe to church and saving the other half (I have a whole spreadsheet outlining our savings account!)  Eventually we amassed a nice bit of money. We weren't sure what we were going to do with it--we were waiting until God led us to give.

We even tried to give it away twice, but the potential recipients said they didn't really need it.  So, we continued waiting.  Recently, we happened to be talking to someone about what we had been doing with our tithes (I don't remember how it came up), and I mentioned how much we had saved.  A day or two later, the same person called my husband.  He said he felt weird asking this, but he and his wife wanted to ask us to pray about giving them the money.  They had some medical bills that equalled the exact amount that we mentioned having.

How amazing!  People don't like talking about money, much less asking someone for financial help.  And, honestly, in our economic climate there is no shame in needing help.  Life happens and sometimes it happens hard!  We are on earth not for ourselves, but for the people around us.  We are made to go through life together.  Isn't that what the body of Christ all about?

Our financial plan is not just about being able to provide for our family, but to be generous givers.  We feel like God has put that on our hearts and minds.  There is something amazing that happens when you open yourself up to being generous.  And, it opens you up for God's provision.

If there is one thing we have learned about finances it is that when you give, God provides for you.  We used to be on again, off again tithers, but for the past few years we have been trying to tithe regularly.  And let me tell you, tithing is not about legalism--giving because you're supposed to.  Tithing is about acknowledging that God is the source of your money, and that you are going to be good stewards of what he has given you.  And since we have been tithing we have always always been able to pay our bills--even when we didn't think we would!

If you haven't been giving, or have never thought about it, I urge you to think and pray about it.  Its pretty spectacular! 

Well Crap! Taking a Break from No 'Poo

I caved.  I said I wouldn't but I did. I used shampoo. 6 1/2 weeks without using shampoo--ruined!

Honestly, it wasn't as simple as that.  Unfortunately, my dandruff came roaring back.  For the first month or so my scalp was itch free and dandruff free.  I had a few greasy, my-hair-is-getting-used-to-this days, but overall I was pretty happy with my no 'poo results.  My hair was looking good for about two to three days before needing a wash.

I was even getting ready to get some essential oils to add to the mix and make my hair smell like lavender or something.  But then. . . itchy, flaky scalp. Boo.

I didn't even miss the lather of shampoo or the flowery smell of shampooed hair.  I was good. Ready to keep marching forward.

Eventually, I got so frustrated that I caved.  And, boy, the first shampoo was magical.  Six weeks with no lather.  Although the lather of shampoo has no real purpose (besides convincing us that it is, in fact, cleaner), it was luxurious and exciting.  I felt a little girly.

Now that I am shampooing again, I have found that I need to wash my hair more often. Which means I have to buy more and more shampoo.  Hopefully, though, not for long.

I am on a no 'poo break, but I am looking into chemical-free dandruff "shampoos" so I can basically be shampoo free.  I'd like to get away from the chemicals and whatnot in Head and Shoulders and the like.  I've seen some natural shampoo bars specifically for dandruff that I may try.  Apparently, rosemary and nettle are good for dandruff.  I could make my own shampoo bar too.  Unfortunatley, I was too desperate  to try to figure out how to make my own shampoo bar.

Until I reach a solution, I'm reveling in the lather. 

Lemon Squares, or Cooking in Someone Else's Kitchen, Part II

For my mother-in-law's birthday I whipped up some delicious lemon squares.  I love lemon squares.  I chose them for her birthday dessert because 1) I knew she and my father-in-law love lemon desserts and 2) you could easily freeze a few and save them for later--who eats a whole cake anyway?

I didn't have a recipe off hand, so I trusted the-always-reliable Martha Stewart to put me on the path to lemon squares.  (I won't lie; I love Martha--in fact, I named my (pastel) bicycle after her.)  Check out her website for the recipe.

Unlike my experience baking my mother's birthday cake, my lemon square adventure did not involve any kitchen equipment drama. I was, again, cooking in someone else's kitchen.  At this point, all of our stuff was still in storage, and my grandmother's kitchen is still full of essentials.  The tricky part was remembering where she kept everything.

I don't have a food processor (it broke), so to make the crust, I sliced cold butter, added it to the dry ingredients, and used my fingers to rub in the butter.  It's actually kind of fun!

The only problem I encountered while cooking in someone else's kitchen was the oven.  I don't think it was as hot as it claimed to be (its an old oven).  Every oven is different, and the great part of cooking in your own kitchen is you know its quirks.  For example, my oven in Delaware cooked hotter on one side than the other, so I had to be sure to turn the pan halfway through.

After cooking the squares for the allotted period of time, they weren't looking set--in fact, the consistency was still liquid. Using my kitchen smarts, I continued baking until it was set all the way through.  I'll admit, I was pretty nervous that I'd screw it all up and have no dessert to bring to the in-laws.

Yet, my smarts proved true and the lemon squares finally set and came out nice!  They could have cooked a little more (the middle ones were still pretty soft) but I didn't want to risk it--being that I had never made them before and didn't know what they were supposed to look like.

I couldn't find a sifter, so I just sprinkled the powdered sugar on by hand--which isn't as pretty.  But, equally delicious.

One of my recommendations regarding lemon-flavored desserts: ALWAYS use fresh lemon juice.  It makes such a difference!

And, a tip regarding ovens: Get an oven thermometer.  Mine is broken so I have to get a new one.  They are pretty cheap and changed my baking life!  Its amazing how wrong your oven can be! but by trusting your oven thermometer, you know exactly how hot your oven is and when its preheated.  Go buy one!

Any other funny oven experiences?