SUPER Simple

 

I just got done catching up on my only tv related indulgence --"Smallville".  This is one of those things that I get such beef for that I sometimes even omit it from the Top 20 Things You Didn't Know About Danielle List.  So I might as well just seal my fate... I was a band geek in high school, I have a degree in biomedical engineering, I am a total knowledge freak, I hate the dark and I am obsessed with superheros!!!  There you go, all I'm missing is the Clark Kent glasses although I do wear contacts :).  When all the cool 4-year-old girls on my block were sporting their supergirly, pink Barbie skates, I was the spaz that had to have my mean, green Incredible Hulk skates.  Not much different these days...when all my friends are obsessing over the next episode of Sex in the City (I know that show is so yesterday, but I am that out of touch with the tv world that I don't even know what the must-see, girly show is now), I'm watching Smallville.

Anyways, now that I got that out of my system, and you either feel so much better about your top 20 list or just plain ol' chalked that up to TMI ...on with my revelation of the day!  The whole point of superheroes is that they give people hope.   You hear it all the time when someone asks a superhero why they do the whole superhero thing, they always answer "to give people hope".   So, in hopes that I'm not the only closet Superman fan, I'll say this...people just need hope.  We seek it out like it's the next Fountain of Youth .  At least I know I did.   In my former life, I was looking for hope in all the wrong places...material possessions,  my so important image, my kids' image, my friends and the list goes on and on.   We think somehow that if we have all these things, life will be less stressful.  Talk about twisted!!!  Chasing after all that junk made my head spin faster than that chick on Exorcist, which, by the way, was the only scene I mustered up the guts to look out from underneath the blanket that barricaded my eyes from the tv screen, and I'm scarred for life (another one for my top 20)!!  Not saying all those things are bad, but they are what I finally came to find hopeless. 

Well, I found my Fountain of Youth (or should I say, He found me) and it sure ain't all that junk that did nothing but give me gray hair.  He's my superhero and He makes my life so SUPER simple.  I don't have to chase after all that stuff anymore.  It's OK if I'm not perfect.  It's OK if my kids aren't perfect, if my house isn't perfcet (if I can't spell :) ).  My Superhero has already saved my life and, then, as if that wasn't enough, He showed me how to let go of all that stress.  I can relax and put my hope in the fact that none of those things matter because He is saving me a spot in the most perfect place of all (Jhn 14:2) .  Thank you, Jesus, for being my Superhero!!!!     

Going Green in Real LIfe

Just got an awesome email with a link to a list of great websites and articles about going green and simplifying in today's world.  Highly recommended reading!!

 

"We’re always looking for great ways to make living naturally practical. In today’s world, it can be exhausting to go against the mainstream and live a green lifestyle. Sometimes it just feels impossible! But it isn’t impossible, and it doesn’t always have to be difficult. Check out these six great websites that help everyday people take better care of themselves, the planet and their families. Read more"

Never Buy Lemon Curd Again!!

Call me naive, but even after all these DIY, down-to-earth lifestyle changes , I still find myself asking the question, "You can make that!??!"  We had a basket full of lemons from a  friend's garden, and I had no idea what to do with them besides flavoring some fish or in a salad dressing.  They came from little Meyer Lemon trees in pots that might be all of 3 feet tall and producing beautiful lemons.   I've put those on my list of have-to-haves for next year! 

So, what does a girl do with 15 lemons, besides make lemonade?  Make Lemon Curd!!  I had no idea you could make that stuff!!  What a silly thing..of course, someone has to make it before it ends up on the grocery store shelf.  I only did one jar as a test.  It came out perfect!! 

Here's to never buying lemon curd again!!!  I used this recipe from Allrecipes.com.  

The cost- 3 eggs and 1 c of sugar (I had free butter from couponing and free lemons) ~ $.50 for a VERY large jar.  I can NOT believe I used to pay almost $4.00 for a small jar of that stuff!!!

What do you use it for, you ask?    I swirled it into a cheesecake I baked this morning which, since we're on the saving money topic, only cost $2.50 with coupons.  I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it on some shortbread cookies.  Use it as a filling in cakes.  Top some vanilla ice cream with it.  Ok...I'm making myself hungry, but you get the point.  Now, I have to go and find some ice cream...YUM!!!!