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Simple Joys of 2019

December 31, 2019 by Alyssa Poblete 2 Comments

1. Cooking

Anyone who knows me well knows I have a somewhat rocky relationship with cooking, but over this past year what once was a dreaded chore has started to become my newest creative outlet. These few resources have been the biggest contributors to my growing comfort in the kitchen:

Salt, Fat, Acid, & Heat: I’m not talking about the documentary series on Netflix (although that is wonderful), but Samin Nosrat’s book, which has been one of the most helpful tools I have picked up this year. Nosrat’s primary goal is not to merely deliver ingredients and recipes; instead, she is out to teach the very basic elements of cooking, equipping the reader with enough baseline knowledge to confidently make their own chef-worthy decisions in the kitchen.

Bon Appetite: This has mostly been for enjoyment, but Bon Appetite’s magazine is filled with not only with great recipe ideas and hacks but also incredible writing. They also have a great podcast and Youtube channel, which they often link together, so it’s fun to learn a recipe through several different mediums.

Sprouted Kitchen Cooking Club: I couldn’t talk about my growth in cooking without mentioning Sara Forte and her cooking club, Sprouted Kitchen. Forte is a local mom in Orange County and an accomplished cookbook author who created a weekly meal planning subscription service. Her meals are healthy, delicious, complex, and attainable all at the same time. My family loves them, and it’s helped me really broaden my experience in the kitchen.

2. Podcasts

The primary place where I learn these days is through podcasts. There are so many favorites, but the following few stick out the most from this year:

Journeywomen: Hunter Beless is one of my favorite podcasters mostly because she doesn’t present herself as the expert but in her humility and curiosity finds the right people to discuss various topics pertaining to Christian life. Two of the episodes that had the most significant impact on me were Ep.57 Wisely Using Technology with Tony Reinke & Ep. 74: The Will of God with Jen Wilkin.

Coffee & Crumbs: A must for any of you moms out there. There are a million reasons I love this podcast but primarily it’s chock full of tangible takeaways, hilariously relatable stories, and honest expressions of what it’s like being in the trenches of motherhood. My favorites are any of their “This Is How We Do…” episodes, and I also really loved Ep. 69: Motherhood & Minimalism, Ep. 76: Being a Good Friend in Hard Seasons & their two part series on sex is great too.

Knowing Faith: This is helpful for anyone trying to grow in their knowledge of the scriptures. They handle topics with clarity and thoroughness. (Favorite Episodes: Ep. 30: How to Read Your Bible & Ep. 39: Humble Calvinism)

3. Reading for Enjoyment

Since college I’ve primarily used reading as an outlet for increasing my knowledge on a particular topic, but this year I’ve picked up books just for the pleasure of reading again. I’ve been introduced to some beautiful and fascinating stories along the way. My favorite this year was Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover. Her story is both heartbreaking and humbling, and her storytelling skills are beautiful.

4. Analog Planner

I have been using this analog planner for two years now, and although my friends kind of poke fun at me for this, I swear by it. While writing on a calendar is somewhat of an obsolete practice by some, I have benefitted from it in a number of ways: 1) the act of writing out my plans lodges them in my memory (we have all heard the benefits of writing, but I can also nowpersonally attest to this), 2) I regularly and yearly review how I’ve been using my time. I use these colored post it notes to color code our activities and regularly do a mini self-assessment to glance over my calendar and assess how we are doing as a family, gauge how I’m doing personally, and consider what we could be eliminating or giving more of our time to. It’s not shown in the photo above, but I also try to use my planner to track my personal disciplines or habits that I’m trying to incorporate (exercise, Bible reading, sleep, etc) to help me better assess sources of burnout or increased energy. Here is how I color code our calendar:

Pink: Family Time/ Date Time

Orange: Important Appointments or Deadlines

Blue: Hosting at Home

Yellow: Going out, Events, Parties, Being with People, Etc.

Green: Birthdays, Holidays, Anniversaries, Etc.

5. Instagram for Learning

Many of us have a love/hate relationship with social media, and I can relate. Lately I’ve been trying to scale down who I’m giving my attention to. Rather than getting rid of social media altogether, I have been really benefitting from a few people who have been using their social feeds well. Here are a few of my favorites:

Phylicia Masonheimer: Masonheimer is a Bible teacher who primarily focuses on teaching her followers how to develop their spiritual muscles in biblical discernment. She encourages her readers to use God’s word to form opinions and engage in respectful dialogue with other believers. I don’t always agree with where she lands, but she models for me how to have a respectful and helpful dialogue with Christians across the entire theological spectrum by relying on God’s word as the primary source.

Ruth Chou Simons: Ruth is one of my favorite writers on Instagram. She is thoughtful, heartwarming, and honest in her posts. She doesn’t hide the tough stuff, but still loves to capture beauty and truth and holds those things in balance really well.

Valerie Woerner: I love Valerie because she is full of tips and encouragement in developing a healthy and consistent prayer life, organization hacks for the home, and random thoughts on productivity, motherhood, and life as a Christian.

Well-Watered Women: I’ve been following Well-watered women for quite some time now and it’s consistently been a space that encourages me to get in the Word regularly.

6. Best Purchases

Mooji Gel Ink Pens: This is totally nerdy but my husband and I are obsessed with these pens from Japan, and they have become the only pens we write with now.

Running Accessories: I’ve picked up running again, and these headphones and this running fanny pack have been game changers for me.

Travel Makeup Case: This travel make up bag is my favorite because it keeps everything organized and easy to find.

Milk Frother: This milk frother has totally changed my experience with coffee at home. I rarely go out for coffee anymore because of it.

Phone Case: This phone case is top quality and was so cheap. It came with a screen protector as well.

Lunch Box: We got this lunchbox for Geneva and love packing her lunch in it. For cute and healthy ideas for lunches check out @parkfamilylunchbox.

Scripture Memory Cards: I learned of these from Hunter Beless from Journeywomen. I love that they’re affordable, easy to fit in a purse, and keep me in the habit of writing which helps with memory.

7. Bible Study Tools

There is nothing that drives me to my deepest joy than getting into God’s Word. Reading the Bible can be intimidating, but these tools have been immensely helpful to me:

Chronological Reading Plan: I love this reading plan so much because you read through the Bible according to the historical timeline of events. I have found this the most helpful as I seek to piece together the overall storyline of Scripture. A friend and I are committing to reading it together this year. Anyone want to join us?

Discovering Jesus in the Old Testament: This small devotional has been such a helpful tool to read alongside my normal Bible reading. I don’t usually follow it by date but more by where I am in the Bible. Nancy Guthrie does such an incredible job examining how all of scripture points to Jesus.

The Bible Project: The Bible Project has created animated videos for each book of the Bible that explain how the entire Bible is one unified story. I watch these whenever I’m feeling a little lost or confused of context of what I’m reading.

Abide Method From Risen Motherhood: Risen Motherhood offers a ton of great resources but I really appreciate these worksheets in particular. They are helpful in providing a simple structure for reading.

8. Best Purchases For Kids

Magna-tiles: My kids literally play with these every single day and they can keep at it for hours. I also loved this idea from @katieprouty to play with Magna-tiles on the metal garage door. P.S. Haddon definitely dressed himself for this photo.

Best New Books: How Much Is a Little Girl Worth? by Rachel Denhollander, God’s Very Good Idea by Trillia Newbell, God Made All of Me by Justin and Lindsey Holcomb

Music: Be Held: Christy Knockles lullaby album is beautiful to listen to (and she also has an instrumental version). Journeywomen Kids Playlist: These songs are enjoyable for both me and the kids. Sing: Creation Songs by Ellie Holcomb is on repeat in our car and the kids love singing along.

Art for Kids Youtube Channel: Technically not a purchase, but a great free resource. Geneva loves to draw and since art classes are out of the budget right now this Youtube channel has been the next best thing. Although some of the drawings are a bit too advanced for her age there are a ton that she’s able to do and the ones she can’t she watches and learns or uses it as an inspiration point.

Filed Under: Savor

Tried and True: Needed Reminders for the Imperfect Hostess

August 21, 2018 by Alyssa Poblete 1 Comment

Chili and cornbread is my go-to meal in the fall. It’s easy, it feeds many, and most ingredients can be kept on hand in the event that you have an unexpected guest. But best of all, it’s almost impossible to mess up. This is good news for a girl like me. I’ve been known to make birthday cake that turned out looking like a third grade science experiment, sweet potato casserole that looked like it belonged in the toilet rather than the Thanksgiving table, and I’ve misread a lasagna recipe that resulted in my buying twenty packets of meatloaf seasoning mix, thinking it was some sort of freeze dried meat (yes, that’s true, but that’s a story for another day). If you’ve been graced with meals at the Poblete home, I know you’re laughing right now, because you know how true this is.

Cooking for people in our home has felt similar to what I imagine attempting to master a perfect swing in golf feels like. It has required the art of learning through imperfection and failure. There have been some great successes peppered throughout some embarrassing mishaps. All along the way I’ve been forced to confront my counterfeit understanding of what true hospitality looks like.

For me, good hospitality meant a well-cooked meal and a welcoming home. Growing up, I always pictured my adult-self being the epitome of housewife perfection. I envisioned elegantly decorated tablescapes and thoughtfully curated gourmet meals. I anticipated an open door policy where anyone was welcome to come and stay until whenever because our house would always stay immaculately clean and I would always have fresh baked cookies cooling on the counter and homemade granola in the pantry in case anyone decided to stay overnight. What else would I do with all the time on my hands?

The first time we ever hosted a dinner party in our home though, I was confronted with the reality that I was far off the mark I had set. We lived in a tiny one bedroom apartment. The main living space was crammed with a random assortment of folding tables and metal chairs with mismatched tablecloths and paper plates (because we didn’t have enough of the real stuff to serve more than six at a time). I remember feeling so connected to the dishes I was cooking and the environment I was creating. It felt like an extension of myself and I instantly felt vulnerable, exposed, and determined to impress. Everything seemed to go wrong that night. Dinner was two hours late (who knew vegetables took so long to chop)? The chicken was overcooked, the dipping sauce was missing a key ingredient that left it tasting bland and looking like a greenish-yellowish mystery, and at the end of the night I discovered that I had neglected to clean the bathroom which meant the mirror was covered in water spots and the sink had bits of dried blue toothpaste stuck to the bottom of it. Yuck.

Over the years I’ve been given many more opportunities to open wide our doors and welcome people into our home. In fact, church planting has made this a part of everyday life for our family. While this hasn’t resulted in any well-trained skills in the art of entertainment or cuisine, it has served as the school of sanctification that the Lord has used to awaken me to the beauty of biblical hospitality.

In our home, there have been many underwhelming meals shared over a simple table with an assortment of dear friends that wept before us, laughed alongside us, and chatted with us well past our bedtimes. Along the way, we have made it a practice to rehearse the true meaning of hospitality again and again because our hearts can so often miss the whole point. Here are a few things we try to remind ourselves often:

People are not looking to be impressed, they are longing for a place to belong.

In our culture, the words “hospitality” and “entertainment” can be used interchangeably but they couldn’t be more different. While there is nothing wrong with cooking a delicious meal or creating a beautiful tablescape, the motive behind these efforts is what makes these two words categorically different. Something I try to ask myself often is, “what do I hope our friends will feel when they walk into our home?” and “what do I hope to leave them with when we part?” Hospitality is not about impressing others, it’s about serving others. Shauna Niquest said it best, “Hospitality is when someone leaves your home feeling better about themselves, not better about you…hospitality is about serving, not performing; creating space, not taking the stage; being with, not showing off for.”

Be present and practice the art of asking good questions.

Having a hospitable disposition means being more about the person across from you than you are about yourself. In our home, we have tried to lead our conversations with a lot of initiating questions. It is far too easy to dole out advice, make quick assumptions, or try to find areas of relatability so that we can share our own experience. It is much harder to ask good questions that pursue the heart and foster genuine understanding. Some questions that we find ourselves asking often are: “what is an attribute of God that has been encouraging your heart in the midst of this?,” “how did that make you feel?,” “what is this teaching you about yourself?,” or “how is the gospel comforting you right now?”

Hospitality is a family ministry.

When our oldest started talking we were confronted with a new challenge, conversation with others is really difficult with a toddler around. With two children 3 and under, our house is a noisy chorus of giggles, whining, screeches, and chatter. There have been many interrupted conversations, meltdowns at the dinner table, and so many messes to clean up. At times it feels far too easy to flip on the television or send the kids to grandma and grandpa’s for the night. While it can be nice to have adult conversation from time to time, a lifestyle of hospitality means you are inviting others into your home and into your life. It’s not only a benefit to those being welcomed but also for our children to learn how to welcome others into their home. Our children have had to learn to share their toys with new friends, greet newcomers at the door, share in conversation with strangers at the dinner table, and make friends with people three times their age. Hospitality is one of the first ways that our children have been gifted with the opportunity to serve the local church and it has stretched all of us in good ways.

Invite the outsider in.

In Jen Wilkin’s article, Why Hospitality Beats Entertaining, she identifies the primary way we can see our motivations in hospitality fleshed out. Wilkin says:

Only the [hospitable] would invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind to pull up a chair and sip from the stemware (Luke 14:12–14). Our motives are revealed not just in how we set our tables, but in who we invite to join us at the feast. Entertaining invites those whom it will enjoy. Hospitality takes all comers.

One of the ways we try to invite the outsider in is by having people in our home that are nothing like us. Our dinner table has been filled with people of different generations, ethnicities, religious leanings, upbringing, and life stages on a regular basis.

Rhythms of retreat and rest are necessary for good hospitality.

We cannot be truly hospitable if we are not first sitting with the one who has been hospitable to us. We did not belong in God’s place, but he made a way to invite us to feast at his table. Not only did he invite us to his table, but, through his Son, he made us a part of his family. Just as Jesus often retreated to be with his Father, or found time to be with his twelve closest friends, all the more we should fight for time like this ourselves.

For our family, this means that we have set up regular rhythms in our lives that include days where we don’t have people over so that we have space for togetherness with one another and space for our own private devotional life. Hospitality is not always convenient and will be unexpected at times. We can’t always be rigid with our schedule but we try to make a point to pencil in days of family time, alone time, and date time.

On weeks where our schedule has unexpectedly been filled with lots of hosting we will make sure the following week has time blocked off for just us. There are also seasons where hospitality may be less consistent than others or look different. For example, in this season of pregnancy, I’ve been really sick, which means we are eating out a lot more and inviting others to join along.

All of the things I just shared are merely encouragements that have tethered our family back to the root of why we are doing what we do. I have them written on a crumpled piece of paper that I go back to again and again. Like a tried and true recipe for biblical hospitality. It is smattered with an assortment of colors from the various dishes I’ve cooked in the past. It tells the story of a woman who is desperate to remember the whole point. I’ve missed it more times than I’d like to admit. Again and again, they have given this imperfect hostess a lot of hope.

While my skills in the kitchen still have a lot of room to grow, there have been several recipes that I find myself going back to repeatedly because they are almost impossible to mess up and always taste yummy. This Three Bean Chili is one of them.

 

Three Bean Chili from Whole & Heavenly Oven

The first time I made this recipe was for my daughter’s second birthday party. We made three batches to serve about 20-25 people and they licked the pots dry. What I love about this chili recipe is it’s got a bit of a kick but it’s not too spicy for kids. Best of all, it tastes even better if you serve it the day after you make it which means you can cook it up in advance which is always a plus.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound lean ground beef
  • 1 medium onion diced
  • 1 jalapeno pepper seeded and minced
  • 2 tablespoons chili powder
  • 2 teaspoons brown sugar
  • 1 ⁄4 to 1⁄2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 ⁄2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 ⁄4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 14 ounce can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
  • 1 15 ounce can tomato sauce
  • 1 6 ounce can tomato paste
  • 1 1 ⁄2 cups water
  • 1 cup beef broth
  • 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1 15 ounce can light red kidney beans
  • 1 15 ounce can chickpeas
  • 1 15 ounce can black beans
  • 1 ⁄2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 ⁄4 teaspoon black pepper
  • Toppings: shredded cheese sour cream, onion, olives, cilantro (choose which ones you want)

Instructions

  • Cook ground beef and onion in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat until meat is no longer meat and onion is softened. While it cooks, use a wooden spoon to crumble the meat into small chunks.
  • Add jalapeno, chili powder, brown sugar, cayenne pepper, cumin, and garlic powder. Cook for 1 minute, stirring to mix everything and toast the spices.
  • Add diced tomato, tomato sauce, tomato paste, water, and beef broth. Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. If too thick, add a little more water or beef broth.
  • Add beans and salt and pepper and simmer for 5 more minutes. Serve with desired toppings.

Yield: 4-6 servings

Filed Under: Savor Tagged With: hospitality

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Haddon took me on a date this morning. He bought m Haddon took me on a date this morning. He bought me a vanilla latte from my favorite coffee shop, took me to the petting zoo, humored me with endless rounds of “Would You Rather,” and talked about his goals for the summer (which include convincing @chrispoblete and I to get him a hamster 🤦🏻‍♀️🙅🏻‍♀️😬). The entire time he kept saying, “I just want to do what you want to do mom. It’s your day.” He’s going to make one amazing husband someday, but for now I’m soaking him up all for myself. 😍
Parenthood requires a whole lot of grit and grace Parenthood requires a whole lot of grit and grace these days. It is hard work and even our best efforts leave us face to face with our lack at the end of the day. We have weeks where the physical and emotional demands mean that we hardly get a chance to exchange a few intelligible words to one another. But we do get a whole lot of time to observe each other and I’ve never gotten a better picture of your character than I do now.
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I catch you laughing at our kid’s corny jokes and jumping in whenever they throw an impromptu dance party. Scratch that, I see you initiating impromptu dance parties even on the days you’re exhausted. I see you taking time to stop and answer every “why” question even though it would be so much easier to say “because I said so.” I see you working late into the night just so you can join us for family dinner, even though I try to insist you get your work done so you can get a good night’s sleep. I love watching you teach our kids about Jesus and how you take the time to explain even the hard things that would be so much easier to bypass for some other day when they’re older. You are unflinching in your resolve to be a present parent and show up even when it requires so much sacrifice to do so.
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The hard parts of parenting are often unseen and unapplauded but I see you and I couldn’t be more grateful and more in awe of you than I am today. I love you so much Chris Poblete. Happy Father’s Day!
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👆Wrote this two years ago but I’ve seen this fleshed out on a million more occasions and it feels more fitting today than it even did back then.
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@chrispoblete
A stomach virus hit our home this week. It took us A stomach virus hit our home this week. It took us all by storm. Our schedules were cleared, our laundry pile turned into an avalanche (I’m not kidding it toppled out of all the  hampers as we used up every towel and switched out soiled outfits every couple hours), and we spent our days doing the dance between caretaker and patient depending on who was feeling worst. When I was at my weakest I had the best caretakers in the world, including little Haddon serenading me in bed. There is nothing better. 😍😭💛
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Sickness has a way of reminding us of our utter fragility. We are far more vulnerable than we care to admit. When our bodies break down, it thrusts us into the great reality that every ordinary day that our body functions as it should, it is an act of abundant mercy.
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Anyways, the Poblete family is sobered by the reality that our bodies, as intricate and incredible as they are, may not always serve us in the ways we hope in the days ahead and we are rejoicing in the gift of health we have today. 🙌💛
If you would have told me a few years ago that I’d be homeschooling my kids for the 2020/2021 school year, I would have shuddered. Nothing sounded less appealing to me.

But when it became plain that this move was the next right thing for us, there was grace there for the work ahead. 

What began as a duty quickly became one of my deepest delights.

We spent this last year learning how to read books and solve math equations. We wondered at God’s handiwork in the water cycle and our galaxy. We took countless nature hikes and trips to the zoo with friends. We prayed a whole lot and rehearsed phrases like “Pobletes do hard things” and “practice makes progress” over and over again. 

It was a good good year filled with grace and new expressions of dependence, and there is no one more shocked about it than me. #gracealone

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Homegoing is the online home of Alyssa Poblete, a writer in Southern California.

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