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Simple Joys of 2019

December 31, 2019 by Alyssa Poblete 2 Comments

Simple Joys of 2019

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

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Ruthie says

    February 13, 2020 at 11:11 pm

    Loving all of these recs! I’m loving the Chronological reading plan, too, and I’m definitely going to check out that music for the kiddos. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  2. Vikki DeLosSantos says

    February 22, 2020 at 12:01 pm

    Loved your TGC article on why women need to know theology! Thank you for being this message and for your suggestions in this post. Love those podcasts!

    Reply

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Dry chicken and undercooked potatoes were the cons Dry chicken and undercooked potatoes were the consistent theme of most of the meals I cooked in our early days of marriage. We lived in a tiny one bedroom apartment with a kitchen the size of a small walk in closet and packed our 4ftx4ft bistro table with as many chairs as we possibly could. On my best days, our meals were dull. On the worst, they bordered on peculiar.
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I didn’t particularly like cooking, but I loved people so I kept on making meals and opening our door and sitting for hours around that little table—listening to stories and sharing hope. This is the thing about a home cooked meal, it brings people together and invites them to linger. My growing love for the art of cooking started there, not because the meal has to be great, but because every investment of care and preparation in a meal is an act of love.
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Over the years I have found the sound of oil snapping and popping on the stove a deep comfort and gotten giddy over the mingling of spices and herbs as their aroma fills the air. I’ve taken a lot of joy in carefully constructing menus and nothing beats the delight of watching my friends finding satisfaction and rest around our dining table.
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My kids have started to share those passions with me so I began collecting some of our favorite recipes in this book to pass along to them when they are in need of help in the days ahead. While I love witnessing their faces as they learn to measure and pour and sift and chop, my heart yearns for them to not only grow a love for cooking but a love for people. On the first page of our family collection is this prayer from Every Moment Holy, a reminder to me that cooking is a labor of love first and an art second:

“As we perform the various tasks of washing, chopping, sifting, mixing, simiring, baking, and boiling, let those little acts coalesce into an embodied liturgy of service--an outworking of love offered for your purposes, that through us, your tender care might be translated into the comforting and cheery language of nurturing food and drink offered for the benefit of others... (continued int the comments) #exhalecreativity #everymomentholy
A prayer for my church from the words of John Pipe A prayer for my church from the words of John Piper and a pic of some of the cuties from @kxchurchoc: 
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“Oh Lord, by the truth of your Word, and the power of your Spirit and the ministry of your body, build men and women at [ @kxchurchoc ]...
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Who don’t love the world more than God...who don’t expect that life should be comfortable and easy...who don’t get paralyzed by other’s disapproval, who don’t return evil for evil, who don’t hold grudges, who don’t gossip, who don’t twist the truth, who don’t brag or boast...
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But who are ablaze for God, who are utterly God-besotted, who are filled with the Holy Spirit, who strive to know the height and depth of Christ’s love, who are crucified to the world and dead to sin, who are purified by the Word and addicted to righteousness, who are mighty in memorizing and using the Scriptures, who keep the Lord’s Day holy and refreshing, who are broken by the consciousness of sin, who are thrilled by the wonder of free grace, who are stunned into humble silence by the riches of God’s glory, who are persevering constantly in prayer, who are ruthless in self-denial, who are fearless in public witness to Christ’s lordship, who are able to unmask error and blow away doctrinal haze...who are content with what they have and trusting the promises of God, who are patient and kind and meek when life is hard.”
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And a few other prayers of my own:
May you, Lord, build a people who are intellectually hospitable, radically generous with their resources, passionately welcoming of the outsider, who are able to endure hardship with unwavering faith, who are more captivated by the person across the table than they are in their own reflection, who dispense grace quickly, who have eternity so encompass their thoughts that it would drive their every motivation and permeate every private, unobservable moment, who’s internal devotion would far eclipse their external worship.
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He is faithful to do all these things @kxchurchoc fam. May this bring you as much hope as it has me today.
A big day for Geneva Mae. We got all dressed up an A big day for Geneva Mae. We got all dressed up and took her out to get her ears pierced and now she looks so grown up and I just can’t stand how fast this is all going and I have definitely shed a few tears every time I catch a glimpse of her. 😭😍💛
334 days ago, on a gloomy Thursday afternoon in Ma 334 days ago, on a gloomy Thursday afternoon in March of last year, Chris got a phone call that would change everything for our small church plant. The school we rented space from was closing its doors for the next two weeks to slow the spread of the Coronavirus. Our first thought: "two weeks is such a long time to be separated as a church." Our team scrambled like crazy for the next 48 hours to find the best solution and we found ourselves with an option none of us felt excited about: online church. What was supposed to be two weeks turned out to be an indefinite season of homelessness for King's Cross.
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For the last 334 days we endured countless awkward zoom calls, distanced social gatherings (mixed with friends who disliked masks and longed for a hug and others who had to muster up all the courage in the world just to show up). We began gathering biweekly in a friend's backyard for church, enduring temperatures in the 100s before 10am and at times so cold that our toes went numb. We've broken bread in the rain just so we could be together and found a million creative ways to maintain connection with one another. But I won't lie, it has been so painful.
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If I knew that those two weeks would turn into 334 days of homelessness for our church, I would have been crushed. But the Lord, in his kindness, only allowed us to see what was right before us and in the meantime was weaving together something more beautiful than we ever could have imagined. In this past year our compulsion to be consumeristic with church was put to the test as our gatherings were stripped down and we gathered simply to worship and nothing more. Our temptation to keep people at arms length was drawn out, close to its furthest conclusion, and reveled how vitally important it is to have people in your life. The value of communion and the preciousness of gathering and singing out alongside each other were highlighted when it was taken away from us. This year only proved to strengthen our church and prove how valuable it is to have a people to belong to.
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Last night our 334 days of homelessness came to an end. We have a home and we are so excited to see what’s next! Love you @kxchurchoc fam!
These days we have been on a relentless search to These days we have been on a relentless search to discover what is good right before our eyes.
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If I'm being honest, this has never come naturally to me. I have always had an acute awareness for what is broken or lacking in the world and myself. This disposition fit well into my Christian faith early on. I began to discover that because of the fall, things really were broken all along, far more than I was ever aware of. Left to my own devices though, my vision could easily be plagued by pervasive pessimism.
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I think about this a lot, especially as I scroll through social media and engage in conversations about the world around us. Pessimism seems to be plaguing our days. The thing about it is, it subtly begins to color everything.
▪️It affects the way we view our friends. Is our natural disposition to identify how they could be better or impulsively celebrate evidence of God's grace in their life?
▪️It affects the way we view our circumstances. Is our natural bent to feel as if our unique set of vocational challenges, family dynamics, financial limitations, unmet desires too hard for others to identify with? Or do we allow those things to draw us to the Lord and shape our empathy toward others?
▪️Pessimism can affect the way we engage with people unlike ourselves. Are we inclined to be skeptical, or do we give people the benefit of the doubt?
▪️Do we comb through the headlines and fret over the widespread effects of sin, or do we search for evidence of God's good work in the world?
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While Christians surely are heralders of truth, unafraid to acknowledge the dark, we are surely also the only ones fixed to shine a light in it. The truth we proclaim is one of hope, not of despair.
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Maybe you’re spending your days fighting crime or changing diapers or teaching bored high schoolers. Regardless, Paul’s correction to the Philippian church has been ringing in my ears and I think it’s a good exhortation for us all: “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things" (Phillipans 4:8). #everymomentholy

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

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