Packing.

I can't believe Jesse & I are moving again! It seems like last week that we had arrived at Gordon-Conwell Seminary with our U-haul from Colorado. Jesse's Mom accompanied us, and was such a help (she unpacked all of my clothes)! Now, six months later, we are leaving our little studio and moving ten minutes away to the attic of an elderly lady's home. Not what we expected, but certainly a blessing! God has provided us a home with room and board included, as well as a job for me. A month ago, I was just recovering from unexpected abdominal surgery, recently laid off from a state-funded position, and trusting the Lord for a new job after Christmas. A month before that, I found myself in a state of depression, with no promising job leads and failed attempts to find a job.

The Lord has certainly brought us through a difficult winter. I'm so thankful for my husband, who never left my side when I suddenly found myself in various doctors' offices and hospital rooms. His focused, constant care when I could hardly sit up was not seen by many, but was a testimony of God's love to me and I do not deserve such a love. He is a blessing and another gift of God's grace.

So as January progresses, I find myself smiling at the silver lining. I have survived the pain and slow process of recovery, my health is restored, we have a new home, I have a new job, and spring is coming soon enough. Though winter is still here and the snow is still falling, I know God has not changed. Despite our circumstances, He is always by our side, and He deeply cares for us... another lesson of His Providence.

Revitalized

Today, Le Melange Parfait has received a face lift! I was becoming slightly bored with the previous look and wanted a cleaner look to this blog (also, it's somewhat of a fresh start in hopes that I update it more often... perhaps this could be my 2009 resolution).

We shall see.

I also added some great pictures of the Griffin Family from the summer of 2007 (note the slide show to the right).

Buying Groceries on a Budget

When finances are limited, grocery shopping can be a challenging weekly routine, especially considering our country's current recession doubled with rising food costs. Shopping for food on a budget takes some planning and determination to faithfully remain within the price you and your family can afford. Staying out of debt is the supreme goal and can be achievable with some help. Steps can be taken today to get you started on the right track for this week's grocery outing.

1. Establish a budget. Ironically, this can be a difficult and often avoided first step, but shopping on a budget is quite unfeasible if a monetary limit is not initially set. First, a complete budget of all your monthly expenses should be drawn up (if married, make sure to sit down with your spouse, as the budget is a team effort). This includes total monthly income divided into subsections such as fuel, grocery, mortgage/rent, utilities, loans/credit card payments, donations/charity, savings, miscellaneous, and unexpected costs (such as medical care and prescriptions). Designate a reasonable budget for each subsection, keeping the miscellaneous budget to a minimum, which can consist of eating out, Starbucks, birthday presents, and whatever else that may attract your wallet each month.

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Symptoms of Nut Allergies

Though most people enjoy snacking on and baking with a variety of nuts, between one and two percent of the U.S. population is severely allergic to tree nuts, peanuts, or both. Unbeknown to many, the peanut is not really a nut, but a legume. My husband, who has an acute peanut allergy, also avoids eating peas due to their categorization in the legume family, too. At first, I was skeptical and thought he just didn't want to eat his vegetables. True nuts are grown on trees, such as cashews, almonds, pistachios, macadamias, walnuts, Brazil nuts, pine nuts, and hazelnuts. Twelve percent of people with tree nut allergies are allergic to more than one kind. Interestingly, though not in the same family, the protein structures in peanuts are similar enough that a person with a tree nut allergy may also be allergic to peanuts. As far as I know, Jesse is also allergic to walnuts and cashews, but not almonds. We tend to just avoid them all.

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