Edie Wadsworth

Instagram Tag Sale and Supporting Missions

January 24, 2014 by Edie Wadsworth 4 Comments

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So many people I love are either coming out with books this Spring or traveling away on mission trips. I’m so glad I’ve been reading like a wild woman about the beauty of vocation and sorting out my thoughts on how embracing your own calling settles you right down into your very own life doing what you were made to do. Otherwise, I might be wishing I was flying off to Africa or Haiti with the people I love or heading out on a book tour in some romantic city far away from Bean Station. For the foreseeable future, I’ll be right here, cheering my family and friends on as they do amazing things in the world!

Besides make beef stew for my own peeps (it’s a form of flirtation, you know!), I have been trying to think of ways I can help.

After traveling to Nicaragua myself and meeting my sponsored girls, I will never look at these trips the same. It’s a privilege to meet and tell the stories of our far away neighbors. We forever see the world differently when we look at it through their eyes. I am committed to praying for and reading about the Compassion trip to Uganda, where Shaun will lead a group of some of my favorite bloggers as they help us see with new eyes. Pray with me and read with me, will you? You can follow along with Myquillin, Emily, Joy, and Jeff.

Second, my sister and son are traveling together in a few weeks to Haiti on a medical mission trip with One Vision International. I wish so bad I was going with them, but I decided there was a fun way I could help my son Taylor raise his money. So, we’re having an Instagram sale today. I need to clean out my closet and he needs $1700, so we teamed up and he’s doing all the “work” while I donate all the items for the sale! Follow me on Instagram so you don’t miss the goods!

There will be a special auction at 5pm EST of a wonderful pair of gently used Frye boots. The bidding begins at $70 and the boots will go to the highest bidder at 6pm.

There will also be a couple of giveaways!

Follow me on Instagram and join the fun!

Why Marriage is So Hard

January 22, 2014 by Edie Wadsworth 139 Comments

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“Now, I see, my most constant mistake, is I don’t know what I love till its gone.”

You’re sitting smack dab in the middle of the hardest thing in your life—your marriage. How do I know? Because I am too and I know how the days can seem dark.

You’re probably not gonna like my answer, but I think I know why being married is so hard. It’s not because women are from Venus and men are from Mars. It’s not because Scripture is old-fashioned and marriage is passe. I don’t even think it’s because modern times are so much more volatile to marriage than previous ages, though they may be.

The reason marriage is so hard is because you’re more sinful than you think you are.

You don’t yet grasp the depths of your own depravity. You want your own way. You think your faults are less offensive than his. You justify yourself in a thousand ways and give yourself every benefit of the doubt. But, his faults and sins are magnified to you. You’re convinced that you give more in the relationship. You are always the hero in your mind. Or maybe it’s just me.

I’ve stayed mad for 3 days because he fails to acknowledge all that I do around here, only to realize that I never once told him thank you for going to work so faithfully all these years—for shouldering the financial responsibility of this gang of kids like a rock. For coming home every single night. For staying when staying seemed so very difficult. Never complaining. Never asking to win an award or be noticed. Just steady and sure and strong.

You are not yet what you ought to be and so God has been gracious to place you in this very relationship, because He means to sanctify you and bring you to repentance. This relationship is hard because it’s life and death. What you do here means everything. And you can grumble about the myriad of things that are wrong in this union or you can start to see it how God sees it—as a sacred picture of what He is doing to redeem the world. Christ is the bridegroom and we are the bride. And we will finally be lovely because He has so loved us, not the other way around.

God knew what He was doing when He gave you this particular person. He knew the flaws in your character and personality that this person could sharpen. He knew that this person could expose the sins you try to cover and hide. He knows better than you what you need and the sooner you submit to Christ and His purposes in your life, the sooner you will see what He is up to in your marriage. This relationship is not for your happiness, it is for your redemption. He is not trying to make your comfortable, He is desperate to make you holy.

He will go to any lengths to transform you because He loves you so much.

So, what about all his sins, you say? Oh, I know. He is not what he should be either. He has been a failure at being Christ for you. He is selfish and unkind. He’s been untrue and weak and childish. He doesn’t cherish you the way he should. His love has so seldom been sacrificial.

That’s why I’m so glad that we begin every Sunday morning service with confession and absolution. We stand shoulder to shoulder, he and I, and say what has been so hard to say all week long. And we say it together.

“Most merciful God, we confess that we are by nature sinful and unclean. We have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart and we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.”

I stand there holding the weight of the world—my most grievous sins always against the ones with which I share the pew. I barely make it through those words most weeks because I know what I am and I know how I fail. This is not some “generic” neighbor I’ve sinned against. And his have torn me apart too. We are faltering and crumbling every day, until these beautiful words restore what we keep trying to tear down.

“Almighty God in His mercy has given His Son to die for you, and for His sake, forgives you all your sins.”

God doesn’t overlook what you done. He sees it all and yet calls you forgiven and redeemed. Every week—this gift, of restoration, healing and grace, that astounds us and brings such peace. Words that He paid dearly to speak to us. Words that have power to do what they say. Words that reach back into the mess we’ve made of so many strings of days.

In the briefest of moments, I glimpse eternity. I see that this day is not just another block of 24 hours, but a day that always has been and always will be. Maybe, a day marred by my tired rebellion and refusal to give up my ground. Or just maybe, a day staked with my broken confession and the Blessed Absolution that comes from knowing He has redeemed every single hour for His glory. This day will come and go and then DAY will be gone. Eternity is breaking through, shouting from beyond—that all this matters and that in the end, only Love will be left standing, as He holds us both in His glorious Light, darkness falling away around us like a dream.

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Press play to listen to Day is Gone by Noah Gundersen

Day is Gone

If you’re new around here? Thank you for visiting my blog! I’m honored you’re here and I hope you’ll find some encouragement (and some laughter!) for your days. Visit my about page, which highlights some of my popular posts or will at least show you a peak into my crazy people. You can subscribe to this blog by email here. I am currently addicted to Pinterest, so follow at your own risk I also post updates to Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

What’s Your {UN}Word

January 21, 2014 by Edie Wadsworth 46 Comments

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Darlene, Nester, Angela and I have teamed up to take down a few ugly words this year—words we want rid of in our lives, words we want to {UN}do. I decided to {UN}squander. The more I thought about my life’s purpose and who it is I was put on this earth to serve, I determined to make the days stand up and be counted. I want to work and to rest well, to make sleep a priority, as well as productivity. To work hard at improving my gifts, but to also leave lots of margin in my life to be available to my neighbor, when his needs are pressing. I want a heaping serving of both purpose and peace, which is exactly what we get when we work and rest within our calling. I think Tolstoy was right—

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So, now it’s your turn. Tell us your word. Otherwise known as your {UN}word. And link your post to this one, or share with us Instagram, using the hashtag #unword2014.

If you don’t blog, just leave a comment with something you are hoping to {UN}do this year.

Can’t wait to hear!

Light It Up

January 20, 2014 by Edie Wadsworth 29 Comments

My girls were scheduled to do a few clogging numbers yesterday at a car show in our small town. Yes, you read that right. Trust me. When you live in the foothills of Appalachia and your town is named Bean Station, you’re bound to find yourself at a car show some Sunday clog dancing. I wouldn’t have it any other way. And despite the fact that the our hearts were broken this year when the girl’s dance school closed, we’ve managed to pick up the pieces as best we could and keep dancing here and there. (Thank you Tessa and Heather!) The love, discipline, hard work ethic and overall high standards of Lakeway School of Dance still lives on in my girls. We will be forever grateful.

Before heading out to church, we packed the green t-shirts, the tap shoes, and the cooler full of retro sandwiches. (I was in state of Sunday morning emergency and had to buy the sandwich fixins at the gas station, which meant white bread, somewhat sketchy sandwich meat and Kraft slices. My girls were thrilled at the softness of the bread, but I couldn’t get to the grocery store fast enough this morning to get some respectable meat. The six pack of Oreos, which cost more than a whole pack at the grocery store, totally made up for what was lacking in the throw-back sandwiches.)

We had to scoot out of the service a little early to make it on time to the car show.

When we got there, the sound system was blasting with sixties tunes. The souped up cars and the old men who love them reminded me that there’s something kinda quaint about both. My adorable nephew and my very talented brother in law restore old cars and I know the endless hours of meticulous work that goes into making a car look like that. I scouted the place for a car that might parallel Corey’s beautiful black Camaro, but I didn’t find one quite as stunning and perfect. Or anybody as cute him either!

The girls looked around with wide eyes. They murmured about the difficulty of dancing on that make shift stage to a handful of old men who’d rather be looking at cars.

They did great. They danced like it was a sold out crowd of their peers. They did as they’ve been taught so well by the best of teachers—don’t leave anything on the stage but sweat.

I wander how often we wish our work was for more than just our children, a few blog readers, or an ungrateful boss. How often we wish our time to shine would come—that someone would notice the hard work, the long hours, the faithfulness?

Be sure of this. Someone very important notices. And we’re not here to keep tally or to demand results from the work we do.

We’re just here to do good work, thankful that we have a job to do and someone to do it for—be it one tiny 3 month who can’t say thank you or a handful of men in Carhartt jackets who’d rather be talking carburetors.

Don’t wait until someone important shows up before you do your work well.

Just keep your nose to the grind and do good work.

Don’t do it halfheartedly. Go all out. Bring your A game.

The excellence and integrity with which you do your work will light a fire under those around you.

You will kindle something special in your circle of influence, not just by what you do, but by how you choose to do it.

So, Light it up.

Like it’s dynamite.

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And speaking of doing good work and not squandering our gifts away, did you remember that tomorrow, we’re gonna meet here at my place and share our {UN} words of the year? Whatever word you want to {UN}do in your life, declare it on your blog, or FB, or IG, and share it with us tomorrow, where we’ll link up our posts and share our stories, using the hashtag #unword2014. Hope you’ll join me, Nester, Darlene, and Angela as we kick some words to the curb!

Winter Reading and other randoms

January 17, 2014 by Edie Wadsworth 10 Comments

{still} On the porch…… openhouse20

On the daily docket…..

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On the weekend menu……(chocolate chip pumpkin muffins!!)

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On the desk……..(and the night stand, countertops, purse, car, bathroom, and everywhere else I can leave them lying!)

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The Southerner’s Handbook: A Guide to Living the Good Life

God at Work (Redesign): Your Christian Vocation in All of Life

The Antelope in the Living Room: The Real Story of Two People Sharing One Life

The Warrior Ethos

The Call: Finding and Fulfilling the Central Purpose of Your Life

In the Name of Jesus: Reflections on Christian Leadership

The Business of Heaven: Daily Readings from C. S. Lewis

Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life

The Cross & the Prodigal: Luke 15 Through the Eyes of Middle Eastern Peasants

Discipline: The Glad Surrender

Keep a Quiet Heart

The Imitation of Christ (Dover Thrift Editions)

Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes: Cultural Studies in the Gospels

What’s Wrong With The World

Stein On Writing: A Master Editor of Some of the Most Successful Writers of Our Century Shares His Craft Techniques and Strategies

All New Square Foot Gardening: The Revolutionary Way to Grow More In Less Space

On the horizon……

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In the mail….

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(My friend, Melanie’s, new book, which is SO awesome and funny and makes me love her even more. Preorder here!)

Also, I’m so excited to tell you my friend, Amy Greene, author of NYT best seller, Bloodroot, and one of my very favorite writers, is releasing her 2nd novel in late February. The novel, Long Man, is sure to become one of your favorites this year. She’s kindly agreed to meet for lunch and chat, so if you have any questions you want me to ask her, let me know! I can’t wait to see her again and talk books and life and Long Man!! Here’s one of many starred reviews of her this highly anticipated novel:

“Unforgettable. Like a classical myth, Greene’s second novel, set in the summer of 1936, transforms a period of cataclysmic history into a gorgeous, tragic tale filled with heroes and heroines . . . Greene’s enormous talent animates the voices and landscape of East Tennessee so vividly, and creates such exquisite tension, that the reader is left devastated.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Potato Corn Chowder {and my love affair with bacon fat}

January 16, 2014 by Edie Wadsworth 87 Comments

Potato Corn Chowder via lifeingrace

A dear reader, Robin, did us all a favor today. She reminded me of the deliciousness of Potato Corn Chowder (the recipe of which was first posted in my Hospitality ebook, but never on here) and so I thought I’d share the recipe with you, since my originally planned post went haywire and will have to wait until Monday. Also, the first 10 people to comment on the following statement will get a free copy of the ebook. “Bacon Fat: How It Changed My Life.” After those ten comments, (and surely you dear lovelies have lots to say about bacon fat?), I’ll pick of few more at my discretion. Don’t forget to read my Ode to Bacon Fat, at the bottom of this post.

On to the recipe.

I’m a huge fan of one pot meals. One pot meals are a beacon of light in a dark, dark world. One pot meals make life worth living. Okay, maybe that’s overstating it but still.

One pot to clean=one happy momma.

Potato corn chowder= one happy family.

This corn chowder is so easy, so delicious, and is even a crowd pleaser among the youngsters.

Here’s what you need:

1 onion
1 32 oz bag frozen corn (could certainly use fresh corn when it’s in season but the frozen works great too)
1/2 to 1 red pepper, diced
1 stalk of celery, diced
3 yukon potatoes, peeled and diced 3-4 springs of thyme
salt and pepper
cayenne pepper
2 boxes of chicken stock
2 T. flour
1 T. bacon fat
1 T. butter
1 T. olive oil
1/2 c. heavy cream
1 T. honey

What you’ll do:

Melt the butter and bacon fat in a large stock pot and then add the olive oil.
Add the chopped onion, red pepper and celery, a pinch of cayenne pepper and then salt and pepper. (You’ll reseason at the end but make sure you start the process now for depth of flavor.)
Cook these on med high so that the onions will brown a little.
When those have sautéed for 4-5 min, add the flour and cook it about a minute.
Add all the chicken stock, along with the frozen corn.
Add the thyme (you can either put the whole stems with the leaves on them and then remove the stems at the end or pull the leaves off the stems and just add the leaves) and potatoes and cook for 30 min on med heat until the potatoes are tender.
When they are tender, add the honey and cream and then reseason as needed. Since there aren’t many seasonings in this soup, I add lots of pepper.
Enjoy the some crusty bread!

Ode to bacon fat

Every good Southern woman I know has a jar of bacon fat somewhere in her kitchen.

It’s just as natural as having butter or bread. Usually it’s stored in a mason jar, but I’ve seen other lovely methods.

Do not ever underestimate the power of bacon fat, and by all means never throw it away.

It adds so much to your cooking and to your personality. I know my Southern friends won’t leave out this precious step of adding bacon fat to this recipe, but if you’re from Connecticut, you’ll be tempted.

Don’t do it.

Bacon fat rules the world. Corn chowder just isn’t corn chowder without bacon fat.

I am not me without bacon fat.

Love your family well.

Use bacon fat. Amen.

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