Game Review: Bohnanza

If you haven't played Bohnanza before, it's definitely worth giving it a try.  Right now it is one of our favourite games.  It doesn't take too long to play, it's easy to learn, and since the rules vary slightly depending on the number of players, it is just as enjoyable with two players as it is with seven.  And that's not true of many games!

To play, all you need is a deck of Bohnanza cards.  The basic idea of the game is that you "plant" different kinds of beans (represented by cards) in your "fields", stacking cards of the same kind on top of each other.

This picture shows a game a couple of rounds in.  Each player has beans planted in their two fields.  A typical round involves each player planting beans and trading beans with the other players.

If you decide to "harvest" a field of beans (or are forced to because you have to plant a new kind of bean), you collect coins depending on how many beans you collected in that field, and the value of the kind of bean you are harvesting.

For example, in this picture I was harvesting a field of 4 black-eyed beans, which was worth two coins.  I flipped two of the cards over to show the coin on the back and put them aside to represent the two coins I had earned.  The rest of the cards went into the discard pile.

Of course, there are many other rules and parts of the game that I have not described, but that is the general idea.

Bohnanza is a great family game, and is an excellent choice for a games night or as a way to pass time.  We are definitely glad that we added Bohnanza to our collection of games!

Have you played Bohnanza before?  Do you like it?  What other card games do you enjoy?

More than a Degree

At my recent graduation from Columbia Bible College, it was a joke among many of the graduates that we had gotten “more than a degree” from CBC, referring to the fact that many of us were leaving with a fiancée or spouse, and maybe even a child.

I can definitely say that I left CBC with more than a degree.  I have a wonderful family, dear friends, and great memories.  But beyond all of that, I have a calling.

At CBC we hear a lot about Shalom – the all encompassing peace and reconciliation that God desires for his creation.  It’s about salvation; it’s about following in the way of Jesus; it’s about bringing people together; it’s about choosing nonviolence; it’s about caring for the earth that God has given us; it’s about learning to love and forgive ourselves, and it’s so much more.

As God’s people, he invites us into his work of bringing shalom.  That is where my calling comes from.  I believe that my calling is to build connectedness.  We were never made to live isolated, disconnected lives – both the Bible and psychology clearly show us that.  We are made to be in relationship with God, others, creation, and our selves.  I want to create a safe place, a place that promotes peace, connectedness, and community.  A place where hurting, lonely people can find a place to belong.  A space where people can draw closer to God, build genuine community with others, connect meaningfully with creation, and find peace with themselves.

I am doing my best to live this vision now – although we live in a small apartment, Jesse and I do our best to live intentionally.  We are always welcoming people into our family, whether they are staying for dinner, for the night, or for longer.  We try to live ethically and simply.  We do our best to create a welcoming and peaceful home, with an open door. 

But we are also dreaming big.  My dream is one day to live in a place where we have the space to live in community with many other people, and to be able to live in a sustainable way that cares for the earth.  I want that place to be a haven of peace and safety, where people can come and get away from the hectic, busy pace of life that isolates us and burns us out, and instead slow down, breathe, dig in the garden, hike up a mountain, sit around a campfire, and eat together around a big table where there’s always room for one more.

That is my calling.  And I want to encourage all of you that while we all have different abilities, interests, and dreams, the heart of our calling is the same – because it is the heart of God. 

A Community Garden

Our church has started a community garden, which has been very exciting for me.  It has been hard being in an apartment where our deck faces north-west and growing any sort of plants is next to impossible.  Now I get to have a garden this summer!  I am responsible for a 4x4 plot, and I've planted a bunch of different things, including peas, carrots, squash, cherry tomatoes, and basil.  On Saturday we had a "planting party", where we got to meet the other gardeners and start our gardens.  Looking forward to a great summer!

Reflections upon reading a heartbreaking news story

Blaring headlines
Dramatic stories
Vivid pictures
Catch your attention
Grip your mind
Tear your heart out
Bringing the world
Into your home
So much pain
So much wrong
How do we respond?

Do we become numb
Harder to shock
Media vying for our attention
For our dollers
To sell the newspaper
Get the click on the internet
Is the brokennes of the world
For our entertainment?
For the pocketbooks of the rich?

Do we actually care
Try to make a difference
Fix our eyes around the world
Send our money away
While we walk past the homeless
On our own street
Spend all our time
Working for a cause
While our families are ignored
And we don't know our neighbours?

Or do we remain aware of the hurt
Around the world
And in our own lives
Stretching ourselves thin
Trying to care
About it all
Trying to take care
Of them all
Burning out
Losing hope
In the end
Able to do nothing?

Is a global village
A blessing or a curse?

Chocolate Pudding with a Secret

I like pudding.  My family can attest to this - when I was in the hospital after giving birth, I got so excited that my hospital meal had pudding for dessert.  Probably too excited.  But in my defense, I hardly ever have pudding, because we try to eat healthily and only buy natural, healthy foods.  That is why, when I saw this pudding recipe, I knew that I had to make it.  That is because this pudding has a secret:

It is healthy!

For real.

It is full of natural ingredients: honey, cocoa, almond milk, vanilla, and... wait for it... avocados!

Avocados are the secret ingredient in this chocolate pudding recipe.  Don't let that weird you out.  I was skeptical too, but I decided to try it, and I'm so glad I did!  It tastes so good - very creamy and rich - and not at all like avocados.

If you still need convincing, Jesse really doesn't like avocados but he loved this pudding, and he wants me to make it again!

This recipe is also very easy to make!  Cut up the avocado, put everything in a blender, mix it until it's creamy, and refrigerate.  That's it!

Have I convinced you to give it a try yet?  You should!

One batch made plenty for four of us.  We had it for dessert last night and just dug into the bowl of pudding with our spoons.  It was thoroughly enjoyed!

Here is a link to the recipe I used:  Vegan Chocolate Pudding.  The only changes I made were using honey instead of agave nectar and using 3 small avocados instead of 2 large ones.

To Be or Not To Be...

Well, maybe that's not the question.  However, I have been trying to decide where to go with this blog!  I have really enjoyed having this medium in which to share my life with you, but I know that my posts have been rather sporadic and haphazard.  I have been considering whether to try to implement some kind of schedule for my future posts.  This thought both excites and frightens me.  On the one hand, it would help me in my desire to have a bit of routine in my life, and it would give me motivation to follow through on more of the ideas for posts that I come up with.  (I frequently have things that I want to write about, but never get around to.)  However, being a bit more "artsy", I have a hard time producing content when I "have" to, rather than when I feel like it.  And as anyone with a young child knows, sometimes good intentions just aren't enough (as my "fitness routine", "meal plans", and "Bible reading schedule" can attest to)!

All of that to say... drum roll please... here is a summer plan for my blog!  For the duration of the summer I will be attempting to post twice a week: Tuesdays and Thursdays.  Tuesdays will be "thoughtful" posts - my random musings, thoughts on life, and poetry, and Thursdays will be practical things that I have been up to - recipes, crafts, outdoor adventures, etc.  So, we shall see how this goes!

I also wanted to let you know that I am totally up for taking suggestions - so if there is anything you would like to see me post about, just let me know!

I'm looking forward to sharing this summer with you!

2 Years a Wife, 4 Months a Mom

This is a special week in our family, marking our two-year anniversary and Steven's four month "birthday".  Here are a few pictures to celebrate these milestones!

He's getting pretty good at getting things into his mouth.

My boys mean business.

Rock climbing with friends

Anniversary roses!