block parties and all that jazz…

just a few from Sunday’s block party. good times! great neighbors….

and its a good thing they are great neighbors, because Sydney helped herself into one of their houses during the party. yup. walked right in. perused the joint. unbeknownst to any of us. she and one of her friends, Hailey, went missing… sending a handful of us into a panic looking for them. we found Hailey playing in someone’s backyard on their playset. that was understandable. we kept asking her where Sydney was, and she finally said, in her cute little voice “in da house” and pointed to the house. i had no idea whose house this was, but sure enough, there she was, walking around their house. i have no idea what she did in there or how long she was in there…. i hope to the Lord she didn’t pee somewhere in there (we are in process of potty training, so its not far fetched). and that is how i met another neighbor of ours. fantastic.

sydney looking longingly at the brownies…. after shoving her face full of them already. no, sydy, no more brownies.

you mean these brownies?

New Website!!!

well, ok, BLOGSITE.

in the spirit of change, i decided to revamp my business website. i have discontinued my normal portfolio site and have just made my blog a “blogsite” instead.

please do check it out and let me know what you all think!!

HERE is the link to the new  www.chelseahudson.com!

our cookie cutter house…

i’ve talked about how much we love it here… how amazing the neighborhood and neighbor community is… and i would have to say the house we are renting is another huge blessing.

i am not one for “cookie cutter” houses…. you know, the typical suburbia housing developments that lack any type of creativity and diversity in favor of conformity and HOA’s? but i have to say that when the typical “cookie cutter house” is a 40′s brick colonial, it just changes things. EVERYTHING is a 2 story brick colonial in this area… minus a couple of original farm houses in the ‘hood. some have tries to spice their brick colonial up by painting them different colors, adding on sunrooms, decks, family rooms, garages etc. all in all, it is very lovely looking in the ‘hood, even if they are all the same.

the street view:

the park in our front yard – a major perk:

we hosted a little bday party for Hannah last night, so that gave me all the motivation to finish up some last minute organizing, unpacking and decorating. AND cleaning. so i figured i would take some pics of the new place while it was clean enough to take pics. ’cause we all know that ain’t lasting.

the view from the front door into the living/den area:

a real fireplace! so excited for some cozy fire time this winter!

then the “den/family room/tv room”:

the view from the den into the living room (yes, we understand how ugly it is to have a treadmill in the living room… however, it stays there to motivate us to exercise… honestly, it sucks at its job, but we are still trying :

the little munchkin that lives in the house:

my favorite room in the whole house – the sunroom (office/playroom):

the kitchen:

the dining room:

adelaide’s room (still in progress… sydy will move in with her when baby #3 comes in a couple of months):

our room is a wreck still… the baby room/sydy’s current room/guestroom is still in progress as well. and the yard pics will come later as well. but for now, you get an idea of our new surroundings. we are really thankful for this place!

random blessings

some things i am loving, enjoying, savoring right now:

FALL IS HERE! going to get out and enjoy it as much as i possibly can these days…. so far a visit to an apple orchard and heirloom pumpkin patch, and anticipated drives to watch the leaves turning are on the calendar.

the girls and i discovered a little reservoir park the other day while john was out bow hunting….

love these girls!!!

Starbucks has brought back their SALTED CARAMEL HOT CHOCOLATE this year! oh baby, this is good stuff.

NEW  FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS… the neighborhood that we moved into has the most amazing sense of community i have every expereinced. i call it “insta-community.” its just been mind blowing. in the short time we have been here, i have met no less than 7 families with small kids (mostly girls) that live in the area. most of them live on our street or the ones immediately bordering it. we had a bbq at a neighbor’s house the other night and they bought a huge box of crabs to enjoy. FUN! while the adults were tearing into the crabs, the girls were dressing up as mermaids.

within the next two weeks, we have a community bbq for everyone at Adelaide’s preschool (which is also somewhat in the neighborhood), a “community fun day” at the park and rec center that is across the street from our house, and a block party on the street behind our house. like i said, insta-community.

our neighbors have been just awesome thus far… helpful, friendly, kind, generous, fun. i often get a text from two of the moms that live next to us asking us to join them at the park across the street in the late afternoons. adelaide loves playing with “her” friends.

this is elle… she and adelaide are tight and go to school together. she also has dress up clothes that adelaide digs.

one of the moms and i take turns carpooling our two girls to preschool while the other keeps sydy and their son (same age). its just been wonderful.

one mom that lives behind us has invited me to be a part of a mom group/bible study she is helping lead.

what else can i say about this fantastic place?! we have been truly blessed.

and those are my random thankful thoughts this wednesday…

more deep thoughts early in the morning…

at least these thoughts are coming at a decent hour, unlike the last post. dang insomnia *shaking fist at the heavens*.

i am trying to read through the New Testament, Psalms and Proverbs this year on a reading plan. so far so good. it is just the right pace for me to feel like i am actually digesting what i read, rather than rushing through the reading plan just to mentally check it off for the day.

and even with the slower pace/smaller chunks, i still get behind. so today i am playing a bit of catch up in 1 Corinthians. and these verses really jumped out to me… especially in light of my earlier thoughts on “church” and our current experience of searching for a new church home in maryland.

1 Corinthians 2:4-5: (the context is that Paul is telling the church that he came in total dependence on the Spirit when he came to preach Christ to them)

” … and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, SO THAT [emphasis mine] your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.”

WOW. i don’t know about you, but my experience in church in the recent past has been very much driven by the “wisdom of men” more than the power and Spirit of God. pastors are searched out for their ability to articulate and speak intelligently. they are judged on how well they communicate and how charismatic they come across…. i.e. if they make us oooh, and ahhh at their communication abilities. we walk out of churches because the pastor just “isn’t very engaging.”

i am just speaking from very personal experience here, folks. and i doubt i am the only one.

but i honestly cannot remember a time in the recent past where i walked into a church seeking out the Spirit at work there… seeking to find evidence of the power of God at work in that community (signs, wonders, victorious living, people actually praying for things in faith, believing God for His promises).

i believe our culture and society has conditioned us to think this way… to evaluate everything on merely an intellectual level – even church. i see this even more here in the DC area, where the feverish quest for achievement and “wisdom ” is at an all time high speed pace.

but, as good as wisdom and intellectual achievement is… and as beneficial as it can be, it is clearly not to be the foundation upon which our faith is built. no wonder so many of us jump on various religious bandwagons, are addicted to church hopping etc. as soon as some entertaining, charismatic, intellectual, articulate new preacher or teacher comes along, we gravitate to him/her because they “just communicate soooooo well.”

as paul said, “SO THAT your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.”

we need to readjust our filters. i need to readjust my own.

i long to be part of a community of believers that operate in the power of God on a consistent basis. who share openly with one another and pray fervently for one another, believing and waiting EXPECTANTLY for deliverance, breakthrough, healing, provision etc. i long to be part of a community of believers that go out into their communities and effect change and healing… both supernaturally through the power and spirit of the living God, and naturally, through acts of compassion, kindness and care. i long to be part of a church whose leader(s) strive to submit their intellect to the Spirit and leading of a powerful God. what i wouldn’t give to see a pastor scrap his tidy, well thought out 3 point sermon on sunday morning if God told him to go another direction as the Spirit led him. most of the time, sunday morning services are planned and scheduled to the actual minute (yes, i know this for fact) and god forbid if anyone in the line-up screw up the beauty and flow of the schedule.

and i still have hope in finding a community like that because of i have experienced several in the recent months. not here in maryland but in other states. i know they exist. and i will keep looking for them.

most of us mainstream evangelicals have been conditioned to be wary of signs and wonders… wary of emotions in the church and power encounters. i am done with that. why? it isn’t a biblical mandate. it is a man-made mandate that has been propagated and fueled by a few  high profile examples of failure, and a fear of man. sure, there is a place for reason and wise judgement, but my point is that mere human reason and human judgement on an intellectual basis is a sandy foundation for a living, vibrant, enduring faith.

so i am encouraged and challenged this morning to look beyond communication skills, beyond catchy 5 point application point sermons, and search for the work and power of the Spirit of God in a church community first and foremost in this church search.

and i am done thinking deep thoughts for today. i have hit my quota. don’t judge me… i am both a mom and pregnant. there IS a quota these days.

the eighth letter….

i rarely read what’s on Xanga’s “revelife” blogs. i see the posts all the time… the rants and raves. the questions. i just don’t have the time or the mental energy to read them because i don’ t have to.

but for some reason this one’s title stood out to me and i dove in. my disclaimer: i don’t know anything about the author. i don’t even know his name. but his “eighth letter to the American church” seems about right on target as far as my own experience. this particular paragraph really stood out to me. SO. TRUE. the context is a challenge to the American church about being radical vs. being angry:

…The most radical thing in the world is a Messiah that healed people, and then told them to keep their mouths shut, a Messiah who washed his disciples’ feet in the privacy of a room where there was no photo op, a Messiah who loved all the politically incorrect people.  The only thing that is truly and permanently ”relevant” is love.  Without love, you’re old news…

its left me pondering (at 2:22am while dealing with pregnancy insomnia) what God WOULD have to say to the American church at large. i don’t think it would be pretty. i don’t think it would be politically correct. and i am pretty sure it would not make me feel warm and comfortable and fuzzy inside. you see, God doesn’t operate like our seeker-friendly churches. He doesn’t need to look or act trendy, put on media sideshows or tout trendy ministries to get to people’s hearts. He doesn’t need to get people inside church doors to change them. He speaks TRUTH and the TRUTH sets people free. i think what He does NEED is for us church folks to walk outside the church doors and speak TRUTH in love (radical, relevant action-love) to the people in the train stations, the people under the bridges, the suburban neighbor, the cashier.

maybe He would say something like that in the eighth letter to the church in America.

or maybe thats just what He wants to say to me…..

another total winner

yes! i have needed some cooking successes and inspiration and have totally scored this week again. this will be in the regular rotation for sure.

check out Rachel Ray’s Chicken Satay Noodle Salad! SO delish! or as she would say YUM-O!

Ingredients:

• Salt
• 1 pound whole wheat spaghetti
• 1/3 cup peanut butter, softened
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1/4 cup tamari (dark soy sauce)
• Juice of 2 limes
• 1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (eyeball it)
• 1 clove garlic, grated
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil (eyeball it)
• 2 cups skinned and sliced rotisserie chicken
• 1 cup packed fresh spinach, thinly sliced
• 1/3 cup shredded carrots (a generous handful)
• 4 scallions, thinly sliced on an angle
• 1/4 cup chopped peanuts
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro or parsley

Directions:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt it, add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain; rinse under cold water and set aside.

While the pasta is working, in a large bowl, whisk together the peanut butter, honey and 1/4 cup warm water. Whisk in the tamari, lime juice, hot pepper sauce and garlic. Pour in the oil in a steady stream, whisking to combine. Add the reserved noodles and toss to coat.

Place the noodles in 4 shallow bowls and top with the chicken, spinach, carrots, scallions, peanuts and cilantro.

frills and fish

we drove out to annapolis the other weekend just for fun, but ended up at Kent Island instead. it was a beautiful day and we promised the girls we would somehow get to the beach. and we did.

along the way, a fisherman gave the girls two of his dead fish/bait he had left over. they were beyond excited. DEAD FISH. wonderful. they carried them around for quite some time…. their new pets. we finally convinced them to turn them loose to their watery grave (thankfully). i love that they love to hold dead fish, though. their daddy swells with pride on that one. he may not have any boys, but he has girly girls who love to carry around dead fish, love to catch fish, love to hunt for salamanders and toads and other living things.

(i love the contrast of her costume jewelry bling and the dead fish

and that was our outing.

friends from afar

i miss berlin…. still.

so it was a real joy and pleasure to host our good friend, Celine, and our new friend, Sara, all the way from Berlin for a few days this past weekend. they happened to come in on the one weekend of PERFECT weather we have had, so that was fantastic for them.

Celine went to the same church, Rock Berlin, that we attended while living there, and we have many a fun and funny memory with her! Sara works with children in Berlin and was just great with the girls. they attached themselves to her rather quickly.

v

we decided to join them on some sightseeing adventures, seeing as how we are new to the area and haven’t made the tourist rounds yet. it was fun! after walking around the national mall, seeing the Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument, we headed to China Town for get this.. chinese food. Yum.

we even made it up to Frederick for lunch one day and enjoyed the quaint, historic downtown. sydney is finally into looking at the camera… and hamming it up along the way.

squirrels…. these little buggers have entertained the girls more than anything moving here. every morning they wake up and run to the windows to watch all the squirrels around here scurrying around. and they squeal with delight each time. so when these particular “tourist squirrels” let the girls get so close, they were ecstatic!

Celine came bearing delicious, oh-so-terrible-for-me, gifts of chocolate from Berlin. i am sad to say that most of it is already gone. i am a terrible, horrible, no-good rationer when it comes to good chocolate. and folks, you haven’t had good chocolate until you go to europe.

thanks for hanging out with us, Celine and Sara! john is going to have to find someone else to practice his German with around here. shocking how much he remembered, huh!

Delicious

so, yeah, i am digging the new blog home. and obviously, it is inspiring me to post away. whether you like it or not. muah-ha-ha….

i am totally inspired by my friend Devi’s food blog… and so when i come across something great recipe/food-wise, i want to pass on the love. i don’t know about you, but i need all the love and help i can get when it comes to planning for. preparing and consuming healthy meals. go check out Devi’s blog… and prepare to drool. (she is also linked in my “friends & family” blog section to the right)

From Martha Stewart’s “Everyday Food” magazine (worth every penny, folks):

Brown Rice Salad with Spinach and Tomatos

• 2 T extra virgin olive oil
• 2 t red wine vinegar (i used rice wine vinegar instead)
• 2 T chopped fresh dill (didn’t use it… didn’t have it… tasted fine without it)
• 1 garlic clove, minced (i used two… i love me my garlic)
• 1.4 t sugar
• coarse salt and ground pepper (i also used Trader Joe’s Everyday Seasoning)
• 2 cups cooked brown rice (i used Trader Joe’s brown rice medley – a mix of br. rice, black barley and radish seeds)
• 1 med. cucumber peeled, seeded and chopped (didn’t seed it)
• 2 cups baby spinach
• 1 pint cherry tomatos halved (chopped up a large tomato)

Directions:

In a large bowl, whisk together oil, vinegar, dill, garlic, and sugar. Season generously with salt and pepper. Add rice, cucumber, spinach and tomatoes and toss to combine. ENJOY!