blog overhaul ::

hey ya’ll,
my blog has officially moved to www.katietjarks.com, so feel free to add that to your blog readers and/or favorites. That’ll be the site that actually gets updated from now on.

happy reading!

mobile-to-mobile minutes ::

one of the great things about being in the States is that it’s so much easier to stay connected.

today, i’m especially thankful for unlimited mobile-to-mobile minutes to talk to Amy, mi mejor amiga! 

amy & i in South Africa in December– (look closely and you can see the leopard in the grass between us…)

now, if only Carolina would hurry up and get back…

confession ::

i have a mild obsession with clementines. I’m on my third since dinner.

i got so excited when I saw them at target today that I accidentally dumped the entire container on the ground [i know...you can't take me anywhere]. luckily, the nearest friendly target worker was there to help me gather the ones that got away before i saw someone else I knew.

the good life ::

Jesus made the point clear: stay connected to Him, and you will have no reason to fear. Jesus doesn’t mean that the instant you have faith fear simply vanishes or only good things happen in your life. In fact, the blessings that come with eternal life often have nothing to do with present or future circumstances; but they have everything to do with our connections to God and one another. That is my message to all of you. God came to earth wrapped in flesh, and then He reached His greatest acclaim through a torturous death. If this is all true, then we will find strength and beauty in places we never imagined. Abiding in Jesus the Liberator is the good life, regardless of the external circumstances.

an excerpt the Gospel of John from The Voice a new paraphrase version of the Bible, like The Message.

[I don't know much about The Voice...I found it today, apprarently, you can buy the New Testament now, but a free pdf download of the Gospel of John is on their website--out of curiousity I'm reading it now. If anyone knows anything about it, I'd love your thoughts...].

suitcase living ::

When I drove into the driveway yesterday, I ended over two months of living out of a suitcase. 

As much as there were moments when I was slightly annoyed with my limited clothing options [at least clean ones...] and desperately wished I had packed more warm clothes [especially in Chicago...], I loved it.

One of my favorite things about traveling is meeting people. When my best friend and I backpacked through Europe after college, we figured this out pretty quickly. As much as we enjoyed seeing endless arcs and walking miles through the Louvre, the thing we still talk about is the people we met. 

Over the past 9 weeks or so, I’ve met some amazing people.

People like Michelle in South Africa, who got roped into driving three strange Americans 5 hours from JoBurg to Sabi Sans in her Nissan Micra. 

me, Jess, Michelle & Amy on a game drive

*about the hat…it was hot and really sunny…’nuff said.

Or Jimmy. Kristi and I met him and his wife of 62 years line dancing in Chicago. He was celebrating his birthday two-stepping with his bride. They met dancing and more than six decades later they are still at it.

A slightly confused me met Beth on public transportation in Chicago. Through our conversation I quickly discovered she just happened to be attending the Moody Bible Institute for international missions.

I’m constantly reminded how we were created to be relational. My friend told me the story of Jim Haynes who lives in Paris. Every Sunday night he hosts people from all over the world for dinner. Jim has a fantastic memory and spends the week memorizing names and pictures so when people arrive he can spend the evening introducing people. [check out the link, the story is from NPR earlier this month--it's pretty amazing].

done.//

Specken Dicken ::

Growing up we used to go to my grandparent’s house New Year’s Eve for Specken Dicken. I was pretty excited when I saw an article and corresponding video about it today. I couldn’t figure out how to embed the video. But here’s the link:
http://videos.globegazette.com/p/video?id=2718249

I found a recipe online. As a vegetarian, I’d hold the meat. But, can you even buy lard anymore??

SPECKEN DICKEN

1/2 c lard
1 c brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp salt
2 tsp anise extract (optional-may
also use anise seeds)
1 heaping tsp baking soda
4 c whole wheat or graham flour

Add enough sour milk or buttermilk to make thin as ordinary griddle cakes. Have ready slices of bacon or smoked small sausages fried or summer sausage. Drop pieces of each on cake when on the griddle and then turn when very brown.

five good things ::

I started this last week…

Here’s to week numero dos! 

1) We had amazing weather yesterday! I spent a few hours outside AND didn’t get sunburned [that's a first...].

2) You may know that I live on a farm, we commonly refer to it as “the base”, but it’s a farm [i figure cows, chickens and being surrounded by corn all fit the description of a "farm"...]. We have horses that roam free around the property. Right now we have a few ponies that have been born over the last few weeks. I walked outside today, and one of them was standing in front of the door…they’re so cute!

3) The rand is still over 10. Whohoo for a good exchange rate!

4) The movie Rent was on TV yesterday. We’ve watched all of our movies a few times, so it was great to have something different to watch. 

5) My friend Kaylen’s birthday was last week. Last night we had a party with a bonfire to celebrate. It was a perfect night for sitting around the fire.

done.//

so you’re in the know ::

Many of you know that I rely on the 100% on financial support from individuals and churches to stay on the field. You may also know that I’ve decided to stay in South Africa for at least three more years.

I’m not saying this to pressure you or guilt you into giving, but I wanted to let you know that the scales have been tipped in my favor recently. literally.

Usually, $100 would equal about 750 rand (South African currency), but the exchange rate has escalated over the past couple of days, and as of right now, $100 would equal just under 1020 rand. I’m not sure how much longer the escalated exchange rate will last (it’s hovered around 8.5 rand to a dollar for the past week or so which is still really good), but I just wanted to let you all know!

If you’re interested, check out my new you can help page. 

Thanks for supporting me if you have in the past, and thank you if you’re considering it.

my family days non-family ::

I live pretty closely with 9 other people. 5 of them had family members arrive today. 5 of us did not. So, for the next 2 weeks, we’ve decided to make our own family. Crys announced that she’s the hot sister, and Peirce is our new big brother (although I’m a few months older than him…I’ve never had a big brother, so I’ll go with it). 

Tonight, after short introductions, we (the family days non-family) pulled out ice cream, peanut butter and chocolate frosting. The family inside jokes have begun…favorite quotes have started…and, another episode of Grey’s is on. 

It’s a good night. I’m excited for my family days non-family. Maybe it’ll stick…I’ve always wanted sisters [mom, I'm not still bitter that Erik was a girl, it's okay...], and now I have 3. 

done.//