A quoi bon faire?

Leprechaun in Mobile, Alabama

2009-06-28T22:56:00.001-05:00

Ahhh...this just made my evening.

Happy Skin! Or is it?

2009-06-25T12:59:00.000-05:00

Also, I need to update on this post. I blogged about the Oil Cleansing Method for your face, and that my skin loved it.

Well...turns out that didn't last very long. It broke me out like crazy and my face was not a fan. So, while I hear it works well for some people, it did very bad things to me! I just didn't want to leave that unfinished...

Garden Upgrades

2009-06-25T12:25:00.004-05:00

I left town last weekend for a wedding, and when I came back, the garden was all wilty and half dead :( I had watered before I left, but I guess several days in the near 100 degree heat didn't make the plants too happy! Also, the weeds were so bad, it looked like we just planted a garden in the middle of the yard. So, this week, Kathryn (dear sweet sister) and I put down thick layers of newspaper to kill the weeds and covered everything in mulch. Hopefully that will keep weeds out, keep the soil cooler and help retain water a little better. I'm so sad that I let it get so bad before doing something, but hopefully we won't loose too many plants or anything. I also put out some Marigolds and I hope those will help with the bugs. I've gotten a couple of veggies out of the yard with bug holes in them. Also, we found some rogue Basil plants (lots, actually) growing in the garden. I think they came back from seed from last year. So, I transplanted those to a different spot in the garden, also.

Ginger- I didn't know if you knew this or noticed before you left, but your tree is FULL OF PEARS!

Also, not sure if this is just a crabapple tree, but some of the apples are the same size as the ones you get in the store!
Here's the garden- This side is squash, zucchini, black beans, pumpkin and corn.
Here's the other side- Tomatoes, peppers, and herbs.

I'm back (at least for now)

2009-06-16T17:39:00.005-05:00

I haven't blogged in FOREVER! For those of you who even bother to still check, sorry about that! It ended up in the part of my mind where cleaning the bathroom, paying bills, etc. reside. I starting thinking of it as something that would be a chore and take a very long time to do, but in reality it would only take a couple of minutes to update! And besides, it is something I enjoy. So, here I am!

I would attempt an update of what's gone on the past several months, but that could take forever. So, I'll blog a couple of exciting things, then start to write more frequently and catch people up that way.

First, Ginger got me started making yogurt at home. I made it for a second time yesterday afternoon and it turned out so well. It's as thick as store-bought stuff, but tastes MUCH, MUCH better! And, it is a lot cheaper. 1 gallon of milk, plus 2 cups of "starter" yogurt will make at least 6 big containers of yogurt. Anyway, I used Alton Brown's recipe, but added about 1 tablespoon of vanilla to it.

When it was all mixed up, I put a heating pad in a cooler, placed the containers of yogurt on top, a warm towel on top of that, and put the lid on, and stuck the whole thing in the garage (it was in the 90's here yesterday). I just left it out there alone for 7 hours, and then stuck the yogurt in the frig and it was wonderful this morning with breakfast. I put it on homemade Cinnamon Pecan Date Granola and it was fantastic!! Below is a picture of how well it set up (for some reason this picture only uploads sideways, even though it's right on my computer, sorry!).

Second, Ginger and I's garden is doing really well this year! You can see pictures and an update on her blog. I grated, blanched and froze our two zucchinis we harvested, and it ended up being 14 cups of zucchini! I also made 5 containers of pesto with all of our basil. We currently have corn, black beans, peas, zucchini, squash, peppers, strawberries, tomatoes and herbs all as vegetables growing! We also have plans for pumpkin, lettuce, broccoli, etc. that don't have any veggies yet.

Here is the green tomato I had on my sandwich today...it tasted wonderful! Anyway, just a quick post. Like I said, I'll keep updating more regularly and add some more recipes, info and updates!

Jon & the skull fracture

2009-03-06T14:21:00.003-06:00

I know most of you who actually read this blog know what's going on already because I've talked to you, but for a full update and information, here's a link to Chuck's blog. He already wrote the big updates, so I won't do it over again.

The initial story is here and the update is here.

Thanks for all of your calls and prayers, and please continue to pray!

North Dakota House Gives Fertilized Egg Human Status

2009-02-18T11:26:00.002-06:00

1. It's kind of funny the title of this article...a fertilized egg has always had human status, it's just that some people are just now realizing it.

2. Thought this was a very interesting and encouraging move! Check it out:

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/02/18/north-dakota-house-gives-fertilized-eggs-human-status/

Happy Skin!

2009-02-13T15:13:00.002-06:00

Hi everyone- Sorry it's been forever since I've blogged. I think I say that all the time, but I've not really had a lot of motivation to blog lately. Hopefully it'll come back!

Anyway, I have exciting news, my skin is happy! That might not sound like a big deal to you, but it's been very unhappy for my entire teenage/adult life. I started seeing the dermatologist when I was probably 14 (Freshman in High School) and have tried every medication on the market for breakouts besides Accutane. And, of course, nothing worked. Now, I'm still seeing a dermatologist, but I've been sick of it for a while. Seems like nothing works still. My skin is oily some days, dry some days, and most of the Rx's for acne make my skin burn and flake off :(

I've also tried every over the counter system, cleanser, cream, etc. I could find...

So, I read this article and decided to try something new! I figured it couldn't hurt, it was just another idea online. Here's the link: http://www.theoilcleansingmethod.com/. So, it's called the Oil Cleansing Method. You use a mixture of Castor Oil and Olive Oil, rub it into your skin 2-3 times a week and steam with a hot washcloth. Seems CRAZY, right? Turns out oil dissolves oil and since you stop using soap and just rinse with water the rest of the time, it restores your skin's natural oil balance and makes it happy!

I quit using all my soaps, prescriptions, and moisturizers on Monday. I've used the method twice and just rinsed with water the rest of the time.

Preliminary results- no extra breakouts and my skin is healthier and happier than it's been in recent history (as long as I can remember). But for me, if it didn't make me break out really bad and make my skin super upset, it's already a huge success! That means I don't really need any products for my face anymore!

I'll update later with full results, but so far things are looking good. I convinced my two sisters to give it a try and haven't seen Carissa that excited in a LONG time, especially about her skin :)

So, give it a try! It's amazing...

Ellen DeGeneres ~ I Love Jesus But I Drink A Little (HQ)

2009-02-06T08:57:00.001-06:00

This is fantastic, you should watch the whole thing!!!

The Big Bang Theory - Rock, Paper, Scissors, Lizard, Spock

2009-02-02T17:37:00.001-06:00

Awesome.

Jon and Suz Ski Jump

2009-01-21T09:47:00.001-06:00

This is from our ski trip to Monarch...You'd think after 20 plus years of skiing, I'd be a little better at this :)

Travel!

2009-01-15T16:55:00.002-06:00

Hello all!

I have been really lazy with the ole blog, sorry about that! I just really haven't even thought about it, apparently I need to get better about that.

For Christmas break, I was able to take 2 weeks off which was a HUGE blessing. I wasn't really burnt out at work, but just work, plus church activities, keeping up with the house, etc. all combined. So, for the first week and a half, I traveled all over the place. I spent 9 days gone, only 2 of those days weren't spent traveling somewhere, and I logged over 1,900 miles in the process. We went from Denton, TX to Borger, TX, Borger to Salida, CO for skiing, Salida back to Borger, Borger to Morton (Christmas at Nana and Papa's), Morton to Lubbock, TX (Christmas with Granny and Aunt, Uncle, Cousins), Lubbock back to Borger, then Borger back to Denton. Needless to say, it was a bit exhausting, but wonderful at the same time.

Luckily, I had the week of New Year's off also and was able to spend a lot of time with friends, clean and organize the house, read a lot and best of all, REST! I'll post pictures of everything soon...

So, today, I'm leaving again to go up to Salida, CO to ski at Monarch which I'm really excited about. I'm going with Chuck, Ginger and Ruby and also Jon (Ginger's brother). Chuck found a great package deal for lodging and skiing, so I'm really excited. We'll be driving all night tonight (about 12-14 hours), hanging out tomorrow, skiing Saturday and Sunday, then driving back on Monday. It'll be a long trip...

Anyway, I'll actually blog and post pics later on, right now I need to go help Ginger pack the car so we can take off soon!

EWWWW!!!

2009-01-09T09:02:00.002-06:00

I really had planned on my first blog after the holidays being full of ski trip stories, Christmas pictures, etc. but turns out this is what caught my attention before I mustered the desire to post Christmas-ness. Anyway, I read this article this morning and it just furthered my desire to eat a much more whole foods-based diet and cut out processed food.

Turns out that processed foods that have artifical coloring in the for the red family (red, orange, yellow, etc.) are actually colored by bug insides. Yes, bugs. Makes me want to barf.

Check it out!!

Bloodah

2008-12-17T15:29:00.001-06:00

Charlie bit my finger - again !

2008-12-17T15:28:00.001-06:00

Making of Star Guitar

2008-12-12T20:49:00.001-06:00

Love this...I can't even imagine having the kind of mind that can come up with things like this.

Chemical Brothers - Star Guitar

2008-12-12T20:47:00.001-06:00

This video is AWESOME! Every component of the music is represented in the scenery going by...that might not make sense, but watch it and see! I'm also posting the making of the video so it'll all make sense.

dramatic maki

2008-12-12T19:56:00.001-06:00

This makes me laugh everytime! I finally stumbled upon Dramatic Chipmunk a couple of days ago on You Tube, and found this. Awesome.

Braces...and other horrible things

2008-12-11T15:02:00.004-06:00

Sorry it's been a while since I blogged. Life has been crazy busy and I also just haven't been too motivated to do it. Now that I'm sitting here with a dirty house that needs to be cleaned, presents that need to be made/wrapped, dinner that needs to be cooked, etc. I'm suddenly motivated to blog. Nothing like avoidance..

Anyway, so yes, it's true, Tech lost to OU. But, I'm not ready to talk about it just yet. Maybe sometime next year. I have repressed the truth of that game, and don't plan on dealing with my neurosis until later...much later. For now, I'm going to pretend it didn't happen and continue to insist that they managed to find a High School team that looked just like the Tech players to sub in for that game. Dirty trick.

So, in case anyone cares, my hair is still behaving quite well with the absence of shampoo/conditioner. It's over it's revolt and now behaving quite nicely. I do, however, now have a serious highlights-growing-out-very-noticeably problem. I'm planning on going back to my natural color so I don't have to deal with/pay for highlights anymore, but am trying to scrounge up the money to color it back to normal. So, someday I'll update with a picture of what I should've actually looked like all these years :)

Alright, I guess it's time to explain the title of my post. Turns out that mom was right (don't ever tell her I said that), and I should've worn my retainer in high school. I still have vivid memories of epic battles over the retainer. Mom used to actually sneak in at night (since I was such a heavy sleeper) and stuff the retainer in my mouth while I was sleeping. I think at least once or twice our dog ate a retainer of mine, also (whoops!).

So, yes, I'm going to get braces again. My first reaction was "crap, how am I going to pay for this??" and luckily I have great dental insurance. My second reaction which very quickly followed the first was "dang, I'm going to look like an idiot for at least a year" which I am still dealing with. I'm beginning to think I might have a vanity problem (but that's an entirely other post). So, yes, braces it is. I get them put on the top teeth on the 29th of this month. I had my spacers put in almost 2 weeks ago, and am still unable to eat crunchy things without some serious pain. But, the upside is, looks like I might be able to loose that "last 5 pounds" afterall! Something about serious pain each time you bite into something that discourages overeating.

I think that's most of the latest news around here. My family, sister's boyfriends, and a friend of mine and I are all going skiing on the 19th for 3-4 days in Colorado. I can't wait, but need many more workouts before I'm ready for the altitude and leg muscle usage.

Also, our whole family has been making Christmas presents, so I am finishing up mine and need to wrap them still.

Kathryn and Christopher are coming down here this weekend so that Kathryn can talk to some advisers for school and move some of her stuff in. Also, they're just gonna stay and hang out for 4-5 days, WOOHOO!

Thanksgiving

2008-12-04T12:03:00.004-06:00

I thought I'd share a few pictures from Thanksgiving. I had a great time going home. It was so nice to relax, sleep, read and cook for 5 days...thanks family!
Dad, Kathryn, Me, Mom and Carissa at Thanksgiving dinner

Carissa picking on my poor wookie of a dog (she needs a serious haircut)

Pumpkin Carmel Pecan Gingersnap Cheesecake. I have no words. Get the recipe here. MAKE IT!

Carissa and Godiva

Carissa and Stella

Three sisters

We decided to do the awkward smile for mom. She wouldn't quit taking pictures, so we made things a bit harder for her :)

Abortions for Christmas

2008-12-04T10:38:00.003-06:00

I just read this article online today, and it broke my heart. Basically, because of the economy, Planned Parenthood is offering gift certificates for health services at their clinics, including abortions.

I am so saddened by this promotion, which makes sense, since I am Pro Life. The idea of abortion is sad for me in general, always. But, the bigger issue here, at least for me, is abortions cannot be fun.

What I mean by this is that abortions are still the loss of your child. They cause significant physical pain. Some doctors are even saddened by performing one. Anyway, the point is, even if you agree with abortions, who would want one for a Christmas present?

Let's celebrate Jesus being born...here's a free abortion. Seriously?

Here Lately

2008-11-11T10:02:00.003-06:00

I realized it's been a super long time since I blogged, sorry about that! I've been super busy and the times I've thought about it, I haven't really been in the mood. So, here goes!

-Mom bought me a couple of baking pumpkins when she was here last, so I have about 11 cups of pumpkin puree' in the freezer after roasting them. I've been doing a lot of baking with pumpkin, so if you want any good recipes, let me know!

-Kathryn (the youngest Watts sister) is moving into our house in Denton in about a month and starting at TWU, and I CAN'T WAIT!

-Texas Tech football is doing extremely well this season and I've been watching every game. I'll always be a loyal fan, but they're very easy to love this year!

-I made an indoor herb garden over a month ago and it's still alive! I may get to use fresh herbs all winter, but we'll see, I'm notorious for killing plants.

-I found/made a great recipe of peanut butter fudge, then covered it with chocolate. Bad idea. It's amazing and currently thwarting my eating healthy plan.

-I'm already compiling recipes for Thanksgiving and really ready to go home and have a break for a while!

-I've been very busy with Homegroup, Biblical Counseling class, Recovery, Sponsoring for Step Studies, etc. but luckily now my weekends are open, so life is manageable again.

-I need to start researching what to make for Christmas presents. My family decided that we'll all hand make presents this year instead of buying them...and I need to get after it.

That's about all I can think about for now, more later!

TIMBER!!

2008-11-11T09:39:00.004-06:00

Yay! We had a giant tree branch fall down onto our carport and fence at the house a few months ago. It was barely leaning in the tree and very heavy. I cut the branches off at one point so that we could drive into the carport, but it fell further down. So, it was still stuck in there, but we really couldn't get it out. Looking at it, it was very close to falling and if it did, it would've fallen on the power lines. So, a couple of very sweet men from the Village heard about my tree issue and came over last Friday afternoon to take it down for me! I am still SO thankful that they were so very sweet. So, below are the pictures of the tree when it first fell and afterwards as they were taking it down. At the very bottom is a video of John Warren holding onto it when we finally cut it down. It's a miracle we didn't drop it on the powerline trying to take it down.

Reformation Study Bible for Any Amount

2008-10-29T10:03:00.002-05:00

Reformation Study Bible for Any Amount

Celebrate Reformation Week with a genuine leather Reformation Study Bible (ESV) for a donation of any amount. Lingonier Ministries is giving Bibles away for any donation amount this week to celebrate Reformation Week! I highly recommend taking advantage of this offer!

Raining Jane performs Wyoming Sky and Papercut

2008-10-23T16:40:00.001-05:00

Again, really like them! The song Papercut was hilarious last night, so I thought I'd post it. It starts about 5:30 into this video.

Raining Jane

2008-10-23T16:23:00.001-05:00

Carissa and I went to see Sara Bareilles and Mark Broussard last night and these girls opened for them and they were so fascinating to watch live!

Texas Tech FOOTBALL!

2008-10-17T10:48:00.005-05:00

Hey all-

I'm headed to the Tech vs A&M football game in College Station this afternoon. YIPPEE! I can't tell you how happy that makes me! I try and make it a goal to go to a Tech football game once a year, but I missed last year, so I can't wait. Kyle Field is the best place to see college football and we're gonna whoop up! Tech is having a great season, so I can't wait to see them in person, especially with a free place to stay and free tickets to the game (thanks Jen!!).

On a more important note, thought I'd share a convo I had with God the other day, didn't turn out the way I wanted... I was praying for something, very selfishly and it was going something like this: "Lord, I know your timing is perfect, but I'm getting tired of waiting. I'm READY! Could you please just give me _______? It's all I want right now, it's exactly what I need/what would make me happy." And the answer I got was "Are you sure about that?"

OUCH.

What do you even do with that?

Of course I'm not sure, God is perfect and knows what I need. I have NO IDEA! I had no response. It's been bothering me for 2 days ever since. It's so funny how perfect He is. He didn't tell me "No" or "Wait" or "I promise I'll give it to you soon". That one simple question pulled the rug out from under me and made me stop cold...without giving me any answers. It was the PERFECT response that jerked the rug out from under me and made me trust. Not just trust that He will give me what I want, but that He'll give me what I need exactly when I need it.

So, back to waiting!

Funnies

2008-10-17T10:48:00.001-05:00

This is definitely me! Oh, so sad...

http://xkcd.com/490/

Great Hair

2008-10-09T15:30:00.003-05:00

Ok people, it's official! No shampoo is a miracle...

I haven't used regular shampoo/conditioner since last Monday, so it's been a week and a half, and I now officially have the healthiest hair I've ever had! And that's saying a lot...the shampoo and conditioner I was using were Frederick Fekkai and Rusk, so it was GOOD stuff. But, my hair always seems to "get used" to something and start looking crappy, so I have to find something new to wash with. And it was starting to get expensive!

For the first week, I just used baking soda to wash and I made a vinegar rinse to use afterwards. For the baking soda, you take some, get it wet enough to make a paste and scrub it all over your scalp. Then, you HAVE TO WAIT at least a minute or two. I didn't know this originally and had super oily hair. Then, you can put about 2 tablespoons of vinegar (or vinegar rinse) in a cup of water and pour all over your hair. You can leave it in or rinse it out. The vinegar helps de-tangle and makes your hair very shiny!

But, I must say, the best part is the Shampoo Bar from Prairie Land Herbs. It costs $5.50 and is worth every penny...it has done amazing things for my hair! Also, they sell vinegar rinses that are also fantastic. I made my own, but you can also just buy them!

So, my hair is now full of body (something I've NEVER had on my own), very shiny, and doesn't get oily nearly as fast!! YIPPEE!!!!!!!!

Below is a recipe for Vinegar rinses:

Vinegar (regular or Apple Cider)
Herbs (dried or fresh)

1. Take a glass container and put your herbs into it. If using fresh herbs, fill 1/3 full. If dried, I think I put about 2-3 tablespoons maybe?

2. Bring vinegar to a boil on the stove, once it's boiling, pour into the glass container with the herbs. Let sit for 2 weeks in the frig, then you can strain out the herbs if you like.

Notes: I started using my vinegar right after it cooled and the herbs are still in it, so you can do that if you like.
Also, I bought my dry herbs in the bulk section of the Cupboard in Denton. You can put in whatever herbs you like! I'm making a Spearmint/Eucalyptus one tonight!

Anyhoo, IT WORKS! Anyone who has actually seen me lately: Please comment and lend some validity to my newly fantastic hair :)

No More Shampoo

2008-10-03T08:28:00.002-05:00

I haven't washed my hair with shampoo since Tuesday! I know, I know, it sounds insane.

Carissa has already called me a hippee no less than 12 times in the past 2 days. But, with Ginger on the same plan with me, I'm not gonna use shampoo and conditioner anymore!

So, here's how it works: Supposedly shampoo leaves a lot of residue in your hair. Also, washing with soaps everyday increases the oil production in your hair. At this point, I have to wash my hair everyday or else it's really oily. Apparently that's just because the more I wash it, the more oil it makes...kinda annoying! I've spent a long time looking for the best shampoo. I'm currently at the point where I'm using stuff like Bumble & Bumble and Frederic Fekkai. Which, I'm sure you know, is EXPENSIVE! And still, my hair will feel great for a while, but then go back to being dry/oily/unruly.

Also, I tend to be very consumeristic and I decided that I NEED the latest and greatest and when I get said thing, it'll change my life! It's ridiculous, I know, but still...that's the way I think!
Not using normal shampoo and conditioner anymore will help me with that, and also be a lot cheaper.

And, I am also somewhat concerned with all the chemicals that are in EVERYTHING these days. Food, cleaners, beauty products, soaps, etc. I'm not saying that I'm insisting they will cause cancer or anything, it just seems like something that's worth taking note of. We do have a lot more disease now than we used to, and I think simplifying parts of my life will be a good idea.

So, back to my original point. What Ginger and I are doing is using Baking Soda to "wash" our hair. You get it out, mix it with a little water, and scrub away! Apparently this will get the dirt out of the hair, but leave the natural oils in. The problem with this initially is that you will still have shampoo residue and a confused oil production system for a week or so. So, I currently have pretty funky hair and have been putting it up in a ponytail everyday, which I hate. But, I am assured that after a while, this will go away and I'll have the most healthy hair ever. So, we'll see!

The next step, my conditioner if you will, is a Vinegar Rinse. I did it the first time with plain Apple Cider Vinegar and smelled like a salad gone bad all day, so I changed it up a bit the second time. Apparently you can infuse vinegar with herbs pretty easily, so I went to the Cupboard (organic grocery store in Denton) and got herbs by bulk. It was the most fun I've had in a while! They cost about $1 an ounce, and since they are dried, they don't weigh much! I ended up spending about 50 cents on each bag of herbs. I got Nettle, Eucalyptus, Spearmint, Lemongrass, Chamomile, and Jasmine. At home I also have Vanilla Beans and Rosemary. So, yesterday afternoon, I put herbs in a jar (whichever ones I wanted), boiled vinegar, and put it over the herbs. I'm supposed to let it sit for a couple of days and then strain the herbs! The first one I made was Jasmine, Chamomile and Vanilla. You store it in the frig for up to 6 months, and enjoy!

For using the Vinegar, you put about 1-2 tablespoons of it in a cup of water and pour or squirt over your hair. You can leave it in or rinse it out, either way you really don't smell like it after you fix your hair. Vinegar helps close the shaft in your hair and make it more silky/shiny and also de-tangles as well. So far, it's made my hair feel great!

I also ordered a Shampoo Bar from Praireland Herbs. It's all natural and will take the place of the Baking Soda when it gets here. I'm very excited to try it!! I also ordered their all natural deodorant, so we'll see how that goes!

My plan is to replace most things I can with natural products. I think the less and less I can rely on stuff like lotion, makeup, lip gloss, shampoo, conditioner, etc., the better off I'll be! So, here's my list of things I'm going natural on:

1. Toothpaste- I already use Tom's and it's EXCELLENT! My teeth feel better than any other toothpaste I've ever used.
2. Laundry soap- I use 7th Generation
3. Dish Soap- 7th Generation again
4. All-Purpose Cleaner- 7th Generation
5. Deodorant- Praireland Herbs when I get it
6. Shampoo/Conditioner- baking soda/vinegar/Praireland Herbs Shampoo Bar
7. Soap- Praireland Herbs shower gel/shampoo bar
8. Body Scrub- make my own
9. Bathroom Cleaner/Disinfectant- Peroxide
10. Misc. Cleaner- Baking Soda/Vinegar
11. Roach repellent/trap- Concoction Ginger is making
12. Medicine-Try herbs/food mixtures first

That's just a list of a few things. I'm going to go through the house and replace cleaners and get rid of beauty products I don't need anymore. I've also got all sorts of random recipes and ideas collected for all of the above that I intend to type up and compile into a book of sorts. I always see ideas and natural recipes, but can't remember them when I need them, so I think if I had them all in one place, that would make things a lot easier.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to my weekend of simplifying my life and watching the Texas Tech vs. Kansas State football game. GO RAIDERS!

Ah, Men...

2008-10-01T10:51:00.003-05:00

This post has been rolling around in my head for several days, so there's no telling if it'll come out logically, but I'll give it a try.

I've been thinking a lot about men, women, singleness, dating, etc. and thinking about how I deal with all of that. And my first thought is that women and naturally manipulative in this area and a bit obsessive and over-analytical...Before I get nasty comments, let me just say that's my own observation of mostly, well, me! I see glimpses of it everywhere, but I know those are the things that I fight on a regular basis.

First of all, I think as a woman, my role is to be pursued. This makes for a tough time, though! I've been very used to manipulating, flirting, etc to get the guy I want and it usually worked. Now, I understand that it's not about me, and I was going after relationships for all the wrong reasons. I wanted a boyfriend so that I could feel better about myself, validate that I was attractive, have someone love me, have someone serve me, etc. Now I realize that a relationship, marriage in particular, is to model Christ and the church. I am called into a relationship to love the other person, serve them, and draw them closer to Christ. It will be a very difficult road of selflessness and sanctification!

Anyway, back to my original point. I've been single for over a year, and not just single, but no one has asked me out, or really even flirted! And I know that's not long, and I don't want to sound like I'm complaining, but it's important information for me to make my point. God is perfect, and His plan is happening exactly the way it is supposed to. It has forced me to deal with co-dependence, getting my self-esteem from relationships and forced me to rely on the Lord as my source of love, acceptance, self-worth, etc. And, I must say, although I've not really been a big fan of it, I see the huge fruits of being single during this time!

So, the areas I have to fight regularly are being manipulative and over-analyzing. And by manipulative, most of this just goes on in my head, but just having constant thoughts of: "Oh, I better make sure I look good", "I should go to this because boys will be there", "I should say/do this because it'll make me sound like I'd be a good wife" and on and on and on and on and on..... It's insanity! So, I am learning to fight that . And it's good that none of those thoughts/actions work because then I would've manipulated the situation instead of letting myself be pursued. I think it would be the biggest blessing to have someone pursue me without having to "lure" them... And the best news is that God will use my retarded, selfish actions to still glorify him....amazing! So, I'm doing my best to wait and rest in the Lord and know that He is enough...and if someone great comes along that I'm meant to marry, YIPPEE! Otherwise, I will continue to fight my flesh and not pursue/manipulate men.

Also, I obsess and over-analyze. And, I think this is an issue for a lot of women. Since we wait on men to pursue us, we like to sit and analyze every move they make and try to read something into it. This seems to cause 2 big issues: 1. We start to close our fist around "dating" and it becomes an idol and 2. We then manipulate to get more and end up being unfair to men. I think it's hard enough to navigate God-glorifying relationships with brothers and sisters in the body already, but when women take everything guys do as a "sign", it makes it very difficult! I'll be the first to admit that I constantly struggle to take my thoughts captive and not obsessing, and I fight that a lot, but I really don't think it's fair to get upset with the men that want to get to know us as sisters when they're not pursuing a relationship...

I count myself blessed every time I get to spend time around Godly men. They are such an example to me and extremely encouraging to just watch, even. So, I don't want to ruin that by getting angry when they are being kind, but that kindness doesn't mean they want to date me. My goal is to enjoy their company whenever I get the privilege, and not assume that any of them "like" me until someone actually says so. I think single people interacting is enough of a minefield without me being unfair and idolatrous like that with someone.

I hope this is actually making some sense...It's just the random rants of my thoughts lately, but I thought it was something important to write down and get out there. It's tough to do singleness and relationships God's way, but like all things He commands, completely worth it!

Also, the 2 greatest benefits of me staying single right now are:
1. I am able to serve others with my time (which I have a lot of), instead of being able to serve my family at home.
2. I am working through issues and being sanctified before I inflict my junk on someone else. The more I can work out now, the less I'll carry into a marriage!!

I try to focus on the positive, people :) Anyway, hope that makes at least a little sense....

Healthy Banana Bread

2008-10-01T10:37:00.002-05:00

Again, the baking.... I know, I know. I should just turn this blog into a cooking blog! I can't help it...I love to bake. I LOVE sweets! So, I've made 2 new rules at my house: 1. If I bake something terribly unhealthy, give it to someone else and 2. Make baked goods as healthy as possible.

I LOVE muffins, breads, etc for breakfast, but it's hard to find anything too good for you out there... So, here's yet another attempt to make something at least a little healthy!

And, I'm not gonna lie, it turned out fantastic. Not just I-know-it's-healthy-but-it-still-tastes-relatively-ok good, but I crave it, fantastic! Alright, enough of that, here's the recipe!

Healthy Banana Bread
Adapted from: More from Magnolia Cookbook by Allysa Torey

3 cups white, whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup applesauce (sub for the oil)
3/4 cup sugar (took out 1/2 the sugar)
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas
3/4 cup plain yogurt (sub for sour cream)
1 1/2 cup chopped pecans
3/4 cup shredded coconut

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and lightly flour 2 loaf pans.

2. In a medium-size bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, beat together the oil, applesauce and sugar. Add the eggs and vanilla, and beat well. Add the bananas and yogurt, and mix well. Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Stir in the pecans and coconut. Pour the batter into a prepared pan. Bake for 60-70 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the bread comes out with moist crumbs attached.

The coconut sounds weird in this, but it makes it wonderful. It actually makes it taste more banana-like, it's great!

Carissa's 80s Birthday Party

2008-09-24T21:41:00.009-05:00

Let the tackiness ensue!!

So, we had an 80s Pary for Carissa's birthday a few weeks ago. It was a great time! Kathry and Christopher came for the weekend, as well, so that was great to hang out with them.

Below are some of the pictures...several other people took some, but I haven't gottem them yet, so I thought I'd share what I did have... Enjoy!

Carissa, Kathryn and Ginger getting ready

Me in the bathroom getting ready

Carissa, the birthday girl!

Kathryn, looking very racoon-like!

Lindsey putting on her makeup

Me- the drinking series... I promise it was only one wine cooler!

Kathryn and Angie
Josh and Scott
Hai
The Nintendo Phillip got for Carissa!

Phillip
Ginger
Carissa
Lindsey!
Ginger and her brother, Jon

The Peasant Princess

2008-09-24T14:49:00.002-05:00

This is the link to the new Song of Songs series that Mark Driscoll at Mars Hill Church is doing. I was intrigued and started watching the first video and I think it's going to be a GREAT series, so go check it out! http://www.peasantprincess.com/

I've been tagged!!

2008-09-24T08:10:00.002-05:00

A- Attached or Single? -Single
B- Best Friend(s): Carissa, Kathryn, and lots of other wonderful ladies in my life!
C- Cake or Pie: hmm...I guess I learn towards cake, but I do love me some cookies!
D- Drink of Choice: That would definitely be coffee- right now that's a Coconut Mocha
E- Essential Item: I'm gonna have to agree with Ginger on this one, chapstick! I'm SERIOUSLY addicted....
F- Favorite Color: Oooo, I think it's still my two normal faves: robin's egg blue and red
G- Gummi Bears or Worms: sour worms for sure
H- Hometown: Borger, TX
I- Indulgence: SUGAR! I love dessert...all kinds, but especially with lots of sugar/butter and chocolate
J- January or February: I guess I'll go with January since that's when I was born
K- Kids: Sure!
L- Life, for me, is incomplete without: Jesus.
M- Marriage Date: Yes, please
N- Number of Siblings: 2 sisters
O- Oranges or Apples? Honeychrisp apples! But I also love tangerines...
P- Phobia/Fears: I have serious issues with june bugs/grasshoppers and with being in open water (everything in that water with me can see me AND move faster than I can....shiver)
Q- Favorite Quote: "God, give me the determination and tenacity of a weed."
R- Reasons to smile: God choosing to let me know He's involved in things, coffee, friends, naps, my puppies
S- Season: That's tough...I answer different each time the weather changes! So, right now it's Fall for sure...
T- Tag Ten: Carissa, Kathryn, Mom & Dad, Angela, Lisa Allen, and I apparently need more blog friends that might do one of these!
U- Unknown fact about me: I have my motorcycle license, and wish I could afford a bike!
V- Vegetarian or Oppressor of Animals: I don't oppress my food, just eat it
W- Worst Habit: picking at stuff and sugar
X- X-rays or Ultrasounds: Ummm...I would go with Ultrasound, I've never had one!
Y- Your Favorite Foods: Coffee, Apple Betty, Cookies, Icing, Cake, Zucchini/Banana bread, Italian, Whole Grains, QUESO, Guacamole, Homemade salsa...
Z- Zodiac: Aquarius (but that doesn't mean anything in my book)

Oh, did you know...?

2008-09-18T17:59:00.002-05:00

I promised I would blog about something other than recipes, so here goes!

I have a tendency to enjoy being right. I also like things to be fair, just, etc. Also, my brain contains a plethora of random knowledge. All that combined tends to annoy people that know me well! I like to be right, smart, knowledgeable, interesting, witty, etc because I want people to notice/like me. Growing up, I was always the "smart kid" that got good grades, graduated from college early, "picked up on things" really quick and all that. I think that I really took pride in that and then started to use that to my advantage.

Fast forward several years...now it just always ends up that I correct people, tell them how they're doing something wrong, babble about something meaningless, make inappropriate jokes, or tell random info to people. It really annoys me, I know I'm doing it, but seem powerless to stop myself!

And, the problem with me telling people when they're wrong all the time, is that I've justified it! And it's a good one too.... I've managed to convince myself that I need to "save" people from making mistakes and the unloving thing would be to watch them screw up without saying anything! When, in truth, all I manage to do is make people feel incompetent and criticized.

So, from now on, for those of you who are around me: I might throw in interesting info into a conversation now and then, but I'm seriously going to try and stop giving advice unless you ask me for it. And feel free to ask anytime, I've got TONS of opinions. But, if you don't ask, even if I know you're about to do something really dumb, I'm gonna keep my mouth shut. If something happens to go bad and I coulda warned you, don't blame me, you shoulda asked! :) Just kidding... I will say something if it's gonna seriously harm yourself or others (especially me).

Healthier Zucchini Bread

2008-09-18T11:55:00.003-05:00

Hello out there! I know it's been absolutely forever since I've blogged, and I apologize. I just have been busy and haven't felt like it... Anyway, here's a recipe, which is always quick and easy to blog and then I'll write an update on me and my rather boring life very soon.

This started out as my Nana's Zucchini Bread which I LOVE in it's original form, but I felt like I can't make it too often due to the huge amount of oil and sugar in it. I tend to eat it whole in one sitting and that's awefully bad for my current workout/stay fit plan! Anyhoo...below is the recipe with the modifications I made. I could've made more, but I didn't want it to turn out tasting like "health food" as my last batch of "healthy muffins" did last time (according to my family, I thought they were good!).

Zucchini Bread – Healthy!

3 eggs, beaten
1 ¾ cup sugar
¼ cup oil
¾ cup applesauce
2-3 cups zucchini, grated
3 tsp vanilla
2 ½ cups white whole wheat flour
½ cup wheat germ
½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
3 tbsp cinnamon
1 cup chopped nuts (pecans, walnuts, etc)

In a large bowl, combine beaten eggs, sugar, oil, grated zucchini, and vanilla. In a smaller bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, and nuts

Mix dry ingredients with wet ingredients in a large bowl with a spoon. Pour into 2 greased and floured loaf pans. Sprinkle each pan with a little bit of sugar and bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees.

Granola

2008-09-03T10:27:00.002-05:00

I just wanted to post this recipe. My mom has made this for as long as I can remember, and it's EXCELLENT! It is my favorite granola, even out of the kind you can buy. The ingredients are probably going to sound kinda funny, but it's super healthy and tasty. So, try it sometime! And, be prepared to give some away, it makes TONS.

Granola

12 cups regular oats
1 cup oat bran
1 1/2 cups wheat germ
1 cup dry milk (I know this sounds terrible, but you can't taste it at all)
Pecans (About 2 cups), chopped
Almonds (About 1 cup), chopped
1 cup oil
1 cup honey
3 tbsp water
Raisins (I use about 2 cups) and/or
Dried fruit of your liking (apricots, banana chips, dates, cranberries, etc)
Any other nuts/seeds you might like

1. Combine oats, oat bran, wheat germ, dried milk, pecans and almonds (or other nuts/seeds if you prefer)

2. Mix oil, honey, and water and pour over dry ingredients. Stir until all combined. If it still feels too dry, add a little more liquid (honey will make it sweeter, oil will make it more fattening, and water will just wet it) until all the ingredients are coated (not soaked).

3. Spread granola out on a cookie sheet (or 2) and cook at 350 degrees for about 10-15 minutes until toasted (may take longer for this big of a batch).

4. Add raisins and dried fruit after cooked. Store in a zip-loc bag and enjoy! You can easily eat it dry or with milk like regular cereal.

Children

2008-08-18T18:16:00.005-05:00

I keep hearing about "being like children" in church, and how being child-like is a good thing, but it's never really sunk in until now. I understood it some, but mostly just logically, but not really how it applies.

So, I wanted to share with you the letter I got today from my child I sponsor with Compassion International. He is 8 years old and lives in Uganda and I love him to death! His letters today almost brought me to tears because of how he sees Christ and speaks of Him. It's not just a topic he mentions, it permeates his entire life....like it should with all of us.

Praise God so much. I greet you and your family in the name of Jesus. I am so excited to hear from you once again. I am so happy to know about you and your family. I have seen the photo you sent and you have such a beautiful family. Thank you again for loving me and praying for me. I also promise to be praying for you when I am going to bed. I love school and request that you pray for me to keep doing well at school. Again, I love going to church and I love Jesus so much. I love you and will keep in touch.

This is the second letter that was attached to the one above:

Praise God once again. I appreciate your great love and care for me. Thank you so much for the birthday gift worth 162,501 uganda shillings ($10). When we received it, I was so happy and excited. May God bless you greatly. From the money, I am going to buy a pair of shoes and clothes and I will take a photo putting on the bought clothes and send it to you so that you can see how smart I look. I have nothing to give you in return but only love and prayers that God continues to increase you everyday. God bless you and I love you.

Wow.

I hope to only have a smidge of that mindset. How often does my life and all the "things" I think are so important get in the way of my sweet Savior?

Now they were bringing even infants to him that he might touch them. And when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. But Jesus called them to him, saying, "Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it." Luke 18:15-17

Hard Lessons

2008-08-18T15:18:00.005-05:00

I am going through Step Studies at church right now and it has been TOUGH but also so good... If you don't know what that is, it's a program simular to Celebrate Recovery , but our church has modified it a bit. It's been very challanging, but very worth it. I'm to the point now were I have to deal with forgiveness and serving others. It's been a hard challange and God has been working in my heart to teach me that it's not about me, I'm just as messed up as everyone else (if not more so), I can't judge others, I cannot hold a grudge against others, etc. I just am learning that it doesn't matter what others to do me, or how terrible I think things are, I am still called to behave in a loving way and serve others regardless.

I'll be honest, this is very hard for me! I have a very strong desire for justice and fairness, and hate to be taken advantage of, used, trampled on, etc. and see someone get away with it. I also like to blame others when they do things to me and therefore justify my reaction. And, even if my reaction might be "right" according to the world, holding a grudge and making things "fair" is not always loving and/or Christ-like.

So, I just thought I'd share some verses I've been reading through and ask for prayers! I am fighting so hard against this and hate to let it go, but I SO need it....I've definitely made some progress, but it's been a daily struggle.

-If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know.
1 Corinthians 8:2

-"knowledge" puffs up, but love builds up.
1 Corinthians 8:1b

-So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
Matthew 7:12

-"You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason frankly with your neighbor, lest you incur sin because of him. You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.”
Leviticus 19:16-18

-For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Matthew 6:14-15

-You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.
Matthew 7:5

-For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."
Galatians 5:14

-he answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself."
Luke 10:27

Wet Ears

2008-08-15T22:16:00.003-05:00

My poor puppy hates being wet, especially when her ears are wet. This is her trying to dry them off, the way she always does it!

Kitty Attacks!

2008-08-15T22:16:00.001-05:00

This is what happens in my house when I'm working...all the time :) Carissa playing (or annoying) with my cat!

John Mayer Concert

2008-08-13T10:27:00.004-05:00

Also totally forgot to blog about this one, but about a week and a half ago I got to go to the John Mayer concert...and man, is he amazing live. We had a great time! It was super hot, but so nice to be laying on a blanket and listen to him live. Enjoy!
Gina & Julie
Carissa & Phillip
Julie, Me, Julie and Gina

Brooke Fraser Concert

2008-08-13T10:13:00.003-05:00

I have been a lazy blogger lately! Sorry about that...I need to get on it. I have a lot to blog about, so I'll try and get all updated!

A group of us went to the Brooke Fraser concert last Wednesday at the House of Blues and it was excellent! She is so talented and at the same time completely down to earth and funny. If you haven't listened to her, go to iTunes and check her out! Her latest album is called Albertine.

Also, she came with William Fitzsimmons who was absolutely hysterical! He sang mostly somber and depressing songs about topics like divorce, but had such an excellent, dry sense of humor. I thoroughly enjoyed him as well!

William Fitzsimmons

Gina, Me, Julie and Heather at the concert
Phillip and Carissa
Brooke Fraser!

Holy Ghost

2008-08-06T08:55:00.001-05:00

I read this web comic regularly thanks to Chuck, and it's usually absolutely hilarious. Today was no exception! Check it out!!

Crazy!

2008-08-05T13:33:00.005-05:00

I have felt the need to blog a lot lately, but my mind has been so full and scattered, nothing has materialized. So, there's a good possiblity this blog might not make a lot of sense :) I've been super busy lately with a lot of different stuff, mostly church stuff. Work has also been kinda crazy with me working all last weekend. It hasn't been that terribly busy, just one fire to put out after another, which is a bit stressful!

Anyhoo, nothing too interesting going on around here. I went to the John Mayer concert on Friday and it was fantastic. I also LOVE live music so much more than recorded. I am going to a Brooke Fraser concert tomorrow night that I can't wait for! I am then heading to San Antonio on Thursday night to throw my great friend April a Lingerie Shower/Bachelorette Party on Friday, so that'll be fun. I haven't been back to San Antonio since I moved to the DFW area in December, so I'm really looking forward to it!

As soon as I can think of something post-worthy, I'll write it, but until then I'm just gonna post some random videos of my pets, because they mak me laugh. I hope someone enjoys them!

Creamy Baked Fettuccine with Asiago and Thyme

2008-07-28T16:13:00.001-05:00

I don't remember where I got this recipe, but I made it and it actually tasted better than any Fettuccine Alfredo I've ever had! I made this once by adding some chicken to it, which is also great. Enjoy!

Creamy Baked Fettuccine with Asiago and Thyme

1 pound fettuccine pasta
2 cups grated Asiago cheese, plus ¼ cup
2 (8-oz) containers crème fraiche
1 cup grated Parmesan
1 ½ tbsp fresh chopped thyme leaves
½ tsp salt
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta reserving 1 cup of the pasta cooking liquid.

2. In a large bowl, combine the 2 cups Asiago cheese, crème fraiche, Parmesan, thyme, salt, pepper, cooked pasta, and pasta cooking liquid. Gently toss until all the ingredients are combined and the pasta is coated. Place the pasta in a buttered baking dish and sprinkle with the remaining ¼ cup Asiago cheese. Bake until golden on top, about 25 minutes. Let sit for at least 5 minutes and serve.

Color Coding Salvation

2008-07-22T11:34:00.001-05:00

Stuff Christians Like is one of my new favorite sites. It's one of the funniest things I've ever read! So, go check this one out. It was hysterical today!!!

Food Pairing

2008-07-21T22:00:00.000-05:00

OK, I don't quite get this yet, but I LIKE! Check it out :) http://www.foodpairing.be/

Find-A-Husband Advice

2008-07-21T08:48:00.004-05:00

I got some fascinating advice and how to get myself a husband last week and thought I would share. It was a typical, hilarious comment from my friend Chuck, but stuck with me as entertaining as we as containing some merit! So, I'll set it up for you:

I was over at Chuck and Ginger's house some night last week after taking a walk with them and some of their friends. Chuck was laying on the couch beside Ginger (his wife) and Ruby (his new daughter). Ginger and I were discussing dating, marriage, boys, authors on the subject, good books about it, etc. (which, I'll recommend the book in a bit). So, we're discussing how to be godly women in singleness and in marriage, and what God has called us to do in those seasons. I was probably talking about dating/marriage and men, when Chuck just sits up and says "OK, all you have to do to get a husband is catch him with you boobs, don't let him touch them until you're married, and then he's all yours b/c you're stuck together forever!!" First, I thought it was HILARIOUS and a very typical Chuck response...but, also had a bit of merit to it!!

I hope someone found that entertaining, I'm just going to go with it being an endorsement of there "not being a hint of immorality in your relationship until your married" instead of it being an endorsement of "just catch a man with your sexy self and figure the rest out later" because I'm sure that was the intent coming from this godly man.

Anyhoo, the book I was talking to Ginger about is called Did I Kiss Marriage Goodbye? and while it sounds a little funny at first, it was an EXCELLENT book. I would highly recommend any of you single gals to go buy this book. It's written by Carolyn McCulley. It was just such an encouraging read! It was more about how to live well single by serving others, how to prepare for marriage, and how to use our womanly calling even if we're single (be involved with other people's kids, invite church staff over and feed them, etc). It was so great because it didn't sit and talk about how to find/trap a husband, but how to live well single, and how to prepare to be an excellent wife. Go buy it here!! Also, Carolyn has a great blog that is very worth reading.

Just thought I'd pass that recommendation on....

Turkey Burgers

2008-07-16T11:32:00.004-05:00

I made turkey burgers for lunch yesterday and they turned out SO GOOD. It's times like that when I'm really thankful that I work from home!

Turkey Burgers

Homemade buns (Buttermilk Bread recipe (subbed White Whole Wheat flour for White Flour) from Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day)
Avocado
Tomato
Basil Pesto
Chipoltle Mayo (if cannot find, take regular mayo and add chipoltle chili powder)
Swiss Cheese
Red Onion, thinly sliced
1 pound ground Turkey
1 tsp Spike
1 tsp Ground Sage
1 tsp Chili Powder (I used Ancho or Chipoltle)
2 tsp Mrs. Dash's Southwest Chipoltle Seasoning
Salt & pepper

I just mixed the turkey with the spices (you can add more/less spice if you like), then cooked them in a skillet on the stove.

I then assembled the burger with pesto on the top bun, chipoltle mayo on the bottom, and meat, cheese, avocado, tomato and onion on the burger.

YUM!

Practice Husband

2008-07-11T16:12:00.000-05:00

I couldn't have said it better myself! Check it out...

Super Fast Homemade Bread!

2008-07-11T15:24:00.010-05:00

I know this is going to sound insane, but this book/method of bread baking has truly changed my life! Ok, maybe that was a bit of an exaggeration, but I'm still ecstatic about it!

When I was young and homeschooled, I used to keep a sourdough starter and make fresh bread every day or two. I loved it, but that was back when I was home all the time and had the time to keep up with it. I don't like bread machine bread too much, it always seems to come out kinda funny to me. I am also completely fed up with store-bought bread since EVERY BRAND has high fructose corn syrup and partially hydrogenated soybean oil in it. EWW!!

I was absolutely shocked when I got this book and the basic loaf has 4 ingredients in it: flour, water, salt and yeast. CRAZY, huh? I should know that's all that goes into it, but it's been so long since I've made it and I've been looking at labels of read in the store for so long and reading a mile long list of ingredients...

Anyhoo, that was way off on a tangent. So, the basic idea for this bread is: you dump the 4 ingredients into a big tupperwear tub, stir them up, put the lid on it, leave it sitting on the counter for 2 hours, stick it in the fridge. It keeps for up to 2 weeks, or can be frozen for forever. When you want some bread, you hack off 1/4th of the dough, make a little ball out of it, and let it rest for 40 mins. Then, you stick it in the oven for 30 mins, and voila! fresh bread...

There are also tons of variations of this, you can make: pita, chibatta (sp?), baguettes, flatbread, naan, cinnamon rolls, brioche, etc. I made brioche dough the other day and made sticky buns out of it and it was BY FAR the best cinnamon roll-type food I've ever eaten.

I've also made several if the plain, regular loafs with substituting King Arthur's White Whole Wheat Flour (one of my all-time fave things) for White Flour and it's excellent. The loaf comes out crunchy on the outside, and chewy on the inside. I made a variation of that, also, by adding herbs and cheddar cheese, and made hamburger buns and they were de-lish!

So, check it out! I highly recommend buying this book here or you can also check out their website here.

Also, I have bread out my ears, so let me know if you would like a loaf :)

Zone Analysis

2008-07-10T17:25:00.001-05:00

I just spent 9 straight hours working on one spreadsheet for work, ARGH! It was quite a frustrating day. I had to scrub a lot of data and then scrub some more because the person who setup to spreadsheet/data did it all wrong. Oh, and it had to be done by tonight. And I found out about it this morning. Fun times! I really can't complain too much, I have a lot of days that are very relaxed and I work for a fantastic company.

Anyhoo, I'm also a little sad! All my friends seem to be very busy or vacationing this summer and therefore I am quite bored :( I don't have any plans for the forseeable future, so it's a little depressing. I figured this is a good time, though, to really dig into the Word, and volunteer more at the church. That's something that will keep me very busy and I'll be strengthening my relationship with the Lord and serving others. Can't go wrong there!

So, morals of the story: spreadsheets suck and if you're bored too, call me!

Purple Hull Peas

2008-07-05T21:15:00.003-05:00

Just a quick update....went to Canton today and the Farmer's market. I got some Purple Hull Peas, which are just like Black Eyed Peas, except purple. And, I got some okra. I shelled my peas today, blanched them and froze them for later. I'm super excited! I love fresh black eyed peas and I can never find them anywhere! Anyhoo, I'm also sick with some cold or upper respiratory thingy, all I know is that I'm up coughing all night and can't sleep, ARGH!!!!!!!

That's about it, my mom, youngest sister Kathryn and Nana are here until Monday. They got here Wednesday night and have been hanging out for an extended weekend. Kathryn and I went to Van's Warped Tour Thursday....got to see Family Force 5, they were AH-Mazing! Look them up and listen to them sometime, Love Addict is the best song ever.

Smoothie Popsicles

2008-07-01T12:09:00.003-05:00

Since it's summetime, I am naturally craving popsicles! My sister bought some of those Flavor Ices (you know, the sugar and water things that you cut the end off of and suck on). They are some of our favorites, but kinda bad. So is ice cream, popsicles, etc. But, I LOVE stuff like that. So I decided to make my own popsicles. I know this is far from original and hardly creative, but I was very excited to have thought of it on my own and make some. So, they turned out very, very good!

Smoothie Popsicles

About 1 cup frozen (or fresh) strawberries
1 banana
1 small container vanilla yogurt (you could also use plain)
1-2 tbsp honey

I put all of that in the blender, blended until smooth, and then poured into a popsicle mold (those can be found here or probably Wal-Mart or Target). Then, stuck them in the freezer! I did, however, have an idiot moment where I couldn't for the life of me get the popsicle out of the mold. I eventually just turned it over and ran a little hot water over it and it popped right out.

I'm sure you can use all types of fruit, smooties, etc, if you like. I think I'll be making lots, and right now some lime sounds really good in one!

Also, I got my bread book that I'm so excited about and started some dough last night. I'll bake some bread today and then do another blog about that whole process, I'm very excited about it!!

Matt Wertz Concert

2008-06-30T11:18:00.003-05:00

Gina and I went to a Matt Wertz concert Saturday night at the House of Blues near downtown. We got there early, ate some dinner, and got the see an excellent concert! The venue was very nice, small, not smoky, etc. so it was very relaxing and fun for a concert. I'm used to totally trashed people in a smoky bar bumping into each other, then fighting to get out of the venue, and waiting an hour in traffic.

So, it AWESOME! Thad Cockrell opened for Matt and was very, very good. He's a great songwriter and was very folksy sounding. I really enjoyed him! Then, Matt Wertz came on and was with a guy named Justin Rosolino. They were amazing as well. Matt is fantastic, but Justin was also amazing, and a very good guitar player! Go check them out...

Old Friends

2008-06-25T10:30:00.004-05:00

I thought it was time for a blog! I haven't really been motivated to blog lately, mostly because I haven't though anything in my life was interesting enough to write about...I guess I need to be more exciting!!

Anyhoo, I went to Borger last Tuesday night for some nice relaxing time with the fam. My friend Rachel got married last weekend, so I was in town for that, too! I truely enjoyed time with the family and some nice relaxation.

A lot of my old high school friends came into town for the wedding, so it was WONDERFUL to see them all again. I miss them all very much! Here's some pics of the wedding...

Rachel and her Dad walking down the "isle" as it were
Cari (Jason's girlfriend) and I
Amy and I got the great honors of cutting/serving the cake...which was very fitting because this is our FAVORITE part of a wedding!
Amy and I (best friends in high school)
Dan (Amy's husband), Scott, Amy and JasonCarissa, Me, Beau and Cari
Me, Bethany, Beau, and Cari

Family Time!

2008-06-18T22:07:00.002-05:00

Hello everyone! I'm at my parents for a nice relaxing break. I came home yesterday and am going to stay until Sunday. It may not sound like a big vacation to most, but coming home is one of the best breaks I can ask for. When I get back to the place I grew up, I kinda feel like I revert back to my childhood of no responsibilities and I really relax when I'm here! When I go on an actual vacation, I worry about flights, packing, tours, food, etc. so much that I don't get to relax a lot.

So, needless to say, it's been a good vacation so far! I thought I would give a few quick updates about me lately.

1. On Monday, I was drying my hair to get ready and smelled something burning. So, I pulled the blowdryer away from me and looked at it and my blowdryer was ON FIRE! I mean, actually shooting flames! It was insane...I had to blow on it until the flames went out and then unplug it. It was a tad worrisome, to say the least.

2. I got approved to be a Home Group leader on Monday! I'm super excited. Gina and I are going to lead the group and we'll start it up in the Fall as a continuation of the one we were in in the Spring, but I'm very excited to be able to serve a group of girls :)

3. The drive from Dallas, TX home STINKS! It's 5 1/2 hours of NOTHING.

4. Kathryn, my sister, and her boyfriend were hanging out over here tonight. They both just graduated high school in May. I am just so impressed by them after watching them tonight! You'd think two 17/18 year old people would be doing normal things like watching TV, leaving the house to be alone, talking, etc. But no, I walked in and they were reading their Bibles together. Then, they went into the computer room and started looking for a Bible Study/Devetional book to do together! Ah, I just LOVE it...they're so fantastic.

Cardboard Testimonies

2008-06-11T17:07:00.001-05:00

Wow, this makes my heart happy!

*The end of this video makes me a bit uneasy...I have no idea what that's about, and I doubt I believe with going about asking for support that way, but I liked the whole first part!

Oh, man...

2008-06-09T19:08:00.003-05:00

Ok, so I have a bad habit of doing things just because I find them funny/entertaining. I guess sometimes I have a pretty odd sense of humor, but if it amuses me and won't hurt anyone else, I'm all for it! So, today I had to get my dog groomed. She's a cocker spaniel and I hate having to pay tons and take her for grooming, so I only get her groomed like 3-4 times a year. Since I do that, I have to get her cut really short to make it last. One of my favorite things about her, besides her extremely long eyelashes, is her curly, super-soft head. It was really long and so I decided to let her keep a little of it and give her a mohawk. Pictures below speak for themselves, and in case you can't tell, she's quite pissed with me and maybe a little mortified. Oops...maybe that has to do with the fact that I have been laughing constantly at her since I picked her up, who knows!

Garden Update

2008-06-06T20:58:00.004-05:00

I thought I would finally do an update on the ole garden. I've been embarassed and frustrated with it for a long time because Carissa's dog, Stella, has been getting into it and trampling/eating the plants, so it's taken a while to re-plant parts several times! First of all, This huge branch fell in our yard last night thanks to the 49mph winds...we are very blessed that it didn't hit a car or power lines!

Of course, Stella thought this was the best toy she's had in a long time and is busy making mulch of it right now for me!
I took this to show how big one of my tomatoes has gotten!
All the tomatoes have grown super-fast! This above picture is about 6 weeks old, and below is the tomatoes today! At least those have done really well...

Above are Roma tomatoes and below is the cherry tomato!

These are jalapenos and poblanos above, they're currently blooming!
And this is my zucchini...

So, I re-planted a few plants Monday and then had to mulch the whole garden... Now I'm watering it every day and ready for it to start raining again!

Best Cookies EVER! No, seriously...they are!

2008-06-06T20:48:00.003-05:00

Ok, I made these, plus a few modifications and they turned out increadible. The best cookies I've had in my entire life. Make them!!

Brown Sugar Cookies

The most efficient way to bake these cookies is to portion and bake half of the dough. While the first batch is in the oven, the remaining dough can be prepared for baking. Avoid using a nonstick skillet to brown the butter. The dark color of the nonstick coating makes it difficult to gauge when the butter is sufficiently browned. Use fresh brown sugar, as older (read: harder and drier) brown sugar will make the cookies too dry.

Makes 2 Dozen Cookies

14 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 cups packed dark brown sugar
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour plus 2 tablespoons
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips (I used chocolate/peanut butter chips, any type would be good in them!)
1/2 - 1 cup chopped pecans

1. Heat 10 tablespoons butter in 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until melted, about 2 minutes. Continue to cook, swirling pan constantly until butter is dark golden brown and has nutty aroma, 1 to 3 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and transfer browned butter to large heatproof bowl. Stir remaining 4 tablespoons butter into hot butter to melt; set aside for 15 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 large (18 by 12-inch) baking sheets with parchment paper. In shallow baking dish or pie plate, mix granulated sugar and 1/4 cup packed brown sugar, rubbing between fingers, until well combined; set aside. Whisk flour, baking soda, and baking powder together in medium bowl; set aside.

3. Add remaining 1 3/4 cups brown sugar and salt to bowl with cooled butter; mix until no sugar lumps remain, about 30 seconds. Scrape down sides of bowl with rubber spatula; add egg, yolk, and vanilla and mix until fully incorporated, about 30 seconds. Scrape down bowl. Add flour mixture and mix until just combined, about 1 minute. Give dough final stir with rubber spatula to ensure that no flour pockets remain and ingredients are evenly distributed.

4. OPTIONAL (I added the pecans and chips to my batch, and it was fantastic)- Put chopped pecans into skillet butter was browned in. Cook on medium-high heat for 1-3 mins until pecans become aromatic. Cool pecans and add to dough along with chocolate chips. Stir until just combined.

5. Divide dough into 24 portions, each about 2 tablespoons, rolling between hands into balls about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Working in batches, toss balls in reserved sugar mixture to coat and set on prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart, 12 dough balls per sheet.

6. Bake one sheet at a time until cookies are browned and still puffy and edges have begun to set but centers are still soft (cookies will look raw between cracks and seem underdone; see photo below), 12 to 14 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking. Do not overbake. 6. Cool cookies on baking sheet 5 minutes; using wide metal spatula, transfer cookies to wire rack and cool to room temperature.

Checking Doneness
Achieving the proper texture—crisp at the edges and chewy in the middle—is critical to this recipe. Because the cookies are so dark, it's hard to judge doneness by color. Instead, gently press halfway between the edge and center of the cookie. When it's done, it will form an indent with slight resistance. Check early and err on the side of underdone.

This recipe was from www.cooksillustrated.com.

Workout!

2008-05-30T18:10:00.004-05:00

Well, I'm at home in Borger this weekend...got home last night around 11:30pm (NOT a fun drive). But, it's been great to see family!

To explain the videos below... Dad and I like to workout together when I come home and tend to compete a bit by showing each other the latest and greatest workout we've come by. So, first we did the workout video I do every other day and almost died, then Dad wanted me to try his workout.

Since interval workouts are so good aerobic-wise, Dad rides his exercise bike, on the highest tension (I could BARELY peddle standing up!), for as long as possible. Then you rest until your heart rate goes down and do it again! So, you do as many reps as possible until you want to die and it's an extremely effective way to get in shape fast!

My Dad was SO funny doing this, I took a video. And as payback, he videoed me...As you can see, it was a bit hard, but too funny. This is a glimpse into some of the antics that go on when I go home :)

Hot Springs!

2008-05-29T10:06:00.008-05:00

I know it's been a while since I got back from Hot Springs on Sunday, but I'm finally blogging about it! It was an extremely good trip!! Jason picked me up Friday afternoon around 2:30pm and we headed out. His girlfriend had to go out of town that weekend, so it was just the two of us (we missed you Cari!!). It wasn't a bad drive at all, we took a scenic route for the last part and ended up in Hot Springs about 7:45pm. It was great to drive up with Jason and catch up. We haven't sat down and talked in many months! So, we got there, checked in and headed down the road for some dinner. We stayed downtown amongst all the shopping and Bath Houses because we thought that would be mucho fun, and it was!

We wondered down to a little Italian place that had great Spinach dip and excellent Chicken Alfredo, so that was very nice after a long drive! Saturday morning, Jason wanted to go hiking, so he left the hotel around 630am and went for a hike...I let him borrow my camera so that I wouldn't have to get up that early! So, below are pics from his hike. He said it looked like a scene from a horror movie with all the fog and foresty type things...I'm glad I stayed in bed!!

It was beautiful there, but the heat/humidity was HORRIBLE! I grew up in the Panhandle, where there is NO humidity, so it was rough on me....
This is the balcony from my hotel room
The hotel looked like it was cool in the 50's or so, but had not been updated since! It was clean and nice, just very outdated. This view of the 3rd floor pool area makes it look very nice, though! It's amazing what you can make something out to be with your camera :)
So, this is me before I left to pick up Jason for the BBQ Saturday morning/afternoon. My hair is normally stick straight, but in Arkansas, I decided not to fight with it anymore!

This above is the Arlington hotel. It's in the middle of downtown and appears to be the "nice" hotel in Hot Springs (not including all the chain hotels).

Above is downtown Hot Springs from the porch of the Arlington Hotel
This is an authentic Hot Spring! All over downtown water bubbled out, and usually had a fountain built around it. But the water was truely HOT! I could barely touch it. Jason and I filled up gallon water jugs with the Hot Spring water and brought it home as souveniers...tee hee hee!

This is Amy and Jason walking in the Bath House row (there are about 7 in a row, but only one is still operating)

All the pics above are of an old bath house that was converted into a museum, and therefore kept in it's original 1920's condition. It reminded me more of an old horror movie insane asylum and was a bit creepy. I can't actually imagine going to a place like this for relaxation! There was one room for foot problems. You went it and sat in a chair, and the guy there fixed people's foot cysts by beating them with his knuckles until there were crushed and moved them away from the foot. Now, that does not sound like a good time to me! They also had a mercury bath to treat people with syphilis...just didn't sound like such a good idea to me!

Anyway, we went to a wedding BBQ on Saturday afternoon and had a great time there. After that Amy and Dan, and Amy's parents (Amy was my best friend in High School, Dan's her husband) came into town and we spent all afternoon/evening with them shopping and eating. It was AWESOME to see them and catch up. Sunday morning was the wedding, so we headed to the Botanical Gardens where it was at. It was in this huge chapel that was all wood and glass and we were in the middle of the forrest, so it was AH-MAZING!! The wedding was beautiful and so was the reception. Jason and I drove home and got back around 7 or 8 I think.

Funny story, Jason and I apparently acted like and old married couple all weekend (or at least that's how it looked). Since we drove together, stayed at the same hotel, ate together, sat together, etc. it looked very odd, I'm sure. He would even hold doors open, get me something to drink, and stick stuff in my purse! It was too funny... it was all due to the fact that we've known each other for 12-13 years and he's like a part of my family...I was asked by several people of we were dating, and I just told them no, I was just his stand-in date since his girlfriend wasn't there. But, it was very nice to be around people that I've known for the better part of my life and be able to be completely comfortable with them! Since I've been in Dallas, I've made lots of great friends, but nothing can quite compare to relationships since 7th grade!!

Anyway, we'll all be back together again for my friend Rachel's wedding in June, so I can't wait for that! Seems like the only time we

I Need the Faith to Have Faith

2008-05-22T11:13:00.004-05:00

First off, it's the start of wedding season! My summer is quickly filling up with showers, batchelorette parties, and weddings. I'm excited to see my friends getting married, some of them I've known since middle school. There's a slight twinge of jealousy, but otherwise, I'm just excited! The first one is this weekend in Arkansas...Jason's (friend from growing up) going to pick me up and we'll head out tomorrow afternoon. The wedding's going to be great, but we'll also get to spend time with old/new friends and explore Hot Springs which I'm really looking forward to.

I've been constantly reminded lately to lean HARD on God for His plan in my life. It's been so hard for me to resist manipulating situations/people/etc and try and get what I want. It's also been quite a lesson to say no to things that would be fun now, even though they're not necessarily sinful, because they are distracting me from my Father. Needless to say, I've been constantly praying for faith. That seems to be at the root of all my issues, a lack of faith. God has proven Himself over and over and over in my life with the situations He's designed and the path He's lead me on, but for some reason I continue to doubt Him. So, my lesson I'm learning lately, and probably will continue to learn for a very LONG time, is that I can't even muster up my own faith. I even have to depend on God for faith! I have to pray and beg for it, because I can't even do that on my own. I do, however, find every new level of helplessness refreshing because of the knowledge that I am so bad at running my life by myself. The more I realize I have no abilities to make life go the right way, the more I understand God's plan for me. Matt Chandler preached on the topic of faith last weekend and it was challanging and wonderful. If you're interested in it, go to http://www.thevillagechurch.net/ and listen to "Conviction of the Unseen" from May 18, 2008 or you can also podcast it on iTunes.

Return, O faithless sons; I will heal your faithlessness. (Jeremiah 3:22)

Cinnamon Cake with Chile-Chocolate Buttercream

2008-05-13T11:36:00.006-05:00

I know this recipe sounds funny, and it did to me, too... But, it's tied to my Nana's Italian Cream Cake as the BEST CAKE I'VE EVER EATEN! So, try it...it's AH-MAZING!!

Ingredients:

CAKE
1 1/2 sticks (6 ounces) unsalted butter, softened, plus more for buttering the paper
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 cup cake flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream

FROSTING
5 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 pound confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ancho chile powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled
5 ounces white chocolate, melted and cooled

Directions:

1. Make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350°. Butter two 9-inch round cake pans. Line the bottoms with parchment paper and butter the paper. Dust the pans with flour, tapping out the excess.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk the 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour with the cake flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. In a standing mixer fitted with a paddle, beat the butter with the sugar at medium speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs and vanilla until incorporated. In 3 alternating additions, add the dry ingredients and sour cream, scraping down the side of the bowl between additions.

3. Scrape the batter evenly into the prepared pans. Bake the cakes on the lower and middle racks of the oven for about 30 minutes, until golden and springy and the edges begin to pull away from the sides of the pan. Transfer the cakes to racks and let cool for 15 minutes, then turn the cakes out and let them cool completely. Remove the parchment paper.

4. Meanwhile, make the frosting: In a standing mixer fitted with a paddle, beat the butter until creamy. At low speed, beat in the confectioners’ sugar. Increase the speed to high and beat until fluffy, scraping down the side of the bowl, about 2 minutes longer. At low speed, beat in the cream, vanilla, cinnamon, ancho chile powder and cayenne, then gradually beat in the bittersweet and white chocolate. Scrape down the side of the bowl and the paddle, increase the speed to medium-high and beat until light, 3 minutes longer. Using a wooden spoon, vigorously beat the buttercream for 30 seconds to deflate any air bubbles.

5. Place one cake layer on a plate and spread with 1 cup of the frosting. Top with the second cake layer and spread the remaining frosting over the top and sides. Refrigerate the cake for at least 30 minutes. Bring to room temperature before serving.

MAKE AHEAD The cake can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. The buttercream can be refrigerated for up to 5 days. Return to room temperature before using.

By the way, this recipe is from Food&Wine at http://www.foodandwine.com/.

Whoops!

2008-05-13T11:32:00.004-05:00

So, I uh...kinda messed up my work computer! I barely let it slip, and it hit the corner of something at just the right angle, and TA-DAH! See below.... I now have to make an all day trip to the office tomorrow to get it fixed/replaced. What a pain!

Suzanne Watts

Lady Bug Attack- Explaination

2008-05-11T12:24:00.002-05:00

Ok, so the below video was hilarious and I thought I'd explain exactly how the demise of Carissa's lip went down...

Carissa bought some window frames to use to frame her paintings and she was walking around with them on her shoulder. Something flew into her face and she thought it was a bee, so she jumped and turned her head. By doing that, she whacked her mouth into the frames and busted her lip. Afterwards, I looked at her and this ladybug was sitting on her cheek, just hanging out! Oh man, once she got her lip to stop bleeding, it was hilarious!! So, we had to make a video about it, her lip was HUGE for days...too funny. Later that day she ended up with ladybugs on her at least 2 more times. Apparently she's a magnet for them.... who knew!

When Bugs Attack!!!

2008-05-05T21:49:00.004-05:00

Ok, I forgot to post this earlier, I hope the video explains enough, if not, I'd be happy to re-live the whole story for you!

And, THANK YOU, Carissa for being such a good sport. If you didn't get yourself into all these crazy situations, I wouldn't feel the urge blog about it, but it's TOO funny! :) I promise if I do anything to embarass myself, I'll post it also.

Mom's Birthday Weekend!!

2008-05-05T16:51:00.004-05:00

Our family was trying to think of what we should do for my mom's birthday this year and thought we should take her to Canton! She's always wanted to go, so we thought this would be the perfect time. The idea was hatched on Easter, but we had to plan the whole thing and keep it a secret! So, we flew her to Dallas on Thursday, and we made her a birthday dinner:

Carissa waiting for dinner to be ready...
Mom's flyer telling what her surprise was...
Me cooking...
Me about to cut the cake (which was AH-MAZING! It was a Cinnamon Cake with Spicy Chocolate Frosting). I know it might sound weird, but if anyone wants the recipe, let me know!
Mom, Me and Carissa at Canton on Friday. (In case anyone doesn't know, Canton has a thing called First Monday that is a HUGE (3000 booths) flea market/craft fair/garage sale/bargain shop. It's open for 4 days once a month and TONS of people come from all over to go.Kate, Mom, Me, Carissa
On Saturday, we took Mom to our ladies retreat at church
Carissa, Me, and Kate at the Ladies Retreat
Alice, Julie and Gina at the retreat
Carissa, Me, Gina and KateSaturday night we surprised mom by going to dinner with Angie and Philip's mom, Sally. They used to live in Borger and go to our church. So, we had a great dinner and really enjoyed catching up! Above is Mom and Sally.

Sunday morning we slept lat (after quite a long weekend) and worked out in the yard. Carissa's dog, Stella LOVES to cart around branches, weeds, etc. We don't even need to buy her toys!

Stella attacking Fluffy, my cat...it happens ALL THE TIME and the cat screams at her, but lets the dog chew on her anyways.
This is the mangy cat after being chewed on.

Sunday night we went to church and go to see lots of fun people...we also had Shaina and Lindsey over after church to eat. So, even though we only had leftovers, we had an amazing time!

Today mom went home after lunch and it was sad to see her go! I am glad to get some rest this week and have nothing to do, but we had SUCH A BLAST! I love finding new fun things to do in the Dallas area and love having mom here for a surprise, so it was great :)

Can't Afford It...

2008-04-30T19:58:00.003-05:00

How often do you hear someone say that? "Oh, sorry, I'd love to, but I can't afford it" or "That's a cheaper version for the people who can't afford the other one". I've been thinking a lot about consumerism and my tendency to spend to much and that phrase came up in my mind. I think often we're embarassed to tell people we "can't afford" to go do something because it sounds like we have no money. Like finances define a person? When you really think about it, isn't that kind of odd? Aren't we commanded from God to be humble, generous and giving? In fact, Matt Chandler just did a sermon a few weeks ago on Acts 2:42-47 which is about people in the early church selling their posessions to help others. Not just give what extra they have left, but selling their stuff! So why then, is it embarassing to say we can't afford something?

I just decided that I don't like that phrase. I'd rather say, "I'd love to, but I'd just rather pay off debt, give money to others, put it in savings." I think our society instead has a ridiculous pressure to either give in and spend money we shouldn't, or face the shame of telling someone we don't have enough money.

Anyway, that's my two cents worth. I don't know if my ramblings make sense to anyone but me, but it's been bothering me lately! I guess I really should just dump my pride, not care what anyone else thinks of my "financial situation", and just tell everyone, "Awww, I'd love to, but I can't afford it..."

Garden Update 3

2008-04-28T18:59:00.005-05:00

Ok, first of all I'll apologize for blogging about my yard constantly! I'm pretty excited about it and therefore take a lot of pictures/talk about it all the time :) I always thought I was a horrible gardener and almost felt like less of a woman for it. My mom has SUCH a green thumb, and I always wanted to be able to garden like she could, and killed everything! But, I've now realized that I can garden, but only in prime conditions like here in Denton (good soil, earthworms, frequent rain, decent temperatures, etc.)! I always tried to grow things in horrible places like Borger and Lubbock...no wonder it didn't work (of course, mom can grow things in any condition, but I'm not quite there yet). Anyhoo...

So, here's some pics!

This is the bed Carissa weeded! It was completely full of weeds before she got after it...

This is our front porch.
And this is after!! I put in begonias, some fuzzy little flowers, petunias, and impatients. Then, I mulched things.

Anyhoo, I thought it turned out looking a lot better! Our house finally has a little curb appeal.

This is a pot that Carissa's dog dug up completely when I had flowers in it, so I put it out front and re-potted it. I put in impatients, fuzzy flowers and petunias. Hopefully it'll last out of the dog's reach this time!
Daisies!!

I know you can't really tell by the picture of the spinach, but it's HUGE, like the size of a dessert plate or something. You could just eat like 3 leave for an entire salad, it's awesome :)
And we have 2 little 'maters!!! I was so excited...2 of the plants are blooming and I was excited about that, but then found these little guys. I hope the get ripe before the squirrels get to them, tho.
This I'm super excited about! It's my shrimp plant that I brought here from San Antonio, let freeze multiple times, and thought I killed. But, it came back!!
This is my rose, another thing that somehow survived my trip/freezes.
And, my daisy that made it all the way with me, too. YAY!

Working in the Yard

2008-04-26T17:26:00.003-05:00

Carissa and I did all our yardwork today, and we're now exahusted!! We pulled all the weeds in the vegetable garden, I cut down a bunch of wild trees, and mowed the yard. Carissa pulled out all the weeds in the front flowerbeds so we can plant some flowers. We also hauled all the weeds, trees, leaves, etc. to the curb.

Funny story: I walked around to mow the front yard and looked at Carissa and said "Oh! What happened to your face!?!?!" (which, by the way, not the best thing to say apparently). She was just like "what are you talking about!?!?" She had two huge knots on the side of her eye and her eyelid and it looked like something horrible happened. She has no idea what happened, but I decided it should be one of three things (and decided I can make up what happened since we have no sure answer).

So, it's either:

A. Bug bites

B. She smacked herself in the fact with a garden spade

C. She was pulling really hard on a weed and when it finally gave way, she smacked herself in the face.

I personally like C. so that's the story I'm going with. Feel free to pick any that makes you laugh the most :)

And, of course, I included pictures!

Who knew gardening could be so dangerous!?!?!

Green Update

2008-04-25T16:13:00.004-05:00

So, I'm in full swing with the green thing... I thought I would blog about some of the things I've done lately (ok, in like the last 2 days) and some of the things I've already been doing for a while (I figured they still count).

First, a thought on the whole process.... I've really been thinking lately about how much I LOVE to bargain shop. I'd rather go to an estate/garage sale, goodwill, thrift store, small junk shop, antique store, etc. and find a ridiculous deal on something that has a lot of character than buy something new. I also love to handmake gifts and household stuff and cook. So why am I buying new junk at the mall all the time, eating out, and buying junk food at the store? First, I think it's easier, but second, and more importantly, I think I really buy in to the whole consumerism thing. I'm blindly doing what everyone else does and not realizing that it actually robs me of true happiness. I truely think that bargain shopping and buying old stuff and cooking and crafting ar the things that stir my affections for the Lord.

Anyway, I hope I don't sound judgemental to anyone. This was just a personal realization/decision and something that I'm very excited about. I'm posting what I did so hopefully someone else can get some ideas if they are interested...

So, in light of that, here's what I've done so far:

1. Washed my clothes on cold

2. Gathered up all my reuseable grocery bags

3. Bought a skirt at Plato's closet (a resale clothes shop)

4. Planted a big garden

5. Joined Freecycle (a webiste in Denton where people post stuff they want to give away)

6. Started doing the majority of my grocery shopping at Sprouts, the Cupboard, Whole Foods, etc

7. Bought 7th generation (healthy, non-chemical, recycled) laundry soap, all-purpose cleaner, toilet paper and paper towels.

8. Refused to turn on the AC most times and then only at 80 degrees

9. Work from home (I drive a lot less and use less of the company's resources)

10. Bought glass food storage containers (to decrease my consumtion of BPA, which there's a good article about here)

11. Trying to be BPA free (no more Nalgene bottle, water bottles, less canned food, no more tupperware, etc).

12. Bought organic shampoo/conditioner

13. Have been using somewhat organic makeup

14. Shop craigslist/ebay/goodwill before buying something new

15. Making my own food from scratch, and using organic foods when I can.

16 Using a clothesline to dry my clothes (see pics)

So, yes, my clothesline is about to drag the ground. Apparently on my own I don't have enough strength to cinch it up tight enough...and that silly rope has a lot of give!

Also, garden update below. I know it doesn't look like much change, but the tomatoes are much taller and blooming, and now the squash, arugala, basil, okra, carrots and potatoes are all sprouting and looking very happy (thanks to the consistent rains we've had).

Tomorrow my big undertaking is going to be weeding the entire garden, clipping down wild tree saplings that sprang out of nowhere and mowing the yard.

Going Green

2008-04-24T09:06:00.003-05:00

Well, I've made a decision! And like most decisions I make, it's possible this one won't last like I want it to... I frequently seem to get on the bandwagon about things, and then just forget them completely about a week or two later. I'm hoping that is not the case this time!

I really want to start being more organic/natural/environmentally friendly. And it's not necessarily because I'm really concerned with the environment, which I know I should be... It's more because I'm concerned with my own well-being! I've been thinking a lot about how many "products" we have now that didn't exist several decades ago and how much more cancer and illness we seem to have now. Instead of washing my hair with harsh chemicals, why not use plant extracts?

And to be fair, I did kinda grow up like this. We never had junk food in our house, and nothing we ate was ever pre-packaged, my mom cooked all of it! We also took vitamins and herbs for things, and my dad is a firm believer in honey as a miracle cure for most everything (and it really is, check it out sometime...or you can just ask me because I contain a wealth of odd/useless information). Anyhoo, I think it will be harder and will require more thought, but I'd really rather live that way.

So, my plan is to do the following (so far): get organic food/stuff from the farmer's market, garden, shop at environmentally concious stores (like whole foods as opposed to wal-mart), but all-natural hair/face/makup products, recycle at home, drive my car less, replace all cleaners with organic cleaner, etc.

I was also even thinking of buying new stuff. Most stuff that I get new, doesn't really need to be. Furniture/household stuff-wise, I'd always rather have things from junk shops and estate sales than from a store, so why don't I just shop there instead? I think I get so caught up in materialism and wanting the newest, bestest, brightest, that I forget what a waste it is!

Also, there are so many other countries that don't have the opportunity to have any furniture, a house, or even to throw out leftovers. I have just been feeling very wasteful, selfish and materialistic lately and want to start being more responsible.

Plus, this excellent plan could save me quite a bit of money! So, please encourage me along the way, keep me accountable, and let me know if you have any good ideas to make this happen!

Yikes!

2008-04-21T10:06:00.002-05:00

Ok everyone, pray for us! We had quite a freaky occurance at our house last night. Around 5:20am, Carissa and I both woke up to the sound of glass breaking in the kitchen. I just figured that the cats knocked something over (a glass or something), but I thought that was a little odd because the cats never do that. Well, I saw Carissa get up and go in there and look, then let the cats out. So, I just figured I'd get up this morning, figure out what broke, and clean it up! Problem is, there's no broken glass ANYWHERE!! I even walked around the entire house looking to see if something broke outside or a window got broken or something and I can't find anything. So, I'm a tad freaked out now! I know that God is going to keep me safe and I'm actually very safe in his presence, even if there is some type of spiritual attack on our house. But, this was one of those instances that made me really wish I was married and had a man around to protect me :( Anyway, whatever it was, it makes me feel a tad uneasy, so please pray for us and our house!!

Random Information Update

2008-04-20T16:34:00.004-05:00

It's been a while since I've had an update, so here goes!

1. So, last Monday, my car stopped working! I got in it to go somewhere, and realized I had forgotten something, so I shut down my car and went in to grab something, and when I came back out, my car wouldn't start!! So, Carissa drove me to homegroup, and I've been trying to figure out what's wrong with it ever since. I ended up emailing Ginger, and she sent Chuck over to take a look at it. He tried a few things, I took the battery to get it charged, etc. So, he said we would fix it Sunday afternoon. Well, today he actually started working on it, and realized that it was just a bead from one of my broken bracelets that was stuck. It caused the car to not go completely into park, and therefore it wouldn't start! UGH! It was so funny, though. For a more complete story on that, and a more entertaining one, check out his blog.

2. We went swing dancing again this weekend! Kathryn and her friend Sara were here this weekend to check out UNT (they're seniors in high school). They toured the college on Saturday, but on Friday night, we took them dancing! It was in Denton this weekend and a lot smaller, but that made it easier to dance and get to know people. Gina came over and we got to eat beforehand and hang out a little, so that was really nice. Also, one of my mom's friends suggested we hang out with her nephew from Fort Worth, so he (Kyle) came over, too! So, we all left the house and went dancing. We met Lindsey and Eric there and all had a good time of swing dancing!

3. Our dogs figured out a way around my fence for the garden and got in there and trampled my onions and pooped on my okra seedlings :( Luckily, plants rebound well, so it looks like there is no permanent damage. Everything's growing well! We're getting enough rain that I'm not having to water much, so that's nice. My seeds I planted last time I did an update still haven't sprouted, so the garden doesn't look much different. The cilantro is over a foot tall now, though! I think I need to figure something out to cook with it soon before it takes over.

4. Carissa had another art gallery opening last night and we had a blast! Pictures are below, which I think say a lot more about what happened than me typing it all out:

Kathryn and Sara posing for us.
We bought candy cigarettes and had a good time with pictures with those. You could actually blow them and have powdered sugar puff out the ends, it was hilarious!
Shaina sportin' a smoke

All of us girls! Sara, Kathryn, Lindsey, me and Carissa
Carissa with her painting of Olive Oyl
Carissa's painting of Popeye
Carissa and Kenna

So, needless to say, it was a fun-packed weekend, even though it absolutely FLEW by! I miss Kathryn already, she needs to hurry up and come back! I'll try and update more frequently. I didn't feel like I had much to blog about this week, but turns out I did!

Swing Dancing!!

2008-04-13T13:31:00.002-05:00

My wonderful friend, Lindsey called me last night and asked Carissa and I to go swing dancing!! We've been trying to get together and go for several months, but we finally were all available last night. There's a Dallas Swing Dancing Society that does dances every weekend and has workshops, performances, etc. Check them out! www.dsds.org When we got there around 8pm, they were doing lessons, so we jumped in and learned some moves. After every couple of attempts at new moves, they had you rotate partners, so it was nice to meet several different people that way. I'm sad we didn't take pictures! We all got dressed up in skirts/dresses and had a great time! It was nice to dress up to go out somewhere. After lessons, the floor just opend to dancing. At first, I was a little nervous because we didn't know any guys there...I didn't think I'd get to dance with anyone! But, it was such as nice atmosphere... There were people from high school age all the way up to seniors! And, hardly anyone was attached to anyone else, so I got to dance with all sorts of people all night!

Everyone was very nice to dance with, some were worse than me, some better, some MUCH better. But, all the guys were very complimentary, telling me I looked young and was a very good dancer for how long I've been doing it. So, they were great! We just had to pay $7 and they setup a water station, and everyone danced! Also, I was absolutely EXAHUSTED afterwards. We danced from 8pm to midnight and that must've been the best workout I've ever had! I think we're going again to another Swing Dancing event on Friday night in Denton, so I'm really excited. I think I decided that it might be my new hobby to pick up and learn.

So, if anyone wants to come Swing Dancing sometime, please let me know!!

Garden Update 2

2008-04-09T10:23:00.005-05:00

Well, while I have you anxiously awaiting the promised garden update, I thought I'd give a few random updates about other things first....

First of all, Kate and Carissa were doing "accountability" in the hammock in our front yard...some days it's a bit harder than others to work at home :(

Second, last night our favorite neighbors Chuck and Ginger came over...while Ginger and I gabbed and made dinner, Chuck volunteered to mow our yard!! Turns out it's not the first time, he came across the street the other day and mowed the front without us knowing it. So, a great big THANK YOU to Chuck, it meant the world to us. I've been working on the house, in the yard, the garage, and the garden for pretty much all of my spare time lately and the lawn was looking awefully daunting at the time... So, it was a huge relief to have that done! Below is a pick of our wonderfully mowed backyard. He also chopped up a big branch that the snowstorm knocked down with his hacksaw, thanks for that, too!! Anyway, we ended up having a great dinner and hilarious conversation...they're still trying to talk us into going to the Village's Denton campus, and they may wear me down eventually, at least for a visit!

Also, our sweet friend Corrie came over.... she and Carissa were going to hang out, so we all 5 ate dinner and then Carissa proceeded to dye Corrie's hair...quite and entertaining experience! But, great fun was had and Corrie reports that her hair came out great!

These are some of the flowers I have planted in the backyard and apparently one of Stella's favorite snacks. So, I had to puppy-proof them:

It may be kinda hard to see, but the plants are covered in Cayanne pepper. It was quite entertaining to watch the dogs sniff everything, have a little taste, and then regret it for about 10 mins afterwards. I hope it'll keep them out for a while! It was a bit odd sprinkling seasonings on my plants, tho...

Ok, so finally, on to the garden. It's officially done (almost)! This is just half of it...

And looking the other way...

These below are my soybeans, I planted them as seeds, so I'm so happy they're still alive! I kill about 99% of seedlings....

And my ginormous tomato cages..I just asked the guy at Lowe's for 5 of them, so I got 2 normal ones and 3 huge ones....I don't know what kind of tomatoes they are expecting, but I think it's quite optimistic!

So, we now officially have planted: cilantro, basil, thyme, chives, spinach, jalapenoes, red onions, yellow onions, carrots, okra, tomatoes, arugala, squash, and potatoes. We still have corn to put in, but I've got a while and am sick of pulling weeds and tilling up ground! Carissa and I are both sore from gardening, which is a tad embarassing...but, I got online to a calorie counter and found out that 90 mins of gardening burns 528 calories!!! My current favorite workout by far...now that it's done, we just need to find something else to dig up!

Anyway, hopefully we'll be overrun by produce and have some to give away shortly!

Problem...

2008-04-08T11:56:00.008-05:00

Ok, so in the spirit of honesty, I decided to confess some of my issues on this blog as well as all my happy news, updates, recipes, etc. So, check it out! It's called Book Addiction. My sister wrote it about me... and thanks Matt for the hyperlink tutorial! I got it to work this time...

Update

2008-04-04T19:49:00.004-05:00

I thought I'd give a quick update on what's going on in my life lately. So, here goes...

1. I got a promotion at work!! I'm really excited about it...I'll be working for another team within my company and it'll be very different. There will be a lot of new stuff to learn and I'll have to work more than I have been, but I'd always rather be challenged than bored, so that's great! I'll start on May first, so pray that I'll be good at it and enjoy what I'm doing!

2. I'm considering working on a Certification in Biblical Counseling of some sort. I majored in Counseling for my Master's for a semester before I changed my major, but it's something I've always wanted to do. I've been praying about it a lot, and I think it's something I'm still interested in, but the Lord kept me from becoming a secular counselor at that time for a reason. So, pray that I'll get into the right place for that training and that I'll continue to follow God's leadership on what to do with that. I want to keep my job and do this on the side as a ministry, but I really have no idea how that would play out...

3. I'm taking the Membership class starting tomorrow morning at church! I'm really excited about that and ready to get more involved at church.

4. This weekend I'm going to finish planting the rest of the garden! I have to till up about half the garden still and plant my potatoes, squash, okra, arugala, and corn. I'm really excited to get it all in the ground and hopefully watch it grow and be able to eat it! After we get the rest planted tomorrow or Sunday, I'll update with pictures!

I'm sure there are a lot more things to update about, but those are the big ones...so, I would appreciate your prayers! While it's all good news here lately and a lot of exciting things are going on, I want to use them all for the glory of God and need prayer so that as I accumulate new responsibilities, I'll be wise and prayerful. Thanks!

Tribute to Bob Ross

2008-04-04T14:22:00.006-05:00

Here's what goes on around my house while I'm trying to work:

First, our tribute to Bob Ross, the great painter on PBS (I think). If you missed watching that when you were younger, you missed something amazing...

Second, while we had the great hair, our 70s workout photoshoot. I didn't do anything but roll the hair and watch, but still...

There's many more where these came from (93 to be exact), so lemme know if you want to see more pics! I'm sure they'll end up on Facebook/Myspace soon, too.

Puppies!

2008-04-01T11:33:00.004-05:00

Ok, so I may be a bit obsessed with our pets, but I thought you might like to see our puppies in action :)

Stella!!!

2008-04-01T10:29:00.002-05:00

There's a new puppy in the Watts household! Carissa got a black lab mix puppy on Sunday, and named her Stella (so it's fun to yell at her)...if you don't get that joke, let me know. It's much funnier when you say it out loud. Anywho... here's a few pictures of Stella and one with my puppy, Godiva, in it as well. They are TOO CUTE together!

Yummy Easter Cookies Experiment

2008-03-26T16:19:00.002-05:00

First of all, my ridiculous pets...they're so LAZY!
So, I made these cookies, which I make often because they are my favorite. But, I made them with this new icing/glaze stuff and it was FANTASTIC!!! So, I know they may sound weird, but trust me, they are AMAZING! Try them sometime...

Pepper Cookies

3 cups sifted white-whole wheat flour (I use the King Arthur I mentioned below in the blog, regular whole wheat is too heavy. White flour works, also.)
2 tsp baking powder
3 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground cloves
½ tsp ground black pepper
1 cup softened butter
1 ½ cup sugar
1 large egg
Few drops of water

1. Mix together butter and spices; gradually blend in sugar. Beat in egg. Gradually add flour, sifted with baking powder. Add water drop by drop if necessary to make dough hold together. Chill dough for several hours.

2. Roll out dough on floured board and cut with cutters as desired; sprinkle with colored sugar. Bake at 375 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes, or until edges are slightly browned. WATCH CAREFULLY. Cook and store air tight. Makes 5 to 7 dozen.

Icing

1 cup powdered sugar
1 tbsp. corn syrup
2 tbsp. water
10 drops food coloring

1. Put all ingredients in a bowl and mix them until smooth.

2. I just chose blue food coloring, and then turned the cookies over, dipped them into the icing, and let them drip a little. Then, I set them right side up on a cooling rack to dry. It was very easy and the icing setup quickly. I also added some sprinkles. YUM!

Workout!

2008-03-25T19:56:00.003-05:00

Hello! I am so excited about the warm weather and ready to get outside all the time, so I'm really trying to workout everyday. My dad wants to go hiking/camping down by Big Bend in a month or so, so I need to get in shape so my dad doesn't run circles around me (that's always embarassing). I also have another friend that wants to go camping and kayaking and I'm excited about that, too. I want to be doing stuff all summer outside, so I started taking walks with my puppy every morning before work. We'll see how long that lasts! Anyway, I haven't joined a gym yet since moving to Denton because I want to get in the habit first before wasting money on the gym and not going... So, if anyone wants to get outside and do fun stuff (tennis, walks, kayaking, swimming, hiking, gardening, anything), call me! I want to keep busy, and for now all I have on the schedule is cleaning out the garage and mowing the yard :(

My Favorite Things (for now at least)

2008-03-17T10:49:00.005-05:00

I thought I would blog about my favorite things here lately. Some are kinda old and I've loved for forever, and some are new discoveries. I hope someone benefits from this a bit!

First off, Izze's. They are my all-time favorite drinks (clementine and pomegranate are my faves). Anyway, anytime I'm craving a coke or something, I just drink one of these guys. And they're just fruit juice and sparkeling water, super healthy! Dutch Coca Cola...oh man! This stuff is amazing, it's made with real sugar and real ingredients instead of crappy fake stuff, so it's AWESOME. They can be found here: http://www.thesodagallery.com/. This is a gallery downtown Dallas that Carissa has had art in before that also sells tons of types of sodas.
These crakers are made with 7 whole grains, but to me are better than Cheese Nips, YUM!
Soba noodles- So, I tried cooking italian food with these guys (usually used for Asian food) and it was amazing! They're made with buckwheat and whole wheat, but don't taste all thick and nutty like a lot of whole grains do. They're fantastic!
Ok, this stuff is increadible. I bought it to bake with and made cookies...it is not thick and whole wheat-tasting. So, whole wheat goodness with white flour taste, awesome! It's available at most grocery stores or at http://www.kingarthurflour.com/. And, the website has tons of mixes that are whole grain and taste fantastic!

Also, my new obsession is wellies (normally known as rainboots). I bought some for working in my garden and they are super fun! I'm ready for it to rain so that I can wear them out somewhere... http://www.target.com/gp/search/602-8684128-2470234?field-keywords=rain+boots&url=index%3Dtarget&ref=sr_bx_1_1

Next, love http://www.lulu.com/. I published our family cookbook on there and it was great. They ended up super cheap to print and they store all the files online, so later you can add to them and re-print! Also, love our cookbook! It has all our favorite family recipes in it and has proved to be fantastic (if you would like one, they're $10, just let me know and I'll order one for you!).

Another favorite is http://www.spoonsisters.com/. It has all sorts of fun gifts and random gadgets on there. I love buying presents on that site! They have message beans, which have a greeting on them when they grow, too cute! Lots of other great things on there too, go check it out

So, since we started the vegetable garden this year, my mom showed me this great website that has all Heirloom seeds on it. It's called http://www.seedsavers.com/. They have all sorts of fun things on there like Purple Potatoes, Red Carrots with Yellow Insides, Ugly Tomatoes, etc. But, they're supposed to be the best produce anywhere and the seeds are pretty cheap!

So, I saved the best for last. My new favorite thing is http://www.etsy.com/. It is AMAZING. It's a huge website that sells things that are all handmade. It's like an ebay for great crafts, jewelry, clothes, pottery, etc. I am on that website now for hours at a time and completely in awe. I made a vow to buy all gifts from this website from now on, it's awesome! Also, my sister Carissa, is going to start selling some of her art on there at her own etsy shop at http://www.girning.etsy.com/. She's created the site, but has nothing for sale yet, so keep an eye out for things going up for sale in the near future.

Garden Update 1

2008-03-12T19:50:00.006-05:00

We got the garden about 1/3 of the way planted yesterday and today! It's coming right along, but it was hard work to get the weeds and tree roots pulled up. Let's hope there's no freeze or more snow that kills everything.

Carissa planting okra seeds
More planting...
The tray of my seedlings and my pitch fork!
So far we've planted: Thyme, Cilantro, Basil, Chives, Spinach, Jalapenoes, Red/Yellow Onions, Soybeans, Carrots, and Okra

Seedlings, wellies, and dirty knees!
Me and my lovely gardening outfit
Wellies!

My puppy after her squirrel

Me and my cilantro plant
Basil

That's it so far, more updates to come as we get it totally planted and it starts to grow!

A Quoi Bon Faire?

2008-03-12T15:15:00.002-05:00

So, Lisa asked me what the name of my blog means, and it occured to me that I should probably explain! Even if you do speak a little French, it doesn't translate word for word... So, A Quoi Bon Faire means: To What Good End? It's a phrase a French guy I work with uses to sign his emails. It just reminds me to stop and consider my actions and think "what good will come out of this?" So, it's my new favorite phrase...I think I need a tattoo of it, it'll be my next one. I just need to find a good tattoo shop and a little spending money :)

God is SO FUNNY sometimes

2008-03-11T20:21:00.005-05:00

So, just a quick story.... my sister, Carissa was taking a nap the other day with my puppy dog, and she needed to wake up for work or something, but didn't set an alarm. So, she half-way woke up, rolled over, and prayed "God, please wake me up so I'll make it on time!" And when she rolled over, my dog farted in her face. BAAAA HA HA HA!!!! She just said "oh, very funny", but I betcha God laughed at that for a good 5 minutes. Moral of this story: don't pray for something you're not ready for!

Here Lately

2008-03-10T11:37:00.002-05:00

So, I don't really know how to start or what to say, I just know that God wants me to share what he's been teaching me here lately, so here goes!

I always think that I'm doing too well right now...I should be struggling much more, having many more problems and hang-ups to be truly walking with God. If I am spending enough time with him and digging deep enough into my issues, I should be a wreck, right? But, apparently that's not the case. God doesn't need me to suffer to repair me and mold me, He might even make these lessons sweet and another reason to worship Him. What a crazy idea!

So more and more lately, I've realized that I have no self-control in the areas I'm trying to fix. I keep thinking, "why did I buy that? why did I eat that? why can't I workout more?", but God quickly showed me that I can't do much of anything on my own... and what I can do, it's only because God created me to do those things and knitted me together with abilities, etc. This revalation has helped me in so many ways...I pray much more frequently about the very small things I honestly think are too small to both God with. But realizing that he care about EVERY tiny aspect of my life has been increadible, too. And, when He helps me with the small things, it reveals just how big He truly is! The other day I was in church and had horrible allergies, and prayed that I could stop sneezing during worship so that I could concentrate...right as I was praying, a sneeze came on, but went away. Things that small are incredible! All you have to do is ask....wow.

So, now that I have learned to drop so much at His feet and seek His will in even the small aspects of my life, it has dramatically reduced my pride in myself. How can I have self-esteem when I realize that God runs even the smallest aspects of my life? What a humbling, but beautiful experience! So, I hope not to loose this lesson or to have it fade out when I find something else that needs work. I feel like I'm learning lessons constantly and have so many things I need to read about, work on, people I need to pray for, etc. that it's overwhelming!

I'm also having to learn a lot of patience, lately. There are so many decisions to make lately and now instead of thinking I know what's best, I've been praying about them all, but don't yet have a peace about what I should do. It's been hard to wait, but so much more re-assuring that when I do get an answer, it's the best thing for me.

I can't begin to fathom God's grace and love for me. That He's pleased in me...not punishing, not making me "earn" my way back into His good graces. I feel ashamed of my sin with that kind of acceptance and it's so hard to accept his instant grace, but it's so beautiful at the same time. I can't believe that not only is He thrilled to have me back, but he wants to be involved and direct every little, tiny aspect of my life and mold me into His likeness...man.

Pictures...

2008-03-08T20:45:00.010-06:00

The Watts Ladies: Me, Mom, Carissa, and Kathryn

Art!

So, my sister Carissa is an artist and her art is up for sale at Texas Roast on 407 in Highland Village (it's in that new shopping center right by James Avery). Her paintings will be up for 3 months, so go check them out!!

Carissa at the opening
Some of her paintings for sale:

Snow!

So, we got a lot of snow in Denton, 7 inches!

Tree in the front yard...

Our little house!

Backyard....

So, I never thought I'd be that person that bought my dog clothes, but she got a haircut and was freezing and now is in LOVE with her sweater. I'll hold it up, and she runs over and sticks her head in it. Can't argue with that!

Me Lately

2008-03-08T20:19:00.002-06:00

Hello all-

Ok, so updates on me... first, I'm sick! It appears that everytime I even get the sniffles, it turns into an Upper Respiratory Infection or Bronchitis, fun! So, I need to go to the doctor, but since I just moved here, I haven't found one yet :( I guess it's another run to the Minor Emergency Clinic for me. So, because of that, I have a ton to do this weekend and can't get it done, which is stressing me out a tad.

Also, in a couple of weeks, I'm starting a vegetable garden in my backyard! Since I now finally live in a house, I can't wait. There's an area for a garden already, but it's a little grown over, so I have to fork up the ground and pull weeds, but it won't be too bad. So, I started some seeds inside last night in a little greenhouse and when those come up, I'll have to transplant them outside. I'm really hoping it goes well! I always start gardening with great gusto, but then get lazy and everything dies...so I'm hoping for a different outcome this time! At least I got the seeds in, hopefully I'll feel better in time to plant everything outside.

So, I'm going to plant: corn, soybeans, tomatoes (3 types), basil, spinach, arugula, potatoes, carrots, thyme, chives and some flowers. Hopefully this summer I'll be overrun by veggies and need to give them away. Let me know if anyone wants any!

I'm getting all settled in my new house and thoroughly enjoying it. Working a home has been very nice, but a little lonely. I didn't realize how much seeing people at work really made me happy in San Antonio. So, I'm trying desperately to make friends and get busy. It's much better to see people socially than at work, anyway, so once I get involved with a good group of friends, things will be very good! I'm LOVING church at the Village, I know God wanted me to move here and go to that church, and it's very apparent why. God oozes from the people I go to church with and they are all so wonderful to spend time with.

Anyway, that's about it... as I'm home sick and just starting to blog, I'm posting a lot tonite! I guess it's probably going to be like my garden, start with a lot of momentum, but hopefully it won't wane off like usual.

1st Blog

2008-03-08T19:50:00.001-06:00

Ok, so I thought I would try out this blog thing! I don't know if I'm going to have anything too interesting to say, but I thought it might be fun... So, I cook a lot and tonight I decided to try something new/healthy. I just went in the kitchen and made something... it's not that new or original, but it came out great, so I thought I'd share! Enjoy...

Baked Chicken Parmesan with Garlicky Soba Noodles

Chicken:
1 package chicken tenders
¾ cup Italian breadcrumbs
¼ cup Parmesan cheese (I use powdered kind as it adheres to chicken best)
1 tsp. garlic powder
Salt and Pepper
1 egg

Noodles:
1 package buckwheat soba noodles
2 tbsp. olive oil
3-4 garlic cloves
2 tbsp. heavy cream

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease 9x13 pan. Combine breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, salt and pepper. In another bowl, whisk egg. Dip chicken strips in egg, then into breadcrumb mixture, making sure to coat chicken completely. Put all chicken strips in 9x13 pan after coated and bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes or until no longer pink.

2. Cook buckwheat soba noodles according to package directions. When done, strain and rinse with cold water. In pan, heat olive oil and add minced garlic. Cook for 1-2 minutes until fragrant, but not browned. Add salt, pepper and cream. Cook until warmed. Add cooked soba noodles and toss until warmed through. Take off heat and sprinkle with fresh grated Parmesan cheese.

3. Serve noodles with chicken and fresh Parmesan cheese on top.