Children

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

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

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!

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

John Mayer Concert

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

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

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

Crazy!

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

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

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

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

Find-A-Husband Advice

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

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

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

Super Fast Homemade Bread!

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 :)