Talking to Myself

Last Sunday we had a guest preacher, Jud Wilhite from Central Christian Church in Las Vegas. I always enjoy Jud's messages and last Sunday was no exception. He gave a quote from Dr. Martyn Lloyd Jones: "We should talk to ourselves more than we listen to ourselves." Jud went on to explain that this means we should speak God's Word to ourselves more than we listen to the internal script that goes on in our minds. The one that says: "You don't measure up; or You're fat; You're weak; You're not successful at this that or the other." I guess everyone's internal script is different, but I've been trying to speak God's Word to myself instead of listening to my script and these are some of the verses I've been using:

Psalm 139:14

¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.

2 Timothy 1:7

⁷For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.

1 Peter 3:4

⁴Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight.

Philippians 4:13

¹³I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

These are just a few of the verses I've been using lately. I use different verses at different times depending on what I am struggling with at that particular time. The more time I spend in God's Word the more verses I am armed with to help me through life's difficulties. What about you? Do you have a particular verse that you speak to yourself?

Silence is Golden?

It is said that silence is golden. I say: Silence is golden unless you have a 2 year old and then silence usually means trouble. Twice this week I have found myself blissfully enjoying a quiet moment and then panic strikes. Where is Rebecca? The first time, the whole family was going through the house calling RE-BE-CA! We finally found her back in our master bathroom with the door closed using Chris' deodorant. Even though the picture shows her using it in the prescribed manner, she also had deodorant smeared all over her face, feet, the bathtub and the bathmat. The second time, I found her up in her room, once again with the door closed, with a jar of VASELINE! That could have been a nightmare, but I caught her before she did too much damage. She did ruin the shirt she was wearing because I forgot and just sent it through the wash untreated. I'm just thankful she didn't smear it all over the carpet.

The second picture was taken when Abigail was two. She had decided to give herself a facial with diaper rash ointment or maybe she thought she would shave like her daddy. I don't know, but I do know kids are a hoot.

Just a quick PT update: Things are going well for the most part , but yesterday I took the girls with me to do my grocery shopping which I really try to avoid. I had probably one third of the things on my list when Rebecca said, "Nee go potty." We had already made two previous potty stops while out and about, so I said "Rebecca, I'll hurry and we'll go home." So I'm rushing through the store trying to quickly get the rest of the items on my list. Unfortunately, they have recently changed everything around at my Walmart and you know how that goes. Well, Rebecca is growing more and more frantic to the point that she is almost panting and saying "Where's the potty train? Where's the potty train?" So I zoom with her in the basket with Abigail running behind to find the restrooms. I whisk her into a stall, hurriedly place a seat protector on the pot and then get Rebecca situated only to hear, "Don nee go potty." To make a long story slightly shorter, I bribed her to take care of business and was finally able to finish my grocery shopping while Rebecca shared her new bag of Skittles with her big sister.

All Aboard the Potty Train

Well it's been a while. If you read my last post, you know we have been potty training Beccabu. With all of the last week of school activities and all the trips to the potty and cleaning up all the missed trips to the potty and getting ready to leave town, the blogging kind of fell to the wayside. I have been trying to stay faithful with my study time, but even that didn't happen while I was in Dallas...the trip that almost didn't happen.

Last Monday was an especially trying day and I came very close to canceling the whole trip because I just couldn't imagine dealing with the PT process anywhere but my own home. I' ll spare you the gory details, but let's just say that a sluggish digestive system has added several degrees of difficulty that I didn't have when potty training my first daughter.

Well I didn't cancel the trip and I am so glad I didn't. We had so much fun with my sister and her girls. It took some brain storming to come up with activities that would appeal to an eight-year-old, be fun for an almost 2 year-old, provide quick access for one potty trainer and her mom and not be too hard on a 5 month old and her mommy. We got lucky with the weather and were able to enjoy a picnic at the park and a Frisco Rough Riders baseball game. We went to Chuck-E-Cheese and swimming at the Allen Natatorium. A trip to Blockbuster provided afternoon entertainment for the 8 year-old while the little ones napped.




And the good news....I think we made significant progress in our PT efforts! My sister discovered that she has a gift for getting little ones to go. I wouldn't go so far as to say we're done and I'm still thankful for pull-ups in public situations, but as Rebecca would say, "We go on Potty Train" and I'm confident we'll eventually reach our final destination.

PT Boot Camp

I hope everyone had a great Memorial Day weekend. The Zfam took advantage of the extended weekend to conduct PT boot camp...3 days of serious nonstop potty training. Rebecca did not leave the house or back yard for the entire 3 days. We had every intention of going to church Sunday, but when I woke up with a stomach bug, I decided to keep her home as well and not break the momentum, if there was any. Rebecca has been quite the reluctant "big girl". Here are some numbers that give a glimpse of how it's been going:

False alarms in one 90 minute period (Yes. I counted.).......... 23
Average number of seconds spent on the potty after "NEE GO POTTY!!!" is proclaimed...... 4
Number of times Mommy failed to react urgently to "NEE GO POTTY!!!" and regretted it..... 6
Songs made up to encourage normal bodily functions...... 2
MnMs given to reward normal bodily functions.......... 27, give or take
Potential savings on diapers if PT can be mastered..... $48.36/month

I think we made progress over the weekend, but today it's back to real life...errands, school pick ups/drop offs, volleyball games, etc. I'm not looking forward to the inevitable accidents and trips to public restrooms (YUCK!), but whata ya gonna do?

How about you? How did you spend the holiday weekend?

Bowing Down to the Bathroom Scale

I previously posted about reading in Jeremiah about idols and how today, idols take the form of addictions or obsessions. Well, for me Idol #1 is the number on the bathroom scale. I am absolutely obsessed with it. It is the first thing I look for upon waking and I let it determine what kind of day I'm going to have. I have a magic number and if I get on the scale and see this number then Woohoo!!!! It's a great day! If the number is within a pound or 2 of my goal then it's still a good day. If it's 3 -5 pounds above my goal then it's an anxious unsettled day and if the number creeps up more than 5 pounds beyond the magic number then it is a downright dark and ugly day. Isn't that crazy...to let a number dictate what kind of day I'm going to have? On those dark and ugly days, I'm disgusted and frustrated with myself which makes it difficult for me to be pleasant and patient with the people around me. Other than that, I didn't feel like my little obsession was hurting anyone. I just had to keep that number in the "acceptable range". But after reading Jeremiah, I realize I am a slave to the bathroom scale and I feel like God is leading me to break free from that bondage. I'm not exactly sure how to do that. I've had this habit for the past 10 years. Do I go cold turkey and never set foot on a scale again? This doesn't seem wise. Is monitoring my weight on a weekly basis okay in God's eyes? I just don't know. I do know it is going to be a struggle and I pray God will help me. Tomorrow, I will post about Idol #2, the counter part to Idol #1.

Sad Mommy

Yesterday we officially started potty training Rebecca. So far it is not going well. I'm trying to forgo the Pull-ups unless we are going out in public and because we had so many accidents yesterday we don't have any clean training panties. So today, she's just wearing a little dress and nothing underneath. So this is our conversation:

Rebecca: Need diaper.

Me: Diapers are for babies. You're a big girl!

Rebecca: Noooooooo! Becca need diaper.

Me: Rebecca, you're a big girl. Big girls go on the potty.

Rebecca: Nooooo. Don't liiiiiiiike it potty.

Me: Sweetie, you're a big girl now.


This is what I am saying to Rebecca, but my mind (or is it my heart) is screaming...Nooo! She is a baby! She's my baby! She is NOT a big girl. That's just crazy talk!!!

I'm not ready for my baby to be a big girl, but as I learned with Abigail, life doesn't wait for the mommies to be ready.

Tough Love

I received a bit of tough love in my Bible study Monday night...before the whole Lamentations distraction. I had just read the verses that our pastor referred to...

Jeremiah 1:5

⁵ "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
before you were born I set you apart;
I appointed you as a prophet to the nations."

and

Jeremiah 29:11-13

¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. ¹² Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. ¹³ You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

both of which I love and find very encouraging, but while in the book of Jeremiah I found commentary on idolatry. My study Bible explains that despite Jeremiah's warning the people of Judah were not willing to give up their idols and even though today we may not bow down to statues we are often still guilty of idolatry. In the New Testament Paul said that greed is idolatry. The things people get greedy for--money, sex, status, food--can function as little gods, as addictions. When we feel depressed, we turn to them for comfort. When we're happy we give them credit. But this is the place for God in our lives.

I went to the verse that my study Bible referred to...

Ephesians 5:5

⁵For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a man is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.

Ouch!!! I have a couple of things I'm obsessed with or maybe even addicted to. I think I just received a pretty blunt TXT MSG that says God wants me to get rid of these "idols". It's not going to be easy, but I have faith that He will help me.

I goofed!

Hi, a quick note from Kari's hubby to introduce today's post:
So, I am standing in our bathroom, shaving my dome as Kari steps in with a very unhappy expression on her face. This is not how she usually returns from her beloved body-pump class (she must love it. She gets up at 4am for it!). 'I goofed!' she exclaims and proceeds to tell me that, in spite of our pastor's warnings, she took a glimpse at the book of Lamentations after finishing Jeremiah. She has one of those study Bibles that summarizes the chapters and the overview about the book alone was enough to upset her. She may or may not give you more details below, but unless you're a Stephen King fan or your tastes tend to the gory, I would heed the pastors recommendation and stay away from it. Whoever is shaving in your bathroom will thank you for it.

Thank you, Chris. Now just a few clarifications: First, I don't love Body Pump. I actually hate lifting weights, but Body Pump makes in bearable. Second, I didn't finish the whole book of Jeremiah. I just finished my study time in it for last night. Third, our pastor didn't say stay away from Lamentations. He suggested that we put it off until a time when our hearts are prepared for it.

Well, my heart was NOT prepared for it. I didn't go there on purpose. I had been reading in the book of Jeremiah, which by the way is no picnic. (Jeremiah was a very reluctant prophet.) After reading the last verse our pastor recommended (Jeremiah 29: 11-13) and asking God to help me understand His plan for me, I just flipped to a page in Lamentations and read a boxed explanation of a verse that jumped out at me. What I read, was more disturbing than anything I have ever come across, inside or outside of the Bible. I wish I could get it out of my head. So, let me just say that I would highly recommend heeding our pastor's warning. I will NOT be going back to Lamentations until someone explains to me exactly how to prepare my heart for it.

Thank you Ms. Kris

It is with a heavy heart, that I sit here typing this morning. We found out yesterday that Rebecca's beloved Sunday School teacher, Ms. Kris, is very sick and in the ICU. On the way to church, Rebecca sat in the back seat happily babbling about getting to see Ms. Kris. When we went to drop her off, we were told the sad news. I had been dreading promotion Sunday in three weeks because it would mean that Rebecca would graduate out of Ms. Kris' room and into the preschool wing. I thought I would get a chance then to thank her, but it is very unlikely that she will be back by then. It is a terrible feeling to know that you have missed an opportunity to tell someone how much they have meant to you. I want Ms. Kris and all the other women in the HCC nursery to know what a blessing they have been to our whole family.


Dear Kris (and all the other wonderful women in the HCC nursery),

I would like to thank you all for the love and patience you have shown my little Rebecca. I know this is what you do for all the children and have been doing for years, but I would like to tell you why it has meant so much to our family. God made us wait a while for Rebecca. After a difficult and scary pregnancy, Rebecca was born 3 weeks early and weighing only 5 pounds 3 ounces...tiny but healthy. Praise God! The doctors and nurses kept a close eye on her, but even though she weighed barely as much as a sack of sugar, she was released to go home two days later.

Our first daughter weighed 8 1/2 pounds when she was born and has been in the 95th to 100th percentile for height and weight ever since. By contrast, Rebecca barely stays on the charts for weight. At 4 months of age she came down with a scary MSRA staph infection and at a year of age she was diagnosed with a life threatening tree nut allergy. To say we have been protective of her would be an understatement. When she turned two she had never been left with anyone outside our family. I felt it was time to start bringing her to church, but Chris and my mom had reservations because they knew Rebecca would have a difficult time being left. I worried about this myself, but I felt like it would be to her benefit in the long run. We started out with the Tuesday Mom's Bible Study. I prayed all the way to the church that first morning and when I handed her off to Ms. Eva, I was able to walk away knowing that she was in loving hands. After a few weeks, when Rebecca would happily talk about the sweet ladies who took care of her on Tuesday mornings, I knew my prayers had been answered.

The next step was to take her to church on Sunday morning. Because the Tuesday group is small and there aren't that many kids, I think Rebecca got a lot of extra attention when she needed it. Sundays are a whole different ballgame...lots and lots of kids. I wasn't sure how she would handle it. Rebecca was put in the squirrel classroom and it broke my heart to see her lip quivering, trying with all her might to fight back the tears when we handed her over. This is where Ms. Kris came in. That first Sunday, she held Rebecca and rocked her in the rocker. When we picked her up she told us how good she had been. She always welcomed Rebecca with open arms and it wasn't long before Rebecca was also excited about going to church on Sundays, as well as Tuesdays. Whenever we would pick Rebecca up from her classroom, Ms. Kris would tell us how sweet she was. She always made me feel like she really loved her. I want to tell her how blessed I feel to have had her in Rebecca's life. I want to tell her and the rest of the beautiful wonderful women in the HCC nursery how much you have all meant to me. Through you, my prayers were answered. Thank you for loving my baby girl.

God bless you all,

Kari

Playing Catch Up

I got a little behind last week. Not because I slacked off in my study time, but because I was not ready to move on or did not feel like I had anything to share. Today I'm going to try to catch up so that we can stay on track and begin with the major prophets tomorrow. So here is some of what I have gotten out of the wisdom books:

Job 1:20-22

²⁰ At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship ²¹ and said:
"Naked I came from my mother's womb,
and naked I will depart.
The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away;
may the name of the LORD be praised."

²² In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.

I had a hard time reading Job, but I was encouraged to learn that God does not condemn doubt and despair. He does ask us to have faith during our trials and to trust Him. My study Bible gave this quote: "Do not forget in the darkness what you have learned in the light." I will always try to remember that suffering can be used for a higher good.

Psalm 18

¹ I love you, O LORD, my strength.

² The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge.
He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

³ I call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise,
and I am saved from my enemies.

The psalms are amazing and I plan to go back and spend a lot more time there. There is a psalm to match every mood and emotion, from joy to sorrow, from fear to contentment and so on. When I am struggling in my prayer life, I will pray the Psalms.

Proverbs 9:10

¹⁰ "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom,
and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

Would I sound like a drama queen if I said that this verse changed the way I live my life? A few months ago, our pastor gave an entire message on this verse. In this message, he said we should fear God's disappointment more than man's disapproval. That thought really struck me and I have been trying to live by it. When I felt like God put it on my heart to start this blog, my first reaction was: NO WAY!!! What if someone actually reads this and thinks I'm __________. (You can fill in the blank.) Then and many times since, when blogging or making other choices, I decided to worry more about disappointing God than what other people think of me. It's not easy, but I'm trying.

I will be spending a lot more time in the wisdom books and I will try to share future thoughts and insights, but tonight I will look forward to what Jeremiah has for me.

nada

Sesame Street is on. I have my cup of coffee, but I don't have anything to post about today. I'm still studying in the book of Job. I started to just jump ahead to Psalms last night so that I would have something to post about today, but I think that would be defeating the purpose of this exercise. I tend to have an obsessive personality...an all or nothing mentality. This is one of the numerous things I'm working on with God's help. There may be something in the book of Job that God really wants me to know. If I skip ahead just so that I can have a new blog post, I'm cheating Him and myself. So I'm not sure when or even if I'll have something from Psalms, but I'm going to let Him lead the way. I would like to invite anyone reading this to share their favorite Psalm and maybe what it means to you. I don't have a favorite yet, but I've heard there is good stuff in there and I'm looking forward to it.

Wonderland

Last night was Wonderland night for the Abster's school, so the Zfam loaded up, had a picnic in the park, got our hands stamped and headed into Wonderland. Since before I was even big enough to ride roller coasters, I have loved them. I can remember being a child and just itching for the day that my little head would come to the black line so that the ride attendant would give me the go-ahead. I have not outgrown my love of roller coasters and I was looking forward to at least a couple of rides last night. Once through the gate, Abigail immediately wanted to go find her friends, so I headed off with her while Chris and Rebecca stayed in the part with the rides for the little guys. It didn't take long for me to realize that the days of riding rides with Abigail are over, at least when her friends are around. Duh! So I spent the evening, wandering around the amusement park looking for my adventurous daughter. I stopped to chat with other parents from our school here and there, but mostly I was alone. I was also sad that I wasn't getting to watch Rebecca ride the boats, helicopters and merry-go-round, but I guess that's how it is when you have kids with big age differences. Just as I was thinking that my hand stamp was a complete waste, Chris and Rebecca showed up and the three of us rode the ski lift ride while Abigail waited in line for the Rattlesnake. After that, Abigail threw me a bone and rode the Himalaya with me and on the way out of the park, our little family of four rode the merry-go-round together. It was a nice evening, even though I never got to ride a roller coaster.

It was late before I got the girls to bed so I didn't get much Bible study done. I continued to read some in the book of Job and even though it is a very depressing story, I have found encouragement. I often get frustrated with myself because since I have been actively pursuing a relationship with God, I feel like I am on a continuous roller coaster ride. One day, I'll feel as though I'm floating on air and bursting with joy and then the next I'll be feeling inadequate and isolated. On the up days, I am thankful and praise God, but it is on those dark days that I find myself really leaning into Him and I think that is when our relationship grows. So, I am thankful for this roller coaster. Who needs Wonderland?

Mother's Day

I hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day. I did. Last week my sweet hubby asked me what I wanted for MD and I told him time and money. Ha! Couldn't we all use more of both? No, I told him I would like some new clothes and time (without a 2 year old) to shop for them. So yesterday, after church, Chris put Rebecca down for her nap, sent me off to the mall with good wishes and while I shopped he prepared an absolutely delicious dinner: grilled shrimp, grilled asparagus, and roasted corn on the cob. I found a couple of pairs of slacks at Express that fit really well, which is no easy task when you're built like me, and I was able to use a coupon that was about to expire. SCORE!!! I really actually hate shopping, but when I find something that fits and is a good deal, it's somewhat enjoyable. When I walked in the door after my successful shopping trip, the table was set and dinner was ready. My mom and dad joined us for a very nice meal. Abigail gave me some flowers and planted them in the backyard herself. Rebecca made me a card with her hand prints (always special) on it, at church. I could almost say that it was the perfect Mother's Day. The only reason I say almost is because before church, Rebecca got a spanking for willful disobedience and after dinner, Abigail got sent to her room for a lousy attitude...NOT how I would have chosen to begin and end the day, but I guess that is part of being a mom.

Yesterday, our pastor gave the message on what he called the wisdom books of the Bible. I joked about needing more time and money, but I would seriously have to add wisdom to the list of things I could use more of. In fact, I pray for it regularly and specifically for wisdom as a mother. I want to raise my daughters to be kind, compassionate, strong women with hearts for Jesus and I often feel like the world is fighting me at every turn. Our culture doesn't seem to value modesty, purity, service or other Godly attributes. It is up to me to train my daughters in the way they should go (Proverbs 22:6) and I will need God's wisdom to do that.

Last night I studied in the book of Job and to be honest, it made me very uncomfortable. I feel like I have been blessed beyond what I deserve and to think about Satan telling God that the only reason I love Him is because I have been so blessed, gives me chills. If I were tested as Job was tested, would I pass? I would like to think that I would, but I don't know. I did not get very far into the book of Job, but it has already given me a lot to think about.

I know this is an abrupt way to end, but "Elmosover!"

Crazy May

Yawn. :0...It's 5am on Friday and I have so much to do today. May is always a crazy busy month when you have kids in school. It rivals December as the busiest mommy month. Here's what we've had going on: soccer practices, soccer games, soccer party, volleyball practice, creative writing practice, making/shopping for gifts for teacher appreciation week, Blue Sky night, selling Wonderland tickets... and here's what we've got coming up: school swim party at WT, UIL creative writing competition, Wonderland night, volleyball practices, volleyball games, school volunteer luncheon, PTA board luncheon, MDO registration... and I've only got ONE in school! I don't know how families with 3 or 4 do it. Anyway, now that I've wasted precious time venting about not having enough time...

Last night I did manage to keep my eyes open long enough to do some studying in 1 Samuel.

1 Samuel 8:6-7

⁶ But when they said, "Give us a king to lead us," this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the LORD. ⁷ And the LORD told him: "Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king.

Our pastor spoke about this passage being a message to encourage us when we share Christ with someone and are rejected. I have always been the kind of person that avoids rejection like the plague. I won't even offer someone a piece of gum if I think they will say no. (Silly. I know. We're working on it.) So the thought of sharing something so precious as the love of Jesus with someone and being rejected makes me shudder. Even sharing in this blog is taking me way out of my comfort zone, but at least if I'm being rejected, it's not happening to my face. I'm sure one day I will feel the prompting of the Holy Spirit to share with someone in person and when that day comes and I am rejected, I will find comfort in the words God spoke to Samuel.

1 Samuel 16:7

⁷ But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

Of course, the message here is to not judge a book by it's cover. If we've heard it once, we've heard it a hundred times, but I know I am still guilty of this way too often...something else to work on.

1 Samuel 17:37

³⁷ The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine."
Saul said to David, "Go, and the LORD be with you."

More encouragement for scaredy cats... I need all I can get.

I better go get busy.

Oh, those heavy lids

Once again, I had to fight to keep my eyelids open and once again my eyelids won, so I did not get very far into 1 Samuel. I did, however, finish reading the book of Ruth that I started Tuesday night, but did not finish due to the aforementioned eyelid war. So instead of jumping into 1 Samuel unprepared, I thought I would just share a couple of things that I have learned and what I have been reflecting on since I started this a little less than 2 weeks ago. The Bible is a love story. Over and over, I have read about God's love for His people despite the fact that His people repeatedly let Him down. Yes, at times there were grave consequences, but what loving father does not let his children occasionally suffer the consequences for poor choices in order to teach a lesson. I have also learned that God's love was not reserved for just His chosen people. He showed great love for Hagar, Sarah's Egyptian handmaiden, and Ruth from Moab. In the Old Testament, God may have concentrated his attention on the Israelites, but I think His goal was for others to see the blessings that come from following the one true God. My hope is that I will live my life in a way that shows others the blessings that come from following Him.

Friends

Last night I studied in the book of Ruth, which is a beautiful story about friendship...

Ruth 1:16-17

¹⁶ But Ruth replied, "Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. ¹⁷ Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me."

God uses our friends to fill many needs in our lives. Through a mom's Bible study at my church, God put a group of amazing women in my life. I cannot even begin to explain all that I have gained from the time I spent with these other moms. I have been inspired by their stories. I've benefited from their wisdom and been encouraged after confessing spiritual struggles of my own. The most incredible thing is that God used this group of women to bring me closer to Him.

Yesterday, I was feeling discouraged and overwhelmed. I prayed about it throughout the day. In the afternoon, I went to a friend's house to work on some PTA stuff. She helped me with some posters that I needed for our Wonderland fundraiser. I am terrible at that kind of thing, but my friend whipped out a couple of posters and they look great! While working together, we had a wonderful conversation. I was so incredibly blessed by the time I got to spend with her. When I left her house, I was no longer feeling discouraged or overwhelmed. Thank you, God, for answering my prayer.

Darkest book of the Bible

Judges 2:16-17

¹⁶ Then the LORD raised up judges, ^a]">[a] who saved them out of the hands of these raiders. ¹⁷ Yet they would not listen to their judges but prostituted themselves to other gods and worshiped them. Unlike their fathers, they quickly turned from the way in which their fathers had walked, the way of obedience to the LORD's commands.

I'm feeling a little overwhelmed and discouraged this morning. I'm praying through it and hope to be back tomorrow.

Scaredy Cat

I have always been a cautious person (euphemism for scaredy cat), never one to risk life, limb or humiliation. But I have always been impressed with others who demonstrate bravery. When I was 13 my mom joined the Dallas police academy. At the time, I thought it was pretty neat because I didn't know any other kids whose moms were cops, but now I look back and marvel at the courage it must have taken for a 5 foot 4 inch stay-at-home mom in her mid thirties to join a bunch of big young guys in their 20s and endure the rigors of the boot camp-like police academy. And then after making it through the academy, she had to do the really scary stuff that we civilians don't appreciate nearly enough. My mom worked nights and when I think about the suspicious drivers she had to pull over, the dark alleys and empty buildings she had to search then I am in awe of her bravery. I don't think I could ever do any of those things.

Last night I read in the first chapter in the book of Joshua and to be honest the message God has for us in this verse scares me...

Joshua 1:6-9

⁶ "Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. ⁷ Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. ⁸ Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. ⁹ Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."

Three times in three verses, God tells us to be strong and courageous. This scares me because one is not usually told to be courageous unless there is something to fear. So I worry about what it is that I am going to need strength and courage to face, but in these verses we also find the messages that we should spend time in the Word every day and that God will be with us wherever we go. So I will try to read my Bible every day, do my best to obey His Word and pray that when I am afraid, He will give me the strength and courage this scaredy cat needs.

Dizzy

I'm home from church and my head is spinning. It was week 2 in the series TXT MSG, where our pastor is going through each book of the Bible and pointing out specific verses and the message that God has for us in those verses. Our pastor blew through the history books, Joshua - Nehemiah, in what seemed like 10 minutes, but I guess it was more like 30...time really flies when you're enjoying a message. I was taking notes just as fast as my hand could write. Our pastor gave us a lot of historical background that I found fascinating, but I probably won't be able to get into that here. I will try to focus on the verses that he singled out and what we can take from those verses today, but I reserve the right to get sidetracked because our pastor reiterated that his goal for this series is for people to spend time in the Word...learning, meditating, listening. Last week was really amazing and I believe that God revealed a few things to me personally. I'm still digesting what he revealed about my accountability. I would love to get started in the book of Joshua, but first I get to go watch the Abster and her teammates play their last indoor soccer game of this season. Her daddy is coaching and I really hope they have a great game before we have our soccer party at Gattitown. Go Mustangs!!!

A little bit of accountability

The first week of April, I came down with a chest cold that turned into bronchitis that turned into pneumonia. I wasn't able to run or go to the gym for 3 weeks so I was getting to sleep till 6am every morning. Sleeping-in is very addictive and so this week when I was finally back to the point where I could run, I just couldn't make myself get out of bed to do it. Yesterday my running buddy, Sharon called to see how I was feeling. I told her I was feeling well, but that I just couldn't make myself get up this past week. She encouraged me to meet her and the rest of the group to run this morning and I agreed. When my alarm went off at 4:30 this morning, I wanted to just shut it off like I had every other running day this past week, but this time people were expecting me so I dragged my weary bones out of bed and met my group to run.

It has been the same with my Bible study this past week. There have been evenings that I would have preferred to flip through a magazine or just hit the pillow, but because I have told you that I would post here about my study time, I felt accountable and made myself do it anyway. Last night, I read in the book of Deuteronomy and this was the message...

Deuteronomy 6:4-7

⁴ Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. ⁵ Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. ⁶ These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. ⁷ Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

These are very well known verses and at first I didn't feel like I had anything to add, but when I was getting dressed to run this morning and thinking about the difference a little bit of accountability makes it occurred to me that God is probably asking why I don't feel the same accountability to Him. Whoa. That thought hit me like a ton of bricks. God expects me to spend time in His Word and to set aside a quiet time for prayer, so why do I not feel that same sense of accountability? When you love someone, you invest time in the relationship and make an effort to meet their expectations. I know that I love God, but if I am going to love Him with all my heart, soul and strength I need to realize that I am accountable for investing the time to nurture the relationship and make myself do it even on the days when I don't feel like it or would rather be doing something else.

JESUS WUVS ME

Rebecca and I were in Target this morning, our fourth stop on my long list of errands. I was pushing her in the basket and she was singing Jesus Loves Me at the top of her lungs. If you know Rebecca, you know that she hates attention...good attention, bad attention... it doesn't matter. She hates it. But there she was singing "JESUS WUVS ME...DIS I NOOOOOO FU WU BIBLE TES ME SOOOOO..." I guess she just wanted everyone to know.

28675349718364

Good morning. It's 5am and here I am at my computer and unfortunately I don't even have a cup of coffee. My sweet hubby makes the coffee, but that doesn't usually happen till 7:30 or later. I don't have the luxury of waiting till Sesame St. time to post today because I have a morning jam packed with errands... Walmart, Target, Office Max, Abigail's school and many more.

Anyway, without the benefit of caffeine, here we go. Last night I studied in the book of Numbers. At this point, I can barely read my notes from Sunday's message. I was writing so fast and furiously and I ran out of room on my bulletin. What I read in my Bible last night was actually very sad. The Israelites had been wandering in the desert for 40 years and they were finally on the border of the promised land and they lost faith. They complained that it would have been better to die in Egypt as slaves. This angered God and he denied access into the promised land to all but two, Joshua and Caleb. Even Moses, who was so loyal to God for so many years, faltered and as a result died in the desert.

Numbers 20:12

¹² But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them."

Our pastor said the message here is that God has no favorites when disciplining disobedience.

I also have something in my notes about the grasshopper mentality...

Numbers 13:33

³³ We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them."

I actually had to google that one and I found an interesting article on Overcoming The Grasshopper Mentality. Basically, If we want to seize what God has promised us, we must conquer our giants.

So what did I come away with after my study time? Don't lose faith and trust that God will keep his promises. I will cling to that when I face my own giants.

Finally, I want to leave you with this prayer...

Numbers 6:24-26

²⁴ " ' "The LORD bless you
and keep you;

²⁵ the LORD make his face shine upon you
and be gracious to you;

²⁶ the LORD turn his face toward you
and give you peace." '

Sesame St Time (Leviticus)

When I jumped into this I knew I would need some kind of routine or the blogging would never happen. I'm definitely a routine kinda gal. I try to go with flow, but I find things just go more smoothly if I have a routine. So every morning, I let Rebecca watch Sesame St from 9-10am. I grab a cup of coffee and my Bible and sit down to post about what I learned during my study time the night before. I try to limit myself to that one hour, but I've been slipping into the first part of Dragon Tales. Hopefully today, I can get it done before Sesame St is over because I have so much to do.

Last night was dedicated to Leviticus. Wow! There's a book for you...not many juicy stories to get wrapped up in. Leviticus is basically a law book full of dos and don'ts. In the commentary, my Bible calls it a procedural manual for getting along with a holy and powerful God. I only had one verse from Leviticus in my notes...

Leviticus 19:18

¹⁸ " 'Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.

That's a tough one isn't it? Before accepting Christ into my life, I had three people that I was holding big grudges against. I would fume and seethe over the ways they crossed me. After a message about grace, I realized I could not ask for the forgiveness that Jesus offers and not be willing to forgive those who have wronged me. Over the following weeks, God worked on my heart and I was able to let those grudges go. Do you know who benefited from that? Not the people I forgave because they weren't aware of all the bitterness I was harboring against them. No, the person that benefited was me. Those grudges were a burden that I was carrying and it felt good to to let that burden go.

I don't want to come across as though I never struggle with this anymore. I still get my feelings hurt and then spend way too much time dwelling on that hurt. But now when that happens, I take that burden to the Lord and ask Him to help me show others the grace that He has so generously shown me.

Gotta go...Sesame St.'s over or as Rebecca would say Elmosover ;)

Exodus

I'm afraid I didn't get very far in my study time last night. I just could not keep my eyes open after getting up at 4am to go to the gym. In order to stay on track, I want to provide a couple of verses that our pastor gave us from the book of Exodus and the messages that God has for us in these verses...

Exodus 2:24-25

²⁴ God heard their groaning and he remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob. ²⁵ So God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them.

When we are in pain, when we are struggling, when we feel alone, whatever we are going through in life, God wants us to cry out to Him and He wants us to know that He hears us. We are never alone in our difficulties if we will just give them to Jesus.

Exodus 20:2-3

² "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

³ "You shall have no other gods before ^a]">[a] me.

This one seems easy. Most of us don't think we worship other gods, but when we realize that other gods are anything that compete with our affection or divert our attention from the one true God, then most of us would be guilty of this. Great relationships with our spouses, children and friends are important, but they should not be put ahead of our relationship with our heavenly father. In our culture it is very easy to be distracted by making money, obtaining material possessions, achieving the perfect jeans size... I could go on and on. God's message in the verse above is: Do not let these things take your attention away from pursuing an intimate relationship with Him.

I struggle with this every day. I have a desire to be all things to all people, but what I need to be is what God wants me to be and in order to know what that is, my focus has to be on Him.

Genesis Cont'

Last night I crawled into bed with my Bible ready to, at the very least, read the rest of the verses in Genesis that our pastor gave us. I started with...


Genesis 3:15

¹⁵ And I will put enmity
between you and the woman,
and between your offspring ^a]">[a] and hers;
he will crush ^b]">[b] your head,
and you will strike his heel."

In this verse God is speaking to the serpent. This is the first mention of the coming Messiah.

The next verse in my notes was the promise that God made to Abraham...

Genesis 12:2-3

² "I will make you into a great nation
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing.

³ I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you."

but I never got there. I got wrapped up in other stories: Cain and Abel, Noah and the flood, Rebekah and Leah. I started to feel guilty for getting off task, but then I remembered what our pastor said Sunday about hoping to get people to spend more time reading their Bibles...so far, so good. As I read these stories, I was thinking; "Wow...and I thought I was messed up." These people I was reading about had some major problems and flaws of character, but then I remembered something else I have learned: God used and still uses flawed people to do His work. I am encouraged when I read about men and women with struggles and weaknesses being used for God's purposes.

I did finally tear myself away from these intriguing stories and skip ahead to the verse where Joseph is talking to his brothers who sold him into slavery. He does not hold a grudge against his brothers because God used his misfortune to benefit many.

Genesis 50:20

²⁰ You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.

The message here is that God will use our trials and painful struggles for the good in our and other people's lives. So when we ask why do bad things happen to good people, we need to trust God and think of Joseph.

In the beginning...

Before I jump in here, I have to confess that I am making up the rules as I go along. In my previous post I said I would post about what I feel God is revealing to me when I study the verses that our pastor talks about. That is still the plan, but I also want to share key points that our pastor spells out for us so that any readers that don't go to our church may also benefit from his knowledge and understanding. I invite any readers that do go to HCC to leave a comment and share any key points that I miss because I will surely miss many and I believe we can all gain something from learning more about the messages that God has for us. So here we go...

Genesis 1:1

¹ In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Our church believes in creationism. If you don't, our pastor recommends the book, Darwin on Trial by Phillip Johnson, a law professor at UC-Berkeley. Have any of you read it? What did you think?

Genesis 1:31

³¹ God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.


From these two verses we learn that God created our beautiful planet and it pleased him.

Genesis 1:27

²⁷ So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.

God created us in his image and I think because this is so, we are able to appreciate and enjoy the beauty of our glorious planet. Think about it: When was the last time you saw a dog stopped in his tracks to admire a sunset, a field of wild flowers, a rainbow... Whenever I see a mass of blue morning glories, my natural reaction is to pray and thank God. I have had this reaction for years, even when I wasn't pursuing a relationship with my heavenly father. Where did that reaction come from? I think the above verses answer that question. So, I thank my loving God for creating this planet full of amazing beauty and wonders and for my ability to enjoy it.

I would love to know...what in God's creation stops you in your tracks and causes you to give praise?

This is so exciting!

Today at church our pastor began a 12 week series called TXT MSG. It will be a study of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation featuring particular messages, from each book, that God has for us. Being new to Bible study, I am really excited about this. Our pastor is so good at laying things out in a way that brings clarity and encourages application.

Abigail and I are doing a Bible study together and the other night we learned that God uses the Bible to speak to us. Through this amazing book, He encourages, comforts, instructs and makes promises to us. I can't wait to hear all that He has to say to me.

So this is my goal: I want to study the verses that our pastor speaks about and then post about any aha moments or things that God reveals to me personally. In order for this to work, I will have to push aside my perfectionist nature because time will not allow me to spend hours on each post. So bear with me if my upcoming posts seem even more random, unorganized or chaotic than normal. Still, I welcome any and all input. Let me know what you are thinking or what God is revealing to you when you read His word.

Finally, I want to leave you with this: During the month of April, in our Sunday school class, we have been teaching our preschoolers that Jesus loves them and wants to be their best friend forever. Today we learned that Jesus wants us to share this with everyone we know. So...

Jesus loves you and He wants to be your best friend forever!

Isn't that awesome?!?!?

Where is your heart?

At this time last year I was training for the Oklahoma City Memorial Half Marathon. I had just run my first half marathon 4 months ago in Dallas and was looking forward to the OKC Half. On the drive back to Amarillo, after the race, the girls that I run with and I were already talking about running it again in 2009. When it came time to start training again, I just could not get motivated. 10 mile training runs are hard for me when I am motivated, but they are excruciating when I'm not. I was having a conversation with my dad and I told him that my heart just wasn't in it. He asked what my heart is in.

Right now my heart is in being Abigail and Rebecca's mom. I am so painfully aware of just how fast they are growing up and I want to make the most of these precious years when they want to spend time with their mom/mommy.

My heart is also in developing my relationship with God. You see, we weren't created to just believe in God. He wants us to get to know Him, learn His ways and love what He loves. I feel like I have recently made some significant strides in that direction, but I still have a very long way to go. So I guess you could say that my heart is not in running long distances right now, but in walking...
walking with my God.

Spring Break Fun

On Monday, Zfam loaded up the car and headed to San Antonio. I was a little worried about the 10 hour car ride, but it was surprisingly painless. We stopped a couple of times along the way for potty breaks, necessities (candy, jerky, cokes etc.) and just to stretch our legs. We made it to our hotel around 7pm, which was an hour earlier than we had expected. The girls only watched one DVD and there was no complaining, whining or too many "Are we there yets".

On Tuesday, we headed into town. We happened upon a St. Patrick's Day ceremony at the Alamo. The weather was absolutely perfect...so springy. We found an empty park bench and had our picnic lunch. After lunch, we went down to the River Walk. It was really gorgeous and not too crowded, as I would have expected it to be during Spring Break on St. Patrick's Day.


Wednesday was the big day...Sea World. My best friend from college and her 7 year old daughter drove down from Austin to go with us. Although the girls had not seen each other since they were barely 3, they instantly bonded and acted like best friends. We were at the park when it opened and it's probably a good thing because it was soooo crowded. The Shamu show was standing room only, which disappointed Abigail because she had hoped to sit in the splash zone. Abigail doesn't remember this, but we sat in that area last time we went, 5 years ago, and she did NOT like it. That water is so COLD. We did make it to the dolphin/beluga whale show in time for Abigail and Chloe to snag seats in the splash zone, but I guess dolphins and belugas don't splash as much as great big orkas that have been trained to splash, because they stayed bone dry. I think the highlight for Rebecca was the penguins and for Abigail it would probably be a tie between getting to spend the day with Chole and getting to pet a dolphin.





























Thursday, we packed up to head home, taking a detour through San Marcos so that we could show the girls where Chris and I went to school and so that Chris could meet one of his former professors for lunch. It was yet another beautiful day and I decided it would be fun to take the girls to the river while Chris and Dr. Stutts had lunch. We walked down from Old Main to Sewell Park, played a short game of Pooh sticks off one of the bridges and watched a group of co-eds play sand volleyball. I hadn't thought about the uphill walk back to Old Main, but the girls were troopers despite being over dressed for temps in 80s.

At around 3:00 we got back in the car for the long drive home. This drive wasn't quite as painless as the first, but we made it home around 1:00 am, none too worse for the wear. It was a wonderful family vacation and we are already talking about where we can go this summer. Any ideas?

The Dog Ate My Homework

I wish I could blame it on the dog, but really it's just my tendency to procrastinate and procrastinate I did...Big Time. Several months ago, our pastor gave us a homework assignment. The assignment was to write a letter to the person responsible for bringing us to Jesus.

I accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior and was baptized when I was in high school. Reflecting on my baptism, I remember a feeling of great love. Not just a love for God , but a love for everyone I laid my eyes on. I didn't, however, grasp the magnitude of the gift I had just received and my baptism did not mark the beginning of a long walk with God, but was treated more like a fait accompli.

When I went away to college, I failed to find a church home or connect myself with a body of believers and without a steady dose of the Truth, my un-nurtured faith really took a pounding. By the time I graduated, my relationship with God was practically nonexistent, at least for my part.

My God never quit loving me. He was patiently waiting for His prodigal daughter to come home and I have my aunt to thank for gently leading me back. So, here is my terribly past due homework assignment:

Dear Niecy,

Thank you for inviting me to come stay with you for a week in July 2000. I really enjoyed the birthday party that you, Cameron and I shared at Thompson Park. I cherish the time I was able to spend with you and Granny. But most of all, I want to thank you for the conversation we had when you were driving me to meet Chris at the halfway point. We talked about how God works everything for the good, even terrible tragedies. And about how you either believe what the Bible says or you don't. You can't pick and choose to suit your preferences. That conversation sparked a lot of thinking and soul searching on my part. All of those years out of church, left me making up my own rules. I finally had to ask myself: "Do you believe in God? Yes. If you believe in the one true God that created the heavens and earth, don't you think He deserves to make the rules, even if those rules seem unfair to your simple little human mind? Well, when you put it that way..." That marked the beginning of my journey back. Thank you.

Fast forward 3 1/2 years. My family had moved to your town and Abigail was 2 1/2 years old. I wanted my daughter to grow up in a church. Nicole and Terry invited me to go with them, but when they moved on, I was left taking Abigail to church by myself. I felt like such an outsider, but I was determined to keep going for her. Then you and I started going together and I actually started enjoying church. Thank you.

And then there was the Sunday morning when it started to sink in: the awesomeness of God's grace. I was overcome by how absolutely undeserving I am and you were there to hand me a tissue. Thank you.

And when I was pregnant with Rebecca and we feared she had microcephaly. I felt like my world was crashing down on my head and you just appeared on my doorstep. There wasn't another person in the whole world I needed more than you at that moment. God used you to give comfort and tell me what I needed to hear. Thank you.

You are the one person I feel comfortable talking to about my spiritual struggles and triumphs. I know I can ask you questions and you won't make me feel stupid or judge me. You patiently allow me to ramble on when I get excited about the truly amazing things God is doing. For all these things, I thank you.

And thank you for the privilege of teaching a Sunday school class with you. This is an answer to a prayer. You are so good with these children and I know I will learn a lot from you, but I pray that I will also be a blessing to you in some way and that you will derive great joy from this experience.

Niecy, there are so many things to thank you for. You do so much and are such a blessing to me and my whole family. I think I could write a never-ending letter, but the most wonderful thing you have done for me is to bring me to Jesus and for that I will be eternally thankful.

I love you. -k

Girl's Movie Night

Chris had to go out of town on business last night. Abigail asked if we could have a movie night, which to her means popcorn for dinner and a movie. I didn't have any better ideas, because I hate to cook when Chris is out of pocket, so I agreed. The problem was finding a movie that appeals to ages 2 thru 3o somethings. Abigail suggested Piglet's Big Movie to which I whole heartily agreed because I'll admit, I love this movie! The little kid movies that I enjoy are few and far between, but I have always liked this one. And the kid's movies that Chris likes are even fewer and further between and he likes this one too. I used to compare it to a G-rated Friends (remember Monica, Chandler, Rachel...) only it's Pooh, Eeyore, Tigger... This movie also features fun music by Carly Simon. If you have little ones, you should check it out.

Sock Hop

Friday night, Zfam went to a spaghetti dinner and sock hop at Abigail's school. For the past month, the students have been learning the various dances (the electric slide, the cupid shuffle and the cha-cha slide, etc.) in their P.E. classes. Abigail has been looking forward to putting what she learned to use for quite a while, but when we got to the school's gym where the dance was being held, she came down with a case of cold feet. After a little while of looking on from the side lines, the music got the best of her and she had to get her groove on.




It took Rebecca a little bit longer, but she was finally overcome and had to shake her bootie as well. It was so cute and oh, how I wished I had my video camera, but all I have are these less than wonderful stills to share.






Before the night was over, Chris and Abigail shared a sweet father-daughter dance. Over all, it was a pretty good way to spend a Friday evening.

"Girls. We got 'em."

On December 26th, my sister (my only sibling) had a baby girl, Sophia Noelle. She already had an eighteen month old little girl, Kaylee B. I have two children: both girls. We don't seem to have boys in my family. My dad likes to say, "Girls. We got 'em." I'm sure the men in our family are feeling outnumbered, but I love having a sister and I was thrilled when Rebecca was born and I knew my daughters would know the blessing of sisterhood.

Last week I went to visit my sister and her family in Dallas. I finally got to meet my new niece and she is just precious. I spent many contented moments holding, feeding and just soaking in her sweet babyness. I also had a lot of fun with her big sister, Kaylee B., who is 20 months old now. We especially enjoyed dancing to 80s music. I was sad to leave my sister and her girls on Friday, but of course I was happy to get home to my girls.

Valentine's Fun

This was an experiment. I'm still trying to figure all of this blog stuff out and obviously I still have a lot to learn. We did have a fun family Valentine's Day celebration complete with a chocolate fondue. I think all Abigail wanted for Valentine's Day were her two front teeth!

Paraskevidekatriaphobia

Word of the day: paraskevidekatriaphobia - an morbid fear of Friday the 13th.

This is NOT something I am afflicted with. I love Friday the 13th! Many good things have happened in my life on a Friday the 13th: my sweet hubby and I became a couple on a Friday the 13th and years later on another Friday the 13th, we were given the wonderful news that we were expecting our first baby, our precious Abigail. These are just my two best examples, but there are others. So tonight, Chris and I are going out to celebrate our lucky day ;)

I've been invited to join a blog recipe swap by Mama of the Ingram Gang, so I'm sharing my best Go To recipe for a very easy Pasta Skillet. We all keep hearing that we should eat more fish, especially salmon and this is an inexpensive and fairly disguised way of getting our families to eat fish. I made this for dinner last night and had it on the table in less than 45 minutes even though I forgot to put the water for the pasta on to boil till I almost had everything else done. My hubby always raves when I make this, my 7 year old likes it and my 2 year old used to eat it, but she is going through a phase where she eats almost NOTHING but Cheerios and cheese...Maddening!!!
Anyway here is my recipe for:

Balsamic Salmon Pasta

1 T. olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
8 oz. mushrooms, sliced
1/2 green (or red, or yellow) pepper, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tomato, chopped
15 oz. can pink salmon with liquid (boneless/skinless is easier)
4-5 marinated artichoke hearts, chopped
3 T. balsamic vinegar
1/2 lb. just cooked rotini or other pasta, drained
salt

Heat oil in large skillet. Saute onions, mushrooms, peppers, garlic and tomato till veggies are tender. Add salmon w/ liquid and break up chunks. Add artichoke hearts and hot pasta. Mix. Remove from heat and add balsamic vinegar and salt to taste. Serve with Parmesan cheese if desired. Serves 4-6.


This is the most versatile recipe ever! I've made it with & without mushrooms, with and without artichoke hearts, used every color pepper out there, used canned tomatoes if I didn't have fresh, added zucchini in the summer when my mom's garden is overflowing. I've even made it without the pasta and added extra veggies when I was trying the low carb thing, but I've moved past that insanity. I do however use whole wheat rotini. The only ingredients that I wouldn't omit or change up would be the garlic and balsamic vinegar.

If you try it, let me know what you think. Enjoy!

Super Bowl XLIII

We had a fun little family Super Bowl party. My team didn't win, but they sure made the Steelers work for their Lombardi. I'm not usually a Cards fan, but since the Cowboys can't seem to get er done, I had to root for somebody and that somebody was Kurt Warner. Had he won, he would have given the glory to Jesus and I think that is so cool. I have learned a little bit about Mr. Warner and his family these past few weeks. His life is a great story and if you have time you should check it out. Our party menu included: Veggies and dip, Buffalo tenders, pizza rolls, and queso and chips. I think I ate almost all the queso and chips myself. My hubby might have helped a little bit, but it was too spicy for the girls. Does it help that I used Reduced Fat Velveeta and baked tortilla chips? Maybe a little, but I still ate waaaay too much and now I'm feeling guilty about it today. Oh well, it's a new day and so far I've been good. However, the day is young so wish me luck (or self control)! ;)

God wants me to blog

Does that sound weird to you? It sure sounds weird to me. I wrote, in a previous post, that I felt that God had put this on my heart and since then I have really questioned that. Is God really leading me to put the struggles and triumphs of life and my walk with Him out there for others to read or am I just hopping on the blog band wagon? I honestly don't know if God thinks this is a wise use of my time, but here is what I do know:

1. God wants me to share His love with others.
2. At this point in my life, I can't just walk up to someone and say, "Let me tell you about Jesus...".
3. I have been comforted and inspired while reading other blogs, specifically As We Are and The Ingram Gang.
4. I am encouraged when I hear that other believers struggle with the same doubts and fears that I do.

And here is what I hope:

1. Reading about my struggles might encourage someone in their own walk.
2. Blogging will allow me to get to a place where I feel comfortable talking about my faith in person.
3. God will be pleased with my 21st century way of spreading the good news of His love and grace.