I've Been Tagged...

I've been tagged by Sarah to share 7 interesting or weird things about me. Sometimes I feel like the most boring person on the planet, but I'll give it a try. : )

1. I'm completely blind in my left eye and have been since birth. That eye is much smaller than my other one and very sensitive to light, so I'm usually squinting in any picture taken of me.

2. I used to sleep walk a lot as a kid/teenager. For some reason I stopped doing it as I got older, but I'm still afraid it will start up again, and I'll do something really weird in my sleep. Most of my best embarrassing moments stories resulted from sleep walking.

3. I'm an all-or-nothing kind of person. I either work-out for two hours a day or I do nothing. My house is either "Better Homes and Gardens-ish" or it looks like Hurricane Katrina moved through. Hardly ever a middle ground for me. I'm working on that. : ) (current status of house: Hurricane Aftermath) Working on that, too. : )

4. I'm addicted to coffee and my favorite place to get it is Dutch Brothers. There is a Dutch Brothers a block a way from my house now. I'm in big trouble! : )

5. I acted in school plays in High School and college and won some awards for acting during High School. I miss it. Someday I think it would be so fun to be in a play again.

6. I am a telephone phobic. I would much rather speak to a gymnasium full of people than have to call someone on the phone. I get soooooo nervous and am usually hugely relieved when I get an answering machine.

7. Since my childhood, writing a book has been my dream. I can't count how many stories I've started or how many lists of characters' names I made as a kid and even as an adult. I had dreams of being the next Francine Rivers, but God had different plans for me and led me to write a non-fiction book instead. I finished it in August and am praying He will use it somehow to comfort women who have gone through pregnancy loss.

OK...That's me....

It's your turn:

Kimberly
Katy
Mia
Emily
Shiloh
Zandra
Andrea

Tweet

Ah, Fall....

Tweet

I Was Proud of Dinner Tonight

Fall is in the air around here. It is so beautiful! I love looking out my windows at the leaves changing color.


I knew I wanted a dinner tonight that matched the weather. I think I succeeded and my family loved it. Even my youngest daughter who is THE PICKIEST EATER ON THE PLANET!!!!! She gave me thumbs up and that is a big deal. It was so easy to make so I thought I'd share it with you:


The Menu:
Roast
Carrots and Potatoes
Baked Apples for dessert


How:


Rub meat LIBERALLY with Johnny's Seasoning Salt. Johnny's is the most important ingredient. With this meal you cannot get enough Johnny's on everything. (except the apples haha) See how it says, "It's Pure Magic" on the bottle? It really is magic on roast.

Heat a little bit of olive oil in a pan and brown the meat on all sides.

Put whole carrots and sliced potatoes (circles) in the crockpot. Cover them all with lots of Johnny's

Put meat on top and add 1/2 cup of water. Cover and cook on low all day in crockpot.


Baked apples:

Core apples
In a bowl mix 1/4 cup brown sugar w/ 1 TBSP of cinnamon. Fill the apples with this mixture and put a pat of butter on top. Pour 3/4 cup of boiling water around it all and then bake at 350 degrees until very soft. I only baked them for 30 minutes today and it wasn't long enough.

They will make your house smell like heaven. It's 10:00 and I can still smell the apples.


How to serve it:

Cut the meat and put it in serving bowls w/ the veggies and cover all of it with the juice left in the crockpot.

Serve the meat and veggies on to plates and shake a little more Johnny's on top. (I swear they did not pay me to advertise)


OK, here's the part where you will think I'm crazy, but I want you to put sour cream on top of it all. On the meat. On the veggies. I promise it is really good. If you are a reader from my fitness blog- I measured the sour cream! : ) Please do not put fat free sour cream on this meal. It would ruin it!


I wish I had taken some pictures of the finished product and my family enjoying it, but I guess if I start snapping pictures of dinner I will have really gone off the blogging deep end! : )

Hope you are enjoying Fall.


Love,

Tweet

An Apology, A Thank You, A Carnival, and A Juggler : )

Wow...I'm sorry I've been neglecting my blog so much. I've been having fun with the book club on my Fitness Blog and forgot to keep up over here. I'm thankful you are patient readers. : ) I'll try to do better. And I do promise more pictures. : )

As a side note...Did you know the Bloggy Giveaways Carnival started today? Oh man! It is going to be tough to stay off my computer this week. That thing is absolutely addicting! I wanted to be organized enough to do my own giveaway, but alas organization left me when I gave birth in August. : ) There is still time...maybe I can pull it together before the carnival ends. I hope you enjoy entering the contests. I'd love to hear if any of you are winners.

I also wanted to thank those of you who are following my blog. (See sidebar to learn how to become a Follower) It means a lot to me. I'm so grateful for all of you who read. When I started our adoption blog in January of 2007, I didn't really understand what blogging was. I didn't know how much fun I'd have with it and the wonderful people I'd meet.

I'll be back soon to update you on Prince Charming and the Princesses and life here in the castle. In the mean time, here's the latest devotion I wrote for church:

The Apprentice Juggler:

But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. - 1 Corinthians 12:18

My mom read the book Tales of the Kingdom as a bedtime story to my brother and me when I was young, and it quickly became a family favorite. Staring at the pictures, I often wished I could be in the story myself. I've read it over again several times as an adult, getting something new out of it every time. (Sorry Mom, you can't have it back)

Written as a fairy tale, each chapter expresses a different Biblical truth and ends with a moral for the story. One of my favorite chapters is called "The Apprentice Juggler."

The Apprentice Juggler wants nothing more than to join the troupe and perform on a regular basis at the Great Celebration. Unfortunately, he has a terrible secret he is afraid the Juggling Master will find out about. His inner count is different than the other jugglers, and he is terrified he will mess up the next performance. Doing everything in his power to hide the fact his rhythm is off, he works hard to suppress the count he hears inside of his head.

Eventually, he cannot suppress it any longer and during the performance he lets himself follow his own rhythm. He ends up delighting the audience as a clown and learns a clown is "the best juggler of all." It is a rare talent to be both a juggler and a clown and the Juggling Master is thrilled.

When asked why he never revealed his different rhythm, he answers, "I-I thought I would lose my place in the troupe." To which the Juggling Master replies, "Lose your place? Find your proper place, rather. Didn't you know that in the Great Celebration, all who desire a place, find a place?"

Have you ever felt like the Apprentice Juggler; afraid you have nothing to offer in the Kingdom of God because you aren't like the other people you see serving? I have. And I was convinced I didn't measure up. I was also convinced serving meant doing something I didn't like to do.

But here I am, writing a blog, something I love to do and happens to be a hobby of mine. God gave me the opportunity to do something I love for Him.

Do you march to the beat of a different drum? Great! No one has the unique talents God has instilled in you. No one can tell your story. God has created so much diversity and we do not need cookie-cutter Christians in the Body of Christ. Listen to your own inner rhythm and offer it up to God. He wrote your rhythm, and He will use it!

Personal Application:

Make a list of your dreams, passions, talents, gifts, etc. and talk to God about them during your prayer time this week. Trust Him with those things. Praise God for your uniqueness. Ask Him to use you for His Kingdom.

Do you feel unqualified? I've heard this quote said two different ways, and I love it both ways:

God doesn't call the equipped, He equips those He calls.

AND

God doesn't call the qualified. He qualifies those He calls.

More of God's Word:

1. Read 1 Corinthians 12

2. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. - Colossians 3:17

Lord,

Thank you for making me, me. Help me to stop comparing myself to others and to enjoy the way you made me. Help me to trust You with my unique gifts, talents, passions, and dreams. Show me how they can be used for You. May I glorify You with my life.

In Jesus' Name I pray,

Amen

Tweet

This Is for You, Grandma

Prince Charming has been very charming lately. He has been cooing and smiling and trying so hard to "talk." I tried to capture it on video but he gets so interested in the shiny camera, he turns the charm off. I'll keep trying to capture it on camera! : )

In the mean time, here's my best attempts. I wish I could edit out my voice. I sound so silly! : )

Enjoy, Grandma! (And everyone else, too)







Love,

Tweet

Impossible?

(This is the devotion I wrote for our church's women's ministry this week)

"Ah, Sovereign LORD, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you." - Jeremiah 32:17 (NIV)

Fret, fret, fret.
Worry, worry, worry.

This week can be measured not in days, but in time spent worrying. I can't count how many times I've said the words, "It's impossible."

My "impossible" this week had to do with more hurdles in what has felt like a never-ending adoption process we began two years ago. I have to figure out a way over this new hurdle before an immigration deadline expires in two weeks, and in my eyes it is impossible.

As I've prayed over the problem, God has been gracious to gently remind me who is in control. He reminded me of my last two devotions where I wrote these things:

-He is trustWORTHY

-Don't be afraid to pray the prayer that never fails, "Thy will be done"

-Remember where our help comes from

Then He asked me to let go and rest in Him.

It was midnight last night when I finally surrendered and applied these truths to this situation. I still didn't know how this hurdle was going to be overcome (I still don't) but worry was replaced with the "peace beyond understanding" that comes from trust.

I was ready to go to sleep anxiety-free, but I wanted to check on one of my favorite blogs before I went to bed. As her blog loaded on my computer screen, tears popped into my eyes. I couldn't believe what she had written for her latest blog post. This is all it said:

"I have found that there are three stages in every great work of God: first it is impossible, then it is difficult, then it is done."

-J. Hudson Taylor of China Inland Missions

Personal Application:

What about you? Do you have your own "impossible" to overcome this week? Run to the throne and lay it at His feet. Be persistent in your prayers over this issue. Find a prayer partner to pray with you about it and to hold you accountable as you let go of worry.

More of God's Word:

1. Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. - Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV)

2. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. -1 Peter 5:7 (NIV)

3. For nothing is impossible with God. - Luke 1:37 (NIV)

Love,

Tweet

From the Back Seat...

I was driving my girls to a dentist appointment after school today and had a fun conversation with them. Karissa said she checked out a book about being a veterinarian and was filling us in on the details.

I love it when she gets a gleam in her eye and wants to share something new with me. It usually starts with the line, "Mommy did you know..." and she'll fill in the blank, educating me on this new found knowledge of hers. Today, she informed me that veterinarians aren't just animal DOCTORS, they are also animal DENTISTS because they take care of the animals' teeth. I told her how insightful this was.

Amy piped up from the back seat and said, "I don't ever want to be a veterinarian because the dogs might BITE me."

My answer was, "God has given us all different interests so we'll all do different things. Maybe Karissa was meant to be a vet, that's why she loves animals so much."

Then Karissa said, "Yeah, Amy was meant to be a princess."

I just had to laugh at how true that was. Amy informs me often that she is going to marry our neighbor boy, her one true love, and how he is going to do the working and make all the money. Poor kid. She has his whole future planned for him. I think he feels a little helpless in the whole situation. He's just too nice to tell her no. : )

Then we got to the dentist's office, and I told the girls to hop out and head inside. I told them to tell them I'd be right in after I got the baby in his stroller.

Karissa said, "Yes and then we'll tell them who we are."

I said, "Oh, I think they'll remember you. You two girls are hard to forget."

Her answer? "Yeah, it's because we are so beautiful."

The princesses need a little work in the humility department. : )

When do we lose that childlike confidence?

Tweet