Friday, February 17, 2012

Who is God?

So many today love to say that God is Love!
The American people have misinterpreted that saying to mean that a God of love, must be a God of acceptance of all things! Now, that last prepositional phrase is most important. You see, God does accept you as you are, but not in order to keep you as you are. God accepts all people, but only as a living sacrifice to Him. This means that He accepts you sacrificially laying your life before Him and asking Him to mold you. God does not, I repeat does not, accept sin!
God loves you as a sinner! I'm so thankful that He does!
"But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." -Romans 5:8

However God is a HOLY God, and a righteous God! He will not accept sin! He does not call Christians to sin, He calls us to be HOLY!
"But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;" -I Peter 1:15

God is a real God, He is a powerful righteous God, and He is a God who will judge this world!
If you don't believe me now, understand that one day you will believe, you will bow, and you will proclaim that Jesus Christ is Lord of all.
"I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear." -Isaiah 45:23
"That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;" -Philippians 2:10

Where will you be when you bow? Will you be in heaven? Earth? Or...?
Will you accept God as He is? Will you offer yourself a sacrifice and submit to the call of holiness?

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Neither Death Nor Life

Through broken dreams
and untold pain,
I pursued you.
Through lost loves
and losses and gains,
I pursued you.
Through darkest nights,
and brightest days,
I pursued you.
Through thorny paths,
down many ways,
I pursued you.
There is no shelter
that can keep you from my love.
Near you I am,
though I seem far above.
I've given all
though far from me you drift.
But all I'd give again
to bestow this great gift.

For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." -Romans 8:38-39

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Why My Husband and I are Made for Each Other!

When I was a little girl, I remember thinking that I could never get married, because if a man actually spent that much time with me he would discover how weird I actually am! And, of course, he would run for the hills! Of course, I didn't realize that if the Lord willed me to spend my life in matrimony that wouldn't be the case. And, in His infinite wisdom, the Lord sent to me a man that was much weirder than I am! Just to prove it, some evidence that we're a perfect match!
- We can talk for hours about white water rafting and chickens.
- He thinks it's funny when I correct his pronunciation of "documentary."
- I don't mind that he mispronounces "documentary."
- We both have a common, unnatural love for words like "vexed" and "superfluos."
- He accepts that I'm an Anglo-file and doesn't try to change that, in fact, he encourages it!
- When He's bored he does things like stands on his head!
- In our "We Recommend for You" category on Netflix there's always a some sort of Sci Fi.
Just some fun facts... :D

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Crock Pot Freezer Cooking

I've tried freezer cooking in the past, and I LOVE it! However, I'm a little bad at planning, and keeping track of what needed tomato sauce or cream of chicken soup. Then, I saw this pin on Pinterest for freezer crock pot cooking.
Totally recommending it! It was awesome. I guess to satisfy my level of laziness, you have to resort to crock pots AND freezer cooking! :D

Monday, February 13, 2012

Honey...It's for your face?

I love Honey! I love to eat it, that is...
However, you may have noticed, that I like to find other uses for normal household products! I really like using food on my skin. I do this because when something touches your skin it's absorbed into your system very quickly! I've heard countless times, never put something on your skin that you wouldn't eat. And, I don't make a practice of snacking on moisturizer, I don't know about you!
Well, recently I've been using honey for more than just my tea! I've been using it as my cleanser!
Honey is very moisturizing, but it also is an antibiotic. (You can use it like neosporan...no, I'm serious!) You see when honey mixes with oxygen or something like that it actually releases a hydrogen peroxide type thing. Anyway, to the point. I've never and I mean never found a cleanser that fully worked with my crazy combination skin. I have oily patches right next to dry patches. Take my nose for instance! I can point to like ten dry patches on my nose, but the other parts are oily. It just seems that no matter what I do, I break out or get dry patches. That is, until I started using honey as a cleanser about a week or two ago. I've noticed a marked improvement in my skin!
I don't know how well it would work for anyone, but it's working well for my combination skin, and if you have combination skin, I recommend giving it a try! :D
Happy washing!
Click here for more on HONEY!

Friday, February 10, 2012

Where His Will Leads...


I can't imagine that it's ever God's will for a sin to be committed. So, in a round-about sort of way, I feel that I could say that it's never His will for someone to be the victim of someone else. However, I know that He can send us down a path that will lead us to a person who has made the decision to follow evil instead of good. I don't believe that God wants us to be victimized or to suffer, but He chooses to allow us to endure the situations in which we are wronged by the sins of another, sins He doesn't will them to commit.
God does not fully keep us from pain and suffering because he is not a tyrant. He allows others around us freedom to choose, and with that freedom some choose to cause pain to others. (And, we do too.)
So, do you think that God's will can lead you into the alley where you'll meet the mugger? Or into the relationship that will end in unfaithfulness? Do you think that God's will can lead you into the path of another's sin?
I think of the apostles. Certainly they were serving the Lord and following His will. Yet, they were persecuted by those who chose to reject the Lord and almost all of them were martyred for it!
One of my favorite verses is:

Thursday, February 9, 2012

The Sailor

The sailor wiped his spectacles yet one more time. It had been a difficult watch this evening the winter day was short and that left the tiny fishing boat in the dark more than the light. However, he was steadfast, and never parted from his post. He knew the dawn would be arriving soon, but it'd been hours since he'd seen the land. Perhaps he wouldn't see it again, yet, he never let his heart fail, his eyes were constantly searching. When the midst grew thick, his eyes searched, the horizon. When the dark seemed endless, his eyes searched the horizon. When sleep tugged at his eyelids and all he desired was to allow them to close and that he might enjoy rest at last, his eyes searched the horizon.
The sea was a relentless foe, constantly tossing him from his mark, constantly trying to deter his search, and yet, his eyes were fastened on the horizon!
The sailor's faithful heart held tightly to the hope of land. So much so that at times he believed he saw the familiar harbor and home. When the mirage faded, he still held his gaze to the horizon, searching and seeking. Seeking more than any sailor who had ever sailed the seas on such a darkened, soulless night!  He did all that he knew to do with no stars to guide him. He searched the horizon.
Finally, when his were more than weary, and his heart was laden with sorrow, he was rewarded. A glimmer on the horizon. A lighthouse.

""And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart." - Jeremiah 29:13

Monday, February 6, 2012

Eye Make Up Remover

I use a very cheap, all-natural eye-make up remover: Olive Oil!
I LOVE olive oil for more than just  cooking. It's great for your hair too. When I need a little shine, I'll rub just a little on my palms and lightly rub my hands down the "canopy" of my head!
I especially love olive oil for an eye make up remover because it works amazingly! I mean amazingly! Just a tiny drop on a cotton ball and one swipe over the eyelids and my eyes are free of make up!
I wouldn't recommend this if you have oily skin, naturally. But those who have normal/combination or dry skin this might be a nice, alternative to a store bought, chemical laden remover!

Friday, February 3, 2012

Favorite Hymns & Hymnists: Praise Him, Praise Him

It seems like all my very favorite hymns are written by the same lady, Fanny Crosby! (Read more about that here!)
I was thinking of the hymn: Praise Him, Praise Him!


Praise Him, praise Him—Jesus, our blessed Redeemer,
Sing, O earth, His wonderful love proclaim.
Hail Him! hail Him! highest archangels in glory;
Strength and honor give to His holy name!
Like a shepherd, Jesus will guard His children,
In His arms He carries them all day long:
O ye saints that dwell on the mountain of Zion,
Praise Him, praise Him ever in joyful song.

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

My New Cleaning Routine

If you know me, you know I'm a messy, cluttered pack rat! I could take you into my garage right now to the microscope my parents bought me when I was in Elementary school! And, I'm sure you've heard the phrase, "Like attracts like." That's right, there's two of us living in this household and we're raising to little messy minions as we go along our way!
I've struggled with this since I grew old enough to clean up after myself, yep since I was about eighteen months old!
I've tried different cleaning and organizing plans and methods to make my efforts more efficient, but until recently, I've come to no results.
My sister's house is always impeccable. Side-note: I blame her for my filthiness! She really should not have cleaned up after me all those years growing up...she's so selfish! Her methods involve deep cleaning one room each week. This is a great method, however, if your messy like me that room is disgusting again long before one week has rolled around!
I've realized that the only method that can work for me is to clean every room, every day! That's right I clean every room everyday!
Not every element of every room needs attention every time I enter it, but if I'm in the habit of cleaning each room every day...it works. I can honestly say that I've been keeping my house cleaner than I ever have!
I'll tell you what I do, and maybe, just maybe this method will work for a kindred soul out there in cyberspace!
It's closely based on the system I blogged about here! 

I think the most important concepts I've taken away is attacking clutter head on! Clutter is much like my 15 year old nephew if left alone too long will definitely take over the world!
Another is by maintaining the house everyday I keep it from needing the timely extensive cleaning!
I'm really excited about finding a method that works for me! It is even worked during Holidays!

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Tenderest Pork Chops

As a kid you would have had to wrestle me to force me to eat pork chops! But, in recent years I've come to love, love, love!pork chops!
Part of the reason I don't like pork chops is because I think that when you grill or bake them they always end just a little tough. For at least four years I've only prepared my pork chops in the slow cooker. The results are always super tender, moist and amazingly delicious pork chops!
Here it is ready to cook
Here's the recipe:
4 American Cut Pork Chops
1 Tablespoon Paprika
1 Tablespoon Minced Garlic
1 Tablespoon Onion Powder
1/4 Cup Olive Oil
1 Cup Water
1 Chicken bullion Cube
Salt & Pepper to taste

Monday, January 30, 2012

Disposable Relationships

I've recently had a conversation with my dad that got me to thinking.
I've always enjoyed an exceptionally close relationship with my brother and sisters. The only side-effect of those great relationships is that most other people in our lives have tended to be disposable. (I don't mean to offend any of my friends by saying this.)
My siblings and I tend to lose touch with anyone with whom we no longer have daily contact.
In some ways this is a good thing. We never get so attached to our friends, and this means that we'd hardly ever get hurt when we lose friends. However, being only slightly invested in our relationships makes us pretty awful friends!
Lately, I fallen under conviction for this.
"A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity." -Proverbs 17:17

In the future I would like to be the friend in this verse! I'm committing to loving my friends at all times! I want to be available at times. Just for fun times or in the darkest of times!

Friday, January 27, 2012

Better Boxed Mac & Cheese

I absolutely despise boxed Mac & Cheese!
I've been trying just about everything to improve on the simple staple. I love having it around, because, let's face it, I have small children, it's cheap and easy too! However, I must admit that I feel as if I'm committing child abuse every time I prepare it for my kids, and not just because of the nutritional value information on the back of the box!
I've tried a lot of different methods for preparation, but the latest I've tried I found to be a really cool alternative!
I prepared the noodles as ordinary.
When I added the cheese flavoring to the pot, I didn't add any milk or butter. Instead, I used about 2 tablespoons of Mayonnaise. Then I added in one slice of velveeta. (I know the nutritional value just keeps getting better.)
It tasted really creamy. I liked the effect and my hubby gave it 2 thumbs up!

Homemade Hairspray! (Bonus Make-Up Sealer!)

I've read plenty about making homemade, citrus hairspray in my "curly hair research." I've put off trying this, because I've found a spray that's water-soluble and can hold up in a hurricane...Rave, believe it or not!
Now, I have a little secret to share. When I finish my hair each morning I spritz the hairspray all over my head including on my face. I've read online that this makes a great make-up sealant. I've been doing this for around a week or two and I'm very happy with the results!
When I decided yesterday to make homemade hairspray the poor recipe had to hold up to two expectations, poor thing!
I'll share the recipe with you now:
1 Orange
2 Cups of Water
Sugar (Optional it increases the hold)
1/4 Cup Alcohol (OPTIONAL!!!) This is a preservative!
5 drops Lavender Essential Oil (OPTIONAL)

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Yummy Burger Seasoning

I adapted this from a recipe I found on AllRecipes.Com:
I needed to come up with a meal that was quick, delicious and could feed numerous people with a low cost. I decided to make gourmet sliders. I made the buns myself, but I wasn’t happy with the results. They tasted fine, but they were more like a biscuit than a bun, so, I won’t bore you with those details. 
However, the burger themselves tasted awesome, and smelled even better! I’m one of those nutty people who think that a food can only taste good if my whole house smells good while making it!
I mixed one pound of ground beef with about a quarter cup bread crumbs, one egg, one packet dry gravy mix, one packet French onion soup mix, and one packet dry Italian dressing mix. The result was scrumptiously yummy burgers. Instead of topping them with American cheese I topped them with a shredded Italian cheese blend. 
Hope you get a chance to try them, and you enjoy them as much as we did.
I don’t have a photo, because we ate them before I decided to blog about them, sorry!

Superbowl 2012

If you're from Central Indiana like me, then you're probably still licking your wounds over the 2-14 season we endured this year. I know that when most Colts fans discovered that the Superbowl would be held in Indianapolis in 2012 we held a secret wish that we would watch our beloved team win a home Championship!
However, that dream has died. Fortunately, the city is still so excited for all the Super activities that have been planned!
If you're in the area, here's a link for you to check out that will give you more information:
Super Bowl 2012
I'm pretty sure that my husband is going to have to zipline over the Superbowl Village! I mean, how often do you get the opportunity to fly across a crowded city street.

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

My God is So BIG!

Lately my 3 year old has been determined to teach the song, My God is So Big to my 1 year old. It's so cute to hear her sing it and her sister yell, "BIG!" at all the right spots in the song. But, I must admit that I am starting to realize what an awesome, doctrinal truth that song holds.
Today just think about the fact that you serve a God who is BIG! He's strong & mighty, and there isn't anything He can't accomplish! He created this complex universe! We never have anything to fear. We never have any reason to fret! Because, My God is So BIG!

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

A Letter to Mr. Irsay

"I think the situation is if he's back and he's healthy, I see him coming back and playing here," Irsay said just before the start of Thursday night's game. "I think the hope is that his health is in the position where he could return again. That remains uncertain and that's something that's first and foremost on my mind."
-To read the complete article quoted above click here.

Dear Mr. Irsay,
I can respect the position in which you currently find yourself. But, I feel the need to tell you the position of Central Indiana. Perhaps, I should begin by acquainting you with your fan base. (Though I'm surprised you haven't realized this since your move here in the 80's.) \
Indiana fans are fiercely loyal. How else can you explain the love affair this state has had with Bobby Knight? You see, he was their coach, and they love him still today.
We're not big fans of change, this is why we had to be dragged into Daylight Savings Time, and some of us, myself included, are still kicking and screaming about it. We as a people tend to believe the old adage, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!" I'm not implying that a 2-14 record isn't in need of fixing, just that some aspects your team, "ain't broke." To name a few: Reggie Wayne, Jeff Saturday, Pat McAfee, Dallas Clark, and Peyton Manning.

Friday, January 20, 2012

Queen of Baby Gadgets: SippiGrip

Our oldest daughter has definitely inherited her mother's clumsiness, and with said clumsiness has come many dropped sippy cups! At first it was so frustrating, but then we purchased BooGinHead Sippigrips. They cost less than $6 at a local baby store. (Our girls wwouldn't take them, but you can buy matching pacistraps too.)
This is a product that I give a thousand thumbs up. If you sew you could probably make a similar product very easily. It's simply a strap, one end straps with velcro to the high chair, stroller, car seat or whatever, and the other straps around the cup itself. (It has a grippy material on the back side which helps it to hold to the cup.)
I now own three of them. I keep one in the diaper bag, one on the high chair and one in a drawer for when I'm washing one of the others.
Great product and totally worth the price!

Superior Customer Service!


Me sporting the carrier and
backpack at the Pumpkin Patch! 
I've been intending to blog about my ErgoBaby Carrier as it is the best of my baby gadgets! (I was actually saving it for later because I wanted to build up to it!) I'll save the details for that post, but, as I've already stated, out of my many baby gadgets the Ergo tops them all. It is my absolute favorite gadget! It's convenient, comfortable, and at least I think, it's much prettier than other baby carriers!
I've bought a few accessories for my baby carrier the backpack and the front pouch. I've loved both of these products at a level equivalent to the carrier itself (and yes, I know, when I love something I really love it!)
Anyway, to the purpose of this post:
Today at around 1 pm the shoulder strap to my front pouch was involved in a tragic accident and was broken! This of course was a great tragedy!
Big Girl on Daddy's Back at
Turkey Run State Park
I went on to the ErgoBaby site hoping it would be listed as an item available for purchase, but alas it was not. So I emailed the company at around 2:30 or 3pm. At around 5:15 I received an email from their customer service asking for my address, and before 6:30 I received an email letting me know my package had been shipped! Isn't that great customer service? You don't see that very often in this age of online shopping and mega chains.

Updated 1/26/12:
I should note that this post was written on a Friday and I received my replacement strap in the mail on Monday. Not only that from the shipment tracking information it seemed that the package came from Hawaii!!! How awesome is that?!

Thursday, January 19, 2012

A Strong Hold




"The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him." -Nahum 1:7

This verse was my grandma's life verse. My grandma not only loved this verse, she clung to it, completely believing the truth that it holds. I can assure you that in her eighty-seven years on this earth my grandma experienced plenty a "day of trouble."
My grandparents during WWII
I'm thankful for the lovely example the Lord provided me in my grandma. My grandmother suffered a stroke when I was young, but made a wonderful recovery. She wasn't quite the same and wasn't able to do nearly as much, but she was able to live a fairly normal life for many years. But, when I was sixteen or seventeen she suffered another stroke. She ended up in a nursing home and over the course of a few years would have many "mini-strokes." Most of the time she was my normal, sweet spirited, fun grandma. There were times, after a "mini-stroke" when she would become a little incoherent and I'll admit, it was a little frightening to me. She didn't really know what was happening around her, but I remember her calling out to the Lord!

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Why Wait?

In June I wrote a post called, "His Way." In it I talked about a time in my life in which I was in a holding pattern. I've been thinking about that a little bit more lately.
I read something today in which waiting on the Lord was presented as a bad thing, laziness, in fact. The truth is that if we don't wait for the Lord before we act we can cause huge damage to our lives and the lives of others.
In the post I'd written in June I talked about how God had me in a position where I knew my life could not move forward. I knew that I was heading no where. To tell the truth most of my friends were starting to seriously date and meet those men who would become their husbands. I was a little lonely, and I wanted to enjoy the happiness that they were. I would never have admitted it at the time, but there you go, the truth at last.

Sunday, January 15, 2012

To Every Action…

…there is an equal and opposite reaction.
We’ve heard it many times haven’t we? We had to learn it in school. We know it to be true. We see it in nature and the world in general.
So, the question I’m asking you what is your reaction to the grace of God?
We’ve all been the recipients of unspeakable and unimaginable grace, and yet, we do not all have an equal reaction to it. Some “accept” this gift of grace, but take it for granted, they live their life as if they’d never been given something so wonderful and precious. They live how they want to live. They claim the name of Christ, but lack sincerity.
There are those that openly reject this gift. They don’t see it’s worth and deny that could have any. They are angry toward the gift & the giver for the presumption that He would deem them in need of such grace.
There are few that realize the precious gem that the grace truly is. They react with an equal reaction: Complete surrender!
The only equal reaction to God’s love and the sacrifice of His Son is to give your life completely to Him. To lay aside YOUR plan for your life and to gladly accept HIS leadership of it!