Christmas

When consumerism threatens to overtake us, and stress levels are at their highest, let's not wait until Christmas day to remember why we celebrate this season in the first place. There is one - and only one - reason for this holiday. So be still for s while in the midst of the craziness, and know that He is God.

Hahahahaha

My surfer boy

Wow

One day I'll have a computer that works so I can write more on what all God's teaching me about His love. But for now, this picture from my phone can say what needs to be said...

His Amazing Grace and Love

LOVE

So I'm working at the batting cages today and my husband came to hang out with me. A dad brought in his two sons and while he was hitting with the oldest son, I caught my husband entertaining the youngest. I am blessed to have this man in my life...

GREEK

You can make fun of me all you want, but I spent a lot of Tim's roadtrips this past season watching this show. And guess what... I loved every minute of it. It's hilarious and Dale is - by far - my favorite character. Aaaannddd I kinda miss it now. Oh well... Must move on in life...

Woot!

I am not quite sure why it's taken me so long to watch this but I'm watching it today! No, I'm not a vegetarian but it's a fantastic documentary on how incorporating more whole, natural foods can completely reverse health problems.

Bored

I'm getting increasingly more bored of scrambled eggs so I'm having to get creative.

Wisdom

Wowzers

Might be the best read I've come across in a while. It takes 2 minute so give it a go...

http://www.tonygentilcore.com/blog/a-house-divided/

Improvement

After reading [what seems like] a million articles stating that plastic is the devil and is going to kill us sooner rather than later (their words, not mine. Read here http://www.wisebread.com/is-plastic-killing-us-the-true-cost-of-convenience), Tim and I have made a long term goal to eventually be plastic free. It's harder to do than you'd originally think. Plastic is EVERYWHERE; coffee pot, spatulas, water bottles, Tupperware, etc. Anyhow, we realize this can't be done overnight but we've made our first steps:

We also got a Brita filter for our sink (so we don't drink chlorine) and bought our first glass storage container (those things are definitely more expensive but hopefully will last longer. If Tim doesn't drop it of course...). Sooner or later, I'll get a glass coffee press an we're using our bamboo and stainless steel spatulas. Small steps! Anyways. I'm outta here.

Inspiration

I'm stocking our fridge to look like this...

< br>

In hopes it'll help me look like this...

HA!

Oh Boy

Winter came a little early this year to Boston! 4-8 inches expected tonight so I'm making some stew and laying on the couch while watching football. Cozy time!

Huh...

"By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the army had marched around them for seven days. By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient. And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. Women received back their dead, raised to life again. There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection. Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground. These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect." (Hebrews 11:30-40 NIV)

That'll teach me to complain about my "problems".

Redemption

"“Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Romans 12:1-2

I've read this verse plenty. But I have been asking God to show me where he wants me to serve up here and when I saw the last part of this verse it hit me - I can't clearly discern his will until I offer my whole body as a spiritual act of worship.

"Then Jesus said to his disciples, 'Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.'" (Matthew 16:24 NIV)

Or try this one...

"Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies." (1 Corinthians 6:19, 20 NIV)

God bought me with his Son' life. He loved and cared enough for me that he sent his Son to his death and I can't hand over my struggles to him?

He has a plan and a purpose for my life and I need to offer ALL of me to him so that he can work on perfecting me to his will.

I'm not just talking about what foods I put in my mouth - though I'm convicted that's a large part of it. I'm talking about the way I handle anger when it rises up in me, the way I respond when I want to be lazy, the way I treat people I come in contact with on a daily basis. This is all part of giving my entire body as a living sacrifice.

I'll tell you... I'm 100% convinced that even when I was living my life away from Christ, he had his hand on me. After all he has done for me - finding living situations, jobs in every city, an amazing family, etc - the very least I can do is offer myself as a sacrifice. It's not easy. It takes effort and desire to give ourselves completely over to him. But I try. It's an uphill battle every day. But I know it's worth it for God to be able to complete his works in my life.

Whoah.

I'm not sure if I've somehow managed to completely skip these verses every time I've read through Hebrews, or if they simply mean something different to me now but I thought I'd share.

When I read these verses this morning I was slightly blown away. These are in the NIV translation.

"Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. (Hebrews 4:14-16 NIV)"

I'm not a huge fan of The Message translation but for these verses, I really like it's summary of it:

"Now that we know what we have-Jesus, this great High Priest with ready access to God-let's not let it slip through our fingers. We don't have a priest who is out of touch with our reality. He's been through weakness and testing, experienced it all-all but the sin. So let's walk right up to him and get what he is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help." (Hebrews 4:14-16 MSG)

What a great way to start of the day huh?? It's going to be a fantastic one!

Perfection

Mission Field

I've been doing a study called "Life in the Spirit" by Robertson McQuilkin. Granted, it's a little old as far as studies go (Copyright 1997?!). And yea, it's a LifeWay Press study (I don't necessarily always like them). But I'm actually really enjoying it so far.

Anyhow, the point of this post is to ask for your prayers. God has really been revealing to me lately that we are not here in Boston to work out. We could do that at home. We're here because He's led us here and He has us here for a reason. This is our mission field.

There's a song by Kutless called "Changing World". I feel like they wrote the song just for me! The whole thing is amazing but this is the part that always catches my attention: "I need to let go of my destiny. I need to trust in things unseen" Our lives are not ours to control. There's someone else who's directing our steps.

Knowing this, I'd like your prayers in asking God to reveal to us where He wants us and give us the boldness and wisdom to do what needs to be done. This is not an accident. We originally came up here knowing no one and having nowhere to live. God provided. We know this is where He wants us. Know we want to know our next step. Your prayers are appreciated.

Miss and love you all. :)

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things

This is the view off our back porch. Isn't it cute?? There's a little stream that runs not 5 yards from our back door. When we leave the door open, you can hear the stream running and it makes me want to go to sleep all the time. Next piece of news... Meet this guy:

l This is, apparently, my new friend. 2 days Tim found a tick on me. We both freaked (you would too if you had legs sticking out of you!!!) and tried to pluck it off before we Googled how to handle the situation. 'Ol Tick was in there pretty good and Tim got the body out but the head is still stuck. "Ewwww" I know. I don't need you to tell me it's gross. It creeps me out on a minute by minute basis that I have a head stuck in my back. No worries people. I'm a clean person. The family I babysit for lives in the middle of the woods and I have to walk their dog. The doc says I should be fine. Hopefully... Anyways. I have some funny videos for you as soon as I figure out how to upload them from my phone. My computer is so slow I don't even like to turn it on. Adios Amigos.

Ahhh

The leaves are starting to change and the air is definitely cool. There's nothing quite like fall in Boston.

Ahhh

It's great to be back.

We're Heeere.

So we made it. Actually, Tim's been here 2 weeks and I've been here a week but I've just been too busy getting settled in to update. We left Raleigh, went to ATL to visit the Gus family, then headed over to Bama to visit the Osbornes. Long story short: we're here and we're settled in. I passed by Laura and Cody's old house...

Which just made me sad. Glad for them... sad for us. Boston won't be the same without them this year. None the less, we're enjoying a lazy Sunday watching football. Trying to keep all the windows open until the brutal MA winter forces us to close them. Hope everyone is well and I'll get better at updating. Oh. And I just want to let you all in on a little challenge I have with my lovely husband. I'm working out at the same place he is and I've bet him that by the end of the off season, I'll be pound for pound stronger than he is. Think I can do it?!? We'll see!!!

Morning Study

He must become greater; I must become less." (John 3:30 NIV)

ABSOLUTELY

The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." (Romans 8:15 NIV)

Babysitting

Tim and I got to watch this cutie last night!

He's a big roly poly. So cute!

So long. Farewell. Aufwiedersehn.

Goodbye Mudcats.

A Thought

Someone should really invent an entire room of furnishings that's blow-up. Then you could fold it all down and put it in a tubberware.

Another Day, Another Dollar.

Welp. Here we are again. The close of yet another baseball season. The car's packed and we're roughly 20 hours away from heading out of Raleigh, NC for good. Even if we're with the same team next year, they're moving to Pensacola so we won't be here. This team and this experience has been wonderful. The people we've met, the lessons we've learned - it's all added up to quite an exciting chapter in our book. The difference between this off season and the previous ones is that Tim's a free agent this year. What does that mean? Well, it requires more trust on our part. It's a little scary. But looking back over our time together, God has not once failed us. We've always been sheltered, blessed with jobs, full stomachs, and have been able to be together. We couldn't ask for anything more. Yes. It's definitely unconventional. But who's to say what normal is anyways? I love my life and wouldn't trade it for the world. So knowing that God is our provider, it's time to dig a little deeper for faith that He will, once again, provide. So, goodbye apartment 107. We're turning the page in this story of life...

Oh the Places You'll Go!

I was just sitting here thinking about where all we've been blessed to travel. So, I thought I'd do a "so-far-summary". Since Tim and I have been together, these are the places we've lived in no particular order: -Orlando, FL - Myrtle Beach, SC - Rome, GA - Lawrenceville, GA - Jackson, MS - Boston, MA - Raleigh, SC. ---- I'd say that's quite a fun ride for just a few years! Looking forward to many more years and fun adventures!

All Packed Up!

Now what?

Dance Party!

Just in case any of you were wondering how Bleier and I spend our nights while Tim's away, I'm going to let you in on the secret. We're currently holding a dance party to our very own Journey Sing-A-Long time. AND to honor the great band that coined that phrase, we're dancing to Journey songs sung by none other than The Velcroe Pygmies. Be jealous. Or have your own dance party. Either one.

Oh wow

We're the green pin. Winds so strong, Bleier can't walk straight. Praying for the families on the coast.

Dum, dum, dum, DUUUMMMM....

YONANAS. This is the only thing I want for Christmas. If I had a sweet, wonderful, loving, amazing, handsome, husband OH WAIT!! I do!!! Ahem... AHEM!!!!! Tiiiimmoooottthhhyyyyyyy..... I mean come on! It turns fruit into ice cream with just fruit! You can't deny me my own personal magic right? Riiigghhhttt???? (enter sweet, smiling, angelic face here)

Oh, oh, it's MAGIC. You knooow...

Guess what that is... I'll tell ya. It's 8 shirts and 4 pair of pants, my first ever Space Bag, AND -I'm convinced- magic. Why have I never used these before?!

IT'S ABOUT FLIPPN TIME!

Looky Looky at what I'm watching! :) So glad football came back to visit me. It's been so long since I've watched a sport that's not baseball, I almost forgot what it was like...

Greek

Dale: I'll point you to Matthew where it tells us a sign of the end times is Satan impersonating an angel of light. So... It's up to you Rusty. What do you want to be? Satan? Or an angel of light? --- Rusty: Whatever gets me served in Myrtle Beach, Dale. --- Dale: Well, that'd be Satan. Satan lives in Myrtle Beach.

Playtime!

I think she wants to play... TIM!

***Sound of Angels Singing***

I have been wanting these forever and I finally got them! Brita filter water bottles.

A Treat

Sometimes, I just like to feel fancy.

untitled

(via letsmakeahealthiertomorrow)

Good Grief.

This is what's wrong with people. It's called LAZY. Whatever happened to hard work and determination? If you want to lose weight, I've got a crazy idea... Get off your lazy arse and WORK! But then again, that's apparently too much to ask. What are we teaching our children?...

Fun!

Guess what we just did!!!

Hmmm

Something's not right here...

De-freaking-licious.

Healthy and yummy whole wheat strawberry shortcake. Recipe will follow later. Right now, I'm going to enjoy my dessert!

Beautiful

“One thing God has spoken, two things have I heard: that you, O God, are strong, and that you, O Lord, are loving.” Psalm 62:11

Quote

“Faith never knows where it is being led, but loves and knows the One who is leading.” - Oswald Chambers

Good Grief.

So I still can't get over just how delicious my "peanut butter milkshake" was the other day. I've never tasted something that's so healthy that tastes like it's so bad for you. So tonight, I kicked it up a notch. Again, I didn't measure but I blended just a little bit o the following: whole wheat flour, organic oats, vanilla, agave nectar, and spoonful of almond butter. Rolled them into balls and froze. Then, I made my "milkshake" from the other day and blended two balls into it. I then crumbled two more balls on top. I couldn't even eat the whole thing it was so rich and delicious!!! I suggest you give it a try! ;)

Apparently...

I'm on a foodie kick lately. The problem is that my mom came to visit and brought me buttloads of fruit and veggies and I need to use them before they go bad. So I made a peach crumble. I didn't really measure anything but here's the gist of it:

Peaches (peeled and sliced)

Agave nectar

Organic oats

Raw honey

Whole wheat flour

Cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350.

Put peaches in pan and mix with desired amount of cinnamon and honey for taste.

Mix oats, flour, and cinnamon. Add desired amount of agave nectar and honey until crumbly. Spread on top of peaches and bake for 30-40 minutes. Enjoy!

Raindrops Keep Falling...

This is today. So my plans include eating soup, making peach crumble, and watching movies.

Trouble TV

I really think I'd like the Perfect Meatloaf Maker. How sad is that?? I don't even eat meatloaf. This is what happens when Tim leaves. I watch too many infomercials.

"Peanut Butter Milkshake"

Oh wow. Lately, I've been really craving a peanut butter milkshake. So today, I set out to make one. There is a slight catch. There's no milk, peanut butter, or ice cream in this.

Here's the recipe:

2 frozen bananas
3 heaping spoons of organic almond butter
Dash of almond milk

That's it!Put in a blender and be amazed at how satisfying this healthy snack is.
Nom nom!

Yum, Yum, YUM!!!!!

Just wanted to share my favorite cookie recipe with you guys! I found it while we were living in Boston and have been using it to crave my sweet tooth ever since. :) I tweaked the recipe to make it healthier but for those of you who refuse to come over to the healthy side (AHEM, Mam...) you can find the original recipe here.

I know, I know. You're jealous of my Dollar Tree pink plates aren't you? Yeah, well, not everyone can be as lucky as I am. Moving on...

Here's the recipe...

1/2 cup organic brown sugar
1/2 cup agave nectar
1 egg
1 tsp organic vanilla
1 TBL almond milk
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional)
a dash of nutmeg (optional)

whatever add-ins you want (FYI, Trader Joes' organic baking chocolate disks are YUMMZZZ)

Mix wet ingredients together until smooth, then add dry. Cook at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes, then ENJOY!!!

YUM, YUM, YUMMMZZZZZ.

Delish.

TOO FREAKING CUTE.

You have GOT to watch this video. It's the mini Warbler! Of course it's even cuter if you're a Glee fan but it's adorable no matter what! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8FCP0ZoZiA&feature=youtube_gdata_player

The Help

I just got finished reading "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett. If you haven't read it, I recommend that you do. I cried and laughed out loud...a lot. Anyways, the book is beautiful and has many lessons worth taking away from it but here are some of my favorite quotes:

"You is kind. You is smart. You is important."

"Wasn't that the point of the book? For women to realize, We are just two people. Not that much separates us. Not nearly as much as I'd thought."

"All I'm saying is, kindness don't have no boundaries."

"Ugly live up on the inside. Ugly be a hurtful, mean person."

"....I realized I actually had a choice in what I could believe."

"I want to yell so loud that Baby Girl can hear me that dirty ain't a color, disease ain't the Negro side a town. I want to stop that moment from coming--and it come in ever white child's life--when they start to think that colored folks ain't as good as whites."

So good.

On a completely different note, guess where I'll be August 12th.

Dum dum dumdum...


Yes. I. Will.

AndIDoNotCareWhatYouThink,

Just Realized

So I'm watching Cake Boss and I'm sitting here watching them make these two amazing cakes. Very realistic. But, you know what I realized? They're putting their hands ALL OVER these cakes. Remind me next time I want to eat a cake that requires shaping and sculpting, that I don't want to go there.

Ladies, We Have a Problem...

For those of you who don't know, my husband has officially turned me into a fitness blog monster. Seriously. I read probably 5-10 a day. I came across a new one today and while it's not my favorite, I found this poll on there that disturbed me. Here it is: (reference www.LeighPeele.com)

The Poll

I took it to a poll of 2000 women online. I asked the following questions…

(Participants were of college education, between 21-45, and of moderate to higher income. It included both single and married women. Some statics vary for being skipped over.)

How many times a week do you exercise?

None-23%
1-2-11%
3-4-34%
4-5-11%
5+-21%

Do you lift weights that you consider to be heavy?

Yes-21%
No-79%

Do you think that muscles on women are attractive?

No, never-41%
Sometimes, in small amounts-26%
Sometimes, depends on the body-15%
Yes, most of the time-14%
Yes, always-4%

Do you think that men like muscle on a women?

Yes-18%
No-72%

Do you think that women like muscles on other women?

Yes-13%
No-77%

Of the listed women, whose body do you like looking at the most?

Paris Hilton-12%
Angelina Jolie-19%
Jessica Alba-35%
Jessica Biel-12%
Kate Winslet-22%

Of these women who do you feel defines muscular/bulky on the terms that you are thinking for this survey?

Jessica Alba-2%
Jessica Biel-36%
Madonna-19%
Hilary Swank (Million Dollar Baby)-43%

Would you rather appear to be…

Too Thin-71%
Too Muscular-11%
Too Fat-18%

If you thought that lifting heavy weights wouldn’t make you bulky/muscular, would you lift them?

Yes-34%
No-66%

The Results


Bulky

Not Bulky

Let's address one thing first. JESSICA BIEL TIED WITH PARIS HILTON AS THE WOMAN THAT MOST FEMALES ENJOY LOOKING AT THE LEAST?!?!? That, in and of itself is a crime.

What's disturbing, however, is that SEVENTY-ONE PERCENT of women said they'd rather look too skinny than muscular or fat. REALLY?? Too skinny? Are you aware of the fact that it's UNHEALTHY??? Geez... And we wonder why our teenage daughters have low self esteem issues. Ummm maybe it's because they're learning it from their MOTHERS.

But wait! There's more!!! 18% of women said they'd rather look too FAT than too muscular. Let's not forget: these women aren't thinking of testosterone filled body building women. This is the same group of ladies who consider Jessica Biel and Hillary Swank too bulky. Honestly ladies... don't be so obtuse. What on earth has our society come to when the majority of women would rather look too skinny or too fat than too muscular.

It's obviously an epidemic that I'll never understand.

Ohhhh-WEEEEEE

I know it's going to be a great movie when I cry during the preview. I've got to get this book.