going greener...

For an effective glass cleaner, use a mixture of half white vinegar and half water.

Happy Birthday Papa!

Here is an easy/ no bake, no effort- summer desert.
Ric and Holly came over this weekend and we enjoyed it after dinner and I also used it for a birthday cake for my grandpa!
It’s strawberry short cake!

Recipe:
Buy the cake
cut up the strawberries
serve on a fancy plate…and your ready to go! See easy huh!? :)

I love church!

I know this probably sounds corny but I love church! I feel like every Sunday night I walk away revived, refreshed, reminded and renewed! I feel like what God really intended “church” to be I get to experience every week; a time to remember, a time to be still, a time to be silent, a time to celebrate, a time to make noise to the Lord, and a time to fellowship with other believers. I never get tired of that Sunday moment and I never get tired of hearing that message. I know that it isn’t “church,” its all about my relationship with Christ, but I’m so thankful for church just for that reason- it strengthens my relationship with Jesus!

my standard of beauty...

I've heard it said that "Your spouse should be your standard of beauty!"

This picture reminds me of my husband...

He's the special flower in the mix of all the others.

Jesus is Lord, and money is not.

In the bible there are 500 verses on prayer, less than 500 verses on faith, but more than 2,000 verses on money and possessions.

There is no doubt about why we say that getting serious about loving Jesus will always involve getting serious about what we do with money.

go green!

Go green and save energy by unplugging things not being used! For an example: your cell phone charger, the toaster, or even a light/fan that you don't use often.

here is our King!

At Fuel ( our high school's Wednesday corporate night meetings ) a few weeks ago we talked about the song Here is Our King. by: David Crowder. This verse in the song has an amazing reality of what it is going to be like when Jesus comes back to get his people. The songs says, "The ocean, is growing, the tide is coming, here it is!" The ocean is a picture of Christ coming back (which is like the tsunami) and after the tide comes in and the water drawls back into the ocean- this is the picture of Christ coming and then returning to where he came from (Heaven) and then he takes his people back with him. Then the destruction and disaster from the impact is the picture of what is going to be left here on the earth. Everything meaningless wiped away. What a great picture of his promise to return and rescue us! I don't know about you, but I can't wait for that day we can say.. Here is Our King!

"Here is Our King, Here is Our Love, Here is Our God, he's come to bring us back to him, He is the One, He is Jesus!"

Ps. shout out to Crowder for the awesome lyrics!

what we're learnin...

My husband is reading this book called Humility by: C.J. Mahaney and he was sharing with me what he was learning. It was really cool. There was a quote from C.J that said "We need to stop listening to ourselves and start talking to ourselves." At first I was like.. "I don't get it?" and to be completely honest, at first it sounded like some phony "self-help" advice that I wasn't so sure about.. But then it really started making sense! Think about it.. in the morning when we wake up, we are normally getting ready while quietly thinking to ourselves. We begin to talk silently to ourselves about the day, how we feel, etc. And what C.J is trying to say is that those are the times when we should be talking to ourselves; reminding ourselves of the promises of God, of scripture from the Word, and of the truth. Therefore our minds are in the right place and our time is being used wisely as we are worshiping God with every breath we take.

refreshing & fruity

Refreshing Summer Salad!

Its really easy, all you need is:

Romain lettuce
baby peppers (red, orange and yellow)
an organic apple,
already sliced pineapple,
and some turkey!

Combine all ingredients- then add to each individual plate one teaspoon of olive oil and one teaspoon of vinaigrette, a little bash of basil and garlic powder, salt and pepper- and your ready to eat!

feel small?

"All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flowers of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever." - 1st Peter 1:24-25

organizing tip!

Tip: A wonderful way to keep organized, a secret my mom always did, and something that I now can't imagine not doing is...color coordinating your closet! (I honestly don't know how people do without!)

afternoon nap...

Let this be the example!

I think we forget how much are bodies NEED rest.

Life is so "go, go, go..." Our bodies give us wonderful reminders that we are not God, therefore it is okay to slow down and take an afternoon nap!

"He who watches over you will not slumber..neither slumber nor sleep." -Psalm 121

Conclusion : He is God and we are NOT.

get out in the sun!

Sunlight and Vitamin D

We get Vitamin D from foods such as milk, but the best source to get the vitamin D your body needs is from the sun.

Research says that: "Direct sunlight is the fastest way of recharging the body cells with Vitamin D - one of the body's most powerful anti-oxidants in helping to maintain its alkaline design."
We are blessed by the Summer sunshine!

love-n-fellowship!

We weren't made to do life alone. Fellowship with the body of Christ is so important! We need to be apart of others lives and we need to allow others to be apart of ours!

all the earth will sing...

We sang “Glory in the highest” at church this Sunday and I was reminded that even If we choose not to worship God- the rocks would cry out in praise to Him. (Luke 10:40)

happy cooking!

Ok.. so according to Oprah, this burger is "the best turkey burger in the entire world!"

Sometimes during the day I need a little break-that break is usually needed around 3:00pm- I can usually get a good amount of things accomplish by that time, and then I have about two hours to rest and freshen up for the arrival of my husbands homecoming! ( that is if its a day out of the week that he can come home before ministry. ) Anyway, due to the fact that we only have 4 t.v channels, I have the blessing to watch what is going on in the world through 3 t.v "the place with more stuff." :)

I'm excited to try the new recipe.. here it is so you can try it with me!
- Happy cooking!

INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup scallions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup celery, finely chopped
3 Granny Smith apples, peeled and diced
1/8 cup canola oil
4 pounds ground turkey breast
2 Tbsp. salt
1 Tbsp. black pepper
2 tsp. chipotle Tabasco™
1 lemon, juice and grated zest
1/2 bunch parsley, finely chopped
1/4 cup Major Grey's Chutney, pureed

Sauté the scallions, celery and apples in the canola oil until tender. Let cool. Place the ground turkey in a large mixing bowl. Add sautéed items and the remaining ingredients. Shape into eight 8-ounce burgers. Refrigerate for 2 hours. Season the turkey burgers with salt and pepper. Place on a preheated, lightly oiled grill. Grill each side for 7 minutes until meat is thoroughly cooked. Let sit for 5 minutes. Serve with a side of Mar-a-Lago Pear Chutney and your favorite toasted bread, pita or hamburger roll.

marriage bliss!

its the little things that make marriage bliss!

grocery shopping with my hubby
saturday morning coffee dates
having the first words I hear waking up as "good-morning lovely"
swimming in our community pool on hot summer days
hearing Joel practice his vocal warm-ups
doing sit-up routines in the living room together
driving Joel to work everyday

sharing a peanut butter paradise protein smoothie from tropical smoothie cafe'

Sheepishly Sheep!

'really woolly!'I have been focusing on how dead on the illustration in the bible is about the shepherd and his sheep. How the sheep follow his command and the shepherd tends and loves his flock.

The sheep hear his voice, and follow him!
I find it so beautiful that I am a sheep ( a dirty, helpless, unable to do it on my own sheep ) but not just any old sheep, a sheep of The Shepherd who leads me and calls me by name.

The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them…the sheep follow him and they know his voice. - John 10:3-4

You do not believe because you are not part of my flock. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. - John 10:26-27

Ps. Whoever made ‘Really Woolly’ is my favorite!!!