recipe exchange

Hello there friends and family. Since my stove/oven is now working, I'm excited to start cooking again....especially since the weather has cooled off and I won't die of the heat in my house now :) Anyway, I'm looking for some recipe ideas. If you don't mind sharing, I'd love to hear of your favorite meal, snack, or baked goodie and get the recipe from you! I'm kinda of a picky eater, so no meatloaf, veggies, or fish please! heehee :) Other than that, you're pretty safe. You can leave your recipe in the comments section or if you have my email you can send it there.

Since we're sharing, here's a recipe that's easy and tastes good...and I love making:

From: Campbell's Kitchen
Prep: 5 minutes
Bake: 45 minutes
Serves: 4
1 can Campbell's Cream of Chicken Soup
1 cup water
3/4 cup uncooked regular white rice
1/4 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
(you can also add 1 cup cheddar cheese to the top when done baking...its real good)
Directions:
Mix soup, water, rice, paprika and black pepper in 2-qt. shallow baking dish. Top with chicken. Season with additional paprika and pepper. Cover.
Bake at 375°F. 45 min. or until done.

Thanks for sharing, I look forward to trying out your favorite recipes!

christmas at the sideboard

This cute little store in downtown Upland called The Sideboard was having their Christmas Open House tonight (my dear friend Judi is one of the owners). The party was fun! There were carolers outside singing, a table full of goodies, lots to see in the store with beautiful christmas trees all decked out, and lots of friends to visit with. It was a very nice time. Annie came with me and we had fun taking pictures with Santa Claus too. If you're in the area, you should check out this store. It is so cute!!!
Anyway, Merry Christmas in November!!! :) I still can't believe how early Christmas stuff gets put into stores nowadays. Its not even Thanksgiving yet! Oh well. :)

at one with nature...

JOSHUA TREE
I just love being out in nature and enjoying God's creation!
{If you have a few minutes, read through Genesis 1}

Its so nice getting away from the city and being out in the middle of nowhere and just being at peace with everything...no stress, no hussle and bussle, no mindless tv shows or my addiction to netflix...well, you get the idea. For some reason, being outside and in nature is so refreshing and rejuvinating! Even for a day or two, you feel like you've had this time away, like a mini vacation, and its just the little boost you need to get you ready for more of daily life.

Today I decided to hit the road and go somewhere new...somewhere I've never visted before. So I made my way to Joshua Tree. While there, I took the time to capture some of the beauty I saw though my lens. Nature and Landscape are so inspiring to me, my favorite things to photograph. Here's a small glimpse of what my body and soul enjoyed out in nature this weekend {but to truly appreciate it, you need to go yourself}...
I hope you can get out of town soon, travel somewhere new, accomplish a goal, make a dream come true...do whatever it is you've been wanting to do for some time now. If you don't make it happen, who will? So get off your booty and go! Live like there's no tomorrow! And don't forget to thank God for the life you've been given, the beauty you see all around you, the wind in your hair, the sun on your face, the wonderful smells that surround you {simple smells like fresh cut grass, the salty ocean air, food grill'n on the bbq, a campfire, the scent rain leaves behind, the flowers growing around you}...
We are so lucky to have this time here on earth, let's use it to praise God for ALL He has created and all we have been blessed with!
"Shout to the Lord, all the earth, Let us sing
Power and majesty, praise to the King;
Mountains bow down and the seas will roar
At the sound of Your name.
I sing for joy at the work of Your hands,
Forever I'll love You, forever I'll stand,
Nothing compares to the promise I have in You."

sent to me by a dear friend....

The Day After
Pray for Our President and Our Nation

November 5, 2008

Whether you voted for Barack Obama or John McCain, whether you're recovering from your all-night celebration or drying the tears from your pillow, today's a good day to remember the words of the apostle Paul: "I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness" (1 Timothy 2:1-3).

And the new President will surely need our prayers because he and his administration face huge, serious challenges to the health of our nation and to peace in the world—challenges that, in my opinion, neither he nor any government on earth will have the power to overcome without divine aid.

How has America come to this point? Why is our economy on the brink of disaster? Why is our culture so utterly depraved?

I can only think of what Alexandr Solzhenitsyn said about the catastrophic consequences of the Russian revolution. "I recall," he said, "hearing a number of older people offer the following explanation for the great disasters that had befallen Russia: Men have forgotten God; that's why all this has happened."

Solzhenitsyn was right. Indeed, I can't find any better explanation for why we Americans find ourselves in the state we are in. We have forgotten God.

We have also forgotten that American democracy—indeed Western Civilization itself—is the product of the Judeo-Christian understanding of God and humanity. Without that revelation that man is created in the image of God, our founders never would have recognized the unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Indeed, as I and others like Rodney Stark have argued, modern science and education, liberal democracy, capitalism flourished in Western civilization precisely because of the Judeo-Christian worldview.

The attacks on Christianity these days are only going to intensify in the months ahead. But we must press on all the more to make a winsome witness. Those who would banish Christianity from American life are risking the very survival of American society.

Friends have asked me whether this economic crisis is God's judgment upon us. I don't know.

As I've re-read the Old Testament prophets recently, I couldn't help but notice the recurring theme: The people of God turned away from Him and worshipped false idols. The result was always disaster.

Is God responsible for credit markets collapsing around the world? No. We're responsible. Because instead of worshiping God, we've worshipped false idols of the marketplace, credit card companies and cheap mortgages. We've put our own appetites over our duties to God and neighbor.

So this is no time for Christians to go into the bunkers. No time to wail or moan over our retirement plans. This is a time to repent, to pray more, to give more. It's a time for Christians to lead, encourage, and minister to a faltering country in a faltering economy.

This is a time for the Church to get serious about Christian discipleship. Enough cheap grace.

So pray for the new President and his administration. But most of all, my brothers and sisters, this is a time to love our neighbors and to hunger for God and His righteousness.

Chuck Colson – Prison Fellowship

I VOTED!

I VOTED!!! :)
Did you???
JOHN MCCAIN!!!
Well, now all we can do is PRAY! I hope all of you voted today for our new President! EVERY VOTE COUNTS!!!! I'm a little scared to think of what might happen if the wrong person gets voted in. But being scared and fearful is wrong. I know that God has everything in control and we need to trust that His Will will be done. Only He knows the big picture...we just need to have faith. The testing of our faith produces endurance! Lets take these trials and hard times and use them for His glory! God's name seems to be dwindling in our country...so we need to work harder to make Him known! Nows the time to fight for our faith, our country, our values....and God!

I wrote my old Pastor this week

Jim Piper

and this is a small part of what he said to me:
I'm glad to hear of your desire to follow the Lord more closely... it is a crazy world getting crazier and our faith is coming under pressure causing doubts and difficulties... I too have struggled from time-to-time but when all is said and done... is there a crazier yet more real story to base one's life than on God incarnate?

Every VOTE Counts

PLEASE VOTE TOMORROW!!!
Do we really want our morals to be so deteriorated that the United States will be nothing in the world? I just got done watching the Left Behind series and its scares me thinking of how our world is getting worse and worse....who knows what will happen if the wrong person gets too much power!

A dear friends said this to me the other day....
"Even with the No on Prop 8 the people are saying that “who are we to deny them happiness” this is a scary comment that I believe will come back to bite everyone. What about the child molester, or the man who wants to be with a teenager, the rapist, the murderer??? What they do seem right in their eyes? And who are we to deny them their happiness? You watch, our country's morals will seriously decline if 8 don’t pass."
* Vote YES on Prop 8 *

If you continue to live in sin,
eventually it doesn’t seem like sin anymore.
Now that's SAD.

OUCH!!!

Don't you just hate it when you stub your toe????
I was walking towards the bedroom and stubbed my little toe on the floor heater. It was being looked at a few days ago, to get the pilot light turned on...and it wasn't able to get working at the time. So it was left kinda taken apart. Well, I forgot and walked right into it. It was so painful...you know the kind of pain where it hurts so bad you feel like screaming but nothing comes out? That kind! After about 30 seconds of silent scream, I took a gasp of breath and the real LOUD scream came out (along with a few words that shouldn't have - sorry!) and I was squeezing my foot trying to take the pain away...which, I think it made it worse. Oh, the agony! I will walk more carefully next time!

Look at my poor bruised toe...
(sorry for the ugly foot...I'm in dire need of a pedicure!)

9 Years Later...

Saturday night I had a little reunion with a guy I went on a GYRAD with back a few years ago. A GYRAD is something we did in college, where your floor (in the dorm) all participated in a..."Get Your Roommate A Date" event. These nights were fun, because your roommate could set you up with anyone they wanted and you had to not only go out with them, but pay for the date. It was cool because they would most likely pick someone out for you that you wouldn't normally pick out for yourself. Sometimes it would work out, sometimes not...but its the experience that makes it great. Well, I was set up with Joe back about 9 years ago! I didn't know him at all, and he didn't even go to our school. So it was a little awkward at the time, I think I was pretty quiet and not so chatty (so he says). BUT, we had a fun night! We did a picture scavenger hunt where you had to go all over town and take pictures doing certain things....like on a fire truck, getting a receipt at the ATM, playing golf, etc. Super fun! I have a million pictures from that night. Anyway, Joe and I reconnected on fabulous FACEBOOK. We decided to meet up after all these years (keep in mind, the only time I have ever seen him was that one date). So I drove out to Sunset Beach with my friend Carissa and we hung out at Taco Surf where he was working as the bartender (one of his many jobs). It was a bit hard to "catch up" with each other over the loud band and music, but we managed. Once Taco Surf was closing, Carissa and I headed next door to this dive bar with a few locals while waiting for Joe to close up. Once he got there, he and I continued chatting till about 3am. Oh, there was a fight in there sometime...some sailor didn't leave a tip and some locals didn't like that, so a fight broke out outside! It was interesting to watch, and then the bar closed up after that. Plus, by that time we were all tired and decided it was getting late and time to head back home. We said our goodbyes and left. I didn't get home till after 4am and was so exhausted...I slept in till noon! But it was good to see Joe again...he was a super nice guy and made me laugh.