God is good

I am so unbelievably blessed beyond measure! I started my new job this week, my first nursing job ever. I put in one application to the place where I wanted to work, and I got the job. In this economy I am more than grateful to have this opportunity. I am well aware of people out there that have been looking for jobs for a year or more. I honestly am humbled and a little nervous that the Lord would trust this to me.
I started this journey knowing full well that it was a gift given to me by God. I fully intend to honor this gift by giving it back to Him. The new company that I work for is a Christian company that does mission work, which is totally what I want to do. Short term medical missions. Another sweet, sweet blessing.
I have a lot to learn from my coworkers and supervisors because I feel like I have all of this knowledge in my head that I need to recall at a moments notice. This comes with experience, I know, but I can't help but feel very slow to do that at the moment.
So many things have shown me recently that He is in control, so I am just going to leave it to Him!

Happy Valentine's Day!

I can't believe I did this, I made an awesome Valentine snack and I only got one picture of the whole process.  I guess I was tired or something and not thinking straight.  I did make them at 11:00pm last night.  I found this recipe online the other day and HAD to try it.  All you need is a bag of bite sized pretzels, a bag or tow of Hershey's kisses or hugs, and a large bag of M&Ms.
1.  Preheat oven to 170*F.
2.  Line up the pretzels on a baking sheet.
3.  Place unwrapped Hershey's on top of pretzels.
4.  Put in the oven for 4-8 minutes or until the Hershey's can be smooshed down.  I actually got mine a little too melted, but it worked out anyway.
5.  Quickly smoosh down the Kiss or Hug with an M&M in the center.
6.  Put the baking sheet with the 'buttons' in the refrigerator until chocolate is set.  (around 10 minutes)

I used Hugs and Peanut Butter M&Ms.  They turned out great and they were SOOOOO easy!!  Next time I'll get pictures!

Creating?

I know, it has been days since I created something new, right? Well, I have been pretty busy. I just passed my NCLEX-PN and I'm now a Licensed Vocational Nurse. That is super exciting as I have been working really hard towards that goal. We have also been in the process of replacing the flooring in our house. This has been a long time coming, too. We replaced our yucky carpet with vinyl plank and i love it! We have been waiting so long to do this and it has finally paid off. Of course, we had issues with installation and our dryer quit in the middle of al of it, but it is finished. Mostly. A little touch up paint and we'll be there.

Tolerance?

So, I need an outlet for something God is working out in me.  It may be a touchy subject, but I think God's grace will cover it.  I started this journey just trying to understand why it is that some of my friends and family have appeared to reject all they have been taught about our Savior.  Let me be clear.  I don't think that God is a Republican or Democrat, left wing or right, He is God and His word speaks for Him.  I try not to get caught up in politics because I know that men/women are flawed and those that run for office (save a few) most likely have bigger problems.  I do my part and vote for the candidate that I believe holds my values and stands up for those values, I don't care which party they belong to.  Anyway, I wanted to put that out there.   This is not a political debate.  It is an outlet for what God is showing me about things I see going on around me.  There, I think I covered the preface.
In growing concern for my loved ones (I will keep names and situations out of this), I began to ask the Lord what I was missing.  Am I being a close minded person?  Am I missing something that You want to do because I don't think this mindset is healthy or right?  So, I began to pray about how to view these people and situations.  I don't like to feel judgmental, so I take these things to the Lord.  I asked God, "Are you Tolerant?"  "Lord, I remember that you hung around sinners and tax collectors.  I remember that you took up for the woman that was going to be stoned.  I remember that you still ministered to the thief while on the cross.  Am I missing something?"  The response that came next was, of course, "Look deeper."  So, I did.  I don't believe that God is tolerant at all.  I believe that God is Love.  Not in a hippy commune type of way.  You see, in every instance where Jesus hung out with sinners (which the Pharisees hated, by the way) He had called them away.  Mark 2:17 says, "On hearing this, Jesus said to them, 'It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.  I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."  He called them away from their behavior to follow Him.  It was an immediate action.  In Mark 2:14 just before the verse above, Jesus sees Levi sitting at a tax collector's booth (sinner of all sinners back then) "Follow me," Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed Him.  Wow!  That is amazing.  I really wish in all my 'righteousness' getting up and following Jesus would be so easy.  In this, He does not confront them, he plainly states, follow me.  There is no protest, there is no petition, just a simple act of faith on the part of the sinner.  Ok, let's look at another example, the Parable of the Lost Sheep. Luke 15: ¹ Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. ² But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”

 ³ Then Jesus told them this parable: ⁴ “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? ⁵ And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders ⁶ and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ ⁷ I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.  

Again, Jesus is talking about repentance.  Next, the adulterous woman. Luke 8: ³ The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group ⁴ and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. ⁵ In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” ⁶ They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.

   But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. ⁷ When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” ⁸ Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.

   ⁹ At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. ¹⁰ Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”

   ¹¹ “No one, sir,” she said.

   “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”  

What did He right in the sand?  I have no idea, but here is another example of Jesus calling the woman away from her sin.  

I will end with this passage from 1 Timothy.  I love this!   1 Timothy 1:¹² I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service. ¹³ Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. ¹⁴ The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.

 ¹⁵ Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. ¹⁶ But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life. ¹⁷ Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Wow!  What a statement!  This sinner (and we are ALL sinners) was CHANGED by Jesus!  He didn't condemn them, he didn't necessarily confront them, but He CALLED them to leave their sin and follow Him.  This sinner just happened to be Paul, formerly Saul, he did GREAT things with this sinner (after he called him away).

So, do I believe that God is tolerant of sin (any sin)?  No.  I believe that he LOVES us enough to call us away from that sin.  Do we as believers need to take it upon ourselves to call sinners out?  I don't think so.  We are called to so much more, but I believe that Jesus does the calling.  We are to share the gospel and love like He loves us.  Does this mean we should sit and dine with (unrepentant) sinners every night?  From what I see in these passages, Jesus called, then he spent time with them discipling them.  He did not take up their cause and make them feel better about who they are.  He simply loved them and guided them, then released them to do the same.  

Does this make me feel better about where my loved ones are turning, no.  It does help me know how to pray for them and to know that He will give me words and love for them.  I know it's not all the answers.  I don't pretend to know them.  I know that he still calls people out of their sin and I know that people are out there searching for things and ideals to put in place of Him.  We as believers should be Love, not Tolerant.

Just rambling now, but you can see my thought process.  This was not meant to offend anyone.  It is the process the Lord took me through this morning for understanding.  I hope and pray that if you are reading this and feel the calling of the Lord, that you will reach out to Him.  If you have questions, please comment.  Again, I don't have all the answers.  Only God does, but I can pray through until something happens!

Blessings!

A Little Slice of Heaven

I have been craving lemon cake for a couple of weeks now.  A friend of mine mentioned that someone made her lemon blueberry cupcakes for her birthday.  Um. Yum.  So, I have had lemon on the brain for a while.  Pinterest is nothing if you don't do something with the things you pin, right?  I pinned this recipe for Lemonade Cake and decided to try it this week.  Let me tell you, I will be making it again!  

Ingredients

• Cake:
• 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
• 6 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
• 3 tablespoons thawed lemonade concentrate
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 2 large egg whites
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/4 cups fat-free buttermilk
• Cooking spray
• Frosting:
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
• 2 teaspoons thawed lemonade concentrate
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 8 ounces 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
• 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.

To prepare cake, place first 5 ingredients in a large bowl; 

beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 5 minutes).  **It feels kind of like putty at this point.

Add eggs and egg whites, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife.

Combine flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda; stir well with a whisk.

Add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture; beat well after each addition.

Pour batter into 2 (9-inch) round cake pans coated with cooking spray; sharply tap pans once on counter to remove air bubbles. 

Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pans. Cool completely on wire rack.

To prepare frosting, place 2 tablespoons butter and the next 4 ingredients (2 tablespoons butter through cream cheese) in a large bowl

beat with a mixer at high speed until fluffy. Add powdered sugar, and beat at low speed just until blended (do not overbeat). Chill 1 hour.

Place 1 cake layer on a plate; spread with 1/2 cup frosting. Top with remaining cake layer. Spread remaining frosting over top and sides of cake. Store cake loosely covered in the refrigerator.

The only thing I didn't like about this recipe is that it used the concentrate lemonade.  I think I will look for another way to get the same flavor/texture next time.  I know there is already sugar in this, but I really don't like adding the extra High Fructose Corn Syrup.  Enjoy!

Smoothie without the moo

I had some fruit that was going to go bad soon, so I decided to make me and my little man a smoothie. Now, he is a little sensitive to milk and bananas, so I use coconut milk and kiwi for potassium. Check it out!  I used 1 apple, 3 clementines, 2 kiwis, ice, and about a cup and a half of coconut milk.  If you want a little bit of a vanilla taste, use vanilla coconut milk.  For chocolate, try chocolate almond milk.

That's him saying "Thank You!"  

Resolution

I don't really make a resolution each year because I think it is pointless to try to do something you most likely aren't going to do.  Sure, I need to lose some weight, but I don't want to put this lofty goal out there and be disappointed when I don't reach it in the amount of time I think it should take.  So, this year, I did something different.  I made a goal to learn something I have wanted to learn for a long time.  I wanted to learn to knit.  I thought, knitting looks very relaxing and you get to make things that people will love.  Anyway, I was visiting with my awesome Grandmother a couple of weeks ago and she said, "Oh, that's easy, you'll be able to do that!" What encouragement!  She also gave me a book, an impromptu lesson, and my first set of knitting needles.  Needless to say, I'm hooked.  I only know one stitch, but there are tons of YouTubes out there to teach new stitches.  Here's one channel that I found: http://www.youtube.com/user/verypinkknits.  What am I creating this time?  Well, I started out with a scarf, naturally....
I also have a verse this year.  Psalm 19:14 says, May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my redeemer.  I often chastise my children for their attitudes and words, but rarely look at my own.  This is the verse I will be praying this year!

The Big Picture

I am going to start off with my favorite and most inexpensive crafty idea yet.  I have been wanting to get these pictures framed or put on canvas for a while now.  I came across a pin on Pinterest that I was very intrigued by. I am very excited to say that I followed the tutorial over at www.sugarbeecrafts.com and I am IN LOVE with the results.  So, here is my experience with The Big Picture.

Step 1:  I uploaded my beautiful pictures taken by Photos by Laura to Office Depot's copy center online.  You can also download your images to a flash drive and take them in.  Here's the really cool part.  Choose the Architect or Engineer print sizes.  Mine is a 24"x36", I believe Mandy on Sugarbeecrafts.com chose a 36x48.  If you choose the larger size, you have to send it off and can't just go pick it up at your local Office Depot.  That was the case with my Office Depot.  They didn't print anything larger than a 36".  Anyway, I printed two different pictures. The only drawback is that they only print out in black and white.  These prints cost me about $6 to print (for both).  The paper isn't flimsy like I thought it would be.  It's sturdy and my photos came out beautifully, not grainy at all.

Step 2: I went to Lowe's and bought one 1/2"x 4'x8' sheet of Styrofoam insulation that builders use.  It's right by the insulation.  If I do this again, I will probably buy the 3/4" instead of the 1/2" because I think it would be just a little bit more sturdy.  I had to cut this in two to get it into my SUV.  I'm very sure the men in the parking lot that I asked for a knife were very scared.....I found some scissors, though, so I didn't need the knife.  They can cut it for you inside and if I weren't so stubborn, I would have taken it back in to get cut.  This cost me $10.10.  I think the thicker one was only a dollar more.

Step 3:  I stopped by Michael's craft store and bought some black acrylic craft paint, a sponge brush, some Elmer's spray adhesive, and a sheet of duct tape.  If I would have thought about it, I would have also picked up some new blades for my utility knife.  I spent about $7 on these materials.

Step 4:  I drove home and immediately got started. I laid out the picture I was working on over the styrofoam board.  I positioned the edges exactly where I wanted them.  You might want to mark where you want the bottom and side edges, so you will know where to cut.  I eyeballed it.

Step 5:  Using a sharp utility knife and a straight edge, cut the styrofoam.  If you have access to one of those fancy shmancy styrofoam knife thingies, use it.  My cut edges came out pretty rough.

Step 6:  Lay your photo back on the styrofoam to make sure you have it like you want it.

Step 7:  There is a film on the styrofoam.  You want to gently pull all of the film off of the board.  It comes up fairly easy.  If you got the aluminum backed board, you might pull off the aluminum that shows over the edges.  You won't see the back, so it isn't necessary to pull all of the aluminum off, but you do want to pull all of the clear film off.

Step 8:  Paint the exposed edges and about an inch or two of the outside edges of the board.  If your photo has a lot of white space around those edges, you might want to be a little neater about it than I was.  I can see the black a little bit through the paper on my picture, but it isn't really noticeable.  Do not use spray paint....it will eat your styrofoam.

Step 9:  You want help with this step.  I suggest another adult.  I tried using my 10 year old as a helper and it was a little stressful.  Generously spray the area where the picture will lay with the spray adhesive.  Mandy tried modge podge and said that it was a huge mess and she ended up having to start over, so don't use that.  With your helper, line up the picture where you want it and gently put it on top of the board.  Smooth it out and Voila!  You have a BIG picture!  To hang, I used the duct tape and some wire across the back.  Make sure you use more than one layer of duct tape or it won't hold.

Now, go crazy with this!  I actually got two pictures and could get one more out of the styrofoam.  All in all, I spent about $9 per picture on this project.  And.....my husband loves it!  Here is the other one I completed:

New Blog!

So, I love to create.  Anyone who knows me knows that I am not afraid to try new things. A few of my loves are baking, decorating, and (of course) singing.  My husband probably thinks Pinterest is of the devil because I get way too many good ideas from it.  This blog is for me to share my creations.  When I make something new that I have seen on Pinterest, I will always give credit where credit is due!  For instance, I snagged this great header from www.shabbyblogs.com.  I wish I were that creative with web designing, but I don't have the patience for it.  I hope you enjoy sharing in my creations!