I walked into church last night and all around me were kids with crazy hair! Mohawks, red yellow and blue yarn hair, pony tails on top of their heads...you name it, I probably saw it!
Samantha and her lovely "Alfalfa" syled do!
As crazy as Libby's hair looks from the front...you should have seen it from the back!
We did something really cool at Splash last night. We were talking about community and showing love. We did a neat activity with affirmation...which we called 'warm fuzzies". We went with our small group and each person took a turn in the middle and the rest of the group took turns saying something nice about that person. Our girls had a really good time with it, there were lots of hugs given, and huge smiles! I thought it was really cool to hear the girls say nice things about each other, and liked hearing what they said about me too :) So...I would like to challenge you all to speak words of affirmation to people you talk to today. You never know what a difference it will make in their life. And it makes you feel good when you say things that make others feel good! :)
I found this recipe in a recent Food and Family magazine, and it looked really good, so I thought I'd make it. It takes less than 10 minutes to make and they are really good! I did modify the recipe a bit, so if you look it up, it will be different than what I post :)
Marbled Chocolate Treats -at least 8 graham crackers -1 cup chocolate (I used milk chocolate, but you can use semi-sweet) chips -1 cup white chocolate chips -1/2 cup peanut butter
Melt the chocolate chips and peanut butter in the microwave. It needs about 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds. Line the bottom of a 9x13 pan with graham crackers. Some might need to be broken or cut to fully cover bottom. Pour melted chocolate mixture over crackers and smooth out. Melt white chocolate chips following same method as before. Drop by the spoonful on top of the chocolate covered crackers. Immediately use a knife to cut thru to make swirls. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until chocolate is firm. Cut into bars. Store leftovers in fridge. Enjoy!!!
Yesterday you had to hear me rant about a bad teacher...now you get to hear about a really good teacher. My professor for Hospitality Management is one of the greatest teachers ever. He's very success-orientated. He really wants us to do well. He goes over all the tests the day before we take them, to give us a more specific idea on what to study! He's also the general manager at a nearby Applebee's, so he has lots of on-the-job stories and experience which is really good. Today he told us about 2 extra credit assignments we can do...I think they'll be really cool. The first one...go to dinner at a restaurant. Then all we have to do is write a review on the restaurant: food quality, service, cleanliness, etc. So I get to go out to dinner with a friend (hmmm...who to ask?) and get extra credit for eating food...now that's my kind of assignment! The other one...watch the movie "Remember the Titans" (one of my favorite movies) and write a paper describing the things we've discussed in class: teamwork, discipline, integrity, etc. Again, I love this movie, so it will be a fun assignment. Plus, we get extra points for doing this, which is always a nice bonus! I guess with this teacher and my really cool spanish professor, they make up for my crazy power hungry government prof!!!
My government teacher is at it again... *rolling eyes* So we begin class today with current events as usual. People shared their newsworthy stories and then she asked us what we knew about events that were more local, especially to do with the elections coming up. We only knew the basics...you know, that the primary got moved up, etc. and so she got frustrated. She asked us a question that no-one answered. So she asked if anyone had read the chapter. As far as I saw, no-one raised their hand. Uh-oh. So she let out a few choice words and told us to take out a piece of paper, we were going to have a quiz. And here's the quiz she gave us...feel free to try it out if you'd like 1. What is the purpose of having elections? 2. What is the electoral college? 3. What is the difference between a primary election and a general election? 4. What is the incumbent advantage? 5. What is a runoff election? I knew...a couple...and made some educated guesses. Pop quizzes in this class are not a good thing, and i'm sure we were all thinking that she'd make it a lot of points, so we'd fail and be "punished" because that's the kind of teacher she is. So we hand in our quizzes, and she begins the lesson for today...obviously on elections and voting. Halfway thru the first powerpoint slide, she informed us that our quiz would not be graded. Yeah, I'm glad I didn't fail, but now tell me...what was the point?!?!
I seem to always be around when there are problems with heat...at least the past 2 days this has proven true. I had to work yesterday afternoon. I left my sweatshirt at home because I figured that the dryers had been running all morning, so it should be pretty warm back there. Boy was I wrong!! It was freezing. I worked for 1-1/2 hours before I mentioned something to a head nurse. She called the fix-it guy and he came. He flipped a couple switches and boom! we had heat! In a matter of minutes, it went from being 58 to 80! It felt so good in there! So then I got to church at 6:45 this morning for praise team practice. Brrr!!! It was so cold there! We finally questioned it after practice, because the vents were blowing out cold air! And we found out the heater was broken, so all of first service, I was freezing. Then I had to teach Kingdom Cove and I was shaking so badly I could hardly hold my papers! Finally the heater was fixed for second service, but it hadn't really had a chance to really warm up. So now I'm in my nice cozy bedroom, trying to stay warm.
Also, I was tagged by multiple people for a meme...so here goes... 8 random facts about me! -My middle name is the same as my Grandma's first name -I love food, and I'll try anything once -The only thing I like about winter is going skiing in the snow and having snowball fights with my friends. I don't like the cold -I am the oldest of 2 kids and I want to have a big family someday -I don't like your typical "girly" movies, I would rather watch 300 or Transformers anyday -I speak one language (English) fluently and working on making that true for 2 others (Spanish and Romanian) -I love to sing -I was not born in Michigan I think everyone I would tag has already been tagged, but if you haven't been tagged yet...I tag you!
I hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving! I had to work in the morning, but it wasn't so bad...holidays are always more laid back at work. Then I went to Diane's house to let the dogs out, and get ready to go to my house for dinner. Here are some pictures from our family dinner...
Our huge turkey! I forgot to take a picture before I gutted the stuffing out! :)
Our beautifully set table and a TON of delicious food!
My beautiful family! You must understand that taking a family picture is quite the accomplishment for us...try getting both my brother and dad to co-operate!!!
A more Christmas-y looking picture
After our guests left, I returned to my "holiday" home, to spend some quality time with the dogs. I looked through the sales papers and decided where I wanted to go shopping today. I went to bed "early" (10:30), because I got up at 4 am to go shopping. I left the house with my friend Alecia at 5 am. We were at Circuit City at 5:17. Here's where my story gets more interesting... I didn't really have anything I really needed to get, so I just was kind of there for the excitement. However, I did want to buy the movie 300 (my favorite), and decided that if I could just get that movie, my day would be successful. It was onsale at 3 or 4 stores. So we enter Circuit City, about 20 minutes after it opened. We made a beeline straight for the DVD's. They had some good one's for 3.99, 5.99, and 8.99! What a steal! I got 3 that I didn't really need, but wanted. So we decided to get in line. Finally we found the end of the line. Practically at the enterance of the store! After waiting 45 minutes, I had to walk around, because I felt like I was going to faint from standing in the same position for so long. So I wandered to the front of the store...and I found the movie 300. I could not find it earlier, so I was thrilled. And it is a 2 disc special edition! Now I felt that the waiting was worthwhile, because I was getting the only thing I really wanted! So I joined Alecia back in line. After 3 hours...yes you read correctly, 3 hours!!! of waiting in line, we finally made it to the check out lane. We quickly discovered why the line took so long, they had only 4 registers open, and they had the slowest possible cashiers working!!! That made it very frustrating for us. When we left (at 9:00!), it was snowing...huge beautiful white flakes! Alecia took some pictures, so I'll try to post them when I get them. Then we went to Macy's and JCPenny, in the mall. And guess what? NO LINE! How can such popular stores have no line? I'll tell you...competent workers!! :) We also stopped at Walgreen's and Family Christian Stores. I was able to get some really good deals, and I am glad for the puchases I made. I went to take care of the dogs, then to Alecia's house for lunch. Then I headed back to Diane's, and tried to take a nap, but ended up just laying on the couch watching TV for 2 hours! I must say, my afternoon was quite quiet and uneventful compared to this morning. When I came back to my house, I helped my mom get out our St. Nicholas Square houses and I began to set them up....It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!!! :)
Take some time today to give thanks for all that God has given to you. On my sidebar, I have a list of things that I'm thankful for. I hope each of you has a list just as long, because we are so blessed. Today is a special day to remember all the blessings we have, so make the most of it! Take this time to tell your loved ones how much they mean to you and how thankful you are for them and all the blessings you have!!! Enjoy the time you spend with your friends and family!!!
I have a whole list of things to do today...go to the bank, go to church, get my flu shot, get my haircut, go settle in and take care of the dogs, praise team practice, church etc etc. So after sleeping in, I went to work to get my flu shot. I knew how much Mari would enjoy giving me a poke, so I thought I wouldn't deprive her, and I stopped by this morning. I walked in and she said "guess what? I just won a CD!" Then she told me how, so while she was prepping the shot, I filled out the online form. All you have to do is go here http://www.reunionrecords.com/mwschristmas/blogformusic and fill out the form to get Michael W. Smith's new Christmas CD. And if you want to hear some songs from the CD, you can go here http://michaelwsmith.com/product/1342.htm?parentid=2363 How cool is that?!?!
Thank you to everyone who left a comment on my previous post. I really wanted to make sure that I was hearing the song correctly before I really said anything about it. And it turns out that all of you thought the same way I did. Please keep in mind that what is to follow is my opinion. Thanks. So here I am, driving down the road, heading home from school. I was flipping through my radio presets and found a station I can only get in certain places. A song I really enjoy came on, and then this song. As I'm listening to the song, the first thought that ran through my head was Isn't this sacreligious? Maybe that's not the right word for it, but it's what I thought of first. I think that Jennifer summed it up best when she said "I find it repulsive". And it is. To me, the song is basically saying that the bigger your Bible is, the stronger a Christian you are, or the better you are. HUH?!?!?! "But does she got a big Bible? Cuz that little things she's got won't start a revival" How does this work? I thought it was what's IN the Bible that counts. Seriously! I think most of you have seen my Bible, if not, it measures about 6 inches, by 4 inches, and is about 1 inch thick. So because it's a handy size, is it not as good as the big "church" Bibles most of us have seen in the church library, weighing about 50 pounds, and 12 inches by 12 inches, and 6 inches thick? I think NOT!!!! Then the song goes on to compare the different versions of the Bible. Both translations and publishers. "How it is, some weenie Wants the Bible on CD" "So your girl likes paperback? Well I ain't down with that" "I ain't talkin' about a paraphrase Cuz Paul wouldn't use those anyways" I won't go into what I think about all of these. But I really have to wonder...why would someone who says he's a Christian and makes Christian music, sing about something as repulsive as this? And what is our Christian radio station saying when they actually give this song airtime?
I was listening to a Christian radio station on my way home from school today and I heard this song.It's a parody of Baby Got Back. The lyrics really made me think....and not in a positive way. Maybe I'm the only one who sees something "wrong" with this song, but I'd like to know what you think, and I'll share my opinion later. Here's the YouTube video
If you would like to see the lyrics, here they are... Verse 1 I like big Bibles and I can not lie You Christian brothers can't deny That when a girl walks in with a KJV And a book mark in Proverbs You get stoked Got her name engraved So you know that girl is saved It looks like one of those large ones With plenty o' space in the margins Oh baby, I wanna read witcha Cause your Bible's got pictures My minister tried to console me But that Book you got makes ("M-m-me so holy") Ooh, momma-mia You say you want koinonia Well, bless me, bless me And teach me about John Wesley
I saw her prayingWhile I was DJing She got grace...pretty face She ain't goin' down to the bad place
I'm tired of heathen guys Sayin' they like pocket-size Ask the average Christian to take a look She's gotta pack much Book
So...Fellas (Yeah), fellas (Yeah) Has your girlfriend got the Book (Oh yeah!) Well, read it (Read it!), read it (Read it!), read that Holy Book Baby got Book
Chorus (NIV with a ribbon bookmark) Baby got Book (NIV with a ribbon bookmark)
Verse 2 I like 'em leather and bound It's 50 pounds I just can't understand How it is, some weenie Wants the Bible on CD She wanna get you saved Amen! Double up! A-men!
I ain't talkin' about a paraphrase Cuz Paul wouldn't use those anyways like 'em real thick and red-letteredYou can't find nothin' betterSouthpaw's in love Bibles that big are unheard of
So I'm sittin' here thinkin' "What if... I find me a girl that shows midriff?" You can have those bimbos I'll keep those chick that do devos A word to the Christian sistas I can't resist yaI'll do God's time witcha But I gotta be straight when I say I wanna pray Til the break of day Baby, got it goin' on Like the wife in Pro-verbs 31
We just might get engaged When we finish reading this page Cuz it's worn and it's torn And I know this girl's reborn
So ladies (yeah), ladies (yeah) Do you wanna save people from Hades (yeah) Then read it...'til the pages fall out Even white preachers got to shout Baby got Book
(Thompson Chain with big red letters) Baby got Book
Yeah baby When it comes to a good book Stephen King's resume just can't compare 39 + 27 = 66 books And if you're Catholic...there's even more
So your girlfriend quotes Bill Hybels But does she got a big Bible? Cuz that little things she's got won't start a revival My Bible study don't want none,Unless you got Book, Hon
...You can read Clancy or Grisham But please don't loose this Book
Some brothers wanna play that hard hard role And tell you that Book's too old So they toss it and burn it And I pull up quick to just learn it So your girl likes paperback? Well I ain't down with that Cuz my girlfriend's hot her Bible's rockin' And she's got good doctrine To the atheist chicks who try to dis You ain't it Miss Priss Give me a Christian, I'm insistin' And I'll greet her with some holy kissin' Some pervert tried to chase But he didn't make it past first base She's quick to resist temptation And she loves a new translation So ladies who were lost and found If you want the triple-six thrown down Dial 1-800-reads-a-lot And teach me about those Psalms Baby got Book
(NIV with a ribbon bookmark) Baby got Book (Thompson Chain with big red letters)
Bible college knowledge but she still got Book (4 Xs)
I received this in an email the other day. It's a "must-listen". It is a 12 year old boy, who called into a radio station in Houston to share his story. His message and testimony is incredible! I think you might have to save this file to your computer to hear it, but it is definitely worth it!! http://www.ksbj.org/eblogs/morningShow/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/logan-calf-story.mp3
As I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord His deer to keep. If I should die before I wake , tell the deer they are finally safe
Yep...you guessed it, Thursday is opening day of gun hunting season. I myself have never been hunting, but I have a lot of friends who will be out at the crack of dawn tomorrow sitting in a blind or a tree, waiting for the perfect deer to come along. So I am praying for their safety, their success, and the safety of those of us who are driving, as deer are more apt to run across roads to get away from the hunters!
A HUNTER'S PRAYER Dear Lord,
May all hunters be blessed with your grace.
To all who wander the fields and forests, may you guide them safely back to camp.
Thank you for the blessings of venison meat. Let the hunters always remember it is a gift from you.
Thank you also for the hunting knowledge, fellowship and outdoor experiences you give the hunters. May they always remember these blessings from you.
Sometimes I walk into church, and I feel like I should be at school, or in a night club. I see girls with low cut shirts, falling out of their shirts, or showing off their bare stomachs. This isn't so much of an issue on Sunday's as I have noticed it on Wednesday nights. Rhonda and I were talking about it at church yesterday. We are both astonished at what some parents let their kids wear out of the house--much less to church! Now, I can understand a girl (and this does apply to boys as well!) wanting to look nice, and in a way dress to impress. However, I think that this can be done without revealing so much of yourself...because we all know what kind of thoughts are provoked when too much skin is revealed. What kind of statement is a girl giving when she comes to church and youth group and tells her friends that she is a Christian, yet wears clothing that sends the opposite message, or dances provacatively to songs that are supposed to be praising God? I'll admit to falling into this trap, and dressing to impress...don't we all? There is a difference between dressing nicely and dressing like a...you know what I mean. I am seriously taking this to heart, and I will be careful with what I wear, so that I don't send out the wrong message. And I challenge you...as teenage girls or as mothers to be careful what message you are sending out.
I don't like fish. I don't like the smell, I don't like the taste, and I don't like the texture. However, I do like to fish. And yes, when fishing with live bait, I will break the worm apart with my fingers. But that's getting off topic. Last night my mom was eating a piece of smoked salmon that my grandpa sent home with her. He caught it in the Pacific Ocean. Anyway, she offered me a piece and being brave, I took a small bite. It wasn't as bad as I expected. Not too fishy, but not something I would ever choose to eat more of. I thought that was the end of my fish adventure...not so. I got to work this morning and upon opening the door to the dirty laundry room, I was overwhelmed with the scent of fish. I washed the kitchen cloths but I could still smell it. Venturing out into the hallway, the smell was still present. And when I washed the clothes, I could smell fish on them too. Apparently dinner last night was fish. At times the smell of fish was so overpowering that I thought I would gag! Just another reason why I don't like fish. :)
I went shopping today...for Christmas presents!!! I always start early, and I am doing something different for gifts this year and needed started earlier than normal. I went to this fantastic dollar store, Keegstra's. If you've never been there, you gotta go! They have everything! You can even get Avon products, 20 pack boxes of Christmas cards, scrapbooking supplies etc there for only $1. Then I went to Meijer. And ran into triple trouble. I saw Mari, Cheri, and Terri as I was walking in. Mari took a picture for her blog. :) So at Meijer I bought items to make the following Fall goodies....
Gourmet caramel apples
Caramel, milk chocolate, and white chocolate covered
I bought this at the dollar store. All you have to do is add water and the mix magically rises into brownies. I gagged and had to spit it out when I ate it, but my mom said they weren't that bad, just extremely chocolately.
On this date in history, in 1965, the Pillsbury Doughboy made his debut. I thought I would share this picture of my favorite doughboy :) ...
Andy, Zack (the "doughboy"), Me, and Bethany all dressed up for the halloween costume party at youth group last year.
Also, in response to all the responses to yesterday's post...I know that Nate meant it as a compliment. However, if you had been there and seen his face after he realized what he said.... lol!!
On a more serious note...an update on my grandpa. He came through surgery okay. They ended up finding more tumors than they thought, which is very disappointing. He has another appointment in 3 weeks and they will decide the next move then. Thanks for all your prayers.
Tonight...I was called a poster child... Hmmm... not really sure what to think :) I was at the mission mobilization meeting at church, and we were talking about Romania and authentic and people talking about mission trips. Nate said that I was the perfect poster child....
Tomorrow my Grandpa is going to have surgery. He's been cancer-free for between 7 and 10 years I believe. But last month, they told him his cancer had returned. He has 3 cancerous spots in his bladder, but the surgery should be able to remove them. Please keep him in your prayers, that the surgery might be successful, and God will direct the hands of the surgeons who do the operation. *Update on Monday morning* Another prayer request. Mari called me this morning, and Heather is in the hospital. She will be having an emergency appendectomy sometime today.
The stands are crowded with cheering fans. The air is electrified with excitement. People chatter in eager anticipation. Others bundle up and cuddle with eachother to stay warm. Welcome to the high school football playoffs. We made it...to week 2 of the playoffs. Allendale Falcons vs. West Catholic Falcons. Which Falcons will come come out on top? The answer became clear early on in the game. Though Allendale has an amazing team, we were no match for WC who easily over took us in the first half. Score at halftime was 24-0. Third quarter, they scored again. 31-0. But we were not so easily dissuaded. With 4:16 left in the third quarter, Allendale scored its first touchdown. (Ok, actually it's second, but the first didn't end up counting because there was a flag on the play.) After getting the two point conversion the score was 31-8. Could Allendale pull ahead in the last 16:16 of the game? Only time would tell. Our boys played hard, they didn't hand anything over to the WC Falcons, however as the clock ran out, the score remained at 31-8. The boys played a good game, though the same could not be said of the coaches. Errors were made and poeple were put in who should not have been, but what can be done? Life will go on. So, after 12 weeks of hard work, the football season has drawn to a close for the players of Allendale. Some disappointed, some more than ready to be done, but to all, good job and congratulations on a great season!
Kaylyn trying to stay warm... We were freezing already and the game hadn't even started!
Libby...she was warm the entire game, no coat or anything!
Libby and me
Kaylyn and me...I was cold so when I took the picture the camera was shaking, sorry the picture is so blurry!
Today I got up bright and early...actually though, it wasn't bright. 4:15 is still pretty dark around here! But I digress, I got up, went to work, survived with no disasters, and made it home shortly after 10am. Then I started baking...and I still am, I just have stuff in the oven now. I made a banana bread, blueberry muffins, sugar cookies, M&M cookies, and stroopwafles (Dutch syrup waffles). It sure smells good in here!!! So I'm now just waiting for the next thing to go in the oven. Tonight I will go to the football game. We're playing West Catholic in the second week of playoffs. It should be a great game. We lost to them earlier this season, but that was the game where one of our star players was seriously injured, so I believe we have a really good chance tonight! Go Falcons!!!
I am a daughter of The King. I keep very busy...I am the office manager at a busy counseling practice, an AVON rep, and a youth leader for high school. I married my best friend on October 9, 2010...we couldn't be happier! I love to spend time with my husband and friends, cook, bake, sing, blog, read, write, paint, and laugh!
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