Contradiction?

Yes, I will admit that I stole this photo from Facebook.  

I just find it ironic.  It's a picture of a pretty angel.  If you share it, it will bring good luck.  And the address at the bottom is MyChristianLifestyle.

See my problems?  First of all... How are angels described in the Bible?  Second,  Sharing an angel will bring luck?  Christians believe in luck?  

Wouldn't it be more effective to spend some time on your knees in prayer?  Or getting up and doing something practical?  

And now I'm scared.  Scared that I've come across too bluntly.  If you shared this, or other things like it, please understand that I'm not trying to be judgmental.   You are still dear to me.  I'm just wondering if we really think about the message contained in what we post.

Slow Cooker Pot Roast

Recently, I have been trying to do better about planning the meals for the week at least partially in advance.  So this week, on Tuesday morning, I planned what I was fixing for supper for the rest of the work week.  Last night was Slow Cooker Pot Roast.

I can't take credit for the recipe as I got it off of allrecipes.com.
It was easy, all I did to start was put a chunk of pot roast in the crockpot (I usually cut our roasts in half when I first get them home from the store because we don't need a whole one in one sitting).  Then in a separate bowl, I mixed one small can of Cream of Mushroom soup and half of a package of onion soup mix with a little bit of water.  Then I poured that mixture over the roast and turned it on high for about three hours.

I was very pleased with how it turned out.  With the amount of roast I had, I probably could have used one-half can of mushroom soup and one-fourth package of onion soup mix and been fine.  There was plenty of sauce left over.  Andrew said something was missing and we finally figured out what it was... Noodles.  It reminded us of Beef Stroganoff.

Oh, Helpful tip of the day:  Line your slow cooker with aluminum foil.  Or you can use the liners that you buy at the store.  Makes clean-up a lot easier, especially if the inside of your slow cooker doesn't come out. 

Random Baby Things

Yesterday, I finally got around to taking Caleb to the library's "Baby Rhyme Time".  It's been something that I thought I should have started a long time ago especially since I'm home with him.  But I have been putting it off mainly because it was something new and unfamiliar to him... and to me.
I thought it went very well.  The librarian was very enthusiastic and did a great job of including all of the little people (and big people).  There were about a dozen pre-walkers there, plus parents and older siblings (which were also included in the activities).
Caleb wasn't sure about it at first (which isn't uncommon for him).  I set him on the floor in front of me, but he started to turn around, grab my legs, and whimper.  So he spent the singing, reading, and bubble time on my lap. After the activities were over, they brought out a bin of toys to play with, so then he started moving around to get the toys.  I think that as we continue to participate, he will become more comfortable.

So Caleb doesn't always eat in the middle of the night.  He often sleeps all the way through, but once in a while, he does wake up to eat.  Usually when he does, he eats, then he becomes all arms and legs and cries until I get him back in bed, then he goes right back to sleep.  Last night though, he woke up and after he ate, he just laid against me and we rocked and cuddled for a while.  Very Sweet :)

Opinion on Anti-Gay Calendar

I don't like it when people are made fun of or ridiculed.  I just don't.  I never have.  It REALLY bothers me.  It did in my High School Sunday School class (however long ago that was).
 It really bugged me when I went to a Christian Leadership camp just after high school and it was considered perfectly acceptable to make fun of the nations leaders.
I didn't like hearing derogatory jokes during college... especially the "That's what she said" ones.

It's no different today.  Yesterday, I stumbled across an online controversy.  A large online retailer is selling a calendar titled, "I'm Not Gay, I'm Just a Sissy."  Please understand that I have not actually looked at any previews of the calendar so what I am saying should be taken with that in consideration.  From what I have gathered, it is a calendar dedicated to making fun of people who are living a homosexual lifestyle.  Naturally, GLAAD and others in the LGBT community are highly offended and calling for online retailers to pull it off their websites (Barnes and Noble already has).

The fact that this calendar existed and was being sold bothered me.
Do I think that people living in a homosexual lifestyle are living as men and women were designed to live? Absolutely not!
Do I believe that their lifestyle is contrary to God's plan as laid out in the Bible?  Yes!
Do I want to see them be made fun of because of their choice to live that way?  NO!

You see, it never has mattered to me whether the person being made fun of was popular or not.  The fact remained that they were a person that had feelings just like mine
That fact is still there.  Just because someone has chosen to live a life contrary to what I believe (and more importantly, contrary to God's will for our lives) does not mean that they should be fair game for ridicule.
They are people, just like you and I.
They have feelings, just like you and I.
And, they are loved by God, just like you and I.

Cheese Cracker Recipe

First off, I want to make it clear that this was not my idea!  I was searching for some alternative to the mainline snacks for infants such as Gerber Puffs.  I wanted something that would be easy for my 9-month-old to pick up and eat without me worrying about him choking on it, or spreading crumbs all over the place.  I had extra pie dough left over from Thanksgiving and had made pie dough crackers, which he loved, but they are so flaky that they make a terrible mess.  So in my searching, I came across this site and recipe.  She has wonderful step-by-step pictures, so be sure to check it out!

Here are the instructions:
Cheese Crackers

1 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. ground pepper (optional) - I left this out.

4 TBSP cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces  (I used light stick margarine)

8 ounces grated cheddar cheese (I used part sharp cheddar and part mexican blend cheese)

3-4 TBSP water

In a food processor, Pulse the flour, salt and pepper, then add butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add grated cheese a little at a time until the mixture again resembles coarse meal.

Pulse in 3 to 4 tablespoons of water, one tablespoon at a time, until the dough forms into a ball. It will probably take a minute or so.

Remove, wrap in plastic, and chill for 20 minutes or up to 24 hours.

Roll the dough out to 1/8th-inch thickness directly onto a baking sheet. You don't want to roll them paper thin, neither do you want to roll them too thick. If they are too thin, they will not puff up as much. If they are too thick, they will not be as crispy.

Using a knife or pizza cutter, cut 1 inch squares.

Bake at 350° F for 15-20 minutes or until crackers are golden brown. Watch them after the 10 minute mark.

I decided I wanted to try the recipe, but didn't want to make the whole batch in case I didn't like them, so I halved everything.  I left out the pepper (It just didn't sound right).  I also used light margarine instead of unsalted butter.
I don't have a food processor, so I used my blender for everything through adding the cheese.  Then I transferred it to a small bowl and used my pastry cutter to add the water.
After it had been in the refrigerator for a couple hours, I rolled it out an a parchment covered cookie sheet.
Here is where I would change how I did things.  I used a round cookie cutter, but I think it's too big.  Next time, I will probably use a pizza cutter or something to cut them into smaller squares.

I LIKE them!  My little guy seems to like them to.  I broke them into smaller pieces for him and he did fine.  My husband will be lucky if there is even one left for him!  Next time, I will definitely make a full batch!  They are kinda a mix between Cheez-It's and the cheese rolls that they serve at... I think it's at Ruby Tuesday.

Oh, Am I Spoiled!

Color me spoiled!
Yesterday, my husband was a little late getting home from work because he had made a couple stops on the way.  (Yes, he called so that I wouldn't worry!)  Turned out one of the stops was at the flower shop!  It made my day :)

He asked last night if I wanted to take a bath, and I said no, that I'd just take a nice long shower.

Today we went out to run some errands, and while we were at Hobby Lobby looking at Christmas stuff, he decided to go over and look at the candles.  I didn't say anything about it, decided that he must have an idea for a picture or something.

This evening, I took the little guy out for a walk and when I came back, my husband had shut himself in the bedroom and wouldn't let me come in.  I fed the little guy and put him down for a nap.  After a while, Andrew called me so I went to find him in the master bathroom, standing next to a tub full of bubbles and rose pedals.

He had also lit candles in the corners of the tub!

And he had bought Chocolate for me!  And there was a cute heart on the counter top!

He was nice and let me spend an hour just soaking in the tub with a good book :)
Have I mentioned that I'm spoiled?
I love you, Andrew!

There is a God, I'm not Him.

I'm wanting to write this, but am not sure how to put the words together.  Pastor Roger was speaking last Sunday on the supernatural gift of the Holy Spirit, including healing.  There are many things in this life that we don't understand why they happen.  Sometime, we have to come to the conclusion that: (1.) There is a God, and (2.) I'm not Him.

It reminded my of various times when I have heard that if someone was praying for healing and they did not receive it, that they (or someone praying for them) didn't have enough faith.  That just didn't make sense to me.  If every Christian who prayed for healing was "supposed to" be healed, why were there people who had health issues, children in wheelchairs and why did Christians die?  One person who was teaching that all Christians could be healed even had crippled hands, but apparently that was somehow beside the point.  I remember bringing up Joni Eareckson Tada.  "Never heard of her" was the response I got, and because he had never heard of her, her story didn't matter.  

Here is just a little bit of her story.  As a teenager, Joni was very active and loved riding horses.  Then one day, her life changed.  She was swimming and dove into an area that was too shallow.  She broke her neck and became a quadriplegic.  She struggled with depression and anger and begged her friends to help her end her life. She felt as though her faith in God had been betrayed.  It was a long journey, but God has used this tragic accident to glorify Himself.  Joni went on to found Joni and Friends, a ministry that helps to provide encouragement and supplies to disabled people around the world.  She has authored 48 books, the first of which is titled Joni and tells the story of her accident and her many struggles and how God turned her life around.  She also starred in a movie about her life, has recorded several albums, and has a daily radio show.  

Today, I was looking in my hymnal and the first songs I came to were "Praise Him!  Praise Him!" and "Blessed Assurance".  Both of these hymns were written by Fanny Crosby.  What's that have to do with healing (or lack of it)?  Fanny Crosby was blinded by an incompetent Doctor when she was six-weeks-old.  When they took her, at the age of five, to an eye-specialist, he told her that she would never see again.   She could have become discontent with her life and complained because she couldn't see or go to school with the other children.  Instead, at age eight, she wrote her first poem:

0 what a happy soul am I! Although I cannot see, 

I am resolved that in this world, contented I will be. 

How many blessings I enjoy, that other people don't. 

To weep and sigh because I'm blind, I cannot and I won't!

She went on to write over 8,000 poems which were set to music and are well-known hymns to this day. 

These are just two stories of people who were able to use their disability for the glory of God.  I am not saying that he couldn't have used them otherwise, just that perhaps, the degree to which He was able to use them was greater.  

There are times when God does heal people, either through the knowledge of Doctors and the use of medicines, or through miraculous means.  

There are times though, when there is no miraculous healing.  There is either the strength to live with the hardship, or there is the call to come home.   

And that one is the hardest for us that are left behind.  Why didn't God heal them?  They could still be living.  That's where is comes back to understanding that "There is a God, and I'm not Him."  Pastor Roger also spoke about how, when Pastor Jim was in the hospital,  Ms. Lynn shared a lesson she had learned when her father had died and was clinging to again.  (Quotation is approximate) "He who says, 'I am the God that healeth thee' is the same God who says 'it is appointed unto man once to die.'"  All we can do is go on and trust that God knows what He is doing.