Friend? Control freak?

This past week, folks in my small group at church were each assigned a verse to think about.  Here are some thoughts on mine.

James 2:23

and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God.

The story that sticks out most to me about abraham is genesis 22 -- when Abraham is called to sacrifice his beloved son, Isaac, to the Lord.  I don't have any children; however, the thought of laying a loved one down to die is a strange and sickening thought.  I surely would not want to do it.  

I was at home sick all last week...one night, Thursday I think?, I was taking a bath and thinking about how I have lots of life issues going on/things to be processing through.  Yet, last week, my body really hasn't allowed that.  My head was too congested to think about anything deeper than what I'll watch next on TV.  However, the blessing in that is me realizing how I don't have control over life's issues.  I get to play an active part, yes, but the Lord is in control.  And the best thing for me to do is surrender...ever the challenge for a control freak like myself.  

Which is why Abraham is someone we can look up to: he surrendered control and did what god asked him to do.  He obeyed.  Among other things, he was willing to sacrifice his own son (sound familiar?!) because the Lord asked him to do it.  He REALLY believed god...and his belief led to obedience...and he was seen as righteous in the lord's eyes.  These things made him a friend of god.  

So I'm left wondering: am I a friend of god?  Sure, I am his daughter.  He loves me.  He provides for me.  But, are we friends? 

Sick Stats

I've been sick this week.  Bleh.

• 11 liters of ginger ale consumed in 4 days.  I've done the math, that is an average of 2.75 a day!  Sunday I had 1 liter and apexed on Wednesday with a whopping 4 liters!  I quit cold turkey and went back to water after that.
• 30 antibiotic pills to consume.  I've taken 16 thus far.
• 39 hours missed at work.  Thursday, I geared up and headed into the office.  I only made it one hour.  Blerg.
• Countless number of hours of TV have been watched.  Daytime TV isn't quite as good as I'd hoped; the hours of 2-6 are my favorite: old episodes of Grey's, Oprah and Ellen, Gilmore Girls.  I reached a low point when I watched some of E! True Hollywood Stories: Rapper wives.  
• 1 Frosty for dinner.  OMG it was SO good!
• 6 days of feeling crummy.
• I craved cupcakes for days and finally broke down to get some at the local grocery store one night.  The kid working there said the bakery closed at 8; it was like 8:20.  Seriously, I almost started crying.  Praise the Lord a manager came to help me and get me my fix!

I'm SO thankful to be feeling better!  And very much ready to be feeling 100%!

Monday

Frownie: I have a sinus infection.

Brownie: Antibiotics at Publix are FREE!

Frownie: I feel aaaaaaaaaaaaaawful.

Brownie: I got chicken noodle soup from Chick-fil-A and it was DElicious!  So good!

A Song I Knew by Heart

I've been meaning to read one of Bret Lott's books for years now.  Jewel, perhaps his most famous book, was one of Oprah's books.  I still want to get to that one one of these days...  But I was delighted when Jacqueline and her mom were cleaning out their house and gave me some of his books.  I started with A Song I Knew by Heart.  It loosely follows the Biblical story of Ruth.

Part of the story takes place in my own home town of Mt. Pleasant, which I love.  I enjoyed his writing: smooth, a bit lyrical, sometimes too flowery for me, but all in all, a good quick read.

Funny story about Bret.  I really don't know him, but we met a time or two when he and his family lived in Mt. Pleasant.  I guess I was in middle school -- the summer after 6th grade I think.  I took sailing lessons (optimist. yeah!).  There were only 6 of us in the class: me; my brother, Nathan; his best friend, Jay; my best friend, Barbara; Bret's son, Zeb; and one more that I'm 98% sure was Sarah Sass.   We had a blast and I loved being out there in my tiny boat all alone.  Well, except for that one time...another story for another day.

Anyway, it was the end of a lesson, and I was hanging out on the dock.  Zeb's brother and father we at the end of the dock.  I was sitting down and so were they.  Bret said, "you know, if you spit, the wind carries it."  And then, he spat!  So that the wind carried it directly onto my face!  Gross!  I was one irate 6th grader.  I said, "Gross.  You are a grown man and just spit on my face!"  And stormed off.  Jay saw the whole thing and was quite irate himself...he was the one that told mom about it and was so angry on my behalf.  Oh, how I love childhood.*

Back to the book; here are some quotes I really liked.

We are so much more willing to believe ourselves, believe the lie we give ourselves to crawl out from under the fact that we are sinners and sinners first, no matter the way these days that word doesn't ring with anything but the dusty sound of old people.
Sin.
When we are young, it means, I have made a mistake.  When we are old it means, I have separated myself from love (77).

I wanted to ask all of them, any of them, wanted to shout to them and whisper or simply speak with my heart so broken I could barely breathe, How is the the human heart can live through all it has visited upon it?
How is it any of us end up here, at the tail end of this life, without being crushed one way and another by the sheer weight of the histories we all of us have lived out, and how is it the human heart can endure in the face of the truth history does not end until the last breath we give out?  How is it that joy and sorrow, like twin stars, never touch each other, and never disappear from the same night sky of our souls? (252).
  


I'm sharing this as a funny story.  Clearly, I am not scarred from it.  I don't think Bret meant any harm in it even if I wasn't pleased.  I'm sure he is a lovely man that more often than not keeps his saliva to himself.  :)

Kelly's Korner!

I tried to pawn myself off this past summer, but it wasn't so successful.  Ha!  Here's hoping God has something else in store for me.  So, today I present to you my friend: Beth.

Beth and I got to be friends in high school through Young Life.  She loves Jesus and to say she is funny would be an understatement.  She takes fun with her wherever she goes!  She went to the land of orange also known as Clemson and played in Colorado for a few years after that.  To my delight, she has returned home to God's country, also known as Charleston, SC.

Beth loves her family, friends, music [i.e. don't be surprised if you see her in Nashville in a few years with a new album ;)], laughing until it hurts, sarcasm, college football, playing outdoors, practical jokes and cupcakes.  Don't get me wrong, she is more than just a funny girl.  Beth loves Jesus, is active in our church, and challenges me in my own relationship with the Lord.  If Beth sounds like the girl for you, leave a comment!

Getting Crafty

Last week, I saw this old wooden frame on the side of the street while I was walking.  When it was still there a few days later, I decided to pick it up and bring it home.  Why not?

Monday I decided to get crafty and paint this little guy white...you can still see some of the brown shining through it and I like that.

With a few items from the rents (Dad:fishing line::Mom:hot glue gun), my project was complete.  This picture is a bit small, but I'm intending to give it as a gift and the recipient can hang any picture she chooses in it.  I'm quite pleased with how it turned out!

Glorious!

Today's high was right at 60 I think.  It was 55 when I got home from work.  The sun was shining.  It was warmer than it has been.  I could smell the marsh and enjoy glimpses of the sun starting to set on the water as I walked through my neighborhood.

All little reminders that summer IS coming!  I am SO ready for it!  I think it is going to be colder and rainy this weekend, but if that changes, I think I'll head to the beach in my jeans just to get a taste of it...

Roasted Chickpeas

"Chickpeas are oven roasted and seasoned to taste for a delicious high fiber snack"


I had some leftover chickpeas that I wanted to use...a little time on the internet and my problem was solved.  Toss the chickpeas in some olive oil, add some garlic salt and cayenne pepper.  Roast on 450 for 40ish minutes.  I'd say to start watching them after 20 minutes.  Some of mine burned...but they are still pretty tasty.  They're crunchy and remind me a bit of popcorn.  I will definitely be making these again!

http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/roasted-chickpeas/Detail.aspx

Food Funnies

Looks like this week has been all about food.  Ok, that goes beyond the blog...a lot of my life is about food. 

 

Jane Harper came over for dinner and Modern Family with Leigh and I last night.  Leigh and I went to the store and came home ready to make stir fry. 

 

One.  I purchases a bag of brown rice in the store.  Getting home I was thinking rice takes a while, so we should start boiling that first.  But I was pleasantly surprised to look at the bag and see that it cooked in only 5 minutes!  Yay for quick rice!  So I start doing other thing for the meal and Leigh starts on the rice...she's like ok, it will be done in 45-50 minutes.  Me: No, only 5.  Her, no after it boils for like 40-45 minutes, it rests for 5 minutes.  Awesome.  Oh well, we didn't have an appetizer for us or Jane Harper, but we did have Piggly Wiggly fritos.  Go ahead, be jealous!

 

Two.  The recipe called for chicken granuales; so we got some.  Leigh skimmed over the recipe when we were cooking and commented that she didn't see where there were actually used in the recipe.  Hmm.  Later on, while putting the finishing touches on the meal* I re-read the recipe and also found it odd that the bullion was not needed.  Oh well.  While eating, I commented how it was great, but I wish there was more of a sauce.  That's when Leigh told me there should have been one...the bullion.  I read it AGAIN and saw it.  Oh well, there's always room for improvement.  It is also the opposite of Cameron's cooking innovation on Modern Family last night. 

 

Three.  I'm making brownies for dessert.  I mix the batter up and realize that mom was right, they are not putting as much mix in the Triple Chunk box as they used to.  This threw mom into a tizzy because she makes these things by the truckload.  But it hadn't been a problem for me...until last night.  The pan I was using was too big.  So I got smart.  I took the batter out and put it into two smaller pans.  Yes, I'm brilliant.  Into the 350 oven they went.  My brilliance waned when about 2.5 minutes later I saw the egg on then counter.  Damn it!  I quickly flung open the oven door, grabbed the brownies, grabbed a bowl, cracked the egg, whisked it up, split the mixture between the two pans.  Then I yelled for Leigh to stir the egg into one pan while I did the other so as not to have scrambled eggs.  By the time she realized what I was doing, she was laughing so hard she could barely stir.  But they turned out pretty well!  Alsowhipped up some icing to go on top...why not?!

 

In other news, Modern Family was hysterical!  Funniest show on TV.  By far. 

 

* While I was doing that, Leigh and Jane Harper were trying to take a bed apart.  It was nothing short of hilarious.  If at first you don't succeed, try and try and try again until one of you calls your mom and she tells you what to do.   

Homemade Bread

Thanks to my brother and sister-in-law, I'm the proud owner of this:

a Cuisinart bread maker!  It is so easy to use.  All you do is pour in the ingredients, set the settings, and wait.  The bread is kneaded, rises, and bakes all in this machine.  I have loved making my own bread in the machine!  It is great for a snack, breakfast, and sandwiches.  I can't wait to continue to experiment with the recipe book!

Kale Chips

Courtney told me about this healthy snack.  I made it the other day and it actually tasted really good.  Far exceeded my expectations!  


1. Preheat oven to 375°F
2. Wash 2 bunches of kale, remove stems, tear into small pieces
3. Toss with 2 tsp olive oil and spread on baking sheet
4. Salt lightly
5. Bake until crisp and slightly golden around edges (10 - 20 minutes). 


"These satisfying chips only have 34 calories per cup."

Roasting

One of my favorite things to cook and eat over the past few months has been roasted vegetables.  It has made me start eating vegetables I previously wasn't interested in.  Mary Alice got me started on sweet potatoes.  The Barefoot on broccoli and brussel sprouts.  And various blogs turned me on to carrots.  I never ate brussel sprouts before and wasn't a fan of cooked carrots.  So easy to do and so delicious!

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Cut in uniform pieces.
Drizzle with olive oil.
Add salt and pepper.
Toss and bake for 35-45 minutes; tossing once or twice through.

I like to add rosemary to the sweet potatoes and thyme to the carrots.  I also do asparagus and fresh green beans as well -- they usually take less time.  Yum!

It's Official

Wednesday night I joined the church I've been attending for over a year.  I loved my church in Columbia, so it felt a bit odd leaving that church for real (two and a half years later.  ha!), but I'm excited to be an official member at St. Andrews in Mt. Pleasant.  Some things I love about St. Andrews:

Sermons/teaching.  My small group.  Friends there.

Overall, I think it is the most grace - filled church I've ever been a part of.  I feel like the church as a whole really understands people...how messy we are and how we sin and how we need Jesus.  And because they understand people, they love really well.  Part of loving people well is showing them their sins and re-directing them towards the cross (so it is not all fun and games.  ha!), but they stick with you and walk it out beside you.

Move over Bojangles

In my book, Chick-fil-A is much better than Bojangles.  Don't get me wrong, I love the Bo sometimes, but basically CFA is the greatest fast food establishment in the history of fast food.  Yet if you're in need of a biscuit on Sunday morning, Bojangles is your best bet...especially because they have a spicy chicken biscuit.  Well, we've moved into a new era.  First, Chick-fil-A came out with the spicy sandwhich.  (They'll make you a grilled spicy sandwhich if you ask for it!)  And now -- drumroll please -- they have spicy biscuits!  Oh my word, they are decilious!  I find the chicken more more delectable than Bojangles' and seriously could eat one of these about every day.  Although my waistline is hoping I don't.

Pigs Must be Flying

I like meat.  I would be satisfied to eat a hunk of meat for supper most of the time.  Red meat is my favorite.  Give me a good steak, medium rare to rare and I'm good to go.

I've never enjoyed turkey products trying to be other meats.  And I'll be honest, I've talked a lot of smack about them.  And things like veggie burgers and black bean burgers.  In an effort to eat healthier (at least for a while due to the recently added holipounds), I decided to purchase a box of non meat burgers.

I was going for black bean, yet my jippy grocery store didn't have those so I went with the all American veggie burger.  I have to say: it was delicious!  I put it on a bun and ate it like a regular burger, but it tasted good on its own as well.  It was well seasoned.  While it won't satisfy my desire for a big bite of red meat all the time, it is definitely a nice alternative.

Just Dance

Have you ever played this amazing Wii game?!  Because I have.  I played it this past Saturday with some of my favorite people.  And can I just say, that I am still sore.  My calves are killing me when I walk (and it is Monday).  My shoulders are tense.  And it is a good thing I'm not planning to go bowling any time soon...because I would probably bowl even worse than normal.  Haha.  BUT.  I loved the game!  I'm not very good, but I have a lot of fun!  Which (not so ironically) is how I am with regular dancing.  Ha.

Also.  If you ever get the opportunity to watch Mary Alice do Proud Mary, grab a Diet Coke, some popcorn, and hunker down for something truly magical and entertaining!

Goals for 2011

I'm feeling very excited and hopeful about the upcoming year...here are some things I'm looking forward to:

• Take a trip to Dallas to watch Festa and Austin exchange vows.
• Deepen my relationship with the Holy Spirit.
• Continue to fight some specific sin in my life.
• Take a risk and see what happens.
• Embrace turning 28 -- getting SO close to 30.
• Read a Bret Lott book.
• Join my church.
• Visit Southern California or somewhere else cool.