16

Party pics will come soon! I promise! Tonight I am headed to the mountains with my church family for out annual church retreat. This has to be posted so it will be quick.

Today this turns 16.

For me it is a mixed emotion kind of day. She is my first little sister and it scares the pants off me that she is 16! I remember 16. I thought I had it all together...I was 16, fyi! *rolls eyes and places hands on hip after mastering the perfect "z" snap!* Now, she is here.

We are very, very different if so very many ways. She has the voice, the personality, the volume! She counts no one as an enemy until she has been decided that they indeed are not her friend. Since she was little, age really didn't seem to matter. Whatever age she was turning she was always going on 30. Drama is her middle name...has been, always will be! =) I don't believe a situation would be complete without her proclaiming to the world the "unfairness" and depressive state we are all in, "I'm just saying!" A phone is most usually found in her had and an ear bug is most often found in her ear. Her music preference comes in waves and one day Hawk Nelson hung the moon and the next Reliant K is all that! She is loud, spontaneous, a liver of life to the fullest, a romantic notion filled dreamer, kind of girl. The weight of the world can wear her down but the mention of fun cuts the strings in an instant. She has a heart for others. She loves kids. She went on her first real mission trip this summer and I have not seen her so pumped ever!

She is being beautifully shaped into the wonderful child of the King made to serve Him in her life though and through. I am excited to see what God has in store for her. I can't imagine life without her and I can barely imagine what God could be making for her in her life.

Happy Birthday Madalee! I hope you have a wonderful, wonderful birthday!

The next few days! *picture overload*

One more rainy morning spent on Babyland! Cabbage Patch Doll central! I thought it would be some reasonably priced, large variety of "adoptable" dolls. I was wrong...this was a MUSEUM of ALL the dolls EVER made...I am talking $200 - $300 dolls that have been named after or for things of persons! CRAZY! But, fun! At least for Lina and myself. This was our childhood and for a doll lover like me I was loving it!
Both Lina and I landed a doll in the end ($23, NOT $300!) and we went home happy that we had gone but I am not raving about needing to go! =)

At the exit there were TONS of signed pictures of celebrities to the cabbage patch creator. This one we found and Bean loved! She is a Star Wars fan!

Agree!

Happy Jewelry!

uh, yup!

I loved taking pictures of all the country, hand made, things!

Told you, common theme!

The river that was everywhere! Super fun and really cool!

Antique Shop!

Chatahoochee Village Shops!

An old covered bridge...I can't remember the name!

God's promise that the rain will never destroy the whole earth again!

LOVE it!

A very rainy beginning

Our vacation started off very wet. We spent the first several days, Sunday - Tuesday playing around in different shops and driving to see different things because of the rain that had decided to come!

Unicoi State Park was located just down the road from where we stayed. On one of our rainy mornings we headed to check it out! What a view!

God is so amazing!

Then we decided to hit some of the local things of Helen! Bean loved all the building on mountain sides! She could touch the roof! It also made her quite the goof ball!

Then we headed to Betty's.
To be honest I am not sure I get the attraction. It was over-priced, over-crowded, and the people were not very nice! =) Different aspects about the store were cool but I don't think you will find me "having" to go back if I ever find myself in GA again!

Like I told you, a theme!

1 word, 3 syllables, starts with an "o" ends with a "verpriced!"

Just for the fun of it I had to get a picture of me in Betty's.

Me and Lina in Betty's

Bean and Betty

Madalee at Betty's

More to come!

Vacation Day 1

I have so many pictures from our vacation this past month that this vacation post will come in stages! We spent a whole day traveling to the north east part of GA! Our travels took us through SC where we stopped at a road side produce stand by one of the coolest malls ever!

We got some freshed smoked pulled pork bbq at the stand for dinner!

Texting as we head into the border of GA!

Finally made it!

Peru in 2!

I literally can NOT believe how fast time is going! I can't seem to get it straight before I hit another big event!

I leave for Peru in a little more than 2 weeks! You read that right, 2! I am so, so very excited. For a while now it has been a thought in the back of my head that I was planning to get excited about but had not had the chance! =) But, I am finally getting excited!

Between now and then time will fly, and I mean fly by! In a matter of days we will be hosting a house full of loud teenagers for my sister's 16th birthday. She has been planning this day for months and we, as her unofficially assigned party-planners, have taken it upon ourselves to keep going with her plans...I mean, really keep going. My mom and I came across an idea on another blog with a backyard barnyard type thing. We are talking hay bales, hot dogs, roasting marsh mellows, the whole nine yards! Which speaking of the hay bales - God is so HUGE and He so cares about the details. Our county had a Harvest Festival this past weekend and when we called the lady in charge about buying the remaining hay bales from them she was more than happy to give them to us...just give! Ain't God great?!

Then next weekend my church is headed up to the mountains for a weekend away. This used to be a yearly thing, then it turned into an every other year deal, until now we take what we can get! =( We have not been in 3 years and for goodness sake, it's 'bout time! It is really a fun time away to be with each other away from the "things" of life. No one has a schedule that is pressing, no one needs to be somewhere at a particular time. It is a relaxed, fun, growing, challenging time to be together away!

When we come back Sunday p.m. it is on the down hill slide until I leave that Saturday. EEP! I think I have it all together! It seems crazy right now but I am fairly confident that it will all come together. I had a dream that I didn't have my passport when we got to the airport...I was standing there crying because they were leaving without me and I had no way of getting home and I couldn't go and...then I woke up...I think the passport will be the first thing packed! =)

All in all I can not praise my God enough for His provision. With amazing gifts from family and friends and those I don't know and the support from those I asked He has given me an abundance of what I need! I will receive that final amount of what I owe this week some time and I know that the Father who is so GREAT has again paid attention to the details on my small finite world enough that I will make this payment!

I will continue to update when I can, I hope to update until I leave Lima on Sunday...I may be able to update once more in Huancayo or San Jose/Usibamba we will see! Thanks for those prayers! We serve an awesome, gasp-giving, mountain-moving God!

30 day blog challenge

My sister sent me this blog and told me I should give the 30 day challenge a try. Not sure when I will start. I will be leaving in a matter of weeks for Peru and will be away from a computer for 9 of the blog challenge days. SO, maybe I will start now, maybe I will wait a week or 3! We will see! Maybe I will start and it won't be 30 concecutive days...defeats the purpose doesn't it!? =)

Anyway, thus it begins!

Day 1-Introduce, recent picture, 15 interesting facts
Day 2-Meaning behind your blog name
Day 3-Your first love
Day 4-Your parents
Day 5-Your siblings
Day 6-A picture of something that makes you happy
Day 7-Favorite movies
Day 8-A place you've traveled to
Day 9-A picture of your friends
Day 10-Something you're afraid of
Day 11-Favorite tv shows
Day 12-What you believe
Day 13-Goals
Day 14-A picture you love
Day 15-Bible verse
Day 16-Dream house
Day 17-Something you're looking forward to
Day 18-Something you regret
Day 19-Something you miss
Day 20-Nicknames
Day 21-Picture of yourself
Day 22-Favorite city
Day 23-Favorite vacation
Day 24-Something you've learned
Day 25-Put your iPod on shuffle, first 10 songs
Day 26-Picture of your family
Day 27-Pets
Day 28-Something that stresses you out
Day 29-3 Wishes
Day 30-a picture

Prayer

n - 7. a petition; entreaty.

Simply asking for prayer.

D.D. recipe #1 - Mac and Beans

So, I finally got around to starting the Deceptively Delicious with the kids. I started with something they all love, Mac and Cheese. This recipe was super easy and kinda healthy. Pair it with a whole wheat pasta instead of the white and it would have taken it to a whole new level. But, I settled for the white for the first go 'round. Maybe next time I will take that step. All in all I found it just as simple (maybe a little more so) as box kind and way better for them. I plan to puree some for the booness.

Secret ingredient - Beans. Any light-colored beans. Navy, chickpeas, etc. I used a small can of navy beans, drained and rinsed.

So, to get started

I started by draining and rinsing a small can of navy beans. Then I pureed them with a little bit of milk for the cheese sauce base.

I melted a bit of butter and then stirred in the milk/bean puree.

After the milk/beans, and butter are smooth and thickened I add cheddar and mozzarella cheese, a couple of hand fulls. Stirred until melted.

While the milk/bean puree and butter were thickening, I threw on a pot of salted water to boil. Threw in my pound of shells and cooked al dente...(I don't like mushy noodles!).

Drain pasta, add to sauce and stir. I added some salt fresh ground pepper and a handful of colby jack cheese.

Verdict is...?

smiles...all...

around!