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!

Introducing the art of breathing

Really such a deep title for such a ridiculously empty post.

We have been nothing short of crazy around here the last few weeks. Saturday we arrived home from a week away. Some Friends of ours gave us a week of their time share and we headed to the mountains of North GA. It was beautiful, quiet, unstructured, calm, relaxing, jealous yet?

Back to the mile an hour speed of life this morning!

My job at church wrapped up a few weeks ago and to be honest it has been a bit strange. Walking down the halls not really have to "think" or "worry" about anything has been very nice. It is crazy how attached you get to something even if it is something that you have no desire of attachment to! I don't walk from this looking back with longing to return. But, after 2 years on the job it is just weird to leave! With that said my days are filled with just my 2 monkeys. They keep me on my toes but after juggling them and the other job they seem like a breeze. Praying through several options right now...one of which being my Spanish. Since immersion really isn't an option, I am thinking maybe some classes. I have gotten involved with a local Latino Baptist Congregation here. They are a HUGE help in the language department and I have enjoyed my time with them. In fact the pastor's wife is one my team for the Peru trip.

Speaking of which, it is getting pretty close. I am so ready to be there in all ways but actually "being" ready. I have not made sure I "have what I need," I am still trying to sort out the funding, and I have not made a team meeting yet! 5 weeks is not as much time as it was in high school...crazy how that works! With my days being filled unlike they were 3 years ago I need to kick it into some preparatory gear so that I am at least thinking about it!

In between now and then my family has several big-ish things going on. Family annual apple picking trip, Church family retreat in the mountains, and my sisters 16th birthday.

That's right! This is turning 16! I really can NOT believe it. Being that she is...what she is, a small get together over a box of pizza was so not an option. We have opted for a backyard, bandanna, hotdog roasting, smore making, type shin dig! We hope it goes over well!

So, that was a lot of nothing to say the little that I did. A real post is coming soon! =)

1 - 2 - 3

I just glanced at my ticker and I happened to notice something...

I leave for Peru in...

month
weeks

and...

days!!!!!!!

New Adventure

I am starting somewhat of a new blog series. I picked up this book, at a certain store that will remain unnamed (a place where all prices are BELOW $5) for a mere $5 (originally a $30 book!). I decided that I would try some of the recipes to help my monkey get past some of his vegetable issues.After thumbing through some of the pages I decided I would share some of the success, or not success, of these dishes. In the mean time getting these ridiculously adorable, occasionally picky eaters to swallow some certain unmentioned things that might be picked from something that could resemble a *whispers* plant!
So, join me on my new page, What's in the read, as I work my way through her editions to some kid sized favorites!

A wordless Wednesday that happend on Thursday

never forget

9 years ago our nation changed in a second.
A heartless act changed the course of our country

Thousands of lives...gone.

May we never...

...forget.

United, we still stand.

Thought Prevoking

Bill Gates 11 things they do not teach in school

Rule 1: Life is not fair…get used to it.
Rule 2: The world won’t care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.
Rule 3: You will NOT make $40,000/year right out of high school. You won’t be a vice-president with a cell-phone, until you earn both.
Rule 4: If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss. Hedoesn’t have tenure.
Rule 5: Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your grandparents had a word for flipping burgers-they called it opportunity.
Rule 6: If you mess up it’s not your parents fault, so don’t whine aboutyour mistakes, learn from them.
Rule 7: Before you were born, your parents weren’t as boring as they arenow. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes, andlistening to how cool you are. So before you save the rain forest from theparasites of your parents’ generation, try delousing the closet in your own room.
Rule 8: Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but lifehasn’t. In some schools they have abolished failing grades and they’ll giveyou as many times as you want to get the answer right. This doesn’t bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.
Rule 9: Life is not divided into semesters. You don’t get summers andChristmas break off, and very few employers are interested in helping youfind yourself. Do that on you own time.
Rule 10. Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually have toleave the coffee shop and go to work.
Rule 11: Be nice to nerds. Chances are you’ll end up working for one.