Lite brite has never been so cool

A little caveat, I'm not a huge David Crowder fan... but I'm making an exception, because he has pulled out possibly one of the coolest music videos I've ever seen!

Just watch! And trust me when I say you won't expect where this one is going... you might want to get a tissue!
I promise a bona fide post sooner than later :) Thanks for reading!

Ponyo!

If you have yet to brave the movie Ponyo, don't wait any longer!

I think this is one of the cutest kids movies I've seen in a really long time!

Emmy loves it so much, she's gonna be Ponyo for Halloween!

We're still looking for a Soskue ;) But we might put that off until she's 25!

There's one questionable line in the movie, but I don't even think it's worth mentioning. It's a very cute movie and an amazing piece of animation... WOW!

Have fun....

HHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Everythings Amazing & Nobodys Happy

If you haven't seen this... please.... watch!
So true, so profound, so funny!Then after you've watched, challenge yourself to be thankful for your easy, wonderful, cruisy life! Unless of course you're one of my 3rd world country readers ;)

Grilled Artichokes ala Bandera!

One of my absolute favorite things to eat is Grilled Artichokes... they've become more popular recently and a few restaurants have been trying their hand at them, but there is only one restaurant that has nailed them! And that restaurant is Bandera and they only charge a ridiculous $12 for that perfection. Every where else I've tried them is not quite right, too watery is usually my complaint, so I scoured the Internets to see if I could find someone out there that had figured out Bandera's secret, and alas I did!

So because I like you, I'm willing to pass on this highly treasured secret of chokey goodness...

Oh and if by some chance you happen to be a grilling freak and have a wood fire grill with some hickory, these are gonna be amazing... I had to settle for gas, but it still was surprisingly good!

Lets begin:

Steam your artichokes with a lemon slice, garlic clove and bay leaf for 15-20 min. depending on their size. (25 min. for a especially large choke) You only get one shot at this, so make sure they're done!

As you can see here I was a little too anxious to get mine out of the water and the heart is slightly underdone... whoops :\

When you take them out of the water slice them starting at the stem working down toward the leaves, this will help keep the choke intact and not get all over the leaves.
Rub a little lemon on them and stick them in the fridge for an hour or if you're always late like me, throw them in the freezer for 10 min. This is the MOST important step, so don't skip it. I'm pretty sure this is the step that the restaurants are blowing it on!

While your chokes are chillin' you need to make a little marinade for these beauties:

Get the lemon you used in the beginning and cut one more slice off it and put the slice aside
Now use the juice from the rest of your lemon
3 tablespoons of olive oil
I use one square of frozen crushed garlic (which looks like 1 and 1/2 crushed garlic cloves)
a large pinch of kosher salt
and a a good amount of cracked pepper
(don't be shy with the salt and pepper!)

When you've got about 10-15 min. to go until you're ready to eat throw these beauties on the grill with a healthy amount of marinade on them. BUT before you do that make sure to scoop out the choke! (the hairy bit just above the heart, you don't not want to eat any of that stuff!)

You'll need to flip them over every 2-3 min. to keep them from burning, but a little char is a great thing on these guys!
Every time you flip them give them some more marinade and when you're close to done sprinkle them with a little more kosher salt!

Now it's time to eat! YUMMMM! I serve these beauties up with a garlic remoulade that you can make up in advance and it will last in your fridge for a week!

Garlic Remoulade:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 cubes of frozen crushed garlic or 3 fresh cloves minced
3 tablespoons relish
The juice from your slice of lemon you put aside
A large pinch of salt
And a dash of dill weed
(taste and add more lemon or salt if needed)

Enjoy!

The Anti-Consumer Hypocrite

So there's plenty of things I'm known for, making my own shoes from carrots I grew in my garden is one of the funnier ones my girlfriend Janeille coined, but one of the lesser known ones is that I'm a bit of an Anti-consumer hypocrite... sad but true.

I'm constantly tortured in my head, knowing that Forever 21 just got in that perfect dress that is gonna suit my not-so-perfect figure and I'm gonna miss it! But I know that I have no business being in that store because my closet is full and once I'm there, there's at least 5 other things I can't live without, ughhh!!! It's places like Nordstroms rack that convince the anti-consumer hypocrites like me that it's OK because that dress was $130 and now is only $11 so it's not really that bad, right!!!!

In an ideal world I would just be content with what I have and never need anything shinny and new. But no, I'm tortured, I'm tossed to and fro all the time. I can't, but I would love to blame it all on Orange County, I mean shopping might be highest on our list of cultural priorities.

So my friends, it's only fair that you share the burden with me, so I'm gonna do what any good anti-consumer hypocrite would... Give you the two options to wrestle over that I do, everyday!
You're welcome :)

Let the torture commence:

This month, charity: water is doing a campaign, encouraging people to give up their September birthday gifts in exchange for a donation to charity: water. They hope to further solve the world water crisis, and so far, they're doing a killer job! Good thing it wasn't October birthdays this year, phew!
Watch the trailer, I'm pretty sure you'll become an Anti-Consumer hypocrite too... sorry. And don't worry, I am gonna give up my October birthday this year :)


Next is for those of you who can shop online unimpeded by that nagging feeling.
Zafirenia is a really cute company I just learned about. Seriously cute, cute vintage inspired jewelry.

Did I say cute. I love their big, bold fun designs.

I really wanted to get one for my best friend's birthday, but she has to make the ever torturous call, since it's her September birthday, no pressure.


If you decide you can't live without one of Zafirenia's designs, you can make yourself feel better knowing that you're supporting the cottage industry and actually putting food on a family's table :)

I know, I know, I would say I'm sorry, but all kidding aside I think this is too important. So much of what we do in America needs a bit of a reevaluation. At the very least I've gotten you thinking, cuz if you never did, nothing would change.

Balance my friend, balance.

Your Old Time Friend

A Shout Out!

This is a Shout Out to all you single moms out there! I've had 10 days with my husband gone to Australia and New Zealand, and I have to say I have a new found respect and admiration for those of you doing this all the time! I pray strength and courage for you! I'll be back soon, I'm bubbling over with things I have to tell you... but not now, I got stuff to clean :)

On the Road Again!

Me and my beloved are hittin' the road very early tomorrow morning!
If you're the prayin' sort, please pray for us, we're off to Montana for a really special time with other church planters... but I have MAJOR, MAJOR anxiety about leaving my babies.
One small consolation, there's a Cracker Barrel in the State we're off to... (there's a reason the word "crack" is in their name!)
Sorry I couldn't resist! I'm a huge fan of both her and 'Crack'er Barrel!

I'll be back on my blog in a week with gads of insight... You're gonna have to hold me back!

The Basics of our Faith

As I sit here and ponder all of the pearls of insight into the depths of my soul that I could share right now, I'm coming up short... I'm still right in the thick of processing all the ins and outs of Behavior Modification, so I'm finding it hard to exactly articulate my thoughts... I know that God is in the midst of doing surgery, but one thing that I feel affirmed in over and over again in throughout this process is, that even as I screw up and learn lesson after lesson because of my shortcomings, I'm loved and accepted. I'm beloved and cherished because of Jesus and not because I'm a perfect little saint that never screws up... if that were how God worked, I would be screwed!

For that reason, I LOVE this video!



Let me know your thoughts, or how you've experience this grace in your life!
I know the hardest part for me is to just accept it, even when I do screw up, there's some arrogance in me that just wants to earn His love so bad. But when I take a step back, I'm so glad I can't! Because when I'm totally honest with myself, I know I never could, I know I don't measure up to His standards, so I'm just grateful for His acceptance and grace on Jesus' behalf!

Behavior Modification?

Well, well, well... if you're still reading 3 gold stars for you!

Sorry I've been a lagger, but life for the Weeks have been busy! There's been the executing of an estate, lots of worship leading, good friends in from out of town, entertaining, meetings up the wazoo, veggie gardening and of course lots of watching Judah eat sand! But all along I haven't forgotten you, I think of you often and wonder if you think of me ;)

OK enough with the mushy stuff...

Amidst all the business there has been a lot on my mind! The one that has dominated my thoughts is the whole idea of behavior modification that I eluded to in my post's title,this has had HUGE implications for me in my life lately, on so many levels!

I promise an explanation or at least an attempt at one in my next post. But for now I'm posting the video that's has really challenged me in my usual attempts at behavior modification for y'all to watch, and no I'm not from the south... well Southern California, but we don't say y'all, I don't know what came over me.



We have so much to discuss! Talk to you soon!

Oh Betty!

This one's been a long time coming... one of my all time favorite people ever is Betty Hutton, and I've wanted to introduce you for a long time. I'm hoping most of you already are good friends and have enjoyed her for years, but if you haven't, here's my brief yet non-exhaustive intro to one of my heroes!
Betty Hutton was a glamorous, yet not quite right for Hollywood type that somehow managed to star in dozens of films in the 40's and 50's. She had said that she hit fast and run in hopes that no one would realize that she couldn't really do anything... Well I definitely disagree with you Betty! She had a spunk that is unrivalled. Bob Hope once called her a vitamin with legs... She would definitely fit right in with me and my girlfriends! Fiery and fun with some sass and silliness! This is me doin' my best to pull of Betty's hair for my 30th birthday party!


This one here is my favorite! It shows her range and how funny and delightful she can be. I especially love the part when she sings "woof, woof"


Sadly, Betty followed the road of many in Hollywood, turning to drug use and nearly had a nervous breakdown. She ended up living in obscurity until someone discovered her working as a cook in a Catholic rectory in the 70's!
In an interview with Robert Osbourne on TCM in 2000 Betty was very candid about her personal struggles and the turmoil she experienced in Hollywood and later her bout with drug addiction and ultimately her faith that changed her life!

This one's called the Sewing Machine, I sing it to my kids when I sew :)



I learned that Betty had become a devout Catholic living quietly at the end of her life in Palm Springs, really close to where my Dad lives. I often fantasized about writing her and seeing if we could get together to talk or pray... but my courage failed me, and I soon after learned that she had passed away. Boo...

This one's about a neighbor that never stops playin' his piano... She's so cute!



So while my opportunity to hang out with my girl has passed here, I can't wait to hang out with you in heaven Betty! I hope you love her as much a me! When I hear her fun and silly songs, they just bring a smile to my face and a little joy to my day! And if you want some more Betty head on over here to SatinsAndSpurs.com The Betty Hutton Website
This is the best site there is for all things Betty!


And if you're looking for a good movie to rent this weekend, check her out in "Annie Get Your Gun" it's rip roarin' old timey fun!

And apparently 3 or 4 of her movies will be featured this month on TCM!

So have fun!


Your Old Time Friend...

Some good and some bad news...

Let's start with the bad news... Yesterday the poor, defenseless baby dove eggs met their demise. (tear...) Next year little dove, I'll do whatever I can to protect your precious baby eggs!

Now onto the good news

Do you recognize that face??? It's my beloved Keith Green, and in 2011 they will be releasing a movie about his life! You can read the full story here... There is probably no one that has collectively influenced my spiritual and musical life more than Keith Green, he is definitely one of my heroes. I can't wait to see the movie. Keith really lived out what he believed, more than most of us would dare. He and his wife took in single mothers, people wanting to be freed from drug addiction, the homeless. And I believe he was the first contemporary Christian artist to give his music away and or only charge what people could afford to pay for an album! Such a beautiful life, such an inspiring testimony!
By some miracle when I was in highschool all my friends thought, even in the face of all the punk rock we we're listening to, that a Christian Contemporary artist from the the late '70's was the coolest... I don't know how to explain it, it's just a miracle ;) We would drive down the street, singing his songs at the top of our lungs, and we knew every single lyric! It was the BEST!

If you're not familiar with Keith at all check out some of his lyrics to one of my favorite songs...

Your Love Broke Through
Like a foolish dreamer, trying to build a highway to the sky
All my hopes would come tumbling down, and I never knew just why
Until today, when you pulled away the clouds that hung like curtains on my eyes
Well I've been blind all these wasted years and I though I was so wise
But then you took me by surprise
Like waking up from the longest dream, how real it seemed
Until your love broke through
I've been lost in a fantasy, that blinded me
Until your love broke through
All my life I've been searching for that crazy missing part
And with one touch, you just rolled away the stone that held my heart
And now I see that the answer was as easy, as just asking you in
And I am so sure I could never doubt your gentle touch again
It's like the power of the wind
Like waking up from the longest dream, how real it seemed
Until your love broke through
I've been lost in a fantasy, that blinded me
Until your love, until your love, broke through

then if you wanna hear him in action check this out! He had such a creative way of telling a story with such fun music!


ENJOY!

CROWS!!!

I'm sorry but there is some of God's creation that I don't enjoy...

I'm sure there is something redemptive about crows, I just haven't found it yet!

All morning they have been trying to attack these precious little unborn baby doves...

Not OK!

So I've been fighting them back with yells and claps, my only ammunition... my neighbors think I'm so weird... oh well...

Race day approaching!

So I have vaguely eluded to the fact that I've taken up a regular exercise regimen here before, but I haven't really gotten into the details, cuz lets face it, if you wanted to read an exercise blog, you probably wouldn't be reading mine with such items as "Brown butter plum tart" and "Spreads"...

However I am planning on completing my first ever half-marathon this Sunday, and I'm really excited... I actually don't feel any of the dread that I should!

I was just telling my mom the other day how amazing it is that I even want to attempt running... I mean, I'm an adult! There's no scary PE teacher screaming at me to get going any more! I have rights now... When I was a kid there was no better way to torture or punish me. I saw kids that voluntarily signed up for cross country and I thought there was something wrong with them! But by some miracle I came to the conclusion that running would be a good idea for me.

(She is amazing! Look how much clearance she has!, does anyone think this is real??)

Then an interesting conversation ensued with my mom about the misconceptions we grow up with and often never get over even as adults, until we're forced to stare them down by circumstances that are unavoidable, ever had one of those?
I had a huge misconception about running. I labeled it as impossible, too hard for my stubby round body, torture.

Then I told my mom about a recent victory I'd had over a long-time misconception of mine...

My whole life I had looked at this one hill near my house (I still live in the house I was born in) and marveled at people running up it. I had thought to myself, "why would anyone do that, that is the hill of death."
Well sometime after I had started running, I needed to get to a location that was really close, but the only way to get there was up the "hill of death!" I put it of for weeks, telling myself it was just too hard for me. Finally, one day I decided to kick myself in the pants, and I gave myself a whole hour to complete "the hill" and amazingly enough I arrived 40 min. early.
It's amazing how crippling our misconceptions are! I've wasted so many years of my life investing in lies! How sad!

( I could be totally wrong, but I think this photo is a lie... how bout you??)

Now, this is no power of positive thinking pep talk, it's a reality check! We are fearfully and wonderfully made, and if we do like David and preach to our souls a little, I think there is a lot we can overcome that sadly has been overcoming us!

Today I got my number for my race bib, and because I'm so spiritual and love to over-spiritualize everything, I googled to see if there was a bible verse with my numbers, and no there isn't, it's too high of a number, so I immediately turned to Strong's... cuz not only am I super spiritual, I try and be super smart... I'm so kidding guys, you know me well enough, right??
Ok so I looked up both the Hebrew for 3681 and the Greek and check it out...

In the Greek it's reproach, that's a fun word! Where is this heading?? But as I read the verse it began to illuminate something for me!

Luke 1:25- "The Lord has done this for me," she said. "In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace (reproach) among the people."

WOW! This one really spoke to me! I feel like God has really used my training in running to be a part of the process of Him removing my reproach or disgrace. Before I learned to beat my body into submission (1st. Cor. 9:27,) there was a huge part of me that has felt like a disgrace, I felt defeated by my lack of discipline and disgusted by my lack of self control! I'm praising God for this verse that He is dealing with me graciously and removing my disgrace by retraining me to be a more disciplined and self-controlled woman...

Next in the Strong's Hebrew is the word "covering" the uses of the word is kinda funny... I think they are talking about using the skins of sea cows to cover parts of the tabernacle... haha, sea cows!

But immediately I felt the Lord encouraging me that He will be my covering in this race, and when I get tired or feel like giving up, I'm gonna encourage my self with this, that He's got me covered!

So wish me.... luck?... blessings... I dunno... Wait I do! Pray for me, I'm gonna need it!

-Your Old Time bestie...

Hope

As life has been forging on full steam ahead, I have been really impacted by how many of my friends are struggling.
And I don't mean can't find the right pair of shoes to match that dress kind of struggle, I mean a possible terminal illness, a possible terminal marriage and one that's definitely over...

If you have a set of eyes and a heart that's pumping, it won't take much to look around you and see someone who's struggling with something.

Where do you go with this? what's your response, what kind of advice do you give?

In the last couple of months I've been pursuing training for a half marathon and to further inspire myself, I've been watching Biggest Loser. Last night on the show one of the contestants lost his brother to cancer and I couldn't help but squirm as the trainers offered life advice, that to me seemed so hollow and contrived. Maybe I'm biased, but it seems that death makes it so clear that humanistic advice falls flat, because it doesn't solve the problem of eternity! Getting in the gym and giving it all you've got for your brother doesn't really solve that he's gone forever and there's a deep loss and grief that accompanies such losses!

So the question is... how do you deal with catastrophic loss? To what or whom do you turn to, do you hope in?

I think we are such interesting creatures, in the things we turn to convinced that they're gonna solve our problems! Seriously I think there's quite a few of us that have thought ice cream will at least soothe our woes...

But the bottom line is that the power of positive thinking, ice cream or a really intense workout can only temporarily distract us, it doesn't solve the problem of pain and ultimately death!

Hebrews 2:15 says that Jesus came to deliver those who are subject to bondage of the fear of death!
That's encouraging news!

Furthermore, when we put our hope and trust in Him, pain is no longer a useless nuisance that we strive to numb. It's a tool in a Master-Craftsman's hand! This is pain that produces something even more beautiful than gold! The bible says it's endurance, which leads to character, which ends up producing HOPE! (Rom.5:4)

And when it's Jesus that we put our hope in there is a peace, it's not a peace that the world can offer us! The hope the world offers is empty... sorry but it is... It's only something Jesus can give us, He says "don't let your heart be troubled or afraid..." And just before his followers were about to be scattered because of the threat of death, He encourages them to take heart because He has overcome the world! I don't know about you, but when you're facing the threat of death someone chanting "yes you can" isn't gonna cut it!
It has to be someone who has overcome death who can actually offer me some encouragement in that moment! Everything else falls flat!

1st Peter 1 says that we have been grieved by various trials for a little while... I don't know about you, but 80 years plus or minus to be grieved by various trials doesn't seem like a little while, especially when those trials can seem so overwhelmingly huge and painful! But I heard a pastor put it this way recently...
"When we're on year 10billion 800million 465 thousand and 2... 80 years is gonna seem like a recess in 1st grade!"

It's perspective we need! The bottom line friends... God is real, life is short and eternity is long!

I know it's hard, I'm weeping with you, I'm praying for you...

I'm hoping that you place your hope in the only one who is worthy of your trust!
He died for you to rescue you from the most hopeless of situations and He has promised to never leave you or forsake you! Romans 5:5 says that that hope you have in Him will not disappoint you!

Lord help us to fix our eyes not on what is seen, but what is unseen! Knowing that through our pain and difficulty you are working out a far greater weight of glory! Help us to surrender to You as You work it out! Help us Lord to suffer well, as we hope in you!

Please let me know how I can pray for you if you're going through a difficult season!
- Your Old Time friend

Distraction from Taxes!

If any of you are irrisponsible like moi... you are probably totally stressing out that you only have 4 more days to finish your mount everest called taxes...

So stop for a moment... and watch this
Your brain will be so confused by what it's seeing it will completely forget all the stress and strain of the last month!




I had no clue karaoke was Korea's national sport...

I think I might be impressed if I just wasn't so weirded out by picturing him reaching out to Kevin Costner...

He is Risen! He is Risen Indeed!

Because it's Easter I have to start by saying... I love Jesus and I'm so thankful that He died for my sins, and I'm so grateful that He conquered death and that I get to spend eternity Him!

And in light of that, I must share with you one song that I love and the rest which are completely ridiculous!

My most favoritist Easter song growing up... Keith just knew how to do it right, and somehow as a teenager my friends and I all that he was sooooo cool! Weird right?! But I'm so glad, cuz he wrote some of the most amazing lyrics of all times!

So here he is doing the Easter Song



This isn't a song, but it's pretty important if you know what my schedule is like and like to laugh at strange men pretending to be church ladies... It's called church slave... please don't be too offended ;)


This one is AMAZING! Ska, ska, ska Jesus! I love how cheesy Christians can be... we're awesome! "Beautiful Sal, Beautiful"


I hope you have a wonderful Easter! And enjoyed a few laughs... I know Jesus wouldn't mind ;)
He is risen!!!!!! He is risen indeed!

It's a good Good Friday!

Well as you can see, my posting marathon didn't last all that long.. I need to get my blogging endurance up! This week has been one of the busier weeks of my life, but all for a good reason.

As you probably know today is Good Friday, the day my Savior died for my sins!

I just got home from leading the music for our church's service, and I had to write to you all... Tonight was so important, so central, so key... In some ways I cringe thinking about this day... but I'm glad in a way, I never want to take His sacrifice lightly.

I spent a large portion of my day reflecting on what my life would have been like, if He hadn't been willing to die, it's unimaginable! I thought about the grief that He had to bear on my account. It was a hard day a sober day...

A lady from my church died today, largely because of a extremely self-destructive sin...

I hate my sin and how it hurts the people I love and how hard it is to free myself from it's grip. It's so costly, so painful!

As I went to post this picture, I definately hesitated, the cross is so grusome, and if I look at it, I'd rather Jesus wasn't still on it... But I think it's really good for us to remember how much it cost Him to buy us back from death!

If you're still reading, I'm praying that you are having a better than good Good Friday, knowing that Sunday's comin'!

And in light of that... I've posted some of my most favorite quotes on the Gospel... I hope you are encouraged!

*The gospel: "God covering his naked enemies, bringing them to the wedding feast & then marrying them rather than crushing them." - Ed Welch

*Religion says "we're the good guys, and they're the bad guys" The Gospel says "We're all the bad guys, and Jesus is the ONLY good guy" - Mark Driscoll



*'If you believe what you like in the gospels, and reject what you don't like, it is not the gospel you believe, but yourself.” - Saint Augustine

*'God writes the Gospel not in the Bible alone, but also on trees, and in the flowers and clouds and stars.” -Martin Luther

*“It is true that every day has its own evil, and its good too. But how difficult must life be, especially farther on when the evil of each day increases as far as worldly things go, if it is not strengthened and comforted by faith. And in Christ all worldly things may become better, and, as it were, sanctified. Theo, woe is me if I do not preach the Gospel; if I did not aim at that and possess faith and hope in Christ, it would be bad for me indeed, but no I have some courage.”
-Vincent van Gogh (wow!)

*"Behold the man upon the cross, my sin upon His shoulders, ashamed I hear my mocking voice call out among the scoffers. It was my sin that held Him there, until it was accomplished, His dying breath has brought me life, I know that it is finished!" -Stuart Townsend

*"He was weeping n the garden while we wer sleeping under a tree. His discomfort for our comfort. Oh the shame. Oh the grace! " @jonathan_dodson

*"Either Jesus was who he said he was-the Messiah-or a complete nutcase. I mean nutcase on the level of Charles Manson."-Bono @krafto

*"Golgotha is not a suburb of Jerusalem "- John Piper

*“The debt was so great, that while man alone owed it, God alone could pay it.”- Anselm

*"The Tomb is not an Entrance to Death,but 2 life. The moment we take our last Breath on Earth,we take our first breath in Heaven." @greglaurie

Have a super blessed weekend!

You gotta hear this!

Apparently you probably already know all about PS22 and I'm the last one in America who didn't know about them.... but just in case... You gotta hear them!

They are a group of 5th graders from a school on Staten Island, with a killer choral director!


My absolute favorite thing about these kids, is how they emote when they sing! YES!

They've done songs like Viva La Vida by Coldplay, songs by Lady Gaga (whoever that is;) Kanye West, Journey, they even do Crowded House which would make my Cute Kiwi so happy

... they're not your average choral group! Gotta love it! Have fun

Holy Moly Matrimony!

OK so I've thrown out more than my fare share of dares... and rhymes, on this blog....
But this is my ultimate throw down challenge... I quadrillion dog dare you to grab your spouse and listen to these two messages... AND if by some chance you're single and not a stay and home mom and read my blog.... I implore you to listen to these messages before you make a choice about whom you marry! (don't they look supremely happy!)

Trial - Marriage and Men (you won't be sorry! WOAH! that's all I can say about this one)

Trial - Marriage and Women

If, wait, when you listen, let me know what you think!

Helping the homeless

You may remember that I mentioned in a previous post that my family and some friends of mine went to hang out with and feed the homeless of Laguna on Christmas day last year.
We all had such an awesome time hanging out and talking and getting to know these guys and their stories that I said, I don't wanna wait till next Christmas to do this again!
So my awesome community group has volunteered to go with us to do another pancake breakfast this Saturday morning. And even better this time, we're gonna cook em up fresh in the back of our friend's jeep.

There is so often mixed emotions when it comes to the homeless of this world, we can feel so conflicted about their plight, seeing their suffering and wanting better for them but frustrated, by not knowing if they're being lazy or wanting someone else to do the work for them.

Well I came across this really awesome encouraging story this morning and I wanted to share it with you...

"During World War II, a little church in Strasburg France was bombed by the German Luftwaffe. When the war concluded, the people in the community cleared away the rubble, and found a statue of Jesus, the base of which was inscribed with these words: Come unto Me, all ye that are weary. It was remarkably preserved except for both hands, which had been destroyed. Hearing of this, the sculptor whose work it was immediately offered to replace the hands. But the pastor wisely declined.
And so it was that the statue was returned to its original position in front of the Church, but with a new inscription which read: He has no hands on earth but ours, for we are His Body. It’s true.
We are the Body of Christ. If Jesus is going to reach out and touch a lame person — a beggar, a hurting individual — it will be through our hands. He will use us."

But hang on just a minute before you decide where I going with this...

I think for years there has been a cultural guilt that we can feel when we see a homeless person. We can do one of two things, throw 20$ bucks at them, or turn up our radio and pretend we didn't see them.

But I feel as I'm maturing, it's not about guilt anymore, and it's not whether that person is deserving or not.

Let's look at Jesus for a moment... The guy was constantly surrounded by needs, everywhere he went we're broken people and usually someone asking to be healed... and he was constantly accused of being a winebibber, glutton and friend of sinners, but never of being frazzled or too busy.

Jesus simply did what the Father asked Him to, and that's why Jesus' yoke is easy and His burden is light (Matt. 11:28-30)

We were never meant to fix all of this world's problems on our own, but as we see what Jesus has so graciously done for us, hopefully that love will compel us to be obedient when we hear the Father saying, "you've got a few extra bucks, I want you to buy that guy a meal..."

So the moral of the story is, when you're willing to do what God has asked you, your burden will be light, you won't be weighed down by the plight of others, but simply excited to reciprocate the great love that has been lavished on you. I don't feel like I have to be His hands and feet any more, I'm just so excited that I get to be!

We'll be on Forest Ave. Saturday morning at 8:30 if His love is compelling you to join ;)

She's your new favourite!

Trust me when I say she's your new favourite... and if you don't know why I'm spelling favourite with a U it's because it's how the Kiwi's do it.

If you have not yet had the pleasure of meeting Brooke Fraser, please allow me to introduce you.

Brooke is in fact from my husband's homeland and has been one of the top or the top selling artists in New Zealand since ages ago. And Kiwi's know what they're talking about when it comes to spelling and pop/folk... (Flight of the Conchords anyone? Ok that's a little different, but folk comedy has the word folk in it and they're really popular)

Anyways, she's got insane talent and ridiculous lyricism/song writing skills that make me extremely jealous! GOSH!

Check out this song, I love it, and I know she'll be your new favourite... you can thank me later

Brown Butter Plum Tart

Sadly, I am at the end of my plums that I canned in the summer of '08. Last year there wasn't a great harvest, so we've had to make our canning exploits last.

I decided to make one of my favorite deserts for my bible study brunch and for my neighbor who just had a baby. And since everyone moans when they eat it, I thought I'd do you a favor and share the recipe.

I can't really remember where I first tried this, but I think it was my cousin Catherine that made something like it and it's been a favorite in our house ever since...

So you will need:

* either 2 cups canned plums (or peaches, apricots, apples) or about 8 fresh plums quartered

* 1/2 cup salted butter

* 2 eggs
* 3/4 cup sugar + 3 tbsp. sugar

* 1 cup flour

* 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

* 1/4 tsp. nutmeg

So lets begin... preheat your oven to 350'

then we're gonna brown your butter, and you WILL thank me for this!

Put it on medium high heat for about 5 min. but don't walk away!

You want your butter to have a nice golden color, and it will have a very distinct smell of sweet toasty butteryness! You could take it even a little bit darker than this...
then combine your eggs and sugar, mix well.... then gradually add 1/2 of the flour then the butter and the rest of the flour as not to cook your eggs with the warm butter

And there it is in all it's buttery goodness...

Next toss your plums with 2 tbsp. of sugar (less if the are in a sugary syrup) and the cinnamon and nutmeg then arrange them on the bottom of a cast iron skillet or pie pan


Then spread your dough over the top, finishing it with a dusting of your last tbsp. of sugar that will give this such a wonderful crunch!


Bake for 45-50 min. at 350' then use a knife to seperate the tart from the sides of the pan and invert on a cake stand or plate and enjoy!

I like to serve it with a little bit of vanilla whipped cream... oh yeah...

I hope you enjoy it as much as my family does... there's plenty of variations you could do here, just don't mess with my brown butter...

Your Old Time Friend...

Mystery Followers

Hey gang... I feel a posting marathon coming on... don't believe me, just you wait and see..

So in anticipation, I'm going to solicit some comments out of you my mystery followers.
(posts without photos are depressing, thus Emmy in cartoon 80's hair metal garb='s not depressing ;)


And don't try and act like you don't read my blog... you don't get 14,000 hits when you only have 19 followers...



So stay anonymous if you must but leave me a comment letting me know how you know when I've posted something new...

Ie. do you use google reader? Do you just come to my blog of your own volition? Fill me in I'm dying to know!


And if you feel so compelled, sign up to be one of my followers, I love looking at your profiles and seeing who you are!


Also you may have noticed, I've put a new voting system at the end of my posts, vote! Let me know what things you most like reading about...


And if you have way more important things to do with your life, it's cool...
I'd way rather read your comments than my page hit counter, but don't worry, I still feel the love ;)

Oh and just a quick note to my beloved Chinese readers/spamers... if you don't leave your comment in English, I will delete it... but thanks for the comment love, just the same ;)

LOVE TO YOU ALL!
-still your Old Time friend

When I was but a wee lass

About a million years ago, I was blessed to take an excursion to an unlikely place for a 14 year old. This was not a vacation to the Bahamas as most 14 year-olds would be stoked to do on their summer break.
No, it was the most bizarre place I had ever experienced in my life! The 2 hour ride on the back of a produce truck to where we were staying made my hair like straw and my skin smudgy. I'd never ridden on the back of a truck up so high and so close to the palms. Looking back my 14 year old senses were on overload! There were naked babies throwing water at cars in hopes of getting a few cents, ladies riding sideways on their donkeys, chants of voodoo ceremonies off in the distance, yellow oranges that actually tasted really good, beans and rice every day that didn't taste very good, heat so hot you could cut it with a knife and an ocean so salty and warm it offered no relief. What a place, what an experience! Still wondering where I was, I think the voodoo probably gave it away, but I was in Haiti.

I'm the second one on the left, wearing that stunning dress! (FYI kids, this is back when Target was NOT the cool place to shop, ie: you could have bought all of our dresses there back then!)

But back to more serious matters, ever since the earthquake I have been reflecting a lot on my experience there and how my time there influenced my life. I've been thinking about how this is going to affect the Haitians so radically. Wondering how Haiti is going to look in 10 years.

I have so many thoughts on the topic, so many memories of Haiti...
The picture above is me getting to meet my sponsor child and give her a backpack filled with beef bullion, which is literally like bouillon to them and hygiene items for her family... oh man what an experience for a 14 year old to see her home! No floor just a few cinder blocks and some palms for a roof... It makes me so ashamed to think how I have obsessed over decorating my home and never giving a second thought to the poor of this world...

I'm not gonna go into all my memories here, you know I don't have the time....haha, but I do want to encourage you to check out the mission I was privileged to visit and see if you feel compelled to give... Here's the link, New Missions :: Home watch their video on "after the earthquake" at the bottom of the page.
My husband and I felt like this was somewhere that we wanted to give, because they have been selflessly giving to the people of Haiti faithfully for 27 years already and meeting their most basic needs with the love of Jesus. The work is far from over in Haiti and I know as Americans we can be tempted to watch the news for a few weeks, shed a few tears, donate a few bucks, and move on... but Haiti still needs us!
One amazing story that I cannot believe didn't make our news over here, is that the president of Haiti, called off the usual Carnival festival and issued a decree for 3 days of fasting and prayer, check it out here ...

I said I wasn't gonna go into all my memories here, but I will share one, just to lighten up what is a pretty heavy post...

On one of our outings to a local village to do a food distribution and sharing time one of the boys on the trip decided he was gonna get a souvenir to take home. So as we were leaving, from the back of the truck he bartered with one of the Haitians to get a statue for his water jug.

When we got back, we were informed that he had in fact purchased a voodoo statue. Woopsy!

Major no-no! So in the mind of a teenager in a foreign land, the most logical thing to do is have your own ceremony where you burn the voodoo statue and paint your face with toothpaste and wear a girls dress while you and your friends dance around the fire banging on their suitcases like drums. Right?!

Totally appropriate...
Sorry New Missions, that's all I can say.
If you have nothing but time and want to learn more about what has been going on in Haiti in the church please watch this ... Mark Driscoll of my last post's fame...haha... shares about his unreal/amazing/horrible/very needful trip to Haiti to see how we as the church can be helping rebuild the church in Haiti... which remember, has been caring for and meeting the practical needs in Haiti for years, since the government has failed in that area!

If you don't have time but just want to give to churches helping churches, check out this link Here

And if you don't have anything to give, just stop for a moment and pray for the people of Haiti, pray for God's comfort and provision for them. My prayer is that we would be awoken to the fact that none of us is promised tomorrow, "today is the day of salvation" let's be people that redeem the time we have and pursue the good works God has planned for us!

LOVE TO YOU ALL!

Religion Saves!???

As I have told you in the past, I am not a proficient reader, just ask my Cute Kiwi, I have about 10 books next to my bed that have bookmarks about one forth of the way through. I'm just a sleepy reader, but I have finished almost every audio book I've ever "read". Mainly because someone else read it to me and maybe because I wasn't lying down in bed at 10pm...

So this month christianaudio.com is giving away Religion Saves: And nine other misconceptions by Mark Driscoll for FREEEEEEEEEEEE (to be said in the voice of the mattress comercial guy)
I have listened to quite a few messages from this series and I think this book could be life changing. I love Mark Driscoll's no nonsense approach, if you know me at all , this will not be surprising.... ahhh
It's amazing how easy it is for us to form misconceptions about what we believe, I think most of the time because we don't give it the time and study it deserves...
So check it out! Even if you're not a Christian! This might give you a clearer picture of what it is Jesus wants his church to be like.... and hey, even if you're and old timey believer, check it out too, you never know maybe you've had a misconception or 2 yourself ;)
Happy listening!

Cake refashion anyone!?

So I must start this post with a disclaimer: Cake refashioning is overpriced and only for those who are in a hurry and are not good at assembling the initial steps of a cake... which for now (until I take a class) is me!
As I was planning on doing this I searched and searched online for anyone who had done a cake refashion, and I found none... I must be crazy! Go ahead google it, you'll see, I am the only one crazy enough to do this...
Fortunately for me, it was very easy and not time consuming, so I was able to make what I think is a pretty darn cute cake very quickly!

So just in case there's someone crazy like me out there that doesn't have mad cake making skills or needs to throw a cake together real quick for their kids party... I give you cake refashion...

Ugly flower cake.... meet my little kitty....

OK, so to begin... MAKE SURE your cake is real cold! And begin plucking the icing decorations off. The first time I did this I was able to keep the colors separated rather easily and I reused the icing!

If you come across some stubborn pieces, don't fret, you can lightly scrape till the color is gone. And if you come into real trouble you can always use the white border to cover a lot!

One thing I had not done in the past that I did this time was ask the guy at the bakery if I could have some hot pink icing... and he was happy to sell me some, easy solution for getting real butter cream in the color you want!

After you have scrapped your cake clean cut out the figure you want to put on the cake and here you have a couple of options... again, MAKE SURE your cake is cold!
Option #1: lay out your design on the cake and use a toothpick to mark out the pattern

Option #2: for this cake I used chocolate candy melts and piped it directly onto the design, refrigerated, peeled off and very carefully placed on the cake! The thing I absolutely loved about using candy melts was that with the cold cake it got solid fast and if I made a mistake it was very easy to break off and start over on... Good for a novice like me!

Then lastly I went to town! I filled in Hello's shirt with a ruffly look, mostly to disguise my lack of skill, then dusted it with pink sanding sugar for some sparkle! Then I piped along the bottom and top edge with the same color doing a similar ruffle. For kitty's eyes and nose we used jelly bellies, smashed a little so they we're a little wider. Then we used sugar hearts to make the flowers (use 4 with a dot of frosting in the middle) and threw on some sugar confetti for some extra fun. The bottom border was butterflies, again we used the sugar hearts (2 with a line of frosting in the middle) and confetti for a cute dotted border!

So in conclusion... if you're a cheapo, this is not the method for you! My half sheet cost me $20, the extra icing was $3 and the deco-cake hearts and sprinkles were $3. The candy melts I always have on hand for cake pops :) so they're kinda free...

But if you need a quick fix for your little one's party and you don't have the skills, here's a really fun and easy solution!

Have fun!