J.Timberlake (Yes I'm blogging about him)

Jason and I are J.Timberlake fans (yup, self-admitted). The other night I watched s horrible movie and kicked myself for actually sitting through the whole thing. But when it was over, this happened to come on Jimmy Fallon Late Night as I switched from Blue-Ray mode back to cable.

I thought it was hilarious.

When Jason got home I made him watch it and he, too agreed.

So thought I'd share some humor for you JT fans out there...whether you're a closet fan or self-admitted like us, I think you'll appreciate it.

(There's also an original version...this was an encore appearance apparently).

Change of Plans

So my ultra-busy weekend without my husband I blogged about?

Yeah. Didn't go as planned (of course).

It all worked like clock-work until Noah got a bad diarrhea streak going from Saturday night - Sunday morning. This caused me to stress at 6:00am Sunday morning since I was suppose to be helping lead worship for two services at church, but ultimately, I knew it would be very un-mommy-like of me to drop him in the nursery for 3.5 hours, thus infecting three different classes of kids with the runs.
So we had to cancel for Sunday worship. Next time.

But let me tell you, hanging with 300+ junior high kids all day Saturday might be one of the most exhausting things I've done in a looong time...but super fun and completely worth every minute. I'm so excited about the girls in our cell group - this will definitely be an adventure. :)

Then tonight for dinner? Let's call it "trying-to-make-budget" with one day to go:
I looked in the cabinets/fridge and literally found just enough of what I needed to make Vegetable Fried Rice:

*exactly 2 cups of brown rice
*only 4 eggs left (perfect amount)
*One more bag of frozen mixed veggies
*just enough GF soy sauce left over
*cooking spray

It turned out to be a pretty yummy/healthy dinner, that despite not having any chicken to through in, the eggs made up for the protein portion.

Hope everyone has a great week ahead of them!!!

Busy Busy

Busy weekend. I'm thinking maybe I signed up for too much, but it was hard to say no to any of it. The kicker is Jason is leaving in a few hours for OKC for the whole weekend. And it just happened to be the same weekend of business for me. But we'll make it work (attempt, at least).

Tonight I'm taking the kids to my parents to spend the night because they are going to graciously watch them for me all day tomorrow (and night).

Tomorrow from early morning till late late night, we have our first re-treat with our 7th grade cell group! Super excited to get to know all the girls better this weekend! We'll see if I still have the stamina of a junior high kid. :)

Then Sunday morning (which I think is a tricky morning for anyone with young kids), will be ultimate tricky this week. I get to sing in worship this week (which is the thing I usually can't say no to because I love it so much)...but that requires me to get there pretty early (with kids), shuffle them around while we practice, and hope little Noah can survive 3 hours of the nursery - he has a tough time doing this for one - poor thing.

So I kind of feel sorry that the kids are being juggled around all weekend, but at least tomorrow it is with their g'parents whom they LOVE spending time with!

We'll see if we can keep the chaos to a minimum.

In the meantime, today was, yet again, park day (since the temps were under 90). Love.

Photo Fun

This morning was cloudy and cool so we ate breakfast outside and I decided to play with the camera bit

Dressed Up Green Beans

My mom told me a new way to spice up green beans and Wa-La!!! My husband loves them! Lincoln and I do, as well, but Noah takes one bite (makes a nasty face) and spits them out his mouth. 3/4 is success in my book though.

So here we go:
These 3 ingredients:

**Pre-heat oven to 350**

Dump frozen whole beans in corning ware (I think whole ones taste so much better)

Generously spray with cooking spray (or you can use butter/olive oil)

Dump one packet of italian salad dressing mix on top and mix all around.

Bake about 25-30 minutes.

**I also sprinkle with salt/pepper before baking

We have these at least once a week as a side dish. Love them!!!

This Story Will Stop You Cold.

"To End All Wars."
Ernest Gordon's true account of his time in a POW Japanese camp during WWII. I knew it would be good (because every true story is) but this one will absolutely blow you away. Ernest was agnostic going into this camp, and left a firm Believer in Christ - then went on to get his M.Div and be Dean of the Chapel at Princeton for many years. How he came to know Christ in this camp will blow you away. You must read this inspiring story of how Jesus changes lives.
You can read it or watch it (good news, right?).

We watched it because the $4 DVD we ordered off Amazon came in first. :)
But I've heard the book is incredible.

Just a recommendation. :)

Oh - if you want a little taste of this man, google his name for his NY Times obituary.

Go With It

Growing up my parents would tell you I had a WILD imagination and that I was a DREAMER. I was super independent, bold, and far from shy. I would give "concerts" to anyone who would be my audience at a young age, direct plays for my sister/friends that we would then put on for my parents (or the dogs - didn't matter), and was always pretending I was somewhere else on an adventure (think: Backyardigans).

Then high school hit and I became "more aware" of myself and how others saw me (not a good thing), thus resulting me to not be as bold and be more reserved. I used to score as an Extrovert on the MMPI and as the years rolled (if you're a psyc major you take this test a bazillion times), I slowly crept toward the Introverted side.

But in retrospect, it's not that I became more introverted...it's that I was more insecure. It was pure sin...caring more about how the world viewed me versus how God saw me. (Don't get me wrong: not saying introverts are insecure - this is just how it played out in my life because I am truly not an introvert!) I realized in my mid-twenties that when you care more about how the world views you, you will have ENDLESS imperfections because everyone has a different opinion.

Anyway, I went through a period of time in high school and some in college where I allowed my Spirit to be quenched through my insecurities. I had some significant battles that I felt like I always lost...they centered around image and became such a stronghold in my life that was both crippling and damaging.

We are created in the image of God... (Gen 1:27)

This was and is profound for me. Think of all the ways Satan has designed our world to make us believe otherwise...stop and think about it, because it's truly remarkable...and frightening.

Today I choose to run toward the truth so simply stated from God...that we are made in His image. Some verses are debated and up for interpretation.

But not this one.

It couldn't be stated more clearly.

For me, when I really sit and ponder this truth, I takes away the pressure of "measuring up" to everyone/thing around me...of measuring up to current styles, or the "in" look, or what my house looks like, or how my kids dress, or who my freinds are (and you know - we could go on ALL day).

It's not (and never will be) about making sure everyone thinks I'm in style, or have the awesome house, or wear the great clothes, or have the perfect kids...

It's about pleasing my Savior...measuring up to His standards alone. And since I'm made in His image, through His power and Spirit dwelling in me, it's an attainable standard. Praise the Lord.

Because let's be honest: Satan is crafty and brilliant. And he's got us all tangled trying to meet everyone else's standards. Seriously? Not even close to possible.

Now, this is something I fail at often, but - like today - am convicted and reminded of by whom I was created.

Oh - and wouldn't you know, the last time I took the MMPI in grad school, I scored equally on E vs.I which, by scoring default, makes me an extrovert again.

Honestly, I was going somewhere WAY different with this post when I wrote the first paragraph - ha. I was going to tell you how weird it was, that with a wild imagination as a child, how I hate fantasy movies and refuse to read anything that is fiction. Then I was going to share with you the next three books (non-fiction) I plan to read by the end of the year.

But we'll just go with this. I guess I needed this word for myself today. :)

(***The 3 books are on the side bar of the blog though***)