Saturday ~ Mom's Pinterest-y Birthday

My mom's birthday was actually last week, but due to conflicting schedules and circumstances, we are celebrating it tonight. See the brown paper packages tied up with string? This is my all-time favorite way of wrapping gifts. It's so...magical, somehow. Or maybe I just love Sound of Music. ;) Either way, I love the paper-string look, but this time, thanks to something I saw on the fountain of all creativity (ie. Pinterest), I added buttons to them. Makes them even cuter, doncha thing? I do. :)

I was so tickled by the outcome of my packages that I wanted to "show-case" them here on the blog, but when I ran to grab the camera, Mom had taken it somewhere with her. So, it's phone pictures again. :)

Inspired by my awesome friend Brea, who first tutorial-ed on how to make a "Book of Notes," I decided to make one for my mom. It's a hand-made little book, with a page for each family member to write a note of appreciation for my mom. It took a little while and I had to call on my way-more-craftier-than-me younger sister for design inspiration, but here's the end results and I'm very pleased with it. And I know my mom will be, too. My mom is the most amazing woman I know, who has set an example for us children all her life. She is my role model, my confidant, my best friend, my prayer warrior and prayer partner. I hope to be just like her someday.

Happy birthday, Mom! I love you. :)

Thursday ~ I live. I love. I like...

New furniture arrangements in the living room that give it a whole new revamp.

Polka-dot head squarves and pink lipstick.

The $5 movie bin at Wal-Mart. :)

A good talk with a good friend about good things happening.

How the Lord gives strength for even things like getting out of bed early to go on a run when burrowing deeper under the quilts is all you really want to do.

Peach & Vanilla homemade italian sodas.  

Listening to books-on-tape during the copious amounts of time driving.

A new book by a favorite author.

Changes of the heart and peace that doesn't make sense.

Firetrucks. All day long. :)

Wednesday ~ Good Single (=) Good Married

Yesterday, I read the blog of a young woman who had just gotten engaged. I don’t know this gal, but I’ve read her blog enough the past year to know that getting married was her main goal in life. That’s peachy – it’s sorta one of my goals, too. :) She talked long and eloquently on how perfectly God had written her love story, how the Lord has been SO good to her in her engagement, how through the Lord’s perfect plan all her dreams had come true in ways she could never have imagined possible. The predominant theme was “look how good God has been to me” – in the happy wake of her engagement.

This isn’t the first “I’m engaged, God is so good” thing that I’ve read. I’ve heard a lot of posts, articles, books, blogs, and conversations that praise God in rapt adoration for His goodness in bringing them their spouse. And it’s true! God IS so good in writing perfect love stories for us His daughters. He DOES deserve all the praise and glory, because He’s the one who brings two people together! Amen and amen!

But what about me? I’m single. I have single friends. Is God not being just as good to us, just because we are single? Is God not writing a perfect story for me right now in my today, just because I don’t have a ring on my finger?  I sometimes think He’s not. But truth says…God’s goodness never changes. He’s the same yesterday, today and forever…which means He has no varying degree of goodness. When we single girls get engaged someday, God’s goodness doesn’t increase (it can’t!), only our outer circumstance changes. There's no greater-than-less-than with God.

I don't want to be guilty of seeing the goodness of God only when I see my dreams coming true. I don't want to be guilty of holding out on my praise-giving because I’m single. I don't want to be guilty of viewing my singleness as a “pre-God’s goodness” ordeal. I don’t want to be the girl who prays and pines for marriage, continually questioning God's goodness and plan, and then when/if marriage comes, praise flows like an eloquent sonnet.

And so….

I just want to say that God is so good to me today! He is so good to allow me the opportunity of working a job in the work arena, rubbing shoulders with all kinds of people. He’s so good to give me the chance of having my very own paycheck! I do marvel at where my life is today – living at home, meeting friends for dinner tonight, sharing a door-less room with my two sisters, roasting marshmallows in the fire out back with my youngest brother, being able to hob-nob with my nieces and nephews any day of the week without limits, being there to watch as my 20 year old brother brings his new car home, being a part of my younger siblings’ every-day life. I have a Goodness all my own today.

- God is so good to me today: even though I ate a bowl of cantelope on-the-go with a toothpick as I drove in my car to work…instead of fixing breakfast in my comfy pj’s for a husband who’s doing the off-to-working. Both are 100% God’s goodness. I have all of His Goodness today.

- God is so good to me today: because I pay my own bills out of my own paycheck…instead of leaving that all to a husband to take care of. Both are 100% God’s goodness. I have all of His Goodness today.

- God is so good to me today: because I sit in a tiny, airless office for 8 hours…instead of running a house like a Suzy-homemaker. Both are 100% God’s goodness. I have all of His Goodness today.

I’m praising God at the top of my lungs today for His never-changing, ever-constant, always-with-me, unwavering, immeasurable, gotta-have-it goodness! 

And let’s put that on the record! =)

Tuesday ~ Starbucks Tuesday

Happy Starbucks Tuesday! Believe it or not, I almost drove right past the Starbucks exit this morning, but at the last minute, decided to go ahead and get my weekly beverage. You can't, after all, have Starbucks Tuesday without the Starbucks, can't you? I could have taken a picture of my bowl of cantelope, but somehow that didn't seem to quite cut it. Cantelope Tuesday? I think not.

Today was a tall Green Tea Frappuccino kind of day. Have you ever tried the Green Tea Frappuccino? If you haven't, I recommend it. It was a favorite of mine a few years back, but it had somehow fallen through the cracks of my favorite's list. It's now being bumped back up near the top.

The livid green color of the drink can be a turn off, since after all, green is the color of grass and veggies and other sorts of organicy healthy types of things that aren't usually near the top of anybody's treat list. And whereas it does have a kind of "earthy" taste, it's a very sweet and tasty kind of earthy taste! If you've yet to try the Green Tea Frappuccino, do it. I dare you.  You'll look awesome. :)

Monday #2 ~ Sunday's Walk

Last night my two sisters and I went on a walk together. Actually, our youngest brother also came along, but as he was either way ahead of us, way behind us, off in the orchards, or playing dead on the road in front of us, our time mainly consisted of just us three sisters. It was a beautiful, albeit warm, evening stroll.

 My two beautiful sisters.

Two red-heads and a brownie.

We love being together. The fact that there is 12 years difference spread out between us really doesn't make an iota of difference. I consider them my best friends. We do life together. When you share the same room, the same closet, the same clothes, the same mirror, the same straightening iron, the same hair accessories, and the same last name...you kinda have to. :) It just makes it better when you love each other every minute while doing it. We are the Sisters Three! 

Monday ~ Running

The sun is just rising when I get out of bed to go on my 6:15am run. I throw on my shorts, t-shirt, and running shoes, grab my phone and ipod and head out the door. I run alongside of an almond orchard, behind which is where the sun in slowly rising. This morning as I was out for my run, I happened to actually look over and up through the trees, and I think maybe I gasped out loud. I'm a sunset kinda gal, but I'll say this: it's the sunrise that beats the sunset for it's golden rays. I know I've seen sun-rays before, but for some reason, this morning it was especially beautiful. You can only just barely see them in this inadequate phone glimpse. It was marvelously perfect.

Maybe it was extra beautiful because I'm learning to see Jesus differently. More approachable. More clearly. More perfectly able. More and more the God I want to give all my life to. I appreciate so much Emily Freeman's book "Grace for the Good Girl," which, as you know, I've been reading. One concept in particular has been extremely difficult to grasp, but I believe it's been at the base of alot of my spiritual struggles. I'll let you just read my journal entry from last night:

"Our spiritual disciplines, such as reading and memorizing the Word, prayer and talking to God, do not draw us any closer to the throne of God. Rather, it unblinds our eyes to show us we are already there. As Christians, we already rest in the very closest place at Jesus's feet, our position won for us on the Cross. If we had to have quiet times or do spiritual things to come into closer proximity to God, then His death on the Cross wasn't enough to grant us His full presence. Therefore, NOTHING we do propels us any closer to God. It only opens our eyes to see His already-there nearness more and more."

After really grappling with the idea of me having continual favor with God (even when I sin) and still feeling that I must do something to be granted a closer fellowship with Christ, I've finally been able to slowly relinquish my part, my job, my doings. And those spiritual disciplines that we do, such as reading, memorizing, meditating, worshiping, praying, etc, are not my ticket to a closer position at His feet, but the means of the scales being lifted off of my eyes, allowing me to see Christ's nearness, and in that way, know Him and be known by Him more and more. It's really changing everything about me.

By the way, I promise this blog is not going to become the "pictures I took on my phone" blog. But the way I see it, if it captures the moment, even if it's poor quality, it's a good picture. :)

Thursday ~ I live. I love. I like...

Thirteen year old brothers who want to get up at 6:15am to go running with you.

Home-made enchiladas that make great freezer lunches.

 A new office paper shredder.

Hunting for the perfect cemetery. But not for burial purposes. ;)

Fresh cantelope.

Finding out about unexpected vacations.

Fairy-tales and superheros.

A younger sister who is 1/4 way through memorizing the book of Matthew, including the genealogies! Here's lookin' at you, kid.

Finding the perfect bridesmaid dress.

How one sister's clothes shopping trip means more options for all sisters. =)

Tuesday ~ Starbucks Tuesday

So, this beautiful Starbucks Tuesday finds me, sadly, eliminating dairy products from my diet. That meant that last night when they made the rest of the trial batch of mocha punch that is truly the stuff dreams are made off, yours truly merely stood by and smelled it in all it's glory. Perhaps prior to the famed baby shower, I will make it again (with lactose pills handy **Thanks, Brea!**) and give a little how-to, yes? No promises.

I woke this morning at 6:00am. No, actually, I woke up at 5:59am. My inner clock is so strange - it predictably wakes me up one minute prior to my alarm going off. Don't ask me why. So, alarm goes off at 6:00am. I actually roll out of bed at about 6:15, change into my running cloths, and hit the trails for a quick run. Ah, Kellie, Kellie...remember my post last week about the mask I wear? Well, with that last sentence about me going running, I could leave it at that and let it be implied that I run every morning. Buuuuut...to tell you the mask-less truth, this was only my second morning to run. "Running" might even be a little exaggeration. I should perhaps say "I went lumbering down the road" or "I went flopping down the road." Either way, I'm stiff and sore enough to win the part of the Tin Man, but also energized and motivated to take on this day!

 I'm usually a morning person to begin with, but today I especially am! See it? I was even pumped up driving to work! Hey - I wasn't talking or texting while driving! I just haven't heard anything about not taking pictures while driving...

 Starbucks drive-thru! I almost asked the guy at the drive-thru window to take a picture with me for my morning's chronicle, but chickened out just in time.

Ok, forget the Passion teas altogether, and maybe even my usually-loved green tea lemonade! Because today I tried Starbuck's new "Refreshers," and boy-o-boy, if I hadn't already been wide-awake, I sure would have been after my first sip, because my taste-buds jumped up and started to sing the National Anthem right then and there! They gave me a sample of the Berry which instantly sold me on the Refreshers, and the Cool Lime didn't let me down either! The yummy tea flavor we've come to expect from Starbucks, but with that added sweet element I personally found lacking in their other cold teas. Yes, yes, we have a winner! And of course, the added bonus and whole reason that I had to get creative for my Starbucks Tuesday: no dairy!

But question of the morning: why did Starbucks give me a Subway straw with my drink?!? I'm so confused.

Saturday ~ Concerning Apple Dumplings

I'd told myself that I was not going to do yet another post consisting of merely pictures taken from my phone, but alas, as Katheryn and I are house-sitting (oh, glorious "home ownership!!"), I have no other device with which to chronicle today's baking endeavor.

The word baking implies a lot more effort than I actually put into the kitchen today. Assembled might be a better word. I found this recipe by accident, and it intrigued me because one of it's ingredients was Mountain Dew - not your typical ingredient for baking. It also included crescent roll dough, apples, butter, white sugar, and cinnamon sugar. In other words, Apple Dumplings. No, not the gang. The food. **goofy grin**

To make according to Kellie:

Peel and slice 'dem apples into eight wedges. Granny Smith's will probably be what you want. You know, those super crunchy ones that about take out a tooth when you try and bite into them. Don't worry about that. The apples will be a soft, yummy mush later.

To open crescent rolls, tear the crescent roll paper like it instructs, and then bang it on the side of the counter approx. 5 times until it finally pops open (since they never pop open just by tearing the paper like they are supposed to - can I get an amen??). Try not to scream when they burst open in your hands.

Wrap/roll an apple wedge in each crescent triangle, beginning with the smallest part of the triangle. Place then in 9 x 13 pan. You can squeeze those 16 babies in there, trust me!

Next, if you were to follow the recipe, you'd mix an ungodly amount of butter, sugar and cinnamon together to pour over those sleeping beauties reposing in their pan. If you're ME, you mix about 1/4 cup MELTED butter, 1/3 cup sugar, and about a teaspoon of cinnamon. Pour that poison over the rolls.

Lastly, take a can of Mountain Dew (or estimate about a cup from a larger bottle you have on hand. You know, that last bottle from your hidden stash in the trunk of your car...oh wait? No one else does that? Never mind, moving on.) and pour that nectar over the rolls.

Pop the pan into a 350' pre-heated oven for about 35 minutes, or until they begin to get the kind of tan you'd like to have yourself. I over-tanned mine just a mite. The part of the dumplings that are still in contact with the Dew in the pan will still look squishly. Let 'em cool a few minutes, then eat those babies up!

They may not be the prettiest thing you've ever eaten (at least mine weren't, due to their over-extended vacation in the oven, but they taste great!) Very glad that I reduced the amount of butter and sugar, otherwise I think they would have been way.too.sweet. As it was, they had a mild sweet flavor that went really well with the apply flavor inside. And you can't taste the Mountain Dew, and like I said earlier, the apples with be a pleasant soft mush-but-not-too-much consistency.

I though they were delish! Quick, easy, and that apple inside will trick you out into thinking there's nutritional value in the consumption thereof! Which is always a plus. **winky winky**

Update: after munching on them most of the day, I decided that I like them absolutely best when they are thoroughly cold. Katheryn agreed.

Thursday ~ I live. I love. I like...

Long, comfy cardigans. All year round.

How the smell and taste of hot cocoa is the smell and taste of the holidays, even though it's only August.

Sitting with a suburban-load of friends for an hour and a half after a 45 minute drive in the Chick-Fil-A drive-thru. And getting the last of the lemonade. =)

Answered prayers.

The billboard along the freeway just (unfortunately) passed the oh-so-convenient Starbucks that says "It takes courage to save money. But it's worth it."

The same scarf worn last Thursday.

The word "tickety-boo." Thank you, Samantha Stewart! <--- (If you don't know what I'm talkin' about, then you're missing out! Ask me.)

Sisters who double as best-friends. 

The rumbling vibrations of a friendly cat's companionable purring.

An exciting weekend ahead!!