Well, it's official. No Chevy Suburban for Miss Jessica Hibbing, at least not for a year or so. That's ok. In honor of our Toyota Sienna membership in our family, I'm posting this video.
"Where ma kidz at?!"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ql-N3F1FhW4
Thursday, May 27, 2010
An intimate moment I didn't want to forget...
This morning I went for a jog around Ada Haden park. About 10 minutes in I thought to myself..."oh Snap! I shoulda read the Word a little before I left so I had a verse to meditate on. That really would have made this run go faster!" I prayed that the Lord would just give me a verse to think about while I circled the lake and He tenderly answered with Psalm 23.
Here were a few of my thoughts. It was a precious time I pray I don't forget.
The Lord is my shepherd= Jesus, thank you for watching over me, as a tender shepherd watches over his lambs. Thank you for knowing me by name and calling me. Thank you, Jesus, for keeping me safe inside the herd, my friends and church. Thank you, Father, for being personal with me; being mine.
I shall not want= Jesus, you are my supply. How could this be; I shall not want? Even on the darkest of days you have promised me… fulfillment. This is such a special comfort to me, Lord. I am growing in trust that even if all were stripped away, you would be all I needed.
He makes me lie down in green pastures= This is peace, Lord. You are peace. Jesus, I can just envision a lush green pasture-one I don’t have to water, I don’t have to mow, I don’t have to maintain. You beckon me in, cradle my head and lay me down. You ask me to close my eyes, breath in pure fresh air and simply rest.
He leads me beside quiet waters= Lord, you are such a friend to me. Beside our quiet waters, you walk with me. I look in the stillness of the lake and see the reflection of you walking in stride with me. You will always be the source of my refreshment, Jesus. You are the quiet water. When I thirst, you promise to make my cup overflow.
He restores my soul= What a promise, Lord, that you could mend a broken heart. Not only mend it…restore it fully. FULLY! Father, this is all I could ask for. You don’t promise a life without sorrow or tragedy, but you do promise healing. What a gift I have in you, Jesus.
Here were a few of my thoughts. It was a precious time I pray I don't forget.
The Lord is my shepherd= Jesus, thank you for watching over me, as a tender shepherd watches over his lambs. Thank you for knowing me by name and calling me. Thank you, Jesus, for keeping me safe inside the herd, my friends and church. Thank you, Father, for being personal with me; being mine.
I shall not want= Jesus, you are my supply. How could this be; I shall not want? Even on the darkest of days you have promised me… fulfillment. This is such a special comfort to me, Lord. I am growing in trust that even if all were stripped away, you would be all I needed.
He makes me lie down in green pastures= This is peace, Lord. You are peace. Jesus, I can just envision a lush green pasture-one I don’t have to water, I don’t have to mow, I don’t have to maintain. You beckon me in, cradle my head and lay me down. You ask me to close my eyes, breath in pure fresh air and simply rest.
He leads me beside quiet waters= Lord, you are such a friend to me. Beside our quiet waters, you walk with me. I look in the stillness of the lake and see the reflection of you walking in stride with me. You will always be the source of my refreshment, Jesus. You are the quiet water. When I thirst, you promise to make my cup overflow.
He restores my soul= What a promise, Lord, that you could mend a broken heart. Not only mend it…restore it fully. FULLY! Father, this is all I could ask for. You don’t promise a life without sorrow or tragedy, but you do promise healing. What a gift I have in you, Jesus.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Juice Plus
I've had a couple of opportunities throughout the past few years to start an at-home franchise... Mary Kay, Silpada, etc. I have never considered myself a sales-type and just couldn't imagine myself trying convince someone to buy something I wasn't totally convinced they needed!
(Disclaimer: For all those out there that have an at-home business, I totally commend you and don't think there is any sin in sales or making money. I just think in order to be good at selling your item, you have to be fully convinced a persons life will be benefited by your product!)
A year ago I decided, after many years of fighting numerous colds and infections during the winter months and averaging stomach flu 3 times a year, I needed to find some sort of immune system booster. My cousin told me about Juice Plus.
The long-short of it is this: Juice Plus starts with fresh, high quality fruits and vegetables that are carefully tested to ensure that no pesticides or other contaminants affect the natural purity of the product. The fruits and vegetables are juiced, then concentrated into powders using a low-temperature process so that none of the nutritional value is distroyed. Then the powder is put into capsules that you take with a glass of water! I take 2 vegetable capsules and 2 fruit capsules everyday and have consumed my entire days worth of fruit and vegetable servings.
With cancer and heart disease on the rise, the FDA just upped the food recommendations to 7-13 servings of fresh fruit and vegetables every day. I find this standard impossible to meet without Juice Plus. Additionally, the high costs of fresh produce would make it expensive.
Anyway, I guess this is a sales pitch of some sort, because I am a distributer of these products, but I truly truly have seen a great improvement in my overall health and immune support throughout the past year and am passionate about the benefits of Juice Plus. For less than $1.50 a day (much less then it would cost you to buy your recommended whole fruit and veggie requirement) you can meet your nutritional requirement in it's entirity.
I have tons of information on the benefits of Juice Plus, but what I like the most is that there is no added chemicals or man-made vitemins...it's simply whole fruits and vegetables.
If you'd like more information on Juice Plus, please comment or let me know. I'd love to share with you how it's improved my life and give you a sample!
Last thing: Juice Plus even makes "gummies" for kids! It's like fruit snakes. Blair and London eat their 6 gummies everyday and they've fully consumed their fruit and vegetable requirements for the day! How easy!!
(Disclaimer: For all those out there that have an at-home business, I totally commend you and don't think there is any sin in sales or making money. I just think in order to be good at selling your item, you have to be fully convinced a persons life will be benefited by your product!)
A year ago I decided, after many years of fighting numerous colds and infections during the winter months and averaging stomach flu 3 times a year, I needed to find some sort of immune system booster. My cousin told me about Juice Plus.
The long-short of it is this: Juice Plus starts with fresh, high quality fruits and vegetables that are carefully tested to ensure that no pesticides or other contaminants affect the natural purity of the product. The fruits and vegetables are juiced, then concentrated into powders using a low-temperature process so that none of the nutritional value is distroyed. Then the powder is put into capsules that you take with a glass of water! I take 2 vegetable capsules and 2 fruit capsules everyday and have consumed my entire days worth of fruit and vegetable servings.
With cancer and heart disease on the rise, the FDA just upped the food recommendations to 7-13 servings of fresh fruit and vegetables every day. I find this standard impossible to meet without Juice Plus. Additionally, the high costs of fresh produce would make it expensive.
Anyway, I guess this is a sales pitch of some sort, because I am a distributer of these products, but I truly truly have seen a great improvement in my overall health and immune support throughout the past year and am passionate about the benefits of Juice Plus. For less than $1.50 a day (much less then it would cost you to buy your recommended whole fruit and veggie requirement) you can meet your nutritional requirement in it's entirity.
I have tons of information on the benefits of Juice Plus, but what I like the most is that there is no added chemicals or man-made vitemins...it's simply whole fruits and vegetables.
If you'd like more information on Juice Plus, please comment or let me know. I'd love to share with you how it's improved my life and give you a sample!
Last thing: Juice Plus even makes "gummies" for kids! It's like fruit snakes. Blair and London eat their 6 gummies everyday and they've fully consumed their fruit and vegetable requirements for the day! How easy!!
Friday, April 16, 2010
Yum Yum African Peanut Stew!
I'm posting my first recipe. I'm didn't take a picture, so you'll have to just trust me that this stew is amazing!!!
African Peanut Stew
African Peanut Stew
-Serve as a soup or over rice for a hearty main dish-
1Tbs olive oil
1 med. red onion, finely chopped (about 1 ½ cups)
1 med. green bell pepper, finely chopped (about 1 ¼ cups)
½ cup chopped carrot (2 small)
½ cup chopped celery (1 rib)
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbs minced, peeled fresh ginger
1 Tbs curry powder
1 bay leaf
4 cups fat-free chicken or vegetable broth
1 (12 oz) sweet potato peeled and cut into ½ inch pieces
1 ½ cups shelled edamame (I found mine in the frozen vegetable section- I microwaved it just enough to get the shells off)
¼ cup creamy or crunchy natural peanut butter
1 (5 oz) bag baby spinach leaves, torn into bite-size pieces
½ tsp salt
Coarsely ground black pepper
- Heat olive oil in a 4-quart saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, bell pepper, carrot and celery; sauté until soft and translucent, about 5 min.
- Add garlic, ginger and curry powder and sauté until fragrant, about 1 min, do not brown garlic. Add tomatoes and bay leaf; cook, uncovered, until tomatoes are slightly reduced, about 3 min.
- Add broth and sweet potatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer about 8 min. Stir in edamame and peanut butter until combined. Cook until thoroughly heated, about 2 min. Stir in cilantro and spinach until spinach wilts. Season with salt and pepper. Serves 8
Your message defines you!
A blog I really enjoy reading is Sally Clarkson's "I Take Joy" found at: http://wholeheart.typepad.com/itakejoy/
Today she blogged about the messages we hear in our heads and how our life will reflect the messages we're listening to. An amazing truth!
The last few days I've felt so frustrated inside-upset with my own inadequacies, the business of my schedule, the toil of mothering, and how nothing ever seems to just "be easy." I find my instinctual reaction to my frustrations is blame-usually directed at God or my husband- for my frustrations. "God, You just HAD to make that dish fall to the floor and shatter glass everywhere, didn't ya?!"
Sally explains that living your life in bitterness and anger may mean you're listening to voices that life is unfair and that God has not heard your prayers; that God doesn't really love me and is really not a good God or he wouldn't have let this happen to me. While Sally seemed to be referring to a general life approach, I think her wisdom applies to our daily thoughts and reactions to our circumstances as well.
In looking at my reactions when something goes wrong in my day, I really do think it boils down to my perception of God and the message I hear in my head. Is this true for you as well? Psalm 85:8 "I will listen to what God the Lord is saying, for he speaks peace to his faithful people." This is just the type of scripture that helps us discern God's voice from others in our lives. I must remember that any message that isn't peaceful but filled with blame or anger, or doesn't yield a peaceful response in my heart is not from the Lord!
Sally says that if you are living in hope and peace of mind, the message in your heart that you're believing is "All things work together for good of those who are called in Christ Jesus" and "I know in whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I committed to Him." She concludes that we are what we believe--and our actions tell the world what we believe.
Lord, Help me to hear your voice in those moments where life isn't easy. Help me to live my life daily with a message that gives life, not steals it from myself or others! And let my reactions to my circumstances be those that glorify you; truthful, patient and peacegiving.
Today she blogged about the messages we hear in our heads and how our life will reflect the messages we're listening to. An amazing truth!
The last few days I've felt so frustrated inside-upset with my own inadequacies, the business of my schedule, the toil of mothering, and how nothing ever seems to just "be easy." I find my instinctual reaction to my frustrations is blame-usually directed at God or my husband- for my frustrations. "God, You just HAD to make that dish fall to the floor and shatter glass everywhere, didn't ya?!"
Sally explains that living your life in bitterness and anger may mean you're listening to voices that life is unfair and that God has not heard your prayers; that God doesn't really love me and is really not a good God or he wouldn't have let this happen to me. While Sally seemed to be referring to a general life approach, I think her wisdom applies to our daily thoughts and reactions to our circumstances as well.
In looking at my reactions when something goes wrong in my day, I really do think it boils down to my perception of God and the message I hear in my head. Is this true for you as well? Psalm 85:8 "I will listen to what God the Lord is saying, for he speaks peace to his faithful people." This is just the type of scripture that helps us discern God's voice from others in our lives. I must remember that any message that isn't peaceful but filled with blame or anger, or doesn't yield a peaceful response in my heart is not from the Lord!
Sally says that if you are living in hope and peace of mind, the message in your heart that you're believing is "All things work together for good of those who are called in Christ Jesus" and "I know in whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I committed to Him." She concludes that we are what we believe--and our actions tell the world what we believe.
Lord, Help me to hear your voice in those moments where life isn't easy. Help me to live my life daily with a message that gives life, not steals it from myself or others! And let my reactions to my circumstances be those that glorify you; truthful, patient and peacegiving.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Volleyball Girlzzz!!
Just a little shout out to all the girls on the Serve-ivers city league volleyball team! Last Monday night we took home 2nd place in the B+ league! The agony of defeat in the championship game left us all yearning for more, but I've never had more fun playing any sport on any team...ever! There were games where my gut ached from laughing (who knows why...) and other games were the desire to win was so fierce, it hurt!
Anyway, thanks, girls, for the super fun season and if it weren't for certain people...ahem Jill... moving away I'd say "See you all next year...for the championship!!"
Until then, Bump-Set-Spike!
A little pizzaz with scrapbook paper!
This has been a little project I've had my mind on for a couple of weeks. I just lOOOve wreaths and I think there is no good reason they should be reserved for Christmas time. I found this little summery looking wreath at Goodwill a few weeks ago and spruced it up with a wooden "H" from Hobby Lobby. I decoupaged this cute scrapbook paper on it and tied it to the wreath with twine.
I also used this same print on scrapbook paper to make little sleeves for the white candle sticks/tubes on my chandelier in the dining room. Those little white candle sticks were so bland and dingy looking, but now they totally coordinate with my wreath! Now all this chandelier needs is some light eggshell blue mini shades! Anyone know where I can find them cheap??
And finally, this little helper was watching me hang my wreath!
I also used this same print on scrapbook paper to make little sleeves for the white candle sticks/tubes on my chandelier in the dining room. Those little white candle sticks were so bland and dingy looking, but now they totally coordinate with my wreath! Now all this chandelier needs is some light eggshell blue mini shades! Anyone know where I can find them cheap??
And finally, this little helper was watching me hang my wreath!
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