Last Reminder!

This is the final call for Crockpot recipes (healthy or unhealthy). I have 18 recipes, and I just sent an e-mail out to my co-teachers, so there should be some more trailing in. I plan to e-mail the final compiled list to the "contestants" (those who submitted recipes) as well as those who have told me they would like a copy. Let me know if you want on that e-mail list. My e-mail will be on the comment section of this post (to hopefully bypass spam somewhat).
There are recipes ranging from appetizers to main courses to sides to desserts, so I hope you find them helpful!!

Weekend!

Ah... 1/2 days. Our school gives us lots of them.
Sometimes teachers get to go home with the kids, and sometimes, like today, we stay and have in-service.
Either way, they are nice.

Dustin is gearing up to start school again on Monday. This will be his 5th semester here at Southern! He is taking some very interesting classes, including a class on Islam that includes "field trips" to mosques. He's reading a book about Muhammed right now and knocking out a few other books as well.

Next weekend, we'll be joining the Bebees, Plevans and Whites and heading to the Lone Star State for a QUICK weekend trip to help with the El Dorado D-Now! We're very thankful for this opportunity and excited to see what God will do through the weekend as Eron Plevan leads and some of us are involved in some breakout sessions. We're also excited to see the Polittes and their sweet boys and I'm hoping to see some Cozarts as well!! And whoever else may be there. Pray that God would use us, that we would have energy even if we are tired, and that we would be intentional and careful with our words and example to these youth.

Tonight, we are headed to "the farm" for dinner where our good friend Tim's girlfriend works and lives. It's something called Luci Center where she works with animals and they let children with disabilities come and ride the horses and have therapy by spending time with animals! I hope I'm explaining that right. We'll also get to spend a gift card we've been saving to a very special and snazzy restaurant on Saturday night. Very thankful for this date night... even though we are always content with time together if it is just ping pong at the rec center or Jason's Deli. =) Easy to please, but the occassional fancy schmancy can be fun!

School is going much more smoothly this year. New teachers, take heart! It really does, by God's grace, get a little easier each year. I'm encouraged to see that God is helping me in the area of efficiency, grading, time management, planning, etc. This has translated to more time at home, which I enjoy thoroughly.

Our new pastor just began a Wednesday night Bible study on the book of James and this was our 2nd week. It was, as it always is, encouraging and convicting to "chew on" verses 2-3 of this wonderful book.

Count it all joy, my brothers,when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.

It doesn't matter how many times you hear it, it's always challenging and good to consider deeply.

Keep those crockpot recipes coming! They look fantastic so far!

Okay... time for in-service!

Crockpot Challenge Update

I have over a dozen yummy recipes submitted so far for the Crockpot Challenge, but I wanted to make a few quick changes:

1. It doesn't have to be healthy. Send whatever tasty crockpot recipe you have.
2. If you don't send one, but you still want the recipes, just let me know! I'd love to share with any and all, so just send me your e-mail address.
3. Finally, I'm moving the "due date" to January 31st. It's cold around here, and I know some of you are ready to receive some warm crockpot recipes. If you can try and get them to me by 1/31, then I'll try to get them to you sometime during the 1st week of February.

Song Recommendation

One of our favorite Christmas gifts has been the new Caedmon's Call CD. Although I'm still learning the songs, there is one song that particularly stands out to me. I just had to share! You can find all of the lyrics here, but here are a few. And, they remind me of all I've been challenged by as I read the biography. Elizabeth Prentiss, a mother who lost 2 children and faced many severe trials, actually worded it this way, "God never makes a mistake," and this belief is perfectly summed up in this song, which is clearly rooted in Romans 8:28. It's so true and yet so incredibly easy to forget, even in the tiniest of trials. This song helps me remember!

(Listen here)

Late at night, the darkness makes it hard to see
The history of the saints who've gone in front of me
Through famine, plague and disbelief
His hand was still upon them
Cause there is a reason
There is a reason

He makes all things good
He makes all things good
There's a time to live and a time to die
A time for wonder and to wonder why
Cause there is a reason
There is a reason

There's also another song that seems fitting to busy moms, which I may post soon for my friends who fall in this season of life. Stay tuned. Back to work. Have a great day!

Update, Snow, and Biographies

We've enjoyed a great start to 2008. For whatever reason, my kids at school have been terrific lately, and it's been very enjoyable to come to school each day. Tuesdays are chapel and 2 conference periods, so that makes it a pretty nice day as well.

Last weekend, Dustin and I had a blast celebrating our neighbor David's birthday with David and Leslie by going to the U of L/U Conn Gals' Basketball game (great game even though we lost), enjoying Leslie's yummy cooking, and savoring delicious Graeter's Ice Cream... and Blokus, of course. Happy birthday, David!

And the weather's been fun lately... with some snow. We have enjoyed lots of soup. I still find it REALLY weird to teach a room full of kids while the windows show a snowy scene that beckons the kids to come and play outside. I feel bad for them, but school must go on! And... I'm learning that scarves aren't just for decoration, like they so often were in Texas. I've also busted out my "recess coat" again.

David actually got a GREAT shot of the snow recently. I hope they don't mind me borrowing this photo from their blog. I just love it!

My time is almost up for blogging, but I wanted to say a quick note about reading biographies. Dustin's reading Pistol Pete's and I'm reading the Prentiss biography I referred to recently. There are many benefits of reading biographies, but one is that it gives you a more realistic view of how good we have it. My book is almost hard to read, because there is so much suffering and death, but it is real. It's not fiction. Life was hard. Sickness almost always threatened to take lives. Cooking a meal was hard. It was cold. Babies died. Money was tight. Suffering happens today, mostly in other countries depending on how you define it, but it also happened in other time periods. We live in a comfortable country in a comfortable time period. It is good for us to "visit" other places and times by way of biographies, so that our faith will be prepared to sustain similar trials and not be shaken among our own trials, which often are very small in comparison. You see how KIND God was to suffering believers and how their faith was built up. You can't help but be encouraged, walking away with a strengthened resolve to put your hope in God and remembering that this world is not your home.

Crockpot Challenge - Healthy Recipes

Okay gals, start your crockpots.

I keep hearing discussions from people who have crockpots and need more recipes. Same here. There are obviously millions of recipes online, but I LOVE when I have a "tried and true" recipe from a friend. I think of that person when I make it and I know it will turn out yummy.

Crockpots are perfect here in chilly Kentucky, as they are just about anywhere, anytime. They are great for the busy family. And, I like them for the fact that I'm a morning person. I'm eager to get some cooking done in the morning and come home to have a tasty meal. To each his own, but no matter WHY you use your crockpot, let's share the recipes, shall we?

Here's the challenge. I want to gather some healthy Crockpot recipes. People define healthy in different ways, so whatever you define as healthy is fine to submit.

To enter, please send at least one recipe to my inbox (leave a comment if you need my e-mail address) by February 10th, and I will be e-mailing out the compiled recipes to any "contestants" in a Word Document you can print (around Valentine's Day). If known, list your original source too, even if it's your Nana, just so we are being ethical and whatnot (plus, it's just interesting).

Book Recommendation

More recommendations from someone who was able to rekindle a love for reading over the break. Dustin got me Elizabeth Prentiss' biography for Christmas and I'm thoroughly being challenged by this woman's story. I was a huge fan of her novel, Stepping Heavenward, which I think I've discussed on here before. I may share more about these books later, but for now, I'm enjoying sharing short posts with recommendations. Although it is after Christmas, you may have gift cards or someone else to buy birthday gifts for...

Music Recommendation

I've mentioned the instrumental version, but now I can recommend the real deal because I snagged my own copy with a gift card. You need this CD... A youth minister friend of ours, Sylas, also recommends it highly. I heard from him recently and we both were saying how it's a great CD! Listen to the sample on the link below WHO IS LIKE YOU (my current favorite).
And it's cheap right now at Lifeway.
"Who is like You, majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders..."
(This song is taken from Exodus 15:2, 11, 13)

Tex-Mex New Year's Party

We had a blast ringing in the New Year with several of our friends from Texas. We missed having Kari and Eron (their anniversary) and Sarah and Ryan (in Texas at the time), but we had a grand time. We devoured mucho Mexican food and discussed our years, from memories to recalling God's faithfulness. Then, we played lots of games from Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader to Bible Mad Gab. Thanks to help from coffee, we were able to stay up until 2008, where we were able to say Happy New Year as well as Happy Birthday to sweet Sarah Peek. It was a great time with some of our best friends and a memory I'll cherish for years to come.
Dustin and I also enjoyed a wonderful visit to Texas to spend time with family for Christmas. However, I need to get some pictures from our moms. Mine didn't turn out so well.

Growth from 06-07 =)