when in rom..er, long beach...

While we have family in California, we want to make sure they are getting the full Californian experience. That includes the beach, In N Out, Yogurtland, the Queen Mary, Yogurtland, Long Beach's Japanese garden, possibly Rainbows, farmer's markets in February (what? what?!), Finding Nemo (thanks Jordan for telling Waveland that by coming to our house she would be "finding" nemo... she was super confused why Nemo was not at our house when she got there...), and of course divulging in a little frisbee action.
Mikey took his niece out for a little warm-up before the game got kicking!

Okay, the game never got kicking but it was still fun to take these blurry pictures while trying to capture the moment.

Here Waveland, hold it like this.

Duuuude, look at that form!

Yet, Waveland wasn't the only one to learn something new...

Mikey also got to participate in "sunday school" which is apparently a game where you get a name tag and a check-list including important information with whether or not you were potty trained.

Lucky for Mikey he was "deemed" potty trained... he was however, given quite a few requirements.
Finicky kid?!
Let's hope it's not in the genes!!

Stay tuned for more fun pictures as we continue to introduce Waveland to California culture!

feel

Do you ever not feel like yourself?
I'm not feeling like myself at the moment. I'm physically not feeling well because instead of eating fruit like I've been doing the past two or so weeks for dessert, I slipped up one night this weekend and ate about fourteen pounds of candy... ok, it wasn't that much!! But whether it was two ounces or twenty-two pounds, my body was totally mad at me for detoxing it only to intoxicate it with sugar later.
Blech I feel sick!
Buuuut I also mean the emotional/spiritual side where you don't feel quite like yourself.

I don't feel quite like myself in my walk with God and I don't feel like myself with my emotions. I'm kind of tired and I just want to sit in my pajamas and read all evening. Or just hide.

I don't feel like my quiet times are quiet enough. I feel like my walk has been one-sided and I know that God is with me. I just wish I could have that pillar of fire or the cloud by day and night that would signal when it's time to move on or when it's time to stay.

And then I feel sad that I wish I could have faith by sight... I know I'm being too hard on myself but I just have these days.

I hope I don't sound whiny. I'm merely trying to be honest that as cool as I want you all to think I am and how "all together" I want you to think I have it. I guess sooner or later it's bound to come out that I "have these days" and that I am not even close to having it together.

Do you ever have these kind of days?
*sigh*

a mistake worth making

Are you wondering what this is? This. Is. A mistake worth making!
I was attempting an apple dumpling recipe which calls for "chunks of apples" wrapped in egg roll wrappers. But being the frugalist that I am, I didn't want to buy egg roll wrappers knowing we had gyouza wrappers in the freezer. So I thawed those suckers out...
and tried to put in the apple chunks which did not work out well.
Hmph.
So I thought, what the heck, let's puree my apple concoction and just add the puree to the wrappers. A la' gyouza style except not pork and onion but apple and cinnamon. Mmm mmm mmm

and then I decided to bake the little gyouza apple dumplings in my mini muffin tins so they could keep their shape.

So the mix is: 4 small-medium apples; peeled and cut up into chunks, 2 T packed brown sugar, 1 tsp cornstarch, and 1 tsp vanilla extract.
I pureed that (you could also blend it if you didn't have a processor) and then took about a packed teaspoon of the mix to fit in the little gyouza wrappers.

Then I pinched the little guys shut...
put them in their respective muffin tins and sprayed them again with cooking spray so they'd crisp up!

And crisp up, they did! Sooo amazing and a little mouthful of yumminess!

Yum!
I ended up serving these little men alongside a scoop of ice cream to add a little more sweetness but you could serve them as is or even serve them sprinkled with powdered sugar. Just a thought.

Hmmm what to do with the saucy leftovers?
I think I'll save this and add it to my oatmeal tomorrow. Ooooo

Is This... Normal?

After several days of intense rain, Mikey and I woke up to radiant, beautiful sunshine...
and this.

Our patio fence

Is this normal?

Lost Pictures

While snapping some pictures of my latest baking project (Valentine's Week=Chocolate Week) I unloaded my pictures onto my computer and lo, and behold! There were pictures from September on the memory card. I had snapped some pictures leading up to my wedding when family started to gather but with moving, traveling, and wedding bliss I forgot all about these beauties.And I do mean beauty!

The pictures of my wedding present to my parents... some backyard decorating!

Some long lost photos of the two men that have fought and beaten cancer! My Uncle Bryan and my Poppy.

Sneaking in some candids...

Along with giving my parents some backyard decorations that although the plants have passed on to better places since the fall/winter... the ceramic pots and lighting will continue to warm hearts throughout the warmer seasons, I hope... I also treated my parents to a fancy and fun-filled dinner where we sat and ate the three of us, just enjoying life as it was and anticipating the fun we would have (and have found out we are having)...

And then the family started to arrive and I threw a "Flower Girls and Ring Bearer Picnic Celebration" at the park for the cutest kids in the world.

Waveland Eliza

The many faces of Adelia True

Edwin David

the young bride (and Rochelle carrying my nephew which we didn't know about at the time!)

Getting Grampa! The favorite pasttime of Schupbach grandkids

how could I have ever lost these pictures? So precious and such a fun find today!


And just in case you were wondering what I was baking...

Valentine's Week=Chocolate Week

Mondays; to like or not to like?

How is it Monday already? The weekends seem to escape me. Well, this weekend, I know what I was doing. I was laying in bed trying to get over this nasty cold and when I wasn't in bed I was wishing I was.
Boo to colds!
And boo to Mondays arriving before they should. Don't they always seem like the quickest day of the week? Before you know it, it's Monday again? How do Mondays do that? I'm slowly enjoying Sunday and BLAM-O!! it's Monday again.
Sheesh Mondays, have some respect for Sunday!
It's Monday and although Mondays are notoriously not my favorite days... this semester Mondays are turning out. to. be. not. so. bad. I say this hesitantly because Mondays are also notorious for being unpredictable!
Mondays this semester are slow days where I get to pretend I'm productive which in turn helps me practice being productive. All of my "have to's" all occur at night. So during the day I get to wake up, greet Monday with my usual (non)enthusiasm aka a strong cup of coffee and then... do things I want to do. This semester, Mondays are shaping up to be quite nice.
Don't misunderstand me. I still have to get things done on Mondays. It's just that I can do more "homey" things on Monday mornings.
Today I'm diligently crossing things off my list and adding things to my list just to cross them off.
Do you ever do that? Be honest. I do it all the time. Take this post... writing it, finishing it and publishing it was not on my list of things to do today... but now I shall add writing this and then promptly cross it off. I do this because it encourages my productivity. I look at my list of things to do and think, "wow! I got a lot done today." even though half of the items were merely added for the sake of crossing them off.
I warned you I was weird, didn't I?
Well, anyway, whether we like Mondays or not, here they come... every week, without fail, without asking us.
Mondays.

January 2010

I got this idea this morning from Passionate Homemaking blog and am thrilled with the idea of a "recap". She writes about the month; reviewing her goals and the new happenings in her home. I'm really wanting to do this because I think it will help me remember where I've come from and direct me towards where I want to go. So here I go... a moment to remember January.

January started with Mikey and I still in Illinois. When we came home we took a long weekend and went to Tahoe to snowboard with two friends, Vic and Dave. Both of whom are amazing men, very interesting and very funny guys and both of whom are *ahem* single! Just sayin' After the trip, Mikey and I had about two weeks of "whatever-we-want-to-do-preparing-for-the-new-semester" time. It was WONDERFUL! I loved the extended time with my husband and we managed to get a lot done. We put up pictures on our walls, I unpacked a box from my September moving days and we genuinely had fun and enjoyed each other. It was great.

In January, I read two books; The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club and Clouds of Witness both by Dorothy L. Sayers. Now I'm reading a collection of Sayers' short stories and The Master's Plan of Evangelism by Robert E. Coleman. My goal for 2010 is trying to read at least 10 books and it's been fun to try and divide my time between fiction and non-fiction. I definitely get through the fiction faster but it's because I'm often stopped by the words in the non-fiction that point me to Jesus and a deeper relationship with Him.

This month, I decided to take crocheting more seriously. I have a couple of projects that I am trying to finish this spring/summer before I start any other hobbies or projects. Pray for me~ I'm notoriously a "more starts than finishes" kind of girl. :)

This month I have had some cooking disasters. I made "molded bread" which is bread you don't put in a pan, you let it rise and bake on it's own ability to form itself.... mine ended up looking like a large mouth bass. I also had the infamous egg bake moment. Where I was trying to balance a heavy and slippery (cause of the towels keeping my hands from burning) pyrex dish FULL of yummy egg bake and saw it slip from my hands onto the concrete of my alleyway. If you don't know what happened next, I'll tell you... I cried and cried and cried. This story which I told my mother, father and grandparents ten minutes after it happened, crying the whole time, spurred my grandparents on to sending me a check to purchase a new dish (Grandmother's instructions are to get a new one with a basket with handles) to replace the broken one which laid then in our dumpster.

I've also had a baking success with a new chicken recipe. It's fast, it's amazing and it is healthy. Balsamic Chicken! Maybe I'll post on that later!

I've also seen how perfect my husband and I are matched. He is so steady in his emotions while... I... well, I mean come on! I was crying over egg bake! But he is so good to me and even if he doesn't understand why I'm crying he still is quick to give me a hug and hold me.

This month has been good. I'm looking forward to February though, to be honest. There are so many recipes to blunder, stories to have happen and laughter to be had that I am glad for this new day. I'm also extremely excited that my brother Jordan, his wife Rochelle, their daughter Waveland and unborn baby Doug will be staying for 5 days at the end of February! I couldn't be more excited!

never an organized person

I was never really an organized person. In fact, I scoffed at people who kept to-do lists and schedules neat and organized. Oh, sure i bought planners. Thye beckoned to me from their shelf at Barnes and Noble, Borders, bookstores and mall kiosks. I would pick them up, flip through their white pages and dream of keeping a planner of my life's (very exciting) events. Then I would buy lovely white unfilled out planner, put it in my purse where I would carry it for about 3.25 months and then take it out, dust it off and put it on my shelf where it remained pretty much untouched. Oh sure, the first two weeks of January were filled out lovingly but then the rest of the pages remained... white... and sparse.

I like the thought of planners but I never liked having to answer to my planner.

that is. until. now.

Since getting married I've had to forgo my careless and forgetful life. I enjoyed the first month of watching my husband carry out the laundry wandering, "Why is he carrying that load of... what is that?" And then it hit me. I can't simply live in the dreamlike oblivious state where I normally exist. If I am going to be a homemaker (which I want to be) I have to exit the fantasy life of "I'll-do-laundry-when-i-feel-like-it" and "dinner-hmmm-i-guess-i'll-eat-cereal" where I've existed off and on for 26 years.

Now I have to live in the world of meal planning, grocery shopping with a purpose (and not just meandering around talking on my cell phone although i do get some meaningful time with my long-distance girlfriends while I aimlessly walk through the aisles), keeping up with laundry (two times a week!!?!) and cleaning that little room I never go into much less think about during the day unless it's time to shower or ... go potty.

Don't get me wrong. I want to think about these things and be mindful of them. I just never had to. I did my laundry when it started to fall over onto my roommates side of the closet. I made fun meals when I was in the mood and then ate cereal when I didn't feel in the mood. I lived a very self-centered life.

Ha ha! I just had a little thought while writing that of serving on my Grandma's china a fancy dinner of cereal. I wonder what M would say?

M? What would you say?

Anyway, where was I going with this? Oh yes, the planner. Well, folks. I now own, have filled out (with multiple pretty colors) and depend on my planner. It gets worse.

I also was inspired by passionate homemaking blog (see right hand side for link) to make a daily to-do list with scripture to a. keep me focused on what to do and b. remember a key verse from scripture.

She has two kids. I have none.

Lord help me if I ever decide to add to this family. I may never enter dreamworld where the laundry folds itself again.

Future kids, do you want cereal for dinner?

tru.sting.

While minding my own beeswax and finishing up my bible study for our training time, I was suddenly caught up in a whirlwind.

Let me back up... the bible study is on "God's Sovereignty" and while finishing up I got to the "personal application" part that asked, "What are some ways it would affect your life if you trusted God more for His sovereignty?" and whoosh! Whirlwind.

Out on the computer screen tumbled fears and different things that would change if my heart was at rest. But you see? My heart is not at rest. Instead I am filled with fears that I didn't realize were so on the forefront of my mind until my fingers started typing and wouldn't stop until my heart was unloaded.

Here are some things that would change and I pray do change as I learn to trust God in His Sovereignty...
If I trusted God more, I would trust my husband more and I would encourage him instead of criticizing his decisions. I would trust that he is trusting God instead of wondering.

If I trusted God more, I wouldn't think things like, "What if I have a baby in a foreign country and something goes wrong with me/the baby and I can't understand whats happening?"

If I trusted God more, I wouldn't fear death. I would fully believe it is the hope and beginning of life as the Bible teaches us and not what it feels like, the end.

If I trusted God more, I wouldn't have fears or I would know to silence them sooner instead of letting them grow and turn into tears and heartache.

If I trusted God more, I would be more gracious and compassionate towards others. I would be generous and loving. I wouldn't complain about where I'm at in life but would embrace all the fun adventures that life is giving me in the present.

If I trusted God more, I would see sin and lies as they are~ messages from the enemy who seeks to steal, kill, and destroy and not as possibilities that God is holding out on me.

If I trusted God more...
If I trusted God....

Doing this bible study has been good for me to see how needy of grace I am. Forgive me Lord for not trusting You in Your sovereignty. Teach me to walk in your ways and to embrace the life you have given me. Without grace I would be paralyzed to trying anything in life. I wouldn't take risks, make new friendships or even write this blog. I'd want to self-protect and preserve my life by hiding in my bed all life long.

I'm tired of being scared... it's time to start walking in the Truth that I serve the One who holds all things in His hand.

*The thief comes only to steal and kill an destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.* John 10:10
*What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? ...For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.* Romans 8:31-32,37-39

Healthy Dose of Humility

Some times I'm just not as cool as I like to think I am...

Passionate Homemaking

Katie Gibbs clued me into this fun new blog... Passionate Homemaking.
Go here...
Passionate Homemaking

She is also having a giveaway! Go here for that!!

h.a.i.t.i.

Mikey and I were struck by the seemingly insensitivity of the reporter during a CNN report on the earthquake in Haiti.

A little girl was trapped under a collapsed building and as workers debated desperately about what to do, the reporter stood next to her two little legs that stuck out and did his report. I was aghast with the reporter and said so to Mikey.

Yet, the more I think of it, the more I realize that I am like this reporter, though I sit here in my nice warm townhouse (complaining about not having enough room for a sewing machine).

Lord, forgive me for not having the compassionate eyes to see people the way you see them. Lost, hurt and shepherdless.

May we all take time in our day-to-days and pray for the people of Haiti whose lives have been changed in an instance with this tragedy... and may we and I, most of all, have the eyes to see not only those in Haiti but the hurting ones all around us.

PRAY FOR HAITI!!

tapped into my gifting

Do you ever have a task where you come alive and you think, "THIS! This is what I love to do!"

I've had a couple of those moments recently where projects that I am working on where I am just coming alive and I feel like i am really tapping into my gifting.

Projects like helping with the women's conference little details. For example, I am doing a "walk through" of what the facility looks like tomorrow and I get to brainstorm about what "details" would make the women who attend feel special and loved.

I love this sort of thing. I love thinking about table decorations, gift bags, possibly going to the flower district in LA to hunt down flower deals and minute little details that may go unnoticed but are so important to have around.

Women can't just meet in a room with white walls, white tablecloths, and blah-ness! We need life and energy flowing through the room and I get to help create it.

I've been having so much fun.

Other things that have energized me are the daydreams of getting a sewing machine. I've decided to make it my 2010 year goal. By the end of this year, I hope to have a sewing machine and have a place to put it where I don't have to take it out or lug it around. :)

I found this book while perusing Barnes yesterday *and so help me, I can not recall the title of it* and absolutely drooled over it. It was all about homemade sewing projects such as; baby slings, purses, reusable grocery bags, wall decorations, rugs for the kitchen and for the bathroom, among other things.

My wonderful husband who understands my need to express my creativity by taking on seventy-two projects at once offered to buy the book for me. But *sigh* I need to get a table so that I can get a sewing machine so that I can get the book.

Until then, I will continue to tap into my gifting by various ministry projects, making a home and cooking for my husband. :) All of which are things I absolutely love to do.

What are things that tap into your gifting? Do you love to paint? Write letters? Sing? Play an instrument? What things thrill your heart?

my.own.

I am going crazy. In our little townhouse which I love for many reasons there is one thing I am continually saddened by. No "my own" space.

It's true, we have an office, which I gladly gave up to my husband because he needs his "own space" much more than I do. Besides I don't want to hole away from the world somewhere (I'm not that introverted!). I just want a cute little desk somewhere that I can call "my own" but still have it where the party's at. A little "my own" space in the living room would be great because I can have "my own" without bothering others. Ohhh I'm drooling right now over the thought of writing at a desk, making grocery lists, patching up my pants (and Steven's) all there, right there at "my own". Right now I have piles of books, letters, stationary, cookbooks, pretty writing utensils, yarn and sewing lying around in mod podges because I have no place to call "my own".

I am on the hunt for a small (because I have no room to have a "my own") desk or table that would fit in our living room, in the corner, where I can decadently throw my goods on and not worry that there's no room to eat, live or exist. I need "my own" space.

Do you have your own space? Your own room? Your own desk? How do you organize?

Homemade

I've realized something about myself recently.

I'm pretty naive and I'm fairly simple. Oh, don't get me wrong there are moments where I can get uppity about things unfortunately. But I've realized I'm fairly simple and I like simple things.For instance, I like being considered a "homemaker" and just now am realizing all the implications that means. Sometimes I toy with the idea of working just to "get out" and meet people because I'm so social but I love the fact that God has provided for us and that I can stay home and minister from our home.

I love that I grew up in the country. I love that it shocks people that I never saw a Starbucks til college. I love that my Grandma sends me Country magazine.
I love that homemade bread is one of the best smells to me in the whole world. Sure, I love going to the mall, spritzing a little D&G on me and smelling like a million dollars but there is nothing like the smell of bread to warm the house on a chilly afternoon.

I love that I'm fairly old fashioned. I love that my Grandmother's have passed down recipes, advice and crocheting patterns. I love that one of my favorite lessons at the nav conference was from an older woman who is a grandmother herself, who takes time to make people feel welcomed, loved and valued all by using a tray! I love that my own Grandmother taught me to crack eggs the way she learned from the depression era. I love that my other Grandma has passed on her silver candy dish and her china to me. I love using it and making the women who come through my door feel special.

I love that I'm kind of nerdy and old fashioned. That when I break out my crocheting people ask me "Isn't that an old person's hobby?" I love that I want to learn to quilt and am making it a lifelong goal to learn someday.

I love that I am still a country girl at heart. I love that among my life ambitions, I want to have children and have a home where weary people can rest and be refreshed. I love that I am trying hard to marry Asian cooking with Midwest cooking. Stir fried steak and potatoes?!?

I love that the thought of baking a cake thrills me to death. I love that I have an entire shelf (and perhaps someday an entire bookcase) devoted to cookbooks.

I love that my husband, while driving through rural California (yes it exists) asked me, "Could you live here?" and I answered after giving it much thought. "Yeah, I could live in a more rural area. I think you just adapt." And I love the thought that maybe my kids could grow up like me, without a mall next door and big backyard to play in.

I love making a home and being a little old-fashioned about it. I'm okay with not being the coolest staff member at CSULB and definitely not the coolest person in "the know". I love my friends who are and I love what they teach me about accessorizing and dressing (I love my friends) but I think what I'm trying to say is...

I love that God made me a homemaker.

Talkin' bout a Resolution... welll, you know! We all wanna change the world!

Name that tune. Well, I did change one of the words... resolutions!

Resolutions. That's possibly on everyone's minds or has been the past week or so. Do you have resolutions? Do you like them? Do you finish them? Do you forget about yours?

I am the easiest person to make resolutions because I am a friend to almost all resolutions. I'm up to a challenge and then in July when I remember, "Ohhh yeah, whatever happened to that." I'm a quick forgiver of my resolution.

Resolutions and I get along fairly well.

So every January I make them.... I can't help it. I like the start of a new beginning. When all the world is like fresh snow blanketing a field before all the footprints and trampling muses it up. Resolutions are fun.

One of my new years resolution is to read more. So far, so good. I've read one book (technically two although I finished Old Man and the Sea before January 1st but it only took me 24 hours to read it.... to count it in my new year or not? hmmm) Anyway, I am in LOVE with Lord Peter Wimsey. If you don't know who that is, you HAVE TO find out. He's witty, charming, smart and I imagine, dashingly handsome!

So I've already finished one book and now am on the second of his escapades about Europe. He's really quite wonderful. It gives me a great sense of satisfacation knowing that not just Twilight can hold my attention and keep me up reading late at night. Whew! I'm not such a pre-pubescent reader! Praise God!

What else should I read? hmmm The reading world in my oyster and there is no one to stop me from devouring it all. Who knows what this year may bring?

What are your thoughts on resolutions and what are you going to do in 2010? I encourage you to choose something, stick to it til March and then laugh about it in July. Just kidding. That's what I do, anyway. Maybe I should make a resolution to finishing my resolutions......

hmmmmm

Before I go...

let's upload some photos of the cutest kids in the world, shall we?
Lenora Daye (4)
Waveland (2)
Edwin (2)
Adelia (almooost 2)

Sooo cute!
How I love these little ones!

the warm bubble I call home

(Lenora, Adelia, Waveland, Edwin)
I've noticed the last couple of trips home that I kind of wrap myself in the warm bubble that I call home. I frequently lose my cell phone and don't care, emails go unanswered, facebook goes unchecked and I sort of let things go that I normally wouldn't.
I like these things. I like this feeling that when I am home I don't have to be plugged in as much as I am when I'm "out".
Mikey calls it a vacation but I like to think of it more as being in tune with whats important.
This gives me a lot to think about as I enter into a new year.... maybe I'll take more time to be unplugged in 2010.

Illinois

Mikey and I flew in to Illinois on Monday, probably the easiest traveling experience I have EVER had. No line for the ticketing counter, the ticketing lady gave us better seats, quick line through security, friendly folk smiling and enjoying themselves, and our flights were seamless. Also, O'Hare was surprisingly easy. I could not believe that! O'Hare, really?!

Now we're in Illinois enjoying wearing our pajamas until 3PM or even later. I didn't pack pajamas because I have a whole closet full of Iowa apparel to reacquaint myself with. And I am.

I've started making small dents on the desserts and have taught my parents a new card game Mikey and I love. They're hooked!!

So why am I posting? It's actually the only thing not cool about Illinois right now. The weather! It's RAINING!?!?! Raining is the worst because I could be enjoying rain from my own apartment. I came to the midwest for the big show! The snow, the snowmen, the snowballs... etc. Not for the rain!

Ugh!

So Illinois, if you're listening, please PLEASE please drop your temperatures and give me some snow! See, I promised my husband a wonderland for Christmas and you're coming up short. Please give us some snow to enjoy for Christmas.
Love,
Me!

Skippy Dippy Dango

Oh me, oh my! What is this delicious looking dish?
Last night I digged into my family/friends recipe book that I received for a wedding gift and found this little nugget of a menu item.
Two Bean Tamale Pie
try saying that five times fast!
Two Bean Tamale Pie two bean tamale pie, two bean mamaleee... oh grrr!
As I was saying... Two Bean Tamale Pie hails from the kitchen of cooking extraordinare Mrs Jonah Schupbach, as they'd say in the 50's or Becca Schupbach (my sister-in-law although more like a SFR)... anyway!

This pie changed my life. It's the unique blend of salty and sweet with a hint of hot!! I'm in love!
Here's the recipe; I added tabasco sauce at the end and nixed the sour cream
Eat! Enjoy! And just trrrry not devouring it in one sitting! Seriously yummy!

1 C chopped green sweet pepper (1 large)
1/2 C chopped onion (1 medium)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 T cooking oil
1 15oz. can pinto beans, rinsed, drained and slightly mashed
1 15oz. can kidney beans, rinsed, drained and slightly mashed
1 6oz. can (or 2/3cup) vegetable juice (Becca uses low sodium)
1 4oz can diced green peppers, undrained
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 8 1/2oz. package corn muffin mix (I used jiffy)
1/2C shredded cheddar cheese (2 ounces)
1/4C snipped fresh cilantro or parsley

**Grease a 2-quart square baking dish or 10-inch quiche dish; set aside. Preheat oven 400 degrees. In a medium skillet cook sweet pepper, onion and garlic in hot oil until tender. Stir in kidney beans, pinto beans, vegetable juice, chile peppers, chili powder and cumin; heat through. Spoon bean mixture into prepared dish. Prepare corn muffin mix according to package directions; add cheese and cilantro, stirring just until combined. Spoon cornbread mixture evenly over the top of the bean mixture. Bake, uncovered, about 25 minutes or until golden. Serve with salsa, sour cream or if you are me, tabasco!**

Eat! Enjoy! And know that if you were to die, you'd have a smile on your face....
well, let's be real. This isn't a fulfillment of anything but satisfying your hunger. I may have embellished how good this pie is by saying that.....

oh it's so yummy....

i just might have to sneak in the kitchen for my tasty leftovers...

ohhhh soooo delic!

some days

Some days I am on top of the world. I am singing out loud and the world is my audience. The audience always loves me, always cheers me on, and always asks for an encore *which I am always happy to give*!
Some days the sky is richly blue, the leaves are deep green and the sun is warm in its colors and its rays. My laughter penetrates the air and tumbles out from the depths of my belly. I am full of life and life has so much to offer me.
Some days, though, I am shaken by something I cannot express or understand. The sky is still blue, the leaves still green and the sun is warm, yet, I cannot see or feel both. My head is down and my shoulders are heavy with a burden too large to carry.
Most days I am quick to give my burden to the Lord but its lingering affects chill my heart. A child with cancer, the death of a loved one, sickness, poverty, homelessness, loneliness, isolation, despair, fears, and unresolved issues between people...
Most days, I do not carry the burden and yet, I am not able to shake the reality of its continued existence off of me.
Some days are better than others. I am richly blessed and I feel it with joy.
Some days are different than others. I am deeply loved yet I am aware that others are not so loved obviously.
Some days I am convicted and it saddens my heart to see people.
Some days I am oblivious to the world and all around me, I am aware of myself only.

Every day I pray that God would open the eyes of my heart, to be filled with compassion, to realize that I cannot fix everyone but I can love everyone.
Every day I can make a difference if only I would...