At least, favorite serious posts.
Thanks so much for taking the time to read the stuff I’ve written this last year! You guys are the best.
10. Been Thinking About The Unexpected
9. Chucking the Five-Year Plan (Part Two)
8. Cheesecake, Beth Moore, and Changing the World…
7. Been Thinking About Fishing (or “How Prayer is Like Fishing”)
4. Been Thinking About Hearing God’s Voice
3. Learning to Face My Secret Fear
2. Reaching Out To Touch His Robe
1. My Thoughts on Witnessing (Part Two)
Ha! Today isn’t my birthday. I thought today was the 11th. So, tomorrow is the actual day. In the meantime, here’s another batch of favorites:
7)This Book
It’s the kind that makes me squirm and feel uncomfortable and convicts me and inspires me to change. And I’m only on chapter 5! Who knows what will happen to me by the end of it?!
8) Scrapbooking
I’m not doing as much of it right now, but when I have the time and energy, it is still something that I love to do, and is a creative outlet for me.
9) Grapefruit Seed Extract!
Okay, I realize that this is a weird one. But for anyone out there who likes to deal with stuff “naturally”, this is the best. It does everything. Around here, we use it for diaper rash, aiding digestion, disinfecting, and gargling to get rid of a sore throat. (Seriously, it works SO much better than salt water.) It is cheap, and if you google it, you will be amazed as to how many different things it can be used for. Basically everything. It has become a very important part of my everyday life in this last year. Weird, I know.
10) Heartland!
I am really loving Heartland right now. We don’t watch movies, we don’t get TV out here, we just watch Heartland. I realize that it’s cheesy, but it’s also wholesome and clean. And it makes me want to wear a cowboy hat and boots, and ride horses, even though I hate them.
11) Matt’s Bean Dip
This is another one of my favorite things to eat right now. And extremely easy to make – Matt taught me how.
Bean Dip
Open a can of kidney beans, dump them in a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 5 minutes. Drain most of the water, mash them up, and mix in cumin and salt to taste. I love eating it with corn chips, red peppers and cucumbers. Very yummy!
12) Making Floral Arrangements!
Another new thing for me this year! My mom wanted one for their house in Sebring, so we tackled that project while we were down there on vacation, and it was so much fun! Then Ben’s mom found out, and wanted one too, so we came up with the 3 in this picture, and that was fun, too! (A little stressful because of the size, and I kind of bit off more than I could chew, but we survived, and I learned a lot!) My next project will be doing one for our house, so it was nice that the moms were willing to be the guinea pigs!
Tomorrow is my 32nd birthday. Besides thinking about how old that sounds, I’ve also been thinking about what my life is like right now. My mom always used to write down our favorite foods every year, just so that we could look back and see what things we liked.
So, in honor of my birthday, I’m going to write down the things I like right now, the things that are bringing joy and pleasure to my life at the age of 32:
1) Homemade Granola
This is my biggest treat. Words cannot describe how much I love this. So I’m sharing the recipe I always use for Homemade Granola with you, so you can experience this happiness as well. (It is 5000 times better than bought granola. No comparison.)
Aunt Alvera’s Homemade Granola
Mix 8 cups dry oatmeal, 2 cups chopped pecans, 1 cup flaked coconut, 1 cup wheat germ and 1 cup brown sugar in a bowl. (I leave out all the sweet stuff – fruit is sweet, don’t need sugar!) Mix 3/4 cup oil, 3/4 cup water, 1 tsp. vanilla and 1 tsp. salt together, and add to dry ingredients. Mix well, then spread in shallow pans. Bake at 275-300 for 1/2 an hour, stirring in between.
2) Watching the Sun Set Over the Lake
3) Orthotics!
I have just begun my relationship with orthotics, and I’m completely hooked already. They are changing my life. I’ve been dealing with a lot of hip and back pain for years, didn’t really know why, and after a few weeks of using insoles, things are already getting so much better. So glad I decided to try something new, and go to a podiatrist!
4) Learning Ballroom Dancing With Youtube Videos!
Ever since I saw “The Sound of Music” for the first time as a little girl, I’ve wanted to learn how to twirl. And now I know. Thanks to youtube.
5) Norwex!
I used to wonder why people couldn’t stop talking about some silly rags. I mean, they’re rags. But then around the time that I finally started realizing that I got a headache every time I cleaned my bathroom, my friend Julia became a Norwex consultant and told me everything she knows. And now I can’t stop talking about my AMAZING rags!! And don’t even get me started on the laundry detergent!
6) Beth Moore Bible Studies!
I’m doing an online study right now called “Believing God”, and it is incredible. I’m learning so much from it. It should really be mandatory for every woman to do a Beth Moore study.
Ordinary Days 