...good morning...

this morning, the husband and i read mark ch. 9... and something that really stood out to me was Jesus' dialogue with people...
he asks questions - even though he's God and already knows the answer; he's interested in us and what concerns us. {verses 16, 21, 33}
he answers questions - he answers every question that he's asked; might not always be the answer we're hoping for, but he will answer us. {verses 12, 23, 29, 35}

he wants to have a conversation with us! yay! such a simple truth but all too easily forgotten:

"But they {the disciples} did not understand this saying, and were afraid to ask Him."
{v.32}

this verse gave me a little wake-up call ::: am i missing out on a dialogue w/Christ because i'm afraid of asking or afraid of the answer? either way, i'm missing out.
thankfully, Jesus doesn't give up easily and will engage us a million times over........

"Then He came to Capernaum. And when He was in the house He asked them, "What was it you disputed among yourselves on the road?" But they kept silent, for on the road they had disputed among themselves who would be the greatest. And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, "If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all."
{v.33-36}

i seriously love this. the disciples were not going to engage in this convo... they were too embarrassed, or ashamed, or afraid, of what Jesus was going to think. Jesus gave them an insightful answer anyways. :)
be reminded that Jesus cares about you and everything that is concerning you today... so tell him about it! {hope that doesn't sound too cheesy :) }

create: easy/cheap/yummy dinner & dessert for 2

ok, i can't take all the credit for this meal - i saw a salmon dish in this month's martha stewart living mag and was inspired to create something similar with different ingredients. this meal was surprisingly quick, super inexpensive (under $10), and delish (my husband's reaction was: "can this be the new staple?")! depending on your own ingredients, the prep for this meal literally took me 10 minutes and my oven did the rest! 

here's what you'll need:

 - parchment paper

 - 2 tilapia filets (or salmon)

 - 2 sweet potatoes (your dessert!)

 - baby broccoli (or asparagus)

 - 1 lemon

 - 1 garlic clove

 - olive oil

 - spices (i used "everyday seasoning" {paprika, mustard seed, chili pepper, onion, etc.} from trader joe's)

 - salt & pepper

here's what you'll do:
 - preheat oven to 400 degrees, line baking sheet w/ foil
 - rinse fish & broccoli, pat dry, arrange on parchment paper (leave enough room on paper to cover and fold shut), drizzle with olive oil
 - cut 4 slices of lemon (more if desired) and finely chop garlic, season fish & broccoli with spices and salt & pepper, top with chopped garlic and slices of lemon
 - fold paper over then, starting from the top, fold the edges over with sharp creases to get a nice half moon packet  :)
 - arrange packets and sweet potatoes on foiled baking sheet (be sure to puncture the potatoes with your fork to get a few good holes) and stick them in the oven for 15 minutes
 - once finished, serve packets on plates as is and put the sweet potatoes back in the oven for 30 more minutes

 - open your packets and enjoy!

 the baked sweet potatoes will be done by the time you're finished with dinner so you'll be perfectly ready for this healthy dessert! cut potatoes in half and add your favorite toppings - i added a few drops of agave nectar and sprinkled cinnamon. mmmm they were so good!

i actually had fun making this meal and was not stressed one bit! plus, the cleanup was super low-maintenance too! this will definitely be a new staple for us. :)

{enjoy}

found!

one of my favorite things is going to estate sales and flea markets and finding awesome deals. i decided to share a photo of my night stand because 1) it makes me smile and 2) i wanted to show you how inexpensive it is to get this look...
ok, it actually all started with that clock that i found at an estate sale, which inspired me to redo my bedside nook on a super-slim budget. i didn't want to spend more than $50 total, so i went to estate sales, flea markets, and antique shops, in search of a new table (to replace my drawer-less one), a reading lamp, a little vase for flowers, and anything else that might look cute. :)
it took a few weeks to complete the vintage look i wanted but it was worth the wait... here's a break down of the cost:

clock: $5 (estate sale)
table (w/ drawer!): $10 (flea market)
orange lamp: $12 (antique depot)
glass bottle: $1 (estate sale)
books: $3 ($1 ea.) (estate sale)

grand total: $31 !!!!!
(nearly $20 less than my original budget!!)

i was sooooo excited to find everything i needed for less than what i budgeted... since my budget seemed a little too extreme. so, for all of you that are on tight budgets but would like to redecorate (like me!) be encouraged - there are amaaaazing deals out there!!

back to the drawing board

i decided to try out tumblr awhile back and it never really clicked for my little blog so i'm back to blogspot. feels like home. :)

what the.........

has it really been 6 months since i last blogged?! by jove, it has. guess that means i've been really busy... and trust me, it's been a crazy few months. i'm only starting my own company. yep. you heard me. MY. OWN. COMPANY.
my dear friend, amber, and i are starting an invitation business. so far so good. i'll keep you posted. i promise.

in the words of jon foreman...

we were meant to live for so much more. seriously.
i get these spiritual reminders every so often, but for some reason the most recent reminder is leaving its mark - the ink is darker and deeper than times before. and i have no idea why... which i guess i don't need to know why but rather how - how to keep this reminder in the forefront of my mind.
today at work, when a small situation emerged, i watched in awe as people reacted as if the end of the world was upon us. no joke. i had no words... i just kept thinking "am i the only person that knows how small this problem is in the grand scheme of things?" apparently, i was. at least 10 people were all out of sorts because of this one thing. it's like "hello people, we serve the God that parted the red sea, that brought giant brick walls down with the sound of a trumpet, that killed a giant with a tiny pebble.... seriously guys, i'm pretty sure He can solve this problem."
i went about my day in a fog of emotion and frustration... but then realized, if this happened even a few days ago - i probably would have reacted the same way.
God, help me stay in this state of spiritual awareness... i never want to get caught up in the insignificant "problems" that are just meant to distract and derail us from the highway of holiness.

happy friday to me

ive decided that i'm going to leave early today (thanks to all my friends convincing me that leaving early would be much better than working till 5 - how did i not figure that out on my own?). i'm going to jet outta here when the clock strikes 1 or 1:30 (depending on how i feel)... then hang out with the travelin' husband.
i'm really parenthesis happy today (and lots of other days). :)

:)

first one here!

wow, i can't believe i'm the first person in the office today... woohoo!! feels good... plus there's an amazing sunrise taking place right outside my window...i could get used to this.

closing out the new year with a bang...

i guess my body decided to tie up 2008 with a bang and an ER visit. long story short, i lost vision in both of my eyes and kinda freaked - so i went to the ER and had an MRI for the first time... yay me! i thought maybe i was going to ring in the new year with a brain tumor or something, but thank the Lord i was wrong! just an ocular migraine (go look it up).
my little scare really made me realize i have so much to be thankful for - especially a new year of good ol' life. hopefully this episode will propel me into finishing the things i neglected in 08... i'll keep you posted.
happy new year everyone!

aka housewife

yep, it finally happened... i'm officially a housewife. how?
in 10 words: cleaning the house on a friday night and loving it.
Stepford, anyone?

fall happy

every year i forget how much i love fall... and oh man, do i love it!!! i'm giddy all over again when the air is crisp and the clouds are grey and i have to wear a scarf to keep my neck warm. i get my fill of the changing trees down 22nd or Jamboree...then there's the pumpkin patch - ah we meet again!
this is my favorite season... until december comes.

boycotting: the iTunes store part 2

further confirms my decision to boycott the bully:

http://blog.wired.com/music/2008/10/thursdays-copyr.html

boycotting: the iTunes store

yep, you heard me... i'm boycotting the monopolist of today's music industry as we know it: the iTunes store.
why the heck have i chosen to do this? well, the answer is simple really. i'm through with buying a few songs for $9.99 (or one song for a mere $.99) and nothing to show for it... when i buy a record, on the other hand, i get a little package of goodness: it gives me a glimpse into the artist's life with thank-you's and lyrics, credits those who have worked on the record and who actually wrote that one song that leaves me inspired and wanting to hear more, and the artwork they've chosen to reflect and represent the record... oh, yeah, and listening to the record all the way through - as the artist intended it to be.
so long instant-gratification... i won't miss you.

rocking @ angel stadium

aka - harvest crusade 2008

if you like cool things...

do yourself a favor and check this site out...

http://www.thecoolhunter.net/

for the love of soap

yesterday, nic and i went into bath and body works to purchase an aromatic gift for his grandma... and to our pleasant surprise, they were having a huge sale on hand soap!! 5 for $15... woo hoo! so the husband and i excitedly picked out 10 different bottles from their wide selection of scented hand wash.
we walked out with a huge bag and smiles on our faces, knowing that we wouldn't have to go a single day with an empty soap bottle in our bathroom for the next 3 years... it's the little things in life...

time flies

i can't believe it's already july 23rd!!!

...i must be having a lot of fun. :)

ahh... the road less traveled.

revelation

no matter how much i love my job, i still look forward to being at home... maybe that's really obvious... but i pretty much just figured that out. oh well. some people learn quicker than others.