New Testament Tuesday #4 - A Day Late

I'm sorry to be late with this post.  I've just had a lot going on and it is becoming harder for me to find the time to blog.  Which is sad because it is something that I really enjoy doing.  Hopefully things will get a little more settled here over the next couple of weeks. 

We read the book of Luke last week and this week it's the book of Acts.  I had a little trouble keeping up with the reading last week but I am all caught up now.  It was just one of those weeks, ya know?

The story of the rich young ruler (18:18-25) and the story of Zaccheus (19:1-10) were a highlight for me this week.  I couldn't help but to think in depth of these 2 individuals and compare their two stories.  I'm not going to share all of what I saw so take a second look (or a first look) and compare for yourself.

Another verse that I thought I would take the time to mention is Luke 24:45.
"Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures."
When I read it I thought that it was cool that he gave this wisdom to them.  He prepared them for the work that they would have to do.  I was thinking how I read the Bible and I pray for understanding.  But I don't really think in detail about the power that could be behind that.  That Jesus is there and that it's a physical thing this opening of the mind.  At least that is how I see it.  That there is a change made there in us when our minds are opened to understand. 
What was really cool, for me, is that later on that day I was doing my "homework" for the Beth Moore study on Daniel that I am doing.  She referenced the same verse!  She talked about how we could turn the concept conveyed in that verse into a powerful prayer for the person we're urging toward the truth.  In other words, that we could pray that He would open the minds of others to understand the truths that are in the Word! 

I'll try not to be late next week but well, you know how life goes!

Cakes Before Me-Update on My Portfolio Page

I just thought that I would let y'all know that I have done a little updating over at my cake decorating blog.  There is also a new discount for this week.  If you live in Blacksburg/Christiansburg area please check it out!
Cakes Before Me

Recipe of the Week-Beef Nacho Casserole

This recipe is one I have been making since I was 17 or 18.  I took a class in highschool called Food Science and we had to turn in new recipes that we had found every week.  I'm pretty sure we were just beefing up the teachers recipe collection with this assignment.  However, this is one that I actually made.  Since then it turns up on our table at least once a month.  I wish I could remember exactly where I got it from.  My Mom had Good Housekeeping, Southern Living and Family Circle magazines lying around, so I am sure it came from one of them. 

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef
1 jar salsa, 12 oz jar of the chunky variety
1 cup sweet corn, drained
3/4 cup miracle Whip®
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 cups crushed tortilla chips
2 cups cheese, shredded
shredded lettuce
chopped tomato

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Brown meat and drain.

Stir in salsa, corn, dressing, and chili powder.

Layer 1/2 each of meat mixture ,chips and cheese in casserole.

Repeat layers.

Bake for 20 minutes.

Top with lettuce and tomato!  Yummy!

Member One Boot Camp Week #9

This week I managed to workout 2 days.  We have had a lot of rain this week.  On Wednesday I went for a mile wog.  I felt good after and it was really nice weather that morning.  On Thursday it was raining and so I decided to do my Wii workout game.  It was a session that focused on upper body.  You could have fooled me!  She did have me doing some arm stuff at the end but we did a lot of lunges and squats at the beginning.  My legs are still sore from that workout!  I think that the game gives me some pretty good workouts so my plan is to try to do this at least twice a week when it gets too cold to do a workout outside.  I have been replacing one meal a day with a Slim Fast shake for 4 days now.  I really don't like the stuff but I am hoping that by this coming Tuesday I will have a weight difference.  I've ordered some Arbonne meal replacement drinks but I am not sure when I will be getting them.  So for now it's the Slim Fast for me.  I have found my measuring tape again and so next week I am going to measure and see what has changed (or not changed).  Yikes!  Not really looking forward to that.  At MOP's we are going to have a exercise accountability group and so we took our measurements then and weighed.  I honestly don't know why I didn't write those measurements down to keep!  Oh well.  The one to lose the most weight will win a cash prize...I'm gonna go for it! 

Marker Mayhem, Thrills and Spills and Lip Shaving Fun

Yesterday, was full of surprises (and not the good kind either).  For those who saw my FB status and were curious, this post will reveal all. 

It's good to be a Mom.  You get all kinds of perks.  However some days the perks seem to be practically none existent and instead it feels like you are being "punked".  Do you know what I mean?  Like someone is there taping this crazy event and is just wanting to see how you react to it.  Will she cry?  Will she yell?  Will she have a meltdown and lock herself in the closet (the closets in this house are narrow, but I can still fit)?

So yesterday was a "punked" kind of day.

Marker Mayhem

The morning started off with some unsupervised art.

Apparently, I can't take 5 minutes to go to the bathroom without a little boy getting into trouble!

(Don't worry Katie, it all came off!)

There he is...T-R-O-U-B-L-E!!

How can I be mad at that little face? 

I found another picture on the wall later that evening....he was busy wasn't he?

Thrills and Spills

Later on at lunchtime, Simon got mad.  He was mad at Caleb who was teasing him by wearing Simon's wellies.  Simon was strapped in his booster seat at the table, eating lunch.  He gets so mad at Caleb that he is rocking the chair a little and he pushes out from the table with his feet.  Of course the chair goes over backward and Simon goes along for the ride.  I don't have a picture of this because of course he is screaming and I have a moment of panic over trying to figure out if he is hurt or just scared.  And he was not hurt.  Thankfully! 

Here is the chair he sits in...it's a heavy chair. 

I'm not really sure how he had the strength to do that. 

Maybe he becomes Hulk-like when he's angry?

Lip Shaving Fun

Later that evening...(sorry just wanted to sound like a comic strip)Josh comes into the kitchen saying he hurt his lips.  I look at him and sure enough there is blood on his lips. 

Worriedly I ask, "What happened?  How did you do that?"

He vaguely says, "I don't know.  There was a sucky thing and it hurt my lips."  ????

Incredulously I say, "What sucky thing? Where were you?  Where did you get it?  Show me."

So he leads me back to my bedroom where he points to this:

it was lying there on my bed.  (He had gotten it down from my dresser.)  It's a fabric shaver and there is a little blade inside which removes the little balls off your clothes. 

 Joshua found out that it also removes lip skin!

This was taken this morning.  Poor thing. 

As I am getting him cleaned up and all, I ask him why he put that to his mouth and he just said he didn't know.  I then preceed to tell him that perhaps we shouldn't put things on our mouths or in our mouths that aren't edible.  Ecspecially when we don't know what that thing is.  I really hope he learned his lesson.

No one ever jumped out and said, "You're being punked!".  It's just my life, it's real and I LOVE it!