Who Do You Think You Are?

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—  to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.  In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace  that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding,  he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ,  to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.   [Ephesians 1:3-10]

I often forget who I am.  How do I identify myself and why do I cling on so hard to those identities.  My Pastor, Mark Driscoll, recently released a new book and it is beautiful.  I have only read, studied (with the daily devotional study guide) and heard (from his sermon series) the first two chapters but God is turning me back to the basics.  I often try and identify myself as certain things which are all on shaky ground.  Nothing, other than Jesus, is for certain.  As sad and heart wrenching it is to think about, even identities as daughter, sister, friend, wife, mother can be stripped of you from a tragic accident.  Something that I have lived for in the past is outward beauty.  That will diminish as time goes on.  There is no getting around that.  When we cling to those identities, what happens to us, who are we, if and when those things are lost?  Who will I be if I am not beautiful, wealthy, or successful?
This is where I get to share the most amazing thing with you!  If you are saved by Jesus, you were bought!  Your identity now lies in the hands of the creator of this world, and you are made new, you are made clean and you are righteous.  Your righteous does not have to do with anything you have done but rather what Jesus has done.  Jesus!  Much controversy surround His name (as it did when He walked on this earth 2, 000 years ago).  God left His thrown in heaven and came down to this earth as a HUMBLE SERVANT, lived a perfect, sinless life, died on the cross, rose from the dead after 3 days, walked on the earth for another 40 days and then rose into heaven.  Why did Jesus do this?  ALL was done so we may be a part of His family.  We are loved beyond any sort of imagination by the King of this universe.  And THAT KING is who holds our identity.  Because of Jesus, we can identify with Him, as our Father, as our perfecter.  We no longer have to cling to things which are on shaky ground.  Yes, I am a daughter and a sister and a friend, but more importantly, I am SAVED and I am RIGHTEOUS and it is in those things that I live out!  I can appreciate the blessing of my other roles here on earth.  As Pastor Mark says, the things, events and roles in my life explain me but they do not define me!  I am defined by someone so powerful and beautiful that I get to live joyously in that identity.
I would HIGHLY recommend reading this book for ANYONE.  If you know Jesus, this is so helpful in growing in wisdom, if you do not, read it!  For you want to know Him!!
BUY THE BOOK HERE!!!

I also just wanted to share this picture from when I was baptized in the puget sound in August.  This picture stirs so much peace in my heart when I see it!

The Christmas Box Collection

Although Christmas is past, today I will bring it back a little by writing about my favorite Christmas book, The Christmas Box Collection.  I have mentioned this book a couple of times but I thought I would actually tell you all about it.
Hallmark came out with two movies called The Christmas Box and The Timepiece in 1995.  My family and I watched them (me being very young) multiple times during the Christmas season and I still have very vivid memories of those times.  We recorded it on VHS and they eventually got "lost" along with all of our other VHS.  I put lost in quotations because occasionally when my dad would clean out the garage he would just start throwing things away and I am sure that our boxes of VHS movies were one of those things.  Hallmark eventually stopped playing the movie and it became a story that was no longer seen or thought about in our house.  About 3 years ago, I came across the book on Barnes and Nobles website and had to buy it!  So that Christmas season, I read the book (it is actually three books bound together).  So many memories and good feeling came back while reading the beautiful story and now it is a tradition that I read that story every year during the Christmas Season.  It was actually a nice surprise reading the books because, as I mentioned, Hallmark had only made two movies.  It wasn't until I read the book that I found out the story continues and you find out what happens in the lives of the characters.

The first of three books, The Christmas Box, is about a young family who move in with a widow named Mary.  The widow is a bit mysterious and you don't find out much about her past.  The family moves in to take care of her and grow very close with her and acts as a grandmother.  This book is much about the importance of family as well as the meaning of Christmas.
The second book, The Timepiece, is a prequel to the first book.  This is when you learn about Mary's story.  It is the story of how she meets her husband, having a child as well as much tragedy that happens within their family.
The third book, The Letter, is about a mysterious letter which was left at the grave site of Mary and David's daughter.  It is much of a quest to finding out who wrote it.  This book is beautiful and much on forgiveness and moving forward.

I highly recommend this book!  You can buy it HERE.  

Friday Favorites

Favorite Coffee - Allegro Celebration Blend

Favorite Book - The Christmas Box Collection

Favorite Christmas Album - Joy Has Dawned by King's Kaleidoscope

Favorite Laugh

Favorite Fall Fashion - Jessie(seamsforadesire)

Update

So I have a little bit of time to write a post!  I just finished an essay a lot faster than I expected and so now I have tonight to relax(as much as a college student can relax).
I just wanted to point out that today was so gross outside here in Seattle.  I has been very cold.  It has been raining pretty much all day and the rain has been hard.  Like it wants to be hail but it is not quit there yet.  It has also been really windy and dark due to the clouds that have not left the sky.  Luckily, today I got out of class at 1220 and was able to walk home, take a nap and be super comfy inside my house.  We have this really big comfy couch and I have been sleeping and studying on it all day.  I currently am enjoying a cup of all natural pear white tea.  Yummy!
This quarter has been so fast that I don't really feel as though I am getting anything done.  I feel like I do not have time to get anything done.  Life as a college student is so interesting.  You always have stuff on your mind and never truly(until the breaks after your quarter is over) have time to clear your head.  Even if you do clear your head, the next time you look at your schedule, it all floods back in.  Sometimes you just want to have no worries or no to do lists.  I can say though that I am enjoying my classes.  I am learning a lot.  Last quarter(fall 2011) was a very rough quarter for me emotionally and I didn't enjoy my classes because I didn't allow myself to.  I was very stressed about so many other things that I never got to just learn.  This quarter I am taking classes for my minor.  I decided to minor in Individual and Family Development last year for my self.  I did not want to do it for my career choice(which as of now, I really don't know what that will be) but rather to help me when I have a family.  I have enjoyed all of those classes and have appreciated learning about family and certain things which will be helpful like nutrition and interior design.  It has been very fun.
So what has God been teaching me lately??  Well at the beginning of this quarter I asked God to teach me more in this quarter than He has in any other quarter.  I wanted to grow so much this quarter and I will be able to look back at this quarter and know the things which had changed in my life.  Among the many things God has taught me, He has been revealing idols to me that He is commanding me to drop, give up on them and turn to Him.  One idol that I have is my Idol of Comfort.  I can see that my desire and "need" for comfort has become a sin.  When I say comfort, I am talking about the sitting on the coach for hours at a time, eating food which tastes good and is not good for me and just the all around idea that those things is where I get my strength from.  I need to remember that I get my strength from God and God alone.  He is my refuge and my strength.  I am not saying that sitting on the coach or eating yummy food is a sin.  But I am saying that it has become a sin, a lot of the time, in my life.  I desire is so much that I think that it is a big deal if I am not able to sit on the coach for a couple hours a day.  When in reality, God is my strength.  I can go through the day without have rest because He sustains me.  He blessed me with my very first thought yesterday morning when it was so exhausting to have to get up at 6am of "God sustains me, He is my strength."  He is!  I can see that although I almost feel like I am "worse shape" in my faith this quarter because my idol is so much in my face right now I am certainly not.  Maybe I was not aware of my idol last quarter but it was still an idol in my life.  I am thankful for the Holy Spirit revealing this idol to me because now I can REPENT from it.  God is so good to me.  And I can say that and whole heartedly believe that.
I am currently going through this group at Mars Hill called Redemption Group.  It has been so great.  We are in a group of about 10 women and we just get to share and work through our junk and our past and our sins and everything and be able to see where the gospel and where God is in all of it.  We are going through Redemption, a beautiful book.  I encourage you to read it!  I am blessed to be saved by Jesus and to be instilled with this wisdom.  I certainly do not deserve any of it and yet in His grace, I am NEW!!

Currently Reading and Drinking

Diana by Sarah Bradford

Peppermint White Mocha with half the chocolate
and an added shot

Baking, Reading, and DIYs

Baking...

I made a coffee cake!  I used a basic coffee cake recipe and added about 1/2 cup of sour cream to make it more creamy.  It turned out very good and the good thing was that my dad liked it probably more than all of us.  That is surprising because my dad is not one to eat homemade food.  I know, completely opposite from me, but the fact that he liked it says something!

Mixing in the sour cream

Reading...

I am still reading Spoken From The Heart!

DIYs...

#1  I needed to still unpack all of my jewelry from moving back to California.  I had nowhere to put it and it was time to figure something out.  So I found an old cork board in my sister's old closet.  I covered it with some extra white fabric I had and just tacked on the back.  The fabric was actually left over from some curtains I cut from Ikea.  So the fabric on the board matches my curtains.  I used tacks and hung my jewelry throughout the board.  I added a fabric flower I made a couple weeks ago to the corner to add some flair!  THis project only took about 30 minutes.

#2  This next project was a little more involved.  So I wanted a bedside table that would fit in my room really well, was very practical and cheap!  The cheapest one I could find that I liked was from Ikea for $40.00.  I was opposed to spending that much money but I was hoping to find something else.  I went to Micheal's and got some ideas white I was there.  This is what I came up with.
The items...
- 1 sturdy basket which was on sale and was the perfect size to store books but not big enough to get cluttered
- 1 small square piece of wood
- 2 long wood decorative border pieces
- 1 small bottle of white paint
- 1 bottle of light yellow paint
- 1 large fake decorative flower
Here is the finished project with help from my dad!

Painting the square piece

Waiting for the paint to dry

Finished project!

The beautiful flower I couldn't pass up!

Other Fun Things...

#1  Adorable new Tea Pot and matching cup from Cost Plus World Market!  

#2  To go with my new tea pot I bought some tea which should be here in the next few days.  I bought the tea online at Teavana.  I bought Cacao Mint Black Tea and Cocoa Praline Tart Rooibos Tea.  They are both dessert teas which are perfect for me and my sweet tooth!  I will let you know how they are when I get them!

#3  My to dos for the weekend...

-  Get hangers to for the rest of my clothes!  I have no where to put them and my room is too messy.

-  Bake chocolate and pecan scones

-  Wash my car

-  Finish cleaning my room

- Read, exercise, and have fun!!

My mom is in Wisconsin until tuesday and boy do I miss her!  I love her so much  :)

Small Updates

A few things I have been doing lately.....

Finishing invitations for my cousins baby shower that I am throwing for her!

I made some wonderful scones!  I got the recipe HERE!  They are from one of my friends blog.  I used whole wheat flour and dark chocolate chips.  They turned out great!
To make them last longer, I wrapped them individually in plastic wrap and put them in the freezer.  In the mornings, I would take one out and put it in the microwave to warm in up.  That worked perfectly!

Before they go into the oven

All done and delicious!

I picked some beautiful roses from the garden!

I also noticed that my cat found a new bed in our flower pot!

Other than these things, I have just been working a lot and spending time with family and friends.  I am planning on doing some more baking this week so look for that!
Currently reading:  Spoken from the Heart(still, because it is so long) and Charlotte's Web
New fave website:  pinterest.com

Needed Changes

Since starting my job, I have failed to continue with some other important things this summer.  This includes reading, keeping my room and things organized, journaling and spending time with God.  Because I have been really tired when I come home from work, all I am motivated to do it sit on the couch and watch TV.  Friday was a little different.  I was rushed when I came home from work because I had a skype date with a friend from Seattle.  Then I went to the gym for just a little bit.  After that I came home and watched TV because I was very exhausted.
I have noticed a lot thought that the more I watch TV, the more exhausted I am.  I want to try and go to bed early(around 10pm), wake up around 6am and be productive with my days.  I really need to get back into reading and baking and doing other important things rather than wasting time watching TV.  Exercise is a whole other story.  I get unmotivated to exercise the more I am out of shape.  Now that I am pretty out of shape, I need to make my self go to the gym and run because the more I go and do it, the more I enjoy it.  I am really enjoying working at the coffee house!  Because that gives me a little structure in my days, I need to focus on creating structure for the rest of my time.
I am still in the beginnings of reading 2 books, Spoken From the Heart and Beautiful Things Happen When a Woman Trusts God.  After I finish with these two books, I want to begin reading youth novels and kid's books to prepare for teaching.  I want to begin building my library for when I teach in the next few years!
Lots of things to reshape in my life but they will all improve me as a person which I want!
God Bless and Thank You for Reading!!!

Experiencing Summer Goodness

So I know it has been a while but I have been enjoying summer so much!  I have been catching up with old friends as well as making new friends.  I have also been applying for lots of jobs, reading lots of books, and doing a lot of thinking about what my future has for me.  I have been thinking a lot about transferring schools.  SPU is getting very expensive and I am just such a California girl I am pretty sure I don't want to go back to Washington.  I have also been contemplating on changing my major.  I may switch from Psychology to Elementary Ed.  I have wanted to be a teacher for as long as I can remember.  Then, when I took a psychology class senior year of high school, I loved it and decided to do that!  Now, I am questioning if that is what I want to do with my life.  I would still keep a minor in Psych but be a teacher.  It sounds so great to me!  We shall see.  I hopefully will be taking fall semester off due to transferring so then I will be able to spend some time in a classroom and really be able to observe.  Lots of things going on!

This morning I went to the bike trail and rode my mountain bike 20 miles!  It was a lot of fun and the weather was perfect.  I also got a new book to read!  I finished The Case for Christ.  This book was very good.  It gives you a lot of information and the proof of Jesus' existence on earth.  I just got Spoken from the Heart which is the Biography of Laura Bush. I started it last night and just the first chapter had me hooked.  I love reading about people lives and the things they have accomplished as well as their struggles.  I am very excited to continue.  I just love summer and California so much.  It is hard to imagine returning to Washington for any long period of time.  

I also wanted to share with you a recipe I made last night for dinner.  It is from Runners World Magazine and it turned out very delicious.

Pasta Bean Toss

1 pound whole-grain penne

2 medium red onions, thinly sliced

2 large garlic cloves

1 teaspoon olive oil

5 carrots, cut into slices

2 cups raw broccoli

12 ripe plum tomatoes, diced

3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

4 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped

1 can red kidney beans

1 can white kidney beans

1/2 grated parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to package.  While pasta is cooking, saute in a large frying pan onions and garlic in oil until tender.  Add remaining vegetables, tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, and basil.  Simmer for 4 minutes.  Add beans and simmer for another 2 minutes.  Add pasta and cheese and toss.  

We Two by Gillian Gill

This post is coming in a time of much stress!  I am dealing with the stress of dead week as well as many thoughts which only God can help me through.  I did want to do a book review on a book I finished a few weeks ago.  I love reading and only recently(within the past few years) have learned to enjoy it.  It saddens me sometimes knowing that I won't get the chance to read all the good books in the world which have been written throughout time.

So, The book is called We Two written by Gillian Gill and it is about the lives and marriage of Queen Victoria and Prince albert in the 1800s.  My interest in this book stirred from watching my now favorite movie, The Young Victoria.  This book takes you through the early life and struggles of Queen Victoria.  It explained a lot of how her life was different due to the fact that she was the only person to be able to take the throne in her family.  It went through the early life of Prince Albert as well.  It went through how Victoria and Albert met and how they fell in love.  The love which is described seems pure and real, incorporating their struggles.  The book also talks about the many children(9 total) that they had and the relationship both Albert and Victoria had with them.  The life of the Queen seems like it would be very glamorous, as you would think any queens life would be, but it was not.  It was very difficult. It ends with the death of Prince Albert and the mourning which the Queen and the country go through.  I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the history of certain individuals and royalty.  Buy it HERE!!


The book I am about half way through now is...  Reshaping it All by Candace Cameron Bure.  Yes, I am beginning my summer reading list and it's not even summer yet.

I have 9 days until summer  :)

Summer Book List(I know it's a little soon:))

I just finished a book I have been slowly but surely getting through since spring break.  I will soon do a review on it because it is definitely one to read!  I try and read at least one pleasure read during the quarter so I can take my mind off of the madness of schoolwork and still be productive.  Finishing this book has been hard because I realize how much I cling to my pleasure reads in the times of stress for a nice little break.  It is probably a good thing that I finished it before finals and such because then I can't use it as a distraction but it makes me look forward very much to the summer and the books I have planned to read.  My goal is of coarse to read about one book per week.  It is doable and I am actually looking forward to it very much!

Summer Book List:

1.  Reshaping it All

2.  Food Rules

3.  The Case for Christ

4.  Lunch in Paris

5.  A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from my Kitchen Table

6.  My Life from Scratch: A Sweet Journey of Starting Over, One Cake at a Time

7.  Marie Antoinette: The Journey

8.  Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

9.  The Gift of an Ordinary Day

10.  Choosing to SEE

11.  The Thing about Life Is That One Day You'll Be Dead

12.  In Defense of Food

13.  One Thousand Gifts

14.  Devoted

Can't wait to start!  I have three weeks until I am on my way HOME!!

Same Kind of Different as Me

Read it!
I read this book this past summer and it is amazing.  It gives you a great perspective of people who love and follow Jesus.  It is about a man and his wife who serve at a homeless shelter every week.  Debbie, the wife, loves people so much and God works through her so much.  It is hard to tell about it without giving too much away but it is worth the time to read it.  The chapters are really short too so it is easy to read it in small 10 minute time slots throughout your day.

"The truth about it is, whether we are rich or poor or something in between, this earth is no final resting place. So in a way, we are all homeless-just working our way toward."
- Denver Moore; Same Kind of Different as Me