I am thankful for... an email from a friend.

I am wondering... what heaven will be like

I am remembering... the things I need to do this afternoon.

I am going... to eat salads again for lunch next week.

I am currently reading... More Hours in My Day.

I am finding... that I spend way too much time checking blogs and websites and email

I am hoping... for a peaceful weekend.

On my mind... trusting God in what I do not know

Noticing that... It is white and soft and pretty outside

Pondering these words... "Fear errodes trust. Fear makes us irrational."

From the kitchen... fresh coffee cake

Around the house... papers need to be filed, and I need to vaccuum.

One of my favorite things... sprinkles.

Some Interesting Reads

Here are some interesting posts and articles I've run across recently:

•  ElizabethEsther's post  "Do Christian women have a responsibility to dress modestly?" 
•  MIn the Gap's post How can a guy keep pure?
•  Danielle's post about a medical trauma
• Focus on the Family's intresting take on Marriage Books
•  Suzanne's article on Remembering Days
•  Making some Kid's Crafts
•  This free download of a PDF document creator
•  Generous Giving website

To get you thinking....

So....

I was browsing blogs and sites for service ideas in preparation for our coming Winter Retreat.

Alot of sites have the same thing, just in case you were wondering.

But, I did come across some that sounded crazy and fun, and got me thinking about my neighborhood :)

• A Bicycle Rodeo to help children learn bicycle safety (! I've never seen a bicycle rodeo, but it sure sounds creative!)
• Couduct a clothing repair or sewing workshop
• Read a book to a younger kid or elderly person
• Conduct an Easter Egg hunt (hmmmm....a park across the street....local kids....very workable!)
• Create a poison awareness campaign
• Organize a "get acquainted" lunch with neighbors
• Prepare a whole home cooked meal for the residents of a nearby homeless shelter
• Bake a batch of cookies to share
• Set up reading hour, where you visit a homeless shelter once a month, read aloud, and then leave the books behind

These ideas were from the 4H club in Lancaster

Souper Ideas

Today, instead of writing my own (not so) brilliant ideas, I thought I would like to direct you to this great article: Souper Hospitality

Susan Ellington has some great thoughts and humor in her ecouraging article to show Hospitality.

"If you're a naturally gregarious sort, you don't really need encouragement to throw a little party. But if you have a more retiring nature, or you just don't know where to begin, don't worry. I'm here to help—and despite that earlier talk about "trouble" and "effort" it can be a whole lot easier than you think.

You can plan a party around any excuse or no excuse at all. I once threw a "Poverty Party" for those of us who couldn't afford our church's singles' retreat. The rule was you had to wear old clothes and bring food you had already paid for, which made for quite the eclectic menu. For years I held an annual birthday party for Sherlock Holmes. (He never showed, but he was in his 150's and it's a long flight from London to Texas.)"

She shares recipes and tips in her article too.
 
And I guess, she also hits a spot with me because of her ideas to "host on a holiday"....like National Chocolates Day :)
 
So check out her article here.
And check out this list of February Unique & Bizzare Holidays too while you're at it :)

Tried It...

This is not my picture. I forgot to take a picture of my food that I tried.

But I can tell you, that it looked just like this (except for the green stuff...didn't have any of that)

And I can also tell you, that a Tablespoon of chili powder IS NOT that same as one green chili chopped up! *nervous smile with smoke coming out of ears*

I will definitely make this again, but will TONE DOWN the spice, or make sure I have actually the right ingeredients :)

Food

Now I don't know about you, but this Cauliflower Rice looks good to me. I like cooked cauliflower.

I've enjoyed browsing some Indian food blogs recently, and the above is one recipe I hope to try. That one was shared at Cooking 4 All Seasons.

The other site I like to browse is  Eggless Cooking.

See those binders?

See those red binders on the counter?

I like those. Wouldn't they be nice to hold pattern print-outs, sewing ideas, pictures of things to make, and other misc. papers floating around!

I thought so too.

I like getting new ideas for keeping things neat and clean. My current read is "More Hours in My Day" by Emilie Barnes. It's full of tips and ideas.

Now to just see if I can impliment any of them! :)