Seriously Sacred.

We all have things that are Sacred. Things or people or relationships we hold dear. The most important things in our lives. Tell me about them.

Seriously Profane.

Leave your name, or don't - I allow for anonymous posting.

What's bugging ya? Who went too far? What do you want to say but will never utter out loud IRL?

Seriously Secret.

Got something you're hiding and dying to share? Want to shout something from the roof but are too embarassed to do so? Feel free to put on my invisible cloak of anonymity and shout away. Don't care WHO knows it? Then why is it even a secret in the first place? Anyway - you can share it here, too.

10 Things I Can't Live Without

Hey - it's Monday. We do this thing with Kasey on Mondays where we share stuff about ourselves. Then we go comment on what everyone else said. Today she wants to know what 10 things we can't live without.

Here's my list, in no particluar order:


1. Toilet Paper. I've tried using leaves but I just end up with green streaks and they're really not very absorbant. Plus? Once there was these little bugs still on the leaves. That was not fun.



2. A bra. I've nursed 4 kids and I wasn't small chested to begin with. The girls need support and help reaching their potential. I prefer underwire.



3. Disposable Diapers. Because I'm just that lazy.



4. T.V. Who else would watch my kids for free?



5. Pepsi. Sweet Nectar. Can I get an Amen?



6. Infants Tylenol & Motrin. SIX teeth trying to break through right now. SIX.



7. A paycheck. Meager as it is right now with my hours being ravaged, it still helps pay the bills.



8. Cheap Wine. Because I am a cheap, tacky person.



9. TV shows that I can watch online. Because I can't take the babysitter TV away from the kids.



10. Caller ID. Just sayin'.



There ya go. My list. And now, since I feel like a big load of dog doo on a hot day, I'm gonna go lay down with my sissy girl who also is feeling crap-like. Yay stomach flu!

Menu Plan Monday

We've got a holiday and a Birthday included in this week's menu plan!

CP Chicken Curry, Rice, Peas
Falafel Pita Pockets
Orange Chicken & Rice Bowls
Chicken Fettucini Carbonara, Salad
Meatless Loaf, Mashed Taters, Veggie
Beans, Fried Potatoes, Corn Bread
Chicken Noodle Soup
Greek Salad & Bread (Sienna)
Lemon Roasted Chicken, Parmesan Angel Hair, Veggies, Deviled Eggs (Easter)
Chili Spaghetti, Green Beans (Cara)
Chili Lime Beef
Fruit, Corn on the Cob, Casesar Salad, Pasta Shells, Crescent Rolls, Cheesecake (Sis's B-day)
Spaghetti, Aparagus (cara)
Mac & Cheesem Tater Tots, Green Beans (Rob)

Check out www.orgjunkie.com for more menus!

ISO

Hey all - I'm in search of a few people...

1. Someone that uses Albuterol .63 in breathing treatments.

2. People (multiple!) that shop at TJ Maxx on a regular basis.

If you could email me at the addy in my profile, I'd be grateful!

Thanks!

Friday Freebie Winner!!!

We had 41 entries this week!

Random.org has declared #15 the winner.

#15 is Miss Purplemoose! Congrats to you, Purplemoose!!! Contact Lexie and she will get workin' on your custom button or signature!



Thanks to all that entered! The next month is FULL of some awesome Friday Freebies so stick around! Next week we get to go visit Mimi for her monthly freebie.

Also, don't forget about the Hair Dare to get extra entries in the FF and to win some fab prizes! I am going to be reattempting dying my hair this week *grin* Click the button to find out more info.





See ya!

Scrollin', Scrollin', Scrollin'....

Keep them buttons scrollin', Blog-On!

Ha!

A few of you noticed my nifty new button scroller down there on the left and inquired about it. Ok, one of you did, but whatever.

Isn't it AWESOME, though? It is. I know it is. You know it is.

Brooke over at Dinkypops hooked me up with the code. She got it somewhere else but she can tell you about that. I'm just telling you about Brooke.

Go get similarly hooked up.

Friday Freebie!

Don't forget to enter!!! It's an extended play version this weekend so you can still enter to win until tomorrow evening!! You could win a free Blog Button Design or Custom Signature Installation from my friend Lexie:




And now that I have finally made it through every stinkin single one of my blog reads, I'm going to bed. HA!

NYTOL!

The Tale of the Cookie

There once was a cookie sitting peacefully watching the world go by. She was soft, chewy and warm - and loaded with delicious goodies.

Along came a little girl that wanted a big ole bite of this cookie - so she took it and went along her merry way.

Skipping past came another girl who happily took a chunk for her own.

Then a daddy came callin' and took a husband sized bite.

In his arms was a wee little one who managed to wrangle some of the cookie into his soggy hands.

From down below came the screams only a 2 year old can make, demanding a piece of the cookie for his very own. Off came another piece.

The cookie she sat, after the family had gone by, taking stock of what she had left.

When off in the distance a voice with authority called itself 'employer' and demanded a bite for itself.

A symphony kicked in with a high-pitched whine as parts of her house demanded a piece - laundry, kitchen, bathrooms and floors. They all just kept crying more, more, MORE!

The cookie she sat, weary and worn, with only a few crumbs left when passing by came a caravan of other family and friends. They all reached out and grabbed what they could from what was left of this once warm and delicious cookie.

At the end of the day, in swooped the rest - pecking up all of the crumbs. Fighting and clamoring, they all wanted some until there was nothing left.

The thoughts of the cookie, they lingered on - exhausted from the ordeal. She could still hear them all - calling for her! Everyone wanting some more!!

She heaved a big sigh and closed her weary eyes, if only for just 20 minutes. She baked in the warmth (about 425) and just prayed she'd have some time.

As she emerged, the hands were all there - grabbing and sneaking their bites. She smiled and she kissed them with her chocolate goodness and faced another day.

Cause she's one tough cookie.



May you get your own 20 minutes to bask in the warmth and regroup.

Friday Freebie!

Welcome! You made it through another week! Pat yourself on the back. I dunno about you, but I have had a WEEK. Yk the kind...where you can't remember everything that happened because you haven't slept much but you know you're glad that it's over? Yeah. One of THOSE.

Well, lucky for you I'm here to reward you for making it through this week! Woot! Just like every Friday, we're givin' somethin away here at Sacred and Profane.

Oh, hey..isn't this a pretty button?



I KNOW! I love it.

These are pretty stinkin' cool, too..



Aren't they creative? LOVE them. Want one of your very own? It's your lucky day!

My friend Alexis at Back Acher Designs has offered up a Free Blog Button or Custom Signature Installation to the winner of this week's freebie. That's right - she'll work closely with you to make sure it's all that you desire. A button for your blog or for a carnival you host. Or, hey, a custom signature for your entries? Sweet deal!

Here's how it goes -

1 entry for leaving me a comment. I'm making it easy this week - any old comment is fine!

Another entry for putting Alexis's button in your sidebar....snag it by clicking on it here, there's a few to choose from:



ANOTHER entry for putting MY button in your sidebar...you can snag that puppy on the top left. Lexie made it. *wink*

And, finally, one more for a blog entry linking to both Alexis and myself.

That's FOUR entries, folks! FOUR chances to win a CUSTOM blog button or signature for your blog. Can't beat it!

Just our way of making your week that much better.

Hey, you can stop by Alexis' Design Blog..or her personal blog and say 'hi', too. :-) SHe'd probably appreciate a little bit of lovin' after the WEEK she's had, too!!!

Oooohh....and since a lot of people are 'unplugging' this Friday, and because our weeks sucked rocks, we're leaving the Freebie open until Sunday! I'll draw the winner via random.org on Sunday morning.

Giddy-up and happy Friday!

Crikey! Smote again!

God has smote me before. Yes, on many ocassion. I blogged about one that involved flashing, back in my early days here on this blog. Go ahead and read it, I can wait.

Done? Ok.

Just today Jill was talking about how Itty Bitty used the potty!! Yay Itty Bitty! And Lauren posted a sordid tale involving undiapered bums and messes.

STOP!!!

The following is NOT for the weak of stomach.

To finish my story..

No sooner did I hit post on my comments to Jill saying Corban was fully trained did I hear, "Uh oh..mommy? I pooped!"

What?! Are you KIDDING me? C'mon...let's go to the bathroom. Wait...Normally it's just a stinky mess, right? I mean, it pretty much stays in the undies, no? Yeah. He's not wearing any underwear - great time to let the kid free-ball it, mom.

Oh yeah - and he's on antibiotics, too so he's just had a stinky, smelly, antibiotic induced diahreal explosion in his pants with no underwear to play catch.

He's RUNNING to the bathroom now and I'm screaming WAIT! WAIT!!! No, just go, GO!

As I get him in the bathroom and am cleaning him up, suddenly I remember we left B out there in the carnage. And B is mobile.

I go running out of the bathroom yelling "Don't even MOVE, Cor-BAN!" and snatch B up. After an initial inspection I thought he was free and clear, so I set him down in a safe area and finished my Corby clean up.

As Corban and I walked out of the bathroom that smelly ole smell hit me and I was grabbing the carpet cleaner. I looked down and noticed a snail trail of poop...like somone was dragging something with poop on it across the floor.

Well, how can that BE? The only things over here are me, the carpet cleaner and....B. Oh yeah. B crawled THROUGH some poop and then continued crawling up the hall, leaving a little trail where he went. Nastiness personified.

Never fear - everyone is cleaned up, I ran the carpet cleaner and those pants? Yeah. I threw them in the trash.

Let this be a lesson to you all...watch what you say!

Look At Me When I'm Talking To You

(first written on 10/18/04)

The role of disciplinarian falls to me 80% of the time, as a stay-at-home mom. It isn’t a role I cherish, necessarily, but a role that must be played out if I expect any peace in my house. How is it that two beautiful little girls can be playing so raptly and joyously one minute, and intent on shedding the other’s blood only minutes later? It baffles me, truly.

The horror of it all is that I end up finding myself saying things I said I would never say. Things my mother said to me that I swore that I would never cast upon my own children. There are the tried and true phrases like, “Someone’s going to get hurt if you keep that up.” “I didn’t ask you if you wanted to do it.” And when I say no and either a) don’t want to explain my reasoning or b) really have no good reason, I am appalled to find myself saying, “Because I said no!” which is really just a variation on the time honored classic, “Because I said so.”

Another one of these gems has found its way out of my mouth recently. In a conversation with my oldest daughter (I say conversation, she says lecture..) I found myself infuriated that the child was looking everywhere but at me I was trying to talk to her. Out slithered the snake that used to bite me as a child, “Look at me when I’m talking to you.” That one packs some venom, doesn’t it? Ouch.

It’s not that I am offended that I am turning into my mother, I’ve resigned myself to that fact and accept it. The problem is that these oft used phrases used to irritate me as a child and were very rarely up for discussion. I was the queen of “discussing” and still hold the title in certain arenas. Of course, it wasn’t seen as discussing but more “smarting off”. But I digress.

As I was making dinner the other day, I found myself saying prayers here and there; conversing with God and laying some pretty heavy matters at His feet. I was pleading with Him for some answers and wondering if He was sending me answers I just wasn’t seeing or hearing. Now, I know as well as anyone else that you can talk to God any where and any time. You don’t have to be on your knees with your eyes closed. However, I was shocked to hear, loud and clear, “Look at me when I’m talking to you.”

There was no venom in this statement (unlike, ashamedly, my own same statement) but a gentle prodding. A whisper. It could have been a yell for as loud as I heard it – I actually looked around the kitchen to see who was talking to me.

“Look at me when I’m talking to you.” A simple statement, to be sure, yet it caused much thinking on my part. Is the reason I’m not hearing His answers because I’m not looking to Him for them? Am I missing vital information because I am looking everywhere except at the One who is giving it to me? Indeed.

In looking for answers to my prayers I tend to look at where I want the answers to be. I focus on what I want fixed, those that I want to receive help, and the general area that I want to end up in. I barely glance at the One I am asking for help from. Instead of staring intently into His eyes and giving him the respect of waiting for His patient reply I am already on to the next task on my “to-do” list. I rarely take the time to look at Him when He is talking to me. Because of this I am missing out on so much.

Jeremiah 33:3 says, “Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.” If I am not looking at Him, how can I see what He is showing me? How can I understand what He is telling me?

That is precisely the reason I tell my children to look at me when I am talking to them. I want them to get the full impact of the words I am saying to them. I want to see their faces and make sure they understand the message I am trying to convey. I want them to show me respect, as their mother. And I want to know that they are listening to me.

It’s no different with God. He wants me to look at Him when He is talking to me so that I can get the full impact of what He is telling me. The message He is conveying is important and I must treat it as such. I must respond to my Almighty Father with the respect He so richly deserves. He wants to know that I am listening to Him.

How precious also are your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! Psalm 139:17

Iron Chef March Champ & Announcement!

At the close of the poll, it looked like this:

Chicken Fettucini Carbonara - 10
Rice Crispie Chicken - 7
Chicken Georgia - 15

Adding my family's votes to the mix it ends up like this:

Chicken Fettucini Carbonara - 12
Rice Crispie Chicken - 8
Chicken Georgia - 16

Which means that Chicken Georgia from Rhonda at Down Memory Lane
is the winner of this lovely apron!!



Congratulations Rhonda!! Email me at the addy on my profile page with your address and I will get your apron in the mail to ya!! You can grab one of these Iron Chef Champ buttons and proudly display it on your blog.

Thank you to Bridget and Heidi for playing along!




*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

Now, we're going to be shaking things up a bit in April and changing how we hold this little blogstyle cooking competition. EVERYONE will still get a chance to vote, but what I need from you all is for THREE people willing to try out and vote on the next batch of recipes, to email me to be a "Celebrity Judge" in Iron Chef: April. The first three people to email me, get the gig for April. Remember, I need you to commit to trying all three recipes and then giving me your vote on which one was your family's favorite.

We'll be having 4 Celebrity Judges (myself being one of them) and then we'll count the popular vote (poll) as our fifth vote. This is more in line with what is actually done on Iron Chef - with our little bloggy twist thrown in.

I also need your help picking the ingredient for next month! I'm putting a poll up in my sidebar for you to vote on and I'll make it official next Wednesday.

Thanks for playing along in my little Iron Chef game!!!

Iron Chef: Chicken Recipe Review

Here's my families take on the three Iron Chef Recipes for March:

Chicken Georgia:

Rob really liked this dish. At first he thought it needed more seasoning but as the meal went on he found that it had a very pleasant understated taste that he enjoyed. Which is saying a lot becuase Rob doesn't much care for Chicken Boobs OR mushrooms. He felt it was more of an 'upscale' kind of meal.

I had to modify this dish so I could eat it. Mine was made with olive oil, not butter, and had no cheese. I really, really enjoyed it and plan on making it again formyself!

The girls didn't care for it, at all. But both of them have no taste, anyway. HA! Nah, they just don't like mushrooms.

Corbs didn't eat.

Chicken Fettucini Carbonara

Rob: "Man, it's hard to judge this one. I really really like it." (He is contemplating thirds as I type this *ahem*. "I really like this." "Hey honey, I think I'd like you to fix this again."

Cara: I like it, but I don't. I like the noodles but not the sauce.

Sienna: YUM! I really like this!! You can make it again with less chicken.

Sonora: This is soo good! Can I have more?

Corbs didn't eat.

It's on the big En. Oh. list for me but I did have a bite of a noodle, chicken, bacon and some sauce to see how it was. Very tasty!

Recipe modification: We don't eat pork so I used turkey bacon.

Rice Crispie Chicken

Rob: This is pretty good. Needs more kick...more spice.

Cara: It's only ok.

Sienna: It's ok - it's good but it needs more spice to it.

heidi: (I made mine minus the butter.) It was good and easy. Next time I'm going to add some cajun seasoning to it, I think.

I'm off to cast our votes and announce the winner.

Seriously Sacred.

We all have things that are Sacred. Things or people or relationships we hold dear. The most important things in our lives.

Tell me about a specific tangible THING that is sacred to you. Your grandmother's wedding ring? Your grandfather's pipe? Your mom's wedding dress? What's important and why?

Seriously Profane.

Sometimes people just go too far. They, either on purpose or inadvertantly, abuse something we hold Sacred. Our relationship with our sister, our family, our husbands, jobs, kids, self esteem...any number of things. And when they do we tend to just bottle it up until we explode. Well, here's your chance to let off some steam so you can let it go and move on.

Leave your name, or don't - I allow for anonymous posting.

What's bugging ya? Who went too far? What do you want to say but will never utter out loud IRL?

Seriously Secret.

Got something you're hiding and dying to share? Want to shout something from the roof but are too embarassed to do so? Feel free to put on my invisible cloak of anonymity and shout away. Don't care WHO knows it? Then why is it even a secret in the first place? Anyway - you can share it here, too.

Sniffing, Sneezing, Coughing, Aching, Stuffy Head, Fever, Wish I Could Rest

Today is a day I would have called in sick, if I worked outside of the home.

Today is a day that I would have spent lying in bed, sleeping and medicated, if I didn't have little ones.

Today is a day that I would have done absolutely nothing and called to ask someone that loved me to bring me soda and crackers and kleenex and medicine, if things were different.

But I don't work outside the home. I have little ones. Things are not different.

Moms don't get sick days, eh? Same old story. Since we are 'at home' we don't get to call in sick. We have to just soldier on and take care of everyone else, praying we make it until bedtime or daddy gets back from work - whichever will offer the most relief. Hardly seems fair, does it? That the one who is up all night with the kids and the one that is tending to all the needs of everyone else can't even take 24 hours to rest and try to get well before tackling the next round of crisis/illness/fighting/decision making/cleaning/tending/refereeing (just pick whatever fits).

So, with my body aching like I got mugged in the crack alley behind the porn store by a guy with a baseball bat, my head spinning like I just went three rounds on the tilt-a-whirl, my face feeling like it's going to explode off of my skull due to the increasing pressure - I'm going to make it through the day. If I can keep my eyes open and stop shivering, that is.

Here's those TuTu Tutorials:

http://plumtickled.typepad.com/plumtickled/2007/08/tutu-tutorial-t.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7aSPMEn7S0

Rock it like you've got it.

Show & Tell

Hola Mi Amigos.

'Sup?

Que Pasa?

Guess what? I have some things to show you. Are you dripping with the stinky sweat of anticipation? Blech. Go shower, ya freak.

Show:
Ok, first. I mentioned that it sucks when your purple highlights do not, in fact, turn purple. *sigh* I don't see any purple...do you?

Second - Look! LOOK! Look what I MADE! No, really...I MADE them. With my own two hands. By myself. I dunno what came over me but I saw a quick and easy tutorial for these and thought, "Hey - I can do that!" So I made some for my friend Robin's twins for their birthday on Tuesday. Oh, I DO hope they love them!




Tell:
I'm working on a big ole post based on a question I got asked quite a few times not so long ago. I was asked, in a round about way, what I DO eat, since I can't eat so much. So, I've been snapping some pictures of my meals (when I remember!) and I'm gonna share some of those with you. Then this? will be a show..not a tell.

Now, forgive me if I seem scarce this week. I just got Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult and I *totally* bumped it to the front of the line and want to devour it. She's one of my all-time favorite authors. I'm so far behind on my reading! I have a STACK of books waiting for my love and affection. *sigh*

Have a day!

Don't forget to smile. ;-)

Asking A Lot

I know I ask a lot of you people. You collective people. You blogging people. You board people. You IRL friends. You relatives. You one and only man of my dreams. I know I do..but I'm gonna go ahead and ask for one more thing..

One of the Heidi's is in this contest and yk what? I want her to win. So can you go vote for her super cute closet re-org? It really is fab and the best of the three. I'm thinking, if she wins, she'll come do my girls' closet for me. *nods*

Go here. Exercise your right to vote. This is America, dangit. Land of the Free! Home of the Brave!

Vote for Heidi!

The Brown Picture

The challenge this week was 3rd folder, 1st picture with the color BROWN

This is last year at the Third Day concert. The hills behind them are brown and half of them are charred from fire. It's in Missoula at the fair; the girls 2nd concert (first was Jeremy Camp), Boy and B's (1 month) first.



Click on the button up there to come play with us!

Ramble On or The Boring Post

Well hello there, friend! Thanks for stopping by! How're things in your world, today? We've just been swamped all week plus the boys are sick AGAIN. I've been circling the drain, too, and I think that this one is gonna kick my butt. The boys have both had high fevers and if they felt anything like *I* do they've also had body aches and pains as well as head congestion. I'm so ready for summer to get here and just burn these germs out!

The girls' have been on Spring Break this week. I had Rob set it up to take each of them to work with him for a morning and then he took them out to lunch. Here's their idea of what to wear to work:



So he took Sienna on Tuesday and Cara on Thursday. On Wednesday I worked it out with FIL that he split the day up and spent some time with each of the girls, just hanging out. Wednesday night a neighbor girl slept over and Thursday afternoon the girls went swimming. Then on Friday they went to work with my SIL to help her out around her store.

Thursday afternoon my bio-dad came to town to hang out with us for the weekend. We've just beenlaying low with him and taking it easy.

Wednesday B had his 9 month check up. He's 19 lbs so he is slowing down a bit, which I knew he would once he started crawling. I have lab orders to take him in for bloodwork so they can do allergy testing. I am SO not looking forward to it! Poor little B. :-(

Oh! Old Navy is (was?) having a big ole baby sale and EVERYTHING in their infant dept was $5. EV-RY-THING. I went ahead and got B a good solid start on his Spring/Summer wardrobe. Woot! Thanks Old Navy!! You Rock.

Get this - I've been gettin' my craft on lately. Yeah, me. What? What?!?! I felt inspired. No, I can't tell you about it yet because the person I made it for reads my blog. *wink wink nudge nudge* Promise to show soon.

And in the things that suck category? When your purple highlights don't turn out. Bah. SO anticlimactic.

Well, I'm off to probably Take Corban into the Saturday clinic. *sigh* Hope ya'll are doing well and I will try and stop by soon!

Friday Freebie!

Yep, it's Friday and we're on the road again this week. We're headed over to see someone that makes Martha Stewart jealous. No, seriously, this chick could have her own show on HGTV or the DIY network. Plus? I just wanna send my kids over to play because she's *such* a fun mom.

And?

Her name is cool.

Head on over and enter to win this weeks Freebie!

Congrats on making it through yet another week.




Psssst....click the button, yo.

Who Am I?

(Originally written 3/11/05)

Who are you? No, really – who are you? What defines the essence of “you”? Isn’t it funny that within minutes of meeting someone we ask them, “So, what do you do?” Being a stay-at-home-mom, I’m not entirely sure people know what to do when I answer them honestly – “Oh, I change diapers, wipe snotty noses, do dishes, read umpteen stories, make snacks, clean up various messes…”

Even that isn’t entirely true anymore. I mean, I’ve made the leap into the working world again. Go ahead, ask me. You know you wanna. “What do you do?” I moderate online message boards. But I work from home so I still do all the stay-at-home mom and wife stuff, too.

Let me ask you a question: Does it really matter what I do? Isn’t it interesting that in society we are literally defined by what we “do”? We place so much value on various professions and yet not enough on other ones. When we hear that someone is a doctor, immediately we feel a bit of respect for him or her. On the flip side, when we hear that someone works at McDonalds, we tend to place them lower on the “worthy job” totem pole.

Is our worth determined by what we do? Is a doctor somehow more worthy than a janitor? Does a lawyer’s life have more value than a waitress's? Are Firefighters and Emergency Personnel somehow more honorable and heroic than the rest of us? A doctor, a waitress and a firefighter are all in a boat in the middle of the ocean – you can only save one of them. Which do you choose?

Similarly, we chalk up and keep track of our accomplishments as if these somehow make us a better, more worthy, person. I got a 4.0 for a while in high school. The first corporate job I ever had I got straight out of high school and promoted three times in one year. I’ve been published in a few magazines. I even once had every single dish in my house completely clean. I considered eating out every meal for a week, just so I could stay on top of the darn things but Rob decided it wasn’t a “good financial decision”. Hmph.

The problem with these accomplishments is that they very quickly become things that were. The has-beens of my life. I don’t have a 4.0 anywhere anymore. The job I have now is the first paying job I’ve had since Sienna was born 6 years ago! I haven’t been published in a magazine for a year. And, alas, my dishes are no longer clean. We put entirely too much effort into what we can do and not enough into who we are.

In Exodus 3 Moses encounters God in the form of a burning bush. He is desperately awed by this sight and draws closer to it. He draws nearer to the awesome site – Imagine! A bush, on fire, in the middle of the desert, yet it’s not burning up!!

He hears his name being called, “Moses! Moses!” from inside the bush, and answers “Here I am.” He humbles himself, in the obvious greatness that is God. He takes off his sandals, as instructed. God continues to speak to Moses, His voice seeming to come from inside that burning bush. He tells Moses that He has “indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt.” He’s heard them crying out and He has come down to rescue them. God tells Moses to go and be God’s ambassador. Moses is to speak to Pharaoh and bring His people out of Egypt.

Moses does what any of us would, in a situation like that. “Me? You want me to do that??” In fact he says, "... Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt? And God said, 'I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.'”.

And Moses questions further – “Ok, I’ll go – but what if, after I tell the Israelites that You sent me, they ask me your name? What do I tell them??”

At this point God could’ve really made a list of His accomplishments, couldn’t He? God could have answered, “My name?? Tell them The Almighty God – Creator of heaven and earth and all things living sent you!” But we serve a God that does not define himself by all that He has done. He doesn’t need to hand in His resume and a list of references. Instead He chooses to answer Moses with these words:

God said to Moses, "I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I am' has sent me to you. Exodus 3:14 (NIV)

God does not define Himself but what he does, rather by who He is. He does not boast of His accomplishments, nor does He measure His worth by what He has done. He just simply IS.

Perhaps we should take a lesson. Let us not be defined by our profession and our jobs. Leave behind the letters behind your name, they mean nothing in the Kingdom of Heaven. Your worthiness is not measured by what you do for other people. The amount of money in your bank account means nothing. Any title you give yourself pales in comparison to the one you have already been given.

Instead, measure your worth by the fact that Jesus Christ died for you. Define yourself differently. After all, you are a Child of God.

Pumpin' Iron

So, have you tried any of the Chicken Boob recipes from the Iron Chef challenge for March? According to the poll, 18 of you have tried all three recipes already and picked a favorite. Cause I know ya'll ain't just playin' favorites and votin' to vote. *cough cough*

We've had the Chicken Georgia and ..well ... I can't tell you what we thought of it, yet. Ha! I always post all of the reviews the day we pick the winner. We are having the Rice Krispie Chicken on Thursday and the Chicken Fettucini Carbonara on Monday.

All of the recipes are in the left side bar, over there <-----------------. Try them out!

Who will be the Iron Chef champ for March??? Find out next Wednesday!

Subbing

Hey - what do you think I could use as a substitute for soy sauce in recipes? Don't say Bragg's Aminos because that's soy based, too. I checked. Ha! The lady at the whole food place said to try fish sauce with a bit of sesame oil tempered in. Blech. No way no how can I do that. I tried. Icky poo poo. So...help a girl out...

What can I use in place of soy sauce, in recipes that call for soy sauce??

Seriously Sacred.

We all have things that are Sacred. Things or people or relationships we hold dear. The most important things in our lives.

Tell me about a specific relationship that is sacred to you.

Seriously Profane.

Sometimes people just go too far. They, either on purpose or inadvertantly, abuse something we hold Sacred. Our relationship with our sister, our family, our husbands, jobs, kids, self esteem...any number of things. And when they do we tend to just bottle it up until we explode. Well, here's your chance to let off some steam so you can let it go and move on.

Leave your name, or don't - I allow for anonymous posting.

What's bugging ya? Who went too far? What do you want to say but will never utter out loud IRL?

Let's just declare this the Unofficial MIL edition, shall we?