Pasta!!!

This weekend, my husband and I decided to make homemade pasta. It was so much fun. Lately, I've been amazed about how just a few wet/dry ingredients can make such delicious food. Cooking can definitely be fun sometimes. Especially when you have someone you love to enjoy it with. :) Enjoy the pics!


To make pasta it takes: a little bit of water, eggs, flour, and salt. (and a kitchenaid drastically comes in handy!)


Our sauce consisted of stewed tomatoes, tomato paste, and some spices (thank you Mawmaw McClain!)


Here's the pasta being rolled out.


Our finished product! Sooo yummy!

A Talking Donkey?!?

Ok...so I really wanted to use that title to snatch your attention. I'm still in the book of Numbers, but I'm surprised with this book of the Bible - it's really not just about taking a census.

For instance, there's a talking donkey in chapter 22! I'll let you read it for that story. Sometimes when I read the Bible, I try to put myself in their shoes and try to think of what my reaction would be. Well, I think I wouldn't believe my eyes/ears if a donkey started to talk to me. Just goes to show you that God can use anything to talk to you! And well, if He needs to use a donkey to talk to me...I guess I REALLY need to hear whatever God is trying to tell me. Lord help me to listen to YOU at all times and discern what is your voice.

In Numbers 20, the Israelites are complaining, and Moses asks God what to do. God instructs Moses to take his staff, congregate the people, and TELL the rock to yield water. So Moses takes his staff, congregates the people, but HITS the rock twice with his staff, and God yields water from the rock. This is the event where God tells Moses (in so many words), since you did not fully obey me, you will not bring the people to the promise land.

Questions/Thoughts: First, I love the fact that every time the people have a problem and bring it to Moses or Aaron, that Moses and Aaron run to God with the burden. I couldn't imagine leading thousands of people, but I love the fact that time after time when Moses and Aaron don't know what to do, they turn to God immediately. Definitely something I need to work on. Secondly, I'm wondering why after this specific event God chose to not let Moses to lead the people to the promise land. It's sad after leading the people all this time, that he would not be able to see the promised land. Thirdly, I find it interesting that even though Moses didn't fully obey God, that God still yielded water from the rock. So it makes me wonder, were there times in my life where I haven't completely obeyed God, and didn't receive ALL of the things that God intended good for me? Lord help me to obey you fully and completely, for I want more than the water from the rock, I want the promised land!

What are your thoughts on this chapter?

Chapter 21 - so the Israelites are complaining, once again. By the way, God really doesn't like complaining. (I need to remember this!) So God sends down fiery snakes down on the people, and the people are bitten (some even die). The people run to Moses and realize they have sinned. Moses turns to God, and God instructs Moses to build a bronze serpent and anyone who is bitten is to look at the snake and live. Hmmmm...interesting...I don't have many thoughts on this chapter...what about you?

Thank you God for giving me a desire to keep reading Your word! (even when it's hard to understand and read sometimes)

-MM

Matthew 26

I haven't blogged in awhile because I caught this horrible virus that seems to be making its rounds. Being a school teacher, it's quite easy to catch every bug that seems to make its way. The funny thing is that since I had been feeling tired and nauseated from the virus, I had many people thinking that I was pregnant. I guess that's something you gotta deal with if you are a woman and married. Yes it does make sense, and I can see how people would assume that, but this is why I hate the word assume. You are rarely right when you use it. So, to answer your question, no, I'm not pregnant, but I plan to be one day though. :)

I must admit, that I am VERY behind on my readings for reading the Bible in a year. I need to do some serious catch up. Anyway, my pastor has been going through the book of Matthew for quite some time now, and this past weekends message was on part of Matthew 26. I learned a few nice little tid-bits that I'd like to share with you. I encourage you to read the chapter, for I will only talk about a couple of things.

This part of the chapter is starting to lead up to Jesus's death. It is actually the day before those events happen. At this time of the year, the Jew's are about to celebrate the passover. The Jew's celebrate the passover every year to represent God saving them specifically from the Egyptians from turning them into slaves. - check out the Old Testament for those details. God commanded that every family kill a lamb and smear the blood on the doorposts, and that God would passover these houses and spare the death of their firstborn. Also that night, the family was instructed to eat, for they would be freed late that night. The meal was to consist of the lamb that was slain and unleavened bread (for there was no time for the yeast to rise). So back to Matthew, Jesus is celebrating the passover with his disciples (actually the day before the actual passover date). verses 17-29: Jesus is having unleavened bread and wine with his disciples (notice, no lamb!). There were actually 4 cups of wine present to represent the 4 different promises that God has made, Jesus picks up the 3rd cup which represented God saving His people and says, "Drink of it, all of you. for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins." Wow. Jesus is already telling the disciples, look, my blood is going to save you! Also, remember that there was no lamb served at the meal? The next day (actual passover day), the ultimate lamb will be slain for all, Jesus!

Wow. I love these little connections. The book of Matthew has been awesome! One extra tid-bit, Judas is the one who betrayed Jesus v. 14. Why did he do it? Well, he might have known that Jesus was the Messiah, but it wasn't in his heart. Look at v. 25, Judas addresses Jesus as Rabbi, and not Lord. Also, Judas sold Jesus out for only a months worth of wadges, when a poor woman poured an entire bottle of the purest of oils worth a years wadges. (v. 6-16)

Looking forward in learning more! I'm developing a new "awe" in the way that Jesus lived. Amazing...

Goals

I wanted to create a list of things that I want to do one day before I die. This list is goals/dreams/wants of mine. Some are short term, some are long, some are never ending goals. I may not accomplish them all, but it couldn't hurt to try. :)

1. read the Bible in a year
2. own a house
3. purchase a brand new car
4. have children and be an awesome Mom :)
5. run a marathon
6. reach the rank of professor
7. go to California and swim in the pacific ocean
8. go to Cedar Point Amusement Park
9. go to New York City
10. see a Broadway play in NYC
11. grow a flower bed of daisies
12. grow a satsuma tree
13. quit biting my nails
14. go to Europe - specifically England, France, and Italy
15. kiss my husband under the Eiffel tower
16. see the Great Wall of China
17. own Saints season tickets
18. witness the Saints win a second Super Bowl!
19. visit Hawaii and drink out of a coconut!
20. take dancing lessons
21. volunteer
22. be more selfless - especially with money/processions
23. own a camper
24. hike in the Grand Canyon
25. go on a motorcycle road trip with my husband
26. worry less and enjoy life more
27. listen/hear God more
28. obey God when I hear Him
29. always strive to be a better wife, sister, daughter, teacher, friend
30. Celebrate my Silver & Golden Anniversaries

That's all I've got for now. I know this list will grow and change as my life goes on. I hope this list inspires you to dream and accomplish things in your life. :)

Bible in a Year

This year I am determined to read the Bible from cover to cover in a year. I am a little off track, but even if I don’t make it by Dec. 31, I want to finish reading the entire Bible. I’ve never done it before. I’ve tried to do it before, but have always failed. I always stopped in the mist of the list of all the laws that the Jews would have to follow. I’ve just begun the book of Leviticus so wish me luck! So that’s 2 books down and 64 to go...

Here are a few things that I am learning through my readings:

When God was creating the heaven and the earth, everything He made was good, but the first time that God said something was NOT good was when he realized that man should not be alone. (Genesis 2:18) I’m amazed with this. I guess because I know that God is God and he could have left man alone if he wanted to. But God knew from the beginning, after making man, that we need other people. We need community with one another. It makes total sense too. Life is SO much more enjoyable when we share it with other people. Now, I like some alone time, but I know after about a day without any people interaction, I crave it! I just want to get out of the house.

Even Moses felt inadequate to perform some the commands God gave him - after he had parted the Red Sea, made water come out of a rock, etc.

God wanted the Israelites to trust Him daily - God would provide food only enough to feed the people for that day. The Israelites had to trust that God would provide food the next day for survival.

Moses threw down and broke the first set of the Ten Commandments because he was mad at the people for worshiping a false god after he came down from the mountain. Later on, God wrote out a second set of Ten Commandments (same commandments).

These are just a few things that have stuck out to me. I’m looking forward to learning more.

-MM

One of my favorite quotes

“Our tears are sacred. They water the ground around our feet so that new things can grow.”
— “Jesus Wants to Save Christians” by Rob Bell

This just makes me feel more comfortable with crying knowing that I can grow from it. I was never a real fan of crying growing up. I grew up with two brothers and playing sports, so crying wasn't always an acceptable option. I saw crying as a sign of weakness, but really, it's a sign of strength. Not many people are strong enough to let their true feelings show.

-MM

Hello Blog World

Hello fellow bloggers! I’m very new to this blogger website. Looking forward to learning all the ins and outs of how this website works. I’m usually a fast learner, so hopefully I’ll figure out how to post pics, vids, etc. soon! I’ve always wanted to start some type of blog or journal of my thoughts and experiences. So I’ve finally taken the plunge and made an account.

Proverbs 3:5-6
-MM