Goals for 2016

To say that 2015 has been a hard year would be a complete understatement. It has been the hardest year of my life. So much has happened.

I don't want to be vague but I also do not want to delve into the hurt and the pain and the work that has taken place.

I was not able to complete many of my goals for 2015. I didn't read as many books as I wanted to. I didn't run a single step, let alone a mile. I ignored my blog completely. There was so much that I wanted to say and so much that I couldn't find the words to express.

So for 2016 I need to a whole new set of goals.

1. Have new family pictures taken
2. Read 12 books
3. Read 24 books
4. Have 12 out of the house, kids free dates with Michael.
5. Have weekly in home dates with Michael.
6. Post 2 blog posts a month.
7. Write a Bible Study
8. Complete Mario Maker "100 Mario Challenge" on expert level
9. Have weekly Bible studies with the kids
10. Paint the kitchen and bathrooms
11. Paint my bedroom
12. Lose 25 lbs
13. Make a pretty cake all from scratch
14. Crochet a blanket for Michael
15. Write a short story
16. Complete gift projects that I started for the kids
17. Finish Dragon Age Inquisition with Michael
18. Drink water daily
19. Identify one good thing everyday
20. Encourage my family daily

And there you have it. My 2016 goals. I'm hoping that these are all achievable. Wish me luck as 2016 begins. I'm ready for a new year and new goals.

If you want to follow me as I update my goals throughout the year you can go to my Goals Page.

How Veggie Tales Ruined Church for Me

Well, that's really an exaggeration.

Veggie Tales didn't actually ruin church for me but what it did was ruin a specific phrase. If you have seen Jonah: The Veggie Tales Movie you may understand exactly what I am talking about.

The final song in the movie is Jonah was a Prophet and in this song they sing the phrase probably 4 bazillion times and every time they say "Jonah was a prophet" it is followed by an "ooh, ooh". And now, for the life of me, whenever the phrase "was a prophet" is uttered in church my mind sings "ooh, ooh".

There seems no stopping this madness! I am fully aware that this movie is 13 years old. That is how long that this has been a problem for me.

So I will be sitting in church, listening to the sermon, enjoying myself and then they will say:

Isaiah was a prophet....

my head then will sing "ooh,ooh"

or

Jeremiah was a prophet... ooh, ooh

Micah was a prophet... ooh, ooh

and on and on and on.

Do you know how many prophets there are? This can just go on forever. And then my head will be full of this song for the rest of the day.

And now I will share it with you so you can also enjoy it in your head too!

Wolves, Songs and Nice People

Have you seen Into the Woods?

source

This movie has become a quick family favorite around here.

The movie is about many fairy tale characters that end up meeting and having adventures in the woods. It's a musical so there are songs that get stuck in your head and will find yourself singing at odd times during the day.

But surprisingly, to me, these songs have messages that resonate deeper than just the entertainment value.

This is my opinion on one of the songs that has been sitting with me. I have no idea is the author was going for this. Or was aiming to make the audience think, but the words spoke truth to me.

The song that I want to talk about today is I Know Things Now. This is sung by Little Red Riding Hood after she has been rescued from the belly of the wolf that had devoured her.

Here are the lyrics: you can hear the song here

Mother said, "Straight ahead"
Not to delay or be misled
I should have heeded her advice
But he seemed so nice

And he showed me things
Many beautiful things
That I hadn't thought to explore
They were off my path

So I never had dared
I had been so careful
I never had cared
And he made me feel excited
Well, excited and scared

When he said, "Come in"
With that sickening grin
How could I know what was in store?
Once his teeth were bared
Though, I really got scared

Well, excited and scared
But he drew me close
And he swallowed me down
Down a dark slimy path
Where lie secrets that I never want to know

And when everything familiar
Seemed to disappear forever
At the end of the path
Was granny once again

So we wait in the dark
Until someone sets us free
And we're brought into the light
And we're back at the start

And I know things now
Many valuable things
That I hadn't known before
Do not put your faith
In a cape and a hood

They will not protect you
The way that they should
And take extra care with strangers
Even flowers have their dangers
And though scary is exciting
Nice is different than good

Now I know
Don't be scared
Granny is right
Just be prepared

Isn't it nice to know a lot
And a little bit not

Red is admitting to not listening to sound advice that she was given and she knew that what she was doing was wrong. But there was an excitement of the unknown and even the "bad". And isn't that what sin does for us? It gives us the desire to have what we know isn't good for us because it seems exciting. Who doesn't love a bit of excitement? But with sin comes pain and punishment. And it's never just the person who commits the sin that has to deal with the pain.

You see, because Little Red listened to the wolf and strayed from the path that she was meant to follow gave time for the wolf to get to her grandmother. A path he would not have taken if he had not delayed Red's journey. And her grandmother was gobbled up. Yup, I'm telling you, that granny was caught up in the consequences of the sin of her granddaughter.

Because the wolf sucked her in. He seemed nice. And a lot of times in life we confuse "nice" with trustworthy. But in the song she says "Nice is different than good" and that speaks tons to me. People can be nice. They can say nice words and do nice things but it doesn't mean that they are good. Good is a completely different concept. Goodness is not being "nice". I've known plenty of people who are nice but are not good. And I've also known those who are good but not necessarily nice. 

Good is doing what is right. It may come in a way of challenging people in their lives, which isn't always nice. Or revealing truths to people that they need to hear. Good can be nice but it doesn't have to be.

Nice is a portrayal of what you are on the surface. Nice is what you want people to believe that you are. But in truth, nice is not what people are all the time. Even good people aren't always nice.

And I've had to learn this lesson. Nice is different than good. And I want to surround myself with those who are good. Those who believe in truth. I would rather be hurt in truth by someone good than lead along by someone "nice" who is hiding their true self. Because it will all come out eventually anyway and it hurts more from the liars who are nice.

And I have been hurt deeply by the "nice". Because I confused nice with good and nice with trustworthy and nice with kind. When people who are trustworthy and good and kind can be nice but they are also good but not all nice people are.

And what is good? Good is doing what is right. Good is following God and his son's example. Because, who is good? Jesus is good. And I strive to be like Jesus. I want to be good.

I want to do what is right and live the right way.

I want to be more than nice.

I want to be good.

Homemade Salsa

Last week while I was grocery shopping I was in the produce section when I smelled the most wonderful smell.

Fresh cilantro!

And it gave me a hankering for homemade salsa.

Jarred salsa, refrigerated salsa just can't compare to the the taste of fresh made salsa. And it's so easy to make! I'm going to share this quick basic recipe that I used.

Homemade Salsa Recipe

3 cans diced tomatoes

1 large yellow onion chopped 

1/2 red onion chopped

1 bunch of fresh cilantro chopped

2 jalapenos seeded and chopped (add seeds or more for heat)

Pour tomatoes in their juices into a large bowl. Add all remaining ingredients salt to taste, mix. Cover and put in the fridge to let the flavors all come together for a couple of hours. Enjoy!

If you prefer your salsa less chunky, you can throw everything into a blender or food processor to blend it together.

It makes a lot. So I canned some in mason jars as well. 

Teamed up with veggies or tortilla chips made this a simple snack or a side to a meal.

Book Review: A Lifelong Love

I heard of A Lifelong Love by Gary Thomas through blog that I follow, To Love, Honor and Vacuum. They are doing a challenge for the year to read 12 books, one book a month, that is about marriage. Even if you have the best marriage, it can always get better.

A Lifelong Love: What if Marriage is About More Than Just Staying Together?

That's the goal, right? Staying together.

I believe that there is more to marriage than just the longevity of it. And that where this book comes in.

It was an easy but thought provoking read. Each chapter ended with questions that really got you to think and apply the new information to you marriage.

It talks about God not being just you Heavenly Father but he is also your spouses Heavenly Father and essentially you Father-in-Law.

To bring perspective: How would you feel if your child's spouse was not not treating them with the love that they should? That they weren't appreciative or affectionate?

How would this make you feel? Pretty unhappy with the one they married.

Think about how God feel when we do not take care of our spouses in that way, God is sad because his child is not being treated well.

Kind of punches you right in the face. We need to make God happy by taking care of really loving on his children.

Another chapter talked about how we are not rewarded in heaven by how we were loved in our marriage but instead how much we loved.

This point is brought up again and again. It's not about what we get but instead what we give. Do I love my husband enough? My goal is now to make sure that he know that he knows how much I love him. And that's a forever job.

I recommend this book for everyone who is married or planning on getting married, It really helps to get you in the right direction.

I'll leave with this quote: "Biblical love isn't a feeling to be felt; it's a commitment to be kept."

What's for Dinner?- Sausage and Potatoes

Some days we just need a quick and easy meal for dinner. Sometimes we just don't plan out our meals or what we had planned will take more energy than we're willing to dole out.

On Monday, we were busy. I was getting ready to leave in less than an hour, the kids were doing homework and Michael was tired from being a parent volunteer for both Sidda and MJ's classes. It makes for a busy long day.

We really didn't have a dinner planned but we needed something fast. So I opened the 'fridge and saw some smoked sausage, and DING I had an idea.

I started by washing up a chopping 4 potatoes and one onion.

Next, I heated up a little olive oil in a large skillet. After it had warmed up a couple of minutes I added the potatoes and onions. Be sure to add salt to your potatoes. Cook until the potatoes are soft to your preferred texture. If you let them cook a little longer at little higher heat they can get crispy.

 While the potatoes are cooking, chop your sausage into bite size pieces.

Add it to the pan and cook until heated through.

We served it up with a side of scrambled eggs for the kids and fried eggs for the adults. 

Including chopping, this meal took less than 30 minutes from start to finish. It's would also make a delicious breakfast.

So, tell me, what is your favorite go to meal when you are short on time or energy?

Book Review: The Blood of Olympus

And it's over. The Blood of Olympus is the final installment of The Heroes of Olympus series by Rick Riordan.

I'm a little sad that it is over. I've been reading through since I discovered Percy Jackson and the Olympians. I love the adventures of the books and after I read each one I listen to the audiobook with my kids.

They love listening to books when we are in the car or cleaning the  house. Especially Sidda.

The Blood of Olympus does not disappoint.

The seven demigods of the prophecy are heading to Athens. They are on their way to stop the ritual that will bring Gaea back to life.

But not without a few hiccups along the way. They must face psyco gods and battles that will make them face their own fears and even their own mortality.

Across the Altantic, Nico, Reyna and Coach Hedge are making their way back to Camp Half-Blood with the Athena Parthenos. They are hoping to make it back before the Roman demigods start attacking the Greek demigods. Their only hope is to make it in time and unite the two camps against the rising earth mother.

I loved reading every minute of this book. And I look forward to letting the kids enjoy this final installment.