FOCA

http://www.fightfoca.com/

while mike's been gone....

"...your Father knows what you need before you ask him."

- Jesus (Matthew 6:8)

maybe i should have posted these prayer requests (see below in blue) on the blog sooner, but for those of you who got the email, thanks for praying for us while Mike's been in Ohio the past week...


as i reread my prayer requests, i laughed & thought maybe i should have been more specific, especially with the last request:

• For Caryn & Hudson in Orlando while he’s gone… safety, rest, health, & a good time together while Mike is gone.

safety.... at 5:30am on saturday morning, my mom, Hudson & I woke up to the alarms blaring & smoke filling our bedrooms... yes, we were all SAFE (for which we are very thankful)... it was just the backup heater trying to keep up with the "cold" down here (yes, only 30s, as opposed to -20s where mike was) & burning up all the dust that had accumulated on the coil since last winter... of course, we thought the place was burning down at the time.
maybe i should have said to pray for a "safe & non-eventful" time while mike was gone.

rest & health.... a few short hours after our little alarm incident, my stomach started cramping up.... assuming it was something i ate that didn't agree with me, i figured the rest of the household was safe as the cramps got worse & i spent most of the next 20 hours alternating between the bathroom & my bed*. just when it seemed we were in the clear, & i was feeling better, i hear from my mom who had since left, but was an hour away with similar symptoms... hudson was next, overflowing his diapers like a pro, though in much better spirits than either my mom or me was while he was doing it. (*special thanks to debbie, my hero through the worst of it, taking Hudson on errands with her while i was detained - and who is not yet feeling any ill effects... AND thanks a ton for the groceries, faith :)
maybe i should have said to pray for a "a lot of rest & GOOD health" while mike was gone.


a good time together.... of course, in God's loving sovereignty, He knows what we need even before we ask, & takes care of us even when our prayers (& prayer requests) are imperfect... i was just telling mike that i actually enjoyed the time i spent with Hudson when (bc i was so weak & tired from lack of sleep & food) i didn't have energy to do anything but just sit on the floor with him & try to make him giggle between dirty diapers.

maybe God knew just what i needed while mike was gone.



mike still isn't home (until wednesday night), so feel free to revise your prayer requests as you see fit :).

Mike leaves tomorrow (Wednesday, January 14) for a support trip in Ohio for a week!

Please pray:

• For opportunities for Mike to speak about our work at 2 churches & 1 small dinner party, where couples interested in our ministry will have a chance to hear more about how they can partner with us.
• That Mike would have wisdom & hear God’s leading on what to share & how to encourage those who attend.
• That God would meet our need for new ministry partners… that many would want to be a part of our team through their prayers & financial giving (especially commitments to give monthly), to help reach people around the world for Christ.
• That the weather would cooperate as Mike travels & as people travel to hear him share – it’s going to be COLD!
• For Caryn & Hudson in Orlando while he’s gone… safety, rest, health, & a good time together while Mike is gone.

Thanks!! Your prayers are so important to us!

sierra trading post

sierra trading post has long been one of my favorite places to get deals on outdoor (& other) shoes, clothes, gear, etc... after my last order, i noticed a clickable bible verse (john 10:10) on my order page, so i clicked on it, & it went here:

http://www.sierratradingpost.com/lp/Founding_Story.html




"The scripture from John 10:10 holds special meaning for me. Jesus said, "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." I have not been the same since that November night in 1975. God has given me a fuller, richer and more wonderful life than I could have imagined. As in everyone's life, there have been challenges and obstacles, but God has remained faithful to His promise to help me and guide me through them."
by Keith Richardson, Founder
Sierra Trading Post

kill your microwave?

say it isn't so... really... i LOVE my microwave.



Ten Reasons to Throw out your Microwave Oven

From the conclusions of the Swiss, Russian and German scientific clinical studies, we can no longer ignore the microwave oven sitting in our kitchens. Based on this research, we will conclude this article with the following:

1). Continually eating food processed from a microwave oven causes long term - permanent - brain damage by "shorting out" electrical impulses in the brain [de-polarizing or de-magnetizing the brain tissue].

2). The human body cannot metabolize [break down] the unknown by-products created in microwaved food.

3). Male and female hormone production is shut down and/or altered by continually eating microwaved foods.

4). The effects of microwaved food by-products are residual [long term, permanent] within the human body.

5). Minerals, vitamins, and nutrients of all microwaved food is reduced or altered so that the human body gets little or no benefit, or the human body absorbs altered compounds that cannot be broken down.

6). The minerals in vegetables are altered into cancerous free radicals when cooked in microwave ovens.

7). Microwaved foods cause stomach and intestinal cancerous growths [tumors]. This may explain the rapidly increased rate of
colon cancer in America.

8). The prolonged eating of microwaved foods causes cancerous cells to increase in human blood.

9). Continual ingestion of microwaved food causes immune system deficiencies through lymph gland and blood serum alterations.

10). Eating microwaved food causes loss of memory, concentration, emotional instability, and a decrease of intelligence.

entire article:
http://www.laleva.cc/environment/microwave.html#Anchor-11481

soon you won't be able to get 2nd hand kids' stuff!

The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act.

Hey friends:
This is an email sent to me by my friend about a new law going into effect soon. The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act. I sent this to you because I know you either have little kiddos or like to frequent thrift or second-hand shops.


My local news did a story on this law last night so I decided to do some research and this is what I've found.

If you have ever bought or sold your kids clothes/baby items at a garage sale, resale store, or Ebay or just donated them to Goodwill, in just one month you will no longer be able to do that!! My local resale shop has already stopped accepting items and is planning to close it's doors and file for bankruptcy unless this law is amended. They provided me with a copy of the sample letter attached.

This is a nationwide law, so please forward this on to as many moms (or grandmothers or any others) as you possibly can and ask them to write their congressmen or women. Not being able to buy or sell used clothing and baby items will affect all of us - the ones who wish to sell their used baby items as well as those who can't afford to buy new clothing or furniture for their children/grandchildren.

I've attached links for two articles just so you can familiarize yourself with what is happening, as well as a link to the law itself (which I admit I have not read). I've also included a link that will take you to a contact map for congress so you can get an email address for your representatives and senators. You may need to cut and paste these sites into your browser.

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-thrift2-2009jan02,0,2083247.story

http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2009/01/03/hand-me-down-clothes-in-the-post-hand-me-down-era-consumer-protectionism-gone-too-far/

http://www.cpsc.gov/cpsia.pdf (Read the complete Act here)

http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/ (Find your congressmen and women here)

Thanks for taking the time to read this.

pasta e'fagioli

ok , so i have not been very good at posting what's for dinner (or much else, really :)... i mean, i don't cook a ton, but it's more than this blog indicates...

this was new years' eve dinner:


Olive Garden Pasta E' Fagioli - Pasta And Bean Soup
Yield: 20 Servings
( Just cut the recipe in 1/2 for smaller family needs!)

Ingredients
2 TB olive Oil
2 lb Ground beef or turkey
12 oz Onion; chopped
14 oz Carrots; slivered (grated or chopped works fine)
14 oz Celery; diced
48 oz Diced, canned Tomatoes
1 can Red kidney beans
1 can White kidney beans
72 oz Beef stock
2 Tablespoons chopped garlic
2 teaspoon oregano
2 teaspoon basil
2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon thyme
1 1/2 tsp Tabasco sauce
1 jar of your favorite Spaghetti sauce
cooked Ditali macaroni (or other)
Parmesan or other cheese for topping

Instructions
Saute garlic, onions, carrots, celery and tomatoes in oil and simmer for about 10 minutes... set aside*.
Brown beef in large 10-qt. pot. Drain fat & add to pot*.
Drain beans and add to the pot* with veggies.
Add beef stock, herbs, pepper, Tabasco, spaghetti sauce & veggies.
Simmer until celery and carrots are tender, about 45 minutes*.
Add in pasta just before serving.

*or put in crock pot(s) on high for 2 hrs, then on low until you're ready to serve it. Be sure to add pasta just before serving!