This weekend, I took Zeppelin on a 1 mile hike, to the "Top of the World" outside of Maryville, TN (in the outskirts of the Smokey Mountains). I went with two of my friends, Grace and Josh. We had a great time and Zeppelin loved all the new smells and things to look at. Josh is an amazing photographer and took pictures along the way. Zeppelin was WORN out by the time I got home, and Josh was sweet enough to take some ADORABLE pictures of Zeppelin. Enjoy!
www.flickr.com/photos/jw_photo/sets/72157621907893335
and...I took a few of these lol! I'm a budding photographer!
Monday, March 22, 2010
Monday, March 15, 2010
With Heart Headed Home
I have recently began reading Max Lucado's book "Come Thirsty." It is a great book about how we should be drenching ourselves in the Word, Christian fellowship, etc. There is a beautiful story in there that really put things in perspective for me. Thought I would share it with you guys.
"Search the faces of the cap Haitian orphanage for Carinette. Study the 57 dark-skinned, bright-eyed, curly haired Creole-speaking, fun loving children for a unique 7 year old firl. She appears no different from the others. Eats the same rice and beans. Plays on the same grassless palyground. Sleeps beneath the tin roof as do the other girls, hearing the nearly nightly pounding of the Haitian rain. But though she appears the same, don't be fooled. She livves in a different world - a world called home-to-be.
See the slender girl wearing the pink shirt? The girl with the long nose and bushy hair and a handful of photos. Ask to see them; Carinette will let you. Fail to ask, she'll show you anyway. The photos bear the images of her future family. She's been adopted...(her adoptive parents) brought her pictures, a teddy bear, granola bars, and cookies. Carientte shared the goodies, asked the director to guard her bear, but she keeps the pictures. They remind her of her home-to-be. Within a month, two at the most, she'll be there. She knows the day is coming. Every opening of the gate jumps her heart. Any day now her father will appear. He promised he'd be back. He came once to claim her. He'll come again to carry her home. Till then she lives with a heart headed home.
Shouldn't we all? Carinette's situation mirrors ours. Our Father paid us a visit too. Have we not been claimed? Adopted?...God searched you out. Before you knew you needed adopting he'd already filed the patpers and selected the wallpaper for your room. Abandon you to a fatherless world? No way. Those privy to God's family Bible can read your name. He wrote it there. What's more, he covered the adoption fees. Neither you nor Carinette can pay your way out of the orphanage. we don't finance our adoption, but we do accepth it. Carinette could tell the prospective parents to get lost. But she hasn't. In the same way, you could tell God to get lost. But you wouldn't dare, would you? The moment we accept his offer we go from orphans to heirs...Heaven knows no stepchildren or grandchildren. You and Christ share the same will...Oh but we forget. Don't we grow accustomed to hard bunks and tin plates. Seldom do we peer over the fence into the world to come. and how long has it been since you showed someone your pictures?...Adopted, but not transported. We have a new family, but not our Heavenly house. We know our father's name, but we haven't seen His face. He has claimed us, but has yet to come for us.
So here we are. caught between what is and what will be. No longer orphans, not yet home. What do we do in the meantime? Indeed, it can be just that - a mean time. Time made mean with chemotherapyy, drivers driving with more beer than brains in their bodies, and backstabbers who make life on earth fell like a time share in Afghanistan. How do we live in the meantime? How do we keep our hearts headed home? Paul weighs in with some suggestions.
And even we Christians, although we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, also graon to be released from pain and suffering. we, too, wait anxiously for that day when God will give us our full rights as his children, including the new bodies he has promised us. Now that we are saved, we earegly look forward to this freedom. For if you already have something, you don't need to hope for it But if we look forward to something we don't have yet, we must wait patiently and confidently (Romans 8:23-25)."
I pray that I will live with a heart headed home. Love you all!
"Search the faces of the cap Haitian orphanage for Carinette. Study the 57 dark-skinned, bright-eyed, curly haired Creole-speaking, fun loving children for a unique 7 year old firl. She appears no different from the others. Eats the same rice and beans. Plays on the same grassless palyground. Sleeps beneath the tin roof as do the other girls, hearing the nearly nightly pounding of the Haitian rain. But though she appears the same, don't be fooled. She livves in a different world - a world called home-to-be.
See the slender girl wearing the pink shirt? The girl with the long nose and bushy hair and a handful of photos. Ask to see them; Carinette will let you. Fail to ask, she'll show you anyway. The photos bear the images of her future family. She's been adopted...(her adoptive parents) brought her pictures, a teddy bear, granola bars, and cookies. Carientte shared the goodies, asked the director to guard her bear, but she keeps the pictures. They remind her of her home-to-be. Within a month, two at the most, she'll be there. She knows the day is coming. Every opening of the gate jumps her heart. Any day now her father will appear. He promised he'd be back. He came once to claim her. He'll come again to carry her home. Till then she lives with a heart headed home.
Shouldn't we all? Carinette's situation mirrors ours. Our Father paid us a visit too. Have we not been claimed? Adopted?...God searched you out. Before you knew you needed adopting he'd already filed the patpers and selected the wallpaper for your room. Abandon you to a fatherless world? No way. Those privy to God's family Bible can read your name. He wrote it there. What's more, he covered the adoption fees. Neither you nor Carinette can pay your way out of the orphanage. we don't finance our adoption, but we do accepth it. Carinette could tell the prospective parents to get lost. But she hasn't. In the same way, you could tell God to get lost. But you wouldn't dare, would you? The moment we accept his offer we go from orphans to heirs...Heaven knows no stepchildren or grandchildren. You and Christ share the same will...Oh but we forget. Don't we grow accustomed to hard bunks and tin plates. Seldom do we peer over the fence into the world to come. and how long has it been since you showed someone your pictures?...Adopted, but not transported. We have a new family, but not our Heavenly house. We know our father's name, but we haven't seen His face. He has claimed us, but has yet to come for us.
So here we are. caught between what is and what will be. No longer orphans, not yet home. What do we do in the meantime? Indeed, it can be just that - a mean time. Time made mean with chemotherapyy, drivers driving with more beer than brains in their bodies, and backstabbers who make life on earth fell like a time share in Afghanistan. How do we live in the meantime? How do we keep our hearts headed home? Paul weighs in with some suggestions.
And even we Christians, although we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, also graon to be released from pain and suffering. we, too, wait anxiously for that day when God will give us our full rights as his children, including the new bodies he has promised us. Now that we are saved, we earegly look forward to this freedom. For if you already have something, you don't need to hope for it But if we look forward to something we don't have yet, we must wait patiently and confidently (Romans 8:23-25)."
I pray that I will live with a heart headed home. Love you all!
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Home is Where Your Heart Is
Moved into a new place over a month and a half ago. It's a one bedroom townhouse with....a bigger kitchen and washer and dryer connections! I just finally got around to putting up pics.
Bakers Rack in the kitchen
BIG kitchen (at least compared to the old one)
Entertainment Corner
Desk/Scrapbook area
Couch (need more decorations)
Dinning room
Beautiful picture in the hallway
Downstairs bathroom
Stairs(there is a baby gate at the bottom.
Do we have a baby? Yes, and his name is Zeppelin)
Bookshelf at the top of the stairs
Bedroom
I LOVE the new bedroom furniture!
On the dresser to remind us "All you need is LOVE"
Those are candle holders I made
New decorations in the bedroom
I painted all these!
Bed and new artwork
Messing around with the accent color on my camera
Bookshelf at the top of the stairs
Bedroom
I LOVE the new bedroom furniture!
On the dresser to remind us "All you need is LOVE"
Those are candle holders I made
New decorations in the bedroom
I painted all these!
Bed and new artwork
Messing around with the accent color on my camera
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Yummy Dinner Recipes (and really easy too)!
So I decided to start making some different stuff for dinner recently, since it seems like I've been making the same things lately. Here are two new recipes I tried, both easy and they turned out really well!
Butter Chicken:
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup crushed buttery round crackers (I used Club crackers)
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
ground black pepper to taste
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1/2 cup butter, cut into pieces
Directions:
-Preheat oven to 375. Place eggs and cracker crumbs in two separate bowls.
-Mix cracker crumbs with garlic salt and pepper.
-Dip chicken in eggs, and then dredge in crumb mixture to coat.
-Arrange chicken in a 9x13 baking dish.
-Place pieces of butter around chicken.
-Cook about 40 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink and juice runs clear.
Baked Ziti:
1 pound dry ziti pasta
1 onion, chopped
1 lb of ground beef
1.5 jars of spaghetti sauce
6 slices of provolone cheese
1.5 cups of sour cream
6 oz of mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 Tablespoons of parmesan cheese (grated)
Directions:
-Cook pasta following instructions of box.
-In a large skillet, brown beef and onion over medium heat.
-Add spaghetti sauce and simmer for 15 minutes.
-Preheat oven to 350. Butter 9x13in baking dish.
-Layer as follows: 1/2 ziti, provolone cheese, sour cream, 1/2 of sauce mixture, remaining ziti, mozzarella cheese, and remaining sauce mixture.
-Top with parmesan cheese
-Bake for 30 minutes, or until all cheeses are melted.
Hope you enjoy!
Butter Chicken:
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup crushed buttery round crackers (I used Club crackers)
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
ground black pepper to taste
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1/2 cup butter, cut into pieces
Directions:
-Preheat oven to 375. Place eggs and cracker crumbs in two separate bowls.
-Mix cracker crumbs with garlic salt and pepper.
-Dip chicken in eggs, and then dredge in crumb mixture to coat.
-Arrange chicken in a 9x13 baking dish.
-Place pieces of butter around chicken.
-Cook about 40 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink and juice runs clear.
Baked Ziti:
1 pound dry ziti pasta
1 onion, chopped
1 lb of ground beef
1.5 jars of spaghetti sauce
6 slices of provolone cheese
1.5 cups of sour cream
6 oz of mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 Tablespoons of parmesan cheese (grated)
Directions:
-Cook pasta following instructions of box.
-In a large skillet, brown beef and onion over medium heat.
-Add spaghetti sauce and simmer for 15 minutes.
-Preheat oven to 350. Butter 9x13in baking dish.
-Layer as follows: 1/2 ziti, provolone cheese, sour cream, 1/2 of sauce mixture, remaining ziti, mozzarella cheese, and remaining sauce mixture.
-Top with parmesan cheese
-Bake for 30 minutes, or until all cheeses are melted.
Hope you enjoy!
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Mother's Day ~ May 9, 2010
I realize more every day how truly blessed we really are. Chris and I both have full time jobs, our puppy is pretty funny, his parents live very close, and my parents don't live too far away either. Both of our families are healthy, and our parents are all very sweet and kind. We have great friends and we are getting to spend time both growing individually and as a couple. And the weather has been B-E-A-UTIFUL these past few days.
Recently, I have been wanting to give back, but I wasn't sure how, and I hadn't really found anything that tugged at my heart. Well, today I did. While sitting at work, I was hitting the "next blog" button, and came across a very sweet family. Her daughter passed awy last year at the tender age of 2, but the blog talked a lot about the first 4 months of Maddie's life, where she lived in the NICU.
For some reason, this story really tugged at my heart. Someone brought "Care bags" and she said it was incredibly generous and helped ease some of her stress about things. This is amazing since she needed to put all of her time and focus on Maddie.
So, I have decided I am going to make some "Care bags" for one of the local NICUs. I know it will take me awhile to get all of the items, so I figure these would be GREAT mother's day gifts for these families. I would like to make 10 bags, and any help would be greatly appreciated. I pulled the instructions that Maddie's mom used when she "paid it forward" and made bags.
"Ways to Help -
1. You can donate money to be used to purchase products for the bags. I will be going and getting stuff for these bags over the next few weeks.
2. You can donate products. I've put together a list of ideas, and most of the products are pretty inexpensive. Here's the list:
-hand lotion (extreme care)
-chap stick
-kleenex
-antibacterial lotion
-energy bars
-gum, mints, and mouthwash
-toothbrush and toothpaste
-hairbrush
-wetwipes
-oatmeal cookies (oatmeal is good for breast milk production)
-a notebook and pen to journal thoughts, procedures, etc.
-Disposable cameras (so other people can take pictures when the parent's are not there)
-trail mix
-bottle for water
-crossword puzzle or sudoku (anything to help the time pass)
3. You can donate food. As you might have noticed, there are a few food items on the list above, but I'm sure any food would be appreciated. If you live close and want to make something homemade, I'll get it from you the day before Mother's day (May 8).
4. Time. For anyone who lives close, I think it would be fun to have someone to go shopping with, decorating the bags, and delivering the bags.
I know Mother's Day is over two months away, however, if I'm going to do this I want to do it right, and I think taking time to make sure they are perfect will make them even more special. ANY help would be great. Like I said, I would like to make 10 bags, so I need at least 10 of the above items. Thanks again guys and God Bless.
LOVE YOU ALL!!!!
p.s. I will keep updating on how its going as time goes on.
Recently, I have been wanting to give back, but I wasn't sure how, and I hadn't really found anything that tugged at my heart. Well, today I did. While sitting at work, I was hitting the "next blog" button, and came across a very sweet family. Her daughter passed awy last year at the tender age of 2, but the blog talked a lot about the first 4 months of Maddie's life, where she lived in the NICU.
For some reason, this story really tugged at my heart. Someone brought "Care bags" and she said it was incredibly generous and helped ease some of her stress about things. This is amazing since she needed to put all of her time and focus on Maddie.
So, I have decided I am going to make some "Care bags" for one of the local NICUs. I know it will take me awhile to get all of the items, so I figure these would be GREAT mother's day gifts for these families. I would like to make 10 bags, and any help would be greatly appreciated. I pulled the instructions that Maddie's mom used when she "paid it forward" and made bags.
"Ways to Help -
1. You can donate money to be used to purchase products for the bags. I will be going and getting stuff for these bags over the next few weeks.
2. You can donate products. I've put together a list of ideas, and most of the products are pretty inexpensive. Here's the list:
-hand lotion (extreme care)
-chap stick
-kleenex
-antibacterial lotion
-energy bars
-gum, mints, and mouthwash
-toothbrush and toothpaste
-hairbrush
-wetwipes
-oatmeal cookies (oatmeal is good for breast milk production)
-a notebook and pen to journal thoughts, procedures, etc.
-Disposable cameras (so other people can take pictures when the parent's are not there)
-trail mix
-bottle for water
-crossword puzzle or sudoku (anything to help the time pass)
3. You can donate food. As you might have noticed, there are a few food items on the list above, but I'm sure any food would be appreciated. If you live close and want to make something homemade, I'll get it from you the day before Mother's day (May 8).
4. Time. For anyone who lives close, I think it would be fun to have someone to go shopping with, decorating the bags, and delivering the bags.
I know Mother's Day is over two months away, however, if I'm going to do this I want to do it right, and I think taking time to make sure they are perfect will make them even more special. ANY help would be great. Like I said, I would like to make 10 bags, so I need at least 10 of the above items. Thanks again guys and God Bless.
LOVE YOU ALL!!!!
p.s. I will keep updating on how its going as time goes on.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
I started another blog...
I have recently gotten back into scrapbooking! I love taking pictures and memorabilia and preserving it in a visually appealing way. I'm really proud of my recent projects (scrapbooks for mom and Kim(Chris's Mom) for Christmas), and my recent endeavor of my Europe trip. I'll keep it updated with pictures and such of my projects and pages.
The new blog is melissa-lovetoscrap.blogspot.com. Enjoy!
The new blog is melissa-lovetoscrap.blogspot.com. Enjoy!
Monday, February 8, 2010
New Job
I started my new job today. It's with a company named PerfectServe. It's a hospital/doctor network and I will be doing service calls for them. I'm making good money, get good benefits, and it's great experience! Today was a little boring because all I did was shadow people, but I'm excited about learning more in the next few weeks.
Thanks for all the prayers and I'll put up new pictures of the new apartment soon!
Thanks for all the prayers and I'll put up new pictures of the new apartment soon!
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