Pages

Praising His Name

Our annual children's camp was last week and on the second to last day I found myself sitting behind one of the cabins.  Just me and nature.  We were having a a scavenger hunt and I was one of the "clue-holders".  The children had to find me.  Well, considering the fact that I was going to camp and am always quite busy I, of course, didn't bring along any busy work.  I wasn't expecting to have down time.  So I grabbed my Bible, notebook, cell phone, an Austen book that one of my sisters had brought, a chair, and some bug spray and I took off to my assigned cabin hiding spot.  I sent a few texts, and wasn't really in an Austen mood so I picked up my notebook and started paging through it. It contains a conglomeration of poems, paragraphs from books, notes from church, songs, and random scribblings and thoughts.  Lots of thoughts were running through my head when I turned the page and my eyes fell on these words.

I worship you with singing
I worship you with all of my heart
I worship you I cannot be silent
Lord I will praise your name

For you alone are more than worthy
You are great and you dwell in my praise
I lift you up that you receive glory
I worship you in this place

You see, one of my jobs at camp is choir.  I spend a couple hours every morning teaching the children songs in 2 part harmony, tricks to reading music, and I hope a love for music and a desire to serve and worship God when they sing.  After I read the words it was mostly all I could think about between groups.  You see, that is the cry of my heart, to love God so much to let him be such a part of my life that I cannot be silent.  That everything that I do would praise and worship his name.

Good news!

@???
?Ai7?,w??ix ?????0{?

That's makes perfect sense... right?? I don't know what happened there....

Here is what it is supposed to say...

Good news!! I got an internship!!! YAY!!!! It's with one of the children's choirs in town.  Next spring, one night a week for 2 hours.  Not a big deal, but it's still and internship. *squeal*
Sliced Steak with Deconstructed Guacamole - Katie Style, a.k.a with many substitutions or omissions(*) - serves 4


2c. Chicken Stock (*water)
4-5 T. Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
1 c. White Rice (*whatever rice is in the house)
4 Scallions chopped (*none)
1 (15oz) can of black beans - drained
1 T. Hot Sauce (*none-see mustard)
1 T. Worcestershire Sauce
2 T. Grainy Mustard (*my brother picked out a spicy grainy mustard and we used it for the mustard and hot sauce, it was really quite good.)
1 1/2 T. grill seasoning (*Spike, or other various spices)
1 3/4 to 2 lbs. Skirt Steak (*checked is less expensive and I actually have it in the freezer all the time, steak not so much :-) )
4 (1-inch thick) slices of red onions
2 jalapeno peppers - halved and seeded (the store was out of Jalapeno peppers so I picked up some Anaheim peppers, they're good, but I think Jalapeno would be better if you like spicy.)
Salt
Pepper
2 avocados
1/2 pint cherry tomatoes - halved (*grape)
4 limes halved (*1)
Cilantro

Bring chicken stock and 1 T. EVOO to a boil in a saucepan. Stir in rice, boil, cover, reduce heat and cook for about 12 minutes over low to medium heat. Stir in scallions and black beans, cover and cook for 6 minutes.

Heat oudoor grill to medium-high. (*we don't have a grill so I did all of the following in 2 skillets) In a shallow dish combine hot sauce, Worcestershire, mustard, 3 T. EVOO and grill seasoning.  Coat the steak and marinate for 10 minutes.  Stick a toothpick through the side of each onion to keep the rings together. (*or throw them in the skillet) Brush the oinons and jalapeno with a little EVOO and season with salt and pepper.  Place the meat, onions, and jalapeno on the grill. Cook the meat for 5 to 6 minutes on each side.  After you turn the meat, onions, and jalapeno, halve and pit the avacado.  Place the avacados on the grill for 3 to 4 minutes to char and mark. Remove the meat, onions, jalapeno, and avacado to a platter.  Let the meat rest for a few minutes, tented with a foil, to settle the juices. (*I cooked everything up in the skillet, didn't tent anything and didn't char the avacados, they were a little overipe, and I didn't want to ruin them.)

To serve thinly slice the steak on an angle. (*I sliced the chicken before I cooked it, you could do it either way.) Divide the steak slices among 4 plates. Serve with an avocado half, a thick slice of onion, a jalapeno half, a sprinkle of cilantro, and a few halved tomatoes. Squeeze the juice of 1 lime over the vegetables and meat. Serve black bans and rice alongside. 

*I think my favorite part was the chicken.  The marinade was really excellent!!  The original (pre Katie-style) recipe was from a Rachel Ray cookbook.  I copied it out months ago.  With fresh produce back on the market and in garden's everywhere.  This would be an easy and fast summer meal.  And now just for fun, a few pictures :)




Cake pictures, boy am I glad this is over!

Sorry they are blurry, the lighting was terrible and Mom and Dad needed Steph's camera. So we didn't have a flash.

The bride and groom were 30 minutes late in arriving. It was melting fast!! It was totally crazy!!! I am never doing one like this again!!

For those of you who don't know what this is. It's a 5-tier ice cream cake.....


Remember Our Heros

I now this probably seems a week late to you.  But it's perfect timing for me.  You see right now just a few blocks away stands the Vietnam Moving Wall. A half-size replica of the Vietnam Memorial Wall that stands in Washington D.C.  There are 58,228 names inscribed on the wall.  58,228 men and women who died or are POW and MIA's of Vietnam.  Men and women who weren't just soldiers, but were civilians, were brothers, sisters, sons, daughters, mothers, and fathers.  I heard a story last night about a man who was a financial officer in Vietnam, he died when the "accounting office" was attacked.  He wasn't on the front lines, he was a office worker, who gathered the staff and fought back, giving his life for his country and for our freedom.  It's not just about the soldiers, it's about the civilians too. I was looking at a quiz a few days ago, and one of the questions was what is most important to you.  The options were things like education, security, adventure, love, freedom, etc.  My answer, my freedom, because it is important.  Where would we be without freedom?  Where would we be without the men and women that fight, have fought, and have given their lives for our country and the freedom they have helped secure for other countries?  It doesn't matter what you think about war or the current state of politics.  All that matters is that we honor and remember them.
Did you know that out of all of those names there are only 8 women.  I looked them up, most of them were nurses, nurses who died helping hurt men. One of the woman's story really struck me, First Lieutenant Sarah Lane.  She was a nurse, who died when a rocket struck the hospital.  She was 25 years old.   After her death the hospital she worked at in Denver renamed the recovery room she worked in after her.  She was only 25.  Anyway... standing at the wall, walking past all the names really humbles you....  Makes you think.... The main thing I came away thinking, never forgot, never... remember those that have fallen, remember those that still fight.  Honor the veterans, respect and pray for those that stand up for freedom and put their lives on the line for our country.  Remember.