Guacamole Time!!!!!

My friends and I went to a little Taqueria here in town, and they we had "Guacamole Live". Basically, the waiter makes the guac in front of you.  IT WAS SO GOOD!! Whittney just ate hers with a spoon.  So I thought I would do the same as apposed to buying a guac kit.  This is actually a really cool way if you have a get together and you all can get in the kitchen and make your guac the way you like it!! It's very FUN! I thought I would give you the recipe :) Enjoy.

What you'll need:
4 Med Avocados
Small white/yellow onion chopped
1 Roma tomato (I usually take out the really runny stuff and the seeds)
Small handful of cilantro
Salt and Pepper to taste


Cut your avocados in half and scoop out the insides with a spoon into a dish.

Next add approx 1 cup of your chopped onion, tomato, about 1 T of minced cilantro, and salt and pepper to taste.

Then mash away.  Simply chose how chunky you want your guac to be.

TA-DAHHHHHH! GUAC!!!

Enjoy

And don't forget to compost :)

My Little Potted Garden

So, I have attempted to start my potted garden.  I am starting out small so I don't get too carried away.   My garden has to stay in our front yard because our lot of land is 95% shaded! Poor Mr. Tomato :(

Basil and Tomatoes

Basil again, and Tomatoes from my not so efficient compost pile

My herb garden: Rosemary, Peppermint, Sweet Mint, and Lavender

Rosemary, Peppermint, and Sweet mint

 Lavender

My puny strawberries

Sweet Mint

Peppermint

Rosemary

Poppy :)

and again... Poppy :)

If you have any suggestions please comment! I'm not that experienced with gardening. I gardened when I was little, but I still have so much to learn!

Curtains. The thrifty way.

So these past several days I have been working on making our house "cozy".  You know like, putting pictures on the walls, putting curtains up.  
During all this I found a new way to make your window like inviting and an eye catcher.
While at the Wally I found out that curtain rods are ridiculously expensive.  Up to $40 I saw.  Oh and window scarves. FOURTEEN dollars.  AND THIS IS WALMART.  So instead of getting a 40 dollar rod.  I got the ugly white rod that is like 2 bucks, then went to the craft section and found a bolt of fabric for 3 dollars. So in total for one window I spent 13 for the curtains, 2 for the rod, and 3 for the scarf.  Now if you really want to get thrifty you can make your curtains out of sheets, and then find your rods at garage sales.  And the finishing product....

 I like the finished product a lot.  I hope this helps you as well.
-Sarah

Yay!!

This is just a tid bit of news that is exciting for me!!! Brandon got me a sewing machine!!! I'm so excited! Hopefully I will be able to find time to do more creating for my shop and others for the Glory of the Lord!

The sewing machine is not smaller than Peri. The picture makes it like like Peri is huge.
YAY!

"A New Thing"

Since before Brandon and I got married in August, I have been in a very dry wilderness spiritually.  I have not felt much at all.  If I feel anything it's anger, sadness, depression, etc.  Basically I have not felt the love, joy, and peace from the Lord.  Therefore trying to GIVE love/joy/peace is impossible.

With that in mind, I'm going to mention a few things that happened since I was born before until now.  Since I was born my mother would pray for my sister and I.  She prayed that no matter what happened to us, that the Lord would "keep us for himself".  A few months ago a prophecy was given to me.  I am terrified to receive something false so it was very hard for me to receive it.  I tested it and tested it and it came out to be truth.  In that prophecy the Lord said that I was about to go through a time that would test my faith and faithfulness and it was necessary for me.  He also said that he would keep me for himself.  Not long after that things got worse and worse.  I felt so very distant from the Lord.  My faith was definitely being tested as the Lord said. I cried out multiple times with feeling like I was getting no where.  My whole world was completely shattered because I did not feel the closeness with the Lord and it seemed no matter what I did, it didn't help.

This past Sunday, I was talking to my sister in-law about this whole thing again.  Some how we got on the subject about how the Lord would speak to her in the middle of the night.  Like how the Lord would speak to King David early in the morning.  He would wake her up and speak to her.  She asked me, "Have you ever had to get up in the middle of the night needing to use the restroom?".  I said yes. She said "That may be the Lord trying to speak to you".  So the next night, what do you know, I wake up needing to use the restroom.  So I go in the living room and ask the Lord, "Ok, what do you want to tell me Lord?".  I felt the Lord say, "I may have nothing to say, but I am testing your obedience". I randomly opened my Bible anyway and read what I saw and got nothing from it.  So, I took it as a test.  This happened a few days ago.  Then Tuesday night, I awake again the middle of the night to go to the restroom.  I went back to our room, got my little reading light and the Bible.  Opened it randomly, and what do you know, it was right where I had left off the night before.  So I start reading.  And this is where I see...

¹⁹ See, I am doing a new thing!
   Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? 

(How awesome is this?!  The Lord directly speaking to me!)

I am making a way in the wilderness
   and streams in the wasteland. 
²⁰ The wild animals honor me,
   the jackals and the owls,
because I provide water in the wilderness
   and streams in the wasteland,
to give drink to my people, my chosen,
 ²¹ the people I formed for myself 

(the exact words of what my mom prayed for me every day  and the prophecy)   that they may proclaim my praise.

 ²² “Yet you have not called on me, Jacob,
   you have not wearied yourselves for^[c] me, Israel.
²³ You have not brought me sheep for burnt offerings,
   nor honored me with your sacrifices.
I have not burdened you with grain offerings
   nor wearied you with demands for incense.
²⁴ You have not bought any fragrant calamus for me,
   or lavished on me the fat of your sacrifices.
But you have burdened me with your sins
   and wearied me with your offenses.

 ²⁵ “I, even I, am he who blots out
   your transgressions, for my own sake,
   and remembers your sins no more. 

The Lord brought me back to vs. 25 which was what our teacher at church was speaking about this past Sunday.

The Lord has not ever used a piece of scripture so DIRECT to me and the situation.  Praise the Lord!!!! Thank you Lord!!! You are faithful and true!

Today's thoughts...

Please pardon my lack of plotting skills.  I love to write, however I am not very good at it. Please bear with me... I know this is all scatterbrained, but the truth is I AM scatterbrained.


My whole life I have struggled with frustration, lack of care and emotions, anger, selfishness and laziness.  

Why this has come on so heavily and is so hard to overcome? 

It is because the enemy knows me like the back of his hand and will do anything to destroy me and take my eyes off of Jesus and the enemy is VERY diligent.
 The Word says 

"No temptation has seized you except what is common to man.  And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.  But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it" (1 Cor 10:13)

 So, that leaves it to making sure that I remain to have faith in the Lord at  ALL times.  However, something here recently has helped me keep that little bit of faith, is a word that a brother of ours said. 
 He came to me saying he had a word from the Lord for me. My mind came to a screeching halt.  


For quite some time now I have been terrified of receiving something false that would injure my relationship with the Lord.  And this has definitely been a time of testing and being in dry and barren places in my life and I have struggled so much to even hear the Lord's voice. I know that He is always there.  Therefore I know that I have done something to put a barrier between us.  As we all are so very good at.  With all this in mind with the places I have been with the Lord I don't, by any means, want to take just anything any one says knowing that God is the only perfect one, and that men have flaws. 


 I still don't know why the Lord has let this test come upon me this past year, but I know that there will be times of refreshing.  It's hard for me to view the Lord as a merciful, loving God.  I feel as though I'm just waiting for God to say "Depart from me, I never knew you.  You worker of iniquity," because I "just can't get it right".  I know, mentally, that the Lord is merciful and the enemy is trying to discourage me by using the Bible and twisting it to make me beat down on myself. Truthfully sometimes it is very hard to distinguish the Lord's voice from the enemy's.  


Ezekiel 18:23 says 

"Do you think I like to see wicked people die?" Says the sovereign Lord." Of course not!! I want them to turn from their evil way and live."  

Brandon is constantly on my case (thank you Brandon) about downing myself, hating myself, and thinking the the Lord wont accept me. I am very grateful for it my hubby's persistence.  I would be in a much worse place with out him pushing me.


The point of all this is to state where I am currently... 


Statement: 


I am tired and worn out.  I can't rely on myself.  I can only rely on the Lord's faithfulness.  Though the world may teeter and totter and I may as well, our God is an EVERLASTING God who does not grow weary.  I must abide in the vine.... Ok, Sarah, abide in the vine. Abide in the vine.  So hard... Lord help me.


Until we meet again,
Sarah

Proverbs 31:10-31... A woman who fears the Lord

An excellent wife who can find?


The heart of her husband trusts in her,
and he will have no lack of gain.


She does him good, and not harm,
all the days of her life.


She seeks wool and flax,
and works with willing hands.

She is like the ships of the merchant;
she brings her food from afar.

                               She rises while it is yet night

      and provides food for her household

  and portions for her maidens.

She considers a field and buys it;
with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.

She dresses herself with strength
and makes her arms strong.
She perceives that her merchandise is profitable.
Her lamp does not go out at night.
She puts her hands to the distaff,
and her hands hold the spindle.


She opens her hand to the poor

and reaches out her hands to the needy.

She is not afraid of snow for her household,
for all her household are clothed in scarlet.


She makes bed coverings for herself;
her clothing is fine linen and purple.


Her husband is known in the gates
when he sits among the elders of the land.










She makes linen
garments and sells them;
she delivers sashes to the merchant.

Strength and dignity are her clothing,

                             and she laughs at the time to come.

She opens her mouth with wisdom,
and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.


She looks well to the ways of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.

Her children rise up and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:

"Many women have done excellently,

but you surpass them all."

Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,

but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.

Give her of the fruit of her hands,
and let her works praise her in the gates.