mn♥

Wow.

Two posts in one day?

Typically I aspire to do this sort of thing,

(multiple posts in one day, that is)

but I just don't do it.  

Call me lazy,

or call me productive-outside-of-the-virtual-world.  Whatevs. 

But this song reminds me of my home,

which I dearly miss almost 

                                   all

                                      the

                                        time. 

Twins Baseball,

HVL sports,

small town friendliness 

             (which always involves small town gossip, 

                                                                  to be honest),

green trees and rolling hills,

old friends,

trickling rivers,

Minnesota-Nice,

no sales tax on clothes,

great local music,

great local food and drinks,

great friends.

I'd transplant my hubby and I back up North if I could, 

although I know this (Iowa) is where we should be for the time being.

Nevertheless, 

I still miss the MN

and always will.

So in honor of my home, please

replace the following lyrics in this song (linked below):

West Virginia = Minnesota

Blue Ridge Mountains = Iron Ridge Mountains

                                                    (yes, there is a mountain or two in MN)

Shenandoah River = Mississippi River

Younger than that mountains = younger than the roll'n hills

mountain momma =  ...i don't know, country momma?  we can use that.

yeah, it's a bit of a stretch, 

but I think all small-town/country girls and guys can pick up on this. 

MN♥

friends

Yesterday I got to visit a couple friends in Ames.  

                                                                 SO fun!

First, Andrea D.  She doesn't have a blog (that i know if), but she did design this! :)

Wise beyond her years.

Excellent hair stylist AND graphic designer!

Mommy-to-be, and a CUTE one at that. (!)

Super hospitable.

Inspiring cook!

Christ-centered-stud.

prettymuchawesome.

Then I got to see Allie W.

So fun to talk to!

A great mom to a bright-blonde curly-Sue! :)

Always down-to-earth.

Totally relatable.

Extremely flexible with my spontaneous visits 

                    (although I'll admit calling ahead of time 

                         is a lot more conducive to knowing a 

                                             visit can actually happen!)

Always has a tasty drink on-hand 

            (A&E lemonade is a lot better in Ames than DSM, for some reason!)

Jesus-loving mama and wife!

I'm happy God has given me these two friends,

especially because it feels like no time has passed since we last got together. 

so...

According to this image

God killed 2,038,344 people in the bible.

Satan was recorded only to have killed 10 (and some say less than that).

Why did God have over 2 million people die during Old Testament times, in addition to those who died in Sodom and Gomorrah nor the flood?  More so, why did they deserve to die?

Why does anyone deserve to die?

Well, let's take a quick second to understand who gives us life to begin with.

God.

God gives us our bodies, our hearts, our minds, our souls.  God gives us our lives.  Not only that,

God

gives

us

LIFE.

God has made opportunity after opportunity

for us to have the most 

amazing 

           life

              ever.

He's not only has us on earth for a short or long time,

however the duration may carry through.

God gives us the chance,

no,

the OPPORTUNITY

to break away from the slavery of sin have LIFE forever through Christ!

So, if God has given us so much life,

why was He has allowed, even commanded so much death to happen in so many destructive ways?

Quick answer:

God didn't want death - separation from Himself - to be in the world in the first place.

Satan did.

It's been Satan's goal

since he fell from Heaven to Hell and took a third of God's angel's with him

to usurp God in any way possible,

especially through an eternal death.

God's original intention was for us to live with Him and each other forever.

God's original intention was for every creation on this earth to work in perfect harmony.

and

God's original intention was for Satan (Lucifer) himself to be a part of that harmony as well.

Yet instead of saying "YES!!" to an incredible life with God through simple worship and obedience to Him,

Satan said a flat out "NO" to God,

and so

do

we.

We say "NO" when we sin.

We say "NO" when we disbelieve.

We say "NO" when we run away from Him.

So when God commanded all those people to die,

basically all of whom blatantly said a big "NO" to Him through their words, actions, and beliefs,

it wasn't because they were completely innocent and unaware of their wrongdoing. 

We all know that there is a right and wrong in this world, a good and a evil. Sometimes we do make the lines between those things gray through idolatry.  Sometimes they're a little gray to begin with.  That being said, we know when we do something wrong and evil. 

So did they.  

Now, I'm no bible scholar.  I'm just a believer.  

I know this is no air-tight statement.  I'm just doing this because I feel like God would rather have me put something out there that glorifies Him rather than sit in my comfort zone, which I'm great at.  

And I don't think I'm all great because I have faith in Him;

I only have this faith because of the amazing God he is and the sacrifice of LIFE that his Son gave.  

What I want to say at last is this:

God is righteous, and so is his judgment. 

We choose to live for him or die from him.  

We choose this as individuals, and we choose this as families, communities, tribes, and nations. 

I choose to follow God through his son Jesus,

and thereby choose life over death.  

So, back to that image.  

If God were the one who came up with death as a good idea for the fate of mankind, 

then the motive behind the photo's creation would make complete sense. 

But since it's truly us who choose to disobey God and not cling to his Son,  

wouldn't the true blame of the deaths of our souls lie elsewhere? 

danke schoen, to you and my college cooking cookbook

Thanks to anyone who read my little ode to insane amounts of paperwork the other night!

It was a marathon-sprint trying to get that stuff done.  My post that night helped me re-focus.

That's what writing did for me back in the day,

 especially when it came to other writing I didn't want to do.

I'm a naturally easily distractible person.

I've had a phone conversation, g-chat conversation,

king.com game time, and google reader catch-up time -

all since starting this post.

:::[hold on - gotta play this game.  no, i'm serious.]:::

ok,

so tonight I'm made a roast chicken.

Roast chicken doesn't really equal summer, but

it's not scorching outside,

I had a bird in my fridge waiting to be cooked,

and it was on sale at Hy-Vee.

So like anyone who is a fairly new wife with an aversion to cooking until she actually starts would know,

it's good to have some help in the how-to and inspiration department.

So one day back in '07, John and I were perusing Borders in Ames and I found this little number:

It's fantastic.  Lots of great ideas and really simple, affordable recipes that make for great food.

I made a roasted chicken from it tonight.  Well, that, and a lemon basil roast chicken i found online, and the instructions for a sage-rubbed chicken on the wrapper.  Sort of a combination.

I'll let you know how that baby turned out soon! :)

guess what i'm doing on a monday night?

 - work's

paperwork

paper

work

work

work

paperwork

lots

and

lots

and

lots

and

lots

and

lost 

in

paper

        work. 

forget bills

forget junk mail

forget unsolicited ISU alumni association harassment

                                                                   ...not that i'd file suit... [go state.]

work's 

    paperwork 

               piles up 

                      while i

                            wearily 

                                  pick apart and 

                                        process plethoras of 

work's

paper 

work

:::[sigh]:::

:::click-click-click:::

That's the sound I make with my tongue when I'm trying to figure out what to do next.

Which is what's going on right now.

My little rhyme i wrote the other night is in reference to my current occupational situation.

I won't go into my current job, which I'm ok with at the moment. 

It's just not a great match for me personally,

which makes it hard to go to work some days. 

Some of my kids can easily make up for that, though, so I survive. :)

It's been 3 years now since my interview at Chaska, which went really well. 

I haven't had an interview like that since - well, with the results like they were.

I was hoping for a teaching job for the fall. 

I got some interviews

(one for a summertime position at Simpson College, two around the area),

and nothing came through. 

 

From the feedback I got, it seems like I was the 2nd or 3rd option in each of these jobs.

Tough thing to think about some times, but I'm getting by.

I just wonder what's next.  I wish God and I could talk on the phone. 

He's the one who bestows wealth to us, but because working at a school

is a little less about money for me and more about being able to teach,

I think God is trying to show me something I can't quite grasp at this time.

Maybe not...I don't know.  Just going day-by-day now thinking about what

God has in store.  We'll see.

On a lighter note, this dress is amazing, and I'm considering

saving up for a sewing machine so I can do something like it some day.

Maybe I'll win it and won't have to get that machine.

I'll probably get one at some point anyway. 

Time to embrace domesticity!  :)

hmm...

sometimes

i wonder

what God really has in store

when things don't

go my way

like they had once

before. 

to my far, faraway friends:

Just a little something for my far, faraway friends.  

I'm thinking about you guys!

I miss you, Kristen and Heath, who I've told at least once or twice to move to Des Moines while you contemplate the next step for your family.  

C'mon you guys.  

You know you wanna... 

plus Ainsley needs her Laura fix.  She doesn't realize this, but it's true.

I miss you, Kate and Brian.  We didn't do enough couple-dates before you guys left...

                                                                                                                                  dang!

If we're on the same continent again, 

we'll make up for lost time and missed grilling/boulevard-with-lemon opportunities.

You know it's gonna happen!

I miss you, Dan and Lynn.  You two (and soon-to-be three) are also half-way across the world, 

and it's quite clear that's where God wants you. 

That being said, 

I also think that God may want you back in the state that is 

known for the bacon and other pork-products. 

It's ok; we'll save some for you when you come back in 

t-minus-the-amount-of-time-before-furlough.  

Whenever that is. 

 --- I miss seeing my sister.  I'll be sending her something soon, hoping that entices her to come down to Iowa.  Really, it's not that far. I suppose she doesn't really qualify as a "faraway friend," since it costs less and probably takes just a little more time to come here than it would to go to a nice restaurant in the cities. ---

 

I miss you, my host family!  I hope to catch up with you you again as soon as we're able!

Karen (host mom), Markus (host dad), Ella, Karla, and baby-now-3-year-old Paula who was in her Mommy's belly when I last saw her:  Veilleicht ihr konnt in diesem Sommer nach Iowa fahren, wenn ihr den USA besucht!  :) 

Translated: 

Maybe you can come visit Iowa this summer when you visit the USA.  

You'll read this some day, I hope!

I miss my pledge kid, Laurel.  She's in Morocco working for the Peace Corps.  

It's right up her alley, 

and I hope that alley returns safely back to Iowa really soon!  

I miss ya, kiddo!  

I miss my good friend, Jen!  

Soon you won't be so faraway, and that makes me excited!!! 

You know, everytime I read your blog, I say "me, too!" or "I was thinking the same thing!"  

Sometimes I say those things out loud.  

Then I realize that you are in California and I'm in Iowa. 

That makes me think I should call you soon.  Maybe?  Yes. 

I also miss my other good friend, Jen!  You'll randomly call or e-mail me out-of-the-blue, and it's always awesome to catch up.  It's dawning on me that you'll be in Hong Kong  in no time.  

Gotta chat before you leave! 

I miss you, Brenda!  It was awesome last summer 

how Jeremy and John totally geeked-out over video games.  You know that's true!  

Someday we'll meet up and have an all-out Wii-athon!  You in?  We are! 


And I miss you, Jill!  You know, I saw on the news the other day that this film industry person native to Iowa was coming back here to get inspiration and create awesome stories.  Once you're done with that ABC job, you come back home.  I mean it.  

I love you guys!  

Be safe and come home/to the Midwest (namely IA or MN) soon, ya hear??  :)

swimsuits, shopping, in-laws.

Not much to say here,

but I am entering this swimsuit give away 

(Thanks for the link-up, Kristen! check out her blog and Etsy shop!) 

I'm a sucker for a good swimsuit, and - wait...

I'm a sucker for good style. 

period. 

When my birthday came around last year, 

my father-in-law told me he and my mom-in-law were

going to take me shopping.  $100 on whatever I wanted.  

This was HUGE for me, 

because it had been a good year and a half 

(aside from a few cheap Target tops) 

since I had gotten anything new for myself. 

Plus, if anyone has ever read For Men Only by Shaunti and Jeff Feldhahn, you know how most women feel about how they look.  

So when the big day came, I wanted to buy things that were fashionable, feminine, and ... frugal.  I needed to replace a lot of my old clothes, and I've been t-shirts and jeans for a long, long time. 

I want to know show my (hopefully some day if God decides to say "sure, you betcha") future daughter how to dress modestly, comfortably, and femininely.  T-Shirts and jeans are great, but they are also super easy (I'm wearing them now!) and I'd like to figure out how to better put a more feminine outfit together.

There were a lot of pretty things at the mall, but even a generous $100 gift only goes so far these days.  I once, for fun, selected everything I would like to get from J.Crew online into a shopping basket, just to see how much it was.  Let's just say I didn't make that much in about four months last year.  

Anyways, with the help of my father-in-law's [completely unbeknownst to me] astute fashion sense and plenty (and I mean PLENTY) of patience from my husband and his parents during my 4-hour excavation through Jordan Creek Town Centre for good fashions at frugal prices.  

It was a successful trip, and I had a lot of fun and lots of respect for my husband and his parent's for continually reminding me that yes, it was ok to look in this store, then the next, and yes, that next one, too.  "Take your time, Laura," they'd say.

They're pretty great. 

But yeah, I want one of those swimsuits, so I'm linking up. 

I guess I did have something to say!  

recipe time!

Well, I just feel like writing, but I don't feel like doing paperwork, so this is my next best and/or actually better option.  Not really better regarding my wallet, but paperwork can wait until tonight I suppose. 

A while back I posted a picture - the one on the right - of a meal I made for John and I.  It's super-dee-duper easy, and it tastes really good.  Here's the run down, as I remember it, and keep in mind that this "recipe" happened Rachel Ray style: no real measurements.  

Half-a-box of thick pasta, not stringy like spaghetti or fettuccine.  That's rotini in the picture. 

Olive oil

Salt

About 6 or 7 leaves of basil

Probably 10 or 12 grape tomatoes

4 or 5 green onions

4 pieces of bacon

A good hand-full and a half of shredded Parmesan

Get a pot and fill it about 2/3 of the way up with hot* water. Turn up the heat and let that water sizzle!

Salt the water and drizzle some olive oil or canola oil or whatever you like (but probably not peanut, corn, or any other oil with a distinct taste) right on the top of the water.   I don't think I invented this trick, but in case you haven't seen it, the oil keeps the water from boiling over the pot. 

While it might look like this, don't worry - it doesn't bite. 

In the meantime, slice the tomatoes how you'd like.  If it's important to you to get tomatoes in every bite, cut them smaller.  If not...you know what to do.  Set them aside.

Stack the basil leaves in a pile, roll them up into a little cigar shape, slice them down the middle (length-wise), then slice them width-wise into little pieces.  Set aside.

Grab the onions, slice them into little pieces about a half inch or so long, then set them aside, too. 

Once that water is boiling, pop the pasta in and let it roll. 

Heat up a fry pan on medium heat.  Take your bacon and chop it up.  I don't have a sound-proof way to do this, but you could take a kitchen scissors and start cutting.  That's pretty simple.  

Put the bacon into the hot pan and let it cook.  Once it's done, take it out of the pan and put it on some paper towels to drain.  

When the pasta is done (al dente/sticks to a wall...maybe/soft but not mushy), drain it, set the pot on a cool surface, and put the pasta back in. 

Put all the ingredients you sliced along with the Parmesan into the pot.  

Mix it up, 

serve it up, 

be happy.  

Let me know if you try this, and especially if you use anything different!  

I'm always wondering what else to make for dinner. 

*Has anyone else heard that cold water boils faster than hot?  I know I heard that from a reputable source in the past, but apparently that's not true.