My Testimony

This is my story. This is where I started and where I gave myself up to Christ. I had a complete family for the first seven years of my life. At that time my mother decided she didn't want to work things out with my father and they divorced. Being so young I don't know everything that happened to cause her to believe she needed to leave. I only know pieces of the story and they have come only from my father. I have never talked to my mother about her decision to leave and the only words she offered were, "It was better for you that I left." Now it is too late for me to get any answers from her. She passed away from colon cancer at the age of 48 in 2006. This is something that I am still going through.

My father took care of me and my brother. He made all the sacrifices and tried to offer us the best life he possibly could. And he did. He is a wonderful father and did more for me than I even needed or wanted. When I was young I was taken to First Baptist Church in Yuma, AZ. My brother occasionally went, but I mostly went alone. I was baptized at about eight years of age and I knew all about God. During those many years at church I met my best friend (definitely chosen by God) MG who was in a similar, but worse, situation as me. She, above anyone, has taught me about true, Godly friendship. I was spoiled, made very good grades, and had so much "potential." I saw my mother occasionally (she lived in the same town), but mostly resented her for her life choices. Her and my brother were very close, but we were very distant. I graduated high school and went to college unprepared. I thought I would be very successful in college, but it was difficult being away from home. I wanted something more and I turned to everything except Christ. I thought the world would fill my emptiness. I was very wrong. I left college and went back home. My father was disappointed with this but allowed me to make my own choices.

Open Nacho Bar

I really try not to cook whenever possible. Yesterday I really didn't want to go all out for dinner. So, I came up with a meal idea that didn't flop! I am sure some other smart wife has done this also, but none have shared this with me. For dinner we did a nacho bar! It came out very tasty and was fun for the kids because they were able to create their own. This was especially easy because I had some leftover ground beef. I had about 12 oz of beef and it was more than enough for a family of four (our baby doesn't really like meat or tortilla chips, but loves shredded cheese!!!) This was super easy and GF!!! (I love Mexican food for that very reason :-) ) I didn't measure anything (except the beef because it was in a container that has measurements on it, haha). You can get very creative. I would have liked to add beans and Spanish rice, but I am the only one that eats those.

My Ingredients:
Tostitos Tortilla Chips
Pico de Gallo
Green Onions
Cilantro (we love cilantro!)
Ground Beef cooked
Mexican Mix Shredded Cheese
Sour Cream

Place chips in bowl and top with your favorite toppings. Please make sure all your ingredients are gf if you are on a gf diet.

It was tasty. I heated for 30 seconds in the microwave to melt the cheese slightly and then added sour cream on top. I was supposed to use avocado also, but forgot. I didn't take any pictures, because I didn't think it would turn out so great. The family loved it and we will surely eat this again.

The Ride of Your Life

Our God is amazing! And I wish there was a better word to use. He is so utterly awesome and surprising. He is alive and He still performs miracles. When we say something is impossible, God says, "Watch Me work!" That is just it. We keep our eyes on Him and allow Him to work. Today I heard some news re: a friend that made me jump up and down and I just couldn't stop talking. The most amazing part of this story was that God had already performed this miracle, we just didn't know it yet! I remember every time I prayed about this, I had a strong feeling of confidence that God would do what I was asking. I had no idea how He would or when He would, but I knew that He was going to accomplish this for HIS glory. He had this accomplished before being asked! God knows what we need before we ask Him, we are valuable to Him, and God is so gracious to give. He is worthy of all my worship; He is worthy of all my praise!!! His plans will give you the ride of your life.

Belated VDay Treats

Most of our family was sick over the holiday weekend, so we were not in the mood celebrate. Today we are all on the road to recovery. My little boy asked me if we were going to do anything special. Well, I didn't have anything planned, but I thought we should at least have a special treat. I made mini cupcakes with chocolate chips inside and chocolate icing. I used Betty Crocker's Gluten Free yellow cake mix, Nestle Semi-Sweet chocolate chips, and Betty Crocker's Chocolate Icing. I am not a baker, so I try to make things as easy as possible. This can be difficult when cooking gf.They came out pretty tasty. The chocolate definatley helps the taste. We have tried all the Betty Crocker gf mixes. The best ones are the brownie mix and the devil's food cake mix. The yellow cake is okay, and the chocolate chip cookies are just edible. You can really taste the rice flour in the cookies. The best thing about Betty Crocker is they have many gf recipes using their products. Thank you to Betty Crocker! I hope all had a relaxing President's Day and Valentine's Day.