He is Risen!

“Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important.”

~C.S. Lewis

"Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, ² by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.
 ³ For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, ⁴ and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, ⁵ and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. ⁶ After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. ⁷ After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles. ⁸ Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time."
 ~1 Corinthians 15:1-8

Have a wonderful Easter Sunday!  Christ is risen!

Stand up!

Stand up for what you believe or you will not longer have the opportunity to freely believe it. 

"First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out --

Because I was not a Socialist.

Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out --

Because I was not a Trade Unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out --

Because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me -- and there was no one left to speak for me. "

~Niemöller 

(A German pastor during WWII)

 This is an interview with a former citizen of East Germany while it was still under Communism.  Watch it (please).  Remember that you have a vote.  Use it while you still can. 

Social Security, government-run healthcare, and further restricting firearm access are all prerequisites to Socialism/Communism.  I really don't want to see the United States turning to Socialism, but it is definitely on the path there if we don't start speaking out. 

"Socialism is a philosophy of failure,
the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy,
its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery.."
~ Winston Churchill

 So, you still have a vote in this country.  Use it.  Vote in the upcoming elections, especially the one in November.  Be thankful that you can still make a difference.

I'm not going to tell you who to vote for.  Do your research and vote for whomever you think is best for the country, but please vote!

God bless America!

Break

We just got off Spring Break so I'm back to school on Monday.  Yay for 5:45 am wake up call!  (I realize this isn't early for everyone, but for me it is.  It would probably be easier if it were every day instead of just twice a week...) 

I didn't do much this Spring Break.  I embroidered quite a bit (1 & 1/2 tea towels) and helped Tommy's Grandma cut out filler material for the quilt she is working on right now.  Oh, and my FIL has a bottle calf so I got to help with it.  He was just figuring out how to suck on the bottle when we left, but they said that he's doing much better today.

I walked out to check on a cow before heading to town Thursday, and I didn't figure that she would be calving until much later that day.  As I was walking, I glanced over and the calf slid out.  Hah!  So much for later that day. :-) I went back to the house for my camera.

He's about 20 minutes old in the above picture and super wobbly when he started to stand up about 5 minutes later. 

 Fell down again. :-)

 The brown calf was pretty curious...but the mama wouldn't let him very close.

I made Orecchiette with Mushrooms for supper tonight.  It was good.  I couldn't find the Boursin cheese that the recipe calls for so I added garlic and herbs separately and used plain chevre for the cheese. 

Happy Saturday!!! (Apple butter recipe)

I made apple butter in my crockpot last night and it was ah-maz-ing!!!!  You should try it if you like apple butter at all.  So. Good.  Here is the recipe and directions.  Try it.  You won't be sorry.  It's super easy too.  I didn't make as large of a batch as the recipe did because I don't have a crockpot that big.  I'll try to post a picture later if I remember after studying for my test on Monday.

Here's my version of the recipe:
4 apples (I used Granny Smith 'cause they're tart and they were cheap)
1/4 C brown sugar
1/8 t Nutmeg
1/8 t cloves
1/4 t cinnamon
Approximately 1/2 C water

Peel and dice apples.  Mix spices and sugar together.  Layer apples and sugar mixture in crockpot.  The crockpot should already be on high while you are cutting up apples and layering.  Pour water over the top.  Leave crockpot on high for 1 hour.  Turn it down to low after the first hour and leave it alone for 14-17 hours.  I slept in this morning so it cooked for more than 15 hours, but it didn't hurt it any.  After that 15 hours, take the lid off the crockpot until the apple butter is as thick as you like it.  (30-45 mins)  Then puree the mixture somehow.  I dumped it into my blender which worked great.  If you have a submersible blender, I've heard that those work really well.

I put it all in the crockpot yesterday around 5pm and blended it this morning around 10:30.  I don't think I'm ever buying apple butter again...this was great!

Also, did you know that buying bacon scraps is super cheap and you get about the same amount of bacon?  I bought 2 1/2 pounds of bacon ends and scraps yesterday for 1.99/lb which is waaay better than buying bacon for 4/lb.  Crazy.  I also caught a roast on sale for under 3/lb (that's cheaper than hamburger!).  Good day shopping yesterday.  Yay for sales!

Anyways, have a great day!  God loves you and He will lift you up!

Why do you say, O Jacob,
And speak, O Israel:
“My way is hidden from the Lord,
And my just claim is passed over by my God”?

Have you not known?
Have you not heard?
The everlasting God, the Lord,
The Creator of the ends of the earth,
Neither faints nor is weary.
His understanding is unsearchable. 

 He gives power to the weak,
And to those who have no might He increases strength.  

Even the youths shall faint and be weary,
And the young men shall utterly fall,
But those who wait on the Lord
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.

Isaiah 40: 27-31

 

Soapbox moment.

Please, people, STOP texting and driving!!!  I drive over 400 miles every week, and I'm tired of almost getting killed because people won't put down their phone long enough to drive wherever they are going.  I don't care if it's "important."  It won't be important if you get into a wreck and kill yourself plus whoever was in the other vehicle.  Chances are, whatever is in that text message isn't a life or death matter.  However, a possible wreck because you choose to look at your phone instead of the road is.  So, please, stop.
*Stepping off my soapbox now*

Had my first test of the semester today in Natural Resources Economics...it seemed really easy.  That could be really good or really bad.  Hopefully good.

I've been reading the Psalms while I eat my breakfast in the morning and I really enjoyed this one.  Psalm 47.  Go look it up, it's worth the read.

It rained today.  I drove all the way back from school in the rain.  It's really no fun when I can't see the road at all because of all the spray the semis are throwing up.  Thankful that God kept my tires on the road.  There are 33 places where people have wiped out in the median since school started.  Thirty-three.  That's a lot!  I counted one day because I was bored.  Also thankful that I'm not one of those 33 wipe-outs.

I made myself a Strawberry-Banana smoothie after school.  Yum.
1 banana
1 C frozen strawberries
Around 1 C milk...if too thick, add a little extra.
2 T ground flax seed
1-2 T lemon juice
1 t honey (cause I like how it tastes.)

Blend.  I find it works best if I put the banana on the bottom, nearest the blades.  If it's too thick, add milk; too thin, add more strawberries.  Pour and eat/drink.  I would add a picture, but I already drank all of it.

Also, if you haven't read this post by Ann Voskamp, you really should.  I enjoyed it immensely!

I probably ought to start working on homework.  Do you have any random thoughts to add on to this post?  I'd love to hear them. :-)

Happy Valentines Day!!!

I Will be Here by Steven Curtis Chapman

 

If you haven't heard this song yet, you should listen to this.  Great song!  My uncle sang this for my wedding and did a great job with it.  Still gives me chills to listen to it.

Paradise

This is why death is not the end of the story, just the end of the chapter.  

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
"But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.  For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words."