I know I promised a sentimental post, but I'm not ready for it yet. Soonly.
I had the day off today. Took my sister and niece to the airport, slept in, had an amazing run (week 2 of 5k training!), visited the boy at work, and then caught up on a couple of my favorite shows via Hulu.
I wanted something to go with the massive veggie tray we still have from a birthday party, so I threw together this:
(Yes, that's New Girl. What show did you think I was talking about?)
Black Bean Dip 2/3-1 cup of cooked black beans 1 Tbsp ranch dressing 1 Tbsp cream cheese 2 Tbsp salsa 1 tsp Cholula hot sauce (or similar) 1 tsp lime juice
Put everything in the food processor and blend. That's it. Seriously. SO GOOD.
MY SISTER AND NIECE FINALLY ARRIVED! And this is what I wore to pick them up at the airport. (Yes, I am doing a "fashion" post. Be prepared for a more sentimental post about this week some time soon.)
Technically I haven't had "Christmas" yet. My family decided to postpone gift giving for about a month until my adorable sister and baby niece could get here. Luckily this means we got to hit all the after Christmas sales. I am totally ok with us doing this every year from now on.
So since we postponed, James & I spent Christmas day with his family. I made his mom & grandma some homemade vanilla extract.
These cost me about $7 a piece. For that much vanilla I'd say it's a pretty awesome deal.
What you'll need: Liquor (Vodka is most popular, but I prefer using spiced rum.) Vanilla beans (Best deal I could find. About 30 cents per bean. Grade B works just as well as grade A, and they're a better deal.) A glass bottle with a lid.
You only need 1 bean per 1/3 cup of liquor. I like to make my vanilla directly in the liquor bottle. All you have to do is cut your beans in half (lengthwise if you want it to be pretty, or cut in smaller pieces if you want it to be ready sooner) and drop them in. Make sure the lid is on tight. Keep it in you cabinet for about 3 months or until the liquory smell is gone and it's a dark brown color. It's best to shake it lightly about once a week.
Since I didn't have 3 months to wait for the vanilla, I made the labels for mine on picnik and wrote on the date that it would be ready! Then I covered the label on the neck of the bottle using a piece of ribbon.
This morning Brother Art asked us to share some truth that God showed us in 2011 and I was reminded of Psalm 51:10-12. God wants me to be obedient. It's a lesson I've been learning for some time now, and I feel it's a lesson I will be learning my entire life.
At the end of the service Art announced that we're making a trip to Africa in August.
I am going. I am excited. God wants me to go. I've known for some time now. I was in shock when Art made the announcement. God had actually reminded me this morning of the call He laid on my heart this year and I thought about it through the entire service. I am horrified. Africa is one of the scariest places on earth to me. (Mostly because of the king cobra and the black mamba.) I am scared to take a flight overseas. I am scared to get all the shots I have to take to go.
Then I remembered two things.
This photo:
And this quote from 8 year old Gabe,
"If you KNOW He's gonna protect you, then why are you scared to do it?"
God will never throw you out there and not protect you. Yes, I am still nervous, but being reminded of that by an 8 year old makes all my fears seem so silly.
