What's making your world a little brighter this week?
Well, click here to find out what's making my week a good one.
Then, link up with BEX
to meet more fun ladies with some great things to share.
(There was a weird break in the video- hmmm, I'll have to look into what happened. I was playing around and didn't mean for anything to stay on the video. Also the lighting changes too. Sorry!)
There's nothing like new music. GOOD new music that is.
Allow me to introduce you to... Young the Giant
My current favorite of their is the song "I Got." Check out itunes for their full album.
I am still hooked on the Hunger Games books.
Book number 3 Mockingjay is what I'm currently reading.
Don't say anything if you know how it ends- spoilers are not allowed on this blog!
I'll report back when I'm done with the book, but don't say anything to me yet about the third book until then. Only books 1 and 2 please!
The Asiago and Spinach Pasta has been a hit at our house. If you try it, let me know what you think. Also, if you have any quick, easy, and fairly neutral-not crazy dinner ideas, feel free to throw them my way! Oh, and I forgot to mention that I used whole wheat pasta. It's obviously up to you, but I am really loving it.
The Seattle AIDS walk was a great experience. Thanks for letting me share it with you. Here are a few pictures of the event.
My dear friend, Jess, and me at the walk
My girl and me
Post walk view- beautiful!
Stay tuned for next week! Jenny and I will teaming up to do a week long blog series. We cannot wait! October 3rd is when all of the fun starts. Be there.
Got any questions, thoughts, and/or blog ideas for me? I'd love to mull over some questions, and respond via post or comment. I'm always up for a good thought provoking question or idea.
jmcadriel@gmail.com
Thanks for letting me share my life with you- let's do it again next week!
The comedian Louis C.K. does stand up bits, and then there is a scripted scene after the stand up routine that mimics what he was just making jokes about.
It's hilarious. There are plenty of parts I shouldn't be laughing at, but when you're folding laundry and your kids aren't around, and you have complete control of the tv, you should relish in those moments. They don't happen too often. So, I laughed hard at jokes that I shouldn't have, and at the awkward moments that Louis C.K. plays so well, and I enjoyed the few moments to myself- even if it was just while folding 547245743543745 loads of laundry.
I do have a purpose in telling you this. This post is a fusion of several different random bits of info that mesh into one. I heard an interview with Louis C.K. from 2009, a few months ago, when he was on Conan, and it has stuck with me. He's absolutely hilarious- but he's also absolutely correct. Just watch.
I remembered that interview last week, when all of the new Facebook changes were being made and knew right then, I had to write about my thoughts.
So, last week, Facebook made some changes, and updated the website. And guess what? Everyone complained and griped about how they hated it, or were going to email Mark Zuckerburg, and demand the old Facebook return.
We are so silly sometimes
Facebook is awesome, I'm obsessed. I love the connectedness I feel towards friends I don't get to see often and the ability it gives me to keep up with my loved ones. But, no one is forcing me use it, so if the "powers at be" at Facebook want to change a few things, they can go right ahead. I don't have a right to complain.
This picture says it all
The amount of entitlement that runs so freely
through all of us, is really ugly at times.
How is that "everything's amazing, and nobody's happy?" We have brilliant technology, access to anything we could want, the ability to travel anywhere, and yet somehow we end up complaining about the smallest inconveniences that those advances sometimes bring.
It's so absurd! How did we get to a point where feel like we are owed something, or deserve these luxuries that are available to us?
This whole Facebook drama got me thinking. I asked myself, "What are the things that I am guilty of complaining about that are absolutely ridiculous, and can I please get that out of my system?"
So here are some examples that I, myself, have complained about at one point or another, and that I have heard others also complain about. Somehow reading the list out loud, makes me feel even more ridiculous for ever complaining.
1 When my internet is going just a little too slow for my taste, I get so impatient. Like I'm trying to save the world or something and it depends on my internet connection. Truth: I'm uploading my latest pictures to facebook and am mad it's not going as quickly as I had hoped.
2 When I drop a call on my phone I'm annoyed I have to push the "redial" button, and pick up where I left off, without even taking into consideration that it is amazing we even have little computers we can carry around to stay connected at anytime? I can spare a few seconds of "redial" time when I realize it's a luxury in the first place. And hello! I only have to push one button, one button people. Not even the full ten digits that are already stored in my phone anyway. Silly, so silly.
3
We can pause our televisions now!
And we get mad when it doesn't rewind or fast forward in the exact way and time we were hoping. This one isn't as big of a deal to me, but I know people who get so angry when their DVR box isn't working just right. I just want to say, "Hey! Remember 10 years ago, when you had to actually watch a show when in aired? Yeah, we've got nothing to complain about.... Oh, and remember there used to be no tv at all, and people actually had to engage with one another?"
Do you realize how ridiculous all of that sounds?!
(I'm saying this to myself too, by the way)
We whine and complain about these tiny inconveniences, when we're not even appreciating the fact that they exist in the first place. Nobody "owes" us anything. We are not entitled to have internet, phones, and televisions. We don't "deserve" those things. They are gifts. The product of an amazingly advanced culture with technologically savvy people, inventing creative ways for us to stay connected, and have fun. A complete gift.
Entitlement blinds us, and removes
the power of gratefulness.
Gratefulness is the anecdote to entitlement.
I don't want to be lumped into the generation that Louis C.K. was talking about. I don't want all of these fantastic new toys, and services to be wasted on people that don't care, or rather, only care about what they want. I want to be grateful instead of demanding. Aware of the beauty in this world, not mad that I don't get exactly what I want, when I want it. I fully believe that gratitude changes anybody's perspective.
There is nothing wrong with enjoying the items and services we are offered these days, but they're not something we've earned or deserve. You deserve something if you work hard for it, not if it's a luxury you are choosing to pay for, or is handed to you for free.
And guess what?! Facebook is going to change again, and you're still going to be using it. :)
If I could eat one food for the rest of my life, it would be pizza.
I LOVE a good pizza.
This last two weeks, I made a commitment to my hubby to start cooking dinner for him. We've spent the entirety of our marriage with him being the chef, and it's worked really well. He loves cooking, and I don't mind cleaning. But, he has long hours, and though he enjoys cooking, I realized that it would be a gift to him if I had something ready, or at least in the works, when he got home.
The problem: I don't particularly enjoy cooking.
Baking is another story. I love anything sweet, so baking is much more enjoyable for me.
The solution: Meal Planning for the week
Easy meal planning that is
In my quest for easy meal plans, that take little prep work, and are done fairly quickly, I remembered my love for pizza.
I found a recipe for a Salami and Provolone calzone, and Bobby and I decided to make it into a pizza instead. We love calzones, but neither of us were in the mood to meticulously fold the dough and chop up the ingredients at that time.
SO, the Salami and Provolone Pizza was born!
Are you read for this? It was amazing and we WILL be eating this again very soon.
INGREDIENTS
1- Uncooked Dough
We used whole wheat dough from Trader Joes.
2- Salami
Any grocery store sells them in the sandwich meat section.
3- Provolone Cheese
If you get the sliced kind that comes in circles, it's so easy to put on the pizza. No grating, less mess, and for a cheese lover like me, good coverage.
4- Mozzarella Cheese
We used the already grated mozzarella to sprinkle on top.
The mixture of the provolone and mozzarella is absolutely de-lish.
5- Olive Oil
6- Parsley
7- Basil
8- Flour
9- Salt and/or Garlic Salt
10- Pizza Stone or Pan to cook pizza on
HOW TO
Preheat oven to 425 degrees
-Throw some flour on a large surface: a counter or big cutting board
-Take out your dough and put some flour on it as you begin to roll it out, so it becomes less sticky
-Use your hands and/or a rolling pin to roll the dough into a pizza circle
This is the part I like the least- Bobby always helps me, because I get frustrated trying to get the dough in a perfect circle. The OCD comes out!
Once you have the dough rolled out, and it's a good consistency- not too sticky, not floury- you're done with the dough prep. Set the dough aside
It's time to make the olive oil and herb mixture to cover the dough
Pour a little bit of olive oil in a ramekin or bowlYou don't need very much, maybe half a cup? You can use your discretion on this one. You just need a nice covering, so the bigger your pizza the more you might need.
Throw in some salt and/or Garlic Salt- as much as you'd like
Finely cut the parsley and basil. Mix it in with the olive oil
Spread the olive oil mixture over the dough before the toppings. This will give the crust a really nice fresh herb taste.
It should look something like the picture below
Now the fun part- TOPPINGS!
Our favorite way to top the pizza: Salami on the bottom, then the Provolone Cheese on top of the Salami, more Salami, and finished it off with Mozzarella cheese sprinkled on top.
You, of course, can do it however you'd like. We love lots of toppings, so we just went for it!
Put in the oven, and cook for 20-25 minutes
Then, enjoy!
If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at jmcadriel@gmail.com
I'd love to hear how you like it, if you make the recipe.
I started today by renewing my license, so I was very happy to get home after a busy morning and link up with BEX to do another Thursday Latelies video, since it's way more fun than waiting for your number to be called.
The process I went through to convert my video to an acceptable file, had me a little frustrated because my music didn't line up how I edited it after it was converted :/ ...Lame!
So just enjoy a random nine second snippet of music in a random spot, and pretend it's where it was supposed to be. I'm teaching myself how to edit videos and obviously need more practice!
Scentsy Wickless Candles are a great and safe way to give your home a yummy smell and a little more light. Check out my friend Crystal's, scentsy website to peruse through the warmers and scents. My favorites are "Luna," "Pumpkin Roll," and "Autumn Sunset."
The Hunger Games series is keeping me entertained, thrilled, and wanting more. If you're looking for a great book to read that will hold your attention, read these books!
Well, it's a simple week for you, but those three things are giving me lots of joy, so I hope they bring you joy too.
Have yourselves a wonderful first full week of Fall!
Can you even believe it?!
I never do my make-up during the week.
But, sometimes it's fun to add a little "Drama" to your life.
I'm also a liar.
I told you I was going to keep the video under 10 minutes, and that definitely was not the truth. I'm sorry, I just like the sound of my voice!
(please sense my sarcasm)
Link up with BEX and tell us what you're loving this week, or just pop over there and see/meet some other awesome ladies who are sharing their life with the world.
Click H E R E for this week's "Thursday Latelies" video!
Burt's Bees Soap Bark & Chamomile Deep Cleansing Cream is doing wonders for the look and feel of my skin. It smells nice, is refreshing, and makes my face feel the cleanest it's felt from a soap/wash, in a long time.
E.L.F. "Drama" Eyeshadow Quadis a fun way to get a smoky eye look. You can be as dramatic or subtle as you want with your look, since there are lighter and darker shades to choose from. I'm really loving this "quad." The "Super Glossy Lip Shine" is making me happy this week, too. You can't beat $1.00 for a fun way to spruce yourself up!
The Pumpkin Muffins (ok, cupcakes) were a hit this week. They were so easy, I'll be making lots more- it's possible pumpkin muffins will be coming out our ears :). If you try the recipe, let me know what you think!
My hubby and I have been enjoying HULU this week, as an alternative for paying an arm and a leg for cable. It doesn't have the "NFL Sunday Ticket" though, so we may just be getting cable after all ;).
I wanted write out the final paragraph from "The Last Battle" - the last book in the Chronicles of Narnia series. It's beautiful way to end such an amazing series. It's worth sharing, so if nothing else, I can be reminded of the soulful experience I had while reading it.
"Then Aslan turned to then and said: "You do not yet look so happy as I mean you to be."
Lucy said, "We're so afraid of being sent away, Aslan. And you sent us back into our own world so often."
"No fear of that," said Aslan. "Have you not guessed?"
Their hearts leapt, and a wild hope rose within them.
"There was a real railway accident," said Aslan softly. "Your father and mother and all of you are- as you used to call it in the Shadowlands- dead. The term is over: the holidays have begun. The dream is ended: this is the morning."
And as he spoke, he no longer looked to them like a lion; but the things that began to happen after that were so great and beautiful that I cannot write them. And for us this is the end of all the stories, and we can most truly say that they all lived happily ever after. But for them it was only the beginning of the real story. All of their life in this world and their adventures in Narnia had only been the cover and the title page: now at last they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story which no one on earth has has read: which goes on for ever: in which ever chapter is better than the one before."
As a heads up, this is a theological post, so I recognize that that may not interest everyone, but this is something I've been thinking about for a long time, and wanted to share. Join me if you'd like- maybe you'll find it just as interesting as I did!
The phrase "God won't give you more than you can handle"has baffled and frustrated me for years. Not only did it not sit well with my insides when I began to hear it more, but as I researched, and tried to find out where this phrase came from, I discovered that it is absolutely not biblical, and found no where in scripture. It's not a verse. I think it's become something that people say, or a gross misinterpretation that stems from this verse:
"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 Corinthians 10:13
Temptation and bearing suffering, strike me as two very different things, yet I feel like people have taken it to mean that God won't give you what you can't bear, in a general sense. I take this verse to mean, that He will not lead you into temptation and sin, and is gracious and faithful to always provide you with opportunities to walk away from what you are tempted by. There in nothing in that verse that talks about the pain, confusion, and suffering we bear in our lives. Somehow the phrase, "God won't give you more than you can handle," has morphed into a way to explain hardships and put purpose to the awful things that we walk through sometimes. But, it's not biblical at all, so I'd like to submit to you why I believe that phrase misrepresents God, and what we should say instead.
Breaking It Down
1) "God won't give you more than you can handle," implies that God is the one letting evil, abuse, pain, anxiety, etc, into our lives. AND, not only allowing it in our lives, but that he is the one piling it on, just because "we can handle it." How twisted is that? That a God would give us disasters and pain simply to teach us things , or for sake of handling it (I'm still trying to figure out the story of Job, and probably will never understand that one- just throwing that out there.)? The image of God that phrase gives me, makes me want to run from that God. Now, I believe fully, He makes beauty out of ashes, and that when pain and suffering happens, he walks with us, and meets us there to turn our tragedies into something beautiful. But, I don't buy FOR A SECOND, that he is the one handing us our troubles. It's absolutely ludicrous.
2) There is much that happens to people every day that we were NEVER meant to handle! Rape, genocide, abuse, illness, you name it. This world is full of evil and cruelty that no one should ever have to endure or "handle." When we say that God is the one handing us those things, it assumes that he is then responsible for bringing evil things into our life. It also assumes that he gives good bad things to some people, but bad things to others- like he's playing favorite, in a way. I believe, rather, that he never meant for us to "handle" any of the pain that we face. His purpose for us is to live in freedom, and in the absolute wholeness of his love and grace. If he's giving us what we're supposed to "handle" there is too much complexity in how that would possibly match up with his character. There are horrible things that happen in this world, and to people every single day. If God is the mastermind behind that, it contradicts who he is.
Examples:
So, you're telling me that girl who sexually abused her whole childhood had that happen to her because she can handle it?
Or that a mom who is super anxious, and on the verge of a breakdown and fighting depression, is given that because she can handle it?
Or the parents who lose a child in car accident, had that happen to them and not someone else, simply because they could handle it?
Um, I don't think so. NO ONE should have to deal with pain like that, and God is most certainly not the one bringing that into people's lives. He is grieving with us, wishing with us, that that never would have happened. Like I said, there are so many things in this world that we were never meant to handle, and it's because of the evil and cruelty we see and experience, that we run to Christ. Why would I possibly want to run to the one, who not only put those things in my life, but masterminded them, you know? The bad things we have to "handle" are not at all from God, in my opinion.
3) It minimizes each others pain. It serves as a conversation shut down-er, because who is going to argue that phrase, when they are hurting so deeply. It puts a wedge between relationships, because it attempts to explain pain, rather than sympathize and give compassion. I'm not saying that someone would do that intentionally, but I think than any christian jargon that's thrown out there in hopes of explaining why something is happening, causes more harm than help. Sometimes sitting with a friend, and listening to them talk about what they are going through, and offering your presence, instead of your opinion, is more Christ-like to me
4) That phrase isn't biblical, like I said. Life is hard because there is sin in this world, and people have free will to good, or evil. And you know what? I also believe that there are other free beings- angels and demons- that we are affected by, and I don't discount that much of the evil in this world is a result of the battle going on around us constantly, that we don't always see. We have a tendency to try and put purpose to evil. But, there is no original purpose to evil. It stands alone, as evil, through beings' choices. When we try to put meaning to why evil happens, and put God in the center of that explanation, it assumes that He is responsible for the evil and pain in our life. That phrase makes God look like the bad guy. God isn't the bad guy, there is no original purpose in evil, and we are in a constant battlefield, bearing more than is possibly manageable.
The Alternative
I'd like to throw out an idea that the phrase, "God won't give you more than you can handle,"
should really say this:
"We can't give God more than HE can handle."
My cores knows that even in the most horrible situations we were never meant to even endure, that God is amazingly good at making the awful into the beautiful. He can turn death into life, and can turn pain, into strength. No matter what we are facing, we can give that to him, knowing that he is walking with us, feeling what we do, and is able to take in our fears, anxieties, and worries, and carry them for us.
I have to rest in the truths that I know. God is good, he loves deeply, and unreservedly. He wants good things for me that bring peace and wholeness. He wants union with me. He is never the cause of chaos, and won't lead me into disaster. I believe that with my whole heart. And when disaster comes, He is there, walking right beside me to make beautiful things out what I should never have had to handle in the first place. He's really good at that.
Give him your burdens, because he CAN handle them, because we so clearly were never meant to.
You can also link up with BEX to see some other really great "Thursday Latelies" videos, and meet some new friends
Battery Park Purplenailpolish is my fave nail polish this week. I'm lovin' me some purple.
Bobby and I are adoring our Griddle. You should totally use one to cook... well... EVERYTHING! (except bacon- bluckkk)
We celebrated 6 years of marriage.
Bobby works so hard, is a wonderful father, and loves me well. I'm one lucky gal!
I want a gajillion more years with him.
Steelhead Diner by Pike Place Market- Fantastic!
The night was gorgeous. The sky looked hand painted just for us.
He's the best of the night, though.
THEN we celebrated my 27 years of life
Birthdays are so much fun, especially when you feel lots of love. Thanks everyone, for the sweet and kind birthday wishes. I'm so glad you are all in my life.
Silly me
Bobby has accompanied me throughout all of my twenties so far,
and I love that we've grown up together.
4 Generations! My grandma moved here a year ago,
and we LOVE being able to share life with her.
What's a birthday without the perfect dinner and dessert?
Homemade Mac and Cheese, upon my request
Thanks, Dad!
Carmelitas- An absolute favorite dessert of mine.
Thanks, Mom!
I'll post recipes for both soon. They were both unbelievably
delicious!
Bellevue Christian's first ever football game was a blast!
AND where Layla's new crush started :)
(I refuse to be the mom who embarrasses my kids by talking about things I'm not supposed to in front of people- like a crush. BUT, when they are 4, and the one begging you to tell everyone, I think that's an exception. 10 years from now, my lips will be sealed. Boundaries, people.)
Bobby and Cullen cheering on the Vikings!
Bobby and my dad talking football.
Us Ladies showing some Viking love
What a spectacular night for an inaugural game, AND win.
Ms. Layla started school this week. She loves school and I'm really grateful for the time with Cullen and to myself!
My sweet Layla-bug at school- First day of the year!
Such a model
Headed out for another day
Moon Dough with her friend, Tessa
Cutting out her favorite foods.
She cut out a picture of a baby- not sure she totally got the idea ;)
So there's my week in pictures, folks.
What a gift it was to celebrate life, celebrate accomplishments, start a new year,
