Upside-Down French Toast (with coffee!)

(from Menus for Entertaining, (C) 1960)

Suggested as a "second-wind breakfast / second breakfast" for 2 or 4;

Menu:
1. UPSIDE-DOWN FRENCH TOAST

2. COFFEE OR TEA*

*Use cold water when brewing coffee - it has fewer impurities, according to the Coffee Brewing Institute.

Upside-Down French Toast

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp butter

1/4 c. brown sugar

1/4 c. crushed pineapple

1 egg

3/4 c. milk

1/8 tsp. salt

4 slices bread

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a 9-inch square baking pan.

3. Into the butter stir 1/4 cup brown sugar and 1/4 cup crushed pineapple, drained of almost all its syrup.

4. Spread this mixture evenly over bottom of pan.

5. In a bowl beat together 1 egg, 3/4 cup milk, and 1/8 teaspoon salt.

6. Soak 4 slices bread in milk mixture until soft, then lay over the pineapple and brown sugar in the pan.

7. Bake for 25 minutes, or until lightly browned, and cool 1 minute before inverting on a heated serving platter.

way old new Christmas cards!

I just found this neat idea - and a great way to get rid of clutter HERE. :)

(re-using old [Christmas or other] cards to make cute, new ones!)

props!

*also, I shall post some newer-completed-project pictures soon. :-)

way old new Christmas cards!

I just found this neat idea - and a great way to get rid of clutter HERE. :)

(re-using old [Christmas or other] cards to make cute, new ones!)

props!

*also, I shall post some newer-completed-project pictures soon. :-)

bits and pieces

I am going through my old papers and tossing them into the recycle; however, I want to save some of the thoughts and words I found therein. Some of them are my own, others are pieces of sermons heard while on the road and may or may not have original authors' names applied (unintentionally, of course, because highway driving is only conducive to so much writing before accidental lane-changes ;) )So this may seem very bits-and-pieces, but that's what it is. Mayhap it shall inspire conversation to the furthering of sanctification; if that is so, God be praised!

"I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing."

~Does that mean Christ promotes sin?
~~It becomes evident that we ourselves are sinners.

"Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go & bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, He may give it you." - John 15:16

In the very act of believing, you are experiencing God's begetting. {Left to yourself and your deadness, you will not believe!} -Piper

ANTINOMIANISM: (Antinomianism comes from two Greek words: antimeans against and nomos means law. So antinomianism means against the law, against God's moral law. It means lawlessness.)

"I want to live all You died for me to be" -Ray Boltz

Labor is easy to those of a cheerful spirit.

twins in community

A friend recently gave me a book to read. (Not very many people these days hand me a book to read; usually, they suggest books, but this person gave me the book). . . I am reading it, and finding it very interesting and enlightening, and very applicable in light of life as of late. Here is an excerpt, an example given in chapter 2:

"Imagine a young couple, Bob and Mary, who are involved in a local congregation. Mary gives birth to twins. Bob and Mary are now facing the prospect of trying to cope with babies who constantly need feeding and changing. In the first model, juggling the church ball alongside the new family responsibilities becomes impossible. Bob and Mary decide they will have to forget being involved in church activities on anything more than a minimal level for quite some time. So they make a unilateral decision to absent themselves from much of church life.

"In the alternative model, it is not only Bob and Mary's issue when the babies are born. It is an issue for the whole church. The congregation takes on some of the responsibility because their identity and life is that of persons-in-community. So perhaps a couple of people go around early each morning to bathe the babies so Bob and Mary can have some time together over breakfast. Or someone offers to take Bob to work for a few months so that on the way Bob can sleep or read his Bible, or they can pray together because Bob is not getting much chance to do these things at home. Bob and Mary may not be as involve in the church meetings, but they are more involved then ever inthe life of the community." (from the chapter entitled "Why Community?" in the book Total Church by Tim Chester and Steve Timmis)

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this li'l bit, or pass the book your direction when I'm finished =) Holla.

Lady of Reckless Abandonment

Mel and I are going through "Lady in Waiting" (by Jackie Kendall and Debby Jones). It's possibly my fifth time reading the book, and high time I shared with someone else what I've been reading. Lady in Waiting (can I dispense with the quotation marks after using them once? please?) is a very challenging book for singles (even for guys!).

The very first chapter is entitled, "Lady of Reckless Abandonment." Two women are memorialized in this chapter - Ruth, and the sobbing, perfume-smearing woman of the New Testament.

Some thought-provoking quotes from this chapter are:
(quoted from another book, "Learning to Be A Woman") - "A woman is not born a woman. Nor does she become one when she marries a man, bears a child and does their dirty linen, not even when she joins a women's liberation movement. A woman becomes a woman when she becomes what God wants her to be."

..."happy indeed are those people, married or single, who have discovered that happiness is not found in marriage but in a right relationship with God."

Then, the authors mention the Woman with the Alabaster Box. "She... not only anointed Jesus for burial, but gave her all to a heavenly Bridegroom." (Mark 14:3-9, Luke 7:37, Matthew 26:13)

"How do you know if you have broken your alabaster box at the feet of Jesus? Such a decision will be reflected in reckless abandonment to the Lordship of Jesus Christ."

"Take your alabaster box, with your body, soul, and dreams, and entrust them to Jesus. when He is your Lord, you can joyfully walk in the path of life that He has for you."

The authors then mention Ruth as a prime example of a woman who recklessly abandoned herself to follow the Lord. Just recently widowed, she stuck it out with her mother-in-law to be an encouragement to her and followed the Lord she had recently "met." She left Moab **

**(called the "washbasin," / "washpot" (Ps. 60:8)(108:9)

and went to Bethlehem ("house of bread").

The authors commend Ruth's move as being beneficial to her spiritual growth; "even today there exist 'Moabites' who will undermine your growth if you spend too much time with them. Sometimes mediocre Christians resist the zeal and commitment of a dedicated single woman. Realizing that one's friends drive you either toward or away from God, you may need to find a 'new people' who will encourage your growth and not hinder it."

he who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm. pr. 13:20

"you mirror those who influence you. . . when a woman stops growing spiritually, the lack of progress can often be traced back to a friendship that undermined her commitment to Jesus."

do not be deceived. bad company corrupts good morals. (i cor. 15:33).

"your best friends should be cheering you on in your commitment to Jesus."

let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. (heb 10:24)

"like Ruth, look for something that will stimulate your growth in the Lord."

Sometimes this may mean moving to a different city, or state, or country. If you are in a desert currently, and growth is hard to "find," it may be time to move on to a new location, or find a different place to serve - one where you can be a spur and be spurred.

I have found that baby steps come in very handy here. It is crucial (at least, right now for myself!) that I surround myself with believers and focus on Scripture. I am memorizing Romans (and some other passages!) to keep my heart where it ought to be - focused on Christ, not this or that man! Carrying around notecards with verses written out is a great example of a baby step in keeping my heart focused on the Lord, and an excellent motivation to keep me excited on this "reckless" journey. :)

Also, more often i am seeing - in the various books I am reading - an undertone of this: Are you content to offer Jesus that which cost you nothing? ... "are you influencing those around you to consider a life-changing commitment to Jesus Christ"

I know I have been "influenced" by others - or rather, spurred, if you like the Hebrews terminology. I have been really enjoying being back in Michigan, simply because of the fellowship I find much closer now, less than an hour away! Being part of the earth-wide Body is also an encouragement, as many of my friends are migrating to distant shores, and the following quote I have taken as my "challenge" for the next few days (to start!)

Does your commitment to Jesus cause those around you to seriously consider whether Jesus is Lord of their lives?...

and the final chapter the authors give is this, and you can ask me how this is going:
Choose right now to put mediocrity behind you; courageously determine to pursue Jesus with your whole heart, soul, and mind. As a single woman, this is the perfect moment to establish a radical relationship with Jesus and remove any tokenism from your Christian walk.

:) All this I leave with you, readers, because I desire to challenge you with my "challenges" as well! May God grant you the wisdom to read between my lines and hear what He has to say on the matter!

200 stolen (from Mr. C) questions

200. My Middle Name Is:
Elaine

199. I was born:
December 17, 1983 @ Blodgett Memorial Hospital in Grand Rapids, Michigan (at 11:09am)

198. I am:
an adopted child of the living God, a student, a teacher, a daughter, a sister, a friend, an auntie to all my friends' babies, and learning something new (or several things!) daily...

197. My cell phone is:
capable of sending random blank text messages to certain people (rather then messages with crucial information that i think i was sending...)

196. My eye color is:
greenish-hazel

195. My shoe size is:
women's: 10.5 or 11 men's: 9ish (because i have wide feet. LAME! )

194. My ringtone is:
Big House by Audio A. I recorded it from the computer... speakers ;)

193. My height is:
5 feet, 4 and three quarters inches. given I am barefoot and not slouching.

192. I am allergic to:
kitties (if they are unclean or hair-shedders - but i still likes them!), tree pollen (as I discovered in Arizona! boo.), ragweed, and men. I think I may also be allergic to romance novels that have nothing to do with Christ... *shudders*

190. I live in:
a house with my family (for now) in my old bedroom since I was about 15...

189. The last book I read:
finished? "Betrayal" by Jeanette Windle. VERY GOOD. :-) Currently reading? Several... ;)

188. My bed is:
blankety. lots of blankets. I sleep like a taterpiller...

187. Are you happy with your life?
yes :)

186. Last person to send you a text message:
amyconklin!

185. Ever smoked a cigarette:
only those pretend candy ones that get dust everywhere. haha.

184. AIM or MSN or Yahoo:
google chat, skype, and aim. depending if someone is on any of those and wants to trade voices or letters...

183. Do you email:
of course, but i PREFER hand-written snail....

182. How is the weather today:
moist. and there are leaves all over the ground everywhere. it is neato-keen.

181. Do you have your wisdom teeth:
in my mouth? no.... in a box? ....yes. haha.

180. Ever been to Disney Land:
no... and i could have gone, too! hmmm... someday maybe when i grow up i will go.

179. My favorite holiday is:
Resurrection Sunday!

178. The perfect date:
I've always been partial to anything in May. that's usually when things start acting all green (at least in mitchigin...) OH ... the other kind of date, I would say - is a leader who has done his research and planned something Spontaneous that is adaptable to change depending on weather and mood. bua haha. possibly involves throwing o shooting things, or playing with Play-Doh.

177. The last three cds I bought:
Shai Linne's Storiez and Atonement, and Philip LaRue, I think.

176. Last song that made you cry:
a lot of LaRue's songs make me cry. not really.

175. Who is your favorite cousin?
Lesley and Melissa are my close-in-age cousings. . . :) and we grew up relatively close. Melissa's really far away up in Ishpeming now. boo...

174. Who is your favorite road trip bud?
Lester!

173. Who are you IMing right now?
Ryan was clarifying his confusion about Skype. . . a few minutes ago.

172. Who's the last myspace page you looked at?
I have not a clue. I only get on THERE about once every three months.

171. If you could have a baby at the same time as someone else, who would it be?
if I coul PICK? Kelli or Christee, or someone that is near to my age in the same city that can tolerate me, but at this rate, it's going to be Quentin's wife... hahaha.

170. What did you do yesterday?
made Christee go mall-walkin' with me, crocheted some christmas presents, watched "The Visitor" and "17 again" and got frustrated with the prophet Isaiah.

DO YOU BELIEVE IN:
142. Love at first sight?
yes... I love to love on people. hehe.

141. Luck?
y charms? yes. they are tasty. Luck, though, is a "no."

140. Fate?
only in plays.

139. God?
yes, and someday everyone willll...

138. Aliens?
i AM one...

137. Heaven?
yes . . .

136. Hell?
yes. :(

135. Ghosts?
sure

134. Horoscopes?
re: believe = put trust in, A = no.

133. Soul mates?
my shoes and socks usually match. Hopefully if God has a man for me, he plans on sticking around. Therefore he has to be my left foot. . .

WHICH IS BETTER:

129. Hugs or Kisses?
depends on my mood. Hugs are good for comfortation, kisses are good to share love. I love getting kisses at church (even though I'm still getting used to it! hehe)

127. Phone or Online?
in.. person. seriously, why is this not an option. boo.

126. Red Heads or Black Hair?
I um... don't get it. I like everyone that has a head, whether it is hairy or not.

125. Blondes or Brunettes?
i like both. . .

124. Hot or Cold?
i am warm-blooded, i like cold drinks, and i like hot drinks too.

123. Summer or winter?
fall! sweatshirts = amazing!

122. Sun or Rain?
lots of sun with a body of water in the distance. And then a thunderstorm.

121. Chocolate or Vanilla?
Chocolate times infinity!!

120. Night or Morning?
morning when i feel productive, night when i am frisky.

119. Oranges or Apples?
apples with a book

118. Curly or straight hair?
mine is teh best - it can be both, depending on humidity and curling irons (as a straightener). i like people that aren't ashamed of their hair (or lack thereof)

LAST TIME I:

101. Saw someone I hadn't seen in a while?
all the time, ha.

100. Cried in front of someone:
a few weeks ago i think. i cry easier these days. meh!

99. Grew:
apparently some time in college. haha.

90. Who is the ditsiest person you know:
i don't know.

89. Who makes you laugh the most:
many people. God has blessed me with many silly friends. hehe.

87. The last movie you saw:
The Visitor *SEE IT.

82. The thing I don't understand:
calculus and women.

80. The most unsatisfactory answer I've ever received:
well i am a selfish human bean so to me, many answers are unsatisfactory, but by far the worst is "I can't..." from a student who obviously CAN. (boo)

79. The things I plan on doing this summer are:
taking classes, finding places to do practicum, hopefully driving to see some new babies slash old people (on road trips!), finding a job (because schools aren't open in the summer for subbing, usually...)

74. The thing I'm looking forward to most:
That Day.

73. The thing I'm not looking forward to doing:
grace and truth types of confrontation. The truth part is harder for me to "get out."

72. Today:
could be it!

71. This summer:
past? was GREAT. future? ihavenoidea!

70. This week:
is almost over! He is risen!

62. The person who knows the most about me:
Jesus. and then maybe my Christee and Kelli. or Tracie...

61. The person who can read me the best is:
Mel is a reader. boo!

60. The most difficult thing to do is:
let guys lead in friendships, especially when they are still learning (as am i). meh!

54. First time you had a crush:
like 5th grade. grrr.

52. Last time someone said what you were thinking:
Connie before Bible study when we were chillaxin. haha.

51. What is your dream job:
teeeechur n mummy

49. First job:
babysitting, delivering the Advance. Then Red Hot inn (meh!)

46. I hope:
on occasion, to be married some day with a dozen wee things

45. The best smell in the world is:
men's cologne when a man walks by (haha). Or turkey.

44. The person that makes me cry the most:
God

35. Florida or Hawaii:
Mexico?

33. My favorite piece of clothing:
jeans!! (boo teachers having to look "professional!" )

32. My favorite sport is:
to watch - basketball. to play - carpetball. haha.

30. My friends are:
also family. :)

29. My computer:
gets dusty.

28. The school I go to:
right now is "Grand canyon university" - back then, was MSU..

22. The all-time best movie is:
Pride and Prejudice (the BBC version that is 6 hours longish)

21. The all-time best thing in the world is:
the incarnation of Christ.

20. Last thing you ate:
maybe some moon toast.

19. The most annoying thing ever is:
the sound of chewing ...

18. The most annoying person you know is:
that one person. haha. i don't know.

17. I lose all respect for people who:
give up too soon.

16. The movies I have cried at are:
Life is Beautiful, Up, The Notebook, The Passion of the Christ, Flicka. haha. I don't usually cry at movies.

15. Last phone call:
me mum

14. TV shows you watch:
on tv? nothing. on my computer because we have no channels on our tv? Teh Office, Parks and Rec, Grey's Anatomy, 30 Rock. . .

13. Last friend you hung out with:
Christee Marlene Vosburg

12. I want to be:
a mom! haha. or... able to understand Isaiah.

11. The worst pain I ever felt:
maybe when my wisdom teeth were out, but that was actually kind of fun.

9. My room is:
kinda grungy looking. the paint color is.. very Joey.

8. My favorite celebrity is:
I like Brian Regan and Adrian Brody and Mr. Bean. haha.

7. My top person on MySpace:
i don't know. i don't go!

6. My favorite color is:
green lately, and Blue (and navy blue more lately).

5. My weakness is:
thinking

3. Who broke your heart:
me; also, a few people that want nothing to do with Jesus.

2. Things that make you feel great are:
me mum and little brothers! music! revelation! crochet! learning languages! socks! hoodies! the smell of fire! caffeine!

1. If I could do one thing to change the world, it would be...
Crochet on trees. and signposts. haha... or be more genuine about who He is.

Isaiah is annoying me at the present. . .

I've spent so much time reading narratives and epistles lately that jumping back into the Prophetic Books (on my way through the Bible again) are being a difficult mental transition. Meh! So and therefore, I shall not "move on" until I get what's "goin' on..." Or something. But really, indepthly reading books like Romans/ Galatians and the chronicles and Paul's letters is good, but as far as staying on top of those books and continuing my progression through the old testament, ... it's going to be tricky to segregate and integrate my thoughts where necessary. *sigh*. . .

I'd love to discuss the objects of my reading with you all sometime... really! in person, on skype, on googlechat, on aim, with a cup of caffeination, with water, on a walk, in a box, with a fox, ... erm, yeah. But seriously. Being a teacher has taught me so much ... more on that later. My heart needs some logos.

eharmony

Today I subbed for a class of fifth-graders. Overall, they were amazing kids, even if a large number of the school was out sick; However, there was one thing that... I have to share. Because it was one of those times that - as a teacher - laughing at the moment is unacceptable. Such as this.

The students are sitting at their desks, working on copying a Hallowe'en Poem onto a piece of paper. Sam finishes early, and starts pestering other students. I walk over to see if I can find something for you to do.

Sam: "Mrs. Johnson, are you married?" (It's either hit or miss with my name (no pun intended)... I only stress "MISS" (not Ms. or Mrs.) on occasion)...

me: nope.

Sam: "are you single?"

me: yup

Sam: "have you ever dated anyone?"

me: yup (if one can count a junior high romance...)

Sam: "You should go on eharmony."

me: hmmm... Are you ready to work on your newspaper project now? [while internally dying of laughter]

...a few minutes later, one of the girls confided in me "Miss Johnson, Sam wasn't being very nice earlier. He said you should go on eharmony..."

[commence internal laughing]

me: Well, it's ok... mumblemumble...

He DELIGHTED in me.

This morning I woke up - an hour early - super refreshed from not-that-much sleep, and the remnants of my dream stayed with me for the majority of the day.

Jud Kratzer - a friend from college: one of the brave older souls who lived in the dorms with mostly freshman, full of wisdom and humor, and knowledge of fishtype things, who married an amazing woman and dashed off to the great northeast...

was in my dream. He gave me some sage advice, although I'm not even sure how he got in my dream...

And somehow we were talking about how people express themselves differently (perhaps this is because I find it extremely hard to put myself / my thoughts into spoken word at times, as most of my close-ies know. . .

And he said something along the lines of "you're more poetical than logical..."

which was weird, but it makes sense to me, in a way. It's so hard to just "out with it" in conversation sometimes, especially as is the American non-patient way of life and needs answers NOW. I like to think before i speak, and when people are impatient, I end up saying stupid things that never needed to be saying. I've been learning again the importance of shutting up - not all the time, like in high school - but when necessary.

And it's good. . .

But then I woke up with a verse dancing through my head:

He delivered me because He delighted in me. (psalm 18.19b)

And even though I've, well, delighted in this tidbit of a verse before, it was amazing to wake up to it. God is so so so amazing. And beyond my understanding. So I am not even going to attempt to expound - but I'd love your comments! (on blogger or on the FB)! :)