Amazima Ministries International

I checked Facebook this morning and noticed someone posted this website as one of their favorites. While checking it out I came across another blog for a girl named Katie who started Amazima Ministries International. She is originally from Brentwood,TN which is where I work. I couldn't stop reading her blog! I am completely amazed at her wisdom and her desire to follow God and do such huge things at such a young age. I mean the girl has adopted 10-12 African kids to raise on her own and she is like 21 or 22! Not only that but she runs the ministry that feeds and provides education for over 300 kids in Uganda!

I can't help but to see what she does and take a long hard look at my own life. Comparing is not good but sometimes I think it can be helpful. I know God has a plan specifically for me and my life and it may not involve feeding hundreds of kids or adopting 12 children but I am reminded that there is a plan and that I need to seek him daily for guidance.

If you have a chance check out her blog and read about what she is doing.

music

Someone introduced me to Sara Groves several years ago and I haven't stopped listening to her since. This album especially speaks to me.
It was raining outside today and work was especially boring. I got in my car feeling a bit blue and found this cd under my seat. It's not really an upbeat album but it makes me feel peaceful and reminds me that God cares about me and my measly life.
If there was a sound track for my life it would be this.
What song or album really touches you?

dogs..bite

The other night I walked my dog and as we passed another lady with 2 medium sized dogs one of them tore loose from the owner and ran towards us. As the dog was trying (didn't succeed thanks to my protection skillz) to eat my small little Gracie girl it chomped me on the arm pretty good. thankfully Gracie was fine but I am left with a pretty kickin bruise and a few scabs where the teeth got me.

We called the cops and animal control took the dog away to be "quarantined" for 10 days. I felt kind of bad for the lady because it was an accident but at the same time it was freakin scary to be attacked.

Hopefully I don't turn into a werewolf or wake up foaming at the mouth growling at Christian.

tea

A very very small part of my job at work is keeping the kitchen stocked with things to drink. Soda, bottled waters, coffee, and tea.

I got a box of Green tea for everyone to drink because it's supposed to be "healthy". The thing is though is that it always tastes like bitter do do to me when I make it ,but when I get it while at a Chinese/Japanese restaurant it tastes great. This got me thinking-where do I go wrong in making it?

After doing some research these are some things I have found. Maybe they will help you too if your tea tastes bad.

First off- apparently you should not put green tea into boiling water-which I always do! It makes the bitter taste come out. They say you should wait about 5 minutes to let the water cool and then put your tea bag in.

Secondly- depending on where the tea was grown (different soil and climate) will give it more of a sweet or bitter taste. Green teas from Japan are steamed and generally have a savory-sweet note about them which is often likened to seaweed(I don't really think of seaweed when I think of savory and sweet).Green teas from China, India & Sri Lanka - on the other hand - are either fried or baked, which results in a very different flavour. Chinese green teas vary from sweet, ethereal and floral to strong and vegetal. The green tea flavor that many people dislike is most often found in green teas from Sri Lanka and India. So-If you know you like sweet or floral or whatever check where your tea came from before you try it.

Last off- Watch how long you steep it. It seems to me that Green tea actually tastes better if you steep it less than say an Earl Grey or another kind of popular tea.

Hope this helps-Happy Green tea drinking!

The Country

My grandma lives in a town where I would say is in the middle of no where in WV-see above picture. It is absolutely beautiful out there and hasn't changed a bit for as long as I can remember. When she was younger she use to run a dairy farm with my grandpa on the land.

The thought of living out in the country always sounded like a horrible idea to me. Being so far from stores and people and having nothing to do. My cousin often teased me calling me city girl. I really wasn't-more of a suburb kind of girl but compared to him I always felt like I might as well grown up an alien considering our differences. He spent his free time playing out in pastures and I spent mine at the nearest mall or movie theater.

Now that I am older something has changed and continues to change in me. I now see why my grandma lives out there. Why she even likes it and prefers it to a different way of life. The peace and quiet. The beauty of the rolling hills and babbling creek across the road. The fresh air. The wild flowers that grow in the fields. She sits out on her porch for hours a day just admiring the landscape and sipping iced tea.

Country living is not for everyone but honestly I hope I get to experience it someday. I would love to have a large garden and a chicken coop for fresh eggs. Working hard outside and resting and admiring nature. I would love to raise kids in an environment where tv isn't the entertainment of choice but building forts and catching butterflies is. Growing my own vegetables and herbs and simplifying life. A girl can dream I guess right?

moostasheoooo

Somewhere-maybe on a movie- I saw where people drew or even tattooed a tiny mustache on the side of their finger so that when they put their finger up to their nose it looked like they had a mustache. It's a silly idea but it makes me laugh and I could use a good laugh because its dreary and raining outside.
And then there is this guy. He doesn't need a fake mustache because he has the REAL deal!

Video

If you want a good giggle watch this video.

I have been asking the question-What Should I Do With My Life?- for what feels like forever. I embarrassingly typed in that question on Google (because as we all know Google holds all the answers to the universe,ha ha) search last night and this book popped up. From what I can tell it's not one of those self help books. Its a book about different people finding the answer to that question and their journey along the way.

If you have your own story to share please feel free to leave it here. Also, if you have any wisdom in answering that question I could use it. If you don't-I ordered the book so in a few weeks I should have this figured out..not. haha.

I Love you Gi Gi

I saw this and knew I had to get me one of Gi Gi's cupcakes. I have bought fancy bakery cupcakes before. You know- the kind that cost an arm and a leg but taste like total stale grossness (I have a particular Nashville bakery in mind but I won't say the name ;) because of that experience I was hesitant to give it another try-frankly I like my cupcakes just fine and they cost a lot less anyways. We drove to Gi Gi's and I walked in and thought I had died and gone to heaven. There were gigantic cupcakes with mounds on icing sitting in pretty little organized rows. It took me several minutes to decide because they all looked awesome. I settled for the Tiramisu one. It was fabulous. I can eat dessert like nobody's business and it was even hard for me to finish it because it was so rich(in a good way).

The next time I have a moment of weakness I will definitely go back. The down fall is that they aren't dirt cheap-you will be laying down 3 buckaroos for one of these but it's well worth it-Trust me!

The Smoky Mountains

Over the weekend we drove through the Smoky mountains in TN. It is truly beautiful!

I went to the Doc today to let her know that the costochondritis (inflammation of the cartilage in the ribs) she diagnosed me with a year ago is still driving me crazy. She wants me to have a CT scan. Blahhhh

So-instead of feeling blah i choose to be excited for the weekend.

Hope you all have an awesome 4th of July holiday!