LOVE

What is LOVE? It is such a popular word. People love to sing about it, talk about it write about it. You hear the word love all the time. But what does it really mean.

Our society (especially my generation and younger) seems to think that love means there is no wrong. If I love the person I can't tell them I dislike their action or that I think their action is wrong. If you love you must accept it all. I beg to differ. The Bible shows us that there is different types of love, and before I had children I honestly didn't understand the different types of love. Well I knew them, read about them, but I just didn't have full knowledge of them. Having my kids has taught me more about God's love, than I think anyone can. I love my kids more than I can imagine, I honestly think I would jump in front of a bus for them (I hope I don't have to though). And even though I would risk my life for them, there are times when I have to correct them. It doesn't mean I don't love them, it just means that their behavior is not acceptable and I need to correct/instruct firmly but with love. I correct because I love them and want them to grow up and turn into wonderful adults who are respectful, moral, God loving men and women. If I didn't correct them, they would turn into absolute brats. That's what happens when you let a three year old do whatever it is that makes them happy.

I am honestly tired of hearing people defend their behavior by bringing up love..."shouldn't we all just love people." Yes we should and I love people, but that does not mean I have to accept every one's behavior. The bottom line is we are all sinners, we have all done things unpleasing in the eyes of God and yet due to his amazing and wonderful GRACE I am still saved, he still loves me, but he does not like the sin. I love Ethan but when I tell him to stop running in the house and he does it anyway, he gets a punishment. It doesn't change how much I love him, it just means that it can be dangerous for him to run in the house. He can fall and hurt himself (which in his case can be very serious), or he could hurt his young sister. I am correcting his action to protect him (and his sister), not because I don't love him.

I just don't understand the argument that if it has to do with love then it can't be wrong. Some people love to do drugs, so should we make that legal, by all means if it makes them happy and they love it then who am I to say no. If two young teens want to have premarital sex because they "love" each other, really we should just let that slide and watch the statistics of sexually transmitted disease, teen pregnancy, and abortion go up. Just because you love doesn't make it okay and safe and healthy for us and just because I disagree with your behavior and choices doesn't mean I love you less, it just means that I don't like/love your behavior. God commands us to love our neighbor as ourselves, but he does not command us to love the sin and God's word clear in the things we should not do and that are sin. The Bible is also clear and says to "go and sin no more." John 8:11. Not go and keep doing the behavior you have been doing because it makes you happy and I love you and so since I love you I don't want to tell you you are sinning. No He made it clear AND SIN NO MORE. God loves us all, but God hates sin. He can't even be in the presence of sin and it is only by Jesus shedding his blood and covering us do we get to receive the GRACE.

Zucchini Cake

Tonight at church we had a potluck and we were supposed to bring a dish from our ethnic heritage. Well since I am about 7 different things, I thought about bringing a Heinz 57 ketchup bottle, but instead I decided to bring something that I have always liked...a Zucchini Cake!

It just so happened that I had been given a rather large zucchini the other day so that made this pretty nice! The cake was delicious and I think most people who tried it tonight enjoyed it! So I have decided to share the recipe with you. Hope my mom doesn't mind, since I got it from her. Love you mom!

Ingredients:
3 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 cup oil
3 tsp vanilla
2 cups grated zucchini
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
3 tsp cinnamon


Combine eggs, sugar, oil, and vanilla.

Beat until smooth.


Add zucchini and stir to combine.

Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Stir dry ingredients into zucchini mixture. Pour into greased and floured 9x13 pan.


Bake at 325 for 50 minutes.


I then like to frost my zucchini cake with a cream cheese frosting. I didn't make my frosting from scratch, I bought it. Me and the Betty Crocker company have a good relationship when I comes to frostings.

DELICIOUS!!

Recipe Ideas

So have been given a bunch of fruit and veggies that were grown in our pastors yard. I have so many I am afraid some things might go bad.


We have lemons
(which I usually turn into lemonade, but I was looking for another idea)

Zucchini's

Oranges (also often becomes juice).
I also have a ton of peaches, which are absolutely amazing. I stopped buying peaches in the store because everytime I bought them they were dry and chalky. But since I know where these are grown and they were just picked off the tree on Tuesday, they are wonderful.

So if you have any recipe ideas let me know. I seem to be out of creative ideas for food right now.

Pampering

I got a hair cut today. Chris says not many people will notice the difference since the front didn't really get cut much at all. Really the back got chopped and the rest just got groomed. But it feels so much lighter, which is good because in the heat and abnormal humidity we have been having I have had the urge to shave it all off.

Here is the before photo:

And the after:
The lighting was much more favorable, to my non make-up face, at night when I got home from my hair cut. Anyway, tonight was just a much needed pampering moment. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Bookslings

It is amazing the things I can accomplish when not working. I have had tons of little projects planned since we moved into this house. I am getting some crossed off the list, the question is whether I will get them all done by the time I go back to work.

One of my projects was to make Bookslings to go in Ethan's room and to hold his books. I was super excited about this project. And no this was not a project for my sewing machine...that will be coming soon...I hope. This was a no-sew project. If I was still in the habit of blogging I would have taken photos of the project while I was making it, but I am a bit out of practice. So I only have a photo of the finished project.



I think they turned out pretty cute and now Ethan's books are in a nice location in his room (instead of in Chris's office) where he can get them out himself. It took me about four hours to make them. I don't exactly have all the tools required from some craft projects (like fabric sheers so my coupon cutting scissors had to do and man are they dull) so it took me longer than it needed to. Overall it cost me about $15-20 per sling also, a little more than I was hoping, but not too expensive. The best part, Ethan loves having his books right there for him!

Whirlwind

Next Monday Kinlee will be two months old. Life has been pretty busy around here since Kinlee was born but I still can't believe how fast it has gone by. In her two months of life Kinlee has been to her first wedding (complete with hotel stay), had a million kisses from her big brother, been to the beach, been to Lake Gregory, gone to the beach (Coronado), been to a waterpark, seen (or slept though) her first firework show on Fourth of July, been to the Del Mar Fair, enjoyed a youth group pool party...and so many other things. It has been one crazy whirlwind and Kinlee has done AMAZING! She is by far the most laidback baby I think I have ever met. She just goes with the flow and seems to be happy checking out all the new scenery she gets to see. Here are a few photos of her first two months.

Welcome to the world Kinlee!

Ethan is such a proud big brother!

In her dress, ready to go to a wedding.

At the children's museum

At the beach... She was helping us lift her brother over the waves. :)

One month old

Father's day

She is a perfect addition to our family and we are loving getting to know her better. We love you Kinlee!