one time…

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[this is my own rendition of paige‘s ‘member that time posts, i’m always trying to be like my idol]

one time, i was with my friends at a hotel in minneapolis. and i had to pee, but i didn’t because i was having too much fun. and then we decided to go get snacks at the vending machine. and my friend jessie made me laugh so hard that i fell on the floor and got in the fetal position and couldn’t stop laughing. then i peed right there on the hotel hallway floor.

but hey, i was only like, 16 or something.

baby booties

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aren’t these just the cutest? i found the basic pattern here. i think the “moccasin” style is stinking aborable, but my mom pointed out that most moms like to have simple clothing that will go with a lot. she’s so wise. so i used a neutral “boot” color and a blue.

it was a challenge working with such tiny needles, but now i’m that much more practiced at knitting.

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my favorite meal ever.

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Poached Egg on Toast

I don’t know what has come over me the last two weeks, but i only have eyes for poached eggs.

I finally figured out how to poach eggs and now I can’t stop eating them. It took several failed attempts and wasted organic eggs to get it right, so for those of you who have been craving poached eggs like I have [i’m sure that’s all of you, right?], here are some helpful tips to poaching your own egg.

Step One: boil water in a small sauce pan.

Step Two: pull out your toaster [if it’s in the cupboard like mine is], the butter and a slice of bread. don’t start toasting yet, it’s all about timing.

Step Three: crack one egg in a bowl or cup

Step Four: once the water is boiling, turn down the heat to medium high and give the water a good stir so there is a mini tornado in your boiling water. dump the egg in the center of the “storm.”

Step Five: stick your bread in the toaster and start toasting. it should pop up in 1-2 minutes so you’ll have just enough time to butter the toast before the egg is cooked. the egg will take 3-4 minutes to cook.

Step Six: using a slotted spoon, scoop up the cooked egg and drain the water off, place on your piece of toast. pop the egg and salt until taste.

i’m gonna go make myself some poached eggs right now!

‘member that time?

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‘member that time when i signed my own yearbook? and remember how all i wrote to myself in eighth grade was:
Hey Hun
-LisaGrace
and remember how someone else a bunch of other girls also wrote “hey hun” but some of them spelled it “hon” and so i changed my totally original signature from “hey hun” to “hey hon” halfway through the yearbook signing sess?

and remember how at the beginning of that year, i forgot about school picture day and this is what i looked like on school picture day?

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but remember how despite my awkward school picture [or maybe because of the picture] i still was popular enough to get voted “funniest girl” in the whole eighth grade?!?

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that’s right people, out of 367 kids, i was voted funniest. eat it.

this blog is linked to my hilarious friend paige’s blog here.

vague request

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i know this is extremely vague, but if you read this today and think of me, could you pray for me? i don’t know what God has in store, but i am very anxious about it.

i know God is in control, but things feel rather out of control right now.

your prayers are very appreciated!

winter head wrap

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headwrap

i literally made this knitting pattern up. that’s how awesome i am. i knew what i wanted it to look like because i saw one just like on miss valerie‘s head. it took me about 20 do-overs to get it just right. good thing it’s small! i think i’ll be selling these in my future etsy shop this winter. : )

here’s what it looks like on my head:

model

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the women

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well, i have absolutely no subjects for a hilarious blog. so in the interim, you get to read a spiritual one.

i was reading matthew one last week as per my bible read-thru plan. as i was reading through the genealogy of Jesus, and i was really struck by the mention of women. i’ve often heard it mentioned as a curious thing as genealogies are always stated through the male line, and it’s rare that women are mentioned at all. but this is not what struck me.

as my eyes scanned each woman’s name, i thought of each of their stories. tamar, rahab, ruth, bathsheba, mary…each a totally different woman, with a totally different background. i was especially thoughtful of tamar, ruth and bathsheba.

tamar’s story is, to be blunt, messed up. in short, she dresses as a prostitute so her father-in-law will impregnate her. but in more detail, her father-in-law [Judah, son of Jacob] had deprived her of really her only rights as a woman back then: to bear children. so what does she do to keep her rights as a woman? she tricks her father-in-law so that she may bear a child from his family. you can read the full story here.

this woman is in the line of jesus.

ruth’s story is amazing, actually. it is very much the opposite of tamar. her husband dies, and she responds rightly in spite of her pain. she comforts her mother-in-law [who is a widower herself] by selflessly giving up her life and following naomi and the one true god. in the midst of this, god rewards her for her selflessness with a husband, boaz and also children by him.

this woman is in the line of jesus.

the story of bathsheba simply makes me furious. i get so mad at king david, a so-called “man of god.” [not that he wasn’t, but this story is not a good example of his godliness]. king david “takes” her, gets her pregnant, and kills her husband out of guilt. it’s just infuriating to me. but god makes the most sinful and unfair things into purposeful ones and bathsheba gives birth to solomon.

this woman is in the line of jesus.

revisiting these three stories caused me to reflect on who our god is and what his character is like. he is perfect, he is just, he is merciful, and he is all-knowing. even when life seems completely unfair because your husbands are evil and you can’t have children, or your husband dies and you choose to give up everything, or when a king kills your husband to have you, god has a purpose for your life. and the result of these women’s suffering was that they were honored to be in the line of jesus, the savior of the world.

pretty amazing, right?

2011 Tools [Budget]

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In 2011, our main financial goal is to pay cash for Bryan’s last year [YAY!!!!!!!] of college. This semester is paid for, thanks to a whopping scholarship, bryan’s awesome grandparents and some savings.

We were blessed to start out the new year with over $1,000 in our emergency fund [thanks mom and dad alsbury!], a completely fixed car [we had some non-emergency things to fix totalling about $600], and one months of expenses in our checking account. i love starting the year out right.

We have also revamped our budget a little bit this year, which I’m very excited about. We’re focusing on our sinking funds, so that all those little things we have to pay for throughout the year don’t catch us by surprise and drain our emergency fund.

i thought that some of you would appreciate seeing what our budget looks like, for either the purpose of being nosy or the purpose of knowing how to start your own. [either way is fine with me, but i do hope you have your own budget or will be inspired to start your own!]

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between my three jobs and bryan’s plasma money, we make about $2,350 before taxes. our taxes are about $350, so this budget is based off of $2,000 in income each month.

let me know if you have any questions!