pray.trust.live

Pretty Colors

2009-06-05T15:36:00.009-04:00

Enough said...

Mother's Day

2009-05-08T16:31:00.002-04:00

Happy Mother's Day, Mommy!! I LOVE YOU!!!

Another Great Giveaway

2009-05-04T10:54:00.005-04:00

Head over to http://sherbetblossom.blogspot.com/ for another great giveaway! This time it's jewelry. LOVE IT!!! You can also click the sherbetblossom button over on the left to get there.

One of these days I'm actually going to win one of these things...

Leo's Newest Trick

2009-04-14T15:15:00.002-04:00

I love GIVEAWAYS!

2009-04-14T10:07:00.002-04:00

Ok, so I LOVE a good giveaway and I found a GREAT one today at sherbet blossom! For a few weeks I've been following a blog here. I've always enjoyed writing and journaling but often find it difficult to know WHAT I want to write about. This site has been AWESOME because the prompts make it easy to come up with new ideas and write, write, write. SO, if you'd like to enter a cool give away visit Hannah at sherbet blossom (you can click the link or the button on my page) and if you want some inspiration head on over to Marta's site. Enjoy and good luck!!

p.s. Easter post to come soon!

Stupid Human Tricks

2009-04-02T11:46:00.005-04:00

Ok, so here's the set up: A couple of weeks ago at youth group Matt told the youth that it was impossible to swallow a teaspoon of cinnamon. I'm not exactly sure how things escalated from there but I DO remember hearing the words "I bet you can't do it" being said (and if I'm not mistaken they came from the lips of my husband) and from there it was on. Now, I'm a rule follower (for the most part) so if someone tells me that I should do something or there are specific instructions, signs, directions (ie-arrows in a parking lot) then I'm fine, you won't hear any rebuttal from me. HOWEVER, when I hear the words "You CAN'T do that", as in, "You don't have the ability", well then, sister let me tell you it is on...like Gonkey Kong (according to Brooke Simmons). So, once the words were out the challenge had been issued and I accepted. SO, after our youth lesson, including wonderful words of spiritual wisdom from said challenge issuing husband, I began the search for the cinnamon. We (Matt, 10 youth, and I) headed to the front yard where I was CONVINCED that I would be proving Matt VERY WRONG. I mean after all it was just tiny teaspoon of cinnamon...right?

The following is a visual sample of how it all went down...

I guess I don't need to explain to you that I lost the challenge and that it is, in fact, not possible to swallow cinnamon. Why? Well, because when cinnamon gets wet it clumps (a fact that I as one who does a lot of cooking/baking had somehow forgotten). I clearly remember praying that the Lord would not let me choke to death at youth group in front of the pastor's house.

So...Matt was right.

Maybe I should just stick to following the arrows in the parking lot...

(Just a quick disclaimer: this really isn't a very safe trick. Once the cinnamon is in your mouth you really do start to choke. So put this one under the "do not try this at home (OR youth camp)" file.) : )

Quotable Quotes

2009-04-02T10:14:00.002-04:00

We must be willing to get rid of the life we’ve planned,

so as to have the life that is waiting for us.
―Joseph Campbell

Cute Joke

2009-02-16T15:56:00.003-05:00

What did zero say to eight?

"Nice belt!" : )

Tag...I'm it.

2009-01-19T12:42:00.007-05:00

My friend Tracy is hilarious, fun, beautiful, and real. Matt and I feel very blessed that God has given us so many amazing friends since moving to Indy. Tracy is in my ladies' Bible study group. She says "Y'all" all the time and I LOVE IT!! She lovingly tagged me in her last blog so here we go:

Go to your picture files, pick the fourth folder and the fourth picture in that folder and explain it!

This picture of Matt and I was taken a couple of years ago when we went to visit our friends Gary and Jess in Virginia. I think it was actually our first real vacation as a married couple. We spent the week hanging out, going to Virginia Beach and eating at lots of fun places. I'm glad we did that. I'm pretty sure our next few years won't include any real vacations. But that's a whole other story that noone wants to hear. : )

Just for the fun of it here a couple more oldies but goodies. Enjoy!

Leo's first night at home, almost a year ago.

Matt and Leo playing.

So now, It's my turn to tag: Mom and Erin--YOU'RE IT! : )

SHOES!!!

2008-12-08T12:03:00.002-05:00

What could be a better giveaway than SHOES??? And believe me these are some GREAT shoes. Head over to THIS site to enter to win or you can click on the Sherbet Blossom Holiday Giveaway Button to the right! Good luck!! (But here's to secretly hoping that I will be the winner.) : ) I want THIS pair:

Giveaways!

2008-12-08T11:47:00.002-05:00

I LOVE giveaways!! Do you?? If so check out THIS link for some AWESOME ones!! (For a quick link see button on right side.)

My Sweet Man

2008-11-24T12:48:00.004-05:00

Ok, for starters, I'm not sure why blogger is so fickle but I'm happy that I was finally able to change my background. Hopefully it won't give me that much trouble when I decide to change it again. Oh well...

It's been a few days...weeks...since I last posted. We've been so busy and quite frankly life hasn't been uber exciting. Its just been the normal everyday life stuff.

Tuesday (the 18th) was our 2nd wedding anniversary. Some moments it is hard to believe we've been married that long and other moments it seems like much longer. NOT IN A BAD WAY...don't get me wrong. It's more that I have a hard time remembering what my life was like when I wasn't married to Matt. Seriously...what was that like??

Anyway, we had tickets to the Pacers vs. Hawks game on Tuesday night. Heath was in town and staying with us so we three ventured into downtown to Conseco Fieldhouse for the event. Our seats were great and we also had access to the Locker Room Restaurant. Unbeknownst to me, Larry Bird is the GM for the Pacers. "WHAT??? Did she just say Larry Bird??" Yes, that would be THE Larry Bird. Now I'm not a huge NBA fan but even I can appreciate and recognize the greatness that Mr. Bird represents. So, because of our access and where Larry was sitting (right by the tunnel to the restaurant) we were able to get his autograph. I'm pretty sure Heath was overwhelmed and I'm completely sure that he was sweating profusely in his Contanza puffy coat. Matt tells the story that he MET Larry Bird. I don't think that "Thank you." and "You're welcome." REALLY constitute as a meeting (quite sure that names need to be involved to label it that, but who am I to spoil the fun?? : ) We then decided to get some food as the game wrapped up. (Yay Pacers for winning!!) We were able to watch the team head to the locker room and a few even came into the restaurant (and of course Heath got more autographs. Honestly, the more time I spend with him the more I wonder if they actually adapted the George character after him.) We and another big group of people ended up leaving the restaurant at about the same time and as we were about the step onto the elevator two of the men in the group started to argue. Now, if you know me well you know that I'm terrified of conflict and even more so if it has the potential to get physical. Well, these two were on the threshold of recreating a scene from Rocky and I was not about to be anywhere near that. I hid behind some stranger. The group got on the elevator. We got on another elevator. When we got to the main lobby sure enough Mr. Bigshot and The Punk (as I've now dubbed them) were outside trading punches...really mature, but that's what alcohol and arrogance will do for you. Of course Matt and Heath wanted to follow the action. By this time security guards were sprinting past us to break up the malay. You can also go HERE to read Heath's version of the story. Needless to say, I won't soon forget what we did on our 2nd anniversary. : )

Since our actual anniversary was on a Tuesday we had decided to celebrate the weekend after. Matt had been sneaking around making plans to which I was COMPLETELY clueless. I knew we were having dinner at the Melting Pot (LOVE that place) but after that I didn't know what our plans were. As it turns out he had booked us a room at Hotel Indigo. It's an amazing place. We had a great time just relaxing and not worrying about ONE SINGLE THING. He took care of every little detail and made it a wonderful little getaway. He gave me THIS and THIS and THESE. I gotta say my man knows the way to my heart...football and chocolate. : ) So, Matty I just have to say THANK YOU for EVERYTHING!! You made me fall even more in love with you. I pray we have a lifetime of those moments.

I'll post some pics from the game and dinner soon!

Thank you President Bush

2008-11-05T15:53:00.002-05:00

I really appreciated THIS article that I read today. I'm not going to blog about the election. I'm just not in a place where I feel that it is necessary or that I could write it with grace so I'm choosing silence on the issue for now. Besides I think the web has seen enough post election blogs for one day. : )

Bowden Gets Booted!!

2008-10-13T12:25:00.004-04:00

So FINALLY someone wised up and did what we Tiger fans have been wanting for a while now. Maybe now we can get somewhere. C-L-E-M-S-O-N T-I-G-E-R-S!!!!

Had a bad day...

2008-10-10T14:51:00.002-04:00

The last 18 hours of our lives have been quite the adventure. On Thursday evenings I go to a ladies’ Bible study. I look forward to this every week because it is such a refreshing and refueling time for me. Our group of ladies is amazing and they have been such an encouragement to me over the last few months. So last night, being Thursday, Matt dropped me and another lady off at the house where we meet. He was going over to our friends, Jeff and Tessa’s house to watch their kids so Tessa could come to Bible study. About 10 minutes after Matt dropped us off my phone rang.

Matt: “Hey, listen, I’ve been in an accident.”
Me: “Are you serious?”
Matt: “Yeah.”
Me: “Is the car totaled?”
Matt: “I don’t know. It’s pretty bad.”

My initial reaction was nausea. We only have one car. How are we going to get to work? How are we going to get ANYWHERE? How much is this going to cost us? How bad does my car (which isn’t paid off yet) look? Why did this have to happen now, we were finally starting to break even? Sadly, my initial reaction was not to trust God. I am not proud of how I reacted at first.

One of the ladies drove me to the scene so I could be with Matt. We got things taken care of there. They towed the car. We went to the ER because Matt was in some pain with his hand/thumb and we wanted to make sure he was ok. Our pastor, Brad, picked us up from the ER and took us home around 9:30. (As a side note here I LOVE our pastor and his family!!! They have been SO good to us!!) (As another side note: they gave Matt two Vicodin at the ER and I literally saw his eyes glaze over. The giggling was totally worth the time in the ER.)
Thankfully we have a really good insurance policy which is going to cover for us to have a rental until we get the car back. Hopefully it’s not totaled and can be fixed.

All of that to say that God’s hand has already been so evident in this thing. First and foremost, Matt was not seriously injured. Considering that it was a truck that hit him it could have been MUCH worse. Our insurance people have been amazingly helpful and friendly. (We’ll see how much that’s gonna cost us when our premium is reassessed.)

I told Matt last night that I was going to have to put feet to my words. The book we’ve been reading for Bible study is all about letting go of fear and learning to trust God. These are the moments in our lives where we must walk what we talk.

On top of that Matt has a sinus infection which he went to the doctor for yesterday morning and the dog had some nasty stomach issues at 5:00 this morning. Cleaning up poo that early in the morning is just not fun. So now we get the clean our carpet this weekend. : )

My motto through this whole thing has been: “I will not be moved.” My foundation is firm. My God is faithful, yesterday, today, and forever more.

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

2008-10-08T11:45:00.005-04:00

I tried this recipe last weekend and these things are YUMMY!

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

Ingredients:

1 1/2 sticks (6 ounces) unsalted butter, 1 stick melted, 1/2 stick softened
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten
1 cup canned pure pumpkin puree
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon plus 2 pinches salt
1 2/3 cups flour
4 ounces cream cheese, chilled
1 cup confectioners' sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter and brown sugar until smooth. Whisk in the eggs, pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, 1 teaspoon vanilla, the baking powder, the baking soda and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the flour.

3. Using an ice cream scoop or tablespoon**, drop 12 generous mounds of batter, spaced evenly, onto each baking sheet. Bake until springy to the touch, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.

4. Meanwhile, using an electric mixer, cream the softened butter with the cream cheese. Add the confectioners' sugar and the remaining 2 pinches salt and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla; mix on low speed until blended, then beat on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes.

5. Spread** the flat side of 12 cakes with the cream cheese frosting. Top each with another cake.

**I used my Pampered Chef Easy Accent Decorator to form the cookies since the batter is very runny. I also used it for the filling. It made things much easier. : )

(Recipe taken from Every Day with Rachael Ray)

Common Sense Plan

2008-10-01T08:36:00.003-04:00

If you're not on board with the $700 billion bail out go to www.daveramsey.com, click on URGENT! 3 Steps to Fix Our Nation's Economy and follow the instructions!!

Why I miss Huck and Quoteable Quotes 2

2008-09-26T09:04:00.003-04:00

Check out this link to Mike Huckabee's blog on the $700 billion bail out. Seriously, WHY did we let this man go from the Presidential ticket???

Also, as a compliment to the blog here is installment #2 of Quoteable Quotes. This too I borrow from Heath Mullikin. (If I keep this up I may have to rename my blog from "pray.trust.live" to "The Heath Mullikin Ego Booster Blog").

"Blame is always about the past. Blame doesn't change the future. Bravery does. Bravery to move past the impulse to pass blame and instead discuss solutions to our shared problems."

Speaking of bail outs...is anyone going to bail me out of my debt? You know the students loans I accrued during the 4 years I spent in college trying to better myself by getting an education. Oh wait, that's right I'm just an average person not a CEO of a multimillion dollar corporation that knowing made billion dollar mistakes, so the standard is different...no bail outs for me. The big dogs get to live without responsibility and consequences. I'll take my shaky credit and strong morals over a bail out any day.

Quoteable Quotes--First Installment

2008-09-25T11:34:00.002-04:00

I've been hearing alot of quotes lately that are just too good to not share. So today I will share the first of what will be many quoteable quotes. This one is courtsey of my wonderfully hilarious and though provoking friend Heath Mullikin.

On why our schools are "failing":
Personally, I think we need to train our children to TAKE back their country through 4 simple lessons:

Turn off the TV
Accept authority
Keep your pants on
Excellence in everything you do

Fun Giveaways! Click the links below and enter!!

2008-09-24T08:42:00.002-04:00

Free Amazon Card @ financiallearn.com

Cool Jewelry @ centsiblemommy

The Lastest

2008-09-19T13:22:00.002-04:00

So, I finally got the issues with blogger worked out. I still don't know what happened but at least now I have a pretty background again...and we all know how important that is.

Life has been crazy as usual in the Rhodes household. Between work, church, the dog and of course, our ever evolving social calendar : ) we're always on the go it seems.

This past weekend we were in Nashville for a wedding. Matt was the Best Man for his friend TJ. Matt and T have been friends since their freshman year of high school. TJ married an AMAZING girl named Amber. I love her and we've become great friends. After the wedding we drove to Clarksville, TN to stay with my bff Jess for the night. It was great to spend time with her since I don't get to see her very often.

I'm really looking forward to Christmas and seeing my family. I've really missed them this week. Some days this long distance thing is just awful...BUT I know I'm right where I'm supposed to be.

I'll post some pictures soon. That's all for now. Nothing profound or even interesting. Just an update to say we're still here and still thinking about you all.

Win a Flip Camcorder

2008-09-02T08:52:00.004-04:00

Found a GREAT contest to win a flip camcorder. Check it out here! I'm really hoping I win one. These things are just too cool! Be sure to enter! Good luck!

Issues

2008-08-27T11:59:00.001-04:00

I'm having blogger issues...oh well. While I try to find a pretty background enjoy THIS really cool post on how to make a skirt without a sewing machine.

CVS Giveaway

2008-08-26T09:00:00.006-04:00

So every now and then I stumble across a blog with a great giveaway or deal. Today I found a link to a blog that is giving away a $25.00 gift card to CVS, which if you know how to work the CVS system this card will go a LONG way.

Check out the blog to enter: Here

Great Deal from Blockbuster

2008-08-12T14:07:00.004-04:00

I found a great deal today.

1. Go to Blockbuster.com and sign up for the free trial of their Total Access program.
2. Go to the "Buy" tab and search the Previously Viewed movies
3. Choose your movie and check out

When checking out use the Promotional Code "augappreciation" and receive $10.00 off an order of $10.00 or more. When you buy previously viewed movies shipping is free!!

I just got 27 Dresses for $3.70. Now that's what I call a GREAT DEAL.

You can go to this blog for details:
http://alccoupons.blogspot.com/2008/08/blockbuster-deal.html