Brace yourself, this is a long one.

First off, food. I made this amazing bolognese sauce this weekend. My taste buds did a little dance afterwards. I added a little tomato paste, salt, pepper, oregano, additional carrot and omitted the parsley because I didn't have any. I also only used half the ground beef called for, and added a little beef stock to loosen it up (but I also let it simmer longer than it calls for). Try it, you won't be disappointed. In fact, go ahead and make a double batch so you have some to freeze, like I wish I would have done!

Brookies (see last post) were a HUGE hit. In fact, I plan on making mini brookies for my small group girls tomorrow night.

And tonight I am making this. Just because it's a soupy kind of night, and I was out most of the day grocery shopping with friends (which is the BEST!) so I am out brain power to come up with something snazzy.

Now, here is an e-mail I sent my bible study leader yesterday regarding some questions some of the ladies had during our Beth Moore Daniel study (which deals a lot with end times). I thought there was a chance some of my fellow theology nerds might find this interesting, so I am copying the email below.


I've been meaning to look into the question that every one had asked a while back about if, and how Jewish people get to go to Heaven. After researching it some more, I found what is below on John Piper's website from some of his sermons. He refers mainly to modern day Jewish people and their salvation. He doesn't really address OT Jews, and it's a tricky issue since there are several OT references that indicate a guarantee of a followers place in heaven (i.e. Dan. 12:13, 19:26, several Genesis references, etc.). There does not seem to be clear guidance as to why faithful OT believers are in, or when they get in, but particularly with Daniel, I cannot find any arbitrary circumstances he must go through to "get" in, other than Jesus simply says he is in. Of course, the fact that he did have contact with a theophany of Christ may have something to do with that, but that never seemed to be the case for Abraham, or Jacob, or other people that are spoke of (OT and NT) as already being in heaven. And now I am rambling.

All that to say, this may give us a little guidance as to the view on Jewish people going to heaven since the time of the birth of Christ. Also, this all appears to be taking place before the end of the tribulation and the beginning of the thousand year reign (from what I can understand of Rev. 20)

John Piper:

According to the New Testament Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of all the hopes of Israel. He is the Yes to all God's promises (2 Corinthians 1:20). He is the Messiah (Mark 14:61-62; Matthew 16:16; John 20:31; Acts 9:22; 1 John 2:22; 5:1). To reject him is to reject God the Father, and to confess him as the treasured Lord of your life is to be reconciled to God. "Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father; the one who confesses the Son has the Father also" (1 John 2:23). John and Paul learned this from Jesus. When a non-Jewish centurion came to Jesus for the healing of his servant, Jesus opened his heart and said, "Truly I say to you, I have not found such great faith with anyone in Israel. I say to you that many will come from east and west, and recline at the table with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven; but the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth" (Matthew 8:10-12).

In other words, a gentile who believes in Jesus will be at the table of inheritance with Abraham in the age to come, but a Jew who does not believe will be cast into outer darkness. This is what Jesus and the apostles taught: gentiles become heirs of Abraham's promises by faith in the Messiah Jesus, and Jews forfeit their final inheritance as Jews if they reject Jesus as the Messiah. It is a profound misunderstanding of Christianity to describe this teaching as an arrogant call for Jews to abandon their heritage. The Biblical way to say it is that "salvation is from the Jews" (John 4:22); and the promises made to Abraham are the root that supports all salvation (Romans 11:18); and the only way for any gentile to be saved is to become a fellow heir of God with Abraham by trusting in the Jewish Messiah.


Separate sermon from John Piper:

I say this clearly and forthrightly because you need to know that this is not believed by the Jewish community, nor, sadly, by some of the Christian leaders in this city. On the contrary, much of the peace and mutual respect between Jews and Christians in this city is built on a denial of Paul's teaching and on an unbiblical teaching that there are two separate ways for Jews and Christians to be saved. Listen to John Stott as he comments on the meaning of salvation in Romans 11:26.

It is understandable that since the holocaust Jews have demanded an end to the Christian missionary activity among them, and that many Christians have felt embarrassed about continuing it. It is even mooted that Jewish evangelism is an unacceptable form of anti-Semitism. So some Christians have attempted to develop a theological basis for leaving Jews alone in their Judaism. Reminding us that God's covenant with Abraham was an “everlasting covenant”, they maintain that it is still in force, and that therefore God saves Jewish people through their own covenant, without any necessity for them to believe in Jesus. This proposal is usually called a “two-covenant theology”. Bishop Krister Stendahl was one of the first scholars to argue for it, namely that there are two different salvation “tracks”—the Christian track for the believing remnant and believing Gentiles, and the track for historical Israel which relies on God's covenant with them.

Romans 11 stands in clear opposition to this trend because of its insistence on the fact that there is only one olive tree, to which Jews and Gentile believers both belong. . . “The irony of this,” writes Tom Wright, “is that the late twentieth century, in order to avoid anti-Semitism, has advocated a position (the non-evangelization of the Jews) which Paul regards precisely as anti-Semitic.” [1]

Yes, and it is not only an irony, but a tragedy. I doubt that a church that surrenders the evangelization of the Jewish people in this way can keep the gospel for long. It will be undermined by denying the necessity of faith in Christ for salvation. The apostle Paul would have found this position of a two-track salvation to be a radical denial of the work of Christ, and a profound failure of love toward Israel.

So let the point be made clearly and soberly today: Salvation comes to Israel and to Gentiles in the same way—through faith in the Deliverer, Jesus the Christ, or it doesn't come at all.

Now the point of today's text is wonderfully more than that. Not only is salvation for Israel only through the Deliverer, Jesus Christ, but this salvation for Israel also is certainly coming. The salvation of Israel is not just a possibility but a certainty. God has given the promise, and God has called Israel for his own, and Paul says in verse 29, “The gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” So let's read the promise in Romans 11:25-26, “Lest you [Gentiles] be wise in your own conceits, I want you to understand this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel [we saw that back in verse 7], until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. 26 And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written, ‘The Deliverer will come from Zion, he will banish ungodliness from Jacob.'”

Not: all Israel may be saved, but: all Israel will be saved. Not everyone agrees that “all Israel” refers to the nation as a whole alive in some future generation. Some take “all Israel” to refer to the true spiritual Israel including Jews and Gentiles. Others take it to refer to the remnant of believing ethnic Israel that is being saved all along through faith in Christ. Both of these views deny what I have been arguing for—that there will be a great and stupendous national conversion of Israel some day.

Five Reasons Why I Believe Romans 11:26 Refers to the Nation of Israel as a Whole:
So let me draw out several reasons again why I believe verse 26 (“And in this way all Israel will be saved”) means that someday the nation as a whole (not necessarily every individual; see 1 Kings 12:1; 2 Chronicles 12:1) will be converted to Christ and join the Christian church and be saved. And then we will conclude with some implications.

1. I think the term “Israel” in verse 25 and 26 most naturally refer to the same thing. Verse 25: “Lest you be wise in your own conceits, I want you to understand this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel. . . .” That must refer to the nation as a whole from generation to generation. He continues, “. . . until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. 26 And in this way all Israel will be saved.” I don't think the meaning of Israel changes between verse 25 and 26. The hardened Israel (the nation as a whole) will be the saved Israel (the nation as a whole).

2. The reference in verse 26 to banishing ungodliness from Jacob fits with the national view of “all Israel.” Verse 26: “And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written, ‘The Deliverer will come from Zion, he will banish ungodliness from Jacob.'” This seems most naturally to be a picture of Christ's return at the second coming, and banishing ungodliness from Jacob refers most naturally to the removal of the hardening referred to in verse 25. “Jacob” is not a natural or typical reference to the elect remnant of Israel. The hardening lasts until the full number of the Gentiles comes in (the climax of world missions), and then Christ comes and lifts the veil and removes the hardening—he banishes ungodliness from Jacob, from “all Israel.”

3. The parallel between the two halves of verse 28 point to all Israel as the nation as a whole. Verse 28: “As regards the gospel, they are enemies of God for your sake.” Now that half of the verse surely refers to the nation as a whole—they are enemies of God. So the second half of the verse surely refers to the nation as a whole as well: “But as regards election, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers.” The point of this verse is to show that even though Israel now is a covenant-breaking, unbelieving nation, that is going to change. The nation that are enemies now, will be converted later because of election and love.

4. The parallels in verse 12 point in the same direction. Verse 12: “Now if their [the Jewish nation's] trespass means riches for the world [salvation for the Gentiles], and if their [the Jewish nation's] failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion!” Here “their full inclusion” most naturally refers to the same nation as “their trespass” and “their failure.” So “their full inclusion” refers to the salvation of “all Israel” and is national. 5. The same thing is true about the parallels in verse 1

5. “For if their [Jewish nation's] rejection means the reconciliation of the world, what will their [Jewish nation's] acceptance mean but life from the dead?” The nation now rejected will be accepted. So the “acceptance” of the Jewish nation most naturally refers to the salvation of “all Israel”—the salvation of the nation as a whole some day.

Implications
Now how is this going to happen? I don't know the details, but it seems to me that Paul does mean that in connection with the second coming of Christ there will be a great turning of Israel to Christ. Just how it works, I don't know. But I find certain prophecies very suggestive. For example, Zechariah 12:10, “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn.” And Isaiah 6:8, “Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Shall a land be born in one day? Shall a nation be brought forth in one moment? For as soon as Zion was in labor she brought forth her children.” And Matthew 23:39, where Jesus says to the hardened nation: “I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.”

I don't want to go beyond what is clear. So I say that I am not sure about the precise when and how of Israel's conversion. But that it is coming and that it will be given by Jesus Christ, the deliverer who banishes ungodliness and forgives sins—of that I feel sure. We should pray for it—that the full number of the Gentiles comes in and that the hardening be lifted from Israel. We should work for it with missions to the nations and witness to Israel.

We should put away all conceit and presumption over Jewish unbelievers but realize that God is aiming to save them through our salvation. And we should think clearly and carefully about the land of Israel today—which is what I want to try to do next week.

For now, then, let us give ourselves to prayer and to the great work of gathering the fullness of the Gentiles, if by any means we might make Israel jealous of her treasures in Christ so that they believe and be saved.

It is a dreary rainy day here. In fact, it's the third one in a row. And to make it even more delightful, I have some sinus issues to accompany the rain.

It's also been a hectic week, and this is my first day to relax a little. I've been taking full advantage of it. So much so, that I completely spaced that I had committed to bring dessert to our small group meeting tonight. Completely space until about 3:30, when I only have about an hour and a half to come up with something and have it ready to go. If you know much about desserts, you know that's not a lot of time.

I go to my default site, Martha, epicurious, and can't seem to get past orange cardamom cookies and lemon curd tartlets. As delightful as those sound, I need something quick, casual, and comforting, because weather and time demand it.

Chocolate chip cookies were an option, but a little too casual, and too much hands on time, taking batches in and out of the oven. I also thought about brownies, but being out of cocoa powder, couldn't do a full batch of the good stuff. So imagine my delight, when I stumbled across these. I don't think I have ever made brownies from a mix, just because I am anti-hydrogenated oil girl, I don't buy them, and I don't mind making things from scratch. Thankfully I found a super brownie recipe for the amount I needed, that did not require cocoa powder, and looked reliable. That plus the cookie dough I had leftover from the pizza party I had with my small group girls in the freezer, and we were in action.

In fact, they are in the over as we speak, and I still have time to go throw on some make-up.

Oh happy day. Except for the rain.

If I was honest...and I know this is church and not the place for this at all. I know we got up today and before we got here, read the Bible for an hour and a half, meditated on it and prayed as we walked in...But if I was honest, do you know what I want for my daughter? I would love it if she would meet a very, very, very godly young man. And listen, the chances of that are slim. There's a lot of neat Christian boys out there. It's hard to find godly men. It's like the dodo bird, they're almost non-existent anymore. You can laugh; I weep. I weep because I've got a daughter who will meet someone who loves her like Christ loves the church. And they're just rare cats, man. We're praying them in. And I would love for that dude to just come in and romance her. I mean, just make me go, “That boy's good. I'm stealing that idea. Don't tell your mama.” I want that kind of guy, and I want her to live in the burbs where she's safe and she can raise little grandbabies and I can spoil and not discipline them at all. And I want her to outlive me. And I don't want her to take risks with her life. I'll risk mine. That doesn't bother me. I just don't want her to do it. So, I'd like that for her, but my hand on that had better stay open, lest I become an idolater. Because maybe God is going to reach a group of people in some other part of the world with her suffering. My hand had better stay open. And I love my house. We don't live large, but I like my house. It's an older house. We've worked on it. I love my house. It's not wrong for me to love my house. But in the end, it's not my house. That hand had better stay open. And like I said we don't live large. I drive an '01 Impala with like 140,000 miles and it's starting to backfire. But the air works. I love my car. I love that car. Part of it's probably where I've come from, but I love that car, man. I talk to her. I love that car, but my hand on it had better stay here. I love the Village. I plan on being here the rest of my life. I love this place. My hand had better stay open, lest I get confused and think anything is mine. And that's how idolatry happens. And it's the reason we stay away from the Lord, because we're afraid that if we press into Him, He's going to address this thing. And we don't want that. Because in the end, we value it more than we value Him. And we think in the end, this is more beautiful and more necessary than He is.

Matt Chandler

"There is one vice of which no man in the world is free; which every one in the world loathes when he sees it in someone else; and of which hardly any people, except Christians, ever imagine they are guilty of themselves...it was through Pride that the devil became the devil: Pride leads to every other vice: it is the complete anti-God state of mind."

C.S. Lewis

I am feeling overwhelmingly blessed and full of joy today.

Not only am I obviously excited by this, but somewhat amazed considering this feeling is coming at the end of a busy weekend, having a house full of boys (and myself) who are under the weather, and starting the morning off with a trip to the doctor in which Josh was less than well behaved.

I really feel like things are starting to click and fall into place here. I LOVE my house, we have a great church, and have a couple of connections with people we think will turn out to be great friends! I finally enjoying being able to serve in a couple of different facets, one of which is a group of the greatest freshmen girls EVER. Josh is signed up for a great preschool this fall, and is making friends faster than I can keep track of (must be something to do with that social personality of his!), and Jack is so cute and fun, all I want to do is play with him and not get anything done.

Life is good. A big part of the reason why I am especially joyful, is I think a long time goal of mine may be coming to fruition. As many of you know, I pretty much adore Beth Moore, she is God's gift to women's bible study! I could go on for hours about all the reasons she is amazing, but I will sum it up by saying she's a theological rockstar, and humble to boot. I've always though it would be so much fun to start a Beth Moore study with a group of women that are in similar areas of life, and that are willing to be real and open with one another, and encourage and challenge each other in a way that requires a lot of vulnerability, but results in amazing relationships and lives that can better glorify Christ. All that to say, it looks as though that will be happening. I'm beyond ecstatic!

So life is good. My cupcakes, were just okay. Not very much coconut flavor, I was dissapointed, and the icing was a little too sweet for me. If I make them again I'll have to add some coconut flavoring to the icing and cupcakes. Although the recipe for the cake was really solid, I might use it as a great white cake recipe. If you want to try them out here is the recipe. They were very pretty though. I'll try to post a pic soon.

I'll be making this for dinner tonight, along with some pasta salad leftover from this weekends festivities (my pasta salad does not involve mayonaise, it's penne pasta with broccoli, red pepper, carrots, and olives toseed with italian or greek dressing and feta cheese).

Now for a little challenging from the great Matt Chandler:

I'm baking all sorts of fun things for this weekend. Pulled pork, brisket, Texas potatoes, plus this yummy cupcake recipe I've been drying to try since I saw it in this months Bon Appetite, it's a vanilla bean coconut cupcake with vanilla bean coconut frosting. I'm so excited, I can hardly stand it!

I also had an insight to myself through a conversation with Chris the other night. Nothing revolutionary, just something I need to be cognisant of. I am a self-critiquing person. I don't mean than in the negative way (although sometimes it can play out that way), but more so in the positive.

I am always looking back on situations and circumstances that I am in and asking myself, should I have said that? Was that the best way to handle that? Should I have done this instead of that? This allows me to change things for the better in the future, and helps me see sin patterns in my life more quickly (notice I said see, not necessarily accept...I'm a work in progress!).

So that was part of the insight, but for me what followed was more important. I have this tendency to think that however I view things, or approach life is how others do. Not saying I think they should view life as I do, just when I'm trying to understand others, I think that of course they would view the situation that way, because I do!

So the kicker is that, me being a self critiquing person, expects other people to be self critiquing, and am left confused when other people seem to go on for ages with what seems like blatantly obvious sin issues in their lives that they are completely unaware of. So I guess a lack of self critiquing leads to an unawareness of these matter in ones life. That said, I need to be more sensitive to the fact that not everyone thinks this way, or thinks that it is important to think this way. I also need to be more patient and gracious when they don't.

Obviously I tend to think that reviewing ones actions and thought is somewhat important to do to continue to grow closer to Christ, but just as in almost all aspects, this too can be taken to the extreme of being overly critical of oneself. Always a balancing act this walk of faith!

In conclusion: vanilla bean coconut cupcakes are good, and don't be so oblivious to how badly we suck at life.

We're trying to recover today. My parents were in town this weekend, so the kids schedule has been WAY off. My children are schedule oriented kids, and they don't seem to take too kindly to having it disrupted.

I'm looking forward to this week. Mainly because I have a lot to do. I like having a lot to do. My personality kind of thrives on it. However recently I've been trying to find the perfect balance of having the level of activity that I enjoy, and the amount of down time to spend with the kids, making sure they are kept happy, and keeping our house running. It's definitely a balancing act, and one I more than occasionally get frustrated it at, but as of late I'm trying to view it as a challenge and make it all work.

Plus I get to "cater" an event for 40 people at my house. I realize that makes me a little bit of a nut that I am excited about that, but I enjoy cooking, and serving, and hosting, and this involves all three. So yeah! Plus I think I'm going to make these super yummy coconut cupcake recipe that was in Bon Apetite this month that I've been dying to try.

Add in a meeting, 2 small groups, and a bible study and we're hitting the ground running. I'm sure as soon as spring returns tomorrow (we've had 50's and rain for the last 3 days!) that will help me feel a little more motivated.

Having my parents in this weekend, I got to make some fun stuff. I made my mom a birthday cake that was a chocolate cake with raspberry meringue butter cream filling and covered in chocolate ganache. We had a dijon and brown sugar crusted salmon one night with lemon rosemary roasted potatoes and asparagus, and then last night I made pot roast, which if I do say so myself is the best pot roast I've ever had.

I think maybe I should have renamed my blog food and theology, because those are my two biggest passions that I seem to discuss the most on here. That said, onto the theology!

I love it when God is trying to open my eyes to something, he will more than often communicate with me in more than one fashion. I've been doing the Daniel study by Beth Moore, and this past week went over chapter 9 of Daniel (this is what I will be referencing, to make sense of what I am saying, you may want to read it). To sum up the first part of the chapter, Daniel interprets the scripture from Jeremiah prophesying the captivity of Judah, upon realizing the desolation in store for his people, he began to fast, pray and implore God to have mercy on His people (Israel).

The interesting part (besides all the cool stuff I learned about prayer, but another time...) is that during the course of his prayer he uses the phrase "we" about 13 times. This is primarily a prayer of confession. Daniel had walked faithfully with God for his lifetime, and in this prayer Daniel confesses sins ("we have done...") that he himself has not committed.

"...he still counted himself among the transgressors of Israel. Daniel interceded for the masses as one sharing the blame for their sins. He did not put himself above the people.

God favors those who humble themselves as fellow transgressors, not those who piously place themselves above those in pitiful need of prayer.

I think Daniel could count himself among the transgressors of Israel because he was wise enough to know what was in him... even if it hadn't always found it's way out of him."

Beth Moore

The last quote in particular is my favorite. Admittedly when I first read the chapter I was confused as to why Daniel was confessing to sins he himself did not commit. When I first read the last quote I had to stop a minute and really think about it.

I would not be willing to take ownership of sins that I had not physically committed, in fact it's all too often a stretch for me to own up to the thoughts and feelings that I know I have inside of me. So that quote hit me pretty hard as to the place of pride that I was living in. It also made a Relient K song that I loved, but had been a little theologically (read, my pride wasn't willing to admit it was theologically sound because I would be convicted) unsure of take a new level of understanding.

The song is Forgiven, and here is the chorus:

Cause we're all guilty of the same things
We think the thoughts whether or not we see them through
And I know that I have been forgiven
And I just hope that you can forgive me too

Well I didn't want to admit that I am guilty of some of the same things that others are. Now that my pride has deservedly taken a beating. I realize that I need to be much more willing to own up to what is in me, and be much more thankful that, by the grace of God and only by the grace of God it has not found a way out.

Maybe I need to do some collective confessing for the masses too. There were entire nations saved by this form of prayer...

Just because I haven't recently talked about how much I love Atlanta:

Today I sat out on an adventure with the kids. In researching farmers markets, I kept coming across this one called Your Dekalb Farmers Market, that people raved over. As much as I love (and think it's important) to shop naturally and organically, I'm tired of having to choose my families health, or our bank account. That is why I was researching farmers markets.

After hearing all the raves about their selection and their prices, I figured it was worth a trip. Mind you that was quite the decision. It's a 40 minute trek slightly southeast of the city, with two children, but I decided it was worth the haul.

My GPS couldn't find the exact address, and Chris was in a meeting, so we ended up "wandering" around for a half an hour or so before we finally found the place, but I'm glad we did! That part of the city is SO neat! It's filled with older homes, some crazy big, and some small and quaint, but they all have very interesting architecture and charm. It turns out our science center is located in that area also. Then I found the "downtown" of this area that had a ton of really neat looking restaurants and shops. The best way I can describe it to my STL readers is a cross of Lafayette Square, Clayton and the Loop. I can't wait to go explore that area more.

After I finally got to the market (which is about the same size as a WF's store) and got in, I think I just stood there staring for awhile. Their produce section is probably about twice as big as WF's produce section. And WF's has a serious produce section! They had so much variety (I think I spotted about 7 different varieties of BokChoy), and an organic selection for almost everything. At WF a lime is $.69, here they were $.69 a pound! I got a large container of organic strawberries for $3.99! It was amazing. I think I came home with enough produce to last us for the next 2 weeks.

They also have every kind of spice you can imagine, that they grind themselves, and are breathtakingly cheap. I think I may have walked out with at least 6 spice containers. I got a container of cinnamon (of which contained more than any typical jar) for $.63. Josh really likes cinnamon and proceeded to hang onto the container throughout the rest of the store, sniffing at will.

I could go on and on, their meat selection (lamb, goat, veal, duck, quail, cornish game hens, etc.)and prices, their deli, dairy section.... and I didn't even get to the prepared food area (which restaurant reviewers rave about). My parents come in town this weekend, and I think I may take them there. Any one who is interested in food will love this place.

I know I cannot wait to go back! Just one more reason to love Atlanta. We're planning on going to the zoo this weekend (sunny and mid 70's), maybe that will add another reason to the ever growing list!!!

I'm so making this Ginger Steak Salad for dinner sometime next week: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/ It looks so good! There are also some great recipes in this months issue of Bon Appetite, if you roll like that. Pick on out, or look for the either on their website or epicurious.com

This post is going to be so completely random, but that is me, so deal with it.

I'm sore. And I like it! I like exercising, but between gym membership fees, children, and a bijillion other excuses, it wasn't happening for me. So I got a Wii Fit. And I LOVE IT!!! I don't have to pack up the kids, I can do it for just ten minutes and then stop to go change a baby or feed a child, or whatever need they feel they cannot live without at that moment. Most of the time Josh will even do it with me. I love that the more I work out the more exercises I open, so I'm not just doing the same thing all the time. It's fun, and you REALLY get a work out (if you try to), and best of all you have a trainer that shows you how to do everything so you get the most from it. I'm so happy with this purchase, and it's perfect for the place that I am in life right now. It's still exercising, and it still requires discipline, but the hardest part for me was the money and what to do with my kids, not those.

I also really like home warranty plans. So far we have gotten our bottom level air conditioning repaired, both units serviced, and as of next week will be getting a brand new toilet. It's nice to have things fixed, and not have to pay for it, or do it (although Chris put in a lot of work trying to fix the toilet). Hooray for making the sellers pay for that.

I like it when Josh is sick. That sounds weird, let me explain. Not really sick, but just not up to full energy. He is SO much more easy to handle during those points, and he's sweeter and will snuggle with me lots and love on me. This does not happen during healthy periods. As much as sickness is a pain, it's kind of a blessing too!

I just made my own baby wipes yesterday, and saved a bunch of money. I think I may like them better than the kind I buy too. Who knew you could do this? I learned you can make your own laundry detergent super easy also. I think I may look into a lot of this type of stuff, it's saving money AND being more eco-friendly! Who doesn't love a win-win?

Okay randomness over.