Good News!!

I have good news!

To start, Mom and Nate are back. From what I heard their trip went really well.Very beautiful over there too. Maybe Ill post some pics. ;)

My good news..We(mom,dad) have been meeting with our adoption case worker quite a bit and planning dates for the official adoption day, it was originally supposed to be at the end of July, but we wanted a sooner one so Nate could be here when it happens before he moves to Ill. Soooo she gave us a ring, and the new(official official) date is the 13th of July!! Two days before Nate leaves. So yay, and praise the Lord!! We have been waiting almost 3years for this. Could have happened sooner, but you know CPS. they like to take forever on things.lol
So that is my good news. If you are/have been involved with cps, you know what I'm talking about. The wait is OVER! :)

Today is Jadens 4th birthday so in celebration we'll be throwing him a surprise party at PeterPiperPizza. I think he'll enjoy it a lot!
Hope everyone has a good week!
:)

When your inner countenance is down, so shall your outter be.

Firstly, I would like to post some verses that help me on my way.

Proverbs 17:22 "A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a persons strength."

So many times I find myself not mad or angry or sad, just not in a good mood! And I can certainly tell you I don't like it at all! In turn my reaction to my sibling's general public etc. isn't so Christ like. I think, why am I like this?? I didn't used to be this way! hmmm. Its the self inside of me coming out. Heart check!

Eph. 6:7 "Serve whole-heartedly as if you were serving the Lord, not men because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for the good that he does".

I don't do things to see what I can get from it..but because I WANT to and I want to bless others. On the other hand,sometimes I really don't 'feel' like serving. Honestly, if I am doing what must be done without being told, I don't want to do it. Its like, If I was seriously going to do something, then someone says, go do that, I'm like NO! Forget it now. Of course, I don't say that, but in my heart, I do. Then, as soon as I was wrong, I remember the way I should have responded and only hope for a do-over! And have to remember, not "as if I was serving the Lord" because I AM serving the Lord! But if my heart is not in the right place, then what good is my serving?!

Eph. 5:1 "Be imitators of God, live a life of love just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God".

Be Imitators Of God...The verse says it all. It takes more than trying, its doing.

These things have been on my mind. Another is; the way the world looks upon us Christians.

I heard a story a few weeks ago about a lady who is a waitress(herself being a Christian) and was called in on a Sunday to go to work, tho she didn't want to because she would then, miss the morning service of Church.
Lunch rush came and to her section of the restaurant came a family and some friends in their 'Sunday best'. She then proceeded to set them in their seats and take their orders moving along as fast as she could to keep them pleased. Not once did she receive a please, a thank-you or anything of the such. Their food had come, someones order was slightly wrong, and the response the waitress got, was not a thank you but a "hey! Would you take this back and fix it!!" Not please, or even speaking kindly. She kept their drinks filled and un-annoyingly asked them now and again how things were, and she got, "Its ok" and even held the door open for them on their way out as they snipped on by.

What I am getting at is, is this how the world sees us Christians? They(the people) will know we are CHRISTIANS by our love. We are to be an example to others especially in this sinful world. Even in our own homes. Sometimes when we are out and about my response to others can be not so pretty. I'm speaking from self experience. Let me make clear I'm not always like this, but every once in awhile, I bubble over!

Treat others as you'd like to be treated. Love your neighbor as yourself. Remove yourself from un~Godly conversation. Turn the other cheek. Things that always come to my mind(and so on) when I am about to fall into that foot hold!

Now that I have rambled on and on for 400hrs.

God Bless,
Mandie:)

Let Us Bake!!! Brownies. :)

Ok, so at costco they have these brownies, and they are just a tad different from your "average" brownie. They are in 'cup-cake' form, and have butter cream frosting on top. (nice and swirly too!)Usually, I say leave the brownie alone, it needs nothing but itself to make it as good as it is, but these looked like they would be really good! So, I thought, hey I bake..a lot and I have everything a caterer needs to do such a thing so instead of buying these, Ill just make them....How did they turn out wellll....lets just say, I needed a: different brownie recipe, I needed to make my frosting thicker too, and I needed a thicker pastry tip..My biggest one, is too small. And it really isn't that big to begin with! haha I made your regular size 'cup cake' brownie, then I made a mini one. The mini's definitely turned out so much better! Easier to get out of the pan without falling apart!(even after they cooled down for an hour and a half!!)

Yes, that is a hole in the mix(its helps combine everything..makes it easier:))




All mixed up! :)



Mini's... :)



And the 'normal ones...'
I didn't get any pics with the frosting on them, by the time I was done I was too tired(I like to bake late...well, I always end up being done late anyways. hehe) to think about pics and was ready for bed!! And well, yeah.
Anyways..thought I'd share my brownie experience!!! :)

Amanda:)
P.S. I have no idea why its all jumbled up like that, tried fixing it..but nothings working soo... :)

Day Out With Mom

Its not often that my mom and I get to spend one on one time with each other, so yesterday was a treat. :) We started off by going out for some lunch. Now, we did only go to Chick-fil-a, but their food is pretty good, so we didn't mind! Then, we went and saw a movie. Usually, we don't go see movies because with the world and its ways and the movies they make these days, it can be a disaster! But, there is a movie out(pg) called Letters To Juliet-Best love story ever!! If your a sucker for love stories like my mom and I, its worth looking into! Very wholesome very sweet. There is only one thing we didn't agree with. Ill get to that in a minute. So, the movie (I'm not going to spoil it, just incase.;)) is about this girl, and her fiance' that go to Italy for a "pree honeymoon" (thats the one thing we did not agree with, fornication) I copied the story description from the official website..I hope thats ok-I really don't feel like explaining it! haha

Letters To Juliet is an enchanting love story -- a tale of encountering new sparks and rekindling old flames. When Sophie , a young American, travels to Verona, Italy -- the romantic city where Romeo first met Juliet -- she meets a group of volunteers who respond to letters written to Juliet seeking romantic advice. Sophie finds and answers a letter that has been lost for 50 years, and is stunned when its author Claire arrives in Italy with her handsome but overprotective grandson to find the fiance she left decades before. Fascinated by Claire's quest, Sophie joins them on an adventure through the beautiful hills of Tuscany searching for Claire's long lost Lorenzo. The journey will change their lives forever, as they discover it's never too late to find true love.

I would have made it more detailed if I were the writer, but oh well! haha So, if you like love stories, this is a good watch! And its a clean movie. :)

One thing we were so angered about is the commercials before the movie(duh, secular sinful world!! ) Everyone of them was filled with witchcraft and immorality. I just continued to txt my friend. Not to say that it was my intention to ignore it, but they wouldn't do anything about it I doubt if I did say anything! What do you think? They would probably think I was crazy since, Twilight and (honestly, I can't remember the other movies.) all that other junk is the 'cool thing' these days!!

Anyways, the movie was very good!
After the movie we went to Yogurtland, wow! Best frozen yogurt ever, and its self serve, and you get toppings. :) All in all, it was a good day. I'm so blessed to have a mom to share and bond with! Not saying we can't bond without going out, but its nice to "get away" :)
So, thats what we did for our 'holiday' and it was very good.

and today is 'Wear A Dress Day' so I suggest that if your a guy, you wear a kilt! ;)

God Bless
Amanda:)