Face-Lift Your Computer Background

Seriously, I look forward to the 1st just so I can change my computer background! At the beginning of every month Tim Challies post some backgrounds that are just phenomenal. Here are a few pics to wet your whistle- click here and it will take you to the page where you can choose from a plethora of pics, sizes, and if you want with or without calendars!

Thanks Tim Challies!!!

Waiting When I Want to Move: a post from my other blog

Check out my other blog: Cameroon Through Kirsty's Eyes

This is something I stole from Spurgeon that hit pretty hard when I read it the other day. In this ever busy, up-n-at-'em, get-it-done life I rarely see people slow down- I've even heard people say they hate not having anything to do. I've been there. Feeling like my worth was in what I accomplished and not in who I was in Christ. I felt like if I slowed down I would become useless. Ha! What a lie.

Ps 27:14 "Wait for the LORD; be strong and let your heart take courage! Wait for the LORD!"

It may seem an easy thing to wait, but it is one of the postures which a Christian soldier learns not without years of teaching. Marching and quick-marching are much easier to God's warriors than standing still. There are hours of perplexity when the most willing spirit, anxiously desirous to serve the Lord, knows not what part to take.

Then what shall it do? Vex itself by despair? Fly back in cowardice, turn to the right hand in fear, or rush forward in presumption? No, but simply wait. Wait in prayer, however. Call upon God, and spread the case before him; tell Him your difficulty, and plead his promise of aid. In dilemmas between one duty and another, it is sweet to be humble as a child, and wait with simplicity of soul upon the Lord. It is sure to be well with us when we feel and know our own folly, and are heartily willing to be guided by the will of God. But wait in faith. Express your unstaggering confidence in Him; for unfaithful, untrusting waiting is but an insult to the Lord.

Believe that if He keep you tarrying even till midnight, yet He will come at the right time; the vision shall come and shall not tarry. Wait in quiet patience, not rebelling because you are under the affliction, but blessing your God for it. Never murmur against the second cause, as the children of Israel did against Moses; never wish you could go back to the world again, but accept the case as it is, and put it as it stands, simply and with your whole heart, without any self-will, into the hand of your covenant God, saying, "Now, Lord, not my will, but thine be done. I know not what to do; I am brought to extremities, but I will wait until thou shalt cleave the floods, or drive back my foes. I will wait, if thou keep me many a day, for my heart is fixed upon thee alone, O God, and my spirit waiteth for thee in the full conviction that thou wilt yet be my joy and my salvation, my refuge and my strong tower."

~Spurgeon

Heaven on Earth

A friend has shown me this picture and I fell in love.
At this time there is no man in sight for this office, but if ever there were to be a man proposing to me, I could not tell him 'nay' if he would do it thus.

Pardon me, I'm watching Hamlet with David Tennant and Patrick Stewart- best one ever! :D

What I've Been Up To

Haven't written much lately, but here's what's been happening:

Reaping produce from my garden!

Finished a quilt of Mission Trips T-shirt

Saw Green Lantern in 3D for $3

Breakfast Adventures :D

Season 6 premiere of Doctor Who

So I'm Off To Africa...

To check out the details as to how this came about, click here.

But this post is specifically to inform you and make you aware of some things I may need help with.
As I will be staying in Cameroon for two years, I will need multiples of many things. Some things they have in Cameroon- such as peanut butter and linens- and other things they do not have there- like brown sugar and Pantene ProV.

A fun way to do this is to get a group of people together and tackle a section of this list. Ladies- love looking through the kitchen isles in Target? Get a group together and hit a few things in the Kitchen Supplies section. Men- seriously, I need a multi tool, cement screws, and a tool kit. Check the Miscellaneous section at the end of the list.

Some places you that may think of looking for these items are Wal-Mart, Target, Amazon, Costco, Bed Bath & Beyond, and Radio Shack.

Kitchen Supplies:
The place I will be living in does have a kitchen, but there are not many supplies there and I cook all the time. So here’s a basic list of basic supplies so I can basically not go out of my mind.

• Set of sharp knives, including a bread knife
• A good can opener, potato peeler, pizza cutter and whisk.
• Set of durable dishes
• A couple a sets of Silverware
• Tupperware or other well-sealing containers
• Set of pots & pans
• Ziploc bags – some of all sizes. Be sure to get the freezer bags because they are thicker and you will wash and reuse your bags many times.
• 9” X 13” Pyrex dish
• Cookie sheet / muffin pan
• Oven thermometer (important!!!)

Cooking Supplies:
I will be cooking everything from scratch there. There are no helpful packets, canned soup or frozen dinners available and no fast food restaurants in town… how different from California!!! I thought of a few things that might help me ease into my transition:

• Taco Seasoning- lots of it!!!
• Chili Powder
• Nutmeg
• All purpose seasoning
• Brown sugar
• Kool-aid packets

Office Supplies:
All of these mini-sized please so they don’t take up too much space

• Scissors
• small stapler
• scotch tape
• pens
• pencils
• calculator

Medicines:
This part of Cameroon kind of scares me- not knowing what kind of medicines they have and what medicines does what. I would love to have a stash of all of these- at least until I get to know the meds here!

• Ibuprofen
• Tylenol
• Imodium
• Sun-screen lotion
• Aloe vera
• Tums
• Muscle Rub, IcyHot, whatever
• Anti-itch medication
• Triple antibiotic ointment
• band-aids
• multi-vitamins
• water purification tablets
• Insect repellent

Holidays (Especially Christmas):

This is going to be one of the hardest times for me. I’ll be away from family and friends and they don’t celebrate Christmas in Cameroon, so no trees, no lights, no caroling, no Christmas music, no figgy pudding, etc. And add this on top of it- it’s the hottest time of the year in December!!!

• A mixed CD of your favorite Christmas songs… I’ll think of you as I listen to it J
• Some strands of Christmas lights

Miscellaneous Items:
To me, this is all the really fun stuff! Or at least the Multi-tool is...

• Multi tool
• Flashlight
• Batteries
• Flip flops
• Mosquito Net
• Cement screws for hanging things on the cement walls
• Small basic tool kit – screwdriver, slip-joint pliers (to change gas bottle)
• Calendar
• Clothes pin bag and clothes pins
• Converter / adapter kit for any electronic items you bring along. Check Radio Shack as they may be able to give you information on these

Crocheted Rose Purse

I made this a while back for a friend who was graduating from high school. When I do a project for people, I like to find out their colors, style, and whatnot, then I tackle Google images or Etsy and look for inspiration. I have no creative juices in the fact that I can't come up with an idea all by myself; I need to feed off of other people's genius.

Yeah, I'm a crocheting Neal Cafry (for those of you who watch White Collar).



Front. Very cute, if I do say so myself!



Inside. Yeah, sewed an inside :)



Back of the purse



Apple Pie

When I say 'Grandma's favorite dessert', what do you think? Her making Lemon Meringue? Fudge? Chocolate chip cookies? Mine are of me making something for her :)

Every Thanksgiving she asks me if I'm making this pie, and of course my response each time is "Only if you make your Picadillo!" One day I'll post that too. Man... I'm drooling already.

Thanksgiving come now!!!

Ingredients:

8-10 Various apples peeled and thinly sliced (best are Gala, Fuji, Granny Smith)

1 pkg of Pillsbury crust

1/2 cold butter, cubed

2tbsp vanilla

1-2 tbsp cornstarch

2tsp Cinnamon

2tsp nutmeg

1tsp salt

1/2 cup brown sugar

1tbsp lemon juice

1. Set the crust out to thaw a bit- until it becomes pliable. Place one in a grease pie pan and save the second for the top.
   
   
2. Combine everything in a huge bowl. Adjust flavoring as you like, you can't really go wrong. Let sit and marinate for a bit, then pour into pie tin- every last drop and slice.
   
3. Take the second crust and cut some hole in it. You can slice it, cookie cut and decorate with the cut-outs, whatever you like as long as it has some air to breath. To help the edges come together, press down with a fork- making sure no juices will escape. Oh! and if you want a glossy finish melt a bit of butter and brush on the top.
   
4. Turn the oven on to 350 and get out some foil. Wrap the edges of the pie in it so that they won't burn. Nice little trick if you didn't know about it already. Bake for an hour or until the neighbors come asking what's for dinner.
   
5. Take out and let set for 10 mins- just so you won't burn your mouth when eating it. Take it to a friends house, serve A la Mode, have it for breakfast the next day, just enjoy!
   
6.