Ohh, adventures.

It's always such an encouragement to hear from different people that they are keeping up with my tidbits here :) I would love to "know you're here"! Leave comments! I LOVE reading them and "talking" with you as if I'm telling these stories to you in person.

What a crazyy week already! Monday was no work, but I had an eye doctor appointment. Guess what? Eye ulcer! Ya know those pictures where my eye has been bloodshot red? Well I finally went in when I saw a cloudy spot on the colored part of my eye. Worrisome, eh? The doc said that if I had not come in, it would have turned into an emergent corneal ulcer. In other words, the ulcer was there but hadn't surfaced yet. So cha-ching, cha-ching, I would LOVE to get paid $40 for seven minutes of looking at someone's eye! Prescription: an antibiotic that made the doctor's visit seem cheap. But the good news is that my eye feels twenty times better! Yey!! AND I still get to wear contacts eventually!

When I was grocery shopping this week, I found some cookies on the bent-n-dent shelf that are SO GOOD! The brand is "Late July" and they are completely organic. I've had their cheese-nips too, and was impressed with the flavor for being all organic (Dan wasn't impressed though). 

Also picked up some canned crab meat and we had crab cakes for dinner - yum! Homemade tartar sauce, a yummy fresh green salad, and a cold vinaigrette pasta salad. 

Spicy Crab Cakes (makes 5 crab cakes)

2 (9oz) cans of crab meat

2 eggs

1 Tbs mayo (or sour cream or cottage cheese)

25 crushed Ritz crackers, approximately (or a similar cracker)

1/2 of an onion, finely chopped

4 Tbs green onion, finely chopped

1 Tbs pizza hots (crushed red pepper)

2 tsp lemon juice

dash of garlic powder

dash of cayenne pepper

Mash all together and form into palm-sized patties. Put oil in a frying pan or skillet, test heat by flicking water into it. If it sizzles, it's ready. It doesn't have to be a lot of oil - just enough to make a crispy crab cake with. Place patties into the hot oil and flip when edges brown. Serve with tartar sauce! (Dan took the left overs the next day for lunch - crab cake sandwich!)

Vinaigrette Pasta Salad

1/2 box whole wheat elbow macaroni noodles

1/4 cup corn

1/4 cup peas

1/8 cup chopped green onions

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

1 Tbs vinegar

1 tsp lemon juice

Prepare the macaroni as instructed on the box. In a bowl, mix the lemon juice, vinegar, onions, and garlic. Add the corn and peas. Add the cooled macaroni. It's best served cold! (Pop it in the freezer for a cold-boost if it's still warm!)

Tuesday was work. After homework time, Rachel, Ian, and I played Pente, Boggle, Spoons, and Just Dance. Lovin my job :) Dan had a Tau Beta Phi meeting, so we had smoothies for dinner.

Wednesday... Dan skipped class! Yey!! But then we jumped outta bed because he realized he forgot he had homework to turn in... Ahhhh!! So I was his chauffeur, and dropped him off at UNH to quickly turn it in. Goooood Morning!!! Then we had the whole rest of the day together to do homework.

Only I've discovered I'm not good at doing homework when he's here! Too distracted! 

Yesterday was so beautiful - 54  degrees and sunny - so I went out for a run. I cannot wait til summer time comes! I just love being outside in shorts! I had all the windows and doors open in our apartment. Gloriousness. 

Dan went back to class at 4, and I went over to Jenni's to hang out and eat chocolate and discuss serious things. 

Thenn, Dan and I went to Communion Service at DEC (Durham Evangelical Church), where we were introduced as members. We're really excited! We like the people there, the teaching is solid, and the worship team has a heart for God and the talent to express it through music. http://durhame.org/

On another note... here's a question in case anyone knows the answer: 

Dan and I ate a salad last night that contained lettuce that (apparently) expired on February 4th. As in, "Oh, that's why the bag of lettuce was dripping a brown liquid. Huh." And I felt yucky last night. And Dan had chest pains last night through this morning. And I have a slighter chest pain this morning. And he felt like throwing up last night. I can't pinpoint these feelings to anything else we've eaten... so obviously it's most likely from eating rotten lettuce. (No sarcastic comments, please. Trust me. I know it was a whoopsie.) My question is... is it serious? I can deal with a tummy ache. But can you get food poisoning? And another thing I found is that the brown liquid is a result of the water that is naturally in the bag turns brown due to oxidization. That water can grow mold. (YIkes...!) So... are we REALLY messed up? Believe it or not, google didn't help us much on this one. 

Our pains and yucky feelings are almost completely gone now (so maybe it was a bad case of indigestion or heart burn?), but I still wanna know WHY. 

I have been reading research by Randy Alcorn of his extensive, well-done research on the Pill. I wanted to post the link on this page for those of you who might want to take the challenge of reading it. His writing style is the best I've ever seen for this type of topic - clear, smooth, direct, and understandable. It's really an easy read. If you've been wondering about what the Pill actually does, and what the doctors won't or don't know to tell you, Alcorn has pulled together years worth of personal research to give you answers that, quite honestly, you NEED to know.

The paper gave me insight that I never would have known about the affects that are taking a toll on my body, as well as what this "contraceptive" is actually doing to prevent implantation, not pregnancy.. 

I am (quietly and humbly) begging you to read this!

http://www.epm.org/static/uploads/downloads/bcpill.pdf 

Tonight, Dan and I will be going back to DEC to hang out with the worship team and "shadow" them. We offered our talents with music, and they were so happy to have us since they are losing a few members! Yey! In the meantime, it's off to do school and then off to work! 

Pray for Dan and I as we are both really feeling the pressures of school. It's becoming a challenge to balance the work load, working/pursuing job, and our quality time spent with each other (not to mention church, friends, taking care of house, shopping, etc., etc.). We understand that this tough part is normal, but we would love for your prayers to drench us with blessings. We crave time with each other to minister to each other (versus just living in the same house!), so pray that we'll be wise with the time and moments God does give us. Also pray that Dan's pursuit of an internship with TURBOCAM will be fruitful! 

We love and miss everyone! We will be down south in May for Josh and Summer's wedding, and may be staying for a week. 

lots of love,

mrs. savage

Shell-shocked

Yeah.

So the story is... 

Toby, Jenni, Chris, and Gwen came over for dinner again on Sunday night. Taco night! Everyone's stoked, ya know? The rice is on the stovetop and the corn is in a saucepan next to it. Hamburger is sizzling with delicious spicey scents, and onions and cilantro are being chopped on a cutting board. Cheese, salsa, and sour cream are waiting on the table with Sirachi and tabasco sauce. Taco shells are lined up in a row in the oven to get toasty and crunchy. Everyone is chatting and music is playing from the living room. We are all so happy to see each other. 

*Sniff! *Sniff!

"Honey, why is the rice burner smoking?" Dan asks.

"Hmmm," I say. "Perhaps, we should turn it down." 

So we do.

Then Dan opens the oven door......

"Weeeeeeee've gotta fire!"

Flames. Blue and yellow and orange flames. 

The oven door slams closed and everyone comes into the kitchen to aid... 

As someone dismantles the smoke alarm, Toby runs for a fire extinguisher and I grab some baking soda to have Dan throw on the flames. No avail. More flames. Smoky house. 

Windows are thrown open. 

"Can I take a video?" Gwen excitedly asks.

At this point, I am standing in the kitchen with my heart beating out of my chest as I imagine flames licking out of the oven door and burning our house down. Homeless. Great. 

Pretty sure that if Dan and the others had not been there and this had happened... I would have burst into tears...and called Dan. Then 911. 

Thanks to Jenni's suggestion, we threw another pan over the taco pan to smother the flames, and the events was over. Also thanks to Jenni and Toby, we had extra shells and the taco night was still a success.

Who knew that you had to leave the oven door OPEN when you put something in to broil?!

I've never done that in my LIFE. And this time, it ended in some shells that resembled charcoal.

Oh well! Thanks to some quick thinking, calm, and great friends (and husband!), our house and meal were saved :)

The end.

...and to the Republic for which it stands...

Dan and I were discussing Plato (from Dan's philosophy book "The Republic of Plato"), and we found this article while browsing the web. It's very interesting and definitely helped me to establish in my mind what is happening to America today. Perhaps headed for another Depression or a collapse like Greece? Gimme your thoughts...

http://www.newswithviews.com/Duncan/al115.htm

DEMOCRACY OR A REPUBLIC?

By Al Duncan

May 27, 2011
NewsWithViews.com

In 2001, Dr. Stanley Monteith and I co-authored an article that was published in the Lake County Record Bee entitled, America: Democracy or Republic, and what does it matter? Today, most Americans mistakenly believe that our form of government is a democracy. In the above referenced article, I examine that belief. I have herein included excerpts from that article that substantiate the original intent of America’s founding fathers.

Dr. Stan and I wrote, “If you asked 100 people whether we are a democracy or a republic, the overwhelming majority would say that we are a democracy. What is more disheartening, the overwhelming majority would not have a clue as to what a republic is.”

Ancient Athens was a prosperous city-state until it became a democracy in 508 B.C. Then the will of the majority became the law of the land, and the minority had no rights. The ruling oligarchy manipulated the populace and plunged Athens into a series of disastrous wars. Class warfare broke out when the poor sought to steal the wealth of the rich. Modern pundits claim that Athenian democracy was different from the democracy being imposed on us today, but that isn't true.

If you study the history of civilization, you will find that all civil governments have eventually enslaved their citizens. There have only been two instances when men have been free, and on both occasions the populace lost their freedom because they allowed evil men to corrupt their courts. The first instance was three thousand years ago when the children of Israel lived under God's law, and there was no formal government. In those days people could do whatever they wished as long as they obeyed the Ten Commandments.

If there’s one thing that we have learned from history, it is that we never learn from history. And those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.

Our republic lasted 160 years and provided more freedom to more people than any other government in the history of the world. During the fourth decade of the last century things began to change. Most Americans weren’t aware of these drastic changes, they were being sidetracked by events such as the great depression, World War II, the rebellious 60s, and the constant barrage of financial, psychological, and physical pressures, mostly due to the invasion and expansion of the federal government into our lives.

Both William Blackstone and John Locke promoted the belief that civil laws should be based on God's law. Those ideas were incorporated into the opening paragraphs of the Declaration of Independence, and John Locke's phrase life, liberty, and (or) property was used twice in the Constitution.

If you read our Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights, The Federalist Papers, and the Constitution of any state up to 1950 you’ll never find the word democracy used other than to condemn that form of government and declare that our nation is a republic.

The Bill of Rights was designed to limit the authority of the federal government. The first eight amendments limited acts of Congress in respect to our personal freedom. Amendments nine and ten limited acts of Congress to the issues cited in Article One, Section 8 of the Constitution.

So why is America being repeatedly referred to as a democracy when we are a republic? Is there an intentional effort to deceive the American people into believing we are a democracy in order to change it from a republic? Who benefits from a democracy and who benefits from a republic?

Permanent law rules a republic. Ever-changing impulses of men rule a democracy. In a democracy, elected officials can pass any sort of legislation they desire as long as they persuade the majority to agree. In a republic, the law restricts elected officials as to what they can or cannot do.

In a democracy, the majority rules, and the rest have no unalienable rights. In a democracy, the government can take wealth from one group (the working class) and give it to others as long as they persuade the majority to agree. If individuals did that it would be considered stealing, but when done with government authority it is considered lawful. This form of rule leads to dishonesty, corruption, a breakdown in law, and eventually chaos and anarchy.

Over 200 hundred years ago Professor Alexander Tyler explained why democracies fail: “A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until [a majority of] the voters discover they can vote themselves largesse (freebees/welfare) from the public treasury. From that moment on the majority always votes for the candidate promising the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy (taxing and spending), and is always followed by a dictatorship.”

Plato lived in Athens during the tumultuous years that preceded the end of that society, and he wrote about what he witnessed in Chapter VIII of his book, Plato stated, “A lynch mob is an example of a democracy. The majority decides who will be executed; the only negative vote comes from the man with a rope around his neck.”

Democracy has been likened to three wolves and a sheep voting on what they will eat for dinner. On the other hand, a republic would be a society with laws that prohibit eating sheep, and every animal would be armed to protect themselves against wolves.

Lord Acton noted, "The one pervading evil of democracy is the tyranny of the majority, or rather of that party, not always the majority, that succeeds, by force or fraud, in carrying elections."

In a democracy, laws can be changed at any time by the vote of the majority, and the majority can always be compromised or bribed with promises from the public treasury.

John Adams, the second President of the United States, warned: “Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy that didn’t commit suicide.”

Oscar Wilde wrote: “Democracy means simply the bludgeoning of the people, by the people, for the people.”

When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that my dear friend, is the beginning of the end of any nation.

So why do so many people believe we are a democracy? Because they have not been educated correctly, they have been intentionally deceived and, there has been a well- financed and well- orchestrated effort to convince them that our elected officials can do whatever they wish as long as a majority of them agree on a course of action. The exact opposite is true. Our Founding Fathers believed in the rule of law and hoped to prevent future generations from voting themselves into slavery, which is why they created a republic, and not a democracy.

Men have always established governments for protection. Our founders knew that laws to protect the lives, liberty, and property of citizens were necessary, but once those rights were secured, additional laws only restrict men’s freedom. They knew that liberty and limited government were synonymous, and that tyranny and total government were synonymous, so they constructed a system to limit our government. They also knew that there was no effective way to limit the misuse of power in a democracy, so they established a republic, where men would be ruled by law rather than by the will of the majority.

Thomas Jefferson warned, “In questions of power, let no more be heard of confidence in man, but bind him down from mischief by the chains of the Constitution.”

Over 200 hundred years ago, Professor Alexander Tyler explained why democracies fail: “A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until [a majority of] the voters discover they can vote themselves largesse (freebees/welfare) from the public treasury. From that moment on the majority always votes for the candidate promising the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy (taxing and spending), and is always followed by a dictatorship.”

James Madison, wrote, ". . . democracies have ever been spectacles of turbulence and contention; have ever been found incompatible with personal security, or the rights of property; and have, in general, been as short in their lives as they have been violent in their deaths."

"Hold on, my friends, to the Constitution and to the Republic for which it stands. What has happened once in 6000 years, may not happen again. Hold on to the Constitution, for if the American Constitution should fail, there will be anarchy throughout the world." Daniel Webster

Thomas Jefferson anticipated the destruction of our republic. He wrote: “It has long been my opinion that the germ of dissolution of our federal government is in the Constitution of our Federal Judiciary; an irresponsible body, gaining a little today and a little tomorrow, and advancing its noiseless step like a thief, over the field of jurisdiction, until all shall be usurped from the states, and the government of all be consolidated into one. To this I’m opposed; because, when all government, domestic and foreign, in little as in great things, shall be drawn to Washington as the center of all power, it will render powerless the checks of one government on another, and will become as venal and oppressive as the government from which we separated. It will be as in Europe, where every man must be either pike (on the top) or gudgeon (on the bottom).

The opening phrase of the First Amendment to our Constitution proclaims: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…"

Astonishingly, this has been rendered to be a “separation of church and state.” Thus, the Federal Judiciary is now deciphering the law to its advantage rather than assert what the law clearly affirms.

Benjamin Franklin warns, "Man will ultimately be governed by God or by tyrants."

"It is when people forget God that tyrants forge their chains." Patrick Henry

As the Bible specifically addresses humanity’s behavioral-traits and provides agape/love as the solution, which is to safeguard the spiritual betterment of others and includes a selfless giving without expecting anything in return, the Constitution also addresses human behavioral-traits by restricting transgressions with laws.

If we are honest, the Bible and the constitution have been obsolete in America for more than 40 years.

© 2011 Al Duncan - All Rights Reserved

Mismatched Socks

Just earned a little check from my first day of cleaning at Linda's house.

Wait.

Did you guys know that?

Aside from nannying Rachel and Ian, I clean a already-spotless mansion for a lady who teaches piano. I go every other week to help her clean the three-story house. It's pretty fun. Her house is beautiful and everything is ornate, polished, and shining. 

Funny (or not so funny?) story of the week: My first day to clean for Linda was yesterday at 8:30am. I had the most massive brain blank I've ever had... and I slept in til 10:00. TEN O'CLOCK! After seeing a missed call from Linda, I took a shower in two minutes flat and ran out the door with a granola bar and my wallet. Crazy start to my day!!

My first day of watching Rachel and Ian was yesterday as well! They are great kids, and have great minds - creative, smart, funny, sociable. They play piano and sports, love crafts and being outside, and I know we're going to have a great time in the years to come :) We made cards to send to people and chatted and got to know each other.

Today came bright and early and my eye felt as though someone just dumped alcohol into it. What is wrong with me?!? After cleaning at Linda's, I came home to..... THIS

My adorable husband with mismatched socks, no shirt, an oven mitt in one hand and a smoothie in the other.

OH, I love coming home :)

We had a lunch of some AWESOME pasta and white sauce that Chef Savage concocted. (That boy is amazing in the kitchen, I tell ya.) Then we made up some plantain chips. They are really tasty, especially knowing that they are SO good for you!

I gotta tell you though, I'm NOT a fan of oranges in my smoothie.

Texture thing. Dan got double portions of the smoothie, needless to say. 

Before

About to drink the potion...

After

That's the blurb for today :) Off to visit Mom and Dad this weekend.

Here's the sneak peak of the new project....

If you'd like, here's the awesome recipe for the white sauce that Dan made. We ate with some leftover spaghetti noodles, and it was a keeper. It's relatively healthy too! It reminded me of a type of Asian noodle dish.

Dan's White Sauce

1 egg

1/4 cup of milk

1/16 package of cream cheese (just eyeball it)

1/8 cup of Parmesan cheese 

1/4 of an onion (saute separately with a couple mushrooms)

Chives

Basil

Italian seasoning

Dash of salt and ground pepper

Bring it to a simmer for about five minutes, stirring often.

Makes just enough for two people!

lots of love,

mrs. savage

The end of the post is the best... keep reading...

It's Wednesday afternoon and I'm ignoring the laundry that is looming in our bedroom. It's one of those days where I want to blog, but I also have a good-sized handful of things to do (homework, laundry, trash, etc...). 


And yet I'm putting off the thing that I am craving the most. Time sitting in my Father's lap, to cry, to laugh, to hope, the listen, to be disciplined, to be soothed, to be made courageous, to be fed. 


I have a hard time saying "Lately, God has been teaching me _____." It sounds weird rolling off of my tongue. 
I think maybe it's because I know that the moment I say "this is what I've been taught", then that is the moment when I am accountable to act upon what I have been taught.




And I don't wanna.




I feel like a child, and I am chastising myself for being so weak-willed like a child who is throwing a tantrum.
So the big question: what has God taught me? Quite a few things, and I'd like to share them so that I may be doubly accountable to the lesson I have heard, God, and to you!




But first, before I get brave and tell you what I've learned...
Can I share with you recent Savage happenings?!


(I might be stalling...)

Sunday night! 

Our wonderful friends came over for spaghetti, salad, and garlic bread.

Thanks to my fantastic mentor back home, I had a crowd-pleasing, "Yes, please, I'll take thirds", deee-lish spaghetti recipe. (Thanks, Mrs. Orr!) It brought back sweet memories of sitting in the Orr's cozy house, sharing about life, asking questions, and getting the best and most humble answers. 

And I was so glad Chris and Gwen could come from Massachusetts and eat dinner with Toby, Jenni, Dan, and me!

(They were such good sports about sitting around our little coffee table, since we only have four chairs at our dining room table at the moment!)

They also stayed late into Sunday evening to help me out with my first ever Psychoeducational Group on "How to Confidently Cope with Change" that I was assigned to host for one of my classes. I had three other people join us, which made for some awesome group dynamics and great discussion. Toby, Jenni, Chris, Gwen, Alex, Hannah, Danny, and my Dan are all solid Christians, and all going through major changes. It was encouraging to see the response and excitement about the group! Now I am super motivated to prepare some really helpful material for them!!

I must say, I have a golden husband. (Lesson learned... I'll get back to that though.)

He is hard-working beyond any discipline I have. I cannot express how much he encourages me to be better just by being the way he is. He studies so hard and so persistently. I am so proud of him. He is going to go great places, I just know it. 

He is also so even-tempered, for which I am so grateful. We make a great pair, the two of us.

Lesson number two... Later.

I think I have senioritis. 

He studies. I finish my school work. He gets coffee to keep studying. I get hot cocoa and cozy up with a book. (Again, his mind is such a beautiful thing. I'm always so impressed by him. I always sorta feel guilty that he is still studying when I am finished.) 

But it was really good hot chocolate given to me by one of the greatest girls I know, Nancy Wright!

P.S. She is going to have a baby!! I am so excited for her!! She and Bradley will be amazing parents!!

(Anyone know a remedy for constant burning and red eyes from contacts? It'd be much appreciated..)

The book is coming along great.. but man, Socrates is intense with his logic. You gotta be able to focus.

Tuesday was Valentine's Day! I was supposed to have my first day of work nannying Rachel and Ian when they got home from school. Alas! I get a phone call from their mom, Jen, that she got off work and I didn't need to come til Thursday! Oh well.. more time to make surprises for Dan to come home to!

Conversation hearts are classic.

Happy Valentine's!

And then today! Ta-da! Thought I'd share with you my recent recipes!

I have some magnets (that I am going to decorate, real soon, I promise) that I use to pin my recipes onto the oven hood while I'm cooking. Super convenient, and they don't get messy with eggs and flour and butter on the counter top!

For Valentine's Day dessert, I made a no-bake chocolate pie with chocolate graham cracker crust. So yummy and very easy. I wish I had gotten a picture! It had to be a no-bake since our oven was still not fixed! We haven't had our oven work since we moved in - four weeks ago. 

No Bake Chocolate Pie

1 stick of butter

1 square of chocolate, melted (I used Nestle's pre-melted chocolate pouches, nuked them for a few seconds, and wa-la! Melted chocolate.)

3/4 cup sugar

2 large eggs

Melt the butter and combine with melted chocolate. Blend it with the sugar. (Make sure the chocolate and butter are really hot so that the sugar granules get pretty well dissolved.) Add one egg and beat on high for 5 minutes. Add second egg and beat on high 5 more minutes. Put into bake pie crust. Cool. Top with whipped cream! (And sprinkle the top with remaining chocolate graham cracker crumbs!

The crust was easy enough - two cups of crushed chocolate graham crackers, 1 Tablespoon of brown sugar, and 7 Tablespoons of melted butter. Press into pie pan. Bake at 350 for about 6 minutes. (I was able to do this by putting the pie in as soon as I turned on the oven, and taking it out quickly! The issue with our oven is that it doesn't stop heating and goes well-past 600 degrees.)

Cheesy Baked Cauliflower

1 head of cauliflower, steamed

1 teaspoon of mayo (..the thought of warm mayo made me wanna gag.. so I used sour cream.)

1 teaspoon of mustard (brown spicy is best!)

1/2 teaspoon of Sirachi sauce (or any hot sauce)

1/4 cup butter, cut into pieces

1/3 cup Parmesan cheese

1/3 cup mozzarella or cheddar cheese

few slices of pepper jack cheese

Take steamed cauliflower and place is baking dish. Dab on the mixture of sour cream/mayo, mustard, and Sirachi. Scatter butter over the cauliflower. Cover with cheeses. Put into oven at 375 for 30 minutes or until the cheese starts to brown.

It is a REALLY good way to use up cauliflower when it's on sale. It went great with venison steak tonight, which I cooked with hot peppers, onions, mushrooms, and Ken's Italian marinade.

Mrs. Orr's Spaghetti

Sauce:

105 oz Hunts Tomato Sauce

1 package Jacksonville mild or hot Italian sausage

1 (12 oz) can tomato paste

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Meatballs (optional):

3 lbs ground beef

2 cups Italian bread crumbs

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1 cup water

Plan at least 6 hours for cooking on stove on low

(I was able to do it in less with a crockpot on low, though the sausage was not as soft as I liked.)

Put sauce in BIG pot. Add seasonings and stir. Add cut-in-half sausages (and then meatballs, if made). Don't start on high - start heating on low/medium-low. Stir very gently (get the bottom!) til the meatballs are firm. (Stir every 20 minutes or so til it gets going and hot.) Stir occasionally (every hour?) after that. Add paste one hour before serving - make sure it is simmering for an hour to cook paste. Enjoy!

ALSO! I am SO EXCITED because our oven got fixed today! 

(Which is why I was able to make the cauliflower! Yey!!)

So. Now that I've run out of recipes and events..

Lesson number one..

Dan and I are having a serious amount of fun being married. We LOVE it! We laugh and goof off, share about our days and share the burden that some days can be, and enjoy each other's presence and companionship. We try to notice when we can serve each other, we talk things out, we encourage, and we plan for things. 

But at times, marriage makes you feel like you are a CRUMB.

They say love is blind. And I know what they mean.

But I think the statement that is more true is that selfishness is the blind part of loving someone.

Love sees the other person's flaws and chooses to overlook whatever they are.

Selfishness doesn't see the other person at all. The only thing it sees is itself. 

Blinders.

There is a difference between expressing what is important to me/my needs from Dan for a healthy relationship. But when all I can see is my own needs and I cannot for the life of me understand him, I am blind.

Instead of trying to understand my husband so that I can one-up him by telling him why my needs are more important... I need to step into his shoes and into his heart and empathize with him. When I feel and understand the deep well of his soul, his burdens, his feelings, emotions, and thoughts... I suddenly realize that I have been an ungrateful child towards one of the most hard-working men I know.

The purposes of a man's heart are deep waters; but a [woman] of understanding draws them out. Proverbs 20:5

God has so much to say about the way we treat each other!

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interest, but also to the interests of others. Philippians 2:3-4

Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. Colossians 3:12-14

One of the reasons I have a seriously hard time relating to my husband the things that are important to me is because I am afraid. Yup. I don't want to be a bother to him.

Ridiculous.

Girls, guys: that's a lie, please don't believe it like I do.

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. 1 John 4:18

This is a statement. This is a description. This is a warning.

Fear cannot abide with love. Why? Because where there is love, fear is cast out, driven out. It is not welcome and it is chased away. Love trumps all things. "The greatest of these is love" says 1 Corinthians 13. Love is POWER. 

And the warning? If you are afraid, understand that you must not be in a place where you are understanding or accepting the love that you have available to you. 

Daily, refresh the love that you vowed and have vowed to your spouse. Nurture it.

It is the thing in your house that you want to nurture and make bountiful and flourish!

It is the thing that protects you and your husband. It drives out fear.

I fear the punishment of being a bother to Dan by burdening him with my desires. 

This is a lie, because Dan loves me, not just as a body and a voice, but as a soul with all of its desires.

Please, my dear married friends, read these words of truth!

They are enough to make you cry. They ignite within me the desire to do better, and to love better.

Selfishness is like a steady diet of sweet things. They are self-satisfying, but unhealthy, and eventually make you feel disgusted with yourself. When you serve the person you love, it is often harder but is extremely healthy for your marriage and make you feel lighter and more joyous at heart.

Lesson number two was given to me through my husband, unbeknownst to him. 

My husband does not shout. He does nor get loud. He does not raise his voice when he gets upset. 

He thinks. He speaks. 

And I want to get mad.

I was raised in a very loud, verbal family. I love my family immensely, and miss them with a large part of my heart. But one thing that  I wish had been different is our communication. We were loud, and when we were upset we were even louder. That's my mold, my expectation, my defense.

When Dan is calm during a disagreement, I want him to get upset. I want him to yell, because I want to yell. If he yells, then it's okay for me to. But when he doesn't, I can't. 

Dan is constantly embodies the Proverb to turn wrath away with a soft answer.

I am so grateful for that change in my life. Dan's ability (gift? talent? character.) to respond calmly is a change that I want to see within myself. God is a great Father for gifting me with Dan. He knew.

Lesson number three...

Do not let the sun go down upon your wrath. Ephesians 4:26.

It just. isn't. FUN. Enough said.

Lesson number four...

Little children, let us not love in word or talk, but in deed and in truth. 1 John 3:18

This verse... it is exactly why I am sharing my "lessons learned". It's because I plan to not just talk about them.. but to act upon them. I want to love Dan, not with empty promises, but in action, since love is an action.

My husband is a hard one to figure out (as I am sure I am equally as puzzling to him). As I was walking to the mailbox, I was pondering how I could show him how sorry I was for my selfish blindness, and how to really show him my love for him.

You should stop eating chocolate chips.

I think my step probably stuttered.

.....Do you know when God speaks to you? You know it when the voice in your mind says "You should ___" instead of "I should ___". 

Seriously? Chocolate chips?

...Chocolate chips are going to show Dan I care. Um. What?

And in the same moment that I questioned the thought, I knew exactly what God meant.

Love Dan with your body. It's how he knows you care. Dan loves when you to look amazing. Show him you care about his desires.

(If you have issues with this, my dear blog readers, I'll write another post explaining the beautiful design of that statement.)

By staying in shape, I show Dan that I want to be beautiful for him, and that I am keeping fit n' active n' trim so that I can participate in things that he is interested in - namely rock climbing and hiking. 

But why the chocolate chips?!

Hehe, it's honestly probably the hardest thing for God to point out to me, but I know that loving Dan is so much greater of a reward than satisfying my own cravings. 

Well readers, I hope you write these verses on the tablets of your hearts. 

God has taught me lessons that are worth their weight in gold.

I will likely, prayerfully, never forget them. 

God is delighted and enthralled with me, and he loves our marriage.

I will not buy into the lies that Satan is using to damage our marriage.

Dan's and my goal is to embody Jesus in our marriage. So we will work and pray hard for the strength and the character to build each other up.

lots of love,

mrs. savage

P.S. Look for secret pictures of a new painting I'm working on... coming soon!