Spirituality Retreat

On March 5th, we headed to Asheboro for Oakmont's spirituality retreat. When we got to Asheboro, we stopped for supper at the Sagebrush...yummy! I loved the sweet potato casserole. Our time together started that evening, shortly after we got to Caraway.

Birthday Weekend

-Upward basketball- I was able to check out the end of season celebration. It was clear that Upward made a powerful impact on so many lives. Hundreds of kids and their families were able to hear the Gospel. The celebration included a hotdog supper and basketball handling demonstrations.
-Baptist Women's Day at Bethlehem- We had a packed house at the early service. This included a full choir loft. The pastor's wife, Anita, brought an amazing message. We love her and her sense of humor.
-Birthday Lunch at BW 3's- I got a big Pyrex set with lids. I love my new jewelry as well. But I'm really, really excited about all that Pyrex! I'm already looking forward to my next cooking marathon.
-Mission Serve planning meeting- We are traveling to Wetumpka this summer.
-BBC supper club- Bojangles.

Swagbucks

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2010 Reading List

I plan to challenge my mind with a lot of reading this year. In addition to perusing some new books, I have plenty on my shelf that need finishing...it's been so long, I may have to start some from the beginning :)Thanks to Lindsay from the Passionate Homemaking site. I needed some encouragement to spend more time reading. As I knock some of these out, I definitely plan to add more.

Spirituality
A Case for Faith by Lee Strobel
Practicing His Presence
Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller
Inside Out by Larry Crabb
The Feminist Mistake: The Radical Impact of Feminisim
Questioning Evangelism(using questions as a form of sharing your faith)
From Clutter to Clarity: Simplying Life from the Inside Out
Womanly Dominion: More than a Gentle and Quiet Spirit
Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis
Lies Women Believe by Nancy Leigh DeMoss

Missionary Stories
Evidence Not Seen: A Woman's Miraculous Faith in the Jungles of World War II

Household topics
Shopper's Guide to Natural Foods (page 26)
In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan- done!
The Maker's Diet by Jordan Rubin
Nourishing Traditions

GO SAINTS!

The singles ministry at Oakmont hosted a great Superbowl Party. Thanks to David Perkins for opening up his home. We stuffed ourselves with yummy treats like pizza, chili, fruits/veggies, and chips. Best of all, the Saints brought it home!

Whole foods

Whole foods...nope, no the store. I'm talking about eating foods the way that God created them. I've been trying to cut back on artificial ingredients, preservatives, etc. Cooking more things from scratch is quite the adventure. I've learned that it is totally worth it. It's kind of nice eating things where I can pronounce all of the ingredients. This weekend, in light of the winter weather, I'm making snickerdoodles, pizza pockets, popcorn chicken, and strawberry bread. It's nice to put things in the freezer and have super quick meals later. Even though eating and cooking this way are admirable, it's important not to let this lifestyle become an idol. It's easy to say, ''it took so much time to make this and I don't want to just give it all away; I want to keep it at home to enjoy it.'' However, God has blessed me with so much. It should be a blessing to share what I have with other.

Liberty Bowl

On New Year's Eve, I left for the Liberty Bowl. It was a long, but easy road trip. We rung in the New Year on Beale Street. The tradition in Memphis is a guitar drop outside of Hard Rock Cafe. The next day, we watched the Liberty Bowl parade (thank goodness for hot chocolate from Starbucks. We also stopped by the Memphis pyramid, St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital, the Mississippi River, Elvis' mansion, and Graceland. While the Pirates lost, it was still a great game to watch. However, I've never been so cold in my life. Even though I was surrounded by Arkansas fans, there was plenty of Pirate spirit. Stay tuned for pictures.