Since I have been sick I have been craving Spaghetti and Meat Sauce. When I was a little girl my mom would make the most delicious sauce with sausage in it. And I wanted to attempt to recreate it. The sauce came out perfect, thick and rich. It was just how I wanted it. It might take a little longer then making a regular pasta sauce, however it is well worth the wait.
Spaghetti and Meat Sauce
3 Italian Sweet Sausages
1 onion chopped
3 large carrots pealed and chopped
1 package of mushrooms sliced
1 small can of tomato paste
1 large can of crushed tomato's
1 box of chicken stock
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 pound of spaghetti
Cook onions, carrots and sausage together, until cooked through. Add tomato past and cook until browned. Stir in half the chicken stock and let reduce to half. Add mushrooms and let cook for about 3 minutes add remaining chicken stock and crushed tomato's.
Start water for pasta, once boiling salt water well. The water should take like the ocean. Cook pasta according to the package directions.
Let sauce cook and come together while the pasta cooks. Once pasta is done toss together with sauce and allow to cook together for about 3 to 5 minutes. Top with chopped parsley and enjoy!
For the past two years i have been having a girls coffee night once a month. It's a great time for the girls to bring new friends and just get them introduced to youth group. Well we are coming close to our last coffee night together. So we decided to mix it up and all go out for breakfast. This week has been so crazy with graduations and our Youth group Open House that we thought it would be nice to take a breath and just enjoy some breakfast together. So we all met up at Eggs and Things here in Simi Valley and had a yummy breakfast. It was great hearing about the graduation parties and family get togethers they were all having. As i looked around the table i was over whelmed with emotions, I have watched these girls become women and I just can't believe how amazing they are. They have come so far in the past five years and have matured so much. I have grown very close with these girls and can't believe our little group will be going their separate ways soon. Sarah will be moving to Boston and Aimee will be moving to Nevada. Also Mackenzie and Meaghan will be heading up to Santa Barbra. Leaving me, Jessica and Elyse here. Even with Jessica and Elyse going to college close by I know their lives will be heading in a new direction. Not to mention the fact that I will be having another baby, which will make for big changes in my life as well. Things can't stay the same, and although it is hard to say goodbye, I am so glad to have known each of these girls and will look back on this part of my life as the most fun and most fulfilling part of my life thus far.
Thank you girls for a wonderful morning spent together!
Romans 8:28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
Last but not least tonight was my third graduations of the year! I joined the McDonald family as they celebrated the graduation of Aimee McDonald. I have known Aimee for five years and have grown to love her like a little sister. She has grown so much over the years from not be interested in Jesus to excepting Him as her Savior. She has been a joy to work with and someone I have always looked forward to being around.
Sitting with her family was great and getting to talk to them and hear stories about Aimee was so much fun. I truly felt like part of her family. We all cheered as Aimee graduated with honors and excepted her diploma. Aimee has worked hard to keep a high GPA while helping her family financially and keeping up with a very active social life. She is an amazing girl who has over come a lot of hardship in her life and always managed to do it with a smile on her face. I do not know what life will be like when she moves to Nevada in August. However I praise God for the time He has given me with Aimee and the chance to have her be a part of my life.
"The LORD lives! Praise be to my Rock! Exalted be God, the Rock, my Savior!" 2 Samuel 22:47
I praise God for sending His son to die for my sins on the cross. I thank Him from the bottom of my heart for finding me as a young girl and for showing me His love. God picked me up from the depths and gave me life. I know I am the person I am today because of the Lord Jesus Christ. I have soot to honor Him and bring glory to His name. This song made me cry the first time I heard it and i still get goose bumps when i hear it's powerful words. I am proud to say My Savior Lives!
My Savior My God by Aaron Shust
I am not skilled to understand
What God has willed, what God has planned
I only know at His right hand
Stands one who is my Savior
I take Him at His word and deed
Christ died to save me; this I read
And in my heart I find a need
Of Him to be my savior
That He would leave His place on high
And come for sinful man to die
You count it strange, so once did I
Before I knew my Savior
Chorus (2x’s)
My Savior loves, My Savior lives
My Savior’s always there for me
My God: He was, my God; He is
My God is always gonna be
Yes, living, dying, let me bring
My strength, my solace from this spring;
That He who lives to be my King
Once died to be my Savior
That He would leave His place on high
And come for sinful man to die
You count it strange, so once did I
Before I knew my Savior
Chorus (2x’s)
(Instrumental)
Chorus: (2x’s)
My Savior loves, My Savior lives
My Savior loves, My Savior lives
"The name of the LORD is a strong tower; The righteous run to it and are safe." Proverbs 18:10
Through all that is going on in my life these past seven days, I have been reading through Proverbs and I read this verse today. I praise the Lord for being my strong tower, a place to run to for refuge. I hope this song brings this scripture to life for you.
Strong Tower By Kutless
When I wander through the desert
And I'm longing for my home
All my dreams have gone astray
When I'm stranded in the valley
And I'm tired and all alone
It seems like I've lost my way
I go running to your mountain
Where your mercy sets me free
[chorus]
You are my strong tower
Shelter over me
Beautiful and mighty
Everlasting King
You are my strong tower
Fortress when I'm weak
Your name is true and holy
And Your face is all I seek
In the middle of my darkness
In the midst of all my fear
You're my refuge and my hope
When the storm of life is raging
And the thunder's all I hear
You speak softly to my soul
I praise the Lord for being with me no matter what. I have been repeating this verse over and over this past week, Romans 8:31 "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?". I praise God for never leaving me! My favorite part of this song is "For You are who You are, No matter where I am". Thank you Lord for loving me even though I am so unworthy and undeserving of your love. All through out this storm Lord, I have felt your loving arms around me. You are mighty, and I praise you for what I am learning through all this. May your Glory be seen in all this!
"Praise You In This Storm" by Casting Crowns
I was sure by now
God You would have reached down
And wiped our tears away
Stepped in and saved the day
But once again, I say "Amen", and it's still raining
As the thunder rolls
I barely hear Your whisper through the rain
"I'm with you"
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God who gives
And takes away
And I'll praise You in this storm
And I will lift my hands
For You are who You are
No matter where I am
And every tear I've cried
You hold in Your hand
You never left my side
And though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm
I remember when
I stumbled in the wind
You heard my cry to you
And you raised me up again
My strength is almost gone
How can I carry on
If I can't find You
But as the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain
"I'm with you"
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God who gives
And takes away
I lift my eyes unto the hills
Where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord
The Maker of Heaven and Earth
As I have said in my previous post, I am posting songs that have been helping me understand my own feelings about my life right now. I have loved this song since i first heard it when I was a teenager. But never truly felt this way, right now I am truly asking my self, "What if I stumble?" could all the Lord's done in my life be erased because of what others may think I have done. My heart is aching and shattered.
What if I stumble By DC Talk
What if I stumble?
What if I fall?
Is this one for
the people?
Is this one for the Lord?
Or do I simply serenade for things I must afford?
You can jumble them together, my conflict still remains
Holiness is calling, in the midst of courting fame
Cause I see the
trust in their eyes
Though the sky is falling
They need Your love in their lives
Compromise is calling
CHORUS:
What if I stumble, what if I fall?
What if I lose my step and I make fools of us all?
Will the love continue when my walk becomes a crawl?
What if I stumble, and what if I fall?
What if I stumble,
what if I fall?
You never turn in the heat of it all
What if I stumble, what if I fall?
Father please forgive
me for I can not compose
The fear that lives within me
Or the rate at which it grows
If struggle has a purpose
On the narrow road you've carved
Why do I dread my trespasses will leave a deadly scar
Do they see the
fear in my eyes?
Are they so revealing?
This time I cannot disguise
All the doubt I'm feeling
What if I stumble?
Everyone's got to crawl when you know that
You're up against a wall, it's about to fall
Everyone's got to crawl when you know that (2x)
I hear You whispering
my name [You say]
"My love for You will never change" [never change]
What if I stumble,
what if I fall?
You never turn in the heat of it all
What if I stumble, what if I fall?
You are my comfort, and my God
Is this one for the people, is this one for the Lord?
I will be sharing a few songs with all of you that have been reflecting my life right now. I am trying to chose my words wisely, to not hurt anyone or cause any sort of conflict and in spending time in my bible, prayer and listening to some amazing Christian music, I have found words to my feelings that have even been hard for me to explain. I have always been in awe of people who have the talent of taking words and putting them to music. Music has been such a big part of my walk with Christ, it's in my times of singing praises to Him that I feel the closest to my Savior and constantly listening to Christian music has kept my focus on Him daily. So since i can't sing or play an interment, to express myself musically, I have borrowed the music and lyrics of others. I hope you take the time to listen to the songs and read the words, it's really struck a cord in my heart and what I am going through right now.
Stain Glass Masquerade By Casting Crowns
Is there anyone that fails
Is there anyone that falls
Am I the only one in church today feelin’ so small
Cause when I take a look around
Everybody seems so strong
I know they’ll soon discover
That I don’t belong
So I tuck it all away, like everything’s okay
If I make them all believe it, maybe I’ll believe it too
So with a painted grin, I play the part again
So everyone will see me the way that I see them
*Chorus*
Are we happy plastic people
Under shiny plastic steeples
With walls around our weakness
And smiles to hide our pain
But if the invitation’s open
To every heart that has been broken
Maybe then we close the curtain
On our stained glass masquerade
Is there anyone who’s been there
Are there any hands to raise
Am I the only one who’s traded
In the altar for a stage
The performance is CONVINCING
And we know every line by heart
Only when no one is watching
Can we really fall apart
But would it set me free
If I dared to let you see
The truth behind the person
That you imagine me to be
Would your arms be open
Or would you walk away
Would the love of Jesus
Be enough to make you stay
Chorus x2
Well if the invitation’s open
To every heart that has been broken
Maybe then we close the curtain
On our stained glass masquerade
Is there anyone that fails
Is there anyone that falls
Am I the only one in church today feelin’ so small
"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope." Jeremiah 29:11
Today Daniel, Kiersten, Matt, Aimee, Erica and Jason and I cheered on seven of our youth group kids as they graduated from high school. This was the one of first graduation I have ever been to where i knew more then one person graduating. Not to mention I have met a lot of the kids friends so there were many to cheer for. It was an honor again to be invited to their graduation, each student received 5 tickets and somehow between all of them they were able to get both Daniel and I a ticket. I am blessed and so proud of these kids!
Today Daniel and I opened up our home to honor our high school graduates and to have our final "official" youth group get together. Do to the horrific and devastating events at our church we decided to have our celebration at our home. It was a bitter sweet night spent celebrating and getting closure of this past weeks events. Daniel and I have loved these kids for five years and have given up so much of our time, energy and money to make youth group an amazing place to be a teenager. We have been honored and blessed to be a part of each of their lives and we are so proud of each of their achievements.
We had over 40 people in attendance. It was a full house! We enjoyed a great pot luck dinner, which by the way i could not believe the amount of food that we had. Everyone was so gracious in bringing a dish or two to share. It was great getting to see the kids families along with having my own family their as well. We were supported by church friends and was over whelmed with the amount of people filling our home. After eating we had a time of worship, it was amazing hearing our entire house full of people praising the Lord. My eye's filled with tears as our voices lifted and sang of our Savior. I ended the night with a short devotion and a time of honoring all those who graduated. We had eight teens graduating and I am so proud of each of them.
