Baking tidbits...

This may very well be my last blog of 2011.  Although it's been a fantastic year, I'm excited to see what God brings in 2012.

This year I tried my hand at some Christmas baking, and I learned a few things.

1. Never bake things that are your favourites.  You will end up eating them all by yourself.
2. Make things appropriate to whichever side of the family you are visiting.  i.e. Don't make the Skor bark for the family that doesn't have much of a sweet tooth.  *See #1*
3. Don't post pictures on Facebook of what you're making unless you intend to bring it to a particular family gathering.  You may disappoint people.
4. Make sure your spouse isn't around while you're baking- unless, of course, you want to hear them beg you for 'One more cookie'.
5. Giving out little Christmas plates of homemade baked goods to neighbours and local businesses that you frequent will warm your heart and theirs.
6. People love non-traditional desserts at the family gathering.  That being said, make sure someone had the foresight to make a Yule log.
7. Make sure your spouse is around while you're baking- unless, of course, you want to expand your middle from that extra lick or scrape of the bowl.
8. Baking is extremely rewarding, as well as extremely stressful.  Learning to balance both sides of the coin can be a painful process.
9. Make sure someone is around to calm you down if you accidentally spill water on your freshly baked Oreo crumb crust.  *See #8*
10.  Bake a lot one day, rest the next day, then take it up again the day after that.  You'll find yourself more productive giving yourself a break in between.

Jake and I will be ringing in the New Year with some wonderful friends, and then celebrating with more family on New Year's Day.  Here's to a happy and healthy 2012.  May God bless you and yours.

Love,
Ashleigh

Christmas Aftermath...

I concede that this month hasn't been that busy.   I have been off work since December 9th, and only baby-sat a handful of times after that.  I have been reading- a lot.  I have been slowly picking away at my TESOL course.  But I have been lacking motivation this Christmas season.  To be more honest, I have been lacking motivation and loving procrastination for most of my life.  They have been my very best friends, it seems.  This morning I was confronted with the Israelite cycle, for the billionth time.  I hate the emotional appeals that bring to my knees before God, but don't actually change anything.  One of the things I was reminded of as I read Psalm 25 was waiting.  


David says-in one of my favourite verses- "Show me Your ways, O Lord; teach my Your paths.  Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation.  On You I wait all the day." (Psalm 25:4,5)  


Jeremiah writes, "The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him.  It is good that one should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord." (Lam. 3:25,26)


It's interesting that waiting is tied in with salvation on both occurrences.  God has saved me from my sins, and has rescued me from certain death.  But I need to keep waiting on Him.  Change doesn't happen overnight.  


In both passages you'll notice that the writers talk about seeking the Lord, and asking God to reveal his ways and lead us to his truth.  I have found that this is key, when desiring to change.  As Jake said the other day, we need to sweat.  The Christian walk isn't easy.  God is willing to change our hearts, but we also need to be willing to work and seek.  Desiring God comes at a cost...giving up time spent shopping, going online, reading other books that aren't as uplifting.  


The question I have to ask myself is this: 
How willing am I to desire God at whatever cost?


Love,
Ashleigh


P.S. I love listening to this song when I need to get into a God-space.

Decembering...

I am feeling a little bit ecstatic this morning, the shock of my returned assignment not having worn off yet.  A couple of days ago I finished one of the assignments that was plaguing my subconscious for a month.  I waited eagerly for over 12 hours to receive my marks and...drum roll please...I got 90%, which is the best mark I've received in the course yet!  God is so good.

Now I must finish this portion by December 23rd, and then I will start the Phonology module.  This is my December, folks :)

Enjoy your morning...I'm just going to sit here for a while and drink some tea before I start my homework.

Blessings,

Ashleigh

Casein Free: Week 2...

Today marks the end of the second week of my dairy elimination diet.  Has it been hard?, you ask.  Well, yes and no.  I'm feeling a bit more at ease, knowing what I can and cannot eat.  Unfortunately, the things that I can have in restaurants are usually unhealthy and fatty i.e. french fries and chicken wings.  I have to remind myself not to eat too much of those.

On the whole, however, I have been feeling better physically.  I haven't been gassy or bloated (except for when I ate those greasy, fatty chicken wings last week...oh boy.)  My tendency is to overcompensate with meat, so I am trying to do a little better on that end.  I made some hummus today, and I have lots of fruit in the house.  I'm not perishing...just dying a little inside every time I see someone eat ice cream.  (Why is it all about the ice cream? I'm craving that more than cheese.  It's so wrong.)

I'll keep you posted next week for my outcome.  One more week, folks! Bring it!

Love,
Ashleigh

Renewal...

I received an email from my TESOL liaison, which read:

"Hi Ashleigh

We like to check if we haven't heard from a student for a month. I hope everything is  fine. Everyone is so busy these days and you still have lots of time left, but just checking in."

So now you know the truth...I have been procrastinating and putting off my course.  In the past couple of days I have tried to do a little bit every day, just to keep on top of it.  I have to be finished this module by the end of December, and the course by the end of January.  I need a renewed sense of strength and encouragement, as I am entering into the most tedious portion.  

Please pray that God would give me the desire to see this to the end.  

Love,

Ashleigh

Sermons and Christmas...

When I was looking after my two young charges yesterday,  I had the chance to drive them to McDonald's in my car.  On the way, I happened to mention Jake's MP3 player.  The youngest one, Michael, leapt at the chance to look at it.  I told him Jake had only downloaded sermons on it.  Disappointed though he was, he still asked me what a sermon was.  Wow.  Such a cool opportunity to talk about church, God, the Bible, and our pastor with them.  I hope that I said something to peak their curiosities about God.  Please pray as I continue to  look for opportunities to share Christ with this family.

Jake and I heard two wonderful sermons in church today, and during the morning service our pastor reminded us of the importance of the virgin birth to our Christian faith.  What would salvation be without it, not to mention the person of Jesus Christ?  This birth was unique, and more than fulfilled the prophecies of old.  How could Jesus have been our Saviour if he had been born from two human parents?  He would have had no credibility because his birth would have been tainted by the sins of the first Adam.  No, he had to be born of the Spirit so that he could be both fully man and yet fully God.

What a wonderful truth to have in our hearts for the upcoming week!

Love,
Ashleigh

Waiting for the Sun...

Good morning.  I hope your sleep was pleasant and restful.  Why don't you pour yourself a cup of tea or coffee and join me?  I'm just waiting for the sun to come up so I can walk to the gym to swim some laps.  I was just thinking about my plan for today.

1. Spend some time with God...done and done...but NEVER done :) I love that this part of my day can be ongoing.
2. I work out...'nuff said.
3. Have coffee with a friend at William's.  In my opinion, the best place to go :)
4. Work
5. Bake a strawberry pie. OH YEAH!
6. Have dinner with the in-laws and pick up our winter tires.  Thankfully they have more storage space than we do.  Oh, and they also have Jake's brother's tires too.  We just call this the "picking-up-the-winter-tires" party.

Enjoy your day.  I'm pretty sure I'll enjoy mine!

Love,
Ashleigh

The End...

Today I completed the seventh and final book in the Harry Potter series.  I started the series in the middle of August, and with the exception of a three-book hiatus, I've been picking away at these books a little each day. It feels surreal to be finished, but I love that the ending is so hopeful when the other books were looking somewhat bleak.

It reminds me of how life on earth can feel hopeless, and yet we have a conquering Saviour who is coming to vanquish us, and do away with evil forever.

Amen! Come quickly, Lord Jesus!

Love,
Ashleigh

Swim Like a Fishy...

A month ago I wrote about how I was going to test out a gym membership.  It was quite a successful month; I went to the gym about 5 times a week.  Jake and I decided that it would be a good idea for me to renew my membership for this month.

One of the workouts that I am enjoying the most is swimming laps.  Ever since I was 17 years old, I have stopped and started with this particular form of exercise.  Trying to get back into it this time seemed to be a little more difficult than when I did it for two months in 2010.  My form was terrible.  My lungs were gasping for air.  My arms felt like dead-weights.

I happen to know the lifeguard who works there, and she has been in the habit of giving me some tips on how to improve.  This morning she gave me a pleasant surprise when she asked me, "Do you feel yourself getting better?"  I thought for a moment, and realized that, why yes, I do feel like I have been getting more comfortable in the water as I can focus more on the motions than just trying to breathe.  She confirmed that by saying that she's started to notice the difference in my technique.  I was both encouraged and pleased to hear this.

Love,
Ashleigh

Casein Free: Week 1...

Today marks Week 1 on my dairy elimination diet.  In the past week I have tried my best to read labels, to avoid chocolate (which has been very hard), and to not complain when ice cream seems to appear out of thin air.  On the week-end, I had a sip of my sister's bubble tea, forgetting that there was milk in it.  An hour later, I had an itchy neck (which usually happens when I have an allergic reaction to something).  That being said, I don't think I could cut out dairy from my life after I am finished this 3-week hiatus.  I will merely have to suffer the consequences- and perhaps stop drinking two glasses of milk everyday.

Something I am grateful for is that I haven't been bloated or feeling gaseous, so I'm pretty sure it was the dairy that was fueling that uncomfortable body ailment.  However, we shall see what happens in a couple of weeks.

The part I am frustrated about is that I have been overcompensating with foods that I can eat, like eating cups of marshmallows, or over-eating at dinner.  I notice that I am now eating more meat than usual (which, from Jake's point-of-view, isn't so terrible).  However, there is only so much protein that is needed, and I am exceeding that amount in bounds and leaps.  I am determined to start eating better, like I was before, and truly watching my portion sizes.

On another note, please keep praying for Jake and I in our desire to do missions overseas next year.  We are still in the process, and still waiting for references; it has been somewhat discouraging, but we know that the Lord has everything under control, and we will go when His timing is perfect.

Love,
Ashleigh