What color is the shirt?

If there are two sides to a shirt and up to four colors on each side of the shirt, how many combinations will there be and what the heck are they?

And I thought I would never use math. *sigh*

Starch or no Starch…

                

…that was the question of the evening a few nights back when I had the idea to cook stir fry. Yes, the question awaiting an answer, after I looked up the recipe on line and in two cookbooks. The trouble was that I didn’t have the question until WE decided to cook stirfry.

You see I have this philosophy about cooking. I will say that I have made many things in the kitchen that were not worth eating. Yes, I am not a perfect cook. So, back to my philosophy, when you bake, you follow directions. When you cook you follow your taste. If you know what sort of things you like to eat, then you know what sort of things to add more of. This particular night, I just wasn’t feeling that corn starch needed to be in my stirfry. But Lee Ann insisted that it would make it thicker. So, I insisted on a second opinion

. . . we called the Parkers. They gave us the wok, so they should know if corn starch is an ingredient in stirfry. But alas, they didn’t know. But Suzanne did have a wonderful idea. "Divide the ingredients," she says "into two diferent pans and mix two different sauces for each and then decide which is better."

So, we did. I must say Lee Ann gave it a good effort. I feel that if she would have mixed her sauce in a seperate bowl it would have turned out better, but she poured each ingredient in the hot pan and it evaporated before she got the next ingredient ready. However, I mixed a quarter of a cup soy sauce, a half a cup of cider vinegar ( a little less of this probably wouldn’t hurt), and two tablespoons of my Pampered Chef Asian seasoning mix. The consistency of mine I thought was more Fortune Cookie like than that of Lee Ann’s. It may have been a little more soupy but lots of good flavor.

So, her question was corn starch or no corn starch. And my question as it always goes, is do you trust me?

Meet Vicky

So, I must say that when I travel Lee Ann does most of the driving. Mainly, because her sense of direction is far greater than that of my own. However, I am the king of the road when I can use my Garmin StreetPilot® i2. My failed attempts of getting from point “a” to point “b” have come to a ceasing halt and I can now drive without feeling lost. For those of you who are interested this model is discontinued but I am sure that it is only because the new models are so much better (and expensive).

 

The reason we call the StreetPilot® i2 Vicky, is because one of the many features for the StreetPilot® i2 is a voice giving you turn by turn directions. Now, this feature is wonderful in a big city that you are not familiar with; however, when we are in Monticello or familiar areas we turn “Vicky” off. The actual name “Vicky came from the movie “iRobots” (great movie by the way) the main motherboard computer in this movie has a voice. In the movie, every security camera, robot, or electronic device for that matter was connected to Vicky. Sort of a “Big Brother” atmosphere. So, we thought that the name was fitting.

 

Of course, we have had some trouble out of Vicky but the majority vote has been that she is very useful. When you navigate to one of your programmed favorite spots the StreetPilot® i2 gives you a precise time of arrival and mileage distance to your next turn. The storage card that ships with the StreetPilot® i2 is a little smaller than I like but it works.

 

I would love to upgrade to a new color screen model some day but for now Vicky does just fine.

uncomfortably comfortable

I am truly excited about the new building that Journey has aquired. I found it very different and almost uncomfortably comfortable.
This I do not want. There was nothing comfortable about Paul and the apostles teaching from town to town. They never new what response they would receive, yet they continued teaching. In fact, more times than not they new they would not be received well, yet they continued teaching. So, my challenge, not to just Journey but to The Church Body as a whole,
is not my own words but is me in agreement with a fellow musician and christian brother Derek Webb

 

After ten years in a Christian band, backstage in the music industry and in the hallways of church buildings across America, my attention as a songwriter has turned to a fresh affection for the Church. It seems we know all to little of who She is, how She should dress, or what She was made for. I have found that Scripture is provocative when it comes to these issues and so these songs are not for the faint of heart. Truth is, God would rather die than be without her, and she is both wretched and radiant. I’m convinced that there is only one righteousness suitable for Jesus’ bride, and he is jealous for her love. For the believer, truth is freedom. Even truth that is hard to hear. May these songs stir all of us to see, as if for the first time that we have (still) a great need for a Savior, and a great Savior for our need.

 

So my prayer is that we might be stirred, that we might be shaken, that we might be driven to desire more of him. That we might not be uncomfortably comfortable in the days to come.

Just do nothing and relax.

I have been told before to go home and just do nothing and relax. Yet, I could never ever feel relaxed when there is stuff to do. It’s not that I like work but I feel better when I am accomplishing something. Call me strange but I actually enjoy the beginning of the week because I can get back into my routine. It may help that I enjoy my work but this is not the only reason.

So, this Memorial Day weekend Lee Ann, her mom, Patti, and I went to Camden, Alabama to “Just do nothing and relax,” and this my friends was when I decided to catch up on my blogging. Because you see, I can’t just do nothing and relax.

We have had fun with Rosie and Phillip. I don’t want it to seem as though I can’t enjoy doing nothing. We did watch a movie with Ben Stiller in it. “Night at the Museum,” I think. Which is counted as doing nothing but also counted as something that I enjoyed. So maybe it’s safe to say that I will enjoy the “not do nothing and relax” things if I just do them.

But probably not.

There is bound to be a lesson to be learned here…

There is bound to be a lesson to be learned here.

Could this also be translated… I think there…

Could this also be translated…

I think therefore I do.

Our bodies respond so quickly to our brain. Sometimes we are doing things before we even think to realize that we are doing it. That my friends is powerful and also dangerous all in the same instance. Let me explain with a few questions for the road.

Have you ever said something without thinking?

Do you really think about street signs or do you just know that a yellow sign means yield?

If you have an itch, do you think “Man, my nose itches. I think I’ll scratch it.”

When you touch something hot, do you really have time to think about taking your hand away?

Have you ever just sat completely still for more than 30 seconds (not counting when you are in bed)?

I think therefore I do.

So if I could tame this aspect of my life…

…could I actually pray without seasing?

…could I hold my tongue and just listen instead of rambling?

…could I notice an attractive person and praise God for her beauty?

…could I train my foot to hit the breaks in my car more often for people having car trouble than when I see a police car?

I think therefore I do.

That must mean that our actions must have alot to do with what we pour into our minds. It means that even the smallest details of our life are important. It means that in any instance or circumstance we have a choice.

I think therefore I do.

Man what a nice picture this creates of todays C…

Man what a nice picture this creates of todays Christianity.

I want to help but not really that much.

Fill me up Lord but not full.

Can I dive in but not get my hair wet?

Come on guys help me think of more…

but don’t say that you can and then not do it.

-signing off

Life is full of dissapointments. When you don’t …

Life is full of dissapointments. When you don’t get the last piece of the pie, or you wake up early only to find you are out of coffee, or Taylor fails to blog for four weeks. Just a real drag.

but the good news is I am back!

Are discipline and procrastination an issue for anyone but me? I always feel like I have accomplished something when I blog and yet, I don’t. Why is that. Just like a morning jog, I know that I will benefit from it and most of the time I feel better throughout the day if I do…but, I don’t. So why is it that we don’t do things that we know are good for us and know that we will feel good about ourselves if they are accomplished? I don’t get it. It doesn’t take that much time and effort, and yet to the back burner. Any Suggestions?

Were there flowers? I feel like I have missed so…

Were there flowers? I feel like I have missed so much. What has happened to our watches? I think they have sped up. I can’t tell you how busy I have been in the past three weeks. I seem to have allowed myself to overload my schedule. The funny thing is when I do this, hardly ever do I feel like I have accomplished something. I just feel like I am running in circles. I think that if things sped up anymore I would over lap myself and in passing I would smile and wave. So my encouragement for the day is not to slow down but to take the ten things that are on our lists and narrow it down to the best five. We will then see that things are slowing down. I do think that it is important to not be in a hurry. Just a thought for the day…Was Jesus ever in a hurry?