Don't be a tool! Spread the love.

I missed you yesterday!  This trip to Washington has been amazing.  Beautiful weather, wonderful friends, time with family, and thrift store shopping :-).  Simply delightful!  Caleb and I spent the morning solo yesterday, well I guess not really solo since we were together, but we were unaccompanied.

First we went to Value Village in Marysville, found a lot of deals, then next hit the Good Will and found more deals.  I like deals!  Now I need to find a way to get all my deals home…hmmm, problem for another day.  Deals make me happy and give each item that I wear a story.  I remember when and where I bought it and what I paid for it.  Each one a treasure!  My favorite pick from yesterday was these Rocket Dogs…brand spankin new and only $6.99!  Oh yeah!

A few days ago I posted pictures of my sister and her family’s farm where I am staying for most of my visit.  It is picturesque and peaceful here.  Last night the entire family (missing Sam and Kael who are back in Missouri) got together for a camp fire cookout to celebrate Caleb’s birthday.  We couldn’t have asked for better weather or better company.

Here is my folk’s house.

Here is my Dad helping Caleb dig a hole.  He helped Kael dig a hole last year, so this year it was all Caleb.

Caleb calls both my dad and my mom “grandma”, so here is Caleb and “grandma”.

Now here is Caleb watching as grandpa fills the hole back in.

Building chairs for the cookout.

Caleb helping grandpa.

Caleb and Grandpa feeding the fish.

Sweet Amy...

The family...

Dad giving Shane some pointers...

Somebody get me away from those chips!

Camp fire, hotdogs, potato salad, marshmallows, chocolate, graham crackers, and apple spice-carrot cake….eeeeerch….say what? 

Apple spice-carrot cake with mango-peach fusion filling= Yum.  I will post that recipe on Monday.  Tomorrow is “Sunday with Sam” so I get to take a free day.

On Thursday night I had a dinner date with my new friend Ash.  There are some people you meet in life that you instantly click and jive with.  I am so blessed to have several of these, and recently God blessed me with one more.  We ate at the Cheesecake Factory in Bellevue…I know what you are thinking, how could I go back to the place that served me raw meat earlier this month?  Answer is easy; they sent me a gift card as an apology.  Apology accepted.

We sat and talked and it was awesome.  One thing that was not awesome is Ash’s experience with Christians which in all honesty is what I would consider typical.  As a Christian we have a call to love.  It is so simple I want to shout it…LOVE!!!!!!  Love people, and be lovely.  Her insight was a good reminder to me.  There are so many awesome examples in the Bible that I don’t even know which one I should pick to write here.

Beloved let us love one another, for love is of God and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.  He who loves not, knows not God for God is love.  Beloved, let us love one another.  1^st John 4: 7-8

I think of the car with the ‘Jesus’ emblems plastered all over it that is weaving in and out of traffic, cutting people off, road raging, and I shake my head.  This is how we look, this is what they think.  People who profess to be Christians who act like stinkers let themselves be tools of the Devil.  Don’t be a tool; love and be lovely.

Last April before we moved to Missouri my mother travelled with the little boys and me to visit Grandma and Grandpa Bowlin, Sam’s grandparents.  We visited their church and a video was played that griped my heart.

The video was interviews taken at a secular college.  The students interviewed were asked “What do you think of Jesus?”  The answers were all positive; humanitarian, woman’s rights, healer, good person, etc…

The next question asked was “What do you think of Christians?”  The answers were all negative; hypocritical, judgmental, pushy, self-serving, etc…

It was sad because it is true.  Not in all cases of course, but all too often people see Christians in this negative light and who would want to be a part of that?

I love what David sang in Psalms chapter 139:23-24

Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts!  And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!

Amen!  This is going to be my prayer this week…Oh God, search me and know me!  Bend me and mold me!  Conform me and set me on the path that you would have me go.  Teach me to love and be lovely, and forgive me for the times I was a tool.  I am sorry.  Thank you for your loving mercies that are new every morning.  Give me opportunities to make it right.

Whew, praise God!  I am so grateful I serve a God of love.

Speaking of love, I love, love, love my parents cooking.  When you travel you don’t do a lot of cooking, well I don’t.  When my parents travel they stay in condo’s and places that have kitchens so they can do all their own cooking.  My mom makes the best potato salad ever.  When I told her I was going to include it in my blog she said in a very concerned voice, “Everything including the kitchen sink goes in there!”  She was just saying that there are a lot of ingredients and it is ever changing because it is off the top of her head and usually gets put together with what she has on hand.  When you know what works you can be a little creative.

Just know that when you make this, you can’t go wrong and you can add fun stuff like bacon and olives, whatever you want to put your own signature spin on it.

Momma Marilyn’s “Everything including the kitchen sink” Potato Salad

9 hard boiled eggs

6 red potatoes

6 Yukon Gold potatoes

½ sweet onion (finely chopped)

½ red onion (finely chopped) (or you can use 1 variety and 1 onion.  We like the taste profile combination and the color that the two bring so Momma Marilyn adds half of each).

1 carrot (finely chopped)

2 large spears kosher dill (finely chopped)

2 tablespoons sweet relish

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon Yellow mustard

2 tablespoons chopped jalapeños

1 tablespoon steak seasoning

2/3 cup mayonnaise

2 cloves chopped garlic or 1 tablespoon

1/3 cup bacon bits

Boil your eggs and then once they are hard boiled rinse them with cold water to stop the cooking.

Wash potatoes and pierce each with a fork.  Microwave 4 potatoes at a time about 12 minutes (like you are making a baked potato you want them to be cooked through.

Let potatoes cool.

In a large bowl combine your chopped ingredients: carrot, onion, pickles, jalapeno, sweet relish, garlic, and bacon bits and stir.

Chop up your hard boiled eggs and chop up your potatoes.

Combined all ingredients, stir and season to taste.  Chill and serve.  Takes time, but my oh my, it is well worth the effort!

Spread the love!

Xoxo

Ronda