my life in snapshots.

So, when I find myself about two months behind in terms of blog posts, I readily determine that desperate times call for desperate measures. Erego, the following is what I like to oh so cleverly call "my life in snapshots." Peruse at your leisure.

Malla 2010: perhaps my final collegiate experience. We danced, we sang, we danced some more. It was an all-out music fest on "the mall" and quite possibly, one of my favorite live music memories ever.



BYOB with the Fab Four/Fousin Quartet: We noshed on pizza, sipped on wine and finished the night with a toast of bubbly. What did I do to deserve such a blessing in my family?






Mimi's 85th birthday blowout: In honor of 85 years in Mimi's life, we gathered about half of the family for a birthday extravaganza of sorts. She certainly has a living legacy with enough grandkids to field several baseball teams and a gaggle of great grandchildren. She is a testament of God's grace, mercy and forgiveness and I'm blessed to call her my "Mimi."










Kingsland Kickoff 2010: It was a quick trip to kick of the Summer 2010 lake season, but every minute I get to spend with my dear fousin, China is well spent...especially amongst such a beautiful setting. We lounged, we chatted, we cooked, we dined. 'Twas tame, but very much enjoyed by both parties.





Mother's Day 2010: We celebrated the mothers in our lives with a delightful spread of grilled goodies, pear and gorgonzola salad, artisan bread and my homemade coconut cake. I am truly fortunate to have a mother who loves me and has been one of my biggest fans. I am also blessed to be able to witness my sister as a mother. She blows me away every single day with the way she loves and cares for her two girls. I only hope to live up to half of her example.









Baptism Sunday and a birthday party: There have also been some birthday parties (i.e. excuses for me to boogie down with utter abandon) and various church happenings. The most notable was our annual Baptism Sunday at Curtis Park. It was such a joyful (albeit steamy) day filled with new life, hot dogs, snow cones and a little frisbee action.






And there you have it friends. A very brief and succinct rundown of my life in snapshots. Perhaps I will resume a more regular and detailed update of the blog, but I make no promises...hope this will suffice for now.

Tasty Tuesdays: #46

Greetings and Happy Tuesday to you, my dear reader. I have been less than consistent with my posts as of late, but I hope you will forgive this neglect and stay with me during this erratic time.

I do come bearing a tasty recipe for you to try out just as soon as you get your hands on some fresh produce. You don't need more than just a few ingredients for this salad, but I promise you will really enjoy the sweet and salty combo.

Spring Salad with Feta & Grapes

Ingredients:
1 bag spring salad mix
1/2 C green grapes, halved
1/2 C red grapes, halved
1 container feta cheese, crumbled

1/4 C olive oil
1/4 C balsamic vinegar
1/8 C apple cider vinegar

1. Combine the spring mix, grapes and feta cheese in a large bowl.

2. Whisk together the olive oil and two vinegars and pour over the salad. Serve immediately.

This salad pairs excellent with grilled fish, chicken or pork tenderloin. It is perfect for the summer season!

Cheers to you and have a Tasty Tuesday.

safe in His arms.

Smith Randle Bailey met our Lord Jesus Christ face to face yesterday at 10:50 AM.


May the Lord have mercy on his precious parents, Jon and Kori who wrote the following on Baby Smith's blog:

Smith Randle Bailey saw Jesus at 10:50 AM. He is now in the loving care of His Creator. We were honored to have him as our son.

God is still good,

Jon & Kori

I Corinthians 15:55

I am rendered utterly speechless at the display of their overwhelming faith and steadfast surrender to Christ's will. What Satan meant for harm has already produced a radical testimony to all in their lives and all who have visited their blog.

Nevertheless, since they are still here on earth, I am devastated beyond belief that they have to wait to see their precious baby boy again. I beseech you to pray for my dear friends and their families.

I do not seek to explain such tragedies, especially when they occur to such faithful, Godly people, but I do know that God is good, all the time. And that all the time, God is good. May He be their perfect portion and may the one who experienced the ultimate suffering surround them with His love.

I am reminded at this time of one of my favorite quotes:

I could never myself believe in God, if it were not for the cross. The only God I believe in is the one Nietzsche ridiculed as “God on the Cross.” In the real world of pain, how could one worship a God who was immune to it? I have entered many Buddhist temples and stood respectfully before the statue of Buddha, his legs crossed, arms folded, eyes closed, the ghost of a smile playing round his mouth, a remote look on his face, detached from the agonies of the world. But each time after a while I have had to turn away. And in imagination I have turned instead to that lonely, twisted, tortured figure on the cross, nails through hands and feet, back lacerated, limbs wrenched, brow bleeding from thorn-pricks, mouth dry and intolerably thirsty, plunged in God-forsaken darkness. That is the God for me! He laid aside his immunity to pain. He entered our world of flesh and blood, tears and death. He suffered for us.
— John Stott

To Kori and Jon, we grieve with you during this time and will continue to stand by your side in prayer, support and petitions to Christ, our Father. May the Holy Spirit pray for you when you feel you can pray no more. May you be "safe in His arms."

Matthew 5:4: “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted."

sweet baby smith

Just a quick update on sweet baby Smith along with some pretty amazing pictures. For those of you joining me in prayer, here are the specific ways you can pray so that we may collectively "make our requests known to God" (Philippians 4:6&7):

Smith needs prayer for his oxygen regulation today, specifically that his numbers stay in the 20s. They have been in the middle 30s and lower 40s. If he is going to successfully get off the ventilator, he has to stay in the 20s consistently.

Also, a major prayer request is for there to be no blood on his brain. On Thursday, the doctors will do an x-ray to check for this. Please pray against any blood as that could possibly indicate some developmental delays for Smith.

Tasty Tuesdays: numero 45

Hola and welcome to Tasty Tuesdays: the Cinco de Mayo edition!

Whether you're planning an all out fiesta night complete with sangria, pinatas and a strolling mariachi band or you're just looking to serve something festive for dinner, today's recipe is just the ticket. I made this salad for Haylee's Dora-themed 3rd birthday party and it was a huge hit.

You can serve it alongside all your Tex-Mex favorites (think fajitas, enchiladas, quesadillas, etc.) or bulk it up with some grilled chicken, steak or shrimp and you have yourself a meal all on its own.

Tex-Mex Layer Salad


Ingredients:
1 package romaine lettuce
1 can black beans, drained
3-4 tomatoes, chopped
1 1/2 C salsa
1/3 C light sour cream
1/2 C shredded cheese (cheddar, colby, monterrey jack or whatever you prefer)
crushed tortilla chips (optional)
green onions, sliced (optional)

1. Layer lettuce, beans and tomatoes in a large salad bowl.

2. Combine the salsa and sour cream. Spread over salad.

3. Top with cheese, tortilla chips and onions.

I recommend using a large, clear glass salad bowl as it makes for a nice, colorful presentation. Throw in a margarita on the rocks or refreshing glass of sangria and you'll be saying ole in no time!

Cheers and have a Tasty Tuesday.

a picture's worth a thousand words.

SMITH RANDLE BAILEY



This picture does only a marginal job of conveying the size of precious baby Smith. I had seen dozens of pictures, but none compared to actually seeing this tiny life up close and personal. It is so incredibly apparent that Christ's hand is on this "mico-premie."

For those of you who are interested, the family has created a website to document these early days in Smith's life. Here is the link: http://smithbailey.tumblr.com.