Book Giveaway at Mountain Home Quilts!

I really enjoy reading the posts at Mountain Home Quilts.

The author writes about so many interesting things! Sewing, Quilting, Preserving, Recipes, etc. And I think that is great! I am in awe of this ladies preserving! Wow! She does everything! I appreciate her tips and I'm sure you will too once you start searching through her blog. :-)

The book She's giving away is called:

"Country Wisdom and Know How - 

Everything you need to know to live off the land"

Can't get any better with a title like that!

The giveaway is only until 8pm PST tonight!!!

So if you haven't joined in on this yet, you better get over there!

Pray For Sudan

Let's not forget to be praying for the situation in Sudan this week.

They are undergoing a referendum this week to determine whether the South of Sudan will become an independent nation from the North. (Official results will not be known until Mid-February.)
Of course there are a lot of things that make this difficult:

1. The North is mostly Muslim and the South is a mix of Christian and Animism. Religious tensions galore.
2. There is oil in the South, but the North owns the pipelines. Money tensions galore.
3. If the two areas separate, borders will have to be decided. Possibility of Guerrilla warfare.
4. The North doesn't really think that the South will be able to operate without them. This leaves the threat of more war in this country. Something it doesn't need.

But more than just the political tensions, let's remember the Christians who are in North Sudan. The North, being mostly Muslim has put into practice Sharia law, which equals harsh persecution for Christians and especially for new Christian converts. The separation of the South may cause the Muslims to put this into practice even more.

Please Pray:
(Note: These prayer requests have been copied from http://www.christiananswers.net/q-eden/edn-persecutedchurch.html):

1. For their physical protection and deliverance
2. That God would give them the right words and that they would fearlessly make Christ known
3. That they will see God's grace as sufficient and God's power perfected in their weakness
4. That they would love Christ's appearing all the more
5. That they will rejoice in sharing the sufferings of Jesus so that they will rejoice even more when Christ is revealed
6. That they will endure
7. That they will choose ill-treatment and the reproach of Christ, not pleasures of sin
8. That they will love Christ far more than life itself
9.  That they will live the joy of the Lord before their persecutors
10. That they will love their enemies  

The Contented Papa - My Man

Today I want to showcase someone who is very special to me.

This is the Contented Papa – Peter. 

There is a lot to say about this man. First of all he is a Christian man. He loves the Lord with all his heart, soul, mind, and strength. He seeks to serve and glorify God with everything that he does. He leads our family in bible reading and prayer everyday. He thinks about how he might better lead our family. 

I am so thankful for this.

He works hard and he works smart. He takes his work seriously and he does it with vigor and zeal. He is energetic and motivated. He runs his own business and therefore has to manage his time well. He is learning this skill. It is hard to know how much time to spend with the family and how much time to spend with work. But he is growing and adjusting as he needs to and I am very proud of him!

Peter is intelligent. I remember the first time we walked through a woodland trail.

It was just down the road from the university I was attending and 

we were just getting to know each other. 

As we walked he pointed out latin scientific names of plants, ferns, and wild flowers! Perhaps only a biology major (such as myself) could find that to be not only impressive, but also very romantic! He continues to impress me with his knowledge and understanding and also with his love of learning. 

He inspires me to learn more and love to learn more.

He is not lazy. I don’t think there is a lazy bone in that man’s body! 

He jumps out of bed in the morning ready to take on the day! 

If he is not marking or tutoring he is working on some project in the house, 

running an errand or spending time with his daughter or with me.

Which leads to my next point, he is an Amazing Daddy. 

In his daughter’s eyes, he is the superhero Daddy who can do everything! 

He is fast, tall, strong, talented and funny. 

He has a big grrrowwl that makes her giggle. 

He has strong arms that throw her high into the air. 

He plays beautiful music on the recorder that makes her smile and dance. 

He is the #1 man in that girl’s life. 

And He’s also the #1 man in this girl’s life. 

I love him, honour him, respect him, and cherish him. 

He is my lover and my best friend. He is ready steady all the time. 

He doesn’t waver up and down like I often do. 

He is very consistent and stable. 

He is the kind of man that I can depend on. 

I love you!

Tasty Tuesday - Cheesy Tuna Tortilla Melts

Today I would like to share a recipe that we recently enjoyed in our home. (I found the recipe in a coupon book for Carnation Milk.) Of course, you do need to like tuna and not everyone does!
But if you are a fish fan, this is really quite delicious.

Ingredients:
4 Large flour tortillas

Filling:
2 cans flaked tuna, drained
3/4 cups salsa
1/2 cup grated cheese

Sauce:
3 Tbsp oil
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped (Or garlic powder)
1 tsp Chili powder
1 tsp paprika (optional)
1 Tbsp Flour
1 Can Fat free Evap Milk
1/4 cup grated cheese

Method
1. Preheat oven 350 F

2. Prepare filling: Combine Tuna, salsa, and cheese in a bowl. Scoop 1/4 of mixture into each of the 4 tortillas. Fold top and bottom of tortilla over filling and roll up. Place seam side down in a baking dish.

3. Prepare Sauce: Heat oil in a large saucepan on medium heat. Add onion and garlic. Cook until tender.
Add chili powder, paprika, and flour. Cook 3 min. stirring often.
Add evap. Milk, bring to boil, lower heat and cook until thickened. 3-5 min.

4. Pour sauce over tortillas in baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese.

5. Bake in preheated oven, 20-25 min.

Voila!

I served the tortillas with a Raspberry Spinach salad.
The dressing was made with about 1 tbsp of Homemade Raspberry/Blackberry jam (A tip from my sister-in-law!), some canola oil and some white vinegar. I then thawed some raspberries from the freezer and topped it all off with pumpkin seeds and sliced almonds. It was quite yummy!

I will also add that this was the first meal that I've actually enjoyed eating in about 2 months! ;-)

Contented Mama is Back!

Today I am feeling much better than I did 6 weeks ago. That is because today, I am 12 weeks pregnant and therefore almost at the end of the 1st trimester! Yes, in case you haven't heard, we are expecting our second baby! He/she is due to arrive sometime around July 25, 2011.

This has brought so much joy! We are very excited and happy to have another little one on the way. Of course we're a little nervous and sometimes feel a bit overwhelmed by the idea, too. I remember those first days with a newborn baby very well. And trying to imagine them with a 17 1/2 month old there in the picture makes me a little dizzy! But we are trying to trust the Lord to get us through all trials of life - the joys and the sorrows.

And he does take us through life one day at a time. The last couple of months have been just exhausting. I've been very tired all the time and find it difficult to complete the basic things each day (which is why I've had to give up internet/blogging time). I've been feeling sick a lot too. Especially because of Baby Food...ewwww. There is sometime about liquefied vegetables and meat that just makes my stomach turn! And food in general has been overall less appetizing and less desirable.

But somehow, the day comes to an end and a new day is given. And the next thing you know a new season of life has come with new joys and new sorrows....

And I am learning that times like this are perfect opportunities to prayerfully sit and watch God carry me through yet again.

"This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. 

It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. 

They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness." 

Lamentation 3:21-23