The Month of my Life.

The last few weeks have been a whirlwind of trials and studying. Through this crazy blur of time the Lord has been teaching me about his faithfulness, sufficiency and love, and also about my own incapability to do anything on my own. One of the ways he did this was through the pamphlet "Christ And Your Problems" by Jay Adams.

Let me tell you, it radically changed my perspective.

If you have $2 (which you do...be honest), GO BUY THIS!!! Its a 30-page read that mainly discusses the verse 1 Corinthians 10:13;

"No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it."

It talks about how our faith should be in the Lord and how every trial is perfectly ordained for us, and for our good!! I know many people are going through some tough trials right now, and I have no doubt this would be a great encouragement to you and your soul!

 I would love to share what I've learned through this tough time and encourage those of you who need it, or just want to talk. Feel free to give me a call, or email me here.

Sorry for my lack of updates, but many Christmas posts will be coming soon!!! <3 

{Lime and Black Pepper} Sugar Cookies

Every day in history class my friend Molly and I share stories about cooking, talk about things we've eaten, and those we want to eat. Its safe to say we like food.....just a little bit ;) About three weeks ago she brought me some recipes she found in the newspaper that were classic desserts, with a spicy twist added. The concept was using spices to literally "spice up" some sweet desserts. One of the recipes was for lime and black pepper cookies. I absolutely LOVE limes. They make anything from water to tacos taste even better. I loved the way they turned out, and they're easy to make. 

ENJOY!

INGREDIENTS:

~½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter at room temperature

~1 cup granulated sugar

~¼ cup whole milk

~¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

~1 egg, at room temperature

~2 cups flour

~1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon lime zest (about 5 limes)

~2 teaspoons baking powder

~3/4 teaspoon finely ground black pepper

~1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

~Confectioner's sugar, for dusting the finished cookies

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a bowl of a standard mixer or in a large bowl using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the milk, vanilla and egg, and beat over low speed just to incorporate.

2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, lime zest, baking powder, pepper and salt, breaking up any lumps.

3. With the mixer on low speed, slowly incorporate the dry ingredients into the butter mixture.

4. Place dough on sheet of plastic wrap and roll into a log shape, with a diameter of about 2 inches. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill about an hour.

5. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Remove the dough log and slice crosswise into cookies one-fourth inch thick. Place the cookies on a lightly greased baking sheet and bake until a light golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes.

6. Remove the cookies and cool on a rack. Dust the cooled cookies lightly with confectioner's sugar (and black pepper, if using).

thank you Molly dearest for the recipe!!!!!

XO

B

{Winter Wonderland Desserts}

As I think I have mentioned before i absolutely love winter and Christmas time; and I adore all the yummy food that comes along with it! It's safe to say I spend many, many hours melting chocolate, crushing peppermints, and baking all sorts of winter treats. This is one, very simple and store-bought dessert that I really enjoy, and its super easy!

Peppermint Ice Cream Bowls With Hot Fudge

INGREDIENTS:

~ Peppermint Ice Cream

~ Hot fudge -or- chocolate syrup

DIRECTIONS:

~ Heat up hot fudge and place aboue 3 tablespoons in each bowl for serving. Make sure to thuroughly coat the bottom and sides of each bowl.

~ Place 2 large scoops of ice cream in each bowl.

ta da! so simple and cheap but a yummy winter treat :)

tips&&tricks;

     ~ I used Dryers peppermint ice cream, because it's my personal favorite. Some other good brands are Starbucks, Bryers, and Trader Joes

     ~ Place the bowls in the freezer 2 hours before serving, bowls will be frosty and cold when you serve desert.

     ~ You can also top the ice cream with chocolate shavings, mini marshmellows or whipped cream.

xo

B

{Pumpkin Pie} Milkshakes

I love pumpkin pie. Frankly, Thanksgiving wouldn't be the same without it! A few weeks ago a friend of mine told me about this cute little blog, that had a pumpkin pie milkshake recipe. It seemed simple enough, so today I decided to make them!!! They turned out delicious, and they were definitely better than any store bought pumpkin shake. If you're in need of a last minute, simple dessert for Thanksgiving, this will work just fine, its yummy and comes together in about 15 minutes :)

enjoy!!!

INGREDIENTS:

~ 1/3 cup canned pumpkin

~ 1/4-1/2 cup milk

~ 1/4 teaspoon vanilla

~ 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 

~ 1/16 teaspoon cloves

~ 1/6 teaspoon nutmeg

~ 2 tablespoons brown sugar

~ 2 cups vanilla ice cream

~ 1-2 graham crackers 

DIRECTIONS:

1. Put everything in the blender except ice cream and graham crackers; blend well

2. pour mixture into a large bowl, and mash together with ice cream

3. pour evenly into glasses.

4. Crumble graham crackers and top each shake with about a tablespoon.

tips&&tricks:

     ~start with 1/4 cup milk and add more if your blender needs it to process everything.

     ~leave ice cream in freezer until you're ready to add it to the pumpkin mixture. The colder it is, the thicker the milkshake. Also when mashing it into mixture, add ice cream as needed in order to make the mix a thick creamy consistency.

XO

B

{Thankfulness}

You know that saying "count your blessings?" Well, honestly I don't think I can count that high!!! The past few weeks I have come to realize so much more, just how incredibly blessed I am, and how much I have to be thankful for!! Before this summer when I got saved, Thanksgiving was just a day to look at all the things I had that helped me, and eat lots of food. But this year the true meaning of Thanksgiving has been made clear to me!!! It shouldn't just be the one day of the year we say 'thank you,' but should really be a picture of our attitude and lifestyle; one of gratitude and thankfulness. Grace and blessings definitely do abound in my life, and here are just a few of the things I and especially thankful for :)

I. My Family:

I am so glad to have a family who loves me and cares for me. I definitely don't deserve them, and no matter how hard things get, the Lord provided them for me, because he cares for me!!! WOW.

II. My Friends

I am SO overly thankful for these girls in my life. The Lord has graciously places many other brothers and sisters in Christ into my life that are a blessing to me. They love the Lord and pursue him, AND encourage me to do so as well. Again, I don't deserve them at all, but still grace abounds. 

III. My Salvation

Last, but definitely the most important thing on this list is Jesus Christ, and our relationship! He looked upon my sinful, sad condition and extended his great love to ME. Because he sent his Son to die on the cross, and bear the punishment for my sin, I can be made alive in Christ, and am no longer enslaved to sin. I can not begin to explain how thankful I am for this. No words can describe. I love my Savior, and his blood has washed me clean. Thats all that matters. 

"But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy,  made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.  For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.  For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." ~ Ephesians 2: 4-10

This year for Thanksgiving my family and I are going to Arizona for 5 days. I am very excited to get out of California, give thanks to the Lord, see my uncle, visit with friends, and eat TURKEY! I hope all of you have a wonderful Thanksgiving with family or friends!! See you when i get back :)

"Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name." 

Psalm 100:4

xo

B

Homemade {Caramel Apples}

My mom and I have always loved caramel apples from Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. They are in one word: divine.  A couple weeks ago with Thanksgiving and Christmas fast approaching I wanted to try to make my own, so i wouldn't have to shell out $8 if i had a caramel apple craving. Making them seemed simple enough, so i decided to do some research. All the recipes I found online involved melting pre made caramels.  I turned to a friend's mother, Mrs. Harasick (who's blog you can find here, she is a cooking genius), who led me in the direction of a recipe involving heavy cream and sugar.  

After four batches of caramel, 2 pints of heavy cream, and 9 cups of sugar, I got it right! The first recipe was bitter and more of a sauce than something to dip apples in. I didn't heat the second recipe hot enough. I got the third one the right temp. and color, but it was bitter again. Finally on the last batch I added vanilla to the final product, and ta da! The sharp edge was replaced by  creamy, gooey, caramel perfection. This recipe is definitely easy to make, and only costs about $8 for 6 apples. Not bad for a gourmet desert :)

INGREDIENTS:

6 granny smith apples

1/2 cup water

2 cups granulated sugar

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

6 popsicle sticks

DIRECTIONS:

~ Wash and dry apples. Insert popsicle sticks 1-inch in the top of each apple.

~ Pour water into a medium saucepan. Then carefully pour sugar into pan, and without touching the side of the pot, press the sugar under the water.

~ Place saucepan over high heat and bring sugar to a complete boil.

~ Reduce heat to medium-high heat and let sugar simmer, undisturbed until golden brown (8 minutes, and mixture will be between 300-350 degrees)

~ Remove from heat and add cream. Mixture will sputter. Add vanilla and stir.

~ Pour mixture from saucepan into a small ceramic bowl, and cool 5 minutes.

~ Dip and swirl apples until mostly covered. Place apples on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. 

~ Place cookie sheet in fridge for 10 minutes. Remove and let apples sit at room temp. until set. 

~ Remove from cookie sheet and store in an air tight container.

I dipped my set caramel apples in dark, semi sweet chocolate and then rolled them in pecans.

Or you can just do plain chocolate!

tips&&tricks;

    -Be very very very VERY careful when working with caramel. Its about 3x's hotter than boiling water.

    - When you pour the caramel from the saucepan to the ceramic bowl, IMMEDIATELY wash the bowl with hot water. Caramel turns into super glue, and you might have to toss the pan if your'e not careful!   

enjoy.

xo

B

{Serendipity} Frozen Hot Chocolate

If I had to pick my favorite thing about fall&&winter time, I would definitely choose the food. Something about the the weather, music, and just overall "cuddle" feeling, makes food taste so much richer around this time of year. I absolutely adore it. Well, the past few winters many of my friends would talk about "frozen hot chocolate" and what a wonderful concoction it is. So last night I looked up the original recipe from Serendipity in New York. It was simple, and turned out really yummy. 

INGREDIENTS:

~ 6 pieces (1/2 oz) chocolate, a variety of your favorites

~ 2 teaspoons store-bought hot chocolate mix

~ 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

~ 3 cups ice

~ Whipped cream

~ Chocolate Shavings

DIRECTIONS:

Chop the chocolate into small pieces. Place it in the top of a double boiler over simmering water. Stir occasionally until melted. Add the hot chocolate mix and sugar. Stir until completely melted. Remove from heat and slowly add ½ cup of milk until smooth. Cool to room temperature.

In a blender, place the remaining cup of milk, the room-temperature chocolate mixture and the ice. Blend on high speed until smooth and the consistency of a frozen daiquiri. Pour into a giant goblet and top with whipped cream and chocolate shavings.

tips&&tricks:

     ~for the chocolate shavings, simply take a chocolate bar, zap it in the microwave for 5-10 seconds, and use a vegetable peeler to create shavings.

     ~ in addition to chocolate shavings to top the whipped cream, you can also crush peppermint on top for an extra treat. Or add a tablespoon of Starbucks peppermint syrup to the frozen mix to make frozen peppermint hot chocolate. 

Enjoy!

XO.

B

German {Chocolate} Cake&& Coconut {Pecan} Frosting

Okay, so this post is a LONG time coming. About three weeks ago I made German chocolate cake cupcakes for the weekly Bible Study I attend Friday nights (Foundation!).  I had wanted to try this recipe, because i LOVE making cakes from scratch. Honestly, the more food I make, the more spoiled I become! I can hardly stand a boxed cake or pre-made frosting anymore. 

Although it is quite a time consuming process, this recipe is SO worth it! I honestly can say this is one of the best recipes i own!!!

Heres a picture of the final product ;)

German Chocolate Cake:

INGREDIENTS : 

~ 1tablespoon cake flour

~ 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa

~ 1oz. baking chocolate

~ 1/2 cup boiling water

~ 1 cup granulate sugar

~ 3/4 cup packed brown sugar

~ 3 tablespoons butter

~ 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

~ 1/4 cup plain yogurt

~ 2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

~ 1/2 teaspoon coconut extract

~ 2 large egg whites

~ 2 1/4 cups sifted cake flour

~ 2 teaspoons baking powder

~ 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

~ 1/2 teaspoon salt

~ 1 cup low-fat buttermilk

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350

2. Coat 3 (8 - inch) round cake pans with cooking spray, and dust with 1 table spoon flour

3. Combine cocoa and chocolate in a small bowl: add boiling water, stirring until chocolate melts. Set aside.

4. Combine sugars, butter and oil in a large bowl, and beat at medium speed of a mixer until well-blended: Add yogurt, extracts, and egg whites; beat well

5. Lightly spoon sifted flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine sifted flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add flour mixture to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Beat in cocoa mixture.

6. Pour cake batter into prepared pans. Sharply tap pans once on counter to remove air bubbles. Bake at 350  for 25 minutes or until wooden pick comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes, and remove from pans. Cool completely on wire racks. 

7. Place 1 cake layer on a plate, spread 1/3 cup frosting and top with another cake layer. Spread with 1/3 cup frosting, and top with remaining cake layer. Spread remaining frosting over top and sides of cake. Store cake loosely in refrigerator.

COCONUT PECAN FROSTING:

INGREDIENTS: 

~ 2 tablespoons butter

~ 1/3 cup finely chopped pecans

~ 2/3 cup packed brown sugar

~ 2 tablespoons cornstarch

~ 1/4 teaspoon salt

~ 1 sup sweetened condensed milk

~ 1 tablespoon light colored corn syrup

~ 2 large egg yolks

~ 1/2 cup flaked sweetened coconut

~ 2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

~ 1/8 teaspoon coconut extract 

DIRECTIONS:

1. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add chopped pecans and saute until the pecans are browned (aprox. 2 1/2 minutes). 

2. Remove mixture from heat, and stir in sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Add milk syrup, and egg yolks, and stir well. Cook 2 minutes over medium high hear or until thick, stirring constantly.

3. Remove from heat and stir in flaked coconut and extracts. Pour mixture into a bowl. Cover and chill until slightly stiff (aprox.15 minutes)

tips&&tricks; 

- i bought my baking chocolate from trader joes, its only $1.99 (or less) a bag, and you only need 6 of the chocolate discs! 

- i used greek yogurt, instead of just plain yogurt, it was super yummy!! 

- For making cupcakes, I baked them for about 17 minutes, so set the timer for LESS time than you would for baking it in cake pans, it cooks quicker!

enjoy.

xo.

B

Lizzie's { Homecoming }

This past Saturday was my best friend, Lizzie's, senior Homecoming dance! So about three hours before she had to leave, I drove over to do her hair and makeup!! With our lives being so busy the last couple weeks, we haven't gotten to spend much time together just talking and doing "girl stuff," so this was our catch up time. I can honestly say it was a much needed refreshment to my life! I love this girl so much! So we chatted, ate candy, and listened to Taylor Swift's new Album "Speak Now." If you don't have it already...buy it. I ADORE it. 

Well, Lizzie had a purple dress and wanted her makeup to be purple. I own quite a bit of professional grade makeup and brushes, and have developed a love for doing makeup and experimenting with it. So i decided to do Lizzie's makeup as a purple smokey eye. She seriously has the most amazing eyes, and those eyelashes aren't fake either. WOW!

She was a knockout!!! Seriously, so beautiful!!! 

Then Lizzie's Friends came to pick her up, and they were off to the dance!!! Pretty girls!! :)

"As soon as he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. And Saul took him that day and would not let him return to his father’s house. Then Jonathan made a covenant with David, because he loved him as his own soul. And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was on him and gave it to David, and his armor, and even his sword and his bow and his belt."

1 Samuel 18: 1-4

XO.

B

Beauty of Creation

Yesterday afternoon I took my bunny outside to let her run around, while I read.  After being in the rain for about a half hour, I went back behind our garage to check on her, when i spotted one of the most beautiful things Ive ever seen! It was a dandelion covered with raindrops! So i ran inside and grabbed my camera and snapped pictures around my backyard. The rain makes everything truly beautiful! Our God is a great creator, wow!

And of course i had to get one with bunny girl before we went in :)

Psalm 96:11-12 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it; let the field exult, and everything in it. Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy.

XO.

B

{Phantom of the Opera}

     Ever since I was a little girl, my mom has always loved Phantom of the Opera. She saw it twice when we were little, and would always tell us interesting things about the set, or how much she loved the music. Several years ago when the movie came out, I learned to love it too.  Well as many of you know Phantom is on its farewell tour and is currently playing at The Pantages Theater in Hollywood. 

Well, about two months my mom and I were sitting in the living room, and a commercial came on advertising the show at The Pantages, and my mom mentioned how much she would love to see it. So I had an idea to surprise her with a trip to the show.  Several days later i went down to Ticketmaster, picked out seats, and bought two tickets to the show; all the while my mom had no idea what was going on. I told her that I had a surprise planned for October 7th, and that she had to be ready at 6:15, and to dress up!

So when Thursday, October 7th came, I was SO excited. She had no idea where we were going, but I knew she would LOVE it. On the drive down, I made her wear a blindfold, and off we went! My dad dropped us off on the curb, in front of the building neighboring the Pantages. When she got out she looked around, and then saw the signs for Phantom and her face lit up!!! I can not explain the joyous feeling that I had being able to do this for her, it was great!

We had such a fun night.  She was so happy that we got to go together, and definitely loved the surprise. The show was amazing, and theres nothing like the first time they play the organ and the music fills the theater. If you haven't seen Phantom, I would definitely recommend you do! It's so fun! All in all it was a great night, and I'm so happy that my mom and I got to share that special memory!

Lastly, I forgot the camera, so we only got one picture on my phone! Oh well! :)

xo.

B

{Scones & Clotted Cream}

Ever since I first had scones at tea a few years ago, they have been one of my favorite breakfast/brunch treats. With winter fast appraising I thought this would be a good time to go hunting for a yummy recipe to make scones. Well after finding one I thought would be good, I whipped them up for breakfast this past Monday for when my sweet friend Carly and I had breakfast. They turned out SO yummy! To my surprise, scones are about as easy to make as it gets! Heres the recipe I used:

Ingredients: 

~ 2 ups all purpose flour

~ 1/3 cup granulated sugar

~ 1 teaspoon baking powder

~ 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

~ 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, frozen

~ 1/2 cup dried cranberries

~1/2 cup sour cream

~ 1 large egg

Directions:

-Preheat over to 400 degrees 

-Mix flour, sugar baking powder, baking soda, and salt in large bowl

-Grate butter into flower mixture and mix (Mixture will resemble coarse meal)

-Stir in cranberries

-In small bowl, whisk sour cream and egg until smooth.

-Using a fork, stir in cream mixture into flour mixture, until large dough clumps form

-Use hands to press dough into a ball 

-Place on a lightly floured surface, and pat into a 7-8 inch circle, 3/4 inches thick.

-Sprinkle 1 teaspoon sugar on top

-Cut into 8 triangles

-Place on sheet lined with parchment paper

-Bake aprox. 15-17 minutes, until golden brown

*****

Well, as many of you know scones are often served with Devonshire cream (also known as clotted cream). Unfortunately in order to make this the way it's made in Devonshire, England you pretty much need a cow (which i, at this point in time, don't have.) So i found a recipe for a substitute cream, which ended up being delicious, creamy, and just as good. Here is that recipe: 

Ingredients:

~ 4 oz. mascarpone

~ 1 cup heavy whipping cream

~ 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

~ 1 to 2 tablespoons granulated white sugar

~ Lemon zest (optional)

Directions:

- Place all ingredients in a large bowl and beat until mixture holds its shape and looks softly whipped.

Just a few tips for making the cream: First of all mascarpone is an Italian cream cheese, and should be available at any grocery store. I bought mine from the Italian market down the street from me (it costs about $2.50 there.) Second, do not try to make this with normal whipping cream, USE HEAVY! It won't turn out the same! :( And lastly, I added about 1/2 half a lemon's worth of zest, and I would strongly suggest using it!!!

Enjoy! :)

B

Bunny Girl

LOVE my sweet bunny. shes so cute <3

{Biblical Decision Making}

     Making decisions biblically is a topic that I have heard many theories and opinions on. From the many people I've talked to, they all have different views on the decisions we make, and whether they all relate to the Bible and to the Lord. Well, first of all, I would say that every decision we make IS relevant to our relationship with the Lord and our lives a believers. However I know Ive found myself in different situations thinking "what should I do here, because my problem isn't directly discussed in the Bible." And realistically, probably 80% of the decisions we made everyday aren't specifically addressed in the Bible.  This can lead people into a trap. One might think because the Bible doesn't expound exactly on the choice they have to make, that their decision is thus left up to their feelings, or what they want to do. I am totally guilty of thinking like this at times, and not even considering my biblical response to a situation, because its seemingly "small." How foolish of me to think this way! 

     This week, while reading Jay Adams book A Theology of Christian Counseling, Adams covers the topic of making biblical decisions, in what i think, is the most practical and God-honoring way for us a believers to approach every facet of our lives.
     First Adams starts by saying two things. One, that there is no way to know God's will and to receive His guidance apart from the Scriptures. Second, there are scriptural principles and practices to cover all circumstances of life, available to those who take the time to make the effort to understand and know the Bible adequately.  What a blessing that there IS a place we can turn to understand the Lord's will and what he would have us do, no matter the surrounding circumstances! Along with this Adams dispels the myth of "being led by the spirit"; the thought that there is extra-biblical guidance in decision-making. Being led by the Spirit (as referenced in Romans 8:14 and Galatians 5:8) means walking in righteous paths by the Spirits strength. Adams states; "The Christian is "led" to walk in God's ways by the Spirit rather than to walk in the flesh. No notions of guidance in decision-making appears in either passage."

    Okay so, what is our first step of making decisions? We are to search out the relevant principles that have a bearing upon the case (some are general and others more specific.) Adams uses the example of marriage. If marriage is the decision in question, we must first apply the biblical principles of purity.  Then we must also consider 1 Cor. 7:39 which says "...marry only in the Lord." This is a direct statement to believers, to not be unequally yoked, meaning we are not to knowingly marry an unbeliever. By doing this we have automatically narrowed down the choices significantly, because now all unbelievers are automatically discounted in our choice to marry rightly.  From there lets say a man has come to the point where he sees three Christian women as potential marriage partners; Mary, Hannah, and Amy.  Now, he brings more specific principals into play. Mary has many good qualities about her, but there are some concerns for her church attendance and Bible study. Mary then may be rejected, because at this time she doesn't seem adequately susceptible to biblical authority. Now he must choose between Hannah and Amy who are both passionate Christians and involved in Christ's work. Here is where it gets tricky. There is not principal that would exclude one woman or the other, and both are equally good choices. After biblical principles have boxed out, or rejected, all unbelieving woman, and at this time, Mary, but this man is left with more than one option within in the box. In this situation it is neither right nor wrong to marry either Hannah or Amy. At this point it is important to keep in mind that the case in which one mat choose from among many goods, exists only for those who have eliminated all biblically wrong options. Thus at this time, this mans decision to marry either Hannah or Amy, is purely preferential! God is a God of abundance, and how often he leaves us with many choices, all of which would honor him, and we get to choose OUR preference!! It makes no sense apart from Gods love and mercy!!! 

     So basically we are to, search the Scripture for principles applying to our situation, discount all  choices that would be considered unbiblical, and then choose from the choice(s) that are left in our box!!!

     Something else Adams discussed is what he calls the "holding principle."  This comes into play when we have a situation where we are unsure if our action would be sinful.  The example that Adams gives is that of Paul addressing those in the church who thought it was sin to eat the meat offered to idols(Romans 14:23.) He explains how if we think what we are doing is sin, and yet continue to act, then our action does become sin. ("eating in doubt.") We should become fully convinced in our OWN mind, not by what others around us are doing. So in these type of occasions, where we are unsure if our actions are sinful, we must "hold" our decision.  We must prayerfully consider the issue and search the scriptures to see what the Lord says about this issue.  **If biblical reasons to do it do not appear, there is a reason to refrain from action.**  Many times we can be put under pressure to make a hasty decision, which can often result in our making a bad decision. God often wants to slow us down to take a closer look at something before we commit ourselves to it. Examining which option will give the Lord the most glory, and then stick with that.

     I was so encouraged by Adams practical ways to make biblical decisions I decided it would be most profitable to share it! I pray this will fall upon someone's heart who is confused on this issue, and cause them to make a choice that honors the Lord!! This was by NO MEANS any of my ideas or word! The Lord used Jay Adams to teach me about how to better honor Him through each decision I make!

{My Cousins Wedding}

Okay, I have a confession to make......I love weddings. Everything about them makes me so happy, and if I could, I would go to a wedding every day of my life. And I have yet to attend a wedding, and not cry. Well, this weekend my sweet cousin Jessica tied the knot, with her now hubby Ned. They are absolutely perfect for each other and it was such a sweet time with her friends and family. I definitely had a blast. I'm so happy you've found someone to spend your life with Jess, I love you guys so much! 

Her wedding took place up in Avila Beach.....ON the beach. It was absolutely gorgeous. The weather, the bride/groom, and the decorations. Perfection is the only word that really covers it. Heres some photos I snapped that day!

walking up to the ceremony

Her dad (my uncle) built this for her to get married under, how sweet is that?!

This is when Ned first saw Jessica...

Her parents giving her away.

The bridal party!

almost.....

Mr. & Mrs. Ned Segal!!!

My Uncle and I at the wedding.

First Dance, always one of the best parts...

Father/Daughter dance

The Happy Couple!!!!

On a sillier note, they had a photobooth at the reception for the guests to take pictures in and put one copy in the guest book, and take the other copy home. It was such a great idea, and everyone there LOVED it. 

One last random fact about the wedding, I caught the bouquet!!!! Haha, so i guess that means I'll be getting hitched SOON! Just kidding :)

"Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor."

Romans 12:9-10