Product Placement

So I have decided I love the Healthy Choice Fresh Mixers (I've only tried the Ziti and Meat Sauce). I think that the packaging is inspired (and because they're $3.00 each I plan on re-using it with my own half cup of pasta and my own sauce to save money in between). It involves a little plastic tray where the pasta is held, with a fill line so you don't even measure the water. The top is covered in holes and fits on securely so it properly steams your pasta and acts as an extremely easy to use strainer to strain off any excess water when you're finished. On top of the pasta when you open it up is a little (sealed) container of sauce. It's in a microwave safe tray as well, but I found the pasta was warm enough to heat the sauce through without a second microwaving session.

I am really picky about over cooked pasta (though I am not an expert in pasta and sauce flavor so you'll have to try this yourself to see if the flavor is crap) and this managed to cook the pasta perfectly. I actually liked the sauce, there was discernible meat and it was strangely spicy.

If your scrambling for pre-packaged meals for lunch. I think this may be a winner.

In Christ Alone

On Sunday we were in church for one of our sporadic Sunday visits (I mean really what kind of people go to church two to three times a week but only manage to get there on Sunday every other week?). After getting help unloading a car full of supplies for various ministries and being blessed with a parking spot near the door -- that alone led me into a lot of philosophical discussion in my head about whether it was ok to pray for something as stupid as a parking spot so fervently and be annoyed when God wasn't quick in responding, I mean on the one hand all the supplies were things we were hauling to the church to further HIS kingdom. On the other hand people are dying an being persecuted in his name all over the world. . . reminded me a little of Jonah and that tree :)-- we went up to the service.

It was a great service, from the baptism to the guest speaker. One of the closing songs we sang was In Christ Alone. I am always struck by the following lines:

No guilt in life, no fear in death—This is the pow'r of Christ in me;
From life's first cry to final breath, Jesus commands my destiny.
No pow'rof hell, no scheme of man, Can ever pluck me from His hand;
Till He returns or calls me home—Here in the pow'r of Christ I'll stand.

I suffer from a heightened sense of guilt. I blame it on my Jewish half (that makes me feel guilty too though ;)). I also have an extreme fear of death even though Christians are supposed to feel ok about it. I fear stupid things like getting bored, and how overwhelming F-O-R-E-V-E-R is and how you have to get along with other people and how nothing is the same as this current world order. . whew, I am getting worked up right now just thinking about it. I mean seriously, terrified.

Anyway, on Sunday, even more than my usual contemplation and prayer that goes along with this section of the song. I thought about my mother. I realize that when it talks about "no pow'r of hell, no scheme of man" It is really talking spiritually rather than physically, but it was good to get a perspective on this. For months now we've watched as doctor after doctor has just made the situation with her worse. When we've thought we'd hit rock bottom, we'd realized that there was a trap door to a whole other level. My prayer on Sunday was to remember God's sovereignty in all of this (though I have to admit, it also included praying to God to stop the pain and to overthrow our enemies -- cause it never hurts to throw in a little Psalm action when you pray).

Hello Again

Um, so it's been awhile my blog friends. Clearly a lot has happened in a month. Sadly in that "a lot has happened" one thing that hasn't changed is my mother. She's still not doing well. At. All. sigh.

I didn't go as Sarah Palin for Halloween and it looks like for the next four years I won't either :). I went as the queen of harts (with a lovely coat of arms featuring many deer taped on my back):

I considered blogging about several things in my hiatus from blogging including when we hit a bad bump in my car and the car made a horrendous noise which we realized was the muffler falling down and my boy miraculously found the bolt and we only had to go 50 yards to reach a home depot where they helped us hunt down the correct pieces to fix the muffler back in (this also means I LOVE Home Depot right now -- I also hate Babies R Us so if you're having a baby and registering there, count on me buying stuff elsewhere) and my boy was known as my hero for the rest of the night. -- whew, are my gramatically correct friends still with me?

We also started getting our milk delivered this month by Crescent Ridge Dairy and it's terribly exciting. Every Wednesday, like clockwork, there are fun things left on our front porch. Since we're still new to the service, we have gotten bonus "welcome items" every week. I find it exhilirating. Also, they have the best chocolate chip ice cream I've had ever (mostly because the chocolate melts quickly in the mouth and has a flavor and doesn't just taste like wax and get stuck in your teeth).

Apparently we plan on stocking up on all of their ice cream novelties because this week we also got a new mini freezer. We celebrated this purchase by getting interesting vegetable mixes from trader joes and going home and defrosting the freezer in our fridge -- what can I say, we lead a thrilling life.

To sum up all of this materialisticness (and yes, I know that's not a word), I thought I would also share the exciting news that amazon now has a universal wishlist button you can add to your favorites. It allows you to add items from any of your favorite websites to your wishlist. I am so happy. I immediately added the weather channel's 3 in 1 jacket to my wishlist (I want it every time I am in the rain) and the eddie bauer ankle length coat I am committed to having before the end of this winter (I have endured almost 30 winters in cold states, I deserve it!). If you want to see what other things I've found to add you can go here (and yes, that's a shameless link to send you to my wishlist, on the bright side if you're looking for christmas gift ideas it will help you get started early). Besides, I just got finished writing an article on places people can go to purchase gifts that give back to the community and where they can donate their excess material goods, doesn't that make up for it?

I encourage all of you to go and update your wishlists too. Then I know what to buy you for Christmas :).