Eyes of My Heart

Little ones

I hurt my baby today. It wasn't serious. I closed a drawer on her toes. But it gave me just a small insight into the horrendous feeling of watching your baby suffer and my heart just aches for mothers everywhere with sick little ones. Knowing what that felt like to see my baby cry for something I did to hurt her, how, oh how can anyone deliberately hurt a child? They're so innocent, vulnerable, trusting...

There's a little boy who we are praying for and I'd love for you to join me. He's mentally retarded and emotionally fragile. He was in my friend's special ed. class. I used to go sing for them and he would drink in my songs as if I were an angel.  He was one of five adopted children in his family. His original family sexually abused him and kept him in a closet. Two months ago, his (adopted) father died and his (adopted) mother put him in a home because she couldn't handle all her kids anymore. I can't imagine what he might be feeling right now. I sob for him. My husband has cautiously agreed to look into adopting him. Please pray that we can be or find a family for him. All children need love. And this one...he is long overdue to be showered with it.

What's for dinner?

Here's the last couple of nights in review:

Pepper Steak, Roasted Red Potatoes and garlic, green beans and onions...easy and delicious! I crushed peppercorns with mortar and pestle and embedded them in some top sirloin, seared on each side and then baked in a 400 oven for about 12 minutes. The potatoes were drizzled in olive oil (as were the unpeeled garlic cloves) and roasted in same oven for an hour. The green beans were boiled for a  few minutes and then tossed with some sauteed onions and olive oil. The steak sauce, by the way, went untouched.

We had company for dinner and I was so embarassed that I was taking a picture of my food for my blog that I did it hastily and as you can see, poorly. But the taste was very bloggable! The chicken was simple. I grilled it in my George Foreman grill (love love love my GF) and topped with some sauteed  cherry tomatoes, garlic and fresh basil. I served it with brown rice (sauteed with garlic and onion before steaming). I roasted broccoli, zucchini, red bell pepper and more garlic in a  400 oven for about half an hour. I put the rice and veggies in a pan and covered them with cheese sauce (4 tablespoons of butter and a tablespoon of olive oil mixed with a half cup of flour over medium heat, then 2 cups of hot milk blended over the heat until smooth and then 1/2 cup of grated parmesan blended in). I baked that for 15 minutes. YUMMY! (And Hubby ate ALL of his vegetables!)

Google searches

Rebekah at Sweet Tea with Lemon beat me to the punch. I've wanted to share the searches that bring folks to my blog. (Gotta love Sitemeter!) I used to have some good ones but I can't access earlier than this week so hers are much funnier.  Check em' out.

here's a few of mine from this week:

god and jesus will always be in my heart

how to cut bell peppers online, orzo bell pepper salad, traditional meat loaf

anorexic challenge to 60 lbs

fannie farmer bran muffins

"waiting for him when he comes home"

open the eyes of my heart

Do share your own!

Avoidance

I've been avoiding my blog lately. I'm overdue to respond to some comments and the thought of it just makes me sad. We've had a discussion on some controversial topics and while it has been civil, I find it exasperating to counter every little point. I think to engage in this conversation any further would be petty and fruitless. So, to those of you awaiting my response, I'm sorry, I'm throwing in the towel on this. I can't force you to believe in God and I just don't enjoy arguing.

Works for me! Cleaning tips.

Sometimes I just get bored with my cleaning regimen and I start to look for new products. I use Simple Green on aImost everything. But I was tired of the same smell. So to clean my kitchen floor the other day, I mixed a cup of vinegar with a cup of water and added several drops of clove oil. Fantastic! I am going to try the same recipe with lavendar essential oil for my bathroom.

I am also weary of shelling out the money for Swiffer replacements. Did you know you can wash those in the washing machine? Yup! Wash and then hang to dry. The latter part is important as the dryer shrivels them.

I have also learned this week that my daughter's cloth diapers are brilliant at cleaning mirrors and windows without streaks!

Now, head on over to Shannon's for more tips.

Controversy!

Well, who'd have thunk it? My little blog has drummed up controversy. I need to take a little bloggy break today to prepare for my concert tonight so I'm inviting my readers (should I have any :)) to join the discussion on prayer in schools and homosexuality here.

It's been a remarkably civil discussion so far given the emotions and I'd like to keep it that way. Thanks!

Orzo, corn and red bell pepper salad

I made this salad for a fourth of July party and forgot to take a picture of it before we left. I knew I wanted to blog about it because a) it is so delicious b) it's  so colorful (the picture just doesn't cut it. nope.) and c) it takes so much work! Actually, C) is only true if like me, you don't own a grill and try to grill five ears of corn together on a greased George Foreman grill - a comedy act, to be sure. It really is worth the steps of roasting the bells and grilling the onions and corn. Here's what the leftovers looked like when I came home (I doubled the recipe.)along with the recipe from Cooking Light magazine. I threw in a bunch of feta cheese as well. Enjoy!

Orzo, corn and red bell pepper salad

Ingredients       

2 red bell peppers

1 cup uncooked orzo (rice-shaped pasta)

3 tablespoons extravirgin olive oil, divided    

3 ears shucked corn 

1 medium red onion, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices

Cooking spray   

1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions

1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley    

3 tablespoons white wine vinegar    

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper    

1 jalapeño pepper, minced    

1 garlic clove, minced

           

Preparation

Preheat broiler.

Cut bell peppers in half lengthwise; discard seeds and membranes. Place pepper halves, skin sides up, on a foil-lined baking sheet; flatten with hand. Broil 15 minutes or until blackened. Place in a zip-top plastic bag; seal. Let stand 15 minutes. Peel and chop.

Prepare grill to medium-high heat.

Cook orzo according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain. Place orzo in a large bowl; drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil. Cool slightly.

Place corn and red onion on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 5 minutes or until lightly browned, turning occasionally. Cut kernels from ears of corn; chop red onion. Add bell pepper, corn, red onion, 2 tablespoons oil, green onions, and remaining ingredients to orzo. Toss gently to combine.

Yield

8 servings (serving size: about 2/3 cup)

Nutritional Information

CALORIES 180(30% from fat); FAT 5.9g (sat 0.9g,mono 3.9g,poly 0.7g); PROTEIN 5g; CHOLESTEROL 0.0mg; CALCIUM 15mg; SODIUM 302mg; FIBER 2.8g; IRON 1.3mg; CARBOHYDRATE 28.6g

New Pledge of Allegiance

Since the Pledge of Allegiance and The Lord's Prayer are not allowed in most public schools anymore because the word "God" is mentioned, a child in Arizona wrote the attached NEW School prayer :

Now I sit me down in school
Where praying is against the rule
For this great nation under God
Finds mention of Him very odd.

If Scripture now the class recites,
It violates the Bill of Rights.
And anytime my head I bow
Becomes a Federal matter now.

Our hair can be purple, orange or green,
That's no offense; it's a freedom scene.
The law is specific, the law is precise.
Prayers spoken aloud are a serious vice.

For praying in a public hall
Might offend someone with no faith at all.
In silence alone we must meditate,
God's name is prohibited by the state.

We're allowed to cuss and dress like freaks,
And pierce our noses, tongues and cheeks.
They've outlawed guns, but FIRST the Bible.
To quote the Good Book makes me liable.

We can elect a pregnant Senior Queen,
And the 'unwed daddy,' our Senior King.
It's "inappropriate" to teach right from wrong,
We're taught that such "judgments" do not belong.

We can get our condoms and birth controls,
Study witchcraft, vampires and totem poles.
But the Ten Commandments are not allowed,
No word of God must reach this crowd.

It's scary here I must confess,
When chaos reigns the school's a mess.
So, Lord, this silent plea I make:
Should I be shot; My soul please take!
Amen

Balancing Act

I am really struggling with something today. Our band is making their debut at the county fair this Friday. We have worked really hard and are very excited to share our music. The trouble is, the fair folk have omitted us from just about every press publication. They printed a newsletter tucked into the local papers and we are listed in the entertainment section but it ends there. An article about all the local bands performing this year didn't even mention us and we are not listed anywhere on their website, even under the entertainment schedule. I have to admit that my ego is bruised. It feels terrible to work this hard and be swept under the carpet. I have been cheerily, gracefully prodding the woman who "hired" us (we are playing for free) and she is afraid to ask them because they are so busy. I have drafted several responses to this latest admission of tentativeness on her part and erased them all because they reveal too much exasperation. I want to be an example of Christ's love and not bombard them with my ego-driven anger. I want to be fair. I also want to be rightfully counted and I want our music to be heard.

I have decided to follow Esther's example and bake them cookies before presenting my request. But I'd like to know, what do you folks do when faced with injustice or disappointment? How do you strike a balance between passivity and aggression?

What is a Christian?

What is a Christian? Are we an elite club or do we follow Christ?

I have an old friend, a non-believer, who has written a blog post I think Christians need to read and ponder. It has to do with our response to homosexuality and how we live as Christians. I wept when I read it. Folks, this is an issue that makes my heart ache. Once upon a time, the hatefulness I witnessed in some Christians about homosexuality rocked my faith so hard that I turned my back on God for well over a decade. By His grace, I am back, still with questions. I have dear friends, some of whom have distanced themselves from me because I cannot say with certainty that I think how they live is morally right. I have never and would never take a moral high ground and attack their behavior because I truly don't believe that is my place. We all need Jesus and it is He who must direct our hearts. My place, I feel, is to love them, pray for them and be here for them if they need to talk about what God is directing them to do. I don't need to make anyone sorry for their actions or force someone to repent. Is it a sin?  I believe that it is, based on the scripture. There is no evidence, however, that it is a worse sin than premarital sex, or gossip or lying.  I certainly won't  rank somebody else's sin above or below my own arrogance or ignorance or fill in the blank here. It is God who will judge us all at the end of our days and I don't want His job, thank you very much.

I still have questions, as I said. Why would God make someone gay and not allow them to fulfill the desires of their hearts? Did He in fact, create people to be gay?  There are many things in life I don't understand. I don't know why God allows young babies to be taken from their mothers or young mothers to be taken from their children.  What I do believe is that faith IS the answer.  My own understanding is unimportant. This life is just a prelude of what is to come for those who believe in Jesus. Perhaps God just wants us to follow Him utterly, giving up our own selfish desires in exchange for His holy ones. Many things we think of as "natural" have been forbidden by God: infidelity, lust, gluttony. My heart goes out to all people who face such a tremendous sacrifice as homosexuals are called to make. They need our love and our support, not our condemnation.

             Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and                     take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever                     loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world,                     yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man is                     going to come in his Father's glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according             to what he has done. I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before             they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom."   Matthew 16:24-28

If you'd like to read more on this subject, check out this and this and, if you can handle some colorful language, especially, this.