UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE!

I hate Blogspot.

New Blog - www.lifeofascalf.wordpress.com

thank you.

That's What You Get for Diggin' in the Flower Bed!

Hello -

You may have already seen this if you've visited my facebook page lately, but here it is just in case you missed it.

I caught Romo digging in the flower bed - NAUGHTY NAUGHTY!! But the story is much longer than that.

Romo and Lady (my in-laws dog) have fleas. They have been suffering for two weeks now as we waited to see if Frontline was ever going to work. I did some research yesterday, and Frontline is supposed to kill everything off in 12 hours... Needless to say, it didn't work. We've been checking them multiple times a day and picking the fleas off.

Yesterday we spoke with our vet (after being put on hold several times for long periods) who said there was nothing that she could do - it's flea season. She recommended that we get a pill called Capstar (from Petmart) which kills all the fleas within 2 hours. When we got to Petmart, the vet there said that we should give them the pill, treat the carpet, wash the dogs with Dawn dish soap, give the pill one more time, then apply the preventive flea medication. So we started the process.

We washed the dogs with Dawn this morning and let them play outside while they dried off and the carpet is being treated (which takes at least an hour). OF COURSE my little puppy got into the flower bed after 2 minutes. He dug himself into a mess. So I yelled, and spanked, and yelled, and rewashed that darn pup til the dirt was gone. He still had to stay outside though until the carpet was ready. Hence, the cage outside and him acting helpless and hurt. He's just lucky that we washed him in the morning and not in the high noon Texas heat!

On a lighter note, (not lite, however) I made a fruit pizza last night for dessert. This is just an iPhone photo, but I bet if P came with her sweet camera and photoed this baby, you'd be able to taste it by just looking! Even PJ liked it (and he doesn't like sweets at all). Thuy and I might open a fruit pizza/frozen yogurt shop someday.

Anyways, this post is a novel already. I'm done now.

Mrs. Scalf

John 14:6

Here is something interesting that PJ shared with me the other night. He was at an interview for a youth pastor postion at our church here in Prosper when he was asked a question similar to this:
"Who has eternal life in heaven?"
"Those who believe in Jesus. John 14:6 says, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the father except through me'."

After the interview, one of the elders approached him and said, "I want you to read Romans 11:25-32"

PJ came home and opened up his Bible. I'm not going to type out the whole passage here in the blog - but you should go read it! The subtitle of the passage is 'All Israel Will Be Saved'.

I have been told my whole life that the only way to eternal life with God is through belief in Christ. Therefore, anyone who does not believe he is Lord and Savior (Muslims, Jews, Buddhists, etc.) will have eternal condemnation. I have been told that Jews will not be in heaven. Straight up, just like that. By EVERYONE who has taught me the word.

The only problem is that Romans clearly states that the Jews will be in heaven because God made a promise to them as his chosen people.

He had mercy on us (Gentiles) in our disobedience and will have mercy on the Jews for their disobedience (crusifying the Christ).

It's a crazy thing to grasp (old dogs can't learn new tricks, afterall) and I had TONS of questions about it that PJ had some good thoughts on. Right now I can't remember any of those questions, but I would really like to write about my doubts and PJ responses to them.

You should ask some questions so that I can think more about it.

Mrs. Scalf

Life in Texas

Hello, whoever you are who reads this (are you out there?)!

I am officially a Texan and it's awesome. I am currently jobless and searching for a place to give me a paycheck - which was slightly successful yesterday. Other than that, I work out with Caitlin, chill out with Romo, cook-out with the fam, and pass out with the hubby. It's kind of the life (as long as you don't mind being broke).

Speaking of Romo...

Stinkin' cute as all get out! This was him right before 4 months (Memorial Day Weekend). Much more of his puppy fur is gone now and he is turning a rich golden color. He has a flea problem, which is frustrating because he's been on his meds for that regularly and I'm not sure what to do...

Many of you know this, but some don't: we bought a 1988 Jeep Cherokee!

It's the bomb. It has about 85,000 miles on it (most of which were dragged behind an RV), it's a manual (which I LOVE), and best of all - all hooked up with a CB Radio! Holler! PJ and I are really excited about it. Romo was so excited that he pooped in the back! (I wish I was kidding...)

We have some GREAT friends down here (my only friends, actually) - Caitlin and Troy. Troy and PJ really love each other.

...Ok, PJ really loves Troy and the rest is questionable! But Caitlin and Troy really love each other and make a pretty stellar couple!

I'm so thankful for friends like them!

That's what's new in the Lone Star State.

Until next time, cowboy.

Mrs. Scalf

Washington, D.C. - Baby B!

Hello Friends!

I've had several things that I've needed to blog about, but haven't had the resources necessary to do so until now! (My Internet is canceled at the apartment, my personal computer is in Texas with the hubby, and I haven't been at work for a 1.5 weeks!) So here we go!

Washington, D.C. with Streets was a BLAST! The trip went really smoothly - no one became a missing person! (Please excuse the iPhone photos... I don't have a chord for my camera [not that my camera is any better quality]) Here is a photo of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial with the Washington Monument in the background. I really enjoyed D.C. and would love to go back with PJ - who is a history buff - someday!



We were in D.C. until May 12 at 9:00 AM. By noon that same day, I was on the road to McKinney to see PJ and go to a job fair (which turned out to be completely pointless). Romo tinkled a wee little bit when he saw me, which made me incredibly happy! He's having so much fun there. He has a dog friend (who doesn't particularly like him, in my opinion) and a good yard to run around in! It's so much fun to have a little family! There are a couple young girls that come over to PJ's parents house to play with the dogs. They painted my nails and put flowers in PJ's hair... isn't he cute?! (And looks so happy...)

I drove back to Memphis on the 17th for my last two weeks. On the 18th I began full-time babysitting for 2 children while their parents were in Mexico! There are normally 4 kids, but two of them went to Grandma's for the week. It's unbelievably easy to keep 2 kids compared to the normal 4. I started thinking that I will definitely want at least 4 of my own (I've always wanted 6 or 7, but you never really know... now I know... I think). One of the nights - Wednesday maybe - I got a text from Jambow. This was our conversation:

"Car accident busted knee on mu may to er"

"It's"

"What. Oh no. I'm babysitting or I'd be there!!!

"Call someone yo come I don't want to be alone"

"Okkkk... tried calling Ashley, let me keep trying people"

"Ok! What baptist east er?"

"On my way"

As you can see, I didn't change any of her mis-spelled words in order to capture the importance and urgency of her texts. I dropped the kids off at their grandparents - who happen to live next door - and was off to the ER! I had a photo of her at the hospital in a wheelchair, but Blogger made it disappear and I'm not happy about it. It also won't let me upload any photos again. Should I change to a new blog type? I think so. Anywho, she broke her patella pretty bad. They thought it was broken into 3 pieces, but when the surgeon began his work, he found that it was actually nearly shattered. She can't put any pressure on it for 6 weeks and they aren't confident the procedure is even going to work. If this is the case, she will have it all removed and replaced with a fake knee cap. Sounds fun, huh? Her mother, sister, and nephew came to take care of her for a few days. Can I just say that her nephew is the most amazing baby I've ever met? He's gorgeous and happy and smiley and perfect! Look at him sleeping on his "Tee Tee Me Me"!

I think that every family should have bi-racial babies. I think that every race should marry and create babies with every other race often, because he is BEAUTIFUL and there should be lots more like him crawling around! Jambow is a really good aunt and B B's mommy is a really great mom; oh heck, and Grammy is a wonderful Grandma! Life is good.

I move to Texas in 5 days. It's such a bitter-sweet thing, as are most changes in life. I thought moving to Memphis was going to be bitter-sweet, but it turned out to be mostly just sweet! I eagerly expect and hope that the move to TX will be the same. There are a lot of people here that I'm going to miss horribly, though. Including, but not limited to, Jambow. Memphis is only a 7 hour drive from McKinney, so I know that I will be back often! I'm thinking about running the St. Jude 1/2 marathon again... a GREAT excuse to make my way back over here :D

Until next time (which will hopefully be soon),

Mrs. Scalf

Texas

Guess what?

My family officially lives in Texas! Here is a photo I took with my phone just before they left yesterday morning!

I think Mr. Scalf is pretty excited about the move - he loves everthing about and everyone in Texas. I will be there shortly, but for now - Washington, D.C. with STREETS!

Hopefully I have some more exciting pictures once we actually get there!!

Stay posted!

Mrs. Scalf

Just Another Day

Dear Friends,

I just sat down to read the Word a bit and came across something interesting that I figured I should write about. Also, yesterday's service was amazing. The one-and-only KV spoke on Matthew 7:12-23...yikes - it's a TOUGH one! Actually, all of Matthew 5-7 is especially tough (The Sermon on the Mount). It should make one realize how sinful he is and how great there is a need for a savior. I'm hoping to put a blog up about that passage (from what was taught by KV in church and DownLine) later this week.

But for now, 1Corinthians 5:9-11.

I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people - not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat.

I fully understand when Paul says, "not at all meaning the people of this world...". One cannot expect godly character from a person who does not believe or have the Spirit living in him. These are the people that Christ tells us to preach the good news to, so of course we are to associate with them in order to increase the Kingdom

But it's almost as if Paul expects Christians to be PERFECT! We all have one struggle or another. I'm greedy. I struggle with making worldly treasures my idol. So should Christians not associate with me!? What about Grace? Is it different if a brother is mourning over this sin or recognizes it and needs help? SHOULD I ABANDON MY FELLOW BROTHERS AND SISTERS BECAUSE THEY ARE SINFUL (LIKE ME)? Now I know that I shouldn't do that, but really, Paul - what do you mean?

Please leave your comments!

Mrs. Scalf

Who Said Moms Can't Ride Motorcycles?

This is my mother:
She is riding her new Honda Rebel. It's a little bike, but perfect for her... and she looks great on it! She used to ride a bike when she was a teenager (I'm not sure how she talked Grandpa into buying her one at 16). She said she was a rebel (how fitting...) when she was growing up and that's why she liked motorcycles and country music. Who knew country music was considered rebellious back in the day? She even got tatted up when she was 20 - a little strawberry on her belly. 20 years later she was still hiding it from my grandparents! Now she has 8 and is trying to figure out what to get next... oh mother.

I drove (yes drove, not rode, drove) my first bike while I was in Michigan for the funeral. The following photo is when PJ was driving and I was riding, but later that day I drove it myself with him on my back!

It was a blast! I have officially decided that I want one (when we can afford it...which is probably never). PJ still wants a crotch rocket... I hate those things.

Lastly, Romo meets his doom:

He is a HORRIBLE walker - incredibly disobedient. He has made himself gag several times from the collar being too tight around his neck because he wants to run off in all sorts of crazy directions. A friend gave me a little harness to use, but he's too big for it now (and he hated it). I asked PJ yesterday if we could buy a bigger harness and he grabbed the choke collar instead. How cruel. So I took him for his first short walk with the collar on and I felt like Cruela De Vil (assuming she felt some shame and guilt, of course.) He didn't seem to mind it too much until he lay down in the middle of the road and wouldn't get up. Once the collar tightened, he got right up, but not without whimpering. Hopefully this won't last long and we can go back to a normal collar and leash or a harness. Eventually we want him to be able to walk without a lease - but he's a feisty little thing; I'm not sure that is possible!

Back to a wonderful day at VMS!

Mrs. Scalf

Random Things

It's been awhile and much has been going on.



First of all, I received this photo on my phone via text message from HB. It's the sweetest thing!

The lil pup is, of course, darling little Romo. The BIG dog is Wilson - Romo's new pal! Wilson belongs to HB and JB. They graciously took Romo in for 4 days while PJ and I were in MI for my Grandpa's funeral. Oh, they are so cute!

Michigan was fine. Grandpa's funeral went well and the family is doing alright. He's been sick for quite some time, so we all knew it was coming. Grandma isn't doing so hot, but who could blame her? He was 84 and she, 77. That means they were married for a good long time.

The move to Dallas is quickly approaching, I've started packing up some stuff, but there is a lack of boxes... so it's on pause until I can find more! PJ had an interview last week Monday for Director of Youth Ministries position at a baptist church in Plano. We are supposed to find out by today if he got it. We both only want God's will... but is it bad to want God's will to be this job? Probably. I still have no news about teaching, but I will be going to a job fair for Frisco ISD on May 15. I've decided that if I do not get a full-time teaching job, I will substitute teach with the intentions of putting my face out there for school systems to see! Then, maybe the following year I will have something!

It's starting to hit me pretty hard that I'm leaving all my friends. PJ has a plethora of wonderful guy friends in the Dallas area, however I have exactly 3 acquaintances... and no job. It's going to be interesting to see what God is going to do about that. Today in growth group Nancy asked us what we were bugging God about. What are something things that we need him to do in our lives? I need friends and a job. But I haven't been pestering the provider of all for these things, so I am going to start today!

Also, we are selling a couch, loveseat, and an airconditioner that you should be interested in! Call me!

~Mrs. Scalf

Good News

Ok, the good news is the death and ressurection of Christ on our behalf. That's great news.

Second to that:

Strawberries growing off Walnut Grove across from Shebly Farms are ready to be picked!! Who wants to go with me? Think of the things we could make:

Strawberry Shortcake
Strawberry Pie
Strawberry & Rhubarb Pie
Strawberry Jam (hmmm... Do I have any left in the freezer?!)
Strawberry Ice Cream
Strawberry Cake
Fruit Pizza with Strawberries

Or.. we could just eat plain 'ol strawberries just as they are.

If only I could be MI in July/August for blueberry pickin' - Just think:

Blueberry Pie
Blueberry Muffins
Blueberry Pancakes
.
.
.

Oh wonderful summer fruits!

Mrs. Scalf

Food for thought

I don't really know if I understand that phrase, "food for thought..." What I am about to tell you is supposed to feed your thinking? Hmmm.. I'm not confident about that phrase nor if what I am about to tell you will feed your thinking by any means.

Maybe I'm just unintelligent.

Anyways, I have some things going on in my mind that I feel like I need to have down on "paper" a.k.a blogspot.

I am an introvert?
I am a self-proclaimed introvert and tested as 100% introverted. I don't enjoy being around more than 5 people at a time. Going to social events makes me nervous and stresses me out, especially if a majority of the people there are people that I have never met (or even worse, have met once or twice and so I feel like I should engage in conversation with him/her but have nothing to say). I like to be in bed by 10:00 so I always turn invitations to go out with friends down when it's "late" because I'd rather chill on the couch or sleep. Introvert.
However, PJ just left to go to work and so it's just Romo and me. Don't get me wrong, Romo is quite enough to keep me occupied, but I feel lonely. I wonder who is working and as it turns out, all of the whopping 3 people I would call in this moment are indeed at work. But I would really love some company. Maybe just one person. We could go for a walk at the park. That would be ideal. But alas, here I am blogging and the only excitement ahead is stopping by Walmart after buying groceries for some windshield wiper fluid. What a night!

"If someone asked you what the greatest good on this earth is, what would you say?"
I've been reading a book by Francis Chan entitled Crazy Love. The above quote is in chapter 3, which I just finished reading. I would say God is the greatest good because I know that is the right answer. But I question whether or not I actually believe this because my life doesn't show it. I know that I believe it - but wouldn't my life look radically different from the world if that were true? I'm not so radical. So... do I really believe it? Or do I just know it? My prayer is that I would know and believe that God is the greatest good on this earth because I have personally experienced his loving goodness. That's scary to write, think, and definitely to pray. God brings us closer to him through suffering. (Not to say that God always gives suffering in order to draw us closer, but through our suffering which he allows to happen, we often find ourselves in intimacy with our maker for lack of anything else that compares.) So, that's a hard prayer to pray because no one wants suffering, but that very well could be the answer to my prayer. Whatever it takes to understand God's greatness is what I should want, but my flesh is very afraid.

"Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him."

(Please do not misunderstand me. I am not anticipating suffering now because of what I am thinking. Thinking is all that I am doing.)

Now to groceries and that windshield wiper fluid. Or is it windshield washer fluid? Regardless - extremely eventful next few hours, eh?

Mrs. Scalf

8 Weeks

I'm really sorry that all that I write about is Romo. I feel as though it might be similar to having a child - everything the child does impresses you and therefore should surely impress the whole world.

Yesterday we went to the dog park again and he had so much fun! (Or I did...)

Big moment - he held a tennis ball in his mouth for the first time and ran with it. I couldn't get a good photo to show it, but I do have a darn cute one of him pawing at the ball:

Romo loves green things. Actually, he loves to eat everything that he isn't supposed to eat whether it be green or brown (he likes bark and twigs too... no, he doesn't eat his own poo... I don't think.) Here he is checking out a leafy bush:

Just darn cute:

Big doggies love Romo. And Romo loves big doggies! He tries to play with the "big dogs" but they are faster, larger, scarier, have bigger teeth and louder barks, and they can swim. (Romo is still a little wary about water.)

Ok - ENOUGH ABOUT ROMO!

Pudding Fruit Salad = the bomb fruit/dessert combo. It's my momma's recipe and it's divine. I have no picture, but I have some in my lunch... yummmmmy.

Ingredients:

2 cans maderine oranges

1 big can (? oz... sorry, my bad) pinapple tidbits

4 bananas

lots of red and green grapes, sliced in half

1 3oz package NONINSTANT vanilla pudding

Directions:

Combine 1.5 cups of the fruit juices with the pudding and warm in a sauce pan until thick. Let cool. Combine pudding mixture with fruit and chill in the fridge. That's it! Oh... then eat and eat and eat. Great way to get kids to eat fruit for dessert!

Although I'm not a big fan (actually, I'm not a fan at all) of canned fruits, it's pretty tasty. I bet a sugar-free pudding would make it...well, less sugary. But I normally don't do sugar free/low fat stuff - it's just not my style. (yeah, yeah...my body will hate me when I'm old and grey. Moderation is key.) Actually, 3 x theta is key... only Joey would get that one ;)

PEACE

Mrs. Scalf

Easter Sunday

Fellowship Memphis had the Easter Sunday service at the Orpheum. It was pretty tight, not gonna lie. We had some rockin' worship with Carlos Whitaker and others - it was amazing. We sang one of my favorite Hillsong songs, The Stand. It brings me to tears everytime. Just read the lyrics of the chorus:

I'll stand

With arms high and heart abandoned

In awe, of the one who gave it all

I'll stand

My soul, Lord, to you surrendered

All I am is yours

And the music that accompanies the lyrics makes it emotionally amazing. Check it out. It may or may not change your life. I almost walked down the isle to this song acutally. It's that great.

After Caleb sang the first song and before Carlos came out, they showed a video worth watching.

Once church was over, we picked up Romo (and his to-go bag) and some mini-cheesecakes that I had made for Ashley's family and headed over to Bears for an Easter cook-out. Then went to the Berry's for an AWESOME time with the family! I love them!

This is Aunt Jamie sun-bathing and holding Romo

Here is Aunt Rach (and of course, Romo)

The Ladies

The Cook - Bear

Schramm (and Romo sitting under her shade)

Can you tell that I love my puppie? I have to show you one more photo. On Wednesday, a group of us met up at Central BBQ for lunch, it will be one of the last times we are all together like that, so I had to capture the moment:

How fun. In this photo (and if you include me) three of us are moving to Dallas, one to MI, three staying in Memphis and one will be working with YWAM somewhere not in Memphis. Life is crazy.

Mrs. Scalf

My Issue with Prayer

Prayer has always frustrated me because of one thing.

I am reading a book entitled The Praying Life by Paul Miller. Today I read a chapter that talked about how prayer is personal and that it is okay to pray for "trivial" things such as a parking spot. He also said that it is okay to pray that it is not your house being burned down when you hear a firetruck siren. (Although some say that is selfish and means that you will for someone else's house to be burned down.) I'm all good with that. I pray for the minute details frequently without thinking I'm selfish. It is okay to tell God your feelings and desires (i.e. I don't want my house to burn down, Lord). After all, did Jesus himself not ask the cup to be taken from him before being sent to the cross?

Miller then talks about those who think, "it would have happened anyways." That is me. That is my struggle. Because I believe that God is sovereign and has a will and a plan and a foreknowledge of everything, does prayer really make a difference? I find myself thinking, "who am I that God would change his will after hearing my prayer?"

I have heard it said after bringing this up to a friend that the most important thing about prayer is that your are conversing with God and spending time with him. I do believe that prayer is time to be intimate with the Creator, but "that man should think he will not receive anything from the Lord, he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does" (James) I have to believe that God wants to answer our prayers - in fact he delights in it. But I don't understand how this and his sovereignty make sense!

Mrs. Scalf

Potty Time

Hello all!

On Friday night, Romo and I went to Hollywood Feed to get some bells. The bells are used to help potty train. We hung them by the door that he uses to go potty (or that he is supposed to use). When he starts sniffing around or if he runs to the door, we say, "Outside? Ring the bells!" Then we put his paw on the bells so they make noise. He started jumping to the bells himself, too! He hasn't peed in the house all weekend, which is a HUGE success because he used to pee on the carpet 5-10 times a day.

I decided I wanted to get it on video so that the world can see how smart and well-trained he is... this is what I got:

Accidents happen!

Mrs. Scalf

P.S. Don't you just love that burgandy/navy/hunter green plaid couch matched with the baby blue and light yellow blanket Grandma Daniels made me years ago?! What a lovely living room we have... ;)

Death sounds fun!

I don't mean to be morbid or come across as angry at life, because I'm not.

I was just thinking about the economy and moving to Texas and jobs and all kinds of crazy stuff that life is about to bring. My personal belief is that the economy will not get better, only worse. Maybe that is the cynical me coming out, but nevertheless, I believe it. Then I start getting all worried about life and money and kids and being homeless and it's a slippery slope to the day I'm just going to die of starvation or freeze to death.

Then I remember that I have a Great Savior. I think back to Philippians 1:20 (I think...). Paul says, "for me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me, yetwhat shall I choose? I do not know. I am torn between the two. I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far..." And that's just the dang truth. Departing and being with Christ is the best thing that could ever happen to me. So why do I worry? What is the worst that can happen? I die? Paul says that's actually the best! So... It's all good, really. But I still need to bring my anxiety to Jesus.

Mrs. Scalf

More Photos and Videos of Romo

Do you think I could love him any more? I haven't blogged in a month, but now that I have Romo, I feel like I could blog everyday! Geeze Luoise.

(The other video was supposed to go here, but it won't upload. Just imagine a puppy playing outside with a stick in the grass... cute.)

Here is a funny story:

This morning I decided that it was a swell idea to wake up at 6:00 (instead of 6:45 with 8 snoozes which really means 7:30) so that I had plenty of time to feed Romo and take him for a little walk so he could go potty. That plan worked out well... While Romo was eating, I made PJ's lunch. Then I showered and Romo waited. Then I made breakfast for the Peej (it's going to be a long day at school and he needs some brain food.) Then... we walked.

Try to get a mental picture of this: Leash in left hand... and an umbrella. Coffee (without a lid) in right hand. Romo dragging me. Umbrella hitting me in the head the whole way. Coffee Spilling. Romo tripping over and biting his leash. I try to fix it. He goes for the coffee that I had to put on the ground. Repeat, about 20 times. Oh, and my hair was in my face the whole time because I had to look down at Romo.

At least he went potty...!

Mrs. Scalf

Whine. Not Wine...Whine.

Romo loves to whine. I hope he breaks this habit soon. He hates the back seat of the car, which PJ and I decided was his - no more being spoiled in the front with us. (This may or may not have anything to do with my completely reckless driving on the way to Shelby Farms for a walk... may or may not.) But... At least it's a cute whine ;)

Precious. And here he is taking his first bath! (I think he liked it)

Pround mother of the cutest puppy,

Mrs. Scalf

ROMO

WE GOT A PUPPY!!

His name is Romo and he is soooo.... NAUGHTY! But I love him sooooo much! Here he is scratching at his collar while we were going for a walk at Shelby Farms

Isn't he cute?!

He pees on the carpet a lot and two nights ago he peed on our down comforter... twice. (Like I said, NAUGHTY!) And he likes to bite things (my flesh, for instance). But he gives GREAT kisses and likes to sleep on my feet when I'm doing stuff around the kitchen, which I think is really precious.

Wanna meet him? Just come over!

Mrs. Scalf

Adventures of 2010 #4

Hello,

Some of you may be wondering why I haven't posted more blogs about my adventures. I will answer.

I realized that two a week may be a bit excessive for our life. Since PJ works nights, I cook dinner once or twice a week - and it's usually rushed. Also, it gets a bit pricey - we have a very small budget for groceries.

The new format of our Adventures will have to change. I will post everytime I cook/bake/create something new - at whatever pace that may be!

I'll try to make something tonight out of ingredients I already have at home. We shall see...

Mrs. Scalf

Adventures of 2010 #3

Bonjour!!

It's a Snow Day in Memphis TN. Wow, I wasn't even expecting snow! I had my alarm set this morning for 5:00 AM to go to growth group at Nancy's. I had prepared everything for my day last night (packed lunch, picked out clothes, put together a gym bag, etc.) so when my alarm went off, I kept sleeping. Then at about 5:30 I went to stroll out of bed, but I noticed I had two text messages:
"Growth group is canceled due to the weather, enjoy your sleep ladies!" and
"Snow day at school today, let me know if you are going to come in or not"



Naturally, I went back to sleep.... until 10:30 (which gives me a disgusting 13 hours of sleep last night)

Mr.'s favorite breakfast meal is sausage gravy and biscuits and we just so happened to have all th necessary ingredients - so this is half of my Adventure of 2010 #3. The recipe comes from The Pioneer Woman and looks delightful! Keep posted for photos :D
_________________________________________________
I'm back. Now its Tuesday and yesterday morning I made the biscuits and sausage gravy. It was a disaster! The sausage I used didn't produce the amount of grease that the recipe called for and I accidently added old, expired milk. PJ thought it was gross... and it looked gross. ohhh, better luck next time! I still have to think of one more thing to make...

Twice-Baked Potatoes!! We have a plethera of wild game in our freezer from the Ryan Family (PJ's mom and stepdad) so I thawed some of the bratwurst (what a weird word to spell...) and fried them up. What better to go with brats than some cheezy, bacony, twice baked potatoes! I really wish I had a decent camera because the photo below does not testify to the tastyness of this side!


For Christmas I made my family's traditional Christmas cookies. One of my students requested some more of these cookes for Valentine's day, which was a great idea! However, since Christmas Cookies are a Christmas-only tradition (like sticky-buns!) I changed up the icing a bit. The heart cookies tasted more like Grandma Daniels' Christmas cookies, which I think is an acceptable variation for Valentine's Day! She loved them, especially the ones with purple icing :D

Looking for next week's adeventure!

Mrs. Scalf

Dear Ree

Dear Pioneer Woman,

I really, really, really, really would love to have those beautiful French Ovens. Please pick me... pretty please!

Love,
Mrs. Scalf

Adventures of 2010 #2

The first week of my new adventure was a complete success!

Chicken Parmigiana by The Pioneer Woman was DELIGHTFUL!! I mean... wow:

If I would have cared more about the above photo, I would have not tried a bite before I snapped this... and would have taken a warm, wet rag around the plate for a profession, clean look... But I was starving and the smell of garlic and melted cheese was going straight to my stomach and teasing me. So I tasted, snapped, then ate. And ate. And ate! The Mr. loved it, too (which is my ultimate goal).

And for dessert (which we didn't even get to eat until today because we were so stuffed from dinner), Veronica's Strawberry Chocolate Chip cookies.

YUMMY! Since you cannot find this recipe on The Pioneer Woman, here it is for your baking and eating pleasure: (and it will fulfil your deepest longing for sweet, delicious, goodies)

1 box Strawberry Cake Mix

1/4 cup flour

1/2 cup oil

1/4 cup water

1 egg

6 oz chocolate chip cookies (I used milk chocolate, but I'm sure semi-sweet are great, too)

Mix the ingredients together, bake at 325 degrees for 10-12 minutes (that's what the recipe says, but mine were done after 8 minutes). Unlike most cookies, you do not want these to turn golden brown, they need to be almost undercooked. I took mine out when I began to see golden brown on the bottom edges. They are nice and soft :D

Now, I'm going to enjoy a cookie if you don't mind...

Mrs. Scalf

Example of Needing more Jesus on I-240

Yesterday I wrote about needing more Jesus. When driving anywhere in Memphis, in need LOTS of Jesus. For example, today I was merging onto I-240 and the lane next to me was also merging. I was in the left lane which, at this particular entrance ramp, meant that the other lane had to merge into my lane and then we all merge onto the high way. However, this morning there was a man who can't read merge signs and clearly doesn't know the rules of the road. He started racing me to beat me and pretty much ran me off the road because he didn't want to merge into my lane behind me... he wanted to be in front of me. So of course I blasted my horn like there was no tomorrow. And I wanted him to learn his lesson!

If in this moment I had more of Jesus in me and battled my fleshly anger, I would have graciously let him in front of me, regardless of his desire to beat me and run me off the road. The horn wouldn't have gone off, my rage wouldn't have lasted until I walked into work, and I wouldn't have been tempted to throw him the finger. (I didn't throw him the finger because that's just rude, not classy, and he would for sure think I didn't love Jesus...but oh did I want to!!)

See, I need more Jesus.

Thanks to a friend (you know who you are but I didn't know if you wanted me to put your name on the internet) for reading my blog! I think you are great... really great! And thank you for assuring me that black and brown can be worn together and look snazzy!

Chickin Parm for din din tonight so you know what that means... Adventures of 2010 #2 coming soon :D

Mrs. Scalf

Adventures of 2010 #1

I've got a great plan!

Since I have to wait until I go home so that my mother can teach me how to knit mittins and socks... I'll make cooking/baking my 2010 hobby.

I would like to try 1 new main course recipe and 1 other (side dish or dessert) recipe each week. This week I am making the Pioneer Woman's version of Chicken Parmigiana (my first time ever to cook with red wine!) and Veronica's Strawberry Chocolate Chip Cookies (YUMMMM) ! I'm also going to do my best to take photos of my adventures, however my camera doesn't do so hot when photographing food/anything indoors. Outside lighting is the best, though!

I love my new hobby!!

Mrs. Scalf

More Jesus

This is what it boils down to - EVERYONE NEEDS MORE JESUS.

My soul was hungry for some time with our Lord this weekend, and I ignored it, and ignored it, until I couldn't do one more thing until I read, thought, and prayed. I will be the first to admit that my time with the Lord is MINIMAL. But when I listened to the Holy Spirit telling me to get away with Him... i felt relaxed and so peaceful. It was EXACTLY what I needed. I'm trying to read through my Bible cover to cover and memorize James. I finished off 1st Samuel and am now moved into 2nd Samuel - the life of King David. I argued with God saying, "I'm in the Samuels.... what am I going to read in there that so great, anyway? I'm bored with it." But that wasn't the point because LIFE ISN'T ABOUT ME AND WHAT I WANT! Just reading God's Word was all I needed and He knew that...

And I need more of Him. Everyone does.... People will say things and I can't help but think, "you need more Jesus..." I will think things or reflect on my selfish week and think, "I need more JESUS!" We all need more Jesus.

I'm going through the Financial Peace videos by Dave Ramsey and at one point he talks about the necessity of discipline in order to gain wealth (or in my case be financially wise). He said no one enjoys discipline... if you do, you're kind of weird. But everyone enjoys what discipline produces. Which is TRUE. When I am disciplined in my diet and exercise I feel great and stay thin. Do I like training for half marathons? NO . Do I like going to the gym to lift after a long day at work? NO. But the product of a disciplined workout is worth it. In the same way, I do not necessarily enjoy sitting down and reading Samuel, but I LOVE what God does with it - the product of quality time with Him!

Discipline has been my biggest battle in my walk with the Lord.

Also... I made sticky buns again today and they were delicious. Although I spilled half of the buttery brown sugar mixture all over me while trying to carry them to my car... Other than that, they were a DELIGHT for sure. Here is the recipe in case you are itching for some:

1 frozen loaf of white bread (I think I used Pillsbury or Kroger brand, in the frozen bread section. It came in a package of 5 loaves.)

1 package non-instant vanilla pudding

5 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Thaw bread according to package directions. Place on a lightly floured surface and roll into roughly a 12x8 rectangle. Melt the butter and spread some across the rolled out dough. In a small bowl, combine pudding, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the butter. Roll up the dough (from long edge to long edge) and cut into 12 equal pieces. Place pieces into a greased 8x8 or 9x9 pan. Pour the remaining butter over the rolls. Cover and let rise. (I let rise over night in the refrigerater and they are ready to bake in the morning). Preheat oven to 350. Bake uncovered for 18-20 minutes or until the top of the rolls are golden brown. Finally, flip the rolls upside down onto a plate and ENJOY!


Next I will have Veronica's strawberry chocolate chip cookies... oh so approriate for Valentine's Day!

Mrs. Scalf

My Brain Hurts

I feel like my brain was to explode with all the stuff that is on my mind right now!! Last night Schramm and I went to the gym for some hot-tub-sitting and lap-swimming. It was really fun and relaxing. Lindsay told me to pray for a different person each lap that I swim. Time really flew once I started chatting to God. There are lots of people to be praying for...





In the hottub, we talked about how great her DL class was and about biblical submission between husband and wife. There are very mixed feelings from women about "submission." It's a scary word - and not natural, especially since the woman's rights movement and with high divorce rates, children are used to the mother running the home. And let's be honest, there are few men in this world who "are worthy of submission." KV and Brian Loritz put it pretty well, however, "If your man is under the submission of God, no woman is going to have a problem submitting with that man." Which is so true! I like to use the umbrella example:

Ok, I'm the small person on the far right. PJ is next to me holding a holey umbrella. God is the big guy on the left holding the giant, hole-free umbrella. Ephesians tells wives to submit to their husbands and husbands to Christ. I submit to PJ, who is holding an umbrella that has holes in it because he is a sinner saved by grace - not perfect. If PJ is submitting to Christ, who is perfect, holy, and set-apart, we ain't getting wet when the storms fall... It's actually a pretty perfect system - very orderly. But for women who are not married to men who submit to Christ... submission is difficult and scary, however still a command.... Life isn't easy or fair and no one said it would be.

Also, Shantell and I are memorizing James, which is so much fun. We worked on Philippians last year, and it is such a blessing! God speaks really beautifully through the Word and memorizing it really does something unexplainably wonderful to my soul. It's the best way for me to be in the Word. I'm a very task-oriented and like having measurable goals. Sitting down and reading is very difficult for me because I feel like I'm not "doing anything." Which is totally a lie from the pit of hell, but I've found something that really encourages me to dig deep and meet with God. I've got the first 16 verses pretty good and can't wait to keep going!!

Lastly, my heart was fulfilled a bit yesterday when teaching one of my students math. It came to my mind that I may pursue my teaching degree and teach math to children - it's so fun. Being praying for me about that one...

Mrs. Scalf

Haiti

The earthquake is really sad. But I can't help but think a few things about it....

How powerful is our God? It's his earth and he can do what he wants, and he sent a ginormous earthquake to hit an Island. I mean, an earthquake.... that's so cool.

How fragile is life? In the matter of seconds, 200,000 people were wiped out. Completely out of control of any human being. I was made aware of a family that STREETS is familiar with who experienced the fragile-ness of life. The father was driving and fell asleep at the wheel; they hit an 18-wheeler. The mother died instantly, the father is in intensive care on life support, the son broke both of his hips, and the 2 daughters are okay. Can you imagine how different their lives all become now? Life is fragile.

How sweet would it be if this Haiti earthquake is a birthpain? Look at Matthew 24:4-8 -

Jesus answered: "Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains."

I love life, and it is good. But because I know that "my citizenship is in heaven and we eagerly await a savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ," I'm ready to go home and be with my Lord. So the idea of birthpains kind of excites me.

The idea of birthpains kind of scares me. I know that I am going to be held accountable of what I have been entrusted with (the gospel) and that God expects that interest has been made (i.e. I've made disciples. See Luke 19:11-26). I'm pretty confident that I'm the servant who laid it away in a cloth so that it would be safe... I'm the wicked servant. So these birthpains should make me do something... Let me explain the parable of the ten minas (one of my all time favorite parables)

"A man of noble birth" - Christ

"Servants" - followers of Christ, disciples.

"Subjects" - nonbelievers, people of the world

(I LOVE verse 15. Jesus states that the people didn't want him to be king, but the following verse basically says... I'm king anyways, sorry. hahah I LOVE IT!)

"Money" - the good news

Look at verse 15... "Then he sent for the servants (believers) to whom he had given the money (gospel), in order TO FIND OUT WHAT THEY HAD GAINED WITH IT."

Keep reading....

The first servant took what he was given, and earned 10 more. Then he was rewarded with ten cities. The next servant took what he was given, and earned 5 more. He was rewarded with 5 cities. The last servant didn't earn anything and his mina was given to the servants who had earned interest... and he is called wicked. Then he kills all the subjects in front of him....

I don't know about you, but I really want to be the good and faithful servant who took what I was given, and "earned 10 more." I've got some serious disciples to make...

It's interesting to notice that from this parable, Jesus talks as if what we do on earth is directly proportional to our rewards in heaven. So much work to do.. "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few..."

I love our children!!!

-Mrs. Scalf

Apt #1

It's been nearly one entire month since I've last blogged. Shame on me.



Christmas was wonderful. The mister and I began our celebration by a little thing I like to call Sticky Buns... Check these bad boys out:




We heated up the first batch, ate a few, and then ripped open our Wii, Punch Out, Mario Kart, and other sorts of gifts from our families (thank you!). Next we grabbed the laptop and headed to the Starbucks parking lot to Skype. This was quite the humorous experience... my family all sounded like chip munks.

Next we made a breakfast with Craig, Claire, Bear, the Jones Family, and the Detamores. More sticky buns, eggs, sausage, OJ, coffee, hot chocolate, ect. YUMMY!!!

Settlers of Catan was next. Wow...PJ won and it took 2 hours (at least!)

Dinner was FABULOUS! Lamb, Cider Ham, Garlic mashed potatos, Fresh Salad, Green Beans, Rolls, Pumpkin Pie, Christmas Punch.... DELICIOUS! Thanks to the Jones help :D

Good sleep, good times, wake up on Saturday and MOVE!! The week was followed by sorting junk, HOURS AT MLGW (kill me now), and cleaning. There is a spare bedroom so please come for a visit! Our new place has a fireplace, which PJ is loving. We've only set off the fire alarm once! Look at this blaze we've got going on!!



Until next time...

Mrs. Scalf