Yummy, Simple Salad

My boss is one of the healthiest people I know. She is always munching on yummy snacks. This salad recipe is hers. She is so sweet and always brings enough to share with us.

Here are the simple ingredients:

1 Cucumber
1 Tomato -- I used a Roma tomato
Olives of your choice: Black, or any of the fancy olives your local grocery store sells (I had green olives in the fridge so that's what I used)
Mozzarella cheese (cut in chunks)
Pepper
Olive Oil
Olive juices
Croutons

-Simply cut veggies into cubes and put in a container
-Add Olives
-Pour a little bit of olive oil and some pepper
-Put lid on plastic container and shake
-Serve and add croutons to avoid them getting soggy

Voila! Enjoy!

Authentic Friendships

I am a HUGE fan of Rick Warren. And, when I say a fan of him I mean I am a fan of how he allows the Lord to work through him and reach people all around the world. That's what it's truly about. I receive Rick's daily devotionals and today's really spoke to me. It was so transparent and real. It's something we can all work on, including myself. I'm definitely preaching to the choir when I say that.  Why do we find it so difficult to be transparent with others? Is it because we're worried what they'll think of us? The things they'll say about us? Pridefulness?

I pray today's devotional speaks to you in a great way as it did for me.

Authentic Friendships by Rick Warren

But if we live in the light, as God is in the light, we can share fellowship with each other. Then the blood of Jesus, God's Son, cleanses us from every sin. If we say we have no sin, we are fooling ourselves, and the truth is not in us. (1 John 1:7-8 NCV) In Christian fellowship people should experience authenticity. Authentic fellowship is not superficial, surface-level chit-chat. It’s genuine, heart-to-heart, sometimes gut-level, sharing. It happens when people get honest about who they are and what is happening in their lives. They share their hurts, reveal their feelings, confess their failures, disclose their doubts, admit their fears, acknowledge their weaknesses, and ask for help and prayer. Authenticity is the exact opposite of what you find in many churches. Instead of an atmosphere of honesty and humility, there is pretending, role-playing, politicking and superficial politeness, but shallow conversation. People wear masks, keep their guards up, and act as if everything is rosy in their lives. These attitudes are the death of real friendship. It’s only as we become open about our lives that we experience authentic fellowship. The Bible says, “If we live in the light, as God is in the light, we can share fellowship with each other.… If we say we have no sin, we are fooling ourselves” (1 John 1:7–8, NCV). The world thinks intimacy occurs in the dark, but God says it happens in the light. We tend to use darkness to hide our hurts, faults, fears, failures and flaws. But in the light, we bring them all out into the open and admit who we really are. Of course, being authentic requires both courage and humility. It means facing our fear of exposure, rejection and being hurt again. Why would anyone take such a risk? Because it’s the only way to grow spiritually and be emotionally healthy. The Bible says, “Make this your common practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed” ( James 5:16a, Msg).

Time flies!

Oh my word! It's been almost a whole month since I've signed on to my blog. I'm so sorry! It's crazy how hectic things can get and how the weeks just fly by.

Where to begin ...

I'm already 27 weeks (6 months)! Feeling good, I've only gained 8 lbs so far this whole pregnancy. My next appointment is this Thursday so we'll see how much more I've gained. Now that I'm on a low-fat diet, due to some gallbladder issues, I'm hoping not to gain too too much.

Dustin and I have been busy working on Preston's room. He painted a beautiful mural on the wall that I'll have to post pictures of. He painted a nightstand/dresser  that was his when he was younger as well as painting animals on a set of the dresser knobs for the dresser we bought at Target. We are still trying to figure out what to do about knobs for the nightstand/dresser he painted. Knobs are crazy expensive! And, the well priced ones we've found we haven't liked. We like all the $20 (a knob) ones!

Baby Showers
It's Baby Shower time! My first shower is in just a few weeks, I'm very excited about it! Next month we're having two more which I'm equally excited for. One of the showers will be a CoEd Couples shower. We've been to a few and we've loved it! It's a great way for the hubby to be involved but not feel awkward.

What are your favorite Baby Shower activities? Foods? Please do tell!

Blessings to you!