Mister Thoughts: Side Effects

My husband {a.k.a. the love-light of my eye} has finally caught a tinsy bite of the blogging bug! It's funny, but when I first started this blog, my username was "Marcie {and sometimes Matt}". But alas, my original plan of making this a team effort went in vain {or so I thought} and I changed my name back to just, "Marcie Jean".  Well wouldn't you know it, right after I changed my name, the mister wants to contribute! So here it is ladies and gents, giving voice to my fabulous and fantastic Matt, I present to you fresh and funny words straight from the heart of this amazing man!

Side Effects

If you have seen prime time television in the last decade you will have undoubtedly seen a commercial that boasts a new miracle drug that fixes your rheumatoid arthritis, your diabetes, or even your weight issues.  At first you see this person who is unhappy, then they take a magic pill, and then everything is wonderful! Then dun.dun.duh......my favorite part, the announcer starts talking about the side effects! It literally takes over three fourths of the commercial to talk about the problems this new drug causes. Sure this pill can take care of your joint issues so fast you’ll be jogging in the morning, but what they don’t advertise is the chaffing you will have from the diaper you will have to wear because your body now has bladder control issues. Is it just me or are the list of side effects worse than the original issue? The hard part of if it all is that we really wish we had control. Control over our bodies that get sick at the worst opportune times, control over our thoughts when we can’t stop worrying, control over our tongue when it says those harsh words, or control over our hearts when they want what they can’t have. Honestly, it seems that it all boils down to control.

Think back to Adam and Eve. The very first people to walk the earth. The 2 people that actually, physically walked the earth with God. If they had a question, they could ask and get an immediate response. Think about it, you’re having a terrible day and all you have to do is take a walk and have a conversation, a real audible conversation with the creator of the universe! If you know the story you would know that Adam and Eve gave all that up, all for one little little apple. Or was it? Eve was out one day next to a tree. It was the one tree that God said they could not eat from, but on this day there was a beautiful talking snake that seemingly opened Eve’s eyes. Opened her eyes to all the possibilities. Genesis 3:5 (Satan the serpent speaking)  “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.”

Satan never tempted Eve with just an apple. He used word play and tempted her with the one thing they didn’t have. The one thing we wish we all had, control. Satan says “you’ll be like God...” In other words you will know everything, you will no longer need God because you’ll be your own god. In one moment Eve’s curiosity was peaked, and like all of us she begins to think of all the good things this “apple” will bring. No matter what we have all looked back and thought “how could she have not seen what he was doing. How could she have led us all to our own graves.” You know you’ve thought it “if I was there this never would have happened...” Ha! Yeah right! If someone offered me a one time shot in the arm that would give me the godlike stature of Thor, the brilliance and whit of Tony Stark, and the less than 5 percent body fat of Brad Pitt...You better believe I’d be all over it! Eve was never tempted with the apple, she was tricked by the illusion of control. Ever since that one moment in time we have all experienced the side effects of control.

So where do we go from here? What is the 3 step process to break out of our control freak status? Sorry, don’t have any steps or plans that make you a better Christian, but maybe that’s what Jesus meant when he said, “whoever loses his life for me will gain it.” Maybe he meant that those people who lose control of their own lives will be given life, better yet maybe it means those who give God control of their life will actually find....real life. The true earth shattering, passionate life for which we have all been searching. Maybe “the last shall be first” was talking about those who give up their “godlike” status for the benefit of others. Maybe the whole idea of Christianity, all of it in it’s totality, is to give control back to the one who should have it in the first place. You see, we tried the pill in the beginning, so maybe this time we do the one thing that seems to be the hardest for us all, humble ourselves and give up control to the One who has complete control.

{Swoon}

Have I mentioned how much I love my man? 

Because I do.

This is one of the many reasons why....100 reasons to be exact!

He gave me 100 one dollar bills {for a shopping spree}. 

Attached to each one was a reason why he loves me.

♥{Swoon}♥

Have I mentioned that I love my man?

Because I do.

Prone to Wander

This song has been playing non-stop in our house this week. Ever get that feeling that something incredible is happening but you have nothing to go off of other than the Holy Spirit deep down inside you whispering hope? When in fact nothing around you speaks of hope, God is the hope to the hopeless. The light in the darkness. The direction when you feel lost. And the only thing that keeps you holding on when everything else speaks of despair. God is that hope. And we are, in fact, prisoners of hope. I am constantly in awe of the power of God's grace in our lives. They truly are "streams of mercy never ceasing" and I can't help but be overwhelmed by them. What an amazing God we serve!

Wisdom of the ages. I can't even read the lyrics without getting emotional. So many times I've doubted God working in our lives and even throw a sort of tantrum when I don't get the answers that I feel like I deserve. Yet his redeeming love always finds me and I find myself, once again, a debtor to grace.

And, because I love finding out the history of things, here's a little bit for you! "Come Thou Fount" was originally written by Robert Robinson in 1757 when he was only 22 years old. It was a sort of autobiography of his life and walk with the Lord. He wrote it to accompany a sermon he was working on and it has since become one of the most well-known hymns of our day. The line of the song that reads "Here I raise my Ebenezer," is referring to 1 Samuel 7:12 in which Samuel was referring to God's continued faithfulness. The hymn was composed by John Wyeth in 1813.

Come Thou fount of every blessing

Tune my heart to sing Thy grace

Streams of mercy never ceasing

Call for songs of loudest praise

And teach me some melodious sonnet

Sung by flaming tongues above

I'll praise the mount, I'm fixed upon it

Mount of Thy redeeming love

Here I raise my Ebenezer

Hither by Thy help I come

And I hope by Thy good pleasure

Safely to arrive at home

Jesus sought me when a stranger

Wandering from the fold of God

He to rescue me from danger

Interposed His precious blood

Oh, to grace how great a debtor

Daily I'm constrained to be

And let Thy goodness like a fetter

Bind my wandering heart to Thee

Prone to wander, Lord I feel it

Prone to leave the God I love

Here's my heart Lord, take and seal it

Seal it for Thy courts above

Fat Tuesday Potato Soup

So I realize Fat Tuesday was last week, but I came up with this recipe on Fat Tuesday, so I figured I can still call it that! And usually I only like to post healthy recipes on here, but every once and a while we all need a bit of Southern comfort, which is exactly what this soup provides! Here we go:

Fat Tuesday Potato Soup

{source}

You'll need:

3/4 pound of bacon, diced

1 small onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

3 lbs potatoes (about 8-10 medium potatoes), cubed

2 cans reduced sodium chicken broth 

2 cans cream of cheddar soup

1 1/2 cups water (approx.)

1 pint whipping cream

salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. In a large soup pan, cook bacon thoroughly. Add onion and garlic and cook until onions are translucent. Add about 1/4 can chicken broth, cubed potatoes and cook all together for about 3 minutes or until flavors have blended.
2. Cover mixture with remaining chicken broth (2 cans was approximate), 1 can cream of cheddar soup and water as needed (I usually fill up the can with water to ensure I get out all the soup). Stir until cheddar soup is dissolved. Bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer and cover. Cook until potatoes are fork tender.
3. Once potatoes are tender, reduce heat to low. I chose to mash up my potatoes in the pan to create smaller pieces and a thicker soup. This step is optional. Add remaining can of cream of cheddar and whipping cream. Stir until cheddar soup is dissolved. Salt and pepper to taste. 

This recipe makes about 8-10 servings. If you're a cheese nut like my husband, you can serve it topped with cheddar cheese, chives or some additional bacon! And I don't like to brag {ok, but maybe I do}, but this soup was quoted by my husband to be, "the best potato soup that he's ever had!" I already know what you're thinking, "he's your husband, he has to say that". But contrary to popular belief, I do believe this is one of the first things I've made that he's ever stamped with that approval! The only other thing that he has raved about like that has been these rolls {which would also taste delicious with this soup!}. Let me know what you think!

Happy {not fat} Tuesday!

The Outfit Diaries: Sequins

So I'll admit, some days I'm super proud of how I can take things that I've had for years and create a totally new outfit out of them! As much as I {and any girl for that matter} would love to go out and buy everything that I pin on Pinterest, the complete lack of Benjamins {& Washingtons, for that matter} makes that probability highly unlikely!

So instead, I present to you {or myself}, the outfit diaries. To be used on days when I stand in my closet, staring at all my clothes and swear I have nothing to wear. This can be my reminder. And yet another creative outlet! Ka-ching!

Who says sequins are only for New Years?!

The thing I'm loving about the styles right now is the pairing of opposites. Leather and Lace. Stripes and Floral. Blazers and Tee-Shirts. And in my attempt, sequins and flannel!

So ladies {and probably not gentlemen}, today's outfit includes: Mossimo Flannel shirt {Target}, Mossimo Sequin Tank {Target}, Navy Boyfriend Blazer {Nordstrom}, IT Skinny Jeans {Nordstrom}, Steve Madden Nude Flats {DSW}

Currently crushing...

Okay, okay....since we already know my heart is completely and fully owned by my Matt, I thought I'd share some other things that I'm crushing on right now! So ladies, in honor of the big V-day, here's some looks that you can't help but love! ♥ ♥ ♥

1 {leopard}

2 {fringe}

3 {gypsy}

4 {big glasses}

What {or who} are you crushing on this Valentines Day?! 

Oh yeah, and.... 

Happy, Happy Lovely Day of Love!!!

Call me un-American....

So while the rest of America is intently fixed to their tv screen to watch the other annual event that divides America {the first event being the presidential race}, I am taking advantage of this Super Bowl opportunity to have a tv all to myself {if you don't count Lola and Piper}. This includes a New Girl marathon, catching up on my favorite blogs and eating all the yummy, delicious food that comes along with the day! 

Really though, my New Girl marathon ends up being a re-run of one episode that I've already watched about 37 times! So if you're part of the 0.157% of Americans that don't watch the Super Bowl, you can join me {and Lola and Piper} in watching this oh-so-fantastic new series! :) So don't feel un-American because Zooey Deschanel is about as American Pie as it gets!

Happy Super Bowl!