1000 views!

 
Hey y'all! Today has been a lovely spring day. I have (not) been doing my schoolwork and being very productive (another falsehood).

To be honest, today has been one of those days that are used to decompress from the stresses of life. Whether school, work, family or friends, everyone needs days from time to time.

I also found out that, after just under three years, I have received over 1000 views for this blog! Since the beginning of this blog I never thought this would ever happen. I was just tickled when it went over 100.

When I decided to make the blog public about a year ago, I never thought I would get a response like this. It just blows my mind that people in other countries around the world stop by. This includes people from the UK, France Switzerland, Malaysia, Germany, Romania, as well as other places!

Thank you so much and continue to visit and share! I would love to get to know you, so no matter where you are from, leave a comment. : )  As for right now, I am going to bed. Good night/afternoon/morning!



Fly with Christ!
Rachel : )

Spring break

Kitty prints

Although it doesn't look like spring around here, this coming week is spring break for my school. We still have a few inches of snow on the ground from Wednesday. I hope and pray that all of you are doing well. Hopefully I can get some more posts done this week since there is no school. And just because I know y'all are dying to know what I am having for breakfast (I know you aren't, but they were just too cute to not show!), here is a picture of my homemade mini cinnamon rolls.

Fly with Christ!
Rachel : )

Why I Hate Deadlines.

Another assignment deadline has come and gone. The deadline was for 9:59, and I turned the document in at 9:59. "Why," some of you may ask, " does she wait until the last minute to do the assignments and turn them in?" This is a very good question. I ask my self the very same question every time I am stressing myself out 15 minutes before the next thing is due.

Somewhere in the back of my mind I reassure myself that my best work gets done when I am under pressure, when, in fact, I know full well that this isn't true. It may get done quicker when I only have an hour than when I have 2 weeks. My thoughts may come to mind quicker, due to pressure or other circumstances, in these stressful situations. But all in all, not I nor anybody I know truly works good under pressure.

On top of this, I would rather not be in school right now. I am tired of trying to cram things, ideas, and numbers into my head. I'm not tired of learning, I'm just tired of school. Why can't I just cook, sew, and make pretty things for the rest of my life?

The reason I hate deadlines is because I avoid them. I avoid them like the plague. This comes back to bite me. 'Oh, that paper is due tomorrow? I don't want to deal with it now, besides, I will have plenty of time to write it before class... {The next morning} Ugh! I can't type fast enough! My brain isn't working today!' -insert stressed out college kid here-

This is one of my biggest faults in life. I struggle with time management daily. 'Sure I have time for 1 sudoku puzzle. {3 hours later} *yawn* It's getting pretty late, I will have to work on school work tomorrow.' Like right now. I should be in bed, yet I sit here typing about how bad my time management is.

My goal is to get better. Hmmmmm Maybe I will work on it tomorrow...   ; )

By the way, stay tuned! School has been cancelled for tomorrow, so I plan on spending the day catching up on school work and bringing you the recipe that I made on Valentine's Day.

Fly with Christ!
Rachel : )

The Skirt

Happy Friday y'all! With over 100 page views, more than any other blog post, my tutorial of the Simplicity 4236 is the most viewed tutorial on my blog. Who knew that when I posted it over two and a half years ago people would enjoy it so much? Well, maybe I did.

I love the pattern because it is so easy to whip up on a weekend or a long afternoon. I have made over half a dozen skirts with this pattern. It has a very flattering style to it. Plus, when you are making your own clothes, you can design it in any way that you want. Add ruffles, a contrasting bias tape, the list is almost endless. I love taking one pattern and changing it to suit my tastes for the season. changing the length or pattern of material makes two skirts of the same pattern look very different. Who doesn't want to get complements on their outfit only to reply that they made it themselves? I have decided to show you some of the other skirts I have made with this pattern. And believe me, these aren't all of the ones I have made throughout the years. The original tutorial can be found here.

 

 This is one of the last ones that I made. I love that floral pattern! Plus the color scheme matches green, black, gray, white, cream, and tan! This is my go-to year-round skirt.

 And this is the very first skirt I made with this pattern (well, really the first full sized skirt that I ever made. And the first project that I used a sewing pattern for). I have had it for many years. As you can see the zipper is a little wonky and the waistband is starting to fall apart, but I can't stop wearing it. : )  I just love the color and polka-dots are always a winner.

Fly with Christ!
Rachel : )

10,000 Years

"And on that day when my strength is failing
The end draws near and my time has come
Still my soul will sing Your praise unending
Ten thousand years and then forevermore"

This is the final verse to Matt Redman's "10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord)". This is one of my favorite songs. Although I have sung this song many times, it didn't hit me until tonight that I get to spend the rest of ETERNITY praising and worshiping the creator of the entire universe. And then it began to truly sink in. Not everyone of God's precious creations gets to do that. This is why Jesus has called us to follow Him. But this doesn't start with a decision. It starts with a commitment to trust Him with everything that we have. Trust that He created us for this very moment in our lives. 

In Luke 14, Jesus calls those wanting to become His disciples to measure the cost of this commitment. He knew that this wasn't a one time deal; once you started to truly follow Him, there was no turning back. We are called to carry our own crosses and follow God. He new that there would be hardships, ridicule, scorn; we could be mocked, tortured, or even put to death for His name. And He wanted to make sure that those wanting to be disciples knew that up front. As it says in verse 28-30 "Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, 'This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.'"

Next, Jesus wants us to renounce all we have: our time, earthly possessions, our identity, even our family and friends. When you really think about it, nothing we have (our clothing, food, houses, cars, etc) really belong to us in the first place. Everything we have is a gift straight from our heavenly Father. "But what would I do without my_________?" Insert what ever you feel dependent upon whether it be your car, phone, friends, job, the list goes on and on. This is something I find myself struggling with. I sometimes feel (unfortunately) dependent upon my comfort. I find myself doing/not doing things based upon how I feel instead of what God is nudging me to do. "Go talk to that person" "But God, that person looks weird. What if they think I'm weird for approaching them" "I created the entire universe and put everything into motion. Just trust me." "Nope. Not feeling it today God. Maybe if I see them tomorrow I will talk to them." I have passed hundreds of thousands of people in my life. People that may not have the privilege of being able to go to heaven when I die. People that may never hear the gospel all because of my selfish little comfort zone.

This relationship that God calls us to is unique. We have one of the most powerful tools for communicating with God: prayer. We, and Christians, get to speak to the one and only creator of every living, inanimate, indifferent object on the planet as well as in the entire universe. He knows how many hairs are on your head. He knows what you have been through, what you are going through, and even what will happen to you. He is amazing and awe-inspiring and we basically have him on speed dial. This continues to blow my mind. But its a relationship, so some communication needs to be had. Sometimes I start praying like I am talking to a wall and don't give God a chance. Or I will send up little "emergency" prayers. You know, those prayers that you think you need answered right then and there because you are "counting on God". "Hey, God. You know, you're pretty awesome. By the way I have this test coming up in my class and I sure would appreciate it if you would help me out. Thanks, I guess I will catch you later. Good talk." Imagine if one of your friends did this to you. Your wouldn't be friends for much longer. Maintaining a relationship is a two way street.

And finally, let Jesus fill EVERY part of your life. To say that we trust God to be in control of everything, and then we try to micromanage our lives is just plain dumb. I have tried it. My sinful nature still gets the better of me and I fail miserably. Give every aspect of your life to Jesus Christ and the outcome will be better. This is not to say that life itself will get easier. On the contrary, life will brings its trials and try to knock you out of God's hands. But just remember that He has control of your life and that All things work together for his plan and purpose.

What do you struggle with? What are some areas in your life that you need to surrender to God? Are there any Bible versus that help you in difficult times? I would love to hear from you in the comment section below. : )

The rest of this song can be watched here.

Fly with Christ!
Rachel : )

Back in the saddle again...

Well. Christmas break has come and gone and I am already in my third week of school. I hope and pray that everything is going well in your lives. So far this semester is off to a good start for me. Nothing TOO major has happened. Its just cold. And if you have been reading this blog for any period of time, you know that I don't like the cold. And the only reason is because I get cold very easily and once I get cold I just can't warm back up. But one thing that helps is food so I have come today to show you some of my new favorite recipes that I want to try. I hope you enjoy them! : )

Fly with Christ!
Rachel : )

Challa

I am not Jewish, but this recipe was just too good not to share with y'all! I don't know much about the traditional bread except that it is an enriched dough (meaning it has eggs in it) and is usually breaded. My Recipe comes from Leah. Her first Challa video shows the actual bread recipe. She has three others showing different shaping methods which can be found on YouTube. And the recipe can be found here.

I used mostly fresh ground flour for this recipe and it turned out wonderful. This is definitely a must try recipe!

We cut the recipe in half and made a large braided loaf with 12 large rolls. Here are some pictures of our Challa.

These were from our first batch.

These were from our second batch.

Fly with Christ!
Rachel : )

Merry Christmas!

I hope and pray that each and everyone of you had a blessed Christmas. Today I was fortunate enough to have my family around with good food and presents. I would like to cap off the day by sharing one of our candy(ish) recipes.

Toffee Bars!
36 saltine crackers
1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup chocolate chips

Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Lay the crackers down in a single sheet. melt the butter, brown sugar, and vanilla over medium heat. Boil for 3 minutes then pour over the crackers, spreading evenly. Bake at 375 degrees F for 10-12 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the chocolate and let stand until melted. Then spread the melted chocolate over the entire pan. Cool in the refrigerator or at room temperature until the chocolate has set. Store at room temperature. Watch these disappear!

 Toffee bars right out of the oven.

 Mmmmm... Melting Chocolate!

The finished product.

Merry Christmas!
Rachel : )

Christmas-time is here...

Less than TWO days before Christmas. WHAT??? Guess I need to finish my shopping! ; )  But for all of those who are in the baking spirit, here are some recipes from years past plus a new (old) one.

*NEW*
Peppermint bark:
2 packages of vanilla almond bark
1 bag of peppermints, crushed

I'm telling you, this recipe is as easy as melting chocolate and sprinkling peppermints over it. Really, that's it! Melt the almond bark in a microwave or over a double boiler. Spread evenly over a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil. Sprinkle the crushed peppermints over the top. Cool at room temperature then break into pieces. So easy yet so delicious!

Homemade Chex Mix: found here

Spiced Tea: found here

Christmas Cookies: found here

Gingerbread House Recipe: found here. Also the tragic event that also happened that year can be found here.

Fly with Christ!
Rachel : )

His Purpose

December is here, the school year is winding down to a close, and I am SO ready to get out of here. Don't get me wrong. I actually enjoy learning and getting away from home, but its hard when you only have a few days left and Christmas right around the corner. Yes, I am home sick. And on top of being home sick I also have a cold. It rained almost all day yesterday. And the fire alarm went off at almost midnight last night (only during finals week). I am ready to put this semester behind me and get started celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. Is that too hard to ask?

But this semester hasn't been too bad. Its hard to imagine that this time last year I was finishing up my first college semester. I have almost completed 51 credit hours! Where has the time gone? It seems like I start complaining to myself and then realize that time has passed me by. And so here I am again. Wanting to go home.

But isn't that how life is? There are always the fun and pleasant things along with the boring, mundane, and even unpleasant events. But all of it works together for God's perfect plan. Plain and simple. So take time today and enjoy the beauty of God's plan. whether you are struggling (like I think I am) or whether everything is going swell. And when you are in those dark times, look back at how far you have come to get to this spot. Like if the power goes out; think of the things that you have that got you to this time. The power couldn't have gone off without you first having a roof over your head and electricity to supply it with energy.

Its the little things that help me get through the day. I couldn't be sitting here complaining in my dorm room without already completing almost another full semester, and I couldn't pay for college without my job. And even though I am sick, I shouldn't be out socializing. I should be studying for pete's sake! (Or, you know, writing a blog post...)

So enjoy this day that you have been given. No matter how rainy or sunny, cold or hot, beautiful or yucky it may be, It is all for His purpose.

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28

Fly with Christ!
Rachel : )

Happy Birthday El!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!

 Friday was Eleanor's 12th birthday! Man am I getting OLD! But for her birthday, I told her that she could pick out a recipe and we would make it together. I had never done this before. But to my surprise, she was supper excited to make something with me. (Typically I'm in the kitchen making something and ask her if she wants to join me, to which she quickly and bluntly answers no. But not today!) She picked a super awesome recipe from Christy Jordan at Southern Plate. Easiest Red Velvet Cookies: found HERE



We had so much fun making these. You should try them for your next birthday, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Valentines day, or any other event.



Fly with Christ!
Rachel : )

Almond Recipes

Hello everyone! I hope that y'all are having a good day!

Its cold here. Almost lunch time and it isn't even above 40 degrees yet. Its been cloudy and gray most of the morning. And windy. There has been a constant, strong north wind. But I love days like this because it makes me appreciate seasons. Think about it for a second. When its cold, we want it to warm up. When its raining, we want it to dry up. When its hot, we want it to cool down. When its dry, we want it to rain. We never seem to be satisfied with what we are given. So next time you start to complain (and I am talking to myself here too) just look for something positive in your situation. If its cold, be thankful that it might snow. If its hot, be thankful that your garden will grow. If its raining, be thankful that you're not having a drought.

Its the little things like this that help me through the day. Speaking of little things, I have three recipes that I found yesterday to share with y'all. I am still at school so I haven't been able to test them out , but they look soooooo good! I hope to try them shortly and you should too! Let me know how they turn out in the comment section below. : )

The first one comes from Anna at Costa Kitchen. It is called Anita's Swedish Braided Bread:



The next two recipes come from Bree at Baked Bree. The first one is the Swedish Visiting Cake:



And finally the Almond Cafe Cookies:




Fly with Christ!
Rachel : )

Pear, Pomegrante, and Spinach Salad

Since I am at school, and have no way to cook for myself, I bring you a recipe from Jaclyn at Cooking Classy (it can be found here). It is called Pear, Pomegranate and Spinach Salad and it looks AMAZING! Please try it out and let me know how it is. 



Fly with Christ!
Rachel : )

2 days {plus a recipe}

2 days

2 days

2 days

We only had 2 days for fall break. Welcome to college...

Officially fall break was from October 11-14. From Saturday to Tuesday.

In my opinion, Saturdays and Sundays shouldn't count for "breaks." And we should get a whole week off instead of 2 days. That is my opinion, but nobody asked me.

On to the recipe:

Over fall break I made HOMEMADE CROISSANTS! I was so proud of myself. There are a lot of recipes out on the internet, so choosing one was difficult. But I ended up making the one from this video:

I felt like he explained the process very well. And here are my croissants. I hope you make some for yourself! If you do make them, tell me how they turned out. Did you follow the recipe exactly? Or do you have your own croissant recipe? If you do, I love getting new recipes! (especially old family recipes!!!) Please share in the comments below. : )

I even put some white chocolate in the leftover dough. It tasted SO good!



Fly with Christ!
Rachel : )

one afternoon

One afternoon I decided to go around and take pictures on campus. Here are some of my favorites, no filters. Tell me what you think:

Fly with Christ!
Rachel : )

Back in Action

Quick update...

This little guy saved the life of my camera. I gave up looking for my charger and ordered a new one. Now I am back in action.

And now for completely random pictures...

Fly with Christ!
Rachel : )

Do Something

Oh, how many times my mom has said "Go do something." Usually this meant schoolwork, as I was never lacking in the crafting department. Ever since I was little, I have been inclined to do things with my hands. I was, and still to today, always building, creating, and inventing things. That is how God designed me.

But lately I have been yearning to do something more with my life. I have been going through the motions of this christian life; not doing anything significant for the kingdom of God. I wake up, eat, go to class, dance, go to Focus (our college church worship service) and then go back to sleep. I try to avoid people, especially new people. Many would classify me as an introvert. I would use this as an excuse not to talk to people. I wouldn't even talk to my roommate. I was in a spiritual rut. I would look at all the bad things happening in town and around the world and wounder when God would make things better.

But God is helping me dig my way out. He is showing me that if I want change, I must do something about it. He is giving me strength to speak more. I am starting to talk to my roommate. I am trying to listen for his direction for my life: school work, family, friends, missions. life...

This post is not supposed to be a "Look at me! Look what I did!" type of message. Please hear me out. God wants to do AMAZING THINGS through each of our lives! He uses us to spread the good news of salvation to the world. We are to be his hands and feet. He wants us to stop our plans, which are so unimportant, and follow his plans which are SO much higher and better and on top of that PERFECT compared to anything we could ever imagine!

Where do I fit into his plans? This is what I asked God.

He is first showing me that speaking to people isn't going to be the end of the world. (*GASP!!!*) It might even mean NEW LIFE to someone! Imagine being the one to tell of God's grace to a suffering, corrupted world! Having the grace of God and not sharing it with others is like having a candle at night but covering it up. How will anyone else be able to see? Those around you will continue to stumble while you sit comfortably and enjoy the light. This is of no help to anyone! We must take our light and spread it with others! This starts a chain reaction and soon everybody could have access to the light.

While I was driving around this afternoon, I heard this song on the radio and started to cry. It expressed everything that I was feeling. It is "Do Something" by Matthew West.

I leave you with this: I don't know everything that He has planned for me. I don't even know what will happen tomorrow; no one does. But I do know that God has everything in his perfect control. All I have to do is let go and let God to his work. I just need to be open to whatever he has planned, whether that be talking to a roommate or traveling to the other side of the world. He has created all of us for a specific purpose and we need to stop, listen to him, and do something!

Fly with Christ!
Rachel : )

Good Morning

Hello everyone! I hope and pray that all is well with you. I come to bring some musical encouragement for the day(or night if you live on the other side of the world). This is one of my favorite christian songs right now. It is "Multiplied" from NEEDTOBREATHE. Enjoy and remember to trust God because his plan is perfect!

Fly with Christ!
Rachel : )

Trust

My words are few and far between. I rarely get to the point. Lets just say that writing really isn't my favorite thing in the world. But I come here today to encourage everyone to follow what God's plan is for your life.

About my 9th grade year I started thinking about colleges, majors, and future careers. I had (semi)decided that I wanted to do something in the nutrition field. This decision only made sense because my favorite things to read were nutrition books, I loved to cook, and I wanted to help others become healthy. You could say that I was created (by an omniscient God) this way. When I was little, my mom would call me the "water police" because I wanted to make sure that she was drinking enough during her 4th pregnancy. As I got older, I would tell other kids that they were going to get sick drinking sodas on hot days and would suggest water.

God designed me this way. I eventually picked a college and began classes last fall. After a week of school, I helped with a Chrysalis weekend on the kitchen team. Yet while I was serving the girls, I asked God why I was really there. Yes, I had a very selfish moment. I wanted to go home, or go back to school or something else for the rest of the weekend. Then God reminded me of His plan. The kitchen leader put me in charge of the special diets (gluten-free, vegetarian, etc.) because no one else knew what to do. I had regained my purpose and finished off the weekend with joy.

As the weeks went on I began struggling with Chemistry and it was looking bleak, or at least it seemed that way. I had yet again lost sight of my purpose. And again God said that this was just a little road bump in my path. I have since finished Chem 1 and 2. I haven't finished my schooling, and I am far from done but I am telling part of my story to show others that we all have our own struggles.

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Persevering must finish its work that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."  James 1:2-4

James isn't telling us that we might face some troubles. He is saying that we will face troubles; it is just part of the most perfect plan: God's plan.  God wants to see us grow, develop, and blossom into His children.

Enough rambling. Trust God and persevere!

 

Fly with Christ!
Rachel : )