Can I have a piece of your Sourdough Starter?

Calling all Seattle area friends! This week I would like to make sourdough pizza. I have been doing a lot of research about making my own starter but I am weary.... I know it's best if it's been going for a while and I won't have too much time to feed it before I want to make the pizza. Does anyone already have one going that I could have a piece of? If so, I'd be very grateful!

I may also check to see if I can buy one from Macrina or QFC but I figured I'd ask my friends first!

Thank you! <3 Sara

One of those days....

Today is seriously one of those days. Nothing crazy is happening, I'm not sick, I'm not even really that tired. I'm just being lazy. There are literally three or four things on my list to do this afternoon and I've done just about everything but those things.

I know that in my sin, I desire comfort. I desire to sit in my bed with my laptop, look at Pinterest and blogs and recipes and do literally nothing. That needs to end. It is 4:25pm right now and it's time to repent.

There is so much sweet joy in repentance. I can, in this moment confess to Jesus my sin of laziness and comfort that stems from a worship of myself and ask for His forgiveness. I can rejoice knowing that He is gracious to me, that He paid the price for my every sin on the cross.

1 John 1:9 says, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." Let me encourage you to go to Jesus with your sin. Your "big" sin, your "little" sin the sin that you try and downplay and ignore, the sins that are so big that you can't ignore. Go to Jesus. He is a loving and gracious Father. He loves you. He wants you to come to Him.

I am going to spend time with my Savior right now, and I would ask you to consider what you may need to go to him in prayer about right now as well.

Bye-Bye for now.

Chores = Games!

When was the last time you unloaded the dishwasher with pure joy? If you're like me then you love a clean kitchen - no dishes in the sink, no grime on the counter tops - just beautiful, lovely, pristine kitchen. For anyone who has lived on their own for even 1 hour knows that it is impossible to have a clean kitchen all the time unless you never use it. If you read this blog, then you know I use my kitchen!

Ok, about making chores a game: this morning I wanted to eat some oatmeal because I've already had 2 cups of coffee and no food which is not a very good combination. Also, it's snowing and it just feels like oatmeal is fun to have when the weather is cold. The oatmeal I make takes 5-7 mins to cook and I ran my dishwasher last night before bed. You do the math: full dishwasher of clean dishes and sink filled with dirty dishes, ready to go into the dish washer. Ah! That is my least favorite situation! So, while the oatmeal was cooking, I thought I'd make a game out of. I will race myself at unloading the dishwasher! I got this idea from Brittany Cooley who is my dearest friend. She did this with her laundry folding - brilliant!

This was my starting point: a dishwasher stuffed with clean, sparkling dishes, ready to be put in their respective homes.

This was my ending point: an attractive dishwasher, ready to wash the vessels from today's breakfast, lunch and dinner.

My time? I know you're dying to know. 4 minutes and 31 seconds. All the while stirring my oatmeal and putting away my dishes in a meticulous fashion (as I have been known to do...)

Now you try! I'm sure that you either have a full dishwasher right now or will have one in the next 24 hours. Once you do it for the first time, you'll want to beat your time so you'll do it over and over. Let me know your score! One more household chore made fun!

Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.

Colossians 3:23-24

One Regular Day...

One day not too long ago it was pouring down rain. My dear friend Trina was leaving for a trip and she needed me to swing by and pick up the keys to her house. I was at the doctor so I couldn't come over right away but I stopped by on my way home. When I got there our friend Lauren was there with one of her cutie pie sons Simon. Trina and Lauren were running around the house packing up clothes and ice chests for Trina's trip. I had just had a lot of blood drawn so I wasn't feeling like helping much (mean, I know!) so I plopped myself down on the floor to play with the babies. Lillian is getting SO big and she is so fun to play with. Simon was playing a fun game on the iphone and he came over to show it to me. While all this fun was going on Trina snapped a picture of me sitting on the floor playing with the kids. Just thought I'd share a random snapshot of a regular morning for me.

Cute Wine Bottle

For Christmas my little sister wrapped up a bottle of wine for me called Middle Sister. The label was so cute. The girl in the middle (that's supposed to be me) kinda looks like me and the little sister has curly hair, which Ally does and the older sister is a blonde and my older sister Erin is! (Well, she usually is a blonde but every once it a while she isn't... it depends.) Anyway - just thought it was kind of cool.

This is what we actually look like! But my sister isn't blonde in this one...

Real Marriage

Are you married? Do you want to be married? Have you gotten much biblical teaching on marriage? Sadly, our culture has some warped views on marriage, men, women and children and what the purpose of marriage is. Thankfully the bible speaks to all of these topics! Starting this Sunday, January 15 Mars Hill Church is launching the Real Marriage sermon series, an eleven week series on what Jesus has to say, through the bible, about marriage.

This sermon series follows the book Real Marriage written by Pastor Mark Driscoll and his wife Grace who have been together upwards of twenty years and have five kids!

This is something that you won't want to miss! Come and see who Jesus is and how He wants to transform your marriage for His glory.

I attend Mars Hill Church Downtown Seattle which is in Belltown and we have FIVE service times on TWO different days! Just come and see what you think.

5 Questions for 2012

Happy New Year! I know, I'm 8 days late with this post, but better late then never! This year, during the week between Christmas and New Year's Caleb and I got away to a little Bed and Breakfast in Mt. Hood to do some relaxing, reading and PLANNING!

As you know, I am a full-time household manager these days and so for me, there was a lot of planning and goal making that needed to take place in order to have a successful year. I wanted to share the top 5 questions* that we ask ourselves for you to reflect upon for yourself.

I hope you can take some time to answer these questions and that you will be inspired to live a fruitful life for Jesus glory in 2012.

1. What area of your life most needs simplifying, and what's one way you could

simplify in that area?

2. What is the single biggest time-waster in your life, and what will you do about it this

year?

3. In what area of your life do you most need change, and what will you do about it this

year?

4. For whose salvation will you pray most fervently this year?

5. In which spiritual discipline do you most want to make progress this year, and what

will you do about it?

*The entire list of questions is much larger and if you'd like to see the full version I am more than happy to send it to you, we didn't make these questions up - they are from Donald Whitney!