Make this..you won't be disappointed!

Okay so this isn't my picture but it's a picture of what it could look like. I've made this a few times and it is by FAR the best pork ribs I've ever had!

I changed the recipe a bit and I add cilantro to mine. If you don't like cilantro then the original recipe says add fresh parsley. I also add worcester sauce and soy sauce and the original recipe says to add soy sauce. I saw people complained it was too salty. The worcester sauce is so good in it! You should really make this cause it's AMAZING!

Stove top Pork Ribs

10 pork ribs (I've used with and without bones, I usually use boneless)

1/2 c worcester sauce (4 tablespoons I put of soy sauce in the cup first)

10 cloves garlic peeled and crushed a bit

4 tablespoons Italian seasoning

2 limes- juice only

Add black pepper and salt

1/2 bushel of fresh cilantro leaves

Put the ribs in a large pot with just enough water to cover them. Add Worcester/soy mix and garlic, Italian seasoning, lime juice, salt and pepper and cilantro. Bring to a boil and then let boil uncovered until water is evaporated. It could take 1 to 2 hours depending on the pot size and size of ribs. Usually takes me closer to 2 hours but it's great because they shred good the longer they are on. Watch the pot when it starts to get really low because the water goes fast then. Start moving the ribs around so they get browned and scrape all the bits off the bottom of the pan so they get all over the ribs. Keep turning and moving anywhere from 5-15 minutes after water is gone. They won't burn if you keep moving them. Mine usually shred a lot during this. I have served this over rice and the sauce is sooo good!!! You can squeeze fresh limes over it after too if you like that.

ENJOY!

Who knows.. not me, that's for sure.

Since my life is still in a complete state of confusion, I've been thinking lots about what the next thing in our life will be. At this point we can't make any plans being that the Northern CA contract is still in effect and still could happen this summer. Just knowing that that might not happen(due to lawyer stuff and suing and land stuff between the investor and the Company) has left me once again confused and saying to God ..ok..so, what's up!?! Sold our house in a day, we weren't trying to move anywhere, dropped this opportunity on us and now... hmmmm? When I say I am down for an adventure I really do mean it. I wonder if that means I'll be confused my whole life now. When I try to make plans, they don't happen. When I don't try to make plans, they happen then they don't happen!!! CRAZY!! I've been praying and still have no idea what to do if this deal falls through. Stay here? We love it here, Nate has a great job, kids school is amazing, wonderful church. Move anywhere???!?!?!? Sounds insane but exciting! I have been looking at YWAM and mission bases all over the world at ministry opportunities they have open. And the needs are so GREAT. I don't know... Nate talked to me about selling everything, buying a motor home and traveling everywhere we could drive too. HAHA!!! AHHH!! OK, where do we get money for food and gas and Nathan and I are not the homeschooling type. This would require a SERIOUS act of the LORD! So not in my heart.... It's kind of exciting to think that since we did sell our house we could just pick up and do whatever we want to do(of course Lord willing)and go wherever we want to go. Maybe I just won't come back from Africa..haha. Well, so I continue in my confusion, continue praying and maybe I'll be in Spain in 6 months..??? WOOOHOOO!!!!

Oh boy...

It's getting closer to my trip and man I have lots of details and ways of travel I have to figure out and keep track of. There are lots of weird names like Airtran, airtrain, piccadilly, the tube....that I will have to figure out how to get on, get to the right place, transfer on and not lose Cole on. Terrifying! haha I am just about the worst direction person ever born and even when I have plans and directions in front of me I just never seem to work it out right. Can it be true that I will be traveling around NYC and London and Africa being responsible to know what's going on? AHH!!!!! haha

This is going to be so insane and so much fun. Cole is already saying things like, "mom we are totally getting lost, you know it's true right?" Yes son... I know it's true. I will pray God gives me a mind to handle this(only for this time, cause otherwise I'd be exhausted) but if we get lost, whatever it will be an adventure! We are flying into Long Island and have to take a bus ride to one location and then an airtrain to another stop where we get on another train thing to JFK.. Then we are off to London for a 12 hour layover..I am 99% sure we can travel around and we'll take some tube or piccadilly things to see the Tower of London(I must see this famous spot of all my beloved history books about the Tudors)and some other spots. Then off to Johannesburg and then one more flight to Pemba! Two weeks of incredible who knows what... God's goodness. Kids, kids and more kids. Mosquito nets and iodine tablets, malaria pills and hoping Cole doesn't starve to death himself. Oh man, I can't wait...Two months away now and I can already feel myself getting crazy about being there. I'd take 500 flights and 5 million weird transports to be there. I wonder how wrecked I'm going to be.. I hope demolished and ruined for life. Oh my son... can't wait to see what God has in store for this young man. At the base they are seeing so many miracles..Blind people seeing every week, dead people raised, lame walking and so much more. I think my eyes have been blind and I hope they will see all of the GLORIOUS things God does on earth. After we head back the same way(that it if I don't get arrested for trying to smuggle lots of kids with me)and we have a day in NYC and spend the night there at a hotel. That should be a nice end...By then I can call someone to google maps for me or something to get me around.

Wow wow wow.. I am so pumped and terrified and it's just a wonderful feeling... 15 days of adventure~~~~

Adopt a street

Our church had street adoption this Christmas. Every family was encouraged to adopt a street and pray for them. They had packets with gift bags in them, enough for each home on the street. We picked up our old street (our pastor happened to live one house away from us on the same street) and although the kids were trying to grab as many streets as possible, I stuck to my guns at one. We wrote personal notes for each one, Kendall and I went and picked out a little gift for each bag and the kids and I assembled them and prayed over each of them. Praying for blessings and peace in their home this Holiday season. We were suppose to deliver them before Christmas Eve, we had invitations in there for our service that night. We planned to deliver them a few days before and we couldn't do it! The weather had been -wind chill and the snow and ice was horrible..Christmas eve morning was cold but it was the only shot we had. I got the kids snuggled up and we headed out. I stayed in the car and kept handing out the bags as the kids followed me up the street. They prayed for each house as they went and thought it was very cool! That night I even saw a few people from the street that came.

BLACK AFTERNOON!

I am currently living in a pile of plastic trash.. I can't see the floors in any room and there are tiny shoes and brushes everywhere. Bosley is not the chewing type of dog so he unfortunately won't even help to rid us of some of this. I am giving the kids all morning to keep playing and opening plastic tubs. Then the dreaded BLACK afternoon is happening. We will be filling up black trash bags and having the time of our lives!
Yesterday we had the best day. On Christmas Eve the kids wanted to know if 7:00 was OK to wake us. Agreed.. on Christmas morning Nate and I were surprised on how quiet they were. It was 7:30 and they were all sitting in the living room whispering. CJ noticed my head peeking at them and then we had all three of them on our bed. We found out that at 4:00am CJ noticed Kendall was missing from the room and CJ went looking for her and found her sitting in the dark surrounded by the presents just staring. CJ told her it was too early and escorted her back to bed. Cole had been awake since 6:00 and was waiting on the couch just staring and imagining what lay underneath all that thin Santa paper. It was a great Christmas morning...We took our time (especially Kendall, even when her brother kept hinting that she is really holding up the fun line) and we all had lots of fun. The kids went off to open and mess up everything and Nate and I made an Amish breakfast casserole and biscuits and then resumed our positions on the couch to untie plastic swirly black things from the backs of everything ever made. We headed off to the movies in the early afternoon. We've never gone to the movies on Christmas and I thought it was going to be EMPTY...well apparently everyone goes to the movies on Christmas! It was packed the heck out, I couldn't believe it. We watched Bedtime Stories and it was one that parents and kids could both hang at.. Good choice.
Nate and I made dinner together and I usually make the Turkey and do all that stuff but this year we decided to do something different. I made Cornish game hen's for each of us and Nate made ULTIMATE twice baked potatoes (please don't forget the ultimate part because he was very insistent on that) and everything was delicious. We spent a long time at dinner, with everyone telling stories and well they were mostly about me. Everyone laughing at how insane their Mom/Wife is. I do appreciate they can all laugh about it though..lol That's the only thing that makes me feel that I am not completely traumatizing them with my personality. The girls picked out a chocolate cake for dessert (they don't do pie) and the guys chose apple pie. I choose both, so all desserts work out in my favor. The whole day was good and wonderful and I am so thankful for my little family..

Now bring on the BLACK AFTERNOON!

We drove by our old house this morning to pick up Cole from a sleep over. One of his best friends lives one house away from our old house. The girls and I were quiet driving by the lake and onto our street..I said, I really miss our house. And CJ just shook her head in agreement and Kendall started to cry a little bit. We stopped in front of it and just looked and looked. OH MAN! We had such a great time living there and it's been a hard week not being there. Lots of room for baking and being and dancing around to my favorite Christmas music....This--- in the middle place does not feel festive! haha There is no room for dancing and no room for baking and no room for a big Christmas tree...It's weird feeling all these feelings...missing a place. I know this time, this in the middle time, waiting to move and staying together in this tiny place holds it's blessings too. We are very close in space and we've been very close in our time together. I am enjoying my kids so much. Sometimes the space thing makes me crazy with the mess. But we can't hide from each other. It's been very sweet and I know the Holiday even it's with Chinese food doesn't truly matter to any of us. We really truly enjoy one another!! I miss the place we came from and I am content in where we are and I am excited about what comes in this next year for us, whatever it is..... HAPPY HAPPY CHRISTMAS!!!

Well I am officially "on call" from 8:30 this morning until 8:30 tomorrow morning as a volunteer for MOCSA. My first official day...I have been re-reading all my paperwork and praying. I was up all night thinking about being called into the hospitals today. I am totally nervous...hoping I will know what to say and what to do and how to comfort. Truly only God can calm me and make this work in the event I get called in this shift. If not this shift, it will be another. The beginning is always the hardest. Here goes the beginning..