When people ask me to make things, they normally ask me to make pillow cookies. Pillow cookies are AWESOME! They are a chocolate chip cookie with a brownie inside.
My boss actually sent me a recipe (not knowing that I am famous at my church for pillow cookies) about a chocolate chip cookie with an OREO inside of it. How crazy is that?
Cookie Progression:
The cookies were actually REALLY good. That was my half.
Do you have any good, fun recipes you'd like to share?
Friday, January 28, 2011
Now and then it's good to pause in our pursuit of happiness and just be happy.
I would like to apologize. I know that I haven't been around lately. I mean, I've posted stuff but ME, my words or thoughts have been slightly absent.
But I thought I'd tell you guys about something I'm gonna try ("try" being the operative word).
A few months ago, I got an e-mail from Oxfam. You clicked on a link to see what you would be "eating" tonight, depending on where you were in the world. You could get one of three things:
It was either rice, rice and a staple food (like beans) or a full meal.
I got rice:
You are one of the 50% of people in the world who will eat nothing more than basic staple foods like rice today. While you go hungry, 35% of the world’s population will eat slightly more than you – and only 15%, the lucky ones, will get a full meal.
And then I thought...50%?! 50% of the world will only have RICE for dinner? What is it like to eat only rice for dinner?
My husband is an accountant and you know that we're gearing up for tax season. Once tax season comes, he eats dinner at work...perfect timing for me to try this (especially since Steve gave it the big N-O)
So here's my plan:
I am going to eat rice for dinner for a month, starting on March 8th. I know, random date. My husband's birthday is March 1st and I want to take him out to dinner, so I'm starting on a random date. The money I would have used for groceries will go to help build a playground for children in Uganda.
The only reason I bring it up is...
WOULD ANYONE HERE LIKE TO JOIN ME?
Sure, maybe a month is crazy, but maybe you could try a week? Or even a day? I think it would be a lot of fun to do it together (of course I do! I'm the crazy one doing it for a month!).
Jesus says, "You are the light of the world." I like even more what Jesus doesn't say. He does not say, "One day, if you are more perfect and try really hard, you'll be light." He doesn't say, "If you play by the rules, cross your T's and dot your I's, then maybe you'll become light." No. He says, straight out, "You are light." It is the truth of who you are, waiting only for you to discover it. So, for God's sake, don't move. No need to contort yourself to be anything other than who you are.
There's a new website called: If It Were My Home. Using this tool, you can see what it would be like to live anywhere in the world and then see the size of the country compared to where you live. It also gives you a list of books to read about that country.
Let's give it a try:
Ethiopia:
If Ethiopia were your home instead of The United States you would...
have 12.9 times higher chance of dying in infancy
The number of deaths of infants under one year old in a given year per 1,000 live births in Ethiopia is 78.99 while in The United States it is 6.14.
This entry gives the number of deaths of infants under one year old in a given year per 1,000 live births in the same year; included is the total death rate, and deaths by sex, male and female. This rate is often used as an indicator of the level of health in a country. Source: CIA World Factbook
be 3.5 times more likely to have HIV/AIDS
The number of adults living with HIV/AIDS in Ethiopia is 2.10% while in The United States it is 0.60%.
This entry gives an estimate of the percentage of adults (aged 15-49) living with HIV/AIDS. The adult prevalence rate is calculated by dividing the estimated number of adults living with HIV/AIDS at yearend by the total adult population at yearend. Source: CIA World Factbook
have 3.1 times more babies
The annual number of births per 1,000 people in Ethiopia is 43.34 while in The United States it is 13.83.
This entry gives the average annual number of births during a year per 1,000 persons in the population at midyear; also known as crude birth rate. The birth rate is usually the dominant factor in determining the rate of population growth. It depends on both the level of fertility and the age structure of the population. Source: CIA World Factbook
die 22.44 years sooner
The life expectancy at birth in Ethiopia is 55.80 while in The United States it is 78.24.
This entry contains the average number of years to be lived by a group of people born in the same year, if mortality at each age remains constant in the future. The entry includes total population as well as the male and female components. Life expectancy at birth is also a measure of overall quality of life in a country and summarizes the mortality at all ages. It can also be thought of as indicating the potential return on investment in human capital and is necessary for the calculation of various actuarial measures. Source: CIA World Factbook
use 99.72% less electricity
The per capita consumption of electricity in Ethiopia is 36kWh while in The United States it is 12,484kWh.
This entry consists of total electricity generated annually plus imports and minus exports, expressed in kilowatt-hours. The discrepancy between the amount of electricity generated and/or imported and the amount consumed and/or exported is accounted for as loss in transmission and distribution. Source: CIA World Factbook
consume 99.33% less oil
Ethiopia consumes 0.0176 gallons of oil per day per capita while The United States consumes 2.6400
This entry is the total oil consumed in gallons per day (gal/day) divided by the population. The discrepancy between the amount of oil produced and/or imported and the amount consumed and/or exported is due to the omission of stock changes, refinery gains, and other complicating factors. Source: CIA World Factbook
make 98.06% less money
The GDP per capita in Ethiopia is $900 while in The United States it is $46,400
This entry shows GDP on a purchasing power parity basis divided by population as of 1 July for the same year. A nation's GDP at purchasing power parity (PPP) exchange rates is the sum value of all goods and services produced in the country valued at prices prevailing in the United States. This is the measure most economists prefer when looking at per-capita welfare and when comparing living conditions or use of resources across countries. The measure is difficult to compute, as a US dollar value has to be assigned to all goods and services in the country regardless of whether these goods and services have a direct equivalent in the United States (for example, the value of an ox-cart or non-US military equipment); as a result, PPP estimates for some countries are based on a small and sometimes different set of goods and services. In addition, many countries do not formally participate in the World Bank's PPP project that calculates these measures, so the resulting GDP estimates for these countries may lack precision. For many developing countries, PPP-based GDP measures are multiples of the official exchange rate (OER) measure. The differences between the OER- and PPP-denominated GDP values for most of the wealthy industrialized countries are generally much smaller. Source: CIA World Factbook
spend 99.61% less money on health care
Per capita public and private health expenditures combined in Ethiopia are $26 USD while The United States spends $6,719 USD
This entry contains the per capita public and private health expenditure at purchase power parity using US Dollars. This figure combines government, personal, and employer spending on health care Source: World Health Organization
If Hong Kong were your home instead of The United States you would...
have 52.61% less chance of dying in infancy
The number of deaths of infants under one year old in a given year per 1,000 live births in Hong Kong is 2.91 while in The United States it is 6.14.
This entry gives the number of deaths of infants under one year old in a given year per 1,000 live births in the same year; included is the total death rate, and deaths by sex, male and female. This rate is often used as an indicator of the level of health in a country. Source: CIA World Factbook
use 52.43% less electricity
The per capita consumption of electricity in Hong Kong is 5,938kWh while in The United States it is 12,484kWh.
This entry consists of total electricity generated annually plus imports and minus exports, expressed in kilowatt-hours. The discrepancy between the amount of electricity generated and/or imported and the amount consumed and/or exported is accounted for as loss in transmission and distribution. Source: CIA World Factbook
have 46.13% less babies
The annual number of births per 1,000 people in Hong Kong is 7.45 while in The United States it is 13.83.
This entry gives the average annual number of births during a year per 1,000 persons in the population at midyear; also known as crude birth rate. The birth rate is usually the dominant factor in determining the rate of population growth. It depends on both the level of fertility and the age structure of the population. Source: CIA World Factbook
have 43.01% more chance at being employed
Hong Kong has an unemployment rate of 5.30% while The United States has 9.30%
This entry contains the percent of the labor force that is without jobs. Source: CIA World Factbook
consume 30.44% less oil
Hong Kong consumes 1.8365 gallons of oil per day per capita while The United States consumes 2.6400
This entry is the total oil consumed in gallons per day (gal/day) divided by the population. The discrepancy between the amount of oil produced and/or imported and the amount consumed and/or exported is due to the omission of stock changes, refinery gains, and other complicating factors. Source: CIA World Factbook
live 3.72 years longer
The life expectancy at birth in Hong Kong is 81.96 while in The United States it is 78.24.
This entry contains the average number of years to be lived by a group of people born in the same year, if mortality at each age remains constant in the future. The entry includes total population as well as the male and female components. Life expectancy at birth is also a measure of overall quality of life in a country and summarizes the mortality at all ages. It can also be thought of as indicating the potential return on investment in human capital and is necessary for the calculation of various actuarial measures. Source: CIA World Factbook
experience 18.44% more of a class divide
The GINI index measures the degree of inequality in the distribution of family income. In Hong Kong is 53.30 while in The United States it is 45.00.
This index measures the degree of inequality in the distribution of family income in a country. The index is calculated from the Lorenz curve, in which cumulative family income is plotted against the number of families arranged from the poorest to the richest. The index is the ratio of (a) the area between a country's Lorenz curve and the 45 degree helping line to (b) the entire triangular area under the 45 degree line. The more nearly equal a country's income distribution, the closer its Lorenz curve to the 45 degree line and the lower its Gini index, e.g., a Scandinavian country with an index of 25. The more unequal a country's income distribution, the farther its Lorenz curve from the 45 degree line and the higher its Gini index, e.g., a Sub-Saharan country with an index of 50. If income were distributed with perfect equality, the Lorenz curve would coincide with the 45 degree line and the index would be zero; if income were distributed with perfect inequality, the Lorenz curve would coincide with the horizontal axis and the right vertical axis and the index would be 100. Source: CIA World Factbook
be 83.33% less likely to have HIV/AIDS
The number of adults living with HIV/AIDS in Hong Kong is 0.10% while in The United States it is 0.60%.
This entry gives an estimate of the percentage of adults (aged 15-49) living with HIV/AIDS. The adult prevalence rate is calculated by dividing the estimated number of adults living with HIV/AIDS at yearend by the total adult population at yearend. Source: CIA World Factbook
Hong Kong Murders (This book is really good. My mom sent it to me and I read it)
Okay, let's go back and try a different country. My country does a lot with El Salvador, so let's do that one.
If El Salvador were your home instead of The United States you would...
have 3.4 times higher chance of dying in infancy
The number of deaths of infants under one year old in a given year per 1,000 live births in El Salvador is 20.97 while in The United States it is 6.14.
This entry gives the number of deaths of infants under one year old in a given year per 1,000 live births in the same year; included is the total death rate, and deaths by sex, male and female. This rate is often used as an indicator of the level of health in a country. Source: CIA World Factbook
use 93.81% less electricity
The per capita consumption of electricity in El Salvador is 773kWh while in The United States it is 12,484kWh.
This entry consists of total electricity generated annually plus imports and minus exports, expressed in kilowatt-hours. The discrepancy between the amount of electricity generated and/or imported and the amount consumed and/or exported is accounted for as loss in transmission and distribution. Source: CIA World Factbook
consume 88.17% less oil
El Salvador consumes 0.3123 gallons of oil per day per capita while The United States consumes 2.6400
This entry is the total oil consumed in gallons per day (gal/day) divided by the population. The discrepancy between the amount of oil produced and/or imported and the amount consumed and/or exported is due to the omission of stock changes, refinery gains, and other complicating factors. Source: CIA World Factbook
make 84.7% less money
The GDP per capita in El Salvador is $7,100 while in The United States it is $46,400
This entry shows GDP on a purchasing power parity basis divided by population as of 1 July for the same year. A nation's GDP at purchasing power parity (PPP) exchange rates is the sum value of all goods and services produced in the country valued at prices prevailing in the United States. This is the measure most economists prefer when looking at per-capita welfare and when comparing living conditions or use of resources across countries. The measure is difficult to compute, as a US dollar value has to be assigned to all goods and services in the country regardless of whether these goods and services have a direct equivalent in the United States (for example, the value of an ox-cart or non-US military equipment); as a result, PPP estimates for some countries are based on a small and sometimes different set of goods and services. In addition, many countries do not formally participate in the World Bank's PPP project that calculates these measures, so the resulting GDP estimates for these countries may lack precision. For many developing countries, PPP-based GDP measures are multiples of the official exchange rate (OER) measure. The differences between the OER- and PPP-denominated GDP values for most of the wealthy industrialized countries are generally much smaller. Source: CIA World Factbook
spend 94.64% less money on health care
Per capita public and private health expenditures combined in El Salvador are $360 USD while The United States spends $6,719 USD
This entry contains the per capita public and private health expenditure at purchase power parity using US Dollars. This figure combines government, personal, and employer spending on health care Source: World Health Organization
have 30.59% more babies
The annual number of births per 1,000 people in El Salvador is 18.06 while in The United States it is 13.83.
This entry gives the average annual number of births during a year per 1,000 persons in the population at midyear; also known as crude birth rate. The birth rate is usually the dominant factor in determining the rate of population growth. It depends on both the level of fertility and the age structure of the population. Source: CIA World Factbook
die 5.06 years sooner
The life expectancy at birth in El Salvador is 73.18 while in The United States it is 78.24.
This entry contains the average number of years to be lived by a group of people born in the same year, if mortality at each age remains constant in the future. The entry includes total population as well as the male and female components. Life expectancy at birth is also a measure of overall quality of life in a country and summarizes the mortality at all ages. It can also be thought of as indicating the potential return on investment in human capital and is necessary for the calculation of various actuarial measures. Source: CIA World Factbook
have 22.58% more chance at being employed
El Salvador has an unemployment rate of 7.20% while The United States has 9.30%
This entry contains the percent of the labor force that is without jobs. Source: CIA World Factbook
experience 16.44% more of a class divide
The GINI index measures the degree of inequality in the distribution of family income. In El Salvador is 52.40 while in The United States it is 45.00.
This index measures the degree of inequality in the distribution of family income in a country. The index is calculated from the Lorenz curve, in which cumulative family income is plotted against the number of families arranged from the poorest to the richest. The index is the ratio of (a) the area between a country's Lorenz curve and the 45 degree helping line to (b) the entire triangular area under the 45 degree line. The more nearly equal a country's income distribution, the closer its Lorenz curve to the 45 degree line and the lower its Gini index, e.g., a Scandinavian country with an index of 25. The more unequal a country's income distribution, the farther its Lorenz curve from the 45 degree line and the higher its Gini index, e.g., a Sub-Saharan country with an index of 50. If income were distributed with perfect equality, the Lorenz curve would coincide with the 45 degree line and the index would be zero; if income were distributed with perfect inequality, the Lorenz curve would coincide with the horizontal axis and the right vertical axis and the index would be 100. Source: CIA World Factbook
True Grit was a great movie. I loved some of the lines from it ("There is nothing free in this world...except the grace of God") and the version "Leaning on the Everlasting Arms" that closed the movie out.
The Road by Cormac McCarthy is probably the bleakest book I've ever read. Ever.
I really want to watch Rocko's Modern Life. I realized that I was yelling at my cat (to stop chewing the corners of my laptop) in the same voice as Mrs. Big Head.
Does your cat eat feathers? Like out of the couch cushions? My cat ate 4 feathers in 5 minutes and I'm a little bit worried.
I was watching Dateline (I LOVE Dateline), a story about a pastor and his wife who was murdered and his children who should have died, but were saved from their life-threatening bullet wounds.
It's about forgiveness that wasn't expected and about pain and the way we deal with our wounds. And it's being made into a movie named Heaven's Rain.
And I think it made me realize that I have a small wound that I keep thinking has healed, but it has not. Of course, it is nowhere near the pain that the Douglass family felt, but it has to do with God's church.
Andrea on Arise2Write asked if we had ever been hurt by the church. I've covered it before on here as well. I love my church and I love the way it treats all people, but I know that when I go to churches that are not mine or like mine, I recoil. I recoil at the things they say and I turn from them and they way they talk about God and life and everything under the sun.
Then the guilt! The guilt of turning from God! But it's not that. And I think I'm starting to understand it. And I think that it's time that I let go of the anger...and I felt that I had forgiven, but I don't know if that's the case. I think that I forgave my grandmother and my friend, but I have not forgiven their churches. And I need to.
The quality of mercy is not strain'd,
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath. It is twice blest:
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes.
- Portia, The Merchant Of Venice Act 4, scene 1, 180–187
If you want to see the original post by Building The Blocks, please feel free to visit here.
On the right side of my blog, there is a chip-in. A family is going to adopt two children who are HIV+ and they need between $5-10,000 to make it through the trip with the children and everything. They leave in a few weeks! And if you help, you could get more than that satisfied feeling:
"Won't you consider helping them out and at the same time YOU are given the chance to be the lucky winner of a 7 night Stay at Sand Castle One Condominiums in Indian Shores Florida!!!"
I thought I'd show you some pictures from our Christmas/New Years trips to Los Angeles and Las Vegas (in no particular order)
Steve and I went to Homegirl Cafe (Debbie!!! How awesome is that?!) before my family got in. They have great tacos. If you're in LA, you should visit them.
For my dad's birthday, we took a helicopter ride to the Grand Canyon. I had never been there before, so that was fun.
That's my 15-year-old brother on the left. He's training to be an MMA fighter and the guy on the right is one of the top 5 MMA trainers in the world.
Who-ville at Universal Studios, LA
Universal Studios with my husband and brother
Happy New Years! Fireworks in Las Vegas
My dad said, "Strike a pose" and this is what happened.
My favorite picture of my sister. Behind a cactus with a champagne glass in her hand.
Technically, it's the season of Epiphany and I can still listen to Christmas music. Our church had an open mic night and someone sang the Dave Matthew's "Christmas Song" and I really loved it. The comment someone posted on this YouTube video is very poignant and says: "I love this song! As a Christian, I really appreciate the honesty of Dave in his writing. This song is about the beauty of the story and In Dave's eyes the failure of restoration... (the blood of our children on the ground) This must have been how the followers of Christ felt that day. There Lord dead and gone... hopeless and distraught..."
So, here are the lyrics and the video. One of these days, I'll get back to actually speaking, but, at this point, I'm still adjusting:
Christmas Song by Dave Matthews Band
She was his girl; he was her boyfriend
She'd be his wife and make him her husband
A surprise on the way, any day, any day
One healthy little giggling dribbling baby boy
The wise men came, three made their way
To shower him with love
While he lay in the hay
Shower him with love love love
Love love love
Love love was all around
Not very much of his childhood was known
Kept his mother Mary worried
Always out on his own
He met another Mary who for a reasonable fee,
less than reputable was known to be.
His heart full of love love love
Love love love
Love love was all around
When Jesus Christ was nailed to his tree
Said "oh, Daddy-o, I can see how it all soon will be
I came to shed a little light on this darkening scene
Instead I fear I've spilled the blood of our children all around"
The blood of our children all around
The blood of our children's all around
So I'm told, so the story goes
The people he knew were
Less than golden hearted
Gamblers and Robbers
Drinkers and Jokers, all soul searchers
Like you and me
Like you and me
Rumors insisted he soon would be
For his deviations
Taken into custody
By the authorities less informed than he.
Drinkers and Jokers all soul searchers
Searching for love love love
Love love love
Love love was all around
Preparations were made
For his celebration day
He said "eat this bread and think of it as me
Drink this wine and dream it will be
The blood of our children all around
The blood of our childrens' all around
The blood of our children all around
Father up above, why in all this anger do you fill
Me up with love, love, love
Love love love
Love love was all around
Father up above, why in all this hatred do you fill
Me up with love, fill me love love love
Love love love
all you need is love
you can't buy me love
Love love love
Love love
And the blood of our children all around
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Faith is putting all your eggs in God’s basket, then counting your blessings before they hatch.
~Ramona C. Carroll
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
The object of a New Year is not that we should have a new year. It is that we should have a new soul.
-G. K. Chesterton
Monday, January 3, 2011
God will not look you over for medals, degrees or diplomas, but for scars. - Elbert Hubbard
Woo! Happy New Year everyone. Sorry it's been so long. I was in Los Angeles and Las Vegas with my family. One thing I will say: I never need to do Las Vegas at New Years again. Once in a lifetime deal, for sure.
But here I am to announce the winners!! Before I do, I would like to give a special thank you to Shelley.
