Thanksgiving In Colorado

So this year, Darin and I drove my mother to Colorado to see my Tia Ofelia.  We haven't spent a big holiday with her in YEARS, since I was a little girl.  So, this trip was super special to us!  Not to mention, it was mine and Darin's first BIG HOLIDAY spent together!

It was nice to finally spend a holiday with sweet little Rachel.

It was also neat to see the Christmas trees in my cousins, Raul and Rachel's honor.  We have seen pictures of them on facebook every year but seeing them in person was different.  I miss them both so much and it is always harder around the holidays.

I spent the majority of my time with Little Rachel!  I couldn't help it, she is sooooo easy to fall in love with.  The first night I was there, we spent the majority of our evening putting on our jamboree nails.  It was fun!

And of course, Thanksgiving Day was a BLAST! Time with family is always a good time!

Faith Reconstructs Our Heart

In Matthew 5 we learn about God's radical reconstruction of the heart.  Check this out.....

First, we recognize we are in need and poor in the spirit.  Next, we repent of our self-sufficiency and often times feel sadness.  We quit calling the shots and surrender control to God and humble ourselves to Him.  So grateful are we for His presence that we yearn for more of Him and His spirit.  As we grow closer to Him, we become more like Him.  We forgive others and show mercy like never before.  We change our outlook on life and situations and become pure in our thinking.  We love others and become peacemakers.  We endure injustice and often times treated badly for doing good or being obedient to our Father.  

It is a demolition of the old structure and a creation of the new.  The more radical the change, the greater the joy and stronger His spirit is in us.

And though our heart isn't perfect, it isn't rotten any longer.....and though we aren't invincible, we live in peace knowing that He knows our name and He has a place for us next to Him.

The reconstitution of a heart isn't something we can do on our own.  We need Him, we have to seek Him, we have to listen to Him, but most of all we have to have FAITH in Him.  Just like a heart patient going in for heart surgery needs a surgeon, our spiritual heart needs a Savior.  

Sometimes we might be facing certain circumstances and we might not have Faith in what we see with our eyes or we might not be able to see the ending clear but our Faith will get us through anything.  God knows the outcome and He knows what we are capable of as humans here on earth.  He can give us the strength if we seek Him.  

He knows that His work in our lives will plant a seed in others.  We must be a walking testimony for those around us.  We must live and walk in Faith.  Sometimes that faith will be tested and it is up to us to seek Him for guidance and protection.  He will be our fighter in battles we cannot win on our own and we will be able to be the living Gospel in somebody's life.  Our faith and way of life can plant a seed in somebody else's heart.

We should never underestimate the power of a seed. As far as I know, James, the epistle writer, wasn't a farmer, but he knew the power of a seed in fertile soil. The principle for peace is the same as a principle for crops. Never underestimate the power that God has in our lives.


This is a new year of change and seed planting!  I'm ready for 2015!!!!!!!

Crystal's Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

3 celery sticks
1/2 onion
5 chicken breasts
2 cups egg shell noodles
3 cups chicken broth
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup water
dash of salt and pepper
1 tbsp parsley flakes
1/3 cup corn starch
1 tbsp oregano leaves

1.  Chop up celery sticks and onion.

2.  Boil chicken then shred.

3.  Put all ingredients in slow cooker (celery, onion, shredded chicken, egg shell noodles, chicken broth, olive oil, water, salt and pepper, parsley flakes, corn starch, oregano leaves) and slow cook for 7 hours.

Corn Maze Shenanigans 2014

I am a bit behind (as usual) on my blog.  I haven't even had a chance to tell you how exciting our fall was and here we are already approaching winter/Christmas time!  Darin and I worked a night at the corn maze which was ...... fun errrr..... interesting.  It was actually a very miserable night but Darin and I made it fun (as usual).  We always have fun together NO MATTER WHAT!  Get us together and we can make any boring or miserable event a good time full of laughs!  It was freezing cold, raining, and we missed the last half of the Texas Tech Football game (so we errrr I was already grumpy about that).  However, we did get to go back to the corn maze at a later date and enjoy it with his father.  We had so much fun!  Those two guys are a hoot and it's DEFINITELY nothing but laughs with those Addis boys!