The Return Reflections

Well, now that I have been home for almost a month, I should probably take some time to work out the things God revealed to me during my return to Mazatlan. It was really hard to go back, to be there, to see all of the cool things God is doing there, to see all of the things that used to be a part of my everyday life...
 To be completely honest, it did make me want to go back. To be living there again. To be a part of all of the cool things God is doing there RIGHT NOW. 
Alas, that is not what God has for me right now. I also had some interesting revelations in light of how I was feeling. 
#1 - Just because I like something doesn't mean it is a "desire of my heart"  that God needs to give to me.
You know that verse from psalm, "Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart." (Psalm 37:4) Well, just because I like something or really enjoy something does NOT mean that it is a "desire of my heart." For example, I like singing. A lot, actually. But just because I like singing doesn't mean that I will ever sing in one of the bands at my church. Or that I will ever be a popular singer and have a single on itunes. Sure, I like it. And either of those things would be really cool. BUT just because I like it doesn't mean that it is a "desire of my heart." Or that God is going to give me either of them.
#2 - If something is a desire of my heart, God does NOT need my help to give it to me. 
I realized that I can be like Rebekah sometimes. Like, God has shown me what he WILL do, and I feel like I need to DO a whole bunch of stuff to make that happen. God did not need Rebekah to trick her husband into giving the youngest son the blessing for the youngest son to rule over the oldest son. She didn't trust that God would do what he said he would do. She felt she needed to help God out to accomplish his plans. God does not need my help to do anything. Period. Just because I might think something is a desire of my heart doesn't mean I need to DO things to help God give me those things. I need to trust that God knows best, he knows my heart, and he will give me whatever the desires of my heart are WHEN I delight myself IN HIM.
It's not about me at all. It's about HIM. Less of me, more of Him. All of this also brings up another question I need to ask God and seek wisdom on... what makes something a "desire of my heart"? That will be for another post...

New Baked Good: April

This month, I decided to honor spring with my baked good for this month and make something delicious and fresh - oatmeal lemon creme bars. Once again, this recipe is compliments of Just Call Me Maria. Unlike the fancy lucky charms cupcakes, this recipe is super easy and I can't wait to make it again.

FIVE ingredients: (told you, super easy)
1/2 cup cold butter
1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker® oatmeal cookie mix
1 egg
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated)
2 teaspoons lemon zest
1/4 cup lemon juice (about 2 lemons) - I used two whole lemons because I wanted it extra lemon-y

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray the bottom and sides of an 8-inch square pan with non stick spray.
2. In a large bowl cut the cold butter into the cookie mix with a fork or pastry blender.
3. Stir in the egg until the mixture is crumbly.
4. Press half of the dough into the bottom of the greased pan and bake it in the oven for 15 minutes.
5. In a small bowl mix the sweetened condensed milk, lemon zest, and lemon juice until thick and combined.
6. Spread lemon mixture over baked crust and evenly crumble remaining dough on the top.
7. Bake another 25 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Let cool and refrigerate for 30 minutes or until set. Cut into bars and store in the refrigerator.

Viola!

I took these to work and they were a HUGE hit. I even had to save the last one for my boss/friend Denny by leaving a threatening note that anyone who ate the last one would be fired. Next time I think I will be adventurous enough to try the Pioneer Woman's version. Doesn't look too much harder... :)

Look what I can do...

So after much youtube video searching and attempting, I finally have learned how to fishtail french braid!

Ta-da! 

The video that finally explained/showed how to do this can be found here. It's actually a tutorial for styling little girls' hair, but this was the first one that made sense to me. I watched it, heard a clear explanation and was able to do it on my first try. And NOW, I can fishtail french braid! 

Check one more off the list... :)

Mexicoooo!

Oh- hello, April! Or should I say, "Hola, Abril!" as I was in Mexico for the entire first week of the month. It was an amazing (AND exhausting) trip. God's definitely got my mind and heart wrestling with some things that I do want to write about, but for now I will just post some pictures.

 

(I took over 1000 photos and haven't even gone through half of them yet...)