Recipe Exchange!

Casey over at From the Heart of Casey is hosting a recipe exchange today!

She is planning to do this a couple of times a month, so be sure to follow her blog to get all of the great recipes submitted!

I found this recipe online, but I changed some of the ingredients (I'd also like to add that I tied for first place in a cook off with this salad. We called it a "toss off"). It's super yummy and could be used for a main dish or side dish!

Tuna Pasta Salad with Avocado

Ingredients:
6 cups seashell pasta
3/4 cup of bottled fat free Italian dressing
3/4 cup of fresh basil, chopped (although I don't think I used quite this much. It depends on how much you like basil)
6 cloves of garlic, minced
3 cans of water packed tuna, drained and flaked (I literally just drained the cans and used a fork to separate the tuna a bit. That's how I flake)
1 1/2 ripe avocados, diced
1 small can of black olives, chopped
(You can also add 2 1/4 cups of diced tomatoes, but I left them out for mine)

How to make it:
Cook pasta
In a small bowl, combine the Italian dressing, basil, and garlic
In a large bowl, combine the pasta, tuna, avocado, and olives
Add the dressing mix and toss evenly until coated

You can either serve it warm (which I don't prefer), or chill it in the refrigerator for at least an hour

Super easy and very yummy!

Link up with Casey to share your recipe!

Insta-Friday Take Two

I'm linking up with Jeannett at life.rearranged again today for Insta-Friday.

All that's required is that you post pics of your week taken from your cell phone!
(And, if you have an iPhone or a smart phone with a cool app like Insta-gram, you can add a fun filter to your pics like I did!)

Here is my week in a nutshell:

I was reading in Luke this week for my Bible study. It's packed full of amazing truths. I love it!

This is my hubby's favorite down time activity. Black Ops. And yes, I have actually started playing with him sometimes...and I got 4 kills in one game! I was pretty proud of myself.

It's been so stinkin' hot lately that my weekly Starbucks run for a hot drink became a Chai Creme Frappucino. It was so refreshing!

So this one has a funny story. I was sitting in my living room and could hear a bird chirping, like I was outside and it was in a nearby tree...but I wasn't outside...and none of my windows were open. So, I walked over to the fireplace and realized the sound was coming from it. I started freaking out, thinking there was a bird trapped in my fireplace that was going to fly out into my house. So, I pushed the grate as close to the fireplace as I could and put things in front of it to keep it from moving (I figured that box of Bibles was definitely going to keep the bird out. God's Word is powerful, ya know). Fortunately, my husband discovered that the bird was just perched on the top of the chimney and not inside the fireplace. Whew!

I got my hair done this week. I needed it so bad. Almost six months without so much as a trim...and it hadn't been dyed since then either. So, I figured it was time...and I'm so happy I did! I love the feel of freshly colored, cut hair.

So, I won a giveaway on just.lovely.things's blog at the end of March. I have been e-mailing Nicole of Repent Industries for the past month and a half, finalizing the details of my custom made scarf. And, it finally arrived today!! I love it so much. I know this picture doesn't do it justice...and you can barely see the beautiful royal blue lining...but I wanted to take a pic of everything that came in the box with it. It was wrapped up so pretty! Even though it's a little too warm this week to wear it, I'm hoping I'll be able to wear it in the near future!

That was my week...how was yours?

Divine Interactions

I had a couple of amazing, divine interactions tonight.

I must say, I have some incredibly Godly brothers and sisters.

Two of my brothers in Christ spoke amazing truths into my life that I needed to hear. They brought me to tears...and the realization that I was believing a huge lie.

After that, a beautiful group of women surrounded me in prayer, lifting up my burdens to our Heavenly Father. It was so powerful, so heartfelt, and so humbling. These women spoke more truths into my life through their prayers. God used them in such amazing ways.

I heard God speak through the words others spoke to me tonight. It reminded me of how much He truly does love me...and how He truly does know everything that is going on with me...even the things I don't always see.

I was reaffirmed.

I was set free.

I feel so at peace.

The love my brothers and sisters show me is such a wonderful reflection of how my Savior loves me...and He loves me so much more than they ever could...He loves me the most (one of my dear friends always says, "I love you, but God loves you the most")!

I am amazed at the power of agape love (that amazing, selfless, I would give anything up for you kind of love that Jesus displayed perfectly).

I truly hope you will experience this at some point in your life, if you haven't already.

This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.
(1 John 4:9-12, NIV)

Girl Talk

I am linking up with Amy at Lucky Number 13 and her weekly virtual coffee series.

If you and I were sitting down to have a cup of coffee this morning (or evening, whenever you're reading), I would tell you...

That I seriously have not been able to get Disneyland out of my head. If you read my last post, you'd know it's been on my mind...but it got worse today. I had lunch with a friend and we started talking about our favorite things about the park. Oh dear...

That I finally started reading Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks...and am really enjoying it so far!

That I have mixed feelings about this whole Bin Laden thing. Not saying it's not probably a good thing that he can't do what he was doing anymore...but I don't like all the cheering and rejoicing people are doing over it. I don't think Jesus would be out there cheerin'. Just saying...
(And, I guess I'd also tell you that I seriously hope I didn't open a can of worms with this one. It's just how I've been feeling about it)

That I'm excited about the opening of a new shop and blog today! Stacey of Stonewash & Bloom is hosting a giveaway and asked her readers to spread the word about her blog! She makes really cute one-of-a-kind headbands, rings, and bracelets. You can check out her shop here.

That I'm super excited to get my hair done this week...finally! It's been almost 6 months since I've had it trimmed or dyed! I'm very much looking forward to hair without split ends and roots showing!! Sheesh!

That I'm not enjoying this sudden change in weather. I was definitely ready for a break from the rain...but mid-80's is a bit much. It's still spring, ya know...

And, of course, if we were really having coffee, you would definitely be talking back at me. So, feel free to leave some comment love if you feel so led.

Happy Tuesday!

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Some Random Thoughts...

I've been wishing for two things this weekend.

One - That Christmas was coming soon

I know, I know...it wasn't that long ago...but it's my favorite time of year and I'd really love it if it was November right about now.


Two - That we were heading to Disneyland soon

Again, I know, I know...it's only been a couple of months since we were there last...but I'm really in the mood to be there again.



The best scenario, however, would be...

Three - That we were heading to Disneyland for Christmas

Now that would be spectacular!

(A girl can wish, can't she?)