California Mandarins AKA Cementines AKA Cuties

I saw these  lovely 'Cuties' at the store today, I couldn't resist so I grabbed a bag. I am pleasantly pleased on how tasty they are. They are a perfect snack for anytime and without the quilt on the heavy loaded calories. I like the hint and slight tang taste with just the right amount of sweetness, I say these mandarins will hit the spot so you won't be craving for more extra junk food! I highly recommend these Cuties as snacks alternatives or pack them into your lunch boxes as well :)

small quilted pillow

Started on a new pillow quilt. A very simple pattern using 3 different color fabric combinations for the main design. 3 strips to form a square. Each square will flip the opposite direction when sew together.

I will have 6 squares of 2 strips form the design pattern. Pick a color of choice from the 3 colors to border the main design. Decide to have a green border on one side and purple border the other side. I am sewing both sides of the pillow case with same pattern, so the same will be sewn for the other side of the pillow case. I will add a binding trim to add emphasis and sparks too!

Here is the finished neck pillow.

Cherry Tomato Couscous

I thought I make couscous with cherry tomatoes for dinner tonight. This dish will go well with Ham or anything savory dish. This is a very easy and quick recipe to make as well as healthy and tasty. Couscous is the easiest/simpliest pasta or grain dish to prepare. You just add couscous to hot boiling water, cover pan and remove pan from heat and let it sit/cool for 10 minutes, and couscous is ready to be used with your recipe. Sometimes I  try different variations of ingredients to go with the couscous, depending on what I have available in my pantry and/or refrigerator. Couscous is always Thumbs up in our household dinner table :)

Cherry Tomato Couscous Recipe: (my own recipe from scratch)

2 cups cooked couscous
3/4 cup of cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
3/4 cooked chickpeas
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup dried cranberry

juice of 1 lemon
pinch of salt
freshly ground pepper

Couscous Preparation:
Cook couscous according to package instructions.
In a pan add water and add in dried cranberry.
Bring water with cranberries to boil.
Add couscous, stir. Cover couscous with pan lid and remove from heat.
Let it cool down for 10 minutes.

Direction:
Combine the couscous, tomatoes, cilantro, and chickpeas in a large bowl.
Squeezes the lemon juice directly into the bowl.
Add salt and pepper. Toss well, taste, and adjust with more of the above until it tastes just right.
Toss in cilantro until it is evenly dispersed.
Serves 4 - 6.

I am submitting this Cherry Tomato Couscous dish to the Little Thumbs Up event hosted by Doreen from  my little favourite DIY and organized by Zoe from Bake for Happy Kids.

peek into Spring.

Today is March 1st, which means Spring is just around the corner. Though we didn't have much snow this winter, it has been being cold and dark most of the time... makes you appreciate the warm bright sun. Daylight saving starts next Sunday and I am so ready for it. Even though, I will be losing an hour of sleep (that part I will struggle for awhile), the idea of daylight saving sounds great to me after a dark cold winter and I am so ready.

The LORD is my light and my salvation

Psalms 27

vs 1:The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

vs 4: One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in his temple.

vs 14: Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.

new cookie cutters...

very cool cookie cutters.. sesame street characters!!

Will be baking cookies out of these new cuties and update this blog later.

A Primer on Prayer

If you have ever asked the question, "why does God need me to pray?", we have asked the wrong question. The right question is, "why does God command us to pray?" God desires our prayers not because He needs our prayers (God is complete/without need), but because we need to change our hearts from their self centered perspective to a God centered perspective. Prayer is something that we need, not God.

Form should not be our primary concern with prayer. A desire to seek God's face and encounter His truth and the truth about ourselves should be our primary focus. But, fallen man is lazy and selfish by nature, so form does serve the function of keeping us focused and disciplining our hearts and our minds.

There are numerous forms of prayer. I like this one, and it does serve the purpose of focusing our hearts and minds on the things of God and disciplining us.

A.C.T.S - is an acrostic that stands for Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication.
1. Adoration: We are to praise God when we pray. We praise Him not for what He does for us, but for who He is.
2. Confession: We need to be truthful with God so He can prepare the truth in us. There are 2 methods on sin. Commission - where we either thing or act in a manner that doesn't glorify God. Omission - where we fail to think or act in a manner that would glorify God. Tell Him all.
3. Thanksgiving: We praise God for His mercy and grace towards us. It's this "attitude of gratitude" that leads to humility.
4. Supplication: We petition God for the needs of others and for our own needs. We shouldn't be afraid or ashamed to ask for God's help. He knows we need Him. Just remember that He understands our needs better than we do. Trust in Him.

We need to understand completely that prayer is for our benefit. We don't just go to God when we desire His approval or a pat on the back. We don't just go to Him when we desire His blessings or His protection. The most important time to pray is when you don't want to pray. If you're mad at God - tell Him!! If you're feeling doubt about God's leading in your life - tell Him!! If you feel like God doesn't love you and is a thousand miles away - tell Him!! he knows that's how you're feeling (He's God remember?)! He desires your honesty so He can deal with your weakness.