Why I Donate Blood

I think donating blood is a beautiful thing to do. It's something you do just because you believe in it. To know that the blood in your vessels can save someone's precious life is kind of amazing, right?

I really only started donating recently when I found out my blood type was one of the rare ones (not THE most rare, but only 7% of Canadians have it - O negative). My daughter and husband are O negative too, and we O negs can only receive O neg blood, so I thought "hmmmmm I should add to the stockpile for people who also are O negs".  O negative blood, when in short supply, impacts emergencies, and also elective surgeries. They cancel them if they don't have enough O negative blood - because their O negative patients HAVE to have it, they can't receive other blood types.

O negative is also the universal donor type. Everybody can receive O negative blood, which is useful in a emergency situation! 

I thought I'd walk you through my blood donation, so you can see if maybe it's something you'd consider doing too. They call it the Gift of Life!

I also am a baby donor. My blood is CMV (cytomegalovirus) negative, which means I've never been exposed to the CMV virus. Only 20% of Canadians are like this. This means my blood goes straight to sick, premature babies. Seriously, I get choked up thinking about it. It also motivates me to keep donating, as often as I can (every 56 days you are eligible - it takes that long for your red blood cells to replace themselves).

here we are - at this point, I have spent the past 2 days drinking water like crazy, it really helps boost your blood volume and makes your donation go smoothly

First, they prick your finger to get a quick test of your blood iron levels - you have to have high enough levels to donate

Next, you fill out some paperwork - this is very important to assess your health and eligibility to donate - it protects everyone, it's a good thing :)

Then you head into a small room for a one on one chat with a nurse. You will get your temperature and blood pressure taken. They will also ask you some very personal questions, but again - it's important for the health of the recipients and protects everyone.

You are left alone to place a Yes or No sticker on your donation papers. This is because some people want an anonymous HIV test, and are not there to donate.

 At this point, I am all set to donate - here are all the bags and tubes - fun right? lol

Ok I am almost ready - here's a picture of the thingey that holds the blood bag (if I'm getting too technical on you, sorry - I am a medical professional type person, lol)

In this picture, I am hooked up and the blood is flowing into the bag and vials (they take a few vials for testing first). The only discomfort is the small pick when they put the needle in. The rest of the donation is painless and done in less than 15 minutes. Plus, you can watch TV!

Ta-da! Here I am! 

It's really not a big deal :) After you are done, you chill in your "spa" chair for 5 minutes, holding some gauze to the wound site (you're letting your platelets do their job of clotting - go go go platelets!). I tell you, we truly are fearfully and wonderfully made, thanks God! 

When you are done, you get food!!  Here I am having chicken noodle soup, and cookies. There were other options to choose from, and the volunteers who serve you are super nice and friendly!

here's a shot of a spa chair, lol!  looks comfy, right?

that's it, in a nutshell - think you're up for it? 

NOAH - Movie Review

I went to see the Noah movie yesterday. Let me begin first by saying - I had read other reviews and knew what to expect. I went in with my eyes open - it wouldn't be the correct portrayal. To be honest, I liked it. 


I liked it because I didn't have high expectations about it. 

Lots of my friends are offended by it, saying that was the worst - movie - ever - on and on. But what you have to know before watching it is - I don't think it was made by Christians, but I could be wrong. They made up stuff to make the story better for Hollywood - crazy stuff - untrue stuff. I personally think the Bible version is just fine as is, but that's my opinion and nothing else. 

What was positive about it?

 1 - big hollywood stars, big hollywood budget for a BIBLE story - awesome 

 2 - the story did keep to the point - wicked world got wiped out - good prevailed over evil 

Cook & Freeze Mashed Potatoes To Add Joy to Your Life!

Small batch of previously cooked mashed potatoes - frozen and waiting for the microwave!

I throw chives in - usually I have done this while I originally made the potatoes, but I forgot last time LOL. Throw 'em in after nuking and give a stir!

You would never know these were previously frozen. The taste and texture are like they were fresh. I have served these to family and guests and everyone has agreed that they come back to life beautifully.

How to make these?  Simple - make mashed potatoes, any way you like. I boil them, drain the water, add milk & margarine to taste, add chives (I use freeze dried, they work really well), and mash them up to the consistency you like.

Put them in plastic containers (I try to make them the size I think would serve one family meal) and throw those bad boys in the freezer. Booyah!

Cook & Freeze Hamburger to Make Weeknight Suppers Easier

Cook it up with veggies & seasonings (I use onions & garlic salt) then bag it in family sized portions (or whatever size suits you). I always test the temperature to make sure it's safe to eat. You don't mess with e coli, right?

No Easter Bunny, No Santa Claus, No Tooth Fairy

I expect take a LOT of flak for this. From pretty much everyone. I've already gotten a "what?" look from one of my daughter's daycare teachers. She asked my daughter if Santa came to visit her, and she said no, we celebrated Jesus - and she got tons of presents!

I just can't look my daughter in the eye and tell her a bold faced lie that Santa, the Elf on the Shelf, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy are real. I can't do it.

Cause if I do, how can I expect her to trust me when I tell her that Jesus is real? Think about it.

I want her to trust that I'll never lie to her. Lying is big - I try not to lie. I know that's nearly impossible, but I still strive for it. Even if it means telling somebody something they don't want to hear, or facing a toddler meltdown. I'm willing to take it.

ALSO, lying is breaking one of the 10 Commandments - Exodus 20:16

16 w“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

My daughter comes home from daycare, and I have to undo the programming that she got that day, lol. No, honey, Santa's just for fun - like Elmo - we pretend Santa just to have some fun.

It's all about Jesus - we celebrate Jesus!  Savior of the world!

When I tell my daughter about why we have these holidays, I picture Jesus watching me and how He'd react if I started the old Santa/Easter Bunny trick. I would imagine Him doing a facepalm, lol. 

That's it, in a nutshell. I can't continue the lie - even if it's fun - lots of sin is fun for a while, but it's a big ole trap by Satan, and he just wants to destroy our lives. This is how my parent's raised me, and I have huge respect for them as a result.

Why I Choose to Follow Jesus

I asked Jesus to come into my heart as soon as I was old enough to understand what it meant - thanks to my parent's teaching.

When I was in my early 20s, I was publicly baptized - as a public declaration that I choose to follow Jesus.

When I met my husband, he taught me about receiving the Holy Spirit into my heart - the "infilling" of the Holy Spirit. I received it and was able to pray in tongues.

Now that I am getting older, I sense the gifts of the Holy Spirit rising up in me and I desire to talk more and more about what I've learned.

I receive GREAT joy from this - I am happier than most people I have met. I have a supernatural joy in my heart - happy happy happy! 

Weekly household duties

Housework, when neglected, can creep up on you and then your house looks disgusting and you feel overwhelmed (at least I do).
I maintain a strict schedule to keep my house clean and my sanity intact - it's actually not too crazy.

Each Wednesday morning (right before my daughter wakes up), I clean the bathroom (a thorough bleachy kind of disinfecting - I even wipe behind the toilet cause it gets so nasty back there when neglected).

Each Thursday morning, I strip the bedsheets for washing. My husband puts new sheets on the bed for me - which I appreciate SO much. Honest for reals!

Each Friday after supper, I clean/sanitize the kitchen counter,stove tops, microwave and kitchen sink - kill those nasties and keep your sink gleaming. You can always tell when a stainless steel sink has not been cleaned - yuck.

Laundry is done on a daily basis - throw a load in when I get up, put it in the dryer as I'm headed out the door. Fold it at some point when I get home from work - that way it doesn't get ahead of me. I'm more than a conquerer, I tell you, lol!

Floors - I hate them. My husband does those for me - because he is awesome. :)

Dusting - giggle - what???? Ok I let that slide sometimes, but when it gets bad I will get it done. The dishwasher gets emptied and loaded when needed.

Easy Pizza Lasagna

Love homemade lasagna, but don't enjoy the work? Me too! I found a way to cut the workload, but still have delicious "home made" lasagna (note the quotation marks, lol).

INGREDIENTS: big pack of hamburger, 1 large onion, 2-3 jars spaghetti sauce, big block of marble cheese (500 gram), box of oven ready lasagna noodles, pepperoni

- Cook up your hamburger with onions & whatever other veggies/seasonings you like - I like to buy big batches of hamburger, cook it all up with onions & garlic salt, and bag it up into family sized portions. Comes back beautifully and makes your work easy. I also check the temp of it to make sure any e coli present

is killed!

- add 2-3 jars of spaghetti sauce (your favorite brand) and let it simmer a bit

- grate up a bunch of cheese

- get out your lasagna pan

- spread your sauce mixture (sauce with ground beef/veggies) on the bottom (just enough to cover the pan)


- layer oven ready noodles - cover with LOTS OF SAUCE - this is the secret to making oven ready noodles turn out nice - SAUCE SAUCE SAUCE - get 'em covered

- sprinkle a layer of grated cheese

- add a few pepperoni (or whatever pizza toppings you like - we've also tried ham & salami)

- repeat (noodles, sauce, cheese & pepperoni) till you are at the top of the pan

- cover with foil, bake in the oven (follow the instructions on your oven ready lasagna noodle box) approximately 45 mins to an hour on 350 degrees (or 400?? check your box, I can't remember lol)

enjoy the awesomeness!!!

Easy Chicken Parm - good for weeknight meals

Easy Chicken Parm

-breaded chicken strips (I prefer white chicken breast, not processed - the real deal)

- jarred spaghetti sauce

- any kind of pasta you like

- grated cheese (I use marble)

cook it all up

pour warm spaghetti sauce over the chicken, then sprinkle the cheese on top - pop that bad boy under the broiler to melt the cheese

put the melted-cheesey-saucey-chicken pieces on top of your spaghetti on the plate (with more sauce on the noodles) and DONEZO


my husband said it tasted awesome :) my daughter liked it too

Easy Sweet & Sour Meatballs Meal

Fully cooked frozen meatballs

sweet & sour sauce (or any jarred sauce you like)

rice

frozen veggies

egg rolls

DONE :)

Sometimes you have zero time and need something tasty and nutritious. I've come up with lots of good ideas and I'll post them when I think of them :)

Can't We All Just Get Along? Ephesians 6:12

If we aren't really fighting with each other, but against darkness in the world - pause for scripture - Ephesians 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. - then can't we all just get along?

You should know how to get to Heaven

Let's get started with this - you should know how to get to Heaven - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7xSw21YusI. The Bible says this is the only way. Don't shoot the messenger, this will literally save your life. If you aren't interested in that, you should bookmark this link - http://www.raptureready.com/rr-survival-guide.html - about what will go down on Earth after God raptures His people - heads up - it will be BAD.