Invisible Tattoos

Curious title for this post. 

I was in Starbucks recently using a gift card from the SavingStar app. I got a grande dark roast brewed coffee with almond milk, vanilla powder, and nutmeg powder (my usual order). 

Whilst sitting in the café, I was on a conference call with my team at work. My ears were dedicated to the call but my eyes were roaming around taking in the sights. 

There was a couple who was waiting for their order, mid-twenties and tattooed. The guy had a word in Old English font, vertically positioned from his wrist up to his elbow. Since his fingers were pointed toward the ground, it was upside down. Without straining and tipping my head (and looking obvious), I used my best deduction to decipher the letters. 

It came clearer as a few moments passed. 

Suddenly, it became clear: D - I - R - T - Y.

My first impression was that it seemed to match. He was unshaven, wearing a stained t-shirt and sneakers with the laces untied and untucked. Then I looked closer.

It struck me in that moment how I feel that way sometimes. Dirty. I may not have a tattoo that says it outright to the world. My actions and reactions do the talking for me and are louder than any tattoo.

How about you? Does your past make you feel dirty? Even if you've been saved and set apart by Jesus?

According to 1 John 1:7, the blood of Jesus washes away sin. Isaiah 1:18 tells us that we will become white as snow even though are sins have made us like scarlet.

We may know this in our head and may have even publicly declared this from our own mouths. Has it sunk in to a point that we embraced this truth?

You are not dirty to the core. You are God's masterpiece and may have gotten dirty along the way. In love and mercy, God washes us white as snow and takes away all the filth forever.

Dear friend, ask the Lord to give you a new tattoo and remove the dirty tattoo.

Simple & Healthy Dinner

I write a lot about quick and easy dinners. Some take a lot of effort, while others are not complicated. 

A recent dinner was very simple. I took an old idea of caprese (see more here) and turned it into a salad. The caprese salad had the usual tomato, mozzarella, basil, olive oil, and then I added avocado, sunflower seeds, and lettuce. Dressed with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. 

We eat a lot of fried plantains (here is one such example). I added this to the dinner and voilà!

Mountain-Moving Faith

When I had written about having faith the size of a mustard seed (here), I hadn't been to the Rocky Mountains. 

A business trip to Colorado was the occasion for me to see these mountains with my own eyes. The pure majesty of these mountains had me captivated. 

I have a new respect and understanding of a small amount of faith can move a mountain. 

I took this photo from Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs, CO.

Receipt Hog Bonuses

Receipt Hog is an app that gives gift cards to Amazon and credit to PayPal (read more here).

Certain receipts warrant a spin on the app's slot machine. Typically, I have earned 2 to 5 coins on the slot machine. I scored 10 coins from the slot machine. Coins means gift cards!

Qualifying receipts are eligible for a monthly sweepstakes. One of my receipts was drawn giving me another 20 coins.

Fish Burritos

We eat a lot of fish. Sometimes, it is difficult to not prepare the same dish. 

While thinking about other ways to prepare fish, I started thinking about fish tacos. This seems to be a trend that many restaurants are embracing. I decided to embrace it at home. 

I started with seasoning a filet of swai with Everyday Seasoning, of course. 

Next, I chopped up onion, tomato, and green onion. 

Then, I boiled the rice and beans from this dinner kit. 

Finally, I assembled the rice, beans, chopped veg, and fish on the soft tortilla. I added salsa, chives, and sour cream. 

It was quick, easy, and delicious. Trifecta!

Hooked on Hooks: Part II

I mentioned in September that we love hooks in our home. They make things orderly and organized. To make this happen, 3M Command Strips are needed. 

It can add up when you're moving hooks around because the command strips are single use only. They're still worth it!

Recently, I found a rebate on the ibotta app (read more here) for $2 back on any command strips. I went to Walmart and purchased the lowest price strips at $2.38. It is like I paid 38¢!

Another Olive Garden Dinner Deal

I posted in October a great deal that was going on at Olive Garden. The deal was the Buy One Take One promotion. The idea is to order an entrée at the restaurant and then you get another free to take home. 

This deal came back! This time there was a coupon code to save $5 off a purchase of $30. This would require more buying-taking to add up to the $30. It also means more food and less cooking! Good news all around!

To make the $30 purchase, we chose 2 Buy One-Take One entrées (cheese ravioli, fettuccine alfredo, and 2 baked zitis) and a kid's meal (mac n cheese, mashed potatoes, and french fries) that comes with a drink. We also received 2 salads and a package of bread sticks.

When I went to pick it up, I was early and the food was not quite ready. While waiting, they gave me a complimentary fountain drink. Unexpected bonus!

With all this food, we were able to mix and match with home cooked meals for over a week! That makes meal prep a lot easier.