The Great Mogul Diamond

The third book in the Doppleganger Chronicles is probably the best. This time the twins are traveling to France and have officially moved in with Muzz Elliot, a bestselling writer. Erik is learning to be a detective, thanks to American Dorcas Potts. He still lives at the orphanage, though.

The setting is Britain.

There's a murder on the train the twins are traveling on, and there's a mysterious man following the twins and Muzz, who goes to France on what the twins suspect is blackmail.

And the Great Mogul Diamond disappears. 

Who is the mysterious man?

Who is blackmailing Muzz?

Who is the thief who is trying to frame Muzz Elliot?

And what Christian principles will the twins learn?

And of course they want to find their mother.

This series is mysterious and interesting, following abandoned twins who get adopted (but who always long for their mother) and then have adventures relating to their adopted parents. Although this takes place in modern times, the feel of the book makes it seem in the past. And the fact it's a graphic novel series (and did not originate as a longer series) makes it even more original and creative.

I really enjoyed reading this book.

It deserves a 10.

Praying you have faith, hope, and love always,

Rachel

Join the Tyndale Reading program

Join the Tyndale reading program and get 25 points for signing up by clicking on this link: http://tyndalerewards.com/signup/?pc=iikq-jncl-8kaa-591t. I love being involved in this program and I have already gotten numerous free gifts, including Bibles and books.

Praying you have faith, hope, and love always,

Rachel

Remove the sticky label from anything

I hate sticky labels on plates, bowls, cups, etc. Well, here's a process to help make that easier!

Thank God for days off! Home readies do work! I wanted to get some sticky labels off my eating ware.

Well! My kitchen looks like a mini workstation! Mayo on one counter, alcohol and rag nearby, cup in the sink, and a vinegar/water mix on the back counter! But it works!

Here's the process:

1) Lather a generous amount mayo on the label's area. I made sure I couldn't see the label anymore, I put so much mayo on it. Wait 5-15 minutes (the longer, the easier it is to pick off).

2) Clean off the mayo and take off as much of the label as possible.

3) Put the piece in the vinegar/water (more vinegar than water) with the label down in the mixture. This is about 5-15 minutes too.

4) Take the piece out of the mixture. Wash off the cup in soap and water, picking pieces of the label off in the process.

5) Lather alcohol generously onto a dish rag (in my experience, it HAS to be a dish rag, I used one from the dollar store, but it must be a dish rag). Scrub the label until all the stickies are off. (The stickies may look weird and may try to come off when you touch it. Just pick it off your fingers and keep going until it's all gone. The residue will be left on your dish rag, but just throw it in the washer and it will be fine.)

6) Wash the dish with soap and water and dry it.

7) Check and make sure all the stickies are off.

8) If not, use the rag and alcohol again and repeat steps 5-7.

And there you go! A label-less dish!

Praying you have faith, hope, and love always,

Rachel

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Join the Tyndale rewards program by reading books and filling out surveys. I have already gotten several free items through the program.

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Praying you have faith, hope, and love always,

Rachel

3 Ingredient Refried Bean Dip Without An Oven

So I tried to go natural in my quest to eat more iron to make sure I was getting sufficient iron while needing a snack to eat during a movie I was hosting. I bought a can of refried beans and was going to eat them plain, then realized I didn't want that to work. So, I came up with homemade refried bean dip and chips. And the whole snack including chips was under $4, because you aren't using a whole thing of shredded cheese or sour cream, and they have lots of uses!

Ingredients
1 can of bean dip ($.70)
1/2 cup sour cream (love it) ($3 per container)
Shredded cheese (to taste) ($3 per bag)
Tortilla chips ($2/bag)

Turn on the stove, open the can, and pour it into the pan. Heat the bean dip until warm on the stove. Stir it frequently to avoid it sticking to the pan.

Add in shredded cheese, stirring it in to melt it. I put in 2-3 handfuls because I am a person who likes cheese.

Make sure it's warm, but not hot. Put it into a serving dish and spread sour cream on top of it, and you can sprinkle more cheese on it.

Voila! You have homemade bean dip in three ingredients. Now get that bag of tortilla chips and start the movie.


Beat that, $8 movie theater popcorn!

Praying you have faith, hope, and love always,

Rachel

Remember

Wow! Divinely lead Bible study. Lately I've been studying and praying about remembering - just in general, nothing specific.

I know that the Lord has said, "Remember me, remember the good things I have done." I know some remembering is good and some is bad. Isaiah 43:8 in the amplified Bible was where the Lord led me first. "Do not [earnestly] remember the former things; neither consider the things of old." I thought, Okay, God, we shouldn't think ALL THE TIME about our past sinful lives, i.e, remembering the verse in Colossians, "casting off the OLD man," that surely isn't healthy, it's depressing to think of all the things we did or were capable of doing before You saved us.

Then I said, So what DO we remember? He then led me to Isaiah 44:21-22. "Remember these things earnestly, O Jacob, O Israel, for you are My Servant. I formed you, you are my servant; O Israel, you shall not be forgotten by Me. I have blotted out like a thick cloud your transgressions, and like a cloud your sins. Return to Me, for I have redeemed you." It's all listed in Isaiah 44, throughout the chapter, what He is referring to. It's interesting to note that first He lists Jacob, the symbol of rebellion of sorts, for Jacob was a cheat before he was Israel, were as a sinful people, and Israel together. Then, after that, in the next sentence, He only mentions Israel - what is referred to as the symbol of salvation, of sorts. So their former self, their Jacob self, was cast off, much like our old man is cast off. It was replaced by their Israel self, their saved self, which is then put on.

Now, that's just one instance in the Bible where we're told what to remember, but I LOVE it when our savior and true love LEADS the Bible study and you can just see His hand and knowledge and revelation all over it. He hears us and turns His ear to our voices when we seek after Him, and live for Him always. He was totally answering my questions in real time, so to speak!!

Praying you have faith, hope, and love always,

Rachel

How to journal, and the difference between journals and diaries

I think some people get confused between a journal and a diary.

A journal is a daily record of events and businesses, or, it's a newspaper or publication. Basically, journals keep track of events and business activities. They do not have to kept up daily.

Journals are not about your private thoughts. A diary, on the other hand, is private, records your thoughts, and you write in it daily. Men can have diaries as well as women. They're usually handwritten, although there has been a move to electronic diaries. However, in my experience, diaries are more personal, useful, and therapeutic when handwritten. This is where you put your thoughts, experiences, and sometimes thoughts on current events - like Facebook, only far more private. Since it's private, you can be far more open, sharing things you would not want or feel comfortable sharing with anyone else. You can write about crushes, about your perceptions of people, your personality, and your fears. People don't usually share their diaries with other people, or if they do they share them with a few close friends and family.

As for journals, not diaries, there are many different kinds.

You can have a budget journal.

You write down everything you spend and what you spent it on. For instance, if you bought food at a store, you write down how much you spent, when, and whether or not you charged it or used cash or check. You can also start with an amount and then subtract what you spend and add from there.

You can have an idea journal.

If you get so many ideas and thoughts about things, like if you are a writer and have story ideas, or you are an inventor, you can write down the ideas you come up with when you come up with them, so you don't forget them and can look back at them.

You can have a prayer journal. 

What does a prayer journal look like? It can be a regular notebook or a special book you buy. I just use a small spiral notebook. I wrote down the word "prayers" on one side, and flipped it over and wrote "answers" on the other side. This is a structure I prefer.

1) Write down your prayers. This can be like a list, or on one page, or however you want to form it.

2) Then you begin to pray about it outloud and in your mind, silently.

3) Flip the book over. Write down the answer when you receive it.

The good thing about this is that eventually your prayers and answers will meet - in the records. You also have a record of prayers you have and had, and answers, so when you are feeling discouraged you can look back and see how big our God is. I didn't come up with this on my own, though. My friend told me about it. I love mine.

You can have a Bibly study journal. 

What does a Bible study journal look like? It can be a notebook, a book, or anything with paper. This is a record of what you spend time reading in the Bible - it can be a passage of any length; it can be one verse or a book. This can also be an electronic journal, or you can create it as a blog or website if you want to share it with others.

1) Date it.

2) Write the scripture down.

3) Pray it.

4) Write down your thoughts and what God reveals to you.

I have attached another option for a Bible study journal. I had to recreate it but it is not an original creation of mine. It's a piece of paper that you print out and write in. Then you can file them away in a binder, folder, or other kind of container. You can do it online and save it in an electronic file, as well. You write the date, the Scripture, and there's a column for tasks (things you think of you need to do while you're reading - you don't stop to do them, you write them down to do later). There's also a section for further study, which are Scriptures or ideas or topics God gives you to look into some other day. If you want a PDF version, you can email or comment here and I will email you a PDF file, or you can recreate it yourself.

Praying you have faith, hope, and love always,

Rachel

The first song is always the most difficult

The first song for the band I'll never be in. I'm really okay with it, but I still wanted to share this.

The Title Doesn't Matter, It's What the Lyrics Say That Does

People out there
they like to dance,
they like to write,
they like to sing.
Some lack talent.
Some are decent.
It doesn't matter where
you are at now.
You can do something.

They have talents
They are pretty good
But they use them
For all the wrong things
Gaining glory,
Selfish ambition,
Feeding their pride,
Exalting no one

Funneling hurt
Hiding their pain
Behind smiles

Behind broken masks,
you get a glimpse,
the pain they can't hide


Talk a big talk,
No good counselor
Lacking purpose


Funneling hurt
Hiding their pain
Behind smiles

Behind broken masks,
you get a glimpse,
the pain they can't hide


Talk a big talk,
No good counselor
Lacking purpose



If you have talent,


if you wish you did,


if you have none,
take some advice now,

find the Creator,

he'll help you out,
he'll remove the pain
replace it with hope


Funneling hurt
Hiding their pain
Behind smiles

Behind broken masks,
you get a glimpse,
the pain they can't hide


Talk a big talk,
No good counselor
Lacking purpose


Then you will receive
houses of stone,
glory that stands alone,
A family,
a brother, a friend
A counselor,
who will never leave

Praying you have faith, hope, and love always,

Rachel

"I still believe" is an excellent book

Jeremy Camp's new book, "I Still Believe," who also has an excellent song by the same name, was just released this February.

I was excited to pick it up, and for good reason!

This book is powerful, and mind blowing. If you ever wanted to get inspired, as well as find out why he wrote songs he wrote, this book tells it. Like I said, the title is inspired by what I think is one of his absolute best songs.

He may be attractive, but he's also spiritually attractive and alive. This book teaches that even though we all have struggles in life, we can overcome them, with the help of the Lord.

I still believe in Jeremy Camp's music, and I still believe in God.

Praying you have faith, hope, and love always,

Rachel

Heartbeat - a poem

I love you, God
Sometimes I feel
this nameless thing.
Not emotion
Like it, I guess
Jesus, you live
alive and well -
In our hearts, souls
in our bodies
with us, not us;
You change us, Lord,
you fill our hearts,
you meet our needs:
you supply us
identity -
Who we are Lord -
A child of you,
Child of a king,
A royal priest
You supply us
belonging, Lord
God, you choose us;
Lives like vapors
you have given
to each of us;
Then we receive
eternity
good or bad;
Glory to you
Honor to you

Praying you have faith, hope, and love always,

Rachel

To my Lord and Savior and Daddy God

Jesus was more than a carpenter

Now being re-released, More Than a Carpenter, is published by former skeptic now turned Christian Josh McDowell and his son Sean. 

They examine the evidence of Christ, and make a case for it, much like Lee Strobel's famous and fantastic A Case for Christ series. Of course, we all know that God never loses in any battle, so...you can guess the end result. Still, this can help you share your beliefs with that atheist, or that family member who just can't seem to get it.

If you've ever wondered about whether Christ is really who he says he is, and if God exists, this book is for you.

Praying you have faith, hope, and love always,

Rachel

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Praying you have faith, hope, and love always,

Rachel

My first post from my new phone

Hello! This is my first mobile post ever. I just joined the cult of Apple, i.e. I got an iPhone. Expect more blogging from me! I am reading through Genesis so expect some posting about that, too. I love Genesis, the beginning. God and Christ is everywhere in it.

TV quotes

CSI
Sarah: Now I know why Doodles drank.
Grissom: We solve these cases regardless of race, color, creed, or bubblegum flavor!
Ray: Sometimes when God closes a door, Satan opens a window.
*Sneaking in any way possible

The Mentalist
Kristina: I can’t get a clear reading.
Jane: What are you using? Dial-up?
*I don't miss dial up at all.

Once Upon a Time
How’s the book supposed to help?
What do you think stories are for?

Where are we going?
Somewhere horrible.  Absolutely horrible.  A place where the only happy ending will be mine.

Grumpy: Grumpy.
Snow: I’m not grumpy, I’m focused.

Primeval
Burton: Not since man first walked on the moon has humanity been so delicately poised on the threshold of a new dawn!
Lester: Does dawn have a threshold, exactly?

Shared from https://agoldoffish.wordpress.com/tv-quotes/

Praying you have faith, hope, and love always,

Rachel

Join Tyndale reading program

I've already gotten some free stuff - likes Bibles. It's so cool. It's free to sign up. All you do is read and join and you get counted. Follow this link to Tyndale Rewards, join the program, read, and get free stuff! Follow the link and get 25 additional points when you sign up!
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Praying you have faith, hope, and love always,

Rachel