Weather Defender

Email conversation with my brother Mat, after he saw this work of art:

Mat: If Rory ever decides to do a marketing campaign based on sending Valentines to his customer base, I think this design would be very appropriate

Rory: Its very romantic, isn't it?

Mat: Yes, there is nothing more romantic than trade conferences and severe weather warnings.

Rory: Mmm... that gave me goosebumps.

Becca: excuse me. I would like to defend myself. weather defend myself, that is. I have to use a certain template for my online classes and because I don't have children, and you can only scrapbook pages of your cat for so long (and one could maybe argue, you should never scrapbook your cat) before you look like a weirdo.


I loved working on this layout...Rory and I flew to Orlando the beginning of December to vendor a booth at the Christian Camps International convention and we had a blast. We had no idea how Weather Defender would be received, so the days leading up to the convention were unsettling. But the response Rory received from all sorts of camp directors responsible for thier campers safety was overwhelming. They raved about the software and best of all, were just grateful to have a way to monitor the weather in relation to their specific camp. Pretty cool, Ror.

crazy cats get killed

Wait! First read yesterday's post about my dad before reading this, his response to what I wrote. I have a new favorite quote (the title here) that comes directly from the mouth of my grandma. Wise woman. Great quote.

Becca, I maybe was TOO influential in your life but I/we did manage to get you three kids well into adulthood without any major injuries or lifelong disabilities. To be truthful, I am sure I got all that "stuff" from Grandma Harrington. I can still hear her saying, "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" and 100 other comments like that. another was "crazy cats get killed". etc. etc. anyway, hope you are doing well. see you soon in AZ. love you more than you know, DAD

Scrambled Egg Brunch Bread

I have been cooking since we moved to Nebraska. Every night. No kidding. This is HUGE for me...and I have one book to thank: The Taste of Home Cookbook. It's incredible. Every recipe has pictures. Every recipe is filled with ingredients that when I read them I think, "I know what that is. And I know where that is at supertarget!" This cookbook has filled me with confidence.

So I made this recipe last night and when it came out of the oven it was so pretty I had to get my camera. And then when we ate it, it was so amazingly delicious, I had to post the recipe for all to enjoy.

2 tubes (8 oz each) refrigerated crescent rolls
4 oz. sliced ham
4 oz. cream cheese softened
1/2 c milk
8 eggs
1/4 t. salt
dash of pepper
1/4 c chopped orange pepper (or your favorite color pepper)
2 T. chopped green onion
1 t. butter
1/2 c shredded cheddar cheese

1. Unroll each tube of dough (do not separate rectangles). Place side by side on a greased baking sheet with long sides touching; seal seams and perforations. Arrange ham lengthwise down center third of rectangle.

2. In a large bowl, beat cram cheese and milk until smooth. Separate one egg, set egg white aside. Add the egg yolk, salt, pepper and remaining eggs to cream cheese mixture; mix well. Stir in red pepper and onions.

3. In a large skillet, melt butter; add egg mixture. Cook and stir over medium heat just until set. Remove from the heat. Spoon scrambled eggs over ham. Sprinkle with cheese.

4. On each long isde of dough, cut 1 inch wide strips to the center to within 1/2 inch of filling. Start at one end, fold alternating strips at an angle across the filling. Pinch ends to seal and tuck under.

5. Beat reserved egg white, brush over dough. Bake at 375 for 25-28 minutes or until golden brown. Yeild: 6 servings.

Dad, you were right.

Being a pastor, my dad has either performed the funeral for, or had a clergy buddy perform a funeral for every single possible way a person could die.

And Dad's parenting brought this fact out time and time again. "Hey, have fun on the ski trip this weekend! Just remember that woman we knew in Michigan who fell of the chairlift and when she went to stand the chair hit her in the head." Or, "well you can jump on that trampoline, but don't forget that boy who fell off his tramp and will never walk again." (Needless to say, I never ended up jumping very high for fear of losing control and therefore my ability to walk.)

None of this was said with any sort of malice...it was just the truth. Dad actually knew these people (and lots of them) and as a result he parented with a nervousness which I ended up inheriting. You can now catch me saying, "wait, before anyone dives in, do we know how deep the water is right here? I know a woman who once jumped in and broke her leg..." Or, "No. We have to take two cars. Everyone has to have their own seatbelt."

But I have got a confession. My dad has been concerned about our space heater and electric blanket for quite some time (as well as halogen lamps, toaster ovens and flat irons that forget to be turned off.) But the night of the fire in the apartment across the way, we did away with our space heater and our electric blanket realizing the pros just didn't outweigh the cons. (I can hear my dad exhaling a sigh of relief right now.)

But isn't that crazy that it took the real deal before I finally heard what my dad was saying?

Parenting must just be annoying sometimes.

The whole mustard seed thing.

Rory and I have been going to a church that we really, really love and during a prayer last Sunday the pastor mentioned the whole "faith as small as a mustard seed" thing. And for some reason, this time it hit me. I think preschool VBS was the first time I was shown a mustard seed and since then the words have washed over me like a good analogy, not quite sinking in.

This time it did though. Maybe it's because we just took a great leap of faith, following what I know is God's call to this land called Nebraska. And like any leap of faith, some days I am fully confident and content and other days I am lonesome and hoping.

So I took out the half pencil and offering envelope stuck in the chair in front of me, wrote the following and stuffed it in my purse:

faith the size of a mustard seed.

do you ever feel that way? Like your faith is actually that small. because sometimes, in some seasons it just is.

And yet, God will still move mountains for you. He is still mighty to save- even with that tiny mustard seed of faith that we believe in.

I read the envelope each day this week, knowing that I wrote the words to myself. And as I read them again each day, I began to remember the grace of God: God moves the mountains, we just cling to him.