A few days ago, I ran to Kroger for some speed shopping when I was overcome by a sudden craving for bacon. I could nearly taste it, burned to a perfect crisp like my Nanny used to make it when we were taking a day off from charred quarter-sized patty sausage. I can fry up some mean bacon. Except for the minor variation of frying mine up in the microwave with a paper towel on it, family members in a blind-taste-test can’t tell a speck of difference. The paper towel that occasionally gets lodged between your back teeth comes out easily with a toothpick after an hour or two of softening. And, around these parts, we always have a toothpick. Motivation mounting by the minute, I flipped through the packages searching for a pound that looked vaguely lean. And just when a sinking soul would be tempted to wax philosophical with that deep, troubling question, “Isn’t lean bacon an oxymoron?,” I came upon a beautiful sight. Right there on the bright, shiny package of a well-known brand: “30% Less Fat!”

Smug with a heart-smart selection of fine meats, I headed to check-out with my lean sliver of wisdom, wishing I could pull a coupon for it out of my purse while everyone else in line froze with awe at my every-womanliness. Darn it, where had I put that environmentally friendly Kroger bag I bought last year when Melissa went light green? Nevertheless, I floated on air to the car, put my cart in the parking lot-slot in case someone was watching, then floored my mini SUV all the way home. I flew into the kitchen with bliss in a white plastic bag.

I grabbed some scissors, cut open the package and pulled out a few pieces, ready to fry them up to my healthy heart’s content. That’s when I had my first suspicions about that 30% less fat. But, I’ll let you be the judge. Here’s a look at the package:

A closer look at that percentage. OK, I realize it’s a bit blurry but it wouldn’t have been nearly as realistic if I’d removed it from the clear plastic. And if I’m anything at all, I’m a realist.

Luckily, I happened to still have a few leftover slices of regular bacon in the refrigerator, so I pulled them out, just in case I was imagining things.

Then, I fried up 2 slices from each package. That’s a toothpick on the left-hand side, so you can measure the bacon to proper scale. Keith and I are more sophisticated than many of our extended family members. We insist only upon toothpicks that come in colors.

So, there you have it. Thirty per cent less fat. Your Siesta-shopping tip for the weekend: if you want 30% less fat, eat 30% less bacon. Sniff.

You learned it right here.

Hi ladies! You all made my birthday so much fun. Thanks for your sweet words and for entering our big giveaway. Without further ado, here are our big winners who will each receive two tickets to the 2010 Living Proof Live event of their choice.

Jodi
Plymouth, MN
8:18 AM

Terry
Louisa, VA
8:29 AM

Lindsee Lou
8:43 AM

Sunni
Shreveport, LA
8:57 AM

Amy from Beyond Normalcy: Life with Twins
9:03 AM

Kelly
Hamilton, OH
9:05 AM

Tania Scott
9:06 AM

Melle
Waco, TX
9:38 AM

Jon and Brittany from The Yeagers
9:38 AM

Doanz
Washington
9:29 AM

Horsemom93
Fayetteville, GA
10:13 AM

Lisa
Cartersville, GA
10:28 AM

Bttrfly1976
Fort Worth, TX
10:35 AM

Kim C.
Athens, AL
11:19 AM

Melody Argueta
Cleburne, TX
11:19 AM

Vicki Cluxton
Fort Wayne, IN
12:05 PM

Kara
Franklin, TN
12:23 PM

Sarah Jenkins
Bancroft, Ontario Canada
12:23 PM

Joy Sherman
Springfield, OH
(I accidentally deleted
the time on this one.)

Lisa B.
Trussville, AL
1:57 PM

Gretchen
Cabot, AR
2:06 PM

Boothbloggers
2:59 PM

Bethany at 6HartsforHim
3:14 PM

Jennifer (HoosierMama)
Plainfield, IN
3:14 PM

The Gores
3:45 PM

Donna @ Way More Homemade
4:09 PM

Patti
Sarasota, Fl
4:35 PM

Deborah
Washington
5:11 PM

Ashley U.
Dunwoody, GA
6:36 PM

Bonnie
Wake Forest, NC
6:38 PM

Congratulations, Siestas! Just email us at [email protected] and we’ll fill you in on the details. Please include your contact info. Thanks so much!

Hey Ladies,

This video from Catalyst has been floating around quite a bit today so a number of you have probably already seen it.

BUT.

If you have not seen it, please give it a look. I bawled my eyes out. It is moving. [And there is a nice little shout out to my beloved Alma Mater] If you don’t have a whole lot of time start it up around 8:00.

I think you’ll enjoy hearing someone other than myself talk about Compassion.

I hope you ladies are holding up well and dodging all the germs out there. I’m on day 5 of the Fall nastiness virus. Never been more thankful to live next door to Blockbuster.

Love to you!

Melissa

Catalyst 2009 Compassion Moment from Catalyst on Vimeo.

8:15 PM UPDATE: I FOUND MY SPIRAL!! PRAISE GOD!! I am so happy. Thanks for getting into that with me, Siestas!

Y’all, I’m nearly panicked. I cannot find my Scripture memory spiral this morning! I’d already written my new Scripture in it for this round and I’ve seen it within the last twenty-four hours but I don’t know where I set it last! I looked in all the regular places and especially at the console of my car but no sign of it. I have a feeling that it slipped into the floor board and under the front seat but it was too dark to see in there when I was out searching this morning. Of course, I can fill in a whole new one but I WANT THE ORIGINAL. It and I have been through a lot together this year! I always write my address in the front of my spiral in case it ever gets lost and I’m careful to word it in such a way that the finder can clearly see that it’s an emergency. “IF FOUND PLEASE RETURN TO…!” So, if I left it somewhere, maybe someone will have mercy on me and mail it back to me. Blast. I bet I find it this morning. Lord have mercy, I’m one of those who can even manage to turn Scripture memory cards into drama. Well, there you go.

Here’s my verse for this round. It’s out of The Message and I love it already!

Invigorate my soul so I can praise You well,
use Your decrees to put iron in my soul. Psalm 119:175 The Msg

OK, Siestas, let’s hear yours! I love you guys.

PS. Watch for the announcement of the 30 winners of 2 tickets to the LPL 2010 of their choice tomorrow (Friday) morning!

*Comments are now closed. We will announce the winners on Friday morning. We’re so excited!*

HAPPY 30th BIRTHDAY, AMANDA!!

It is none other than Siestaville’s very own faithful Blog-Master’s big day and we are going to party down! True to form, she has requested that 30 of you get something for her 30th birthday. And since she is my firstborn and it’s such a big year, I’ve decided to give her a double portion of what she’s asked and total the number of giveaways at 60. Amanda loves friends and friendships as much as anyone I’ve ever known so, in her honor, we’re going to do our giveaways in pairs and let friends enjoy them together. Here’s how it’s going to work:

We are going to leave this post open for 24 hours then do a random drawing of 30 commenters (YOU CAN ONLY COMMENT ONCE!). Those thirty winners will each receive 2 tickets – one for her and a friend – to the Living Proof Live event of their choice in 2010. (See LPL schedule on our website for a list of terrific cities.) If you don’t have a blogger identity, no big deal but, be sure and identify yourself in your comment with your first name and your city. You will also be identified by the exact time you commented. Winners will be posted after the random drawing in 24 hours and told how to contact us. WE ARE PUMPED! (Remember, we moderate all our comments here on this blog which means they each have to be approved. That means your comment may not show up right away or may not show up for several hours. I’m spending the day with Amanda for her birthday so I will be away from the blog for chunks of hours at the time. I’ll get right back to it when I can. Please don’t comment a second time until 8 hours have passed and you still don’t see yours. Since this one involves a drawing, we have to keep it fair, Siestas!)

Now, humor a mother for a few minutes while I take a walk down memory lane with one of the most wonderful creatures God ever caused to touch my life. Happy Birthday, Darling! Dad, your Noogs and I love you so, so much.

Living Proof Live – Memphis from Rich Kalonick on Vimeo.

Many thanks again, Rich!

Deep breath in…deep breath out. Deep breath in…deep breath out. Siestas, I have less than 48 hours left before I wave a fond goodbye to my twenties and embrace the big 3-0. As of right now I’m not freaking out. I keep thinking that I will enjoy being the baby of the 30’s more than the oldest of the 20’s. Let me recount some of the high points of the last ten years.

Age 20: The Lord started opening doors for me to serve Him in ministry for the first time. I got to help with youth camp and was a missions intern that summer. I also met Curtis Jones! I learned a lot about my Redeemer.

Age 21: I got involved with Breakaway Ministries at Texas A&M. It was such a blessing in my life. Curtis and I went on a mission trip to Venezuela with a team from Breakaway. We came home knowing we wanted to serve God together for the rest of our lives and started asking Him to make a way for us to be married. (At that point we were still in college and living 11 hours apart.) We got engaged shortly after and then Curtis transferred to Houston Baptist University and got a job working in the youth department at HFBC. The Four Moores took a trip to Paris and Switzerland that summer.

Age 22: I graduated from college and married Curtis a month later!

Age 23: This probably wasn’t the easiest year. I loved being married, but it was definitely an adjustment. This was my first full year of employment at LPM.

Age 24: Curtis and I left Houston for a 5 month stint in England. We had some amazing experiences and learned a ton of important lessons there. I led my first Beth Moore Bible study – Breaking Free – with a group of British women who were at least 20 years older than me. Bless them for their patience with me! I had sworn I would never do that study because my friends constantly told me how hard it was. 🙂

Age 25: We moved to Irving, Texas, a few days before my 25th birthday and we started our three-and-a-half year season working with students at First Baptist Church of Irving. We bought our first home that summer and the next day found out we were expecting a baby.

Age 26: The best and hardest year of my life – becoming a mom!

Age 27: I had a blast with my little family of 3. Jackson was a little bit older and we took him everywhere. We were always going to local festivals, having playdates with friends, and spending lots of time with our church family.

Age 28: I got to stand next to my sister as she married the man of her dreams. We moved back to Houston and got to be fully involved with Living Proof. We loved getting to share everyday life with my parents again. We found out we were expecting another baby!

Age 29: The Lord gave me a daughter! Sometimes I still have to pinch myself. We made some incredible memories as a family this year.

I have so much to be thankful for. Why shouldn’t I look forward to my thirties? Actually, I don’t want you to answer that. I would love to know from those of you who have been there or are currently there, what do I have to look forward to? What are some of the best things about your 30’s?

Anybody want to go to the Memphis Living Proof Live event this weekend but can’t spare the money for a ticket? Thanks to the Siesta Scholarship Fund, we have ten tickets to give away. Please call Living Proof Ministries toll free at 1-888-700-1999 during work hours (8:30-4:30 CST) and ask for Susan or Kimberly. If you want to be there, we want you there. We love you, Siestas!

Let’s just pretend it’s really fall in Texas and it’s not crazy to be dressing my baby in this outfit. Let’s pretend that Houston’s not experiencing unseasonably warm weather with a heat index of 110. Let’s pretend that four months from now I won’t have a one-year-old!

Here’s Annabeth at 8 months.