Mog's Cave

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Mog's Cave Creation on Etsy



A moogle magnet from Mog's Cave Creations!



Putting Myself Out There...

So, I think it's time I start writing, and not just blog posts. There have been several projects that I have wanted to tackle for a while now. As I think about my career, where it is and where I would like to see it heading, I think it's time. Okay, well, half of me think's it's time. The other half is scared out of it's mind!

I think anyone who has ever considered writing and putting it out there for others to read and criticize knows how scary it can be. There's also that little concern of "what if I suck?"

Add to all that the fact that I don't know which of the many ideas I have that I want to work on. I think it's best to just jump right in, cross my fingers and pray! Any additional prayers or tiny shoves would be greatly appreciated!

Cervical Dysplasia and Cancer

Today marks nine months since my LEEP! It might be uncomfortable, but ladies, please go get your yearly exam and pap smear! It could save your fertility and your life!

Recipe Review: Poor Man's Lasagna with No Yolk Noodles

So, a long time ago, I had a coupon to get a bag of free No Yolk Noodles. These are egg noodles with no cholesterol and are 99% fat free. I got a package of the dumpling style. Now, I don't know why I got dumpling style (can't remember if they were the only type in the store or if I just really wanted to make dumplings). Long story short, they sat in my pantry for some time and I decided to bite the bullet and make something with them before they go bad.

So, I was looking online, and there I found one of my mom's favorite recipes: Poor Man's Lasagna. This was a really simple version using the No Yolk Noodles dumplings. Here's the recipe:

1 bag No Yolk Noodles dumpling style
2 cans Prego Heart Smart Traditional Italian Sauce
1 pound shredded Mozzarella cheese (2% skim)

Boil the noodles and cook through just like with any pasta. Then, put a layer of noodles on the bottom of the pan. Cover with sauce and sprinkle with cheese. Put a second layer of noodles and sauce. Cover top almost completely with cheese.

You can leave it at that, but I added Italian Seasoning and a sprinkle of grated parmesan to the top layer.

Slide in the over and bake at 325 for 15-20 minutes or until the cheese looks baked and some of the noodles start to brown.

One pan makes about 6 servings.
(Nutrition Facts from MyFitnessPal and are only an estimate)
Total Calories: 518
Total Fat: 15 g
Saturated fat: 7.6
Polyun. fat: 1.2 g
Monoun. fat: 5.1 g
Trans fat: 0g
Sodium: 1097.1 mg
Potassium: 713.4 mg
Total Carbs: 64.8 g
Fiber: 8 g
Sugar 20.5 g
Vit A: 23.9%
Vit C: 6.7%
Calcium: 62.3%
Iron: 17.6%

Here's what I liked about the meal: 

• Super easy and only used four total dishes: one pot, one pan, strainer, spoon.
• Vegetarian! Great for serving mixed groups of veggies and non-veggies. You could probably even try it with a vegan cheese-substitute.
• Low Calories! 518 calories for an italian dish with this much cheese is simply amazing!

Here's what I didn't like:

I didn't like the noodles. They are egg noodles and they taste like eggs. I think it would be possible to get used to the taste of the noodles, but being so used to flour/wheat noodles, they just tasted off. Now, Philip liked it and didn't have a problem with the egg taste, so it could just be my picky taste buds.

Why I Love Religion AND Jesus

I believe the words of Christ when He said that He did not come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it.

I believe that the life of a Christian is made more joyous when one is free to live within the law and within grace.

I believe that God has freely forgiven me and is seeking me out. I believe that by altering my behavior to be more like the person God has called me to be, I am also seeking Him.

I don't believe that religion alone has caused any wars. Wars are fought by people and for the motives of said people.

I don't believe there's anything wrong with a large church: it can shelter more people.

I believe that divorce is against God's design for man. I also believe that Jesus died because no one else could live up to God's design.

I believe that God loves each and every one of His creations deeply and fully.

I don't believe that God has any problem with religion. I think God has a problem with people taking their wickedness and disguising it as religion.

I believe that the religion that God the Father hold to be pure and faultless is this: to look after widows and orphans in their distress. I believe that includes widows and orphans who don't look/think/believe the way I do as well.

I believe that are churches are not perfect. We need more honesty. We need to show the world that we are all broken people coming together for healing from the master Healer.

I believe that changing our behaviors helps us to change our core. I believe that if we are to be in a relationship with a holy and just God, we must seek to be holy and just. I believe that we will always fail in this seeking. That's why I believe Jesus died to helped bridge that gap.

I believe that the Church and religion give me a wonderful and vibrant heritage.

I believe that Christ died for me, as I am a part of the creation that was lost and needed to be rectified to the Creator.

I believe that the Church is Christ's bride, not me, not you.

I believe that Christ loves the Church and eagerly awaits her.

I believe that religion is man's attempt to seek out the Creator. And I believe that the Creator rejoices when His creation calls out to Him.

I love my God. I love Jesus. I love the Church.

Musings from Matthew 5

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. -Matthew 5:27-29


Tonight, I'd like to talk, or better type, about something that stands out to me. We often hear the above verse, but I don't think we really take it seriously very often. And ladies, I think we tend to down right ignore it. Tonight I specifically want to talk about how this verse applies to celebrities. 


Often I hear women talking about how handsome, good-looking, sexy, etc. certain male celebrities are. I admit, I've done the same. However, it struck me a few months back how this verse applies to such talk. It struck me when a friend was going on about how good looking (with various many more adjectives and facial expressions) Ryan Reynolds is. What hit me, was that she did this right in front of her husband. Now, he didn't say anything, and I don't know if they talked about it later, but it struck me: women often think this okay.


Now ladies, if you husband stood there in front of you and went on about hot, sexy, attractive, ect. Jennifer Aniston or Katherine Heigl was, how would you feel? I know that personally, I would possibly be very hurt or angry, depending upon my mood. 


So, I let this stew around in my mind a little. Women tend to talk about male celebrities fairly often as part of "girl talk," or at least, many of my friends do. However, I think that our "talk" borders dangerously close to the mental adultery that Jesus warns against.

Yes, male celebrities tend to be good looking men. However, I would encourage us wives to have eyes, and libidos, solely for our husbands. Perhaps this means that you should limit what you watch. Perhaps this means limiting what you talk about with your friends. Perhaps for you this is just something to think about. Let's just each work a little harder to honor ourselves, our husbands, and our faith with what we say and how we act.

Why Date Night Is Important

Tonight is date night. Once the brownies are out of the oven, we'll be off to dinner and a movie (Mexican and the new Sherlock Holmes to be precise.) I'm excited. I worked extra earlier in the week so I could take the afternoon off and be able to rest before we headed out (we took a nap together, which we both desperately needed). So back to the excited thing, as I told my coworkers about my plans for the evening, I think I got a few sly looks. It seems as if they didn't understand why I would be so excited and insistent about leaving on time for date night.

Every couple needs date night. If you and your spouse don't do date night, you should. Here's why.

Research shows that a large portion of marital satisfaction can be traced back to two broad areas:
1. Does the couple spend time together outside of the tasks of marriage (maintaining the house, work, child-rearing, and sex)?
2. Does each spouse believe that they are important to and a priority for the other?

If the answer is yes to these questions, the couple is more likely to be satisfied in the marriage than if an answer is no. (This is a summary of several different theories/research.)

This is why date nights are so important. Here are the keys to a successful date night (from my perspective):

You must engage in something that you both enjoy. If it's one person's hobby and the other is just tagging along, that doesn't count. If you go out to eat at her favorite restaurant, and he can't stand it, that doesn't count. For instance, tonight we're going out for Mexican. Now, I usually do not like Mexican food all that much. However, I've really wanted a steak quesadilla all week. So, I suggested a local Mexican restaurant that I know Philip likes. He gets to eat someplace he really likes, that we don't go very often, and I get my quesadilla.

The next important aspect of date night is intentionality. Philip and I spend plenty of time together and we often go out to eat or do something with one another, but on date nights, we specifically set that time aside just for the other person. We naturally answer yes to that first question and date night helps us to show one another the answer to question two is also yes. It's not date night if I open up the meat for dinner and it smells bad. It's date night because we decided ahead of time that that evening was reserved for one another. Unless an emergency occurs that stops you from having date night, it does not get cancelled, ever.

For those who have children there's always more to consider. If you can, get a sitter. If not, bring the kids with you. Nothing will be a better lesson for your children on how to treat a partner, or be treated, then seeing you and your spouse having a good relationship. Your children should see that you and your partner love one another and how you show that love. This teaches them (stronger than any words or lessons at church camp) how they should treat others, and how they should be treated.

One thing I hear a lot is that people can't afford a date night. I don't buy that. If you can afford to eat, you can afford date night. Have date night at home. Watch a movie and each frozen pizza. If you are spending time together and being intentional about it, that's date night.

So, the brownies are out of the oven. I'm going to get ready!