The Adventures of Tintin

Somewhere along the way as I grew up, I was introduced to the Adventures of Tintin. And boy, were those a hit in our house! From King Ottokar's Sceptre to Tintin in Tibet: we read every colorful book. A few years back, we were hesitant to accept the news that Tintin would star in a movie come 2011. Would the makers respect Herge's comics?

                                                                                                                                          I'm excited to say that The Adventures of Tintin really did justice to the books. Tintin looked perfect, Captain Haddock's voice was superb, and the plot was entertaining and quite true to the original story. Add that to the spectacular animation effects, and you have my favorite movie! I'm hoping to see a sequel to this amazing film in the coming years.

Captain Haddock's thirst for adventure is "Unquenchable"

Style: Bold Stripes

  

 

DIY Frappuccino

Mmm! Who doesn't love an icy, sweet frappuccino from Starbucks Coffee? But there's a problem: the price. A typical 12-oz frappe costs nearly $4.00, giving you only a few sips of coffee delight for the price of a gallon of gas. The solution: make your own frappuccino!

After researching ingredients and doing plenty of experimenting, I have designed what I believe is the perfect copycat frappe recipe.

Before You Begin
To get the blended ice texture and coffee flavor, I used coffee ice cubes. To make your own, brew 4-6 cups of coffee using 1.5 or 2 times as much ground coffee as usual. Let it slightly cool, then pour the strong coffee into empty ice cube trays. Freeze the cubes to use in the recipe.

Ingredients
12 coffee ice cubes
3/4 cup milk
2 tbsp. caramel sauce (I made my own! recipe here)
2 tbsp. chocolate sauce
2 tbsp. white sugar
1/2 cup vanilla ice cream (optional, for added creaminess)
whipped cream

Instructions
Blend the milk, sugar, flavored sauces, and ice cream. Once they have combined, add the coffee ice cubes into the blender and set on High until the ice is smooth. Pour into a glass, top with whipped cream, and enjoy! Serves 2.

Forgiven

Romans 3:23
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,


Psalm 32:3-5
When I kept silent, my bones grew old Through my groaning all the day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; My vitality was turned into the drought of summer. I acknowledged my sin to You, And my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the Lord," And You forgave the iniquity of my sin.


I John 1:9
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.


Romans 5:1
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ

Well, nobody's perfect, we say when we're accused. It's a pretty lame excuse, but it happens to be true. None of us is perfect: we all sin. A lot. Telling a white lie, yelling at mom, hating someone, cheating on homework, saying crude words, looking at someone lustfully. . . on and on the list grows, and as we try to remember every wrong we've done, shame and guilt overwhelms us. Left with the burden of these sins, what are we to do? Ignore everything? David wrote in Psalm 32, "When I kept silent . . . Your hand was heavy upon me." The load would be unbearable. Or, we can turn to God. Strip away the tough facade, leaving yourself open, with nothing to hide. Repent and believe in Jesus. Ask Him to forgive you, because he can and will. He can take your sin, every last drop! Black stains washed away. It is so refreshing to give yourself up to Him, receiving peace with God.

Welcome!

Hey guys! This is Lydia. Welcome to my first blog ever: Dear Notebook. On this blog, I'll share devotionals, updates, recipes, cool photos, book reviews, and so much more. Enjoy!