The Proposal

  So two years ago today my hubby proposed to me...thank God I said yes!

I still remember that day as if it was yesterday. It was a Monday and I had gone to school as usual. Franky went to pick me up and I remember that I actually got out a little early that day, I'd say it was about 4pm. When we got to my house he told me "hey, do you want to go to the beach?" I would never turn down an afternoon at the beach, so I said "sure!" I immediately went upstairs and got ready quickly so we could get there before sunset. We got in the car and drove to South Beach, Fl. When we got to the actual beach I went to try out the water but it was really cold so I told Franky I'd enjoy the beach from the shore and he told me "that's fine, I'll stay here with you".

 

This picture was taken right before he proposed...I had no idea what was about to happen! 

And if you want to see how he actually proposed, read below...the story from Franky himself.

"Well I had been thinking of proposing for quite a while before I took the big step.  In fact, I put a ring on layaway (which is not the one I ended up getting her) after we had been dating for only a couple of months, because God had told me she was the one and I was so certain of it.  The day before the proposal I went to talk to her parents about it, and they agreed to us getting married since they could see that we were so in love.  The actual day of the event, was also the day I bought the ring.  I had been looking at that ring so much, that the day I actually went to buy it, the guy from the jewelry store didn't even pay attention to me because he thought I was "just looking" once again.  After I was sure that I was going to get it that day, came the point of hassling the price (anyone who knows me just a little can tell you that no matter how cheap or expensive the ring might have been, I would have had to haggle the price just to feel like I was getting a good deal).  So after convincing myself and the salesman of the price that I wanted to pay; I GOT THE RING!! Now here I was with an engagement ring in my pocket and I wasn't really sure of what to do with it, what I did know, was that I wasn't going to let another day pass without giving it to her, because if I did, just like with every other surprise, she would have found out before I would have wanted her to.  I picked her up from school that day and I was just holding myself back from giving it to her in the car.  At one stoplight I even reached in my pocket and grabbed it, but I stopped myself from "proposing in the car."  Finally I had an idea!  I was going to write her a poem and sing her a song and cook dinner for her all by myself, then I was going to take her to a park overlooking the ocean and as the sun set, I would have proposed.  WRONG!  It turns out, Eleni is way smarter than that and she would have caught on by the time we got to the park, and that's the last thing I wanted, for her to catch on.  So I took her to the beach and while we sat there in the sand, I looked around to make sure that what felt like a multitude of people would stop looking at us and leave us alone so I could "pop the question."  After a while of thinking of what to say and the right thing to do I got on both knees because I felt she was way too special for me, to just give her a regular kneel.  And with my heart beating at a thousand beats per second I asked her, "Baby, will you marry me?"  You can only imagine the look in her eyes when she saw the diamond, it was like water in the desert.  I was so relieved, everything had happened but I felt like it was all just starting."

 

This picture was taken right after he put the ring on my finger.

And that's how it happened! Franky accomplished his goal of catching me completely off guard, and I got the surprise of a lifetime. The day was absolutely perfect and to top it off, he proposed just as the sun was going down. It was one of the best day's of my life, but little did I know that the best was yet to come.

  

Vegan Mac 'n' Cheese

For those of you that don't know me that well, I love cooking and I'm really into healthy eating. I have been completely vegetarian for over a year now and I am currently working on becoming completely vegan. It has been quite the journey so far but I've learned many new things along the way. I still can't believe how many delicious foods can be made without the use of meat or dairy. Yes! You heard right! No DAIRY! And one of my all-time favorite foods is definitely Mac 'n' Cheese. Who doesn't love some good Mac 'n' Cheese? Well you may be wondering how it can be possible to make Mac 'n' Cheese without the cheese? Look below and I'll show you how. It's so easy!

Before you start you need to gather together the ingredients.

Ingredients 

1 box elbow macaroni 

2 cups broccoli florets 

¼ cup vegan margarine (I used smart balance) 

1/3 cup all-purpose flour 

3 cups soy milk (make sure its plain, not vanilla)

½ cup nutritional yeast 

2 tablespoons tomato paste 

2 teaspoons salt 

1 teaspoon garlic powder 

1 tablespoon lemon juice 

1 tablespoon syrup

Next bring a large pot of salted water to boil (for my chemistry fans, salt actually raises the boiling temperature of water and allows the pasta to cook faster). Next add the macaroni and cook according to package directions. It should take about 10-15 minutes. Cut the brocolli into florets and add them in the last 5 minutes of boiling. Cook the brocolli until tender then drain the water and return to the pot.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan make a paste by whisking together the margarine and flour over medium heat for about 3-5 minutes. Once the paste is formed add the soy milk little by little so that the paste slowly turns into a creamy sauce. Then add yeast, tomato paste, salt, and garlic powder and bring to a boil for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low and let simmer until sauce thickens. At this point you can add the lemon juice and syrup to taste. Add the sauce to the macaroni and serve immediately.

Doesn't that look amazing? 

Prep time: 10 min 

Cooking time: 20 min

Serves: 4-6 

Now for those of you that aren't vegan nor trying to be, you may think that there is no point in making this. I mean seriously, why go through the trouble when there is a perfectly good Kraft Macaroni that is ready in 15 minutes and all you have to do is add the powdered cheese? I'll tell you. There is nothing more satisfying that making your food from scratch! But beyond that, this recipe is full of good protein and low in fat so you don't have to feel guitly eating it (really, eat as much as you'd like). Oh and most importantly...it tastes amazing! So take the challenge, make your own vegan Mac 'n' Cheese, you won't regret it!

Homemade Bamboo Bed Frame Under $20

So recently my hubby had the awesome idea of making a bamboo bed frame for our guest room! As many of you may or may not know, we moved to Puerto Rico in August 2012 and have been living here ever since (I'll tell you more about that later). Anyway the point is we live in Puerto Rico! Anyway, I personally didn't know this until I moved here, but Puerto Rico is full of bamboo. It is practically everywhere! Oddly enough, it is illegal to cut it down (who would've thought). Fortunately for us, in an area near our home, some bamboo was already cut down because parts of it were burned by a fire that got out of control. Of course my crafty husband jumped at the idea! He looked up a link on how to make it (http://www.guaduabamboo.com/how-to-make-a-bamboo-bed.html) and we got to work.

First we had to convert all the measurements to inches because his measuring tape didn't have the marks for centimeters. We also had to calculate how much bigger we needed to make it widthwise since the measurements on the website were for a twin bed and we wanted to make it full. Once we calculated the sizes and how much we needed we set out to find our bamboo.

You might think that the challenging part was cutting the bamboo. Absolutely not! Although this part wasn't easy, finding the exact width for the bamboo was a serious task. To pick the right size we had to take the hole saw we bought and put it up to the bamboo to see if it would work. Needless to say we took a couple of hours cutting, labeling, and sorting out all the bamboo.

That night we got home late and decided to rest until the next day. It only took my husband about three afternoons of cutting and drilling (with my supervision of course hehe) to put the bed together.

Before showing you the finished product I want to remind you that this bed frame was practically free! Below are the costs of the materials used in making it:

Hole saw (67mm) -$14.99

Drill bit (6mm)- $4.47

Bamboo-Free!

Drill (borrowed from neighbor)- Free!

Total Cost- $19.46

And there it is!

The Story Behind "It Is Well with My Soul"

Hi everyone! I feel inspired to write about this man whom I just learned about earlier today in church. His name is Horatio Spafford. Many of you have probably never heard this name before as was the case with me, but when I heard his story I just had to share. Spafford lived in the 1800's...a long time ago and had a couple of really traumatic things happen in his life. The first of these events happened when his only son died at the age of four in 1871. This was followed by the Great Chicago Fire which ruined him financially, as he had been a successful lawyer and had invested his life savings in property in that particular area. He was further burdened by an economic downfall in 1873. At this time he planned a vacation with his family to Europe on SS Ville du Havre (this is a ship for those who don't know), but in a late change of plans he had to send his wife and four daughters ahead of him and decided to meet them there later. While crossing the Atlantic the ship crashed into another sea vessel and his four daughters died. His wife survived and sent him a telegram with these words: "Saved alone..."Spafford immediately got on a ship and traveled to bring his wife back home. While he was passing by the spot where his daughters passed away, he was inspired to write these words:

"When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,

When sorrows like sea billows roll;

Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,

It is well, with my soul,

It is well, it is well, with my soul..."

The song continues and I will post the link below so you can listen to it. I was deeply moved by this story and I just want you to take a couple of minutes to mediate on the things that are bringing you down, the things that keep you awake at night, the things that stress you out and don't allow you to have peace...

Now read this verse: "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." John 14:27

True peace can only be found in Christ. AMEN! When Spafford felt like his whole world was coming down on him he did nothing more than look at Christ...and THERE he found peace. I invite you to listen to this song and meditate on what Christ has done for you, then you will recieve his peace.

Heart Behind Why I Blog

"But now, O Jacob, listen to the Lord who created you.
 

O Israel, the one who formed you says,

“Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you.
 
I have called you by name, you are mine.

When you go through deep waters,
 I will be with you.


When you go through rivers of difficulty,
 you will not drown.


When you walk through the fire of oppression,
 

you will not be burned up;
 

the flames will not consume you.

For I am the Lord, your God,
 
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.

I gave Egypt as a ransom for your freedom;
 
I gave Ethiopia and Seba in your place. 

Others were given in exchange for you.

 I traded their lives for yours 

because you are precious to me. 
You are honored, and I love you."

Isaiah 43:1-4

What a beautiful passage! Doesn’t it seem wonderful to think about the fact that we have a God so loving that He promises to be with us wherever we go? Well, as you may see, the name of my blog is taken from the first verse of this amazing passage. You might be wondering why I chose the phrase “Called by Name.” Well, this phrase has a very important meaning to me. Think about the people that call you by name. Those are usually people who love you, care about you, or at least know you well enough to remember your name, right? Now think of what it means for the Creator of the Universe to call you by name, that sure has a special meaning for me. In this verse the idea of “called you by name” is a reference to both creation and election. God created us and then chose us to be His people. I believe God chose me to be His and that He will be with me wherever I go. I have been ‘Called by Name’.

Now the reason I chose to make this blog is to share my life with you and all of the amazing experiences that come with it. I have been blessed tremendously and I just want to share it with the world! I invite you to follow me and learn how it feels to live knowing that you have been ‘Called by Name’. I will also be sharing my cooking adventures so you’ll be able to enjoy that too!

Blessings,