Christmas Cookies of 2012

[I started typing this post up two weeks ago... probably time I should finish it.]

I made a ridiculous amount of cookies this year... like I do most years. Of course, this year I was put on maternity leave early so I had a little extra time on my hands. Here are a few of my favorites from this holiday season!

Tangerine Butter Cookies

These are delicious and unique, I have made them two years in a row. I got this from a Better Homes and Gardens special edition magazine from 2008.

Tangerine Butter (top cookie with the "+")
Pumpkin Pockets (middle cookie with the star)

3/4 cup butter, softened
11/2 cups sugar
11/2 tsp baking soda
11/2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
2 tsp shredded tangerine peel
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp orange extract
3/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup white cornmeal
4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar

1) In large bowl, beat butter on medium to high for 30 seconds. Add the 11/2 cups of sugar, the baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt. Beat until light and fluffy, scraping bowl occasionally. Beat in eggs, tangerine peel, vanilla, and orange extract until combined. Gradually beat in oil until smooth. Beat in cornmeal. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in any remaining flour. If necessary, cover and chill for 30-60 minutes or until dough is easy to handle.
2) Preheat oven to 350 F. Place the 1/2 cup sugar in a small bowl. Shape dough into 1-inch balls; roll balls in sugar to coat. Place balls 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Using a wooden skewer or toothpick, press an X into each ball of dough.
3) Bake in the preheated oven for 9-11 minutes or until tops are very lightly browned. While warm, lightly press again with wooden skewer to make deeper X. Transfer cookies to a wire rack; let cool. Makes about 84 cookies.

Pumpkin Pockets

Also my favorite! Found this recipe in the same magazine and bought a nice cookie cutter to make these extra fancy and professional.

1/2 cup water
1 tbsp granulated sugar
2 tsp cornstarch
1/2 cup pumpkin butter
1/2 cup snipped, pitted whole dates
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cloves
3/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup molasses
1 egg

1) For filling: In a small saucepan, combine the water, granulated sugar, and cornstarch. Stir in pumpkin butter and dates. Bring to boiling, stirring to dissolve sugar; reduce heat. Cook, uncovered, about 15 minutes or until filling is thickened, stirring frequently. Cook for 1 hour.
2) Meanwhile, stir together flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and cloves. In a large bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add brown sugar and molasses. Beat until combined, scraping bowl. Beat in egg. Beat in as much of the flour mixture as you can. Using a wooden spoon, stir in any remaining flour mixture. Divide dough into thirds. Cover and chill about 1 hour.
3) Preheat oven to 375 F. Line a large cooke sheet with parchment paper; set aside. On a lightly floured surface, roll out one of the dough portions to a 1/8-inch thickness. Using a floured fluted, round 2-inch cookie cutter, cut out dough. Place half of the dough rounds 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheet. Spread about 1/2 teaspoon of the filling in the center of each round on cookie sheet.
4) Using a floured 1/2- to 3/4-inch hors d'oeuvre cutter, cut out centers from the remaining dough rounds (I used a special cookie cutter with the center already cut out). Place cutout rounds on top of filling-topped rounds; press edges together.
5) Bake for 8-9 minutes or just until edges are firm. Transfer cookies to a wire rack; let cool. Repeat with remaining dough portions and remaining filling. Makes about 60 cookies.

Sour Cream Sugar Cookies

And finally, my go-to yummy sugar cookies recipe I use for those fun cookie cutouts I get to decorate with icing and sprinkles! Easy and delicious.

Christmas Cutouts

22/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 egg
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup sour cream

1) Combine first five ingredients and set aside.
2) Cream softened butter and sugar with mixer. Beat in egg and vanilla.
3) Stir in half of flour mixture with half of sour cream to the creamed mixture. Add remaining flour and sour cream; mix well. Divide dough into four parts.
4) On lightly floured surface, roll out one part of the dough to 1/4-inch thickness. Use cookie cutters to cut out shapes.
5) Place cutouts one inch apart on ungreased baking sheet and bake at 350 F for 10-12 minutes. Place on wire rack to cool.
6) Repeat with remaining dough.
7) Top with icing and sprinkles when cool! Yields approximately 31/2 dozen cookies.


ENJOY!!

New Camera, New Shape

So I've been trying to figure out my new camera. It is fabulous, by the way. I really wanted to get some professional photos of Jeff and I this summer, but after finding out I was pregnant (and checking out the costs), I decided against it. For now. We never even got engagement photos taken, so we've been wanting to get some pro photos. I guess we will just have to do so after our little one gets here! Of course I can't wait to do some newborn photos of him myself... :)

I have also been on the fence about getting maternity photos done. I've seen some really classy ones and some just plain awkward ones. There were some cute ones on Pinterest (see the name tag photo) and I also combined some ideas from the internet. My favorite is the Christmas tree photo. I saw one of two little kids standing in front of a lit up tree online and thought it would look cool to get a shot of my pregnant silhouette in front of the tree. In order to capture that shot the recommendation was to put the ISO on the camera as high as possible (mine went up to 6400), change the shutter speed to 1/30, and set the f-stop to 1.8 (mine would only go down to 4). The results turned out awesome! I plan to try this out in the future with my kiddos. I just wish my tree wasn't crammed in a corner with crap all around it. Any who... enjoy the photos!

PS... the doc put me on early maternity leave due to high blood pressure. Baby is looking great and his estimated weight is almost six pounds, but mommy is getting more uncomfortable by the day and now has lots more free time. This gives me more time to get my baking done and get the house ready for his arrival... at least after Christmas I'm hoping. I'll have to take some photos of the many different cookie recipes I tried out this year!

Giving Thanks Season

Sleepy

We are SO glad my family made the trip out to see us this Thanksgiving. Every year we make the 12 hour drive to see our families in Oklahoma, but this year, it was just a gift to stay home and relax. We will be missing some close family members this holiday season, but were reminded this week that the Lord gives as much as he takes away. The day before Thanksgiving, we took my family to my 32 week 3D ultrasound to see their newest family member! Technology these days is amazing and we were able to see our precious son's face quite clearly. He was sleeping and a little mad at us for waking him up...

Adorable

Grumpy

Baby Yawn!

We also had the chance to finish his nursery! We have had a few baby showers with family, friends, and church family and they have blessed us with everything we need! So thankful for those that are just surrounding our growing little family with love.

Because the Barros family will be making the trek up here for Christmas to visit us this year, we went ahead and had our Christmas present openings with the Waylans. Austin and Autumn got Uncle and Aunt t-shirts. Dad got his cross pen he has been asking for. Mom even got her Mother's Ring she has been asking for and wasn't expecting from all her kids this year! Jeff got CU football tickets for the next day. And I got my camera!! We've already gotten a glimpse at Bennett's adorable face... this new camera is going to be put to good use when he finally gets here!

Yup! The game is tomorrow!

Happy about expensive pens...

Auntie Aummie

Uncle Austin

Mama's Bling

Friday was game day. Jeff was surprised and loved his gift. Though the Buffs are having a not-so-great season, it was some quality family fun! And Bennett's only free game he will get to go to...

Just a little over 7 weeks until we get to meet our little one! We are getting really excited and just can't wait to meet him. :)

One Year Reminders

I'm reminded of how thankful I am for great parents today. My husband is the wonderful person he is in large part because of the godly parents who raised him. I wish that our children had the chance to know Jeff's mother here on earth, but they will instead have to get to know her through the qualities she passed on to their father.

So thankful for the little boy that is growing inside me and that I get to be his mother. I pray that I never take that responsibility for granted. 

A family is a little world created by love...

Fall is here! The aspens here are changing color and it is just gorgeous. I can't wait to carve pumpkins and eat pumpkin pie! We have had a busy start to October already. I feel like 2012 is going to be over before we know it with all the holidays on their way.

First off, some great news about our adoption: As of today, we are officially on the waiting list to adopt from Ethiopia!! The two year countdown can finally begin! The agency updated their policy and are allowing us to continue in the adoption process. Because the wait is so long, it works out quite well. There has to be at least 10-12 months between when children enter the home, either by birth or adoption, and the adopted child will need to be the youngest when entering the home. So, by the time our little Bennett is going on about two years old, we will get to meet his little brother or sister! It's crazy to think how much our lives our going to change in the next two years. We will welcome our firstborn into the world in about three months, then we will be adopting a child from Ethiopia in about two years. We are so excited and can't believe our little family is growing so quickly already! Thank you so much to all our friends and family for your continued prayers. I hope that you'll join us in not only praying for Bennett's safe delivery into this world, but also for our future adopted child who does not yet exist.

















As I mentioned at the start, October has been crazy busy for us already. The last weekend in September, we drove to Oklahoma to visit the Waylan and Dorland family. We won't get to see them for the holidays, so we wanted to get a quick trip in (and give Bennett a taste of KuKu!). My wonderful family threw us our first baby shower and they did such an excellent job. The decorations were awesome, the food delicious, and the games hilarious. What a loving family Bennett is coming into!













After that, Ashley flew to Virginia and Jeff stayed in Oklahoma for weddings. Jeff's sister, Ashlie, got married in OKC on 10.05.2012 and they had a picnic-themed wedding. I'm so sad I missed Jeff officiating his sister's wedding and she looks absolutely gorgeous in her pictures! Can't wait to see more!

Meagan, Ashley's roomie from college, got married on 10.06.2012 in a barn in Nellysford, VA! It was an absolutely beautiful country wedding. Congratulations to both of these lovely ladies!

Pregnancy is going well so far. Just a week or two away from the third trimester! I did learn, however, that hours in cars and planes is even less fun when you are pregnant. I just got home yesterday, so I'm still in recovery mode. Baby B seems to be doing just fine, practicing his gymnastics and waking his mom up with his soccer kicks in the middle of the night. My next appointment is this week and I will have to do the glucose test, so ick. Our next ultrasound is scheduled for the week of Thanksgiving when my parents will be here and we can't wait to share that with them and get another peek at our little one before he makes his debut in January. The nursery has a ways to go, but at least we got it painted! We are waiting on his furniture to come in, then we will start with the setting up.

The holidays will be here soon, so that means family and food! My favorite time of the year! Ashley's family will be visiting for Thanksgiving, then Jeff's family will be here for Christmas! I may be doing some waddling by then, but I can't wait to get my Christmas cookies started. Wow, January really will be here before we know it...


In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice;
in the morning, I lay my requests before you
and wait expectantly.
~ Psalm 5:3

Slugs, Snails, and Puppy Dog Tails

Let's hope that's not what I'm feeling wriggling around in my belly right now. Luckily, little boys are are just made out of flesh and bone and this one's already working up some muscles with all his kicks and punches. Jeff's going to be so proud when he gets old enough to play on a soccer field. 

That's right, we are having a boy! We got to find out on August 15th at 18 weeks. So, the story goes... we went to our scheduled doctor's appointment to get the anatomy scan done and we were just so excited because they were going to tell us what we were having! Boy? Girl? Puppy?? I don't know about Jeff, but I couldn't sleep the night before. So, the ultrasound tech was doing all her measurements and after looking at his femur length, brain, and some other organs, it was finally time to check between the legs! Unfortunately, our little guy was being stubborn and uncooperative that day and decided he did not want to show off for us. Basically, we left there disappointed with some grainy pictures of his scrawny buttocks.

Baby B @ 18 weeks

18 weeks

This child is going to find out soon enough that we can be just as stubborn and determined as him. So... we scheduled another ultrasound. It actually wasn't too much out of pocket for a quick gender scan, so I sipped on some sugary fruit juice and off we went! It was actually a lot of fun because they gave us a sneak peek at him in 3D. I actually had no desire to have any 3D ultrasounds done, but after seeing his adorable little face, we are thinking about going back before he is born... 

So, our dear future son, that is the story of how you decided to cross your legs when all we wanted to do was take a glimpse at your little package. I'm sure when you are a toddler and streaking naked through our home, we will look back on that day and smile. :)

And in case you are wondering, yes, we have picked out a name: Bennett Eugene Barros

As for an update on our paperwork "pregnancy," aka, our adoption process: we are still waiting for our agency to update their policies, but they are going to allow us to submit our dossier to Ethiopia! We don't have all the details yet, but all we know so far is that we are going to get on the waiting list soon and that is great news because it is a 20-24 month wait list right now... So, we are just updating some documents and then they will be sending it off! I think little Bennett will be ready for a baby sister when he is going on two years old, right? ;)

Please pray for our little boy God is knitting together in this womb and that the pregnancy continues to go well with no complications. Also, please pray for the adoption process and for the child that we will one day have the privilege of offering a loving home to. Thank you so much to all of our family and friends, just for loving and supporting us as our family grows. We are excited to share these amazing times with you.

Mama Barros @ 20 weeks

Model Planes for the Nursery
made by Grandpa and Daddy

Paths and Plans

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.
- Proverbs 3:5-6

I have been putting off this blog update for a couple of reasons. One, I didn’t want to spill the beans about a certain little bean too soon. Two, I have been SO lazy this summer! I normally am one who likes to stay busy to the point of overloading myself, but lately I have wanted nothing more than to sit on the couch, eat Jello, and watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer… So lazy in fact, that after planning to announce our big news through this blog first, I opted for the much less work of simply posting a picture on Facebook.

So, in case you haven’t heard already… Jeff and I are pregnant!! Well, just I am pregnant, but you get the point. Our little Barros bean is going on 16 weeks this week and we are so excited and surprised and elated and pretty much unprepared! Finding this out and sharing the news was so much fun. So the story goes… Jeff was gone for the month of June on a short Air Force tour (he had a great time and was recognized by some important Commander dude, by the way… you should ask him about it sometime!). He left Memorial Day weekend on that Saturday, so Friday night we went out to a new Brazilian steakhouse in Colorado Springs and it was delicious! So delicious, in fact, that we stuffed our faces. I took Jeff to the airport on Saturday and by Sunday morning I was still feeling overstuffed and kind of nauseated. I thought it was just my big meal, but my “monthly bill” was running late and I had an extra HPT under the sink, so I thought I’d try it out. I was used to being disappointed to I wasn’t expecting much and continued to get ready for work that morning. When I looked at it again and saw that extra line, my first thought was, ‘No way! This must be a joke.’ So… on my way home from work that day. I bought four more pee sticks. I used two more that day and two more the next day, Monday, to be sure. Sure enough, they were all positive. I wanted to try and go visit Jeff to tell him in person, but was only able to hold it in for two days before I told Jeff over Skype! I sent him a text message with a picture of a positive test while he was sitting there and his initial response was, "Whaaaaat..." Haha, I think he was as speechless as I was. After talking about the possible due date and everything, his next thought was my favorite... The baby is due in January and his thought was, "We aren't going to get anything for Christmas!" Oh the worries of a new father...

Baby Barros @ 10 weeks

If you have read our blog before, many of you may also know that we are in the process of adopting from Ethiopia! In fact, we were just about to submit all our stacks of paperwork and legal documents to our agency and the Ethiopian government when I had a weird feeling and decided to pee on five sticks only to find out that our family (and my belly) would be growing sooner than we anticipated. We are still set on adopting and have had long discussions with our adoption agency. Right now, the waiting list for Ethiopia is TWO years! We are asking to still be put on that waiting list, but we are still waiting to hear back from the agency’s “upper management” to find out if this will be possible or not. Please pray that we hear good news soon! :)

I heard a saying once that makes even more sense to me now than when I first heard it: "If you want to make God laugh, make plans." Jeff and I had planned to have children sooner, but it just didn’t work out that way. We have both always wanted to adopt, but we thought it would be something we would venture into later in our life. When our plans weren’t working out the way we had hoped, we thought, ‘well maybe the plan is for us to adopt sooner than we had originally planned.’ You can try and plan to have kids at a certain time, or plan to have a certain degree before you reach a specific age, or plan to get married (or not get married) by a certain date. You can even “plan” to have all of your parents alive and present when your first child comes into this world so that they have a chance to meet ALL their grandparents. As much as I hate to admit it, because I’m a planner myself, life doesn’t work out that way.

Baby Barros @ 14 weeks

Since our paths were joined four years ago, this new conjoined path we are on has seen its ups and its down. We've seen some beautiful scenery and we've seen some not so great scenes. I can't believe it has already been four years, but I am so excited to see where else this path takes us. There will be more wonderful and breathtaking moments (January, maybe?) and there will be some sad and hard times, but we are so excited to be on this path together and to see what adventures it leads us to next. Thank you Lord that you are on that path with us and that you already know where it leads to.

For You formed my inward parts;

You wove me in my mother's womb.

I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully

and wonderfully made;

Wonderful are Your works,

And my soul knows it very well.

My frame was not hidden from You,

When I was made in secret,

And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth;

Your eyes have seen my unformed substance;

And in Your book were all written

The days that were ordained for me,

When as yet there were not one of them.

- Psalm 139:13-16

Learning Beauty and Patience

Time for a monthly update... no, we haven't travelled overseas or bought another house. Although, there are plenty of places still on our list to go to!

I can't say the month of May has been bad to us so far. Jeff did his first ceremony thing at a military retirement. I wish I had pictures of him all dressed up in his uniform! He leaves soon for more chaplain training this summer. I'm just glad it is only one month and not three this year. The poor boy has to spend a month in Panama City, FL. Rough, I'm sure...

We finally got a chance to put our new camping gear to use! We spent five days near Salida, CO. The days were beautiful, but the nights were freezing! Good thing we got some nice sleeping bags to keep us warm. We brought the pups, too. That was interesting. Of course our husky, Nanook, was just fine sleeping in the tent at night, but we didn't think that our boxer, Maggie, would freeze her tail off. I guess we just didn't think it would be that cold. So... she slept in Jeff's sleeping bag with him. Spoiled.

I have to say, if you ever need to figure out if you and another person are compatible, go on a camping trip and put up a brand new tent together. I always brag about what a great team Jeff and I make, and the fun we had together camping that week only proved my point. Even if there were a few frustrations here and there, we really had a great time. We went hiking, fishing, zip-lining, and made some delicious meals over the campfire together. I'm so thankful for my husband and the fun times we have together. Check out our pictures! :)

The adoption process is still trudging along... it really is a long and frustrating process. You basically submit a payment with some paperwork, wait, get more paperwork to do, wait, then have another fee to pay. We aren't even on the waiting list for a referral yet and that is about an 18 month wait right now. We are currently waiting for an appointment from the US Immigration offices to get another set of fingerprints from us. This is the FINAL piece of paperwork we need before we submit our packet to the Ethiopian government for approval! Why do I feel like every lesson that I learn is about patience? Can't we move on to something new because I'm going to be learning that lesson until the day I die! We are so excited and can't wait to be able to provide a loving home to an orphan, but I feel like we have to hamper that excitement or else we will get burnt out before this whole process is over.

Although I don't particularly want to live in Colorado the rest of my life, even if I did, I don't think I could get used to its beauty. God's beautiful handiwork is all around proclaiming his greatness and majesty and I am so thankful to just have eyes to see it.

In light of our previous post about throwing down your books and getting out and exploring (though I have the utmost respect for those paper teachers), some words from William Wordsworth to brighten your day (as it surely brightened mine):

The Tables Turned
(An Evening Scene on the Same Subject)

Up! up! my Friend, and quit your books;
Or surely you'll grow double:
Up! up! my Friend, and clear your looks;
Why all this toil and trouble?

The sun, above the mountain's head,
A freshening lustre mellow
Through all the long green fields has spread,
His first sweet evening yellow.

Books! 'tis a dull and endless strife:
Come, hear the woodland linnet,
How sweet his music! on my life,
There's more of wisdom in it.

And hark! how blithe the throstle sings!
He, too, is no mean preacher:
Come forth into the light of things,
Let Nature be your Teacher.

She has a world of ready wealth,
Our minds and hearts to bless
Spontaneous wisdom breathed by health,
Truth breathed by cheerfulness.

One impulse from a vernal wood
May teach you more of man,
Of moral evil and of good,
Than all the sages can.

Sweet is the lore which Nature brings;
Our meddling intellect
Mis-shapes the beauteous forms of things:
We murder to dissect.

Enough of Science and of Art;
Close up those barren leaves;
Come forth, and bring with you a heart
That watches and receives.

Travel, Learn, and Explore!

Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime. - Mark Twain

I have to say, I whole-heartedly agree with Twain's view on travel. You may read hundreds of books and watch dozens of movies or documentaries and think you really know about a culture, people group, or religion, but there is no better way to learn than to be immersed in it. So if you ever have the chance, even if it is just for a short week, travel, learn, and explore!

Jeff has had the chance to spend a good deal of time in India and has travelled to its different areas and visited its various peoples. Last month was my chance. I was blessed to get the chance to go visit a friend who has been living there for almost two years! I am so proud, and a bit jealous, of the amazing adventure she has been experiencing. :) I was only there for a week, but I got to do and see a lot. I wish I could have stayed for a month! I got to meet some awesome people, eat some delicious food, drink homemade chai, learn how to make henna designs, visit some amazing places, and even help out with a small medical clinic. What a loving culture and people. Just a little tidbit I learned about their family-oriented lifestyle... A woman who is older than you is called Didi (older sister) as a sign of respect. They really make you feel a part of the family when they address you this way! An elderly woman would be called Auntie.

I took over 500 pictures, but here are just a few to highlight my favorite moments...

First full day in India and up at 6 AM to go see the Taj Mahal!

 

My very first design attempt with henna :)

A friend I made who did a great job
with her first henna design!

At the Lotus Temple

Agra Fort

Akshardham - this was as close as our cameras were allowed,
but up close this place is unbelievable!!

Auto Rickshaw

        

Humayan's Tomb

Qutub Minar

These people pretty much made a line to take pictures with us
so we didn't let them get away without our own photo op!

India Gate

Jama Masjid

We climbed to the top of one of the minars...

... and here was our view of Old Delhi from the top!

I had a blast and I was so glad I got a chance to visit my friend, Meagan, and get a glimpse at what she has been experiencing for the last two years. What an amazing lady she is! :)

Unfortunately, there won't be any more overseas travel anytime soon. It's sort of an expensive deal... Our next trip abroad will most likely be to Ethiopia, but that will be some time from now. Our home study is currently in the revision stage so we are just answering some random questions and providing some random documents to be sure our home study meets all the policies laid out by our adoption agency, the state of Colorado, and also the government of Ethiopia. Once that is completed we will have it sent to the state of Colorado to approve it and will have to get yet another set of fingerprints. Once that is completed... we will get to submit our dossier documents to Ethiopia (along with another hefty legal fee) and pray that we will be approved! I knew this would be a long, taxing process, but I can't believe we aren't even to the halfway point. I'm pretty sure I'm just going to have to get used to praying for patience and trust in the Lord everyday of my life because I really don't feel like I'm getting anymore patient than I was yesterday or the day before.

Jeff will be doing some traveling soon, to Panama City, Florida! Poor him, right? He received his orders from the Air Force and he will be spending a large amount of his summer there. If I can find myself a decent airplane ticket, I would love to visit him (and to hang out on the beach...). We are trying to plan a fun camping trip before he leaves, maybe to Salida, Colorado. We got all this awesome new camping gear for Christmas and we are just dying to try it out, but with work and classes and such a short amount of time to plan, we are having just a little trouble scheduling some outdoor fun in our lives. So, hopefully that will work out before he leaves. If not, there may be more time in the summer to get some use out of our new tent before the snow comes again.

A great reminder from Paul that we are ALL made from the image of God regardless of our color, language, or location; and a reminder this Easter season that the scarlet blood of the Lamb can make us white as snow, name us brothers and sisters, and relate us to those we've never even met:

For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.  There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.  And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. - Galatians 3:26-29