The Garden

I recently attended a Garden Party offered by our Women's Ministry team.  I went with the expectation of escaping mommy-hood for a moment and having some grown-up conversation with sisters in my church family.  What I did not expect, but what in fact happened, was a worship experience.  When we walk into a worship experience unexpectedly, and we come face to face with the almighty God, the experience is just so much sweeter. Don't ya think?

I limited God in what He could do with that moment in time.  I put my own expectations in place of His much greater blessings.  He drew me closer to Him when I was in a mindset of escape.  Has anyone else noticed the many paradoxes in God's ways?  They never cease to rightfully put me in a state of awe. 

Not the actual party, but quite similar. I will get a picture of our party.

At first, I assumed that the reason for the theme of the event was a garden party because it was convenient to decorate for that kind of party especially when the ministry already had so many of the that type of decor in their store room.  Some flowers, some pots, a watering can and voila, garden party done. Let me clarify that I don't think, by any means, that the leaders of our women's ministry team look for the easiest way out of anything.  They are super hard working laborers for the Lord.  This was evidenced by the beauty they were able to display with gorgeous detail in a very plain room with black rubber floors.  When they shared why they chose the theme, it immediately became clear that this was not a convenience thing at all, instead it was nothing short of a blessing.

At that party, God reminded me through our church's women's ministry leaders, the speaker, a small book, and the music leader of the beautiful, albeit perfect (of course), metaphor of the garden.  Jesus Himself uses the Parable of the Sower to describe the type of soil needed for a seed to take proper root. Everyone is a plot of land, a meaningless spot of dirt until we accept Him.  He cultivates us and prepares us for His use and plan, a plan to prosper us for His kingdom.  For the purpose of us to then share the Seed of His Word with others. When He has prepared their soil then those seeds can take root, and so on as it is meant to be by the Creator of all Life. We are not called to work the soil of hearts of others, that is His labor, we were only called to spread the Seed of His Gospel, Jesus' last command to His people.

Additionally, He reminded me that this metaphor must be introspective, too. He desires for me to grow in His garden and be fruitful for His purposes, not my own. Realizing that it is His love, mercy, and grace that waters my soul to make me fruitful.  And by that fruit, others will see Him and seeds can be planted for them to become fruitful, as well.

It is all beautiful, perfect, and ALWAYS good in God's garden.  

My "Poo-Free" Experiment

Ooo! Gross!
Yeah, I know, but I'm not speaking of that "poo"!  I'm talking shampoo here.  In my attempt to continue moving toward being a good steward of all that God has provided by making most of the cost effectiveness of the cleaning items I use in my home, I began to look at my beauty products, as well.  I tried toothpaste for a while.  It worked great!  However, I developed some tooth sensitivities and had to begin using store bought toothpaste made specifically for sensitive teeth to get some relief.  I still use (and have my children use) a homemade whitening toothpaste occasionally to brighten our smiles.

Moving to a poo-free life was not difficult at all.  I began about six months ago. I simply began using baking soda to wash my hair.  I use it two different ways.  When I have it mixed, my preferred method is half baking soda and half water.  After a quick shake in the shower to mix it up (water and baking soda separate when left to sit for a period of time), the mixture squirts easily from a bottle and I can get it down to my scalp better.  When I don't have this mixed up, I also keep a bottle of just baking soda.  I put a small amount in my palm, let the shower stream spray on the pile, rub my hands together until it is a shampoo-consistency and apply to my hair.

Either way, I have found that the SECRET to using baking soda for shampoo is scrubbing all the way down to the scalp.  And making sure every hair comes in contact with the soda.  It really is just that simple!

My hair did not respond well at first.  It felt super oily, sticky and heavy for the couple of weeks.  Of course, my hair has never been accused of being dry.  Just one missed day of shampooing, prior to this experiment, and my hair was a greasy mess!

THE SCIENCE BEHIND IT: I believe the oily, sticky, heavy feeling is due to your hair being used to overproducing oils when the chemical cleaning/stripping agents in store bought shampoos are applied to it daily.  So when you quit, it takes a few weeks for your hair to regulate oil production to the mild cleaning action of baking soda.  I have even heard of people whose hair has regulated to only being rinse by water each day.  Bless their hearts!  Maybe someday, but I am not there yet.

For whatever reason, at first I had to wash it everyday to get it even close to styleable.  Everyday got a little better and soon I found myself washing less often, so that now I can sometimes even go 3-4 days between washings!  This is amazing for a girl who, when using shampoo, had to wash at least every other day.  I could never go three days, and even the second day was iffy at best! I am impressed with how clean my hair feels, how well it styles, and the money I have saved.

***If I feel I need to condition, a half of a pea-sized amount of extra virgin coconut oil, tames the frizz and makes my hair feel soft as a cloud.

****Another fact I should point out is that I do not color my hair. I am not sure how this method works on colored hair.

I have not gotten my family on board yet, but my husband is getting close to trying it, so we will see how that works out!

No White Space

It has been TOO long since I have written.  It is not for lack of desire.  I have just felt a tad bit overwhelmed with life.  In a nutshell, my calendar has no (zero, zilch, nada) white space.  It is full to capacity.  Please know that I am far from proud of this fact.  I promise, I am not bragging here at all by any means whatsoever.  I am usually quite opposed to filling my calendar to capacity for one simple reason, it leave no room for God.  You know, the One for whom we were created to praise?  Yep, that one.

My Calender

*It leaves no room for me to spend the time with Him.  (The daily quiet time that I desperately want to spend with Him.)  *It also leaves little room for Him to work through my life.  (If I am rushing to and fro, I may not hear the Holy Spirit tell me to do something for someone else.) *It leaves little quiet space in my life for me to hear from Him as I desire.  (It is too loud in my life to hear the quiet, still voice of God.) Yes, filling the calender as I have is not a point of bragging rights for me at all!  Even if the things on my calendar are pretty great events.

Events that include mission trips, camps, kids activities, bible studies, volunteering, foster care, church events, appointments, etc.  All good things.  Still, none of which I can take any credit for.  Jesus is the only thing good in me.

I must do all things with Him and I can do nothing without Him.  

He is the source of my strength and life.  I would not have a life to fill it if not for Him.  So, no, I take no pride in my calendar looking as it does.  It is just proof of the abundant provisions and blessings He has given.

And just as He gave 1 day's worth of manna to the Isrealites each morning in the desert, He will, today, give just what we need to get through the day.  Not a gram more or less that we need or can handle.  And whenever it feels like it might not be the right amount, He wants us to turn to Him for strength.

We can proclaim His name for strength by saying, "Praise the Lord! Praise theLord! Praise the Lord!", "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus!" or "Blessed be the name of the Lord!".  In this way we are proclaiming His name with our voice and heart to invite Him into our lives.  God gave the name of Jesus power and distinction so Christians may call upon that name at any time.

Praise and worship invites God into our immediate circumstances.

There is no one I want to experience life's circumstances with than the Life-Giver Himself!  I will proclaim His name in this good and bad times.  In the overwhelmed and white-space times.  In the fulfilled and broken times.  In the busy and lonely times.  Any time, really.

Take some time today and look up "the name of Jesus" in your study Bible or a Bible web site and see what God's Word has to say about His name.  Big Daddy Weave lyrics to The Only Name say it well, too:

There will be one name that I proclaim!
Jesus! Jesus! Jesus, just that name!  

Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies

It was recently brought to my attention that I had not ever posted my most favorite recipe in all the world.

The Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
(pictures soon to come)
If followed exactly, the baker of this recipe will end up with consistently perfect chocolate cookies every time.  Promise.

This recipe requires a couple of very specific pieces of kitchen equipment to make them perfect: a digital kitchen scale and an upright mixer.  The mixer might be able to be bypassed with a hand mixer (although you may be tired afterward), but the scale is necessary as all of the loose/dry ingredients in this recipe are measured in grams.

2 1/2 sticks real butter
227 g white sugar
284 g light brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp real vanilla
2 eggs
241 g bread flour
241 g cake flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 1/2 bags 60% cocoa or greater chocolate disks (Ghiradeli or Hershey's)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cream together room temperature butter and sugars for 5 minutes in an upright mixer on high, scraping as needed.  While still on high, add the vanilla and one egg at a time.  Beat on high for another minute.  While mixer is going, weigh flours and add baking soda and powder to the flours, along with the kosher salt and whisk until blended.  Turn mixer to low and slowly add the flours into the mixer until JUST MIXED.  Once flour is added, mix for a minute or LESS.  Remove bowl, add chocolate and stir.  Put in a glass container and cover tightly with a lid or plastic wrap.  Put in the fridge for 48-72 hours.  Remove the dough and allow time at room temperature to soften and make it easier to handle.  Weigh out dough to 50 gram portions and roll into a ball, pushing in any chocolate that sticks out.  This will make for a prettier cookie.  Place dough on parchment paper cut to fit on a metal cookie sheet.  Sprinkle tops of each dough ball with a tiny bit of kosher salt.  Leave plenty of space, they will spread to be about 2 inches in diameter.  Bake for 18 minutes.  Check after 15 minutes.  You want the cookie only slightly browned.  Let sit for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet then gently transfer cookies with a large, very thin spatula to a cooling rack until cooled.

MORE INFORMATION:
You can pre-make dough balls, freeze them in a tightly closed container and bake as many or as few as you need over the course of a few weeks.  Why weigh loose ingredients and not use cups to measure?  Well, cups can be VERY inconsistent each time depending on how packed down the ingredient is.  Therefore, weighing in grams is a more accurate and consistent way to make the same cookie every time.  The kosher salt adds just the tiniest amount of saltiness to bring out the sweet of the cookie and the bitter of the chocolate, YUM!  The mix of flours give the cookie the perfect amount of chewiness and rise.  Using all purpose flour will not yield the same quality of cookie.  If you over mix the flours, your cookie will NOT rise properly.  This is not a recipe for your stoneware baking pans.  Parchment paper on even the cheapest aluminum cookie sheets work best.  Spacing is key so cookies are round, not lop-sided because they ran into each other or the sides of the pan.  Even on my large cookie sheet, I only put about 6 dough balls, on my small pan, only four.  This means more rounds in the oven, but well worth it for pretty, round cookies!

I got this recipe originally when I went on a Paula Deen cruise.  One of her guest chefs was doing a cooking show (well, "cookie" show, as it turned out) and I was chosen from the audience to be the chef's helper.  His name is David Liete.  He spent 6 months of his life researching and perfecting this recipe (must have been a tough job!) to make the ultimate chocolate chip cookie every time.  I have made this recipe hundreds of time in the last few years, when I follow it to a "tee", they turn out perfect and the same every time.  Any changes or short cuts are noticeable in the quality of cookie produced.  Please let me know how yours turn out!! Bon Appetit!!

Cabbage Creole (and a lesson, too)

One weekend, my mom brought over a dish.  It was the most delicious cabbage recipe I had ever tasted.  I am not a fan a cabbage.  Of the healthy-eating foods I will eat, it is very low on the list.  I kind of like the taste, but the smell...oh the smell...when it is cooking is nearly unbearable.  That is...Until I tasted this recipe.  Then I was certain I could endure the smell if this wonderfully simple and delicious flavor was at the finish line.

CABBAGE CREOLE

1 lb. of LEAN ground meat, seasoned, browned and drained (beef, venison, turkey)
(I use Tony's to season meat, but the flavor here is up to you)
1 chopped onion, sauteed
1 chopped green bell pepper, sauteed
1 LARGE head of cabbage, roughly chopped to about 1 inch squares
1 can of Rotel
1 can of Cheddar Cheese soup -OR- 1 8 oz block of Velvetta, cubed

In a large dutch oven, brown meat and drain, set aside.  Saute onion and bell pepper in a little of the meat drippings until just under-done.  Add cabbage and Rotel, cover and cook until just done, stirring occasionally.  Add meat and cheese, stir and let simmer for an hour or two.  Or put a lid on it and put it  in the oven at 250 degrees for the same amount of time.  I prefer the oven method, mainly because all my gas burners are too hot and simmering for too long usually burn on the bottom.

That's it!  A fairly healthy meal of simple deliciousness.  And only one pot and one colondar is dirtied!  It is a meal I can throw together on Sunday morning, and it is ready when church is over.  Speaking of which....

One Sunday morning, Easter Sunday as a matter of fact, I did just that.  Only, I had forgotten to turn the oven on when it was time to leave and put the pot in the oven.  So, in my infinite culinary wisdom (haha), I turned the oven on to 500 degrees to get it heated up more quickly, then I was going to turn the heat down and head out the door.  Only thing is...I forgot to turn the heat down. At first, walking up to the back door, it almost smelled good, then we walked into the kitchen.  OH NO!  It was not good.  Not good at all!!!

As I have mentioned previously, the smell of cooking cabbage usually prevents my preparing it in my house, however, the smell of burned to a crisp cabbage is enough to turn a person off to cabbage-eating for a lifetime!  Now keep in mind...it was in a cast iron dutch oven with the LID ON, and it still burned a layer of solid blackness an inch deep on the top and two inches deep on the bottom.  Only the thinnest layer of color was visible in the middle.  I was tempted to throw out the dutch oven and all, but with some hard work of three days of elbow grease, I am pleased to report I was able to recover the use of my dutch oven once again (I know, you were concerned, haha).

THINKING METAPHORICALLY:
Because I was so busy by the numerous things I was doing to get us out the door on Easter Sunday, I  missed some very important steps in the process of the task that I had been given, to make the Cabbage Creole.  More importantly, I and my family missed out on the blessings of deliciousness in my inattention and lack of focus on the other things.

I do this in my spiritual life at well.  I take my eyes off the important things and put my  attention and focus on other things.  This causes missed blessings.  And may even cause those closest to me to miss out on His blessings in a ripple effect.  It may not be as obvious to me at the time, like the stinch of burning cabbage, in fact we may never know we missed a blessing at all.  However, to teach and discipline us, sometimes God gives us the opportunity to see the missed blessing and we learn just how much He truly desires us to stay close to Him, focused on His ways, not for the what He can do for us, but simply the joy of having Him near.

Witness Protection

I have no doubt that Christians are involved in a war that we cannot see.  It is as real as anything we can see.  The issues we experience with our physical bodies have temporary value.  The war that we cannot see has eternal value.  Spiritual warfare is real.  Having an intimate relationship with God is the best defense against Satan's attempts to discredit the cause of Christ.

First of all, we must know our enemy, but not fear him.  Christians fight FROM victory, not FOR victory.  God is not losing the war and does not need us to fight for Him.  God has won the war, but Satan still battles for our focus, to try to get our eyes off God.  Satan wants to kill and destroy our witness and cause us to be a stumbling block for the unsaved.  Satan still has a purpose to put us into "fight mode".

Don't think that once we are saved, we are safe from his attacks.  That is why God laid out a plan of defense for Christians; it is called the full armor of God.  You can read more about exactly what that entails in Ephesians 6: 10-18.  These verses are written in the imperative, voice of command.  It is not optional.  It is necessary.  God know this, so He provided a way.

God graciously gave us all we need to live when He sent His Son, Jesus Christ to die on the cross where, by the way, Satan was defeated.  Satan is still the prince of lies, however, and uses the same ol' tactics to discourage and cause us to call into question anything that is good in our lives.  Remember, all good things come from above, right???  So, it is in his best interest to deceive those who have a relationship with God.  Our faith is based on facts, not feelings.  Even when we don't feel like "this" or "that", if those feelings oppose the facts by which we have been saved, we can dismiss them as Satan's attempt to deceive us, by causing us to deceive ourselves.  He is a tricky one!

The best defense is a good offense.  Here are somethings I do when I "feel" defeated (or offended).  Sharing my faith with someone is a great faith builder.  I live my life as a witness to His provisions.  I make time for God everyday.  I don't doubt the facts of my salvation.  I have faith that God is with me always, just as He promises.

 Everything we have, outside of Jesus, is just icing on the cake of life.  He is all we "NEED".  I am grateful for His blessings and provisions.  Lest I never forget that God never promised it would be easy, only worth it.  I accept and are grateful for God's provisions through a relationship with Him and His armor to endure through the difficult times, rejoice in the sweet times, and praise Him all the time!

Crisis Management

I've been told that you are either just coming out of a crisis, currently in a crisis, or about to be in one.  I have been going through a family crisis the last couple of weeks.  It has kept me from writing, but I now feel led to write about this very topic.

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I have learned by experience that it is in these crisis moments that I am closer to God than other times.  I have a tendency to get a little too dependant on myself and forget from Whom my strength comes.  In times of crisis, however, when I do not know what to do, I MUST turn to Him, run into His shelter for comfort.  Therefore, if there is ANY truth the first sentence of this blog, then I should not ever depend on myself.  If I am coming out of crisis, then out of gratitude for His provisions, I should stay close.  If I know at anytime a crisis is around the corner, then I should stay in His loving arms of protection.  And, if I am in a crisis, then He is the only one who can guide me through to the other side, closer to Him than before.

I am blessed to have a Savior who draws me to Him even when it seems my life is crumbling and others are controlling the path I must take.  I have been told that the Teacher is always quietest during a test.  He never forsakes or abandons us.  The truth is, it is only God who is in control of our lives, even though it seems that someone else is.  He is a Strong Tower, therefore, my life cannot crumble when I am in His arms.  I have but one enemy and Jesus has already defeated him.  I come into crisis fighting not FOR victory, but FROM victory, in Jesus Name!

I am human.  I have my moments when I indulge in my humanity, tinker with my idols, give-in to anxieties, and allow myself to wallow in self-pity.  All of which are sinful behaviors.  I quickly return to Truth, ask for His forgiveness and nestle into the loving arms of my Creator, my Rock, my Jehovah-Jireh, my Friend.

Here are some verses that have been a source of joy and encouragement during the past couple of weeks.

Philippians 4:19
And my God will supply every need of yours according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

2 Corinthians 12:9
But He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

James 1:2
Consider it all joy my brethren when you encounter various trials knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.  And let that endurance have its perfect result so that you may live perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Rest?...I don't need no stinkin' rest!

---I know, my grammar ear is ringing, too!  "Double negatives in the title?  Is she crazy???"  No, I'm not crazy, I was just using them for emphasis.  (::smile::)---

Have you ever worked out and the next morning, when you crawled out of bed, your muscles were sore?  They were healing.  You see, muscles don't hurt when they are working, they hurt when they rest and are healing.  It is in the healing that they grow and become stronger.

Yep, this is how I feel most mornings.

That sounds like my life.  If you are like me you are forever busy, running around like a mad-woman, filling your schedule to capacity and then some.  Naps are rare, if ever, and as a light sleeper, even sleeping a full night through is never guaranteed.  We run at full speed all the time and think slowing down is not option if we are to get it all done.  However, slow down we must.  It is through rest that we heal and strengthen, just like our muscles.  God allows us to both work and rest.  Both are blessings worthy of praise.  But to ignore our need for rest is to reject His work in our lives.  (What?!?!)

No...it's true!!!  Rest is biblical, after all, God rested on the 7th day, right?  But it is more than just that.  As I strive toward living fully with a biblical perspective, I was reminded of this fact.  I am learning in my older age to tell myself that I will NOT get it all done and accept that IMPERFECTION is OK.  And God says that it is OK because perfection belongs to Him and Him alone.  That is one soothing fact that makes me trust Him more and decrease reliance on my own strength.  (Phew!!!)

Rest is good when we minus work for a period of time.  But, rest is godly and purposeful when we minus work and add God.

I know by His Word that God has begun a work in me, but He can't fulfil His perfect blessing-filled work in me if my schedule is full to capacity.  I must rest, in Him, for much needed physical and spiritual healing.

What Shall We Wear???

I have done a little secret series on food, shelter and clothing, all the things needed to sustain life on earth.  To God be the glory for all life sustaining things He provides so we can focus on the more important, eternity.  I have written about how I work toward being a good steward with our food.  I have written about how we try to be a good steward with our house.  This blog is about...our clothes.

Jesus said in His Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 6:25-33, "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on.  Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?  Look at the bird of the air: they neither so nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.  Are you not of more value than they?  And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing?  Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.  But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?  Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'  For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.  But seek first the kingdom of God and His  righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."

WOW, HALLELUJAH & AMEN!!!

It seems that there is much waste in this world.  I know, that sounds like a penny-pinching dumpster diver talkin', but 'tis my opinion.  People of wealth tend to use something only once or not at all and then they are over it.  I am grateful that some who live this way have are sensitive to their wastefulness enough to donate their items to thrift stores instead of the city dump.  This IS a biblical practice.  Remember the story of Ruth?

Back to our clothes...I buy them at thrift stores.  I frequent the stores that are near well-to-do neighborhoods.  There, I am able to buy high quality, name-brand items for next to nothing.  They are gently used items and about half the items still have the tags on them.  (Once, I bought a pair of jeans with the brand tag (not price tag) on them for $5.  I had NEVER heard of the brand (paper,cloth&denim), but when I looked it up online, they were $228 jeans.  That was kind of neat!  Not that I care, I only mention it as an example of the donations I wrote about earlier.)

How often do you shop?  I shop only twice a year at the beginning of a season (spring and fall).    Summer clothes are less expensive than winter clothes.

Keep in  mind...The following prices are for the name-brand items that my kids desire and that NEVER go on sale at the stores for which they are originally bought.

What do you spend on each item?  When my three were small, I could buy a seasons worth of clothes for all of them and only spend about $100-$130 out the door (usually about $1-2 per piece average).  Now, they are older and wear adult sizes.  I am still out the door with a mere $170-$260 bill, depending on the season.  I have a $3 limit for shorts, $5 limit for jeans/pants/dresses, $2 limit for shirts and $7 limit for jackets.  After all is said and done, I like to have an average of $3-4 per piece.  Therefore, if they find a few shirts for $1 or less and MUST HAVE a $7 pair of jeans, that's fine.  At my last shopping trip in the fall of 2013, we had a $3.30 per piece average.  Not bad for winter clothes!

What is a season's worth of clothes?  Well, for each kids that is about 7 pairs of bottoms and 10 shirts.  A pair of dress pants for boys for church and a couple of dresses for my girl.  When I shop for the cold season, I spend a little more because they will also get a couple of jackets.  Sometimes, they have some things they can still wear from the previous year, so that helps, too.

You don't buy used underwear and shoes, do you?   For shoes and underwear, I do NOT buy used.  I find online deals, coupons,
last year's styles and clearance sales at local stores and buy quality items for at least 70% off.  Bed clothes are usually a part of gift giving on birthdays and Christmas, but still purchased at great discounts, as I buy them at end of season sales.

Do you shop for yourself at the thrift store?  As for my and my husband's clothes, I shop the clearance rack at a local department store and buy quality items for at least 80% off.  This works for OUR clothes because we care less about name brands and more about fit and quality.  I have a store card that gives even greater discounts and cashback to spend at the store.  I shop on the dates those discounts overlap.  My best deal was when I paid $52 and my "TOTAL SAVED" was over $300 (of course, I could not find that one to photograph).

Some of my shopping receipts.

Only putting thought into my kids clothes twice a year really frees me up to do other things.  As homeschoolers, style is less of a priority for them, I know that.  This IS all they know.  I have shopped this way for & with them since they were born.  I know this may not work for everyone, but it is one of the many blessed ways God meets our family's needs!

Homemade Granola

Loose Granola Cups

Soft Granola Bars

I LOVE to make the things I use.  I always felt that granola was too difficult to do.  I was wrong.  I tried some a friend made and fell in love.  Now, I love make my own because I can put my favorite stuff in it and make exactly how my family likes it.  I am posting 2 recipes here.  One for crunchier, loose granola and one for soft granola bars.  BOTH ARE DELICIOUS!!!

  RECIPE 1 - Loose granola (pictured above) perfect for a crunch addition to yogurt or a quick dry snack when put in individual snack cups.  Add or subtract ingredients to your liking.

SOLID INGREDIENTS
2 C Steel cut or slow cook oats
1/4 C milled flax seed
1/4 C Chia seeds
1/4 C sunflower seeds
1/4 C dried cranberry or raisins
1/4 C chopped dates
1/4 C 60% or higher cocoa dark chocolate
1/3 C sliced almonds
1/2 C shredded coconut

1.  ---Mix the above together in a large bowl.

WET INGREDIENTS
1/2 C Natural organic peanut (or another nut) butter
1/2 C raw organic honey
1/2 tsp real vanilla extract (no imitations here)
5 T real butter or organic coconut oil or combination of the two
***(coconut oil will increase shelf life)

2.  ---Combine above ingredients in a small sauce pan to met together on low heat for a few minutes.  No need to boil, just get combined and pourable.

3.  Pour wet ingredients over mixed solid ingredients.  

4.  Mix together.  Spread on a cookie sheet.  I like to use my stoneware cookie sheet here. 

5.  Press down into pan.
  
6.  Cook at 300 degrees for 25-30 minutes, until it is all evenly browned. 

7.  Let it cool completely.  (It will be difficult to stay out of it at this point, but you must persevere.)

8.  Scoop into an airtight container(s) and no need to refrigerate.


RECIPE 2 - Solid soft granola bars 
Change the above recipe to exactly what follows.

1.  Use 1 C quick oat and 1 C slow oats
2.  Use 2 T butter and 3 T coconut oil
3.  Use smooth natural organic peanut butter
4.  Press firmly into a shallow cookie sheet.
5.  Cook only 20 minutes at 250 degrees.
6.  Let cool completely and cut into bars.
7.  I store these in the fridge to keep them more solid.

Soft Granola Bars

How God Saved Our Marriage

It kind of goes without saying...but I will say it anyway.  God is God.  He is all powerful.  He forms all things according to His perfect will.  At the time it was happening, I would not have thought, "the decisions I am making are God's way of moving me on the path to save my marriage", but in hindsight, I do believe they were.

What God has joined let no man
separate. Matthew 19:6

During the process of building our house, something else was building.  A wedge between my husband and I.  Pride was building, too.  In both of us.  We wanted things to go our own way and we were finding it increasingly more difficult to compromise.  The build was taking longer than expected and costing more than we wanted to spend.  (sound familiar?)  And, for the first time in our marriage the whispers of a particular word began to creep into my consciousness.  Divorce.  With both of us from broken homes, my husband and I had committed to making this marriage work.  "Divorce is never an option", we would say.  And at any given time I spoke those words, I meant it.  But, my desire to do the work to make my marriage last was weakening.  I could not bring myself to continue, I was tired, worn out, the house was taking everything out of me.  Now I can see, I was sacrificing my marriage on the altar of pride.  At the time, it was not so obvious.

One day I got an email from a dear friend, a sister in Christ, from the DC metro area in which we had recently lived.  She said she had bought passes to go to this marriage conference and the dates in her area were not working for her.  She offered to give them to me if we could find one.  I looked it up.  I found one, so she sent them to me.  I thought it would be nice to get away for a weekend, away from the house build, not necessarily with my husband.  However, as it was a Weekend to Remember Marriage Conference, I was obligated to take him with me.

The day came for us to leave.  It was a quiet drive to the hotel about 2 hours away.  We arrived and I was impressed with how nice the hotel was.  I put on my happy face, but I was hurting inside.  It had become clear exactly what I had gotten myself into. What if God was going to tell me that He wanted us to divorce.  That sounds crazy now, but at the time the thought seemed plausible and it terrified me.  I don't even remember what they were now, but during that first night, my husband made a couple of innocuous comments.  And I was so very quick to get angry, grab my unpacked suitcase and head for the door.  He managed to stop me each time and talk me out of leaving.  It was pretty clear we were in trouble.  I was doubtful that any conference was going to save us now.

That evening, we went to our first session.  Even then, I felt my heart begin to soften and the pressure of the wedge lessen.  The next day was a whirlwind of bible verses, prayer, and truth.  At lunch they asked us to write a letter to our spouse then read it to them.  We found a space on a grassy hill on the riverfront.
 The Holy Spirit found me there to.

Now, I won't speak for my husband, but only to my experience.  Nearly as soon as I began to think of what I would write, the wedge was removed and I became broken right there on that grassy slope.  I could hardly write for my shaking hand and the tears blurring my vision and falling to the paper.  God revealed to me in that moment exactly what a gift I had in that man who sat crying just a few feet from me.  He told me that my husband was not my enemy and that I had another "enemy" that put that d-word in my thoughts.  That His plan for our lives was that He would be glorified through our marriage and a godly legacy would be left to our three children.

I was so low that there was no way I could have gotten myself out of the pit I was in.  Only God can get the credit for lifting me out, us out.  My husband and I were restored.  We renewed our vows the next day.  June 1, 2008, is our new anniversary.  It represents the day God saved our marriage.  I am not saying that God will use the WTR marriage conference to save all marriages, I am only saying I believe that it is the path He chose to save ours.

Restored and renewed?  Yes!  Repair took some time, however.  We found that as we grew closer to God, we found ourselves growing closer to each other, just as He promised.  I thank God for my friend being sensitive to the nudge of the Holy Spirit to email me regarding those tickets.  He orchestrated it all.  Praise Him for that!

Our House

I believe that home is where the family is, so the building we live in is our house.

It was a long arduous decision and process getting here, but we believe it was God-led.  When we left Washington, DC, we intended to buy a house just east of Dallas.  We began looking near Lake Ray Hubbard.  Doors were continually shut in our faces as house after house was lost for various reasons beyond our control.  We just kept moving east down the I30 corridor.  When we got to Sulphur Springs, we decided that if we are going to live that far out, we might as well build on our family's land in Dalby Springs.

I drew up plans, found a similar one on the internet and ordered it.  The day they arrived in April, it began to rain and it did not quit all summer long (summer of 2007, if you remember).  You cannot pour a foundation on soaked sandy soil, so we waited.   We poured our foundation in November of 2007.  We did much of the work ourselves, so we did not finish until November 2008.  It was the hardest thing we had ever done and it nearly cost us our marriage.

Occasionally, when things get difficult, it has crossed my mind to ask God whether or not we are where He wants us, if building this house was His plan for us, or a mistake, and countless other wonderings.  But each time I allow my thoughts to go there, God assures me we are where He can use us.  So now I  ask, "How Lord will You use us today for Your glory?"

Today, we have a house that we have committed to the glory of God.  We have an open door policy to relatives, church family, and friends that this house is available to them to meet any need they have.  Whether parties, showers, or just a place to stay, it is theirs.  We have an honest to goodness "mi casa es su casa" mentality and way of life.  We do it not for our fame, but just being good stewards of what God has provided.  This house was given by Him and is pledged to Him.

A Quest for Clean

In an attempt to be a good steward of God given money, possessions, and health, I have made the move toward homemade cleaning products in the past year.  I make about 90% of all our cleaning products.  I would definitely call it a slow move as I have been interested in doing this for more than a decade.   Let me just say, it is easier than you think.  It saves a ton of money.  It costs just a little more time.   It is so much healthier for your family.  It is gentler on the things you clean regularly.

I have a shopping list of items I purchase very inexpensively.  I buy off brands/cheap when possible.

I use the spare space of my A/C closet and an over the door shoe hanger to store my cleaning stuff, so I can easily get to them.  I hate digging under a sink to find a cleaner.

For added thriftiness, I have repurposed bottles from when I did buy cleaning products so that the bottles are already labeled!

Click on the name of cleaners that do not have instructions to be linked to their instructions:

Laundry Detergent

Making this has generated the most savings for our family's budget.  From Tide to homemade, $.25 a load to $.02 a load.  Plus, cleaner clothes!

Laundry Stain Removers
A wet Fels Naptha bar rubbed on most stains will remove them.  A squirt of hydrogen peroxide will remove blood stains and grease stains.  Scrub with a soft tooth brush.

Dishwasher Rinse Aid
(This one is easy) Add vinegar to the rinse aid compartment in your dishwasher.  No more spots on glass!

Glass and Mirror Cleaner

Use old newspapers for a streak/lint-free shine!

General Purpose Cleaning Spray
I use this with paper towels on surfaces where I used to use cleansing wipes.  This will gently clean light dirt and dust on most surfaces.

Extra Strength Cleaning Solution
I use this paper towels on surfaces where I used to used disinfecting wipes.
This will give an extra strength cleaning to eating surfaces and disinfect porous surfaces.

Foaming Bathroom Cleaner

This will make all your metal, tile, and non-granite surfaces sparkle!

Daily Granite Cleaner
Equal parts alcohol and water in a spray bottle.  Keeps the porous surface of granite disinfected and ready for cooking.

Laminate Floor Cleaner

Equal parts water and vinegar with just 2 tablespoons of Pine Sol for color and fragrance.
Very similar to General Purpose cleaner.  Could be used interchangeably.

Daily Wood Floor Cleaner

Won't make 'em shiny,
just keeps 'em clean.

Stained Concrete Cleaner

This is a very gentle floor cleaner for our waxed stained concrete floors.
(Looks like it's time to make more!)

Fabric Refresher
I use the finest mist setting of the spray bottle.  Use just like you would a fabric refresher.

In place of Comet Powder

Baking soda has great scrubbing power like Comet.  But, to make a sink REALLY shine, wet sink, toss baking soda onto sink surface, spray it with a spray bottle of only vinegar.  It will foam then you can scrub to sparkling clean!

EXTRA HINT:  Keep a recipe card of "ingredients" used to make each cleaner with your cleaning products so when your run out, you have the instructions right there.  I keep mine in one of the shoe compartments with all my cleaners.  VERY HANDY!!!

I have a list of the things I buy still.  I buy these because the homemade versions either did not work well or did not work with our well-water.  I hope you get started on your quest to homemade cleaners much faster than I did!  Don't wait a decade, like me.