Serve With Gladness

Hard Waiting

2014-03-13T16:58:00.001-05:00

One would think we would be used to this by now. I got out of a meeting today and saw that my husband had called and left a message. I wasn't for sure what it meant but I called him back half hoping he would have good news for me.

We had put our profile out there earlier this week for a little girl. We waited not for sure when we would hear if it had been picked or not. Part of me wasn't excited about the situation, but after researching somethings we decided there wasn't a big flag that we shouldn't put our name in for it. The other part of me had hopes knowing God knows the right situation for us and if this was his will we would do it.

I got off the phone with Patrick and my heart sank. It's hard not to when you hope for the best. I heard myself tell him that it wasn't the right one and God knows what is best. But that doesn't take the sadness away when you feel like you weren't good enough. yes I know it isn't that. It would be nice to see our dreams and hopes come true. I have to realize we may not get a girl. Ever. That is what makes me sad. I know I would be happy with a boy, but knowing this is our last chance makes it harder.

Now where is my Pepsi, a nice big piece of warm chocolate cake with a scoop of ice cream, and a friend to share it with? I could certainly use it right now.

Cilantro Chicken

2013-03-28T19:59:00.001-05:00

I remember when I first moved here. I ate a lot of chicken.

At that time chicken was super cheap.

This has to be another favorite recipe of mine....

Cilantro Chicken.

It is supposed to be grilled but you can bake it in the oven on a wire rack.

I don't remember how long I cooked it in the oven.

Maybe 350 degrees for 40-45 mintutes?

Cilantro Chicken
2 1/2 pounds boneless skinless thighs or I do 5-6 small chicken breasts
1/4 c extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup minced garlic
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro
swee chili sauce to baste at the end.

1. Place chicken in a large zip baggie
2. Place olive oil, garlic, cilantro in a blender or food prcessor. Process until the mixture is combined and smooth. Scoop the marinade into the bag with the chicken, press the air out of the bag and zip it closed. Knead the marinade into the chicken until it is evenly distributed. Marinate overnight or all day long.
3. Cook the chicken until done.
4. At the very end baste the chicken with the sweet chil sauce and cook a few minutes more.

I do mine in the oven and turn it on low broil at the end to make the sauce cook a little on the chicken. Yum!

Abstaining

2013-03-25T19:58:00.001-05:00

I Peter 2:11

"Dearly beloved, I beseech [you] as strangers and pilgrims,

abstain from fleshly lusts,

which war against the soul;"

I read this verse tonight and it stuck out to me like a big sore thumb. God beseeching me to do the right thing even though my attitude might stink a wee bit in certain departments. Sometimes I feel like I am in a battle. I know what I am supposed to do, but the voice in my head tells me not to.

This verse talks about warring against the soul. A war tears apart people, it devastates, it kills, it mames and so much more. A war has causualities. Period. You can not go to war and not have losses. Is that why God beseeches me, he calls me, he beckons me to his side, he admonishes me to abstain from things that will only hurt us in the long run? So that it protects you and keeps you from being hurt or hurting someone else?

While I don't feel I have big things that I fall for, I battle myself from within. One of my personal battles I would like to "abstain" from is to stop letting myself think I know what others are thinking, which can destroy relationships with those that you care for.

I want to trust God to show me his plan during this time and let him take charge so that I don't ruin something that is He could be cultivating in me. In the meantime, God can you give me a glimpse of what I am needing right now? You know what it is.

2013-03-08T18:31:00.000-06:00

Saint Basils' Cathedral is more beautiful in person than anyone could ever describe.

Pictures will never fully display it's beauty.

You have to see it in person to know its worth.

How well manicured it is.

The brightness and depth of its color.

The history that gives it meaning.

The same goes for friendships,

you have to tend to it to let it grow.

To know it's worth.

To manicure it.

A history that gives it meaning.

Letting your friendship grow.

Give a friend a hug today and see how she is doing.

It is woman's day. {laughing}

Let her know that you value your friendship

Give a friend a call.

Today is "Woman's Day". I heard them talking about it over the radio and it jogged my memory that our interpreter Sasha brought me roses that day 6 years ago while we were waiting to bring a precious bundle of energy home. It made me think about March 9th. Our Family Day. Hard to believe 6 years have gone by since we adopted Asher.

I have often thought about searching for his birth family. Wondering if his mom or brothers would want to know him and look for him. I wonder if his brothers are just like him. I can't imagine several bundles of fast paced, knock-em-down, and I can't talk quiet enought boys in one room. Oh what a picture! If you know of Oksana Valevich's, post a comment. I would love to see a photo of the woman who had a part in us having our son.

Maybe someday...

The picture above was at our stop on the way home to the States. It was a exhausting day. Little did I know that within a short time, I would be sick as a dog in our hotel room. Sight seeing came abruptly to an end. Sigh. When I felt like eating I ordered off the kids menu and we found out kids eat free when ordering with an adult meal. So we ate in. A lot. I guess Asher had a big appetite during that stay.

**Oh and one fun tid bit about Saint Basil's cathedral. Or not.
It was rumored that Ivan the Terrible put the eyes out of the architect who built the onion domes so that he could not build another building to rival this one.

Grandmothers are Precious

2012-09-07T17:40:00.001-05:00

My Grandmother was always a lively woman. In fact I remember my Uncle Richard telling me years ago that it was Grandpa that had to tell her to simmer down sometimes. My Grandfather who was so quiet telling my Grandmother who is so social to calm down. I can see it even now.

Grandfather passed away in 1999. This week we got word that my Grandmother was not well. She fell and had internal bleeding. You see she only weighs a whopping 79 lbs. I can't even imagine! Mom told me I needed to come down and see her. So my sister and I dropped everything and drove down to see her. It may be our last time. They don't know if she will make it a week or not or if she will last another winter.

Grandmother always wanted to out do her brother and sister and live past 100 or 103. Well... she almost got there. 96. She said that she was satisfied with that today.

I'll cherish her memories. I won't forget how she looked at us today when we got there or how she looked at us when we left. I'll miss her even though I don't get to see her often.

Maybe I will have a long life too since it seems to run in the family. I can only hope.

Zucchini Parmesan Crisps

2012-07-18T13:05:00.000-05:00

I am slowly turning into a Zucchini Fan. Who knew?

I found these on Pinterest Web-site and decided to try it last night. I only used one small zucchini with the recipe because I honestly didn't think my kids would like them. They gobbled them up! My youngest son kept going back into the kitchen begging for more. I couldn't help but laugh as I knew he had no idea he was really eating a vegetable which he had stop eating long ago.

One note: parmesan all ready has a salty taste so use salt sparingly. I added salt to mine but next time I think I will leave it out. Since I liked a lot of crumbs on my zucchini, I may double the parmesan and panko next time and use 2 zucchinis with it. Also use your baking stone.... it turns out extra crispy this way!

Enjoy!

Zucchini Parmesan Crisps

Ingredients:

1 lb. zucchini or squash (about 2 medium-sized)
1/4 cup shredded parmesan (heaping)
1/4 cup Panko breadcrumbs (heaping) I used Italian Style Panko
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
freshly ground pepper, to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line two baking sheets with foil and spray lightly with vegetable spray.

Slice zucchini or squash into 1/4 inch-thick rounds. Toss rounds with oil, coating well.

In a wide bowl or plate, combine breadcrumbs, parmesan, salt and pepper.

Place rounds in parmesan-breadcrumb mixture, coating both sides of each round, pressing to adhere. The mixture will not completely cover each round, but provides a light coating on each side.

Place rounds in a single layer on baking sheets. Sprinkle any remaining breadcrumb mixture over the rounds.

Bake for about 22 to 27 minutes, until golden brown. (There is no need to flip them during baking -- they crisp up on both sides as is.)

Source: http://bakehouse.squarespace.com/home/2011/7/20/zucchini-parmesan-crisps.html

Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

2012-07-13T16:48:00.001-05:00

Who would have thought chocolate and zucchini would be a good combination? I have always had a hard time finding a good chocolate muffin recipe just by themselves, but these are wonderful! I might actually grind the zucchini next time, but I couldn't tell it was grated into the recipe at all. My kids ate it up! They loved them. Shhh! Don't tell them there is a vegetable in there!

What's your favorite Zucchini Recipe?

Recipe compliments from http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Chocolate-Zucchini-Muffins/Detail.aspx?ms=1&prop25=87945295&prop26=DailyDish&prop27=2012-07-08&prop28=RecipeOption&prop29=FullRecipe&me=1

Ingredients

3 eggs

2 cups white sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups grated zucchini

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease or line two 12 cup muffin tins with paper liners.
In a large bowl beat the eggs. Beat in the sugar and oil. Add the cocoa, vanilla, zucchini and stir well.
Stir in the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and cardamom. Mix until just moist.
Pour batter into prepared muffin tins filling 2/3 of the way full. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool on a wire rack. Store loosely covered.

Zucchini Relish

2012-07-12T11:25:00.000-05:00

Zucchini is such a versatile vegetable. I grew up detesting any squash like substance, but over the last several years I have been experimenting with them. Trying to find that perfect fit for each vegetable so that it's texture, taste and smell suits me isn't too hard when you have the internet.

Isn't it funny how Zucchini will produce so much on just one or two plants? You definitely don't want to plant too many. I am fortunate that my mother-n-law shared her garden with me. I have to say I have really enjoyed it this year.

One item that a must have in our house is Zucchini Relish. I no longer had my mom's zucchini relish on stock in my cubbord so I knew I need to at least try and make it myself so that I would always have it. I know that there are a lot of recipes out there for zucchini relish, but don't forget this one tip... The more zucchini you add to your recipe the more watered down it will become. Zucchini holds so much water that even after you feel like you have squeezed it out, there is still more. With this recipe I have added 1cup more to make 6 cups and it turned out fine. In fact, a friend of mine said the jar I gave her was the best she ever had! Not bad for a first time maker!

So stick to the ingredients. Follow the directions and you will have the best tasting relish ever! The jalapeno is optional, but if you take the seeds out, you can't even tell its in there. I don't have a grinder, but I grate my zucchini and then use my chopper to make it small as possible. It still works great.

I would encourage you to take the time and do some of the things our mothers did when they were our age. If we don't do it, these recipes and traditions will be lost forever. Look for more Zucchini Recipes to come!

Zucchini Relish
Ingredients:
5 cups peeled, ground zucchini
4 cups ground onion
5 tbsp canning salt
1 red pepper, ground
1 green pepper, ground
2 cloves garlic, ground
1-2 whole jalapeño, ground, optional
2 1/2 cups vinegar
1 tsp pepper
1 tbsp nutmeg
1 tbsp turmeric
1 tbsp dry mustard
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 tbsp celery seed
5 cups sugar
Directions:
Put canning salt on the zucchini and onions and let it stand overnight. Place a plate on this and weigh it down and cover it. The next morning drain and rinse, then drain again. (just run water over it and use your hads to loosen it up a little to let water drain off.) Add vinegar, red pepper, green pepper, jalapeño and cloves and spices, cornstarch, and sugar. Mix together, bring this to boil and then add to zucchini mixture. Simmer for 30 minutes. Let stand for 3 hours, reheat and then can.

Sterilize jars in hot water bath 20 minutes. Put mixture into pint or half pint jars and put their lids on. Screw tight and put into boiling water bath for 15 minutes.

Faithfulness

2012-04-10T10:15:00.000-05:00

I have struggled this week with the unfaithfulness of others. It made me angry to see how people can volunteer to do something and then never show up and follow through with what they committed to do. It made me sick.

Then God showed me this morning this quote,

"It costs to be faithful. It cost Abraham the yielding up of his only son. It cost Esther to risk her own life. It cost Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego being put into a fiery furnace. It cost Stephen death by stoning. It cost Paul his life. Does it cost you anything to be faithful to your Lord and King?"

My focus was on the unfaithfulness of others instead on my faithfulness. It made me realize that even though I am faithful to do more then what is asked.... it is the above and beyond that God wants us to be faithful in, and to have a good attitude about it.

If God has allowed you to do something for Him, don't be surprised when he wants you to do more. Rejoice and be glad that he has allowed you to do it too. I believe I have some confessing to do.

If you are not sacrificing to do something for God, then it's time to stop and see if you are being faithful to him at all.

2012-04-06T09:29:00.000-05:00

When you get close to God, it will change your life forever....

Wednesday's night message at church was awesome! We looked at the life of Simon. No not Simon Peter, but Simon of Cyrene. The man who carried the cross of Jesus.

At first glance, you would think that this mention of Simon was all there was, but as we looked at scripture we found out more about this man who was compelled to carry the cross of Jesus and the impact it had on his family's life.

Mark 15:20-21, "And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple from him, and put his own clothes on him, and led him out to crucify him. And they compel one Simon, of Cyrene, who passed by, coming out of the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to bear his cross."

A few things to note that I didn not know or think of:

1. They soldiers were not allowed to crucify Roman citizens.
2. They had to crucify outside the city.
3. Jews were not allowed to touch the cross because they would be defiled and would not be able to celebrate the anual passover.
4. Cyrene is in Northern Africa coast, some 900 to 1000 miles away.

Jews from all over made this journey to Jerusalem for the passover. The streets were crowded and the Jews wanted Jesus crucified before the passover. Jesus struggled to carry the cross so the soldiers looked for someone to carry it for him.

So why did they pick this man of Cyrene to carry the cross?

When they saw Simon of Cyrene, they compeled him to carry the cross. Why? They couldn't ask a Jew too. The Roman's honored the Jewish beliefs. So they saw a man coming from Africa with a different color of skin. They took one glance at the man and assumed he was not a Jew or converted Jew. So they compeled this man to carry the cross. Simon had come from a long way. A month long journey. He did not know anything about this man Jesus, but yet this event changed his life forever.

Did you know that compel means to be pressed into service of the King. Boy was he! Except this time he was pressed into service for the Lord!

But why was Simon even coming to Jerusalem? It was mentioned Wednesday night that he could have been a converted Jew coming to celebrate the passover. I believe the book of Josephus mentions that some of the Jews migrated to the area of Cyrene years before. So maybe he came to celebrate and the Romans not knowing he was a converted Jew, compeled him to carry this cross. Imagine coming all the way from Cyrene to celebrate the passover and you wind up defiled by Jewish law because you touched the cross....

Does the story end there? I originally thought so, but was proven there is more about this man.

Look in Acts 11:19-20. "Now they who were scattered abroad upon the persecution that arose about Stephen, travled as far as Phoenica, and Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to none but unto the Jews only. And some of them were men of Cyprus and Cyrenen, who, when they were come to Antioch, spoke unto the Greeks, preaching the Lord Jesus.

Acts 13:1, "Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers, as Barnabas, and Symeon, who was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, who had been brought up with Herod, the tetrarch, and Saul (Paul)."

Symeion of Cyrene, was Simon who carried the cross. He got close to Jesus and it changed his life, never to be the same. He was a missionary now. Telling the Gentiles about Jesus.

Remember Simon's two sons were mentioned? Where did they end up?

Romans 16:13, "Salute Rufus chosen in the Lord, and his mother and mine."

Paul wrote the book of Romans and in Romans 16 he is saluting those whom he is close with. Verse 13 shows that he considers Rufus' mother like his own. Coinsidence? No. They had a family history together.

What about Alexander, Simon's other son?

A little research on the internet shows that an ossury was found near Jerusalem that had the inscription of Alexander, son of Simon. Read/click on the following document: https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:8DZROnH3qcQJ:israelpalestineguide.files.wordpress.com/2010/06/alexander-son-of-simon-ossuary-illustrated-2010-edit.pdf+&hl=en&gl=us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESjoQ5C8MLAOdZw7TZgvyneOzEqoprcGbUPB1kJ8K6-QKGoyld_aIv_n7mC3k_zhRfuZbf2NVZpnBu6FCfZ_pRNbo38gpTfPn2znvtLCHUCYno-9FG4QQoY_PE-n6a9J0CoOBKZo&sig=AHIEtbR8DHCkPhLjFj7AlMr9M1j1FZkr7A&pli=1

Amazing that science is catching up with the Bible.

Another Child of God

2012-01-26T18:59:00.000-06:00

This week has been an awesome week, for the most part! We had revival services at our church and he really preached hard on our walk with God, our attitudes etc. On Monday I could tell the devil was fighting and trying hard to convince me to keep my two sons home. One being in school and the other at 18 months made me dread the late nights and bed times. I dreaded the melt downs that I knew would come.

As I cleaned my tub that day, I noticed a spot on the wall of the tub. I took my scrubber and swiped my hand over it not paying much attention. I felt immediate pain and looked down at my finger only to see the top layer of my skin on my fingertip had come off. I had a hole in the tub. I have no idea how that happened. Immediately I thought about the cost of replacing something like a tub and all the other little things in the house that I knew needed attention. AKA, spend more money on. Our faucet in the other bathroom was being replaced and we didn't have time yet to put the faucet back together as we ran into a problem with the tubes being too short. Who knows when that would be done! We had just finished painting the bathroom and don't have the shower rod up because we needed to find a new attachment to screw in the wall to keep the paint from peeling when you used the curtain rod. Oh yeah, did I fail to mention the numerous times we have had to work on our van lately? Currently we now know that it is the fuel injector that needs replaced and that should solve the problem. But wait! what about the other car? We are having problems with that and all we can do is pray it doesn't need attention soon! Oh and one last one.... we had to replace our 6 year old refrigerator a couple months ago because it bit the dust.

So as all those things ran through my mind, the Holy Spirit reminded me that devil was behind all this to keep me from going to the Monday night revival. I was then more determined to go. I was not going to let him beat me.

I'm so glad we went. At the end of the service my oldest son, asked Christ into his heart. I can't describe how I felt. This last week he had been asking about salvation but we did not think he was ready. We told him to pray and ask God to give him wisdom and understanding and he did. We had some ups and downs with our son the week before with disobeying, lying etc. I now look back and see that God used those moments to speak to him about sin and what it is and what it meant for Jesus to die for our personal sins. We my husband returned to the pew, I looked up at him to see if it was true. Did he really understand? He shook his head yes. He said he was crying when he asked his daddy about getting saved. There was a humbleness in his heart and an understanding that Jesus died for HIS sins.

When we got home that night, my son was singing with gladness and jumping around. I asked him to get dressed. 5 minutes later he bounced in our room still not dressed for bed time. When asked why he wasn't in his PJs, he said he was too excited becaused he had been saved that he couldn't change! Did I tell you what he told me that morning? It took me by surprise, but my son told me that he took God's hand and sat in his lap. I asked if he had a dream and he said no. He just said he took God's hand and sat in his lap.

As my husband and I reflected on the night it dawned on me that this was the time of year we met him 5 years ago. So I pulled up my journal and sure enough..... We saw our son's referral picture on the 23rd of January 2007 and met him in person on January 24th, 2007. On Monday, January 23rd, 2012, which is the 24th day in Russia, our son accepted Christ as his Savior 5 years to the date as when we met him. I am by all means not superstitious, but I do truly believe that numbers are special. The numbers in the Bible mean something and I by all means know it is in God's plan that our son was saved/adopted in God's family the same date he met his earthly adoptive family. It takes my breath away to think about how God worked it together.

Healthy Living

2012-01-05T11:55:00.001-06:00

If you have read any previous post, you will know I have started a journey of Healthier Living in my home.... and yes it is a journey. I didn't clean out my pantry of all the bad stuff, but I am try new things and substituting BETTER things when I run out of the things in my pantry. While I want to be healthier, I don't think that all that I have in my pantry should be wasted either. Plus, I am not a big pre-packaged person anyway so my pantry isn't too bad. Sure there are cake mixes for the "surprise, I have to take something to work tomorrow honey." type of situations...

Today, I want to share with you some ingredient conversions that you can do in your current baking. I love making things from scratch, but my one down fall is using an ingredient when you don't know how it will turn out! That scares me, but I have taken baby steps in trying these healthier solutions out and yes they are working! Yes they tast good! Very important!!

Butter
Yum...
Butter is high in calories.
Why not try these substitutions?

1. Unsweetened applesauce:
replace about half the amount of the called for butter with applesauce. So if you end up needing 1 cup butter use 1/2 cup applesauce and 1/2 cup butter. This works best in cakes.

2. Unsweetened Pumpkin Puree:
Use the same as applesauce.

3. Prune Puree:
Using Prune puree works well in chocolate treats and with goodies that have spices.
Use equal amounts of ingredient called for with the same amount of prue puree.

4. Mashed Bananas:
Using mashed bananas works best with recipes that call for using OIL. I wouldn't try using them in baked goods that are light and fluffy though. Quick breads, coffee cakes and pancakes would work well with bananas.
How do you use it? 1 Cup of Oil= 1/2 cup of mashed banana.

How about Substitutions for Eggs?

1. Unsweetened Applesauce:
1 egg = 1/4 cup of applesauce

2. Vinegar and Baking Soda
For 1 egg = 1 tsp baking soda and 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

3. Ground Flaxseed { i love this one}
For 1 Tbsp ground flaxseed and 3 Tbsp of water = 1 egg

4. Mashed Bananas
1 egg = 1/2 cup mashed banana

5. Silken tofu
I probably won't ever use this one, but who knows...
Great for baking goods.
1 egg = 1/4 cup of whipped or pureed silken tofu

Sugar Substitues:

1. Artificial sweeteners {I prefer to stay away from these}

2. Molasses
1 1/3 cup of molasses = 1 cup sugar.
Recommend only replacing 1/2 of the called for sugar with this as molasses is a very strong flavor.

3. Honey
1 cup sugar = 3/4 cup honey + 1 Tbsp

One thing to consider is this: If you are afraid to try these, just try replacing half of the ingredient to test it out before cutting the high calories out completely. A little here and a little there will add up. You will be surprised how they taste and knowing it is better for you will do us all good!

Through all this I am learning to be more self disciplined in my life. Remember our physical health will often affect our spiritual health and emotional health.

Here's to more Healthy Living!

Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies

2011-12-19T15:18:00.000-06:00

I recently went to the doctor and had my blood work done again. Once again my LDL levels were borderline high and I was told to start using fish oil twice a day and have it recheck in 3 months. Fish Oil? Yuck, I hate fish and seafood. I do know there is a good flavored fish oil out there but it is expensive.

So once again I am revisiting the oatmeal options. I like oatmeal, but detest eating it as a cereal. I know they have oatmeal cookies in the store, but I have tried them and they are as hard as can be and not very tasty. So I decided yesterday to look on-line and see if I could come up with something that would be a little more desireable. I found the perfect match! It is ALL good for you. Every ingredient! I decided that since I had all the ingredients that it was worth a shot to find a new breakfast item for me. When they came out of the oven, I was really eager to try one. I didn't wait long before I took my first bite. Do you want to know if they are good? Why yes they are! So I am very excited to share with you a very HEALTHY oatmeal breakfast cookie that is soft and moist. If you don't like the craisins, leave them out. I find they add a nice touch to them!

I was also a little nervous about using flax seed, but I did it anyway and found that it is great in foods.

Enjoy!

Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
Ingredients
1/2 mashed banana (I used 1 large)
1/2 cup natural peanut butter (or non peanut)
1/2 cup honey
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup ground flax seed (or an add’l 1/4c flour)
1/4 cup nonfat milk or vanilla protein powder (+2TB of water if dough is too thick)
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup dried cranberries or raisins
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly coat two cookie sheets with cooking spray; set aside.
In a large bowl, stir together banana, peanut butter, honey, and vanilla.
In a small bowl, combine oats, flour, ground flax, milk powder, cinnamon, and baking soda.
Stir the oat mixture into the banana mixture until combined. Stir in dried cranberries.
Using a ¼-cup measuring cup, drop mounds of dough 3 inches apart on prepared cookie sheets. With a thin metal or small plastic spatula dipped in water, flatten and spread each mound of dough to a 2¾-inch round, about ½ inch thick.
Bake, one sheet at a time, for 14 to 16 minutes or until browned. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
Store in an airtight container or resealable plastic bag for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 2 months; thaw before serving.

Oatmeal Muffin Remake

2011-12-03T18:47:00.000-06:00

This last month, a good friend of mine has been encouraging to get back into shape. She passed her Personal Trainer's Test and now is licensed to help other people. To get her started she asked for some friends to help her get some practice in and I volunteered.

I have really been encourage by her. She gave me some tools to get started.
1) Drink a lot of water-96 oz was recommend.
2) Increase your fiber
3) Work out 3 times a week and a couple times a week do some strength training exercises.
4) Use Loseit.com to start having an awareness of how many calories I was actually taking in. It's not really calorie counting, but building an awareness or calorie consumption and portion control. Two things I was horrible at.
5) She has also educated me about using more natural ingredients, not processed sugars etc.... So I have started sloooowwwwly changing ingredients out in my home and experimenting with healthier ways to make things. She also mentioned that natural sugars and ingredients will burn off quicker then the processed sugars. I thought that was pretty interesting.

So I hit a low point this week with just being busy the last two weeks, Thanksgiving food etc. I was at the doctor's office in the middle of the week and they weighed me. I expected some good things, but was disappointed. Mainly because I didn't weigh myself to begin with and I have no idea of where I started. I did notice a change in me but I was still frustrated. Until today. I had another session with my friend today and she measured me. I have actually lost a couple inches around the waist and some more elsewhere. I guess I did make progress! Since she brought her scale with her, I decided to weigh myself and was pleased that it was less then it was a few days ago.

So as I continue my journey to get into better physical shape..... I will leave you will a remake of my Oatmeal Muffin Recipe. It was a decent recipe before, but now I LOVE IT!!! I couldn't believe how substituting ingredients would make a difference.

Oatmeal Muffins {BEFORE Makeover}
1 Egg
1 Cup buttermilk {1 tablespoon vinegar + 1 Cup Milk}
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar Packed
1/3 Cup Shortening {Crisco}
1 Cup Cooking Oats
1 Cup Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Spray with cooking spray and bake 20 minutes.

Oatmeal Muffins {AFTER Makeover}
1 Egg
1 Cup buttermilk {1 tablespoon vinegar + 1 Cup Milk}
Instead of 1/2 Cup Brown Sugar Packed Used: 1/4 cup brown sugar and 1/4 Cup Molasses + 2 teaspoons
Instead of 1/3 Cup Shortening {Crisco}= USE: 2 1/2 Tablespoons Crisco and 2 1/2 Tablespoons All Natural Applesauce
1 Cup Cooking Oats
1 Cup Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Spray with cooking spray and bake 20 minutes. Makes 1 dozen. Approximate calorie per muffin is 140 Calories.

Notes:
1) Changes of ingredients were made in Red.
2) I didn't try to change the flour to some wheat as I wanted to see how the other changes turned out.
3) The batter may appear a little runny, just make sure and scrape your bowl good before scooping out. These turned out more moist then they used to.
4) Since molasses is used they will bake darker in color so don't worry. They have a great flavor!!
5) When substituting applesauce for the shortening, they recommend that you only replace half of the ingredient with applesauce and using shortening for the rest.
6) You can substitute up to 3/4 the sugar content amount with molasses, but they don't recommend any more past that. I just did half to start out with.

2011-11-11T21:33:00.001-06:00

Day 3--Charleston

We saved the tour of the Ghost Ship for the last day.

What is the Ghost Ship? It is the U.S.S. Yorktown ship that was sunk at the battle of Mid-Way.

A second ship was built in order to keep the Japanese from knowing they had sunk the original ship.

The day started out pretty chilly. The wind was blowing pretty good creating a nice "mist" blowing off the water. We caught the college sail boats competing on the water just off the side of the ship. I don't know how they kept from capsizing and we saw several that almost did!

I won't show all my pictures, but I definitely know my husband would not fit on this ship!

He is 6'5" and he had to stoop alot and bump his head walking down the steep steps from level to level.

I can't remember how many was on the ship. Maybe around 3,000.

See this recipe for 10,000 Chocolate Chip Cookies?

Can you imagine making that many??

We finished up the day going back down-town and walking around.

Then we decided to go to a different area of the beach

and walk before going back downtown again for dinner.

Can you tell that downtown historic Charleston was our favorite place?

Day 2 Continued

2011-11-07T15:06:00.000-06:00

Day 2--Charleston

After a visit to Fort Sumter, we decided to head on over to Boone Hall Plantation. It is a really pretty place and it's long drive back to the house was beautiful. Imagine driving your carriage or wagon... Boone Hall Plantation had been used for several movies. I can't remember them all, but I will point out the parts that stand out to me.

Boone Hall plantation has had several different owners.

The original plantation was not as we see it today.

Plantation homes were built with wood and not ornate.

The ornate homes were built by the owners back in Charleston.

Besides the obvious crops that were grown here, like cotton,

Boone Hall was the top producer of pecan trees that supplied a

huge quantity of the countries pecans. When one of the hurricanes

hit Charleston, that ended that.

The first building built on the plantation was this smoke house.

Live Oak trees with Spanish Moss.

The oak trees are deciduous and stay green all year around.

Behind this live oak is a river that is connected to the ocean.

Owners would ship their goods out on barges to Charleston

when the tide came up. The plantation didn't seem far from Charleston,

but back then it took a bit to get from Charleston to the plantation.

This was the easier way to get their goods out.

Nicknamed "Slave Street",

These homes were the place where the household slaves stayed.

Field slaves lived in wood shacks in the fields.

*One thing that stood out to me was this:

Upon touring the 1st floor of the home,

we learned about the slave trade.

A shopping list was saved by one of the

lady's of the home and first on the list was

"one slave girl = $980"

$980! I couldn't believe how much

they spent for the use of a slave.

I also viewed a record of slaves that came to

Charleston and was amazed by the

amount of slave that came.

You do the math.

This was over 100 years ago....

Also note that more slaves were sent to the

Caribbean and other areas besides the U.S.

The number is staggering.

Boone Hall Plantations cotton gin under restoration.

When the cotton gin was invented, they built

their own cotton gin.

Walking around the plantation was neat.

I was a little disappointed that we didn't get to tour much of the home.

We were only able to view the first floor because the upper floor was

occupied by the current owner who comes there once in awhile.

Over all it was a beautiful afternoon, and

I really enjoyed learning more about our countries history.

We followed up the day with eating out down-town again at Poogan's Porch.

Pic from Poogan's Porch.

My meal was so good! It was worth it to have a nice date night meal with my husband.

Charleston Adventures

2011-11-07T14:55:00.001-06:00

Day 2-

We decided the night before to go ahead and do the Ferry Ride out to Fort Sumter. The weather was supposed to be in the 70s that day and the following day, rainy and in the 60s during the morning. I'm so glad we did!

We drove back downtown to Liberty Square to take Spiritline Ferry out to Fort Sumter. I was a little worried about the boat ride as the last boat ride I had been on, we got sea sick. I knew that it wouldn't happen with the Ferry ride, but you always wonder. The ride went smooth and the smell or salt water in the air was invigorating!

The bridge in the background is Arthur Ravenel Bridge.

This was built for a measly half a BILLION dollars.

Pennies if you like....

But it is beautiful!

It is 1 1/2 miles long.

The Ghost Ship above...

More details on a later date.

Charleston is called the Holy City because it made a point to secure religous freedom in this city.

The downtown area is filled with Steeples and old churches are absolutely beautiful!

Fort Sumter was actually built on a sandbar.

Granite pieces were brought in so they could build

a 3 story fort on this site.

Only 1 story remains today.

Historic Downtown Charleston

2011-11-05T12:07:00.002-05:00

Day 1-Evening

After leaving Folley Beach we decided not to even go back to the hotel. We figured if we did, we would not get out and enjoy everything we wanted to see. We were surprised at how easy it was to find our way around, especially with a map of the downtown area. We were also pleased that it didn't take us as long to get around Charleston.

When we hit the downtown area, we mapped out where we were going to park. As we were driving around we kept missing our turns, but it ended up that was a good thing as we found the restaurant we would go eat at the next night. Along side of that, there was a parking garage right by it so we were happy we new how to at least get there the next night.

Once we parked, we found ourselves wandering around downtown, and I took a few photos before it got dark. The architecture was so beautiful. I wish I had taken more, but I did not.

We did find a good place to eat that night. I never tried grits before, but I did try some of my husbands.
It was a Shrimp and Grits plate topped with a Ham Chorizo sauce. I don't like seafood, but I did try the grits and it was SOOO good. I'll would love to find a recipe to duplicate it.

After we ate that delicious meal, we did more walking. A bunch more walking.

Figured out my night vision flash here.

Thought this was really pretty.

On the Pier they had benches and swings under the

shelter stretching out into the river that connected to the Ocean.

It was a lot of fun sitting on the swing just talking

and watching the boats on the river.

I didn't realize this but Charleston gets a lot of

Cruise ships that dock here everyday.

I think my husband told me that Charleston is the

#6 top spot to visit in the United States.

I absolutely know why now!!

But what good is a trip if you don't ever get a little lost.... As with every time we go somewhere we always loose our way. It took us a little while to maneuver out of downtown Charleston because every time we thought we could turn one way to make it back to the bridge, we would run into a one way street... in the other direction! We ended up north of where we should have been, but we quickly found our way back to the hotel after that! We never had a problem after that getting lost down town. At least we got to see some more awesome old buildings in the dark!

Pineapple Fountain at Waterfront Park

Good way to end our Day One!

Just me and my husband!

Charleston, South Carolina

2011-11-03T09:41:00.000-05:00

My husband and I had the opportunity to go visit Charleston, South Carolina last week. We love history and the beauty of the ocean, but Charleston blew us away. So much in fact that we toyed with the idea of moving there one day. I even looked up housing in nearby towns and was surprised at what you could buy for what we own now!

Is it a passing fancy? Who knows. I sometimes feel like we can be afraid to chase our dreams because of what other people will say. I guess the only thing you can do is pray about it and if an extraordinary opportunity popped up, we might consider it.

Day 1-

We arrived in Charleston mid-afternoon on Thursday. After arriving in our hotel, we decided since in was in the lower 80's that we should head to the beach since it was so nice out. We drove down to Folley Beach and enjoyed looking at some of the homes near the shore before we got out. We were a little surprised that you had to pay to park on the side of the road where there was beach access. It was only a dollar and the machine was not working so we risked parking and walked around the beach for awhile. Don't worry, we didn't get a ticket. Whew!

I was surprised at all the shells that littered the beach.

It was really cool!

After walking on the beach, our next stop was Historic Downtown Charleston.

Pictures to follow another day.

Religion in Public Schools

2011-10-12T12:33:00.001-05:00

I am sharing this with any reader out there in hopes of encouraging you today.

This week, my son went to his public school and handed out tracts to his friends and a flyer to a church event this week. I was so proud of him and his excitement was enthusiastic. Then on the a school happenings facebook page a angry parent posted something about it. I watched and waited to see what would happen. Wondered if I would get a call from the school telling me he couldn't pass out his precious tracts. So far there has been no call.

But it did get me to looking at what was appropriate for children to do and say. After a little research, I found this article which I find dependable.

http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/1999/08/02/associations-right-in-schools

what I found was this and I quote it direct from the web-site with the website notated above:
" 3. May a student give out Gospel tracts or religious literature to his classmates?
Yes! Students may distribute religious tracts or literature to their schoolmates in the same manner as they would be permitted to distribute non-religious material. Schools may impose reasonable restrictions on the place and manner for distribution of all printed material, but religious literature may not be singled out for special restrictions or regulations. If the Boy Scouts or community sports team may distribute material promoting out-of-school programs, distribution of similar religious material must also be permitted. First Amendment rights include the right to distribute Gospel tracts or other religious literature during non-instructional times. The standard that must be applied is: Does the activity materially or substantially disrupt school discipline?
The school must prove that such disruption actually occurs. "[U]ndifferentiated fear or apprehension of disturbance is not enough to overcome the right to freedom of expression." Tinker at 508. When a student peacefully distributes tracts or other religious literature on school grounds during non-instructional time there is nothing that "might reasonably [lead] school authorities to forecast substantial disruption of or material interference with school activities." Tinker at 514"

So there you have it. The public school can not make you stop doing it. They can try and tell you to, but as long as your child is doing this during non-instructional time AND it is not causing a disruption that will harm someone else, they can not tell you what to do.

I find it amazing that people find God's word offensive.

Last night I thought about one thing. Why do people get angry when they are told about Jesus or the Bible is mentioned to them? We all teach our children the fundamental moral values of what is right and wrong: don’t steal, don’t cheat, don’t lie etc. But do some really realize those values come from the Bible itself? So why do people get upset about the Bible when the Bible is God’s guide boo...k to have a successful life and more?

The answer? People want to pick and choose what values they have. It's only natural. They don’t want to be accountable to someone else for the way they live. The only offensive thing the Bible does is show us our sin and people don’t like that revealed. Including myself at times. If you would like to read the tract in question, here it is. You will have to click on each picture to bring it up and zoom on it to read it, but there is nothing in it that is offensive unless you don't love my Jesus.

2011-10-10T14:21:00.000-05:00

Someone once asked me how I came up with my ideas. Good question. I like to look at other people's ideas but somehow I could never pull off someone else's idea. I end up buying things I love and that go together and pull it together with things I have or can re-use.

Saturday I posted this...

After a little spray painting on Saturday afternoon

and a little accessorizing during J's nap today,

I have finally completed what I didn't know I was looking for......

forgive me for having a little tall grass there...

our mower is not working.

NOW, I am really ready for Fall!

I would like to add a few other things, but I'll do that as I can.

2011-10-10T10:27:00.000-05:00

I've always been the type of person who was afraid to try new things. Yes, I'm the one that orders the same thing over and over and over again when I go out to a restaurant because I know I won't be disappointed. Over the years I have been a little more adventurous in trying new foods and many of them I found out I love!

My brother-n-law on my husband's side of the family is Hungarian and he is a very good cook. His family came from Hungary a generation or two ago and he has learned the language but also the knowledge of Hungarian food. He introduced us a couple years or so ago to a awesome Hungarian Sausage. It is wonderful and a must have at family gatherings. One Christmas, he cooked a meal for us that was very good.

I don't remember what that meal was, but I did find a recipe that has Hungarian Roots so I thought I would try it. We absolutely loved it! It has dumplings in it, and I have not made those before so the one main bit of advice for this recipe would be for you to make the dumplings very small when cooking them because they get big when you boil them in the water. Also, you might want to cook it for longer too. Test one to see if it is done, the first time around. Then again, if you don't like dumplings, just substitute a thick noodle instead and it will taste just as good!

Chicken Paprikash

Ingredients

3 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup water
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup butter
1 1/2 pounds bone-in chicken pieces, with skin {I used boneless skinless chicken breast}
1 medium onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups water
1 tablespoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup sour cream

Directions

Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil over high heat. In a large bowl, mix together the eggs, 2 teaspoons of salt, and 1/2 cup of water. Gradually stir in 2 1/2 cups of flour to make a stiff batter. Using two spoons, scoop out some batter with one spoon and use the second to scrap off the spoonful of batter into the boiling water. Repeat until several dumplings are cooking. Cook dumplings for 10 minutes or until they float to the top; then lift from the water and drain in a colander or sieve. Rinse with warm water.
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt butter and add chicken; cook until lightly browned, turning once. Add onion to skillet and cook 5 to 8 minutes more. Pour in 1 1/2 cups of water, and season with paprika, salt, and pepper; cook 10 minutes more, or until chicken is cooked through and juices run clear. Remove chicken from skillet and keep warm.
Stir 2 tablespoons of flour into sour cream; then slowly stir into the onion mixture remaining in the skillet. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly, and cook until thickened.
To serve, add dumplings to the sour cream/onion mixture, then spoon onto dinner plates adding a piece of chicken.

Porch Planter

2011-10-08T12:56:00.000-05:00

I'm trying to get back to doing the things I love doing. It's not always easy when you have little ones, but honestly, life shouldn't have to stop just because you have kids. One should be able to enjoy the little pleasures in life.

I have been dreaming about putting something on our front porch for the fall. I always admire people who have a beautiful porch that says 'welcome' to those who stop by. So this week I went searching for the perfect set up. I love Hobby Lobby, but who can pay the price they want. Plus the quality of those things are not always what I am looking for. So after a stop there, I decided to go by a flea market to see if I could find something that said, "here I am!" I don't always get to go browse the antique stores and flea markets, but I did take the time this week. What I found there was amazing.

I found a swinging doll bed that was fairly sturdy. Even though it is not the color I wanted, it was the price I liked, $9.99. All it will take is a coat of brown paint, and some beautiful flowers from Home Depot and I will have a quaint looking planter for my front porch that is very affordable.

I used to love searching flea markets for good finds to decorate my house. This has me stoked to find more "deals" even if it does need a little work.

Instant Lemon Bread

2011-10-07T12:12:00.000-05:00

I have always enjoyed eating candies that are sweet and sour.
Makes me think about Lemon Drops.
A little pop of sweet and a lot of sour.
Yum.

This week we had to make something for my husband's goody day at work and he pulled this recipe out. At first I thought, what? Don't you want to make something else? But we made it anyway. Then he left me a few pieces. From the first bite, I remembered very quickly how much I enjoy this recipe! The other pieces of bread quickly disappeared. I did however share a few bites with my one year old!

So if you are looking for a recipe that is easy to make, cost effective, etc... Maybe you just need to take someone a meal but also would like have a dessert for yourself! You are in luck! This recipe will make two loaves. Make one for yourself and one for someone else. It's easy and quick! Oh yeah, don't let the poppy seeds scare you. At first it turned me off, but I actually like them in there!

So for a few dollars, you can have an easy dessert and share part of it with a friend.

Instant Lemon Bread
1 pkg lemon cake mix
1 pkg instant lemon pudding
1/2 cup oil
1 cup water
4 eggs
1 tsp poppy seeds

After baking:
1/2 cup sugar
juice of 2 lemons

Beat in eggs one at a time. Add 1 tsp poppy seeds. Beat 4-5 minutes. Bake in two loaf pans at 350F about 40 minutes. Before removing from pans and while still hot, pour over loaves 1/2 cup sugar mixed with juice of 2 lemons. (you can also bake in smaller loaf pans and get three small loaves out of this recipe.)

Enjoy!

2011-10-06T09:47:00.000-05:00

The turning of leaves

Cooler weather

Crunchy Leaves

Sneezes

I still wouldn't trade fall

for any other season.

A Time of Beauty.

It time for harvesting.

A Time of Blessings.

A Time of Reflection.

Where is Waldo?

We have two trees that turn a beautiful orange color in the fall.

This one just happens to be the one that my son can climb.

The other one turns a brillant red orange later then the other trees.

Just when all the other trees are dropping their brown leaves,

the one in front is just getting started!

What is your favorite season?

Mine?

Obviously Autumn.

It rejuvinates me.