Poof!

Ugh. When my new laptop crashed I lost my offline writing program. I need to have it reinstalled from where I hope I saved it but I haven't taken the time.

This morning I got all ready and got the kids situated doing their school assignments. I got my cup of delicious tea and sat down to write a post.

And write I did! I wrote a post I was really feeling.

An entire post.

Then, when I went to publish it, I saw the words "blogger could not save"...

I tried to reconnect but my (not very good) AT&T air card would not.

I had to restart. When I came back on, NONE of my work had successfully saved.

Now my kids are done with their assignments. My tea is about gone.

So this is my post.

"This Is It", My Thoughts

Isaiah 45:18 For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else.


We went to see the Michael Jackson movie "This Is It" tonight, which was the first night it was open in my area. I know many of you are planning to see it and I am not going to give anything away!



I went more out of nostalgia, and maybe a little curiosity, than as a crazed fan. In fact, I wasn't really even allowed to listen to Michael Jackson when I was growing up. But come on -- even I knew most of his songs by heart. They have become part of our very culture.


As I watched I was reminded of what a great talent MJ was. Unbelievable talent that I can't imagine having been bestowed all on one person. I had feared that two whole hours was too long to watch and that I might get bored. But it was truly captivating to watch and to listen. And I don't know if I could have seen the beauty I saw in it if I hadn't also felt the sadness. Disclaimer: There were definitely at least two parts that made me feel uncomfortable (a scene where girls are dressed and dancing provocatively and the scenes for Thriller).

Despite all of the questions about him, and all of the debate about who he was, if he was a bad or a good person, discussion about how strange people would say he was, etc. I felt sad. Because from the very beginning of the movie, I began to have a feeling I couldn't shake for the whole movie. I think maybe my eyes were opened to a truth I had not grasped before.

Before I can get to that, let me explain...

When I think about our desires as people, and what we have difficulties with, I have to go back to reminding myself what we were created for.

Isaiah 43:7 Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.

Revelation 4:11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.

Psa 102:18 This shall be written for the generation to come: and the people which shall be created shall praise the LORD.

So I am reminded that we were created to love and worship our Creator. And we were designed to share that Love.

We were not designed to be adulated. We were designed to adore.

So as I watched I was so impressed with how sad it was that every time Michael tried to show love, people acted like they were not worthy of his love and deflected it all back on him. People literally worshipped him, a human being, and did not allow him to really give love in return. At one point in the movie someone even verbalized it by saying it was like church.

It truly even frustrated me as I watched. It's kind of like that compliment you give that your friend never really receives.

"You are so beautiful."

"You nut. No I'm not. So sweet of you to say though."

"No, really! You are beautiful!".

"No, YOU are."

"You are gorgeous inside and out and I love you."

"NO, YOU are gorgeous and I LOVE YOU MORE."

It's like they are saying "I'm rubber, you're glue. Whatever love you give bounces off of me and sticks to you."

... makes me feel sad and tired just pretending I am having that conversation. "Just acccept my compliment already, and accept my love...PLEASE!"

What a sad and frustrating thing, probably even confusing, to never really be allowed to give love but to continually receive the worship of people, when you yourself are a person, and you also were created to worship and to praise and to love.

It seems with any gift, any strength we are given by God, there is a weakness. I often think artistic people feel things more deeply. So when someone feels deeply, when they love deeply, and they cannot find a way to either express their love, or find a way that they can get others to receive that love, it makes perfect sense to me that they would be perceived as strange. In fact, I think it would be miraculous if they were not weird.

It reminds me of that song "Starry, Starry Night" about Vincent Van Gogh, who was also very artistic. Seeing beauty and trying to share it. Feeling like no one will listen, really listen, to your heart. Everyone exalts you when you know intrinsically that you should not be exalted. And they turn all of your love back onto you. So really, they never truly even LOVE you, they just adulate you.

What pain we go through when we are not what we are created to be.

Soup's On Saturday! Soups for Sickies

This week the Facebook status feed on my page has been filled with updates on people and families who have been hit with different illnesses, including several with H1N1. We are also around alot of these people in real life, and two of my boys are in a college setting and ride public transportation. So I am sure our family is being exposed to lots of nasty germs every day.

I remember staying home sick as a teenager. One thing I did that made me feel comforted was making myself chicken noodle soup (I hate to confess it was often Top Ramen!) and watching Perry Mason at 12 noon.

Did you have any special things you did, or do you do any certain thing now, if you or one of your family members gets sick?

Of course I am praying we don't catch anything. I have lots on hand to boost our immune systems, as well as items on hand to help if we do happen to catch anything.

One thing I do believe helps for both prevention and for actual flu and cold symptoms is bone broth. You've heard the addages about chicken soup -- and they are true. However, the most healing benefits come from the bones. I believe that adding a well made bone broth to a well made vegetable broth makes a delicious as well as nutritious and immune supporting soup.

I found some free range chickens on sale at a local health food store and ordered a case so I'd get a further 10% off. This helped me get my 12 chickens for $70.00. This works out to $5.83 each, which is a pretty good deal for free range chicken bought from a source I know and trust. I can find cheaper chickens, but I feel it is important to do my best to buy local, free-range and, if possible, organic sources for meat.

I have worked on my basic chicken soup recipe for several years now and have decided to share it today for Soups On Saturday. My recipe is formulated for an 8 quart pot, so please scale your ingredients accordingly.

24 Hour Basic Bone and Veggie Soup Base

~ Rinse one chicken and place it in an 8 quart cooking pot (I found my red Le Creuset 8 quart at Costco and used my refund check for it a last year!).



~ Season with desired seasonings. I always use lemon pepper liberally, and sea salt to taste. I also usually use garlic. But keep in mind that if you use too much garlic and you are making the soup for someone with a stomach flu, they may not be able to eat it. I add other seasonings after the chicken has been boiled and has simmered.

~ Pour cold water over seasoned chicken. This is where the size of your pan makes a difference. If it is a larger pan, you don't want to fill it as high. You don't want your broth to taste watery. For my 8 quart pot I fill until chicken is almost covered.

~ To this I add about 1/4 cup of white vinegar. This helps to extract the calcium from the bones. Most people add about 2 tablespoons , but personally, I like the taste it adds to our broth so I add more. And I feel this is the secret to how wonderful the soup tastes when it is done. It gives it a tang that is delicious.

~ Cover pot and bring to boil. Then turn it down to a simmer and cook overnight.

~ In the morning when I get up, I remove all of the larger pieces of meat I can fairly easily remove with a spoon or fork, let them cool and refrigerate for later.

~ Skim any of the "sludge" that has raised to the top of the broth.

~ Then I add a variety of vegetables, whatever I have around that sounds good. This is to make the vegetable broth. This always includes celery, carrots, cabbage and onion. It may also include mushrooms, zucchini or winter squash, turnips, etc. To my last batch I added beet greens for an hour of the simmer time then removed them so they would not add too strong of a taste. It also added just enough of that wonderful color only beets can add!

~ Bring broth back to a boil then allow to simmer several hours.

~ Pour the whole mixture through colander over another pot. Pour strained broth back into original pot. Separate out the veggies, pick out all bones and skin from colander and discard. Remove any chicken meat pieces you can easily pull out and add them back to the broth.

~ Run boiled veggies through your blender, adding some of the broth to help it blend more easily. Then add the mixture back to the remaining broth and stir well.

~ Now I add tarragon and more sea salt and lemon pepper to taste. I also usually end up adding a little more vinegar to get it to just the right tanginess. Sometimes I also add fresh squeezed lemon juice.

~ This is when I cut up and add back the chicken meat I formerly removed, and more veggies. I add more onion and carrot, mushrooms, zucchini and cabbage plus whatever else I might have around that sounds good. Right now I have alot of winter squash so I dice some of that up (raw) and throw it in.

~ Bring back to a boil then simmer only until veggies are to desired tenderness. Don't let them get mushy.

~ Now you can add whatever else you like. Sometimes I make my great grandma's noodle recipe and add those in. My family also enjoys dumplings so I sometimes add those. But usually I prefer to serve it over rice, couscous or cooked pasta rather than add it in because I don't like the starch to soak up all of the broth.

Do you have a favorite broth, soup or stew that you eat when you don't feel well? I'd love to have your recipe!

NEXT WEEK: Soups using SAUSAGE. Yum. I can't wait to try some recipes!

Soup's On Saturday! Pumpkin Soups

Today's theme is Pumpkin Soup. So I searched for just the right recipe and I made Velvety Pumpkin Soup with Blue Cheese and Bacon. And I think it is a pretty good recipe going by all of the reviews online. The blue cheese didn't do a thing for me. It just didn't seem to "go". What I really liked about it was the bacon you sprinkle on top. It really made the soup for me.

Cuz, well...

I've decided pumpkin soup is not my favorite. Not by itself anyway. It's the texture I'm talking about here. It's smooth yet grainy at the same time. I did use my own pumpkin rather than the canned variety. I pureed it myself in the Vita-Mix. Which hasn't been working as well as it should be. Maybe that's the problem.

When I make this Pumpkin Chili my friend Julie C. told me about last year I did enjoy that. But you don't puree the pumpkin for that recipe. And it calls for cumin, which I love.

That said, when I included the addition of bacon, I did enjoy this soup. It was a special soup, and very festive. I will probably never make it again. But I think the recipe is a great one and very simple to make. If you like pureed pumpkin.

Maybe if I add some apple? I am not sure what I am going to do with a pot of it. If any of you locals want it, let me know. Otherwise, the chickens will be having Thanksgiving early.

Does anyone else have a pumpkin soup recipe they actually enjoy? Any tricks to make it not be a little grainy? Any more recipes that use chunks of pumpkin rather than pureed? I have more pumpkin to use and I don't want to use it all in desserts. So I'd love more soup and stew recipes using it.

It's definitely getting to be quite fall-like around here. I am ready to hunker down and get comfy. NEXT WEEK'S THEME will be Soups That Help You Feel Better. I like keeping nourishing and comforting food ideas around for kiddos (and other folks) with sort throats. And "they" are anticipating alot of that sort of thing this season. Some in our extended family have already had H1N1. And I am hearing alot of people sniffling and saying they are not feeling well.

Do you have a broth or soup recipe that is comforting when you don't feel well? Or one that seems to maybe even make you feel better when you eat it? Maybe it has just the right texture or spices, or contains a secret ingredient for helping to fight off sickness. If you do, I'd love to know.


Hoping you and yours stay healthy this week!

Menu Plan Monday, October 12-18

Don't forget, I'd love to see your recipes for Soup's On Saturday each week. Tis the season!

This week will be pretty busy because I will be volunteering quite a bit of my time, along with a couple of my sons, at a kid's resale event. I tried to plan for recipes that will be quick to put together or crock pot recipes.

For Sunday Dinner I plan to make biscuits. I had a recipe I just loved. But, alas, I have misplaced it. I am going to look for it and also review some other recipes I have. I want a recipe that makes a puffy, soft-on-the-inside-but-crunchy-outside kind of melt-in-your-mouth biscuits. Whole wheat would be my preference. Do you have one? (Cannot come from a can or a mix.)

On Saturday my Littlest Man will turn Three Years Old. Weird. That went by so quickly that my head is spinning. Which is probably why I have had such a hard time remembering things lately.

I probably do not have a tumor.

But I have wondered.

Littlest Man is also my Mr. Picky. His favorite foods are pretty much all dairy products. So, if I were to make a meal for him, it would include cottage cheese, string cheese, yogurt, kefir, pickled green beans, maybe some nuts and a piece of Killer Seed Bread.

Or just a quesadilla.

I think we'll go out for dinner instead. Maybe Mexican.

Monday: Lentil Tacos possibly with homemade tortillas (depending on whether or not I have time!). We enjoy Lentil Soup so plan to use this Lentil recipe with cumin to change it up a bit. The kids might think it is a bit strange to eat it this way so we may end up eating it plain or with cottage cheese rather than using the tortillas.

Tuesday: Slow Cooker Enchiladas Today is my book club day so I'm going to make ask my 17 year old son to put this together for me.

Wednesday: Test Soup for Soup's On Saturday! theme of "Pumpkins Everywhere".

Thursday: Leftover Buffet (Two of our older boys eat dinner at youth group so tonight is a good night for leftovers)

Friday: 1 Dish Taco Bake

Saturday: 3rd Birthday --- All About The Littlest Boy

Sunday: Buttermilk Pot Roast with Perfect Biscuits *see above

Have a flexible week:)

Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day

This Thursday, October 15th, is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day.

For people who have lost a part of themselves in the form of a precious child taken too soon, it can be a blessing to know that you remember their children. Whether the loss happened recently or many years ago, that child is still loved and it is comforting to know they are remembered.



Some communities and churches make an effort to commemorate this day with fundraising walks, dinners, candlelight vigils and more. You can go here to find activities in your area.

A Butterfly's Touch is a beautiful organization I am aware of.



Please do take a few minutes to think about who you might be able to touch this year by praying, acknowledging a little one, or participating in a fundraiser.

Soups On Saturday! Seasonal Soups

Sorry. I meant to post earlier. I had it mostly ready. But then I went to the Women of Faith Conference which I go to every year. But I have never been here at the same time as a bomb . At least that is what we thought it was. I will certainly tell you more about that later.


So anyway, I did make soup this week before I almost died. And it was delicious. I am not one who usually prefers a smooth soup, except as a base, so I was leery of this recipe but I decided to try it anyway. Mostly because I had the ingredients I needed from my CSA share this week.


The combo of squash and pears is not one I would have thought of, but it sure works. Curry is a spice I love, so I was pretty sure, if the other flavors didn't suit me, that would cover it up. But I did not have to count on the curry, it was great by itself. Even some of my unbelieving kids liked it --- much to their chagrin.

Curried Butternut Squash and Pear Soup

I linked the original recipe in the title because I definitely want to give credit where credit is due. But, as usual, I outlined my own way of doing it below.

1 Danish squash, cut in half, scooped out, placed on oiled baking sheet and baked at 375 degrees until soft (30 minutes for me).

While that is baking, put 4 T. butter, olive oil or coconut oil, 1 + chopped onion, 2 cloves garlic, 2 t fresh grated ginger, 1 T curry powder in pan and cook until onions are tender. The recipe also calls for 1 t. salt, but I prefer to have each person add that to taste, and I use sea salt.

Then add 4 cups chicken broth, and 2 diced pears (personally, I like some chunks in my soup, so after I added the broth, I removed about half of the onions to add back after I puree the rest) The original recipe says to peel and core the pears. But I have a Vita-Mix and knew I was going to be pureeing it, so I just took the stems and ends off and cut up the rest into cubes then threw them in.

As soon as the squash is done cooking, scoop it out and throw that in the pot too, at whatever stage the rest of the soup is now at. Then puree it, about half of the blender at a time, and put it back in the pan (now is when I added the reserved onions back).

Now you have a decision to make. The recipe calls for 1/2 cup half and half. I use farm fresh milk with cream and it is always a gamble how much is cream and how much is milk. I figure it all works out eventually. I gotta say, this soup is very fallish and very flavorful without the milk added. So if you are trying to lose weight, you might want to eat it just like this.

For Weight Watchers points, this way would use far less points. I also would adjust to use olive oil (or, because of the curry and pears, I think coconut oil would be nice), rather than butter and cut the amount way down. Veggies are all 0 points, so all that has to be counted are the oil, pear (fruit is pretty low points) and milk or cream.

The original recipe gives a link to Frizzled Onions to serve on top. I used Durkee Fried Onions to try it, and it was pretty good. But then I decided to try it with these not-so-bad boys


and I liked it even better for a healthier, not fried option. Even though it looks like popcorn in the picture at the top where I added both. I like the crunch and texture each of them added.

I served it with crusty sourdough bread because that is what I had. However, it was not a wonderful match. I would recommend a sweet yeast bread. Cuz dipping bread in to sop up your soup is very comforting and fallish.

Did you make a seasonal soup this week? Do you have a favorite seasonal soup? Please send me your recipe or post it to your blog and link here. I'd love to see more of them. Cuz I have access to some fall veggies and I want to find creative ways to use them.

Here are also some seasonal soups from this time last year:

Apple Butternut Squash Soup

Autumn Harvest Soup

Happy Fall Squash Soup

Hot and Sour Cabbage Soup (I think I will be making this this week as I have quite a bit of cabbage)

I have a friend whose extended family has a "Welcome Fall" party every year. And they make a roasted veggie soup. She knows who she is and I sure hope she will send me the link. Cuz she gave it to me last year and I can't find it. And it is fallish and I want to make it. Thanks Friend.

~NEXT WEEK'S theme is PUMPKINS EVERYWHERE~

Cuz you know they are.

Already.

Everywhere.

And we need (other) ways to use them up.

So please experiment, invent, concoct, create or just follow a soup or chili recipe using pumpkin in some way and share it with the rest of us. Or me anyway.

Have a wonderful, fallish week! And be thankful you are alive -- and I am too:)

P.S. If anyone comments that they have a recipe to link, I will put the Mr. Linky down here so you can link it.

All He Has Created You To Be

I had several posts almost or completely written. Now that I have my new computer I was building up my "inventory".

Then my brand new
from a box
only-used-by-me
built just for me laptop
crashed.

Can you believe it?

I think my magnetic personality conflicts with the innards of electronics.

Which means the writing program I use so I don't always have to write when I am online, was also lost. I did back it up, but now I can't get the backup to work either! I don't want to rewrite any of those posts because I am still hoping to recover them. So I'm going to write about a different contemplation altogether. And hopefully, I will not have to rewrite the other posts!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"What grace it requires when we are misunderstood yet handle it correctly, or when we are judged unkindly yet receive it in holy sweetness! Nothing tests our character as a Christian more than having something evil said about us... Some Christians are easily turned away from the greatness of their life's calling by pursuing instead their own grievances and enemies."

I read this in the Psalm 23 book I mentioned previously. And it really hit me. Especially the last part.

When a person is hurt, especially if it is a deep hurt, it is so easy to become sensitive. And that sensitivity can rob us of "the greatness of their life's calling". Wow, that's pretty serious. What a way to allow a loss to become devastating.

Have you ever read The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis? It has been years for me, but I remember something along these lines. The head demon tells his nephew to prevent the Christians from being effective by distracting them with minor life things and disputes between themselves.

I think Frank Peretti also addresses it in his book This Present Darkness. He paints the pictures of angels and demons fighting in the heavenlies while, below, the Christians are fighting and bickering and struggling to overcome. It's been a whole lot of years for that book too. But you get the gist.

For the sake of being vulnerable, and to get you to thinking about your own risk factors, I will share some things I could elaborate on, and may at some point, that could cause this in me if I am not careful to look to The Shepherd to give me all I need and to cause me to be able to "lie down in green pastures":

~ Being intentionally and ongoingly hurt by people who call themselves the Body of Christ (betrayal).

~ Being unintentionally hurt by others in that Body who are sort of "caught in the crossfire" (more betrayal).

~ Being a "step" or just obviously not the favorite by grandparents or other family members and unspoken etcetera. (sense of not belonging).

~ Being an adoptive mother and having people say tactless things (feeling like second choice, second fiddle, not the "best" mother for my child).

~ A close family member who chooses addiction over relationship (feeling inadequate, not valuable, unloved).

~ Being FAR from perfect all, most, or even some of the time (relationships, parenting, house cleaning, althletics...) and wishing I could do better (loss of confidence, failure).

~ Getting older, being heavier than I'd like, having chronic pain and fatigue (mortality).

I am sure there are many more things I could list. But do you get the picture? We can be distracted by so many things! The more we do not look to our Shepherd for guidance and, primarily, for VALUE, to give us sweet peace and to provide us with all we need, the more things can stack up. Even the tiniest life experience can sow seeds of despair and cause us to overlook or throw away the "calling by which you have been called".

And what a waste that would be.

I bought a card recently for a loved one. It caught my eye because I wanted a card with a bird on it and this one was a beautiful picture of a splendid peacock. Inside it reads "It is never too late to be what you always thought you would be."

I am changing that up a little.

"It is never too late to be all that God has created and called you to be."

Even if you take a break once in awhile.

Menu Plan Monday: Pete and Repeat

Last Monday I did not post a meal plan.

That's because I was saying a final goodbye to summer by going camping.

We had already cancelled/postponed two vacations previously. I was not sure we could actually get out the door this time either, but we did it.

Also as a result of camping, I made very few of the items I listed the week before. So this week is mostly that same menu from two weeks ago, with a couple changes.

The February/March issue of Taste of Home has a chili recipe and a corn muffin recipe in it which are not listed online so I can't link you. But you should subscribe to Taste of Home yourself anyway. I have been subscribing since it first came out with one period of time when we were young and poor when I let is lapse. I have each and every issue I have received -- and I use them! In fact, I do believe my kids might fight over them when I am gone, as they see me use them for every holiday and they have also begun to use them.

I will also be making a seasonal soup one night for Saturday's Soup's On Saturday!. I will be taking into consideration what is in our second to the last produce bag of the season from our farm subscription when I decide what kind of soup to make. And I will share it with you all on Saturday.

I hope you are finding peace and rest during this season change, especially at meal times!

Soup’s On Saturday! 2009

 

Today's the day! The very first Saturday of October and the very first edition of

Soup's On Saturday! 2009

Pull out the ladle and we’ll have a crockpot of GOOD!

There is nothing like a warm bowl of soup with a piece of crusty bread to dip in it (I just love to dip my food!) to nourish and comfort you on a fall day! I think I am finally to the place emotionally where I can move on from summer and embrace the soup weather. I’m not sayin’ the flip-flops are going in with the mothballs just yet. But I am willing to begin the transition.

If you did not read my blog at this time last year, or you have no clue what I am talking about, you can read all about it at this link. If you like what you read and would like to help me spread the word, you could take my S.O.S. button code and put my suhweet lil button in your sidebar. And blab to all of your friends. Because I know you have them. And, I’m pretty sure you blab if you like something. And eeeeveryone loves soup, right?

 

This year I will have a suggested theme for each week. If you have a recipe for that theme I'd love for you to post it. But that is only to get the ideas flowing. You are welcome to post any soup recipe each week, not only the theme soup. If you linked a soup last year and it fits in with a theme, feel free to link it again - we all need a reminder now and again where it was that we saw that delicious recipe!

If you are not a blogger and do not have a web page, please DO email me your favorite recipes for soup and I will post them on my site for you. I am an all inclusive kind of gal, an Equal Opportunity Recipe Collector.

To give you some soup to savor between now and next week, I would like to direct you to my sidebar. Scroll down a little until you see the SOS button. Just below it are hyperlinks to the soups I actually got linked from last year. Do make sure you check out the Broth is Beautiful link because broth is the base to most soups. And I am a firm believer in the healing powers of a good bone broth.

Now I’d like to announce the very first theme: Seasonal Soup. Preferably local to your area. So get out those root vegetables, research your squash and have a chat with your local hunter. Cuz next week I wanna see lots of veggies and venison. Although I love to look at the deer that come up around our place and I cry when I see a dead one in the street. So I have a sorta hard time eating it. But if I call it venison it doesn’t hurt as much.

I also hate don’t enjoy the taste of venison so I don’t eat it. But alot of people like it. And I have a rule for myself that I retry things I don’t like every so often. And I think that time is coming around again for my footless four footed friends.

Anyway, hunting season opens around here today so that makes venison a seasonal ingredient. I saw a whole lot of fallish veggies in my farm share this week. And our cow is making milk with alot of cream just now. So I figure cream and butter could fit into the pot too …  GO WILD!

 

 

Works For Me Wednesday: Developing A Routine

I wrote this previously, and hadn’t posted it yet. This week we are camping and doing school. That’s what I call flexible!

(So when you were a kid, maybe you walked all the way to school with your brother on your back. But did you DO school with your brother on your back?)

Somewhere online there is a blog(s) who host something called "Works For Me Wednesday". I won't take the time to find it now, but decided to post something that works for me anyway...

September 15, 2009

They say summer is not yet over, so I am having a hard time moving on. Don’t get me wrong. I love fall! We had planned to be gone on vacation all week, but my husband had to go out of town on business for part of that time, so we had to cancel.

All week I have been researching, buying the rest of our curriculums, and doing lots of miscellaneous tasks which needed my attention NOW. And I have been trying to ease my school aged children into the first days of school. In so doing, I am reminded how much better we function when we have a routine.

I have written before about how, a few times, words spoken at a home school conference have made an impact on my daily life. One such time was (probably at least 10 years ago) when Inge Canon talked about flexibility in homeschooling. She laughingly referred to those homeschoolers who would say “Oh, I don’t know what we are going to do today. We’ll see what comes up and learn from it. After all, I want to be flexible!”. Everyone laughed – because most of us know someone like that.

Now if I had good graphics skilz, I would make a moving picture of a stick bending and unbending and insert it here. But I don’t. So I will just put a picture of one up. As you look at it, imagine bending it. It is flexible. But that is because you have something to flex!

If we don’t start with a basic framework, we are not being flexible, we are being haphazard!

Now I have tried many of the scheduling programs and books out there. None of them work for me. So I have done many things over the years and tried to adapt it to my current situation. Some years it has been calendar pages, some it has been planning books or various other things. But I put it somewhere in writing, where I can follow it and make changes as needed. This helps me be flexible!

For my kids, I have set aside special time with each of them (and a cup of tea) to discuss their routine. This way I don’t forget anything, and they know they have had input to their schedules. It is also a great time to go over each part of their curriculum with them. If you review it periodically, it gives another opportunity to discuss where you or they can make changes or do something better. This is also a tangible way I can teach my kids to have discipline in their lives, and to learn what it truly means to be flexible!

Having a routine -- so I can truly be flexible, works for me!

A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23: Ruminations I, II

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I am reading through the above titled book with a group of women at church. After such a great and life changing book last year, I was skeptical that the book selection this year could come even close. But, once again, my friend and pastor’s wife, Diane, has selected a book that meets me where I am.

The man who wrote this book was an actual shepherd, he lived amongst shepherds, so he observed the habits of shepherds and sheep in ways those of us who live in urban societies cannot. As a result, his insight into being both a shepherd and a sheep is enlightening in many ways.

The Lord is my shepherd… (Psalm 23:1) Chapter 1

The author says this statement “immediately implies a profound yet practical working relationship between a human being and his Maker.” He also points out that “our view of Him is often too small –- too cramped --too provincial – too human. And because it is, we feel unwilling to allow Him to have authority or control – much less outright ownership of our lives.”

Wow. This is so true. When I am upset or overwhelmed,when I am worried about relationships, finances, etc. I am not totally trusting Him. I am limiting the One who created me, who I “belong to simply because He deliberately chose to create me as the object of His own affection”. I am also taking control over myself, thus unconsciously implying that I am greater than He who is in me. That’s pretty embarrassing.

It reminds me of a song I know, and I am using it as a prayer as I ruminate on this chapter.

“I have made Him too small in my eyes. Oh Lord, forgive me. I have believed in a lie, that You are unable to help me… be magnified, Oh Lord, be magnified”

“… the greater , the wider, the more majestic my concept is of the Christ – the more vital will be my relationship to Him.” ~ Phillip Keller

I shall not be in want… (Psalm 23:2) Chapter 2

A particular ewe which was owned by the author, he named Mrs.Gadabout because, even when she had lush pastures and great living conditions, she was always looking to see what was on the other side of the fence. Not only would she get into trouble and danger, but she taught her young to do so, and led the other sheep to wander as well.

It seemed this point stood out to many in my group. We all do this at times. But the true realization that our Shepherd has truly provided us with everything we need would prevent us from this mentality. We don’t want to teach our wandering ways to our young, or to others who may be looking to us as an example of what it means to follow the Good Shepherd. He has provided us with everything we need.

“But because they belong to Christ and have recognized Him as Lord and master of their lives, their owner and manager, they are permeated by a deep, quiet, settled peace that is beautiful to behold.”

How many people do you know who possess this peace? When I observe it in someone, and it is in precious few that I see it, their peace is catching. Being around them, or reading their writings, I also begin to feel that deep, quiet, settled peace. There is a grandma at our church from whom I feel this, even when I simply pass her in the hall. My own grandmother has this peace. There was a lady in our community, who died last year just before her 102nd birthday, who blessed me and deeply impacted me with her quiet spirit. She was not a quiet person, she was a teacher, but her spirit was settled. The well known writer Elisabeth Elliot, conveys this peace to me as I read her insights and her musings about her life.

As I think of these four people who first come to mind, it occurs to me that they are all elderly. They have had a lifetime to realize their dependence on Him. Oh, that I could realize it NOW!

“I will keep thee in perfect peace whose eyes are stayed on Me.” Isaiah 26:3

Memories On Wheels

(My husband painted this wall hanging several years ago. We were at a Family Camp and the assignment was to make a banner that represented your family. You can see many of our interests included in it, as well as a stork, symbolizing the new baby that was on his way!)

So here I am, camping in our well aged trailer, at the coast with 4 of my kids, having been awakened very early by the bold and hungry raccoons foraging for any scrap of food they might find.

There was a predicted 40% chance of rain. I’ve discovered that means there is a 100% chance that 40% of your belongings will be soaked. Thus, the entry rug up on the table, the tarp over the dog run, and all of the swimming holes in what was a perfectly convenient campsite a couple days ago.

(It is WET. The white spots you see is more rain. Everything is soggy.)

I say aged because this trailer is definitely not of the sort you mostly see being used this time of year. Most of the people out in trailers and RV’s this time of year on the coast are the type who spend a good deal of time in their “homes on wheels”. So they have alot of bells and whistles, like slide outs, rear mounted cameras for easier backing out, washing machines and such. So we are a study in contrast, both by our trailer and by it’s occupants.

Really, our trailer is middle aged, as trailers go. It was made in about the early to mid 90’s. And I think it’s been stored outside all of it’s life. Most winters it grows a crop of moss on the front end and the grass grows up tall around the wheels. And the decor, well… I always thought it would be fun to repaper it in a flamingo print. Flamingoes are so very trailer-ish in a retro kind of way. But it has remained as it came to us. And it’s pretty trailer-ish in a 90’s kind of way. Yes, it’s definitely modest by any standard!

I say “well” aged because we have so many fond memories in this humble little trailer. Some of them did not seem so nice at the time, like our maiden voyage when our transmission went out and we had to camp at a horrible and dirty KOA right off of a freeway. But it forced us to be together because there was nothing else to do. Of course, not knowing how much $$$ we were going to have to fork out added to the stress, but today, 5 or 6 years later, it is one of our favorite memories.

(Here is the dinette and the couch. Both fold out into double beds.)

Then there was the very last extended family camping trip where my grandpa joined us, the summer before his 90th birthday. My aunt had also just been through a grueling battle with colon cancer (which she won and is doing great today!). What a precious memories we made that weekend.

(Kitchen area with sleeping quarters behind. Doors you see are the fridge and freezer. Between the fridge and the back is the bathroom door but you can’t see it very well.)

I do love tent camping and miss it at times. But as I sit here in the rain, on the very wet Oregon coast, as my daughter is finishing her math lesson at the little table, a son is reading a book about Pocahontas on his bunk and an older son is laughing at a 2 year old who burped loudly as they sip together on bottles of juice on the bench seat, I am reminded again how grateful I am that we have this little trailer, so perfectly suited to our family.

(Bunkhouse)

But things are temporary, and this too shall pass.

Mostly I am grateful for the opportunities this little trailer has afforded us to create memories that will last forever.

A Perfect Pairing

Just thought I’d tell you about some little wafers of wonderful.

Paired with a perfect cup of my favorite chai tea.

I wanted you to know I was enjoying them while camping so I took the photo on the lovely trailer upholstery.

Not too sweet. Tastes homemade, like something I could have whipped up in my own kitchen.

Especially good when dunked.

The label did say Trader Joes, but it got torn off somehow.

I love the obscure items I can find there. Do you have a favorite TJ’s item?

Menu Plan Monday, September 21-27

Yep, I do.

And I highly encourage YOU to start preparing a meal plan too - whether you blog or not. It makes life so much easier. It helps you think ahead and coordinate your meals with your activities. And it saves money too, because you don’t buy too much extra fluff, AND you use up what you have. This is also one practical way I can use to help me live with purpose. I feel such a difference in my daily life when I do this vs, when I don’t. And I suspect my family feels it too!

Before I begin my menu post though, I want to give you, my fellow soup lovers, a head’s up -- my Soup’s On Saturday Weekly Carnival begins October 4th. Please feel free to link to your blog post about soup once per week. You can read more info here. Also, at any time, check my side bar for links to lots of soups from last fall’s S.O.S. You can also go to my side bar and pick up my adorable SOS button for your own blog.

Okay, now for my menu…

Monday: Back To School Day (One son back to college today, younger kids start full day home school). I wanted to make something hot for breakfast that those in a hurry could grab and go.

B- Breakfast Burritos with ham, potatoes, eggs and cheese I will make in crockpot (line the greased crockpot with the shredded potatoes and put the eggs and ham inside. That way you will not get as much of a crust on the eggs)

L- Leftover Zucchini-Potato Pancakes ( I made a huge batch last week so we’d have leftovers)

D- Pork Loin with Raspberry Chipotle Sauce cooked very slowly

To Do:

Soak Lentils

Tuesday: Book Club in morning and at backpacking lecture in evening -- quick breakfast, easy lunch, crockpot dinner

B - Granola

L – Bean and Cheese Burritos/ Quesadillas

D – Lentil Soup with ham hock, serve with cottage cheese on top

To Do:

Soak beans

Soak grains for buns

Wednesday

B- Smoothies with homemade yogurt

L- Pinto Beans made in crockpot served with Cornbread

D- Barbeque Beef and Bean sandwiches with Homemade Buns (I have to let mine raise longer and adapt slightly to let grains soak)

To Do:

Soak grains for bread

Thursday:

B- Fruity Baked Oatmeal (use this basic recipe but am going to play around with it to try to avoid so much sugar)

L- Sandwiches (Turkey, Ham or PBJ)

D- Scrabble Soup with homemade bread (my daughter makes this in the breadmaker)

To Do:

Soak Grains for donuts

Soak grains for biscuits

Soak grains for pizza crust (or buy)

Defrost beef for muffins and roll up

Friday:

B- Whole Wheat Cake Donuts

L- Farmhouse BBQ Muffins (use homemade dough)

D- Bacon Cheeseburger Roll Up

To Do:

Soak grains for cornbread

Defrost beef for soup on Sunday

Saturday:

Leftovers and Open Kitchen Day

To Do:

Brown beef for soup

Soak Grains for cornbread

Sunday

Morning:

Start Cornbread in bread maker

Start soup in crockpot

B- Overnight Oatmeal (my own version of this recipe)

L- Taco Soup (on my sister’s blog) with Cornbread

D- Popcorn, yogurt, etc.

Also this week make:

I can’t find my Nourishing Traditions book. That’s what I get for loaning things out and not writing it down! That is why I am including links. However, I do use the NT recipes.

Sauerkraut

Cortido

Pickled Beets

To see over 300 other weekly meal plans, go to www.orgjunkie.com and check out what's been linked this week.

Have a great week!

I Want To Know My Shepherd

The women at our church will be starting book clubs this week. Last year, the book club was based on A.W. Tozer’s book “The Pursuit of God”. I learned so much by reading the book, but I know I would not have learned nearly as much if I had not had the insights of all of the other ladies in my club. I made lasting friendships in that group, and the book is life changing.

So I have high hopes for this year’s book club too. We are reading A Shepherd’s Look at Psalm 23 by Phillip Keller. I am looking forward to applying this Psalm to my life in ways I have not before.

When I think about Jesus as my Shepherd, I feel safe. I look forward to knowing that feeling of being cared for even more. What does it mean to “know” the Shepherd? How well do I really “know” him? So a few weeks ago I decided to dig a little deeper, and started digging up other tidbits I can find about Psalm 23.

I located the beautiful story below, and thought I would share it with you. My prayer for you on this Sunday morning, and for me, is to Know the Shepherd in a way that makes others stop and listen.

 

There once was a Shakespearean actor who was known everywhere for his one-man shows of readings and recitations from the classics.  He would always end his performance with a reading of Psalm 23.

Each night, without exception, as the actor began his recitation--"The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want" ...  the crowd would listen attentively. And then, at the conclusion of the psalm, they would rise in thunderous applause in appreciation of the actor's incredible ability to bring the verse to life.

But one night, just before the actor was to offer his customary recital of Psalm 23, a young man from the audience spoke up.  "Sir, do you mind if tonight I recite Psalm 23"?

The actor was quite taken aback by this unusual request, but he allowed the young man to come forward and stand front and center on the stage to recite the Psalm, knowing that the ability of this unskilled youth would be no match for his own talent.

With a soft voice, the young man began to recite the words of the Psalm. When he was finished, there was no applause.  There was no standing ovation as on other nights.  All that could be heard was the sound of weeping. The audience had been so moved by the young man's recitation that every eye was full of tears.

Amazed by what he had heard, the actor said to the youth, "I don't understand.  I have been performing Psalm 23 for years.  I have a lifetime of experience and training-but I have never been able to move an audience as you have tonight.  Tell me, what is your secret?"

The young man quietly replied, "Well sir, you know the Psalm....I know the Shepherd."

 

Grateful From The Depths of Me

Tonight when I tucked her in, I lingered a little longer as I kissed her hair. Her It’s-been-a-little-too-long-between-perms, smells-like-hair-moisturizer nappy head. And I took the time to find the exact spot on her nose bridge that I have quickly kissed so many times.

Today was the 8 year anniversary of the day that began the scariest time of our lives. My husband’s tearful voice did not tell me what was wrong until I got home. But I knew it was something very, very bad. The phone call from the adoption agency had come. We hadn’t expected to hear anything from them. They informed us that we were going to have to give our precious daughter back. They said they had already explored every possible legal option, and there was no hope.

8 years later, it haunts me. One day I will be brave and I will speak of it. Not today.

I cannot fathom my life without her.

She is here

with

me,

I tucked her in tonight.

Yes, I lingered a little longer on her perfectly curly head and kissed her kissing spot again, for the 2,920th night since that day. And not one has gone by without a tremendous feeling of gratefulness that God chose for her to be here with me.

Meal Plan Thursday

I am aching to get back in the saddle. So I didn't want to wait until Monday for this. When I post it for you it is also so nicely laid out for me.

With school starting, I am having to be more careful about how I manage my time. Especially if I still want to do fun stuff with my kids. Which I do. Also, my two oldest boys start their college schedule again next week and I won't be seeing as much of them so want to make the most of these next few days.

As I have said many times before, things always run so much more efficiently when I have a plan.

Being Purposeful.

Have a wonderful weekend!
Come back Monday, for lots more meal ideas, when I hope to be back in time for orgjunkie's linky.



Thursday (that's today):
Dinner-
Zucchini Potato Pancakes with toppings (sour cream, cheese, green onion, ranch)
Fried Eggs

TO DO:
Soak grains for pancakes

Boil Eggs, Cook bacon for sandwiches

Soak grains for buns (possibly)

Soak beans for Tortilla Pie and thaw ground beef (if decide to add)



Friday:
Breakfast - Whole Wheat Blender Pancakes

Lunch - Bacon and Egg Salad Sandwiches, possibly on homemade buns (which I have to let rise longer than this recipe calls for)

Dinner - 7 Layer Tortilla Pie (This is my link to another link. I wanted to make sure I include my special instructions for how I make it)

TO DO:
Soak grains for muffins
Sugar nuts for salad
Thaw pork for Sunday

Saturday:
Breakfast -Ultimate Muffins (my adaptation)

We will probably grab something quick for a light lunch. The rest of the day will be at a family event for my MIL's birthday. I am bringing a yummy salad, my favorite potluck item to eat and to bring.

TO DO:
Soak beans for Chalupa

Sunday:
Breakfast - Granola
Lunch - My version of this Chalupa served with brown rice, corn and flour tortillas, sour cream, cheese, avocado
Dinner - Light snacks and popcorn for Family Time

Hiker Chicks:Adventure One, The Rest Of The Story

Sorry I cut that last post off so abruptly. I had just realized the time and knew my son needed to be picked up in less than 10 minutes…

So anyway, as I was saying, I was pretty worried about the weight of my pack. For good reason. It was heavy. But I think most of us ended up with packs that heavy. And I can’t say that next time it will be any lighter, because I can’t think of anything I could have left out!

 

Something very remarkable about our group is that none of us is particularly known for our current athleticism. We are all moms, of varying shapes and sizes and fitness levels. Some of the ladies were sick, or had been sick, or recovering from injuries. Several of the ladies have suffered heartbreaking losses over the past few years, one of them just in May.

This trail has some very difficult trails, switchbacks which were very steep for 2+ miles. Add that to our packs and we were working really hard to make it all the way up.

Much of the trail was very dense, but then it would open up to beautiful vistas, as far as the eye could see. 

These glimpses of God’s creative genius stirred in us again that knowledge that there is Someone bigger than we are, and gave us the wherewithal to keep moving UP (thanks Daniele for  nagging cheering us up there). Isn’t that something -- that He gave us this strenuous physical exercise, somewhat symbolic of something each of us was, or had been, facing? Once we got up there we marveled in the beauty that we got to enjoy all by ourselves ,

  

…then we started setting up camp by pitching tents, refilling our bottles with filtered water and gathering wood before it got dark. Then we settled down for our meals of rehydrated food (augmented at times by wild huckleberries as big a huge blueberries!). That packaged food was a taste adventure in and of itself. We definitely have a list of the good and the bad! (Hint: Stay with the Mac and don’t do the Kung Pao).

We had some heartfelt sharing times around the fire, a little futile unsuccessful fishing, some icy cold swims and alot of giggling in our tents about how awkward it was to get dressed and then comfy in such a small space. I tell ya, the expectation by REI that anyone can sleep all tangled up in a twisted mermaid cocoon inside a cocoon sleeping bag is waaayy off. That’s what we were laughing about in my tent. Mer-Cocoons. 

We had a beautiful day hike to a lower lake, and some of us took an icy swim (you might guess who by the fact that there are no pictures displayed here).

Some even thought they saw a bear. But we were not afraid (see below). Can you see the Bible on one side and the pistol on the other?

Nope. We were not afraid!

 

The hike back down was much easier. It was fun to get to enjoy the different terrain and water crossings in a way we did not get to on the way up.

It was sweet and sweaty, alot of laughter and some tears, and a reminder of why I say “DO HARD THINGS”! It was truly one of the most difficult physical things I have ever done, but I am so glad I did it.

And we got to share it together.

Good job ladies. I am so proud of all of us!