Cultivating a Life of Thanks

It's been quiet over here on the blog. I'm not entirely sure why, but I've been in a bit of a quiet and contemplative mood the past couple of weeks. Thanksgiving has become my absolute favorite holiday. Don't get me wrong, I love Christmas and some others, but there's just something about a time where you gather with family and friends to collectively reflect on your blessings. Other than the Black Friday mess (that's a WHOLE other story), Thanksgiving is largely untouched by the consumerism and frantic pace that can mar the holidays.


I try to spend the month of November slowing down to really taking note of all of the people and things in my life that I'm grateful for. And while material things sometimes enter the picture, the overwhelming theme to what I'm most grateful for centers around love. This year as I reflect, the verse that the Lord has brought to my heart repeatedly is Psalm 95:2.

How many times do I come to the Lord in prayer and open my mouth to recite a long list of things that I think I need or that I'm worried about before I even consider and thank Him for all that He has done for me? Even if He hadn't blessed me with my husband and children, wonderful family and friends, a comfortable home and a beautiful life, He has still been so good to me. His love has completely transformed me from an insecure, self-loathing girl looking for love, acceptance, and peace in all the wrong places to a completely different woman - a daughter of the King, confident of who He has made me to be and excited to be walking in the destiny He has for my life.

This year, I feel an urgency in my spirit to really strive to create a culture of thanks in our home that extends far beyond Thanksgiving into every aspect of our lives throughout the year. Pure thanks cannot be dependent on our circumstances, because circumstances change. When finding himself in a painful and seemingly impossible circumstance, Paul says:

I don't know about you, but often I can get caught up and focused on the "next thing". Whether it's the next season of life or the next purchase I want to make, my attention can be so consumed in the future. And often, once I get it, I'm not satisfied or at peace.....I'm looking ahead to the next thing! I want it to stop. I want to live each day (not just at Thanksgiving) in the peace and grace that stems from a heart that is truly thankful. I want to be present and engage in where I am right here, right now. I want to put down my phone more and appreciate who and what is right in front of me. I want to show my girls how to be content and thankful instead of telling them they should be. I want to be intentional in how I spend my thoughts, time, money and emotions. I want to give more and desire less. I want to be grateful for each and every gift in front of me because I truly am so very blessed.

Stuffed Green Peppers

We had our first freeze over the weekend and before it arrived, we tore out all of our pepper plants and tried to salvage anything that was left. We had a bunch of green peppers that hadn't had time to turn. I'm not a huge fan of green peppers and wasn't sure what to do with all of them. I decided to give stuffed peppers a try and I'm so glad I did....they were amazing!




Ingredients
- 6 large green peppers (or equivalent)
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 1 (14.5) oz can peeled and chopped tomatoes
- 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 cup uncooked rice (or quinoa)
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup shredded mozzerella
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar
- 20 oz. Pacifico creamy tomato soup
- salt and pepper to taste

1. Cut off the tops of the peppers and remove the seeds. Boil a large pot of salted water and drop the peppers in to cook for 5 minutes. Drain and set the peppers in a baking dish.

2. Saute ground turkey and onions until meat is browned and onions are soft. Season with salt and pepper then stir in the tomatoes, rice, Worcestershire sauce and water. Simmer until rice is tender and water is gone. Remove from heat and stir in the cheese.

3. Fill the peppers with the meat mixture and pour the tomato soup on top. Enjoy!

DIY Thanksgiving Banner

Saturday was our first winter-like day of the season. It was bitter and raining outside, and my winter instincts kicked in. All I wanted to do was bake, eat, watch movies and do crafts. Now that we are officially in November, I decided to try a little bit of fall decorating as we will be hosting my family for Thanksgiving this year. Our great room has a large fireplace and mantle where I have placed an antique stained glass window. I figured a Thanksgiving banner would be a great addition for the month. 

Supplies

- scrap fabric, up to 1/2 yard depending on how many letters you want to do

- stencils

- paint

- garden string

- hot glue gun

- scissors or rotary cutter

- small piece of cardstock

1. Decide what message you want to display and cut out a 3" x 5" piece of fabric for each letter. I didn't have anything in my fabric scraps that had the exact texture I was looking for, so I used a lining fabric and a lace fabric and sewed them together with a quick stitch at the top.

 2. I arranged the stencils over the fabric pieces and painted them with some leftover paint from a furniture project.

 

 

3. Once the paint dried, I took a small piece of card stock and made a triangular stencil so that I could mark off and cut a triangle in the bottom of the fabric. 

4. I then took a generous length of garden twine, centered the letters on it with 1" space in between and hot glued the fabric to the string.  

5. Then I attached to the back of the stained glass window and on the mantle. (Sorry for the terrible photo quality! It's so hard to get a clear photo with the windows on either side.)

It was a cheap and easy way to dress up the mantle, and I will probably make another one when the Christmas season arrives. For now, I love the daily reminder of where our blessings come from and to bring my thanks each day to the Lord.

Fun with Fire

The homeschooling honeymoon has worn off in our house. We started with enthusiastic interest for each new task and rapt attention to every topic I presented has faded into a mostly comfortable rhythm and routine where some days are better than others. The announcement of school time is met some days with resistance and requests for more time to play rather than a dash for the school room. We still have days where the girls can't wait to get started, but they are less frequent than when we began. I imagine this is normal whether your child is in public, private or home schooled. (And if it's not, I'm not sure I want you to tell me!) We push through the tough days and get our lessons accomplished, sometimes saving some work for the next day when minds and attitudes are refreshed. In the last week or so, boundaries have been tested, interest has been short, and truthfully, my patience has been thin. While I consider it a huge blessing to stay home with my kids and teach them, it is not always easy. I think we all needed a break and a reminder of some of those fun first days. We got just that yesterday. 

I had decided to take a break from our normal curriculum and do a couple of days on community helpers and safety. I gathered some books from the library and printed off some coloring pages, but other than that I wasn't quite sure what we were going to do. After the girls' gymnastics lessons, I decided to stop by our local fire station, and they were gracious enough to give us a personal tour. The girls had a blast looking at and climbing in the fire truck.



They were given junior firefighter hats and badges as well as coloring books and temporary tattoos. Cora, who is normally quite shy around adults and strangers, shocked me by asking several of her own questions. She was so interested in how the truck worked and what their job entailed.


 The girls were able to see the lights and our tour guide allowed Cora to sound the siren on the truck. When we had exhausted our questions and taken a few photos, it was time to go but neither of them were ready.

Once we got home, I made a huge bowl of popcorn (a favorite snack but something I usually save for after dinner or special movies) and we headed up to the school room. There we read some books on fire safety, including a cute narrative called No Dragons for Tea. The girls colored in the book from the fire station, worked on some early reading skills with a firefighter matching game (thank you Pinterest) and did some copy work with fire safety words.
 We did some role playing games where I set off the smoke detector and they pretended to crawl under the smoke to the door, check the doorknob for heat, stop, drop and roll when their clothes caught fire, and crawl outside then call 9-1-1. I'm pretty sure they would have done that repeatedly all day. 

When we were done inside, Cora "suited up" and we headed to the backyard where she took the hose and pretended to be a firefighter putting out our house fire. 

While we may not have accomplished as much work as we normally do, there was not one complaint or argument all day. The girls learned some important life skills, Cora came out of her shell asking her own questions to the firefighter, and most importantly we all had a lot of fun. It was exactly the "break" we all needed, and I am inspired to plan more fun days like this into our regular curriculum. 

Summer Pasta in the Fall

We all have those nights where we look in the fridge and pantry with a blank stare wondering what on earth to make for dinner. At times this can be stressful, but most days I love it because I get to be completely creative and come up with something new. Sometimes it's a big flop, but on nights like last night, it's a huge win. I often find the most random combination of ingredients can be amazing.

Summer Pasta
- 1 Cup diced butternut squash (my most recent obsession!)
- 1 Cup diced sweet potato
- 5 Cups raw mustard greens or spinach (OR 1 cup cooked)
- 3 chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 in cubes
- 1 box pasta - I used a quinoa pasta, a great alternative for those who are gluten sensitive (like me)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3-5 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 Tsp of a really good Italian Seasoning plus a dash of coriander, chili pepper, paprika or whatever else strikes you
- Parmesan cheese to top (optional)

1. Toss butternut squash and sweet potato with 1 Tbsp olive oil, sprinkle with a little salt and pepper, and bake at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes or until soft.
2. Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in a pan then cook chicken, adding the Italian seasoning about halfway through.
3. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to instructions on the box.
4. Drain pasta and add the chicken.
5. In the same pan you cooked the chicken, add 1 Tbsp olive oil and garlic. After a couple of minutes, add your greens to cook them down.
6. Combine all ingredients and toss, adding extra olive oil as needed to moisten. Sprinkle some Parmesan cheese on top and serve.

Fresh Baked Bread

It all started with an offer from my dear (no, really - she's wonderful!) mother-in-law for a hand me down bread machine. At the time, I was 8.5 months pregnant with Eden, chasing two year old Cora and could barely muster the energy to brush my teeth, much less produce a loaf of bread fit for The Little House on the Prairie. I politely declined. Fast forward about a year, and Austin and I start to really dig into what is in our food, who put it there (Monsanto anyone?), and how to best equip our bodies nutritionally for lifelong health. If you take a look at the back of a store bought loaf of bread, the list of ingredients will run long with some that are completely unpronounceable. Food Babe has a great article breaking down some of these ingredients found in popular commercial bread options. After seeing what was really hiding in our bread box, I was finally ready to give that bread machine a try. Two years later, I am still making 100% of the bread our family consumes and I've never looked back. Our journey ultimately brought us to start a large organic garden where we grow the majority of our produce, and raise free range organic chickens along with two Nigerian Dwarf goats who we would like to milk one day.

I'm now on my second hand me down bread machine and what I love about it, is it is so incredibly EASY. Really, it is. My favorite recipe takes me about 7 minutes (with a 5 year old "helper") to prep and get into the bread machine which works tirelessly for the next 3-4 hours to bake up the most delicious, fluffy and nutritious bread you will ever taste. All the ingredients are easily found in your local grocery store, and baking your own bread is also much CHEAPER than store bought. For an artisan style sandwich bread, you'll be shelling out about $4/loaf at the grocery store. I can make one at home for around $1.25, and it's completely chemical and preservative free. And really, you can't beat a kitchen that smells like a bakery for the rest of the day.

Here is my favorite basic sandwich bread recipe. Note that all bread machines are a little different and you may have to experiment a little bit until you get the perfect ratio of wet/dry ingredients.

1/3 cup honey (Or I use a sugar alternative - sucanat cut with honey)
1 1/3 cup water
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp oil (go with coconut - you won't regret it)
3 tbsp dry milk
3 3/4 Cups whole wheat flour
2 tbsp Gluten
2 tbsp ground flax seed (or whole flax seed for an awesome crunchy texture. Just know the whole seed won't be absorbed by your digestive system and you'll be missing the nutritional benefits)
2 tsp yeast

If you're not sure you can stick with it and therefore don't want to spring for a new bread maker, I would encourage you to send out a plea on Facebook to borrow one. You may be surprised to find a grandmother, aunt, friend or neighbor has one they're not using anymore and willing to lend out. I've also seen some bread makers in amazing shape for super cheap at Goodwill and similar thrift stores. Once you fall in love with making your own bread, consider also grinding your own fresh flour. (Don't look at me like that.) I'll have more on grinding your own flour later. For now, give baking your own bread a try. It really doesn't take that long, and is totally worth the time invested when you slice into that first warm fluffy loaf.

The Dirty on Natural Cleaning

A couple of years ago when we started our journey into a healthier lifestyle, one of the first areas I tackled was our cleaning products. I was never comfortable with bleach and other harsh chemical cleaners, and hated that I felt like I couldn't even clean or use them around my kids. One look at the ingredients and warnings on the back was enough to tell me that it wasn't a great option for us to be touching or inhaling. Once I watched the documentary Chemerical, I was ready to ditch the harsh cleaning products in favor of something more natural. Here is a rundown of my cleaning arsenal.

BAKING SODA:  I love this stuff. It's an excellent scouring agent, and I use it primarily in the kitchen and the bathroom. It's great in sinks, tubs, showers and toilets. It absorbs odor like no other and can be used for everything from whitening laundry to cleaning up spills on carpets and mattresses.

WHITE VINEGAR: This is my All-Purpose cleaner. It cleans just about anything. I use a 50/50 vinegar and water solution in a spray bottle to clean counter tops, windows, and just about all surfaces. It is extremely cheap and a great alternative to conventional All Purpose Cleaners.

TEA TREE OIL: This can be found online or at your local natural health store.Tea Tree Oil is a powerful, naturally derived antibacterial and antiseptic. I add 3-4 drops (it's a highly concentrated solution and is very powerful so start small.) to the toilet bowl with a little bit of baking soda and a few sprays of the vinegar solution. You can also make an antiseptic spray for killing bacteria and viruses with a mixture of 16 oz of water, 30-50 drops of tea tree oil and 3 tbsp of castile soap.

CASTILE SOAP: This works as a surfactant and is excellent at lifting away dirt and cutting grease. It is made from 100% pure olive oil, water and lye. Manufactures sometimes add essential oils for scent. A couple of years ago I was working with food dye for a birthday cake and ended up with bright pink hands. I tried washing with various types of soaps and scrub brushes with no luck. Enter Castile soap and it was gone in one washing. This is my powerhouse cleaner for tough stains and a little bit goes a long way. For mopping floors, I fill a bucket with water, a splash of white vinegar and about a teaspoon of Castile soap for squeaky clean, shiny hardwoods, tile and vinyl. You could also add a few drops of Tea Tree Oil for the antibacterial qualities.

MRS. MYERS COUNTER TOP SPRAY: This is my little commercial indulgence. :) It makes my granite counter tops shine like no other and the scents are so yummy - Basil, Lavender, Lemongrass, Honeysuckle, Pine, need I go on?

I would encourage you to take a look at your cleaning supplies and really study the ingredients. You may be surprised to find how many toxic, carcinogenic additives are in each bottle. I can clean my entire house with the first four ingredients above. It is much cheaper and safer than what you can find in the store and only takes a few extra minutes to mix up your own spray bottles.

Building a Legacy

Last night I had the privilege of attending a Celebration of Life for an inspirational woman in our church. She was a woman of deep faith, and her love for Christ radiated in everything she did. As each of her children and her husband stood before friends and family and gave heartfelt testimony to the incredible impact she made on their lives and the lives around her, I couldn't help but think about what legacy I will leave behind.

You see, we all have a legacy that will impact our family, friends and community long after we are gone. It's greater than a life insurance plan, an heirloom piece of furniture or the random collection of useless items in our junk drawer. (Don't judge - I know you have one too!) For some people, the legacy left by their parents and grandparents is a painful one. It's full of regrets, hurt and memories they wish to forget. For others, like this dear family who is grieving the loss of their matriarch, it's full of hope, faith and inspiration.

The family didn't speak about how clean she kept her house or all the things she accomplished in her career. They didn't reminisce over how she always had it all together, and lived a perfect, rosy life. The overwhelming sentiment was how well she LOVED. Her selflessness, her genuine care for each person in her family, her ability to make each person she met feel special, and her constant joy made a deep impact on those who knew her best. She took the time to really know and love each person individually. Although I didn't know her well personally, anyone who knows her family can see the beautiful legacy of love, faith and joy that she and her husband have woven into the lives of their children and grandchildren.

Legacy isn't created in a day. It's something that you build into each day through the big and the small moments of life. What do I want to leave behind for those I love? A deep, unwavering faith in God that is woven into every part of my life. I want to be remembered for loving well. I want to be remembered for loving my husband unconditionally, for serving others, for treating my children like gifts and not an inconvenience, for being full of peace, for encouraging friends and strangers alike, for always being up for an adventure, and for trying to keep the right perspective through the ups and downs of life. The Lord has a lot of work to do in me to make this a reality, but I pray that whenever the end of my life arrives, those dear to my heart can stand up and know without a doubt that I loved each of them deeply for exactly who they are. What will your legacy be?

White Chicken Chili

It's finally fall and when the boots, pumpkins and scarves come out, so does the Crockpot! I've already made my absolute favorite fall/winter Crockpot dish twice. It's quick, easy and doesn't have a long list of ingredients. It's perfectly paired with fresh baked bread, and the leftovers are delicious over tortilla chips as nachos.



Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts
- 32 oz. carton of chicken broth
- 1 jar of your favorite salsa (GOOD salsa. Don't skimp here.)
- 5 cans of great northern beans
- 2 cups of shredded cheese

1. Place chicken breast, broth and salsa in the Crockpot and cook on low for 4-5 hours.

2. Use a fork to shred the chicken breast in the pot.

3. Add the beans and cook for another 3-4 hours. 

4. About 30 minutes prior to serving, add cheddar cheese and stir. Leave it in the Crockpot until all the cheese is melted. Enjoy! 

Fall Planting

Our summer crops are winding down and the garden always looks a little sad at this time of year. We are starting to transition into our fall crops. A couple of weeks ago, we got an absolutely beautiful Saturday morning, so we took advantage of the cooler weather to put the red and white cabbage plants into the ground. With most fall crop varieties, it is recommended to start them indoors 12 weeks before the first frost. For the southeast this is typically around the beginning of July. Last year we started all of our broccoli, kale, and cabbage indoors. This year we are going to experiment with direct seeding a few plants to compare.

Austin has put a tremendous amount of time into researching, planning for and cultivating our 2000 square foot organic garden. There is so much strategy that goes into crop rotation, soil composition, timing of planting and harvesting, and disease management. One area we wish hope improve on is succession planting, making sure we have a steady continued harvest. This year we will have 3-4 different rounds of plants started indoors and will set out later in the season. We grow everything in our garden from seed and either direct seed it or start it in our basement under fluorescent lighting. Using an organic potting mix for seedlings has greatly improved our germination rate and soil water retention vs. a general garden soil mix. Although a good potting mix will cover most of the nutrition for seedlings, it is also a good idea to feed them every 1-2 weeks with a good liquid fertilizer like kelp, fish emulsion, or a compost tea. Austin has gained a wealth of knowledge over the past couple of years and has put a ton of hard work into our food production. Here is a great resource he has used for starting seeds. I have mostly helped with harvesting, cooking and preserving the veggies, but this fall I am starting to step into helping him with some of the other responsibilities.


After we planted the cabbage yesterday, I helped him transfer some of our broccoli, Brussels sprout and kale seedlings into larger containers to allow them a little more time to grow under the fluorescent lights before they are ready for planting. Some of them had multiple seedlings in one container and had to be gently split without destroying the root balls. Fortunately plants in this the Brassica family respond well to root disturbance unlike crops in the squash/cucumber family. When transplanting them to their final resting place in the ground, we make sure to do it on a cool (preferably cloudy) day, either later in the evening or early morning. As far as depth goes it's a good idea to plant them up to the first set of "true" leaves. Since Brassica plants are heavy feeders we always mix in some rich compost into the planting bed and also roughly a 1/4 cup of dried poultry manure mixed into each planting hole.

These plants will stay under the fluorescent lights for another 3 weeks before making their way outdoors. Since these are cool weather crops, they have a difficult time adjusting to the remainder of summer's heat at season end. We have had good luck transitioning them outside for their last 3 weeks before going into the ground by leaving them in a shady area for 1-2 weeks and then slowly introducing them to the sun's rays (cloudy days are a good way to ease the transition). Don't panic if you left them out longer than you meant to and you come home to what looks like a tray of dead, wilted plants. Take them back to the safety of shade and give them a real good watering. Most likely they will perk back up over night (although "sun shock" like this can slow their overall growth down).

This year, our fall crops will include: 

- Green Beans

- One last planting of Snap Peas

- Red Cabbage

- White Cabbage

- Sweet Potatoes

- Kale

- Mustard Greens

- Broccoli

- Cauliflower

- Brussels Sprouts

- Swiss Chard

- Beets

Chicken Taco Hobos

As I prepared for our camping trip this past weekend, I wanted to find a quick easy recipe for dinner since I knew we would be arriving late and needing to throw something on the fire immediately. My best friend introduced me to the concept of camping hobos many years and 4 kids ago when we went on a white water rafting camping trip with our husbands. Our camping trips are not quite as adventurous anymore, but the hobo tradition has stuck.

Jessie & I in 2010

 Now what we didn't have on our white water rafting trip back in 2007 was Pinterest! This time around, I was able to quickly find this recipe for Sweet Potato Foil Pocket Tacos. I rarely follow a recipe exactly, and it was no different this time as I changed a few things to make it my own.

Ingredients (serves 4-6)
- 3 chicken breasts, cut into small chunks
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp Goya Adobo seasoning with cumin
- About 1/2 cup tomato sauce
- 1 can black beans, drained
- 3 medium sized sweet potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
- 3 Tbsp butter
- 1 cup mustard greens (or spinach), shredded
- 1 - 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar

Toppings
- Sour cream
- Diced tomatoes
- Avocado slices
- Fresh chopped cilantro

1. Cook the chicken breasts in the olive oil and then add the Goya seasoning, black beans and tomato sauce.
2. Lay three 12" sections of foil on the counter. Spray with a heavy dose of non-stick spray then evenly distribute the sweet potatoes between the three foil packets.
3. Top with the greens, butter and chicken mixture (evenly distributed). Finally, top with the cheddar cheese.
4. Fold up the sides of the foil, carefully folding over 1/2 inch at a time. Fold up the edges. I like to then add a second layer of foil to make sure it doesn't break or get poked during cooking.
5. You have three options for cooking:
     - Place foil packets on a camping grate over a fire for about 20-30 minutes or until potatoes are soft.
     - Place foil packets directly on top of coals (Not directly on fire...coals or wood that has already burned but still retains a lot of heat) for 20-30 minutes or until potatoes are soft.
     - Bake in a conventional oven at 425 degrees for 20-30 minutes or until potatoes are soft.
6. Remove from heat, CAREFULLY open the foil packets and top with whatever toppings you like. 

Anyway you cook it, these taste absolutely amazing! 

Camping Trip & Finding Focus

This past weekend, we loaded up the car with an unbelievable amount of gear and took off for the mountains. It was perfect timing to unplug, get away from the responsibilities at home, and enjoy some family time camping.

The girls were ecstatic to play in the tent and explore the campground. They particularly loved the chance to pee in the woods. :) Austin and I were equally ecstatic to escape projects and chores for a couple of days. Camping can be a lot of work to prepare for and clean up after, but it's awesome quality time. And it helps if you do some cooking ahead of time like I did with our Chicken Taco Hobos. 

We were right in the middle of our Leaf Unit in Cora's curriculum and she got to make some leaf impressions and came home with a huge variety of leaves for the projects in the rest of our unit. 

Austin loves all things outdoors, and although he prefers wilderness camping, he loved getting all his girls outside and in the dirt. 

For me, it was a time of spiritual rest. I have to admit, it was hard for me to put down and ignore my phone the whole weekend. It's pathetic how addicted we become to being "connected". But I realized that as I took my focus away from the distance between my nose and my phone, the more I was able to see myself, my family and everything around me. I was able to finish Heidi Baker's Birthing the Miraculous, which is an incredible book. It was so inspirational to hear of the ways that God is moving through her life and ministry. I think so many times we put God in a box, and all He is waiting for is for us to let go of our preconceived notions of how He should move and minister, and loosen our grip on our lives so He can work through us in amazing and miraculous ways. The following passage really spoke to me and brought great perspective to where I'm at. When we are waiting for God to reveal His plans for our lives and for Him to bring dreams and promises to fruition, we can become so hyper focused on what we DON'T see, that we lose our focus on the ONE who holds our future. It matters how I choose to see my circumstances. It matters what I choose to focus on. It matters whether or not I wait in an attitude of trust, patience and confidence that He will fulfill each and every promise.

Our last night, we were able to watch this incredible sunset. I couldn't help but remember the lyrics of Bethel's song, Wonder, as I watched the sun slip over the horizon. I am so grateful for a couple days to spend with my greatest blessings, and that the Lord shifted my focus back where it belonged.

"May we never lose our wonder, Wide eyed and mystified, May we be just like a child, Staring at the beauty of our King"

Kale Chips with a Kick

Hello, my name is Andrea and I have an salty snack addiction. Ice cream....eh. Cookies.....yawn. Chocolate.....moving on. But put a bag of chips in front of me and I can barely restrain myself. Obviously that's not the best choice if I care anything about my arteries or my hips. Enter the best snacking discovery EVER: Kale chips. There are so many different variations, but here's my favorite lately.

- 1 bunch of kale
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp Penzey's Sandwich Sprinkle (or you can substitute Sea Salt and a little bit of garlic powder)
- Hot sauce of your choice to taste (I love Cholula, but regular Frank's was the kick of the day today.)

1. Preheat oven to 270 degrees.
2. Rinse your bunch of kale and tear off small pieces of the leaf, discarding the stem and vine.
3. Place kale on a cookie sheet (it's fine if it's overtaking your sheet; it will cook down)
4. Toss with olive oil, spices and hot sauce
5. Bake for 20 minutes. Take it out and turn/rotate kale leaves then bake for another 20 minutes.
6. Enjoy and don't forget to thank your lucky stars that you saw this blog post. You're welcome.

The Moon Might Be Milk

We are working through our unit based curriculum, My Father's World for Kindergarten. For the past week, we have been on the Moon unit and have learned all about the moon as well as focusing on the letter M. The Moon Might Be Milk by Lisa Schulman was a great addition to our week. It tells the tale of a little girl named Rosie who inquires of all her animal friends what the milk could be made of. They all have a different theory, speculating that it is anything from a saucer of milk to sweet, sparkling sugar. They all end up at Rosie's grandmother's house looking for her to satisfy their curiosity of what the moon could be made of. As they offer up each of their theories, the grandmother adds a little bit of each of their suggestions to a bowl. In the end, they were all right as they end up making moon cookies with the ingredients. It was a fun story, and of course we had to try the Moon Cookie Recipe in the back of the book.

We don't keep a lot of sweets in the house, so it's no surprise that my girls jumped at the chance to make sugar cookies for school.







The activity was quick and easy (well, as easy as baking with a 3 and 5 year old can be), and was a perfect afternoon project once we had completed our work for the day.

Our "moons" turned out a little on the tan side as I used whole wheat flour and sucanat instead of all purpose flour and granulated sugar, but the kids definitely didn't care. I forgot to do it when they had their first cookie, but next time I will have Cora bite her cookie down to each of the moon phases and identify them as she goes. Overall, it was a great addition to our Moon Unit!

 

Deep Roots

Life is complicated. Every time I get settled in and comfortable, something always changes. I spent a long time (and sometimes still do!) trying to hold onto control in my life. I have this subconscious belief that if I just plan enough, anticipate enough, prepare enough, and make all the right choices, that I can "control" the path and the outcome. This idol of control (and that's what it is, an idol) couldn't be further from God's plan for me.

Notice that the tree isn't doing anything. It's not making a long list of everything it has to do to be prepared for the drought. It isn't worrying about how it is going to get water or what's going to happen when it's leaves start turning brown. It's not anxious about the coming heat, trying to figure out how to survive the upcoming challenges. Why? Because it is rooted near a life sustaining source. It sends it's roots deep into the stream where it knows it will receive exactly the nourishment and provision it needs to survive any hardship. But it not only survives, it thrives! The end of the passage says that it never fails to bear fruit, even through difficulties that should have killed it. 

So what about the beautiful tree that's planted in the middle of a field somewhere with no stream in sight? It's well being is entirely dependent on its circumstances. It does well when the blessing of rain is consistent and the climate is moderate. One day, the same heat and drought come, but it is an entirely different outcome. The tree appears as if it's doing well for a little while, but once it uses up it's own reserves, it begins to die little by little. The outermost leaves start turning brown and falling. The branches start drying out. Some bark begins falling off of the trunk. The exterior of the tree appears to be suffering but it still stands strong until one day it suddenly falls. Hard. When you approach it and look at the center of the trunk, you see that the core is dry, crumbled and empty. The tree that was once stood strong and beautiful and seemed to have it all together has fallen. The tree's own reserves and energy were not enough to sustain it during the drought. 

I don't know about you, but I know exactly which tree I want to be. I want to be planted by the source, Christ. I want my roots to go deep into His word and for my faith and trust in Him to be what sustains me through each coming difficulty in life. I don't want to be dependent on my own abilities, but live so deeply rooted in His grace that when the droughts and trials in my life come, I not only survive, but thrive, bearing external fruit that can only be a reflection of where my roots are buried. 

Homemade Laundry Detergent

I've been making all of our laundry detergent for almost two years now. It's easy, cheap, and it has far less chemicals in it than what you can find on the shelves. It takes me about 30 minutes every 3-5 months and costs only $7 per batch. How do you say no to that? Here's what you need:

Supplies
- large stockpot
- 5 gallon bucket with a lid
- grater
- wooden spoon or spatula
- clean and empty milk jug or similar container
- funnel (or I use an old creamer box cut in half as a funnel)

Ingredients
- 1 cup baking soda
- 1 cup Borax natural laundry soap (found in laundry aisle)
- 2 cups Arm & Hammer's washing soda (found in laundry aisle)
- 1 bar soap - you can find Naptha Falls Laundry Bar in most laundry aisles. I prefer Dr. Bronner's Castile Soap Bars but any soap that is paraben and sulfate free will work (Unless you want a full on bubble party rave in your kitchen. In that case, go with something full of sulfates.)
- essential oils (optional)

1. Grate your bar of soap into small shavings. Place the soap shavings in your stockpot with 4 cups of water on medium heat. Stir and heat until soap is dissolved.

2. Add baking soda, washing soda and Borax. Stir frequently and heat on medium until it is completely dissolved. Add water if needed.

3. Add your favorite scent with about 30 drops of essential oils and stir. My favorite is lavender, and it can be found in most natural health stores or online here.



4. Carefully pour your stockpot mixture into the 5 gallon bucket. Fill the rest of the bucket with HOT water from the tap.

5. Place the lid on the bucket and let sit for 24 hours, and it will turn into a gel. Skim any film off the top then transfer into your milk jug for every day use.




Shake the milk jug prior to use as the contents can separate without the extra chemicals to bind them. I use about 1/2 cup in each load; more if it's heavily soiled. You may need to adjust the amount according to your washing machine. I also still use a stain remover for tough stains. Overall, the savings in money and chemicals is totally worth the 30 minutes it takes to make it.