Today in Dietzville

Interview with the Birthday Boy

2012-02-17T14:18:00.002-06:00

In honor of Ryan, on his 8th birthday, we did a little interview.

Momma: How do you feel about being 8?
Ryan: Great! I feel great! Awesome.

Momma: What are your favorite things to do?
Ryan: Everything together with our family. To play with Isaac. I would LOVE to see Hadassah! Playing games with our family, going to Guh's house, staying the night with Nah Nah, seeing Uncle Casey. Fun birthdays.

Momma: Who is your best friend?
Ryan: Addie, Isaac, Josiah, and Olivia. I hope Hadassah will be my friend too.

Momma: What are your favorite colors?
Ryan: Blue and green.

Momma: What are your favorite toys?
Ryan: My best favorite is my Nala. My stuffed animals and Buzz Lightyear are my next favorites.

Momma: What is the best book you've ever read?
Ryan: I can't even think of one. I have tons! Ummmm...Charlotte's Web, Pippy Longstocking, Wild Animals of North America, Henry Huggins, Little House, Eric Carle books, Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH.

Momma: What is your favorite subject in school?
Ryan: Science, because I love to hear about the planets.

Momma: Breakfast, lunch, snack, or dinner, which one is your favorite and why?
Ryan: Breakfast and snack. Because it's really, really good.

Momma: What is your favorite breakfast?
Ryan: My favorite breakfast? Fried eggs, bacon or sausage, with baked oatmeal and a glass of water and toast.

Momma: What is your favorite snack?
Ryan: Smoothies.

Momma: What is your least favorite chore?
Ryan: Wiping baseboards and wiping the couches. Even dusting my room and organizing my closet.

Momma: What is your favorite chore?
Ryan: Taking trash out to the dumpster, vacuuming kitchen and dining room, Swiffering the wood floors. That's it. And dusting my blinds.

Momma: Does Jesus live in your heart?
Ryan: Yes.

Momma: How do you know?
Ryan: Because I just know.

Momma: What is one place in the whole world that you would love to visit?
Ryan: Chuck E. Cheese and Pizza Planet and Kabuki and Hayashi.

Momma: Is there a place you'd like to visit that's not a restaurant?
Ryan: I think so. Africa and China.

Momma: What do you want to be when you grow up?
Ryan: You know! Taekwondo guy.

Momma: I thought you wanted to be a cowboy?
Ryan: Momma...

Momma: Why do you want to be a Taekwondo guy?
Ryan: Because I really like it.

We like you Ryan Elijah! I hope your eighth birthday is the best one yet! I love you!

i {heart} world market.

2012-02-16T09:40:00.000-06:00

World Market. What can I say???

Do you ever walk around your house and look at all the stuff you've had for five or six or eight+ years and think to yourself how much you wish you could have a huge garage sale and start over???

No? I'm the only one, huh?

Dang.

That's been my feeling lately. I've just been a little discontent with my stuff. So I'm materialistic and commercial right now. Sorry. I'll get over it soon. I hope.

My hubby made the grave mistake of taking me to World Market this evening after our dinner date with Miss Addilyn Belle. I've been wanting to stop in there for a couple of weeks, and maybe that wasn't such a great idea.

Because I left wanting to buy 84.9% of the store.

Here's some of the eye candy I left drooling over...

The pillow on the left would go perfectly in our guest bedroom. Actually, they both would, but I'd be content with just the "LOVE" one.

And speaking of guest room, I think this would make the perfect nightstand.

We've been hunting for a new dining table and chairs for a long time, and I've had my eye on these for a while:

This acacia wood table with...

these chairs. Love the sturdy, farmhouse table with the juxtaposition of metal, industrial chairs!

Just to check, we even put the chairs with the table in the store. Match made in decorating heaven!

This love seat makes me happy. I love the shape, the tufting, the legs, and most especially, all the buttons are covered with a different fabric!

I really want these apothecary vases to sit on top of...

this coffee table!

And here are a few smaller things I think I could find uses for:

Duh. For my homemade salsa.

I could totally serve some grain-free vanilla cake on these cuties.

Although I have always been crazy with the flatware we registered for and received as wedding and shower gifts, I'm sad to say that a few pieces are missing and a few more have had run-ins with the disposal. Nearly 10 years ago, I started out with 10 complete place settings, and I think I'm down to just six complete settings now. I've still got 10 butter knives, dinner forks, and salad forks, but my soup and teaspoons have seen better days. I like the sleek and sturdy look of these from World Market, and they're super inexpensive!

The peeps need some color in their bathroom. I'm so over the cream and khaki shower curtain and towels from 10 years ago! Man, I'm thankful it's all still holding up so well, but yeah, I'm over it. I've learned how to use color since then!

I could go on and on. After I ~~wipe the drool off~~ get over this brief moment of shopping insanity, I'll try to look around my house with a thankful heart and a sigh that it's all paid for and it's all been a blessing.

For now, however, I'll keep drooling.

The Toy Story in Our House

2012-02-15T09:00:00.000-06:00

When I discovered the Charlotte Mason Method of homeschooling several years ago, our children's shelves and closets were full of battery-operated gadgets and gizmos a'plenty. Heck, practically every toddler and preschool toy we've ever owned had a battery in it! Upon reading Miss Mason's writings, it occurred to me that my children might play more creatively if given toys and things that allowed them to actually use their imaginations, rather than pushing buttons for sounds and lights.

While allowing my children's imaginations and creativity to flourish was definitely a deciding factor in our choice to limit most lights-and-sounds-battery-operated-Disney-character toys, we had other reasons as well. I happen to be very sensitive to noise, and I have found that my peace level remains high when the noise level is low. I was a much happier and much more patient momma when I wasn't having to ~~scream~~ talk over the obnoxious toys. We also found that, the less our children were focused on loud, entertaining, fast-moving lights, sounds {like their Laugh 'n Learn home}, characters, and shows, the more their attention spans increased. It wasn't until we eliminated the primary colored, light-up toys that our children became interested in reading in their own free time and in making up their own scenarios and games.

How could we, their parents, expect them to ever make up their own games and stories when we had never provided them with empty time and space to do so? We had always given them the best "learning" toys on the market, but those toys couldn't teach them to play quietly,independently, and most importantly, imaginatively without relying on entertainment in the form of lights, sounds, and high activity.

We had some housecleaning to do.

Little by little, we purged out the old to make room for the new. Or maybe we purged out the new {techno-oriented stuff} and made room for the old {fashioned stuff}...

We made sure to replace their toys, but emphasized a less-is-more mindset. We didn't want to replace toy for toy, but instead chose to spend a little more money on toys that were well-made and would last years. This was a great opportunity to teach our children that we don't need tons of stuff to be happy or to have fun. Because they had less, they had to learn to be content with playing longer with a particular toy, rather than constantly switching from one thing to the next.

We do still have a few battery-operated, lights-and-sounds toys {a Buzz Lightyear is one of them, and Ryan wouldn't be without Buzz!}. I am very satisfied with the current state of toys in our home. The children rarely ask for much, and I am happy that the noise level in our home is rarely at a point of being overwhelming for me. I am VERY happy about my peeps' creativity and imagination...ohhh the things they can come up with!

So what do my peeps play with???

Here's my list of Top 10 battery-less toys that we love in our house:
{Please note: some of these toys are probably best for children over the age of 4.}

1.) Playmobil! If your peeps don't have at least one set of these awesome toys, this definitely needs to be on your list of birthday presents for them this year! They are pricey, but let me assure you they're well worth the money. My little brother had a few sets of these when we were growing up, and now my children are playing with them. They have lasted that long! We have the Ice Cream Shop (which is now discontinued) and the Camping Set (also discontinued). We also have the Carrying Case Pony Farm, which is a fun way for the peeps to take along these great toys when we go on trips. We have purchased Playmobil sets from Target and Toys-R-Us, but you can also find them on Amazon, and of course, on the Playmobil site.

2.) Finger Puppets! We have this set and this set of finger puppets from Ikea, and I think we paid maybe $6 each. Hours of imaginative play have resulted from that little purchase!

3.) Dress-up clothes and costumes! Of all my peeps' stuff, I would have to say that having plenty of dress-up clothes around has been the best use of my money and their time. They've been superheroes, a prince and princess, a ninja, a ballerina, and a host of other imagined characters. We have tried to invest in well-made costumes. It was a blessing in disguise that Addie's expensive ballet recital costumes proved to be the best dress-up outfits we've ever had! She's still wearing and enjoying a hole-free tutu from a recital two years ago!

4.) Stuffed animals! I know not every child is interested in stuffed animals, but mine certainly are! Between the two peeps, we probably have upwards of 15-20 stuffed animals, and I can honestly say that all of them get played with. No sounds or lights or fancy buttons, these cuddly creatures have made many a play time memory with our kiddos. Addie even plays with stuffed animals more than baby dolls.

5.) Legos! I don't really think I need to go into any explanations here...what little boy doesn't LOVE Legos, right?? The Legos Ryan plays with are the same ones I played with as a child. Yep, they're a worthy investment.

6.) Felt food! I made some felt donuts, eclairs, and cookies for Addie as a Christmas present in 2010, and she and Ryan have had numerous bake sales and tea parties with them since. Felt food is super simple to make, even for those of us who are "sewing challenged". You can even find free patterns! Or, you can find some great felt food sets from Melissa & Doug. I just noticed that Ikea also has some felt food sets.

7.) Cars! And, no, I'm not talking about the movie (although we do have a few cars from CARS). We bought the Lekplats Play Mat when Ryan was three, and he's been using it ever since! Addie occasionally jumps in and plays with the cars too.

8.) Trains! I know I keep mentioning Ikea, but they really do have an awesome battery-free toy section! This wooden train set is a classic, in my opinion. We have added pieces and parts over the years, and Ryan can now build quite an impressive track and train.

9.) The Big Western. My in-laws bought this for Ryan on a trip to Red River in 2010, and he has enjoyed countless hours of playing with it since. I don't know if it's widely available or if they found it at a specialty toy shop. Basically, it's horses, cowboys, fence pieces, false-front buildings, and other western-y pieces that mix and match for horse races, cowboy and Indian shoot-outs, Little House re-enactments, and more.

10.) Gigaball! Guh and Pops got this for Addie this Christmas, and boy have we ever had fun with it! We discovered the Gigaball in occupational therapy, while Addie rolled around happily. It has also help her develop crossing midline skills as well as get her fix for proprioceptive and vestibular movement. Whether you have a child with SPD or not, this ball is awesome--as evidenced by our non-SPD kid. It can be used indoors or outdoors, although we have not tried it outside yet.

Addie in her Gigaball

Addie has a battery-operated coffee pot, mixer, and toaster that she absolutely loves. With those and the felt food, she played a long game of Coffee Shop over the weekend. It helps that her coffee pot can hold real water and brew...it makes it much more real. Ryan also likes his Toy Story Bucket of Soldiers, which are a cheap replacement for GI Joe's. Another battery-operated toy I happily endorse is a play cash register. Both peeps have had a lot of fun with theirs. Of course, I can't discount their bikes or the various sticks, boxes, and balls they happily amuse themselves with.

We don't have many more toys than that. We don't own a gaming system, like a Wii or XBox, although we have considered a Wii for the indoor physical activity it can provide during our cold, windy days. I feel sometimes like a gaming system might be a Pandora's Box I'm not ready to open...sigh...

What are your children's favorite battery-less toys?

Our Valentine Plans

2012-02-08T17:21:00.001-06:00

I secretly love Valentine's Day. I say 'secretly' because we've never been big Valentine's Day celebrators, even though I wish we were. There are several reasons for this:
a.) Christmas was just six weeks ago and Ryan's birthday is three days after V-Day, and we never have the excess cash around V-Day for more gifts.
b.) Neither my hubby nor I has any desire to go wait 1+ hours in a restaurant to have a V-Day date.
c.) As our children are not in a school, we never even pass the Valentine aisle at Target.
d.) I don't adore participating in the making of homemade valentines (the ones with too much glitter and glue and red and pink construction paper), ergo they don't get made.
e.) As our children are not in school, they have no clue that cards and candy are exchanged amongst friends, loved ones, and family on this day.
f.) My husband just isn't romantic. It's taken me 10 years to make peace with this, but I think I finally have. He spoils me, he loves me, he serves me, he takes really good care of me; but he's not the cheesy-card-and-roses-and-chocolates type. The only piece of jewelry he's ever bought for me is the ring I wear on my left ring finger. He's just not that guy, but I love him. I'm over it, ok?
g.) Have you ever tried getting a babysitter on Valentine's Day???

Now that I've probably convinced you that I'm the Valentine's Day Grinch, I promise I secretly wish we did all these things because I think Valentine's Day is should be fun. For us, unfortunately, it's usually just another day. Three days before Ryan's birthday. I'm gonna get there though. Really, I am. I want to make it fun and exciting, so I've decided that I'm going to do my best this year.

I saw this idea on my friend Tamra's blog and have wished ever since that I would have thought ahead enough to do it. I {heart} this idea! Next year though. Next year for sure!

It would be pretty darn difficult for me to go from no V-Day celebrating to over-the-top, so I'm taking a step in the right direction this year. I have actually planned something for all of us. It's nothing amazing, but I think we will all enjoy it.

Our V-Day Plans

This Friday: I'm going to get over it and get out the red and pink construction paper, glitter, and Elmer's glue. Then the peeps and I are going to make some homemade cards for a few friends, grandparents, and Daddy.

Day of between 2:30 p.m.- 4:00 p.m.: Peeps and I are going to a homeschool Valentine's ice cream party. My friend Hailey invited us and a few other homeschooling families over to her house for ice cream and playing. We are going to *attempt* said construction paper valentines for these people. *attempt* being the keyword in that sentence.

Evening of: I am going to make a Valentine's Day Dinner for me and my fam. On the menu? Pioneer Woman's Spicy Pulled Pork, my own Mexican rice, and a healthy, grain-free chocolate pudding cake. Then we're going to watch the conclusion of the Westminster Dog Show, which airs February 13th and 14th at 7:00 p.m. Now that we have a Beardie, we are really into Beardies and watch them every chance we get.

What are your V-Day plans?? Anything creative you care to share with this uninspired Momma?

Because I have nothing better to do...

2012-02-07T10:06:00.001-06:00

I'm going to post about me, myself, and I.

How often does that happen?!?!

Why am I posting about myself? Hmmmmmm......because our heater went out last night and I am waiting for my stud of a husband to come home and replace the motor....because he's handy like that....because it's snowing and cloudy outside......my brain and body have temporarily gone into hibernation mode........because I looked at the calendar and realized we haven't had a real break from school since Christmas, so we're taking the rest of this week off......because I'm sitting by our fireplace which is the only really warm spot in the house......did I mention it's snowing and our heater's out?.....because I'm wearing polka-dot pj pants, my 2001 Senior sweatshirt, and fuzzy boots and no one's here to make fun of me....because my peeps don't know all the fashion faux pas I'm committing right now.....because I really have nothing else to do.......and this is lame, but I'm doing it anyway.......

Because, because, because, because, becaaaaaaaauuuuuse! Because of the wonderful things he does!

I read my friend Darci's post this morning and decided to tag myself to do it. By the way, Darci's blog is super cute! If you're like me with nothing to do today, you should go visit her blog.

So......here we go!

11 Fun Facts About Yours Truly

{1.} I wash my hair with baking soda and condition with apple cider vinegar, and I've never liked my hair more!

{2.} I can't stand the texture of certain raw foods, so I'm weird for not eating them: apples, carrots, broccoli, cucumbers, watermelon, and onion, just to name a few.

{3.} I just flat-out don't like bananas at all. Gag. Me. With. A. Spoon.

{4.} My secret job fantasy used to be working as a grocery store check out person. I always thought scanning bar codes would be the funnest thing ever.

{5.} Then I became a mom, which is the funnest thing ever. Most days.

{6.} I adore clear glass canisters, bottles, and such. There is nothing more pleasing to my eyes than a shelf full of clear glass containers with their contents displayed. Cute labels on said containers make my world go 'round.

{7.} I'll be 29 this year. My husband will be 30. My firstborn turns 8 next Friday. My baby will be 7 before I know it. Oh me, oh my. I realize more and more how time truly does fly by, and all those old ladies who told me, "Enjoy those babies now. They'll be grown before you know it!" were actually right.

{8.} If we were totally debt-free and I had a wad of cash to spend anywhere I wanted, my first stop would be Anthropologie, my second stop would be Ikea, and my third stop would be World Market.

{9.} We are card-carrying members of the NRA and the Weston A. Price Foundation. Nerds-R-Us.

{10.} Now that I've thought about it some more, I might also spend some of that wad of cash at Gymboree....because I adore their clothes for my peeps.

{11.} I really want to learn how to re-finish and re-upholster furniture. But I'm not motivated enough to actually do it. I just think about it.

Answers to some random questions:

What is your profession? Domestic Engineer. Teacher. Chief Cook and Bottle Washer. Professional Housekeeper. Nurse. Nutritionist. Executive Researcher in charge of home development. Most importantly: Wife and Momma.

How would you describe your style? Fun, slightly trendy, comfortable. My favorite outfit consists of skinny jeans, a long, cute shirt with a scarf, and my brown leather riding boots. I feel most confident in black, white, and brown. I love cardigans, empire waistlines, and small pops of color rather than bold prints.

What is one make-up product you cannot live without? Mascara. I don't fix my face up everyday, but I feel totally comfortable and confident going out with nothing on my face except mascara. I really don't even enjoy putting on make-up...too time-consuming for me. One minute of applying mascara, and I feel like I'm ready for the day!

If you could be besties with one celebrity, who would it be? If I said Michelle Duggar would everyone think I was the epitome of homeschool nerdiness? I really think she's an awesome woman of God and could probably teach me a lot about patience, perseverance, purity, and passion for one's children. I really look up to her.

What is your dream vacation? England, Scotland, Ireland.

What magazines do you subscribe to? Wise Traditions (put out by the WAPF)

If you could have a special talent (that you currently don't have) what would it be? See #11 above.

What is your favorite breakfast food? Fried eggs and crispy bacon!!

If you could do anything, what is your dream job? Seriously, I'm already doing it.

What is your guilty pleasure? This is sad, but I don't really have a guilty pleasure. I don't get mani's or pedi's, I don't go shopping. I guess I enjoy wasting time reading blogs?? If I could have a guilty pleasure?....MASSAGES.....any time I wanted.

What is the best piece of advice you've ever received and who gave it to you? I'll have to cheat and give two. My madre told me a long time ago, "Don't ever leave the house without mascara and earrings." Geez, she was RIGHT! I feel completely complete as long as I have those two things on when I walk out the door, no matter what I'm wearing. My madre-in-law told me after having children, "Purpose in your heart to enjoy every age, phase, and stage of your kids' lives." I have done this to the best of my ability, and while I do have a few regrets, I think I'll be ready to let go when they're ready to leave the nest.

There you have it. If you want to play along, go ahead and re-post to your blog. I'm not going to tag anyone. But this was fun! And I had nothing better to do on this cold, wintry day...

Stay warm, wherever you are!

Smoothies: A Meal in a Cup

2012-02-06T09:00:00.000-06:00

Smoothies have been a staple snack around here for the past few weeks. They're super easy...I mean, how hard is it to throw something in a blender, hit 'puree', and pour it into a glass?? Easy peasie!

Although it is the dead of winter and we frequently sip our smoothies with the fireplace burning to keep us warm, we are coming up with new concoctions all the time.

Don't tell anyone...but I once served nothing but smoothies for lunch when my hubby was out of town! Shhhhh!

Honestly, though, you can get away with that with these smoothies. They're packed full of good fats (ie. avocado and coconut milk) to keep our blood sugar stabilized and fill us up, antioxidants (ie. berries and beetroot), natural sweetness (mango, banana, or a touch of honey), AND probiotics to boot (raw kefir or yogurt, and kombucha). I can guarantee you that, come summer time, we'll be blending our way to simple, easy lunches!

Now, if you're the easy-going kind, the classic strawberry-banana-yogurt smoothie might be right up your alley. But, I don't like bananas. The peeps do; me...eh, not so much. I often make smoothies for them with bananas and then make a separate one for myself.

Here are some of our favorite combinations:

Berry-Beet-Avocado (pictured above)
4-5 frozen strawberries
approx. 1/3 cup frozen blueberries
1/2 avocado
1/2 a beetroot
3-4 Tbsp. organic coconut milk
kombucha and raw kefir until desired consistency is reached
raw honey, to taste

Mango-Berry-Avocado (one of Ryan's favorites! and pictured below)
4-5 frozen strawberries
8-10 good-sized frozen mango chunks
1/4-1/3 cup frozen blueberries
1/2 avocado
3-4 Tbsp. organic coconut milk
raw milk yogurt and kombucha until desired consistency is reached

Berry-Beet-Banana (a twist on the classic strawberry-banana)
6-7 large, frozen strawberries
1/4 cup frozen blueberries
1 frozen banana, slightly thawed
1/2 beetroot
1/4 cup organic coconut milk
kombucha until desired consistency is reached

Other ingredients we've enjoyed in our smoothies: carrots, spinach leaves, grapes (in season), raw egg yolks, raw heavy cream, and melted coconut oil.

A Little Smoothie Q & A

Q. What's so great about smoothies?

A. If you're using organic fruits and vegetables in your smoothies, you are receiving an abundance of nutrition in RAW form. Unlike juicing, you're getting the juice AND the fiber from those fruits and veggies. Smoothies are quick and easy and require very little prep or clean up. Raw fruits and veggies are essential for strengthening the immune system, and should be consumed with some type of healthy fat (such as coconut, avocado, whole milk yogurt or kefir) to ensure these valuable nutrients (most of which are fat-soluble, meaning they require the presence of fat in order to be absorbed by the body) are not lost. Multi-vitamins are an unnecessary expense if you're getting your nutrition from the source! Smoothies are one way to accomplish that goal.

Q. Why put beet root in a smoothie?

A. Beetroot is a natural blood purifier and detoxification agent, especially for the liver and gallbladder. It also has anti-cancer properties and is high in iodine, potassium, vitamins B6, B3, C, and many antioxidants. Interestingly, beetroot contains silica,which is essential for healthy skin, fingernails, and hair. It's high in iron, so it is wonderful for people who are anemic. And it can help improve menstrual problems.

Q. Do you like the taste of beets?

A. Not really. My daughter will eat them raw, and I give her all the raw beets she asks for. Lately, that's been 2-3 chunks a day, plus what goes in her smoothies. If her body's craving it, I'm going to cooperate! She says it tastes like a carrot. Honestly, though, the taste of the beet is, in my opinion, completely disguised by the other ingredients in the smoothies. We also juice beets along with carrots, apples, and lemon slices and do not taste it there either.

Q. Why avocado?

A. Why not avocado!?!? Avocados are, in my opinion, a superfood. Besides being a source of absorbable Vitamin E (unlike those Vitamin E capsules you might be taking), avocados are nutritionally dense foods in a small size. They're full of good, monounsaturated fats which help lower cholesterol, prevent heart disease, and even control weight. Avocados provide the fat in our smoothies so that the fat-soluble vitamins and nutrients in the other smoothie ingredients are actually absorbed by our bodies. Vitamin K, which Dr. Weston Price referred to as the "X-Factor", is readily found in avocados!

Q. Why coconut milk?

A. For some who are allergic or can't tolerate dairy, coconut milk provides a great alternative to dairy-based yogurt and kefir. Additionally, coconut milk, as long as it is not 'lite' or 'low-fat', is full of good fats, primarily lauric acid. Lauric acid, which is also found in breastmilk, is antimicrobial and anti-viral, thus helping the body's environment more able to fight off infection. Because the regular consumption of coconut milk helps to maintain the body's lipid balance, coconut milk is good medicine against high cholesterol. Coconut milk is rich and delicious, and makes a good replacement for milk, as it is high in calcium.

Q. Kombucha? In a smoothie?

A. Yes! Many people, myself included, have to add water to the blender so that everything blends together more smoothly and easily. One day the thought occurred to me that kombucha would accomplish that purpose too, plus add beneficial probiotics to our smoothies. Probiotics are something we NEVER can get enough of. There's no such thing as a "probiotic overdose". Our bodies need all the help they can get to restore gut health and fight off harmful bacteria and yeasts, such as candida. Kombucha does that!

Q. Can I drink smoothies if I'm on the GAPS Diet?

A. Yes, you can! If you are not on the Intro phase of the GAPS Diet, you can have all the smoothies you like. Adding raw kefir, yogurt, and/or kombucha will give you those extra doses of fermented foods you need. The avocado and coconut milk will provide the fat. The rest is just good nutrition with a little bit of sweetness. Make sure, however, that you only add the fruits and veggies which have passed the Sensitivity Test. You could even add unseasoned bone broth to the smoothie in place of water or kombucha. This would be perfect for little ones who hate drinking their broth!

What are your favorite smoothie combinations? We're always looking for new and interesting recipes!

Yo quiero salsa de hecho en casa!

2012-02-02T11:35:00.003-06:00

So I don't really know if my Espanol translation of "I want homemade salsa" is correct, but that's what it's supposed to say.

I promised a while back to post my world famous, to-die-for, homemade salsa recipe....so without further ado....HERE IT IS!

You must understand something first. This salsa is a-ma-zing. I'm not trying to blow my own skirt up; it's really amazing. Circa 7th grade, my mom handed me some canned tomatoes, an onion, jalepenos from our garden, and cilantro (which I had no clue what cilantro was then!!), and a food processor and told me to come up with some hot salsa. What I came up with that day has, I suppose, lived in infamy.

We have never had a holiday gathering since without it. Nor have we had a Mexican meal at home without it. And on the rare occasion that we do go to a Mexican restaurant, my husband inevitably grabs that first chip, dips it in the restaurant's salsa bowl, and declares unobjectively, "Your hot sauce is way better."

Now that I've really worked myself up for you, are you ready for this?

Oh, one more thing. I don't make this salsa with exact measurements. It's a taste-and-adjust-as-you-go operation.

Gather all your ingredients and equipment, in this case:

2 (28oz.) cans organic diced tomatoes (use fresh if they're in season)
2 medium yellow onions
2-4 jalepenos, depending on your heat preference
4-6 cloves garlic
2 limes
2 bunches cilantro
1-2 Tbsp. fine sea salt
raw liquid whey (optional)
a food processor
a good knife
a can opener
and most importantly, good tortilla chips for tasting!

First, cut off the stems of the cilantro. Then combine 1/2 a bunch cilantro, 1 onion, and 3-4 cloves garlic in your food process and let 'er rip til everything is very finely processed. Then squeeze in the juice of 1/2 a lime.

Next, pour in a can of tomatoes, and add the jalepeno and salt. Process again until well blended.

Now, this next step is VERY important. Don't skip it!

TASTE!

When I tasted this batch, the heat level was great but the flavor needed some adjusting. So I added the rest of the bunch of cilantro and the juice of the other half of the lime. Then...

Taste again!

At this point, I was very happy with the heat level and flavor. "But," you may ask, "what about the rest of your ingredients? Don't you have, like, more of everything??"

Indeed, I do. Unfortunately, my food processor only holds four cups, and when I make salsa, I make it in bulk. You may be blessed to have a very large food processor, in which case, you can add all the tomatoes and then adjust flavor by adding additional onion, cilantro, lime, salt, and garlic as you blend and taste. I have to divide mine into two batches.

Just keep adding and tasting, adding and tasting. Try not to add too much of one ingredient at a time. Remember, you can always add more, but you can't ever take away! I made this mistake with the salt once....blech.

You might also need to employ the taste-testing abilities of your hubby. I purposefully started this process around 4:48 p.m., because I knew he'd saunter in around 5:00 and happily assist.

Now...if you are in love with your salsa and your husband won't stop pigging out on it ad you have to slap him away from the bowl, you can be done! Spoon it into some glass jars, give some away to your neighbor {but only if you want them to come over often, because they won't be able to stay away!}, top your tacos, nachos, enchiladas with it, or just eat it straight out of the bowl.

BUT...you can add one more step to {yep, I'm going to use the l-word} lacto-ferment your salsa. This will not only preserve your salsa so that it will keep longer in the fridge without molding, but it will also cause the growth of beneficial lacto-baccilli and capitalize on the nourishing value of this already nutritious, enzyme-rich condiment. The only difference in taste is a pleasant, slight sourness on the aftertaste of the salsa.

To lacto-ferment your salsa:

Fill a quart-size Mason jar to about two inches below the neck of the jar. Add two tablespoons of raw liquid whey to the jar and stir it up, shake it, or whatever you need to do to mix it up.
Cap the jar and leave it on your counter top for 2-3 days.
Once a day, open the lid slightly to let air escape and re-cap. This is called "burping" the jar, and it's really important unless you like cleaning up exploded salsa.
Refrigerate for 6-8 months...but it never lasts this long in our house.
Lacto-fermented, this salsa makes a perfect fermented food for those on the GAPS Diet!

The ingredients listed above made 2 1/2 quarts of salsa. Here it is, lacto-fermenting on my counter.

Buenos dias!

This post was shared at Simple Lives Thursday and at Raising Isabella: Make-Ahead Mondays.

Our Family and Children's Ministry: Part 3

2012-01-28T09:00:00.000-06:00

In case you missed Part 1 and Part 2, you can catch up first!

We decided first that our five-year-old Ryan was capable of sitting through church quietly and respectfully. David and I thought we'd give it a try and have one of our children with us, just to see what it would be like. At first, Ryan wasn't very happy. Geez, we took him away from Kool-Aid and indoor bouncy castles to singing songs with no corresponding motions and then sitting while a guy in a suit preached for 20 or 30 minutes! Eventually, though, he did very well and even began to like coming with us. He was required to stand during worship, and I would bring a quiet activity for him to do during the message. Addilyn still attended children's church, but David and I decided that she would be joining us for "big church" when she was five too.

At that point we were pretty well adjusted to having one child with us, and Addilyn had come a long way in her ability to focus and be respectably quiet. Again, they stood and worshipped with us during the praise time, but I always brought crayons or plastic canvas needlepoint for them during the sermon. After a few months, they were no longer interested in the activities I brought, but instead began to laugh at the jokes our pastor would crack. Then they started listening to the messages, and lo and behold, one Saturday night I looked down, and Ryan was taking notes! He had Scripture references and everything!

That alone was enough to seal the deal on our decision. More still, we wanted our children to see us worshipping. We attend a charismatic church where clapping, lifting hands, and other expressions of worship are practiced. We felt it was extremely important for our children to see this and learn this early on, rather than being in their 20s {like we were} before they were comfortable enough in their faith to outwardly express their love for God. If we didn't set this example for them, who would?
Furthermore, what could they gain from being with a group of their peers for an hour or so that was more important that what they could gain from attending services with us, their parents? Fun? Snacks? Veggie Tales? Don't get me wrong; there is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING WRONG with children having fun with their peers. There's nothing wrong with snacks (except that these snacks are ridden with ingredients we consider no-no's). But if FUN was the only reason I put my kids in children's ministry, then it is unfair for me to expect any spiritual growth out of them. My children have many opportunities for fun and games, in and out of the church. We did not want our children's only association of church, however, to be that it is the place where they go to play on bouncy castles, eat Goldfish, and watch Josh and the Big Wall.

Once the children get older and are "promoted" to youth ministry, we open up a whole new can of worms. I really don't think it's necessary for me to list all the reasons why I don't care for my children to be around their teenage counterparts in unsupervised scenarios. I remember all those "unsupervised scenarios" I myself was in as a teenager, even in the church. I realize I can't protect them forever, but while they are young and their minds are still forming, it is my God-given duty and responsibility to keep them sheltered from the sins which so easily ensnare us (Heb. 12:1, 13:17).

Were David and I naive enough to believe that our children would grow in spiritual maturity around a group of their spiritually immature peers? I can honestly tell you that I did not start growing in spiritual maturity until I was a senior in high school. And then, I didn't grow because of the other high schoolers I went to youth group with. I matured because of my youth pastor's wife and our worship leader's wife, two women whom I admired and looked up to. They took me under their wings and mentored me. They set an example of purity and godliness that I wanted to follow. I got nothing but a couple of ski trips, a few church camps, and some really fun Wednesday nights out of my time in youth ministry. It was the time spent with these two women, in Bible studies, accountability meetings, and around their dining tables that brought on a spiritual growth spurt for me, not being around my peers. I hope, for my children, that it will be time spent in family devotionals, family worship, and open dialogue that will ignite in Ryan and Addie a desire to pursue growth and maturity. I'm so thankful for those two women in my life, but how I wish it had been my own parents who knew better than to throw me to the wolves of peer pressure and popularity contests disguised as a youth group. To quote Doug, a Dad from the SCM forum, "We would rather have our children influenced by mature, Godly people than by a group of their clueless peers."

All defenses aside, what does the Bible say about children and is there are biblical model for age-segregated ministries in the church? That was our number one question. When every other question was answered, this one remained. Is there a biblical model for age-segregated ministries in the church? The answer is NO. Nowhere in Scripture can one find an example of children having their own activities, college students participating in their own services, or senior adults meeting in their own Sunday school classes. On the contrary:

Ephesians 6:1-3 says, "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 'Honor your father and mother', which is the first commandment with promise: 'that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.' And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord." The fact that the children and fathers are addressed together shows us that the children were sitting right there with their parents as Paul's letter was being read to the church at Ephesus.
We see the same thing in Colossians 3:18-21, "Wives, submit to your own husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and do not be bitter toward them. Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing to the Lord. Fathers, do not provoke your children, less they become discouraged." That commas are placed after "wives", "husbands", "children", and "fathers" is an indication of address. Since each part of the family (husband, wife, child, parent) is addressed in four consecutive verses, we can be sure that the children were present with their parents as Paul's letter was read.
We see older and younger men and women addressed together in Titus 2, indicating that they were not in their respective Sunday school classes for this instruction.
Little children, fathers, and young men are addressed together in 1 John 2:12-14. It is unclear to me whether they are addressed according to age or spiritual maturity. Either way, whether younger in the faith or younger by age, various age groups are addressed together.

David and I were certain that God was asking us to take Him at His Word and keep our children with us, unless the content of services was too much for their current states of maturity. Our children have attended almost all services with us for the last two years. We have not once regretted our decision or thought about going back to sending them to children's church. When the question arises about them participating in youth ministry, we already have an answer ready and it becomes a non-issue. Knowing what we believe and why brings such peace and confidence for us as parents. We no longer feel pressured by our friends or others in the church who have tried to suggest or persuade us to stick our children under the care of someone else while we sip our coffee and listen to a sermon in an all-adult atmosphere. David and I have reaped the benefits of having the delightful company of our children in church.

So, what are the benefits of opting out age-segregated programs?

As I was going over the simplest way to put this, this same Dad posted this list on our homeschool forum, Simply Charlotte Mason. I couldn't have said it better myself, and after receiving permission to re-post, I feel these benefits are so well put that they're worth posting here. I have also added some of the benefits our family has experienced since integrating our children in worship.

We all hear the same teaching and can reinforce that at home.
Our children benefit from interacting with people of all ages. They become part of the larger church body as a whole and enjoy its fellowship and accountability.
Peer pressure is pretty much a non-issue.
Older folks get to fulfill their biblical duty to teach the younger (Titus 2:1-8).
A lot of kid's material used in churches is dumbed-down twaddle (i.e. Veggie Tales, in my opinion, for example). We know kids are capable of more and want our kids to get a good, solid biblical education (Heb. 5:12-14).
Our children see freedom of expression in worship, reverence for God's Word in a setting outside our home, and participate in praying for others for healing and various other needs.
The benefit being together as a family is extended beyond the home.
We set an example for other families. Children really can be taught to be respectful and quiet and pay attention in a corporate setting!
Our children are learning respect for the gathering of believers and for the church building itself, rather than thinking that the church is only a place for running, playing games, and watching movies.
Our children have the opportunity to receive prayer and ministry in a corporate setting, should they choose to do so.
We are memorizing Scripture, parenting with Scripture, and teaching biblical foundations at home everyday. We have no need for programs.
My husband and I are accountable to parent our children at all times, even in situations where it might be more convenient to leave them in the care of someone else. Keeping our children with us allows us to fulfill the responsibility we have been given according to Deuteronomy 6:7, "You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise."

This ended up being a lot longer than I originally planned. It was good for me to cement our beliefs as a family, once and for all. I am open to any questions or concerns, and would love lively and respectful conversation. I also welcome support and encouragement!

I don't often write posts like these...posts that have the potential to cause strife or offense among believers. I really don't like ruffling feathers! Whatever you have chosen for your family, please know that there is no judgment on my end. Just as everyone has not chosen to eat the way we eat, dress the way we dress, school the way we school, we do not expect or condemn those who have chosen to church differently than we church. We are accountable to the standard God has set for our family; likewise, only you know the standards for your family and are accountable to those.

If you made it through all three parts, I applaud you! I appreciate your willingness to read and even, perhaps, ask yourself some questions you may have never before considered.

Our Family and Children's Ministry: Part 2

2012-01-26T09:00:00.000-06:00

Please go back and read Part 1 if you missed it.

I will list some of the questions David and I had to answer before we could continue sending our children to children's church, but first, I want to say that I AM NOT AGAINST children's ministry. I know there are thousands of children in churches who wouldn't be receiving any biblical teaching were it not for children's ministries. So many parents aren't having family devotionals, aren't teaching Bible verses, and aren't discipling their children at home. In these cases, THANK GOD these parents (or grandparents) are taking their children to church to receive morsels of teaching and good discipleship. Seeds are being planted, and I pray they are fruitful!

There is a church in our area that runs a thriving bus ministry. Every Sunday morning, they drive all over our town and pick up children whose parents don't attend or can't attend church. They feed them breakfast, involve them in fun activities, and teach them Bible lessons. Then they take them home. This church picks up and drops off hundreds of children and youth each week. Thank God for ministries like this! These children would probably not have access to church otherwise, and I pray that they are impacted in a positive way for life because of it.

These posts ARE NOT meant to criticize children's and youth ministries. They are meant, however, to talk about our personal experience with these age-segregated ministries in the church and whether or not our children need to take part in them. I'm all for little old ladies in rocking chairs teaching Noah's Ark on flannel-graph. I'm all for people other than myself investing their time and love into my children. Unfortunately, this model of children's ministry is rapidly disappearing. Nowadays, fun and games are much more the focus. And, even more unfortunately, in the churches where this type of children's ministry does exist, we have not been able to find the freedom in worship or solid, biblical teaching that is so important to our own spiritual development.

Now, on to our questions...

When did churches start segregating people by age? Most churches now, including ours, are so divided: nursery, grade school, junior high, high school, college, singles, young married, married with children, middle-age, empty-nesters, senior adults. Why is that? What is the purpose of this segregation?

Was it not the parents' responsibility to train children up spiritually? When did this responsibility transfer from the shoulders of the parents to the shoulders of the church?

Isn't the church's model of age segregation for teaching purposes the same as the school's model? Isn't that one of the reasons we're homeschooling, because we feel that's wrong for our children?

If my children couldn't tell me what they learned about God in children's church, how could we reinforce those lessons at home?

Wasn't lessening the world's influence on our young children one of the reasons we homeschooled? Weren't we going against our own convictions by putting them in a room full of children whose values, morals, and parents we did not know?

These and more questions kept coming up until we were sure that, biblically, we could no longer pat our children on the bottom and send them to children's church.

During all this questioning, I was directed to a Website, Intentional Parents, that pretty much outlined everything we were thinking but couldn't put into words. While I don't want to push our decision off on anyone, these criteria, which I am quoting from this site, set a standard for us to make our decision:

Does [children's ministry] emphasize one-on-one discipleship in everyday life instead of using a traditional classroom approach?
Does it encourage socializing and learning from all ages rather than fostering a sense of isolation and an attitude of superiority toward those just your own age?
Does it instill a high respect for God's Word, or does it cheapen the value of God's Word by emphasizing treats and trinkets as a reward for memorizing Scripture?
Does it promote unity and encouraging one another instead of fostering competitiveness?
Do we know quite well and trust the people who will be teaching our children, as well as all material they will be teaching?
Will the material the children are expected to learn at Sunday school support and complement our plan for teaching the Bible at home or fight against it?

Once we answered these questions as well as our own, we were certain we had made the right decision for our family. We believe the purpose of children's ministry in the church is to support and reinforce parental teachings at home; not to replace it or cause the children to favor the fun and games over strong, sound instruction. We have not yet found a children's or youth program in a church that meets this criteria; and therefore, we have chosen to keep our children with us during services.

There are a couple of exceptions we have, though. First, our church has a very successful marriage ministry, so marriage is discussed quite a bit from the platform. During such messages, we recognize that topics such as the intimacy between husband and wife are discussed. As we are not yet ready to bring up this subject with our children, we allow them to attend children's services during these messages. Second, a few times per year, our church has extended services for prophetic and healing ministry. These services can often last two hours or more. Because they are not held very often and we feel it is unfair for our children to be expected to sit still for such an extended period of time, we allow them to participate in children's activities then too. We have, however, brought our children out of the activities and into the services at the end, and both children have received specific prayer and prophetic ministry.

Part 3 will conclude my discussion of our family and children's ministry, including the most important reason we have found to keep our children with us. It will also discuss some of the benefits we have personally seen in keeping our children with us during church.

Our Family and Children's Ministry: Part 1

2012-01-24T16:41:00.002-06:00

I'm sure you've all figured out by now that our family is a little different. Homeschooling is where our "different" journey began. After all, educating children at home hasn't been the norm in America for about a hundred years. We didn't decide to homeschool just to ruffle feathers, of course. It was something we prayed about heavily before deciding this was the responsibility God was placing on us. Once you embark on something out of the ordinary, such as home education, it's almost like you begin to question the validity and purpose in other seemingly ordinary and acceptable things. Believe it or not, it was shortly after we began homeschooling that I began to question the Standard American Diet of boxed foods, vegetable oils, artificial colorings and flavorings, and a host of other "necessities" of that way of eating. Yes, indeed, homeschooling led us down the path to being Crunchy and Granola in many areas of our lives! Thank you, homeschooling!

Another way that homeschooling caused us to question the norm is in the area of our church-going. David and I have chosen not to send our children to "Children's Church" (or Kids' Church or Sunday School or whatever each church dubs their children's ministry program). More than what we eat or why we homeschool or even that we make our own toothpaste, this decision has been the cause of questioning, funny looks, and suggestive comments like "You know our church offers child care, right?"

Yes, we know the church offers child care. Thank you.

We started out like most other families in church do: putting our kids in the nursery when they were about 8-9 months old so that Mommy and Daddy could sit through the service without interruption or distraction. For the first couple of years of our kids' lives, Sunday mornings were like my weekly free babysitting service. I got a little over an hour to give my full attention to something other than diapers and teething rings. Once we had toddlers around, the thought of them sitting through church with me sent chills reminiscent of nails on a chalkboard down my spine. After all, my husband was the worship leader most of the time...I'd be going at it alone. Not gonna happen. No way.

Although...there was always this tiny voice in the back of my mind, telling me that my babies were supposed to be with me. The more I dropped them off in the nursery, the more I missed being with them, and the more I felt like what I was doing was wrong. {Not wrong for everyone, just wrong for me.}

Fast forward to my peeps being four and five years old, respectively. We were just embarking on our homeschool bon voyage.

Our children would run out of Children's Church each week, a craft in one hand and the leftovers of a snack in the other. They would immediately begin telling us about all the cool things that had happened, the picture they colored, the games they played, the friend they made. They went on and on about the new indoor play equipment, the big screen projector where they watched Veggie Tales, and the Goldfish and Kool-Aid they were given to snack on. It was all very exciting for them, and David and I still enjoyed the quiet, grown-up atmosphere of church, where babies didn't cry and children weren't told to sit still.

Until we asked what they learned about Jesus, and they couldn't give us an answer.

No matter how much we prodded or led them on, Jesus was not what they came out of children's church raving about. They raved about the fun and games, the snacks and slides, Bob and Larry, but couldn't utter one word of a Bible lesson.

This is when David and I began questioning the purpose of children' ministry, and more importantly, whether children's ministry was a good fit for our family.

Now we had some questions to answer.

Part 2 will go over in detail the questions David and I had to consider before we could decide whether or not children's ministry was for us. I will also discuss the benefits and even necessity of children's ministry in certain circumstances.

Little Miss Muffet

2012-01-18T22:13:00.000-06:00

Did you know that Little Miss Muffet was sitting on her tuffet eating clabbered raw milk?? And that dadgum spider just had to come along and spoil her probiotic intake!

Just why did Miss Muffet's mother give her a snack of soured raw milk?

Several reasons. Mrs. Muffet was clearly a very smart momma who knew what was best for her little girl. Curds and whey have many benefits, including:

the improvement of intestinal flora to suppress the growth of pathogenic bacteria and promote the growth of beneficial bacteria;
the production of gluthathione, an immune-boosting antioxidant;
helping wounds heal more quickly;
and it contains a component that has been shown to reduce dental plaque and carries.

I had no clue what 'curds and whey' were until this past year. Now, making curds and whey is part of my regular routine in the kitchen. Without whey, I couldn't lacto-ferment our salsa, bean dip, or pickles. I never have to worry about our raw milk going bad, because I can use it no matter how old it gets. The older it gets, the more beneficial bacteria are growing in it.

Unlike pasteurized milk, raw milk doesn't turn putrid when it sours. Do NOT try this with store-bought, pasteurized milk! It WILL make you sick! Clabbering raw milk until it separates into curds and whey should only be done with RAW milk. Unadulterated, unprocessed, straight-from-the-cow milk.

You can find these instructions on several websites and blogs, but my hubby bought me a Nikon D3100 for Christmas {woo hoo!}, and I'm finding as many excuses as I can to play with it!! Sarah, the Healthy Home Economist, has a great video blog on clabbering raw milk too. It's very simple, and as long as you've got some raw milk in your fridge, you probably have everything else!

You'll need a two clean glass bowls, an unbleached white tea towel or cheesecloth, and a rubber band. Pour any amount of raw milk into one of the glass bowls and leave in a warm place (such as in your oven with the light on or on your kitchen countertop). Allow it to sit for 24-48 hours, checking periodically to see if it forms a thick later of curds on top. Beware: your kitchen WILL smell like sour milk. It's unpleasant, but goes away as soon as this process is finished. I promise.

As soon as the milk is clabbered, lay the towel or cheesecloth in the other glass bowl and pour the clabbered milk into the towel.

Bring the ends of the towel together, tie with the rubber band, and hang over the glass bowl. I like to hang it by my cabinet knobs.

Then let her drip. I usually do this in the evening so that the whey can drip all night long. By morning, I've got a bunch of whey in the bowl and curds in the towel

The curds can be eaten, as they are essentially cottage cheese. You can also use the curds as homemade cream cheese. I like to put the curds in my food processor with a few strawberries and some maple syrup to make raw strawberry cream cheese.

It is amazing how much liquid separates from the milk solids.

Store the whey in the fridge in glass jars. It will keep for six months or more. {I've never had it go bad or even get the slightest growth of mold.} Store the curds in the same whey, errrr...way.

Now you've got plenty of whey to lacto-ferment sauerkraut, pickles, salsa, beet kvass, apple chutney, and many, many more recipes out of Nourishing Traditions.

COMING SOON: my super yummy salsa recipe!!!

Just Chicken: A Simple, Gourmet Supper

2012-01-13T19:00:00.000-06:00

I love to try new and exciting recipes. I love to read cookbooks and recipe blogs. I love to cook gourmet food. But after a few weeks of being on a new food roll, I get worn out. Worn out = me not cooking, which = eating out. Eating out then = me feeling crappy because I ate a bunch of who-knows-what and feeling guilty because I should have planned better and not spent the extra moolah on expensive food that made me feel awful.

Sometimes the simplest meals are the ones I cook the least.

Tonight, I made a super simple supper: garlic-herb roasted chicken, roasted carrots, salad, and flax bread and butter. Then we had vanilla cake with chocolate buttercream frosting for dessert!

Doesn't sound very simple, does it? Well, it was! Here's how I made the simplest supper we've had in a while. {Snapping photos, chopping carrots, and all, this literally took me 15 minutes from start to oven!}

Garlic-Herb Roasted Chicken

1 organic chicken, washed

1/3 cup coconut oil

3 ginormous cloves of garlic, peeled

1 TBSP coarse sea salt

2 tsp. herbes de Provence

1 tsp. peppercorns

3-4 sprigs fresh thyme

Put the chicken in a glass baking dish. Combine everything but the chicken in a food processor and process until garlic is down to small chunks. You can remove the thyme leaves from the stem before processing, but my processor did a great job of getting the leaves off the stem. Then I fished the stems out by hand.

Rub this mixture all over your chicken and roast at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 20 minutes.

Roasted Carrots

4-5 large carrots, peeled and chopped

a pinch of ground pepper

two pinches of fine sea salt

a sprinkling of nutmeg

a sprinkling of ginger

coconut oil

Place chopped carrots in a baking dish. Add seasonings. Dot the top with coconut oil. Place in the same 350-degree oven and roast for 40-50 minutes, depending on how tender you like your carrots. Once you see the coconut oil melt, you can stir the carrots around to evenly coat.

I made the bread and the cake yesterday. But I did warm the bread in the oven during the last few minutes of roasting the chicken and carrots.

Salad for us is anything but fancy: organic red leaf lettuce, torn into pieces, and topped with grated Parmesan and Caesar dressing. That's it.

I need to make more meals like this. And...I'm not one to toot my own horn, but this was DANG good!

What simple meals end up being your favorite? Care to share your recipes?

This post was shared at Food Renegade's Fight Back Friday.

Giveaway!!!

2012-01-10T13:44:00.002-06:00

Stephanie at Keeper of the Home is giving away a valuable resource for all of us moms who strive to live simply and frugally. Have you ever heard of Money Saving Mom? She has just released a book entitled The Money Saving Mom's Budget! I have entered Stephanie's giveaway, and I'm giving you the chance to enter too. She has five copies of this resource to give away, so head over to her site, read her review of this book, and follow the entry instructions!

Even if I don't win this book, I may just buy it because I am so ready to be totally debt-free and able to give generously!

I wish you luck!

Make Your Own Tooth Soap

2012-01-09T20:49:00.001-06:00

It's all fun and games til you start making your own toothpaste, right?

Let's just get that out there.

My name is Lindsey, and I make my own toothpaste. There. I've said it.

Actually, it's tooth soap. I don't want to mislead.

So why in the world would I want to give up Colgate, Crest, Tom's, or XyliWhite???

To be honest, I didn't ever see myself getting this involved with homemade products. Laundry soap? Duh, it's WAY cheaper. Deodorant? Actually works better than the store bought stuff. But dental hygiene??? Isn't that, like, for the pros?

Nah. I'll try anything once. Except skydiving.

Why homemade tooth soap?

Several reasons.

First, fluoride is NOT good for our teeth or our bodies. It's poison. Did you know that before 1938, fluoride was sold as rat poison?!
Second, all toothpaste {even the organic kinds} contains glycerin. Glycerin is what makes toothpaste paste-y. Unfortunately, glycerin also creates a coating on your teeth that doesn't come off unless you're brushing without glycerin. This coating can prevent your enamel from hardening and re-mineralizing over time.
Third, commercial toothpastes contain other harmful ingredients such as sodium lauryl sulfate and artificial sweeteners that just aren't good for us.
Fourth, toothpaste is ex.pen.sive! $4.99 for one tube is a little ridiculous, no?

We've been using our homemade tooth soap for about a month now, and I can honestly say it works just as well, if not better, than the expensive "all-natural, organic, sugar-free, flouride-free" tubes of liquid gold. And it's super-duper easy to make!

First, assemble your ingredients:

4 TBSP melted coconut oil

2 TBSP cold-pressed olive oil

1 TBSP Dr. Bronner's Baby Mild liquid castile soap

1 tsp. water

2-3 droppers full of liquid stevia

essential oil to taste (I use wintergreen, but cinnamon, peppermint, spearmint, anise, orange, or anything other oil would work. Just keep adding drops until it tastes like you want it to.)

Combine all ingredients and stir or shake lightly before use.

It looks like melted butter because the coconut oil was still warm. Once cooled, it is a light, creamy beige color.

We keep ours in a glass jar and dip our toothbrushes in, but you could also use a dropper or a clean lotion bottle and pump your tooth soap on to your toothbrush. It foams up quite a bit for the first few seconds of brushing, then gets liquid-y again. No worries, this is just how it works. Also, it does taste soap-y, especially if you accidentally swallow it. It is tooth soap, after all. You can try adding more stevia or essential oil, but I was never able to be totally rid of the soap taste. We've gotten used to it, and hey, you only brush twice a day, so really it's not that big of a deal. This small amount lasted our family of four about a month.

Enjoy!

22 Days

2012-01-08T21:02:00.000-06:00

Remember this sweet girl? It's been a while since I've posted about her, and there's a reason for that.

She ran away.

On December 16, David let her out to potty at 8:00 a.m. I went to let her back in at 9:00, and she was gone. I found a hole she had dug on the north side of our fence, the only section of fence that doesn't have concrete under it. Panicking, I called David. He immediately left his office and came back home to help look for her.

We drove and drove and DROVE around our neighborhood and the surrounding areas. There's a very large field in front of our house and trees with a creek bed beyond it, so we even drove around that trying to find Layla. After about an hour and a half, David said he had to return to work; but the peeps and I pressed on. We kept looking, even to the point that we didn't eat breakfast or lunch that day.

Our neighborhood has lots of dog walkers and joggers, so every time I saw someone I stopped and asked them if they had seen our dog. Thankfully I had pictures of her on my phone, so I was able to show them what she looked like. No one had seen her. I even stopped a garbage truck and asked the men riding on the back of it if they had seen any loose dogs that morning.

Nothing.

Then I made a very difficult phone call to Hank. I knew I had to tell him that Layla had run away from us, and I hoped he might know where I could look. He didn't. He was just as upset as I was, and told me he would be praying for the "puppy angels" to look out for her while she was lost.

Then I called the local paper and placed an ad in the classifieds. I called Animal Control, the Humane Society, and the SPCA, giving them all descriptions of her along with my phone number should she show up. I should also mention that we gave Layla a bath the night before and had forgotten to put her collar back on. She had nothing to identify her as a dog whose family would be looking for her.

That afternoon, I went to each house on our block, showing her picture and asking if anyone had seen her roaming around. Everyone was very sympathetic and sad for us, but no one had seen her.

That evening, we went by the Humane Society to see if she had been picked up that day. Nothing still. We filled out a Lost card and e-mailed her picture to them. This was Friday, December 16th. Every two or three days I would call them to see if she had been picked up. Every time David or I were driving in our neighborhood, our eyes were scanning for her.

On Monday, the 19th, I called all the vet clinics and pet groomers in town, gave them her description and my number, and begged them to call me if she showed up. You cannot imagine how upset our family was about this. Layla was our family's Christmas present. We didn't plan on anything else. There were no other presents under the tree.

And we celebrated Christmas this year without her. It was so hard, much harder than I ever imagined it would be to lose a pet we had only had for a couple of weeks. I cried just about every day, and Ryan and Addie were inconsolable just a couple of days before Christmas.

We prayed. Oh, we prayed so many times for our Layla to come home. We asked God to keep her safe, and if she wasn't meant to be with us, for Him to lead her to a family who would love her as we did.

David and I did everything we could to find her. To this day I am confident in that. We looked for her almost like we were searching for a lost child. We were just sure we would find her.

Then, last Tuesday, we caught a glimmer of hope. The SPCA called me, saying that a dog matching Layla's description from our ad in the paper had been brought in. They said they've never had a bearded collie brought in before, so they really believed it was our dog. I asked them to describe her to me. They said this dog was happy, playful, acted like a puppy. I knew immediately it couldn't be Layla. Layla was shy, timid, and nervous. We had never seen her act like a puppy; we had never even heard her make a sound. When the SPCA guy told me this dog had a microchip, I knew it wasn't her. Layla had been adopted with all her vaccines and paperwork, but no chip.

I hung up the phone, disappointed and with less hope than ever. Through all of this, I had stayed in close contact with Hank and Joyce. I felt so guilty about Layla. Hank and Joyce had taken care of her and rescued her when she was in a desperate situation, and I felt like we had failed them and violated their trust.

I called David about the dog at the SPCA. Several people had told us that, sometimes the best way to deal with a pet loss is to bring another one into our family to love. If this dog at the SPCA was a bearded collie and no one came to rescue her, we decided we would take her in. I called SPCA back. They told me this dog would be available for adoption by the end of the week if no one claimed her.

On Saturday, David and I were just finishing up a child-less lunch date, and we decided to go by the SPCA to take a look at this dog. We called them to see if she was still there, and she was. She would not be available for adoption until this coming Tuesday, but we were welcome to take a look at her. The man said several others were also interested in her and that she was a very popular dog.

What happened next is nothing short of a miracle. We walked into the room where all the dogs were in individual kennels. The noise from all the barking was deafening, and of course, it didn't smell very nice either. There in the third kennel was the dog; it was her! Our Layla! She was dirty, but she jumped up on the fence and wagged her tail just like a puppy when she saw us! David and I were going crazy. I started bawling and thanking God for keeping Layla safe and leading us back to her.

We proved she was ours by showing them those same pictures on our phones. There was no doubt about it. This bearded collie was our Layla! None of us knew, not even Hank and Joyce, that she was micro-chipped. Her chip was unregistered, so we registered it immediately.

When we got her home, we gave her a much-needed bath and brushing. She had some stickers and burrs in her hair that we had to cut out. Then we spent two hours brushing mats out of her hair.

She's been home with us a little over 24 hours now. In that time she has eaten three full bowls of food, watched a movie in our bed with us, gone out for ice cream with us, and slept a lot. She's back to her nervous, shy self, but we're ok with that. She seems to be warming up to us again. We aren't letting her out of our sight for a while.

I got to make a joyful phone call to Hank and Joyce yesterday, letting them know that the "puppy angels" did, in fact, keep an eye on Layla.

Layla was gone for 22 days. We have no idea what happened to her from the time she left our backyard until last Tuesday when an anonymous person took her to the SPCA. Whatever her adventures, we are so thankful that she's back with us and we hope she never tries running away from us again.

Chuck Pierce spoke at our church last week. He prophesied that the things that were lost in 2011 were going to be restored in 2012.

Layla was lost in 2011, and 22 days later, she was restored to us in 2012! It may be small to some people, but to us it's a miracle to have her back after so long! Thank You, Jesus!

Welcome home, Layla Lou!

Have I ever told you how much I LOVE pumpkin muffins?

2011-12-28T22:55:00.000-06:00

Actually, pumpkin anything. If it's got pumpkin in it, I'll take it. Pumpkin pie. Pumpkin bread. With chocolate chips. YUMMY!

The pumpkin muffins I have tried since being on the GAPS Diet were pretty good. But I'm not in the market for "pretty good".

I want slap-your-momma good.

Not from the South? Sorry. It's a phrase we sometimes use when exclaiming how good someone's cooking is. I promise I won't really slap your momma if she makes something delectable for me.

Anyway, here's my take on GAPS-friendly pumpkin muffins.

What you need:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line your muffin tin.
5 Tbsp. flax seed meal
1 cup filtered water
5 eggs, preferably pastured
3 cups pumpkin puree (try roasting your own pumpkin!)
1 1/2 cups coconut flour
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
1/2 to 2/3 cup honey, depending on how sweet you like it
1 Tbsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. allspice
1 tsp. sea salt, fine not coarse
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. ground cloves

First, in a bowl combine the flax seed meal and water and stir well. Set aside.

Next combine the rest of the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix well. Add in the flax/water mixture and blend until combined. Just like with the Apple-Cinnamon muffins, I used my cookie dough scoop to get equal-sized muffins. Bake 20-22 minutes and check for doneness by pressing your finger lightly into the center of the muffin. This recipe made three dozen muffins for me.

If you're not on GAPS, please feel free to stir in some dark chocolate chips before baking.

And next time I come up with a pumpkin recipe, I'll try to have it posted BEFORE Thanksgiving, OK? OK.

Our non-Fast Food Christmas Dinner

2011-12-24T17:34:00.000-06:00

We usually take our family out for a nice meal around Christmastime. A couple of years ago we went to Kabuki. I can't remember the other places we've gone...guess it's not as memorable as I think it is?

Anyway, we announced to the peeps yesterday afternoon that we would be going out for our annual {not-so-memorable} Christmas dinner to an actual restaurant. It's been so long since we've eaten as a family in a restaurant that the peeps were stoked. Ryan immediately said, "Rose's pleeeeeeeease!!" {FYI: Rose's is Rosa's, but he has always called it Rose's.}

"No, no, Buddy," we said. "We want to go some place really nice."
"Like Taco Bell!" I kidded.
"Yeah! Taco Bell!" was Ryan's response.

{ugh, gag me. Taco Bell was a definite NO.}

"How about Hayashi?" I suggested. I know, I know, Kabuki/Hayashi, not really a big difference. What can I say?? I love me some Hibachi grilled shrimp and veggies.

"Fazoli's!" Ryan exclaimed.

I don't think he gets the point of a NICE dinner out. He's just happy with fast food.

Maybe we should listen to him. Things would be a whole lot cheaper that way...

We did go to Hayashi. Ryan had the rice, mushrooms, and shrimp. That kid loves grilled mushrooms. Addilyn was mesmerized by the chef and the fire. David had the pleasure of getting squirted with sake. I was happy just to eat some carbs. And then I paid for it later...

When it was all said and done, fun was had by all. Merry Christmas Eve!

From Our Family

2011-12-23T13:45:00.000-06:00

As we are in the middle of this holiday season, our family has much to reflect upon. This past year was full. Full of joy, full of change, full of love, full of growth.

The first half of 2011 was what we could call a "perfect time" in our lives...if ever a time actually exists. We were soaring--children were awesome, homeschooling was going better than ever, I felt like I was living the dream of a stay-at-home momma, finances were doing well, David's career was finally going somewhere, marriage was amazing. Life was trucking along. There was no cause for complaints.

The second half of 2011 brought with it change--change which we thought was going to be good. We had sought the Lord beforehand, and we believed and still do believe that God's hand was upon us and that His wisdom was guiding us. That change wasn't all we thought it was going to be. Disappointment and frustration set in, hearts were hurt, and our situation seemed hopeless. We don't, for a second, believe that we somehow missed God's perfect plan for our lives just because things didn't turn out as we'd hoped. Through it all, marriage was still amazing, children were still awesome, and our family was still strong. It was the storm that swirled around us that we had a hard time dealing with. I am certain of one thing: what we went through together strengthened our bond as a family more than anything ever has. I think we all, even our children, learned the true meaning of holding each other up through difficulty.

We have spent the past six months getting our wits about us again, remembering our identities as a family and in Christ, and healing. It hasn't been easy, but we are still here, standing and believing more than ever that GOD IS GOOD.

So here we are, about to close out this year wrought with joy and trials, happiness and sorrow, laughter and tears. And I can honestly say that GOD IS GOOD. HE IS FAITHFUL. HIS LOVE IS UNENDING. HIS GRACE AND MERCY ARE UNSTOPPABLE.

If I ever doubt those truths, it's not because God isn't who He says He is; it's because I'm human and my mind is an ever-raging battlefield.

From our family to yours, please know those truths. Please remember that God's wreckless love for us is the reason we celebrate this season. No matter what trial or difficulty you may be experiencing right now, please know that God is the same as He was before your trial started; but you just might have a new perspective of Who He is when you're on the other side of your test. And be encouraged!

From David, Lindsey, Ryan, Addilyn, and Layla, we wish you all the best of this Christmas season, as this year comes to a close and a new beginning is right around the corner!

Sacrificial Living

2011-12-21T13:50:00.000-06:00

I read this blog post today and just had to share it with you. I have no clue who this mother is, but she's wise and she's transparent. When I got to the line about "tired of filling sippy cups" {just read it, and you'll understand}, my eyes filled with tears and a sweet conviction came over me.

I, too, have complained, under my breath, too many times. I'm tired of washing dishes. Tired of sweeping floors. Tired of folding laundry. Tired of teaching 4+1=5, not 6, again.

God has called us mothers to lives of sacrificial living. In this way, we are made in the image of our Creator. In this way, I dare say, we must live in order to call ourselves His children. Did He not graciously sacrifice the Most Precious gift of all for us?

I implore you today, read this blog: The Gift of a Savior

And if you're not blinded by your own tears at the end of it, read this one too: What a Mother Must Sacrifice

I've re-visited the latter many times over the three years I've been blogging, and every time I'm just as touched and convicted and teary-eyed as the first time I read it.

These posts might be better suited to Mother's Day, I thought. Now's not the time.

But I couldn't resist. His birth, life, and sacrifice are what this season is all about. His gift to us. If I can't live sacrificially in front of my children every, single day, then I don't understand Christmas at all.

Sometimes giving hurts. The check written in faith as the offering plate is passed. The blessing of time given when we could have done something else. The much-desired birthday present that cost a little more than expected.

I'll leave you with a what-if that occurred to me today...WHAT IF WE GIVE GIFTS AT CHRISTMAS TO UNDERSTAND JUST A MINUTE PORTION OF HOW OUR FATHER FELT WHEN HE GAVE HIS ONLY SON TO US?

Sometimes it hurts to live sacrificially, but oh that I might know how to do it anyway.

Christmas Memories

2011-12-20T09:00:00.000-06:00

I have contemplated much on Christmas this year. What is the true meaning? Why do we say Christmas isn't about gifts and then stress out about buying gifts? What will our children really remember about Christmas? When they are grown, what stories will they tell their own children about their Christmases?

David and I have always purposed to make Christmas about Jesus' birth; and yet, despite all our efforts, our children still show more excitement over presents than they do over hearing their Daddy read the Christmas story from the Bible. Of course, we're not upset with them. They're children, and it's so much easier for them (and adults) to focus on that which they can see and feel and play with than that which they must believe in their hearts and read about from the Book. Plus, there's nothing wrong with gifts! Doesn't our Father in Heaven give us the greatest gifts of all? And didn't the Wise Men worship Jesus with gifts?

Our Christmases seem much different from the Christmases of my childhood. For one, I believed in Santa Claus. I think I might have been 12 or 13 before I finally figured out that Santa didn't exist. {I may have been a little slow.} We don't do Santa now, and it's not a big deal. I remember piles and piles of presents underneath our real tree several weeks before Christmas; and every week the pile would grow a little more. I loved and still love receiving gifts. I love giving gifts. My children love receiving gifts.

The memories from then until now, however, are what I remember most. Of all those boxes I unwrapped as a child, I would be hard pressed to tell you more than three things I received. The main thing I remember receiving is clothes. I always got new winter clothes for Christmas, especially as I got older. I remember getting a 10-speed bike with a radio attached to the handlebars one year. My brother got one too, and our lives were total bliss after that Christmas. I remember Santa bringing our entire family our first computer one year--an NEC with dial-up AOL. We still had that computer when I met David. As far as gifts go, I can't remember much more. I remember the anticipation of opening gifts more than the actual gifts.

My Christmas memories are tied up in experiences, not what was underneath the tree.

Christmas lights. I remember what a family affair putting lights on our house was. After God changed my Dad's life, I remember him taking some scrap pieces of pipe and welding them into a cross. He even made a stand for the cross on our pipe fence, and when the white lights were on at night, you could see that cross glowing from the highway over a mile away. I remember when icicle lights first came out and we got some!

Christmas cookies. We baked and decorated thousands of cookies. My mom always made sure we had red, green, and white icing, silver candy balls, red and green sprinkles. Every year we baked cookies and ate them til the beginning of February, we had made so many.

Christmas sweatshirts. I grew up in the age when it was popular to iron decals on to your sweatshirt and use paint to decorate it. And we did this every year, until I finally figured out that it wasn't cool anymore. I remember my Mom having a black sweatshirt with a huge Santa head surrounded by gold glitter paint.

Christmas decorating. I think I love to decorate now because my Mom gave me so much freedom to decorate our home at Christmastime. I would come home from school on an early December day, and Mom would have retrieved our plastic tubs of decorations from the barn. Then she would turn me loose. Every year I got better and better at decorating. I learned how to place things, how to group things, how to decorate a mantle, how to hang garland. And I could stand back with pride when visitors commented on how beautiful our house looked, knowing that I did it. I love those decorating memories.

Christmas food. My parents were never turkey-and-dressing at Christmas. We always had gourmet menus, used our prettiest dishes, and even got to bust out the cloth napkins and napkin rings. Coming up with the table scape was my job, and to this day I love to set a beautiful table. My parents would talk for weeks before Christmas about what our big meal would be. One year I remember we had Christmas breakfast. I can still smell the Orange French Toast. Several years Dad grilled huge salmon filets with fresh tarragon leaves. I will always remember the Rhodes rolls rising next to our wood-burning stove's pipe.

Chex Mix. And not the pre-made, bagged stuff. I think we kept batches of homemade Chex Mix made until after New Year because we ate so much of it. It's been so long since I've had homemade Chex Mix.

My childhood Christmas memories are what I've been reflecting upon this season. Those memories are what I hope to give my children. What better gift can I give them than to fill their hearts and minds with precious thoughts and experiences of our holidays as a family?

I hope, 20 or 30 years from now, that my children are telling my grandchildren their favorite Christmas memories. I hope they remember decorating our tree, our Jesse Tree, our snowman countdown til Christmas, Christmas Eve service at church, baking Christmas cookies, eating a special Christmas breakfast or dinner. I hope David and I do a good job of making Christmas about Jesus and memories and not about wrapped gifts. I hope we give them something that lasts... and a few things for them to put their hands on to know that we give them good gifts too.