wheatgrass smoothies for a monday morning

Well, hello Sunday after a wonderful break, eve before everyone goes their separate ways during the day blues...

What an incredibly relaxing, fun weekend.  We've played hard, pounded a lot of nails into wood, made a cardboard computer complete with feathers, countless drawings, decked the halls, laughed with family and friends, journeyed together.  

Wednesday, the bus brought us an agitated boy who was in great need of some time off.  So, I approach tomorrow with a bit of uncertainty.  I hate to see them go.  But I gear myself up to make the moments with them what matters.  

I'll be fine.  Zumba in the morning.  And our wheatgrass is in need of a good trim, so we'll begin the day with grass clippings in our smoothies.  Not like dancing and smoothies in the morning is what makes me fine (but it's fun too look forward to :)  
I just keep walking, one foot in front of the other, trusting the guiding hand of our Maker and learning to let these precious little ones do the same.

wheatgrass smoothies

1 cup plain yogurt (or vanilla yogurt, but then you won't need honey)

1-2 inches clipped wheatgrass

2 T. honey (or to your taste)

1 1/2 cups strawberries, frozen

1 banana (have used frozen before)

Add ingredients in this order to the blender.  Mix until smooth.  Adjust to your liking.

The new Martin's has wheatgrass!!!  It was 2.99 for a container, but I planted it and we've already had 5 rounds of smoothies.  You can use other fruit.  This happens to be our favorite combo, but blueberries, raspberries, peaches all go nicely too.  I've found the banana sweetens it so I don't have to use much honey.  If we ever have more over-ripe bananas than we're gonna eat (which rarely happens with 3 boys :), I peel them, throw them in a freezer bag, then use them at a later time for this or banana bread. 

Among the list of many thanks...

Waking up this morning to this.

And the verse that came to mind is "Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail.  They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness."  Lamentations 3.22-23

Flowers in a care package from a dear friend last night to cheer my heart with her hilarity and thoughtfulness.

Having  this boy all to myself for 4 whole days of no school!!!

K and J who so completely blessed our socks off by dropping off the fixins for a thanksgiving meal, in case the stomach flu continues to strike the royer home and prevents us from gathering tomorrow with family.  

Folding the mounds of laundry today and finding treasures in one certain little boy’s pockets.

And one boy, a batman, and a buzz lightyear singing “Happy Thanksgiving to all!”

Wishing you many thanks, whether you're filled with your favorite dishes and gathered with loved ones or stuck with a car that won't start and the stomach flu, 

"Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail.  They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness."  Lamentations 3.22-23

gluten-free bread!!!

Of burnt toast and Gatorade for breakfast…

I should be packing for time with family in Ohio and making some gluten-free sides to share.  Instead I’m victim #2 of the stomach bug in our home.  Boy, I'm trying not to sound like Debbie Downer...wa wa wa... 

Once again, learning the lessons of gratitude when plans change from what you so earnestly longed for.  Oh, the differences that often are between everything we want and what we really need.  Last night, driving to Owen’s for more Gatorade, it hit me, again...  How often I long for things in this world to meet a need that only He can.  Thanksgiving break to me meant getting away, gathering with loved ones, more memorable matches of Life and Dominoes, rest.  So when that’s threatened by this virus that is making its way through our town and now our family, where will I find the rest I so long for?  This is where the song “Gratitude” came to mind, and so I share…

Or maybe not, not today, peace might be another world away, and if that’s the case we’ll give thanks to you, with gratitude for lessons learned in how to trust in you, that we are blessed beyond what we could ever dream in abundance or in need, and if you never grant us peace, but Jesus, would you please…

I’ve tried to look down through pictures of recipes to share, and nothing really looks appealing right now, except my first gluten-free bread from scratch I made Saturday!!!  I used this recipe:  http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/2009/02/delicious-gluten-free-bread.html.  And substituted 1 T. ground flaxmeal for the 1 T. of egg replacer.  You could use 1 egg instead, but I was making it for some vegetarians.  I ground millet into millet flour in the blender.  And also, I added 3 T. brown rice flour to the bread machine during the kneading  (her description is helpful about it being more like a muffin-batter).  I left it go 1 round of kneading and 1 round of rising in the bread machine before I poured the dough into a greased bread pan, covered and let rise 30 minutes in warm place and baked at 350 degrees 20 minutes, or until lightly golden.  

The texture was like "real" bread.  And is way cheaper to make than the $4 plus gluten-free breads you can buy at the store.  Although, it won't last as long...Everyone loved it, and it was gone in no time! 

venison chili...just like the pioneers

Saturdays are for…

Pulling out the sleeping bags and dragging each other around in them or sliding down the stairs in them or cuddling up to watch Mr. Bean in them...

Knit. Purl. Knit. Purl.  Every possible “spare” minute  (When will I learn and start these in June?)…

Overflowing with thankfulness…

 

A pot of chili…

I’ll be the first to admit, I never thought I could cook with deer.  But, we were given some venison.  The thought of cooking with Bambi was just a little disturbing to me.  So I tried to think of myself as being all pioneer-like and was inspired.  I thought chili was the most incognito dish I could hide some in.  No apology needed for the substitution... It was delicious!  So, thanks to the true pioneers who shot the deer with a bow and arrow and shared their bounty with us :)

I know everyone has their own version of chili, and you can just substitute venison for the ground beef.  But, here's what I did.
Chili
1 lb. venison (or ground beef)
1 onion, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
15 oz. dark red kidney beans
15 oz.  light red kidney beans
15 oz. chili beans
1 quart (or 30 oz.) canned tomatoes
1 pint canned salsa (or, you could use another 15 oz. tomatoes)
1 T. cumin powder (I also used 1 T. cumin seeds this time)
2 t. chili powder
bunch of chopped cilantro, because we add that to everything
Brown meat with onion, pepper, and celery.  Add cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper.  Add undrained cans of beans and tomatoes.  Simmer (atleast 20 minutes, but the longer the better).  Adjust spices to liking.  Add cilantro just before serving.  (Picture taken before this...)
Good served with tortilla chips and cheese.

beautiful

Sorry to delete this playlist.  It was the song "You're beautiful" by Phil Wickham.  But, I still can't figure out how to delete a post, or how not to get 2 playlists to go at once...  Thanks for understanding.

our thankful tree

Let your roots grow down into Him and draw up nourishment from Him, 

so you will grow in faith, strong and vigorous in the truth you were taught.  

Let your lives overflow with thanksgiving for all He has done. 

Colossians 2.7

Reading through Colossians this time last year inspired a new tradition in our home:  the thankful tree.  Rooted in Christ, drawing up nourishment from Him, we grow in faith and truth, overflowing with gratitude for all He has done.  

Thanksgiving should be a mark of the Spirit in our lives.  We are set free in Christ, no longer slaves to outward expressions of religion and tradition, rules and regulations.   But, thankful for His Spirit's inner renewal of our mind, heart and soul.  We’re thankful not just for a house 'cuz baby, it’s cold outside.  But, we’re thankful for ALL He has done.  If we fully understand what Christ has done for us, our lives should be characterized by thankfulness.  The final sacrifice was made at Calvary when Christ bought our salvation with His blood.  From here on out, it is privilege!  {Rabi Maharaj taught me that this week.}

We are truly blessed.  

Let our lives overflow!

These are last year's pics.  Our thankful tree is going up tonight, as soon as I find the unpacked box with the colored paper in it...

For flowers that bloom about our feet;

For tender grass, so fresh, so sweet;
For song of bird, and hum of bee;
For all things fair we hear or see,
Father in heaven, we thank Thee!
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

apple salad

One of my latest snack cravings, an old recipe from my childhood (sugar omitted).
Good Ole Fashioned Apple Salad
2 apples, chopped
1 banana, halved then sliced
1/3 c. raisins
1/3 c. walnuts
juice of 1/2 of a lemon (or lime)
Mix and enjoy....  
For breakfast, for an after-school snack, with a meal, late at night.  I would right now, but we're out of apples we've been making this so much :)


I was having such a productive afternoon.  I do relocation consulting in the area, and just love it.  Yesterday I got a call for a tour on Thursday, so I was working this afternoon on putting together her welcome packet and itinerary when this came across my desk... "Der Mom. Wood. Yo. Lik. To. Cum. To. Look. At. Mi. Shep (which is ship, not sheep - oops!). Luv. U. Mom." (from Jack) 

No matter how much I love what I do and how much I needed to get done, nothing could compete with that note!  It will get done.  Always does.  But, this boy needs his momma to get into his world.  Because I have a feeling if I don't now, it will only get harder...So, off I went (after making tea for 2 and yes, more apple salad :) aboard his ship.  Look out, Jude is about to press the "self-destruct" button!  

chicken tostadas

Snapshots of our weekend.

We had some saints visit our home Friday. They watched our kids so we could escape to a meal without asking a child to use their fork and eat over their plate. And if that wasn’t enough to fill our hearts with gratitude, they raked our leaves while we were gone. Overflowing with gratitude now. 

Andy was gone all day Saturday, but returned with these vintage doorknobs, which brought such a smile to my face. It was so sweet that he remembered the store we’d seen them in 3 hours from here (but I didn’t realize what a steal they were at the time) and that he went out of his way to make it there after his meeting. These are perfect for a fun project I've been waiting to make...

Sunday was a birthday party for a sweet little 2 year old. I dusted off the ole sewing machine to make him a little bag (from a pair of Andy's old shorts :) It feels good to create. And, little boys need a bag for their treasures. Our boys fill theirs with rocks, frogs and insects (plastic ones...usually).

And what better way to end the weekend than with popcorn, story time and some “Pharoah Pharoah”? Jude singing “Let me people go. Huh, huh” is almost too much!

I started making this recipe in the summer when we grilled Victa's amazing chicken and had some leftover (which rarely happens :)  Or, last week I roasted a whole chicken and used most for enchiladas, but had some leftover.  So, I made some of these for a quick lunch the next day.  I like it because it's a great way to improvise and use what you have.  I have 2 different pictures to show this.

Chicken Tostadas

Tortillas (I use corn or rice, but flour tortillas work too)

Sauce (For these I used leftover green salsa/sour cream/cilantro mixture from the burritoes, but you can also use salsa)

Leftover chicken

Cumin and Garlic Powder (if chicken is unseasoned, like from a roast)

Cheese

Cilantro, Peppers, Tomatoes, or Green Onions for toppings

Bake tortillas at 400 for 5 minutes.  Meanwhile saute peppers and onions if using.  Toss chicken with cumin and garlic powder (for 2 cups of chicken, I use 1 t. of each).  Remove tortillas from oven and cover with sauce of choice, seasoned chicken, cheese and any other preferred vegetables (beans work too).  Bake 8-10  minutes.  Top with remaining desired ingredients.

days like this

Sorry to pull this song off - I just wanted to post the new one, and they were both playing at the same time.  And, I'm just not tech-savvy enough to know what else to do.  

It's days like this by Kim Taylor, if you're interested in looking it up...