powerful story

Did you catch this powerful birth story link posted the other day on Pursing Titus 2?  Get ready to experience something beautiful.  Nothing too graphic displayed, and no one dies.  Just pure beauty.

offer them up

Plans.  Lots of plans.  I've got them, you've got them.  And they're lofty, aren't they?  Otherwise, why bother thinking them up?  Of course they're lofty.  We work hard at them.  


But often they fail, at least partially.  Or they succeed, but we aren't steadfast enough--focused enough--to keep up with them.  Does this drive you crazy, making you feel like Paul the Apostle? "I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do." Romans 7:15


The plans I am lamenting over today involve reading to my kids more (at their respective levels), decluttering my kitchen counter throughout the day, and keeping up with paperwork coming in the mail.  The list of frustrations can get long, some days.  I problem-solve and move forward, but then.....I fall.  Smallish issues like these are never quite resolved.  I get close, but never arrive.  


I could blame a whole lot of it on a very active baby who never allows me to sit down, save for her nap times.  We can hardly get through a paragraph in our read-aloud chapter books before she needs another rescuing or redirecting.  Daddy's help used to be the answer, but with the intense studying required for his computer tech classes, I hesitate to ask for that help now.  


During naptime I have to scurry around and get things done I can't do while Little Miss Curiosity is awake--like unload the dishwasher (she climbs on it you know), or the dryer.


While I fight discouragement over these things often, I know deep down why my plans don't quite succeed.  


Because if they did, I wouldn't need God.  


He created me for His glory and for His fellowship.  I wouldn't partake of that fellowship enough, if I didn't so desperately need Him.


As I look back over my years as a stay-at-home mom, I see areas he has changed for his glory--areas of my heart. So it's not as though all is futile.


One thing I'm missing most days is the act of praying through the small things--the things that wouldn't seem to matter to God, on the surface. 


For example, each time I pass the cluttered counter, I can pray, "Lord, this bothers me--takes some of my peace away.  Help me learn to declutter in frequent spurts, rather than in a long spurt at night, when I'm tired.  If this is important to YOU, help me solve it.  If not, help me accept it.  In Your Name, Amen" 


Nothing in the Bible tells me that God doesn't care about each and every aspect of my life. I learn there that he does care.   He does.  So I need to take advantage of that and give him all my prayers.....even the ones that would seem beneath him, like my kitchen counter.  


He welcomes every opportunity to connect with me.


What small things take away your peace--grinding at you day after day?


Offer them up, too.  


______________________________________________


Margie....about those Chocolate Chip Oatmeal (And Bean) cookies.  We made them today and they were gross not worthy.  The recipe can be found using the healthy snack food link in my previous food post.  My suggestion is to only alter the butter by half (half butter/half bean puree).  (This recipe called for only 3 tablespoons of butter.)  The other suggestion is to add more sugar.  They weren't sweet enough, which was the main problem...or soft enough.  I'll have to experiment with adding other things in the place of fat...like applesauce.  I've heard of that before, but have never tried it yet.

short video to rejoice over

Please!  Watch this short video, and deeply rejoice.  People in Malawi, Africa are getting new Bibles--possibly their first copy ever.

whole-foods update

I just spent two hours researching healthier food options as part of my quest to cook from scratch and avoid additives.  I love research!  Seriously.  I easily lose track of time doing this.  My husband thinks I'm nuts in this regard, but he always comes to me when he needs an answer to something, although rather reluctantly (it means he has the kids solo while I do my research magic).

Even after ten and a half years of marriage, it still amazes me how we complement and balance each other.  God is a perfect matchmaker, isn't he?  Oh, sure...we like to take the credit for choosing a good husband.  But the truth is, left to our own devices, we'd probably pick a toad.  God knows us intimately--the good, bad and ugly.  We tend to define ourselves by just the good, and sweep the rest under our subconscious rug.

Anyhow, I didn't sit down here to write about marriage tonight, truth be told.

I wanted to share two nutrition resources I found to be particularly good.  One is the Nutrition Data Blog, located on my sidebar.  It has a search feature, making it easy to look up any topic.  The other is a Mayo Clinic website, listed at the very bottom of my blog roll (no RSS feed).

I've been to the grocery store twice since deciding to cook from scratch and avoid processed foods.  On the spectrum of processed foods, our cupboards weren't horrible, but there were definitely things we could do without.

The only thing slightly processed from the first grocery trip was dry tortellini.  The ingredients list isn't bad at all, the nutrient count is good, and I find them great for livening up homemade vegetable soup, making it a hearty, healthy winter lunch option (although watch for sodium content).

The second trip involved a search for chicken broth, after learning that homemade broth, while a great idea, happens to be very time consuming (I'll get to it occasionally).  We love soups in the fall and winter, but commercial broth is expensive, considering the amount needed.  For the past four weeks we've been using chicken broth granules to save money.  Today I was horrified to learn that they contain MSG!  Of the liquid broths, only one brand was formulated without MSG (Swanson), which I bought.  We are now making all our own snack foods (no more baked chips, crackers, cookies), so I can probably justify spending more on the best broth option.

I've been reading labels for a very long time, but I look mainly for sodium, fat, fiber and protein content.  Time to hone my skills in this regard.  Food industry companies have horrible ethics; they simply can't be trusted (the lesson of the day).

Tonight I also spent a good forty minutes researching bread-making machines.  We use a loaf of bread every day and a half, at between $1.88 to $2.30/loaf for 100% whole wheat (3 grams fiber per slice).  Bread ingredients aren't all that bad, but you have to watch for unhealthy fats, too much sodium, and of course...most have preservatives.  Costlier brands might not.  I'm convinced we are better off using a bread machine and just making one loaf a day.  The Nutrition Data Blog guru, Monica, suggests a blend of whole wheat flour with King Arthur hi-maize flour.  She also mentioned a white whole grain flour (made from albino wheat, I believe it said) which bakes up softer with better taste.

Lastly, I have to tell you something truly exciting--if you're a nutrition nerd, that is!  You can bake up healthier snack foods for your family by substituting beans for 75% of the fat content.  Weird, huh?  Who cares!  People say it tastes fine.  I printed out a recipe for Oatmeal Chocolate Chip (And bean) Cookies, which we'll try tomorrow.  Try this link for a list of healthier baked goods.

Well, then.  That concludes today's update on my whole food/healthy food journey.  Do any of you have a bread machine?  I read that the Panasonic model, selling at approx. $125, is the best mid-priced option.

good things

When it snows and snows, and then snows some more, what do you feel like doing?  Sipping cocoa?  Playing games?  Cozying up together for a movie?  Getting crafty?

Around here, the answer is baking or applesauce making--if we have enough apples.  I'm trying hard not to bake up our favorite (chocolate chip cookies) very often, since nutritionally, it's a poor choice.  

But I still want to respect our sweet tooths.  

The answer for us?  We've been baking up healthy cookie bars, sweet breads, and fruit crisps.  Today we made a delicious pumpkin bread, substituting whole wheat flour for the white flour.  Compared to the 1 cup of butter in chocolate chip cookies, the pumpkin bread required only a half cup of olive oil.  The pumpkin was packed with fiber (and other wonderful things), and the wheat flour added three more grams, compared to less than one gram of fiber for white flour.  I personally love a grainy taste.  My family will get used to it--barely noticing the difference after a few months.  I plan to use only whole wheat flour for baking from now on.  They've all eaten whole wheat bread since infancy, so the transition to grainy baked goods shouldn't take long.  

The cookies require 1.5 cups of sugar, while the pumpkin bread calls for 1 cup--not a huge savings on sugar, but oh well.  I love all things pumpkin!

I'm glad Hubby took this picture. I will treasure it always, despite the cluttered-counter view.  I'm so grateful for the togetherness that homeschooling affords us.  It feels very right...for us.

I turned away to beat some eggs on the other counter and to help brother with a tricky math problem.  When I turned back to pour in the eggs, I saw this little darling up on brother's chair.  She's asleep now of course, but oh how I want to kiss that little nose!  Pictures always humble me, reminding me of the blessings before me.  In the chaos of a single day, that thought can get temporarily lost.  

We also baked up some butternut squash, with brown sugar, butter and cinnamon.  What a wonderful smelling house we enjoyed today!

Looks like we won't be making that homeschooling Valentine party tomorrow.  Two of our kids started wheezing on exertion today, and they all still have junky-sounding coughs, with sneezing and drainage.  We are so disappointed!  But, we have quite a bit of new snow, with more expected tomorrow.  The roads in the area of the party won't be plowed (country roads)--so maybe God is saving us from something?  I choose to look at it that way.

I hated to post about food tonight after reading two more Haiti stories. Lately, I cringe every time one of my kids complains about their food.  The depth of despair overwhelms!  I think many people will be forever changed by these stories--that's true for me.   Perhaps God's intent all along?  

Many are perishing now, but without some intervention and/or exposure in terms of their corrupt government, more and more would perish over many years.  The extent of the corruption is known well now, the world over.  Going forward, very little money will go directly to their government, bringing positive change over time. 

With continued coverage, more Americans will give on a regular basis--either their time, money, or talents.  I really believe that.  Between the effects of a serious recession, and the recent images of poverty and hunger, the American years of material gluttony are hopefully over.

Finally tonight, I want to include a bit about God's faithfulness and provision.  We did our taxes recently.  My jaw dropped at the final number for our 2009 income....less than $25,000.  Um, yeah.  For a family of six.  Shocking.  

And we aren't going hungry.  And we haven't defaulted on our mortgage.  And our credit is still good--except for the fact that we had to put car repairs on our credit cards.  A tax credit is coming our way (earned income credit).  It will be a cushion for the house payment going forward, which is a blessing.  Unemployment extensions expire shortly.

It could be far, far worse.  Next month will make a whole year of underemployment.

I stand amazed at the miracle.  Whatever you're going through, remember this......it isn't as big as your God.  Think about how he has held you up in the past.  We all have these stories.....whether financial or otherwise.  Write them down.  Build your faith--and your children's--with them.  God comes through in miraculous ways...feeding five thousand with a few loaves...making wine from water.  

Don't be downcast, thinking there is no solution.  It can be painful....and long....but God will sustain you, as he works things out for your good.

^{Romans 8:28}  And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.