Waking up to Snow

Gallery October 31, 2014 A Labour of Love Leave a comment

The Compassion of the Lord – Isaiah 55

55 “Come, everyone who thirsts,
come to the waters;
and he who has no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without price.
2 Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,
and your labor for that which does not satisfy?
Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good,
and delight yourselves in rich food.
3 Incline your ear, and come to me;
hear, that your soul may live;
hand I will make with you an everlasting covenant,
my steadfast, sure love for David.
4 Behold, I made him a witness to the peoples,
a leader and commander for the peoples.
5 Behold, you shall call a nation that you do not know,
and a nation that did not know you shall run to you,
because of the Lord your God, and of the Holy One of Israel,
for he has glorified you.
6 “Seek the Lord while he may be found;
call upon him while he is near;
7 let the wicked forsake his way,
and the unrighteous man his thoughts;
let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him,
and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.
9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
10 “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven
and do not return there but water the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
11 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty,
but sit shall accomplish that which I purpose,
and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
12 “For you shall go out in joy
and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and the hills before you
shall break forth into singing,
and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
13 Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress;
instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle;
and it shall make a name for the Lord,
an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.”

Following in Faith

Joy Through Affliction

October 20, 2014 A Labour of Love 2 Comments

Can I somehow relay to anyone through my words how much rejoicing has been going on in my heart the last few months and especially yesterday? I mean, even though my Lyme symptoms have returned, my joy in Him has not subsided.

Psalm 4:7 You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound.

Psalm 71:23 My lips will shout for joy, when I sing praises to you; my soul also, which you have redeemed.

My husband and I have been married for 21 years next month. During that time we have had many trials, heart aches, and afflictions overwhelm our relationship. Through every timely attack, we have managed to cling to one another. Oh, it’s not always been easy, and for the first 12 years it was especially tough in our home. I remember my early walk with the Lord, knowing and understanding fully who He was, as being a lonely venture. Lonely in that God’s timing for my husband was not in sync with His timing with me. I prayed for those twelve years that God would change my husbands heart, that He would show my husband His Word and Grace so that we could grow together. At times, God likely heard my prayers to be more like begging. Pleading for the release of my husbands hardened heart so that he would hear God’s calling and crave to know the truth as I was learning it. Let’s just clearly say, it was a long 12 years and the support from others to continue on was at times quite at odds with scripture and felt more like worldly ~~advice~~ attacks.

At the bible study I attended weekly during that time, an older, wiser Titus 2 woman who was in our leaders group reminded all of us through a devotional that sometimes we need to release our wants and desires and give it up to the Lord, for as we know all things are in His timing. That our will was not always His will and that we needed to trust Him.

Wow! Wait… hold the presses… I knew that! Yet my daily prayer for 12 consistent years had been pleading my will upon the Lord’s heartstrings. I was begging for something rather than trusting and praying for God’s will to be done in my husbands life. Why had I not asked God for my own patience? Why had I not prayed for acceptance of where God had my husband at that time? I remember beating myself up about my own prayers and how selfish they were. I wasn’t trusting God to just do as He needed. It was that day that I went home and got on my knees and asked for God’s forgiveness in not trusting Him. I repented for my lack of patience and asked God to give me strength to wait upon Him and His timing for my husband…. If that is what the Lord intended. I did not know if my husband would ever accept Christ nor if God would ever even call upon my husband to be one of His flock. I just knew that I needed to trust the plan God had for us and to stay true to Him and all that He is.

Two weeks from the day of that prayer, my husband was asked by a personal friend who he respected, if he wanted to begin a bible study with him. My husband accepted the invitation. We went to the store and bought him a study bible and he began studying God’s word. I kid you not, I stood in amazement. I have to say that for a period of time, God allowed my husband to continue serving the prince of the earth while also learning about God’s truth. There was a true battle of good vs. evil at work. At the final turning point, the crushing lowest point of my husbands life, he began to see that he could not be of both worlds and the Lord began to strengthen my husbands desire for truth and soften his once hardened heart. He admittedly prayed about hypocracy and that he no longer wanted the sinful part of his life. He asked God for help in getting rid of the sins and continued temptations that were trying to overtake him.

John 3:5-8 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is born of the spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

God did not turn a blind eye. He helped my husband see the errors of his ways, and gave him the nourishment of truth that he so desired. The ever present Holy Spirit walked with him giving him an unknown desire for learning the scriptures. As time went forth, the fruit of God’s work in his life was being seen and his life was reflective of a life being lived out to serve our heavenly creator.

John 15:1-11 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

All of those years since, I and others have seen a complete transformation. Out of darkness came a blessing of light that has touched the lives of so many. He has over that last 9 years, become the man I prayed for him to become. He may live in this world yet he too is not of this world. He was called, he heard, he acted. He has not taken the gospel for granted. He studies, he craves the word, and he longs for truth. All in God’s timing!

John 15:16-17 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. These things I command you, so that you will love one another.

Romans 12:2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

You may ask what in the world this has to do with my joy. Well, yesterday my beloved husband was blessed with the induction of becoming a deacon in our church. This is not a role to be taken lightly. For many months our family in Christ has been praying over those being called into this position, and we have been praying that “God’s Will Be Done”.

1 Timothy 3:8-13 Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain. They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. And let them also be tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless. Their wives must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things. Let deacons each be the husband of one wife, managing their children and their own households well. For those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.

I was asked by several people yesterday how I felt to be a deacons wife. Honestly, I am not sure I should feel any different. After all, my husband has been called to a role he is meant to serve in, and I am gladly sitting by supporting him, just as I have been supporting him our entire 21 years of marriage.

Romans 12:3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgement, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.

If I have to admit to any feeling, it would be joy. Joy over the transformation that has carried my husband out of death and into Life.

John 20:30-31 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God, is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

I am not overly joyful about titles, yet I am overjoyed at the knowledge I have of where we have been and where we are today. I am also overjoyed at knowing that God’s timing is perfect, in every way and that my husbands serving heart embraces God’s will.

Romans 14:16-18 So do not let what you regard as good to be spoken of as evil. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men.

Since I know he reads my blogs, I want to add one more thing:

Honey, I love you and am pleased to be on this journey with you. Together, we can support one another through all that comes our way with the strength of Jesus Christ. I love you!

I know that I am not alone in saying congratulations. 🙂

Jim would be proud that you have been a willing servant for He who rescued you out of death to give you Life and that you continue to trust in His will over all that comes your way. I knew when I saw you helping Jim with his final walk toward everlasting peace with the Lord, that your were meant to serve your fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. With this last year being so tough, you never wavered taking care of me.

Thank you My Love, and yes, I am pleased to say I am a deacons wife!

Why?

Gluten Free Sweet Potato Muffins

October 16, 2014 A Labour of Love Leave a comment

Packing a punch when it comes to vegetables, Sweet Potatoes are full of nutrients. Containing Vitamins A & C, Potassium, Calcium, Manganese, B6, B3, B1, B2, Biotin, Fiber, Copper, Pantothenic Acid, and Phosphorus, sweet potatoes were a main food staple for early settlers in America. Christopher Columbus introduced sweet potatoes to Europe and the Spanish also contributed to the introduction of sweet potatoes all over the world.

Sweet potatoes have been known to be high in antioxidants and anti inflammatory properties as well as have been used to help in the detoxing process of heavy metals. Even though they are called “Sweet Potatoes” research has shown that they actually are a low glycemic index food, helping to regulate blood sugar.

Sweet potatoes are not Yams. Yams are a starchier potato native to Africa and Asia. When it comes to buying sweet potatoes it is likely that even if the sign says Yams, you are most likely buying Sweet Potatoes in this country. Buying true Yams are usually only found in specialty stores.

Once again, I had leftover sweet potatoes and rather than making those yummy sweet potato pancakes, I decided to try my hand at making muffins. Now, keep in mind that with all of the information above, sweet potatoes are best eaten steamed or baked with a little fat added by using a little butter or olive oil. My muffin recipe, although healthier than a store bought muffin, certainly does have starchy carbs therefore minimizing the benefits of the sweet potato. The benefit of using them in the muffin is that I’ve not wasted a leftover sweet potato and I have still added in some additional nutrients to our otherwise simple sugar carb overloaded morning muffins.

Gluten Free Sweet Potato Muffins

2 small or 1 medium cooked Sweet Potato(s), flesh removed from peal

3 farm fresh Eggs

1 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar

1/4 C Raw Honey

2 TBS Olive Oil or Avocado oil

1/2 C. Raw Cream, or heavy cream that is NOT ultra pasteurized

Mix the above until well blended. Then add:

1/4 C. Arrowroot Flour

1/4 C. Potato Flour

1 C. Sorghum Flour

1 tsp. Baking Soda

1 tsp. Sea Salt

1/4 tsp. Cinnamon

1/4 tsp. Allspice

Lightly mix all ingredients. Don’t over beat. Then slowly fold in 1/4 C. chopped raisins or currents and 1/4 C. chopped pecans. Place into muffin cups or well oiled muffin tins and bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes. If you kiddos like a little extra treat, try a light sprinkle of brown sugar on the top prior to baking.

They are dense, so a little raw butter goes well when serving. 🙂

Resources:

www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=64

http://articles.mercola.com/sweet-potato.aspx

Menus / Recipes

Fall is Here and The Soup is On

October 13, 2014 A Labour of Love Leave a comment

Fall… The trees changing colors remind me of a painting in a museum. God’s palatte of colors amuse the eyes and challenge the imagination. A tree stands tall with it’s summer leaves expressing it’s desire to hold on to summer at the bottom of the tree, while the middle hesitantly relinquishes it’s leaves to the cooler temperatures and the top willingly submits in excitement over the seasonal change. From green to an orange hugh to the glaring red with a hint of purple creating a color unknown to the crayola crayon pack.

College Football games, warms coats, turtle necks and gloves. The flip flops are put away and the shorts hit the storage bins. As the heat turns on and the air conditioning is turned off, the blankets are pulled out of the basket as we snuggle up on the couch by the fire place. Once again, the menu choice that takes center stage is soup. Especially when the fall harvest is bringing in the squash and the last of the winter storage vegetables.

As we drove home last night from another weekend away, I looked forward to the yummy butternut squash soup I had made before we left. Simple, quick, healthy and full of nutrients. Butternut squash is a wonderful source of vitamins A, B6, C, and Potassium. It is also filled with anti-oxidents and is good for inflammation.

Spicy Butternut Squash Soup

Start with cutting 2 butter nut squash in half long wise. Scoop out seeds and place the squash into baking dishes flesh side down with enough water to steam. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for about 1 hour, or until flesh is cooked through and soft.

1/3 stick of real Butter

1 large Onion, chopped

4 Celery sticks with tops, chopped

3 Garlic cloves, chopped

Melt butter in pan and saute the onion, celery and garlic. When sauteed to look translucent, add:

2 small or 1 medium Red Pepper, chopped

bunch of Parsley, chopped

When the squash is done, scoop out the flesh from the shell and add it to the sauteed vegetables above. Add also the water from the baking dishes. Do not let it boil. After cooking for about 10 minutes, add:

1 Pint of home made Chicken broth concentrate, I used my canned broth (recipe on previous post last fall)

2 cans of Organic coconut milk

dash of Red Pepper Flakes, add more if you like really spicy

1/8 tsp Chipotle Pepper

1/8 tsp Turmeric

1/2 TBS Sea Salt

Pepper to taste

Cook until all are tender. I use an immersion blender right in the pot to blend. If you don’t have one of those, use a strainer or a slotted spoon to pull out the chunks of vegetables and place them in a blender, blending until smooth. Add back in to the soup pot and serve warm. Make sure not to boil or it will burn.

A warm and tasty treat served with a nice warm piece of baked home made bread. Or, with a grilled cheese sandwich, my kids favorite. By also making a grilled cheese sandwich on home made gluten free bread and using raw cheddar, the kids are more inclined to enjoy any soup I make. 🙂

Hope you enjoy!

Menus / Recipes

Swedish Pancake Spin

October 9, 2014 A Labour of Love Leave a comment

Breakfast is such an important meal of the day. It provides the energy boost our body needs after a long evening of rest and repair. It’s too bad that in our home breakfast is usually eaten between 10-12 a.m. By the time I wake up, wait an hour after taking my thyroid medicine, then take an hour and a half to ingest all of my Lyme meds, wait another half hour before consuming anything, it ends up being at least 10. Then if I get creative and decide to make something other than eggs, it can be at least another hour if not more. Fortunately for us, there is enough to do in those hours we are up so that no time is wasted and everyone enjoys waiting for a little something warm and home made.

One breakfast treat that the kids really enjoy and I rarely remember to make, gives me the warm fuzzies as I am reminded of my youth. When I was at college, one of my grandmothers came up to visit me and she saw lingonberries in my pantry. She told me how lingonberries go well with Swedish pancakes and she would show me how to make them. Well, it just so happened that I had the recipe for Swedish pancakes in my cookbook “Where’s Mom Now That I Need Her”. So we both went up to the store and bought the other ingredients and made Swedish Pancakes filled with lingonberries. A warm memory that makes me smile. 🙂

As I pulled out that book this morning, I looked at the recipe and decided to try and make them a bit healthier with the ingredients I had on hand. I must say, it was the first time the kids said they were like a pastry, very soft, sweet and the best I’ve made yet. So, that being said I thought I’d share what I did.

Swedish Pancake Spin

3 eggs

3/4 C. Organic whole milk vanilla bean yogurt

1/4 C. purified water

2 TBS Raw Honey

1/2 tsp Sea Salt

2/3 C. Sorghum flour, Sifted

Start with the first 5 ingredients and whisk them together until well blended. Then add the flour by sifting it into the bowl and mix well.

Heat a cast iron skillet with a little butter and once hot, pour very little of the batter into the pan in a circle. If need be, lift the pan with the handle gently allowing some of the batter to spill into a larger circle.

The batter should look like an extremely thin pancake. Flip it when it begins to look dry on the top.

Place onto a plate and fill with lingonberries if you have them or with fresh cut up peaches, nectarines, strawberries or blueberries. Roll them up with the seam at the bottom of the plate. We also like to dust them with an ever so little bit organic powdered sugar just before serving.

Can you say Yum?

Celtic Fun, Menus / Recipes

A Cooler, A Cutting Board, A Bowl and A Crockpot… Not a Crackpot!

October 6, 2014 A Labour of Love 4 Comments

In the two weeks we were traveling we only ate out one time. What? How is that possible?

Well, let me tell you how. A cooler, a crock pot, large bowl, cutting board, some serving utensils and some prep.

Breakfasts: Hard boiled eggs, GF cereal with raw milk, GF bagels with organic cream cheese or almond butter, home made GF muffins and pre-made home made GF waffles. I made the waffles and muffins before we left and froze them. We would put the waffles wrapped in foil into the crock pot over night on warm and by morning we had warm waffles to enjoy with some sliced strawberries and maple syrup. We also had kefir or yogurt with some strawberries and bananas.

Lunches: GF organic Turkey sandwiches made as we wanted them. Sliced GF organic grass fed beef sausages with GF Rice Free Lentil crackers and raw cheese. Costco also has a wonderful organic GF chicken salad in single serving cups that were delicious. We also ate leftovers from our dinners the previous night and pre cut veggies with organic hummus.

Dinners: Prepped before leaving was the marinated chicken I cooked, cut up into cubes and froze. This was also useful in the cooler acting as another ice pack. The kids and I were able to wash some lettuce with some paper towel, I cut up tomatoes and we tossed the thawed chicken into the bowl with the lettuce and tomatoes adding in an organic Caeser salad dressing with a little cheese and we had a chicken Caeser Salad.

I also cooked up chicken breasts and shredded them mixing them with a habanero pineapple sauce and some barbecue sauce. Both were organic without high fructose corn syrup. I then froze it and when thawed, cooked it in the crock pot serving it on GF buns as pulled chicken sandwiches. Serve with a few homemade sweet and sour pickles, cut up veggies and gluten free organic chips.

One night we made taco salads. I had precooked and frozen some ground beef and used it also as an ice pack for the cooler when we first left. We again washed some lettuce, tomatoes and put all in the metal mixing bowl with fermented salsa, raw cheese, organic avocado, and the organic dressing. The leftovers we ate for lunch the next day.

We took some precooked chicken brats that were frozen and I put them in the crock pot with some cut up peppers and onions in the afternoon one day in CA and we had dinner ready when we were done with our day.

On the way home, we made a stop at Costco and Whole Foods. We chose some pre-made salads and chicken dishes that we could put in the cooler.

Snacks: We had apples, bananas, dried fruits, cut up veggies with organic hummus cups, and of course I allowed the kids some GF chips of various kinds. Believe it or not, I actually found pretzels that were GF and rice free. Woo hoo, I actually enjoyed a few pretzels.

Traveling doesn’t have to be expensive when it comes to food as long as you have a few hours of prep, the resources and the want to eat nutritious meals. I cannot remember the last time we were in a fast food drive through. Other than coffee it has to have been at least 12 years. We travel quite often and we rarely eat out when we do.

When we did eat out in CA, it was the first day, in San Francisco at Fisherman’s Wharf. Of course, who could pass up such a wonderful Ahi Tuna. 🙂