tradition

it used to be that when one of our children turned 13, we celebrated it like no other birthday--its the milestone of becoming a teenager and being given more adultlike privileges (and responsibility--shhhh).

as the children have gotten older and particularly with divorce, it has been hard to keep up with tradition. the boys' celebrations haven't ever been as elaborate as the girls' have been but there is always a celebration for everyone--a passage of rites, so to speak.

for the girls, it is a time to start the big girl things.....13 is the year for make-up, nail polish and pierced ears.....and all on the same day. the day calls for all girls in the family over the age of 13 to participate in coffee, facials, manis and pedis, ear piercings, eyebrow waxings, and lunch.

this is autumn's year and since reagan was the only one left under 13, autumn decided she wanted her to come too. it was very difficult to find a time when ALL the adult sisters could make it ALL at the same time. well, we actually didn't even get THAT. we had all the sisters for one part or another. what a lesson in being flexible and grateful for what we do have and the time we DO get to spend together.

only 1 more 13th birthday to celebrate.

hot fudge sauce

i came upon this recipe so innocently. honest.

i was trying my best to cook more healthy. and found this amazing set of books. i think i have mentioned them before....the Sue Gregg Eating Better Cookbooks.

well...there are some healthy ones in there and then there's this little gem

this is ALWAYS requested for birthdays that include ice cream (we have several who don't like cake--go figure)

and....it calls for fructose. i buy fructose and keep it on hand for this recipe....and this one alone.

i have tried making it with sugar and it just doesn't work.

try it

you'll see. it is so good. it gets real thick and gooey once its on ice cream.

it's love at first bite.

hot fudge sauce

• 1/2 stick butter
• 1 or 2 - 1 oz squares unsweetened chocolate (to taste)
• 1/3 c. crystalline fructose
• 1/2 c. evaporated milk
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla

In saucepan melt butter and chocolate over very low heat. Whisk in fructose and milk. Bring to a boil, whisking constantly until thickened, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in vanilla

YUMMO!

Christmas breakfast

our christmas days are  a long, drawn out, amazingly fun process.  it has evolved into a whole day of eating and opening presents.  i guess that's no different from any other family, but one difference for us, is we don't open everything in one fell swoop.  now that the children are a bit older--and that's relatively speaking....every present is wrapped and nothing is placed under the tree until christmas eve....so some of the surprise is all the presents appearing out of no where :)  we have stockings to open and presents to unwrap.  we wait until everyone is {somewhat} awake and we have cups of coffee, cider and hot chocolate ready for the stocking opening.  once everyone has their warm drink of choice, we all gather in the den and stockings are handed out.  we go around, one by one and reach in--without looking is the ideal--and pull out one thing at a time.  this can take up to an hour or two for the whole family to empty their stockings. once that is done, we stop and have breakfast.  i have found that breakfast needs to be on the lighter side or no one wants to eat Christmas dinner (actually lunch, since its around 2).  i am also learning how to keep it very simple, since i would have already been cooking the few days prior and will be the rest of the day.  we have had cinnamon rolls (recipe here), breakfast casseroles, scrambled eggs and muffins, etc.    our favorite so far has become fruit soup and biscuits.  i know my sweet husband needs some protein with breakfast, so this year, i will make some mini quiches to go along with our soup. after breakfast, we go back to the tree and open presents.  we are usually there until time for lunch.

this soup is wonderful!  it is so refreshing and light.  and. so. simple. what i love about it, is that i throw it all together the day before--whenever there is time--and its just ready for us when its time to eat.  the other thing i do (which i did tonight) is make enough biscuits for that meal and freeze the dough on a cookie sheet--several days or weeks ahead.  once they are frozen, i put them in a ziplock and when we are about ready to break for breakfast, i throw them on a cookies sheet and pop them in the oven.

i will make the mini quiches the day or two before christmas also.  my goal is to make this as easy as possible for that day.  i want to be in the den, enjoying my family and not in the kitchen...until they have all crashed on the sofas :)

i found this soup recipe years and years ago in a cookbook series on healthy eating.  i wouldn't say its exactly healthy, but it is a favorite and with a few wise choices, it can be healthier than most foods :) we have this for dinner many times during the summer, too.

Fruit Soup

recipe as written makes 11 cups without bananas (which we never add)

• 12 oz package frozen raspberries
• 16 oz package frozen strawberries
• 12 oz package frozen blueberries
• 20 oz can pineapple chunks, unsweetened, undrained
• 16 oz can peach slices, unsweetened, undrained and cut in bite size pieces
• 16 oz can pear halves, unsweetened, undrained and cut in bit size pieces

Combine all portions of fruit in a BIG bowl.  let stand about 2 hours at room temperature or overnight in refrigerator to let frozen fruit thaw and juices to mingle.  refrigerate until ready to serve.  Add bananas (if desired) to each portion served.

*this will keep several days in the refrigerator.  Add bananas only to the portion to be used immediately, since they will turn.

we serve with whipped cream on top and biscuits.  we almost always have left overs and use this as a base for smoothie or a topping on ice-cream, oatmeal..whatever.  you name it, it works here :)

NOW--i usually make these biscuits to go with this. but lately, the kids have been asking for buttermilk biscuits with this, since the usual ones are a bit sweet.

i learned to make these biscuits from my mother-in-law.  she, like me, doesn't use recipes for most of her meals, and this is no exception.  i am sure she was taught just like she taught me to make them...and, while they are NOT good for you, they are pretty darn good.  there are no measurements...you just have to 'eyeball' it and go on experience--as you get used to making them

buttermilk biscuits

• self rising flour
• crisco
• buttermilk

What she taught me:  put a couple of cups of flour in a bowl.  take a couple of heaping spoons of crisco and cut (and by cut she meant mush it with your hands until it was all blended) in until the constancy of cornmeal.  (what I do is blend it all in and if I can form a ball with the flour/crisco mix with my hands, without feeling the greasiness of the crisco, you got the right mix :)).  add buttermilk, a little at a time until you have a moist heap (hehe, i told you it wasn't precise)....and it will be gooey, but those make for flaky biscuits.  put dough out on a floured board and put just enough flour on top to be able to flatten with your fingers and it not stick to you.  flatten out to about 1/2" and cut with a biscuit cutter--I use a regular sized mouth mason jar.   lay out on an ungreased cookie sheet--sides barely touching.  bake at 450 for about 5 minutes.  they will be light brown on top and maybe very light on the bottom.

gingerbread men

this is one of my all time favorite cookie recipes and it has great story to go with it! ok, i think so, anyway. i love collecting recipes...obviously.  and i found myself with mountains of magazines to keep all the recipes i loved.  one year, i decided to purge the magazines by pulling out the recipes i loved and had saved the magazine for.  i got one of those 'magnetic' photo albums and put all my scraps of papers in the album. i still have this album and it has to be 20 years old.

but.  somehow, this recipe got lost.  i had written it down several times.  it was in a good housekeeping magazine from 1983.  i remembered the front of the magazine, and had saved it for many years, but it was gone.  i had even given it to friends and no one could find it.

what i love about this recipe, is that the cookies are soft....if you roll them thinner, they would be crunchy, but the flavor is mild....i think it has to do with the maple syrup in it...and i use the real thing.  they are easy to handle and roll out and transfer to a cookie sheet....just all around good cookie dough to work with.

well.  every Christmas, i think of these cookies and have not, for the life of me, been able to replicate the recipe.

i have been looking for probably 10 years now.  and decided to go online to find it.  i didn't know this, but there is a magazine clearing house....so, i went on that and ordered the magazine...for a mere 19.95.  it came in and i got the year wrong.....it wasn't the right one. BOOOOOOO.  NOW what what i going to do?????  well, I called the company and explained what I did....hehe....the guy felt sorry for me and copied and emailed me the copy of the recipe from the correct years' magazine.

so...now i have it and i knew if I didn't make these and get the recipe on my blog, i might lose it again!!!  here it is :)

gingerbread cookies

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp ginger
• 1 tsp cloves
• 1 tsp allspice
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 1/2 c flour

mix butter, sugar, syrup and egg until smooth.  mix dry ingredients together and add to butter mixture.  mix well. put on floured board and roll out to desired thickness.  add currants for eyes and buttons, or leave plain and decorate after cooled.   bake at 350 for 5-8 minutes.

sweet potato casserole

i had never heard of sweet potato casserole until i met my ex husband's family.  we had just started dating and went over to have some thanksgiving dinner with them.  it was the first 'real' thanksgiving that i felt was like home to me.  the dodson family is all from tennessee and cook great southern style foods...no matter what it is....so yummy!  i fell in love with the family and their food that day :)  one of my favorite things (which everything has become my favorite for the holidays) is the sweet potato casserole.  i asked for the recipe.  i see looks flying across the table....uh oh....what had i done now....i had experienced people telling me they don't share their recipes, so i was thinking fast as how to save this situation with declining needing it.....then the story came out.... it was from my {then} boyfriend's ex girlfriend.  seems it was a secret family recipe of her family that she shared to win this family over to her.  it wasn't supposed to be shared, but guess what?????  i got it ;)

and as in most of my recipes, as i am sure you do, it has been changed....to protect the innocent to make it my own.  one year -- and many since then, our family has not been eating white sugar or white flour. so i made some changes to it to make it more healthy, and no one seems to take notice and its really good.

Sweet Potato Casserole

• 2 C. sweet potatoes, baked
• 1 C. sugar (I use 1/2 C. honey)
• 1/2 t. salt
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/4 C. butter
• 1/2 C. milk, maybe more
• 1 t. vanilla

Mix these together and top with:

• 1 C. brown sugar (I have used sucanat, but not as good)
• 1 C. chopped pecans
• 1/2 C. flour--i usually use whole wheat, but this year will experiment with gluten free ingredients
• 6 T. butter

Bake at 350 for 35 minutes.

this recipe, the biscuits with cranberry sauce and the turkey and gravy are the ONLY things my family will eat for left overs....I am left with all the other good stuff :)

Thank you......

I received these images (below) in an email--you know, the kinds that have been forwarded a million and one times...and i hardly ever pay attention. but something prompted me to keep scrolling down....these images brought me to tears and brought back some pain i didn't realize i still had.

i was a 'military brat'. my step father was a marine and we traveled and moved and he was sent to viet nam 3 times from the time my mom met him to the time he was dishonorably discharged from the military (you can read more about THAT here )

while i was proud of the military and what my step father did at work, i didn't understand the depth of his sacrifice. i know that while he was in sin toward me and my mom and my little brother, he was a very wounded man. i am sure lots of his messed up-ness ( i know--not a word) came from the experiences he had in the military and while on duty for our country.

i have had a lot of anger and bitterness toward the military and the damage it did to me and my family....i also am very grateful for the sacrifices we have ALL made to make our country a better place. lots of sacrifices that aren't talked about.....

i also realize that in my anger and denial of the importance of these men and women in our lives, that i have neglected to teach my children the depth of gratitude we owe these --heroes--for lack of any other word that could be strong enough. the heroes aren't JUST those who died and gave their lives, a lot of heroes are those who died and still lived....those who had to keep going when their lives ended as they knew them. my heart breaks for the sacrifices that have been made on my behalf. i hope and pray i can give my children a deeper appreciation for those who have sacrificed for them (no, not just me :) ).....

while we are having fun playing in the hotel pool, eating our favorite foods and watching fireworks, i pray that god will give me the words to share what this 'party' really is for.....

International Picture of the Year.

Here are two very touching photos honored this year.

First Place :

First Place

Todd Heisler The Rocky Mountain News

When 2nd Lt. James Cathey's body arrived at the Reno Airport , Marines climbed into the cargo hold of the plane and draped the flag over his casket as passengers watched the family gather on the tarmac.

During the arrival of another Marine's casket last year at Denver International Airport , Major Steve Beck described the scene as so powerful: 'See the people in the windows? They sat right there in the plane, watching those Marines. You gotta wonder what's going through their minds, knowing that they're on the plane that brought him home,' he said 'They will remember being on that plane for the rest of their lives. They're going to remember bringing that Marine home. And they should.'

Second Place

Second Place

Todd Heisler The Rocky Mountain News

The night before the burial of her husband's body, Katherine Cathey refused to leave the casket, asking to sleep next to his body for the last time. The Marines made a bed for her, tucking in the sheets below the flag. Before she fell asleep, she opened her laptop computer and played songs that reminded her of 'Cat,' and one of the Marines asked if she wanted them to continue standing watch as she slept. 'I think it would be kind of nice if you kept doing it,' she said. 'I think that's what he would have wanted'.

And the one that really tightens MY throat:

ch-ch-cha-changes!

i don't look like a proud mama, do i?  

Christian HS graduation 

and i love this picture! it shows so much of christian's personality

wow...so much has happened in the span of 4 weeks!  i am one whooped mama.  each one of these deserves a post of itself and i will get to it as soon as i can. 

i am so incredibly blessed and proud of each of of my children and the milestones they are jumping over.  from a 1st grader going to 2nd grade to some of my kids learning hard adult responsibilities and choices to the joy of stepping into marriage.  i never knew when god gave my 9 children how much more was involved after diapers and bottles.

stay tuned........

my {not hair} roots are showing.....

its new years day and how i grew up that means one thing--well, two--black eyed peas and football...not necessarily in that order.  my children LOATHE the idea of peas for ANY meal, but we do have them offered :)  I eat them, my hubby eats them and anyone who joins us that day usually does, too.  I have found a great recipe to make them a bit different that the usual--mexican black eyed peas.

I also grew up on turnip greens.  LOVE them :) .  get them any time i can at a home cooking kind of place.  i have never cooked them and they have always intimidated me, but yesterday at the grocery store, there was one bag left....and that was too much of a challenge to pass up.  i brought them (and the peas) home and the kids all went bonkers.....'what are those?  do we have to eat them?  when are you fixing them?  what else can we have with them (meaning what can we cover the flavor with)'...

today, i cooked the greens, peas and cornbread....YUMMMMMMMM!  here are the recipes.....

black eyed peas--mexican style

• 1/2 C chopped onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 3 slices bacon
• 16 oz diced tomatoes
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 Tbl chili powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 cups black eyed peas--today i used the frozen bags of them and put it all in together at the same time...

This is what I do: (because I rarely follow the directions given, nor do I remember them or keep them)

Cook black eyed peas til almost done. Fry bacon til crispy. Add onion and garlic and cook til tender. Add to the black eyed peas and stir in tomatoes and spices. Finish cooking until peas are tender.

turnip greens

I got this recipe from a southern cooking google search....

• Thoroughly wash 2 pounds of greens. Two or more washings may be necessary. ( I bought already cleaned and torn greens)
• Trim tough stalks and tear or cut large greens in pieces. Cut thick veins out of collard greens. (I like some of the stalks, it gives more fiber :))
• In a large pot, bring 6 to 7 quarts of water to a boil. ( i put the greens in at the same time as the water and used 9 cups and a table spoon of chicken base)
• Add a ham hock or a 4-ounce piece of salt pork to the pot. ( i put in a lb of cooked bacon with some of the renderings)
• Add a tablespoon of salt. ( also added 1/2 a chopped onion, a Tbl of vinegar and 2 cloves of garlic)
• Continue boiling for 10 or 15 minutes.
• Add the washed greens to the pot.
• Cover and simmer until greens are tender. Depending on the type of greens used, this might take an hour.
• Makes enough for 4 people.

Tips:

1. Crushed red pepper, a few tablespoons of bacon grease, chopped onion, or other seasonings can be added to the pot for more flavorful greens.
2. Serve with cornbread and pepper sauce or cider vinegar.
3. If desired, serve with chopped hard boiled eggs, bacon pieces, or sliced green onion for garnish.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

here comes Santa!!!

one thing we {try to} do each year is get the kids picture made with Santa.  this has taken a life of its own now :)  When my 1st was born, i was allllll into the santa thing.  after my second was born, i had come into the belief that to believe in santa was a sin and to tell you kids a lie about santa was an unpardonable sin :(  so, i began telling my kids there was no such thing as santa from birth, pretty much. well, the kids have decided their own path with santa.  Some totally don't want to believe in him and some, no matter how much they are told he is not 'real' still want to make cookies for him and want to talk to him every year.

My {ex} mother-in-law LOVES to have Santa pictures of the children,so we started out getting santa pictures done for her--but of course, I had to have one, too :) .  On a trip to a friends house during the holidays one year, i noticed that she had all her kids' santa pictures in a basket as part of her Christmas decorations.  I LOVED that idea.  I hate to have pictures that aren't useful or don't document a passage of time or a moment.  so.  I decided i wanted them displayed.  I started hanging them on a big red ribbon and hang them on the wall.  we are now up to 4 ribbons about 4 feet long.  we have had santa pictures made every year but two.  i have no idea why that didn't happen, but it was during a very hard time as a young, homeschooling, wife of a pastor, mom.  this has become the highlight of our decorations with our family and guests.  the only thing that comes close at our house is the fact that each child receives an ornament each year and our tree is heavy laden with ornaments.

the oldest picture is 26 years old, made with a polaroid camera and are beginning to lose their color and sharpness.  I decided this was the year to digitalize them....here is a slide show of the pictures.  the last few years, though, we have found a santa that camps in his front yard each and every night for pictures.  we LOVE it :).  no lines, no crowds.  we have a tradition of going out to eat dinner--at a nice place :) (which for a large family is a huge deal...financially and practically) and then go get our pictures made.  it is one time when all the kids are committed on being here!  We do have one picture where the 2 oldest just could not make it home from school/work.  each picture has its own story with it and there are some that are my absolute favorite pictures.  the kids LOVE to gather round them and talk about all the special memories--most funny, some not....one of my most favorite things of the christmas season.....

Holiday Turkey

ok...this has to be one of the best turkey recipes I have Ever found....and the story behind it is pretty good too :) I had a friend (i say had because I haven't seen her in YEARS)...who was single. cooking and the kitchen were not really her specialty.  one year, she came home from visiting family boasting about this magnificent turkey recipe....she cooked it for us on New Year's day...I asked for the recipe...she said no, it was a family secret and I could not have it....ok...I don't know about you, but when someone tells me that, I am determined to find it or figure it out :D.   She would not tell me ANYthing...I remember it tasting almost cajun, and it was soooo yummy.  I tried to  let it go.   Fast forward a year or two down the road.  She was moving.  Needed help with packing.  She put me in charge of packing up the kitchen, 'since I was a natural in the kitchen and all'.  well, I was packing away, just minding my own business, and went to the top of the refrigerator.  ALLLLL these papers came pouring down...and wouldn't ya know it?  that recipe for the turkey was RIGHT on the top of the stack....ah, my luck.....well, I knew she did not want me to have this recipe, so copying it was out of the question...so I wrote the main parts on my hand...yep...I was determined to get it....but what i didn't count on was the sweat washing some of it off.....when I realized that had happened, I read it and re-read it and repeated it to myself so much I memorized it.  I went home and quickly wrote it out.  I didn't make it until the next Holiday season, so I was going off a pregnant and nursing mama's memory...not much there--so it became my own rendition...

I did change the original recipe a tad bit...it called for 2 bottles of squeeze margarine....YUK!!!!! (in my humble opinion)....so I used butter instead....and when we had it, it was not as cajun tasting as I remember, but it was a HIT...and we have it EVERY Thanksgiving and EVERY Christmas....almost without fail....we are not even turkey eaters and my kids BEG for this turkey.  the leftovers are not your typical make-a-soup kind.  BUT, we hardly have any left overs after one meal after Thanksgiving.

Holiday Turkey

• 1 turkey, thawed (we use a HUGE one)
• 4 heads of garlic
• Lawry's seasoned salt--must be Lawry's
• 1 lb. butter
• 2 bottles of white cooking wine (you could use just 1, but it makes more gravy and we never have enough--or you could use regular wine--I don't know how to buy that, so I get this)

Peel all the cloves of garlic.  Take a knife and pierce the meat of  turkey and put cloves, one at a time into the meat.  Cover the turkey with the inserts of cloves of garlic.  It will look like it has mumps or something.  Rub the  inside of the turkey with some of the seasoned salt and put into roaster.  Pour the wine in the bottom of the roaster and place all the butter in bottom of pan.  Cook at 325, basting every 15 minutes with  wine, butter, and drippings,  and then sprinkle with seasoned salt, until  tested done.

Gravy

Pour all juices from pan into sauce pan.  Blend 1/4 c. cornstarch and  water together and blend with juices.  Cook over medium heat until thickened. I slice turkey and put some of the gravy over meat and leave extra on  table for potatoes and biscuits.  YUM!!!!!!!

linked up today with chatting at the sky and sweet shot tuesday

trick or treat???

growing up, Halloween and trick or treating was a favorite memory and tradition. once i became a christian, it became the 'bad' holiday....there was no way i was going to participate in it--to the point of hiding in the backest bedroom with the shades drawn and a small tv brought into the room for us to watch a movie, eat popcorn and try to drown out the ding dongs of the door bell. our children were taught to be afraid--very afraid of halloween, people who dressed up and anyone who came to the door. NOW...I am not saying it is something to be celebrated like easter, but to be afraid of it??? My mindset was challenged with a 'light up' campaign our church did...and i was challenged! once we embraced the idea {a year or 2 later} we had a blast! We had an old victorian home with a HUGE wrap around porch and we had a party-bringing tv and veggie tales out, gladly handing out candy, chatting with the neighbors and telling all who came by that jesus loved them. we did that for a few years, but there was still a spirit of fear around the day and night, until.....

4 years ago, on the 31st, I was running errands with my 2 littlest girls. the others were in school for first time--ever. Their dad had moved out months before and it was a dark time in my life and i am sure the children's. as i was running errands, this little girl--4 years old--from the her car seat in the back of the van, asked what it meant to ask jesus into her heart. WOW...talk about making a mom's heart stop and do a flip flop. I talked her through it, while looking through the rear view mirror. She told me she wanted to pray and ask him to come inside her heart, and pray we did!!! I asked her older sister if she wanted to, too and she said no :) {she did about a year later}. As we were finishing up our running around, i heard god say to allow the kids to trick or treat tonight and take back ground that the enemy had taken....I will say, I still do not understand why god said that and what good will come of it...BUT...I will also say, we had THE.MOST.FUN. that night. We did not have costumes to speak of, and when I told the kids they could go, they ran upstairs and made the most creative costumes out of pjs that I have ever seen :) . They could only stay on our street (about 20 houses long) and they had a blast!!! I wish I had taken pictures, but my heart was really not in it and i was not thinking of the memory we were making. I hate that.

one of my older children called my oldest and said ' you would not believe what mom is letting the kids do'...i took the phone and my oldest was crying. i asked why...was she angry with me? she said 'no, mom, i am so happy for them. they have a new mom....one i didn't have'.....oh, man...broke my heart! And made me rejoice at the same time....

this year it may look different. This will be the first year the children are 'with' me, as they have been with their dad for halloween since that first one. God told me to not do the same thing out of default--out of being on automatic :) . we are contemplating celebrating all saints day instead.

talking to one of my older daughters, though, she has very fond memories of 'hiding out' and loves telling all her trick-or-treating friends of her different experience.

our first trick-or-treating experience will always hold a special place in my heart...and I know HIS

grace for me

God extends his grace to me in so many, many ways....here is just one.  to have a plan, and know that he has another, and to go with that other one takes his grace.  grace to accept my children for who they are and not who i would want them to be (we all know how well that works).  grace is staying in the moment and enjoying it....knowing that it will never come packaged exactly like it was today. our my feeble attempt at a family picture.....

sharing today with chatting at the sky

lasagna dinner

Birthday dinners--we could have 12 of them throughout the year, and that's if we just took care of our immediate family.  when our children were young and the birthday parties were  {figuratively and literally} eating our lunch, we came up with a new plan.  every other year, the children could have the big, blowout birthday party.  every other year, it was to be just family.  and to make that year a bit more special, they got to have the birthday dinner of choice.  it has since grown into every year is the dinner, but when they were small, all available money was spent on the party--and that was their gift from us, also.  so, lots of thought goes into what they choose for their dinner.  the birthday child is met with all kinds of persuasive talk about what would be good for that day :) .  In the end, though, I try to get them to choose what they and they alone want for their dinner.  we have some pretty consistent choices from each person.  we pretty much know now what that person will ask for.  lasagna has become a regular...not just any lasagna, but MOM's {my recipe} lasagna.  It usually goes with cheese bread and a salad i replicated from III Forks restaurant, a very expensive steak house/restaurant here in dallas.  for dessert, we again, have the birthday boy/girl choose what they want.  its almost never cake :) , or if it is, its some non-traditional cake that we just love.

Lasagna

• 1/4 chopped onion
• 8 oz lasagne noodles
• 1/2 lb ground beef
• 1/4 t. pepper
• 1 t. salt
• 1 t. dried, crushed sweet basil
• 1 t. dried parsley flakes
• 1/2 t. dried oregano
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 6 oz.  tomato paste
• 8 oz. tomato sauce
• 1/2 c mushroom pieces ( I leave out, or no one would eat this :))
• 1 1/2 c water
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 2 c. cottage cheese

Cooke lasagna noodles as directed.  Brown beef with onion.  Add tomato paste, tomato sauce, mushrooms, spices and water.  Simmer 1 hour.

In a 9x13 cooking dish, alternate layers of two thicknesses of noodles, cottage cheese, meat mixture and mozzarella, ending with mozzarella.   Bake for 30 minutes at 350.  Remove from oven and let stand 15 minutes.

NOW...what I do :)  I always double the sauce recipe for a  single batch.  AND, I always make 2 batches...one to eat and one to freeze.  SO, I double everything and put one in the freezer before being cooked.  You can cook it straight out of the freezer--IF you put it in a cold oven on about 300...but it will take a while to cook.  If you are more organized than me, you will think ahead and take it out and let it thaw, at least a bit before you cook it.

**in the picture, I had extra sauce and just plopped it on, but it usually has just cheese on top :)

tip:  my kids will not eat any chunky onions, peppers, tomatoes, etc...so, I always blend them up in whatever liquid I am using in the recipe.  if it is eggs--say in meatloaf--i will blend them up with the veggies....you get the yummy flavor everyone loves without all the chunks....which I do miss, but will have them back one day :)

bread and salad recipes to follow...........

pure grace

this girl.....our kaitlyn grace....turns 20 tomorrow!!!  this girl.....who's name was given by God before we even knew she was a she or that I was even pregnant for that matter...kaitlyn grace....means 'pure grace'.  this girl....has such a call on her life that the enemy has tried in various ways in her 20 short years to take her down and out....this girl...was born in the car on the way to the hospital.  the story is one that will be told many, many more times, because it is so funny and sooooo kaitlyn.  i used to say....we could have been IN the hospital and she would have waited till we were out of it to be born.  I will absolutely write about her birth...another time.  this day is to celebrate all that God has done in her life.  all that she is.  all that she is going to be.  she is a precious jewel in the crown I wear called motherhood.  of course, being 20 {and a girl}, says a lot of  {unsaid} things about our relationship.  we have had so many ups and downs and God keeps her near to my heart...and I know his.   this girl....the one who decided she needed to move away to stretch her wings.....the wings I purpose to NOT clip--only i want to so badly so that she stays close to home....always....but god told me long ago that she would not stay close....he told me she is like an Amy Carmichael--only in the opposite way...see, its a good thing for me she was born in the car...God knew I needed that....that there would be no mistake she was mine.  and with skin the color of hers...there would have been some question ;) ....when she was 2, she told me she wanted a black baby doll...because their legs were dark like hers.  she used to say when she grew up, she wanted to be white, like her older sister.....God showed me...that she would easily be able to go into countries that others would not be able to--because of her coloring and her eyes....she has the blackest eyes i have ever seen....so beautiful...so open to what God has....so vulnerable.  yet, she is one smart cookie....and funny...our family has never laughed like we do when kaitlyn is in one of her funny moods....

we have said over the years that god knew what he was doing in naming her....that it has taken pure grace to raise this daughter....but i am learning that he named her also for the pure grace she shows to me....her mom...in my many mistakes in raising her, in loving her or in failing to love her the way i should....he knew her before she was born....i have learned so many of my parenting skills just from this one. little. bitty. girl.

happy birthday, my sweet kk.  you are loved beyond measure and i hope and pray you feel it deep in your heart.  i pray that the in the next 20 years, you will continue to see the hand on god on your life...that you see the hard things in life as treasures and that HE loves you more than you can imagine.

He knows my name.....

today is my oldest "baby" 's birthday.  she is 26 today.  and she is SUCH a blessing to me.  I was praying for her this morning and God brought back a memory of her birth that speaks of HIS love for us.....

at the time, I was working at the corporate offices of Mary Kay.  I had my doctor and the hospital that I would be using.  I knew when I went to the drs office that there was another mom with the same name, but since mine is GI instead of the usual JE, we were able to keep straight :).

I went in to have my baby.  there were 2 baby girls born the same day, at approximately the same time {frame}, with the same last name...one had blonde hair one had black hair.  When all the family gathered to look at the new baby, they were all gooing over the black headed baby....the nurse then brought out another baby--the one with blonde hair and pointed to my husband....that brought a laugh to the crowd who had been making all over the wrong baby :)

When it was time for her first feeding, they brought her to me.  I was to nurse her.  they brought her to me with all the paraphernalia that goes with bottle feeding.  i asked what this was about...the nurse did some immediate checking and realized they had gotten the charts mixed up.  it seemed that not only did those babies have the same last name, their mom's had the same first name (one spelled with a GI and one with a JE) , we were employed by the same company, therefore had the same insurance company, had the same doctor and used the same hospital and were born on the same day!!!  The nurse was flustered and started checking our bands (this was right before the time they pretty much made you bleed to prove you were the mom {well, I guess you really do} ).  I was holding this blonde little baby and looked at her head (this was the first time I had really seen her, as I had had a C-Section).....she had a cowlick on her head in the same place as mine....a nuisance to me for many years.  I knew she was mine...there was no doubt.  Once that was declared, there were many more check points put in place to make sure we got the same baby, but I knew I would know her from there on out.  She bore my markings.....

that is what god told me today...just as I knew her, he knows me, I bear the marks of Christ...

'From henceforth let no man trouble me:

for I bear in my body

the marks of the Lord Jesus."Galatians 6:17

it brings me to a song that god sings over me when i feel lost....when I feel like no one knows me....you can listen here and be assured he knows you!!

Happy Birthday, Love.....I am so proud of you and love you soooooooo much!!!  And, I love your cowlick :D

linked up today with chatting at the sky and sweet shot Tuesday

meet the robinsons

this movie came on the disney channel this afternoon and we are watching it....i continue to be amazed at the hidden truths in this children's movie....there are so many....and as i was marveling at it, i remembered the first time i watched it and how god spoke to me in a situation about it....i journaled about it and thought i would post it here....i encourage you to watch it with your heart....see all that god has for you in it.....even the song Little Wonders, oh my!!! may, 2007

I had a situation this week that God has used so mightily!!! I am working at becoming a photographer, as you might or might not know. I had done a shoot and the client viewed the pictures online and acted like they were great. She ordered the prints and we made the connections for me to get them to her and for me to get paid. Not a hour passed when she called saying they were the worst pictures she had seen...that they could have come from her own camera. She requested a full refund. I was CRUSHED!!!! Now, I know God has done some work in me for me to not throw the towel in altogether, but I have had my doubts whether this is a "God thing" or not....WELL...my youngest son had his birthday yesterday and wanted to go on a date with me to see "Meet the Robinsons"...I had heard it was a good movie, but I am not really a movie person...so....we went anyway....there was this part in it where the main character fails at the task given to him......you could tell he was crushed.....the response he got from the others around him totally surprised me and made me cry!!! They celebrated his failure. It was like a badge of honor to have messed up, because you only learn from your mistakes. You don't learn the deep, working lessons in successes. On the way home from the movie, I thought that this is exactly what happened to me, not only with my pictures, but in my life lately....I have failed miserably. BUT, I am learning from my mistakes and I am not letting them get to me...I am getting to them!!!! I had to look hard at my work....look at what would make my work something that someone would want to pay for. I began instantly to work on how I was doing my work.....I had to lay down my pride...UGH!!!..I had to lay down expectations....UGH!!!! ....I had to ask for help......YIKES!!!! I am working on it now.....And on they way home from the movie, I thought that what I need to do is email this client and thank her for her honesty and for being true to herself, because it caused me to take a step forward....not sure if I will, though :). (side note:  i did :))

I am learning to desire and enjoy the hard times....it draws me closer to Him....it makes me more dependent upon Him.....it brings me to a place of dependence that I don't truly experience when things are going well......

This morning, reading the Bible to my children, we came to verse Psalm 62:9 Common people are as worthless as a puff of wind.... I don't want to be a common person.....I want to be an uncommon person.....not worthless, but priceless!!!!! This is the only way I can become an uncommon person...to walk through the hard, trying times and to embrace them!!!!

I pray for each one of us that we become UNCOMMON in our walk, in our lives!!!