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
I got this recipe from my friend, Debbie Lindstrom. She is an AMAZING cook/baker. She shared these on a moms email loop/group I have been a part of for about 10 years now. when I first made these, they were gobbled up in a nanosecond. I had to make another batch and then another....so, I figured out real quick that if I quadrupled the recipe, I could have enough for our family to get SICK of them and also have some to share. I ALWAYS give some away when I make these or just plan on the family having them when there is a need for me to make them for someone. I have even sold them, they are THAT good!!!! they freeze very well. Microwaved they are delish or what I like to do if serving them for breakfast, is cook them just until the yeast is cooked...pull them out and save for that morning....put them back in to finish baking and then frost while hot. One batch makes 2 dz, so I end up with about 8 dz cinnamon rolls....talk about yum!!! I usually put as many as I can get onto my sheet pans and if I am taking them to others, put them in disposable pans. I have taken these to neighbors, friends, enemies ;).....they are easy to make for a crowd.....and always welcomed!!! ENJOY!!!
Cinnamon Rolls
many years ago, I lived in California. I lived there several times growing up and once as an adult. the last time, i was only there for about 8 months. I lived close to the ocean and enjoyed those views daily. it may be where i got my love for the ocean and beach. one morning as i was on my way to the car headed to work, the ground began shaking, car alarms began blaring and i couldn't get my keys in the car door due to its movement. we were having an earthquake....well, i won't go into all happened that day, because that's not really my point here, but it is important, i think, to note that it had just happened. the next morning, i went to do the same thing all over again (going to work) and looked out toward the east and there was the MOST BEAUTIFUL mountain i had ever seen. Now, I have seen pretty mountains before and LOVE the mountains, but what made this mountain so spectacular that morning, was, first, it was the day after the earth shook me in my boots...literally and figuratively :) . the biggest thing that makes this mountain so special is that i had never seen it before. it had never shown its face to me. it had been covered in all the haze and smog that goes with living in southern cali. as i was driving to work, i could not keep my eyes off that mountain. the sky was an incredible shade of blue...so, so clear! the mountain was so majestic standing there all proud. God spoke: he said...i am like that mountain....you may not see me, but i am there. you may not feel me, but i am there, i may be all covered up by things of this world...your haze, your pollution, but i am there...i will not go away....and it is after the earth shakes for you that you can see me most clearly....
you asked for it....you got it....this is one of THE BEST salad recipes i have. I got this from a friend MANY years ago and it has become such a favorite. i used to shy away from making it as it has a few steps and when you have a bunch of little ones hanging on your legs, its just hard to do it all...BUT...it is SOOOOO worth it!!! if i am really pushed for time, i make it in stages...the dressing and crutons will keep. what i also really like about it, is that it can be vegetarian or with meat. we usually have it with meat, but keep that on the side--for two reasons--to keep the salad fresh and the meat from making it soggy and for serving purposes....my kids, when they were little wanted everything separated....so, they can have all we have, just ours is all mixed up :). for the meat...one of my new secret weapons in fixing this is the Mexican Grocery store and get marinaded fajita meat from the meat counter...its WONDERFUL!!!! but, in a pinch and what i did in the old days :| is get chicken breasts and marinade them in equal parts of teriyaki sauce, worchestershire sauce and lemon juice. then sprinkle garlic, salt and pepper on them and let them sit a couple of hours. Grill as you normally would. the croutons and dressing are THE BEST part of the whole thing, so i usually make double of them and then we eat on this for several days...it makes a TON (even for our family) and we eat it ALL up...we LOVE it...serve with chips and salsa, a mango margarita iced tea and you have a wonderful meal....
Texas Caesar Salad
from the viewpoint of this flower, we can kinda picture what the rest looks like, yes? god spoke to me thru this flower today. this is my first attempt at a garden and i LOVE, LOVE, LOVE sunflowers, gerbera daisies, daisies...anything that is brightly colored and bold....maybe because that is a little of me ;) . this is the first flower to bloom and i have been watching it not so patiently. when it looked like it had fully bloomed (or is blossomed the right word?), i ran out to take a picture. god spoke. see, the rest of the flower was not open yet. the petals were still folded up toward the inside. he told me this is what life--my life--your life is like. there are parts that are beautiful and in full bloom. there are parts still that are waiting. for his perfect time. my struggle, though is that when i see this part of the picture and can, in my minds eye see what the rest should look like (according to my limited view), i then sometimes--no most of the time--act upon what i think will be coming or what i expect, or try to make the picture complete. god spoke and said to enjoy the picture just like it is. this is beauty in and of itself....we want to see the whole picture, but it is only for HIM....he makes everything beautiful--in his time.
three of my kids have been gone to camp. it has been VERY quiet around here this week. we have also been dog sitting for a friend with a pool...YAY!!! so, i have been taking the youngers swimming everyday and not been very domestic. i realized today that i had nothing to feed the troops when they came home hungry for mom's food. i had to think of something fast, easy and yummy. shredded beef tacos fit that bill. we love mexican food around here. we can NEVER have enough :) here are the recipes for what a normal mexican dinner looks like for us. Shredded beef tacos are one of the easiest dishes to make. i found a similar recipe in the paper one day, but didn't have the ingredients. so, i decided to try my own version. the hot sauce is originally from my sweet friend stu ferguson. he is an AMAZING cook. i have several recipes from him that have become regulars around here. and the guacamole is not even a recipe...so i feel kinda silly putting it on here, but i realize that some may not know how to make some....so here goes:
for about a year and a half we have been having an open dinner in our home. we call it Wednesday night family dinner. it all started when i was struggling with how 'the church' was handling my situation and the realization that i really don't have a family...now, when i say that, i get crazy looks because, of course, i have a family of 9 children. what i mean when i say that is that i don't have anyone to stand shoulder to shoulder with me and be MY family....does that make sense? so, one day, i was feeling particularly sorry for my self :( and i was pouring my heart out to god. he so tenderly spoke to my heart: 'if you want to have family, you will need to make one'....then he just downloaded this idea....to open our home to anyone who wanted family and/or needed family. we have had so many people just pass through our home on those nights and so many more are hanging around and we are making a new picture of family. i don't cook anything fancy and try not to go to too much trouble to get my house clean...of course, you know how it is...if company is coming, it kinda makes you do things that you put off anyway, so much more gets done :) I told everyone from the beginning that we would have just what i would be fixing for my own family...sometimes, its scrambled eggs!! i try to make enough of the main thing, so that if no one else came or no one brought anything else to eat, we would be good.
god has been so good to provide for us. i have been unemployed during a lot of this time....been on food stamps (how humbling) and have learned to receive food from others(again..how humbling)....people bring what we need (you know how god does that for potlucks)....
well, the pressure is on and i am trying hard to get my recipe for Texas Caesar Salad up, but to do that, i have to actually cook it to have a picture (well, that is the goal i have set)...it will be next week, hopefully that i will have time to do that. in the meantime, i will share a tried and true family favorite and a new one that we LOVE!!! the first one is watermelon slush...it is so easy and you probably already have your own version of it....
there is no exact recipe....what we do, is get a seedless watermelon (i don't even bother with the others now)...cut it in half and eat one half :) cut out the meat of the other half and blend it up. i don't add sugar or anything....it is good by itself....now, you can experiment and see what your family likes....i have tried lime in it and the kids HATED it..so we just stick to the basics....blend it up and pour it into a 9x13 pan. cover and freeze. when you are ready to have it, take it out and let it soften just a bit...you just want it soft enough to cut chunks out of it and put it in the blender again....you might need to add water, but sometimes just the melted juice is enough. blend until desired consistency...that's it....just be prepared for brain freeze and a mouth that can not talk. we love these and try to have them at least once a week.
i had said before that i would expound on my relationship/history with cooking, recipes and food. well, here it is.
i have mentioned before that i had been sexually abused beginning between the age of 2 and 3. one of my abusers was a step-father. he was married to my mom for 13 years and i was abused during most of that, and, i realized much later, that he saw me as his wife...in every aspect. i was responsible for every household duty, as well (you ask about my mom~that's another whole story). by the age of 7, i was responsible for anything and everything that had to do with meals. this meant meal planning, budgeting, grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning.
We celebrated a high school graduation this weekend. this graduation held a special weight to it. they said it couldn't be done...or not without great travail. it is not kaitlyn, personally, who had the challenge~the challenge came from what we have been told and what we have believed. kaitlyn is the first of my 9 children to graduate from {public} school....YIKES!!! Kaitlyn {and the rest of the younger children} have had to fight on several arenas:
the homeschool side:
Jeremiah 1:5--"Before I made you in your mother's womb, I chose you. Before you were born, I set you apart for a special work.
this is probably the most requested cake for birthdays at our house. there are a few others, and i will share those later....this recipe came from my dear, sweet friend, Patti Johnson. it is called texas hot cocoa cake...i'm not sure why, but it doesn't matter...its GOOD!!!! NOW, i will be sharing shortly about my interest and giftings in cooking from scratch, messing with recipes to change them and whatnot....what i tend to do with passing recipes on, is post the recipe as written and then post script what *I* do :)
today, i had to make 4 of these cakes. we are going to downtown dallas tomorrow to feed a group of special people and i volunteered the cake. one reason is that it is sooooo good. the other is that it is sooooo easy. i 
today, reagan is 7 years old! time flies is not strong enough for what i feel for these past 7 years. this baby girl is our baby baby....the last one...and the one god has used to show me what an 'untouched' little girl looks like...one who knows how to follow her heart. she is so passionate about life. of course she has had pain, but she has had a different mama than most of my kids...even my oldest said that one day.....that these younger 3 have a different mom than the older 6...sad and rejoicing at the same time....this girl brings us so much joy...she is always coming up with some shinanigan....a dance contest at school, a way 
have you ever tried to be still? it is the ONLY way i can hear god. one of my favorite scriptures is about how god is not in the earthquake and he is not in the fire, but he is in the gentle whisper. I LOVE that....i expect god to speak loudly--and sometimes he does--but mostly, he speaks when i get still and press into him in my heart. we are on a family vacation right now and i am reminded of how much planning for and taking a vacation is like purposing to have time with him....we plan far ahead so that we have saved enough money, we have to make reservations far ahead so that we get a place large enough (that we can afford) to house all of us. I plan the food, shop, prepare the food, make sure everyone had a swimsuit--YIKES! Then there is the packing, loading and driving...making sure everyone has enough to keep them occupied for the 13+ hour trip to the gulf. once here, it is unpacking, cooking, keeping up with the laundry, keeping the kids safe, etc....so...if i allow this to consume me, I never get to be still and relax. it takes so much work for us to go on vacation--just as it takes work for me to have time to be still...i have to prepare...me, my family, the day...so many things can pull on me to keep me from it....the enemy knows how to attack in this area (as I am sure he knows your weak spots) :)....i know that when i have purposed to do this....take the time to prepare to have some quiet, still time with HIM, then HE is faithful to meet me....oh, he meets me in the chaos, too...but this is where he wants me....still and quiet...in my heart...when everything else is swirling around me...it just takes work...
yesterday was mother's day. it was a great day and it is a reminder of how my family is growing....not necessarily in number (which is coming soon enough), but in age and what that brings with it. gone are the days of my struggling through mother's day of getting a bunch of little ones dressed and ready for church--and of course in my perfectionism and man seeking approval stage--everyone had to look alike with hair done perfectly. i made myself completely crazy with those days...there were many mother's days that i was pregnant, not feeling my best and was pretty much grumpy....i took on more than i needed to to keep my family 'looking' the part....oh, how sad that is when i think of all the energy i wasted and how hard i was on my kids, my {ex} husband AND, especially our children.
I have this oven door that I found in Canton--its an actual door of an OLD OLD oven made out of cast iron--it would kill you if it fell from the perch I have it on (its secure)...I absolutely LOVE it and my family just does not understand why I love it so much(read: they HATE it).....I haven't really gotten it, either, until this week. I am doing a book study on the book Nurture by Lisa Bevere....WONDERFUL book....and in one chapter, she addressed the book of Ruth and how we need mothers - not mentors and the difference....she was talking about how Naomi told Ruth to go glean from Boaz's fields and what gleaning meant....