ladies coffee and coffee punch!

about a year ago, i got this picture in my head of women all over my house....but they weren't talking to me....they were talking to each other.....in groups of 2 or 3..... i asked God what that was about....what he said to me was this....your home is to be a place that is safe for women to come to and to visit with each other and 'network'....the network word got me....because i feel like the whole 'network marketing' thing has over used and abused....so i asked again what that meant.....he said that we all have something that is 'marketable and needed' and that there is something in each of us that another will not have....and that we are to network together to help each other become all He intended for us to be but can't without others' help.

so

i decided to begin a ladies coffee in my home....it started out to be each month, but that because too hard around the holidays and working around other ministries i serve in.

so

i had to let go of the perfectionistic tendencies i have about fulfilling a commitment i had made to others...and let go of the idea that i could make this happen each month.

and

it has been great!

it has been a great opportunity for me to meet new ladies, love on old and new friends and let them love on me....i can walk around the house during those few hours everyone is here and see people laughing, crying, praying, hugging, reading and of course talking :)

hit and miss it may be, but we have it.  rain or shine.....2 people or 20 people....God knows who needs to be here and i am learning to trust Him in all things....

even with the food ;)

sometimes there i have plenty to make plenty and sometimes i have to let my pride go and let everyone know that its up to them ;)  i will have coffee, but if they want to eat, they need to help.  and every time we have more than enough.....even enough for my kids to have the leftovers and that has become one of their favorite things i do :)  they even help clean up before hand.

it is the perfect time for me to try new recipes and to make things i like little amounts, but don't want to eat the WHOLE thing...ya know???

this last time i made a coffee punch.  i had found this recipe a long, long time ago and make it for showers, parties, etc.  it is soooo yummy!  my kids beg me to make double batches so there is enough for them, but i hesitate to do that because the coffee used is so strong, that i don't think i can handle all of them on that amount of caffeine.

this is a recipe worth keeping for those times you need a punch and you are tired of the ginger-ale stand by.....

coffee punch

• 1 gallon strong coffee
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 quart whipping cream
• 1 gallon ice cream
• chocolate for shaving

brew the coffee and add sugar.  chill.  when ready to serve, combine in a BIG, huge, ginormous bowl, the whipping cream and ice cream.  stir gently to mix.  shave chocolate on top.....

sip slowly.....if you can :)

see you next time at ladies coffee!!!!

getting a little home made around here.......

i have always been interested in doing things the hard way the natural way.  and if i can do it where it is cheaper easier on the grocery bill....i am ALL IN.  i have been making my own {insert whatever comes to mind} for a while.  clothes, bread, cakes, brownies, dog biscuits ;)....you name it, i have tried it.  i have become more interested in what goes ON the skin verses IN the body recently...not that i am not interested in what goes in...i have been for a LONG time.  but we have had a hard time with finding things that don't irritate some of the more sensitive bodies around here......so.  with the help of pinterest, i decided to make my way to body wash and lotion. we love both of these things.  the body wash took a little getting used to and i am ready to make my next batch and will experiment with it, but the sensitive ones around here LOVE it.  they thought it was weird at first and was determined not to like it, but when they ran low, they came a runnin!

the lotion has been wonderful!  we just got back from the dry mountain air and it was a God-send for those chapped legs and arms.  i just made a new batch today to replenish what we used up.

i will post the recipes below, and as always, i will first post how written and then add my own touches ;)

It is getting harder and harder to find an all natural lotion these days. If you suffer from dry, sensitive skin, or have a child with eczema, you know how important it is to find a rich, natural lotion that has nourishing properties in it. Here is a recipe for an easy to make lotion with a coconut oil base. It is perfect for dry, sensitive skin types.

coconut oil lotion

Difficulty: Easy Instructions Things You'll Need

1/4 Cup Distilled water 3/4 Cup Extra Virgin Coconut Oil--i used half coconut oil and half almond oil....made easier by doubling the recipe 2 Tbsp beeswax, either grated or in pellets 1 tsp essential oil, such as lavender or rose--I used a 'creative blend' i found at sprouts 1/2 Cup Aloe Vera Gel 1.  MELT YOUR BEESWAX This first step is to melt the beeswax. Skin care products with beeswax as a main ingredient are much more nourishing to the skin. You will want to melt beeswax in a double boiler over medium heat. First, place your beeswax, either grated or in pellets, in a small pot. Place the small pot inside a medium pot filled about half way up with water. Gradually heat the beeswax over medium heat until it is just melted. then, remove the small pot from the heat source. 2.  COMBINE THE OIL WITH THE WAX Next, you will want to combine your oil with your wax. The oil you will be using should be Extra Virgin Coconut Oil. This is the best coconut oil available, and will make your lotion rich and creamy. You can find Extra Virgin Coconut Oil at any health food store or natural foods market. Add the coconut oil into the same pot that contains your melted beeswax, and stir until the coconut oil has melted and is combined with the beeswax. Set this aside. 3.  HEAT YOUR WATER In another pot, heat the distilled water until it is around the same temperature as the oil and wax. You can test this by using a candy thermometer. Once the ingredients are at the same temperature, you are ready to blend them together. 4.   BLEND INTO LOTION Pour your oil and wax mixture, along with your distilled water, into a blender. Blend on low for abut 1 minute. Gradually pour in the Aloe Vera and the essential oil you have chosen, and blend on high for around 2 minutes. You will be amazed at the results! Your handmade coconut oil lotion will be creamy and thick...just like a professional lotion! 5.  HANDMADE COCONUT LOTION FOR EVERYONE! Now that you have successfully created your own coconut oil lotion, you will want to share it with your friends and family. Fill small glass containers or bottles with your lotion to give as gifts. Your handmade coconut lotion will make a great gift for any occasion. Grandmothers especially love the soothing qualities of the coconut oil, and will love to use it knowing that you made it yourself!

homemade body wash

1/2 gallon distilled water 2 cups grated soap 2 Tbsp Vegetable Glycerin oil Minerals, colors and scents as desired

Melt 2 cups grated soap in 1/2 gallon distilled water  along with 2TBSP of Vegetable Glycerin oil.  Add scent or color if desired, which it wasn't for us - the simpler the better.

We poured it into mason jars and let it cool. It solidified into a fairly thick substance, which scared me at first, but after shaking it up a bit, it is the perfect consistency. One jar at a time gets poured into an old body wash bottle and there ya go.

a work of {he}arts

i have started what i hope to be a new 'community' blog.  a blog where others can share what god is doing in their hearts....the work they do from their hearts.....i would love to have you join us.  if you have a gift, a ministry, a craft that is a work from your heart that god has blessed you with, will you email me and tell me about it.....

you can see the beginning work here.....

walking with a limp

for years, i walked around with my woundedness like a coat over me.  i knew it and didn't know it at the same time.  when you come from {years of} abuse at such a young age, you tend to stay in it--its comfortable. it wears well.  or you think.  i  had a chip on my shoulder, had a downcast countenance and pretty much was a miserable person.  i was walking around as a cripple. as god continued to pursue my heart, things began to heat up....i was on a slow burn (as in burn out)...had 9 children, i was homeschooling them and working part time at our church. our home was also for sale.

that's when i discovered a relative on my husband's side had abused 3 of my girls.  i was devastated.  i then miscarried...not one, but 3 babies.  in 2 years.  i was a mess.  god used all of this to get my attention....and to began healing me.

therefore, behold, I will allure her, bring her into the wilderness, and speak kindly to her ~hosea 2:14

god slowly began showing himself to me....who he is and who i am in his eyes.

i was in counseling at this time and my counselor said to me at one point (and several times after that) that i would always walk with a limp.  the picture i had is of a broken bone that had not been set correctly....not a pretty picture. at the same time...it looked better than being a cripple........but i wanted COMPLETE healing.....

i have struggled with that thought throughout the years since he said that, and more so lately.  it has seemed to me that to proclaim that means i wouldn't  walk in complete healing.  that i am discounting what god has done in my life.

and then...this came to mind....2 Corinthians 1:4:  he comforts (or heals) us when we are in trouble, so that we can share this same comfort (or healing) with others in trouble.

i hate what i have had to walk through.  i hate that my children have had to suffer at my hands and those that i have placed in their lives.

and.

i wouldn't change it.  not for a second.  because it has made me (and in the process of my children) what i am now.  and i don't ever want to forget what it was like to walk in darkness and pain.  i don't ever want to tell someone how to walk through something to get to the other side without empathy and the willingness to walk through it with them....

for that to be possible {for me}, i have to remember....not stay in the pain, but remember what it was like.

i am reminded constantly how fragile i can be...without god's hand and healing...how quickly i revert to old thinking and old ways of dealing with pain.....

and while i am not walking crippled any longer, i do walk with a limp.

as i walk a little differently than those around me, i am reminded of the power of god in my life....how much he saved me from, how much he healed me of....and that he so graciously left the memories to never forget where i have journeyed from and where my help comes from.....

i will forever be grateful for it.....

chicken enchiladas

i am sitting in the midst of chaos.....getting new carpet upstairs, so the whole downstairs is full of upstairs furniture.  it is so crowded that we can't hardly move. so.

what do we decide to do?

cook.

don't ask me why, but we are relegated to the dining room and kitchen, so we are eating ;)

we are having a birthday dinner and a going away dinner for my oldest son tomorrow night (that is a whole 'bother story...for later)....and gretchen decided she wanted to make the dessert{s}...yes....3 to be exact...and not too small or easy ones, i might add.

i had to look up some recipes for her to get ingredients...to go to the store.  yep.  we didn't even have any ingredients to make the things she wanted to make.  o.  well.

and now.  we are on the 2nd trip to the store.....but, i digress.

i had to look up these recipes.  to do that, the old recipe book has to be pulled out.  this book has some history to it.  i think i bought it about 20 years ago to 'organize' my recipes.  it worked.  for a while.  then it got out of control.

it always happens....i find recipes i have forgotten about.  recipes that bring back great {and not so great} memories.  recipes that i have intended on trying.

and i found this one.   chicken enchiladas.  it has a great story.  the recipe is from my friend gail.  gail has been such a great friend.  when this recipe surfaced at our house was when gail came in to take care of me after the birth of my last living baby.

for those who might not know.  i am pretty much on my own as far as family goes.  i have been on my own with each of my babies and with the last 2 being 16 months apart and husband working, i needed help.  so, gail came in for the week and became my doula.  she took care of me, she helped take care of reagan needing cosmetic surgery right after birth, she did laundry, helped with homeschooling the others, and brought recipes.

great recipes.  recipes we still love. my kids will still talk about 'that dish that mrs. ferguson made' ....{side note: it was always a running joke that we could get our kids to eat anything if we claimed it came from another mother-as long as it wasn't 'ours'}

so.  she made chicken enchiladas for us and they became an instant favorite.  and they are soooo easy! they are pictured above...and i will type it out just like it is written.....

chicken enchiladas

boil chicken.  chop and shred chicken.  add 1 package taco seasoning, 1 can chopped green chilies, 1 cup shredded cheese.  mix well.  roll meat mixture in flour tortilla.  secure with toothpick.  place in greased casserole dish.  pour whipping cream (1/2 pint) over enchiladas.  bake at 350 for 25 minutes.  remove from oven and garnish with green onions, lettuce and tomatoes.

now.  i will tell you what i do ;)

i do all that, except i blend the green chilies up.  my kids do NOT like the texture of them in anything.  i also don't secure with a toothpick...too much of a hassle.  and then i use more whipping cream.  we like them juicy ;)  we also top with a tomatillo sauce the that gail's sweet husband made up....and we serve it with a big green salad and chips and salsa. that's it.  makes a great dinner!  i also usually have left over chicken mixture, so i freeze it for another meal.  the left over enchiladas are really pretty good too!

tomatillo sauce

• 1 jar herdez salsa verde
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 bunch cilantro
• 1 ripe avocado

blend all ingredients together.  try to keep out of it til its time to eat.

what's your 10?

one day, i was perusing through some recommended reading materials...if you have looked on my blog for any length of time, you know that books and reading are one of my vices favorite things.....i saw a book that piqued my interest....it was called 'the confident woman'...didn't notice who it wrote it, but it was imprinted in my memory.  a couple of days later, i was at walmart, in the books (i told you it could be problematic :) )  out jumps a book named 'the confident woman' ...it was by joyce meyer.  i thought, this has to be god....i'm getting the book ;)  I took it home and began reading....i was blown away....i will paraphrase what she said in the 1st chapter....ok...maybe i will copy it......

Confident people do not concentrate on their weaknesses; they develop and maximize their strengths.

For example, on a scale of 1-10, I might be a 3 when it comes to playing the piano.   Now, if I were to practice long and hard--and if my husband could put up with the racket--I could, maybe, transform myself into a middle of the road, level-5 pianist.  However, as a public speaker, I might be an 8.  So, if I invested my time and effort into this ability, I might just be able to get to a level 10.  When you look at it this way, it's easy to see where you need to invest your efforts.

The world is not hungry for mediocrity.  We really don't need a bunch of 4s and 5s running around doing an average job in life.  This world needs 10s.  I believe everyone can be a 10 at something.

i actually had to stop reading at that spot.  i was overwhelmed with the impression that from this that god made everyone to be a 10 at something....and i was struggling--ok...i still am....with what god intended for me when he thought of me....what he made me a 10 at....

now, i have to tell you the rest of the story of the book.  although i stopped reading this book (and still haven't gone further than the first chapter), i found that the book i was originally looking for was by another author.  i did end up getting that book, and it was great, also.  but for some reason, god wanted me to get this message....this was over 2 years ago....it has stayed with me and has caused me to cry out in ways i haven't before.

the point of all this is....if god made me (and you) a 10 at something....what is it?  I have, in the past, labeled myself a 'jack of all trades, master of none'.....i can do so many things, but none feel like they are the 10.....i truly want to lay down anything that is keeping me from becoming all that god wants me to be....

in starting this new blog....my heart (and i believe the heart of god) is to allow this to become a place where you and i can look for that 10....you may already have it....and if you do, i would love to hear about it...and i know many others would, too!  if you have a gift, a talent, anything that god has gifted you with and you would like to share it, please let me know! i would love for this to become a place of encouragement, whether by words spoken in the blog itself, comments, or supporting each other in the endeavor of finding that 10 that god made in you and me.  i hope this to become a place of passion....of sharing things that you are passionate about, that i am passionate about and ultimately that god is passionate about......

just a small town girl........

having spent most of my growing up years in a very small town, i do consider myself a small town girl....but being isolated from others due to abuse that was rampant in our home, i didn't really get the benefits of the relationships and connections that a small town brings.  i tend to be a loner...an isolator--learned behavior that i am in the process of changing daily, it seems.  from a distance i saw the connections....the families that spent time together.  even now, through Facebook, i see how my classmates were connected when they were younger, in ways i had no clue of.  i was a small fish in a small pond...or it seemed to me.

once out of high school, i moved to the big city.....and became a very small fish in an ocean.....lost, alone and floundering to find myself and my community.......i lived there for many years and, yes through church and homeschooling, we made communities--but we kept everyone  at a distance, still.....

we bought our first home in a small town, but it was pretty much an outlying area of the metroplex....lots of commuters...heck. we commuted to church 4 or 5 times a week...an hours drive.....each way.

then.

we came to our current small town.....which is really small.  it is still close to the big city, but it is nestled in the middle of other small towns...they are all growing, but still on the small side....it has been a double edged sword for me.....

it took some getting used to, going to the grocery store and running into people you knew....creating a relationship with the checkers (remember the amount of people in our home)--since the neighborhood walmart has become more like an extended pantry for me....

the nice side, is that my kids have made relationships that i know will last a lifetime.  we joined a neighborhood church...which was very fun and somewhat settling to this rambling heart...that sometimes feels like there is no 'home'.....

the day we moved in....i was in the process of miscarrying a baby.....news got out in that {not so} little church and i had about 7 ladies show up on my door step with food and able bodies to help unpack boxes and get my home in order....what a huge blessing that was and still is when i think of it.....

we have neighbors that i know we can call on and count on in a pinch...i love that.

it also has had its drawbacks.....while going through a horrific time with my divorce, i lost {what i thought were} friends....lost my reputation....lost my job, lost the eye contact of neighbors who didn't know what to say or how to address the situation...or me....or my kids......knew of the gossip....all the while trying to survive.....it was (and has been) horrible....

i have been blessed beyond measure this week in watching this small town....

you see....there was last weekend a horrible accident that took 2 young lives and altered 2 more.  2 kids that *i* don't know personally, but my kids do....one of the boys that passed went to 'our' high school....college with one of my children....he was the son of one of my little girl's teachers.  so incredibly sad.....and yet.

yesterday.

we got a recorded call from the elementary principal to all parents.....of course the staff wants to be at the funeral to support this family and grieve with them....but how do you do that????  I hadn't thought of it until this call.....

this one call blessed my socks off......

seems the neighboring elementary school teachers are banding together to cover their school AND our school to allow these teachers to go to the funeral....volunteers have stepped in to fill the gaps....food is there...prayer is there....i talked to another friend that said this family had not been left on their own at any one point of this tragedy.....

there are so many life lessons that have come through this situation.....i could write a book....from my children (ALL of them and their different ages) to how i as a parent handle my children.....and on and on......

and....

back to my point :)

this brings a whole new meaning to small town to me...this is how we are to live....taking care of one another....standing with one another, supporting one another....loving one another....in the midst of pain...no matter the cause....

image credit:  google images

a work of {he}arts

stay tuned.....more works of the heart are coming!!!

the ruts

in junior high and highschool, i lived in a house that was on a dirt road.  it looked pretty much like this.  one time...i was babysitting when a huge thunderstorm came through.  it rained and rained....and the parents were out pretty late.  when it came time for the husband to drive me home, he went the 'short-cut'....which was the dirt road.  we got about 5 feet off the main road and we got stuck.  he tried and tried to get us out of the mud....and his back and forth efforts just got us in deeper and deeper.

we had no other option than to get out and walk.  through the mud. through the rain. through the thunder and lightening.  i took off my shoes and trudged through the mud....about a mile down the road to home. up to my knees in mud.  as you can tell...that was a night to remember...or not ;)

but.  as i am walking through some things...god brought this memory back to me.....

my thoughts, you see...are like these ruts in a road...only they are in my brain....

seems my negativity (or positive thoughts for that matter) make little paths in my brain....and the more i have those thoughts the deeper those ruts get...

so.

my project of late....as in the past few years....has been to work on those negative comments and thoughts and turn them into positive, truth bearing comments and thoughts.

and.

it is hard.

that is where this picture came to mind.  you know how hard it is to drive on a road with deep ruts in it?  and how you have to concentrate to keep the car from falling into the ruts?  you know that you really want to drive on the higher, smoother part of the road, but if you don't watch it, you fall right back into the ruts....that is where i am living right now....i am having to purpose to stay so focused on my thoughts...and the things i speak--over me and my family...over anyone for that matter.....it is a hard task...but one i know will produce great fruit......

I am purposing to make new {ruts} in my brain....to speak truth to myself and to my children and husband and friends....to focus on: whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. (Phillippians 4:8)

some great reading resources for this are:  Who shut off my brain, by Dr. Caroline Leaf and Scripture meditations by Harrison House publishers....both of these things have helped me understand what is going on in me when I have negative vs positive thoughts and how to work this into my life in a practical way.

what helps you????

the gettin is good!!

found the recipe for these little gems on pinterest.  (i would think as much as i write the word 'PINTEREST' it would not auto-correct. am i the only one????) we made these little bits of yum over the holidays....and we LOVE them....2 ingredients to make them and 1 being CANDY CORN :)...yep...candy corn.  not sure how anyone figured that one out, but i am grateful....

so.

we bought candy corn to try them and the bags were 1.99 each.  a little steep for our new addiction.

so.

we went back after thanksgiving thinking they would be clearances...nope.

and we bought them anyway.  isn't that the way addictions work?

we made them and ate them during Christmas.

fast forward a couple of weeks.

yesterday, i had a sick child.  had to run to walgreens for meds.  there in the clearance isle....i saw them....bags of candy corn.  for .19!!!!!!  so.  we got a couple of bags and i suggest you go quickly and get some and try this sweet (no pun) little recipe.  if you like butterfinger candy bars...you will LOVE this!!!

homemade butterfinger candy

• 1 lb candy corn
• 16oz jar peanut butter--you can use the cheapest, but the 'natural' gives more of the texture we all love so well!
• Chocolate candy for coating--i used melted chocolate chips.  if you want to cover them like the real thing, i would use milk chocolate and candy coating will work better for you...i just drizzled chocolate on top.

Melt candy corn in microwave on high 1 minute. Stir and continue cooking in 20 second intervals until melted, stirring after each interval. Stir in peanut butter. Spread mixture in an 8x8 pan lined with parchment or wax paper. Cool completely.  cut or Break into squares/bars. Drizzle melted chocolate over the bars. Lay on waxed paper until cool.  Store in refrigerator.  Enjoy!

you better go get those bags of candy corn now.....or you will have to wait til next Thanksgiving to try these......or come to my house ;)

who is your bff?????

today is my birthday.  it is a hard season to have a birthday, as everyone is partied out ;)  i have {reluctantly} learned to accept this fact....and move on.  this year is no different....except--christmas was a bit hard.  for several reasons.  and i have been working on my attitude....with little success....and my sweet husband has been stuck with me.....like that. he started spinning....trying to make my life better.  poor thing.  when will we ALL learn that someone's happiness doesn't depend on us???  it was my own doing and my own getting myself out of this funk.  but.  in the meantime.  he was trying to make me feel better.  he was asking if i wanted a party for my birthday and who would i like to spend it with.....

of course, i was very noncommittal....feeling pretty poorly about life in general...and me....in general :)....he asked again...who would you like to spend your birthday with???  what friends would you like to get together with?  who ARE your friends?  Do you even have a BFF?

WOAH...this stopped me in my tracks of feeling glum....a BFF????  NO...I don't have a bff.....hmmmm....

i had been thinking on this a bit lately anyway, so it kinda hit a bruised spot.....i see posts of Facebook about bff's and hear others talking about doing things with theirs, etc....but i don't think i have ever had one....well....in high school.....maybe....i considered her mine, just not sure it was mutual....

but.  do i have friends?  YES!!!!  LOTS of friends....and if you know me well at all, you know i am pretty slippery where all that is concerned....can't see the root of that--and i am working on that.....but i have friends....

this morning... i wake up to many notifications on Facebook.....friends.  friends who i know i could call on to help in a pinch.  friends who encourage.  friends who hug.  friends who love me unconditionally.  friends who minister to me in ways they probably don't even know.  friends that i can go to level 10 with in half a second.  friends i know will call me on the carpet--in most loving ways....friends i call because they who know my history, my personality, struggles and dreams....i have friends who i call specifically for different things...whether it be health issues, children issues, marriage issues, attitude issues, home decorating issues--goodness....even hair issues :) .... i hope it is mutual, but the thing that spoke to me during all this reflection is that

i don't have a bff.

i don't know that i am supposed to.

i think if i did, it would take away from my need for jesus.  for my time with my family.  from my heart toward my husband.

i have decided i am to have many friends...not just one.  many who meet the many different needs to the many different facets of life......

i think every {girl} wants that one special person {another girl} to share life with...someone we don't have to catch up to speed....to just pick up where we left off.  i am so blessed that i have several of those....i truly hope i am considered one of these kind of friends for them, too.

consider the source

i have, historically,  had a hard time keeping my eyes on what is truth.  when there is a conflict within me, with someone i love or someone i might not even know, it is very hard to see who my enemy is.  my enemy is NOT my husband who just said something to hurt me.  my enemy is NOT my child{ren} who choose a different path than the one i like...whether in the moment or life direction.  my enemy is NOT the man who abused me, or the one who abused my children.  my enemy is NOT my ex husband.  my enemy is NOT the friend who betrayed my trust.  my enemy is NOT the person who spoke harshly about something i did or said..... i have been camping on a saying my former pastor used to say all the time--'if you pinch it and it squeals, it's not your enemy'. what that means is.....we have an enemy.  he is out to steal, kill and destroy....us and anything that involves us and our walk with god.  but.  we can't see that enemy.  and that enemy is very wily....he will use what he knows will poke us and pester us...and try to steal our joy.  he uses us, other people and circumstances to do just that.  and it we aren't careful...very careful......

we fall for it.

we will look at the person who just spoke something, or did something or the grocery cart that has the wacky wheel ;) as our enemy.  we start building walls to protect ourselves....and hold those other people responsible for the pain in us.....

when it is really a little, bitty nothing little man who thinks he is much bigger than he is.

so when someone does say something (because you know they will)...or someone does something that is so hurtful.....don't think of them as your enemy....realize who it is that is the source of the lies.....the hurt.....and put him in his place.

consider the source....

twenty three.

i can not think of this day or this boy  man without seeing the mercy of god. i love this guy so much, sometimes it makes my heart hurt.  i am so incredibly proud of him and all that he has walked through. Jordan is probably the most like me of all my children.  he has such a love for life and truth and god.  he has always wanted more and more of whatever god had for him.  i remember one time, after sunday school.  i think he was about 5 or 6.  his teachers looked for us after church to tell us how jordan blew the rest of the class away with his knowledge of the bible and the depth in which he 'got' it.  it surely didn't come from us.  we drilled them all, yes, but for the revelation he had at such a young age....only god.

jordan has walked through many years of having an angry mom....and lots of that anger was directed at him...because this mama didn't like herself very much, she was determined to not have any children like her....how sad. for him and for me.  it breaks my heart that for years, i didn't allow him to be what and who god created him to be.  years of beating submission into him...literally and figuratively

but god

god knew what it would take for me AND for jordan to turn to him with our whole hearts.....it has been a bumpy road....a hard one.  and we have come out on the other side.  and we are great friends.  i love that.

i love that jordan and i can talk for HOURS about scripture or a movie or a book...to get to the bottom of its true message.  we debate most of the time :)  but we both love a good debate.....

jordan has had several prophetic words spoken over him through the years....one was that he wouldn't walk with god...he would run.  i so see that in him...the other one is that he is a pied piper.....and boy.  does that describe him.  he never meets a stranger and is ready to jump into whatever game any group, anywhere may be playing at any time....and he is determined to win...and usually does.  and he draws others to him with his smile and sense of humor.

this year, he graduated from college.  he was the only child of ours that was home schooled all the way through high school and he has done an incredible job of working his way through college and holding down a job leading the youth in church and as a worship team player.

today, i think back on that itsy bitsy baby handed to me....a son...the oldest boy........who knew...that this man would {by the age of 23} have served on the mission field, would be a great writer, could play a musical instrument....who has journeyed so far....physically and spiritually....?

who knew that this young man that i call jordy boy would grow up to be such an amazing man of god....running after god, to have a hold of all god has for him?

god did.

i am so thankful for this man....that god allowed me to have him and through my mistakes has redeemed what i and the enemy tried to steal.

Happy Birthday, Jordan!   we love you!!!!

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.

iii forks corn

once we had been to iii forks, we were on the hunt for their recipes...or at least trying to copy them.  a friend had overheard us talking about how much we loved it....and how we had broken the salad recipe, which you can find here and she gave us a copy of the creamed corn they serve.  wow.  jackpot!  we decided to make it for a holiday meal, and it has been a regular ever since.  i rarely make it outside of the holidays, but my kids--the ones out on their own--will call me to get the recipe every now and then.  it is so good!  it does taste better with fresh, off the cob corn, but during the holidays, fresh corn is hard to come by and pricey...so we use frozen.  I do try to find the best brand of frozen, which is usually birds eye or green giant.  this is one recipe i don't go for store brands.

III Forks Corn

• 10 ears fresh corn (we use frozen most of the time)
• 1 C. heavy cream
• 1 C. milk
• 2 T. Sugar
• 1 t. salt
• 1/2 t. white pepper
• 1/2 t. black pepper
• 1/4 t. accent (I have NEVER used)
• 1/2 t. garlic powder
• 1/2 t. thyme
• 4 oz butter
• 2 T. flour

In a stock pot, combine first 10 ingredients. Slowly bring to a boil. (if using frozen corn, I cook part way). Reduce to a simmer. Simmer 3 minutes.

In a separate sauce pan, bring the butter to a boil. Stir in flour. Ad this mixture to the simmering corn.

Stirring occasionally, simmer for 3 more minutes. Keep warm until serving.

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 :)

not one, not two, but three!

i have been very neglectful of my commitment to posting some of our holiday foods and the traditions around them....it has been a very busy fall! our holiday meals--Thanksgiving and Christmas are always the same....unless i am just too busy and worn out to try to make them twice...but even then, i usually end up making them...it just wouldn't be those holidays with out that food.....

our menu usually consists of:

• turkey--the recipe for our very, VERY favorite turkey is here
• dressing (of which ALLLLLL the children HATE--but i love)
• cranberry sauce (s)--the reason for this post....
• gravy--find this with the turkey recipe ^^
• biscuits--buttermilk, not sweet biscuits
• yeast rolls--the recipe for those is here
• mashed potatoes
• sweet potato casserole
• waldorf salad
• green beans
• III forks corn
• pumpkin pie--this has become a crustless pumpkin pie that everyone LOVES
• pecan pie--last year we made pecan bars that were SCRUMPTIOUS!
• blackberry cobbler
• and anything anyone else wants to bring, fix or add to this :)

i grew up eating cranberry sauce out of a can--whenever we had it...which wasn't often.  i hated it.  it was nasty stuff to me.  anything that comes plopping out of a can with that sound....yikes!  and then you had to cut it like cold butter....YUK!  NO offense if you LIKE that kind of cranberry sauce, but I DID NOT.

the first time i had cranberry cause that i like, was one year at my dad's home.  my step-mom had me make it.  honestly.  i didn't even know such a thing existed.  so, she taught me how to make it, which was rather easy....

• a bag of cranberries
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup water
• the rind of one orange

put all that in a pot on the stove, boil til they start 'popping' and take it off the stove...that easy....i was a little hesitant.  it didn't look like the stuff in the can...but then i tasted it.....sooooo yummy!  i could have eaten the whole pan of it ;) with my turkey, with my biscuits, with my dressing...with everything and by itself.  i LOVED it.

i began making it for my family--they didn't have my same opinion of it ;)  so...to not lose the ability to still have it and be able to enjoy it...and the {sometimes} adventurous cook that i can be.....i decided to experiment.  I changed the water to orange juice....that helped.

one day, i was perusing....not sure what now...the internet, a magazine or the tv, but i heard or saw a recipe using fresh ginger.  we love ginger, so i decided to try it.  i went to make it and realized that the only juice i had was orange mango.  i used it.  we LOVED it.

so, another time, i didn't have white sugar....i know.....how can that happen at thanksgiving.....and this was before the time when the stores remained open.  i am sure i had used it all on the pies made the days before.  so....i used brown sugar.  it was AWESOME.

then.  last year, we added a bit of finely chopped jalepeno to it....not my favorite, but some of the guys loved it, too.

SO...NOW...here we are with several people liking their cranberry sauce different ways....so we make them all ;)

if this is confusing....comment and i will clarify...but basically its the same recipe on the bag of cranberries with our own adaptations and experimentations.....and let this be an encouragement...you can probably add many more different things and make it your own, too.

stepping stones

i was in a lost place.  i felt like i was drowning very quickly. i knew from what i had been told and what i was learning that i had...HAD to keep my focus on God.  there were so many things that were spinning around and were vying for my attention.  i wanted to know what to do next and what the next few days {weeks, months and years} would look like.....God gave me a very vivid picture.  He said  'trust me with your next step.....just the next step' and the picture was of me was in a creek of swirling waters and as i was feeling like i was losing my step, a stone rose up from the water. he said to step on it.  i did.  i stood firmly and solidly for a few minutes. then the water began to rise again....i was getting scared that the water was going to take me off the stone--i was balancing on my tippy toes to stay on by then...and as the water came up just high enough to knock me over , another stone rose up out of the water for me to step on.  i jumped on that one.  and the same thing happened over and over again.  i didn't see the stones under the water. they just appeared--one at a time....right when i needed it to.

what god said was....this is trusting me....the next step will show itself when its time--not too soon or not too late...just in time.

you've got mail.....

i am learning that nothing...NO thing is wasted, accidental, coincidence, or happenstance.....god is showing me just how big he is and how he has everything under {his} control and he is working it all out for my good and his glory. there are so many things that happen each day that i know he has sent to me or for me.  it is my job to pay attention and see what he is saying and what he wants me to do with it. just today....i met a friend for coffee at our neighborhood starbucks.  i had saved up my calories, money and caffeine intake to partake in a yummy pumpkin spice latte.  it was good ;)  while there we were sharing where we were in life.  we were both struggling with some of the fall out from divorce and men who choose another life than the one they had.  we weren't 'ex' bashing and we weren't angry...just telling it like it is.....there was this lady and a teen aged boy sitting next to us...and we are kinda in close quarters there.....as she got up, she asked if she could say some thing....we said sure....she said i hope i am not being rude or anything but that she overheard us talking and wanted to speak to us....she told her son to go to the car...ok...at that moment, i thought 'oh boy...we are fixing to get raked for something we said....' she said 'i heard you say that you were trusting god with child support and i heard you say that you were praying for your hurting children.....(again, I thought she was not happy with what her son had heard, maybe?)...then she said...i am going through a divorce and i would like to ask you to pray for me.'  i was shocked.  that anyone would think that i would have anything to offer someone who is in such pain.....

and then god spoke to my heart....he said...i didn't bring you to this place for your enjoyment.  yes, you thought so.  and you made room in your calendar for not only your friend and you, but this broken hearted woman.  i have opportunities all over the place for you like this...i just need you to pay attention....and listen......

i speak to you through every situation and every person you come in contact with.

of course we prayed for her!  and we exchanged information and i am praying that there is more interaction.

as my sweet hubby likes to say.....you have mail for me and i have mail for you....its up to us to open the letters and see what He is saying to us in them.