Merry Christmas 2013!

 We pray you have a blessed Christmas 

and a wonderful New Year! 

it's the simple things...

Mom took the girls out to get their nails done this week.
I got to stay home and play with the boys...
and the camera :)

  

 (Baby J is incredibly patient!)

 

It's Not About Us: Step 2

More sit downs.
More time on the phone.
Sometimes the long version.
Sometimes the short.
Always good.
Always well accepted.
More excitement!
They're getting it!
They're seeing the need and supporting a solution.
The Mr. and I sit down and talk it out.
We have fears... uncertainties... We've never been down this road before.
We decide that just because it seems hard and that it may be uncomfortable doesn't mean we shouldn't press on.
I ask myself "Why has He given this to me? "
He knows why and I know Him so one foot slips into place in front of the other.
My hands are shaky, my shortcomings are countless, my voice may not carry, it may not be the success I envision but He says "Go." and so I go.
They've begun to ask questions. Often the same ones.
They're looking in my direction for answers and I look behind me to see the one they're asking to. There's no one there.
This is strange. It can't be right. I've never led like this.
My help comes from the Lord and already He is answering the requests that I didn't know to pray.
Like an expectant mother, a position with which I am well acquainted, I wait.
I known the parts are forming and multiplying beneath the surface.
Details I will never know of begin to fall into place.
This...
This is going to be good!

It's Not About Us: Step 1

Years have passed.
I have been brushing away the nuisance of the action I have felt called to.
"It's too big, God."
"I'm a woman."
"They'll never come."
"They've said no to my requests before."
Granted, previous attempts were feeble.
My faith was small.
Really, who cares about my ideas anyway?
How can I expect them to be on board when I don't even know if this is from God?
If an idea is good does it make it Godly?
This isn't like choosing to paint my kitchen orange or put the Christmas tree in the opposite corner this year...
This is going before hundreds, maybe thousands, with opinions, judgments, wealth, education, pride.
I am asking them to lay all that aside and unite with the unknown.
This is asking a lot.
So I called upon some friends.
Some rather conveniently positioned friends with convenient titles and contacts.
Friends with whom I have particularly long histories dating back to tree forts and best friend charms.
The reception was warm and igniting.
There is an easy understanding of the difficult task ahead. The voices in my head tell me that the picture must be perfect... the answers must be certain and specific... the terms must be agreeable...
How?!
Frustration swells.
I am not selling magazine subscriptions here!
I am suggesting linking arm and arm with others...
Storming the very gates of hell before they take up permanent residence here.
Holding tight to the promise that "If [we, HIS] people, who are called by [HIS] name will humble [ourselves]... pray...turn from [our] wicked ways... seek [HIS] face... then [HE] will hear from heaven...forgive [our] sin... heal [our] land." 2 Chron 7:14.
That's right.
We should go to the heart of the problem and inject a bit of Jesus.
If the rocks will cry out, so will the brick and morter, the pavement and steel.
But it all begins with going back to where we first went wrong...
Can we do that?
Somewhere along the way we stumbled and found comfort down with the gravel.
Somewhere along the way we decided that our comfort was more important than honoring the Creator.
What, but God, will motivated the hearts of men to stand again, hand-in-hand, put our pride to death, and call upon the name of the Lord in one voice, then patiently wait for His reply.
Will they come?
Will they join in?

I guess we're about to find out.

[img found here]

Zuppa Toscana

When we started eating a Paleo diet we began with a lot of salads. Since it was mid-spring/early summer it was pretty easy to come up with fresh ingredients and quick meals but as we got deeper and deeper into fall and the fresh ingredients became harder and harder to find, I began to get nervous that I was going to fall back into old habits just to get by. 

This week I thought I'd share a few recipes that have seriously helped our family from feeling the "winter pinch" and keep on track and best yet, they're delicious! 

Day 1 was Chocolate Chili by Melissa Joulwan and her Well Fed cookbook found here.

Day 2 was Roasted Chicken and Butternut soup by Martha Stewart which can be found here. 

Today...

Amy Densmore's

Zuppa Toscana

found at Paleo Cupboard

Amy's image found at Paleo Cupboard

I liked this recipe from the start but it took Hubs a couple of tries to really like it and now he loves it. I made it just this week and he was raving, which is quite abnormal for him. Either way, the sweetness of the turnips may throw you a curve at first bite but the flavors meld so well together and what's better, you can throw this recipe together super fast. 

(Some Ingredients: chicken broth, sausage, turnips, kale, almond milk, garlic, onion)

Roasted Chicken and Butternut Soup

When we started eating a Paleo diet we began with a lot of salads. Since it was mid-spring/early summer it was pretty easy to come up with fresh ingredients and quick meals but as we got deeper and deeper into fall and the fresh ingredients became harder and harder to find, I began to get nervous that I was going to fall back into old habits just to get by. 

This week I thought I'd share a few recipes that have seriously helped our family from feeling the "winter pinch" and keep on track and best yet, they're delicious! 

Day 1 was Chocolate Chili by Melissa Joulwan and her Well Fed cookbook found here.

Today...

Martha Stewart's 

Roasted Chicken and Butternut Soup

originally found on MarthaStewart.com

and a version with a couple of my own tweaks found here.

It's simple to put together and it's absolutely delicious. That's really all I need to say. Seriously, just try it. 

(Ingredients: chicken thighs, onion, butternut, chicken broth, cumin, salt, pepper, lemon juice)

Chocolate Chili

When we started eating a Paleo diet we began with a lot of salads. Since it was mid-spring/early summer it was pretty easy to come up with fresh ingredients and quick meals but as we got deeper and deeper into fall and the fresh ingredients became harder and harder to find, I began to get nervous that I was going to fall back into old habits just to get by. 

This week I thought I'd share a few recipes that have seriously helped our family from feeling the "winter pinch" and keep on track and best yet, they're delicious! 

First up...

Melissa Joulwan's

Chocolate Chili 

from her cookbook Well Fed

Image from The Clothes Make the Girl

I make Melissa's recipe about once a week and I always double the recipe. It has been a delicious Sunday lunch while watching whatever games happen to be on and it's great reheated for lunches (and that's coming from a girl who does NOT enjoy leftovers). 

The only thing I do different from Melissa's original recipe is hold back on some of the chili powder. It's not hot, per se, (and I'm a wimp when it comes to heat) it's just a bit too much for our kids' delicate palates.