Apr20

Toss Recipes…Healthy French Onion and Not Healthy Hot Cocoa.

Posted on by
Toss Recipes…Healthy French Onion and Not Healthy Hot Cocoa.

I admit it the longer I live the less I like to fuss.

So, I made a ridiculously simple and delicious soup, french onion, but so much healthier and so delicious the children asked for seconds.

Drawing Link

Simple Healthier, More Substantial, French Onion Soup.

~Barley.  ( I had a bag of it in the fridge having made too much the other day.)
~2 purple onion, chopped. (White would work just dandy.)

~Water.  (See instructions from below for how to use it.)

~Gnowflign’s Seasoned Salt.  (Ball Park=1-2 Tbs)  You will not regret making this amazing seasoning salt.  I use it for such a number of things, always make in a double batch, seriosly.  We are talking home made Healthy Ramen Noodle with just one box of whole wheat spaghetti and some of this dream mix.  
~Nutritional Yeast. (This is like a broth substitute, yellow in color, flakey powdery in texture….but oh so much healthier than broth.  Ball-park 1/2 cup.  Put more in to taste.  Its a nice salty, savory tasting stuff, nothing like the yeast you make bread with.    
~Grated Mozzarella.  (To taste folks I didn’t measure.)

(Cook some barley atleast 4:1, if there’s extra water, no biggie.  Barley has to cook around 45 minutes, so….I guess that takes away the simpleness of the recipe if you don’t have some in the fridge, like I usually DON’T.

 

Chop up 2 nice sized onions, atleast medium sized.  Put in the soup.  Nope I didn’t sautee’.  This was a lunch, there’s no way I’d fuss.  I used my blender to chop onion, then put water in that emptied post onion filled blender, and filled it anywhere from 1/3- 1/2 full,  I poured that onion flavored water into my soup to cook up the onions with and to use as a broth base.

 

Did I put in a scoop of my minced garlic from the fridge?  Maybe I did.  (Bought whole garlic from Sam’s then minced, put in olive oil and put in fridge; more fresh than its pre-done counterpart.)

Boil till onion softens.  Add in cooked barley.  Add more water if needed for desired consistency, you may need a few more spices and nutritional yeast.  Simmer a few minutes to meld flavor into barley, unless you’ve cooked your barley with your soup all along of course.

 

Grate that mozzarella into your soup till you get a nice stringy cheesy yumminess going on through your soup.

E.n.j.o.y.  Dish up seconds for the children.  We had ours on a little picnic blanket downstairs listening to a Story Nory story, pre-laundry folding.  (Clean up lots easier than dining room table.)

 

 Next.

 

Decadent Hot Cocoa.

Make a cup of your favorite hot cocoa.

Scoop cool whip on top.

Sprinkle with cinnamon, freshly grated nutmeg, a pinch of straight cocoa scattered nicely, drink and then melt into heaven with each sip.  For even better appeal make sure children are in bed and either husband or wife makes for the other…I got treated by the husby, luckkkkky ole me.

(Husby is a brave sorta chap and stirred in some cayenne pepper.

Story Behind: Recipe idea generated from The Providence Inn, Logan, Utah, a bed and breakfast must, when they brought us our hot cocoa piled on with cool whip and cinnamon, we literally thought we’d died and gone to romantic heaven.

 

P.S.  This hot cocoa is a must if you are like us and still receiving….Snow in April!

 

Apr17

Why we Swim Different: A Social/Religious Commentary on Male/Female ‘Equality’.

Posted on by
Why we Swim Different: A Social/Religious Commentary on Male/Female ‘Equality’.

Spring is just around the corner and I am already day dreaming extensively about what I might be able to create this year by way of swim wear.  I have more ideas on fashion as well as function, to tease me with all my other requirements, its hard to make any attempt to make these ideas more than design dreams.  But dreaming has been so fun!

Something I love about my religion, is I think it is Liberal, extremely Liberal, when you get down to the very nuts and bolts and you truly study the doctrine!  Its just not liberal in a predictable sense of way.  For example, lately in my church, women have wanted to be treated the same as men… but when you study the doctrine down deep, you find the worth of men and or women is loaded with more worth than we can wrap our brains around, its just that our equally breathtaking worth, is not synonymous with the word same.  Equality in a true sense of the word does not sum to sameness.  I guess we’ve all been looking at this whole situation mathematically and thinking 4=4.  When with the Lord comparing apples and oranges doesn’t use an equal sign though both fruits contain equal not estimatable value.  (And believe me, His ways are further than my ways than I can ever imagine, He is foreign to me…because I mostly use a very earthly system in everything I do…but I do try for something beautiful, something Liberal, something unearthily Loving…)

Just think what the world must have thought when Eliza R. Snow and Brigham Young put their heads together in the 1800′s to create this outfit:

To see what it may have looked like under the coat, see photo at ebook Pantaloons and Power.

Brother Brigham’s design says to me that he knew all women were capable of, and wanted them to functionally achieve it, but also wanted them to maintain their femininity, chastity,  and domestic role differences…now that was a Liberal Move Brother Brigham, but in the end, it didn’t catch on, it wasn’t quite pretty enough to our kind, we need to drip with a little more lace in order to be happy.  But it did help the ladies across the plains that practical Brigham’s design, in case you’ve ever stayed up nights wondering how those women tripped across the plains in their skirts:

“The design they [Brigham/Eliza R. Snow] came up with, the deseret dress, consisted of bloomers [see Pantaloons and Power for a description of the term bloomers...they were under-dress spacey trousers] without hoops, trimmings or trains.  Apparently the outfit was worn by Brighamite women primarily on their travels to Utah and in the early settlement period.  The unattractive, ‘hideous’ (daughter’s description) dress, did not appeal to many of the women and within a few years they returned to ‘beautiful colours and pretty clothes.’  Spencer and Harmer, 1940, p. 85-86.

Practical Brigham also sought to encourage women to come up with a ‘stabalised dress.’ (Gates, 1930) What with all those daughters and fashions changing way too quickly! :)

Further explored, from an interesting historic stand point, in reading Pantaloons and Power, it wasn’t the intent of these early dress reformers (far more than just Mormons) to meld the sexes in their differences to a same mold with men; but instead to help women to farm and live in such a way as to be and feel far more than mere decorations, which is such a Liberalizing view that even today we as women have a hard time pulling away from.  (see pages 4-5).  These women still wore a token feminine article of clothing, a skirt or tunic style long shirt, knee length being easier to work in a functional manner, that symbolized the important gender differences. They wore this skirt modestly by wearing a loose pant under which wasn’t tight so when it showed it didn’t expose sacred shapliness in anyway.   It was a modernizing and demoting thing for women to eventually move from wearing trouser capacity spacey pantaloon, covered with a tunic or skirt over sacred shapely parts, into tight fitting pants and shorter shirts, or to short skirts worn with nothing underneath, which in the end, returns women back to a decorative creature.  I myself struggle with the ongoing tug to realize my worth comes from much more than being an attractive being.  The world doesn’t help with that temptation.

From another historic stand point, this entertaining quote by non-Mormon Mrs Benjamin, shows that Mormon women were Liberal, wearing work clothes and not scads of decorative fabric in the skirt.  I imagine this Mormon lady had on an A-line design, I sure wish I coulda seen a picture of her though, Mrs. Benjamin, why didn’t you snap a photo while you were giving her the once over?

“I readily recognized her old yellow marten fur cape–her wide cap-border flapping in the wind, under a comical looking hood, and her dress, some of her own handiwork in spinning and weaving, just wide enough and none to spare, around her gaunt frame. This notable dress is bloomer enough to display a servicable pair of brogans. [Heavy work shoes]” Mrs. Benjamin Ferris, (Ferris, 1856 pg. 156)

The ironic thing is, in a worldly sense, you’d think our world could cough up some ‘fairness’ but when you look really closely, they can’t.  Treating women like men who enter the army the same when women aren’t as strong as men…isn’t fair.  Or, let me give you an example from a common experience, swimming.

Last summer, I saw this beautiful cluster of siblings, two boys and a girl.  They all three had on rashgaurds and board shorts, the girl’s was just as long as the boys in her shorts, but darling with purple and pinks.  It made me happy to see this pretty girl equally covered in modesty and sun protection.

Vibrant Red Thumbnail 2 See Lands End Magazine for photo.

I noticed at a swimming pool last year, that boys swim tops were all the rage!   95% of the boys looked like the picture above and almost all the girls were in little bikinis.  I guess girls have an extra protection to the sun In their skin that I wasn’t aware of.

But lets face it, it is a little bit awkward for us to see a girl covered this much.  Sometimes I wonder why it is completely not awkward for us to see a boy covered this much.  A girl can get away with covering more and still not look awkward, if she has say long shorts, and pairs it with less on top, or vice versa, a long sleeved rash gaurd but normal swim suit on bottom, or a flirty but ‘modest’ short skirt.  Even though the skirt may be longer than a normal swim suit, if you really think on it, its really short when you realize it could never pass as an every day skirt and be modest.

In all truth,  I am super pro modesty and wear ridiculously modest swim wear, and when I see a girl dressed with a lot on top, and on bottom, it rubs my awkward chord…why is that???

Its because Cultural rules, as my brother put it, are stronger than the laws of the land.  You will often break a speed limit but when it comes to breaking a social rule, now that is hard to do.  I don’t know why that is; I guess I am just glad its not in our culture to do this.  I am sure to themselves they look so beautiful, and to us, we say…that does not flatter, that looks so painful, that looks in every way ridiculous, and wrong!

But getting into my Latter Day Saint doctrine with a magnifying glass, you find quotes like these to help you realize, the Lord’s culture is just plain beautiful and while it doesn’t treat men and women the same, it instead treats women like princesses.

Said old Brigham Young back in pioneer days: “I call upon my sisters to…create your own fashions, and make your clothing to please yourselves independent of outside influences.”  Eliza R. Snow reported that he encouraged sisters to establish “fashions that would be becoming—such as would be worthy the patronage of sensible, refined and intelligent women who stand, as we in reality do, at the head of the world.” (Daughters in my Kingdom, pg 52)

I admit it, what we have come up with might be slightly socially awkward to some.  Maybe it looks like we are swimming in our clothes.  But, for now atleast, we’ve decided to cover girls more than what is comfortable in our culture’s norms for swimming.  We hope that others feel mostly comfortable around them as we’ve chosen pretty, feminine and ‘flattering’ as Brother Brigham gave us permission to do.  And that comfortableness especially applies to the wearer.

I feel my religion teaches me not to attempt to establish sameness between the sexes;  I am not trying to create boxy girls in boy styles, I am trying to dress my girls pretty and feminine like princesses, but equally modest, equally un-sexualized, and equally covered by the sun.  Equal but not the same.

And can I say, we have SOOOOOO much fun!  I LOVE the challenge of coming up with my girl’s swim wear.  I guess perhaps the Lord gives me energy under my wings, I find good deals here, a great swim shirt at a thrift store there…super excitement to try sewing to be able to hurdle that impossible leap of not having time or energy for such a thing…its marvelous!  So, take a look at what we come up with, I hope you find us pretty!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We love swimming in the lakes of Minnesota!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hoppity demonstrates here the swim shirt I made last year (yes, the swim shirt is extra long to accommodate wiggly girls and a year of growth. With a heavy lining (another layer of swim fabric) sewn to front and back, the shirt stays down almost exclusively.

The skirt I copied from a Land’s End but obviously gave it length.  The flounce at the bottom is made from a circle cut out, and I asked my seamstress sister(See MadMim.com ) to figure that out.  The sides should be sewn with elastic sewn pulled tight in the side seams, (you have to cut the item about 7 inches longer than planned length.)  But Hoppity’s skirt is gathered swim suit material for my first crap shoot.

Girls' Gathered Side-tie SwimMini

I pulled an over nighter to sew myself a swim top and support system.  The over nighter was exhilarating till I hit a wall, but it was performed partly because I was having so much fun and partly because I had a trip dead-line.  It was an exciting venture.  I got the design idea for the side neck tabby from Olivia from Fresh Modesty.   I bought her ebook for modest but pretty swimwear, to help me learn how to sew it, and how to sew a support system, as well as used helpful lycra sewing techniques from  Creative Chicks (link provided in a second.)   One side drapes longer and I also got that design idea from a shirt sewn at Creative Chicks.  (This site is AWESOME for learning to sew pretty and very modest t-shirts, and how to’s on swim wear!)

Here it is, without children about it,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And here is Mama with baby; dry.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mama wet.  Suit isn’t quite as cute as when dry…but we can’t have everything.  Board shorts I have had for years.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Got some board short material and made my daughters 2 years ago, this is their second season on the shorts.  (I like sewing to fit more than one season from a time and cost standpoint.)  Top is a swim top from Land’s End, end of season 5 dollar bargain!  The shirt isn’t extra long so she is wearing a Thrift Store one piece underneath.

(Did some research and found out Board short material is Polyester Microfiber, and this site was the only one I could find with cute options, and in-fact, right now there is a beautiful bird print and some pretty florals….Rocky Woods Fabrics)

Here is Hoppity’s  5 dollar Land’s End swim shirt.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This board shirt was from a Thrift Store, and its best to buy a couple sizes large and take in the side seams for a great amount of shirt length.  I don’t know if you’ve noticed but Target and such tend to have short wide board shirts.

My Land’s End end of season shirt, with nursing pad and fitness support system, the bloomers actually are cute petal pushers that go a few inches below the knee when standing.

~~~~

I hope what we have come up with is what I hoped we could achieve, modest but pretty and fashionable in an un-worldy design sense.  I will attest that as a mama, I do love being so comfortable especially with all my tuggers…aka children.

I did take a few pictures of some of the processes in making the swim wear you see here, and I can give some general sewing instructions with them if you are  are interested; and I will be happy to answer any questions!  It isn’t as hard as it may seem and its really satisfying and very fun too!

My intent is not for any sort of guilt from any viewers…you are doing your best at your modest swim wear, and you are doing GREAT!!!!!  And as such the Lord is very pleased!  You can stay right where you are and I know you will be a shining example to the world around you right where you are at.  You are brave, you are different, you are classy, and you are respected by the world for taking firm stands for modesty.

My post is every bit as much a social commentary on equality as it is for opening the door for possibilities in the world of swimwear for girls and women.

I will post my favorite lycra swim sewing tips (found at Creative Chicks) as well as some modest options my sister has come up with for pretty, modest and contemporary ideas.  You will likely love what she has come up with!  But if you are curious now, see MadMim and search swimsuits.~

Do I think it is needful to come a step further to please the Lord?  Well usually that is the case in our progression, there is usually some baby step we can take, however I don’t really know if we came a few steps too far and past the mark….all’s I do know is once I was picturing the Savior loved me, and I was surprised my imagination put me in my swim suit!  I was so happy to know my subconscious mind could envision Him watching me swim and be completely pleased to His standards and not just the world’s.  I can say that I love love love being so comfortable, to go to a friend’s house and not be checked out in anyway by the husband is simply awesome.  Or that I can traipse around in my swim suit all day and never feel a need to put on a shirt, or longer shorts for modesty’s sake, thats really great!  And in my silly daydreams I have sometimes imagined how hot I’d look in a modest according the world sorta rhetro style adorable swim suit, so I can say that the world’s modest swimwear, might still be sexualized even when ‘modest’ in reference to our culture, unfortunately.  I hope I don’t offend when I say that.

I can’t say that where we are…we are respected anymore…perhaps we are questioned as the odd and ridiculous bunch of religious freaks and that if that is so, than we perhaps aren’t pleasing tools for the Lord.  But how do you feel when you see a Muslim woman walk by.  If you are like me, you think, that is not me, but I sure respect her for doing it.

I wrote this post some months ago with winter snow on the ground, I thought it fitting to wait until spring…so I can already show you what I came up with for my daughter’s birthday and it was so lovely to fanagle and come up with something that flatters her little body so fittingly, so get excited for more cute and modest swim wear coming hence forth… and from my perspective I can say…don’t hesitate to be as Liberal as the Lord…you won’t regret it….Or playfully put, come on in, the water’s fine! :)

Disclaimer:  This website does not represent what normal “Mormons” swim like.  And while I respect Muslims in a very reverent sense of the words, I am also happy I can dress pretty and happy and feminine, yipppppeeeee!  And that each family can interpret modesty as what they feel is best to do, in my liberal Mormon faith, and the Lord is pleased for them doing their best, and I really do think He considers culture into the equation!  Who can interpret the Lord…only the Holy Spirit can communicate Him, and I am not an expert follower, just an aspiring fool who seeks to do so!  I’m fumbling about it just like everybody else!

And P.S. to be fair to my daughters, I ask them whether they want straps, or sleeves, and I ask, are you sure???  Maybe I say this…because I myself am not sure.  But also, in Godly fashion I wouldn’t want to manipulate or force. ;)

And P.P.S. my non-Mormon on-line Christian friends have been pillars of brave, integritous beacons of light and strength along this my path in swim wear.  We share our desire to please Christ, and I share with them the godly Liberal principles that back their conservative ways in this true principled and true doctrine religion I belong to, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

Apr14

Taking Time.

Posted on by
Taking Time.

 

When Paul Bunyon first showed readiness to read, he spent like literally an hour at a time, just looking at chapter books with words.  I could see his soul hungering to intake for himself those exciting stories.  When he asked his Dad how to spell “Bee bee gun”, and decoded ‘hot and cold’ from our sink, it was an exciting moment for me that the time had come!  Even though the pace has been slower and more involved than with my first child, the journey has been joyful.

But with all that a mom has to do, sometimes she gets a rotten attitude towards certain things.

I thought yesterday (editor’s note, I posted and then a while later finally put pictures in, so this is not yesterday anymore.) “I wish he could just have a touch more confidence in his reading and could do it by his self, I could get that much more done.”

But think about how long it is when he wants to nestle by my side and read with me?  How short lived.

 

This book was a great book.  It was very clever and the conflicts were engaging.  For example, the king’s boys were told if they could get out of the room without touching the door, they could watch the kingdom while their Dad went fishing.  After trying a mouse hole and a small window, they decided to use the red ink on a table to draw spots on themselves.  Then when by and by the guards checked on them, they were all three laying on a rug with red spots on their faces.  The guards rushed in and carried out the boys, who achieved their challenge of getting out of the room!

My son and I chuckled through this book and it was right on his reading level, too.

 

 

The rest of the story is that Dad complimented Paul Bunyon emphatically of his reading and it really helped.  Yeah Dad, what a grace and a blessing you are to us!  I just need to keep the compliments flowing for this *adorable* guy.  I love this face, oh mothers.  Their sons melt their heart.

 

Apr12

Virtual Thank you’s

Posted on by
Virtual Thank you’s

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Its that time again for a virtual thank you. This Christmas, I couldn’t believe my luck, and blessings.  I got a thoughtful little soft package on Christmas Eve; it was mailed in the supposition that it was late, when in reality the Lord worked His miracles for on that snowy night when the postman knocked on my door and gave this warm little package.  I guessed it had something wonderful inside, and for one reason or another, I opened on the spot! To find inside the loveliest homemade apron.  It was not only beautifully crafted by my wonderful friend, and how I almost reverently looked at what nice work it was, but also it was made from a precious bit of vintage fabric, of yestser year, a potato sack. Boy they used to make them pretty. It really was such a grace, to have this little spot of love for me for there were things that I felt really sad about, and this love got me through.

I found out later the story behind the apron, and I felt even more loved and cared for when I realized the sacrifice born in love this gift gave, for one, the giver got sick on her Christmas and I was awed that part of that energy had been given to me, to wear her poor body down.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

An apron has the feeling of a hug in it, and I’ve worn this hug day in and out. I’ve even made a pocket to tuck a magazine or book in when my thoughts were wont for negativity, or I just need a boost of truth and knowledge….of which I’ve only used once…but the mind is willing and the flesh weak.

Thank you my dear friend Stephanie, and to all

my friends whose love is just as sweet to me as this treasured apron.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There’s that inward pocket I added.  I’m always careful to wash my hands before wiping them dry on my apron but it occurs to me that dingy spot mid section could use some oxy-clean!  I should likely re-post pictures, but I can see myself not getting around to it, you’ll have to imagine it sans-grayed spot. ;)

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

And for those who surf my blog for modesty ideas, which I hope doesn’t distract from my heart felt thank you, is, this long sleeve versatile gray shirt got ink stains on the sleeves.  So I cut it off and love the use of it for a vest…either for shirts that stretch and show lines I don’t like, or for shirts slightly tight, or for shirts that have holes or buttons missing. ;)  I didn’t even hem the cut off edges and its not too shabby.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Apr6

A Joyful Early Spring Day.

Posted on by
A Joyful Early Spring Day.

 

(Fairy Princess’ grimace is a “Don’t look at the camera” moment.)

I got such a kick from that darling bag with its encased bird seed and bundled by twine adornment.  I started off wanting to take a lap round our 1/2 mile loop, but the children all plead for an outdoor adventure, and Fairy Princess ingeniously concocted this good measure to sprinkle upon our path.  (Albeit no birds partook.)

I had Paul Bunyon grab a tarp and a pic-nic blanket, because we were at 35-40 degrees and really it felt good and warm!  Ha!  Hoppity stuffed her pouch with almonds and we threw some bananas in for kicks.  And a book and our nature notebooks, which I alone used, but did get to sketch out again that lovely weeping willow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is our beautiful park, it never ceases to bring us joy in any season.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Could it have been more silly when a passer byer called out, “Perfect day for a pic-nic!” and as they were biking, and out in the ‘warm’ weather, I couldn’t tell whether they were joking?  I played it safe and hollered back, “If you are desperate!”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Right when Sunshine Boy got grumpy and Jack in the Box woke up and it was our cue, “Time to Go”, the children found some reeds, which they thought they’d take home and make flutes out of.  Could it have been more smile-inducing, than to see Paul Bunyon pack up the loot and head for home.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well, this is a rare feeling.  Infact, it maybe the first time I felt it.  But when I watched this moment, I could feel God smiling down at us, getting a chuckle as I got a chuckle, and I knew it made His heart happy to see these wholesome children experiencing joy.  Together, for these few sunny, cold moments, we enjoyed His children together.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(You can sniff another “Don’t look at the camera”) moment.  Boy she’s working hard not to look.

On the way home, my Hoppity was singing this song: “We’re not home yet, but we’re almost there” to herself.  ”Wow!  Hoppity!” I exclaimed.  Last year, you would be fussing and crying by now and this year, you are so tough!  You are amazing!  You’ve matured so much!!”  (Another happy moment!)

 

I was proud of my children, truckin’ it through the snow to enjoy the spring time, on their little bikes.  It was a joyful early-spring day.

Apr1

Self Hate

Posted on by
Self Hate

If you read previously, I had a 90 day challenge to feel like a lady, and I really love that goal, and it has helped.

By the mid-week, my Lady-skills were waning and by the end, perfectly sagged into a pile of poo.

I felt so icky, icky and to add and to contribute to this feeling, when under stress, I yelled at my husband.  My sweet son gently reminded me of the consequence I had previously determined for myself: if I yelled at their Dad, that my consequence was to clean the car.  He said, “Don’t worry Mom, I’ll help you.”

I went out to the car and realized, wow, its really messy in here, its been a good long while since I have had to clean out the car.  I have been changing.

I thought this positive thought, but the flavor of the day, was: Self Hate.  Simple disappointing feelings of life and its constant stream of things not working out how we would hope, and such an unreasonable strong feeling?

I have been using a book called The Healing Codes, to help me turn to Christ and our God, to help me heal and change through Him.

There are many contributions to something like self hate, but after feeling the shame and hate burn in my cheeks yesterday, I woke up and went to my room and knelt in prayer, I craved Him after all those yucky feelings.

As I prayed, joy replaced hate, and a joyful Easter song filled my soul.  I called in my husband and we awoke our children, with our beautiful plain male and female voices together proclaiming that He Lives, He melts our fears, He Heals us!

In my praying/healing code session (which is merely focused prayer, courageous enough to turn inward and heal the issues of the heart) tonight, this Easter Night, I let that love, fill in myself and the generations before me who have been passing down self hate through both lines.  Not that these wonderful family members have been hateful or mean, I just sense that these my beloved family members I have never met, have been passing inward shame and guilt and worldly criteria of approval and achievement to determine worth, aka, self hate.  I would never have known this without the “Healing Codes Book” to help open my vision of why we are the way we are, or feel the way we do.  I prayed pleading Christ to heal and love and change my genes, and our Genes, flowing it through us, turning Him to heal the poisons that have hurt us.

(This last line referring to a story which was shared in my church today, where in the children of Israel needed but Look to Him to be Healed from the venom of literal snakes, so with us, and said the speaker, simply, look to Christ, to heal the poisonous venom of wrong choices and incorrect beliefs, within.)

And so I end by proclaiming, He silences all our Fears.  He loves us, and we don’t need to have certain great performances to earn this love.  He loves us when we would hate us.  He helps us to love.  He Heals us.  The world would love us only if we make the cut, He loves us especially when we don’t, and may my doubtful heart believe this and stop forecasting worldy criteria for love onto Him.  Forgive me Lord let me see thee Rightly.

Blessed be His Endless name, His merciful outstretched arms are, as my bishop in church put it, outstretched always waiting for us to receive His embrace, His enabling grace, always ready to lighten our burdens, and forgive us quickly of our sins that we may move forward in better choices.

And so this week I try anew to be as Lucille from Max Lucado’s story, I referred to below.  I was tested in this goal, and realized what work I have to forsake the social networking that ends in stars and dots.   Some of those dots coming from mere acquaintances and I wonder why I’d ever even waste a brain cell on caring.  I am thankful for family, good friends and good examples who help me past this base level of fearful living.  People who love me in-spite of my weaknesses and who inspire me with their Christ-like walks.  But most especially I need to learn to come to Him, and foresake the world’s dotting system, when I do so.

My hope is to Come Unto Him, and Feel His Love.  I know I did tonight, Blessed Be.

Mar26

My Spring Cleaning Bent

Posted on by
My Spring Cleaning Bent

I’m the type who, if you opened my kitchen drawers, there most definitely will be, on any most given day, those embarrassing accumulation of crumbs.

I’ve been just itch’n like crazy to do spring cleaning.

How to do that and juggle homeschooling and normal chores?  Well, I guess I’ve just added a bit more for that given area I clean on that day.  So last Monday I wiped all the crustified goobers all over our island, and the week before I cleaned out three drawers.  The first thing I did was to take out all the over crowded piled up spices and re-organize that cupboard, that was the irritation on my last nerves that was first attended to.

We raked through my daughters room to thoroughly clean out all the cracks, and this was, shall we say, an all day event, which I decided would be the homeschool for the day, when usually I think I’d save it for a Saturday.  I just knew that I didn’t want to donate a Saturday just to her room.

After cleaning it, I tried to invite her to read a talk given by our church leaders about it.  I remembered there was a story about a mother who taught never to stuff in cracks, and so I asked my homeschool group if they could help me locate it.  They helped me, and it was called Discipleship.   But my daughter sniffed this reference to a mom not wanting corners stuffed example, was going to be no real story and opted not to read it.  I snuck part into our family night but then just invited her to read it with me.  I asked her what her questions were and then we decided to read with faith that those questions would be answered.  I helped to emphasize the answer to one of them as it came and then invited her to write down the quote in her journal.

Heavenly Father has particularly helped guide me though, to be increasingly positive with this child and to remember to emphasize all that she does that He is so pleased of, more than the negative things so never fear, though I had a bent to let these crack stuffing irritations really get to me with my spring cleaning bent, the Lord is helping to smooth things over and help me repent and guide more perfectly.

And bit by bit our house is having a few less goobers and crumbs and dust, and slowly I am working on getting those ceiling dust balls and cobwebs that are all but gross!  Meanwhile new goobers and crumbs come to visit, isn’t cleaning fun!

P.S.  I will post before and after pictures of my daughter’s room on her birthday after I give her a certain wall hanging for her birthday and then you can see also the beautiful quilt my mom made, and of course by then we will have to re-clean but hopefully it won’t be as bad!

Mar25

Like a Lady~the 90 day Challenge!!

Posted on by
Like a Lady~the 90 day Challenge!!

You know I am burning to do a Like-a-Lady 90 day challenge.

First, if I were a flower, I think I’d love to one of these:  What flower would you like to be?

[photo of Harebell]    or [photo of Northern Bluebells] …So refreshing and magical.

Harebells or Northern Blue Bells.  From Minnesota Wildflowers.

I will admit, I will never brag again about not gaining weight through the holidays because after I did, I gained an 8 pounds that my habits seemed to gravitate too.  And I only weigh myself now and then at the gym when I am tempted, but it does cause me to think about how I might tackle this.

I was reading in my journal and I had written these things a while back after trying to bounce back from having George.  I’d forgotten all the little things that count for how we feel on the inside.

After these 90 days I can truly trust the Lord for how I look.  If its the same, then its the same but I feel better on the inside.  If its different than I know the Lord has a way he’d like me to look and I am curious about that.

Hear was my journal Entry:

Healthy Mama, Happy Mama

* I felt Healthy today when…  I had brown rice with fresh tomatoes, basil and a teaspon of oil

*I felt healthy today when I did a toning fitness movie, for the first time, that was gentle, but felt like it was working me the perfect amount.

*I felt healthy today when I got firm in my voice but I didn’t yell.

*I felt healthy todya by taking snack during the day when I was hungry with protein.

*There was an advertisement on the radio for ewy gewy brownies and it wasn’t tempting me since I’ve been eating treats with natural sugars!

:) I picked just a little at the apple cobbler and icecream which would have really been a teeny helping, I felt good about that.  Also at lunch I didn’t eat the rest of the kid’s sandwhiches, except two bites. :) :)

*Today was a really healthy day, I had a healthy breakfast, then at lunch I fought the urge to be selfish and I shared then at dinner I felt healthy in that I made a bean sausage rather than having a hot-dog sausage.

*Riley made a breakfast with white flour which I didn’t eat but praised him so much for making. I felt so healthy in relationships, when, instead of eating the sliver Hazel left, I put it on Riley’s napkin.

*I didn’t have desserts, or carbs, at Enrichment.

*I started not liking the taste of over sweet desserts

*I really had a special prayer telling Heavenly Father, that I wanted to be as much a sweet, lady-like refined lady as Heavenly Father’s beloved wife.  It was a very beseeching prayer, and it really helped and I want to continue to remember to be like Him, and She.

*When I made the no-bakes that night, I never had a ton, I think I had a total of 2 or 3 total.

*When a meal was SUPER good, I said a little thank-you prayer, and was able to not eat more of it.

————————————————————————

Reading over that list I was way impressed and thought I want to get back to that!!!!  :)  Yeah!!!  The world teaches us our appearance is super important, but the Lord teaches us our heart is super important and we can start from the inside and work out.  That’s what I want to try and see what comes of it.

So for the next 90 days, I am going to seek to be like a lady.  And when I forget as my natural woman is a bit of a heathen, I will just blink my eyes snap my fingers, and snap back into it.
Also I have really been slacking about exercise and I am going to try to get some in for me, and some in for the children.  I want to glorify God in this little 90 day challenge and feel like the Lady He made me to be.

Also, inwardly I have really had a bout of caring even more what others thought of me, to the point of having to blow through anxiety attacks kinda like when I am in labor…how silly and embarrassing  but these next 90 days will be days of peace.  My final 90 day challenge is to be Lucia of the Wemmick people.  Lucia is a wooden doll and instead of constantly measuring herself by the stars and dots that Wemmicks place on each other, she goes to her Maker Eli, every day, to feel of His love.  I am going to be like Lucia these next 90 days.   I am going to strive to feel and bask in his love and light daily for the next 90 days.

I have so many poor lady-like habits that it will take me far more than 90 days to reform, but I am going to really give it a good go for the next 90 days, still the same.

Reader, I want you to know you are a beloved Lady too.  God grant you the grace to feel so!! ~  Love,  Emily

P.S.  If you stop by, please treat yourself to finding a flower that is you and I would so love if you included a link in your comment of what flower that you would be.  :)  I’d love to smile as I saw it and to nod, yes that is the flower that is you!

Mar13

Farm Girl Gets a Planting…Seedling Style.

Posted on by
Farm Girl Gets a Planting…Seedling Style.

Its really so neat how the Lord opens doors when you are ready to learn something.  Sprout Robot, an awesome website,  told me that Minnesotans should be starting their seeds for tomatoes, so I posted something on face book, and immediately began to be mentored by a wonderful gal who helped give me pointers.

Then while making some scans on my scanner, from the notebook, fell out a page from Simple Healthy Tasty’s free food storage ebook, (available from the side of her blog with the sign up of her infrequent newsletter) about food storage but with a great gardening checklist about starting your plants from seeds!  Her check list was so helpful to orient me in what to do and what to even ask on ‘google’.

Today is my usual Montessori Tuesday, and we had a spin on things, instead of teaching hands on Math, we did hands on horticulture…which is also ‘Montessori’ come to think of it.  I had the kids ‘Seek the Lord Early’ (our goal as of September to read the scriptures as soon as we can) and then did a reading lesson with Paul Bunyon, and after hearing him read “John Henry,” I also let him treat himself to watching his favorite 10 minute Disney Clip of the musical cartoon on You-Tube.

Then, it  was a delight as Fairy Princess and I did various planting planning ventures, such as concocting a chart on notes about plants, and we started planting.  She loved the feel of dirt between her fingers and really seems to have a knack with plants…Jack in the Box slept most the time, but when he joined the fun, was so pleasant about putting dirt in and out of a cup and eating it and making such a royal fun mess, that I was sad I ever worried what it’d be like when he woke up…to see him that content and joyful was worth it…well I haven’t cleaned the mess, I speak too soon.  Paul Bunyon helped me plant the strawberry seeds, and kept himself busy drawing animals and their skeletons.  Hoppity and Sunshine Boy kept busy reading stories and sitting on the big boy potty, I do love sibling helpers!

So we are busy little planters over here.  It is quite interesting how each seed is so different and what you need to do is different.  We are just using a special full spectrum light and plastic wrap over the plants…we’ll see what comes of it!

I doubt I will get to posting pictures.  Sorry Charley.  My laundry room is practically a horror!  And I am junk about getting a post and picture together, I can write a post and let it sit for months till I finally get the pictures off my camera.

I’ve had pitiful results seed planting 2 years in a row, but then again, I used dirt from outside, stuck it in over watered pots, dousing the seed likely midway down the plant-pot, (didn’t use a little hairspray misting bottle like my friend suggested…etc.)  Each plant seriously has its own regime…Hopeful Princess Fairy will help me with this responsibility!  Now we don’t have a fancy warming box, but another gal said she did fine with out it on FB, so….wish us luck!