Making Memories... and Snow Ice Cream

In Kansas City this week, we received our first measurable snow-fall in more than two years. It was awesome!!! I'm a snow lover, though, and I like it even better when there's a layer of ice under it, so we're stuck at home with a good book.

Since we had gone so long without a good snow, my girls and I immediately started thinking of all the fun things we could do with this type of weather. Unfortunately, the temps hovered around zero for the first couple of days after the storm. While the kids were out in it a lot, I was staying snug and warm in my chair! :-)

The first thing my girls do any time there is snow in the forecast, is to put a bowl out on the picnic table on our deck. They know that if they can collect enough snow, we'll make Snow Ice Cream! Yeah!!!

I thought I'd share the recipe and process with you, so you could enjoy this sweet treat with us when you're next blessed with a snow-pocalypse! :-)

Ingredients - for 1 gallon of (wet) snow, you'll need:
    1 cup white sugar
    2 cups milk
    vanilla, to taste (up to 1 Tbsp)

Before dumping in the whole amount of milk and sugar, start with about half and mix it in super well. I found that this snow did not mix the same way previous snow falls have mixed. The colder the temps, the drier your snow will be, and it will take A LOT more snow (about double) to make the same ingredients work. If your snow falls when the temps are right around 30 degrees Fahrenheit, then you can use the proportions listed above.

I found that my Snow Cream was too strong (too sweet, and too slushy), so we went outside and scooped more snow off the tops of the tables and chairs (do this carefully... and avoid the yellow snow!) :-) Eventually, the Snow Cream had the texture of crumbs, which is a much better texture. That way, when you serve it, it collapses into scoops and serves up beautifully!

Enjoy the recipe, but most of all, enjoy making memories with your kids while you relish the beauty of God's creation.

Book Review - Who is to Blame?

In “Who is to Blame,” Jane Marlow re-examines a genre made popular more than a century earlier by Alexander Herzen. In this incarnation of the story, the author uses an individual serf and the other peasants whose lives intersect with hers to represent the poverty of nineteenth-century Russia. The opposite side, represented by Count Maximov’s family, clearly portrays not only the disparity of wealth, but also the inability of the gentry to function within their society after the loss of their labor force.

Marlow is careful to present facts in a very sterile way. When showing loss of dreams, illness in a destitute home, or choices that are outside of the control of the serfs, her language is factual and avoids editorializing. In the same way, she presents the Count’s family as making their own decisions, and does not really examine their motives. When the Count mandates marriage among the serfs, and the peasant protagonist is forced into a difficult union, Marlow states the facts baldly, even in portraying later abuse. I appreciate the lack of editorializing, allowing me to draw my own conclusions and arouse my own emotions.

This book lost a star in my mind simply because of the gratuitous use of crude ideas. Several times, the Count’s son is shown to consider his abilities as a man in vulgar terms. As a reader, I am not interested in the effects of his alcohol abuse on his virility. For the most part, the other uses of offensive language are placed in such a way as to reveal more about the characters’ lives, and did not seem unreasonable.

Marlow places her characters at a point in history that made the story captivating to me personally. She allowed her protagonists to discover intersecting points of history, such as the U.S. Civil War, that helped to place it in context. The book covers more than 25 years of her characters’ lives, which seemed too broad in some places. However, the time frame became more appropriate as she used the intervening time to develop the boorish behavior of the Count’s progeny alongside the difficult life of the peasant family.

All in all, I’m glad I read this book, and I found enough to appreciate in it that I will probably seek out other books in this genre. I received this book as an ARC through Netgalley, and this review is posted at https://www.goodreads.com/review/edit/31948086.

A Reason of the Hope that is in You

I Peter 3:15 tells us to “…sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.” (emphasis mine)

One week ago today, just over half of the eligible voters made a decision that made most Americans either angry or ambivalent.  The 55% voter turnout in the 2016 presidential election is less than we’ve seen in twenty years (since Bill Clinton’s reelection against Dole). This tells me that many, like me, felt there could have been better options given. Unlike me, 45% of those dissatisfied with the process stayed home, wasting their voice and silencing their right to complain over the next four years.

Before you tell me there WERE better options given, let me remind you that we live in a two-party system, for better or for worse. Until a third-party candidate can overcome trending topics like who is having a gender identity crisis or who died on the most recent zombie show, America is not ready for, and really doesn’t deserve, a third party president. In order to elect a third party, we would need to work together with the same number of large, easily defined groups with which a majority of voters identify, in much the same way the other two major parties have done. If a third party candidate can get the Catholic church or the national labor unions to endorse him, he has a fighting chance. But 3% of the Kansas vote only takes those votes from the more likely candidates. It doesn’t necessarily even “send a message” to the establishment, unfortunately. I imagine few hate this fact as much as I do, but it’s true!

  

So, after holding our noses and voting, regardless of which candidate we chose to support, what’s a Christian to do when confronted with the real fear and despair facing our Democratic friends and family? Here are some of the quotes I’ve seen from women I love, and have a personal goal of ministering to:

I'm trying to stay positive. But all I can think is that more than half of Americans decided today that my precious, beautiful daughters are only valuable for the sexual gratification they provide to men. That's what this feels like.

The scariest reality. I don't want to tell my kids when they wake up. It's all so disgusting. Terrifying. Desperation, sinking into somewhere dark and cold.

One thing that is clear, is that we MUST NOT ignore them! Whether or not we understand these feelings, the truth is that many DO feel this way. In order to 'answer with meekness,' we must acknowledge the feelings they share with us. No, you and I did not publicly plunge into depression or ask for safe space after the elections of '92, '96, '08, or '12. But does that matter in 2016? Not really. Not to those who believe they are seeing the death of all that is important to them.

One of the basic ways President-Elect Trump won this election was by drawing a clear line between himself and the Democrat ideal. Where the Democrats welcome illegal immigrants, Trump would build a physical wall and deport many who are already here illegally. Where the Democrats push the LGBTQ agenda forward, Trump advocates his own description of family values (one which many, even in our camp, find deplorable). Even the poor, who have enjoyed unprecedented provision under the recent administration, see an opposite in Trump's plans to clean up the welfare system. And unfortunately, where the Democratic party has extended arms of perceived love and acceptance to many disabled and otherwise sidelined individuals, Trump repeatedly mocked and abused them. If you voted for Trump, you have a responsibility to answer those who fear for the disabled, the illegal immigrant, the poor, the homosexual, and for their own vulnerable daughters. 

Telling them everything will be OK is not enough.

So how can I possibly go on with life, knowing Trump will be our president in just 72 days?

First, let me be clear:

The election of Donald Trump as 

our 45th president is NOT the reason 

for the hope that is in me! 

If anything, this election reminds me once again that my God is in the heavens (Psalm 115:3) and has the power to put up kings and to tear down kingdoms (Daniel 2:21). If He is allowing America to continue to exist in the present moral climate, it is because He has a reason that will ultimately fulfill His plan for the universe. 

But here’s the major difference between myself and those expressing fear and even despair: my hope is not in ANY part of this world! 

Not in its institutions. 

Not in its leaders. 

Not in its churches. 

And certainly not in Washington! 

 My hope is in the Lord, who made heaven and earth (Psalm 121:2). Since He made them, He can certainly maintain them. A more accurate definition of the KJV “fear” is reverence. So a big part of my answer to the fear of my loved ones is my reverence for the true King of Kings. Because He is my King, I can’t even commiserate with the fear they are experiencing. I simply can’t feel a fear that deeply, because the fears I face come up against the Solid Rock of my knowledge that He is the blessed controller of ALL things (I Timothy 6:15). I think this is a big reason that Christians seem indifferent when interacting with the fearful in our community. When they accuse that we don’t get it, they’re right. But it is our responsibility to communicate the hope, without minimizing them as people.

In conclusion, we must start by ensuring that the position God holds in our lives really is that of Lord and King. If we see Him as the highest power in ourselves, we can accept Him as the highest power in the world around us. But, we must also face the fears of those around us with both meekness (acknowledging their pain, and that Trump and Clinton neither one are the answer) and fear, or reverence (sharing the name and character of our Lord as an answer to their fears). 

I think this quote, from another friend, sums up what our friends need from us. [My notes are in red.] While the hands and feet of our responses may differ from hers, she asks only what is our biblical responsibility. Pray about it. It's what Christ would do for "the least of these" (Matthew 25:40).

I need all of you who voted for this administration to be prepared to fight for what you say you believe. You say that you want a greater America. Well, any basic civics lesson will tell you that America is only as great as the way it treats its most vulnerable citizens. Get ready. You've exercised your right. Now exercise your duty.

When the disabled are mocked, you must be the first to rise in protest and cry foul.

When immigrants are scorned, you must be the first to defend their humanity. [Am I maintaining their dignity, even as I demand they enter legally?]

When women are raped, you must be the first to step forward to protect them. [Remember, protecting a woman would be the opposite of offering her a major operation, such as an abortion.]

When the poor are denied access to health care, you must show up and care for them yourselves. [Is my own church doing enough to care for those who fall through the cracks in the secular system, without judging them for how they got there?]

When the LGBT kids are bullied, you must show up to wrap your arms around them and love them back to life. [We MUST do this, but do it without approving their lifestyle or their demands for special/equal rights.]

If you voted for this administration, I'm talking to YOU. This is your sworn duty now. Take it seriously. Show us you weren't just lying when you said you want us to be a great country.

Show us you have the ability to love as ferociously as you have shown you can scream insults and threaten to imprison people. I have to believe you have the capacity to do both. Prove it.

That's what I need.

Book Review: The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin

The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin

One rainy afternoon, while riding a city bus, Gretchen Rubin asked herself, “What do I want from life, anyway?” She answered, “I want to be happy”—yet she spent no time thinking about her happiness. In a flash, she decided to dedicate a year to a happiness project. The result? One of the most thoughtful and engaging works on happiness to have emerged from the recent explosion of interest in the subject.

One of the things that most resonates with me from this study is the similarity between the author and myself of expecting “gold stars” for accomplishments. Rubin showed repeatedly throughout her year-long experiment how this predisposition to expect praise and gratitude from those she interacted with negatively impacted her happiness. I find the same to be true in my own life. If I expect someone to notice what I’ve done (whether for him or for life in general), it is because I am keeping score in a way. If I take out the trash and expect someone to notice, it is often because I subconsciously view it as “not my job” and by definition, as his or her job.

The way Rubin accomplished many of her more onerous micro-goals within the larger project was to “Act the way you want to feel.” When she didn’t feel like singing in the morning, she made up a silly song about not feeling like it. I've given this counsel to my older kids (step-kids) for many years, and am now building it into the lives of my younger children, as well. Far from creating little hypocrites, a practice like this teaches ourselves and our children the importance of choosing their behavior, and thereby choosing their attitude. If we allow our emotions to dictate our actions, we never grow beyond the childish level of tantrums (think of an over-tired or hungry toddler). But as adults, we often must force our actions to dictate our emotions (getting up to help a sick loved one in the middle of the night or when we ourselves are ill). What better time to instill this life skill than in childhood?

Another concept from the book is one I've been taught by my own wise parents. "Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good." My dad, our yearbook coach in high school, used to say, "It will never be perfect, but it WILL be the deadline." In other words, don't let the pursuit of perfection either derail you from finishing a job, or from beginning it at all. If you can’t change or perfect everything all at once, work to change SOMETHING right away, and improve more later.

Rubin builds a fabulous project to enhance her happiness, with the goal of improving her relationships with others, during an intensive one-year undertaking. She uses thorough research, micro-accountability, and specific goals to measure her progress, and by doing so, challenged me to think more deeply about my own choices regarding happiness. Although not a Christian book, the Happiness Project correlates well with Scriptural themes of choosing joy regardless of our circumstances, and deciding to be content in whatever state we find ourselves. She uses the concept of considering one another in her First Splendid Truth: One of the best ways to make yourself happy is to make others happy. That one will preach!

There's much more to love in The Happiness Project. Take the time to read it with a notepad beside you, so you can benefit from your own intensive study of happiness.

Review of The Diary of a 100 Year Old Amused Senior by Estelle Craig

The Diary of a 100 Year Old Amused Senior

In this book, Mrs. Craig recounts so many intriguing facets of her many years on this earth. Born at the end of World War I, she came of age during the Depression, married during the second World War, and fought for her place in a changing world. The America in which she sought employment was one in which married women were expected to fit certain molds. In her book, Craig shows the masterful ways in which she broke free of that mold, becoming a media personality and a world traveler in a way that seems almost accidental. Craig was a hard-worker, but is a classic proof of the adage that one’s attitude foretells how far one can go in life.

Most chapters in this book start with the concept that Craig remains fascinated with the world, and excited to be a part of the changes that have captured younger generations. She speaks of using a computer, using some phrases, such as receiving a response to an email in less than ten minutes, repeatedly. She also perseverates on the fact that her limited eyesight necessitates audio books, and that she's lost much of her hearing, but maintains an excellent memory (in her perspective).

I was most impressed by the child-like wonder Mrs. Craig sustains as she views the world through the eyes of a nearly-centenarian. The historical events she witnessed, and the once-in-a-lifetime opportunities she created for herself increase my respect for her. While the book contains a few formatting errors in the electronic version, overall it is very readable. Sentences and spelling are correct, if written on a rather simple reading level.

No-More-Box Brownies - with video!

Over the weekend, we celebrated my youngest son's 18th birthday. He loves fishing, camping, and anything outdoors, so this dizzy broad had the bright idea of renting a pontoon boat at a nearby lake and taking the family out there for a few hours.

Our son brought a friend with him, and they had a blast swimming, since the fishing wasn't going that great. Eventually they got tired of the nearly 100 degree weather and hid out under the boat (who knew that was even a thing?) beating on the metal and making weird sounds to freak us out.

Anyway, one of the things these kids often request when their friends are over is that I make our family's homemade brownie recipe. Everyone has a favorite recipe, right? Years ago, I cut out of a magazine a brownie recipe that had more sugar than butter. How can you go wrong with that, right? I mean, sure, you can make boxed brownies, but why? From the first time I made these, my kids and I have been addicted!

Here's the video of me discussing some tips and tricks for the recipe, and here's the recipe and a few other links I mention in the video:

No-More-Box Brownies

2 cups white sugar
1 cup melted butter (don't substitute margarine)
4 eggs (preferably at room temperature)

Beat these three ingredients till fluffy and lighter in color.

1/2 cup baking cocoa
1 1/2 cups flour
dash of salt
1 tsp vanilla
handful (up to 1 cup) chocolate chips
handful (up to 1 cup) nuts, crushed

Mix and pour into a greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes (cake like) or 25 minutes (chewy). Other alternatives: 24 muffins (use silicone pan, not metal or metal with muffin papers); or two 8 x 8 pans

Cuisinart HM-70 Power Advantage 7-Speed Hand Mixer,Stainless and White

ORGANIC WHOLE WHEAT PASTRY FLOUR 

Bob's Red Mill Organic Whole Wheat Pastry Flour 

Bulk Organic Whole Wheat Pastry Flour

Blessed by family!

My husband and I have just finished hosting our nine children with their families, which include our grandchildren, for the past eleven days. Yes, I'm exhausted, but it is a GOOD tired! Here are a few pics that represent some of our most precious memories.

We enjoyed our son's graduation, having all FOUR of our sons- and daughters-in-law with us, a surprise visit with military friends, family pictures of the 21!!! Robarts, and lots of down time just sitting around making memories. God is so kind to give us these blessings.

Our oldest 7 kids also surprised us with a special on Sunday morning. They had gotten together to practice in the early morning, and I don't believe there was a dry eye in the building! I think you'll find it to be a blessing, as well. The song is entitled "Come to Jesus."

A step-mom's mission:

This was a timely reminder for me this week.

2 Corinthians 12:15 KJV
And I will very gladly spend and be spent for you; though the more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved.

Book Review: That Printer of Udell's by Harold Bell Wright

It’s been several weeks since I reviewed a book here, so I thought I’d let you know about a great book I finished last month. As I was reading a biography about The Faith of Ronald Reagan, the author mentioned that President Reagan considered this book to be the most impactful book he had ever read, outside of the Bible.  That fascinated me, so I found the book on Overdrive and listened to the audio version. Sure enough, it is a spiritually challenging book, so I bought a used copy on Amazon, and am passing it around to my local family members with my highest recommendations!

Harold Bell Wright, a Disciples of Christ clergyman, lived from 1872 to 1944 and wrote numerous books that have impacted generations of Christians. His books, including The Shepherd of the Hills, challenge believers to live out their faith in ways that often go against the grain of the established church.  As I've read some of Wright's work, I've often found myself convicted about my own lackadaisical response, either to the sufferings of others (a social gospel), or about their eternal souls (an evangelistic gospel). Ministering to both sides of the human condition should be a natural outgrowth of our love for Christ, and That Printer of Udell's communicates these priorities effectively.

The book follows the young adult years of Dick Falkner, who leaves the home of an alcoholic father to find his own way in the world. The response of church people and of the official clergy in the town where he lands is convicting, and leaves Dick with few options. The author leads Dick to the business of an unchurched man, who proceeds to show 'true religion' (James 1:27), though he avoids the church and Christians at all costs. As Dick comes into contact with the young people of the church, the author draws a distinction between those living their faith and those out to get only the social benefit of being prominent church members.

There are many ups and downs in Dick's relationships with Christians and non-Christians in his adopted Missouri town. The course he chooses is not easily accepted by the local religious community, but it makes a difference in the trajectory of his own life, as well as in the lives of many of his companions. Wright shows clearly how Dick's choices affect not only his everyday working life, but also his free time, his dating relationship, and every segment of his life.

If you have teens in your home, I highly recommend that you encourage them to read this book and discuss it with you. If you are courageous enough to have your own toes stepped on, get the book for free (at your local library or on Overdrive.com) and read it this weekend! You won't be sorry, and you might just find it life-changing!

DON'T FORGET: If you're interested in owning a copy of the Daniel Fast book I've been mentioning all month, you have just 3 more days to enter the giveaway! I'm drawing a winner this Saturday, April 23!

"The Ultimate Daniel Fast" Book Giveaway!

Good news for those of you who have been following my Daniel Fast posts – because this will be the last post devoted to the diet itself, I'm GIVING AWAY a copy of Kristin Feola's book, which I found so helpful during this process. (Read to the end of the post for details.) From here on out, I’ll continue to mention dietary victories or challenges, and might share a recipe or two as the need arises. But let’s get back to real life soon, shall we? :-)

Let’s start today’s post with a couple of tips I’ve learned (or had reinforced to myself) during this journey. If you’re trying to make a life-change in the way you eat or feed your family, these tips are a good place to start:

1. Use your crockpot for meal prep. The less time you’re in the kitchen in the hour or two before a meal, the less you’ll snitch and snack through those early hunger pangs! Open cans or throw in frozen meat when you’re already in the kitchen cleaning up breakfast or lunch.
2. Prep meats ahead of time. Cook chicken and shred a large quantity at a time; brown ground beef or venison in the crockpot in larger quantities; brown a whole 3 pound tube of sausage at a time, then store in zippered bags in the freezer for quicker meal prep when you’re in a hurry! This is invaluable when you need to throw together burritos or spaghetti in 20 minutes for a starving family. :-)
3. Set yourself guidelines determining what you will or won’t eat BEFORE you’re holding the restaurant menu in your hands! The best way to avoid fudging these guidelines is to have an accountability partner, too, to whom you know you’re going to report what you ate that day. If you’ve told your hubby on the way to the restaurant that you’re not eating cheese or drinking soda tonight, you’re unlikely to place that order when the going gets tough.

My menu this week included some favorites from the Daniel Fast plan (with modifications, of course), as well as some attempts at new recipes.. The kids had requested that I do another spaghetti squash, so that was Sunday lunch. My hubby cut it in half, so all I had to do was stuff it in the oven and put a jar of Aldi pasta sauce in a crockpot with some already-browned sausage I had in the freezer. Easy and healthy meal prep! And no… there were NO leftovers :-(

If you’ve been watching my boys in blue (Judy), you noticed that the Royals did a lot of winning this week! Here in KC, when the Royals score at least 5 runs and win, Papa John’s offers 50% off your order. They sure lost money on that deal last season! :-)  That meant that I got to test my commitment to one piece only…. Hhhmm….. But, I DID IT! Praise the Lord for His faithfulness! TWICE this week, hot, yummy, fresh pizzas walked into this house, and TWICE I chose one perfect (lotsa pepperoni) piece, enjoyed it slowly, then walked away. Hallelujah!

Do you ever find the struggle over “what to eat” to be especially difficult when you’re over-tired? One morning this week, I found myself chopping veggies from 4-6 am, because I couldn’t sleep. When a missionary family dropped by mid-morning with their 7 kids I had carrot and celery sticks and lots of dried apple chips and banana chips to offer. I even chopped the veggies for the broth I needed to make before I could work on that day’s dinner and I cleaned up the kitchen a bit. Then I took a nap until 7 am. :-)

So many times this week, I was VERY grateful for the guidelines I had already set. Because I had told my accountability partners (my faithful blog readers) that I wouldn’t have dark soda, I chose lemonade at Pepperjax when my hubby took me out for lunch one day.  And because I had told you (and God) that I would only use my Daniel Fast treats for sweets, I made peanut butter cups to celebrate a friend’s birthday, and didn’t even lick the beaters! No snitching at all! Praise the Lord! [I do, however, have a zippered bag marked “MOM” in the freezer with two cookies and two of the Reece’s cups, just waiting for the future, when these guidelines are past. :-)]

The Daniel Fast book, which I mentioned early on in these Diet blog posts, continued to provide more great recipes this week. I made the zucchini soup, but added some milk and flour to try to thicken it up some. The flavor was different, but good enough. I ended up giving it to my mom, who loves to eat healthy but doesn’t always have the time for healthy cooking. I also cooked with Fennel for the first time this week.  Again, it was different, but good. The recipe started out as “Italian Style Broccoli,” which called for fennel, broccoli, cherry tomatoes, garlic, onion, basil, oregano, and pine nuts. Since I had some veggies threatening to go south on me (and since the kids beg not to eat tomatoes), and I only had about a cup of broccoli, it turned into “Must-Go” (everything in the fridge ‘must go’). I threw in less than a cup of leftover steamed broccoli, about half a can of plain tomato sauce, and a half-cup of leftover cooked brown rice. It looked funny, and there was no way of identifying exactly what flavor it should have, but everyone cleaned their plates, and hubby took it for lunch the next day! I call that a win!

If you're interested in owning a copy of the Daniel Fast book that I've mentioned throughout these posts, here are three easy steps that will give you the chance to win one for yourself: 

1. Subscribe to my blog updates (see the buttons to the right of this post). Those of you who are already subscribed may skip this step.
2. Comment on any one of the Daniel Fast blog posts (going back to March 31), letting me know you're out there and reading!
3. Share any one of the Daniel Fast blog posts (going back to March 31) on your Facebook, twitter, or Instagram accounts, and TAG ME in your post.

Next Saturday, I will randomly draw ONE name from among those who have completed these three requirements, and they will receive a FREE copy of the Kindle book, compliments of your favorite blog author! :-) Happy sharing!

Dizziness Demands a Decision: Delectable or Disciplined?

Friday, April 8, 2016

Today was a ROUGH rough day, physically! :-( It started with huge waves of dizziness even overnight, in my sleep… the kind that woke me up out of a dead sleep, with the feeling that I could fall out of bed. That is a miserable feeling, and one I’ve not had in several weeks, thankfully. It’s frustrating, though, not to know why it happens when it happens. (I suspect it has to do with the hormones in my cycle, though the response is not consistent. Some months the dizziness does not change around my cycle, and other months it is drastic, like this.)

When my husband left for work, I was in my recliner, hoping for improvement after a morning of slowly spinning out to the living room, grabbing on to counter tops and walls as I tried to act normally. One of the kids got a valium for me, since I couldn’t stand or walk by then. The valium often takes an edge off things, at least enough that I can safely walk back to my bedroom. I dozed a bit in the recliner, but continued to awaken, crying because of dizziness, and again with the waves of feeling as though I were falling off the side of the chair, even though it was fully reclined and I was braced in with pillows. Soooo miserable. :-(

My girls take such good care of me, and I hate that they have such heavy responsibility some days. I’m so glad they’re homeschooling right now, though, or I could have been in serious trouble! They ended up calling a sweet neighbor, who quickly came over and helped to walk/drag me to my room so I could get in bed. By that time, I knew “toughing it out” was not going to be the solution today.

Obviously, since I wasn’t doing anything, I didn’t need much food today. I found a bag of Panera chips (ingredients: potatoes, sunflower oil, and sea salt) on the dresser during one of the times I made it to the bathroom unassisted, so I snacked on that mid-afternoon. When the kids got home from Burger King (look at me, sticking with my guidelines and not eating fast food meat!), my sweet son, Malachi, made me a Peanut Butter and Honey sandwich and hand delivered it to me in bed. What a guy!

I was able to sit up in bed for more than an hour in the evening, but was back to lying back down by the time Dan got home from work. I listened to one of my books on tape, read ahead in some of the devotional books I’ve been making my way through, and dozed off and on throughout the afternoon and evening.

The one weakness I allowed myself is a bit embarrassing, but in the interest of full disclosure, I’ll tell you. I asked my son to bring me a small Sprite from Burger King. (embarrassed grimace) That carbonation was so yummy, but I’ll tell you, it is NOT the same as dark soda. In fact, I felt like I was traveling on an airplane, because that is about the only time I’m ever sick enough to drink plain Sprite. Alas… I’m just going to have to stick to my commitment against root beer until the Ohio trip. :-) I don’t think it will kill me, but then again it might… what do you think? :-)

My FitBit tells the story of just how little I moved and was capable of getting around today. My daily goal is 2000 steps, since I've been struggling with the vertigo and my surgeon wants me to minimize walking because of my hip degeneration. Today, apparently, I took exactly 104 steps. Wow… that is lame-oh! Praying tomorrow will be better. 

The verses God gave me today were almost ironic, in light of how unsteady my steps were. Check out Psalm 40:1-3 ~

I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings (another version says "He made my footsteps firm). And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord.

When I find myself overwhelmed and fearful, in the midst of a vertigo attack like I experienced today, my responsibility is to cry to God and to remind myself of His promises to me. His responsibility is to incline unto me and set my feet on a rock. I can trust Him, even in the midst of a spinning world!

Continuing Healthy Choices

Thursday, April 7, 2016

Day Two of the rest of my life. :-) If I'm going to make these changes a permanent part of my commitment to healthy eating and honoring God with the temple of my body, then I need to keep going in the right direction from this point.

For breakfast, I enjoyed the homemade granola from the Daniel Fast book with my mixed coconut and 1% cow’s milk. I would love to eat more Kashi, but I’ve been out of cranberries for a while, and blueberries have gotten more expensive. I don’t want to eat it with just raisins. :-)

I also enjoyed a cup of decaf coffee (my first since before Easter) with Peppermint Mocha creamer mid-morning as I worked on school with the girls. That was delightful, let me tell you! (Ok... so it was a bit too early in the day for me to do a selfie, but look at my awesome cup from a sweet friend in Texas!)

Lunch was an incredibly tempting proposition, but the girls and I persevered. First, we finished off the grilled veggies from Tuesday night, when Dan grilled for us. Then, we each finished off the few bites of our individual pizzas that we had put away as leftovers last night. Finally, we jumped into the leftover hot dogs and brats from one of the grill nights. I was so excited to eat a brat, after so long without meat as a main meal! I sliced it in half (as I always do, to cut calories and keep from over-stuffing my tummy), souped it up with my homemade ketchup and some spicy brown mustard, and dug in…. only to find it was a PINEAPPLE brat! Yuck! The sweet flavor was quite a downer after I had gotten myself so worked up. Needless to say, I let my older daughter finish my brat, and I reminded myself that this was a great opportunity to exercise self-control (as opposed to grabbing a hot dog and eating it, instead). I wasn’t truly still hungry after the veggies and bites of pizza, but I knew my tummy would be complaining very soon. In the afternoon, we snacked on dried fruit, and I worked on dinner, which needed to be ready to deliver to a sick friend by 3pm. 

For supper I was quite proud of myself for tackling the Tuscan soup from the Daniel Fast cookbook. Since I’m off my 10-day Daniel Fast, and since I was also providing it for a sick friend, I added some sausage that I already had browned in the freezer. The soup included carrots, diced tomato, cannelloni beans, onion, garlic, lentils, and spinach, and it was yummy awesome!  I thickened it, as I have most of the others, with more of the pureed veggies from making veggie broth. Not sure how long it will be before the puree goes south, though, and I can’t seem to use it all before that happens. I also served the soup with Saltine crackers. All in all, it was a comfort food that I knew contained some really healthy ingredients that I otherwise never would have tried! :-) Day two of continuing with healthy choices - CHECK!

Freedom with Boundaries

Wednesday, April 6, 2016

Happy 20^th birthday to my sweet son, Sam! (at Pensacola) Mom misses you!

This is my first day of giving myself a bit more freedom. You’ll see very soon why I gave myself such stringent guidelines before I even woke up today. Discipline is not my strong suit.  So let’s see how today went.

Until my coconut milk is gone, I’m planning to mix it ½ and ½ with cow’s milk. This is a continued sacrifice, but I don’t see how else to motivate myself to finish the coconut milk off. Once I go to cow’s milk alone, I would find it very difficult to go back and finish off the coconut milk. So I enjoyed a glass!!! of milk (mixed) with my apricot breakfast bar from the Daniel Fast book for breakfast. It still had a strong coconut flavor, but it was more of a pleasant taste than the overwhelming dirty-sock flavor of coconut milk alone.  Since I drank the milk instead of using it with cereal or granola, I didn’t make my every-other-day cup of coffee today, so that I’ll be able to enjoy it tomorrow.

After the girls had left for school, I faced the same challenge as last week, but with new freedoms, the temptation was even stronger! My first thought – let’s order from Sarpino’s (an incredible Italian fast-food place that delivers) for lunch! But I didn’t…. The fridge is full of healthy leftovers, as well as full of veggies that need to be turned into healthy meals. So I know I can’t spend money to get “yummy” food. But the leftovers just didn’t light my fire today. :-) Finally, my eyes lit on the jar of natural peanut butter I picked up at Sprout’s. Delicious!!! I’ve always been a sucker for PB! I used the multi-grain bread that my mother-in-law brought to me last week (when I was off of yeast products) to make Peanut butter toast, and made a cup of decaf hot tea to go with it. Yuuummmmm Yuuummmm! What a delightful treat, after so many days of staring at that bread with longing!

When I got up from my nap (eat your heart out, tired mamas!), I poured the last few ounces of tea over ice to make a half cup of iced tea that lasted me through my afternoon, until I was making dinner. I did a good job NOT snacking all afternoon. This was probably helped by the fact that I didn’t have the dehydrator running with something yummy in it all afternoon. :-)

For supper, I made the flatbread pizza with Macadamia Nut cheese from the Daniel Fast book. It was plumb wonderful! However, because I’m off the first ten days, I did make the following modifications: I used veggie sausage crumbles on my portion, and I added a tablespoon of parmesan and a tablespoon of mozzarella to mine. This recipe necessitated making the flatbread recipe first, which has to sit for 30 minutes and bake for ten minutes before assembling the pizza. Then I had to make the spinach artichoke dip from the cookbook (I made a half batch, and added about a ¼ cup of mozzarella to this, too) and bake it. I cut the flatbread into four portions (for me and my three kiddos) before baking, then let each person top his or her own. They chose from sliced veggies, cooked chicken, and whatever else they could find. For the most part, they enjoyed all of theirs, although I LOVED mine! I even saved a little of it for a leftover another day, and am looking forward to it! I served it with the remaining white bean salad from yesterday (yeah, that did NOT improve with age!) and it made a filling, healthy dinner.

The miracle of miracles for today was that I MADE IT TO CHURCH at Eagle Heights! I haven’t been able to attend a Wednesday night service in forever, partly because by that time of day, things are pretty rough in my fuzzy little head. Malachi was driving, since Dan was at work till 8pm, so he had the privilege of walking his dizzy mama all the way down the hall to the adult service, then coming back for me afterward. :-) What fun! He’s a sweet guy, though, and teased me the whole way, instead of grumbling or mocking. :-)

Overall, it was a great first day to continue making wise decisions while giving myself a bit more freedom. What suggestions do you have?

Day Ten: Modified Daniel Fast

Tuesday, April 5, 2016

When we woke up this morning, the house was 67 degrees, and soon fell to 66 degrees. Isn’t it funny that, although I know I can start adding things back in tomorrow, it was today that I was most tempted for a cup of coffee? I just want something warm that tastes comforting! J But God wants me to find my comfort in Him, not in a coffee cup. So that's what I did.

I had my granola from the cookbook this morning, with my classic coconut milk. (I think it might be growing on me? It didn’t seem quite so gross today.) I ran out of my dried cranberries, and I’m a bit low on the blueberries, so thought I’d wait till those are replaced before I eat the Kashi again. It needs all the help it can get! :-)

My hubby is off today (It’s his weekend), so I’m planning the White Bean Salad (from the Daniel Fast book) for lunch. I think he’ll enjoy it, and it will broaden the girls’ horizons, which is good for them. :-) They think they’re about to die from having their diets stretched so far this week. I think they’ll live. :-) The salad wasn’t the most popular thing I’ve made, but it wasn’t the worst, either. There was a bit left over, which will be even worse tomorrow, I’m thinking.

For supper, Dan grilled again, as he had done last night. We did the Veggie Kebabs from the Daniel Fast book, which basically entails chopping a ba-jillion (that’s actually a number!) veggies, then marinating them in soy sauce, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, and I don’t remember what else. We used cherry tomatoes, zucchini, onions, red and yellow peppers, red potatoes, carrots, and all sorts of yummy veggies. Dan grilled it up in a grill basket while he did his venison steaks. It was yummy yummy!

I suspect that if I release myself from the food guidelines without setting boundaries for myself, I’ll go crazy and lose the ground (both in my health and in my relationship with the Lord) that I've fought so hard for during this time. Since I want to continue the healthy choices I’ve made, and I still suspect there could be some continuing health benefits from limiting my sugar intake (ya think?!), these are the boundaries I’m setting for the remainder of the week:

•  I will eat dairy (cheese, sour cream, or milk to drink) only when the rest of the family is doing so. Even then, I will do so in moderation, using “half of my normal serving” as a guideline.

• I will enjoy a cup of (decaf) coffee no more than once every 48 hours. That is about what I’ve always done, but I’m going to make it a hard and fast rule to keep me honest. 

• I will not have dark soda until the Ohio trip (mid-April). From now till May 26, if a decaf flavored lemonade option is available (for instance, in restaurants or at Panera), I will choose that. (I only drink decaf soda anyway, whether dark or light.)

• I will not eat fast-food meats (burgers, chicken nuggets, etc). Instead, I will choose the less processed cut of meat (steak or grilled chicken topping on a taco salad, etc).

• When the family has pizza, I will eat only ONE piece, and enjoy the daylights out of it, while finishing my meal with a classic Daniel Fast leftover or recipe. (Yikes! Did I really just say that?!)

• I will continue to use my Daniel Fast recipes for sweets (the oatmeal raisin cookies and the apricot breakfast bars) until the Ohio trip, with the exception that I will enjoy a dark-chocolate covered almond once in awhile.

What other guidelines do you think would be wise? Have I not gone far enough on any of these? I know, I know… cutting out soda completely would be a lot healthier. I’m getting there, OK? J  I’ll continue to update from time to time as I add things back in, and we’ll see where we’re at in a few days!

Thank you for joining me on my Daniel Fast journey. I hope you’ve been encouraged to try some new recipes yourself, and maybe to make a fasting commitment of your own to God, whether form certain types of food, or from some other area in which He is prompting you. God bless you on your journey!

Day Nine: Modified Daniel Fast

Monday, April 4, 2016

One…More…Day!! No coffee today. No sugar. No cheese. No meat. No cow’s milk… But a sweeter, closer relationship with the Lord is worth it, right? Right!

Psalm 22:25b – “I will pay my vows before them that fear Him.” That’s what I’m striving to do with this blog – to use the decisions and the commitments God is using to change my life to encourage you and others who read these little ramblings. Thank you for joining me on this journey.

One of the books I'm reading right now is entitled Tongue Pierced: Howthe Words You Speak Transform the Life You Live. Here’s a quote from the chapter I read today: “You and I are never more like God than when we use our words to speak the truth of His will for our lives into existence.”  

Lots of doctor’s appointments today, and no time for a detailed record. Thank you for checking in. Stay faithful!

Day Eight: Modified Daniel Fast

The last couple days' posts were scheduled (to post on Friday and on Saturday) after I wrote them on Thursday. At the time, I didn't realize why God had prompted me to do it that way. However, I've spent the last two days flat on my back with the worst dizziness and headaches I've had in many months. Praise the Lord for His faithfulness, and for His healing! It's been so nice to be out of bed some, and able to interact with my family today. So, before the day is over.... here is today's post. :-) Thank you for your feedback in person and via email. I hope these posts have been a blessing and encouragement to you in your journey with the Lord.

Sunday, April 3, 2016

Psalm 16: 7-8, 11 ~ “I will bless the Lord who has counseled me; Indeed, my mind instructs me in the night. I have set the Lord always before me; because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. You will show me the path of life; in the presence is fullness of joy; at the right hand there are pleasures for evermore.” [paraphrased; emphasis mine]

These verses were such a comfort to me this morning. As I hit the one-week mark on this journey, it is easy to become discouraged because I have not seen the miraculous results in our child’s life that I have asked God for. Furthermore, the wholesale change in my eating habits has not, apparently, made a drastic difference in my dizziness, restfulness, or headaches. But I continually go back to the fact that it was God who counseled me to do this, and the results are His responsibility, not mine. I will not be moved, or shaken, because He takes longer to answer than I had scheduled (how infantile, to put the God of the universe on my human timetable, anyway!). Instead, I will rest in the pleasures of the closer relationship He and I have developed through this time, and I will continue to seek Him ever more earnestly in the days to come.

I really wanted to make it to church today, but it is a big deal for Dan to be able to have me there, knowing he might need to leave at a moment's notice, and that he needs to get me right home afterward. There were some people he still needed to talk to regarding the issues of the last couple weeks, so we decided together that I needed to stay home this morning. And by tonight, I wasn't able to attend because of the dizziness and exhaustion. Ah well... the Live Stream services from Val Verde continue to be a huge blessing! My son's youth group put on tonight's service, and he preached the closing. I have no greater joy than to "see" my children walk in truth! ~III John 4

For lunch, I was able to put together the Black & White Chili (also served last Wednesday night), since the kids had all requested it again. This time, my hubby got to try it, too. Unfortunately, he doesn’t care for chili in general. His comment was, “You took out the part of chili that I like (the meat) and put in more of what I don’t like (the beans).” Haha…. But he had seconds! He’s always super sweet about trying my creative failings in the kitchen. :-) I also attempted to make corn muffins from the Daniel Fast book, but I didn’t have rice milk (the only liquid in the recipe), so I substituted coconut milk. I soon discovered that coconut milk is not as watery as rice milk, and the muffins turned out like little sand-flavored rocks. They were OK in the chili, but not really edible by themselves. Again, my sweet hubby drizzled his with honey and got them down with a good attitude! He’s a keeper, for sure!

It was a rough day physically. There was lots of dizziness, coupled with a minor headache that I think was rooted in a stiff neck and shoulders. I’m just not sleeping well, and it’s discouraging to not be seeing more of a benefit from the changes I’ve made. For reals…. It’s been a week! Before I started this, I was told “You could probably see a difference within a few days!” Now people are telling me, “It might take a few weeks.” That’s a bit discouraging. :-/

For supper, I ate some leftovers of the other healthy stuff I’ve had in the fridge. Most of these healthy dishes are definitely more appetizing fresh! But alas… I hate to waste food, and I’ve already messed up on the onion soup. GGrrr…

Finally, when Dan got home from church with the kids, he set them to making Ramen and asked me to go out with him somewhere where he could catch the Royals’ opening game. We found a little Mexican restaurant that we hadn’t tried before and I ate the chips and salsa, even though I didn’t know the ingredients. I tried some Espinaca dip (which I’d never ordered before), thinking it would be mostly spinach and tomato, but it was quite cheesy, and I knew it wouldn’t fit my commitments, so I saved it and brought it home for the kids. The hardest thing at the restaurant was to drink the water I had brought from home, instead of ordering a nice BIIIIG refreshing soda! They didn’t even have hand-flavored lemonades… just the pink lemonade from the fountain, so I made the right choice, but it was HAAARD!! God is faithful!

Day Seven: Modified Daniel Fast

Saturday, April 2, 2016

We finally had our last meeting of the very long and difficult week this morning. Hopefully, from this point, we’ll all be able to go forward with spiritual and emotional healing, and see God work miraculously in the lives of those involved.

Before we left for our early-morning meeting, I had my delightful bowl of 7-grain Kashi with coconut milk, and more dried fruit than cereal. The dried blueberries and cranberries, in addition to raisins, really improve the flavor of the cereal, and drown out the milk completely. I use just enough milk to moisten the cereal. At this rate, this first half-gallon of coconut milk is going to last me a lifetime! :-( NOOOOO!!!!

I’ve been very busy with my dehydrator, using apple chips or banana chips, and even the odd carrot chip, to settle my munchies without adding either liquid (since I’m limited) or sugar to my diet. When the kids went fishing with my dad today, I sent with them a bag of the fruit leather that I had made from unsweetened applesauce, and a bag of the dried fruit I had made. They enjoyed it immensely! J And I felt good about being able to provide them with a healthy snack. Who is this lady offering them dried fruit instead of homemade cookies? I’m gonna lose my Grandma card! J

For lunch, since the kids were gone with their grandpa, I wended my way through some of the leftovers. Our microwave died last night, so I reheated the spin dip on the stove, which dried it out a bit further. Then I mixed some salsa with the Great Northern Bean dip, since it already had the avocado in it. That improved it to “nearly edible,” and I used tortilla chips to eat some of it, but didn’t finish it off. I finished my broiled polenta crisps (from Monday?) with the spin dip, and one of the kids snitched the last bit when she got home, so that is gone for now.  While I had the kitchen to myself, I used the dehydrator to dry the cilantro and the last of the green onions that were threatening to go south on me. I love having an inexpensive way of preserving food that otherwise might be wasted! Dehydrators are SOOO COOL!

The biggest challenge I faced today with my food choices might seem strange to some of you. I’ve always been kind of a private snacker. I am a hoarder by nature, and this translates to my relationship with food. I can make a package of Oreos last 8 months (I did this during one of my pregnancies!), or a dozen authentic buckeyes from Ohio last 6 months. Yes… I’ve had chocolates spoil before I ate them. Because of my hoarding tendency, I am more likely to hide a treat in my room, and enjoy just a bite of it when no one is around. This works well when you’re making a snickers bar last a month, but it doesn’t work well when you want to be honest before God about what you’re eating. The first thing I thought when all my kids were gone today was, “I should have a glass of milk.” Then I remembered I had told God I wouldn’t, so my next thought was, “Well maybe a cup of coffee then.” Same story… I’m humbled to admit how close I came to failing in my commitment, but by God’s grace, I stayed strong, and stuck with the plan. I didn’t even snitch a crumb of the no-bake cookies (yes, one of my favorites!) that the kids made and left open on the table after having them for dessert! Praise the Lord for His faithfulness!

I used the last of my date honey (better make more! That stuff is versatile and yummy!) to make the Apricot Breakfast Bars from the Daniel Fast book, because I was in the mood for something sweet besides the oatmeal cookies I had made earlier in the week. These bars are much more flavorful, especially with the diced dried fruit, and really hit the sweet spot I was struggling with.

For dinner, I apparently hit another home-run. There is a recipe in the Daniel Fast book called Chunky Potato Soup, but my family likes a creamier soup, instead of broth-y. I used the last of my veggie broth (Looks like I’m going to be cooking some more this weekend) with chopped carrots (finished those off), celery (out of that, too!), and onion, as well as the last few crumbs of broccoli and cauliflower that the kids hadn’t finished off earlier. Add potatoes and seasonings, then run it through the food processor to blend everything together, and VOILA! The color is less than appetizing, because it has green and orange veggies in it. But the flavor is fabulous! Some of us ate it without anything added. I tried part of a bowl with veggie sausage crumbles, but thought it was better without. None of the kids added cheese, although I had told them they could, and a couple used bacon. It was quite flavorful, and everyone voted to do it again soon! Yay! Another victory for healthy eating!