Broken Chairs

I'm sighing.
It seems like every other day I find something broken around this house.
A broken toy, basket, dish.
A broken vintage chair.
No one seems to know how any of these things broke.
It's a mystery!
I cried about the chair.
I'm sighing.
Aren't we supposed to take care of the things God gave us?
I'm wondering if we have too many 'things' and we just don't care anymore.
What's the big deal?
Just get a new one!
I think we DO have too many things and you all know how I am trying to simplify by having less stuff.
After I found the broken chair, I threatened to get rid of EVERYTHING!
All the 'extras'.
Why have anything if we won't take care of it.
It just doesn't make sense.
Oh, and I know some darling little children who are probably eagerly awaiting the Christmas gift RECIEVING season.
WE DON'T NEED ANYTHING!
We can't even take care of the things we do have!
Sighing, sighing.
But today is Veteran's Day!
I had the kids attention at the breakfast table.
Listen, children, about those who gave so much to defend our country and fight for freedom.
Your own Grandpa and Uncle.
And countless others I could name.
And what about the ultimate sacrifice of forever freedom in Heaven someday.
Jesus didn't even have a home to call His own and we can't even be thankful for the chair we get to lounge on every day!
We are making an attitude change.
When I cried about the chair it was more for our attitudes and how we are so flippant sometimes with the things God has entrusted us with than just the hole in the chair.
We have been given so much that I wonder if we even realize just HOW MUCH!
We are taking too much for granted.
I want a thankful heart and a desire to take the focus off of ME and onto others.
And I want to truly be thankful for ALL THINGS.
I don't want to be crying over broken chairs.
So today we started 51 Days of Giving!
51 days from today, Veteran's Day, until the end of the year we will focus on giving, not getting.
Giving, because we are given so much.
Giving, because we truly want to be thankful.
We went to the library and found books and VeggieTale's DVD's about giving and one book, of course, about Veteran's Day.

This giving thing is going to be fun!
I think it's the perfect antidote for my broken chair!
The kids and I brainstormed for ways to give (and there's no need to stop after 51 days!)
1) Give thanks to God-give Him our hearts.
2) Use kind words.
3) Call a veteran to give thanks.
4) Tell someone about Jesus.
5) Make bookmarks and leave them in the library.
6) Leave coupons in the grocery store.
7) Invite someone new over for a meal or dessert.
8) Visit someone new.
9) Rake a neighbors leaves or shovel their sidewalk.
10) Send someone a 'thinking of you' card.
11) Decorate lunch bags for Meals on Wheels recipients.
12) Visit a nursing home to pass out treats and sing songs.
13) Bring treats to the fire and police stations.
14) Leave a kind note for the postal carrier.
15) Fill shoeboxes for Samaritan's Purse.
16) Donate to Toys for Tot's.
17) Pick a name off the Giving Tree at the local library and buy a gift for a recipient in need.
18) Give a favorite book to someone you know who'll enjoy it.
19) Make a special craft with a special child.
20) Call an old friend.
21) Give a dollar to a child for no reason
22) Give hugs and kisses.
23) Send an encouraging note to a minister or teacher.

Maybe you will want to join us in our giving quest. Just start where you are and
please feel free to share any ideas you have for the encouragement of all of us to give during this beautiful thankful season!

Oh To Sing A New Song!

Checking my to-do list again and wondering if everything will get done in time for our Thanksgiving dininer guests tomorrow.
Running to the store to get one more ingredient.
Checking my list again!
At times, I feel a bit overwhelmed and maybe a teeny bit panicky.
I've even stomped about and grumbled under my breath a few times.
Sometimes feeling a little overworked and underpaid!
As I was running my last few errands, I was reminded of those less fortunate than myself.
Here I am, perfectly healthy, a cart full of groceries, all of my children home for the holiday, a husband with a job, a warm home and an enormous amount of material blessings and I only seem worried about whether the house is clean and I have everything on my to-do list done!
That's it!
It's time I start singing a new song!
So, I think about what I've been given. It is Thanksgiving, after all!
And when I think of what I've been given, I don't think so much about the material things or the warm home or all these earthly gifts, tho, I am so very thankful for these!
Tears come to my eyes when I think of how selfish I can be when I realize that I would still have Everything even if I had nothing of this earth to my name!
God has given me everything in Jesus!
I am thankful for all this food, for our family, health, home, friends, a car to drive, clothes to wash, rugs to clean, walls to scrub, my baby's dirty face and paint on her clothes, a country to live in that still honors thanking our Lord, the freedom to be all that God created us to be but most of all I am thankful for the grace that has been freely given to me.
It's been freely given to all and I pray everyone will come to know of God's most precious gift!

"O sing unto the Lord a new song"-Psalm 98:1
"Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations."-Psalm 100

May you all have a beautiful, blessed Thanksgiving Day!

Random Thoughts (of Thanksgiving)

Just sitting here contemplating life as of late.

Hmmm.

Baby is coming very soon.

Very Thankful!

Our 9 year old son has been experiencing unusual neurological symptoms for almost 2 months now. (I will let you know our thoughts and journey on that at a later time!)

He is having a good day today.
Very thankful!

The little girls are creating a recipe in the kitchen.

They are calling it Apple Surprise.

I will be surprised if they actually clean up their mess when they are through!

Teenage daughter #3 just taught Jacob how to slur the guitar.

~Sounds impressive.

The house has 4 make-shift forts in the living room.

I know it is Tuesday (beans and rice night) but think we will have granola for dinner.

Made an eye exam for college son for when he comes home for Thanksgiving.

Thankful that he is coming home!

Making sweet potato casserole (recipe follows) to put in freezer just in case baby wants to come a bit early.

Even made Buckeyes with the kids to put in freezer for Christmas.

To tell you the truth~they will probably be gone before December 1.

That's the trouble with trying to get things done a little early.

Oh well. I try!

Trying to get the kids to finish their schooling before dinner.

They always seem to find something that is more important to do.

Like, the little girls going into my closet to find clothes for dress-up or

the boys going outside to shoot their bows and arrows.

I hear someone screaming.

I guess it is time for clean-up and schoolwork after all!

I have several children already asking for the Buckeyes in the freezer.

After you clean up, I say!

It's working.

Even 4 year old is cleaning up!

It's amazing, really.

She is usually the one that says I can just throw out her things, that she likes to play with sticks and stones anyway.

That's what she says when I tell her,

"If you don't pick up your toys, I will give them away and you can just play with sticks and stones like the American Indians used to do."

I have actually given away a lot of her toys.

We have way too many 'things' anyway.

Oh, a clutter-free Christmas sounds nice.

You know, gifts that will last out the month of December and maybe beyond!

A Little House On the Prairie Christmas sounds nice.

A doll and a stick of candy in Laura's stocking.

The clelebration was CHRISTMAS!

The gifts were:

ENJOYING RELATIONSHIPS: JESUS, FAMILY, FRIENDS

SPECIAL CARE WITH THE CHRISTMAS DINNER, ETC.

PRECIOUS TRADITIONS:

Reading the Christmas story,

A special breakfast and dinner.

Visiting special people.

I am thankful for the simple gift of Christmas!

Why do we make it more than that?

You know, worrying about how many different kinds of cookies we will make.

Running all over town for the perfect Christmas clothes we want our kids to wear.

Buying and returning. Buying and returning.
Decorating, thinking, planning.

I do all of these things.
It is fun!
Unless it stops being fun! You know what I mean?
When Christmas day comes, none of that matters, really.
Jesus was born!
He died and rose again!
It is both simple and extraordinarily miraculous at the same time!
We are happy!
We have the most precious and perfect gift!
Not just at Christmas,
but always!
So much to be thankful for!
Life is not always easy.
But it is good!
We have everything we need!
Our daily bread is given to us every day!
Oh, if I could only keep that thankfulness in my heart each and every day!

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving Day!

Sweet Potato Cassserole adapted from Allrecipes.com
Serves 8-10

~4 1/4 cups cooked and mashed sweet potatoes
~1/2-1 cup sugar, honey or agave nectar
~1/2-2/3 cups butter
~1/3 cup evaporated milk
~2 eggs, beaten
~1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
~1/3 cup butter, melted
~1 1/3 cups chopped pecans
~1 cup light brown sugar or sucanat
~2/3 all-purpose flour

1) Mix together sweet potatoes, sugar, 2/3 cup butter, milk, eggs and vanilla.

Spread in greased 9 x 13" baking dish.

2) Mix melted butter, pecans, brown sugar and flour.

Spoon on top of sweet potato mix.

3) Bake at 350` for 25-30 minutes.

~Can be frozen, thawed and heated when needed.

~Could add cinnamon and nutmeg.

~I plan on omitting the pecans or making 2 smaller dishes; one with pecans and one without.

Holiday Health Maintenance Plan

Okay, 6 days until Thanksgiving and 5 weeks until Christmas and 9 weeks until the New Year! Time is flying and wouldn't it be nice if we were a little ahead of the game instead of a little bit behind? It sure would be nice to greet the New Year knowing we had a wonderful Thanksgiving where we didn't completely stuff ourselves and then go to an average of 7 -10 Christmas gatherings and not completely stuff ourselves at each one of those, too! (7-10 is also the average weight gain in pounds during the holidays, too!)

Let's try to have a 'little' bit of self-control! Or maybe we just need a nice 'little' plan!

Here is a plan that we could use:

1. ENJOY THIS BEAUTIFUL SEASON! This is the number one rule!

2. Take your 'Tea Time' every morning (see 'Tea Time' post). This calms and centers us for the day ahead!

3. Stick with your workout plan trying not to let 2 days go by without exercising! If you do not already have a workout plan, start walking 3-4 times a week but no dilly dallying! Work up a sweat.

4. Add bursts of high-energy pace (really fast) with bursts of medium pace into your walking routine. For example, walk at medium pace for 2 minutes, pick up the pace considerably (practically running) for 1 minute, then back down to medium pace and then back up to high pace. Keep doing this for 20 minutes. This tricks the body into high-metabolism mode and burns fat much more efficiently. Of course, it works nicely with running, swimming and biking, too!

5. Put strength training into your day with this super-simple body weight plan:

It DOES NOT matter how old you are! You CAN do this!


Work in squats, push-ups and crunches throughout the day. When you get up in the morning, take 2 minutes to do 25 squats, 25 push-ups and 25 crunches one after the other. Of course, you can work up to the 25. Start with 10 each if you have to and before you know it you will be doing 25! Now, if you are pregnant or just can't seem to get on the floor for push-ups, you can do wall push-ups. Just put your hands on the wall and bring your feet as far away as you can and bring your nose to the wall. Hey! You have to start somewhere!

Now the trick is to do this 3-exercise-strength-training-set 4-5 times throughout the day, every day! It only takes a few minutes! I sneak them in whenever I walk into my room or into the bathroom. If you do 25 reps at a time, you will end up doing 100 squats, 100 push-ups and 100 crunches by the end of the day! Yay!

6. Make sure to drink your 8-10 glasses of water each day. Make it easy by always bringing a water bottle in the car. I get the big case of Ice Mountain at Costco and leave the whole case in my van. I have a reusable water bottle for the house.

7. Now what to do with all the food at all of these gatherings? First of all, remember, ENJOY THIS WONDERFUL TIME OF YEAR! But remember that 'failing to plan is a plan to fail'! It really is true! If a person wants to live a healthy lifestyle, a person has to plan. So:

Whatever dish you need to bring to the gathering, make sure it is a 'clean-eating' dish. Meaning GOOD FOR YOU HEALTHY INGREDIENTS! That way you always have something healthy to eat along with all of the other goodies. You could always offer to bring a veggie tray OR A BOWL OF MIXED BERRIES, too! But a nice healthy pumpkin pie would be much more fun to eat! *I will have a few recipes at the end of this post*

Remember the 50% plate rule? 50% of your plate should consist of veggies and fruit~preferably fresh, 25% should be your protein (meat etc), and 25% grains and starches.

This is just a rule of 'thumb'. It just feels good to have a PLAN!

8. Drink water on the way to the gathering or eat a piece of fruit so you are not so tempted to eat everything in sight!

9. Enjoy your favorites! But instead of going for seconds, sip slowly on your drink and visualize a fit and happy 'you'! You just KNOW someone will be secretly admiring your 'self control!' And then go into the bathroom and do 10 wall push-ups just to keep you focused! We are in CONTROL NOW!

10. Keep a notepad by your bed to write 5 things you are thankful for each night and maybe even a little summary of your exercise etc, and what your goals are. It is also a good time to breathe nice and deep (yoga breath-fill the belly with air on the inhale and feel the belly button sink back to the spine on the exhale). Know that this was a GOOD day!

Now a few 'clean-eating' recipes: (Make sure to check out the Cranberries and Apple recipe posted earlier.)



PUMPKIN PIE

9" pie crust, unbaked *recipe follows*

2 c. cooked, mashed pumpkin

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 to 1/3 c. honey

2 T molasses (optional)

1 t. ground cinnamon

1/2 t. ground ginger

1/4 t. ground cloves

1 c. light cream or half-and-half or milk plus 2 T melted butter or yogurt

1/2 t vanilla

Blend filling ingredients with beater or blender. Pour into crust. Bake at 400` for 45-55 minutes, or until knife inserted halfway cetween center and crust comes out clean. Cool on rack.

Variation: Replace pumpkin with 2 c. cooked sweet potatoes, add 1/2 t. ground nutmeg and 1/2 c. unsweetened, shredded coconut, if desired. Bake at 350` for about 1 hour.



EASY OIL CRUST

2 c. whole wheat flour

1 t. salt (optional)

1/2 c. oil

1/4 c. cold water

Stir flour and salt in a bowl. Combine oil and water and mix into flour with a fork. form into 2 balls with your hands and let sit, covered with a cloth, for 5 minutes. Roll out between sheets of waxed paper. Place rolled dough into pie plate; fill and bake. Makes 1-10" or 2-9" crusts.

PEAR, PROSCUITTO AND HAZELNUT STUFFING

This recipe is from www.eatingwell.com/recipes/pear_prosciutto_hazelnut_stuffing.html. Click onto the link for the recipe and nutritional value, etc. I am planning on making this. I think it sounds gourmet and the holidays is a perfect time for me to try anything gourmet. Otherwise, I am a pretty basic cook! I will still make the original stuffing for the kids. This website has a lot of great sounding recipes and I already have it bookmarked! For more healthy Thansgiving recipes, just look for the link that says Healthy Thanksgiving recipes. There is even a green bean casserole one that uses fresh mushrooms and a homemade white sauce!


Please remember, this is just a plan to keep us on track. I have NEVER followed a plan perfectly! I like to have a plan, though. I feel better and I enjoy and appreciate good, healthy food! I still enjoy good, unhealthy food, too, but the majority of the time I try to eat healthy!


There is a saying that I really believe to be true: "Nothing tastes as good as thin feels." That is so true. Just undereat once and awhile and you will know what I mean! We are so used to overeating that we hardly get the chance to feel what 'thin' feels like.



Please do not stress about anything during the holidays! Thanksgiving and Christmas are very special events that are supposed to bring us closer to our Heavenly Father. There is absolutely no reason to feel stressed! Just K.I.S.S! Keep It Simple, Sweetheart!


Plan on all shopping, etc, to be done by December 1st. In December, enjoy baking cookies and visiting and surprising someone with the gift of time (babysitting, running errands for etc). Christmas is not about shopping, though I know it has to be done. I refuse to let it dominate my entire Christmas season! I really do want a simple Christmas! To be able to enjoy our loved ones knowing we were first loved by God! (Please see earlier post "Can We have A Simple Christmas?" and check out the comments for a lot of wonderful ideas.)

Have a beautiful Thanksgiving and Christmas season!

PS. If anyone has an idea that works nicely for them, just let us all know! Or maybe a good healthy recipe, etc. Thanks! I love other peoples ideas!

Thanksgiving

We have so much to be thankful for year after year! I think it is wonderful to know we still have the freedom to share our bounteous blessings with our loved ones. We still live in a country that sets aside a special day just for giving thanks! Now this is something to be thankful for! We have the brave men and women who have fought so courageously for our feedom to thank for this wonderful right! (So thank you, dear brave souls!) Since the days way back in the 1600s when the pilgrims bravely took the step to leave a country that took away their right to believe as they wanted, we still can believe as a christian to this day! We have so much to be thankful for!



Here are a few things I am thankful for this year:



1. Our freedom to believe.

2. The love of God, family and friends.

3. Food and shelter and clothing.

4. Health and happiness.

5. A loving husband.

6. My precious children.

7. A comfy bed.

8. Babies in heaven.

9. My church family.

10. Fresh air and sunshine.

11. A paycheck!

12. The Old Rugged Cross!

13. My own little piece of earth.

14. The sound of children's laughter.

15. God's precious word.

16. Music.

17. Good books.

18. A dependable car.

19. Safety.

20. Clean water.

21. The freedom to dream.

22. Our daily bread.

23. Grace.



Oh, I know their are so many more things, like getting a front row parking spot at the mall or being thankful that my stocking didn't fall down to my ankle the other week at church. (I had to go into the kitchen at church and look for safety pins. I didn't find any, but I did find some paperclips that worked just fine! Phew!) Now you know that I am not the most 'prepared' person around.

Here are a few ideas for Thanksgiving:

1. You can make a Thankful Tree. Draw a tree onto a large piece of paper and stick it on the fridge and everyone in the family can write something they are thankful for on a separate piece of paper and then stick it on one of the tree branches.

2. Have the kids make up a play for thanksgiving, or recite a poem or sing a song or tell silly jokes and then they can entertain the adults after dinner.


3. Have slips of paper for the guests to write down what they are thankful for and put them all in a bowl. Then everyone can pick out a slip of paper and read it aloud.


4. Print out coloring pages for the kids at http://holidays.kaboose.com/thanksgiving/ and find craft ideas etc.

5. Make a beautiful centerpiece:

This idea is from www.hgtv.com/crafting

Supplies:

footed container

floral foam

floral tape

fresh plums

white mini pumpkins

hydrangea, fresh or dried

grapevine balls

seeded eucalyptus sprays

wooden skewers

hot glue and glue sticks

1. Find a container and put water-saturated floral foam inside making sure to cut the foam 1-2" above the container. (A hollowed out pumpkin is a good container, too.)

2. Crisscross floral tape over the foam and attach to inside of container.

3. Insert skewers into mini pumpkins and plums. You may have to shorten the skewers.

4. Attach grapevine balls to skewers with hot glue and add to arrangement.

5. Fill spaces between plums, pumpkins and grapevine balls with hydrangea. Add branches of seeded eucalyptus for texture.

Now enjoy these last few days before Thanksgiving to soak in all of God's goodness! Find a little quiet time and write out your lists (to do, to buy, to be thankful for!) and find a little bit of fun and laughter in your days! We only have one life to live and I believe that God wants us to really enjoy it! It is not all work, you know! But if it seems like all work and no play, we just have to stop and 'smell the roses', change the routine a little, take a deep breath and say, 'aahh!'

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Baked Cranberries and Apple

This is a recipe from Tosca Reno's Eat Clean Cookbook. ( http://www.eatcleandiet.com/) I am going to make this for Thanksgiving. I think it looks beautiful and all the ingredients are good for you!

Baked Cranberries and Apple

Yield: 4 servings

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

1-12 oz. bag fresh cranberries, rinsed

1 large Mutsu or other firm apple, peeled, seeded and chopped

1/2 cup pure maple syrup

peel of one orange, cut into ribbons

juice of 1/2 fresh orange

2 cinnamon sticks

pinch ground nutmeg

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Prepare a medium casserole dish by spraying with a touch of olive oil.

3. Combine all ingredients in mixing bowl and toss until well mixed. Place in casserole dish and cover. Bake for 30 minutes.

4. Remove lid and bake 10 more minutes or until sauce turns to syrup and fruit is cooked.

Tosca's Tips: Mutsu apples, also known as Crispin apples, are large, sweet and firm. Make this recipe your own by experimenting with different types of apples.

1/2 cup serving: 190 calories, 4 g fat, 42 g carbs, 13 g fiber, 4 g protein, 58 mg sodium, 0 g cholesterol