Unrefined sweeteners verses Refined and Artificial

I have been doing a lot of research on sweeteners lately, and I've decided to write a blog about it (at least the ones that I use), discussing the positives and negatives of each one. Most of these sweeteners have a few things in common: 1) They contain minerals and nutrients that are not found in refined white sugar (so, it's not just empty calories), 2) They take longer to break down; therefore, you are satisfied longer and there isn't as much of a change in blood sugar, 3) They contain much less sucrose, 4) Most contain more flavor, and 5) Some of these sweeteners, you can use less of.

Sucanat: made by keeping together the sugar and molasses. All of the nutritional benefits of molasses remain. This has a strong molasses flavor. This product is dry (like flour), has many vitamins, minerals, and trace elements. This has a much lower sucrose level than white sugar. It is easier to blend, and creates a smoother texture in baked goods.

Unrefined sugar: made from sugar cane juice. It is released by pressing sugar cane stalks. It is typically 50% less processed than refined sugar, and contains more molasses. There isn't quite as much molasses in this as in sucanat. We use this the most (we buy it in the "Latino foods" section at Walmart for the same price as white, refined sugar!).


Molasses: contains the most vitamins, minerals, and trace elements (iron, potassium, calcium, and magnesium) because it comes straight from the sugar cane plant. There are two types: 1)Blackstrap (stronger flavor) and 2) Barbados (lighter and sweeter flavor). You can use 1/2 of this to produce the same sweetness.


Fructose: natural sugar found in plants and fruits. This is highly refined, but it is absorbed more slowly into your body, so it produces smaller fluctuations in blood sugar. You can also use much less of this to produce the same amount of sweetness (1/2 to 3/4 the amount). I use this in my tea because it tastes like sugar.

Honey: this is sweeter than sugar, and has more calories. The great thing about it is that you can use much less (about 1/2), and it contains medicinal benefits as well as enzymes, minerals, and vitamins.

Stevia: a natural herb, calorie free, and contains no artifical sweetners (saccharin or aspartame). It dissolves nicely in cold drinks. I use this one, as well, in tea. You can find this in the health foods section at HEB (if you have one where you live!), or probably in any health food store. It is a bit expensive, but completely worth it!

Information found at:
http://www.healthychild.com/

http://www.naturalorganiclifestyle.com/

Now, onto why not to use artifical sweeteners:

- There are 92 different health side effects associated with aspartame! Check out www.sweetpoison.com/articles/0706/aspartame_symptoms_submit.html to see a chart submitted by the FDA on the symptoms attributed to aspartame.
- I haven't really done much research on Splenda yet, but just seeing it fizz in my coffee when I was out of town was enough to make me not want to use it! I will get back to you once I have done more research on the risks of it!

Homemade Baby Food

I make homemade baby food for Ethan, and he loves it! It takes some work, about one day a month, but then I'm usually set for that month (at least for now- he still doesn't eat a whole lot). It's a pretty simple process. All I do is steam my veggies or fruits, puree them, put them in ice cube trays, and freeze them over night (covered with foil). The next morning, I turn them upside down under warm, running water, and dump them onto the foil. Place in pint size freezer bags, and put them back into the freezer. When you want to use them, just put them in a small bowl, and defrost (however you want). Yesterday, I found an awesome website (well, I already knew about it, but I really spent some time looking at it)- http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/. I have been buying baby cereal, but I think I'll start making it now :). It's really easy. You just grind rolled oats, brown rice, or barley in a food processor or blender and place them in bags, in the fridge. When you want to make them, you just follow the instructions that they give (cook with water in pot on stove, stirring with whisk).

Let me know if you have any new ideas about making baby food!

Cheeky Diapers

I ordered a new type of diaper for Ethan with some of his Christmas money. I haven't received them yet, but I'm excited about them! Once I do receive them, I'll update!
I ordered them from http://www.cheekydiapers.com/. They are about the same price as Bumgenius (but much cuter). They are the same type as well- one size pocket diapers. They are a bit pricy, but the great thing is, they will last forever because they adjust (I got 25% off of these because they were on sale)! So, in my opinion, pockets are the best deal because you don't have to constantly buy new sizes. Here are the pics of the diapers (the first pic is the diaper, the following 3 are the fabrics that I ordered- you can tell what colors I like!):

Homemade "Goldfish" Crackers

I found an amazing homemade "goldfish" cracker recipe, and I thought I would share it!! It's VERY easy and really yummy! Karis loves them, and they are healthy!

I found this recipe on http://www.yumsugar.com/. I cut the recipe down a bit, and as usual, I did it a little differently.

1 cup all purpose (I used 1/2 spelt and 1/2 unbleached all purpose)

4 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

8 ounces grated cheese (it said to use sharp, but all I had was mild and it turned out fine)

3/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon fresh-ground pepper
(For the salt and pepper, I just used my salt and pepper grinders and put a little in there)

(I only did 3/4 of the recipe because I didn't want to make too much)

1. Pulse the flour, butter, cheese, salt, and pepper together using a food processor until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
2. Pulse in 3-4 tablespoons of water, one tablespoon at a time, and only enough so that the dough forms a ball and rides the blade.
3. Remove, wrap in plastic, and chill for 20 minutes to 24 hours.

4. Heat oven to 350 degrees

5. Line 2 baking pans with parchment or wax paper, set aside (I used a silicone baking sheet)
6. Roll the dough out to 1/8th inch thickness. Cut out as many crackers as possible using a small cookie cutter.

7. Place them on the prepared baking pans (you can put them close together because they get smaller)
8. Bake until golden and crisp- 15 to 20 minutes

Store in airtight container for up to 1 week.

Make sure that you roll it as thin as possible. I had some that were too thick and so they never got quite crispy enough (although, they were really yummy anyway!).

Gifts We Gave and Gifts We Received

This year was different for us in that we decided to make most of our gifts. And, we didn't want them to be pointless and heartless, we wanted them to represent the people that we made them for, and we wanted them to be useful. Here are the pictures of everything that we made (with the exception of one; I hope to get a pic of that soon!):

This is a firepit for my sister in law and brother in law. Robert spent hours working on this, and it turned out really well. They were excited!

This is a picnic table for our niece.

This picnic table was for Karis. She LOVES letters, so we decided to put them on her table :). She loves her table! We ended up putting it in her school area because she loved it so much.

This is a desk with a flip-up top. We found it in the rafters of our garage (I'm not sure who left it), and we sanded and painted it. It's VERY useful!!

This is a piece of wood, stained and polycryliced to give it a nice shine :). Then, I took pictures and cut the corners and we put them on there and put 3 more layers of polycrylic. It turned out really nice. And, the corners have a stamp on them to give them some character. It's hard to see the stand in this picture.

Here are some pictures that I drew:

And, we received many wonderful things for Christmas this year!! The things that we received will help us to cook more often and more efficiently. Some we received from family, and a few things I bought with money that we received. I'm excited!!

A KITCHENAID STAND MIXER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We got this from Robert's parents and we were completely shocked!! It will get LOTS of use!

A food processor! This is what I bought with Christmas money.An awesome rolling pin, silicone pad, measuring cups and spoons.A new crockpot! From my parents! Ours broke, and I have been missing it! And, this is nicer than the one we had :).We got this cookbook from Robert's parents. It has great ideas for meals that are easy. The funny thing is that I'll probably make them more difficult by adding my homemade things. That's fun for me!!

This is a book that I bought with some Christmas money. It is AWESOME. It has tons of recipes for quick breads, yeast breads, muffins, pies, crackers, cookies, etc. It is going to get LOTS of use.Cool spatulas (I know, nothing big, but I love them).

A stainless steel mixing bowl. Love it! This is a flour sifter. I know it's nothing big, but I've been wanting to get one for a long time :).

Joey and Lindsey (brother and sis in law) got us this awesome coffee mug set. They know that we love coffee and hot tea, and they gave us something fun to drink it! :)

Shepherding a Child's Heart- My Goals/Desires for Myself as a Parent

As a parent, it is so easy to get caught up in the petty things and feel the need to do things one way because some people say that’s the best way. Breastfeed or bottle feed? Schedule or on demand? Co-sleep or crib in own bedroom? Cry it out or not? Yes, these are important decisions to make, but they need to be made based on what God’s word says, and what’s best for YOUR family, not on what others say. And, even though these are important, they really don’t affect your child as the grow up. You don’t look at a 10 year old and say, “You must have been bottle fed,” or “Your mommy let you cry as a baby, didn’t she?”

The most important things you can do for your children (and remember this is coming from a mom of a 2 ½ year old and a 6 month old, so I have a lot to learn!) are to make them feel safe and loved, shepherd their hearts, and teach them about Jesus. I have a long way to go in a few of these areas, but we’re getting there! I think we do a great job of making them feel safe and loved, and we are getting more and more consistent about discipline as we figure out the best way to discipline Karis. Every child is different, and we’re figuring that out. Until about 4 months ago, Karis was the easiest 2 year old on earth. She said please and thank you, she very rarely threw tantrums, and she obeyed. Then, 2 ½ hit. She is still what some people would consider to be a good 2 year old, but she’s not the toddler she once was! For about a year, we would use the “no, no” chair (timeout), and that was enough. Once she hit 2 ½, the “no, no” chair wasn’t enough. She’s a VERY moody and dramatic little girl. She constantly changes her mind. But, we have realized that we don’t need to please her! Our job as parents is not to please her or make her happy, but to teach her how to obey and why she needs to obey. When she “talks back” (yes, she already does this) or is disobedient, there needs to be consequences. Many times, there are natural consequences such as not getting what she wants, but there are times that we have to create them. The best thing lately when she starts throwing a fit (because she doesn’t get what she wants) is to make her to go her room. If she won’t go on her own, I take her in there and sit her on the floor. She DOESN’T like this one bit. If the fit gets out of control, she gets a spanking. When she’s done with her fit, she comes out to us and tells us sorry. We talk about WHY she was sent to her room. She’s at an age right now that she doesn’t always understand this, but it’s really important to do this now. Then she gives me a kiss and a hug and we move on. Most of the time, this is what happens. Now, if we’re not home, it gets more difficult. Thankfully, she very rarely throws a fit in public. And when she does, it’s usually because she’s hungry or tired. The only other time that we give her a spanking is when she’s blatantly disobedient (doing something after I told her flat out not to, and laughing/smiling about it). We don’t feel that spanking is necessary all the time. We save that for specific cases.

The best thing that we can do to prevent bad behavior, is by teaching them from the very beginning how they need to behave and why. We have done a pretty good job of this with Karis, but we have also learned more of what to do and what not to do.

Now, on to sharing Jesus with my children. I feel that we need to grow in this area. It’s difficult with a 2 ½ year old! Currently, we pray before meals (especially at home), pray at bedtime, read in her children’s Bible and do a devotion. We listen to praise music throughout the day and “praise Jesus.” We also praise Jesus in front of her at church (she comes to the music part of worship with us). She is so cute in worship. She sees other people raising their hands, so she does it too. Of course, she has NO idea why, but she’ll get there. We think that it is SO important to let our children see us worship. And, if she wakes up while I’m having my time with Jesus in the morning, I’ll get out her children’s study Bible and tell her that she needs to read her Bible while mommy’s reading hers and talking to Jesus. This doesn’t last long, but it’s a start J. Some goals that I have in this area are: 1) Pray with her more throughout the day, about even the little things, 2) Pray when she’s being disciplined; ask Jesus for forgiveness, and 3) Teach her more about God’s word instead of just reading it to her. I do teach her some, but not enough. When I read to her, she doesn’t understand it. I need to, more often, bring it to her level. As she gets older, I want to memorize scripture as a family, pray more as a family, and do longer, more in-depth Bible study as a family. But, these are all things that take time. There’s only so much that a 2 ½ year old can take in!

More than just sharing Jesus with them, it is very important to pray for them daily. Pray for their physical safety and protection, as well as emotional. Pray that they will grow up to know Jesus, and that they will serve Him all the days of their lives. Pray for their future spouse, that they will be a godly man/woman. Pray daily for yourself as the stewards of these children, that you will be good stewards of what God has allowed to you have in this lifetime. Pray that you will train them up unto the Lord, and that He would use you to share Jesus with them.

Your children’s souls are not yours. You can not choose whether or not they become a child of God, but you can teach them and pray for them daily. You can show them what it means to be a Christ follower with the way you live your life. You can shepherd their hearts by disciplining, then tell them why they are being disciplined; this builds their character. You can allow them to have friends that are Christian and non-Christian; they need to be in the world in order to share Jesus with others. Although, that doesn’t necessarily mean that they need to be in public school (that’s a whole other blog!). You can teach them how to give to others, and why that’s important. You can teach them how to be like Jesus.

3 days until Christmas...

We're finally just about finished with Christmas gifts. Whew! We're exhausted. We really should have started these months ago! :) But, even though it's a lot of work, it is completely worth it. After Christmas I will have to show pictures of everything. Making Christmas gifts means so much more to us and everyone that they are made for. I'm excited to give them!! :)

Things that I am Learning

I have learned a lot of things over the past few weeks/months/years, so I thought I would put them all in one place :). They don't all relate, but that's okay!

First:I have learned that Karis just isn't quite ready for daily "lessons." It has taken me a semester of trying to do it and not succeeding to learn this! I thought that because she was so smart, that I should "foster" that by creating a lesson plan and doing it every day. I've decided that she has learned so much through play already, so I know that will just continue. She's only 2 1/2. She has plenty of time to learn! So, I will wait until she's 3 or 3 1/2, then start some simple lessons. She already knows her letters, many letter sounds, counting to about 14 (most of the time!), most of her colors, shapes, numbers, etc. So, when it's time to start again, I'll just start there and move on. It's funny because I learned in my education classes that preschoolers learn the best through play, and now I have seen it in real life :).

Second:As much as I want to feed my family natural/organic, it's okay not to sometimes! I need to do what is realistic for my family. Yes, much of the time I will choose to feed natural/organic, cook/bake from scratch, etc, but there are times that it is too difficult, and that doesn't make me a bad parent!

Third:Spending time with the Lord doesn't have to look a certain way. The most important thing is that I'm spending time with my Savior, and getting to know Him better. These past few months have been awesome as I'm figuring this out!

Fourth:I have amazing friends. I am so blessed to have such great friends. Growing up, all I ever wanted was a true, close friendship, and now I have that with a few people. Great friends are more than just friends, they become family. I hope that I'm as good of a friend to them as they are to me!!

Fifth:Just because I'm passionate about some things, doesn't mean that everyone else is passionate about those same things, and that's okay! I realize that the way we do things isn't normal :), so I need to be considerate about the things that my friends/family are passionate about, even if our passions don't look the same. I completely understand this, and am working on getting better about it! :)

Sixth:Being content with where God has placed us in life doesn't necessarily mean that everything is "perfect," it just means that you have surrendered to the life that God has given you. A few months ago, I was NOT content at all. Not much as changed, except in my heart. I have learned to be content in any situation, and thank God for the blessings that He has given us! I have learned to see things in a completely different way. It's weird to not look at life and think, "where should we go next?" Now I'm thinking, "how can I serve/bless God in the situations that he has allowed me to be in?" That doesn't necessarily mean that we'll be in these situations forever, it just means that I'm not constantly looking at the next step/season. I'm focused on where God has placed me today!

Seventh:Sometimes the things that we do don't make sense to everyone. We drive over an hour to go to church. Many people think that's silly. BUT, we knew that God called us back to River Stone, so we're driving over an hour to be there! We visited one day and it just felt like home, and it was so alive! So, we decided that we needed to be back there. We don't regret it one bit!

Eighth:I'm still learning all of these things, and will continue over the course of my lifetime. That's what life is about! It's okay when I have a low moment, and it's okay when life isn't a mountain top. That's how we learn. I'm so blessed to have the life that I have, and I'm so blessed to have an intimate relationship with my Savior. How awesome is that?! We have the opportunity to have an intimate relationship with the One who created us!

"...if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved." Romans 10:9-10

This sums up the whole Word of God! This is the gospel! If you want to know how to have a personal relationship with Jesus, this is how! Just believe and confess! Jesus is the only way to salvation; things that you do can't save you, going to church can't save you, even being baptized can't save you. This doesn't mean that life will be easy; life is never easy. I wouldn't want it to be. Without the hard times you don't learn; without the hard times, you never grow and mature. But praise God that you have the opportunity to have someone who can carry you through those hard times, and teach you in the process! And, because of Jesus' death and resurrection, you can have LIFE!

Combining Blogs

I have decided to combine my two blogs, and will now only be blogging on http://homeofthecroslands.blogspot.com. It's just too much to keep up with two blogs! Hope to see you around!

Our Household Food Staples

We have many things that we almost always have on hand, that we use all the time. These have changed over the years, and now they are much healthier! :)
These things include:

Refrigerated:
- Eggs (brown, cage free)
- Milk (hormone free)
- Butter (NOT margarine)
- Organic Yogurt (Karis eats this every day, almost)
- Organic apple juice (when I give this to Karis, I put mostly water, and a splash of juice)
- Cheddar cheese

Meats (hormone free, if at all possible):
- Chicken (most of the time breast, but sometimes a whole chicken)
- Lean ground beef or turkey
- Natural breakfast sausage

Frozen:
- Organic veggies (broccoli, mixed veggies, corn, peas)

Fresh Fruits and Veggies:
Organic
- Carrots
- Baby carrots
- Apples
- Bananas
Non Organic
- Garlic
- Onions
- Potatoes

Pantry:
- Whole wheat pasta (organic most of the time)
- Whole wheat couscous (organic)
- Whole wheat flour
- Unbleached all purpose flour
- Unrefined sugar
- Honey
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Coconut oil
- Organic Peanut butter (although, this is refrigerated once opened)
- Rolled oats
- Brown and white rice
- Dried beans (pinto, black, garbanzo, and 15 bean soup)
- Tomato sauce, paste, diced, stewed
- Cream of... soups (although, soon we're going to start making our own substitutes)
- Vegetable broth (organic)
- Organic cereals
- Organic instant oatmeal

Other:
- Coffee
- Tea (hot and cold)
- Seasoning- sea salt, cracked pepper, Nature's Seasoning, taco seasoning, minced onions, basil, oregano, nutmeg, cinnamon, etc...
- Tortilla chips (made without hydrogenated oils)
- Baby- organic rice and oatmeal cereal (other foods are homemade)

Meals for the Month

Usually I do a menu for 1-2 weeks. Last week, I decided to come up with 20 meals, and go ahead and get whatever groceries that we can for those meals (anything that won't go bad before we plan on cooking it). I did this because I have 3 1/2 weeks off for Christmas, and I won't get paid during that time; but this past check, I received 3 weeks instead of 2 weeks. So, I decided that it would be best to stock up on what we need the most: food. We also received a free turkey and ham from the camp, so I incorporated those in as well.
So, here are the meals that I created. I made a specific menu, but I decided that it was most important to share the meals, not the dates :). I just did 20 meals for the month because we're going to be out of town a lot, and we will eat in the dining hall some as well.

Breakfasts:
Breakfast tacos
Eggs and toast (homemade bread)
Oatmeal (organic)
Granola (homemade)
Yogurt (organic)
Organic honey nut o's
Homemade pancakes

Lunches:
Dining Hall or Leftovers
Organic Mac N Cheese (boxed- Annie's brand)

Suppers:
Baked Cheese Pasta
Chicken and Dumplings and green beans with tomato and onion
Veggie Casserole
Crockpot Chicken and Rice
Turkey, stuffing, yams, green beans
Turkey Stew
Turkey Pot Pie
15 Bean Soup
Ham, Homemade Mac N Cheese, a veggie
Cheesy Ham Casserole
Crockpot Potato and Ham Soup
Pinto Beans and Rice
Lasagne and veggie
Homemade Chicken Soup
Lemon Pepper Chicken and couscous salad
Mini Meat Loaves and veggie
Penne Pasta Casserole
Shepherd's Pie
Soft Tacos
Homemade Pizza

Let me know if you would like any recipes! I tried to make many meals that incorporated some of the same ingredients. That saves money! :) Some things we bought at Sam's: meat, milk, and eggs all contain no hormones, and are MUCH cheaper than HEB or Walmart; in fact, the eggs are cage free, roaming chicken, brown eggs. We also bought coffee, real butter, yeast, and shampoo there because they are much cheaper. We bought most everything else from HEB. I found that frozen, organic veggies are not a bad price at HEB. They are only about 10 cents more than the regular!! So, I got some frozen veggies there (these also last much longer than fresh, and are organic!). I also found that buying the 32 oz organic yogurt (Horizon brand) is cheaper than buying individuals (Stoneyfield Farms), and Karis seems to really liked it. It also lasts quite a while. I got most things from HEB. I didn't do quite as well as I would have liked on how much I spent for the month, but it is still cheaper than getting groceries every week or two weeks. And, I think I will get better as I do this more and more. This was our first time to buy for such a long amount of time! All we will need to buy each week or 2 weeks is milk, eggs, yogurt, and fresh produce. Everything else we have either frozen, in the pantry, or in the fridge (and it will last long enough!). It was a fun challenge!! I can't wait to do it again! :) If things go well, we might do this every month. It feels good to be prepared!

Things that I am Learning

I have learned a lot of things over the past few weeks, so I thought I would put them all in one place :). They don't all relate, but that's okay!

First:I have learned that Karis just isn't quite ready for daily "lessons." It has taken me a semester of trying to do it and not succeeding to learn this! I thought that because she was so smart, that I should "foster" that by creating a lesson plan and doing it every day. I've decided that she has learned so much through play already, so I know that will just continue. She's only 2 1/2. She has plenty of time to learn! So, I will wait until she's 3 or 3 1/2, then start some simple lessons. She already knows her letters, many letter sounds, counting to about 14 (most of the time!), most of her colors, shapes, numbers, etc. So, when it's time to start again, I'll just start there and move on. It's funny because I learned in my education classes that preschoolers learn the best through play, and now I have seen it in real life :).

Second:As much as I want to feed my family natural/organic, it's okay not to sometimes! I need to do what is realistic for my family. Yes, much of the time I will choose to feed natural/organic, cook/bake from scratch, etc, but there are times that it is too difficult, and that doesn't make me a bad parent!

Third:Spending time with the Lord doesn't have to look a certain way. The most important thing is that I'm spending time with my Savior, and getting to know Him better. These past few months have been awesome as I'm figuring this out!

Fourth:I have amazing friends. I am so blessed to have such great friends. Growing up, all I ever wanted was a true, close friendship, and now I have that with a few people. Great friends are more than just friends, they become family. I hope that I'm as good of a friend to them as they are to me!!

Fifth:Just because I'm passionate about some things, doesn't mean that everyone else is passionate about those same things, and that's okay! I realize that the way we do things isn't normal :), so I need to be considerate about the things that my friends/family are passionate about, even if our passions don't look the same. I completely understand this, and am working on getting better about it! :)

Sixth:Being content with where God has placed us in life doesn't necessarily mean that everything is "perfect," it just means that you have surrendered to the life that God has given you. A few months ago, I was NOT content at all. Not much as changed, except in my heart. I have learned to be content in any situation, and thank God for the blessings that He has given us! I have learned to see things in a completely different way. It's weird to not look at life and think, "where should we go next?" Now I'm thinking, "how can I serve/bless God in the situations that he has allowed me to be in?" That doesn't necessarily mean that we'll be in these situations forever, it just means that I'm not constantly looking at the next step/season. I'm focused on where God has placed me today!

Seventh:Sometimes the things that we do don't make sense to everyone. We drive over an hour to go to church. Many people think that's silly. BUT, we knew that God called us back to River Stone, so we're driving over an hour to be there! We visited one day and it just felt like home, and it was so alive! So, we decided that we needed to be back there. We don't regret it one bit! Eighth:I'm still learning all of these things, and will continue over the course of my lifetime. That's what life is about! It's okay when I have a low moment, and it's okay when life isn't a mountain top. That's how we learn. I'm so blessed to have the life that I have, and I'm so blessed to have an intimate relationship with my Savior. How awesome is that?! We have the opportunity to have an intimate relationship with the One who created us!
"...if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved." Romans 10:9-10

This sums up the whole Word of God! This is the gospel! If you want to know how to have a personal relationship with Jesus, this is how! Just believe and confess! Jesus is the only way to salvation; things that you do can't save you, going to church can't save you, even being baptized can't save you. This doesn't mean that life will be easy; life is never easy. I wouldn't want it to be. Without the hard times you don't learn; without the hard times, you never grow and mature. But praise God that you have the opportunity to have someone who can carry you through those hard times, and teach you in the process! And, because of Jesus' death and resurrection, you can have LIFE!

Freed from the Law of Sin and Death

Finding time to spend with Jesus is getting more and more difficult! Until recently, if I got up at 6:30, it was a safe bet that I would have plenty of alone time. For some reason lately, Karis has decided that between 6:00-6:45 is a good time to wake up. And, she will NOT go back to bed. We've tried telling her that she just needs to turn on her lamp and stay in her room until it's light outside, but she's not quite to that point yet. She is usually really hungry, asking for breakfast immediately. So, we give in and give her breakfast. I mean, she's hungry, I can't deny her food!
So, when I do get some alone time, I take FULL advantage of it! I have come to a point in which I can still spend time with Jesus if just Karis is awake, at least for a little while. I give her a children's study Bible and tell her that she needs to read her Bible while mommy reads her Bible and talks to Jesus. So, most mornings, this works for at least 15 minutes :).

Anyway... I'm not sure why I said all of that first, but I felt that was an important piece of information as I explain what I'm learning. :) I don't have a lot of time to really get deep into the Word, but I ask God to speak to me as I'm reading. Right now I'm reading Leviticus and Romans (I HAVE to read some new testament while reading the old, or it gets really dry). What's neat about reading those two books is that they go together really well. Leviticus is ALL about laws and sacrifices. Romans is about how Jesus fulfilled the law and has freed us from the law of sin and death. Through Christ's death and resurrection, we are freed from having to follow a law that is impossible to follow (and trust me, it is NOT possible for any human to follow every letter of the law). Through Christ's death and resurrection, we are able to have an intimate relationship with our creator. How amazing is that? I know some of this is very simple, but I just have a completely different perspective because of reading both at the same time.

"There is, therefore, no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit." Romans 8:1-4

In this time of Christmas, I think not only about the baby born in the stable, but I think about why He came. He came to give us LIFE. Through His death, we receive LIFE. Praise Jesus for being so amazing! He is glorious, beautiful, awesome, amazing, provision, full of grace, peace, love, life; He's great, merciful, everlasting, faithful, satisfying, fulfilling, and more things than I can put into words! Give Praise to the Lord this Christmas for WHO HE IS, not just WHAT HE DOES FOR YOU!!! :)

Recipes

I have said several times, "I'll post the recipe later," and I'm just now getting to it!!! Many of these recipes I have taken from others, and changed them a bit to make them my own. So, I will credit those that I received the recipes from!

In all of these recipes we:
Use olive oil when it says oil
Use raw, unrefined sugar
Use unbleached all purpose when it calls for all purpose flour
And, we use sea salt when it calls for salt

Honey Granola (from Aunt Lisa)
5 1/2 cups rolled oats
1/3 cup sucanat (raw sugar)
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 cup raisins
2/3 cup flaked coconut (I use unsweetened)
2/3 cup slivered almonds
3/4 cup unsalted butter (I used salted and it was fine)
3/4 cup honey
2 tsp. ground flax seed

I added:
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 tsp. nutmeg

- Preheat oven to 325 degrees

- In a bowl, combine oats, sucanat, cinnamon, raisins, and almonds. Toss to mix. In a saucepan over low heat, melt the butter, add the honey, and stir to blend. Pour over the oat mixture and stir to blend.

- Spread the granola out on a baking sheet and bake until golden and crunchy, 25-20 minutes. Cool to room temperature before serving.

- Store in an airtight container.

Granola Bars (from http://cookhealthyfun.blogspot.com/)
1/2 cup honey
3/4 cup peanut butter (natural or organic)
3 cups granola

I personally cut down the amount of honey because the granola has a lot of honey.

Whole Grain Bread (from http://www.cooks.com/)
3 cups warm water
2 tbsp. yeast
3 tbsp. honey or raw sugar
Add 3 cups whole wheat four and beat vigorously by hand or with electric mixer for 5-7 minutes to develop gluten.

-Add 2 teaspoons sea salt and 3-6 tablespoons oil.

-Add whole grain flour, any variety of kinds desired, 1 cup at a time, mixing each cup in well before adding another (about 4 cups), or until the dough is just stiff enough to knead.

-Knead dough on floured surface for a few minutes.

-Wash out bowl, dry it, then lightly oil it. Put kneaded dough into the bowl to rise in a warm place. Cover with towel.

-When double in bulk, punch down and divide into 2 or 3 sections, depending on the size of loaf pans. Knead each section and shape into loaves. (my edit- to make a softer loaf, don't punch it down and knead it again after it rises).

-Put loaves into greased pans and let rise until almost double in bulk, approximately 30 minutes (my edit- don't let it rise too long or it will fall).

-Place in preheated over at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

-Remove from oven and take loaves out of bread pans to cool on rack or towel. When completely cool, store in plastice bags in refrigerator for longer storage. For soft crust, cover loaves with a towel after you remove them from pans.

-We have tried about 4-5 different whole wheat recipes, and this one is the best!!

Olive Oil Crackers (taken from http://www.101cookbooks.com/, although we changed it up quite a bit; might as well say it is ours!)
2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 cup spelt flour
1 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
1 cup warm water
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

-Whisk together the flours and salt. Add the water and olive oil. Mix 5-7 minutes. Knead by hand on a floured counter-top. The dough should be just a bit tacky - not too dry, not too sticky to work with. If you need to add a bit more water (or flour) do so.

-When you are done mixing, shape the dough into a large ball. Now cut into twelve equal-sized pieces. Gently rub each piece with a bit of olive oil, shape into a small ball and place on a plate. Cover with a clean dishtowel or plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature for 30 - 60 minutes.

-While the dough is resting, preheat your oven to 450F degrees.

-When the dough is done resting, flatten one dough ball. Using a rolling pin, shape into a flat strip of dough. Pull the dough out a bit thinner by hand. You can also cut the dough into whatever shape you like at this point. Set dough on a floured (or cornmeal dusted) baking sheet, poke each cracker with the tines of a fork to prevent puffing, add any extra toppings, and slide into the oven (on a baking sheet). Repeat the process for the remaining dough balls, baking in small batches. Bake until deeply golden, and let cool before eating - you will get more crackery snap.

-Makes a dozen extra large crackers.

Banana Bread (from http://jas.familyfun.go.com/; this one we do as is)
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar (we use unrefined sugar)
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 medium-large very ripe bananas (1 cup mashed)
1/2 cup sour cream

-Heat the oven to 325°. Line a 5- by 9-inch loaf pan, preferably one with a light interior, with enough waxed paper to drape over the long sides. This will make the baked bread a cinch to remove and the pan easy to clean. Set the pan aside.

-Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl. In a large bowl, cream the butter using an electric mixer. Gradually add the sugar, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Next, add the vanilla extract and blend briefly. Set both bowls aside.

-Peel the bananas and place them in a separate bowl. Mash them with a fork or a potato masher and measure out 1 cup. Add the sour cream and stir to blend. Set the bowl aside.

-Using a wooden spoon, blend a third of the dry mixture into the butter-sugar mixture. Add the rest of the ingredients in this order, stirring well after each addition: half of the banana mixture, half of the remaining dry mixture, the rest of the banana mixture, the rest of the dry mixture. Next, add mix-ins if desired

-Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a spoon. Bake on the center oven rack until a tester inserted deep into the center of the bread comes out clean, about 70 to 75 minutes.

-Transfer the bread to a cooling rack and cool it in the pan for about 20 minutes. Using the waxed paper, lift the bread from the pan and place it on the rack. Pull down the sides of the paper and allow the bread to cool thoroughly before slicing. Makes 10 or more servings.

Spiced Pumpkin Bread (I found this one on www.epicurious.com/recipes)
3 cups sugar
1 cup oil
3 large eggs
1 16 ounce can of pumpkin
3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cloves (I didn't have this, and it turned out fine)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

-Preheat oven to 350

- Butter and flour two loaf pans. Beat sugar and oil in large bowl to blend. Mix in eggs and pumpkin. Sift flour, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, salt, and baking powder into another large bowl. Stir into pumpkin mixture in 2 additions.

-Divide batter equally between prepared pans.

-Bake about 1 hour and 10 minutes (until tester comes out clean)

Things that I am Thankful For

This year has been amazing. It has been a year of ups and downs, but God has taught us so much, and our family is closer now than ever before. Until this past year, I personally, have been a very insecure person, always seeking advice from others and not being confident in the way that I did things. I have been learning who I am in Christ, and who I am as a mother and a wife. I am now happy to say that I am confident in who I am, and I am different than a lot of people :). I am okay with that! Being happy with who I am has created a different outlook on life. I'm not spending every day trying to please others; I aim to please Jesus and my family.

Jesus, has blessed me with such an amazing family. I don't know why it took me so long to see that, but I see it now.

I am so thankful for a husband that loves me so much. He is the perfect person for me. He was created for me, and I for him. We absolutely love just spending time together, and our desires and likes are becoming the same. We are still learning what our roles are in our marriage, but we've come a long way. On December 20th, we will be married 5 years. It's hard to believe!

I have an amazing daughter. She is beautiful, creative, imaginative, intelligent, funny, sweet, and more. I enjoy just spending time with her. She loves her mommy, daddy, and even her brother :). She has been an amazing big sister; we haven't had any jealousy problems at all. I can't wait to see who she grows up to be. I know with all my heart that God has amazing plans for her.

My son is young, but I can already tell that he is going to be awesome :). He's so cute :). He's a pretty easy baby; just keep him fed, and he's happy. He loves to smile and laugh. He loves his big sister. He loves his mommy :). If I'm in the room, he wants me to hold him. I love having a son; there's a special bond there. I pray daily that he grows up to be an amazing man of God.

My mom has been such an amazing help to me this year. I have an amazing job, and I wouldn't be able to do it if my mom wasn't so willing to watch the kids. I never have to worry about having childcare; my mom loves to help. She watches them 2 days a week, and she has to drive an hour one way! She also stays late on Mondays so that I can prepare for teaching. What would I do without her?!!

My job (well, actually the ministry that God has allowed me to be part of) is perfect for me. I am able to teach part time, which is something that I have always wanted to be able to do. I teach an amazing group of students, I have an awesome supervisor, and I love the curriculum that I teach. All in all, it's the best job that I could ever ask for. And, God knew all along that this would happen :).

Our church, though far away, is perfect for us. We are challenged, we are fed, we are free to worship, we have great friends, and we feel like we belong there. The church focuses on God, and those who need Him. Their desire is to know Jesus and make Him known. We have gone back and forth constantly as to whether we should try to drive all the way to San Marcos. Then, we began looking into churches that we feel like we would fit in, and they are all about an hour away. So, why not be part of the church that we feel part of? We have made the commitment to continue on at Riverstone, and we are thankful to be part of such an amazing church.

I LOVE that I have time to make things from scratch. Being able to make healthy meals and snacks for my family, and to make my own cleaners and detergents, is awesome. I know it's silly, but I have always wanted to do this! I have also been researching a lot of things, and am happy to put them into practice!

I am excited about being able to homeschool my kids. I know that it will be a challenge, but I feel that I am the best one to teach my children. I am in the process of learning all about home education, and have already begun doing some homeschool preschool. It's fun!

Being here at the camp can be a challenge, but we know that God has brought us here, and that he has amazing plans for this place!! We actually made sure that this was where God wanted us (by praying for several months), and we're starting to see why he wanted us here. Praise God for His provision and guidance!

We love our home, our church, our friends, our family, and most of all, the time that we have to spend with Jesus, daily. We are in a good place. I am content with life.

Today's Projects

Today, Karis did several little projects, and I made granola and granola bars. When Robert gets home, we're going to bake a new bread recipe. He asked that he be involved in that :).

The projects that I did with Karis were: a cornucopia, a turkey, and a "Five Senses of Thanksgiving" book. It was fun! Here are some pics:

Here are a few projects from the past few weeks:

Here is the granola and granola bars:

(I forgot to take a pic before I put it in the bag! :)

This recipe is much better than the first one that I tried. My aunt gave it to me, and I added one more ingredient to it. It is YUMMY!!! :) (Thanks Aunt Lisa!!)

Ten things that Robert loves

I was telling Robert that I was tagged to write about ten things that he loves, and all he said was: Courtney, Karis, and Ethan (in no specific order) :). That makes me happy!!

1) Jesus- He has a deep, true love for Jesus. He loves praising Him, reading His word, and praying to Him. He is a true servant. He is here to serve Jesus, and only Jesus. He's human, just like everyone else, so he's not perfect. But, it's what's on the inside that matters!! He has a wonderful heart.

2) His family- Robert and I have been married almost 5 years, in December! :) In that five years, we have had 2 children! He is an amazing husband and amazing father. He always puts our needs before his needs. He has done a wonderful job of taking care of us, and I know he always will. I LOVE LOVE LOVE him with all of my heart!!! He is very hands on with the kids, always taking care of their needs: from bathing, to feeding, to dressing. He reads books to Karis and plays with her. He changes diapers, and helps Karis with the potty.

3) Camping- He has loved camping since he was a child. He used to go all the time, but we have only gone a few times since we've been married :(. We're working on some more camping trips. If he could camp every weekend, he would!! He would camp with nothing but a sleeping bag and enough food to survive!

4) Old Vehicles- He LOVES old vehicles. He can look at one as we're driving and practically start drooling, and I will not understand it because to me they are just rust buckets ha!

5) The Outdoors, in general- He would always rather be outside, doing anything, than be inside. He loves mountains. He wishes the camp was in the mountains. I won't move out of state, so he's stuck here without them :(. He grew up going to New Mexico all the time, so he was used to be around snow and mountains. He hasn't been since we got married in '03! Of course, we went to the mountains for our honey moon!

6) Cooking and baking- I know, this seems weird knowing Robert, but he's an amazing cook! He loves to experiment with recipes, or just throw something together without a recipe. He's much better at baking bread than I am... I am working on it! Without him, I probably wouldn't have the love for cooking and baking that I do. With this love, comes the love for cookware, appliances, and anything that has to do with the kitchen :). Everytime we're at the store, we have to take a detour to the kitchen department. It cracks me up.

7) 42- The domino game. Enough said.

8) Friends- He loves hanging out with people, talking, and having a good time. We haven't been doing as much of this since Ethan was born, but he still enjoys it!

9) Coffee- We both love coffee :). Our absolute favorite thing to do is get up before the kids do and sit on the porch with a hot cup of coffee. This is especially great when it's cold outside!!

10) Natural, "crunchy," "granola" things- He hates using styrofoam plates and cups, he wishes that we could recycle here at the camp, we're going to start a compost pile and organic garden in the spring, he's the one who mentioned cloth diapers in the beginning, he's the one who started researching what it would take to get a goat, he's the one who got me into baking/cooking from scratch, I would never had looked into homebirth if he wouldn't have been so supportive (and he preferred homebirth!), the list could go on and on. I'm so thankful for this side of him because I love that we're both the same in this area now!! :)

We used to have different loves/likes, but the longer that we're married, the more those are starting to mesh together. It was pretty neat writing this because I've begun to realize how much we have both changed!!

I tag Emily!! :)

My New Lesson Plans for Karis

I have re-vamped the way that I write lessons for Karis. Here is the link to check it out: http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pIl6sWamBR06wh9PUZWB1CA. It is much easier to follow, and this way we don't do too much in one day (after all, she still is only 2 1/2). She enjoys these lessons. The funny part is, she would rather learn about letters and letter sounds than do art projects. One day we were discussing the letter I and the sounds of letters through I, using word cards with pictures (reviewing), and then we switched to art. She wasn't happy with that. She wanted to keep talking about the words. Ha! She's going to be challenging as she gets older!

Our Productive, Family Day

Today was a productive day. Robert was off, and I just worked half a day, so we got a lot done :).

Someone gave us a chair to put in our living room. So, that left us with another piece of furniture, but none of it matched. So, we covered everything, and now most of it matches :). We call our furniture "college furniture," but we don't complain because every piece of it was free. So, we make it work. We see no reason to buy new furniture until this stuff breaks or something :).

We made another batch of homemade crackers tonight. They are amazing. They are called Olive Oil Crackers. Recipe to follow in another blog.

We also made homemade pizzas. These are very different pizzas. The dough is homemade, the "sauce" is actually cottage cheese (1 1/2 cups), parmesan cheese (1/2 cups), oregano, sage, garlic, sea salt, and splash of milk blended together (in a blender). You spread that on the homemade dough (after it's been cooked for 8 minutes), put some garden fresh, sliced cherry tomatoes, add a slither of olive oil and some more sea salt, and bake it for a 8 more minutes. YUMMY.

To end the night, I made no bake oatmeal brownies. This was a family recipe. They are very easy. Again, I will post a recipe later.

It was a fun day :). I enjoyed every bit. We did everything as a family. I love spending time with my family!! And, I love cooking/baking!!

Homemade Whole Wheat Crackers and More

I made homemade whole wheat crackers today :). It was surprisingly easy! And they taste good! The only thing that I will do differently next time is make sure to roll it thinner.

Here's the recipe. I found it online (articles.latimes.com- found through google), but I changed it to make it a bit healthier, and to make it better :).

Thin Wheat Crackers

3/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour, plus extra as needed
1/2 cup milk (can use rice, soy, or butter milk as well as just plain old milk)
2 tablespoons honey (you can also use sugar)
1/3 cup olive oil
Coarse sea salt for garnish

1) In a mixing bowl, mix the salt and flour. In a separate bowl, combine the milk, honey, and oil. Pour this into the flour mixture and stir with a large spoon until the dough forms a ball and all the flour is absorbed. The dough will be very soft.
2) Knead the dough for a few minutes on a well floured surface, adding more flour as needed until the dough forms a smooth ball and feels soft and supple, not sticky.
3) Divide the dough into three pieces and form each into a ball. Set two of the dough balls aside and roll out the third. Dust the counter with flour and also the top of the dough, pressing it with your hand to flatten it. Use a rolling pin to work the dough to a think oval, less than 1/8 inch thick.
4) Lightly coat with olive oil and sprinkle sea salt on top. Cut with cookie cutters (small ones), with a knife, or with a pizza cutter. Place on pan (covered with wax or parchment paper) very close together (they won't rise or spread out). Repeat with the other two balls.
5) With your oven heated to just under 300, cook for 24 minutes, rotating them every 8 minutes.
6) When they are finished, they will be lightly browned and stiff. Allow them to cool and crisp before removing them from the pan.

Before cooking them: (they are leaf and acorn shapes!):
After cooking them:

Here's a pic of my pumpkin bread:

And, I made peanut butter granola bars: (not necessarily the healthiest thing because of the light corn syrup, but yummy and easy to make!)

What is a good parent?

A "friend" on a site that I regular, called Cafemom, posted this in her journal. It is SOOO true!!
Add to it if you wish! What does it mean to be a good parent?

"I had been thinking about this ever since I read this really dumb question yesterday in the Q and A section. It said something to the effect of why can't people be good parents? They bottle feed so they can go out and they let their babies cry it out and how come they don't know how to be a good parent. I looked over her profile and realized that her oldest child was 4. So in four years, she has mastered the concept of good parenting and it consists of how you feed your child, and if you let them cry or not. How puzzling. It wasn't as much what she said, but more how she said it. It was pretty judgmental and her responses were quite defensive. I thought I would write a quick journal and tell you wonderful moms what I think a good parent is. You can disagree with me if you want to, but know that I won't judge you if you do......

I think a good parent is one that before making any decision, thinks about how its going to effect her children.
I think a good parent is one that is concerned about their childs character, integrity, and what kind of overall person they are going to grow up to be.
I think a good parent thinks about the people they allow into their lives and the lives of their children and actually ponders what kind of influence they are going to be and is willing to say no, even if it means giving up on a relationship
I think a good parent understands that they are responsible for their childs education and training in every aspect of life and doesn't shirk it off on someone else and is willing to be a partner with their teacher.
I think a good parent puts any need that their children have before their own, especially if its an emotional need.
I think a good parent spends more time with them that the school system or the local neighborhood kids.
I think a good parent is willing to stand up to family and say no to things that are detrimental at the risk of having them mad at them.
I think a good parent would rather their child say "I hate you" than to let them do something that would ultimately hurt them.
I think a good parent is willing to say "NO" and give a reason being "because I said so"
I think a good parent realizes that their job is to train their kids to be independent assets to society.
I think a good parent is willing to discipline.
I think a good parent teach character and integrity over math and science."

Recipes for Cleaners

These are the cleaners that I use (recipes from various websites, but changed a bit to make them better!):

Soft Scrubber
3/4 cup baking soda
1/8 cup liquid castille soap
5 drops lavendar essential oil
1/4 cup vinegar
Add enough water to make a smooth paste

Floor Cleaner
I just fill the sink with hot water, add a few splashes of vinegar, and several drops of lavendar essential oil. It works really well.

Glass Cleaner
Straight rubbing alcohol works really well.

All Purpose Spray Cleaner (a little different then the one I posted before)
1 tsp Borax
1/2 tsp liquid castille soap
1/4 cup vinegar
2 cups hot water
Put all ingredients in spray bottle and shake

Thyme Cleaner- disinfectant
2 1/2 cups water
1 handful thyme (fresh or dried)
Vinegar (as much as you would like)
Liquid castille soap (squirt)

Boil water, add thyme. Simmer for several hours over medium-low heat, covered. Cool, then strain. Pour the water into a spray bottle, top with white vinegar and squirt of soap. Thyme is a natural disinfectant.
(I haven't tried this one, I will be trying soon!)

Tub and Tile Cleaner
1 2/3 cup water
1/4 cup liquid castille soap
1/4 cup baking soda
1/4-1/2 cup vinegar
A few drops of essential oil

Add soap to water and let dissolve. Stir in bakin soda, then add vinegar (make sure to add it in slowly!). Store in a squirt bottle and shake before using. Rinse thoroughly!

Toilet Cleaner
Sprinkle baking soda and borax in toilet, then pour vinegar. Allow it to sit for a few minutes (as long as you want, depending on how dirty it is!). Then, scrub with brush.


I have found that these cleaners work better and are MUCH safer than the commercial cleaners. I'm excited to have begun this process!

Changes in Household Notebook

I made a few changes in my Household Notebook. I took out the "weekly schedule and routines" and shopping list, and added:

Weekly schedule, routines, and goals- I'm not going to share because it has my personal and family goals :).

Weekly cleaning schedule- http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pIl6sWamBR06m1Varh_vMcw

Price Comparison chart (working on)- http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pIl6sWamBR076C9daYSoiQQ

And a new Shopping List (based on the price comparison chart)-http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pIl6sWamBR07lUMDLEgZqcQ

Special Projects this week (with pictures)

I had several projects that I wanted to get done this week, and now I have pictures of them :). I didn't take any "before" pictures. Sorry :)

I turned shelving (with random junk on it) in our laundry room into a pantry:

Organized the other food cabinets:

We rearranged our bedroom to fit the desk, etc:

I made my first batch of home-made granola:

And my favorite part, I made a "school area" for Karis and re-did the bulletin board: