200 posts!

I just realized that my potato/avocado post was #200! Woo Hoo! Thanks for reading!

As you see, over time, I have been adding to my blog list...I love keeping up with my fave bloggers...please let me draw attention to Happy To be at Home's latest entry. Wise words, indeed!

A new way to eat potatoes

I wanted to share with you a new way that I have been eating potatoes that is so delicious. I bake the spud in the microwave, then put a very light smear of butter on it (after it's cut), a little salt and pepper, and avocado! This goes so well together and is a much healthier alternative to gobs of butter, cheese, sour cream, bacon.... The hot potato paired with the cool, creamy avocado..... yes, it is wonderful! (I made it once with hot sauce on top, but it was better without, imho).

Chicken Toes and Band Aids

Yes, you read it right. Danny Jr's chicken, Star, had a claw that was ripped off her toe yesterday - it was hanging by a thread and bleeding all over the place. I don't know how it happened, we just dealt with it as he brought his injured baby in.

We clipped the rest of the claw off, washed her toe, applied lavendar oil (my all purpose remedy), and wrapped up that little chicken toe in a band aid. She didn't even struggle for a second. Danny's face looked like mine when he was getting staples in his head.

Who would have thought?

SC and MT and LOVE

I am reading The Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne. This book is very challenging, indeed! I haven't gotten too far in, but I am in the part where he is in India with Mother Theresa. Before I give you a quote from this chapter, I want to share a couple of things I have read lately (not verbatim, though). A friend posted a note about love....about how important LOVE is - how nothing works without it, how we won't get it right until we do it, how all God wants us to do is LOVE. Before that, I read in my bible reading this morning, Matthew 22:37, 38 - Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself.
A little later in the day, reading in IR, I came across this - it's Shane C quoting Mother Theresa - "We can do no great things, just small things with great love. It is not how much you do, but how much love you put into doing it."

Notice a trend, here????

Some photos...finally!

The Lovely Ladies on their first day of school.


The girls were cleaning the mouse cage and asked me and Turkey to babysit.

Sophia helping me prepare dinner - the tomatoes are from Julie's farm - we were making the chicken okra and tomato "gumbo" that I posted the recipe for.

I couldn't resist posting this one. Look at those eyes! This was the day after he got staples on his head. It is also a before haircut pic.


After the staples came out, I gave him a haircut (the girls, too, see above pic), and here he is, with his favorite pose. Goofball.

Afternoon Delight

My neighbor sent me this recipe - talk about a fun after school snack!!!!

DANGEROUS CHOCOLATE CAKE-IN-A-MUG

1 coffee mug
4 Tbsp. cake flour (plain, not self-rising)
4 Tbsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. cocoa
1 Egg
3 Tbsp. milk
3 Tbsp. oil
Small splash of vanilla
3 Tbsp. chocolate chips, optional

ADD dry ingredients to mug, mix well with a fork.
ADD egg and mix thoroughly.
Pour in milk and oil and vanilla and mix well.
ADD chips if using.
Put mug in microwave and cook for three minutes on 1000 watts.
Cake will rise over top of mug - do not be alarmed!
Allow to cool a little; tip onto a plate if desired.
EAT!!!!!!
This can serve two if you want to feel slightly more virtuous, Ha.
And why is this the most dangerous cake recipe in the world?
Because now we are all only five minutes away from chocolate cake anytime of the
day or night.
Be careful not to overcook. If your microwave is higher than 1000 watts, lower
cooking time. Three minutes in a 1200 watt microwave will dry out the cake. Use
your judgement and reduce by seconds, cook maybe 2 and l/2 minutes or a little more.
You may drizzle choc. syrup, use canned frosting,cool whip, etc.
The batter does rise up, way over the top of the mug, but doesn't run down the side.
Fun to watch! Be sure to watch it the whole time it is baking in the microwave.

***Melanie note...I made this for an afternoon snack for the kids today - it is wonderful!!!!! One recipe made enough for each kid to have a small serving (appx 1/2 c), paired with vanilla ice cream. Sublime!!!!

Menu Plan Monday

Here's the menu plan for the week!

Back to school this week...

Sunday - snacky foods

Monday - BBQ ribs, salad, fried okra

Tuesday - Burgers, potato chips, pickles

Wednesday - Grilled chicken legs, mashed potatoes, corn

Thursday - Macaroni with round beef and tomato sauce

Friday - Chicken salad sandwiches, "nevilled" eggs

Saturday - TBA - Mommy's working, Daddy's feeding : )

Since school's back on, I will try to do a breakfast menu, too.

So, here goes...

Monday - overnight oatmeal

Tuesday - poached eggs and buttered toast

Wednesday - egg and cheese sandwiches (with leftover burger rolls)

Thursday - french toast, banana

Friday - multi-grain hot cereal, fruit

-all served with milk or orange juice.

Dual Personality???

I started this blog to be a knitting journal, as well as a family record....you know, for my family and knitting friends to keep up with what we have been up to.


I posted once, quite a while back, 100 things about me. A person whose blog I keep up with read it and got so completely offended and offered a very verbal assault on his own blog, thankfully not naming me but accusing me of many ugly things....because I am a believer in God and I am most thankful for my salvation. Any reference that was spiritual in nature was attacked. I am sorry that my post offended him, but never sorry for my feelings and my belief in God.


This episode led me to choose my words more carefully,y so as to remain unoffensive to would-be readers. I started a tumblr blog to share my belief and other spiritual topics, as well as link Christian articles and blogs that I enjoyed.


Now, though, as time goes by, I am more aware of the fact that it is wrong to separate myself - a neutral being on one forum, and a strong believer on another. As you may have noticed, I have been doing more of my God blogging (for lack of better words) here on Blogger. I am also trying to incorporate all of the things I enjoy or feel strongly about....food, knitting, family....and above all, God.


I hope to become more articulate when it comes to sharing my faith...I always feel like I search for the right words - perhaps to not offend, or to not feel stupid, or to sound like I don't know what I am talking about. I also don't have great confidence in my writing skills. I am not here to apologize for all this, just to share what's going on in this little brain of mine.


As for my new blog title, In Search of Wonder, well, that pretty much describes the journey I am on. My former title, The Almost Daily Blah Blah Blah, had no spiritual implications, whatsoever, and those were all words that describe me, but they weren't who I am. I am on a search for Wonder...for this awesome God who created the heavens, the earth, and everything everywhere, who knows my inmost being and loves me anyway. He can never be put in a box.

Here is the dictionary definition of wonder...to give you an idea of why I used this word to describe my Wonderful God: 1. to think or speculate curiously; 2. to be filled with admiration, amazement, or awe; marvel; 3. something strange and surprising; a cause of surprise, astonishment, or admiration; 4. the emotion excited by what is strange and surprising; a feeling of surprised or puzzled interest, sometimes tinged with admiration; 5. miraculous deed or event; remarkable phenomenon.

"....that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light." 1 Pt 2:9

Okra, Most Delicious

Tonight's meal is Okra, Tomato, and Chicken stew with brown rice. I suppose I could call it gumbo, but I am not a true Southern Girl, and I don't use the gumbo seasonings.

I have a sweet friend from Jerusalem who once told me a wonderful way to cook okra, seeing as though I get lots of it during the summer. I have adapted it to our taste, so here goes:

1 pound okra, tops sliced off, being careful not to cut into the flesh
1 pound cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1/2 large onion, sliced
1-2 bell peppers (today I used one green and one red)
vegetable oil
salt and pepper and garlic
half pint tomato sauce

chicken breast- (I season it with salt and pepper and garlic powder, brown it and set it aside)

add vegetable oil to a pot - sautee onions and peppers till cooked down a bit. Add okra and tomatoes and cook for a couple of minutes. Add tomato sauce and cook for about 5-7 minutes, covered. Add browned chicken (I used chicken breast, cooks faster), cover and cook a few more minutes till chicken is cooked through.

Serve over brown rice. The okra doesn't get slimy when it isn't sliced, the pods have a great, fresh flavor. Enjoy!!!

This can be adapted with sausage, shrimp, no meat....it's all good! : ) And as always, use the recipe as a guide and adapt it to your own taste.

Don't forget desert, Cookie Dough Truffles. Sinfully delicious!

Eat Those Veggies!!!

My sweet Olivia is a rather finicky eater. She likes certain things that you wouldn't expect her to and doesn't like things that kids would usually eat. Since I belong to the CSA, I get a good amount of squash. I have been trying for a good year to prepare it in a way that everyone likes. It works if I put it in quick breads, puree and add to sauces (hiding it). I have also tried grilling, sauteeing, stews, etc. Last week, I tried something new...we took the zucchini, qaurtered it, scooped out the seeds. Sophia used a veggie peeler and used it to make ribbons with the zucchini. We put the ribbons in a steamer and steamed till they were lightly cooked....Turns out, this was just the ticket! Everyone ate all their veggies! And loved them! Yes! Veggie success!

Menu Plan Monday

Here is our menu plan for the week:

Sunday - Chicken fajita tacos

Monday - Meat and beans and homemade tortillas

Tuesday - Okra tomato chicken stew on brown rice

Wednesday - Jason's Deli and Iron Man at the dollar theater

Thursday - Spaghetti and Italian sausage

Friday - Dry garlic spare ribs with steamed veggies and rice

Saturday - TBA

On healing

This morning in church, our (wonderful) pastor opened up the floor for us members of the congregation to share how we have experienced God in our lives, or in the lives of folks we know. This could have gone one way or the other - people could have sat in their seats, looking around, waiting for someone to make the first move. Gladly, one person stood up, followed by another, another, and so on. Soon it was dismissal time and we got to know eachother in ways we didn't expect. I had a story to share, but never made it to the mic (there was a line!). I will share it here....it's a story of being moved by the Holy Spirit and of great healing.

A couple of years ago, in our Friday morning bible study, a friend of a regular attendee came for a few weeks to visit our group. She was young, maybe 27 or 28, a mother of a sweet little toddler girl. She always shared herself so openly, and with wisdom beyond her years. It was great to have here there, even for that short time. She had been suffering debilitating back pain. It was so bad that sometimes she had to crawl to get from one place to another. It was a real sacrifice for her to make it to the study. We made a custom of standing in a circle for prayer at the end of each meeting to lift each other up and support each other, to intercede for one another. Our visitor remained seated, with tears in her eyes, in so much pain that she could not stand up to pray. The group of women, in a moment filled with the Holy Spirit, encircled this young woman, laid our hands on her and prayed for healing.

I didn't see her for two years, then ran into her at a holiday gathering this summer. I asked how her back had been feeling, and she looked at me, almost confused. Then she realized what I was asking her....THREE days after that prayer, her back pain totally and completely disappeared. She has been pain free since! When she first told me it took three days, it didn't strike me as having any significance, but after recounting the story to a friend, she pointed out the absolute significance of the three days. That was NOT coincidence.

A story I need to tell....

I just finished reading a book called The Shack by William P. Young. I don't want to spoil it for you by going into detail, I can only give this book the highest recommendation....it is a book that I think everyone should read. Everyone.

After I read it, though, and discussed it with a great friend (who recommended it to me), I have realized that there is a story from my childhood that needs sharing.

When I was about 6 years old (appx.), I went to the grocery store with my mom. She just had to run in real quick and I stayed in the car. Before you get all upset with her for doing that, this was in the 70's and we lived in a tiny little town where everyone knew each other. And she parked directly in front of the store's great big windows. (I never blamed my mom for a minute).

In a child's eyes, a couple of minutes seemed like LOT of minutes. My young mind quickly grew impatient. I got out of the car and decided to wait for Mom at the entrance of the store. Do you remember the old fashioned soda vending machines? The soda was dispensed and the dispenser part jutted out (not like the new ones which you have to reach into the machine to get it). Can you picture that? The details are so clear in my mind. Well, I was sort of sitting/leaning on the part that jutted out of a Coke machine, waiting for my mom to emerge from the store.

Remember the part where I said it was a tiny town where everyone knew each other? There was a stranger in town that day. It was an old man. He saw me, a young girl, unattended. He got out of his car...a large burgundy or deep red thing, maybe a Cadillac or a Buick...and approached me. He invited me to come home with him. He said he had a nice big bubble bath that I could enjoy. He had a new litter of puppies...and lots of candy! (He pulled out all the stops). He was quite friendly, and I still remember the vision I had of the bubble bath from my 6 year old imagination! I didn't want to go with him (thankfully) so he grabbed my arm (my right forearm) and pulled me...trying to see if I would resist. I resisted and he tried harder. He even left marks on my arm. He couldn't fight with me because it was in a public place, and it would have drawn attention to himself. He went back to his car and watched me. My mom came out as soon as he got in his car and we walked to our car. We had to pass right by him, and he waved at me as I went by.

I told my mom and she notified the police but the man was long gone by the time they looked.

I am so thankful that it turned out the way it did. I was a lucky one. The terrifying thing is that I probably wasn't the first attempt of this man. There are so many children out there that weren't able to escape the hands of their assailants. My prayers go out to every family that has ever been affected by the twisted, broken people who prey on children.

What a day, what a day!!!

Today was quite a day. We started out early - we went to the farm to do the CSA preparation and delivery. We were there about..eh..maybe 15 minutes. Danny usually begs his big sister Oliv to play with him and take him around the farm. About 2-3 minutes after they went (out of my site) I heard a scream! YIKES! As I ran in the direction of the cries, Oliv was running with Danny in her arms towards me! I took him to console him, thinking it was just something minor, but Oliv's hands were full of blood! Upon closer inspection, we discovered an inch long gash on his head. He fell and hit his head on a pool ladder. We promptly packed ourselves up (left the delivery behind) and headed to the ER. Now, Danny stopped crying within about 2 minutes of his fall and was hurting all the way, but didn't cry anymore. We were seen right away, and were out of the hospital with three staples within an hour. He was so big and brave, and didn't cry even when he got the staples. I was so proud of him!

We came home (the girls went with my friends to swim) and snuggled and cuddled...I was giving a good dose of Mommy loving....and I noticed that the air conditioning vents were blowing hot air! The A/C decided to quit on us. Thankfuly it was minor and it is already resolved, but it sure was hot in here. Danny was feeling well enough to get out so we went school supply shopping and to eat at a pizza buffet (cartoons and a/c!). We spent the rest of the time at my sweet Mrs. Ginny's house and now we are home.

I am just really thankful that Danny didn't get hurt worse. (and that our a/c problem was minor!)

Today's voice from Sojourner's

Forgiveness is the key that unlocks the door of resentment and the handcuffs of hate. It is a power that breaks the chains of bitterness and the shackles of selfishness.- Corrie Ten Boom

I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy....

...inked on my wrist!

Thank you Kevin, I am very happy with it!

I have two reasons for this tattoo. The letters j*o*y are there as a constant reminder that first comes Jesus, then Others, then Yourself.

The second reason is that my family fills my heart with so much joy, every minute of every day. Even in the hectic, crazy times, it feels like my heart is overflowing. And for this, I am so very thankful.

Urban Sustainable Living

My sweet friend sent me this link..thought I'd share. Enjoy the great info!
http://www.gardengirltv.com

Natural cleaning for my home

In an effort to reduce the chemicals I use in my home, I have been making some home-made cleaning products. The two that I use the most are a multi-purpose cleaner and laundry detergent. I am so happy with both of these that I will not go back! I use Seventh Generation dish soap, and I am so happy with it! (BTW - it is considerably cheaper at Target than HEB). Here are the recipes for the MP cleaner and the laundry detergent.

Multi Purpose Cleaner
3 c water
1 c white vinegar
1-2 T Dr Bronner's Peppermint Castille soap

(I also use about a c of vinegar and 1-2 T Dr B's in a bucket of hot water for mopping)

Laundry Detergent (I got this recipe from a Quaker friend I made on Ravelry)
1 c Borax
1 c Washing Soda
1 c Baking Soda
1 c grated bar soap (I used Ivory, the cheapest, and one bar was the perfect amount)
10 drops lavender essential oil (optional)

It takes only 1 T of this for a load of laundry! 2 T if the clothes are extra dirty. I line dry my clothes and have been perfectly satisfied with the way they turn out. Nice and clean and fresh!

I feel that, by making the effort to reduce chemicals in my home, reduce packaging, and definitely saving money, I am being a more conscious steward of this beautiful planet entrusted to us by God.

If you take a leap and try these methods (or use them already), drop a quick comment and let me know what you think.

Blogiversary

Yesterday was my one year anniversary of blogging!!! I initially started this blog as a knitting journal, but, while I am still knitting, my passions have been going through a shift. I have definitely been doing a lot of reading and research, and spending quallity time with my family and friends. There has been a lack of pics because my USB port needs to be fixed/replaced, it is not letting me get pics from my camera to the computer. Hopefully that'll be fixed soon and you'll get an eyeful!

All the reading and research I have been doing, well, I am trying to find a way to articulate it all to you....I have trouble finding the words to accurately represent my beliefs, thoughts, and feelings. You will be the first to know when I get those thoughts organized! : )

But for now, thank you, friends, for reading my blog. I will keep writing and try to make it interesting.

Menu Plan for the week

I am a little early for MPM, but posting anyways...

Sunday - leftover birthday Shrimp Curry and snacky foods

Monday - roast garlic rosemary chicken with potatoes and carrots

Tuesday - steak with barley and zucchini ribbons

Wednesday - salmon turnovers, salad

Thursday - pizza

Friday - arroz con pollo, beans, tortillas

Saturday - Daddy is preparing food - Mommy's working

Birthday Blessings

Yesterday was my birthday. I won't go into all details, as there are lots and I am tired. I will say, however, at the end of a long, fun, and very full day with family and friends, as my beautiful family was singing me happy birthday with a perfect home-made chocolate cake full of candles, my eyes welled up with tears as I was thinking about how blessed I am. Then I tried to blow out the candles and they were trick candles!!!! That stopped my tears! Ha! those crazy people I call my family. I just love them!

I'm Sorry

A friend sent me this link. Please take a little time to read this. You won't regret it.

http://www.christiansconfess.com/

Menu Plan Monday

Greetings! Here is the meal plan for the week:

Sunday - BBQ pork ribs, grilled yellow squash, pasta salad, canteloupe
Monday - Arroz con pollo, home made tortillas
Tuesday - 7 steak stroganoff, green beans
Wednesday - Baked Potatoes, grilled sausage
Thursday - I'm not cooking on my birthday!!!! : )
Friday - Potato corn soup with grilled chicken legs
Saturday - hot dogs with friends

Don't laugh - I never made a meal plan last week because I couldn't find my dry-erase markers! Yah, that is how my brain works sometimes. I am really working at getting more organized.