In case you have had your head in a whole in the ground and aren’t aware, November starts in two days.
For the last couple of years, I have done some kind of Thanksgiving Challenge both for myself and on my blog.
This year is no different.
Here is the challenge that begins on Friday, November 1:
Instead of finding random things to be thankful for each day, how about finding something about each person in your family to be thankful for each day. For us, I am thinking that our wall of thanks will look a little different this year and we will put notes of thankfulness either in quadrants on the one door that we used last year, or put those notes specifically on the door to the room that each person sleeps in. That way, there is a reminder each time they enter their room that the rest of us are thankful for them and here are some reasons why.
Is this going to be harder than in years past? Absolutely!
But it will really make us look hard at one another and the things that make them who they are and why we are thankful that they are a part of our family.
Are you up for it? Let me know in the comments and let’s practice being thankful for those that we live with!!!!
During the time that I have been down, I have tried to keep busy as I can. One of the ways that I do that is by making things.
I love to knit and crochet, and if you have read my blog for very long you know that my vision is to make knitted/crocheted gifts that have been saturated in prayer and then given to those for which I have prayed. In order to fund this gift-giving ministry, I make some projects to sell. Each item that I knit/crochet is done with quality materials, workmanship, and prayer. It is my hope that the recipient is not only comforted as they snuggle up with an afghan or cover up with a shawl, but their lives are also touched by prayer.
This week I realized that I should “beef up” what I offer for sale in my Etsy shop so I started practicing on some different types of items. Typically I have just listed afghans there, but I decided to try some different scarves and hats this week as well.
My kids get them because they are practice items and not up to the quality I want to sell. Here are a few of the things I have made this week:
I am planning to make some more of these types of items to put in the shop so that I can fund the gift-giving portion of my ministry. I will also do custom work, so if you are looking for a handmade gift for someone, or just something for yourself, feel free to ask!
If nothing else, doing something new this week has helped me keep my mind off of how I feel and onto something new and good!
Feel free to share this post with others and spread the word about this ministry that the Lord has me doing!
A week ago today I had surgery. I expected I would be back at work by today. But I am not. Instead I find myself waiting impatiently for the time to pass so I can take another pain pill.
It sure seems like for me, illness and surgery are kind of like home plumbing projects – they never quite turn out the way you think they will at the start and there are detours along the way.
I didn’t anticipate that recovery would take longer than the weekend, much less longer than a week. I didn’t anticipate the emotional toll of spending a week in my recliner. I didn’t anticipate fighting depression as well as fighting to recover from surgery.
So as I sit here this morning, I am meditating on these words:
8 Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom. 29 He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. 30 Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall; 31 but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint. (from Isaiah 40, Italics Mine)
I am holding on to these words today. He will give me strength in my weakness. He will renew my strength as I put my hope and trust in Him.
I don’t have much to say today as I am still quite foggy as I recover from sinus surgery last week, but one thing I am very familiar with is the early morning hours. I have seen more of 2:30 a.m. in the last five days than I have since college and having babies. But there is one thing that has kept me calm and helped me get back to sleep in those moments of high pain, my all-time favorite album for calming me down,A Warm Shade of Ivory by Henry Mancini.
I have it on vinyl (or rather, my mother had it on vinyl and it is now mine), but I also purchased it on CD so that it is on my iPad and I have played it over and over these last few days. My favorite song is Love Theme from Romeo and Juliet and that was the processional in my wedding, but the first song on the album has become my “cue” to relax. So for those of you in a stress-filled Monday, take a cue from this, listen and relax.
I wouldn’t typically do this, but today I want to share with you the sermon my Senior Pastor preached on Sunday. I think it is worth listening to, probably more than once.
We live in a culture where the tendency is to be ruled by how we feel, rather than being ruled by what is true, and Doug addresses this issue beautifully. It was just another example of what the world says versus what the Kingdom says.
The other day, our Pastor to Seniors was sitting in my office relaying a story to me about his wife who has been struggling with some pain issues recently and waiting for healing. He found her one night in bed crying and she told him that she had been thinking of the song, Make Me Willing. It was a song they both knew well, but one that was unknown to me. He then shared with me the words to the song.
Make me willing to wait patiently
for the answers I’ve prayed for so long.
Make me willing to listen to Thee
and to say “not my will, but Thine be done”.
Make me willing to thank Thee for tears
And for the heartaches that cause me to pray.
Will you make me a vessel the Master can use
Keep me willing the rest of my days.
My Father points the way to go
Then makes the way for me.
He tells me I must trust in Him
My faith will help me see.
The road may not be easy
The testing will be great
But then my Lord reminds me
That He will help me wait.
I know that he was sharing them as part of the story of his wife’s struggles, but the words hit a chord with me as well.
I have been waiting for years to see how God will bring to pass the calling He has placed on my life.
I have been waiting for years to be healed of the depression that I struggle with regularly.
I have been waiting for years to see the fullness of blessing promised to those who give to the Lord.
I have been waiting for months for relief from the sinus issues that are plaguing me.
And sometimes, in each of these situations, it is hard to wait, because I want to see results and relief now.
But the words to this song melted something within me.
Lord, make me willing to wait on You, however long it takes, whatever route it takes.
One of the hardest parts of completely changing your diet is breaking away from the “go-to” meals that you have been preparing for years.
Spaghetti and meat sauce
Mushroom steak
Any kind of meat put on a grill
Pizza
Tacos
These were just a few of the staples in our family menu. We always had the stuff on hand for them and could make them at any point in time.
So what happens when you decide that you are going to now eat a plant-based, whole foods diet?
All those “go-to” meals go down the drain, and you have to figure out what to cook.
When I made that switch about a year and a half ago, I spent hours researching recipes and trying various things. I still do sometimes just for fun because I love to cook. The difference now is I have that list of things that I can pull from quickly when deciding what’s for dinner.
And lucky for you, I am going to share some with you!
First of all, I have a list of cookbooks that I use and love (some of my favorite recipes in parentheses):
Appetite for Reduction, Isa Chandra Moskowitz (Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes; Black Bean, Zucchini & Olive Tacos; Cauliflower Pesto Soup; Kidney Bean & Butternut Jamba Stew; Pasta de los Angeles)
Veganomicon, Isa Chandra Moskowitz & Terry Hope Romero (Leek and Bean Cassoulet with Biscuits; Cauliflower and Mushroom Potpie with Black Olive Crust; Acorn Squash, Pear, and Adzuki Soup with Sauteed Shiitakes)
The last two are newer ones that I have gotten and I have a list of recipes I want to try, but haven’t gotten to them yet. I am particularly looking forward to the slow cooker recipes this fall and winter.
Then, I have created a Pinterest Board called Go-To Vegan Dishes. The only things on that board are things that I have tried and liked. I also have posted information there about substitutions for vegan cooking, because most recipes I find can be adapted to be vegan if I want them to be.
If you are considering an option like Meatless Mondays or even going all the way to a plant-based, whole foods diet, take a look at some of these tried and true recipes that I have posted and pick one to try for yourself. You will be surprised at how flavorful and delicious plant-based eating can be!
If you have questions about plant-based eating, feel free to ask. I don’t know it all, but I am learning more about it all the time.
Friday night I got the opportunity to spend the evening running errands with just my daughter. It was great. We got to spend time with one another talking about life and just hanging out.
In the car on the way there and back, we were listening to music – as always. On the way home, Fifteen by Taylor Swift came on and I was suddenly overcome with the need to talk to Anne (again) about boys, sex, kissing, choices, and more.
We’ve talked before. She knows that I think it is a good idea to not date until after high school. But as we were listening to the song, I was thinking about all the girls (and boys) who at a very young age are already making decisions that are going to affect their lives forever.
So we talked. Or rather I talked. I told her more about my story with boys and why I think dating in high school isn’t worth the heartache. We talked about staying pure – even to the point of not holding hands or kissing a boy. We talked about consequences of not only sex, but of giving your heart to someone before you are mature enough to handle it. And I tried really hard to make sure that no matter what, she would always see that the lines of communication are open. She assured me that if and when she has questions, she’ll talk to me, and I hope that is true, especially in these upcoming teen years.
For some, conversations like this may come easy, but not for me. It makes me nervous. I don’t want to scare her. I don’t want to scar her. I don’t want to give her more information than she is ready for, but I don’t want to hold back and not help her understand these things BEFORE they come up in her social circles. To me, this is one of the trickiest parts of parenting.
I don’t want to make my kids feel like if they mess up they are breaking a law and I won’t love them anymore (in any area – not just sex), but I don’t want to approach it in such a nonchalant way that they don’t see that there are multiple reasons to choose abstinence.
And I definitely want them to hear me before they get to the place where the voices of their parents get drowned out by the voices of their peers and society.
So, as uncomfortable as it is to start the conversation, I dove in yet again.
And it was good. So good.
How do you keep the lines of communication open with your children when it comes to these hard topics?
Fifteen by Taylor Swift
You take a deep breath and you walk through the doors
It’s the morning of your very first day
And you say hi to your friends you ain’t seen in a while
Try and stay out of everybody’s way
It’s your freshman year and you’re gonna be here
For the next four years in this town
Hoping one of those senior boys will wink at you and say
“You know, I haven’t seen you around before”
‘Cause when you’re fifteen and somebody tells you they love you
You’re gonna believe them
And when you’re fifteen feeling like there’s nothing to figure out
Well, count to ten, take it in
This is life before you know who you’re gonna be
Fifteen
You sit in class next to a redhead named Abigail
And soon enough you’re best friends
Laughing at the other girls who think they’re so cool
We’ll be outta here as soon as we can
And then you’re on your very first date and he’s got a car
And you’re feeling like flying
And you’re momma’s waiting up and you’re thinking he’s the one
And you’re dancing ’round your room when the night ends
When the night ends
‘Cause when you’re fifteen and somebody tells you they love you
You’re gonna believe them
When you’re fifteen and your first kiss
Makes your head spin ’round
But in your life you’ll do things greater than
Dating the boy on the football team
But I didn’t know it at fifteen
When all you wanted was to be wanted
Wish you could go back and tell yourself what you know now
Back then I swore I was gonna marry him someday
But I realized some bigger dreams of mine
And Abigail gave everything she had to a boy
Who changed his mind and we both cried
‘Cause when you’re fifteen and somebody tells you they love you
You’re gonna believe them
And when you’re fifteen, don’t forget to look before you fall
I’ve found time can heal most anything
And you just might find who you’re supposed to be
I didn’t know who I was supposed to be at fifteen
Your very first day
Take a deep breath girl
Take a deep breath as you walk through the doors
I saw this and thought it was so hysterical and true that I thought I would share it with you all.
It’s fall. Which means it is soup season. I love soup. The problem is, since changing over to a plant-based, whole foods diet, two of my favorite soups have been off the table: Split Pea (with ham) and Ham and Bean. And I have missed them.
So last week I decided to go hunting and see if I could find some vegan alternatives that would give me the same flavor without having to add ham to the soup.
And I hit the jackpot!
Sunday, I tried this Vegan Split Pea Soup in the crock-pot. I even served it to my neighbors. It was great! The addition of liquid smoke gave it that meaty flavor without the meat, and the hearty vegetables were delicious.
Then Wednesday, I made this Vegan Country “Ham” and Beans, minus the seitan ham because I didn’t have any and didn’t feel like attempting to make any. I did it in the crock-pot instead of on the stove top, and I should have cooked it on high instead of low, because the beans didn’t get done and I ended up cooking it on high again Thursday for a few hours to get the beans done. At any rate, the kids and I ate it for dinner on Thursday and it was good. I added liquid smoke to it as well, to add that meaty taste. It was a little heavy on the sage, so I think next time I would cut that in half, and it needed more salt, so I would increase that.
So many people wonder how I can get by without meat, but these two soups are perfect examples of how our meals don’t have to center around meat to be tasty and healthy.
