Author Archives: Elizabeth

Monday Mmm…Birthday Edition

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My birthday “cake”!

#1 I wasn’t thinking ahead–dessert on the brain, not blogging!
#2 I didn’t take this photo, hence it was not staged at all–I just used what I found on the old photo stream.
#3 Pretend it has been cropped after-the-fact, because I don’t know how to do that yet!

Banana: Guatemala
Ice Cream: Simply Sugar and Gluten-Free cookbook. (Same as last week’s recipe).
Chocolate Sauce: Sweet and Natural cookbook.
Whipped Cream: Simply Sugar and Gluten-Free blog.

Psalm 28:7(NIV)
The Lord is my strength and my shield;
my heart trusts in him, and he helps me.
My heart leaps for joy,
and with my song I praise him.
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Five Minute Friday: Home

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Five Minute Friday

Home:

Home is where they are. Those seven who melt me, make me crazy, humble me, get me out of my introverted comfort or uncomfort zone. Those seven.
We homeschool. My husband has worked from home for nine months now. Crazy. We are all together and that’s the way some days are. Just crazy. I couldn’t imagine anything else, most days. Some days, I have to admit the exhaustion the noise. THE NOISE!!! Five boys! It can get chaotic. But then I think, what are the options? Though I may crave a break, I just couldn’t imagine not being all together.

I, the mommy, who had packing on the brain and needed to get home to leave for the big city, doesn’t appreciate what I have, two afternoons ago laughed and told the dental hygienist that she must’ve drawn the short straw to get both of the younger boys. They are like puppies, best friends and very talkative and silly at times.
She, patient and sweet lady that she is, who calls them her friends, got an almost horrified look on her face and said, “Oh, No! They are blessings!”
Ouch! Convicted. I am writing her an apology letter.

She is right. I am home. At the dentist’s office, in a hotel now. God is so good to be and I need to be grateful for the hominess of my home.

Stop

I was on a roll and went the phone went boing, I couldn’t stop, so I went about 90 seconds over.

Proverbs 20:7 (ESV)
The righteous who walks in his integrity—
blessed are his children after him!

1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking.
2. Link back here (Lisa-Jo’s blog) and invite others to join in.
3. And then absolutely, no ifs, ands or buts about it, you need to visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them in their comments. Seriously. That is, like, the rule. And the fun. And the heart of this community..

Monday Mmm…First Edition

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My breakfast 🙂 It tastes better than it looks, but a little goes a long way!

Recipe from The Thyroid Solution Diet.
(I found the recipe on-line last week and put the book on hold, but may take a trip to Barne’s and Noble to pick it up.)

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And the ingredients for tomorrow’s breakfast. Yum!

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Dry ice ice cream ala Adam. (BTW, That is steam, not blur.)

The recipe for the ice cream base is from Simply Sugar and Gluten Free, by Amy Green. (I was a recipe tester for the cookbook!) We make the dairy-free version, with coconut milk. It is only 8 carbs for 1/2 cup. Great for John and tasty too!!

The dry ice part of the recipe came from Mad Science. (My husband found it at the library, hoping the children would read it and they did not disappoint. It is written by Theodore Gray, a contributor to Popular Science Magazine.)

James 1:17 (NIV)
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

Sunday Smiles and Scripture

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8 p.m.: My oldest and youngest favorite guys cuddling, with bad lighting and shadows 🙂

Psalm 127:3-5 (NIV)
Children are a heritage from the Lord,
offspring a reward from him.
Like arrows in the hands of a warrior
are children born in one’s youth.
Blessed is the man
whose quiver is full of them.
They will not be put to shame
when they contend with their opponents in court.

Five Minute Friday: Ordinary

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Five Minute Friday

Ordinary

Ordinary. What is ordinary? I would imagine that everyone has their own, personal definition of ordinary. My definition has changed over the years, from childhood to college to married life to working to motherhood.

Now, an ordinary day includes being at home, all eight of us, working, homeschooling, living. Last year, there were seven of us at home 24/7. Now is definitely better, more ordinary.

2013 has brought some unordinary, unexpected health trials for some in our family. Yesterday, I was expecting to get ordinary test results back for one child, but they were very unordinary.
I mourned for the afternoon, the loss of one more ordinary, normal thing.

So I pray more and hope that these prayers will be answered in an ordinary way.
Maybe, just maybe God is trying to call me, trying to to pry me, out of ordinary.

For me, ordinary is safe. I like safe. I think I have been guilty of worshiping the ordinary and safe.

Stop.

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Jeremiah 29:11(NIV)

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An ordinary winter day: The whole family playing in the nice “wet” snow on Tuesday..

Sunday Smiles and Scripture

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Saturday: Paul, Luke and Isaac in the backyard after traversing the neighborhood.

(Note the experiment supplies left from a warm day earlier in the week: baking soda, spoon and recycled greens container)
Things like the broom and bike seem to show up everywhere! 🙂

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Late Saturday: Adam, John and Rachel waiting for the awards ceremony at our local speech/debate competition.

Psalm 16:11
English Standard Version (ESV)
You make known to me the path of life;
in your presence there is fullness of joy;
at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

The top three boys and I read Psalm 14-16 at bedtime and the younger two guys were happy to hear this verse, as it was quoted often one of our latest readers, Rainbow Garden.

Sunday Smiles and Scripture

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Paul, aka The General (For today, anyway!)

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General Paul flanked by his officers, Captain John and Sergeant Isaac

Ephesians 6:10-18
New International Version (NIV)
The Armor of God

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.
12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,
15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.
16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

Yes, I do realize that combining the goofy pictures above with Bible verses may be cheesy to some, but I thought of it during my search for children/boy-type verses, as the middle guy, (pictured above), almost has this passage memorized. Go Isaac!!

Five Minute Friday: Beloved

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Five Minute Friday

1. Write for 5 minutes flat with no editing, tweaking or self critiquing.

2. Link back here and invite others to join in {you can grab the button code in my blog’s footer}.

3. Go and tell the person who linked up before you what their words meant to you. Every writer longs to feel heard.

Beloved.
Start.

He said 26 Valentines. Really? Hard to believe. He was 19, I, almost, when we celebrated our first, over 1,000 miles apart. He was on the east coast, while I stayed here in the Midwest, in the same state I have always lived.
He came back three years later and we were married six months later, celebrating our first Valentine’s in person about six weeks later.
22 Valentine’s, 21years, six children, three babies lost to miscarriage, one type-1 diabetes diagnosis for our 18-month old, one celiac diagnosis for his older brother, homeschooling, strong wills, my hormone dive four years ago. Good, hard, together through it all. I never would have imagined all those 26 Valentine’s ago. I want to leave regrets behind, because he is my beloved. He loves me even though he knows me.

My beloved.

Disclosure: I gave myself almost a minute extra since I am typing on my ipad screen after watching a movie with my beloved.

Ephesians 5:33
New International Version
However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

Stop.

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Me and My Beloved at Grayton Beach, October 2012 with Isaac 😉

Happy Valentine’s Day!

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Valentine’s guys by Isaac

1 Corinthians 13
New International Version

If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.