Hey kids let me take your picture.

The other day we were playing outside. As we were running around I remember my friend wants to take pictures of us next week, maybe I should see how they will do. That was a joke in itself. Here is what we ended up with when I said "Kids come sit on the stairs so mommy can take your picture." Trying to get their beautiful faces all to look at the same time and smile, oh my not easy. By the end I laughed and gave up, or more like the little guy had enough. I'm sure they will do better for my friend next week considering it's not mommy nagging them do this and that. We'll see, best of luck to my friend.

Pumpkin..pumpkin..pumpkin....tis the season

   

Spiced Pumpkin Bisque

	1	shallot (peeled and chopped)
	1	sweet potato
	1	vegetable stock carton
	1 can	pumpkin puree
	1 pint	light cream
	3/4 cup	brown sugar (packed)
	3/4 tsp	ground nutmeg
	11/2 tsp	ground cinnamon
	3/4 tsp	ground allspice
	1 tbsp	kosher salt

   1 tbsp  butter
   2 cups  water


In soup pot pour stock, water, potato peeled and chopped and shallot. Boil till soft then turn down heat and mix in the rest of the items with cream being last. Use immersion blender and blend till soup creamy. Top with dried cranberries

Pumkin scones with maple glaze

Scones Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
7 Tablespoons sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
6 Tablespoons cold butter
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
3 Tablespoons half-and-half
1 large egg

Sugar Glaze Ingredients:

1 cup powdered sugar
1 Tablespoon powdered sugar
2 Tablespoons whole milk

Spiced Maple Glaze Ingredients:

1 cup powdered sugar
3 Tablespoons powdered sugar
2 Tablespoons whole milk
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 pinch ginger
1 pinch ground cloves

2 Tablespoons of pure maple syrup
Scones Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

2. Lightly grease a cookie sheet or line with parchment paper.

3. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and spices in a large mixing bowl.

4. With a fork, pastry knife, or food processor, cut butter into the dry ingredients until mixture is crumbly and no chunks of butter remain. Set aside.

5. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk pumpkin, half and half, and egg.

6. Fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Form the dough into a ball.

7. Pat out dough onto a lightly floured surface and form it into a 1-inch thick rectangle (about 9 inches long and 3 inches wide).

8. Use a large knife to slice the dough into three equal portions. Cut diagonally to produce 6 triangular slices of dough.

9. Place on prepared baking sheet from step 2.

10. Bake for 14–16 minutes until scones turn light brown.

11. Place on wire rack to cool.



Sugar Glaze Directions:

1. Mix the powdered sugar and 2 Tablespoon milk together until smooth.

2. Brush glaze over the top of each cooled scone.



Spiced Glaze Directions:

1. As sugar glaze firms, combine the spiced maple icing ingredients.

2. Use whisk to drizzle over each scone and allow to dry before serving

Contentment in a new season.

    A couple of weeks ago at my last Dr. appt she told me that my days of running have come to a halt, at least for now. For months now I had been having a lot of feet problem since my Avon cancer walk. Which led to blisters, infections and months of pain. Then after a careless jump at the beach one day which bruised my heels (note never jump more then 3 feet on to rocks with flip flops, your feet are not made for such impact). All this started in May, so fast forward to present day my feet are just not as happy as they used to be and I have done some pretty serious damage internally to them. So my Dr. told me at my last appt that running is off limits because of the impact on my feet, and the worst part my beautiful collection of high heels are off limits. Can I express I love running, it's not often that I have a chance to but I love it, and my high heels well I love wearing high heels.(please remember I'm barely 5'2 in height so heels are my friend) So a few weeks have passed and I have finally seen where my heart attitude is. We are moody people; as changeable as the weather so to speak. We are so experienced in emotion that we allow them to rule us and not even notice .The attitude of our heart and mood comes across loud and clear. People will notice when there is discontentment. Whether we realize it or not we are being defined by the emotion we display most consistently.  Our moods can affect us physically. Think of David in Psalm 102:4 My heart is blighted and withered like grass;  I forget to eat my food. 
When we allow our feelings like worry, fear and doubt, to carry us along how does James describe us?
 "But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. " James 1:6
 If I always say my goal is to have the mind of Christ (Phil 2:5) and harbor discontentment with any area of my life then I am contradicting what I am for. Jesus was a great example of managing his moods. Jesus never allowed His feelings to lead Him to sin. But what a comfort that my Lord knows how I feel and cares. He cares so much that He revealed my heart to me in order to get it right with Him and His word. So even though I still believe that I will be healed in this season I am content. I will hang my running sneakers and put on walking ones, and hang up my heels for ballet flats, but in all honesty don't be surprised a few Sundays or maybe special occasion I break out the heels here and there. So in this coming week take time and ask God is there an area that you harbor discontentment? No matter how big or small He will help you overcome and truly be joyful in every area of life.

Job 36:11
If they obey and serve him, they will spend the rest of their days in prosperity and their years in contentment.

1 Timothy 6:6
But godliness with contentment is great gain.

Never-ending love

I'm sure we all can use a reminder or two. This is just a quick reminder to myself, in which you get to eavesdrop on.
How much does God love me? He loves me so much that He sent His son to this earth to die for me.What a concept, would I have done the same? Do I love anyone that much that I would sacrifice any of my children for? That's a quick answer NO.  The thought of sending any of my precious children to die in place of others..more like over my dead body. To think of what God did just grips my heart that He loves me that much. God's love is bigger and more powerful then human mind can ever imagine or try to, but it's real. Even though many try to deny the truth the truth still stands. How precious you are my wonderful God, how great and mighty you are. My sweet Jesus, how I love you more then life itself/ Not only have you become my savior over the years, my Lord, but so much more. You have become my constant friend that I run to over everything whether it be happy or sad news it is you first that I bring my heart to. You have become my intimate friend, you know my deepest thoughts, my struggles, my passions, where men fall short you are my constant companion. When others hurt me you hold me. I hear you, feel you, know you are there at all times even in silent moments I know you are there, because you have made me a promise to stay closer then a friend, that you will never leave me or forsake me. How thankful this girl is to have you. I know that your love lasts forever, I thank you for your amazing love. Everyday I try to share your love with others in all that I do, to walk in your footsteps and pray that the more and more that I do the more of you they will see and less of me, for you are the true image of love.

"The unfailing love of the Lord never ends!" Lamentations 3:22

Wives...who are you?

Wives do you see your ministry within your home, apart from your children, and duties of homekeeping but your husband. "A good wife can make a average man great, a great wife can make a good man superior, on the flip side a contentious wife can make a good man weak, a contentious wife can make a weak man die." Who are you to your husband? Do you encourage or cut down? Are you a vehicle of grace or... driving him to the grave? What is the legacy you want for your marriage? Legacy of limitless love, hope, forgiveness a marriage that exemplifies Christ or a Legacy of mistrust, despair, nagging, or love full of limits? Can your husbands heart safely trust in you or is it uneasy and unsure? The choice is up to you women, how you react, how you reply is up to you. Every great man has faults, we are to use his faults and turn them into strengths his strengths.

Lots have been happening, but I'll fill you in another day...Today is Tuesday Tips

So much has been happening from I finially did the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer, I also ran a Warrior Dash, and now doing a fitness bootcamp monday thru friday. All that will be for another day. Today's tips go along with laundry since that's what I worked on today. Here are the ingredients for homemade laundry detergent

Homemade Laundry detergent
6 cups of water
1/3 bar of Fels Naptha laundry soap (grated)
1/2 cup washing soda
1/2 cup of Borax


 Heat 6 cups of water and grated soap in a large pot until dissolved. Stir in washing soda, and Borax. Mix and heat until dissolved then boil 15 mins. Remove from heat , in a 3-5 gallon bucket add 1 quart of hot water, then add soap mixture. Mix. Then add enough cold water to make 2 gallons which is about 6 liters of water. Mix until blended, let sit for 24 hours to gel up.

 

 Another quick tip is to remove soap scum from your washing machine pour a gallon of vinegar. Run washer one cycle without clothes of course.

 Do you have any tips you want to share?

Sweet potato oatmeal and just loving my home

  I love being the keeper of my home. I take such joy in cleaning, organizing, cooking, even laundry now (which honestly I hated it). God showed me how to get it under control, and that's exactly what the problem was it was out of control. I would save it all till it overflowed and then was overwhelmed by it all. So now there is a system, it's fantastic. I have the kids completely involved in helping, and caring for the house. Because the house is in a better routine, school is going smoother. Before I would panick over how messy and how much I had to do that homeschooling started losing it's importance. Now that I have the children help, it helps me stay ahead of schedule.
Just this morning I got up with the baby went downstairs, made my cup of coffee (some mornings I can't stop praising God for the invention of coffee)  I sat and read the Bible for the day, while he sat on my lap drinking his bottle. When done I went back into the kitchen and prepped my whole chicken for supper that I had defrosted through the night. Rubbed the chicken with all the spices, wrapped it up and back in the fridge until a little later when I will slow roast it for the day. Tonight's supper is

Slow roasted chicken
Mashed potatoes
Green bean casserole
Popovers
Dessert is apple crisp

I'll give the recipe for the chicken if it comes out well ;0)  After the chicken was prepped I checked on my buttermilk that I was making. I had it sitting in a warm spot overnight to make more. It came out perfect, placed it in the fridge and off to make breakfast. This morning I made Sweet Potato Oatmeal. I got the recipe from Deceptively Delicious.

Sweet Potato Oatmeal recipe:
1 cup of milk
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup puree sweet potato
1 tsp of vanilla
1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 cup of rolled oats

In a small saucepan combine milk, sugar, potato, vanilla, and spice. Bring to a gentle boil and stir in oatmeal. Reduce heat and simmer for 2-3 min until oatmeal is creamy. Spoon into bowls we then covered with milk, blueberries, dried fruit, and I like almonds.

So now I'm off to finish a couple of of little things and then the little peanuts and I are going to be baking some goodies, and enjoy the day with cuddles, and kisses.
Do you have a schedule that you follow that helps you?