Of Triangles, Curling, Tennis and Marriage...

Okay, bear in mind that these musings came about while I was half delirious on the couch watching a tv I rarely watch and having WAY too much time on my hands to think about things I read and watched...

The first interesting concept that has embedded itself in my brain from a recent read combined with a quiet time that focused on marriage in Corinthians 7 is the idea (not new, but had time to think about it extra hard) that marriage can be pictured as a triangle. Just like God's relationship in the trinity is three fold, so is our relationship in marriage. Ideally God should be at the apex of the Triangle, with the husband and wife occupying bottom corners. Simple enough, really... makes sense. After reading and contemplating this I had ample opportunity to "critique" some marriage triangles and principles as I watched a hodge podge of television over the last few weeks.

First up was (I can't believe I am admitting to watching this, but understand we have two channels and this was before Prairie Guy made a run to the city library to stock up on dvd's...) Oprah's interview of Seal and his beautiful German model wife. Lovely marriage, very romantic, four small children I think they have, their relationship looks beautiful and he is clearly devoted to her. It was sweet. He even referred to his own triangle of success for making marriage/family life work. his triangle was wife at the apex, Then children, then work. His motto was "happy wife, happy life". This interview made me contemplate how we can put our spouse at the apex (make them an idol) of our relationship so easily. The passage I read in Corinthians 7 specifically cited how the spouse tends to place the marital needs/give and take in a position of primary concern, over the things of the Lord.

Next up came a series we watched as a family from the library called "Pioneer House". A great reality program of 3 modern families who literally step back in time to live the 1883 pioneer lifestyle, building cabins from scratch and caring for themselves with only period items. It was a great watch, especially since we are finishing up our pioneer studies here for third grade. What struck me was the one couple's relationship. The woman at least was a professing christian (rather a "holier than thou" turn-off type)who was a mother of two on her second marriage. She clearly placed herself at the apex of her triangle and considered herself the be all and end all of knowledge and authority when it came to family function. Yikes, it was ugly. Her poor husband was so brow beaten and domineered that he was constantly walking around like a dog with his tail between his legs and although he had oodles of potential, the wife was just NOT serving to encourage or respect or build him up. She put her kids second, and her husband last. She talked alot about God, but in my eyes, she was her own God, I didn't see God factoring into her triangle in action, despite the words.

This made me think how we can place ourselves at the apex of our triangles and make self centredness, self serving, or pride our idols. It also made me think that if we want to have healthy family lives we don't need to elevate our children into our marital triangle or let them dominate a place in our lives that God intended to be filled by Him or our spouse. If we have a healthy triangle, with God at the apex, and a healthy partnership between spouses under him, our children will be securely sheltered, loved and enveloped in the centre of that triangle.

Okay, where do curling and tennis fit into the picture? :D A current read likens the marital relationship to a Tennis parntership, playing doubles. I really liked this visual. You each have your sides, that are your "space" but you function as a team and although full and equal partners, one of you is still "captain". Now, a captain does not dominate the playing field and go for the ball wherever it lands. I had seen one of those awful "I'm the boss of everything" husbands on Dr. Phil the same day I saw Seal on Oprah and ew, was he ugly! A good team, a good partnership, requires a good leader who knows how to appreciate, value and build up his partner's strengths and assets.

This rang true again when I watched the Canadians win the world championship in curling. They had a great skip, they had a great team. The TEAM won, fully par with one another, even though someone had to be in the role of "skip". The ideal marriage is one where God is a the apex, we are not self serving, but serving one another, the husband being the faithful and encouraging "skip" or "captain" who recognizes and draws out the strengths and assets in his wife and the wife being the best team player she can be under her skip's leadership and fighting alongside him to win the prize, not against him.

He's a Keeper

Recent Reflections on Marriage, Motherhood and Ministry.



So, in the past two weeks of illness I have had a lot of opportunity to count my blessings in the marriage department, and also ponder where we're at, and how far we've come (not that we don't have far to go!). I have been so blessed and impressed by my Prairie Guy that I need to take a moment to "praise him in the gates". (Ann Kroeker recently referenced an intriguing thought comparing the blogosphere community to women meeting at the well and I thought that was such a fitting and beautiful metaphor.)

So. Here are just a few reasons Prairie Guy rocks my world.

He exclusively cooked, did laundry, washed dishes, brushed teeth, washed faces, changed diapers, clothed and combed 4 kids for two entire weeks while I was hacking deliriously on the couch.

He made the nicest comment ever made in the one brief sentence; "You should never have to wash supper dishes." Huh? I was lost for a second until he explained that with all the dishes, cooking, work I do in a day there is NO way I should have to wash supper dishes. Well, if *that* doesn't rock a girls world, what would??!!

He gets more excited about acquisitions like this than he would over a hot rod...


He's the king of barbecued lamb on this baby...


He surprised me with the BEST birthday present! A Canon Picture Mate Personal Photo Lab!

He agreed to letting me splurge on THIS as our (early) anniversary present;

I am SO looking forward to a summer of reading, breastfeeding, snoozing and lazing with Prairie Guy and Chicklets on this baby!


He washed my hair when I was too weak to even scrub my own head.

He's finally FINALLY gotten into the habit of not dropping his clothes on the floor or leaving stuff out for me to put away, wow... it took me a few days to realize this but now every day it's like a ray of sunlight in our bedroom!

He made me honey chamomile and homemade soup a kazillion times and brought me about a million doses of medication.

He cleaned the fridge and organized the pantry cupboards while I was in the hospital.

He told me he would leave currently incubating Praire Chicklet's name up to me (sigh, we've been coming up dry over names for months)....

Best of all, he thinks he is just a normal, run of the mill prairie guy, but I know he is the best!

I have been pondering marriage alot in the past few weeks and have some thoughts to share, but will do it in another post!

Farm Fraternization

Anticipating a Weekend Filled with the Finer Things in Life; Family, Fun, Friends, Food and Fellowship.

Couldn't resist sharing a few fun shots of animal fraternizing in the barn...

Who Said Things are Never Black and White??


Banjo the Ragdoll, Checkin' These New Critters Out.


Bella the Quarterhorse, Doing the Same.


And Sophie the English Cocker Following Suit

Thankful, 55 & Counting

Sowing Seeds of Thankfulness to Reap a Harvest of Happiness.
I have so much to be thankful for this week, anyone notice how suffering makes you all the more thankful for how good your life is?

55. I'm thankful that winter must ultimately melt into spring.

56. I'm thankful today for 34 years of health, happiness, healing and hope granted from above.

57. I'm thankful for such wonderful loving friends that worry and care about us and provide for us when we're down and out. We actually had FIVE calls from people who wanted to bring us supper yesterday, yes FIVE in one day. Now THAT makes a person feel cared about! Not to mention, nobody cooks better than a Mennonite, well, except an Italian maybe, but Mennonite meatballs and perogies are right up there!

58. I'm thankful for Prairie Guy who loves me even when I am at my most miserable, and has babied me through the past few weeks of illness.

59. I'm thankful for two amazing daughters who have risen to the occasion and "taken over" for mama (yesterday my 8 year old made lunch and meticulously cleaned the dining room and kitchen afterwards).

60. I'm thankful for two very charming sons who were careful to be quiet and sweet (most of the time) and who gave mommy lots of kisses, caresses, cuddles and couch time.

61. I'm thankful for feeling about 40% recovered today... it leaves a ways to go but it is sooooo much better than it was!

62. I'm thankful for the ability to actually make a bed and collect laundry... who'd have thought those would be things a person would "look forward" to, but after 11 days confined to the couch it's pure freedom to be able to move around and "do" something!

63. I'm OH SO thankful that it's that time of year (my birthday present to myself) that I can finally rip that redneck plastic off the old north facing picture windows of this dear old house and let the air flow in!

64. And speaking of redneck I am also OH SO thankful that the garden hose for watering the horses can be moved out of it's winter abode in our country kitchen and back OUTSIDE where it belongs, YAHOO!!!

65. I'm thankfkul for God's Living Word which brings life and hope into my life each day.

66. I'm thankful that whatever passing illness has ailed me; it is nothing more than that, a passing illness.

Every good thing and every perfect gift is from God. These good gifts come down from the Creator of the sun, moon and stars, Who does not change like their shifting shadows. James 1:17

Thankful; 47 & Counting

Sowing Seeds of Thankfulness to Reap a Harvest of Happiness.



Not a lot of energy to sit up and move around here; but this is the one post of the week I would hate to skip;

47. I'm thankful for the first day of spring.

48. For helpful and loving kids who take care of me when I'm sick.

49. For an amazingly supportive husband who blesses me with his servant's heart.

50. For a loving and passionate savior who suffered, wept and died for me.

51. For the chance to be home and privvy to beautiful sights like this every day.


52. For apples in my rubber boots, just because, it made me smile.

53. For this rascally smile, because it lights up my life.

54. For spring's special surprise waiting in the barn for us this morning.


Every good thing and every perfect gift is from God. These good gifts come down from the Creator of the sun, moon and stars, Who does not change like their shifting shadows. James 1:17

Winsome Wednesday, The Fever Edition

Winsome- charming in a childlike or simple way-attractive - pleasing to the eye or mind especially through beauty or charm.



Things that look beautiful to a woman laid up with a hacking cough, raw throat and runny nose (um, yeah, that would be me...).

Less of Me, More of Him.

Reflections on Motherhood, Marriage and Ministry.

Less of Me, More of Him.
I am not Wonderwoman. Usually I'm okay with that knowledge but sometimes, even though I know I'm not wonderwoman, sometimes I get weighed down subconsciously thinking I'm supposed to be. I can almost picture a shady and ellusive demon named Guilt slowly creeping up on me, closer and closer, attempting to set up camp on my shoulders. I know it was him because the message I kept hearing over and over was one of condemnation and I know that's not the way our DHF (thanks Dawn!!) speaks to me. He doesn't tell me things in a way that weigh me down and make me feel like a failure, falling short, incompetent. No, that's not the way He operates at all. He gives me a bright idea and even smilingly let's me think it's my own for a time, a joy and fervor to follow it through, and a confirmation that indeed, it was His plan all along, and I did or am doing exactly what He had planned for me to do.

That happens so often when I am sensitive and receptive. It's a great experience. Not so great the burdens I struggled with this week. But that's okay, that heavy fog that had descended over me could only be broken by a ray of heavenly wisdom bursting down and causing me to turn my gaze upward.

I have numerous friends in need right now. I've been able to "be there" for a few this week, but have felt heavy failure to be there for another. I keep feeling this weight, "I *need* to help her!" Everytime one of my friends has commented on how they have been there to support this friend in need and help her through, I feel this cloud of weight and failure come down over me. Then today's sermon came along like a heavy shake on the shoulder to wake me out of my guilty stupor.

The sermon was about roles, specifically John the Baptist's role to pave the way, and how he was to become less (decrease) so that Christ could become more (increase). It was not about John. It was about Jesus. The preacher touched on John's joy for the bridegroom, rather than jealousy over his ministry or guilt over not "being" more himself. How we should not envy when other people are better at doing things than we are, God has a special purpose and plan. From there my brain started racing. We're a body made up of many parts. Christ, our head, directs us to all work in special ways at special times to contribute to building and supporting His kingdom, to bring HIM glory. Replay; We are a BODY... MANY parts.... HE directs and gifts, and causes us to function as a body. Instead of feeling GUILTY because I was not able (or more importantly called, because those He *calls* He also *enables*) to meet a need this week, and like a failure because others of my friends did... I should have rejoiced that God called and equipped *others* to meet that need, and rejoiced for my friend in need that He met her needs.

I thought it was/is my *duty* as a christian, as a friend to be there to meet her needs no matter what my other circumstances were. Um... no. It's God's role as her DHF to make sure her needs are met, and if I think that just has to involve me, because I am one of the many people He's brought into her life; I'm an idiot!

Now, all that said, I do still hope to be able to be there for my friend, and bless her in the upcoming week. I don't know when that will be as circumstances still will not allow it even today, but I am comforted and encouraged by the knowledge that we are a body, that He is watching over His own, overseeing and guiding the members of His body to work together with amazing symmetry. He'll make it clear when it's my moment to move, I'll be waiting to hear the whistle.

Eggplant Parmigiana

Okay, as per my promise to start recording some simple, economical meals that we enjoy; here goes. I've already shared my spaghetti sauce, salad dressing and noodle recipe, plus a yummy dairy free cake; so I'll try to make the rounds of the different food groups. This is not the "simplest" recipe, but it is soooooo yummy, it is *definitely* worth the extra little bit of work, one of our family fave's.

Eggplant (or Zucchini) Parmigiana.
This is the authentic Italian Deal people, straight from my Mother in Law in southern Italy... (In redneck prairie terms this might be called Vegetable Lasana)

If you want to make this in a super simple store bought manner you can substitute ready mix pancake batter for the batter, cottage cheese for the Bechamel (white) sauce, and store-bought pasta sauce (which we abhor but to each his own) for the tomato sauce.

2 med eggplants OR zucchini

Batter:
2 small-med eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup water
1 tbsp melted butter or margarine
1/2 cup flour
1/2 tbsp sugar
1/8 tsp salt

Tomato Sauce:
2 large cans of tomatoes (or 5 cups fresh), mashed or diced up fine with the juice in the food processor
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tbspn salt
1 tbspn oregano

Bechamel Sauce:
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup flour or cornstarch (I've never tried cornstarch, but my recipe says it can be used)
2 1/2 cups milk
Salt and Pepper

3 cups shredded thin sliced ham (the kind you would buy to make sandwiches with/ just shred it into finger size pieces)

3 cups mozarella cheese

Mix your tomato sauce ingredients in a small pot, bring to boil then lower to a minimum simmer, leave simmering for 20-30 min.

Slice the eggplant or zucchini into 1/4 inch oval slices, if using eggplant salt and layer in a collander and "weight" them to pull (salt) and push (weight) out the slightly bitter juices. Zucchini doesn't require this extra step. Let eggplant stand for 10 minutes then rinse, pat dry on paper towel.

While eggplant is sitting, prepare your batter by whisking all ingredients together.

Coat eggplant/zucchini in batter, pan fry lightly in olive oil for one minute per side on medium heat. I use two pans, to speed this process, it's the time consuming aspect of this recipe.

In between flipping and switching zucchini/eggplant, grate your mozzarella and shred your ham and prepare your Bechamel (melt butter, stir in flour till it forms a ball with the butter, slowly add milk stirring all the while over med/low heat, whisking out any lumps, add salt and pepper, stir until thickened, remove from heat).

Preheat oven to 375; spray or grease a large lasagna pan and pour about 1 cup of tomato sauce in the bottom of the pan with a ladel). Then continue layering in the following pattern; (using 1/3 of each item in each layer)

zuchinni/eggplant; tomato sauce; ham; bechamel sauce; mozzarella.
Repeat process two more times.

Bake in oven for approximately 45 minutes covered and then 15 minutes uncovered.

We eat this with a simple side salad.

Reflections From the Yellow Brick Road

I sometimes find spiritual brain fodder in the most unlikely places.... Example? Excerpts from today's (today actually was thursday-where did the time go!?) reading in The Wizard of Oz. Disclaimer; This may well be one of those "preposterous" ponderings :D

I Read: The leader of the Winged Monkeys flew up to her, his long, hairy arms stretched out and his ugly face grinning terribly; but he saw the mark of the Good Fairy's (we refuse to call her the good you-know-what as the bible denounces you-know-whats as evil, but I digress) kiss upon her forehead and stopped short, motioning the others not to touch her.

I Reflect: C.S. Lewis' The Screwtape Letters and Peretti's Piercing the Darkness did so much to bring the battle in the spiritual places into vivid, colorful (almost too colorful) detail. Rather unnerving to think of demons traipsing around the spiritual realm with their arms stretched out and their terrible grins, just waiting for an opportune moment.... Icky thought, but ignorance isn't necessarily bliss in the long run, certain things are good to be aware of.

I Read: "We dare not harm this little girl," he said to them, "for she is protected by the Power of Good, and that is greater than the power of evil. All we can do is to carry her to the castle of the Wicked Witch and leave her there."

I reflect: Uh-huh. Satan and his cohorts *dare not harm God's chosen ones* and have *no* authority to go messing with us. They can do their best to drag us off the yellow brick road, closer to the clutches of the evil one, but in the end, we wield the greater power, the power of God, and if we would only use it, nothing would succeed in driving us off the path of His protection.

I Read: The Wicked Witch was both surprised and worried when she saw the mark on Dorothy's forehead, for she knew well that neither the Winged Monkeys nor she, herself, dare hurt the girl in any way. She looked down at Dorothy's feet, and seeing the Ruby Slippers, began to tremble with fear, for she knew what a powerful charm belonged to them. At first the Witch was tempted to run away from Dorothy; but she happened to look into the child's eyes and saw how simple the soul behind them was, and that the little girl did not know of the wonderful power the Silver Shoes gave her. So the Wicked Witch laughed to herself, and thought, "I can still make her my slave, for she does not know how to use her power."

I Reflect: Whoah. Anyone hearing the music to "I've Got the Power...." And yet I'm so simple, so apathetic, so dull, that I don't have a clue. The Power, His Power, flowing in me, just waiting to be tapped into, scares the liver out of the enemy. And I quake at him? And God shakes his head. Ruby shoes (actually, for the record they were silver, but once again I digress), the shoes of Preparation, or the gospel... Satan quakes to gaze upon them.

I Read: ...often the Witch threatened to beat her with the same old umbrella she always carried in her hand. But, in truth, she did not dare to strike Dorothy, because of the mark upon her forehead. The child did not know this, and was full of fear for herself and Toto.

I Reflect: Note the umbrella, it has special significance.... Satan threatens, cajoles, roars and rages, but in the end, he is captive behind the boundaries set in place by the Great Protector of our Souls. I am convinced that the fact that I sometimes succumb to fear over "attack" (usually fear of future attack) is evidence of my lack of understanding of the Doctrine of Sovreignty. Look at Job... Satan couldn't touch the guy. And even when he did, he couldn't go an inch further than God's plan permitted him to. And yes, it was GOD'S plan. And God is GOOD, all the time, so if I understand this, I have nothing to fear, not even things that hurt in the moment. True Love casts out all fear.

I Read: But the wicked creature was very cunning, and she finally thought of a trick that would give her what she wanted. She placed a bar of iron in the middle of the kitchen floor, and then by her magic arts made the bar invisible to human eyes. So that when Dorothy walked across the floor she stumbled over the bar, not being able to see it, and fell at full length.

I Reflect: Oh yeah, he's cunning alright. The king of tricksters. The master of stumbling blocks and invisible traps. Surely if I am walking on human strength I put myself at risk of tripping over those invisible hurdles. But I have a Guide who sees all, whose voice is here to whisper "this is the way, walk in it" To tell me when to turn to the left and when to turn to the right. If I only listen, He will guide me through the maze.

I Read: This made Dorothy so very angry that she picked up the bucket of water that stood near and dashed it over the Witch, wetting her from head to foot. Instantly the wicked woman gave a loud cry of fear; and then as Dorothy looked at her in wonder, the Witch began to shrink and fall away.

I Reflect: ahhh, thus the umbrella. The Water of the Word causes the enemy to shreak in fear and melt away. I once heard that if you are feeling oppressed to quote scripture out loud over and over, sing worship songs OUT LOUD. Satan can't hear our thoughts, but when the Water of the Word comes pouring out of our mouths I am convinced he turns tail and flees. Try it some time!

Well... there you have it folks, my mangled spiritual paraphrasing of L. Frank Baum's tale on the demise of the Wicked Witch of the West. Now you know the naked truth, that I am indeed certifiably preposterous on occasion :D

Frugal; Clothing

Striving to be Good Stewards of the Gifts He Has Given.


Clothing....

This is really rather simple and doesn't have much if anything to do with me. My husband used to be concerned about how we would manage to clothe and feed a large brood of kids. But the truth is we have never had to worry about clothing our children. This has been one of those ways that God has always provided above and beyond. Part of me would like to think it is His blessing for our refusal to jump on the consumer bandwagon and "spend, spend, spend", I wouldn't go so far as to say that, but the fact of the matter is that this has been an area where we have felt PROFOUNDLY blessed and "taken care of" by He who Dawn (Child of the King) so affectionately and appropriately refers to as DHF, or Dear Heavenly Father. (I love that Dawn, can I "borrow" it??!!)

I started off with the mentality that we would always just buy second hand, and sometimes we do (everything except for underwear and socks and sometimes shoes). But the truth of the matter is that before I usually have need of doing that, within days of my thinking to myself "so and so is going to need...." God has always filled the need by bringing hand me downs (and the exact size/season/type of clothing we've been in need of) to our door from friends, neighbours and even perfect strangers. I have often thought of the passage "see how he clothes the lilies of the field, not even King Solomon in all his glory is better dressed than these..." truly, my kids have received EXPENSIVE, like new clothing that I NEVER would have bought them out of our own budget, from the hands of others. Just this morning I read in my quiet time; "Tyre will not keep the money she earns but will give them to the people who serve the Lord, so they will have plenty of food and nice clothes." (Isa 23:18)

We recently read a wonderful little story by Arleta Richardson in one of her "Gramma's Attic" books. It was about her grandfather, who was a poor preacher who didn't have money to buy shoes. His feet were literally peeking through the soles and the toes, and they didn't have a dime to replace them. He prayed about this need and a few days later a neighbour popped over for an unrelated purpose, but had a pair of shoes with him. He had bought this brand new pair of shoes that didn't fit him properly and he was wondering if the preacher would like to try them on for size and if he might have need of them. The preacher hollered "Praise the Lord, yes, I'll take em'!!" the neighbour responded with; "Well, wouldn't you like to try them on first?" The preacher insisted "No need! When God sends me shoes, He's sure to send the right size!"

I loved that, and that has been our experience exactly. God is good. He calls Himself our provider. He faithfully and abundantly provides for those who are striving to be good stewards of the gifts He has given. It constantly amazes me that despite the fact 4 of our 11 married years have been spent on the mission field, we have always only been a one income family, never grossing more than 35,000 (sometimes as low as 24,000) a year, that we are now mortgage free, have always been debt free outside of our mortgage and live more comfortably and happily than many of our peers with white collar jobs, two income families and 2 children. A little bit of it has to do with careful stewardship on our part, but really, in all honesty it has been God's blessing and provision that has carried us here.

Sometimes I think a big problem in our culture is that we need to let ourselves get to the point where we actually *have* needs, recognize them without immediately trying to fill them in our way and ability, and then ASK God to provide. Then sit back and see what happens. He might bring shoes to your door, he might bring shoes to the second hand store for you, He might bring in money for you to buy new shoes. One thing for sure, He's unpredictable, but one thing He is not is negligent of our needs despite our being oft negligent of allowing Him room to move and bless us.

Hmmm, didn't I say that was supposed to be short and sweet??? Oops. If you don't know me by now...

Frugal Groceries

Striving to be Good Stewards of the Gifts He Has Given.

So, in response to the question "what kind of things do you do to be frugal with meals and groceries"...

In the grocery department, I am not as careful as I once was (since we became mortgage free I have a little more flexibility in this area of the budget) but I will share the things I find really help cut grocery costs. I realize that many of these things might be disappointing to city dwellers, as we live in the country and therefore have more options to "finding" and "growing" our own produce and meat.

-my husband is an avid hunter/fisher, so deer provides all the ground meat and sausage we need for the year, and I *rarely* buy fish at the store (although this winter was meager in the ice fishing department...) He also hunts duck and geese but I have yet to learn to master the culinary arts of making a palatable dish out of these wild tasting critters, so if anyone has any recipes or advice, bring them on!

-we raise our own lambs and hope to get our first steer this year, and also have plans to start raising rabbits in lieu of chickens (can't stand the smell of chicken poop and rabbit is more popular than chicken in Italy so we learned to actually prefer it to chicken meat).

-I buy my chickens whole and in bulk from Costco, then boil/shred/freeeze them after purchase in meal size packages.

-We have been blessed in that even when we lived in town we had abundant fruit growing on our yard (rhubarb, raspberries, saskatoon berries, cherries, plums and crabapples), and here on the farm it is even better. So I freeze fruit as it ripens, and then make jam and juice and use all of our own fruit for desserts and preserves.

-We love gardening, so most of our vegetables are covered in the summer, fall and most of the winter. I am back to buying from the store now, everything except potatoes, carrots and onions and I still have some frozen swiss chard and zucchini.

-I do all my own baking, never buy store bought cookies or processed junk like that (except Dorito's for nacho's that is!) for the most part.

-I buy pretty much all my staples at Costco, yeah, you need to be organized with storage but it does save me quite a bit in the long run. When I am sticking to staples (not getting sucked in by all their temting pre-packaged goodies), I find it is comparable to shopping cheap no name brands in other stores but Costco quality is SO great, you are getting much better for less.

-We eat salad with almost every meal. It is a cheap and healthy way to round out any meal. I try to have a starch, protein, veggie and green salad with each meal, when you have a balanced meal you seem to need less, can't explain this, but I've found it to be true. A meat portion the size of your palm, a tight fist of starchy carbs (potatoes, rice, pasta) or loose fist quantity of healthy carbs (green/yellow/orange veggies), and as much salad as you like is a good balance, then a fruit for dessert or evening snack if we have a sweet tooth.

-Having a menu plan with a coordinating grocery list helps a lot. You know what you need and only buy that. You use what you buy and don't lose money to waste.

-Alot of money is thrown away on food gone bad. Doing a half hour of pre-prep and packaging when I get back from the grocery store helps alot with curbing waste. If I need to buy onions from the store, I run the whole bag through the food processor when I get home and freeze them in ziploc baggies, I buy fresh peppers in bulk and throw them in the freezer, pull them out one at a time as I need them and nuke them for a minute before chopping them up and throwing them in whatever I'm making. Fresh Tomatoes can be done the same way. I am not a big canner, but I LOVE my freezers. I buy Romaine lettuce in six packs but then individually wrap them in saran wrap, and throw them in the crisper, they last longer this way.

-I make my own spaghetti sauce and salad dressings (recipes are under "keeper of my kitchen" label).

To be fully honest, I am not as frugal as I could be anymore, I used to make our own breakfasts (oatmeal, cream of wheat, fruit pancakes and waffles, muffins, etc) This saves alot of money but is more time consuming, and in my current stage of life I mostly opt out for buying prepared breakfast stuff (cereal/toast)just so that my mornings can be more relaxed.. I do suffer from guilt in this department though and would like to get back to making homemade hot breakfasts.

I am also not one to skimp on certain things, I buy Tropicana orange juice in bulk and try to buy all fresh cooler veggies rather than frozen. Granted, I pick and choose what is on for a good price, we keep it pretty simple, lots of steamed broccoli/cauliflower, green beans, carrots, squash... also, we buy alot of fruit, my kids can take fruit whenever they want without asking. I find that saving in the other ways pays off in being able to stock up on fresh fruits and veggies.

That's all that's coming to mind right now, feel free to pick my brain with more questions... This has gotten long so I'll make a new entry about the clothes, which will be short and sweet!

Thankful, 40 & Counting

Sowing Seeds of Thankfulness to Reap a Harvest of Happiness.

40. God
I'm thankful for a Father who reached out and adopted me from the miry muck of a lost life. Who took me in and clothed me in robes of righteousness from His own Son's armoire, and fed me the bread of life from His own table. Who welcomes me into His Living Room on a daily basis to put my feet up on His lap and revel in His company. Who greets me daily with a fresh cool drink of Living Water and a loving smile and embrace. All this, for such a wretch as I was and would be without His love that transformed and is transforming me.

41. The Rugrat (19 months)
-I'm thankful for my littlest foot rubber who comes to me with lotion in one pudgy little hand, tugging at my sock with the other. Holding out his hand for a lotion glob to rub on momma's foot as he chants "dub-dub-dub" (rub-a-dub-dub). The boy appears to have a foot fetish but this momma ain't complaining!
-I'm thankful for peaceful moments after lunch to lay down with this bundle of adorable flesh and breathe on his little pink baby face and watch his eyes slowly close as he drifts off to slumberland while rubbing a lock of my hair between his fingers.
-I'm thankful for his newest little words; "up-you". No, not "up yours" ;) but "up you" as in "up in your arms". Heart melting.

42. The Hero (4)
-I'm thankful for this boy's funny antics and verbalizations. While dishing up braised asparagus last week the kids were rather skeptical and curious as to this rare green. After explaining it was "asparagus" and VERY yummy, PS I cautiously lifted a forkful to his mouth, chewed and announced; "I don't think I like this
"assperiment". Oh dear, I about spewed some asparagus of my own.

43. The Poppet (6)
-I'm thankful for this girl's "joie de vivre" (sp?) everything is beautiful, every ray of sunlight a gift from the Father's hand, every moment an adventure to be unwrapped and appreciated. She enriches me and challenges me to cherish every moment.

44. Prairie Girl (8)
-I'm thankful for this girl's sensitive spirit. Always the one to draw near and take a hand, rub a shoulder, caress a head. Her hands are pure sunshine, and I realize I need to "warm" my own hands up toward her and others in my life when I feel her touch.

45. Prairie Guy
-I'm thankful for a hard working, practical man. No couch potato, he! And no need to hire someone else to do something that needs doing. He continuously amazes me with his abilities, gifts and courage to take on any task.

46. Simple Pleasures
-I'm thankful for warm(er) weather, warm enough to open the door or window while I work, the fresh air wafting in and invigorating me with fresh energy to be productive and instilling the daily-oft tedious tasks with new life and pleasure.

Every good thing and every perfect gift is from God. These good gifts come down from the Creator of the sun, moon and stars, Who does not change like their shifting shadows. James 1:17

Frugal Finds

Winsome- charming in a childlike or simple way-attractive - pleasing to the eye or mind especially through beauty or charm.

One thing about me, I'm pretty easy to please... Here are my fabulous finds from a weekend visit to the second hand store. They're all beautiful to me!

Springy flowers and Bunny Knick-Knack. Entire Spring Picture Window Display; $5.98


White Ceramic Condiment Dishes to add to my "Winsome White" Dining Experience; .49 each

White melamine drinking cups that look and almost even feel ceramic but aren't!!! With so many kids around, this is a compromise I'm willing to make! $1.98 for 10

White Ceramic Cream and Sugar (not a set, but they match!) .99 each

I fell in love with this. It's a REAL Reader's Digest book that someone "crafted". Just BEAUTIFUL. And perfect for the partially empty shelf above my readers digest collection don't you think?


And there's the proof of the deal.... $1.99 One man's junk.... this girl's winsome pleasure.

Balance and Seasons

I published my weekly "tricks of the trade" blog entry this morning, hopped over to Ann Kroeker's blog for a quick feed-fix while the girls were working on their math, listened to a sermon a friend passed on to me about priorities while I washed the dinner dishes, and all three of these things came together to give me one little-big-simply-profound-altogether old-inspiringly fresh message. Put God first. In all of it. The indoor things, the outdoor things, the family things, the outreach things, the words I speak, the thoughts I think. May His name be praised and His kingdom furthered through all of it.

Life is a balancing act. Don't over-do it, don't underestimate, don't be so "of" the world that you become conformed to it, but be in the world enough to "season it" with His love and truth. Don't sacrifice quality family time to be in the rat race, but don't sacrifice the things of the Lord to the point of making your family an idol. Don't neglect your christian friends who need encouragement and fellowship, but don't neglect non-christian people who may not be part of my "inner circle" but need opportunities to be exposed to His light in me and who have alot to teach me too.

Lastly. I've been looking at my blog labels and wondering if they represent a balance, or what they say about me. That His Child label is lookin' mighty slim...., and yet, there have been long seasons in my life where everything I would have written about would have fallen under that category. Seasons where we had no chicklets of our own and took in other people's children to raise in love and fear and knowledge of the Lord. Seasons where we gave up having any home to keep, family and country to go where He led. Seasons. A time to plant, a time to reap, a time to..... hmmm.

What season am I in now? Spring I guess, it's a busy time, with a nest to make and keep, chicklets to incubate, hatch and raise, food to be procured for a hungry bunch and all that goes along with having 5 in the nest. My blog labels obviously reflect the season I'm in. And I'm okay with that (wasn't sure if I was, but after serious reflection I am). We often look to the proverbs 31 woman as our standard, man, that woman did it all! But what we may too easily overlook is that she didn't do it ALL at ONCE. The chapter spans her lifetime from when she had children in the home to when her children were raised and gone.

So my motto for the moment is Put God First. In this season. In this day. In every act that comes my way.

Monkey See-Monkey Do

My Most Recent Musings on the Matters of Marriage, Motherhood and Ministry.



Bringing Up *Girls*.

“A girl mimics her mother’s attitudes, contentedness with herself, optimism, strength, wisdom, patience, gentleness, and sense of humor. Developing these positive qualities is your role. Take a mental measurement of yourself. What you transmit affects what she sees in herself. Remember, a big pair of eyes is watching you.” From; Girls! William and Kathryn Beausay.

Gulp. I’ve been mulling over this for a few days now. Motherhood… so beautiful and soft and dreamy on the one hand, and a mountain of responsibility on the other. Oh Lord, only by Your grace, only in YOUR strength, Lord I come. Equip me with the fruits of Your spirit so that YOU and Your beauty overflow from within this broken vessel of my life, pouring out in abundant rivers of blessing to touch and transform the lives of these precious treasures you have entrusted to my care this and every week.

Saturday Shenanigans

-Pancake and Sausage breakfast at the rink, hangin' with the town's folk at 8:30 something in the morning, very endearing.

-Move from the breakfast tables to find a seat and watch the guys play hockey, friends on both teams, but of course we still had a "favorite"... they were winning 3-1 with 10 minutes play remanining when we;

-came home to put The Rugrat down for his nap and plan an early lunch so we could;

-get outside and enjoy the FIRST day of mud! Oh joy. And I really mean that. I am *not* being sarcastic. It was with GREAT JOY we saw mud!!!

-kids dug and planted imaginary "who-knows-what" under the dining room window on the south side of the house, the location of our future (hopefully not too distant future) patio.

-Prairie Guy and I worked happily away piling up the trailer for the monthly dump trip while;

-The Rugrat (19 months) sat with the utmost satisfaction on the nearest parked item boasting handlebars or a steering wheel. Bummer I didn't think to get the camera because that would have made a great scrapbooking spread, from tractor, to lawn mower, to atv, to snow mobile to boat.... the little munchkin was completely in his element.

-Trailer loaded, Prairie Guy heads off to get his wallet and keys and discovers how much fun kids have been having in mud. He is less than thrilled.

-Prairie Chick seeks to convince him that mud is therapeutic, especially after 4 months of (give or take) 20 below zero (celcius) weather. He's not that easy to convince.

-The plot thickens when Prairie Guy enters house and discovers trail of mud leading from front door, through entry, dining room, kitchen, to back bathroom (um, they could have used the kitchen entry and spared the entry and dining room, but I digress)...

-Prairie Chick decides maybe a diversion from the mud might not be such a bad idea at this point and helps kids peel off snow pants and jackets coated in wet brown accents.

-Mud traipsing culprit (Prairie Girl 8) is sent to wipe up her trail of testimony, seeing as she happens to be the oldest, who should know better.... while The Poppet is sent on a treasure hunt to track down our read alouds and bring them to the south step.

-Meanwhile Prairie Guy takes off with the trailer to the dump and I note that there are two cats sticking their heads out of the garbage pile on his way out the drive, one of them being a rare and valuable female flame point rag doll. I try to flag Prairie Guy down, but breathe a sigh of relief as Banjo jumps the trailer as it slows to round the bend. Mr. Farmcat who will remain nameless on the other hand was not so courageous and heaven only knows where he sleeps tonight....

-What bliss, in sweaters and socks we sit on the south stoop and feel the warm rays on our heads as we read from The Wizard of Oz and trace Paddle's journey to the sea.

-Energized by the ultimate energizer, we return to the house, leaving doors and windows open and delving into some mid afternoon spring cleaning with great gusto.

-Make some good down-home supper, take a good after supper snooze on the living room couch as the evening rays spill in over the leather couch and hardwood floors

-Get kids washed up, sing favourite hymms and say prayers while tucking tuckered out kids into bed

-pull out my scrapbooking from my night out with the girlfriends last night and do some last page touch ups, captions and journaling while listening to Fernando Ortega and having quiet discussion with Prairie Guy as he studies for his discipleship class.

-Could life get any better than this?

Boys Weren't Made for Sitting Still.

So last Sunday in church, the poor Hero (4) could hardly sit still for 5 seconds (not that this is something new). He squirmed and swung his legs, plucked at the cloth on the pew, nudging and niggling whoever was unfortunate enough to be sitting beside him. Finally they announced it was time for the kids to go to the front for kids feature and he heaved a literal and actual sigh of relief and sincerely declared; "Thank goodness. That's *just* what I needed." LOL!

Thankful 32 & Counting

Sowing Seeds of Thankfulness to Reap a Harvest of Happiness.

32. I am thankful for a sink full of dishes after every meal, because it means I have a family to share meals with me.

33. I am thankful for the taxes we pay, because it means we have a steady income.

34. I'm thankful for a $400.00 grocery bill because it means we have food to eat.

35. I am thankful for swollen, achy legs and heartburn because it means that there is new life growing within me.

36. I am thankful for rooms in the midst of renovation, drywall dust and clean-up because it means I have a home and a hard working handy man.

37. I am thankful for all the whining and complaining I hear about the government because it means we have freedom of speech.

38. I'm thankful for all the complaining about high gas prices because it reminds me I have transportation.

39. I am thankful for our huge heating bill because it means we are warm.

Every good thing and every perfect gift is from God. These good gifts come down from the Creator of the sun, moon and stars, Who does not change like their shifting shadows. James 1:17




photo: Vince Haaz

Speeding

Raw and Uncensored, Because I'm Truly Curious What Others Think (and Not Because I Like to Make People Squirm!)



Speeding. Huh. What's with that anyway? I don't understand. Have tried to talk about this with my pastor, with elders, with passionate christian people, and it's a subject that causes people to shuffle their feet, make little jokes about and try as quickly as possible to change the subject.

Seems pretty straightforward to me.... there's a law, it sets down a MAXIMUM speed for public safety, it's my duty as a believer, striving to live a life above reproach, to not break the law, right? Am I missing something? I don't see any "gray" area here...

So let's get down and dirty...

Do you speed (habitually)?

Do you feel convicted about it, why or why not?

Do you justify it? (ie- it's just a guideline, they won't give you a ticket if you are not going more than 10 km over the limit, or "even cops speed", or "they set the bar lower than they expect you to drive, knowing people are going to break it.")

It disturbs me to see a vehicle go ripping past me on the freeway with a "My Boss is a Carpenter" or fish symbol on the bumper. All I can think about the message being sent is; "I'm a follower of Jesus, I break the law."

I know there is a really tacky joke out there somewhere; something about a speeding drunk and a punch line along the lines of "Don't worry bout me, I've got Jesus riding shotgun..." and I *also* know there is a bumper sticker out there that reads "no man with a good car needs to be justified." Ugh.

Thoughts?

photo: Debbie Schiel

Winsome Wednesday

Winsome- charming in a childlike or simple way-attractive - pleasing to the eye or mind especially through beauty or charm.



The Beauty of Books

So the new window still lacks framing, and the uncovered hardwood still wants re-finishing, this remains one of my favourite spots in this old house.

Books are not made for furniture, but there is nothing else that so beautifully furnishes a house. ~Henry Ward Beecher

When you sell a man a book you don't sell just twelve ounces of paper and ink and glue - you sell him a whole new life. Love and friendship and humour and ships at sea by night - there's all heaven and earth in a book, a real book. ~Christopher Morley

A good book should leave you... slightly exhausted at the end. You live several lives while reading it. ~William Styron

The love of learning, the sequestered nooks, And all the sweet serenity of books. ~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

A house without books is like a room without windows. ~Heinrich Mann

The Gift That Keeps On Giving

Random Musings on the Matters of Marriage, Motherhood and Ministry.



The Lucky One.
So Prairie Guy celebrated his 41st (uh, yeah, he's *quite* a few years my senior :D )birthday last week. I thought it would be creative and romantic to offer him a special kind of gift this year, something very personal and unique. I asked him in advance what he thought, since the idea was rather unconventional...

The basic premise was that I wanted to give him something of myself. Either commit myself to change something (primarily about myself or the way I do or fail to do things) that would make life nicer for him. Or do something regularily that would make him feel special and loved. Not a one time gift, but a gift that would keep giving every day, all year.

His initial reaction was; "Nice!" and if you are a visual person you can possibly just picture that anticipatory raise of the eyebrows... but after further consideration he renegged. "I don't like this," he said. The onus on deciding a gift is supposed to be on you and you've passed the buck to me." Hmmmm, point taken. I hadn't thought of it that way. I told him that I would come up with something myself and received the anticipatory eyebrow cocking yet again which qualified him for a playful punch in the arm from yours truly.

But after further consideration I was renegging.... "I wanted you to pick because only you know what would be really special and meaningful for you". I didn't think it should be that hard, but at the same time I understood the difficulty he was facing. I think it was kind of like the difference I feel in appreciation when faced with a husband who voluntarily and in a joyful spirit comes of his own accord to wash dishes beside me, or a husband who sighs and comes rather reluctantly because I ask for help. Somehow the first is so much more romantic than the second. He somehow felt that his asking for this gift somehow robbed it of it's "coming from me".

I asked if he would be willing to come up with three things that would be meaningful and special for him and then let me choose and wouldn't you know, oh joy, we reached a happy compromise.

All that to say that men are really, so easy to please! My gift to my husband turns out to be as great a gift to me as I would think it is to him and I am just tickled pink (as is he). So here it is. On free evenings (when we don't have engagements) and on weekends I am pledged to devote half hour of my time to being in bodily contact with him. Now, don't let your imaginations go running off with you, this has nothing to do with fancy shenanigans. It merely means that I am with him, where he is, close enough to be making bodily contact in some way, shape or form.

So... I just got up from spending half an hour lazing on the couch with P-G while he watched some movie that totally didn't interest me, but I got a nice leg rub out of it (seriously, whose gift is this anyway?). When the half hour was up (I wasn't clocking it but it was probably closer to 45 min), the dialogue went like this;
"Do you mind if I go blog for a bit?"
"You're not into this (movie) are you?"
"No."
"Sure, babe. Go ahead"
Then as I got up to go he pulled me over for a kiss and said, "You're the best wife in the world".

Cha-Ching. Now, who's the lucky one?

photo credit: Leslie Vega