Is This Really Happening??

It was a hectic day about three and a half years ago when I sat down at the end of the day exhausted, having just rocked my 18 month old baby to sleep for the 5th time that day, laundry piled high, and a kitchen sink full of dishes, when I thought...these day are going to last forever...or so it seemed.

We spent most of our day on the floor playing, scribbling on paper while sitting in her highchair, going on "walks" around our backyard and kicking the ball all over the place. We were pals. We had hours upon hours to play and play, or so I thought.

Those hours of play turned into days which turned into weeks and months and now I sit on the eve of her first FULL day of Kindergarten and think...where has the time gone?! Where is the baby we waited 10 years for gone to and why does she have to grow up? Don't get my wrong, there have been tough parenting days, we all have them, but I've cherished my time at home with Addison these last 5 years immensely.

We are closing an amazing chapter in our lives and moving on to another? How can the next chapter be better than our last? People say "she will love Kingergarten!" I say, "that's great, but I will miss her, tremendously." She's my only little. She's my little love, my miracle child, our gift.

So as I grieve the closing of one chapter and turn the page into another, I shed some tears...tears of joy, thankflness, happiness, and some sadness. She's another year older and starting school. Is this real?

I pray that we've prepared her enough for the world she's about to expereince. I pray that she knows who she is enough to believe in herself and love herself even when the days are rough. Mostly, I pray that she knows God loves her no matter what may happen in her day. That HE is always there to call on and that HE will protect her and that HE will love her unconditionally when that friend says "she isn't her friend anymore."

My child, you are loved. You are a daily blessing and joy to our lives. Our lives are SO much richer with you in it. Stand tall, love who you are, how you were made, and how God has gifted you for this life. We are cheering you on, always.

Mama will always be here, (I'm just across the street actually) waiting with open arms. We will always and forever be pals.




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Hip Hip Hooray For Granola Bars!

Who doesn't love the chewy, sweet, and sometimes crispy taste of granola bars? I know I do! And actually, Addison has taken a liking to them as well. Yay! She tried something new and turns out, she likes it. Score for this Mama who's always looking for something different to give her for a snack.

But as most of you know, the granola bars you buy in the store are filled with junk! High Fructose Corn Syrup! No thank you!

So I decided to whip up a recipe I found here (http://www.fifteenspatulas.com/chocolate-chip-granola-bars/ ). I definitely recommend using a long, flat spatula for the job when it comes time to shape them on the cookie sheet. It works great!

These turned out yummy! Crunchy on the outside and a little chewy in the center. Next time I think I will cut back my cooking time a bit as we like chewier granola bars. But overall, a solid recipe.

The best part is my hubby (who tends to be particularly fussy about homemade goodies/clean eating recipes), liked them...a lot!

If you make them, shoot me a comment, I'd love to hear what you think.

Happy snacking!

Are Kale Chips Still In??

I think so and I sure hope so considering healthy foods should never go out of style! ;) 

Kale is filled with so many important nutrients. Some have even gone as far as to call it "the World's healthiest food!" Kale, a leafy green, is available in curly, ornamental, or dinosaur varieties. It belongs to the Brassica family that includes cruciferous vegetables such as cabbage, collards, broccoli, and brussel sprouts. Kale boasts vitamins such as vitamin A, vitamin C, and vitamin K. It's also a good source of minerals copper, potassium, iron, manganese, and phosphorus! Whew! Sounds like a super food to me!

Kale can be bitter in flavor so if you plan on using it in a salad it's best to marinade the leaves by massaging them with a dressing of your choice for 15 minutes prior to serving. 

Today I made kale chips-so delicate and crunchy! Are they like chips? No. But they do satisfy that longing for something salty and crunchy. So why not induldge?! They're SUPER healthy for you!

Now, I've made kale chips before but the recipe I had wasn't a good one. It's important not to overcook the leaves or undercook the leaves. 

Here's a link to the recipe I used: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/melissa-darabian/crispy-kale-chips-recipe.html

I did some online research and a bag of kale chips (bought in the store) can cost from $5.59-$9.49! Say what?! Mine (as pictured below) only cost me $1.50! Ah-mazing deal. So why not make them at home? Give 'em a try, I'm sure you'll enjoy the health benefits and crunch!

 

Blessings Through Raindrops

I was sitting on the examination table wearing one of those sterile hospital gowns they give you looking at him across the room. He was nicely dressed, sitting cross-legged next to my husband when he looks at me and says, "you have cancer." In one moment my heart began to race and a huge lump formed in my throat. The tears began to fall as he proceeded to explain the most "aggressive" treatment options and research facts on prognosis. The doctor kept saying in his smooth Indian accent, "you understand, right?" But all I could do was nod my head and try and swallow what was now a HUGE lump in my throat.

He left the room and my husband I were alone. I was baffled. I couldn't even say the word. My mind was racing in a million directions, what stage was I in, what about Addison, if I died who would mother her? That was the the worst thought of them all. My girl, without me, me without her? My husband, without me? WHY God why? The tears just fell and fell as we made our way to the doctors office to discuss treatment further. He said, "full hysterectomy and another major surgery." I was only 3 weeks out from my first surgery! How can this be? I'm only 35. Why? No more children. Adding to my already mounted feeling of hurt and loss over not being able to have children thus far.

The next few weeks were some of the hardest weeks of my life. At first I didn't want to talk to anyone because of how wrecked I was. I was broken, scared, unsure, discouraged. I didn't want to hear those pat answers people always give, "I'm praying for you." Although I do appreciate and understand the power of prayer. I was mad. Too mad to hear it. Gently over time my sister's loving words of support eased my pain and anger. Only then did I open myself up to talk with other family members, including my poor mom who had been waiting days to talk to me about my results.

We proceeded to seek out council and got another oncologists opinion. We felt more comfortable with him and decided to go with him and his recommendations. Scared, but trusting God had the greater plan for my life, I prepped for my second surgery.

After weeks of waiting, tests, CAT scans, poke and prods, my doctor came to me 3 days after surgery with a smile on his face. He said "there is no cancer, we didn't find anything else." He was smiling and so was I. I cheered the best I could for a girl who was lying in a hospital bed. :)

There were no reasons why. Cancer does not discriminate, no one is exempt. It exists because of sin in our world. It has nothing to do with our gracious and generous God. He is always loving, forgiving, caring, & protective. Sometimes the rain falls and falls but He is always there. Always. He never changes. One song that helped me through my dark days was Steven Curtis Chapman's song Be Still And Know. I can't tell you how many times I meditated on this song (a practice encouraged by my loving brother) and cried and cried. Be still and know...He IS God. Meditation proved to be super helpful during my trial.

This blog is about thankfulness; giving God the glory for what He's done for me. Like my husband reminded our congregation yesterday, if we don't praise Him, the rocks will cry out!

Psalms 118:1: "Give thanks to The Lord, for He is good; For His lovingkindness is everlasting."

Psalms 30:11-12: "Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing; Thou hast loosed my sackcloth and girded me with gladness; That my soul may sing praise to Thee, and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to thee forever."

My blessings have come through raindrops. I look around and see that God is good, so very good.




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Plan to Eat Night # 2

Yesterday was a very busy day! My sister-in-law and brother-in-law were down visiting from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan for a few days. My sister-in-law, Mo, wanted to show me around Ann Arbor (University of Michigan area) for the day, since I'm new to living in Michigan. Wow, it's a beautiful town! Thanks Mo! Mo treated me to lunch at Zingerman's (http://www.zingermansbakehouse.com/). I had a grilled tuna fish sandwich, which was fantastic. It was nice to be with her as we don't get to spend much time together since we live about 12 hours away from each other. It was a fun day filled with visits to her favorite places like Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, A kids Consignment Boutique, a most delicious bagel spot and more. I cherish the time I get to spend with her.

Since I knew we would be gone all day, I decided to use a crock pot recipe for dinner last night. It only took me 10 minutes or less to prep and throw all the ingredients in the pot before we left in the morning. It's always nice to come home to food cooking in the crock pot or oven...it's the feeling of warmth and home...ahh.

Anyways, so I made crock pot chicken fajitas. I got the idea off Pinterest and while we liked how they turned out, we didn't love them. Here's the link to the recipe if you want to try it yourself: http://eatathomecooks.com/2012/12/easy-crockpot-chicken-fajitas.html

The recipe wasn't "clean" as I didn't make my own fajita spice mix and I used store bought tortillas. But it was still nice to come home to dinner already cooked, all I had to do was shred some cheddar cheese~! Perfecto!

Plan to Eat Night #1

For the first night of our Plan To Eat week I made:

~Bunless grilled burgers

~Sweet Potato Hash with

red bell pepper, onions, and 

seasoned with thyme, rosemary

and crushed red pepper

~Steamed green beans

The sweet potato hash was a huge hit in our house!  The entire dinner took about an hour to cook/grill. Not too bad for a meal that was completely homemade and clean~! I don't have any recipes for this meal, I created them from scratch (my own ideas). If you'd like the recipe for the hash, let me know! I can create it based on what I did tonight. 

Night one, a success!

Plan To Eat!

So many times after a long day or meetings at church, my husband and I look at each other and say, "boy am I tired, can we just pick something up for dinner?" Or we just pop that frozen pizza we had stowed away in our freezer into the oven for a quick dinner.

This is not always our dinner story but at least once or twice a week we are eating out and we want to start minimizing that if at all possible for the sake of our waistlines and pocketbook! Being that I stay home and my husband is a Pastor, we live on a tight budget as it is.

So it is my personal challenge this week to make all five of our dinner meals (lunch & breakfast too) at home this week. Also I plan on not using anything processed. I will be using items such as organic canned black beans but I think that is just fine. All five of these recipes are new to me so this should be an adventure! And hey, who doesn't like to try new things or ideas~?


I will be having surgery next week so I also want to take the time to cook for my family, sit down and enjoy leisurely dinners since I will be pretty much out of commission for 6 weeks! I'm sure during some of that time my husband and daughter will eat out or pop in a pizza but I know that it's just temporary and then we'll be back on track towards eating more clean.

I'm excited! I hope you'll join me this week as I'll be posting each night as to what we ate and what recipe I used. :)