So Thankful

It seems that God has constantly been reminding me lately how much I have to be thankful for.

When I complained about how tight it is in our garage after we put both vehicles in for the winter, I stopped short and reminded myself, "you have two working vehicles and an attached garage; you are wealthier than much of the world!"  How many people would like to have my "problem"?

I got frustrated trying to figure out our new printer/scanner/copier. Poor me, another luxury to complain about?

After blood tests confirmed I am border-line hypothyroid, my chiropractor/nutritionist started me on some new supplements to support my thyroid, which are not cheap.  On the way home, I starting feeling sorry for myself about how much money we spend trying to keep me healthy. I began to pray that God would provide the money needed. Again, God quickly reminded me, "I do provide for you!" I should be thanking Him, not asking again! Although it means we have to sacrifice in other areas, like vacations, or replacing old windows in our house, we are able to pay for my health costs.

I'm still fighting a cold that's had me home and doing pretty much nothing for 4 days now. Besides feeling crummy, we're also due to travel for the holidays on Thursday and I'm quite behind in Christmas preparations. But I've had all the comforts of home in the meantime, for which I am thankful. And I am also grateful I'm sick now and not over the Christmas weekend.

Anyone who reads this post has electricity, a computer, internet connection, and knows how to read. We are so blessed!

We have trials, but they are temporary, and we are not alone.

I wish you and your families a very Merry Christmas as we celebrate the birth of the Savior of the world, born in a common stable - accommodations for which I doubt Mary grumbled and complained!

Tis The Season

The season for Birthdays around our house!  Both Isaac and Aaron have birthdays at the end of November, right after Thanksgiving.  It's tricky planning what presents to give for birthdays and what to give for Christmas. And then plan celebrations at this busy time of year.

We had a party for Isaac on his actual birthday, the Saturday after Thanksgiving.  We've gotten fairly creative with birthdays over the years. One year we did a treasure hunt which the kids loved, and ever since then it doesn't seem a birthday party without one.  Each year we have to try to out-do ourselves!

We also did a photo game this year for the second time.  We came up with 10 different situations that the kids have to do, which then have to be photographed.  Thank goodness for digital cameras!  We used to do this type of game in our youth group when I was young, except then it was called a Polaroid Relay, and we competed in teams.

This year's highlights:

everybody on the roof of the shed

everybody stuffed into the trunk of the car

 

 

duct tape Isaac to the wall

Monday our family went out for dinner to Steak 'N Shake on Aaron's birthday (his restaurant choice, because he loves their mini hamburgers and "the best strawberry shakes"!)

He had a small treasure hunt around the house to get his present; his first own Wii game!

can you tell that he was a little happy?!

And then tomorrow is Aaron's party at Chuck E Cheese, with just 2 best friends. This will be his first "real" party, not shared with Isaac, so he's super excited!  And then birthday week will officially be over and we can start to concentrate on Christmas!

It's all about the (Good) Beef!

This fall we bought a quarter of a cow from our milk farm. I think it amounted to approximately 80 lbs. of meat, almost half as ground beef.

Here it is stocked in our new (used) freezer that conveniently fit in our garage, just steps from the kitchen!

Not only will it be nice to have meat readily available for the next several months, but the cows are grass-fed on natural grass and never given growth hormones, hormones of any kind, or antibiotics, so the meat is more nutritious.  It tastes better to! Just one more step in our journey toward healthier living.

And by the way, if you're thinking that "eating beef" shouldn't be part of a paragraph about "healthier living", check out this article (it's kind of long).

I'm not an expert, but what I do know ... Fats are not created equal. The nutrition of all-natural beef can't be compared with assembly-line, medicated, get-big-quick cows. Digesting our food well is crucial to good health, and beef does digest well in a healthy digestive system.  There are so many myths out there, and errored research, that so many things we're taught (mostly here in the U.S.) sadly, just aren't true.

There are an endless number of posts that I could write about such food and health issues that I've learned over the past several years (such as, real butter is better for you than fake, low-fat butter substitutions, and  raw milk is extremely healthy).  One book that dispels many current food and health myths is Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon.  The Weston A. Price Foundation is also a good starting point.  Look around, you might be surprised!

Homemade Taco Seasoning Mix

I love this taco seasoning mix recipe that I found from a blog friend, Sara.

I've tried a couple other homemade mix recipes in the past but didn't care for them.  This one is definitely a keeper! And the best thing is, you control the ingredients - no MSG or any other odd ingredients. 

Taco Seasoning Mix

1/4 c. chili powder

2 Tb. cumin

1/2 Tb. black pepper

2 tsp. paprika

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. onion powder

1 tsp. oregano

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. cayenne

Mix spices and keep in an airtight container.
Add 2 1/2 Tb. spice mix (more or less to taste) plus 1/2 c. water to 1 lb. of browned ground beef.
Simmer 10 - 15 minutes. 

(Next time I'm going to add try adding some dry minced onion to the mix.)

Earlier this week, I cooked up 8 lbs. of taco meat! I used one for that night's dinner and froze the rest. I've been wanting to do that for quite a while! I also froze some in little 1 c. containers because my boys like to put it on chips and cheese for lunch.

Halloween Fun

Yesterday we hosted a hobo, a hippie, and a glow stick man at the house.

 

 Aaron (almost 7)

These are the coolest costumes! Glow sticks taped with clear packing tape to black clothing.

 

Isaac (almost 12) and friend

Dancing glow stick men!

This is what they look like in the light

And here ...

Noah (15)  Groovy! He played the hippie role way too easily! Far out, man!

I don't usually dress in costume, but I could have been an ice cube, as cold as it got while walking with the kids trick or treating! At least it wasn't raining. Okay, Halloween done, now a new knitting project to start!

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And by the way, I'm really going to try to post more regularly than I have been, including more posts about what's going on in our homeschool and recipes.  I'm always more likely to try a new recipe if it's from or recommended by someone I know, or who's blog I read. So I'll gather up some of my favorites and post them from time to time.

Thanks for reading!

Fabulous Fall

We are having an absolutely gorgeous fall here in Michigan!  The weather's been beautiful, the trees seem brighter than they have in a few years, and the color seems to be lasting longer. I'm just loving it!

Let me share some beauty with you!

 

Just have to note that the colors of some of these next several pictures are a little harsh because I took them in the middle of the day, which a photographer is "not supposed to do". But I had to get them when I could.

I'm so grateful that God gives us beautiful colors in the fall, and then also in the spring, to make up for the gray of winter!