LO'S RAWESOME 7-LAYER SALAD
serves 1
spinach
3 mushrooms, halved & sliced
6 raspberries
1/4 bell pepper, sliced thin
raisins, just a small handful
3 tsp. salsa
1 Tbls. raw pumpkin seeds
1 T. flax seed oil, or to taste
salt & pepper, to taste
In a bowl place a big handful of spinach. I use about 3 oz. Layer the sliced mushrooms on top of the spinach. Drizzle with some flax seed oil. Sprinkle the handful of raisins over the mushrooms. Arrange the raspberries and bell pepper slices attractively over the raisins. You can use any color of bell pepper, but the orange ones look good, adding some extra color. Add several small spoonfuls of salsa, either in the center, or along the edges of the bowl. (make it look good!)Sprinkle the raw pumpkin seeds over the salad, add salt and pepper to taste. I also like a pinch of dill on top.
I just love this salad. It is tangy, sweet, crunchy and smooth all at the same time. No more typical '7-layer salad' with boiled eggs, bacon, sour cream and mayo. This is better than that could ever be, and so much healthier. Enjoy!
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Time Flies
The last time I posted we were experiencing the wonderful, warm summers of Michigan. Now we are just over a week from Thanksgiving. Where has the time gone?
It seems like just yesterday I was sending my babies off to school. Yes, after 6 years of homeschooling all my little guys are in school. My oldest 'baby' is a Freshmen this year and my little 'babies' are now in 6th grade. They are doing very well, and for the most part really enjoy it. For me, it was a little hard to adapt, but I am kind of enjoying my new found freedom. There are times when the house seems a little quiet and lonely, and years worth of school books are collecting dust, but we all seem to have found our niche and are doing well.
When we decided to put all the boys into school this year we had all agreed that if they didn't like school we would go back to homeschooling. However, they had to give it a try, and our time frame was Thanksgiving. If by Thanksgiving they didn't like public school, then they could return home. They have all decided to stay in school for the time being.
There have been some changes going on, too many to write here. The highlights are: My parents will be returning from Europe for a visit in the spring, so we have that to look forward to. On the flip side, I am not looking forward to spring, because hubby will be going to Iraq, and I am not ready to have him gone again. I do the best I can to just know that we are all in God's hands, and He will take care of us.
Now, our beautiful summer weather has passed away, given way to falling leaves and dropping temperatures. We had our first real snowfall just yesterday. Just days before we had incredible weather with temps in the 70's. It was such a blessing, as I am not ready for winter. I stay ice cold from about mid-October through mid-May. One would think that after living in 'the great white north' for 4+ years I would have adapted just a little. Nope. I think my body will forever long for those warm Florida winters, and summers that are so hot you just don't want to go outside unless you are heading to the beach. Somehow the ocean water and those tropical breezes make the heat tolerable.
In a totally different climate, what makes the cold tolerable? As you run from house to car to store and back. Drive in snow storms. Brave icy roads and parking lots. While heaters crank away at full blast, frost forms on window panes, and bodies shiver in the cold. What exactly makes this artic air tolerable? Part of me cannot grasp the desire to live in this cold. Part of me loves the first snowfall so much that I act like a child.I love every beautiful snowfall. I love curling up in a cozy blanket with a cup of hot chocolate or tea. I enjoy Christmas shopping with this incredible chill in the air. Snow on Christmas morning is just amazing. I don't enjoy any winter sports, unless reading by the fireplace has become a winter sport. I don't spend a great amount of time outside in the winter. However, this is something God has given us, and we should enjoy it. Find the silver lining. Look for the hidden beauty, or admire that obvious beauty. As much as I enjoy the beauty of a fresh snowfall, my silver lining is Spring. When new life blooms, flowers peek through the soil, grass springs to life, and trees begin to burst with color. I thank God for the winters we have, because those winters give us the most wonderful springs.
For now, I will relish the falling temps. and the falling snow. For there is a time for every season under heaven, and my time to 'hibernate' has arrived.
It seems like just yesterday I was sending my babies off to school. Yes, after 6 years of homeschooling all my little guys are in school. My oldest 'baby' is a Freshmen this year and my little 'babies' are now in 6th grade. They are doing very well, and for the most part really enjoy it. For me, it was a little hard to adapt, but I am kind of enjoying my new found freedom. There are times when the house seems a little quiet and lonely, and years worth of school books are collecting dust, but we all seem to have found our niche and are doing well.
When we decided to put all the boys into school this year we had all agreed that if they didn't like school we would go back to homeschooling. However, they had to give it a try, and our time frame was Thanksgiving. If by Thanksgiving they didn't like public school, then they could return home. They have all decided to stay in school for the time being.
There have been some changes going on, too many to write here. The highlights are: My parents will be returning from Europe for a visit in the spring, so we have that to look forward to. On the flip side, I am not looking forward to spring, because hubby will be going to Iraq, and I am not ready to have him gone again. I do the best I can to just know that we are all in God's hands, and He will take care of us.
Now, our beautiful summer weather has passed away, given way to falling leaves and dropping temperatures. We had our first real snowfall just yesterday. Just days before we had incredible weather with temps in the 70's. It was such a blessing, as I am not ready for winter. I stay ice cold from about mid-October through mid-May. One would think that after living in 'the great white north' for 4+ years I would have adapted just a little. Nope. I think my body will forever long for those warm Florida winters, and summers that are so hot you just don't want to go outside unless you are heading to the beach. Somehow the ocean water and those tropical breezes make the heat tolerable.
In a totally different climate, what makes the cold tolerable? As you run from house to car to store and back. Drive in snow storms. Brave icy roads and parking lots. While heaters crank away at full blast, frost forms on window panes, and bodies shiver in the cold. What exactly makes this artic air tolerable? Part of me cannot grasp the desire to live in this cold. Part of me loves the first snowfall so much that I act like a child.I love every beautiful snowfall. I love curling up in a cozy blanket with a cup of hot chocolate or tea. I enjoy Christmas shopping with this incredible chill in the air. Snow on Christmas morning is just amazing. I don't enjoy any winter sports, unless reading by the fireplace has become a winter sport. I don't spend a great amount of time outside in the winter. However, this is something God has given us, and we should enjoy it. Find the silver lining. Look for the hidden beauty, or admire that obvious beauty. As much as I enjoy the beauty of a fresh snowfall, my silver lining is Spring. When new life blooms, flowers peek through the soil, grass springs to life, and trees begin to burst with color. I thank God for the winters we have, because those winters give us the most wonderful springs.
For now, I will relish the falling temps. and the falling snow. For there is a time for every season under heaven, and my time to 'hibernate' has arrived.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
I Go Back
We can't reclaim those spacious hours, any more than we can turn back the hands of time and return to that more innocent era, but in my mind I go back to a time of tranquil hours, leisurely afternoons and laughter-filled evenings. On this particular day that my mind has drifted back to, there is a bike ride and hours spent in the park. Memories of swings, slides, and pink peppermint-flavored ice cream with colorful chunks of bubble gum.
Michael and I have taken a long bike ride from our home out in the country, into town, to the park. The bike ride is long, over 10 miles each way, but it is one of our favorite ways to spend a summer day. Sheridan has the most amazing park, and it is worth the effort to get there. Once there we spend our time on the swings, seeing who can swing highest, and going down the slide, the highest slide I had ever seen. The park has a small river running along one side, and a hill with steps going up it on the other side. At the far end of the park is the public swimming pool, and one of the coolest things I have yet to see in a town park. Our park had buffalo and elk! However, on this day, we don't venture down that far. When we do take a break we head to the ice cream stand. To bubble gum ice cream in sugar cones. Pink, shiny ice cream with chunks of gum, the coloring from the pieces have tinted the ice cream in shades of yellow, red, blue and green. Sitting underneath a shade tree we finish our cones and head for the merry-go-round.
After our hours spent in the park we head for home, down the back roads that run from Sheridan to Parker Draw. When we reach the creek near our house we drop our bikes on the ground and dip our toes in the icy cold water. The perfect break, the perfect refreshing break on our long trip home. Not much longer and we are home, another summer day is drawing to an end, but before the sun is completely gone there will be a game played on the front yard. What will it be tonight? Mother may I? Red light, Green light? Duck, Duck, Goose? or perhaps a game of softball played with the neighborhood children?
I have been blessed with the most amazing memories from my childhood. There were times that were not pleasant, but when I go back, I go back to the times with my family. Camping. Sledding. Games. Trips. A garden. Playing pool. Sleeping under the stars. My childhood is a tapestry so richly made that even the most wealthy man could not purchase something so wonderful. I pray that when my boys look back at their childhood that they will feel as blessed as I, to have had a childhood full of experiences, of slow days, and getting to see life at a more simple, more basic level. I pray that we offer them the experiences in life that truly matter. If we, as parents, cannot slow down and enjoy life then we cannot teach our children to slow down and enjoy life. Life should not be about going from one activity to the next as quickly as possible, it should be about savoring the life God has given us.
Michael and I have taken a long bike ride from our home out in the country, into town, to the park. The bike ride is long, over 10 miles each way, but it is one of our favorite ways to spend a summer day. Sheridan has the most amazing park, and it is worth the effort to get there. Once there we spend our time on the swings, seeing who can swing highest, and going down the slide, the highest slide I had ever seen. The park has a small river running along one side, and a hill with steps going up it on the other side. At the far end of the park is the public swimming pool, and one of the coolest things I have yet to see in a town park. Our park had buffalo and elk! However, on this day, we don't venture down that far. When we do take a break we head to the ice cream stand. To bubble gum ice cream in sugar cones. Pink, shiny ice cream with chunks of gum, the coloring from the pieces have tinted the ice cream in shades of yellow, red, blue and green. Sitting underneath a shade tree we finish our cones and head for the merry-go-round.
After our hours spent in the park we head for home, down the back roads that run from Sheridan to Parker Draw. When we reach the creek near our house we drop our bikes on the ground and dip our toes in the icy cold water. The perfect break, the perfect refreshing break on our long trip home. Not much longer and we are home, another summer day is drawing to an end, but before the sun is completely gone there will be a game played on the front yard. What will it be tonight? Mother may I? Red light, Green light? Duck, Duck, Goose? or perhaps a game of softball played with the neighborhood children?
I have been blessed with the most amazing memories from my childhood. There were times that were not pleasant, but when I go back, I go back to the times with my family. Camping. Sledding. Games. Trips. A garden. Playing pool. Sleeping under the stars. My childhood is a tapestry so richly made that even the most wealthy man could not purchase something so wonderful. I pray that when my boys look back at their childhood that they will feel as blessed as I, to have had a childhood full of experiences, of slow days, and getting to see life at a more simple, more basic level. I pray that we offer them the experiences in life that truly matter. If we, as parents, cannot slow down and enjoy life then we cannot teach our children to slow down and enjoy life. Life should not be about going from one activity to the next as quickly as possible, it should be about savoring the life God has given us.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
wow
Oh my goodness. It has been over a year since I have last posted on this site. Honestly, it has been so long, when I went to log in I was afraid that it would no longer be available. But, thankfully, after about a zillion attempts with different e-mail accounts and passwords, I finally hit the jackpot. (think I will write it down this time)
A lot has changed in the past 15 months. My parents are back on the mission field, this time in Poland, and my brother is on the field as well, serving our Lord in East Asia. It has been nearly a year since we have seen grandpa and Uncle Mikey, but grandma came home for a short visit this spring. Yep, she had to come to Michigan... to have her taxes done. Hey, that's as good a reason as any!
This week my baby, okay, he isnt a baby any more but still... anyway, my precious little Ryan is on his very first mission trip. He went with our youth group to work with a church outside of Albany, NY. This fall Ry will be starting high school and has some major goals for his career, and he knows it will be hard work. This past year he has started attending CAP (civil air patrol) and he has decided that he wants to go to a college like West Point or the Air Force Academy when he graduates. He looks adorable when he puts on his BDU's (or camies, as I call them) but the other day he put on his dress blues for the first time and my heart just skipped a beat. He looked so handsome! I just cannot believe that my little Ryan is growing up so quickly.
Ian and Zane will be starting middle school this year. Yippeeee! They are 6th graders now. This fall they will be moving into our Sunday School class. Poor Jim, he is going to have 6 very rowdy boys to deal with, while I will have 6 girls in my class. Anyway, the twins are growing up so fast, and are becoming little men. Ian has his first little girlfriend. I told him they cant date until much later because I want him to still like her when he is old enough to marry. (yep, I have already picked out his future wife. Ryan's too)
Well, I think this is enough for now. After all these months, I think we will start slow, and who knows. I might even post again sometime soon.
Lora
A lot has changed in the past 15 months. My parents are back on the mission field, this time in Poland, and my brother is on the field as well, serving our Lord in East Asia. It has been nearly a year since we have seen grandpa and Uncle Mikey, but grandma came home for a short visit this spring. Yep, she had to come to Michigan... to have her taxes done. Hey, that's as good a reason as any!
This week my baby, okay, he isnt a baby any more but still... anyway, my precious little Ryan is on his very first mission trip. He went with our youth group to work with a church outside of Albany, NY. This fall Ry will be starting high school and has some major goals for his career, and he knows it will be hard work. This past year he has started attending CAP (civil air patrol) and he has decided that he wants to go to a college like West Point or the Air Force Academy when he graduates. He looks adorable when he puts on his BDU's (or camies, as I call them) but the other day he put on his dress blues for the first time and my heart just skipped a beat. He looked so handsome! I just cannot believe that my little Ryan is growing up so quickly.
Ian and Zane will be starting middle school this year. Yippeeee! They are 6th graders now. This fall they will be moving into our Sunday School class. Poor Jim, he is going to have 6 very rowdy boys to deal with, while I will have 6 girls in my class. Anyway, the twins are growing up so fast, and are becoming little men. Ian has his first little girlfriend. I told him they cant date until much later because I want him to still like her when he is old enough to marry. (yep, I have already picked out his future wife. Ryan's too)
Well, I think this is enough for now. After all these months, I think we will start slow, and who knows. I might even post again sometime soon.
Lora
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