Thankful Thursday

vacation edition...

We recently took a family vacation for 10 days. It was such a blessing to be able to take such a chunk of time off and go on a road trip together to the Pacific Northwest. There were many things I was thankful for.

I am thankful for the innocence an joy my little boys have.

Corbin enjoying the fall leaves at the James Cant Ranch in the John Day Fossil Beds

I am thankful for fossils we got to see at the John Day Fossil Beds and that this is proof of the ice age and that Noah's Flood actually happened.

I am thankful for our trailer that we got to camp in. I am grateful for the heater and the comforts of home we had in it. I am also thankful for the memories we have made using our trailer. ** This is the first road trip that I have actually packed a fruit and vegetable basket to take along and homemade broth to drink throughout the trip!

I am thankful for waterfalls. Sunsets and waterfalls are two of my favorites in God's creation. We saw A LOT of waterfalls at the Columbia River Gorge on our trip. I was in awe of the beauty. I took over 80 pictures of the waterfalls!

I am thankful for new discoveries, like this leaf that is as big as Corbin's head. I am thankful for the quiet peace that the hikes up to each of the falls had to offer. 

I am thankful for my family of boys. They are so curious and full of energy. I am thankful they have a Daddy who is willing to teach them how to grow up to be men and give them the wrestle time now that they need. 

I am thankful for sweet treats! We had several treats on our vacation and since the boys are Gluten Free and I am Paleo we had to hunt for treats a lot of the time. We were thankful to find Kyra's Bake Shop. It is a 100% Gluten free bakery! She is the two time winner of Cupcake wars on Food Network. She won with some of her Gluten Free Cupcakes.  I did not partake in a cupcake but did have a small bite and they were delicious. The boys were in heaven! 

Speaking of food, we found some amazing places on our trip that were Paleo Friendly and had many Gluten Free options. One of the places we stopped was Cultured Caveman - a little food truck in Portland. I am thankful for Clean, Whole Paleo food that is prepared for me. We had coconut crusted chicken tenders (fried in beef tallow), braised collard greens with bacon, bacon wrapped dates, macaroons, chili, and homemade garlic aioli. MMMM...I can taste it now. I am thankful for good food! 

I am thankful for the power and majesty of God. We visited Mount St. Helens and it had a way of making us feel real tiny. Like small little peons. It is amazing how this 8,000+ high foot mountain could literally blow thousands of feet off it's top devastating everything (for miles) in it's wake in a matter of three minutes. There is nothing like being at the foot of this mountain in person. It is HUGE. It is active. It is mind blowing. God is big! God is all powerful. Nahum 1:5 The mountains quake at him, and the hills melt, and the earth is burned at his presence, yea, the world, and all that dwell therein.

I am thankful for laughter. We visited the fish market at Pike Place in Seattle and it is always so much fun there. The fish Corbin is standing by moves when the fish monger pulls on a chain it is connected too. I knew this (because we had been there before but Corbin was really young) and so I told the boys to go up close and look at the fish. They did and when they did the Monger moved it and scared the bejeebers out of them. Corbin thought it was funny and Cody did not! He wouldn't go near that thing. It gave us a good laugh.  Such fun memories.

I am thankful for animals and for Corbin's love of animals. I have always loved animals too just like him. They are so fun to watch and learn about. It is amazing how much we can see that we have an intelligent Creator through the study of animals.  The intricacies of all animals is astounding. There is no way they could just have formed from a blob. When we visited the Seattle Aquarium it was like a field trip for our homeschool. We learned so much about aquatic animals (which happens to be what we are studying in science right now anyway.) We saw Octopus being fed and very active, otters, harbor seals, fur seals, jellyfish, starfish and more. It was a great time!

I am thankful for my husband. To have a complete family is a blessing I don't take for granted. God has blessed us tremendously. He was the one to do all the dirty work on the trip like jack up the trailer and make sure we had the spare tire. Get the "lines" hooked up to make sure certain things - eh-hem, went where they were supposed too. All the loading and unloading. I am thankful to literally have the man-power. Also I am thankful that God has allowed my husbands back issues to heal and God has given him relief and ability to be able to do these tasks without pain.

I am thankful for time away from the normal routine and all the many sites to see on this earth. I am thankful for renewal and refreshment at the perfect time of the year. It was much needed and what better time that to go see the fall colors!  This is the Puget Sound in Seattle from the top of the Seattle Great Wheel. We were in a Ferris wheel that was 200 feet above the ground over the Puget Sound. We got so see an amazing sunset which I am thankful for and view all the sites of the town from way up high.

I am thankful for the means to take a much needed family vacation like this. God has provided in abundance! 

I thought this Psalm was a fitting end to this thankfulness post...

Psalm 145
A Praise of David. I will extol You, my God, O King; And I will bless Your name forever and ever. Every day I will bless You, And I will praise Your name forever and ever. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; And His greatness is unsearchable. One generation shall praise Your works to another, And shall declare Your mighty acts. I will meditate on the glorious splendor of Your majesty, And on Your wondrous works. Men shall speak of the might of Your awesome acts, And I will declare Your greatness. They shall utter the memory of Your great goodness, And shall sing of Your righteousness. The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, Slow to anger and great in mercy. The Lord is good to all, And His tender mercies are over all His works. All Your works shall praise You, O Lord, And Your saints shall bless You. They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom, And talk of Your power, To make known to the sons of men His mighty acts, And the glorious majesty of His kingdom. Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, And Your dominion endures throughout all generations. The Lord upholds all who fall, And raises up all who are bowed down. The eyes of all look expectantly to You, And You give them their food in due season. You open Your hand And satisfy the desire of every living thing. The Lord is righteous in all His ways, Gracious in all His works. The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He also will hear their cry and save them. The Lord preserves all who love Him, But all the wicked He will destroy. My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord, And all flesh shall bless His holy name Forever and ever.

~Blessings~

Ten on Tuesday

1 ** I was making Gluten Free Banana Bread for my family last night, not me I can't have bananas until next year as they are on my severe intolerance list for ALCAT, and I got an egg with two yolks!  We have a neighbor with chickens who has been graciously sharing and the two yolker was one of them! Cool huh? The recipe I was using was from my Blackbird Bakery Gluten Free cookbook that I got at one of my favorite stores - Anthropologie.

2 ** Speaking of ALCAT, by the end of the week I will be on my 75th day of this wonderful (insert sarcastic roll of the eyes) elimination diet. I am more than half way through the first phase.  I have 20 days to go until I can start reintroducing my moderate intolerance foods!  That is a big milestone for me because this has been one of the toughest things I have ever done. I have until next March until I can start reintroducing my severe intolerance foods.

3 ** I purchased a new Bone China Tea set with inlaid real gold at Teavana.  I had some gifts cards and I love that store.  Their teas taste SO good and are all made from REAL fruit with no natural or artificial flavors.  They also tell you what teas are good for certain ailments like allergies, digestion, colds, etc.  There are even several teas that my kids love there.

4 **  I have been teaching preschool in our homeschool co-op since September.  It has been such a blessing.  To be able to see the Lord answer my prayers each and every Monday in giving me enough energy to serve and to get to know each of my 11 preschoolers.  They say the funniest things.  Cody even calls me "teacher."  I love to see their little personalities shine through in the projects that they do each week.  I can tell who the rule followers are, the rebels are, the detail oriented students and the free flowing. I just love them.

5 ** Organizing makes me feel so good.  In fact, I have to be careful not to make it an idol in my life.  It is easy for me to want everything to be just perfect when in reality it never will be.  That being said though I spent a whole day the other weekend going through Cody's room and some of Corbin's. When we first moved in I just kind of put stuff in places.  No rhyme or reason (well there was a system - sort of.)  Now though, everything has it's place, it mostly stays neat and tidy and Cody is able to find all of his things.  I also made a few bucks selling some stuff at the local consignment store.  SHHHH! Don't tell the boys.

6 ** Have you ever refilled inks for your printer?  Well I did recently. I was so excited because I was saving about $70-80 not having to buy new ink cartridges.  Bummer thing is that my printer gets errors now all the time because the code on the old cartridge is read by my printer saying it is low.  It keeps saying it is installed incorrectly and all kinds of stuff.  I am not sure my saving the money was worth all the hassle it has created.  The verdict is still out.

7 ** I have lost about 22 pounds in the last two months thanks to my wonderful (insert sarcastic roll of the eyes) ALCAT diet. I never thought I would complain about something like this because I could have always lost maybe a few pounds (about 10.)  Well now most of my wardrobe doesn't fit me and I am nearing the 100 lb mark.  NOT good!  I refuse to buy more clothes.  Maybe I will just have to be the saggy baggy elephant for a while until (hopefully) I gain my weight back or at least some of it. If I start feeling better maybe I can gain some muscle too with some exercise.

8 ** We have been doing our usual fall traditions around here: corn maze, pumpkin patch, hay rides, and apple picking (since we only ended up with ONE apple on our tree this year thanks to coddling moths.) It has been lots of fun.  Of course, I really enjoy the REAL fall weather where we can actually bundle up too.

Poor Cody had to be the "girl" in the photo op above.  Good thing he didn't know. Steve caught a frog while were apple picking.  I may be weird but I have always loved frogs.  I think they are so cool.

9 ** I got to do some canning over the weekend.  I made Apple Wedges with Cinnamon Red Hot syrup.  I can't have apples until next year but Corbin said they were yummy.  I can't wait to taste them.  Next up for canning this week: Curried Apple Chutney and Crock Pot apple butter.

10 ** I have been going through a fiery trial on patience lately.  Patience with my kids, my health, test results, solutions to test results, healing for my body, preparing food.  You name it - usually patience is written all over it. It is tough and I fail miserably most times.  I know I will continue to be tested until I pass and that is the hard part.  I can not do it on my own.  I can only do it through Christ who strengthens me.  His Strength is made perfect in my weakness.

11 *Bonus ** The thing I hear most often lately is "You look tired."  It is true I do look tired. My body is a mess but on the road to healing and recovery.  I really don't mind hearing it because it is true but I look forward to the day that I have that healthy glow again and look refreshed.  Lord willing.

~Blessings~



Fall play time

It is not often I get to go and play.  My days are usually full of blessings but play time is not always present.  Last week we had a free day that we still did "school" but in a different way.  We decided to have a nature day.  It was so fun because the boys got to get out and explore God's creation through discovery, hands on and some sketching.  I had a chance to play by using my new macro lens for my camera to capture the glorious fall colors of this year!

It was such a refreshing time that I am so grateful for.

Not all of these photos were taken with my macro, some were taken with my other lens but boy was this fall day spectacular.

Close up of a log.  It kind of looks like the surface of Mercury to me.

Looks like a dry and barren dessert but it is really a log! I love close-ups!

They brought their buckets to collect leaves and nature pieces for our nature shelf.  Cody spilled his several times but was very diligent to pick it all back up and put it in the bucket.

Hard to believe these beauties look like this so close up.  Amazing.

This is one of my favorite pictures.  The bees were swarming all over these flowers.  Their favorite color is purple so maybe that is why.

I don't know what these things are but they had a cool texture.

Look at this leaf.  It looks like leather to me.

After we took our nature walk we took our picnic lunch, blanket and our art supplies over the park.  We were among tall golden trees all shedding their leaves and the bright sunshine falling on our shoulders. Oh so decadent. So relaxing. So inspirational.

The boys went looking for acorns.

This is Cody concentrating on his sketching.  He always has to have his tongue out!

Corbin doing his bark rubbings on the tree.

Sketching and keeping a journal of the creation we see if such a wonderful experience.  I hope to instill this in my children so they never forget God's creativity.

OK... this is not nature but I thought it looked cool.  It is my shoe!

After eating and drawing we decided to walk a few steps and enjoy the river.

This was so much fun.  I highly recommend getting out with your children to explore nature and relax under the trees with a picnic lunch.  It is great to enjoy each others company and admire what God has made for us.

Psalm 34.8 O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.

Harvest Fun

I must blog today.  The past four days has been full and fun and now it is all winding down.  I am very ready for a day just at home tomorrow. Today was "one of those days." I need to go back to a peaceful place!  That is why I am going to tell you about our "first day of fall festivities!"  It was such a peaceful day.  We had so much fun and it truly felt like fall to me.

Here we go....

First we made fall breakfast cookies and I found the recipe here.

The boys were very excited about these and so was I!  They made the house smell spicy and warm. MMMM....

They were healthy too!  Organic raw coconut, raw local honey, gluten free oats, and raisins just to name a few of the ingredients.

The boys devoured these.

After breakfast we got down to our crafting.  I chose to have them make Craft -Stick Scarecrows from Little Family Fun

Here is Cody staring his scarecrow.

Corbin gluing on hair.

Cody and his finished scarecrow.

Agggh! Scary!

Corbin wanted to make a mean scarecrow.

AGGGH! Scary!  Cody and I were being silly.

After craft time I had an abundance of Roma tomatoes I had to deal with.  I have been reading an awesome cookbook: The Homeade Pantry - 101 items you can stop buying and start making by Alana Chernila.  She had a great idea for roasting tomatoes with garlic and Italian herbs and then freezing them.  You have a ready made base for your sauce for when you want savory marinara in the winter time!  I love the idea so that is what I did with our tomatoes.

Yummy! This is perfect because since I can't eat our tomatoes now I can still enjoy them later when they are allowed (after my ALCAT diet is done).

Once the tomatoes were roasted then I got back to work with the kids. 

Next we were making edible harvest spiders! I got the idea from Sprinkled with Flour. It was hard to abstain from these too but of course the kids enjoyed them.

Cody loved dipping his "spider legs" pretzels in chocolate.

Peanut butter on the Ritz crackers holding the "legs" on.

He always wants to make a silly face now.

Sweet Corbin.  He wanted more M & M's so he gave his spider compound eyes.  He said "Mom they really have that you know."

I can't stand spiders but I do love peanut butter and chocolate.  They each made more than one spider of course!

In heaven.  He enjoyed the taste of his spider with compound eyes......heheheheheh.

The rest of the day I spent doing a little last minute cleaning and some fall decorating.  My favorite!  We ended our day with a candlelit dinner of Beef Stew.  Hearty and full of fall!

I could actually eat this.  It was from my ALCAT diet. I personally like our family favorite crock pot version of stew better but I was certainly thankful to end the day with a hearty stew like this.

Happy Fall Friends!

~Blessings~