mhmm monday

It's strawberry season around here and that my firends is cause for celebration! Scrumpt-diddily-umptious! 

We love our strawberries and during strawberry season, I love finding new ways to enjoy this delicious fruit. So when this website shared this recipe, I knew it was one to try!

Strawberry Shortcake No-Bake Ice Box Cake

Ingredients:
8-10 graham crackers
2 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 pound fresh strawberries, cut into ¼’s
2 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons vegetable shortening
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:
Reserve a handful of strawberries for garnishing the top of the cake. Place the remaining strawberries in a large bowl. Sprinkle granulated sugar over top. Stir to combine and allow to sit.
In a tall bowl whip heavy cream with an electric mixer until you can start to see a trail of the mixer through the cream. Add vanilla and 1/4 cup powdered sugar. Whip until stiff peaks form. (In other words when you turn off the blender and lift the beaters out of the cream, the cream stand up on the end of the beater). Set aside.
Line a 9 x 5-inch baking dish with plastic wrap. Layer 1/3 of whipped cream into dish. Spoon ½ of strawberries and half of juice on top of whipped cream, evenly. Top with a layer of graham crackers, breaking them if necessary to make them fit.
Then add another 1/3 of whipped cream, smoothing out evenly. Add the remaining strawberries and juice evenly over the whipped cream. Top with a layer of graham crackers, breaking them if necessary to make them fit. Cover and freeze for 3-4 hours.
Meanwhile, add shortening, salt and remaining powdered sugar to remaining whipped cream. Whip until it comes together.
Remove cake from freezer, invert pan onto a plate. Frost with whipped cream and sprinkle remaining strawberries on top. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Serve and enjoy!

Blessings

saying no

without feeling guilty... that’s the tricky thing

since it’s just you and me, can i share a little secret with you? promise you won’t tell? 

saying no is very hard for me. when i am asked to do this or be there for that it seems the word yes passes over my lips quicker than brain can tell my mouth anything different. there seems to be a couple of reasons for this. first thing is simply because what if i say no and they never ask me again. the second reason no doesn’t come easy is because i hate to think i may disappoint or let anyone down. i don’t want them to begin thinking i don’t care or that i am a slacker and not willing to help.

there are so many opportunities to serve, help out or get involved. so i decided to sit down to make a plan and listed a few questions to consider before committing to something new.

1. will this activity make a different long term?
2. is someone that may be better gifted to meet this need?
3. what will really happen if i say no?

as i ask myself these questions i also pray for God to give me discernment; to show me the answers through his plans. He is holding all my days numbered in His hands.

You saw me before I was born.
Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out
before a single day had passed.

Psalms 139:16 {New Living Translation {NLT}}

Do you have trouble saying no even to good things ? How are you learning to say no easier?

Blessings

Beautiful Thing ~ week # 26

With our son living in Orillia, we try, at least every other month to make the 3½ hour one way drive to visit him. The hubs’ schedule around the farm had slowed down enough that we decided to head up last Saturday, stay the night and drive home on Sunday, helping to break up that long, monotonous drive.

Our niece, her husband and two adorable children also live in Orillia and we took the opportunity to visit them and book a nights’ accommodation at their B&B, {side note: they don’t really own a B&B, they just opened their home to us} attend church together, share a delicious lunch and spend a wonderful afternoon enjoying each other’s company.

Our son is Head of Security at Encore ~ a nightclub in downtown Orillia.  Quite often when we're seeing him, we'll head over to his workplace, by-pass the cover-line and are welcomed into the club.  We only stay for a very short time, as the music is too loud, there are throngs of people and yah, I guess we're too old.  But it is exciting to see our son in action.

We love hanging out whether we're enjoying dinner, sitting on his porch at the apartment or walking along the lake. Our time together, always fills this mothers heart so full of love.

What was your beautiful thing this week?

Blessings

50!!!

Happy 50th Anniversary to my parents...

June 24, 1964

Grant & Sharon

 

Congratulations, Mom & Dad

all the best and wising you many more years together!

Blessings

Happy Anniversary!

to the cutest couple...

Gerard & Krystle

June 26, 2010

Blessings

mhmm monday

This Quinoa salad is served warm, shared from this website it is a nice side dish when you’re outdoors bbq’ing.  It’s topped off with a lovely green sauce to infuse the dish with a tangy bite of fresh herbs, lemon, and olive oil.
 
Quinoa Summer Salad

Salad:
 1 cup dry quinoa
1.5 cups water
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
0.45kg/1 lb mixed cherry/Campari tomatoes
3 corn-on-the-cob, shucked
3 green onions, chopped

3-Herb Green Sauce: {yield = approx 1/3 cup}
1 clove garlic
1/2 cup lightly packed basil
1 tbsp fresh dill*
2 tbsp fresh chives
approx 1/4 cup yellow tomato*
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/8th tsp fine grain sea salt, or to taste
1/2 tsp nutritional yeast (optional)

Directions:
Rinse quinoa in a fine mesh strainer. Add quinoa to a medium-sized pot along with 1.5 cups water and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, stir, reduce heat to low and cover with lid. Cook for 15-17 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes with the lid on before fluffing with a fork.
Preheat a large skillet over medium heat. Chop tomatoes and mince garlic. Remove corn from the cob by slicing down the ear of the corn with a chef’s knife. Add oil to skillet and the chopped veggies. Season generously with Herbamare or fine grain sea salt. Cook for about 7-8 minutes and remove from heat. Stir in chopped green onions.
Meanwhile, make the green sauce in a food processor. Start by dropping the garlic into the processor to mince. Now add in the herbs and mince again. Next add the liquids – tomatoes, oil, and lemon juice. Stop to scrape down the side of the bowl as needed. Season to taste & add opt. nooch.
To assemble, spoon quinoa into a bowl, layer the tomato and corn mix on top, and spoon on green sauce. Season with salt and pepper.
Notes: 1) You can sub any fresh herbs that you like. 2) The yellow tomatoes in this green sauce acts as an oil-replacer. They thin out the sauce without needing a ton of oil. I used yellow tomatoes so the sauce would remain a lovely green colour. Red tomatoes will likely change the colour to be less vibrant.
Enjoy!

Blessings

Beautiful Thing ~ week # 25

Each week, I look over my calendar and write about something beautiful that happened. This has been a good exercise for me as it helps me to focus on the positive things in life. As I re-read many of the previous posts, I realized that a lot of them include my family… as does this one.

The hubs and I went on a date last night and it was perfect…

We enjoyed supper at “The Barn” a new pub that “the kids” introduced us to. Then we went for a walk through the trail.

Sadly though the mosquitoes were out in full force, causing us to shorten that walk, which sent us into town to finish. I love walking through the town and looking at all the houses. We ended our date at Coffee Culture for a cuppa tea and discussed which houses we liked, which street we think we could see ourselves at, and whether or not we’ll be able to agree on which house to purchase when the time does come…

Spending time together, whether we’re walking in town, through the trail, or out here in the country, we enjoy each others company; talking, laughing, listening to each other and learning from one another.

What was your beautiful thing this week?

Blessings

1105

wowzer's, today is my 1105th blog entry.

1105!!! who would have thought…

it was in 2007, when a dear friend suggested that i start to blog, and immediately two different thoughts went through my head.

one; what will i blog about?

two; who will read it?

number one obviously hasn't been too much of problem seeing as how i am at my 1105th post; and number two, i've learned over that past few years, that yes, while i like to have people read & comment on my blog, i don't do it for that reason. i do it because i need to get my thoughts, ideas, hopes, plans & dreams out of my head and on to paper, where it's concrete.

who would have thought that i would have posted this many entries. certainly not me that’s for sure. i never realized how therapeutic it is for me to write.

i think it is important to write out our thoughts, ideas, and feelings ~ it can be a gentle reminder to us of exactly where we are at in our day to day life. it can give us an opportunity recall times of laughter, be encouraged by God's faithfulness in difficult situations and feel a sense of comfort. we can revisit the joys and even the struggles in our lives and be reminded to simply take one day at a time.

when i first started to journal i would write like i had a teacher reading it over my shoulder, constantly editing the grammar, spelling and sentence structure. i would write as if it was going to read by someone else. yes i was writing, but it just wasn’t honest writing, over the years and after a few journaling classes i have learned to write without editing and to be honest, because healing can only come if we’re honest.

i never dreamed blogging would come to mean so much to me. it has caused me to read more, think deeper, and sit in awe of who my God truly is and all that He does in my life.

my blog has become one of my favourite reads… and perhaps one of my greatest teachers.

thank you to all those read, follow and comment on my blog, your words of encouragement and thoughtful comments encourage me to continue. i appreciate the interest taken in my life and thoughts. it’s something i really enjoy doing.

so faithful readers, i invite you to continue following me as i continue to blog and see where it takes us…
　

Blessings

What to do, What to do

We make decisions everyday in our lives. Some are easy, others, more difficult. How do you make decisions? Do you write out the pros & cons? Do you ask a friend's advice? Do you flip a coin?

Or do you turn to the good book and read:
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6 & 7 {New International Version} {NIV}}

Sometimes I feel like I’m living my life in a maze? Walking along not sure which way to go, making random turns left or right not knowing if it's the right way. You either end up at a dead-end or it’s another turn and you continue guessing which way to go. When faced with choices, I want to make sure I pick the one that is God’s perfect will for me. I want to stay in line with exactly what He wants me to do.

Making decisions does not come easy for me. I tend to procrastinate and think long and hard before deciding, on just about anything.

Life brings changes to all of us yet I do not do well with change. My ideal life would be one where it pretty much stays the course. You know what I mean … a life where each day maintains a constant, un-altering course, perfectly navigated, heading towards the goal. No bumps. No turns. Just smooth sailing.

So it should not come as a surprise when life presents a change, I struggle. I struggle before God to know His will. And I do mean struggle. A life change, or an impacting decision, brings me to my knees. For a long time. I weigh a decision from every angle, talk to my family, and friends. I ask God for signs, often coming close to getting my woolly fleece out on the lawn like Gideon. I read Scriptures. Lots of them. But mostly, I pray asking God for discernment to guide my thoughts and way.

What do you do when you have trouble with making a decision?

Blessings

mhmm monday

I love me a good recipe website, so when my friend shared this on Facebook, I started searching through the recipe index and found ooh so many yummy new recipes I wanted to try, like this one.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie 

For the crust:

1 1/3 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup sugar
8 tablespoons (1 stick), unsalted butter, melted
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter until well blended.
Press the mixture into the sides and bottom of a nine-inch deep dish pie plate. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes.  Cool completely.

For the filling:
14 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 cup heavy whipping cream
Beat cream cheese and sugar in a mixing bowl. Add the peanut butter and vanilla and mix well.
Beat in the melted butter gradually.
In a separate bowl, whip the cream until soft peaks form.
Gently fold the cream into the peanut butter mixture using a spatula. Do not over beat.
Pour into the prepared, cool crust and refrigerate for several hours until set.

For the Ganache:
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
6 ounces semisweet chocolate finely chopped (high-quality such as Ghiradelli – not chocolate chips)
Bring the cream to a boil in a saucepan. Pour over the chocolate in a bowl. Stir gently to melt the chocolate and mix well. Cool slightly and spread evenly over the pie.  Chill until served.
Cut with a knife that has been heated under hot water and wiped dry between each slice.
Enjoy!

Blessings

Father's Day

Happy Farmer's Day... 

er, I mean Fathers' day!

Blessings

Beautiful Thing ~ week # 24

It was Gerards' birthday today; who officially joined our family in June 2010.  We have had so many wonderful moment together since then. 

Krystle had planned a wonderful surprise birthday party for him.  Hosting a backyard BBQ, with some outdoor games, inviting alot of their friends and made him a scrumptiious cake which he shared with everyone...

Happy Birthday Gerard! We are blessed to have you in our family!

What was your beautiful thing this week?

Blessings

A Gift

Have you ever laid in bed, and thought back over your week and groaned at the lack of a busy schedule with a nothing to-do list each day? And you think ~ why did I bother to even get out of bed?  Even though I am not super busy through the week, by the end of it, I am simply exhausted and overwhelmed.

But, God gave me a gift this week. One He knew I needed…

I am an avid reader, it’s one of my vices.  I usually have several book from my local Library lying around. 

But due to a myriad of different circumstances, I found myself without a Library book, leaving me to re-read one from my own bookshelf. Now don’t get me wrong, I obviously liked these books good enough to buy them and add them to my collection, but honestly once a book has been read, how interesting can it be to read it again. And yet, rather than sit around and stare into space, I decided to pick up a book off my shelf and give it a go.

Neither the title, nor the author of the book are really important, it’s the message that I needed to read/hear. The author did a remarkable job. Throughout the story, we read of several opportunities for the characters to rely on God for their needs, and God continually came through for them. She liberally sprinkles clues in the form of biblical quotations and while the plot was predictable, this story really spoke to my inner heart. Sure it’s a fiction story and the author can make “anything” happen, but, I was left with a wonderful feeling inside when I read the last word. This book helped to remind me that with Christ “all things are possible.”

I don’t know about you, but I find it easy to forget that God is interested and concerned about everything in my life. I tend to dismiss some things in my life as petty, shying away from bringing them to God in prayer. Sure, I’m feeling a bit tired but often it never occurs to me to pray about it.

So it comes down to a bit of a trust issue. Do I trust what God has told me that He is my Father and wants me to come to Him for every daily need. He promises to help me, to be my Healer and Provider, helping me sort out my responsibilities and restoring me in my weariness.

Many times I get overwhelmed with life and forget how big our God is! God is always there to comfort us and reminding us to seek Him at all times in the good and bad.

“The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need.”

Psalm 23:1 {New Living Translation {NLT}}



Blessings

A Reminder

From my daily devotional {Jesus Calling ~ Sarah Young} we read:

“I love you regardless of how well you are performing. Sometimes you feel uneasy, wondering if you are doing enough to be worthy of My Love. No matter how exemplary your behaviour, the answer to that question will always be no. Your performance and My Love are totally different issues, which you need to sort out. I love you with an everlasting Love that flows out from eternity without limits or conditions. I have clothed you in My robe of righteousness, and this is an eternal transaction: Nothing and no one can reverse it. Therefore your accomplishment as a Christian has no bearing on My Love for you. Even your ability to assess how well you are doing on a given day is flawed. Your limited human perspective and the condition of your body, with its mercurial variations, distort your evaluations.
Bring your performance anxiety to Me, and receive in its place My unfailing love. Try to stay conscious of My loving Presence with you in all you do, and I will direct your steps.”

The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying:

“I have loved you with an everlasting love;
I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.

~ Jeremiah 31:3 {New International Version {NIV}} 

I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God.
For he has clothed me with garments of salvation
and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness,
as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest,
and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

~ Isaiah 61:10 {New International Version {NIV}} 

Let your face shine on your servant;
save me in your unfailing love.

~ Psalm 31:16 {New International Version {NIV}} 

Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love
and his wonderful deeds for mankind.

~ Psalm 107:8 {New International Version {NIV}}

I needed this reminder today…

Blessings

mhmm monday

Perhaps my favourite recipe website these ladies come up with the best dinner ideas. I suggest you give it a try!

Balsamic Mushroom Chicken with Angel Hair Pasta

Ingredients:
20 large white button mushrooms
2 tablespoons butter
4 cloves garlic
2 large chicken breasts, cut in half lengthwise to make 4 pieces.
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 cup chicken broth
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 pound / 225 grams angel hair pasta
fresh broccoli
 
Directions:
Slice button mushrooms and add to pan along with the butter and garlic cloves. Stir occasionally on medium heat until the liquids begin to release from mushrooms and then turn mushrooms to medium low and allow to simmer until the liquid has cooked away and the mushrooms have browned. Once the garlic cloves have softened, smash them with a fork. Remove mushrooms and garlic to a bowl and set aside.
Add chicken breasts and along with oil to the pan and turn heat to medium. Sear on each side until all sides have browned. (About 10 minutes)
Bring water to boil in a large pot for the pasta. Add 1 teaspoon salt.
Add balsamic vinegar, oregano, cream and chicken broth to the chicken and cover with a lid for a few minutes until the chicken is no longer pink at the thickest part.
Add the pasta to the pot and stir for 2 minutes until softened. Drain and add to the chicken pan.
Stir until all the liquid has absorbed into the pasta. The pasta should be cooked through but if all the liquid has absorbed and the pasta is still too firm add a bit more chicken broth and continue to stir until it has cooked through.
Arrange steamed broccoli on top of the dish and serve.
Enjoy!

Blessings

Beautiful Thing ~ week # 23

As I sat and glanced over my calendar looking for my beautiful thing for this week, I was stumped. I kept going over each day trying to remember the events of the day, but sadly the calendar was lacking with any commitments leaving me with a feeling of emptiness…. Sure, sure, we mowed the lawn, worked up the flowerbeds, washed the clothes, made some meals, took the dog for a walk, mowed the lawn, again, did some more laundry, and of course we continued to eat throughout the whole week, but those don’t really qualify for a “blogworthy” beautiful things post.

Do they? Or do they?!?

Too often, I want the beautiful things blogpost to be something, well, beautiful…

Sometimes even the simplest of gestures can remind us of the most important things in life.  Like on Monday, when our son stopped by in the middle of a busy work day, just to say hey, take a break and enjoy an ice cream treat with his mom.

Family is a such blessing.  Now and again we need moments like these to appreciate our loved ones and celebrate the relationships we have.

What was your beautiful thing this week?

Blessings

Scattered

It’s a journey really...this business of writing. For me, it started out as a way to help me process everything that continually runs through my mind {and I only share a portion of it} and perhaps to take me a little more out of my comfort zone. Writing for me has become a great stress reliever. It helps me think things through better and give a clearer perspective. I think I’ve always loved to write.

These days though, my thoughts are scattered all over the place and I've several post ideas floating around. And it’s good for me to write them down {as scattered as they are} rather than trying to keep everything filed in my head. That way I can work on several posts and can always go back at a later date ~ add more to it {if needed}, refine it to get it ready to be published, or simply delete it. Blogging is a great outlet for my thoughts, ideas and creativity.

But,

have you ever sat down in front of the keyboard, and couldn’t seem to string a coherent sentence together to save your life? Or worse, you kept starting only to get a paragraph into things, and hate what you’d written so you simply highlighted the entire batch of words and hit the delete key?

Sometimes you run out of words.

As someone who likes to write, it is somewhat paralyzing to me when I think I have nothing to write. You always want to have something to say. But what happens when you run out of words? What happens when you reach with all of your might to find your voice? What happens when the words simply don’t come, and the voice is mute?

Life feels REALLY HARD right now, feeling completely lacking in resources, energy, or even perspective?

It’s not the end of the world, and I know that. 

These past few days weeks I seem to be sinking… life gets on top of me and I feel like it’s all too much. Times when I wonder where to get the strength from.

How to keep going?
What the future holds?!?

And then I remember…

Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” {New International Version {NIV}}

Blessings

mhmm monday

Cupcakes so soft and fluffy… no-one will ever guess they're low-fat! This website showcases many healthier versions of our favourite desserts and with my dietary restrictions, these are just some the treats I still enjoy.

Skinny Vanilla Cupcakes

(makes 9-10 cupcakes)
Ingredients:
1 cup spelt flour, or white flour, or Arrowhead Mills gf mix (140g)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ener g powder, or 1 tbs ground flaxmeal
4 tbsp xylitol or sugar (54g)
2 Nunatural stevia packets (or 2 extra tbsp sugar)
1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup plain or vanilla yogurt of choice (Silk or SoDelicious both work) (230g)
1/4 cup milk of choice (60g)
3 tbsp coconut or veg oil (can omit, but the cupcakes will be a bit gummy) (36g)
add 1/2 tsp xanthan gum if using the gf mix

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 F, and grease muffin tins. Combine all wet ingredients with the energ or flax, and stir vigorously. In a separate bowl, combine all remaining dry ingredients, and mix very well. Pour wet into dry, and mix until just combined (don’t overmix). Cook 18-20 minutes, then let sit at least 10 before removing from muffin tins.
Enjoy!

Blessings