Happy and know it!

“You're never happy.”  Those are the words said to me by my husband. And I will be honest, the words hurt. However, those words probably hurt because I knew there was truth to them. While the word “never” is a bit extreme, when I'm honest with how I've responded in recent situations, I can appreciate why my husband would make such a statement. 

But those words have pierced my heart. Maybe God needed me to hear those words. Not in an attempt to be hurtful {that is not God}, but to draw me closer to Him..

Life is so full of good things, we ought to be happy. But you, see I equate happy with perfect!

Alice Domar, in her book “Be Happy without being Perfect” reminds those of us with perfectionist tendencies that ‘perfection is the enemy of happiness’ and that ‘we’re not perfect and guess what? we don't have to be’.

And yet, if I’m not careful, I tend to rush through the process of living on my way to the next big thing. Too often I've allowied circumstances to dictate whether or not I am happy. I've wasted countless hours and days and even years looking ahead, eager for the following appointment. 

Life will never be perfect. I know, I know I am slow on the uptake…

So through it all, in our longing to have and be more, we need to learn:
to enjoy this place,
to slow down and be present, and
to give thanks for it all.

“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances;
for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus."
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 {New International Version {NIV}}

The truth is, today is all we have. So we might as well live it cheerfully. And honour Him. And bring Him glory. And trust Him. The key to staying HAPPY is to be thankful for all things.  

 ♪♫♫♪ Cause if you’re happy and you know, then you really want to show it… if you’re happy and you know it clap your hands {clap, clap} ♪♫♫♪ 

Happy, not perfect … there is a difference!

Blessings

mhmm monday

With the cooler days starting to arrive, there is a good feeling about going back to comfort foods in the kitchen.    All recipes shared from this website are tried, tested and true from the kitchens of women just like me.  It's my favourite go to when looking for great new recipes.

Tortellini and Cauliflower Bake 

Ingredients:
4 cups cauliflower, cut bite size
1 (350 g / 12 oz) package tortellini of choice
1 (280 g/ 10 oz) package fresh spinach
1 1/2 cups combination of mozzarella, cheddar and Monterrey Jack Cheese
2 Roma tomatoes, sliced
freeze dried basil

Cheese Sauce:
3 Tbsp butter
2 cloves garlic, crushed
3 Tbsp flour
2 cups milk
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups combination of mozzarella, cheddar and Monterrey Jack Cheese
1 tsp freeze dried basil

Directions:
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil.
In the meantime, in a saucepan, melt butter, stir in garlic and cook 30 seconds, stirring.
Add flour, stirring in with whisk, gradually adding the milk and stirring until smooth. Add salt, cheese and basil and continue stirring until bubbly. Set aside.
To boiling water in large pot, add cauliflower and bring to boil again, then add tortellini.
Bring to boil once more, cooking cauliflower and tortellini 5 minutes, then add spinach and cook until wilted.
Drain and transfer pasta and vegetables into 2.5 liter /quart oven proof dish.
Pour cheese sauce over top and mix in. Top with grated cheese and tomatoes. Sprinkle with extra basil.
Bake at 375 F for 20 - 30 minutes. Serves 5
Enjoy!

Blessings

Beautiful Thing ~ week # 42

On Monday we had our family home to the farm for Thanksgiving dinner… And you know what? I’m really starting to love the tradition of family home for holidays. The house is fuller and is so much more lively when the kids are here… to be honest I had at first debated whether or not to even have Thanksgiving dinner. I wasn’t so sure I wanted to celebrate knowing that our son Kyle {who lives in Orillia} was unable to attend… but I reminded myself that even though he is not able to come, it isn’t fair to the other two who can make it.

As the day approached, I found myself getting super excited to have my family here. That morning, I found myself waking up early, in a bit of a tizzy to start my day. Krystle and Gerard arrived here by mid-day. We played several games and enjoyed the scrumptious appy’s that she brought. Darcy and his roommate arrived later in the afternoon and shortly after that we found ourselves sitting down to a delicious dinner of roast turkey, gravy, scalloped potatoes, mashed potatoes {had received a text earlier in the week requesting both from the boys} stuffing, green beans with sautéed onions, carrots, peas, coleslaw, and bread. And of course no Thanksgiving dinner is complete without Pumpkin Pie, Apple Pie and Krystle brought a Nutella Pumpkin Pie.    Mhmm, mhmm, so good!

Tuesday, was the Anniversary of my 29th birthday.

Having just had the family home the day before and with the Farmer super busy this time of year, the day came and went without much fanfare.  But Krystle wouldn’t let my special day pass by without some sort of celebration. So on Thursday we found ourselves heading off to Beertown for drinks & dinner.

With the Thanksgiving holiday on Monday and my birthday on Tuesday, it was simply a beautiful week! 

What was your beautiful thing this week?

Blessings

Patience

Ok, let’s face it!

There are going to be times in our lives when we have to wait. Whether it’s at the grocery store, in the Doctor’s office, or at a stop light. I don’t know about you, but I am NOT the most patient of people. {just ask the hubs} Especially when it comes to waiting for something, that I’ve been specifically praying for.

It’s hard sometimes. Being patient in a difficult situation will always challenge us. And yet, patience is a delicate trait we are called to have. So, how can we practice patience daily in all circumstances?

It simply does not come easy for me. I am working on accepting my reality as a gift from God. In all things, He is God, and He is good. I long to be patient in every situation, yet more often than not, I find myself yearning and seeking things, that may or may not be a part of God’s plan for my life.

I was literally talking/praying out loud while I walked the country road and was working my way through the labyrinth of emotions related to our situation. I started the sentence with ‘If it is your will ... blah, blah’ and then I stopped. If it is his will? OK. Well, what if it’s not? I am not sure why but suddenly I felt I needed to make the prayer specifically about my heart. I began to think that praying if it is your will please let this or that happen leaves the door open to feel wronged and dismayed if I don’t ‘get’ what I want.  How about praying for trust in His leading that He will provide in HIS time. What if I changed my prayer to receive His decision with grace and acceptance?

If I believe that God is in control of my life, then no matter what happens, I must learn to remain in a place of peace and rest, {read patient} that I have all that I need.

Can a person who feels stuck really be trusting God with her future?

I believe so. 

God knows and understands the ache in my heart. But God, who knows the end from the beginning, must have something on the horizon. Until then, I lean, I trust and I let go.

Change is hard. Too often I find myself running ahead, trying to put all the pieces together. And if I am not patient, I may miss the God opportunities that are waiting for me. What if there is a blessing just around the corner and I miss it, because I crossed the street? In order to be patient, I must fully lean on the strength of the Lord, in each and every season.

It doesn’t matter what life throws at me, God remains the same. And I find so much comfort in knowing that though my circumstances will change, and they will change often, God Himself does not change. He remains the same.

I know that God has an amazing plan for our lives. {Jeremiah 29:11}

I will welcome this next season with open arms with excitement and joy, believing there is greater glory that will be given to the One who deserves it all.

“For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.”

Philippians 4:13 {New Living Translation {NLT}}

How do you practice patience in your life?

Blessings

Favourite Fourteen

I’ve been sitting here thinking and thinking about what I wanted to post today... You see it’s my birthday… and while we’re not really celebrating, it’s still kinda a big deal for me.

Since my birthday is always near or sometimes even on Thanksgiving, we’ve been celebrating usually one or the other. It wasn’t until 2010, when in June, Krystle got married and both boys left for post-secondary school that I really started to focus on making a Thanksgiving dinner.

 

In fact my one son asked me “Mom, do you even know how to cook a turkey?” Thanks J

 

While the kids lived at home we ate most of our meals together so it didn’t seem important to celebrate Thanksgiving with just us because we still went to my parents for dinner. So we focused more on my birthday… now with the kids all out on their own it’s hard to expect them to come home for mom’s birthday especially if it’s mid-week and/or it’s not a “special” one.

 

It’s ok really, it’s not like I am 7 or anything…

Every year, I’ve written about my birthdays and/or our Thanksgiving family times; and as I looked back over each year’s postings, my heart did a little happy dance..

So here are the 14 blog posts in the last 7 years of our celebrations.

2007 ~ I turned 40 

2008 ~ A birthday and postscript

2009 ~ Being thankful and birthday thoughts

2010 ~ New Thanksgiving traditions and birthday wishes

2011 ~ Celebrations and mid-week thanks 

2012 ~ Turning 45 and feeling blessed

2013 ~ Happy thoughts and family times and full of thankful

These are some of my favourite memories…

Blessings

mhmm monday

When the girls over at this website shared this pumpkin recipe last year, I knew it would be become a favourite for this time of year!

Pumkin Angle Food Cake

Ingredients:
1 box 450 grams or 1 lb white angel food cake mix
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 398 ml / 15 oz can or 1 2/3 cups pure pumpkin puree {not pumpkin pie filling}
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice  or {2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon cloves, 1/2 teaspoon ginger, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg}
3/4 cup cold water

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 F°
Spray the pan of your choice with cooking spray.
Combine all the ingredients in a large glass or metal bowl and beat on medium speed for one minute. Scrape bowl once in between to ensure all ingredients have been mixed in.
Pour batter into prepared pan and bake until toothpick comes out clean. The cake will need between 30 - 45 minutes to bake depending on your pan. To test for doneness, a toothpick inserted into the thickest part of the cake should come out clean.
Remove from pan and cool on wire rack.
 
Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients:
1/3 cup softened butter
1 cup softened cream cheese {can be spreadable}
about 2 cups icing/powdered sugar
finely chopped crystallized ginger {optional}

Directions:
Beat together butter and cream cheese and then slowly beat in the powdered/icing sugar until you have a spreadable frosting that holds its shape.
Spread evenly over cake and garnish with finely chopped crystallized ginger.
Slices into 12 servings
Enjoy!

Blessings

Give Thanks!

Happy Thanksgiving! 

♪♫♫♪♪♫♫♪♪♫♫♪♫♫♪♪♫♫♪♫♫♪♪

Give thanks to the Lord our God and King

His love endures forever

For He is good, He is above all things

His love endures forever

Sing praise, sing praise

With a mighty hand and outstretched arm

His love endures forever

For the life that's been reborn

His love endures forever

Sing praise, sing praise

Forever God is faithful

Forever God is with us

Forever

From the rising to the setting sun

His love endures forever

By the grace of God we will carry on

His love endures forever

Sing praise, sing praise

♪♪♫♪♫♪♪♫♫♪♪♪♫♫♪♪

Forever by Chris Tomlin

What are you thankful for?

Blessings