The Light

Have you ever noticed that when there is total darkness, your eyes will focus on the smallest light? Interesting, isn’t it? Think about that. Where is our focus? Why, the light, of course, as should be. Why then, when we are lost and broken do we take our eyes off of the light? How do we expect to find our way without Jesus to light our path?

If we focus our eyes on Jesus, who is undoubtedly the light of the world, then how can we go wrong? If we see through His eyes and with His light, we will be pleasing to God and do His Will.

Do not forget that you can be beacons of light to the world by following Jesus and bringing His peace to all. Don’t be afraid to shine!

New Times/New Challenges

Our Christmas Tree

Christmas break started last Tuesday for child #3 and last Wednesday for child #4. It has been an interesting time. Child #3 is struggling, and with Christmas and the weekend, there hasn’t been a lot of resources for her. Also, there’s the fact that child #2 and I have not been feeling extremely well. We have had a bit of a stomach bug and so, didn’t even go to Mass on Christmas day and we will not be attending tomorrow either. This breaks my heart, but I can’t stand the thought of putting our elderly parishioners at risk. I just can’t do it.

So, things have been tense. Child #3 didn’t take her morning pills this morning until around lunchtime. She said she couldn’t find them, and though I took them out, I did not get them into her drawer. This led to a breakdown later in the day. We were able to calm her down, but it was a challenge.

One of the main problems (in my humble opinion) is that she struggles with her belief and trust in God. It hurts me that she can’t seem to see just how much He loves her and how wonderful she is. She is always so down on herself, and it’s disheartening. The things she sees as her truth about herself is not only wrong, but also hurtful.

So, we will keep plugging away. Any prayers would be much appreciated. God bless you and yours.

Rita

Seeing Jesus

I was picking up prescriptions and a few other things at the pharmacy a couple of towns over from home. It is not in the best neighborhood, but is fine during the daytime. I try not to go there at night. I tried a different pharmacy a few years back, but the pharmacist and techs were not great, and so I went back to this original one. But I digress…

After buying my groceries, I walked out the sliding doors with child #2. Sitting on the sidewalk, outside the door, was a man. He was asking for spare change. I said “I don’t have any money, but I do have an apple.” He said he would take the apple. He was cold and hungry. People were passing him by and ignoring his pleas. I found the apple that I had brought along for my breakfast and a Luna bar I had in the glove compartment. I, after all, had more food at home. Did he?

He was so grateful. He blessed me and I blessed him. I wished I had had a blanket in the car. He was so cold. How can everyone ignore him? Did they not see Jesus sitting there asking for help? Have you never been cold or hungry? Put a few blankets and granola bars (gluten-free and dairy-free, of course! People who need help sometimes have allergies too!) and look for a chance to bless someone in need. It doesn’t have to be lot, but it does need to be done. Together, we can make the world a better place! Merry Christmas.

A Merry Mistake

Merry Mistake Cookies

This past weekend child #4 wanted to make a favorite cookie of ours – snickerdoodles. She started out just fine, and then made a critical mistake. Instead of adding brown rice flour, she added brown sugar. A lot of brown sugar. So, what to do now? Well, I wasn’t about to waste all of those ingredients, so we got to work.

We added pecans to cut the sweetness and cranberries for tartness and flavor. We didn’t know how they would come out, or even exactly what we were doing, but God’s plans are perfect, and I try to listen. Here is what we did:

1 cup dairy-free butter

3/4 cup canola oil

1 1/2 cup sugar

4 1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tsp. salt

5 eggs

3 cups coconut flour

1 cup tapioca starch

2 tsp. xanthan gum

2, 12 oz. packages of fresh cranberries, coarsely chopped

2 cups chopped pecans

1 Tbsp. vanilla

Mix butter, oil, and sugars together. Add eggs, salt, and vanilla. Mix well. Stir in the coconut flour, xanthan gum, and tapioca starch. Mix in the pecans and cranberries. Drop by small cookie scoop onto a parchment-paper lined baking sheet. Dip a spoon into some coconut flour and flatten cookies slightly. They do not spread, so you can put them close on the pan.

They should look like this.

Bake for 13 – 15 minutes at 350° F. Let cool for 10 minutes on the pan before removing to a cookie rack to finish cooling. Store in an airtight container. Enjoy!

Some of our best mistakes are our most delicious cookies!

NOTE: You may want to half this recipe, as we got two gallon sized bags full of cookies! Fortunately, child #3 was able to give them to teachers for Christmas. Otherwise, we’d have to have seen if they freeze well!

Everything should be easy to half, except the eggs. For that I would add two eggs and one egg yolk.

Not as Easy as Pie

Epic pie fail.

I have been searching for an easy gluten and dairy free pie crust recipe for quite a while now. I decided to try a crust made with cereal crumbs. I worked in dairy-free “butter” and some honey. It smelled so good. Then I mixed up some peach pie filling. Yum!!! However, when I put it all together and baked it, it did not turn out well. It tasted like peaches and oats cereal. Good, but not exactly for what I was looking.

So, I will try again another day. Some days it isn’t as easy as pie.

A Kindness Reminder

Best Friends

I had lunch the other day with a friend of mine. She is quite a bit older than me (and wiser I’d say too!) She was lamenting when people were unkind to her for no apparent reason. Not that there is ever a good enough reason to not be kind, but to this lady? I find it incomprehensible! She is so sweet! Who would want to hurt her and why? I want there names! I will hunt them down!!!

No, just kidding! But, seriously? Why would someone want to be unkind? What does it gain them? Does it make them a better person? Does it bring them happiness? Does it assure them a place in Heaven? Certainly not! So, it leaves me to question, why would you do that? I’m baffled.

I come from a place of trying to make people’s lives better. If I can share a smile, a kind word, or hold the door for someone, I am more than happy to do it. I can’t help but think if we all did that, it would be a much better world. I’ve seen the sign before: “Be the change you want to see in the world.” and while I’m not sure who said it first, it seems like good advice.

Look around and see those in need around you! Is there someone struggling with a crying child? Don’t stare! Give a sympathetic glace and a smile. How about when an elder is taking a longer time than you would to finish paying for his groceries? Have some patience. Five extra minutes is not going to hurt you! One day, you too will be elderly! Have some compassion. It is, after all, Christmas! (Not that that’s your excuse to start being ungracious after the holiday season, people! 🙂

Celebrating Advent

Waiting.

Advent is, undoubtedly, a season of waiting. We wait for Christmas. We wait for Christ. Some of us wait for presents. Others wait for the joy of seeing our loved ones’ reactions from the gifts given.

So, have you been celebrating the Advent season? What have you been doing to celebrate? Here are some suggestions as to what to do:

Say some special prayers.

Do something special for someone in need.

Wait to decorate your Christmas tree until right before Christmas.

Use an Advent calendar.

Have a special Advent dinner every week on Sunday, while having everyone dress for each week (purple, purple, pink, purple).

Anything else that brings you closer to your loved ones! God bless and have a blessed and holy Advent!

Blustery Day Beef Stew

The other day, I knew that I wouldn’t have much time to get dinner on the table, and since it was my night to cook, I decided to break out my much-loved slow cooker. I knew that we would be attending Mass that night and we wouldn’t be home until about 6:30 p.m., so I wanted to make sure that dinner was ready to go when we arrived back home. This recipe calls for beef stew meat, but you could also use a round steak that you chop into about 1″ chunks. I was in a hurry, so I purchased the stew meat, something I rarely do unless I find a good deal on it when it’s on clearance. Yup. You guessed it. I shop the clearance meat!

Clearance meat is a good way to find discounted meat that is still just fine. I usually pop it right in the freezer when I get home and put it on that month’s menu. This way you get good meat and you save money. It’s a win-win.

So, back to that beef stew. Here is what I did:

2 Tbsp. sunflower oil

1 large, sweet onion

1 cup chopped celery

2 lbs. beef stew meat (or round steak chopped into 1″ pieces)

1 lb. carrots (baby carrots are fine, or you may peel and slice the big ones into 2″ chunks)

5 medium-sized russet potatoes, peeled and quartered (You may use other kinds and then you may not have to peel them, only scrub them well!)

2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. black pepper

1 Tbsp. dehydrated onion flakes

1, 30 oz. can of petite diced tomatoes, drained

1 cup white rice flour (Save until almost ready to serve!)

Place your oil in the bottom of the slow cooker. On top of that, place your peeled and sliced onion. You want to cut the onion in half from top to bottom and then thinly slice down each half until you have no more onion to cut. Add your celery, carrots, and potatoes. Sprinkle with the salt, pepper, and onion flakes. Add the tomatoes and stir.

Turn your slow cooker on high for a couple of hours and then down to low. If you are leaving for the day, you may just leave it on low. I, however, got a bit of a late start, and needed to speed things up a bit! Right before serving add your rice flour and stir in to soak up the juices that are there and make a pseudo gravy. Enjoy!

Who Are You?

I am His!

During our lifetimes we will take stock of who we are at many points. Maybe you are a young adult, just finding your way in the world. Maybe you are a young parent, struggling with children and spousal issues. Maybe you are a single parent, trying to figure out who you are at this unexpected turn in your life. Maybe you are a senior, wondering if you did everything you were supposed to do with your life.

Wherever you are in your life, one thing is certain and that is that your Creator is in charge. Now, I know many of you are saying that you don’t even think about God during your day, or that He is some abstract vision you have tucked away for trips home to your family. This may be true for you, but for God, it is not. He always loves you, believes in you, and pursues you. You are His child and He loves you more than anything!

Today I went to Mass at a different church, as our church didn’t have enough participants to have a Mass, and there are at least three Catholic churches within about 10 miles of town to make it feasible for everyone to go to a different church. As we were waiting for Mass to start, child #3 decided she needed to use the facilities. So, I took her. It was while I was occupied that I noticed a sign on the stall door. It said “Do you trust Me?” and pictured a girl swinging on a swing with the ropes held by Jesus, and not a tree. I was speechless. How many of us would trust God so much to keep us from falling? And yet, He does that every day of our lives!

Do you honestly think that you can do ANYTHING without God? I used to tell my kiddos, to drive the point home, that they wouldn’t be able to wipe themselves after pottying without the help of God. That point was driven home for me even more clearly after I was in a car accident where both my right kneecap and hip were broken. I literally could not clean myself, and had to have nurses do it. God bless those nurses!

So, my point is, cling to God and do what He would want of you. When you are tempted, know that God sees everything. Choose right and choose His way for you! Happy Feast Day!