all is grace...

On this Wednesday I awoke with dread and my to-do list is kicking my backside. Then I open my email and two of favorite people are talking about me and my life and how I need to embrace GRACE this day. So off we go my friends...ALL IS GRACE!!


All Is Grace (With Ann Voskamp) from Shaun Groves on Vimeo.


All is Grace excerpted lyrics from the album, Third World Symphony

You have loved us
You have loved us all
You have loved us all so
We love all ….

Thank you for Christ and cross
Through us tell the wand’ring
Thank you for making peace
Through us love our enemies …..

Thank you for daily bread
Through us fill the empty
Thank you for bodies whole
Through us mend the breaking

All is grace
All is grace
All is grace and grace enough
All is grace
All is grace
All is grace and grace enough
For all of us
- For all of us

tasty tuesday ~ chicken chili w/cornbread puff

the perfect pairing for football season and beyond

With fall right around the corner and school starting next week, I wanted to try some new crock-pot recipes. So when the latest issue of Cuisine at Home arrived in my mailbox, I was intrigued by the Chicken Chili recipe. It contains tomatillos which I have only had in the form of Salsa Verde, a HUGE fav in this house.

I couldn't find Anaheim peppers so I switched out for pablanos which are readily available at my local grocery as well as the Farmer's Market. I got a little nervous with all the jalapenos but forged ahead trusting the recipe. I learned the last time I worked with jalapenos that one should never rub your eyes during the process. YOWZA baby...you will burn the sockets with the oil from the peppers. So I put on a pair of rubber gloves and got chop happy.

Four hours later, it was magic time. The chili was incredibly filling. One bowl went a long way to filling the belly with warmth and spice. This chili does have a kick which you can temper with a little dallop of sour cream or Greek yogurt on top.

Now of course every good bowl of chili needs a fabulous hunk of cornbread to go with it. As I was going through some old recipes I had pulled from magazines over the years, I came across an easy peasy recipe called Cornbread Puff. This bread is light as a feather and tastes even better! Just thirty minutes to wait for the perfect chili side dish.

Celebrate the Feast!

Mary

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This weeks recipe is being shared with Mouthwatering Mondays @ ASouthernFairyTale,  A Wise Woman Build's Her Home, Tuesday's Tasty Tidbits, Nap Time Creations, Balancing Beauty and Bedlam , Domestically Divine Homemaking Link Up, Full Plate @ Miz Helen's Country Cottage, Raising Homemakers , Delicious Dishes, Tempt Your Tummy Tuesday, The King's Court IV, This Chic Cooks, Tuesdays at the Table, 33 Shades of Green, The Lady Behind the Curtain, What's Cooking Wednesday@Extreme Personal Measures as well as the Hearth and Soul Blog Hop@21st Century Housewife. Head on over to their blogs and check out other fabulous recipes.

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one spectacular bowl of pepper, chicken, white bean deliciousness

Chicken Chili
recipe adapted from Cuisine at Home, September 2012
Ingredients:

First step--Soak 1 1/2 cups dry great Northern beans according to package
4 cups chopped tomatillos
4 cups seeded, diced Anaheim chiles (about 8 chiles)
2 cups EACH diced onions and jalapenos (about 5 chiles)
3 Tablespoons minced garlic
1 Tablespoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried coriander
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
4 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
1/4 cup masa harina
3 Tablespoons lime juice
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
1.  Soak beans, then add to 5-6 quart slow cooker
2.  Add tomatillos, Anaheim chilies, onion, jalapeno, garlic, cumin, oregano, coriander and broth to slow cooker.  Cook chili on high-heat until beans are tender, about 4 1/2 hours.
3.  Stir chicken and masa harina into chili, cook 30 minutes more.  Stir in lime juice.  Season chili with salt and pepper.
4.  Garnish each serving with lime wedges, sour cream and cilantro.
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light, fluffy and full of cornbready goodness...

Cornbread Puff
recipe from "Taste of the South"Magazine, August/September 2008

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 350.  Grease a 9 inch square baking pan; set aside
2.  In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer.  Add eggs, beating well.
3.  In another bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, baking powder and salt.  Add to butter mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour.  Pour batter into prepared pan.
4.  Bake for 35 minutes.  Let cool in pan for 10 minutes.  Invert onto a serving plate and cut into squares.

windows open...grace flows in...

Well Hurricane Irene kissed us goodbye early Sunday morning and the clean-up began.  Leaves and fallen branches, rocks and lots of yard debris needed to be cleared away. We never lost power so that alone was a miracle. It was actually a wonderful weekend filled with LOTS of family time since we were all stranded together. There was puzzle building, hot tea drinking, movie watching, roasted chicken eating goodness. Then we HAD to eat all the ice cream left in the house. I mean we would have lost it all if we lost power. A girls gotta do, what a girls gotta do.

So without further ado, my list of blessings. To God be the GLORY!

#485 ~ #515:
*electricity remaining on while the winds pounds the house
*no loss of property or life in our town
*being prepared for the storm
*being calm during the storm
*praying for those who lost everything
*cleaning out the fridge with my guy
*praising God for the gift of a hot meal shared with the ones I love the most
*the windows open on a beautiful summer day
*cicadas in the trees singing their song
*summer breezes blowing through the upright trees
*fresh farmer's market produce just calling my name
*1000 piece puzzles
*black and white movies
*exercise bikes that make you sweat
*a workout partner that cheers you on
*books that make you cry, then laugh, then cry again
*hot buttered popcorn
*new recipes shared by girlfriends
*meeting with a dear friend over mint tea
*laughing and crying with said friend
*realizing that we are never alone on this journey
*praising God for the uniqueness of my children
*yelling at God for the uniqueness of my children
*watching my boy become a man, my heart grows prouder by the day
*a confident heart
*laying down burdens for My Savior to carry
*freshly cleaned bathroom
*a clean kitchen smelling of lemons
*newly vacuumed carpets
*dust free bookshelves
*love, no matter how undeserved, for a gracious God

Head on over to Ann Voskamp @A Holy Experience to be inspired once more

mary's book basket ~ "blue skies tomorrow" by sarah sundin

Christian Inspirational author Sarah Sundin made me stay up all night in order to finish her latest novel "Blue Skies Tomorrow". Well to be honest she didn't make me stay up, I just could not put it down. I had to find out what would happen to our hero and heroine.

Set during the second World War, Sundin brings the home front to life with bond drives, bandage rolling parties and victory gardens. You are drawn into the daily life of war widow Helen Carlisle who is just trying to keep it all together while raising her toddler son. She meets Lt. Raymond Novak, who prefers the pulpit to the cockpit and things get interesting.

We follow their new relationship which is constantly under strain with interference from both outside sources and their internal individual struggles.  The most interesting thing that Sundin does though is allow the reader to make their own judgments as to the root of the couples issues. I am not going to give away the story but let me tell you it packs an emotional punch. I laughed, I cried, I got mad and I sighed. This story is a journey of healing, forgiveness and self reliance. It is a page turner and believe me you won't be able to put it down.

This is the third novel in the Wings of Glory series but believe me when I say it's stands on it's own. This book is available now at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

Happy Reading,
Mary

five minute friday...older

It's that time once more...Five Minute Friday hosted by the lovely Gypsy Mama. The rules are simple. Set the timer for five minutes and just write...no editing...no turning back...silence the inner critic and just write what comes to your heart...so here we go...

This weeks theme: OLDER

I am getting OLDER. In a matter of weeks I will be 44 years old. I remember when I thought 40 was "old" and now I am OLDER than "old".

I feel like there is so much life is yet to be lived. I am just getting started. I finally figured out who I am and what I want. At least for this week I have. Why do I still question myself so? Why do I give in to the inner critics voice inside my head that tells me "it's not enough". When does that voice get silenced?

When I am OLDER? Aren't I supposed to be wiser? I guess I am just OLDER.

I have learned as I have gotten OLDER that life will never turn out exactly how you think it will. It used to make me mad. Now it gives me encouragement and hope that things will be better than I ever imagined. I guess that's one thing that's good about getting OLDER. Understanding t=and accepting that there are things you cannot change and then there are those things you can change. That's where you spend your energy.

I could do without the saggy body parts, eyes going bad and knees that creek first thing in the morning. That part of OLDER is not so fun.

I want to be one of those little old ladies that is wise and funny. The one that tells stories of love and life that inspire and encourage those younger that everything will work out. It will be OK. This too shall pass.

Maybe I have to wait until I am OLDER...

pretty, happy, funny, real...hurricane edition

~ Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life ~

@Like Mother, Like Daughter

Yes, I know I am a day behind in posting these pictures but I have a great excuse. Apparently there is a hurricane headed our way and we need to prepare for Armageddon...at least that's how everyone is acting. I actually had someone ask me if we were evacuating...seriously?? We live 30 minutes outside of DC and are expected to get 2-5 inches of rain and some gusty winds. That's it...that's all. Please tell me why we would evacuate?? Talk about drama...yowza!

We will probably lose power for a bit and I have prepared the house as best I can for this eventuality. Other than that, there is really nothing else to do but get ready to be indoors for the next 48-72 hours. Okeedokee...I am ready...so here is this weeks edition of pretty, happy, funny, real:

{pretty}

...and peaceful...This is Our Lady Help of Christians at the
Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Washington DC.
One of my favorite places on the planet...her arms open ready to hold and help.

{happy}

I am mending my sons quilt. Yes, this makes me VERY happy.
Why? Because it's been on my "to do" list for weeks now.
As of yesterday...it's done and back on his bed!
Yay!

{funny}

Courtney crosses her eyes all the time, especially when she's tired.
Why does she do this? I haven't a clue. The eyes just swim.
She looks quit funny when it happens and I have never been able to get it on film.
The other night she kept doing it while she was giggling...I guess she thinks it's funny too!

{real}

Remember that hurricane coming our way...well this is what we do.
Batten down the deep freeze which is filled with about $1500 of meat and veggies.
Now we pray that the power is out for a short time. 

earthquakes and raw chicken...

In the last 24 hours I have shared Miss Courtney's medical journey with 2nd year medical students at the National Medical Center in Bethesda, MD...I made them laugh...I made them cry...I had 15 hot flashes while speaking to them...It was not a pretty site...then my world moved...like for real...it moved...experienced my first earthquake ever while on base (after they initially thought it was something more sinister) thereby enjoying the company of some very fine Marines for several hours...sat in traffic for three and a half hours after said Marines cleared the way to leave base...was welcomed home by my wonderful spouse who had thought that a plane was landing on the house before realizing it was an earthquake...He hugged me...hard...when I walked though the door...I was very happy to be home...very happy...woke up this morning with a headache...I think it was an earthquake hangover...prepped the house for company this evening...made black and white brownies, panzanella salad, green beans, wicked mashed potatoes and wilted spinach salad...placed chicken in the oven 90 minutes before company arrives thinking it would be perfect timing...company arrives...I pull the chicken out of the oven...it's still pink...Panic ensues...I cut off as much as I can and place in the microwave while smiling and talking and trying to distract said company from the fact that if I serve the chicken...it may kill them...I just met these people...they are very nice...I would hate to cause harm...that would be very, very bad...thank goodness the Pioneer Woman's mashed potatoes steal the show...I love Ree...I really, really love Ree...once again I am humbled in the kitchen...oh but the brownies rocked the house...like an earthquake of the culinary variety...now I need to sleep...for many, many hours...goodnight and be still...really, really still...

tasty tuesday ~ buttery crab pot pie

creamy and rich...just like a pot pie should be...

I am always looking for meatless meals to serve on Fridays.If your a regular reader, you know I am a HUGE fan of Miss Paula Deen. Her allegiance to butter warms my heart. I was watching a recent episode of her show on the Food Network and nearly fainted when I saw her prepare this recipe.

We are a pot pie family. Chicken, beef, veggie...you give me pie dough and a cream based center filed with all sorts of delight and baby I am all yours. I must admit though I had never made a seafood pot pie. So the challenge was on.

The results...Oh my sweet Lord...Miss Paula...will you marry me?? You are a genius...pure genius! The crab is sweet, the cream base rich and the peas give it a nice pop. The puff pastry topper just makes me smile. It's easy, buttery and makes this dish elegant at the same time.

So get in the kitchen, make this dish and watch your family smile, dance and celebrate the brilliance of you, chef extrodinare!

Celebrate the Feast!

Mary

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This weeks recipe is being shared with Mouthwatering Mondays @ ASouthernFairyTale,  A Wise Woman Build's Her Home, Tuesday's Tasty Tidbits, Nap Time Creations, Balancing Beauty and Bedlam , Domestically Divine Homemaking Link Up, Full Plate @ Miz Helen's Country Cottage, Raising Homemakers , Delicious Dishes, Tempt Your Tummy Tuesday, The King's Court IV, This Chic Cooks, Tuesdays at the Table, 33 Shades of Green, The Lady Behind the Curtain, What's Cooking Wednesday@Extreme Personal Measures as well as the Hearth and Soul Blog Hop@21st Century Housewife. Head on over to their blogs and check out other fabulous recipes.

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getting ready to into the oven...

Buttery Crab Pot Pies
Recipe courtesy Paula Deen
Ingredients:
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 cup sliced mushrooms
Salt and cracked black pepper
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 1/2 cups milk
1/4 cup clam juice
1/4 cup medium-dry sherry
1/2 pound crabmeat, well drained and picked clean of shells
1 cup frozen peas
2 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 egg, beaten with 1 teaspoon water, to brush pastry


Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F with a rack in the middle position.


In a medium pot over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onions and mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sprinkle in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Add the milk, clam juice, and sherry. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring, until thickened, about 2 minutes. Add the crabmeat and peas. Remove from the heat and transfer to the refrigerator to cool.


Meanwhile, unfold the pastry sheets on a lightly floured surface. Place 4 (8-ounce) ovenproof bowls or large ramekins rim down on the pastry and cut out 4 circles a bit larger than the bowls (you may need to roll the pastry out a bit to accommodate all the bowls). Brush the circles with the egg wash. Set the egg wash aside.


When the crab filling has cooled, divide it among the 4 bowls. Brush the rims of the bowls with the egg wash, lay a pastry circle over each, and seal the edges. Cut steam vents in the pastry and brush with the egg mixture. Place the bowls on a baking sheet and bake on the middle rack until the pastry is puffed and golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Serve hot.

a monday overflowing...

#473 - Mary looking upon her special one, smiles from Heaven

The sun has set and the house is quiet. I am preparing for a busy, busy day tomorrow. I will be speaking to first year medical students at USUHS (Uniformed University of the Health Sciences) which is the militaries medical school, located at National Medical Center in Bethesda, MD. This is a yearly event where parents of chronically ill or special needs children present their families story. Each small group of students asks as many questions as they like about all kinds of things from the medical diagnosis, to how the family is coping, to end of life issues.

It is an opportunity to impact their path, to give them a view of life on the other side of the examining room. They are shown how each medical decision has a consequence. The patients are people to be treated with dignity and respect no matter their ability. It's always a day filled with many learning opportunities on both sides of the table.

So there is much to be thankful for this Monday evening. So many graces have flowed over my daily life in the past week...I hope I can remember them all:

#458 - candles lit for celebration

#458 ~ #484
*candles lit for celebration
*a birthday celebrated with chocolate cream pie
*the smell of freshly washed hair curling around my fingers
*the smile of two sweet sisters singing Happy Birthday
*messages from Grandparents far way on a special day
*56 years of married life celebrated fully
*fresh shucked corn
*strawberries, sweet and juicy 
*blueberries in cream
*an evening laughing with friends
*fizzy cranberry drinks that includes a twisty straw
*an afternoon spent in praise and thanksgiving for life
*vaulted ceiling filled with magnificent tile
*stained glass windows with God's light streaming through
*the presence of the Almighty, calming the heart
*Blessed Mary looking down on her special one, smiles from Heaven
*blissful hours spent in quiet contemplation of all the JOY this child has brought
*honest words exchanged between spouses revealing their tired hearts
*burdens laid before the KING
*laughter spilling forth from open windows, late into the night
*a bright blue sky filled with all the possibilities of a new day
*love of spouse that grows stronger with each day, filling all the broken spaces in my heart
*grilled italian sausage
*ribs served with cold beer
*sisters-in-Christ that listen and hug or laugh, whichever is required
*brothers and sisters
*return to school 

Head on over to Ann Voskamp @A Holy Experience to be inspired once more

mary's book list ~ "the colonel's lady" by laura frantz

Inspirational author Laura Frantz's new novel "A Colonel's Lady" takes the reader on a powerful emotional journey filled with forgiveness and redemption as well as a little intrigue with the Revolutionary War as a backdrop. The reader is drawn in from page one to the plight of the heroine Miss Roxanne Rowan and her meeting the very formidable Colonel Cassius McLinn on the Kentucky plains.

The vivid picture that Ms Frantz paints of the rural landscape in 1779 takes the reader to another place and time with the incredibly rich historical details of the landscape and daily life. As the reader you find yourself drawn into the intrigue of a spy plot as well as the rigidity and perils of living on the frontier.

As for the character development...well it's just as rich as the landscape described. The love story between Roxanne and Cass is layered with emotion and keeps the reader on the edge of their seat wondering what will happen next. It's so wonderful to read an Inspirational novel that is laced with realistic sexual tension between a man and a woman, yet respects the moral tenants of the individual as well as the social dictates of the time period.

All of this makes for a really wonderful read. So grab a hot cup of tea and settle in for a lovely read that makes you dream of ball gowns and cherry bounce wishing you too were "The Colonel's Lady".


Happy Reading,
Mary

*This book from Revell Publishing is now available for purchase at your local booksellers. 

five minute friday ~ "new"

bright and blue...filled with possibilities...

It's that time once more Five Minute Friday hosted by the lovely Gypsy Mama. The rules are simple. Set the timer for five minutes and just write...no editing...no turning back...silence the inner critic and just write what comes to your heart...so here we go...

This weeks topic: NEW
This time of year there is a lot of NEW in my life. NEW schedules to adhere to, NEW clothing to purchase for a NEW season...so many things to do to accomplish each day, so many NEW adventures in store.


I used to get so excited about this time of year with all the NEW possibilities but lately I find myself dreading the changes. Maybe it's my age, my hormones or just that I am craving rest but either way I am struggling with the NEW.


So what's a girl to do? 


My Mom always said "When things look dim or your feeling down, walk out side look up at the sky and take in the wonder of it. If that doesn't make you smile, then go back inside and grab a bowl of ice cream."


LOL! I do love my mother's quirky advice. She's right though. I went outside this morning after a night of thunder and lightening and the scene above is what greeted me. Wonder is a beautiful thing. It brings you back to your youth in a second. A few deep breaths...a prayer of thanksgiving and...wahlaaa...


A glorious NEW day filled with lots of NEW lessons to learn, NEW books to read, NEW conversations to have...and a NEW bowl of ice cream to eat!


Another reason to always listen to you Mama no matter how old you are...they know NEW and how to grasp it.


New is looking pretty good today...

19 years of JOY...

A deep thinker at 19...

"Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus."

1 Thessalonians 5:18 

I have written about my Courtney many times in this space. I have written in the low moments and in the grace outpouring moments. Last year, my eyes leaked as I wrote her birthday letter. In 2009 we made her a very cool video.  On her Sweet Sixteen she received her confirmation. I have written love letters to before, but each year things feel more urgent time feels more precious. Tomorrow my girl turns 19 so I sit here trying to put into words what this precious young lady means to me.

My Sweet Beautiful Girl,
Hope does not disappoint, ever my girl. You have taught me that. You have survived another year. I don't mean to be dramatic but there are days when survival is such a victory. When you body is wracked with one seizure after another. When your sleepy because your meds have changed or you allow one more tube feeding so we can get some precious weight on your frame, these things are victories in this game if survival, this thing called life. 


I have learned so much this past year. I have learned to lean into it as they taught us at work camp years ago. If I don't think I can get through the next moment or procedure, God gently prods me to "lean into it" thereby leaning on Him for His strength, courage and wisdom for I don't have any of my own. God is stretching me each and every day. He desires my whole attention and He uses you to make sure He's got it. 


This past year had been different for Daddy and me. It's been more unsettling than usual because we recognize that we never expected to be here. You weren't supposed to be here my girl. All the doctors said so, and even though we didn't want to believe them when you hear it enough you begin to believe it. We should have known better. You are a Green after all. You have the stubborn streak of your father and the patience of your mother. A unique combination if I do say so. You follow the beat of your own drummer. You listen to a celestial tune that neither Daddy or I are holy enough to hear. You will go when Gd says so and not some doctor. So we find ourselves letting go these days. Letting go of expectations and the future. We are learning to live each day fully and not worry abut the next. This is hard sometimes with planners like us, but God is patient and gentle with us. His grace abounds and we are so grateful for it.


It's a battle between my head and my heart sometimes. I don't want you to suffer anymore Enough is enough. But God is asking me to trust Him in the timing. To trust Him with the compass constantly righting my path to Him, my true north. As you sit here beside me while I write these words I wonder what your thinking about. I wonder who your praying for, especially when your face breaks wide open in a smile that could light up a small town. 


I pray you'll forgive me for all the times I don't do things right. The times I fail as a mother and caretaker. I thank you for the hugs and the hand holding. I thank you for the sweet humming while I sing loudly and off key. I thank you for being the daughter I needed you to be so that I would see, truly see the Greatness of the One who made you in all your perfection. He does not make mistakes my sweet one. You teach me patience, perseverance and fortitude every single day. You have taught me that answers to prayers come in many different languages. I would not be who I am without you my girl, as flawed and imperfect as that is. 


You have taught me what love looks like. It has blonde curly hair, long legs and beautiful blue eyes that look like a storm brewing within them. You are everything my mother's heart needs...you are my daughter and I will always love you.


Happy Birthday Courtney Elizabeth. May it be the best one yet!
ALL my love, 
Mama

tasty tuesday ~ "light" carrot cake

It's moist and has a lovely "even" flavor profile. not too sweet...simply delish!

I have been watching my sugar lately which means dessert is few and far between these days. This past weekend I wanted to find a suitable sweet ending to our Sunday meal. My husband loves Carrot Cake and my "go to" recipe is filled with cup after cup of sugar. So I began a search for a lighter version that would still meet my hubby's high flavor standards married to my dietary ones. 

Enter my Saturday morning Food Network line-up on the TiVo. The Neely's to the rescue. This cake only has one cup of sugar in the batter and the spice profile really gives it weight. It was not heavy and rich like the other cake I make which always felt like a lump in your tummy. It was light as a feather and a big winner with my guys.

Celebrate the Feast!

Mary

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This weeks recipe is being shared with Mouthwatering Mondays @ ASouthernFairyTale,  A Wise Woman Build's Her Home, Tuesday's Tasty Tidbits, Nap Time Creations, Balancing Beauty and Bedlam , Domestically Divine Homemaking Link Up, Full Plate @ Miz Helen's Country Cottage, Raising Homemakers , Delicious Dishes, Tempt Your Tummy Tuesday, The King's Court IV, This Chic Cooks, Tuesdays at the Table, 33 Shades of Green, The Lady Behind the Curtain, What's Cooking Wednesday@Extreme Personal Measures as well as the Hearth and Soul Blog Hop@21st Century Housewife. Head on over to their blogs and check out other fabulous recipes.

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Light Carrot Cake

Recipe adapted from The Neelys

Ingredients:

Nonstick cooking spray

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon allspice

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

Fine salt

2 large eggs

1 egg white

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

8 oz canned crushed pineapple in fruit juice

1/2 cup vegetable oil

5 medium carrots, peeled and grated (about 3 cups)

Light Cream Cheese Frosting, recipe follows

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 13-by-9-inch metal baking pan with nonstick spray. Line the bottom with parchment paper.

Whisk together the all-purpose flour, pastry flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, allspice, ginger and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl.

In a large mixing bowl, add the eggs, egg white, brown sugar and granulated sugar and beat until light and creamy, about 3 minutes. Add the pineapple and vegetable oil and mix until thoroughly incorporated into the batter, about another minute.

Add the dry ingredients in thirds and mix until combined, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the carrots and mix until just combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and bake for 35 minutes. Let the cake cool completely before flipping out of the pan and removing the parchment paper. Top with the cream cheese frosting.

Light Cream Cheese Frosting:

8 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese, at room temperature

3/4 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest

Beat the cream cheese, powdered sugar and lemon zest together until light and fluffy. Frost the carrot cake.

greeting the week with gratitude...

celebrating the new Eagle Scout! 

It's been awhile since I have done a daybook here in this space but I promise to do one later this week. This morning though I just want to praise and be thankful for everything that God has blessed me with. As I look over to the side bar I see there are 100 of you who now follow this page. I am so humbled by your trust. So humbled that you would want to stop in and say hello. Thank you so much for the gift of your cyber friendship.

Three of the four Eagle Scouts in the family...the two on the left are mine

This past weekend was filled with family and friends. My house looks like a tornado swept though it but that's OK because it was worth all the chaos. Life is short and the lessons are abundant. God is stretching me of late and the growing pains are a sweet reminder that I am loved and never alone. Neither are you!

kisses from Daddy to his favorite girl...

So on this day I am thankful for:
#442 - #457
*the newest Eagle Scout in our family R. This Aunt is so proud...so proud
*watching my two Eagles stand proudly with R to celebrate his achievements and remember their own
*being surrounded by family, little and not so little. I love them all
*seeing the passage of time in the face of the families newest teenagers. Time flies by so fast. How did she get to be a freshman in high school already. This Aunt is feeling old!
*the smile on my mother's face as she stood proud with her eldest grandson's
*chocolate cake and yummy buttercream topped by a glorious eagle
*sleeping daughters snuggled with Daddy
*kisses on the nose
*conversations with my favorite five year old
*listening to the almost seven year old talk about how he loves "Maff and Art"
*music blaring and nieces and nephews doing the twist
*sending birthday love in the mail
*Hero's in the Heartland who forgot themselves and offered help to others
*crock-pots filled with healthy supper 
*the smells spilling forth from the kitchen surrounding my family with love
*friends praying for happy outcomes to new adventures
*a firefighter brother who thinks of others before he considers his own safety
*the hand that holds mine every night...how I love this man
*a certain birthday happens later this week...19 years of joy!
*Pinetrest pin boards
*green lush garden filled with veggies just for me!
*old pickle jars now filled with tea brewing in the sun
*clean socks, folded and put away, where one can find them!
*tomatoes, mozzarella and basil
*laughing with my son...always the best!

Crazy Mama and her favorite son...well her only son...LOL!

Head on over to Ann Voskamp @A Holy Experience to be inspired once more

pretty, happy, funny, real...

~ Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life ~

@Like Mother, Like Daughter

{pretty}

This was the "cake" at a recent birthday party we attended.
The lovely young woman was turning 14 and she LOVES flowers.
So her mother made her a flower garden from cupcakes.
They were as just delightful.
Prettiest flower garden EVER!

{happy} 

This birthday gift made the Miss H squeel.
That is...after she got through the purple duct tape wrapping paper.
Yes...I said duct tape. It was so much fun to watch her open it without any scissors.
Then when she got to the goodies inside...so happy!

 {funny} 

This is just proof that one should never have a camera close by the college age son
when your feeling goofy one evening while watching some of your favorite shows."Thank yewww, Thank Yewww very much"

 {real}

This is a problem area right inside the front door.
I need to find a bigger piece of furniture with drawers.
I hope to find something second hand that I can paint or refinish.
What say you my designing friends...thoughts, ideas, inspirations???

ultimate recipe swap ~ garden vegetable pilaf

This weeks Ultimate Recipe Swap @LifeAsMom is all about zucchini. If you have a vegetable garden than you know it's the one plant that's pretty abundant no matter what the conditions are.
Have water?
Then the zucchini will grow and grow and grow...

This year has been a scorcher for us. The garden has been pretty dry and that's with twice a day watering. You would think that the zucchini would be small and shriveled. Not so my friends, not so. These green machines are plentiful once more and I have been trying to find new recipes to go with the pile that's in my fridge at the moment. I came up with this one last week. It's simple and quite yummy. 

Head on over to LifeAsMom for more zucchini inspiration.

Celebrate the Feast!

Mary
(also shared at Wit, Wok and Wisdom)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Healthy pilaf filled with garden delights...

Garden Vegetable Pilaf 

recipe by Mary Lenaburg

 Ingredients: 

1/2 cup wheat berries 

1/2 cup wild rice 

1/2 cup brown rice 

3 cups chicken or vegetable stock 

1 zucinni - chopped 

1 red pepper - chopped 

8 oz of mushrooms - chopped 

1 clove garlic (if desired) 

1 tsp dried thyme 

2 TBSP olive oil 

 Directions: 

Place 3 cups od stock in a pot and bring to a boil. 

Place wheat berries, wild rice and brown rice in, turn down to simmer. Let it simmer while sautéing vegetables. 

Place 2 TBSP olive oil in a saute pan. Put all the chopped vegetables in the pan and saute until soft. Then combine the veggies with the grains and allow the two to continue cooking together until rice is tender. 

 Serve with fish or grilled chicken. Yum!

words wound...use with caution...

This rose reminds me of a mother's heart...happy, open and filled with tears...

I love my quiet time in the morning. Early in the morning...5a.m. early. I use the first 45 min of my day to pray, read the daily scriptures, write in my prayer journal and just settle my mind and heart asking God to help me accept whatever He has in store for me this day.

This morning as part of my quiet time I read Ann Voskamp's post on forgiveness. She opens her heart telling a story about her father and words that have been harshly spoken, feelings that have been hurt, wounds that are still raw. It unsettled me. Made me think long and hard this morning.

Families are sometimes ugly beautiful. Hurts and hard feeling exist between siblings or between parents and children. I know that my family is not immune from these things. Not the one I grew up in or the one I created with my husband. Families stretch us they make us take a hard look at ourselves in the mirror to really see the true reflection of our hearts. No one will tell you the truth better than your sister or your mother. Hopefully they will speak those words with humility and grace.

I know that has not always been the case for me. I was a difficult child to raise. Just ask my mother. I had a mouth that could curl paint off the wall and an attitude to match. I wanted what I wanted, when I wanted it. I HATED to be told what to do...by anyone! It still is a place of great weakness for me. I remember the first and only time I called my mother the B**** word. I was in the 6th grade and I had gotten bold in my old age. I didn't have the guts to say it to her face, so I wrote in my journal.

There is one thing you learn quickly when you grow up in a large household mostly filled with boys...never let them know you have a secret hiding place and NEVER leave your journal there. They will take it upon themselves to become like little Navy SEALS running the hidden underground tunnels  looking for the treasure. And when they find it and decide it would make lovely dinner time reading...you will want to commit homicide for the first time in your young life.

What I remember most about that most humbling of pre-teen moments, besides my fathers explosive anger and yelling the "How could you's?" and the "So disappointed in you's!" followed by the "You will NOT disrespect your mother that way!",  was the look of hurt on my mother's face and the single tear that escaped.

My mother the calm non-emotional one shed a tear. My eyes mist at the memory. Mothering can be the cruelest job on the planet.

At the time I was screaming back at my fahter that my journal was private and no one was supposed to see it. I hadn't really called my mother that because I hadn't said it to her face. My brother was the one at fault. He did it.

I shake my head as I write those words knowing how sad they really are.

I was sent to my room without dinner. I sat and stewed. I was so angry at my brother for his betrayal and his laughing with glee that I was going to be in BIGtime trouble. I wasn't thinking about how I had treated my mother over something petty, I just wanted justice for my privacy being violated. My arms crossed, my face scrunched so tight and my heart completely closed I waited for the unfair punishment that would be doled out.

What came next surprised me.

My mother came into my room. She held my journal in her hands and sat next to me on my bed. She told me that my words had hurt her deeply but that she was reminded of the many times she had hurt her own mother by her words and actions and she understood that sometimes we feel the need to lash out.

"I love you so much. It hurts me that you would think that I would mistreat you in any way. I'm just doing the best I can Mary Beth. Being a mother is the hardest job I have and no one says thank you when I get it right. You know that sort of disrespect and language is not allowed in our home. What kind of example is that to set for your younger brothers and sister? Now I want you to tell me what's really going on...why are you so angry?"


A mother always knows when her child is hurting. Always...

The dam burst and I just remember feeling exhausted from all the words that spilled forth swept away in a tide of emotion. Life is hard at 12 when your taller than the tallest boy at school and you feel like a leper because your don't have the latest this or that. I was more tomboy than girly girl and I didn't know how to navigate all that "girl stuff". I felt had no privacy, no respect from my siblings. I was drowning in emotion and thought I had no safe place to land.

So much grace poured forth from all those hard places. Mom held me as I cried, encouraged me quietly and accepted my apology when it finally came. So many lessons learned that day. Hard lessons, very hard lessons.

Words wound.

Use with caution.

The thing is...it's those hard lessons that stay with you. They are the ones that mold your heart for later in life when your own child comes back at you in a moment of anger and pierces your mothers heart with words of disrespect.

It's in those moments I say a prayer for my mother, thanking God she loved me enough to teach me how to parent with grace and unconditional love...even in the hard moments.

Ann @ A Holy Experience wrote three beautiful ways to forgive:

Three Ways to Forgive:

1. 

Be a Screen Door

Like the wind blows through a screen door, let blustry comments, stormy blasts just blow right past. Incidents can only hit hard if you have your front door closed. But having a screen door policy allows some of the pain to blow by, us all hidden in Christ….

2. 

Only Believe the Best

When you believe that everyone is always just doing their best, that we never war against flesh and blood but against the principalities, that in light of this fallen world and sinful limitations, they truly are doing their best… this changes everything. Love bears all things, hopes all things, believes all things and whatever is good and pure and lovely, think on these things.

3. 

Tell the Thankful Truth

The truth is, there is always something, a lot, to give thanks for and that is the truth about every single parent. Consider offering a father, a mother, the gift of a jar full of slips of paper with your gratitude and thankful memories jotted down. This kind of grateful truth-telling helps to heal old wounds.

My mother knew these things instinctually and she taught me without words. She is understood forgiveness and helped me see the grace in asking for and receiving it. I am grateful for the lessons...the easy and the hard. Mothering is the hardest job on the planet. Thank you Mom for everything you do...