we made it

So yeah. We made it to Seattle safe and sound last Saturday morning.

It was a great flight-the pilot must have put the plane into turbo-drive, because we were about a half hour early when we landed.

The time change messed with me from the get-go, as I was in bed by 5:30 pm Pacific time. I missed dinner and everything.

Sunday was the Princess's birthday. I can't believe how fast time has flown! It seems like just last year, she was in here.

We hit up Red Robin, Toys R Us, and Funtasia (a Chuck E Cheese type arcade without the frighteningly large animatronic mouse).

Thanks to a Venti sized Starbucks Cafe Latte with soymilk in the afternoon, I was able to stay up past 5:30 pm.

Monday (yesterday), we registered the Princess for school. Although it wasn't our first choice in schools, I believe this is the right one. It's actually closer to the house and there are only 2 teachers for each grade. Holy small school! That's cool, though. Despite the size, it's incredibly diverse. Some of the languages spoken by students are Japanese, Farsi, and Korean.

Oh yeah-filling out the paperwork, I came across an Earthquake Emergency form. What the?! Oh yeah.......this is a very earthquake prone area. Huh. Forgot about that one!

She visited her new classmates while they were in art class and they serenaded her with a song about Africa. Apparently every year the whole school studies a different continent and this year it's Africa. In the song we learned that Mt. Kilmanjaro is the 4th tallest mountain in the world and the Nile River is 4,000 miles long.

Today I'm gonna hang out with Trinity at her school for a couple hours and help her get acclimated. She seems excited and LOVED the song about Africa. 

 Oh yeah....we may have found a church out in Bothell !  A guy that Bruce works with, who just moved to Seattle from Florida, was raving about the church he goes to. I checked it out online and it seems right up our alley.

I'll let you know next Sunday how that goes.

I miss everyone back in Wisco and hope you don't get blown away by the gale-force winds you're experiencing!

Most Favorite

One of my new most favorite pictures ever. Is that even grammatically correct? Most favorite?

Anyway-that's how much I love it....I don't even care if my grammar is correct. If you know me, then you know how much I value good grammar. But, right now, only bad grammar can truly express how much I love this picture and these ladies.

Deven,Tara,Me,Sonsheree.

Thanks for coming out to the park to say goodbye, ladies. You are all welcome to come visit in Seattle!! Anytime. MUAH!! :)

Food, Friends, and Photos

I've been trying to write a post about the fact that we only 4 full days left in Wisconsin. Every time I start, including now, my stomach ends up in knots and I start to get emotional.

Gah! I'm such a hot mess right now, it's not even funny.

So, instead I'm gonna talk about something else...sort of! ;)

This past Sunday we had an early birthday/going-away party for Trinity and myself.

Check out the spread-fruit, veggies, corn chips, pretzels, crackers, salsa, hummus, and Princess cupcakes.

My friend Bobbie, who has her own photography business, offered to take some photos of Trinity as our going away present.

Trinity and Gramps.

Thank you so much Miss Bobbie!

If you love her work as much as I do, check out her facebook page Bobbie Colvin's Photography, and book her to shoot your special occassion. You won't be disappointed.

Horsing around with a TuffGuy

Technically he's not a horse, but a pony, but what a special pony he is!

Yesterday, My princess was blessed to be able to ride a pony for the first time in her life.

Our friends from church let her come out and experience brushing,cleaning,and riding him.

TuffGuy is also very special because he is blind! He is also very smart, sassy, and sweet :)

Hannah was an excellent instructor-so patient and thorough.

I am so proud of my Princess! She was not intimidated or scared at all. She jumped into the whole process without hesistation. She listened, observed, and caught on quickly.

Here, Hannah is guiding them in a trot.

Some apples for doing such a great job. Thanks TuffGuy. Thanks Hannah!

Video One

Video 2

It was such a fun time being out on the farm watching all the crazy chickens, cats, and horses. There were also some tears shed when we left. The Princess wanted to stay all night and already misses TuffGuy!  Thanks again Hannah!!

Recipe from another Heather

I can in NO WAY take credit for the following recipe. I can only spread the love I found on one of my favorite blogs called

 Heather Eats Almond Butter.

She is one of my favorite bloggers out there.

She made a fudge that only requires 2 ingredients-and does NOT require any dairy!

You will need 1 can coconut milk and 16 oz chocolate. One box of Baker's chocolate is only 8 oz, so you'd need 2.

Since this was a trial run, I halved the recipe and only used half the can of coconut milk and one box of chocolate.

Melt together on your stovetop on low until fully dissolved.

Pour into appropriate sized pan. For a half recipe I used this pie pan. If you want to make the full recipe, or even double it, I suggest an 8x8 inch pan.

Let sit to set, and then chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour.

With such a simple base for this fudge, you could customize it in so many ways!

*You can add vanilla, mint, or almond extract.

*You could add peanut butter or nuts

*You could even swirl in butterscotch or other flavored chips when it's cooled a bit.

My master plan is to make a crust type base with nuts and dates (a la Larabar) and pour the fudge onto the crust.

I'm hoping all goes well and I'll be able to serve it at our going away party :)

Music Monday-for the hubs and the kid

Yeah, I know this is in no way a "deep" or life-changing song, but it does hold a special place in my heart.

The first time my little princess heard this, her eyes got big and teary, and so of course I asked what was wrong.

She said, "this song just reminds me of my whole family" and then she let 'er rip......tears and sobs all over the place.

Wow.

This is my favorite song on Bruce's ipod.......it's a good one :)  Edited to add: I didn't even realize until a couple minutes after I posted this, that the title of one and the artist of the other song, involve bugs-namely flies :)

A Dangerous Prayer

Several years one of my best friends prayed a dangerous prayer. She prayed for her dad who had left the straight and narrow path and chose his own way. She prayed that God would do "whatever it takes" to get him back on His straight and narrow path. Ouch.

What's so dangerous about that? Well, because He will prune away the old dead branches we've allowed to stay in our lives, however fruitless and useless. (John 15:1-2). We tend to let them hang around because they've become familiar and comfortable, despite the potential danger they may pose. He does whatever He can to save our souls, regardless of our earthly bodies, because our souls are eternal and our bodies are temporary.

God hears the prayers of His children and answers them in accordance to His will. And He WILL do whatever it takes out of love, compassion, and mercy, to bring a sheep back into the fold.
It's up to us to obey.
My friend's dad went through alot and eventually came back to the Lord and remarried his wife (my friend's mom). Nothing short of miraculous!!

I was inspired and prayed to God that He would do whatever it takes to KEEP me close to Him. He's not going to turn me into a robot without free will, but I have faith that He will allow circumstances and consequences to keep me close to Him. 
Well, God has faithfully answered that dangerous prayer of mine over and over. He blesses me, disciplines me, and challenges me to keep me dependant on HIM.
Over the years, I can see how He's kept me dependant on Him. When I start to get comfortable in my life and get settled in...that's when He "uproots" me physically, spiritually, or both.

It has happened over and over and over, and despite the discomfort of it all, I'm grateful. I guess for me, comfort equals complacency. When I'm comfortable in the circumstances in my life I get lazy, complacent, and a bit too laid back. I don't pray as much. I don't listen to Him as much. I don't serve others as much. I don't read my Bible or devotions as much. Ironic huh? Just when I "should" be doing those things most (out of gratitude), I neglect them. I also tend to complain more. Human nature is so wretched sometimes!

So, here I am being uprooted again. Recently there have been some severely negative circumstances in my life that have led to this uprooting, but the outcome is VERY positive!
 I have chosen for those circumstances to make me BETTER and not BITTER. He is the potter and I am the clay....I want Him to shape me however He wants and needs.
I was recently talking to another dear friend about how God seems so abrupt and sudden when He chooses to uproot me. I asked, "Why does He do it that way?! Why can't He be gradual and let me get used to the uprooting and think about and process it before He asks me to do it??!"
Her wise words still resonate with me.  She said, "Because if He didn't do it that way, you probably wouldn't do it."
wow. ouch. yup.
Have you prayed any "dangerous" prayers lately?  

No More Naked Apples!!

Ok, seriously, I am SO blessed! It's funny how God uses certain people in your life and certain things just to remind you that He loves you and cares about even your most "insignificant" desires. 

Emily, girl, you are a friend of God, and He has used you in a VERY significant way this day!

I got a little package in the mail today from my friend and former classmate, Emily. I had NO clue as to what it could be, but when I opened it I nearly cried tears of joy. Recently, I have thought how badly I could use an apple sweater, as my poor red delicious and pink lady fruits have been rolling around the passenger seat of my car getting dusty and germy.

When I opened the package I found a sweet, heartfelt, and heartwarming note, along with an APPLE SWEATER!!

Thank you SO much. I am truly overwhelmed with gratitude and truly appreciate the apple sweater. It will get much use, I promise.

Weekend Wrap-up and Music Monday

I've said it before and I'll say it again, when it comes to secular music, I'm pretty behind the times. But, when I like a song, I like it, and I share it :)

This band totally reminds me of that scene in Titanic with the fun group of musicians jammin' out in the bilge of the ship. Remember when Rose meets Jack down there and everyone's dancing and singing?

Anyway, I also like the song it because it tells a story, albeit kind of sad. My interpretation is that of someone talking to himself (and at times the person he hurt) about how he screwed up their important relationship. I think we can all relate.

We can all relate to loving ice cream, too, no?

This weekend, in honor of fall, I made pumpkin ice cream. Recipe will be at the end of this post :)

 I also SUCCESSFULLY made Trinity mint chocolate chip ice cream! Remember my last attempt/fail?

How much did she like it? Well, I have a homemade blue ribbon that she made for me in honor of its minty goodness! I love being a mom :)

We also headed down to the annual Fall Festival to peruse the crafts and goodies.

Look at those cool swan gourds.

A cool purple monkey.

Big ole pumpkins, of course.

More gourds. I got a turban squash and 5 mini gourds for $3.

Fun hats.

Bags and a stuffed snake.

Heading back to the car. The sun was deceiving, as it was VERY cold out.

Trinity also had a soccer game. She rocked, of course ;) She loves to play defense and isn't afraid to fall down, get muddy, and be aggressive.

On Sunday, after the Fall Festival we watched the Green Bay Packer game. Ouch. A win is a win, so we'll take it!

Pumpkin Ice Cream Recipe: (small batch)

1/2 can coconut milk

1 cup pureed pumpkin

1/2 cup sugar or several packets of Stevia to taste

2 Tablespoons cinnamon (I like a lot of cinnamon)

*mix thoroughly and let chill in fridge at least 8 hours

*pour into ice cream maker and use according to instructions

Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream (small batch)

1/2 can coconut milk

1/2 cup Andes Candies baking bits

1/2 cup sugar

*mix thoroughly and let chill in fridge at least 8 hours

*pour into ice cream maker and use according to instructions

***pour in 1/2 teaspoon mint extract and green food coloring in the last few minutes of churning.

So, what did you do this past weekend? What are you listening to?

MMMMMMMMM...........?

To some this is a well known and popular image floating around the web right now. It's pretty controversial, as some people are disputing the legitimacy of what it's used for.

Wanna guess what it is?

Kind of looks like taffy.

It sort of looks like strawberry marshmallow fluff or some sort of candy filling.

Ice cream? Sorbet? Sherbet?

*I promise, it's NOT sweet.*

It's Mechanically Separated Chicken.
It's kind of funny, because I've seen some food products with this label on it and thought, "That must be the most efficient way to get all the meat off the bone of the chicken." But, then I thought,

"Why would you need to have a label indicating HOW it's removed from the bone, unless there is some special regulation that mandates it be labeled as such."

If that's the case....WHY must it be labeled as such?

Well, because....

"It’s what all fast-food chicken is made from—things like chicken nuggets and patties. Also, the processed frozen chicken in the stores is made from it.

Basically, the entire chicken is smashed and pressed through a sieve—bones, eyes, guts, and all. it comes out looking like this.

There’s more: because it’s crawling with bacteria, it will be washed with ammonia, soaked in it, actually. Then, because it tastes gross, it will be reflavored artificially. Then, because it is weirdly pink, it will be dyed with artificial color."-Vegansaurus website

Like I said earlier, there is debate as to whether this practice is still used in the U.S., and how much it's regulated.

I'd rather err on the side of caution and avoid such "food" type products altogether. How and why did we get so far from real, true, natural, actual, legitimate food?!

No wonder chronic diseases and food intolerances are on the rise.

While I'm not completely vegan....I'll eat a few ounces of meat now and then, I cannot justify ever eating something like this or feeding it to my child.

Ideally, the meat we eat would be raised, fed, and slaughtered as humanely and naturally as possible, and processed as little as possible.

Next time you're about to order those chicken nuggets or patties.....think about the above picture of the chicken "taffy."

Click below to see Jamie Oliver's demonstration with MSC

JamieVideo demonstration.