My view for this morning looks something like this
No joke. After some super stressful stuff yesterday, hubby came home after his deacon prayer meeting this morning and said “why don’t you come hang out in the woods with me this morning”. To which I replied, ” i don’t think so, i am way behind on blogging and housework.” He said, “just blog in the woods, you can post them when you get home later! And I will keep little bean with me.”
What a blessing it is to get away…..to get away from, all the canning, and dehydrating, the housework and the phone! Just sitting outside in a hoodie jeans and sneakers in the cool autumny (yes I made that up) morning, listening to the breeze in the trees .
Have you taken time to be thankful for God’s creation and the beauty that surrounds us? I know that I have not made time to admire the view!
Ir really seems like i have to do this every. Single. Day.
My heart grows faint. I feel as though I fail. Somedays success is counting all four kids as they sleep. If they are all there, it’s been a successful day! Ah you think i jest but in reality losing a child ( literally) is something I have to deal with all the time. It is probably the biggest worry right now in this phase of having a five year old son with autism!
I never know when or where he will bolt but i literally wake up with panic attacks in the middle of the night and i have to go check to make sure he is still there. I have spent SOOOO. Much time keeping my eyes on him that it seems as though EVERYTHING around me is falling apart. I stand back and i look at half done projects, an unclean house, devotions needing to be done, one filthy kid who fell asleep before his bath, burnt dinner (or completely forgotten at that). Late paperwork, unreturned phone calls missed emails…and forget the shower!
We like to think that life is this nice, neat little package, that needs to be handled the same way every time. The problem is that not every day starts the same way! We can start off the day with getting up early, doing our devos, getting the kids lunches packed….you know the mornings that RARELY start that way…lol we would love them to, but then reality POPS that little day dream bubble! It’s usually is with someone needing me for something, burning, barking, puking. Phones ringing, knocks at the door. AND THE LIST GOES ON AND ON………AND ON!
So at the end of the day when the four little munchkins are safe in their beds, and I collapse in a chair, unable to find the mental capacity let alone the physical ability to continue on, and as I scan the debris scattered around me and of the to-do list that once reached Tokyo that now is headed for Beijing and the mountain of laundry that seemed so accomplishable but now feels like Mount Rushmore, where or where do I turn. I feel alone, ashamed..a failure!
I have found solace in a couple of things…..
-God is always with me (even in my biggest of messes)
-my joy is not found in the approval of others
-nor is my purpose, rest or faith
-Christ’s blood covered ALL of my imperfections, AND that is ALL. I need!
-My best is all i have to offer…..anything more is by the grace of God
Those are my resting points. Those are the things I am confident in.
I hope this helps! It surely did for me, as i remind myself of my purpose…to bring glory to God in all that say and do.
That may not look like what you might expect…or what I might expect….
It might just mean being focused on others rather than that to-do list that now reaches to Turkey!
I have a confession to make…i LOVE cookbooks, specifically Amish cookbooks!
This book is a collection of simple Amish recipes collected from the Amish and mennonite communities in Sarasota Florida. It shares stories along with the recipes but not necessarily connected to one another. The delightlyfully simple recipes are a wonderful addition to any kitchen whether, a novice or greatly skilled. Dishes ranging from Chicken and dumplings to Amish church cookies are written simply yet are high quality. And scattered throughout this cookbook were amazing tips and tricks to help guide you in both cooking terms and processes. (I found the tip about the different types of flour and how to make your own bread flour , self-rising flour and so on to be very helpful and have since used those tips Successfully!)
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this cookbook AND it is the first cookbook i have sat down and read cover to cover! The recipes bring back many memories of living in the Amish region of Pennsylvania. I can almost taste the chicken and dumplings as I read the recipe! I learned quite a bit about the Amish community is Sarasota Florida, and am intrigued! I would one day enjoy visiting there. The tips and tricks were also very helpful and i think i would have enjoyed learning more of those things. As for the anecdotes that were interspersed throughout the book, i think some were very well placed, sharing stories of hospitality, and included a mention of the recipe found either just before or just after the story. But then there were those that really just seemed as though it was honestly gossip……so and so surprised us all when he brought home a girl, we never thought he would settle down.” I’m not quite sure how these stories fit into the scope of a cookbook but nonetheless they are there.
On another note entirely, i am not quite sure I like the format of this book. Meaning, I think I would much prefer a hard copy of a cookbook instead of a digital copy.
So here are my top reason’s why I enjoyed this book
1. Simple down home recipes without crazy, hard to find ingredients!
2. The tips and tricks. Making my life easier by not needing to keeps all types of flours (and other foods) on hand.
3. I enjoyed learning the history, and some other tidbits about the Amish Community in Sarasota Florida.
