I'm a Bit Down But Not Out

That is the great thing about having an awesome God to rely on. Circumstances can bring us down, but when God is on our side we are never out. While some Christians may view this differently I can't substantiate the belief that we a promised a trouble free ride through this world once we believe. We are promised that we are not abandoned in our troubles. We promised that we are never alone and we have with us One who has walked this road many times before. One who is able to give light to each step even when it appears the darkness is surrounding us. We have only to keep our eyes on the Light instead of trying to peer through the darkness.

I am down because a cancer that we thought my mom had beat returned in less than a year with a disturbing vigor. The first time around I have to admit it seemed pretty minor. Doctors said the success rate in treating her form of cancer was over 95%. She went through her treatments, never lost her hair but was "only" somewhat tired. As her usual habit, she seemed to handle everything so well. My mom is an amazingly strong woman. God only knows what she really went through and never complained about.

Things were not as they appeared to us or the doctors however. The return of a cancer within a year post treatment is considered a bad sign. It is a more aggressive cancer than it originally appeared. This is where we have to remember that life itself is not as it appears. To unbelieving eyes everything is a function of simple random chance, it is void of rhyme or reason. To unbelieving eyes this disease is just the ultimate "bad luck." I am so glad that as a family we have more than luck or chance to rely on. God is working in us to open us up to prayer and faith at new depths. He is reminding us of how dependent we are on Him to bring us through trial not with a focus on outward appearances but by leaning into His unseen arms. He is reminding us of the strength of weakness.

It is my prayer that the Lord will continue to guide all of us, most especially my mom and her doctors, in His wisdom and strength. Whether it is His will to heal her miraculously or through the medical treatment she may receive I pray that He will be glorified through this ordeal. May He strengthen our faith, let us never lose hope, and through it all may we learn to love Him and each other more and more.

"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." (1 Cor. 13:13)

Blogging Hiatus

Although this little adventure is just started I will not be on regularly for a while. Important family matters have come up which have a much higher priority. I'd like to ask anyone reading this to say a prayer for my mom.

Thanks all and God bless.

Easy Pasta Florentine

I made this today as a quick lunch for Miss T. She loved it! Her little face was covered in spinach after two child size bowls. Now, little Miss T is not a fan of vegetables and particularly seems to dislike anything the color green so I was a little worried that lunch would be a bust but she shocked me!

When I am making something new I give kidlets I care for the "job" of being taste testers. I do this before serving while everything is still in the pot by making a small fanfare of pulling out a clean spoon cooling whatever it is appropriately and having them taste. I find that they are usually happy to "help" and it avoids making a big deal at the table of trying the new food with a big bowl of whatever sitting in front of them. Nine times out of ten it leads to them wanting the new stuff right away and waiting the few minutes to serve and cool the food, and sometimes do a pre-lunch toy clean-up, makes them a little more excited. I think it is less intimidating to them to taste test rather than just be faced with a plateful of new stuff.

Anyway, here's the recipe!

Pasta Florentine

Sauce:
2T butter (very young children should never be restricted from real, healthy fats- they are vital for brain development)
2T flour
1 cup milk (may be 1% or even skim for older children and adults but whole tastes best)
2 generous heaping T of Parmesan cheese
2 generous T of ricotta (optional)
dash pepper
1/2-1 t. dry basil (1-2 T fresh)
taste test before adding any salt to taste (with the Parm. cheese it might not be necessary)
8 oz. spinach or more for more sauce (fresh or frozen broken apart)
1/2 box cooked and drained pasta (great on whole wheat penne or rotini)

This sauce is quick so if pasta is not already cooked I start that first. Leftover pasta is fine too.
Melt butter in a medium sauce pan. Add flour and mix with a spoon til flour is fully blended. Cook for 1 minute or so, add milk all at once and give it a good stir. Don't worry at this point if it seems slightly lumpy, those will dissolve as this cooks. Add cheeses, pepper, and basil. Cook for 5 minutes stirring until you see the sauce thickening enough to coat the spoon. Taste test and added 1/4-1/2 t. salt if needed. Add spinach. Cook a few minutes more til hot again, stirring occasionally.

You can use this last cooking time to drain your pasta.

At home, for me this sauce would be done but if serving to kids who have the tendency to pick the veges out of their food, give it a blitz in the blender or food processor then add to the pasta and stir to coat.

My Excitement Overflows!

My dearest love K. is going to poke fun at me for sure because I am just soooo overjoyed at winning a lovely giveaway from Plainandsimple at Echo from the Green Hills. He will think its humorous because he will see my blogging as participation in another "knitting circle." I am already part of a long hair community, The Long Hair Loom, and while it is not literally a knitting circle it has that homey feel to it. It is filled with really sweet, lovely people which is the main reason I visit. That I have learned a lot about long hair care is more of a nice side effect.

I am a beginner knitter and don't yet belong to a real knitting circle but if I find one, he can keep snickering because I'll be in!

Restyling Jeans to Skirts

Yay! Its Frugal Friday over at one of my favorite sites Biblical Womanhood. I wanted to share a way I have saved money on clothing, in particular, skirts.

Last spring I decided I wanted to wear skirts at least 90% of the time. I have always considered myself to be a feminine girly girl but I realized I had let my work with kids become an excuse to live in jeans. I don't like to feel frumpy and I don't like to feel like "just a nanny" but I found myself falling into that mindset. Around the same time I was inspired by the posting some women did about wearing feminine dress throughout the week but I could not bring myself to throw away good clothing I already had. Plus, I was between work at the time and wanted to spend as little as possible on more clothing. I love buying second hand but even those expenditures can add up.

To my rescue came this quick project. While the picture shows a short skirt it is easily made below the knee or longer and gave me more ideas for restyling what I owned. A full length skirt can be made using an extra pair of jeans or a length of coordinating fabric for the inset. It was a new wardrobe of skirts for free! I already knew they fit too :) My jean skirts are great for an active day with kids, they are tough but can be trimmed various ways or made even more feminine with using various types fabric in the inset. I did this with some corderoy pants too for great winter skirts.

Now, I will tell you I am not a virtuoso at the sewing machine. I can sew a straight line but that's about it. As a matter of fact I passed this project on to my little sister who is ten and growing like a weed so all her jeans were just too short. She loved the idea of salvaging clothes she has and making it herself. She had the idea to make hers knee length and wear colorful long leggings underneath.

One day out at Old Navy (I love that store), I actually saw a skirt based on this look for $25. All I could think was "Woo-hoo! I got mine free!"