oh, but she is!

Eight years old?  No way!! My carefree, life lovin', Jesus praisin' girl can not be eight years old... oh, but she is.

I just spent a while looking back through hundreds thousands of pictures from her last birthday to today, what a year it has been!  To say it has not been her easiest year would be an understatement.  But to say it has been a tough year could skip a lot of joyful moments, grand adventures, fresh  beginnings and sweet victories. 

Some highlights of this past year have been watching her flourish as she learns and plugs away to get her school work done (always reaching for the reward of time to play when she has completed her work list.)

Starting piano lessons made me a little nervous.  Adding something else to the schedule, knowing she had to actually be still for even more time daily, I just wasn't sure that was going to work out.  What a beautiful surprise!  
When she takes her seat on that bench a posture comes over her, a stillness, a sureness, and beautiful music and confidence are being made.

 Of all the highlights of the year though, the sweetest has to be the day she publicly proclaimed Jesus to be her Rescuer. 

Yes, there have been bumps in the road this year.  She is a trooper for sure.  Her food world has been turned upside down, so now she reads a lot of labels.  She has to have weekly shots, but now she weekly makes the nurses laugh.  She struggles with it like any kids would, but she also breaks into singing and dancing as she praises the one who created her, allergies and all.

About a month ago a sad thought struck her after being at a friend's birthday party, "What about my birthday cake?  Mom, you always make me a cake.  Do you think you can still do that?"  Remember those sweet victories...well, we have shared a lot of those.

After some tears and fears on my parts, I ordered some new cookbooks, tried some different (gluten-free,  soy-free, dairy-free, refined sugar-free) cake and icing (dairy free with some refined sugar) recipes, used Mark's birthday cake as a guinea pig. And tonight when I got the thumbs up from her, her friends, her sisters, and her daddy I felt like hunting down the writer of this cook book and giving her a giant hug!!

Sweet victory indeed for a girl who deserves each one that comes her way!!

I love you my sweet Haleigh!  You continue to stretch me, teach me, and love me daily~thanks!

Refreshed, Renewed, Returning!

(Mark's suitcase topped with cards from the girls.)

One week ago, early, before the sun was shining he headed out the door.  Hard to believe it was this time of year already.  For us it is routine now, the packing is down to a science, the necessities of the trip come out of the places they have been since this same trip last year.  Our girls know Daddy is leaving, but Grandma is covering the miles to fill in the gap.  That tug inside screams, "Please don't leave for the week!" only to be quickly followed by the peace of knowing when he walks back in the door he will be physically tired from the travel and hot days of high humidity but he will be spiritually refreshed and renewed.

 This trip has become his "reset button" over the years.  When it seems his perspective is a little skewed, the daily grind of  his routine is rubbing too hard, the "unchangeable" things are seeming less changeable and he begins to wonder if it is even worth the effort to keep trying to change them, when he is having to fight hard to find the joy... within a flip of the calendar this week is in view.  The choice is not always easy to make.  The excitement of the trip begins to turn also to look like another "thing" on the to do list, but the gentle whisper is consistently there, "He needs this like he needs water."  Nothing could be truer.  To see people desperately rely on God daily, to get to be part of His story, to wake up to daily intense prayer time, soaking in teaching of the Word, walking step by step with those longing to serve in obedience. 

Each day back home we long to hear that sweet sound call out from the computer that alerts us to his Face Time call.  Feet race to that small screen anxious to get a glimpse and chat through the choppy connection. The girls talk all at once, I bob and weave to try to stay where I can see him on the screen. (If I can I keep the early morning calls  to myself before the girls are awake.) I am once again amazed that even the look of his face seems softer, relaxed, joyful without the chase. 

So today he will travel home to cooler temperatures, step back into a schedule still packed and routine still pressing but it won't consume him.  We will talk about the experiences of his week, the teaching he sat under, the encouragement and conversations of the mentors who asked him to join this adventure seven years ago.  We are so thankful for the relationships, the week, the renewing, the week already marked on the calendar one year from now.

(By the way, there is always room for you on this trip too.)

"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God has prepared that we should walk in them."  Ephesians 2:10

Anxious to get him back refreshed and renewed!!

a fall MUST!

A few weeks ago my girls and I were able to join a fun group of friends on a field trip to Hardy Berry Farms.  We learned lots and had a blast.  Only some of the activities were "open" during the field trip and I wanted so badly to squeak in another visit before the end of the season, the reality of that was grim.  However, after church and a bite to eat Mark was already one step ahead of me with the plant to continue our fun family weekend.  

We made it back to Hardy Berry Farms!!

 And now we have a new plan, to make it back every year during the fall,

let's just say, it was good for us ALL!

The bucking bronco was a hoot!!

The corn maze was huge.  I wasn't sure if we were going to make it out as each of the girls had a few turns leading and taking their pick of directions along the way.

 I took my turn being a kid with the girls on the "giant pillow."  Sometimes it is just good to jump high and laugh hard!!

A definite favorite was the zip line.  I think they each zipped about 7 times cheering all the way.

The girls took a few shots at roping the cattle.

Once you've "roped cattle" the duck races are a breeze.

The pedal cars were a riot! No matter if you were riding single

or double!! (yes those are her legs flapping.)

The 150 foot slide was great fun! 

You know we loved the animals, alpacas, sheep, cows, rabbits...

Don't forget the hay ride to the pumpkin patch, always a mark of fall.

Best of all was just being together and having fun.  (Sometimes all it takes is sitting on- or in- a hay bail to make life feel simple again!)

(There were many more activities, the corn box, shooting corn cobs out of a air gun, tennis ball sling shot... It was all great fun for one very reasonable entry fee.)

a great evening!!

Last weekend the plan was to have some fun.  

Mark had been working very hard on a lecture that loomed until last Friday.  Once he had completed the task that had absorbed a lot of his time over the past month we were all ready to enjoy each other and good friends.  Timing was just right as Saturday was the first time Mark was to be in town for our small group's annual pumpkin party.  It was a great way to spend Saturday evening...

 

good food,

 GOOD FRIENDS,

 goodie bags,

 GREAT EVENING!!

(thanks mb, as always it was a highlight of our fall!)

the Plan

We are planning on enjoying this weekend and all it blessings!!

~pancakes

~packing in time together as a family

~picking out pumpkins

~ parties for friends' birthdays

~pumpkin party (an annual treat for sure!)

~pulling for our football team

~praising the One who has blessed us with all these things

...and after all that we may completely disconnect from the world and run away to the mountains (for what my sister would call white space) --peace and "quiet" of a different kind.

I hope your weekend holds as much promise of joy!!!

This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Psalm 118:24

A High Five Worthy Meal-- yum!!

 My guy has always loved food!  Always Loved Food!  One of the tougher parts of this food life style for me is never being sure how a recipe is going to taste when that first bite is taken.  Mark has been such a trooper though, he will try absolutely anything and if it turns out not so good terrible he just says, "Hey, you tried it." He'll eat as much of it as he can stomach then top it off with a bowl of cereal or an orange.  One of the nights within the last few weeks I didn't know what to cook and began to stress.  Mark just sat with the computer and began searching vegan sites.  He found this... Fat Free Polenta Lasagna with portabellas and kale and was intrigued.  This past Friday we finally tried it.  It was simple,  fairly short prep time, easily tweaked  so all our crew could eat it, and most exciting of all... it was "high five worthy dish!"

 Here is the what we came up with...

~Preheat your oven to 375* and spray an 8x8 baking dish.

~Place all cheese sauce ingredients  in your blender and blend till smooth (see recipe below.)

~Saute the onions and mushrooms in a large skillet.  Once you start to see their juices appear its time for the garlic to be added.  Saute for another minute.

~Add spinach, basil and 1/4 cup of water.  Saute until spinach is wilted and the water has evaporated.

~Stir in the cheese sauce.

~Salt to taste and set aside.

~Slice the prepared polenta into 1/4 inch strips (this is a little sticky so do the best you can, it will turn out.) Place the slices in the baking dish (you may need to puzzle it out a little, just cover the dish with as little space between slices as you can.)  

~Spread 1/2 marinara sauce over the polenta.

~Next spread the spinach mixture evenly.

~Add the top layer of polenta slices.

~Finally top with remaining marinara sauce. (I sprinkled some nutritional yeast on top but you definitely don't need to.)

~Bake for 35 minutes and let it cool 5-10 minutes.

~Enjoy!!~

The cheese sauce I used is from an entirely different recipe and cook over here ... thespunkycoconut.com

This is the super quick and easy 

cheese sauce:

1 cup plain cashews

1/4 tsp organic herb blend

1/4 cup vegetable broth (ours is soy free of coarse)

1/4 cup water

Puree till creamy and smooth.

These are the easy yummy lasagna ingredients...

1 18-ounce package prepared polenta

1/2 large onion, chopped

1 package baby bella mushroom(about 2 cups, chopped)

1 tsp minced garlic

 2 - 3 cups of spinach (the original recipe calls for kale and that was my plan, however, my kale was less than fresh ;)

4 leaves chopped basil

salt and pepper to taste

1 1/4 cups marinara sauce 

beginning pictures

May 8 was the date I had set for our allergen free eating to begin. May 7 was the last of Haleigh's end of the year wrap up parties.  I had processed as much information to prepare us as I could handle.  The longer I put it off the more I felt like I was harming her body with each allergen packed  meal. 

Right in line with her daddy's style, Mark took Haleigh to pick out a few things to savor before it all started, and savor she did, both cupcakes, icing and all!!

Check out those dark circles under her eyes, they will be a great guide in the months to come.