The Reality

Things you can see in this picture...

• Toys.  Everywhere.
• My son playing with an empty cup and a toilet paper roll even though there are toys everywhere.
• Food Network on TV.  Sometimes, this stays on all day.  Yesterday, the satellite shut itself off after six hours of inactivity.  
• A cold cup of coffee.
• Dirty diapers on the floor.
• An empty dish of applesauce and yogurt - because I cannot seem to find the energy to make Joshua more delicious fruit purees.
• Toys. Everywhere.
• My son using a pacifier.  Yes - He is nine months old an still has one.  No - I have no idea when or how we will have him give them up.  No - I am not worried about it.
• A vase of peonies that are clearly dead.  But I can't throw them out.  My Mom gave them to me last Sunday and they are beautiful and glamorous and remind me of our wedding day.
• A stack of Andrew Wommack books and DVDs.  Some have been read/watched and some have not.  It is sort of like a literal to do list.
• Toys. Everywhere.
• Joshua isn't wearing socks and the ceiling fan is on.  I wonder how many more times I will have to defend myself on this issue.  When I put socks on him, he pulls them off.  Then, he tries to eat them and gags himself.  I pick chilly feet over choking child.  Sometimes, motherhood is about the lesser of two evils. 
• Pillows blocking Joshua from the TV receiver where he reprograms things by pressing random buttons.  We need to get a gate. 

Things you cannot see in this picture...

• More. Toys. Everywhere.
• A dirty kitchen floor, kitchen sink full of dishes and a dishwasher that needs to be unloaded.
• A garden full of weeds.
• Flowers, shrubs and trees that need to be planted.
• A car that needs to be washed.
• An unfinished not-started hutch painting project.
• An unfinished not-started bathroom art project.
• My greasy hair.
• The sweatpants I have worn for three days.
• A stinky trash can.
• A fridge full of leftover frozen pizza, glazed donuts and cookie dough.
• The fact that I had to peel our son off the stairs twenty times in the 30 minutes it took me to write this post.
• My dark eye circles.
• My out of control eye brows because I had to cancel my waxing appointment yesterday due to a napping child.
• Dusty furniture.  (Maybe you can see that from this picture...)
• Those horrible pink rings you get in our toilets.
• Those horrible pink rings you get around your shower drains.
• Nearly dead plants on the front porch.
• Dirty windows, dusty baseboards and dusty window blinds.  
• A stack of unreconciled bank statements.
• The fact that I am now harassing my husband about freshening up the mulch in our yard before we have 25 people here for a BBQ on Memorial Day.  Because apparently people will show up and immediately leave when they see bare dirt and landscape fabric in our flower beds.
• Strawberries that need to be picked.
• Strawberries that need to be cleaned and frozen.
• Beds that need to be made.
• A HUGE pile of laundry.
• And now... a nine month old sitting in a dirty diaper and still playing with an empty cup and a toilet paper roll.  And his feet.

Just wanted to give you a little snap shot of my reality.  As a blogger, it is really easy to paint a picture of what we wish our lives always look like.  But, that is just not realistic.  


I am learning that even in the midst of some not so peaceful circumstances, I can be peaceful.


Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you.  Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. John 14:27


For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Romans 8:6


God never promised that our circumstances would be perfect but He did promise us that we would have peace.  Today, I would encourage you to acknowledge the peace that you have.  Stop giving life to the circumstances and give life to The Truth of His Word.  Because, dear friends, that is what produces real peace.  And that is what we need to be truly successful women.


Even though this entire list is my reality, the TRUTH is that I am more content than I have ever been.  God gives me the grace I need to truly love my life.  I am one blessed woman!

Priorities

This is a really busy time around our home.  Joshua is in the crawling and standing phase.  The days of him being content in his activity jumper are over and now he is always getting into mischief.  Discipline has become a part of parenting for us since he seems to find every electrical cord and outlet in the house.  Although tiring and frustrating at times, I really love this phase he is in.  He is learning and growing and it is such a blessing to be a part of that. 


It is also planting season for our garden.  Getting the garden ready was more work this year than I had anticipated.  Thankfully, I have not had the extreme fatigue with this pregnancy that I had with Joshua so I have been able to work on it a little bit everyday.  Although it will be worth it when our freezer is full of home grown fruits and vegetables, the planning, planting, maintaining, harvesting and preserving takes a lot of time.


Then there is the business of being a homemaker.  The cooking, cleaning and laundry are all daily tasks that cannot be ignored.  There is always something to do and the list seems to grow with each passing day. 


With all of this going on, it is so easy to allow the business of life to get in the way of what is truly important - renewing my mind with God's Word. 


Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
Pslam 1:1-3


This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. 
Joshua 1:8


If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
John 15:7


There are a lot of Scriptures that explain the importance of God's Word and what it has the ability to produce in our lives.  I have always believed that we make time for the things that are important to us.  We make time to sleep, exercise, work, watch TV and to spend time with family and friends.  Job said, "I have esteemed the words of his (God's) mouth more than my necessary food."  He did not just say that God's Word is more important than his mid morning snack or after dinner dessert.  He said they are more important than his necessary food - the food he needs to survive!  What an incredible perspective.


That is exactly the perspective that all Christians should have.  We need a real revelation of the importance of God's Word and what it can produce in our lives. 


It produces health to ALL your flesh?  (Proverbs 4:20-22) 
It produces prosperity.  (Joshua 1:8) 
It stops the power of sin in our lives.  (Psalm 119:11) 
It gives us wisdom and direction. (Psalm 119:105)  
It gives us life and peace. (Romans 8:6)
It cleanses our minds. (Ephesians 5:26)
It tells us who we really are. (James 1:23)


We need to understand everything that Christ died to give us so that when things come up in our lives we can say, "Was his provided at The Cross?"  Did Jesus provide strife, sickness, poverty, guilt and condemnation?  According to the Bible, He provided peace, healing, prosperity and freedom from sin and its effects on us.  Our circumstances will not reveal this to us.  When we look around us, we may not always see the things that Jesus provided.  This does not mean they are not there.  It just means we have submitted to satan is some area of our lives and we need to realize that Jesus has redeemed us from the curse and rise above those negative circumstances (Galatians 3:13 and James 4:7).


How do we do his?


By spending time in His Word.


No amount of list making, gardening, cooking or cleaning will bring us true and lasting victory.  The only thing that will do this is His Word.


During this busy season, I encourage all of you to believe that God will give you an awesome revelation of the importance of His Word.  Ask Him to give you a glimpse of what your life SHOULD look like and allow that to challenge you to submit to him and resist the things that He has not provided for you.  As difficult as it may be to understand or believe that words on a page will actually make a difference in your life and circumstances, it is true.  God wants you in His Word so much more than you do.  He will give you more of a desire if you ask him and choose to make it a priority.

Paul said that to be carnally minded is death and to be spiritually minded is life and peace (Romans 8:6).  Carnal things are not always sinful.  Our tasks as wives and mothers are mostly carnal.  If all you ever think about are those things, it will NOT produce life and peace.  And that is exactly what satan wants.  He wants you to be constantly distracted with carnal things because it brings death. Remember that the only thing he does is kill, steal and destroy.  All of those carnal things will eventually leave you tired and frustrated.  If we want real life and peace, we have to discipline ourselves to think spiritually.


As you do this, please share your victories with me!  It will bless me as well as other readers.

This post is linked to the Homestead Revival Barn Hop.

Whole Wheat & Oat Strawberry Muffins

I really enjoy strawberry season.  It always starts with ten or twenty strawberries  - just enough to make you wonder if you are going to have a fruitful season.  Then, all of a sudden, you are picking several quarts a day.  For some reason, ours are especially delicious this year.  They are super sweet and juicy and we just cannot get enough of them!


I am always looking for new ways to use strawberries.  Last year, I was really pregnant and not feeling to creative so I made jam and froze several gallons worth for smoothies and baby food.  This year, I was determined to try something new.  When asking Anthony what he wanted in his lunches this week, he randomly requested blueberry muffins.  Knowing that blueberries are like $4 a pint right now, I thought replacing them with our strawberries would be a good idea.


It was difficult finding a muffin recipe that did not use any white flour and lots of sugar so I set out to create my own.  They turned out light and moist and perfectly sweet.  Whether you have an abundance of strawberries or not, I would encourage you to try making these muffins.  You will be glad you did!

Whole Wheat & Oat Strawberry Muffins
makes 24 muffins


2 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups oat flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/3 cup raw sugar
2 cups sliced strawberries
2 eggs
1 cup 1% milk
1 cup reduced fat buttermilk
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla


Preheat oven to 425 degrees.


Mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl.  Add the sliced strawberries and stir to coat them all.  (This prevents them from sinking to the bottom during baking.  A tip passed down from my Mom.)


In a small bowl, lightly beat the eggs and add the rest of the wet ingredients.  Mix well.


Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix just until combined.


Pour the batter into prepared muffin pans using a 1/4 cup measure.


Bake for 15-18 minutes or until cooked through.


They are best enjoyed warm with a hot or iced coffee.  You can also freeze them for later, which I did for Anthony's lunches.

Lettuce Bed Issues

I have a problem growing lettuce.  I go online for help and everyone begins their instructions with, "Lettuce is one of the easiest vegetables to grow."  Sigh.  For some reason, I never seem to get it right.  My theory is that I always plant the seeds to deep.  So every time I till the ungerminated seeds up from the previous planting and start again, I go a little bit more shallow.  And the process repeats itself over and over.  I just keep on trying because I have this dream of going out our back door to clip fresh greens so that I can make a FRESH and delicious salad.  It is something I have never done before.  As exciting as it sounded, I was about to give up.

But then my good friend and neighbor, Sarah, came to my rescue with some inspiration.  She brought some (FREE) lettuce plants to me when she delivered the tomato and pepper plants that I bought from her brother's greenhouse.  I highly recommend him, by he way.  All his plants are grown organically, however, he is not a certified organic grower so his prices are extremely reasonable.  He also offers all the different varieties I wanted to try this year - and even ones I had never heard of.  You can order them online at his website and have them delivered right to your front door.  Can't beat it!  I cannot wait until Anthony gives me the go ahead to start landscaping around the patio.  He offers beautiful flowers so I already have all my perennials picked out, too.

The lettuce plants looked so beautiful after I planted them.  It gave me one last push to try again with a lettuce bed.  I thought about all the issues I had before.

I always plant the seeds too deep.

 

As things start coming up, I can never tell if they are weeds or seedlings.

I never know if I should thin them out or not.

So with all these things in mind, I brainstormed for awhile.  I came up with something a little different.  I took the space I was previously using for long, vertical rows and cut it in half.  I created six small mounds of dirt that go horizontally so they are shorter and more manageable.  On the top of each mound, I created VERY shallow dimples in the soil with my fingertip according to the spacing specified on each seed packet.  I carefully placed each seed in the dimple and just tossed a little bit of soil on top of them.  I saved the other half of the bed for a second planting that I will do in about three or four weeks.

The result is a very clean and interesting looking lettuce bed.  I have no idea if the greens will actually grow this time but I am hopeful.  Since I know the seeds are planted directly on top of each mound, it should help with the weed vs. seedling mystery problem.  I am also going to do some more research and You Tube video watching to determine if I need to thin each variety that I planted.

The only problem I really foresee is drainage.  Since the seeds are on top of a mound, there is a chance that the water will drain away from them too quickly.  So, I need to make sure they stay well watered.

I will keep you updated on its progress!  Anyone else have any tips for growing lettuce?

Another Child on the Way - January 2013

Last week, Anthony and I discovered that we are expecting our second child!  As difficult as it was to keep it a secret, we waited until Mother's day to tell our family.  To make the announcement, we framed this picture of our son, Joshua, and gave it to our mothers as their gift.

Just as I suspected, my Mom had to put her glasses on to be able to read his shirt.  Once she did, she gasped with excitement and the rest of the family in the room figured it out from there.  My mother in law stared at the picture for about 15 seconds before gasping and smiling.  It took a few more seconds for the rest of his family to catch on.  Their reactions were perfect and we feel so blessed to be able to share this joy with our family and friends.

 I have always wanted our children to be close in age.  My sister is one of my best friends and we are only 16 months apart.  I wanted Joshua to have the opportunity to have that kind of relationship with a little brother or sister, too.  Anthony is five years older than his brother and eight years older than his sister.  So he is a bit skeptical of how all this will work.  But by the grace of God that is fresh and new each day, we will be successful parents.  


Just as we did with Joshua, we believe this precious child is also covered by God's promises of protection and provision.  We are so honored that God trusts us to bring it up in the way it should go.  What a joy it will be to watch this new life fulfill God's plan.  We are just thrilled!

Homestead Update - May 14th

Lots of work has been done on ye ole Sharp Homestead in the last several weeks.  I thought I would give you a quick tour to see all the changes that are taking place.

After lunch on Mother's Day, the three of us went over to Grandma Sharp's house.  This woman amazes me.  She is in her 80's and still maintains a huge garden without the use of power equipment.  Her property is truly a site to behold and I am inspired as soon as I can see her driveway.  She generously offered us rhubarb, Jerusalem artichokes and sour cherry tree seedlings during our visit.  I did not hesitate and even though they were not in my original garden plan, I made room!  They still look a bit sad from the stress of the transplant, but they will perk up within a few weeks once they get used to their new surroundings.

Rhubarb

Jerusalem Artichokes

Sour Cherry Seedling

Our strawberries are producing several quarts a day!  I am at the jam and freezing point with the quantities we have been harvesting.  What a blessing!

The large vegetable garden has been tilled, raked, mulched and planted (for the most part).  So far, the straw is keeping the weeds out of our walkways.  There are some coming up in the planting beds but I am going to wait on pulling them until I am certain they are not seedlings.  The only plants I can identify so far are beans, peas, sunflowers and radishes.  The rest are a total mystery for a few more weeks!

Anthony brought home several pallets from the burn pile at his work and has been busy putting them to good use.  He made a beautiful grill table for the patio and also this window box for the shed.  Then, he broke the rest of them down and made piles of planks that we plan to use soon for compost bins.  You cannot beat free lumber!

My mother-in-law, Diane, gave me this beautiful flower arrangement for Mother's Day.  It looks so beautiful on our patio table.  The table and chairs were given to us by my parents.  A good cleaning and they were all ready for the season!

Over in the raised beds, the first planting of radishes is about ten days away from harvesting.  The second planting is coming in nicely, too.  I have never grown them before and am so looking forward to slicing them up on some delicious salads next week!

Three week old Radishes

One week old Radishes

The Brussels Sprouts are getting taller and thicker.  I am still hoping for a good harvest from these plants even though I planted them a bit late in the season.

I am getting the most use out of our herb beds.  I ended up transplanting the tomatoes and peppers to the large garden.  This opened up more space for basil, which I use almost everyday.  It is one of my favorites!

The beans are getting a little bigger everyday!

Over in our Berry Grove, the blackberries, raspberries and Belleville wineberries are blooming nicely.  We also have lots of wild blackberries that grow along the edge of our woods.  I plan on picking them this year, too, and getting them in the freezer.

Last year, we noticed a mulberry tree in our woods.  I did not check on it often enough so the birds beat me to the harvest.  This year, I am determined to stay on top of this tree to make sure we get to enjoy those berries! 

I so enjoy walking around our little property and taking these pictures to see the progress.  Sometimes, when you look at something everyday it seems to be progressing so slowly.  So it is a blessing to be able to look back from week to week and see how things are changing.

How is your homestead looking?

Spring Vegetable & Quinoa Sushi

I have been wanting to challenge myself to make sushi for some time now but seeing a recipe over at My New Roots gave me the push I needed to buy a sushi mat and get to work. 

I read and reread her instructions.  I watched a few You Tube videos.  I tried remembering the techniques I have seen sushi chefs use throughout the years of going to restaurants.  Armed with all this knowledge, I prepared to make the most beautiful sushi roll I had ever laid my eyes on.  Instead, I managed to barely get everything rolled up enough to stay together.  Barely.

The good thing was that it tasted just like something I had paid a fortune for in a restaurant.  So, please forgive me for the way these look.  Trust me, I tried my best.  I think this technique is only mastered through practice.  And since this is so delicious, I plan to do a lot of that!

Feel free to experiment with your favorite veggies inside the rolls.  The radishes gave it a nice crunch and a peppery bite.  The spinach adds tons of nutrients and the avocado brought that velvety creaminess to the roll.  The quiona is much more filling than brown rice since it lends a big protein punch.  Genius!

Enjoy!

Spring Vegetable & Quinoa Sushi Rolls

serves 2

inspired by My New Roots

Tezu

2 tablespoons brown rice vinegar

1 tablespoon water

1 teaspoon honey

1/2 teaspoon salt

Quinoa

1 1/2 cups uncooked quinoa

3 cups water

Sushi Rolls

4 sheets nori

various fillings - radishes, carrots, asparagus, avocado, sesame seeds, wasabi, pickled ginger, etc.

If time allows, soak the quinoa in a bowl of water for up to eight hours.  Drain, rinse and place in a saucepan with 3 cups of water.  Bring to a boil and cover.  Reduce to a simmer and allow the quinoa to cook for 15 or 20 minutes.  Do not remove the lid during this time.

Put the uncooked quinoa in a bowl and allow to cool.  Pour the tezu over the cooled quinoa and mix well to coat.  Taste and add sauce if needed.

Place the nori on a sushi mat shiny side down.  Wet your fingers with water and put a generous portion of the quinoa on the nori.  Spread around so the entire nori sheet is covered with quinoa.  Arrange your fillings in the center of the nori, being careful not to over stuff. 

At this point, it all went pretty South for me.  (Ahhh!)  Please look up some You Tube videos and watch the experts or follow the link to the recipe that inspired me for her instructions.  They are good, too!