Author: admin

Of Cars and Colors

Posted on by admin

This past Sunday Pastor Leon preached an awesome message on prayer that has kept my mind rolling this week.  Not only the conditions for true prayer ~ a clean and pure heart ~ but simply realizing that God does answer some of the prayers that seem silly or  fulfills the desires of our heart that we may not have even specifically prayed about. It is so important to store those special answers away in a “faith chest” in our heart of hearts to remind us of God and His faithfulness when times of struggle and not understanding Him face us.
I was reminded of the way God specifically answers prayers in many ways already this week and thought some of them were to good not to share.
Lowell has been needing another truck as his is getting pretty rusty and because of its age is requiring more and more work.  He has been browsing trucks on Ebay for probably close to a year and finally found one that is pretty much exactly what he wanted.  Not only is it 4 door, it has big mirrors perfect for pulling the camper, and it has a bigger motor (mundane details to me right?!) But the clincher to me was the color.  Lowell has always liked white and guess what color the “new” truck is?! WHITE!  Now I am not saying he sat there and specifically told God about each of these details but he did mention them frequently to me so (I like to think) God having over heard them worked it all out and even threw in a great price as part of the deal.

I don’t have a good picture of the truck yet but I was having fun with the camera and its night settings 😉

With the neat answers to prayer I have been conscious of this week I had to think back to one of my first distinct memories where I grasped the fact that God simply likes to bless us with the desires of our hearts.  I was 18 and in the market for my first car.  I happened to be in love with the color burgandy and remember specifically kneeling by my bed and earnestly asking God to help me find the right car. At the end of the prayer I remember almost feeling embarrassed as I added this line “and God, if you wouldn’t mind, could you possibly have the car be burgandy?”  I lay down and went to sleep with a sense of excitement and just knew God was going to take care of it all.  I don’t remember how long it took but one day we found THE car in the local paper and I excitedly made the call.  Not only was it perfect, it was from someone I knew in a round about way who happened to be local youth pastors and who understood my great excitement when at the end of the conversation I hesitantly asked what color it was.  The man paused and said “well it’s kind of reddish, burgandy I would call it”  That sealed the deal and the car was mine indeed.
My faithful first and very burgandy car!


In the old testament after the children of Israel won a war with the dreaded Philistines Samuel took a giant rock and set it out for all to see and called it the Rock Ebenezer meaning the rock of help, because they had prayed earnestly to God for his help and He had indeed rescued them in a very difficult time.
It is my hope that my children will grow to come to faith in this amazing God and that they will always know and acknowledge how capable He is of answering the prayers of our hearts, even the ones that are beyond the necessary and that our family’s Rock Ebenezers will remain strong reminders for future generations of Millers.
God is so good to honor the small details of our lives! I don’t always understand his way of answering or his timing and why simple things like the colors of a car are honored while those around us struggle with big mountains like chemo and cancer and 2nd open heart surgeries but I know He is good and has the best interest of all of us close to HIS heart. 

Super Delicious (& Healthy) Honey Applesauce Bars

Posted on by admin

I came across an absolutely amazing-to-good-to-keep-to-myself recipe today.  I was on a search for a way to utilize my freshly ground whole wheat and also use honey as I am completely out of sugar right now.
Years ago my mom gave me the cookbook, Cooking with Wisdom, which I have to admit I rarely use as it is almost to “healthy” oriented for my personal tastes (I love chocolate–carob doesn’t cut it!)

However the recipe for Applesauce cookies stuck out to me as one that might be ok, did some revisions, added frosting and WOWZA!  It was a huge hit with the kidos and blew my diet for the day too!

Here is the recipe:

  • 1c honey
  • 1/2 c butter
  • Blend well then add:
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 c unsweetened applesauce
  • Sift together and add:
  • 2 1/2 c freshly ground whole wheat (I used soft white wheat berries that are excellent for pastries)
  • 1/2 t salt
  • 1 t bkg soda
  • 1/2 t bkg pwd
  • 1 t cinnamon
  • 1 t vanilla
  • Mix well and pour into jelly roll pan (12 x 15) and bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.
  • cool and frost with:
  • 1 – 8 oz cream cheese ( I used Nancy’s organics with probiotics)
  • 1/2 c butter
  • 2-3 c pwd sugar (dependent on how thick you like your frosting)
Yum Yum and more Yum! 
Grab a glass of milk (which ever you prefer-some of mine had almond and some had regular ole cow’s milk) & ENJOY!

A Tribute to my Siblings

Posted on by admin
When my parents first married, the doctor told my mother she would not be able to get pregnant.  Much to their delight, the doctor was wrong and I was born 1 month after their first anniversary.
Two years later my sister Janice was born and then came our only brother, Steven and finally my baby sister Rhoda who made her appearance when I was just a month shy of my 12th birthday.
Yup, I’ll probably get in big trouble for this one 😉
Janice and I were inseparable doing pretty much everything together.  We shared a room and pretty much everything else till I went off to Rosedale Bible College after I graduated from High school.
Most all of my memories have some connection to something I did with her from music we snuck around and listened to, to being on the basketball team, to favorite foods we shared (she can make a mean Mississippi Mud cake).  We sang together, me singing alto or lead and playing my guitar and her harmonizing with her beautiful high tenor. Of course we had our fights like all siblings do, especially since we were close in age.  (One not so lucky Raggedy Andy lost his leg in one of those spats).
She probably wasn’t more then 7 when I remember her declaring she was going to grow up and live in the city which she indeed did.  She is a successful woman in the corporate world.  I couldn’t be prouder of who she has become.  She is the official family peacemaker and keeps us all grounded with her wit and wisdom.
I wasn’t to sure about Steven when he joined our family soon after my 5th birthday.  Up until that point, Janice and I each had 1 parent “to ourselves” and I was firmly planted in my role of daddy’s girl. 
 Soon tho legos and lincoln logs and all things boy became a pleasant part of daily life and I grew quite fond of that little brother. 
who can resist such a cutie?
I wasn’t to happy about his love of squirrel hunting and the fact that we had to at least taste the gravy mom prepared with his prize catch however it was obviously part of preparation for being a hunter’s wife.  
He got us in trouble too with his precious “Sheila pickles”, mom’s homemade dills which Janice and I despised and didn’t have to eat till we decided to pepper the jar with specks of tolit paper in hopes of making them un-edible.  He tattled and that night Janice & I ate pickles (ugggh!)
We are very different, Steven & I, but he is balance and grounding, bringing common sense to our very estrogen dominated family.  He taught himself to play guitar and has one of the most beautiful voices I have ever heard.  As adults now, I am honored to also have him as a friend.
Rhoda was a pleasant surprise and welcome addition to our family.  She came along 6 years after Steven and it was such fun to have a baby in the house.  I left home when she was 4 so I missed a lot of her growing up.  Strangely my oldest, Kali  is much as I remember Rhoda.  And like mothers for generations past I am constantly slipping up and calling Kali by Rhoda’s name.
no mistaking this is my family…I have actually had the fleeting thought “this is Kali” 
  Being so far apart in age had us on different pages until she got married and we shared the fun of pregnancy together.  Our babies were born 5 weeks apart.  Talk about bonding.
 Yes, I was large as a whale and she trim, fit and glowing.  

She is a vivacious, talented, full of life and is a great  mama to my 2 precious nephews.She also happens to be one of my dearest friends.  

This spring when  mom was ill, our bond as siblings grew deeper and more concrete then I imagined possible.  Certain of them may kill me for posting about them on a public blog but hey they are my family and one of the biggest blessings in my life.  What’s not to share about that?!
My brother’s old convertible

Steven’s beautiful, amazing photographer, girlfriend, Evonda recently captured some very special shots of the 4 of us together. 
Trying to get the brother to smile is nearly impossible
Goofwad!
Goofwad 2!
Are we done yet?


The old adage is true, We can pick our friends but God gifts us with family.  
I happen to have given birth to 4 children who in many ways remind me of my siblings and I. I have the same 3 girls and 1 boy.  I have the ornery ones and the grounded ones, the sweet ones and the bossy.  I hope they are as blessed as I am in their sibling relationships and their bonds will only deepen as the years pass. After all siblings are one of the little things that make daily life more special! 

“Old Sauce”

Posted on by admin

Our garden is brimming with beautiful tomatoes, sadly something my current food plan does not include.  I have been finding other yummies to add to sandwiches and salads but decided I was going to take the lazy quick route and just do my canning all in chunk tomatoes which I reasoned could be opened and made into quick pizza sauce as needed thus avoiding all the bulk cooking, actually canning the stuff AND would help ease the reminder that tomatoes are on my no-no list.  Well my plan backfired big time when I made up some of that quick sauce the other night for  family pizza night.  My 6 year old suspiciously eyed the stuff and asked “Isn’t this your old sauce?” and from that point managed to spoil the rest of the meal with constant remarks about how yuck it was and how he wanted the “old sauce”.  Finally in exasperation I turned to my husband who was cheerfully but not very speedily eating his piece of pizza and asked him if it was as awful as son made it out to be (remember I can’t even taste it).  He paused (wise man 😉 and then kindly said, “well it IS kind of bland”. Big lesson for mama–apparently to have the edible “old sauce” one must simmer it–DUH!
So today was dubbed tomato day.  My entire deck table was full of large tomatoes.  I dutifully gathered my ingredients and set out to cook up some love for my son who has apparently become quite the foodie with very precise tastes!

Sink full!

lots of yummy including the last of my frozen peppers as we are eating the fresh to fast to save up for this!

lots of hubby’s famous Candy onions

basil & oregano

and of course, my trusty Vitamix!

I simply cut the tops and bad spots off and whir away–less waste and less time!

I let it set for a bit then skim the foam off the top–easy peasey!

Somehow I missed this old wives fable tip–simply running cold water in your sink while peeling/chopping onions makes so you don’t cry while working with even the stoutest onions!  Who knew?  It really worked tho I felt kind of silly wasting all that water.

trusty buddy again..chopping onions this time!  I do that with my peppers too.  God is so creative with color!

My helper whose reward will be “old sauce”

My big girl getting the cans ready for recycle

Sauce…

and more sauce!  Spagetti anyone?

I have to keep a tally sheet to remember how many pitchers of juice I put in the pot!

And now for the recipe:

  • 2 qts tomatoes blended in Vitamix
  • 3 onions
  • 4 peppers
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 3 T olive oil
  • 3 T butter
  • 2 c tomato paste
  • 1 t salt
  • 1/4 t pepper
  • 1 t oregano
  • 1 t basil
I simply blend the tomatoes, then puree the onions, peppers and garlic in the Vitamix and add to the tomatoes.  Add spices, oils (can use all butter or all olive oil) and paste.  Simmer until desired thickness-about 2 hours.  ENJOY!
After 40 + quarts we had to sample it at supper time and it got the official passing grade from my dear son who emphatically said “Mom this is soooo good!  It IS your old sauce.”
Yup that makes it all worth it ~ It’s the little things












Aunt Dini

Posted on by admin

When I married into the Miller family, I was blessed to gain a precious gem of an aunt, Odena.  Single, spunky and very independent, “Dini” as she was dubbed by the older grandchildren is the only sibling of Lowell’s dad and always lavishly spoiled Lowell and his 2 brothers, Merlin & Keith and seemingly decided to carry on that tradition with their wives and great nieces and nephews.  Her spoiling usually includes food whether it’s her famous Christmas caramels, smarties in her purse, making freezer pickles for Lowell & mustard pickles for Keith or keeping the milk house supplied with a large pan of cookies or bars.  (And did I mention she still helps with the milking?)   She is also big on birthdays and always gives cards that are more then just birthday cards from a box.  I have often been touched at how mine usually always says “to my niece”.  

Before I really got to know her, I thought her to be gruff and a bit rough around the edges but my how my opinion of her has changed.  She is kind, has a huge heart and would give the shirt off her back to help someone!  Over the last years as my children have gotten older and mostly potty trained,  she began coming over to babysit when I needed someone.  She gets downright huffy with me if I don’t ask her to come each week and keeps track of exactly how long it has been since she was here.  Plus the children love her to pieces and can’t wait to see her again.  She pretty much lets them get away with murder but hey, she is the most reliable, available 83 year old I have ever met and she takes good care of my precious ones.
Today she showed up with cabbage from her garden, 2 big stout heads ( sauer kraut coming up~yum!).  The children were bringing in abundant harvest from the garden and something was mentioned about the fact that we were doing apples today.  Right away spoke up and informed me she would be staying to help me.  I stammered around, secretly relieved but feeling overwhelmed at her leaving her work to come do mine.  She insisted.  So she stayed.  Not only are my 2 bushels of apples done, I have 17 pints of her old recipe (garlic sweet dill) pickles all finished and waiting to come out of the canner. 
Going home with her cane and her basket
I never cease to be amazed at how God sends us just what we need right when we need it.  Today He sent a dear cabbage-bearing-Dini to make my load lighter and my day just a bit brighter!   I am so blessed!

Vitamix Applesauce

Posted on by admin

Here I am about to do another shameless commercial for a most favorite kitchen appliance of all time ~ my Vitamix!
My family was not typical Mennonite in the eating applesauce department until….I discovered the smooth  delicious applesauce quickly produced in my trusty Vitamix!
 My Grandpa Wagler was the one who introduced our family to the Vitamix many years ago.  My sister Rhoda and I used to love throwing a bit of this and a little of that in and seeing what kind of delicious smoothies we could concoct (not one we produced ever tasted like before)   A few years ago my parents upgraded and I was the lucky keeper of their old one which happened to be kind of stuck in one speed but hey, beggars can’t be choosers and I loved that machine.  So quick a way to have freshly ground flax seeds or yummy smoothies which are actually totally smooth!  Then for one of my recent birthdays my parents got me one of my very own in my most favorite color ~ red!  I have done so many things with it that are pure deliciousness and my kids actually love most all of the things we make.  It sure helps to have a huge cookbook that came with it that has recipes in it for anything from juice to ice coffees to alfredo sauce and of course my favorite smoothies. I have had many friends try to save money and buy the cheaper blenders but often come around and buy the real deal saying they wish they had gone there in the first place.
Anyhow back to my applesauce.  I was doing some research about the healthiest way to keep whole food the most nutritious and came across many articles stating that freezing was better then canning (I always canned my sauce)  and how boiling our food basically boils out the nutrients.  I experimented a bit and figured out that simply cutting the apples in half, leaving the skins in tact and removing the seeds and stems worked perfectly for preserving nutrition.

I then take the apples and add just enough water on the bottom of my pan to make sure they don’t scorch and have something to produce a little steam but not saturate them with water and cook them till the apples are just hot making sure not to get them to boiling temperature.
Here is where my Vitamix comes in!  I simply fill the pitcher with the hot apples, follow the general directions for speed and in less then a minute have a pitcher full of warm yummyness!
I love experimenting with different kinds of apples.  This week we were blessed with 3 bushels of Yellow Transparent which are a more tart apple.  I added about 3 or 4 cups of raw evaporated cane sugar to my whole big bowl full (I think it is a 32 or 40 cup bowl) and my kidos couldn’t stop eating it.  I love using Red and Yellow Delicious as I don’t have to use any sugar then and we love the smooth sweetness present in the apples themselves.  It’s also fun to use a combination of different apples.  The possibilities are endless!
I have served it many times when we have had guests and they almost always comment on how silky and smooth the consistency is.  We are also now keeping up with the Mennonite applesauce trends and filling our tummies with healthful goodness in the process.  

Love and Marriage

Posted on by admin

I am happily married (most of the time).  There are those days when I wonder what in the world I was thinking marrying this thru and thru Iowan who lived in the same house, attended the same church, shopped in the same town and had the same friends his whole entire life.  My life on the other hand was lived on a much, shall we say, broader scope.  LOL!  I can’t count on 2 hands how many houses I have lived in but with my personality that was just fine–I mean who wouldn’t love the adventure of having a new room and more new friends every few years?
If you would have told me 20 years ago how much work went into the institution of marriage I would have looked at you with my star gazer glasses on and said “O but when you find your soul mate..” and “who ever fights?  about money of all things?”   Yeah I was young and thought I knew all about it…
 I really can’t imagine life with out my soul mate who IS the man of my dreams.  I can’t tell you how long I prayed he would ask me out and then FINALLY he did!  After a whirlwind courtship we set off together with a whole truckload of ideals and a teeny tiny amount of “know how”.  We spent time in a third world country, faced infertility, experienced humiliating loss, endured a painful ugly period of separation and somewhere along the way gave birth to 4 precious miracles who have changed our selfish lifestyles profoundly.  We are far from perfect (I often get in trouble for somehow portraying that?) but we have a history and by the grace of God will continue weaving our own legacy for our our children.  There are still lots of things I wish I could change about him but hey it’s a 2 way street and I know I am not perfect! We are total opposites and both of us are firstborns (scary really!) but hey our life is never dull that’s for sure!  And while our romance may not be scripted like the movies (yeah we always end up at Walmart and/or Hyvee on our rare date nights) it’s perfect for me and a special blessing and gift from the Creator of love and marriage Himself!
The reality of the work that goes into every great marriage is enough to scare the most lovely, very brave souls away from taking the plunge and sadly is being played out in the decline of marriage even in the church today. A beautiful young friend recently made the comment to me that she doesn’t desire to burden herself with marriage as every marriage she sees around her is failing and miserable.  How sad and how often true? Marriage IS hard and we as the church are not making it any easier.  What would happen if instead of gossiping about every detail of something suddenly made public like a divorce or separation, we took those moments and lifted the couple in the spot light to God’s throne?  What if we tried to imagine life in their shoes and it scared us enough to keep our mouths shut and our knees worn?  As I ramble away here my heart is heavy for those around me who are in the depths of distress and despair in their marriages.  Being honest about pain is hard and opens us up to other people and their reactions and judgements of our circumstances. What would happen if we put aside judgement and were more open with each other and could step along side each other saying “we struggle too”?
Because our personal history includes marriage issues that became public I feel the pain of others in sad marriages in deeper ways then I ever imagined.  God has a way of making good things, learning and wisdom come out of our deepest pain.  I do believe he is calling those of us who are married to mirror his love to each other through our marriages thus affecting the negative viewpoints of marriage in general and establishing a more caring environment in our church families and our world around us where those who are hurting can be honest with out receiving judgement! After all marriage is a gift to be nurtured, treasured and enjoyed to the fullest!

                                                          My Love & I

A Heritage of Reading

Posted on by admin

I come from a long line of folks who love to read.  Many of the my Mama’s family, the Waglers have libraries full of every sort of book.  Many of them probably come from auctions or the Goodwill store or are gifts and some were handed down from the generation before. My mom has a small room built especially for her books.  It is packed full to overflowing just like the library shelves in my Uncle Jesse and Uncle Titus’s house and many of the other uncles and aunts too I am sure.
As a youngster I used to love the long awaited summer trips out to the far land of Iowa visiting family and living life Amish, something my sister Janice and I sincerely planned to do when we were FINALLY  8 & 10.  (Glad we got deterred from that one, that’s a story for another day)   But, probably one of the biggest highlights of the trip was spending hours in Grandpa’s bookstore, Brookside Books, a messy little metal building that had books stashed in every possible space.  Since my parents were shunned, their money was not accepted so we always made out like book bandits with the stash we went home with each summer visit tho I am sure us being the grandchildren they only saw once every 2 years or so made a small difference in that arrangement also.  Once Grandpa actually did let my sister pay ten cents for one of the whole sets of Janette Oke books.  Many of the books I treasure are from those days and still sit on prominent places in my bookshelf.  Some of them Grandma actually wrote our names in.  Those are the extra special ones!
I don’t remember my Dad’s family, the Marners being readers like mama’s but Dad definitely stepped up to bat on the reading thing.  As long as I can remember Sunday afternoons were spent with us kids sprawled out all over the living room and Dad sitting there reading to us until he nodded off.  We never wanted him to quit and always begged him to continue.  I don’t have any idea how many times we read the Laura Ingles’ “Little House on the Prairie” series or the Mother Westwind  animal series about Jimmy Skunk and his friends or many of the other goldie oldies I have big plans to read with my own children.  Somewhere along the line we read Wilson Rawls’ “Summer of the Monkeys” which is still one of my favorites today.  Mom often read to us too.  I can still hear the exact way her tones changed as she read Farmer Brown…”said Farmer Brown, Tra la, Tra le.  Today’s my birthday, lucky me…”
Those are the days I long for, when books magically transported us away to Avonlea and down into the hollar with Jayberry spying for monkeys or staying warm in the cold sod house with Laura and Mary.  Technology has changed how children are raised now.  Books are often considered boring and set on shelves collecting dust.  Tvs, Ipads and cell phones have robbed us of precious moments bonding while reading stories together.  I am guilty.  How sad!
My children do have books,  many books! My hubby didn’t always understand why I have the unquenchable thirst to buy every old book I see or why the children would need another book for every birthday or holiday or why one would need to fill 5 bookshelves with books of all things, but he is learning. Now he even says someday he will build me a room for my books.  I am looking forward to that.  Meanwhile I stash books everywhere in hopes that my children will get a sweet taste of the world outside our box experienced simply by picking up a book and gazing at the pages.  I am trying to be more intentional about putting aside what I am doing and reading to them when they ask.  Some days when I inwardly groan and moan about how many times I already read the same old story over and over like small children happen to prefer and all I really want to do is just move along to another subject and read something else, it’s then I remember how many memories are forming in their minds and how maybe someday they will look back and remember my exact tone when I read them the Hungry Caterpillar or Green Eggs and Ham and hopefully the legacy I leave will carry on with the gift I have experienced ~ a heritage of stories, reading and a lifetime of love.  I’m telling you..It’s the little things.

The other evening Abby was getting tired and was begging for her favorite story which currently is “the Hungry Caterpillar”.  She finally took matters into her own hands and began “reading” by herself.  My apologies to those of you who watched this already, but hey it’s too cute to not share with the world right?!

Sunday Morning Traditions

Posted on by admin

Like I previously stated I love food.  Breakfast is one of my most anticipated meals of the day just a step ahead of dinner and supper.  I lay awake at night dreaming of what I will create in a few hours.  Sunday mornings are a favorite breakfast for us all!  With all the hectic that goes along with getting 4 little ones ready for church, figuring out lunch plans and making sure I am presentable, I decided a long time ago I needed a regular habitual breakfast to ensure the morning moves along according to schedule.  A lot of tweaking later we have a must have favorite that the kidos beg for during the week but know with the exception of special days like birthdays this will only grace our table on Sunday ~ Baked Oatmeal!  We love ours loaded with chocolate chips (yeah, probably not the healthiest but at least most of the rest of the recipe is very healthy not to mention delish! and chocolate is a bean right?! ) I actually love to sprinkle mine with any variety of fresh fruit- blueberries, strawberries, bananas.  Here is the recipe.

Mama’s Baked Oatmeal
  • 2 eggs beaten
  • 1/2 c oil (I prefer coconut or olive oil)
  • 1c milk (have tried pretty much every kind and it is all good!-cows, goats, almond, rice, coconut)
  • 1 c honey (I love using half maple syrup)
  • 2 t salt
  • 2 t bkg pwd
  • 1 T ground flax
  • 3  1/2 c oatmeal
  • sprinkle of cinnamon
  • toppings can be eaten on top or baked into
Bake at 350 for 20-30 min or until nicely browned and set.
Serve hot with cold milk and toppings
All ready to bake ~ Yum coming up!


I wish one could post smells

Now as I already stated personal health issues have put my eating habits on a different path.  I have started a program with my doctor where I am grain and dairy free at least for now.  I can not tell you how much better I already feel! But that’s a story for another day.  I am learning about Paleo eating and how it isn’t totally as weird/gross as I had pictured.  Yes I love grains, especially my own freshly ground wheat but for now I am a student of learning about how I can create delicious in the realm of things currently in my food plan.  I was craving waffles.  My doctor challenged me to come up with my own nut flour based ones. My first thought was CAPITAL yuck!,  that he hadn’t a clue what he was talking about,  but figured it was worth a try.  After combing the internet for recipe ideas,  I took a few I thought sounded decent and put them together and wowza I actually have something great to look forward to my self!  I posted one of my versions on Facebook earlier this week. Here is my latest version–mama’s new Sunday morning tradition!
My Favorite
Almond Flour Waffles
  • 1c almond meal
  • 1/2 t bkg. pwd
  • 1/2 t cinnamon
  • 1/4 t salt
  • 2 T ground flax
  • 1 t vanilla
  • 2 T coconut oil
  • 3 eggs separated
  • 1/8 – 1/4 c coconut or almond milk
Mix all ingredients together except the eggs whites.  Beat whites till stiff then add.  Add enough of the milk to make a nice consistency.  Bake in hot waffle iron making sure to grease before each one.  These seem to bake quicker then regular ones so watch them carefully making sure not to over do.
This morning I had 1/2 a banana and maple syrup from my favorite Midwestern farm, Glenna Farms on top of my yummy
Another plus is stepping on the scale for my weigh in and being able to celebrate officially losing 10 lbs!
I’m telling you…It’s the little things.

New Beginnings..Facing the Battle of the Bulge

Posted on by admin
I have to admit I have always been secretly jealous of the folks around me who can sit down and eat a box of ice cream, half a pizza or a bag of Hershey’s kisses and not gain an ounce.  GRRRRR right?!
 Recently it was made extremely clear to me once again that the little choices are what keeps me in the constant battle of the bulge.  I am addicted to food! There I said it.  I love food and everything about food hence the constant battle. It has been said that there are 2 types of people, those who eat to live and those who live to eat.  I have pretty much lived in the latter group, however with crazy life events and their effects on my life in many ways,  I am realizing that the other “group” is where I really need to be and my small daily choices either empower me to go there or do the exact opposite, keeping me in constant battle.
I love to write–it soothes my soul and gives me an outlet to the thoughts that tumble their way around my brain. This blog is in fact a part of a new beginning for me.  Not only am I working on healthier life choices in many ways not just limited to food, I am working on capturing in my memory the little moments that make each day a new beginning and hopefully encouraging and motivating my family and friends to do the same.
Some days I may rant about some new recipe I tried that is yummy and mostly healthy too or you may find me jumping up and down about having met a weight loss goal (I am right at 10 lbs down in my quest of 50 down) or it may just be something one of my precious ones did or said.  I have also always been big on watching for God moments, and wow has He been working overtime for our family lately!  
For those of you who know me, you know how I tend to be wordy.  I am going to attempt to keep this short and sweet and to the point.  You are welcome to tag along at any point in time.