Influence

Have you ever been amazed at how one drop of dish soap can disperse an entire sink full of oil? How just one tiny spark can ignite a raging and unforgiving forest fire? Or how one small stone thrown into a still body of water can cause a vast ripple effect?

Even the smallest most subtle interruptions can have enormous effects on their surroundings. Just like these natural cause and effects we too can experience this in our spiritual lives. As belivers can have a profound influence on those around us by simply being that small drop or spark. We can affect our entire surroundings by simply living the difference that God has made in our lives. We are called to be those who share God’s love EVERYDAY to EVERYONE we come in contact with. I have heard that it takes 7 positive words to dispell one negative word spoken into the life of another individual. Maybe today is your day to speak LIFE into someone else.

May you spread the love of God in your sphere of influence today. May you not overlook the amazing power that comes from speaking simple and beautiful words of encouragement. Let’s make a difference that counts for eternity today, one life at a time!

Do your roots go down deep?

I was listening to my little Mercy, 2yrs old, singing these words over and over again this morning; “I wanna be unmoveable, unshakable, let my roots go down deep“…I think she learned them during worship at church, I’m not sure, but as I continued to listen to her sweet little voice I couldn’t help but think about a concept that my husband shared with me last week.

My husband said that there have been studies done on trees grown in “bubble environments” without the influence of any external stresses such as; wind, snow, rain, etc. The trees, in these controlled environments would grow tall, however once they got to be a certain height they would fall over or snap in half. Not because they are rotten but because they cannot handle the weight of their branches.

They learned from this study that there is an important correlation between the strength of these trees and the amount of external testing that they endure. The trees would break because they were not strengthen through the testing and trials of the winds or rain. Their roots were not strong nor did they go down deep because they were never tested or challenged. These trees are like people who never work out a single muscle in their body and then are asked to hold a 50 pound weight above their head! They can’t do it. Why? Because they are not strengthened for such a task.

This concept can relate to us in a spiritual sense as well, just like the words of my daughter, if we want to be “unmoveable and unshakeable” in our faith we need to let “our roots go down deep” and in order to have that happen we need to endure trails and testing in our lives! We need to allow the winds of change, hardship and persecution make us stronger so we can handle the growth that the Lord will bring when we are ready. We cannot live in “bubble environments” and expect to be strong Christians. Don’t despise hardships but rejoice in them, knowing that they make us stronger and more equipped to fulfill the call of God on our lives. We need to pray and ask God to challenge us so that our character and our faith can be strong.

May you be unmoveable and unshakable as your roots go down deep. May you endure the winds and rains of harship so that you will stand strong, ready to uphold the weight of His calling on your life!

Preparing for Christmas

Over the past month I have been working on preparing my home and heart to slow down and enjoy the days leading up to Christmas. Even though Christmas is still a month away I have been challenged to prepare early so that our family can really enjoy the season and prepare our hearts to focus on Jesus and the celebration of His LIFE! The Lord has been prompting me to remember Him in all seasons of life and as a result it has been fun to prepare ahead of time for Christmas.

I have decided this year that I am rebelling against the spirit of materialism and greed during this season. I am choosing not to be rushed, stressed, busy, or financially burdened. I prayed and asked the Lord to show me creative ways to bless the people in my life and He did! I purchased gifts that are truly meaningful and necessary for people rather than out of obligation…AND I have purchased them in advance. I am all done my Christmas shopping for this year! (I just need to print a few pictures for family gifts). I have never done anything like this before, usually I wait until much later and I find the whole shopping experience to be stressful and financially disorganized. Now that I am done so far in advance I feel really excited about everything that I bought and I am looking forward to blessing others with it.

I am hoping to start wrapping this weekend and then kick back and enjoy the month of December!  At this time last year we had just moved into our home so it was a bit chaotic but this year it’s going to be much different!

I love some of the special family traditions we share during this season. Our “tree” advent calander, Christmas baking, gingerbread houses, decorating the tree, making Jesus’s birthday cake, ice skating, watching “Home Alone” and “Elf”, listening to Rita McNeil (it’s a childhood memory that I still hold onto:). I love listening to Christmas music, it is so calming and reflective during this time. We actually just got an amazing NEW christmas CD put out by my brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Sean and Aimee Dayton, it’s called; A Living Room Christmas – it’s amazing and highly recommended. If you are interested check out their website at www.seandayton.com

I was thinking about starting some new traditions this year as well. I want to take time each week as a family and sit by the fire and remember all the blessings that we have had over the past year. I really want my children to get a picture of the importance and blessing of a Christ-centered life. I think as we begin to reflect together it will become evident that God has had His hand on our life throughout the past year. I would also like to start a large puzzle together and leave it set up on the dining room table so we can pick away at it over the holidays (We all LOVE puzzles). Once our children get older I think it would be fun to go out to a tree farm and get our own Christmas tree but for now we go to Home depot:) (They actually have beautiful and afforable trees).

My challenge to you this year is:

1. Plan your time wisely. Don’t let the hustle and bustle of the season steal the true joy that comes from slowing down and celebrating the birth of our Saviour. Sometimes you may need to say “no” to different events and invitations because they will steal your time.

2. Don’t let the spirit of materialism discourage you or burden you financially. Ask God to give you afforable ideas for gifts and He will show you ways to bless others. He is wise with finances:)

3. Make memories with your family. Bundle up and head outside for a walk, make snow angels, decorate your tree together, bake; whatever you do, do it TOGETHER!

4. Remember the greatest gift that God ever gave…His Son. Let you heart soak up the reality that you are worth SO much to God that He gave you His most valuable gift.

As you prepare for this holiday season may you experience the joy that comes from preparing your heart and your home so that you can recieve the greatest gift ever given – Jesus Christ!

French Toast Challah Muffins!

Wahoo I have a few minutes today to share this “to-die-for” muffin recipe with you while my kiddos are sleeping. This recipe was given to me by a friend who said it was a Sobey’s recipe. I have modified it a bit to suit what I had at the time and it turned out SO DELICIOUS!!! I had to share this recipe with you because these are absolutely amazing and I think all of you should at least try them! I called it French Toast Challah Muffins because that was the only kind of bread that I had but you can use any whole grain bread as well. I was able to make with with the leftover Challah bread I had last week! They taste amazing, took 5 minutes to prepare, AND my kiddos loved them!

French Toast Challah Muffins

3 eggs
1/2 cup of rice milk
1/3 cup of maple sugar
1 tsp of vanilla
1 tsp of cinammon
10 slices of multi-grain challah cubed
1 cup of frozen berries (we love blueberries)
2 tbsp of maple syrup

In a bowl add the first 5 ingredients.  Add bread and toss until egg is absorbed, then add berries.  Toss and divide into muffin tin (12 lrg) and drizzle with maple syrup.

Bake at 375F for 15-25 minutes.

Serve warm and add more maple syrup as desired!

Operation Organization!

For the past month or so I have been diligently organizing my home especially the kitchen, playroom and living room. I have been challenged to become more organized so that I do not waste time trying to get organized at difficult, high-stress times of the day. I have found that the more I organize my home the more efficient I am at making meals, cleaning up and planning ahead. I would like to include a disclaimer before you read this post. When I refer to organizing I am not talking about maintaining a perfect home by any means, homes are NOT meant to be perfect they are meant to be lived in, I am talking about how to keep your home organized so that you can enjoy living in it. There will be days when the inevitable happens and messes rage like a forest fire in our homes but  like forest fires they can be contained and taken care of when we act strategically! I hope some of these tips and tricks help you out to maintain a simple and peaceful home. My first tip is to buy a label maker and begin to label everything that can be labelled:)

The Kitchen

My kitchen is one place that I spend a lot of time and therefore it has been beneficial to spend a lot of time organizing my cupboards. I label my jars and organize my fridge so that I can access incredients and food products easily. I know where all the snacks are, I know how much of different food items we have and I can whip up meals quickly without trying to figure if I have the proper ingredients. This is especially important when my kids are hungry. I use glass jars as storage which allow you to see how much food is available so that if things are running out I can take a quick inventory and mark the necessary items on my grocery list. Glass jars are also good to keep food fresh and to avoid plastic leaching. I find that glass jars are great to store food in the fridge as well, they are space savers and because they are clear you can see what you are looking for.

The Playroom

Our playroom is the one room in our house that we are the hardest on. Toys, running, jumping, hockey, crafts, music, homeschooling, and various other activities take place in this room. It is so important for me to keep things in order here otherwise it can become a war zone very quickly:) Our rule is that crafts (playdough, crayons, markers) stay at the craft table and everything is always returned to its place right after we are done using it. When we are done school in the morning, all our books go back in the book shelf. If we do painting or stamps, the aftermess is cleaned up immediately after we are done to avoid future messes:)

I have organized all the toys in such a way that if I need to take a quick sweep through the playroom I can have everything in its rightful place within 5 minutes. Having bins that are labeled also make it easy for our children to put away their toys without needing direction or instruction on how to do so. I go through our playroom on a regular basis and purge any toys that are broken or unused. Playrooms can quickly and easily become junk rooms so to avoid this I go through it every month.

Living Room

This is the room that we spend the most time in as a family. It is also the room which is the most visible in our home. I have had many people comment on how clean my house looks when they walk in and how clutter free it is. I can honestly say I do not spend every waking moment cleaning, in fact, it is quite the opposite. I do have a TRICK though and I will share it with you. Are you ready? Here it is…..drumroll please…“I always clean up right after an event takes place”. Profound isn’t it?:) Whether it is crafts, toys, eating lunch, bathtime, reading books, puzzles, playing dress-up, whatever the activity if you always pick up right after you will never end up playing catch-up. For example when we wake up in the morning, first thing we do is make beds and get dressed that way there is no room for messes to start in the rooms. After the toys are played with in our living room, everything goes back into it respective drawer; puzzles in the puzzle drawer, books in the book drawer, etc. And with toys and kids activities THEY cleanup their own messes and I stand by to help them tidy up, I am NOT an advocate of cleaning up after your kids all the time, they need to learn!

When we come in the house from an outing, all shoes, bags, coats, are put away immediately before we move onto something else. When we eat, all the food, is taken out, consumed and cleaned up right away. The only thing that they are allowed to keep out are their water bottles which they can access at any point during the day. We also have distinct times when we eat; breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, bedtime snack. I quickly learned the importance of scheduling meals when I had children. If I let them, they would graze for the entire day I would end up making and cleaning up meals 24/7! Having set meal times also really encourages the kids to eat well at each meal because they know they cannot eat whenever they want.

It is easy for our homes to get out of order quickly because there can be so much going on. I firmly believe that we can maximize our time as homemakers by maintaining organization and not letting things get out of control. Cleaning up can can be a daunting task it we wait too long and then become overwhelmed with a vast array of items spead everywhere. Maintenance is always best! Like a vehicle, it is better to take it in regularly to get checked rather than have it break down and need to get fixed because of necessity, and in turn find out that the breakdown could have been avoided if you would have come in a month ago for a check up:) Our homes need regular organization or “check ups” to avoid larger disasters. If you don’t already, try this “maintenance trick” for a week and I guarentee you will see great results:) It has made my life more simple and stress free and blessed me with even more time to spend with my little ones and enjoy being a mommy!

May you be free from the stress and worry of trying to be organized and enjoy the things that really matter in your life! May you experience the freedom and joy of living a simply beautiful life in a simply beautiful & organized home!

Challah Bread

I have had many of my readers and friends ask me for this challah recipe so I am going to post it on my blog rather than facebook it or email it out:) This recipe has taken many weeks even months to tweek but I have finally found a recipe that our whole family enjoys.

Challah is a traditional jewish sweet bread, we eat it Friday nights when we celebrate Shabbat as a family. It is delicious and uses all natural ingredients. We also eat it on Saturday mornings as challah french toast and Sunday afternoons as challah grilled cheese!! I hope you enjoy it, I would love to get feedback as to how you liked the bread once you try making it. Let me know!

Challah Bread

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups warm water

1 tbsp active dry yeast

1/2 cups of honey

4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

3 eggs (divided)

1 tbsp sea salt

4 cups multigrain all purpose flour (Or you can use whole wheat all purpose flour)

4 cups unbleached white flour

Directions:

In a large bowl mix warm water and yeast. Mix in honey, oil, 2 eggs until well mixed. Stir in flour a cup at a time making sure that it is gradually kneading until the dough becomes smooth not sticky. Sometimes you may need to add more flour if it is still too sticky. Once dough is mixed cover with a damp tea towel and let rise for 1 1/2 hours until dough has doubled in size.  Remove dough from bowl and divide into two equal pieces to make it easier to work with. Knead both balls of dough for 5 minutes each, take one ball and divide it into three more equal size pieces and roll out in long snake like rolls. Pinch the three pieces together at the top and braid, then pinch the bottom pieces as well. Place on a large greased cookie sheet and repeat with the other ball. This recipe make two large loaves. Once the two loaves at done, cover with a damp tea towel and let rise for another hour. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Remove the tea towel from the bread, loaves should have doubled in size again. Beat 1 egg in a glass and use a kitchen brush to paint egg onto the two loaves. Transfer loaves into the oven on the cookie sheet and bake for 30-40 mins. When you take the loaves out they should be completely cooked through. (My test to make sure they are cooked is by knocking on the bread and if it seems to make a hollow sound they should be done.) Remove from the cookie sheets and serve!! This bread is excellent with jam, honey, butter, etc. I usually wrap the leftover loaf/pieces up and put them in the fridge, they will keep for a week or so.

Preparing Piecrust

It’s apple season and I am really looking forward to all the things I am going to make with my apples this year. Our family loves apples!!! Especially honeycrisp apples, they are perfect for eating and they only come available in the fall! I have decided to make apple sauce and apple pies this weekend. I wanted to share my piecrust recipe because it is simple and tastes incredible, plus it is completely organic and doesn’t contain any artificial ingredients.

3 1/2cups unbleached all purpose white flour

2 cups whole wheat flour

2tsp sea salt

1 lbs lard

1 egg (either free run or local farm egg)

1tbsp vinegar

Combine flour and salt in a large bowl. Cut in lard until it is crumbly and course. In a 1 cup measuring cup combine 1 egg (lightly beaten) and 2 tbps vinegar, then fill the rest of the cup with cold water, stir. Slow add mixture to the flour until it becomes sticky. Mix with your hands and form a large ball. Wrap in cersan wrap and put in the fridge or freezer until needed. Otherwise roll out and use in your pie plates. This recipe makes enough for 3 double crusted pies or 4 pies with the weaved top. I usually make the crusts one day and then the next day do the filling and combine them, otherwise I find the entire task quite daunting. Sometimes I will make a batch of this crust and freeze it and use it for the crusts when I make quiche. Enjoy!!!

Enjoying the Seasons

I have always lived in a climate that experiences all 4 seasons in a year. While there are certain seasons that I favor over others the Lord has been showing me how blessed I am to be able to live in a country where I can enjoy each season and its uniqueness. The season I struggle the most with is winter but I am starting to open up to the idea that I need to be creative in order to enjoy the cold and sometimes dark days:)

One of our family’s goals this year was to really embrace the outdoors and to thank God no matter what the weather. We have been puddle jumping in the rain, walking and hiking in the sunshine, making snowmen in the winter and raking and jumping piles of leaves in the fall. As I have allowed these seasons to become part of my life and have stopped complaining I have really been able to show my kids that there is always joy and together we have been cultuvating a heart of thanksgiving for EACH day! I even find that enjoying the outdoors as a family really helps my husband and I in our marriage. Being outside allows our children time and space to interact and play while we are able to talk and reflect on our life together. We will often take our family out for a walk if we want to have a good and lengthy conversation.

I have noticed that in each season there is a different feel that begins to stir in my heart. In the fall I feel the need to nest and really prepare my household for the long months ahead. In the summer I love to be out basking in the sun and going on daily adventures to local parks, beaches and pools. In the winter I love to snuggle up with a warm cup of peppermint tea and a blanket and read a book or study the Word. In the spring I love to clean and prepare my gardens for new life to arrive.

Each season in many ways relates to the seasons of my soul. Life is such a beautiful journey and each day is a gift to us from the Lord. I seen in many ways how my life experiences correlate with the seasons and even simple smells can bring me back to my childhood. For example the smell of fresh cut grass bring my back to mornings I would awaken in the summer and my father would be outside mowing the lawn…it is a memory that I love and brings so much warmth and joy to my heart.

Our creator is SO amazing, that we have the ability to link emotions, times and smells together. We can feel the sun beating on our face and remember the summer vacation we took 20 years ago! I am so thankful for this gift of life! I am blessed to be alive! When my emotions try to get the better of me on a rainy day I am choosing to embrace each day and its simple pleasures!! May you embrace the seasons and bask in the gift of LIFE!

Help! I’m out of control!!

This past week has been a challenging one as our kids have been very sick with the croup and we have had to stay in ALL week! Thank God it’s Friday and they are finally getting better. As a mother, my most fearful times in life are when my children are sick because I feel so out of control. I’m their mother and I feel like it is my responsibility to take care of them, love them, protect them and to heal them! However during these past 5 days God has been showing me through their illness (Romans 3:23) that I am NOT their healer, He is!

I think as mom’s we assume the role of being everything for our kids, we try our best to do it all and help them to be all that God created them to be. I think there is a very fine line that we can step over when we try to be their ALL and I am thankful that God showed me this very thing this week. I DO believe that as mothers we are called to be the nurtures and advocates of our children, it’s in us, it’s who we are created to be. However, I don’t want to portray a wrong picture to my children that I am their everything because I am human and I cannot fix everything, only God can! If we place ourselves in a position of “god” to our children we show our children that we are the answer to everything and in turn rob them of the most important life lesson. Trusting that God as their everything is the most amazing gift that we can pass onto our children!

God is in control. He is the only one who can save, heal and protect them, we, as mothers, are their advocates, and need to recognize that as wefollow Christ our children will follow us. Eventually our kids will learn that they can go directly to God for their own salvation, protection and healing. If they learn their valuable life lesson than as mothers we have SUCCEEDED!!! May you experience the liberty of trusting God with the lives of your children today!!

Yummy Vegan Treats!

A wonderful friend of mine gave me the website for these amazing treats and I have since lost the link to the site but still have the recipe. These delicious “treat balls”, as my kids call them, have become a family favorite. When I make them I usually triple the recipe because they get eaten so quickly:) They are a completely natural and healthy way to enjoy some treats while pumping your body full of iron and protein. They are called Cocoa Coconut Balls. The recipe makes 12-14 balls depending how big you make them. Here is the recipe, try them and let me know what you think. My kids actually think they are chocolate because they are so sweet and appear to be brown because of the cocoa colour:)

1/2cup raw almonds

3/4cup raw walmuts

10-12 medjool dates (or 20 smaller dates) – pitted

2T unsweetened cocoa powder

1T coconut oil

2T unsweetened shredded coconut

1t vanilla extract

In a food processor blend the almonds and walnuts until they become a crumble. Empty them into a bowl. In the same food processor process dates, cocoa powder, coconut oil and vanilla. Add nut mixture back into food processor and pulse until all the ingredients are combine, do not mix too long. Empty into a bowl and form the mixture into small balls. Place on a cookie sheet and refrigerate for 20 minutes. Take them out and wrap in ceran wrap and store in the fridge. ENJOY!!