Staying Warm October 29, 2008

Everybody knows I hate being cold. The time of year has come where I get cold pretty easily even here in Alabama. We always seem to end up in these houses with hardwood floors (that are beautiful) and massive crawl spaces – which make for cold houses that are difficult to keep warm in the fall and winter. We have thought about doing something drastic like turning up the heat, but these types of houses don’t retain heat that well and to have the heat blasting all the time would be uber expensive. So my solution is to carry around one of these at ALL times.

It is a bag filled with grains – corn to be exact. They are very economical to make and the best thing since – um, a breadmaker?!! They can be heated up in the microwave for a few minutes or put in the freezer as a cold pack for a few hours. Personally, I have never used it as a cold pack. Lately though my heating pad has went with me everywhere. I even bring them in the car when it gets really cold out. After heating it I just put it on my lap, on my shoulders, on my feet, I use it to heat up my spot in bed before I get in, it works for cramps or sore backs, it can even be used to warm up your cold clothes in the morning – it is the one reason I will keep a microwave in our house.

They are also really easy to make – if you can sew in a straight line. Here are some very basic instructions:

1. Cut out two equally sized and shaped pieces of fabric plus a half an inch on all sides – preferably a square or an oblong piece (mine is about 14″ x 5″).

2. Sew three sides together – two of the longer sides and one of the shorter sides. Reinforce edges with a zig-zag stitch.

3. Fill about 2/3rds of the way full with deer corn, rice, or cherry pits.

4. Fold in open un-sewn edge about 1/4 – 1/2 ” and sew with a zig-zag stitch.

5. If you use corn heat bag three times in microwave for about 3-4 minutes, cooling in between times, to get rid of some of the moisture.

6. Every time you need it hot just heat up for 1and a half or two minutes in the microwave.

My bag in the picture has a flannel cover. They are not necessary but are nice to have as they can be removed and are washable. If there is enough interest I may just do a picture tutorial on how to make a removable cover!

A few warnings for good measure:

- Do not use on infants

- Do NOT heat up in an oven

- Do NOT fill up your bag with popcorn kernels – deer corn is best and is plentiful this time of year and can be picked up at wal-mart for $6 and some change for a 45 lb bag.

- You are still allowed to put your cold feet on your husband. The heating bag is not a replacement for your husband or wife.

- As strong as the urge is to swat at your husband with the heating bag because he is – while you are writing a blog post -in your face doing an impersonation of Beavis doing “cornholio” – DON’T. It won’t go over well.

That is all.

My newest toy October 28, 2008

Of course it is practical – I do not have a Y chromosome. I am so excited about this one too – and I know it will be used almost everyday, while providing my family with optimum nutrition. We invested in a grain mill. To add to my list of titles (free spirit), I am now officially a hippie.

Did I mention I was excited?! I have been interested in nutrition for the past 6 or 7 years and am learning more everyday. I am consistently amazed at how food is not just sustenance but also preventative medicine. The food that we eat definitely either helps or hinders our health – and although I have a long way to go in doing the absolute best for our family this grain mill is one large step forward.

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I am learning that many grains, including wheat are very nutritional – containing iron, potassium, magnesium, amino acids, etc. Many of these nutrients though are lost after being ground; 45% are lost within 24 hours, and 80-90% are lost within 72 hours! My friend Anna has blessed me with some freshly ground wheat recently and I can also attest to the fact that bread made with freshly ground wheat also tastes 100 % better. It’s got a sweet nutty flavor that cannot be compared to bread made from store bought flour and is entirely in another league than store bought bread. For those of you who are interested but don’t like making bread consider a bread machine. Although I don’t have one I have used them and they are incredible – probably the best thing since, well, sliced bread.

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Next on my list – trying out alternative grains like spelt and kamut.

There are no words October 24, 2008

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Piles of fun October 22, 2008

Nine out of ten people you ask will tell you that fall is their favorite season including silly Canadians. When I was living in Canada fall was not my favorite season. I think it was my least favorite season. For me it was the end of reasonable weather, the beginning of cold hands and feet that lasted for at least 8 months. It was the ushering in of winter; cold, ugly, clothes-always-wet-because-of-the-snow winter, walk-three-miles-to-school winter (well not really but that is what I am going to tell my children when they won’t get out of bed to do homeschool), snow-drifts-three-feet-high-on-your-front-door-cold. The fall season does not last long in Canada – at least not in Saskatchewan as we are usually some of the first in North America to experience the bitter cold winds that come from the Arctic. So when fall arrives in Canada it lasts all of three days before the inevitable bitter cold follows. I find it hard to enjoy those three days when I know what is soon coming. Brrrr – I get cold just thinking about it.

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Thank the LORD for Zac stealing me away to the south! Now I can say that fall is my favorite season. Unlike Canada fall here seems to last, well, all winter. I LOVE IT! I especially love it since having children and we can actually stay outside for more than two minutes without melting. We have been outside a lot lately. Yesterday I managed to rake up a small pile of leaves for the girls to play in. It was one of my best ideas to date, besides marrying Zac of course.

Before the destruction. Any kind of playing that does not require cleaning up afterwards is a good thing, for both parents and children. Where there is some kind of order it is not difficult for my girls to know what to do.

I think she is imagining how big the pile is going to be and the potential mess she can make when ALL the leaves on those two big trees are on the ground.

There she goes!

Playing in leaves is a full contact sport. Oh, and if you plan to do this soon make sure to take of ballet tights BEFORE making contact with the leaves.

Just look at her form! Incredible.

And don’t worry Grandma’s – Ellie did get in on the fun too.

The persecuted Church: Iraq October 15, 2008

In America we wonder what to wear to church on Sunday and what we will eat for lunch afterwards. In Iraq, particularly in Mosul, the Christians wonder if they or their kin will be killed because they love their Savior and refuse to stop meeting together. Thirteen Christians in this Iraqi town have been killed in the last few weeks because of their devotion to Christ. When I have shared the gospel with people I get a “thanks, but no thanks” or I lose friends. When they share the gospel they risk their very lives. Over 3000 Christians have fled Mosul because of the persecution there. Let us pray for them as they have lost precious family members, and brothers and sisters in Christ. Let us empathize with them using the best of our imagination to think about what it might be like for them that we might fulfill the commandment to “Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.” Hebrews 13:3.

From the little bit of reading I have done online I have learned that the church is quite active in Iraq and particularly Mosul. Since the American Invasion of Iraq, for whatever reason persecution of Christians has increased – first starting with abductions of Christians to more recently the killing of Christians. The good news is many of these Christians are not abandoning their faith but they are instead abandoning their homes. They are remaining faithful to Christ. Here are some scripture to consider as you pray for our brothers and sisters in Iraq.

>”Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:10)

>”Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”(Matthew 5:12)

>”Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also.”(John 15:20)

>”And we labor, working with our own hands. Being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we endure;” (1 Corinthians 4:12)

>”We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed, always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So then death is working in us, but life in you. And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, “I believed and therefore I spoke,”* we also believe and therefore speak, knowing that He who raised up the Lord Jesus will also raise us up with Jesus, and will present us with you. For all things are for your sakes, that grace, having spread through the many, may cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God. Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:8-18)

>”Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12).

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I encourage you to look up the context for these verses as you pray. If you want to be more intimately acquainted with the persecuted church in other parts of the world look here and here. The first link is especially valuable as you can get to know more personally the actual people who the Black’s minister to who are persecuted.

Andrew Peterson review October 14, 2008

The title for this post is a little weird. I know. However there are many things I want to say about my favorite musician that include his most recent album, his show I attended on Sunday, and his work to date; all of which I have utmost admiration for.

At his show on Sunday Andrew Peterson (AP) mentioned a quote: “Being spiritual is nothing more than paying attention” (this is a paraphrase but I think it captures the idea). AP is paying attention. He’s paying attention to the little things and big ideas and bringing them together to make profound and beautiful music. On his latest album Resurrection Letters, Volume II, to be released today, he wrote these words in a song titled The Good Confession (I Believe) about his own salvation and sanctification: “Through the years I barely fell; I mostly dove right in. I drank so deep from the shallow well only to thirst again. . . All I know is that I was blind but now I see that though I kick and scream, Love is leading me. And every step of the way His grace is making me; with every breath I breathe, he is saving me.” It is these intricately woven lyrics set to beautiful and memorable harmonies that make a lasting impression on my mind. The lyrics are not what I admire in and of themselves but the vulnerability – exposing the soul and giving glory to God. It is not just in this song but in many, many songs. I find it impossible to pin down one favorite in his many albums. Hours after listening to his music you will find yourself thinking about “things that are pure . . .noble. . . just and true” (Phil. 4:8). It’s not that I think that his music is the inspired Word of God, but rather that he is inspired by the inspired word of God and writes about things that are pure, noble, just and true.

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If you aren’t already convinced that you will enjoy AP as much as I do then I encourage you to check out one of his shows coming up. It was a serendipitous blessing that I got to attend one of his album release shows this Sunday night. I just happened to check my facebook a few minutes before we were leaving for Birmingham and noticed his status update said he would be in Birmingham. The show is free in most places so there is no excuse for you cheapskates frugal music lovers. You will not only hear AP sing and play each track but he will give you the story of each song; why he wrote it and the significance. If you are not into music or his music go anyways because his humor is well worth the price of admission (+ from now on this + is your cue to laugh). Here is a link to the listings of his tour. And since I didn’t say much about his work to date as promised, come back and read about “Our Story” because two of his albums play a crucial role.

You can do it!!! October 10, 2008

Homemade bread that is! Because of my love for the feminist movement I thought it vitally important to learn some vitally important skills that will help in the advancement of my workplace – my home. Every time I make this bread I can pretty much get whatever I want from both my employer – my husband, and my underlings – my children. I feel so empowered It makes me want to do something crazy like cook up a batch of jam. I know, I really am aiming high and seeking to smash all kinds of glass ceilings. I’m okay with that. Anywho back to the bread.

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Although I do buy the rare loaf at the grocery store during exceptionally busy weeks we mostly eat homemade bread. Kids LOVE homemade bread. I have never had them ask for seconds of store bought bread, which suits me fine as the ingredient list on even the more expensive loafs is so long no doubt containing preservatives we can live without.

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One of my favorite recipes leaves little excuse to not make homemade bread. If your reason is “lack of time” this loaf takes only about 1 hour and 15 minutes from start to finish. Hands on time is about 15 minutes. Since I make it so often I don’t even need to hunt for the recipe anymore. Anywho, here it is.

Cuban Bread – 2 loaves

Just look at them clinging to each other – they know they are about to be devoured.

3 cups of flour (you can use half whole wheat)

1 Tbsp salt

2Tbsp sugar

1 Tbsp yeast

3 Tbsp freshly ground flax seeds (optional)

- Mix these ingredients well with a whisk in a large bowl

2 cups hot water (125-135 degrees)

- pour water into dry ingredients and stir with wooden spoon for 3 minutes – ish, or until both arms are tired. You can thank me later for those strong, toned arms.

- Mix in another two cups of flour and blend until all the flour is absorbed into dough.

- Dump dough onto floured surface (kitchen counter or table) and kneed for 8 minutes, adding flour when the dough gets sticky. Don’t be afraid, you can do it, and remember to come back later and thank me for those strong arms – just don’t beat me up for getting you addicted to this bread and gaining 5 pounds. Please.

- Now place dough in a bowl that you have covered in a thin layer of oil – canola or vegetable. Let it sit, covered with a kitchen towel, in a warm-ish place for 15 minutes.

- Divide dough into two, and form into round balls, very unlike non-round balls. Place on a greased light colored cookie sheet. I am not discriminating against dark colored cookie sheets as they are great for things like oven fries, but for this use something light so the bottom of your bread does not get too dark. As you will notice the bread does not go in a loaf pan. It is free form – rather fitting for me, right, since I am such a free spirit. Maybe we should change the name of this bread to Candace Bread or Free Spirit bread.

- cut a shallow X on the top of your bread and put in a cold oven

- Place a oven safe dish with hot water on the rack under your bread

- Turn on oven to 400 degrees and cook for 20 – 30 minutes, or until golden brown

- Enjoy. It is especially good toasted or grilled. And remember this is not just baking bread it is one step forward for womankind. Be empowered – get in the kitchen!

Why I am not worried about another great depression October 8, 2008

Doesn’t she look like she has a lot on her mind for a three year old? Most of us do. Some of us have a more dim outlook on the economic future than others.

You can include me in that camp. No doubt some people think that they might have to hold off on designer jeans until the economy picks up while others wonder if there will be a repeat of the thirties standing in bread lines. You can count me in the second camp. I am not worried though. Even though I have two precious little girls to feed and a husband to offer moral support to in a tough economy I can say that I am not losing any sleep at night. Here’s why.

1. My God is the Jehovah Jireh – the God who provides. It might not be prime rib and a 3000 square foot house but all we have is manna from the LORD. We give thanks for our beans a rice.

2. For those with wisdom God says “When you lie down you will not be afraid, when you lie down your sleep will be sweet” (Proverbs 3:24). I do not fear President Bush or our congress and their foolhardy decisions but I fear God for the word of God says “the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 9:10) and “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him” (James 1:5). I have heard it said from the mouth of a missionary teaching young people that we should not fear God. They were obviously wrong because it is in the fear of the LORD that we find peace. Strange but true. God is not a fire breathing dragon; the fear the Bible speaks of is more a heeding of His word. It is similar to the fear of a just parent. We know they love us and deal with us with grace, but we know there are consequences for disobedience.

Get wisdom, get peace.

3. Maybe, just perhaps, the church will stop ignoring it’s calling to “bear one another’s burdens”. I am not talking about merely bringing a meal to a new mother (although this is a great ministry opportunity), but I am talking about housing the homeless, feeding the hungry, adopting the orphans, helping those without insurance, etc. In the case of another great depression the neediest of us will no longer be sequestered into the slums where others of us in our large houses with well stocked pantries can ignore. The needs are going to grow, and with it I hope and pray that the church and the gospel will too. It seems that in hard times the gospel has more opportunity to make itself known.

4. In our four years of marriage we have learned to “do without” many things and to make do with less. In many ways that I think are going to be necessary – we are already there. We eat food cooked from scratch, we wear used clothing, we hang our clothes to dry, I can sew, we stay home, etc.

5. God loves us and will not bestow upon us more than we can endure. That is not to say there will not be difficulties ahead and that we will be without suffering, but where we are weak He is strong.

6. Perhaps life might be less enjoyable and we will no longer long for some rest or relaxation on our couches or our beds, but for our eternal rest in heaven. Anything that causes us to long for and meditate on heaven is a blessing, not a curse. There is an Andrew Peterson song I love called “Little Alba” (I think that’s the title). Here are the lyrics:

Little Alba how’s the sun in south America
does it shine upon the faces of the poor?
Do they see in it the brilliance of the place that’s been prepared
dwell upon the hope of what’s in store
or are they just like me do they only see an opportunity to complain about the heat

and little alba how’s the rain in South America
does it fall upon the roof tops of the sick
do they thank the lord for coming up with such a great idea
and dream about a place beyond all this
or are they just like us do they gripe and fuss
about the rain and mud when they’ve had too much?

Cause I’m just a little jealous
of the nothing that you have
you’re unfettered by the wealth of
the world that we pretend that’s going to last

well I’m weary of the spoils of my ambition
and I’m shackled by the comfort of my couch
well I wish I had the courage to deny these of my self
and start to store my treasure in the clouds
for this is not my home
I do not belong where the antelope and the buffalo roam

Cause I’m just a little jealous of the nothing that you have
you’re unfettered by the wealth of
the world that we pretend that’s going to last
They say God’s blessed us with plenty
I say you’re blessed with poverty
cause you never stop to wonder
whether earth is just a little better than the land of the free

so I hope you’re safe and dry in South America
cause I’m feeling pretty good in Tennessee
may you never be so happy that you forget about your home
your home in the land of the free

Indian Festival October 6, 2008

On Friday we went to an Native American Indian Festival at Moundville here in Alabama. I don’t know how impressive it was for Jay as he can go to a pow-wow and see hundreds of Native American (Canadians) or First Nations, as he would probably say. At Moundville we saw a handful doing stage performances. Still it was interesting to see some southern Native American Indians in their regalia doing their dances. Here is a picture of one of the men in what they would wear to battle.

This particular gentleman is a Cherokee from North Carolina. Him and his crew did a war dance. It was similar to some Plains Cree dances I have seen, although they usually are dressed with far more coverage – being from the North were it snows at any time of the year.

Here is a pic of Sophia and my Mom at Moundville.

Aren’t they precious?!

And finally Jay and Ellie, who she calls what sounds like “Apple Gay”.