recipes and lots of random

nathan and i just got back from an early morning run.  one that we both did not feel like doing.  at all.
as usual, all the crabbies and grogginess melted away by the time we were done.
i literally PEEL myself out of bed and feel so icky before we go.
all i can dream about is getting home so that i can go back to bed, but by the time we're home, i feel SO much better and the coffee is done brewing.
happy pill, i tell ya.  thanks for wakin' me up, sweetie.  :)

that leads me to right.this.moment.
i'm sipping on my second cup of joe, excited to share some recipes with you today.
my sweet friend, jennifer so kindly reminded me to post them here.   love you, girl!

before i post my recipes, there's going to be a little bit of randomness.
just things i would share with you if you were here, sitting with me having coffee.
by the way, that would be AWESOME!

so aren't my hydrangeas purdy?
the first blooms are opening and they will keep going on all summer.
hydrangeas are my fave.

next up.

check out this little dude.
living in the country, we have lots of critters, amphibians, pests, bugs....you get it.
in yesterday's post, you saw the caterpillar that henry found at the greenhouse(and HAD to take home).
that little boy LOVES some bugs.  i knew he was coming home with us when he named him, "caddy".
how appropriate.
he also loves toads, and so do i.
unless they pee on me.
this dude didn't disappoint.  he was rude.  but polite enough to sit still for a close up, so i forgave him a little.

next!

small town living is my fave.
on wednesday, my local market man called and said he had a 40 lb. box of ripe bananas for only $6 waiting for me, if i wanted them.
i was so thankful even though it put a little kink in my schedule.
we went and picked those babies up and the kids and i had a peeling party right in the front yard.
many hands indeed make the work light!
in a half an hour, they were all peeled, and we froze them individually on cookie sheets.
the next day i bagged them up.
sooooo grateful.
#smoothiesforever

that leads me to my first recipe.
this is my kids favorite banana shake/smoothie ever.
they request it almost every day for breaky.

CHOCOLATE BANANA BARLEY MALT

1/2 cup raw cashews

pinch of salt

2 Tbs ground flax seed

1 1/2 t vanilla extract

3/4 cup coconut/rice/almond/or soy milk

3 Tbs barley malt(sweetener) *awesome*

3 Tbs cacao powder

3 frozen bananas

blend until smooth and if it's too thick, add more milk or water

this obviously makes more than one shake, but you can play around with the ingredients to make just one serving.

i adapted this recipe from my awesome market man and his family.

i buy almost all of my bulk foods and produce from him, because they are local and organic and i like to know where my food comes from, while supporting local businesses.

walmart is not my fave. 

so!  you have to try this and let me know what you think.

it's like drinking dessert in the a.m., but it's super good for you.

what we do with leftover smoothie(if there is any)...PERFECT hot summer day treat.

moving on...

on thursday, the kids and i had a million and one errands to run.

you know those days where you have to make a list to keep track of all of the randomness?

*stop at the copy shop.

*go pick up a check.

*pick up plants for the garden.

*go to walmart...gag.

*eat(didn't need a reminder for that one!).

*chat at the in laws.

*look for strawberries.

*father's day stuff.

you get it, i'm sure.

so i was super happy when at our first stop, we found this...

yes, indeed!  strawberries are still in season!
i was so afraid that they were all done for the year because of the lack of rain we've had, but no sireeeee!
organic strawberries.  10 quarts for $27.50.
yes and amen.  God has been so so so good to us.
i am on a mission to freeze 40 quarts this year, because pre-frozen organic berries are SOOO expensive.
we use them for smoothies and to make jam.
we are also planting them in our raised beds this year!  yay!
if you were wondering, the reason i buy them organic is because strawberries are on the dirty dozen list.
if you buy conventional, they absorb and hold a LOT of pesticides.  aka:::chemicals in my body.
no thank you.  :)
by the way, you can download the dirty dozen/clean fifteen app to your phone, so when you're shopping, you can do a quick check to see what's important to buy organic and what doesn't really matter as much.

blah blah blah blah....i know i'm talking a lot today.
so here's my master, brilliant recipe for ya.  :)
we all know that life gets a little crazy some days, and there just isn't a lot of time to get supper on the table.
wednesdays are always like that for me.
we have bible study/prayer meeting at church, and i'm always rushed to make supper and clean up before we go.
i hate coming home to a dirty kitchen.
simple. simple. simple.
because simple is good.

MAPLE EGGS

break apart your choice of bread and push down into muffin pan(sprouted sweet bread is sooo yummy).

add crumbled(or cut up) bacon or sausage.

i chose pre-cooked all natural sausage patties(no preservatives) and cut it up, 

because that's what i had.

smoosh down into muffin pans over bread.

try not to fill too deep or your egg will not fit(like mine).

crack egg on top and season to your tastebuds delight.

 bake at 350 degress until your egg is done.

dip in maple syrup(if you have it...i didn't). 

notice how my egg overflowed?

they were HUUUGE eggs!  yay! for farm fresh!

i know it doesn't look the greatest here, but trust me, it's good!

ta da!!!

make sure you serve it with some lemon verbena to look fancy.  

they don't look super glamorous(wait, they're not!), but they are delicious, healthy(er), easy, and the kids always want more.
best of all, they make supper a little easier.  and who doesn't like that?
you should make them.  :)

signing off for now.
the kids are getting restless.
have an awesome weekend!

xo,
mary

praise ye the Lord

Praise ye the LORD for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant; and praise is comely.

The LORD doth build up Jerusalem: he gathereth together the outcasts of Israel.

He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.

He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names.

Great is our LORD, and of great power: his understanding is infinite.

The LORD lifteth up the meek: he casteth the wicked down to the ground.

Sing unto the LORD with thanksgiving; sing praise upon the harp unto our God:

Who covereth the heaven with clouds, who prepareth rain for the earth, who maketh grass to grow upon the mountains.

He giveth to the beast his food, and to the young ravens which cry.

He delighteth not in the strength of the horse: he taketh not pleasure in the legs of a man.

 

The LORD taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy.

Praise the LORD, O Jerusalem; praise thy God, O Zion.

For he hath strengthened the bars of thy gates; he hath blessed thy children within thee.

He maketh peace in thy borders, and filleth thee with the finest of the wheat.

He sendeth forth his commandment upon earth: his word runneth very swiftly.

He giveth snow like wool: he scattereth the hoarfrost like ashes.

He casteth forth his ice like morsels: who can stand before his cold?

He sendeth out his word, and melteth them: he causeth his wind to blow, and the waters flow.

He sheweth his word unto Jacob, his statutes and his judgments unto Israel.

He hath not dealt so with any nation: and as for his judgments, they have not known them. Praise ye the LORD.

Psalm 147

i've been pondering this wonderful scripture since prayer meeting on Wednesday night.

i don't know about you, 

but i know several people that i love very much that are facing some serious heartache.

verse number three spoke to me.

He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds

i thought maybe it would bless you all, too. 

PRAISE YE THE LORD.

xo,

mary

happy day project:::setting goals for the summer

this is what my fingernails have looked like a lot lately.
i'm not one who likes to get dirty, but when the job calls for it, i neatly dig in.  :)
we have been spending an incredibly large amount of time outside lately, busily working on our landscaping and gardens, as money and time allow.

***school is still in session over here and seems to be lingering on like the nasty black bean smell in my fridge(no joke), but ya gotta make hay while the sun shines, right?***

God has been so good to bless us with the desires of our heart.
one of those desires was/is to tidy up the outside of our home.
and as i'm sure you know, it's not cheap!
we live on a dead end road with only one person past us, but we want to be good stewards of what He has given us, and be a good testimony to out friends and neighbors.
we also want to use the land that we have to raise our own food, and live off of that for the summer.
in a few days, we have SIXTY chicks coming.
Lord help us!

i'm joining alicia today  for her summer goals/list happy day project.
the challenge this week was to make a list of your summer goals.
here are a few of mine.  or most of them!

1.  keep working on my landscaping/rock edging and keep up with weeds

this is the front of our 70's ranch that i have been working really hard on.
i  love beautiful cottage like gardens with simple flowers that pretty much take care of themselves.
my plan is to plant a few more things over here, and then let them do their thing.
i have spent hours collecting rocks and making this border with them.
first i dug out the edging, lined it with cardboard, put each rock in snugly, and then filled it back with dirt on one side, and mulch over the top of landscaping felt on the other.
i do not want weeds to come up here!  :)

2.  plant herbs in herb garden and use them!

we recently embarked on the journey to making a raised bed garden in our front yard.
or, a potager, as i like to call it.  (nathan rolls eyes)
actually, this whole project can all be accredited to my husband.
he is the master planner carry out-er.  :)
we grabbed supplies, hauled them home, and i'll let the pictures say the rest.
this leads to me to my next goal.

3.  plant, maintain, and USE fresh garden goodness and continue to make the 'potager' pretty

i would like to add a focal point to the center of this area, add pea gravel eventually, and make it a beautiful work of art in our front yard.

my goal really should be, "work on patience", because it definitely will not happen overnight. 

4.  keep up with my supplements and experimenting with protein shakes

i am a die hard supplement girl so this one will be easy for me, but eventually  i would like to share some of the recipes for shakes that i use and love.

this chocolate peanut butter protein shake was a hit with my whole family.

i really want to devote a whole post to our faves.

please remind me to do that!

5.  continue running with my man

goal: 12 miles a week

6.  eat 90% raw food

no sugar

pray  hard

i want you to know that eating raw is totally do-able, but it doesn't have to happen overnight. 

i started about three months ago,  and have slowly collected recipes and ideas.

i don't do it to say that i'm a raw foodist or vegan, but it really is so true that i feel more alive when i eat live food.  great concept, huh?  :)

i avoid dairy, meat, sugar, gluten and really try to stick to raw fruits and vegetables only.

my exceptions are organic corn chips and sprouted bread.

oh!  and we ate out at a mexican restaurant last night and i ate EVERYTHING that i shouldn't have, so i am a normal person.  :)

people come before food, so if we are eating at someone else's house, i eat what they serve because it's not that important and i don't have health issues that require this type of eating.

i hope to share some of the recipes below with you, too...let me know if you're interested in any of them!

and let me tell you...i am a recovering sugar addict(like from last thanksgiving until february, i think that's all i ate. :/   hello detox!).

like i really, really like chocolate and sugar, but it became a problem, so it's just better if i stay away from it. then i don't crave it.

did you know that your taste buds are new every 7-10 days, so they are easy to retrain?

so far, i have made a raw chocolate tart, halvah, and i eat a lot of fruit to curb my sweet cravings.

carob candies sweetened with barley malt make a good substitute for sugary candies, too.  :)

most importantly, i want to take good care of this temple that God has given me and that He dwells in.

i don't think i honor Him when i treat it poorly by gorging myself with junk.

eat to live, don't live to eat.

7.  cover up outside and wear sunscreen

i don't wear this hat to be cute, that's for sure!
i have super sensitive, fair, freckled skin, and i've been burned too many times VERY badly.

hat: check!  sunscreen: check(gotta order it)!   long shirt to cover my backside:  check!
this one might be hard for me.  i'm trying hard, sweet husband of mine!

i'm seriously going to need a lot of prayer to keep this up, but i know i can do it!
you know why?

 ^"I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."

Phiippians 4:13

what are your goals for the summer?
you know, one thing i forgot to mention is meal planning and getting a  good GINORMOUS calendar.
i'm not a great list maker, but i need to become one.
grown ups shouldn't miss dental appointments and always be late.
i also cannot afford to run to the store every other day for food.  that gets crazy expensive!
someone wanna help me meal plan?
starting is half the battle for me...drifting off into unknown territory is scary.
like when did this happen?
i used to be so good!!!  :)

i hope you have a great rest of the week, darlings!
i'm off to do laundry and plant those heirloom tomatoes.
so exciting!

xo,
mary

10 on 10:::Sunday style

what an awesome day it was!

i'm SO thankful that i went back and grabbed my phone at the last second before church this morning.

i normally leave it home for church, but He knew i would need it.

i captured some super special pictures{to me} today.

9 a.m.ish

being silly with my girl.

i was running late and had no time for this picture!!!  ;)

10 a.m.ish

my darlings in sunday school snackin' it out.

11 a.m.ish

don't you wish you lived by me and my friends who make this amazing furniture 

out of rough sawn boards and antique lumber?  

this is a HUUUUGE blessing to me and my class.   no more tippy chairs.  yay!!!

12 p.m.ish

preacher.

my best friend got baptized today.   a picture of Christ's death, burial, and resurrection.

an outward symbol of obedience because of an inward heart change.

 1 p.m.ish

feeling so full of gratefulness for the events of the day.   

i cannot even imagine where my life would be today, were it not for the transforming power of Jesus in my life.

2 p.m.ish

home again, home again, jiggity jig!

3 p.m.ish

i have a serious sweet tooth and this is how i satisfy it without sugar. 

dates rolled in pecans and a chia/rice milk shooter. #recoveringsugaraddict

4 p.m.ish

best friends.

5 p.m.ish

 sundays are for simple suppers, hoarded avocados, and paper plates.

6 p.m.ish

sunday evening service.

here's to a beautiful, new, fresh week with no mistakes in it...yet! 

blessings to you all.   :)

not its, off to bed!  off to bed!  for this sleepy girl.

morning comes early, you know?

xo,

mary

to my darling readers:

contrary to what it may seem, i am not having a blogger header identity crisis{well, maybe?}.

i may have blogger ADD, which makes it hard for me to not change things and

play around in the amazing program which we know as picmonkey.

i love change, as long as i'm the one doing it{otherwise, forget it....LOL!}, and when i have free time{heehee}, i simply like to play around.   i consider it like free therapy or something like that.

i guess you can come to expect these things in the future. :)

junk, recital, strawberries and more

heeeyyyy, kiddos!

i am so stinkin' pooped today!

nine hours in the hot sun, working on the yard will do that to ya.

i am feeling inner thigh muscles that i didn't even know existed!  #nojoke

and aloe is this girls BFF.  

red hair, freckles, fair skin=#redasalobster

this post was supposed to be up on monday, but well, you know...

...sometimes things are just happenin' and swirling all around you and, BAM! it's wednesday.

time flies when you're having fun, right?

so this is what my front yard looks like from the view of my sweet little calf.

he came to us when we lived at the farm, and so did the rest of this junk. :)

when we found out that we were officially losing our house, and the sale date was set, our awesome friends rallied in the midst of a snowy december and moved every square inch of our belongings from a huge shed on our property, to a friends barn up the road. 

my husband finally emptied the barn, hence the huge mess in my yard now.

i mean. it's only been two years?!? :)

i have a lot of 'things'.  

things that were going to be used in the restored 1800's log cabin that was going to be our home, and things left over from my career as a junking fool.  :)

i used to buy and sell vintage and antiques at a local flea market and also at a once a year barn sale.

my life has gotten so much busier in the recent years, that this has taken a backseat, and all of the things that i once loved so much, have become a burden.

simple is better for me now and i am going to have the garage sale of a lifetime!  :)

back to the weekend!

it was full.

but a good full.

on saturday, my daughters had their piano recital for the year and the morning of, my oldest decided that she wanted to make her skirt to wear that day.

*enter mom panic as i envisioned this not turning out...anticipating tears and a last minute wardrobe change*

#drama

i cringed prayed as i heard that old sewing machine pumping behind closed bedroom doors.

she didn't have a pattern, but had seen a few tutes online, so she felt pretty confident.

i was pleasantly surprised when she came out with this.

she also crocheted the flower earlier in the week for a fair entry.

of course, i had to have a little sister photo shoot.

the recital went well, and i cried{shocking!}.

my mom and best friend came with her littles.

she has six children, and the youngest four match the ages of my four.  #bestfriends

get togethers are never boring!

in fact, she had us over for tacos that night.

here is my amateur video of the girls playing at the recital.

i seriously need video editing classes.

and my phone was jumping around a little and focusing funny.

i'm just glad i got them uploaded...it only took two days.  :)

my beauties.

you can't see it here, but henry wore his holster and gun to the recital.

he is such a goofy kid. :)

on sunday after church, we headed to town and picked berries at my in laws.

they are on vaca, so the kids are taking turns picking for them, so the berries don't go to waste.

madelyn already cleaned, topped, and made her very first freezer jam.

sharing the kitchen isn't so bad after all.  ;)

like i mentioned earlier, my muscles are SORE!

my hubby's probably are, too.

he managed to build three raised beds yesterday among doing many other things.

i did a ton of yard work and we had nearly four yards of mulch delivered.

my friend and her kids came over and we moved the.whole.pile.

i think that's why i feel like i was hit by a bus.   #outofshape

today, we're going to go hunt down more rocks for landscaping, do a little crafting therapy, laundry, and then prayer meeting tonight.

piano lessons are over for the year and that makes this girl happy!

hope you are having a magnificent day!!!

blessings!

xo,

mary

even though it's wednesday...

goodbye may, hello june! already?

hey there!

can you even believe it's june already?

stop the bus!  i need more may time, pleeeeassseeee!  :)

as we say good bye to may, june promises to be very busy and full indeed!

we have father's day, nathan's birthday, my daddy's birthday, bible school{INSANE week!}, fair entries, gardening galore, and that's just what's coming off the top of my head at the moment.

there are many more things, i'm sure.

here's what may looked like from my view.

i'm so thankful to have this, because each photo transports me back to that moment.

the feeling.  the smell.  the beauty.  the frustration.

love it.

top left going clockwise

garden day:::mama lunch:::treasures:::sleepy boy:::jack's freckles:::cleaning at mamas:::gift for a friend:::shopping!:::hammock time

surprise donut morning:::impromptu picnic

selling our truck:::birthday party:::the necklace that almost killed me:::memorial day:::hammock time{again}:::maddie's biscuits:::boy party:::pinata:::sweetie pies{below is new necklace design}

birthday boy{above is road trip to pharmacy}

mothers day:::henry:::new nephew:::sleepover:::sushi date:::longing for donuts:::dump day:::dirty nails:::silhouette project{below is maddie's freckles}:::kitcat in my window{above is garage sale treasure}

i would like to thank the lovely picmonkey for making these collages possible.

now i need to go and make last months collages, too.  :/

 do you have big plans for the weekend?

my girls have their piano recital on saturday and if i don't get off here and go straight to the post office and mail their fair entries, i think they might pass out.

good thing they keep me on my toes!

:)

have a wonderful, blessed day!

xo,

mary