1 large can of pumpkin puree (or 2 cups homemade, cooked pumpkin)
2 eggs
2 cans evaporated milk
1 cup maple syrup (or brown rice syrup)
Mix together above (wet) ingredients and pour into large, glass or clay, baking dish.

For topping:
(make a cake mix using whole grain flour and whole foods sweeteners)

3 cups whole wheat (or whole grain spelt flour)
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp sea salt
¾ cup maple syrup (agave nectar or brown rice syrup work well, too…I love the flavor of the maple syrup with the pumpkin)
3 tsp vanilla extract
Cinnamon and nutmeg (to be added last sprinkled over the top)

Mix together dry ingredients. Slowly add in maple syrup while gently stirring dry ingredients with a fork (you want a crumbly texture). Continue to use fork as vanilla is added. Pour crumbly cake mix over the top of the pumpkin mixture in the baking dish. Do not press into pumpkin; you want the topping to be loose. After the topping is spread evenly, pour two cubes of melted butter over the flour mixture. Yes, two cubes. Now add a light sprinkling of cinnamon and nutmeg.

Prep Time: 15 minutes Cost: $5-$8

1 pound whole grain penne pasta (I usually can find this in bulk cheaper)
½ cup sun dried tomatoes
1 cup pesto
1 cup spinach – lightly blanched
½ c parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Variations:
Add chicken if desired, or chunks of tofu
Substitute feta instead of parmesan cheese
Add a cup of marinated artichoke hearts
If you don’t have pesto, crush several cloves of fresh garlic and toss into pasta with a couple Tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
Add fresh tomatoes and spinach, or basil.

In a bowl combine wet ingredients:
1/2 c butter, melted
3/4 cup brown brown rice syrup (maple syrup, or agave – you can also mix two different natural sweetners. For instance, 1/2 cup brown rice syrup and 1/4 cup maple syrup. If using molasses, use in part and combine with something else)
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup milk
Mix all wet ingredients and put to the side.

In a separate bowl combine dry ingredients:
3 cups old-fashioned oatmeal (for a different texture, one cup of steel cut oats may be substituted for the Old Fashioned oats)
¼ cup flax seeds, ground or whole
2 tsp baking powder (non aluminum is best)
1 tsp salt (sea salt or celtic salt are always best, )

Mix dry ingredients and slowly add wet ingredients to this mixture.

After the wet and dry ingredients are mixed together, I add two cups of fresh or frozen berries. You may choose to add other substitutions: such as 1 cup cranberries, 1 cup pecans, add cinnamon to taste, and 1 tsp vanilla.
To substitute for the eggs, I have found that 1/4 cup applesauce, plus a couple Tbsp of juice help.
Bake at 350 for 45 mins until golden on top and sides. This recipe doubles really well. If doubling, don’t double the salt.

2 Tbsp butter (for every two apples)
1 apple per person being served, cored and chopped
Add cinnamon to taste
1 Tbsp of maple syrup (for every two apples. Apple juice, agave nectar, and brown rice syrup also work well)
Heat butter until melted. Cook chopped apples with all ingredients in small saucepan for approx 15 minutes – or until nice and tender
Serve with a drizzle of cream and a sprinkling of cranberries (or raisins), and some kind of nut if you choose. I prefer pecans…and if I have time, I may candy some with maple syrup and cinnamon.

Melt half cube butter in pan with 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
Dice one large onion and sauté in butter and oil for about 5 minutes
Continue to sauté and add the following ingredients:
4 cloves fresh, crushed garlic
Add 1 lb of fresh spinach (if not in season use frozen spinach thawed and drained)
1 cup plain yogurt (I like Nancy’s Yogurt made here in Oregon)
½ cup buttermilk (choose organic if possible, at least hormone free)
2 tsp curry (I prefer yellow in this dish – but feel free to experiment with your favorite flavor)
2 tsp turmeric
Pinch of sea salt to taste
Pinch of fine ground pepper (white, black or red – I like cayenne pepper because I like it hot)
Simmer for about 10 minutes

Add one cup half-and-half or whipping cream, and simmer 10 minutes
Add 1 cup crumbled feta cheese, gently stir in, and simmer 5 minutes

Serve with naan, pita bread, or any other bread favorite.

Pre-heat oven to 350; grease 13 x 9 baking dish

3 cups cooked brown rice
1 lb tofu (organic, firm, and preferably locally processed), crumbled and sautéed
1onion
1 zucchini
1 ½ cups cooked beans (or 1 can of black or pinto beans)
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 each (if small or half each if large) green and red bell pepper
4 cloves of crushed garlic
1 16 oz container sour cream
2 cup cheddar cheese (pepper jack or other cheeses work well, too. I like to mix two types of cheese together)

Sauté all vegetables and garlic in 2 Tbsp olive oil
Add rice to pan and stir to coat with oil and mix diced veggies
Pour mixture into baking dish, and spread evenly in dish
Add ¾ of cheese and stir in
Add cumin, salt, pepper, chili powder, and garlic (to taste) in sour cream to create a zesty sauce for your casserole. Pour this sour cream mixture over the rice mixture in the casserole dish. Sprinkle remainder of cheese over the top. Bake until bubbly hot all the way through, approximately 45 minutes. Cool before serving.

I am a lover of books. If I have extra money, I want to buy more. I own many books already and there are always more to purchase. I love receiving books that I have ordered in the mail. I am so excited to leaf through the pages, taking a curious glance over the words to see what catches my attention first. With six children you can imagine there is not any time during the day that allows the liberty of unlimited reading time. However, whenever I can steal a moment, I will.

I also love the public library. I especially love that I can borrow many books all at once on many different subjects. Sadly, I have run into the issue of being late in returning books and then suffer the consequences of library fines. Ugh. My children enjoy the library very much as well. We like meandering around the aisles looking at all the possibilities before we make our final selections.
There have been a few incidents recently that have have caught my attention in a different way at the library. Initially I was under the impression that these incidents only occurred when I had all my children in tow. For instance, comments are made about the size of my family and the amount of books we have. Comments at the check out like, “Do all these children belong to you?” And “How on earth did you get all of these children?” “Let’s see how many (while nodding and counting) children are there? SIX! Six children is a lot of work.” My usual response has been to smile and giggle out of sheer shock. When I come to my senses, I try to respond kindly and say something like, “Well, children are a blessing from God.” Or, “The more the merrier.”

This Saturday, I ventured to the library alone. I went alone for two reasons. One, because my children and I were going to be starting a Unit Study on Plants and Gardening and I wanted to be able to collect a bunch of books without answering a bunch of questions…for fear that I may get distracted and then forget what I was after (that happens many times in the course of the day). The second reason I went alone was because I thought surely, no one would have any commentary for me about the size of my family if I were by myself. Ultimately, I was not sure that today was a day in which I would respond in the same kind manner that I usually muster up.

After a long look and lots of help from the librarian (because sadly, none of the books on my resource list were at our public library), I went to the self check out which was wide open to take care of my pile of 26 books. Yes, 26. After knocking the pile over once, the elderly man next to me spoke loudly to his wife, as if he knew me, saying “She’s never going to read all of those books.” Completing my check out, I carefully pulled up my pants.

Oh, friends,  this is such an important note about todays experience. I have not had the chance to tell you yet about my pants. This is a slight distraction, but an important detail. you see, it was a glorious, warm spring day and this was the first day I am wearing pants from last summer’s wardrobe and I am a smaller person this year. Without a belt, my pants were coming down a bit. So, you must picture me carrying a pile of 26 books around the library and struggling to keep my pants up. Now that you have that picture, back to the greater story.

 While hiking my pants up, I carefully balanced my huge pile of books as I left the library doors. The security guard gave my a funny glance accompanied by a grin, or smirk. I ventured on my way – one arm under all the books with my hand grasping the waistband of my pants and my chin balanced carefully on my library card and receipt while I worked to keep everything in order. A young man saw my struggle and quickly opened the door for me asking, “What are you doing?” A massive gust of air blew past me and I nearly lost the receipt and library card from atop the pile. With my chin securely planted I responded to him with a somewhat clenched jaw, “Oh thank you! I am bringing books home to my kids.” He said, “Wow! How many kids do you got?” Of course I cheerfully said, “Six.” As I exited the final door, another couple passed by and with shock and maybe disgust, one of the two said, “Did you hear that? Six kids!”
I barely made it to the van with my pants on and my dignity in tact. Balancing the tower of books, wedged between my body and my car, I dug into my pocket for the keys. Successfully, I opened the back of my van and dropped the books in as quickly as I could.
Praying a blessing over the people I saw as I was leaving I giggled as I replayed the details in my mind. I reenacted the situation for my husband and my best freind later that day. We all had a good laugh. A part of me feels a hint of sadness as I retell this story, and yet I still see the humor in all that took place on my trip to the library. 

If I could, maybe I would go back and ask the people who made comments about what they were thinking…or would I? Maybe I would feel as though I would need to defend having a large family. Maybe I would even feel the need to share my heart for adoption and the children waiting for families. Maybe I wouldn’t do any of these things.

So here I sit, writing and thinking. Thankful to God for my big family. Thankful to him for all he does. For laughter and good times and for the children He has yet to bring into our lives.

I love time with my husband. The moments that we can steal away alone are precious. At night, when the house is quiet and the children are all tucked in their beds, he and I have the opportunity to catch up with each other. These are wonderful moments in our life. Spending quality time with my children is also a gift. Last night my eledest daughter and I spent some time together snuggled up on the couch reading a devotional and discussing the truth of God’s word.

It is moments like these that recharge me as a wife and as a mother. I am blessed and feel the pleasure of being a mom and wife many times. I realize how important it is for me to create more of these moments with each person in my family. I can see the dividends of these moments almost immediately. I feel closer to them and they feel closer to me…somehow the world is a sweeter place.

Friendship is an amazing gift. Friendships that are grounded in God’s love are irreplaceable.  I would sacrifice time in many areas of my life to create more time for relationship (especially over coffee!). I know it is essential for me to create time for fellowship with other believers and like-minded friends. In such a fast paced world, it is easy for me to take these relationships for granted. I can easily become overwhelmed with all the details of my life, and forget to nurture these precious relationships I have with godly women. This past weekend was my birthday, and I was repeatedly reminded of the importance of sharing time with friends. The sweet fellowship, sharing laughter and joy, some heartache, and mostly ourselves.

Sharing a meal and great conversation, my friends and I expressed a level of vulnerability and transparency with each other that left us feeling blessed. Exposing some of my own faults and expressing many of my frustrations from the week, left us laughing and thinking about each other. Sharing laughter and being vulnerable, exposing areas of sin nature, and helping each other see God’s blessings in our lives caused us to draw nearer to each other and quickened us to see all that the Lord is doing in our lives. We could recognize places in our lives in which the enemy has grabbed hold of our attention, and attempted to shroud some of the blessings we should be experiencing. We were reminded, the enemy may be crafty at distracting us, but God is FAR greater, and has so much for us to enjoy! 

I love that the God uses the sweet friendships in my life to remind me of the precious gifts He has for me.  I love seeing friendships deepening, and being strengthened. Where transparency is encouraged, and women can be vulnerable together, knowing that there is no judgement, only love – the sweetest fellowship takes place. Thank you Lord for the amazing women in my life!

Whew! The first week back in the swing of school…did I say in the swing of school? Well, that’s hardly how it looked. We juggled appointments and Christmas clutter, a trip to Portland, late nights, early mornings and a reorganizing project (my brilliant idea). All the while we attempted to throw ourselves back into the books without much success. Monday I was frustrated. Tuesday was a glorious day. Wednesday I was tired. Thursday I was distracted…and Friday is just barely here…

I looked back over my week and prayed. Asking God to make every day like Tuesday. Wouldn’t it be nice if every day were like Tuesday? He gently reminded me that each day holds its own challenges, and it’s own victories. However, He is the same….yesterday, today and forever. I feel comforted somehow, by being reminded that He is the one constant in my life. No matter how much the world spins around me, no matter if the school work is complete, or if I took a field trip, baked bread, finished the laundry, journaled each day, spent quality time with each of my children individually, encouraged my husband, and spoke only kind words….the Lord is never changing. He is a part of my homeschool experience and the rest of my life. Whether the day is successful in my mind, or a total flop… He is the same.

Thank you Lord that you love me. Thank you Lord that you gave me this life. That you have so much in store for me. Help me to be the woman you have called me to be. Always remembering that you are here and you never change.