Day 8 Expanding the Taste Buds

Here I am at Day 8 of my new way of living (at least for now) and it hasn't been without it's ups and downs.  We went to a marriage banquet and I thought I had communicated my food needs and I guess I didn't because the only thing for me to eat was broccoli and cauliflower!  After getting over the disappointment I was fine because I actually wasn't that hungry anyway.  And it was comforting to know that I wasn't taking in all those extra calories anyway...well sort of.

I also thought I was doing so well adding pesto to some of my dishes but when I looked at the label I realized it had romano cheese and soybean oil...oops, both things I can't have.  Guess I'll have to learn to make my own from now on. 

Needless to say I have been learning to expand my tastebuds these day.  Lunch today for example:

This little duo is a broiled portabello mushroom with spinach, green onions and goat cheese (with a splash of white wine vinegar and oil) and some cumin spiced sweet potatoes and yams.  This meal was 95% vegetable!  If you are lucky enough to be able to eat peppers and tomatoes, this addition to the mushroom would be fabulous.  Just broil your mushroom with a little olive oil for 4-5 minutes, add your toppings and put it back in for another 5.  Delish and quite a healthy meal!

With a little encouragement from Our Best Bites blog today I decided to try my hand once again at making my own stock seeing how I cannot buy it any longer because they ALL have MSG in some form or another.  Those of you who have read past blogs have known that my track record is not that good.  I decided to give it one more go.  I pulled out the Christmas Turkey carcass that I'd been saving from the freezer and went at it. 

It's simmering on the stove right now and I hope to have enough to go in the freezer as well.  I'm going to make Italian Wedding Soup tonight with mini turkey meatballs and brown rice instead of the orzo pasta.  It's starting to smell good in here so here's to hoping it turns out!

Another great idea from the ladies at Best Bites to add a little fun into feeding your kids was this:

Serve your kids their lunch in muffin cups.  I don't have any six piece ones so I used individual ones and tried to put lots of colour into it.  Look how happy this boy looks to eat his fruits and veggies!  It's fun to change things up every now and again and let them have fun eating their food. 

Well, that's it for now, happy eating!

Our Weekend Adventure

So the kids and I have been couped up in the house for way too long and when Friday night came along I was trying to convince Mike to take us to the movies.  You know, we could hide in the back, go see something that's been out for a long time so we'd have the theatre mostly to ourselves...but that was a 'no go.'  The kids are still contagious. 

The kids were enjoying some music and dancing around the living room and Mike was doing his evening ritual of looking on craigslist for SUVs and trucks.  He has been looking for something to tow our trailer for our inflatable company as well as our tent trailer in the summer.  Our van just can't do it anymore.  So Mike came across an Escalade just out of Seattle, a great deal, and not too far to drive. 

So I said, 'Do you want it?'  He was like, 'Well, it's a great deal.'  So I told him to call the company.  Turns out they got the vehicle in that day and there was lots of interest already.  We asked when they opened and then asked the kids if they wanted to go for a road trip.  Of course, they exuberantly shouted 'Yes!!!'  Within half an hour we had booked a hotel and packed up all our stuff into a little suitcase.  Of course the kids wanted to pack stuff too so they brought their own suitcases with a few toys and books to keep them busy in the car.

They fell asleep within twenty minutes on the way down and we enjoyed some quality time in the car.  In the morning the kids were thrilled to go swimming in the pool, which we had all to ourselves.  Mike forgot his shorts so I had my hands full giving girls turns to be pulled around the pool and catching them as they jumped in.

Mike shot off to get to the lot early.  He took a test drive and bought the vehicle. 2000 Cadillac Escalade, notice the gangsta rims.  It needs a little bit of work cosmetically but is in good working order.  We got it for a steal of a deal and even had someone come up to us as we were getting ready to leave offering us $4000 more than we paid for it if we'd sell it to him.  We definitely took his name and number and we'll see what comes of that. 

The kids did extremely well for a whirlwind trip.  I think they enjoyed the adventure and the change of scenery.  They slept almost the whole way home which I was thankful for.  I had just turned off the radio a few minutes earlier to start to pray when a few cars ahead of us a vehicle swerved out and slid across all four lanes, went over the curb and flipped right over and landed upside down.  Good thing I was already praying; I immediately started praying for them and us.  There was a stretch in the road where every 30 seconds we'd see another vehicle in the ditch.  So thankful we were all safe as we traveled. 

Got home just in time to get ready for the Vineyard Marriage Banquet.  I've been thinking about how to balance being an encouraging wife and yet reigning in Mike when he has big dreams.  It can be so easy to say 'No' when he comes up with some crazy idea.  He was very surprised that I was willing to pack up the kids and jump in the van for an adventure but I do want to be more supportive, more spontaneous and when it's possible, walk alongside Mike and run with him in his dreams.  I know I can't say yes to every idea or thought he has but I can trust that when there's no harm in trying, it's alright to TRY.  No risk, no reward - and this little adventure was both good for the family and good for our soul.  I think it empowered Mike to know that I do support him and want him to succeed and because I am normally a very level-headed and planned person, it gave me a thrill to just 'do it.'  And it was great to know we can do something a little crazy every now and again and the kids are happy to go along for the ride. 

Have you done something spontaneous today?

Day 4 Lifestyle Changes - Day 4 with two kids with chicken pox

So after easing into the lathargic life of two children with chicken pox, I decided today we ALL needed to get dressed and burn some energy.  We all napped yesterday and the girls ended up going to bed at 10:00pm...so this time they needed to get some energy out.

The girls were happy to get dressed.

Caleb, not so much.  I am thinking we are over the worst with him with only a few crying fits today because of the pain and itching.

We went to visit Mike at work and he graciously blew up a bouncy house for them to play in while he worked.  Of course before we even started there were injuries.  Mike accidentally tripped Abbi and she went down hard on the cement - a nice fat lip and bleeding nose followed.

Good thing she is a good sport and it didn't take her long to start jumping.
Soon after Caleb banged is head on the cement...OK, are seeing a pattern here?  So maybe this wasn't such a good idea.  In the end we accomplished our goal and the kids and I ended up having a nice afternoon nap again.  It's now 8:00pm and the kids aren't at all ready for bed but at least we had a better day and got out of the house for a bit.

Mike's FYI side note is that you can rent this bouncy house : )  It's one of our new additions to our inflatable company.

So for eating I'm doing pretty good. I bought some chia chia bread from Silver Hills and I managed to gag it down - no, it wasn't that bad but it sure wasn't that good!  I bought a few loaves because they were on sale so I'll have to get through those before I move onto other options.

My sugar addiction is always looming in the background.  My mom made cookies for the kids yesterday and it's difficult to see them in the house.  I know it won't be long before I breakdown and make some sort of concoction to fill my craving.

I hope by the end of this that my cravings have subsided, maybe even left.  But for now, instead of going completely crazy I'll give in now and then to a little sweetness (within the rules of course).

Here's to one more day down and hopefully kids that sleep through the night!

Day 1 Lifestyle Changes

I awoke with the knowledge that there would be a lot changing.  I prepared my breakfast of oatmeal, almond milk with some banana and touch of cinnamon and agave.  It was good, definitely needs getting used to.  

Mike graciously let me have a nap in the morning to recover from yesterday's Soup and the Spirit so I got up without getting groceries and needing to improvise for lunch.

I started with a can of black beans, the last of my red onion, a splash of honey and lime and salt.

Next, I cooked up some frozen corn and added it to the mix.

I checked for cumin but I was all out, too bad - I guess it's more lime and salt and then I threw in a half of an avacado for some more colour and flavour.

I bought corn tortillas from the Costco in the states on the weekend and I pulled them out.  I let the kids try them and since they smelled like playdough they didn't seem to appetizing.  The kids chucked them out and I decided to make tostados - put a little olive oil in the pan and fried the tortilla till it was crisp.

Put my black bean avacado mixture on the toastado and voila, lunch is served!

Yes, it was noon and I had a turban in my hair because, like I mentioned earlier, I had just awoken from a morning nap!  The food was fantastic.  I finished off lunch with some sliced cucumbers, too boring to take pictures of them though.

Snack time - fresh strawberries and a handful of pistachios

Tonight's dinner - Salmon, brown rice spaghetti with lemon and dill, mushrooms and broccoli.  

And while I blog quietly in the living room, Mike is outside in the snow with the kids, who by the way, all have chicken pox!

Doesn't Sadie look terrible?? Yet she still has energy to enjoy the snow while it lasts.  So I will be homebound for another two weeks!  

Enjoying my lasts...

So I ordered Pizza last night, haven't had take-out pizza in nearly two months so it was a delicious treat.  Then today we went out to Red Robin for dinner.  I have been telling the kids that if we stay away from McDontald's and Burger King for two months I'd reward them with dinner at Red Robin.  So with 10 days left in the month and still going strong and only 2 days till I start my new food changes I thought we'd celebrate early. 

I enjoyed my favourite bonzai burger with yam fries, yum!  The kids had their favourites of mac and cheese and french fries.  It felt good to have a treat and celebrate as we've stayed away from those unhealthy choices for the last few months.  It is way more fun to anticipate a yummy meal  then run through a drive thru and every one have tummy aches afterwards. 

My mom is planning a pork roast with applesauce for dinner tomorrow night and Monday morning I begin!!  Still a little in shock and I'm sure my body sure will be on Monday but at the same time I am looking forward to change.  Change is hard, change is slow, but change does come!

Nighttime Sweetness

The last few evenings when the girls have prayed before bed, they have prayed for me.  They usually start out thanking Jesus for their unicorn or horse stuffies and then move onto me.  They thank Jesus for my eyes, for my beautiful hair, for my mouth, for my ears, whatever it is they see as I kneel beside them eyes closed. 

I sit and listen and smile and receive it as a little sweetness from the Lord.  He loves me and He is thankful for all my parts, exactly how He's created them.  I am a beautiful person made in His image and He loves every part, even the parts I don't like so much. 

Such a sweet way to say Goodnight.  I'm so thankful for my precious daughters who are sensitive to the Spirit even when they don't even realize what they are doing. 

No meat, no cheese, no wheat?! Oh my!

Ever wondered what it be like to live on a really restricted diet?  You know what I'm talking about, extreme!  And not for weight loss but just so you can actually feel and be healthy.  Can you imagine your meals without any dairy, wheat, tomatoes, potatoes, beef, chicken, lamb, pork, chocolate (yikes!), alcohol, lettuce, vinegar, shellfish, peanuts, soy or margarine?  This is what I need to imagine, no this is what I need to live by. 

I just have gotten back from my food sensitivity test at the naturopath and these were the recommendations given to me.  I am still in shock when I ponder the changes I need to make and I can feel those pounds coming off just thinking about it.  That is definitely not why I'm doing this but I'm sure it will be a side affect.  The truth is I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired.  I am fatigued all the time, feel sick to my stomach and I know that most of it is because of the food I am eating.  My new year's resolution was to get healthy from the inside out.

I was sure that I was lactose intolerant before going so this just confirmed my thoughts.  But beef? Chicken? What's left?  I guess I will be falling in love with fish and turkey and beans, oh my!

So I'm giving myself until Monday to start my new regime.  That should give me a little time to figure out what in the world I can eat that will actually taste good!  Feel free to pray for me if you think of it as this will be a huge change and I know it will be very difficult.

I've been off sugar/high glycemic foods since January and so I feel like I'm finally getting a feel for that, but this is way bigger than that!  If anyone has any food/recipe ideas, please pass them on.

I know one things for sure, I'm going to enjoy my spaghetti sauce tonight like no other night!

My Valentine's Day

Sweet and Simple, just the way I like it. 

Decided to do a little something for the kids and Michael in the morning.  I had been checking out http://www.ourbestbites.com/ and they had posted their heart shaped pancakes and decorations.  Yes, this could be simple.  I cut out a few red hearts for the table and managed to make enough heart shaped pancakes for all the kids and two big ones for Mike.  I served him in bed as the kids enjoyed their breakfast at the table. 

The girls and I worked on some hand-made Valentine's after receiving a card from Caleb 'en francais'.  When daddy got home, Abbi was so excited she couldn't hold it in.  She jumped on him with her card before he could even drop his bags. 

I was surprised with these lovely gerber daisies - they were in my wedding bouquet so I always prefer them to a dozen roses, though roses are nice every now and again!

After dinner, I made some cream cheese/whip cream stuffed strawberries.  Caleb helped me stuff them and, of course, snuck the first one.

They turned out quite delicious and I could enjoy them because I sweetened them with agave instead of sugar. 

mmmm, don't they look good? And they were pretty simple to make!

The most important part of the day is reminding each other that we are loved; that we love and appreciate each other - I think that was accomplished in our day.

They are listening

I was just sitting here and listening to the girls playing in the bathroom.  I hear Abbi saying 'I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry.  I'm so sorry for yelling at you.'  Sadie replies, 'That's OK. I forgive you.'  They are playing with dolls or toys together. 

I try not to yell at my kids, but seeing how I am not in heaven yet and so have not been made perfect, I do lose my temper every now and again. I have chosen to discipline myself to ALWAYS apologize to the kids...once I've calmed down.  I don't think my behaviour is acceptable because I sure wouldn't accept that behaviour from them and so I don't want to let myself off because I'm the mom.

Instead, at some point in the day, I get down on their level and let them know that sometimes mommies make mistakes and it was a mistake to raise my voice and yell.  They usually remind me of this fact as well!  And then I apologize.  It's just a small thing that I remind myself to do, to not just let it go...and they are listening.  They hear my apology, they receive it and they remember.  As they re-enacted their little scene, I didn't hear them yelling at each other just before, just heard the apology.  If that's what sticks, I am so thankful. 

It was a good reminder to hear them talking like that today.  You know, life is tough and we make mistakes but it's not the mistakes we should focus on but the way we respond to them. 

Something New!

Sometimes it feel great to start something new and today was one of those days.  Mike and I started Soup and the Spirit today; a gathering of young adults from the Vineyard to come and have lunch, visit, and get some Holy Spirit.  We were nearly bursting at the seams with 35 people in the house around 3 tables and anywhere else they could fit but it felt so good!

There was enough food but just enough so now I know for next week!  The conversations were great; people were getting to know people they hadn't met before.  After lunch, Mike and I shared on Psalm 24 and then we went in groups to lay the foundation for the community.  We want Jesus and we want climb the mountain of the Lord together.  I felt like a giddy little girl with my excitement.

We get to be at the beginning stages of this thing.  We have no idea how it's going to look down the road or what it will turn into or how many people will be a part of it, but we get to be a part of what God's doing.  So cool!

The last of the group left just before 4:30pm and had a great time connecting and getting to know people.  So excited to be a part of something new!

Open up, ancient gates! Open up, ancient doors!

I have been reading Psalm 24 this evening preparing for Soup and the Spirit tomorrow.  I don't think I'd ever read the NLT version before.

The psalm talks about who can climb the mountain of the Lord - he who has clean hands, a pure heart, who does not worship idols or tell lies....

Then it goes on to say Open up, ancient gates! Open up, ancient doors, and let the King of Glory enter.  I have always wondered about this verse.  What doors and gates are they talking about?  The doors and gates of the church? Of Jerusalem? ....Or of my own heart?

Tonight was the first time I thought it could be my own heart.  There are ancient doors that have been shut for so long to the Lord that need to be opened again to Him.  I'm not even sure what's hiding behind those doors or what that looks like but it goes on... and this is a great part -  The scripture goes on to say 'Who is this King of Glory? The Lord strong and mighty; the Lord, invincible in battle.'  Wow, the Lord is invincible in battle.  That means he can't NOT win!  He wins every time.  No one can beat him; there is no match for him.

I want to believe this!

It's not about purifying our hearts and hands and 'doing' the right things so we can get closer to God.  It's about  letting Him in to us so HE can purify us, so HE can do battle on the things that we struggle with.  It's not about us, it's about HIM.

Imagine how many things we wouldn't be struggling with if we would only believe that the Lord fights for us and He is Invincible!

Me time

So my beautiful girls woke me up at 6am this morning.  Normally I let them go off and watch TV and I roll over for another hour or so before getting up.  This morning I knew that if I wanted to exercise now would be the only time.  So when they rolled out of bed, so did I.  They still got their TV time and I headed to the gym for a quick workout.  It felt great to get out there early and get my workout in. 

Today was for me.  After working out, I packed up the kids - Caleb off to school and the girls to a friend's place to be babysat.  Got some running around done and then headed to the hair salon. 

After picking up the kids again, and Gramma and Papa arrived, I quickly put on some make-up and drove Mike down to Bellingham where we enjoyed a really nice meal together, did a quick shop at Trader Joe's and headed back up to Abby for a late meeting and game time with some new friends. 

Wow, in the midst of all this crazy stuff happening, it was such a blessing to have some ME time!  As people have offered to help with the kids, I've decided to accept.  I know my life isn't that insane or unmanageable but when those blessings come my way, it would be silly to say no. 

So tomorrow will be another wonderful day with the help of a 'free of charge' babysitter to watch the kids as I cook and prepare for Soup and the Spirit.  I'm excited to get ready for our very first Young Adults meeting on Sunday.  I have no idea who will be there or how many people will come but it's gonna be great!

I have excitement for the new things to come in my life and the life of my church. 

Never a Dull Moment

Didn't I just say this yesterday?  There really is never a dull moment with the Fornwalds.  Last night, just as I was sitting down with a cup of tea to pray and relax I got a phone call.  'Just want to say first of all that Mike is OK, but we're heading to the hospital in an ambulance because he hit his head on the ice pretty hard. But everything is OK.' 

Seriously?  My first reaction was calm but then I started to allow worry creep in.  As I was sitting there just getting ready to pray, I thought well, now is a perfect moment.  I prayed for Mike.  I knew that if God could take care of Mike through cancer, he would definitely take care of him through a concussion.  So I prayed and prepared to go off to the hospital to be with him. 

I guess I missed all the drama when he was totally out of it cracking jokes with the lifeguards on hand to help him, and the ambulance drivers.  I posted on facebook that he fell and for people to pray and then headed off to the hospital with my parents here to watch the kids. 

Once I realized he was going to be OK, we started joking and relaxing.  I checked the comments and we had a good laugh when I read that he was already on the prayer chain at the church - my how news travels fast!!

So he has to take a few days off work and rest his brain and his body.  This will be a difficult task for Mike but I know he's got to take it easy if he wants to get well quickly.  If you'd like to pray, pray for that.  Pray for grace for him to rest and relax and not to get going to soon. 

Yesterday we went around the table to say what we were thankful for and I was thankful for our overall health.....and I still am.  We do not have a debilitating disease, terminal illness, broken bones.  Mike has a concussion, but it could have been worse. I am still so thankful to God for his care and protection in our lives and to our family. 

Chicken Pox and Lasagna

There seems to never be dull moment in the Fornwald Family House.  We woke up yesterday morning to finding spots all over Abbi's back and tummy.  Off to the doctor's office for an official check and, yes, it's Chicken Pox.  I know, I know, I'm behind on my immunizations.  She got a mild case of it last year so we thought we were in the clear.  Turns out you can get it again if your first case is mild so here we are.  Today was rough for her.  She was very teary all morning and itchy and uncomfortable, not to mention fevery. 

My mom came over to give me a break and took Sadie for a few hours.  I had hoped to get a good rest in with Abbi but she was too itchy to get a good sleep. 

Despite her day, I still managed to follow through on my fast and make my family and someone else's family dinner.  I kept thinking of the video from Francis Chan where he says, 'If you do something that you feel God is calling you to do, do you ever regret it?' The answer is always No.  If you are obedient, even if you don't see any fruit from it, it always feel right to do it.  I know I would regret breaking my fast just because Abbi is sick and I'm tired but I won't regret keeping it even if I don't get as much prayer time in as I had hoped. 

Our scripture memory verse this week is 'Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, I put my trust in you.  Show me the way that I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.'  Meg shared on Monday about focusing on the 'Show me the way that I should go' part.  In the midst of all the things we need to do in a day, God is there, and he can show us the way in which we are to do those things. 

And so, as I made dinner for my family, lasagna, I thought about that.  God, what should I do with this other lasagna?  Normally, I would freeze it, but it has wheat which means I couldn't enjoy it!  It would be nice to bless someone with it.  Immediately, I thought of my friend Naomi whose husband is away.  Called her and sure enough she didn't have a plan for dinner yet.  The Lord showed me the way to bless her.  So that was a cool moment for me today.  I knew that the lasagna was for her and it felt great to bless her and follow through with what I felt God prompting me to do.

Today is a new Day

Thank you Jesus that your mercies are new every morning.  Yesterday was terrible with all the junk that I ate.  Managing to stay on my sugar free diet, I still had cheesecake and cookies and cookies (all sugar free of course).  I felt terrible but just couldn't seem to help myself. 

But today is a new day!!!  I enjoyed my breakfast of king's kamut bread (Silver Hills) and it was still fresh and soft.  Add a little almond butter and honey and a banana and I was ready for my day.  All dressed and ready to go to the gym when Mike found bumps on Abbi - literally covering her whole back and tummy.  Great, no gym for me today.  I guess I will have to work out here at home.  Today is a new day; normally I would sit on my butt and play on the internet instead of working out if I didn't make it to the gym, but today is a new day.  I'm going to work out...and I'm gonna go do it right now.

Mom, I smell Barbecue!!

That's what Sadie said when she walked inside the door.  The air was thick with smoke, the windows had condensation on them and there was my soup pot...smoking.  I had forgotten to turn down the soup stock before leaving on errands.  It wasn't until an hour into my errands did I realize that fact.  I came home to a charred pot of carrots and celery and chicken carcass...but no fire!  Thank you Jesus! 

This was my first attempt in about five years to make my own chicken stalk.  I've heard it's easy but I've never managed to make one that tasted any good. So, I thought I'd give it a try today seeing how I had a craving for Chicken soup.  My glands have been swollen for a few days and I feel like I'm fighting something off, some soup for my soul sounded delicious. 

I took the pot outside to cool and smoke outside a bit.  Then a thought came into my head from church yesterday.  A lady had come with a word to the front and she said, 'Who wants to burn for Jesus?'  Well, this chicken sure got to burn.  I don't know if that chicken would have chosen to be burned but put in the right element and conditions, he had no choice but to burn.  I think sometimes we say we wanna burn for Jesus but we never put ourselves close to the fire.  We never step outside of ourselves and so we watch while others burn.  We need to reposition ourselves to get right close to Jesus and trust him that though we burn, it's only the old that is burned out, and all that is His, good, new will stay. 

I had to chuck out the burnt good today but the smell will remind me to step closer to the fire, burn the chaff, Lord.

Cheesecake

I had a piece of cheesecake at 9:00am this morning.  Despite having no sugar in my diet I can still manage this feat.  I made a sugar and wheat-free gingerbread cheesecake for a party yesterday and it was delicious I just couldn't help myself.  I wish sweets didn't have this hold on me.  It is still needing to be weeded out of my life. 

I wish I found more satisfaction in chewing on a pepper than tasting a morsel of cheesecake...but I don't, at least not yet, maybe that will never happen. 

For now, I guess I just need to give myself grace.  I know the 9:00am cheesecake raid is not acceptable and I don't feel that great now that's it's been sitting in my tummy.  I know I would have felt better chewing on those peppers.  I know it's a choice, sometimes I just let my flesh decide without thinking of the consequences.

Why does eating have to be so difficult?  Our pastor spoke about Jesus being tempted in the desert yesterday.  He had to choose to say no to things before he could say yes.  I know that this is the case with me.  I want to be changed, moved by and throug him but I know I need to say NO to things before I can say yes...including the cheesecake. 

My mind is having a hard time focusing today.  I'm thinking of Jhonny and Jerry, wondering what will become of them, knowing that I don't want to quit what I've started but also realizing that I don't have enough information to continue. 

It was hard to focus on my devotional today, to pray....I need focus today Jesus.  Please help me.  I know that part of following you is being able to follow through on my daily tasks of caring for my husband, my kids, my house. 

Please left me out of this slump.  I want to live fully, abundantly, not always just getting by.  I want to be the woman you created me to be.