O Lord You're Beautiful

Lyrics by Keith Green

O Lord You're Beautiful, Your face is all I seek.
For when Your eyes are on this child, your grace abounds to me.

I want to take your word and shine it all around
but first help me just to live it Lord.
And when I'm doing well help me to never seek a crown
for my reward is giving Glory to You.

O Lord, Please let the Fire, that once burned bright and clear.
Replace the lamp of my first love that burns with Holy Fear.

I want to take your word and shine it all around
but first help me just to live it Lord.
And when I'm doing well help me to never seek a crown
for my reward is giving Glory to you. 

This song was running through my head last night.  It's my prayer.

Let's Get Some Exercise!

I asked Mike if he wanted to put the kids to bed so I could go for a walk and get some exercise.  Caleb heard and piped up, 'I want to get some exercise!' Of course, the girls chimed in too.  So, Mike do you want to get some exercise?? He agreed and so we all headed out at bedtime for a nice long walk.  It was wonderful.  It's finally light in the evenings and the kids were excited to get their 'exercise' so they started with running races.  They weren't pooped out until the long walk up the hill home came.  They did great though and it excited me for the spring and summer. 

Maybe we could make a routine of it.  It would be so nice to get outside, go on an adventure and seek out some new territory we haven't seen yet...and get our exercise!  I thought it would help the kids get to sleep quicker too.  Worked like a charm for Caleb but I can still hear the girls playing on their beds. 

Anyhow, what a great way to spend some family time.  I'm looking for more days like this!

Coconut Banana Almond Ice Cream - Yum!

So I have been killing myself slowly as I look through endless food blogs for recipes that I can actually eat this week.  I found a great site but it is meticulous skimming through so many food blogs to find what works for my diet.  Food Buzz is the one I've been on most lately; lots of good stuff on there. 

Anyhow, I've been hankering for something sweet and when Mike said he was going out to get everyone ice cream I asked him to get some coconut milk so I could make my own.  Took a few ideas from a few places and blended into a delectable treat that I could actually enjoy.  Sugarfree, dairy free, gluten free ice cream!

So how do you make this concoction you ask?  Well, it's actually quite simple.  I sliced two bananas and put them in the freezer.  Some things I've read say to freeze for two hours but I was way to impatient for that, so it was more like one hour.  I grabbed the blender and then I added half a can of coconut milk - maybe a bit much, probably only need 1/4 to 1/3 of a can for next time, a tsp. of agave and a handful of almonds.  I blended up until the almonds were more fine.  Add in those mostly frozen bananas and mix until smooth. 

I put half into a bowl and stuck it in the freezer for, oh, ten minutes...again I was too impatient.  It could have used 30-40 minutes for sure!  Anyhow, I pulled it out and enjoyed it while we watched a movie and it was so delicious.  I put the other one in a freezer container for another day to enjoy! 

Now, this is NOT a low fat dessert - it was definitely indulgent but it felt great knowing exactly what I was eating.  There was nothing refined in there; No -ites or -oses or anything else of that nature, so for that, it was worth it. 

Coconut Banana Almond Ice Cream
2 bananas- sliced then frozen
1/4 to 1/3 can of coconut milk
1 tsp. agave (or to taste)
small handful of almonds

Blend last three ingredients, then add the bananas and blend till smooth.  If you are patient, put it in the freezer for half and hour or so to freeze up a bit, otherwise enjoy this soft cool treat right away. 

Makes about 2 servings. 

Of course the possiblities are endless in combinations for this - just start with the two bananas and then go bananas! Ok, that sounded like a dad joke.  You could add shredded coconut, pineapple chunks, etc.  Have fun and let me know what you come up with.

Reaching for the Light

We took the kids to Science World last week and we watched a BBC video on plants.  It was time lapsed so you could see the plants growing super-fast.  I found a clip of it that I posted for you to see.  What was so incredible to me was how the plants fought for the light.  They had to put all their energy into finding the sun or they would not grow.  But if they reached for the light, they would grow, get bigger, be full of life. 

It definitely got me thinking.  How often am I struggling to reach for the light?  I think a lot of the times I am one of the plants on the forest floor, settled in surviving, just surviving.  I get just enough light, just enough sun to keep me alive but not enough to grow, to change, to thrive.  God created these plants to reach for the light and he has created us to do the same.

I think often we think that we are doing OK.  He get through our days in our own strength, pursue our goals and dreams and feel like we have it 'together.'  But just like a plant, without water, without light, without food, we will surely die.  We just don't always realize it until we're on burn-out or find ourselves running after false light to give us the peace and strength we need. 

Ultimately we need to reach for the Light.  He is the only one who can cause us to live, to thrive.  Our flesh would rather sit on the forest floor or use up the little light we have to get through - but our Spirits are always reaching for the Light, struggling not only to survive but to thrive.  Rise up in me Spirit, and reach for the Light. 

Wow, God is so amazing in how he created Plants

We're going to the zoo, zoo, zoo...How about you, you, you?

OK, if you have small children, especially under the age of four, I strongly urge you to get a zoo pass at the Greater Vancouver Zoo.  We have had passes for our kids since they were babies.  I got one when Caleb was six months old just so I could go for a walk and see something other than houses...and then it just got better as the kids started to enjoy it : )  But seriously, kids under four are free and an adult pass is $60 - this includes the train and parking (both $5 each).  You definitely can get your money's worth for this!  We go a lot and there's always something new to see or do.

Last week we took Tehillah and spent our whole time at the front of the zoo. The kids LOVE the playground and so we mostly hung out there.  But we ALWAYS have to go to the vivarium.  I love it in the winter because you can go thaw out before heading home!

 They've built this cool new dome that the kids can climb in to see the lizards all around.  They love it.

Tehillah was pretty enthralled with the marmosets.

We stuck around for the birds of prey show, that I've probably seen 20 times, but this time there was a really small audience the birds were extra close to us!

Caleb didn't even notice the monstrous wings just barely above his head when I took this one!!!

Now I've never held one of the birds of prey before despite seeing the show numerous times but I thought I'd give it a go this time.  I had brought my camera and Caleb was dying to use it so I passed it off and got to try my hand at a Harris Hawk named Frodo.

It was fun to try something new!

Of course we love the zoo so much that we went again later on in the week because Sadie missed saying hello to the donkeys and we wanted to have a train ride.  We walked to the back and were delighted to see the bear out of hibernation.  Not only was he awake but we was throwing logs around like they were chew toys.  He was running through his enclosure and even had a little bath in his pond.  We haven't seen that much action out of him ever!

And where else can you get pictures like this of your kids riding on a moose?

It's a great way to make memories with the kids, get some fresh air and tire them out : )  The animals seem to always be doing something different and the kids get fascinated with something new each time.  So all that to say, it is a great bang for your buck to get a zoo pass... and you already know a friend who would love to go with you and some really adorable kids!

Accountability

OK, so to keep myself accountable I am going to write how I spent my last hour and a half:
15 - kitchen - empty and load dishwasher, get rid of junk on the floors, wash dishes
15 - vacuum up and downstairs
15 - laundry - put away four loads and get one more in the laundry and one more ready to go.
15 - tended to my sick husband and made a plan for dinner
15 - back to the kitchen to finish cleaning all counter tops and finish washing dishes

OK, so I made a good dent.  The floors in the kitchen still need to be done and laundry, well, laundry is neverending, but it feels good to get some stuff done.

Just remember that if you're putting off cleaning, it really does feel good to accomplish it~!