caregiving chronicles: a little scripture goes a long way

1 Peter 5

5 To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder and a witness of Christ’s sufferings who also will share in the glory to be revealed: ² Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; ³ not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. ⁴ And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.

⁵ In the same way, you who are younger, submit yourselves to your elders. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because,

“God opposes the proud
    but shows favor to the humble.”^[a]

⁶ Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. ⁷ Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

⁸ Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. ⁹ Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

¹⁰ And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong,firm and steadfast. ¹¹ To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.

¹² With the help of Silas,^[b] whom I regard as a faithful brother, I have written to you briefly, encouraging you and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Stand fast in it.

¹³ She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends you her greetings, and so does my son Mark. ¹⁴ Greet one another with a kiss of love.

Peace to all of you who are in Christ.

Give it up to God.

I try my best to be a Proverbs 31 woman.

Sayings of King Lemuel

31 The sayings of King Lemuel—an inspired utterance his mother taught him.

² Listen, my son! Listen, son of my womb!
    Listen, my son, the answer to my prayers!
³ Do not spend your strength^[a] on women,
    your vigor on those who ruin kings.

⁴ It is not for kings, Lemuel—
    it is not for kings to drink wine,
    not for rulers to crave beer,
⁵ lest they drink and forget what has been decreed,
    and deprive all the oppressed of their rights.
⁶ Let beer be for those who are perishing,
    wine for those who are in anguish!
⁷ Let them drink and forget their poverty
    and remember their misery no more.

⁸ Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves,
    for the rights of all who are destitute.
⁹ Speak up and judge fairly;
    defend the rights of the poor and needy.

*I’m a proud Autism Advocate. A good friend of mine gave me this ribbon for my car.*

Epilogue: The Wife of Noble Character

^10 [b]A wife of noble character who can find?
    She is worth far more than rubies.
¹¹ Her husband has full confidence in her
    and lacks nothing of value.
¹² She brings him good, not harm,
    all the days of her life.
¹³ She selects wool and flax
    and works with eager hands.
¹⁴ She is like the merchant ships,
    bringing her food from afar.
¹⁵ She gets up while it is still night;
    she provides food for her family
    and portions for her female servants.
¹⁶ She considers a field and buys it;
    out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
¹⁷ She sets about her work vigorously;
    her arms are strong for her tasks.
¹⁸ She sees that her trading is profitable,
    and her lamp does not go out at night.
¹⁹ In her hand she holds the distaff
    and grasps the spindle with her fingers.
²⁰ She opens her arms to the poor
    and extends her hands to the needy.
²¹ When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
    for all of them are clothed in scarlet.
²² She makes coverings for her bed;
    she is clothed in fine linen and purple.
²³ Her husband is respected at the city gate,
    where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.
²⁴ She makes linen garments and sells them,
    and supplies the merchants with sashes.
²⁵ She is clothed with strength and dignity;
    she can laugh at the days to come.
²⁶ She speaks with wisdom,
    and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
²⁷ She watches over the affairs of her household
    and does not eat the bread of idleness.
²⁸ Her children arise and call her blessed;
    her husband also, and he praises her:
²⁹ “Many women do noble things,
    but you surpass them all.”
³⁰ Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
    but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
³¹ Honor her for all that her hands have done,
    and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

Just a few days ago, I was talking with an old friend about how God’s word stands the test of time. We spoke about a lot of women we know aren’t focused on walking with Christ & how especially women our age don’t follow the teachings of Christ because they feel they aren’t relevant anymore. As a Christian woman, I know God’s words are still relevant. I can walk with Christ & follow his teachings today.

As a Proverbs 31 woman, I serve the Lord with my mind, body, heart, & soul.

I serve Him with my hands when I help those in need.

I serve Him with my words when I speak for those with no voice.

I serve the Lord with my heart through kindness, forgiveness, & worship.

I serve the Lord with my actions when I preach the Gospel to those who want to listen & through charitable work.

I serve the Lord with my soul when I seek His will for my life & follow his word.

product review: earth therapeautics foot scrub

So I SERIOUSLY have tired, achy feet by the end of the day.

To the point that I’m howling & hobbling around.

So I found this at the store & I have been trying it out.

It does actually cool & soothe your feet like it claims.

But if I were the manufacturer, I would make an accompanying tea tree oil cooling foot balm, & the reason for that is, yes the scrub cools & exfoliates. But what about those days that you just really want a foot massage – even when you have to give one to yourself? I mean, I’m not going to soak my feet in the tub & scrub them every time they hurt. That would be so much water, goodness gracious. I just couldn’t in good conscience do that. 😦

Nevertheless, I will purchase it again because it really does soothe my feet, but so I don’t waste a billion gallons of water, I will continue to use it sparingly. & I would definitely purchase & prefer to use a balm of the same caliber if they decide to make one.

By the way, I got some of these neat Jamberry nail wraps, as you can see, from my friend Kim! If you’re interested in them they can be found here.

charred gold beet salad

Hey y’all.

I’m still waiting for the ground to dry up over at Three Sisters so I can show y’all a tour of their farm. But, I grabbed these beautiful gold beets from there, so I made this yummy salad.

2 c kale, stems removed & torn into bite-sized pieces
4 small gold beets, peeled
1/4 c white onion, roughly chopped
1 handful of walnuts, roughly chopped

So first you need to preheat your oven to 400F.

While it heats, peel the beets, tear the kale, & chop the onions & walnuts.

Roast the beets for about an hour until they are charred on the outside & soft on the inside.

Chop them into bite-sized pieces.

Then toss everything together.

I drizzled a little EVOO on mine instead of dressing & it was super yummy! 🙂

chevre & feta pizza with kale, shallot, & gold cherry tomatoes

So, I’m pulling out my emergency stash of chevre from my good friends at Swede Farm to bring you this pizza. 🙂

Now, I made this pizza without sauce because I’m not a tomato-y type of girl, aside from cherry tomatoes (which I added on top!). But you can definitely add some sauce if you like. 🙂

1 recipe pizza crust, I used King Arthur Flour’s basic dough – you can find that here.
6 oz chevre – I used Swede Farm’s chevre with smoked sea salt
1/2 c crumbled feta-  I buy the block of feta from Whole Foods (in brine) & slice off then crumble what I need
1/2 lb very lean ground pork*
1/2 tsp ground white pepper*
1/2 tsp ground oregano*
1 c red kale leaves, loosely packed, stems removed, sauteed in EVOO
1 shallot, caramelized
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 gold cherry tomatoes, sliced lengthwise

*ingredients with asterisk can be substituted with 1/2 lb seasoned italian sausage

Prepare your pizza dough according to directions.

While the dough is rising, cook the pork/italian sausage thoroughly.

In a separate pan, caramelize the shallot & garlic, then toss in the red kale leaves & sautee.

Once your dough is done rising, bake according to your recipe until it looks & feels set, with crusts beginning to crisp but still pale on top.

Remove from oven.

Top with cheese, sausage, kale mixture. Sprinkle on the gold cherry tomatoes.

King Arthur Flour gives the perfect instructions for this point in the pizza process: “bake on the upper oven rack for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, until the crust is nicely browned, both top and bottom, and the cheese is melted. Check it midway through, and move it to the bottom rack if the top is browning too much, or the bottom not enough.”

This recipe can be made gluten free by following King Arthur Flour’s gluten free crust recipe – find it here.

PS – Swede Farm now has a baby goat! Expect another tour plus more pictures VERY soon. 😉

& don’t forget to tell your friends about the big beauty giveaway I’m hosting in february! 😀

Guest Post: Quinoa Crunch Cereal

My name is Valerie and I am a Gluten Free & Dairy Free food blogger over at The Kitchen Revival

I am a Full Time housewife, mommy to an almost 7 yr old Shih tzu by the name of Conner, and a self taught cook. 

Now that you know who I am, I would like to share an easy and satisfying breakfast that will keep you fueled up and satisfied!

Quinoa Crunch Cereal

1 1/2 cups Cooked Quinoa

1 tbsp. Flax Seeds

2 tbsp. Pure Maple Syrup

About 2 Small Handfuls of Sliced Almonds

1/4 tsp. Cinnamon

1/4 Cup melted Coconut Oil

Dried Fruit of your Choice (Optional)

Chocolate Chunks (Optional)

Preheat your oven to 375 F. and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

Mix together the Quinoa, flaxseeds, and almonds. Then add in the maple syrup and coconut oil, and cinnamon. Mix everything thoroughly.

Spread the mixture in an even layer onto the prepared baking sheet.

Bake for around 30 to 50 min. Halfway through baking, flip the cereal around with a spatula to ensure even cooking. The cereal should be slightly golden brown when finished.

Remove from the oven and allow the cereal to cool so it can crisp further.

After the cereal has cooled and you are ready to eat, add in your favorite dried fruit or chocolate chunks.

Enjoy the cereal with your favorite milk or dairy free milk!

super yummy glazed carrots

Super yummy glazed carrots!

As you saw last week, you can make pesto with carrot greens. Well, you have to store your carrots by cutting off the greens first, that way they will keep longer.

Here’s what I did with the yummy (& vibrant) carrots from Three Sisters Farm.

1 lb carrots, peeled
2 c water, boiling
2 tbsp butter
2/3 c brown sugar

After you trim the majority of the greens off the carrots, peel them, discarding the peels (or you can save them for veggie stock or compost!)

In the meantime, boil the water in a skillet with lid.

Once the water is boiling, place the carrots in & cover with the lid.

Boil for 10 minutes, until crisp-tender.

Drain.

Then melt the butter, & return the carrots to the skillet.

Add the brown sugar. Cover & simmer on medium heat for 5-7 minutes.

Cover the carrots with the glaze & serve.

this week’s link & mingle!

Hello, ladies! Welcome to round 18 of the Link & Mingle!

Meet our seven amazing hosts:

Shaylee Ann | After the Manner of Happiness

Nicole | Little Blog on the Homestead

Aspen | Aspen Jay

Stephanie | Wife Mommy Me
Jenny | Escape&Inspire
Reagan | Reagan the Recipe Hoarder
&
Natalie | Keeping Up With Makayla

[ if you are interested in co-hosting this link-up, please email mannerofjoy@gmail.com or leave a comment below ] 

arugula, anjou pear, & green apple salad; & a giveaway announcement

Lately, I’ve been eating lots of salad.

Yum, kinda.

I have to switch things up a bit every day otherwise I get bored quick.

Isn’t that arugula fabulous? I got it at Three Sisters Farm.

3 c fresh arugula
1 anjou pear, chopped
1 green apple, chopped
oil & vinegar

Toss the arugula, pear, apple, oil & vinegar together.

Makes a great entree if you add a bit of protein!

Also, I’m teaming up with my friends Kim, Cristina, & Maritza in February for a BIG BEAUTY GIVEAWAY!

*open to US residents only – sorry y’all but postage is expensive.

So keep an eye on the blog if you’re interested in this beauty giveaway coming soon!

caregiving chronicles: why i’m reading ‘tuesdays with morrie’ again

Do you know someone with dementia? Maybe you know someone who knows someone. Or someone who knows someone who knows someone.

It’s a difficult disease to say the least.

I’m on the outside looking in trying to understand but I can’t, & I probably won’t ever understand, what goes on in her mind.

But I want to make the best of the time we have left together, whether it’s days, weeks, months, years, I don’t know. & that’s not for me to know, God knows though. He put in my heart the patience & compassion to see this through. & I will with a smile on my face when I can manage one. & dammit I’m gonna try to keep her smiling until the end.

If you’ve never read ‘tuesdays with morrie’ by mitch albom you should. I truly believe with all of my heart that it will put everything into perspective for you. That’s why my copy is bent up, the pages are worn, & dog eared (don’t hate me).

This has been in my top 5 favorite books since I first read it – I was probably twelve or thirteen & going through a rough stage with my family, my school life, myself.

I’ve always been a bookworm. & when I found this book titled ‘tuesdays with morrie’, the spine an ugly awkward shade of brown, on the library shelf I said to myself ‘what a strange name for a book, I should read it’. & I’ve never been more right in my life.

As I sit here writing, I’m curled up in bed with my old dog. I’m still not sure how I can keep a smiling face when she asks me tomorrow who’s living in her house for the thousandth time.

I’ve started viewing the world coldly, jaded. & I need to check myself.

I’m rereading this book to put my life, my situation, back into perspective.

I’ve closed my worn copy of the book for the umpteenth time, only to pick it back up again in the morning. & when I finish it this round, it’ll go back on the shelf to be read again another day.

Have you ever read a book that has shaped your future even if you didn’t know it at the time?