Today in Dietzville

Our Family and Children's Ministry: Part 3

2012-01-28T09:00:00.000-06:00

In case you missed Part 1 and Part 2, you can catch up first!

We decided first that our five-year-old Ryan was capable of sitting through church quietly and respectfully. David and I thought we'd give it a try and have one of our children with us, just to see what it would be like. At first, Ryan wasn't very happy. Geez, we took him away from Kool-Aid and indoor bouncy castles to singing songs with no corresponding motions and then sitting while a guy in a suit preached for 20 or 30 minutes! Eventually, though, he did very well and even began to like coming with us. He was required to stand during worship, and I would bring a quiet activity for him to do during the message. Addilyn still attended children's church, but David and I decided that she would be joining us for "big church" when she was five too.

At that point we were pretty well adjusted to having one child with us, and Addilyn had come a long way in her ability to focus and be respectably quiet. Again, they stood and worshipped with us during the praise time, but I always brought crayons or plastic canvas needlepoint for them during the sermon. After a few months, they were no longer interested in the activities I brought, but instead began to laugh at the jokes our pastor would crack. Then they started listening to the messages, and lo and behold, one Saturday night I looked down, and Ryan was taking notes! He had Scripture references and everything!

That alone was enough to seal the deal on our decision. More still, we wanted our children to see us worshipping. We attend a charismatic church where clapping, lifting hands, and other expressions of worship are practiced. We felt it was extremely important for our children to see this and learn this early on, rather than being in their 20s {like we were} before they were comfortable enough in their faith to outwardly express their love for God. If we didn't set this example for them, who would?
Furthermore, what could they gain from being with a group of their peers for an hour or so that was more important that what they could gain from attending services with us, their parents? Fun? Snacks? Veggie Tales? Don't get me wrong; there is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING WRONG with children having fun with their peers. There's nothing wrong with snacks (except that these snacks are ridden with ingredients we consider no-no's). But if FUN was the only reason I put my kids in children's ministry, then it is unfair for me to expect any spiritual growth out of them. My children have many opportunities for fun and games, in and out of the church. We did not want our children's only association of church, however, to be that it is the place where they go to play on bouncy castles, eat Goldfish, and watch Josh and the Big Wall.

Once the children get older and are "promoted" to youth ministry, we open up a whole new can of worms. I really don't think it's necessary for me to list all the reasons why I don't care for my children to be around their teenage counterparts in unsupervised scenarios. I remember all those "unsupervised scenarios" I myself was in as a teenager, even in the church. I realize I can't protect them forever, but while they are young and their minds are still forming, it is my God-given duty and responsibility to keep them sheltered from the sins which so easily ensnare us (Heb. 12:1, 13:17).

Were David and I naive enough to believe that our children would grow in spiritual maturity around a group of their spiritually immature peers? I can honestly tell you that I did not start growing in spiritual maturity until I was a senior in high school. And then, I didn't grow because of the other high schoolers I went to youth group with. I matured because of my youth pastor's wife and our worship leader's wife, two women whom I admired and looked up to. They took me under their wings and mentored me. They set an example of purity and godliness that I wanted to follow. I got nothing but a couple of ski trips, a few church camps, and some really fun Wednesday nights out of my time in youth ministry. It was the time spent with these two women, in Bible studies, accountability meetings, and around their dining tables that brought on a spiritual growth spurt for me, not being around my peers. I hope, for my children, that it will be time spent in family devotionals, family worship, and open dialogue that will ignite in Ryan and Addie a desire to pursue growth and maturity. I'm so thankful for those two women in my life, but how I wish it had been my own parents who knew better than to throw me to the wolves of peer pressure and popularity contests disguised as a youth group. To quote Doug, a Dad from the SCM forum, "We would rather have our children influenced by mature, Godly people than by a group of their clueless peers."

All defenses aside, what does the Bible say about children and is there are biblical model for age-segregated ministries in the church? That was our number one question. When every other question was answered, this one remained. Is there a biblical model for age-segregated ministries in the church? The answer is NO. Nowhere in Scripture can one find an example of children having their own activities, college students participating in their own services, or senior adults meeting in their own Sunday school classes. On the contrary:

Ephesians 6:1-3 says, "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 'Honor your father and mother', which is the first commandment with promise: 'that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.' And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord." The fact that the children and fathers are addressed together shows us that the children were sitting right there with their parents as Paul's letter was being read to the church at Ephesus.
We see the same thing in Colossians 3:18-21, "Wives, submit to your own husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and do not be bitter toward them. Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing to the Lord. Fathers, do not provoke your children, less they become discouraged." That commas are placed after "wives", "husbands", "children", and "fathers" is an indication of address. Since each part of the family (husband, wife, child, parent) is addressed in four consecutive verses, we can be sure that the children were present with their parents as Paul's letter was read.
We see older and younger men and women addressed together in Titus 2, indicating that they were not in their respective Sunday school classes for this instruction.
Little children, fathers, and young men are addressed together in 1 John 2:12-14. It is unclear to me whether they are addressed according to age or spiritual maturity. Either way, whether younger in the faith or younger by age, various age groups are addressed together.

David and I were certain that God was asking us to take Him at His Word and keep our children with us, unless the content of services was too much for their current states of maturity. Our children have attended almost all services with us for the last two years. We have not once regretted our decision or thought about going back to sending them to children's church. When the question arises about them participating in youth ministry, we already have an answer ready and it becomes a non-issue. Knowing what we believe and why brings such peace and confidence for us as parents. We no longer feel pressured by our friends or others in the church who have tried to suggest or persuade us to stick our children under the care of someone else while we sip our coffee and listen to a sermon in an all-adult atmosphere. David and I have reaped the benefits of having the delightful company of our children in church.

So, what are the benefits of opting out age-segregated programs?

As I was going over the simplest way to put this, this same Dad posted this list on our homeschool forum, Simply Charlotte Mason. I couldn't have said it better myself, and after receiving permission to re-post, I feel these benefits are so well put that they're worth posting here. I have also added some of the benefits our family has experienced since integrating our children in worship.

We all hear the same teaching and can reinforce that at home.
Our children benefit from interacting with people of all ages. They become part of the larger church body as a whole and enjoy its fellowship and accountability.
Peer pressure is pretty much a non-issue.
Older folks get to fulfill their biblical duty to teach the younger (Titus 2:1-8).
A lot of kid's material used in churches is dumbed-down twaddle (i.e. Veggie Tales, in my opinion, for example). We know kids are capable of more and want our kids to get a good, solid biblical education (Heb. 5:12-14).
Our children see freedom of expression in worship, reverence for God's Word in a setting outside our home, and participate in praying for others for healing and various other needs.
The benefit being together as a family is extended beyond the home.
We set an example for other families. Children really can be taught to be respectful and quiet and pay attention in a corporate setting!
Our children are learning respect for the gathering of believers and for the church building itself, rather than thinking that the church is only a place for running, playing games, and watching movies.
Our children have the opportunity to receive prayer and ministry in a corporate setting, should they choose to do so.
We are memorizing Scripture, parenting with Scripture, and teaching biblical foundations at home everyday. We have no need for programs.
My husband and I are accountable to parent our children at all times, even in situations where it might be more convenient to leave them in the care of someone else. Keeping our children with us allows us to fulfill the responsibility we have been given according to Deuteronomy 6:7, "You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise."

This ended up being a lot longer than I originally planned. It was good for me to cement our beliefs as a family, once and for all. I am open to any questions or concerns, and would love lively and respectful conversation. I also welcome support and encouragement!

I don't often write posts like these...posts that have the potential to cause strife or offense among believers. I really don't like ruffling feathers! Whatever you have chosen for your family, please know that there is no judgment on my end. Just as everyone has not chosen to eat the way we eat, dress the way we dress, school the way we school, we do not expect or condemn those who have chosen to church differently than we church. We are accountable to the standard God has set for our family; likewise, only you know the standards for your family and are accountable to those.

If you made it through all three parts, I applaud you! I appreciate your willingness to read and even, perhaps, ask yourself some questions you may have never before considered.

Our Family and Children's Ministry: Part 2

2012-01-26T09:00:00.000-06:00

Please go back and read Part 1 if you missed it.

I will list some of the questions David and I had to answer before we could continue sending our children to children's church, but first, I want to say that I AM NOT AGAINST children's ministry. I know there are thousands of children in churches who wouldn't be receiving any biblical teaching were it not for children's ministries. So many parents aren't having family devotionals, aren't teaching Bible verses, and aren't discipling their children at home. In these cases, THANK GOD these parents (or grandparents) are taking their children to church to receive morsels of teaching and good discipleship. Seeds are being planted, and I pray they are fruitful!

There is a church in our area that runs a thriving bus ministry. Every Sunday morning, they drive all over our town and pick up children whose parents don't attend or can't attend church. They feed them breakfast, involve them in fun activities, and teach them Bible lessons. Then they take them home. This church picks up and drops off hundreds of children and youth each week. Thank God for ministries like this! These children would probably not have access to church otherwise, and I pray that they are impacted in a positive way for life because of it.

These posts ARE NOT meant to criticize children's and youth ministries. They are meant, however, to talk about our personal experience with these age-segregated ministries in the church and whether or not our children need to take part in them. I'm all for little old ladies in rocking chairs teaching Noah's Ark on flannel-graph. I'm all for people other than myself investing their time and love into my children. Unfortunately, this model of children's ministry is rapidly disappearing. Nowadays, fun and games are much more the focus. And, even more unfortunately, in the churches where this type of children's ministry does exist, we have not been able to find the freedom in worship or solid, biblical teaching that is so important to our own spiritual development.

Now, on to our questions...

When did churches start segregating people by age? Most churches now, including ours, are so divided: nursery, grade school, junior high, high school, college, singles, young married, married with children, middle-age, empty-nesters, senior adults. Why is that? What is the purpose of this segregation?

Was it not the parents' responsibility to train children up spiritually? When did this responsibility transfer from the shoulders of the parents to the shoulders of the church?

Isn't the church's model of age segregation for teaching purposes the same as the school's model? Isn't that one of the reasons we're homeschooling, because we feel that's wrong for our children?

If my children couldn't tell me what they learned about God in children's church, how could we reinforce those lessons at home?

Wasn't lessening the world's influence on our young children one of the reasons we homeschooled? Weren't we going against our own convictions by putting them in a room full of children whose values, morals, and parents we did not know?

These and more questions kept coming up until we were sure that, biblically, we could no longer pat our children on the bottom and send them to children's church.

During all this questioning, I was directed to a Website, Intentional Parents, that pretty much outlined everything we were thinking but couldn't put into words. While I don't want to push our decision off on anyone, these criteria, which I am quoting from this site, set a standard for us to make our decision:

Does [children's ministry] emphasize one-on-one discipleship in everyday life instead of using a traditional classroom approach?
Does it encourage socializing and learning from all ages rather than fostering a sense of isolation and an attitude of superiority toward those just your own age?
Does it instill a high respect for God's Word, or does it cheapen the value of God's Word by emphasizing treats and trinkets as a reward for memorizing Scripture?
Does it promote unity and encouraging one another instead of fostering competitiveness?
Do we know quite well and trust the people who will be teaching our children, as well as all material they will be teaching?
Will the material the children are expected to learn at Sunday school support and complement our plan for teaching the Bible at home or fight against it?

Once we answered these questions as well as our own, we were certain we had made the right decision for our family. We believe the purpose of children's ministry in the church is to support and reinforce parental teachings at home; not to replace it or cause the children to favor the fun and games over strong, sound instruction. We have not yet found a children's or youth program in a church that meets this criteria; and therefore, we have chosen to keep our children with us during services.

There are a couple of exceptions we have, though. First, our church has a very successful marriage ministry, so marriage is discussed quite a bit from the platform. During such messages, we recognize that topics such as the intimacy between husband and wife are discussed. As we are not yet ready to bring up this subject with our children, we allow them to attend children's services during these messages. Second, a few times per year, our church has extended services for prophetic and healing ministry. These services can often last two hours or more. Because they are not held very often and we feel it is unfair for our children to be expected to sit still for such an extended period of time, we allow them to participate in children's activities then too. We have, however, brought our children out of the activities and into the services at the end, and both children have received specific prayer and prophetic ministry.

Part 3 will conclude my discussion of our family and children's ministry, including the most important reason we have found to keep our children with us. It will also discuss some of the benefits we have personally seen in keeping our children with us during church.

Our Family and Children's Ministry: Part 1

2012-01-24T16:41:00.002-06:00

I'm sure you've all figured out by now that our family is a little different. Homeschooling is where our "different" journey began. After all, educating children at home hasn't been the norm in America for about a hundred years. We didn't decide to homeschool just to ruffle feathers, of course. It was something we prayed about heavily before deciding this was the responsibility God was placing on us. Once you embark on something out of the ordinary, such as home education, it's almost like you begin to question the validity and purpose in other seemingly ordinary and acceptable things. Believe it or not, it was shortly after we began homeschooling that I began to question the Standard American Diet of boxed foods, vegetable oils, artificial colorings and flavorings, and a host of other "necessities" of that way of eating. Yes, indeed, homeschooling led us down the path to being Crunchy and Granola in many areas of our lives! Thank you, homeschooling!

Another way that homeschooling caused us to question the norm is in the area of our church-going. David and I have chosen not to send our children to "Children's Church" (or Kids' Church or Sunday School or whatever each church dubs their children's ministry program). More than what we eat or why we homeschool or even that we make our own toothpaste, this decision has been the cause of questioning, funny looks, and suggestive comments like "You know our church offers child care, right?"

Yes, we know the church offers child care. Thank you.

We started out like most other families in church do: putting our kids in the nursery when they were about 8-9 months old so that Mommy and Daddy could sit through the service without interruption or distraction. For the first couple of years of our kids' lives, Sunday mornings were like my weekly free babysitting service. I got a little over an hour to give my full attention to something other than diapers and teething rings. Once we had toddlers around, the thought of them sitting through church with me sent chills reminiscent of nails on a chalkboard down my spine. After all, my husband was the worship leader most of the time...I'd be going at it alone. Not gonna happen. No way.

Although...there was always this tiny voice in the back of my mind, telling me that my babies were supposed to be with me. The more I dropped them off in the nursery, the more I missed being with them, and the more I felt like what I was doing was wrong. {Not wrong for everyone, just wrong for me.}

Fast forward to my peeps being four and five years old, respectively. We were just embarking on our homeschool bon voyage.

Our children would run out of Children's Church each week, a craft in one hand and the leftovers of a snack in the other. They would immediately begin telling us about all the cool things that had happened, the picture they colored, the games they played, the friend they made. They went on and on about the new indoor play equipment, the big screen projector where they watched Veggie Tales, and the Goldfish and Kool-Aid they were given to snack on. It was all very exciting for them, and David and I still enjoyed the quiet, grown-up atmosphere of church, where babies didn't cry and children weren't told to sit still.

Until we asked what they learned about Jesus, and they couldn't give us an answer.

No matter how much we prodded or led them on, Jesus was not what they came out of children's church raving about. They raved about the fun and games, the snacks and slides, Bob and Larry, but couldn't utter one word of a Bible lesson.

This is when David and I began questioning the purpose of children' ministry, and more importantly, whether children's ministry was a good fit for our family.

Now we had some questions to answer.

Part 2 will go over in detail the questions David and I had to consider before we could decide whether or not children's ministry was for us. I will also discuss the benefits and even necessity of children's ministry in certain circumstances.

Little Miss Muffet

2012-01-18T22:13:00.000-06:00

Did you know that Little Miss Muffet was sitting on her tuffet eating clabbered raw milk?? And that dadgum spider just had to come along and spoil her probiotic intake!

Just why did Miss Muffet's mother give her a snack of soured raw milk?

Several reasons. Mrs. Muffet was clearly a very smart momma who knew what was best for her little girl. Curds and whey have many benefits, including:

the improvement of intestinal flora to suppress the growth of pathogenic bacteria and promote the growth of beneficial bacteria;
the production of gluthathione, an immune-boosting antioxidant;
helping wounds heal more quickly;
and it contains a component that has been shown to reduce dental plaque and carries.

I had no clue what 'curds and whey' were until this past year. Now, making curds and whey is part of my regular routine in the kitchen. Without whey, I couldn't lacto-ferment our salsa, bean dip, or pickles. I never have to worry about our raw milk going bad, because I can use it no matter how old it gets. The older it gets, the more beneficial bacteria are growing in it.

Unlike pasteurized milk, raw milk doesn't turn putrid when it sours. Do NOT try this with store-bought, pasteurized milk! It WILL make you sick! Clabbering raw milk until it separates into curds and whey should only be done with RAW milk. Unadulterated, unprocessed, straight-from-the-cow milk.

You can find these instructions on several websites and blogs, but my hubby bought me a Nikon D3100 for Christmas {woo hoo!}, and I'm finding as many excuses as I can to play with it!! Sarah, the Healthy Home Economist, has a great video blog on clabbering raw milk too. It's very simple, and as long as you've got some raw milk in your fridge, you probably have everything else!

You'll need a two clean glass bowls, an unbleached white tea towel or cheesecloth, and a rubber band. Pour any amount of raw milk into one of the glass bowls and leave in a warm place (such as in your oven with the light on or on your kitchen countertop). Allow it to sit for 24-48 hours, checking periodically to see if it forms a thick later of curds on top. Beware: your kitchen WILL smell like sour milk. It's unpleasant, but goes away as soon as this process is finished. I promise.

As soon as the milk is clabbered, lay the towel or cheesecloth in the other glass bowl and pour the clabbered milk into the towel.

Bring the ends of the towel together, tie with the rubber band, and hang over the glass bowl. I like to hang it by my cabinet knobs.

Then let her drip. I usually do this in the evening so that the whey can drip all night long. By morning, I've got a bunch of whey in the bowl and curds in the towel

The curds can be eaten, as they are essentially cottage cheese. You can also use the curds as homemade cream cheese. I like to put the curds in my food processor with a few strawberries and some maple syrup to make raw strawberry cream cheese.

It is amazing how much liquid separates from the milk solids.

Store the whey in the fridge in glass jars. It will keep for six months or more. {I've never had it go bad or even get the slightest growth of mold.} Store the curds in the same whey, errrr...way.

Now you've got plenty of whey to lacto-ferment sauerkraut, pickles, salsa, beet kvass, apple chutney, and many, many more recipes out of Nourishing Traditions.

COMING SOON: my super yummy salsa recipe!!!

Just Chicken: A Simple, Gourmet Supper

2012-01-13T19:00:00.000-06:00

I love to try new and exciting recipes. I love to read cookbooks and recipe blogs. I love to cook gourmet food. But after a few weeks of being on a new food roll, I get worn out. Worn out = me not cooking, which = eating out. Eating out then = me feeling crappy because I ate a bunch of who-knows-what and feeling guilty because I should have planned better and not spent the extra moolah on expensive food that made me feel awful.

Sometimes the simplest meals are the ones I cook the least.

Tonight, I made a super simple supper: garlic-herb roasted chicken, roasted carrots, salad, and flax bread and butter. Then we had vanilla cake with chocolate buttercream frosting for dessert!

Doesn't sound very simple, does it? Well, it was! Here's how I made the simplest supper we've had in a while. {Snapping photos, chopping carrots, and all, this literally took me 15 minutes from start to oven!}

Garlic-Herb Roasted Chicken

1 organic chicken, washed

1/3 cup coconut oil

3 ginormous cloves of garlic, peeled

1 TBSP coarse sea salt

2 tsp. herbes de Provence

1 tsp. peppercorns

3-4 sprigs fresh thyme

Put the chicken in a glass baking dish. Combine everything but the chicken in a food processor and process until garlic is down to small chunks. You can remove the thyme leaves from the stem before processing, but my processor did a great job of getting the leaves off the stem. Then I fished the stems out by hand.

Rub this mixture all over your chicken and roast at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 20 minutes.

Roasted Carrots

4-5 large carrots, peeled and chopped

a pinch of ground pepper

two pinches of fine sea salt

a sprinkling of nutmeg

a sprinkling of ginger

coconut oil

Place chopped carrots in a baking dish. Add seasonings. Dot the top with coconut oil. Place in the same 350-degree oven and roast for 40-50 minutes, depending on how tender you like your carrots. Once you see the coconut oil melt, you can stir the carrots around to evenly coat.

I made the bread and the cake yesterday. But I did warm the bread in the oven during the last few minutes of roasting the chicken and carrots.

Salad for us is anything but fancy: organic red leaf lettuce, torn into pieces, and topped with grated Parmesan and Caesar dressing. That's it.

I need to make more meals like this. And...I'm not one to toot my own horn, but this was DANG good!

What simple meals end up being your favorite? Care to share your recipes?

This post was shared at Food Renegade's Fight Back Friday.

Giveaway!!!

2012-01-10T13:44:00.002-06:00

Stephanie at Keeper of the Home is giving away a valuable resource for all of us moms who strive to live simply and frugally. Have you ever heard of Money Saving Mom? She has just released a book entitled The Money Saving Mom's Budget! I have entered Stephanie's giveaway, and I'm giving you the chance to enter too. She has five copies of this resource to give away, so head over to her site, read her review of this book, and follow the entry instructions!

Even if I don't win this book, I may just buy it because I am so ready to be totally debt-free and able to give generously!

I wish you luck!

Make Your Own Tooth Soap

2012-01-09T20:49:00.001-06:00

It's all fun and games til you start making your own toothpaste, right?

Let's just get that out there.

My name is Lindsey, and I make my own toothpaste. There. I've said it.

Actually, it's tooth soap. I don't want to mislead.

So why in the world would I want to give up Colgate, Crest, Tom's, or XyliWhite???

To be honest, I didn't ever see myself getting this involved with homemade products. Laundry soap? Duh, it's WAY cheaper. Deodorant? Actually works better than the store bought stuff. But dental hygiene??? Isn't that, like, for the pros?

Nah. I'll try anything once. Except skydiving.

Why homemade tooth soap?

Several reasons.

First, fluoride is NOT good for our teeth or our bodies. It's poison. Did you know that before 1938, fluoride was sold as rat poison?!
Second, all toothpaste {even the organic kinds} contains glycerin. Glycerin is what makes toothpaste paste-y. Unfortunately, glycerin also creates a coating on your teeth that doesn't come off unless you're brushing without glycerin. This coating can prevent your enamel from hardening and re-mineralizing over time.
Third, commercial toothpastes contain other harmful ingredients such as sodium lauryl sulfate and artificial sweeteners that just aren't good for us.
Fourth, toothpaste is ex.pen.sive! $4.99 for one tube is a little ridiculous, no?

We've been using our homemade tooth soap for about a month now, and I can honestly say it works just as well, if not better, than the expensive "all-natural, organic, sugar-free, flouride-free" tubes of liquid gold. And it's super-duper easy to make!

First, assemble your ingredients:

4 TBSP melted coconut oil

2 TBSP cold-pressed olive oil

1 TBSP Dr. Bronner's Baby Mild liquid castile soap

1 tsp. water

2-3 droppers full of liquid stevia

essential oil to taste (I use wintergreen, but cinnamon, peppermint, spearmint, anise, orange, or anything other oil would work. Just keep adding drops until it tastes like you want it to.)

Combine all ingredients and stir or shake lightly before use.

It looks like melted butter because the coconut oil was still warm. Once cooled, it is a light, creamy beige color.

We keep ours in a glass jar and dip our toothbrushes in, but you could also use a dropper or a clean lotion bottle and pump your tooth soap on to your toothbrush. It foams up quite a bit for the first few seconds of brushing, then gets liquid-y again. No worries, this is just how it works. Also, it does taste soap-y, especially if you accidentally swallow it. It is tooth soap, after all. You can try adding more stevia or essential oil, but I was never able to be totally rid of the soap taste. We've gotten used to it, and hey, you only brush twice a day, so really it's not that big of a deal. This small amount lasted our family of four about a month.

Enjoy!

22 Days

2012-01-08T21:02:00.000-06:00

Remember this sweet girl? It's been a while since I've posted about her, and there's a reason for that.

She ran away.

On December 16, David let her out to potty at 8:00 a.m. I went to let her back in at 9:00, and she was gone. I found a hole she had dug on the north side of our fence, the only section of fence that doesn't have concrete under it. Panicking, I called David. He immediately left his office and came back home to help look for her.

We drove and drove and DROVE around our neighborhood and the surrounding areas. There's a very large field in front of our house and trees with a creek bed beyond it, so we even drove around that trying to find Layla. After about an hour and a half, David said he had to return to work; but the peeps and I pressed on. We kept looking, even to the point that we didn't eat breakfast or lunch that day.

Our neighborhood has lots of dog walkers and joggers, so every time I saw someone I stopped and asked them if they had seen our dog. Thankfully I had pictures of her on my phone, so I was able to show them what she looked like. No one had seen her. I even stopped a garbage truck and asked the men riding on the back of it if they had seen any loose dogs that morning.

Nothing.

Then I made a very difficult phone call to Hank. I knew I had to tell him that Layla had run away from us, and I hoped he might know where I could look. He didn't. He was just as upset as I was, and told me he would be praying for the "puppy angels" to look out for her while she was lost.

Then I called the local paper and placed an ad in the classifieds. I called Animal Control, the Humane Society, and the SPCA, giving them all descriptions of her along with my phone number should she show up. I should also mention that we gave Layla a bath the night before and had forgotten to put her collar back on. She had nothing to identify her as a dog whose family would be looking for her.

That afternoon, I went to each house on our block, showing her picture and asking if anyone had seen her roaming around. Everyone was very sympathetic and sad for us, but no one had seen her.

That evening, we went by the Humane Society to see if she had been picked up that day. Nothing still. We filled out a Lost card and e-mailed her picture to them. This was Friday, December 16th. Every two or three days I would call them to see if she had been picked up. Every time David or I were driving in our neighborhood, our eyes were scanning for her.

On Monday, the 19th, I called all the vet clinics and pet groomers in town, gave them her description and my number, and begged them to call me if she showed up. You cannot imagine how upset our family was about this. Layla was our family's Christmas present. We didn't plan on anything else. There were no other presents under the tree.

And we celebrated Christmas this year without her. It was so hard, much harder than I ever imagined it would be to lose a pet we had only had for a couple of weeks. I cried just about every day, and Ryan and Addie were inconsolable just a couple of days before Christmas.

We prayed. Oh, we prayed so many times for our Layla to come home. We asked God to keep her safe, and if she wasn't meant to be with us, for Him to lead her to a family who would love her as we did.

David and I did everything we could to find her. To this day I am confident in that. We looked for her almost like we were searching for a lost child. We were just sure we would find her.

Then, last Tuesday, we caught a glimmer of hope. The SPCA called me, saying that a dog matching Layla's description from our ad in the paper had been brought in. They said they've never had a bearded collie brought in before, so they really believed it was our dog. I asked them to describe her to me. They said this dog was happy, playful, acted like a puppy. I knew immediately it couldn't be Layla. Layla was shy, timid, and nervous. We had never seen her act like a puppy; we had never even heard her make a sound. When the SPCA guy told me this dog had a microchip, I knew it wasn't her. Layla had been adopted with all her vaccines and paperwork, but no chip.

I hung up the phone, disappointed and with less hope than ever. Through all of this, I had stayed in close contact with Hank and Joyce. I felt so guilty about Layla. Hank and Joyce had taken care of her and rescued her when she was in a desperate situation, and I felt like we had failed them and violated their trust.

I called David about the dog at the SPCA. Several people had told us that, sometimes the best way to deal with a pet loss is to bring another one into our family to love. If this dog at the SPCA was a bearded collie and no one came to rescue her, we decided we would take her in. I called SPCA back. They told me this dog would be available for adoption by the end of the week if no one claimed her.

On Saturday, David and I were just finishing up a child-less lunch date, and we decided to go by the SPCA to take a look at this dog. We called them to see if she was still there, and she was. She would not be available for adoption until this coming Tuesday, but we were welcome to take a look at her. The man said several others were also interested in her and that she was a very popular dog.

What happened next is nothing short of a miracle. We walked into the room where all the dogs were in individual kennels. The noise from all the barking was deafening, and of course, it didn't smell very nice either. There in the third kennel was the dog; it was her! Our Layla! She was dirty, but she jumped up on the fence and wagged her tail just like a puppy when she saw us! David and I were going crazy. I started bawling and thanking God for keeping Layla safe and leading us back to her.

We proved she was ours by showing them those same pictures on our phones. There was no doubt about it. This bearded collie was our Layla! None of us knew, not even Hank and Joyce, that she was micro-chipped. Her chip was unregistered, so we registered it immediately.

When we got her home, we gave her a much-needed bath and brushing. She had some stickers and burrs in her hair that we had to cut out. Then we spent two hours brushing mats out of her hair.

She's been home with us a little over 24 hours now. In that time she has eaten three full bowls of food, watched a movie in our bed with us, gone out for ice cream with us, and slept a lot. She's back to her nervous, shy self, but we're ok with that. She seems to be warming up to us again. We aren't letting her out of our sight for a while.

I got to make a joyful phone call to Hank and Joyce yesterday, letting them know that the "puppy angels" did, in fact, keep an eye on Layla.

Layla was gone for 22 days. We have no idea what happened to her from the time she left our backyard until last Tuesday when an anonymous person took her to the SPCA. Whatever her adventures, we are so thankful that she's back with us and we hope she never tries running away from us again.

Chuck Pierce spoke at our church last week. He prophesied that the things that were lost in 2011 were going to be restored in 2012.

Layla was lost in 2011, and 22 days later, she was restored to us in 2012! It may be small to some people, but to us it's a miracle to have her back after so long! Thank You, Jesus!

Welcome home, Layla Lou!

Have I ever told you how much I LOVE pumpkin muffins?

2011-12-28T22:55:00.000-06:00

Actually, pumpkin anything. If it's got pumpkin in it, I'll take it. Pumpkin pie. Pumpkin bread. With chocolate chips. YUMMY!

The pumpkin muffins I have tried since being on the GAPS Diet were pretty good. But I'm not in the market for "pretty good".

I want slap-your-momma good.

Not from the South? Sorry. It's a phrase we sometimes use when exclaiming how good someone's cooking is. I promise I won't really slap your momma if she makes something delectable for me.

Anyway, here's my take on GAPS-friendly pumpkin muffins.

What you need:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line your muffin tin.
5 Tbsp. flax seed meal
1 cup filtered water
5 eggs, preferably pastured
3 cups pumpkin puree (try roasting your own pumpkin!)
1 1/2 cups coconut flour
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
1/2 to 2/3 cup honey, depending on how sweet you like it
1 Tbsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. allspice
1 tsp. sea salt, fine not coarse
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. ground cloves

First, in a bowl combine the flax seed meal and water and stir well. Set aside.

Next combine the rest of the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix well. Add in the flax/water mixture and blend until combined. Just like with the Apple-Cinnamon muffins, I used my cookie dough scoop to get equal-sized muffins. Bake 20-22 minutes and check for doneness by pressing your finger lightly into the center of the muffin. This recipe made three dozen muffins for me.

If you're not on GAPS, please feel free to stir in some dark chocolate chips before baking.

And next time I come up with a pumpkin recipe, I'll try to have it posted BEFORE Thanksgiving, OK? OK.

Our non-Fast Food Christmas Dinner

2011-12-24T17:34:00.000-06:00

We usually take our family out for a nice meal around Christmastime. A couple of years ago we went to Kabuki. I can't remember the other places we've gone...guess it's not as memorable as I think it is?

Anyway, we announced to the peeps yesterday afternoon that we would be going out for our annual {not-so-memorable} Christmas dinner to an actual restaurant. It's been so long since we've eaten as a family in a restaurant that the peeps were stoked. Ryan immediately said, "Rose's pleeeeeeeease!!" {FYI: Rose's is Rosa's, but he has always called it Rose's.}

"No, no, Buddy," we said. "We want to go some place really nice."
"Like Taco Bell!" I kidded.
"Yeah! Taco Bell!" was Ryan's response.

{ugh, gag me. Taco Bell was a definite NO.}

"How about Hayashi?" I suggested. I know, I know, Kabuki/Hayashi, not really a big difference. What can I say?? I love me some Hibachi grilled shrimp and veggies.

"Fazoli's!" Ryan exclaimed.

I don't think he gets the point of a NICE dinner out. He's just happy with fast food.

Maybe we should listen to him. Things would be a whole lot cheaper that way...

We did go to Hayashi. Ryan had the rice, mushrooms, and shrimp. That kid loves grilled mushrooms. Addilyn was mesmerized by the chef and the fire. David had the pleasure of getting squirted with sake. I was happy just to eat some carbs. And then I paid for it later...

When it was all said and done, fun was had by all. Merry Christmas Eve!

From Our Family

2011-12-23T13:45:00.000-06:00

As we are in the middle of this holiday season, our family has much to reflect upon. This past year was full. Full of joy, full of change, full of love, full of growth.

The first half of 2011 was what we could call a "perfect time" in our lives...if ever a time actually exists. We were soaring--children were awesome, homeschooling was going better than ever, I felt like I was living the dream of a stay-at-home momma, finances were doing well, David's career was finally going somewhere, marriage was amazing. Life was trucking along. There was no cause for complaints.

The second half of 2011 brought with it change--change which we thought was going to be good. We had sought the Lord beforehand, and we believed and still do believe that God's hand was upon us and that His wisdom was guiding us. That change wasn't all we thought it was going to be. Disappointment and frustration set in, hearts were hurt, and our situation seemed hopeless. We don't, for a second, believe that we somehow missed God's perfect plan for our lives just because things didn't turn out as we'd hoped. Through it all, marriage was still amazing, children were still awesome, and our family was still strong. It was the storm that swirled around us that we had a hard time dealing with. I am certain of one thing: what we went through together strengthened our bond as a family more than anything ever has. I think we all, even our children, learned the true meaning of holding each other up through difficulty.

We have spent the past six months getting our wits about us again, remembering our identities as a family and in Christ, and healing. It hasn't been easy, but we are still here, standing and believing more than ever that GOD IS GOOD.

So here we are, about to close out this year wrought with joy and trials, happiness and sorrow, laughter and tears. And I can honestly say that GOD IS GOOD. HE IS FAITHFUL. HIS LOVE IS UNENDING. HIS GRACE AND MERCY ARE UNSTOPPABLE.

If I ever doubt those truths, it's not because God isn't who He says He is; it's because I'm human and my mind is an ever-raging battlefield.

From our family to yours, please know those truths. Please remember that God's wreckless love for us is the reason we celebrate this season. No matter what trial or difficulty you may be experiencing right now, please know that God is the same as He was before your trial started; but you just might have a new perspective of Who He is when you're on the other side of your test. And be encouraged!

From David, Lindsey, Ryan, Addilyn, and Layla, we wish you all the best of this Christmas season, as this year comes to a close and a new beginning is right around the corner!

Sacrificial Living

2011-12-21T13:50:00.000-06:00

I read this blog post today and just had to share it with you. I have no clue who this mother is, but she's wise and she's transparent. When I got to the line about "tired of filling sippy cups" {just read it, and you'll understand}, my eyes filled with tears and a sweet conviction came over me.

I, too, have complained, under my breath, too many times. I'm tired of washing dishes. Tired of sweeping floors. Tired of folding laundry. Tired of teaching 4+1=5, not 6, again.

God has called us mothers to lives of sacrificial living. In this way, we are made in the image of our Creator. In this way, I dare say, we must live in order to call ourselves His children. Did He not graciously sacrifice the Most Precious gift of all for us?

I implore you today, read this blog: The Gift of a Savior

And if you're not blinded by your own tears at the end of it, read this one too: What a Mother Must Sacrifice

I've re-visited the latter many times over the three years I've been blogging, and every time I'm just as touched and convicted and teary-eyed as the first time I read it.

These posts might be better suited to Mother's Day, I thought. Now's not the time.

But I couldn't resist. His birth, life, and sacrifice are what this season is all about. His gift to us. If I can't live sacrificially in front of my children every, single day, then I don't understand Christmas at all.

Sometimes giving hurts. The check written in faith as the offering plate is passed. The blessing of time given when we could have done something else. The much-desired birthday present that cost a little more than expected.

I'll leave you with a what-if that occurred to me today...WHAT IF WE GIVE GIFTS AT CHRISTMAS TO UNDERSTAND JUST A MINUTE PORTION OF HOW OUR FATHER FELT WHEN HE GAVE HIS ONLY SON TO US?

Sometimes it hurts to live sacrificially, but oh that I might know how to do it anyway.

Christmas Memories

2011-12-20T09:00:00.000-06:00

I have contemplated much on Christmas this year. What is the true meaning? Why do we say Christmas isn't about gifts and then stress out about buying gifts? What will our children really remember about Christmas? When they are grown, what stories will they tell their own children about their Christmases?

David and I have always purposed to make Christmas about Jesus' birth; and yet, despite all our efforts, our children still show more excitement over presents than they do over hearing their Daddy read the Christmas story from the Bible. Of course, we're not upset with them. They're children, and it's so much easier for them (and adults) to focus on that which they can see and feel and play with than that which they must believe in their hearts and read about from the Book. Plus, there's nothing wrong with gifts! Doesn't our Father in Heaven give us the greatest gifts of all? And didn't the Wise Men worship Jesus with gifts?

Our Christmases seem much different from the Christmases of my childhood. For one, I believed in Santa Claus. I think I might have been 12 or 13 before I finally figured out that Santa didn't exist. {I may have been a little slow.} We don't do Santa now, and it's not a big deal. I remember piles and piles of presents underneath our real tree several weeks before Christmas; and every week the pile would grow a little more. I loved and still love receiving gifts. I love giving gifts. My children love receiving gifts.

The memories from then until now, however, are what I remember most. Of all those boxes I unwrapped as a child, I would be hard pressed to tell you more than three things I received. The main thing I remember receiving is clothes. I always got new winter clothes for Christmas, especially as I got older. I remember getting a 10-speed bike with a radio attached to the handlebars one year. My brother got one too, and our lives were total bliss after that Christmas. I remember Santa bringing our entire family our first computer one year--an NEC with dial-up AOL. We still had that computer when I met David. As far as gifts go, I can't remember much more. I remember the anticipation of opening gifts more than the actual gifts.

My Christmas memories are tied up in experiences, not what was underneath the tree.

Christmas lights. I remember what a family affair putting lights on our house was. After God changed my Dad's life, I remember him taking some scrap pieces of pipe and welding them into a cross. He even made a stand for the cross on our pipe fence, and when the white lights were on at night, you could see that cross glowing from the highway over a mile away. I remember when icicle lights first came out and we got some!

Christmas cookies. We baked and decorated thousands of cookies. My mom always made sure we had red, green, and white icing, silver candy balls, red and green sprinkles. Every year we baked cookies and ate them til the beginning of February, we had made so many.

Christmas sweatshirts. I grew up in the age when it was popular to iron decals on to your sweatshirt and use paint to decorate it. And we did this every year, until I finally figured out that it wasn't cool anymore. I remember my Mom having a black sweatshirt with a huge Santa head surrounded by gold glitter paint.

Christmas decorating. I think I love to decorate now because my Mom gave me so much freedom to decorate our home at Christmastime. I would come home from school on an early December day, and Mom would have retrieved our plastic tubs of decorations from the barn. Then she would turn me loose. Every year I got better and better at decorating. I learned how to place things, how to group things, how to decorate a mantle, how to hang garland. And I could stand back with pride when visitors commented on how beautiful our house looked, knowing that I did it. I love those decorating memories.

Christmas food. My parents were never turkey-and-dressing at Christmas. We always had gourmet menus, used our prettiest dishes, and even got to bust out the cloth napkins and napkin rings. Coming up with the table scape was my job, and to this day I love to set a beautiful table. My parents would talk for weeks before Christmas about what our big meal would be. One year I remember we had Christmas breakfast. I can still smell the Orange French Toast. Several years Dad grilled huge salmon filets with fresh tarragon leaves. I will always remember the Rhodes rolls rising next to our wood-burning stove's pipe.

Chex Mix. And not the pre-made, bagged stuff. I think we kept batches of homemade Chex Mix made until after New Year because we ate so much of it. It's been so long since I've had homemade Chex Mix.

My childhood Christmas memories are what I've been reflecting upon this season. Those memories are what I hope to give my children. What better gift can I give them than to fill their hearts and minds with precious thoughts and experiences of our holidays as a family?

I hope, 20 or 30 years from now, that my children are telling my grandchildren their favorite Christmas memories. I hope they remember decorating our tree, our Jesse Tree, our snowman countdown til Christmas, Christmas Eve service at church, baking Christmas cookies, eating a special Christmas breakfast or dinner. I hope David and I do a good job of making Christmas about Jesus and memories and not about wrapped gifts. I hope we give them something that lasts... and a few things for them to put their hands on to know that we give them good gifts too.

GAPS Diet Update: One Month

2011-12-19T22:34:00.002-06:00

We officially started the GAPS Diet on November 12th, so we made through the first month! Yippee!!!

These first five weeks have been a little crazy. We had to go off Intro and into Full GAPS waaaaaaaay sooner than I planned. Then my Memaw fell and broke her hip right before Thanksgiving, and while David and the peeps were able to stay on the diet, it was impossible for me while I traveled with my mom and spent a couple of days with my family. I felt so gross after I got home, however, that I was back on the wagon as soon as I pulled in my driveway. A couple weeks later, Memaw passed away, and we all had to be off the diet out of necessity for another three days. We ate out most of the meals while we were away from home, and I again felt so gross that I was back on GAPS willingly as soon as we came home. One very surprising thing is that the cheating didn't make any of us "sick", but none of us felt as great eating restaurant food as we do when we're eating our own homemade food.

So....you might be wondering...is it worth it yet????

Great question! I'll be happy to give a progress report.

Some of our main issues going into GAPS were as follows:

Ryan's gluten intolerance, dark circles under his eyes, slow weight gain, nail biting
Addie's sensory processing issues, white bumps on the backs of her arms
my female issues, dark circles under my eyes, thyroid issues, ridges in my thumbnails, nail biting, sugar cravings
David's red bumps on the backs of his arms, red patches on his skin in several areas of his body, nighttime cravings, red cheeks

And updates:

We do not know for sure if Ryan's gluten intolerance is resolved; however, the few times he has had improperly prepared wheat products (like a hamburger bun or breading on chicken tenders), he has not complained of a stomach ache or had any digestive reaction whatsoever. While the dark circles under his eyes are still visible, they do seem noticeably lighter. He lost a bit of weight during our first week on Intro, but has gained most of it back since we've been on Full GAPS. He's still biting his nails. Progress for Ryan!
Addie's sensory issues were better for the first couple of days on Intro. Over the past couple of weeks, though, they are worse. She is having a more difficult time than ever focusing during school and sitting still overall. I have read that symptoms generally get worse before they get better, and I'm praying this is the case with her recent flare of hyperactivity and restlessness. I am very happy to report that the bumps on the backs of her arms are almost TOTALLY GONE! Her left arm is completely clear, and she just has a few small bumps that aren't white at all on her right arm. Progress for Addie!
My thyroid issues seem worse over the last couple of weeks. I didn't realize it was my thyroid until I noticed how tired I've been lately and that my hair has started falling out again. I don't think this has anything to do with GAPS; I got lazy with taking my supplements (iodine and 200 mg selenium daily) since I've had all this diet stuff on my brain. I am making a point to remember to take them every morning. What I need to do is get my hands on some iodine- and selenium-rich foods! The ridges in my thumbnails are still there as is my nasty nail-biting habit. I am glad to report that my girl issues are no longer a daily occurrence, and now only occur a few days a week and not even every week. This is a relief for me! Last for me is that the dark circles under my eyes are waaaaaaaay lighter (I'm not even putting concealer under my eyes anymore!), AND I have ZERO sugar cravings!!! This is a BIG DEAL! What do I crave now? Raw cheddar cheese, butter, chicken meat in broth, and fried eggs. Progress for me!
David has made some improvements too. The bumps on his arms are still there, but I notice they are disappearing little by little every week. He hasn't noticed the red patches on his skin as frequently. They usually flared up after he got out of the shower. I haven't noticed them either, so I'm going to go ahead and say they're finally clearing up. His cheeks are still pretty rosy most of the time, but this could be credited just as much to die-off as to gut imbalance. Finally, his nighttime cravings are GONE! Both of us usually get hungry around 9:00-10:00 p.m., but we aren't actually craving anything. We're legitimately hungry. We usually grab an apple cinnamon muffin or a piece of butter fudge, and we're satisfied.

I feel so much better when I'm not eating carbs and sugar. I don't want it anymore. David has even admitted that he feels more tired, bloated, and irritable after he eats food from a restaurant, but he doesn't feel that way when he's eating GAPS food.

I don't know what our future holds. Noticing these marked improvements and positive changes encourages me to keep going. With the holidays, though, it's difficult. We spent today making GAPS-friendly Christmas cookies, bread, and muffins. We plan to try some white bean vanilla cupcakes tomorrow. It's also getting expensive! We've upped our grocery budget by almost $200 a month since beginning GAPS. Ouch, anyone?

And that's our first month on GAPS!

Trimming Our Tree

2011-12-17T21:12:00.000-06:00

I am officially the last person on planet Earth to install the free Instagram app on my iPhone, and I had a little extra time to play around with it today. So MUCH fun! In the spirit of Christmas, Instagram, and Fun, I thought I'd share some of my favorite ornaments on our Christmas tree and why they're special to me.

The first one is almost a tearjerker for me. David and I were given this ornament at one of our wedding showers. I love that it's like a milestone that we are able to get out and admire every year, remembering from where we've come and where we are. It's Our First Christmas 2002 ornament, and David always gives it a place of honor on our tree each year.

This next one is bittersweet for me. My husband loves the Wizard of Oz. It was his favorite childhood movie. Beginning with our first Christmas, I made it a tradition to give him a Wizard of Oz ornament as one of his Christmas gifts. I kept the tradition alive until our fourth Christmas; I wish I would have continued it. So, here is one of the three Oz ornaments we have, Dorothy and Tin Man. Our other two hook up to the lights and make sounds when you push a button. They're quite fun, and now Ryan and Addie are infatuated with them.

This ornament is special to me because David's parents, Andy and Becky, gave it to me as a gift the first Christmas that David and I were together. We weren't even engaged, just dating. This ornament is from a country in Asia where David's parents have gone for many years on mission trips. I hope to one day go with them. This ornament was hand-painted from the inside with tiny brushes, and I still think it's beautiful.

Next is my Hallmark Blushing Bride ornament. I received this one at a bridal shower before I was married. Back then, I did have long, blonde hair, just like Barbie! Now Addilyn thinks she is one of the prettiest things on our tree.

The next picture may be hard to read. It's the ornament that I received on our 6th wedding anniversary in 2008. David went super-romantic on me and named a star {as in the huge balls of gas in our universe} after me: Lindsey Ryon. I also received a constellation chart so that I can find my star in the sky.

This nutcracker ornament was picked out by the peeps after our first family outing to see The Nutcracker. The peeps fight over who gets to hang this ornament up each year, and they still talk about the sights and sounds of that first show. We weren't able to go last year, but David and I decided that beginning this year, Nutcracker was going to become a Dietz Family tradition. Unfortunately, due to Memaw's death we didn't get to make it this year either. Next year...

Addie received this precious ornament right after she was born. I was so touched that someone thought to give her a Christmas ornament since she was born in July. It has rhinestone-studded baby booties and a pearly pink circle. I love it.

Last but not least is a silver ball with the words "A friend loves at all times" hand-painted from my very dear friend Teresa. I am treasuring this ornament more this year because Teresa has moved nine hours away. If you look closely at the right side of the photo, you can see another of our Oz ornaments.

Just for the fun of it, here are a couple more Instagram pics from around our house:

In the guest bathroom

Our homemade yarn ornaments

Just for fun, what are your favorite Christmas ornaments or decorations and why?

Merry Christmas from the Peeps

2011-12-15T21:32:00.004-06:00

MAY YOUR DAYS BE MERRY AND BRIGHT!

Apple Cinnamon Muffins {GAPS-style}

2011-12-14T13:59:00.002-06:00

I don't care how "healthy" I strive to be, I can't shake my love for baked goodies. There's just something about biting into a warm, buttered, baked yummy...it fills voids in my hungry soul and makes me feel all cozy inside. Pair it with a cold mug of raw milk, and I'm ready to die and go to heaven. Salads and soup and fried eggs and squash fries are all great, but nothing compares to the goodness of a buttered carbohydrate melting in my mouth.

~~Excuse me while I wipe the drool off my mouth.~~

The GAPS Diet is not very conducive to buttered carb-eating. Butter? Yes. Crusty baguettes? No. Warm blueberry muffins? Nada. Fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies? Sorry.

But I'm a fighter, and where there's a will there's also a way. Come hell or high water, I'll find that way if it exists.

I scoured the internet from top to bottom, Googled every keyword I could think of, and read more blogs than I care to admit to find the perfect, most "normal" muffin recipe I could. When my endeavors proved unsuccessful--they were all either too mushy, too dry, too coconut-y, or worse, the recipe made just six muffins--I found a way. I made my own recipe.

What I love about this recipe is that the muffins come out as close as I could possibly get them to "regular" muffins made with white flour. They're springy and moist, not hard like hockey pucks. They don't have the airy-ness of a white flour muffin, but then again, does anything but white flour give baked goods that texture. That would be a big, fat NO. I also love that I created this recipe to make more than six muffins. Every recipe I found before called for tons of eggs (which aren't cheap when you buy 'em like I do) and made six to eight muffins. Seriously?! That might work if children weren't in my equation.

I have discovered lately that I really enjoy baking with coconut flour. You use less, it's more dense, and you can eat less because it fills you up faster.

So, here's my recipe for GAPS-friendly Apple Cinnamon Muffins. It makes three dozen--that's 36, not 6--muffins. I also use flax seed meal and water to replace some of the eggs, so it's less expensive.

What you need:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line your muffin tin.

5 Tbsp. flax seed meal
1 cup filtered water
5 eggs, preferably pastured
3 cups applesauce (I make my own, but storebought applesauce with no sugar would also be fine.)
1 1/2 cups coconut flour
1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
1/4 cup butter, melted
4 Tbsp. honey
3 Tbsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. sea salt, fine not coarse
1/2 tsp. allspice

First, in a bowl combine the flax seed meal and water and stir well. Set aside.

Next, add the remaining ingredients into a large bowl and mix well. You don't have to worry about over-mixing with coconut flour! When the flax seed meal mixture is gummy, add it to the bowl and continue to mix until well blended.

Here's what the "batter" should look like:

It's more like cookie dough than muffin batter, so no worries!

Now you're ready to scoop it into your muffin tins. I used my cookie dough scoop for two reasons. One, each muffin would be exactly the same size and I would know exactly how many muffins my recipe would make. Two, because the batter is so thick, this is much easier than using my finger to scrape batter off a spoon.

I did two scoops per muffin.

Last, use the back of a spoon to press the batter down into the muffin cups.

Bake 17-18 minutes.

Helpful hints:

Don't be alarmed if the muffins don't rise much during baking. Mine didn't either.
Rather than using a toothpick to check for done-ness, press your finger lightly on the middle of the muffin. If it's still really moist or gooey, let them bake another minute or two.
Store in an airtight container on the countertop for up to two days, then refrigerate. These will grow mold if left out too long!
These muffins are not super sweet. We have lost our taste for really sweet things since being on GAPS. If you prefer more sweetness, adjust the honey accordingly.
If you don't have flax seed meal or prefer not to bake with it, just substitute 6 more eggs in place of the flax seed meal/water mixture.
Spread generously with pastured butter when they're hot out of the oven and remember what it was like to eat "normal" baked goodies.

Let me know how they turn out if you try them! I can tell you that we are enjoying the heck out of these little babies!

*This post was shared at Monday Mania. and Real Food Wednesday.

Family Matters

2011-12-13T20:45:00.001-06:00

Going to your grandmother's funeral has one perk: getting to be around family you don't normally get to see.

Of course, I get to be with these two everyday, but I can't resist posting pictures of them:

And I get to see my momma pretty often too, which is great:

But...I don't get to see my Uncle Delton very often at all; and this was my very first time to meet his new bride, Rhonda!

Uncle Delton and Mom. My mom practically raised my uncle since she's 11 years older than he is. He's 21 and she's 32. Amazing, no?

If one awesome thing came out of Memaw's passing, it was that I was able to see one of my younger brothers for the first time in over 6 years. He hadn't changed a bit!

And I met his wife Jackie for the first time too! She's expecting my little niece or nephew in June 2012!

They're from Chicago and have crazy accents, but we don't hold it against 'em.

I also saw people (whom I'm somehow related to) that knew me from when I was a teeny little runt, but I had NO clue who they were. I got comments like this, "Oh is this little Lindsey?! Sweetheart, I ain't seen you since you was knee-high to a grasshopper. My you grown up!"

That's just how people in Brownwood, Texas, talk. We don't hold it against 'em, either.

Goodbye, Memaw

2011-12-09T10:34:00.001-06:00

After almost three weeks in the hospital, unable to move, in pain, and ready to go Home, my Memaw went to be with Jesus yesterday afternoon. I am so thankful for this woman who spoiled me as a child and befriended me as an adult. I am grateful for the 28 years I had with her as my grandmother, the stories she told me, and the laughter we shared. She was a kind, funny, witty woman. She endured many hardships in her life, but never let them get the best of her. She loved black-eyed peas, Elvis gospel music, going to the beauty shop, Judge Judy, and good jokes. Even in the hospital, she cracked a joke or two, letting us know that she was still there.

Edith Dell Parker Barnum, October 1, 1930-December 8, 2011

Memaw, I know you're with Jesus now. I hope you know how much I love you and will miss you. I am relieved that you're not in pain any longer and that your heart's desire to be with Jesus and Papa is now fulfilled. Last night, we thanked God that you were dancing on streets of gold, and my eyes teared up because I know how long it's been since you danced. I love you, and I'll see you again soon.

Love you,

Lou Lou Bell

Dear Self

2011-12-08T14:01:00.001-06:00

Dear Self,

I am writing you this letter because I've noticed some things lately. You seem preoccupied, contemplative. You have a thousand different thoughts, inspirations, and ideas whirling around that mind of yours. You're having a hard time keeping it all straight and sorted, and I've noticed you've been ~~quite~~ a tad bit scatter-brained lately.

What's that all about???

I wanted to let you know that it's OK. You've got to cut yourself some slack. Take a few steps back, reevaluate your priorities, and stop doing things that you don't really enjoy! The things you do enjoy--your babies, your hubby, cooking, crafting, time in God's Word--DO THOSE THINGS. Make time for those things. All this other stuff can wait.

And about you being scatterbrained...would you please do one thing at a time and stop trying to multitask? It's no wonder you can't focus...you're trying to focus on too much at once.

Remember your lifelong goal of simplicity?

Well, you've kind of gotten sidetracked. You've been thinking about simplifying, but you haven't worked up the courage to do it in some areas just yet. Go ahead. Everything's going to be alright. Some things may have to sit in the backseat for a while until you get your bearings about you again.

You've had tons of ideas lately for craft projects...DO THEM! You know you'll enjoy it! And those projects you've been wanting to start with the kids, START THEM! You know they'll enjoy it just as much as you will.

You've slacked off on your menu planning a wee bit, and I'm here to remind you that your life is so much easier when you've got a plan in place. Just a wee bit, but don't let it become a habit, ok? Remember how much you love having a plan?

Those responsibilities at the church you've been thinking about giving up? It's time. No one's going to be upset with you, I promise. They understand that you've got a home to run and a family to love. And even if they don't understand, you'll feel so much lighter without that extra responsibility to carry around. There's no better way to spend your time or energy than investing in your family. INVEST!

While I'm on the subject of investments, would you please remember that there are only 24 hours in a day? You put so much on yourself to conquer the world and your kitchen sink in one day that you're exhausting me! Don't OVER-invest. Some of those "must-dos" aren't really as important as you think they are. They're simply using up your time without creating anything lasting. INVEST in that which LASTS.

Finally, stop looking at your butt in the mirror and grimacing. If you don't like what you see, do something about it! If I have to hear you complain one more time about cellulite, I'm going to throw up. So do something or shut up, for goodness' sake!

Love,

Your ~~Delightfully~~ Honest Self

{photo credit: all photos were taken by the magnificent Ryan Elijah Dietz}

Philippians 2:3, 4

2011-12-06T18:00:00.000-06:00

Ryan and Addilyn worked really hard on memorizing this verse. It took them about two weeks.