Take Root

I'm looking forward to this coming year being a year I take root. The past several years have been quite the storm, throwing my little family to and fro, just like little trees getting blown over in the wind. 2014-2015 was surely the year of Perseverance & 2016 was the year of Providence. The good Lord Providentially brought us out of  a lot turmoil and pain....We had the opportunity to heal and revive and get back on our feet with the help of  Our Lord & our wonderful Church family. Now that we have been here 6 months getting our rhythm down and it being a New Year...I am looking to 2017 being the year we Take Root and Grow. 

We weathered the storm and storms make trees take deeper roots.

I have thought and prayed long and hard with how I will spend my time healing, rooting and growing this year. I have started by getting my overall self checked thoroughly by the doctor. I have struggled with heart palpitations, migraines, chronic headaches, vertigo, insomnia, stress, depression, anxiety, lack of desire to do anything, tingling and electric shocks in my head and more. I wanted to make sure there was nothing going on or at least something I should know about. But with tests, scans and more tests, so far they don't see anything underlying. But, to me there is something going on that a test just can't tell you nor a band aid can fix....So the next step for me is to get more in tune with my own body, since I am the only one who really knows how I feel. I have several ideas to try to ease my symptoms as naturally as possible and heal my body with natural remedies. Like using essential oils, natural products, natural homemade things that can ease symptoms. I am also going to up my doses of vitamin D and Vitamin B12 in liquid forms..Which will help a lot , especially during these dark Wintry days. I will also begin daily routine and regimes using these natural remedies. This is the first and foremost thing I need to work on and that is getting myself well...We even joined the Y.... where we will get some exercise and where I plan to take classes doing yoga and relaxation. I also plan on drinking more WATER to flush out toxins from my body.

Another big thing this year will be eliminating even more processed foods and sugar from our diet. That doesn't mean we can't splurge here and there, but making things from whole foods and from scratch as much as possible. Will I fail????....Maybe sometimes...But If I keep in mind that I wish to grow this year...I am going to have to buck up and get rooted. Taking root also means to work on our spiritual growth as well. As a family we are going to begin our regular devotions, as we are also going through the whole Bible In A Year plan. I will also continue my Bible Journaling and Writing Scripture Verses to reflect on. We will also attend our Friday night Bible study, I hope to Pray more regularly for others too!!! A great book to go through, which prompts the order of prayers is called Face To Face....One more important thing we will continually work on is the people we engage with. I have learned so much over the years that weeding out unhealthy, toxic people from my life made my life drama free, less stressful and has made our lives so much more healthy and happy. This included weeding out toxic family members & friends...Nothing I am proud of but had to be done for our well being. So dear readers...This year I will take root, do more of what I love to do, sow seeds, grow...and work hard on keeping myself and my family happy, healthy and whole! How about you??

Chicken Scratch~ Gratefulness, Comfort Food And Cold Weather

I must confess! I do not miss California one bit! And so glad we moved here. Mr. Darling keeps saying we should have moved to the Mid West even 20 years ago. The Lord is good and surely had His reasons for bringing us through all that we have been through in the last couple of decades. We are just so happy He moved us here now. Our new church and church/family are such a delight. I have said this before and I will say it again....I have prayed for this for sooooo long that God would answer my prayers and give us a church/family and friends that love us unconditionally, who will lift us up and pray for us every day, who won't judge us, or make us feel like we live in a glass house watching our every move waiting for us to do something wrong then point their fingers, and who will be your cheerleaders by our side etc... 

We have felt that love and have been accepted  here in Indiana with open arms by the flock. My heart swells with joy. It has been a long journey and so much of that I am so grateful for. Even the bad and hard times. I know it is hard for some people to see or even comprehend the hard or bad stuff in life as good. But, for me...The picture is clear. I have grown and learned the hard way through the last several years of  wrongful betrayal by others toward my precious little family & I. After a year of healing I can now say with full confidence and assurance that I am glad and grateful to God for what we went through. I have learned to see how some characters truly are. I have grown in so many ways through the many trials we endured. It has made me a stronger person for it. He has brought us through some dark times...He has eliminated certain folks out of our life yet, It has taken years of the word, sanctification, prayer, grace, faith, trust, hope and forgiveness to get here. In this season I am finally able to see more of the picture and it's a beautiful one. As broken as this life is the good outweighs all the bad and injustice in this world. I have been so very happy and fully content with our journey and new life here. And looking so forward to seeing what God has in store for us in the coming years with the work here and our growing relationships with God's people. I am eager to walk with this flock and hope that in return our family will be able to express our love that we have for them and to be an encouragement to them through their walks as well. With Thanksgiving in just a handful of days it is a good time to reflect on the things your are grateful and thankful for in this life. Ultimately giving our Lord the glory and thanksgiving He deserves. We should more often reflect on these things not only during Thanksgiving but, every day of our lives. 

On a lighter note...I have really bee enjoying cooking in our kitchen making good, wholesome comfort foods. Foods that  remind us of the Autumn. The smells of spices and the tastes of  the season give me a comforting sense of home with the ones I love. Food that nourishes our bodies and brings back memories of certain times. Lately I have been cooking a lot with all different squashes, roots and spices. I pureed pumpkin, roasted squashes with parsnips, carrots, and cranberries. I have used a lot of seasonal apples and pears in dishes as well. Plus experimenting with new recipes which have now become favorites in which I will defiantly make again come next Fall, I have also added in some delicious soups...Nothing screams Autumn and Winter like a good soup to warm you body and soul. A scrumptious roasted butternut soup or a quinoa chicken chili soup will do the trick! i have planned to make soups for supper as often as possible during the Winter months. Number one it is cheap and number two it is filling. I especially enjoy a lovely soup on a really chilly day. I can't wait! 

This weekend we had church family over for supper and fellowship. I used my Amish Apple Butter which I whipped up earlier in the season as a sort of compote on top of pork chops...Oh boy was that a delightful pairing. I also served rice pilaf, a medley of squashes, sweet potato, cranberries and parsnips, which I roasted with local honey, brown sugar and cinnamon glaze...Yummy! I also served a mixed salad with raspberry vinaigrette and candied almonds, cranberries and feta cheese...It was a really good supper, thought the fellowship was even better!

This has also been a great time seeing a classic play called Our Town and enjoyed even a symphony. We will be seeing The Christmas Carol this Winter as well as Three Musketeers, Jungle Book and Peter Pan in which my daughter will be performing in.

 I love that we are already making some great memories!!!

Lastly, we enjoyed a little Winter teaser of snow flurries over the weekend. Oh how I have missed snow since our years in Washington. My daughter was a bit sad that the local Kitty was cold outside. Sorry Kitty, Mr. Darling won't let you in..... Now I am dreaming of a White Christmas!!! LOL! Well I am off! Come on back, I will be sharing another Home Sweet Home Tour! 

Writing Scripture on The Tablet Of Your Heart

This month I started a scripture writing plan. I love the idea of not only reading scripture but writing it out word for word. For me, writing things down helps to really soak my thoughts in. Ten minutes with a nice cup of tea and my Bible along with a journal and pen in hand gets me digging deeper into the word. I know we are already several days into March. I am sharing this with you and hope to encourage you to dig into the word for yourself. Jump in anytime and soak in the word of God.

Another tool I have enjoyed using is the monthly calendar from Heartsofbeauty.com. It has great prompts for prayer, journaling, devotionals and memorizing scripture. Get on their mailing list and they will email you a calendar every month. May you grow in your faith friends. 

Happy weekending ahead!