Applesauce Muffins

400 degrees

18 minutes

1 1/2 -2 dozen muffins

12 dozen large muffins

2 cups Old Fashioned Oatmeal

2 cups flour (your choice)

1/2 cup Brown Sugar

4 tsp. Baking Powder

2 tsp. Cinnamon

1/2 tsp. Baking Soda

1/2 tsp. Sea Salt

*Mix all the dry ingredients real well

*Mix in separate bowl

2 cups applesauce (I use the applesauce that I canned)

2/3 cup Olive Oil (or canola)

2 eggs

*Mix really well

Add the wet ingredients to the dry and thoroughly mix!  You may add 1/2 cup raisins, if you like.  Pour mixture in to greased muffing pan about 1/2 full.  Enjoy :)

Seeking God on Purpose

"The Lord is good to those whose hope is in Him, to the one who seeks Him..." ~Lamentations 3:27

Over the weekend, I had the privilege to go to a True Women conference, held at our church.  Nancy Leigh DeMoss was one of the main speakers and, my goodness, how she spoke!  She talked about what it looked like to seek God, to really desire to be with Him.  Which then got me to thinking...do I seek Him.  Do I purposely look for Him in all the areas of my life.  I wish I could tell you, yes, I do this all the time and my life has been made perfect.  Not so much!
I do desire to be with Him and I talk to Him constantly, but seeking...really searching.  I wonder what that would look like.  When my kids are fighting, for the umpteenth time, and my head is going to start spinning...what if I were to seek Him in that moment.  The days where I get all negative Nancy, and wonder why I really don't have any close friends...if I were to seek Him, I would realize that He is always waiting to be my best friend.  I know that I should always go to Him first, but how many times does that actually happen?
I want to really start seeking Him and His will for my life.  I want it to become instinct, that when a moment arises, I don't turn to frustration, impatience or panic, I turn my eyes to Him and seek His will for that moment.  I know that it will not make my life perfect, but I also know, that He can take those moments and turn them into God moments.

"My heart says of you, "Seek his face!"  Your face, Lord, I will seek."

 ~Psalm 27:8

Purposely Living

The Lord has been speaking to me these last couple of weeks, to live my life on Purpose.  Now, I know that there are quotes and books out there that read all about this.  It is something different, when you have your Heavenly Father telling you this.  Write it down...okay, I wrote it down.  Now start writing and doing so.
So, where to begin.  What does a life on purpose even look like?  I started talking to my Mom, which I do often, and the words just starting flowing.  Any one who has ever gone through any sort of trial, has had to learn how to do things on purpose.  Get out of bed...check.  Eat...check.  I have even done this.  I call it my "recycle" days.  The things I do, because I have to...not necessarily because I want to.
Then it struck me.  I may be limited with certain things, but there are some that I have no restriction whatsoever.  Praying.  Loving and respecting my Husband.  Loving my children and telling them everyday.  Giving hugs, just because.  I have always done these things, but more out of habit.  And THAT, is a dangerous place to be.  Going through the motions.  I don't want that to be my life.  I will cherish these moments and hold them dear to me.  I will not take for granite, that everyday is going to happen.  I will love my family, on purpose.  I will pray, with purpose.  I will help those who need help, for their purpose.
And when I do this, I hope that everyday, a part of the selfish me, will break away.
I want to serve my Lord with a servant's heart.  Not for recognition sake, but for His purpose and His alone.
I will no longer listen to the lies of the enemy, telling me what I cannot do because of my health.  Those walls have been broken, and I am stepping out in faith, that my Lord has a beautiful purpose for my life.
"Find rest, O my soul, in God alone;  my hope comes from Him."  ~Psalm 62:5
"Trust in Him at all times, O people;  pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge."  ~Psalm 62:8

The beautiful waiting room

The Lord has finally brought me out of a waiting room and onto the mountaintop.  This has not been just a week, or month long waiting room.  It has been 4 years and there were times I thought it was never going to end.  The most beautiful lesson that I learned, was to praise Him, even when I am broken.  To worship His name, even when there is not a song left in me.  Did this lesson happen over night...no.  He waited for that perfect moment, when I had truly surrendered my whole, but broken, self to Him.  I have had numerous health problems over the years, but none compared to what I went through, these last 4 years.  The worst of it began around last October, with severe dizziness, migraines almost everyday, pressure as though my head was literally going to explode and fatigue through every fiber of my body.  I was broken.  I felt as though I was a prisoner in my own body.  Last Thursday was the final straw.  I had had enough.  I prayed one simple prayer, with only 6 words.  "Lord, not my will but Yours", but I meant every word.  Then the doors that opened up, were nothing short of a miracle.  Talk about everything falling in place, like only He can do it!!  Could this have happened without my praising Him?  It may have, it may not have.  Will there always be a physical healing every time that I have health issues?  No.  Sometimes the physical healing that takes place within someone, is through a physical death, and a heavenly healing.  We will never have a thorough, physical healing while here on Earth.  We will not have that perfect, healing until we are at the feet of our Lord.  He does not promise us no pain, heartache or suffering.  What He does promise us, is that, if we claim Him as our Lord and Savior, there will be a day that we will be made whole.  No more suffering, no more pain, no more heartache.  What a promise.
"Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."
~Hebrews 11:1

What will you pass on?

Last night, as I was watching my oldest daughter sleep, I kept thinking to myself, "Am I a good mom?"  I know that every mom, at one time or another, has thought this to herself.  So many times, when I ask this question...I feel like I come up short.  At some point during the day, I may have blown it with my patience, or yelled instead of listening or put my chores in front of my time with my kids.  I pray everyday, for the strength to get through my day.  But then I have to think to myself, do I just want to get through?  Is that good enough?  The answer is a definite NO!  I think it is great to want to be the best mom I can be, but I think it is also good for my kids to see me struggle at times.  I want them to see that I cannot do this on my own, but with my Heavenly Father's strength.  I want them to know that it is okay to mess up, but to seek forgiveness when I am wrong.  I want them to know that they are loved, even when they are acting unlovable.  There is only One other that loves my kids more than I do, and that is the One that created them.  He has given them to me, and that is not a responsibility that I take lightly!  I know that I will always fall short, as a mom, because I am only human.  It is in those moments that when I do fail, that my kids will be watching closely.  They will see how I will respond and who I turn to when this happens.  When they see me turn to my Heavenly Father for strength and forgiveness, THAT is when I will be a great mom!  And that is what I hope to pass on!

Has it truly been almost a year since I last posted?  I still want to post on how to make, bake and cook homemade, but I have also been feeling like I need to use this as a tool to reach others about my Lord and Savior.  Our Sunday School class has brought such growth in to my life as well as my husband's life!  We are almost done with the book of Genesis and God has revealed so much to me in this book.  It is so beautiful how everything and I mean EVERYTHING is weaved together in the Bible.  It is not just a book telling us what to do or what not to do.  It is a tapestry, of faith, love, sacrifice and everything else that we need to better our lives with.  So, I hope you enjoy this journey of mine as I learn more and more of what God has in store for my life and my family's life.  May you have a beautiful and blessed day!

Something for the kids...

How many times has your little girl or little boy come to you and ask to play with some play dough?  You go to the cupboard and open the container, and low and behold the dough is all dried up!  I finally stopped buying the stuff about 4 years ago, when I found this recipe.  It makes a huge recipe, you can pick the color and if you keep it in a Ziploc bag, it will keep for a REALLY long time!  The best part, you already have the ingredients in your cupboard:)  So, here...we...go!

Homemade Play Dough

2 cups flour

1 cup salt

4 tsp. cream of tarter

2 cups water

2 Tbs. oil

Food coloring of your child's choice:)

Mix all ingredients in a medium sauce pan.  On low heat, cook, stirring constantly until mixture forms ball and is no longer sticky.  Remove from heat.  Place on table and work until smooth.  Store in an air tight container or a Ziploc bag.