Butternut, Birthdays, and MY Winter Wonderland

Is it just me or has it been weeks since we've posted ANYTHING on the blog... oh no! It's NOT just me! That actually happened--- or rather didn't happen... Sorry again for the inconsistency. Good thing Christ set an amazing example of patience right!?...

I am SO excited for the holidays! Any one who knows me can tell you that I am the biggest Christmas fan in the world! I love the music, the atmosphere, the lights, the Spirit, etc. etc. etc. It may be my favorite thing in the universe---okay I like strawberries a lot too! Anyway! Thanksgiving break is almost here and winter is officially here because we got our first snow in Bend today! It was really interesting to drive in it- to say the least! But this morning when I woke up, and I saw the snow outside, I had a new hope for the day! The stunning white blanket froze the air and warmed my heart. Even though I was already getting up over 15 minutes late, I wasn't stressed out or cranky. I just hurried into the shower, put on a fun outfit (at least I thought it was fun but whether it actually was or not is left to be determined...), ate some chocolate Chex (which is absolutely delicious by the way!), and went out to my car 20 minutes after I should have left. (Now, you really should know about my car... It's a 19 eighty-something Toyota Tercel that I'm pretty sure has been totaled at least 47 times. My parents bought it for Lauren when she was 16 for 300 dollars... that's a red flag right there! The heater doesn't really work, you have to pull the windows up and, sometimes you have to push it to make it start... It's fantastic. My car's name is Suzy the Little Blue Coupe, Suzy for short. Suzy has had a new problem lately where she'll jolt or buck like a horse when you start her and then she'll die right in the middle of traffic! That's been her funnest quirk yet! I'm not complaining! I'm grateful to even have a car! I just think it's hilarious! So I have to start the car and let it warm up for at least 5 minutes, sometimes longer depending on how cold it is, before I can go. Suzy does have four wheel drive but needless to say I was nervous about the jolting on the ice...) So, when I went out to the car this morning, I saw that there was at least 4 inches of snow on the ground! So it wasn't just one of the mamby-pamby snow storms that's gone by 8 o'clock in the morning. Thank goodness, my car didn't jolt on the ice! It just slid around a lot! I'm not one of those girls that thinks it's super fun to do doughnuts in the parking lot when it snows. I like adventure as much as the next gal, but I'm the kind of girl screaming bloody murder when the car is spinning out of control. But somehow, I was unusually calm as I slid around the round-abouts and down the hills. When I finally did get to seminary, I got a text from a friend saying that perhaps that snow storm was meant just for me. Maybe it was selfish to think that, but it just  made me think about everything that had happened this morning. Things that usually would have made me scared and unhappy, didn't bother me. To me, the snow was one of God's tender mercies. It told me how much He loves me and how much He wants me to be happy. I felt His love for me, His daughter, literally falling from heaven. In seminary we talked about the Atonement and I couldn't help feeling the Spirit so strongly testifying of how much my Father in Heaven loves me. All day long, I watched the snow fall out the window and I felt the joy that comes with feeling the Spirit all day long. I truly felt the Spirit of Christ, or the true Spirit of Christmas. I felt so blessed! I love the gospel so much! I love how that no matter what is going on, big or small, God will always find tender ways to bless us and tell us that He believes in us, we just have to open out eyes to see them. I put a blank piece of paper up on our fridge labeled "God's Tender Mercies". Everyone is my family just writes the little things that God has done for them that day. It has helped me as I look at how much He is blessing each and every one of us. It helps us as a family open our eyes to see the blessings falling from the clouds in our path for us to find. What better way to remember the things you are grateful in this beautiful Thanksgiving season then recognizing all the little things we all too often overlook.

Because I was feeling so incredibly blessed today, I wanted to share those blessing with those around me. Specifically, one of my best friends' had her 17th birthday today. I made her a cute little "display" for the table we sit at during our study period.

 

It was kindof silly really, but it was just a little way of me showing her how much I love her. I filled that vase with snow ( last minute backup that she ended up loving), hung a little banner I had made from some skewers sticking out of it, made a thoughtful card, and a cute little present. It really wasn't anything that special ( and shhhh... didn't cost me a cent) but I just knew that she was so happy about it. It made me so happy to see her happy from that small thing I had done for her. She appreciated it even though it wasn't very significant.

 I wonder if that is how our Heavenly Father feels when he blesses us in those little ways, like letting the light turn green when we pull up, or letting the snow fall in November. Maybe we can catch a glimpse of what He experiences when we give things. I just love His plan! It's so perfect and so full of love and joy!

 

 

I made this with some scrapbook paper Chanel left lying around before she left to live her life of awesomeness and so I may have snatched it... Anything cool I have is something my sisters forgot to take with them :)

 

Saw these super simple bows on Pinterest! They were so fun! Just get some ribbon, hot glue the edges so the make a flat oval, squish the middle together and hot glue a piece of ribbon folded in half on it. Then glue a hai clip on the back and- BOOM! Cuteness! (If you have any questions about making these, just comment below)

 

 

If you're feeling all warm and fuzzy inside because of this post (yay! That's what I wanted!) then it's probably time for some warm, creamy soup to eat with your family by a blazing fire while talking about beloved memories. I had the most amazing soup the other night at the home of some wonderful old family friends. It's absolutely to die for good! And of course gluten free! So I couldn't very well keep it too myself!

 

 

Butternut Squash Soup



 

1 (1 1/2 pound) butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 3/4 inch pieces

1 pear, peeled, cored and sliced

1 sweet onion, chopped

1 (14 oz) can chicken broth

2 teaspoons tomato paste (we've used tomato sauce too)

1/4 teaspoon dried sage

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

Sour cream (optional topping, but for my dairy free buddies, I like it without)

 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray large rimmed baking sheet with nonstick spray, or cover evenly with olive oil.

Place squash, pear and onion in a bowl with a little olive oil and toss to coat. Pour onto pan. Roast, stirring occasionally, until veggies are tender, 45 minutes is good.

Place vegetable mixture in blender (in batches if you have a small blender) adding broth and puree.  Transfer to medium sauce pan, add tomato paste and spices. Bring to simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally.

 

(This also freezes and reheats very well so you can make a double batch and it will keep up to three months!)

 

 

 

Have a wonderful week and notice all of God's tender mercies in your life! He loves you!

42 Days until Christmas!!!

First Week of School Adventures with my Biggest Fan!

In case you are wondering how my first week of school is going, I can tell you in one word- humbling and enlightening. Okay, that was two words, but let me elaborate. Every day, I wake up at 5 AM (quite honestly more like 5 thirty...), shower, choose an outfit (which can take a while!), do my hair and makeup, go downstairs and eat a rushed breakfast, grab my pathetic little gluten free lunch and I'm out the door (hopefully) by 6:15 to be at Seminary on time by 6:30. Many people may ask, why would any teenage kid get up to go to a church class at 6:30 AM!? Sometimes I wonder myself, but then I remember why I go to seminary. Seminary is by far the best part of my day. It is one hour where I can feel the Spirit and discuss the scriptures with my peers. What better way to start the day off than with the Spirit? If you know any youth that are struggling with getting to seminary, please encourage them! Seminary changes lives and once they feel the beauty of the gospel they'll want to be there!

In my short experience as a junior in high school, I have learned so much about the gospel. Every day, my one mission is to follow the Spirit. I've found that when I have the Spirit with me everywhere I go, I get excited about learning and I want to be there. I can see the worth in others that I could never see before, and I can see ways in which I can help them. Each day I try to live with no regrets. Every time I refuse to follow a prompting, I regret it. I always wonder, "you may have changed their life if you had the courage to say hi to them. But now you'll never know because you were too afraid." It is the worst feeling in the world knowing that you have "feared man more than God." If you are ever blessed with a prompting of the Spirit, take the opportunity! Don't let those blessings pass you by as I have done on far too many occasions. No regrets!

I have also learned that life truly is an adventure! I had the wonderful opportunity to go white water rafting with some of the other youth in my ward last weekend. I had never been before, and so I was understandably nervous about the prospect of flying down a white frothing rapid with absolutely no control, being led by the will of merciless water. Images of the headlines the next day flashed through my mind: "16 YEAR OLD GIRL KILLED IN RAPIDS LABELED 'EASIEST RAPIDS IN OREGON'." I just knew I was going to die! But I said a prayer that everything was going to be okay and as we shoved our raft off the shore my fear washed away and faith took over. With faith, life is fun! I stood on the front of the raft going down incredible rapids and flipped of a makeshift slip 'n slide and did every crazy thing I could. I'm not saying that if you jump off a cliff and just have a lot of faith everything is going to be okay. (Please don't try it!) But I am saying that with God on your side, you don't have to be afraid of everything. You can have fun and be calm knowing that everything is going to work out. I am a rafter! I am also a treasure hunter! Talking with one of my friends today, we discovered that life is a treasure hunt. God had created this beautiful plan in which everything works out and He leaves little nuggets of spiritual gold all over the place. He guides us to find it and celebrates with us when we take pride in our accomplishment. He put the gold there, and he brought us to it, but we still celebrate our victory! He wants to find all the pieces and see the beauty in every day life. We just need to follow the path he has put us on and we will find the goodness in everything.

Beautiful view of the river rafting last weekend!

So, as a super adventurer, of course I must have fans. There is one fan in particular that with every passing day I see more and more how much she is not only a fan, but my biggest supporter. Let me tell you what her morning schedule looks like...
Wake up at 4:45, go into Chara's room and try to make her stir a little bit, 15 minutes later do it again, get ready for a rushed shower, go back into Chara's room and use a little more force in my voice. Take a shower, choose an outfit, and check on Chara to make sure she didn't fall asleep in the shower, expertly do hair and makeup, try to wake up my 13 year old son, James. Repeat as many times as needed. Run downstairs and make a beautiful breakfast for the children, run Chara's lunch out to her car before she drives away without it again. Stuff a few bites in my mouth and then off to work.
If you haven't already guessed, this is my mother. She does so much for our family, I don't even know how she does it. My mom isn't perfect, but she loves us so much. As we get back into our morning routines, please take an extra second to remember the many long hours spent by your mother. The world may say that taking "the mommy track" is a cop-out or something that only uneducated, weak women choose. I can say right now that I know two mothers very personally who work harder than a lot of women out there and they are anything but dumb or weak! This week I have realized that someday when I become a mother, I can only hope to be as amazing as my mother and my older sister. The examples of righteous mothers are all around us. God has emphasized the importance of mothers in our world today. Take a moment to appreciate all that your mother has done for you. I don't mean to sound preachy, but they truly are our biggest fans. Thanks for everything Mom!

One thing my Mom does that makes her the very best mom EVER is she makes this stuff called Polenta. It's basically corn meal, but polenta just sounds fancier. It is one of the best gluten free, dairy free, soy free etc, breakfast recipes out there!

Adventurer Approved Polenta
4 cups water
1/2 tsp. sea salt
3 Tbls. butter
1 cup polenta

Boil water, butter, and salt. Add Polenta on medium heat. Whisk together until it starts getting thick. Cover, reduce heat to simmer. Cook for 40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. While cooking, add a couple of tablespoons of agave or honey. A double batch makes a loaf. Put the mixture into a loaf pan and refrigerate. When it has fully cooled and the loaf has a kind of jello-y texture, take it out of the pan and slice it up.

From there, it's your choice!
I like to fry it in a little bacon grease and serve with agave on top like syrup. When frying it, be patient, it takes a little while to get it crispy on both sides. You can also top it with honey or maple syrup.

James likes to mash it up, add a little water on low heat and put some coconut milk and agave in it after it's heated so it's like gluten free cream of wheat! You can also heat it up in the microwave. Both ways it's delicious! It's great for school mornings because you can make the loaf ahead of time and just store it in the fridge and use a few slices every morning. If you have any questions, just make a comment below.

Kid approved and fantastic!

Thanks Mom for a great polenta breakfast every morning!

Back to School: It's All Fun and Protien Bars...

It's September! Time to start actually accepting that school is starting and there's no way of getting around it. I was very anxious for school this year, with my health seemingly stable I was afraid to once again offset the precious balance. Whenever someone would ask the dreaded question, "So are you ready for school to start?!" I would say to myself, "Seriously? No! Who is ever actually ready for school to start at the end of a glorious summer? Definitely not me!" I dreaded the early mornings, the homework, the stress, the cussing in the halls, etc.

This year however, after failing at trying to trick myself into thinking that it wasn't going to happen, I decided to do something about my anxiety at the prospect of starting school. I prayed that I would find the strength to make it a good year and that the Lord would comfort me and soothe my fears. In my daily scripture study over the next few days, I focused on school and what I could do differently to change my situation. Through those nights of study, God gave me strength and faith. Somehow, every verse I read directly related to something that made me nervous about school. One by one, the fears slipped away, replaced by faith in a wise Heavenly Father who I know will protect me. Through this process, my testimony has grown and most of all, my faith is fuller! I know that when we trust God with our weakness He will take us and make us stronger than we ever thought we could be. I am most certainly not perfect, and I still have a very long way to go to become like our Savior Jesus Christ, but I do know that God has prepared a proven successful path to perfection. He takes us every step of the way, never leaving us alone. If we do the things He asks, it's a no brainer, we will be blessed beyond measure and be worthy to live with Him again. He has given us so many tools to keep us on His chosen path, including scripture study and prayer. They seem like simple, almost trivial commandments, but what a difference they make in our lives! The scriptures have strengthened me so much in my life! Do not let them go to waste! They were prepared for our day and what a blessing they are. I can testify of the strengthening power of daily scripture study and sincere and honest prayer.

So once again comes the question," Are you ready for school to start?" but now I can answer with a valiant "yes!" I am excited for early morning seminary, learning new things, testing my limits, and missionary opportunities. I may still have small fears of what this year holds in store for me, but every time I worry, I remember that God is driving and the road is a beautiful one. If I let Him take the wheel then He will surely lead me where I need to go. I know now that whatever comes my way this year I will be able to do it with Christ.

Read Ether 12 with a journal ready to write down impressions and feelings

Another thing that I know will help me get through this year are...protein bars! We have this amazing recipe for gluten free, dairy free, sugar free, soy free, egg free snack bars that are great for lunches and after school snacks! These kid-approved bars are not only a good source of brain power, they're really good even if you're not gluten free! I haven't met anyone who didn't like them. Affectionately known as "Birdfood Bars" around our house, we always make sure to have some in the fridge.

Practically Perfect Chocolate Protein Bars

1/2 cup honey (I prefer agave, but it's all a matter of taste)
1/3 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup raw cocao (or cocoa powder)
1 tsp. vanilla (gluten free)
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1 cup shredded coconut
1/3 cup pumpkin seeds
1/3 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup ground flax seed

Grease an 8x8ish pan. (Depending on how thick you want the bars to be you can choose an appropriate size pan) We often use coconut oil to liberally grease the pan because they like to stick.
In a medium size sauce pan add oil, honey, and cocao. Bring to a boil while stirring frequently. Allow the sauce to boil for one minute to get kind of syrupy.
Remove from heat (or turn to low heat) Add all remaining ingredients, stir until evenly mixed in syrupy stuff.
Pour into greased dish and refrigerate to harden.
Cut into squares and store in a closed container in the fridge or freezer.

We have tried replacing the seeds with nuts and they are just as delicious! We used pecans and almonds but you can experiment with anything! And if you end up loving this recipe and making it a lot (which I know you will!), you can save a little money by buying the seeds and coconut in bulk. Most of these ingredients can be found at your local grocery store but for some (cocao or maybe ground flax) you should be able to get them at any health food store.

Read lessons learned from my first week of school and more next Friday!

Heaven-Sent Banana Pancakes..and many other blessings

This is my first time ever posting on our blog and I am so excited for this new opportunity! I cannot even pretend to be as cool as my sisters, but I'll do my best!
I guess I'll start with introducing my "story." In February of 2013, when I was fifteen years old, I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. I was completely devastated at the news and I was out of school for weeks. I was forced to be humble and put my faith in the Lord. I am so grateful for the opportunity I had during that challenging time to come much much closer to my Father in Heaven and my Savior Jesus Christ. My family was a tremendous support to me. I can speak from experience that whatever you are going through, however worthless and weak you may feel, God is always aware of you and He has a plan you. Sometimes it's like climbing a mountain, you know deep down that the summit is up there, but you can't see it. You feel exhausted and you want to give up, but God knows your potential better than you do. Don't stop! You can do anything with God.
Anyway, after a year I had things well under control and I was finally feeling a little more comfortable with my new condition. I felt like I knew what I was doing and I had quite a few ideas of how the rest of the school year was going to go. But God had a better plan for me. In February, I started feeling constantly and extremely fatigued. I couldn't drag myself out of bed in the morning and then, if I found the strength to go to school, I would come home and crash. It got worse and worse until it got to the point where some mornings I felt that I couldn't move my legs at all. As a dedicated runner, this was a very frightening thing. Once again, I was forced to rely on the Lord. After months of searching for answers, I was diagnosed with celiac disease, which basically means I am extremely gluten intolerant. Unfortunately, the diagnosis didn't really solve any problems immediately. I went on a strict gluten free diet but my energy didn't return and I was then trying to juggle two life changing diseases. That was the hardest time of my young life. After a few weeks I also found that I was lactose intolerant and unable to eat rice, beans, and potatoes. But once again I found tremendous support from my wonderful friends and my amazing mother and family. I have been blessed every day with renewed energy and strength and now, I am closer to God than I ever could have been had I not been given the chance to endure what I did. Sorry, I know the whole story is kindof a downer.
But now, despite the fact that I have 2 life-long diseases, I live a beautiful life full of blessings. I am a (somewhat) normal kid with ambitions and desires and passions. It's still very hard but I know where I'm going and I know who I'm following. I am living proof that Heavenly Father loves his children and strengthens them through trials designed just for them. These trials have blessed me with testimony and experience.

 This picture was taken this summer when my Dad and I climbed Mt. McLaughlin. I am so blessed to be able to climb! Especially with someone as amazing as my father!

I took this from the summit. The hike is hard but oh so worth every moment!

Sooooo, one of the many blessings in my life has been...banana pancakes! I know it sounds crazy but I truly appreciate this recipe (tweaked by my mom about 50 times now). It's the best recipe for gluten free, dairy free, sugar free pancakes you'll ever find! If you are going gluten free, or looking for a dang good healthy pancake, or you don't know how you got here but you just happen to be reading this random blog, please give them a try!

Heaven-Sent Banana Pancakes!

2 mashed overripe bananas
4 eggs
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4-1/2 tsp. baking powder
6 Tbs. almond flour (or tapioca starch-tapioca makes them a little more dense but more banana-ee)

Whisk together, cook on griddle as a normal pancake. Cooks slowly at 300-325 degrees.

Try them with any combination of butter, maple syrup, agave syrup(my personal favorite), mashed berries, whipped cream etc.

Makes 12-14 four inch pancakes. (6-7 carbs per pancake)