fence post fancies & other simple things

"If the sight of the blue skies fills you with joy, if a blade of grass springing up in the fields has power to move you, if the simple things of nature have a message that you understand, rejoice, for your soul is alive."
-- Eleonora Duse

"The next time it begins to rain... lie down on your belly, nestle your chin into the grass, and get a frog's-eye view of how raindrops fall... The sight of hundreds of blades of grass bowing down and popping back up like piano keys strikes me as one of the merriest sights in the world."
-- Malcolm Margolin

}smile{

Happiness
              is doing with a smile
what you have to do anyways.

}the wonder of photo editing{

I love this picture. It's fantastic. I want to frame it. But it didn't start out that way.

 This is what we started out with. Great smiles, precious moment, but seriously, what's with those arms?! 

Not to mention the other clutter that took away from the focus. So we cropped.

 Ah, much better! This is picture is great like it is. 

However, I'm a fan of cool effects, so we added a cool effect.

 

These are the Picnik 1960's and Cross Processing effects. Just a little of both, not to much. I like, like.

 But then I added my new favorite effect for pictures that look cool as "old". I like it, like it, like it. =]

 And then I put it in a film strip, just for fun. I like fun. And I like pictures. And film strip. Anyways. I also like photo editing. I like it, like it, like it! The end.

Candida Diet recipes

For those who may require a Candida diet, or for those who simply want to eat  healthy, here are some sugar, dairy, wheat, potato, and yeast free recipes.

White Chicken Chili

1 lb chicken, cut into small cubes

1 medium onion

1/2 garlic clove, chopped

1 T vegetable oil

1 quart white beans

1 pint chicken broth

1 t salt

1 t oregano

1/2 t pepper

1/4 t cayenne pepper

1 cup green chilies

Optional: 1 cup plain yogurt

In large saucepan, sauté chicken, onion, and garlic in oil til chicken is not pink.

Add beans, chilies, and seasonings, and chicken broth. Bring to a boil Reduce heat and simmer (uncovered) for 30 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in yogurt when ready to serve. 

Pumpkin Muffins

Makes 12 large muffins and some tiny muffins

2 c  oat flour

1 1/2 t baking powder

1 t xantham gum

1/2 t cinnamon

1 t pumpkin spice

1/2 t baking soda

1/2 t salt

1 pint pumpkin puree

1/4 c water

1/4 c apple juice

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 c oil

Stevia and zylitol to taste

Combine wet ingredients and dry ingredients separately, then mix until combined. Put into muffin tins and bake for 15-18 minutes at 400 degrees. Remove and place on wire rack for 5 minutes. Then, remove from muffin tins and allow to cool on a paper towel lined wire rack.

Biscuits

1 1/2 cups flour

1 t baking powder

1/4 t salt

3/4 c water

4 T butter

1 t xantham gum

Combine flour, baking powder and salt, then add water and cut in butter. Or, for drop biscuits, melt butter and add with water. Bake at 375 til done.

Brown Rice Pudding 

Ingredients:
1 cup short grain brown rice, cooked
½ tsp. salt
1 ½ cups coconut milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 tbsp. coconut oil or butter
1 tsp. – 2 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup sultana raisins
½ cup dates, chopped
½ cup unsweetened coconut
½ cup walnuts, chopped
(Or other toppings. I just used some sliced almonds. I also used Pumpkin seasoning since I was out of cinnamon. Added a little extra and it was great!)
Stevia, Xylitol, or Agave til sweetened to your taste.

Directions:
•    Cook rice. (Cook to the consistency that you want your pudding to be.)
•    Mix the other ingredients together, pour into the rice, stir, and let simmer. Stir occasionally until it's the consistency you want. I actually added extra milk to make it creamier.
•    Serve with “Cream Sauce” on top.
CREAM SAUCE


Ingredients:
1¼ cup coconut milk¾ cup apple juice
Clearjel or cornstarch--I didn't measure how much I used, but it doesn't take much to thicken it.
2 tbsp. coconut oil or butter
1 tsp. lemon juice
Natural Sweetener, to taste

Directions:
•    Mix the first 2 ingredients together.•    Bring to a boil, then add thickener, stirring very quickly with a whisk or fork as you do so.
•    Add lemon juice and coconut oil.
Serve on top of Brown Rice Pudding.

 The following recipes contain honey, fruit, and peanut butter, which are not allowed in the first stage of the Candida diet. However, if you are eating healthy but are not on a Candida diet, these are great treats!

Granola Bars

1 1/2 c Peanut Butter

3/4 c honey

3/4 c coconut oil

Bring to a boil in a saucepan, then remove from heat and add:

3 c quick oats

1 c raisins

1 c unsweetened coconut

1 c sunflower seeds

Mix thoroughly, press into a 9x13 pan and refrigerate. 

Granola

4 cups rolled oats

1 cup coconut

1 cup chopped almonds

1 cup steel cut oats

3/4 cup honey

1/4 oil

1/2 cup water

1 t vanilla

Raisins or cranberries after cooking

Dump everything except raisins together and mix. Bake at 375 for 15 min, then periodically stir and check until done.

reArranGeD

     Well here it is, the beginning of September and I have once again gone a month without blogging. Perhaps I'll just have to make monthly posts a regular occasion. =) This past month turned out much differently than I thought it would at the start. When God gets a hold of your life-watch out! Some things might get rearranged! Life is so much better afterwards, but it does take some getting used to!
     At the beginning of this month I had just got back from the girls' PASSION event in PA, which I would highly recommend to every young woman! ( passion613.org ) PASSION was life altering and my viewpoint was drastically altered. I was ready to go full force into this new life I had, but within one week I was dramatically slowed down by fatigue, debilitating sinus headaches, and just feeling icky. After a week or so, I finally admitted that I was sick, and began trying to find out what was wrong with me. After a lot of research, we realized I had a Candida Albicans yeast infection. Basic summary--Everyone has levels of yeast in their body, but when those levels get out of hand, it hurts your system in almost every way imaginable. Sinus problems, fatigue, frequent hoarse throat, limbs falling asleep quickly, and an unsettled stomach were just a few of the symptoms that I had that can be caused by Candida. In order to get rid of Candida, you have to deprive it of its food--sugar. Candida feeds on anything that turns into sugar in your body. So, a Candida diet requires(temporarily) no sugar(including honey, agave, etc.), no wheat, no dairy, limited fruits, no white potato, and no yeast or molds(cheeses and smoked meats). I never thought I had an issue with food til I began this diet. The first week was very difficult. I was hungry and I cried a lot. We weren't stocked for a diet like that, and I didn't know how or what to eat. Unfortunately, it's easy to hide a food addiction if you're skinny. I actually went through sugar withdrawals and felt nauseous, tired, and had headaches about one week into the diet. Before and during withdrawal I craved sugar horribly. God began showing me just how addicted I was to food, and how much I turned to it for satisfaction, instead of turning to Him. As I came out of withdrawal I began to start leaning on God to fill me. He gave me the sweetest verse to remember over and over--"My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise You." (Psalm 63:5) After I went through withdrawals, and also began to find things I could eat, the going was much easier. I have just a few days left on the severe part of the diet and then I am back to more normal foods! I'll still be keeping refined sugar from my diet, as well as white flour and potatoes for a month more. I really feel awesome, as long as I get enough sleep and exercise as well. I am actually starting to enjoy my diet! It feels great knowing I'm not putting anything unhealthy in my body! I do really miss fruit and milk and wheat though(You simply cannot buy things without wheat in them. You just can't.), so I am ready to be done with this first stage.
     All that said, I've done a bit more cooking and the like this month in order to accommodate my diet. Our camera has been messed up too, so all this has pushed blogging to a back burner. God's also been showing me some things about my perfectionism and priorities, so I'm not going to promise to be here very often, but I will try when I can. I'm taking a break from Facebook til the end of the year, and it really has freed up a good bit of time. =)
     In other news, I was excited to run/walk my first 5K in a local fun run/walk on the 27th! It was great fun and inspired me to set big goals for next year! I'm hoping to run the whole time next year and cut my time in half. Since then I've found that I can run a quarter mile without feeling like I'm going to fall over, and that was a great feeling!! =D
      Our youth group is finally going camping together this weekend! We've been wanting to do something like this for a couple years, so we are all very excited! We are going to visit a service at a Mosque on the way(to pray for them and learn to see them as people that need the Lord, rather than a threat) and then we're going to camp and canoe all weekend! I am excited and ready for the break! I unexpectedly had the day off today, so I made some yummy sugar free granola bars and have been working on some routine and cleaning charts for the children. Things just seem to go smoother when chores are in writing! =) I need to get lunch on, so I'll be going. May you find the Savior in the mundane moments of your day today!
Smiling for Him, TyaBeth

Serendipity & Shutters 8/3/11

Wow, this month has flown by so fast and picture taking and blog writing has taken a back seat. So here it is the beginning of August and we will try again. After I get a little more rested that is. =) For now, here is a picture I took when I went fishing last month, just SOTC(straight out of the camera).

7.7.11