When Did She Get SO Big?!

Eliza is changing and growing SO fast!

We seem to be talking about this fact a lot lately!

We also talk about the HUGE strides Eliza has made these last months! She does not seem like the same little girl…..she has come so far!

I posted a video I took last night while we were driving to Madison before dawn this morning. It was then that I saw this video below saved on my phone.

I think you will agree that it makes a great Throwback Thursday post! This video was taken at Eliza’s second birthday party that we ‘sent’ to her in China. We also received this video on Eliza’s birthday – the same day it was taken!

Be still my heart!! I will never forget the impact this video had on our hearts the first time we saw it! Waiting to travel to bring Eliza home was SO hard, but the Lord would use photos and videos throughout the wait to keep us sane!

Don’t you just love the spunk in our sweet baby even back then?!!

We love you SO much, Eliza Claire!! You are growing up so fast!

Team Tate and Team Eliza

We are heading to Madison this morning for a big day of appointments for both Tate and Eliza, including two MRI’s.

These appointments are routine check-ups, so we are not anticipating any surprises!

We have been preparing Tate and Eliza all week for today, and here is their take on how things are going to go!

I would say they’ve got this!

Even so, prayers are coveted, as always!

A Prayer Request Update

At the beginning of February, I reached out through this blog asking for prayer for a precious girl and her family.

Photos from fall 2014

Delainey 1

I apologize that I have not updated you all about Delainey sooner! When her Dad and Mom brought her home from the hospital at the beginning of February, she was showing all the signs that had Delainey’s doctors believing that she would not live through the weekend.

Photo from Summer 2014
Delainey 2

And then we all started praying. We serve a mighty God!!! Delainey is not out of the woods, but she is thriving! The Lord’s plans for her are much different than what the doctors thought! We are SO privileged to pray for Delainey and to be such a small part in her miracle!

Can you all give a shout of praise with us!?!!

Praise the Lord!!!

Delainey still needs our daily prayers! It will continue to be our prayer that the Lord will use precious Delainey’s life and her trial with cancer for His glory!

If you would continue to join us in prayer for Delainey and her family, we would be so grateful.

Saturday Stock Up

The weekends. How I love them!

For as long as I can remember, Saturday has been a day where the girls and I spend a large amount of time working in the kitchen.

Which also means lots of good fellowship!

Saturday is our “stock up” day.

Whether it is summer time and we are putting up all the blessings from the gardens,

IMG_2533 - Copy

IMG_2557 - Copy

IMG_2526

IMG_2647

IMG_2894

or cooking down chickens and making chicken stock,

013

or making granola for our breakfasts,

008

040

or soaking and cooking down beans to stock up the freezer or make some hummus,

ess1422825101718

Saturday is such a great day to stock up!

This Saturday was no exception.

And it was all about nuts!!

I soak our raw nuts over night.

004

Then I drain and rinse them.

009

006

I lay them on dehydrator sheets, and lightly salt them.

005

010

I pop them in the dehydrator, and let them run all day. When I walk by the laundry room where the dehydrator is, I here its hum, and will reach in and snitch a nut to see if they are dry enough yet. We like them crunchy!

007

011

012

Soaking nuts and drying them this way really makes them easier to digest – and they are much easier on your gut!

002

We also soak raw cashews to make “dairy” type things with them.

There are dairy-free alternatives in the stores, but they are full of yucky ingredients and do not really taste that great!

One of our weekly stock ups is cashew sour cream.

We soak the nuts overnight, then in the morning we blend them with water, and then add 1 tsp of probiotic powder.

We let this “sour” on the counter throughout the day.

038

030

Just a splash of apple cider vinegar and dash of salt and it is ready to go into a glass jar in the fridge.

It is so yummy! It really looks like sour cream!

031

Well, I just proofread this post, and now I want to plant our GARDEN!!! Don’t those photos at the top make you want to garden too?!

I am so thankful for the blessing of good food, the blessing of these kiddos and my hubby to cook for, and the blessing of Saturday stocking up! There is a very satisfying feeling when a Saturday is done and there are lots of good healthy things made for the week ahead!

Hope you all enjoy Saturdays too!