It was recommended by a special friend that I start posting healthy recipes. As most know, cow's milk has issues. (Especially since it is now fortified with yucky pesticides, hormones and antibiotics) So, for all you Almond milk drinkers that want to save a few pennies every week, here is my homemade recipe:
In a Vita-Mix (or powerful blender), blend for 1-2 minutes:
1 c. raw almonds
1 c. coconut milk (unsweetened) I use "Thai" brand
1/2 c. maple syrup, 1/2 c. dates or stevia
4 c. purified water
splash of vanilla flavoring
dash of sea salt
powdered probiotics (optional)
Strain w/ a fine mesh cloth, cheesecloth, even unused panty hose works well ;)
Serve chilled. A great milk to serve w/cereal in the morning, milkshakes, recipes, etc. You can add more sweetener or less to taste!
Enjoy!
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Monday, January 10, 2011
A new view on my New Year's Resolution List!
I just have to copy what I've read this morning. It's truly amazing and inspiring! God is interested in our Physical and Spiritual well-being!
Here are a few tips for us to live by:
1. "This outer shell is simply an envelope for my spirit. The contents are precious, eternal and costly, bought with a price, and the envelope has been fashioned by the world's greatest designer, the Creator Himself".
2. "God loves you, just the shape you are and there isn't a single number on the scale that could ever change that!"
3. "Each year, each week, each day, and each hour we are offered choices. Should I grab a soda or water, a bag of chips or an apple...take the stairs or the elevator? The reason we fail to consider these choices as carefully as we should is because the value we place on them is so low."
4. "When we resist temptation, it eventually flees." (James 4:7)
5. "Self-disciplines when applied to our life not only bring self-respect; they also bring the respect from others around us."
6. "Prosperity gives us the option for gluttony, a sin the Bible warns against. But many of us aren't sure where pleasure ends and gluttony begins."
Very thought provoking today!! I've printed off the entire article and will post it near where I can review each day and remind myself, "Who am I serving? Myself, my appetites, my cravings....or God?"
Good stuff.
~Darla
Here are a few tips for us to live by:
1. "This outer shell is simply an envelope for my spirit. The contents are precious, eternal and costly, bought with a price, and the envelope has been fashioned by the world's greatest designer, the Creator Himself".
2. "God loves you, just the shape you are and there isn't a single number on the scale that could ever change that!"
3. "Each year, each week, each day, and each hour we are offered choices. Should I grab a soda or water, a bag of chips or an apple...take the stairs or the elevator? The reason we fail to consider these choices as carefully as we should is because the value we place on them is so low."
4. "When we resist temptation, it eventually flees." (James 4:7)
5. "Self-disciplines when applied to our life not only bring self-respect; they also bring the respect from others around us."
6. "Prosperity gives us the option for gluttony, a sin the Bible warns against. But many of us aren't sure where pleasure ends and gluttony begins."
Very thought provoking today!! I've printed off the entire article and will post it near where I can review each day and remind myself, "Who am I serving? Myself, my appetites, my cravings....or God?"
Good stuff.
~Darla
Monday, January 3, 2011
Jan 3rd....Thankfulness Today
1. 8 loads of clean laundry....almost finished!
2. A precious Momma that brings Cornmeal Soup because all my kids have runny noses and who shows me what it is like to have reached "perfection" as a Woman/Mother/Christian.
2. A precious Momma that brings Cornmeal Soup because all my kids have runny noses and who shows me what it is like to have reached "perfection" as a Woman/Mother/Christian.
3. A husband that will give Buzz, our dog, a bath when he gets home and who has just worked hours before. He's my example of diligence.
4. Kisses that are given from my baby to his oldest brother when he got hit in the head by the middle brother :)
5. Remembering how quiet things used to be 9 years ago....and grateful for all the crazy noise around here now!
6. A warm home, comfortable bed and so many arms to hug me
7. Love. Even though we can argue, disagree and require apologies~we all hold a very deep bond of love and friendship in this home.
8. A mother-in-law that truly loves me....and frequently shows it.
9. A church family that is filled with sisters and brothers that really care about each other.
10. So many nieces and nephews that are special and unique in their own way. For the beauty that each one brings into my life.
11. My sister and her husband who love my children like their own and showed their love to me in sincere ways when my twins were born.
12. My Daddy for his tender heart. His generosity when I really need it and knowing that he would walk 5 miles in knee-high snow if I were in desperate need for him to.
13. Extended family and friends that I only see every few years, but have many impressions of love in my heart that will always remain!
14. My grandpa Diller who left this life almost 13 years ago, but left a legacy of the TRUTH for all those that knew him!
Those are only just a few things I am thankful for......what about you?
~Darla
Friday, December 17, 2010
The Sacredness of Christmas
This happens to me every year about this time....
I start thinking about Him. The sacrifice. The selfless life. Why He came. I just can't hold it back. Tears come to my eyes and an overwhelming sense of belonging to Someone much more Awesome than Life itself.
I can't shrink away from pondering....wondering....the sacredness of this Season. The beauty and timeless hope it brings not only to me, but everyone that as ever been born! The Birth brought the Cross. He knew it, too.
The stress of gifts, parties, decorating, musicals, dramas, plays, trying to please...just seem to fade to the importance of Him. There is the very real feeling of being unworthy. Words are inadequate to really describe. I know me. He knows me. Yet, He loves me. That's when my soul fills with worship. I want my children to know. And while they have the Nativity Story well-rehearsed, I want them to feel the sacredness... It's a life-changing experience. It's when Christmas comes ALIVE!
I start thinking about Him. The sacrifice. The selfless life. Why He came. I just can't hold it back. Tears come to my eyes and an overwhelming sense of belonging to Someone much more Awesome than Life itself.
I can't shrink away from pondering....wondering....the sacredness of this Season. The beauty and timeless hope it brings not only to me, but everyone that as ever been born! The Birth brought the Cross. He knew it, too.
The stress of gifts, parties, decorating, musicals, dramas, plays, trying to please...just seem to fade to the importance of Him. There is the very real feeling of being unworthy. Words are inadequate to really describe. I know me. He knows me. Yet, He loves me. That's when my soul fills with worship. I want my children to know. And while they have the Nativity Story well-rehearsed, I want them to feel the sacredness... It's a life-changing experience. It's when Christmas comes ALIVE!
Yes, I know.... There is this crazy, insane fight for every one's worship during the month of December. Worship is where our heart really is. Could it be the beautifully ornamented tree? Maybe the gifts that I've been saving for months to purchase? Could it even be the fun, little fantasies of this season? No....when it comes to Jesus...Emmanuel...God with us....
Nothing can compare to Him!
And, while my children and I will celebrate His glorious birth with a birthday cake, candles, ice-cream and balloons singing "Happy Birthday, Jesus" in only a few days, my heart will be filled with something much deeper.....
Thankfulness.
Nothing can compare to Him!
And, while my children and I will celebrate His glorious birth with a birthday cake, candles, ice-cream and balloons singing "Happy Birthday, Jesus" in only a few days, my heart will be filled with something much deeper.....
Thankfulness.
"O holy night, the stars are brightly shining.
It is the night of our dear Saviour's birth....
O night divine! O night when Christ was born!"
Merry Christmas to you all! May your holiday be filled with lasting JOY!!
Love, Darla
Merry Christmas to you all! May your holiday be filled with lasting JOY!!
Love, Darla
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Silly Surprises!
I can still remember last night! Daddy sitting at the end of our dining room table with both twins on either side playing with playdo. Daddy had worked late and was eating his supper just before bedtime. My sweet little boys were clad in orange UT pajamas and eagerly shaping their playdo in delight! Daddy talking and eating his huge salad a hundred miles and hour as I worked in the kitchen. Suddenly, a silly grin crossed his face as he asked, "Who threw the playdo?" I looked clueless. He continued, "My last bite of salad had a chunk of salty something in it. I knew what happened when I saw bright pink on my plate!"
Some memories are just to priceless to not share! :)
Have a blessed day!
Darla
Some memories are just to priceless to not share! :)
Have a blessed day!
Darla
Monday, December 13, 2010
A NEW REVELATION?
"God doesn't care what our outside looks like, He's just interested in what's inside." The innocence flowed from her lips as I listened contently.
Yeah, that's definitely a common religious quote. For months I have pondered this very statement as I'd watched so many build their new found experience around it. What used to be sacred has suddenly become unimportant.
Hmmmm.....God, I know there are answers. Yes, there are scriptures...there are explanations....interpretations... But nothing can beat personal revelation light. And today I needed a little!
In His loving, gentle way the Lord brought a picture of His body dying on that bloody tree to mind. He reminded me that He gave me all. Inside and out. Flesh and Spirit. Nothing held back.
He doesn't just want a part of me. He wants complete control of everything I am. Body, soul, mind and spirit. So, it IS important to You! What I think, what I wear, how I act....You want it ALL. Wow!! How beautiful this picture of self-less love is. Your Word really is my guideline for living. Thank You. Thank You! You didn't leave anything out :)
Yes, a few deep questions were answered for me today. I'm thankful that my Master taught me. Just a side note: whatever I am feeding my spirit and mind on will eventually show up in my appearance. Is this a New Revelation? I don't think so.
My prayer: Lord, give me Your heart for those things that are truly important. Let my outward Lady not be ruled by Hollywood, the latest trend or other's opinion and my inward Lady be seasoned with love and gentleness. Because if I don't love it, I won't live it. Let my mind be filled with Christ-likeness so that when others see me~they see You. Thank You, in Jesus' precious Name...amen.
Yeah, that's definitely a common religious quote. For months I have pondered this very statement as I'd watched so many build their new found experience around it. What used to be sacred has suddenly become unimportant.
Hmmmm.....God, I know there are answers. Yes, there are scriptures...there are explanations....interpretations... But nothing can beat personal revelation light. And today I needed a little!
In His loving, gentle way the Lord brought a picture of His body dying on that bloody tree to mind. He reminded me that He gave me all. Inside and out. Flesh and Spirit. Nothing held back.
He doesn't just want a part of me. He wants complete control of everything I am. Body, soul, mind and spirit. So, it IS important to You! What I think, what I wear, how I act....You want it ALL. Wow!! How beautiful this picture of self-less love is. Your Word really is my guideline for living. Thank You. Thank You! You didn't leave anything out :)
Yes, a few deep questions were answered for me today. I'm thankful that my Master taught me. Just a side note: whatever I am feeding my spirit and mind on will eventually show up in my appearance. Is this a New Revelation? I don't think so.
My prayer: Lord, give me Your heart for those things that are truly important. Let my outward Lady not be ruled by Hollywood, the latest trend or other's opinion and my inward Lady be seasoned with love and gentleness. Because if I don't love it, I won't live it. Let my mind be filled with Christ-likeness so that when others see me~they see You. Thank You, in Jesus' precious Name...amen.
Monday, October 4, 2010
"When I was a kid...."
I couldn't believe I was saying this....I sounded just like my momma!
She said it everytime we visited this place. I was ever so glad when she didn't refer to her past.
We climbed the dusty, gravel road with bumps every few inches. Our 2007 Dodge minivan hasn't known roads like these before!
I soaked in the sunshine and enjoyed every crook that road led us down. My mind flew back to the years I'd wandered down this same road as a kid with my cousins. Dirty feet and soggy clothes from swimming in the creek all day and eating hot dogs, marshmallows...just junk, pure junk!
I peered over at my curly girl and her brother remembering that this land was completely foreign to me as a child, too. I was raised in the city with Walmart and a Mall near our house. At that time, I didn't know if I really liked this sort of country life-style. Maybe the ticks and mosquitoes liked me too much, or it could of been the fact that my Uncle Les and Aunt Wanda made their kids do the dinner dishes. We called it a vacation, but for me it was important life lessons that I now appreciate! Whatever the case, it was only until we were leaving to go home that I realized how much I truly enjoyed myself.
Aunt Wanda's fresh, brown country eggs were always more tasty than those bought at Kroger. I couldn't stand the sight of a raw, skinned catfish after we caught several. But the taste, after they'd been fried, was unbelievable!
Today I peered out the kitchen windows of Uncle Lester's cabin at my boy fishing on the dock of Little Black and my heart swelled with memories. This cabin had undergone many nice changes since I slept here as a kid, but it was still a part of my childhood. I remembered the beach and floating down the river on a raft. I wanted to sink back into those times for only a day.
And, here I go, saying it just like my momma, "When I was a kid...." I smiled knowing that my kids could care less about my goings on. But whatever the case, let me say it anyway! :)
She said it everytime we visited this place. I was ever so glad when she didn't refer to her past.
We climbed the dusty, gravel road with bumps every few inches. Our 2007 Dodge minivan hasn't known roads like these before!
I soaked in the sunshine and enjoyed every crook that road led us down. My mind flew back to the years I'd wandered down this same road as a kid with my cousins. Dirty feet and soggy clothes from swimming in the creek all day and eating hot dogs, marshmallows...just junk, pure junk!
I peered over at my curly girl and her brother remembering that this land was completely foreign to me as a child, too. I was raised in the city with Walmart and a Mall near our house. At that time, I didn't know if I really liked this sort of country life-style. Maybe the ticks and mosquitoes liked me too much, or it could of been the fact that my Uncle Les and Aunt Wanda made their kids do the dinner dishes. We called it a vacation, but for me it was important life lessons that I now appreciate! Whatever the case, it was only until we were leaving to go home that I realized how much I truly enjoyed myself.
Aunt Wanda's fresh, brown country eggs were always more tasty than those bought at Kroger. I couldn't stand the sight of a raw, skinned catfish after we caught several. But the taste, after they'd been fried, was unbelievable!
Today I peered out the kitchen windows of Uncle Lester's cabin at my boy fishing on the dock of Little Black and my heart swelled with memories. This cabin had undergone many nice changes since I slept here as a kid, but it was still a part of my childhood. I remembered the beach and floating down the river on a raft. I wanted to sink back into those times for only a day.
And, here I go, saying it just like my momma, "When I was a kid...." I smiled knowing that my kids could care less about my goings on. But whatever the case, let me say it anyway! :)
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