A Food Post!!

The nights are nippy!

As soon as that warm sun goes down, the temp drops into the 50s, and that means the temp in my house drops too.

So I do what any sensible person who lives in an unheated house would do:

I boil something :-)Nothing beats a gool hot bowl of Chick Soup.

Ingredients:

Chop 2 cups of chicken thighs.

Chop two regular sized carrots.

Rinse and chop 2 cups of fresh spinach.

Slice and dice 1/2 cup of onion.

Mince 3 garlic cloves.

4 cups pasta.... whatever you like... penne, spiral, orzo, veggie, whatev.

Spices:

Sea Salt {or Himalayan if you happen to have it}

Course ground black pepper.

Kirkland Salt Free Garlic Seasoning {If you don't have this- get it. You'll love it.}

Method:

Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a large sauce pan { this is a one-dish meal}.

Add onion and garlic.

Cook until the house smells lovely.

Add chicken and cook until it starts to brown and stick to the pot.

Add about 10 cups of water.

Let boil for 5 minutes or so.

Add carrots, spinach, and seasonings {to taste}.

Lower heat and let simmer for 10 minutes.

At this point the broth should begin to get cloudy {cuz of the chicken broth...}

Add pasta and continue to let simmer for 10 minutes.

And Viola'! Dinner. In 25 minutes, and for like 5 bucks.

Plus your house is all warm and yummy smelling.

Enjoy.

Our Cornucopia

It's hard to imagine that it is November.
The nights are getting chilly, and the days are sometimes cloudy-- but I am from Oregon, and in Oregon "sometimes cloudy" means September.
This is the basket that I carried in from the garden a couple of days ago:
Thats right: The Garden. In November. Tomatoes and Watermelon in November.

It is Thanksgiving Day today. The base is quiet. The boys are gone {Ryan and Asa had to drive to L.A. to pick up Nate who is currently in the air somewhere between Uganda and California.} We are planning a feast for Sunday when everyone can be together. What I am realizing about not having Thanksgiving ON Thanksgiving, is that I have more time to reflect on what I am thankful for. The things that God faithfully provides for us. The things that He lovingly teaches us. The desires that He puts in us, and the works that He finishes.

God gave me a desire to create. I make lots of stuff. I love making stuff. Everything from taking string and making it into a hat, to putting a seed in the ground and making it into a vegetable. Putting paint on a canvas and making a picture, or film in a camera and making a photo. Flour and eggs in a bowl and making a cake. Milk and steam in a pitcher and making a Latte'. Herbs in boiling water and making a remedy. I even made a couple of kids, and managed to keep them alive.

Now, I know there are those of you who just read that and thought: "Well.... YOU didn't exactly 'make' a vegetable, or a baby.... God made those things..."

Hold your horses.... I'm getting to that.....

But God..... God made me. He made everything. He began it all. How crazy to fathom that He was, and then He just decided to speak, and out came this. Before time began He had already completed it all. He had already made us, He had already fashioned everything that I would ever do {or "make" }, and He had already died and risen.

I am Thankful that God made things through me. That He chose to use my hands, my mind, my body to create things. If I can remember to praise Him for everything that I ever accomplish, to thank Him daily for everything that He uses me for, and to ask Him each day how to best glorify Him today..... wouldn't THAT be somethin'? If I could not only make everyday "Thanksgiving Day", but also "Glorify Him Day"-- wouldn't I save myself a lot of scraped knees? {Pride comes before distruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall, right?}

Thanks God for our bountiful garden! Thanks for using the people here at this base to minister around the world. Thanks for giving me talents, and children with talents. Thanks for providing for me always. Thanks for reminding me today that You are the Author and Finisher of our faith. And that You are seated at the right hand of the throne, and to You- I am already there with You.

Amen.

<>< Shae

The Expression of Thanks

We live in Mexico. For those of you who don't know: Mexico happens to be in North America, therefore being included in the catagory "America"
The Americas were first explored by the Spanish {Columbus.... is this ringing a bell??}.
There is this little holiday in the USA which is a celebration in rememberence of the first settlers and their struggles when they arrived here. The actual celebration first took place about 400 years ago, and what most people don't realize is that they aren't actually celebrating the Settling of the colonies, but the THANKFULLNESS that the settlers had after they had lived through a very bruital winter in a foreign land. God provided for them, and they were Thankful.
Wouldn't it be cool if we could go back to celebrating {as a Nation} the original idea?
So many holidays in the USA have become nothing more than a reason to cook, eat, and shop.

We are going to celebrate with Thankfullness here in Mexico {a foreign land} this week.
We aren't able to have all of our "Family" here on Thursday- so we will express our Thanks to God on Sunday.
Shouldn't we all be doing that everyday anyhow?
* steps off of soapbox *

So.... the Blogger question of the week:
What is on our Menu??
Well..... Turkey is very expensive here. We found a couple of stores selling some for two bucks a pound. So we will try to import one from CA, but only if we can find an affordable one.
Otherwise we will figure out something else .... {any ideas Mem?? Cause I'm thinkin' Pork tacos ;) }

What I DO know we will have:

Because nothing happens here without it.

* FYI- The effects of Caffeine are reported to have been first discovered in the 9th Century in Ethiopia. *

What is on your menu this week?

What are your family traditions?

Leave me comments!

Wool socks and Gorros

Fall is here.

Or.... summer is gone.....

Ya, Ya, Ya.... I'm probably just whining.

To those of you in Oregon, and anywhere else North of the Line,

It has been fall for awhile, and now it is feeling like winter.

But down here in Baja- the sun prefers to shine daily.

So you will find me here complaining about my 50 degree nights for the next few weeks.

Entonces, I have been parking it in my Mustard-ColoredChair

{You should be jealous, because She is lovely}.

Gorros {Beanies} are the creation of choice for right now.

They take me no time at all, and I can warm my ears in them.

With these concrete floors i am thinking that I should start weaving rag rugs though.....

I'll let you know if I get that crazy.

Time to make a change.... leave your home... give to the poor... lose your life, so that you can find one....

Hola! & Bienvenidos~

Lookey here..... a clean palette.

I feel like I do when the canvas is white, and the brushes are clean.

What to say.....

Welcome.

This is the home of my new Blog.

My scribble pad.

Because I want to, and not because I was told to.

For myself.

Enjoy.

This is Me.

And I relate to this guy ---->

Stay Tuned.