Homemade Runza's

I happened across a recipe the other day for homemade Runza's! Mmmmmm! That is one of my favorite things to eat...especially on a cold day at a Nebraska Cornhusker game! Unfortunately it has been one of my many sacrifices with the MSPI diet. Boo! Well...this recipe works just perfectly! I'll post the recipe with the directions to make the dough as well, but I cheated and used some thawed out Rhodes dinner rolls! So easy!

Homemade Runza's

Oh..with the rolls, I hear you can use one Texas roll per Runza, but I only had the dinner rolls on hand. I put two dinner rolls in a cupcake pan, greased some plastic wrap, and let them thaw all day. Then you already have your dough for each Runza pre-portioned! I also added cheese to some of them, for my cheese loving boys!

Ways Parents Can Pray for Themselves

From my Acts of the Apostles
Home Training Lesson 14

I always have great into on ways to pray for my child for different areas, but when I got this home training lesson from my BSF class I was intrigued. I know I should pray to be a better parent...God knows I definitely need this, but here's some very specific ways to pray for myself and my husband in parenting our children.

• That I will be convicted of any personal hypocrisy lived out before my children, contradicting what I say by what I do, and, when appropriate, admit my sin to my children (Matthew 7:3-6)
• That my words, looks, and actions will clearly reflect to my children that my mate is loved, honored, and cherished (Proverbs 31:10-12; Ephesians 5:25, 28)
• That I will recognize individual limitations, respect individual differences, and have realistic expectations for each child (Colossians 3:21; Ephesians 6:4)
• That I will never be too tired or angry or negligent to discipline my children wisely (Proverbs 29:17)                 I definitely need prayer in this area!
• That I can be a peacemaker to diminish jealousy and irritations between my children and in so doing encourage them to be peacemakers (Proverbs 17:14; Philippians 2:3; Matthew 5:9)
• That I will not spoil my children with too many possessions nor too few expectations and responsibilities (Psalm 37:16)          
• That I will be able to shield my children from premature association with sexuality, sophistication in ideas and dress, and unnecessary knowledge of the world (Ecclesiastes 3:1, 17)   This gets so much harder as they get older. I definitely need to start praying now for the older years!
• That I will resist the enticement of popularity for my children and be willing for our family to be different from the world's standards (1 Samuel 16:7, Psalm 37)
• That I will be generous in expressing appreciation and approval while holding back reminders about their past failures and mistakes (Psalm 78:38-39; Proverbs 25:11)
• That I will know when to step in and take charge of a situation for my children and when to step back and let them learn for themselves (Proverbs 16:9)     This is definitely a must for me right now. It's been so hard to keep my mouth shut in some situations lately. God, I need your guidance here!
• That prayer will be my immediate response to family joys and crises alike (Ephesians 6:18; 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18)   This one really convicted me. I am always very "johnny on the spot" of praying when we are in need or have an illness, but I need to start getting better going to Jesus in our joyful times as well!
• That I will daily remember my own need to be taught by God's Word and filled with His Spirit so that I reflect the joy of the Lord before my children (Psalm 16:11)

OCM Facial Cleanser

So tonight I started night one of the Oil-Cleansing Method tonight. I'm always excited when I find or hear about something that I can #1 save money one and #2 use a more natural way of doing something and #3 understand and be able to read all of the ingredients.

I have been getting so frustrated with my face wash I've been using for a year or so. It's just your run of the mill face wash you can get at any store. It boasts being oil free and acne clearing. My face definitely is a far cry from the oily mess it was in high school or while I'm pregnant (YUCK!), but I have occasional breakouts, during stressful times or during my monthly cycle. Lately, especially now in the cold weather, my face has been very dry and flaky, and I feel like I am putting on more and more moisturizer. By the end of the day I feel like a grease pan!

I recently bought a face wash from a local soap maker, and I was really hoping it would work. I ended up with a pretty bad breakout by the end of the week, and was so bummed. Back to the face wash with it's harsh/cancer causing chemicals. So, needless to say, the OCM fell into my lap at just the right time!

I found this info from a friend which then led me to more links on OCM. I was directed to Simple Mom for more information and the recipe for the wash. I ended up doing more of a "oily" mix, only because the dry spots I tend to have are more just a few spots then my whole face. I used 3 parts Castor oil to one part EVOO. I love Simple Mom's description of how to do it...massage it into your face and the steaming with a hot washcloth. Not only is it good for my face, but relaxing as well! Well, I have had a day...stupid plugged duct or mastitis...so all I could think about was getting in a hot shower, meaning I totally forgot about the massaging...steaming...etc. :(  My face ended up being flaky when I got out, and I had to apply a moisturizer. I know that it will take time for my face to adjust, so I'll just keep trying for a few more days before I make more adjustments!

Wish me luck!

Oh..I'm using a bar shampoo from the local soap company, and I LOVE it! I'm not sure I can do the 'no poo thing, so for now this works just fine!

Roast Pork Loin with Carrots

Roasted Pork Loin and Carrots

Everyday Food, March 2009       

• Prep Time 20 minutes
• Total Time 1 hour
• Yield Serves 4

Ingredients

• 2 pounds carrots, peeled and halved lengthwise if large
• 1/2 pound shallots, peeled and halved if large
• 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 1/2 pounds boneless pork loin roast
• 3/4 cup white wine
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons grainy mustard

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss carrots, shallots, and 1 tablespoon rosemary with 1 tablespoon oil; season with salt and pepper. Roast for 10 to 12 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, season pork with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium. Add pork; cook, turning occasionally, until golden brown on all sides, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer pork to a plate, and reserve skillet.
3. Remove baking sheet from oven; push vegetables to sides. Place pork in center; return sheet to oven. Roast, tossing vegetables occasionally, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in thickest part of pork registers 145 degrees, 30 to 40 minutes. Loosely tent pork with foil. Let rest 10 minutes before slicing.
4. While pork rests, pour off almost all of the fat from skillet. Add wine, and cook over medium-high, scraping up browned bits, until syrupy, 4 to 5 minutes. Add flour, and cook, whisking constantly, 30 seconds. Gradually add 1 cup water, whisking constantly. Add 1 tablespoon rosemary. Bring to a simmer. Remove from heat. Whisk in mustard, and season gravy with salt and pepper. Serve pork with carrots and gravy.

Homeschooling

The thought of it either petrifies me or excites me.

Things I would be thrilled for: being their teacher and knowing exactly what they are learning, being able to give them a Christian education, learning with them, field trips, spending all day with them, watching them grow and learn, teaching in my pj's, not rushing out the door every morning for school

Things that truthfully just freak me out: not having enough knowledge myself, planning, organizing, the expenses, lack of creativity, getting them to cooperate, spending all day with them ;)

As of now, we are planning on enrolling Peyton in public school for K5 next year. Just as an in case so all our bases are covered. As far as Parker, it's open enrollment at Peyton's preschool for this month for siblings, and then it opens up to the public in February. They say the spaces fill up fast, so I think we may be enrolling Parker for next year, paying the fee (even if we lose it in the end) so that our bases are covered there. I'm also struggling with the fact that I  feel Peyton's preschool isn't challenging him enough this year. There's really nothing I can do about it now for him, but if we decide not to homeschool Parker, we may be looking at switching to a different preschool for him.

This is definitely a subject that will be covered in prayer, prayer and more prayer!