On this Day...........

       On this day the eleventh day of September, four years ago I sat on the balcony of our hotel overlooking the ocean at 6am watching a family of dolphins jump and play in peace and love as the sun rose over the horizon. At that moment I knew I could not question the beauty that exists on this earth. I accepted Jesus as my savior and began walking with the Lord. A day I will always remember, not only because I committed myself to beginning a relationship with my Father in Heaven and loving His Son Jesus Christ. Also, because it was the day I made my public legal profession of love to my sweet husband. We came together as husband and wife for the masses and for our hearts. I regret only one thing from that amazing day.

Grainless pie crust

Grainless Pie Crust, Pizza dough or crackers

Many of you know about my families affinity for healthy eating. Not to say we have a ton of self control and eat perfect but we try really hard to eat the foods God put on the earth for us. Foods that will make our bodies work in the way God designed. So here is a recipe for a healthy pie crust, pizza dough or crackers. It's pretty versatile!

"And God said, "Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in it's fruit. You shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth and every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has breath of life, I have given every green plant for food." And it was so." 

Genesis 1:29-30 

Dry Ingredients for all three:

1 tbsp Dry active Gluten free yeast

1 cup almond flour

1 cup Garbanzo and Fava Bean Flour

2 tbsp dry milk (optional)

2 tsp Xanthan Gum

1 tsp sea salt

1 tsp unflavored gelatin powder (optional)

Wet Pie Crust and crackers Ingredients:

1 stick cold organic butter (salted or unsalted) cut into cubes

3 tbsp cold water

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup xylitol

*Seasoning for crackers- sea salt, garlic & onion powder and Spikes salt free seasoning or nutritional yeast*

 Wet Pizza crust Ingredients:

3/4 cup warm water

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

1 tbsp Italian Herb seasoning

1 tbsp olive oil

Directions for Pie Crust and Crackers:

Combine all dry ingredients (excluding the seasoning at end of wet list) and pulse in food processor until combined. Add butter and process until combined and starting to clump together. Add vinegar and water. Process until a ball forms. Sprinkle flat surface with bean flour, dump dough on to floured surface. Sprinkle dough with flour, roll out careful not to make too thin, about a 1/4 inch thick. Once you have rolled the ball completely into 1/4" everywhere. Begin to carefully remove from counter by rolling up onto the rolling bin until it's completely rolled. Carefully unroll on top of pie crust. When you unroll the crust expect it will fall apart in areas. NOT a problem, just take pieces and mold make in to the empty spots. It molds well. Once you've completely covered your pie pan, fill with pie ingredients and bake as your pie calls for. You can bake before filling at 425 for no more than 10 mins. Cooking before will make crust dark brown on edges. 

Crackers:

Take left over dough and roll onto a large flat pan. Sprinkle with sea salt, onion & garlic powder and Spikes no salt seasoning and/or nutritional yeast. Bake at 425 until golden brown. Take out and let cool a few minutes then cut into whatever shape you desire. Will not be super crispy unless you cook longer for darker brown color. 

Pizza Dough Directions:

Combine all dry ingredients ADD 1/2 extra almond flour. Mix with electric mixer. Add wet ingredients and mix well. Coat a 9X13 or larger flat pan with grapeseed oil and turn ball of dough out onto pan. Roll out to edges, making it approx 1/4 thick. Crust will be thin. After you roll out sprinkle with garlic and sea salt. Bake at 425 for 10 mins. Take out and top with pizza ingredients and make for 15-20 mins more until cheese is golden brown. Be sure to take sauce out to the edges, or else you will have burnt edges.

Obviously this isn't going to taste just like regular grain rich doughs and crackers but it is a wonderful alternative and SO yummy!

 

Choice in Birth

        God has shown me in a very real way lately my current purposes in life. In this post I will be talking about just one: birth. God has made it clear to me that I am to share and educate on the topic. He is continually placing birthing moms in need of more in front of me.

        In speaking with many people lately, sitting in prayer and Gods word I find myself asking a few questions about birth in our society. "Why do we doubt our body's abilities? Why do we stop trusting God's design and allow someone other than God to have control?". God designed our bodies to work perfectly, not only in birth, but in all ways. Even if you don't believe in God you have to admit that science has proven that our bodies innately know how to give birth.

The Breech Birth of Annaka Faith

Shanea and Shane helping me through a surge

      This birth starts at 6:30am Sunday morning. I am laying in bed feeling each surge come and go, thinking "these feel different?". I eventually get up and start getting ready for church stopping every 10-15 mins to breath through a surge. I get the girls and hubby up and start getting them around, make breakfast and have a cup of joe. Sit down in the living room and watch the girls play, waiting for time to go before we leave for church. Thinking as I sit there, "these feel different?". I share this thought with Shane and we go about our day joking about having a labor day baby. On the inside I'm thinking "If I have to go through another day of labor and have no baby I'm liable to completely lose my mind!".

      We get to church and our youth pastor is giving a sermon about "Facing Your Giants"; a fantastic sermon. However good, I really didn't expect it would hit me like it did. At the end, while Burnie is praying and I am going through another very different and strong surge, I start balling me eyes out. Shane starts holding me closely and I just cried, he's looking at me very confused and I'm now thoroughly embarrassed so I excuse myself to the restroom. But alas when I cry I tend to get extremely red faced and swollen so I can't hide it! This sermon made me realize I am facing my giant! It's making me realize that I can't give up and get frustrated, I have to wait on God's perfect timing! This gives me strength and more patience for the day I felt sure was going to be another day of labor and no baby.

Where Is He taking me?

      I think most disciples of Christ can agree that God is always teaching us something. Sometimes it is little lessons, and when I say 'little' I mean we learned them easily and quickly. Sometimes they are big lessons, meaning they took us a long time to learn and they were well not so easy! So far I've only posted the bigger ones. I really want to post the smaller ones too.

       A friend recently shared with me that she is inspired by God when she reads scripture I post on Facebook. So, I'm thinking if God uses these little lessons he is giving me to talk to other people how can I not share what he gives me? Is that not what a disciple should do?

A Breech Story

      I am currently 39 weeks pregnant with a breech baby and I'm planning a home birth. This will be my second home birth (God willing!) and I could NOT be more excited! I'm at peace with the location, the action, the people involved and our current financial situation. Now, to tell the story of how I became so calm and relaxed about all this. Rest assured it was a bit of a rocky road to get to this point!

      Like I said this is our 2nd home birth, and third baby. So giving birth is something, thanks to HypnoBirthing, and chiropractic well care, I'm already very excited about. I really do just crave it! However I've never had a breech baby. I know what most are thinking. A breech baby? "how do you do that outside a hospital?". Well it's simple. You labor like you would a Vertex baby, I'm guessing the normal amount of hours what ever that is for you and your baby, then the tricky part comes in, you allow your body to push the baby out. And guess what folks? It does! Really just that simple.

OK OK, yes I'm being a little sarcastic. Sorry, I am 39 weeks pregnant, sarcasm is my middle name.

~Differences~

    Since starting a walk with Christ I have often encountered 'different kinds of Christians'. For a new believer and for non-believers, in particular, I think this is a very confusing thing. It creates disbelief and questions. Not that questions are bad, asking and listening are how we learn.

    I (a representative of ONE believer) have a certain walk with Christ. I have no reason to think my walk isn't exactly right for me. And honestly if it's good for me and works so well for me, it would stand to reason that it would work great for others, Right? Well, that is the dilemma.

    "If your walk is so wonderful and your walk has brought you so close to Christ, is it not "the perfect walk", or at the very least great for others too?"

"In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit." Ephesians 2: 21-22
"It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teaches, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ." Ephesians 4: 11-13