Taking it easy…

I’ve traded the usual fast-paced, run here and there weekend for one that is movin’ in slow motion.  This wasn’t entirely intentional, however.  My little Cailyn came down with a nasty little bug that has kept her down for three days now.  There’s no doubt that I want my little princess to be completely healed and back to her busy little self, keeping me on my toes all day long.  But I have to say these last three days have allowed me to slow down and rearrange some of my priorities that were, as some might say, “way off kilter!” 

As moms and wives, do you ever feel like you just don’t have time to do it all?  Even with all these “high-tech” gadgets that are supposed to make life easier, I have to ask myself, “why does life seem so hurried and stressed out more than ever?”  In my time of “slowing down” this weekend, I came to discover as I spent time in the Word that it is the “enemy” that is planting this lie in my head that I “don’t have the time to do everything that I’m supposed to do.”  The truth is, all I have to do is the work that God has assigned me to do and not what is on everyone else’s “to do” list!  And what a relief it is to know that there is time in every day to accomplish every thing that God wants me to do, so long as I turn my attention away from the details and tasks of the day and first to take time to “inquire of the Lord.”  Psalm 119:147 reminds me what the first priority of my day is to be as it says, “I rise before dawn and cry for help; I have put my hope in your word.”

Remember Mary and Martha?  Jesus said to Martha, “you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed.  Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”  Luke 10: 41-42

Instead of trying to establish my own agenda or let others determine what my priorities are, I need to take time to discern what it is that God wants me to do.  Instead of getting buried under piles of half-finished or poorly done tasks which brings about guilt and frustration, I need to be enjoying the peaceful, well-ordered life that God has intended for me.  Try it, it’s amazing what a “fulfilling” day you can have when the Lord is in control and not you!

Today I practiced just “being” with my princesses instead of just “doing” things to keep the day busy.  My little Cailyn slept most of the day, so I put the “other tasks” aside and spent some quality time with the Lord and my princess Makenna.  We baked some “Mini Banana Chocolate Chip Millet Bundt Cakes.”  The recipe was taken from my “Banana Chocolate Chip Millet Mini Bread Loaves” and we just changed it up a bit for fun (this recipe made 6 mini bundt cakes)!

So cute…

So moist….

So chocolaty…

So delicious!

We’ve been going through granola like there’s no tomorrow, so we decided to keep on baking and whipped up a batch of what Makenna likes to call, “Our Favorite Granola.”  So here you go…

Our Favorite Granola (gluten free)

Yields: 4-5 cups

Ingredients:

Dry:

2 cups gluten free rolled oats

1/2 cup sliced, roasted almonds

2 Tbsp flax meal

1 Tbsp chia seeds

1/4 cup quinoa flakes

1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds

1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds

1/3 cup organic raisins

1/3 cup organic cranberries

1/4 cup organic brown sugar

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 tsp cinnamon

Wet:

2 Tbsp unsweetened applesauce

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

3 Tbsp sunflower butter

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/2 tsp almond extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together all the dry ingredients, except the raisins and cranberries.

In a small saucepan,  combine the applesauce, maple syrup, and sunflower butter.  Mix together over medium heat until heated through.  Add in the extracts.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well.  Scoop mixture onto prepared baking sheet.  Bake for 20-25 minutes, stirring halfway through. 

Let cool on baking sheet for about 10 minutes before mixing in the raisins and cranberries.  Store in an airtight container.

The fam likes it on yogurt and as cereal for breakfast…and me, I like it by the handfuls straight out of the jar!

We finished the day with some window art painting and making beaded bobby pins for her hair.  Aside from the sick little princess sleeping peacefully on the couch, the day was a perfect and well-intended day brought to me from the Lord. 

Look what happens when I get my priorities straight!!

Blessings,

J’lene