This is the second week I have been doing a fuel cycle. Today is my last deep s day. I have been having good fats, meat, and veggies, but boy was I in the mood for chocolate! I am so grateful for the ladies who create amazing recipes and share them on their blogs.
Please go check out bigtastetrimwaist for some great trim healthy mama inspiration.
mini chocolate muffins deep s.

http://www.bigtastetrimwaist.com/2014/03/24/mini-chocolate-muffins-s-deep-s/

Oh how i love being a trim healthy mama

A year ago I began a new way of eating. A journey back to a healthier smaller me. A friend shared her Trim Healthy Mama book with me and I began to do a little research of my own to verify what I read there.

Here are some of my before photos

at the top of my weight range.....

 Then I jumped right in and made changes. And the weight began to fall off. I was shocked and so happy. With each baby I added a little weight that I could not take off after baby arrived. 




I am almost 50 pounds down from where I began last August. I have gone from a size 16 to a size 6. This wasn't just a diet for me, but a new way of life. I would like to lose 20 more pounds, but know I need to begin to exercise again to see this goal achieved.

My wonderful mother in law and sister in law on Mother's Day 2014

With my amazing, talented, brilliant neice Sarah at the lake this summer.

Doug and I this summer at our visit to Bishop Hill.

wordless wednesday

 Hello...it is me, Faith Caroline, and I have a VERY important announcement to make.

                                             
  












     "See....right here...the big news"

"Can you see it?"

                                           

"How did I do, Mom?" 

"...wait just a minute while I text my friends"

"they just can't believe it, Mom"

A mostly wordless Wednesday: Baby #13

Introducing... 

Faith Caroline

June 9 2011, at 12:51

9lbs, 21 inches

Mother's Day

This is Kate, updating for Mom. This year we had a really good Mother's day, and we all had a lot of fun. We are all so grateful to have such a incredible Mom! God really blessed us :).

We love you Mom!

All of us, except Hannah who couldn't make it. 

Mom's boys

Bleeding hearts, aren't they so pretty?!

Okay, this is a video I made...just for fun, and it has most of the pictures in it. I hope you like it, this is the first video I've ever made :)

(Hint: pause the music on the blog.)

for more pictures, you can go to my blog --> here.

Kate

Winter

click on the above picture and it will take you to my picasa web album to watch the video, couldn't get the video to load on here any other way.


         This is what happens...when Mom is tired and goes to bed early, and Dad comes in to say goodnight to Mom before having Bible time with the kids.




                 This is also what happens when the dishes crew is tired of doing the dishes and decides to liven things up a bit....






                            Or what happens when the children watch entirely too much "jostie flicks" on youtube (another large homeschool family from Canada that our dear friends, Seven Sisters shared with us).




If you'd like the watch the original video my kids were copying off of you can go here:
Jostie Flicks Rythym & Muse








Hope you have a wonderful, terrific and silly day with your family....

Happy 11th Birthday Alaina!

Baby Alaina :)

Esther & Alaina-2002

Easter 2009

July 2010

We love you Alaina Josaphine!



Wordless Wednesday-pajamas :)



Tasty Tuesday ~ Brownie pudding dessert



~Brownie Pudding Dessert~

*1 1/4 cups flour

*1 1/2 cups sugar {divided}

*1/2 cup cocoa {divided}

*2 tsp. baking powder

*1/2 tsp. salt

*3/4 cup milk

*3 TBL butter, melted

*1 1/2 tsp. vanilla {divided}

*1 3/4 cup boiling water

Preheat oven to 350. Combine flour, 3/4 cup of the sugar, 1/4 of the cocoa, baking powder, and salt. Add milk, melted butter and 1/2 tsp. of the vanilla. Stir until smooth. Spread batter evenly in 10" round cake pan (We use our Pampered Chef round stoneware pan) . In small bowl, whisk together remaining 3/4 cup sugar, and 1/4 cup cocoa; gradually stir in boiling water and remaining 1 tsp. of vanilla. Pour evenly over batter in the pan. Bake 30-35 minutes or until toothpick in center comes out clean. We sprinkle powdered sugar over the top and serve hot with vanilla ice cream. Yum :)

Notes: This is one of our family's favorite recipes. My 86 year old grandmother requests it when she comes.

                             My mom, when she was battling cancer and would come to stay with us, would request it (and after we were in bed she was caught in the kitchen eating right out of the pan with a spoon ☺). 

 For a period of years, when my dear friend Lorraine would come for the day to visit and help me out, I would make it for our lunch dessert (until neither of us wanted to look at it again for a while!).

                                                                       Opening the tattered page to this recipe in my cookbook brings good memories from the many times we have served it. 

 Another dear friend has a daughter getting married this week and I just drove a hot pan of it and a carton of ice cream to her home to help relieve the last minute wedding stress ♥ (of course this friend is my self-proclaimed sister in chocolate, so it only seemed appropriate)

So, to all my chocolate loving friends near and far...enjoy!



Multitude Monday

{0053}

God gives us such multitudes to be thankful for.

Our home...I am grateful for shelter from cold and excessive heat. For places for each of us to sleep, for a large table that fits all of  us to eat...and another large table where we do a lot of our school.  For 3 bathrooms with as many as use them! We live here 24 hours a day, and are in more than out. Everything gets used and used well. Thank you Lord we have a place to gather and have rest.

 

{0054} Psalm 1 tells us

1Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

2But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

3And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

4The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.

5Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

6For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

                         What a blessing it is to have Bible's in our homes in freedom, unlike many other parts of the world.  What a blessing to be able to sit in our family room and memorize scripture each morning, to hide God's word in our heart (Psalm 119, that we might not sin against thee).

 What a blessing that God openly rewards us for memorizing and meditating upon His word. What a blessing it is to being going through a trial and have His word come to mind...reminding us of truth and His continual and abiding faithfulness to us.

               Books ...ahhh, books can be wonderful things. From devotionals, growth in my Christian life, cookbooks, scrapbook idea books, large family help-books, storybooks to read to my children, books on herbs and plants as medicine....books indeed are wonderful. I love to learn and such a wealth of knowledge is to be beheld...thank you Lord for the multitude of books you have put in my path.

{0056} God is so good to put the solitary in families. Here I am an only child...with 12 (almost 13) children.

Quiet? Seldom. Blessed? Yes.
So many personalities, likes and dislikes, gifts and talents...that put us together like a puzzle and make us fit.

          God in His infinite wisdom knew who to put here and at what timing, to create the birth order. 3 boys didn't come until after 8 girls. He has this as part of His plan, part of the tapestry of our lives He is creating. He makes all things beautiful, in His time.

Thank you Lord...for our puzzle,  our lives, our plan that you are unfolding each day. I am grateful...even amidst the noise, busy-ness, laundry, dishes, toys and mess. There is no better place to be than in the center of God's will for your life.

                                                                 {0057} Many terrific  and up and coming chefs in our home. I am super blessed to have a great cooking staff of daughters.

     They prepare all the meals (sometimes with a little help if learning new techniques or recipes, and sometimes totally alone) Monday through Friday. 

Some show an enormous amount of diligence and are in the kitchen by 6 am making our breakfast and then want a 'real' recipe for lunch and not leftovers. So we save nicer lunch menus for her and keep the leftovers for our other chefs who are grateful to not have to make 3 'from scratch' meals a day. 
                                                                  Thank you Lord for help with kitchen and hospitality responsibilities. What a priviledge it is to serve alongside the girls as they cook and learn. What a wonderful ministry they will have through their whole lives serving others in the area of cooking. No matter what your job or calling, us ladies usually get the responsibility for nourishing the ones we love with meals.

{0058} A dear older Mom who comes and helps us each week encouraged me in my 'food gathering' practices. She mentioned how the Proverbs 31 woman brought her food from afar, and as she was reflecting on the meaning of the verse, she immediately thought of me.

Which brings me to why I am thankful to God. As I read (see books ☺), I learn about what our family should and should not be eating...and that motivates me to do the very best I can for them, to give them the best possible health.  I am so grateful that God has put in my path, places to go and buy healthy food at good prices that I know is better for my precious bunch.         
                                          
                      We are blessed to live close to Amish country and I have several kind Amish friends who sell their milk from their cows to us. We also are able to get fresh farm eggs each week...from multiple local sources. The beef we get each year is from a homeschool family we know that raises it (and then on top of that, God has provided a gift each year for the past 4 years to pay for it...no small expense).  I belong to a organic produce co-op and a health food co-op where I get great prices for well grown and processed food.

 Thank you Lord for opening doors and windows to show me where to gather our food 'from afar'. Even so, we are one sure reason our Wal-Mart stays in business. ☺

{0059} Love...a wonderful thing.

    I have a super husband that absolutely loves snow! So this picture if perfect for him.

Love...God is the author of it. And what a mighty fine job He did of showing it to us.
        John 3:16; for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him, should not perish but have everlasting life.

Other thoughts that come to mind when I think of love...3 young adults from our church that have been in courtship relationships have all gotten engaged in the last 40 days. So wonderful to see these happy engagements and how the Lord is working in their lives.

                 Love. I remember when I was younger and read the paper (time?), there used to be a little comic that I believe was precious moments. Each day it said "love is..." and had a cute picture below and the rest of the saying. I cut those out ALL the time, I just loved them. Now where they are today...probably long lost in the trash.   Anyway, those little comics come to mind as I think on "love is"

Love is...going to sleep with little baby James next to me having to hold my hands(I am his blanket ♥). When he is sleepy he climbs on my lap and grabs for my hands and lays his head down on my chest. Aren't babies the absolute best ever?

                  Love is...secret servants. In our house around Christmas time, we start drawing names for secret servants for each week. You never know what you'll find done for you; hot tea made and left on the counter with a sweet note...your bed made with a cute picture and piece of candy on your pillow (who needs fine hotels?)...a note on your pillow with a poem leading you all over the house on a scavenger hunt that winds you up at an empty 5 gallon brown rice bucket (yes, we buy brown rice by the 25 pounds) with a pair of 'fuzzy socks' in it...the very think you *really* wanted. Secret Servants has helped us get our eyes off ourselves and thinking of what would be a blessing to those we live with and how to make them smile.

Love is....a wondeful husband and daddy who goes to work each day so I can be a stay at home mom managing the very full household we have. And being understanding when (even as frugal as he is)  sometimes a mom just needs ice cream or oreos for survival. ☺

               Love is...a darling firstborn son who draws me an endless stream of pictures. Most of them are him and I. And an equally darling 4 year old son who also loves to give me pictures and sweetly asks "mom, is it okay if you don't have one of your arms and James doesn't have a leg?"
*smile*
                                            and finally....Love is...this super 16 year old daughter who keeps my blog going by continually taking, editing, and putting pictures on it for me and then says "mom, it is minimized on your computer so when you get time you can go write"

 
                                                                                 {0060} I am grateful to God for Hannah being able to go work in Chicago for 2 weeks a month for a Chiropractor who treats her scoliosis in exchange for her work, and the for the wonderful family who takes care of (and pampers) her and lets her stay in their home when she isn't working. I am also thankful she is willing to do the hard work it takes to help, putting her school work to be done late at night or on the weekends. God always provides and has so much to teach us along the way. I know this is valuable training for Hannah in many areas.

Wordless Wednesday-snow



Scandinavian Kringler ~ Tasty Tuesday

This pastry is wonderful...almost beyond words. I do love my Italian roots, but this makes me *almost* want to be Scandinavian!

Scandinavian Kringler ~ a most delightful pastry 



Crust:

1 c. flour

½ c. butter chilled

2-3 Tbs. cold water

Topping:

1 c. water

½ c. butter

1 c. flour

3 eggs

½ tsp. almond extract

Frosting:

1c. powdered sugar

1 Tbs. butter softened

½ tsp. almond extract

2-3 Tbs. milk or cream

¼ c. sliced almonds or chopped nuts

Place 1 cup flour in small bowl. Using pastry blender, cut in ½ c. butter until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle with ice water 1Tbs. at a time. Stir with fork until soft dough forms. form dough into ball. Divide dough in half. Form each half into 12 inch rope. On ungreased cookie sheet, flatten each rope into 12x3 inch strip.

Heat oven to 350. In medium saucepan, bring 1 c. water and ½ c. butter to a boil. Remove from heat. Immediately stir in 1c. four until smooth. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating util smooth after each addition. Stir in ½ tsp. almond ext. Spoon half of batter over each crust. spreading to within ¼ inch of edges. Bake at 350for 50-60 minutes. or until golden brown. and puffy. Immediately remove from cookie sheet; cool. Sprinkle with Almonds.

Tasty Thursday? ~ Java Chip Frappucinno's

Well, this was supposed to be this weeks tasty tuesday recipe and was scheduled as so, but it disappeared into computer no where land. Thus....tasty thursday

Java Chip Frappucinno's ~ cheaper by the dozen style

I will put the main way we make them at our house now, plus a couple of variations.

2 shots of espresso ( or 1/4 cup strong coffee)

1 cup milk

2 to 2 1/2 cups ice

1/4- 1/3 cup hershey's syrup

2- 3 heaping tbsp hot cocoa mix

a handful of mini chocolate chips (regular size just isn't as good)

big, fat straws (for the chocolate chips to go through ☺

Blend all in the blender until ice is well blended.  Makes 2 good size cups.

Variation #1 (I made the java chips this way before I got my espresso maker)

1/4 cup french vanilla cafe or cafe mocha (from General Foods International Coffee or the wal-mart version or cappuccino mix)

1 cup milk

2 to 2 1/2 cups ice

handful of mini chocolate chips

a few swirls of hersheys syrup

Blend all until well blended in blender.

Variation #2

this is how I make it to be 'healthy'-avoiding corn syrup and trans fats

1 cup milk

2 shots of espresso

2 to 2 1/2 cups ice

3- 4 tbsp of ghiradelli chocolate powder (presweetened)

handful of mini chocolate chips

Blend as above.

Enjoy!

Tasty Tuesday ~ Biscuits and chocolate gravy

 Tasty Tuesday

While we were in Alabama this summer, our dear friend Betty made us biscuits and chocolate gravy. We had never heard of such a thing...but we were sweetly surprised. Yummy x 100! The gravy is so good, it doesn't even need biscuits ☺. The girls eat the leftovers for dessert and snacks throughout the day, not just breakfast.
    Without further ado....the recipes

                          Flaky Quick Biscuits
                          8 cups flour (we sometimes use unbleached, and sometimes use 1/2 unbleached and 1/2 whole wheat)

1/3 cup baking powder

2 tsp salt

3/4 cup shortening (I use coconut oil)

4 cups milk

Mix together dry ingredients, cut in coconut oil with 2 knives until crumbly. Then add your milk. Roll into a log about 3 inches thick and cut into 1/2 inch slices OR roll out and cut with a biscuit or cookie cutters. Bake on an ungreased baking sheet (we use a stone) for 12 minutes at 450.  These are yummy too.

Chocolate Gravy

1 1/2 cups sugar

6 Tbsp cocoa

6 Tbsp flour

pinch salt

4 cups milk

4 tbsp butter

2 tsp vanilla

Stir dry ingredients together in a medium saucepan. Mix in milk slowly. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thick and smooth. Add butter and vanilla. Serve over hot biscuits. ~NOTE: this is big happy family size. If you don't have a big family and don't want leftovers, you might want to cut it in half.

If you try these out, let me know what you think!

Multitude Monday

                                



 0045

I am grateful for our Keepers at Home group. We have participated for 10 years, since Kelsey was 9. Hard to believe how much we have learned and how much fellowship we have been blessed by.  Here are Kelsey, Kate, Mary and Emily at "The Chocolate Thimble" in Churubusco, Indiana for a chocolate making class. They made caramel and chocolate dipped apples, white chocolate pretzel drops, and white chocolate dipped oreos. What a fun day.

0046

Tea Sets lots of lovely little tea sets. My dear mother-in-law gets each child a tea set around their 3 birthday. We have a beautiful collection of them. To make sure they get used and enjoy the blessing she has given us, we have each child's birthday breakfast be a "tea party breakfast". The child picks whose tea sets we will use in addition to their own (since it takes several to 'tea' us all), and which foods they would like the most. Then we hang up their birthday flag (another gift made by mother-in-law) and make the special breakfast with lots of tea (and lots of sugar). The tea pot above is Valerie Hope's, who just celebrated her third birthday with homemade caramel rolls and homemade turkey sausage (thank you chef Emily).  Thank you Lord for many tea pots, many children to have tea parties for, and many good chefs to make the meals special and unique.

0047

Byron Thanksgiving. Our church meets in a nursing home named Byron, at state run nursing home with many severly handicapped people as well as elderly . Each year our church makes a super sized Thanksgiving dinner and serves it to all the residents in the activity room of Byron. It takes two nights for us to feed all the residents. What a blessing we receive in serving these special people. I'm guessing most don't see relatives for the holidays and they show such joy at the big meal they are served. It is a blessing for our families to sit in their midst and share in their joy as we serve them. It is our hope that they will see the light of Jesus and learn how very much He loves them and how important they are to Him.

And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. Matthew 25:40



      

0048  The best daddy ever...the leader of our wonderful 'cheaper by the dozen'. He deserves way more numbers in my multitude Mondays than one. He loves all the children, great and small, and always welcomes another with great delight.

 He doesn't mind the noise (and very much helps create it), the commotion (well, he helps with this too), and the work. He is seldom in the door before being requested for many different things-and they even meet him at his car at times..."dad, will you hold the baby?", "dad, can I have water?", "can we go to the park?", "did you hear what I did today?", "look at my bruise, scrape, bump, etc...". And he smiles, and is glad to be home. He puts on his comfy clothes and shoes and gets ready to be messy, if needed (with 4 six and under this is often). Since Mommy is often tired and tapped out, he willingly jumps in and helps. He is even patient with us when he gets home late from work and the many eaters have eaten it all and didn't save him any (sometimes the table clearers will munch on what remains, forgetting some haven't eaten).
         
He is a great husband too. In 19 years, we've had 12 children. That means lots of morning sickness and tiredness for me. In my early pregnancy he offers 10pm runs to subway or pizza hut or whatever place he think will help me to feel better and forget the yuckiness. And he willingly puts everyone to bed so I can get in bed myself sooner.  He doesn't act like a tornado hit, when indeed it does look like one did at times.  I am blessed and I am loved. Thank you Lord.

And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. Luke 1:17
 

   0049Fall, leaves, sunset. God's creation is a work of art in every season. Beautiful handiwork. Hard to describe His infinite-ness with our tiny little comprehension. But...none the less, I am grateful. And He is good, all the time.


To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven. Ecclesiastes 3:1

     0050 many, many, many Tomatoes! Our amish friend called and offered me 5 bushels of tomatoes for $5 a box. I said "Doug, what do I do, I'm deathly ill with morning (all day) sickness?" to which he replies "$5 is a really good price, and we do love salsa". SO...with children still groaning, I picked up our tomatoes, peppers and onions and away we went. The children and our friend Anna made the work much easier than the days when I did it alone. We made one fresh batch of salsa to eat all day as we made our canned salsa (fresh salsa is incomparable, you absolutely must try it sometime). We cored, peeled, chopped,  and mixed our tomatoes into a delightful salsa potion in our most giant stockpot. And we munched, and filled jars, and canned them outside on our turkey propane burners in canning pots.

 Yum, and whew, and wow, my tongue is on fire, and can you believe how many bags of tortilla chips we have eaten today, and isn't God good to get me through this with many able daughters and a very sick stomach. What a beautiful day of hard work and more of God's amazing creation to enjoy all year long. Now where on earth are we going to put all these jars?

 

  0051

I am so grateful for my Grandmother Carmen. She is wonderful,and this is the shore of the lake she lives on, right by her dock. She lives 'up north' in the upper peninsula of Michigan.

She is one of my favorite people ever. Energetic, a server, fabulous cook, caring, creative, resourceful, quilter, knitter, crocheter, woodworker, gardener, nurse, cross-stitcher, needle worker, outstanding mother, grandmother and great grandmother. She is one of the most hard working people I have ever met. If she isn't working really hard with her hands she is sitting in her chair, with her lap desk, drafting ideas, jobs, plans, quilts, etc... Amazing, and a true Proverbs 31 and Titus 2 woman.  I love you Grandma and am so grateful God put me in your family.

The hoary head is a crown of glory, if it be found in the way of righteousness. Proverbs 16:31

0052

Alaina J...10 years old. Big smile, the only child of mine that looks like a 'good, hearty Italian', like her heritage. Did I say big smile? She is silly & crazy and loves to play outside with all the things most people throw away (and *should* throw away, thank you). She takes odd scraps of wood and leftover containers from restaurants and cottage cheese containers and big swiss miss cartons and builds what Doug calls 'shanty homes' all over our back yard. The littles all adore her, who wouldn't....a big sister who helps make a mess ☺. Oh yes and the mud, I didn't mention the mud pies and cookies and ...well, you get the idea. She is darling, and I love her to pieces. She is also a big help in the kitchen, and with James and at doing her school. We have definitely decided to keep this one.  Thank you Lord for our dear Alaina.