//LET ME DREAM FOR YOU//

Dreams.
A word that has meant so very little to me, aside from the occasional story in my head while I sleep. Of course, I also had dreams about marriage and babies and what my life would look like; the usual dreams of a little girl I think. 


Adventure too; that's something that is foreign to me. Loosing a feeling of adventure can happen when you marry at 19, give birth at 21, and again twice more by age 25.             

Not that I no longer dream of nice things.
And making lunch while holding a newborn while corralling a small circus while managing a home certainly can feel like an adventure...
But dreams, of future and more and possibilities and excitement... I've rarely entertained them because, well, it seems that good and fun and exciting happens to those who either get lucky or take the risk.     (Please know that I am not taking my life for granted;  having a husband,  three children, and many more blessings is good, fun, and exciting... I'm referring to those dreams that are unique to us; desires God places in our individual hearts for a purpose).


Never, and I do mean never, would I have imagined that my husband and I would take such a risk as selling our home and business, him quitting two solid jobs that he had been committed to for years, leaving our entire immediate families and all that is familiar, comfortable, and known.... taking such a risk to pick up and move to a new state, home, community...                            

Sure, we had talked about "selling everything and moving" plenty of times,  but that was mostly in the context of "wouldn't that be fun" and in the chance that either of us would ever be brave enough to leave...


To think that we are now living in a completely different life, so to speak, is still shocking to me sometimes,  and yet...it's so so right. Not once since deciding to take this leap of faith,  have I ever felt unsettled about our decision.  To face a change so great and feel so safe in that, has been such a blessing.

I see now that it's not that we were not dreaming before this,  we were just under the impression that our dreams are just too big, unrealistic, or scary.                                  
Living on three acres, enough room for a few pets and a dozen chickens, seeing more creatures from our windows than squirrels and the neighbors cat, gazing across miles of beauty, unblocked by the surrounding dozen houses- simple and boring as it may seem to some, it is "the dream" for us.
It may have seemed unrealistic to us less than a year ago,  but after allowing our hearts to speak up, deciding to make it happen despite what people may think,  and despite the fact that yes, we probably are a little crazy, we are living a life that we love.
I am so grateful to a God that gives us desires, matches us in our dreams,  and blesses us beyond our own imagination.
We truly are so blessed to be where we are,  and look forward to what our future holds.
                                         
So as perfectly cliche as it is, dreams really can come true,  when you are least expecting or even hoping... sometimes when you're barely even dreaming them anymore. Sometimes a little risk and step of faith is all it takes.

Are we foolishly expecting life to be easier now?
Have we "arrived" and are now living the life?
No and no! Life is still life and there are still hungry bellies to feed and hearts to love and laundry and dishes and bills... we still live an average life and perhaps it is even harder now, without the close help and support of family, but we are loving our new normal and the change and risk has been worth following this path we believe God has us on.


//So come on, let Me dream, let Me dream for you
I am strong when you're weak and I'll carry you
So let go of your plan, be caught by My hand
I'll show you what I can do
When I dream for you
I have a dream for you. -Casting Crowns

What is a dream, big or small, that you have been putting off because it feels risky or maybe unrealistic?//

//DELIGHTFUL GRANOLA//

I am not a rule follower when it comes to cooking. This gets me in trouble a lot. I'm sure improvise is a big part of a good cook's kitchen, but too often my compromises end up sabotaging my best intentions, and the end result is less than the recipe promised.

Sometimes, it works out and I end up with a delicious granola that I can-not-stop-eating.



This recipe is adapted from here, and I did follow it to the letter for the first few batches. Ten plus batches later, I think it's safe to write it down and call it a recipe. Following the rules would mean measuring the same amount every time to get the same crunch every time, and while I did measure carefully for this post, I usually eye it up and when I am done mixing, adjust ingredients according to texture before baking.

I also make a similar version for the kiddos, leaving out the nuts since they prefer it without and it cuts the cost a bit. The last batch I made for them, I added applesauce to replace some of the peanut butter and honey, also making it a little chewier which they enjoyed.


Preheat oven to 325*.

Melt 2 tablespoons of coconut oil in a medium saucepan, then add 1/3 cup raw honey, and 1/3 cup natural peanut butter. (Costco has the best natural peanut butter in my opinion!) 

Add a half cup each of raw almonds and unsalted peanuts. (I prefer more almonds and less peanuts, but again trying to cut down the cost.)

I  like to put these directly in the hot peanut butter mixture before adding oats, to give them a kind of candy coating texture. 

Just heat until combined and melty; I don't like to heat the raw honey too much, which would take away from some of the "raw-ness". Turn off heat. 

Stir in a teaspoon of ground cinnamon.  

Add a teaspoon of vanilla extract. I adore this little shot glass measuring cup I recently bought. It measures up to three tablespoons of liquid and is so handy opposed to a regular measuring spoon.(Read : I don't spill as much using this)

Add one cup of quick oats and two cups of rolled oats. I prefer rolled oats in general, but the quick oats help with the crunchy texture I like about this granola. 

Stir until combined. 

Spread on parchment or a handy baking mat like this(totally worth the investment!).
Bake at 325* for 15 minutes. Turn off the oven and let it sit in the oven for as long as you like; I try to have it in there at least a half hour to get the crunch I like.
Put it in a pretty glass jar on the counter and make sure you have enough ingredients on hand to make it again in a few days!

Peanut Butter Honey Granola

2 T. Coconut Oil
1/3 C. Peanut Butter
1/3 C. Raw Honey
1/2 C. Raw Almonds
1/2 C. Unsalted Peanuts
1 t. Cinnamon
1 t. Vanilla Extract
1 C. Quick Oats
2 C. Rolled Oats



Granola aside, I know I said I would try to have a post on our new bedroom this week. Well... I don't know what I had envisioned our bedroom would be looking like by now but it is sorely lacking in the eye candy department. I need to hang a few things, declutter a few things, and buy closet doors so the hanging clothes are not the focal point of the room. Our room is TINY, so I am not sure how I will pull off a cozy, inviting bedroom, but try I will. 
//Do you have a granola recipe you love? I am open to trying new recipes, despite how much I already enjoy this one!//

//DELIGHT IN DISH SOAP//

Am I the only one who uses a little more shampoo than necessary when the bottle is almost empty and I am giddy over trying my new/different shampoo? I am like that with anything new, really, and my impatience gets the better of me often. The new shampoo loses its charm a few washes in anyway, and I end up wasting the last few squirts in my old bottle. It does not contribute to my efforts of living simply, but the appeal is always there.

I bought new dish soap a few weeks ago, when my bottle of Palmolive still had enough to last a week or two. I should have known that when Amazon says they'll have my dish soap here in two days, they really meant it, and I do not have to buy it as soon as the bottle is getting low. Well this new soap smells so delicious and fresh, and makes the dish washing experience even better.

The first week or two after we moved, the days were blending together and dragging a bit, due to lack of schedule and loss of sleep. The smell of my new soap gave me a lift, but I told myself I may only use it once a day, and still use the old bottle the rest of the 6734 times a day I wash dishes. Ha. I found myself using it every morning, and there went my one exciting wash per day.

I know it sounds silly, and of course it is, but after a week or so of using it, I found myself reaching for the old bottle most of the time, and my heart did a happy dance every time, realizing that I am okay; this is a good day; my head is not in a fog, and I CAN WASH DISHES WITH UNSCENTED PALMOLIVE. Delighting in dish soap really did give my spirit a lift, and realizing that I don't need that lift as much in the last few days is just as sweet.

//What silly little things make your day a little brighter? Anything worse/better than dish soap?//

//SIMPLE LIVING//

Paper or plastic? Food from a tin can, or a glass Mason jar? White refined sugar, or local raw honey?
You don't have to browse more than a minute or two on the internet to see some sort of topic involving "healthy choices", "good for the environment", or "crunchy". As a young mom, I feel like there are more choices to make than ever before; of course, I have only lived in this generation so I may be wrong.

With my first baby, I tried baby-wearing; she was not a fan of the uncomfortable sling and disappointed as I was, I didn't pursue it further and just gave up that romantic notion I had of grocery shopping with a cuddly little baby sleeping on me. I then found a used, standard carrier at a yard sale for $3 when I was pregnant with my son, and was so excited to think of grocery shopping with TWO kids, this time with one surely sleeping cozily on my chest. He actually did enjoy the carrier for a little while, probably more than I enjoyed the annoying straps and clicks and weight on my shoulders.

Little did I know, that I was doing it ALL WRONG. I was part of several Facebook groups, and came upon an article that more or less said, "Be kind to the mom who is baby wearing in the wrong way! Smile! Give her a break; at least she is trying!" I am sure the author did not mean to discourage anyone reading, but here was my first realization that I was doing it all wrong. I had the wrong kind of carrier, I didn't have him in the right position, I was surely causing future injury to my sweet little baby by doing it all wrong.

Well, we are expecting our third baby in March, and you'd better believe that I have my fancy pants Ergo carrier all ready to use and maybe I am even excited about grocery shopping with THREE little crazies. Maybe I'm the crazy one.

I choose to live simply rather than go green or natural or crunchy. To me, Simple Living is not about doing everything in the most natural, healthy, organic way possible, all the time. Although baby-wearing is supposed to be natural and simple, sometimes simple means we break out the stroller to go to the mall; sometimes I am even tempted to push around a baby-less stroller just to carry all my belongings.

Most of the time, simple means that I cook from scratch with the food we have in the freezer and whatever groceries I bought that week, because cooking from scratch is usually cheaper, and healthier. But sometimes we let it mean that we grab a pizza and bread sticks for dinner on a Sunday evening so we don't have to spend more time than necessary in the kitchen.

I have boxes and boxes of canned tomato products in my mom's basement right now, but we are still squeezing our ketchup out of a plastic bottle because it is just easier. And I am sure that SOMEDAY I will bake the perfect loaf of bread, and my husband will declare it the best he's ever eaten, but until then, we do what we can with the $1 loaves of bread I stock up on from the discount grocery store.

When "doing it all" gets complicated and stressful, not to mention expensive, it just isn't worth it to me for my sanity, and the sanity of those who live with me.

I do what I can with what I have, and do not think less of anyone who does things differently, and I try not to think less of myself when others do more than I do.

Simple Living is a journey I am on; sometimes dragging my family along with me, sometimes on my own in ways that make sense for us now. Living Simply might mean something completely different for you, but I believe that it should be the goal for anyone who values their time and time with their family. Cutting out unnecessary commitments is incredibly freeing.

Living Simply also goes hand in hand with Taking Delight. Although it took years for me to learn this, sometimes I say no to something just for the simple reason that I know I am better off missing out than to stress myself out giving away my time and energy. I think it is hard to understand that sometimes in the culture we live in; it is hard to say no to social activities, it feels uncomfortable to say no when someone asks for help, and it is certainly not easy saying no to a great opportunity. But I know myself well enough to know when to say no, to let myself take delight in the things to which I say yes.

Life is about to get busier than ever for us. With moving, renovating, adding another little human to our family, I expect there to be more shortcuts taken than usual. We will do what we can to make it through the next year, surviving and delighting, by hopefully keeping things simple.

Whatever helps you to enjoy your day to day more fully, I hope you too can make choices to //LIVE SIMPLY//.