Being Obedient BRINGS BLESSINGS!

I've learned this lesson before and have quite the testimony of it, but I guess the Lord wanted to remind me of it this summer... You know our money troubles I was complaining about earlier this month? Well that has all changed! I can fully give credit to the Lord for blessing us in unexpected ways since then :)

Within the last week we had talked about making a change for our family that would allow us to be more obedient to the Lord's commandments. It was a hard choice to make and it meant that my daughter and I might not be able to go to my husband, Wayne's, Army training graduation some almost 3,000 miles away. It was a bit heartbreaking to accept that fact because it was the highlight that had been getting me through his being gone, but we knew being completely obedient was more important and that the eternal blessings would be more than worth the sacrifice if it came down to it.

Immediately (I want to say the very next day after making this choice...which is unusually fast) we started seeing our financial situation change! It was amazing! I've been working hard to make the money for our trip with my jewelry business and at this point I'm about $250 away (after so many people have been so kind to shop or host parties for me, some even with only a couple days notice to host), we found out some money that was owed to us is being returned, and my mother is going to go with me at least for the first part of the trip so that we can drive instead of buying airline tickets (because I didn't want to drive alone for 3,000 in case something went wrong...plus that's a lot of driving for one person in a day or two). This right there was enough to make everything seem better at least for the moment. We'd still be able to go to Wayne's graduation and everything would be fine financially until Sept. when we might need to pick up some extra part-time jobs to make it through the end of the year with the money we have spent on flying Wayen home for the 4th and our going to his graduation and the headache the Army gave us pay taking 60% of our pay for 2.5 months.

But then the blessings KEPT coming! Wayne was in a motorcycle accident 9 months ago and a settlement still hadn't happened, so there were unpaid medical bills and a lot of grief. Finally, just yesterday the final negotiations happened and we reached an agreed upon settlement amount! So now those bills will finally be paid and there's also a good chance we'll be receiving the money they are giving us for missed work and pain/suffering SOON! How amazing is that!? This means that not only do we not have to work extra jobs this fall, but Wayne can even take off a few weeks after he gets home to spend time with family! THIS IS AMAZING! We will still keep working hard because we want to get out of debt and rebuild our savings after it got depleted this summer, but it's so comforting to know that we not only have enough, but extra!

I am so grateful to the Lord for having blessed us like this. I knew being obedient brings blessings, sometimes more than just eternal ones, but I am amazed how just how much the Lord has blessed us already. I can't wait to be reunited with my husband and to go to the Temple that weekend to express our thanks to the Lord in His house :)

P.S. Thank you so much to all of you who have supported us, loved us, and helped in any way you can. We sincerely appreciate every little bit of it from babysitting for free to fixing plumbing to loaning money. I hope we can return the favor and bless your lives as well.

My own plant-based (or close to) recipes

I've been experimenting in the kitchen a bit, here are some recipes that turned out yummy that are plant-based or at least close to (we are still working on replacing all of our food supply with plant-based substitutes).

"Butter" Sauce Pasta with Tofu, Mushrooms, and Squash

• Boil desired pasta until tender
• For the last few minutes throw in some sliced squash to boil
• Meanwhile, saute some mushrooms and brown cubes of tofu in olive oil, garlic, and onion.
• Add salt, pepper, garlic powder, parsley, and any other spices to taste.
• Once everything is cooked, top the pasta with the veggies and tofu.
• Add a tiny bit of olive oil if needed (you may need to add more spices if you do).
• Enjoy!

Green Watermelon Milkshake

http://allrecipes.com/personalrecipe/63707497/green-watermelon-milkshake/detail.aspx


Hummus Wrap=nummy!

Take a tortilla (flavored taste even better) and then in any order add:

• Hummus (I like to make my own out of garbanzo beans/chick peas)
• Mushroom (the hummus and mushroom combination kind of give it an egg taste!)
• Lots of greens (I especially like spinach)
• Anything else like tomatoes, avocado, salsa, carrots, etc.

White Sauce

• Melt 2 tbs butter (or substitute) over low heat
• Blend in 2 tbs flour
• Add 1 cup of milk (almond, soy, your preference) all at once
• Cook until thickened
• Add spices (up to 1/4 tsp salt, garlic, parm, etc.)
• Remove from heat and top over your favorite pasta or use as a dipping sauce

White Sauce Pasta with Tofu and Squash

• Boil desired pasta until tender
• For the last few minutes throw in some sliced squash to boil
• Meanwhile, saute some garlic and brown tofu cubes in olive oil.
• Make "White Sauce"
• Once everything is done add together on your plate
• Top with Italian bread crumbs

Virgin Gardening!

I thought it was too late to do a garden at this point. I've never gardened before but I started back around the end of April or maybe May with trying to grow some seedlings, but almost all of those died...and then I got busy and ignored the idea of having a garden. Well today I was at my friend's home where she showed me her bountiful garden and was sending all of us home with her home grown product and I was inspired. Us ladies chatted about gardening and I was encourage to still give it a try because some things might grow still just fine.

Once I got home I searched the internet for "how late is too late to plant a garden from seeds" and the first article that came up was from Renee's Garden telling me it's not too late to plant even now in July! She also mentions how lettuces (including our most used spinach) and carrots are more of a fall crop being planted as late as August! This is great news because many of the things I wanted to plant are not behind at all! I can still have a successful garden! Yay!

I think ReneesGarden.com is going to be my new favorite site as it looks like there is tons of helpful information there that will help this virgin gardener to learn how to garden! Now I just have to get started, remember to water, and pray I get some sort of useful harvest! :D

Wish me luck!

Money (AKA: a big whiny post)

Money frustrates me.

Well...it frustrates me when we don't have enough of it for our budget.

We have made mistakes like going into debt (although, much of that came from two hard times when we were students with little or no savings and couldn't find jobs AND our wanting to get a new car when times were good so we wouldn't have to pay for tons of repairs later...I don't count our house payment because that is actually less than we were paying in rent so that was a GREAT choice financially), spending money on things we didn't need (little things like eating out, movies here and there, netflix, a brief period of huluplus, toys, and visiting family more than we could afford the gas...although that last one is a bit more important), and I personally have made many errors when setting up and working with our budget so we definitely are to blame for some of these frustrations.

It frustrates me that to get my education it cost so much and made it hard to have a regular income which ended up requiring going into debt for it as well; which we are now having to pay back when there isn't a rise in income from my education because I don't get paid to be a stay at home mom. I have tried to help this by being an independent consultant and working from home, but as with any business it needs some time (up to two years even) to grow to be reliable and make enough money to compensate for the extra debt expenses.

Maybe things wouldn't be so frustrating if the Army could do their paperwork correctly... First, they pay us a bonus, then they decide to take it back. I can handle them taking it back if we didn't deserve it...but within reason, not at over 60% of your pay after taxes each check so that you can't even pay your bills which then results in late fees that just make your bills more expensive later. (The not so funny thing is there is a chance we did deserve the bonus and more so we MIGHT get it back later...but later doesn't help now.)

It frustrates me that there are money frustrations when my husband is gone serving our country by being trained to serve our country even more while I am left home to be a single parent, deal with all the bills, and am left alone to figure out a way to make the extra money because my husband obviously can't go get a second job right now.

It's really frustrating that even if I do go get a temporary job (temporary because what job would let me stay long-term if within a couple of months I need to take 3 weeks or more off?) that I also have to pay someone else to care for my child...taking away some of the income I would make and replacing my "mom" duties with someone who is not my daughter's mother (plus between a job, house work, and keeping my business going I feel like my poor little girl would suffer because she would not only be without her father, but her mother would be stressed and super busy). It makes me sad to think about how terrible this situation could be. But what else do you do? I can't just NOT pay our bills! We've already cut out everything we can and are trying our best to be frugal.

We could survive if I just don't travel to my husband's training graduation, but that seriously breaks my heart. I know it's not a "required" expense and I shouldn't be complaining so much if that is what is causing these money frustrations, but you can't tell me that after having my husband gone almost half the year and dealing with all this stress pretty much on my own (and even more I won't go into detail about that is HUGE) that I can't even go see him graduate and be by his side as soon as possible... It just makes me think all of this is pointless and not worth the sacrifice.

I love our country and want to serve it by supporting my husband in serving, but goodness where is the benefit? This summer has been a nightmare that just makes me want to throw in the towel, but we can't; if everyone threw in the towel who would be fighting to keep our freedoms? So I have to hold on to the love of our "freedoms" to make the sacrifice feel worth it? It's too bad I feel like we gave up many of our freedoms when we went into debt so now I feel a slave to money and might not even be able to be the kind of mother and wife I want to be (one who is available/has a flexible schedule so I can take care of my family whenever they need me, raise my children properly, and support them always).

Anyway, if you read all of this, you are crazy! I just needed to blurt ;) I'm sure I'll figure something out.

In the meantime, if you need any jewelry or hair accessories (or want to host a party or join my team) visit www.facebook.com/paparazziJW; or if you or someone you know needs a babysitter, someone to help around the house, or the like hit me up; or if you know of any jobs that pay well, are part-time, and temporary (or permanent and would let me take 3-6 weeks off a couple of months after I started) or are done online SEND THEM MY WAY! I'll take all the help I can get at this point ;) THANKS!

Ranch, Dry Onion Soup, Mix and Taco Seasoning

Saw this on FB: Make your own Ranch, Dry Onion Soup Mix, and Taco Seasoning. I'm wondering if I can find a way to make Vegan ranch...anyone know?

Taco Seasoning:
1/2 cup chili powder
1/4 cup onion powder
1/8 cup ground cumin
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon sea salt
Put ingredients into a jar and shake.

Dry Onion Soup Mix:
2/3 cup dried, minced onion
3 teaspoons parsley flakes
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons turmeric
1 teaspoon celery salt
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

Mix all ingredients in a jar, then give the jar a good shake. I’d recommend shaking the jar to mix the ingredients well before each use.
Use 4 tablespoons in a recipe in place of 1 packet of onion soup mix. Store this in a dry, cool place.

Ranch:
5 tablespoons dried minced onions
7 teaspoons parsley flakes
4 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Mix together and store in an air tight container.
For dressing: Mix 2 tablespoons dry mix with 1 cup mayonnaise and 1 cup buttermilk or sour cream.
For dip: Mix 2 tablespoons dry mix with 2 cups sour cream.
Mix up a few hours before serving, so the flavors all blend.

Eating a Plant-Based Lifestyle-Diet

Am I vegetarian or vegan? Well...I'm neither I'm actually doing a plant-based lifestyle diet that is basically like being vegan but for different reasons. So it means you cut out anything animal based (meat, eggs, dairy) and focus on plant based (things that grow like fruits and veggies). You also avoid processed foods.

The reason why is because it is much more healthy, prevents and can even reverse cancer and heart disease and other diseases, you'll have more energy (I was never a morning person, but now I can actually wake up and get going and am pretty happy!), and you quality of life is just so much better...you feel like you are really living!

Watch the documentary on Netflix, "Forks over Knives" and you'll get the gist of the science behind it. Watching that is kind of life changing!

We are not strict on the diet, so if we feel like having a BBQ once in a while we will, if we go to someone else's home we are happy to eat what they prepare, we just focus on plant based whenever we can and avoid putting things in our home that don't fit that lifestyle except on special occasions.

I find that we eat less food (because the energy content is so high in fresh that your body discovers after a couple of weeks that it doesn't need as much food) so that kind of balances out the costs of fresh priced foods by eating less.

The challenges I've faced so far are that you have to meal plan more because certain aspects require preparation, but there are fast options...like there are always salads, fruit, wraps, canned beans and veggies, most tofu aspects cook in 10-30 minutes, and I like to make two or three meals worth when I cook and eat them later that week or freeze them for when I need something fast or don't want to cook.

The funny thing is...I've never been a very good cook, but I'm finding I'm much better at cooking plant-based recipes and am more daring to try creating new dishes! My hummus wraps are a huge hit! And some of the meals I used to make work just fine if I am willing to replace the cheese and sour cream with avocado and cheese substitutes

We really like snacking on fruits and nuts so snack time is easy too! I really like soy nuts and puffed corn (it's like corn nuts) especially.

Happy Living!

P.S. Find some plant-based recipes HERE! :)

Trying to Fly

When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it.
-Henry Ford

Easier said than done. Sometime I feel like the wind is blowing fiercely into my face and the only way to keep going is to crawl little by little...but at least I'm still going forward.

Today the musical phrase, "How do I live without you?" Keeps playing through my head as I try to keep from succumbing to the current storms in my life without having my spouse, and best friend, by my side. How do I live without him? Honestly having him gone for more than a week or two seems much harder to me than all the other storms I'm facing. Crawling even seems too daunting a task, so I'm doing my best just to stand firm and not be blown back.

Once upon a time I was really strong. I survived on my own just fine and all I could see was my future ahead of me. My hardest moments were only as weak as a crawl and most of the time I was driven to push forward. Why do I feel so weak now? Why are the simplest tasks such a challenge? Where is my drive to fly?

I want to be strong and normally I don't mind a challenge if it means I will become stronger or improve in some way, but right now all I want is my best friend and to ignore the rest of my life.

UPDATE: I guess I just needed to get that out of my system because soon after I wrote this EVERYTHING started getting better! I'm so glad I feel like I'm not even just "crawling" but "walking" again! If I keep at this pace I think soon I will even be "running" and that is close to "flying"! I'm so glad to be focus on the positive aspects of life again and to be generally happier. I do still miss my husband so much, but I know I will get through this and will be a stronger and better woman for him when he returns :)

Plant-based recipes

Recently our family has been switching to a plant based diet, which is basically like being vegan but for different reasons. I went into more detail about what that is in another post HERE, but here is a list of some plant based/vegan recipes we like or want to try :)

Follow the recipes that have pictures on my Pinterest board: Vegan Recipes
http://pinterest.com/dancingsilverw/vegan-recipes/

RECIPES WE'VE TRIED:

Avocado Reuben=Very good :) ...It might sound like it would be disgusting, but you'll love it once you try it
http://www.peta.org/living/vegetarian-living/recipes/avocado-reuben.aspx

Cheese sauce=OK. It helps fill that craving, but is very different and definitely something not to eat plain (tastes decently good on some wraps, tomato basil pizza, and with rice in Mexican dishes).

http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=296050


Tofu Meatballs=So good!
http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=595302
OVER
Vegetarian Spaghetti (add some spices of choice...lots will give it a nice spicy flavor)=So good!
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/als-quick-vegetarian-spaghetti/
paired with garlic bread and salad = AMAZING!

There are many more and as I find time/remember them I will add them. A lot of what we have made has been based off of or inspired by some of my pins on my pinterest board.

THINGS TO TRY:
Sweet Potato Casserole http://dairyfreecooking.about.com/od/potatoes/r/sweetpotatocas.htm 

Two-Week Vegan Meal Plan HERE