Tate's Eat Until You Explode Blueberry Muffins (Gluten Free)

I thought I'd post something a little lighter today. Well, not lighter in calories, but...ya know. ;) When we moved, I sold most of my cookbooks. I didn't see the point in storing all of them when I could easily access recipes online. I enjoy taking regular recipes and converting them to gluten free versions. When my 8 year-old stuffed his belly with FOUR blueberry muffins the other day, I knew I had a winner! I'm going to dubb the converted recipe... 

Tate's Eat Until You Explode Blueberry Muffins:

(To put your mind at ease, there wasn't an actual explosion.)

The original (NOT gluten free) recipe for To Die For Blueberry Muffins can be found here.

This is how to convert that recipe into gluten free goodness:

Substitute the all-purpose wheat flour with: 1/2 cup oat flour, 1/2 cup sweet white sorghum flour, 1/2 cup millet flour, and 1-1/2 teaspoons xanthan gum. (I used frozen blueberries.) Follow the rest of the recipe as it is. I chose to substitute brown sugar, in place of the white sugar, in the crumb topping mixture. I also replaced the all-purpose wheat flour with 1/3 cup of oat flour in the crumb topping.

ENJOY!

Cheering you on & checking the fuel gauge,

Layla

Get Your Tacky ON!

Today was the launch of the new URL for Because Every Mother Matters. It's a non-profit that has touched my heart deeply. I encourage you to check it out. Maybe it's not where God is calling you to serve financially, maybe it is, or maybe you'll have a desire to pray for those who are working through this ministry. The Apostle Paul was very clear about how important prayer is to ministry, so don't feel as though that isn't doing much. Whatever and wherever God calls you to serve, may you feel the wind of Grace in your hair as you run the race with confidence.

Speaking of hair...

P.S.

BEMM sells headbands that are handmade

 by refugees in the the U.S.

They are so cute and fun!

Buy one if you like them...

or 10. ;)

I caution you, they are addicting!

(Don't heed that caution!)

They are called "Tacky Headbands,"

yet are anything but, so get your 

tacky on!

Cheering you on & checking the fuel gauge,
Layla

(Part Three) Spiritual Gifts, God's Will (Calling), and Fish Vomit

I'm not sure how many of these the posts I'm going to write, but I fear it's going to take a few more to get them out of my system. I hope that you'll bear with me as I continue this journey away from religion towards relationship. My biggest fear in all of this is that you may think I'm here to bash every organized church and pastor. Nope. That is in no way my intent. Let me clarify the type of religion that I'm running from: Rigid, burdensome, man-made pomp and circumstance. Or: Complete devotion to oneself. The latter one seems to be a lack of religion, when, really, it's you making up your own rules, doing your own thing, and working towards your ultimate goal: You. (Generic Example, "You." I'm not literally pointing at you.) Neither of these things are good. Both will eventually weigh you down, squeezing the breath out of you. God never wants us stumbling around, shoulders bent, neck strained, ears throbbing from all the "noise."He doesn't want us to clam up and go it alone either.

"For my yolk is easy, and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:30)

(Note that the Christian life will never be easy. It is God's grace that carries your burdens and lightens your load.)

One Scripture describes "pure and undefiled" religion in this way:

"Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world." (James 1:27)

Pretty straight forward, no?

Micah 6:8 is another good one:

"He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love *kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?"
*Some versions say, "mercy".

Lastly (though there are many more examples):

Jesus replied: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself." (Matthew 22:37-39)

Love God.
Love others.

Pretty simple.

There are definitely some things concerning organized religion that I have problems with, but that isn't what I feel led to discuss. What I do feel led to address are things that may be keeping you from a relationship with Jesus. Perhaps you already have a relationship with Jesus, yet still feel burdened, weary, and confused by all of the noise. There are a host of trendy books, blogs, and opinions flying around. It's enough to make your head spin! I have no interest in joining the noise. I'm truly sharing what I've been sorting through, wrestled with, have learned, or am still learning. I don't want to follow any trends, but I do want to follow the Shepherd.

When sheep follow their Shepherd, they know wolves don't have a chance.

Turn off the noise, the hot topics, and the hoopla. Let's be real and willing to admit we make mistakes. Let's ask questions and seek answers. I'm not about to claim that I have all of the answers, so please follow the Spirit's leading and not mine. Read your Bible...in context...front to back. Pray. Listen. The answers will come.

Okay...

back to the topic: Spiritual Gifts, God's Will (Calling), and Fish Vomit

Who here is wondering what God's will or calling is for their life? Who here has at least wondered about it in the past? Who was told that they should follow their talents/gifts/gut/interests/dreams?

Who took the Spiritual Gifts test on paper? *I'm raising my hand*

Who's still confused or conflicted? Why? Didn't you take the test? ;)

I wonder if Jonah took that test? You know, while he was chillin' in his hammock, sipping an ice cold goat's milk smoothie (or whatever):

Are you a good listener? 
Do you enjoy traveling?
Would you jump at the chance to prophesy to rebellious people? 
Do you feel confident in stressful situations?
Do you follow directions?

Ummm...NO.

Are you a sprinter?
Do you spontaneously board ships with people you don't know?
Are you a sound sleeper?
Can you predict the cause of certain storms?

Check. Check. Check. Check!

Do you speak Whale?

Wha???

 My point? Sometimes God calls us to duties, ministries, and places that we don't want to do or go. We might even be lousy at whatever He is calling us to do, because we aren't naturally gifted in those areas. Perhaps we are simply baffled by a calling. Think about how Noah must have felt. He couldn't Google his "boat" or "rain" queries. Talk about faith and following God's lead! Often we are privileged to serve in ways we are naturally gifted. It's possible that your, or my, current calling is to be content with where we are (for now). Holding patterns happen. The point is, we shouldn't limit God's will or calling in our lives to a check list of our Top 10 Spiritual Gifts. Life if full of seasons, so we are going to need to gear up for "weather" changes, which will include awkward situations!

It appears that Jonah wasn't exactly thrilled to jump at the calling to crash Ninevah's party, however he was able to follow through because God was with him. God wasn't going to let him snooze through or run away from that mission. Nope. He made sure Jonah heard Him loud and clear.

Sometimes it takes a nasty storm and fish vomit to get us back on track.

Growing up, I had lots of friends, but only one best friend. One. Nobody else stood a chance for that title. It didn't matter where I had to go, or what I had to do, so long as she was there. I could be terrified, nauseated, and 100% sure that I was going to hate the next day's activities (insert piano competitions), but as long as she was with me, I had strength. Plus, when it was all over, we gasped the mutual collected *sigh* that only those who've crossed uncharted waters together can sigh.

We understood each other because we walked together.

 We always knew what the other was thinking. I never had to explain my side of things, or how awful that camp teacher was, or how mean that click of girls was, because she had experienced it too.

That is why following Jesus into uncharted territories is worth it. Because you will never find another Best Friend who'll ever come close to Him. You can trust Him to include you in His perfect will. 

(Pssst! If you are His, you've already been called to ministry.)

The only gift you need is the Holy Spirit. He'll provide whatever is necessary along the way, often at the last minute. Then your faith will explode, and you can throw your head back and laugh or cry! You won't even have to say a word, because He walked through it with you.

He gets it.


Cheering you on & checking the fuel gauge,
Layla

Part Two: No Sloppy Wet Kisses

There are three moments where I can pinpoint when the Holy Spirit had spoken so loudly to me it was nearly audible. Two of those times involved "kisses." The most recent one happened about two-ish weeks ago while reading Beautiful Outlaw. It was late, everyone was asleep, and my nose was jammed in that book. I don't remember the exact page I was on, but something I read clicked, and this melody began playing inside my head:

"And heaven meets earth like a sloppy wet kiss..."

If you know me well, then you know that I'm terrible at remembering lyrics. I am not one to walk around humming or singing. I don't even play the radio very often. I play it in the car but that's about it. Don't get me wrong, I love music. In fact, if I had to pick Sunday sermons over Sunday music, I'd choose the music. Not because the sermons are bad, quite the contrary, I just love, love, love the worship time. To have a song randomly pop into my head is rare. Remembering lyrics is even less likely. While I don't recall what page I was on in that book, I do remember double checking to see if there was anything in the context that would've brought that song to memory. Nope. Nothing.

Except the Holy Spirit.

I knew he was singing it to me. I jumped up and ran for my phone and ear buds. I pulled up YouTube and searched for that song. I listened. Just when that beautiful line was about to fill my ears, I heard this instead:

"And heaven meets earth like an unforeseen kiss..."

Wait. What?

Rewind. Yep, they took it out! Where was my sloppy wet kiss? My heart sank. Why in the world did they replace the lyrics? I searched and searched, until I finally found this. I listened to it four times and wept, grinned, and raised my hands. I looked around to see if anyone had woken up and observed this completely insane momma's antics. I put the song in my "favorites" list. It was surreal. It still is.

Of course, my curious side took over. Why wasn't sloppy wet kiss in David Crowder's version? I knew I'd head it before. After a bit more searching, I stumbled across this. If you don't want to read the entire post, here is the gist. David Crowder chose to remove the original lyrics because he knew that they would be controversial and offensive to thousands of his listeners. Not wanting to lose the heart of the song's message, he changed his version. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not about to slam David Crowder. I am going to slam religious piety. What kind of world do we live in where so many Christians are offended by the thought of heaven meeting earth like a sloppy wet kiss? Are the choir robes squeezing off the blood supply to our hearts? (Do people even still wear choir robes?) Are we so holy and prudish that we are above a public display of affection towards our Savior? Let's unbutton the collar of our choir robes, breathe, and read a couple examples of sloppy wet kisses:

1. Weary from life and work, a man comes home and pats his knees, beckoning his ecstatic dog to his side. The dog wags his loyal tail ferociously, and with gusto, plants a big one on his owner's cheek. Bam! Unconditional love in the form of a sloppy wet kiss.

2. A toddler cautiously takes her first steps. She gurgles and coos as her parents gush over this grand achievement. Toppling through one last step, the toddler eagerly falls into her parents' arms, leans over and pops a sloppy wet kiss on her mother's cheek. This is affection at its finest...uninhibited. 

Free.

Hmm...Perhaps God is offended by all of this out of control affection. Let's kick it back a notch:

1. An owner comes home to his respectful dog, who carefully presses his nose to his owner's cheek.

2. A toddler takes her first steps towards her awaiting parents. After safely arriving in her parents' arms, she leans over, puckers up, and gently pecks her mom's cheek.

People, this has got to stop. This Jesus taming has got to stop. Do you know that his stomach growled when he was hungry? That he belly laughed as a kid? Do you know that he went fishing with a bunch of numbskulls and called them his buddies? He loved so hard and so much that when he'd sneak away for rest he couldn't resist reaching out to those who followed him. He provided wine at a wedding feast (and I am not talking about little plastic cups of Welch's).  He even allowed a prostitute to anoint him! He got really mad and he even cracked jokes.

Jesus, the very one present at Creation, invented sloppy wet kisses! Why do you think puppies and babies are so darn good at them?

Here is my challenge for you. Pray. Ask to see the real Jesus. The one who's eyes twinkle. The one who will literally sing to your heart. Do you know the first part of How He Loves?

"He is jealous for me."

He is so jealous for you that he literally laid his life down to bring you to his side. This is an intimate Savior, friends! This is not a dignified love. This is messy. It's gritty, risky, and desperately compassionate! This is the most beautiful love story of all Creation, and you are invited to the wedding feast...

as the bride!

If you truly listen for his voice, he will answer in the most specific way. It may even be with a kiss.

And who doesn't like to be kissed by their daddy?


"We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are." (Hebrews 4:15)


As always,

Cheering you on & checking the fuel gauge,
Layla

P.S. If you are curious like me, here's a video telling the story behind How He Loves.

Part One: Religious Choke-Hold

Here I sit with so many things I want to put into words. Words that won't come. I don't know where to start, or how to end, I only know that if I don't speak I'll explode. Or maybe it's the opposite. Maybe something inside me has exploded and I need to heal. For me, writing is healing, so long as the words are gifted to the reader (or writer) in such a way, they leave behind trimmings of celebration. Streamers of love and banners of compassion. Gifts of grace and hugs so big they could wrap up any hurt or fear.

I need a full-on Grace Celebration.

This post has been coming for a while. At least a good year. Maybe three...or ten??? During this time, I've devoured books, clung to Scripture, and prayed for the clouds of uncertainty to part. I've looked religion in the face and cringed when I saw it had fangs. What I'd once found comfortable was devouring me heart first. Sure, I'd felt its hot breath on my neck before, but I'd keep convincing myself that the familiar was my comfort zone, no matter how dangerous it might look at times. Years and years of twisted "truth" had sprouted roots and grown thorny vines around my heart and mind. I simply couldn't see for all of the prickly foliage. It truly had very deep roots. It still does, but I'm fighting back the weeds, even pulling them with my teeth if necessary.

I'm sick of the choke-hold.


Why do I have the feeling that you are too?

Through every scrape and thorn, walking over a multitude of lying snakes and pesky bugs, tripping over my own blindness and stubborn will...

He still had his hand on me.

And He'd wept in that garden, too. 

He knew the thorns that would tear at my ankles and peel away the layers of my heart. He's breathed warnings and tried to show me the way out, but I kept going in circles, until I finally collapsed at His feet. I handed him the poisonous vial of religion and wretched from the bottom of my soul. Yes, Jesus was (is) my Savior, but I'd allowed an imposter to dictate my thoughts and deeds. I wasn't following the Gardener, I was following the snake.

Religion.

Please know this: It's not been all bad. As with all things in this fallen world, God can use anything or anyone to bring his sheep into the fold.

It's not been all bad.

Isn't it strange how evil things tend to dig fastest into Heart's soil, masking the light that good things need to grow? Yes, the seeds were planted, even growing, but growth was stunted due to lack of light. Without full view of the Light, this little plant was weak. Oh, so weak and weary. Every time I'd lean into the Gardener's touch, the Accuser would remind me of what a pathetic sapling I was.

As in Scripture, I would hear such lies: "When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is-that she is a sinner." (Luke 7:39)

She. Is. A. Sinner.

I'd cower in the shade of religious tangles, trying to make sense of it all. Nothing was adding up. Nothing seemed to fit. This Jesus of the Bible was not the Jesus I'd seen in Sunday School, or even church (most of my life). Yes...yes! I'd caught beautiful glimpses of him and I understood grace. But the shadows were casting gray hues over my eyes, and I felt heavy. Weak.

This did not add up!

 "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)


Light? If this was true, why did I feel as if the weight of the world, the religious world, was breaking my tiny branches? Why did I fear that the first wind which came along would toss me across the fields? Yet I knew Scripture to be Truth, because the Gardener was holding my roots firmly. His warm hand never left my head. He had covered me from the cold shade of the Accuser. That evil one who used the Gardener's words and twisted them into crowns of deceit. Thorny crowns. My Savior took that crown for me, and I will not have anything to do with lies that want to poison my heart!

Oh, Jesus, please lead me through this place! I can do anything as long as you are walking with me. I know you'll pull the thorns from my heart, and reveal the roses of your truth. Please continue to prune and trim away the lies.

One of the many, many books that have helped me along the way is Beautiful Outlaw by John Eldredge.  I will literally get on my knees and beg you to read this book, if that's what it takes. Especially if you are not a Christian, or if you are a burnt-out Believer. I'd buy a copy for every person I know, if I could. You'll need to take off your religion tinted glasses before reading it. If you do read it, will you let me know? Please? :) I'd love to hear your thoughts.


This is Part One of I don't know how many posts. There are many things I'd like to discuss, but none of it will make any sense if religious fog is choking out the view. I hope that you will come back. 

As always...

Cheering you on & checking the fuel gauge,
Layla

Pics, While I Gather Thought Bunnies (And Two Gluten Free Recipes)

I haven't posted lately, because I've been busy enjoying life. For the first time since February, I feel like I am actually getting well! It's soooooooo amazing! I've been cooking, cleaning, wearing non-PJ-type-clothing, swimming, teaching school, reading, and even putting away the laundry! 

People, hear me when I say this, "Never take feeling well for granted!!!" 

I know that sounds obvious, but so much life is missed during the blur of illness. You just forget. At least I do. I plan on enjoying this illness-free break for as long as it lasts. I even plan on walking in the mornings, as soon as it's not hot enough to fry bacon on the sidewalk.

YIPPEE!!!

I've had a million things running through my mind that I want to post about, but I think I need to unscramble the thought bunnies first. There are so many hopping around inside my head, that I can't squeeze them all into a nicely arranged basket. My plan is to sneak off to Panera as soon as I publish this post, have a smoothie, and find my way through the "clutter."

For now, I bring you pics from the past couple of weeks. If you follow me on Instagram, you've already seen most of these. (Sorry!) I'll conclude with two requested gluten free recipes.

 :) Here's what's been going on:

A tea towel that I embroidered for my mom's birthday.

My boys drew the designs.

Skyler's design:

Blayne's design:

Tate's design:

It's been hot.

HOT, people!!!

Possum was like, "It's SO hot!"

We ventured out for haircuts....finally!

Yep, I whacked it all off!

Then I spent the evening with my friend, Sunshine.
Pretty much love her to bits.

The next day,  Emily put this fancy little bonnet on my head...

...and I was blonde!

(Thank you, Emily!)

Skyler and Blayne have been spending a lot of time
making salsa with garden fresh veggies.

I posted some thoughts on Instagram:

Skyler found the world's coolest napkin holder.

So I bought it, because...I mean...who wouldn't???

Tate participated in the Yoga Olympics.

He won.
(Nobody else was able to compete, as our hands would have snapped off.)

The kids played Pac Man at the dentist office.
(No cavities!)

I baked. A lot.
So people asked for recipes.

Here are a couple of gluten free recipes:

Sticky Gooey Lemon Brownies
(Gluten free version.)

I cannot take the credit for this recipe, as I used this one and adapted it for our gluten free diet.

To make the above recipe gluten free: Substitute wheat flour for 1/2 cup millet flour, 1/2 cup rice flour (I buy my rice flour at the Asian market, because it is so finely ground.), and 1/2 cup sweet rice flour. Add 1 teaspoon of xatham gum to the flour blend and whisk together thoroughly. Now all you have to do is follow the recipe! These are unbelievably good.

Vegetable Lasagna With White Sauce

(Gluten free version.)

Once again, I cannot take credit for this recipe.

I did make several changes. I used these gluten free lasagna noodles. Instead of 2 tablespoons of butter, I used 1 stick (yes, one whole stick). I skipped the salt and added three eggs instead of two. I believe I used 15 lasagna noodles. Instead of wheat flour, I used rice flour (the kind I get from the Asian market). And I figured that 3/4 cup of Parmesan sounded better than 1/4, so I piled that on too. Other than that, just follow the recipe. ;) It's DELICIOUS!

Enjoy!

Cheering you on & checking the fuel gauge,

Layla

Jot it Down Tuesday/Free Writing my Brain Out

It's my free writing day, so I'm going to throw out a few thoughts that have been flying through my brain this past week.

Some of you so sweetly asked, quite a while back, about my health issues. I hesitated to write about them because it feels too much like one more visit to the doctor's office:

"Here are my symptoms, medications, food allergies, blah, blah, blah..."

Boring! And, poor you, having to hear all of that!

Yet, I am constantly on the prowl for blogs written by people who I can relate to. This isn't easy, because what I deal with isn't exactly mainstream. Not by a long shot. Then I thought about others who were doing the same. Sooo...instead of going into all of the details, I'll just tell you what I struggle with the most. I'll leave out the rest because that is way too much drama, even for me.

Top 5 health issues:

Eosinophilic Esophagitis (Also known as EoE or Eos.). I realize that this is a very rare diagnosis, so you can go here for a comprehensive overview of this CRAPPY disease. It was once thought to be a childhood disease, but low and behold...you don't grow out of it. Of course, there are now a bunch of adults who are desperately seeking treatment, with very limited results. Me included.

Gluten free/food allergies.

Migraines and chronic daily headaches.

Constant joint and deep tissue pain. The jury is still out on this one. Some say it's fibromyalgia, but since I have bruising in my ankle joints, it may be arthritis related (I had a doc tell me it might be RA, but that was years ago.). I really need to investigate this further, but I'm sick of seeing doctors, so I'll just wait until I'm limping before I go back in for this issue.

Hashimoto's.

If I could eliminate only one of these things, it would be the EoE. I hate it's guts like it hates mine. 

Okay, I'm just going to stop there. If you have any, or all of these medical nightmares, PLEASE know that this is a very safe place to come and share your thoughts/struggles/questions. Heck, rant if you want! Let it all out! I may not have the answers, but I sure have the sympathy. And I'll support you in any way possible. Pinky swear.

(I can already tell this is going to be full of bad grammar/typos/etc. So sorry...blame the migraine.) ;)

Hmmm...what else? Well, I cut waaaaaaaay back on Facebook. I have found that to be unbelievably peaceful and conflicting. Peaceful because...eh, I bet I don't even need to go there. If you have a Facebook account, then I'm sure you already know what I mean. I've been conflicted about what I should and shouldn't post on in my status. I've learned that you really cannot trust very many people with your heart, and you will absolutely be taken the wrong way 75% of the time. You'll be accused of things that never even crossed your mind, or you'll get the preach-down for every "heretical" thing you say (Oh...if they only knew what I really wanted to write...). Here's the conflict: I want to write "it," but I'm not sure if I should. Not just on Facebook, but anywhere. (Um...yeah, I'm probably not going to write it on Facebook.) That is not a safe place. Guard your heart...guard your heart...

Tonight, one of my friends posted this quote, "Evil thrives on apathy and cannot exist without it. If we turn our back on evil, our passivity translates into approval. Silence is consent."
- Sally Armstrong "Veiled Threat

Oh, man! That was pretty convicting, because what I am silent about aren't popular topics in my social circle (for the most part). It's stuff that's going to really tick people off! It's stuff that isn't talked about in mainstream by-the-book Evangelical circles. I mean, dude, there is NO WAY I am going to just hash this out in small group! Not even if your group is "non-judgemental". *wink* The stuff I want to write about will cause me to lose readers. Shoot,  I might not even have readers left after the first post! Then I wrestle with my intentions. Am I wanting to write about these things because I want you to know my thoughts, or because I actually feel led to write them? Would I be doing more harm than good? Which path brings God glory? The path where I keep it in, or the one where I throw out thoughts/questions/views/convictions, taking the bullets as they come? Would I have the right attitude to even go there? Ugh. See? This is the stuff my brain is chewing on. It's driving me insane!

Heh...this was supposed to be a simple home school blog. ;)

As far as home schooling goes, I totally blew my cool with my oldest today. I was way too heavy with a lecture about the negative effects of a low test score, when I should have evened it out with a double-scoop of You-Have-Done-a-Great-Job-Overall Mocha Chocolate Almond Fudge.

Hi, I'm a home school mom, and I am far from perfect, pulled together, or using proper grammar. That said, my heart is 100% into my job(s), and I'll keep on keeping on until I completely give out. Not because I have something to prove, but because it's my calling. It's what I love. It's why I get up in the morning. God blessed me with this and I don't plan on letting it go. Messy? Yep. Worth it? Absolutely.

Thanks for letting me free write my thoughts into a massive gluten free word pretzel. Please pass the cheese sauce.

This is kinda how my brain feels right now.

Sorry about the mess.

*Free write your brain out and then post it at the EO. You'll feel a lot better. Pinky swear.

Cheering you on & checking the fuel gauge,
Layla

Wordless Wednesday/Buggin' Out

Jot it Down Tuesday/Choke Hold

Don't lift your head to the scandalous sounds that Earth brings forth in abundant symphonies! Tuck your chin into the safety of fine tuned instruments, heeding the glossy note.

Wince at the outrageous display of sunlight dancing on the water, shift your gaze. When color dares to transform into a sense all its own, fix your eyes upon what it anchored in neutral safety.

Beige.
Grey.
Navy.

Hands filled with Field's flowers, cast aside your dirty bundles! Wash the warm earth from beneath your nails, pat your hands dry from River's stones and Hillside's dewy dandelions. Fold your fingers around one another, and sit quietly under the roof of Shade's safety.

Hold your breath when Breeze wafts her perfume through the tendrils of Baby's locks, Lilac's petals, and Pecan's woody essence. Breathe slow and steady.

Control.
Control.
Control.

When Vine, Fruit, and Nectar flow offerings of sticky, succulent drops into your cup, pour it out. Wipe clean the vibrant colors. Dip your vessel in tepid asylum. 

Never
too
full.

Or,

break free from the choke hold of Religion.

And live LIFE abundantly!

 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. ~John 10:10~

  JUST WRITE! An exercise in free writing.

Cheering you on & checking the fuel gauge,

Layla

Manic Monday/Choo! Choo! or In a Pickle

We are finally getting back into the swing of things. Today was a little tough, as we are still coughing and sniffling. Sick kids make for less enthusiastic students, and a sick mom makes for a groggy mom, so we allowed our schedule to adjust accordingly. It's possible the teacher popped in two educational DVDs at one point and took a nap. The students had quiet time. Hey, quiet time can still be learning time, right? Right. We covered the main subjects and left the frills behind. Like I said, it's going to take a while to get our steam back, but at least we are finally chugging along the track towards Routine Land. Choo! Choo! Ahhh...Routine Land...

how I love thee.

Everyone cooperated perfectly. Not one child was grounded for rolling his eyes or sighing heavily. 

Okay, it's possible that one child was grounded.

Later, Hypothetically Grounded Child discovered the rewards of finishing book work:

Cooking class with Dad.

Where were his brothers? Playing video games of course! (If they rolled their eyes during school, I didn't catch it.) All in all, I think that Tate got the better end of the deal. I mean, a cooking class with Dad and eating cucumbers...

that's living the dream, man!

 (Sure he started out in a pickle, but... 

What? Yeah, okay, that was bad.)

Here's to another day of chugging along the tracks to Routine Land. I think it'll take about two weeks to pull into the station, but the trip is part of the fun. :) Learning to work with what Life throws our way is an important life skill, so we'll just shift with the turns on the tracks. 

Cheering you on & checking the fuel gauge, 

Layla