Let go and let God

Nearly every night when I close my eyes to sleep an array of have to do's and should have done's run through my mind. It can be extremely overwhelming and frustrating. I play out different scenarios in my head over and over, again and again. I worry about things that I have no control over and that may never even happen. I begin to feel desperate, lost, depressed and anxious. Not a single one of these feelings is of God. None of these thoughts I am wrestling around with are: true, noble, right, pure, lovely, excellent or worthy of praise (Philippians 4:8). Those are the things that should consume my thoughts.

When I begin to let all the craziness take over my brain I need to remember that I can change my thoughts. Worrying is for the devil, not the Children of God. I am submitting my mind to Christ and the devil will flee from it (James 4:7). I am laying all my woes at the feet of the cross, and giving it all to God  (1 peter 5:7) , who knows far better what I need then I do (Jeremiah 29:11)My heart will trust God, and I will not try to fix or solve things that ought to be left to Him. God will guide my path (Proverbs 3:5-6). When I do this God will give me heart peace (Psalm 94:19).

I hope this helps you as much as it has and will continue to help me.

Love,

Ashley B.

He told his mom about how good these cookies are!!!

My mother in law makes wonderful desserts. As the matriarch of the family she enjoys baking her yummy delights for her family on special occasions almost as much as she enjoys telling you "No" when you ask for her recipe. To be honest most of her recipes are on brittle pieces of paper with really vague directions only she would  understand anyway. Not to mention I think they are just suggestions for how to bake this or that.
She is an Old School baker, you know, the kind we all aspire to be. Maybe that will put into perspective on just how giddy I was when I mentioned my new cookie recipe to her and she informed me my husband had already been bragging about them. I felt like I was about to fall over, or jump up to do a jig, or cry tears of joy. As I am sure some of you wives know that feeling of finally comparing to your mother in law's kitchen skills. That moment when you gain that notch on your apron strings! It's empowering for sure. Needless to say I am proud of myself enough to share this recipe with you.

My oatmeal cookie recipe, I now proudly refer to as my, He told his mom how good they are, Oatmeal Raisin Cookies is as follows:


Ingredients

1 Cup Salted Butter (softened)
2 Cups Turbinado Sugar
2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
2 Eggs
1 1/2 Cups flour
1 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
3 Cups Rolled Oats
1 1/2 Cups Raisins

Preheat oven to 350*
In a mixer cream together butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time then add in vanilla, scraping down the sides of bowl with rubber spatula as you go.
In a separate medium bowl, mix flour salt and baking soda together. Add into butter mixture in thirds making sure to scrape down sides each time. Mix till just blended. Add in oats and raisins and mix until incorporated.
Using a cookie scoop or large tablespoon, place cookies an inch apart on a parchment lined cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes or so. Keep an eye on your cookies and take them out when you think they are just underdone. They will  have give when you push down on the top. Let the cookies set up for 2 minutes on cookie sheet before transferring to cooling racks.

This recipe makes approximately 64 yummy cookies

What am I doing to change the world?

Sometimes I get discouraged when I see what other woman are doing for God. They go out into the world, traveling to remote places, or meet new people every day and get to make a difference. Well I want to make a difference too! But how can I when I am a stay at home mom? Most days the only people I come into contact with are my husband and children. So I get to feeling sorry for myself like I did this morning when God spoke to me.  I am changing the world right from home. Maybe I'm not traveling around the world or speaking directly to people myself but my influence over my family can change the world. 

Its about what I feed into them while they are home. Not just physical food but spiritual food. My babies love Jesus and if I nurture that love who knows whose life they will change. That's not to say I will never go out and do the world changing myself but for now God has opened my eyes to where I am to be and what I am to be focusing on in this season of my life. So I will be faithful and pour into my family. Its a rough world out there and they need love and a haven to come home to. From now on when the I'm not important blues roll in, I know I am having a huge impact every day on five other souls. Souls that no one will be able to touch like I can.

Love,
Ashley B.

Month Two

Our second month is approaching quickly and I am not ready for it. How can we already be heading into February? Was it just not Christmas?  On the bright side Month one of no sugar and no soda went well.

Before we move on I want to clarify what no sugar means to my family. No refined sugar ie: white sugar, high fructose corn syrup and the like. Also no engineered sugar like splenda or sweet n low. We have been using natural sweeteners when needed. Stevia, Honey, Maple Syrup, Turbinado, are the main sweeteners in our home now. I've been meaning to explain that all month. Better late then never I suppose. Now onto :

Month Two

Food

No No List:

Refined Sugars
Soda
Fast Food

Limit List:

Refined White Flour - try replacing this little by little. Read ingredients and look for 100% whole wheat.This is a hard one for kids so be patient.
Salty snacks- if you must have something make it as close to its natural state as possible with minute amounts of man made additives if any at all.

Add  Ins:

Probiotics- get them in yogurt, kefir, or supplements. Try to get some in you and your family everyday. These little guys are crucial in overall health. I make homemade kefir with raw milk and the kids get a glass every night. I will write more on this subject... eventually.


Exercise

Continue to move through the day. Get at least 30 minutes of  exercise in a day. Do not jump into some hardcore exercise routine that your body is not ready for. You cant work out the next day if you are to sore to move! Getting into the routine of working out is a great goal for this month. Keep it fun and fresh. I do a mix of YouTube videos to keep from getting bored. Do not measure your success by your weight either. You can gain weight in gaining muscle because muscle weighs more then fat. It is more important to feel strong and fit then to be "skinny".

Spiritual

My goal for this month is to journal more and to read a devotional every morning. It is also important to read the Bible every day too. Even if its only a verse or two just get into the habit. My phone has an app on it called YouVersion. It is a bible app with all sorts of devotionals on it and its free. Super cool and worth checking out.

This may not seem like a lot of change but I'm trying to make sustainable long term changes and habits for my whole family. By the end of this they wont even realize how healthy we have become. I'm like a health ninja. I hope and pray you choose to join us.

Love,
Ashley B

Honey Oat mask

Its winter time and that means winter dry skin. Here in Oklahoma the wind comes sweeping down the plains to make your skin even dryer. You could bathe in lotion and still get dry skin just looking outside. Needless to say my face has not been as soft and smooth as I like.  Whats a woman to do? The answer is: freak out everyone in your house by putting food on your face.

Honey is great for your face because:

Clarifying- Opens pores for gentle cleansing

Anti bacterial- Good for blemishes

Anti Oxidants- Fights free radicals that lead to aging

Moisturizing-  Soothes dry skin 

Some of the reasons Oats are good for your skin:

Moisturizing- oatmeal contains healthy fats great for skin 

Healing- can help heal small abrasions

Soothing- helps relieve that dry skin itch

Cleansing- gently cleanses pores

This mask is gentle enough to use several times a week. The longer you leave it on the better. I would at least keep it on for 15 minutes, but you could go for 30 if you have the time. It is messy so stay somewhere that you can easily clean up drips. You could also just do this with the just honey or just the oats mixed in enough water to make a paste and still have a great way to heal and pamper your skin.

Love,

Ashley B.

Day Thirteen

The past two weeks have come and gone and we are still doing really well. We have had a couple hiccups along the way, but that's how life works. It is important not to give up when boo boos do happen. Like last week when the hubby and I had the stomach flu from Hades, we got pizza. It made me feel like a failure but I didn't let that mess up everything. We are seeing such great results that throwing in the towel seems silly.

Bart is doing amazing off the sweet stuff. He has lost weight, sleeps better, snores less, and his body hurts less. I've lost 4 pounds and my mind is gaining clarity. We even went to a birthday party and said no to the sweet stuff, I am so proud of us!

What we have done:

Replaced white sugar with stevia, honey, and maple syrup.

Replaced Soda with Green tea and Sparkling water. 

Replaced Fast food with homemade food.

Making smaller portions (mostly).

We still crave sugar and junk food for sure. For example, I was at the deli the other day and could smell the butter cream frosting on the cupcakes. I started visualizing reaching over and scooping the frosting up and shoving it right in my mouth. Bart mentioned walking by a bag of sugar and wanting to eat straight out of it with a spoon. Needless to say we have a ways to go but the ability to resist our cravings is a huge victory for us. I love that my husband is so on board with this lifestyle change because having him as a support is wonderful. If you are doing this along with us and need some support let me know and I will be glad to help you out. Having someone to keep you accountable can be the difference between success and failure.

For a little more strength just keep saying:

I can do all things through Christ; who gives me strength.

Philippians 4:13

Love,

Ashley Brewer

Love

I was praying/journaling last night asking God what I could do to be a better wife and mother, this was His response:

Three things will last forever- faith, hope, and love- the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:13

Love is the most important of all because love is why Jesus came. He came in love. If we act in love then we act as Christ does. I cant think of a better way to be a wonderful wife and mother, can you? Thank you Lord for the wonderful gift of love and Your divine inspiration.

Love,

Ashley Brewer