Catalina Dressing sans KETCHUP!

I made this!

Among my friends, I'm the salad girl.  I'm the one that everyone expects to bring salads to potlucks.  Usually that means that I cut up fresh veggies and make my own salad dressing.  I used to make a homemade Catalina dressing like my mom's.  I haven't made it in a while because I've tried to go sugarless.  Catalina dressing is essentially ketchup with a few additions to make it dressing-like.  For someone attempting to go without refined sugars, that's not the dressing to have.  So, I've been dreaming of my mom's Catalina dressing for many months now.   Finally, I decided to make it myself - without KETCHUP!

I tried to find recipes that others might have made.  None of the recipes that I found were sugarless.  Here is what I came up with. It's actually pretty good too.

2 roma tomatoes
1/2 onion
2 cloves garlic
1 T paprika
6 pitted dates
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar*
1 cup oil (I used half grapeseed and half olive since I was running low on both.)

blend top 6 ingredients. after all blended, slowly add oil.
ENJOY!
*Keep in mind that apple cider vinegar has a really strong flavor.  If you don't like ACV, try using regular distilled white vinegar.

For the Anger of Man Does Not Produce the Righteousness of God

James 1:20 “For the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.”

So I’m sitting here trying to make summer plans for my kids, when a story pops up on my Facebook page about a father that whooped his daugters for posting a video* of themselves “twerkin”.  The father wound up in jail for his punishment and the subsequent posting of that video* also.  A friend of mine started a long conversation via Facebook about whether or not this father's punishment was right.  I found myself lost in the conversation and essentially abandoned my summer planning (thankfully I have a few months to go). 

A lot of things were said in favor of the father’s actions and many things to counter those points (mostly from me).  It was difficult for me to hold my tongue (in a matter of speaking) about this subject. I am Mom to three amazing children.  All I could think of when I watched these videos was my own children.  I could not help but try to put myself in the position of the parent whose child would disrespect herself, her friends, and her church in this way.  I could just feel my blood boiling and the screams raging inside of me.  And then… I watched the video of the father’s supposed reaction.  This man proceeded to discipline his children by taking a cord from the television and spanking his teenage daughters.  Each daughter took her turn hunkered down in the corner screaming as her father spanked her.  The video was actually too much for me to watch.  I did not need to watch the entire video because I recently saw Django in the theaters.  Remember the scene when Django took a whip and beat his former overseers. Yeah, think of that. That’s how far back this father had to reach to get a full swing on his daughters. 

This is how I feel about the girls’ crude dance.  They were disrespecting themselves and the church that they were dancing in.  I want them to know that they are children of God.  They do not have to flaunt their “stuff” for all the world to see in order to be counted as wonderful.  I wonder if their parents ever explained this to them; if they ever express to them how wonderful they think they are.  Secondly, the Church is the House of God.  I wonder if they have been taught that the church is place of worship, not desecration. 

As for the father of these girls.  I think he fell victim to a moment of weakness and the devil won.  The devil was about to make him give in to his anger and release a storm of violence on his children that they did not deserve and that landed him in jail.  He injured his children (according to police reports, not me).  He embarrassed his children (by posting a video of his “discipline” on the internet).  

For me, the issue is the love that a parent shows for their child.  When going public with how we feel, it should uplift our children, not tear them down. This man tore his children down to mere things, not precious gifts from God.  Jesus is our example. He loved unconditionally.

After engaging in that conversation on Facebook about this situation, I was compelled to do some studying.  I dug into The Word like a fiend.  I wanted to know what God has to say about fathers, tempers, and self-control.  There was a ton of scriptures to be found. 

A few that I found and how I relate them to this situation:

1.      Colossians 3:21“fathers do not provoke your children….” Don’t embarrass your kids in a public manner; one that can never be taken back. 

2.      Proverbs 25:28 “A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls.” Now this family is broken, without its protective walls – ie their DAD!

3.      Ephesians 4:2 “With all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love…”  Showing love to your child does not mean beating them to a pulp and telling them that they should not do something.  Being patient with a child is taking the time to teach them and reteach them over and over again. 

4.      Titus 1:7-8 “For an overseer, as God's steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined.” This was one of the most poignant verses to me.  This verse does not say that the subordinate should be all of these things.  This verse is geared toward the overseer (in this case, the parent).  Children cannot be expected to act with self-control all of the time; they are children.  They constantly require reminders and lessons to learn.  It is the job of the parent to teach them these things; mostly by setting an example.  This dad should have shown self-control and discipline.  What is the lesson that his girls learned after his childish outburst? 

5.      1 Timothy 2:8 “I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling” … This man should have been seeking God in prayer for this situation.  It is also acceptable for a parent to seek outside help when his/her child is out of hand.  Sometimes we just need a little help. 

6.      The proverbs are full of warnings about having a quick temper. (Proverbs 14:17, 14:29, 15:18, 29:11 to list a few)

As parents, it’s our duty to stay calm and evaluate situations with wisdom.  Children throw tantrums and act quickly.  If we react as children do, we are on their level, not above where we need to be.

*I would post the videos in question, but they’re pretty graphic and I’m choosing not to endorse that nonsense. 

What’s my motivation?

·         Are you still doing that healthy thing?
·         What’s in that?
·         Are you vegan?
·         Where’s the meat?
·         I have to have cheese.
·         That’s great for you.
·         You can’t do this forever.
·         God said I can eat meat.
·         You’re going to the gym again?
·         I don’t have a trainer.

This is just a short list of the things that I hear when I tell people about the journey that I have been on for the last 5 months.  Even as I type that length of time, I know that it has not been a long time.  Five months is an incredibly small fraction of the time that I have been living on this Earth.  In October I decided that I needed to change the way I operate.  My previous plan of working out and eating “healthy” wasn’t working.  I was waking up in the morning and seeing a blob in the mirror.  I was shopping for bigger and bigger clothes all too often.  I had to make a change in the lighter direction.  So I made the first step – I called a friend!

When God blesses us with meetings, we should honor that blessing and utilize it.  I met a friend that recently moved the states.  She was a personal trainer in Guam to military professionals.  The interesting thing about our meeting is that I do not really remember her talking about any of that.  My husband is the one that remembered her saying she was a trainer.  I just remember meeting a cool lady that I might take a family trip to the zoo with once in a while.  I am so glad that my husband reminded me about her profession when I was down in the dumps and ready for a change.  She was just the person that I needed to talk to in order to get my life rebooted. 

So much has changed since I started training.  When I started, it was about body-image.  My body was the easiest thing to change.  I needed a mind-image change.  That is where I am now.  Twenty big pounds lighter, I am now on a life journey.  It is no longer about making me look slimmer and then reverting back to old habits.  Now I am on a mission to change my new lifestyle to my new habits. 

To change my lifestyle I need to make my changes my normal.  I exercise at least five times per week.  That should be normal for me.  My sweets intake is minimal.  That should be normal for me.  I cook 80-90% of my own meals and my family’s meals.  That should be normal to me.  I have all by eliminated dairy products in my diet. That should be normal for me. 

My normal is slowly becoming my family’s normal too.  I get so excited when my children ask me for a cup of water.  They’re starting to ask for healthy things first.  They love treats, snacks, and juice, but they know what Mommy will and will not give them.  Some days are more challenging than others, but more and more our normal is becoming more and more green.  Every day my children are becoming more and more accepting of vegetables and fruits.   My children are even growing and interest in cooking.  They are very young right now, but when I can, I allow them to help me in the kitchen.  I guess it’s fun to eat the thing that you helped cook even if it does have “healthy” stuff in it. 

So… What’s my motivation? ME!  I am the keeper of many things. I am the caretaker of many precious jewels.  I am too important to not care about.  I take care of me in order to take care of others.  I learn more in order to teach more.  Every day is a gift.  I plan to appreciate those gifts and cherish them.  Eating is no longer a constant recreation.  Food is fuel; I’m choosing top grade fuel from now on.

Do you need to make a change? What is your motivation?  Find it. Use it.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20

New International Version (NIV)

¹⁹ Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; ²⁰ you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.

A Calm Place

Today, a good idea became a great idea for us.  I was reading about calm down corners.  My children don't have tantrums regularly, but I thought this idea might carry some weight in my house on some occasions.

This is a corner in my kitchen.  I put the Monster's favorite chair and some crayons in the corner for a quiet space. This is ideal because I'm in the kitchen most of the day.  I was able to wash my dishes and prepare a meal, all while he sat in his chair and doodled.  This way I can be sure that my little scratcher isn't scratching and I don't have to peek around the corner every few minutes to check on him.

I love this idea.

 

DIY - me? Yep!

When you live in a big house with small spaces and a lot of people, you have to get very creative. Sadly, that is not my gift. Therefore, my big house with small spaces is cluttered with massive amounts of stuff.  Some of the stuff includes kids' shoes.  Each of my kids has a lot shoes. This causes trouble, as I cannot stand to see shoes all over.

I bought the most ridiculous remedy for the shoe issue. I bought a shoes under bag. Yuck! Not a good idea for kids' shoes. This contraption has no form at all, so it literally becomes a floppy bag that gets squished under the bad.

Last week I finally had enough of looking at that shoe bag.  My kids pretty much refused to use it anyway. There are always shoes strewn over the floor.


I found this picture on pinterest. The concept seemed so practical. The shoes were contained and they really don't take up that much space. The problem was, I could not find any instructions.  The only information available was that this was made from PVC piping. That seemed simple enough. My dad is a water guy. Well, after talking to Dad, it became too overwhelming trying to find 6" PVC pipe. I came up with my own plan.

Enter, buckets from Dollar Tree! Score 1 for the dollar store. I got a piece of 2x2 plywood from Lowes for $3.48. That makes $9.48 for one shoe rack... I love it!

Next came the hot glue gun.  After Mom and I plotted out the design that we wanted for this shoe rack, we glued the buckets onto the plywood.

I let the glue dry for about 30 minutes.  I stood the rack up and was so pleased that it stood on it's own. I did not have to prop it up against the wall.  I left the ropes on the buckets just for the fun of it.  I might get creative and think of something to hang on the ropes.   

For the youngest of the babies, I was able to fit 2 pairs of shoes in each bucket.  For the biggest of my littles, I was only able to fit 1 pair of shoes.







Regardless of how many shoes I was able to put away, I am very pleased with my project.  And now the kids' shoes are off of the floor and out of those ridiculous shoe bags.  They will be able to put their shoes away on their own now.  They can no longer complain about the zipper being too hard. I say this is a "Woohoo" for Mommy!