Ahhh, a cup of freshly brewed steaming coffee with a BIG dose of raw cream, a quiet house........ it's the small things in life that make it special. Marlin and Eric are the only ones that made it to church this morning. We have some nasty congestion and coughs around here in spite of much oregano oil, herbal tinctures and garlic. I've been struggling with a sinus infection, the first in years, and yesterday i finally started eating raw garlic cloves and wouldn't you know it, it started clearing up. I smell not so sweet, but at least i'm getting better. And hey, Marlin doesn't mind and that's really all that matters, right? ;)

Yesterday Emily and i did some thrift store shopping and then we treated ourselves to the Crave coffee shop. Only problem was that i wasn't in the mood for a latte, (now you KNOW i wasn't myself) and the sandwich that i paid $6.75 for was nothing but white bread with turkey and american cheese with a little mayo. Now, i know my chef husband has totally spoiled me because he can cook better than any restaurant i know of, ( don't worry , i still love to go out) but i was really disappointed with the food. I'm thinking it would be fun to own a little coffee and sandwich shop, with real food made out of healthy life giving ingredients and if they can get $6.75 for less than great, what would people be willing to pay for the real thing? Oh well, Emily felt special and that was all that mattered, especially after a week of wretched colds. At least they had cool coffee cups which made her hot chocolate (made with 1 percent milk and light "whipped chemicals") taste extra special.

Something i have been thinking alot about. There's a lot of talk floating around about getting ready for the future as in stocking up with non perishable food, toilet paper (i'll refrain from any smart comments) and what have you. I don't know what the whole answer is and frankly, the answer may not be the same for everyone. However, whenever i mention "preparing" Marlin just looks at me and says that anything that's fueled by fear is not from God and when i search my heart, i know he's right. Jesus made it pretty clear in Matthew about not worrying about tomorrow. That brings such a peace to my mother's heart because when i look at 6 little trusting faces, i have the choice of either laying each one down and surrendering him or her to Jesus Himself, or worrying myself to death about what might happen. When that panic wants to knock on my heart, it's a choice i have to make, each time. They are His, not mine, and if He's not capable of taking care of them, then there's not a chance that i can. Trust is the ONLY option, and when i trust, that glorious peace fills my heart. I want to prepare them for the future, not only through teaching them life skills, but more than anything by walking a life of faith.

I had promised pictures and recipes from the birthday party. The pictures will have to wait til Marlin has time to download them but here's the cake recipe i used and one that the children devour. Of course mom and dad use much self control and eat only very small portions. At least when people are around. The recipe is from Nourishing Traditions, a book i HIGHLY reccomend for anyone that wants to learn how to eat real food.

The recipe:

Flourless Carob Cake
3/4 cup carob powder (or cocoa)
1/2 cup plus 1 T butter
3 T water
1 T vanilla extract
1 T chocolate extract (optional)
5 egg yolks, room temperature
1/2 cup rapadura
5 egg whites, room temperature
pinch of sea salt
Butter and flour two 9 inch pans. Place butter and carob, water and extracts in a glass container set in a pan of water over a low flame. Melt and blend well. Beat egg yolks with rapadura for about 5 minutes with electric beater. In a clean bowl, beat egg whites with pinch of salt until stiff. Mix carob mixture with egg yolk mixture and then fold into egg whites. Divide batter between 2 pans. Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes. Let cool and remove from pans.

We are a peanut butter crazy family so i make a frosting with 2 packages cream cheese, 1/2 cup butter, 1/2 cup honey and about 1/2 cup peanut butter. I whip till smooth and gently fold in whipped cream that i had whipped separately. I just guess how much whipped cream since it all depends on how much cream i have. I simply layer the cake and voila! A healthy whole foods dessert. The cake is very thin, almost more like a torte, so if you want a tall cake, make a double batch and you'll have a 4 layer cake. Oh, i guess i should also add that this amount of frosting is enough for a 4 layer cake, just add more whipped cream. It's almost too much with just 2 layers but i haven't had anyone complain yet. Sorry, i didn't get pictures taken before the cake was destroyed but trust me, you're not missing much. I'm challenged in the picture taking department.

God bless your sunday and enjoy your well deserved afternoon nap.