Recipe

Black Bean Quinoa

I tried this recipe that I found - it was really very good. I modified it some though. 

Here is a link to the recipe: link

I used a quinoa that had a mixture of various types of quinoa. It looked very colorful.





I did not have cilantro and didn't feel like running to the store. I also didn't use the Bragg's Liquid Aminos - that is like a soy sauce --- and Americans eat way too much soy. I have cut all soy out of my diet. Still, the recipe was good without the soy added in. It is a very different taste but it was very good. Loved the black beans with the quinoa. 

danger of xenoestrogens

Most people are unaware of the dangers of xenoestrogens - they are not even aware of what they are much less that they can cause problems. Here is an article that talks about them and how to limit exposure. 
Article
Article

Book Review - Shadows on the Sand

Shadows on the Sand A Seaside Mystery by Gayle Roper

This was a very enjoyable read. A fun book to curl up with - not heavy and intense like some of the other books that I have in my pile of to reads. Sometimes it is nice to just read a good story - this one  had good Christian values. It is a romance story and a story about healing (emotionally) and forgiveness as part of that healing process. Both of the main characters are broken - Carrie's past is painful. Her mother was an alcoholic that never protected her from the boyfriends that stayed over. Greg is trying to forgive himself for allowing his wife to move his car. A vicious killer caused the car to blow up thereby killing his wife and children. It is now three years later and Greg is trying to move on with his life. 

The story is also a bit of a mystery - Carrie's dishwasher is killed and then her waitress disappears. The characters try to discover what is going on and why the waitress is gone. How is that connected to the death? 

A very enjoyable read and the mystery thrown in there kept the suspense. 

alternative methods

The Fourth Fisherman by Joe Kissack

I really enjoyed reading this book. Joe Kissack is a phenomenal example of following God's leading even when it might not make sense to us at the time and when it might be extremely hard. 

Three fisherman end up adrift in the Pacific Ocean for approximately 9 months with no provisions - and only a bible brought along by one of the fisherman. When things got tough Salvador turned to his bible and God - to gain comfort and strength. Two others in the boat followed Salvador's lead and took turns reading from the bible and praying. Two other of the fisherman were very negative and they did not survive. Upon returning the surviving fisherman were accused of having eaten the two dead fisherman - but that didn't happen. Once the story of the fishermen's survival became news, Joe felt God nudging him to go to Mexico - he felt that God wanted him to be sure this story was told fully - with the aspects of faith left in. 

One small detail in the book is that one of the grandmothers of one of the fisherman - prayed without ceasing for the return of her grandson. She never gave up faith and she prayed without ceasing. How often do we want so hard to fix a problem, to do something to help those in trouble - we want to do something. Yet, we forget the most important thing - to pray without ceasing! Prayer is not inactivity but activity. It is probably the most important thing we can do. Pray without ceasing. 

This is a fabulous book - I highly recommend it. 

Visit with Author - Marla McKenna

We were very privileged to have Marla McKenna - author of the children's book - Mom's Big Catch - visit with our homeschool group. It was really wonderful. What a great event and an inspirational message. Marla McKenna read her book to the group. It is a very cute book. It was neat to hear, from the author's perspective, why she had certain pictures in the book, their meaning to her personally and her thought process on writing the book. She also talked about the process to become an author. Her message to the kids was to 'follow their dreams' and not give up. It took her two years and many rejection letters before she found a publisher willing to publish her book. The process took patience - from the point the publisher said yes - it was about another 10 months before the book was printed. Marla is a Christian and talked about how none of this would be possible without God. She really felt God inspired her and helped her through the process. If any of you are interested in reading more about Marla and her book - here is a link to her website. link

And a big thank you to Marla for taking time from her busy schedule to talk with our kids. It was awesome! What a wonderful lady!

The Homecoming of Samuel Lake by Jenny Wingfield

This is the author's first book and it is very heartwarming. The characters are very real - very true to life. The story takes place in 1956 - in Arkansas. The title seems to indicate that Samuel Lake is the main character, yet I believe the story centers more on Swan Lake - his daughter. 

This book was picked by one of the women in our book club and it was a wonderful pick. We very much enjoyed the book and the discussion of the book. While the ending was very believable and understandable - all of us at the book club felt so much for Toy's character - that we would have wished for a different ending for him. Yet, knowing Toy and what he stood for - we could all see how and why he would make the sacrifice for those he loved. And Toy probably felt he didn't have much else to live for - and yet Samuel did and the kids needed their Dad around.