Endless Gifts

Here's what I'm Loving today:

LOVING holly berries.  They are just perfect circles of happiness.  Try placing them in mason jars for a center-piece at your wedding... it is elegantly delightful!

LOVING pecans as a center-piece for our last week here in Georgia (an update soon to come on our traveling plans!)


LOVING the smells of garlic, tomatoes, cinnamon, and pork simmering together over the stove.  This is a favorite recipe in the Shear household.  Baby, Grandparents, and Hubby approved!

Italian Pork Stew 

(Modified from Taste of Home)

3/4 Lb boneless pork loin cut into bite sized pieces

1/3 C flour

2 T oil

Dredge the pork pieces with flour and in 3 separate batches brown over medium high heat in a dutch oven or large pot.  Set aside and keep warm

After all the meat is browned and in a separate bowl, sautee:

1 large onion

5 cloves of garlic

Add:

1 C beef broth or red wine

1 (28oz) can diced tomatoes undrained

3 bay leaves

Browned pork

1 T cinnamon

1 t each oregano and basil

1/2 t crushed red pepper

salt & pepper to taste

Bring to a boil and then cover, and let simmer for 2 1/2 hrs.

Before serving, prepare a box of bow tie pasta according to directions.

Serve stew over pasta and grate fresh parmesan atop.

LOVING the list of Endless Gifts (www.onethousandgifts.com) that continues to be written, for His glory:

141) The first gleam of Dawn's light

142) The fight to give thanks

149) Imagining what causes Tirzah to sing songs of delight in her crib after she wakes

150) $4.50 new sweater for Tirzah

151)  Libraries

154) Hair-bows for still yet too thin hair

157)  Golden crown of the sunset

159)  Feeling love grow and whispering thanks for answered prayers

160) Road-side boiled peanuts

161) Swings

162) Tirzah's toes buried in park's sand

164) The sun and moon exactly opposite one another in the twilight's sky

165)  The order of the universe

166) China bowls

167) Hanging laundry standing on a chair

168) Singing Tirzah's bedtime routine over the phone with Marlene

 Daniel is LOVING good books

Tirzah is LOVING graham crackers

and as always and forever, I'm LOVING my husband, my hero, my Beloved

Who

Here is what I'm LOVING (albeit a day late) today, this day that He has made and in which we rejoice

LOVING the moment Daddy comes through the door and I get to be a part of this

LOVING blood oranges

LOVING, as a family, reading a psalm after each meal shared.  LOVING how she bends low and close over her Bible, the one my neighbor Kathleen gave us, the one she found at a garage sale.  And I LOVE how she whispers to the pictures over which her finger touches, pointed.

LOVING that our first bulk order from Azure Standard, our new co-op, came in!  Right now in our pantry we have: 50 pounds of wheat berries, a gallon of honey as well as a gallon of molasses, 1 pound of baking soda and vital wheat gluten, 25 pounds of rolled oats, and a jar of coconut oil.  Just think of all we can make from these items!  It makes me so excited.


LOVING this blanket that our dear friend Jonelle hand-made for Tirzah's first birthday.

LOVING ideas for simplistic living, like monthly menu plans!  I had so much fun thinking of and creating this menu plan.  I LOVE that there is room for creativity and using what you have on hand (like in the soups and what not), but I also LOVE the structure and that I can just look at the plan to know what we are having for dinner.  LOVING too that with this plan, Tirzah and I can go grocery shopping every two weeks, as opposed to every week.  So...

Winter Monthly Menu Plans (click on darker colored words to see recipes... more recipes will be posted soon!)  These are mainly dinner menus, but I have a goal in mind to have lunch and breakfast menus at some time or other.  I found this idea on Passionate Homemaking.

Monday: Italian Pork Stew
Tuesday: Left over soup from Sunday
Wednesday: Quinoa and roasted vegetables
Thursday: Chicken bake with potatoes, lemon, and thyme (or Baked Stew)
Friday: Left over night!
Saturday: Homemade donuts for breakfast
                       Homemade pizza night
Sunday: Homemade soup
*Baking during the week: Gingerbread, biscotti, homemade sandwich bread

Monday: Roasted chicken (any recipe) with vegetables
Tuesday: Left over soup
Wednesday:  Vegetable pasta
Thursday: Chicken pot pie or chicken sandwiches
Friday: Fish tacos with apple tomato salsa
Saturday: Homemade scones
                     Pizza night
Sunday: Soup
*Baking: Gingerbread, oatmeal raisin cookies, homemade sandwich bread

Monday: Pork tenderloin (any favorite recipe) with vegetables
Tuesday: Left over soup
Wednesday: Whole grain with roasted vegetables
Thursday:  Crockpot BBQ with corn bread and vegetables
Friday:  Some type of fish with vegetables and a whole grain
Saturday:  Homemade waffles
                       Pizza night
Sunday: Soup
*Baking: homemade muffins and sandwich bread

Monday: Soup (#2)
Tuesday: Left over soup #1 from Sunday
Wednesday: Vegetable stir fry
Thursday:  Flank steak fajitas or sandwiches
Friday:  Left over soup (#2)
Saturday: Homemade cinnamon rolls
                      Pizza night
Sunday:  Soup
*Whole wheat Chocolate chip cookies and homemade tortillas

LOVING these whole wheat chocolate chip cookies that I found from Katherine Martinelli  and LOVING incorporating more whole grains into our diet

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies

Sift together:

3 C whole wheat flour

1 1/2 T baking powder

1 t baking soda

1 1/2 t salt

In a mixing bowl, cream together:

2 sticks butter (8 oz)

1 C brown sugar

1 C sugar

Then add 2 eggs and 2 t vanilla

Stir in 8 oz chocolate chips

(We also add about 1/2 C rolled oats)

Bake at 350 for 16-20 minutes 

LOVING having my neighbors dogs over, just for the day yesterday, and how sweet they were to Tirzah.

LOVING homemade bread and homemade yogurt

LOVING simple pleasures of a one year old: toilet paper and clementines

LOVING that Daniel maxed his PT test this morning!  What a stud I have for a husband

LOVING this list of gifts that is endless, because it is from Him, the Everlasting One

700.  Waffles and smoothies

701.  Companionable homesteading silences

702.  Lining up bars of soap, wrapped in ribbon

705.  Smell of wheat berries grinding

706.  That toothless crooked smile

707.  Runny noses

708.  How she loves to sneeze!

709.  Green and white new life

715.  Her full out laughter when Daddy tickles

717.  Tender eyes across the dinner table

719.  Understanding and not rebelling against her need for closeness

720.  A day's victory!  Through the Lord: no despair over short naps

721.  Sunshine

728.  Seasons and cycles of earth: new life from darkness... always

Absolutely LOVING these lyrics from Tom Wuest and his Song of Ascent.  Take a moment to read these slowly and tenderly for He who does all this,
adores you and
LOVES you

Who can  count the sand and stars?

Who sets planets on true course?

Who casts hoarfrost on sleeping vines?

Who spins snowflakes from drops of rain?

Who breathes upon the high seas?

Who makes waters teem with fish?

Whose hand will save us from the deep

And set our ship in harbors safe?

Who guides bees to orchard blooms?

Who sows seeds for raven's young?

Who satisfies our ongoing souls

With finest wheat and wine to drink?

Who binds up the wounded heart?

Who will beautify the meek?

Whose love will seal our land with peace?

Whose song will e'er be on our lips?

8 hours

Tirzah and I moments before seeing him!!

I don't think I have ever spent a more lovely 8 hour span of time in all my life!  What a gift it was to be with him!  Thank you for covering us in your prayers.

Needless to say, Daniel was incredibly handsome!  He had lost a few pounds, most definitely, but he reminded me of what he looked like during his pre-football days.   Just lean and good lookin!!  We spent the time just being together and breathing in one another's presence.  Tirzah was an absolute doll and blessed her Daddy by remembering him!  She was all smiles for him and had much to tell him throughout the day.  Just look at her in the picture above... she couldn't keep from staring at him like: "this is my Daddy!"

One of the largest aspects of our time together: eating.

In the first hour alone Daniel ate:

A jumbo smoothie from Smoothie King
at least 1 dozen cookies
at least 1 dozen biscotti
1/3 of a very large Challah loaf
4 Krispie Kreme donuts...

He for sure slowed down after that initial hour, but he kept plugging through all the day long.  "Just keep a steady flow" were his exact words!  By dinner time, he could hardly eat much of the Italian Pork Stew and afterwords, he felt so sick her contemplated making himself feel better (you know what I mean??), but after resting a few minutes while giving Tirzah her bottle, he felt much better and was able to down a whole box of Reese's Pieces on the way back to base!

This is from the field... his ongoing list of all the food he wanted to eat on this 8 hour pass:

Kirspy Kreme, ice cream, Oreos, Fawn's meals, gummies, Dunkin Donuts, Doritos, Swedish Fish, cranberry walnut cookies, cranberry orange biscotti, Reese's Pieces, bananas, Red Vines, Hit cookies, homemade pizza, breadsticks from Little Ceasar's, burritos with grilled steak, hamburgers, pot pie, waffles, Nutter bar


We did what we could to check off the list and then all of a sudden it was time to have him back on post.  And so begins the second phase of Ranger School: the Mountains.  Daniel's prayer requests for this phase were:
* Conditions for his patrols: the instructor and his peer's attitudes (under hunger and lack of sleep they are hard to motivate)
* Physical protection as this phase is more physically demanding with wearing the ruck sack all the day long and climbing mountains every day
* Trusting in the Lord's plan... recycle or not
* To focus on this phase

He passed!!

I received a text this morning from Daniel:  HE PASSED!!!  He did it!! Phase one of Ranger School is complete!

"The Lord has done this and it is magnificent in our eyes."

So our 8 hours together begins at noon tomorrow and I can hardly stand it!  O what moments we will have together.

Thank you for your faithful prayers during this first phase.

Here is another little bit from our hero's letter:

"In this last week of Darby I am going to devote a large portion of my time dreaming about all the food I am going to eat on the 8 hour pass.  It has not been as difficult without the food as I anticipated... but I am more excited to eat myself sick then ever before!

With that note, I am off to pull a batch of cookies from the oven and begin his favorite meal: Italian Pork Stew!

Praise the Lord!