Beautiful Friends...

This year we have met so many wonderful people, who are beautiful inside and out.

I am blessed to know each of you, and I pray that with the new year will come a new and refreshed zeal for the Lord.

I also pray for you, whether you stumbled across here, or follow this blog... that you will be blessed this new year! Thank you for supporting our blog and listening to our ramblings. 
HAPPY NEW YEARS!
Blessings from the Lord,
Layla and Hagen

Recipe: Lentil Minestrone Soup

 It's winter time... and here is a little recipe that will warm your bones!

What you need:
3 cups lentils
6-8 cups broth (veggie, beef or chicken) 
3 carrots
  2-4 cups broccoli
1 onion
2 garlic cloves
4 Tbls butter or oil
 4-6 cups tomato sauce 
 (we used our own sauce that we canned)
1-2 green and red bell peppers
1-2 cups green beans 
1 lb hamburger meat 


What To Do:
1. In the bottom of your soup pot, saute onion, garlic, pepper and butter or oil.
2. Add hamburger meat, and brown.
3.Once meat is done, add lentils and half of the broth and simmer with the lid on while you prepare your other ingredients.

4.Prepare carrots, bell peppers, broccoli, green beans (I used organic frozen broccoli and green beans, which helped to cut down on prep. time)
5.  Throw in your veggies, tomato sauce, and the rest of the broth.
6. Simmer soup for 20 minutes, or until everything is nice and soft.
7. Top with some cheese, salt to taste and enjoy the warmth!

 This soup is Gluten- Free and Gaps diet approved. It's a very flexible soup, so if there are any vegetables you cannot tolerate, you can easily replace them. I think eggplant and yellow squash would be tasty, too. I know this soup is called a minestrone, so if you can tolerate pasta, feel free to add 2 cups of shell or bow pasta to yours.

I hope this recipe will help keep you warm and healthy during the cold weather. I would love some feed back if you try this soup.
Blessings, Layla
 
 

A Time Of Preparation

With the coming of Christmas, comes the time to prepare our hearts for the celebration of the birth of our Lord, Jesus Christ. If we sit back and think about it, it really is a miracle! 

Just think.... the Lord, who created the entire universe and every cell in your body, sent his only Son for you! It's really quite amazing... 

God IS Love! 

God gave us the greatest gift the world will ever know! But, what could we ever give Him for Christmas? Our hearts and our lives, to surrender all we have, to bring glory to HIM!

 May we be shining lights in a dark world, and lead the lost to the Shepherd.

Here is a cute little video my Aunt T showed us...
We will post lots of Christmas pictures soon!
Enjoy your time with family and friends!
Blessings and Merry Christmas!
Layla   
 

Biblical Inspiration

Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, with all thy soul and with all thy might.

Deuteronomy 6:5

Have a wonderful weekend!

Blessings, Layla

Adventures {in the} Forest

This is a very visual post...

Beautiful Chalice, watching the birds flutter through the trees...

 The Evil Cat...

 Little Breezy was so afraid of him, but he is very sweet!

My dear friend, Sarah, took this picture of Shepherd. He really loves cowboys!

I have been blessed beyond measure during my visit with the Campbell family. I am so excited to go home and see my family, but at the same time I am sad to leave. The Campbell's have become my second family, and I am honored to be a Ruby Girl!
 I pray that I will be able to come back, and maybe with Hagen next time...
This is farewell, but not forever!
Layla