A Walk through the Garden

I promise you. We are still alive. And doing very well! We didn't mean to desert you, but life happens sometimes.
We've been so busy.
Babysitting.
    Playing in the church band.
          Swimming.
                Laundry. (Which takes awhile because the dryer broke.)
                     Going to lots of cook outs. 
And of course gardening.
       Lots and lots of gardening.

(I decided not to edit any of these)

 I love our garden. It is so peaceful and full of life.

  The golden hour is made all the more beautiful as the blooming flowers take in the light.

              

 There is a dug out, worn out, foot path, weaving between the beds.  

                            But I still almost get lost.

It's a good lost. Lost in the green. Lost in the dirt.

 And Oh! the feeling you get after a long day of hard work in the sunshine!

                   And being able to see the fruit of your labor!

 "To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow."

                               -Audrey Hepburn

 "The earth has music for those who listen." 

                   -Shakespeare

 

 I admit. There are weeds. But the weeds are also beautiful.

      

 "If you truly love nature, you will find beauty everywhere."

         -Van Gogh

       

The Fourth Day of the Seventh Month

I hope you all had a wonderful, safe Independence Day! I know I sure did! 

   It was a fun, delicious, bright day.

To start the day, we ate patriotic pancakes. Sourdough pancakes. I didn't get a picture though. If you know anything about me, you know I am not a morning person. Meaning I just didn't feel like it...

 Later we went to the creek, had a little picnic lunch and then splashed around for a bit.
Gabe and Dad also enjoyed catching craw-dads.

 When we finally went back home it was dinner time, so we started up a fire. We ate all natural, uncured, pure beef hot dogs, wrapped in equally healthy pepperonis (that's what I'm talking about!), watermelon, potato salad, smoothie and for dessert we had chocolate ice cream floats and of course, s'mores!

 Our little camp site.

 Afterward, Layla played us some campfire tunes...

You all know what happens next...

 FiReWoRkS!!

 I am so happy with how all the pictures came out. I'd been preparing for awhile. 

 Sparklers and Roman candles...

 Mom's sparkler looks like an eye!

Layla managed to do a star...


It was a blast. All of it. The whole day.
I am so thankful for our Independence and Freedom. Everyday I think, and pray, for those who have to hide their love for Jesus and go underground just to sing praises to Him. We are very, very blessed to live in this country. To be able to be bold without fear and love Him without hiding it.
Anyway, it was just a really good day and no one got hurt (except for just a few minor burns...).

How was your 4th of July?
Did you do anything special? Get any amazing shots?

Love,
Hagen

Summer's End {an oufit & poem}

Well, if you haven't noticed, Summer has left us. She has packed her bags and traveled to another country. Yes, I was so sad to see her leave, but she brought a new friend with her! Autumn is her name. This outfit was my last attempt to keep Summer from going, but alas, Autumn brought the chilly breeze. Below is a poem I wrote...

Summer, my friend, where are you going?
Was it something I said?
Don't you remember the things we did? 
The smell of flowers in our noses,
the sweltering heat
and sand in our toes?

Summer, dear Summer, why won't you stay?
Do you really have to pack your bags
and go away?
Why, who is this?
Your friend, Autumn, you say?
She seems nice,
I'm not so sure about her, though...
She smells like cinnamon and pumpkin spice,
aromas that tickle my nose.

Nice to meet you, Autumn.
How do you do?
What's that, you want to play?
Climb trees, eat apples
and jump in a pile of leaves?
Okay!

Thank you Summer, for introducing me to your friend.
We're having lots of fun!
Wearing sweaters and scarves,
sitting on benches
and running through parks.

Well, Summer, I think I'll be fine...
I will pass the time with this new friend of mine. 
Autumn holds my hand as I cry and wave "good-bye!"
Part of me is still sad to see you go...
Oh, how I will miss you so!
But I'm glad I won't be alone
as I wait for your return.
Summer, you will always be in my heart! 
 

I have come to terms with the leaving of Summer and welcomed Autumn with open arms. It will be full-blown Fall posts from here on out!
 With Love,
 Layla

Recipe~ Honey Cheesecake

Another recipe on a Wednesday... maybe I should call this 'What She Ate Wednesday'!

Now this was a first for me. I love cheesecake, but for some reason I have always been a bit intimidated by making one from scratch. Let's just say there are rational and irrational fears. This one was certainly irrational! So, I faced my fear, and this was the result...

-What you need-

 For the crust
1 cup gluten-free oats
1/2 cup pecan (or almond) flour
4 Tbls butter, melted
1 Tbls honey  

For the filling
8oz package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/3 cup honey
4 eggs

 -What to do-

1. Heat your oven (or toaster oven) to 350*

2. Put the oats in a blender or food processor, and blend for a few minutes.

3. Pour the blended oats, pecan flour, butter and honey into a 9 inch pan. Mix together, and press into the bottom and sides of the pan. 

4. Bake crust for 10 minutes.

5. While crust is baking, cream together the cream cheese and ricotta in a large mixing bowl.

6. Beat in the honey and eggs, one at a time.

7. Pour mixture into the pre-baked crust.

8. Bake for 30- 45 minutes, depending on how hot your oven runs.

9. Cake is done when the middle is firm to the touch.

10. Let cake cool in the fridge for at least 5 hours, but over night is better.

 Easy-peasy, huh? It was so delicious! I love the texture that the ricotta added, and the oat/pecan crust almost tasted like a graham cracker crust. What's even better is that I didn't have to use any sugar! I can confidently say that I am over this irrational fear!

 I was short on fruit for topping, so I served mine with homemade lime jello. If you try this recipe, I would love to hear what kind of topping you made!

Keep calm and Bake on!
Blessings,
Layla

 

RVing (ar-vee-eeng)

Yee- Haw,

 we made it to Texas! 

We put together a little video of our first RV adventure...

We didn't get much footage the first day because we were tuckered out from all of the cleaning that had to be done!

We are starting to get the hang of RV living, and it's not too bad! Once we get everything set up and organized, we plan to do a little video tour, and show you how we do things.

The Lord had His hand through this whole experience and provided for us the whole time, and He still is!

Thank you everyone for your prayers!

Blessings,

Layla & Hagen

 

   

Winds of Change...

Sometimes the Lord brings things in our lives that we don't fully understand. Sometimes He wants us to step out for Him in ways we ourselves don't see fit. But if we allow ourselves to be used through Him, we will be blessed far greater than if we never moved out of our comfort zone at all.

Well, we just moved out of our comfort zone, literally! We have sold all of our animals (except for Charlie and Mimzie, of course), gave/sold practically all of our furniture, we are renting out our home, we bought a 32 foot RV, and are living in it! And.... we are Texas bound!

This is why we haven't done any posts in forever. We weren't ignoring you if that's what you think... we were just moving, that's all! We hope to do more posts to get you caught up on our lives, because seriously, there's a lot to catch up on! 

We hope everyone is doing well!
How is the Lord moving in your life?
Blessings,
Layla & Hagen 
 
   

  

Video Friday {No. 3 & 4}

Hello Everyone!

It's Video Friday... are you dying for some videos? I'm sure you are! We will do two videos this week, you know, since we.... uh... didn't do one last week... sorry...(hangs head)

So, now that apologies are out of the way, our first video is of Hagen showing you how we soak our seeds and nuts. 

Nuts and seeds can be hard on your body, so soaking is an easy way to aid in digestion.

Now, the second video we are sharing is a funny one that Hagen made this summer. She was on the truck with Dad and tapped their whole day. It's quite humorous...

  We hope you enjoy these videos! We enjoy making them! What kind of videos would you like to see in the future?

Have a blessed weekend!
Blessings,
Layla & Hagen  

 

Year 2012 overview

Since it is now 2013, I thought I might do an overview of last year. I will speak mostly in pictures. :)

80's Day!

 Fishing...
 This was one of few fish we caught last year.

 Painting the living room. Now it is the dining room.

 Just woke up from her nap! :)

 Oh, how I miss them...

 I will warn you. The next image is a pic of chicken feet. Unattached, of course.










  

Yep... this was our very first chicken to butcher.
 

 This was when I first got my braces. You can tell how my teeth didn't quite fit right....

 Anniversary!

You wanna  know what happened next?

 We took a trip to Charleston, S.C.

 And of course we went to the beach!

 Our mama goat, Bell, had her baby's!

 I started my photography!

 We started the The Great Skirt Challenge!

 

 We tore the carpet off our stairs and painted them.

 We got rabbits!

  Layla bought her first gun...

 We started building the Hoop House.
 

 Mom painted the fruits of the spirit on our stairs.

We went shooting with some friends!

 We made lots of apple, sauce and juice.

Layla went to the Campbell's. She posted about it here. She had lots of fun, she even spent Thanksgiving with them!

Then, I got a cat! Mimzie is her name.

  Mom got a dog! Charlie is his name.

 Layla came home!

 More baby rabbits were born.

 We started decorating for Christmas!

  

 So... That was last year, all rapped up for you!

 Happy New Year!
Blessings, Hagen