Random Tidbits

Hey, Friends! It's been awhile since I've posted some of my random thoughts. Fortunately for you (or unfortunately, depending on what you think of me), many thoughts have been swirling around in my crazy mind, so read at your own risk.

1. Knoxville Church Shootings: Many of you have probably heard of the big shooting that took place at one of the many churches here in Knoxville. It was so tragic! As with everything, everyone has something to say about this. Everyone wants to blame somebody--usually somebody or something other than the actual shooter. Many people blame this on the influence of people like Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, and the like because the shooter happened to own some of their books. Others blame the so-called lack of gun control in this area. My favorite group, by far, has to be the loudmouthed groups of Christians who feel its THEIR job to remind everyone that this particular church target was not a Christian church. This is usually the same group of people who love labeling events like 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina as God's punishment to homosexuals. Come on, People, are you serious? I'm not saying that this particular church is right in what they believe, or that God doesn't use some natural and other disasters to get a message across. But, what possible good do comments like this accomplish? Do you just want to feel warm and cozy and better about yourself? Good grief! What gets me more than anything is that these people love getting on tv, the radio, and the internet to spread their messages of pride and ignorance. Heaven forbid we have compassion in times like these. We wouldn't dare want to live out The Great Commission here. God help us all!

2. Speaking of Christianity, I have been reading C.S. Lewis' "Mere Christianity" for the first time this past week. Lewis is one of those authors that I've always been reluctant to read because there is so much "hype" built up around him, especially among Christians. I feel the same way about Beth Moore, James Dobson, and Max Lucado, among others. Hype usually equals mediocrity (at best), in my opinion. But, not in this case. This book is one of the most wonderful, enjoyable reads I've had in ages! Lewis is such an incredible writer who has an uncanny ability to explain very complicated thoughts in simple and straightforward ways. Here's an example: In chapter 3 of the book, Lewis addresses who question the divinity of Jesus. The whole chapter is great, but this part sums it all up...

I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: "I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept His claim to be God." That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic--on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg--or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronising nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.

Read it!! It's so good.

3. On a much lighter note, I am loving my job! I still work at our local gym with a few clients, but I have also started training on my own. I bought a bunch of portable equipment and I've had some business cards printed out to give to prospective clients. Basically, what I do is go to my clients' homes and customize a diet and exercise program just for them. Each 1 hour session can be done inside or outside, whichever the client prefers. It's a great way to help others make physical activity apart of their daily lives. So, Knoxville Ladies, if you or anyone you know would like to schedule a free session with me, you can contact me through Xanga or my business email: ptwithkatie@myway.com

4. Have I mentioned you guys before how much I love my sweet Mitch? Maybe I have, but I just have to restate how blessed I am to be able to laugh with him every day! You might think you are in love with your spouse, but, really you have no idea how much better I have it!! ;)

5. And I can't make a list without talking about food....Here's, yet, another fabulous vegan recipe:


Dill Gazpacho

* 5 tomatoes (if you live in E. Tenn., get Grainger County Tomatoes--they are the best), chopped
* 1 large cucumber, chopped
* 1 onion, chopped
* 1 green pepper, chopped
* a few spinach leaves
* 2 cloves of garlic
* 2 tablespoons of olive oil
* 2 tablespoons of balsalmic vinegar
* 1/4 cup fresh dill
* salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients (raw) in a food processor or blender. Blend for 1-2 minutes on medium speed. Place in a serving bowl, cover, and refrigerate for awhile, so the flavors will really soak in! Serve cold!

Learning By Watching

We've had a lot of rain this past week here in East Tennessee. We really needed the rain, but the downside was that the kids started getting "cabin fever" when it rained for a few days in a row. One afternoon, I decided to take them out to our awesome front porch to play during a thunderstorm. They loved the sound of the thunder and were being so cute, so I took out my trusty video camera and taped a little bit of their cuteness. What started out as cute turned into another "thunderstorm" of arguing on our front porch. I'm always on the lookout for creative ways to teach my children natural (logical) consequences (good and bad) to their actions. I just kept filming the situation while trying to correct them. Here's what I filmed (take note...Molly is dressed up in her new princess dress--what is on her head is her pink "hair")



I stopped filming and called them over to me to watch the video. Their little eyes were glued to the camera--watching intensely! I asked them if they were acting kind in the video or selfish. "SELFISH!" said a trio of tiny voices. I asked, "What does kindness look like? Can you show me?" So, they all ran back to their little "set" and I started filming again. Here's what I got:




Let me just say that this was a GREAT teaching tool!! I've been filming my kids in several situations since the porch scene and they've learned a lot. Sometimes it takes seeing our own foolishness before our eyes before we learn how foolish we are! Maybe I should have someone start following ME around with a video camera all day. :)

Camping Trip

Last Friday, we made a brave trip out to Wartburg, TN to go camping! It actually turned out to be a great trip! We expected our 3 kids to whine and complain the entire time, but they didn't--they LOVED camping! Here is a slideshow of our fun trip:

Slow Internet

I have a problem and I'm about to lose my mind!!! My internet is soooooooooo slow and I don't know why. Each page takes at least 2 minutes to load. I've defragmented as best I can, I've run a virus scan and nothing was found. I've cleaned out my hard drive. The only thing I can think of is that I recently changed from Internet Explorer to Firefox--could this be the problem? Does anyone have any other suggestions? I need help!!

If I had a Million Dollars...

If I were given a million dollars, what would be the first thing I would buy? You might think I'd like a new car....sure, but it's not the first thing I would buy. A new wardrobe or new furniture? Nope....not quite. How about giving a bunch of it to a religious charitable organization? That would be the RIGHT thing to do, but it's not what I would do first. If I were given a million dollars, right now, at this very moment, I would buy...





...a DISHWASHER!!! Wouldn't you?

A Conversation with Jack

Last night, as I was putting Jack to bed, we were talking. It's so eerily funny to have conversations with my kids--it's crazy to see how much they've grown and it's hilarious to see their little perceptions on life. Here's how this particular chat went down:

Me: (gently tickling Jack's back) Jack, when you grow up, do you want to have kids?
Jack: (brow furrowed) Yeah!!
Me: Oh, really? How many kids do you want to have.
Jack: (looks away...thinking) Ummmm....I fink (think) I want to have 25
Me: Wow!! 25...that's a lot of kids. Where are they all going to sleep?
Jack: Well, I am going to have a 25 house.
Me: You mean, you are going to have a house with 25 rooms?
Jack: (sure of himself) Yep!!
Me: Well, how are you going to get money to pay for a house that big? That house will cost a lot of money.
Jack: ........I'm going to have 58......no, um....firty five dollars!!
Me: Whoa! Now, who is going to take care of all those kids while you are at work all day?
Jack: Mama, you can come to my 25 house and play with them if you want to.


There is not a more precious boy than Jack Riley Mitchell.....don't try to convince me otherwise! But, God help him if he does have that many kids because I will have paid my dues by that point--if my own kids haven't killed me by then! I hope everyone is having good week. God bless you as you have funny conversations with your precious little ones.

Do you need a good laugh today? I really did and here's what did it for me...
(Be sure and mute the iMeem player on the right side of the screen)


...You're welcome!! ;)

Tomorrow

This is totally random, but those of you who know me well will laugh. I grew up watching the movie "Annie" almost daily. I LOVED that movie--and still do. Everyone knows the song "Tomorrow" from the movie, right? Well, growing up, I loved that song and I would occasionally see my friends and random people just humming along and singing it for fun. This has always bothered me because 9 times out of 10, people would sing these words:

"Tomorrow, tomorrow, I love ya, tomorrow. You're ALWAYS a day away."

Now, me, being the controlling brat that I was, would be extremely bothered by this because I was convinced that the correct words went like this:

"Tomorrow, tomorrow, I love ya, tomorrow. You're ONLY a day away."

Years have gone by since I've even thought about this, but my kids have the new version of "Annie," which isn't quite as good as the first---I'm sorry, but Kathy Bates can't even TOUCH Carol Burnett as Ms. Hannigan. Anyhoooo, the kids were watching it this morning and the new Annie sang "Tomorrow." Then, the unthinkable happened....she said the dreaded "ALWAYS a day away" line! All those old feelings came back and I was a little bit upset about this. Then, I started to think, "Did the old Annie say "ALWAYS..." and I just got it wrong?" Surely not! Thanks to YOUTUBE, I found my answer pretty quickly. Check it out and see for yourself:

Happy Anniversary!!

8 years ago today, Aaron Bradley Mitchell and I started our life together! I won't write a big long cheesy entry about what a great marriage we have or what a wonderful husband I have....blah, blah, blah. I will say that not one day goes by that I don't thank God for my sweet Mitch. He is and always will be the love of my life! I'm sure many of you have seen this slideshow before, but here it is again for you to make fun of ;)

Tomorrow, I am driving to Jackson, TN to meet my mother and pick up my 3 beautiful children. I miss them so much! It was so nice getting things done around the house that needed to be done and it was wonderful having my husband all to myself for the week, but it's time for our family to be together again. My kids have done so well while they were there in Little Rock and I can't help but be in complete awe of how God continues to work in their little hearts. Aaron and I pray and pray that we are raising them right. We are the foremost of sinful parents and no one needs God's grace in this area more than we do! Sometimes we wonder if we are doing the right things. Here's what happened today that made cry and thank God for working through us: My mom took Jack to class at church this morning and sat with him for the first few minutes of class. He sat and played a little bit and then listened to the teacher as she taught about the rules in Bible class.

Teacher: Jack, do your mommy and daddy have rules at your house?
Jack: No.....But God does!

This is huge, because I don't ever want my kids to get the impression that Aaron and I are puffed up with pride in how WE want them to behave. I pray every day that they live to serve and please only God. Jack might not understand exactly what he's saying yet, but I'm thankful that he's starting to learn.

The girls have done well, too. Mom made them both "princess dresses" while they were there and they have worn those things out!! Riah has a hole in hers already. I'll have to get pictures from my parents and post them sometime this week.

On another note, I just have to post one more vegan recipe that I discovered today. It's for a Greek-style hummus and it is WONDERFUL!!

* 2 1/2 cups of canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
* 1/3 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice
* 1/4 cup of tahini
* 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
* 2 tablespoons of olive oil
* 3/4 teaspoon of ground cumin
* 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
* 1 teaspoon of oregano
* pinch of freshly ground black pepper
* 1 teaspoon of salt
* 1/3 cup of water (if needed)
* parsley and olive oil to garnish

Put all ingredients into a blender or food processor except the chickpeas (and the parsley and oil for garnish) and blend for 5 seconds. Add the chick peas and blend on high until it reaches the the consistency of sour cream, but granular, about 10-15 seconds. If the dip is too thick but you don't want to add more lemon juice, add a little water slowly and blend until it reaches the correct consistency.

Pour into a serving bowl, cover and refrigerate for a few hours before serving. (It can be eaten immediately, but becomes even more flavorful if left to chill well.)

Drizzle of olive oil over the top and add a garnish of parsley before serving. Serve with pita wedges and veggies (cucumbers are my fav with this recipe). This is super good for you and it's super fast! Most importantly, this tastes amazing!

Everybody have a great week! Pray for me tomorrow for my drive to and from Jackson, if you get the chance. I love you all!

Vegan Recipes

Now that we've gone vegan here at home, I've had many friends ask for examples of things we are able to eat. I thought I'd post a few recipes so you can see how delicious vegan food options can be!

1. Breakfast: KATE'S FAMOUS CROCK POT OATMEAL **note-I don't really use exact measurements, so you can adjust these to your taste

* 4 cups of whole grain oats (steel cut oats are the best, but regular Quaker oats work well, too)
* 7 cups filtered water
* 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
* 1 tablespoon cinnamon
* 1 teaspoon nutmeg
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1/4 cup ground nuts (we use either almonds or walnuts)
* 100% pure maple syrup(make sure it says "100%" on the bottle) to add sweetness
* rice or almond milk


Before bed, combine all of the ingredients, except syrup and rice milk, in a crock pot. Stir well. Turn crock pot on the "low setting" and let cook overnight. When you wake up, divide into bowls and add a little maple syrup and rice milk. Enjoy! This recipe makes 4 servings.**Another note: you can also use pure honey in place of the syrup--they are both natural sweeteners and taste great! Also, you would think that not using real milk would take away from the creaminess, but it really doesn't. We now actually prefer rice or almond milk to regular milk! They are both certainly a lot better than soy milk (yuck!).

2. Lunch: SUMMER SALAD WITH CUMIN AND LIME DRESSING

* 1 bunch dark green lettuce (we use spinach, romaine, or green leaf lettuce--do NOT use iceberg...it has the nutritional value of air)
* 2 red peppers, deseeded and diced
* 2 carrots, grated
* 1 small cucumber, sliced
* 4 tomatoes, quartered
* 4 spring onions, sliced
* a handful of herb leaves (we like cilantro and oregano)
* 2 ripe avocados
* 2 tablespoons lime juice

DRESSING:

* 2 tablespoons lime juice
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
* 1 garlic clove, crushed
* 1.2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
* 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
* black pepper to taste

Cut lettuce leaves into 1/2-inch pieces and place them in a large bowl. Add the peppers, carrots, cucumber, tomatoes and spring onions. Set aside. Halve, peel and pit the avocados. Cut them into 1/4-inch dice and place in a small bowl. Add the lime juice and toss well (this prevents discoloration). Add the avocados to the other vegetables. Set aside. Place the dressing ingredients in a bottle or screw-top glass jar and shake together. Pour over salad and toss well. Makes 4 servings. This is such a fresh, clean-tasting salad that will fill you up! We've eaten only this for dinner before and were completely satisfied. Enjoy!

3. Dinner: RATATOUILLE WITH RED KIDNEY BEANS

* 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
* 1 onion, chopped
* 1 each of red, yellow, and green peppers, deseeded and diced
* 4 cloves of garlic
* 2 zucchini, trimmed and diced
* 1 eggplant, diced
* 1.5 lbs tomatoes, chopped
* 14 oz can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
* 6 oz green beans, trimmed and halved
* 2 tablespoons basil or oregano leaves
* sea salt and pepper to taste

Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the chopped onion and peppers and cook gently for 5 minutes. Add the garlic, zucchini, eggplant, tomatoes, kidney beans and green beans. Stir, then cover and cook over low heat for 20-25 minutes until all vegetables are tender. Stir in fresh herbs. Season to taste with sea salt and pepper. Enjoy!! **Note:We think this tastes best after sitting for several hours after cooking, either in the fridge or on the stove. This allows the veggies to really "soak in" the flavor. This tastes fabulous with a glass of red wine.

4. Dessert: FRUIT WITH A TWIST

* 1 cup each of fresh honeydew melon, cantaloupe, and strawberries, chopped
* 1 shot of tequila
* 1 tablespoon lime juice
* 1 tablespoon fresh mint

Cut fruit and place in a large bowl. Set aside. In a smaller bowl, combine tequila, lime juice and mint (if there are children eating this, please skip the tequila and only add lime and mint). Stir well. Pour over the fruit and lightly toss together. Serves 3-4. This is SOOO good!


There you have it! In between these meals, we snack on things like raw almonds, fruit, veggies dipped in hummus (try Athenos Greek Style--it's the best), or we make Juice Plus Complete Smoothies (they are dairy-free). We are NEVER hungry! The only complaint we have about it is that there is so much preparation involved, especially when there are lots of fruits and veggies to chop. This isn't always easy, but we've found that when we spend a lot of time preparing our food, we are usually more thankful for God's provision. Also, we've found different ways to save time. I usually spend Saturday or Sunday afternoon chopping up what we will need for that week and I divide it all up in sandwich bags. We have oatmeal every morning and so I will make enough to last us for 3 days. It can be kept in the fridge and reheated. If you are wondering if our kids eat this stuff, too...Well, they don't always like what we serve them, but you'd be surprised at how open-minded they become when they start getting hungry (Sorry, but I'm not making more than one meal at a time). Our philosophy in dealing with this is best said by The Rolling Stones..."You can't always get whatcha want, but ya get whatcha need." This type of diet might not be for everyone, but it is a great way to be much healthier without having to count calories or worry about preservatives. A plant based diet is loaded with nutrients and antioxidants. Statistics show that, historically, people who eat a mostly-vegan diet live longer, they are less likely to get cancer, heart disease, and stroke, and they are less likely to suffer from obesity. This type of diet has also been shown to minimize the symptoms of autism, depression, ADHD, asthma, MS, fibromyalgia, allergies, and many, many other health problems. If you ever decide to consider going vegan, or vegetarian, make sure you get enough protein in your diet through nuts and legumes (beans). Oatmeal also has a good amount of protein (6 grams per serving). Also, make sure you are getting the right balance of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients. Rather than a multivitamin, we all take Juice Plus, which is 17 raw fruits and veggies put into a capsule. This way, we know we are getting all the nutrients we need daily through whole food, which is a much, much better way to get those nutrients than through a multivitamin. It fills in those gaps between what we are getting and what we need to get every day. Here are a few books I recommend that will more thoroughly inform you on this type of diet--keep in mind, you might get some "animal rights" stuff in these books, which Aaron and I do not endorse:

Becoming Vegan
Detox for Life
Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook

Sorry for the long post, but, hey--I've got a little more time to blog this week while the kids are away. Happy Eating!!