Archive for September, 2010

Best of September

September 30th, 2010

Ok, so I thought I’d try out a new little tradition around here and start doing a “best of” post at the end of each month. Basically, I’ll post links to some of the most popular posts and some favorite posts from the archives. It was actually really fun for me to put this together and look back at old posts, I’m curious how it’ll go in the coming months.

Before we jump into the links I want to take a second to say thank you to YOU! Each of you who have stopped by to read my blog have helped make it a place that is safe and encouraging for me and for so many others. Each of you who have taken the time to sit and read my random thoughts have contributed to keeping this blog going. THANK YOU!

Top 5 Most Popular Posts this Month:

  1. Beet Kvass (posted May 2010)
  2. “Naked” Church: Church in a Nude Art Exhibit (Posted September 2008)
  3. Immigration: Choosing Love Instead of Fear (Posted September 2010)
  4. Gotta Spend Some Time, Love (Posted May 2008)
  5. Shiphrah and Puah: Courageous Midwives (Posted March 2009)

This Septembers Top Referring Sites:

  1. A Nourishing Home
  2. Simply Sugar and Gluten Free
  3. Food Renegade
  4. Nourished Kitchen
  5. Girlichef

I feel REALLY honored that these 5 blogs are my top referring sites because they are some of my favorite blogs and some of the most wonderful bloggers I know. I highly recommend that you check out their sites if you haven’t already.
I want to say THANK YOU to all of you who have directed people to my blog through your links and your carnivals. This blog wouldn’t be the same without all of my amazing readers and I owe many of them to referrals from you. So, THANK YOU!

2 personal favorites from This September:

  1. Love and Fear Dance Together
  2. What Would You Tell Your Pre-Mommy Self

2 of my favorite recipes I posted This September:

  1. Sick Busting Super Soup (Onion and Garlic Soup)
  2. God Bless The Indian Summer (Plum and Peach Cake)

2 personal favorites from September 2008:

  1. “Bethany Was Here” – Desiring to be Known
  2. Moving Towards True Being: The Long Process of Maturity
    Side Note: Rereading Moving Towards True Being was especially good for me right now – I needed this reminder and may be writing more about this soon…

Do you have a favorite blog post from bethstedman.com? If so what was it?

Do you have any suggestions for topics for future blog posts?

Rejoicing in the journey -
Bethany Stedman

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Thaddeus is One Now!

September 28th, 2010

Sunday was my son’s first birthday. I’ve been looking forward to this day since he was first born! SERIOUSLY.

The early baby stage was so hard for me, and even though I’m sure 1 has its own challenges, 1 means he’s closer to being able to communicate and that makes me really excited! With as much as I have been anticipating this day, and with as SLOW as the past year has seemed to me, I was really surprised by how emotional I ended up being. By the end of the day I just felt so sad. I have no desire to go back or prolong the baby stage, but as I lay in bed nursing my beautiful little baby I was struck (perhaps for the first time) with the FULL realization that this season is limited. During much of the past year I felt like he would NEVER grow up and now I realize he’s actually growing up rather quickly and before I know it he won’t want to nurse or cuddle or fall asleep by my side. Before I know it he will be big and independent and although there is a part of me that wants that, there is also a part of me that felt a little pain in my heart at the thought. It’s amazing how conflicting the emotions of motherhood can be at times.

Anyway, we had a really nice day and a very nice little birthday brunch for Thaddeus. We tried to keep it small and just had 4 other families there, but with everyone’s kids it ended up being a pretty good size group. Bryan and I made this wonderful homemade doughnut recipe (I used unrefined cane sugar instead of honey for the babies). I also made an egg and spinach dish and baked oatmeal. Our friends brought fruits and walnuts picked from the tree in their backyard. We eat and the kids played and then Thad opened his presents, which were each so perfect. After that everyone joined us in praying a liturgy that Bryan and I wrote when Thad was born – we made a few tweaks to it so that it fit more with the 1st birthday occasion.

Here is a little video showing random little bits of the day:

Here is a picture of me and my little man on his 1st birthday:

IMG_7116

If you have kids what did you do for their first birthday and how did you feel about them turning 1?

Do any of you know what you did for YOUR 1st birthday?

Rejoicing in the journey -
Bethany Stedman

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Sick Busting Super Soup (Onion and Garlic Soup)

September 24th, 2010

Well, it looks like the cold and flu season are officially upon us. This week it felt like half of the people I know are sick. Thankfully Bryan and I have been able to stay well… so far. We have been taking at least a spoonful of homemade unsweetened elderberry syrup a day and making sure we get plenty of sleep and healthy food. I have also been making lots of soup made with homemade bone broth. This week I made Onion and Garlic Soup, or my own personal Sick Busting Super Soup!

This soup is GREAT for when you are sick or for when you want to avoid getting sick! Here’s why…

Homemade bone broth:

We all know that chicken soup is wonderful for a cold, but did you know the main reason is because of the broth? Bone broth/stock contains tons of essential minerals, such as calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus. Not only is it loaded with these and lots of other minerals, these minerals are also in a form that the body can easily absorb. Broth/stock also contains gelatin, which has been found to be helpful in the treatment of various diseases. It also aids in digestion, which means that instead of spending energy on digesting difficult things, your body can spend energy fighting whatever little illness you are struggling with.

PS – Here’s a little trick for you: add a little vinegar to the water when you make bone broths/stocks to help extract the calcium and improve the nutritional value of your stock.

Onion:

Onions have been used for their healing powers for centuries all over the world. According to this site “Early American settlers used wild onions to treat colds, coughs, and asthma, and to repel insects. In Chinese medicine, onions have been used to treat angina, coughs, bacterial infections and breathing problems.” Onions are rich in a number of minerals and vitamins – Shallots and Green onions, in particular, contain high amounts of vitamin A and antioxidants. All onions have antibacterial and antifungal properties, which makes them truly perfect for when you are sick. Onions can help break up mucus and aide the immune system.

Garlic:

In our household we consider garlic the king of the spice cupboard AND the king of the medicine cabinet as well. This popular food is incredibly beneficial for health and overall well being. The benefits of garlic truly deserve a blog post all their own, but for now let me just give you the short story. Garlic contains substances which are potent anti-viral, anti-fungal and antibiotic agents. They stimulate the immune system and aide in fighting off a variety of diseases. Garlic has even been found to be effective in treating antibiotic resistant diseases.

PS – A little tip, if you leave the garlic at room temperature for about 15 minutes after you crush/chop it you will trigger a chemical reaction in the garlic that maximizes the health benefits.

Simple Onion and Garlic Soup:

3-4 quarts of homemade bone broth
6 (or more) onions (use a variety of different kinds to maximize the flavor and health benefits)
3 (or more) cloves of garlic, sliced
2 (or more) cloves of garlic, crushed
1 additional clove of garlic for each person you are serving the soup to
Cut the onions however you want. I like to mix it up, by chopping some, slicing some and quartering some. I think this gives the soup more texture which I like. But, if you want to just chop them all that will work great too.

In a large pot sauté the onions until they are soft and just a bit translucent. Then add the sliced garlic and sauté for another few minutes until the garlic is just softened. Next add in the bone broth and crush 2 (or more) cloves of garlic into your soup. Allow this to cook for a bit (especially if your broth was cold).

Just before serving add one crushed clove of raw garlic to each bowl, and then pour the hot soup into the bowl. Serve with sliced green onions to garnish and homemade bread to dip.

This is a very simple soup, there’s not a lot of substance to it, but served with some warm bread it can make a wonderfully warming meal for a cold winter day or for whenever anyone in your family is sick or wants to avoid getting sick. In fact I think I will make up another batch this weekend.

Rejoicing in the journey -
Beth Stedman

I’m entering this post in the following Blog Carnivals:
Fight Back Friday
Food on Friday
Click on the links to enjoy lots of other great posts. Enjoy!

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If You Are Looking for Some Interesting Reads…

September 18th, 2010

Today I thought I’d share a little link love with you all. So…

If you have ever questioned the pervasive emphasis on independence and the individual in Western society, if you have every doubted the “myth of the lone genius”, you might find “Two is the Magic Number: A New Science of Creativity” particularly interesting.

If you are constantly plugged in to your computer, whether by choice or because of work, if you are feeling a little addicted to technology, or if you have ever wondered about the concept of practicing a Sabbath and what that could look like in the modern era, you might find “Time For a Tech Sabbath?” particularly interesting.

If you have ever felt like the internet might be destroying your ability to focus, you might find “Is the Internet Destroying Your Brain? Try This Test” particularly interesting.

If you have ever been told that your cholesterol is too high, or if you have ever wondered about the role of cholesterol, fat and carbohydrates in health, you might find “25 Reasons the 2010 Dietary Guidelines Are Wrong About Cholesterol, Saturated Fat and Carbohydrates” particularly interesting.

If you are looking for a clear guide to how to spend your money on groceries and what the best buys for your buck are when it comes to healthy, real, traditional foods, you might find “Good, Better, Best: Traditional Foods for Every Budget” or “The List: What to Eat, What to Avoid, How to Compromise” particularly interesting.

If you wonder what a healthy breakfast looks like, or if you think there’s nothing wrong with cold box cereal as long as it doesn’t have too much sugar in it, you might find “What’s Really in The Cereal Bowl?” particularly interesting.

If you have ever wondered where to find CSAs, community gardens, small farms, or seed suppliers in your area, you might find the World Food Garden particularly interesting

If you are interested in sustainable ways to end hunger, you might find The Dinner Garden particularly interesting.

If you breastfeed in public or know someone who does, and if you want to have a good response when Christians, or men, or ANYONE tells you that you should cover up while nursing in public or not nurse in public at all, you might find “Breastfeeding in Public: A Christian Father Speaks Up” particularly interesting.

If you are interested in a new kind of revolution, the revolution of becoming the Life-Giving Force of a Women/Wife/Mama that you truly are, you might find “A Revolution of The Nourishing Kind: Will You Join Me?” particularly interesting.

Well, that’s it – lots of good reading for your Saturday morning. Enjoy!

Rejoicing in the journey -
Beth Stedman

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The Least Interesting People in the Room

September 15th, 2010

Last night Bryan and I got to be the part of a dinner that reminded me of one of the reasons why I love being in Prague. My husband said it best, “Often here in Prague I feel like we are the least interesting people in the room and I like that.” It means there’s so much we can learn from the people we are around. Their coolness factor raises our coolness factor. They inspire us. They challenge us. They cause us to think differently about the world around us and our place in it.

That isn’t to say that we don’t know amazing, wonderful, interesting people in the states, but it’s just different. The circles God has allowed us to be a part of here are just different, let me explain by telling you more about each of the families we got to hang out with last night:

The Schwender’s:

Carrie and Matthias Schwender are our flat mates and dear friends. They are beautiful people who both seek God and his will in this world in their own unique ways. They own 4 well known, beautiful boutique hostels/hotels in Prague and we joke that they “know EVERYONE.” They are a couple that understands the concept of life as ministry and ministry as life. They desire for their business to be a successful profitable business, but also to be a means of loving people and ministering to travelers.

The Mudrik’s:

Marek and Elaine and their five kids (yes, five kids!) are working on a very special project that is starting to take shape here in Prague. They have a vision for a place of rest and healing in the Czech Republic. I’ve written about them before here on the blog. They own a property out in the middle of the national park Divoka Sarka which they are currently reconstructing to turn into a retreat center of sorts. You can read more about The Rivenhill Dream on their website.

The Gumaer’s:

Steve and Oddny along with their 3 girls have quite the story. While living in Thailand and working at a student center there they had the opportunity to go to the Burmese border one weekend. While there they learned about the atrocities that are being committed everyday in Burma. They knew that they couldn’t just walk away and do nothing, that if they called themselves followers of Christ then they needed to love the Burmese people as He loves them. So, they did. They started going back every weekend and doing whatever they could to love these hurting and afflicted people. Soon they quit their other jobs and were working full time with the Burmese. Now they have an organization with more than 30 staff which daily changes the lives of the oppressed people of Burma. They work closely with the Burma Freedom Fighters and have written reports about Burma which have been submitted to major governments all around the world. On Monday they went with Mathias Schwender and another friend to see the President of the Czech Republic and give him their Burma report.

The Jones’:

Andrew and Debbie Jones are kind of famous in blogland. For a long time Andrew’s blog Tall Skinny Kiwi was ranked as the #1 Christian blog in the world. They have connections with all sorts of ministries, organizations, pastors, missionaries, business owners all around the world. They are fascinating people, full of life and great stories. But, I think the most interesting thing about them (apart from the fact that they also have 5 kids!) is their fairly recent decision about how they will live their life. You see, the Jones’ have chosen not to own property, and to instead travel around the world (in their incredibly large truck). They have chosen to be counted with “the least of these”, with the nomads, the “hippies”, the Roma. They have chosen to “Go to them rather than have them come to you.” They have already spent time in 20 countries this year and plan on traveling all throughout the 10/40 window next year after a few months of traveling through the US and Australia. You can read about their journey at Jonesberries.com.

These are the people we had the privilege of eating and talking with last night. These are all people I admire so much. Sure being the least interesting person in the room causes a lot of my insecurities to come out. And sure I feel intimidated hanging out with people who are making such a profound influence on the kingdom of God while I spend my day doing laundry and dishes, changing dirty diapers, and playing peek-a-boo. But, being around people like that also challenges me and calls me to something more. And Bryan’s right that’s a really good thing.

Rejoicing in the journey -
Bethany Stedman

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