The Quotidian (20. 6. 16)

Quotidian: daily, usual, or customary;
everyday; ordinary; commonplace.

On a little side note ~ this is my 50th Quotidian post!!
Interestingly, tomorrow marks two years since I posted the first one.
Thank you, Jennifer Jo, for allowing me to imitate you.  :) 

 Stirring up trouble.
(Do you remember this outfit?)

Labelled (long ago) by my Sweetie.

Clearing a path.

Waiting to be put back.

Fresh canvas.

To remember it by ~ it's been painted over.

Supplies.

More supplies.

Nearly done!

Finishing up her math. 

Reading.  Always reading.
 

Helping Mum....

...and Dad.

Overlooking his sister.

Who also was helping.

I see you!  :)

 Click here to see what it once was.

I set this one to work, too.  :)

View from the front window ~ see Fraser?

 Work station.

A sample.

Happy Monday!
 With Love, Camille

Another One...

You know we like ice cream, right?
  No?  Well...just click here for proof.  It's a problem.

The last time I posted a no-cook chocolate ice cream,

 I had no idea that it could be improved upon.  

But, it has.  In my opinion, at least.
 So, here's another one for you.  From my heart.

Unfortunately, I now have this recipe memorised.

It's extra convenient.  Within 15 minutes we can go from

idea to table with this stuff.  It truly is a frightening proposition.

But, a good one.  No one argues when this is in their bowl.

What you need:

2 1/2 cups heavy cream (whipping cream, unwhipped)

1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk      

1/2 cup granulated sugar (I use evaporated cane juice)

1/4 cup dutch processed cocoa

1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract

1/8 tsp ground pink Himalayan rock salt (or sea salt)

What you do:

Whisk together until sugar and cocoa are dissolved.

Pour into ice cream maker and churn until thickened.

In my ice cream maker, this takes 15 to 20 minutes.

  
Serve immediately for soft-serve ice cream.

Or, freeze for several hours for firmer ice cream. 
Either way, it's a hit.  Easy and delicious.  What could be better?

Happy Summering!

      With Love, Camille       

Only One Left

Each of our three boys has graduated from high school.
Emma is the only one left for me to teach.
I'm working myself out of a job.  Or, so it would seem.  :)  

Austin was called home to heaven six days prior to his graduation day.
Two years ago, Calvin walked the stage and received his diploma.
And now, Fraser has completed his high school requirements.  

He looks happy about it, don't you think? 

The principal of our school gave a wonderful address to the grads.

He had the honour of switching the tassel from right to left.

Apparently, that one act signifies the passage from childhood to adulthood.

Just as quickly and easily as that.  :)

We all gathered together for a family photo.

Then, the kids posed for me.

And, we posed for Calvin.

And, that was that.

Fraser, we pray that the Lord will guide you as He has in the past.
We have every confidence that He will be faithful to lead you each step of the way.
And, we know that whatever He calls you to, He will see you through!

How precious it is to belong to Him!

"He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good;
and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly,
and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?"  Micah 6:8

With All our Love,
Dad and Mum  XOXO

The Quotidian (13. 6. 16)

Quotidian: daily, usual, or customary;
everyday; ordinary; commonplace.

In the process of capturing this quotidian.

Learning the World.

It's a challenge.

Austin's Roses.

Tying up all the loose ends.

Editing his images for a client.

Math lesson.

For June 1st ~ Thank you, Dad!  :)

Brothers and Bikes (and one friend).

Making Music.

 Grouse Mountain ~ Just the two of them.

 If we slow it all down and take it all in, we find beauty.
It's there.  Even in the littlest of things.
May the Lord help us this day to open our eyes to see.

Happy Monday, Y'all!
 With Love, Camille

Easy Korean Beef

So, again...my sister.

I like to blame things on her.

(Actually, I'm just joking....I don't, really.)

Culinary things, however, are a different matter entirely.

In light of this, when I say I am blaming my sister,
it is my intention to give her credit.

She deserves a lot of it.  Credit, that is.

When she told me (awhile back) that I had to make a new recipe

she'd found, I paid attention.  (I always try to pay attention.)

Well, this one sounded too simple for words.

She informed me that I was to double it or even triple it.

Good thing I listened, because there were no leftovers.  None.

 Since that day, I have made this meal over and over again.

It never fails.  Always hits the spot.  And, there are never any leftovers.

(That last point is not actually something I am happy about.)

Easy Korean Beef ~ Originally recommended by my sister who

found it and pinned it and tweaked it and made it her own.

I have subsequently done the same.  It's been a collaborative effort.

The secret is to use fresh garlic and ginger.
The powdered stuff just doesn't go far enough.
If you want the *wow* factor, use fresh.  Every single time.

Once again, a warning about the spice.  We like things fairly spicy.
If you don't, use less cayenne.  You can always add more.
But, you cannot go back once it's in the pot.  Forewarned is forearmed, right?
You're welcome.  ;-)

What you need:

1 pound lean ground beef
1 Tbsp fresh ginger root, minced
3 large cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbsp soy sauce (I use Kikkoman GF)
1 Tbsp sesame oil (important for flavour...don't skip it!)
1/3 cup packed golden brown sugar
1/3 tsp cayenne pepper
3 green onions, cut into one inch lengths

What you do:

Scramble-fry the ground beef in medium sized pot over medium heat.
Cook until no pink remains.  Drain, leaving behind some of the liquid.
(Don't drain off too much, or it will be dry.)  Stir in the fresh ginger and garlic.
Scramble-fry for a couple of minutes until fragrant.

Add soy sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar and cayenne pepper
to pot and stir all together until thoroughly combined.  Reduce heat and simmer,
partially covered, to allow the flavours to mingle for five to ten minutes.
Keep and eye on how much sauce is left in your pot, and add a little water, if necessary.

Just prior to serving, stir in the green onions.  You want them to stay crisp.
Serve over a bed of rice with steamed veggies
or a salad on the side.  The sides always change around here.

I always make triple.  Apparently, it improves with time.
So, leftovers would not be a bad thing.  Or, so my sister tells me.
One recipe will serve two (three?) moderately hungry people.

Happy Cooking!
With Love, Camille

*To make this gluten free, be sure to use GF soy sauce.

**Recipe credit apparently goes to this girl
when I clicked on the "adapted from" at the bottom of each post,
I ended up finding that she was the end of the line. 

For the Kids

Each year, on June 1st, we have done something different.

We seem to be falling into a consistent pattern when it comes to

Austin's birthday.  We like to remember his home-going day as well.

But, not in the same manner.

It's emerged as being a day to mark for its spiritual significance.

It was, in fact, Austin's best day.  He was called Home to Heaven.

What could be better than that?  It's exactly what we desire for all our children.

Austin just went ahead of our schedule.

June 1st doesn't always involve gifts for our other three.

However, the first year we gave our children each a

copy of "Trusting God ~ Even When Life Hurts".

We subsequently read it together as a family.

Last year, if I remember correctly, we listened to the sermon our

pastor preached the very next morning after Austin's entrance into heaven.
We may have listened to Austin's recorded testimony as well.
We most certainly would have reflected on where our son is and what he is doing.

This year, we gave each of the kids a copy of "Grieving, Hope and Solace". 
Three personalised photo books had been created which were given as well.  
 They were thrilled with them.  Which, of course, thrilled my heart.

Each book contains photos of their growing up years with their big brother.
The journalling which accompanies the photos was created specifically for each one.
Unique memories are mentioned and made note of in order to stir
up more memories, or to draw attention to those perhaps forgotten.

While I was putting the books together, there were tears as well as smiles.
It was most definitely an emotional journey.  But, one well worth the effort.

 

    We look back, and we are thankful.
The Lord has blessed us abundantly, and we praise Him.
His ways are always best, even when we don't understand.
Even when it is excruciatingly difficult.
 
We rest our hearts in His Sovereign plan.   
And, we look to Him.

It won't be long, and we will be together again.
Praising the Lord forever throughout all eternity.
 May the Lord give us grace to follow wherever He leads.
We know that He will be faithful until the day He calls us Home.  

With Love,

  Camille   

Giveaway Winner!

We put the names into a hat and committed the draw to the Lord.

It's just what we do.  We know there is no such thing as chance.
Isn't that a most wonderful truth to ponder? 

There were three ladies who emailed me privately for an entry. 
So, they were included in the mix.
I employed Emma as my official name-draw-er.
 

The winner of the book giveaway 
in honour of our Austin is....

  
Congratulations, Christa!  Please email me privately at
flowersinhisgarden@gmail.com to give me your mailing address
and then I will be able to get this encouraging little book off to you!

With Love,
Camille

Three Years ~ A Giveaway

We have been three years on this journey.
And, it would be accurate to say we feel as though
we have been amputated as a family.

It's how I described it in the beginning, and still do to this day.
 (Not knowing, of course, what a physical amputation feels like,
but, imagining it may be something like this absence we are experiencing.)

For our friends, it's been nearly three months.
We are on parallel journeys in so many ways.
And, yet, our journeys remain unique.

One thing we most definitely have in common
is where our strength lies.  Where our hope comes from.

In honour of our Austin's home-going to Heaven,
I am offering one of you a copy of this encouraging and
faith-building little book.  It has been used to comfort our hearts,
and, I trust it will be a sweet blessing to you as well.  

We all, at one point or another, will have to deal with grief in our lives.
Perhaps there is someone in your life who is currently grieving.
This book is a great encouragement to those walking with the Lord.
There is no time like the present to read such a treasure.

All you have to do to enter this draw is leave a comment
with a way to reach you if your name should be chosen.
If you would like to email me privately for an entry,
my email address is flowersinhisgarden@gmail.com.   

My plan is to pull a name from the hat at
Noon (PST) on Monday, June 6th. 

With Love,
Camille   

**UPDATE ~ Giveaway CLOSED**