{Hope for the Home}: (Gluten Free) Pumpkin Donuts

When Ben and I adopted our little Judd man, we had no clue how to deal with, navigate through, or 

prepare in any way for food intolerances. In fact, we really didn't know anything about them. We were adopting a 7 year old boy from a mental institution in Eastern Europe with the diagnosis of Down Syndrome. That was pretty much the extent of our knowledge.

Neither of us were experienced in special needs. None of our children had ever had so much as a learning disability or allergies to foods (that we knew of). And when you adopt a child that you know has not received anywhere near what he or his little body has needed to grow and heal properly and who seems desperately hungry at all times, you just want to feed them. Anything, everything. Watching him eat, and smile, and get full brings you immense joy.

But after months of tummy issues, and many doctors, and many tests for parasites, we were still no where near finding a solution. He also had many skin issues. We had treated him twice to get rid of the scabies he had, but his poor face and bottom were constantly breaking out and itching. Refusing steroids and treating with lavender oil did help alot, but was not the cure!

One day I just woke up and made a decision, which I attribute to God. I decided to go dairy and gluten free for Judd. Overnight. Here we go. No clue how to do it, but we were off to see the Wizard!

Although I had read that children with DS can be much more 

apt to have Celiac's, Judd had tested negative. And I know I had a blog reader mention to me months prior that the testing for Celiac's can be tricky, but I really paid no mind to any of it. Until that morning!

Judd had a routine doctor's appointment that same week and I informed the Doctor of what I was in the process of doing. He laughed at me! He said that Judd's tests for Celia'cs were negative and that removing both items was not wise. He then laughed and said his gut feeling was that if there was any issue at all it was the dairy. Laughing at me makes me more determined!

Within 2 weeks of removing these items Judd had his first solid (if you know what I mean)

in 8 months! Within 6 weeks he was completely toilet trained, a HUGE issue resolved. HUGE!

And after about 4 solid months on this diet, I added back in a few things to see the reaction. He can handle a little Yogurt and cheese causes IBS type symptoms, so we keep mostly to our non-dairy diet. And gluten causes his skin to go haywire, not to mention the tummy issues and the most-likely behavior issues as well. Those can be hard to determine because we have so many things going on and Judd for the most part is non-verbal. 

I could go on and on. And many of you reading may be very familiar with gluten sensitivities,

and food allergies and issues. But since our decision we have met many parents that ask us questions like...

- How did you get Judd's skin so clear? 
- How did you get him toilet trained?

I tell them, beg them practically, to remove these items from their children's diets to see if it helps.

Usually their response is "Oh that would be too hard!" But if I can do it, anyone can do it! I'm not the most organized, goal-oriented or disciplined person around. Just do it. The results could be life changing! 

Your child may not have DS, but gluten especially, can cause many negative reactions in children and adults alike....behavioral, skin, health, learning, etc. Not everyone will test positive for Celiac's, but gluten sensitivity is just as real.

Now, on to the good stuff! Here is our new, favorite recipe for Gluten Free Pumpkin Donuts!

These are delicious and EASY, and the ingredients are some of the easier ones to find.

1 Cup Sorghum Flour

1 Cup Potato Starch

1/2 Cup Almond Flour

1 Cup brown sugar

1/4 Cup cane sugar

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. xanthan gum

1 tsp. Sea salt

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground ginger

Mix all above ingredients, sifting flours.

3 eggs beaten

2 tsp. Vanilla

1/2 cup expellar pressed canola oil

Beat together and add to dry ingredients.Then add 1 14oz can of Pumpkin.

Fill a donut pan 2/3 full and bake on 350 for approx 18 minutes. Make sure to spray pan with non-stick cooking spray.

(I found my donut pan at Bed Bath and Beyond for less than ten bucks!)

Original Recipe from Gluten Free Goddess.

We frosted half of the donuts with our favorite cream cheese frosting!

4oz cream cheese

4 oz butter

2 tbs Vanilla

2 cups powdered sugar

Beat with hand mixer until nice and creamy.

Random Houshold Tip: 

I just read in one of my favorite Magazines (Mary Jane's Farm) to store a sheet set in one of it's pillow cases! Brilliant!

Go here for more ways to make God apart of your everyday life and home!

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About the Author: Melanie Hartman blogs about her life on the farm and her family's rescue adoption over at Happy Hartman Farm. Her, her husband Ben, and their 5 children are just an average American (Military) family trying to serve Our Lord and Risen Savior, hoping not to live their lives in vain, with hearts that are burdened for the orphan crisis in this world.

{Hope for the Home}: Fall Tree of Thanks

Last year on October 1st, we held a family reunion at our home. I love the Fall and this time of year and wanted to decorate our house beautifully for the occasion. But of course, as most of us are, we were on a budget. So we put our heads together and came up with some fun and free decorations.

We had a blast stuffing scarecrows, using my husband's old clothes and some hay from our barn.

And painting signs, which my husband made out of old pieces of siding found in our barn.

The kids put hand prints on them using craft paint and I wrote their names on them using a permanent Sharpie. When they were dry, I sprayed them with a clear coat so that the paint would hold up outdoors.

But the best decoration we came up with on a budget was our Fall Tree of Thanks. This will definitely be a must have, must do, every year.

It brings so much warmth to our home and makes for a great craft project. Not just for the kids, but for the

whole family, including dads! *Smile*

What you will need is...

1. A tree of course. We used our smaller fake Christmas tree. You could also use a potted tree. If you do not have a spot inside your home, this would make a great addition to any porch as well.

2. Lights, if your tree is not already lit. 

3. Construction paper

4. Hole puncher

5. Any old yarn

6. Scissors 

7. Crayons, pens, etc.

Every member of the family traces their hand onto construction paper and cuts them out. 

You can stack several pieces of the construction paper together before cutting to get more hands faster. 

I chose colors that I felt were Autumn appropriate. 

Each family member then writes something that they are thankful for onto each hand. 

Then cut long pieces of yarn and string the hands, tying light knots at each hole, rotating hands so that you get a good variety of size and color in each chain. Or simply let every family member make their own chain of just their hands. All of the chains are then strung around the tree. 

You can also decorate the tree with other Fall type of decorations, such as sunflowers.

This is a great time for conversation. A time to remind ourselves and to teach our children some basic Bible truths. It is also a time to remind ourselves and to teach our children that many of the little things in life we take for granted daily are really the big things we ought to be thanking God for on a more regular basis. 

For example...our health, each other, a roof over our head... you get the idea. 

We live in a day and age where we are all bombarded by the false ideas and hopes that material possessions 

bring happiness. We are always surprised at how early our children begin to buy into this thought process. 

True happiness comes from being thankful, from giving, from working through the hard stuff, 

the ugly stuff, and seeing the beauty that can come from the ashes.

Most importantly, happiness comes from a close walk with God through our Savior Jesus Christ.

None of us are promised another day.

Our health can take a turn for the worse at any moment.

God gives and He takes away.

It is not bad to have material possessions, but we must be good stewards. We should be seeking 

the Lord and His will before making many of the purchases that we are so accustomed to just splurging on. 

Are the things we have or want becoming idols to us? Or do they distract us from our walk with the Lord?

Are we so caught up in what we want, in getting the next best thing, or in drooling over what someone else has, that we lose sight of what we have that truly matters? 

Another good exercise...

Have every person make lists of things they like, enjoy, and are thankful for. Then discuss how it might affect them or their life if that thing or person were taken from them. It is a good way to put into perspective what truly matters. Food or an iPod? Mom and Dad or a laptop? Salvation and eternity with God, or an eternity of torment and fire (This is a very good exercise to do with teenagers)!

And here are a few verses you can use in your discussion...

Philippians 4:11

Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.

Hebrews 13:5

Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said,

I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

Proverbs 15:16

Better is little with the fear of the Lord, than great treasure and trouble therewith.

Matthew 6:21

For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Go here for more ways to make God apart of your everyday life and home!

About the Author: Melanie Hartman blogs about her life on the farm and her family's rescue adoption over at Happy Hartman Farm. Her, her husband Ben, and their 5 children are just an average American (Military) family trying to serve Our Lord and Risen Savior, hoping not to live their lives in vain, with hearts that are burdened for the orphan crisis in this world.

{Hope for the Home}: Paving the Way + Coconut Milk Pancakes

2 Kings 16-19

"And Isaiah said unto Hezekiah, hear the word of the Lord, Behold, the days come, that all that is thine house, and that which thy fathers have laid up in store unto this day shall be carried into Babylon: nothing shall be left saith the Lord. And of thy sons that shall issue from thee, which thou shalt beget, shall they take away; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon. Then said Hezekiah unto Isaiah, good is the word of the Lord which thou hast spoken. And he said, is it not good, if peace and truth be in my days?"

     If taken out of context, verse 19 looks harmless. The word of the Lord is good, it is good to have peace and truth. However, the preceding verses consisted of Isaiah telling Hezekiah that everything in his house would be taken to Babylon and his children would be taken hostage where they would be treated harshly as eunuchs. So in its context, Hezekiah is saying my children and grandchildren can fend for themselves as long as I have a pleasant life. Hezekiah did have a good life, he served God for much of his time as king. But to hear that your children would bare the punishment for sins you have committed did not phase him. How true is that today. 

Both Ben and I are transitional generations. Neither of us really learning God's word in our youth. I did learn of Salvation as a teenager from attending a youth group with a friend, and ended up truly trusting in Christ a few years later. Ben grew up going to church on Sunday, which I think is wonderful. It is more than I had. However, he explains it as an hour a week that was mostly a ritual. He would walk away from it with little understanding of God, his word, or how to apply it. And the rest of the week was living in the flesh. It wasn't until his early thirties that he trusted in Christ after hearing the Gospel. And together we are trying to learn and grow and break many of the chains of sin that have been passed down.

And so the question arrises "how can I instill into my children the values they need to navigate through this life?"

Whether you are a transitional generation or were raised up in a God-fearing home, raising children today is no easy task. 

And it still applies, regardless of which kind of home you grew up in, that the sins of our parents can easily become our sins as well. 

Let's ask ourselves these questions...

Are we having selfish faith? Do we truly want for our Children to do better than us? Are we giving them the spiritual upbringing they will need to honor God in their lives and relationships? Are we giving them the proper tools for life?

Do we have the courage to stand against the world and our own weaknesses? 

Can we take hard stands even if it is so much easier to go with the flow?

Can we take stands against our families or friends?

Can "WE" press ourselves to grow in spirit and in truth for the sake of our children and every other generation to come?

For me, personally, it is easier in many ways to go against the world than it is to stop my own negative learned behaviors. With 5 children now and one of those treasures, our adopted son Judd who also has Down Syndrome. I am at times pushed and tested to uncomfortable levels. Sometimes the ways that I was taught to deal with hard situations won't help grow me or my children. And I find myself in a real quick pinch of "How am I going to deal, or not deal, with this situation?" The way that I am wanting to at that very moment or the way that I ought to, might be quite different.

A few weeks back I was having this conversation with my husband as I was struggling with discipline. He spoke some much needed truth to me. And I wish I could say that I have always applied it, but I can't. I am trying though and I am thankful for his words of wisdom. I have hidden them in my heart.

He told me to look at discipline as any other thing/area/action in my life, and to think of what might be pleasing to The Lord. 

Know that He is watching you. 

Are you reacting out of anger? Are you not reacting at all because it is easier? Are you teaching? Are you loving? 

Are you honoring Christ in your parenting and discipline? 

Is it your Goal?

When a sticky situation arrises think "How can I honor God through this!"

May sound simple... But can be easier said than done!

Good Luck and Happy Parenting!

I would like to thank Erin for asking me to write for this great segment. I am honored and humbled. Erin found out about our adoption plans and joined me in my Fit for February fundraiser in 2011. Since then she has been an incredible friend and source of support and encouragement to not only me but my family.

In honor of our little Judd man, whom is Gluten and Dairy Free, I'd like to share this recipe with you!

Coconut Milk Pancakes

2 eggs

2 tbl coconut oil

1/4 tsp vanilla

1/3 C. coconut milk

1 tsp sugar

1/8 th tsp salt

3 tbl sifted coconut flour

1/8 tsp baking powder

Blend together eggs, oil, vanilla, coconut milk, sugar and salt. Combine coconut flour with bk. powder and thoroughly mix into batter. Heat 1 tbl of coconut oil in skillet. Spoon batter onto hot skillet making pancakes about 2 1/2 to 3 inches in diameter. Makes 8-10 pancakes.

About the Author: Melanie Hartman blogs about her life on the farm and her family's rescue adoption over at Happy Hartman Farm. Her, her husband Ben, and their 5 children are just an average American (Military) family trying to serve Our Lord and Risen Savior, hoping not to live their lives in vain, with hearts that are burdened for the orphan crisis in this world.