The Zurowski Family Travelers

   I am happily breaking my blog fast today. Yeah, I went a little past the one month mark. Oops!  I guess I got a little fast happy ;)

   (March 16th - 22nd) - While I was "away",  I had the wonderful opportunity to really go away and travel to North Carolina to visit with some of my closest friends, the Hoar family!

I love these people!!!

I met the Hoars back when I lived in Thailand and have only grown in my love for them and their hearts for God and the Thai people. I am so thankful that they invited me to be a part of their furlough. They are the beeeest! (That's for you, Marg ;) 

   Let's see, oh, next I was sick with...something. I'm still not sure what it was. Strep maybe? It was horrible and that's pretty much all I can say about that. 

   Easter! How was yours? Ours was so nice! We even got a new family picture taken of us. Not professional of course, but will have to suffice for now:

Dad took a ton of other pictures, but I'll just share the most embarrassing funniest one with you for now :)

Yep. John's idea. Can you tell which one of us is the basketball player? ....Show-off :P 

Also, during this time, our good friend, Andrew, from New York spent a week with us. It is always so much fun to have him here :) 

   (April 16th - 27th) Next up was a trip up to New York and Dad leaving the same day for South Sudan. Both trips were wonderful in of themselves and it was great being with our loved ones (on both sides of the globe!). But then we were told the devastating news that a very good and long time friend of ours had passed away. So, Mom and the boys and I drove the 14 hours home and Mom and John were right back on the road the next morning to drive to our friends funeral which was several states away as well. Needless to say, my mother was rather tired by the time they came home. And yesterday my dad came home! It's always so wonderful to have him back safe and sound. It's also great to be back together as a family again, especially after such a whirlwind week. The Lord is good! 

   Now that I'm home, I'm anxious to get started on my garden! I just need to borrow a rototiller and then I'll be set. This years crop will (hopefully) consist of pumpkins, cucumbers, corn, bell peppers, beef steak tomatoes and carrots. Plus I plan on adding some flowers around the edges that are supposed to help keep the pests away. 

   Well, I must go now, but I will leave you with this beautiful Psalm first - 

I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. 

He will not let your foot be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. 

The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. 

The Lord will keep you from all evil; He will keep your life. The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore. - Psalm 121

Blessings to you!

Abolitionist - Part 3

"But he who is noble plans noble things, and on noble things he stands." ~ Isaiah 32:8

Abolitionist – Part 3

Interrupted

I interrupt this month-long internet fast (yes, the one I forgot to write about) to take the time for rooting my brother on for his desire to unashamedly share about a burden that God has placed upon his heart. While I am not writing on here for the rest of this month, I would highly encourage you to please head over to John's blog Unashamed.

His two newest posts are VERY interesting reads and ones that I hope you will take the time to look at. They are kind of long, but please don't skim! Every word written is vital and leading up to his point. Below are easy links to his posts from yesterday and today. I know he would appreciate a comment or two :) 

Abolitionist – Part 1

Abolitionist – Part 2

Let Heaven Shout

I surrender all to You, my God
I will give You all I have
For You took my filthiness and made me clean

CHORUS:
I love You, Lord
Your praises I will sing
Let Heaven shout
For I have been redeemed

I lay down my life
My plans, my rights
For I’m captured by Your love
Though I lose this world, I will know You

BRIDGE:
////Nothing compares////

Quote & Picture a day for one week: Day 7.........on day 12 (Oops)

Okay,  I don't know what happened to me, but I am determined to get day 7 done even if it isn't on day 7 ;)

"God is to be praised with the voice, and the heart should go therewith in holy exultation." - Charles H. Spurgeon 

Me: "Jeremiah, praise the Lord!" Ahhhh my heart melts...I wonder if God's heart does too? :) 

Cute Mr. Chapped Cheeks!

Quote & Picture a day for one week: Day 5 & 6- Monday and Tuesday....and a little bonus.

Day 6 (today)

What comes into our minds when we think about God, is the most important thing about us. - A.W. Tozer

A Foggy Morning

Day 5

"If Love through me, Love of God,
Make me like Thy clear air
Through which unhindered, colors pass
As though it were not there.
Powers of the love of Good,
Depths of the heart Divine,
O Love that faith not, break forth,
And flow this world of Thine. " 

- Amy Carmichael

White Chocolate Orange Cranberry Scones

With no refined sugar*

Dry Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

8 TBSP butter, frozen

1/2 cup dried cranberries, roughly chopped

1/3 cup white chocolate chips

Wet Ingredients:

1/2 cup sour cream

1 large egg

2 TBSP + 2 tsp. Honey** 

1/4 tsp. orange extract

1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

Method:

1.) Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a medium bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Grate butter into flour mixture on the large holes of a box grater; use your fingers to work in butter (mixture should resemble course meal), then stir in dried cranberries and white chocolate.

2.) In a small bowl, whisk together all wet ingredients until smooth.

3.) Using a fork, stir wet ingredients into flour mixture until large dough clumps form. Use your hands to press the dough against the bowl into a ball.

4.) Place on a lightly floured surface (or onto a strip of wax paper with wax paper folded over the dough), and pat into a 7 to 8 inch circle about 3/4 inch thick. Use a sharp knife to cut into 8 triangles; place on a cookie sheet, about 1 inch apart. Bake until golden, about 15 - 17 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes and serve warm or at room temperature. 

Enjoy!

*No refined sugar with exception of white chocolate chips. 

** If you wish to make these with regular sugar, replace honey with 1/3 cup sugar added in the dry ingredients. 

If desired, drizzle with melted white chocolate or an orange sugar glaze after the scones have cooled.

Quote & Picture a day for one week: Day 4 - Sunday

Okay, okay... technically  today is day five, but I missed skipped yesterday because the lighting was so bad in our house that I wasn't getting any good pictures. So, I'll just have to make up for it! :) Anyway, here is today's quote and picture. Enjoy.

"When a train goes through a tunnel and it gets dark, you don’t throw away the ticket and jump off. You sit still and trust the engineer." ~ Corrie ten Boom

Sweet Little Malachi
(Once again, the lighting wasn't too great this morning, but he's too sweet to not share!)

I liked his sweater :)

Quote & Picture a day for one week: Day 3 - Friday

"You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream." - C.S. Lewis

My pretty kitty, Missy (This is how I see her)

(This is how my dad sees her ;)