Forever Beloved

Faith, Love & Truth

TWENTY THREE | FAMILY RECIPE

Today’s prompt: A family recipe (if grandma allows, of course!)

When I was growing up I was blessed to not only have a Mama that grew her own food, but canned it as well. Not only my Mama, but all the women in my family. Many family gatherings would include a circle of women chatting about their recent crops and what they were planning on canning with them. It was a given that once I had a household of my own, I would follow in all their footsteps. And proudly, I have.

This is the spaghetti sauce recipe that my Grandma, Mama and now myself use. It’s absolutely our favorite and store bought sauce doesn’t even compare to it.

Spaghetti Sauce
  • 1⁄2 bushel tomatoes
  • 2 bulbs garlic
  • 4 hot peppers
  • 3 lb. onions
  • 1⁄2 cup salt
  • 1 1⁄2 cup sugar
  • 3 tbsp italian seasoning
  • 8 cans tomato paste
  • 2 cups oil

INSTRUCTIONS:

Put everything into a blender and puree. I cut the stem part off the tomatoes, quarter them and put skins and all into the blender. I also leave the seeds in two of the hot peppers to add some heat.

Bring it to a boil and cook until thick. I cook mine for 4-5 hours, stirring occasionally.

To can, pour into jars. Place rings and lids on jars, making it fingertip-tight. Place on a cloth-covered or wood surface, several inches apart, until cool.

TWENTY TWO | FALL FAVS

Today’s prompt: Fall favorites. Share your must-haves for this season.

It’s no secret, Fall is my absolute favorite season. So this topic is incredibly easy for me to write about. Let me be more specific…

Fall Favorites 
Leaves changing colors. Pumpkin flavored creamer. Ladies Bible Study. Knitting. 
Boots with every outfit. Truck pulls. Cozy Scarves. Pumpkin Candles. Golden light. 
Carving Pumpkins. Scary movie marathons. Burlap Wreathes. Crisp air.
Curling up with a book. Friday night football games. Chili. 
Bonfires. Dressing in Layers. Halloweentown. Mums. Thanksgiving.
Caramel Apples. Craft shows. Warm soup on a cold day. Hay rides. Pumpkin patch.
The smell. Driving through falling leaves.  Trick-or-treating.
Decorations. Boot socks.  Thanksgiving.  Fall festivals.  Apple butter.
Wearing layers.  Boot socks.  Christmas is around the corner.
Potato soup and bread bowls.  Annual family photo shoot.

TWENTY | KNOW + BELIEVE

Today’s prompt: Something you wish more people knew or believed.

Empowering women to love their body, as is, is one of my passions. So many times, we let the wrong factors define our worth. We allow failed relationships, body image, abuse, past choices and health to define us. We allow feelings of being useless, ignored, ugly, overweight, unloved or forgotten to circle around us. Sadly, we repeatedly allow these factors to define us. We allow our feelings to dictate our identity.

In those moments of weakness, where the lies seem to continually circle around, refuse to give in to them. Remember that you are loved, as-is. And retraining your heart to know that is absolutely worth the fight.

I have lived life in a size 12 body and a size 24 body, and every size in between. I have been called fat, a cow and lots of other names. I have been told I have such a pretty face, if I would just lose some weight. Mean words that are said without a second thought, but they stay in my head for years. I have carried oh-so-much shame around with me over those years. And it seemed no amount of self-help books, dieting or trying to sort it out in my head ever worked. I had an unhealthy and unfortunate amount of shame and self-loathing toward my body. I could not imagine why God would give other girls perfect bodies then give me this one. And to be honest, I was a little mad at Him for that.

Learning to love myself regardless of my size was one of the most crucial turning points. 

Women today are continually exposed to what society sees as the ideal body. The perfect hourglass shape with no arm flab, a thigh gap, full lips, perfect breasts and a flat tummy. And if you don’t have those, then you aren’t beautiful. We believe from the time we are little girls that we must have these things. If we’re not the ideal beautiful, then we should be ashamed and not feel like we are good enough.

“I am unwaveringly ME; and the same goes for YOU. No matter what you’re struggling with, embrace what you have to offer, love yourself right this minute and start affecting positive change for yourself and others.”—Whitney

What does Jesus think of us? What does He think our worth is? Well, He thought you and I were worth dying for! And if He thinks that much of us, why would we ever allow others to degrade the life He went through so much to save? He thinks we are worth far more than rubies! {Proverbs 31:10}

Some days, without fail, old insecurities will come knocking on the doors of our hearts. We’re tempted to tell lies about ourselves to ourselves when we’re rejected or knocked down or feeling not quite … enough.

But in those moments of weakness, I refuse to give in to the lies. I will continue to tell myself I am loved, as-is, not as I think I should be.

Retraining my heart will take years. But I know it is worth the fight.


Let me speak directly to your heart. Believe it, sweet girls. Pretty please with cream and sugar on top. Know that what Jesus says about you is genuine – that you a treasure, of great worth, a woman with infinite value. No matter what size you are.  No matter what you look like.  No matter what anyone says. No matter what you’ve done. No matter your past. No matter how you feel. It’s true!