|
Our Charis Family
Ellen Smith
My name is Ellen Smith. My daughter Esther is a
Charis midwifery student. I joined the Charis
family last fall when I accompanied Esther to the “Labor
Support” workshop. I was so pleased to discover a
midwifery training center that is based on the Word of
God. I, too, have researched the Bible to see what
God says about pregnancy and childbirth, as well as
other aspects of family life.
I live in central Virginia with my
husband Al and our two younger daughters. Al and I
have been married over 40 years and have four children.
After 26 years of homeschooling, all of our children are
graduated.
Our first two children were born in
hospitals with a doctor assisting. Then I decided
if I ever had any more children, I would have them at
home. My mother had seven of her eight children at
home. (Back in those days where we lived, the
family doctor would make house calls. One child was born
while the doctor was on vacation, so Mama had to go to
the hospital for his birth.) I reasoned that if
Mama could have babies at home, so could I.
However, when I was pregnant with my
third child, it took a while to locate a midwife.
I was five or six months pregnant when I found my
midwife, who lived over an hour from me. I
remember thinking, “Wouldn’t it be something if my baby
girl becomes a midwife when she grows up.” There
surely needed to be more midwives!
Both my third and fourth babies were
born at home. The fourth was born almost two weeks
before her due date, and my midwife was away on vacation
at the time. So my husband, directed by the Holy
Spirit, assisted me with that birth. I prefer
midwives and home births, though my hospital birth
experiences were relatively positive, too.
I have attended the births of my
eldest daughter’s three children. I look forward
to attending more births in the future.
I enjoy sewing and gardening. I
also like opportunities to carry out the instructions
given in Titus 2:3-5 for older women to teach younger
women. I am praying about the direction the Lord
has for me in this season of my life.
Blessings,
Ellen
|
Charis Cuisine
Pico de Gallo
By
Master Chef
Greg Oshel
Pico de
Gallo vs. Salsa??
I get the question "What's the difference between Pico de Gallo and
Salsa?" Depending on who you may ask depends on the answer you
receive. The popular answer is "Salsa is cooked Pico de Gallo is
raw" or "Salsa is more saucy whereas Pico de Gallo is more like a
relish" and some people say there's no difference - they are the
same. For me, my answer tends to compile a few popular
answers: Pico de Gallo is raw and not saucy whereas Salsa is
cooked and is saucy.
Between the two I much prefer Pico de Gallo style.
I have bought jarred salsa's before and have always come up
disappointed. So I always tend to may my own Pico de Gallo.
Last week I saw a jarred "Pico de Gallo" so I had to try it.
To say I was disappointed in the product is just the tip of the
iceberg. If you use jarred salsa's, do yourself a favor and
TRY this recipe next time you want to have chips and salsa.
The freshness and flavor bursts will overwhelm your taste buds!
If you look online for a Pico de Gallo recipe the first thing you
will notice is everyone has their own version of it. While
most of the ingredients remain the same, there are definitely many
variations on it. This is my version, hope you try it and hope
you enjoy it! ~ Greg Oshel
Pico de Gallo
----------------
YIELD: about 2 cups
1 small red onion diced small (about 1/4 cup)
2 large jalapeño peppers seeded and ribs removed diced small
(leave the seeds & ribs in for a hotter taste)
1/2 of a green bell pepper diced small
2 cloves of garlic either minced or use a garlic press
2 large very ripe tomatoes diced and seeds removed. About 1
1/2 cups
1/4 cup fresh cilantro chopped fine.
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
Juice of one lime
Combine all ingredients together in a bowl. Serve with
tortilla chips of your choice. It is better if you allow it to
season
for a day in the fridge, but it is just fine to serve right away,
too.
Visit and get to know Chef Greg's Gormet Kitchen on his
blog. |
