Category: Family

A little about Our 2021…

On By Shari SnyderIn Family, Freedom Truth Faith, Lifestyle, marriage, Tiny Houses, Tiny Living, Tiny Town Texas, Wellness1 Comment

My parents and I enrolled in a constitutional law course online (we need YOU to be educated on this too; this is your superhero power “THEY” don’t want you to know)

https://youtu.be/QDhVcG1ry4k

I’m also doing the last thing I ever thought I’d do: I am engaging in law and politics at a local level. I’m attending city council meetings to hold them accountable to serve the people, uniting with local Patriots, and running for my school board to be a voice to protect the children, the future of America and Our most prized and precious asset!

www.libertyinactiontexas.com

We are stepping out in faith to open a tiny coffee house when businesses all around us are closing. www.tinytowncoffee.com

We are Remodeling a tiny river cottage to move in to ourselves And developing tiny home communities across Texas.

Todd and I started an intensive relationship development university course in January that’s so life changing! We fly to the Dominican Republic in November for a live retreat after 5 online retreats. Great free resources and Training here and on their podcast. We will use some of this curriculum in our tiny home communities.

Home – Relationship Development

Doors are opening fo the healing center I’ve been dreaming of since 2007 and I’m Studying several online courses we can use as curriculum inside our tiny home communities–this one is amazing!

Carol Tuttle’s Healing Center

And I was recently introduced to the negative health effects of unhealthy fascia

From Ashley Black and her book. I’m designing a tiny wellness spa with this information so anyone can create wellness in their back yard.

Www.ashleyblacktheguru.com

So many positive Things I’m blessed with that help me remain Hopeful by focusing on my own personal growth so I can help change the world and be the solution and Light instead of focusing on all the negativity around me.

What have you found to help during these times?

Featured
On By Shari SnyderIn china virus, Family, Freedom Truth Faith, WellnessLeave a comment

My response on next door app to concerned Parents at Local HS our son attends re. cases of CV.

“The best thing we can do is give our kids vitamin D each and every day!
Why aren’t we talking about the best way to protect yourself is vitamin D for the immune system? A piece of material cannot protect you when it’s your immune system that determines if you get sick or not. Please don’t take my word for it, do your own research and dig in to find the harmful effects and how they do not protect you from getting sick. To breathe your own toxic air is Helping to create more sickness! This is simple common sense like washing your hands. Do not breathe back in your own toxic air! Boost your immune system with vitamins and for God’s sake, please do NOT force your child to take a deadly poisonous jab! Do your own research! Do NOT trust mainstream media! I am not trying to engage in an argument. I am trying to save humanity from mass genocide! I love the children and I don’t want harm to come to them. They are innocent and we need to protect them. Jabs cause harm and no one can be held liable. Ask the mothers with jab injured kids or worse those who died. I’ve shed tears with them. The jab is to be feared far more than the disease, esp with kids! Don’t take my word for it and don’t take the so called “experts”, do your own research! America’s front line doctors have joined together to try to save humanity (google them). They are telling the truth when they have absolutely nothing to gain and everything to lose! Their website will help anyone with an open mind for truth. I believe in loving my neighbor as myself. That is my motive.” www.americasfrontlinedoctors.com

Dr. Gundrys mouthwatering shrimp cakes

On By Shari SnyderIn Family, Freedom Truth Faith, Lifestyle, Tiny Living, Tiny Town Texas, WellnessLeave a comment

Ingredients:

• 14 ounces raw wild-caught shrimp, shells removed, finely chopped

• 2 ribs celery, diced

• 1/2 yellow onion, diced

• 2 cloves garlic, crushed

• 1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning

• Zest of 1 lemon

• 2 tablespoons cassava flour, plus more if needed

• 1/4 cup omega-3 egg whites (2 eggs)

• 1/4 cup blanched almond flour

• Avocado oil spray

Instructions:

1 In a large bowl, mix the shrimp, celery, onion, garlic, Old Bay, lemon zest, cassava flour, and egg whites together. The mixture should easily form cakes between your hands—if it falls apart, add more cassava, 1 teaspoon at a time, until it comes together.

2  

3 Place the almond flour into a shallow bowl. Then, form the shrimp mixture into 4 equal-sized cakes, dip them into the almond flour, and gently pat to coat.

4  

5 Place them on a plate and refrigerate them for 15 to 20 minutes.

6  

7 Coat a large skillet with avocado oil spray, then heat over medium-high heat. Cook the shrimp cakes until they’re browned on the bottom (should take about 3 to 4 minutes).

8  

9 Gently flip and cook them for an additional 3 to 4 minutes to brown the other side.

10  

11 Reduce the heat to low and continue to cook until a sharp knife inserted into the center of a cake comes out hot (should be around 1 to 2 minutes more).

12  

13 Serve, wait for them to cool… and enjoy!

Now, once you take that first bite, I think you’ll agree…

TINY TOWN COFFEE HOUSE

On By Shari SnyderIn Design, Family, Lifestyle, Tiny Houses, Tiny Living, Tiny Town TexasLeave a comment

We are so excited to continue on our coffee journey and bring you all along with us! We’ve recently kicked off our social media and have linked both our Instagram and Facebook below for you if you want to check those out and see what fun adventures we get up to!

We’re working on creating an e-commerce site to share our custom house blend with all of you – stay alert for more details on that coming soon!

Beautiful story of loss and restoration. “Faith heals the heart”. Not time heals the heart.

On By Shari SnyderIn Family, Freedom Truth Faith, Lifestyle, marriage, WellnessLeave a comment

By Tyler G. Johnson

I was 19 when my dad died in my arms from a sudden heart attack as we were replacing the roof on our house. That was 19 years ago. As of today I’ve spent as many years without my dad as I have with him. Here are a few things I’ve learned, off the cuff.

-Most of us take our parents for granted. We don’t spend as much time with them as possible because we forget that they won’t be around forever. Some of y’all are in your 40s, 50s, even 60s and 70s and you still have parents. I cannot express how incredibly blessed you are, and you don’t even know it. You take it for granted. I’ve learned that humanity lives within extraordinary blessings and never sees them nor is even aware of them. I’ve learned that thankgiving is about becoming consciously aware of what God has already done then aligning ourselves with that wonderful reality, a reality that otherwise we are instinctively blind to.

-Love necessitates pain. If someone loved badly, you don’t miss them when they are gone. If someone loved well, they leave a hole that cannot be filled. There is no remedy as the hole itself is the proof of love that existed at some point. Do not apologize for your grief as it is a unbeknownst gift; Those that have not been loved live in a darker world than you in your loss of love.

-Nobody is going to take care of your body but you. You can’t deal this responsibility off on doctors. You have to take care of yourself. If you don’t, the ones you love will suffer.

-Empathy heals. It heals us because empathy is someone choosing to willingly and sacrificial enter into our pain so that we are not alone in it. But no human will ever understand the fullness of your pain because your pain is unique. In fact, your pain is so deep that no human has the ability to really fully empathize with how you feel. Only God can. Take your cares to Him and be as vulnerable and weak as you need to be. He will always meet you in acceptance, compassion, and gentleness. He always knows what to say to make things right.

-Loss will keep happening. You may think that you already hit the unfortunate lottery jackpot once so the odds of hitting it again in a lifetime are low, so it is quite shocking when losses keep happening. How is this fair? I mean, haven’t you already paid your dues? If you don’t think about it correctly, it can all pile up and tempt you to be a victim and offended with God. Unless you deal with the first initial loss in a healthy way, every subsequent loss feels instantly overwhelming, even when it is not. Dealing with that first loss in a healthy way looks like acknowledging your pain and worshipping God in the midst of it. Total brokenness and destitution mixed with beauty and glory. Faith heals the heart. Once we see the goodness of God again, we have the ability to see that we are not a victim and not somehow attracting more terrible losses to us. We go from feeling cursed to remembering we are blessed. We begin to remember our authority and begin to take a stand again. When we do experience loss, we do not lose sight of God’s love in the midst of it, which positions us to be powerful and effective.

My Peeps.

On By Shari SnyderIn Family, Lifestyle, marriageLeave a comment

My peeps. I grew up playing under this tree at the private school I attended for 13 years. As a little girl, I dreamed of having a beautiful loving family such as this…
Thank you, Yaweh! Photo at my parents 50th wedding anniversary celebration this week in Michigan! left to right: James, Christianna (middle child), me, Todd, Andrew (baby), Elisabeth (firstborn) and David.

Our Marriage journey

On By Shari SnyderIn Family, Lifestyle, marriage, WellnessLeave a comment

2016 post

Reading love letters from the past, our courtship, engagement and first year together. Wowee, I am so blessed! God is so good to grant us the desires of our heart. We started out strong saving our whole hearts for other and coming together as virgins on our wedding night.
As I look back five years into our marriage, we took a nose dive. Unforgiveness crept in and respect and love faded.
Thank God, now we are experiencing pure romantic bliss every single day for the last 8 months.
What changed besides more forgiveness?

  1. Education to rekindle passion in the marriage bed
  2. Vulnerability and
  3. Communication

I am so proud of US! ??????

On By Shari SnyderIn Family, Lifestyle, Tiny LivingLeave a comment

I am so proud of US!
We beat the odds!
Twenty-five years!
25 tests!
25 miracles!
Hearts full of Gratitude to the Miracle Worker!
Two years ago, our plant ? was nearly dead!
Only a few of you knew and you walked through the dark times with us.
We are learning to fight our enemy, not each other.
I am finally learning how to be a team player; the beauty of my femininity; the peace of letting him lead me and the joy of trust.
So many many things I had to “unlearn”.
Our culture programs us to Fail and if we live by default, what hope do we have of winning?
The magic is We must keep growing and learning new skills!
We are relentless about fighting for our marriage And NOT GIVING UP!
Please, even if you’re the only one fighting for your marriage, please Keep. Going. Until…

I promise you, it will be worth it!

We knew there had to be answers and solutions; We just didn’t know where to turn.

The most valuable resource for us came this last year when we were ready to be taught. Our current mentors found here: www.relationshipdevelopment.com.

I cannot say enough about this life-changing content very few people on the planet seems to know, and fewer who live it and even fewer who actually teach others. Their program over the last 8 years and tens of thousands of clients has a 99% success rate. And here’s the most impressive thing: it works with only one willing party.

Tiny Town Coffee opening soon…

On By Shari SnyderIn Family, Lifestyle, Tiny Houses, Tiny Living, Tiny Town TexasLeave a comment

The relationship between a coffee shop owner and their roaster is a critical one. The positive energy and love that comes from a handcrafted roaster is no comparison to an automated one.

I know the real test is without cream and sugar. But I did that yesterday and I still prefer cream and sugar. Thank you, @moose_mountain_goods for a great tasting! You’re amazing!

Do you ever find yourself looking around, watching your kids zoned into video games and constantly texting friends? Remember the good ole days? Those long summer days when mom would lock you out of the house with your siblings first thing in the morning, and tell you to not come home until dinner? For some of us it wasn’t that extreme, but we remember a better day—a time when imagination, creativity and being active in the outdoors was valued over all things. We want that for our boys, we want that for their future.

What began as a love for all things coffee and outdoors, has become a family business, where the entire Cotton Crew plays an important role. Delicious Mountain Roast Coffee is now the order of the day around here!

We are family owned and operated, with family values:

  • God first
  • Quality family time
  • Love generously
  • Treat others kindly
  • Find joy in hard work
  • Stop and smell the coffee.

Ben is a Captain on the Abilene Fire Department and a certified ACE Fitness Instructor. Lindsey is a professional photographer and bridal show producer. Together we dream big and love helping others grow their business as well! Jackson (15 yrs) and Lincoln (10 yrs) are eager to help and learn new things. Both boys are homeschooled, right here at the Cotton Academy! These boys are responsible, respectful and full of life! Don’t underestimate the value of hard working kids, these boys take pride in their work!

What a blessing to work as a family, and to watch our two young boys become men hard at work. Our family has a heart for entrepreneurship and community, and we look forward to bringing people together over a great cup of coffee!

Sustainably sourced products:All Moose Mountain coffee beans are sustainably sourced. We are proud to source our beans from farms supported by Volcafe Way, an initiative working directly with coffee farmers to assist and train them in sustainable production techniques, as well as in making the best uses of their land for future generations.

Finished in one reading…

On By Shari SnyderIn Family, LifestyleLeave a comment

By Shari Snyder

I know I shouldn’t judge a book by it’s cover or title, but I admit, I didn’t expect much.
Many of the books ? I started now adorn my shelves, unfinished.
(Francine River’s books being the one exception.)

This story of redemption is engaging, powerful, and inspiring! I was on the edge of my seat with anticipation.
Of course I would be interested because of the section about Bob Snyder (Raad blog post below for more details) my father-in-law, and the school, city and environment where my beloved grew up, and even the fact that I graduated from an A.C.E. School, but the story itself drew me in. I even shed tears once or twice. By the way, my husband, Todd, finished it in one reading. We both marveled how we experienced places like Bob Jones, Beth Haven, and Life Action, but could not remember it, let alone articulate it like you did. Having been a camp counselor myself for two summers in Michigan in the 90’s, there’s no way I could write such vivid details 26 years later.
Your raw honesty and vulnerability are exactly what we need in the world and in the church today! Without Authenticity, there’s no hope of transforming our culture and the next generation.
You wove the stories in and out of time like a master! I am confident Bob sees from Heaven and is proud of the man you have become and what you are doing with your gifts! The courage you displayed to obey God, take a risk, and write this story, will live on as your legacy.

Tribute to my Father in Law

OUR VISION: What motivates us?

On By Shari SnyderIn Family, Lifestyle, Tiny Living, WellnessLeave a comment

The PROBLEM gives birth to the DREAM…

Fourteen years ago, I was a burned out entrepreneur, a stressed out mommy, and struggling with my health. Although I achieved a high level of success in my company and attained a yearly income less than 5% of Americans ever earn, I felt empty and dissatisfied. I represented a wellness company and yet my body was showing the results of neglect and imbalance as I rarely took time for healthy meals, proper exercise, rest, and play. Climbing to the top and looking around at my marriage, my 3 children, and my other family relationships did not produce more JOY! Those relationships were not thriving and I felt guilty.

My Saving Grace…

My saving grace came in February, 2006, at a business conference, where the speaker was totally reading my mail. She had been in my shoes and found a better way. My whole life was turned upside down as the revelation of the life I really wanted flashed in front of me. I humbled myself, forgave all those who had hurt me in the past; I forgave myself and finally, I forgave God. It was the beginning of a whole new life of freedom, peace and joy, emotionally and spiritually, and I wanted everyone to experience it.   Shortly after that, our company flew Todd and I to San Antonio, TX, for a leadership retreat and training with the top income earners. They had hired a caricaturist to draw our dream at the end of the three days. Somehow I knew this was my chance to ask BIG!  I had achieved all the dreams on my vision board and quit dreaming. This was my chance to breathe life into my future. What did I want to do for the rest of my life if I could do anything and KNEW I could not fail?

“I want to create a healing center and wellness retreat where people can experience the kind of love You’ve shown me and I want miraculous healings and transformations to occur so people all across the globe will hear of Your power and goodness.”

Our JOURNEY…

What I now call “Selah Oasis” was birthed out of that.  Fast forward to 2016, when we sold the “big dream home” our family had spent the last 3 years tearing apart and remodeling together.  People couldn’t understand why we would make that sacrifice that to move in to a tiny home. I wanted something more than that Big Dream House; I wanted my Big Dreams to come True! Having absolutely NO MORTGAGE was our reward and the freedom we gained was worth it!

Our VISION…

Our vision is to create a flourishing, joy-filled wellness community that attracts the attention of the world to duplicate this model.  We define a wellness community as “a group of individuals working toward a common goal of nurturing our bodies and our relationships to bring joy, a sense of belonging, and purpose through meaningful contribution”. We believe an authentic community of wellness offers almost everything our heart has been asking for all along.  At the core of our being is a longing to belong and contribute our unique value to the greater good. Without “holistic wholeness” in body, soul and spirit, we cannot accomplish this.  The goal is to make wellness and a simplistic luxury lifestyle affordable. Our core values are: freedom, wellness, simplicity, and sustainability.

A Tiny House Wellness Village…

We’d like to offer agri-tourism for guests, featuring unique tiny enterprises all run from a tiny house and focused on wellness.  “Selah Oasis” will have tiny houses for tourists to come in and experience our wellness retreats. This could be duplicated all over the state and then into other states and even worldwide.

WHY US…

We’re willing to do the hard work, work long hours, live in the village, and serve every day. Our faith, passion, and “get’er done” track record make us qualified to tackle this project and see it to completion.  We are a Texas family owned business in the hill country. We have just got to pursue this, step out on a limb, give it our best shot and trust GOD to fill in where we lack.  And so the journey begins…