Super Dill Dill Beans

Mmmmm, Do you enjoy the crunch of a good Dill Pickle?? How about Green Beans? Do you think that maybe they sound a bit strange sharing the company of the Classic Dill Pickle? We were a bit hesitant when we began this process last year. D.H. and I approached the idea of Dilled Green Beans with curiousness as well as a small pinch of doubt. Would this be a thing our family would really enjoy? Or maybe just an okay way to use up part of a bountiful harvest of green beans?? Last year we canned 34 Pint jars of Dill Beans and by Spring were literally rationing them so that we would have 3 jars left to share with visiting family for the 4th of July! 

Green bean season this year has started off decent and I decided to can considerably less of our "Savory Beans" and WAYYY more Dill Beans, with a few alterations to the recipe to cater to our families tasties! I've changed the name up to "Super Dill Dill Beans" because we are adding a kick of hotness that last years beans lacked. I will make notes in the recipe because I am still going to can some jars of last years recipe for the younger taste buds in the family that are note quite ready to be singed by flaming hotness! 

Clark Family "Super Dill Dill Beans"

You'll need (per. batch):

4 lbs green beans (2 lbs for pints and last years recipe aka:"lyr")

4 fancy "hot" peppers, we are experimenting with some recommendations that we aquired at the Farmers Market that were sold to me as "Hot" Peppers... (No peppers for lyr in pints.)
2 t. red pepper (1 t. red pepper for lyr in pints)

12 cloves garlic (6 cloves garlic for lyr in pints)
4 large heads of dill (same)
5 cups white vinegar (2 1/2 c vinegar)
5 cups water (2 1/2 c water)
1/2 cup pickling salt (1/4 cup pickling salt)

Alum, pinch pr. jar no matter which size

1. Wash and stem beans
2. cut into lengths for jars. I am canning them in wide mouth quarts this year, instead of wide mouth pints....
3. pack beans into sterilized jars
4. to each jar add: 1/2 t. red pepper, 3 cloves garlic, 1 head dill, add a pinch of alum to each jar to aid in crispness :P  and 1 of your fancy Hot Peppers!(1/4 t. Red pepper, 1 1/2 cloves garlic, 1 head dill, no extra pepper for last years recipe done in pint jars)
5. Measure vinegar, water and salt and bring to a boil
6. pour over beans to 1/2 inch head space
7. process for 15 minutes for Quarts, (7 minutes for Pints)


If you need help with learning how to "can" your Beans, comment below or see my "Strawberry Preserves" recipe for step by step basic water bath canning instructions. I will try to get into pressure canning later on as well. But for now, you just need to know how to water bath can. 

Lastly- I need to let you all know that it has been a HUGE stretch for me actually writing my "changes" down. I am NOT a recipe follower, but know that people should be able to "do" what I do to make something that they like.... I am definitely a "ratatouille" style chef-ess.... (I stole that from a friend of mine because it fit so PERFECTLY, and I love that movie!!) I like to fly by the seat of my pants, am not afraid of trying something new....on the spot, and my family is quite accustomed to being known as my guinea pigs!! I do, however differ from Tami, because I like to keep a sink of hot soapy water going to throw dirty dishes into as I go.... I HATE eating a delish meal and then having to get up and spend an hour "working" for what I just ate by cleaning a dirty kitchen. I like to get a majority of my clean up done before I eat :P Happy Canning All!! :D

Don't hate the players, hate the game...

I read Psalm 16 as part of my bible study today and found it very comforting. I know that all that I have is because of the goodness of God, and I seek to find contentment with the Lord as my perfect portion, seeking no more or no less than he desires for me. He gives me council and and when I manage to walk consistently speaking to Him throughout my day, my days are filled with so much joy and peace. And when I am faced with adversity, I know that my heart instructs me to a correct and gracious response. I pray that I will be able to listen with a fever and a desire to always respond correctly. 

Through our journeys we will all come across people in our lives, walking as fellow brothers and sisters as well as nonbelievers and pagans. All of us, if we do not rely on the strength of Christ, can fall and be used by satan himself, or merely to our own carnal and human desires and free will.  Me must be wary and diligent in our walk with Christ, listening carefully. We must learn to not hate people because of what they do, or the choices that they are making. We cannot expect to make their choices for them. But if we are truly walking in Christ, and following his lead, he will make them ready to hear what he has to say through us, or not. Everyone on earth is capable of wicked and evil deeds, but it is the forgiven who have the relationship with our Lord, Jesus, who will prevail and rise back up after falling. 

On another note, viable fruit should be visible as proof of a persons walk with Christ. If we don't see fruit, it allows us to question their very salvation, and perhaps that is what we need to be praying for after all. I know that there are many many Christians in the world who are walking in a false security of their salvation, having prayed a prayer, but not with meaning, walking a path where no fruit is evident. All of us have kinks and desires that God needs to work out and smooth over, but if we keep falling back to the same old responses and desires, and cannot control our hearts and voices nor our actions, then perhaps there is a greater issue at hand. Our hearts and our minds have to be aligned as one with our faith in the ONE TRUE GOD! 

If you see a brother or sister that consistently falls and repeats the same mistakes over and over again, they may be drowning. They may not be leaning on the strength and council of Christ. We need to be fervent in our prayers and petitions to the Lord. Pray continuously with all kinds of prayers and requests, for this pleases the Lord!

Truly you are all the good that is in me, without you I would be no good at all. Lord you are enough for me, you hold my life in your hands, and by trusting in you my paths have traveled through pleasant places, indeed you have blessed me with a beautiful family, a loving church of brothers and sisters and a home that is above and beyond what I know is possible without you. Without you, I would have no reason to go on. You are my comfort, my grace, my salvation, my entire reason for being. I try to walk and seek your council, my heart listens for you at night. In you I have confidence that no one can shake me. My heart is glad, my soul feels solace in you Lord. My life is safe in your hands, and I know that you will never forsake me. You reveal your purpose and path for me in your awesome time, and let me see glimpses of the path ahead and the possibilities and promises of joy. I know that through you I will be blessed, and in times of turmoil you will never be silent or leave me alone. You are who you say you are. 

Psalm 16

You Will Not Abandon My Soul

A Miktam of David.

16:1 Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge.
2 I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord;
I have no good apart from you.”

3 As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones,
in whom is all my delight.

4 The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply;
their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out
or take their names on my lips.

5 The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup;
you hold my lot.
6 The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.

7 I bless the Lord who gives me counsel;
in the night also my heart instructs me.
8 I have set the Lord always before me;
because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.

9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices;
my flesh also dwells secure.
10 For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol,
or let your holy one see corruption.

11 You make known to me the path of life;
in your presence there is fullness of joy;
at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Slice!!

 

This really doesn't do it justice, the ice cream was still pretty soft from all my hurried hot torture!! Tomorrow it will be easier to slice :P But still super yummy!!

Cake Continued....

 Right after I put the last layer on....

Now, this cake is not for the faint of heart, or any one who is watching calories for sure!!

You should now have a spring form pan with your brownie crust and a tub of Ice cream in the freezer.....

Pull out your tub of ice cream, after it has ripened, and scoop about 10-12 scoops (not huge) better to do smaller scoops onto your crust. If your ice cream is pretty hard, let it sit for a few minutes so that you can work it smoothly over entire crust. You don't want to crush your crust. Once you get it smoothed over the crust, cover pan with foil and put in freezer careful to keep it flat. Let freeze over night.

Now, pull out your jar of caramel sauce that you made from the previous recipe, you can use either one... but if you are like me, the chocolate one is about gone because I have been USING it and choose to save the regular one!! :)  Put your jar in a sauce pan full of warm water, and turn a small burner on low heat and gently warm your sauce. It will take about 15-20 minutes, you don't need to baby it, just don't heat too fast. Pick it up every now and then to see if it has softened so that it will pour out of jar onto your ice cream. When it has, remove it from heat and pull out cake from freezer. Carefully pour caramel (about 2 cups worth) over ice cream layer. Try to cover as much of the ice cream as you can just by pouring evenly around, when the sauce hits the ice cream, it doesn't take long for the sauce to re-harden, and it's kind of hard to move it around once is has cooled back off and the ice cream is all mushy! As soon as you get is spread over ice cream, cover and put immediately back into freezer until caramel and ice cream are hardened back up.

Lastly you'll need to make your fudgy sauce for the topping layer..... This recipe I stole and adapted to my needs from a DELICIOUS Peanut Butter Luster Pie that I used to make for hubby and his Dad for Fathers day, back before we had peanut butter allergies and diabetes in the family....

Fudgy Topping for Ice Cream Pie

You'll need:

2 Cups Semisweet chocolate chips
4 Tbs. butter
3-4 Tbs. milk
2 Tbs. Corn Syrup

1. Melt all ingredients in sauce pan over low, stirring until smooth. Start with minimun amount of milk and add more milk if necessary to reach good spreading consistency. Let cool for a few minutes.
2. Pull out frozen cake and pour fudge over top, spreading with frosting spatula makes it a little easier. Should glide over caramel easily, though. 
3. Immedialty re-freeze and let freeze for an hour or two.

To eat your cake!!

Take out of freezer, remove Spring form side, and let sit for a few minutes to thaw just enough to slice cake. Slice, serve and enjoy!!
I'll put up a slice piece when we slice into it!!

Husband pampering

Today is Jason's Birthday!! so.... he loves coffee right? I made him coffee added a little of the caramel sauce from my caramel sauce recipe and then topped it with some fresh whipped chocolate cream. To do this I used the remaining 1 cup of Heavy Whipping Cream that I had after I made his ice cream yesterday.... 

Chocolate Whipped Cream

1 Cup Heavy Whipping cream
1/2 tsp. vanilla
3 Tbs. Sugar
2 Tbs. unsweetened cocoa powder

1. Whip all ingredients until stiff peaks form. Yes, you can over whip... makes it not easy to dollop off your spoon, more of a plop, but doesn't hurt the cream.
Tip: I like to chill my bowl and mixer whisk in the freezer for about 15 minutes before I want to start the recipe, it makes it whip up faster.

Now for the Cake..... I have to admit, I caved for lack of time and used box brownies even though I have a really yummy brownie recipe... usually, though, I like to make mine home made :P

Homemade Fudgy Brownies (for cake crust)

1/2 cup canola oil

3 ounces unsweetened bakers chocolate coarsely chopped, (or cocoa/shortening substitute if in a pinch read your cocoa container and it should have the directions for doing this)

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

2/3 cup all P. flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

1. in saucepan melt bakers chocolate and oil over low heat stirring constantly. Remove from heat and let sit while preparing remaining ingredients.

2. Grease 8X8 pan for regular recipe. For your cake crust, however, bake in a 10" spring form pan. set aside. Stir sugar into Chocolate mixture.Add eggs, 1 at a time to mixture, mix with wooden spoon until combined. Stir in vanilla.

3. In small bowl stir together flour and baking powder. Add four mixture to chocolate mixture, stir just until combined. Add nuts if desired. Spread batter in pan.

4. Bake in 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Cool on rack, or grates on gas stove top work well too.  Brownies will look moist when you pull them out. They finish cooking as they cool, and I like them almost doughy in the middle! This is not a Cake style brownie recipe!!

Now that you have your crust, time to make ice cream! Unless you don't have an ice cream maker, then just go pick out your fav. flavor of ice cream and call it good! Or, hubby says, go buy ice cream maker (cause it's a sin not to have one.... he says....) :P

This Year he choose Mocha Chip Ice Cream, okay, so I encouraged that decision a little bit... So shoot me??

Mocha Chip Gourmet Ice Cream

You'll need this much to make 2 Quarts of ice cream:

1 1/2 Cups whole Milk

1 1/3 Cup Granulate Sugar

4 T. Instant Coffee of espresso powder I used plain old Nescafe Suave....

1 ounce unsweetened bakers chocolate (makes "chips" in the ice cream but you can use 3 T.                     Unsweetened cocoa instead, it will just be chocolate, no little pieces.)

3 cups heavy cream

2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

In small pan with wire whisk mix together milk, sugar, cocoa, coffee/espresso powder until sugar and powder are dissolved, about 2 minutes on low. Stir in Cream and vanilla. Freeze according to your machines directions. Mine takes about 25 minutes to freeze to a soft serve texture, then I put the ice cream in an air tight tub and freeze for 4-5 hours until I put on top of Brownie crust.

Next...... completing your cake!!

Time to Talk

 This book can be found on Amazon as well as the others I mention....

Wow, I can't believe that my kids are getting so big.... and have so many questions. We have goats know, 4 does and a buck, and have had chickens for a while now both hens and a rooster...  My kids have a limited understanding of why you need both kinds but I know that they need to know more. And I very much desire them to have a biblical understanding of why God made them who they are and what they are. About a year ago I was researching books on the touchy subjects of purity, god's desires for our bodies and his design for sex. I have found a few that I have ordered and should get in a few days. I will blog about it after we get the chance to read through them both as the parents, and then when we read them with our kids. There is one book I ordered for my eldest boy, "Facing the Facts: The Truth About Sex and You" its a Focus on the Family recommended book for pre-teens and teens. I also got a devotional book "His Mighty Warrior: A Treasure Map from Your King" for us to read through with both of the boys. For the girls I found a few I was interested in. First I found "His Little Princess: Treasured Letters from Your King (His Princess)" which is a devotional book that I can read through with the girls together. And then I found something aimed more at Charity Ann's age, but may read it to both as well "Princess & the Kiss: A Story of God's Gift of Purity," there is a devotional that goes along with that as well. I may save a few of them for Christmas Presents to them, but really see the need to get started on a few of them.

This year we are also going to begin studying Zoology using Apologia's Zoology Curriculum. We have another student that is going to join us once a week or so to do the experiments and lab stuff. It's going to be great! We also decided to use Rod and Staff for our Core Subjects of English, Reading, Spelling, some History, Bible Study, Math for Cayleb and Charity Ann and Penmanship for Noah and Charity Ann. I also got their "Art Packs" for each of them, which have a study designed to teach them beginning art skills like grid drawing, shading, working with different mediums etc. The kids are very excited about those as well!

With all these new books that God has blessed us with, we are sure to have LOTS to talk about this coming year. And I really am feeling so positive that we are not missing anything. Last year, I know that they kids were learning, and they were interested but just felt like there were holes in what we were doing. Now I feel much more certain that we are covering all the basics and the rest will just fall into line. We are taking fewer classes at Home Connections this semester, I have it whittled down to one-single-half day! From 12:30-4:15!! WOW. I have never had that small of a class load outside of our work here. The boys will also be continuing their music lessons, and all of us are indulging in Karate twice a week.

Speaking of Karate, I LOVE it. I have been having so much fun working on my Kata's and skills. I am a 2nd Degree Green Belt now, and will potentially be testing for Brown the end of September. We'll see if I can get everything mastered for it by then.

The goats are doing great. We have little man "Humphrey" who is beginning to feel his oats and is finding the girls to be quite pretty. I am hoping that he will be "ready" this Fall, so that we will have some cute little Humphrey babies this Spring. I need to take some pictures and post them on the Farm Site on Face Book. It's raining today, so prolly tomorrow, K.

Quickly

We are having a great beginning to our week. I have a huge list of things I want to accomplish: weeding, getting my SLP's in for the year, canning some preserves, some grocery shopping, and working on a few crafty things. I hope that I can get to all of them, but to do that, I have to get off of here! So, there it is!

Beef Stroganoff

Easy Beef Stroganoff

You'll need:
1 lb. Ground beef
1 onion chopped
2 tsp. garlic minced or crushed
2 Tbs. flour
2 Tbs. butter
sea salt and pepper, to taste (I use about 1/2 tsp. sea salt and 1/4 tsp. ground pepper)
1 cup water
4 Tbs. worchestershire sauce
2 tsp. beef boulion
1/4 tsp. ground red pepper
1 cup Sour Cream
1 can sliced mushrooms
1 package pasta (fettuccine, wagon wheels, macaroni, pretty much whatever you like, OR make 4 cups brown or white rice, sometimes we even do both!)

1. Bring water in large pot to boil and cook pasta according to package.
2. Brown your meat in skillet with onion and garlic, salt and pepper. Drain off fat.
3. Add butter and flour, mix over medium high heat until bubbly, add water, and remaining seasonings. Bring to a boil.
4. Lower heat to low, add sour cream and mushrooms with juice. Stir occasionally until pasta is done.
5. Serve with cooked veggie and home made Artisan Bread. Or fresh salad. I use the 5 minutes a day bread recipe, great pizza crust, dinner rolls, kaiser rolls for hamburgers and sticky buns!! Click on the link for the master recipe!

A Government in turmoil

Yes, this one is about God....

We need to pray for our government. A government that is being influenced to allow people to be lead farther astray. We do need a government that will continue to respect our freedoms, but we also need a government that will continue to adhere to the very morals and ideals of our founding fathers. George Washington stated, "It is the duty of all the nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God." Abraham Lincoln declared, "All the good from the Savior of the world is communicated through this book. But for the Bible we could not know right from wrong." John Quincy Adams wrote, "The highest glory of the American Revolution was this: it connected in one dissoluble bond, the principals of civil government with the principals of Christianity." John Adams stated, "Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate for the government of any other." James Madison said, " We have staked the future of all our political institutions upon the capacity of mankind for self-government according to The Ten Commandments of God." Thomas Jefferson asked, "Can the liberties of a nation be secure when we have removed the conviction that these liberties that are the gift of God?" Andrew Jackson urged, "Go to the Scriptures! The joyful promises it contains will be a balm to all your troubles." Christopher Columbus admitted "For the execution of the journey to the Indies I did not make use of intelligence, mathematics or maps. It was the Lord who put it into my mind."  

That time has come; the people that our constitution was written for are few and far between. Most of the incredibly smart men of God that I quoted above helped to guide our country. But now without reverence for God in the hearts and minds of the majority of our countries leaders look where we are going....

I find it so hard to believe, and yet I know it has all already been written, that people can turn their noses up to Christ. They argue that he want's too much, or is selfish. Well, perhaps they are right, but not in the ways that they think. He want's everything for us, and gave it for us, his life. He is selfish because he wants us to be strong in Him and not rest on any other gods or idols of this life. He want's us to accept Him, and trust Him completely. He gives us this one life to get it figured out, and it is so sad that the world is so far gone that many will never even get the chance to hear His name! And for those that have heard His name and have turned away from his call, or think he couldn't possibly be talking to you, you are so wrong. People choose to believe in self serving gods, gods that allow them to do what they want to and apparently don't care that their followers are "loyal" God's that are part of a religion that says what they want to hear, because they don't want to comprehend giving their lives to a religion that asks for everything. Your heart, your soul, your very existence on Earth. First He must reach us, then we are to reach out to the world.

I belong to the One True and Living God, a God who desires the best for my life, but allows me to make my own choices, right or wrong. When I seek His will for my life I am happier than when I try to plunge onward on my own. Who better to know what's best for me, than the one who created me? Humanity is kind of like the teenage and 20's culture. They are living every day trying to separate themselves from their parents, pushing so hard to stand on their own showing the world that they can be better than the person before them. Well, finding Christ is like a conversion from that mental state of mind to a place where I am not threatened by my parents affect over my life. I feel like I can go home and not be lectured about the bad choices that I made, or the things I should have done. Getting to that place, knowing that Christ has my back, and that He can doing ANYTHING. I know that when I make a mistake or do the wrong thing, all I have to do is tell Him about it and feel that it was wrong in my heart. I do my best to move on, trying to not make that mistake again. He throws my wrongs and mistakes as far from Himself as the East is from the West. He will NEVER bring it up again, it's my own human brain that holds on to things to torment me with. I know that God has made everything n my life possible, my family and I are where we are at today because we have tried our best to follow His lead for our lives. From the beginning of our marriage we have struggled but trudged on in Christ. It hasn't been easy, some of it was down right scary! But looking back, we always knew that we were safe in Him. I pray that any couple out there that isn't of the same mind regarding this crucial issue will be blessed by Christ with softened hearts and minds willing to understand and allow Christ to lead them. If you are there, but your spouse isn't keep praying. Don't push, pray. Let Christ do the pushing. He can do ANYTHING!! Just plant your seeds, and watch for God to reveal the plant when it is time.

I would love prayer for a special person in my life, that this person will remain strong in their journey to the arms of Christ. This special person is actively seeking Him, but has lots of questions. Pray that God will put people in that path who can answer truthfully and thoughtfully so that this special person can find the love and safety that only Christ can offer.  Prayers for God to soften the heart of this person's spouse so that it will feel Christ knocking are also needed.

I want prayer for the special kids that I had the privilege to teach during our VBS week as well as a few other kids in my life. I know that there are seeds planted in their hearts. Please pray that God will protect those seeds. They may not be allowed to grow for a long time, but God's love has no expiration, protect those seeds and wrap a cocoon of love around those precious hearts.

And please, pray for our government.

Quotations are taken from a Book titled America's Lost Dream- One Nation Under God, written by: Tom Dooley

tobyMac "City On Our Knees"

Yellowed Brown Rice, Bok Choy and Fennel

Yellowed Brown Rice, Bok Choy and Fennel

What you'll need:

2-3 Baby Bok Choy, or one larger head, sliced

1 Fennel bulb with greens, sliced

4 Tablespoons Butter (or olive oil) plus 2 Tablespoons Butter (or olive oil)

3-4 Cloves Garlic

Sea Salt

4 cups cooked brown rice (great use of leftover rice)

1 tsp. Curry powder

1/2 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. ground red pepper

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

2 cups cooked black beans or 4 (2 ounce) portionsgrilled salmon, Ahi or Mahi Mahi Tuna

If using Fish, additional Cajun Seasoning is great for sprinkling on top as you cook it. (My concoction is immediately following this recipe)

1. Saute Bok Choy, Fennel and Garlic in 4 Tbs. Butter until tender

2. Season with Sea Salt as desired. I tend to put about 1/2 tsp.

3. In separate pan heat rice in 2 Tbs. Butter, Curry powder, Cumin, Ground Red Pepper, cinnamon. Add Additional Sea salt to taste..

4. Add black beans to rice and mix gently. Or grill, broil or pan fry fish with desired seasonings.

5. Put rice on plate first, top with veggies. Serve Fish on side or broken up over the top. 

Tify's Cajun Shaker

What you'll need:

1/4 cup  Paprika

1/4 cup Dried Minced Garlic

2 Tbs. Oregano

2 Tbs. Thyme

2 Tbs. Dried Minced Onion

2 Tbs. Ground Red Pepper
2 Tbs. Ground Cumin

2 Tbs. Ground Black Pepper

2 Tbs  Ground Sea Salt

Just mix all ingredients and store in an air tight container. You can omit things if you don't have them, or substitute, but I try to stay as close to this as I can. Change according to your families taste. We like things pretty spicy!! And some families may be watching their salt intake, so you can just leave the salt out and season with it separately. Use within 4 months.... Spices like Oregano and Thyme loose considerable amounts of flavor within the first 6 months of their preparation.... Using home grown herbs and veggies adds the extra "Love" ingredient that we all need so much!!  But we all have to start somewhere!! :)

Easy Cottage Cheese

This is a FABULOUS book!! Lots of fun games, crafts and projects that are easy to do.... And a story to read along, as well as lots of "Daily Life" info about the Pioneer Era.http://www.thereadingnook.com/colonial/

Here are my recipes for Goat Milk Cottage Cheese and Yogurt Cheese, fun projects to do with your kiddos!

Easy Goat Milk Cottage Cheese 

1 Gallon Fresh Goat Milk (or Whole Cows Milk)
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar (or regular vinegar or lemon juice)
Sea Salt and seasonings to taste

1. Heat milk on Medium heat to 180 degrees F. Stirring constantly.

2. Remove from heat and stir in Vinegar. Stir until curds form (1-2 minutes)

3. Strain through 4 or so layers of cheese cloth in a colander that is placed in a bowl. Whey will pass through and curds will remain in the cheese cloth. Sprinkle with Salt. I put probably about 1/2 tsp. sprinkled over the top of the cheese.

4. Roll ball of cheese around in cheese cloth to remove excess whey. If you want a juicier cottage cheese, don't remove all the whey, or you can even stir some back in. For firmer curds hang up cheese curds in cloth for up to an hour over a bowl. Then refridgerate. Or eat at room temp.

5.  Add your own seasonings ie: minced garlic, parsley, olive oil, basil, chives....

6. Or..... keep your cheese wrapped in the cloth and tie off with string. Place in a container not too much larger than your ball, and add honey or maple syrup and let marinate over night for a yummy breakfast treat.

Makes appx. 1 Pint of cheese, depending on how much whey you allow to drip off.... harder cheese means less mass. Can be adapted to use Cow's milk, use whole milk.

Yogurt Cheese 

(From "The Pioneer Sampler" By Barbara Greenwood

1 Quart Whole Milk Yogurt
Cheese Cloth

1. lay several layers of cheese cloth in a bowl, dump yogurt into cloth.

2. Bring up 4 corners and tie securly

3. Hang cheese cloth from cabinet in kitchen over a counter top. Place bowl beneath dripping cheese. Let hang for 12-24 hours (no it won't spoil)

4. Remove ball of cheese from cloth and put in fresh bowl. Season with desired seasonings, see above recipe.... Put into refrigerator to "mingle" for at least a few hours.

Make as a sweet cheese and have on toast with jam too :P

Ode to the Dear Hack Weed

Oh my dearest hack weed,
How thou does touch my heart,
Your  branches stab at my legs,
As I walk past you trip me and make me fall.

Oh my dearest hack weed,
Your loving caresses slap across my face.
Your sticks bend over in my path
They whip my back as I walk past.

Oh my dearest hack weed,
And your field fellow black berry.
Blackberry's thorns so carefully scratch and dig
In my awaiting skin like a fish hook they grasp tightly.

Oh my dearest hack weed
And black berry with your graceful thorny vines
Without you two adorning my path
How could I go on?

This Ode is to my friend the hack weed..... and black berry too. Without them my days would be less full and complete.... that is of stabs, trips and gouges!! I had time to think about this as I was out doing my chores this morning.... Hack weed is not my favorite of God's creations right now.... 

Carmel and Chocolate Carmel Sauce....

 (No, I didn't spill my sauce!!)

I made some yummy Caramel and Chocolate Caramel Ice Cream and Coffee Sauces today.  I began by making some sweetened condensed milk from a recipe that a friend gave me.

Sweetened Condensed Milk (Lower Fat and way cheaper than those little cans at the store!)

1/3 cup boiling water
3 Table spoons of Butter
2/3 cup Sugar
1 cup Powdered Skim Milk

You take 1/3 cup of boiling water and 3 Tables spoons of Butter and mix them together, then I popped it back in the microwave for about 20 more seconds. Then you dump that carefully into your mixing bowl and add 2/3 cup sugar and 1 cup dry milk powder. Mix on medium high speed until mixed and nice and creamy. Makes about 1 can, or 1 1/4 cups.....

Now, I doubled the above recipe so I could make a double batch of the Caramel Sauce

Next you'll need :

Caramel and Chocolate Caramel Ice Cream and Coffee Sauces
1 Cup Butter
1 Cup light corn syrup
2 Cup Brown Sugar
2 Batches of the sweetened condensed milk (Double Batch)
3 Squares Unsweetened Bakers Chocolate
2 Clean Quart jars with lids and rings

1. Mix together all ingredients except for Bakers Chocolate in a sauce pan. Bring to a boil.
2. It turns a slightly darker color but not much....
3. Remove from heat.
4. put about 3 cups of the caramel sauce into a quart jar pouring slowly. I pause every little bit so the jar can come up to temperature..... (And as a side note, I didn't can this, so I just used a clean jar, not sterile)
5. With remaining sauce, stir in squares of bakers chocolate, stirring until the chocolate is melted and mixed in thoroughly.
6. Place Chocolate Sauce in second jar. Let cool on potholders in fridge. Keep Refrigerated.

Enjoy a few spoonfuls heated on your ice cream, or straight out of the fridge stirred into your hot coffee.
Other Suggestions: Stir in 1/4 cup peanut Butter into half of one of your flavors... then you have 3 flavors! You can also stir in chopped toasted pecans... this makes a great sauce for sticky buns.....

You can also layer the slightly cooled sauces in smaller jelly jars and give away as gifts! Yummy!! Maybe making a basket with ice cream bowls, cute spoons, home made napkins and a gift card for Ice Cream somewhere or a recipe of your favorite Ice Cream.

The reason I was making my caramel sauce was for a recipe that will follow in a few weeks....
Fudge Topped Caramel Fudge Brownie Ice Cream Cake!! 
I've had RAVE reviews of this cake!!

A Grand Week

This last week was amazing. It began last Sunday with our evening kick off for VBS which went extremely well. Our biggest turn out yet, I think! Monday began with 18 kids in my First and Second grade VBS class. We had a great first day; they had so many great questions and genuine concerns. We created a canyon which we threw all our concerns into, come kids were dealing with divorce in their families, hurt knees and hearts, heart attacks in their families, and sadness that you wish kids would never have to face. But the truth is that there are so many families out there hurting, trying to run away from pain and illness. These kids had a real understanding for how hard life could be.... We learned that God cares about everything, even the little things like scraped knees and hurt feelings. And that we can always talk to Him about our feelings and concerns, and that he is always there to give us big hugs and peace in our hearts. I know that God was working on so many hearts this past week, including mine. The days that followed we gained 2 more kids, for a total of 20, and they all made it EVERY Single DAY!! No absences! What an amazing thing God accomplished. Last year I had 16 signed up but always had at least 1-2 absent! Nope, not this time, 20 every single day!! God kept us all fresh and ready and healthy and eager. Each day was better than the day before, and on our last day we prayed as a group and most of them showed such sincere interest, they admitted that they were sinners and had done things wrong in their lives, they raised their cute hands to admit the sin that was in their lives, believe in Christ as God's son who died and rose again on the Third Day, and to confess to E.D. and I that they wanted Jesus to be their Lord and Savior. It was amazing to watch their little hands go up, with their eyes closed and heads tucked to their chests. Our evening performance went great, they sung their little hearts out, and the kids that were in the Drama (Cayleb, Noah, Madison Wheeler and Tayah Tryon) as well as Mr. Jay did a fabulous job!! We all celebrated a great week with ice cream and smore bars.  Thursday, which was our last day as well as the evening of ouf final performance was also my Birthday. I couldn't have had a better day. Spending it with the kids and around all my church family and with my family was perfect :D

Charity Ann's Birthday was on Friday and it was perfect as well. What a great group of kids we had over for the day. They had such a great time, and even talked me into putting soap on the trampoline with water! What??!!  Lots of fun, and Charity Ann was glowing. 

Monday was also our Rank Test for Karate. We all tested, Cayleb and Charity Ann went for their Purple belts and passed, Noah went for first degree Green and I went for my Second degree of Green we both did great as well. It feels so good to be back into a martial art.... I missed it a lot. The kids seem to be enjoying it still, which is good because they are signed up for another year of it :P The best thing about our gym is it is so family friendly. We have amazing teachers, it's a Christian based Goju Kai  Freestyle Karate and they really love what they do.

Well, better go, gotta finish up dinner!!

Charity Ann's Birthday

Charity Ann had a great 8th Birthday with 8 of her friends!! We had our friends Lily, Maggie, Abigail, Rachel, Taryin, Payton, Tasia,  and Chloe over to play in NO particular order! I decided that in honor of my super cool Mom, I would try to take up the craft legacy and plan a small craft to do with the girls and ended up deciding on making cool flippies! They turned out so cute, I wanted to get some pics up so you could see. I will try to get back on here and write more about our AWESOME week later, K.

 

Mommy and Charity Ann's

 

8 Friends, plus Mommies and Sarah Rosie flippies!! Aren't they gorgeous!!

It's kind of hard to read in this picture, but It says Happy 8th Birthday..... Mrs. Lisa (Rachel's Mom) helped me Frost it!! Yumm!!!

Birthdays.... and other days....

 

First, this cake is AWESOME!!Now.....

In my "old" age I feel that God is giving me more and more wisdom in regards to attacks from the enemy. Let me begin with this... God please help me to have a wonderful Birthday, to help me understand that forgiveness is one thing, but forgetting is entirely different and hardest to do, and that Satan will always be looking for times in my life that he feels I am the most vulnerable for his gain. Help me to see those times approaching, so that I can be strong in you Lord, and full of your peace and grace so that I can respond to his attacks with love, compassion and grace, no matter how I am feeling as a human. I am who you say I am and no matter what anyone else may say, they can't ever change who you made me to be. I can be strong in you Lord, I don't need to cast doubt on any day that that you let me be a part of, and you can use me for your works no matter what!! 

I am not going to go into much about last year, other than it was a very lovely day minus one particular thing.... a mail box full of attacks by a person being used by the enemy. That day allowed me to have doubt as a person, and as a friend but not long after, God restored to me my hope and grace. That He made me who I am, and that no matter how others on this world respond to me as a person, as long as I am trying my best to walk in his path for me, I am protected. No one has the right to judge me, and though I usually cave and let doubt creep in when someone demonstrates judgment towards me, I am learning a life long lesson in endurance in my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I look back on my life so far, and the choices that I have made, even the ones that last year were highly questioned and condemned, and know that my peace is in my Lord and that only he can judge me. Fellow friends and family here on earth can cast doubt, judge, and hate me for who I am, but I know the truth, deep in side of me, that as long as I follow His lead I can never be wrong. I also know that when I look ahead to the place where I want to be, and see my own faults and lack of faith, I find myself casting self judgment and falling into the trap of guilt and self condemnation. If that happens in my mind, I know it must happen elsewhere, I am not that unique!! So, perhaps that is what happened on my last Birthday. Someone actually looked at my life and saw what they wanted to see, right or wrong, and allowed guilt to creep into their heart. Whether that was from God or Satan, I am not going to attempt to call that one! I remain humbly in Christ here.... safe.... and hope that God continues to use me to bless others. And if others are able to use those blessings in a negative way, I can only pray that their hearts are filled with Christ completely. That only God's judgment is on their hearts; as the parent, he has the right to place those on our hearts.....

That being said, my memorial to the worst Birthday I will ever have (I'm an optimist,) today is going to be great! I am going to have 20 1st and 2nd graders give me a Birthday Hug!! Jason gave me a big hug this morning and told me Happy Birthday, my Church family already made me a cake and sang to me, and God is going to be working on lots of hearts today as we finish up our annual VBS program. What better day to get to celebrate being born and being used by GOD!! I feel so loved and God Rocks!!

Our God is an AWESOME GOD,
who REIGNS from Heaven on Earth,
With Wisdom, Power and LOVE,
Our God is an AWESOME GOD!!!

May God Bless this Day with Love, Grace and Peace in the hearts of the Children we are sharing with. May he shelter the seeds that he has been planting from harms way, may He bless the water and sunshine that we are sprinkling on those precious seeds. May he allow those seeds to have fallen on good soil and not on a rocky path to be trampled. Please Lord, let these precious children feel your love and peace in their hearts. And help them to seek refuge in your grace and to always remember to fall into your lap when they are knocked down by life. I pray that you will keep working in their hearts and the hearts of others around them, that you will ultimately win their hearts for your kingdom. That these seeds will someday be aloud to come to a full bloom in you!! My God, you are an Awesome God and I know that nothing is beyond your grasp. That your will is always done, on Earth as it is in heaven. Bless this day, and your children, Father.... Amen.

Strawberry Preserves

I had a few people ask me to write my recipe down for strawberry preserves, really I just use the recipe that comes with the pectin, but this will give you an idea of how much you need of each item.....

Lo-Sugar Strawberry Preserves

(also wonderful blended with other berries, raspberries, blackberries, huckleberries, marionberries, blueberries etc...)

You'll need:
4 cups mashed Strawberries, to your liking, I leave some smaller berries almost whole
1 cup white grape juice
1 package Ball No Sugar Needed Fruit Pectin, I get mine at Wal-mart, best pricing....
2 cups sugar, more or less from 0-3 cups depending on sweetness of your berries; compare that to 7 cups of sugar in a normal recipe, try tasting your berries through all that!
1/2 t. butter (reduces foaming)

-4-6 half pint jars, lids and rings.
-water bath canner, or a large pot, spaghetti or such with canning rings in a layer on the bottom to keep jars from touching the bottom. (I have a canner, but for small batches sometimes it's easier to not drag the huge thing out!
-canning funnel, jar grabber and magnet wand make things a lot easier!
-a few wash cloths, and 3 dish towels.


1. Prepare your water bath canner, I put the jars right in the canner to sterilize them. Then I do a separate pan for lids and rings which I put in the pan put together in layers so it's easy to grab one set out with your magnet wand. Bring lids to a simmer, but not to boil or it may mess up the wax on your lids....

2. Combine your fruit and the fruit juice in a 8 Quart sauce pan, heat on med high to high heat (careful not to scorch the bottom!!) gradually add the pectin, stirring constantly. Add butter. Bring mixture to a rolling boil that you cannot slow by stirring. Add your sugar all at once, it's a good idea to have what you think you'll need measured out already so you can just dump it in.

3. Bring mixture to a full rolling boil and boil hard for 3 minutes. You can skim off the foam if you want/need to.

4. Fill your jars!

Jar filling steps:
-Pull out jars, draining water from each and place on a towel laid beside the pan with your preserves. Using your canning funnel fill each jar to 1/4 inch from top.
-Now dip one of your wash cloths in the water from the lid pan and carefully and completely wipe around the jar rim of each jar. You need to remove any smears of jam so that the lids will properly seal. I go ahead and wipe all jars now. Before doing lids.....
-Now grab a lid with ring out of your pan for the first jar, place it in position, and using the dry remaining wash cloth grab your jar carefully and screw the ring on to hand tightness. You don't need to tighten as tight as you can possibly get it, air needs to escape during the canning process, but do tighten well. Place jar back in canner to stay warm. Finish with remaining jars.
-Once all jars are in the canner, turn temp back up to high. When it starts to boil again, set timer for 10 minutes and turn down burner a bit. You don't need a full rolling boil for canning, just a steady boil.
-get your area ready where your jars will sit for 24 hours untouched. (I leave mine for at least 12 if it's pretty cool in the house, but the full time if it has been hot.) I place a double layer of dish towels down in a corner of my kitchen.
-Keep checking to make sure that you are still boiling, if not turn back up and reset timer. It's best to just stay in the room and check several times so you don't doubt how long it stopped etc.
-when your timer goes off, carefully remove lid and then jars to towel on counter. Let sit for 12-24 hours.
-A jar has been sealed it the button on the lid doesn't pop up and down when you press it. If you have one that didn't seal just put it in the fridge, your first sample!! Yum! Jelly jars usually are very quick to seal, you'll hear loud pops as they seal almost as quickly as you can pull them out of the canner. Some are stubborn, though and will wait almost an hour.
-Wipe the jars down if they got a little jam on the side during processing, and put on your shelf to enjoy later!
-If I use my own berries which I grow organically, or go pick at a local field I do like to spring for Organic Sugar.... Doesn't really make a difference in the taste, but after taking such good care of my berries, I like to pamper them and my family with good sugar :P Funny thing, a hundred and fifty years ago the "good" sugar was pure white, now the "good" sugar is unbleached and rougher ground!
-If anyone sees something that needs correcting, PLEASE let me know. Or if you have comments or your own twist, please share!!

What is Honoring?

I came across an old book the other day, well actually it was a while back. It was an old devotional book that a friend of mine had. I love old books and felt that perhaps this old book had something to say to me regarding things that I had been pondering. The first page that I turned to, the page that was for the date of that day was very interesting. I loved what it had to say. It was straight forward, to the point and didn't call crap anything but what it truly was. Basically it said that as Christians we are called to live our lives to certain standards. And that as long as we are doing what Christ is asking us to do, our lives will never dishonor him. No matter where He leads us or what He asks us to do, it may seem silly to us, or scary, or in some cases wrong, it will never dishonor Him when we come back and look at it hindsight.  Jesus, Christ, will always be cast in a beautiful glow of light. If the light our lives is casting is not so beautiful, or maybe as bright as we think it could be, it's because we may not be listening correctly to what He is asking us to do. Or, perhaps, it's the people that we choose to fellowship with. Friends and family can be making bad choices in their lives as well. Choices that reflect back on us because of our connections, choices that cast drab color or shadows upon our own lives and lights. If these friends or family are "Christians" being born again through Christ, they are supposed to be held accountable to the exact standards that we hold ourselves to. If they are not believers, the case is completely different. But if they are believers, sometimes Christ asks us to release them from our lives and let Satan have them for a while. They have a lesson to learn that we cannot teach them, or in their current state of mind are unable to understand. They need Christ to work in their lives through circumstances in their lives so that they can come back and repent for what they have been doing wrong. As their friends or family, however, we are still asked to pray for them. Prayer is what saves people. Prayer is the only way that we can help "save" someone without affecting their God given right to free will. Regardless, I am abashed by the people in my life that fall to the tempting roll of crutch. I loose respect when it seems that they cannot possibly be doing what Christ would want them to do for fear of the results. God is in control. What He wants to happen will happen regardless of what we want! One way or another, and often we choose the harder path, God will effect what His will is for all of our lives. He will bring us through it kicking and screaming, thinking that we know what is best, and we will be better Christians for it. I may look back, understanding now not how things could possible reflect anything less than a horrible image of Christ, and find that yes, even what appeared to be a pile of poo in the room was actually not poo but compost to use in my garden. But all I can say for now is it looks like poo, smells like poo and has flies buzzing all around it......just like poo!  LOL!

A beautiful Day with beautiful music.....

Today was a busy day.  To begin, I got up and ready for church by 8:20 so that I could be there by 8:30 to set up for Sunday School. Jason and I have taken on the challenge of teaching the 1-6 graders through the summer; 12 weeks of planning ahead of me!  I thought for a sec a few months ago that maybe I wouldn't be lesson planning for a few months this summer! LOL Anyways, so I headed off, set up practiced with the worship team for a while then when that finished up went in and finished getting ready for the kids to arrive. Jason arrived in there somewhere with our kids that he got ready and to church by 9:25 all by himself, no easy feat let me tell you! We then proceeded to teach the kids, we had 15 on our opening day! After that and a quick breath of relief we hurried off to the service. Worship, share prayer, sermon wrap up and then a rush to get people their eggs and kids a few pages for the new prayer journals that we decided to begin as part of the Summer curric. for Sunday School. Then, home to make dinner for our first Host Ministries dinner with Bob and Mary Eytzen. The dinner turned out great (for what they all said, I didn't try it) albeit a half hour after our original ete- estimated time of eattage. We had a lovely visit with them both and I am so happy that they were able to make it over. I had hoped for a sunny day like yesterday so that we could host partly in the yard, but the weather didn't agree. The weather wins that that competition every time! It turned out nice regardless, though, and Mary even brought in her harp so that she could play us a few tunes. I played a long, kind of.  Then the kids each had a turn at a mineature recitle of sorts. Cayleb on the clarinet, Charity Ann on recorder, Sarah Rose on the shaker egg and a harmonica and Noah on the piano. They all were very proud of their accompaniment and the chance to share with Grandpa Bob and Grandma Mary. Mary is an amazing musician. She can play ANYTHING that she touches, by EAR, without hardly a bad note! She plays the organ at church as well as the piano for special numbers here and there. She brings out her accordion for special occasions like church potlucks and BBQ's at the beach, and now the harp :)  She makes me smile, and gives me a life long goal. I respect, so very much, the ability to play by ear but the equal ability to play with music. So much these days you have a musician that can do one or the other but cannot both. The present garage band craze has developed musicians that cannot support their skill with technical knowledge. I am not saying that as a generalization, because there are a lot of talented musicians that have the technical know how to back up their skills!!  I just really respect the people that can do both. I also have encountered "musicians" that have the technical ability ingrained into their brains, but have no heart for improv. They can play any sheet of music you put in front of them, well, but without the ability to venture off on their own here and there, or they just plain lack the desire or courage to do it regardless. They stomp the piano keys or breathe steadily into their mouthpiece, but cannot master the beautiful tones avaliable to their instrument.

I so very much admire Mrs. Vivian and her wonderful talent as well. She is so versatile and willing to teach my kids!! What an asset she has been to my family the past several months! I also think that she is a great musician, I just wish that we had more opportunity to play together! Actually, our entire worship team at church has so much heart and ability and passion for music that I relish every time that I am able to play with them. A good group of musicians is one that you feel challenges you to better your own skills. If you feel like they are holding you back, or are smothering your ability to play what God is placing in your heart to play, it is not so enjoyable. I love that I feel challenged!!

All this spurred by getting to hear Mrs. Mary play her harp :)  Thank you Mrs. Mary!! We love and hold dear all the hugs that we get to share with you both!!

Our Beautiful Ladies

 

These are our pretty ladies :)  Tammy with baby Angel, and next to Charity Ann are Zolma and Abby is the one sniffing her hand.

 

This is Angel :)  What a sweetheart!!

 

Me and the ladies, from Left to Right Zolma, Tammy, Abby and Angel.....

 

Abby, front and Zolma  at the back......

There you go :)

Sarah Rose lost in Thought

 

Sarah Rose is so beautiful when she is lost in her thoughts. She is one of my quiet ones, who can sit looking very carefully at something for quite some time. I love watching her, without distracting her, imagining what she could be thinking about. I imagine that she is pondering some amazing thoughts, things that will change the world some day. She is so smart, and kind and considerate and very passionate and strong willed. She is very sensitive and gets her feelings hurt easily and wants adults to take her seriously. She knows what she is talking about and if she says that something is true, most likely it is. Unless of course, she is creating a story or game about something or someone. She is my babiest one, my pinky-pie, my turkey. The tender golden curls that adorn her face make my heart ache of her beauty. They are not strong curls, but fragile ones, that are easily brushed out if we are not careful. We scrunch them back into place after combing her hair when it's freshly washed. Her eyes are ever changing hazel, mostly green but sometimes shades of brown and yellow. They are enchanting, causing one to gaze in wonder at their marvelous beauty and their captivating stare. God has blessed us with such amazing and beautiful children, and each have such different elements of beauty.

She has Daddy wrapped around her finger, whether he is willing to admit that or not, but not in a horrible way, just a charming old fashioned way. She likes to dance, sing and be silly, but sometimes is so serious you can hardly believe that she is only 4. She has been talking since she was one, using words way beyond her years. She dazzles me. I wait, captivated, through time, as she grows more and more each day. I can't imagine not having this little person around me each and every day, but I know that the young woman that she will grow into will amaze me even more.

I love this picture!!

 

I Love this picture!!
 I just wanted to think about it when I saw my blog :) That's all.....

I Want To Deserve You

Like a stone tumbled
In the ocean waves,
A canyons canvass
Painted in the flood,
And a diamonds pure
Brilliance in a dark crevice,
Refine me,
Define me,
Consume me,
And use me Lord.

I am your creation
Make me ready to serve you
Make me worthy,
I want to deserve you.

Like a stars pure and
everlasting beam,
A mountains enchanting
majesty
And a childs laughter,
heard not seen.
Refine me,
Define me,
Consume me,
and use me Lord.

I am your creation,
Make me ready to serve you.
Make me worthy,
I want to deserve you.

Just a snapshot of life

I was thinking on the way home today, that our lives, speaking of oneself, are like a moving picture, but the lives of others around us are more like photographs. If you think about it, what we see of the lives of others is just little snapshots of what they are really going through. You might see someone walking down the street or entering a restaurant. You may think to yourself, "Wow I am so glad that they are getting to go on a walk," or whatever. You would walk away or continue driving on thinking to yourself, "I bet that person must go on walks a lot." But really, that is just an impression that our brains paint together based on a few seconds of information. What their lives are really like is still a complete mystery. We encounter our own lives with every minute detail. Every second that we are conscious we are recording memories and judging our paths and choices. But the lives of others can be so unfairly judged based on just these small glimpses. We see people walking into a fancy restaurant or walking down the street with a Juicy purse and make certain calls about that persons life. But in reality, we have no idea what their circumstances are. Sure, they might actually be able to go to fancy restaurants when they want to, or buy a new purse on a whim, but the reality could also be the opposite. Maybe they have come across these circumstances by other means, through gifts from others, careful planning or personal sacrifice. I look at my own life, and then try to look at it from the snap shot perspective. What do the choices that I make every day regarding outfits, what my kids are wearing, what I drive, my attitude, how I spend my money (when I actually have some,)how my kids act towards others, or my interaction with humanity say about my circumstances and priorities in life. Do they reflect careful planning, the knowledge that God will provide for my family and I, frugality, a love for Christ and wise choices? Or do they say something else?

As a Christian, I am charging myself with the task of reflecting on these things more carefully. It is so important to me that people see the important things about my life, and not judge me based on what I have. I am so blesses in so many ways. May family blesses me. I get the most beautiful clothes from my Mom and Sister for myself and my youngest Sarah Rose. Jason and I were blessed by the investment in real estate in California, before the market tanked. God has blessed us with vehicles that are nice, run and get good gas mileage. He also lead us through the purchase and organization of the property that we call home now. I look at families trying to buy now and know that if God had not had his hand in the process 6 years ago, we would not have been able to get what we got then, much less now. He continues to bless our property, allowing us to stay above water in a financially soaked market. He lead us to a church full of beautiful people, with beautiful hearts and a passion for Christ. Above all, He protects and feeds my family each and every day, and continues to bless us even when we can't imagine where the blessing could come from next. I also know what He asked us to sacrifice in order to be where we are now. We were asked to move 900 miles from everything and everyone we ever knew. He asked me to not see my Mom and Dad and Grandparents, for months and years at a time. He asked me to not be involved in the day to day lives of my brothers and sisters. These things can break my heart, and do if I am not careful. But these things also make me truly treasure every moment that I get to spend with them. I know that even these times, though they always seem too short, are also a gift from God.

So, the next time you find yourself judging someone based on just a snapshot of their life, back up a second, and think about it from a different perspective. You do not know the choices that they had to make or the sacrifices that it took to get them to where they are. You don't know how God impacts their lives. You don't know how they are feeling or how they are reacting to the world around them. It's going to be hard, but we can do it.

Then there are the people in your life that say one thing but are clearly not really truly living what they say they are living. And then, I feel like I have a little more ability to see the full picture. These people are the hypocrites of the world, the charlatans.... And they will be judged by the true judge, the only judge that really matters.

Trying to Accept

I keep trying to convince myself that things don't matter. Really they don't, it doesn't take much convincing, once I ask myself if it matters. I just wish that other people would tell me what they are really thinking sometimes, instead of just giving me the answer that they think that I want to hear. Really it's easier on everyone if you just come out with it and stand behind what you chose. I am not going to judge you based on the choice you made, unless you are a sister or brother in Christ and your decisions are reflecting poorly on your faith. Then I will have to pray that God gives me the words to say to encourage you in the right direction. But, beyond that, who am I to tell you what is best for you and your family. Some people don't seem to have much of a problem with that. Telling me it just doesn't fit in with their schedule, and leaving it at that. That leaves me to the facts. No wishy-washy decisions that seem like they need a push in any direction. I say Okay, great, lets move on to the next thing. Maybe people value themselves too much in regards to my feelings. Perhaps they think that I will be heartbroken if they say no, that they are not interested. I may be disappointed, but really, who are we thinking about here. Is it really me, or do they just not have the stomach to stand up for the choices and decisions they are making. You don't need my approval. If you feel it, deal with it, or decide to change it. But when you leave it open so that we think you are interested and then back out at the last minute, all the while we knew that you were never in it to begin with. Doesn't that make you look silly? Haven't we learned from the past. I have. I just need to call Dirt, well.... Dirt! I can't expect to sow a beautiful flower garden with vegetable seeds, I need flower seeds. Maybe your just not a flower. Not that Vegetables are any less prized. And certainly I can plant some veggies in my garden as well. But, we need to properly label our planted seeds, that way we know what is what and there is no confusion as to why broccoli came up when I was expecting begonias. Dirt is dirt, and crap is crap. I don't really need any more of the later, I have plenty around here to go around, literaly. So if that is what you are peddling, please pass my homestead over. Thank you.

Short Sweet and to the Point

I realize that it has been a while since I last blogged. Lots has happened, don't get me wrong, but that hasn't left much time for sitting on my bum to write it all down. We recently got some beautiful Saanen Goats. I am milking one and she is providing such lovely creamy whiteness to our table that I treasure each chance that I get to go to the Goat Barn to milk once again. I've been experimenting with some different uses as well, I've made a simple cottage cheese, which turned out pretty good, but I need to get my pasteurizer in running order to do much more, I think. It will be fun to continue to experiment, however.

I also have been very busy at church. Mrs. Viv has talked me into teaching Childrens Sunday School this summer. 12 weeks of unplanned lessons are waiting to be tackled. I really need to find a few hours to get a nice start on those!

Tonight the boys have a concert, they are both singing as well as playing choir chimes for a few numbers as well. They are excited. I get to be a ringer as well for the choir chimes songs. Hopefully Charity Ann and Sarah Rose will be content sitting in the audience, as Daddy won't be able to make it due to his current schedule.

I will try to get a few pictures posted on here, so that everyone can see how much we are all growing!

That's all for now! Sorry not so spectacular!

Christianity is Hated....

There is such a huge profound difference between love and acceptance..... We, as Christians are to love one another Believers and Unbelievers alike, but that doesn't mean that we condone or accept everything that these people do and ignore God's Word. I can try my best to LOVE you with the love of Christ, but to tell you that I accept everything about you, and that it's okay with me would be betrayal of God's Law. In the Beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the the Word was God. John 1:1

In the Beginning God created the Heavens and the Earth Gen 1:1.... how people can say that world history predates the Bible baffles me.... I understand that the Bible itself, in the form we find it today, hasn't been around all that long relatively speaking.... But the true, inspired word of God that Moses wrote down and many after him continued...... can't be argued away.