Kitchen Tip Tuesday
Favorite Cornbread
Favorite Cornbread
January 29, 2008
It's Kitchen Tips Tuesday at Tammy's Recipes. Here is our kitchen tip.
We bake from scratch with fresh ground grains. We recently discovered with our Favorite Cornbread recipe is that it is even more of a favorite when the batter sits overnight, not to mention more healthy (see Notes below). It makes the bread so soft and moist! So, here's our newly revised Favorite Cornbread recipe:
1 1/2 C butter, melted
2 C honey
3 C Buttermilk
3 C fresh ground corn
3 C fresh ground whole wheat flour
Note the batter's consistency, cover and let sit unrefrigerated overnight.
When ready to bake, add to mix:
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, 6 eggs and
enough buttermilk to return to original consistency before refrigerating.
Pour into greased lasagna pan (12"x16" or thereabouts) and bake 350 for 30-40 minutes or until knife comes out clean.
Cornbread Mix:
Make a mix of dry ingredients above, minus the baking soda & salt, and store in freezer in ziploc bag. Only store this mix in the freezer. When whole grains are ground and not refined, the natural, healthy oils will go rancid in just a couple of days and are no longer healthy. Thus, buying whole grain flours are not a good option. Grinding your own grains gives you the ability to have the freshest, healthiest, most natural grains possible.
For 9"x13" sized recipe, use 5 1/2 C dry mix.
Add: 1 C butter, melted, 1 1/3 C honey, 2 C buttermilk. Let sit overnight.
Add 1 teaspoon baking soda & salt, 4 eggs, and additional buttermilk to correct consistency right before baking.
This is like a cornbread cake and is sweet. We serve this with a turkey dinner and for breakfast. No need to add honey butter!
Whole Grain Notes:
Aside from having a moister cornbread, there are nutritional aspects to soaking this mix overnight. In Nourishing Traditions
“All grains contain phytic acid (an organic acid in which phosphorus is bound) in the outer layer or bran. Untreated phytic acid can combine with calcium, magnesium, copper, iron and especially zinc, in the intestinal tract and block their absorption.”
“Soaking allows enzymes, lactobacilli, and other helpful organisms to break down and neutralize phytic acid. As little as seven hours of soaking in warm acidulated water will neutralize a large portion of phytic acid in grains.”
“Soaking in warm water also neutralizes enzyme inhibitors, present in all seeds, and encourages the production of numerous beneficial enzymes. The action of these enzymes also increases the amount of many vitamins, especially the B vitamins.”
This preparation method was used extensively by our ancestors and is still in use today by some cultures. Somewhere along the way, perhaps because we have consumed white flour and polished grains for so long, we lost this important knowledge. Now that a lot of us are embracing the “whole grain” revolution, are we really getting the full benefits from our “healthy” choices?
Even if you have been soaking your whole grains, have you thought about doing the same with whole grain flour? Most of us would have to say ‘no’. Think about all the whole wheat products (except the sourdough ones) you’ve eaten in the last year and ask yourself if the flour was “phytic acid neutral” & “enzyme active”?
Once again, the book states:
“Because they are acidic, buttermilk, cultured milk, yogurt, and whey (as well as lemon juice and vinegar) activate the enzyme phytase, which works to break down phytic acid in the bran of grains. Sour milk products also provide lactic acid and lactobacilli that help break down complex starches, irritating tannins and difficult to digest proteins. .................. This method has the further advantage of so softening whole meal flour that the final product is often indistinguishable from one made with white flour. Bread, muffins and pancakes that have been made with whole wheat flour rise easily with baking soda alone; they do not require baking powder. And they are not characterized by the heaviness that can make whole grain products so unpalatable.”
Some simple steps to follow:
- use undiluted buttermilk, yogurt or kefir to soak grains and flours for 12-24 hours at room temperature.
- as an alternate soaking method: add one tablespoon of whey, lemon juice or vinegar (try apple cider) for each cup of water and soak overnight.
- always add baking soda and salt after the the grains or flours have been soaked or lacto fermented.
Sue Gregg
Some of the other "Eating Better Cookbooks" are:
1. Main Dishes: With Over 100 Complete Menus
2. Meals in Minutes: From Freezer to Table
3. Casseroles: Meals in Minutes for Busy Women
4. Lunches and Snacks: With Lessons for Children
5. Soups & muffins: Nutritious and delicious : for busy women
Enjoy!
Fevers 'n Coughs
January 28, 2008
Saturday afternoon Larissa headed for bed with a fever and headache. She's had a come-n-go cough for a few weeks so I thought that maybe the cough, which had come back again, was headed into a bacterial infection. Ashley & Callan have been fighting colds this past week as well. Ashley was on the mend, but Callan and Larissa stayed home from church on Sunday.
I was all prepared to take Larissa to the Doctor today. Then I heard Ryker up in the middle of the night coughing rather nastily so I began to wonder if it was a new virus that we were fighting. Then, when Ryker announced this morning that he had a fever, I knew I could scratch that Doctor's call off my list. Larissa woke up feeling better today, but still running a low grade fever.
If history is to be my teacher, then I expect to see people falling like dominoes into fever 'n coughs over the course of this week. I canceled all jobs on the calendar and am preparing to have a week at home.
The Zoo
January 28, 2008
We've talked about purchasing a year family pass to the San Antonio Zoo since we moved to San Antonio. It was on our wish list, and made it to the top of that list a couple of times, but then quickly got bumped back down to the later wish list by other unexpected necessities. I guess since we were slow to move on it, God decided to give us a year's pass to the Zoo instead. The children were very excited as many of them have never been to a zoo and the rest were so small they really don't remember much about going to a zoo.
A couple of Saturdays ago Rick and the boys were working on a patio roof job not too far from the zoo. Ashley and Delaney were helping the owner of the house with some other chores and I decided to occupy the rest of the children by spending the afternoon at the zoo.
Boy were the little boys excited! The biggest hurdle was finding a parking spot. The entire lot was full and cars in need of a parking spot were following exiting zoo-goers like vultures ready to swoop for the spot. I was on the verge of giving up when God opened up a spot for us with no competition from other vulture vans. The hoorays resounded and we were finally on our way into the zoo. We exchanged our gift certificate for zoo membership cards and started learning our way around the zoo.
Unfortunately, we didn't have our new camera yet, so we do not have any photos to document our first trip to the zoo. : ( But, I'm sure y'all can imagine what we saw. The San Antonio Zoo is a smaller zoo, nothing in size compared to the Los Angeles or San Diego Zoos. But, it's the perfect size to take the children to for a nice afternoon outing and picnic. My hope is to pick an animal each time we go, come home and study about it and when we return practice our newly learned knowledge.
The first exhibit we headed for were the bears. They were all sleeping and not too entertaining. The African Safari Exhibit with the lions, tigers, and giraffes was closed, due to reopen the next weekend. So, we look forward to seeing them on our next visit.
I think the highlight of the day was the komodo dragon lizard. We were watching this HUGE "lizard?" through a large, thick glass window when it decided to get a closer look of us. He climbed up on the inside window sill, stuck his nose to the glass and looked directly into Jackson's eyes which were right next to his side of the glass. Harrison shrunk back, very uncertain about this whole ordeal and I think secretly thankful that it was Jackson that the komodo decided to get a better look at! He really was hugely intimidating. He stayed there for quite awhile until he slid off of the sill and fell back to the ground. I think it was then that Jackson started breathing again!
The children who were able to visit the zoo are excited to return and show those who didn't get to go on our first visit everything they missed, especially the komodo dragon!
Quick-Cook Butchering Method
Results Are In
Results Are In
January 28, 2008
Well, as posted a few days ago, our quick-cook butchering method was not a complete success. The good news is that after simmering all night in the Nesco, the meat was definitely palatable and able to be salvaged. Last week we had turkey & gravy and turkey in our green salad. Tonight's menu is turkey, rice and vegies with homemade bread. Home roasted turkey on rye with mayo, mustard & lettuce is one of my all-time favorite sandwiches. I'm looking forward to a few of those before all these turkeys are gone! Mexican Turkey Soup is also a family favorite.
We've decided that we'll be content with aging the birds a couple of days before roasting from now on. I'm still wondering how grandma went to the chicken coop in the morning, butchered her non-laying hen or aggressive rooster and then served them for dinner that night?
Quick-Cook Butchering Method
January 23, 2008
Yesterday we experimented with the quick-cook butchering method with one of our turkeys that we butchered. You see, when you butcher a turkey you either need to cook it *immediately* before the flesh has a chance to cool off, or you must age it for 2-3 days in the fridge or in the cooler filled with ice water. Any other way and the meat is like rubber due to the rigor mortis enzyme.
Ryker butchered, processed and got the turkey in the Nesco as quickly as he could, hoping to have nice, tender turkey for dinner. The turkey cooked well and we all expectantly watched as Rick carved the turkey to see if it was tender and juicy or hard as rubber. Turns out, the turkey was neither. It was edible, but it was a little tough. So, Miss Turkey was simmered in water in the Nesco all night long. We'll let you know how the semi-tough meat turned out after it's second cooking.
Enter Biblical Womanhood's
$100 Vision Forum
Passport
Giveaway
$100 Vision Forum
Passport Giveaway
January 23, 2008
Crystal at B iblical Womanhood is hosting a $100 Vision Forum Passport Giveaway. Surf on over to her blog and leave a comment by January 28, 2008 at noon, to be entered.
How many ways could I spend a $100 Vision Forum Passport?
Butchering Turkeys
January 22, 2008
Monday was a catch-up day after being gone, in and out, early and late, for 4 days in a row. And, boy did we need to catch up! The catching up was hampered somewhat by the cold, rainy weather we've been having, but we managed to get some accomplished.
This morning was our nice weather opportunity to get a couple of turkeys butchered before more cooold weather hits this afternoon. Ryker was all excited to use his new bow and broadhead arrowheads in the butchering process. Callan went armed with new camera in hand and videotaped the butchering. Ryker just proudly brought me the video clip of his direct shot to the turkey's very small neck. He's very happy with his bow and his archery prowess! Butchering isn't quite the chore that it used to be : )
This first turkey is sort of an experiment. Years ago, we butchered our first ever home grown chickens. Rick hated the process ~ butcher, scald in hot water, pluck and process. He didn't inherit his dad's agriculture genes! And, in the end, the chickens were like rubber when cooked. They were horrible! Rick is very happy that he has children to do the butchering now.
Years later we learned that the reason they were horrible is because the rigor mortis enzyme had set in which makes the meat hard like rubber and no amount of cooking or boiling will fix it. We learned that you had to refrigerate, or store in ice water in a cooler, the freshly butchered birds for 1-3 days until the rigor mortis enzyme goes away and the meat loosens up. So, when we butchered our first set of meat birds here, that's what we did. It worked great! We also learned that it is much easier to just skin the bird, feathers and all than it is to scald and pluck. That is unless you have a Whizbang Feather Plucker and Scalder. I'm told those little tools make scalding and plucking really easy. But, until we actually pull together all the materials needed to make them, skinning feathers and all is the way for us.
Today's butchered turkey is destined for tonight's dinner ~ at least that is our plan. We're trying the butcher quick and get it in the oven before it cools off cooking method. We'll see tonight if our meat is tender and juicy or like eating rubber. If it's like rubber, the cats and dog will be very happy. We'll keep you posted!
Mr. & Mrs.
Cody Carnett
Cody Carnett
January 22, 2008
Last week and weekend was a busy week. Ashley & Callan were asked to help the out-of-state florist providing the florals for Cody & Lucy's wedding with her 6 month old baby and with the floral arranging. They spent Wednesday evening through Saturday morning helping Jennifer arrange flowers and care for her little boy. It was really no sacrifice for them ~ caring for a 6 month old baby or helping arrange beautiful and fragrant flowers? Nope, no sacrifice at all : ) except for being cold as the flowers had to be kept in a chili environment.
The rest of us had thoughts of a couple of days at home with the older girls gone. But, they turned into just thoughts as our "plans" were changed for us, as they so often are. We received a phone call that a man we'd purchased butchering turkeys from last year had some more that he was culling from his grandchild's 4-H project. Did we want any? The price was very reasonable considering the turkeys were ready for butcher - no care from us except for butchering. Having plentiful, hand-raised poultry meat in the freezer for a less-than-store cost sounded great to me! So, we went and picked up 15 live, ready to butcher, turkeys on Thursday afternoon.
Friday, we made an unexpected trip to the orthodontist as Ryker had a wire come off of his braces. Since we had to make a trek to town and since it was payday, we also did some major grocery shopping while in town. This turned into a later than desired home arrival time on Friday night.
Saturday was Cody & Lucy's wedding. It was an 11 a.m. wedding, making it an early morning for us, especially since I'd forgotten to make one important stop while in San Antonio the day before and we needed to stop and buy a larger camera memory card to be able to take photos of the special day. Then throw in the last minute change of wardrobe decisions made by the guys who had girls pick out their clothes days ahead of the special day, it made for a jam-packed morning. Thankfully, we made it to the wedding with some time to spare!
Thankfully the day was clear after previous days' showers, but it was cold, for Texas, that is. The church was packed with over 1,000 people! There were 2 matrons of honor, 1 maid of honor, 1 best man, 1 honorary best man, 11 bridesmaids, 11 groomsmen, 3 junior bridesmaids, 3 junior groomsmen, 4 ring bearers and 5 flower girls!!! This is definitely the largest wedding we have ever been to!
We were greeted at the church with beautiful orchestral classical music provided by many we know. The bride entered to the Van Dyke/Beethoven tune Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee which was lovely. The bride was radiant and the ceremony beautiful. We were reminded of the covenant of marriage that the vows seal and the holiness thereof. We were reminded of the duties of the husband before God and the duties of the wife before God. We were reminded of how Christ has gone to prepare a place for His Bride, the Church and that marriage is a picture of Christ's relationship to His Bride, the Church. Someday His Bride, the Church will be united to Him at the Wedding Feast of the Lamb. The newly wed couple was announced to the 1,000+ witnesses and excited to the recessional LaRejoissance/Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee by Handel/Beethoven.
The reception was held at the San Antonio Country Club. We enjoyed a lunch buffet and numerous kinds of wedding cake, not to mention wonderful fellowship. I'm told the new couple is off to 2 weeks in Colorado and 2 weeks in the Caribbean. Sounds like a grand start to a new life.
After the wedding and reception Rick indulged me in going to buy a new waffle maker. We left our old one at the dump in California before moving as it had fallen apart after 20+ years of use. We've been missing it ever since. After researching waffle makers, I'd finally decided I wanted the Waring Pro Belgian Waffle Maker that Costco has carried for a couple of years now. So, we went to Costco only to find out that they deleted it from their inventory within the past two weeks. I knew that Sams Club had carried it, so we tried there. Same story, just been deleted from their inventory.
Since it was my birthday, everyone wanted to take me out for dinner. We gave up the waffle maker hunt and headed for Olive Garden only to find out that they had a 1 1/2 hr. wait. We decided to head towards home and figure out where to stop in between. We tried another Italian restaurant only to find a 2+ hour wait. So, we headed for IHOP where we enjoyed breakfasts and dinners. Right next to IHOP was a Bed-Bath-and-Beyond, who just might have the waffle maker I was looking for. So, Delaney, Galilee and I headed in hoping to find just the right waffle maker. They had one, but it was the floor model, which they wouldn't sell me. They informed me that their other store way across town had several in stock. Oh well. I've been watching eBay for one, but so far haven't found just the right one.
So, that's the story of our very busy last week and weekend. We've been home for 2 days now - yeah! My "plan" is to be home all week long without having to leave. We'll see how my plan goes!
Picture Perfect!
January 22, 2008
We were so thankful to have received our new camera before Cody & Lucy's wedding on Saturday. Even though we really didn't know how to use it, we did manage to get a few decent photos of the day.
The camera we finally decided upon is a digital Canon PowerShot S5IS.
It's the top of the line point-and-shoot for those of us who are photography illiterate as well as advanced enough to teach those who want to learn photography how to use a more advanced, professional camera without the huge expense until they're ready for that much camera. The camera comes with a built-in flash along with the ability to add an external flash. It came with a lens with the ability to purchase and add different lenses later. So, as our photography knowledge grows, the camera will grow with us.
After much research for the best price from a reliable company, we narrowed our vendor choice down to either Circuit City or www.newegg.com. The deciding factor was their shipping & warranty costs. Being as we live in a tent and being that we have small children that seem to break way too many things, an accidental warranty was very important to us. Circuit City's warranty was just too much money. Circuit City was tempting, though, as we could purchase online for less money than in the store and then we could do an instore pick-up when we were in town, having the camera almost immediately. But, the warranty issue won out and we purchased our new camera through http://www.newegg.com.
Newegg is a techy company that Skylar had heard about through the techy guys at church. And, true to their word, Newegg proved to be very reliable with great prices. The camera order was processed the business day after our order, shipped the next day and received 2 days later. The only problem we had was that we were supposed to have received a free 1 gb memory card with the camera order. Somewhere in the process, we missed the right order button to receive the card, but upon inquiry, Newegg graciously shipped us one anyway, for which we are very thankful. The 35 mb card that came with it is practically useless, only storing 10 photos.
Needless to say, this week has been filled with amateur photographers wanting to take photos of everything, jockying for position for the camera. Now we need to figure out how to get those photos off of the new camera card and onto the computer : )
The Genesis of
The Year of
Our Lord
2008
The Year of
Our Lord
2008
January 15, 2008
Wow! I can't believe its been 15 days since we last blogged! Time flies when you're working or sick or both, which is pretty much what we've been up to since December 31, 2007 when we last blogged.
In a nutshell, here's a synopsis of the past 2 weeks. (You'll have to imagine what our photos would have been, had we had a cooperative camera.)
We started the year 2008 by having our dear friends the Szklarz and Ehlinger Families out to Plymouth Rock Ranch for a day of fun, fellowship and food. The weather was chilly but turned out warm enough for the children to play outside with the archery equipment, go on hikes and lasso the bull calf. The wood burning stove kept the tent nice and warm when it was time to come in and warm up. We enjoyed a wonderful turkey dinner that Callan prepared and pies that Ashley prepared. Mr. Szklarz helped us with some computer issues that we needed help with, which was truly a blessing. Our day of fun, fellowship and food was a great way to start out the New Year!
Rick had 1 1/2 weeks off of work during the end of December. The guys spent that time and more days in 2008 working on a friend's eaves getting her roof ready for roofing. Rick ended up getting sick and stayed home from work 2.5 days the 2nd week back to work, which is very unusual for him. The rest of us have been fighting colds/coughs as well. In spare moments, the guys have been working on the reconstruction of our utility shed.
We've had some freezing weather so a washing machine part froze, requiring replacement (thank you, Ryker for R&Ring the Washer!) and an unexpected trip to the laundry mat. Can you say, "Unexpected Expense?" (both the new part and the trip to the laundry mat!) But, in general, the weather has been nice with our wood burning stove heating the tent up beautifully when it has been chilly.
Our own source of water, i.e. a well, is at the top of the list for prayerful goals in 2008. We still plan to rainwater harvest once we get some buildings up. But, we've decided that our highest priority at this point is to drill a well so we have our own source of water and then we will have the well as our back up to our rainwater harvesting system when we are able to build. Our prayer is that God will graciously bring in enough revenue to get a well drilled so we can spend our time and money more profitably than hauling water. We do so enjoy visiting our friends so often because we need more water : ) but a well is our goal. Maybe then we can have our sweet friends out to our place instead : )
Ryker bought a very expensive Kodiak Bow off eBay for $85. He is definitely one of the best bargain hunters in the family. He found it by searching for free shipping archery items. The seller must have been new at listing as his title was "Bows" which didn't have enough search terms in it for most buyers to find. Ryker was thrilled though and had a lesson in patience having to wait the week of Christmas which had few shipping days and then another week after that because we have UPS problems here in our neck of the woods. (Another story for another day.) But, once he got it, he was happy as a clam. Since both Skylar and Ryker just purchased their own BowTech bows, this bow was supposed to be for Dad. But, Dad would rather sell the bow and put the profits into a new well. He'll have to borrow the boys' bows when he wants to shoot should we find a buyer for the bow.
I made a hot pad out of an old pair of jeans by cutting the jeans into strips and then crocheting the strips into a circle. It took one whole pair of old jean strips to make a 12" diameter hot pad. We needed more safe places to set hot pans that were coming off of the wood burning stovetop. Not funny yet? Callan took one of the seams that I'd cut out and made a bow out of it. She told Harrison that she'd made him a bow. He innocently asked, "Where do I put my hand and where does the arrow go?" Is he all boy, or what?
Some ways we've been able to conserve money so far in 2008 (and we're praying for even more ways to accomplish this as we always have unexpected expenses ~ like frozen washing machine parts : ) are:
1. Purchase of 65 cans of clearance canned pumpkin at .25 a can rather than it's original .99 a can price for a whopping savings of $48.10. mmmmmm.....Can you smell the pumpkin pies, pumpkin rolls, pumpkin bars, pumpkin bread, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin pancakes........
2. Finding a Free Craigslist Ad for free haircuts at the Supercut Training Center. 10 haircuts x $10 = $100 - $40/gas = $60 savings. That's over $100 savings in the first 15 days of 2008!
Not to mention the difference in price shopping at our wonderful Hondo Thrift Store, run by the Hondo Garden Club, and retail store prices. We are so very thankful for our little thrift store.
I spent two days taking Ashley from store to store looking for black leather flat shoes. My, they are soooo expensive! What did we find at the Hondo Thrift Store? A pair of black leather flat shoes in her size for $2! We had a math lesson today. If I bought all 11 of us $75 shoes we would spend close to $1,000 (shoes, tax and gas). But, if I bought all 11 of us $2 shoes at the thrift store (that are equivalent shoes to the $75/pair shoes), I would spend around $25 for a savings of $975 for just one pair of shoes for each member of the family. That is why I am so thankful for our little local thrift store : )
Near the end of 2007 we sold a sewing machine on eBay that I found at Hancock Fabrics 80% off a couple of years ago. We were able to take the proceeds from this sale and turn our sewing machine into a camera. Whalla! Well, it really wasn't that easy but God graciously blessed our efforts!
It's been quite a deal for all the older interested parties in this family to look at cameras, decide on what features were most important, decide on the brand, decide on what was affordable (well, our PayPal balance helped to make that decision a little easier), and then figure out where the best deal was to be found for said camera.
We finally came to an agreement, made our purchase, discovered that the purchaser had entered in a wrong email address and then discovered that the camera they had purchased did not come with the standard manufacturer's package. Being as the company had not processed our order promptly, we canceled that order and then set about trying to find the next place from which to purchase the camera with the manufacturer's package.
After a day spent surfing online, we finally decided upon our second vendor and are currently awaiting with bated breath, our new camera, which shipped out today! When we get it, we'll let you know what we purchased. How's that for suspense? Oh yes, we had 42 cents left in the PayPal account after the purchase of the camera. The sewing machine funds were almost to the penny what it cost to purchase the camera. Isn't God so good to provide just what we need?
Our neighbor surprised us with our first 2 fruit trees for Plymouth Rock Ranch. So, we've spent much time in the past two weeks researching the proper fruit trees for our zone and the figuring out how to actually plant trees in our rocky soil (raised beds and imported soil), which is much more rock than it is soil. Since peaches grow well in Texas, we decided to start with 2 peach trees, the LaFeliciana and the Sam Houston. Sounds like the perfect match, doesn't it?
With our research has come the desire to order 2 of everything, especially since we want to grow our own food and know what it is that we're eating, not to mention that food prices have recently skyrocketed. But, that would just be self-defeating so we are restraining ourselves and practicing patience which is oh, so difficult.
Our plan is to start planning out next year's order, trust God for a well this year, find a place for everything we want to order, dig the holes, raise the beds, purchase the required potting soil, save the money for the plants and trees, set up a watering system and be ready! (novel idea, huh?) to actually make that order next year and then immediately and without pressure, plant everything we've ordered in a peaceful and orderly manner. Sounds like a great plan, doesn't it? We'll let you know next year how we did with our plan.
When I was visiting my grandparents last year, my grandfather gave me 2 peach pits from his peach tree, which he had planted from a grocery store peach pit. He told me that he'd planned to plant these two pits and just never got to it and gave them to me to plant. I'm not the gardener that he is, though I aspire to someday be able to grow strawberries, peaches and almonds like him, as well as garden like my maternal grandmother who could grow and preserve anything and everything. Anyway, I am now researching how to sprout these two pits and grow them into "Pappap's Peaches." Lord willing, they will grow, flourish and produce wonderfully sweet peaches for his posterity for generations to come.
A young lady in a sister church is getting married this weekend. Our friend, Diana, is helping to coordinate Lucy's wedding and has asked Ashley and Callan to help the florist, who is coming from out of state, with the flower project and helping to care for her 6 month old baby this Thursday, Friday and then Saturday morning. I'm sure it will be a great learning experience and fun for them and they are looking forward to helping. The rest of us will have a taste of homemaking without the older 2 girls for a few days. It's amazing how the family dynamics change when just one person is away, but with both older girls gone for 3 days together, that will really change things up a bit!
Well, that's a pretty BIG nutshell of what our 2008 has been like so far : ) We are excited to see what God has planned for the remainder of our year 2008. Will you join us in praying for our need of a well? We would be ever so grateful if you would.
but in everything
by prayer and supplication,
with thanksgiving,
let your requests be made known to God;
and the peace of God,
which surpasses all understanding,
will guard your hearts and minds
through Christ Jesus.
Phillipians 4:6-7
the Faithfulness and Provision of God in
The Year of Our Lord
~2008~
for Future Generations!
