daybook 12

FOR TODAY

May 4, 2010

Outside my window...

• the sun is shining in a blue, blue sky
• the wind is seriously blowing
• the dandelions are proliferating way beyond our NPT agreement

I am thinking...

about electrical outlets and switches, kitchen cabinets, etc. {See that the eyes have glazed over...}


I am praying for...

• many health needs 
• Marissa and family who lost Grandma/Mom/Wife recently ~ married 68 years ~ Isn't that great though?!
• patience and a sweet spirit in me in spite of construction stress ~ this will be a 'prayer and fasting' need for God to work (thankful for that verse Sunday and the new realization of what it means)

I am thankful for...

• a good report after my dad's surgery this morning to remove a small superficial tumor ~ No further treatment planned, just frequent check-ups ~ Thank you, Lord!

• Sunday morning message:  "Yes, but GOD IS ABLE."  God's sovereign power ~

"Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth."

Mark 9:23  

(Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.)

From the learning rooms...

• the Popper is beginning multiplying by 3 and enjoying learning cursive writing in penmanship
• the Cattleman is mastering division with 2-digit divisors and working with fractions
• the Cowgirl finished her Easy Grammar today with the post-test (finished math weeks ago)
• the Computer Geek is working with quadratic equations in Algebra 2 and the final module's study guide in physical science (and deserving lots of 'demerits' for chattering with siblings this morning)
• Miss Music Box is determined to conquer the last of her geometry lessons (I think she much prefers her anatomy course)
• Miss Artist is under supervision of Aunt J. yet this week, but should also be finishing her physical science module and progressing in math lessons.  
• And we finished our current chapter in Carson this morning, "A Second Radical Reconstruction, 1960-1975," reading about 'The Revolt against Authority' and 'Constitutional Reconstruction.'  Next chapter is called "The Conservative Response," but I will wait another couple weeks to begin that - when we have everyone home again for a while.  We have a whole volume covering 1985-2001 to read after we finish with this one -- hopefully we can be done before September!

From the kitchen...

leftovers for lunch, with leftovers still leftover!  Corndog muffins on the menu for supper, but I didn't ask Tim if that meets with his approval (I expected him to be in the field, thus the kid-friendly/easy for Mom menu plans)... Not sure what Plan B might be.   Can't remember the plan for the rest of the week.


I am creating...

a recipe book for niece Jenna for Saturday's bridal shower (I could/should be printing pages while I type this...Hurrah for multi-tasking.)


I am going...

crazy


I am reading...

the Psalms

Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.

Psalm 27:14

The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.

Psalm 28:7

I am hoping...

to get an answer from Woodharbor soon.  It's May 4, and they haven't decided what their May special on their cabinets will be.  I could be happy to decide for them.  ;-)  Meanwhile, I'm resolving myself to be thankful for Schrock from Menard's or Conestoga all the way from Connecticut.


I am hearing...

the wind ~ now that the Cattleman is finished at the piano and the printer is finished with the requested job
Actually, now that it's taken me several hours to accomplish this post, I hear the water running now and then as the kids enjoy a water fight outside.


Around the house...

it could be worse  (It has been recently!)


One of my favorite things...

buying jeans for my boys for $6 each at the outlet mall  :-)

A few plans for the rest of the week:

• ordering the kitchen cabinets
• decluttering in earnest
• more construction cleaning after the electrician finishes drilling and before the drywall dust begins...

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...

in the form of two photos ~ gotta love the combination ~
Do you wonder what the cattle are looking at?

Ava tackled the Cowgirl  :-)
Here she is playing in the cat's water dish  :o  Yes, I washed her hands with soap immediately!

Link up and find more daybooks at Peggy's blog, The Simple Woman's Daybook.

Thurs-Friday update (for Miss Artist)

Miss Artist is away from home for a few weeks.  She requested more pictures of the new calves, but this was about as good as I could get on a drive-by shooting photo shoot while I was out and about to buy eggs.  There are 8 calves so far out there somewhere... Newest one belongs to the heifer Miss A named Piper.  So I thought the little guy's name should be Whistler - what do you think?

When Tim came home for supper yesterday, we had a brief conversation like this:
T: I'm gonna go fix the window.
M: What window?
T: The skylight.
M: What's wrong with the skylight?
T: It leaks!
M:  Oh, that.  :-)

So, when it stormed and rained buckets at 2:30 this morning, the skylight didn't leak!  Woot woot!  (Guess I could move the dishpan from the stairs back to the kitchen now?)

We went to Wal-mart this morning on the way to piano and picked up a nice Gerbera daisy for Mrs. D.  Then at Fareway I bought another smaller golden yellow Gerbera for myself us!  And a couple mystery flowers for Miss A to guess - they are deep red and the name stars with a "D."  I thought they would look good at the new house... eventually when we have a front yard.  Hmm, we're having pizza for supper tonight.  That means more wheat to grind for the crusts, and maybe I'll thaw the sausage for sausage/'shroom pizza?  Yum.  And now, a house disaster to clean and bath fans to deliver to my favorite house-builder named Tim...

Have a great weekend!

signs of spring... summer is coming!

Green is the color of growth... Pastor H. talked about being like an evergreen on Sunday:  they grow all year long, but it the spring they have a major growth spurt that you can see.

These pansies survived the winter under a thick blanket of snow... what a pleasant surprise to find them alive and happy this spring!

These beautiful blooms are almost gone.  It's been very windy.

I don't remember seeing actual flowers on these plants before.  I wish I'd seen them before they began to wither.  I don't even remember what the plant is called... I thought it started with a "B" but this bougainvillea doesn't look right either.  Very strange.  Can't find it on the Jung website.  Anyone know what this is??

Can't tell you what this is either - I know we bought it at Holub's 8 or 9 years ago  :-)

One of the hawthorn trees...

And of course, my two-year-old geranium.  :-)   I finally moved it outside, so it has taken a real beating in the wind today.  I wonder if I should bring it in before it really storms? 

cookie mama (baking day, part 2)

As I hinted, we also made cookies yesterday.  With the same good-for-you fresh whole wheat flour... which makes the cookies healthy, right?  (Hmmm, note the sugar in the first photo...)

Just for kicks, I used the teeny-tiny cookie scoop I bought for our family years ago, when our Bigs were still Littles.  Believe me, these are tiny.  That idea lasted for just one pan.  I didn't want to give myself carpal-tunnel syndrome with all that scooping!

Below, you can see the teeny-tiny cookies on the cooling rack behind a pan of normal-sized cookies that have been browned to perfection for the Head of this house.  (That's Tim, just in case you're wondering, but he does share.)

Miss MusicBox volunteered to load this pan for the freezer.  Another day we will have fresh-baked cookies again - so easy!

Oh, and here's the Cowgirl cleaning out the bowl to make some giant Daddy-sized cookies... with added chocolate chips since the dough seems to always run out.

I guess I should have a picture of Tim enjoying his cookies and milk... but he doesn't have much time for photo-journaling these days.

Cookie Mama Cookies (Glorified Toll House)

1 1/2 c. butter, softened
1/2 c. olive oil
1 c. sugar
1 c. brown sugar
4 eggs
1 T vanilla
~ 5 c. fresh whole wheat flour (enough to achieve the right consistency)
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1/2 - 1 c. chopped English walnuts or pecans
2-3 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Sometimes we add peanut butter, rolled oats, freshly ground flax seed, honey, lemon juice, shredded coconut, or ??? (anything else that's handy and sounds like a good variation) Sometimes I make them wheat-free with flour milled from rye, barley and millet. Sometimes I use some all-purpose flour from the store, but I really prefer the taste with whole-grain flour :-) This is a double batch of cookies, so you need to use a good-sized mixer or strong arm and a big bowl -- or just cut the recipe in half again.

baking day

It's tempting to make this a Wordless Wednesday sort of post  :-)  But that would be against my nature, don't you think?  (wordless?)

So, with a bit of The House that Jack Built theme in mind...


This is the fresh flour that fills the bread that I bake for my children on a Wednesday afternoon.

And this is the mill that grinds the white wheat berries into the fresh flour that fills the bread that I bake for my children on a Wednesday afternoon.

This is the mixer that kneads the fresh flour (and several other things) that fills the bread that I bake for my children on a Wednesday afternoon.

This is the dough that is ready to shape into the bread that I bake for my children on a Wednesday afternoon.

These are the loaves that are ready to bake into wondrously fine bread for my children on a Wednesday afternoon.

And these are the loaves of wondrously fine bread all in a row, fresh from the oven...

... ready for my children to eat on a Wednesday evening.

♥ Lest you think me vain with my description of "wondrously fine bread"... I must say that it is not about me.  It's about fresh whole wheat flour, rolled oats, butter, walnuts, and almonds, etc.,  and the wonderful mixer that combines the good ingredients into such wondrously fine bread.  ♥

Today's Version of Lee's Special Request:
6 T butter
1/2 c. C&H brown sugar
1-2 T honey
splash of lemon juice
2 tsp Real salt
1 1/2 T SAF instant yeast
2 c. regular rolled oats
10-12 c. fresh whole wheat flour
1/2 c. chopped English walnuts (more?)
1/3 c. sliced almonds
5 c. warm water

This makes four 10-inch loaves of wondrously fine bread.  I've listed the ingredients, but they are not necessarily in order.  If you want my method, please just ask!  :-)

fyi... fresh flour from white hard wheat berries is yummy-licious in everything!  (I guess that would count as my opinion more than an fyi?)

P.S. We made cookies too!  Another baking day post will be coming...

Sophia Hope

Since Sophia is just 8+ months old and just beginning her year of chemo, I'm going to give you all the link to her carepage if you want to follow along and pray for this little one and her family.  Thank you!

daybook 11

The Simple Woman's Daybook will be posted each Tuesday ~ here.

FOR TODAY

Monday, April 26, 2010

Outside my window...

it continues to rain.  The grass really needs to be mowed!

I am thinking...

about the pictures I've just been looking at @ Vietnampix.com

I am thankful for...

the safe and happy homecoming of Matt from Iraq (husband to Tim's niece Neilia and father of three wonderful little ones).  Happy, happy day to see them together again (via FB)!

I am praying for...

Miss Artist in New Mexico, nephews Jeremy & Andrew currently with Missionary Stensaas in Uganda, nephew Matthew serving in Ireland (and preparing for his upcoming marriage), Missionary Wanda Barnes who will have hip replacement surgery in Paris on Friday, little Sophia Hope W. who will begin chemo at St. Jude's this week I believe, and Kali B. who also has a round of chemo this week ~ getting close to the end of her year!  Yay!

From the learning rooms...

We are eager to wrap up our year! (Some will continue math through the summer when we're not painting the house, decluttering our s.t.u.f.f., or weeding our hopeful gardens, etc.)

From the kitchen...

Tonight hopefully the CG will grill the hamburger thawed for Saturday night (in spite of the drizzle)

I am creating...

a longer TO DO list, or at least it seems that way.  Priorities:  devos for J's shower, and decluttering so we can clean this house properly

I am going...

to end my day earlier :-)

I am reading...

Captured!  about John & Carolyn Miller and their youngest daughter, who spent 8 months in 1975 as prisoners of the Vietcong.

I am hoping...

the electrician will get started this week!

I am hearing...

the Computer Geek vocalizing much about his Algebra problems (including reading equations to the tune of "In the Hall of the Mountain King"), the youngers are playing together upstairs sometimes rather loudly

Around the house...

Miss Music Box was pounding the piano but now is discussing algebra with the CG while attempting to complete her own assignments (training the female ability to multi-task?); the youngers have moved from playing to reading books; finding and playing the YouTube video of Grieg's piece has led to our listening to 100 All Time Classical Favorites via Rhapsody... "William Tell," "Emperor Waltz," now "Light Cavalry,"...  Must be Music Appreciation Hour at our house?  The Popper has been helping me with laundry today ~ just started load #3

One of my favorite things...

Swag Bucks!  :-)  Currently at 413, so it's almost time for another $5 at Amazon.  I haven't looked yet to see if Amazon sells wall ovens.  hmmm?  Okay, maybe I'll be patient enough to save for a toaster oven to replace the unhealthy microwave.

A few plans for the rest of the week:

Just made an appointment for a haircut tomorrow.  Still thinking on the massage idea.  Last week for K4T, so they have a big final night on Wednesday.

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...

I think this is a hawthorn tree in our yard ~ Miss MB was out taking pictures on Saturday.


Thanks to Peggy for hosting the Daybook ~ Join in and read more daybooks at The Simple Woman's Daybook.