more help for baking bread

I forgot to include a link to Heavenly Homemakers - Laura's blog - for those of you who might like to SEE someone baking bread and mixing by hand, complete with video tutorial.

SO, here you go:  Laura C's "How to Make Whole Wheat Bread Tutorial"


Enjoy!

days of thanks ~ 11/16/2010

 

 

Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness;

To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever.

Psalm 30:11-12

 

Today I will praise the Lord for

• the gift of time and sunshine yesterday for Tim to work at home on the siding project
• today’s gift of work in the fields that will reflect positively in a future paycheck (even though MY will is that he be home to work again this afternoon)
• the enthusiasm inspired in my older girls by the sweet, encouraging, and very talented  Mrs. M. as she instructs both of them in violin/viola, at least for this month
• the hidden stash of birthday cash that will treat me to an overdue haircut later today
• the good harvest of butternut squash, several of which will make their way through the cooking process today  =)
• the ability of the basement’s in-floor heat to adequately warm the upstairs, at least for now.  (It is currently 72 F in the living room while it is ~40 F outside on this cloudy day)

 

Rejoice in the LORD, ye righteous;

and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.

Psalm 97:12

 

Please join in our month of Thanksgiving to God

and link up with Conny at the Hutch Haus  :-)

choosing gratitude #11

 

 

 Few things are more becoming in a child of 

    God than a grateful spirit.  By the same token, there

       is probably nothing that makes a person

    more unattractive than the absence of

            a grateful spirit.

 

 

Enter into his gates with thanksgiving,

and into his courts with praise:

be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

Psalm 100:4

 

Nancy Leigh DeMoss ~ Choosing Gratitude: Your Journey to Joy

These quotes are from the corresponding calendar ~  October 2010.

daybook November 15, 2010

 

FOR TODAY  

Monday, November 15, 2010

Outside my window...

After a beautiful sunny day, it’s now quite dark ~ and probably close to freezing temps out there

 

I am thinking...

November is half-gone already!

 

I am thankful …

… that Tim could be home to work on siding on this beautiful day

… for our friends John & Tara who visited us this weekend

 

I am praying for...

... the Rettigs and the church in Prague 

… the sale of my mother-in-law’s home

… my mom who is recovering from finger surgery (joint replacement)

… Amber’s new little one (Matthew) ~ as well as her dad

…Diane and family

…Chloe and her family ~ last report was that little Chloe was transferred to home hospice  :-( 

 

From the learning rooms...

• still tutoring in long division
• respiratory system
• Ancient Egypt … need to move on to Greece
• “classification” composition
• personal testimonies in speech class

 

From the kitchen...

Tonight ~ cheddar baked chicken – original recipe from AllRecipes.com  :-) 

Tomorrow ~ Sunday’s leftover beef roast, homegrown butternut squash 

More menu options:  broccoli-cheese soup, potato soup, beef stew, calzones, taco rice casserole.

I have two turkeys in the freezer now ~ One of them needs to go in the oven ASAP!

 

I am creating...

a late night last night working on lesson plans for the long-term (as in-- next May!)

 

I am going...

somewhere every day  :o

• to the chiropractor today (done)
• to get a haircut tomorrow (yay!)
• Wednesday is church
• Thursday is violin/viola lesson
• Friday is piano lessons for the youngers and groceries

 

I am reading...

Ezekiel 

As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake.

Ezekiel 1:28

 

I am hoping...

that Tim can finish with siding and other outside work in time for us to spend Thanksgiving with his mom

 

I am hearing...

a violin being tuned; hiccups

 

Around the house...

Load #4 of laundry is still in the dryer; previous loads are on my bed ~ Guess what I’m doing next?

 

One of my favorite things...

time alone with my hubby, even when it’s shopping at Lowe’s  ;-)

 

Pondering these words...

Orders are due Wednesday, November 24th (buying club)

 

A few plans for the rest of the week:

‘nuf said

 

Here is a picture for thought...

 

I need to make pies for our Thanksgiving dinner with Iowa family ~ soon

 

~ Find more Daybooks at Peggy's ~

days of thanks November 15, 2010

 

As soon as I write the date, I know who I’m thankful for today!

 

Happy 57th Anniversary to my mom & dad!

 

 

~ Join in and link up at Conny’s blog ~

shutterfly

I’m so excited for this year’s Christmas card find!  Shutterfly will reward bloggers with 50 free holiday cards ~

‘Tis the season for celebrating Christmas!

• Oh yes, oh yes!  Praise the Lord! ~ I think I found our Christ-centered card on page five!
  
• But this one makes me laugh ~ It would be so appropriate for this amazing and crazy year we’ve had with building a house.
  
• If we can come up with the right photos, I like this “vintage” design.
  
• Here’s another pretty card that I like ~ and the little girl in the sample is so cute!

I should start with choosing photos, but the fact is – We need a family photo session!

• So, depending on how many and what pictures… I might choose this fun retro card for us.
  
• … or this… “His name shall be called…” since I’m in a mood for some brown and I especially like when they include scripture  :-)

Note to self:   I will give more serious thought to putting together a photo calendar with the help of Shutterfly ~ especially since I just thought of someone away from home who might enjoy one...

Shutterfly has hundreds of photo cards to chose from. They'll even stamp and mail them for you! Plus, they have great money-saving options like free shipping (on orders over $30).  And they will give you 50 free 4x6 prints just for signing up as a member.

I’m in!

 
* Bloggers are eligible to receive 50 holiday cards. Free cards are for 5×7 folded or flat stationery cards. Offer ends December 31, 2010. Taxes, shipping and handling will apply.… Sign up: http://bit.ly/sfly2010

week in review

 

Okay, I am returning from Lurkdom (instead of the true I-net Fast)

I’m feeling a bit speechless (hard to imagine, I know) ~ Mostly I just need a nap!

But since I just uploaded the camera card,  here’s a peek at our week  =)

 

I told you I would persevere with making beautiful big hamburger buns (Then I shaped the burgers -instead of Miss Artist-  so the burgers were sorta small for these… Whatever!)

 

             

Tim has appreciated using the Genie lift as he works on siding.  Note the sunshine  we enjoyed last weekend  =)    (The sunny weekdays were spent in the fields repairing tile ~ so much fair weather work still to do!)

I should have more pictures to show you, but it’s rainy and c.o.l.d. here this weekend.   He’s at the top of or above the windows.  And the rain/cold has kept him indoors yesterday and today.  That means good things are happening on the inside of our house!  =)

 

   

One morning I decided it was time for a smoothie (before the cold weather set in) ~ Yum.  ( My window over the kitchen sink faces southeast ~ made this photo shoot a little interesting.)

 

When what to my wondering eyes should appear??

  

…but a big buck, a little buck, and a nice little doe deer.

We sprang into action via the cell phone… called my hubby, who called my niece’s hubby, who jumped in his Tahoe and came right on over.  He put on his camo gear and tried to patiently wait for Mr. Big Buck to draw near enough for a shot with his bow…

Unfortunately, another local was observing the same group of deer and trying to get some great shots – with his camera.  All was well until he moved down the fence row and spooked all the deer into the neighbor’s field to the east.  :-(

(The same big buck busted out this local’s wife’s windshield the night before, so I guess he had a right to be part of the chase, eh?  He also has a Seriously Long Lens on his camera ~ He said he sells his photos to hunting magazines…)

So, our mighty hunter named Chris made his way carefully into a new location to the north to await the deer’s return to the creek and tree cover.  Unfortunately, the second photo above is when they came back by the house on their way across the road to the west.  And so it goes ~ this one got away… for now.

 

More baking/cooking   =)  This time I used sweet roll dough for Chicken Packets (instead of buying bad-for-health-and-the-budget Pillsbury crescent roll dough – Yay for me!)

I also thought Tim would enjoy some Trail Mix Monster Cookies  =)

 

Wednesday I got a phone call from a friend we haven’t seen for a couple years ~ Could they visit our B&B Friday night?  Of course ~ and with great pleasure!  (and why I am so tired after our late night visiting together)  But this was just the kick I needed to both vacuum and mop our floors in the same day.  After I got through the kitchen, the Cattleman volunteered to take over.   Ahhh…

And this series is too fun ~ I have to show you all the photos I took!

    

                                           

We are thinking paint might make our swabbing a bit smoother…

Notice the viola case on the couch… Miss Music Box and Miss Artist both had a lovely lesson on Thursday.  Stefanie, you will be so proud ~ And Mrs. M says they both must have had wonderful previous instruction :-) 

(Well, yes, as a matter of fact, they have.)

Today, Miss Music Box and the Cattleman are at Antiques Iowa ~ hopefully selling lots of Miss MB’s bread and other goodies…  Miss Artist decorated this jar of Peanut Butter Bon Bons for me, and then took the photos too!

            

These are the Coconut Almond Bon Bons (aka, Almond Joy) that have been hiding in the fridge for a few weeks ~ still looking oh-so-yummy…

 

 

The butterhorns turned out fantabulous today!

But last I heard from Miss MB, they were not selling very fast.  Oh well, we’ll not suffer much as we enjoy them tomorrow with Sunday Dinner.  Wanna come?