Mini Pecan Pies

     


      I made mini pecan pies this year for Jesus' birthday dessert.  They are really easy to make. I used a double pie crust recipe from my 1950 Betty Crocker Cookbook.  I used a recipe for the pie filling from Robb Walsh.  I adapted the filling a tad, too.
      I never use corn syrup in a pecan pie recipe.  I order Steen's Cane Syrup online.  It is inexpensive.  The prices online include shipping.  I bought 4, 25 ounce cans for $26.50!  It is really good on pancakes, biscuits, and ice cream, too!  It is all natural and made the old fashioned way!  Plus it is local and made in America.  Unlike Lyle's golden syrup which is made using a chemical process and is made overseas.

Pie Crust

2 cups sifted all purpose flour
mixed together with 1 tsp. salt
Cut in 2/3 cup room temp or cold butter.  Do 1/3 cup first until the pieces are like a coarse grain.  Then do the last 1/3 until those pieces are like large peas.  This makes the pie flaky and tender.
Sprinkle with 4 tbsp. water.
Gather the dough together and press into a ball. Divide in two and wrap each disc in plastic wrap and put in the fridge until ready to use.


Pecan Pie Filling

1/3 cup butter melted over med. low heat with
1 tsp salt, 1 cup packed light brown sugar, and one 1 cup cane syrup until it is smooth.  Stir while cooking it.
Sit mixture in a bowl that will let it cool off.  Then add 3 eggs, already mixed up, and 1-2 tsp. vanilla, and 2 tablespoons of cognac or vsop brandy.  Mix until blended through. (the original recipe says to mix for ten minutes! That is overkill and not needed at all. Thanksgiving I made two pies, one with the crazy mixing and one without.  No difference in finished product except lost time and a burnt out hand mixer...lol.)  If you are making mini pies then add 2/3 cup chopped pecans.  If making a regular pie, add 1.5 cups of regular pecans.  Then mix again by hand.

To make the mini pies, roll out one disc of the dough.  It will make exactly 12 mini pies using a regular muffin tin.  Do not use non stick, as it is dark and will cause the pies to burn on the crust.  Plus non stick is toxic as heck.  Use a shiny pan.  DO NOT GREASE PANS.  Use a biscuit cutter and take the disc and put into the muffin hole and push down and around the sides.  Squish it up the sides and fix any tears you make.  Reroll dough until you are done with the 12 mini crusts.
Next, ladle the pie filling into each crust.  Leave a small amount of head space.  They will expand a small amount.  Then place a few whole pecans on top of each mini pie.  Push the pecans into the filling.
Put the mini pies into a preheated 425 degree oven.  After 5 minutes, drop the temp to 350 and cook until they are done.  They will be firmer to the touch in the middle, not all wobbly dobbly, and when a knife inserted into the middle it will come out with bits that are more solid and less liquidy.  It will take less than 45 minutes, but more than 25.  The pies will not get black on top.  This is over cooked.  The crust will be light brown...maybe a light medium brown.  But they will not overcook either in the muffin tins.  They are really easy to remove, too. You will notice when they are done, the crust starts to pull away from the sides, too.  Just run a knife around the edge to catch any little bits and pop them out.!  Reminds me of the ones I would buy in the store, but so much better tasting and better for you!

I used my extra pie filling, that was left over, with the second disc of dough and made a small pie with a meatloaf pan I had.  Very tasty.

     

Thank you for your bounty oh Lord

      This weekend we made two kinds of marmalade.  One is a Five Fruit Marmalade.  It has limes (my favorite), lemons, tangerines, oranges, and grapefruit in it.  The second one is Pineapple Lemon Marmalade.  Interesting difference in the recipes.  The 5 Fruit called for cooking the rinds and then removing, thus adding a bitterness to the marmalade.   But the Pineapple Lemon called for discarding the rinds altogether.  So that marmalade is actually very sweet and tastes like a jam!  Which is excellent for those who normally do not like marmalades.  I am going to make a grapefruit marmalade next and probably keep the rinds out so it is not bitter.  I like the zest in...that is tasty!

The 5 Fruit, fruits, about to be finely blended and added to the pot.

The rinds and zest cooking for the 5 Fruit Marmalade.

This is the Pineapple Lemon Marmalade cooking.

All done!  Both batches standing together for a photo.

      I am very thankful for all God has given me.  I am so blessed.  I am a fool every time I complain.

Cross-stitch patterns for free

    I was looking for a website that offers cross-stitch patterns.  I like this one, cross stitch club , and was able to download a couple of free patterns when I signed up.  After the first few you have to decide if you want to recruit your friends and earn more points, like I am with the above link, or you can sign up and pay to access all the patterns for free.  I do not cross stitch enough to need a monthly subscription.  But if you do, I recommend this site. It is very diverse and the pattern I downloaded was very good quality and very detailed.  I am happy with it and am going to use it to make a little something for my neighbor's new born son.

Where did it go?

      Lately I have been making a lot of canned goods.  Jellies, jams, and syrups to be exact.  I made up a bag of these goodies, with explanation of the types and what they are good for and donated them to my daughter's school's fall festival.  They were supposed to be auctioned but ended up not there at all.  Where did my donation go I wonder?  I have emailed the teacher to find out.  That is ridiculous to donate something and have people either eat it themselves or who knows what with it.  My husband thinks they may have put it in the cake walk.  Even though it was not a cake or a dessert.  Hmm.  I had jalapeno jelly, rosemary jelly, muscadine jelly, and mexican chocolate syrup put in the bag.
     

I miss my baby boy.

He always loved the snow.  I am so thankful to God for giving him a good snow, here in the south, before he died.  I had been praying to get him to a snow, or for us to have a good snow, before he passed.  He just came alive and became a different dog in the cold weather! I have so many memories of him being happy and peppy in the cold!  He would play harder then....he'd nip you, too...lol.  Tore a few pairs of gloves over the years...lol!
He is so beautiful!

R. est I. n P. eace Samson

     We had to put our dog Samson to sleep this afternoon.  He was almost 16 years old.  He had gotten to where he was not able to get up and he laid in one spot outside for a few hours today.  He tried and tried but could not get up.  We knew it was time.
      My husband and I stayed with him while the vet came him morphine and then put him under.  I watched the spirit leave his eyes....
     Then I got really angry at the devil because if that mofo had not tempted eve and adam then none of our animals would die....ever.   We would be living in peace and harmony in Eden.  Bastard devil.  I can't stand his stupid arse.
      I wanted to go to church, to get my mind off of it, and to share with my small group the prayer and 'who I am in Christ' list.  But I needed to be here to watch our toddler so that my husband can dig the grave.
      Things really are not going to be the same anymore.  I got Samson when I was 18 years old.  That is a lifetime ago.
      I love you and since time is irrelevant in heaven, I am already with him.

My old dog Samson

     Well, my Samson is not doing so well.  He is a siberian husky.  He has gotten arthritis in his back legs and spine, the degenerative kind.  He just got it fairly recently.  I feel bad because I have healed him in the past, prayed over him and he was healed of worms.  So, I feel smucky for letting a vet speak death over him, even though he is almost 16 years old.  He will be 16 in December.  If he makes it that long.
     Today we went out back to hang some sheets on the line and he came out as usual, to be outside with us.  But he just seems worse.  His appetite has gone way down in the past couple of days, after it had gone way up for a while.  He was eating way more than he ever did before.
     We used the hose and rinsed him off because he had poop on his butt and tail, it turns out.  I was just wanting to rinse him off because he had gotten into some nasty stuff while walking about in the rain in the back yard.  He loves a good rain storm.  But while doing that I noticed the poop.  Poor thing.
     He just seems like it is taking a lot for him to hang on.   We put some rugs down in the dog room recently so he can get up and down easier.  The slick floor pictured is hard for him to get a grip on now a days.  I still have a part of my mind that feels like I failed him on a certain level.  That I should have gotten rid of Bajou and gotten him a new friend so that he would not have been hurt so many times  and so he would not be sad.  Well, I can not dwell on that, it can not be changed.
    What is the longest any of your pets have lived?  My cat is still going strong at 19.  She will be 20 in April.

busy busy bee

     First, I want to say how awesome my husband is!  Within 30 minutes time, he used his pole saw and cut off a large maple tree branch off of a telephone line, pulled the branch with the truck (to detach it from the tree), and cut up the branch and moved it out of the alley/and our neighbor's yard!  How awesome is he!  God really blessed him with common sense and great motor skills!  Not to mention he is a machine and is really strong!  Our son and I helped tote little branches, but really we didn't do much.  He did it all and then went back to work!  What a man!  
     I have been really busy lately canning things.  I will post photos later but I wanted to tell you about them while I had the chance.  After making the Holy Spirit inspired blueberry jelly I decided to make Strawberry jam!  That turned out wonderfully, as well.  I do not like big chunks in my jam and so I blended it up more smooth, the way we like it!
      This week I made dark chocolate syrup and canned it!  It is the best chocolate syrup I have ever tasted in my whole life!  It is really good in fresh milk from the farm, too!  I am so blessed by God to be able to get fresh milk!
      Sunday, I made a small Black Devil's Food cake for my family at home.  Yesterday, I made bread for us, 3 loaves, and then I made a large Black Devil's Food cake for church.  We eat together before going to our small group studies.
      I am already contemplating what to bring for Sunday.  I would like to make some cinnamon rolls to bless everyone with.  Then I was thinking about homemade macorroni and cheese or another casserole for next Wednesday night.  Something more along the lines of dinner food.  Maybe even a breakfast casserole or brocolli rice casserole.  We shall see.
      I am excited to go out with my daughter for lunch this Saturday, too!  That is going to be a lot of fun.  I asked her this morning if she wanted to go with me.  She accepted my invitation.  I had gotten up early this morning and cooked her a breakfast of scrambled eggs, hashbrowns and buttered biscuits.  She had a great morning this morning and I am so glad for that!
      I am still fighting with the devil over this cold I have.  But I am going to win, because it was already won on the cross.  He has no authority to make me feel cruddy or tired.  None.  Back off devil!  Get behind me in the name of Jesus!
      Tonight I am going to pan fry some ribeyes like they do on America's test kitchen.  Very good recipe.  Maybe boilled potatoes or pasta salad and some other veggies, like green beans, and large butter beans.  Tomorrow I am making chili.  I make my own seasoning and I love my cornbread recipe, too.  It is very flavorful with stoneground cornmeal and fresh herbs and butter in the batter.
      My mom moved up this past weekend and my husband emptied her moving truck in about an hour!  He was on fire again!  He is good, I tell you what, praise God for strong men!  She seems to be enjoying her new home and is thankful for the blessings our God has bestowed upon her.  Our daughter has really been enjoying her time with her as well.  She got to spend the night once already!
     I am going to start a new college class in a few days, it will be on 1 John.  I am excited because Lawson Perdue teaches it and he is one of my favorite teachers at CBC.
     Well, I need to do some real life things...have a blessed week ahead everyone!  What do you like to bring to church functions?

Blueberry Jelly Recipe

    This week I made my first ever thing to be canned!  I made Blueberry Jelly!  It was really easy and turned out so well!
     All you do is take approximately 2 quarts of blueberries and puree them in a blender or food processor.  Then you cook them in a pot on the stove with a half a cup of water.  You bring to a boil and then turn down and simmer for ten minutes. Stir it occassionaly.  Then you strain the fruit through a  cheese cloth lined colander.  Rinse out the pan and put 3.5 cups of juice into the pan with the one box of powdered pectin and a 1/2 tsp of butter. (The butter keeps it from foaming like crazy)  Mix it with a whisk on high heat until you have a rolling boil.  (The boil will not go away when you stir it)  Add the sugar, 4.5 cups,  all at once and mix and bring back to a rolling boil and boil for one minute.  Then take it off the heat and you are ready to add it to your prepared jars.  Well, if you have any foam scrape it off and eat it, it tastes great!  But the foam looks weird in a jar.
      To prepare your jars you make sure they are clean and have them in your large pot that you will water process the jelly in after you put it in the jars. The jars should be kept hot while you are making the jelly, but not boiling them.  The lids and screws can be in a smaller pot on the stove, being kept hot as well.  So, all in all you have 3 burners busy on the stove.
     Pour the jelly into the jars, it makes about 6 cups of jelly.  After that you wipe the lips of the jars off so they are clean.  You put the lids and screws on. But make sure the screws are not super oober tight. Just enough, but not wrenched on.  Then you put the jelly jars into the water bath pot, the one you had the jars in before you added the jelly, and heat the water all the way up to boiling and boil 10-15 minutes depending on your altitude.  Then let them sit in the water for five minutes to rest before removing from the pot. Then when on the counter do not shake or mess with them for 24 hours, so the jelly sets up the right way.  You can make sure the lid has sealed by being popped down.  But don't let anyone man handle them.  Then wahlah you have the best blueberry jelly ever!

It has a deep purple color and is very flavorful!  

    I really do not know why blueberry jelly is not super popular because mine was to die for good!  Holy Spirit inspired good!

The recipe said it made 5.25 cups, but I had originally 5.5 cups worth of jars and had to add another jar (the old smuckers one) so I wouldn't waste any!

      I can't understand why more people do not can and make their own jelly and jam!  It is so simple!  And takes very little time at all!

Trinity Cooky

       Today I made a new recipe of cookies.  I call these my Trinity Cookies.  I call them this because of the three dark chocolate chips placed on each and what '3' symbolizes is very important.

       For one, the obvious is the Trinity of God.  You have the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit.  But you must not forget that we are also made up of three distinct parts.  We have a spirit, a soul (which has our personality realm), and a physical body.  

      So when I look at one little Trinity Cooky, I see a reminder of the fact that I am righteous and that I have the Holy Spirit inside of me, and that Jesus will never leave me nor forsake me, and that I have a relationship with the Father God of all time, Praise the Lord!  So, one little cooky can remind you of an awful lot if you allow them to!

      

Homemade Vanilla Extract Photos I had promised

   Here are the photos from the beginnings of my first batch of vanilla.  I made 2 half gallons with vodka.  One of the half gallons I cut the beans in half, the other half gallon I cut them and scraped some of the 'caviar' out of the beans and added it to the vodka.  The smaller jar is a batch of vanilla made with Paul Mason VSOP brandy.  It is simply yummy smelling now.  I will post photos in a few days of the extract and how it looks now.

This is what a jar of vodka with vanilla beans looks like on the first day.

These are the vacuum sealed beans I bought from Olive Nation.  Love their prices.

See, I used the really cheap vodka like everyone suggested.

These are the two half gallons of vanilla in vodka.  The one on the left is the jar withOUT the 'caviar' being scraped .  

 These jars here had only been in my cabinet sitting for 3 days and you can already tell a marked difference in the colors of the liquors.  There is a slight difference in darkness between the jar on the left that was not scraped and the one on the right that was made from partially scraped beans.

vanilla extract made with brandy

This is the jar of Paul Mason VSOP brandy vanilla extract. (after 3 days, as well)   It is much darker than the vodka, obviously, because it started with a darker liquor.  It has a much nicer smell, in my opinion. But they both have a nice vanilla aroma.

Who I am in Christ Jesus

This is from my facilitator Gail!  She is so thoughtful and this is blessing many people to have these verses all in one place and easily accessible in a list like this!  Thank you God for this!

Who/What I Am in Christ

I am reigning in life by Jesus Christ (Romans 5:17) 

I am not looking at the things that are seen, but at the things which are not seen (II Corinthians 4:18) 

I am walking by faith and not by sight (II Corinthians 5:7) 

I am casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God (II Corinthians 10:5) 

I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus (II Corinthians 5:21) 

I am rooted and grounded in love, because Christ dwells within me (Ephesians 3:17) 

I am the workmanship of God, created in Christ Jesus for good works (Ephesians 2:10) 

I am a partaker of God's divine nature (II Peter 1:4) 

I am prosperous and in good health, because my soul prospers (III John 2) 

I am being transformed by the renewing of my mind to prove the perfect will of God (Romans 12:2) 

I am healed by the stripes of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 2:24) 

I am more than a conqueror through Jesus Christ (Romans 8:37) 

I am the salt of the earth, and the light of the world (Matthew 5:13a, 14a) 

I am complete in Christ (Colossians 2:10) 

I am strong in the Lord and in the power of His might (Ephesians 6:10) 

I am taking the shield of faith and quenching all of the fiery darts of the enemy (Ephesians 6:16) 

I am praying my desires and receiving them (Mark 11:24) 

I am like a tree planted by the rivers of water and everything that I do prospers (Psalm 1:3) 

I am a temple of the Holy Ghost (I Corinthians 6:19) 

I am given exceeding great and precious promises, and by them I partake of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust (II Peter 1:4) 

I am led by the spirit of God; therefore, I am a son of God (Romans 8:14) 

I am not walking after the flesh, but after the Spirit (Romans 8:1) 

I am receiving all of my needs met according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19) 

I am casting all of my cares upon Him, because I know He cares for me (I Peter 5:7) 

I am blessed with all spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 1:3) 

I am blessed when I come in, and blessed when I go out (Deuteronomy 28:6) 

I am an heir of God and a joint-heir with Jesus Christ (Romans 8:17) 

I am increasing and abounding in love (I Thessalonians 3:12) 

I am being made perfect in every good work to do God's will (Hebrews 13:21) 

I am showing forth the praise of God (Psalms 51:15)

Yay no more pervy meter reader!

      I am so praising God and everyone who made it happen without my knowing....but we know have a new meter reader!  It is a lady!  I have yet to meet her yet, but she works very fast and moves thorough our neighborhood really quickly!  So, I am very blessed to have God protecting us and keeping evil away from us.  I pray that Carl will repent and turn from his ways and start afresh.
      Praise God for His promises and his defending me when I really couldn't and did not want to ruin a man and his wife's life over something like this.

He decided to stay and C is for Cooky

    Well, praise God, he decided to stay and work on his communication.  So, that is a good thing.  I will  continue to meditate on God's word so that I have more revelation and patience with my husband, too.  I am going to give him space when he is irritated or upset and not ask a whole lot of questions.  That seems to just aggravate the situation.  Maybe once he has worked out his issue then he will talk and answer the questions.  I am going to handle things differently and I believe that God will use that to help our marriage relationship and our family overall.
     I think, too, that when I have questions for him, I am going to talk to God first and see if I should ask them.  Then go to my husband and let him know first off, that I am not attacking him, but I have somethings I would like answers to.  I am very observant and inquisitive.  I have an avid curiousity and love to find out answers and learn new things.  I am not going to quelch that part of me because it is a gift from God.  My husband may never appreciate it, but I appreciate that quality about me and I have quelched it far too much already.  I am going to be what God wants me to be, no matter what Praise God.
     I am excited about my mom moving up here!  We are going to have leftovers tonight as there is no room for more leftovers in the fridge.  What is in store you ask?  Homemade chicken nuggets, rib steaks, meatloaf, lima beans, buffalo chicken rice, cheese rice, baked potatoes, fried squash and fried okra, and probably some other veggie or starch I am forgetting.  That will be super yummy in our tummies.
    Did you know, that cookie is not the original way to spell it.  It is actually cooky.  From now on I am going to use cooky and not cookie.  Let us do it the way they did in the 1950's Betty Crocker Cookbook, my friend Michael gave me, thank you God and Michael for that!  
    C is for Cooky that's good enough for me...C is for Cooky that's good enough for me...C is for Cooky that's good enough for me...oh Cooky Cooky Cooky starts with C.....hehe!

Pervy meter reader

          I usually do not do this, but I just have to say something.  Our local utility company, Decatur Utilities, comes out and checks our electricity meter once a month.  We have had the same meter reader the entire time we have lived her, around 8 years.  The guy, I think his name is Carl, has parked in the same place to do our neighborhood readings every month for these past 8 years.  He parked across the street from the front of our house.
      Our house sits back a little from the road and so no one can see in the windows from the road unless it is night time and you have the curtains open.  So, I still nurse my son and sometimes walk around the house with my breasts exposed for a moment because I am doing something with my son.  But you can not see me unless you are spying on me or in my house...lol.  But one day I look up, while standing in my living room and I swear I see that meter reader sitting in his truck and when I looked at him he threw down his binoculars and tore out of there.
      I wanted to give the guy the benefit of the doubt.  Maybe I was wrong, maybe I did not see binoculars.  But then why did he practically peel out of there in such a hurry.  He has never done that before. In fact he talks way too much and will hold you hostage in your yard for a good hour if you let him.  In fact, I know way too much about the man.  Like how his little brother died by getting run over in front of them.  How his older daughter is married to an abusive hispanic man that Carl seems to abhorr.  He comes across as racist, a little.  But that is his issues that he has to bring to God, not mine.  The meter reader seemed nice enough...if not a little too friendly all these years.  But I have always been cautious with him.  I usually shut the blinds that are on the side of the meter when I know he is out there because I did not want him looking into my home.  Then I catch him with binoculars looking into my home?!
      So I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt.  But then the next month, out of the blue, he parks in a different spot across the street.  He parks to where when I look out my front window, I can barely see him from behind the bush in my yard.  Hmm.  Why the sudden move after 8 years of the same place?  Then the month after that he decided to park on my side of the street but between mine and my neighbors house..  Weird!  Which bothers me even more because I do not usually see that he is there, which means he could be really pervy and sneaking around on me even more!
      I do not know what to do, but if you have D.U. for utilities and you have Carl, I believe that is his name, I am not that good with random names like that, then make sure you shut your blinds.  Did I mention that he said he used to teach tennis and would love to give me and my daughter free lessons?!  All this before I caught him peeping in my windows.  If I see him coming around again I will call on him.  I am doing my best to be compassionate and giving him a chance to repent because I do not want to ruin someone's life for one mistake.  But if he keeps being creepy I will have to.  
      I am not going to be followed by him either.  A week or two ago we went to the park to just relax and hang out and creepy Carl shows up and decides to talk with the landscape workers for over 20 minutes.  Just standing around doing nothing!   All the while facing us where we were laying and reading the Bible. If I have another run in with him again, I am going to contact the police.

Here is the photo I snapped of him having gone to the park not long after we walked there from our home.  

God Bless People

      Ok, I briefly attended a bible study at Bookout Studios.  We thought it was a God send, I had even blogged about it.  It seemed like a great fit of two families.  But, alas, not so.  The gentleman that started it cancelled it unexpectedly.  My husband thinks it is because the man's wife was uncomfortable with her husband giving a bible study to me.  Lol.  I was the only one who showed up.  But everything starts off small.  You have to be faithful in small things to get something big from God.  So, I did not mind.  I was just so excited to have in person fellowship with like a like minded believer.
      I was disappointed when it was cancelled indefinitely with no explanation.  Then I remembered my antique metal round cake pan that I had left with cake for them the last bible study.  So  I asked for it back.  I even offered to cook dinner for them if they brought it over.  No dice.  2 weeks later and he still had not mailed it to me.  So, my husband said he would get one of his drivers to pick it up for me. Which he did today.
    Guess what?!!?  They did not even wash the cake pan!  There is cake stuck into the roof of the lid!  You would have had to have thrown my cake plate or tossed it around with the cake it to get cake into the lid!  What the heck?  How weird and strange!!?!  Then there was even a crunchy piece on the bottom of it.  How rude! Someone lets you have homemade from scratch, no mixes here, cake and you one, don't bother to give the pan back, you make the giver retrieve it (When I live 30 miles away) and then you don't even wash it out all the way?   I am shocked because they seemed so different than how they have turned out to be.
     God bless you Bookout family.  I hope that whatever is bothering you will be worked out and that you will be at peace and have a wonderful ministry in the future. I am sure God will be using you whenever you are more comfortable with what He has in store for you.  You all seemed so nice.  I hope that your hearts will continue to be opened and renewed in God's kind of love and grace.  You have a nice family and I hope it continues to mature in the fullness of God!

My Mom has a closing date!!!!

      I am so excited to find out late last night that my mom will be closing on her new home Monday!  Praise the Lord!  She will finally be living up here near us!  I am just so thankful and elated to have my Mom being closer to my kids and I!  Finally I will have someone to talk God with, in person, and full of love and compassion!

Homemade Vanilla Extract and update on us

      I love to make anything I can from scratch.  So when I found out recently that you can make vanilla extract from scratch, I have been itching to get down to it.  When we had the extra money recently I bought some bourbon Madagascar vanilla beans online.  I then went to the local liquor store and got some really cheap vodka...one gallon's worth.
     I decided to make two half gallons of the extract.  One where I split the beans and scraped out half of the specks, caviar, and the other where I just split the beans. I want to see if there is a real discernible difference in the final product.  An experiment of sorts!  I love experiments like this in the kitchen!
     Then I decided to go one step further and since I had some extra beans left over, make some extract with a different kind of liquor.  I stood in the liquor store for quite a few minutes mulling it all over. I settled on Paul Mason's VSOP brandy.  I bought a 750ml bottle for around 20 dollars plus tax.  I know that only makes a quart...but it is a smooth brandy and it tastes good in baking, so I am excited to try it in the vanilla extract.  I think it will taste heavenly!
     I have put all of the jars in a dark cabinet.  You have to shake them regularly for the first couple of weeks or so and then irregularly after that.  They will be done after 4-6 months.  I used approximately 7  seven inch beans for each cup of alcohol.
     I have some photos I will post later so that you can see what it looks like.  I do want to warn people to not rub your eyes or anything sensitive on your body if you have any of the vanilla oil or liquid on your hands.  It irritated my eyes a little.  I had to wash them twice.  I washed my hands a few times only to find it really lingers.  So bear that in mind.  Nothing troublesome, just irritating.  Makes you itchy a little.  It doesn't irritate as badly as cinnamon oil does, though.  You can't leave cinnamon on our skin or it will turn red and be very irritated almost burned.  I don't like cinnamon oils in my goat's milk soaps for that reason.  I love cinnamon and especially in my foods.  But the oil can be a bit much for a lot of people's skin.
      Next I am wanting to make a vanilla extract with tequila or even spiced rum.  But I am going to wait until the next extra bit comes in.  I do not want to get too crazy with it all right now.  I want to make some peanut butter cooky dough to freeze soon.  
     I had the first peanut butter and jam mixed together with crackers with my 19 month old son tonight.  That was a wonderful thing to do!  I remember doing that often times with my mom, when I was growing up.  I really enjoyed those snacks that she would share with me.  Like apples sliced with cheddar cheese....yummy.
     Our daughter is doing a lot better with her responsibilities and her attitude.  She does make mistakes but is quicker to realize and apologize than she ever was before.  My husband and I are becoming for consistent and graceful in dealing with her mistakes.  I am so thankful for what God is doing in my life and my family's life!  My husband and I are doing much better, thank you God, with our accepting one another and respecting one another.  Thank you Lord for helping me to be a better wife and for teaching me everyday how to respect my husband better,,,and love him more like you do all of us!

Starting Bible College Again Soon

     I am really excited about starting this term of bible college.  I attend Charis Bible College online.   I took the last term off because we were really busy with my daughter's softball and all kinds of other things.  I have missed it terribly and do not want to ever take another term off!  I usually take one class but this term I am taking two.  I am really thankful for having the money to be able to take two classes.  I know they are not that expensive, only 150 a piece.  But, I do not expect my family to do without anything in order for me to do what God wants me to do.  If He wants me to take more classes, He will give me extra money and in the right time, and He did that this time!  I am so excited.
      I posted about the classes I have taken and in more detail about what I am taking this term on my other blog.  I am excited especially about the Your Home Can Survive the 21st Century by Delron Shirley.  I appreciate any and all edification in the area of my home...after all it is my main ministry and job!  Thank you God for that one!
      I really enjoy being able to discuss the classes online with the other students.  You can take the classes via correspondence, and it is a little bit cheaper, but you do not get the interaction online. I have made some for life friends through the classes and am so thankful for that fellowship with like minded believers!
     *and no I do not get anything off of recommending this school, except a good feeling knowing I am doing the right thing in sharing what God is doing in my life*

Thank God for dinner tonight

     I am going to start blogging more about the foods I am thankful for making for my family.  Tonight I am going to make a Cannellini Chicken chili.  It is more like a chowder, I guess.  Because I add a variety of vegetables to it.  But I use a white chicken chili seasoning.   Today I am going to add fresh corn off the cob to it.  I am not sure what else as of yet.
      Right now I am making a pot of chicken broth to save for a black bean soup I want to make later in the week.  It is a recipe I will adapt from Jacques Pepin.  I have some old green onions, zucchini, kale green bits, rosemary, salt and pepper, and a little butter and oil in the broth along with the chicken breasts I will use in my chili tonight.   I may not use all of the chicken breasts.  But what is left I can use to make chicken and rice or make a broccoli rice casserole with chicken added?  I will see.
       Earlier I took the bag of chopped kale I had in the fridge and I took out all of the big stems and the bad pieces.  I put a bunch of those in the broth pot.  My toddler prefers the taste of kale to spinach.  I do, as well.  So, I sauté the kale in a cast iron skillet with seasonings and the other veggies I might want on a pizza, like chopped broccoli and onions and garlic.  Then they have less water and will not water down the pizza.  Plus they add a lot of great flavor.  I usually season them with salt, minute pepper, and garlic powder.  It really makes a homemade pizza or the take and bake pizzas taste really over the top when you add sautéed veggies to it!  Everyone, even non veggie loves can appreciate them when they are seasoned right and put on a pizza.
      I made bread earlier in the week.  That turned out well considering I forgot to add the salt to the recipe.  The bread rose faster and had a more potent yeasty taste to it.  But it turned out fine other wise. Will work well for sandwiches.
      I promised a coworker of my husband's a coconut cheesecake pie this week.  His wife suddenly asked for a divorce after they sold their home to move into an apartment in a new town with better schools.  He is really bummed.  He used to eat the pies in the past with his son and they both enjoyed them, so I thought it would be a nice thing to do for him and his boy.  I talked to him about how God wants us to love one another and it is a choice, not a feeling.  God's kind of love is not a feeling but a decision we must make every day to do.  We talked a while and he wants me to try to talk to his wife via the mail,  That is because she does not know me and might not be receptive if she knew it was him involved.  Plus, divorce affects 3 generations of people.  Not just your kids.  Your grandkids get affected, too. It has BIG reprocutions.  Please pray for Matt and his wife so that they will be able to keep their family together and not get a divorce.
      Well I have to check on lunch.  That is a naan pizza.

God is so awesome

      I am so thankful for my God!  He has brought just the right people into our lives.  I thought these people were brought here to bless us, and they have, but I am so amazed at how God is letting me bless them!  I have been able to openly share what God has taught me about being a mom and respecting men and it is totally blessing another mom.  I am so thankful to be able to share that wisdom, from God, with someone else.  She really is open to it and that really blesses me to see!  To see God's word, the seed, fall on good ground, praise the Lord.  I am hoping for fruit in her life, for her and her kids' sake.  They all deserve to be out of the bondage of b.s. and into the light of God and His truth.  Man this is so awesome!
     A bonus is that my kids have new play mates and it helps their mom have some extra time to do school work and spend quality time with her baby, too.  It is a win win.  I am just so thankful for my God.  Father, you are so amazing!  Thank you for your wonderful surprises and blessings...they help keep me going!

Today has been trying but God is bigger than my menial trials

      Thank you God for giving me something to be thankful about and for giving me the ability to choose to be so thankful!  Thank you for helping me to see how to love more like You and to be more like You and to bring You into other people's lives!  Thank you for helping me to share your Word and the Truth to everyone that I do.  Thank you for helping me to accept the things that I can not control and to control the things that I can...mainly me...lol.
      Thank you for helping me to stay the ground and to rely on you for my peace and defense.  Exodus 14:14 says that The Lord shall fight for you and you shall hold your peace.  You are teaching me that.  When I decide to follow your word and let you fight for me, it always turns out better than I could have imagined.  I am excited to continue to make letting you fight for me a deeply rooted habit in my life!  Thank you God for everything you have given me Lord!

What do you do with a mouthy girl? mouthy mate?

      What do you do when your daughter just mouths off all of the time and gets so pissy for no real reason?  Mine gets so literal and nit picky and just plain nasty that it is unbelievable sometimes.  I used to act a little like her in the past.  But Praise GOD he fixed that for me.  It has been years since I have been like that.  My mom and I keep praying for her and doing our best to put it into God's hands.
      Putting a situation you are constantly in, into God's hands and leaving it can be difficult at times.  I do not always ask for God's guidance when dealing with her, like I should.  I do not always give grace as I should.  I am still learning about grace and how to give it to others. I was not taught that by my parents, or anyone I knew really, that I can remember anyhow.
     I am looking forward to a time where my daughter does not yell at me and where she will actually react to life in a calm and confident in God manner.  All I can do now is do my best with God inside of me to be the best example I can.
     This week has been trying.  I have won some battles and lost some minor ones.  God really helped me with my husband this week.  He has every night this week gotten angry/irritated/upset/argumentative (whatever adjective you want to use, just plain negative and nasty some times) with me.  He says he is tired but for some reason will not go to bed early in order to feel better.  I do not understand this.  But that is his decision.
      Yesterday, when I was nursing our son during his late afternoon nap on the couch, hubby wanted me to tell him about the dog kennel I had talked to.  He was talking very rudely to me and had attitude.  I was being very patient with him.  I would wait unil after he asked me something and give myself a moment to not be offended by his attitude.  I would then start to answer him and he would cut me off being rude again.  He kept badgering me about why I was not answering him and when I would try to answer his questions he kept cutting me off.  He then got really upset and stormed off.
      He kept this as his excuse to be angry with me the entire night.  He fussed all through  doing the dishes after dinner.  He would not talk to our daughter at dinner.  He complained about me to my daughter and told her why I was doing what I was doing.  When God said in the bible you are not supposed to judge another's motives.  You do not know why someone ever does what they do, or what obstacles they have in their hearts that they must overcome.  I do not know why hubby was so upset with me last night.  He says it is because I did not answer his question.  But I tried to, many times, and I later talked to him about it when he seemed to have calmed down.  But then he stayed upset.  Even after I apologized for hurting his feelings.  I did not feel I did anything wrong but I wanted to make him feel better.  I do not like seeing him so upset and hurting.
      I was very thankful that I did not engage his attitude and let it steal my joy!  I did not argue with him or do much to defend myself either.  Now I am so excited to make progress more in this same area with my daughter, as well!  That will be even more awesome to see God work that in me, too!
     Just keep good bible verses in your mind and heart, thanks to the Holy Spirit bringing them to your remembrance John 14:26.  I really like 2 Timothy 1:7  For God hath not given us the spirit of fear: but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.   And Exodus 14:14  The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.  1 Corinthians 13 has a lot about God's kind of love....  And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.  God's kind of love is what we are supposed to show other people.  John 13:34 says that A new commandment I give unto you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.  

Review of Dirt Road BBQ in Trinity, AL

      I usually review restaurants on Google, urban spoon, or yelp, but they do not have this place listed. So I will do that here now.  First it is a small place in a colorful shopping center on Hwy 24.  The people are nice and friendly and they did their best to get the order accurate.  The restaurant is very clean and neat and tidy.  The menu is easy to understand and read.
     How about the food? Well it was ok.  My husband had the beef brisket.  He said it was alright.  It did not stand out to him.  It tasted like roast with bbq sauce.  My daughter had the grilled chicken with white sauce.  She liked the white sauce.  I had the fried catfish.  I liked the catfish's taste but not the portions.  Way too small.  Only one fillet for a charge of $12.99!  I was very disappointed in that!  I expected left over fillets.  Way too pricey for what I received.
      The sides were disappointing, as well.  I wanted them to be good! I ordered almost all of them hoping they would be awesome.  But they were not.  The 'loaded potato salad' was red potato salad with ranch dressing.  I expected cheese and bacon.  Not ranch dressing.  Gross.  Ranch and red potatoes are not two things I would ever make at home.  Red potatoes taste so good with rosemary, garlic, butter, ...but ranch!
      The baked beans were not bad.  But they were not memorable either.  I do not like canned baked beans at all.   So these were a little better but not much.  The fried potatoes and onions were cold and hard.  Like they had sat there waiting to be served for over an hour.  Not at all appetizing.  They are actually shredded hashbrown potatoes with diced onions.  I was not impressed with those.  I LOVE potatoes, my favorite food, but these were too bland and ice cold to be edible.
     The mac and cheese was better than most places.  It appears that they use real cheese and not pasteurized processed cheese food.  So that is a plus for sure.  Those seemed to be the most edible out of all of the sides we tried.  The fried okra was not fresh battered and fried. It was a really generic frozen version of fried okra and not even one of the good frozen kinds.  This kind was bland.  We ordered it well done.  But the okra on the outside was still blonde brown.  It was crunchy, but that brand really sucks.  I hate to say that, but it does.  Get a new brand of okra or make it yourself.  It tastes way better from scratch and use our wonderful local produce.  I paid enough for the fish to deserve better sides.
      I ordered a side salad because the menu said all of the salads were made of romaine lettuce.  I had iceberg at home but wanted romaine.  When we got home we noticed the salad was iceberg 100% and not one piece of romaine.  That is false advertising.  That really bothered me. I do not like being misled like that...at all.
      The brunswick stew had great potential...if they knew how to season brunswick stew.  The owners need to travel to Coweta County Georgia to a barbecue place called Sprayberrys and try their brunswick stew.   Then they will understand what I am talking about.  Or even corporate Williamson Brothers BBQ in Marietta would show something different.
     Overall, the food is ok.  The mac and cheese and baked beans are your best side bets.  The brunswick stew is better than Big Bob Gibson's, but theirs (BBG) is the worst I have had in Alabama.   The entrees are overpriced.  The people are friendly and nice.  But they are expanding too quickly after opening and will probably end up going under like so many around us have who have done the same.  I wish them the best.  But unless the quality and price get in line we will not be back.
     Oh, and offer something besides plain white sunbeam processed garbage bread with the meal.  Offer wheat, or garlic butter wheat, or make the bread homemade.  My husband wanted me to add that, *chuckles*.

Awesome Mexican Casserole

     There are no pictures because it all got eaten...lol.  But I made a really awesome mexican casserole yesterday for dinner. Here is the run down of what it was made of.


Buttered 13 by 9 dish
2 cans of salsa or petite diced tomatoes (no salt added kind) made into salsa, see below
over 2 cups of sharp cheddar cheese shredded (shred the block yourself tastes better than pre shredded)
fajita size flour tortillas
seasoned ground beef about one pound to 1.5lbs, recipe below

      I took one can of the petite diced tomatoes and put in my food processor (use blender if needed) and added about 1/3 to a half of a sweet onion that has been diced.  Then I added about a teaspoon of salt.   I added the juice of one lime and a little cilantro and about 1/3 of a can of green chiles.  I did a little shake of garlic powder and onion powder and oregano.  Then I blended it until it was pureed.  Wahlah!  Awesome salsa!
     So I put the salsa on the bottom of the pan.  A nice even layer.  Then I add the tortillas.  Nicely lay them out over the salsa.  Then I layer all of the ground meat.  That is listed below.  Then I added 1/3 of the chiles and about a cup and a half of cheese maybe one cup.  Then I added more salsa.  I top with 6 flour tortillas and the rest of the salsa and the cheese.  I made sure the top was totally covered in cheese!  It was awesome!
     To season the meat I adapted a recipe for a chorizo casserole in a mexican cookbook.  I often use this for taco seasoning as well.
      1 tsp cinnamon
      1/2 to 1tsp ground clove (to taste)
      2 tsp. oregano
      1 tsp. salt
      2 tsp. sugar
      1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
      a couple of tablespoons of anejo tequila or cognac or whisky
      2 or 3 crushed cloves of garlic
Basically, you cook your meat (I don't have to drain mine because it is pasture raised but drain and rinse your beef if you use some from the grocery store.  Rinsing is important!  Rinse it in the strainer/collander.) then you add about a half of a cup of water and the the seasonings and mix it and simmer it until it has almost no liquid.  You do not want to burn it. A tiny amount of liquid is ok and will thicken upon standing.  Awesome meat!
     I went ahead and made an extra thing of salsa and I ended up putting it on my salad it was so good!  Instead of salad dressing! It tasted so good with the shredded cheese on my lettuce!  Yummy Num Num!
Let me know if you try the recipe and how you like it!
God bless!

Ephesians 1

      I had been taught some on Ephesians 1 before.  But I did not remember the prayer that Paul had prayed in that chapter.  But this prayer really does sum up what I have been asking God for.  I love the way Paul put it.  Here it is...
      "That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power..."
      I am looking forward to knowing what God's hope is for me and my life!  I know He formed me and chose me before I was even born!  That simple fact is amazing, but to find out that He was happy and glad to sacrifice his son in order to save me, the one He had chosen from a ton of people, is amazing!  Just a miracle that He loves me so so so very much!  I am so thankful for that love from my God!  My Abba!  I love you Lord! Thank you for being so thoughtful and kind!  
     I am so thankful for the fellowship I get now in our bible studies.  I am just so thankful for the learning and the love that you get from other believers!  God is so awesome to set this all up for us! 
      This is how amazing God is!   The other couple is not originally from this area, just like us.  They have been married 13 years, us 10. They have two kids, us, too.  They have a good gap in their kids ages. we do too.  Our daughters are a week or two apart in birthdays!   They have a giving heart like us.  We seem to compliment one another, too.  I am just so thankful and excited to see this work!  God is doing something great here and I am so thrilled to share it!  

2 Corinthians 3 Lesson

     This whole chapter talks about who we are in Christ (New man), once you are born again.  It is a really wonderful lesson if you take the time to slow down and read it well.  Chew on the verses and really get it!  I woke up at 3am and listened to the first half of the lesson and then chewed on it in my sleep.  I really like Mr. Curry Blake's teaching style and his true teachings of the gospel.  Below is the teaching. I hope you enjoy it.  I really liked the last verse, 18, and how it talks about looking into the mirror at yourself identical to Christ in the spirit.  Mr. Blake talked about how you have to let go of the past and your past sins if you are to grow with Christ.  This is totally something I needed to hear and decided to make a commitment to not bring up my close family's past mistakes and to allow them to be free from that, as well, from me.  I want to let go of my own, too.  He makes some really good points.
      You can go to their website at www.jglm.org for other free teachings and to order manuals of teachings.




Video streaming by Ustream

Stop the new agent orange! NOW!

This is about a chemical that Dow wants to use.  It is a part of Agent Orange.  Agent Orange killed my father in law when my husband was 15.  I never got to meet the man that my husband looks just like thanks to Agent Orange.  Please follow the link and tell the EPA to NOT allow this chemical to be used!
Sign the petition at the above link or paste this to your browser.   http://bit.ly/EPA24D


I am writing to urge you to deny Dow’s new use applications to register 2,4-D and/or glyphosate on “Enlist” genetically engineered 2,4-D-resistant corn and soybeans (Dockets EPA–HQ–OPP–2011–0835 and EPA–HQ–OPP–2012–0306). Use of 2,4-D in Enlist systems raises serious issues that fully justify EPA denial.

Dow’s Enlist systems would lead to a dramatic increase in usage of this toxic herbicide in American agriculture, with adverse impacts on human health, the environment, farmers’ welfare, and U.S. agriculture as a whole. Under FIFRA, EPA has a mandate to consider both environmental and economic costs in decisions about pesticides.

If approved for use on Enlist crops, 2,4-D would be used more frequently, at higher rates, on much greater acreage of cropland, and later in the season. Current overall agricultural usage of 2,4-D of 27 million lbs. per year would increase to well over 100 million lbs.

2,4-D exposure has been linked to numerous adverse health effects, including cancer (especially non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma), Parkinson’s disease, liver disease, reduced sperm counts, and birth anomalies in the children of exposed farmers. Increased use would exacerbate these impacts, particularly for exposed farmers.

Industry’s own tests show that 2,4-D is still contaminated with dioxins. In fact, 2,4-D is the seventh largest source of dioxins in the U.S. Although EPA recently set strict new dioxin exposure standards, it has not evaluated the health impacts of increased dioxin exposure from the massive increase in 2,4-D use anticipated with 2,4-D resistant crops.

2,4-D is a volatile herbicide that is prone to drift beyond the field of application to damage wild plants and crops. Current use of 2,4-D in agriculture already poses risks to several endangered species – the Pacific salmon, California red-legged frog and Alameda whipsnake – via adverse impacts on their habitat and prey.

EPA will soon begin a registration review of 2,4-D, the first since 2005. This review will give EPA the opportunity to assess Dow’s proposed uses in light of the issues raised above, the latest science on 2,4-D, as well as the EPA’s ongoing analysis of dioxin toxicity. The agency’s current decision specific to the Dow Enlist crops should be halted until the agency completes its wholesale registration review process for 2,4-D.

For all the above reasons, I urge you to deny Dow’s proposed registrations. At the very least, defer any decision until completion of EPA’s registration review of 2,4-D.


Tell the EPA NO here  http://bit.ly/EPA24D


Thank you!  And my children thank you!

Thank you God for your help today!

     I have my new old car, the 1966 Plymouth Fury 3.  Well, today, after an argument with my 9 year old daughter, we headed to her first karate class the school system set up for over the summer enrichment.  I let the car warm up for a few minutes, like normal and headed on out.
     When we got about a half of mile from the house, the car died at an intersection.  I knew it was about to, so I put my foot on the brake and one on the gas, to keep it idling.  The person in the SUV in front of me, just sat at the green light for quite a while, even after I honked.  So, the car died.  I cranked it a few times to no avail.  Then I thought I might have flooded it.  So, I went to call my husband and let it set a few minutes to try again.
      Then out of the blue a gentleman comes running up.  I can tell he works for our city and that he wants to help us.  I roll down my window, he tells me to put my flashers on.  He immediately lifts the hood and takes the air filter off.  He tells me to crank it and he proceeds to make it crank up.  He adjusts the choke and I am ready.  He told me what was wrong with it, the choke was sticking.  He asked if I had had it eating gas, I said I had.  He said that would do it, if it doesn't shut all the way.  He said that he had seen me drive by the other day and it had acted up then (I remember that day!) and he said it had had some black smoke, meaning it was flooding.   He showed me how to open the choke if it did it again. He was very kind and helpful.  I told him he was a blessing for us.  He told me to have my husband adjust it.  He told me to have a blessed day.
      I should have asked for his name, but I did not.  I would like to repay him somehow.  I know God will richly bless that man more than I ever could.  I hope to be able to bless him one day in return.  Thank you Lord for getting us out of the road and keeping us safe from harm.  God is so awesome!

Join us for Gratituesday at Heavenly Homemakers!

Menu for the Week

     I follow a blog called Heavenly Homemakers.  Laura does a weekly meal plan.  I started doing this last week.  I have found that I do not follow it exactly.  Maybe it would be better if I just think out all of the possible meals and then depending on what the day throws at me, I will make one of the choices.  I know it is Tuesday, but here goes.  I start on Sundays but am going to just list all of the options for the week I have come up with since I have not mastered the menu planning as of yet.

Breakfasts

Potluck  (everyone picks what they want and eat it)


Hashbrowns with maple sausage links and cereal


Cinnamon Bread (homemade) french toast


Buttermilk and beer pancakes 


Blueberry loaf toasted with butter and side/s (hashbrowns, bacon, and or yogurt, etc)

Old fashioned oatmeal with maple syrup and cinnamon




Lunches


Black bean and rice burgers and chips


Sandwiches and side/s


Spaghetti with homemade tomato sauce


Frozen pizza ?


Egg salad sandwiches 




Dinners


Spaghetti with homemade tomato sauce and broccoli and homemade garlic butter bread


Beef  Tacos (soft and hard shells) (homemade seasoning mix) with sautéed veggies (Carrots, broccoli, bell peppers, jalapeños) refried vegetarian pinto beans, and fixings (salsa, cheese, pico de gallo, lettuce, onions, jalapeños, sour cream, cilantro, lime)


Gorgonzola Fettucini Alfredo with vegetables and homemade garlic butter bread




Grilled chicken breasts seasoned with jerk seasoning mixed with honey, garlic butter rice, limey lima beans(you can switch from the lemon juice in recipe to lime juice) and sweet peas with basil and garlic


Shephard's Pie with sides


Veggie night with broccoli rice casserole 


Leftovers



As you can see, lunches tend to be where I have the hardest time. I do have a leaning towards fast food during lunch time.  It is easier when the whole family is home for lunches.

Pray for Stephanie Harkins

     Please pray for Stephanie Harkins.  She is a woman I had a transaction with on Etsy.  She was not very nice to me (she talked down to me)  and she would/will not take responsibility for her misleading ad on there.  I bought something and it was not as described.  I have never done a dispute on Paypal but did one and was not allowed to send in my opinion or photos of the item.  She won the dispute and left a really nasty feedback on my profile.  I only have done a few transactions and so she tarnished my reputation on there.  But I know that God will defend me.  Now that I have stopped trying to do it myself.  Please pray for her.  She really needs to know God's love and understand the way God wants us to treat one another.  I hope one day she will take responsibility for how she treats people.  God bless you Stephanie.  I really do feel sorry for her.  She made such a big deal because I wanted to mail the apron back for a refund.  It is really sad.  Thank you for praying for her.  I know that God has a better future for her, filled with joy and happiness and a servants heart.

I do cloth diaper

     Just in case some did not know, I do cloth diaper my youngest child, he is almost 19months old.  I have used covers and prefolds.  I do use disposables at night because none of the inserts or prefolds I have  will keep him dry, not since he was around 6 months old.
      I did get a Kawaii Heavy Wetter night time (One size) diaper and it worked...while it fit.  It was just too small.  He out grew that before he was ever a year old!  And my son is not super chunky, fat, or huge by any means.  He is just your average little man.  I do not recommend these for babies over 15 pounds.  They are just small.  My Knickernappie pocket diaper cover in MEDIUM is bigger than the One size Kawaii overnight diapers.
     I have yet to own an all in one.  I am hesitant to spend the money this late in the game.  I am hoping my husband will build the potty chairs I had asked for soon.  If he doesn't I will just buy them off of Etsy. So, I do not want to spend all that money and potty train him right afterwards.
     The prefolds that I like the best are the Thirsties Hemp prefolds.  They hold way more pee than a cotton prefold.  The Thirsties Hemp prefolds are pricey.  But they hold 2-4 times more than the Imagine prefolds.  They are thinner, and less fluffy, so you can add a doubler or insert and still have a comfortable baby.  I have a few dozen of the Imagine prefolds, organic unbleached, from Nicki's Diapers.  But they really only hold one pee and that is it.  So, you have to be all over them.  They work while at home, but are not good at all for car trips or trips period.
     I like how trim a disposable is, compared to the prefolds.  My son does walk differently with the two diapers, too.  I, thank God, do not have a problem with diaper rashes with either diapers.  I account this to using chlorine free wipes and chlorine free disposables.  Also, I make sure I rinse my cloth diapers 4 extra times after washing them.  I also let me son run around naked a few times a day to air out. This is key, too.  We only wash him with a goat's milk soap.  Currently we use Zum bars.  But I really like Simple Life Farm's goat's milk soap the best.  I am going to be ordering some of it soon.  They make a citronella soap that smells nice and helps keep mosquitoes away.  

French Toast

      I was never that big of a fan of french toast.  That all changed when I decided to make one of my loaves of sandwich bread into a cinnamon loaf of bread.  I thought, "Man, this tastes pretty good...I bet it would taste awesome as french toast."  Actually, I did not think that, I had one of those many moments when the Holy Spirit tells me in a little whisper, "make french toast with it".  So I did and I have continued to do that every time I make cinnamon bread.
      These pictures are from my last loaf that I had made.  I did not put it in a loaf pan, but let it rise into a long loaf.  I like it better for cinnamon bread.  It is very tasty.  And yes, I only cook mine in cast iron.  It is the all natural and original non stick cookware.

I ran out of the Saigon cinnamon my bestest friend had sent me.  I had to use EarthFare's organic, but it was not as good as the McCormick Saigon cinnamon, believe it or not.

This is the middle of the loaf.  I had mailed my dad a third, or so of the loaf along with some french bread I had made too.   It slices pretty well. 

This is about a 15 inch cast iron skillet.  I use it almost everyday now that I have it.  It is great for bacon, grilled cheese, french toast, hot dogs, you name it. It is also great for stir fry.

Prayers Answered and Fruit Flies Bye-Bye

    Well, tonight we had our prayers answered from God.  This happens regularly, our prayers being answered.  This one is just really important.  It says in the bible not to forsake yourselves from gathering with other believers.  Hebrews 10:25   We need the edifying and the support and comfort of being with fellow believers when you are still in the beginning stages of getting your momentum going and are in the beginning stages of setting the course of your lives in your family, too!  God brought us together with another family that follows Andrew Wommack and they have two kids like us.   They started a bible study and were very kind and open with themselves tonight. It was awesome to meet them!
     I had been praying for a good friend for my daughter...someone for her to be herself, a Christian, with and someone who is her age and kindness.  That was answered, too, praise God!  Their daughter is our daughter's age and into similar things, too.
     I am still wanting to homeschool my daughter next year and so tonight I have been looking for all kinds of math resources online to teach her some things this summer.  I am excited about that.  We are being more forgiving, thank you Holy Spirit, and giving more patience to one another...so it has really been an enjoyable time this week, with her.
     We had a small fruit fly problem in our kitchen and I got fed up with them. I did not know how to kill them without squashing them, which rarely works for me.  So, I looked online and a lady online said to use apple cider vinegar with liquid soap, a dash/few drops in it to break the surface tension.  It causes the flies to drown.  I now proudly have 5 dead ones at the bottom of the cup.  Yay!  I believe the lady was on about.com or a frugal living site.  Great cheap advice. I had just bought a gallon of that vinegar the other day.   Not a usual purchase.  Another one of those God things, where the Holy Spirit tells you that you will need them and you do later on.
    And believe it or not, I burned a batch of cookies today. I was going to bring oatmeal raisin cookies to the bible study.  But I over cooked them.  Not black, but too crunchy and dark brown.  Hopefully we will be able to bring them something in the future.  Maybe communion bread and wine?
     It is late, good night.