Count Your Blessings Monday

Here is an opportunity for you to give thanks unto the Lord for a blessing in your life. If you have a blog, please sign Mr. Linky below and post on your blog. Please link back to this blog and you may use the picture above. If you do not have a blog, leave a comment on this post telling us what you are thankful for and what you are counting as a blessing today. This is a way that we can encourage one another. Many of our blessings we will have pictures of and we can share those as well. I think that many times we forget that it is a blessing to be able to breath, to get out of bed, to hold a baby... Share your blessings with us. They encourage others. We can share so many other things.... special gifts, recipes, let's take the time to share how God has blessed us!!

Today, I am counting the blessing that God's mercies are new every day. I will never stray so far that He will give up on me. He is always willing to forgive me and to fellowship with me. It does not matter if others turn their back on me, or treat me badly, I am one of His adopted daughters. He loves me right where I am. Each day I can start with a clean slate. He gives me the strength to do what He has called me to do. I just need to obey. Thank you Lord for loving me, for dying for me, and for keeping me close to You!!!

Spring Tour

I took a tour of the yard yesterday looking for signs of spring and just checking on things. There were lots of spring bulbs sending up their leaves. There were buds on lots of the daffodils. Here are some buds on the forsythia bush. It has never been a spectacular bush though. We moved it last year, so I was hoping it would do better this year.

Star followed me around as I took my tour. She is the best dog ever.

Here is Clover our heifer calf. Her spots sure look black to me. When you get up close they appear more brown. She is a jersey heifer if you can believe that.

I went over by the sheep fence and they came running.

Here is one of our roosters. These chickens are huge. I often catch a glimpse of them running and wonder whose dog is out there and then look again and it is a chicken.

Our pond is REALLY full. We are expecting more rain this coming week. We saw a pair of mallard ducks in the pond this morning. I don't know if they will stick around or not. I am not overly fond of ducks. They are very messy.

Farmer Blue Town Update...

If you read one of my recent posts, my husband Michael took some good farm food to work. He is a "person of interest" at his work, because of our farm. So on Friday he took in 2 kinds of bread, cream to shake into butter and some wonderful, raw, grass-fed, jersey milk. I was actually called "fabulous" because of my bread. Maybe I need to send it more often. =) The butter was a real hit. They really were totally enthralled when the yellow butter curds started forming out of the white cream. One woman cut a big hunk of bread and grabbed half the butter and informed Michael that "she was taking it home with her." Another man asked to take any left overs home. Those that were brave enough to drink the "real" milk were highly complimentary. There were many however that were not willing to drink it. Maybe they thought they would grow an extra thumb or something. They missed a real treat. One lady had several glasses. She was the same one that took the bread and butter. So over all, it was like a huge show-n-tell or farm-day in town.

Vision Forum Coupon

We have received 2 coupon codes in our email. They can each only be used one time. We will not be using them this time. The offer is a $25 coupon, good toward any one online order of $75 of merchandise or more. I will post both codes. If you try one and it does not work, then someone else has already used it. You can click on the coupon above or the link in my sidebar so that I get credit for it. The sales ends at midnight March 31, 2008 (CST) Thanks. Here are the 2 codes...

M8E9P6825EP6

9KG8H49668EK

"Tails" From The Farm... Part 1

"Tails" From The Farm!!

The story of our journey to farm life...

We used to be a "typical" (what is typical) family. We lived in a brick house in Florida. Michael, the husband and father, would go off to work and I, Marci, the wife and mother, would stay home and homeschool our son Joshua. We were busy with things everybody is busy with. However, something was tugging at our hearts. We wanted something different. We read in the Bible about living a quiet and simple life which prompted a dream in our minds of just what that might be. We pictured a lovely little farm; a neatly painted red barn with white trim; a goat or two in the pasture; some chickens; maybe even a cow. So, we started to pray and gather information. Little did we realize that life was not going to be quiet and simple in the way we had imagined.

First, we acquired chickens, which were shared with the neighbors (we will call them the Greens) who also wanted chickens but had no time to build a coop. We had the time, but were not allowed to keep animals on our rented property. So we built the coop and shared the chickens. Each family would take a week feeding and caring for the chickens and gathering the eggs. It worked out quite well for some time. Then we started to think about other animals.

Now, at this time we lived on a long narrow 1.1 acre piece of property just beyond the edge of town. The neighbors on either side of us had the same long acreage. The back part of the yard was a field that was fenced separately. We prayed very hard about animals and then approached the landlord again. We told him that we really enjoyed living there, but really wanted animals. So, we would be looking for another place to rent. In answer to our prayers, the Lord led the landlord to agree to allow us to have animals. Right after that, the neighbors decided that they no longer wanted to deal with chickens. God's timing is always perfect! So our good friends (we will call them the Jeeters) came and helped us move the chicken coop into our yard. We named this area "The Back Forty". We were really on our way. We had chickens and they were our very own and we were now allowed to get other animals. Life was getting good!

A month later, "Southern Star", joined the family as a fat, butterball pup that looked like a little bear. She belongs to Joshua. The first two weeks in her new home it was cold and rainy. She was not allowed in the house at all. That was the one stipulation of the landlord..... NO ANIMALS IN THE HOUSE!!!!! So, Joshua would sleep out in the cold, damp carport, or on the front porch in order to keep Star company and prevent her from whining and keeping everyone awake. He would walk around with her tucked in his shirt. They were the best of buddies. Things were going great until Star discovered the chickens. Star is an Australian Shepherd.... they herd things. She saw all of these chickens running around as her responsibility. She needed to round them up and make them behave. Needless to say, she was banned from The Back Forty. It was such a temptation though, and she would find new ways under the fence, because those chickens were running around with no idea of where they were supposed to be. She alone knew where they needed to be and it was her goal in life to get them there.

To be continued...

Farmer Blue Goes To Town...

Michael works in town at a large corporation's headquarters. He is the only farmer there. =) He loves to tell them "Tails" from the farm. Sometimes they laugh, sometimes they squirm in horror and sometimes they look at him like he has 3 heads. Several people, including Michael, were having a discussion several weeks ago. Some how the topic of bread came up. Michael told them that I make most of our bread. They were duly impressed. I am sure they pictured me slaving over the dough, kneading it with all the strength I could muster. Then he went further and told them that I grind the wheat as well. They stared open mouthed at him in wonder. I bet the picture in their mind at this point, is me out back with a big rock smashing my wheat. =) With the tools (or kitchen servants) that God has blessed me with, making bread is fairly easy. He told them that the next day everyone brought in food, that he would bring in some bread. They asked him if we made our own butter. He said that sometimes we do. They were amazed at our abilities. I hope you realize I am cracking up writing this. The story is true, but we are not amazing in anyway. Well, tomorrow is the big day. I baked bread and cinnamon rolls today. The cinnamon rolls are actually for Bible study tonight. He is taking a regular loaf of bread with my signature wheat design in the crust and the long loaf of french bread I made. He is also taking two jars with some cream. He is going to have them shake their own butter. They also asked him to bring in some of our weird raw milk to see. He told them he would bring some if they would drink it. He is going to take 1/2 gallon of our rich, creamy, grass-fed, jersey milk in for them to try. I will let you know what they thought.

Your Daily Bread

Kim left a comment on the last post that her bread does not turn out. There can be many reasons for that. One of the reasons can be that your flour does not have enough gluten. Gluten is a substance made up of the proteins found in wheat flour. It is what holds bread together and gives it structure. It is hard to make bread from other flours and you need wheat flour added to your rye flour to make bread because only wheat has enough protein. The gluten makes the bread. We need the gluten developed to hold the bread together. You are able to use the same flour to make a cake as you are bread, because you don't knead your cake batter. It is the kneading process that develops the gluten. The hard wheats (both winter and spring) are good for bread making. Soft wheat does not have enough gluten for bread. When you buy bread flour at the store, it is just flour with more gluten added in. You can buy Vital Wheat Gluten to add to your flour if you wish. Make sure you buy the Vital Wheat Gluten and not gluten flour. Gluten flour is just basically flour with some gluten added. The chewier you like your bread, the longer you will knead it and the less shortening you will use. That is where shortening got its name. Fats (the shortening in your bread recipe) shortens the gluten strands. It coats the gluten fibers and does not allow them to stick together as well. Gluten also needs liquid to absorb and expand, so make sure you have enough liquid in your recipe. This is one place to start if your bread is not turning out... do you have the right kind of wheat or flour.

If you do not properly knead your bread you may have very hard dense bread, sometimes to the point of being brick like. When I hand kneaded my bread it was much heavier than the bread I make now. When we moved into our last house it was an Amish home and we lived with out electricity for a short while. I could not use my DLX mixer. I found a dough bucket (picture below) that worked just as well. I would put all of my ingredients in the bucket and then sit down and put it between my knees. I would turn the crank for 10 mins. and it would do a wonderful job of kneading for me. Many people have a Kitchen Aid mixer in their kitchen. I know that some models can be used to knead bread. If you knead by hand, be sure you are working that dough.

Another problem can be too much flour or too little flour. You want your dough a wee bit sticky and soft and yielding. Adding too much flour can make a harder dense loaf that does not rise well. Adding too little flour and it may rise too high too quick and you end up with big holes under the crust.

I hope this helps a little. I would suggest you ask around and see if anyone you know makes bread often. Then go and watch or help them do it a few times to get the hang of it.

What's Fer Supper Mama?

I want to talk about food. Before I get into the topic though I want to state that I do not claim to be an expert. I am simply sharing information I have gleaned over the years and my own experiences. I am not a health food queen and I do not play one on television. =) I also want to state that this is our story and in no way do we want people to think it is the only way to do it. This is the way that God led us. I am saying this because I have been very saddened recently by some discussion by people who are full of pride telling about their outward holiness. They have hurt some people and turned them off and pushed them away. Go to the Lord and ladies go to your husbands to decide if you need to change anything and if so what you need to change.

I used to get sick all the time. Whenever a flu or sickness went around, I was down with it. We knew that something had to be done. I started getting this very severe and weird pain. I have never been a major fan of doctors, but I went because I would be doubled over and had not found anything that would help. I will skip the details since this is a public forum. =) I was not listened to even after explaining the exact location of the pain several times and correcting them, when they kept naming the wrong area for pain. They said I would be scheduled for an ultrasound, and if that did not give answers, then I would be given a laparoscopy and if they did not work I would be taken in for exploratory surgery. I looked at them and just smiled. I walked out and never went back. I was not a guinea pig and they were not even listening to me. I was at a meeting one night when the pain hit me. There were some ladies there that came over and asked if they could help. We explained I was having this severe pain and that it would pass after a while. They gave me an herbal tincture to try. I was willing to try anything at that point. They explained what was in it and why it may help. I got relief. I was amazed.

We started praying and asking the Lord to help us see where we could make changes. I was introduced to true whole wheat bread. Way back in the old days people got their flour milled daily. I love to look to the Bible for wisdom in this area. It talks about our daily bread. I think there is a reason for that. Once you crack a kernel of grain open the nutrients in it start to oxidize. Within about 72 hours most of them are gone. You can slow it down a little bit by freezing it, but overall it starts to die. We bought a grain mill and started grinding our own grains. We do not do this daily, although that would be ideal. That was the first big change we made, but we saw a difference right away. My health improved and I just felt better. We started to sell the grain mills and mixers and in the end we ran a huge co-op. People were wanting to take charge of their food. I used to have a neat little set of vials that showed the different aspects of the wheat kernel. It was lost in our move, but I recently purchased another one. Here is a picture of it. On the far left are whole wheat kernels or they are sometimes called berries. Going in order from there to the right are bran, middlings, wheat germ, wheat germ oil and then white flour.

When people used to have their flour ground daily they got all of the above ingredients. A kernel of wheat is chock full of nutrients that our bodies need. Here is what the Montana Government (Montana is a big wheat growing state) says about wheat.

Wheat provides natural health benefits. Complex carbohydrates provide endurance and energy. Amino acids, essential to nutrition, are contained in wheat protein. Fiber aids in digestion and is being studied as a way to prevent type 2-diabetes. Furthermore, wheat’s folic acid prevents certain birth defects and may lower the risk of heart disease, strokes, and some cancers. Phytonutrients contain an assortment of antioxidants and phytoestrogens. In addition, 100 grams of whole wheat flour (baked value) provides:
Folate – 22 mcg Iron – 3.88 mg Magnesium – 138 mg
Manganese – 3.80 mg Phosphorus – 346 mg Potassium – 405 mg
Selenium – 70.70 mcg Zinc – 2.93 mg

It’s little wonder then, that wheat has long been considered the staff of life.

Then large roller type mills were invented. They would take that same bushel of wheat and mill it. However, they would sell the bran, middlings and some of the wheat germ as animal feed. Some of the wheat germ and its oil were sold to the health food industry and then the left over dead white flour was given to the people. It was such a change at first that people started getting diseases from it. I know that beriberi was one of them. So to counter that after taking out 28 or so nutrients, they added back in about 4 (enough to get the beriberi to disappear) and call it enriched. The animals were eating more healthy than the people.

I realize that not everyone can buy a mill. God knows that and our health is ultimately up to Him. Maybe you could find someone and share theirs. I have done this for several people. You get so used to what I call "real" bread that when you don't have it you hunger for it. When we moved up here from Florida, all of our stuff was in storage from September until December. I would get so hungry for my bread. There was a place in a nearby town that sold all sorts of bread and they ground their own wheat for some of it. We would go and buy about 3 loaves (they were expensive) and by the time we got home, one would almost be gone.

We are not purist by any means. When I got so sick with meningitis 2 1/2 years ago, we went a long time with store bought breads. It is just recently where I have truly tried to go back to not buying any store bought bread.

Wheat is also a lot easier to store. They actually found some wheat in a Pharoah's tomb. It was called Kamut. Here is what they say about it...

"When Dave Sandoval (owner) learned about this ancient, Egyptian Kamut wheat, he was fascinated. He met a gentleman who had originated Kamut wheat and propagated it and did the scientific research and proved that it
was literally an heirloom seed and that it was over some 2000 years since it was used in any type of known civilization. It was stored in a tomb in an Egyptian burial site in … "The Valley of the King" and during an excavation, some of those wheat seeds were stolen. They found their way back to Montana in 1949 to be exact. Different types of wheat, won every prize, every ribbon for different strands of wheat. This scientist learned of it as a young boy and later decided to study it and found that this ancient wheat really had come from a tomb in Egypt, and that it really did have unique qualities, and it really was the father of all modern wheat grains. In this major achievement for agriculture, it was re-introduced into the food system after 2000 years."

I hope to be adding more posts about eating choices and our journey in that area. I also might start sharing snippets of our journey from city slickers to farm life. As my Mom would say, we were real messes. =)
I would love to try and answer any questions you have or hear anything you would like to add.

Count Your Blessings Monday

Here is an opportunity for you to give thanks unto the Lord for a blessing in your life. If you have a blog, please sign Mr. Linky below and post on your blog. If you do not have a blog, leave a comment on this post telling us what you are thankful for and what you are counting as a blessing today. This is a way that we can encourage one another. If you make a post on your blog telling us about your blessing, please put a link back to this post. You can use the picture above for your post. Many of our blessings we will have pictures of and we can share those as well. I think that many times we forget that it is a blessing to be able to breath, to get out of bed, to hold a baby... Share your blessings with us. They encourage others. We can share so many other things.... special gifts, recipes, let's take the time to share how God has blessed us!!

I am counting the seasons as my blessing today. I am so thrilled to live in a state where all 4 seasons are very different. I love see things come alive in the spring. It gives you new hope and excitement for the coming months of warmth and gardening. Here are a couple more signs of spring at my house.

We went for a short drive today. This is one of the roads we were on. Needless to say, we had to turn around. =)

This sign really knew what it was talking about. =)

Here are my 2 milk cows and 2 of the steer calves. Everyone was enjoying the nice weather today.

Have a Blessed Resurrection Day!!

The sun had come up. It was a morning full of sunshine and promise. The birds seemed to be extra cheerful in their morning song. They sky was the bluest that had ever been seen. The clouds seemed to be putting on their puffiest display. Everything seemed to be brighter, happier, more jubilant......
Did all of creation shout for joy? This morning, the sun is shining brightly. Was it a morning like this? They women headed for the tomb, not knowing how they would get the stone rolled away. Would the soldiers even let them near? Look... the stone is rolled back!!! What is that bright and shining light? An angel of the Lord!!!
Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you. Matt 28:5-7
He is risen!!! He conquered death. He paid the ultimate price for my sins, but now He is Alive!!! Praise the Lord that we do serve a Risen Savior!! May you feel His loving arms around you as you come to Him. He made a way to make us free. PRAISE THE LORD!!!

HAVE A BLESSED RESURRECTION DAY!!!

All of the pictures below were taken this morning!!! Spring is here!!

Signs of Spring

Tomorrow is Resurrection Day. Think back to that time when Jesus was still in the grave. So many people were confused. They thought he was going to lead them into battle against the Romans and take back the kingdom. They had followed Him all over the region. They had seen miracles happen. People blind from birth could now see. The lame boy that used to beg by the gate, was now hopping and jumping and skipping along with the other children. People no longer having to stay outside the gates and yell "Unclean" when anyone came near them because they had leprosy. Now, the dead, white, half eaten flesh was new and fresh. Just a week ago, He had been hailed by the people as a king. They laid down their cloaks in front of the donkey and waved palm branches and sang Hosanna. Many of those same people less than a week later were yelling "Crucify Him" because a mob mentality had taken over. No one had those penetrating eyes like He did. They looked right down into your heart of hearts and saw you for what you really were, but loved you anyway. He was strong having been a carpenter. Yet, He was gentle. It all happened so fast. He was put on trial and then sent to be crucified. As He hung up there on the cross dying one of the most horrific deaths known to mankind, He asked that God forgive those who were doing that to Him. He was innocent of any sin. He took my sin and your sin upon Himself. Sin so ugly that the Father could not even look at Him. How that must have hurt. They kept waiting for Him to jump down and show them who He was. He was Messiah, it couldn't end like this. He called out loudly, and died. They were in total confusion. The sky darkened and a storm of all storms lashed those on the hill. There were earthquakes and graves came open. What was going on? They were not sure what to think. They felt sad, betrayed, forgotten... I often wonder how many truly had the hope and belief that He would rise again. What would my thoughts have been on this day back then. He was in the grave and it was well guarded by Romans. Because of me, He died that horrible death. He took my sins upon Him and paid the price for me. Waiting.... everyone was waiting... what if anything was going to happen? We shall wait until the morning...

There are signs of spring around here even with all the snow. My dear sweet husband brought me in the first crocus bud.
Here are some daffodils in the front of the house. I need to clean out these flower beds. They were not dealt with last year.

Here are some more daffodils, lilies and iris plants coming up.

Here are the cows enjoying the day. Sorry about the clothesline across the picture.

Yep.... again....

I was so thrilled to wake up this morning and see no snow on the ground. It said we could get 1 to 3 inches. Up in northern Ohio they got up to 8 inches. I went out to plug in the tractor heater and I could just barely make out snow flurries coming down. Within a very short time this is what I saw....

Not to worry though. We only got a dusting. It has already basically stopped snowing. I see that Melanie thinks its my fault it snowed because of what I said in my last post. =)

Today we juiced a bunch of fruit for our breakfast. We mixed pineapple, apple, carrot and orange juice together. It was really good. It is a good way to use up fruit. I also ate a banana.

I am still working on my webpage for selling the kitchen equipment. I am able to take orders now, so if you are wanting to buy a Bosch, DLX (Electrolux) or Nutrimill, please email me.

Today On The Farm

Today was a beautiful sunshine filled day. Michael was off and we headed out to do some errands. We saw lots of standing water and the creeks are way up. We are supposed to get some snow tonight and tomorrow. However, the storm has stayed north of us so far. I went just outside the back door and called for the sheep. I was going to take their picture. They did not come out, but 2 of them peeked at me from inside their shed. This is Charity and Grace. I was actually calling Sunshine. She never did show herself. =)

Here is a picture of our pond. It is full to the brim. I love to see the reflection of the trees in it. As you can see the snow is all melted. I hope it stays that way. I have lived here long enough to know that there is still a chance for more snow, though.

Snow & Menus

I just went to the door to take some pictures. I am amazed at how much snow has already melted off from this morning. The ground was covered this morning. I guess the beautiful sunshine is doing its job. It is currently 36 degrees. The high today is supposed to be 43. Here are some pictures of the snow we got.

Here are our three little calves. The spotted one is a jersey heifer (girl). The other 2 are jersey steers (used to be a boy). =) The darker steer belongs to the Wonderful Neighbors. When the snow got so deep last week, these guys just stepped over their fence and decided to wander. The cow patrol was on the alert though and got them back in.

I actually made out a menu for the month of March. It is a tool that I use. I don't always stick to it, but instead of opening the freezers and the fridge many times hoping something will jump out at me (if it ever literally did that, I would die on the spot), I have ideas right there before my eyes. =) I have done pretty good this month. My stomach was a bit weird the last couple of days. Everything I ate seemed to cause distress. I am feeling more like myself today. Yesterday, I put a ham bone and some soaked Great Northern beans in the crock pot on high all day. It smelled so good and the men said it tasted wonderful. I did not dare eat any. I had a small bowl of yogurt and some crackers. Tonight is Mexican night at our house. We are supposed to have black beans and rice. However, beans 2 nights in a row might not be the best choice.

Everyone has their own way of doing things, but sometimes by sharing, we can learn from one another. We live simply. We eat simply. A menu for a whole month is a good thing for us. I have a calendar program on my computer. I print off a monthly calendar and then pencil in the supper meals. If I had a larger family or had to feed people every day at lunch and dinner, I might do it different. To fill out my menu, I broke it down even farther. I made Monday night to be breakfast night. We have a traditional breakfast meal for supper. I made a list of all the breakfast meals I could think of. Then I choose enough to fill the Monday's on my calendar. There are pancakes, waffles, quiche, casserole, eggs - toast - and taters, etc. Tuesday night is pasta night. We have some sort of pasta dish. I made a list of those types of meals as well. I even include home made macaroni and cheese. We usually have some sort of meat with that. Wednesday night is soup night in any month where it is cool temperatures outside. In the summer, I try to come up with some sort of salad type meal or just anything goes. Thursday night is Mexican night. We love Mexican food, so we have it often. Friday night is either chili or pizza. We have been making our pizzas at home and really enjoying them. Saturday night is often a Dad meal. He likes to cook and he loves to grill in the warmer months. Sunday, we usually have a fellowship meal, so it is something that is good to share.

With a menu made up, I am able to buy ahead and not have to go to the store so often. What are some menu ideas from y'all??!!

Ohio Weather - Unpredictable!

We have had several days in the high 40's. I believe it even hit 50 one of those days. Most all of the snow melted and we were well into a flooded time. It has been raining for a day or so. The yard is saturated and there is a small lake there. The pond is overflowing and draining down around as it was designed to do. The ground was squishy and muddy. I was doing paper work on the computer this morning for my co-op drop for today. I looked and it was 48 degrees. I just looked again now and it is 33. I looked outside and what did I see? It is snowing. There was snow on the picnic table and on the car. It will take awhile to stick on the ground as it is very wet right now. I guess spring is going to have to fight its way in this year. =)

Rainy Day In Ohio

Today it almost made it to 50 degrees. That is a real heatwave around here. We still have little piles of snow where it got piled up really deep. The next couple of pictures show you some of the left over piles from plowing our driveway. They are dirty and yucky looking now.
There is a little bit out on the hill by the barn. If you look at the lower left hand corner of this picture you will see a chicken high tailing it back around the house. They aren't supposed to be in the front yard and they know I get after them. This hen saw me coming and took off. =)

Now, we have mud season. We really don't mind mud season as long as it comes, stays its time and then moves on to green summer. You can see the mud and the puddles on our driveway. It has been raining and we won't complain. After the drought we had last year, we are thankful for all the moisture the ground is soaking up. The pond is full and overflowing.

This afternoon, Michael took the 5 wethers (sheep) to the butcher. They are all for someone else. Three of the Wonderful Neighbor children came over to help him round them up. They enjoy it and Michael loves the help and company. I would have had to help him, but I was in working on supper, so they volunteered. I want to tell you what a blessing it is to live next door to them. They truly have servants hearts and are always looking for ways to bless us or make our life easier!!!

I reached a point on my toddler sweater that I had to stop and start on the sleeves. I sure hope this turns out. I am praying and asking God who I should give it to. My Mom used to make lots of crocheted items and give them to people. I wanted to do a small sweater to start with, so that I could get done sooner and build some confidence. This is the body part of the sweater that I have done.

Here is the start of the first sleeve. This is the first time I worked with a bunch of double pointed needles at the same time. It is taking some getting used to.

I cooked one of our delicious home raised broilers today. I picked it off the bone and put a large portion of it aside for sandwiches. I made an Alfredo sauce with butter, flour, parmesian cheese, and milk. I sauted a bunch of peppers I froze from our garden last year. It is a wide rainbow of colors. (I am trying to use up what I put up last year). I put garlic and onion in with them. Then I added the chicken and stirred the sauce over it. We will eat it over noodles. YUM!!!! A supper fit for royalty!!!

Count Your Blessings Monday

Here is an opportunity for you to give thanks unto the Lord for a blessing in your life. If you have a blog, please sign Mr. Linky below and post on your blog. If you do not have a blog, leave a comment on this post telling us what you are thankful for and what you are counting as a blessing today. This is a way that we can encourage one another. If you make a post on your blog telling us about your blessing, please put a link back to this post. You can use the picture above for your post. Many of our blessings we will have pictures of and we can share those as well. I think that many times we forget that it is a blessing to be able to breath, to get out of bed, to hold a baby... Share your blessings with us. They encourage others. We can share so many other things.... special gifts, recipes, let's take the time to share how God has blessed us!!

The blessing I am going to count today is the blessing that God tells us He will be our Abba, our Daddy. We have had a rough week around here. I am so glad that His mercies are new every day and that like it talks about in Psalm 131, I can climb into His lap and rest like a weaned child against His breast. The situation as it was could not be fixed by us. It continued to grow worse. With nothing more we could do, I climbed onto God's lap and I am resting there. This is where I need to find my source of worth, or peace, of love. I am one of His beloved. I am special to Him. He loves me enough that He sent His son to die for me. That is enough. Come on up into His lap. There is plenty of room.