oh goodness

 

"great is the Lord, & greatly to be praised, and His greatness is unsearchable." 

ps 145:3

how good my Father is to me that He has given me this sweet/loving man to show me His love for the church. i have never known forgiveness & 

grace on this earth the way i have through this man. 

i rejoice in my Lord everyday. He has been sooo good to me! 

Father, keep my heart set on things that please You. 

things that are not about the hurriedness & complication of this world. 

keep my heart quiet & simple & in love with You & grateful for 

all You've done for me.

may my eyes see the humble things. 

the things that often go unnoticed. 

the things that are from Your hand.

thank You for the blessing of romantic love that points to You.

thank You for the awesome responsibility & joy of children.

i am blessed & i am grateful. 

You are greatly to be praised!

al

homemade bread

ok... i could eat this bread all day long... but i won't. it's so good!!!!!! it takes some time & work, but well worth it. it will definitely save us money. i also made my own whole wheat flour (which i used in this bread). i'm planning on learning how to sprout my wheat & then make it into flour. sprouted grains are better for you. so, here's the recipe... have at it.

whole wheat bread:

>in a large bowl add 3 c water, 2 Tbs yeast & 2 Tbs honey. 

stir & let sit for 5-10 mins until yeast is dissolved.

>stir in 4 c flour until well combined.

>cover bowl loosely & let rise for 40 mins, until doubled in size.

>add 1 Tbs salt, 1/4 c oil, 1/4 c honey & mix a bit.

>add 3 c flour, 1 c at a time mixing well after each c is added.

>knead for about 15-20 mins.

>cover & let rise for 40 mins, until doubled in size.

>punch back down into a ball.

>spit the dough in half & shape into 2 loaves. 

dust bottom of pans w cornmeal. 

places loaves in pans.

>cover & let rise for 40 mins, until doubled in size.

>bake for 40 mins at 350.

>remove from pans as soon as you can. 

spread layer of oil or melted butter 

over the crust to keep it soft.

al

my guy & some soup

my guy... man i'm in love. so blessed by a faithful God who gives us good gifts! my husband blesses me more than i know & appreciate at times. he serves & loves me so well!!! (embracing the camera here.)





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ok seriously... this is one of our family's favorite meals!!! red lentil soup is so delicious & nutritious (sorry, i had to). good protein in lentils.we usually serve it up with a little fried pita (in coconut oil) & hummus. this soup is so filling so you don't need much for a meal & then there's always leftovers. yum!

red lentil soup:

>saute 1 chopped medium onion, 3 chopped carrots, 

2 chopped celery stalks, 

2 minced cloves of garlic in coconut oil.

>add 4 cups veg broth, 1 1/2 c red lentils 

& cook for about 45 mins to 1 hr.

>toward the end of cooking at 1 1/2 tsp salt, 

1/2 tsp curry powder & black pepper & cayenne to taste.

hummus:

>put a can of chickpeas (rinsed), 2 Tbs tahini, 

2 cloves of garlic, the juice of 1 lemon & olive oil 

in a food processor & blend.

>add more olive oil (for consistency), salt & pepper to taste 

& blend some more.

al

delicious snack

activated, spiced nuts from scandi foodie!!!
oh my goodness they're delicious & so easy!

al

family photos

i'm not the best at having updated family photos around the house... actually i'm pretty bad at it, but i just came up with a cute/easy little way to do it. just twine, photos, photo clips from ikea, a cute flower garland from my sweet friend, paper from hobby lobby, scissors, nails... & there you go! :) i also just taped some up with masking tape in our dining room. frames are overrated. ;) anyways...
how do you display family pictures & keep them up to date? my problem is i'm too lazy to put some pictures on a memory card & go get them printed at walgreens. ;)
al