Brothers

1 John 2:10
"Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble."

Psalm 133:1 
"How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!"

This post is linked to "Wordless Wednesday" at 5minutesformoms.com

And "Wordless Wednesday" at MillerRacingFamily.blogspot.com!  (Today was my first day visiting her blog and it's so fun over there!)

Homestead Blessings--Cinnamon Rolls!!

I do believe I might be the only wife/mom who has never made homemade cinnamon rolls!

(Please tell me I'm not the only one!!) :) 

I've been very proud of my yummy homemade cinnamon rolls, even though to everyone else it seems to be a "Been There Done That" thing!  ha ha!

I have to say that making these was SO MUCH fun!!!  I loved it!  And they were SO tasty too!

-Dough rolled out

-Brown sugar/butter mixture applied

-Cinnamon sprinkled

-Dough rolled up

-Cutting the rolls out

(I couldn't believe they looked like the ones from the can!!!)

-After they had their second rise

-Ready to go in the oven!

-Glazed and ready to eat!

Okay, here's the truthful part--these took me about 2.5 hours!!!  (YIKES!!) 

I made these on a Saturday morning when Ryan was out cutting wood for us this winter (we heat our house with a wood stove).  So the boys were excited to wake up to my announcement "I'm making cinnamon rolls for breakfast!"  Let's just say after 2 hours of waiting with mouths watering, they devoured them!

Overall, they were worth it, but I learned a lot about multi-tasking for next time...and I learned how to prepare the dough the night before in a way that doesn't sour it!

I probably should have watched my instructional video a little better!  But really, the West girls did it again!  They explained each step so thoroughly that I was never left wondering "Am I doing this right?" during the process (and normally I ask myself that several times with a new recipe!)

So now it's your turn to tell me about your cinnamon roll recipe...and how long does it take you to make your homemade cinnamon rolls?

I Love My Daughter!!!

Sometimes I just stare at her, still in unbelief..."I have a daughter!"

I'm SO very thankful for my baby girl!

She is my "Joyful, Joyful!"

I love how she always wants a baby doll in her arms...

I love her sweet little bows...

I love how she looks at her daddy...

I love how she can make any of us smile...

I love how her brothers keep watch over her...

I love how she has taken me by surprise... 

I love the pink...

I love the curls...

I love the sweetness...

I love the girlishness...

I love my precious little daughter with all my heart!!!

I'm so thankful that the Lord gave her to me!!!

Fruit of the Spirit: LOVE

As September comes to end, we're wrapping up our focus on "Love" as the first fruit of the Spirit.

We have memorized the 9 fruits of the spirit using this song I learned as a little girl...

So while we'll continue singing this song, we'll be moving onto learning about JOY in the Spirit for October!

Here is a list of what we have memorized and focused on with "Love"...

--Hymn: "My Jesus I Love Thee"

--Hymn: "Jesus Loves Even Me"

--John 3:16

--1 John 4:19-22

--1 Corinthians 13:1-8 (below is Trusten saying it in rhyme)

I have noticed a huge difference in my boys since we have been focusing on this fruit.  Sure, they still need daily (sometimes hourly) reminders, but they are quickly learning that with each decision, it either grows a good fruit in us or a bad fruit in us (they called them "poison berries")!

I again, am so thankful that the Lord led me to focus on these fruits of the Spirit with the boys this year!  I am convinced I'm learning just as much as they are!

And now as I prepare us to learn more about "joy" and apply it to our days, it is so neat to see how it so easily flows out of "love"!

My first "Homestead Blessings" Review--Bread-making!

(See my post HERE for more info on my new "Homestead Blessings" collection!)

The only DVD I have watched so far is "The Art of Bread-Making" and I loved it!!!  Just seeing how simple the whole process really is and how the West girls explain each step so clearly, was wonderful.  Plus, they threw in lots of tips and extra info just so you know why you use what you use and why you do things a certain way..and why each food has a different bread recipe!  And I don't know about you, but I like knowing the reasoning behind the methods!

They show you how to make both basic breads and quick breads...

So the video includes the following bread recipes:

Basic Bread
Sourdough Bread

Cinnamon Rolls

Hamburger Buns (I'm sure this would be handy for my hometown friend, Candace, who makes a different burger every Friday!)

Pizza Dough

Stuffed Bread Sticks

A "Loaf Meal" (more below)

Corn Bread

I was so excited about all of them, I didn't know where to start!  But I finally decided to be a bit daring and give the "Meal Loaf" a try.  In the video, they show you how to make a breakfast loaf (eggs, sausage, zucchini and squash) but I decided to branch out and make it in what I'm calling a "Pizza Loaf".

I made the bread first...

 Then I started working on some homemade pizza sauce (I wanted the WHOLE meal to be from scratch!)...

My hubby LOVED it!  He wants me to keep it around as marinara to dip in! 

My Pizza Sauce:

Tomato Sauce

Olive Oil
Garlic

Basil

Rosemary

Oregano

After the bread had it's second rise, I rolled out my dough and added my Pizza mixture to it...

My Pizza Mixture:

Pizza Sauce

Hamburger

Onion

Green Peppers

Cheese

Garlic

Butter

Salt

(and I think I threw in some other stuff as I went along!)

Then I did a little decorating (the video shows you how to do this)...

Then

came

the

reward

of 

all

that
hard
work...

I was

SO

excited 

to 

see 

the finished

product!

VOILA!!!

I brushed on some garlic butter and topped it with mozzarella cheese and IT WAS WONDERFUL!!!

The thing I loved about this recipe, is that I was able to make TWO "meal loafs", PLUS an extra loaf of just plain "Basic Bread"!!!  So three food items for the work of one!

I took the extra Pizza Loaf to a recent widow (the mom of one of my most precious friends, Morgan- she lost her dad unexpectedly just weeks ago-Please pray for the "Ward" family!)

So all in all, my first baking experience was fast, smooth and without any mistakes...I attribute that to the thorough tutorial I got from my "Homestead Blessings"!  (I am NOT very homemaker-minded or talented!!)

And guess what?  There's more to come--I've already made the cinnamon rolls and the stuffed bread sticks!!!  (I told ya I was feeling better!)

Bah Dah Bah Bah Bah...

THANKFULLY my morning sickness is tapering off!  I'm feeling better and better every day!

What a trial that was!...I usually have several "tricks" up my sleeve that help when my morning sickness kicks in...

But this time, for some reason, very little worked to cure my morning sickness.

Trust me, I've tried it all in the last 2.5 months...

~Ginger (and Ginger ale)

~Preggy pops

~Sea Bands

~Vitamin b6

~Half a Unisom at night

~Crackers before your feet touch the floor

~Laying on my back

~Eating every hour

~Sweet-tarts

~Peppermint

Thankfully, protein is what I crave...and sometimes that does help...

But when all else fails, this pregnancy, my "life-saver" has been these:

So yes, BAH DAH BAH BAH BAH...

I'm LOVIN' it!

Field Trip to the Fire Station!

My boys, their friend Eli, and I, all took a trip to visit our local fire station!

It was a great day!

Arriving...

The Field Trippers...

The most exciting part of the trip...

We were only at the fire station about 20 minutes when the alarm sounded and the firemen rushed off to a call...

Once they were back, we started the tour with learning about the equipment...

Listening carefully...

Learning not to be scared of the "man in the mask"...

Trying it out!

This hat was HEAVY!

Seeing their bedrooms...
(I always thought they had one big dorm style room with bunks, but they each have individual rooms!)

Learning about the trucks and the equipment they carry...

Driving...

"Look at me Momma!"

Taking charge...

This is the truck we always see zooming down our street...

Watching the fireman slide down the pole...

We learned a lot! And had a great time! I think were all inspired!
They may not all be future firemen, but they are all future heros to someone!

Thanks Chanute Firemen, for all you do (our for our cool new hats and badges!!)

LOOK WHAT JUST CAME IN THE MAIL!!!

I can't even BEGIN to tell you HOW STINKIN' EXCITED I AM about my new DVD's!!!

I want to scream...AHHHHHH!!! (okay, that's my virtual scream!)

Remember my very successful garage sale I told you about HERE?

Well, while the majority of our money went into savings, my sweet hubby let me choose between a new printer for my computer or these DVD's I've been coveting wanting!

So of course, I chose the DVD's!!!

A few weeks ago, Franklin Springs Films was running a major deal on the Homestead Blessing videos, so I got these 10 DVD's on SUPER sale!  

In my collection are the following:
~The Art of Gardening
~The Art of Sewing
~The Art of Canning
~The Art of Quilting
~The Art of Dairy Delights
~The Art of Bread Making
~The Art of Soap Making
~The Art of Candle Making
~The Art of Herbs
and I even got...
~The Art of Cooking (which teaches you how to make the following meals completely from SCRATCH-NO grocery store needed!) 
     ~Breakfast: pancakes, fried potatoes, fried apples & onions
     ~Lunch: pizza, tomato soup, salads & homemade dressings
     ~Dinner: pot roast & veggies, buttermilk biscuits & gravy, green beans, peach cobbler. 


For a girl who grew up a bit spoiled (yes, I'm admitting it) these DVD's are a dream come true, because our family's desire to become self-reliant, country-living homesteaders grows more and more every day!

Our Labor Day Camping Trip

Our family LOVES to camp!  Yes, even when momma is struggling through morning sickness...I was honestly hoping the fresh air would help...I think it did!

Last time we went camping (see link) I was 7 months pregnant with Liberty...(and now look at her!)

I think I've camped while pregnant with each of our kiddos...
I even remember camping when I was 7 months pregnant with this big guy...

So here we are again in our favorite camping spot...

Brats and hotdogs for dinner...

Lots of playing in the dirt and sand...

And finally time to sleep...

The nice thing about camping is that everyone works and plays so hard that bedtime is welcomed by all!

GOOD MORNING CAMPERS!!!

Wanna guess who our morning person is?

Our sweet Daddy cooked us eggs, bacon and sausage for breakfast...

We enjoyed every bite of the yummy breakfast!

Packing up is always a little sad...

This time Liberty wanted to help put the tent away...

We had such a fun time and can't wait to add one more baby to our 3 room tent next year...
and chances are, I'll be pregnant again, so as to not break tradition, of course!!! :)

This post is linked to Wednesdays Walk at Jenilee's blog.

(Liberty was NOT ready to wake up!)