Daddy Workin?

Matthew goes out each day for some time to do some of his work in the garden and fields. Hannah looks out the window when she realizes daddy is gone and asks, "Daddy workin?"

Working another piece of our land.

This is our garden just weeks ago. You should see it now! It's huge... we even have corn stalks that were planted a wee bit late that are taller than our chests! I'll post some pictures very soon.



Here's our snow peas. We can't keep up with picking them each day. Bear in mind, this was a few weeks ago. They are much taller now and bearing plenty of peas. We pick about 4 lbs a day. We have heard that you just cannot freeze or can these because the quality goes way down. Well, I tried to freeze and then steam them with lunch yesterday and sure enough the quality went from a 10 to about a 2. So, we're giving plenty away, the girls are eating them like crazy and we just keep a pickin'!

Up close - Aren't they just beautiful? I will take some new pictures this week. They now have flowers and tons of snap peas hanging from them. They are just so pretty to me.

Real Blueberry Pancakes

Oh, these were simply delicious! My husband stored up enough blueberries from our new blueberry plants this year that I could make us some homemade blueberry pancakes.

Don't skimp - use real butter and real whipping cream.

Here are the egg whites being folded into the pancake batter.

Our blueberries

Here's the pancake recipe I use from Mr. Breakfast:

Homemade Pancakes

(8 servings)

• 2 Eggs (separated)
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 cup oil
• 1 cup milk (plus some for consistency)
• 1 1/3 cup
  
  flour
• 1 tsp. vanilla (opt.)

Beat egg whites until stiff - set aside.

Beat egg yolks, add sugar and salt, beat in.

Add baking powder, beat until just mixed in well.

Add flour, milk, and oil. Beat until smooth(not too much otherwise the baking powder won't react correctly) add vanilla.

Add egg whites to batter and FOLD gently. Let batter sit for 15-30 minutes prior to cooking.


Have a great breakfast!!!

Cleaning Green Beans

My husband is such a good father. He really includes our daughters in a lot of things. Here they are cleaning green beans together to put in our freezer.

Everyone looks so happy!

Fleece Dresses - Getting Ready for Winter

I made some dresses for the girls out of fleece. It is mighty cold and windy here in the winter and these will keep them warm and toasty. So far they've worn them for dress during the day and for nighties at night when it's dropped down to the 50's in temperature. They are comfy!

Here's Hannah

Elisabeth playing with her playdough

All Smiles!

Fun with Blocks

Hydrangeas

Here are some beautiful hydrangeas from our yard. They are special to me as they were our flower when Matthew and I got married. We had a small intimate wedding at our friend's John and Karen's. They have a beautiful home and Karen and some other ladies put everything together for us... the flowers from her garden, a cake from Rosa who has been cooking for probably over 50 years now (catering, owned a restaurant, culinary student in France). I wish I could remember the cake. I wish I could remember the flowers. I just remember being nervous and excited. My husband to be and I were to kiss for the first time in 2 1/2 years after being announced husband and wife. It felt strange. It felt like I was kissing my brother - though I don't have a brother. About an hour later though we went outdoors and snuck a kiss and he didn't feel like my brother anymore....

What do you do with Leftover B-day Cake?

Silly - you top it with homemade blackberry preserves! We pick tons of blackberries each year down our driveway and make yummy things like this. Of course this cake isn't 3 weeks old, I pulled out a couple of pieces from the freezer for me and Matthew to eat after the kids went down for a nap.

Matthew and His Cute Pajamas

I found these comfy, cute pajamas at the Goodwill about a week ago. He was just so snuggly soft in them, I had to keep hugging and kissing him.
Matthew is 10 months old already. He's moving around so much and so heavy for me right now as I am 33 weeks pregnant, that it's hard to hold him much anymore. It makes me sad sometimes. : (

Big Family Cookin'

Earlier this month I bought a 22 quart, stainless steel stockpot at Walmart for big family cookin'. I know one day with just four hungry kids and probably more, we will get good use out of this pot. I plan on using it for making big batches of soups, stews, etc... and freezing a lot of it. I've already used it for split pea soup to pull out of the freezer sometimes after the baby is born.

Here it stands next to my old 12 quart pot.

Homemade Noodles

We've been making homemade noodles for about 2 years now. We love them and just can't go back to the store bought. Anyone can make them and the ingredients? Egg, flour and salt.

First, crack 2 eggs into a bowl.

Add 2/3 cup of flour and stir with a fork.

Add one more 2/3 cup of flour and stir really, really good. Add a couple dashes of salt now too.

Get your hands in there and mash it around. Squish it, mash it, whatever you need to do to get it into a firm, solid consistency.

Now we just bought a hand crank pasta maker last year. You really don't need one of these to make wonderfully, delicious noodles. If you don't have one, just roll the dough out on a floured surface until it is the thickness you desire for the noodles you are making. I always had Matthew roll these out. They take some serious man-power to roll them out well! Here, I rolled out a sheet as I wanted to see how it works for future lasagna.

Here's my noodles for our chicken noodle soup.

And walla - here's our deliciously fragrant chicken noodle soup. It was wonderful.

All Three Playing Together

I found this fun toy at a garage sale last week for only $2. What a find! It has all sorts of activities they can play with on this including a magnetic board with letters, shapes and the appropriate holes to place the shapes in, zippers, buttons and more. Here they are all playing together. We have so much joy watching all of our children play together.

The Girls' Baby Animals

I downloaded the camera and saw that Matthew had taken a picture of the girls playing beddie by time with their stuffed animals - drinks, blankies and pillow. I'm sure they all slept really good.

Leah's Blankie

Here is Leah's blankie I made for her. And the first blankie I have made. All the kids have their own blankie (store bought) and they love it. They take it to bed with them and Hannah still has to have her blankie after she falls down or gets hurt. Here is a blankie I made for Leah this week. I am happy with it and I think she will be too!

Here's the bassinet she will sleep in. The other kids slept in this until they were almost ready to turn over. I bought it before we got married as I knew at one point we would be having kids. I remember it sat in my apartment and I would just stare at it. Now it's been filled three times and is about to be filled with a new baby again. I love how the Lord unfolds things in our lives.

Here's the blankie all laid out.

A close up of the fabric I coordinated with it.

Dinner from our Neighbors

YUMMY! We invited our neighbor over to get a bag of our snap peas grown from our garden. And look at what he brought us over! It was delicious. We finished the rest at lunch today.

This corn we got from Jim the bee man the day before. So, we had to have it accompany our wonderful salmon. We had some fresh green beans also from our garden and some homemade rolls I made from a James Beard cookbook.

Labor Day - Giving Thanks to God

Many of us here used to work outside the home. Here we can give thanks that our work is inside the home now and pray for those who want to come home.

Thank You Lord that my work is productive now inside the home and that You have changed my heart to seek after heavenly things. I thank You that when I did have to work that You gave me hope and a place in my heart that it would only be for a season... Let me pray for the women who work outside the home that I do not judge but pray that You will instill a place in their hearts to want to come home even at sacrifice of giving up the greater things of the world for the greater things of Christ. Let those who work outside the home be a testimony through you Lord. And though they be separate You put them together with their own kind. Let me be more thankful that I am home than when I first came home in 2005. I am forgetful and take much for granted Lord. I forget how easy it was not to complain as I knew I could have been at work that day. I pray for our brothers and sisters who labor outside the home that they be good stewards and diligent and upright in the midst of a corrupt and vile people Lord. Help them Lord. Let us pray for them. Many are weary and need strength. Let us pray Lord...