Sometimes, I think the theme of my life, here lately should be "Duh!" A lot of the things I used to do, just don't work anymore, and a lot of the things my parents and grandparents once did, I am doing. I think I grew up before I realized it. Ha!
"I just don't know how you do it," someone said to me yesterday. She was talking about homeschooling my kids. I was rolling out bread dough. I started thinking about it, and you know what I've come up with? An answer. My answer to how I do it, this homeschool stuff, plus the baking, plus the parenting, plus everything else is to plan ahead.
Now, if you know me at all, you will notice that planning anything is not the "norm" for me. I am a "by the seat of my pants" kind of gal. From writing, to homeschool, from laundry, to singing I just do what feels right, when it is convenient for me. But, here lately, doing things "by the seat of my pants" isn't working.
If I don't plan way ahead, then I'm starting too late in the morning for school, and it's confusion all day, not to mention aggravating. Not knowing what we're going to do the next day puts me and my girls in a bad mood, and we end up doing nothing. If I don't do the dishes as soon as I have a chance, then they pile up and it takes me what seems to be fifty years to get it all done. If I don't purpose a certain time to write, I end up not writing at all. I hate to say it, but play time is over. :)
I truly need y'all's prayers, because this planning ahead is not only new to me, but it's kind of hard. Some days I do real well, but mostly I struggle. I'm still learning what works and what doesn't, so needless to say, some days are better than others. I do think that when planning next year's school time, I'm going to give myself Wednesdays off to catch up on laundry and other house work.
They say kids need and even thrive on structure, and I'm thinking it won't hurt me either. lol It's like God is saying, "Well, duh, Shannon dear." :)
So, with that said, I gotta go give my kids a bath and get them ready for Youth tonight. Y'all have a happy Wednesday, and keep those prayers coming.
Showing posts with label homeschool. Show all posts
Showing posts with label homeschool. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Monday, March 19, 2012
The Blind Baker: On Bread and Cookies
Well, it's not Wednesday, nor is it Friday. It's monday again. I guess I'm just going to have to stop saying when I'll post on here, just so I don't make a liar out of myself. :) The days just get so busy around here, that by the time I have time to write, I'd rather go to sleep, instead.
Last Wednesday was a busy day. We did a little bit of school, and then we baked cookies for my daughters' youth group's St. Patrick's Day party. I made sugar cookies and rolled them in sparkly, green sugar. The girls loved rolling the cookie dough in that stuff. :) I think they tasted along the way, but I can't promise. lol It must have been more humid outside than I thought, because the cookie dough was too dry. I kept having to add liquid to it. That kind of thing has never happened to me before, when it comes to cookies. But, they tasted fine, and I'm told they looked perfect. I don't believe that, but it's nice to hear.
My mom had bought me a new cookie sheet for my birthday, back in January, and I was excited to be using it for the first time. I rolled out the cookies, rolled them in the green sugar and placed them on the cookie sheet. I opened the oven, slid out the rack and set the sheet on it. I started to push in the rack, but a "bump" stopped me. Ha! That crazy cookie sheet would not fit in my oven! I turned it long ways, but no such luck. That pan was not going in there. lol So, i set the cookie sheet back on the table and waited until the first batch had cooled enough to reuse the pan. :) I knew my oven was smaller than normal, but I never dreamed it was that small. :)
I also made bread last week. It was french bread, and it turned out so yummy this time. I've changed a few things over the years from when I first began making it, and the bread only seems to get better as time goes by.
I've started adding my salt after the first few cups of flour. I read somewhere that salt does something to the yeast to keep it from working properly, so after about 3 cups of flour, I add the salt.
Also, instead of white, granulated sugar, I've started using honey. It seems to make the bread softer, and it changes the crum. I didn't realize it would do this. With sugar, the inside of the bread is more firm, more together. It tastes great, though. But, with honey, the inside of the bread is a little more airy, if that makes any sense. It seems to change the taste of the bread, too, but without having both kinds at the same time, I can't really tell what is different about it.
The other thing I've changed about making french bread, and white bread, too, is I beat an egg white and brush the tops of the loaves before baking. I brush on the egg white, let them sit for a minute or so, then sprits them with water and plop them in the oven. The water keeps the air in the oven moist, so the bread doesn't dry out, and the egg gives it a nice, golden color that my oven can't because of its age.
This last time, I had some help making the bread. My 6-year-old brushed a loaf of her choosing with egg white and spritsed it, as well. She was so proud of herself, and the funny thing was, her loaf turned out prettier than mine. :) She kept saying, "Mine looks better than Mommy's!"
I bought some meat and cheese from the deli yesterday, and I can't wait to make more bread, so I can slice it long ways and make hoagies out of it. Yum! And, rather healthy, too, if one isn't worried about carbs.
Well, it's almost school time, my coffee is getting cold, and my Reeses Puffs are almost gone. And, if you can believe it, I've run out of things to say. So, until next time, keep smiling and keep praying. It's the only thing that's gonna git us through.
Last Wednesday was a busy day. We did a little bit of school, and then we baked cookies for my daughters' youth group's St. Patrick's Day party. I made sugar cookies and rolled them in sparkly, green sugar. The girls loved rolling the cookie dough in that stuff. :) I think they tasted along the way, but I can't promise. lol It must have been more humid outside than I thought, because the cookie dough was too dry. I kept having to add liquid to it. That kind of thing has never happened to me before, when it comes to cookies. But, they tasted fine, and I'm told they looked perfect. I don't believe that, but it's nice to hear.
My mom had bought me a new cookie sheet for my birthday, back in January, and I was excited to be using it for the first time. I rolled out the cookies, rolled them in the green sugar and placed them on the cookie sheet. I opened the oven, slid out the rack and set the sheet on it. I started to push in the rack, but a "bump" stopped me. Ha! That crazy cookie sheet would not fit in my oven! I turned it long ways, but no such luck. That pan was not going in there. lol So, i set the cookie sheet back on the table and waited until the first batch had cooled enough to reuse the pan. :) I knew my oven was smaller than normal, but I never dreamed it was that small. :)
I also made bread last week. It was french bread, and it turned out so yummy this time. I've changed a few things over the years from when I first began making it, and the bread only seems to get better as time goes by.
I've started adding my salt after the first few cups of flour. I read somewhere that salt does something to the yeast to keep it from working properly, so after about 3 cups of flour, I add the salt.
Also, instead of white, granulated sugar, I've started using honey. It seems to make the bread softer, and it changes the crum. I didn't realize it would do this. With sugar, the inside of the bread is more firm, more together. It tastes great, though. But, with honey, the inside of the bread is a little more airy, if that makes any sense. It seems to change the taste of the bread, too, but without having both kinds at the same time, I can't really tell what is different about it.
The other thing I've changed about making french bread, and white bread, too, is I beat an egg white and brush the tops of the loaves before baking. I brush on the egg white, let them sit for a minute or so, then sprits them with water and plop them in the oven. The water keeps the air in the oven moist, so the bread doesn't dry out, and the egg gives it a nice, golden color that my oven can't because of its age.
This last time, I had some help making the bread. My 6-year-old brushed a loaf of her choosing with egg white and spritsed it, as well. She was so proud of herself, and the funny thing was, her loaf turned out prettier than mine. :) She kept saying, "Mine looks better than Mommy's!"
I bought some meat and cheese from the deli yesterday, and I can't wait to make more bread, so I can slice it long ways and make hoagies out of it. Yum! And, rather healthy, too, if one isn't worried about carbs.
Well, it's almost school time, my coffee is getting cold, and my Reeses Puffs are almost gone. And, if you can believe it, I've run out of things to say. So, until next time, keep smiling and keep praying. It's the only thing that's gonna git us through.
Monday, March 12, 2012
Lunch Time Thoughts
It's lunch time, and I only have a few minutes, but I wanted to post an entry while it is still Monday. lol I have been lacking when it comes to writing on here, and to you faithful readers, I apologize.
As an update, we still have wasps, or if you are from around here, "waspers". lol There has been at least one in our house every day since last Wednesday. My husband has been killing them, but the 4-year-old is freaking out. I'm planning on googling, here in a bit to see if I can't find a way to discourage them from coming in my house. We'll see. Maybe you aroma therapy folks out there might have a suggestion? would love to hear it.
I did some baking over the weekend. This time, however, I had a couple of helpers. My daughters and I made muffins. We used silicone bakeware for the first time, but instead of making my own muffin mix from scratch, I cheated and let the girls pick out the flavors they wanted from the grocery store. We had chocolate chocolate chip and strawberry. The muffin cups were those tiny ones, and half of them were heart shaped. Those heart ones were mighty floppy, and it was difficult getting the batter in there without it running down the sides and on to the cookie sheet. But, thankfully, we have dish cloths and water, and the mess wasn't too difficult to clean up. I think I needed to bake them another minute, and I think I tried to take them out of the cups too soon, because a couple of them broke apart. But, they tasted good, and the heart-shaped muffins were cute. I didn't use any oil or nonstick spray with the bakeware, and surprise, surprise, the mix didn't stick. Some of the muffin cups need a little more wiping than the others, but all in all, not hard to wash. So, over all, it was a good baking experience. The 4-year-old got to stir and pour, and the first grader got to measure out 1/2 cup of milk for each batter. Reckon we did science and math class, and on a weekend, too. :)
Unlike many homeschoolers, I don't use a prepared curriculum. I use a science book from 2000, mostly because I'm not a science person. I have a large print copy for Faith and a braille copy for me. Not that she needs large print, but it's free, and it's the exact same copy that I have. This way, we can read along together, and I know for sure what she is doing. As for anything else, I didn't like the math book we started to use, but since numbers do not change, I think I can handle that subject. I might change my mind when we get to long division, but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. lol Since I don't use something someone else has planned out, I have to do extra planning, which takes up a lot of time, I don't mind telling you, especially when it comes to Bible lessons. I spent all weekend looking up lessons for Bible class. I skimmed and read and prayed, and I'm starting to realize something; time spent in God's word is not only good for my children's school time, it's good for me, too. Thank you, Lord for forcing me to study your word. It's making a difference already. Shame on me for not being prepared before now, but thank you so much, Lord, for mercy and grace.
Happy Monday, y'all, and be sure to come back on Wednesday. I'll try to talk about writing. :)
As an update, we still have wasps, or if you are from around here, "waspers". lol There has been at least one in our house every day since last Wednesday. My husband has been killing them, but the 4-year-old is freaking out. I'm planning on googling, here in a bit to see if I can't find a way to discourage them from coming in my house. We'll see. Maybe you aroma therapy folks out there might have a suggestion? would love to hear it.
I did some baking over the weekend. This time, however, I had a couple of helpers. My daughters and I made muffins. We used silicone bakeware for the first time, but instead of making my own muffin mix from scratch, I cheated and let the girls pick out the flavors they wanted from the grocery store. We had chocolate chocolate chip and strawberry. The muffin cups were those tiny ones, and half of them were heart shaped. Those heart ones were mighty floppy, and it was difficult getting the batter in there without it running down the sides and on to the cookie sheet. But, thankfully, we have dish cloths and water, and the mess wasn't too difficult to clean up. I think I needed to bake them another minute, and I think I tried to take them out of the cups too soon, because a couple of them broke apart. But, they tasted good, and the heart-shaped muffins were cute. I didn't use any oil or nonstick spray with the bakeware, and surprise, surprise, the mix didn't stick. Some of the muffin cups need a little more wiping than the others, but all in all, not hard to wash. So, over all, it was a good baking experience. The 4-year-old got to stir and pour, and the first grader got to measure out 1/2 cup of milk for each batter. Reckon we did science and math class, and on a weekend, too. :)
Unlike many homeschoolers, I don't use a prepared curriculum. I use a science book from 2000, mostly because I'm not a science person. I have a large print copy for Faith and a braille copy for me. Not that she needs large print, but it's free, and it's the exact same copy that I have. This way, we can read along together, and I know for sure what she is doing. As for anything else, I didn't like the math book we started to use, but since numbers do not change, I think I can handle that subject. I might change my mind when we get to long division, but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. lol Since I don't use something someone else has planned out, I have to do extra planning, which takes up a lot of time, I don't mind telling you, especially when it comes to Bible lessons. I spent all weekend looking up lessons for Bible class. I skimmed and read and prayed, and I'm starting to realize something; time spent in God's word is not only good for my children's school time, it's good for me, too. Thank you, Lord for forcing me to study your word. It's making a difference already. Shame on me for not being prepared before now, but thank you so much, Lord, for mercy and grace.
Happy Monday, y'all, and be sure to come back on Wednesday. I'll try to talk about writing. :)
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
God's Word...and Bees?
The windows are open, and there is a wonderful breeze blowing through the house. The sun is shining, and since we didn't have much of a freeze this past winter, the bees are enjoying the nicer weather, too. Oh, how i prayed and prayed for a deep freeze this winter. I wasn't asking for snow, mind you, but about five days of 20 degrees would have been enough, I think to kill the wasps who took up residence in my yard last summer. But, such was not to be.
This morning's Bible lesson was in Matthew 14 about Jesus walking on the water. My girls and I talked about how brave Peter had to have been to just step out of the ship and trust that Jesus would let him walk on water. My 6-year-old said she didn't think she would be that brave. I asked her if she would be brave, if she knew Jesus would help her. I asked if she believed that Jesus could make her walk on water. She said she trusted him, but she still wasn't about to try it. lol Kids are funny.
My 4-year-old is so afraid of bees and anything that flies, it is becoming a might ridiculous. She screams bloody murder, and runs to the highest point she can get to. The other day when she saw a bee crawling on the floor, I had to get my sighted sister to come over and reassure her there was no bee, before she would come down off the kitchen table. Then, it took an hour or more to get her walk through the house without being escorted by me or her older sister. Today, there were 2 bee sightings on the front screen door, and the 4-year-old is leary of the living room. Honestly, y'all I don't know what I'm going to do! I can't see good enough to kill them myself. And, I have a healthy fear of them, too. I was stung quite a few times as a kid and know full-well how it feels. I am of the firm opinion, if I sit still and leave the bee alone, it won't bother me. If I could see, then the other day, I would have stamped on the bee with my shoes on, insuring its immediate demise. But, how can you kill with one shot, when you can't even see the goofy thing? I can't call the man of the place to come home from work every time my girls see a bee. I can't hire a full-time bee watcher. lol So, what do I do? Anyone?
Well, since y'all don't know either, I've come up with a solution that might work. I'm praying about it. If Jesus can walk on the water, He surely can take care of my bee problem. He expects us to trust Him with everything. We're supposed to trust Him with our finances, our sicknesses, our lost loved-ones, our peers at work, our bosses, our marriages, our church, so why not bees? Here's my prayer. Ahem. "Lord, I can't see those bees. Now, you created them to do something very important, and that does not include stinging me or my kids. So, Lord, bless the bee and give them a desire to go about their business outside my house. Bless my windows and doorways to be bee free. Make those things way too scared of us. Please, Lord, help Kierstin with her fear. Lord, your word says to be not afraid, so help her to not be afraid. And, Lord, help me not to be afraid, either." :) Y'all think that will do it?
I know y'all got used to me writing about writing on Wednesdays, but except for this blog and the first grade journal i keep for Faith's school work, I haven't been writing. I want to write, but I can't seem to find the time these days. Of course, I'm not trying to make time for it. I'm concentrating on school work. we're nearing the end of the school year, which means I have to make sure I have enough in Faith's portfolio to show progress. I want her to go on to 2nd grade, after all. I feel good about taking some time off from writing though. I've been reading some and thinking some, and reading blogs about writing, so when the time is right, I'll write. :)
I was asked last night and this morning if I plan to do any baking, some time soon, so I reckon I'll be doing some of that, shortly. When I do, I'll post entries on here about it. Can't promise when I'll post again, but it will be soon. And, don't forget, if you have a question, ask me. I'll be glad to answer anything I can. You can comment here, or on Facebook, or drop me an email at
oldtimechristian@gmail.com
So have a wonderful Wednesday, y'all and thanks for being a faithful reader. It really means a lot.
This morning's Bible lesson was in Matthew 14 about Jesus walking on the water. My girls and I talked about how brave Peter had to have been to just step out of the ship and trust that Jesus would let him walk on water. My 6-year-old said she didn't think she would be that brave. I asked her if she would be brave, if she knew Jesus would help her. I asked if she believed that Jesus could make her walk on water. She said she trusted him, but she still wasn't about to try it. lol Kids are funny.
My 4-year-old is so afraid of bees and anything that flies, it is becoming a might ridiculous. She screams bloody murder, and runs to the highest point she can get to. The other day when she saw a bee crawling on the floor, I had to get my sighted sister to come over and reassure her there was no bee, before she would come down off the kitchen table. Then, it took an hour or more to get her walk through the house without being escorted by me or her older sister. Today, there were 2 bee sightings on the front screen door, and the 4-year-old is leary of the living room. Honestly, y'all I don't know what I'm going to do! I can't see good enough to kill them myself. And, I have a healthy fear of them, too. I was stung quite a few times as a kid and know full-well how it feels. I am of the firm opinion, if I sit still and leave the bee alone, it won't bother me. If I could see, then the other day, I would have stamped on the bee with my shoes on, insuring its immediate demise. But, how can you kill with one shot, when you can't even see the goofy thing? I can't call the man of the place to come home from work every time my girls see a bee. I can't hire a full-time bee watcher. lol So, what do I do? Anyone?
Well, since y'all don't know either, I've come up with a solution that might work. I'm praying about it. If Jesus can walk on the water, He surely can take care of my bee problem. He expects us to trust Him with everything. We're supposed to trust Him with our finances, our sicknesses, our lost loved-ones, our peers at work, our bosses, our marriages, our church, so why not bees? Here's my prayer. Ahem. "Lord, I can't see those bees. Now, you created them to do something very important, and that does not include stinging me or my kids. So, Lord, bless the bee and give them a desire to go about their business outside my house. Bless my windows and doorways to be bee free. Make those things way too scared of us. Please, Lord, help Kierstin with her fear. Lord, your word says to be not afraid, so help her to not be afraid. And, Lord, help me not to be afraid, either." :) Y'all think that will do it?
I know y'all got used to me writing about writing on Wednesdays, but except for this blog and the first grade journal i keep for Faith's school work, I haven't been writing. I want to write, but I can't seem to find the time these days. Of course, I'm not trying to make time for it. I'm concentrating on school work. we're nearing the end of the school year, which means I have to make sure I have enough in Faith's portfolio to show progress. I want her to go on to 2nd grade, after all. I feel good about taking some time off from writing though. I've been reading some and thinking some, and reading blogs about writing, so when the time is right, I'll write. :)
I was asked last night and this morning if I plan to do any baking, some time soon, so I reckon I'll be doing some of that, shortly. When I do, I'll post entries on here about it. Can't promise when I'll post again, but it will be soon. And, don't forget, if you have a question, ask me. I'll be glad to answer anything I can. You can comment here, or on Facebook, or drop me an email at
oldtimechristian@gmail.com
So have a wonderful Wednesday, y'all and thanks for being a faithful reader. It really means a lot.
Friday, January 20, 2012
On Homeschool and Life
Well, it's Friday, and it's before 6 in the morning. Am I nuts, or what? lol Been up since 4 something. Part way through my second cup of coffee. Been reading on my current WIP, hoping for inspiration. I can see some things i need to get rid of, but not sure what I'm going to add to it, next. Also, I've been planning out my day. Got to teach the children, after all.
Speaking of homeschool, or is it home school? I don't know. Never said I was an editor. lol Anyway, speaking of teaching at home, promised y'all a post about it, so here goes.
Not too long ago, someone asked me, "How is it coming, your in home teaching, I mean?"
In home teaching. I guess that would be opposite from out of home teaching, you know, the kind you do out on your front lawn? haha! Maybe, in home teaching is opposite from teaching on the roof. I don't know. lol But, the lady who asked, well, her brain doesn't work like mine, so I was nice and said something like, "Oh, it's going fine."
But, here's the real heart of the matter. Home school is a balancing act. I believe that spending time with my girls in any capacity is the point. Sometimes, our days are filled with handwriting, math problems, reading and science lessons straight from a book. But, other times, we play pretend, we play barbies, we talk about something the girls heard on TV, or we just cuddle. Balancing between it all is the hardest part. If we spend too much time with the books, all three of us get frustrated, but if we spend too much time outside the books, all three of us get lazy. It takes constant prayer to walk somewhere in the middle.
Another thing home school is, is tiring. :) My kids can run circles around me and not think twice about it. One day this week, they were complaining and crying around, not wanting to turn the TV's off and get started. Quite honestly, I wanted to whine and crawl back in bed, too. It would have been so easy to give place to the devil and take a day off. But, if I don't put forth an effort, how can I expect my girls to put forth one. So, we went to the piano, and I took a seat on the bench.
"Now, girls," I said, "we've been talking about mammals, reptiles, fish, birds and amphibians, right? So, while I play a song, you have to go around the room and act like one of these animals."
They pretended to be birds, and I played and sang part of "I'll Fly Away." lol They played musical chairs while we all sang, "This Little Light of Mine."
When they grew tired of this, about twenty minutes later, we sat down and got started with school. Turned out to be one of our best days yet.
Something home school is not, is boring. My girls are always saying something funny or asking questions. I'm always finding new techniques of teaching sighted kids without sight. Some ideas on how to teach sighted kids when I can't see are tried and true things, but some are new, so they take some practice. When one thing doesn't work, I stop and try something else. By the time they graduate, I'm gonna be a pro. Ha! Something that helps me a lot, are those foam numbers and letters my mom picked up at Dollar General. I know what letter or number I'm holding, and my girls know it, too. My girls like to pretend and make up stories like I do, so we make the letters in to characters. For instance, I pretended to be the letter C. As letter C, I say things like, "Hello. My name is C, and I start words like cookie and cry. What's your name?"
My 4-year-old holds up a letter A and says, "I'm A."
Every day is a challenge. Every day is a blessing, and every day I am reminded how little I know. Sometimes, a home school day is a success, and i spend all evening on cloud nine. Other days, I wish I could start all over. still other days, I wish they had never come. It's a balancing act, home schooling, writing, and somewhere in there i have to wash clothes, wash dishes and keep up with friends and family. I guess life is full of ups and downs for everyone. We can't concentrate on them as separate things, though. We have to remember the end goal and keep on keeping on, even when the way is rough. If I fail, I have to get up and try again.
My husband has this saying that I absolutely love. When our girls were smaller and learning to walk, they were always tripping and falling down. When they fell, as long as they weren't hurt and crying, he'd say, "Get up and do it again."
That's what we have to do in life. whether we home school, write, teach in public school, nurse sick folks, or greet people at Walmart; if we fall, we have to get back up and do it again. Failure isn't final, and giving up is not an option.
I can't tell you how many times I've heard a well-meaning person tell me, they just don't know how I do it, being a mom who can't see and all. If I'm in the wrong mood, I might say something like, "Well, it's not like I can get any help, anyway, so I might as well keep going." But, that's not the right answer. The answer is, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Give up just because I can't see? Not on your life. Give up because I didn't graduate from college? No way, y'all! Where there's a will, I'll find the way, and when I find it, the Lord will be there to guide me through the obstacles that the devil tries to put in my path.
"I pledge allegiance to the Bible, God's holy word, a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. It's words will I hide in my heart that I might not sin against God." Amen?
Have a fabulous weekend, and we'll see y'all on Monday.
Speaking of homeschool, or is it home school? I don't know. Never said I was an editor. lol Anyway, speaking of teaching at home, promised y'all a post about it, so here goes.
Not too long ago, someone asked me, "How is it coming, your in home teaching, I mean?"
In home teaching. I guess that would be opposite from out of home teaching, you know, the kind you do out on your front lawn? haha! Maybe, in home teaching is opposite from teaching on the roof. I don't know. lol But, the lady who asked, well, her brain doesn't work like mine, so I was nice and said something like, "Oh, it's going fine."
But, here's the real heart of the matter. Home school is a balancing act. I believe that spending time with my girls in any capacity is the point. Sometimes, our days are filled with handwriting, math problems, reading and science lessons straight from a book. But, other times, we play pretend, we play barbies, we talk about something the girls heard on TV, or we just cuddle. Balancing between it all is the hardest part. If we spend too much time with the books, all three of us get frustrated, but if we spend too much time outside the books, all three of us get lazy. It takes constant prayer to walk somewhere in the middle.
Another thing home school is, is tiring. :) My kids can run circles around me and not think twice about it. One day this week, they were complaining and crying around, not wanting to turn the TV's off and get started. Quite honestly, I wanted to whine and crawl back in bed, too. It would have been so easy to give place to the devil and take a day off. But, if I don't put forth an effort, how can I expect my girls to put forth one. So, we went to the piano, and I took a seat on the bench.
"Now, girls," I said, "we've been talking about mammals, reptiles, fish, birds and amphibians, right? So, while I play a song, you have to go around the room and act like one of these animals."
They pretended to be birds, and I played and sang part of "I'll Fly Away." lol They played musical chairs while we all sang, "This Little Light of Mine."
When they grew tired of this, about twenty minutes later, we sat down and got started with school. Turned out to be one of our best days yet.
Something home school is not, is boring. My girls are always saying something funny or asking questions. I'm always finding new techniques of teaching sighted kids without sight. Some ideas on how to teach sighted kids when I can't see are tried and true things, but some are new, so they take some practice. When one thing doesn't work, I stop and try something else. By the time they graduate, I'm gonna be a pro. Ha! Something that helps me a lot, are those foam numbers and letters my mom picked up at Dollar General. I know what letter or number I'm holding, and my girls know it, too. My girls like to pretend and make up stories like I do, so we make the letters in to characters. For instance, I pretended to be the letter C. As letter C, I say things like, "Hello. My name is C, and I start words like cookie and cry. What's your name?"
My 4-year-old holds up a letter A and says, "I'm A."
Every day is a challenge. Every day is a blessing, and every day I am reminded how little I know. Sometimes, a home school day is a success, and i spend all evening on cloud nine. Other days, I wish I could start all over. still other days, I wish they had never come. It's a balancing act, home schooling, writing, and somewhere in there i have to wash clothes, wash dishes and keep up with friends and family. I guess life is full of ups and downs for everyone. We can't concentrate on them as separate things, though. We have to remember the end goal and keep on keeping on, even when the way is rough. If I fail, I have to get up and try again.
My husband has this saying that I absolutely love. When our girls were smaller and learning to walk, they were always tripping and falling down. When they fell, as long as they weren't hurt and crying, he'd say, "Get up and do it again."
That's what we have to do in life. whether we home school, write, teach in public school, nurse sick folks, or greet people at Walmart; if we fall, we have to get back up and do it again. Failure isn't final, and giving up is not an option.
I can't tell you how many times I've heard a well-meaning person tell me, they just don't know how I do it, being a mom who can't see and all. If I'm in the wrong mood, I might say something like, "Well, it's not like I can get any help, anyway, so I might as well keep going." But, that's not the right answer. The answer is, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Give up just because I can't see? Not on your life. Give up because I didn't graduate from college? No way, y'all! Where there's a will, I'll find the way, and when I find it, the Lord will be there to guide me through the obstacles that the devil tries to put in my path.
"I pledge allegiance to the Bible, God's holy word, a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. It's words will I hide in my heart that I might not sin against God." Amen?
Have a fabulous weekend, and we'll see y'all on Monday.
Thursday, December 15, 2011
On Books and Writing
I am not a superstitious person. I don't believe in bad luck or good luck. But, I am firmly convinced that if I talk about a story too much without writing it, it will never get written. It's almost like talking about it, jinxes it or something. If I reveal my secrets too soon, I never finish the book.
Here lately, it seems I can't finish any story, talked about or not. Maybe, depression has had some part in this, but I think it's more of a lack of direction on my part. When I published "Wild Heart", there for a while I was on cloud nine. I was ready to get the word out about my book. I wrote the sequel within eighteen months and published it through CreateSpace. I have sold less than fifty copies of that book, I would guess. Publish America says I haven't sold a book in over a year and want to know if I want to pay $149 to have my contract back. Those idiots need a wake up call, if you ask me. I didn't pay to have it published, they have made more money off me already. No way am I paying them for my contract, when I can have it back for free in a couple of years. CreateSpace, on the other hand isn't asking for any money, but my book isn't selling, either. I don't like how it came out, actually. So, what to do?
My friend, Peggy Hoy has her own Christian publishing company and has agreed to publish the second edition of "To Tame A Heart". I would like to do this for a couple of reasons, not the least of which, I could bring the price of the book down, and she can make it look better. But, what keeps running through my mind, is why pay all that money to have it printed? Will I sell enough copies to make it worth while? If I held on to the manuscript, could I submit it to Harlequin or pitch it to a literary agent?
Here are some hard truths I am coming to understand:
1. While "Wild Heart" and "To Tame A Heart" are my babies, they are not my best. I can do better.
2. People, no matter what these vanity presses are saying, do not want to buy books, and if they do, they don't want to pay more than $7.99 for it.
3. Even if I manage to wow an agent or an editor with my log line, signing a contract with a mainstream publisher means a full-time job, which means I will need babysitters in order to meet deadlines. Working full-time doesn't leave a lot of room for homeschooling. I'm not sure that is the route I want to take.
4. I just don't have hundreds of dollars lying around to spend whenever I finish a book.
So, do I sound depressed to you? Or, are these things to consider, things that make sense?
I believe I am called to sing. I believe I am called to play the piano. I believe I am called to be a stay-at-home wife and mom. I believe I am called to homeschool my kids. I believe I am called to write. All I need now, is for the Lord to reveal unto me, just what He wants me to do with it all. :)
Just so you won't think I'm totally negative, I am writing. I had a manuscript lying around here with 6k words. Monday, four days ago, I started working on it in earnest. It's up to 12,393 words, now. It's not a Western, it's not a historical at all, unless you consider the 1980's to be a long time ago. lol I don't have any plans for it, just to finish it and do my best. Maybe, that's all I need to worry about. Maybe, the problem is I wrote "To Tame A Heart" for a few someones. Maybe, this WIP is working because it is for me. But, then again, maybe not. I don't know. I do know, however, I keep praying, and God keeps the ideas coming. I need y'all's prayers that I finished this one. Maybe, when it's done, the third book in the "Wild Heart" series will happen, or the mail-order-bride story will happen, or...well, I could name a number of stories I've started, but I won't. :)
Just for your amusement, here's a story Kierstin, my 4-year-old told me this morning. I transcribed it, just as she told it to me.
"Devils and Pigs" by Kierstin Wells Transcribed by Shannon Wells
the big man that's named Deck. he was so crazy like the crazy man from the Bible. He hurt hisself with rocks like the crazy man did. people tried to chain him up with ropes and chains but he broke them with his teeth, not like the crazy man. The demons got out of him and he broke the chains for kids. The kids had loose pants so they had chains for belts. and then, the demons got in the pigs, then they were crazy like the crazy man. After the demons got in the pigs, they got bad and shouted out like evil crazy pigs. then they hurt thereselfs with chains. they were crazy awful. The pigs were crazy and that's all.
Thanks for reading, and feel free to join the conversation with your two cents worth. Until next time, keep on keeping on. :)
Here lately, it seems I can't finish any story, talked about or not. Maybe, depression has had some part in this, but I think it's more of a lack of direction on my part. When I published "Wild Heart", there for a while I was on cloud nine. I was ready to get the word out about my book. I wrote the sequel within eighteen months and published it through CreateSpace. I have sold less than fifty copies of that book, I would guess. Publish America says I haven't sold a book in over a year and want to know if I want to pay $149 to have my contract back. Those idiots need a wake up call, if you ask me. I didn't pay to have it published, they have made more money off me already. No way am I paying them for my contract, when I can have it back for free in a couple of years. CreateSpace, on the other hand isn't asking for any money, but my book isn't selling, either. I don't like how it came out, actually. So, what to do?
My friend, Peggy Hoy has her own Christian publishing company and has agreed to publish the second edition of "To Tame A Heart". I would like to do this for a couple of reasons, not the least of which, I could bring the price of the book down, and she can make it look better. But, what keeps running through my mind, is why pay all that money to have it printed? Will I sell enough copies to make it worth while? If I held on to the manuscript, could I submit it to Harlequin or pitch it to a literary agent?
Here are some hard truths I am coming to understand:
1. While "Wild Heart" and "To Tame A Heart" are my babies, they are not my best. I can do better.
2. People, no matter what these vanity presses are saying, do not want to buy books, and if they do, they don't want to pay more than $7.99 for it.
3. Even if I manage to wow an agent or an editor with my log line, signing a contract with a mainstream publisher means a full-time job, which means I will need babysitters in order to meet deadlines. Working full-time doesn't leave a lot of room for homeschooling. I'm not sure that is the route I want to take.
4. I just don't have hundreds of dollars lying around to spend whenever I finish a book.
So, do I sound depressed to you? Or, are these things to consider, things that make sense?
I believe I am called to sing. I believe I am called to play the piano. I believe I am called to be a stay-at-home wife and mom. I believe I am called to homeschool my kids. I believe I am called to write. All I need now, is for the Lord to reveal unto me, just what He wants me to do with it all. :)
Just so you won't think I'm totally negative, I am writing. I had a manuscript lying around here with 6k words. Monday, four days ago, I started working on it in earnest. It's up to 12,393 words, now. It's not a Western, it's not a historical at all, unless you consider the 1980's to be a long time ago. lol I don't have any plans for it, just to finish it and do my best. Maybe, that's all I need to worry about. Maybe, the problem is I wrote "To Tame A Heart" for a few someones. Maybe, this WIP is working because it is for me. But, then again, maybe not. I don't know. I do know, however, I keep praying, and God keeps the ideas coming. I need y'all's prayers that I finished this one. Maybe, when it's done, the third book in the "Wild Heart" series will happen, or the mail-order-bride story will happen, or...well, I could name a number of stories I've started, but I won't. :)
Just for your amusement, here's a story Kierstin, my 4-year-old told me this morning. I transcribed it, just as she told it to me.
"Devils and Pigs" by Kierstin Wells Transcribed by Shannon Wells
the big man that's named Deck. he was so crazy like the crazy man from the Bible. He hurt hisself with rocks like the crazy man did. people tried to chain him up with ropes and chains but he broke them with his teeth, not like the crazy man. The demons got out of him and he broke the chains for kids. The kids had loose pants so they had chains for belts. and then, the demons got in the pigs, then they were crazy like the crazy man. After the demons got in the pigs, they got bad and shouted out like evil crazy pigs. then they hurt thereselfs with chains. they were crazy awful. The pigs were crazy and that's all.
Thanks for reading, and feel free to join the conversation with your two cents worth. Until next time, keep on keeping on. :)
Monday, December 12, 2011
After the Weekend
So, I guess by now y'all realized I took a few days off from blogging. My best excuse is that I really could not think of anything to write about. The good news is I'm back, I'm ready to write and I have something to say.
Friday was one busy day. I did laundry, swiffered my house, straightened up the living room, made a pot of chili which I'll tell you about later and made some cheese-filled bread. I bathed my girls and after dinner, went to a Christmas play at my dad's church. Due to the inadequacy of the chili, we had to get cheeseburgers from Burger King on the way home.
On Saturday, I washed dishes, did laundry and thought a lot about baking. I never did bake, though. I kept wondering why my tongue was so sore. I even had the hubby to look at it to see if something was obviously wrong. It burned every time I ate or drank anything even remotely acidic, and every time I turned around my mouth was watering. What on earth was going on? Ha! It was that crazy chili. See, I accidentally put too much chili powder in it. As a result, it set my tongue on fire. It's still sore today, but not as much, thankfully. As for the cheese bread, my girls and I finished an entire loaf on Saturday, mostly because it didn't hurt my mouth to eat it. lol
So, Saturday night rolls around, and the 6-year-old is coughing. I gave medicine for it, sent her to bed and prayed. The next morning, she gets up with a fever and a bad cough. No Sunday School for us. Instead, her daddy took her to the doctor who gave her an antibiotic and offered to write a note for her teacher so she could miss school the next day. This teacher plans to take it easy for the poor, lil thang. lol
So, while the man of the house and the 6-year-old were at the doctor, the 4-year-old and I played barbie, watched some TV and made 2 batches of cookies. Ok, I made the cookies, but she helped. The Christmas tree was lit, and the house smelled yummy. By the time Dad and Sis got home, cookies were ready to be tasted. I made chocolate chip and chocolate sugar. After cleaning up from my bake fest, I did more laundry, then sat down to rest. Bedtime came, we gave meds and tried to settle down for a long winter's nap...uh, wait a minute - wrong story. What I meant was, we tried to get some sleep, but the 6-year-old was wound up. She got up to go to the bath room; she got up to get a drink. She got up to blow her nose, and walked back and forth before the sink...oh, dear, I'm rhyming. Somebody stop me! lol
Needless to say, it was a long night, but not a sleep-filled one. But, this cold Monday morning, we're awake, at least the 4-year-old, the man of the place and I are. My man's off to work, I'm blogging at the kitchen table, the youngest is eating coco puffs cereal and gabbing my ear off, and the big baby is still sleeping away. No plans to wake her up anytime soon, I can tell you.
Since y'all seem to like to hear about my books, I've started working on another one that has been on the back burner for a while. This one is a contemporary Christian Romance. Well, it's contemporary if you think 1989 is modern-day. :) I have about 6k words written, but most of that was when I started it months ago. For the past few days, the storyline has been running around in my head, I've changed some names, and I've written a paragraph or two. One thing I'm slowly learning, writing full time and homeschooling full-time is almost impossible. :) Is it ok to take a day off from school and write? Is it ok to take time off from school, when you've already taken some time off this year? Hmm, I don't know.
When I start thinking of making sure my first grader is doing first grade stuff, I feel like hyperventilating. Am I covering everything I should be? Am I missing something vital? Should I consider having her tested either now or at the end of the year to see if she is really on a first grade level? Ok, I'm getting wound up. Let's talk about something else.
Let's see, baking, homeschooling, writing... What else do y'all wanna hear about? Tell y'all what, you drop me comments letting me know what you want to know, and I'll do my best to write about them. Have a question about blindness or blindness related issues? Ask away.
Until next time, keep smiling, keep praying, and hang in there. We have something to be thankful for, after all; we're not pushing up daisies! Amen?
Friday was one busy day. I did laundry, swiffered my house, straightened up the living room, made a pot of chili which I'll tell you about later and made some cheese-filled bread. I bathed my girls and after dinner, went to a Christmas play at my dad's church. Due to the inadequacy of the chili, we had to get cheeseburgers from Burger King on the way home.
On Saturday, I washed dishes, did laundry and thought a lot about baking. I never did bake, though. I kept wondering why my tongue was so sore. I even had the hubby to look at it to see if something was obviously wrong. It burned every time I ate or drank anything even remotely acidic, and every time I turned around my mouth was watering. What on earth was going on? Ha! It was that crazy chili. See, I accidentally put too much chili powder in it. As a result, it set my tongue on fire. It's still sore today, but not as much, thankfully. As for the cheese bread, my girls and I finished an entire loaf on Saturday, mostly because it didn't hurt my mouth to eat it. lol
So, Saturday night rolls around, and the 6-year-old is coughing. I gave medicine for it, sent her to bed and prayed. The next morning, she gets up with a fever and a bad cough. No Sunday School for us. Instead, her daddy took her to the doctor who gave her an antibiotic and offered to write a note for her teacher so she could miss school the next day. This teacher plans to take it easy for the poor, lil thang. lol
So, while the man of the house and the 6-year-old were at the doctor, the 4-year-old and I played barbie, watched some TV and made 2 batches of cookies. Ok, I made the cookies, but she helped. The Christmas tree was lit, and the house smelled yummy. By the time Dad and Sis got home, cookies were ready to be tasted. I made chocolate chip and chocolate sugar. After cleaning up from my bake fest, I did more laundry, then sat down to rest. Bedtime came, we gave meds and tried to settle down for a long winter's nap...uh, wait a minute - wrong story. What I meant was, we tried to get some sleep, but the 6-year-old was wound up. She got up to go to the bath room; she got up to get a drink. She got up to blow her nose, and walked back and forth before the sink...oh, dear, I'm rhyming. Somebody stop me! lol
Needless to say, it was a long night, but not a sleep-filled one. But, this cold Monday morning, we're awake, at least the 4-year-old, the man of the place and I are. My man's off to work, I'm blogging at the kitchen table, the youngest is eating coco puffs cereal and gabbing my ear off, and the big baby is still sleeping away. No plans to wake her up anytime soon, I can tell you.
Since y'all seem to like to hear about my books, I've started working on another one that has been on the back burner for a while. This one is a contemporary Christian Romance. Well, it's contemporary if you think 1989 is modern-day. :) I have about 6k words written, but most of that was when I started it months ago. For the past few days, the storyline has been running around in my head, I've changed some names, and I've written a paragraph or two. One thing I'm slowly learning, writing full time and homeschooling full-time is almost impossible. :) Is it ok to take a day off from school and write? Is it ok to take time off from school, when you've already taken some time off this year? Hmm, I don't know.
When I start thinking of making sure my first grader is doing first grade stuff, I feel like hyperventilating. Am I covering everything I should be? Am I missing something vital? Should I consider having her tested either now or at the end of the year to see if she is really on a first grade level? Ok, I'm getting wound up. Let's talk about something else.
Let's see, baking, homeschooling, writing... What else do y'all wanna hear about? Tell y'all what, you drop me comments letting me know what you want to know, and I'll do my best to write about them. Have a question about blindness or blindness related issues? Ask away.
Until next time, keep smiling, keep praying, and hang in there. We have something to be thankful for, after all; we're not pushing up daisies! Amen?
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Just the Everyday
A few minutes ago, my 6-year-old said she saw a spider in the floor. I told her to go get a shoe and smash him. She and her 4-year-old sister ran to get a shoe. They came back, but by that time, the spider had ran and hid under my husband's desk. They sat there for about five minutes, waiting for him to come out. He never did. I told them the spider was probably afraid, and wouldn't come out from under there until their daddy came home, and when he did come home, I'd tell him to stomp on that spider. They were happy about that and ran to the other room to play. As they ran off, I heard the 4-year-old say, "I don't wike spidas, cause day are cweepy." Hahahaha!
A couple of days ago, I read a book just for the pure enjoyment of it. We didn't do school, I didn't bother with laundry, I just read and washed up a few dishes. I didn't even cook dinner. Had the man of the house to bring pizzas home. It was nice to read a book, it was nice to be lazy, but I tell you, I was out of sorts all day long. I couldn't concentrate on anything, and I didn't want to do anything, either. Was the book worth it? Maybe, maybe not. Ok, probably not.
Once, a friend's husband told me that entertainment wasn't good for him. I remember thinking, "Are you crazy?" I mean, who doesn't like to enjoy some free time for entertainment. After all, nothing wrong if it's clean. As it turns out, he isn't crazy. The other day was a prime example, for me, anyway. Ignoring my responsibilities just for my own pleasure was not the best decision. Reading for enjoyment, now there's nothing wrong with that, but I could have been a bit less selfish while reading.
Note to self: If you want to read a book, do so, but don't be so selfish while you do it. :)
What else has been going through my head? Oh yeah, we're supposed to get some snow. At least, the mountains are, but I don't think this valley will see much of it. For one, the ground is too wet and warm for anything to stick. Yeah, I know they are calling for it to be a heavy, wet snow, but it has been raining cats and dogs for like the last two or three days. Everything is sopping wet. It would have to be freezing if anything was to stick. Hope it snows some, for the girls, anyway. They love to see it snow.
Haha, that reminds me, my mamaw used to say, "sopping wet." You ever heard that one before? Sopping wet...or how about this one? "Do ye want to sop ye biscuit?" lol Mamaw used to fry eggs so that the white was just done and the yellow (yalla) was done but easily broken. She'd "bust the yalla" and I'd "sop" my bread in it. Wow, I want some breakfast! lol
Nowhere else, I don't think, except the hills and hollers of the Appalachians will you hear such biblical sayings as "sop" "ye" and "reckon". Here, I used to think that it was old-fashioned for my grandparents to say, "I reckon I'll sop my biscuits in gravy", and turns out Jesus might have said the same thing. Hahaha!
Well, once again I have switched which WIP I'm working on. Having good ideas for the third book in the Wild Heart series. Haven't done much work on it, but school does come first, ya know. Maybe, I'm crazy, maybe I'm ADD when it comes to writing, but going from one book to another seems to keep the boredom away. :) Usually, if I give myself a couple of weeks and go back to a problem story, the parts i thought were real bad aren't so bad after all.
Oh, my, well, the 4-year-old is whining today, the dirty dishes are taunting me, I need to make more koolade and sweet tea, and I should listen to my first grader read to me, one more time before saying school is out for the day. If that big snow doesn't come, we're taking the girls to youth tonight at a local church to practice for the Christmas program. If it does snow, we're staying home. Either way, there's dinner to cook. I think we're having chili. Not sure. Y'all have a happy Wednesday, and remember Jesus loves you. Be sure and come back again.
A couple of days ago, I read a book just for the pure enjoyment of it. We didn't do school, I didn't bother with laundry, I just read and washed up a few dishes. I didn't even cook dinner. Had the man of the house to bring pizzas home. It was nice to read a book, it was nice to be lazy, but I tell you, I was out of sorts all day long. I couldn't concentrate on anything, and I didn't want to do anything, either. Was the book worth it? Maybe, maybe not. Ok, probably not.
Once, a friend's husband told me that entertainment wasn't good for him. I remember thinking, "Are you crazy?" I mean, who doesn't like to enjoy some free time for entertainment. After all, nothing wrong if it's clean. As it turns out, he isn't crazy. The other day was a prime example, for me, anyway. Ignoring my responsibilities just for my own pleasure was not the best decision. Reading for enjoyment, now there's nothing wrong with that, but I could have been a bit less selfish while reading.
Note to self: If you want to read a book, do so, but don't be so selfish while you do it. :)
What else has been going through my head? Oh yeah, we're supposed to get some snow. At least, the mountains are, but I don't think this valley will see much of it. For one, the ground is too wet and warm for anything to stick. Yeah, I know they are calling for it to be a heavy, wet snow, but it has been raining cats and dogs for like the last two or three days. Everything is sopping wet. It would have to be freezing if anything was to stick. Hope it snows some, for the girls, anyway. They love to see it snow.
Haha, that reminds me, my mamaw used to say, "sopping wet." You ever heard that one before? Sopping wet...or how about this one? "Do ye want to sop ye biscuit?" lol Mamaw used to fry eggs so that the white was just done and the yellow (yalla) was done but easily broken. She'd "bust the yalla" and I'd "sop" my bread in it. Wow, I want some breakfast! lol
Nowhere else, I don't think, except the hills and hollers of the Appalachians will you hear such biblical sayings as "sop" "ye" and "reckon". Here, I used to think that it was old-fashioned for my grandparents to say, "I reckon I'll sop my biscuits in gravy", and turns out Jesus might have said the same thing. Hahaha!
Well, once again I have switched which WIP I'm working on. Having good ideas for the third book in the Wild Heart series. Haven't done much work on it, but school does come first, ya know. Maybe, I'm crazy, maybe I'm ADD when it comes to writing, but going from one book to another seems to keep the boredom away. :) Usually, if I give myself a couple of weeks and go back to a problem story, the parts i thought were real bad aren't so bad after all.
Oh, my, well, the 4-year-old is whining today, the dirty dishes are taunting me, I need to make more koolade and sweet tea, and I should listen to my first grader read to me, one more time before saying school is out for the day. If that big snow doesn't come, we're taking the girls to youth tonight at a local church to practice for the Christmas program. If it does snow, we're staying home. Either way, there's dinner to cook. I think we're having chili. Not sure. Y'all have a happy Wednesday, and remember Jesus loves you. Be sure and come back again.
Monday, November 28, 2011
A Kitchen Delight
The other evening, I was finishing another Joanne Fluke book, "Candycane Murder", when I suddenly HAD to have a cookie. Not just any old cookie, either. I wanted a chocolate sugar cookie. But, the recipe called for cream of tartar, and I am like Old Mother Hubbard who went to her cupboard to get her poor dog a bone. Just like her, when I got there, my cream of tartar shelf was bare, and so when it came to chocolate sugar cookies, i had none. However, i was not giving up so easily.
On a whim, I pulled up my sugar cookie recipe, the plain one and started mixing up ingredients. Here's what I did, how I did it and the end result.
First I preheated my oven to 375 degrees. Remember the sugar cookies I wanted to make in the post "Kitchen Nightmare"? Well, that bowl of flour and such contained 2-3/4 cups of all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon of baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder. So, in a bigger bowl, I beat together 1 cup, that's 2 sticks of Land O Lakes butter that had been melted in the microwave, 3/4 cup of brown sugar and 3/4 cup of white sugar. When it was mixed well, I added one egg and beat some more. Then, I put a teensy drop of vanilla extract in there and some imitation maple flavoring and mixed. I put my beaters in the sink, after licking them a bit, and poured my flour mixture in to the butter and sugar mixture. I stirred carefully, and then put my hands in there and finished the job.
I greased my cookie sheets with olive oil and used the oil to put on my hands. Then, I rolled out the cookies and baked them at 375 for 10 minutes. Turns out 10 mins wasn't enough, so I went to 11 mins. What came out of the oven were some yummy, warm cookies that made me think of maple and brown sugar oatmeal - without the oatmeal, of course. Hmm, wonder if oats in the cookies would be good. Might have to think on that.
Maybe the idea isn't new, maybe it is, but I was tickled pink by my experiment, especially when the end result was so good. If you've been following my blog, you'll remember a couple of weeks ago, when my time in the kitchen was not as successful. The other night's success, though was like a balm to my soul. And, all because I wasn't willing to settle for plain old sugar cookies.
Today has felt like a Monday. Today has even sounded like a Monday, what with the rain dripping outside and the sighing of yawns in the house. All my girls and I want to do is laze around on the couch, but we did manage to get some things done. Faith practiced her handwriting, her reading and reciting of the Lord's Prayer. We had a Bible lesson that was taken from Luke 10:33, which talks about the man who fell among thieves and was rescued by the Good Samaritan. The girls colored pictures illustrating the story and hung them on the freezer to show their daddy. We also started a science project with beans. We took a white bean, actually 2 of them, because you can't have just one with 2 kids. We talked about how they felt and looked, then placed them in water to see what happens. Every little bit, Faith and Kierstin go check on their beans. At one point, Faith tells me it's starting to look wrinkled. I asked her if she knew what else got wrinkly in water. When I told her it was her and her sister, she wanted to know if our skin was like a bean's skin. Haha! I said that, yep, in a way, cause our skin has tiny holes in it that soak up water. :)
But, now, it's time to get off the internet and go wash up some dishes in preparation for dinner. I had planned on hamburgers, but my husband said there was a cook out at his work today, so no hamburgers, please. Hope he has another good idea, cause I'm fresh out. Deed, just bring me a chicken basket from Dairy Queen or something from the Chinese place, and I'd be happy. Thing is though, there was too much month at the end of the money, because I went Christmas shopping on Amazon, so we'll have to make due with what we got.
Before I say bye for the day, I want to congratulate Heather C for winning the contest! Always love hearing from my readers. Congrats, Heather, and hope you enjoy the book.
Until next time, y'all keep on keeping on. God is faithful. Amen?
On a whim, I pulled up my sugar cookie recipe, the plain one and started mixing up ingredients. Here's what I did, how I did it and the end result.
First I preheated my oven to 375 degrees. Remember the sugar cookies I wanted to make in the post "Kitchen Nightmare"? Well, that bowl of flour and such contained 2-3/4 cups of all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon of baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder. So, in a bigger bowl, I beat together 1 cup, that's 2 sticks of Land O Lakes butter that had been melted in the microwave, 3/4 cup of brown sugar and 3/4 cup of white sugar. When it was mixed well, I added one egg and beat some more. Then, I put a teensy drop of vanilla extract in there and some imitation maple flavoring and mixed. I put my beaters in the sink, after licking them a bit, and poured my flour mixture in to the butter and sugar mixture. I stirred carefully, and then put my hands in there and finished the job.
I greased my cookie sheets with olive oil and used the oil to put on my hands. Then, I rolled out the cookies and baked them at 375 for 10 minutes. Turns out 10 mins wasn't enough, so I went to 11 mins. What came out of the oven were some yummy, warm cookies that made me think of maple and brown sugar oatmeal - without the oatmeal, of course. Hmm, wonder if oats in the cookies would be good. Might have to think on that.
Maybe the idea isn't new, maybe it is, but I was tickled pink by my experiment, especially when the end result was so good. If you've been following my blog, you'll remember a couple of weeks ago, when my time in the kitchen was not as successful. The other night's success, though was like a balm to my soul. And, all because I wasn't willing to settle for plain old sugar cookies.
Today has felt like a Monday. Today has even sounded like a Monday, what with the rain dripping outside and the sighing of yawns in the house. All my girls and I want to do is laze around on the couch, but we did manage to get some things done. Faith practiced her handwriting, her reading and reciting of the Lord's Prayer. We had a Bible lesson that was taken from Luke 10:33, which talks about the man who fell among thieves and was rescued by the Good Samaritan. The girls colored pictures illustrating the story and hung them on the freezer to show their daddy. We also started a science project with beans. We took a white bean, actually 2 of them, because you can't have just one with 2 kids. We talked about how they felt and looked, then placed them in water to see what happens. Every little bit, Faith and Kierstin go check on their beans. At one point, Faith tells me it's starting to look wrinkled. I asked her if she knew what else got wrinkly in water. When I told her it was her and her sister, she wanted to know if our skin was like a bean's skin. Haha! I said that, yep, in a way, cause our skin has tiny holes in it that soak up water. :)
But, now, it's time to get off the internet and go wash up some dishes in preparation for dinner. I had planned on hamburgers, but my husband said there was a cook out at his work today, so no hamburgers, please. Hope he has another good idea, cause I'm fresh out. Deed, just bring me a chicken basket from Dairy Queen or something from the Chinese place, and I'd be happy. Thing is though, there was too much month at the end of the money, because I went Christmas shopping on Amazon, so we'll have to make due with what we got.
Before I say bye for the day, I want to congratulate Heather C for winning the contest! Always love hearing from my readers. Congrats, Heather, and hope you enjoy the book.
Until next time, y'all keep on keeping on. God is faithful. Amen?
Monday, November 21, 2011
Mommying
Do y'all remember that Loretta Lynn song "One's On The Way"? Well, thankfully there isn't another one on the way, but other than that I feel like the woman in her song. My favorite part of the song says, "But, here in Topika the flies are a-buzzin', the dog is a-barkin' and the floor needs a scrubbin'. One needs a spankin' and one needs a huggin' and one's on the way." lol
Last night before going to bed, I purposed in my heart to get up at a decent time, spend some time in the Word, start at 9 A.M. sharp with a Bible lesson, a few hours of school including math, reading and some learning about the Pilgrims. I planned on cleaning up my kitchen while Faith worked in her book. I planned on cleaning my house. But, here's how it went down.
The 3 year old woke me up at 4:22 crying. She didn't want on my side of the bed; she wanted in the middle. I said no and she said no. Hahaha! I finally got her to sleep in her own bed, but by that time it was 5, so I put on some coffee and turned on my computer. I was almost finished with cup number 1, when here she comes. Hadn't even opened my Bible, yet. She's upset and will not go back to bed without a huge fight. I'm not in the mood for a fight, so I held her for an hour while listening to music on iTunes. Around 7:20 I get up off the couch where I had been sitting with her and watching Little Bear to go talk to my husband before he went to work. While in there, the phone rings. While i'm talking, my little one starts crying again. She was sad that I had left her on the couch. At 7 A.M. I was the greatest mommy ever, but by 7:20 I had turned in to the meanest. lol All morning long the girls have fought. "Mom, she won't share! Mom she hit me! Mom she won't let me sit in my favorite chair! Mom, she won't leave me alone!"
I tell y'all, sometimes I want to buy a pair of earplugs. At one point, I said if they couldn't figure out a way to share, then we were putting it away. Both of them about cried then. Deed, mommying is not easy, and yet the Bible says in Psalms 127 that children are a reward. When the girls were much smaller, I remember thinking, "A reward for what, my own bad behavior?" Hahaha! Maybe so? lol ;) Truthfully, I'm thinking that isn't too far from the mark.
Makes me wonder what goes through God's mind when we bicker and fight. Opposing ball teams pray God will let their team win, and clearly, both can't. We pray for world peace, and turn around and cut somebody off on the freeway. Some folks never even acknowledge God, and yet, they expect Him to bless them with riches untold. What does He think of all this? More to the point, what does He think of me? Do I fuss and argue about what He has given me? And, more important, do I shut my mouth and listen when He speaks?
Ouch! Hang on a sec while I pull my feet in a bit.
Admittedly, I'm not all that smart, but here's a few things I'm beginning to figure out.
1. Children will teach you just exactly what you are made of.
2. Children will make you realize just how much you are loved.
3. Children will tell everybody all your secrets.
4. Children, especially those related by blood will treat you just like you treated your mom and dad.
5. Children will bring out the best and worst in you, usually at the oddest times.
6. Children will give you a good reason to climb up out of that depression that plagues you.
And, last but not least
7. Children will be one of the greatest blessings you'll ever receive from the Lord.
As for home school, we did manage to get some math and reading done. We still have some home ec to do, though. lol
Happy Monday, y'all and be sure to come back Wednesday. Still trying to figure out when I'll do the next giveaway/contest, but it'll either be Wednesday or Friday, so be sure to come back. And, if you can't think of anyone to pray for, pray for me.
Last night before going to bed, I purposed in my heart to get up at a decent time, spend some time in the Word, start at 9 A.M. sharp with a Bible lesson, a few hours of school including math, reading and some learning about the Pilgrims. I planned on cleaning up my kitchen while Faith worked in her book. I planned on cleaning my house. But, here's how it went down.
The 3 year old woke me up at 4:22 crying. She didn't want on my side of the bed; she wanted in the middle. I said no and she said no. Hahaha! I finally got her to sleep in her own bed, but by that time it was 5, so I put on some coffee and turned on my computer. I was almost finished with cup number 1, when here she comes. Hadn't even opened my Bible, yet. She's upset and will not go back to bed without a huge fight. I'm not in the mood for a fight, so I held her for an hour while listening to music on iTunes. Around 7:20 I get up off the couch where I had been sitting with her and watching Little Bear to go talk to my husband before he went to work. While in there, the phone rings. While i'm talking, my little one starts crying again. She was sad that I had left her on the couch. At 7 A.M. I was the greatest mommy ever, but by 7:20 I had turned in to the meanest. lol All morning long the girls have fought. "Mom, she won't share! Mom she hit me! Mom she won't let me sit in my favorite chair! Mom, she won't leave me alone!"
I tell y'all, sometimes I want to buy a pair of earplugs. At one point, I said if they couldn't figure out a way to share, then we were putting it away. Both of them about cried then. Deed, mommying is not easy, and yet the Bible says in Psalms 127 that children are a reward. When the girls were much smaller, I remember thinking, "A reward for what, my own bad behavior?" Hahaha! Maybe so? lol ;) Truthfully, I'm thinking that isn't too far from the mark.
Makes me wonder what goes through God's mind when we bicker and fight. Opposing ball teams pray God will let their team win, and clearly, both can't. We pray for world peace, and turn around and cut somebody off on the freeway. Some folks never even acknowledge God, and yet, they expect Him to bless them with riches untold. What does He think of all this? More to the point, what does He think of me? Do I fuss and argue about what He has given me? And, more important, do I shut my mouth and listen when He speaks?
Ouch! Hang on a sec while I pull my feet in a bit.
Admittedly, I'm not all that smart, but here's a few things I'm beginning to figure out.
1. Children will teach you just exactly what you are made of.
2. Children will make you realize just how much you are loved.
3. Children will tell everybody all your secrets.
4. Children, especially those related by blood will treat you just like you treated your mom and dad.
5. Children will bring out the best and worst in you, usually at the oddest times.
6. Children will give you a good reason to climb up out of that depression that plagues you.
And, last but not least
7. Children will be one of the greatest blessings you'll ever receive from the Lord.
As for home school, we did manage to get some math and reading done. We still have some home ec to do, though. lol
Happy Monday, y'all and be sure to come back Wednesday. Still trying to figure out when I'll do the next giveaway/contest, but it'll either be Wednesday or Friday, so be sure to come back. And, if you can't think of anyone to pray for, pray for me.
Thursday, November 10, 2011
When I Grow Up, I want...
"What do you want to be when you grow up?"
Adults ask children this question all the time. I don't know if it's just that they have no idea what to talk to the kid about, or if they really want to know, but it is a common question. Grown-ups asked me that, when I was a young'un, too.
I remember answering like any other kid. I want to be a doctor, a nurse, a lawyer, an astronaut, a writer, a teacher. The great thing about children, is they don't think about the money they will make or what type of schooling it will take to achieve that goal. They just want to be it, whatever "it" is.
When I was about 6, 7 or 8 years old, I remember wanting to grow up to be just like my mom. Funny thing, is I see that same tendency in my own 6 year old. She mimics me, patterns her style of doing things after me, and I find myself wondering if she wants to be like me when she grows up. Fshew, that's a scary thought. lol Faith and I procrastinate together, but when we finally get up and do what we're supposed to do, we often start singing together. I'll be washing dishes, while she is picking up her toys, and I'll start a song. Before too long, she's singing right along with me, and soon our chores are done. But, I digress. :)
I don't think I thought seriously about what I wanted to be when I grew up until I was around 15 or so. I thought about it a lot, but there just didn't seem to be much choice. On the one hand, folks would say I could be anything I wanted to be. On the other hand, folks would say I had to be realistic. Having dreams was one thing, but at some point I had to come down to earth and think about what I truly wanted. There were jobs that blind people just didn't do, not because they were not smart enough but because it took sight to do those jobs. I was not, I was informed, ever going to be able to be an astronaut, a doctor, a nurse, a school bus driver, and I might as well get over it while I was still young. In my mind, that left only teaching.
After graduating high school, I did go to college, intending to be a teacher for the visually impaired, but both times i started school, I quit. Then, I got married, and for a time, being a house wife was enough. I went to a local vocational school for a year and received a certificate of completion for medical transcription, but no matter how hard I tried, I never got a job doing that. I did work for a time in Romney WV, preparing braille documents for mailing. After that, I worked at Blind Industries and Services of Maryland as a sewing machine operator. Then, I went to the school of hard knocks and learned what a selfish woman I really was. Or, put more plainly, I got pregnant and became a mom. lol
Now, with my 33rd birthday fast approaching, I have finally figured out what I want to be when I grow up. :) I want to graduate from medical school, so that I can have the know-how to diagnose my families' illnesses and do something about them. I want to go get my driver's license, so that I can give disabled folks a ride where ever they want to go. Finally, just for grins and giggles, I want to be an airplane pilot.
A couple of days ago, I took my 3 year old to the doctor. I KNEW she was sick. For a couple of nights she had had a fever. She was coughing, some and sneezing, occasionally. I didn't know for sure, but I thought it was probably an ear infection. For one, her breath smelled funny, and when my girls' breath smells like that, they need an antibiotic. Just for the record, I've only been wrong once. :) Sure enough, the doctor looked in to her ears and both were infected. She's on an antibiotic. So, am I a doctor, sort of? Maybe. What about a teacher? I only have 2 students, but I'm teaching all the time. Faith is learning about word problems by counting how many bananas we have and then figuring out how many loaves of banana bread I could make with them. lol She's learning to read, and that comes in handy when I need labels on canned foods read to me. So, am I a teacher? Why, yes I am.
As for the astronaut, lawyer and pilot, well, those will have to wait a while. lol My mom always said I'd make a good lawyer, because I like to argue. Ha! While at Space Camp in Huntsville Alabama, I learned that even if I could see, I'm too short to go in to space. As for flying, anybody out there game for taking me up in their plane?
Just for the record, people who are blind can do anything they set their mind to, even if that job requires sight. Where there's a will, there's a way. A few years ago, I read about a man who is blind graduating from medical school and earning his MD. Last year I read about a woman who is blind being a beautician. Several months ago, a man who is blind took his family for a drive around Daytona Speedway. He used technology created by the folks from the National Federation of the Blind and students from Virginia Tech, and drove around the track. They threw boxes in his way, someone even pulled out in front of him, and he and his family still live to tell the tale. I know a man who is blind, and he rides a bicycle without any sighted assistance. I have a friend who is blind, and she makes baskets and sews quilts. I have a friend on FaceBook who is blind, and she writes her impressions of WV ball games, and gets paid doing it.
Here's a couple of things I've been pondering on. First of all, have I grown up to be what I wanted to be? Yes, I have. I'm an author, a singer, a song writer, a piano player, a wife, a mom, a crocheter, a baker, but more important, I am a Christian. Except for the writing and piano, I have grown up to be what I thought my mother was at that time. Second, have I achieved all that I wanted to achieve? No, I have not. Remember that plane? I wonder if it will be as I imagine, now that I have no sight at all. I used to want to feel it lift in to the air and be able to look out and see the sky. Of course, I can't see the sky, but will it be as thrilling, anyway? Guess there's only one way to find out. :)
Adults ask children this question all the time. I don't know if it's just that they have no idea what to talk to the kid about, or if they really want to know, but it is a common question. Grown-ups asked me that, when I was a young'un, too.
I remember answering like any other kid. I want to be a doctor, a nurse, a lawyer, an astronaut, a writer, a teacher. The great thing about children, is they don't think about the money they will make or what type of schooling it will take to achieve that goal. They just want to be it, whatever "it" is.
When I was about 6, 7 or 8 years old, I remember wanting to grow up to be just like my mom. Funny thing, is I see that same tendency in my own 6 year old. She mimics me, patterns her style of doing things after me, and I find myself wondering if she wants to be like me when she grows up. Fshew, that's a scary thought. lol Faith and I procrastinate together, but when we finally get up and do what we're supposed to do, we often start singing together. I'll be washing dishes, while she is picking up her toys, and I'll start a song. Before too long, she's singing right along with me, and soon our chores are done. But, I digress. :)
I don't think I thought seriously about what I wanted to be when I grew up until I was around 15 or so. I thought about it a lot, but there just didn't seem to be much choice. On the one hand, folks would say I could be anything I wanted to be. On the other hand, folks would say I had to be realistic. Having dreams was one thing, but at some point I had to come down to earth and think about what I truly wanted. There were jobs that blind people just didn't do, not because they were not smart enough but because it took sight to do those jobs. I was not, I was informed, ever going to be able to be an astronaut, a doctor, a nurse, a school bus driver, and I might as well get over it while I was still young. In my mind, that left only teaching.
After graduating high school, I did go to college, intending to be a teacher for the visually impaired, but both times i started school, I quit. Then, I got married, and for a time, being a house wife was enough. I went to a local vocational school for a year and received a certificate of completion for medical transcription, but no matter how hard I tried, I never got a job doing that. I did work for a time in Romney WV, preparing braille documents for mailing. After that, I worked at Blind Industries and Services of Maryland as a sewing machine operator. Then, I went to the school of hard knocks and learned what a selfish woman I really was. Or, put more plainly, I got pregnant and became a mom. lol
Now, with my 33rd birthday fast approaching, I have finally figured out what I want to be when I grow up. :) I want to graduate from medical school, so that I can have the know-how to diagnose my families' illnesses and do something about them. I want to go get my driver's license, so that I can give disabled folks a ride where ever they want to go. Finally, just for grins and giggles, I want to be an airplane pilot.
A couple of days ago, I took my 3 year old to the doctor. I KNEW she was sick. For a couple of nights she had had a fever. She was coughing, some and sneezing, occasionally. I didn't know for sure, but I thought it was probably an ear infection. For one, her breath smelled funny, and when my girls' breath smells like that, they need an antibiotic. Just for the record, I've only been wrong once. :) Sure enough, the doctor looked in to her ears and both were infected. She's on an antibiotic. So, am I a doctor, sort of? Maybe. What about a teacher? I only have 2 students, but I'm teaching all the time. Faith is learning about word problems by counting how many bananas we have and then figuring out how many loaves of banana bread I could make with them. lol She's learning to read, and that comes in handy when I need labels on canned foods read to me. So, am I a teacher? Why, yes I am.
As for the astronaut, lawyer and pilot, well, those will have to wait a while. lol My mom always said I'd make a good lawyer, because I like to argue. Ha! While at Space Camp in Huntsville Alabama, I learned that even if I could see, I'm too short to go in to space. As for flying, anybody out there game for taking me up in their plane?
Just for the record, people who are blind can do anything they set their mind to, even if that job requires sight. Where there's a will, there's a way. A few years ago, I read about a man who is blind graduating from medical school and earning his MD. Last year I read about a woman who is blind being a beautician. Several months ago, a man who is blind took his family for a drive around Daytona Speedway. He used technology created by the folks from the National Federation of the Blind and students from Virginia Tech, and drove around the track. They threw boxes in his way, someone even pulled out in front of him, and he and his family still live to tell the tale. I know a man who is blind, and he rides a bicycle without any sighted assistance. I have a friend who is blind, and she makes baskets and sews quilts. I have a friend on FaceBook who is blind, and she writes her impressions of WV ball games, and gets paid doing it.
Here's a couple of things I've been pondering on. First of all, have I grown up to be what I wanted to be? Yes, I have. I'm an author, a singer, a song writer, a piano player, a wife, a mom, a crocheter, a baker, but more important, I am a Christian. Except for the writing and piano, I have grown up to be what I thought my mother was at that time. Second, have I achieved all that I wanted to achieve? No, I have not. Remember that plane? I wonder if it will be as I imagine, now that I have no sight at all. I used to want to feel it lift in to the air and be able to look out and see the sky. Of course, I can't see the sky, but will it be as thrilling, anyway? Guess there's only one way to find out. :)
Friday, November 4, 2011
Got Any Dough?
I am finally baking again! :) I tell you, just to press my hands in to that warm dough, yesterday, did something for me that is hard to explain. I made some french bread to take to my local writer's group's NaNoWriMo kick off party, and today I'm thinking of baking a quick batch of cookies. I have the stuff all laid out. After I write this post, I'm going to try to whip them up. But, back to yesterday.
I began, like any busy mom, by washing up several dishes. Then, while the water was running hot, I put 2 cups of it in a bowl and sprinkled in 2 tsps of active dry yeast. I let it sit for 10 mins while washing up some more dishes and putting a few away. Then, I measured out 2 tbsps of honey and stirred it in. I had never used honey in place of sugar, so this was a first for me. I mixed in 3 cups of all purpose, unbleached flour, one cup at a time. Then, I added 2 tsps of salt. After that, I mixed in another cup of flour with the spoon, before abandoning said spoon in place of my trusty hands. The lady who taught me to make bread used an electric mixer, but I'm glad I practiced with my hands, because now I know how it is supposed to feel.
When the fifth cup of flour turned out to be not enough, I added about a half a cup more, and kept on mixing. After several seconds, I plopped the mass on to my floured board and went to kneading. I kneaded and sweated, all the while talking to my girls. They asked questions like, "What shape are you going to make it? Who will get to eat it? How much longer before we can taste it? Can I help?" :)
When my dough felt smooth and silky, I placed it in an oiled bowl, covered it and washed more dishes. Then, I took a break. lol
During my break, I drank some hot tea, played on FaceBook, and ate a slice of pizza...and did more dishes.
An hour after placing a towel over my dough to keep in the warmth, I pulled the towel off and tried to separate it in to 3 loaves, as I was taught to do. But, I'm not a good divider, so I ended up with 5 loaves. All we needed now, I remember telling my girls, was a couple of fish and we'd have a dinner like Jesus served to the folks who came to hear him teach. So, as you can imagine, while I rolled out each ball of dough in to a circle-like shape, I told them the story of the 2 fish and 5 loaves that Jesus fed to the 5,000 men plus women and children.
When the circle-like shapes were ready, I rolled them up, pinched the edges and placed them on a piece of parchment paper that was lining my bread pan. I attempted to cut small slits in them to resemble french bread, but I didn't do a very good job. :)
I reached for a bowl to crack an egg in to, but instead of one bowl coming down, 3 bowls came down. I was not prepared, and they fell on to the counter, where 2 broke. One almost in half, the other had a crack in it, but still, I had to worry about cleaning up glass shards.
When that mess was finally cleaned up, I cracked an egg in to a bowl with no cracks in it, and separated the yoke from the white. Let me say here, that Faith is a big help during this kind of separation. lol I took a fork and beat that egg white before brushing it on to my prepared loaves. By now the oven was preheating to 350. Forgot to mention that part. Sorry. :)
I baked the bread at 350 for about 20 minutes. Since my oven is old and doesn't brown things well, I like using the egg white. Folks see a golden color and they have no idea that without that egg white, my bread would be as pale as the dough it came from. Ha!
So, last night at the NaNoWriMo party, my bread went well with the yummy soup that my friend Peggy brought. The bread was crumblier than it usually is, but I do not know if that is because I used honey or if I had too much flour in the dough. Could have ben the weather, too. You wouldn't think barometric pressure, temps outside and whether the wind is blowing or not would have anything to do with bread, but it does.
As for the party, it was fun. We ate dinner together, drank some yummy sweet tea and wrote on our works in progress. I wrote only about 792 words, but I was tired. Still tired this morning and thinking about a second cup of coffee. I shouldn't, but I might anyway.
Hope y'all have a fabulous weekend, and i hope you'll come back and see me on Monday.
I began, like any busy mom, by washing up several dishes. Then, while the water was running hot, I put 2 cups of it in a bowl and sprinkled in 2 tsps of active dry yeast. I let it sit for 10 mins while washing up some more dishes and putting a few away. Then, I measured out 2 tbsps of honey and stirred it in. I had never used honey in place of sugar, so this was a first for me. I mixed in 3 cups of all purpose, unbleached flour, one cup at a time. Then, I added 2 tsps of salt. After that, I mixed in another cup of flour with the spoon, before abandoning said spoon in place of my trusty hands. The lady who taught me to make bread used an electric mixer, but I'm glad I practiced with my hands, because now I know how it is supposed to feel.
When the fifth cup of flour turned out to be not enough, I added about a half a cup more, and kept on mixing. After several seconds, I plopped the mass on to my floured board and went to kneading. I kneaded and sweated, all the while talking to my girls. They asked questions like, "What shape are you going to make it? Who will get to eat it? How much longer before we can taste it? Can I help?" :)
When my dough felt smooth and silky, I placed it in an oiled bowl, covered it and washed more dishes. Then, I took a break. lol
During my break, I drank some hot tea, played on FaceBook, and ate a slice of pizza...and did more dishes.
An hour after placing a towel over my dough to keep in the warmth, I pulled the towel off and tried to separate it in to 3 loaves, as I was taught to do. But, I'm not a good divider, so I ended up with 5 loaves. All we needed now, I remember telling my girls, was a couple of fish and we'd have a dinner like Jesus served to the folks who came to hear him teach. So, as you can imagine, while I rolled out each ball of dough in to a circle-like shape, I told them the story of the 2 fish and 5 loaves that Jesus fed to the 5,000 men plus women and children.
When the circle-like shapes were ready, I rolled them up, pinched the edges and placed them on a piece of parchment paper that was lining my bread pan. I attempted to cut small slits in them to resemble french bread, but I didn't do a very good job. :)
I reached for a bowl to crack an egg in to, but instead of one bowl coming down, 3 bowls came down. I was not prepared, and they fell on to the counter, where 2 broke. One almost in half, the other had a crack in it, but still, I had to worry about cleaning up glass shards.
When that mess was finally cleaned up, I cracked an egg in to a bowl with no cracks in it, and separated the yoke from the white. Let me say here, that Faith is a big help during this kind of separation. lol I took a fork and beat that egg white before brushing it on to my prepared loaves. By now the oven was preheating to 350. Forgot to mention that part. Sorry. :)
I baked the bread at 350 for about 20 minutes. Since my oven is old and doesn't brown things well, I like using the egg white. Folks see a golden color and they have no idea that without that egg white, my bread would be as pale as the dough it came from. Ha!
So, last night at the NaNoWriMo party, my bread went well with the yummy soup that my friend Peggy brought. The bread was crumblier than it usually is, but I do not know if that is because I used honey or if I had too much flour in the dough. Could have ben the weather, too. You wouldn't think barometric pressure, temps outside and whether the wind is blowing or not would have anything to do with bread, but it does.
As for the party, it was fun. We ate dinner together, drank some yummy sweet tea and wrote on our works in progress. I wrote only about 792 words, but I was tired. Still tired this morning and thinking about a second cup of coffee. I shouldn't, but I might anyway.
Hope y'all have a fabulous weekend, and i hope you'll come back and see me on Monday.
Friday, September 30, 2011
Finally Friday
If you've been following this blog, you will remember Monday's post that dealt with how to begin the work week. I guess we were programed to look forward to Fridays; it's the end of the school week, and we had two full days ahead of us with nothing to do. At an early age we were taught what TGIF means, and I can remember I wasn't the only kid going around school, chanting "TGIF, thank goodness it's Friday!"
Then, I entered Junior High and those two full days of laziness were filled with homework, but still we all looked forward to Fridays. In High School, what time I wasn't doing homework, I remember sleeping the weekend away. :) After graduation, I went to college, and I still thought Fridays were the best thing since spread peanut butter. So, after a semester and a half of college, I met the man of the place, got married and for some crazy reason, still looked forward to Fridays. Now I homeschool, today is Friday, and I find myself glad of it. I heard somewhere that students in France go to school on Saturdays. When I first heard this, I remember thinking, "Those poor kids!"
Anyway, it is Friday, the end of my husband's work week, the end of the school week for the girls and I, and apparently the girls feel my anxiousness to be done with work for the day; the are fighting and very reluctant to get started. I don't have a lot planned for the day, but we need to get on the ball, or we won't get anything done.
As for me...well, I hate to admit it, but I found a book online that sounded good. I downloaded it and listened to about five minutes of it so far. I want to read on, but...you guest it; there's work to be done.
So, here's where putting God's instruction and others' needs above my own, come in to practice. God has called me to teach my children. If He hadn't, they would be in public school, and I'd be sitting back, enjoying a good book with no interruptions until two PM. Also, the girls need me. No one said I couldn't read all day. The Bible does not have a commandment that says, "Thou shalt not listen to thine audio book during school time." lol But, here's what the Bible does say...and it applies to many things in life: "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you." Now, I didn't check to make sure all the punctuation was correct, but that's what the King James version says in Matthew chapter 6 verse 33.
Now, to put that verse in action. If I put my girls' needs and God's will above my own, I will get off this computer, put the book down, turn off the TV's and teach them. If I teach them about God's love, about His creation, how to read, write and..."do figgers" like this one old lady I knew called it... then God will give me time for me. In other words, when my work for today is over, I can get back to the book.
How about y'all? Any thoughts on this subject? Is there something God is calling you to do that is a struggle for you? Do you have a hard time putting God's will before your own?
Let me leave you with just a thought. The devil is a roaring lion, the Bible says, seeking whom he may devour. he is the enemy, no doubt about it. His job is to steal, kill and destroy, but there is another enemy that just might be harder to defeat. That enemy, is self. Many, many times throughout the day when things get hard, I find myself saying, "But, Lord, I want... "But, Lord, I don't like..." "But, Lord, I..."
See what i mean?
Hope y'all have a happy, enjoyable and short Friday! Pray for me, cause now I'm gonna go practice what I preach. :)
Then, I entered Junior High and those two full days of laziness were filled with homework, but still we all looked forward to Fridays. In High School, what time I wasn't doing homework, I remember sleeping the weekend away. :) After graduation, I went to college, and I still thought Fridays were the best thing since spread peanut butter. So, after a semester and a half of college, I met the man of the place, got married and for some crazy reason, still looked forward to Fridays. Now I homeschool, today is Friday, and I find myself glad of it. I heard somewhere that students in France go to school on Saturdays. When I first heard this, I remember thinking, "Those poor kids!"
Anyway, it is Friday, the end of my husband's work week, the end of the school week for the girls and I, and apparently the girls feel my anxiousness to be done with work for the day; the are fighting and very reluctant to get started. I don't have a lot planned for the day, but we need to get on the ball, or we won't get anything done.
As for me...well, I hate to admit it, but I found a book online that sounded good. I downloaded it and listened to about five minutes of it so far. I want to read on, but...you guest it; there's work to be done.
So, here's where putting God's instruction and others' needs above my own, come in to practice. God has called me to teach my children. If He hadn't, they would be in public school, and I'd be sitting back, enjoying a good book with no interruptions until two PM. Also, the girls need me. No one said I couldn't read all day. The Bible does not have a commandment that says, "Thou shalt not listen to thine audio book during school time." lol But, here's what the Bible does say...and it applies to many things in life: "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you." Now, I didn't check to make sure all the punctuation was correct, but that's what the King James version says in Matthew chapter 6 verse 33.
Now, to put that verse in action. If I put my girls' needs and God's will above my own, I will get off this computer, put the book down, turn off the TV's and teach them. If I teach them about God's love, about His creation, how to read, write and..."do figgers" like this one old lady I knew called it... then God will give me time for me. In other words, when my work for today is over, I can get back to the book.
How about y'all? Any thoughts on this subject? Is there something God is calling you to do that is a struggle for you? Do you have a hard time putting God's will before your own?
Let me leave you with just a thought. The devil is a roaring lion, the Bible says, seeking whom he may devour. he is the enemy, no doubt about it. His job is to steal, kill and destroy, but there is another enemy that just might be harder to defeat. That enemy, is self. Many, many times throughout the day when things get hard, I find myself saying, "But, Lord, I want... "But, Lord, I don't like..." "But, Lord, I..."
See what i mean?
Hope y'all have a happy, enjoyable and short Friday! Pray for me, cause now I'm gonna go practice what I preach. :)
Thursday, September 29, 2011
A Message From Yours Truly and Some Links You Might Want To Check Out
Wow! It's Thursday already. On Monday, I promised myself I would blog three times a week, on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, but as you can see for yourselves, Wednesday came and went and no entry from me. My excuse? I guess writing on a new book, homeschooling my three-year-old and six-year-old, and household chores just got the best of me. :) But, I am blogging this morning. Can't chat long; school starts soon, and I still have to print out coloring sheets to go with our Bible lesson, print out tracing worksheets for my youngest to work on while the eldest does her math, yatta yatta yatta. And, yeah, I know, I should have been prepared before I went to bed last night, but after our supper of WV hot dogs, all I seemed to have time for was a cup of half caff coffee, straightening up a mess and putting the girlies to bed. Oh, yeah, and I had to make time for the man of the place. Did y'all like that phrase, "the man of the place"? I stole it from Laura Ingalls Wilder, actually. In one of the books written about the girl from "Little House on the Prairie", there are some articles she wrote for local publications. In them, she refers to her husband as "the man of the place". I kind of like it, but then again, I'm strange. :)
So, since I have a full day ahead of me and still haven't had anything sweet to eat, let me share with y'all a few links.
Do you like stories about mail order brides? I'm actually working on one now, and in my search for info on the net, I came across this
One of the blogs I follow is that of Literary Agent Rachelle Gardner of WordServe Literary. In one of her posts, she mentions an online readers' club called, "She Reads." It's a division of Proverbs 31 Ministries. They discuss twelve books a year, so if you like to read any type of Christian Fiction and want to connect with other like-minded women, go check it out at
If you are a writer and want to follow Rachelle's blog, here's the link.
Another blog I follow is
If you are a writer of Christian Fiction, go check it out. If you love Susan May Warren's books, go check it out. :)
As always, if you love me, my books, and everything you can think of about me, ;) you are more than welcome to check out my website
Do you Tweet? Come follow me at
Do you FaceBook? Come be my friend at
What person or persons inspire you on your journey?
Until next time, keep on keepin' on. Let's help each other make it home. Remember that song?
"It'll be worth it after all, child. It'll be worth it after all. After all of these trials, we'll hear Jesus call. It'll be worth it after all, child. It'll be worth it after all. After all of this climbing, it'll be worth it after all." The Spensers
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)