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- In: Life
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How in the world do you use yeast?
If there is one thing in the cooking world that mystifies me, it is using yeast for baking. I have only used it in my bread machine and have never ventured beyond that. I’m even apprehensive about the terms; testing the yeast, “it’s live” or “it’s active”, then there’s fresh yeast, dry active, or instant. Your water has to be just right, the room temperature just so… one wrong move makes everything go sour. It’s like everything has to be aligned perfectly for these little microorganisms to work.
What are some tricks, tips, help “bewares” that you can pass along?
Happy 3rd Birthday, Jack!
Posted on: February 24, 2010
Jack turns 3 years old today. He has been an invaluable part of our family and we love him dearly.
Thanks for being such a great dog, Jack!
- In: Life
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Yesterday, while preparing lunch, Hannah fell backward off the countertop. It happened right in front of me, less than 6 inches away. She was in her Bumbo seat, laughing, kicking her feet, then next thing I knew, she was falling. And the world stopped.
I don’t know exactly what she hit as it was on the other side from where I was standing, but thank God (a million times over), she seems just fine. Right after the fall she screamed bloody murder. Once I picked her up, consoled her, she went back to normal pretty fast.
Want to know something?
I was scared out of my mind.
There, I’ve said it.
I’ve known too many people that have been hurt, heard too many stories of pain and anguish, to not know that bad things happen to good people. Right after she fell, I prayed. Hard. Then I called my mom, who is a nurse. She suggested I watch her and then even take her to the doctor just to make sure all is well. Then I called Jonathan. By now, all my emotions are boiling over and I was barely able to tell him what happened through my tears. He was most reassuring and told me just to relax and keep an eye on her.
I fed the girls lunch and then we had quite time. During that time I read 2 Timothy 1:7 “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love and self-discipline.” I mulled over that first part “For God has not given us a spirit of fear…For God has not given us a spirit of fear…For God has not given us a spirit of fear…For God has not given us a spirit of fear…”
I’ve come to this one conclusion:
God is good. God is good. God is good.
It is out of my power to know how best He should display His goodness. But, I know this: HE IS GOOD. Whether in pain or pleasure, He is good. My world would never be the same without Hannah. It is heartbreaking to see a child endure pain and suffering. I can’t help but imagine the heartbreak and pain God endured when He saw His Son die. But, He is good. He had a “plan from the beginning of time – to show us his grace through Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 1:9b) and with that plan He saved me.
God is good.
** The above picture was #139 in the queue. It reminded me of Psalm 139.
“You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.” Psalm 139:16
Healthy fried chicken
Posted on: February 22, 2010
- In: Life
- 9 Comments
Healthy fried chicken? Isn’t that an oxymoron? Not when you oven fry it!
In an effort to make a staple comfort food healthy, I decided to oven fry our chicken. Essentially, you batter the chicken like normal, but instead of frying it in oil, you bake it. Yes, I am sure some good ole’ Southern mama is about ready to say “bless your heart” as she shakes her head at me.
First, take your raw chicken and beat it. You heard me right. Beat it. You want to tenderize the chicken to ensure it cooks through. This is especially true when you fry it.
Whisk eggs in a bowl. A trick my mom taught me is to add milk to your eggs to make the mixture go further.
Dip chicken in egg mixture.
Spread flour on a flat surface for coating chicken. I added wheat germ (for some bonus “health”) and cayenne pepper (for a kick) to my flour.
Throughly coat chicken on both sides.
Place chicken on a pan and cook at 350* for 20 minutes per side (total of 40 minutes).
The finished product:
To be honest, the breading didn’t turn out quite how I’d like. A lot of it stayed on the pan, and the chicken didn’t really have a “fried” look. Everyone cheerfully ate it and the cayenne pepper was a nice touch. However, I’m not sold on oven frying over oil frying. Mostly because, I just love fried chicken.
I served this meal with some mashed potatoes, green beans and my favorite easy biscuits. While it’s a bit time consuming (and even more so if you fry the chicken) it’s a pretty simple recipe and a “must” for every good Southern woman.
More pictures of my little helpers. I’m not quite sure why Julia’s telling Hannah to “be quiet”. Maybe because Hannah kept laughing hysterically at her.
And this is what Hannah does when I try pushing her past her 3-hour nursing limit. She tries eating anything she can grab.
- In: Life
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In January, my friend, Leah, set a goal to loose 10 pounds by her birthday. Now, my friend, Laryssa at Heaven in the Home, along with Mary at Giving up Perfect, are doing a 10 week weight loss competition.
And I’m signing up.
After Hannah was born, I was determined to get back in shape. I was tired of feeling overweight, sluggish and unhealthy. So, at my 6 week postpartum mark, I started running. 4 weeks later, I started two workout classes at Performance Fitness and did running on Saturdays. I was feeling pretty good and loosing weight. But, I feel like I’m hitting a rut. I’m feeling “fluffy” and a little a lot restless.
Here are my challenges/goals:
– complete the half marathon training on April 24th
– stick with my daily/weekly points (Weigh Watchers)
– incorporate more yoga/stretching into my weekly workouts
– actively work on getting ripped (or not so “fluffy) abs
– lose 8 pounds and reach my “ultimate goal” weight
Rolly polly
Posted on: February 18, 2010
- In: Life
- 4 Comments
Hannah refuses to crawl. Yes, down right refuses. She attempted it once last week, but not since. So, rather than crawl, Hannah merely rolls to where ever she wants to be. That is until she gets stuck somewhere (like next to the cabinets, couch, or Jack).
Here she is in action. She’s got good form, gets up on all fours.
And now for the rolling (don’t mind the mess):
Once she has found the toy she wanted (or any toy for that matter), she simply rolls away.
Reset button
Posted on: February 17, 2010
- In: Life
- 3 Comments
Yesterday we had one of those days, where from the moment both girls woke up (and honestly, me too) they were crabby, cranky and generally unpleasant. I was struggling to stay the “parent” and finding myself caught between my flesh and the Spirit. We had planned to go to tot lot (a weekly outing I, personally, enjoy and need), but I quickly realized I couldn’t effectively parent a tantruming toddler in public. I put my desires to the side (wow, did I really just say that my desire was to go to tot lot?!), took a deep breath, said a short prayer and did what I knew best for both girls.
Put them to bed.
At 10 in the morning.
And you know what? It was amazing. A total reset button for our entire day.
Hannah slept for 2 hours. Julia slept for 2.5 hours, which is completely unheard of!
The best part? I slept for 1.5 hours.
God is good. It’s like He let me have my own personal easy button.
Yesterday morning, I read this verse and was struck with the fact that my daughters are my flock, I am their shepherd. “Care for the flock that God has entrusted to you. Watch over it willingly, not grudgingly—not for what you will get out of it, but because you are eager to serve God.” 1 Peter 5:2, NLT.
- In: Life
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That might not be entirely true, but since No Bake Peanut Butter Cookies do have peanut butter (an great source of protein!), milk (a great source of vitamins!), and oatmeal (hello healthy heart!) it’s not much worse than most cereals. At least that’s what my mom said to justify us eating them at breakfast time as kids.
Melt your sugar, butter, milk and cocoa powder.
Bring to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes.
Then add your peanut butter, oatmeal and vanilla. I try to have these ingredients pre-measured and waiting. Mix well.
Spoon onto cookie sheet or wax paper. Cool until set.
Bon Appetit!
Pennies all the way from NYC
Posted on: February 15, 2010
- In: Life
- 2 Comments
About 2 or 3 weeks ago, I got an email from my friend, Becky, who lives in NYC. She simply wrote “I wanna send you something…what’s your address?” Last week, this showed up at my door:
She sent a card that said “After I read your blog about “Pennies for Paris” I realized I had an over-abunance of spare change weighing down my already full and heavy purse. I thought I could contribute to the cause, give the pennies a good home as well as bless you in a small way.”
My socks were rocked off. I am truly blessed to have such an amazing friend. And who knows, I may even get the chance to go back and visit the Big Apple just to see her again.
Thanks Becky!
Lost Generation
Posted on: February 13, 2010
Thanks to Diaper Diaries, I came across this awesome video tonight and thought I’d share it.
A Wife Loved Like The Church 
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