A Different Kind of Cabin Fever

Bachelor Button

A soft blue blanket. Light yellow walls. Spring green comforter and green curtains to match. The colors of Spring. I love our bedroom with its brown painted floor and white curtains on the closet frame. Neat and tidy; yellow flowers in green glass bottles grace the window sill looking to the north. Spring is full of hope and anticipation. Patience is demanded as one sign follows another leading to the climax of the season we all love: Summer. Bold, warm Summer, full of a forgotten freedom from coats and chills. Spring hope is fulfilled in heavenly Summer bright.

Photo taken on our way to Bemidji, Minnesota

And yet Summer, with all its joy and sunshine, must give way to Autumn. For this world has not yet reached its fulfillment but must again step aside to another cycle of seasons. And so we meet Autumn, slowly, reluctantly. And I find that I love him too, for God creates beauty in every season: The crispness of the air, the crunch of leaves as I walk through, the bright blue sky interrupted by flocks of birds and geese making their way to another land. Change is everywhere as nature prepares itself to sleep, to wait. If Spring is Hope, and Summer is Hope Fulfilled, then Autumn is Forgiveness.

Bayfield, Wisconsin

Forgiveness cleanses as the tree drops its leaves, surrendering to its Maker's will. So I too drop my burdens of bitterness, grudges and bad moods. And my heart is changed, set free. And I find that my grudges that seemed so heavy are really nothing at all. Another leaf flutters to the ground, and yet this too God makes beautiful. I rest, like the tree, free from its burdens, and the snow starts to fall.

Gently it falls, and what child is not joyfully pointing and yelling excitedly as the silent peace settles upon the land and in my heart? Though Winter tightens its grip, the peace remains and the cold will not enter. My heart stays warm- as long as I refuse to pick up my burdens that have long been rotting and buried under the purifying snow, then I too shall remain pure and white. Just like my Creator.

Lake Superior

The sun sets and sends its blazing red light across the lake reflecting off the clouds and the rising steam from the water. A wonderland of light. Even Eternal Beauty finds its way into a dark, cold world. And I am in awe of an Eternal Creator who can make a small, cold heart an amphitheater of warmth and light. Reminding me that even in the cold, there is warm Hope. Though unseen, Hope is there, buried underneath the snow, waiting patiently to bloom into full Joy beneath the Son.

Snickerdoodles (GF)

My kids like these better than the regular wheat Snickerdoodles. This recipe turns out more crunchy and buttery than I like, but maybe that's why the kids like them so much. If you like a chewy-er, softer cookie, than use less butter.

This recipe is not mine, it's taken from a Jules' CookiE-book. I don't use her GF flour mix anymore, but the cookies still turn out just fine.

Here's the recipe:

1 1/2 C sugar

1 C butter

2 eggs

2 3/4 C GF flour

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp cream of tartar

1/4 tsp salt

2 Tbs sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

Directions:

Cream shortening and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs and beat until combined.

In a separate bowl, whisk dry ingredients together: flour, b. soda, cream of tartar, salt. Add to wet ingredient bowl and mix thoroughly.

Cover tightly and refrigerate until cold, at least 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 400 F (static) or 375 (convection).

Shape dough into 1-inch balls by rolling in the palms of your hands. Roll each ball in the sugar and cinnamon mixture. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet spaced 1-inch apart, and bake for 8-9 minutes, or until lightly browning and puffed. Remove to cool on a wire rack; the cookies will sink slightly in the middle when cooled - this is normal.

Yield: approximately 3 dozen cookies.

Coffee Cake

I grew up with this recipe. It was my favorite thing to bake as a tween and beyond. I had it last year for my birthday and I must say, my tastes are changing. This cake is really, really sweet. Delicious, but sweet.

Here you go!:

In a large bowl mix:

1 1/2 sugar (of course!)
1/4 Cup + 2 T butter
2 eggs
1 tsp salt
5 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 C milk
3 C flour


Topping:

In a medium size bowl:

1 1/3 C Br. sugar
1 C flour
1/2 C Butter
2 tsp Cinnamon

Mixes best by hand, though if you are patient a spoon or fork will do.

In greased 9 x 13 pan, layer:
2/3 batter
1/2 topping
remaining batter
remaining topping

Bake at 350 F for 50-60 min or until light brown and toothpick comes clean.

Pie Crust (Super Duper)

Yes, this is Joel's mom's super duper pie crust. That's what we named it anyway. :) As far as we can tell, it's almost a no-fail crust.

5 Cup flour
12 oz 7Up or Sprite
1 lb lard/Crisco/Butter (2 1/2 Cups)
1 tsp salt

This will make 5 pie crusts. Proceed as you would with any other pie crust recipe.

Yo Bro

Two brothers.

Friends, buddies.

One teaches, the other learns,

Or is it the other way around?

Laugh and play,

tease and share.

Little boys,

Soon you will be men,

fathers, friends.

Treasure, mom, these moments,

Look beyond the negative,

the routine,

the day by day.

For there are diamonds here,

Hug them, kiss them,

Hold their hand.

Thank you Lord 

for these glittering stones of worth,

they melt my own heart of stone

and shine light into my 

day by day.

Gluten Free Bread

So here's the bread recipe that we use. Some people may not like it. I mean, it's gluten free bread, made with whole grain. But my gf girl loves it. She eats two loaves a week. Plus buns, pizza and such.

I pretty much just adapted this recipe from our Staple Bread recipe. I love simplicity. And after an accident and some tweaking, we got it.

1 Cup warm water
1 1/2 tsp yeast
small amount of molasses

Let bloom 5-10 min.

Add 360g GF flour (we use the whole grain mix)
1 tsp salt
1 Tb olive oil

Mix/stir, adding 2-4 Tb warm water as needed. Consistency should be like thick cake batter or a soft sticky cookie dough. Place in parchment paper lined loaf pan.
Cover and let rise 45 min. Bake at 400 F for 30 min.
Remove from pan and allow to cool before removing paper or slicing.
When cool, slice with non-serrated, sharp knife. (I find that turning the loaf upside down and slicing produces a cleaner slice of bread). Place wax paper or parchment paper in between slices. Freeze in plastic bag.

A New Year's Day Praise

Lots of changes have been happening in our home. Bedrooms and office switched around, Mommy and Daddy moved into the new bedroom downstairs, stuff that used to be in the basement is now upstairs or in the cold room. Cleaning, organizing and setting up. Along with all this change, the kids wanted to switch their places around at the table... 

This morning, breakfast was placed, as usual, on the table, at each place setting. But due to habit and miscommunication, Rachel, (our gluten free girl), ate a wheat muffin for breakfast.

Everyone felt horrible about it. Joel and I held our girl, knowing of the pain and discomfort that would come with having ingested gluten. We prayed for her, asking God to allow the muffin to work its way through with no side effects.

And now is the part I want to shout Hallelujah! Because that was 9:30 this morning. And now it is 3:45 in the afternoon. Nothing. No pain, no tummy aches, no complaining of any kind. 

Isn't this amazing??!! I mean, it was a WHEAT muffin!  

Thank you God for sparing my child and letting us see your miraculous power! Praise the Lord!