Just a quiet morning at home.  It is dark and very rainy.  I have some scented candles burning (mostly apple with some cranberry mandarin thrown in.  I enjoy the sound of the pouring rain on the trailer roof.  Think I'll bake some Apple Crisp this morning.

Blog entries may be sparse this week - Fall break starts tomorrow after chapel ... staying home, but enjoying not sharing hubby with school :)

Generosity and Tough Love

I am thankful today for the generosity of a friend.  A gardener friend of ours gave us a bag of beautiful sweet peppers last night.  When I calculate their worth based on the grocery store price, it was a very generous gift.  We enjoyed a beautiful batch of stuffed peppers for lunch (and there are leftovers too) and will use the remainder for some shish-kabobs very soon. 

Tough love?  Yes, recently I had to ask hubby to have tough love with me.  Hubby gets up very early to have his quiet time before heading off to school.  He usually lets me sleep, but I asked him to ensure that I get up with him rather than rolling over until it is time to make breakfast.  I am thankful for his help where I lack discipline.  It has been a very good week because I have started my day with the Lord and not allowed the day to "squeeze" out what is most important.  Family is often the most compassionate to our "needs" or desires - if you are having trouble, why not ask them for help?  Why should you have to ask?  They may want to help, but may not want to hurt your feelings or to incur some strange wrath from the one they love. 

...hopeth all things ...

I like to look at this aspect of love as the insurance against divorce.  Hope is a word that looks to the future.  The second coming of Jesus Christ is called our "hope."  It is what we rest in.  The future is very bright.  In love, hope is positive, is optimistic, it won't "throw in the towel."  How does love practice this hope?  It forgives and continues forgiving; it holds great expectations for the future; it seeks to do what it can to make things better.  Have you ever heard someone complain about their spouse, their marriage, their children and immediately you see how they could have eased the situation?  It is easy to see how others can encourage love, but harder to see in our own lives.  It is easy to get short-sighted in the midst of trials, or difficult days, or mood swings, but love looks beyond today and the offenses of it ... it just keeps loving. 

Of course, hope in man will cause disappointment at times.  Our true hope needs to be in the LORD.  It is He that can give us true love as described in I Corinthians 13 and can give us the grace to press on!

A Sure Foundation

Psalm 44:5-8

Through thee will we push down our enemies:

through thy name will we tread them under

that rise up against us.

For I will not trust in my bow,

neither shall my sword save me.

But thou hast saved us from our enemies,

and hast put them to shame that hated us.

In God we boast all the day long,

and praise thy name  forever.  Selah.

Think about it!

Green Tomato Update

Just letting you know, I did not forget to give my opinion on the Green Tomato Bread ... I had pumpkin thawed in the fridge that turned into sweet bread and now I have some bananas that are really ready for some baked treat.  The green tomato puree is ready, maybe for next Monday?

Are you celebrating today?

Happy Sweetest Day!

Today is "Sweetest Day."  OK, it is also Bosses Day.  For me, I celebrate the same person.  Hubby is working today and then going hunting, but we will have a special dinner later tonight (unless he is processing a deer).  Will you show and speak appreciation to your "sweetest" today?


***update on the hunt:  hubby hit the deer, but then he was unable to find it before having to call it a night.  Another hunt planned for Saturday night!

October Macs

I am thankful for my trip to the apple orchard last week.  There were 3 blessings about the trip.  The first was beautiful, sunny, yet cool, weather - the kind of autumn weather that you imagine when you think of September and October.  The second blessing was that we found an orchard that was $10 a bushel cheaper than the one we have gone to 2 other times.  The third blessing was MACS!  We arrived at the orchard and a worker asked if he could help us.  I asked what apple would most closely resemble my favorite Mac.  He pointed out the door and said "Those 2 rows right there ARE Hampshire Macs!"  They were definitely thin, but we easily picked 1 bushel and have been enjoying Snacking and baking rather than just baking.  I count it as a "token of good" from the good hand of our God.

ALSO ...
               A shout out to my Dad ...

                         HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!

Fit Words

Proverbs 25:11

A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold

in pictures of silver.

I am so thankful for people who know the right thing to say.  It really is a gift.  It is just too easy to speak without thinking.  Can you imagine walking up to a war veteran who lost his legs in the war and complaining about a stubbed toe?  Can you imagine complaining that your extra BMW is in the shop to someone who is holding their one car together with duct tape and chewing gum?  I know that I thoughtlessly open my mouth many times and we are all painfully aware of the hurtful words of others.  I am thankful that in the midst of a painful world, the Lord sends those who understand the affect that their words can have.  I am thankful  for opportunities to see the difficulties that others face, in hope that I will be more conscious of my words and actions toward them. 

"...believeth all things ..."

Have you ever accomplished "the impossible" simply because you had someone supporting you, someone believing in your abilities, someone who could see your possibility?  Charity has this trait.  Charity "believeth all things."  The world tears down husbands as lazy, incompetent, clueless.  This has crept into our homes and churches.  There are many men who may never succeed or accomplish anything simply because their wives and families do not believe in them.  This often happens with children as well.  We attach labels at the drop of a hat ... "Johnny is our loud child ... Mark is the slow one ... Susie can't do math ... Sharon has to be told 3 times before she obeys."  How often do our labels create the child's behavior?  Why not believe that Johnny can be quiet and encourage him, Mark can work quickly with some motivation, Susie can succeed at Math, and Sharon can learn to obey quickly.  Believe in your loved ones.

While love is not gullible, it does give the benefit of the doubt.  It is generous rather than accusatory.  Are you slow to accept an answer and quick to jump to conclusions?  This is not the nature of Charity.

How can you encourage your loved ones day?  What will they accomplish because you believe in them?

Lovingkindness

Psalm 36:7

How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God!

therefore the children of men put their trust

under the shadow of thy wings.

God's love and goodness in the lives of His children is a great witness to the lost.

Do I show the goodness of God to everyone around me?

or do I act as if I have no Heavenly Father caring for me?

More Green Tomato Recipes

Well, the Green Tomato Pie was edible.  I offered hubby a piece and he was a bit reluctant, but after a bite, he agreed that it was good.  We both had some texture issues with it, but managed to eat the whole pie in the last few days.

I did a search for green tomato recipes this morning.  Seems that they should be fried (not going to happen in this house), or pickled, or made into some sort of relish.  I did find a recipe for Green Tomato Bread here and I think that I will try it.  Currently I have some green pulp in the blender and I will need to drain it and then set to work.

Green Tomato Bread

1/2 c oil

8 oz plain yogurt

3 egg

2 c sugar

2 c green tomatoes, pureed and drained

2 c all purpose flour

1 c whole wheat flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/8 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cloves

Preheat oven to 350*. Grease two loaf pans. Combine oil, yogurt, eggs, sugar, and green tomatoes and mix well. Combine all purpose flours, baking powder, baking soda, and spices and add to wet ingredients. Stir together just until combined. Divide between two pans and bake just until a toothpick comes clean from the center of the bread, about 45 minutes. Let cool in pans, then remove. Wrap in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator. May be frozen.  (puree may also be frozen for use at a later date)

I need to bake some more everyday bread today as well.  I made a turkey on Friday and a fresh loaf of bread Saturday and we have really enjoyed hot turkey sandwiches!  I also have a pile of laundry from the church prophet's chamber along with farm clothes to tend to.  It is supposed to be warm for a few days, but at least the nights are cool!  I will let you know how the bread turned out after we have tried it :)

Picking Apples Again

I love to experiment in the kitchen ... not with creating my own recipes, but in trying unique recipes that I haven't used before.  Last night, hubby had some late night studying to do; we had just finished a pumpkin pie; and I decided to make a new pie in honor of the end of the gardening season (I had just ripped out all my tomato plants).  Hubby got excited until he heard what I was making ... Green Tomato Pie!  It sure is an UGLY pie, but it tastes like any fall pie with cinnamon and sugar.  I don't think that I could bring myself to serve it to guests, but it is a good way to use those last tomatoes. 

In any case, hubby decided that in order to end the experiments, he needed to take me apple picking again!  There won't be any Macs this time, but something useful for crisps, breads, muffins, and pies.

A Goodwill Store in my own Bedroom

Well I am getting a late start this morning, not because I was being lazy or sleeping in, but because I was going through 4 bags + of clothes from a friend.  I am thankful for the generosity of those who let me peek at their clothes that are bound for Goodwill before they donate them.  I have rarely seen so many modest skirts in one place at one time - WOW!  I love Goodwill and hand-me-downs, because they tend to be more modest than the fashions of today and today's finds were.  I don't have 4 bags worth of needs, so I picked out a few things to change up my wardrobe and now it is time to find some more people who can be blessed as I was ... wish my sisters-in-law lived closer ... Watch out neighborhood!

...Beareth all things, ...

True love seeks to cover, to forgive, to forget.  I think that much of the pain in failing marriages is caused by storing up grievances that can be hurled when a disagreement arises.  Do I cover the failings of my husband or seek to show them to our friends and family members?  Do I use his failings to make myself look better or to "get a laugh?"  Do I truly forgive, or just in word for a moment?  A godly love will forgive and will seek to cover the faults of another.

Psalm 25:11

For thy name's sake,

O Lord,

pardon mine iniquity;

for it is great.

I love the honesty of the Psalms.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Do you suppose David was a "man after God's own heart"

because he saw his sin for what it was?

~*~*~*~*~*~

Let's be honest with God today.

Lentil Stew

With the presence of overcast days and cooler daytime (and nighttime) temperatures, I am encouraged to get back to making soups, stews, and chilis.  Friday night I made a wonderful new recipe for Lentil Stew with a fresh loaf of bread and then on Saturday I made a basic chili with a new recipe for Southern Spoon bread.  The spoon bread was a "southern" version of corn bread, I guess, kind of like  a custard, or a corn pudding.  To me, the lentil stew was comparable to beef stew, maybe better.  It was very warm and hearty.

Lentil Stew

1 c dry lentils

6 c water

2 T broth powder

2 T soy sauce

1 onion, diced

4 carrots, diced

2 celery stalks, diced

4 potatoes, diced

1/2 tsp dried parsley

3 T flour

3 T butter, melted

Rinse the lentils.  Add all of the ingredients except the flour and butter to a large pot.  Cook over med. heat for 35 minutes.

In a small bowl mix the flour, and butter into a paste.  Whisk the paste into the stew and stir constantly or 3-4 minutes.  The stew will thicken as you stir.

Broth Powder

1 c nutritional yeast flakes (also called brewers yeast)

3 T onion powder

3 T garlic powder

1 T salt

1 tsp celery seed

2 T Italian seasoning

2 T dried parsley

1/2 tsp pepper

1 tsp marjoram

1 tsp. tarragon  (I didn't have this, so I just omitted it)

1 tsp. paprika

Place all ingredients in a blender, cover, and blend for 3-4 seconds or until well mixed.  Sore in an airtight jar for up to 6 months.

Notes: 

Add 1 T to a cup of hot water for a cup of soup or stock. 

Two tsp of this recipe plus 1/2 tsp of salt is the equivalent of 1 bouillon cube. 

To use commercial broth powder in place of homemade broth powder, reduce the salt in the recipe by 1/2 tsp for every 2 tsp of commercial broth powder used.

I had a profitable weekend.  The trailer has been fall cleaned except for the stove and the guest room; the remaining plants in the garden are slowly being mulched and put in the compost.  It is good to go through things again, to clean down the walls and light fixtures, to return things to their proper locations, ... AAAHHH CLEAN!  Today I think that I will make some scarecrows for the empty garden space.  That will be fun.  Maybe then I will start to attack the guest room which has become an unsightly catch-all!

A New Month

Well, September is gone and I turned the calendar to October this morning.  What should greet me but a picture of my folks' home?  Not really, but there sits an Amish buggy, a pile of pumpkins,and those big farm houses with barn and silos beside.  Reminds me of the street where they live and of grandma and grandpa's house.  And makes me want a donut - they're big a cheap out in Amish Country!  I guess it is a good thing that I don't live there anymore.

My morning walk/jog/run was beautiful today.  It is so much cooler this week and I had hymns filling my mind and it was nice to see the sun after a few cloudy days.  I just finished my smoothie for breakfast and need to get a shower.  The weekend doesn't hold anything extraordinary - more fall cleaning in the guest room and catch-all room (my office and hubby's hobby room and our exercise room),  regular weekend cleaning, and hopefully some more work outside if it is going to be THIS beautiful.

If you haven't guessed it ... I LOVE AUTUMN!!!!!!

Bring on the crisp mornings, the crunchy leaves, the pumpkin spice lattes, the apple crisp, the pumpkin pies, the fall flowers, the scarecrows ... AAHHHH!