Snow, Snow, Snow...

     ~ It feels like just yesterday I sat down in front of the computer and posted, but my blog would beg to differ. :o) It has been quite busy around here with snow, snow, and more snow. Not as much as Wisconsin but a pretty fair amount. We much enjoy sledding and simply playing in the snow. After church we stayed and went sledding with a couple families, and we made a huge ramp to get us going *really* fast.

First "Big Snowstorm"

Chess Game

Sledding!!!

 

Down Our Big Ramp! All this was at church. :o)



                                     

Beard...

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

A Couple *Scrumptious* Recipes I have Recently Tried:

 

Easy Dinner Rolls

 

Ingredients:

 

2 packages dry yeast (about 4 1/2 tsp.)

3/4 cup warm water

1/3 cup sugar

1 tsp. salt

1 egg, beaten

1/2 cup butter, melted

3 to 3 1/2 cups flour, divided

 

Instructions:

 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Dissolve yeast in warm water. Add sugar, salt, egg, butter, and 1 cup flour; mix well. Stir in enough flour to make soft dough; mix well. Shape dough into ball. Grease dough, turning to grease all sides. Return dough to bowl. Cover; let rise until doubled. Punch down and shape into balls; let rise for 30 minutes longer. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Yields about 12 rolls.

 

Oatmeal Bread

 

Ingredients:

 

4 cups boiling water

2 cups oats

1 cup whole-wheat flour

1/2 cup honey

4 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons salt (or just shake some in)

2 tablespoons yeast

1 cup warm water

1/4 cup vinegar

12 to 14 cups all-purpose flour

 

Instructions:

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour boiling water over oats, whole-wheat flour, sugar, butter, and salt; mix well. Cool until lukewarm. Dissolve yeast in 1 cup warm water. Mix into batter along with vinegar and all-purpose flour. Set in warm place and let rise until doubled. Punch down and shape into four loaves. Bake for 30 minutes or until done.

 

 

     ~ I split the Oatmeal Bread recipe in half because I didn't want to make four loaves since I wasn't sure if it would be any good. Splitting it in half turned out just fine, and it tasted *wonderful*. I love trying any kind of bread recipe! Bread is my absolute favorite.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

Just finished reading: Sense and Sensibility (beautiful!) and The Shunning by Beverly Lewis

 

I am reading: Jane Eyre and waiting to get The Confession, which comes after The Shunning, from the library

 

I recently watched: Sense and Sensibility! :o) and One Night With the King

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am listening to: this song and this song

 

"How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog- it's here a little while, then it's gone."

                                                      :~: James 4:14 :~:

 

"The grass withers and the flowers fade, but the word of our God stands forever."

                                                      :~: Isaiah 40:8 :~:

 

 



~::~Photography~::~

  

      Photography is beauty of its own kind. The most joy is brought through the wondrous creation of the Lord, the earth. Viewing nature though the lens of a camera brings a whole new world to the eye. A view of peace and quietness from the outside world. There is only the unique chirping of many beautiful birds, the flapping of wings, and the patter of feet when animals scurry across the ground. Nobody in these relaxing habitats have to worry about politics or the corruptness of this world. They are just animals living together, trying to survive.
     Cameras are beloved, treasured wonders that bring memories of all kinds to life! Anywhere you go, visit, or explore will be remembers forever if you just bring out the camera and get creative. You don't necessarily even need to be creative, just take the picture! Capture the wonderful images, guard them in your heart as a keepsake. These pictures are treasured memories. Keep them in a box where they will all float around together until you open the box once again, bringing the memories rushing back so clearly. Opening that box just another short time, remembering adventures and people, wishing you were there again - wanting to revisit every single moment and never allowing yourself to forget, your greatest fear of all.
     Photographs are the key to the memory chamber in our large mind, which is constantly being filled and filled with more information and memories. Some are dusty with age, some are black and white while others are many different, extravagant colors. Just by taking a glimpse you can tell whether it has been years since the memory has been taken or not.

~ To Live with Christ ~

Luke 9:46-62

"No one who puts his hand on the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God."
                                                                                      ::Luke 9:62::

           "In a strange way, Jesus could be very strict. Today, we read about people who wanted to follow Him, but they wanted to wait a while. They had important things to do first. But when people said they wanted to attend to other matters first, Jesus unrelentingly answered, 'Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you' (Matthew 6:33). This was the only way to do it. Nothing else should come before the kingdom of God.
           Maybe we recall Jesus' words about what was sown among the thistles. It isn't only obvious sins that can keep a person away from God, but also honorable duties, daily obligations, things we think can't be neglected.
          The question is, what comes first? God created us to live with Him, through Him, for Him, and to Him. We can't do that without His Word. It's through His Word that God begins a relationship with us. The Word needs time. You can't hear it, read it, or learn it without devoting a certain amount of time to it. We have to take that time. We shouldn't let anything disturb us during that time. There are a great many distractions that try to do that. Jesus speaks about the concerns we have today that demand our attention and fill our day. They're already waiting for us at our bedside in the morning. They demand our interest and set the order of the day for us. They make us wonder how we will find time for everything. It's tempting to shorten our morning prayer or forget it altogether. It's so easy for us to say: I don't have time today. Now the thorns are beginning to grow over our heads. They will keep growing until one day we may no longer see heaven.

         

 

Lord, tell me every day that I need to seek Your king-

      dom first. I need to hear it so much. I know what

      is most important, and yet it is easy for me to let

      everything else get in the way. I know that Your

      Word is the bread of life and I can't live without it.

      Yet, I still try to, time after time. But I don't neglect

      my meals. I very seldom let anything get in the

      way of them. Lord, make me that concerned about

      my soul so it receives the bread of life it needs so

      much. Make it obvious to me that You come first

      and are more important than anything else in the

      world. I can live without most of what I have in

      this world, but I can't live without You."

 

                               :~:Bo Giertz:~:

 
~ This is from the book To Live with Christ. It is a daily devotions book by Bo Giertz. My dad checked it out from the church library, and he had me read this one the other day. It really piqued my interest, so I thought I would share it with you all. :0) I hope you find it just as intriguing and enchanting to the mind as I did.

::Past Week::

~ It sure has been crazy around here, and that is why I haven't had any time to blog. My mother and brother had the flu, so they were trying to shake that. With them being sick and my dad at work, I had to do a little more work. {At least I felt like it. :o)}

~ We have been eating lots of egg and cheese sandwiches around here! especially for breakfast. They taste so wonderful and are so easy to make!

~ I have started reading The Iliad by Homer for school. :o) I have read The Odyssey before (and I have to read it again after The Iliad), and I really enjoyed reading it.

~ Last Monday, I cooked quite a bit for one day, and I really loved it! I attempted to make 3 loaves of wheat bread (the recipe called for three), but they just didn't rise right! Does anyone have any really good wheat bread recipes? I would really love one where the bread rises.

~ I made soft pretzels! Which we all love here, and they are the easiest to make!

~ On Wednesday, we went to the capitol to talk to our legislators. We met with 16 legislators (representatives and senators) from our area. This was my first time actually talking to them about our legislative priorities for our group, and it went really well! After talking the first time, I kept building more confidence, which was great! :o)

~ I am now onto another book written by Beverly Lewis called The Shunning. I just started it, so I'm not far at all.

~ Pictures from the last week: