Cinnamon Bread

For those of you who are my friends on Facebook, you probably saw my status about putting my seven loaves of homemade cinnamon bread in bags. Well I thought I would show you what the dough to seven loaves of bread look like.

It was quite comical. I used the biggest bowl that I have in the house. The recipe called for 24 cups of flour. All you bakers out there know that I could not possibly make a batch of bread that big with any type of electric appliance. Who needs a gym when you are kneading that much dough! My arms got a great workout!

Each of my kids got a ball of their own dough to knead, roll out, smear butter all over then sprinkle (dump) cinnamon on. They get so excited for their bread to rise. "How big will it get Mommy, when is it done rising Mommy?" Are just two of the questions that I get about every 5 min.

Oh and the smell of my house as the bread is baking is just phenomenal! The best part is that I KNOW my family is eating something very good and healthy for them.

I think I need a bigger bowl (this was the big Tupperware bowl)!

Anyone have a HUGE bowl they don't need anymore? I am thinking that I might make this again, possibly this week for a few privileged people who are related to me. Just a thought though....

Blessings!

I Just Can't Help It!

I have to post some more pictures of my nephew. The kids and I went up to see him again yesterday and of course I took my camera. I just can't get over how cute he is! He is truly a masterpiece!

He loves to chew on his tongue, a few times I caught him sticking it out. Lucky for me, I had my camera ready for it:-)

I was thinking about them last night as MY baby had me up EVERY two hours (I am supposed to be over that stage). It will be fun to watch Paul and Nadia figure out what this parenting thing is all about. They are just beginning this new season of life, I am slightly jealous....

Remembering.....Waking up, just to make sure the baby is still breathing (by the time the third one comes, you don't do this anymore....). Being able to change the diaper, nurse, and burp while still sleeping. Throwing a heating pad in the bassinet to keep it warm, so that when you laid the baby down, it didn't get startled awake by a cold bed (key to this one is making sure you TAKE OUT THE HEATING PAD....Micah got a little cooked one night). Finally getting a shower at 4pm, because you were SO BUSY taking care of a baby all day (do you know how much I could get done now if I had just one baby??). Loving the fact that God made my body to nourish my child... I could keep going on, but it makes me a little teary-eyed.

Nadia and Donal went home today....I pray that the transition from couple to parents goes smoothly for Paul and Nadia. It is such a precious time, Cherish it...drink it in....it goes too fast...

For My Dad

The other day Dad and I were talking. He was trying to think back to the last time he was able to give a "horsey ride". He couldn't remember. His back has been so bad, now with his most recent surgery, it has completely robbed him of all things he once enjoyed...like playing with his grandkids, holding them.

That was one of the games we used to play with my Dad as kids. We have pictures of us up on top of our horsey. I reassured my Dad that they do get horsey rides from their Daddy, he was so happy to hear that. So here is proof that the tradition of horsey rides live on in our house. Jilli even gives horsey rides to Daddy!

Blessings!

A Little Early

What a day....This morning I received a phone call from my Dad asking me to make sure my camera had film and my batteries were all charged up. I was sort of confused. We were having Nadia's baby shower today, so I figured I could take some pictures of that, but why would Dad call me just to tell me that? Then he told me....Nadia's water broke last night and they are at the Hospital awaiting the arrival of their baby. What a shock! She is three weeks early!


After church I received a phone call, the baby BOY was born at 11:17am he was 6# 9oz 20in. Through God's grace, Mommy and Baby are doing well. Nadia had to have an emergency C-section. The baby's heart rate would drop as low as 60bpm during the contractions. Paul and Nadia learned after the birth, that the cord was wrapped around his neck....twice...very tightly.

Very quickly I left my house to take care of some last minute details for Nadia's shower that was still taking place in two hours. Swung by my parents house to pick up Nadia's Mom and Laurie and up to the hospital we flew to grab a few pictures to show off at the shower.

I couldn't get over how beautiful this new little one was (is)! This little one was named after his Grandpas. First name after my Dad and his middle name after Nadia's Father who has passed on.Congratulations Paul and Nadia on the birth of Donal Alexander Van Dyk!

(side note, the red scratch on Donal's head (seen well in the first picture)was more than likely caused by the back of the scalpel when they were quickly trying to get him out)

Bet you can't wait to get here and hold your new nephew Uncle Timmy and Aunt Melissa!

Blessings!

Making Bread

I am striving to become all the God created me to be. Part of that is expanding my abilities in the kitchen. Most of you know that I do not enjoy time spent making food, it's just not a gift of mine. But God doesn't call me to enjoy every job He has given me. He just calls me to find joy in doing the jobs (my joy just maybe completing the job).

An example of my ever expanding abilities... I am now trying to make all of our own bread, rolls, hamburger buns, hot dog buns, etc. Not that it is that much more cost effective, it's just SO much healthier for you. I can put so many wonderful things in the bread that my children (husband) eat. I am not going to tell you all of my secret ingredients because my husband reads this... Having the family history of colon cancer like I do, I really want to be proactive for my family and myself. Bread is just one of the ways I can do that.

Making bread is also a fun thing for the kids to do. I remember my Mom making bread every week when we were growing up. She would always give us our own piece of dough to knead. We got to pick what (if anything) we were going to put inside of it. I always put cinnamon in mine. What a great memory I would like to pass down to my kids.

My kids are already catching on the the fun of kneading the dough. I showed them how to do it, and then I said they could beat on it too....you don't have to tell them twice:-)

OK, so I am going on the homeschooling thing again.....If I didn't have my kids home, how could I do all I do with them? We would miss out on so much together! Micah would be in school full time right now. He would have to be to school around 8am and then wouldn't get home until around 3:30pm. All those hours someone else is influencing him....no thanks! Sure life would be easier...one less kid all day, wow, can't imagine what I could get done. But God didn't say parenting was supposed to be easy. I am so blessed to have the choice of keeping my babies at home, sheltering them, loving on them, pouring myself into them. May not always be good, life around here isn't always pretty, but it sure smells better with home made bread in the oven!"These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road (when you are making bread), when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on you hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates." Deut 6:6-9

Blessings!

Picture from Tonight

This is a face of a little boy who should be in bed....but instead is getting a little time with Daddy while his siblings are sleeping.

Our Little Night Owl. He usually stays in his bed playing for an hour after we put him to bed, but tonight he was finding every excuse in the book to get out of bed. This is not a regular occurrence, so...we cherish his smiles and giggles and laughter....then back up to bed he goes on Daddy's back.

Good Night TyTy!

Having Fun

(this post is a few days old...had problems uploading pictures to it. sorry for the delay)

I thought that I would post a few more pictures from last Friday. As the tradition continues, Aunt Laurie was there for all the fun and excitement. The kids always think it is so cool when Aunt Laurie decides to hang with us for the evening.

This next bit of info, I am sharing just because I want to remember this...

Yesterday Tyler told me that he wanted to wish on the wish star at night. I asked him why and he told me because he wanted to make a wish (duh Mom). I asked him what the wish was......."I want to wish for more baby sisters". Oh boy.....By the time it came to look for a wish star....it was cloudy and there were no stars to be seen...Good Thing! Then he told me that the next night he wanted to "wish that our house was the biggest in the neighborhood". Now that one is a little easier for me to deal with!

Blessings!

Sunshine

What a beautiful stretch of days. Warm with soft breezes. Kids running in and out enjoying the sunshine. Ahhh, but that is all about to change.



Life as we know it is changing again. Seems like we are always adjusting to change. I guess that is part of life..... So I will again adjust to this next season of life and wait until the Sun shine's warm again on us.

God's Blessings

Today

Waking up to my husband kissing me goodbye (no better way to wake up). I turned over and looked at the clock, and began. "Father God, I pray that you would open the eyes, remove the blinders, give courage to those that are still undecided. Silence Satan today Lord. Let Your voice be the only voice heard today. Unleash your Angels upon us Lord, protect those in service today, protect my brother, keep harm far from him. Let this be the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it."

My friend calls, letting me know she just spent 50min in line (she was calling around 7:45am). She told me that while she stood in line she was warfare praying. She said the people around her probably thought she was crazy. We both laughed. People think we are crazy all the time. God hear the prayers of your faithful servant, who got up before the sun to place her vote!

I have another friend coming today. We are going to teach our children together. Then we are going to show our children how two, stay at home, homeschooling mothers can approach the Thrown of God. Praying for our country, for our fellow citizens, for each other, our husbands, our children. Let's watch what God can do, for where there are two or more gathered in His name there He will be also.

Tonight when Daddy gets home, we are going to teach our children how important it is to vote. We will go together as a family, for however long it takes, we will stand there, all of us, as a family, waiting for our turn to place our vote.

At close of day, we will again come before God, praying. Knowing He has us in His hand, He will guide us. We will faithfully lay our lives down before him, willing to go and do what he has planned for us, no matter the cost.

I could cry

I am beyond upset. I have been working my tail off to get a wedding done and uploaded to my website and....my website is gone. I have no idea what happened too it. Looks like someone took my web address. I have no idea how this could even happen. I had to just email the bride and let her know that they won't be there tomorrow.....I am so frustrated!

So here is too the happy couple that can't see their pictures!