Beautiful Pictures

You have to go to this site. L. Herbert Designs, click on the egg. Laryssa has beautiful and affordable prints. I finally ordered my first one from her, The Brown Egg with Blue Feather. I am soooo pleased. I have a few more to get.

This soup is amazing, healthy, inexpensive, easy to cook and delicious. Try it!!!!

Tuscan Chickpea Soup

Randy Mayor; Lydia DeGaris-Pursell

Garlic, rosemary, balsamic vinegar, and Parmesan cheese deliver authentic Mediterranean flavors.

Yield

6 servings

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cups finely chopped onion
• 8 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 cups water (I did not add any water)
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh or 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 3 (15 1/2-ounce) cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
• 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 to 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 6 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Preparation

Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, and cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in the water and the next 5 ingredients (water through tomatoes), and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes.

Place 2 cups soup in a blender or food processor, and process until smooth. Pour the pureed soup into a bowl. Repeat procedure with 2 cups soup. Return all pureed soup to pan. Stir in the vinegar, and bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Spoon 1 1/2 cups soup into each of 6 bowls; sprinkle each serving with 1 tablespoon cheese.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

373 (22% from fat)

Fat:

9.1g (sat 2.1g,mono 4.5g,poly 1.6g)

Protein:

15g

Carbohydrate:

59.7g

Fiber:

11.4g

Cholesterol:

5mg

Iron:

3.7mg

Sodium:

955mg

Calcium:

197mg

Cooking Light, OCTOBER 2001

Long Hiatus

It has been a long hiatus from blogging. Let me give you a small update.
1. My reading through the Bible has gone well. I am into Exodus, still Psalm and starting John tomorrow morning. It has been the best read through the Bible because even if you miss a week you are not behind when you start again. I don't feel like a failure.
2. We did not get much out of the garden this year. We did get some peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, rosemary, zucchini, summer squash and basil. The luffas are coming out right now.
3. The quail are gone but we do have 8 hens and 2 ducks. We are getting about 5-8 eggs a day. Unfortunately, the ducks are both male. So instead of Ozzie and Harriet, as of this morning they are Ozzie and Harry.
4. My job is good. My husband's new business is doing well.
5. The house still has not had any work done to it since December when we painted the kitchen and adjacent room red. We have both been busy.

Reading through the Bible

I have tried and tried to use other ministries reading through the Bible and I end up quitting. I am NOT sure why. I have now started my own, Reading Through the Bible. It is simple, essentially what I am doing is reading a chapter in the Old Testament, New Testament and Psalm then Proverbs a day....

Try it and see if it works for you......no pressure....no I missed a day and I am behind....because you are never behind because is not about reading it in a year...it is about reading it period.

Psalm 112 NASB

This chapter in Psalm keeps coming up...through vastly different people for about a month:




Psalm 112
Praise the LORD!
How blessed is the man who fears the LORD,
Who greatly delights in His commandments.
His descendants will be mighty on earth;
The generation of the upright will be blessed.
Wealth and riches are in his house,
And his righteousness endures forever.
Light arises in the darkness for the upright;
He is gracious and compassionate and righteous.
It is well with the man who is gracious and lends;
He will maintain his cause in judgment.
For he will never be shaken;
The righteous will be remembered forever.
He will not fear evil tidings;
His heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.
His heart is upheld, he will not fear,
Until he looks with satisfaction on his adversaries.
He has given freely to the poor;
His righteousness endures forever;
His horn will be exalted in honor.
The wicked will see it and be vexed;
He will gnash his teeth and melt away;
The desire of the wicked will perish

Busyness of LIfe

Maybe because it is summer, I just don't seem to have time to post like I would like too. We are just plain busy...I am happy to say that our TV watching might be a few hours a week (if that much) we just don't watch TV anymore...and definitely no news. We really have not watched it since February. We do have a clue about what is going on, Iran, China, North Korea, economy, etc....even that celebrities die...I am sorry for their families but I do not understand how perfect strangers can be so distraught over it...I am tenderheart to the lady that I work with whose husband died 2 weeks and ago. Both of them worked with me, Monday will be a tearful day for all of us when she comes back....but celebrities...and the White House issues a statement about one of them...

Church

We just got finished with church. We attend church in a little unconventional way. We (my husband and I) attend church online. We have Sunday morning and Wednesday evening services at our kitchen table.

This actually takes a bigger commitment to God for us then if we got in the car to drove to church. I mean who is going to know that we have not attended. It's not social. We aren't playing church. We aren't looking around seeing who is there, who is not, what so and so is wearing. We are focused on God. Worshiping Him. Praising Him. Exalting Him.

It's Been Awhile

I have not blogged in awhile. I have been focusing on God and that will be increasing. I think for some of us we are juggling jobs, homes, family, vegetable gardens, farm animals (even in a city) and daily (and weekend) chores. It can be quiet inundating. Sometimes some of the things that we like to do get put on the back burner. One thing that I can say about my husband and I that the highest priority is God. We put him first by reading His Word, meditating, praying, studying, listening, sharing what you learn and living it....living it is the key....not to be just hearers of the Word but doers.

Psalm 103: 1-5

Bless the Lord, O my soul;
And all that is within me, bless His holy name.
Bless the Lord, O my soul And forget none of His benefits;
Who pardons all your iniquities;
Who heals all your diseases;
Who redeems your life from the pit;
Who crowns you with loving-kindness and compassion;
Who satisfies your years with good things,
So that your youth is re-newed like the eagle

Stand by Me

A friend of my husband's sent this link to him...it is worth it..it is pretty awesome.





http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=2539741



It is a composite audio/video of song whereby additional

Tracks were laid in by different singers and musicians from different

Places around the world. The finished product is tremendous!



The song itself is that classic standard "Stand By Me" originally released

In 1955 by The Staple Singers and released again in 1961 by the Drifters.



This composite version is a real toe tapper, so turn up the speaker volume

Challenge

The picture above is of half of my pantry and I also have a separate spice cabinet, separate condiment cabinet and separate seed/grain cabinet.

I challenge you. See if you can live off of what is in your frig, freezer and pantry for 2 weeks without going to the store(this is perfect for me because I do not like going to the grocery store.) You can go to the store to buy milk, eggs and fresh fruit and vegetables but that is it. See if you can do it. Start it the week after Easter after you have gone to the store. I will let you know how Brent and I did at the end of the 2 weeks on this challenge.

No one can really tell you what constitutes a well stocked pantry for your household, only you can but there are plenty of guidelines on the internet that can assist you.

HAVE FUN!!!!!

Not Posting

Sorry for not posting anything in the past couple of days. I am going post again this weekend. I have a lot to share next week.....

Simplify Your Life

In my devotional time yesterday, the heading was Simplify Your Life from Pursuit of His Presence by Kenneth and Gloria Copeland. It really reinforces what we are doing in our household. I would like to share it with you.

The scripture reference is Mark 4:18-19
Simplify Your Life! by Gloria Copeland
In the years I have lived by faith, I've noticed that it's easy to become entangled in the affairs of this life. In fact, it sometimes seems as though this world is like an octopus always trying to grab you with its tentacles. If you don't watch out, it will wrap itself around you until you're completely caught up in the mundane, trivial things of this world.

If you let them, those trivial pursuits will hold you down and keep you from soaring on into the eternal things of God. They will choke out the Word that has been planted in your heart and leave you without faith and without power. That's what Mark 4:18-19 is talking about.

Here in the United States, we must be especially vigilant against such entanglements because we have such an abundance of material possessions! We can easily end up spending all our time just taking care of them.

As the Lord told a friend of mine in prayer one day, this nation has become a nation of maintenance men. We maintain our house. We maintain out yard. We maintain our car and our hair, our nails and our clothes. The problem is, by the time we've done what it takes to maintain all the natural things in our lives, we often don't have any time left to maintain the spirit man who lives on the inside of us.

There's only one thing to do: Simplify your life.

"But Gloria," you say, "the things I do are important. I can't just cut them out of my life!"

Listen, there's nothing more important than spending time with God in prayer and in the Word. So make whatever adjustments you must to spend time with God. Whenever you take on anything new, count the cost--not just in money, but in time. Ask yourself, Can I afford this spiritually? Can I spare the precious hours and minutes this project (possession, hobby, etc.) will require and still have plenty of time to fellowship with the Lord?

If the answer is no, then set that project aside. I realize that may mean passing up some things you enjoy, but remember, your aim is not to please yourself. It's to please the One who enlisted you. And believe me, when you make sacrifices to Him, He always makes sure you're well-rewarded--fellowship with God is "the good life."

For Further Study: Luke 12-22-31

Speak the Word: I lay aside every weight which so easily besets me. Hebrew 12:1

I Don't Do That Anymore

Well it has been 3 months since I no longer drink Diet Coke....I LOVED Diet Coke...it was the first thing that I drank in the morning and the last thing at night...when I was hungry, I got a DC...when I was stressed, I got a DC. I could drink in 1 to 3 days a case of it.

...and boy did I eat the junk food. I craved it. When I lived in Slidell, I would stop at the gas station right outside my neighborhood and get 2 more Diet Cokes and 2 Hubig lemon pies as my breakfast and for the drive to work. I ate chips and candy bars and junk all day long with all the Diet Cokes.

...and the salt that I would add to my food was a truck load. I did not even taste the food before I poured the salt on it. And I do mean pour it on.

The other day, I realized (and my husband did too)...I don't eat junk food anymore and I rarely add salt to my food after it is cooked.

I am not a nutritionist but it seems to me that something in Diet Coke made me crave junk food and salt

Things have changed....for the better

refusing confusion, i only focus on Jesus!

We (Brent and I) receive a partners letter from Kenneth Copeland Minsitries once a month. This month it is about keeping our eyes on Jesus.

Proverbs 4:20-27

1. My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings.
Instead of ever altering God's Word to my lifestyle, I make the quality decision to always alter my lifestyle to fit the Word
2. Let them not depart from thine eyes;
I give my attention only to the Word, keeping it in front of my eyes CONSTANTLY!
3. Keep them in the midst of thine heart.
I keep the Word in my heart and refuse to be sidetracked, allowing His promised harvest to come (Mark 4:14:20).
4. For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh. Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.
Since the Word is vital to my health and to my very life, I give no attention to things that would rob my peace and engender strife. I stay on the faith side of everything. I stay on the love side.
5. Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee.
I know that my mouth speaks out of the abundance of my heart. I put away any disobedience or unbelief from my heart ---from my mouth!
6. Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee. Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all they ways be established. Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.
By attending to the Word and keeping my eyes on Jesus, I always know where I am and where I'm going. My ways are established. I will not be confused.

From a Pile of Wood

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This project started because I wanted some coasters but I was not about to pay $7.00 for some coasters that I really did not like and only got 4 of them.

So, we have this wood pile in the back of the house from a oak tree that Brent (my sweetheart) and his dad cut down last year.

My sweetheart



Well...guess what...Brent cut them into 8- 1/2 pieces for me and I am putting on several coats of varnish on them. See the pictures below.




The grain of the wood is very pretty....

The Force of Righteousness

Well, I have finished this little book. I recommend it to anyone that wants to understand what our standing is before God in Jesus Christ.

Below is a piece from the book that really spoke to me:

"The righteousness of God in Jesus Christ is the driving force behind our faith, causing us to triumph in His Name.

Jesus triumphed over Satan in three areas.

First, during His earthly ministry, He spoke to Satan and said, "It is written..." (Matthew 4:4,7,10), and Satan had to obey the Word of God.

Second, at the cross and resurrection, Jesus stripped Satan of his power and took the keys of hell and death.

However, the third and most important area of Jesus' triumph over Satan is His victory in the new birth. It was impossible in Satan's thinking for God to take a man in sin, turn him into righteousness, give him the armor of God and enable him to triumph as Jesus did. This is victory of the highest order! Sin turned into righteousness! Death turned into life!"

Bread Making

My husband and I alternate making bread twice a week...and yes I have a full time job as does he (his is from the home but it is still full time). It is so easy, rewarding, healthy(we know what we are putting in it).

Here is the recipe for the basic one that we do:

25oz Bread Flour (about 5 cups)
1tsp dry yeast
1tsp salt
1tbsp honey
7 fl oz milk, lukewarm
7 fl oz lukewarm water
1 oz butter, room temp
flour for dusting (we don't ever use this)



Turn on the light to your oven.

Mix all ingredients together for about 15 mins. I use a Kitchen Aid stand mixer using a dough hook (love it!!!!)

Take out of bowl and knead for about 1 minute. Place in a glass bowl that has been oiled with olive oil. Lay a damp kitchen towel over it and put in oven. (Forgot to take pictures.) Let it rise until it has doubled and then some...we let it rise for 3 hours.

Once it has risen, punch it down in the bowl and take it out of the bowl and put on your counter (you will probably need to flour it unless it is marble.) Shape it into a ball and then cut in half. Put one half back in the bowl for right now and the other put in a bread pan (we have used both glass and metal, both work great). Take a plastic bag (grocery) and put over the bread pan and then either put it back in the oven without the oven on...just the light or leave it on your stove. It will need to rise again for about 90 minutes.

Once you take the bread out of the oven (if that is where you put it), turn it on to 360 degrees. Put bread in for 46 minutes (we actually did it this last time for 35 minutes....oven temps differ).

Spray down the oven with water...use a spray bottle in the beginning and then half way through do it again. Take it out after you decide when it is done

You will have amazing bread...

...now for that another half. Wrap it up in butcher paper and put in your frig until you run out and then you only have to rise it 90 mins in the bread pan

Weekly Bible Reading

I have posted a weekly bible reading that I follow from Faith Life Church in Branson, Mo (http://www.moorelife.org/flcbible.php). We are at the end of the yearly, week day reading.

This one of the best that I have come across. FLC knows the importance of "renewing your mind" not just lets get through the Bible in a year and mark this off the list of things to do. This weekday read has you read one chapter a day so that you can meditate on it throughout your day.

Storage

My husband and I have decided to make changes by not using plastic as much as we have in the past. It is hard in this day and age to get completely away from it but we are taking steps. We have started to buy Ball canning jars for storage. Here are some pictures of the sizes and ways we are using them.


This is the smallest jar that they have. I use it for leftovers, gluten, spices, etc


This is how we now store our beans.....pretty cool!! We are going to store our rice, pasta and flour next.

So Much....

I have so much that I would like to share with you today. A little about knitting, cooking, canning, gardening but the one thing that I would like to share with you today is spiritual.

The Bible tell us, "Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things. Philippians 4:8.

A friend of mine at Forever His (http://susan2956.blogspot.com/)wrote about "Thought Attacks" this morning. If we do not take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ (2 Corthinthians 10:3-5), then we risk (actually it will happen) some garbage, something fleshy to take root in our minds.

About 2 weeks ago we turned the TV in our home off. The news was negative. Commercials were touting the latest prescriptions. We were tired of listening to it all.

We got quiet before God. We wanted to hear what He had to say to us. His news is always good and He is our Healer.

Right after we made that decision, a meeting was taking place in Branson, Mo at Faith Life Church. The Branson Victory Campaign with Kenneth and Gloria Copeland. Brother Copeland's son-in-law, George Pearsons also spoke. Here is a link to it if you would like to listen to it or download it. It is good news:

http://www.bvov.tv/kcm/ondemand/2009bvc.php

Vinegar and Mopping

Last year, I had been reading about natural ways to clean. One that I am using when I mop the floors is a solution of white vinegar and water.

I use an O-Cedar mop and 4 micro mop heads by O-Cedar as well(just throw then in the laundry to wash with the towels when they get dirty). I have the solution of white vinegar and water in a spray bottle.

Not only is it economical but it is good for the environment (meaning your home and loved ones). Yes, it does smell like someone just busted a pickle jar but it is temporary.

There are many, many website that tell you want types of floors you can use it on. I have oak hardwood floors (from the 50's) and linoleum. Depending on your floors and the seal on them, you will have to see if vinegar and water is an option for you.

Here is one of many website that tell of the uses of vinegar.
http://www.vinegartips.com/cleaning/

First Post

Well, this is my first blog and first post. I wanted it to express what is going on in my life right now. I am not going to start at my birth and tell everything that has happened to me from then to today. I am going to start with today.....

My husband and I have been married for 2 years and 6 months. He is a wonderful man. He is has a tremendous heart for God. Pours himself into God's Word....and he loves me.

We have a desire to live our life sustaining on God's Word and off our bit of land. We live in a neighborhood in Mississippi. We have 4 lots and we are learning to use it. More on a later post on how we are using the land.

As important as living off the land is to me, it is more important to live by God's Word. I was raised Presbyterian. After college, I went to an Assembly of God church primarily. I also went to a Southern Baptist Church for a few years. Not until after Hurricane Katrina, did I realize how "religious" I was. Since my husband and I have not found a church where we live right now, I have plunged myself into God's Word. Brent, my husband, had introduced me to Kenneth Copeland Ministries. I was a little leery of his ministry, a Word of Faith ministry(they had a reputation of being the blab it and grab it faith) but I thought, well, I am a big girl and if I don't like what I hear...well then I won't listen to it....

Well, I have heard. It is not that at all...they teach God's Word. I have grown more under his ministry then any of the ones that I went to before.

Disclaimer here: I am not saying that the Presbyterians, Assembly of God or Southern Baptist do not preach the Word of God. They do. It just did not reach me at that time in my life.

On this blog I will sharing a lot...my favorite blog sites, recipes (friends at work will be happy), gardening tips, household tips, being a helpmet, exercises, eating, farmers markets, etc.

I hope you enjoy my eclectic blog.

Renee