Home Sweet Simple Home

A new Grandchild

Michelle came over this morning to talk to dad and I.  She told us that she is 3 weeks pregnant.  We are not shocked, but then again we are.  Michelle has been dating Gill for 4 and 1/2 weeks now.  They live with his parents.  Michelle told us that she and Gill will get married soon, but her divorce needs to be done 1st.   She also told us she is going to keep looking for a job and try to go to school too.   We will see.  Michelle has not worked a day since she has moved back down here months ago.  Everyone has been supporting her and the babies.  We will love and welcome any grandchild, we just wish she was on her feet taking care of the babies she has now before adding more.     Michelle's sisters are upset and disappointed in her because they have raised Jeffie and Maddie as much as Michelle has.   We need to keep this in prayer and Gods hands where they belong. 

God Bless, mj

******A few more photos******

First of all I would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who have left some awesome comments regarding our wedding photos  

I had to share this photo of this beautiful gift that I received from my family - isn't this gorgeous. It is a patio rose called Lovely Bride 

The next three photos were taken at my sister's home the day after our wedding. We stopped by before making our way to the beautiful little fishing village of Beer in Devon.

This photo is of our rings plus a close up photo of my rings as it is difficult to see the detail in the photo below!

I will be sharing more photos next week but these are (a) of a very beautiful village called Branscombe that we visited in Devon and (b) of a store/canteen of a well known television chef based in Axminster, Devon.  These will be scenic photos and especially the ones of  Branscombe will be well worth the wait as this truly is a very beautiful and picturesque village.

Have a wonderful and very blessed weekend

Making Kefir From Powdered Cultures

Kefir is a cultured milk product similar to yogurt only thinner and much easier to make and reculture. If you would like to know more specific information on kefir I have an article written by a friend of mine on my site to give you more info. You can read that HERE. It has all the wonderful qualities of yogurt with the good probiotics your body needs to stay healthy.

Kefir can be made in two ways. One is to purchase kefir grains (you can read more about this in the above mentioned article). You soak milk in the grains, strain the grains and put the grains back into a clean jar and fill with milk, let it sit on your counter overnight and the next morning it is ready. I have made kefir with grains in the past. There were a few things I did not care for. One was it was a lot of maintenance. Unless you stop making kefir you have to strain it out daily and that adds up to a lot of kefir to use every day. Also the longer I made it the stronger the taste became and my family was not too thrilled with it. So I purchased some powdered kefir cultures and made it and was so much happier with the results. This is the method I will show you how to make.

I like making kefir because it is so easy! It is much easier to make than yogurt. You don’t need a lot of equipment other than a large stainless steel pot, a thermometer and a few canning jars. I use 2 2-quart jars but you can use 4 1-quart jars if that is what you have.

Besides that you will need one gallon of milk (I use whole milk) and a package of powdered kefir culture. You can purchase your cultures online at Leeners http://www.leeners.com/cheesesupply.html#buttermilk . I have purchased cheese cultures and rennet, kefir cultures, yogurt starter, buttermilk starter and more from them many times. They are a GREAT company with excellent prices and I highly recommend them.

After your cultures arrive in the mail you can gather your needed items together and get ready to make kefir!  This pictures shows the jars with their lids (I buy plastic lids from Walmart or Azure Standard, they are made by Ball), a thermometer, the packet of culture and one gallon of milk.

Pour your gallon of milk into the stainless steel pot and put it on the stove.

Set your oven at medium high IF you will be watching the pot. If not you can set it on low and stir occasionally as it heats up. In any case stir now and again and check the temperature of the milk

As soon as it reaches 86 degrees remove the pot from the stove.   Open the packet of kefir cultures, sprinkle over the milk and stir until dissolved

Now it is time for pour the mixture into your canning jars. I like to use a canning funnel for this job. It is not absolutely necessary but helps keep the mess at a minimum.

Fill both jars to the top

Put the lid on them and let them sit out on the counter for 12 to 18 hours. I try and make this in the later afternoon and then just let it sit on the counter till morning.

When the time is up you can open the lid and there is your kefir! As you can see it is nice and thick.. but not as thick as yogurt. The consistency is more like thick buttermilk.

When you start to run out of kefir it is even easier to make more.

Fill a clean canning jar ¼ full of kefir. Pour milk to the top of the jar. Cover and leave out at room temperature for 12 to 18 hours. And that is it!!
 

Kefir can be used in place of milk or yogurt in smoothies. That is how I like to use it most often. I have used it also in place of buttermilk for baking. But my favorite use is in smoothies.

Here is a delicious and simple strawberry kefir smoothie recipe that is perfect for these warm summer days.

Strawberry Kefir Smoothie
Crystal Miller


1 heaping cup fresh strawberries (frozen will also work)
1 cup kefir
Honey to taste, optional

Gather your ingredients together

Put kefir and strawberries into your blender.

Turn your blender on high and mix until all is smooth (taste to see if you want to add a little honey for sweetener at this point).

Pour into a glass

Serve to your eager and appreciative family!  :)

And enjoy!


 

This up coming week & windows

This up coming week  I am going to try to get 3 rooms all cleaned out.  I need to go through every thing and find a new home for the items we do not use any more.   I am going to start in the kitchen and then move to the family room and the girls bathroom last.   I also want to go through the garage and start un-packing some of the boxes.  Most of the item will be going to a new home.  I have sooo many boxes of homeschooling books and item that I did not use or will not use again, I will be selling them on ebay.  I am giving my self a month to empty out our small rented storage unit and keep what is needed and find a new home for the rest.  On the farm/ranch we have a huge storage unit that we keep our tack and supplies in.  I have filled it up half way with item we no longer use or need, they will be sold at a huge yard sell once I have it filled with sale items.   I will let you all know when I will list all the home school books and stuff on ebay.

We ordered new windows for the house!  We are soo excited!!!  We have been wanting to get them for years but always did some other project instead.   But this year we did it.  They will be here in 3-4 weeks.  The house will be sooo much cooler and then the air will not be on 24 hours a day.   I will take pictures after they are in.

Today was the last day of vbs.  I had so much fun teaching this week. We had sooo many kids give their hearts to the Lord, it was amazing. I can't wait until Christmas vbs!  

God Bless, mj

Mint Ice Tea

This is one of my favourite summer time drinks.  It's so easy to make and is very thirst quenching on a hot day.

Mint Ice Tea

6 cups boiling water

4 tea bags

1 cup packed fresh mint

3/4 cup frozen lemonade concentrate drink  

Pour boiling water over tea bags.  Cover & steep for 5 minutes.

Remove tea bags Cool for 15 minutes and add mint.  Steep and strain.

Refrigerate until cold.

stovetop zucchini and chicken casserole

Daily Devotional (Reprint of Proverbs31 Devotionals)

I Hate to Burden You

Renee Swope

  “Never stop praying, especially for others. Always pray by the power of the Spirit. Stay alert and keep praying for God's people.” Ephesians 6:18 (CEV)

Devotion:

Although my email was intended to be a prayer request, it started out more like an apology. I needed my friends to pray, but I was hesitant to ask them. I didn't want my request to be a burden. After all, the group of friends I was sending the email to already had so many burdens of their own: illness, job loss, death, stress, relationship strains, overloaded schedules, etc.

I wondered if my need rated high enough on the urgency “Richter” scale? Was it bad enough to ask for prayer or should I wait to see how things turned out?

The first sentence in my email went something like this: "I hate to add to your list of burdens, but I need prayer for JJ."

My husband had signs of a health problem and was having tests done that week.  I didn’t know whether it was going to be anything serious in the end. I just knew that I didn’t want to walk through it in fear, in denial, nor in my own strength. I didn’t want to go through it alone either. I wanted my man to have as much spiritual protection as possible. I wanted those doctors to be anointed in prayer, and I knew if my girlfriends were praying, it’d be all right!

Within fifteen minutes after I hit “send” my friends who were on their computers started telling me they were praying. Not only did they pray, they thanked me for sharing what was going on and for letting them be there for me. One friend shared how someone she knew had been through a similar situation. Another asked questions and made some great suggestions. Then another cracked a funny joke that made me laugh, which I really needed to do!

The night before we went to the hospital, I got an email from my friend Amy saying, "I've been lifting prayers heavenward for your family since your last email. Know that you'll be in my thoughts and prayers tomorrow. Let us know as soon as you hear results. We're all in this with you, friend."

As I read her last sentence, it was as though I could feel the softness of her hands gently squeeze my shoulders and hear her voice saying, "We're all in this with you, friend." 

What if I had not shared our need with my friends? I would’ve missed out on the comfort of having them “with me” and the peace that came as a result of their prayers.

They would’ve missed out on the opportunity to be the “Body of Christ” by guarding our hearts and minds with God’s promises and the power of prayer. They also would have missed the joy of celebrating medical tests that went really well, peace that surpassed our understanding and recovery that was quick. Even as we wait for the test results, their prayers and God’s peace remain as our constant companions.

I am so glad I didn’t listen to those thoughts that made me feel like my request was a burden.

God is teaching me much about prayer. For someone who hates to impose on others, I need to be reminded that asking for prayer isn't about putting burdens on my friends. It's about letting them walk by my side down a path that I was never intended to walk alone. In return, they let me do the same.
                                                                                                                                                                     

Lord, thank You for never seeing my prayers as a burden. Please teach me more about the power and the purpose of prayer in my life and in my friendships. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Related Resources:

Visit Renee Swope’s blog for the rest of the story, and for more ways to connect with God and your girlfriends through prayer.

A Busy Woman’s Guide to Prayer, by Cheri Fuller

Intimacy with God: Your Daily Guide to Prayer by Tara Furman

Application Steps: 

Ask God what friend He wants you to pray for this week, and who He wants you to ask to pray for you as well.  If you don’t have someone (or if you want to have more than one), visit Renee’s blog where she’s connecting women through prayer – sharing requests and praying for each other - for the next few weeks.

 Reflections: 

Is it hard for you to share prayer requests with others? Why or why not?

 Power Verses:

Psalm 68:19, “Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens.” (NIV)

 Philemon 1:4, “I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers, because I hear about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints.” (NIV)

 Colossians 4:2, “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.” (NIV)

 © 2008 by Renee Swope. All rights reserved.

Proverbs 31 Ministries

616-G, Matthews-Mint Hill Road

Matthews, NC 28105

www.proverbs31.org

Questions from Mrs. Incredible!!

End Times ?

I saw this posted on the Double Nickel Farm's blog and reviewed.  This is great stuff.  Interesting and so I pass along.  Let me know what you think.

This is a wonderful 4 part series on Signs that we're in the End Times.

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4

Flossie

How To Never Run Out Of Groceries Again!

I posted this over on my other blog Around The Homestead and thought I'd share it here to. 

How many times does it happen to us, in the middle of making supper we find we are missing an important ingredient.  We rush to the store for just ONE thing and before we know it other “extras” have found there way into our cart.  Soon the one item has cost you 30.00 plus and a lot of wasted time.

So how do we avoid falling into this trap?

1. Make a Menu List

Write down all of your family’s favorite meals, and include the ingredients.

2. Make a Master Shopping List

You can set this up how it best suites your family.  For ours we made a 3 column chart.  One each for freezer, fridge, and pantry.  We then listed each item we used on a regular bases in the proper column.

We decided how many of each item we wanted to keep on hand.  Beside each item put the desired number of check boxes. 

Now this is the important part.  EVERY time you open something that is on your list check it off right a way.  No you might not NEED it this week but now that you’ve opened that jar of mayo you should buy another one to replace it.  Then when you are getting low you don’t need to make a trip out to buy another. 

Preparing our list this way has saved us a lot of money and time.  It’s stopped the quick trip to the corner store for 1 item.  And since our local store has a minimum purchase amount to use debit that 1 item would always cost us 10.00.  Our other alternative was to drive to the next town for one thing and spend the difference in gas and time.