Whole Wheat Bread...

Today is the day to bake much over due homemade bread!  Family cheers, as it has been far too long since loaves of bread and rolls have been placed in our oven.

We have been grinding wheat and baking for many years now, although of late have been more faithful with muffin making than bread baking.  :-)

The recipe we have used and tweaked is from BreadBeckers red cookbook, whom we purchase our wheat and other co-op items from.  The Slightly Sweet But Very Simple Whole Wheat Bread recipe is what our family prefers with variations of seasonings added to suite our taste at the moment (sometimes adding dill weed or whole millet or dried onion or different crust toppings like oatmeal).

I do not run short on kitchen helpers and today Alyssa desired to assist (looking forward to the day she does it all on her own).

The recipe (taken from the BreadBeckers red cookbook 2005) and tweaked:

2 1/2 cups hot water
1/2 cup olive oil (mild)
1/2 cup honey
4 tsp. instant yeast
1 egg (optional)...today we did
7 cups freshly milled (hard white wheat) flour
2 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. rice bran extract

Combine water, honey and oil...blend.  The next we do in stages:  add 3 cups of flour, mix/knead; add 4 tsp. yeast, mix/knead; add 2 cups of flour, mix/knead; add egg, mix/knead; add 2 tsp. salt, mix/knead; add 2 cups of flour, mix/knead; finally add rice bran extract, mix/knead until smooth and elastic (about 10 minutes).  Cover and place in a warm area to allow to rise until double (about 45 minutes).  Shape into loaves and/or rolls.  Place into lightly sprayed stoneware (my preference) pans, cover and allow to rise again until double (about 30 minutes).  Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes for loaves, slightly less for rolls or mini loaves.  Makes two 1 1/2 pound loaves.

There is nothing like having our home filled with the aroma of fresh baked bread!  May you find time and pleasure in your bread making endeavours, as well as the joy of training your children in the kitchen.

Blessings in Him (the Bread of Life) ~

I have linked up with 4 Moms Bread Making Link Up this week...check out what other women consider their favorite bread recipe.

Teach us to number our days...

Still around, but the days are full and seem to be running way too fast this month (and last apparently, since that was my last post).  Many opportunities of fellowship time with sweet friends, regular weekly events and the start of a new one (Logan has begun flag football...a very happy boy!).  Birthday celebrations ~ three coming in the next three weeks (all in our family), a bridal shower, and Orchestra concerts are more to fill our family's calendar in the weeks ahead.  :-)

Life is full, but good ~ busy doing good things and in due season right now.  Nightly times of family worship & prayer (although we have missed some nights, it is a blessing just to be able to come together as a family as often as we do)...meals together & with friends...the sense of a change in season, inspiring some upcoming room-by-room purging, re-organization and SIMPLIFICATION. 

A verse that has been an encouragement to me and a reminder to seek Him for setting priorities...

"So teach us to number our days so that we may get a heart of wisdom."  Psalm 90:12, ESV

That our (my) days will be focused, eliminating unnecessary stressors, time consumers and simplifying more, with the desire to have more free time to invest in the things that are important...Although, I have been gone from the blogging world for a little while, the time has been invested in living, connecting, ministering, encouraging and Lord willing, equipping. 

The recent loss of a friend has been a further encouragement to "number our days" rightly...his faith, a blessed reminder of how great our God is.  His last days were a testimony living a life fixed on Jesus.  He is sorely missed...

Because of Him ~

Works for Me Wednesday

The dynamics of managing a large family is all encompassing...the more people living in a home, the more there is to manage, right?  Well, one summer after loading a full dishwasher of CUPS (are you kidding), something had to change.  I mean really...how many cups do you need in a day?

Here's what works for us:

Each morning the children select their cup.  We label it with a strip of masking tape and write their name on it.  For the sippy cups we try to write a date on it, too.  (How many of you have FOUND a sippy cup with milk or juice remnants in it after 'hiding' for a few days?  Not pretty, although it could make for a great science experiment!)

A simple label with initial or name and date to help keep cup consumption under control...Works for Me!

Wallah!  Now, we have severely decreased our cup consumption, thus saving TIME and RESOURCES (electricity, water and chemicals needed for washing all those cups).

Hope that helps some mom of many out there...

Happy Cup Reducing ~

P.S.  I hope you'll pop over to enter "A Thankful Heart" giveaway I'm hosting...see what the Lord has placed on my heart, join in the challenge and enter the giveaway. 

This post is linked up to:

• Works-for-Me-Wednesday at We are THAT Family

Breakfast ~ at our home

So, what does breakfast look like in our house?  Each morning, for the most part, we gather around the table together.  Before each "school year" begins, I work on menu planning.  Our menu plans include:  breakfast, lunch, afternoon snack and dinner.  These are guides providing benefits like:  eliminating the famous "what's for ...?", saves time and money, is designed to make meals manageable on busier days of the week, includes input from the whole family based on their favorites which makes for happy children & husband.

My breakfast and afternoon snack menus (unlike our lunch and dinner) are a one week plan, which means every Monday we have "x", every Tuesday we have "y", etc.  This makes the start to our day easy and keeping breakfast items on hand simple.

Here's our breakfast menu (click here for my printed form):

~ Sunday: Homemade whole wheat pancakes (a large batch is made and the leftovers are frozen in a gallon sized Ziploc to be eaten on Tuesday)...some mini chocolate chip, some cranberry chocolate chip and the others are plain

~ Monday:  Scrambled eggs, fried seasoned hash browns, toasted bagels

~ Tuesday:  Leftover frozen pancakes

~ Wednesday:  Eggs, bacon or sausage and biscuits

~ Thursday:  Homemade whole wheat muffins (made on Wednesday night in three batches...millet, mini chocolate chip and either blueberry or apple cinnamon)

Millet and chocolate chip muffins cooling while more are baking

~ Friday:  Yogurt, fruit and homemade whole wheat coffee cake or homemade cinnamon rolls

~ Saturday:  French toast or waffles

Typically, breakfast preparations are done by our oldest sons or on the weekends my husband...no, I am not the breakfast maker (only on rare occasions ;-D ).  We try to incorporate all the children in the kitchen at some point or another, giving them basic cooking skills that will help them when they have their own homes someday. 

"Give a man a fish, feed him for a day...TEACH a man to fish, feed him for a lifetime."  This statement applies to so many areas of child training...basic life skills are an important part of our family ~ cooking, doing one's laundry, helping with household chores, etc.  Not only are the skills learned helpful to them for when they are on their own, it is always a means of teaching them responsibility, building character and allows them to contribute to the family.

The few mornings when our oldest leaves early for work or classes or when my husband has to leave early for work, have been planned as easy to prepare breakfasts.  For example, Tuesdays...one of the older children can easily help heat up pancakes for everyone in the microwave.  Those that are home, gather around the kitchen table and have a time of prayer and enjoy our simple breakfast together.

Other breakfast favorites include:

~ Ham n' Jam croissants (quick and EASY)
~ Brunch Egg bake (usually make for special occasions and for Christmas morning breakfast)
~ Breakfast tortillas (when I make homemade tortillas, sometimes we will use the leftover tortillas to wrap scrambled eggs, shredded cheese and sauteed veggies or sausage altogether...delicious)

The sign of a tortilla maker on our table is a happy day!

What does breakfast look like in your home?  Who handles the preparations and is it a time everyone is still home, able to sit and start the day together or do schedules dictate a more varied start to the day?  Are your children incorporated into the morning preparations and if so, what parts do they play?  Every home is different, with different needs, schedules and priorities...what have you found to work for breakfast time?  Any tips or no-fail recipes?  Your comments are welcomed and a blessing to be able to glean from.

Blessings ~

To see how other families do breakfast check out 4 Moms:  35 Children where they are hosting Breakfast themed.

Also linking to Diary of a Stay at Home Mom for Cooking Thursday.

Making My Home a Haven...Music

This week's challenge from Courtney at Women Living Well is to play soft music everyday.  Our focus challenge is to be peaceful through our words and as mothers to work on gentleness.

Today began harried, with much needing to be done.  What was missing?  I always start my day in prayer, committing the day to the Lord and asking for grace to handle it as He may direct.  I try to meditate on a Scripture verse before starting my day as well.  The missing element this morning, music.  I try to play hymns for instrumentals as a backdrop each day in our kitchen so the tune is subtly carried through our living areas.  It seems to set the pace for things and a volume of low.

Well, afternoon is here...actually it's near evening and one of my favorite CD's is playing.  His Faithfulness ~ The Poetry of Amy Carmichael set to music by Jim Spencer.  Her lovely poems are peacefully sung by Sarah MacIntosh, Ingrid Dumosch and Shannon Wexelberg.  I highly recommend this treasure of poetry to feed your spirit. 

This week I will attempt to be diligent to watch my words and tone, extending gentleness for harshness (Proverbs 15:1).  I will try to be slow to speak and to never speak when angry {a lovely reminder while attending our weekly young ladies (and Mom's) group last week}.  I will try to extend antidotes of love sweetly whispered in my children's ear each day to remind them of my love for them in the midst of this confused world.  What will you do to practice peace through your words this week?

My day is usually ended as it began, in communion with my Lord.  All is still, the next day prepared for and everyone has been tucked in...the house takes a breath then and I breathe in His words.  I confess my stumbling and renew my mind with His forgiveness, His truth, His mercy with each morsel of those God-breathed words from His book.  What a gift we all have to be able to open It, read It and proclaim the truths that are found in It!

May peace be present in your homes this week as you create a haven for your families ~ 

If you would like to join the wonderful challenge Courtney is doing this month, click here to read more.