I like Jeeps

This is our neighbor's old Jeep that he recently fixed up. He let us drive it around his field one day - it was pretty fun!

Cluster of Grapes

I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
                                John 15:5

Home Sweet Home

A little plaque that my friend gave me. :) I have it on my dresser in front of my books.

Raindrops

I have a really busy day today, so I'm posting the same picture for "finding beauty in the ordinary" as on Lens Love. As a matter of fact, I think I'll post my verse again as well!

The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.     Zephaniah 3:17

Alley Cat

I was looking through some pictures that I took at Thanksgiving and found this photo of my Grandma's cat. Meet Alley! She is a Maine Coon. Wikipedia's article on Maine Coon cats say that they have valuable hunting skills, but Alley has never been outside! She prefers her bed indoors. ;) She is a beautiful cat; if you look at her tail in the right lighting, you can see faint stripes on it like on a raccoon.

You've Got To Try It

This was our dessert last night - a fresh homemade waffle topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream with hot fudge sauce drizzled over top. It is seriously the best!

In Motion

My brother, Micah jumping in the leaves. I'll have to try again for a more clear one when it drys out. :)

Having Fun

My brother and I were slightly bored this afternoon, so we decided to build block towers! It was pretty fun... Mine is in the foreground and his in the background.

Herzog

Our dog, Herzog, looking very alert. Whenever someone whistles or makes a high-pitched noise she perks her ears and cocks her head. Such a cute puppy! :)

Once again...

...I am redesigning! Please bear with me as I get this all figured out... It may be a day or so until it looks like I'm wanting it to. Thanks!

Sewing

This is a picture of a jacket I finished this morning for Hip Chick Clothing.

Birthdays

Saturday was my brother Micah's birthday, so I was extra busy and forgot to post my "Finding Beauty in the Ordinary post.....oops! This is the cake I made for him - an m&m guy!

Sweet Potato Lentil Soup

My "Finding Beauty in the Ordinary" post today will hold several pictures because I'm posting a recipe as well, and when I post a recipe I like to try to post a few photos with it.

Sweet Potato Lentil Soup

1/4 cup butter

2 large sweet potatoes

3 large carrots

1 apple

1 onion

1 1/2 cups lentils

1/2 teaspoon ginger

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon paprika

6 cups vegetable broth 

OR 6 cups water and 2 teaspoons chicken bouillon

plain yogurt

   Chop sweet potatoes, carrots, apple and onion. Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Place the apple and vegetables in the pot; stir and cook until onions are translucent, about 10 minutes.

   Stir the lentils, ginger, pepper, salt, cumin, chilli powder, paprika, and broth into the pot with the apple/vegetable mixture. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer until lentils and vegetables are soft, about 30 minutes.

   Serve with plain yogurt for garnish, if desired.

And now for the bread recipe that I promised was coming:

Cheesy Italian Oatmeal Pan Bread

2 cups water

1 cup rolled oats

3 tablespoons butter

4-5 cups flour

1/4 cup sugar

2 teaspoons salt

2 packages yeast

1 large egg

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese

1/2 teaspoon dried basil leaves

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano leaves

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

4 tablespoons butter

Bring water to a boil in medium saucepan. Stir in rolled oats and butter. Cool to 100-110 degrees. Meanwhile, combine 1 1/2 cups flour, sugar, salt, and yeast in a large mixing bowl. Blend well. Add rolled oats mixture and egg. Blend at low speed of an electric mixer until moistened. Beat 2 minutes at medium speed. By hand, stir in about 2 cups more flour and cheese to form stiff dough.

Knead in 1/2 - 3/4 cup flour on a floured surface, until dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Shape dough into ball. Cover loosely with a light towel and let rest 15 minutes. Punch down dough. Press into a sprayed 13"x9" baking pan. Using a very sharp knife, cut diagonal lines 1 1/2 inches apart, cutting completely through dough. Repeat in opposite direction creating a diamond pattern. Cover with light towel and let rise in warm place until light and doubled in size, about 45 minutes.

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Uncover dough and redefine diamond pattern, if needed. Melt butter. Combine Parmesan cheese, basil, oregano, and garlic powder. Pour the melted butter evenly over the bread dough. Sprinkle spice mixture evenly over top. Bake for 30 minutes, or until golden brown.

Antique Candy Dish

   My Mom recently gave me this candy dish that belonged to my Dad's grandmother. I almost put it in my hope chest, but then thought "hey, it matches my room and it's really pretty! I'd rather have it out." So I found a package of party mints, poured them in, and set the dish on my dresser! I love how it is blue, but has a rainbow of colors that show when the light shines on it.

Piano Love

Playing the piano is one of my most favorite things to do!

Psalm 100

Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.

Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.

Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us and not we ourselves; we are his people and the sheep of his pasture.

Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.

Finding Beauty In The Ordinary

   Emily, over at Feathering The Nest has started a daily photo project for this month called "Finding Beauty In The Ordinary". I'm starting a day later than she, but I'll try to post a picture every day. Feel free to join in, and comment with a link back to your post if you'd like to share! :)

My picture for today is of "Italian Oatmeal Pan Bread" that I made last week. I hope to post the recipe soon, so check back - you'll love it!

A Delicious Variation...

... of French Bread. You've got to try it!

French Herb Bread

1 tablespoon yeast

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt

3 1/2 cups flour

1 cup milk

1 tablespoon vinegar

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup butter

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 cup minced onion

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon dried parsley

2 tablespoons butter

  In a large bowl combine yeast, sugar, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 1/2 cups of the flour. In a saucepan, combine milk, water and 1/4 cup butter; heat until approximately 110 degrees. Add this milk mixture to the flour mixture along with the the vinegar. Beat dough until silky and smooth (about 3 minutes). Stir in 1 1/2 cups more flour. Knead (adding a little more flour if necessary), about 4 minutes until smooth. Let rise 1 hour, or until doubled. Punch down, and roll dough into a 16"x8" rectangle. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, heat garlic, onion, salt, parsley, and butter until butter is melted. Spread over dough, and roll up tightly to form a long loaf. Place bread seam-side down on a greased baking sheet and let rise 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slit top of loaf 5 times; bake 20 minutes.

Apple - Cream Cheese Bundt Cake

Cake Batter:

1 cup finely chopped pecans

3 cups flour

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon allspice

3 eggs, beaten

3/4 canola oil

3/4 cup applesauce

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 cups peeled and finely chopped apples

Cream Cheese Filling:

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup butter softened

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

2 tablespoons flour

1 teaspoon vanilla

Prepare filling: Beat first three ingredients until blended and smooth. Add egg, flour and vanilla; mix in well. Set aside.

Prepare batter: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stir together flour, sugar, brown sugar, salt, baking soda and spices. Stir in eggs, canola oil, applesauce, and vanilla, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Stir in apples and pecans. Spoon 2/3 of the apple mixture into a greased and floured 14-cup bundt pan. Spoon cream cheese filling over apple mixture, leaving a 1-inch border around edges. Swirl filling through batter a little. Spoon remaining apple mixture over filling. Bake at 350 for one hour, or until done. Cool cake in pan on wire rack 15 minutes; remove cake from pan and cool completely. 

Praline Frosting:

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup butter

3 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup powdered sugar

Bring brown sugar, butter and milk to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly. Boil 1 minute, whisking constantly. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla. Gradually whisk in powdered sugar until smooth. Stir gently 3-5 minutes, or until mixture begins to cool and thickens slightly. Pour immediately over cooled cake.

{my picture from Lens Love this morning}

Baked Spaghetti Squash with Beef and Veggies

   I recently found this recipe on All Recipes and thought that it looked delicious! I made it for dinner last night, tweaking it just a little to fit my taste. My family and I really enjoyed it, so I decided to share it with you!

1 spaghetti squash, halved and seeded

1 pound ground beef

1/2 cup diced green bell pepper

1/2 cup diced red bell pepper

1/2 cup diced onion

8-10 ounces frozen french cut green beans

1 clove garlic minced

1 (14.5 ounce) can Italian-style diced tomatoes, drained

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

2 1/4 cups Italian shredded cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place squash on a baking sheet, and bake 1 hour, or until tender. Remove from heat, cool slightly and shred the pulp with a fork. 

Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. Meanwhile, cook the ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat.

 Drain, and mix in the peppers, onion, garlic and green beans. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally until vegetables are tender. Mix the squash and tomatoes into the skillet, and season with oregano, basil, salt and pepper. Cook and stir until heated through.Remove from heat and mix in 2 cups cheese. Transfer to a lightly greased casserole dish. Bake 25 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese, and continue baking 5 minutes until cheese is melted. Enjoy! Serve with salad and garlic bread.
I had a pretty big squash, so I doubled the rest of the ingredients and cooked it in a 9"x13" dish. It turned out perfectly - definitely a keeper! :)

My Nieces

   They are the most darling little girls ever!

I love being an aunt! *grin*

Travels

Missouri

Illinois

The church where my parents were married 25 years ago...

Michigan

These are from our trip to Michigan last month. We saw so much beautiful scenery and lots of family and friends!

The Best Marinade

Steak Marinade 

1 cup oil

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/3 cup red wine vinegar

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

3 tablespoons worchestershire sauce

1 tablespoon pepper

2 tablespoons mustard

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 onion, sliced

Mix together all ingredients (except for onion) in 

a large measuring cup. 

Place steak in a casserole dish and, using a fork, pierce meat 

all over both sides.

 Place the onion slices over the meat.

Pour marinade over the steak. Cover and let sit for about 10 hours.

Grill and enjoy!

Wreath Re-do

   My Mom's birthday is today. For one of her gifts, Alison and I redecorated the wreath on our front door. It turned out really pretty and Mama loved it!
   Here is the "before" picture. It had gotten quite dilapidated, so it was definitely time to do something with it!

Cutting the old decorations off of the wreath.  

Arranging the flowers and gluing them on.

 It's finished!

   The hydrangea is one of my favorites, and even if it takes a while to make it's really pretty simple. Cut out 20 petals in a rounded cross shape about 3/4" across. Stitch them onto a small oval of fabric using one cross stitch for each little petal.

For these poppies, cut out 3 circles in graduating sizes - our biggest for these flowers was 3 3/4". Lightly singe the edges over a candle. Stitch them together and attach a button or bead in the center.


I'd like to do more felt flower tutorials in the future, so stay tuned!