Merry Christmas!

For He has done great things for me, and holy is His name.

Luke 1:49

Much love--Justin, Holly, Gramm, Brooklyn (on left) and Vivian

Help! I need Christmas gift ideas!

Hey friends-- The twins are rounding the corner to three years old and are often bored with many of their toys. I need suggestions for what to get them for Christmas. They have a play kitchen with dishes that they love, plenty of outside toys, dolls and other random stuff. Any tips on what to get little girls who are 2 years and 9 months old? We already got them some dress up clothes, but that's about all I had as far as good ideas. All tips/suggestions are welcome! Thanks!

Special Date Day

I took Gramm to see the Nutcracker today. The twins were at home with a sitter and my sweet boy and I went on a little date. As the music began and the curtains were just starting to open, I looked down at my five year old. He was looking up at me, clapping, and smiling the most joyous, precious smile. I cried. I did. And I'm not ashamed to admit it. Something about his lit up face reminded me to thank God for my son.

Minutes before this special moment, I'd been wrangling my son and struggling with feeling embarrassed and frustrated by his behavior. The people pleaser in me dies a very, very ugly death every single time my son offends another child. It has to die. If I let the people pleaser rear it's head when Gramm embarrasses me, I end up punishing him for what I think he did to me. The thing is, when he sins, he's not doing it to me. He is sinning against God. It took me a loooooong time to not take Gramm's behavior personally. I was angry at my son for behaving in ways that were inconvenient, embarrassing or annoying to me. I now see that this anger was fueled by the fact that I care(d) so stinking much what other people think of my son and my parenting skills. I mean, really, if I were just a better mom, my son wouldn't repeatedly poke a complete stranger, he wouldn't hit anyone, etc. Right? Right? Wrong. My children will sin. They are fallen from birth, just like me. They need grace, forgiveness. They need Jesus. Just like me. And, they need loving discipline. Not the teeth gritting, threat making, flustered, unkind Mama I've been in some not-so-great moments. I am so thankful that His mercies are new every morning. We didn't make it through the entire ballet, but we enjoyed it nonetheless. :) And, by God's grace, I stayed calm. Here's a pic of the two of us:

These are two of our favorite peops who just happened to be there; Julie and John Isaac. I have such a kind, non-judging, loving friend in Julie Majors. Btw, that is not her normal expression. Tehehehe.

Kitchen Help from Kiddos

Long before my now five year old son, Gramm, turned two, I began letting him help me in the kitchen. This was such a fun time for us! I would let him play in the tupperware, or I would put dry beans or rice in a 9x13 pan and let him "cook". It was a great bonding experience and it kept him entertained while I cooked dinner.

My twin girls, Vivian and Brooklyn, are nearing three and I've just started letting them help me in the kitchen. They really aren't much help at all, but I don't think they should have to miss out on time in the kitchen occasionally just because there are two of them at once. And, you know if the twins are cooking, Gramm has to help, too. Having six little hands in the kitchen at one time while I'm trying to cook can get a little crazy. Along the way, I've learned a few things that have helped make our time in the kitchen enjoyable.

First off, get over my bad self and let the kids make a mess. Below is Gramm at 16 months in the kitchen.

Secondly, don't freak out about knives. Seriously, Gramm started using a rounded-tip steak knife to chop vegetables when he was 4. He cut himself one time and it was just a little scratch. I am convinced this helped with his fine motor skills. He still cuts a mad carrot. And, he grates cheddar like it's his job.

Brooklyn wielding a butter knife and showing the mushroom who's boss.

Vivian concentrating hard:

Thirdly, pretend to be Julia Child and explain to your children every single thing you are doing. Gramm has always been very articulate. I've done my pretend cooking shows with him on a very regular basis from birth till now. And, it won't be long till one of my little sweeties tells me "don't crowd the mushrooms!"

Fourthly, it's okay that I don't let my kids help me in the kitchen every time I cook. Helping me is a privilege, it's not a given. It does take more energy from me and I need to be sure I'm in a place where I can tolerate messes being made and children in my kitchen while keeping a smile on my face. I have a strict 'no cussing in the kitchen' policy at my house. If we're in the kitchen, and you're gonna make me cuss, then you gotta get out. :) But, of course, this little man never makes me cuss....this picture was taken in July of this year.

Lastly, enjoy the process. Let your kids be kids, even in the kitchen.

Easy and Delicious Bread from my new Bosch!

After a year of saving my pennies and a little love (in the form of cash) from my handsome hubs, I bit the bullet and bought a Bosch mixer. I was nearly killing my beloved Kitchenaid mixer by forcing it to knead wheat flour and I couldn't stand to see my Kitchenaid die such a slow, painful death. The Kitchenaid was also yielding inconsistent results. More often than not, the bread was crumbly, dry and barely good enough for toast. So, I traded my Kitchenaid in for a guitar (seriously) and bought a Bosch!

For my initial venture into large-batch bread making, I chose to master unsoaked/unsprouted whole grain bread. The margin of error is greater in baking the latter and I'm still working on just the right technique. In the mean time, I've chosen not to make the best the enemy of the good and enjoy fabulous, freshly baked whole wheat bread made with real ingredients. While I love to cook, I also love to spend time with my family outside of the kitchen.

I will share my recipe with pictures very soon, but first, I must mention the lovely lady who sold me my Bosch. Dixie at nutritionlifestyles.com answered my many, many questions, gave me a great deal on my mixer, shared her bread recipe (including tips on kneading, etc.) and even called me to make sure I was getting the hang of whole wheat bread making! She still has the special going that she offered me. Go here to read about it.

Dixie's Basic Whole Wheat Bread (my commentary added in italics)

6 cups warm water

2/3 cup oil (I use coconut oil because I'm an addict)

2/3 cup honey (I use more like 1 cup...can't help myself)

8 cups Freshly Milled Whole Wheat Flour (additional flour needed later)

2 Tbsp. Vital Wheat Gluten (bought mine at Whole Foods, bulk food section)

2 Tbsp. Dough Enhancer (get it here)

3 Tbsp. SAF instant yeast

2 Tbsp. Salt

4-8 additional cups Freshly Milled Whole Wheat Flour

In the Bosch mixing bowl, combine water, oil, honey . Next add 8 cups of freshly ground wheat flour. On top of the flour, add Vital Wheat Gluten, Dough Enhancer, SAF instant yeast, and salt. “Jog” off and on using the “M’ side of the switch so that flour won’t rise out of the mixing bowl. Then mix on first speed until smooth. Then add the additional freshly milled whole wheat flour. Add it slowly as to not over flour. Stopping periodically to test it (we add the flour until the dough doesn’t stick to your floured finger when you “tap” it lightly) The amount of flour you add will depend on the moisture and protein levels in your wheat. Look for spots on the walls of the bowl that are clear of dough momentarily. You might stop the mixer and tap the dough gently with your finger to see if it sticks. It shouldn’t stick to you, if it does just add a little more flour. I add the flour very slowly towards the end.

This is what my dough looked like for this batch when I began the kneading cycle, but don't assume that your dough should look exactly like mine. The goal is to have a good not too wet, not too dry dough.

At this point turn your mixer to speed two and mix for about 5 minutes. The dough that was stuck to the sides and the floor of the mixing bowl will completely clean off. Form dough into 5-6 loaf pans.

Above is the dough, ready to rise. I bought these lovely pans from Dixie as well. They are the BEST bread pans I've used and they are priced very well. The red pan on the end is a silicone pan that works pretty well, but doesn't allow for a very tall rise because the pan is flexible. I didn't get it from Dixie. :)

When they are fully risen you should be able to put a small dent in the side of one of the loafs with your finger and the dent will not come back out, or it will come back very slowly. Bake at 350 for 35 minutes.

Above are the risen loaves, ready to go in the oven (see below). Please inspect the inside of my oven well so that you will feel better about yourself as a housekeeper. :)

Beautiful, nutritious bread, fresh from the oven. At our house, we pop the bread out of the pan as soon as we it can be handled, about 30 minutes after baking, slather butter on each slice and enjoy the yumminess.

Using vital wheat gluten really helps with the rise and the texture of the bread. The gluten really helps the dough become more stretchy, which makes a good sandwich bread that won't fall apart easily. See the difference below:

I used the vital wheat gluten on the left, and the bread on the right did not contain vital wheat gluten. The pores in the bread on the right are quite a bit closer together, which makes for a more crumbly, less flexible bread.

Enjoy! Feel free to comment with any tips or inquiries.

Happy Halloween!

Aslan the Great Lion and the two pink piggies wish you and yours a Happy Halloween!

Gramm's costume was super simple. I bought a black hoodie and made several large and small yarn balls and then safety pinned them to his hoodie, black pants and black gloves. I even made a tail that was PRECIOUS!

This is sweet little Brooklyn. I let the girls pick out their costumes and they chose the piggie costumes based on the color. These girls LOVE pink. I was never a pink lover and am still not a huge fan...I think they have some of Aunt Sharla's genes. :)

Vivian on the left, Brooklyn in the middle, Gramm on the right. Unfortunately, I didn't get a good pic of Vivi in her costume, so here's one of my sweet little Vivi in her every day attire.

True Woman Conference

Julie and I made the trek to Dallas this weekend for the True Woman Conference.

The conference was amazing. I am now home with a full heart.

A few highlights from the weekend:

1--HOURS of uninterrupted conversation with my soul sista, Julie. During one of our many convos in the van on the way to DFW, a ginormous grasshopper splatted on the windshield. I removed said insect so that Julie's vision would not be impaired while driving. That act alone should fill Julie's love tank for months because I don't like bugs.

2-I was so blessed by many of the speakers, namely Crawford and Karen Loritts and Kay Arthur. All of the speakers brought the Word, but the words of these three people resonated deep in my heart. I am going to get my hands on the audio from the conference soon and re-listen and digest some more truth.

3-We brought a long a true little woman, Julie's baby girl, Caroline. She was a trooper and smiled and talked to everyone.

4- A few of Julie's friends from Arizona met us at the conference. It was such a joy to get to know these Godly, genuine women. (Left to right: me, Angela, the other Julie, Laurel)

5- Meeting up with my precious gal pal, Spring, and praying for our children. It is a wonderful blessing to have two entire families of people that just LOVE each other. Her kiddos love my kiddos and our hubbies love each other, too. :)

6- Stalking a couple bloggers....I spotted Lindsey from Passionate Homemaking early on and let Julie know. Unbeknownst to me, Julie flagged her down and got a pic with her.

When we were checking out of our hotel, I thought I saw a familiar face. As it turns out, it was Angie Smith. I've read her blog for a couple years now and her sweet family has melted my heart. Angie has a set of twin girls, too. There's nothing like good twin talk to help a Mama out.

7- Coming home with a full heart and renewed mind has been so refreshing. I see my role as wife and mother in a different and better light and am praying for more grace, more patience, more joy almost every second that those darling little people are awake. :)

I took away from the conference that I have got to be in the Word daily in this stage of life. I do not have the liberty of sporadic quiet times during this stage of life. I must be intentional about getting scripture in me, so that I can hide His word in my children's hearts and live an example worthy of my calling as a Christ-follower, wife and mother in front of my husband and children. (left to right, Brooklyn, Vivian, and Gramm)

Many thanks to my sweet husband for taking care of our kiddos while I was gone. He graciously allowed me to go away for a little over 2 days and didn't complain one bit. He even cleaned the house before I got home! So thankful for such a wonderful man!