Tuesday, February 28, 2017

February Journal

   February went by quickly for me! Yes, I know it is the shortest month of the year... but really, time seems to be flying by! Lately the Lord has been bringing Psalm 90:12 to my mind "...teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom" I don't know about you, but I need that reminder from God's Word!  
    Earlier in the month we celebrated my niece's 1st Birthday! What a joy she is! And what a joy it was to be there for her birthday party! It was a quick trip, but totally worth it! Time spent with my nieces and nephews is never short on laughter, smiles and fun!
    With many days in the 40's and 50's this past month, we no longer have any snow to speak of. And longer walks outside have been enjoyable! (If it's not too windy!) February's unusually warm weather brought on an early "sugar season" (maple sap harvesting and processing!) We've already boiled down our first batch, resulting in 2 qts. of syrup! Hopefully we will have much more production in the coming days and weeks! (Stay tuned for a sugar season post!) 
  The days are flying by... Spring is just around the corner and some days it feels like it is already here! Time is marching on! 😉
 
So teach us to number our days,
That we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.
Psalm 90:12

Wednesday, February 22, 2017

Pink Tulips


   Dad gave me these lovely tulips on Valentine's Day! Oh how I've been enjoying their fresh & bright beauty! Since they are potted, I will transplant them into my garden this spring, to be enjoyed for many more years to come! Thank you Dad! 😊

Saturday, February 18, 2017

To See Goodness


What is it about looking at life through a camera lens... that makes ordinary moments near spectacular? And what is it about looking at life through the lens of truth, that brings abounding joy, abiding peace and deep, sweet contentment?
 

Even when nothing in life changes, except the way we choose to see. We find that seeing is the path to the change we really needed. That we need heart changes, more then circumstance changes. 


When you know in the depths of your being, and choose to focus your heart on, the truth that God is good in character and deed, a beautiful thing begins to happen... you begin to see what was there all along. God's goodness displayed in simple, humble, everyday-ness. Thousands of grace gifts, wrapped in God's goodness... FOR YOU!


The photographer's focusing lens draws spectacular out of ordinary and the Christian believing in God's goodness grows contentment where once lay worries, frustrations and unhappiness.


It's where we put our focus that makes ordinary into spectacular and life worth living! Are you looking at life through the lens of cynicism or the truth that God is good?



Because the way we see changes the way we live.
 

Saturday, February 11, 2017

My Grandparents

  Growing up I was blessed to have all four of my Grandparents living close by. Each one has been very involved in my life, for which I will always be grateful. I don't know if there is anyway to fully express how dear each one of them is to me. Thank you Grandmas and Grandpas for  your love, laughter, listening ears, baby-sitting, tea parties, food 😊 and always an open door into your hearts and homes! I love you all SO MUCH! 
We celebrated my Grandma Z's 84th birthday last weekend! 
 
Holly and I had fun planning, preparing, decorating and hosting a party for her! We made supper and Lime Jello Poke Cake with 7 Minute Frosting for dessert!
 


   This picture was taken a few years back on the 4th of July. We had a patriotic outfit contest! Can you tell we were having a lot of fun together?!  Yep, my Grandparents are some of my best friends! 😀  (left to right: Grandma M. Me and Grandpa Z.)
 Here is another picture from a few years back.  My Grandpa M. Grandma M. and me on South Padre Island. What a wonderful time we had! 😊 

Thank you Lord for my grandparents! 
They are a gift of your goodness!

Monday, February 6, 2017

Thursday, February 2, 2017

Raw Sauerkraut

   Today I want to share with you, just how quick and easy it is to make homemade sauerkraut! I use the fermentation preserving method, so it doesn't require any special canning equipment or experience! The fermentation process not only preserves your food for storage, but also increases the vitamin C content from that of fresh cabbage! Plus a great benefit of fermenting is the wonderful probiotics that are created! To take full advantage of these nutritional qualities, you must eat the sauerkraut raw. 

   I normally make my kraut from store-bought cabbage. As I don't have very good luck growing it. Though using garden fresh cabbage would surely make the "best for you" sauerkraut. One nice benefit of using store-bought cabbage, is that you can make kraut anytime of the year! A great time of year to make kraut is in March, as most grocery stores, at least in my area, have cabbage on sale for St. Patrick's Day! Our supply of sauerkraut that I had made last March was getting low, so I made a few jars up on Monday. With plans to make a bigger batch in March.

Base Recipe: 
  • 1 cabbage, 
  • 2 Tablespoons of salt 
Multiply recipe as desired.  I normally expect to get 2 jars (1.5 pints each?) out of one cabbage.

Equipment: 
  • Jars and lids (Old pickle jars or jam jars work great! No need for official canning jars and lids since you won't be sealing the jars.) 
  • Knife.
  • Cutting board
  • Measuring spoon 
  • Big bowl.
  • Funnel.  
  • Food Processor (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!) or other shredding device. I use to use a kitchen hand grater/shredder and it took me a half hour to do one cabbage. 😕 Very tedious! The food processor does it in less then 5 minutes! 😊

 Step-by-step instructions:

Step 1. Prepare Jars and lids. (I normally do this by pouring boiling water in the jars setting the lids on top and letting it sit for a minute. That should sufficiently sterilize them!)

Step 2. Wash the cabbage and remove any leaves that aren't fresh looking.
Step 3. Chop into appropriate size chunks, to feed into the food processor. Process.
Step 4. Add Salt.
 Step 5. With clean hands "knead" the cabbage & salt together for 5-10 minutes. As you knead it, the cabbage's natural juice will be released. It is surprising how much liquid comes out! (Picture on right shows juice in bottom of bowl.)
 
Step 6. Press into sterilized jars, (A funnel helps make this step less messy!) Leave an inch or so of head space in jars, as the cabbage will "expand" as the lactic acid goes to work! Screw lids on and leave jars out on your counter for 3 days. During this time if you notice any of the lids bulging, simple unscrew them momentarily to let out lactic acid gas, Then re-screw lid on. If you don't keep an eye out for this... you might have a jar explode all over your kitchen! That caution comes from experience! 😉  
   After 3 days, move jars to a cool dark place, for storage. I put  mine in our unheated (60? degree) basement. A refrigerator may also work... The temperature at which you store it will determine how fast the fermentation process goes. (Warmer = faster, cooler = slower.) Kraut will be ready to eat in as little as 2+ weeks, but it does get "better" with age, I think it tastes best after 3 months! (We are currently eating 10 month old kraut and I think it is some of the best we've had yet!) 

   And that is it, it really is that simple! Why not give it a try for yourself and let me know how it goes! 😊 If you have any questions about making it, leave a comment and I will be glad to answer any and all of your questions!

     Do you like Sauerkraut? Have you ever made it? If so, what method did you use?  What is your favorite thing to eat sauerkraut with? 

 *This week I joined in on the fun Homestead Blog Hop held over at Homesteading on Grace!