If At First You Don't Succeed.....

Okay, this may not look like much to ya'll but my kids thought I had lost it when they heard me hollering in the kitchen recently. After running in the kitchen to check on me they soon realized what all the commotion was about. Finally, I made a loaf of whole wheat bread that I could slice for sandwich making!! I just had to get a picture of it and show it off.

Trust me, my poor family has had to eat many unrecognizable loaves of my whole wheat bread. They didn't mind too much because the taste was good but the texture and shape just wasn't right. But now I think I have got this figured out...




except for this pitiful loaf. It went through exactly the same process as the above loaf. In fact, it is the other half of the bread recipe. I let them both rise in the same place and baked them at the same time. I can't figure out why it is so bumpy and one end actually caved in a bit. Can any bread makers out there give me some advice? Any help would be greatly appreciated!!!

Then I made the most wonderful recipe of strawberry butter. This is probably one of the most delicious things I have ever put in my mouth! I got the recipe from a dear friend. If you would like to try strawberry butter go here.
You will find the recipe on the right side of the blog page under "Farm Kitchen". Be fore-warned though, ALL of Julie's recipes are delicious!

This delicacy is so easy to make! Brandon smeared it on his slice of bread and devoured it. After he was done he told me how good it was and asked where I got that strawberry cream cheese! It is that light. He couldn't believe it was butter. Hey that sounds familiar. Isn't that a jingle?

I'm thinking this may not be such a good thing for ME however- strawberry butter and fresh homemade bread-hmmm...anybody heard of fat free, low calorie butter :-)

More Prayer Requests and Praise Reports

The devastation and destruction in Haiti is far more than we can imagine as we sit in our living rooms and watch this horrible catastrophe unfold before our eyes. Brooke is staying in touch with our missionary friends that are here in Florida. She is learning of so many deaths of the children and friends she came to know in Haiti.



Below is a picture of another missionary's home. This family was currently living in this home but by the Grace of God they were not harmed. They probably were not home at the time but I do not know the details.

This is/was a very popular place called The Caribbean Supermarket in the city. It was a very busy place as everyone went here for shopping. Brooke says there are many still trapped in this building and some of them she knows personally.

This home is a home Brooke stayed in while she visited. There is good news to report from this home. The father was trapped in the rubble here at his house for 2 days. Our missionary friend here in Florida was on Facebook, texting, doing whatever she could day and night to get the message out that this gentleman was alive and injured. She gave his address and pleaded with anyone in that area to go and help. We all were praying that he would be rescued. We got news that someone did go and rescue him, Praise the Lord!!

There is another answer to prayer to tell. The director of the orphanage (she was an orphan raised there herself) couldn't locate her husband after the earthquake. He works in Port-Au-Prince and was on his way home when the earthquake occurred. We just received word yesterday that he was located and he is fine.

These are just two stories with happy endings. The Lord is faithful! However, please continue to pray as this is not the normal ending for most situations. Please lift up this missionary family in prayer. Their name is Murphy. They are having a very difficult time as they are constantly receiving news of dear friends and orphans they have raised that are dead.

Also please pray for Mr. Murphy. He and his daughter have left for Haiti and they will be carrying baby formula and water filters by backpack from the airport in Port-Au-Prince to the village in the mountains where they have served. This will be about a 30 mile hike in very treacherous terrain and that is BEFORE an earthquake! My heart swells as I feel the love and compassion this family has for the people of Haiti. Please remember them in prayer. Pray for this father and daughter's safety and strength to reach the little community that so desperately needs their help.

I know we are all praying for the people of Haiti but if you are aware of certain needs then we can all pray more specifically. That is why I feel I must share these requests.

Also, I have another request for prayer. Brooke is in the hospital with pneumonia in her left lung. She began running a very high temperature Thursday evening. We went to the ER and they admitted her that night. She is doing better but for some reason her heart rate it spiking very high while she is lying in bed resting. The Doctor was concerned that there might be a blood clot in her lung as well and he is ruling that out before she is able to go home. Brooke has been dealing with so many health issues lately. Please remember her also in your prayers.

I am sorry this is not a more cheerful post. I love to be encouraging and uplifting to my friends and family. One thing is for certain, we serve a Sovereign God and He is faithful and on-time!!

Please Pray

We went to bed last night with heavy hearts for the people of Haiti. If you haven't heard on the news, this small, impoverished island has been hit by a large, 7.0, earthquake. As you can probably imagine, much of the tiny country is destroyed.

Brooke called me last night to ask me to be praying for the people of Haiti. I already had been praying but, you see, she has personal ties to this little island. A few years ago she was able to go to Haiti on a summer missions trip to photograph a summer camp. She knows a missionary couple that lives in and operates an orphanage in the mountains just outside Port-Au-Prince. When she left Haiti that summer she unintentionally left something there.....her heart. Brooke knows first hand how these people struggle daily just to survive and that has left a lasting impression with her! She wanted to bring all those orphaned children home with her. I would have made a place for them somewhere!


Thankfully, the missionary family is in Florida right now but they have been trying desperately to contact loved ones and families in Haiti. Many of the orphans are missing. Please take a moment today to pray for this country. Also, please pray for this missionary couple and the work/people they have been involved with for more than 20 years. Their hearts are torn wanting to be there in Haiti with the people they love so dearly.

Thank you for your prayers.

Frozen Florida

We have been having some unusually cold weather this past week for Florida! According to our weather forecaster it even got down to freezing in Miami!! There was a possibility of snow flurries on Saturday in our area and some of our friends did see the flurries but we only got sleet. It was still fun for the boys to go outside and actually see it falling.


This is what we woke up to this morning. Okay, so we "helped" to get this effect :-) Every winter when the temperature gets low enough Monroe sets up our water hose and micro-jet or whatever invention crosses his mind so that the boys can play in the ice.

Every winter he comes up with a different icy creation. I really liked this one with the icecicles hanging off the fence and bird bath.The boys always enjoy playing it the ice. Hey, we have to make these cold days fun somehow. They get out and "ice skate" on the frozen grass. I love to watch boys play!

Speaking of ice skating, I did a little skating of my own yesterday morning. It wasn't too much fun, however. I was over at Brooke's house and I stepped out her back door with Parker in my arms and I didn't see the ice on her backporch. I went sliding and as I was falling all I could think about was protect Parker. So, down I went. I fell on all fours but I was able to keep my baby from getting hurt. His head hit the tricycle but it didn't leave a mark so it wasn't too bad. I am feeling like I was in a car wreck this morning, though, sore and bruised. I have a scraped nose to boot! My kids have an ongoing joke about a previous fall I had and I scraped my nose then too! They think I don't notice but I still hear them grinning behind my back. As I was on the ground yesterday morning gathering my senses (I think they went flying with the spill!) all I could think was, "Ahh Geez, my kids are never going to let me forget this one! They wouldn't dare poke fun yet but I am prepared. Just give it a couple of weeks and I will become the topic around the dinner table. I can just hear them now, "Yeah, remember the SECOND time Mom fell and injured her nose...." That's okay, by then I can laugh along with them.

When you get to be older with responsibilities you don't think these cold days are too much fun. Brent had to get up this morning and scrape the ice off of his windshield before leaving for college. Notice the bare hands. Florida Boy-ha! ha! He does have gloves but did he remember to put them on?

Getting ready to leave with a somewhat clear windshield. This is when we Momma's pray for a hedge of protection for our babies on the roads! Notice the bowl of oatmeal on the dash. Brent said when he got in his truck to leave, the steam off of the oatmeal had formed ice on the inside of the glass!! He never gives himself enough time to eat before leaving for school so he always takes it with him. I don't know about him. As in his ownwords, "It's whatever."

Last night we had about 15 college kids stop by for a bonfire and s'mores. Brent goes down to the school on Sunday evenings to play in the Worship band at the church service on campus. After the service the kids wanted someplace to go so.... I am not complaining at all. In fact, we love to have the college kids over and we tell our boys that our place is always available. We have really been impressed with the guests they have brought here. They have been very respectful and well mannered kids. Last night was no exception. I quickly pulled out the hot cocoa mix I had made. (Thanks Sharon for the recipe. We have been through several batches this winter. It is delicious!) Thankfully, I had ingredients on hand for s'mores. It was a great evening. I think the last of our company left around midnight. Brent had an 8:00 a.m. class this morning and a 45-50 min. drive. He wasn't moving too fast this morning.

It wasn't too cold this morning for "Mr. Ken" the rooster. I keep finding him on my back porch and front porch during this cold snap. I think he would like to come on in and join the rest of our family if we would just invite him.

I always love to look out in the pasture behind the house and see the sunrise no matter what the season. This morning was especially beautiful with the icy grass and the cows grazing. Ahhh, I love the country!

The Extra Special Gift

Once again the Christmas season has come and gone so quickly. Due to the economy I am sure we are not alone when I say this Christmas was a very "slim" one in respect to gift giving. In a way I am glad we had to experience a "slimmer" holiday. It really caused us to focus more on being grateful for the everyday blessings we have that we would normally take for granted. For example, dad/hubby has a job, we have a warm home...it has gotten COLD in Florida, folks.....we have our health and our cupboards are not bare! Also, while we always make Jesus the focus of our Christmas, this year I think it made us focus on Him even more!

The two older boys graciously said they would rather see their two younger brothers have a nice Christmas and they would be okay with no gifts. While it did my heart good to hear this, I was not about to give all the presents to half my children while the others did without. So, I did the best I could and I think everyone was pleased and grateful!

There was one extra special gift, however. This gift was a huge secret and everyone was in on the secret except Brandon and Bryceton. For over a month my sweet husband worked hard on this gift every spare moment he had.

What was this gift? Well, here in these boxes was the first clue for the boys.
After opening the boxes they each found a key. A key to what?
We made them close their eyes and go outside. Ricky led the way.

Taa - Daa!!! Their very own swamp buggy!! Nurse/niece Rhonda don't look ;-)

Just look at the excitement on these faces! I am sure this moment made every late night of working worth it all for their dad!!

Brandon even picked out the paint job colors (camo of course!) without even realizing it was for him! The entire time they knew their dad was working on a swamp buggy in the barn but they were led to believe it was for someone else and the buggy was already sold. It was so funny. One day while watching his dad work Brandon made the comment that something would have to be wrong with this "guy" if he didn't love that buggy! Well those "guys" ended up loving that buggy ;-)

Big brother, Brent, took everyone out for a Christmas morning drive.

The Lord is so good to us. This buggy cost us so little in money. Monroe was able to barter with different friends and our boys had a wonderful Christmas because of it.