Forever Beloved

Faith, Love & Truth

The Bowl

As I stood at my kitchen sink today, washing my Grandmothers bowl, I couldn’t help but think how many times she had stood in that exact same spot washing the same bowl.  And with that, my head spun with thoughts of days past.  How many times had she stood in the kitchen, in the same spot I do, and cooked her family dinner.  How many times had she sat in the living room, reading her Bible while listening to Family Life, the same way I do.  
Grandmothers tend to have a special place in the hearts of little girls – and my Grandma Strong certainly had that place in mine.  I grew up living right beside her, which made spending unlimited time with her very easy. Every day I would get off the bus and skip down to her house, knowing that once I entered those doors I would be surrounded in love. My Grandpa always had a wiener and piecie (what I called a hotdog and piece of bread with apple butter) waiting on me. I would go directly to the kitchen to have my after school snack. I would always eat it as quickly as I could, knowing Sesame Street started soon. I would scarf my food down and run to the living room, so excited to turn the TV on. But every day Grandma would say the same thing “not until you say the 23rd Psalm”. I would sigh, beg, plead and probably roll my eyes a little but she stuck to her guns. I could not turn the TV on until I recited it. I knew she was not going to back down, so I would start off. I would eventually slip up and say something wrong, which meant going back to the beginning and starting all over again. I would recite it, over and over, until I did it without mistakes. Sometimes that meant missing the first 10 minutes or more of Sesame Street. Every day we played the same routine, over and over.

My Grandma was by no means a fancy lady, but she was a class act all the way. She was old school, from the days ladies were classy. She wore a dress every day of her life. And even when she did wear pants, she wore them under a dress.  Yeah girls, UNDER her dress.  She was never mean or sassy but she wasn’t afraid to tell you her opinion in love. She came from the days where women didn’t announce their pregnancy, didn’t wear black or red and you wore clothing that covered you from the nape of your neck to your knees.

She was the strongest Christian woman I’ve ever met. She was kind, respectful, accepting and full of love.  She never complained about life and the many hardships she endured. She taught Good News Club after school in her living room (in the house I live in now) and showed so so many kids the word of the Lord, His love and grace.  Thinking about that now makes my eyes spill over with tears.  I can’t imagine how many hearts were given to the Lord inside this mere farmhouse.  She knew her Bible, inside and out. And when a Jehovah’s Witness would knock on her door, she wouldn’t turn them away like so many others did. She would invite them in, offer them a cup of tea, grab her Bible and discuss it with them for hours on end.  Last summer, a group of Jehovah’s Witnesses were walking around town.  I saw them well in advance and knew they were coming.  I could have easily ignored their knocks, but instead I grabbed my Bible and headed to the porch.  

She taught me so many life lessons that I will always carry in my heart. Repeating the 23rd Psalm every day taught me not only repetition and perseverance but also set those words from it deep in my heart. It taught me to put the Lord before anything in my life. The 23rd Psalm is so, so very dear to me today. She taught me to have class, and to teach my daughter to be classy. She taught me that even during hardships, be thankful for the blessings God gives you every day.  Every day might not be good, but you can bet there is something good in every day!

I am so thankful for this dear lady and the amazing part she still has every day in my life. Even though she is gone and rejoicing daily in Glory, she will forever live in my heart.

Psalm 23
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Yea, though i walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

 

My Top {5} Fav Bread Machine Recipes

I am a self-professed bread machine addict.  I love love love my bread machine {which, fyi, I bought for $5 at a yard sale}.  There are so many things you can do with your bread machine and it’s so super easy!  Not to mention the control you have over what your family eats.  I wanted to list my top 5 fav recipes for y’all to enjoy!  I use a West Bend 41410 Hi-Rise Loaf Programmable Breadmaker, 2.5-Pound

English Muffins

1 cup milk
3 tablespoons butter
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons sugar
3 cups all-purpose flour (or more)
1 1/2 teaspoons dry yeast
cornmeal

Directions:
Put ingredients in the machine in the order listed.
Start the dough cycle.
Sprinkle corn meal over your work area.
When the cycle is finished, use your hands to pat the dough into a 1/2 inch thick rectangle.
Turn the dough so that each side gets lightly coated with cornmeal.
Using a biscuit cutter, cut into 8 to 10 rounds.
Place the rounds on a baking sheet.  Cover and let rise for 20- 30 minutes, until not quite double.
Heat a dry cast iron skillet or griddle over a low flame.
Cook the muffins about 5 to 7 minutes on each side, they should be golden brown when you turn them.
Split the muffins with a fork or serrated knife and serve warm.

White Bread

1 cup + 1 tbs water
1 large egg
4 1/2 teaspoons vegetable oil {I also use garlic olive oil}
3 1/4 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast

Directions:
Place all ingredients in bread machine in order recommended.
Select the basic bread setting.
Check dough after 5 minutes of mixing, if needed add 1-2T of water or flour.
Bake as normal.
Take out of pan and let completely cool slightly before slicing.

Cinnamon Rolls

1 cup warm milk
2 eggs, room temperature
1/3 cup margarine or 1/3 cup butter, melted
4 1/2 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup white sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons bread machine yeast

Filling
1 cup brown sugar, packed
2 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1/3 cup margarine or 1/3 cup butter, softened

Frosting
3 ounces cream cheese
1/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions:
Place all ingredients in bread machine in order recommended by manufacturer.
Select DOUGH cycle press Start.
In separate bowl combine cinnamon and sugar.
After dough has finished, turn it out onto lightly floured surface and roll into a 16×24 rectangle.
Spread dough with butter and sprinkle evenly with cinnamon and sugar mixture.
Roll up dough and cut into 12 rolls.
Place rolls in lightly greased 9×13 pan.
Cover and let rise until almost doubled (about 30 min).
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Bake rolls for 14-16 minutes.
While rolls are baking, beat together cream cheese, 1/4 cup butter, confectioners sugar, vanilla extract and salt. Spread frosting on warm rolls.

Dinner Rolls

3/4 cup water
2 extra-large eggs
3 tbl butter
3 tbl sugar
1 tsp salt
3 1/2 cups flour
2 1/4 tsp yeast

Directions:
Put all ingredients in your bread machine, according to your manufactures directions.
Select the dough setting. Mine lasts 1 hr 20 mins.
Once your dough cycle is finished, punch down dough and let it rest for 5 minutes.
Pull apart the dough in small sections to make balls a little bigger than a golf ball. It really depends on the size of roll you want. Just remember they will rise again.  (I normally grease my hands well before I do this. It not only helps the dough to not stick to you but it helps to make the tops of the rolls buttery golden.)
Place them on a lined baking sheet, sprayed with Pam cooking spray.
Let rise for about 10-15 minutes.
They will rise a little, but won’t necessarily double in size.
Bake at 350 for about 10 minutes. I check mine often.
Once they are light brown on top I pull them out, rub the tops with butter and let them cool on the pan.

Homemade Hotpockets

white bread dough {from above}

Filling choices
meatballs and sauce {I use leftover meatballs + sauce from spaghetti night}
ham and cheese
egg, cheese and bacon
chicken, bacon and cheese
chicken, broccoli and cheese
taco meat and cheese

Directions:
Use white bread recipe above.  Use dough setting rather than bread setting.
After dough has finished, turn it out onto lightly floured surface and roll into a rectangle.
Cut dough into 6×8 pieces.
Fill middle with filling then fold in half and crimp edges with a fork.  Wet the edges a bit with water to make sure it sticks well.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Place on a stoneware or baking sheet, and bake for 10-15 minutes until lightly browned.

**See an updated version of this post by clicking HERE

Endowed by Our Creator {Book Review}

Endowed by Our Creator
By Keith W. Johnson

About the book:

Endowed by our Creator asserts that our constitutional rights are not merely political but are gifts from God, and that we have a responsibility to exercise stewardship to preserve them. It is particularly important for Christians to promote a political environment which allows them to carry out the Great Commission, be salt and light in society, experience religious freedom, and be personally obedient to God. The author maintains that a Christian worldview as presented in the scriptures is the most important consideration in defining the proper role of government – one which provides for life on earth being lived most closely to the way God intended, and which permits individuals to follow God’s will. Such a “worldview” has ramifications for all political issues, many of which are discussed in Endowed by our Creator. The author also presents a Christian perspective on “The Religious Right”, “The Religious Left”, the courts, globalism, the Afghan and Iraq wars, “The Global War on Terror”, and the role of conspiracy in political developments.

Written from a Christian worldview with Biblical references to parallel political topics, “Endowed by Our Creator” is a very interesting easy read and presents a personal challenge to the reader to take freedom, voting privilege, and political activity personally and, hopefully, very unselfishly. Mr. Johnson has presented information in a way that has certainly changed my personal perspective and understanding from a political stance.

What most do not know, is that the Declaration of independence has written right in it “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”.  Keith W, Johnson shows in this book how Christians can not only preserve, but use Gods gifts in political activity. From todays issues on health care to morality, this book covers it all. For anyone who is thinking of getting more involved, I would say this is a good read.

I received this book free from the publisher through the BookCrash.com book review program, which requires an honest, though not necessarily positive, review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.