A Birthday at the Ballet

We celebrated Raegan's 5th birthday today with an afternoon at the Nutcracker ~ just the birthday girl and Mama. Enchanting!


Raegan is very into corny poses lately. I guess that comes with turning the grand age of 5!

One last picture in front of the Space Needle. And then home to the presents that came in the mail and have been waiting to be opened.

A Blessed Thanksgiving!

"Be Still...

...and know that I am God." ~ Psalm 46:10

This is the scenery from my bedroom windows. Living in the woods means this is what I get to wake up to every morning.

Raegan's Definition Of A Turtleneck

"The part of a turtle that goes between his body and his head."

The Mouse Dress

...is more of a top now really. But it's still fun to wear.

Grandma made this one for my girls. My sister had one when she was just a wee one, and it was passed on to many little friends, and then on to their little ones. There's a rumor that it's still floating around somewhere.

Big, Beautiful Mopheads

An anniversary present from my mom and dad. This wreath was made by my mother with gorgeous hydrangeas from her garden. Daddy provided the garden.

One more note: please go visit my friend LDH for a sweet story of encouragement! If you don't watch the news because it's too depressing, this is one report that will remind us all that Jesus lives! And He will never leave us or forsake us!

Journey to Bethlehem

It may be a little early to be pulling out the Christmas music, but we love it anytime. So today we listened to sweet harp music by Bronn Journey, whom I was privileged to meet several years ago at a small concert in my hometown.

Carol of the Bells, O Holy Night. A pleasant way to spend the day cleaning house.

Laundry Day

Soap and Baubles

Come, take a peek!

Our Daily Bread

My trusty little camera is on the fritz, so I'm using some photos from my archives. =)

I thought you might enjoy my favorite bread recipe. I always had trouble getting my dough to rise; apparently my old recipe didn't call for enough yeast. Here's one I use almost weekly for a very tasty bread ~ soft and not too sweet.

Mama B's Buttermilk Bread

~

2 T butter

2 C whole milk

2/3 C sugar

1 1/2 to 2 T yeast (Red Star is a good one, nothing added)

1 1/2 t salt

1/4 C olive oil

6 C flour

Use organic ingredients, of course!

~

In a medium saucepan, gently heat the butter, milk, and sugar, til butter is just melted. The temp should be about 110* ~ just the way I like my bath. =)

Remove from heat and add the yeast. Let the yeast "proof" until it looks creamy and foamy (something else my old recipe left out.)

Add the salt and oil.

Mix in the flour one cup at a time ~ this really seems to help with the consistency.

Knead, knead, knead until nice and smooth.

Put in an oiled bowl and turn to coat. Let rise in a warm place for at least an hour or til doubled in size. Some say to cover with a damp cloth, but this doesn't work very well for me. Maybe the cloth gets too cold?

Punch down and knead a bit more, then divide in half. Shape your loaves and let them rise for another half hour or until the tops are an inch above the pans.

Bake at 350* for 30 minutes.

Here's what I like to do with one half of the dough: I make a standard loaf with one half and roll out the other, sprinkle with a couple tablespoons of water, top with sugar and cinnamon and raisins, and then roll it up and put it in the pan for the most delicious cinnamon raisin bread ever! Be sure to enjoy a couple slices of each bread, warm from the oven with a generous spread of fresh butter. Mmm...