Hints and Tips: In the Kitchen

Here are a few hints and tips for the kitchen. :) My Mom always had us butter bread by melting it and spooning it on, which worked great when we had a lot to do. Using the pastry brush works good as well.

To butter many slices of bread quickly and evenly, heat the butter until soft, then "paint" it on with a flat pastry brush.

Place aluminium foil under the napkin in your roll basket and the rolls will stay hot longer.

Many vegetables and fruits, including potatoes and apples, retain many of their nutrients in their skin. So when possible, leave the skin on your fruits and vegetables and cook them whole.

Cookie dough can be frozen up to three months in an airtight container or refrigerated three to four days.

Cookies will spread if your dough is too pliable by allowing butter to get too soft. If your cookies are spreading too much, try refrigerating the dough for a couple of hours before baking.

When rolling out cookie dough to cut, use a thin dusting of confectioners' sugar instead of flour on the board. The flour tends to make the dough thicker and heavier, while the dusting of sugar will help the cookie to brown evenly.

My Little "Willie Bear" :)

My sweet baby is growing so fast! He turned five months yesterday:). Here he is the first time he sat up by himself a few weeks ago.

"Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate." Psalm 127

A Quote For Today

The spirit of godly womanhood is present in the woman who, with courage and fortitude, perseveres through the many challenges of life. She realizes that "faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen," and consequently strives for the principled course of action.

-Christine Russel

Learning Room aka School Room

I love the idea of having a "learning room", one that is fun and inviting, where school projects could be done as well as more serious study if needed. I came across a few pictures of rooms which got me inspired. I really like the idea of maps, charts and pictures on the walls with maybe some dry erase or chalk boards. Of course, it wouldn’t be complete with out a pet, maybe a hamster or fish tank. :) Also, lots of good books! For the walls, I am so used to everything being painted white that I am ready to try something different. It will be a few years before our oldest little one is old enough to start school, but with a room like this she could start learning now (Not that our children need a special room to learn, but I think it would be a neat place to enhance the experience :). That's why I like calling it a Learning Room. Growing up, I thought it would be neat to have a special room like this, but not everyone has the space and that's fine too. Some of these ideas can be incorporated in other area of the house as well.

I *love* the huge map on the wall! It looks perfect in this setting. I also like the idea of having a small couch (or rocking chair to rock the baby while keeping an eye on the little learners:) in the room to make it more comfortable and homey. :)

I thought this would be a cute way to put up special pictures that the children draw etc.

I love the simple color scheme in this picture. Using a book shelf as a double desk is a neat idea. I also love the baskets! They would work directly on a wall as well; a cute way to help keep papers organized.

I have a long way to go before I come close to having something as perfect as the pictures, but hey, it doesn't have to be perfect. :) I intend to keep an eye out for items at second hand stores etc. and maybe someday I can make my dream learning room:).

A Christian Home

"Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it..."

Psalm 127:1a

O give us homes built firm upon the Saviour,
Where Christ is Head, and Counsellor and Guide;
Where ev'ry child is taught His love and favor
And gives his heart to Christ, the crucified:
How sweet to know that tho' his footsteps waver
His faithful Lord is walking by his side!

O give us homes with godly fathers, mothers,
Who always place their hope and trust in Him;
Whose tender patience turmoil never bothers,
Whose calm and courage trouble cannot dim;
A home where each finds joy in serving others,
And love still shines, tho' days be dark and grim.

O give us homes where Christ is Lord and Master,
The Bible read, the precious hymns still sung;
Where prayer comes first in peace or in disaster,
And praise is natural speech to ev'ry tongue;
Where mountains move before a faith that's vaster,
And Christ sufficient is for old and young.

O Lord, our God, our homes are Thine forever!
We trust to Thee their problems, toil, and care;
Their bonds of love no enemy can sever
If Thou art always Lord and Master there:
Be Thou the center of our least endeavor:
Be Thou our Guest, our hearts and homes to share.

This made me smile....

"If you give a mom a muffin, she'll want a cup of coffee to go with it. She'll pour herself some. Her three-year-old will spill the coffee. She'll wipe it up. Wiping the floor, she will find dirty socks. She'll remember she has to do laundry. When she puts the laundry in the washer, she'll trip over boots and bump into the freezer. Bumping into the freezer will remind her she has to plan supper. She will get out a pound of hamburger. She'll look for her cookbook. (101 Things To Make With A Pound Of Hamburger.) The cookbook is sitting under a pile of mail. She will see the phone bill, which is due tomorrow. She will look for her checkbook. The checkbook is in her purse that is being dumped out by her two-year-old. She'll smell something funny. She'll change the two-year-old. While she is changing the two-year-old the phone will ring. Her four-year-old will answer and hang up. She'll remember that she wants to phone a friend to come for coffee. Thinking of coffee will remind her that she was going to have a cup. She will pour herself some. And chances are, if she has a cup of coffee, her kids will have eaten the muffin that went with it."

by Kathy Fictorie

Being a mom is wonderful! [smile] I am so thankful for our two little ones and I don't mind if they eat all my muffins. :) This just made me smile as it was so close to what I sometimes do (going from one thing to the next when I see something that needs to be done.)

Happy New Year to everyone!