Happy Reformation Day

On October 31, 1517 a young Doctor of Theology nailed his Ninety-Five Theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Saxony (now Germany).

Martin Luther originally intended the theses to initiate theological discussion, not as a reformation of the Catholic Church. However, history had another plan for Luther. Three years later he was excommunicated by the pope and was declared a heretic and an outlaw.

I pause today to give thanks to our Father in Heaven for men of courage and integrity like Martin Luther. I pause to remember his tenacious pursuit of truth and knowledge. I pause to remember how small acts can cause great acts to occur.

Scripture verses of the day - Luke 21:7-38

7 And they asked him, saying, Master, but when shall these things be? and what sign will there be when these things shall come to pass?
8 And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them.
9 But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for these things must first come to pass; but the end is not by and by.
10 Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:
11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.
12 But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name’s sake.
13 And it shall turn to you for a testimony.
14 Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall answer:
15 For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist.
16 And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death.
17 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s asake.
18 But there shall not an hair of your head perish.
19 In your patience possess ye your souls.
20 And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh.
21 Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto.
22 For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.
23 But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people.
24 And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.
25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;
26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.
27 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.
29 And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees;
30 When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand.
31 So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand.
32 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled.
33 Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.
34 And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.
35 For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.
36 Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.
37 And in the day time he was teaching in the temple; and at night he went out, and abode in the mount that is called the mount of Olives.
38 And all the people came early in the morning to him in the temple, for to hear him.

Scripture verses of the day - Psalms 112:1-10

1 Praise ye the Lord. Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord, that delighteth greatly in his commandments.
2 His seed shall be mighty upon earth: the generation of the upright shall be blessed.
3 Wealth and riches shall be in his house: and his righteousness endureth for ever.
4 Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness: he is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous.
5 A good man sheweth favour, and lendeth: he will guide his affairs with discretion.
6 Surely he shall not be moved for ever: the righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance.
7 He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord.
8 His heart is established, he shall not be afraid, until he see his desire upon his enemies.
9 He hath dispersed, he hath agiven to the poor; his righteousness endureth for ever; his horn shall be exalted with honour.
10 The wicked shall see it, and be grieved; he shall gnash with his teeth, and melt away: the desire of the wicked shall perish.

Wool felt gnomes - Handmade Holiday

This year, like years past, we're planning to keep our Christmas gift giving simple. We're also planning to make many of the gifts. On my to-do list this year for the girls' gifts are wool felt gnomes and gnome accessories.



They're very easy to make and the materials list is fairly short, too.

You'll need:

wool felt sheets (two different colors per gnome)
cotton embroidery floss (contrasting and matching colors)
wooden peg people
thick craft glue

For tools you'll need:

straight pins
scissors
needles (one that can handle 6 strands of floss)



I won't bother to recreate the tutorial. Just pop on over to Wee Folk Art and open up the Felt Gnome Tutorial to find the tutorial and pattern.

In addition to the gnomes, I have these accessories on my list of gifts to make:

Gnome Sleeping Bag

Mini Braided Rugs

Larder Sacks

Mini Pumpkins

Felt Tree Forest

Santa Peg Gnome

Gnome Snowflake Garland

I'd also like to make some of the Flower Fairies if I have time.



This post was included in Skip to my Lou's Made By You Monday link-up.





This post was included in the Craftastic Monday link-up at Sew Can Do.

Scripture verses of the day - 2 Corinthians 9:8-11

8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:
9 (As it is written, He hath dispersed abroad; he hath given to the poor: his righteousness remaineth for ever.
10 Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness;)
11 Being enriched in every thing to all bountifulness, which causeth through us thanksgiving to God.

Scripture verses of the day - Psalms 119:17-24

17 Deal bountifully with thy servant, that I may live, and keep thy word.
18 Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.
19 I am a stranger in the earth: hide not thy commandments from me.
20 My soul breaketh for the longing that it hath unto thy judgments at all times.
21 Thou hast rebuked the proud that are cursed, which do err from thy commandments.
22 Remove from me reproach and contempt; for I have kept thy testimonies.
23 Princes also did sit and speak against me: but thy servant did meditate in thy statutes.
24 Thy testimonies also are my delight and my counsellors.

Scripture verses of the day - 1 Corinthians 3:3-6

3 Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.
4 And such trust have we through Christ to God-ward:
5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God;
6 Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.

Monday Menu Planning - week of Oct. 25

Monday, October 25 - Meatless Meal
Veggie Shepherd's Pie


Tuesday, October 26 - Beef
Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, peas


Wednesday, October 27 - Soup
Chicken and rice soup, bread


Thursday, October 28 - Poultry
Chicken stir fry made with teriyaki marinade, jasmine rice


Friday, October 29 - Pizza
Pizza - one with cheese and one without cheese


Saturday, October 30- Pantry Ready to Eat
Tuna noodle salad, carrot sticks


Sunday, October 31 - Beef
Beef roast, carrots, potatoes

Scripture verses of the day - Colossians 2:6-10

6 As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:
7 Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.
8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
10 And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:

A visit to the pumpkin farm

We've been looking for outings to add to our family's autumn traditions and today we decided to visit one of the many, many pumpkin farms in our area.

The girls had a blast!

















So this morning we bought some decorative corn, two pumpkins to carve into jack-o-lanterns, and ten pie pumpkins.

And then this afternoon the Hubster and I begin preparing the pumpkin for canning.








Later on tonight we'll have it all safely stored away for the winter months.

Scripture verses of the day - Proverbs 23:7-8

7 For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.
8 The morsel which thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up, and lose thy sweet words.

Demerara sugar for muffin shop muffins at home

It's not a big deal, really. But to us it makes our homemade muffins more like muffin shop muffins.

Just a sprinkle or two on top...



And you have that fabulous sweet crunch that you find on muffin shop muffins.


(you can even see where little fingers couldn't quite wait)

Scripture verses of the day - Jude 1:17-25

17 But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ;
18 How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts.
19 These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit.
20 But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,
21 Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
22 And of some have compassion, making a difference:
23 And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.
24 Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,
25 To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.

Learning Homemaking with Mary Frances

I recently became acquainted with a series of books written in the early 1900s by Jane Eayre Fryer. They are written in novel or storybook format, but also include instructions about various housekeeping tasks and include lovely illustrations and songs.

After looking through one I realized they'd be a fun addition to our homeschooling curricula. We'll be using them during our out loud reading time as well as learning some of the songs and using the lists of housekeeping instructions to help us in our homemaking.

There are some themes unacceptable to our family, such as racism and corporal punishment, but it's easy enough to explain to our children the differences in cultures over time and why our family considers those to be unacceptable but why they might have been acceptable nearly a century ago.

I've found some free online sources for this series of books and I'd like to share with you. Maybe you'd like to use the books with your young homemakers.

The Mary Frances cook book or, Adventures among the kitchen people by Jane Eayre Fryer (1912) - free PDF download available through the Internet Archive

The Mary Frances sewing book or, Adventures among the thimble people by Jane Eayre Fryer (1913) - free PDF download available through Open Library

Easy Steps in Housekeeping or, Mary Frances' Adventures Among the Doll People by Jane Eayre Fryer (1914) - free PDF download available through Kobo - this book even has paper dolls and the accompanying furniture in them - we printed them out using cardstock and our color printer to play with! (Recently Homeschool Resource of the Day had a copy available, but their copy cut off the bottoms of the dolls. This version through the Internet Archive doesn't cut off the dolls.)

The Mary Frances garden book: or, Adventures among the garden people by Jane Eayre Fryer (1916) - free PDF download available through Open Library

The Mary Frances first aid book, with ready reference list of ordinary accidents and illnesses, and approved home remedies by Jane Eayre Fryer (1916) - free PDF download available through the Internet Archive

The Mary Frances knitting and crocheting book by Jane Eayre Fryer (1918) - free PDF download available through the Internet Archive

The Mary Frances story book or, Adventures among the story people by Jane Eayre Fryer (1921) - free PDF download available through the Internet Archive

This post is part of the Homemaking Link-up over at Raising Homemakers

The Simple Woman's Daybook - October 19th

FOR TODAY

Outside my window...
- I see the leaves turning colors and falling

I am thinking...
- about all the tasks ahead of me

I am thankful for...
- the love of my children

From the learning rooms...
- we're working on colors & letters with the baby girl; phonics, handwriting, and addition concepts with the big girl; and weather & seasons with both of them

From the kitchen...
- we made homemade macaroni & cheese last night (and will be enjoying leftovers today) and we're planning to make sugar cookies later this morning

I am wearing...
- my flannel bathrobe and pjs

I am creating...
- a toadstool house toy (many thanks go out to Lier at ikat bag for selecting me as a pattern tester)

I am going...
- nowhere today

I am reading...
- Urban Pantry: Tips and Recipes for a Thrifty, Sustainable and Seasonal Kitchen by Amy Pennington

I am hoping...
- that this sunshine lasts :)

I am hearing...
- the sound of a rocking chair being rocked

Around the house...
- we're enjoying autumn and beginning to bake more

One of my favorite things...
- seeing rays of sunshine shooting through the branches of a tree

A few plans for the rest of the week:
- can up some acorn squash, do some mending, re-work the cuffs of my daughter's raincoat, finish the toadstool house toy

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...



This post is part of a link-up at The Simple Woman's Daybook

Scripture verses of the day - Job 19:25-29

25 For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth:
26 And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God:
27 Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me.
28 But ye should say, Why persecute we him, seeing the root of the matter is found in me?
29 Be ye afraid of the sword: for wrath bringeth the punishments of the sword, that ye may know there is a judgment.

Scripture verses of the day - 1 John 1:8-10

8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

Scripture verses of the day - Psalms 36:1-4

1 The transgression of the wicked saith within my heart, that there is no fear of God before his eyes.
2 For he flattereth himself in his own eyes, until his iniquity be found to be hateful.
3 The words of his mouth are iniquity and deceit: he hath left off to be wise, and to do good.
4 He deviseth mischief upon his bed; he setteth himself in a way that is not good; he abhorreth not evil.

Scripture verses of the day - Proverbs 24:5-9

5 A wise man is strong; yea, a man of knowledge increaseth strength.
6 For by wise counsel thou shalt make thy war: and in multitude of counsellors there is safety.
7 Wisdom is too high for a fool: he openeth not his mouth in the gate.
8 He that deviseth to do evil shall be called a mischievous person.
9 The thought of foolishness is sin: and the scorner is an abomination to men.

Low-cost alphabet tiles for homeschooling

I'm a frugal mama and that extends into our homeschooling as well. I thought today I'd show you how we recently made some alphabet tiles.

First, we located the pdf file over at readinglessons.com The Review Lesson at the end of each of the weeks over there include letter cards and a work mat. We downloaded all of the letter cards and printed out two sets of each so we'd have lots of letters to work with.

I cut all the letters out using a paper cutter.



Then I used our new laminating machine and laminated them so they'd be more durable. Just as an aside, we bought the machine on sale at Amazon.com; it was one of the deals of the day and we paid just $17.99 for it!



For the letter cards I used the 4" x 6" size laminating pouches, but you could arrange them in larger or smaller pouches as well.





Since I used that size I needed to do a bit of trimming to get them down to the size I wanted them to be in order to fit the work mat.

I store them in a pencil box we found on clearance for 25 cents.



I try to anticipate our school supply needs and either buy them early in the back-to-school season when Office Max is running its penny sales or else at the end of the back-to-school season when items are on deep clearance.

We'll be using the alphabet tiles to practice spelling with our 6 year old daughter. She's still learning to write letters and sometimes it's easier for her to practice spelling using letter tiles or magnetic letters rather than doing more handwriting.

What low-cost homeschooling tools have you created for your children?


This post is part of the Homemaking Link-Up at Raising Homemakers

Scripture verses of the day - Matthew 5:15-48

from the Sermon on the Mount:

15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.
21 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:
22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.
23 Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;
24 Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.
25 Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.
26 Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.
27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:
28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
29 And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into bhell.
30 And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
31 It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement:
32 But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.
33 Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths:
34 But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God’s throne:
35 Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King.
36 Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black.
37 But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.
38 Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:
39 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.
40 And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also.
41 And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.
42 Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would bborrow of thee turn not thou away.
43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?
47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?
48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

The Simple Woman's Daybook - October 12th

FOR TODAY

Outside my window...
- the garden is winding down and the blueberry leaves have turned a brilliant red color

I am thinking...
- of all of the things I need to accomplish

I am thankful for...
- my dear husband and his willingness to be my friend as well as my mate

From the learning rooms...
- we're working on the letter G and an autumn unit

From the kitchen...
- we're planning to make apple muffins

I am wearing...
- my ordinary knit lounging pants and a t-shirt

I am creating...
- a corduroy jumper for the big girl

I am going...
- nowhere

I am reading...
- Radical Homemakers: Reclaiming Domesticity from a Consumer Culture by Shannon Hayes

I am hoping...
- that this sunshine lasts :)

I am hearing...
- the voices of young imagination

Around the house...
- we're playing with puzzles

One of my favorite things...
- the feel of the breeze on my face as I walk

A few plans for the rest of the week:
- finish up sewing the jumper, work on some autumn crafts, can up some fruit

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...









This post is part of a link-up at The Simple Woman's Daybook

Menu Plannning - week of October 10th

After a summer hiatus it's been determined that menu planning is once again a necessity.

Here's the dinner menus for this week:

Sunday: Roast Turkey Breast, steamed mixed vegetables, mashed potatoes


Monday: Goulash, steamed broccoli


Tuesday: Meatless chicken fried "steak", gravey, rice, green beans


Wednesday: Homemade pizza - one with cheese and one without cheese


Thursday: Ham and bean soup served over steamed rice (it's easier for the toddler to eat this way)


Friday: Chicken and pinto bean burritos


Saturday: T-bone steaks, baked potatoes, green beans

Scripture verses of the day - Matthew 13:22-23

from the parable of the sower:

22 He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.
23 But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

Scripture verses of the day - 1 Corinthians 10:31-33

31 Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.
32 Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God:
33 Even as I please all men in all things, not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.

This is a timer

It's the ordinary kitchen timer sort of timer. It has a magnet on the back and I can stick it onto my refrigerator.

Time is my nemesis. Truly, it is! I have too many things I want to do and experience and far, far too little time to accomplish it all.

I've decided to use this humble timer to help me prioritize my use of the time I've given. I've long known that my time ought to be focused on the things that are truly important - relationships, love, kindness, thoughtfulness - the things that enrich my spirit and help me to grow into the woman my Father in Heaven intended me to be.

What I've decided to do is limit my time spent on things that don't help me grow. There are plenty of things the world tells us we ought to do and plenty more that are just fun. Those are the things that I will begin to time.

I've decided to set the time to 15 minute increments. I have that much time to do the less important things. Then I'll move back to the important things. Later on I'll spend another 15 minutes on the less important things.

My hope is that eventually the less important things won't even be worthy of my time.

I'll let you know how things go.

It's National Babywearing Week Again

And I'm squeezing in on the tail end of it.

I wish I had a valid excuse, but I really don't.

I'm still adjusting to a more traditional homeschooling routine as the big girl requested lessons and you all know that a cornerstone of unschooling is assisting your child in her intellectual/learning pursuits.

I'm also finishing up putting the garden to rest. That means harvesting the last of the vegetables (and fruits since we're still harvesting raspberries). I also have to pull out the remaining plants and put them on the compost piles. The strawberries need to be thinned out before the snow falls as well. (if you're local to me and reading this and WANT some strawberries please let me know and I'll share)

So....on to babywearing, eh? :)

In celebration of International Babywearing Week here are some blog posts:

Here is the post I had on the blog last year.

Babywearing: On dreams and opportunities at Undercover Mother

Guest Post: Stephanie from Adventures in Babywearing on Babywearing Stories at Marvelous Kiddo

International Babywearing Week at Marvelous Kiddo

WW: Exploratorium Babywearing at the bee in your bonnet

International Babywearing Week 2010 at The Mother's Lamentations

Calling all Babywearers at Naddy's Blog

Scripture verses of the day - James 5:1-9

1 Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.
2 Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten.
3 Your gold and silver is cankered; and the crust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.
4 Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth.
5 Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter.
6 Ye have condemned and killed the just; and he doth not resist you.
7 Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.
8 Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.
9 Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door.

This morning's work

a gallon of freshly washed and sliced bell peppers from the garden


6 quarts of homemade and home preserved ham and bean soup

Scripture verses of the day - 1 Peter 3:1-7

1 Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives;
2 While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear.
3 Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel;
4 But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.
5 For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands:
6 Even as Sara obeyed Abraham, calling him lord: whose daughters ye are, as long as ye do well, and are not afraid with any amazement.
7 Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.

Scripture verses of the day - 1 Peter 4:9-11

9 Use hospitality one to another without grudging.
10 As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
11 If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

Scripture verses of the day - Romans 12:17-21

17 Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.
18 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.
19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.
20 Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.
21 Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.

Scripture verses of the day - Matthew 12:31-37

31 Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.
32 And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.
33 Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit.
34 O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.
35 A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.
36 But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.
37 For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.

Continue in Patience

We live in the Days just as the time of Noah

In search of the perfect dairy-free chocolate cake

For long-time readers of this blog it's no secret that the big girl is allergic to cow's milk proteins. That means we are always looking for creative substitutes to use in our cooking and baking.

On the surface you might think that a dairy-free chocolate cake is impossible. It's not. In fact, the company Duncan Hines does make a dairy-free chocolate cake mix, but we've also discovered that the big girl is sensitive to artificial colors and artifical flavors. She is much calmer and generally more pleasant to be with when these are not in her diet. So our family tries to avoid including them in our foods now that we've discovered this sensitivity.

Again, back to the quest for the perfect dairy-free chocolate cake.

I found this recipe for a Chocolate Layer Cake on the blog Mennonite Girls Can Cook.

We decided to make cupcakes using the recipe. It was okay, but the flavor wasn't chocolately enough and it wasn't as sweet as the chocolate cake we used to make with the Duncan Hines box mix.

So we continued on our quest. The next recipe we used was this one from Allrecipes.com. This was better. The flavor was clearly more chocolately, but the texture wasn't as moist as we'd prefer. It was kind of grainy and the batter was extremely runny. In fact, when I was mixing up the batter I was certain it wouldn't even be a cake in the end, but it did turn out cake-like. (no pictures of this one, sorry).

Do any of you have a dairy-free chocolate cake recipe that you think might fit the bill? Key criteria include - real chocolate flavor, no dairy ingredients, no artificial flavors or colors, and a moist cake texture.