Zechariah 13:9

And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried; they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The Lord is my God. Zechariah 13:9

Monday, July 29, 2013

Now She is 2!

Today, Morgan turned 2!
She is a lively, outgoing little lady,
 a best friend to Oakley
and big sister to Toby.

Happy 2nd Birthday, Morgan!  We love you bunches!




On Father's Day, a picture was taken of Dave and the boys.
Here is one of Dave and his girls....


and the rest of Kelsey's family.....



Time sure hurries on!
  We remember when Kelsey was just a little girl and now
she has her own family!

We love having them live close and being able to see them often!

Until next time.......
 

Monday, July 22, 2013

He Is Now 12

Happy 12th Birthday to Uriah James!

The age of 12 means hunting!  
Saturday I took him to Cabela's for his Hunter's Safety Course.
It was a full class and it was taught by a long ago farm buddy of Dave's and a classmate to both of us, Jeff Walters.  He did a great job with the class!


Uriah passed and received his orange card, allowing him to get his license, which we did today.  So, this year, the hunter's in this family will be George, Uriah and guess who?  Me!  I decided that if I am going to go sit out with the boys, I may as well carry a gun and shoot the ones they miss!  : )  Just kidding!  It is the other way around hands down!  I would be fortunate to hit one standing close to me!  But, it would be fun to try!  And if you would see what those critters are doing to our corn, you would want to join me!  
Read about George's sharp shooting here.
  Sometime, I will have to share my "crying" and "yelling" hunting stories from long ago.  I am hoping I am beyond the crying stage if the gun jams again! 



Uriah wanted ice-cream sandwiches for his treat.  We decided that we would rather make them, especially since Breyer's is running a sale this week - 2 for $5.
I used a rice krispie candy recipe, but used Kix and Organic cheerios instead of Rice Krispies. 
Pretty yummy stuff!



Happy Birthday, Uriah!  What a blessing you are to all of us!!


Until next time..............





Sunday, July 7, 2013

Coconut Milk Kefir

Kefir if fermented milk (cow, goat, coconut, almond, soy).  It is similar to yogurt, but little more tart and is much healthier for you than yogurt.  For more information on it, google it or go here.

I have successfully made cow milk kefir, and have been attempting to successfully make coconut milk kefir, as well.  Last week, I had made a batch using So Delicious Dairy Free Coconut Milk in a carton.  It tasted like kefir, but it kept separating and did not get thick.  Also, the down side of using that brand is all the "extra" ingredients.  This past weekend, I was able to get to store to purchase my favorite brand (below) and try another batch.  This time I used a little more culture, too, and it came out just the way I was hoping.


2 Cans of Thai Kitchen Coconut Milk - Unsweetened - heated to lukewarm. 
 I like this brand because the ingredients are simply coconut milk, water and guar gum.  No funny  stuff.  This brand is also available in "lite".  (Update: 8-8-13 - when using the lite, the kefir will separate.  Just use the full fat!  Who cares about fat - as long as the kefir don't separate!   heeeheee!  jk)


1/4 tsp. of Kefir Type C culture


1 Tbsp. unflavored gelatin dissolved in small amount of COLD water.


Once gelatin is dissolved, stir into warm milk along with the kefir culture.  Stir well and pour into a quart jar.  Put into oven with ONLY the oven light on.  Let incubate for 12 -18 hours.  
I held my breath, for in the past it would remain real runny and I like it thick, like yogurt.  It thickened up this time, maybe due to the increased amount of culture and full fat milk.  In fact, it is so thick that I can tip the jar and it would not run out. 


Pour a cup in a blender with some frozen strawberries, blueberries or fruit of choice and the outcome is soooooo yummy and healing at the same time!



Until next time.......