Just checking in…

So, where have I been? This little blog has been silent for a couple weeks, not intentionally though. I’ve been busy being a wife, homemaker, seamstress and babysitter. With everything going on I had to let something go and writing—though it pained me to be away—was something that I could let slide.

 

We had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend that began with a graduation party for a dear friend and ended with a BBQ at my parents’ home. When we came home from all the festivities we discovered that our upstairs neighbor’s drip pan for their A/C unit had overflowed and soaked one of our bedroom walls and part of our carpet. Thankfully the damage is not such that we will have to move. The repairs will be minor and fast, praise the Lord.  As soon as I discovered the dampness I put fans blowing on everything, and things were nearly dry when the carpet man got here. Thankfully we didn’t need new carpet padding, he checked everywhere for dampness and it was fine. I did get some of my carpet steam-cleaned ;) Now I’ll have to go rent a steam cleaner so it will all look nice ;)

Hopefully the sheetrock and painting repairs will be just as simple and painless.

Last night I learned how to do something I’ve never done before. When Jacob worked at his old job (an electrical supply company)  he did a variety of things, one of which being building terminal boxes.  Since he left there was no one there to build them, and it is cheaper to build them in-house than order them. They called Jacob last week and asked if he could start building the terminal boxes for them again as a contractor  and last night he built half of the needed order for this month. I got to help and actually did two all by myself.

My absence from blog land has not been intentional, though until things slow down a little, I can’t guarantee how much I’ll be here.

Til next time,

Rebecca

Mother’s Day

  We had a wonderful Mother’s Day on Sunday. We were blessed to be able  to spend it with both moms at the same time and all of the extended family. My parents hosted a crawfish boil Sunday evening and family and in-laws on both sides came in for it. We have been so blessed that all of the in-laws on all sides get along and enjoy being together. It makes things so much easier and so much fun.

  Sunday morning we surprised Mama by showing up to go to church with her. She thought we were going to be at our church and drive out as service was over. That was very fun surprising her and it was so good to see everyone at my home church.

My Dad preached an awesome lesson from Proverbs 31. I enjoyed it so and was fed by it.

Here are a few photos from our day. Hope you enjoy!

Me and my wonderful Superwoman Mama.

Daddy, Lydia and Jacob starting to set things up. Lyddie couldn’t find her shoes so she just grabbed Wendi’s.

Almost time to put the crawfish in!

 

My grandparents and a little cousin. He’s going to be a big brother in a few weeks. We are all so excited.

We have always used this huge cast iron pot for crawfish. It was my great-grandmother’s wash pot. It is so heavy it takes two men to move it.

Time to eat!

Later that evening Jacob, Faith and I went to check our cows. One of our heifers had a calf the night before and I wanted to see it. Faith loves to see the cows. She usually falls asleep before sh gets back home. Sunday evening was no different.

Homemade pasta

Yesterday I whipped up some homemade lasagna and spaghetti noodles. I made lasagna for supper and dried the spaghetti noodles for later use.

Here are a few pictures ;)

Jacob loves to take pictures of me cooking. He loved how everything turned out. He’d never had fresh, homemade pasta before.

Surprises, Sourdough, and Sewing

   This week has been busy, fun and very full. The thought of quiet weekend at home—complete with sleeping in—sounds so appealing and lovely right now.
     Last Friday a  friend and I went to my parents to visit and pick mayhaws for jelly.
   On Saturday we helped move Jacob’s grandmother from our city to live with her daughter about an hour away. We were in the truck a lot and I was able to get a lot done on a doily I’m working on.
  Tuesday was my mother’s birthday and I managed to surprise her early that morning for her birthday. Since we had seen each other on Friday she did not expect to see me again so soon. She also knew that I’m covered up in sewing jobs right now. I headed out early when Jacob left for work.  About 10 minutes before I got to her house I called her to wish her happy birthday and we visited for a minute. Long story short, I was in her kitchen before she realized I was there. It was so much fun and we had a great day together.
Also this week I rediscovered my love of sourdough bread. On a whim last week I started some sourdough starter. The last time I tried that it was a disaster and I ended killing the starter. So I tried again. Monday was the first day I was able to make bread with the starter, and oh my goodness, I’m an addict now!

I made a loaf of bread and used the rest of the dough for pizza crusts. I don’t know if I can ever go back to anything but sourdough bread again. I’ll be sharing the recipe for the starter and my bread soon.
  And once again I am busy with a wedding. I believe this is my third wedding in six months. I have projects and commitments lined up until almost September.
I am also about to start on a dedication dress for this sweet angel Ellie:


I made this little dress for her and we were trying to get a picture of it for my business’ Facebook page, but  she didn’t feel like smiling and her hand tasted too good. Drop by her mommy’s (my good friend Kristin) blog to read the amazing story of how the Lord kept her and gave her to us. She is truly a miracle!

Snappin’ beans

Thanks to Mama, we have garden-fresh green beans! I can’t wait to cook them and taste the country in them ;)

Still more Facebook coverphotos ;)

In case you have missed my previous Facebook freebie posts, here is the link to the album where you can download all of the coverphotos I’ve created. I hope you enjoy them, and please comment and let me know if you use them. It makes my day ;)

 

Prettiest Smile--Click Here to Download

Proverbs 31:26--Click Here to Download

Amazing Refrigerator Rolls

In case you haven’t noticed, I love breads. Bread is one my most favorite things to make and eat. I’m always on the look out for new recipes and I try out many of them.

I stumbled across this recipe in The Ultimate Southern Living Cookbook. It is my new favorite cookbook. My parents gave it to me for Christmas last year and I’m finally beginning to be able to use it.

These are very convenient because you mix them up the day before you need them. You can also make them over a few days—like I did—in case you don’t need all 4 1/2 dozen at one time.

Refrigerator Rolls

1 T yeast

2 c warm water

Stir together in medium bowl and let stand 5 minutes.

6 c flour

1/2 c sugar

2 t salt

Mix in a large bowl.

1/2 c shortening

2 eggs, lightly beaten

Cut shortening into flour mixture with a pastry blender until crumbly. Stir in yeast mixture and eggs until just blended. Cover and chill for 8 hours.

Shape as desired; cover and let rise in a greased pan for 45 minutes or until doubled. (I let mine rise for almost 2 hours and the texture was amazing.)

Bake at 400 F for 14 minutes or until golden. Brush with melted butter.

Yield: 4 1/2 dozen.

Keepers of the Faith Camping trip

We had such a good time last weekend at our Keepers of the Faith camping trip. Hope you enjoy the pictures!

Every year we stay at campground on the beautiful Blanco River.

One of the things that I love the most about the camping trips we take is the relaxed atmosphere. The girls have a chance to really play and build friendships and we grown ladies have a chance to visit, which is great because in our monthly meetings we are all very busy with classes.

Some of my girls headed to the river for a  swim.

The water was cold but the littles were determined to get in.

The big girls decided to build a dam using the big rocks that were plenteous in the river. I think there was more than one big rock dropped on feet.

And in the midst of all the fun I managed to do a mini-shoot with Faith.

Isn’t she adorable? I realize I am just a “tad” partial to her ;)

Camping!

I leave today for our Keepers of the Faith mother/daughter camping trip we have every spring. I’m excited to be able to go and spend more relaxed time with the girls in my group, but at the same time I’m not looking for to being away from my husband for a few nights. He has assured me that he’ll be fine and he is looking forward to spending the weekend with my dad and brothers.

After several years of tent camping we finally perfected our method and found a place with a large lodge with lots of bedrooms and a huge kitchen and living/dining area. It is wonderful and now it is the only place we care to go to.

I’ve taught the same  group of Keepers of the Faith girls for four years and have had most of them since they were eight years old. Now most of them are nearing thirteen. Where did the time go? They are all blossoming into sweet young ladies who really love each other and their families. Yes, I’m very proud of my girls.

I’ll share pictures from our fun weekend ;)

Bye-Bye Baby Annaleigh

Last night I stood beside the tiniest casket I’ve ever seen. The little porcelain doll lying in it had only a week before been wanting to play with my husband during church service. She and her mommy were sitting in the row behind us so he compromised with her and let her hold his hand while she drank from her sippy cup. He held her for a little while and gave her back. Redonia was surprised because Annaleigh was at the age where she didn’t really care for men other than her Poppy or Uncle Trent. After a little while she still wanted to play so she began patting me on the shoulder.

  There were close to 2500 people at the viewing last night. Some people waited over an hour to get in the door.

I watched Redonia go to almost every person there, hug them, and thank them for coming and tell them how much it meant to her. A little while later I watched her carry around a little girl about Annaleigh’s age and size. I can only imagine the aching emptiness her arms and heart must be feeling right now. I don’t know if I could be that strong.

  I have never seen a family grieve with so much grace and thankfulness. They are hurting so deeply but they constantly point to the Lord and say that He knows best and it is well.

Today is Annaleigh’s homegoing service. The family has called it “Annaleigh’s Playdate with Jesus.” Please pray for the family today as they say their last goodbyes to their little Princess.

Annaleigh playing with Jacob’s hand in church.