Through Genesis Chapter 31

I read Genesis chapter 31 to Luke and Sophia today.

Jacob Leaves for Canaan by Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld

Engraving 1851-60 (It took 9 years to engrave)

Photo Credit: www.biblical-art.com

It's a chapter that talks about Jacob and his wives and all of Jacob's children, on camel back, leaving his father-in-law's estate without any notice after living all together there for 20 years. Laban, Jacob's father-in-law, and also his uncle, by the way (his mom, Rebekah's brother), catches up to Jacob's caravan and is upset--hurt really, that Jacob and his own daughters and grandkids all snuck off without saying good-bye (Jacob married two of Laban's daughters). The chapter brings reconciliation and a peace covenant between Laban and Jacob. Laban and Jacob gather a heap of rocks as a symbol of their covenant and as a geographical marker. Genesis 31:52 says "This heap is a witness, and this pillar is a witness, that I will not go past this heap to your side to harm you and that you will not go past this heap and pillar to my side to harm me."


Luke will be 3 in about 6 weeks and Sophia is 8 months. And I read this to them. Sophie likes the different voices I make, and listened intently for the whole chapter. Luke ate his breakfast through most of it. When he finished eating it went like this:

"Mom, I'm all done eating."

"Luke, we're almost done with our chapter."

"Can I have some keifer?"

"When we're done reading our chapter I will get you some keifer."

"Will you wash me? Can I go watch cartoons?"

" He said to his relatives, 'Gather some stones.' So they took stones and piled them in a heap, and they ate there by the heap."

"Are they getting rocks? I like rocks. And they put them in a big pile!"

So today, Luke liked that everyone in Jacob's family got to ride a camel from Grandpa Laban's house to Grandpa Isaac's house, and he liked it that everyone gathered rocks and put them in a big pile.

My children are very small and don't understand the bulk of what we read, but it is the true Word of God and it will not come back void. It is living and breathing and full of wisdom and power. I could read any number of toddler devotionals to my children, and we do from time to time, but I am convinced that the actual words of God I read out loud will be like hundreds of seeds planted in their hearts. The Word of God is powerful and I want my kids to hear it; even now.

If you do the math, from the day I started this 8 year bible adventure, until today, we should be much farther than chapter 31. We keep plugging along in between the days missed due to funerals, vacations, stomach flu, sleepless nights, etc. Every single morning that we possibly can, we open the Word of God and read together. I'm not worried about a strict 8 year schedule. I'm just tickled that we're getting as far as we have! And that it's going so well. I get my daily feeding of God's Word and so do the kids. Then if I have time, rarely, I will do a more in depth study on my own. I don't get to bent out of shape about it. I just do my best every day to live for the Lord.  We will press on!



Those of you who read the Bible out loud to your kids, how is it going?

Whole Wheat Bread

Sometimes I bake my own bread.  I used to bake my own bread weekly, but since baby number two arrived, I usually I buy my bread at Trader Joes.  If I can't get to the store, and we've run out of bread, this whole wheat recipe is easy; even easier if you own a mixer. 

After waiting 7 years, I got the KitchenAid Professional 600 Series 6-Quart Stand Mixer in pearl metallic.  I use it for all my baking.  If you like to make bread, a mixer is your best friend, since it can do all the kneading for you!  Just never set your mixer above level 2 when working with dough or it can overheat your motor.

My beautiful, blue (my favorite color), stoneware loaf pans are also something I waited patiently for to help perfect my baking.  They are made by Le Creuset and they have never caused a burnt bottom on any loaf of bread.  Using metal loaf pans the first 30 years of my life, it was hit or miss if I would burn the bottom of my loaves; also hit or miss if my loaves would be baked evenly throughout.  These stoneware loaf pans have turned out a perfect set of beautiful loaves every time.  I highly recommend them!

Whole Wheat Bread Recipe
Makes 2 Loaves

2 1/4 c water
1 1/4 T dry yeast
1t honey to activate yeast
1T salt
1/3 c olive oil or melted butter
1/2 c honey
5-6 cups flour (whole wheat flour or a combination of kamut, barley, white etc)
1 1/4 c rolled oats

Combine yeast, 1t honey and 1/2 c of total water.  Let sit for 5 min.  Combine yeast, rest of water and all other ingredients in your mixer.  Only add as much flour until it cleans the sides of the bowl.  Knead dough 10 min.  Place in a greased bowl and rise about 1.5 hours.  Punch down and divide into 2 loaves. 

Roll with rolling pin into a flat rectangle and roll up, cinnamon roll style, into a loaf. 

Tuck edges under. 

Place in greased loaf pans and rise again for about 40 min in a warmed oven.

I just turn the oven on for a minute or two and then turn it off to make it warm.   After loaves are risen to the desired size, remove bread from warm oven.  Preheat oven to 350 and bake them for 30-45 min.  They will be golden brown all over.

Eat immediately with butter or wrap up and use for the week.  Double wrap loaves and freeze them if needed.  This recipe really doesn't take much time and the end result of delicious bread is so satisfying.  I see it as an art project that feeds my soul and then feeds my husband and son's bellies.  It's a win win project.

Do you have any good bread recipes?

Make a No-Sew Bunting

I made this bunting banner out of Sophia's outgrown clothes for three specific reasons.  Number one was to create a keepsake of the outfits she used to wear.  Second, I used it for a decoration for the dining room table for her Baby Dedication luncheon. And thirdly, it now serves as a decoration in her bedroom above her crib.

Here's how you make a bunting from baby clothes!

What You'll Need:

Old Baby Clothes

Tag Board Tracer

Fabric scissors

Double Wide Bias Tape

Spray Starch

Iron

Fabri-Tac Glue

First decide how large you want each triangle on the bunting to be.  Cut a triangle template out of heavy tag board to be your tracing guide on every piece of clothing.  Lay the tracer on the clothing.  Trace the triangle and cut it out.  If you want the bunting to be two-sided then make sure you are cutting two triangles of fabric at the same time.  Above you can see that I left the baby pajamas snapped up so when I cut it out, I'll have two triangles of fabric cut at the same time.  I like to include the snaps to add interest to each triangle of the bunting, and so you know it was made from Sophia's pajamas. 

As soon as the triangles are cut out, I glue the point of the triangles together so they don't shift or loose their pair during the ironing process, but only glue the tip of the triangles so the fabric will have room to be smoothed out with the iron and not wrinkle or bunch up.  I use Fabri-Tac Glue made by Beacon Adhesives.  It is amazingly powerful and has replaced my hot glue gun for all fabric, lace, leather and trim.  I love love love this stuff.  As you can see in the photo, it even "strings" like hot glue...but no burns!

 

After each triangle is thoroughly starched and ironed, glue the edges together all around.  Then simply glue each triangle into the fold of the long bias tape.  I glued two 3ft sections of bias tape together to get the length I wanted.

Now it has a permanent home in Sophia's nursery. 

Fool Proof Planter

For several years I've been trying to find the right combination of plants to fill my front porch planters.  I've tried loads of different flowers, but this year, I have found that adding no blooming flowers, at all, has been a massive success in my book.

The lime-green vines, with the tiny yellow flowers, trailing down the stoop are called Creeping Jenny.  A landscape architect told me if you plant Creeping Jenny in a 2nd story window box, it will grow all the way down your house to the ground!  I love this plant.

The varigated red and lime green leaves are a plant called Coleus.  Coleus comes in several different colors and sizes and doesn't like too much hot sun.  I get afternoon sun (after 2pm) here at my front door so it's not too intense. 

And the tall grass in the center is called Purple Fountain Grass.  All three of these plants are annuals and love it in part sun (5-6 hours).

The soil that I prepared for the pots consists of part peat moss, part soil from the ground, and part manuer-compost mix.  I water them almost everyday to keep them fresh and perky.  I'll definitely be doing these again next summer too!

What are some plants that have worked well for you in your planters?

My First Good-bye

My Grandma Iris died yesterday at 3:00pm.  

Her home is directly next door to my parent's home.  We've lived together as one big family on one big plot of land for 23 years.  Her loss is suffocating, but she is, right now, with her Savior in heaven, so I have peace.  This is my first time losing someone I love so dearly, someone who was so intertwined in every aspect of my and my children's and my parent's lives.  I feel this gaping void.  I wonder if the void just lingers there in your heart forever?

I will be gone for two weeks to take care of things back home.

2 Corinthians 5:6-8
So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.