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Jan. 24, 2009 - Saturday
It is warmer out today but I am still chilly. Hubby is working today, with construction work you just have to work when the weather allows. I miss him, but I am glad he is getting some work in.
My chicks are doing great today, chick #1 who is 3 and a half is writing her ABC's for me. I am keeping her close while doing some tomato staking.
Chick #2 who is 6 months old is lying in my lap propped up on her nursing pillow. She just got her tummy full and is sucking her thumb :) I adore my chicks, life is pretty darn good :)
I am rcovering from an all day headache I had yesterday, I woke up feeling alot better, with plenty of projects planned for today, like cleaning the carpet, baking another cheesecake, putting all the laundry away, I need to work out, clean the bathroom and all while keeping chick #1 close, very close ;) She likes helping me so it is working out pretty well.
I need to get to work but first I am making one of these
Vanilla Latte
Ingredients
Directions: Heat milk in small saucepan on low heat until warm, stirring briskly and constantly with wire whisk to create foam. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla. Stir coffee into milk mixture.Serve immediately. Other flavour option: 1/4 teaspoons almond extract instead of vanilla.
With skim milk and splenda of course, hubby and I are starting a diet Monday, didn't I say that last Monday? 
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Jan. 23, 2009 - Awesome Cheesecake
We love Captain D's cheesecake and the pre-made ones sold at Wal-Mart for $13. Premade? *gasp*
Yes I am a sucker for pre-made cheesecakes, well I WAS untill now! I went searching for a recipe that tasted and had the same consistency of the pre-made ones I liked so well. I mean come on, surely I can find a recipe right? Surely I can make it cheaper too!
I have looked for months! Seriously. Every recipe I found was edible, but just not the same. Finally I found a recipe that sounded promising, it looked like what I wanted with a few changes.
Tie Dyed Red Velvet Cheesecake
So the cheesecake itself looks like "my cheesecake" But red velvet crust? Hubby would never go for that ;) The tie dye part is cute, M would love that, maybe I will try that later and let her help me. But this was a recipe test so I kept it simple. Here is what I did
Graham Cracker Crust
2 cups finely crushed Graham crackers
4 tb brown sugar (you can use white if you want)
6 tb melted butter
1/2 tsp cinnamon (that is my addition to make the crust taste more like the pre-made ones)
Mix everything together and press into a spring for pan, or press into ther sides and bottom of a pie pan, I used my trusty deep glass pie pan.
Cheesecake:
16 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract (I left that out)
2 large eggs
1/4 cup sour cream
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
In a large bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and almond extract until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time, then add in sour cream. Pour into your crust. If you use a pie pan set it on a cookie sheet before placing it in the oven. Bake at 325 for 15-25 minutes. Check after 15 minutes! Mine got done in 18 minutes. The sides will be set and the center will be slightly less set, a bit jiggly. It will puff up a little but as it cools it will deflate. Let the cheesecake cool completely, then refrigerate for 2 hours before serving.
It just isn't as good unless you chill it trust me :)
This recipe is a keeper, we loved it! It was desert 2 nights in a row. Cover your leftover cheesecake with plastic wrap to keep it moist.
I took pictures and I will add them later.
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Jan. 20, 2009 - Becoming Me part 2
After my sweet baby girl M was born in May 2005, I changed in alot of ways. I became a Christian, I accepted Jesus as my savior and became commited to living by the Word. I also became a full time stay-at-home mama. I gladly gave up my "me time" that I treasured before having a child. My attitude changed for the better! I became closer to my hubby. My relationship with my sister became alot stronger as well, these changes I am so greatful for. That old saying "If mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy" was proven to be true ;)
In changing my attitude the whole atmosphere in our home changed. Hubby was happier, life was just easier and so much more peaceful with my new perspective on everything. I prayed often, I submitted to my husband, I strived to be a helpmeet to him,and the best mama to my little girl as I could possibly be, I had to re-evauluate alot of things about myself and the way I lived, I gave up control and I have never been happier! I could have never imagined myself saying that a few years ago.
When M was around 2 we started thinking about adding to our family. We were still in the "planning" stage at that point, like we were in control anyway;) I decided to pray and ask God for guidance and go from there, I knew if I waited till I was "ready" I would find reasons to put it off like not enough money, I wanted to lose some weight before becoming pregnant again, we only have 2 bedrooms, blah blah blah. I began seeing that I wasn't trusting Him to guide my life. I kept on praying for guidance and clarity and I found it many places. In October 2007 I found Tina's blog Tina is a very sweet lady. She and her husband are Quiverful. I had never heard of Quiverful before and I was intrigued. I read her thoughts on the subject, and from her blog I found Mama Archer's blog and the Quiverful blogroll. Yes! I do believe God can speak to us through many things, people, scripture, a blog! I grabbed my Bible and began reading. I found scriptures about children being a blessing and a heritage of the Lord, I was convicted!
Psalm 127:3-5 KJV
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.
I showed hubby what I was reading and it was obvious to us. We trust God with every other aspect of our lives, why should conception be an exception? God's word guided us to live this way. We handed over control of our fertility in October '07, November 15, 2007 We found out we were pregnant with #2. Another precious baby girl who is now 6 months old. Our girls are truly a blessing. They have brought us so much joy, I can't imagine my life without them and we would love to have more, if that God's will. If its not His will we are thrilled to have our 2 sweet girls:)
So, 3 and a half years later, here I am! 25 years old, I love the Lord, I am married the greatest guy who I am totally in love with, I have 2 beautiful girls that I adore, life is good ;) I am so thankful for the life I have lived. Even the parts I am not proud of, they have made me who I am. I still struggle with certain things. I lose focus at times, I am a work in progress.
Jeremiah 18:5-6
Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.
Mark 8:34
And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
My personal favorite, for those times I am struggling
2 Corinthians 12:9 (NIV)
But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.
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Dec. 16, 2008 - Becoming me. Part 1
I have been thinking lately about how I have become the person I am, and how I have changed. I had some quiet time this evening so this post turned into a novel  Here is part 1, I will post part 2 when I have time.
Recently my Mom and I talked about the wifes role in the home. My Mom is a bit of a feminist. She "wears the pants" in her marriage. She feels women should be independent. She also disagrees with my choices of breastfeeding, and when I told her about our choice to give God control over our fertility, well she was less than thrilled. She feels it "ties me down".
We are very different people. Very different in the way we live and believe, we often butt heads over the way I am raising my children and the way I serve my husband. We are both very strong willed and we both know we cannot change eachothers mind. So we just love eachother and move on ;) I think it has alot to do with the way she was raised.
My mother was 1 of 13 children. Her father died when she was 3 years old and her mother (with 10 children at the time) had a very hard time. I am sure seeing the hard times her mom had it affects the way she sees women with more than the standard 2.5 kids. She thinks I should be happy with the 2 I have. Which I totally am! We have talked alot about this. I have tried to explain to her it isn't about the number of children we are blessed with. For J and I it is about giving COMPLETE control of our lives to God. As far as breastfeeding is concerned, it is what God intended. It is natural, I cannot imagine not being able to nurse my children, I cherish every moment I have spent nursing my little ones, I will nurse my girls as long as they desire to be nursed.
I have heard We are all a "product of our raising". In one way or another thats is true. Some people turn out like their parents, or there are people who turn out to be the oposite of their parents because they don't want to be like them. I never made a conscious decision to be different from my mother. I love my mother, I honor my mother, if it were not for her I would not be here. My sister and I are very alike in our beliefs and our faith. I have prayed so many time for God to shape me into the woman he meant for me to be, the mother and wife he meant for me to be.
I have changed alot over the years. I am not proud of every choice I have made. I am flawed. I still have things I need to work on, and I pray every day for strength to improve on my flaws and faults. I can honestly say I am doing the best I can to live the life God intended for me. I pray for my husband and my children, for their protection, their strength, their health, and for guidance. I also pray for my own guiadance in communicating with them.
I respect my husband, I love him very much and I want to be sure he knows that. I consider his feelings in everything I do. I show him with my actions. Feminists everywhere are cringing! I don't care ;) I know my husband works very hard. He does construction work and he is a heavy equipment operator. He works out in the cold, sometimes the rain and snow, and in the summer he is out in the hot sun all day. He does heavy lifting and he comes home with an achey body. I see the sacrafices he makes for our family. I want him to know how much I appreciate everything he does, so I show him. I make sure he comes home to a clean house. A good warm meal and a family who adores him. I make his plate and bring it to him, I ask him if he needs anything whenever I am leaving the room, I lay out his work clothes for the next day,I set his alarm, turn down the covers so he doesn't have to I never spend a penny more than I have to when we shop. I have made pancakes at 11pm more times than I can count lol. I try to make his life easier any way I can. Whatever he needs, he gets.
I am not a perfect wife, and I have not always been the way I am now. I got married when I was 16. J was 23. I was a "product of my raising". No man was gonna tell me what to do! I was young and foolish. Luckily Jeff loved me and looked over my stubbornness. At 18 I went to work as a seamstress. I was selfish, stubborn as ever, and I was not a very good wife. I didn't consider Jeff's feelings at all, and even did things out of spite to "get back at him" over silly arguments we had. I nearly pushed him right out the door with my actions. Thank God I changed.
Change came 2 years later in the form of a positive pregnancy test and the news a sweet baby girl named Makenna was on the way. My heart changed. What seemed important to me before, my looks, my clothes, my job, my car, my independence, my my my my my, didn't matter anymore. My family mattered. My husband mattered. God was working on me! He was guiding me! At the time I didn't see it, I do now. A month before Makenna was born I had to quit working, my wrists were hurting terribly, and my swelling was out of control. So I left work one day for a doctors appointment and never went back. Thats was the first step, a month later my baby girl came.
I can't describe how I felt holding my baby for the first time. I had labored for 13 hours, my progress stalled and I was taken in for a c-section, everything happened so fast, I saw her for a second after she was born, I gave her a quick kiss and she was rushed off to the nursery, her daddy went with her and I was all alone in the OR surrounded by strangers, the doctor told me she was okay but needed a little help breathing, the last thing I remember was getting some medicine in my IV and I was sleeping. I was moved into a room and given a shot, they told me M was on oxygen and they would bring her to me when she was ready. Jeff stayed with her and made sure she was safe. He was wonderful. He watched over our little one while I slept and 6 hours after she was born she was brought into my room and placed in my arms. I couldn't believe this hungry, squirmy little bundle was mine! She was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. I nursed her almost constantly for the next 2 days and she owned my heart. My selfish days had come to an end.
Genesis 2:18
And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.Genesis 2:18
1 Timothy 5:14
I will therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully.
Titus 2:4-5
That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,
To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.
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Dec. 16, 2008 - Grilled Stuft Beef Burritos (TF's made from scratch version of the Taco Bell burrito)
We love the grilled stuft beef burritos from Taco Bell, but we hardly ever eat out anymore, and we live far far away from the nearest Taco Bell, we decided to try to make these at home, we do that alot ;) We find a restaurant favorite and we make our own version here at home. Usually ours is better, and cheaper! Cheaper is good, very very good. These are not exactly the same at Taco Bell's but the ingredients are similar. We like these better.
This recipe includes lots of prep work and quite a few steps but they are really good, and we all love them, my sister always comes to visit the day after "Burrito day" and we have leftovers for lunch. These are pretty big, 1 is enough to fill me up. They reheat well too.
Grilled Stuft Beef Burritos (TF's made from scratch version of the Taco Bell burrito)
You will need:
8 flour tortillas
1 lb ground beef (you can also use chicken breast or steak strips)
1 packet taco seasoning or make it from scratch
1 can refried beans make it from scratch
1 packet or box spanish rice from scratch
1 bag shredded cheddar cheese
1 large onion diced
1 large tomato diced
1 bottle ranch dressing
cooking spray
Prep work:
Prepare the rice according to the directions. If the box or package says to add diced tomatoes, leave them out.
Heat refried beans.
Brown ground beef, drain and add taco mix and let simmer for 10 minutes.
Heat flour tortillas.
Heat up George Foreman type grill, electric skillet or you can use a cast iron skillet, whichever you prefer. I use my George Foreman grill.
For each burrito :
Take 1 tortilla, add 2 tb ground beef mixture, 2 big tb rice mix, 2 tb refried beans, drizzle with ranch dressing, add shredded chease, diced tomato and onion, then drizzle a bit more dressing. Roll the burrito up and place in your hot pan or on your grill that has been sprayed with non stick spray. When the burrito is brown on one side (if using a pan) flip it and brown that side.
My notes:
I usually get out 2 cookie sheets,lay my tortillas out and fill them, then I grill them 2 at a time in my George Foreman grill. This is the easiest way I have found, and I like to keep them all the same size so its easier to keep the ingredients evenly destributed when they are all laying out .
You could easily make this lower fat by using ground chuck, light cheese and light ranch dressing.
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Dec. 12, 2008 - It is snowing!
Oh my goodness it is gorgeous! I can't wait to go out and play in the snow to watch M play in the snow
I love it way more than she does lol. 2 inches so far. I wish it would snow a foot honestly. I love it! Hubby isn't amused.
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Dec. 12, 2008 - Pizza sauce and crust from scratch.
This is my favorite pizza sauce and crust recipe. I found the original recipe online and adjusted it a bit. It is all from scratch. It turns out perfect every time and we LOVE it :)
Pizza Crust and Sauce (Enough for 2 large pizzas.)
Crust ingredients
4 c. all purpose flour
1/4 c. powdered milk
2 tb sugar
1 and 1/3 c warm water
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 packet active dry yeast
2 tb oil (I use canola)
2/3 c. oil (to oil pans)
In a bowl mix water, powdered milk, sugar, salt and yeast. Stir well and let sit for 3 minutes. After 3 minutes add 2 tb oil and mix again.
In a large bowl, add 4 c. AP flour, and gradually add your water mixture, mixing well till the dough forms. Put onto a floured surface and knead for 10 minutes. If your dough is a little sticky, add a bit more flour. It will be a little softer than bread dough.
**Or you can do what I do and put 4 c. flour into your bread maker, and pour your water/yeast mixture in with it, put your bread machine on "dough mode" and after 10 minutes, take our your dough.
Whichever way you chose to make your dough, the next step is to divide the dough in half. Place your dough on a floured surface and with a rolling pin or your hands, whichever you prefer, roll out your dough to fit your pizza pans.
Pour 1/3 c. oil into each pan, this seems like alot but your crusts will NOT be greasy, trust me ;)
Place your dough into the pans, put the pans in a warm place covered by a kitchen towell, foil or plastic wrap for at least 1 hour.
Pizza sauce ingredients
16 oz. tomato sauce
2 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. marjoram
1 tsp. basil
1 tsp. garlic salt
Mix all ingredients in bowl, cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
**When I make these pizzas, after the crust rises I bake them for 5 minutes, then take them out of the oven, add the sauce and topping and then finish baking them. This helps to get the center done well, I tend to go heavy on toppings so the center can take a bit longer to get done,lol.
I submitted this recipe for the "Make It From Scratch" blog carnival. Go on over and check out the other submissions.
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Dec. 8, 2008 - sickies
We have had a case of the sickies around our house. It has lingered on for the last 2 weeks and we all got it this time, even the babies 
Now that I am feeling more human again, I will *try* to be a better blogger lol.
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Dec. 8, 2008 - Win a Free Ergo Baby Carrier Embroidered Organic Hands Free System
What a great prize! We'll send the winner their choice of either the Organic Blue Applique or the Organic Black Embroidered Ergo Baby Carrier Hands Free System (baby carrier, plus matching back pack and front pouch).
ENTER HERE
I hope I win! Good luck to all who enter, it really is a great prize 
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Nov. 11, 2008 - Menu Monday a day late
Our dinner menu for the week
Monday: Nachos/tacos for M
Tuesday: Pizza (I will post this recipe, its all from scratch and so yummy!)
Wednesday: Savory Venison Roast
Thursday: Cheeseburgers and homemade fries
Friday: Chili
Saturday: Chili dogs and homemade onion rings
Sunday: Grilled Stuffed Burritos (My made from scratch version of Taco Bell's grilled burritos, recipe will be posted soon)
Ladies do you have any venison recipes to share? J went hunting with some friends this weekend and now we have TONS of venison. 
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Nov. 6, 2008 - A Newborns Conversation With God
A baby asked God, 'They tell me you are sending me to earth tomorrow, but how am I going to live there being so small and helpless?' God said, 'Your angel will be waiting for you and will take care of you.'
The child further inquired, 'But tell me, here in heaven I don't have to do anything but sing and smile to be happy.'
God said, 'Your angel will sing for you and will also smile for you.
And you will feel your angel's love and be very happy.'
Again the child asked, 'And how am I going to be able to understand when people talk to me if I don't know the language?' God said, 'Your angel will tell you the most beautiful and sweet words you will ever hear, and with much patience and care, your angel will teach you how to speak.'
'And what am I going to do when I want to talk to you?' God said, 'Your angel will place your hands together and will teach you how to pray.'
'Who will protect me?' God said, 'Your angel will defend you even if it means risking its life.'
'But I will always be sad because I will not see you anymore.' God said, 'Your angel will always talk to you about Me and will teach you the way to come back to Me, even though I will always be next to you.'
At that moment there was much peace in Heaven, but voices from Earth could be heard and the child hurriedly asked, 'God, if I am to leave now, please tell me my angel's name.'
God said, 'You will simply call her, 'Mom.'"
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Oct. 24, 2008 - Home again, home again jiggety jig ;)
Well guys, I am back! We have internet access here at home again so I finally got my blog all set back up here on HSB. I tried a couple other blog sites out but I kept feeling like this was the place for me, so here I am, lol.
I will make a real post when I get a chance. Take care!
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About Me
My name is TF.I am the daughter of the most high God, a wife and helpmeet to one amazing man and mama to 2 beautiful girls so far ;) .I am a Christian,homeschool graduate, ultra-conservative, crunchy, frugal, co-sleeping, extended breastfeeding, tandem nursing, baby wearing, homeschooling, quiverful, home loving, made from scratch cooking, drama-free mama. I love making friends so don't be shy :)
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