Counting Blessings

More blessings #10 - #28

Laughter, love and fellowship with family

Grandmommie's sweet prayer, a blessing, crying softly

Leftover sweet potato souffle


Dirty hands, moving boards around in Papa's barn

Haley's sweet smile

The beauty of a frost

Mama and Dad talking quietly downstairs

A 600-piece puzzle of the world and building it with Ben

Finding a little white rabbit on the way home from Thanksgiving

Sweet pictures of the little girl and her returned rabbit

When my horses nuzzle at my shoulder

Laughter

The strumming sound of a guitar

The smell of chopped wood from the stack

This unusual, beautiful November weather

Blustery winds

Peppermint tea

Adrian's mischievous faces

Pondering a portion of Scripture

Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker!

For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.

Psalm 95:6-7

Lost and Found

Coming home from our Thanksgiving get together at Grandmommie's home we found a little white bunny hopping along a busy road. Dad was driving past when he slammed the brakes and began backing up. (Don't worry, there weren't any cars passing by just then!) Benjamin jumped out of the van and caught the little bunny and we began home, wondering who this little fellow belonged to. The two houses along the road were dark and so we decided to come back when the people were home. Mom and Dad went out the next day and found the owners. The little girl was so happy! The next day Mama and Adrian brought the sweet rabbit back. Mom took some pictures too.

Adrian handing the bunny to a very happy girl.

Isn't she cute?

Sweet Potato Pie- a recipe

A few years ago I heard a song on the radio. It was something about the South, Gone With the Wind and sweet potato pie. Since then I've been wanting to make this novelty. I found the recipe on allrecipes.com and adapted it to what we had in the kitchen. The crust I made from an amazing recipe book called Once Upon a Tart. This book has incredible recipes and beautiful pictures in it!!! When I made this I used a small food processor which is really helpful while making the crust. I used a tart pan as well, but you could use any pie pan. So without further ado... here's the Sweet Potato Pie recipe.

Ingredients for Crust:
2½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour (you can use regular all purpose if you'd like)
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1½ sticks cold unsalted butter (cut into 1/4-inch cubes)
5 tbsp solid vegetable shortening
A small glass of ice water


Directions:
1. Dump the flour, sugar, and salt into the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade, and pulse a couple of times to make sure the salt is distributed evenly throughout the flour.

2. Add the butter and the shortening all at once, and pulse five to ten times, until the mixture forms little balls, like moist crumbs, and no chunks of butter or shortening remain. Pulse, not run, the food processor. The worst thing that could happen at this stage of the crust-making game would be for the flours and fats to come together completely into a  paste.


3. Remove the blade from the food processor, and dump the crumbs into a big bowl. Sprinkle a tablespoon of ice water over the surface of the crumbs. Repeat with 3 more tablespoons of ice water.

4. Use your hands or a wooden spoon to bring the dough together. Add more water if you have to, 1 tablespoon at a time. The dough should be just past crumbly and just coming together. You don't want it to be so wet that it turns that sticky-white color.

5. Cut the dough in half, press each of the halves into a disk, and wrap the disks in plastic wrap. Refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes before rolling out.

Ingredients for Filling:

2-3 sweet potatoes

1/2 cup softened butter

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup butter milk

2 eggs

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla

Directions:

1. Poke holes in the sweet potatoes with a fork and place them in the oven at 400˚ for 1 hour or until the potatoes are soft. Let them cool a little and then remove the skin.

2. Break apart the sweet potatoes in a mixing bowl. Add the butter and mix well with a mixer. Stir in sugar, milk, eggs, nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla. Beat on medium speed until the mixture is smooth. Pour filling into prepared pie crust.

3. Bake at 350˚ for 55-60 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. The pie will puff up like a souffle, and will sink down as it cools.

the glorious pie in all of its... er, glory.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, friends!

blessings pouring down, never ending

I've started a list of blessings, gifts, grace. My Savior is amazing, and I am so thankful that He's giving me an opportunity to thank Him with my life and my all. This is my crazy beginning of a lifetime of recording thankfulness.

Waking up to sunshine and a blue sky

Adrian, running into my room and hearing him say "Hi Ayee!"

Sore fingers, trying to remember the chords

The persistent chattering of birds

Hearing Ben singing "Do Everything" throughout the day

Warm chamomile tea in a yellow cup

The crunching sound of leaves

Sun rising, shining over a field and dark clouds

When this 2 year old gives hugs - "I missed you"

“Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.”

Psalm 100:4-5

How deep His love

I fail miserably each and every day. I need the One who knows, the Man of Sorrow, who bled. Who's greatest love was that he laid his life down, broken, for me. Not worthy to be called His, yet anointed with His grace. Even when I break, when I snap, Jesus' love is greater.

Many times the most sincere way to walk with Jesus is to say nothing with the lips, but bend the knee and weep the love. -Ann Voskamp

This song has been ringing in my ears the past few days.

"How deep the Father's love for us,

  How vast beyond all measure 

That He should give His only Son

  To make a wretch His treasure

How great the pain of searing loss,

  The Father turns His face away

As wounds which mar the chosen One,

      Bring many sons to glory

Behold the Man upon a cross,

  My sin upon His shoulders

Ashamed I hear my mocking voice,

  Call out among the scoffers

It was my sin that left Him there

   Until it was accomplished

His dying breath has brought me life

    I know that it is finished

   I will not boast in anything

No gifts, no power, no wisdom

  But I will boast in Jesus Christ

His death and resurrection

Why should I gain from His reward?

         I cannot give an answer

  But this I know with all my heart

 His wounds have paid my ransom"

I want to share this post with you. Please make time to read it. 

Have a beautiful weekend friends!

when your broken

Taken from Streams in the Desert - October 15

   God uses most for His glory those people and things which are most perfectly broken. The sacrifices He accepts are broken and contrite hearts. It was the breaking down of Jacob's natural strength and Peniel that got him where God could clothe him with spiritual power. It was the breaking the surface of the rock at Horeb, by the stroke of Moses' rod, that let out the cool waters to thirsty people.

   It was when the three hundred elect soldiers under Gideon broke their pitchers, a type of breaking themselves, that the hidden lights shone forth to the consternation of their adversaries. It was when the poor widow broke the seal of the little pot of oil, and poured it forth, that God multiplied it to bay her debts and supply means of support.

   It was when Esther risked her life and broke through the rigid etiquette of a heathen court, that she obtained favor to rescue her people from death. It was when Jesus took the five loves and broke them, that the bread was multiplied in the very act of breaking, sufficient to feed five thousand. It was when Mary broke her beautiful alabaster box, rendering it henceforth useless, that the pent-up perfume filled the house. It was when Jesus allowed His precious body to be broken to pieces by thorns and nails and spear, that His  life was poured out, like a crystal ocean, for thirsty sinners to drink and live.

   It is when a beautiful grain of corn is broken up in the earth by DEATH, that its inner heart sprouts forth and bears hundreds of other grains. And thus, on and on, through history, and all biography, and all vegetation, and all spiritual life, God must have BROKEN THINGS.

******

Fare thee well September!

September, well really this whole year, has gone by fast. We've had crazy weather down here in Georgia these passed few weeks. Yesterday and today have been incredibly windy! Wind to knock you down! (almost)

Mom bought some flowers to plant in our front yard. 

It was so windy the plants blew over!

As Mama was preparing to plant, she uncovered tons of daffodil bulbs!

^These are only a few of the many bulbs^

helping plant "fowrs"

Mama's hands.

One of the biggest worms I've ever seen.

Dylan came over for the weekend. Our shadows were very long!

Hope you all are enjoying this fall weather! I sure am.

"To everything there is a season..... a time to plant"

Ecclesiastes 3:1-2

P.S. Special thanks to my sweet friend, Julia, for designing a new header for me! She makes incredible backgrounds. Go and take a look at I Love It! Blog Designs