"Oh, so good!

Since living in the "deep south", one thing I have come to appreciate about the people here, is there love for true hospitality as well as their genuine desire to share from their vegetable gardens (seems like everyone has a garden here!). My next door neighbor has a farm in another town close by where she grows blueberries. Last week she came over and handed me about 12 cups of blueberries. I have never been a huge blueberry fan because they tend to be so tart. I really didn't know what to do with them other than throw them in my smoothies. So, due to the abundance of blueberries on hand, I proceeded to hunt recipes down to try. I was successful! I found a wonderful recipe for a blueberry crumble that was spectacular! Try it with some vanilla ice cream. You'll be going for seconds. Here it is:

Blueberry Crumble:

2/3 cup sugar
4 teaspoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 cups fresh blueberries
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces and chilled

1. Preheat oven to 375 deg. Combine sugar, cornstarch, 1/8 teaspoon salt in large bowl. Add berries and toss to coat. Transfer to an 8 in. square dish.

2. Add dry ingredients and remaining 1/8 tsp. salt into a bowl. Cut in butter until crumbly and crumbles are about dime size. Sprinkle crumble evenly over berries.

3. Bake until filling is bubbling and topping is golden brown, about 30 minutes. Cool on wire rack for at least 30 minutes. Serve with ice cream.

Yum..., that smells good!

Those who know me really well, know that there are two things I really enjoy doing. One is baking and the other is making homemade bread. There is nothing better than the smells of bread baking in the oven! My kids come running into the kitchen begging for that first warm bite. I typically use the bread machine to knead the bread but on a really bad day, I find it very therapeutic to beat and slap that dough around by hand. Don't ask me why, but it really works! Try it you'll agree. :) I have included my favorite bread recipe. I've been using it of several years. People always comment how good it is. Hope you attempt to try it.


1 cup warm water (not hot!)
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tablespoon salt
1 egg, beaten
1/8 cup vegetable oil
1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 package active dry yeast (1/4oz.)

**If you plan on using a bread machine, skip step one. Simply add first 7 ingredients into machine, leaving the yeast as the last one to add. Set your machine on "knead only". Once it's done kneading go to step 2.

1. In large bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Add sugar, salt, eggs, oil and wheat flour, beat until smooth. Stir in the white flour until it forms a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface and knead bread until it is smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes.

2. Place in greased bowl, turning once so top is greased. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled about 1 hour. Punch dough down with your fist to allow the air to escape. Take it out and shape into a loaf (no need to roll it out). Spray your pan with a non-stick spray, and place dough in the loaf pan. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour. Bake at 375 deg. for 25-30 minutes. Remove and let cool. Enjoy!

More pictures of our home.

Pictures of our new home!

They are so squirrely!

One of my favorite things to do in our new home is wake-up early in the morning and sit outside in our screened-in porch and spend time with Jesus. I look forward each morning to this time. It's peaceful and quiet with no one awake yet. I love sitting their and listening to all the activity that nature has to offer outside. I don't know why but I feel closer to God as I sit there reading and praying, watching and listening. Faithfully, each morning, there are 4 but 3 squirrels in particular that make my morning very entertaining. As I sit there and read, I watch them run up and down trees. Jumping from tree to tree chasing each other. And boy do they run fast! I often wonder, how in the world can they run down those very tall pine trees with out falling off! As they scurry about, they squawk at each other. Each one trying to keep up with the other. They make me laugh every morning as I watch them. They act like a bunch of kids playing tag. It's so much fun to watch! It's during these times that I can't help but marvel at the beauty of nature and all that God has created.

Pictures of the kids and me