My Favorite Homemade Bread Recipe

How long do I have to pose for the camera?

This afternoon we made another double batch (makes 4 big loaves) of the best yeasty, seedy, nutty, absolutely delicious, devour a loaf in one sitting sort of bread.  And, yes it spoiled our dinner so we now have extra food for lunch tomorrow. 

I'm going to send you to my sister-in-laws' blog for the knock off recipe for Dave's Killer Bread.  It is full of nuts and seeds, whole wheat flour and absolutely yeasty, soft and easy to make.  I don't know why you'd ever want to make another bread recipe. 

After you taste this, you'll stop looking for good bread recipes.  It makes great toast or sandwich bread and like my sister-in-law says, it's very forgiving.  In other words, you can throw a little extra of whatever in and it still turns out great!

My sister-in-law takes great photos and has written an informative post on how to make this bread on her website at    A Pretty Happy Home 

An Alaskan Easter Bunny

Happy Easter

If I hold really still no one will see me...

As the snow melts, my fur changes back to brown.

I took these photos back in Spring of 2011, when we lived in our first dwelling in Alaska:  a log cabin with an outhouse.  If you'd like to see more photos of this bunny you can click here to see the Original Bunny Post There are also lots of previous posts and pictures of us greenhorns surviving Alaska for the first time and some of the thoughts, feelings, and experiences we had in 2010-2012.

The Artic Hare is pure white in wintertime and slowly changes back into brown for it's summer coat.  This incredible color change has always fascinated me.  Here it is Easter time, and I'm pondering how much more fascinating does the body of Christ undergo changes with the passing seasons of time.

We are studying about the early Christian church and all the trials and difficulties they had to go through.  BUT... what came about was of God's doing and His way.  We all are so wealthy in Jesus Christ because of what they went through, all those early believers. 

What will we do with the gifts they left us?  Do we take for granted all they went through?  What about the trials each of us go through?  Easter brings to mind suffering, Jesus upon the cross, and our own personal suffering.  Do we embrace it all, knowing that God has a plan and a purpose for His people?

What about Christians in other countries undergoing extreme persecution?  Are we remembering them like the brothers and sisters they are to us? 

Let's remember that, on whatever side of the world we live in, we are called to unity in the body of Christ and this Easter, let's pray in earnest that we'd accept whatever, "coat" God would have us be in, whatever season that may be, and use it for His glory.  We are not all called to the same things, but we are called to the same unity of Spirit in Christ Jesus.....

Let us serve one another in love without complaining and arguing as we hold out the word of life to a lost and dying world, that we may "shine like stars."  Philippians 2:14-16

Happy Easter Everyone!

Young Bull Moose at Play

A Young Bull Moose

My husband was out delivering lumber when he snapped these photos of a young moose butting a surveyors marker.  This moose was playing.  He was dancing, pawing, and sparring with his new found friend.  My husband said it was the funniest thing to watch... a young bull moose at play.

How about a side swipe?

The Joy of Making a Bow from a Birch Sapling

Look what I made from a young birch sapling!

 Our son made this bow today out of a young tree and some electrical wire. 

Thanks for letting me shoot your store bought bow, sis!

 Our daughter didn't make this bow, but did make her own skirt.  And I see she has also stolen my boots.  (with my permission, of course)

You're welcome, sis!

Second daughter has swiped big sister's old sweater.  Perhaps thievery runs in the family, all in good fun!

The older kids were out shooting their bow today in a warm and balmy 47 degrees Fahrenheit.  Spring is really here!  The snow is melting and looking oh so dirty right now.  All the birch trees drop these little tiny seed pods all over.  It looks like sawdust on the ground, they are so small.  I've been without a camera for a week or so now and there's so many things to take pictures of.  These photo's were taken by my husband's camera phone.

The homemade bow from the upper picture is such a great reminder of why we want to train our children while they are young and pliable.  Incredible that you could bend a small green tree to such a shape, even at that size.  When these birch trees become mature their roots are so shallow, due to the permafrost not lurking far beneath, that you can walk right up to a rotten one and push it over.  It won't bend anymore, it's dying from lack of nourishment in some way. 

Let's continue the sometimes mental and emotional back breaking, muscle wrenching job of Motherhood and train our little saplings while they're young to love and honor Jesus with all their heart, soul, and mind and their neighbors as themselves, which includes their first neighbors, their very own siblings!  Whew, what a job and what an honor.  Oh that we wouldn't miss out on these wonderful opportunities and laughter filled days at hand.

We didn't finish anything we set out to do today.... but we finished well.  How does that happen?  Usually because my expectations have been lowered.  Perhaps I should do this more often.

Bible Club at Public School

(The reason this video was cut short and upside down at the end is because my husband had to chase after a runaway student....  no one was harmed in the making of this video.)

Today, and most every Tuesday of this school year, we've had the freedom and privilege of holding an after school Good News Club at one of the local schools.  Our older kids have learned enough now that they are leading most everything. We are so proud of them.  The above is a short video clip of our oldest daughter sharing the Bible Lesson.

C.E.F. (Child Evangelism Fellowship)  holds Bible Clubs in and out of schools all over the world.  The non-profit organization has been around for over 50 years and operates in many countries, including Australia.  My husband and I met while attending their Children's Ministries Institute (C.M.I.) in Missouri, the Fall of 1996.  Also attending at the same time was a couple from Australia, Ken and Sue Richards. CEF of Australia We enjoyed their accents and their friendship.

If you have teenagers in your home, it is a great ministry to involve them in as they are learning to share their faith more boldly. They teach the use of the Wordless Book in giving out the gospel. It is a simple, effective way to remember the gospel points when sharing about Jesus with a child or an adult.

Brother and 2nd Oldest Sister using Teamwork

They are teaching today's memory verse and playing a game with the words to help the students remember.  The Bible club is a little over an hour long and really is one of the high lights of our week.  I've missed so many the last month because we've had the nastiest cold ever going around from somebody to another somebody.  Right now, the littlest one is recovering and I'm hoping it's the last cold of the season!  Spring is coming...... hooray!