Visit from Papa and Granna

Pictures with Papa and Granna:

Papa with Stephen and Maleah (thumb-sucking duo)

Granna and Me

Maleah

Stephen

Joshua

Meghan and Maleah

Mallory

Morgan

Madison

Sweetness

Family Photo after Church

Family Photo after Church

Last week seemed to be very busy for all of us. We are in full swing with school. Keith and I have other responsibilities outside of home that is with the City of Refuge ministries here. We are trying to read several books recommended either by family or friends or ministers. Every minute is full.

On Thursday night my parents (Papa and Granna) came for a surprise visit. We did not think we were going to be able to see them again until right before the baby came (due Dec. 7th). They stayed the entire weekend.  Yesterday we all went to church together and they actually got to hear Johnny Hunt preach.....and WOW, what a message!

Friday we drove up to Ellijay and bought some apples from the Red Barn. We then drove on up to Blue Ridge and visited Mercier Orchards. Now, that was a neat place. It was a huge place with lots of neat things to look at and buy. We came home with some sparkling apple cider. Yum. Keith and I got lots of ideas for bottling up things that we may try to sell one day. They had all kinds of things. From several flavored syrups to all kinds of jams and jellies to popcorn, tortilla chips, dried apples, pasta, cider, and on and on.

Saturday, Mama and I and all of the children made a trip into to town. My dad stayed here to work on a test he needed to complete. Keith umpired two baseball games! He looked good in his umpiring outfit:).  That night we watched GA beat FLA with a house full of family.

We are being spiritually fed so well here. In so many ways and from so many people. It is encouraging to see a church follow the leadership of their pastor and take on his heart and vision. It has trickled down and we are receiving blessings from it like many others.

Thankful to be right where we are,

Nichole

Mexican Corn Muffins



This is a follow-up post to the Black Beans and Rice post that I did a few days ago. We like to make this to round out that meal and keep everyone's stomach fuller for a little longer. It does require more ingredients than plain cornbread, but it is soooo worth it. We make two batches for our family and it is good warmed up the next day.

Mexican Corn Muffins

adapted from the Bread Becker's Recipe Collection

2 cups freshly milled corn meal

2 1/2 tsp. baking powder

3/4 tsp. salt

2 eggs

1/2 cup butter

1 small can of creamed corn

1 medium onion, chopped

1/4 lb. grated sharp cheese

2 slices of jalapeno peppers, diced finely

Mix dry ingredients. Add all other ingredients and mix well. Pour into greased muffin pan. Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes or until lightly brown on top.

A couple of cooking and preparing tips:

If your family is not crazy about onion, then cut the amount in half and chop real fine. They may not be able to tell it is in there.

Instead of using jalapeno peppers, you can substitute pepper jack for the cheddar cheese. It will give that little bit of heat that makes these so good.

Original recipe called for 1/2 lb. of cheese, but I found this was too much and caused the muffins to be greasy. You may like them with more cheese.

Again, be careful when chopping those jalapenos. The juice from the seeds will set your hands on fire!

Thankful that my husband really likes these,

Nichole

Did You Know?

Baby hats knitted by our 7 year old, Meghan

No, we are not having twins...we don't know if we are having a boy or a girl, so Meghan knitted one for a boy and one for a girl. That way, whatever the Lord blesses us with, he or she will have a little hat for their prayerfully little head.

Could you imagine having knitted 69 of these for all of your children over a period of forty years? Well, the wife of Feodor Vassilyev is said to have given birth to 69 children from 1725 to 1765. WHAT??

Yes, this is what I read on one of my weekly updates sent out by babycenter.com.  I had to do a little research on my own to find out if this was true. According to Wikipedia, this precious Russian woman did in fact have all of these children. It did not give her first name nor how and when she died. What it did say, however, is that she birthed 16 pairs of twins, 7 sets of triplets, and 4 sets of quadruplets. WHAT??

It reminded me of a time when Joshua (our five year old) told me that he wished that we would have 100 children. I laughed and told him this was not humanly possible. The most I had ever heard of was a black woman who had 22 children. This came from one of those 22 who was a sweet lady that we met at the Earth Fare in Augusta, Ga.  Well, who knew.... Now what if he cuts it down to 50. What do I say then? :))

Thankful for our little quiver of seven (soon to be eight!),

Nichole

Black Beans and Rice



Several weeks ago I shared with a new friend how we try to have a couple of meatless dishes through the week to help on grocery costs. My husband is fine with this, as long as he feels full when finishing eating. I knew to be able to do that we would need some good protein in the meal. There is nothing cheaper and better (to my knowledge) than dried beans! My new friend gave me a favorite meatless meal that she prepares for her family and so I gave it a try. It is tasty! And, it makes you full. I make enough for two meals and I also add a side of Mexican Corn Muffins (I will share that later) that makes the meal complete.

Black Beans and Rice

2 cups of dried brown rice

1 small bag of dried black beans

32 oz. of chicken broth or 1 tbsp. of chicken base or 1 chicken bouillon cube

2 jalapenos

2 medium tomatoes

1 small onion

chopped cilantro

I like to soak my beans and my rice the night before in good, clean water with a little lemon juice. It makes the rice seem fluffier and almost like white rice. It also helps the beans to cook faster and become easier to digest. The next day (after pouring off the water and lemon juice and giving a quick rinse) I put the beans in the crockpot and let them cook 5-6 hours on low heat. You could do these on the stove and cut the time in less than half if you are in a hurry. To the crockpot I will add the broth or the base or a bouillon cube along with a little salt and pepper. An hour before eating I begin cooking the rice in plenty of water to cover the rice (more than the directions recommend) along with salt for seasoning. I do this because I like for the rice to be fluffy and not sticky. It will take about 45 minutes on a medium to high heat.

About 20 minutes before meal time begin to chop the onion, jalapenos, and tomatoes. Saute the onion and jalapeno for about 5 minutes with a little olive oil or butter and another bouillon cube or little chicken base. Add the tomatoes and cook for a couple of minutes. Dip the beans into the veggie mixture and stir. Serve over the rice with a little of the juice that was left in the crockpot and top it with chopped cilantro.

A couple of cooking and preparing tips:

For a less spicy dish, take out the seeds in the jalapenos. If you like it hot, then leave some in. Caution: Wear gloves or something on your fingers or you will be very sorry about 15 minutes later when your hands burn for several hours!

I believe a good cook tastes as she goes. This dish needs good seasoning to make it a success. Add what you need to season it little by little and taste until it is just like you want it. Caution: You may be full by the time your family sits down to eat!

Thankful to feed this family of mine,

Nichole

Out of the heart of a young lady...and her new pastor.

It did not take long for the Lord to continue to use a great lesson in giving to show Madison that He is so faithful to give to those who are givers. I believe somehow He will always repay us. Not sure about how He chooses to do it, but if we are aware and looking for it we will see His hand of blessing on our acts of generosity.

I so did not want to take her money several days ago, but felt very impressed to keep it and trust the Lord would provide for her. (You can read the post on Out of the mouth of babes... to catch up on what I am writing about)

This Sunday night we were just hanging out after the church service. Almost everyone was gone and we would surely be run out if we didn't head that way as well when Dr. Johnny Hunt and his wife, Janet, came by to speak to us. He met Madison first. They talked while I spoke to Mrs. Janet. I did not know until they walked away that he had placed something in Madison's hand. She told me today that she thought it was directions to the Mexican restaurant. He had been asking her about her favorite restaurant. After she told him, he began to give her directions. When she looked down to see what it was, she was surprised that he had given her a significant amount that would go above and beyond feeding our family a meal. Of course, she came and gave it to me and told me what he had said.

We had leftovers at home and it was getting late, so we decided to just come home and go out another time. As Keith and I thought about it (and right now we want to make the best decisions when it comes to how we are spending money) we decided that not only would we obey his requests, but wouldn't it be awesome if we gave Madison the rest of it. She is in need of some clothes. She is growing into a young lady. And, isn't it just awesome that God not only used Dr. Hunt to encourage her to give all she had away to me, but He used the same man to give it back?! Wow! We can never outgive God!

Madison got a few tops, two skirts, and a pair of jeans from a consignment in Powder Springs. All of it looked like new. I had to share the story with her and she beamed. But, she did tell me...."I didn't care about the money, mama. I was just excited to get to talk to him! You know, he is kind of famous! And, his wife is pretty...I thought she was going to have gray hair." So funny and so sweet.

Thankful that God proves Himself and we don't have to,

Nichole

Chattanooga and Aunt Wanda...What more could a kid want?

View of a Tennessee Valley... breathtaking

Thursday afternoon we were able to load up and head to Chattanooga to visit with Keith's sister, Wanda, and her family. We knew when we moved up here that we wanted to take advantage of being close to his family. We have never lived close to them our entire marriage. As a matter of fact, Keith has been away from this area for twenty years. Well, let me just say that there is no one like Aunt Wanda and Uncle Steve. Every time we are with them we are refreshed and encouraged. They live such devoted lives to the Lord and do it all in joy. Joy....something we so desperately need as Christians. While we are with them the kids get undivided attention, Andy Griffith reruns, singing, stories, games, lots of sugar, and fantastic memories. Here are just a few of the pictures from our time together.  Unfortunately we missed getting a shot of Uncle Steve :(

At an apple orchard near Dayton, TN

The sun and wind were brutal.

Kids with Heather (with Maleah) and Hannah (next to Stephen)

Godly and sweet women of God.

Melt in your mouth apple dumplings.

Never had any so good.

Aunt Wanda (in the middle)

She is not that short...being silly:)

God's glory in His creation.

When we leave our time with the Cape family (Wanda and family), we are always reminded that following Jesus is worth it. All the sacrifices, the good times and the bad times. They are living proof and we are very thankful for all of them.

Keith and Nichole

Two peas in a pod

These two are something else! When reading a book, watching some cartoon, or just relaxing on the couch,they each find their thumb and usually the other one's ear. It is a blessing to see how they love each other.

Just thought this picture might bring a smile :))

Thankful for our toddlers,

Nichole