All Things

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God,

to them who are the called according to His purpose."
- Romans 8:28

5 Things I'm Thankful For

1.  The Lord Jesus Christ

2. A week visit with our Grandma...Beautiful times of listening to stories of her childhood,
how she met her husband, (Grandpa) and what it was like learning in a one room school house.
 I love old fashioned days, such simplicity and beauty!!

3.  Rainy, summer days and powerful, refreshing, Thunderstorms 

4.  Birdwatching and feeding the birds (Cardinal's, Sparrows, Wrens, and Hummingbirds)           

My last batch of handmade bar soap (Cranberry and Mandarin)

         5.  The opportunity to make handmade, cold-processed soap again...Peppermint this time!!
 For those interested, I may post some pictures soon and also a basic soap recipe.

The Finished Work

 'Till to JESUS' work you cling
By a simple faith,
"Doing” is a deadly thing ―
"Doing" ends in death.
Cast your deadly "doing" down ―
Down at Jesus' feet;
Stand "in Him," in Him alone,
Gloriously "complete
 (Author Unknown)

 
"But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, 

while we were yet sinners. Christ died for us." 

Romans 5:8  

Give All Diligence

And beside this, 

giving all diligence, 

add to your faith virtue;

and to virtue knowledge;

And to knowledge temperance;

and to temperance patience;

and to patience godliness;

And to godliness brotherly kindness;

and to brotherly kindness charity.

For if these things be in you,

and abound,

they make you that ye shall neither be barren

 nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

(2 Peter 1:5-8) 

  

 Here are the definitions of some of the words used in this passage for a deeper understanding of what it means and how we can apply it to our lives.

{All definitions taken from The King James Bible Page website. The dictionary on their sight is an abbreviated version of the Noah Webster's 1828 Dictionary.}

 
DILIGENCE, n. L., to love earnestly; to choose.

1. Steady application in business of any kind; constant effort to accomplish what is undertaken; exertion of body or mind without unnecessary delay or sloth; due attention; industry; assiduity.

VIRTUE, n. vur'tu. L. virtus, from vireo, or its root. See Worth. The radical sense is strength, from straining, stretching, extending.
       4. A particular moral excellence; as the virtue of temperance, of chastity, of charity.

KNOWL'EDGE, n. nol'lej.

1. A clear and certain perception of that which exists, or of truth and fact; the perception of the connection and agreement, or disagreement and repugnancy of our ideas.

TEM'PERANCE, n. L. temperantia, from tempero.

1. Moderation; particularly, habitual moderation in regard to the indulgence of the natural appetites and passions; restrained or moderate indulgence; as temperance in eating and drinking; temperance in the indulgence of joy or mirth. Temperance in eating and drinking is opposed to gluttony and drunkenness, and in other indulgences, to excess.

2. Patience; calmness; sedateness; moderation of passion.

PATIENCE, n. pa'shens. L. patientia, from patior, to suffer.
1. The suffering of afflictions, pain, toil, calamity, provocation or other evil, with a calm, unruffled temper; endurance without murmuring or fretfulness.
GOD'LINESS, n. from godly. Piety; belief in God, and reverence for his character and laws.

1. A religious life; a careful observance of the laws of God and performance of religious duties, proceeding from love and reverence for the divine character and commands; christian obedience.

BROTH'ERLY, a. Pertaining to brothers; such as is natural for brothers; becoming brothers; kind; affectionate; as brotherly love.

KINDNESS, n. from kind, the adjective.

1. Good will; benevolence; that temper or disposition which delights in contributing to the happiness of others, which is exercised cheerfully in gratifying their wishes, supplying their wants or alleviating their distresses; benignity of nature. Kindness ever accompanies love.

CHARITY, n.

1. In a general sense, love, benevolence, good will; that disposition of heart which inclines men to think favorably of their fellow men to think favorably of their fellow men, and to do them good. In a theological sense, it includes supreme love to God, and universal good will to men.

ABOUND', v. i. L. abundo. If this word is from L. unda, a wave, the latter has probably lost its first consonant. Abound may naturally be deduced from the Celtic. L. fons, a fountain.

1. To have or possess in great quantity; to be copiously supplied; followed by with or in; as to abound with provisions; to abound in good things.

Chemical Leavening Agents: Baking Soda and Baking Powder

In this post I will try to explain the difference between baking soda and baking powder and how they each work to rise baked goods.

 Baking soda is pure Sodium Bicarbonate. Sodium Bicarbonate is alkaline in nature.

Maybe we should review the the ph scale before we go any further so that every one is on the same page. This is an image depicting the ph scale:

    As you can see, 7 is neutral. Pure water has a ph level of 7.
Anything with a ph of less than 7 is acidic in nature. Each increment increases by ten fold. So, 6 is ten times more acidic than 7, and 5 is one hundred times more acidic than 7.
Any numbers higher than 7 are alkaline, also, increasing alkalinity in ten fold increments. So, 8 is ten times for alkaline than 7, and 9 is one hundred times more alkaline than 7, and so on and so on.



Sodium Bicarbonate has a ph of 9 and is an alkaline substance. It reacts with acids to produce carbon dioxide. Have you ever  made a volcano with baking soda and vinegar?  What happened when the baking soda and vinegar were combined? A lot of carbon dioxide was produces and caused the mixture to bubble so much that in bubbled right over the top of the "volcano," right?

Well, when we bake with sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) we use the same kind of reaction to rise our baked goods. A recipe using baking soda for leavening needs to have an acidic ingredient to cause the reaction. Things like buttermilk, vinegar, sour cream, yogurt, and even honey and molasses, are acidic and will cause baking soda to react. As soon as the acids and baking soda are combined with a liquid in a recipe they begin reacting and producing carbon dioxide. (Almost always the acid is a liquid so the reaction is usually instant.) The carbon dioxide starts to bubble to the surface and as it rises it carries the batter with it causing the end product to be light and fluffy.

Baking powder works similarly. The difference between baking powder and baking soda is that baking soda is pure sodium bicarbonate and baking powder is sodium bicarbonate combined with an acid and some corn starch. Baking powder can be used in recipes without acidic ingredients because it contains the acid it needs to react and produce carbon dioxide. It just needs to be combined with a liquid. The corn starch in baking powder helps to keep the acid and the sodium bicarbonate separate so that the humidity in the air does not cause them to start reacting.

If you are ever out of baking powder you can make your own if you have baking soda and cream of tartar. Cream of tartar is potassium bitartrate, which is an acid. To make baking powder from baking soda and cream of tartar; combine 1 teaspoon of baking soda and 2 teaspoons of cream of tartar for every tablespoon of baking powder.

Most store bought baking powders use two acids. One that reacts when liquid is added (monocalcium phosphate) and one that reacts when heated. This is what makes double acting baking powder, double acting. Most double acting baking powders use sodium aluminium sulfate as one of the acids because it reacts with sodium bicarbonate when heated. Aluminum is known to contribute to many health problems including Alzheimer's disease. Some manufactures produce non-aluminum, double acting baking powder. Instead of using sodium aluminium sulfate they use sodium acid pyrophosphate which contains no aluminum and also reacts at high temperatures.

I hope you have enjoyed this miniature chemistry lesson. Feel free to ask any questions you may have in the comments below and I will be happy to answer them!

Delicious Southern Quiche

"I made this a few weeks ago, using a recipe from one of my mom's old cookbooks. 

 I hope you and your family will enjoy it as well!"

  Ingredients

 3 eggs  
1/4 pound turkey sausage (or sausage of your choice)
2 cups milk or cream 
1/4 teaspoon salt  
1/8 teaspoon white pepper 
 1 teaspoon chopped chives  
dash of cayenne pepper  
1 cup shredded cheese (Swiss or Cheddar)
 plus extra for topping 

Make 9-inch pie shell. 

Saute turkey sausage until lightly browned. Beat together 2 cups of milk or cream (I use 1 cup each). 3 eggs, salty pepper, chives, and cayenne pepper. Sprinkle turkey sausage in bottom of pie shell and add 1 cup shredded cheddar or swiss cheese. Sprinkle with extra shredded cheeses. Pour mixture over turkey and cheese and bake 35-40 minutes at 375. Let sit 10 minutes before cutting. Delicious served warm!

Seek & Wait on The Lord

"And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, 
and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you." - Luke 11:9


Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from Him cometh my salvation.
Psalm 62:1

 

Answers to Prayer