2015 Bible Memorization Challenge

   Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against Thee.  

                                                                         Psalms 119:11

Beginning with the new year, I thought it might be helpful for myself (and hopefully to others as well!) to start off the year with a goal to memorize a certain amount of Bible verses during January, and possibly into February as well. I will plan on making a weekly post with suggested verses to memorize (I realize at times I might list verses that you already have memorized, which in that case, I will just leave it up to you to choose your own). It's completely up to you if you'd like to work at your own pace--maybe memorizing more or less than what I suggest. Remember that it is far better to memorize less and retain it, than to memorize too fast and forget most of it!

Most of all, it's my desire that this would be done to glorify God. As the Psalmist said:"Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee."  Psalm 119:11 God uses His Word to sanctify and comfort His people. 

"Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth."  John 17:17   

"That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish." Ephesians 5:26-27

"For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope." Romans 15:4

It's important to have God's Word hidden in our hearts! 

"For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." Hebrews 4:12 

 "But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves." James 1:22 

"But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:" 1 Peter 3:15

  "Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time." Colossians 4:5   

If we are a child of God, our testimony is weakened, and we are often cast down and discouraged when we don't meditate on God's Word throughout the day. If we don't know God's promises by heart, how will we be encouraged by them? If you are presented with an opportunity to share the Gospel with someone, can you quote the Bible fluently?

  "And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

  And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death." Revelation 12:10-11

Often when I have been discouraged, the first part of the above verse (verse 11) has been such an encouragement to me, and I've been so thankful that I've had it memorized. Praise God for the precious blood of the Lamb of God!

Helpful Tip:

One of my favorite ways to help memorize Bible verses, is to write out the verse(s) I am trying to memorize on a small chalkboard, and place the chalkboard in a place where I will see it every day.

If you would like to join me this coming month, or have any suggestions for memorizing, I would love to hear from you!
 

A Hymn Of Encouragment

We'll Come Forth As Gold

L.M.D.

(8.8.8.8. D.)

The earth is full of toil and strife.

Grief and pain are in this life.

We feel heartache and frequent sorrow.

We cry out with breath we borrow;

"Lord, be near us for we are weak.

We bow down humbly at thy feet.

Please give us strength to persevere.

Help us trust thee and cast out fear."

The path before us is unclear.

Sometimes the future looks so drear.

If we rely on mortal flesh,

We will soon be in great distress.

Cling to the Lord and seek his face,

He will guide you and grant you grace.

He can supply joy in trials,

And patience for our journey's miles.

God never leaves nor forsakes us.

We can cling tight to this promise.

The Lord will faithfully provide.

At his voice the storm will subside.

The God we serve is in control.

Each trial has a divine role.

We'll come forth as glittering gold,

With grateful hearts and joy untold! 

  What More Do You Want?  

From: Echoes of Grace - Living Waters

A man told me one day how he got peace with God. For years his wife, a Christian, took him here and there to hear the gospel preached. He knew the plan of salvation well, and, being afraid to die in his sins, he became increasingly anxious to have peace with God.

"About three months ago," he said, "I stayed behind at the close of a gospel meeting and told the preacher what I wanted."

The preacher asked him: "Did the Lord Jesus die for you?"

"Yes, I believe He did," he answered.

"And was He raised for you?"

"Yes," he said again.

"What more do you want?"

At once he saw the truth. He accepted the blessing by faith, and he went away rejoicing in salvation.

The Lord Jesus Christ had died for him, and was raised for him. What more did he want? Surely nothing!

And what more do you want? And what more can you have? Surely nothing!

If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that
 God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. (Rom. 10:9.)

Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; and that He was buried, and 
that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures. (1 Cor. 15:3,4.)

Christ Alone Can Save!

Reformation will not save you. 
  

Religiousness will not save you.

Repetition of prayers will not save you.

Rivers of tears will not save you.

Rules and regulations for your life will not save you.

If any of these, or all of these combined, could have saved you, Christ need not have died. But "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." Acts 4:12

My First Seed Catalog Of The Season!

 My first seed catalog of the season came today! I can't wait to sit down with it and start planning my garden and writing my wish list for the year! :)

Does anyone else get excited when the seed catalogs start coming in the mail?

Tips For Taking Fish Oil Supplements

Fish Oil Supplements

After finding out we were expecting I searched for a good prenatal fish oil supplement to start taking. Every time I took it, though, it made me nauseous. It didn't help that I was feeling pretty sick already due to first trimester morning sickness. Ugh. 

I know it is common for fish oil supplements to cause nauseousness. I have been given some tips from others and found these things to really help. If you are having trouble taking fish oil supplements I hope these suggestions will help you, too.

1. Take your fish oil supplement with a meal. This seems to help quite a bit.

2. Store your fish oil supplements in the refrigerator. This has been the single most helpful suggestion. For some reason keeping my capsules cool makes them stop causing me to be queasy when I take them.

3. If your daily dose is two capsules take them at different times during the day. I don't know why I didn't think of this on my own. It makes sense to break them up into smaller portions at a time.

If you are curious, this is the prenatal fish oil supplement I am taking. I have not noticed any changes since I have been taking it, but I hope it is doing it's job. We will see if the baby comes out with a full head of hair. :)

Refried Beans

Refried beans are super simple and super delicious!

They are inexpensive and very versatile. They can be a main course simply dished up in a bowl plain, (they are that yummy), or, you can top them with cheese, sour cream, salsa, lettuce, olives, etc.... Wrapped up in a tortilla they make great bean burritos. They are, also, an excellent way to stretch taco meat. 

 Soaking the dry beans in water with baking soda added is an important step. It makes the beans more digestible, ie.,  less gassy.

The ham shanks in this recipe provide a wonderful smoky flavor to the beans, and are relatively cheap, (my local grocery store sells them for $0.99/lb.). The little scrap pieces of ham left on the bone once the beans have been cooked can be saved and eaten with another meal.

So,without further ado:

Simple Refried Beans

  1 lb.(2cups) dry pinto beans

2 small ham shanks

1/4 cup oil or lard

1 large onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

about 1 1/2 tsp. salt

 

Rinse beans and pick out any shriveled beans and rocks. Put beans into a bowl and cover with several inches of water. Stir in about a 1/2 tsp. baking soda. Soak beans 12 -24 hours. Drain and rinse beans. Put into a crock pot with the ham shanks; cover with an inch of water. Cook on low 5 hours. Heat oil in skillet. Saute onion and garlic in oil. Spoon beans into skillet with a slotted spoon. Mash the beans until smooth with a potato masher. Add the salt and mash a little longer. Turn off heat and enjoy!

Rinsing the dried beans.

Soaking the beans with baking soda.

Draining the soaked beans.

Cooking the beans in the crock pot with ham shanks.

Chopped onion and minced garlic.

Mashing the beans.

Adding "about 1 1/2 tsp." salt. Like my measuring spoon?  :)

 Yummy bowl of warm refried beans! Mmmmmm!

How I Make Laundry Detergent

Ingredients:

Grate Soap:

Measure:

Stir:

Homemade Laundry Detergent

1 bar Fels Naptha (5.5 oz.) soap

1 1/2 cups Washing Soda

1 1/2 cups Borax

Grate the bar of soap; mix with 2 quarts of water and slowly heat until the soap is dissolved, stirring occasionally. In a 5 gallon bucket put the washing soda and borax; stir in some hot water until the powders dissolve. Pour the dissolved Fels Naptha soap into the 5 gallon bucket. Fill the bucket up with warm water. Stir well. Use 1/2 cup in each load of laundry.

This is really cheap and it works well! 

Search Me, O God

Lord, search my soul, try every thought;

Though my own heart accuse me not,

Of walking in disguise,

I beg the trial of Thine eyes. 

Doth secret mischief lurk within?

Do I indulge some unknown sin?

O turn my feet whene'er I stray,

And lead me in Thy perfect way. 

Author Unknown

Home Remedy For Earaches

This is a simple home remedy for earaches that has helped me a great deal.

Garlic Oil

1 clove garlic, crushed
1 - 1 1/2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil

In a small bowl mix garlic and oil together. Let sit for a few minutes (3-5) to allow garlic to infuse the oil. With head tilted to one side put a few drops of the oil into the hurting ear. Make sure the oil trickles all the way down the ear canal. The oil trickling down may feel quite unnerving, but it usually will bring immediate relief when it reaches the ear drum. Put a piece of cotton ball or wadded up tissue into the ear to keep the oil from running out. I put this into my ear periodically when I have an earache throughout the day and especially at bedtime until my earache is gone.

 Disclaimer: The information on this website is not intended to take the place of your personal physician’s advice and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

Happy Thanksgiving!

 O give thanks unto the LORD; for He is good; 

for His mercy endureth for ever.

  ~1 Chronicles 16:34 ~

Did you know that these or similar words are repeated in the Bible at least nine times? 

This isn't just a once-a-year sort of thing, but a daily attitude of thankfulness 

that we all need to have!  We have so very much to thank God for. I don't know about you, 

but I often need to remember how much God hates unthankfulness and complaining, 

and ask Him to forgive me, and to deliver me from it in my life.  

Praise His Name for His many blessings to us, though we are so undeserving!

  Psalms 136:1   O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.

Psalms 136:2   O give thanks unto the God of gods: for his mercy endureth for ever.

  Psalms 136:3   O give thanks to the Lord of lords: for his mercy endureth for ever.

  Psalms 136:26   O give thanks unto the God of heaven: for his mercy endureth for ever.

Praise the Lord!

Why should we praise the LORD? 

1.The LORD is worthy:

Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.  Revelation 4:11

2.  The LORD is great:

Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable.  Psalm 145:3

3.  The LORD is good:

O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever. 1 Chronicles 16:34

4:  The LORD is holy:

Exalt ye the LORD our God, and worship at his footstool; for he is holy.  Psalm 99:5

5: The LORD is righteous:

The LORD is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works.  Psalm 145:17

6:  The LORD is merciful:

The LORD is merciful and gracious. Slow to anger and plenteous in mercy.  Psalm 103:8

 7:  The LORD is gracious:

Gracious is the LORD, and righteous, yea, our God is merciful.  Psalm 116:5

Thanksgiving Week Is Here!

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite times in the year! We have so many blessings to be grateful for!

  When I was growing up and still lived with my parents, my family would tape a blank poster to the wall, at some point in November. We all would let our minds reflect back on the past year, thinking of all of the answered prayers and blessings we had received. Then we would write the things we were grateful for on the poster as they came to our minds.

This year I have several "big" things to add to the list. I think of new babies, family members who have come to know Jesus, healing from serious medical conditions, safety during tornadoes, hurricanes and the like, or anything that seems miraculous as being a "big" thing.

  But, I need to praise God for the "small" things, too. We have good food, clean water, a warm home, clothes, a sound mind, full use of our bodies, loving family members, and so much more. The Bible says in 1 Timothy 6:6-8

"But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing onto this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us therewith be content."

Let's be more than content this Thanksgiving. Let's praise God for his kindness toward us!

"Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice."       - Philippians 4:4

Writing Hymns

   I am not qualified to write a dissertation on hymn writing, but I did want to share a few things that I have found useful when I have tried my hand in hymn writing.
  

  First and foremost, you need to study God's Word if you are going to write a good hymn. And by a "good hymn," I mean, a hymn that glorifies God. We have to read what God has revealed about Himself to know who He is and what He is like. We have to read the Bible in order to know what He does receive glory from and what He accepts as worship. Not everything that is intended to worship the LORD is acceptable in His sight–ask Nadab and Abihu, who burned strange fire before the LORD, "which he commanded them not. And there went out fire from the LORD, and devoured them," (Leviticus 10:1-2) Good intentions doesn't equal acceptability with God.

   Second, it is helpful to read the works of other great hymn writers, like Isaac Watts, Charles Wesley, John Newton, and many others. It helps to see the kind of hymns that can be written and also gives you a feel for the rhythms in poetry. You'll find phrases that are used frequently and rhymes that go well together. You'll see that there are songs that mainly deal with who God is and how awesome and worthy of worship He is, (O Worship the King by Robert Grant and Immortal, Invisible by Walter Smith are a couple examples). There are also songs that deal more with salvation, the life of Jesus Christ, the Christian walk, deeper doctrines, ministry, the delights of heaven, etc., etc.... Just remember to weigh everything by the Scriptures. If the words of a song don't match the teachings of Scripture, then the song is at fault. And, again, the only way you will know how to tell what is false and what is true is by studying God's Word.

  When it actually comes to writing a song there are several ways to get started. Sometimes an idea will come to your mind and the words come quite naturally. This is the easiest way to write a hymn. But, you can also purpose to write a hymn and make a project or assignment of writing a hymn. Doing the first two things that I recommend (studying the Bible and reading hymns) can help give you inspiration and direction.

As I mentioned in my last post, hymns are basically poems. There are many rules to poetry that I do not know. The rules I follow are:

 (1) each line needs to rhyme at the end, or, every other line needs to rhyme, and 

 (2) each verse needs to follow the same rhythmical pattern.

  If you want your hymn to be one that can be sung to music, you may need to think of this aspect at the very beginning. If you want to compose your own music there are some things you need to consider. Is this a hymn that you will want to share with other Christians? You can come up with a tune for yourself, but if you cannot write the tune out in musical notation then you will only be able to share it with others by singing it for them. If you want to share it with others in a way that it can be sung as a congregational hymn then the music will have to be written down. It can be fun to write out a tune to go with a song but it also can be a lot of work. Also, if you want to share it in written form you can only share with someone who can read music.

    This is where knowing about tunes and meters can come in handy. If you write a hymn that can be sung to an already familiar tune it can be a lot easier to share with other people. You can share your song with people who cannot read music if you are able to tell them a familiar tune they can sing it with. It is also a lot easier for people to catch on if they are only learning new words and not new music and new words.

  To write a hymn that goes with an already existing tune, you need to pick a meter to be your pattern for arranging the lines and wording of your hymn. You can pick a meter that several tunes match, or go ahead and pick out a specific tune that you want to use.

  For example, let's say I am writing a hymn, and I want to use a meter that many tunes use. I'll choose 8.8.8.8., (also known as Long Meter) because I already have an idea for a few lines that are each 8 syllables or can be tweaked slightly to be made 8 syllables.

  A quick refresher for what meter numbers represent: meter numbers represent a rhythmical pattern in the music or the number of syllables in each line of the poem.

 Here are my first 4 lines:

1 We may lose courage here below.
2 We see trouble, violence and woe.
3 We plead for help from above.
4 Jesus will take our hand in love.

   Notice, line 3 technically only has 7 syllables instead of 8. I may have to discard line 3. But, sometimes the number of syllables doesn't have to match the the meter exactly and can still sound right depending on the particular tune. So, before I throw out line 3 I'll try singing it with a long meter tune. The tune "Old Hundredth" is a good standby long meter tune that many hymns are sung with, the most common of which, may be the Doxology, Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow.
When I try singing it to Old Hundredth it flows quite nicely even with the missing syllable. This is because the word, "help," can be stretched over two notes. Now, when I try singing it with the tune "Duke Street," "above," is the word that gets held over a few notes, but it comes quite naturally in both cases and you don't have to think about it for it to come out right. This means I can leave line 3 the way it is and continue with writing my hymn.

  When writing a hymn to an already existing tune it is helpful to sing each line with the tune as you go. Once you have a good start there can be lots of adjustments made. For instance, if you want to elaborate on each idea in each line you could insert an additional line between each existing line. And words can be changed to synonyms with more or less syllables as needed. Like so,

1 We may lose courage here below,
2 On our pilgrimage through earth.
3 We see trouble, violence and woe.
4 There is widespread spiritual dearth.

Or,

1 We oft lose courage here below,
2 as Satan, our determined foe,
3 seeks to cause us sorrow and woe,
4 with his mighty band and bent bow.

   At first I had written, " There is vast spiritual dearth." in line 4 of the first example. But upon singing with a long meter tune it seemed like I needed another syllable so I replaced, "vast," with, "widespread."
Also, go through the words you have chosen several times to see if there are different words that would communicate the idea you want to express more precisely. In the second example, instead of saying, "We may lose courage,..." I changed it to, "We oft lose courage,..." Because I feel like that better expresses my own Christian experience.

  That is all the advice I have for writing hymns. I would love to hear any advice you have found helpful when writing hymns and/or poems! And if you have never tried to write a hymn please give it try. It may not be as hard as it sounds and it can also direct your mind toward the things of God in a different way.

Hymns and Tunes

 

  Hymns are basically poems. Older hymnals were usually called Psalters. Originally, Psalters (sometimes called Psalteries) were collections of psalms from the Bible that had been paraphrased in order to be able to sing them with a tune. They did not contain any musical notation. The first hymnal with words and music together was not printed until the nineteenth century. To sing songs from a Psalter one would have to pick out a tune who's rhythm matched with the songs syllables. The rhythmic pattern of a tune or song is called the meter.

It can be fun to pick out different tunes for songs even today. It makes singing more interesting when you don't have to use the same tune all of the time. (Try singing What a Friend We Have in Jesus to the tune Nettleton [commonly associated with Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing]).

This is how you choose a tune based on the meter that the song is written in:
   If you have a hymnal without music the songs are written out like poems. Usually at the top of the "poem" there will be a set of numbers. For example they may look like this, 8.6.8.6. The numbers correlate with the number of syllables in each stanza of the song. In our example the song has 8 syllables in the first stanza and 6 syllables in the second stanza and so on. 

  

Alas! And Did My Saviour Bleed 

by Isaac Watts
     8.6.8.6. 

Alas! and did my Saviour bleed, (8 syllables)
And did my Sovereign Die, (6 syllables)
Would He devote that sacred head (8 syllables)
For such a worm as I? (6 syllables)

  An 8.6.8.6. meter was actually one of the most common meters at one point and it is also know as Common Meter. Instead of 8.6.8.6. sometimes a common meter song will have the initials C.M. at the top of the song. Other letters that can appear on the meter indication are:

  A capital "D" stands for "doubled." Example: C.M.D. or 8.6.8.6.D.
(D. can be put on the end of any meter.)
L.M. stands for Long Meter (8.8.8.8.)
S.M. stands for Short Meter (6.6.8.6.)

  Once you know what meter the song is in you need a metrical index of tunes. In most modern hymnals, there is a metrical index of tunes in the back with the other indexes. In the metrical index, the tunes will be organized in categories by their meter numbers. You can then go through the list of tunes that fit the meter of the song you want to sing and pick out a tune that you like. The tune names are usually different than the songs.

  Once you find a tune it is very helpful to play it on a piano while you sing the song with it for the first few times through. I am not one of those gifted individuals who are able to sight sing, (that is, sing the notes of music I have never heard just by reading the notes on the staff.) I need to hear it played first unless it is a tune I am pretty familiar with. 

  If you are doing this with a modern hymnal sometimes the meters are listed on the same page as the song. Look for it close to where the author and composer are given on the page. Otherwise you can always count the syllables in each phrase of the song to come up with the correct meter number.

I really like  Jesus Lover of My Soul by John Wesley paired with the tune Aberystwyth 7.7.7.7.D.
 
                                        

                                                           Do you have any favorite tune/hymn pairs?

                                         Next week look for a post I plan to make on writing your own hymns.

No Book Is Like the Bible

"The Bible is the only Book whose Author is always 
present when you read it." 

No Book is Like the Bible

By Fanny Crosby

No book is like the Bible,
For childhood, youth and age;
Our duty, plain and simple,
We find on every page.
It came by inspiration,
A light to guide our way,
A voice from Him who gave it,
Reproving when we stray.

It tells of man’s creation,
His sad, primeval fall;
It tells of man’s redemption,
Through Christ, who died for all;
In sacred words of wisdom
It bids us watch and pray,
And early come to Jesus,
The Life, the Truth, the Way.

Love God, our Lord and Savior,
Who reigns in Heaven above,
And bids us all remember,
Our neighbors we must love;
For on these great commandments
To Christians here below
Hang all the law and prophets;
The Bible tells us so.

 Refrain

No book is like the Bible,
The blessed Book we love,
The pilgrim’s chart of glory,
It leads to God above.

Take Heed

1 Corinthians 3:10-15  

According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder,

 I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every

 man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.  

 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.  

  Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;
  Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be 

revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.
   If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
   If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; 

yet so as by fire.

 

Another day...

Just thanking the Lord for another beautiful day.

Some things I'm thankful for: 

1. Beautiful blue skies dotted with fluffy white clouds. 

 2. Falling leaves...they're headed for the compost pile! :)

 3. Watching the birds from our front porch--such amazing color and variety in God's creation!

The other day I spotted cardinals, blue jays, a woodpecker, eastern bluebirds, mocking birds,

and a hummingbird in our front yard. I keep reminding myself that my next project needs to be 

some birdhouses to put out there. :)

4. The finished work of Christ. 

 "Ought not we who have been favored
By God’s grace so rich and free,
With His overflowing mercy,
Ought we not to thankful be?"

Past, Present, Future

Past, Present, Future

He helped me yesterday -
Today I'll praise His Name!
Because I know that for tomorrow
He will help me just the same!

-Unknown 

Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and He shall 
strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.
Psalm 27:14

Creation Close-Ups: Lightning Bugs

Give unto the LORD the glory due unto His name; worship 

the LORD in the beauty of holiness. -Psalm 29:2

       Some interesting facts about lightning bugs:

• There are about 2,000 firefly species.

•  Fireflies are very efficient light producers. An average electric light bulb gives off 90% of its energy as heat, and only 10% as light. Fireflies produce light through an efficient chemical reaction that allows them to glow without wasting heat energy. All 100% of the energy goes into making light. Scientists are not sure how the insects regulate this process to turn their lights on and off. (There are a lot of things than scientists simply "can't explain"... why can't they just give God the glory?!)

• Fireflies (also called lightning bugs) are beetles. They take from one to two years to mature from larvae, but will live as adults for only about 21 days. 

•  Some fireflies synchronize their flash signals. (I found this information very interesting!) Synchronous fireflies are one of at least 19 species of fireflies that live in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. They are the only species in America whose individuals can synchronize their flashing light patterns. The fireflies do not always flash in unison. They may flash in waves across hillsides, and at other times will flash randomly. Synchrony occurs in short bursts that end with abrupt periods of darkness. This simultaneous bioluminescence, as its called by scientists, occurs in just two places in the world: southeast Asia and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, right here in the U.S.A.

What do lightning bugs eat?

While in the larval stage, the insects feed on worms, snails, and other small, soft-bodied creatures. However, interestingly enough, scientists aren't sure what many species of adult fireflies eat. It is possible that adult species of fireflies eat pollen and nectar from plants, other species of bugs, or possibly nothing at all—as their adult lifespans are short.

Do firefly eggs glow?

They sure do! In some species, the larvae and even the eggs emit light. Firefly eggs have been observed to flash in response to stimulus such as gentle tapping or vibrations.

...who is so great a God as our God? Thou art 

the God that doest wonders: Thou hast declared 

Thy strength among the people. Psalm 77:13b-14

DIY Glass Bottle

 Recently while shopping at an old-fashioned general store,

I noticed some cute glass milk bottles for sale that had a straw 

through the lid for use as a drinking bottle. I thought it would 

be fun to try it myself! I just peeled the paper off a glass juice

 bottle, and removed the sticky residue.

Then, I painted the lid, and my brother drilled the hole in the lid for me.

 I found a nice plastic straw in the drawer that worked great for it! 

By the way...I thought the "S" stamped on the side of the glass fit

 nicely for Simple Inspirations. :)

Mallorcan Ensaimadas

Mallorcan Ensaimadas

These spiral-or snail-shaped rolls are a popular Spanish breakfast treat. I made these rolls once, a long time ago, and just recently made them again. You might want to double the recipe, as they don't last long! :)

2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp. yeast
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
2 Tbsp. oil

1/4 cup butter, melted
confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Mix the flour and salt together into a large mixing bowl. Stir in the sugar and make a well in the center.

In a small bowl, mix the yeast, egg, milk, and oil. Pour into the center of the flour mixture, then sprinkle a little of the flour mixture evenly on top of the liquid. Let sit in a warm place for about 15 minutes.

Knead for 8 to 10 minutes until smooth and elastic adding more flour if too sticky. Let rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

Divide the dough into 16 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a thin rope about 14 inches long.

Melt the butter. Dip each piece into the butter to coat. On a greased baking sheet, curl each rope into a loose spiral. Tuck the ends under to seal. Let rise for about 45 minutes.

Bake at 375 for about 10 minutes, or until lightly brown. Dust with powered sugar, if desired. Serve warm. Makes: 16 rolls.

 

 Shape the ropes into spirals...

  Bake, and enjoy! :)

Happy Fall!

Happy Fall!

...Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are His:  
And He changeth the times and the seasons.....
Daniel 2:20b-21a

The slight change in temperature is slowly becoming evident in the south,
and I love the cool mornings and beautiful birds singing in the trees. This time
of year begins to have more birds coming through migrating away from those cold
northern states! :) 

What is one of your favorite things about this season?

Flee Idolatry

The great cause of neglecting the Scriptures is not want of time,
but want of heart, some idol taking the place of Christ.

Robert Chapman

Two Roads

"For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?"
- Mark 8:36

Whole Wheat Sourdough Pancakes

It has been a while since I made a post about my sourdough creations. I have done several experiments and I will have to share some of the results with you all. I have tried things like: versatile pasta dough which can be used for anything from plain noodles to tortellini and ravioli, and cakes like chocolate cake, banana cake, and coffee cake, and fun things like pizza dough and pierogies. I had no idea that all of these delicious foods could be made with sourdough and 100% whole wheat! I think it is wonderful to be able to serve my family delicious and nutritious foods using my sourdough starter. I hope you are inspired to do your own experimenting and please tell us what you've been baking in your kitchen! :)

Today I will be sharing my pancake recipe:

 I was hoping to develop a sourdough pancake recipe without using additional flour. That way all of the nutrients would be ready to absorb without requiring a soaking time for the added flour. But the batter was just too thin so I had to add a 1/4 cup of flour. To make this recipe healthier you could prepare the added flour properly by combining the starter, egg, honey, melted butter, and salt the night before and allowing it to set at room temperature overnight: adding the baking soda in the morning. The soaking allows the bacteria in the sourdough time to breakdown anti-nutrients in the whole wheat flour. I  chose to use baking soda to leaven the pancakes because it would have plenty of acid to react with in the sourdough starter. I started off using just 1/8 teaspoon of baking soda, which did a fine job at rising, but I increased the amount to 1/4 teaspoon to help tame the tart flavor of the starter. As an alkaline, baking soda will neutralize acids, therefore, making the level of acidity go down, and subsequently the tart flavor.

 

Whole Wheat  Sourdough Pancakes
1 3/4 cups Sourdough Starter
1 Egg
1 TBSP. Honey
2 TBSP. Butter, melted
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/4 cup Whole Wheat Flour
1/4 tsp. Baking Soda

Beat together in a medium size bowl; starter, egg, honey, and melted butter. Add the flour and salt and stir. Sprinkle the baking soda over last and stir briefly, but thoroughly. The batter should begin to bubble visibly once the baking soda is added. You don't want to let the batter sit on the counter unbaked for an extended period of time once the baking soda has begun to react. The air bubbles will all rise to the top of the batter and escape leaving your batter and pancakes made with it flat.  Cook the pancakes on a lightly greased hot griddle or skillet. They take a slight bit longer to cook than regular pancakes. Flip them over when the tops are getting dried out and cook until lightly browned. Serve with butter and syrup of your choice. Enjoy!