We have company!!!!!

I love company! Anyone want to come visit?

Anyhow,we are having a wonderful time.I am cooking up a storm.I love to cook for company!Breakfast was homemade waffles with our *own* maple syrup and sausage patties.We are just snacking for lunch and supper will be bacon/cheese stuffed shells,a large salad and HM garlic toast.Dessert....Pumpkin cheesecake with HM whipped cream and maple syrup! Here in a few minutes my girls and I are making a batch of fudge to give to Grandpa for his birthday.My dh took one of his vacation weeks while his Dad is here (from out of state) !!! I am just LOVING having him home!!!!!! I have him here for 5 more days! He and his Dad are doing all kinds of projects here around the farm including putting 1,000 feet of water line in to our top barn so they are busy,busy,busy and I am having fun keeping everyone fed! :) Us ladies are going to the city wide yard sales this weekend and that is going to be a blast! My favorite place to shop.I have a teething baby who is being clingy and making it hard for Mamma to get anything done! :):) Poor guy has 4 of his back teeth coming in and they look SO painful.

Anyhow,the point of this post is to talk about hospitality and the things I have been learning about it.I have *always* loved company but am realizing that I can sometimes have a bad attitude now and then.*Especially* with women.I hate to say it but it is true,I don't blink an eye at serving men.I LOVE it! Working my tail off for another woman is something entirely different.:) Where I come from,the women all work together.We serve the meal and clean up afterwards and have a great time.:) I have learned that not all women are like this!

SO I am really trying to keep any ugly attitudes away.To make sure that the smile on my face is sincere and that I am not just pasting it on outwardly while screaming inwardly! I want to try and remember that things are not always what they seem and to just have a servants heart.Someone elses attitude is not my responsibility!Only my own!

All that really matters to me is that I have an attitude that is pleasing to the Lord!

 I want to be a wife that my husband can depend on and be proud of.Not one that has an attitude about anything.How miserable to have a wife who embarrasses you in front of company! I hope I have never embarrassed my husband.He says that I haven't and I hope to keep it that way!

I just want to make sure that I have a true servants heart and am truly happy INSIDE to serve others.Not just outwardly!Those bad attitudes can creep in so easily.

I have something wonderful to report though! I have been THRILLED to know inside that this patient mother that I am being in front of company is the same mother that has been here for the last month! She didn't just visit while company was here! It feels better than I can even explain so I won't bother trying.I just can't thank God enough though for this wonderful new attitude.

Well,this has been a badly put together post but oh well! I don't have a whole lot of time....Off to make fudge!

Delightful Dumplings

"A big,fat,bowl of dumplings,boiling in the pot.Sugar them and butter them and eat them while they're hot."

Ok,they are actually Caramel Apple Dumplings but last night I made them with my dd on her special night with me and we had a great time coming up with all sorts of "D" adjectives describing the dumplings.I won't list them because some are completely silly but we sure did laugh.lol

3 cups water
2 cups brown sugar (We used 1/2 sucanat)
1/4 cup butter
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp salt

Combine the above and bring to a boil in a large suacepan.

Dumplings:

2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 TB baking powder
1 cup milk
1/4 cup butter
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups diced apples

Mix dry ingredients,cut in butter(or melt it) and and then fold in vanilla,milk and apples.
Drop by spoonfulls into the boiling syrup.Cover tightly and cook on low for 8-10 minutes.Don't open the lid for atleast 8 minutes.You can't peek on dumplings,they need that hot air/steam to cook properly.Check the center after 8 minutes and if they are still not done (they should be like a really moist biscuit.....not doughy but not dry either.) then give them another 5 and they should be.

Serve with sweetened vanilla cream or ice cream!

Are you taking care of yourself .....

so that you CAN take care of your family?

It is way to easy for us Mammas to put our own health aside because we are to busy taking care of everyone else.WE CAN"T DO THIS! We CAN"T! All those excuses we have are all just excuses.The TRUTH is that our health is not a priority and THAT is why we don't have time.Most of us find time to do what we really want to do.So don't say "I don't have time." because you do! :):)

I for one do not want to start having problems with my pregnancies/births/recovery/breastfeeding.I don't want  to be overweight! I have 25-30 pounds that I have been hanging onto for my last few pregnancies that has GOT to go.I am expecting that I will probably be EXPECTING again :) before I get the weight lost but that is ok.I am going to keep plugging away even throughout my next pregnancy (If I should be so blessed) BECAUSE what I am doing is not dieting but lifestyle changing.Eating healthy is a constant desire/battle of mine.I am passionate about it and I know that because of that, alot of people assume things about me that are NOT true.Things like..... my family never eats junk food and that I eat salad everyday.:) Not true!:) The TRUTH is that I have a HUGE sweet tooth and I definitely love my Symphony bars.:) I don't eat near as many salads as I would like to because I don't take the time to make the salads!Anyhow,I just wanted to make it public that I fight the junk food battle just like everyone else :).I am trying to find a balance though.We aren't cutting it OUT but just trying to be moderate with it.

I have already lost 25-30 lbs but then I started slacking.I am back at it again though and hope to truly stick with this.

Join me in my weight loss journey why don't you!???? We can only neglect our health for so long! You may eat tons of junk food and very little good food and feel fine NOW but it WILL catch up with you! 40's-50's is when most of the health problems start happening.I can't guarantee that I won't have any but I can sure do a whole lot more to keep myself healthy than I AM doing.

My plan:

SLEEP- I don't get NEAR enough sleep and I only have myself to blame.I am a night person AND a morning person and that = not enough sleep! :) So I am trying to get to bed around 10:00 which gives me 6-7 hours of sleep.

WATER- Make sure that I remember to drink it.I love water but sometimes just forget to drink.I rarely drink anything else other than water.

EXERCISE- aprox 30 minutes a day.I do about 300 different reps.I am doing two different challenges with MOMYS.A pushup challenge to work up to 100 pushups and a Situp challenge to do 200 situps.I am also doing Couch to 5K.As I said,about 30 minutes a day and I exercise at 6:30 sharp so it is DONE.No exercise on Sunday.

FOOD-3 ,Healthy, well balanced meals a day and I am trying to SIT and eat them SLOWLY.I am trying to always include some protein and vegies plus plenty of good fats.No counting calories but I *am* trying to eat less junk carbs.Two snacks a day....1 healthy and one sweet :).Friday starting at supper time is eatwhateverIwant  night.

I have a wonderful accountability partner and that is helping SOOOOOOO much!

Come on ladies! You can do this!

What we eat for SUPPER

I decided to skip lunch because usually we eat breakfast or supper stuff for lunch! :)

Shepherds pie
Chicken alfredo/salad/garlic toast
Pizza...Traditional pizza/chicken alfredo pizza/taco pizza/ham,swiss,onion pizza are a few varities we make
Spaghetti and meatballs/garlic toast/salad
Roast and all the fixings
Roast beef and noodles
Chicken dumplings
All sorts of soups:

Cheeseburger
Vegetable beef
Chicken/rice/vegies
Corn chowder
Brocolli cheese
Potato
Sausage/kale
Chilli

Tacos
Chicken enchiladas
Taco salad
Nachos
Fajita dip/chips
Fajitas
Breakfast burritos
Grilled meat/vegies/swiss onion bread
Hamburger gravy over biscuits or bread
Swiss steak over mashed potatoes/bread
B BQ beef sandwiches/beans/potato salad
Sub sandwiches
Vegie/meat wraps
BLT's
Chicken pot pie
Peanut chicken
Sesame chicken
Lots of different kinds of stir frys
Egg rolls/sweet and sour sauce
Chicken chinese salad
Hobo casserole
Off the top of Mammas head casseroles (which my dh says are his favorite! lol)
Baked potato night...Bkaed potatoes with the works
Cheesy rice with vegies
Noodles with vegies/meat/cream/butter/seasoning/sour cream/cheese etc. all thrown together
Meatloaf/mashed potatoes/bread/vegie
Salisbury steak/vegie/salad/bread
Scalloped potatoes
Quiche
Lemon chicken over rice
Cheeseburger casserole
Stromboli
Hot pockets (home made)
Chicken gravy over mashed potatoes
Baked pork chops/mashed potatoes gravy
Turkey/stuffing/potatoes/corn
Ham/potatoes/gravy/corn
Lots of different kinds of sandwiches

Thats all for now! I am *sure* that I am forgetting lots but that is just off the top of my head!

What we eat for BREAKFAST

I am posting this for a dear MOMYS friend Lori.This will be nice because now,when I don't know what to make  I can come here and look at a list lol.

Oats- peanutbutter/brown sugar (my favorite) ,apple/coconut oil/flax/honey,cinnamon with buttered toast,any fruit with brown sugar.

Peanutbutter toast with honey

Eggs in a variety of ways.....scrambled with toast and ketchup or salsa-dippy eggs with toast-omelets-or my favorite way....sautee any kind of vegies(I love green peppers/onions/garlic/brocolli) then crack a few eggs on top and scramble.Sprinkle with cheese and serve with buttered toast.

Pancakes/eggs/bacon or sausage

Eggs,bacon and toast

Fried cornmeal mush with bacon and butter/maple syrup

Sausage gravy over biscuits

Lots of different kinds of muffins

Waffles with BUTTER :) and maple syrup

Breakfast cookies

My dh loves breakfast type scrambles....You know,biscuits topped with sausage/eggs/vegies then a cheese sauce and syrup type stuff.I make different stuff like that now and then.

Breakfast hot pockets

Popovers

Egg sandwiches

Overnight french toast

Regular french toast

Granola

Yogurt and granola or yogurt and fruit

Fried potatoes/eggs/cheese combo with BUTTERED toast :)

Crepes with brown sugar filling or strawberry/cream cheese filling

Cinnamon rolls

Cream cheese/fruit. breakfast danishes

Biscuits substituded for the toast sometimes

Breakfast sandwiches

Pancake/sausage/bacon sandwiches

Ok,I think that is the basic stuff that I make :)

Yes,we LOVE butter and don't feel in the least bit guilty about it! :) We use it generously to fry everything in from eggs to pancakes and we load our toast/pancakes/muffins and biscuits down with it! Butter is wonderful for you,especially when it comes from your own Jersey cows and made in your kitchen! :)

Fall is coming quickly.....

We picked our first apples a couple of days ago! The children and I walked through our wild apple orchard and filled several bags with beautiful apples.Our property has hundred of wild apple trees.We have gotten rid of alot to make better pasture but we still have soooo many.Some of them produce thousands of dime sized apples lol and others produce wonderful big apples! I can't tell you how much pleasure these trees give me.It was one of the highlights of this property when we bought it.In the spring,the blossoms are unbelievable......Pinks,light purples and white everywhere and the smell is one of my very favorite parts of spring.Now,fall is almost here and to walk through the orchard/pasture is one of my very favorite parts of fall.Yellow,green,red and two tones apples everywhere.Just beautiful!!!!!! The apples did wonderful this year.....some years they don't do as good,but this year,we should have plenty of apple pie filling canned,apples dried,bags of diced apples in the freezer,apple butter and if I have the freezer space....apple cider! We have an amish friend who will press our apples for us and one year we had 35 gallons of cider in the freezer.Delicious!

I am really looking forward to fall and all that it brings.....when the apples are ready to pick, I know that summer is saying good bye, and fall is saying hello! I am so thankful for all of the seasons and all that they bring.They all have their benefits and disadvantages,just like lots of things in life.You can't build a snowman, or cuddle up in front of a warm fire with a cup of hot chocolate, in the dead of summer.You can't feel the pleasure of diving into beautiful,fresh,cool water or drinking a cold glass of lemonade on a hot day,in the middle of winter! There is pleasure in watching my garden die off because I know that I will have less work to do soon.When the trees are getting ready to lose their leaves, we get to see all of the beautiful colors of fall!There is also pleasure in walking around my yard in the spring and searching for signs of life.I LOVE to see all of the little plants coming up and looking forward to another beautiful garden season.I am so thankful that I live in an area with all 4 seasons!

Giving children to many choices.....

can be a very bad thing.

I have always been careful not to give my children to many choices.I never could explain "why" very well, but now I finally realize why it bothers me so much.

It is good way to make a child unthankful and picky.

It is such a very important thing to start  YOUNG.I very rarely let my toddlers choose what they are going to wear,what bowl they will eat out of,which fork they will use,which kind of cereal they want.....Yes,once in a while I do, but it is rare.They need to learn to just be thankful for what is given them.A 2yo,if given a choice of which bowl he wants to eat out, of will VERY QUICKLY start demanding to eat out of that bowl.I see it all the time.....Mom gives little guy some lunch and he says "I don't want that bowl." She smiles and says "Oh you don't want that bowl? Which one do you want?" and then she happily gets the bowl that he wants,smiling all the while at his personality.Children are catered to.They must have clothes with certain textures/colors,their hot dog cut in a certain way and their shoes tied just right.TODDLERS! What a disaster and as they get older they just get worse and worse.

Yes, it is extremely cute to see our precious babies starting to develop likes and dislikes.If I know that my toddler likes a certain bowl I will try to give it to him now and then.....I try to pick the clothes for him that I know he likes and I LOVE to buy my children surprises at the store that I know they love! It isn't that I think we should never give our children what we know that they love or that they shouldn't have likes/dislikes.Having a preference is FINE......I don't make my children eat things that I know they truly and consistently don't like.They are thankful children and so I am ok with that.If they had an unthankful spirit,the rules would be totally different.

I,(Angie) have lots of preferences.....likes and dislikes.If my husband calls me and asks me what I want from Burger King I will have a preference.If he just decides to stop and get me something from Burger King without calling ,I need to be thankful for whatever he gets!There are many things in life that we will have choices in and I am so thankful for that! There are also many things in life that we will NOT have a choice in.A person who has learned to be content with whatever he has ,will be a happy no matter what the circumstance.An unthankful person is never happy.I want to raise daughters that will be happy and thankful with whatever their husbands provide.I want to raise sons who will sit down at a meal their wife has prepared and be thankful for it instead of complaining about all the little things that are not perfect.

You should be able to choose your 3yo's clothes for the day,serve him breakfast in whatever bowl you decide and order his food at McDonalds without him complaining.He should be saying "Thank you Mamma!" for all of those things rather than "I wanted McNuggets not a Big Mac!".

I am such a believer in this that I had to share it with all of my friends who I know have the same heart that I do.We want to raise up godly children.It is what we want more than anything else in this world!

Hebrews 13:5 Let your conversation be without covetousness;and be content with such things as ye have:for he hath said,I will never leave thee,nor forsake thee.

I would love for anyone with any hints on training up THANKFUL children to leave a comment and share them with me!