I Couldn't Agree More

I hope you'll watch this video and I hope you will say "Yes!"

We did.

And it is SO worth it!

A Special Family for a Special Baby

What a surprise to find out that our good friends (whom we hope to someday meet in real life - LOL!), Kim and Ben, will be adopting this sweet baby girl who was born just days ago.

Selah Grace may live for less than a year OR the Lord may work a miracle in her life. Either way, we know He will be glorified and she will be loved as this family truly answers the call to care for the very least of these!

Please donate if you can to help with the 5,000.00 in adoption expenses they expect to have.

By the way, did I mention that Kim and Ben also have ten children (well, now they have 11)? They are really an incredible family that constantly inspires us to say "yes" to God.

Rice Pudding Goodness

My kids love rice pudding!

Funny, because I couldn't stand rice pudding as a child so I never thought I'd even make it for my kids!

BUT, then I had 10 children and we often eat rice AND we sometimes have leftover rice and that is how this easy, yummy rice pudding recipe came to be.

I think I've said before that I don't really measure things. I know, I know, makes it hard to replicate, but really - it is VERY simple:

mix together

leftover brown rice

eggs

milk

sugar

cinnamon

Bake at 425 in a convection oven for about 30 minutes? (or lower in a regular oven for a little longer)

Oh, O.K., I'll give a little more than that for those non-chefs out there.

This morning I probably had about 5 cups of leftover brown rice. I only had 4 eggs so I used those (I usually use more - maybe even up to twice as many). I added just about a quart of milk w/ cream (we drink fresh from the farm raw milk - YUM!) and about 1.5 cups of sugar. Sprinkle in an ample amount of cinnamon, mix well, pour into a pyrex dish (it filled a 9X13 almost to the top) and VOILA!

Breakfast for 12!

Only Eight

Wow! I'm down to just 8 children today since Mr. Z and Little Missy are at the water park for a friends birthday.

Is it funny that 8 children seems like hardly any?

For some reason, the dynamic changes SO much with the addition or subtraction of one or two children and it is very calm around here today.

Big Jo and Smarty are sewing doll clothes for their little sisters (for Christmas presents).

Sweetie is up in her room sewing a very large stuffed star pillow.

Speedy Mo and Chatty are riding scooters out front.

Spunky, Happy, and Cutie (previously named "Mama's Angel") are playing hide-and-go-seek in the living room and I am mixing up some

Kool-Aid Playdough (a quadruple batch!)

for them to play with next.

Now, off to fix lunch!

Praying for Movement

Lord,

move in the hearts of your people to stop standing still in fear and to start moving out in faith!

To start saying "YES!" to the wonderful plans you have for them: plans to prosper and not to harm them, plans to bring them (and others) a future and Hope, plans that will bring you glory.

For more encouragement today, please stop by and see what Amy has to say at BUILDING THE BLOCKS...: What's stopping you?

Encouraged.

Jeff and I are attending a homeschooling conference this weekend and have been enjoying being exhorted and encouraged by Voddie Baucham! More to come. . .

Healthy Hamburger Helper

ugh. I don't think I've actually ever even cooked a box of real "hamburger helper." We tend to avoid overly processed foods as much as possible. Also, my husband isn't one who tends to love the casserole-type "one pot" meals! Imagine my surprise when all of my children AND my husband raved about this new dish I created from what I had on hand the other night! It's amazing what limited ingredients and 10 hungry children can do for one's creativity.

Healthy Hamburger Helper

4 lbs. ground beef

1-2 bunches of fresh cilantro (the more the better!)

3 cups of frozen corn (fresh will work great when it is available!)

long grain brown rice

salt and pepper

Make a large pot of brown rice (water, rice, butter, salt) and set aside

In an extra large skillet, brown ground beef and drain fat

Add frozen corn to hot skillet (with ground beef) and heat through

Add generous handfulls of chopped cilantro and salt and pepper to taste

Serve over rice

(serves 12)

Obviously, you probably won't need to make as much as me if you don't have 12 people to feed! I love cooking with recipes that are basically just a list of ingredients! Really, the exact amounts don't matter that much - more or less of anything is just fine. . . so much more enjoyable to cook without measuring cups!