As Mary Elizabeth

Pulling an article from my files in which I imagine some details of a true event in the life of my great-grandparents over a hundred years ago.

Joe and his mules at the auction in Iowa

            “Who will start the bid on this fine team of mules?”

            The voice of the auctioneer droned as Mary Elizabeth pulled her shawl tight against the raw February wind. Her husband, Joe, walked the team around the barnyard while the neighbors sat watching from the rail fence.

            “Sold - to the man in the blue hat,” called the auctioneer.

            Snow crunched underfoot as Mary Elizabeth plodded to the house. Maybe I can finish packing and clean up the kitchen before the auction ends. Already she had packed the bedding and dishes in the large trunk.

            The door banged open to admit two small boys. Mary Elizabeth turned from sweeping out the ashes in the cook stove and poured two mugs of milk. “Come, David and Harold. Eat quickly while your father loads the bobsled.”

            Moments later, Joe poked his head into the kitchen, letting in another blast of cold air. “Is the trunk ready?”

            Mary Elizabeth looked up from folding her apron. “Almost. I couldn't get the clasp fastened.”

            Joe and Mr. Cadwell, a neighbor, heaved the trunk out the door into the waiting bobsled.

            “Ready to go?” Joe asked. “The train won't wait.” He reached for Mary Elizabeth's hand to help her into the wagon. She tucked the blanket around the boys, then glanced back at the little house she had called home.

            During the three-mile trip to the train station Mary Elizabeth gazed at the frozen Iowa landscape. She remembered when she had come to this area to work. Here she had met and married Joe. Her husband had toiled in these flat fields, since he had been a small boy. After Joe's father died when he was eight, Joe had worked like a man, encouraging the rich, black earth to yield tall corn.

            But now they were leaving these fields behind and were moving to Pennsylvania. Mary Elizabeth dreaded the long train ride, the jolting of the rails, the two sleepless nights, and the frigid mid-winter cold. She glanced over at her husband and remembered their long conversations that brought them to this decision. In the past months, Joe had been thinking hard about the future. In the past, he had dabbled in a life of sin and knew that his old friends' drinking parties would hinder his newfound walk with God. 

           Would a move to a new area give him a chance to start fresh? Mary Elizabeth hoped it would. 

To Be Continued....

My great-grandparents, Joe and Mary Elizabeth Hawbaker, as newlyweds.

          

It's a Girl

Haven Faith was born at 11:24 just before midnight on Thursday evening.

She surprised me by weighing 8 lb 8oz, - my largest baby - but still tiny in her daddy's hands.

Our two-year-old adores babies and has no idea she has just been dethroned from her status as the baby of the family.

We have an eager crew of babysitters.

The boys were wishing for a brother - but a new sister won't be refused.

Thanks so much for all your prayers and encouragement to me and our family the past weeks. We feel so blessed for healthy children, a safe delivery, supportive friends and family, and God's amazing goodness.

Book Review: The Other Side of the Wall

This month I plan to share some books that impacted me last year. 

It is rare that I finish a book and think "Everyone ought to read this book." But when I turned the last page of The Other Side of the Wall by Gary Miller, I wished I could hand the book to every Christian in America and beg them to read it.

The book begins with a call to North American believers to realize that our money is a gift from God and our responsibility to share it. After examining our motives for giving, Gary sounds a call for wise giving. He defines the difference between critical and chronic needs and bluntly shares how many times our giving can hurt those we aim to help.

Gary manages the SALT Microfinance program for Christian Aid Ministries so he has years of experience in working with the needy in developing countries. His book is well researched and gleans information from many others who are working with the poor.

It would be hard to pick a favorite but one of my favorite chapters in the book was "The Power of the Local Church." The vision Gary gives in this chapter is one that I wish for my church - and for myself.

The Other Side of the Wall is part of Gary Miller's Kingdom Focused Living Series - a series of books written to guide believers in a wise use of their resources. I haven't read them all (yet) but from what I have read, I highly recommend the entire series.

January is often a time of new resolutions - and often some of our goals are centered on the area of finances. If you want to be challenged in your finances, specifically in the area of giving, please read The Other Side of the Wall. 

The Other Side of the Wall is available from TGS International. 

Bible Reading in the New Year

No baby. Yet. Still nine days until my due date so I shouldn't be getting impatient. Yet.

It is that introspective time of year - looking back on the past twelve months, evaluating what worked and what didn't, and setting goals for the next twelve months. As usual, I hope to be a better wife, a better mother, and a better follower of Christ in 2016 than in 2015. I want to grow in Christ's likeness; I want to do more fun projects with my children; I want to read more books. I want to pray more, reach out more, love more.

But today, as I struggle to even roll over in bed, I have a vivid reminder of my human frailty. Whatever I may dream, plan, and wish to have more of in 2016 needs balanced with the knowledge that I have limited time and energy - and a new baby will most likely hog a great portion of both in the next months.

So this year, I'm keeping my goals small. No grand plans. I'm not going to turn-over-a-new-leaf and uncover Super Mom. My closets probably won't stay organized in 2016 or my garden weed-free. And I'm choosing now, today, to be okay with that reality.

But there is one goal I do choose to make, which is likely to affect all other areas of life. And if there is one goal I want to encourage you in, it is this one - Make God's Word priority.

In a society that promotes lies and distortions, I feel more desperate than ever to spend time with God's Word. I want to know His Truth. I want live Truth. I want know Him.

Last January I wrote about Bible reading. At that time, I was starting the One Year Bible. I really liked using this resource last year, though I will admit that when pregnancy fatigue hit last summer, I usually only read the New Testament portion of the daily reading so I did not read much of the last half of the Old Testament.

This year, at least the first few months, knowing the reality of the newborn schedule, I'm planning to read through my Amplified New Testament. I like how the Amplified version slows me down when reading familiar verses and the size of the New Testament will be easy to hold while nursing. I'm not making any plans on how much to read, hoping to focus more on grasping the truth of the Word instead of checking off that I read my day's portion.

A few weeks ago, Ed suggested that our children start getting up a little earlier to read their Bible before breakfast. I was shocked that they loved the idea. They started setting their clocks for 6:30 (their normal rise time was 7:00) and it has been fun to see them curled up on the couch with Ed reading their Bibles. Over the holidays, Ed and I have enjoyed some sleep-as-long-as-you-can mornings, but the children have gotten a thrill out of being up before mom and dad. Maybe the thrill will wear off, but I figure if they are enjoying it now, when it is still dark in the early morning, it will be easier for them to get up when the sun is shining in their window. So far, it looks like maybe they will have more self-discipline than their mom in rising early. It is sure not a genetic predisposition that they got from me.

The children started the Beginner's Bible Reading plan. I think it will be perfect for them. Each day's reading is only about 15 verses. If they follow the whole plan, they will read chronological through the entire Bible with excerpts from every book of the Bible. It will give them a good survey of the Bible while giving them practice in finding Bible references. The older ones are also reading the Proverb of the day as well.

I think the Beginner's Bible reading plan, though designed with children in mind, could also be good for a busy mom, especially of a newborn, who is overwhelmed by most Bible reading plans. You could always read more verses, or the entire chapter, but most Bible reading plans require so much reading that it is easy to get overwhelmed and just give up when one is in the stage of not enough time to even take a shower.

Have you  made Bible reading goals for the new year? What tips do you have to keep going all through the year? What do you hope to gain from your Bible reading this year?

Around Our House...

...Are the events of ordinary life. Laundry. Cleaning. Schoolwork. Never enough hours in a day to get it all done. 

But we are also smelling the fragrance of Christmas cookies.

And tasting them too.

We are folding soft itsy-bitsy baby clothing.

And anticipating using them in a few weeks.

We are singing our favorite Christmas carols. This week we sang at the rescue mission, a nursing home, and to some elderly neighbors.

We are remembering Jesus, and all He has done for us. Not just coming to earth as a baby, but going to the cross, and now interceding for us to the Father.

It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Romans 8:34

From our family to yours...wishing you a Christ-centered, joy-filled Christmas.

I'll be taking a blogging break the next few weeks. I'll be back in January.

Three-Cheese Pasta with Sausage and Spinach

I love simple one-pot meals. I usually check out the "one-pan dinner" page of my mother-in-law's Cook's Country magazine for some ideas. This recipe came from a recent issue and my family called it a winner. I further simplified the recipe by using my home-canned pizza sauce for the sauce.

You can let out the spinach if you wish, but even my children didn't complain about the green stuff in this recipe.

Three-Cheese Pasta with Sausage and Spinach
(adapted from Cook's Country)

1-2 lb sausage links, cut in 1 inch pieces
2 pint pizza sauce
2 cups water
16 oz rotini or ziti pasta
5 cups chopped spinach
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup Parmesan cheese
1 cup ricotta cheese

In a large dutch oven or other oven-proof pot, cook sausage until browned.

Add pizza sauce, water, and pasta. Bring to boil on high heat. Then reduce heat and simmer until pasta is just barely softened.

Remove pot from heat and stir in spinach, 3/4 cup mozzarella, and 1/2 cup Parmesan. Spoon ricotta on top of pasta and sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan.

Place in oven under broiler until cheese is bubbling and beginning to brown, approximately 4-6 minutes.

Cool for 10 minutes and serve.

Six Homemade Spice Mixes

I buy spices in bulk and enjoy making my own spice mixes. There are many recipes online, but these six are my present favorite.

In the summer, I keep some of these mixes, especially ones like Ranch dressing powder, in the freezer to keep them from absorbing moisture in my humid kitchen.

I like to write the directions on a label on the jar to make it easy to whip up a dressing or dip.

Seasoning Salt

I keep this by my stove and sprinkle it on about anything I am adding salt to -as long as it isn't dessert.

1/2 cup salt
2 T paprika
1 T parsley
2 tsp oregano
2 tsp celery seed
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp cumin

Mix all together. If you wish, you can blend it in a coffee grinder to make a fine powder.


Taco Seasoning

I like to have plenty of this seasoning on hand in the summer to quickly season ground beef or chicken for taco salad or burritos. This is also perfect for taco soup.

4 T onion powder
2 T salt
2 T chili powder
1 T garlic powder
1 T cumin
1 1/2 T oregano
1 tsp red pepper (optional)

Mix well. Two tablespoons equal 1 purchased package.



Ranch Dressing Mix

2 T onion flakes
2 tsp onion powder
2 T parsley
2 tsp paprika
1 T salt
2 tsp pepper
1 T garlic powder
Options: dill weed, tarragon, oregano, or celery seed

Mix all together. Two tablespoons equal 1 purchased package.

For dressing: Mix 2 T dry powder, 1 cup mayo, and 1 cup of buttermilk or kefir.
For vegetable dip: Mix 2 T mix and 2 cups sour cream.


Italian Dressing Mix

This is my newest mix, but I think it will be a favorite.

1/2 T garlic powder
1 T onion powder
2 T oregano
1 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp thyme
1 tsp basil
1 T parsley
2 T salt

Stir together. Two tablespoons equal 1 purchased package.

To make into Italian dressing: Mix 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar, 2/3 cup olive oil, 2 T water, 2 T dry mix. Blend well. Serve.

My mom mixes chicken breast chunks, cream soup, cream cheese, and Italian dressing mix in her crockpot. The result is a wonderful rich chicken dish that we love served over mashed potatoes.


Onion Soup Mix

2/3 cup dried, minced onion
3 tsp parsley
2 tsp onion powder
2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Mix well. I shake well before each use. Four tablespoons equal 1 packet of purchased onion soup mix.

I like to combine brown rice, water, onion soup mix, and raw chicken in a baking pan or crockpot for a yummy but simple meal.


Everything Season (Mural of Seasoning copy-cat)

1 1/2 T onion powder
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp rosemary
1 tsp basil
1 tsp dried chives
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp dried lemon peel
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp dried dill weed

Mural of Seasoning is a spice from Penzey's that I love on just about everything - roasted potatoes, vegetables, meat, etc. My homemade version is not nearly like the real thing, I'm sure. But I like it just the same.