Going away...

Well, today, I'm doing laundry. I've gotta get ready to go. I'm heading to some friend's house this weekend. I'll be back Wednesday. I can't wait. I'm gonna have so much fun.

There's a chance that I might get to get back into riding(only once a month, but it's better than nothing). I hope it works out. I've been praying that it might work out. Can anyone tell I'm slightly obsessed with horses? Hmm....I wonder. It just that I get so excited over going to see horses, whether I know them or not, and whether I know it's a one time thing or a once a day thing. I never know if it's gonna be the last time I ever get to see a horse! But I'm still excited. Not excited, ecstatic.
I'm boring everyone...I'll write next week.

Yesterday..and Friday

After visiting what seems like the millionth church yesterday morning, We came home and rested for a little while. Then, we headed out the door. We decided to go look at my Grandmother's house about two years after we sold it. I miss grandma and her house so much. We used to go to Grandma's house after church a lot. Especially on Mother's day or grandparents day. We drove the hour it took to get there and took about five minutes to look. The people who moved there had horses. It looked like they were keeping it up pretty well. It was beautiful, though. It still reminded me of visiting grandma, so they didn't make too many changes. Then we went to eat in Farmsville. Guess what? We got gas for $3.60 a gallon! It was quite amazing.
On Friday, I got to go to my riding teacher's house to ride. She gave me a free ride in exchange for helping her around the farm. It was one of the best rides I'd ever had. I rode Rocky and it was the first time I'd been allowed to be on my own. It was really cool. I took him over some jumps and we both loved it. He was being an angel, except for the fact he refused to get his bridle on and was being a brat about getting his cinch tightened. I told him I deserved him. Sadly, he's being leased out to someone else. He will still be on the property and everything, so I might get to see him again. Don't get me wrong, he's gonna have an awesome leasee, but I can't help wishing it was me. Anyways, So I had an awesome ride and we went on a trail ride after that! I am very thankful to my riding teacher for letting me have that ride. My riding teacher is awesome!

Interesting facts about my family...

We love God.
On my Father's side, we are descended from the line of Attila the Hun. One side note is that my family tends to have nosebleeds a lot. It just so happens that Attila the Hun died from choking to death. The cause: A nosebleed.
On my Mother's side we are descended from the Vikings, and several people on the Mayflower.
We like to keep traditions.
My Father is a very good engineer.
My Mother is a very good housekeeper.
My brother-in-law is a lawyer, passed the bar the second time.
My oldest brother is a very good business man.
We like to cook/bake.
We enjoy recreational activities.

For those of you who love horses...

The best smell in the entire world is horse. Horse sweat, horse feed, horse hair, horse manure(think I'm nuts if ya want ta), fresh hay, anything to do with horses. For those of you who don't like horses, you've missed out. That's your problem, not mine. Just don't try to change my mind, 'cause it won't work. I got to help my former riding teacher yesterday at her farm. I led Sassy around. A buckskin quarter/appaloosa mare. She's my second favorite of my riding teacher's horses. I didn't get to ride, but I got lots of pictures(check them out here). My teacher wants to give me free ride as a thank you since I don't get to ride much. Any of those who like horses would get it. Anyway, I had a cool day yesterday.

Casual pictures

My boyfriend is the one with sunglasses(see this post)

My riding teacher took this one...

Old Order Amish Bread

5-6 c bread or all purpose flour
1 pk. dry yeast
1/3 c sugar
2 tsp salt
1 1/2 c hot water(120-130 degrees)
1/3 c cooking oil(I used corn oil)

In a large mixing or mixer bowl, measure 2 c flour, the yeast, sugar, salt, water, and oil. Stir with a wooden spoon until well blended. Add additional flour, 1/2 c at a time, working it first with spoon and then with hands. . The dough will be elastic, but not sticky. Turn the dough onto a generously floured work surface and knead with a strong push-turn-fold motion or under the dough hook for about 8 mins. If the dough seems slack and doesn't hold its shape, add additional flour and work into the mass. Wash and grease the bowl, then return the dough to it. Cover tightly with plastic wrap(I always use a towel). Leave bowl at room temperature until the dough has doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. Turn back the plastic wrap and punch down the dough. Replace the plastic wrap and leave the dough until it has risen again, about 45 min. Turn the dough onto a work surface, punch down, and knead briefly to work out the bubbles. Divide the dough into two pieces, form loaves, and place in the pans. Cover the loaves with wax paper and leave at room temperate until the dough has risenabout 1 in. above the edge of the pans, 40 min. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees about 20 min. before baking. Put the loaves in the hot oven for 10 min., reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 30 min, until the loaves are a golden brown. They will be done when a toothpick inserted in the center of loaf comes out dry and clean. Remove bread from oven, turn out from pans immediately, and leave on a metal rack to cool. This bread makes excellent toast and keeps well in the freezer for 6 to 8 months. (Mine own additional info) Enjoy!

I found this recipe in a book from the library, Bernard Clayton's Complete Book of Breads (by Bernard Clayton).


Tips-I turn the oven on to the lowest setting and let it heat up, then I turn it off and let it cool down until it is just a little bit warm and then I put the bread in to rise.

Good morning...

I feel like I actually accompished something today! Well, this morning I managed to get up at 6:15 and do my Bible time. Then I went for a half hour walk. At 7:00 am, I made Dad's breakfast and did the dishes for Mom. I got breakfast and the dogs are taken care of. Now I'm off to make bread. I'll post the recipe later.

Also, a few days ago, we went to my aunt's house after dinner. I was remembering going to Grandma's house and the walks in the woods and baking bread, and we used to all run down to the railroad when we heard a train to see if we could get there before it left. We got Christmas trees there some years, and I remember having hot chocolate one year because my hands were so cold. We played catch with the football and we helped Grandma in her garden and we swam and picked strawberries and blueberries. We always liked to eat blueberries after swimming. We also liked to play civil war. It was such a wonderful time going over to Grandma and Grandpa's house. They died in October 2003, just five days apart, my Grandma from lung cancer, and my Grandpa from pneumonia at a nursing home. I realized just how much I miss going to Grandma's.

More Pics

These are awesome...Credit goes to my sis...way to go sis!

This is the little girl we used to babysit


These are pics of our puppies the day they were born.


This is Molly and my sis...

I will try to get more pics later.

One year ago, today...

I became an aunt. My niece was born I believe at 8:56pm, last year today. She is a beautiful girl. I can remember waiting all day last year to hear from our parents. When they actually called and told us she was born, I remember feeling tired(from a long day), and yet very happy. Pics of her birthday party below.

Pictures coming soon!

Finally!

I finally completed editing my 368 pictures that I've taken since my birthday. I forgot about editing them until this week, so I spent a lot of time trying to edit and organize them. So, finally, here are the pictures of my niece that I promised to put up.

This one is so special

Jumbo-Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookies

3/4 c margarine

1/2 c peanut butter
2 c brown sugar
2 eggs
1/4 c milk
1 t vanilla
2 c flour
1 t soda
1 t cinnamon
1 t salt
1 1/2 c oatmeal(quick oats)
1 c raisins
1 c chocolate chips

Blend and mix brown sugar and margarine with 1 egg, add the other, and vanilla. Beat by hand-add peanut butter. Stir. Add milk. Stir. Sift together flour, soda, cinnamon, and salt. Stir altogether. After blended add oatmeal, chocolate chips, and raisins,. Put by teaspoonful on greased cookie sheet. Yields 3 dozen.

Bake 12-15 min.
350 degrees

More Snakes...

Well, we have snake number 2(which we believe to be a copperhead) since we moved in. I got a picture this time...edited and everything. But I won't post it...

Pics of my niece coming soon!

The bestest smell ever...

The single, most bestest smell that ever existed and ever will exist is horse. I got to see some horses today. I went over to the fence and said hello to three horses. I'm not sure which breeds they were, but one looked like Rocky. They were calm and actually walked over to meet me. They smelled my hand and let me touch them. I was pleasantly surprised that they walked over. Some horses will walk over, some won't. It was awesome. I miss horses more than ever.

Bear with me...

I'm messing around with my blogs and profiles and everything. Things are a little wacko. Please bear with me...

The single, most perfect, most bestest smell...

The single, most perfect, most bestest, most everything, smell that ever existed, ever exists, and ever will exist is horse.

Rhubarb Crunch

This is the best dessert that ever existed on the face of the planet! We have always used our grandmother's rhubarb(we took it with us when she died).

3 c diced rhubarb

1 c sugar
3 T flour

1 c brown sugar
1 c rolled oats
1 1/2 c flour
1/2 c butter
1/2 c other shortening(we use butter for both)

Combine rhubarb, sugar, and flour and put in greased 1 1/2 qt. baking dish. Combine other ingr. (don't over mix, just until the ingr. start coming together) and sprinkle mixture over the rhubarb. Bake 40 min. at 375 degrees.

Photography

Lately, I've been thinking about being an equine photographer. I love horses and I like taking pictures. I've always loved looking at photos that capture the strength and beauty of the horse. The gentleness, the power, the grace, the speed, the poise, the beauty, and the excellence of the horse are all qualities good photographers capture. I would love to be able to do the same. I was wondering if anyone could give me advice for better pictures or suggest a college they know of that has photography as a major or minor. Please give me some feedback.

This is an awesome site for images

These are some images I've taken


These are some pictures I would love to take

Also, 170 days, 11 hours, 48 minutes until Christmas day.

Fourth

I guess the fourth was okay. We saw fireworks and I took some pics. Family was here and everything. My niece is gonna be one year old. We're celebrating her birthday today. She's such a cutie pie. Maybe I'll post some pics later. We're having grilled marinated chicken tonight. Yummy! Can't wait.

Thoughts

Last night, I attended a friend's church. Since we've been visiting around, I'm on an analyzation(?) streak. I have to admit that "christian rock music" is not my type, but I liked the words that were sung. It was a once a month wednesday night service, and so they had communion with it. The passage they taught was from Isaiah 53. It was such a wonderful reminder of Christ's love for us in the suffering and temptation He had to endure. I challenge the few of you who read this to think a moment about this. Jesus Christ died for the sins of the world. That means that He died for you, He died for me, He died for all of us. Why did He do this? He had no reason to love us. We sinned against Him. We have "dispised and rejected Him". Why should He love us? What have we done to deserve His love? What could we ever do to deserve His love? And yet, many of us still beleive that we can obtain salvation through works. That we can go to heaven. That we have somehow won His approval. I say this is erroneous. More importantly, God says that the only way to salvation is through Jesus Christ. "I am the way, the truth and the life; no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."-John 14:6 (KJV) I cannot fathom how man can expect God to let Him into heaven because of his own good. God is a Holy God. He is a perfect God. He is a merciful God, but He is also a just God. He cannot allow sin into heaven. I must marvel at the fact that Christ died for my sins. I cannot even begin to imagine what it must have been like to have His Father turn His back on Him because of something that I did(Mark 16:34). I am reminded first that God loved me so much that He sent His only, begotten son to die a sinner's death, all so I could live with the knowledge that I am going to a place that He has prepared for me. So that I could live for Him and praise Him. So that I could be with Him in paradise. I was also reminded that life is not about me. Life is about Him and giving glory to Him. My salvation is what He did for me. Not what I can do to get to heaven. Christ died for you. Just consider that as you live day to day. I thank the Lord for showing me the way. I thank Him for leading me, for holding me up when I'm weak. For picking me up when I fall. I love you, Lord.

He was despised and rejected by men;
a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief;
and as one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Surely he has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted.
But he was wounded for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his stripes we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned—every one—to his own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.

He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
yet he opened not his mouth;
like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,
so he opened not his mouth. -Isaiah 53:3-7 (ESV)