RUTH'S NOODLES

"FAMILY MATTERS"

Today I am posting my mother-in-law's noodle recipe.  March 1st was her birthday so it seems proper to honor her this day.  Her name was Ruth and she was a very important mentor to my life.  Among the many things she taught me, was that "family matters" and you have to go the extra mile sometimes to make each of the people in your family feel special.  The scripture also speaks about a woman named Ruth and she too understood the importance of family.  The biblical Ruth had a mother-in-law named Naomi.  Naomi's husband, and all of her sons (Ruth's husband included), had died. Namoi urges her daughter-in-law's to return to their parents homes and remarry. Ruth 1:16-18 says:

But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.”  When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped urging her. (NIV)

My mother-in-law did indeed show us the value she gave to family.  She did this in several ways, but one was food preparation.  If you ask any one of my children or grandchildren what they remember most about Grandma Ruth, it would be her noodles.  It made the 700 mile trip we made more bearable if you knew that at the end of road, grandma's noodles were waiting for you.  What made them so special? Other than the fact that they were the most delicious creamy expression of goodness, it was the secret ingredient she put in them,  LOVE.  

Even before I joined the family 45 years ago, I saw her spoil my husband with his favorite Angel Food Cake. Now this was before box mixes when it took almost a dozen egg whites whipped into submission to attain the high peaks required for the recipe.  And don't get me started on her glazed donuts, which I am sure Krispy Creme stole from her! After we were married she would always have our favorite pies all lined up on the counter.  There would be coconut creme, pecan, chocolate, and of course peach just to name a few. Now that I cook  for all 16 of us for the holidays, I can appreciate her labor of love.  One time when we were visiting her, I asked if she would show me how she made her now famous noodles. I didn't realize how simple it was and I will forever be indebted to her, because recently I heard one of my own grandchildren say, "Grandma the best part of Thanksgiving is your noodles!"  And so the legacy continues.  Just a side note to our biblical story about Ruth from above.   Because of Ruth's value of family, Christ was born out of that lineage!  So like I said before FAMILY MATTERS!

RUTH'S NOODLES

2 CUPS ALL PURPOSE FLOUR

2 WHOLE EGGS ( after you crack one use half of the egg shell as a measuring cup)

2 EGGSHELLS FULL OF MILK (this might have to be adjusted according to the humidity)

1 TEASPOON SALT

1/4 TEASPOON BUTTER FLAVORING (OPTIONAL)

BUT DON'T FORGET THE LOVE!!

   Place ingredients in a food
processor.  Process until dough pulls away from edge and forms a ball

Roll out with rolling pin until as thin as you like.  Let dry flat on a floured surface for 10-15 minutes. Roll up and cut into thin strips or if you're lucky enough to have a pasta machine or attachment you can cut them right away.   Don't be afraid to use lots of flour.  This adds to  thickening the broth as they cook.

Dry on counter with flour sprinkled on them or hang them up on hangers like I do to air out quicker! Once dry, boil in chicken broth (either homemade or canned) or beef broth that you have cooked a roast in, until tender.  You just have to test them every so often to see when they are done!  It's one of the perks!  The outcome is this yumminess!  

"Ain't Nobody Got Time For That!"

Is it Friday already?  Where has the week gone?  Do you ever ask yourself that question?  So many deadlines, schedules, and people wanting something from us. Sometimes we just need to slow down, regroup and re-coop!  

There was a woman in the bible who had some of these issues and her name was Martha.  Here's what the scripture says about her in Luke 10:38-42 

"As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”   “Martha, Martha,”the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things,but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” (NIV)  

Martha sometimes gets a bad rap, I mean after all she is tending to the Lord's and the disciples needs. They are hungry and need to be fed, and she is just the woman to do it!  But notice what the passage says, she is distracted in all the preparations.   It appears that this Martha, just may have a "Martha Stewart Complex"! You know the one I mean, everything must be color coordinated with embroidered napkins and a fresh flower arrangement on the table.  Sometimes it pays to slow down and keep it simple or we miss, as the Lord said in this passage, "the few things that are needed and better!"  This applies to all of life, not just food preparation.  Are you putting undue pressure on yourself to meet up with the world standards?  They tell us our clothes must be the whitest and our bodies the tightest in order to arrive at perfection.  Perhaps it is time to regroup and re-coop!  Let's just all spend some quiet time listening to the Lord and sitting at His feet.

I'm giving you a extra bonus today.  First, is a poem I wrote in 1994 that speaks to this issue and then a super simple recipe that will hopefully give you a few extra moments to spend being quiet.

"Placed Within His Hands"

Daily struggles, daily strife, mounting pressures add to life.

Wondering where to take my stand? Till gently placed within His hand.
People asking, wanting part, taking pieces of our heart.

Looking for a better land, till gently placed within His hand.

Deadlines, schedules, urgent need!  What is needful?  What is greed?

Sometimes sinking in the sand, till gently placed within His hand.

People hurting, causes weighed, wanting from us, who gets paid?

Time is short with great demand, till gently placed within His hand.

Life is full of choices made, some stay with us, some just fade.

Prayed to a God who understands, when gently placed within His hands.

"One Skillet Green Bean Meal"
1-2 cans drained green beans (canned or fresh)

1/4 cupped chopped onion (I used frozen which is even easier!)

2-3 scrubbed potatoes chopped into pieces

1 pkg of smoked sausage, cut into bite sized pieces

 Place in a skillet, place a lid on it, and cook until potatoes are tender.

ASPIRING TO BE A DORCAS!

Acts 9:36-39 In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (in Greek her name is Dorcas); she was always doing good and helping the poor. About that time she became sick and died, and her body was washed and placed in an upstairs room.  Lydda was near Joppa; so when the disciples heard that Peter was in Lydda, they sent two men to him and urged him, “Please come at once!”  Peter went with them, and when he arrived he was taken upstairs to the room. All the widows stood around him, crying and showing him the robes and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was still with them.  (NIV)

This week I was impressed that perhaps I should strive to be more of a Dorcas!  No, I do not mean "Dork" (although I have been accused of that as well).  In our Sunday School Class, we have an ongoing collection for "The Hope Center", (a crisis pregnancy center).  As I was wondering what to put in in the collection this week, it occurred to me, "Well, you are trying to increase your sewing skills and you have some extra material, why not make bibs and burp cloths for those little babies."  So the process has begun. I have included a link to their web site for the free patterns.

The thing that struck me the most about this text was the reaction of the widows (those in need).  They were crying!  Sometimes my kids would cry when I sewed something, but mostly it was due to the fact that they didn't want to wear what I made.  I mean really, how scratchy are pajamas made from a blanket?  Yes, I did do some big boo boo's along the way as a mom! Wouldn't it be great if when our time was up, people were crying because we had made a difference to this world rather than them singing "Ding Dong The Witch Is Dead!"  The babies and moms who receive these won't know who sewed them or how long it took out of my day to do it.  But there is One who does see and knows all. Also, I found it was a very good time to pray for whoever might be receiving them and asking God to bless them for giving life to their baby.  I guess my mentoring suggestion today would be: find something useful to do for others.  It may be using your talents with crafts, sending a card, an encouraging phone call, taking a meal to someone, etc. Whatever God puts on your heart, spread some love around!  Happy Valentine's Day! 

Here is the link to the bib and burp cloth pattern!

http://www.newconceptions.com/free.htm

LOVE IS IN THE AIR!

It's almost Valentine's Day, so there are lots of words of love flying around. In fact at the end of this post, I have included a picture of a Valentine Card I designed for this auspicious occasion.  This had me thinking about the definition of love.  Webster defines it (among other words too spicy to include) as "a feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection".  

I guess that could be a part of it, but is it all?  My mother gave me the "Love Letters" my grandpa wrote to grandma in 1923 before they were married.  In one of them are some dried flowers that he actually picked on his way hiking up Pikes Peak.  Yes, I said hiking!  This was before there were good roads that led tourists up there.  He walked for 6 1/2 hours!  He tells her that it is the second time hiking up there and he would not want to do it again, unless of course she went with him.  AWE!  His exact words were:  "All it takes is will power. That's all it takes to do anything, don't you think?"  That pretty much sums up their marriage of 52 years.   They exhibited a lot of will power by working a farm and among other things battling the great depression together.   Even though I have these love letters, I can never remember him showering her with words of love.  I do, however, remember him rubbing her hand at the dinner table and giving me a wink.  This would send grandma into a tizzy, but you could tell it pleased her that he was tormenting her and I'm sure this was grandpa's way of showing his love.

When I was a teenager, (boo-coo years ago) there was a movie called "Love Story".  The famous saying from that movie was "Love means never having to say you're sorry."  As a teenager with stars in my eyes, I thought it was so cool that you could love someone and say or do whatever you wanted and be totally accepted.  But once again Hollywood fed me a bunch of "crap" (sorry couldn't think of any better term to use).  Love does bring the requirement of seeking forgiveness for the wrong things we say and the way they are said not only to our mates but to others.

One of the definitions I think that Mr. Webster forgot to include for the word "love" was sacrifice. Look at the perfect example of Christ and the sacrifice He made for each of us. Romans 5:8 says: "But God demonstrates his own love in this: While we were still sinners Christ died for us."  Now that is a true sacrifice of love!  So next time we are washing clothes, picking up dirty socks, preparing a meal, doing dishes, or gathering information for taxes (you can see what I did this week), we are just exhibiting love at its finest. Happy Valentine's Day!

Change It Up With Grandma's Coleslaw!

I would be remiss if I did not mention a few of the women who mentored me along the way.  So today I will talk about my "Grandma Lola".   I can still her say things in my head like:  "Can't never did anything!" "If something is worth doing, it's worth doing right!" "If everyone jumped off the bridge would you?"  She was a remarkable woman who excelled at many things in her life.  One was her cooking skills and I am including her coleslaw recipe at the end of this post.

My grandma sewed for several women in town, gave home permanents to several shut-in ladies, and had beautiful flower gardens. I remember cutting peonies, placing them in canning jars and taking them to the cemeteries with her on Memorial Day.  Do people even do that anymore?  She decorated cakes, including a 3 tiered one for our wedding.   Later in life she even taught herself to oil paint beautiful landscapes and flower pictures. I told you she was remarkable!  She did all these things plus canned tons of fruits and vegetables, fed hay crews that worked the farm, and kept my grandpa happy!  

I find myself being a lot like her because I like to change things up also.  One day I might  bake, one day I might sew, one day I might read a book or write a blog, one day I might make cards, or one day I might clean (notice I put that one last)! I think that might be the secret to being a contented stay-at-home woman.
I would love to hear what you do to change it up in your lives, so feel free to post a comment.   What I am saying is this:  If you are stuck in a rut....try something different!  You just never know what you have the talent for.

The Proverbs 31 woman was a very versatile woman.  She selects material and sews it (vs 13), she cooks (vs. 15), she's in her own business ventures (vs. 16),  she spins, so she must have crocheted or knitted (at least this is my reasoning for crafting) and she reaches out to the poor in charity (vs 20).  She knew how to keep from getting bored.  Here's grandma's coleslaw recipe... so tonight I invite you to change it up and instead of that traditional salad try this tangy goodness!

GRANDMA'S COLESLAW
1 bag of Preshredded coleslaw
1/2 c. white sugar
1/4 c. white vinegar
1/2 c Miracle Whip (do not substitute)
Salt and Pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients and serve.   This will feed a family of 5.

IT PAYS TO PERSEVERE!

"Rip it out Becky and try again" are the words I can still hear my Home Economics teacher instructing me.  Do they even have Home Ec. classes anymore?  I was never known for my sewing skills.  In fact I used to laugh and say that is why the Good Lord gave me 3 boys because He knew I couldn't sew!  I'm posting a couple of pictures of some sewing projects I just completed.  As you can see, I have been sewing American Girl Doll clothes for granddaughter's and a great niece.  Now, before you are really impressed with my work and try to swamp me with orders, you need to know the countless times I had to rip out seams and even threatened to throw the project out the front door! But I persevered and now have some finished projects.

So begins my analogy for this week.  Paul tells us in James 1:4, "Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete not lacking anything." (NIV)  In order to gain the prize awaiting us in heaven we must persevere!    Is it easy?  NO!  That is why this place is not called HEAVEN. Does it sometimes take every ounce of our being not to throw it all out the front door?  YES!  But the final outcome will be worth it.  The scripture tells us that if as a born again believer we do persevere, we shall be clothed  in righteousness and that fit will be just perfect!  I am so looking forward to that, aren't you? I've included a link for a simple skirt pattern I designed for an 18" doll.  Believe me it is simple and could be finished in a half an hour.  This might even be a great project to begin sewing with your daughter or granddaughter.

Instructions for sewing skirt:
Fold hem line under 1/4" and then another 1/4" so raw edge is tucked under.  Like this:

Hem with straight stitch or hemming stitch.
Sew back seam 5/8" from the edge.
Press seam open
Sew a 1/2" tube at top (turning edge under).    Make sure you leave 1" opening to
insert elastic.
Feed 1/4 " elastic through the tube. (I attached a safety pin to the end of the elastic.
in order to feed it through the tube more easily). Like this:

Sew elastic pieces together going over them a few times.
Sew the 1" opening of the tube shut.  There you have it!  A simple skirt in under 1/2 hour and hopefully you didn't have to rip out one seam!

For a pattern of this skirt go to this link:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_crp1yuz21yd0hZTnBFVjlUTFE/edit?usp=sharing

IT REALLY WORK'S!"

You know how we sometimes post something from "Pinterest" and wonder to ourselves, "Will this thing really work?"  Well I'm here to tell you that in this particular case and as my pictures prove, "IT REALLY WORKS!"

My husband was recently moving around a bunch of old farm machinery at his parent's farm.  He did wear older jeans but when we got home and I was laundering his clothes, there was grease (and who knows what else) in several areas on them.  I thought the jeans were hopeless!  The following picture only shows one of the many stains.  So I decided to conduct my own experiment.  I marked the stains with safety pins so I could actually tell where the stain had been after I washed them.  Mind you, this was already after I had washed them at least two times with just regular laundry detergent!

Before Washing

I sprayed the spots with WD-40  (which we purchased at the local "Dollar Store") and waited 10 minutes.  I don't know if this part was really necessary, but I wanted to give the product plenty of time to work.  I then washed the jeans on the hottest setting with a cold rinse and here is the result:

After Washing

There is just the faintest stain left which I hope to get the next time I wash them.

Trust me, it is the same pair of jeans I just couldn't get the same lighting!

Ever the analogy queen, this got me to thinking about my own life.  I, too, was in a hopeless state filled with all kinds of stains.  As a young woman, I asked Christ to be my Lord and Saviour and just as He claimed to do, He removed my stains and cleansed me.   Romans 10:9,10 says:  "That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord", and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." (NIV)

Does that mean that I never sinned again?  No!  But when I do, He forgives me and cleanses me. (I John 1:9:  "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify (cleanse) us from all unrighteousness." (NIV)  It's a New Year and perhaps you are tired of wearing those old stained clothes of your life.  Christ can and will make you new, all you have to do is ask Him to.  And believe you me, His cleansing is better than any WD-40 could ever be!