Playing Peek-a-boo

My bookends were playing peek-a-boo in the yard today. They were so cute together, and I just happened to have my camera with me. These pictures are too cute not to share. Enjoy!

Dollhouse Quiet Book: Part 3

Hello again, everyone! Here is my final post for the dollhouse quiet book I made for my daughter awhile ago. 

Here are the pages for her wardrobe and bedroom. I got many of the ideas for this page here. The rest, I made up on my own. I made the wardrobe extra big to allow for more outfits to be added later.

You can't see it in the picture, but there is a removable pillow tucked under the blanket on the bed. The teddy bear is also removable.

Also, from that same website I got the idea to make a garden page and swimming pool page. Only, I made my garden page very different from the one featured there. You can look at the original idea here. My little girl loves to make her doll meander down the stone path, stopping here and there to admire and water the pretty flowers and look at the insects. 

And this swimming pool page is a big hit with her as well!

Here is the back cover. I decided to hint of living the country life, so I added a cow in a pasture scene.

I hope you enjoyed seeing these ideas! I'm very pleased with how the whole book turned out and so is my little girl.

Dollhouse Quiet Book: Part 2

Here are the next few pages in the dollhouse quiet book I made for my daughter.

This is the living room and office pages I designed. There were no templates for these, so I used a couple of coloring pages to give me ideas for size, proportions, etc. My daughter especially loves taking the pillows on and off the couch!

These next couple of pages are the laundry room and bathroom, both of which I did use templates for. You can find the template for the laundry room here. I had to shrink the template for my purposes, and I added the accessories like the broom, dust pan, etc.

 This is the link for the bathroom template. My little girl loves this page as well.

I hope these pages inspire you to keep thinking creatively!

Dollhouse Quiet Book: Part 1

This is the first part in a three part series on a dollhouse quiet book I made for my daughter awhile ago. I'm not going to post any templates this time around, but I will provide links to the templates I used from other sources. Some of the pages I just created on my own.

Here is the front cover of her book.

Here are the kitchen and dining room pages. I used the templates from imagineourlife.com, but also added my own ideas. I made a number of food items in addition to the ones provided by the templates such as a pizza, a pie, and other various odds and ends. My little girl loves playing with these pages!

Stay tuned for more pages and posts to come!

A Life Update

Hello everyone. As you can tell, it's been over a year since my last post. Having a baby and going on a 6 month furlough in the United States (without my computer) does complicate things. But I do apologize for letting this lapse for so long. I'm here to announce that I'm planning to start back on blogging.

I've been working on revamping my personal planner system, designing new pages that better fit my current needs and lifestyle. One of the things I've added to my planner is a weekly reminder to post on this blog and some pages for planning future posts. I hope to blog once a week on Tuesday evening, so you can check back weekly for a new post (Lord willing!).

Other things that have been going on in my life:

My youngest child is 10 months and we are currently working with him to get him to sleep through the night without needing to nurse.

I am working through a new Bible study by Lysa Terkeurst called "Finding I Am." So far, it's been excellent and I highly recommend it! It's been very rewarding, challenging, and inspiring... and meeting a long time need. I'm going through it by distance with my sister in law.

We are now back in our host country and are settled back into our house and church community. I'm grateful for the many ways the Lord has directed us this time around, as we had many questions about returning. But for now, the Lord has made it clear that He still has work for us to do here.

Well, that's enough random updates about me for now. Hopefully next week will be a more organized post. Blessings!

Stuffed Biscuits

I am always searching for quick, homemade recipes for supper. We have our main meal at lunch, so I cook light meals for supper. I saw several similar ideas for this on Pinterest, and so decided to create my own version based on the ingredients that are easily available to me. This recipe is definitely one of my favorites and is on a regular menu schedule!



You start by making a biscuit dough. Use your favorite recipe. I've included mine below. It come from a vintage Better Homes and Gardens Homemade Bread Cookbook that my mom gifted to me from her cookbook stash when I got married. I love this book!

Next, gather your filling ingredients and cut into cubes or pieces. I used ham and mozzarella cheese in this particular batch, but honestly, the variations on this recipe are endless. Just use what you have on hand.















Cut or form your biscuits by hand and flatten them a little. Put on your desired ingredients. You can add a small amount of the condiment of your choice or just serve the biscuits with the condiments later. I've done both, but I think I prefer leaving them dryer to bake because they can get messy pretty quickly if you go overboard on the condiments inside the biscuit. Fold up the sides of the biscuit to cover the insides and pinch together at the top to seal. Place the sealed side down on a baking sheet.



When all are assembled, bake your stuffed biscuits according to your biscuit recipe instructions.



Enjoy the yummy warm goodness when they are done! I've served these with mustard and mayonnaise most often, but depending on how you seasoned them, you could serve them with marinara sauce, ranch dressing, or anything else! One time I brushed the tops of the biscuits with a creamy Italian dressing I mixed up on the fly. After baking them, I brushed them again with the mixture and that was also fantastic.




Stuffed Biscuit Recipe

Baking Powder Biscuits
2 cups all-purpose flour (can use 1/2 cup whole wheat, 1 1/2 cups all-purpose)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup shortening
3/4 cup milk

Stir thoroughly the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cut in shortening till mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Make a well in dry mixture; add milk all at once. Stir just till dough clings together. Knead gently on lightly floured surface (10-12 strokes). Roll or pat dough to 1/2 inch thickness. Cut with 2 1/2 inch biscuit cutter; dip cutter in flour between cuts. Place on ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 450 degrees till golden, 10-12 minutes. Makes 10 biscuits (usually makes 12 if using whole wheat).

To make the stuffed biscuits:
Cube or cut meat and cheese of choice, sufficient to fill 10-12 biscuits. Cut or form your biscuits by hand and flatten them a little. Put on your desired ingredients. Fold up the sides of the biscuit to cover the insides and pinch together at the top to seal. Place the sealed side down on a baking sheet. Bake according to biscuit recipe instructions.

Children Are Sanctifying

“Having children is very sanctifying,” said a friend to me, a mother of seven children. She said it to me often in those days when I was single, getting older, and longing for a family of my own. I understood what she was saying to me, but I never experienced it until I, too, became a mother.

But boy did I find out. I realized later how true her statement really was. How my children help me view all the sins that I could hide so masterfully (at least in my mind) before then. And some days, my children seem to be experts in bringing out all my sins: anger, wrath, impatience, selfishness, laziness, discontentment, pride . . . the list goes on and on. I am appalled at my own sin. I am horrified at how easily it bubbles to the surface when my children push my buttons. And it seems that the more children I have, the easier it is for those buttons to be pushed.

I’ve always heard the charming analogy that a tea cup will spill over its contents when it’s tipped. And I would pray glibly that the Lord would fill me so that I would spill over His love and grace and virtue when I was “tipped.” I prayed it glibly then . . . I pray it desperately now. I pray it with my whole being and cling to the cross and to the Lord, pleading with Him to fill me with Himself. With all His fullness and richness and the perfect character that He lived out each and every day as He was pushed to the limits in His humanity.

And I learn to be grateful once again for the bubbly, bouncy blessings that continue to help me see myself in the severest light. They help me see my sin and my need for my Savior. And they help me run to the cross of Jesus, where the sanctifying process continues. So, yes, I’m here to reaffirm this truth: children are sanctifying. And it can be a very hard thing at times. But it’s a good thing, a very good thing. And I praise the Lord that I’ve been chosen to experience His sanctification in this way.