Whole Wheat Blueberry Pancakes!

We love pancakes...who doesn't, right? I like adding a little fruit occasionally, especially blueberries! I wanted to share this Blueberry Pancake recipe with you and if you are not in the mood for blueberry pancakes just use same recipe and omit the blueberries for some really delicious plain Buttermilk Pancakes!!

My parents were visiting when I made these (back in February) and my mother just had to take a picture of me with a stack of these yummy pancakes! Writing this post makes me think I need to make some buttermilk pancakes in the morning. :)

Whole Wheat Blueberry Pancakes (Buttermilk Pancakes)
4 cups of whole wheat flour (I use freshly ground whole wheat flour)
4 tsp baking powder
2 TBSP of sugar (I use sucanat or sugar in the raw)
1 tsp of salt
1 tsp of baking soda
4 eggs
3-4 cups of buttermilk (enough to make batter the right consistency. You may have to use more than 4 cups)
2-3 cups of blueberries (enough to your liking)

Mix all the ingredients (except the blueberries) really well together. Then fold in your blueberries. Heat up your griddle. I use butter to grease my griddle and then with a 1/3 cup measuring cup I scoop out the batter and pour on to the hot griddle. Once you see tiny bubbles starting to pop up then flip pancake and cook until both sides are golden brown. Serve warm with your favorite syrup or if you are like our Elijah you will just eat them as they come off the griddle. :)

*This recipe was given to me by a very dear lady at SMBC who encouraged me in the whole wheat flour journey. I am so thankful for Mrs. Rose and the mentor she was to me in many areas.

Birthday Girl!

 Sarah and her friends had the best time together. They rode bikes (pictures below), swam in the pool, and played legos!

 Here is Hannah riding Elijah's bike. Elijah later informed me that he wouldn't ride her bike because its a girls bike.

 Here is Eliana riding Isaac's bike. These girls were loving to ride down our long driveway.

 Timothy had to get out there with them and ride his bike. All my kids love these girls, like they were part of our family!

 Here is the Birthday Girl on her bike. She was one sad girl when they left! :(

 On the day of Sarah's birthday (Monday) we gave her our present for her. She will be getting a puppy when it is old enough to leave its mother, so we gave her....

 Puppy food, a collar, and a dog brush. She is so excited about getting a dog. Don't worry....Isaac is getting one too. :)

 Then we took her out to eat on Tuesday night to the restaurant of her choice. She wanted ribs so we went to a place in town that serves ribs. Thankfully on Tuesday nights kids eat free at this restaurant (we didn't know that ahead of time) so that was a blessing for our family! :)

Here is her and Isaac being silly! Sarah loves all of her siblings and wants to be best friends with them! Sarah had a great 10th birthday and our prayer is that she felt loved and knows that she is loved by us and mostly by God!

Put the scissors up!!

Yesterday morning after I put Joanna's clothes on her I went to brush her hair. When I pulled the ponytail holder out so I could brush her hair all nice and pretty (she always has bedhead with that curly hair), a big chunk of hair came out too! I was heart broken! :( The culprit...big brother Timothy!

This is the curl that was cut off. :( When I asked Timothy why he did this he remarked "I wanted to make her look pretty. " Then when I told him he was not to cut anything but paper (which he knew already) he let me know that all I had to do was "tape it in the back".   

Here is Joanna this morning after I tried to fix her hair. There will be no more cute little ponytails for awhile. Thankfully I can comb it over and put in a hair bow or a headband and you can't really notice.

Yes, it will grow back out, but it really broke my heart to see that curl gone.

Thankful Thursday!

I am thankful for:
113) being able to sleep in my own bed.
114) a telephone to call family and friends.
115) brushing Sarah’s hair.
116) rubbing noses with the kids.
117) birthday cake.
118) a new home. (see picture above)
119) a hubby who spends time with our children.

Look who is 10!!

Our Sarah has turned 10 this week! She is an amazing girl! Grandparents came up this weekend for a "party"! My parents had her a little surprise...two of her best friends from Alabama!! We were all so excited to see Eliana and Hannah! These girls had so much fun together!! :)

Here is a picture of Sarah's cake I made her. It is the cover of a book. She loves to read and I thought this was just perfect for her 10th birthday!

Here she is opening her presents! She got "BabyCakes" items. Now she can do lots of coking! :)

The Word of God says in Proverbs 31 that Charm is deceitful and Beauty if fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord shall be praised.

Sarah is a BEAUTIFUL girl! When I look at her each day I realize that she is very beautiful...her eyes, her hair, her complection, etc. As I looked at her one day last week I knew that it wasn’t anything we have done, added, put on, or taken off that makes her so beautiful, it is what JESUS is doing in her heart that makes her such a beautiful young lady!! God is at work in Sarah’s heart. She is such a blessing to all those who cross her path, she thinks of others before herself, she desires the things of God, and she has a heart for seeing Jesus change other peoples lives! I love her for all those things and more!

Happy Birthday Sarah!! We are so blessed to have you in our lives!! I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!

Uncle David and Aunt Sandra

 While we were between homes (homeless) we stayed with a couple that became very dear to us! Uncle David and Aunt Sandra are so special and we are very thankful that they opened up their home to us.

 The kids really enjoyed getting to "live" there. Uncle David and Aunt Sandra have two dogs, lots of fruit trees and vines, a garden, and some cows.

 The kids loved exploring and experiencing new things. Uncle David has some baby calves that he is bottle feeding. The kids were able to learn how to mix up the milk and then give the calves their bottles. They LOVED it! Isaac was even up early to go with Uncle David to that early morning feeding.

 Here is Joanna showing off a grape that she picked. Of coarse it is not even ready for picking but she thought she had done something good. :) They have lots of blackberries and Aunt Sandra made a yummy blackberry cobbler and blackberry jam!!

 Aunt Sandra's mother lives with them and we fell in love with her too! She is so sweet. Elijah said, "She reminds me of Nanny".

 They have a nice back porch and a great yard for the kids to run and play! Here are pictures of Elijah and Sarah on the back porch. Elijah liked seeing how high he could swing.

 Sarah pretending she is asleep. I am amazed that we felt at home with someone that isn't really family. They were so good to us and made us feel like we were part of their family.

Now that we are in our new home we don't get to see them as much, but how sweet it is when we do see them! These are memories I pray that in years to come our family can talk about and remember all that God has done for us!

*These were pictures I took while we were at their home. I meant to get a picture of them and never did. That is on my to do list! :)

VBS Family Fun Night

June 17-21 was our Vacation Bible School. The kids had a great time and it was a great opportunity for us to get to know some of the people at our new church. Isaac and Sarah were able to meet new friends. Elijah and Timothy were able to learn new faces. Joanna and I were able to meet new people and have some time together. :)

On Wednesday there was a family fun night for everyone that was attending VBS. I took a few pictures of the kids and thought I would share.

Isaac has met a couple of boys his age that he has been getting to know.

The first Sunday we were at OK Sarah met a girl that had glasses too. The girl was quiet, but during VBS her and Sarah quickly became friends.

Joanna eating a cheese puff for snack time.

Elijah really enjoyed the bouncy slides. You can see FUN all over his face! :)

Timothy was being silly as he slid down the bouncy slide.

VBS is always a busy and long week but a good one. So thankful that our kids seem to be adjusting really well to our transition.

Thankful Thursday!

Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God, rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded.  
John 13:3-5

I am thankful for:
106) white fluffy clouds.
107) clear blue sky.
108) a picnic.
109) seashells from our vacation.
110) piano lessons.
111) a camera to capture memories!
112) a God who keeps His promises!

Having FUN and Fellowshipping!

I do have internet service but it is extremely SLOW!! :) I thought I would be able to catch up on blogging but that will not be as easy as I thought. LOL!

We have officially gotten moved in our new home and are enjoying time with each other and our new church family! I wish I had taken pictures of all of our adventures and fun with others but I didn't always remember to bring my camera. :) The following pictures are of a cookout we were invited to and we had lots of fun! The kids went 4-wheeler riding, we grilled hotdogs, roasted marshmallows and had s'mores (my favorite), and got to fellowship.

Roasting marshmallows. The kids liked this...some were a little too burnt. I think Joanna fed more to the dogs than she roasted. :)

These two have so much fun and enjoy posing for a picture.

Here are the three little ones finishing up their chips and hotdogs. We enjoyed getting to know Miss Hannah better. She is a sweet young lady!

Mr. Joey took the kids riding. They could have rode all night!

Isaac got stung by a bee while riding the 4-wheeler so he is taking a break.

Isaac took this picture of Bryan and I. I love the ray of sun shining between us! Neat!!

We have been at OK Baptist Church for 2 months now and the people have welcomed us greatly! Each Sunday someone has either invited us out to eat or to their home to eat. It has been great to get to know these people and we are looking forward to serving Jesus with them!!

Thankful!!

I have internet service now!! YAY! What better way to begin posting again, but to give thanks to God!! I haven't been able to post "Thankful Thursday" for a few weeks...so here it is!

I am so thankful for...
 99) building with legos.
100) a game of checkers.
101) internet service.
102) Isaac getting to play baseball.
103) my kitchen-aid stand mixer. (see picture above)
104) our Creator!
105) a marriage centered on Jesus and His Word!