blueberry French toast

Here is one of our new favorites... I think you'd probably love it, I know we do! The best part of it all, really it's healthy :) Even Mr. Matt who is pretty aware of the health involved in most things we eat, was pleasantly surprised when I told him the simple ingredients included - to have his stamp of "healthy approval" is a really "good thing" as my friend Martha likes to say!

So here it is
(and it can easily be halved, that's what we do, otherwise it serves 8-10):



for the French toast...
6 whole wheat buns, or 12 slices whole wheat bread
8 oz reduced-fat cream cheese, cubed
1 c blueberries (mine have been frozen, but this summer I'll use fresh!)
10 eggs
2 c skim milk
1/3 c honey

for the sauce...
(I've always used blueberry syrup that I found at ALDI, amazingly, so I've never tasted this sauce)
1/2 c sugar
2 TBSP cornstarch
1 c grape juice
1 c blueberries

Grease a 13x9 pan (or a 2 quart round baking dish if you make half).
Cube (or tear) buns and put half in pan.
Add cubed cream cheese on top of buns.
Top with remaining cubed buns and blueberries.
Beat eggs, milk, and honey together then pour over top.
Refrigerate for 8 hours, or overnight.
Remove from refrigerator for 30 minutes before cooking, to stand at room temperature.
Bake at 350 degrees, COVERED, for 30 minutes.
Uncover, and bake 30 more minutes.
Serve and enjoy!

for the sauce:
Heat and stir all ingredients until smooth in sauce pan. Bring to boil. Reduce heat until blueberries burst. Use to top French toast as desired.

life in Turner's Station, Kentucky

Since about September Matt has been preaching on Sunday mornings in Turner's Station, Kentucky. I really wish I had pictures to help you imagine this amazing little place. It's in the country off of winding wooded roads. The entire city is comprised of one main street with an old post office that is now someone's home. The city also has a two story old brick bank building that closed about 20 years ago, we were told. There's a Christian church right down the road, but I always mistook it for an old school house - it has a bell out front. We've since seen the school house where most of the church members attended in a two-room style of education. Now it's also a house and has unfortunately lost a bit of the charm it probably had in its plainer days. I was trying to estimate the population and did a quick Google search, they claim 1,200 people... totally astonishing to me. I'm not sure I really believe it. If that's true there must be a lot of them who live quiet lives alone on their secluded and self-sufficient farms, never venturing out - because we rarely see a car pass us as we make the drive. Oh yes, this is important, Turner's Station used to be a railroad stop making it a bigger city then. The train still passes through often and we hear it. The townspeople become concerned with the way the railroad company cares for the tracks and the noise they make as they work on them.

We've been blessed deeply by our time there, and look forward to continuing ministry in such a quaint and welcoming place. On average there are about 12-15 in attendance each Sunday for church... imagine that! Really, it's true, and it's probably not like anything else you've experienced before... I haven't anyway. Church begins with "announcements" usually entailing a weather report and praise to the Lord for His goodness in spite of the weather. We sing together as the piano is played. We listen to CD's for our "special music". Matt shares two Scripture readings as preaches from the Word. He's been preaching through the Gospel of Matthew. Pray for him, this week he's preaching from Matthew 12:22... the Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit - expository preaching bring challenges to those who preach no doubt.

Our Sunday School class is held before church, in the back of the sanctuary behind some old wood panel partitions. Then we hear the great wisdom of the most faithful people we've ever met. That's a big claim I realize, but Matt and I both agree. We've heard a woman in the midst of breast cancer say, "Well don't we know He won't do anything to hurt us. We should just trust Him." I've watched her husband grimace in shock as Matt explained that the response of some to the earthquake in Haiti was to ask why God would cause such evil. It was clear that this man had never before considered the like of those thoughts. His response to his wife's suffering through cancer, "Why not us?" They often remind us, and rightly so, that the Bible seems to be pretty "plain" about lots of things. They don't struggle with the complications that theologians almost invent it seems. Rather, their faith is as simple as a child's but as deep and full of perseverance as I've ever seen. Matt has asked on many occasions some hard questions of the faith through Sunday School as challenging passages have come up. Their answers are always clear and direct, never becoming distracted by the secular thinking of so many. They discuss History channel specials about Biblical topics in which the producers mock the truth of Biblical claims, events, etc. To our friends in Turner's Station, they say it takes more faith to believe the outrageous stories and claims made by those on TV than to trust the Bible's straight-forward reality. They've never tried to squirm away from Truth, even difficult Truth. When we discussed sin nature as explained in Psalm 51, some struggled to imagine their infant grandchildren as sinners. As Matt pointed out the Word in various passages and explained the significance of original sin we saw hearts instantly believing God for the Truth He was revealing... not fighting it, not denying it out of inconvenience or a desire to pick-and-choose the easiest theologies.

They lean on the Word and know the Lord in their daily lives. They are such a blessing and source of great wisdom.

There are more great stories about the time-warp it seem like we take as we drive each Sunday from the "city" to the "country" as they call it. There are parts of life I've never known that they commonly experience. I'll have to keep updating with more soon, this is already long I think.

Homemade Cleaning Supplies

If you're looking for an experiment in frugality I'd highly recommend trying some homemade cleaning supplies! When we first got married, I received a Martha Stewart Homemaking Book which I've enjoyed as a reference for all sorts of things. She recommended some homemade cleaning supplies, so I thought I'd give it a try. She was onto another one of her "good things" in my opinion. So for about two years now I've been cleaning everything with the following...

"heavy duty" bathroom cleaning (toilets, bathtub, counters sometimes)
Soapy Ammonia
1 c ammonia
1 c water
2 TBSP liquid Ivory soap

glass windows (also mirrors and dusting)
Glass Cleaner
1 c ammonia
1 c water

soap scum remover (as a daily shower spray and also while cleaning)
1 c water
1 c white vinegar

counter-top kitchen cleaner (also could be for dusting)
1 c water
2 TBSP liquid Ivory soap

I bought plain spray bottles that I found at the grocery store and labeled. Super cheap and easy to remember what's in each one. While there are some "start up" costs to buying these items, they've lasted me a long time through many batches and refills so it's very, very economical over the long run. The most expensive item to buy was the liquid Ivory soap, but even that is used in such small portions it will last a really long time! As a side note, make sure you'd never use bleach around any of the ammonia-based cleaners. The combination is one that causes really dangerous fumes, don't do it!

Now, as a new experiment I'm trying Grace's Laundry Soap. I'm sure she'd tell us it's not "her" idea, but I got it from her, so to me it is :) I just made it last night for the first time and haven't used it yet, but I figure if it can thoroughly clean Grace's laundry with cloth diapers, a little kid stains, it will do the same for ours! So here it is:

Laundry Soap
1 Fels-Naptha soap bar, grated finely
1 c washing soda
1 c Borax
Mix all together. I plan to sort of "pre-mix" it before I use it, in the following way: use 1-2 TBSP per load, mix with water in a Mason jar right before use and then pour into washing machine as you would use liquid soap normally.

The more amazing thing is the amount of money saved... you can read the detailed breakdown here, but the final cost is 1 cent per load! Seriously, it's true and amazing I think :)

I hope you enjoy the blessings of some frugal finds if you get a chance to try these out. It certainly has been a blessing to us!

a giveaway... but not here!

My fun friend Grace who is way more creative than I am, is hosting an amazing Giveaway on her blog... you should check it out for lots of cute things:
http://wheelsoffun.blogspot.com/

In other news I've been quite inspired by lots of friends who are blogging more frequently, and I'd love to do the same... right now I just have this list in my mind that comes and goes of ideas, so I'll work on it!
~sharing baby sewing projects, and baby decorating projects
~funny school stories
~yummy recipes we're enjoying (with pictures, that's always better for me!)
~thoughts from great examples of faith in a little country church
~the Lord is always teaching me more
Well, the list seems to get longer as I start it, so I really should use some Spring Break time to "debrief" sort of, look for that next week! :)

why I LOVE Kindergarten :)

After returning to work today from a week and a half stint at jury duty, I was thrilled by many sweet moments with the little ones, as chronicled here...

* little boy: "Who's going to be here tomorrow Mrs. Peery?"
"Me, I'm staying now!"
little boy: "Good!"

*While reading a traditional tale (think "Tortise and the Hare"), we started predicting which event would come next... the cat wanted milk, so the monkey would ask the cow, etc... the river needed rain...
"Who do you think the monkey will ask for rain from? Where does rain come from?"
students: "God!"
little boy: "He just pushes the button!"

*While beginning our informational writing unit, we "shared the pen" and wrote together about the day we built gingerbread houses...
"Who remembers who came to school that day to help us build our houses?"
(their parents, I was going for)
students: "Matt!" (which was also true, and stood out more to them I guess)

*While introducing the concept of maps and globes, we read about different homes all over the world, one mentioned "cement"...
little girl: "What did you say about a house being made out of mint?"
"Oh no, I said 'cement' like concrete, it makes houses strong. What were you thinking of?"
little girl: "I thought you were talking about, you know, 'mints' that make your breath smell good!"

*At the end of the day as we were lining up, one little boy poked my growing belly...
little boy: "Your baby's growing Mrs. Peery, does it move?"
me: "We can't feel it move on the outside yet, and I don't think I can feel it on the inside yet either..." (his mom is having a baby in April, so he's felt it move)
me: "I don't know when I'll be able to feel the baby, soon I think"
4th grade boy: "Ya, Mrs. Peery, I'm not sure when that'll be, I really don't know" (a 4th grade helper in my class, one student from last year, a boy!)
me: "Well Josh I think it could be any time now really"
4th grade boy: "Ya, I think it probably will be Mrs. Peery!"
(since when do 4th grade boys know much about pregnancy!)

This is why I do LOVE Kindergarten :)

encouragement

We just returned from a wonderful date to the Andrew Peterson concert on campus in conjunction with the Adopting for Life conference. While we didn't attend the conference, we're thrilled that Andrew Peterson was here and that we could buy tickets to enjoy the great songwriter on a Friday evening! Many songs are wonderful of course by Andrew Peterson, but a few struck me more so this evening...
"Cannan Bound" was encouraging as we think upon the great faith of Abraham and the great faith Sarah exhibited as she followed
"The Far Country" was another which focuses upon Abraham's journey of faith and ours today

Then Andrew Peterson introduced Ben Shive, who Matt and I both enjoyed during the "Behold the Lamb of God" tour where we saw them both with others in December. He shared sad news of a close friend's coming death, and sang the song "Rise Up". The lyrics are important and are below...

Rise Up
Ben Shive
Every stone that makes you stumble,
and cuts you when you fall;
every serpent here that strikes your heel,
to curse you when you crawl,
the King of Love one day will crush them all.
And every sad seduction
and every clever lie,
every word that woos and wounds
the pilgrim children of the sky,
the King of Love will break them by and by.
And you will rise up in the end.
You will rise up in the end.
I know the night is cruel, but the day is coming soon
when you will rise up in the end.
If the thief had come to plunder
when the children were alone,
If he ravaged every daughter
and murdered every son,
Would not their Father see this?
Would not His anger burn?
And would He not repay the tyrant
in the day of His return?
Await, await the day of His return.
Cause He will rise up in the end.
He will rise up in the end.
I know you need a Savior. He is patient in His anger.
But He will rise up in the end.
And when the stars come crashing to the sea.
The high and mighty fall down on their knees.
When you see the Son descending in the sky.
The chains of death will fall around your feet.
You will rise up in the end.
You will rise up in the end.
You will rise up in the end.

As the song continued, and I'd heard it before, I was deeply pierced by the darkness which I'm so surrounded by day in and day out in the lives of many little children I teach. I've been so surrounded that it's almost become an unfortunately new "normal" that I often feel desensitized to... that should never be the case. As this song reminds us, we have GREAT HOPE in Christ's death and the power of His resurrection. I wept for my children in a new way tonight, and pray with all of me that they too will know of Christ's victory over the stings of death they have come to face at such vulnerable and young ages. Please pray for them too. Andrew Peterson followed with his song "All Things New"... quite fitting:
Come broken and weary, come battered and bruised
my Jesus makes all things new, All things new
Come lost and abandoned, come blown by the wind
He'll bring you back home again, home again

I was then struck by the absolute passion which was displayed in Ben Shive as he sung, and obviously as he previously wrote these words. His passion conveyed a deep sincerity. Matt and I have been discussing a similar sincerity among many godly people recently... Dr. Tom Schreiner, John Piper, and David Platt specifically. Their messages are hard and deeply challenging, but they are always delivered out of a sincerity and passion (I have no other words for it) which is captivating. No one else could re-package the same words and convey the messages they do. Their lives are lived in such a way that displays the authenticity of their belief... I can gather that from afar in each case.

I pray that as I close my last year of teaching in these tough places, for this season of our lives (with a baby on the way), I would teach and love little children with a sincerity and passion that conveys the Lord's work even in my daily interactions. There is no other option for which we are called as Christians. Some more fitting Andrew Peterson lyrics from "Let There Be Light"...
The work of our hands is the salt of the earth
The music we make is the light of the world
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine

the eyes of the Lord

^D)">The eyes of the LORD are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good.
~Proverbs 15:3

"The eyes of the Lord" - an obvious personification of our great God who is beyond the physical limits of "eyes" that we have. He can see "every place", we realize that He is all knowing, and present everywhere; so of course, His eyes are "in every place". Sometimes I'm all to quick to forget such a simple truth. In the midst of my school days when it seems as if the lives of the little children around me are SO difficult, and I'm caught in the middle of it all - I forget the Lord's good and sovereign hand over their circumstances and my involvement in their little worlds. I desire that as the Lord keeps watch over me and watches, He is providing me the grace, which is all sufficient and comes from Him alone, to respond with kind words, love, compassion, and lots of patience. I desire that maybe He uses some small "good" for His glory, that the darkness of this world full of evil will be for a moment brightened. Please pray that it is so.

Pray for one little boy "A" in my room who was very sick and vomiting often today. The phone numbers we had were all disconnected, except for one which had a recording of someone by a different last name... so we left a message hoping it really was a family member. Hours later, after he had fallen asleep and then rolled over to continue getting sick his mom called. She had no car, would need to take a bus to the school - but needed directions as she didn't know where it was! She asked if we could send him home in a taxi... a 5 year old who was vomiting, in a taxi.

Another little girl "J" arrived today as a new student. She rode the bus this morning all alone with no siblings in our school, after moving here from a city that is about 2 hours away. Needless to say she was scared and crying upon arrival, too anxious to talk for awhile.

Pray also for another little girl "S", who is very troubled as we realize more and more by the day. She has been suspended (the longest suspension our district has - 6 days), sees an out of school counselor, but continues to struggle to function for a full school day. Her "melt downs" are extreme, unpredictable, and long-lasting. From the school's stand point there isn't much else we can do. I know that prayer is powerful beyond all human reason. I know that she attends church and hears of the Lord - pray that according to His plans, he can bring restoration to her young life and the circumstances she lives in.

I am thankful to serve a God who listens to our cries... it is easy to shed tears over these stories and others. I was quickly reminded of the Lord's purposes for me when I watched this video on Dollie's blog. (I'm trying to see if I can include it here...)
hmm - maybe that works? if not, check it out here on YouTube
Its called "The Invisible Woman" and really speaks to the unseen joys and seeming "burdens" of motherhood at times. I look forward to those moments now (knowing we'll be adding a baby to our family around August 11), but also realize that even they won't also feeling rewarding. For now, I'm taking courage from this video as I desire to be used according to the Lord's plans in the lives of 23 little ones at Semple Elementary each day. I wish I could share their names and their little faces, but privacy laws forbid it... if you pray for them our all-knowing God, knows even these little ones who are unknown to you.