Homemade Bread

Teresa’s Homemade Bread

½ c. water
2 1/4 tsp. yeast + 1 tsp. sugar
½ sugar
1 stick butter
2 c. milk
1 tsp. salt
6 1/2 c. flour

Combine warm water and yeast + 1 tsp. sugar. Stir twice and let stand for five minutes. Put milk into your big mixing bowl and heat in microwave to warm. Add to milk: melted butter, salt, sugar. Add the yeast mixture and stir. Add 6 cups of flour and mix into a soft ball. Add enough flour until the dough is not sticky. Knead for 3-5 minutes. Let rise for 30-45 min. Punch the dough down. Half can be used for cinnamon rolls. If you are making cinnamon rolls, make sure you refrigerate the dough, or it will be too hard to work with. For bread, divide the dough to make either loaves or cinnamon rolls. Let rise about 30-45 minutes. Bake at 375 for 12-15 minutes.


Cinnamon Rolls

Spread cold dough on floured pastry board. Flatten to desired thickness. Mix 1 stick melted butter and about 3/4 c. brown sugar. (Should be a little liquidy but a little pasty). I never have measured it to know for certain, but I’ll get around to it one of these days! Also, the cinnamon I have not measured, but probably about a tsp. Mix the three ingredients and add to the flattened dough. If you want a lot of smaller rolls, you may want to divide your dough. Once you have your mixture on the dough, roll it up. Use about 1 ft. of dental floss to cut. Put the dental floss under the roll, and up at the top criss cross the floss and cut! Let rise 15-30 minutes. Bake at 375 till browned.

Random Pictures

More Random Pictures

Centerville, Tennessee

Recently, we have had the privledge of visiting with some friends of ours in Tennessee. We are trying to find out exactly where God would want us to be after selling the shop. Long story, but we didn't go to Borger. We have this strong desire to be with like-minded Christians and the Vaughn's helped us to confirm that. We met the Vaughn's last summer when they came into our shop; later that summer we went to their house and fell in love with their family. Wait, no, we fell in love with them when they came here for that short time. Let me give you an idea of a typical day on the farm. Wake up and feed the animals. Then a big breakfast to prepare for the day ahead. What a way to start a day than singing praises to God, reading His word and pray for the coming day. During the day, this is typically what we found: a couple came by with homemade bread in exchange for some eggs--in that, the ladies swapped recipes, hints on canning peaches, and funny stories about snakes. Another couple, a COURTING couple just dropped by. (Who drops by anymore)? The Vaughn's are ministering to this couple in prepartion for marriage. They came out and looked at the animals, again, swapped stories about canning and farming, etc... Then we did can some peaches jelly, put some peaches up in the freezer to use at a later date. The younger girls, Gabby and Mariah, helped clean up the kitchen, and I enjoyed their conversation on housekeeping. Let's see what the guys are doing. They are tending to the animals, keeping up with yardwork, and moving cows to another pasture and moving the pigs to another part of the field. Oh yeah, and gather the eggs--which were YUMMY! When the chores were complete for the time-being, the boys got in their fort and practiced shot with their guns--I think they were targeting imaginary Yankees from the Civil War! The girls in their time off, caught tadpoles, caught the kitties, played in the barn, ran in the sprinkler, had a tea party out in the little playhouse. WOW, the time went by fast, then it was time to start feeding the animals (and humans) again. That night we fed the kids first and then had steak, potatoes, and salad, oh, and toasted bread with peach preserves on it. Oh my! That was wonderful! It was so nice as each child went to bed, to see them one by one, come kiss their mom and dad and tell them that they love them, and the parents reciprocated it back. You don't see kids like that nowadays. Usually you see the modern child being whisked away to school not seeing their parents until after they get home from work. In that time while they are by themselves, watching TV, playing video games or something self-centered to keep them entertained. I saw a lot of giving in each person, and each person had a purpose in their life, and each one, whether they knew it or not (the little ones), were glorifying God in their life. Pretty soon, I am going to have a purpose. We still are not sure 100% where we are going to be this time next week, but I can see the light, and I know that because the Vaughn's walk with God changed me. It changed my family--the kids wanting more than what this world offers. They are wanting to offer themselves to Him through the work He gave us to do--wherever that may be.

Caelin caught a baby chicken!
Patrick feeding one of the baby cows.
Morgan and the kitty.
See the rainbow?

Moving

I cannot believe that is has been since June that I posted. WOW! I need to get on the ball. We have been extremely busy; I have been packing up the house to move to Borger, TX. Robby got a job out there at Frank Philips College. When we went for the interview, Robby told me that in order to take the job that three things would have to happen. 1--we would have to get out of litigation with the man that tried to buy the shop, then didn't, then tried to sue us. 2--we would have to sell the business, and 3--the pay would have to be right. Bam, Bam, Bam...that's how it happened. On the day of Robby's interview, our lawyer called and said that the suit was thrown out. About 2 1/2 weeks ago we get a call from the realtor letting us know that we had a buyer! Whoa! Everything started happening fast. When we got the call from the college to offer the job, the pay wasn't where we wanted it, so he told them, they raised it, and that pretty much confirmed that we were to be going there. It's been strange trying to sort all this out. We didn't want to move so off far from family. That is what our family is about--family. I made Robby do the dirty work of telling them. I just wouldn't be able to do it. I am so gonna miss them.

On another note, we are going to be seeing a little more of Robby around here (there). No more nights and weekends. (Well maybe ever now and again), but we are going to have him back. I couldn't be more thrilled. We have high hopes in bringing our Light to Borger and serving God there. It seems that is where He is putting us, so we are making plans of doing some sort of family ministry there. Come see us when you can!