LIVE A LIFE OF NO REGRETS!!: Baking With Your Children

Quote from "Stepping Heavenward" by Mrs. E. Prentiss

"She says I shall now have one mouth more to fill and two feet the more to shoe, more disturbed nights, more laborious days, and less leisure or visiting, reading, music and drawing.

Well! This is one side of the story, to be sure, but I look at the other.

Here is a sweet, fragrant mouth to kiss; here are two more feet to make music with their pattering about my nursery. Here is a soul to train for God; and the body in which dwells is worthy of all it will cost, since it is the abode of a kingly tenant. I may see less of friends, but I have gained one dearer than them all, to whom, while I minister in Christ's name, I make a willing sacrifice of what little leisure for my own recreation my other dear darlings had left me. Yes, my precious baby, you are welcome to her time, her strength, her health, her tenderest cares, to her lifelong prayers! Oh, how rich I am, how truly, wondrously blest!"

Friday, May 6, 2011

Baking With Your Children

Our family spends a lot of time in the kitchen. We don't eat cereal except on very rare occasions. We rarely eat sandwiches unless it's on homemade bread. We try not to eat out much. Therefore, we are cooking and baking quite a bit. I love it. I love that all my guys thus far will be able to cook for themselves if they are bachelors for a period and that my daughters will provide nutritious meals with confidence for their families. I love that they "care" about what they eat. They already had a lot of teaching from me but "Food Inc" definitely helped even more.

Tonight for dinner we had Mexican Lasagne. I began cutting the onions and my 2 year old wanted to stir my chopper to cut them fine. Meanwhile, I began cutting green peppers. My 11 year old daughter decided to get out the pans while the onions, peppers and beef were cooking. She began layering the flour tortillas and putting a layer of refried beans atop of the tortillas. My 18 year old is breezing through and I have him reach the chili and taco seasonings for me. He moves on to what he is doing when my 13 year old son happens to walk through, washes his hands, and decides to help. He puts salsa on the beans, adds the seasoned meat mixture. My daughter covers with shredded cheese and they begin again. If you want this recipe, I have it available here. Many hands definitely make the work lighter. My 16 year old soon gets out the special cheese I bought for the tortilla chips. My 6 year old daughter helps with plates and forks. Before we know it, we are sitting around the table praying for our country on this National Day of Prayer and then enjoying one another's company. I am thankful to Jesus for this day and the many blessings that surround our table.

Psalm 128:3b ... thy children like olive plants round about thy table.