Sour Dough Bread

Okay, here is the original sour dough bread starter and recipe that everyone has been asking for. However, if you want pictures, you will have to visit my niece's site.

Sour Dough Bread Starter
1 Pkg. dry yeast
1 C. warm water, divided
3/4 C. sugar

Combine yeast in 1/2 c. warm water. Mix sugar with the other 1/2 c. warm water. Combine all ingredients in a plastic container. Poke holes in the lid of the plastic container, and let stand out all day. Refrigerate that night.

Three days later, feed the starter with the following recipee:

Feeder
3/4 cup sugar*
3 Tbsp instant potato flakes
1 cup warm water

Mix all ingredients in a plastic or glass bowl and add to the original starter. Let starter sit out 8 to 12 hours. Then, mix the sour dough bread, following the dough recipe below.

Dough Recipe
1 cup starter
1/2 cup oil
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups warm water
6 cups flour **

Mix ingredients together. Knead on floured surface for five to ten minutes. Place dough in greased bowl. Place plastic wrap and a lightweight towel over the dough. Let rise in warm, dry place until double, usually 8 to 12 hours.

Divide dough into three lumps. Place dough in greased bread pans to rise, or make into rolls or cinnamon rolls.**** Let bread or rolls rise 6 or 7 hours.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes, or until rolls or bread is golden brown. Remove from pans and let cool completely.


NOTES:
DO NOT USE METAL WITH THE STARTER! (I don't know why this matters, but it is in big letters on my recipe, so I guess it's important!)

*I use 1/2 cup of sugar when I feed my starter, and it is plenty sweet and always turns out yummy!!!!!

** The dough is really sticky, so I sometimes add more flour when I knead the dough (usually I use 7 cups).

**** To make the cinnamon rolls, roll out the dough into a rectangle on a floured surface (dough should be about 1/2 inch thick).
Spread dough with melted butter (about 1/4 cup butter).
Sprinkle liberally with cinnamon sugar (about 1/4 to 1/2 cup).
Sprinkle with brown sugar (1/4 cup), if you want.
Start at one end of the dough and roll.
Cut rolls, about 1/2 inch thick from log. Place rolls in a greased pan and let rise for 6 or 7 hours. Bake according to directions above.

If you have any questions, feel free to holler!

Yes, Jack and Andrew, There is a . . . .

Robot?!?!?!?!?!

Yep. My husband, the youth pastor, the computer geek "purchased" a special present for the boys' Christmas.





This will be an interesting Christmas.

Lots to be thankful for

Well, it has been a busy month, but God has been soooooo good to us! Here are a few of our highlights:
1. I completed all of my freelance work on schedule;
2. We have a contract on our house and plan to close a week from today;
3. We are growing closer to our church family and to our youth group;
4. The boys are doing well and adjusting to our new home and surroundings;
5. Our newly remodeled parsonage is starting to feel like home.

While I feel that this list is just a smidgen of all I have to be thankful for, I am truly grateful for God's loving care for us. He has provided a buyer who wanted to close in just three weeks. That in and of itself is a wonderful praise.

Please pray for us as we prepare to close on the house. We have to make a trip up to Chicago to take care of some closing fees before we can leave the village of Streamwood (crazy, I know). Then we have to set a time for the closing. We appreciate prayers that all goes well with the sale of our home!

Might Be the Last Post for a While . . .

But I just have to share how cool God is!

Nat and I are still trying to sell our house outside of Chicago (think EXPENSIVE mortgage payments, here!) and we are now living on a pastor's income. While I am still doing some freelance for RBP, it isn't a whole lot, but we know that God will provide for us.

Well, I got an e-mail today from another Christian publishing company with whom I have done some freelance work. They are offering me a proofreading opportunity with a REALLY tight deadline. But because the deadline is tight, they are offering me a REALLY nice hourly rate!

Basically, it will amount to well over half of a house payment for us!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, it will mean that I will be deprived of sleep for several days, but I know Who to rely on for my strength.

While this may seem trivial for some, it is just one more way that my God is providing for my family. And to me, this is nothing short of a little blessing that God is providing us with right now. It humbles me and amazes me how the Almighty chooses to care and provide for His own.

I truly am blessed, and I praise my Heavenly Father for His goodness to me and to those I love.

Imagine a Cool Title Here

Well, it is almost 5:30 (yes, a.m.), and I have told myself that I have to begin my freelance work by 5:30 this morning. So, I have less that 2 minutes to record a Jack moment.

"Mom, can I have some gum? My talk smells bad."
I'm telling ya, I never know what is going to come out of his mouth sometimes!

Andrew is 2!

Well, my precious little guy, this is a few weeks late, but Mommy wants to tell you just how precious you are to me.

I will never forget the day you were born; you were so alert and had such a calming look about you. When we finally had a few moments to ourselves, I remember thanking God for giving me another little boy to love and care for.

Andrew, I love your sweet smile and I love your hugs.

I love the words you are saying; you are quite the talker!

We are working on your attitude right now; Mommy and Daddy want you to learn to obey without temper fits! However, we know that if we continue to follow God's plan and continue to lead you in that direction that God will help us teach you in a loving way.

I love that you are able to do so many new things now. You LOVE Elmo and all things Sesame :-)

You LOVE Thomas and all forms of "choo choos."

You are going to Sunday School now, and you like to learn about Jesus.

But best of all, every time I give you a hug, you hug me back and you say, "Wuv you, Mom!"

Awwwwwwwe, it melts my heart!

I love you, my two-year-old boy, and as soon as I can find the cable to the camera, I will post your birthday pictures!

Love,
Mommy

Finally Here!

Well, the Kealen Klan has finally arrived in the booming metropolis of Metamora, Illinois. And, on an even greater note, we now have Internet again!

We have been here for twelve days, and we are finally starting to feel settled in, at least a little bit. Jack and Andrew are adjusting well. Nat is already in full swing at the church, and I am learning to adjust to being at home with the boys.

The house is absolutely WONDERFUL! However, I am not a decorator, so I am going to post pics of the rooms (especially the kitchen) in hopes that you all (hint: BETH) can give me some ideas on decorating!

The whole house is antique white. While we prefer a lot more color, I am not sure if we can paint the house or not. That is on my list of questions to ask . . .

On another note, PLEASE PRAY that our house in Streamwood sells SOON!!!!!!!!! That is such a big burden financially, but we know that God is in control and that He will work out that detail in His time.

Pics will be coming soon, I promise!

An Update: the Abridged Version

Okay; time for a quick update on the Kealens.

Back in April, Nat received an e-mail from a pastor in the state, asking if we would consider an associate position at their church. This in and of itself was an answer to an almost seven-year prayer of ours!
God continued to lead, and we had a three-month process of meeting with the pastor and church leaders. To make a long story short, we received a call from Germantown Hills Baptist Church on Sunday, July 15.

The last three weeks have been a whirlwind, so here are a few highlights:

We put the house is on the market
We gave a thirty-day notice to Regular Baptist Press
I am finishing two major projects for RBP before we leave
We are packing up our belongings and finishing up our ministries at First Baptist Church.

We are moving in twelve days!!!!!!!!!!!!

Praise the Lord for His goodness; we could have never planned this adventure in our wildest dreams!

Happy Anniversary, Love!

Nat,
Has it really been eight years?!?!
I wish I had some really wonderful poem to post here. I wish I had some humorous thought to share. I wish there was some way to tell you how precious you are to me. But I don't have any of these. Instead, I have simple words.
I love you.
I love our boys.
I look forward to watching you fulfill your God-given gifts as you minister to the teens at our new church.
I cannot wait to work alongside you and raise our boys.
But
Most of all,
I am looking forward to the next day, the next moment that God allows me to be your wife.
-e.

Wow!

Well, for anyone who might actually read this blog, I must say that my God has once again amazed me with His loving faithfulness in my life. While I cannot yet share details, I can only tell you that God is at work in the lives of my family, and for that I am so grateful. His mercy and love are new every morning, and He truly meets our every need.

So, my Father, Thank You for once again blessing us in spite of our limitations, for using us through our weaknesses, for allowing us to serve You with some of the best teens in this country.

Thank You, Father, for Your unfolding story in the lives of our sons. As Nat and I patiently try to answer all of Jack's questions about You, I am once again awed by Your love. Give us Your heavenly wisdom as we seek to answer all of Jack's questions about You.

And, Father, forgive me for my doubts. Forgive me for the questions that threaten to blot out my trust. Help Nat and I to follow as You lead.

We truly are grateful, Father, for yet another glimpse of Your work in our lives.

Theological moments of today

Jack has been asking so many questions about God, Jesus, Heaven, and the cross. It is neat to hear him talking about Jesus and God. He is really absorbing a lot right now, and it is such a blessing to be able to see his little mind thinking through this. Here are the latest questions.

“Mom, when its Jesus’ birthday, can I make Him a cake?”

“Mom, when is Jesus coming back here instead of Heaven?”

“Mom, is God Jesus’ daddy?”

“Does Jesus ever get a spanking?”

"Mom, who gets to go to Heaven?"

From my perspective, I feel like I am watching a spiritual journey to life. These little thoughts that seem so small are little seeds that are taking root in my son's heart. I pray that God gives me wisdom to water these little seeds so that they will blossom into true, saving faith that will continue to grow strong.

I am praying every day that Jack and Andrew come to know Christ at an early age, and I thank God for every precious moment that I have to tell my sons about my Jesus.

Relaxing week?!

Mom and Dad Kealen were here over the weekend and decided to take Jack and Drew home with them until Saturday.

WOWIE, Wow! Wow!

Nat and I will actually have some time to ourselves. And I might even get a good night's sleep!

Thanks, Grandma and Grandpa!

:-)

A Fender-Bender and an ER trip means wii are tired!

Well, February has been fun! Here are my top fives for February:

1. Nat got a Wii for his birthday! (I must say, at least this video game system really is designed for the whole family. It is a blast!

2. Andrew got his first "little boy" haircut. He officially looks like a toddler instead of a baby now!

3. My best friend is pregnant with her little miracle baby! PRAISE THE LORD!!!!!!!!!

4. We had our first family "snow day" a couple of weeks ago. The boys were thrilled!

5. My second Christmas play is being published, and my first Christmas play is being reprinted! :-)


Not too bad for the month of February!

We have had a few challenges this month, at least in the last week.

1. I received my first jury summons for Maywood Court in Maywood Illinois, on Thursday, February 22.

2. I was in my first solo fender bender on February 23. I was rear-ended, but no one was injured, and so far her insurance company has been working with us.

3. Today we ended the month with a smashed finger. Poor Jack smashed his finger in the car door. And I found out that Jack doesn't do well with the sight of blood! Poor guy; daddy was on his way home from work, and after he saw it, we both agreed that we would rather err on the side of caution. Two hours, 3 xrays, a doctor, and two nurses later, we found out it is not broken. :-) Even though I feel like a paranoid mommy, I am glad I took him for my own well-being.

So, that was our month!

A little bit of our lives right now

NAT

Nat is having a hard time with his health right now. He has a lot of pressure, similar to heartburn but without the burning. He has it all day, no matter what. The doctor put him on Nexium, ($150 for two weeks; ouch!), but it doesn't seem to be helping a lot.

I personally think a lot of it is stress. Man, work for him NEVER lets up. He is really struggling right now, and there are a lot of other issues at work that keep the stress level high. Also, I think he is just tired and can't relax. Christmas was just crazy for us, and Andrew has been sick so much that it has been a tough month. We trust and pray for growth during this time.

ME

Well, let's just say things are interesting right now. Most of you know that I work three days a week at RBP and two "half" days at home. However, with my new responsibilities, my workload is very overwhelming. I often have to put in quite a few extra hours. And since the boys are both active now, it is harder for me to work at home and get everything done that I need to get done. Nat and I are to the point that we realize that because of where we are as a family right now we really need to reconsider our current employment situations.

Along with that, we are looking toward this fall. Jack is 4 years old, and he really is ready for a pre-kindergarten class. We have looked into several in our area, but they don't work with my work schedule, and we REALLY want him in a Christian school. The public schools in our area are really, really bad; to Nat and I, they are an unthinkable solution for our family.

That leads me to the interesting part of my life. In the process of visiting Christian schools in the area, I was informed of openings at an AWESOME Christian school. I have been so impressed with everything I have seen and heard from this school and the Baptist church it is associated with. To make a long story short, I have been asked to consider one of the positions at the school.

The great news is that Jack (and eventually Andrew) would be able to attend the school tuition free! I would be on the same schedule with them, and that would be a huge help for us.


The down news is that Andrew would have to be at the sitters for five days a week next year (minus all the holidays that I as a teacher would have off). Our sitter is a godly woman, and she is just great; and the next year Andrew would be old enough for the 3 year old program at the school.

Decisions, decisions. A lot to think about and pray about for us.


JACK

Jack is growing up so fast, and we are really noticing that he is requiring a lot more patience. He is on his second set of glasses now to correct a vision problem, but we are also noticing a lot of really weird signs/signals of a lack of social development. He just doesn't get how to interact with other people. He tends to be very active, and if he is outside of our home or his sitter's home, he seems to forget how to act.

I am at a loss with all of this. We continue to spank him, but that is not an option out in public. And honestly, I think the issues go deeper. I just purchased Dr. Dobson's book on the strong willed child, and I also have on order a book that a godly woman recommended called, Don't Make Me Count to Three. I am hoping that we can glean some information from these books.

ANDREW
See post below.

Not feeling so great . . .

Poor Andrew!

He has a double ear infection and a bronchial infection and a sinus infection. He is miserable! And since he has been sneezing/coughing all over mommy for the past four days, I am now starting to feel yucky.

Jack is actually taking a nap right now; not necessarily a good sign in the health department. When Jack actually sleeps during nap time, be prepared for something funky.

In the meantime, I am working through 8 senior high lessons and 6 junior high lessons that need to be ready for my supervisor by 10:00 tomorrow. Can we say, "Late night"?

Actually, if I can get these done, then we will definitely be on schedule for this quarter. And next quarter is shaping up well.

I need to do a post soon on the whole schooling thing; I would love to get your feedback!

Happy New Year!

Well, were did the last few months of 2006 go? Let me summarize:

Andrew's mysterious virus found us at Northwest Community Hospital for a 48-hour ordeal.

Jack celebrated birthday # 4.

Thanksgiving was relaxing and fun.

Christmas was great, but we all ended up with a weird flu bug after Christmas.

I was in bed by 8:30 on New Year's Eve. (Pretty pathetic, I know. Blame it on the flu.)

So far, 2007 looks good!Speaking of looking good, didn't our Christmas pictures turn out cute? Andrew is such a fun little guy; he loves to laugh and to make people laugh. Jack really had fun too.

Wow! Two posts in one week!

I must be on a roll!
Actually, this will have to be quick. My two little ones are learning to "play" together. ("Play" translates to "big brother gives baby brother about 5 seconds to play with his toy; big brother proceeds to steal the toy from baby brother; baby brother proceeds to scream.) Yes, in the short time it took to type the translation, I had to get up and quickly remedy the situation.

Such is life with children . . .

Speaking of children, my oldest taught me an important lesson today. After dinner (frozen pizza, juice box, and leftover green beans, all served on paper plates), Jack looked up at me and asked, "Mom, do you keep your promises?"

After getting over the shock of having an almost-four-year old ask that question, I answered, "Well, I try to keep my promises."
Jack responded, "Mom, you should always keep your promises."

I picked him up and held him close for a minute before I responded. "That's right buddy. And you know what, I know someone who ALWAYS keeps His promises."

"Who is that, mommy?"

"God always keeps His promises to us, little one. Always."

What a blessing to be able to rest in the arms of a loving Father Who always keeps His promises to His children. He will never leave us or forsake us. He will always be with us. Nothing can ever separate us from His love. He works all things out for good for those who love Him and are called to His purpose.

Thanks, Jack, for reminding Mommy of these important truths today. I love you, little one.

It's been awhile Part 2

Is it legal to post two blogs with that title, even though they are both fitting?

Well, life in the Kealen household is intersting to say the least. Two boys are in bed, and the other needs to go to bed soon. All three of them have been crabby and testy today. (And, for those of you who actually visit this site, one of the aforementioned "boys" is Darling Husband. I will add no further comments to that statement.)

On to other news . . . .
I got a "promotion" last week. I say that with a faint sense of chagrin, because I got a new title, more responsibiity, but no raise so far. To be honest, I am glad that everyone thinks I can handle everything, but I am beginning to doubt myself. See, I don't need any more stress in my life. (If you have any doubt to that statement, it might help to know that the lovingly nicknamed "crabby and testy boys" are really stretching me right now. Can I handle working 30 hours a week (some at home, mind you) and being a wife and a mom?

On the plus side, my "promotion" gives me opportunity to write. And I get to be in God's Word every day and get paid for it! And I get to minister to teens through my writing. I love that part of what I do. I just don't like the politics (can't use certain pictures b/c the guy's hair is long).

(Sigh)
So where does that leave me on this rainy Chicago evening? Waiting (albeit impatiently) for God to show me and DH what it is that He has next for us. Hoping that I have enough strength, faith, and wisdom to wait for the Almighty to reveal those plans. And, yes, wishing that the last "crabby and testy boy" will soon be ready for bed. :-)

In the meantime, I continue to rest and wait for my future of hope.

It has been a while . . .

This is why I didn't make any lofty promises to "blog every day." I knew there would be times when I wouldn't blog for weeks (perhaps months) at a time. However, since no one else seems to be reading this blog, I guess it doesn't matter too much.

Oh well . . .

Today my three-year-old son was watching me race through the house like a mad woman, and he asked, "Mom, where are you going?"
I replied, "Crazy. Wanna come with?"

That about sums up my life right now! I often find myself wondering, will things ever get any easier? Will I ever be able to work completely from home? Will I ever be able to have all the laundry done AND folded AND not have a load of dirty laundry left to do? Will my house ever be so clean that I will not be in a state of panic two weeks before my mom comes to visit? (Which, by the way, is the main reason that I was racing through the house today!)

Then I needed to take an internal look at my life. When was the last time my prayers were real? When was the last time my conversation with God was not interupted? When was the last time that my focus during prayer was on prayer, not on my day's to do list? When was the last time that I had truly listened. . . just listened to God.

I find that my soul is longing for a quiet time with God. Quiet, uninteruppted time with my Savior. Not just a few moments here or there, but REALLY focused on time with Him.

My schedule will not get any lighter; my laundry will alwasy be there for me to fold or wash or put away; my children will always be awake well before their intended hour. So when will this quiet time come?

I find myself longing as David did, and I find myself realizing that David knew what he was doing when he spent time with God "in the morning."

God, help me to find the discipline to meet with you in the morning, as David did, ready and willing and still. . . .

A much happier mood

Well, it has been a while since I posted anything, which is the main reason I didn't begin blogging with the lofty goal of "blogging every day."

Life has been busy with two little boys, a husband, and a job. On top of all that, I am starting to do some freelance writing and editing at home. Maybe someday I can build up enough freelance work so that I can stay home with the boys. Who knows . . .

Anyway, I just wanted to drop a line, partly becuase I don't want to get out of the habit for recording stuff on my site, but also because I am trying to build more self-discipline. This is a good step in the right direction , I guess.