Bible Study and bread dough making marathon

good morning form the "deck"stead!!           that's what I'm calling my garden now.          hahahaha        I thought I would give it a good name.          sounds pretty good to me.         anyway, it came a storm all night long.          I'm so thankful this morning that we didn't have any tornadoes pass thru.         it was bad all around us, but I'm so thankful that God's hand of protection was on us again.        God is so good and I'm so unworthy, but I'm so thankful!!!         the new morning has brought more rain with it and we're supposed to have rain all day today.        still praying for God's protection.         yesterday, in anticipation of the storm coming, I did bake 3 batches of bread.       I had a bread dough making marathon.       I think I had told y'all that bread making was on my agenda.        I got 2 batches of brioche buns made and 1 batch of cornbread swirls, all flash frozen and bagged and ready for use.         I may make a couple more batches today.        when there isn't much else to do, making bread dough is a good way to spend my time.       I don't know what else we'll get into today, but if it's exciting, I'll let ya know.   

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giggle for the day:

Q - What's worse than finding a worm in your apple?

A - Finding half a worm in your apple!

😂😂😂😂😬😬😬

oh, yum!!!!!    hahaha

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picking up with Ezekiel Chapter 6,          the Israelites had worshiped idols in the mountains, hills, ravines and valleys and God had called Ezekiel to prophesy against these places of idol worship.        God has the right to judge His people for worshiping idols.       God sees everything we do and He'll not tolerate idol worship from His people.       what are the modern day idols that we need to remove from our lives?          they are there, whether we admit it or not.        pay attention to what ever you put before God.        sin has consequences, sometimes we ignore that or forget it.         God is in control and His ways are always righteous.        God always provides hope even in the midst of judgement.

Chapter 7,          this chapter stresses the importance of living holy lives, obeying God and keeping our faith in God alone, not our worldly riches.          when God says, "I will unleash my anger against you", that's about as grim as it gets.          it is the direct consequence of the way that kept on sinning against God.          do our actions line up with the standards that God has set for us to live by?          if not, why and who's fault is it?          we have to stay vigilant and alert in our Christian walk.        are we aware of what's going on around us?          do we see the sin, or are we partakers of the sin taking place?        Lord, help me to stay vigilant in my walk with You!!!

Chapter 8,          God has every right to be angry with sin!!!!         we have to avoid any form of idolatry, it's sin and it will bring consequences.           there was corruption and idolatry in God's temple, guess what, there's corruption and idolatry in the churches across the planet that are supposed to be filled with God's people.         if our  churches  are full of sin, how can we expect to ever see change in God's people?          most of the hypocrisy in the churches is not recognized as such, because the people don't know any better, they haven't been taught scripture, but what the preacher thinks and most of the time he's skewing the word if he's even using the word.         we have to protect our faith and values from the corruption of the culture.          we cannot compromise our faith and values just because the culture doesn't know any better, we as God's children, SHOULD know better.         we need to open our bibles and read what it says and apply it to our lives.          devotion and reverence should be our way of life.

Chapter 9,          we need to examine our own hearts, be willing to stand up against sin in our culture and make sure we living as God wants us too.        you know God is serious about sin when He calls on His executioners to deal with sin.        we should grieve over sin in our own lives and the the lives of those around us.         I trust God to take care of amidst the storm of sin around me.         we need to pray for repentance and restoration.         sin is serious with serious consequences.        continue to seek after the heart of God in all things that we do.        

next time we pick up at Chapter 10.

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well, I guess this is where we'll call it a blog post.          I hope you have a blessed day today and that you call on God to help you and that we'll all keep seeking after the heart of God.        blessings of devotion and reverence for God be ours today.

hugs and love, patty

Bible Study and sheet pan veggies

good morning from my breezy neck of the woods.          the wind is bringing in the next round of rain and bad weather we're supposed to be having, again at night.         I guess I'll do like I've been doing, just pray thru it.         so many are still reeling from all the weather we've had since last october and it just keeps coming.         we got our walk in this morning and I've got to get in the kitchen for a round of making bread to turn in to varying rolls and then freeze for future use.          my stash is getting low and I love having bread ready to bake in the freezer.        anything I can make and put back for later is a win win all day long in my book.         when I can remember to do it, I'll get all my dry ingredients put together in a bowl and then when I'm ready to make the dough, I'll put the wet ingredients in the bread machine, then the dry ingredients and top that with the yeast and it's easy peasy.         if I'm gonna make a second batch of that particular dough, once I start the bread machine, I'll just start getting all my dry ingredients together in the bowl again and the wet ingredients in another bowl.         when the first batch is done mixing, I'll remove that dough and dump in my wet ingredients, then my dry ingredients, and then the yeast on top and start the machine again.         I'll generally do that about 4 times on my bread making day.            2 times for my brioche buns and 2 times for my cornbread swirls.         as a general rule, I can usually be done with 4 batches of dough in about 2 and a half hours.        as each batch comes from the machine, I'll start the next batch and then get the rolls made and on sheet pans and pop in the freezer to flash freeze and then bag them up to use in the coming weeks.         it's a wonderful way to stay ahead of the game with my bread.         anyway, this is what's on the schedule.          all of it may or may not come to fruition, we'll have to see.      

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so, let's do a 2 minutes in the kitchen with me.             it's been a while since we've done this.           for supper last evening, I wanted veggies, lots of veggies.           so I took some yellow potatoes, an onion, some carrots and a can of drained and rinsed green beans.            I done a good dice on the potatoes and carrots and sliced the onion.          I plopped it all on a sheet pan lined with parchment and then salted, peppered, powdered onion, powdered garlic and then spritzed it all really well with avocado oil.

I then mixed it up really well and tried to make it one layer in the pan.           I popped it in the oven at 425 degrees with some lamb shanks that I was baking.         I'm telling you this was great!!!           and a wonderfully easy clean up!!!!!

I'm all over easy clean up.            this went so great with the lamb shank bbq.           I wish I had gotten pics of the lamb shank, but I didn't.         when the meat was done, I picked it from the bones and shredded it and put it on a baking pan lined with parchment and covered it with bbq sauce, popped it back in the oven for about 20 minutes and that was the best meat ever!!!!!       I have come to find that lamb meat isn't tough or stringy like a lot of other meat is.         it's so good with bbq sauce on it.        I know a lot of people put rosemary and other spices on it instead of bbq sauce, but I'm not a fan of rosemary, so I'll go with bbq sauce.          hahaha          I fixed it, I can do what I want.          you can too!!!           make it yours!!!      

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giggle for the day:

Q - What breed of dog can jump higher than a skyscraper?

A - Any breed of dog. Skyscrapers can’t jump! 

😂😂😂😂😂

well, now we know!!!   hahahahaha

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starting with Ezekiel Chapter 1,              this chapter will show us that we as humans have a limited ability to understand God.         God does things that's totally beyond our ability to grasp.        despite trials and tribulations, God is always close at hand to hear  and to help us.        Gods glory is with us, even in our darkest hours.          this chapter is one of the most mystifying chapters in the bible.        but with this chapter comes a message of hope and restoration.        God is all about restoration.         Just as God was with Ezekiel in exile, we can know that God is with us, no matter what.         we have to be open to call of God over our lives, regardless of the unfamiliar, because He will be with us.

Chapter 2,          there is a responsibility that comes with answering God's call.        we have to be fearless and undaunting by the response of the message that God wants us to share.          we should be ready to hear God's call and respond to it once we know what His instructions are.        we live in a day and time where people don't want to hear truth and they don't respond to it really well.        most people have never heard real truth.        but we must share truth even though it can be scary.         focus on being faithful to God instead of how people will react to the truth that you're sharing.       

Chapter 3,          obedience to God requires courage, sacrifice and resolve to do God's will.        it's not easy!!!         do you internalize scripture?          when we read scripture, we should be internalizing it.     make it relevant to ourselves, understand scripture as it was written for the day in which it was written, but apply what was written for the exiles to our life today.         it has to transform us, change our lives, before what we say, with God's help, will have a life changing effect on someone else.        if it doesn't change us, how can we expect what we say have a change on other peoples lives?          we have a responsibility and we are accountable for our obedience.         the only way we can do the will of God is with the Holy Spirit in us giving us strength and guidance.         we have to be about the Fathers business, warning others about spiritual danger, because we care about them.

Chapter 4,          there are consequences when we turn away from God.          we have to acknowledge our sin and find hope in God's mercy, even during hard times.          we must be alert to the warnings that God gives thru His word and the Holy Spirit.          sin is serious with serious consequences.          sin separates us from God.          we need to strive for purity in our lives.          God wants us to live holy lives.          we can not live holy lives when we are living in sin.          

Chapter 5,             we need to make sure that our actions line up with God's commandments.           just because God loves us, doesn't mean He won't discipline us, God is always always always just!!!!        we have to consider the consequences of constant disobedience to God.          we have to repent and turn back to God!!!               God's judgements are righteous even when we don't understand.          most of the time we're not going to understand Gods ways, just because we don't understand doesn't make God wrong in His judgements.          God is righteous, holy and just.

next time we pick up with at Chapter 6.

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well, I guess we'll set this one to type.          I hope we all have a great day today.           and it goes without me saying it, but I'll say it anyway, let's continue to seek after the heart of God.          as long as we're seeking after the heart of God, we'll not stray too far from Him.         stay in His word, internalize it, let it change us and continue to pray.          blessings of strength and courage be ours today.

hugs and love, patty

Bible Study, bread, bread and more bread

good afternoon dear ones!!!!!           the weather cleared and we got to make the trip to see my sweet Momma and that always does my heart and soul good, just to lay eyes on her.        she's doing pretty good.          she just keeps plugging along and God keeps helping her.          to that, I say, amen and amen.         Lord, please keep blessing her daily and I'll always praise you for that.

when we got back home, I fixed a bite for a very late lunch and it's was good and will be just enough to push us thru till suppertime.        woohoo!!         yup, you guessed it, eating is our favorite past time.     it must be, that's all I ever talk about.           hahahaha    that's ok, we all eat.  

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so, I baked more bread Saturday.            that makes 3 batches of brioche buns in the bread machine in 3 days.           I like having several days worth of buns in the freezer.         that makes it very easy to thaw and bake as needed.          for this batch, as you can see, I made 11 buns for the freezer and then the other 4 buns was turned into mini hot dog buns and faux bagels.

I had gotten the baguette pan sometime here back and forgot about it and finally dug it out and used it.   it worked well for the minis and I'm sure it will work equally well for large full sized hotdog buns.     for these, I took the dough for 1 regular bun and made 2 of these mini hot dog buns. 

       

                                                                                                                                                                  and for the faux bagels, I took the dough of 1 regular buns and made 3 of these faux bagels.         since this was just experimenting, I'm thrilled with the outcome.     

this is the baked mini hot dog buns.         I think they turned out really great.   

and this is the faux bagels, they turned out equally well.     

I will be doing both of these again and I'll try to remember to put bagel seasoning on the bagels.       I was going to, but got overly happy and excited and forgot to put the seasoning on them.  hahaha       oh well, what can I say.       it's all good and they are good for sure.   

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so today we pick up with Exodus chapter 32.         are we familiar with the golden calf?         this is where that story is.          just as I was reading this and doing a little journaling, the phrase "outta sight, outta mind", popped into my mind.         Moses was getting the law from the very hands of God, the people knew what he was doing, and if was for their benefit.         but they wanted something tangible to worship!!!!           something they could see.          let's not be to harsh with them, because we do too.       oh we act like we're all good and all that, but in reality we want something tangible to worship.        a cell phone, a tv, a car, a boat, a favorite place to belly up to the bar, a favorite place where we do ungodly things and I could go on and on.      Aaron was second in charge and it's staggering at how easy it was for him to oblige their request.           verse 24 where Aaron says that the people gave him their earrings and jewelry and he threw it into the fire and out comes this gold calf, just cracks me up.        it's so like something a child would say and yet Aaron said it.          he was well up in years.      but we do the exact same thing!!!       everyone wants to blame everyone else for their sin and no one will step up and own it.       debauchery, sin, sexual sin, drunkenness and every other evil and vile filth that you can think of is what they was doing at the foot of the mountain where God was.       with great sin comes a great cost.   

chapter 34 is where God made His covenant with Moses and the Israelites.          they will be His people.        although they are obstinate, He will still lead them but He warned them against making covenants with the pagan people in the lands that He was giving to the Israelites and not worship any other gods for God is a jealous God.          Moses face shone  after spending time  in the presence of God.          

next we have the tabernacle (dwelling place for the presence of the Lord) being constructed as God had already given the instructions for that.      they was going to start work on that now.           for me, this is where I actually learned that if I have a gift, it's from God.         it's not of anything that I could ever do on my own, it's strictly from God.        He is the one that gave all these artisans the skill to build and make all the fine and delicate items for the tabernacle.          so, if you have a gift, thank God for it.       at the end of Chapter 39, we see that all the workmen did all the work for the tabernacle and all the items in it and all the priestly garments to be worn by the priests just as the Lord had commanded and after Moses inspection, he blessed them.

chapter 40 finds the Israelites setting up the tabernacle of the tent of meeting.       it was in this tent, where the glory of the Lord would settle and Moses or anyone was not allowed to enter the tabernacle when the presence of the Lord was in it.         the presence of the Lord was with them all throughout their journeys.

next we start in Leviticus.

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well, that's about all I have today.          I hope and pray that the sun has been shining where you are and that you got to enjoy a little of it today.          it was nice and sunshiny on the way to and from my Momma's today.         so we enjoyed that a lot.          I pray that you have a blessed rest of your day and that peace, warmth and mercy be yours in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.       hugs and love, patty

Bible Study, breakfast for my husband

good cold morning from the land of  the "frozen".           hahaha          it is cold.         I had gotten up at about 1 am this morning and it was 20 degrees and then at 5 am, it was 17 degrees and now at 8:35 an it is a warm 23 degrees.         all the time the local weather app says our low was 29 degrees.          the weather app lies.        our micro climate is much colder than the apps say.         so I just look outside on my deck to see what the temp is.         

for some reason I was doing around this morning and my mind went to my precious sister in Christ who is in the presence of our dear Lord and Savior.       Jamie went home to be with Jesus back in Dec of 2015.       I have missed her terribly since.        it has been 9 years since I've seen her precious face.        we used to get out and just go fun local places.        enjoy a meal and pray over the server and the restaurant in general.         we would go shopping and pray over someone that the Lord led us to.        her memory popped in my mind this morning and it hit me pretty hard.        I have missed her and the way she could just take you right to the very presence of the Lord.        so, Jamie, I just wanted you to know that Pearl Joy sure does miss Pearl Love a lot.       I still reach for my cellphone to send you a text or call, or wait for a text or a call from you.        I know that one of these days we'll be together again and I hope we both have our tutus so we can dance before the Lord while praising His holy name.  

I think I was thinking about my blog and Jamie was my biggest fan.         she said she loved how she could just feel like she was in my presence when she was reading a new post.         she said it felt like it was written specifically for her, kinda like we were sitting at the kitchen table, chatting while sipping coffee.         when I was making my coffee this morning, Jamie popped into my memory.        she couldn't have ever told me anything better than what she told me.

I want every one to feel like you're visiting with me personally, sitting at my kitchen table, sipping coffee or tea and chatting.         I sure hope that's how at least one person feels.         anyway, on to the rest of the blog.

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we'll do another "2 minutes in the kitchen with me".           for the time being, it will be a regular part of my blog.

this is what some of my brioche buns are used for.         the buns and the sausage, cheese and egg patties are the same size.        I bake the sausage cheese and egg patties in the same silicone muffin top pan that I bake the buns in.

the next time I'm thawing and letting my buns rise, I'll take a picture so it will make more sense.     

but they are a perfect match.         a match made in my kitchen.        hahaha        and I must say that my husband loves his breakfast every morning.         I do appreciate that too.

all my hard work pays off and it's very much appreciated.

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picking up with Exodus in chapter 21, we read about all the various laws.       these are very interesting to say the least.         Exodus 23: 6bsays , "and do not kill the innocent or the righteous, for I will not acquit the guilty."            this made me think about all the abortions that this country and the world at large is guilty of.        some of these days there will be responsibility taken for this atrocity.         we also read about the 3 National Feasts that the Israelites were to observe.         we have replaced scripture with easter, halloween and christmas.           and all the festivities and parades that surround the abominable homosexuals and all the deviant evil wicked behaviors that have chosen to call their lifestyle.      please, someone show me a scripture that says this is ok.       I've read the bible thru several times and I've never once seen God call this behavior anything but abominable.        so to go to church and   claim to be a Christian, choosing to  live this lifestyle, let me just say that there is no way that you  can be a Christian.          that's not my judgement call, that's what God says, in multiple places in His word.

over and over again, God tells His people not to even speak the names of the pagan gods, and yet we see that over and over again not only do they speak the names, but they worship the pagan gods.       the very thing that God tells us not to do , is the very thing that we bust a gut to do.       was that way then and it's still the same way now.     

there is lots of info about building a sanctuary, tabernacle for God to be among them.       God specified exactly what He wanted and they built it with a lot of the spoils from Egypt.

God had explained to Moses exactly what He wanted in the way of a tabernacle and all the furnishings of all kinds, garments to be worn and anointing oils and God had written the 10 commandments in stone with His finger.        the people knew where Moses was all along.         they had previously agreed to all the commands of God and that they would serve God and only Him.         when Moses come off the mountain, from the presence of God, we see in the short time of 40 days the people had grown restless and wanted something to worship.         wow, how familiar does that sound???         that's just like us today.        yes. it is.        we'll see how this turns out next time.

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well, I guess this is where we'll call it a done job on this blog post.          I hope you seen something here that you like, if you did tell someone about it.        I hope you have a most beautiful day and that you remember to thank God for allowing you to be a part of it.         I'm so thankful that God woke me up this morning, I hope you are too.          blessings of peace, joy and love be yours today.         hugs and love, patty

Bible Study, bad weather, bread and what ever else I get into

good morning my lovelies!!!!          I pray you are doing well this morning and that the Son is shining in your heart.          the weather finally got here this morning, around 7:45 am.          we was in what they call a "snow dome", or just a hole in the weather.         hahaha         that's my story about it.         I looked at my phone about 2:30 am and I seen it and seen that's where we were, so we finally got out of the hole and now it's snowing.         so, from the looks of it, we may be socked in for a while.          we'll just have to ride this out and see what happens.        I pray that God will keep the power on.         it is with a heavy snow, which this is, that brings down power lines when trees and branches get heavy and fall on  the lines.         we'll see what happens.          I'll try to remember to take a pic or two and share them.

I have some baking to do today and some plain old cooking to do.          I'm making an instant pot full of pinto beans.         yum!!!         we love beans, so they will last for a few hot meals.         I'll get another batch of chicken corn chowder made.         maybe even another batch of chili.       who knows.         right now, I sure don't.           hahaha

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picking back up in Exodus 9, we're still dealing with the plagues and hardened hearts.         how much pain did they have to go thru and how much pain do we allow ourselves to got thru while living and thrashing around in sin?        pharaoh offered a little, but not all that God was allowing.        how many times do we do a little, give up a little, turn aside from a little, but keep dabbling with the sin that is keeping us apart for the Lord?        this is what pharaoh represents in the life of a Christian.        I'll give up a little, but I ain't giving up all!!!        does that sound familiar?        sure it does.      

sometimes when we are in the midst of our greatest sin, is when it feels the darkest.       but we keep plundering around in the dark with hardened hearts.        our atrocities keep getting greater and greater and we keep turning our backs more and more.       even during this, we offer a little, but not all that God wants from us.          He wants all of us, not bits and scraps that sin is offering.

do you have the Blood of The Sacrifice over the lentil of your door?        if not, why not?         are you pharaoh over your own heart?         does our sin have to be the sin that destroys our families?         our sin has destroyed many families down thru the the ages.       one of the great sins of the  late 19th century and so far into the 20th century that has destroyed so many families and murdered generations of children is abortion.          that is something that this country will have to answer for.         another sin, that is an abomination to the Lord is homosexuality and everything that this country has turned that abomination into.        we're seeing parts of california burn to the ground right now.       most of the perversion in this country hit the shores over there from other countries and then we took it and run with like no other country ever has.      I think it's possible that we're seeing some retribution for all the filth that we have let invade our homes.         prayerfully, God will spare His people.    

how long have you lived in sin?        there is comfort in the familiar.         living in sin gets comfortable and when God calls you out of it, everything changes.         you can't have the old and the new.        you stay in sin or you walk in freedom.          the Israelites were walking in their freedom with some urgency.       do we run towards freedom in  and thru Christ?       I think sometimes we want to, but there is comfort in the familiar way of life, or sin.

yeast bread takes a little work to get going and then it has to be worked and punched down and worked and allowed to rise and then worked more.         yeast bread is not a quick bread.        and in true form, a little bit of yeast will overtake the whole batch.         and that's a good thing when you have time.       this was a situation where time was very important.        in this situation, yeast represented sin in the form of wasted time, or no time to spare.         some situations call for action on the spur of the moment and you can't just do as you please with yeast bread.       so that's why it was important that NO yeast be found in the bread or even in the home.        this is my take on yeast and that's all it is.

can we say, "it is with a powerful hand that the Lord brought us out of sin into the land of freedom", if not, why?          do we remember why and when the Lord brought us out from the slavery of sin to freedom?         we don't need to go back and roll around in the sin we once lived in, but we do need to remember where we've been and who led us from there.       sometimes God will lead us in the direction that makes no sense to us, but He knows that we can change our mind on a whim.     so sometimes, He'll take a longer path to freedom.         He sees the end results already, while we're just putting one foot in front of the other.       "I AM THAT I AM" is still in the business of leading us from slavery to sin into the new life of freedom.        we have to be willing to give up the "comfort in the familiar" and step out into the "newness of freedom".

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so, what do you do when inclement weather is upon you?            I don't know what others do, but I break out the bread machine and cook.          yes, I do!!            so we'll do another "2 minutes in the kitchen with me".           I use my bread machine to make the dough and then I'll either bake it in bread pans in the oven or I'll make buns and freeze them.         I needed to make so brioche buns and get them in the freezer, so as I was getting the ingredients together, my eyes kept glancing on the counter to where I had 2 containers of sourdough bread starter going.         I was ready to do something with it all.    there just isn't a good reason to have 2 starters going, not for me anyway.        so, as I was putting everything in, I picked up the container I was going to dump out and instead of dumping it out, I put most of it in this batch of bread, even after the yeast had been added.        I kept an eye on the dough as it was mixing.         I always take my bread out after the machine stops for the first time.        so by the time I had gotten to it, to take from the machine and make my buns, it was growing big time!!!         so I'll be really anxious to see how these taste when I get some baked.        I'm really excited about these.

this is the bread ball about half way thru the mixing cycle.        even there, it's larger than it usually is, just because the sourdough yeast is trying to grow.         hahaha

this is the 15 buns I made and put them on my silicone trays and popped in the freezer.          when they get frozen solid, I'll take them from the tray and put them in ziplock bags and then take 6 out at a time to bake.         when I bake some of these, I'll try to remember to take a pic and show y'all what they look like.

this is a little closer up of the frozen buns.        for these, I pulled off 62 grams of dough to make my buns and then I rolled the ball to get it round and then flatten it out with the palm of my hand.        they are not the prettiest right now.          but I'll tell you what, when they thaw and bake, they are absolutely gorgeous and they look like they came from an expensive shop.          

this dough ball is one of my batches of cornbread swirls.          we love those and I like to keep these in the freezer too.         so I'll make a couple of batches at a time just for the freezer.         this was about half way thru the mixing.          the recipes for both of these breads are somewhere on my blog.        they should be easy enough to find by going to the search area at the top left hand page and type in either bread and it should come up.         these are so good with all of our soups and chili and just down home comfort foods.

this is a batch made into swirls.         they are varying sizes.          I made 2 batches of these and they are already in the freezer bags and just waiting for me to bake them.          these will be so good.        we love these with just about everything.

when I get some of these baked, I'll try to remember to share a picture of these too.        keep you eyes peeled, there's no telling what you might see me sharing on here since we are supposed to get snowed in over the weekend.         we'll see how bad it gets.         I'll try to remember to take a pic of the snow and share it too.         it will have been all the inspiration for all the bread making and freezing.         that, and the fact that I just needed to get some in the freezer.   

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well, that's about it for today.            stay tuned for more bible study, more cooking and more baking and maybe even a snow pic or two!!!         blessings as you stay warm.         may peace, grace and mercy be yours today.          hugs and love, patty