Bible Study and a long day yesterday

good morning my beautiful friends.          I pray that are ready for a wonderful day.         a gift from the hand of God today.         it's really beautiful and sunshiny here in my neck of the woods today.        I hope I can get a lot done today.         yesterday was a long day for me.        I done a lot of freezer cooking.   

I made:

11 bags of sweet potato bites baked, flash frozen, bagged and in the freezer.

11 bags of russet potato bites baked, flash frozen, bagged and in the freezer.

6 bags of radish bites baked, flash frozen, bagged and in the freezer.

yogurt strained and made into greek yogurt.

whey from the yogurt frozen in cubes and bagged and in the freezer.

4 bags of chopped and diced onions and bell peppers frozen.

and a batch of homemade granola made.

when I'm working, it doesn't seem like I get anything done, but when I make notations about it, I see that I did get a lot done and kinda proud of that fact.        I'm sure I won't get as much done today, because I have other things to do and I need to help my husband with some things too.        but I'm really happy to have gotten what I got done yesterday.         someone told me that if I don't take pictures, I didn't really  do it.        hahaha         well, I was laser focused on the tasks at hand yesterday and didn't get pics, but the next time I make granola, I'll try to remember to take pics and share.      and I done the radish bites.        I've never done those before and I don't know what I think about them.       for now, I'm thinking they will have to have some balsamic glaze on them to help make them more palatable.        the sulfuric compounds in the radishes is pretty strong and it's not my favorite flavor for sure.        but I do love balsamic glaze and that's a wonderful way to not let something go to waste.         hahaha         the frozen whey will be used to make more yogurt.         I'll toss a couple of cubes in my instant pot along with the milk and a little powdered milk and it's always delicious.       I can also use whey in the making of my homemade breads too.         the bell peppers and onions are always an addition to most of my electric pressure cooker meals.          we love the combo of onions and peppers in most everything.        and then the homemade yogurt calls for granola, so I made a batch.         actually, the first batch I ever made.        it's delicious and it won't be the last batch. 

well, that's what I done yesterday and I don't mind telling you that I'm tired, just from rehashing it.      hahaha

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starting at Jeremiah Chapter 10,          is there anything in your life that you put before your relationship with God?           wealth, your job, your technology, your things?          any and all of these things have become modern day idols, even for God's people.        what do you love more than you God?         we have to recognize the power of God over our lives and submit to Him in order to be in a right relationship with Him.         even a lot of people worship worship more than they worship God.        you know what I'm talking about, you've seen it, and may even practice it without even recognizing it.        we have to worship God in spirit and truth.         a lot people think they're worshiping God , but they're worshiping the band.   spirit and truth is what God is looking for.

Chapter 11,              have you made any commitments to God?         are you honoring those commitments and living up to the promises you've made?        disobedience is real and it needs to be recognized that is has consequences.         repentance  and turning back to God's will over your life is necessary.          we must share the truth, even when the truth isn't popular and most people don't want to hear the truth.         even a lot of church people have no room for truth in their lives.        pray for courage to share the truth even when it's not wanted.          we have to look inward for any signs of stubbornness and rebellion and then address it with God.         ask Him to break our hearts for the thing that break His heart.

Chapter 12,          we live in evil and wicked times and we just have to know that God's justice will prevail in His timing.         so we continue to pray for courage.          we have to dig deeper into the word of God to strengthen our faith as we face the days ahead.           we need to be focusing on Gods bigger plan instead of what's right before us.        we get tunnel vision and focus just on the spot we can see and not the whole picture.        God sees the whole picture, we see just the spot we live in for the moment.      God will judge, but when He judges, He also offers  repentance, redemption and restoration.

Chapter 13,           do you have pride in your life?          if so, get rid of it.         if you see yourself as better than anyone around you, get over it.        pride can block God's blessings and if that's the case, think about it and change the course of your life.           strength, usefulness and purposefulness comes from a strong relationship with God.        humility is necessary to serve God in any capacity.        everyone has the ability to sin.         it's when we stray from God that it gets easier to sin.        stay close to God.        repent and stay close to Him.

we'll pick up at chapter 14 next time.

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giggle for the day:

Q - What did the duck say after she bought chapstick?

A - Put it on my bill!

hahaha  that duck is quackers!!!  

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well, I guess that's about it for this morning.         I pray that we all have a great day in the name of Jesus Christ!!!         let us keep searching after the heart of God in all that we do.         I pray that we all have sunshine outside and Sonshine inside.         let's see what today brings and enjoy the blessings directly from the hand of God.     blessings of strength and purposefulness today.

hugs and love, patty

Bible Study and odds and ends

good morning from my neck of the woods.          the sun is shining brightly, but we know in the spring time, that really doesn't mean a lot.        hahaha         I have a lot to do today.           our plans went awry yesterday when we had to make an unexpected visit to the dr.          but all's back on track this morning or seems to be anyway.           I made a trip to aldi yesterday morning and got a bunch of potatoes.        so while we was waiting for dr appt time, I got in the kitchen and got 13 or 14 lbs of potatoes peeled and done a large dice on them, about the size of a finger joint, some smaller.         I filled the containers with water and washed off a ton of starch.         I have a container of yellow potatoes and a container of sweet potatoes already ready to go this morning.          I also got a couple extra bags of radishes and I'm gonna do the same thing with them and see how they turn out as another roasted veg to have with the potatoes and eat them instead of ready made french fries.         I know the oil used and the flavorings used and nothing that shouldn't be on them.       

I wish aldi carried turnips and rutabagas, I would get some of those.         I may have to go to walmart to get some of those.          I could go to kroger, but I'm still not going to kroger, the young people at the checkouts are hateful and I don't deal with hateful too well.        I'm bad about calling them out and questioning them about their behavior.        it's clearly something their parents should have done years ago, but they didn't.        so kroger suffers as far as I'm concerned.        I treat people the way I want to be treated and not everyone does that.         

anyway, that's why I haven't tried some other types of veggies, but I will at some point.        I just love having them in the freezer, ready to toss in the airfryer along with a meat of some kind.        so, that's what's on my list today to start working on just as soon as I get this post done.       I look forward to getting them in the freezer.   

I also made a batch of homemade yogurt and I have it in the fridge straining it even as I type.       I'll save the whey as a means of making my next batch of yogurt.        my instant pot with the yogurt setting makes making yogurt really easy.        I plan on getting some homemade granola made to go along with the yogurt, but we'll see if I can get the oven freed up do that.         I could make it in the air fryer and I'll do that if necessary.

well, it looks like my day is mapped out and I'm already tired from just typing this all out.       I have my plans and now we'll just have to see if my plans are in line with what the Lord wants me to do today.      it's all up to Him, not me.        my plans are written in ink, but they can be x-ed out easily enough.        so I try to stay flexible and do as the Lord wants me to do.         and I believe that plans and preparing are in line with God's will when it's about taking of your households needs by having good food ready to put on the table.      

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giggle for the day:

Q - Why did a scarecrow win a Nobel prize?

A - He was outstanding in his field!

😂😂😂😂😂😂

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picking up Jeremiah Chapter 6,          we see here that we have to be listening for the voice of God over our lives.          God speaks to us thru His word  and when we pray and also when we look to godly counsel.        we have to be ready to hear God.        we also see that when we have sin our lives, we are deaf to the call of God over our lives.         sin causes spiritual deafness.        and again, in the chapter we see that we must be seeking after the heart of God.        that is the something that we must be doing and we must also be sharing God's truth to those around us!!!          seeking Gods truth and sharing God's truth!!

Chapter 7,          is your worship genuine worship or is it ritualistic?         if it's ritualistic, you're wasting your time and it's pointless.         are your trying to earn your way to God?         you can't!!!        again, it's pointless.          is your heart truly devoted to God?        if you are truly devoted to God, you'll have compassion for those around you.         the widow, the fatherless, the needy, helping these is a reflection of worship.         we need to be regularly seeking God's forgiveness and building a relationship with Him instead of just going thru the rituals of worship.   

Chapter 8,           are we resisting God's guidance in our lives?         if so, we're missing out on tremendous blessings.         true peace comes from acknowledging God's truth and living our lives based on His truth.          there are lots of false assurances out there, but there is only one God.         when we are living lives based on God's truth, we will also be repentant and obedient to His truth and call.         we need to pray for our leaders and church leaders to have courage to speak the truth about sin and call it what it is.        

Chapter 9,          we should have a heart of compassion for people around us who are lost and living in sin.        we live in such a deceitful world that we should be striving to represent God and His character in our daily lives.        we should make every effort to be in God's word on a daily basis and strive to live our lives based on His truth.         thinking on the goodness, kindness, justice and righteousness of God should be a priority for us for shaping our own attitudes and actions.

we will pick up at Chapter 10 next time.

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I guess we'll call it a wrap for now.          I pray that we all have a great day today and that we will be seeking after the heart of God in all we do.          we all know hurting people around us.         we know people who need help.          let us focus on some of these ways that we can serve God today.         I hope you'll come back here real soon and join me again for some more time to look at the word of God.      blessings of peace and integrity be ours today in all we do.

hugs and love, patty

Bible Study and Homemade Greek Yogurt

good morning my sweet friends.          it is another brisk, cool morning in my neck of the woods.         as I sit here typing, I do notice it to be unusually quiet.         I don't hear any traffic going by, close, or out on the highway.          I haven't heard the train go by this morning and that's unusual.          I haven't heard an dogs barking and that even more unusual.         hahaha          there's usually some birds out doing their birdy things, but I think everything and everyone has decided to be quiet until it warms up a little bit.         I told someone I was ready to get my money back on the first 2 weeks of the year.    hahaha          oh well, if I know me, and I do, I know will be all too soon that I'll be complaining about the heat.        hahaha         I'll bet some of y'all will too.          well, I'm about ready to start my day.    Lord, let's make it a great day today.  

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picking back up at Leviticus 8, something has really stood out to me.           there are lots of laws, lots of blood, lots of sacrifice and just lots to do to be in right relationship with the I AM THAT I AM.       there just is.          the thing that struck me is this.          how willing are we to be in complete obedience with our Father God?         in and of ourselves, there is NO way could ever follow all of these laws.         we just couldn't.         right here, in this midst of following all that God had required, we see that as we are, in the flesh, there's no way we could ever follow the law closely enough to be in right relationship with our Father.        praise Him for the Cross of Christ!!        they built the tabernacle to God's specifications, they were obedient to God.         this side of the Cross, if we know Christ as Lord and Savior, we are the tabernacle for Holy Spirit to reside in at all times.      

we see that 2 of Aarons sons were killed by God for offering strange fire to God.         they done something that God had not told them to do.         that was another hard lesson learned.        I don't fully understand all this, I just keep saying that I'm happy to be on this side of the Cross of Christ.

one of the things we see in some of these chapters is putting blood on the right ear lobe, on the thumb of the right hand and the big toe of the right foot.        the significance of this is to be in obedience of hearing the commands of God, doing the commands of God and walking out the commands of God.         may our eyes always see what God puts before us, may our hands always want to serve those as God commands and may our feet take us to greatest need that God has put before us.  may be do all that He has planned for us to do, thru the shed blood of Jesus Christ.        may we see, do and go as God directs us.

as I continue to read Leviticus, I'm so thankful for the Cross.         I think this is one of the main things that I'm taking away, this time, from the book of Leviticus.         Jesus is the atoning sacrifice for me.   Praise God!!!!           Blood has always been identified with life.         when Jesus shed His life's blood for me, that was enough.         

all of this is hard for me to reconcile my brain, so since I don't fully understand it all, I try to focus on and be grateful for the shed blood of my Savior.         I don't know why He done it for me, but I'm sure thankful today that He did.          thank You Jesus!!!!

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let's do this again.         you know the drill by now.          you know, "2 minutes in the kitchen with me", yeah, that's what I'm talking about.          hahaha            I had used just about all my lsst batch of yogurt, so this time I decided once the yogurt was made, I'd make some greek yogurt.          I make my yogurt in my instant pot using the cold start method.           see how thick it just after about 15 hours.

so once I seen how thick it was and done a little taste of it, it was ready to strain.         I used my strainer basket lined with a flour sack towel and twisted up the excess towel and laid it on top of the yogurt.  if you let tail of the flour sack towel hang out in the fridge, the whey will get all over your shelves.        I learned that the hard way.        hahaha

the below pic is what the yogurt looks like after about 5 hours in the fridge, it was ready to come out and put in a bowl.          it's thick like sour cream, actually thicker.           and it is so darn good.

so this is what it looks like in the bowl.           it's so thick and rich and creamy.  

this is a pic of the greek yogurt and the whey.             I'll use some of the whey to help make the next batch yogurt.        I'll use some of it a batch of bread.          you can use it in just about anything, like using it in soups or beans, cooking pasta and potatoes.         just put it in anything really.     

this little batch of yogurt will last me about a week.         so I'll be making more soon.        I hope if you've never tried making yogurt before, that you'll give it a try.      it just takes a little time.        that's why I start it later in the evening and then it will be ready to sometime in the morning.         give it a try soon, you'll love it.            and I have to say that this is one of the best batches of greek yogurt I've ever made.         it's not gonna last a week.            hahaha

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well, that's just about all I have today.         let's pray for those that need our prayers.        all the sickness going around, people having lost loved ones, all the fires in California, the people in North Carolina that are still dealing with the ravages of Helene and all the other people dealing with weather related problems.        if we're not dealing with something like that, just be thankful.       there is so much to be in prayer for and that's one way we can be in obedience to the Lord.       I hope you seen something here today that you enjoyed.         I hope you're reading the bible thru from front to back this year.        I pray that you know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior!!!!         may you be blessed beyond measure today and every day.         hugs and love, patty

Memorial Day, homemade yogurt, homemade frozen yogurt

good early evening y'all!!          I hope and pray that this finds everyone doing well and happy to be a part of such a beautiful day.         it's been a very pleasant change from the last couple of days with all the storms that rolled thru my neck of the woods.          I'm thankful for the protection of God over us and I pray for those who have lost loved ones to this and all the other storms. 

today is the day that Americans celebrate Memorial Day to remember all the people who have given their lives in service to this great country.         many Americans have died trying to keep people safe all over the world.        it's one thing when the rest of the world doesn't appreciate the sacrifice, but it's a totally different kind of disrespect when some americans don't appreciate the sacrifice.        so I just have to say that I'm thankful for all the men and women who have given the most that can be given to a country, their lives.         the saying, "all gave some, some gave all", really has more meaning on this day and I pray that we have all remembered what today is all about.        thank you to all the veterans and active service people who are serving this country now.       you are our heroes.       thank you for your service!!

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I finally got back to making something that I absolutely love.         homemade yogurt!!!        it's made in the instant pot that has a yogurt setting.         it has to have a yogurt setting or it won't work.        it takes "ultra high pasteurization" milk, such as fairlife or kroger carbmaster.         fairlife is not quite a half gallon and kroger carbmaster is a full half gallon.        I mention that because with the kroger carbmaster, I feel like you get your moneys worth and not so with fairlife brand.    then I  add a couple of tablespoons of a really good plain, unsweetened greek yogurt such as chobani brand.     make sure that what ever you get has lots of different live active yogurt cultures in it.        the more the better.

I put the milk and yogurt in the instant pot and set it on the yogurt setting and put about 18 to 20 hours on the countdown.        I like my yogurt to have a lot of tang.         you can set it to 8 hours and that's what most people like, but I love a lot of tang.

this first pic is of the finished yogurt.         I stuck my spatula in it to see how thick it was.         it's looking really good.

I have a basket that I use in my electric pressure cookers to cook meats and veggies or anything that I want strained and it turns out that it's the perfect strainer for me to strain my yogurt with.        I set the strainer in a bowl on top of a rack in the bottom of the bowl to give lots of room for the whey to strain off.    I line the strainer basket with a flour sack towel and pour the yogurt into it.

here the yogurt has been poured into the strainer and it's already staining the whey off.    I try to get the yogurt in the fridge, straining, just before I go to bed, that way early in the morning it's ready to take from the strainer and get dished up and back into the fridge.

I take the flour sack towel and twist it up and just lay it on top of the strainer.         if you let the towel hang over the edge of the strainer, it will wick the whey out into the fridge and that's a mess you don't want to have to deal with.          trust me on this.       hahaha         I learned the hard way.   

once I got the greek yogurt made, I decided we needed to try some frozen greek yogurt.        my friend had made some and I wanted to make some too.          my hubby's favorite all time frozen yogurt is black cherry yogurt.        it just turned out that I had some frozen black cherries in the freezer.       Yay!!!         I got out about a cup of them and thawed them some and sliced them up.        I got my ice cream freezer bowl out of the freezer in the garage and put the yogurt and black cherries in it and in about 15 minutes I had frozen yogurt.      

it does look pretty good, if I do say so myself.           my hubby thought it was delicious!!         and it was.

it look really nice in the bowl and it was really creamy.

this is what we enjoyed and I do mean enjoy.

my one take away from this experience is that the next time I make the black cherry yogurt, I will thaw the cherries completely and maybe put them in the food processor for just a pulse or two.         slicing the cherries didn't break them up enough and I think pulsing them in the food processor would also give a little more color to the overall color of the finished yogurt and I think it would also add more actual flavor to the yogurt.          we really enjoyed this and I'll be making it again.

back to making the yogurt.           I went to the dollar tree and got a got couple quart cartons of shelf stable whole milk to try.          it was ultra high pasteurized and I wondered it if would work.          well, I'm happy to say that it did work wonderfully.          it was the creamiest and smoothest yogurt that I've ever made.

and, when I made the black cherry yogurt, I forgot to save enough to start my next batch.         you always want to save 2 or 3 tablespoons per half gallon of milk.       well, I didn't have any yogurt, but I did have a quart of whey from that batch.         I used about a cup of whey to the 2 quarts that I had gotten at the dollar tree and that worked wonderfully!!!!!         I had never used whey as a starter, but had heard you could.          and as it turns out, you can.         

I always pour up the whey into a quart jar and save it to use in soups and breads and whatever, and as it turns out, I was really happy that I had saved it because I would have had to go to kroger to get some yogurt to use as my starter.         but I didn't have to.         and I can say that this yogurt will stay in my fridge for the foreseeable future.          it's so very easy to make, just a little time consuming and I'm ok with that.

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I hope you have a great day and I pray that you have a restful night or healing sleep.        I pray that you can sleep tonight knowing that "God is; all is well".         I pray that if you don't Christ as your personal Savior, that tonight will be the night that you ask Him to save your soul.         He's just waiting for you to ask Him.       

I guess this is about all I have for tonight.         I hope to be back with more real soon.        I hope you check out more of my blog posts and feel free to leave me a message.       always remember that God loves and so do I.         hugs and blessings, patty