More Pictures

Well, here's another picture of Isaac! One of the things that helped us choose him was that he loooked so worried - he needed a family!

He will definitely need several surgeries, but he is very cute and sweet looking. We can't wait to bring him home! Check out Courtney's blog for more information on him.

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Our New Little Brother!!

Here he is.........

Isaac Benjamin Krause!

Actually, we haven't decided on the middle name quite yet.....but this one is certainly a favorite option of mine!

We are so excited and can't wait to see this little guy in person! His special need is a cleft lip and palate, which can be easily repaired with surgery.

He is almost two.

Isn't he just adorable???

I will post more later - I haven't posted in ages, so expect a nice long post coming soon!!!

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Muffins and Goats.....

Hi there! Does anyone remember me? I'm Rachel, the girl who hasn't posted for nearly two weeks. (Wow, has it been that long?)

So why haven't I posted for so long? The explanation is easy. Busy, busy, busy.

Anyway, here is a delicous recipe for Chocolate Muffins that our family really enjoys. They are called muffins, but are more of a cupcake than anything! Since I am a chocolate-lover, this recipe definitely ranks high on my list of favorites! So here's the recipe:

Chocolate Muffins

2 2/3 C. flour

1 1/2 C. sugar

1/2 C. baking cocoa

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

3 eggs

1 C. sour cream or applesauce

1/2 C. water

1/2 C. milk

1/2 C. vegetable oil

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 C. semisweet chocolate chips

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, cocoa, and baking soda. In another bowl, whisk eggs, sour cream, water, milk, oil, and vanilla. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in chocolate chips. Fill greased muffin cups two thirds full. Bake at 325* for 20 - 25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from racks. Yields: 2 dozen muffins.

And now, on another note, here is Pearl, our very pregnant looking goat!

We are expecting her to give birth in the next few days or so. We are really excited! But also a little nervous, as we have never done this sort of thing before! But, goats give birth just fine out in the wilderness without any help, so more than likely, she'll do fine. We are hoping for girls!!! And yes, I'll post pictures of the new goat babies when they arrive. As we've been saying recently, poor Pearl doesn't know what's coming her way. :) However, we are going to do our best to make her comfy - we are laying nice soft hay in her nighttime shelter, and Jonathan did a marvelous job of creating a milking stand for us.


This is our milking stand. We are really looking forward to fresh goat's milk!

Nice soft, fresh, hay, for the.....

......labor and delivery room!

Expect some very cute baby goat pictures here in the next few days!!!

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Thin Mints

This recipe is very simple but very delicious!! A friend at church gave us this recipe, and I made them last night - they were a definite make-again. They are so easy and quick to prepare! So many dessert recipes take alot of time and clean up, so it was nice to make something easy for a change. I think it took me maybe 20 minutes from start to finish!

Thin Mints

8 squares Bark Coating Chocolate

1/2 tsp. peppermint extract

1 sleeve Ritz Crackers

Slowly melt the chocolate in a small saucepan, being careful not to burn it. When melted, add

peppermint extract and mix well.

With a toothpick, dip the crackers in the chocolate until completely coated and lay gently on waxed paper. Refrigerate until hardened.

(Simple, huh? It doesn't get easier than this!)

There are two variations to this recipe which I have not yet tried, but they sound delicious:

~ Omit the peppermint and spread peanut butter on the cracker before dipping

~Crush candy canes and sprinkle on top of the cracker after dipping (this adds a nice touch during the Christmas season!)

The finished product!

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A Post Without a Name

Yes, you guessed it - Mesa's taking a nap! Notice her messy back from an

earlier roll in the mud.

Finally; a good picture of Pearl! She is looking very pregnant right now, and we are getting excited for her birth at the end of March!

We had rain last night, and today has been very cloudy. However, everything still looks beautiful!

Spring has finally come......our trees are beginning to get green again!! Hurray! I am anxious to begin working on my flower garden again this year. Does anyone have any tips for growing rose bushes? Mine did not do very well last year; however, I am willing to try again this year. Any tips?

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Handmade....This Week!

Okay...I know! I missed my "Handmade on Wednesday" post again this week! I think I'll ammend my original "blog schedule". It is now going to be "Handmade This Week". Suit everyone?

Although I didn't whip this quilt out in a week, (I'm not that good!) I've been working on it for a little more than a year. It sat in my closet for a while, but I finally got the quilting process going recently, so I hope to have it done soon.

It isn't a large quilt, but since it's only my second, I thought I'd start small!

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Mules and More

Jonathan (14) and Mesa, his mule

David (9) and Kelly, the very old mule!

A nice day for a ride!

Dad is eating an apple and ready to head outside!


Jonathan took this picture of Jasper, our goat.....words fail me on this one!!

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Arizona Sunset

This is the view from our back porch. While I was taking these photos, the coyotes were already starting to howl in the distance.

"Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised in the city of or God, in the mountain of His holiness."

~Psalm 48:1

Isn't God's creation just beautiful?

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Tuesday's Treat

Blueberry Coffee Cake

1/4 cup oil or melted butter

3/4 cup sugar

1 egg

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 cup milk

1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 cup flour

1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

Topping:

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 T. flour

1 T. oil or melted butter

Grease an 8x8 baking dish. Blend all cake ingredients except berries. Carefully fold berries into mixture. Blend topping ingredients. Sprinkle over batter. Bake at 350* for 30 - 45 minutes.

*When the recipe says to "carefully fold in berries", make sure you do just that - stirring the berries vigorously will turn the cake batter blue.

This recipe is sort of special to me, as it was my great-grandma's recipe. I can just imagine her sitting down with friends and a good cup of coffee while eating this cake! It is sort of an old fashioned recipe - "coffee cake" always sounds old fashioned to me. It is a pretty, delicate, and delicous thing to serve any time! Since it reached the mid eighties today, it was starting to feel like spring, maybe even summer, and it felt like the perfect time of year to have freshly made coffee cake on the counter (or on the blog!). Hope everyone enjoys this recipe!!

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