My Mother's Bible

this picture was taken by my Mom on her recent trip here...it is an absolutely stunning picture!

I came across this song in the hymnal today. 

My Mother's Bible

There's a dear and precious Book, 

Tho' it's worn and faded now,

Which recalls those happy days of long ago;

When I stood at Mother's knee,

With her hand upon my brow,

And I heard her voice in gentle tones and low.

Blessed Book,

Precious Book, 

On thy dear old tear-stained leaves I love to look;

Thou art sweeter day by day,

As I walk the narrow way

That leads at last to that bright Home above.

This is just the first verse and chorus.  This hymn is thought-provoking especially as I am halfway through my pregnancy and soon will become a mother.  

I can most certainly say that my Mother's Bible is well-worn.  What a testimony!  

I have thought to myself:  what do I want my children to remember me by?  Sitting on my ipad/computer endlessly or reading my Bible?  The habit of being in the Word outside of devotional time begins long before the first child is born. 

My heart's desire is that I will love the Word in the same old-fashioned way that many of us remember our mothers and grandmothers living. 

Congolian/Mongolian

One of the fun dinners we did while my family was here was a Mongolian barbecue.  How close it was to the real thing, I'll never know.  I've never been to Mongolia and don't plan on ever visiting.  But it is something my in-law family has done for years.  It is great fun!

We affectionately refer to it as a "Congolian" as that is what our cook calls it.  :)

The ingredients are easy, although a lot of prep, but the actual dinner is laid-back and easy-going.  

We chop up beef fillet and chicken breasts.  For vegetables, we chop cabbage, carrots, broccoli, baby marrow, onion, etc... Sauces include Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, sweet and sour sauce, olive oil, and sugar water.  We also make a big bowl of rice.

In the kitchen, we have all the ingredients laid out.  For some, there's an absolute science involved in the Mongolian.  For me, I just dish up what I like and throw it on the braii while trying not to add too much soy sauce!

Some of us need REALLY big spatulas to braii.

A Mongolian barbecue is a fun, relaxing way to enjoy company.  We can only fit about four people on our braii at the same time while the others wait around sipping Cokes and enjoying the fellowship.  

SInce I've been married, we've done three Mongolian braiis.  My sister-in-law organized the first one back in October.  I couldn't stop raving about how much fun it is!  My family enjoyed theirs as well.  Come and visit and we'll do one for you, too!

back from a long absence

Good morning, everyone!

Wow has the time ever flown since my last post!  My parents and brother were here for two full weeks. That made two weeks of my life zoom by.  Now, my nieces and I have started back to our normal school schedule.  The weather here is absolutely picture-perfect.  

I have wanted to share some snapshots of my daily life here but don't often lug my camera with me.  Having my mom here was the perfect opportunity to get some every-day-life photos.

Each Friday, I do the grocery shopping for the family's restaurant and also the farm.  Many may wonder what kind of grocery stores we have here.  Surprisingly enough, we have very normal stores to shop in!  The one in our town in quite small compared to others.  I love going to the capitol city once a month to do a nice shop and pick up different cuts of meat and various items that aren't always found on the shelves in our local store.

 

Yes, we have familiar brands here, too!  I really don't miss too many food items because we eat so well.  I do miss chocolate chips, green salsa, green chilis, store-bought sour cream, and giardenira (for making Italian beef).  I mostly miss ingredients, not actual foods.

I always take a maid with me.  They love the opportunity to get out, go to town, do something different, and get extra treats for themselves.  :)  I love it because it makes shopping go so much faster!  Several months ago, there was a rash of crime events happening in town and it makes me feel safer having someone along with me.  Disclaimer:  I am not in danger on a daily basis.  :)  It's just nice to have someone along for the ride.

I would never do this in the States but here, I go directly into the back of the meat department to ask for the cuts I want to purchase for the week.  I remember first going with my sister-in-law and thinking that it was disgusting back there!  The smell was horrendous not to mention the smeared/streaked blood on the floor.  Eeww..  Now, it's not a big deal at all.  It's amazing how quickly one can adapt!

To finish a day of shopping, we normally stop at the market to pick up fruit and any other vegetables that I couldn't find at the store.  In this photo, you can spot bags of potatoes, piles of peanuts and stacks of egg trays.  It's easy to buy in bulk or small amounts.

All in a days' work....I love doing the shopping on Fridays!