And................I'm still behind in my posts. Unfortunately. Because I really wish I wasn't. But we've been pretty busy recently, and it's about to get busier.

So that being said, we leave tomorrow on a trip to Guatemala City for the H.I.M. Hispanic Pastor's Retreat. Could you please remember us in prayer? Our plans are to return home on Friday. And hopefully when I get back, I'll do my best to get caught up on all the recent happenings that I'm needing to post about!!

Honey Wheat Bread

When I make homemade bread, I typically gravitate towards white bread. I like the taste and look of the loaf better. Sometimes though, I like to experiment with different types of bread/ingredients. Such is the case with this loaf. I had seen a recipe online that looked like it might be good, so I experimented with different measurements/ingredients until I found something I actually liked. I hope you will enjoy it too!

Honey Wheat Bread

(Mixed on the dough/pasta setting of my

bread machine, then shaped and baked in the oven.)

1/3 cup of warm water

3/4 cup of milk

2 Tbsp. of honey

2 Tbsp. of melted shortening

1-1/2 cups of all purpose flour

1 cup of whole wheat flour

1 tsp. salt

1-1/2 tsp. of yeast

Place all the ingredients in your bread machine as recommended by the manufacturer. Press start, and let it do it's thing! During the kneading process, I typically add about 4 Tbsp. of all purpose flour to get the proper texture.

Once the dough cycle is complete (approximately 1-1/2 hrs. for my machine), I place the dough on a lightly floured surface, knead it a few times, and then shape it. I place it in a well greased bread loaf pan, sprinkle some rolled oats on top, then allow it to rise for 30-40 mins. Then I bake it in a pre-heated 350* oven for 30 minutes. Pull it out of the oven, remove the loaf from the pan, brush some melted butter on the top, then allow it to cool. After that, slice it, butter it, then EAT it! Yum!

Happy Thanksgiving!

From our home to yours, we trust that y'all have had a special thanksgiving today and were able to share it with family and friends!

I decorated the table and buffet for Thanksgiving, and also prepared a special meal for us.

We enjoyed a smoked loin, mashed potatoes and gravy, filling (or stuffing/dressing to you other folks!), green beans, homemade bread, and an apple pie! Yummy!

All ready to eat!

Now we're all stuffed from the meal! And, I think we'll be enjoying the leftovers over the next few days!

Tomorrow, I'll try to post my homemade bread recipe.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

And before this day ends, let's each try to remember to keep the spirit of Thanksgiving in our hearts, the whole year 'round!

Until Next Time...

It was one of those "get up bright and early" kind of mornings! We were sad to say our good bye's as we took Mom, Dad, and Pap back to the airport, but we were glad to have had a wonderful time together while they were here.

Now, it's back to work (as if you ever really stop when you're in ministry)! We've got Thanksgiving to look forward to this week, as well as packing for our trip to Guatemala next week.

Celebrate!

Yesterday, we were able to spend some time relaxing together. We also checked out the large indoor market here, drove out to the border of Guatemala, then later on, I put up the Christmas tree while Mom and Dad wrapped gifts.

All of those things that happened yesterday, brings us to today! We started the morning by eating a delicious french toast casserole, then we read the Christmas story and opened up Christmas gifts that Mom and Dad had brought with them. The boys were all excited, of course!

Parker was enjoying himself by piling his gifts on top of each other!

Later on this afternoon, my Dad and I put up some cabinets! I finally have a place to put my dishes and glasses, etc... Yay! Now, I just need to get them (the cabinets!) painted some time soon! My plans are to paint them an antique black that will match my desk.

And........today is also my 30th birthday! It was so nice to be able to celebrate it with my Mom and Dad and Pap! And we all really enjoyed Dad's chocolate/peanut butter cake!

A Fun Thursday

Wow! We finally got the play house/swing set completed this morning! It looks so nice and the boys are lovin' it! Thanks so much for your help, Dad!

Since we completed that project, we decided to head down to the beach for the rest of the day! Our boys enjoyed splashing in some pools, while Mom and Dad enjoyed getting their feet wet in the Pacific!

Then we drove a few miles to our favorite restaurant along the beach. There's always a beautiful view at sunset!

I just love this pic! The beautiful blue, fading sky with the lighted palapas along the shoreline.

And we just had to get a pic of Mom with her delicious shrimp cocktail!

It was an enjoyable day! I wonder what we'll do tomorrow?

Progress

Little by little, we're making progress with the swingset. Here, the boys are sitting on the roof.

Pap taking a break from the heat.

Tuesday p.m. - The framework was completed, and it was set up this morning.

Dad cutting boards this morning.

The frame and roof is up...now to put the floor and side boards on.

Taylor loves to help!

Pap even climbed up to help!

Now we're getting somewhere!!

(And yes, sometimes the boys like wearing their pajamas all day!)

And before we quit for the day, let's add the sliding board!

Parker even enjoyed a slippery ride!

We're hoping tomorrow to be able and finish the whole swing set! Yay!

Starting a New Project

We started a little, or should I say a large, project today! Last year for Christmas, we, along with family, had purchased a swing set kit as part of the boys' Christmas gift. But, seeing as we're not so carpentry minded, we decided my Dad's visit was the perfect time to build it!

The only problem? We needed to cut down a tree in our backyard! We were not able to find a chainsaw to use, so we started with a reciprocating saw, and then moved on to a simple garden/tree hand saw.

At this point, we all were helping to saw through the stump and we each took turns so that none of us would pass out in the heat! There was definitely a lot of sweat involved.

Finally, after much sawing, pushing, and a few kung fu (lol) moves, we finally had a stump without the tree attached!!

Now, we can start the actual building process. Stay tuned!

A Surprise Visit!

I can't believe this day has finally arrived! My mom, dad, and grandfather came to visit us!! And the best part? We were able to keep it a secret from our boys! They were totally shocked!!

We had been hinting for awhile, saying that "special presents" might arrive via airplane. Of course, we were meaning people, but they just assumed packages! So today, we simply drove to the airport and watched for planes to come in, saying that maybe one of them had some special presents!

We had the boys stand up against this wall, and they still had no idea that their pappy and grandma were coming, until they literally walked around the corner! Kyle was shocked speechless (unusual!) and Taylor said, "Hey! Hey guys!"

Below is a little video we tried to take of the boys' first reaction to seeing their pappy and grandma. Our camera battery was going dead, so we didn't get a whole lot, but it's cute anyway!

[ Just a Glimpse ]

In keeping with my last post, here's a look at some of the nicer (!) fishing boats that dock in the village near Puerto Chiapas. You can buy fresh fish, shrimp, and crab from vendors who are set up all around the docks. It's an interesting place (smelly, too)!!! =)

Cruise "Gawking"

Today turned out to be an interesting day! We had to go into el centro this morning, and while we were there, we noticed a few shuttle buses and coaches that had gringos in them! We figured they had came into Puerto Chiapas on a cruise. We decided to check it out.

We drove the twenty-some minutes down to the port, and sure enough, the cruise liner, Statendam (of Holland America), was docked. We were able to park not far away, and then walk almost right up to the ship. We stopped and talked to several people and found out that this trip originates in San Diego, then travels through the Panama Canal and onto Ft. Lauderdale. It then does a return trip back to San Diego.

It was really neat to see the ship up close. Below are a few cell phone pics.

I also looked online and found a few aerial pics of Puerto Chiapas. The red brick docking area (in the upper right of the pic), is where the ship was pulled in at.

Puerto Chiapas and the Pacific Ocean.

[ Just a Glimpse ]

This past Sunday we were taking some pictures to be sent to H.I.M...so I thought I'd share one of them with you. This is our regular group of church attendees. We were missing one family and two men. We also have another little family that periodically shows up. They're a great group of people that we enjoy working with and doing our best to teach them in the way of Biblical living.