Sauerkraut Day --- With Recipe NEW!

Nana pounding away.

Update With Recipe:

Dear Fellow Cooks,

We thought you might enjoy trying to make your own sauerkraut. It is very simple to create. We used the recipe from Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon.

Lovingly,
The Serven Clan

Sauerkraut
Makes 1 quart

1 medium cabbage, cored and shredded
1 tablespoon caraway seeds
1 tablespoon sea salt
4 tablespoons whey (if not available use an additional 1 tablespoon salt)

In a bowl, mix cabbage with caraway seeds, sea salt and whey. Pound with a wooden pounder or a meat hammer for about 10 minutes to release juices [Editors Note: We used a rubber mallet wrapped in plastic wrap and secured with a rubber band]. Place in a quart-sized, wide mouth mason jar and press down firmly with a pounder or meat hammer until juices come to the top of the cabbage. The top of the cabbage should be at least 1 inch below the top of the jar. Cover tightly and keep at room temperature for about 3 days before transferring to cold storage [Editors Note: We keep ours in the basement]. The sauerkraut may be eaten immediately, by it improves with age [Editors Note: Our instructor said to wait 4 months for the best flavor].

Miss L. with Sauerkraut.


Mom and little Miss H.


Sauerkraut Instructions.


The Finished Product.

"Come to Jamestown--In Costume!"

After waiting and anticipating an article by Jennie Chancey we discovered it is finally up! Read "Come to Jamestown--In Costume" for some helpful tips, photos and patterns in preparation for making authentic garments for the Jamestown 400 Celebration.

Curve Ball

Sometimes days don't turn out how you think they should. Tuesday was a day like that. Though grand plans prevailed in the morning, this is what really happened:

A. Make breakfast (fried eggs, toast, grapefruit).

B. Drive a circuitous route to drop off children to practice with another family for our upcoming recital, attempting to continue crocheting a little on the afghan as the roads are not too curvy.

C. Run an errand with Mom to pick up a piece for the lawn-mower. While she is inside the store, nap in the car (stayed up till midnight the night before).

D. Drive over to Costco to purchase Quick Books for GFCR! Arrive at Costco and talk to tech support (Peter) on phone only to find out we need more space on the hard drive to fit the program on. Wait! Peter checked again and he was looking at the stats for the external hard-drive. We really do have enough space for the program. Purchase program.

E. Pick up children, harp, and borrowed spoon (we forgot one at home and need it to make lunch).

F. Drive down into the city while Beth makes lunch in the front seat and passes it to the rest of us, and we go back and forth in our minds as to if we can fit in another errand.

G. At the last possible second, decide to swing by the new discount fabric store 10 minutes out of the way, but arrive only to discover it is closed because no one was there to run it that day.

H. Get back on the road heading to our next destination, but realize that because we went by the (closed) fabric store, there is not enough time to get into the city, drop most people off and swing back to Lyd's violin lesson. Reverse the route north and head towards violin lesson.

I. Pull in at the shoe store (now trying to burn extra time) where a very sweet 5 year old young man assists me in finding a pair of summer sandals. Last year's were actually a borrowed pair from one of my sisters and were 1/2 a size too small plus now the sole is coming off. : )

J. Attend violin lesson and take notes for Lydia.

K. Head down deep into the heart of the city to drop off all the family to visit a very special someone.

L. Unload the family and drive the 15 passenger van solo towards the computer location/home. Arrive there only to find no one is home--but the door is kindly unlocked. They were expecting me. : )

M. Attempt to learn about putting audio on-line via web research.

N. Successfully learn how to convert audio files to MP3 after several tries.

O. Unsuccessfully try to upload the file onto the page 3 or 4 different ways.

P. Receive phone calls from a big someone asking me when I will be back at the other location to visit the sweet little someone and pick everyone else up.

Q. Try one last time to upload files.

R. Give up. : )

S. Jump in the car, navigate traffic, and--praise the Lord--arrive safely back down in the heart of the city despite several narrow escapes.

T. See the baby in all his sweetness.

U. Practice violin with a precious young lady for our upcoming recital (coming this Friday!).

V. Watch someone blow up long skinny balloons and shape them into hats for little people.

W. Drive home, continue crocheting afghan until it is almost finished.

X. Help with dinner preparations and eat.

Y. Clean up kitchen.

Z. Head to bed exhausted.

On day like this when nothing goes as plans, nothing is accomplished, and nothing makes much sense, the Lord is kind to tell us that even though "man plans His ways, the Lord directs his steps." As my dear friend Jenny always reminds me, the Lord is not always interested in the end result, but how we grow in the process.

On Task

After a 2 and a 1/2 hour board meeting last night, deemed a success because we made it through the entire agenda without having to table anything until the next meeting for lack of time, and furthermore, liberally sprinkled with hilarity, jokes, laughter and ice cream, I have a long to-do list.

Wow. Was that a run on sentence or what!? : )

So, it is off to the city today for our weekly violin lesson and computer time trip. The objectives for today?

A. Figure out how to put up sound clips from Hymns for Kith and Kin, O Sing a New Psalm, and Songs of the Remnant on the site. We have had lots of requests for sound samples and would like to offer this sneak peek into the contents of our CDs.

B. Start designing a cover for the sessions recorded at the Men's Leadership Advance. We hope to have these for sale at the end of May, so keep your eyes peeled for an upcoming announcement.

So, "Hi-ho, Hi-ho, its off to work I go . . . "

Dad and Kids Hike

Off on an adventure!


"Over the River and Through the Woods . . ."


Climbing Trees.


Posing pretty.


Some Saffa Children.


The whole crew: Servens, Bringes, Saffas.

From the Field: Photography Class

Peter Wins "Picture of the Day Award" April 19, 2007

Our brother Peter reports from the Prizewinning Photography Class in Dallas Texas, on the Institue for Photographic Studies Blog:

"Beep, beep, beeeeep... my alarm clock blared, quickly bringing me out of a deep sleep. I jumped out of bed and remembered that this was the day that I had been looking forward to the most, Portraiture and Group photography at the beautiful Dallas Arboretum. . . ." Read More >>

View the full resolution group photo (~6 MB)

Calling All Jamestown Enthusiasts

If you are thinking of creating a period accurate costume for The Jamestown Quadricentennial make sure to check out this site for very interesting, practical and authentic information.

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Important Disclaimer at 11:22 PM:

The author of this site is not writing from a distinctively Biblical perspective. Keep this in mind as you sift the wheat from the chaff. : )

Many of the articles on the Demonstrations page under the side-bars "Getting Started", "Body Measurement", "Pattern Development", "Sewing Tech", and "Accessories: Western European" were very helpful. Today in particular as I started working on Sarah's skirt, I found many wonderful hints in the article about Cartridge Pleating.

Hunt Hospitality

The Long Table.

What a joy it was to get to know a fellow home-school and ministry minded family in Lincoln County! We had met the Hunt family when we first arrived in Missouri and bumped into them at the store and around town, but it was an honor to finally get to spend time with this wonderful family and get to know them better.


A Kind Welcome.

When we arrived, we were greeted by a fun sign giving much promise of other delightful things during the evening. We were tickled to discover that the three Hunt daughters are avid "crocheters". It was amazing to see some of the detailed work they had done making doilies, blankets, and sweaters.


The Dads Talking.

Both our dads are involved in family integrated churches in the area. There are many common bonds between men who are working in Christ's Kingdom. It is an encouragement to speak together and be "Iron sharpening iron."


Down on the Farm.

As our property is in a subdivision, we miss having animals very greatly. It was a special treat to take the Farm Tour and see all the endeavors of the Hunt children.


A Genuine Piglet.


Swapping Stories of God's Providence.

After dinner we sat around for several hours sharing stories of the Lord's work in our lives--how our parents met, how the Lord saved us, how we heard about home education, how the Lord gave us a deeper understanding of discipling, and what the Lord was teaching us today.

The Hunt's oldest daughter shared of learning about glorifying the Lord in everything she does. She rephrased the concept of glorifying the Lord in such a winsome way, it was a challenge and encouragement to me.

We are called to glorify God in the middle of washing dishes, playing with a crying baby, reading a story to hungry children, typing a paper on the computer, cleaning the house, preparing a sermon, swinging a hammer--any and every time of the day, our heart should be outpouring in worship to God.

Westminster Shorter Catechism, Question 1.
Q. 1: What is the chief end of man?
A: Man's chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.

Resurrection Cream Puffs

From the Better Homes and Gardens "New Cook Book"

1/2 cup butter
1 cup water
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 eggs

In a medium saucepan melt butter. Add water; bring to boiling. Add flour and salt all at once; stir vigorously.

Cook and stir till mixture forms a ball that doesn't separate. Remove from heat; cool slightly, about 5 minutes.

Add eggs, one at a time, beating with a wooden spoon after each addition for 1 to 2 minutes or until smooth.

Drop batter by heaping tablespoon 3 inches apart onto a greased baking sheet.

Bake in a 400* oven about 30 minutes or till golden brown and puffed. [Editors Note: Remove one from the oven; if it does not fall, they are done].

Remove from oven; split, removing any soft dough inside. Cool on a wire rack. Fill with whipped cream, pudding, ice cream, or fruit mixture. Makes 10.

Read About our Tradition on Resurrection Day.

Cooks Notes from the Serven Clan Kitchen:
If you want to make more than 10 cream puffs, DO NOT DOUBLE THE RECIPE. It doesn't work. We tried. Trust us. : ) Merely, make a second batch or have a second person make another batch in another pot.

A Joyful Eastertide

Resurrection Morning Feast

Every family has their own traditions to make the celebration of Christ's Resurrection memorable. For our family, we have a tradition of making creampuffs, still called "new" because we've only done it for 14 years. I guess we can't really call it a new tradition though--it only seems that way. The years go by so fast!

And "What", you ask "is the significance of creampuffs?" The creampuff is hollow on the inside which makes an "empty tomb". We arrange them on the children's plates with one little side of the creampuff cut off (that is the stone which was rolled away). Fresh made whipped cream represent the grave clothes, and we have strawberries to round out the sweetness of the meal. This year we had our normal scrambled eggs, and very, very special turkey bacon to go alongside the creampuffs! : )


Music and Talking while we wait for Dinner.

After the worship service, we gathered with a good group back at our home. What a treat to have the Lautenslauger family passing through to serenade us with joyous tunes. From South Dakota, the kind L. family was driving through on their way to their son's wedding in the balmy south. We were thrilled to enjoy their praises to the King of Kings this joyful Resurrection Day.


Little Boys Table.

We had to spread the 36 dinner guests all over the upstairs on 4 different tables. Much good conversation was had by all as we recounted the Lord's work in our lives over the past years. Walking, talking, giving and receiving encouragement, bonfires, singing, and many more things of joy took place this Easter Day. We are so grateful to our God for His redemption of His people and treasure the celebration of Christ's resurrection in the year of our Lord, 2007.

New Article on John Calvin

"During the balmy summer days of July, 1536 the twenty-eight year old John Calvin (1509-1564) was on his way into exile in Strasbourg, Germany. As he quickly sped along the stone-paved main highway with his younger brother Anthony and his half-sister Marie perhaps he asked himself, “Why are we fleeing?” . . . " Read More >>

Bed and Breakfast

Little Ones.

Several weeks ago we enjoyed having the dear Carpenter family for a quick visit. What a delight to have them in our home--it's just always too short.


Many joyful stories to tell.


Kickball Games.


Arm Wrestling.


Visit to Nathan's house project.


Its always too short.

Sweet Fan Mail : )

Dear Miss Rebecca,

My name is Baylie W., and I am fourteen years old.

Today I received Hymns for Kith and Kin as a birthday present, and I wanted to tell you that my family and I are enjoying it immensely! Your arrangement of "For All the Saints'' is gorgeous, and is my favorite on the CD. :) Our family has listened to numerous piano hymn CD's over the years, but the arrangements were way too ''messy,'' and not enjoyable to listen to. Your CD is so refreshing in the fact that you can easily hear the melody and meditate on the words as you listen.

I play the piano as well, and enjoy playing by ear the most. I also arrange hymns, and have composed a few melodies of my own. Do you write down your arrangements, or do you just “have them in your head”? Unfortunately I have not yet learned to write down music, so I file all of my arrangements in my mind! :)

Also, I LOVE your family's blog! I look forward to each post. May God bless you!

In Christ,
Baylie W.

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Dear Baylie,

Thank you so much for your kind note! It is a joy to know that Hymns for Kith and Kin is blessing other families.

In answer to your question, I do not write my arrangements down. In fact, each time I play them, because I am improvising from the hymnal, I will play them a little differently. However, I do make notes in the hymnal at the beginning of each verse marking which style I want to play the verse depending on the words. For instance, if a particular verse is talking about our sin and corruption, I might play certain chords that connect to those words in the relative minor. If a verse speaks of spiritual warfare, I might use a martial theme. For a hymn verse speaking of our prayers ascending to heaven, I would interpret it with arpeggios in the left hand and perhaps the right hand played up an octave.

I use the Trinity Hymnal, but you can use any hymnal to improvise. The Trinity is particularly helpful when you are starting out learning to "read the notes and play what is not written down" as it has guitar chords on several of the hymns. I find myself using this feature often in teaching my piano students how to improvise. Of course, once you learn how to read the chords from the notes, then you don't need the chord names written down but can just play what is not there! : )

What a delight to hear of a young person who is seeking to glorify the Lord though their music and worshiping Him. This is something that I am still learning, and I believe is a life long lesson, but it is a great treasure to worship the Lord through playing the piano. I have found it to be a blessing as I am able, to sing the words of the hymns aloud, or if not, to at least follow the words, singing them in your heart. This helps bring the focus back to the truth of the words, and not on the performance of the music.

May the Lord bless your playing and may you always serve Him for His glory,
Rebecca Serven

P. S. to all our Blog Readers:
Check out the new Hymn Singing Kit on Genevan Foundation's site!

Gardens in the Spring

The spring days of the past weeks have found us down strolling the grounds of the Missouri Botanical Gardens more often than not. Tomorrow we plan to make the hour long drive again and see the end of the bulbs blooms.


Daffodils a few weeks ago.

Because of the hard frosts of the last week we don't know what quite to expect--it is always a glorious surprise to see how the gardens appear. If it is nasty out of doors, we'll probably make our way to the Climatron and other indoor control temperate gardens.


Some Miscellaneous Grablets and Servens.

We like to take people with us to the gardens as it provides a wonderful walking and talking setting for the olders and a glorious running and skipping extravaganza for the younger set.


The Children's Joy.

One of the favorite garden locations is the maze. The children always have such adventures running through the bushy walls.


Lost in the middle.


The end in sight!

At the entrance/exit to the maze lies a convenient tower. This is quite helpful to climbers who desire to direct the maze wanderers to figure out the puzzle of the maze.

Bonfire!

An Evening's Excitement.

This recent bonfire at the Serven Clan home was a great success. We all enjoyed the boy's creativity at starting the fire--doesn't it look neat? We were quite impressed as other fire attempts have not always worked so well. : )

P. S. As I was down in the city today with the Johnson's, I uploaded a bunch of pictures. Keep an eye out for them over the next few days . . .

Of Dishes and Days Gone By

Dirty Dishes in the Sink . . hey, that sounds like a line of poetry!

While organizing some stuff in my closet today, I came across an un-published article I wrote years ago. It is a curious thing to read what one has written in the past and see struggles of days gone by; some things very much the same, others matured to new challenges. Though badly written (I've left it very much the way it was), I thought it an interesting picture into my life.

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As I rose from the lunch table and headed to the kitchen yet again, I moaned inwardly, surveying the vast amounts of dishes. The dreaded pots and pans piled up record high, threatening to pass the edge of the upper cupboards.

Whenever I do the dishes, I am guilt ridden with all the other things I could or should be doing. Thoughts of unfinished e-mails, sewing projects half done, projects for our church, projects for our home, projects for Dad, projects for Mom, projects, projects, projects. "Lord, there are so many things I should be doing that are more important! And look at everyone else! They are sure not helping."

In the semi-stillness after lunch, I gazed despondently into the sink of dirty water and could hear strains of harp music from my younger sisters's practicing, my pastor-Dad typing out his sermon, other brothers and sisters resting, playing games, reading books, studying, and sleeping. "Why do I have to be the one who gets up early, cooks breakfast, lunch and dinner and then clean up after everybody? Life is just too difficult." With that the tears started to flow. [Editors Note: Wow. Do I have an attitude or what?!]

If John Bunyan was featuring me as a character in one of his allegories, he would have named me "Easily Despondent". When the menial tasks pile up at home (dishes, laundry, mending, cleaning) I take them to task, all the while dreading them. The focus is on me. And even when I ask God to redirect my focus towards serving others, it all seems like a big never ending cycle of meaninglessness. Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.

As I stood gazing with watery eyes at the looming loads of dishes, I asked the Lord to give me some new perspective in His revealed word. "Lord, help me to be content in whatever state I'm in, just as Paul was" (Phil. 4:11)

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And then the article ends! There may have been more to the paper; I had many unfinished scribblings. But that is all that's there. And what a dreary way to end! Some days I have a hard time realizing that girl who washed the dishes was me, and of course other days, I find myself identifying with "Easily Despondent" only too well.

The Lord has been so kind and gracious to me over these past 5 years (my guess is that I was probably 21 years old when I wrote this). I am amazed to think of how our Mighty God has worked in my relationships with my family, my father, my siblings, and especially my harp playing sister (I am now always delighted to hear her play). I even enjoy washing dishes as it gives me time to think. : )

What a curious thing time is. The Lord works His work in our lives, sanctifying us for His glory, taking us through each new challenge, ever widening our eyes of faith and causing us to trust him.

Yesterday, after having a rather teary eyed morning (for no particular reason : ), my heart was encouraged to hear Dad's sermon. He spoke about Lazarus and how Jesus Christ raised him from the dead. In bringing him back to life, it was a picture of Justification--an act of God's grace, a point in time, breathing life into his dead bones. When Lazarus was unwrapped of his grave clothes though, that was a picture of Sanctification--an ongoing work of God's grace, a gradual process the Lord takes us through, the Lord cleansing us of our sins that want to entangle us, making us new creatures to rejoice in His presence.

A friend also reminded me of Is 61:3, ". . . to grant to those who mourn in Zion--to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified."

How grateful I am for God's sanctifying work in my life. Taking me where I am at and not leaving me there. Lovingly giving me beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for a spirit of mourning, causing me to rejoice in His goodness, unwrapping me from the moldy grave clothes of sin and creating me after His likeness. I can't even fathom why He would do that, caring for us so deeply. What a loving God we serve. Our gratefulness should abound.

Resurrection Sunday

Preparations are being made for the celebration of our redemption. Of course, this should happen every hour of every day, but it is good to have particular times, weekly and yearly, to joy in it, as we are wont to forget the glories of Christ and him crucified.

May we find all our solace in our Kinsman Redeemer who has purchased us for his own and risen in victory over death!

A Wee Little Grablet

A "Grablet" is the pet name for children of dear friends of ours . . . and as of Sunday evening, there are now 5 of them, 6 years and younger. Beth and Sarah are spending the week at their home, playing with the children, making meals, keeping house, and holding the precious little baby boy (no name yet for all the CA people who were wondering). Mother and baby are doing fine. Praise God.

Lydia, Mom and I are serving our men here this week--we miss our sisters very much though. In fact, last night on a phone call down to the city where the girls are staying, we had a vicarious crocheting party. I was crocheting an afghan out here in the country, and the girls were working on washcloths down in the "hood". And all while talking on the phone! : )

The joys of home life and sisterhood.