The Family Bible

© Monika Hardy

On My Knees, by Jaci Velasquez

© Monika Hardy

Update on Homemade Yogurt

An update on my recent Homemade Yogurt Post.
Well I have to say my first attempt at making home made Yogurt failed!
I used a Yogourmet freeze dried culture, but I forgot to check the freshness date, and it was too old. To top things off, I knocked the thermometer off the kitchen counter and it broke. At first I wasn't sure if I was going to try my hand at this again. However after buying a store bought yogurt I actually tasted the cornstarch in it. Since going to simpler whole organic foods it is amazing what your taste buds can detect so I do plan on buying another thermometer and give this another try. Has anyone else tried their hand at making yogurt and are there any tips you might have for this novice?

I came across another helpful link....
The Golden Spoonful has a wonderful site, with lots of help for making yogurt, yogurt cheese, and Ice Cream!

© Monika Hardy

John Bunyan on Modesty

Bring back the Age of Innocence....


Remember the following words were penned in the 1600's, there is nothing new under the sun.

John Bunyan Quote on Modesty

Although immodesty and nakedness seem to be at an all time high in our country, it is not new to sinful man. John Bunyan (1628-1688) preached against immodesty in his day as well! Consider his words:

“Why are they for going with their…naked shoulders, and paps hanging out like a cow’s bag? Why are they for painting their faces, for stretching out their neck, and for putting of themselves unto all the formalities which proud fancy leads them to?

"Is it because they would honor God? Because they would adorn the gospel? Because they would beautify religion, and make sinners to fall in love with their own salvation? No, no, it is rather to please their lusts…

"I believe also that Satan has drawn more into the sin of uncleanness by the spangling show of fine clothes, than he could possibly have drawn unto it without them. I wonder what it was that of old was called the attire of a harlot: certainly it could not be more bewitching and tempting than are the garments of many professors this day.”

My, wouldn’t John Bunyan be shocked by the “bewitching and tempting” garments of today’s professors?


© Monika Hardy

Watermelon and Feta Salad

What a wonderful way to use watermelon!

Sounds so refreshing for the summer
I just know we are going to have soon!

Watermelon and Feta Salad

© Monika Hardy

Homemade Yogurt

Good Friday morning to you! I am so happy to see the sunshine after a few days of constant rain. I have been mulling around the idea of making yogurt and today I think I can, I think I can. I've been investigating many different methods, and have come to realize it's pretty simple. I guess I just have this need to understand the process completely as I don't want to waste all the ingredients.

A few Tips:
Store bought Yogurt can be used as a starter
or freeze dried culture available at the local health food store

Sterilize your equipment before you begin

You can use raw, or pasteurized milk, however Ultra Pasteurized will not work as it has been heated to the extreme and will not coagulate to make yogurt

If consistency is important make plain yogurt and add fruit or sweeteners later

There are different methods of keeping the yogurt warm while it is fermenting even without special yogurt making equipment:
Crock Pot, Heating Pad, In the oven, or even on the counter top.
Here are a few methods I've found online:

A Year of Slow cooking: You can make Yogurt in your CrockPot

Nourishing Days: Make Yogurt in your Crock Pot

Make Yogurt at Home: Video Simple Method

There are different methods and recipes involved in each of these sites, so pick one that works for you and start making your own fresh yogurt! The beast part about making your own is being able to control what goes into your yogurt. I'm off to make my own, let me know how yours turned out.


© Monika Hardy

What a glorious Sunday!

"You are as much serving God in looking after your own children,

and training them up in God's fear,

and minding the house,

and making your household a church for God,

as you would be if you had been called to lead

an army to battle for the Lord of hosts."

-Charles Spurgeon.

© Monika Hardy

On this day in History...David Brainerd,

photograph taken May 2010 Monika Hardy


Christ Church, the Mother Church of Georgia, was the first house of worship
established with the founding of Georgia in 1733.
Early Rectors included John Wesley who began the earliest form
of Sunday School and published the first Hymnal in the Colonies,
and the George Whitefield founder of the Bethesda Orphanage.

June 12, 1744:

David Brainerd,missionary to the New England Indians, is ordained by the Presbyterian Church. Within the next three years, he enjoyed success in his missionary efforts, but he died of tuberculosis at age 29. Jonathan Edwards preached the funeral sermon and published the diary which David had kept. David Brainerd was a contemporary with John Wesley and George Whitefield and Jonathan Edwards during what was known as the period of American History called the "Great Awakening."


© Monika Hardy

Plant and Pray

Not much to look at here, just dirt so far....
I am sure many of you are enjoying one stage or another of planting season. Here in the Northwest we have been having a very wet, cool time. Ok, so technically it is not Spring yet, but it's hard not to be playing in the dirt. Mother's Day weekend is usually the time we start planting around here, but due to our vacation a few weeks ago I did not have my seeds planted until we got home. The seedlings are stretching awfully hard to reach the filtered sunlight and are becoming very leggy in just a few weeks time. However, they will just have to wait until we get some time on the weekend to get some dirt for our new raised garden bed. I guess all in all, it's all going to work out fine, unless we get a cold early Fall which will shorten the growing season. But, sow sparingly, and we will reap sparingly, so we are going for it.
I also started some out door cool weather container gardening of Butter crunch Lettuce and Salad Mix, and Green Leaf Lettuce, along with some herbs (Which aren't doing to well in this cool, wet weather) and I just planted the Ever bearing strawberry plants that came in the mail yesterday. I did use an old ladder to hold up the pea pods when they finally decide to sprout.
I tried to gather all the info, read the Farmers Almanac articles on planting by the cycles of the moon, tried to plant seeds early, tried to buy local strawberries, but alas all my plans failed.
Guess God just wants me to remember to Plant and Pray and Trust Him!
Happy Gardening, and trusting in God!

© Monika Hardy