Honey Whole Wheat Bread

My Mom started baking bread in the 1970s, and I found one of her original recipes (they have changed a lot over the years as she has kept baking) that she had given to her Mom. When my Grandma Jane gave me her recipe cards, I inherited that recipe, and when I tried making it last week, I changed it a bit, and it turned out great! My Mom had some when she was watching my kids this week, and she said, “That is great bread!” I replied, “It’s your recipe—I just changed it a little bit.” In the recipe, I changed sugar to honey, added in some whole wheat flour, and chose to use coconut oil for the shortening.

Have the ingredients at room temperature (75 degrees).

Dissolve the yeast in the honey water in a large mixing bowl:

2 packets dry yeast (4 ½ tsp)

2 Tblsp. honey

1 cup lukewarm (85 degrees) water

Let stand 10 minutes. The yeast will froth up.

Next, beat in:

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup coconut oil

4 cups lukewarm water

1 Tblsp salt

¾ cup honey

8 cups whole wheat flour

6-7 cups white flour (add until you have a smooth dough)

Cover, let stand for 10 minutes. Then knead until no longer sticky. Place in greased bowl and cover with a cloth until doubled in size (about an hour, depending on how warm your house is). Punch down, then pinch into six portions and place into greased loaf pans. Put a little oil on the top of each loaf to help with rising.

Turn on the oven to 375 degrees, and when the loaves have doubled in size, bake for 25-35 minutes until golden. Serve with butter! Makes six medium-sized loaves. It is great for making and then freezing some loaves for later so that you don’t have to bake too often.

Copyright 2022

Would you like a 25% off coupon to my Etsy card shop? Join my email list to receive a 25% off coupon, then updates every couple months or so about new blog posts, recipes, new cards, and encouragement for you as you go through life transitions! Join here:

Join my email list

By clicking submit, you agree to share your email address with the site owner and Mailchimp to receive marketing, updates, and other emails from the site owner. Use the unsubscribe link in those emails to opt out at any time.

Connecting you to encouragement…

Success! You're on the list.

Whoops! There was an error and we couldn't process your subscription. Please reload the page and try again.

P.S. Thank you for stopping by! I insert affiliate links, such as from  Amazon, into my posts to share interesting books and products. If you buy something or start a registry, I receive income (at no extra cost to you!), for which I am thankful. So…..

— Use this link to shop on  Amazon

–shop at my Etsy photo card shop: Trees of Transition Art & Design

–keep on reading this blog.

Thank you again, and peace to you and your family!

~Mary Hope

Cheddar Parmesean Biscuits

I craved a cheesy biscuit, so I figured out this recipe based on a recipe in the Betty Crocker cookbook—I made it cheesier!

I baked mine a long time to get them almost like crackers, but if you want it more tender, don’t bake it as long. My daughter and I both love these savory biscuits.

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1 1/4 cup all purpose flour

1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

1 Tblsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp dried mustard powder

1/4 cup butter

1 cup sharp cheddar cheese

1 cup milk

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Mix together the dry ingredients. Cut in the butter until the mixture is crumbly. Mix in the milk and stir until it makes a moist dough. Roll out the dough about 1/2 inch thick and cut out about 15-20 biscuits. Place on cookie sheets and bake for 12-15 min if you want them more fluffy or 20 minutes if you want them more like toasted crackers. Enjoy! Makes 15-20 biscuits.

Copyright 2022

Would you like a 25% off coupon to my Etsy card shop? Join my email list to receive a 25% off coupon, then updates every couple months or so about new blog posts, recipes, new cards, and encouragement for you as you go through life transitions! Join here:

Join my email list

By clicking submit, you agree to share your email address with the site owner and Mailchimp to receive marketing, updates, and other emails from the site owner. Use the unsubscribe link in those emails to opt out at any time.

Connecting you to encouragement…

Success! You're on the list.

Whoops! There was an error and we couldn't process your subscription. Please reload the page and try again.

P.S. Thank you for stopping by! I insert affiliate links, such as from  Amazon, into my posts to share interesting books and products. If you buy something or start a registry, I receive income (at no extra cost to you!), for which I am thankful. So…..

— Use this link to shop on  Amazon

–shop at my Etsy photo card shop: Trees of Transition Art & Design

–keep on reading this blog.

Thank you again, and peace to you and your family!

~Mary Hope

Strawberry Ice Cream Recipe! A great way to enjoy Summer

My four year old son sometimes says to me what he would like to cook the next day, “Mom, let’s make cupcakes tomorrow!” We don’t always bake what he wants, but sometimes we do, because I want to encourage his initative and his cooking skills! It was his idea to make strawberry ice cream a few weeks ago. Our first batch turned into strawberry milk shakes because I hadn’t frozen the ice cream maker’s freezer container long enough, but then we tried again last week, and it was amazing! Adding vanilla to strawberry ice cream gives it a wonderful depth to the strawberry flavor. For the most flavor, use fresh strawberries, but frozen, thawed strawberries work well too.

Creamy Strawberry Ice Cream

3 cups strawberries (fresh or frozen both work)

1 (12 oz.) can evaporated milk (1 1/2 cups)

2 cups powdered sugar

1 cup heavy cream

1 tsp vanilla

Place your ice cream maker’s core in the freezer until it is solid (usually takes a day or two depending on your freezer). Put the thawed strawberries in the blender and pulse until smooth enough to your liking. Then add the powdered sugar and pulse until smooth. Pour into a bowl and add the evaporated milk, cream, and vanilla. Mix until smooth. Place in your ice cream maker and freeze until it is ice cream-like. It is so delicious! It makes about 6 cups.

Copyright 2022

Would you like a 25% off coupon to my Etsy card shop? Join my email list to receive a 25% off coupon, then updates every couple months or so about new blog posts, recipes, new cards, and encouragement for you as you go through life transitions! Join here:

Join my email list

By clicking submit, you agree to share your email address with the site owner and Mailchimp to receive marketing, updates, and other emails from the site owner. Use the unsubscribe link in those emails to opt out at any time.

Connecting you to encouragement…

Success! You're on the list.

Whoops! There was an error and we couldn't process your subscription. Please reload the page and try again.

P.S. Thank you for stopping by! I insert affiliate links, such as from  Amazon, into my posts to share interesting books and products. If you buy something or start a registry, I receive income (at no extra cost to you!), for which I am thankful. So…..

— Use this link to shop on  Amazon

–shop at my Etsy photo card shop: Trees of Transition Art & Design

–keep on reading this blog.

Thank you again, and peace to you and your family!

~Mary Hope

Peanut Butter Ball Cookies

My Mom made these treats with me when I was a child, and today I made these with my kids! With only four ingredients, it is a great recipe to make with kids, and it is pretty healthy too. You could add ¼ cup of your favorite protein powder, if you want it to make them more protein packed.

2 cups graham cracker crumbs (I used one packet of crackers in a regular box of crackers)

1 cup powdered milk

½ cup crunchy peanut butter

½ cup honey

Mix together the graham crackers and powdered milk, and then add the peanut butter and honey. Mix until it combines into it is all crumbly. Then take about a tablespoon and form into a ball. Enjoy! Makes about 18 treats.

Copyright 2022 by Mary H. Schuh

P.S. Thank you for stopping by! I insert affiliate links, such as from  Amazon, into my posts to share interesting books and products. If you buy something or start a registry, I receive income (at no extra cost to you!), for which I am thankful. So…..

— Use this link to shop on  Amazon

–shop at my Etsy photo card shop: Trees of Transition Art & Design

–keep on reading this blog.

Thank you again, and peace to you and your family!

~Mary Hope

2021 Photo Highlights — A Joyful Year

Back last winter, we got a big tree taken down!

We took lots of walks this year!

So happy to see more family this year.

We have two climbers on our hands.

We started celebrating Molly’s birthday in the summer 😉

We are so thankful for our family and friends! Thanks for being in our lives. 🤗

Love, Mary, Stephen, Joel and Molly

Tips for Traveling Across the Country with Little Kids

What do you think of when you hear “Driving across the country with a one year old and three year old?” I thought, “Long, loud, exhausting…” Well, I did it, and it was much better than expected!

While my husband was working from home, we decided to go visit his parents in Nevada. Since we were gone for a month, we decided to drive across the country in our van so that we could take our time, if needed and have the freedom to drive where we needed when we got out West.

What helped us drive 26 hours in 2 ½ days:

The biggest thing that helped was starting to drive at night. J We left at 7pm Friday night and drove through the night, stopping for gas twice where the kids sort of woke up, but then fell back asleep quickly. I slept about six hours and my husband, who likes to drive through the night, only got a couple of hours of sleep after we switched drivers around 4am. The kids got about nine hours of sleep. Through this choice, we got 12 hours of the 26 hours out of the way quickly! We then stopped about every three hours or so. We slept at a hotel the next night and made it to Nevada in time for dinner on Sunday night. For sleeping in the car, bring your kid’s favorite blankets and stuffed animals—and we used a sound machine that the kids were used to, so they slept pretty well!

Another top tip is to have lots of snacks that your kids love. We had oat squares, fishy crackers, raisins, fruit snacks. I packed about four bags of food with different foods and snacks for the different meals and snack times on different days.

Have a bin of their favorite toys and activities. Put away the toys they can play with for a long time for a couple of weeks before the trip, so that they are new when you go on the trip. Singing toys, stuffed animals, and interesting picture books were the best toys for us.

Have a loose schedule and be able to stop and stretch your legs if you need to. We stopped at a park in a Montana town and had fun at the park and eating lunch for an hour. On our way home, we stopped at Mount Rushmore and Wall Drug on our way through South Dakota, so we did a few more touristy things. Both ways – directly going to our destination or going slowly and seeing more sites were enjoyable.

As you travel down the road, point out the animals, mountains, and other interesting things that you see as you look out of the window. Let the kids just enjoy looking out the windows (my son loves just to watch everything!)

Tip for parents: Take a bunch of podcasts/books on tape/music that you enjoy to help you as you drive through the night – it helped me have something to think about until I saw the first light of dawn and had more scenery to watch. And pack your favorite snacks too!

Traveling with kids takes more stuff in the car and a little more time, but it is fun and worth it. When we pulled up and my husband’s parents came out of their house to welcome us, we were so glad we took the trip and got to see their faces!

Copyright 2021

P.S. Thank you for stopping by! I insert affiliate links, such as from  Amazon, into my posts to share interesting books and products. If you buy something or start a registry, I receive income (at no extra cost to you!), for which I am thankful. So…..

— Use this link to shop on  Amazon

–shop at my Etsy photo card shop: Trees of Transition Art & Design

–keep on reading this blog.

Thank you again, and peace to you and your family!

~Mary Hope

Guacamole with a Citrus Twist

We didn’t have a lime, so I substituted orange juice, and it added a sweet tang to this creamy and vibrant guacamole.

4 large avocados, pits removed

1 large tomato, chopped

1/2 bunch of cilantro, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 limes, juiced (1/4 cup)

1/2 large orange, juiced (1/4 cup)

2 tsp salt

Mix all of these ingredients together and add salt to suit your taste. Makes about 3 cups. Enjoy with corn chips.

Copyright 2021

Would you like a 25% off coupon to my Etsy card shop? Join my email list to receive a 25% off coupon, then updates every couple months or so about new blog posts, recipes, new cards, and encouragement for you as you go through life transitions! Join here:

Join my email list

By clicking submit, you agree to share your email address with the site owner and Mailchimp to receive marketing, updates, and other emails from the site owner. Use the unsubscribe link in those emails to opt out at any time.

Connecting you to encouragement…

Success! You're on the list.

Whoops! There was an error and we couldn't process your subscription. Please reload the page and try again.

P.S. Thank you for stopping by! I insert affiliate links, such as from  Amazon, into my posts to share interesting books and products. If you buy something or start a registry, I receive income (at no extra cost to you!), for which I am thankful. So…..

— Use this link to shop on  Amazon

–shop at my Etsy photo card shop: Trees of Transition Art & Design

–keep on reading this blog.

Thank you again, and peace to you and your family!

~Mary Hope

Grain-Free Cinnamon Coconut Granola

My husband is gluten-free right now, so I figured out this grain-free granola because he loves breakfast cereal. The combo of vanilla, cinnamon toasted with coconut curls makes my mouth water writing this—I’ve been making this every couple of weeks for the last year (perfecting the recipe), so enjoy!

3 cups raw almonds

2 cups. raw cashew pieces

1 cup sunflower seeds

2 cups shredded coconut, unsweetened

2 cups coconut curls, unsweetened

2 cups almond flour

½ cup flax seeds

¼ cup chia seeds

4 tsp. ground cinnamon

4 tsp. ground nutmeg

1 Tblsp. vanilla extract

½ cup coconut oil

½ cup peanut butter

1 cup pure maple syrup

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (F). Mix together all of the nuts, seeds and spices in a large bowl. Warm up the coconut oil in a 2-cup glass measuring cup for 1 minute in the microwave, then add the vanilla, peanut butter, and maple syrup and mix until smooth.  Mix the liquid mixture into the nuts, and then pour out onto two cookie sheets that are either greased or have a silicone baking liner. Bake for 20 minutes, then take out and stir in the brown edges. Bake for 10 more minutes, stir again, then another 10 minutes until golden brown and fragrant. Cool and then store in a glass or plastic container. Makes about 3 quarts. Serve with cold milk and enjoy!

Copyright 2021

Would you like a 25% off coupon to my Etsy card shop? Join my email list to receive a 25% off coupon, then updates every couple months or so about new blog posts, recipes, new cards, and encouragement for you as you go through life transitions! Join here:

Join my email list

By clicking submit, you agree to share your email address with the site owner and Mailchimp to receive marketing, updates, and other emails from the site owner. Use the unsubscribe link in those emails to opt out at any time.

Connecting you to encouragementu2026

Success! You're on the list.

Whoops! There was an error and we couldn't process your subscription. Please reload the page and try again.

P.S. Thank you for stopping by! I insert affiliate links, such as from  Amazon, into my posts to share interesting books and products. If you buy something or start a registry, I receive income (at no extra cost to you!), for which I am thankful. So…..

— Use this link to shop on  Amazon

–shop at my Etsy photo card shop: Trees of Transition Art & Design

–keep on reading this blog.

Thank you again, and peace to you and your family!

~Mary Hope

Christmas Letter 2020

Dear Family and Friends,

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Here are a few highlights of our year:

This year has been full of settling into our wonderful home and neighborhood and enjoying seeing our two little ones grow so much!

Thanksgiving 2020

Stephen has worked from home since February, and it is great to have him around more. He gets to connect with the kids more from working from the guest room. Stephen (plus a few family and friends) finished fixing the clutch on his truck, so the last few weeks he has been having time to organize and settle into the garage. I’m excited that we can park the car in the garage this winter. He parents and even his brother came to visit this year, which was a blessing.

Grandma Anne had fun hanging out with us!

I enjoy being a wife and mother, as well as fitting in a bit of card making and writing around the edges. I’m still a children’s leader for Bible Study Fellowship, which is all online, so I am getting better at doing teaching videos as that is how we are teaching the kids about God’s Word. Joel loves to see his teachers on video! My Mom was able to visit a couple of times this year, and we would love to have other family and friends come visit!

Joel turned three last month, and he is into the climbing, jumping, and running stage! He loves climbing and sitting on tractors, playing with Molly (he randomly just gives her hugs, which she loves! She beams at him), and seeing family and friends. He likes to paint, play basketball, and play with the neighbor kids. Grandma Anne made him some flashcards that he likes to practice his numbers with (and Molly likes getting into those and other flashcards we have!)

Molly will be one on Christmas Day, and she is a firecracker—feisty (she has a great stern look—she would make her Norwegian Grandpa Rick proud), lovely, and she can scream pretty loud! She loves to eat, is cruising around on the furniture, so we will have a walker soon, and she loves playing and learning from Joel. She has brought so much joy in this hard year for our world.

Yes, this year has been hard emotionally, but my hope in Jesus has helped me process the grief and death we have had to face. Jesus came to earth as a baby (that is what we are celebrating with Christmas—his birth), he grew up, then he let himself be killed to pay the price for all the things we have done wrong—our sin. Jesus, the perfect Son of God, died so that we can know God, His Father, again. God created each one of us and wants to know us. We just have to receive the free gift of eternal life that Jesus paid for to know God again (because we can’t know God when we have sin in the way). Knowing God brings satisfaction, peace, and hope even when a pandemic hits, loved ones die, jobs end, dates break up… There is so much life and hope in Jesus—please accept His offer of love and life. If you have any questions, please ask me. The Bible tells this story, and the gospel of John is a great book to start reading.

May you feel the peace that comes from Jesus and His love for you as 2020 ends and a new year begins.

Love, Mary, Stephen, Joel and Molly

Copyright 2020

Would you like a 25% off coupon to my Etsy card shop? Join my email list to receive a 25% off coupon, then updates every couple months or so about new blog posts, recipes, new cards, and encouragement for you as you go through life transitions! Join here:

Join my email list

By clicking submit, you agree to share your email address with the site owner and Mailchimp to receive marketing, updates, and other emails from the site owner. Use the unsubscribe link in those emails to opt out at any time.

Connecting you to encouragementu2026

Success! You're on the list.

Whoops! There was an error and we couldn't process your subscription. Please reload the page and try again.

P.S. Thank you for stopping by! I insert affiliate links, such as from  Amazon, into my posts to share interesting books and products. If you buy something or start a registry, I receive income (at no extra cost to you!), for which I am thankful. So…..

— Use this link to shop on  Amazon

–shop at my Etsy photo card shop: Trees of Transition Art & Design

–keep on reading this blog.

Thank you again, and peace to you and your family!

~Mary Hope

Basil Walnut Pesto

I posted this three years ago, and since we have a bush of a basil plant this year, I thought it would be a great post to share again! Enjoy:

We bought a basil plant last week, and I harvested almost two cups of leaves this week to add to my homemade pesto! Nurturing this plant is making me so happy–I can’t wait until the leaves grow full again and I can make more pesto.

This pesto recipe is for people on a budget, so if you don’t have pine nuts, walnuts will work as well. (You also could substitute pecans, if desired). Feel free to adjust nuts and oils to what you have at home, but this much pesto coated enough pasta for about 6-8 people.