Long Over Due

Well, it is way beyond time for a new post! What do you guys think? I tell you what, being in school really messes up blogging. I don't write. I don't read. I feel so out of the loop!!!

It has been a good holiday season. Mercedes is in Ballet and has had five recitals since Thanksgiving. It is so fun to watch her! Miss Barbara is a sweet heart too. She's let Christina and Alex join in on the last dance number a few times and they enjoy it so much! It's also been good because we've been out to some of the community events that we wouldn't have gone to, like Holly Days and Breakfast with Santa. Mercedes is also quite busy with school and really loves it. In fact, K12 just had their winter event for the students, their friends, and family. We went ice skating, ate lots of pizza, and the students had a gingerbread contest. All I can say is, "Thank goodness for pre-assembled gingerbread houses!" Otherwise we probably wouldn't have had one. Of the 25 houses entered, Mercedes actually won one of five special prizes. She won Best Use of Frosting; but sh, we wont tell them that was the only part I did. (Although, I didn't do it all). Everything else was the kids' work. K12 also had an extra medal, so they gave it to Christina. She and Mercedes were all grins from then on.

Christina is really enjoying school too. She went through a little phase where she would scream and cry if I tried to take her, and there were a couple times I took her home. But, her teacher said she would be fine and to leave her. Miss Dana is a really gifted person and a huge blessing for Christina. I'm also grateful for her Primary teachers who have been amazing this year!

Well, Alex had surgery last month and just had his follow-up. His hernia is healing nicely. It was kind of weird that he had a hernia just after Jake, which I don't know if I ever got around to writing about. But they both had one within a month of each other. I'm SO glad they're feeling better! Alex is also crazy about trains right now. He loves them and is so much fun to watch as he plays. I just enjoy watching the children's imaginations bloom. It is so fun!

As for Jake and I, we have one more semester finished. WOOHOOOO! It is so good to be going to school, (Jake just read this and said, "No, no it is not,)" but it is also a lot of work between everything else. We had finals last week and now we can do something else for half-a-month. Maybe we'll clean house. Maybe we'll just talk about cleaning house. Who knows. ;)

And dud...dun...dun...tis the season for cheery greetings and warmest wishes. Merry Christmas to you and your family! We hope you find much peace and happiness as you enter the new year!

Love you all!

Otitis Media - the Ear Infection

I have been meaning to make this post for awhile now, but hadn't got around to it yet. Now I'm awake and I'm not falling back asleep, so I figure - there's no better time to talk about Otitis Media.

Just a little background on my search for a cure...

When my oldest daughter was born, she had quite a few ear infections. I have an aunt who swears that tea oil is the answer. She "used it in her kids ears and it worked." If you hear anyone say this, run away! I learned from sad experience that melaleuca oil is NEVER to be put in the nose, eyes, or ears. It will cause the membranes to blister. Tea oil, also known as melaleuca, is an antiseptic for cleaning wounds - like hydrogen peroxide. Don't put it in your ears to cure otitis media!

Years later, after that whole tea oil episode, I was talking about ear infections with one of my grandmother's friends. She said she had herbal drops that had helped all but two of her daughters' ear infections go away. She gave me a little bottle and said, "just put 2-3 drops in the infected ear every couple hours for a day. You can do it for two days if you really want to be safe." Seriously?! I was so skeptical, that little bottle sat in a box in my closet for nearly two years.

A few years ago, our children - one in particular - began getting lots of ear infections. Our pediatrician told us most ear infections are viral; but, the only way to find out if the infections is caused by a virus or bacteria is to stick a long needle in the ear, draw out the fluid, and test it. They don't like doing this for obvious reasons; so, antibiotics are the prescription.

According to what the pediatrician said, if most ear infections are viral, and medicine can't kill a virus - the common cold for example - then the antibiotics aren't affecting the otitis media in any way anyway.

During the summer, while in my Human Development and Child Psychology classes, I learned that 80% of ear infections are viral, so antibiotics only work for 20% of ear infections. Antibiotics are affective for 1 in 5 ear infections. WHAT?! And, what happens when the body has too much antibiotic? It builds resistance and the antibiotic wont work anyway. Or, in the case of a particular family member, you become allergic to it and experience painful and irritating symptoms when your mother forgets to tell the Dr.. (I will never do that again)!

After learning and experiencing all of this, one of my kids got an ear infection. It was the weekend, the pediatrician was closed. The only thing to do was visit to the ER - and we don't do the ER unless we're dieing or have the potential to die as a result of not going :) Anyway, it's the weekend, and we have an ear infection. I being extremely skeptical, but wondering if there's a chance, dig the little bottle out of the box in my closet. We administer the drops as directed - for two days, just to be safe. And, do you now what happened? The infection went away. We have done this a total of three times now. And, each time the ear infection has gone away.

I wanted to share what this stuff is. If you want to try it, go ahead. If you want to research what I researched, go ahead. (Whatever you do, don't experiment with tea oil in ears)! The mixture that we have used for our last three ear infections is a combination of: olive oil, garlic, mullein, and lobelia. (All liquid - no powder). The first mix I had was home made, the second was purchased at a health foods store. Both worked, although the home made tincture was a lot thicker and smelled stronger. (I would like to learn how to make this).

I just thought maybe, somewhere out there, someone might find this information useful. There's nothing worse than watching one of your kids with an ear infection.

Love you all and good luck on your search for a cure!

July 20, 2015 I do want to add a little comment to this: we've been using these ear drops for years now and they are awesome! And, antibiotics do kill bacteria that begins to grow in mucus in the ear. My oldest recently had an ear infection and we did antibiotics instead of the ear drops and after a few days I asked her what she liked better: ear drops or antibiotics. She prefers the drops because she doesn't have to do them for as long.

While I Was Making Breakfast...

What do you do when your five-year-old exclaims, "We're 2/3's!" I had no idea what she was talking about until she continued. "Me and dad are 2/3's of me, daddy, and Christina." What the heck?! You're not supposed to be doing fractions. You're 5!

I have a few minutes...

Hello all! Just a short post to say surgery stinks and I hope we never have to go through this again! Poor Jake is miserable and wouldn't wish this on anyone!

On a happy note, Mercedes is still having fun with school! She went to one of the elementary schools out here and took a small reading comprehension test yesterday. She said it was fun, but I hope they assessed her correctly because she wasn't in there very long.

Anyway, we're all good, all surviving. We've been eating too much prepackaged food and not enough home cookin', and you can bet we're all feeling it. We'll that's not entirely true. Some of the ladies in the ward have brought a couple meals - which I am so grateful for! I'm just hoping I'll feel like cooking "normal" food again soon so we can all start feeling better.

Krystal's Marinara

I came up with this sauce today and it is fabulous! I wanted to use fresh tomatoes from my garden because we have a few and they'll go bad if I don't eat them. The best part about this is all my kids like it!

2 T. olive oil

2 T. dehydrated onion

1 t. garlic powder

3 1/2 c. chopped tomatoes*

1 T. sugar

1/2 t. salt

1/4 t. ground black pepper

1 T. dry parsley

2 t. dry basil

1/2 t. dry oregano

1/2 t. dry thyme

1/4. t. dry marjoram

Begin by heating the olive oil, onions, and garlic for about 30 seconds in a pan. Add the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes. When the marinara began simmering, I started heating up the water for my noodles. I let the sauce simmer and thicken until the noodles were done cooking.

*I was aiming for 3 1/2 cups chopped tomatoes, but by the time I was done, I had closer to 4 cups. I also pealed the skin off the tomatoes that were more ripe and left it on the ones that were not as ripe.

*****Edited to say - I didn't like the tomato peels in this, so I think next time I make it, I will chop the tomatoes and process them in a food processor or blanch them first to remove the peels.

Mormon Message: Voice of the Spirit

Everyone's Got a Story to Tell

Today is a good day! Christina started preschool! I was really worried about her and how she would react to being left at a strange house, but she did o.k.. It's nice that Miss Dana let her keep her monkey with her, even though we were all told don't bring anything from home except a back pack. That monkey is her best friend in the whole world!!! And no, I didn't get a single picture because the camera has been dying for days now, and refused to summon any energy from it's lifeless batteries. Darn it.

Mercedes was so cute today! She was SO excited about Christina going to school, that she helped pick out Christina's clothes, collected her backpack, filled it with paper, colored pencils, and crayons, and rode her bike in front of us the whole way saying, "Christina, you're going to school!" There's nothing like big sis being excited.

Alex had an experience yesterday. We have a Playskool play house on our porch. I was on one side and Alex was on the other. All of the sudden I hear him scream and start crying. I was on the porch and stood up so fast I lost my balance and fell off of it. When I got up, Alex said, "Bug scare me." Now, usually I don't encourage fear of bugs, so I said, "your o.k., let's find it." When I looked at the house where Alex had been, do you know what I saw? It was a huge black widow! These aren't your average spider either! They're absolutely beautiful and amazing with their strips of brown and white, but just as dangerous as the more common black. I am SO glad that "bug" scared him and he left it alone. And, I'm glad no one was bit and that I was right there to take care of it! WOW!

Thank goodness for tender mercies! And thank goodness for bug spray!

Quick Whole-Wheat Oatmeal Bread

From Anna Thomas' Love Soup. She says, "The loaf is crumbly at first but becomes less so as it cools down." I just thought it was good!

2 c. whole-wheat flour

2 cups unbleached white flour

4 t. baking powder

1 t. baking soda

1 1/2 t. sea salt

1/3 c. light brown sugar or raw sugar

1 c. rolled oats

1 large egg

3 1/2 T. unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1 3/4 c. buttermilk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease two medium loaf pans. In a large mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients. In another bowl, lightly beat the egg, butter, and buttermilk. Add the wet mixture to the dry one and stir together until just combined into a thick dough. Cut the dough in half. Wet your hands and quickly form dough into two loaves. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. Allow to cool 5 minutes in the pan and then remove it and cool on a rack.

More From Me

Good morning! School starts up again today. I feel like I need to take more credits; but, I'm really torn between actually doing it and everything we've got going this fall. Mercedes LOVES school! She is having so much fun. Even when I think, "Alright, that was good for the day. We'll be done for the evening." She still wants to have another lesson. I don't think this is going to be easy, but I look forward to all our time together and am excited about learning "new" things.

Mercedes has been on a bug kick. She goes out with her jars and catches bees, butterflies, moths, grasshoppers, and spider egg sacks. I have no problem with any of the bugs, and knowing what I know about bees, these are o.k. too. But when she starts bringing spider eggs into the house, it really freaks me out. The last thing I want is baby spiders crawling out of the jar!

Christina has discovered a new puzzle. This girl is so good at them! It's amazing! She could spend hours putting them together. And then, when she's done, she's completely content to carry them around with her. She's also having lots of fun building things with clay and painting.

Alex is such a funny boy! He's always making me laugh. It's interesting that during the summer, when I'd get so busy with homework, he was the only one who could successfully peal me away from it. He's such a blessing!

Jake is on his way to the surgeon today. Too bad he's not actually having surgery though. We thought he was coming down with a UTI but it turns out it was a hernia! He's put on a good face, but there are times when he's in a lot of pain. Oh, the other day, Jake found out that at the end of the school year, we're supposed to mail all the K12 stuff back to K12. He was like, "What?! We don't get to keep everything? What happens if we don't send it back?" I guess he was very attached to all the cool stuff; and, now he just asks random questions like, "What about the clay? Do they really want used clay back?" And, "What about the [inflatable] globes? Do they really think these will still work when they get them back?" He has finely decided they donate everything to third world countries and this has brought him peace. Although, we have no idea what they really do with everything.

Well, I hope you have a wonderful day! Do many good things.

So Much to Say, So Little Space!

Holy moly, is it time to make a post or what?! Where has summer gone? We finished our summer classes and it's already cooling off out side. In fact, it's too cold to leave the windows open at night - unless of course you like waking up with a sore throat! (I know I don't)! We're so excited class is over! I'm so excited class is over! I feel ten feet tall. I don't know if its from the weight of four classes being over or if it's the fact that I finished the four classes, but it feels great! Now, I need to quit deflating and get busy around the house.

Mercedes school supplies came yesterday! We are so excited! It was better than Christmas, seriously!!! Mercedes was ripping boxes open and Christina would grab the contents out, squeeze it tight, and say, "Oh, my paint! Oh, my book!" It was SO cute! I have tons of laminating to do and haven't had time to paint our class room, but that doesn't matter. We have picked out the paint colors and will get around to it, but probably not this year.

Speaking of paint! I started repainting a little dresser and still haven't finished. I am a glutten for unfinished projects! The project wouldn't be tied up, except the nobs had been glued on and I didn't want them. I had reconciled myself to using them, but NO! So, I beat them off with a hammer which pulled some of the wood off. You'd think I could just go buy the filler and finish my project, but no. It's just sitting in the garage.

Earlier this month, when we were visiting my parents it rained every day! While I sat in class, the kids had a blast! My parents snapped the pictures and "Uncle" Konrad played the guitar. What a beautiful day!!!

Well, I must away. I hope you are all enjoying your day! Hopefully, I'll be back soon...

Life's Experience

I am learning a lot from being in school, and it's not all curriculum based. What an exciting time! It's definitely not easy, but worth the struggle. The biggest lesson is: "it is not requisite that a man run faster than he has strength" (Mosiah 4:27).

Take my garden for instance. I don't know what I was thinking planting such a huge garden this year! O.K., that's not true. I was hoping to get a lot of canning done and try some dehydrating. My plot is 76" x 27", and you better believe it's full! And yes, my garden is becoming a lost cause - it's lost in all the weeds! Hahahaaa... We returned home from our recent trip, and still haven't found a whole hill of musk melon. I know I planted two, but one has vanished!

The other thing I'm really learning is the importance of me being at home. I know I've had times where I feel so swallowed up in the responsibility of it all, I loose sight of the value and purpose. Have you ever felt like you give give give and don't get any thing except more work in return? I've been able to study the psychology and development associated with mothers and their influence, and it is incredible. To turn this information around and study how it affects the population through education in general is AMAZING!!! Then, to top it off, I can see how my return to school affects my children. Don't ever feel like you're not of worth.

Repeat with me, "I am of infinite worth with my own divine mission which I will strive to fulfill."

Whether you stay at home, work, or don't have children, know that you are an influence in the lives of so many! Cherish your opportunities and "delight in your children," whoever they may be.

What Should I Call this Post? Hmm...

Good morning, good morning, good morning! How are all of you? I am so very happy this morning! My children are doing a little better. I'm doing a little better. Jake's doing better. Phew! Being in school has totally thrown everything out of whack! But, all's well.

School is so exciting! Elementary Education is something I never wanted to do until about two-and-a-half years ago. I'm so glad we have a Heavenly Father who knows us better then we know ourselves, because I'm doing this and I love it! My professor wrote and told me "[I] have an optimistic yet realistic view of teaching." He also said, "Buena seurte en tu estudio del Espanol." Do you know what that means? "Good luck on your study of Spanish." (I'm going to get an emphasis in Spanish, which I'm really excited about too)!

And guess what? I ran into one of my old friends from college yesterday - way out here - at Arby's of all places. I just happened to mow the lawn yesterday morning and he came in with some of his coworkers. I told Jake, "I think I know him." Turns out, I did! We never had a single class together, but ran into each other at Institute. Have I ever told you guys how much I loved Institute? It was a good place to be...

Well, other than that, the house had a bomb explode inside and we eat a lot of sandwiches lately. What about you?

Life Explained

Wow, it's been a while since I've come to visit! How are you? Things here are absolutely crazy!!!

We found a little kitten in the bushes between our church and the business next to it. The animal shelter was closed and now it's lost somewhere out side our house. I hope we find it before Chicken Nugget...

Alex has figured out how to ride Christina's "motorcycle!" WOOHOOO, Buddy!!! (It's really the tricycle, but she calls it a motorcycle). He is so fun to watch!

Christina's little brain is amazing! She can solve simple riddles, which really surprised me; but, she did awesome!!! Go, Stina Wina!

Mercedes has been playing with the next door neighbors a lot and having so much fun. I'm glad they get a long so well because they're really good kids. She also asked Mikki to curl her hair yesterday, and Mikki so graciously obliged. We'll see how it turns out today...

Jake had two finals this week. Yeah, two classes are finished! He just has three more to go this summer, and then on to the next ones... Hooray for finals!!!

Do you ever feel like you're spread so thin you're not making any progress? I'm telling ya', that is how I feel. It can be really discouraging at times, but keep plugging along and do the best you can.

Presiden't Monson said, "When you are on the Lord's errand, you are entitled to the Lord's help." Don't give up and you will see miracles happen!

Love to you all!!!

Good Things to Come

Granola

I've done it. I have finely done it! I found the granola recipe I've been searching for! I've tried making a few, and this has been the best! I wanted a recipe that consisted of basic ingredients that I might actually buy. Also, I didn't want a recipe that made 20 cups of granola. Who wants to spend three hours stirring granola while it bakes? Not me. I also wanted something versatile. I think this will work. I don't see why you couldn't substitute molasses or maple syrup for all or part of the honey, and the fruit and/or nuts - which I added - can be what ever you like. The best part was...dun...dun...dun...all my kids loved it! They've been munching on it all day!

Granola

4 c. old fashioned oats

1 c. coconut

nuts, if desired (I used about a half-cup chopped pecans)

1/4 c. brown sugar

1/4 c. oil

1/4 c. honey

1 t. ground cinnamon

1 1/2 t. vanilla

1 c. dry fruit, optional

In a large bowl, combine oats, coconut, and nuts if desired; set aside. In a saucepan, combine brown sugar, oil, honey and cinnamon; bring to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Pour over oat mixture; stir to coat. Spread in a large shallow baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. (I only cooked it 15 minutes and stirred it three times). Cool. Add dry fruit. Store in an airtight container.

I've also discovered that during the last five minutes, if your granola is spread real thin, or you have little straggling oats and things, they burn up easily. So, for the last few minutes, push everything together to help prevent burning.

Life is Consuming

Here's a brief update on our family. I now know why Laura only made posts about once every three weeks. There just isn't time! Holy cow! Do you know the words to Count Your Blessings? They completely epitomizes my life right now. That reminds me! (It's one of the songs I'm playing in Sacrament meeting on Sunday). And, you should have seen our spectacle last Sunday! I'm playing the organ, and here comes Christina, running across the stand, completely upstaging the conductor in the middle of the opening song. All I can think is, "Where is Jake?!" Well, between him being in and out of the chapel, running Alex home to pee in the potty because he wouldn't go at church, and being totally mortified, he never came and got her! And what am I supposed to do? Stop playing while everyone sings and make her sit down? That would just compound the situation! To make it worse, this continued for the WHOLE meeting! Can I just say something here? THE CHURCH IS TRUE!!! It's a good thing we know this. It's also a good thing we have a couple young women in the ward who have agreed to help Jake this Sunday, so it doesn't happen again. THANK YOU!!!

Mercedes doesn't like green beans or pickles, but she likes pickled green beans. What's up with that? (I just had to say that for you, dad). She also has a new knick-name from our neighbor, which I think is super cute! He calls her Beamer*. I like it!

Alex is tired of his cast. Yesterday, I caught him trying to cut it off twice with two different pair of scissors! Can you believe that? He's starting to talk more in sentences too. We had been loading the washing machine, I left the laundry room, and he shut the door behind me. After a few minutes, he hadn't come out, so I opened the door to check on him. Quick as lightning, he whirls around, points at me, and says, "No mom, out, door!" What was he doing, you might wonder? Playing in the kitty litter with the cat. NASTY!!!!

Jake is doing well in school. He's almost half done with both of his seven week courses. Then he has three more classes to finish, and he'll be ready for fall. He's tired and really discouraged about the way USU offers their Accounting Degree here in the Basin, but knows somehow it will work out. You're doing good, Dear. Just hang in there and do the best you can. We love you and are very proud of you!

Oh, and Chicken Nugget is psycho. She likes to play fetch at three in the morning. Unfortunately, this means I get to play fetch at three in the morning. Good thing she only plays for about three minutes.

Well, I think that about sums it up. I hope all is well with you! Love you too!!!

*Just for clarification, Mercedes of Mercedes Benz is named after the Daimler Company's French Distributor's eleven-year-old daughter in 1907, and is a Spanish name once reserved for Spanish aristocracy which means "our lady of mercy." She wasn't named after the car, I just loved the name from all my Spanish classes in Middle School, High School, and College.

My Little Neighborhood Family

Do you know what I love? I love my children; and, I love all the little children that live on my street! I'm glad they come to play dress-up, cars, and puzzles, race their bikes, and slide on the slide. I love that they come get me when one of them falls off their bike and "needs" help getting up. I'm glad they ask me for help tying their shoes or zipping up their boots. I'm glad ALL the children play so well together, and that their little skiffs are quickly forgotten - for their are many many skiffs. I'm glad I have the opportunity to be their neighbor because they are teaching me much patience, which I so dearly need. I'm glad my home can be a refuge when they are sad. And, even though it does occasionally cause problems, I'm glad they like walking in just to be here. I hope they will always feel comfortable coming "home."

What We're Going to Do this Summer...

• Eat Ice Cream cones
• Make ice cream
• Play at the park
• Play in the sprinklers
• Go to the Big pool
• Eat a dinner of all fresh corn
• Blow bubbles
• Swing
• Slide
• Play at the lake
• Catch a butterfly
• Camp in the backyard
• Have a BBQ(or many)
• Shop at the Farmer’s Markets
• Go to the Zoo
• Make Jam
• Make popsicles
• Pick fruit
• Eat dinner entirely from our garden
• Garden
• Make lemonade
• Play in a creek
• Play in the summer showers
• go for a walk in the rain
• Play baseball
• Go to a baseball game
• Find rainbows
• Go to the library
• Read lots of books
• Go to a movie on a hot day
• Play mini-golf
• Learn to ride a tricycle
• Have lots of picnics
• Build a sandcastle
• Fly a kite
• Hula hoop
• Make dandelion chains
• Make mudpies
• Feed ducks
• Have a campfire
• Play flashlight tag
• Pick flowers

Chicken Pot Pie

This may taste a little peppery; but, when eaten as left-overs, it's more mild. If you use less pepper, you'll wish you hadn't.

1 (15 oz.) can Veg-All

2 (10 3/4 oz.) cans cream of potato soup

1 1/2 c. cooked chicken

1/2 c. milk

1/2 tsp. thyme

1/2 tsp. black pepper

2 (9 inch) pie crusts or biscuits* (if you use the recipe below, half it)

1 egg - if using pie crusts

Combine everything, but the egg. If using a pie crust, fill with mixture and crimp edges to seal. Slit top crust and brush with egg. Bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes. Cool 10 minutes.

If using biscuits, pour mixture into a greased 9 inch pan. Drop biscuits on top. Bake according to your biscuits recipe. (For the recipe below, I heat the oven to 425 degrees and bake for 20 - 25 minutes, or until biscuits are done).

*Drop Baking Powder Biscuits

2 c. all-purpose flour

1 T. baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 c. oil or butter, softened

1 1/4 c. milk

Preheat oven to 450. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Add butter and milk, mixing well. If the dough seems too runny, just let it sit for a couple minutes. It will be fine. Drop by spoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet and bake 8 - 12 minutes, or until golden brown. Makes 10 - 12 biscuits.

Baked Beans

For my first try, this was awesome! I think the recipe is basic enough, you could add what ever you like to make it your own. My mom always adds molasses, brown sugar, prepared mustard, and ketchup. Her baked beans are the BEST!!! Even this is different from the original.

2 c. small white beans*

6 c. water

2 T. dehydrated onion

1/4 c. oil

1/4 c. brown sugar (I used granulated)

1/4 c. honey

1/4 t. dry mustard

1 t. salt

1/8 t. pepper

1/2 c. bacon or bacon bits (optional)

What I did

Soak beans overnight. Simmer over low heat until done - about two hours. Drain, reserving liquid. Place onion, oil, brown sugar, honey, mustard, salt, pepper, and one cup reserved liquid in crock pot. Mix. Add beans and stir to coat. Add enough liquid to almost cover beans and cook. I cooked mine two hours on high and two hours on low.

You could also quick cook your beans and then make this if you don't want to soak them all night.

Or

Soak beans overnight. Simmer over low heat 1-2 hours or until done. Drain, reserving liquid. Add onions to beans and put into a 2 quart casserole dish. Stir together oil, sugar, honey, mustard, salt, pepper, and 1 c. of reserved liquid. Pour over beans and stir gently. Add enough remaining liquid to almost cover beans. Bake at 300 degrees for 3-4 hours. Stir in bacon or bacon bits the last 30 minutes. If you cook the beans this way, you may want to cook them in a dish that has a lid. If they begin to dry out, add a little liquid and cover them.

*When cooking beans, never never NEVER add salt until they are soft, because it prevents them from softening.