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Motherhood + Homemaking

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Home
About
Blog
- MOTHERHOOD
- Homemaking
- Homeschool
- Recipes
- Writing
Photography
Shop
Contact

Motherhood + Homemaking

Let’s chat!

I would love to connect with you!

xo, Claire Mariah

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follow @clairemariahmurray

“As we set our intentions for these sweet summer

“As we set our intentions for these sweet summer days, may this be an invitation to slow down, to behold the beauty in the ordinary, to celebrate the collision of sacred and simplicity, to embrace the magic of childhood as we cultivate space and connection and to encourage our children to live abundantly wild and free.”

What are your goals for these sweet summer days? ✨

Dress : The Soller Dress // Moon by @beachwoodbaby
#gifted

SOURDOUGH CROUTONS 🥖 If you’re looking for a

SOURDOUGH CROUTONS 🥖

If you’re looking for a way to use up your leftover sourdough bread, especially when the texture of the bread becomes stale, we’ve started making these easy, homemade sourdough croutons, and we’ll never go back to store bought croutons again!

Yield : 4 c. | Prep : 10 min. | Cook : 20 min.

Ingredients —
4 c. sourdough bread, cubed
4 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp. dried herbs
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 c. parmesan cheese (optional)

Directions —
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
2. Cut the sourdough into roughly 1/2 in. by 1/2 in. cubes and place into a large bowl.
3. Drizzle the sourdough cubes with olive oil and sprinkle with seasonings, salt, pepper and cheese. Toss to combine until the sourdough cubes are coated with oil and seasonings.
4. Transfer the sourdough cubes to the prepared baking sheet, spreadings out the sourdough cubes for an even bake.
5. Bake for a total of 18-20 minutes. After the first 10 minutes, toss the cubes on the baking sheet, and bake for another 8-10 minutes.
6. Let the croutons cool completely on the baking sheet and store in an airtight container at room temperature until you are ready to use. Enjoy!

This recipe is from my latest book, “The Sourdough Guide” by @clairemariahmurray.

For all of my favorite sourdough recipes, the science of natural leavened bread, my proven step-by-step sourdough method, how to make a starter from scratch and everything you “knead” to know about sourdough, grab a copy of my latest book! When you complete the guide, you will become a sourdough expert, bake with confidence and serve beautiful, fluffy sourdough loaves in your home.

ADOPTION UPDATE: We have officially begun our home

ADOPTION UPDATE: We have officially begun our home study and are one step closer to bringing Baby Murray home!

We are overwhelmed by God’s kindness to call us into adoption over a decade ago, and now, as we begin our home study and prepare our hearts and home for our adoption, we are in awe of the honor it will be to become this child’s parents, as we get to love them for all the days to come! God has been so faithful every step of this journey, and we are filled with unwavering hope that he will make a way for this adoption. (Isaiah 43:19)

We truly do not have the words to express our gratitude for you all coming alongside our family, through prayer, sharing and financial giving. We are confident that it takes a village to raise a child, and we are so thankful to call you our village, as your support will make a way for us to welcome our sweet baby home.

To give to our adoption, click the link in my bio! We have set up a GoFundMe for the remainder of our support raising and believe that God will make a way to bring our beautiful child home. We would be so grateful if you would share about our adoption story, too!

xo, The Murray Family

HOW TO MAKE SOURDOUGH 🥖 Learn the basics of so

HOW TO MAKE SOURDOUGH 🥖

Learn the basics of sourdough and how to make the perfect loaf of sourdough bread in nine easy steps!

(If you would like to learn my complete sourdough method, become a sourdough expert, bake with confidence and serve beautiful and fluffy sourdough loaves in your home, grab a copy of my latest book, “THE SOURDOUGH GUIDE.”)

—

1. PREPARE THE SOURDOUGH STARTER.
The “sourdough starter” is the live, fermented culture of fresh flour and water that serves as the natural leaven. To feed the sourdough starter add a ratio of 1:1:1 parts of starter, flour and water.

2. MAKE THE DOUGH.
To make the dough, incorporate active sourdough starter with warm water, whisk until combined. Add organic bread flour and mix with your hands. Combine until dough is shaggy (it will be lumpy, yet will mixed).

3. LET THE DOUGH AUTOLYSE.
An “autolyse” is first resting period that begins gluten development after mixing the dough. Allow the dough to rest at room temperature during the autolysing process.

4. BEGIN STRETCH AND FOLDS.
When baking sourdough bread, the goal is to keep pockets of air in the dough for a beautiful crumb. The process of “stretch and folds” strengthens the dough, which is done in place of kneading.

5. LET THE DOUGH BULK RISE.
The “bulk rise” is the part of the sourdough process when much of the fermentation occurs, as the dough will rise and double in size, forming bubbles, caused by fermentation, underneath the dough.

6. BEGIN THE LAMENTATION PROCESS AND BENCH REST.
The “lamentation” process is when the dough is stretching out at the start of the bench rest period. The “bench rest” is the time after the bulk rise, which allows for the dough to rest and gluten to relax.

(continued in the comments) 🥖

“Our children only get one childhood, so let’s

“Our children only get one childhood, so let’s make it magical.”

As I watched his eyes light up, running through the dandelion fields, the thought came to mind, “this is the magic of childhood.”

To give our children a “magical childhood” is not about cultivating the perfect, extraordinary moments that we hope they’ll remember, nor is it about giving them the latest and greatest things,

but rather it’s about slowing down to notice the millions of magical, ordinary moments that fill our days, with them.

It’s about learning the practice of presence, lifting our eyes up from our screens to behold the beauty of the ordinary as we learn how to simply be.

It’s about settling in and not rushing out of the ordinary too quickly, getting lost in the wonder of everyday miracles, creating space to let the magic of the ordinary set in.

And the best part about giving our children a magical childhood, is that it doesn’t cost a thing, but calls us to truly be with our children, as we knit our hearts to theirs and together, get lost in the wonder of it all.

May we be the mamas who take hold of the joy, wonder, and connection woven into every moment of every day.

May we be mamas who embrace rhythms of slow, sacred connection and who cultivate organic opportunities to behold the magic all throughout our days.

And may we be the mamas who reclaim the magic of childhood for the little hearts in our homes.

“Our children only get one childhood, so let’s make it magical.”

“Their childhood is our greatest invitation to f

“Their childhood is our greatest invitation to feel again as mothers.”

What if every hand hold and kiss goodnight was our invitation to feel again in motherhood?

What if every time they said, “mama, come see,” it was our invitation to slow down and simply be?

What if joining them with our toes in the sand as the waves crash on the shore was the reminder that we are alive and set free?

What if we entered in to this same child-like faith, experiencing the presence of God in the whole world around us, reminding our hearts of our coming eternity?

When we become mothers, the weight of the world has a way of pressing down on our ability to feel, to notice, to life set free,

that suddenly we begin living in a pattern of simply moving through the world, but no longer feeling the tender mercies in a hand hold or his lovingkindness in a kiss goodnight.

As the Creator of the world, God has given us senses to feel and a big, beautiful world as his canvas, drawing our hearts back to him as we feel and embrace his beauty in every ounce of divine simplicity.

When Jesus esteems the faith of a child, declaring, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:2-3),

he is beckoning our hearts to notice and model after their humility, the way they receive his goodness with awe and wonder, letting his joy fill up and overflow our of their souls.

Let’s be the mamas who start to feel again, who slow down enough to notice his goodness as our souls pause with awe and wonder.

Let’s be the mamas who humble our hearts to embrace the faith of our children, and let their inexpressible joy for the most ordinary things draw our hearts back to embrace divine simplicity.

Let’s be the mamas who set off the way of the world, in Jesus name, and begin to truly live again, set free.

May we notice the fingerprints of our Creator in all the moments that will our days, behold the world as big, beautiful canvas, and as we begin to feel again, may his goodness wash our souls each and every moment with the power of his grace.

2023 © Claire Mariah

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