Faces Only a Mother Could Love

And boy how I love these kids. I guess it's a good thing I do because after seeing these pictures I am not sure who else would. ;-) I say this because my lovely children seem to have an obsession with asking me to take pictures of them while they are eating. I guess I encourage it because I am the one who took the pictures.

Now, to tie this into Gratituesday I better share what I am grateful for first. I am grateful for so very many things. Right now I most grateful for the laughter that generally fills our home. There are times of tears and hurt, but the laughter is never far behind. I never want to forget the sound of laughter that can often be heard thanks to the four precious gifts God has given me.

Psalm 126:2-3
2 Then our mouth was filled with laughter, And our tongue with singing. Then they said among the nations, “The LORD has done great things for them.” 3 The LORD has done great things for us, And we are glad.






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Faces Only a Mother Could Love

Thrift Store Fun

I realized something last week when we went to a Goodwill Outlet. It doesn't take much to excite me. We spent well over an hour of our time at one of the outlets, and had a cart full for a little over $20. We were well entertained and got some cool items.

The Goodwill Outlets are quite different from regular Goodwill stores. Everything is in big rolling bins. You never know what you will find. Every two hours they change out the bins in the entire store. People start hurriedly rummaging through all of the new items, so you either have to muscle in or just wait for a few minutes until the frenzy is over.

The cool thing is that you pay by the pound. Prices go down the more your items weigh. We had less than 20 pounds so we had to pay $1.39/pound. However, a good friend of mine buys enough when she goes to get the price down to $0.59/pound.

I always wash everything once we bring it home. The picture above shows just a few of the things we purchased. I also wanted to let you know that if you do find yarn at a thrift store you can put it in a lingerie bag and wash it with your regular laundry (unless it is wool).

I have included one last photo of something we purchased that day. Just in case you ever wondered where Superman is living at now...



...well, at least he is my superman!

Thrift Store Fun

Creative Food Ideas

I am always on the lookout for ways to get my kids to eat better. I recently found two sites that show ways to serve healthy food in creative and fun ways.

First, Laptop Lunches has some great photos to inspire you to put more than just some chips and a sandwich in a lunchbox. These ideas could work well for adults, too. I don't think I can invest in their system, but I will be on the lookout for things I can use to have a similar set-up.

Next, Muffin Tin Monday from Her Cup Overfloweth has some great ideas for using muffin tins to serve snacks and meals. I really want to get some muffin tins with 6 compartments to try this out for meals. However, I decided to use a mini muffin tin to put some snacks out for today. We will see how well it works.



All of the foods in the picture above are either dried fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds, crackers or cereal. I will leave it on the table all day for the kids to have healthy snacks readily available.

Creative Food Ideas

Oat Flour Tortillas and Some Desserts

I seem to be doing lots of experimental cooking these days. I tried the oat flour tortilla recipe last night and I will definitely make them again. I also made 2 desserts over the weekend that I am not sure if I will try again. I guess that is the fun of experimenting if you like something make it again, if not-don't.

Oat Flour Tortillas



2 Cups + 1/2 Cup Oat Flour (Simply use your blender to turn oats into flour.)
1 tsp. Salt
3/4-1 Cup Water
Pizza Stone

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Set the pizza stone on the bottom rack and allow it to heat as the oven preheats.

Use 2 cups of the oat flour and whisk it with the salt in a bowl. Slowly add water until the dough clings together and holds its shape. Sprinkle some of the extra flour on a flat surface and knead the dough for 4 minutes. Divide the dough into 12 equal sized balls and cover. One at a time, roll out the dough balls with a floured rolling pin until they are very flat. Poke holes all over the tortilla with a fork.

One at a time place the tortillas on the pizza stone for 3 minutes. While one is cooking roll out another tortilla. These tortillas are a nice alternative to those made from corn or wheat.

Dairy-Free Chocolate Mousse



1/2 cup warm water
2 whole ripe avocados
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 cup raw cane sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 Tbsp lemon juice

Run it all through the food processor for a few minutes until it gets all thick and creamy and looks like pudding. Chill and enjoy.

I got this recipe from Dawn at Happily Barefoot. The pudding was well-received by the family. I was surprised at how good it tasted. My husband didn't know there were avocados in it and ate it, but may not try it again if he reads this. ;-)


Raw Vegan Brownies



The last recipe I tried was for Raw Vegan Brownies from this site (scroll down a little). I probably won't make them again, but might use the icing for something else. It has avocados in it as well which is so surprising. I would love it if my family willingly ate lots of healthy foods, but I am not above hiding them.

Oat Flour Tortillas and Some Desserts

Cloth Baby Wipes

I have been playing this morning with a new blog design when I should have been doing laundry and dishes. However, I felt like I wanted something new, so I went for it. The laundry and dishes will still be here when I am done. :-)



A good friend had given me some flannel receiving blankets because I had asked her to be on the lookout for them when she is thrifting. I recently decided to cut them into wipes when I found out that my sister-in-law-to-be's sister (that's a mouthful) wants to cloth diaper her toddler and new baby. There are 36 wipes pictured above. They are two layers of flannel that were turned and topstitched. I cut them 6 1/2" which made the finished wipes 6". The wipes can simply be used with plain water, but I included a small bottle of homemade wipes solution (1/2 Cup water, 1/4 tsp. castile soap, and 1/4 tsp. extra virgin olive oil) as well. I also gave her an informational flyer about cloth diapering from the Real Diaper Association.

Wipes can be made in many sizes and can be single or double layer. You can use a serger, the turned and topstitched method, or just simply cut up some flannel and use as-is. Cloth wipes can even be something as simple as a washcloth (which requires no sewing or cutting). My point is that cloth wipes are easy to make and use. Once you try them you won't want to go back to store-bought wipes with questionable ingredients. The re-usable quality of cloth wipes (and any cloth product) makes them a frugal and environmentally friendly choice.

Cloth Baby Wipes

New Life for an Old Spice Rack

We got the spice rack pictured above when we got married several years ago. I had used most of the spices and found that I just didn't have room for it in my kitchen anymore. So, I decided to wash all of the jars and store my beads in them. The beads are divided by color and are very easy for my daughter to use for projects. I covered the lids with sticker paper and that was it. So, if you have an old spice rack (or find one at a thrift store) this is an easy way to give it new life.

Another re-purposed item I use in my craft room is old peanut butter jars (or any other glass or plastic clear jar with a screw-on lid). I wash them thoroughly and then fill them with all sorts of craft items. This makes it so easy for my kids to see what they can use for crafting. It also helps keep the jars out of the landfill by re-using them.

These ideas work for me. Join me for Works for Me Wednesday each week.

New Life for an Old Spice Rack

My Little Guy

I couldn't resist snapping a few pictures of my littlest guy looking through the grocery ads last night.

Hmmm...I wonder what's on sale this week.


This looks interesting.


Wow! What a great price!


This food looks so good I think I'll just try it now.

My Little Guy

Fun with My Family

Yesterday was the first official day of spring break for my husband and two older children. The kids, my mother and I went to a new doctor for my middle son. The doctor is very naturally minded and listened to me. She spent over 1 1/2 hours with us. I feel really good about the visit and am hopeful about what will transpire as a result. I was so proud of how my older two children sat in the waiting area with my mother, and that all of the children were well-behaved when we stopped by the fabric store afterwards. I sure love those kids.



When we arrived home we found that my husband had been busy working on our new pool deck. The old one had gotten to a point where we weren't sure it would make it another year. My older kids jumped right in to help and it was a joy to watch them at work. The two younger boys enjoyed playing outside all afternoon as well.



It is so cute to watch my littlest guy wandering around the yard exploring things that he has never seen before (except from the comfort of the sling). Oh, to experience life through the eyes of a child. What wonder and excitement they get from such simple things. How do we get so far removed from that as we age? I want to be filled with that same joy and wonder. There really is no reason to let the burdens of this world wear me down. God has blessed me with so much and I want to let Him fill me to overflowing, so that His love pours out of me.



Join Heavenly Homemakers every week for Gratituesday.

Fun with My Family

Allergy-Free Molasses Cookies

I have modified a molasses cookie recipe to be free of the most common food allergens. My daughter and I like these, but my son (who has the allergies) didn't even try one. I will keep trying because I have read so many good things about blackstrap molasses. They have a strong flavor, but I like them.

Allergy-Free Molasses Cookies



3/4 Cup Coconut Oil (or 2/3 Cup Lard)
1 Cup Brown Sugar
2 Tbsp. Flaxseed Binder
1/2 Cup Blackstrap Molasses
3/4 Cup Rice Flour
3/4 Cup Tapioca Flour
3/4 Cup Cornstarch
1/4 Cup Potato Flour
3/4 tsp. Xanthan Gum
1 tsp. Sea Salt
2 tsp. Baking Soda
1/2 tsp. Ground Cloves
1 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
1 tsp. Ground Ginger

White Sugar

Cream coconut oil and brown sugar. Add flaxseed binder and molasses and mix well. In a separate bowl, mix all dry ingredients with a whisk until well blended. Add dry ingredients to the first mixture and mix. Cover and chill for 1 to 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll dough into balls about 1 inch in diameter. Roll each ball in white sugar. Place on greased cookie sheets (I line mine with parchment paper instead.). Bake 10 minutes. Leave on cookie sheets for at least 1 minute before moving to wire racks to cool.

Allergy-Free Molasses Cookies

Before and After 5

For years I have searched for ideas on how to be more organized and to be a better homemaker. I have tried many different programs (Flylady, etc.), printed lots of different organizational charts and lists, and more. So far, none of the ideas have worked for me.

Now I didn't say that those programs can't or don't work, I said they don't work for me. I have been looking for years for someone to tell me what I should do to be more organized. The problem is that no one has the answers for me. What I have to do is change my attitude and try to look at homemaking from a biblical perspective. I want to share a scripture with you. If you follow this then I guarantee you that you will be the best homemaker, wife, mother, father, employee, etc. The verse is plain, simple and to the point.

1 Corinthians 10:31b "...whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God."

Now, on to the pictures. Last night my not-so-subtle husband (one of his most endearing yet frustrating qualities) suggested that I work on cleaning the basement. He said that if it flooded that I would be upset if anything got ruined. Translation: I am sick of stepping over toys to get to the family room. So, this morning I tackled the basement toy room and was victorious.

Before


After


Repurposed Bookshelves-This area in the toy room started as 2 old bookshelves I purchased at a yard sale several years ago. My husband cut off the unsteady bottoms of both. I painted them and we hung them on the wall side-by-side. Then we attached clothesline under the bookshelves so that the dress-up clothes could be hung up. It has been a great space saver and has been well used over the years.

Before and After 5

Saving Time on Meal Prep

Save time on meal prep? Yes, it can be done, and utilizing your freezer is the key. I am always looking for ways to prepare homemade meals without using many convenience foods. Something that works for me is to freeze pre-cooked meat. For example, my husband will help me brown up 5 to 10 pounds of burger (venison) at a time. Then I drain the grease, put it in zippered baggies, and stick it in the freezer. 2 cups of cooked burger is equivalent to 1 pound of uncooked meat. This method of pre-cooking meat comes in so handy for meals like tacos, spaghetti and soups. You can do this with other meats like chicken, turkey, or pork.

You don't have to stop with meat though. Rice and beans can easily be frozen in meal sized portions after being cooked in large batches. You can even make big batches of foods like pancakes, muffins and biscuits and freeze them for later use. Just quick freeze them on a cookie sheet and transfer to zippered bags when they are frozen. Cooking this way is so much healthier and more frugal than looking to fast food or frozen/boxed meals.Give it a try and see just how much time you can save while cooking for your family.

Join me each week for Works for Me Wednesday.

Saving Time on Meal Prep

Fauxbreeze

I am working to get our home back in shape after so many of us were sick. Today is a gorgeous sunny day so I have lots of windows open to air out the house. However, I decided that we needed a little more help than that with the smells. Being frugal and having a desire to live naturally I whipped up what I am calling "Fauxbreeze".



Fauxbreeze
Empty Spray Bottle
White Vinegar
Essential Oils (not fragrance oil) Ex. Lemon, Tea Tree, Lavender, Orange, etc.

Fill the spray bottle almost to the top with white vinegar. Then add about 10 drops of lemon essential oil and a few drops of lavender (or whatever combination you choose). Shake up the bottle (after attaching the sprayer) and you are ready to go.

I went to work spraying the couch, loveseat and chair, and it is really working. Vinegar is naturally a disinfectant and odor destroyer, and the essential oils give it a nice fresh scent. You can play around with the scents you add to the vinegar to get a combination you like. This will also work with just plain vinegar. Have fun making your house smell better using this frugal and natural spray!

Fauxbreeze

My Job

A while back I read a story someone forwarded about being "just a mom". The gist of the story was that a mom's job is valuable and we should be proud of what we do. It got me thinking about what I say when people ask what I do. Since becoming a SAHM almost 7 years ago I have often said, "I used to be a teacher, but I am home with my children now." Why do I need to preface what I do now with what I USED to do? I think that even though I have always felt like my place is in the home, for some reason I thought people might not think I am doing enough.

Do you ever have those lightbulb moments when things become clear to you? Well, as I was holding a bucket for my daughter to throw up in for the 20+ time Sunday night it hit me. I am doing exactly what God wants me to be doing. There is no one like a Mommy to rub your back while you get sick, or to change the nastiest diaper ever. I know it isn't my sympathy puker husband who is going to take care of those things. :-) For my family, I am the one who gets the blessing of taking care of the daily tasks that might seem menial.

I know you may be thinking that I need to get some sleep if I can say that taking care of sick children is a blessing. Maybe you would be right about the sleep, but I think that as a mom my attitude needs to be focused on the blessings that I encounter every day if I am going to be able to show my children anything about God's love. So, while I am so grateful that my children are feeling better today, I am also grateful for the opportunity to be God's hands and feet here on earth.

As I was writing that last part I was reminded of a Casting Crowns song. If We Are the Body really makes me think about what my job really is.

Join Heavenly Homemakers for Gratituesday every week.

My Job

Recipes to Share

Good morning! I think everyone here may be on the road to recovery. We have had a stomach bug that has hit all of us in one form or another. This all started 2 weeks ago, and I am ready to have everyone healthy again. Today is supposed to be a warm and beautiful day, so hopefully I can air out the house. Anyway, I have a few recipes to share this morning.

Butternut Squash Soup



1 Butternut Squash (peeled and cubed)
1-2 apples (peeled and diced)
1 Onion (diced)
4 Carrots (diced)
4 Celery Stalks (diced)
4 Cups Chicken or Vegetable Stock
1 Clove Garlic (diced)
1 tsp. Sea Salt
1/4 tsp Black Pepper
1/8 tsp. Red Pepper
Butter or Olive Oil
1 Package Cream Cheese

Saute onions, carrots, and celery in butter until soft with salt, black pepper, and red pepper. Add chicken stock and bring to boil. Add squash and apples and simmer for 20 minutes or until soft. Remove from heat and add cream cheese. Puree in a blender until smooth. (Not all the soup will fit in a blender at the same time, so divide it up into smaller batches to blend.) This recipe came from a fellow DSD member.

Flaxseed Binder (Egg Replacer)



I found this recipe at Passionate Homemaking and tried it yesterday. I have not yet used it in a recipe, but am hoping it will make a healthful alternative to eggs since my son can't have egg whites. I have been less than pleased with some of the other replacers I have tried.

1/4 Cup Ground Flax Seed (I used a small coffee grinder.)
3/4 Cup Cold Water

Mix ingredients in a small pan and bring to a boil. Boil for 3 minutes while stirring. Remove from heat. Store binder in a glass container with a lid. Use 2 tablespoons in place of one egg in baked goods. It was suggested to mix this with the first liquid ingredient in the recipe before adding it to any other ingredients. I will have to let you know how this works out.

Corn Tortillas



2 cups Corn Masa Mix
1 1/2 Cups Water

Mix ingredients and knead until smooth. Divide dough and roll into balls. Flatten balls between sheets of waxed paper. Heat tortillas on a griddle until lightly brown.

I don't have a tortilla press, so I improvised with a cast iron skillet.

Recipes to Share

Fun with Photoshop

I have been knee deep in sickness this week and am so ready for everyone to be healthy. It looks like that may still be a day or two away though. So, in between holding a bucket for my middle son and cleaning the world's grossest diaper my baby created I found some time to play around with Photoshop this morning.

My husband knows Photoshop and teaches his students to do really cool things with it. I have not received that training, but thanks to The Pioneer Woman I can make it look like I know what I am doing. :-) I was playing around with her Photoshop Action Sets I downloaded and below are the results. She has lots of helpful info on her site so I encourage you to check it out.

The picture below was originally taken last July of my littlest guy. (Look at those squishy cheeks!) The picture was taken with our Canon Digital Rebel, and edited today with Photoshop 7.0.

Original SOOC (Straight out of the camera)


Seventies


Colorized


Heartland

Fun with Photoshop

Saving Money with Ice Cubes?

How can you save money with ice cubes? Well, other than the obvious, not buying a bag of ice and instead using your own water to make ice cubes, there probably aren't many ways to save money with plain old ice. However, when you use your ice cube trays and fill them with food (baby food, sauces, broths, etc.) that is when you can save money. 1 Cube = 1 Tablespoon (approx.)

When I had my second child I wanted to stay home full-time. I knew that saving money on baby food would be something I could do to help cut our costs. So, I pureed vegetables and fruits with a little water and poured them into ice cube trays. When they were frozen I would pop them out and store them in baggies. This was so convenient and allowed me to have food for my baby in short order. (Several years later I purchased the book Super Baby Food and found that this method is discussed quite a bit.)



Saving money on baby food is great, but what about other foods? The picture above is of frozen turkey broth. Sometimes you might not need large quantities, and a couple of tablespoons might be all you need. Another food I have frozen in cubes is spaghetti/pizza sauce. I have found that 4 cubes is plenty for a large homemade pizza. This eliminates any waste and I can make a large batch of sauce one time and reap the benefits for several meals.

Since I am always looking for ways to save time and money in the kitchen I am sure I will come up with other ways to make this idea work for me. Maybe you can use your ice cube trays to save money as well. Join Works for Me Wednesday for more great ideas.

Saving Money with Ice Cubes?

Little Hands & Feet

I have so many things to be grateful for each day. God has so richly blessed us in many ways. I am thankful to be feeling better today, but I mostly want to share a few thoughts about being grateful for my children.

I am grateful for the little hands and feet that run around the house and touch everything.


Sometimes those little hands and feet are at work helping in many ways.


Sometimes those little hands and feet are at play.


Sometimes those little hands and feet are busy creating.


Sometimes those little hands and feet can make pretty big messes.


Sometimes those little hands and feet are sleeping and are so peaceful.


I am so grateful that God allows me to be the mommy of the children that belong to those little hands and feet.


Join Heavenly Homemakers for Gratituesday each week.

Little Hands & Feet

Allergy-Free Pancake Success

I have been on a quest for recipes for baked goods that will be tasty as well as allergy-free. We have tried a few different pancake recipes, but none were very appealing to us. I decided Saturday morning to try to modify my original pancake recipe and see what happened.

I am very excited about this new recipe because my entire family liked the pancakes. I tried the recipe again this morning and got the same results, so I think it is safe to call this one a success.

Allergy-Free Pancakes



2 Egg Yolks (Separate and rinse the yolk to get off all egg white residue.)
1 Cup Rice Milk (Recipe here.)
2 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil or Melted Coconut Oil
1 Tbsp. Baking Powder
1 Tbsp. Sugar
1/2 tsp. Sea Salt
1 Tbsp. Ground Flax Seed (Use your blender or coffee grinder to grind the seed.)
1 Cup All Purpose Gluten Free Flour
1/4 tsp. Xanthan Gum

Preheat a griddle on medium low heat. In a bowl mix the egg yolks and milk with a whisk or fork until blended. Add oil and mix. In a separate bowl, combine all remaining ingredients with a whisk or fork. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and stir until combined (do not over mix). Allow the batter to rest for 5 minutes. Pour the pancake batter on the griddle in approximately 1/4 cup increments. Turn them over when bubbles have formed on the top. Cook on the other side until golden brown. Remove from heat and repeat until all batter has been cooked.

Allergy-Free Pancake Success