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Hamantaschen Cookies for Purim
Published March 7, 2012We are celebrating a low-key Purim at home this year. In years past we have put on plays and dressed up and we’ve had so much fun. Even though we are staying in, we wanted to do something fun and different.
For us that meant trying our hand at Hamantaschen cookies. We found a wonderful recipe for Hamantaschen from The Shika’s Blog. Here are some photos of our experiment.
We made poppy seed, almond, raspberry, and apricot. We ended up with 42 cookies. I can’t stress enough the importance of covering the dough with a damp towel. It made a huge difference. Because we were going for low-key we used almond and poppy-seed pie filling as well as raspberry and apricot preserves. Next year I plan to make the fillings too.
Decorating with Scripture
Published December 1, 2011For a long time I had debated which Scripture I wanted to put up in my living room and how exactly to do it.
I wanted something that edified the family and was a reminder to seek the Lord. I also wanted it to convey the hope or promise attached to it. Then one day, while reading the Word, I saw these verses and knew it was the right message for the right place.
I found the great bird house design through a company that makes vinyl wall art. I made the letters with a scrapbook die cutter on store-bought vinyl. I learned a lot from this project. For example, my walls are uneven and even with a guide I can’t make a straight line. 
Now I am trying to imagine some other locations and ways to places verses around my home. Do you have any suggestions? Leave me a comment.
I am entering this into a great contest over at Doorposts. (A last-minute entry.) If you don’t know about Doorposts, I highly recommend checking them out. They have a great Christmas Sale going on for products that will aid you in raising your family.
Pineapple Banana Green Smoothie
Published December 1, 2011
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Over the summer and into the this fall I am taking a much-needed time away from almost everything. One of the things I found myself loving was making and drinking green smoothies. Green smoothies are a wonderful way to get lots of green veggies into your diet. A big bonus is that kids love them too.
Today I made a super yummy smoothie with:
8 ounces of water
1/2 cup frozen pineapple chunks
1 frozen banana
large handful of spinach
large handful of arugula
1/4 avocado
Bananas and avocados act like emulsifiers and give it smooth texture. Especially avocados. They give such a rich creaminess to the smoothie.
You can also add some ice before you blend. I find that when I use frozen fruit, I do not need to add ice.
Visit the 21 day Green Smoothie Challenge that got me hooked on green smoothies.
Bee Sting Natural Treatment
Published September 21, 2008Today our family shared the horrible experience of being stung by bees – yellow jackets to be exact.
As we walked across a field, my 15 year old stepped into a concealed nest in the ground releasing hundreds (no joking) of yellow jackets. My husband almost died from multiple bee stings as a child and so we were happily blessed to see no severe allergic reaction.
One son had 3 stings, the other 1 sting, my husband 6 and myself 2. My youngest and I have never been stung before so that was “interesting”. Fortunately the Lord’s favor also looked upon my sons and they recovered very quickly. My 6 year old was stung under his eye. Within an hour he said he felt nothing at the site any longer. Praise God. My oldest is close to that point now. It has just been an irritation for the last few hours. My husband and I were another story. I was driving home as the stings – right next to each other on my right foot – became too much to drive with. My husband took over and I watched the site swell up a little and turn speckled with red. My husband’s sting sites were having a similar response.
I felt the prompting of Holy Spirit to make a natural topical salve. I am very grateful that for a few years now I’ve kept a reasonably well stocked herbal pantry. The mixture I made up uses clays, plantain, comfrey, kosher salt, slippery elm and water. You could use vinegar instead of water but I could not find it quick enough for my liking.
I mixed the ground herbals with the clay, salt and water and applied liberally to the sting sites. I let it dry and then wiped it off with warm water and a towel. The redness and swelling were completely gone! The exact spots of the stings still were a little bit sore so I re-applied and this time the area seems even better but a little stiff with a rare twinge of pain.
Salt, clay and plantain are used to draw out the poisons. While the mixture was on, I could feel pulses of pain. I think that it might have been the poison being drawn out. I hope that this mixture can help someone if ever they are in a similar situation.
Broomstick Snacks
Published September 13, 2008
I love campfires! There is no better way to end a day – or a camp – then with a good campfire. There is something so special and even bonding about them. This year at camp it was perfect. We had rain forcasted for the evening but the Lord showed us favor and the sky cleared right up to see the stars. Just perfect.
But this year was also an educational campfire for me. One of the mom’s taught us how to make “broomsticks” over the campfire.
You start with a clean wooden broomstick handle. (Make sure there is no paint on it.) Then butter up the tip and top portion of the handle. Take a cresent roll and encapsulate the tip of the handle making sure there are no holes. (Think of it as making a dough test tube. LOL) Now turn it over the campfire until it will easily slide off. You will probably want a paper towel or something similar to hold your hot dough. Then fill it with pudding, pie filling or whipped cream.
I looked all over for a picture of one but could not find it. Honestly, who cares what it looks like, it is yummy!
Growing Corn
Published September 13, 2008
This year we decided we would try to grow corn. We planted one row just to get a feel for growing it. I took this photo right after we came back from camp and while the corn looked great, the lettuce next to it had bolted. 
( Then, we had rain….it didn’t seem like much but right after the rain ALL the corn plants died. I have no idea what happened. We were able to salvage one ear of corn which was very yummy!
