The versatility of powdered fruits, vegetables, and more

It all began with Wildtree… Almost 20 years ago, I met a representative (consultant) from the company at a Home Show that I was regularly tagging along on or working with my in-law's bathroom remodeling business.
They are a mostly organic (before organic was a thing), touting the advantages of Grapeseed Oil, as well as season mixes for easy to make dinners.
Well, I purchased a couple of those seasoning mixes and the grapeseed oil every year I saw her, until I learned that could do it on my own for much cheaper. So from then on, I bought herbs and spices in bulk and made my own blends.
The one thing that I continued to purchase all these years, was the "Cheesecake" blends, which are basically powdered freeze dried fruit blends. After they stopped using consultants at the beginning of the year to sell their products, I thought all was lost. I stocked up on what I could afford, since the 1.8 oz glass jars were $10 each plus shipping! Our kids use these blends to make flavors in their yogurt, so that I can purchase the large Stonyfield Whole Milk Vanilla or Brown Cow Maple containers and not have a huge expense buying the single flavored kinds.
Well, as I always do, when we are just about out and have no where to purchase what we want, I hit the Google search. Low and behold, a company that I had seen start up years ago, Nuts.com, had expanded since the last time (YEARS) I had graced their website. They now have a plethora of fruit powders, more than I could even imagine, right on their website and for a fraction of the cost I was paying for those tiny jars. I'm thinking a lot of people use these for their workout protien smoothies and such, as they have every component of powdered herb, vegetable, etc to make you own protein mix to tailor to what you want instead of the premixed containers touted by every company under the sun.
So, last night, I purchased the basics, as well as some other powders that intrigued me. For the kids' yogurt, I got Strawberry, Blueberry, and Raspberry. For me, I got Coconut Water, Lemon, Lime, VitaCherry, and Acerola Cherry.
To my amazement, it arrived on my doorstep less than 24 hours after I ordered!
As I write this, I am sipping on a “fruit tea”. I used 4 oz boiling water, 1 tbsp of the Strawberry powder, 1 tbsp of Raspberry powder, and a tsp of honey. It is so good that my littlest boys had to have a mug of their own. This is definitely something I can feel good about giving my children, especially during the winter when we are missing the fresh berries of our favorite seasons. This morning, as soon as I ripped open the box, I made a coconut water and cherry drink that I sipped throughout the day. I used 8 oz of Reverse Osmosis water, 2 tbsp of coconut water powder, 1/4 tsp Acerola Cherry powder, 1 tsp VitaCherry powder, and 2 drops of liquid Stevia that I use pretty much daily anyway. I also made my daily citrus water with the lemon and lime powders (1tsp of each) and 4 drop of Stevia in my Ball Jar glass that I carry around with a silicone straw to keep my water intake up.
Before dinner, the children and I made the Mixed Berry mix for them to use for yogurt. We tried a small bit and we are ecstatic that it tastes even better than the Wildtree brand. The recipe I used for that was 2 tbsp each Strawberry, Raspberry, and Blueberry powder and 1 tbsp of the VitaCherry. The Wildtree brand adds sugar to theirs and I am liking that there won’t be anymore added sugar now, than what is already in the yogurt.
I am so excited to see how many combinations we will be able to come up with. My next order, I am excited to try making bubble teas. Nuts.com sells the black tapioca pearls and a variety of tea mixes, even a watermelon mix!
The other thing I am contemplating, is the protein powders that they have. They have grass-fed whey as well as brown rice protein powder.

I hope this helps you, like it is helping me and my family. I will try my best to keep a log of what kinds of powders we get and what we do with them. I just had to let my readers know about this wonderful discovery I made.

I am in no way paid by Nuts.com. I purchased these on my own account.

March 2017

Hello my lovely blog readers! I pray that your February was a good month. It has been both spring and winter all in one weekend here and it made for a very confused event this past weekend for me.

Here are all the awesome things coming up in March for Lilla Rose.

March 2017
Retail Special Offer

For Customer & Guest Online Orders Only
One Free Bobby Pin for Retail orders of $40 or more
Or Two Free Bobby Pins for Retail orders of $50 or more
Eligible Bobby Pins are those available as singles with an original retail price of $5.50, while supplies last. Selection of free Bobby Pins for qualifying orders will be presented during final checkout.

The March 2017 Flexi of the month is Trinitee

There are also a few other new items as well.

Guitar

Delta

Celtic Braided 8

Diamontina

On another note, a couple weeks ago, Abby and Anna upgraded their website. So, my new website address is beequabutterfly.shopabbyanna.com 

Please keep in mind that it is still a very new company and are trying to get inventory is very difficult, since it seems to sell out as soon as it is uploaded on the site. The clothing is quality made, so everything sold on Abby and Anna is in high demand. I absolutely love the shirt extender and leggings that I have purchased so far. One day, I will get on of the super soft Bamboo fabric tunics or dresses. Another item I am liking, but it is not practical for me right now, since I am nursing my youngest, is the maxi dress, which has elbow length sleeves. Perfect for ladies who like to keep their arms mostly covered.

KOA Care Camps - Donation

Today, I will be participating in a Chinese Auction benefiting the KOA Care Camps. Anyone who purchases from my website, www.lillarose/beequabutterfly today, May 14 and tomorrow, I will donate 10% of my profits to the KOA Care Camps organization.

Thank you!

Who said the Catholic Church had the power to...

Lately I have been sickened by what the Catholic Church says. They think they have the power to tell people that something is or is not holy and what to believe. In the recent past, they have said there is no hell, Jesus is not really coming back , and there is no Salvation unless it is through them, and many others.
It's not just the recent stuff though, they have been doing this for a very long time. They have all of these saints days and they were the ones who officially stated that celebrating Christmas was a holy day.
Who in the world gave them this power? The key word is the world. God does not give one person or group of people power over others. They have no right to say what is or is not holy, unless it comes straight from the Bible.
This is why I read the Bible for myself, to find out what God has said. There are even holidays the Jews celebrate, that are not in the Bible. They are nearly adapted traditions. If it is not a holy day listed in the Bible, then it should not be celebrated.
I urge everyone to do their own research as to how holidays have come to be. After, you will be sickened to learn that everything the average American celebrates is an abomination to God.
 I have written many other posts on unholy days and the holy days we should be following.

There is one holiday that we do still celebrate that is not grounded in pagan roots and is not in the Bible. Thanksgiving. It was established to celebrate God for the bountiful harvest he had allowed. Unfortunately, people have turned it into a commercial freak show with parades, football, and now shopping incentives, all geared on taking you away from the family you should be praising God for giving you.

Dating

We are not even close to begin letting our children date, but we need to have a plan and be on the same page when the time does come. I have recently started watching the Duggar family show on YouTube and really like the aspects of courtship. I came across another blog today, by accident and really like what she has to say. I have read a few other of her posts and feel very in line with what she says.

http://www.generationcedar.com/main/2013/04/recreational-modern-dating-is-absurd.html

I encourage you to pray and seek God's guidance for your own situations. I do know that I do not want what I had. My husband is blessed not to have had numerous heart breaks and disappointments. I was his first and only girlfriend. I wish I had saved my first kiss for my husband.

Update

Today I ate my first sun warmed tomato off the vine. This will be the first of few. This spring brought too much rain and much of my garden has either been drown or eaten by ground hogs. I did get many peas, but other than that, the ground hogs enjoyed a mixture of my lovingly grown broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and peppers. Most of the flower garden is non-existent, the herbs are stunted, and the rest are trying desperately to hold on and grow. Even the yard that we seeded is having a very hard time.

In another subject, my wonderful, dear husband will be 40 at the end of this month. I know he doesn't read my blog, do it is safe to tell everyone else that I am planning a surprise get together with family and friends. Just incase he does read this, I won't tell you where or exactly when, but scheduling has been very difficult. It is even more difficult to get ahold of his friends, since I never call them, no one would answer their phones, since they don't know my number! It took me calling 4 times to get ahold of one friend!

Life has been such a whirlwind the past few months, and I wouldn't change most of it. As long as I have my God, my husband, and my children, I am happy.

3 Day Weekend

So, what are we doing this 3 day weekend we have? The yard! Yes, you heard me right. We are not spending a leisurely weekend with Eric or even his parents at the lake.
You have heard me talk about my garden, and that is going really well, but that is usually where it stops. The reason is that the people who did our yard last year did not do it correctly. So, ever since it has gotten to be warm enough to be outside, my dear husband has been renting big machinery every weekend that the weather permits and is doing the job himself. As of yesterday, we now, finally have a yard that has the grade we wanted in the first place. Now we must have top soil trucked in, since they did not do any topsoil at all last year (we were told that they would rock hounded our fill dirt and it would be perfect to grow a new lawn... NOPE!). Eric will have to rent yet another machine, God willing, next weekend to push that around, then we can finally plant grass seed and pray for a steady amount of rain so we don't have to water all the time, then have a yard sometime in the middle of summer.
So in conclusion, if you can, do everything yourself. Do not think another person, even if they are hired, will do the job correctly. At least this seems to be our experience time and time again.
Maybe someday I will be able to have a little time alone with my husband and the children will finally have time to play with their father...

Life

You know, I started trying to write this a month or so ago, but I had to put it on hold. I had a lot of anger going through me and I needed to vent, but God gave me a blank mind and I couldn't get my thoughts out on paper, so I stopped, calmed down, and waited until I could write what needed to be said and not just a mish mash of things that couldn't be deciphered.

Life has many ups and downs. There are so many people in our lives that just don't understand what we are going through. When Eric and I got married, we made many rules to follow.

First was that we would never start drinking or smoke. That would be automatic grounds for divorce. We teach our children that smoking and drinking is an abomination as said in the Bible.

Second, whom ever cooks does not clean. That has had to be tweaked in recent years, since I am the Stay at Home Mother and I hardly ever see my dear husband who works a crazy amount of hours, so I can live my dream, but when he is home and cooks, I do try to do the dishes for him.

Third, is plain and simple. I am a Stay at Home Mother, which means... I stay at home. I do not go off all over the place shopping or hanging out with friends. I am a mother to the children God has blessed us with and do not have time for frivolities. I nurse and cloth diaper our babies, I keep our home in a decent order at all times, laundry is done every day, dishes are done as I have time, the children are home schooled, I keep the accounts straight, and I cook from scratch meals >90% of the time. I also keep the children in optimal health by not allowing many processed foods and letting them be children, letting them run and play outdoors as much as possible and dig in the dirt to learn about the wonders of nature that God put right in front of us. So far if we are ill, I am blessed to be using only
 herbs, essential oils, and homeopathy. My children have never had any conventional medicine or vaccine. We do not go to a medical doctor, but do go occasionally to a chiropractor. We have not had to go to our naturopath in 4 years, thank the Lord.

Some people may read this and think I am nuts, but aren't we as wives supposed to submit to our husbands? People now seem to read the Bible, but do not think it really applies to now. Of course it applies to now. God's rule are for forever, not a "back in the day" kind of thing. There are no time stamps on what God commands. The sooner everyone understands this, the happier people will become.

New additions

Last weekend we decided to add to our household. No, we are not pregnant, but we did go to the Stark County Humane Society and bring home 2 of the best cats you could dream of. We have been a pet less house for about 3 years now (no I don't count the fish we got last year... You can't cuddle and play with them.) We knew we didn't want kittens to have to train and definitely did not want a hairball like one of our previous cats, so we went with specifics in mind, and we definitely got what we were looking for!

Meet Carmel and Oreo. Yes, the children named them, well we just kept Oreo's name, since it fit, but Grady named the orange and white one, since I was not going to call our cat "Chaos".

Maybe one of these days Eric will allow me to get a dog...

A Typical Day... Updated

My how things change in 2 years! I have been going back, reading old blog posts and saw what our household schedule looked like in 2011. It has changed quite a bit, and yes people still assume I do absolutely nothing all day long. I wish!

7am Eric gets up for work and occasionally Tabitha and Grady will eat breakfast with him, then go back to bed.
10am Everyone gets up for the day, eats breakfast, laundry (usually diapers) is started
11am School work is started.
1pm lunch
2pm Finish any school work not done before lunch, Emmett naps
3pm clean something, change laundry
4pm do some sewing, crocheting or more cleaning
6pm dinner is started
8pm Eric usually gets home, unless a sales call is far away, then it's more like 10pm
10pm Tabitha and Grady go to bed (yes, they often do not get to see Eric until the weekend...)
12am - 1am Everyone else goes to bed

We still only leave the house 2-3 times a week for milk day, groceries, errands, and co-op.

I really don't know how I would get everything done if we were out constantly. It's all I can do to keep up with chores, since I have no help 95% of the time. I do not require my children to clean, except for toys and the occasional putting away of dishes. I want them to have time to be children. So, all aspects of a clean home, cooking, schooling, and sewing are on me. Yes, even on the weekend. Eric helps as much as he can, but he has many other things that need his attention when he is actually home.

Thinking of the future. A green burial

I just happened to come across "Green Burials" last night. I had heard about them a few years ago, but didn't really look into it. Now, since many family members this year have passed, I thought I should start thinking about what we want.

This type really appeals to me, since it is really the kind of burial Jesus had.

I am posting link that I came across last night in my mini research time before I fell asleep.

I am pretty happy that the cemetery down the street has started to offer a site for green burials in the past year.



http://www.rodale.com/green-funerals-0?page=0%2C0

Presbyterians vs Methodist vs Jehovah Witness vs... ...

Why is it that all of these churches, who supposedly read the same Bible, have such awful opinions about each other? Doesn't the Bible tell us to love our neighbors, no matter what they believe? Even if you do not go to a church, if you are really saved by God, then we are all brothers and sisters through Christ. Why can't Christians just get along?

Eric and I really don't understand why there isn't just 1 huge church for each city. Oh wait, I know! Because Constantine started the fact that it was a business and that it was tax exempt... So, there you go. Churches are built for the soul purpose of having a profitable business. Yes, I said it!

Like I have said before, you are not called to go to church. Christ is the church in your lives, where 2 or more are gathered together in his name. There is no requirement to go to this huge gathering every week, that splits your family into various parts of a building. I would think you would want to spend every second you could with the ones you love the most, learning about God and reading the Bible together, but maybe that's just me?

Some Christians are just too pushy!

Life has been extremely busy for our family in the past couple of weeks. A lot of stress and hard work, as well as important life lessons.

My husband just got back from a trip to help his sister remodel her bathroom. Before he got on his plane, a family member gave him verses and a prayer, since they believed he is not saved.

Everywhere we seem to go, we are bombarded with, "Are you saved?" "What makes you think so?"... Why is it that other Christians think they need to know if others are saved or not? Isn't that something that is exclusively between that person and God?

Even when we tried to go to a couple of local churches, because that's what I thought we had to do, since that was how I was raised. We would quickly run from each church, because as soon as someone spotted us as a "new person", we would get questioned, like we were being interrogated as to our true intent on being at that church. The last 2 churches we tried to attend even had the audacity to send people to our house, unannounced, to question us. If you think about it, that is exactly why no one really wants to go to church, and then to actually accept Christ, then it seems as though you are stuck cornering everyone else in your life to turn to the way of your thinking. That is just not how it is supposed to be people!!!

I pray that no one views me as "pushy"! I put my thoughts about religion on my blog for the purpose of sharing my views. If you do not want to read my views, you do not have to. Everyone in the world is allowed to make their own decisions. Everyone has their own beliefs and makes decisions based on what they can sleep with at night. I don't recall reading in the Bible, that Jesus went door to door, forcing his message down people's throats. No, he would be in a public area, and those who wanted to hear, came to seek his opinion. So why is it that we have all these Christian people that find out that someone does not accept the Bible at this time, start pushing their views and are constantly on the backs of someone who is not (or thought not to be) saved?

It is time to re look at the Bible, and use it as a tool to guide our lives. When and if someone sees how you live your life, wants to know more, then you can be prepared to share the wonderful news that is in the Bible with them. Otherwise, please, just let people be. Church goers seem to just be upsetting most of the public and are creating a totally different problem, that they are creating. I know they have the best intentions, but that is not how to go about it.

Eric started it!

Ha! I'm sure that is something that his parents heard a lot when he was growing up. But really, I can't take all the credit of how our lives have been gradually changing in recent years. He is truly amazing to me. Even though I don't like to admit it, he has more common sense than anyone I've ever known.

When we started dating, Eric told me he couldn't understand why I felt the need to wear or even buy make-up. When we got married, once he found out how much make-up cost, he really put a hold on it, even though I already didn't wear it unless we were going someplace special, like a wedding, family get together, or funeral. Why do people feel the need to look like a clown everytime they step out of the house?

After the birth of our daughter, he saw exactly why breastfeeding is best, why we didn't vaccinate, why we don't go to doctors... Breastfeeding is free, vaccinated children are always sick, and doctors lie and pressure you into things you don't want (believe me, I've worked for doctors and I know what they do and say behind parents' backs).

After the birth of our son, the reason to never go to the hospital got even more clear. Birth is natural and does not require someone with a degree. The way we were treated during the birth of Tabitha vs. Grady was night and day. Also, the way we were treated during my first miscarriage was horrific, but if you keep up with my blog, you already know that.

He was never really into holidays and celebrations anyway, but after researching and realizing that most holidays were all about the money and hyped commercialism and Christmas was more about lying to your children and feeling guilt into buying things you can't really afford, we stopped them all together. All the specific days (Mother's Day, Father's Day...) are more out of guilt than anything, if you really think about it... Again, I've already blogged about holidays and high expectations.

We also stopped all birthday parties. We do buy a few gifts and have a cake with no candles, but that is it. Eric (and everyone else) couldn't stand being around me the few times we did have a party for the kids. I am a perfectionist, and therefore need everything to run smoothly or I freak out. I would run myself ragged to ensure everything was going smoothly. I inherently got that from my Mom.

So, all in all, to everyone that thinks that I am brainwashing my husband, maybe you didn't really know him in the first place...

Please, don't feel sorry!

OK, just a warning... here I go again!

I am so tired of people telling me that they feel sorry for my children because we do not do what main stream America and society tell us that we "should" be doing with our children. My children are very happy and close to us and each other. I have never seen siblings this close and I pray they will always be like this. Eric and I restrict what they do because we feel that if they are not introduced to anything we do not do or believe in, they will have a better life.
For example, if they are not around people drinking alcohol or using curse words, they will not have a tendency to do that, or at least have a conviction not to do so. We have already had to deal with smoking, since Eric's dad and quite a few neighbors do. We tell them it is an absolutely disgusting habit and that there are many health risks to those who do it.   We do not sugar coat anything we tell them. We are very honest with them.  
I have already blogged about how holidays are not celebrated in our house, and that we do celebrate the Holy Days that are in the Bible.
We have also recently banned the children from being around our neighbors. I let the children be around the neighbors this summer and it was a big mistake. I was falling to the voice of everyone else that told me that the kids needed this type of interaction.
The truth is, they didn't. I had more behavioral problems and outside stress than I could have imagined. I became the yard that all the neighborhood kids came to and no one would respect my rules or authority, so it was abruptly ended and until we have the trees down and fence up, my children will be in our fenced area playing as they should have been in the whole time. As most would assume, the neighbor children use curse words and it seemed all the little ones wanted to play were "doctor" and guns, which neither are allowed in our household. No one seems to correct their language and actions, since none of them are at home with their parents, and are always looked after by someone else... Don't get me wrong, I understand some families choose to work, but these children never see their parents, they are there from dawn to dusk and see their parents MAYBE right before bed. That is not a way to raise a child. Children need their parents. Especially if they are not being guided on the right path and are fed junk food constantly. Why have children if you cannot spend quality time with them? Most of the time I would I hear that they are constantly shuffled from this or that activity. I imagine it is so the parents don't really have to deal with them. It's just exhausting listening to the things that they "have" to do on a weekly basis. People say let kids be kids. This is not letting kids be kids. Kids being kids means to let them play and enjoy nature and learn about the world through their own explorations. Not someone reading it from a book and them never getting 1st hand experience on how to grow something in a garden and what birds and insects look like and act like. I have learned so much more since I started homeschooling Tabitha than I ever did in the prison they call Public School. Think about it. You send your child to a secured building where, for 8 hours a day, they are told what to do and where to go and what to eat. They are given very little time to use their imagination and in no way can have "social skills", since they are not allowed to talk unless spoken to and are in a sardine can with only kids their own age. Most public school children don't know how to talk to anyone except someone their own age. I can attest to that! I was made to go to private and public school. I never talked to adults unless I was forced to and would ignore the elderly because I was afraid of them. My children will go to anyone and start a conversation, because they have not been forced into a box that tells them they have to communicate with mostly kids their age.
Another thing I have encountered is that people think I have my children in gymnastics to meet other children. NOT the case. They are there to become confident in their own body skills and learn other ways to exercise and keep fit. The other kids are just a little plus that they can have conversations with as long as they are doing what they are there for in the first place.
I could go on and on, but I feel I need to stop before I really get into a tizzy.

Please understand that this is what works for our family. Everyone has their own philosophy, but I like to try and keep my life as simple as possible.

A little bit of everything

Wow! Has it really been almost 2 months since I've blogged about something? I guess morning sickness will do that to you! Yes, I am around 16 weeks along and have had the hardest pregnancy I've ever had so far, but am blessed I have made it this far this time.

I am very thankful to have so many midwife friends who helped me through these past few months. They had me taking 100mg of Vitamin C and 50mcg of Vitamin K at the same time 3 times a day. Also I was told to eat pickles, since they are a good source of potassium and sodium. I couldn't believe how well these simple things things helped me, instead of having to go to a doctor and have drugs prescribed. Also if I forgot to take the vitamins (only happened 2 times) I could tell a huge difference.

I finally have felt well enough this past week to get out of the house, which we took full advantage of since Eric was on vacation. We stayed home, but did local activities. This past weekend we stayed at the lake to visit with Eric's parents and also plan the menu for the upcoming Jaime's wedding reception. On Wednesday, we went on a picnic at McKinley Monument and then Thursday, we went to the Stark County Fair.  Friday, we surprised the kids with going to Phineas and Ferb Live at Canton Civic Center after spending most of the day cleaning and getting a huge bag of corn parboiled, cut off the cob and in the freezer for winter. Saturday, I started getting my garden in order. I harvested all of my sunflowers, found about 1/2lb of ground cherries, picked some of my pickle cucumbers and made refrigerator pickles with dill and garlic from the garden, picked about 1/2lb of cherry tomatoes, and about 1lb of Roma tomatoes. The Romas, I have been slowly harvesting, peeling them, and saving them in a 2 gallon Ziploc in the freezer until I have enough to try and make sauce with them. I am very sceptical that I am going to get enough to do anything substantial with, since the drought this year really took a toll on most of my garden. Sunday, I decided to finally get the fall sewing started. I am planning on copying all the patterns and cutting out all the material before I start sewing, so that I can sort everything into same colors. That way I won't have to change thread so often. The sewing machine thread isn't that hard to change, but the thread on the serger can be a headache at times. I did get a slip for Tabitha finished that is Hanna Andersson inspired. I used a tank top pattern that I already had and added an eyelet skirt to it.

Today's plan is relaxing and getting more sewing done.

A few weeks ago I over did it, but got quite a bit canning done. I made applesauce, pearsauce, peach butter, peach slices, peach puree', and peach jam. It was a lot of work, but now we are pretty much set with peaches and pearsauce for the winter. We will be going back to the orchard in about a month to get more apples to make more applesauce and have an abundance of apples to make into pies and fresh eating for most of the winter.

Well, that is all I can think of right now. I hope all of my readers have a blessed day!

 

Gardening and "sew" much more

Since the last post, things have been a whirlwind around here! Most things are now in the new garden and the raised beds around the house. I also made a new wardrobe for Grady, made a couple essentials for Tabitha, made Eric some night pants, and me a few new skirts and peasant shirts. I also made all of us modest swimwear.

The swimwear was quite a bit of work, but so worth it. We went to Fallsview Waterpark for Tabitha's birthday and it was so nice not to have skin showing all over the place. As you can see, the boys match and the girls match.

 Besides all of this, I have been making soap and solid lotion. I have had a few people interested in purchasing soap from me and also my Sister-in-law got married this past weekend and thought I would make a small bath and body gift for her. I now have over 40 different recipes for soap and 20 plus recipes for solid lotions, solid perfumes, etc. I am trying out all new recipes and even recalculated a recipe to fit into the new soap boxes that Eric made for me. The soap boxes hold
10.5 lbs of soap, which sounds like a lot, but it works out to be approximately 30  5oz bars. This is a good thing, since I may be making soap, using goat milk (and maybe even raw cow milk) for the Simon Organic Family Farm to sell to their customers at the Canton Farmer's Market, the CSA, and fellow herdsharers.

One of the 2 lotions bars I have made so far has Monoi butter in it. It is a flower from Hawaii. It smells so good, but it has to be kept in a cool spot or it will melt... I am storing in the basement right now until I can figure out where else I can put it, or when I can sell some. I'd put it in the fridge, but I really don't want to smell flowers everytime I open the door...

I also (in my spare time, lol) I have made stevia extract, chocolate peppermint extract, and spearmint extract. Not sure what I will use the mints with just yet, but the stevia will be used to make natural lip balm, since Tabitha seems to want something for her lips all the time and I thought I could give/sell it to people also.

So anyway, if anyone would like to purchase anything I am making (soap, solid lotion, solid perfume...), please contact me through email so I can let you know what is available for purchase. If I need to, I can set up an EBay auction to ship.

Passover

If some of don't know, Passover begins at sundown tonight, which means that we are beginning a week of not eating any leaven. Leaven is yeast, baking soda, etc. Anything that makes something rise in baking or cooking.

I have spent all day baking. My children helped me and were actually fighting over who got to put the next ingredient in the various recipes next! We made UL fruit bread, UL pound cake, and UL shortbread cookies, so hopefully we are set for the week on a breakfast bread and desserts.

I cannot wait until tonight's Passover dinner. I have ground lamb with feta, garlic, salt and pepper marinating in the fridge, so I can make lamb/feta patties to put on top of parsley rice (remember no leaven in, so no burger buns!), then I have broccoli to steam, and I made the charoset this morning, which is also marinating in the fridge. For dessert, I am planning the pound cake topped with strawberries, vanilla ice cream on the side and whipped cream on top. So now you can see why I can't wait!

I am planning many casseroles for this week and also  pasta dishes. For breakfasts, there is always the normal eggs, sausage/bacon and orange juice, or I also have an UL baked oatmeal, that we actually eat periodically throughout the year. So you can see, it really isn't that hard to go without leavened products for 8 days.

Are any f my blog followers also celebrating Passover, Unleavened Bread, and First Fruits? If so please comment on what your Passover dinner consisted of.

Grady tidbits

Well, my little boy is going to be 2 years old this week. I don't have a baby anymore. I am becoming more and more emotional about it as the days go by. I did this with Tabitha too though.

Grady no longer needs me to get him to sleep. He has gone to sleep with Eric 3 times this week. My lap feels very empty right now. At least I know he will come running to me every morning for at least a little while longer for a quick nursing to fully wake up and start his day. I also am blessed that I get to sleep beside him still. I'm not in any hurry to put him in his own section of our family bedroom just yet.

I tried to find the perfect "flair" on Facebook that said that I've been nursing for 5 years, 1 month and 4 days straight, but all I could find was up to 2 years, so that is what I posted, since it pertains to Grady right now anyway.

Ok, so on with the 2 little tidbits that I could think of.

1. Grady had 3 visitors within hours of his birth. I think people couldn't believe that we really had a homebirth and expected to see something out of a gory movie when they came over.

2. Grady likes to dress up and wear "pretty" stuff. Can you blame him? He hangs around momma and Tabitha all day long. But at the end of the day, he is definitely all boy, he is running around the house and getting bruises and rough housing. He also like to hit EVERYTHING with his plastic baseball bat.

Time is passing

It is so hard to believe that it is actually the year 2011. That means that Eric and I have known each other for 13 years, will be married for 10 years, Eric and I are "in our 30's!!!", Tabitha will be 5, and Grady will be 2.


Where does the time go?

I am going to try and scan all of our wedding pictures so I can post them on Facebook on our anniversary.

I am going to try and blog little tidbits about events past as the above events come to pass.

The first tidbit is - It's all Brian Auble's fault (not really, but lol).