Blessings Overflowing

My Garden This Week: A Counter Height Garden Box

2013-05-24T16:11:59Z

Our Version of a Counter Height Garden Box

My husband is pretty handy and also likes to make life easier for us. So, when he showed me the plans he found for a counter height garden box I wasn’t surprised he had thought about building something like that.

It sounded like a good idea to me. Plus, I knew it would be a great opportunity for James to help in the workshop.

They set to work with scrap treated lumber we had lying around and loosely followed the plans.

Since the bottom of the garden box is made of rabbit wire we lined it with a bag of mulch. Then we added a big bag of potting soil on top of that.

I decided that this box would be perfect for lettuce because I usually can’t ever tell the difference between the weeds and the good stuff.

I planted buttercrunch and romaine lettuce as well as spinach and kale with the help of some cute guys.

It has only been five days and the seeds are already growing. Bring on the salads!

My Garden This Week (5-23-13)

Even though we have had quite a bit of rain this week my garden hasn’t flooded. Some of the plants still look stunted, but they may still do alright.

The beans and corn are really shooting up and as of now it doesn’t look like I will have to replant them like I did last year.

My seeds in the back garden spot are growing as well and I think the potatoes are even starting to grow.

I do wish I had remembered to label my hills because I am not sure which hills are the cucumbers, zucchini, or butternut squash. I am sure it will be evident in a few weeks, though.

How is your garden growing this week?

My Garden This Week: A Counter Height Garden Box is a post from: Blessings Overflowing

Download your copy of 10 Allergy-Free Main Dish Recipes as a thank you for being a subscriber. Click here for your free eBook.

Rhubarb Crunch Recipe and Weekly Menu Plan

2013-05-20T19:02:34Z

I originally posted this recipe in May of 2011. I have added some new pictures and made the recipe printable. Since it is rhubarb season I thought it was worth sharing again.

The funny thing is that I actually took this dessert to a church carry-in yesterday, so most of what I wrote two years ago is applicable today.

I wanted to share a recipe with you today as well as our meal plan for the week. My husband’s aunt gave me a bunch of rhubarb this past week and I diced it all up on Saturday.

We had a church carry-in yesterday, so I thought I would make a dessert using some of the rhubarb. I looked in our church cookbook and found a recipe called “rhubarb crunch”. I had all of the ingredients, so I decided to make it.

Well, I ended up using half of the rhubarb that the recipe called for because it was just too much for the pan. I think I made a mistake by pressing half of the crumb mixture into the bottom of the pan.

The recipe just said to “put” it in and not “press” it in. Maybe this is why it didn’t do so well. Note to self: Do not try a new recipe for church carry-ins.

Despite the fact that it was stuck to the bottom of the pan it was pretty good. It is similar to an apple crisp, but a little tangier.

The next time around I decided to use parchment paper to line the bottom of the pan.

The results were much better.

I do have to share a funny story about the rhubarb crunch. My brother went to get dessert and when he came back to our table I noticed that he had some of it on his plate. I started talking to him and his wife about it. I could tell he wasn’t overly thrilled about trying rhubarb.

Before I could see whether he liked it or not Janna wanted to nurse. I went into another room and when I got back I thought it looked like I had more rhubarb crunch on my plate than when I left. My sister-in-law informed me that my brother tried it and then gave me the rest because he didn’t like it. :)

Just for fun I took pictures of the various stages of the recipe making process.

Now, here’s the recipe.

Rhubarb Crunch

Ingredients

1 Cup Flour 
1 Cup Brown Sugar 
3/4 Rolled Oats 
1 tsp. Cinnamon 
1/2 Cup Melted Butter 
2 Cups Diced Rhubarb 
1 Cup Sugar 
1 Cup Water
 2 Tbsp. Cornstarch
 1 tsp. Vanilla

Instructions

Mix flour, brown sugar, oats, cinnamon and melted butter in a bowl.
Press half of the mixture into an 8" x 8" baking dish that has been lined with parchment paper.
Top with the diced rhubarb.
Cook sugar, water, cornstarch and vanilla over medium heat until the mixture thickens.
Pour cornstarch mixture over the rhubarb.
Top with the remaining crumb mixture.
Bake for 55-60 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

Notes

I highly recommend using parchment paper to line the pan. Otherwise you will end up with the crust stuck to the pan.

I doubled this recipe with great success and baked it in a 9" x 13" pan.

http://www.blessingsoverflowing.com/2013/05/rhubarb-crunch-and-weekly-menu-plan/

Here is our menu plan for the week. We strayed from our menu twice last week so I just put those meals on our menu for this week.

Menu Plan (May 2011)

Sunday – Leftovers

Monday – Chicken Breasts, Rice, Brussels Sprouts, Fruit Smoothies

Tuesday – Sloppy Joes, Macaroni & Cheese, Cauliflower, Applesauce

Wednesday – Fish Fillets, Baked Potatoes, Green Beans, Fruit Cocktail

Thursday – Chicken & Noodles, Broccoli, Apple Slices

Friday – Family Night at Church

Saturday – Roast, Mashed Potatoes, Turnip Greens, Fruit Smoothies

Rhubarb Crunch Recipe and Weekly Menu Plan is a post from: Blessings Overflowing

Download your copy of 10 Allergy-Free Main Dish Recipes as a thank you for being a subscriber. Click here for your free eBook.

Week in Review (5-18-13)

2013-05-18T19:25:05Z

What’s New

Good afternoon! I hope you had a great week. Ours was another busy but good week.

I have been been busy with my new business, which I promise to tell you about soon, and I am really enjoying it.

I am praying that God will bless my business and allow it to prosper.

In addition to working (from home), I have been working in the garden and doing my normal household duties. Most importantly, I am having a ball with the kids.

They really are at fun ages right now. Yesterday, we went to the library in a nearby “big” city and you would have thought they had won the jackpot.

Picture of the Week

Speaking of those kids of mine, here is my favorite picture from this week.

My parents got the kids a new sand table and the boys were trying to entertain Janna so I could do a couple of things in the garden.

Interestingly, Janna wasn’t there when I snapped this picture. They were having so much fun they didn’t even seem to notice their sister wasn’t right there. (She was with me.)

Links I Loved

Sometimes we all need this reminder. “You can’t always change your circumstance, but you can always choose your attitude.” (via Money Saving Mom)
I have always liked my homemade deodorant, but I think I want to try this coconut lime deodorant when I need more. (via Vintage Amanda)
Coconut flour is a gluten-free flour that I would like to use but I am always unsure of how to substitute it in a recipe. Here is a coconut flour conversion chart that should help me. (via Maria’s Nutritious & Delicious Journal)
As a mom of three boys I enjoyed reading this post about having a young man in the making. (via The Better Mom)
Even “if your kitchen counter wiping gets no ‘likes’…you matter.” Maybe you need this reminder, too. (via Simple Mom)

That about does it for this week. What’s new with you this week?

Week in Review (5-18-13) is a post from: Blessings Overflowing

Download your copy of 10 Allergy-Free Main Dish Recipes as a thank you for being a subscriber. Click here for your free eBook.

My Garden This Week: How I Built a Potato Tower

2013-05-22T00:50:00Z

I have decided to make Thursdays my day to post my weekly garden updates, so let’s get started with the first update.

My Version of a Potato Tower

The past two years I have planted potatoes in rows. After doing a little research I decided to make potato towers this year and completed that job yesterday.

While I have no idea whether it will work or not, I am hopeful based on a post I read at One Hundred Dollars a Month.

Here is what I did to make the towers.

Step1: I used some leftover fencing from when we built our chicken yard. The fencing was 5 foot tall and the openings were 2 inches x 4 inches.

I cut the fencing in half so that I had two 2 1/2 foot pieces that were about 6 feet long. I formed each piece into a circle and crimped the wire around itself on the edges.

I made a total of four towers and pushed them into the ground a little bit. (You would never know we had too much rain last week by looking at the dirt, would you?)

I highly recommend having a cute helper. It makes the work more fun.

Step 2: I then lined the bottom and about 1/3 of the sides of each tower with straw. The straw is supposed to keep the dirt in the tower.

Step 3: Then, I added topsoil to the tower so that it was a few inches below the top of the straw.

Step 4: Next, I cut my seed potatoes and arranged them in the dirt. I am hopeful I didn’t plant them too close and I hope it was alright to plant some in the middle.

It is recommended that you plant the potatoes with the eyes up.

Also, I read, though I didn’t do this, to wait a few days between cutting the potatoes and planting them. Another thing I read to do was to coat the pieces of potato in garden sulfer.

Step 5: Finally, I covered the potatoes with more topsoil so that it reached the top of the straw.

I have no idea how well this will work, but it sure beat digging a bunch of holes.

As the potatoes grow I plan to add more straw along the sides and cover them with more topsoil.

Supposedly, when the potatoes are finished growing I should be able to just lift off the fencing and potatoes will spill out. Sounds pretty easy to me.

My Garden This Week (5-16-13)

Last week I started planting our garden and got about halfway done before we had some major rain. There were some big puddles in the garden and a few of my plants sat in water for a few days.

As if flooding wasn’t bad enough, we had a few nights over the weekend where the temperature was into the 30′s.

Some of my plants are looking pretty sad. I am hopeful that they will snap out of it. However, it’s pouring down rain as I am writing this.

This week I planted some seeds, so I am getting closer to being finished. I still have carrots, onions, radishes, and a few varieties of greens still to plant.

I can’t believe how dry the garden looks. Not only have I been battling too much rain and some cold weather that may have stunted my plants, a mole has been on an excavating mission all through my garden.

This is my back garden spot where I put the potato towers and I have hills of cucumbers, zucchini, and butternut squash. I will plant a few more things here in a few days.

Just in case you were curious, here is what I have planted so far.

12 Sweet Potato Plants
13 Broccoli Plants
10 Cabbage Plants
4 Dill Plants
6 Sweet Basil Plants
10 Bell Pepper Plants
16 Tomato Plants (6 Marglobe, 8 San Marzano, 2 Red Grape)
4 Rows of Green Beans
2 Rows of Sweet Corn (I will plant two more in another week.)
2 Hills of Butternut Squash
2 Hills of Cucumbers
2 Hills of Zucchini
4 Potato Towers

Are you having a garden this year? Has the weather cooperated for you?

My Garden This Week: How I Built a Potato Tower is a post from: Blessings Overflowing

Download your copy of 10 Allergy-Free Main Dish Recipes as a thank you for being a subscriber. Click here for your free eBook.

Mombo™ Nursing Pillow Review

2013-05-16T15:39:56Z

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Comfort and Harmony for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

When Julia was a baby I thought it would be nice to have a nursing pillow. I was trying to save money so I made up my own pattern, but I had never even held a “real” nursing pillow.

I ended up just looking at a picture of a popular name brand nursing pillow and did the best I could. That pillow made it through 4 babies, but I didn’t love it.

The nursing pillow I made ended up being used more for extra support for my babies when they were learning to sit.

When I was pregnant with Janna a friend gave me one of the popular name brand nursing pillows and I really tried to love it.

However, I ended up mostly using it as a sitting/tummy time support instead of a nursing pillow because I found it just didn’t support Janna while she was nursing the way I had hoped it would.

When I recently had the opportunity to review a Mombo™ nursing pillow I said “Yes!” even though Janna is a wriggly nursing toddler and not an infant that requires me to sit and nurse her for long periods of time. Still, I wanted to see what was so different about this nursing pillow compared to others I have tried.

Before I even opened the packaging I was excited because the pillow had two sides, a softer side for lounging and a firmer side for breastfeeding, Plus, there was a vibration feature which seemed totally cool because my babies all preferred a vibrating bouncy seat to a swing.

I was really impressed with the design and quality of the pillow and decided to test it out on my nephew, who is 6 months old.

Look at how cute he is and he doesn’t even seem to mind that the pillow is pink. (FYI: They do make slipcovers for these nursing pillows.)

We tried out the vibrating feature that fits inside the pillow by way of the zipper that you can sort of see in the middle of the pillow.

While my nephew liked using the pillow for tummy time we didn’t keep him that way for long. Since he is more inclined to sit we tried out the pillow for support and he loved it.

He was just hanging out chewing on his toy like, “It’s all good.” or something like that.

My sister-in-law also tried out the pillow for nursing her little guy and she loved the support it provided. I felt the same way.

Actually, I really felt that this nursing pillow would have been totally awesome to have had 14 years ago, or even 10, 8, 5, or 2 years ago.

After testing out the Mombo™ nursing pillow I have to say that I am very impressed and would totally recommend it for any nursing mama.

You can get these nursing pillows, and other Comfort & Harmony products, at Babies R Us. I would definitely put it on your baby product wish list or give one as a gift to a new mom.

Be sure to check out Comfort & Harmony on Facebook and Comfort & Harmony on Twitter to find out all of the latest product news.

Did you use a nursing pillow with your nurslings? What features did you like/dislike about the pillow?

Mombo™ Nursing Pillow Review is a post from: Blessings Overflowing

Download your copy of 10 Allergy-Free Main Dish Recipes as a thank you for being a subscriber. Click here for your free eBook.

7 Gift Ideas for Teachers

2013-05-18T02:34:33Z

Did you know that I used to be a public school teacher? I taught for 6 years and this month marks the end of my 11th year being home.

I do not regret my years as a stay-at-home mom, but I do have some fond memories of my teaching days.

My students would sometimes get me gifts and many of them were cute and teacher-themed. However, you can only have so many apple decorations.

That is why I try to give my kids’ teachers more practical gifts that are fairly clutter-free. Here are 7 of my favorite from over the years.

Food Gifts

Who doesn’t love cookies? These bags of cookies were super simple and a delicious treat for the teachers. To find out all of the details and print out the free bag topper click here.

Speaking of cookies, I made homemade sugar cookie dough for my boys’ teachers for Christmas lasts year, but this gift could be easily adapted for the end of the year by changing the types of cookie cutters and sprinkles. Click here to get all of the details as well as the recipe for the cookie dough.

If you have any homemade jam or jelly you can print out the gift tags I created and turn it into a gift for your child’s teacher. Click here to print your own set of editable tags.

Here’s another cookie gift idea only this one is in a jar. I created free printable labels and instructions that can be taped to the jar and lid. Click here to find out more.

Relaxing Gifts

Mix up a batch of homemade bath salts and put them in a glass jar. Use my printables, a ribbon, and a small spoon to complete the gift. Find the recipe and more here.

While I haven’t written out a tutorial for exactly how I make these fleece rice bags, it is definitely on my list of posts to write. These make a great gift for teachers and I even made up a cute poem to go with them. Check it out here.

This idea is for adding a gift tag with a pocket (to hold drink packets) to a reusable water bottle. I created the printable tag and you can download it here. Another way to add to this gift would be to include a magazine and some sunscreen in a beach tote.

Now that I have reminded myself of all of the gifts I have made in the past, it is time for me to get in gear for this year because there are only a few more days left of school.

Do you give your child’s teacher a gift at the end of the school year?

I am linking this post to:

7 Gift Ideas for Teachers is a post from: Blessings Overflowing

Download your copy of 10 Allergy-Free Main Dish Recipes as a thank you for being a subscriber. Click here for your free eBook.

T-Shirt Produce Bag Tutorial

2013-05-14T15:05:59Z

Have you ever thought about using cloth produce bags instead of the plastic ones at the grocery store?

While I prefer to use cloth grocery bags, when I remember, it hadn’t crossed my mind to use reusable produce bags, until now.

Today I am sharing a very simple way that you can make your own produce bags.

All you need is a tank top or T-shirt (preferably in a child size) scissors, and the ability to sew a straight line with a sewing machine.

To find out all of the details head over to The Happy Housewife where I am sharing the full tutorial.

T-shirt Produce Bag Tutorial

T-Shirt Produce Bag Tutorial is a post from: Blessings Overflowing

Download your copy of 10 Allergy-Free Main Dish Recipes as a thank you for being a subscriber. Click here for your free eBook.

2 Ingredient Strawberry Sorbet

2013-05-13T20:34:02Z

I. Love. Strawberries!

Sometimes, if I eat too many, my tongue feels funny.

However, that doesn’t deter me from eating them, but it does remind me to slow down a little.

I am looking forward to strawberry season and hopefully, in a few weeks, we will be able to go strawberry picking.

Today I wanted to share a recipe that I concocted a few years ago.

I am not sure how you really make sorbet, but I chose to call this recipe strawberry sorbet.

It is so tasty and fulfills my need for a cold treat because ice cream (and most dairy) and I don’t really get along anymore.

2 Ingredient Strawberry Sorbet

Ingredients

5 Cups of Puréed Strawberries
2 Cups Sugar

Instructions

Mix the strawberry purée and the sugar thoroughly.
Pour mixture into a glass dish.
Place dish in freezer.
Once frozen, allow to thaw slightly before serving.
Alternative: Pour mixture into individual serving dishes before freezing.

Notes

You can easily purée the strawberries in a blender or use an immersion blender.

I prefer to use natural sugar in place of traditional refined white sugar.

http://www.blessingsoverflowing.com/2013/05/2-ingredient-strawberry-sorbet/

2 Ingredient Strawberry Sorbet is a post from: Blessings Overflowing

Download your copy of 10 Allergy-Free Main Dish Recipes as a thank you for being a subscriber. Click here for your free eBook.

Week in Review (5-11-13)

2013-05-11T18:55:54Z

What’s New?

I hope you had a great week. We sure did. Even though we have had some rain, we also had some beautiful days to be outside and soak up the sunshine.

Thanks to those beautiful days I started planting the garden a couple of days ago. So far I have planted 12 sweet potato plants, 13 broccoli plants, 8 cabbage plants, 4 dill plants, and 16 tomato plants.

I am hopeful to get peppers and all of my seeds in the ground this coming week if the rain will hold off for a few days.

This leads me to my picture of the week.

Picture of the Week

The kids, especially the little ones, were a big help in the garden. There is nothing quite like playing in the mud and dirt to improve everyone’s moods.

The planting of the garden also means that I will start my weekly garden update posts. It is always fun to record how my garden looks each week and then look back at the end of the season at how much it changed.

Links I Loved

This week’s links are all about mothers because tomorrow is Mother’s Day and well, I’m a mom. For those of you who aren’t mothers, being a part of a child’s life is still an important job no matter whether you are an aunt, uncle, grandparent, or friend.

Last year I wrote about embracing the joys of motherhood. Sometimes I am still in awe that God chose me to mother these 5 children of mine.
The video “You are mighty, because you mother.” is very powerful and worth watching. (via Lisa-Jo Baker)
I loved these 10 tips for becoming a yes mom because we probably all need to say yes a little more. (via The Happy Housewife)
Do you ever feel desperate and wish you had more patience with your children? If so, you might want to read “Patience on the Journey of Motherhood Holds Great Rewards”. (via (In)Courage)
Sometimes we mothers get tired. Check out the “Tired Mother’s Creed” for those days when you need some encouragement. (via Lisa-Jo Baker)
I am just beginning the “parenting teens phase” and I will have many years ahead. Even if you aren’t a parent of teens it never hurts to be prepared, so check out this post on parenting teens. I have told Julia to use me as an excuse before and I was glad to know this is a good idea. (via Simple Mom)

That about does it for this week. I hope all you mothers have a great Mother’s Day.

As for me, I never get excited about Mother’s Day. Yes, I enjoy honoring my own mother, but I don’t care if my family does anything special for me. I am just happy I get to celebrate every day with my 5 blessings because there was a time I didn’t know if we would have more than 1.

Week in Review (5-11-13) is a post from: Blessings Overflowing

Download your copy of 10 Allergy-Free Main Dish Recipes as a thank you for being a subscriber. Click here for your free eBook.

Hand Towel Plastic Bag Holder Printable Tutorial

2013-05-18T02:35:40Z

A couple of years ago I shared a tutorial for how to make a plastic grocery bag holder out of a hand towel. That post has been one of my most popular posts of all time. Who knew such a quick project would be so popular?

My grandma used to make them but none of us knew her pattern. I studied how she made them and then wrote my tutorial accordingly.

Recently I was asked by a reader if I would be willing to make a couple of bag holders to sell. I agreed and decided that since I was making more bag holders that I would turn my original tutorial into a PDF at the same time.

So, if you like to sew you may want to download and print my tutorial by clicking the link below.

Hand Towel Plastic Bag Holder Tutorial

If you don’t sew but would still like a plastic bag holder then I have a deal for you. I have made some for sale on Etsy and you can check them out by clicking the picture below. No pressure, though.

How do you store your plastic bags?

Even though I try to use my cloth grocery bags we still end up with tons of plastic ones. I like to use them as trash can liners for my bathroom wastebaskets.

I am linking this post to:

Hand Towel Plastic Bag Holder Printable Tutorial is a post from: Blessings Overflowing

Download your copy of 10 Allergy-Free Main Dish Recipes as a thank you for being a subscriber. Click here for your free eBook.