Hidden Treasures

our new home...I love to decorate!!

2013-05-16T16:21:00.000-05:00

Well, we've been working on moving into a "new" house all summer! {Did I mention it's the hottest summer on record?} We've done a lot of updating and remodeling. It's finally coming together and many of you have asked to see some pictures of the finished product, so here ya go....

The living room...or part of it.

A bit more of the living room.... I didn't take a pic of the wall to my left for some reason but there's a few more pictures and a piano...not too exciting...

A shot of the dinning room from the kitchen.

Part of my kitchen...with stuff on the counter.

I supposed I could have cleaned it up BEFORE I took the pictures! :)

The other end of the kitchen...

Antiques and old things above my fridge...I love anything vintage!!

Here's the hall way...in case you were wondering. The mirror at the end has "snow" on it and a cute little snowman barn star! I love winter too! Our children's rooms and bathroom are down this hall...

My favorite pictures of my children!! I just love them!

Are they not the cutest things you've ever seen? And "vintage" to boot!!

Ya just can't beat it!

Well, there ya have it! That's the majority of the upstairs of our home. The basement contains a laundry room, our room, a storage area and some shelving for my canning jars and things...it's really not much to look at yet. Maybe someday I'll get it decorated too!?

Updates:

Well, apparently this was supposed to be posted back in October? Really not sure what happened at this point. I guess I forgot to post it. Our house pretty much looks like this still except for a few newly decorated spots...because I LOVE to decorate and continue to decorate and re-decorate spots here and there. We have "new" furniture in our living room because our youngest got the flu last winter and ruined our couch - that's all I'm going to say about that. :)

This post is mostly for those of my family and friends that live so many miles away and don't get a chance to come over. Any and all are welcome at any time - just don't blame me if you come unannounced and it's messy! We do love company though. Any one, any time!

Homemade Amish Caramel

2013-05-15T21:21:00.000-05:00

Homemade caramel!

Too bad the term "homemade" doesn't always mean "healthy" because I'd love to tell myself that these little goodies are healthy, but alas, they are not. Not is any way, shape, or form. <pout>

They are, however, very yummy and super easy to make. They also make a fabulous gifts and/or fund raisers! We're preparing for a yard sale and we're planning to sell a bunch of this as well as all the junk {valuable goodies} that are being stored in our basement at this present moment.

Amish Caramel

2 c. white sugar - yeah....
2 c. heavy cream - hey, I used the organic stuff...that makes it a little bit better right?
1 3/4 c. corn syrup - .....O.K.!! Never mind....
1 c. butter
1 tsp. vanilla

Boil sugar, syrup, butter, and a little of the cream.

Add the rest of your cream slowly as the mixture boils. Continue stirring. Don't allow to stop boiling.

Boil until it forms a soft ball (236-240 degrees). Then add vanilla.

Pour into a buttered pan. Cool. Cut into squares and wrap in wax paper...this is when you're really glad you have children!! This is an easy job, but it sure does seem to take forever!! :)

There you have it!! Throw a few of these in a cute little bag with some shred and a raffia ribbon and you're set!

Now, we pray for a good turn out on yard sale day....!!

Pizza Fries! Yum!!

2013-04-29T19:50:00.001-05:00

Here's a healthy twist to an old favorite!!

One of my favorite restaurants when I lived in Tucson, AZ was called Eegees! LOVED that place! They had all kinds of really fun, really unhealthy food! I must confess, Eegees and Whataburger get a visit every time I go "back home".

One day I decided to make my own Pizza Fries and they turned out fanTAStic!! My husband, who grew up eating Southern fried, big people food, wasn't too fond of it, so he gets spaghetti on Pizza Fries night.

Ingredients:

Homemade potato wedges {or frozen french fries}
Spaghetti or pizza sauce {garlic & oregano}
Mozzarella cheese
Mushrooms
Green onions
Peperoni or sausage {if you would normally eat these things on your pizza}
Olives
Peppers
Tomatoes
Pretty much anything you would normally put on your homemade pizzas

Directions:

Bake potato wedges until golden brown and crispy.
Heat spaghetti/pizza sauce till hot and add spices if necessary.
Prepare veggies and pizza toppings.
Put a few potato wedges on each plate; cover with sauce; add desired ingredients and then top with tons of mozzarella!

Enjoy!!!

Yummy Cheesy Bread

2013-04-16T22:10:00.001-05:00

Ever have last minute company? If you're like me, you send each kid to get something done before the guests arrive. Dust the piano, pick up the shoes in the entry way, throw all the clutter in the bedroom, clean the bathroom, and take out the trash. You might even light a candle to give the house that special welcoming effect.

But what about food? What can you whip up in a few moments that would be "company approved"?

Try Cheesy Bread! It's fast easy and fabulous! Your company can snack on these delicious biscuits until the cows come home...or dinner is ready. Whichever comes first.

I've made these simple biscuits for company several times and they've always been loved. I even made them for this past year's Christmas dinner at church. My husband says they taste just like the rolls at the Dixie Stampede. I've never been there before, but I'm sure that's a compliment! And THESE are healthy! {Although, I must warn you: you may want to double or even triple this recipe!}

Ingredients:

2 cups fresh ground soft white wheat {or whole wheat flour}
1 tablespoon baking powder or arrowroot powder
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/3 cup butter
1 cup milk, buttermilk, plain yogurt or sour cream
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons oregano
1 cup cheddar cheese or half cup mozzarella/1/2 cup cheddar

Directions:

Mix ingredients together with fork and then drop onto your pan.

Bake in 350* oven for around 15 minutes or until the tip-tops are a nice golden brown. Yields about 10 regular size biscuits or 6 large ones.

There really are so many different options for these biscuits! You could add some bits of bacon, or sun-dried tomatoes, or maybe you'd be more interested in chives or jalapenos?

Leave a message below to let me know what you'd add or like best!! I can't wait to hear your ideas...and try a few! ;)

Whole Wheat Bread

2013-04-07T22:16:00.003-05:00

After 3 years of praying for a wheat grinder, I finally got one last year for my birthday!! I was so excited I ordered wheat berries right away - TONS of them! Actually, it was more like 100 pounds, but who's counting, right?

I got busy baking bread. But it didn't work. Something was really wrong! I couldn't figure it out!

My chocolate chip cookies, banana bread, pumpkin breads, and plenty of other such recipes worked just fine, but the regular, old sandwich bread that I kept trying to make was a flop! As in F-L-O-P!!

After much confusion, research, and way too many wasted wheat berries, I finally begged a friend of mine, who was in town visiting her parents, to come rescue me. {More like rescue my husband and children from many frustrating rants of self pity due to the fact that I was by no means the natural born bread maker that I had imagined myself to be.}

Kami came and with her the knowledge that all wheat berries are NOT created equal. In my attempts to make a healthy, yet soft wheat bread that my husband and children would adore, I bought soft white wheat berries. Did I mention I bought ONE HUNDRED POUNDS of them?? In my little brain it made complete since. They were completely natural, organic, and fresh ground. What could be wrong with them? Not a whole lot if all you plan to make is cakes and cookies, but for sandwich bread it was all wrong.

Long story short - I had to buy another big bag of hard white wheat and another of hard red wheat beside the 100 pounds of soft white berries I already had! <sigh> The good news is that my Kami's bread turned out just as soft and yummy as I had originally hoped!

Here's Kami's recipe:

1 1/2 cup warm water
1/3 cup of oil - I suggest cold pressed coconut oil or olive oil. I use olive oil.

1/3 cup of raw honey

2 teaspoons of sea salt

4 1/2 cups of flour - which being interpreted is 1 1/2 cups of hard white wheat berries and 1 1/2 cups of hard red wheat berries. Throw it all in the ole grinder and there you have it - 4 1/2 cups of fresh ground, whole wheat flour!!

1 Tablespoon of yeast

1 Tablespoon of lecithin

1 Tablespoon of gluten

Slight variation: * I don't use lecithin or gluten. I simply throw in an egg and it works just as well.

Directions:

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Add oil, honey, salt, *egg and flour. Mix together. I don't have a mixer - YET - so I kneed by hand. It really isn't that hard and makes me feel quite domesticated!

Put dough in warm place to rise until doubled. This takes about an hour. After dough has doubled, punch it down. Separate your dough into 2 equal parts and form your loaves. Let your loaves rise in greased bread pans. Bake at 350* for only around 20 minutes! Very easy and delicious!!

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Treasures of Healthy Living {Book Review}

2013-01-22T15:09:00.000-06:00

Do you get overwhelmed when you think about all the changes you can, or should, make in your family's diet and or life style? I don't know about you, but the more I learn about living healthy, the more I realize I don't know. If you can relate, then Treasures of Healthy Living by Annette Reeder is definitely a book you'll want to read!

I was so excited when Mollie asked me to do the review! I firmly believe that the Christian life demands a healthy diet and life style. After all, we are bought with a price - our bodies belong to HIM!!

1. My favorite thing about Treasures of Healthy Living {beside it's name - anything with the word "treasures" in it has to be good, right? ;)} is that it's based on the Bible and used Scripture to tell us what God thinks about food. Most of us don't realize just how much God wants us to enjoy food.

Treasures of Healthy Living will walk you through your Bible and help you understand food and how God made it for our physical benefit as well as spiritual comparisons and applications.

Did you know God refers to Himself as the "Bread of Life"? God knew how much we would depend on food, and yes, even love it, and that's why He lovingly explains life to us through examples and pictures He knew we'd understand. And who doesn't understand food?? {The Bible mentions all kinds of foods including apples, grapes, figs, honey, barley, fish, cheese, and pistachios to name just a few.}

2. I also love how this book was divided into sections. Each section, or chapter, is devoted to a different topic. These topics range from beverages, to bread and whole grains, to fruits and vegetables, and yes, even toiletries, cosmetics and cleaning supplies! This book covers it all!

I love how Treasures of Healthy Living is divided into 12 parts. It made it easy for me to read and not so overwhelming. You study one thing at a time. You will be invited to make small decisions and life applications on a daily and weekly basis over a 12 week span.

Treasures of Healthy Living is a great Bible study tool for you and your girl friends, or maybe you could even use it as Sunday School materiel? There's also a cook book that goes along with this study guide! I can't wait to order it for myself! What would be better than a weekly Bible study that includes a new recipe to try? And - it would all be healthy!!

Anytime is a great time to make healthy changes. Why not start this year out on the right foot? Order "Treasures of Healthy Living" now. Use it to help you understand food, what the Bible says about it, and how much God wants you to enjoy it {and your health!}. Go to the Designed Healthy Living site and enter the code: hiddentreasures to get 10% off any books and treasures note cards. {Coupon will expire after February 28.}

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No-Sew {very afordable!!} Curtains

2013-01-02T15:00:00.000-06:00

Not sure if you would consider this a curtain or a valence? I always call them curtains, but technically, I suppose, they are more of a valence. Call it what you want, I made them myself without sewing and without spending money!

My kitchen window.....

All you need is an old table cloth, piece of fabric, or even a bed sheet that you like, a staple gun, a 2x4, some "L" brackets, and some ribbon. Most of us have these things or can get them easily without spending too much money.

1. To make these "curtains" you simply cut the 2x4 down to the size of your window. It should be at least 2 - 3 inches longer than the width of the window. Be sure you include the window frame in the size of your window as you will not want to mount this to the window frame. Your fabric should be at least 4 inches longer than the 2x4 so that you can cover the ends it and not just the front. We don't want the ends of the 2x4 to show...just not attractive at all. :)

2. Next, simply staple your fabric {in this case I used a nice table cloth that I no longer need} to the 2x4. Starting at the ends. Be sure you staple the fabric on the end of the board and then wrap it around the front so that it hangs correctly on the window.

3. After you have stapled it on each end, you can staple the center of the fabric to the center of the board. Depending on how much fabric you have, you may or may not have to make to a pleat {or 2} on each side.} I prefer one pleat on each side. You can do what you like or what works best with your fabric and window sizes.

Above you see I have stapled it to each end of my 2x4.

Below, you can see how we stapled it to the center of the 2x4 and the excess fabric is just kinda hanging there....that's where the pleat will be...right in the center of the end and the center. Ah, yeah, there's got to be a better way to say that!! {If you aren't going to have a pleat in your curtain, you can skip down to step 6}

4. So, ANYWAY, measure your board from the end to the center and divide that number in half. Mark that many inches from the end of the board and THAT is where you should staple your pleat.

5. Above, you can see where I made the pleat and simply stapled it right on the board at the place marked as instructed above. Below, you can see how we stapled the pleat to be sure it wasn't going to come undone.

Most of the time I would sew this on my machine, but since my sewing area is under construction and I'm very impatient, I decided to do it all without my machine.

Below, you can see the whole board with both completed pleats.....

6. Next {below} you simply measure and attach your ribbon to hold the curtain up in a "blousy" manner right at the pleats. If you don't have pleats in your curtains, you simply measure as we did in step 4 and attach the ribbon where the pleat would have been. One end of the ribbon will be stapled straight to the board on the underside of the fabric and the other end will be stapled to the board through/on top of the fabric. {sorry, no picture was taken of this step.}

7. To hang the curtains, {below} you will need to screw the "L" brackets to the bottom of the board. Be sure you put it on so that the back of the board is against the wall. We don't want our curtains hung backward! This would look very cute to all the Peeping Toms....not so cute to guests!!

Then, you simply measure, level and screw the curtains straight into the wall........

.....and there you have it!

My dinning room window....simple...easy....very inexpensive.

{I think I spent a grand total of $6.00 on hardware and ribbon to dress both windows!}

Tips:

I used one table cloth to make "curtains" for my dinning room and kitchen windows. I cut it in half and stapled the UN-hemmed edge to the board. This saved me from needing to hem my fabric!!
Because my table cloth was too long for the kitchen window I simply doubled it and stapled it up that way. If I had cut it down to size, I would have had to hem it, and, as I stated before, my sewing machine/area is not available at the moment.
My fabric has stripes!! Stripes always make it so much easier to get it all straight!!
If you measure your ribbons wrong...as I did...you can "tack" it up to the desired length in the back/underside of the curtain with a safety pin. Even the Peeping Toms won't see it...unless they're standing directly on the opposite side of the window...in which case you have more problems than a safety pin in your curtains!!! : D

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New Year's Resolutions 2013

2012-12-28T14:39:00.001-06:00

Resolutions. We make them every year. But how often do we keep them?

Honestly, I never made any New Year's Resolutions until I started this journey to healthy living. Fear of commitment? Maybe. Fear of failure?? YES!! I don't want to make a resolution and then be guilty of not following through with it. However......

This year I have a few resolutions:

No More Rules!! I've decided that my children shouldn't have to follow a bunch of man made

photo credit

rules! In fact, I told them that. You should have seen their faces light up!

If they take issue with a rule and they can prove that it is not valid based on the Bible, I will throw it out. This way they have to study their Bibles for themselves and they will understand that we do what we do to please God rather than men.
Honoring One Another!! I've decided that if we, as a family, could work on honoring one another above ourselves, everyone will benefit and the fruit of these lessons will last for years and affect more than just our family relationships. I have 2 Bible verses that I've asked my husband to print out so I can put them on the fridge:

Romans 12:10 ~ Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour prefering one another; not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord.

Jude 22 ~ And of some have compassion making a difference.
Homemade Bread!! The ladies at church gave me a wheat grinder for my birthday! I've wanted one of those for several years and now I have one, so one of my goals for this year is to find bread recipes that we all love and making it all myself - every bit of it! No more store bought breads of any kind for us!!

photo credit
More Music!! We will be replacing our piano - it's having issues. We bought a guitar for our oldest for Christmas, so she'll be taking basic guitar lessons as well as piano lessons. The younger 2 will be starting piano lessons in the fall and the second will continue with her piano lessons as that seems to be her "thing".
No More Plastic!! I hope to have replaced all plastic serving utensils and measuring spoons with glass and stainless steel by the end of the year. This is something I've been trying to do for a while, and we're almost there, but this year we will accomplish this goal.

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These are my resolutions. They aren't anything fancy or inspiring, but they fit my family and my budget - especially grinding our own wheat and baking our own bread! Definitely a money saver! I love to change a few little things over the period of year that will, in the long run, improve my family's health and well being!

What are your New Year's Resolutions? I'd love to hear them. I'm always inspired by hearing other ideas and maybe adding your resolutions to my list!! ;)

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Halloween At Our House

2012-10-16T13:20:00.000-05:00

For years we told our children that we don't "do" Halloween. That was enough for them. They didn't really care. I think they figured the only thing they were missing out on was candy. I was very careful to make "harvest foods" that still allowed them to enjoy the season and have some sweet treats too!

This year, though the two older girls {ages almost 10 and 8} have been asking about it all. They know Christian friends, who like us don't celebrate Halloween and they know Christian friends who do. The other night on the way home from church the topic came up. They wanted to know why certain people celebrate it if it's so wrong.

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I had to explain to them that #1 - What they do is not our business. We do what we feel is right and good, and we are not to "play God" and judge others for what they do or don't do. They, more than likely, have other "standards" that we don't and, therefore, we each will answer to God for the decisions and the choices that we have made. We will not answer for anyone but ourselves.

#2 - We don't celebrate Halloween because it's the "Devil's Day". My children often refer to it as this because they've heard us do so and not because they know the history behind it all. Given their ages, I was careful not to say anything that would scare them, but I did tell them about the very first "Trick or Treaters", namely the Druids.

According to Pastor David J. Meyer, who is a former astrologer and occultist, "As darkness set in on October 31st, the clan of Druids would put on their white robes and hoods. They would carry sickles and Celtic crosses as they began a torchlight procession. At the beginning of the procession, a male slave was killed and dragged by a rope fastened to his left ankle. The Druids would walk until they came to a house or a village where they shouted the equivalent of “trick or treat.” The treat was a slave girl or any female to be given to the Druids. If the people refused to a girl as a “treat”, blood was taken from the dead slave and used to draw a hexagram or six-pointed star on the door or wall of the village. Spirits of the “horned hunter of the night” were invoked by the Druids to kill someone in that house or village by fear that night."

You can read more of what he has to say here. And he does have plenty to say.

After we discussed the darkness behind Halloween, we talked for at least an hour about the power of God and how He keeps us safe from these things. We talked about the love of God and His protection on His children. We talked about different miracles that God has done for missionaries that we've read about and even miracles that He's done for us. It was such a good talk - and a long one! It started in the van on the way home and ended in the bed room of my oldest daughter about an hour and half later. By the time we went to bed we were all laughing and happy to think that the God of the Bible is our God too!!

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So, you're probably wondering what we do on Halloween night?? Here it is:

We usually go out on the town - eat out, do something fun. It's actually a great night for family fun because everyone else is roaming the streets in search of treats and we're getting into restaurants without waiting!! :) We leave our house dark, no lights on inside, no porch lights. I have friends that give out tracts or invitations to church along with candy on Halloween night and that's fine if that's what you chose to do, but I'd rather just not have anything at all to do with it. :)

Other fun "Harvest Time" ideas:

Pumpkin Bread or Muffins
Caramel Apples
Apple Cider
Hot Chocolate
Funnel Cake
S'mores
Roasted Hot Dogs
Potato Candy
Harvest Cookies
A Chilli Cook-Off

There are so many fun thing to do around this time of year! Autumn really is one of my FAVORITE times of year!! But, we don't have to spend it celebrating darkness and evil. Let's spend this Fall praising God for His goodness in the beauty we see around us, for giving us 4 seasons to enjoy, and for allowing us to know the truth behind this day we call Halloween so that we can know better how NOT to celebrate it.

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How to Dry Herbs From Your Garden

2012-09-27T16:44:00.000-05:00

Drying herbs is one of the easiest things ever! I've seen it done several ways including brown paper bags, ovens and even microwaves. I don't use any of these methods.

Here's my preferred method:

Pick your herbs in the morning when they contain more oils...especially you're planning to make essential oils from them...which is altogether a different post entirely. :)

Know your herbs. Some herbs, such as spearmint should be dried before they flower. Don't use any herbs that are past their peek because they won't be as tasty or potent.

I cut my herbs with scissors just to be sure I'm not damaging the plant by pulling to hard. Pull and discard any brown, withered or bug eaten leaves.

Wash in a bit of cold, running water.

Be sure you pat your clean herbs dry so they don't mold while they're hanging there....and it just makes since...why hang them up dripping wet when we're trying to dry them? ;)

Tie together at the tip. I use plastic hair bands. I used to use string or twine, but herbs and flowers shrink as they dry and tend to fall out of the twine. I could never tie it tight enough. My herbs {and flowers} would fall in a heap and crumble up.

One day I couldn't find any string but I did have a few of these little hair bands on hand, so I decided to give them a try. They were super easy to use and they shrunk along with the herbs I was drying. They worked so well, I buy them especially for my herbs now!. They will eventually dry up and fall apart, but not before we have a chance to store them away the we want them.

Don't tie too many together in one bunch and the air will not be able to circulate around them all and they won't all dry evenly. Several smaller bunches of drying herbs are much better than one large one.

Hang your herbs in a warm dry place to dry. To much humidity or cold air won't help your herbs dry as successfully. I just hang mine around in the kitchen for a few days. I hang them is very small bunches so it doesn't take as long. For bigger bunches I hang them in my basement or the garage depending on the weather.

You can also hang flowers to keep. They look pretty and help us remember those special occasions.

The small pink corsage represented my oldest daughter at my Great-Grandma's funeral. She was the only Great-Great-Grandchild at the time. The three single roses were the first roses my husband ever gave my daughters and one of the rose bouquets were given to me after one of my miscarriages.

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The BEST Bread & Butter Pickles EVER

2012-09-24T23:13:00.002-05:00

My husband pastored a church in North Atlanta for a while. It was my first time ever living in the South...well, that far south anyway... {I had only lived in ND, IL and AZ...and TN for Bible College...before this.} There's something to be said for "southern cooks". They may not always fix healthy food, but it always tastes good! I like to tease that we moved back up north because I couldn't face the "competition". :P

Here's a recipe for Bread & Butter Pickles that was given to me by one of our deacon's wives {Mrs. Betty Cox is one of the BEST cooks EVER!}

You need:

4 quarts of cucumbers {cut into chips}
6 medium white onions {chopped}
1 green pepper {chopped}
1 red pepper {chopped}
3 cloves of garlic
1/3 cup salt
ice
**Vinegar, sugar and spices are listed below**

Prepare above ingredients and layer with salt.

Cover with ice and let soak for 3 hours.

Discard ice and rinse salt off your veggies.

In large stock pot mix:

3 cups distilled white vinegar
5 cups of evaporated cane juice {sugar}
1 1/2 Tablespoons Turmeric
1 1/2 Tablespoons celery seed
2 Tablespoons mustard seed
Your rinsed veggies

Bring mixture to a boil. **Notice the nice white color.

Continue boiling until cucumbers change colors.

**You can see how the cucumbers have change to a lightly darker color.

Once color changes you can put them in your jars. Put hot cucumbers into hot jars and seal tightly. Be sure all lids seal themselves. If they don't, you may want to put them in a water bath for a few moments just to be sure they seal. We don't want to waste all that food or time put into it! {That would be a real pickle!!}

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2012-09-24T23:13:00.001-05:00

And the Winner Is....

2012-09-18T17:06:00.000-05:00

Congratulations,

Emily Kellett!!

You are the winner of last week's Flexi Clip Giveaway!!

You can contact Paula at: lrpaulamiller@yahoo.com to select your FREE Flexi Clip!

You can go here to see all of the styles and colors they have! Have fun shopping!!

I hope you love yours as much as I love mine.

Thank you so much to all that entered our giveaway!!

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10 Things I Never Buy at the Store

2012-09-17T13:32:00.000-05:00

**Sorry for the lack of pictures! I couldn't get them to work for this post for some reason...I have NO idea why...???***

There are a few things I don't ever buy at the store anymore. Why buy them when you can make them and save yourself the money?? And then you consider the health benefits...you can't beat it!!

Laundry Detergent & Dryer Sheets
I can't even begin to tell you how much this has helped us with our "skin issues"!! And I don't have to worry about "extras" that are added by the commercial companies or those synthetic fragrances - which is probably what was causing our skin problems to begin with! And, did I mention that I only spend about $12.00 - $15.00 a year on laundry detergent?? For a family of 6, I'd say that's pretty good!
Fabric Softener
Deodorant
I was having the worst problems with deodorants breaking out my underarms! As I said, we have sensitive skin over here...I was miserable! I had bleeding, oozing sores cause by a certain deodorant that I had been wearing for nearly 12 years...I guess it was finally catching up with me. When I started making my own deodorant, the problem went away! I'll never go back to the other stuff. I always make it now, or buy the unscented, all natural, Arm & Hammer stuff
Dish-washing Detergent {for dish washers}
Salad Dressing ~ I always thought I was being "healthy" by feeding my children fresh veggies with ranch every day....until I read the ingredients on the back of the ranch container.... So, I found a recipe and tweaked it to fit my taste and now we don't have to worry any MSG or preservatives in our veggies! {This is not hard and it costs less than store bought bottles of dressing not to mention you can do more with it ~ like season meats and potatoes!!}
- Italian
- Ranch
Bread ~ I've been praying for a wheat grinder for several years now, and God answered that prayer! The wonderful ladies at our church gave me a Kitchen Mill for my birthday this year and now I have a new goal - make all the breads and goodies for my family! I'm very excited about this new adventure and I plan on sharing lots of my favorite recipes and even some failures with you!
Cream of Chicken Soup ~ Once again, if you read ingredients you will find MSG and added preservatives in creamed soups. It gets very frustrating, but when I tried making my own, I discovered that it really wasn't very hard at all. And, it freezes nicely too!! Like me,I think you'll find that eating naturally isn't that hard when you change little things at a time.
Jam ~ These are so much fun to make with your kids! Picking berries and fruits and then making jams is the highlights of our summers! We love to mix fruits and come up with our own favorite flavors. This summer we mixed black berries and blue berries - try writing that on the top of a canning lid!! ;) We also made strawberry, peach and we're planning on making apple jam/butter here in the next few weeks. One of my favorite things about making jam myself is that it doesn't have any high fructose corn syrup as the store brands do, and it costs half as much!!
Pickles ~ We love to make our own pickles too! They are soo good for you and make great snacks! We make spicy ones, Bread & Butter, Lime and Cinnamon pickles. Can't have too many. If you get tired of one kind you can always try another for a while! Stay tuned to Hidden Treasures for a few recipes and tutorials on how to make your own pickles at home!!
Apple Sauce ~ I used to buy the small, individual container of apple sauce for my children. I thought it was so convenient and it was way cheaper than baby food when they were babies. I was careful not to get the kind with added or fake sugars, but it was still very expensive! I discovered that making it myself is very satisfying and much cheaper. I love to know that I have 12 quarts of apple sauce in my basement - plenty to last the winter and NO SUGAR in any of it! Healthy snacks = healthy kids!! I'll post an Apple Sauce Tutorial as soon as I can too! {My kids love the fall...}
Sauerkraut~ this is a first for me, but I'm very excited about it. I love sour kraut, even though I may be the minority around here, I plan on making myself a few pints anyway!! Now my favorite husband won't have to fuss about my spending all the grocery money on things "no one in the world" likes!! :D
Paper Towels ~ I hate to spend all of my grocery budget on things like toilet paper and garbage bags, so I try to cut as much of that out as I can by cutting up old towels to use as paper towels. I can always wash them and use them again - no running back out to the stores to buy more every week!!

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Peanut Butter Honey Oatmeal

2012-09-13T21:23:00.000-05:00

Peanut Butter Honey Oatmeal is one of our new favorites!! It's so easy and filling and filled with healthy proteins! You really can't beat it. Let's just say, I was running low on groceries and decided to try something "new"...and here you have it!! A new favorite!! LOVE when that happens!

All we do:

Follow the directions on the back of your Oats....pretty easy!!

Add some peanut butter, honey and maybe some bananas and/or chocolate chips...

Mix around until well blended....

I added a few more chocolate chips to the top of ours because sometimes it's nice to be a cool mom. {hope they don't get too used to it!!} And because I used organic, dark chocolate chips, so I really didn't feel too bad about it.

Seriously!! You really can't get much easier than that!

~ An easy start to a fabulous day. ~

Any day that starts out with chocolate is a fabulous day!

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Flexi Clip Giveaway!!

2012-09-09T23:22:00.002-05:00

I'm so excited to announce that my friend, Paula from Whole Intentions is also a consultant with Lilla Rose and she's been kind enough to give me a FREE Flexi Clip to try and one to give away!!

I'm a girly girl! I love to feel like a princess and wear beautiful things! As Christians, I feel it's important to look our best, fit the part, after all we are daughters of THE King, are we not??

That being said, I'm going to tell you a little secret, I'm not really all that great at fixing hair...another reason I wanted mostly sons rather than daughters. {For those of you who don't know, I have 3 daughters and only 1 son. God most certainly does have a since of humor!!}

Not only were these flexi clips super easy to use; they were also beautiful, and they made me feel special too! It really is fun and exciting to wear things that are pretty and feminine.

I love this one because it's simple and feminine at the same time. It's also matches just about any outfit any of us have since it's a plain silver. You can get more colorful flexies though if you'd rather have more color or chose one to match a certain outfit.

To be completely honest, I didn't get to wear it for a few days. As I said I have daughters. After they'd all tried and approved this lovely little clip...I finally got my chance...finally...

My husband took this picture for me ~ these flexi clips really are so much better than those plastic claws or ink pens...and yes, I've been know to "pen" my hair up with ink pens.

I love anything that saves me time and makes life easier. The fact that they were so elegant was a fantastic bonus!! <---this is why I'm super excited to announce that we're giving one away! Right here! Right now!!

Visit Paula at her Lilla Rose website to see more Flexi Clips.

We ordered a medium size flexi and it worked great for us for the most part. My oldest daughter and I love it. It's a bit too big for my second daughter who's hair is shorter and much thinner. It's a bit too small for my youngest as her hair is very long and super thick....grown adults drool over it every where we go...and she's only 5!!

Anyway, back to the flexi...there are several sizes to chose from {mini, extra small, small, medium - the size we have, large, extra large, and mega}. You can watch this video for help with deciding what size is best for you. They also have hair clips, hair sticks and O-rings.

I was a bit sceptical about these clips at first. I was afraid that they'd pull. I do hate when a single strand of hair pulls. But they don't. They don't pull at all. It's wonderful!

I was also afraid that they would be heavy. My hair tends to be heavy and sometimes when I put it all up, I get a head ache, but that didn't happen either. I didn't feel any pain or pulling. It didn't weigh any more than it ever did before. I really did like them!!

So, here's your chance to win your own FREE Flexi Clip!! {Or maybe a FREE Christams gift for a friend??}

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thank you so much for participating!! We are so glad to have you all here at Hidden Treasures! I do hope you'll take the time to share this giveaway and our other posts with your friends!!

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School Year Goals/2012

2012-09-04T21:03:00.000-05:00

We've had a change in plans.

...AGAIN....

We were considering going back to the homeschooling thing...but my husband is a firm believer in the Christian school and I, well, I personally, am torn between the two. I was home schooled but eventually graduated from a Christian school. There are advantages and disadvantages to both. It is my opinion that each of us must find what God wants for our own individual families and then go with it.

As I said, I've been caught in the middle - torn between the two. My husband, however never had any doubts that we should send our children to the Christian school. And, since God provided us with a bigger house {something we desperately needed} that just happens to be adjoining the property of that Christian school, we enrolled our children - ALL of them!! I no longer have any babies at home with me, which is quite sad...or at least I thought it was going to be until...

First Day of School!

I was asked to help teach in the preschool this year. {Kinda a culture shock of sorts for me since I used to teach High School before my oldest was born!!} BUT, it's turned out fabulously!! We don't have to spend any money on gas and I'm right there in the same building as my two youngest children. I get to see them several times throughout the day for little free-be hugs and kisses. The other kids in their class even seem to get excited to see me in the hall now too! It's too cute!!

To keep my children excited about learning, ~~we've~~ they've set themselves some goals for this year. I sat down with them and asked them what they'd like to know or have accomplished by the end of the year. I must say, I'm pretty impressed with the goals they've set for themselves. We've been able to work toward these goals and we've even gained some ground in the 3 short weeks since school has started!!

Oldest Daughter's Goals (4th Grade):

To know all of her multiplication tables off the top of her head by the end of the year. She's already almost half way there!!!
To get a 100% on at least one math test. ;)
To learn/memorize as many *important* spelling words as possible. She's showing dyslexic tendencies and spelling is a major problem for her, so we made this a goal she could reach.
To improve in sentence structure and story writing. She has a hard time getting her ideas from her brain to her paper. She can do it orally without a problem, so we're going to work on her writing skills a bit.
To read 10 "fun" books by the end of the year.
BIBLE QUIZZING!!! I'm so excited that she can now be a part of this wonderful experience and learn as much of the Bible as she can!
To improve her art skills - she's very creative and can draw WAY better than her old mother any day!!!
To complete level 2 in her piano books.
To complete 2 karate classes

Sounds like a great list to me!!! I'm so excited for her!!

Daughter #2 (3rd Grade):

To keep a 95% average in spelling She can definitely do this, just has a hard time staying motivated
To read 2 -3 "BIG" books every month Loves to read!!
Learn to type - something she's been interested in for a while now, so why not?? Maybe she'll have her own blog someday??
Memorize her multiplication tables
Complete level 2 in her piano books - loves the piano!!
To learn Karate - which is kinda funny because she's so scrawny and feminine - not at all muscular like her older sister!!

There you have it!! Our goals for the new school year!!

New Books that God recently provided us with!

~ The younger kids have planned to play and read by the end of the year; and Jenna would like to count to some number I've never heard of... perhaps *I* should go back to kindergarten! ~

What are your goals for this school year? I'd love to hear them! Feel free to leave comments below on on my Facebook wall!!

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Making Simple Sauerkraut

2012-08-28T14:13:00.000-05:00

Making sauerkraut and other lacto-ferminted foods is something I've never done, but always wanted to know more about it all, so when my friend Paula from Whole Intentions, said she knew how and was willing to write up a guest post for all of us here at Hidden Treasures, I was more than thrilled!! {I even went out yesterday and bought myself a few organic cabbages so I could try my hand at this too.}

Paula Writes....

If you had asked me five years ago if I'd ever eaten sauerkraut, I would have wrinkled my nose and said, "NEVER!" And if I'd never eaten it, you could bet your boots I'd never made it!

My first recollection of sauerkraut was as a young teenager visiting a friend's house. We walked in the front door and were assailed by a smell that could make your eyes water. When I asked her what it was she shrugged, "Mom's making sauerkraut."

For the next 20 years I steered clear of sauerkraut like it was the plague. (Gasp! Did I just say 20 years!)

Up until a few years ago, I never thought I'd give it another look. Yet here I am, bringing you a recipe and secretly planning several paragraphs of well-written research to convince you to try it for yourself. :) If the information I discovered could change my mind, surely it has the chance of changing yours. Right?

So without further ado, I'll begin my compelling and persuasive argument. . . ;)

What does "Lacto-Fermented" Mean?

Sauerkraut is a condiment that's lacto-fermented. To clear up some misconceptions, the 'lacto' part of this word is not referring to "lactose" - the sugar found in dairy products, but the shortened name of “lactobacillus”or "lactic-acid bacteria".

These bacteria work together to break down and convert raw food into more easily digestible components, along with releasing and stabilizing the food's nutrients. There are many stages and processes along the way, but the end result is a food that's now healthy, easy on your digestion, and preservable for an extended period of time without a freezer or canning methods.

Nowadays it's common to have a freezer or a pantry full of canned foods. But just because we have those conveniences doesn't mean it's better to use them. Preserving foods by fermentation has numerous health advantages we'd miss out on otherwise. When lacto-fermenting fruits and vegetables, you're

enhancing their digestibility
increasing their vitamin levels
producing helpful enzymes
producing antibiotic and anti-carcinogenic substances
normalizing the acidity of the stomach

The main by product, lactic acid:

promotes healthy flora in the intestines
helps break down proteins
aids in the assimilation of iron
activates the secretions of the pancreas which is particularly important for diabetics
cleans the intestines

And then consider the health benefits of lacto-fermented sauerkraut alone. It:

contains choline which lowers blood pressure, regulates nutrients in the blood, aids the metabolism of fats in the body
contains acetylcholine which has a powerful effect on the nervous system, reduces blood pressure, slows down the rate of heartbeats, promotes calmness and sleep, and has a beneficial effect on the movements of the intestine which makes it recommended for constipation

A 1999 study published in the Lancet found that eating lacto-fermented vegetables was positively associated with low rates of asthma, skin problems, and autoimmune disorders.

This is just the tip of the iceberg, you guys! There are numerous books about lacto-fermenting that you can spend hours digging into.

Some of my favorite online resources include Cultures for Health and the in-depth and fascinating research Lea at Nourishing Treasures did about the science behind sauerkraut fermentation and which containers are best for reducing the chance of molds. Because of her research I bought a 3-piece set of Fido glass jars and absolutely. love. them.

The sauerkraut recipe I'm sharing with you today is right out of Nourishing Traditions - one of my favorite cookbooks and the same one I base my Fermented Ketchup recipe on.

Sauerkraut (casein-free, egg-free, gluten-free, nut-free, sugar-free, yeast-free, anti-candida, low-carb)

1 medium cabbage (red or green), cleaned and shredded
1 T. caraway seeds
1 T. celtic sea salt
4 T. whey (optional - if you don't use whey then add an additional 1 T. of salt - however, using whey is consistently successful and adds it's own health benefits. If you don't use whey this recipe will be casein-free)

Directions:

1. Wash a head of cabbage and chop up by hand.

2. Now you can join the ranks of women from days gone by and rhythmically pound the cabbage over and over until it's smashed into itsy bitsy, tiny little pieces and the juices are released (about 10 minutes), or you can place the cabbage in a food processor and turn the switch. I love the crunch of crisp cabbage, but my arms eventually force me to use the automatic spinning blades. They make me to do it against my will. Really.

3. Now we add the caraway seeds, salt, and whey if you're using it, (if you're not using whey, add another Tablespoon of salt) and stir it well.

4. Push the cabbage firmly down into a jar (have I mentioned how much I love my Fido jars?) until the juices come over the top by about 1 inch. Cover tightly and do. not. open.

Note: The recipe's directions say to let it sit for 3 days before you refrigerate it, but after reading The Science Behind Sauerkraut Fermentation (again, this was Lea's genius) I realized that a three day ferment was not nearly long enough for the lactobactillius to do their job. I keep my sauerkraut on the counter for at least 30 days. It's ready when the bubbles on the sides and top of the jar are gone.

Paula Miller is a child of God, wife to Travis, homeschooling mom of five, Christian children's author, lover of coconut oil, and Lilla Rose consultant. She and her family live on a small hobby farm in the Midwest. Several years of family health problems led her to learn about whole foods, candida, food allergies, and healthy alternatives to modern medicine. She chats about whole food, whole living, and whole faith on her blog, Whole Intentions. You can also find her on Facebook and and Twitter.

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How Does Your Garden Grow??

2012-08-27T12:02:00.001-05:00

My family has had a very busy summer. We moved to a new house, did a few repairs and re-modeling projects and a bunch of other things. In fact we've been so busy I wasn't sure if I was coming or going on some days.

Because we moved half way through the summer, so I had to leave my spring garden behind and plant a "fall garden".

Here are some pics.....

Watermelon...we may not have time left in the season, but my kids couldn't possibly imagine a garden without it and we did have some seeds left, so we planted them. Should have plenty of watermelon if the weather holds out. :)

Scarlett Runner Beans ~ this is my first time planting pole beans instead of bush beans. So far we have TONS of beautiful red flowers!!

Pickling Cucumbers ~ we've made 4 quarts of Spicy Pickles, and we plan to add Bread & Butter, Lime and Cinnamon to that list.

Tomatoes ~ TONS of them!!

We've made some spaghetti sauce, but we need more - and some salsa too!!

My poor Pepper plants had a hard time this year, but they have given us just what we've needed!!

Zucchini!!

Good in soups, breads, fritters, and cookies {anything really!}!!

We have also planted sweet peas, broccoli, brussels sprouts and kale!! They're pretty small yet and no much to look at though! :)

I'll be posting more recipes very soon!!

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Homemade High Bounce Balls

2012-08-13T21:57:00.015-05:00

Some days it's too hot to play outside, but what can you do with all those crazy, hyper, stir crazy kids??

Make your own high bounce balls!! If you're going to have things bouncing off the walls it may as well be balls {as opposed to kids}....

It's super easy and lots of fun. It's very similar to making "Slime".

Join us over at Whole Intentions to find out how to make these really fun bouncy balls!!

While you're there you may want to stick around and check out the place. My friend, Paula has all kinds of great recipes and tips on whole living!

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Breakfast Skillet

2012-08-09T07:22:00.001-05:00

This recipe is fantastic!! We usually have this for dinner since we're not morning people.

All you need: {feeds a family of 6}

4 large potatoes ~ cut in small strips
onion
mushrooms
green peppers
jalapenos
bacon/cubed ham/sausage
anything you would normally put in an omelet
eggs

Directions:

Cut your potatoes into long narrow strips and fry in olive oil with sliced onions, mushrooms and peppers. You can cook your meat right along with it too, if you like. I usually like to keep it all in one pot/pan, if I can, to save myself the cleanup.

Season with garlic, sea salt and pepper. Cook until potatoes are tender but not mushy, which shouldn't take too long if you slice them into thin strips.

Fry eggs your favorite way - sunny side up, over easy, whatever you prefer. We prefer sunny side up because we think the yolk is really yummy running all over those veggies. Place fried eggs over the top and let the yolk run down over it all...

Now, THAT is breakfast delight!! Can you tell we like our eggs sunny side up?? The yolk makes this meal in my opinion. :)

Fiesta Breakfast: A Mexican Twist

Follow the same recipe and directions, except you will only want to use potatoes, hot peppers, mushrooms, onions and garlic. Sausage should be used rather than bacon or ham. Then you can add some black beans, and cover with sour cream, a bit of shredded cheese, salsa, and eggs - sunny-side-up again. Sound strange to you?? Believe it or not, it's a pretty good meal!!

A Few Healthy Tips...

Free Range Organic eggs are best in quality and taste!! The most inexpensive way to get some is to find a local farmer or raise them yourself. We get ours for $2.00 a dozen from a friend.
I strongly recommend you get organic potatoes as they grow in the ground and soak up all the chemicals used in growing. If you can't afford the organic ones, you can peal them before you cook them and that will cut back on a bunch of those chemicals.
Throw in a bunch of veggies! If you have children that aren't fond of veggies, this may a great way to sneak a few extra into their diets.
Try to find meat that doesn't have any additional nitrates or hormones.

I'd love to know what you think of this recipe or any changes you made. Do share your ideas with us!!

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Cowboy Candy

2012-08-08T00:18:00.000-05:00

If you love spicy, chances are, you'll love this recipe. It was so easy and so quick!

The original recipe {found here}:

1 lb fresh jalapenos
2/3 cup cider vinegar
2 cups sugar ~ or 1.5 cups of raw honey
2 tablespoons mustard seed
1/4 teaspoon tumeric
1/4 teaspoon celery seed1 tablespoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions:

Slice jalapenos and set aside.

Mix other ingredients and bring to a boil in a small pot.

Reduce to simmer and add jalapenos. Continue to simmer another 5 minutes.

Fill jar - original recipe says this will yield 2 pints. I only got 1 and a few leftovers for sampling.

Process in a water bath for 15 minutes.

And there you have it - one lonely, little, pint jar of Cowboy Candy!

We put it to the test. In other words, the Treasured Hubby got to taste it and the verdict is................
it has a great taste, but it's far too spicy!

So, I suggest you remove the seeds from the pepper as they are the spicy part. {in my defense, I had a pepper plant last year that wasn't spicy at all...talk about annoying!!...so I decide to leave the seeds in these - just in case! I wanted them to have some kick...and apparently I was successful} :D

I guess, we learned the hard way, and will be removing the seeds from now on....and, maybe we should quadruple the recipe too!!

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The Propper Way to Eat A Peppermint Pattie

2012-08-06T23:03:00.001-05:00

Disclaimer:

I think any and all people everywhere should eat healthy, non processed foods. However, I love Peppermint Patties. Yes, the first and second ingredients listed are sugar and corn syrup, I know this and it makes me very, very sad........ but every once in a while...

Work with me, girls, work with me...I'm working very hard at justifying this whole thing. ;)

I find it disturbing...

to watch my husband and my son eat a Peppermint Pattie...or any chocolate for that matter. They shove it, or as much of it as they can, into their mouths and swallow it down without a thought! And then they have the audacity to claim that it was good!!

Now, I ask you: {and them} how could you have possibly even tasted it that way?!? Seriously! There's an art to these things. You have to take time to savor...

So, without further ado, I'm going to teach you all how to properly savor a Peppermint Pattie.

If, and when eaten correctly, one peppermint patty should last you at least two days. {We're talking the full size ones here.} Maybe it's because they make me feel so gross when I eat too much at a time, but mine usually last about three days. {As I said, I don't eat them as often as I used to.}

TIMING: Timing really is everything when it comes to eating a peppermint pattie. For instance you don't want to be savoring a bit of Peppermint Pattie around children because even though they may not ask, they have ways of letting you know they want some and I always feel so mean when I have to say no. But, you know, a girl has to do what a girl has to do! "Just say no" is a great motto.

You also don't want to be standing in the kitchen getting ready to take a nibble and your husband walk past, grab it and plop the entire thing in his own mouth!! And what's worse than him stealing my precious Peppermint Pattie was that he didn't even take the time to enjoy it!! Just downed it all in one big gulp!! :(

Are you feeling my pain yet??

Step #1 ~ View the Peppermint Pattie Isn't it lovely??

{This step is very nearly always omitted by the men in my family}

Step #2 ~ Take the first nibble out of the edge...notice I said "nibble", not "huge chomp"!!

Just sayin'...

Step #3 ~ Take little nibbles out of the edges until the outside of the treasured Peppermint Pattie is completely white. It usually takes me about a day to finish the edges off. At this point, I put it away for a while, or until the next day when I feel the urge for more.

This {above} is how your Peppermint Pattie will look when you're finished with Step #3.

Step #4 ~ Continue nibbling around the edges. It make take you several "rounds", and even several days, but continue on until your Peppermint Pattie is quite small...like so.

At this point, you may continue nibbling until it's gone {which is my preferred method}, or, you may put the entire thing in your mouth and let it melt. It's a great way to pass time while washing dishes or folding laundry. I always try to see how many items of clothing I can fold or how much work I can accomplish before the minty goodness melts away.

Now that you all know how to properly eat a Peppermint Pattie, you may leave comments telling me how glad you are that I spent time researching this topic. And, let me assure you: I did have fun with the research put into this post!!

Now, it's your turn to tell us all about your favorite "guilty pleasures".

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Preservative Free Breakfast

2012-08-06T14:47:00.001-05:00

I was asked to do a post on preservative free breakfast foods. I will admit, I'm not a breakfast person. If we eat breakfast it's usually for lunch {an egg sandwich or a bowl of oatmeal} or dinner {eggs with potatoes & onions and bacon}. But I did some thinking and some research and here's what I came up with....

Keeping Breakfast as Natural as Possible!!

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Milk: Just about everyone has milk with their breakfast. It's a great thing to drink, especially for growing children. The best milk to drink is fresh, raw milk that has come straight from grass fed cows to your breakfast table. The milk you buy in grocery stores has been pasteurized, which simply means it has been heated to high temperatures that are supposed to kill germs and bacteria. The problem with this is that they not only kill germs and bad bacteria, they also kill good bacteria and nutrients. You can read more of the benefits of organic raw milk over at The Healthy Home Economist. {Love that site!!}

Juice: All juice should be completely natural without any added sugars of any kind - especially fake sugars such as aspartame.

Toast and Jam: I've been praying for a wheat grinder for a couple of years now. Until I get one though, I am careful to get only bread that is "whole wheat" - stone ground is best and without any corn syrup or added flavorings and/or colorings. **I also plan to make all kinds of fun things, like pancakes, waffles and muffins when I get my grinder. Until then, you can buy whole wheat flour and mixes - just be sure the mix you're buying doesn't have any additional ingredients that you wouldn't add yourself.**

As for jam, I make my own. It's not hard, and can be quite fun! So far this year we've made strawberry, peach, and a blueberry/blackberry mix. Making it home saves you time and money and it's much healthier because it doesn't have any added ingredients!! Making your jams with raw honey will only increase the health benefits {did you know honey is good for allergies of all kinds?} and it shouldn't affect the taste at all.

Eggs: Organic, free range eggs are the best!! In taste and in health they are absolutely the best! Once you've eaten a free range egg you won't want to eat any other! They are fantastic! Like raw milk, they do cost a bit more at the store, so if you can skip the store and go straight to the farmer you will be able to save yourself a few dollars. I get my eggs for $2.00 a dozen. ~ Better still, raise your own chickens and trade your leftover eggs for raw milk or raw honey. {Raising chickens is a dream of mine! Maybe one day....}

Oats: Oatmeal is quick and easy and very good for you. It's also easy on the grocery budget, which is a big plus! Be sure your oats are natural and without any added ingredients. You can flavor them with homemade butter and sea salt, jam, raw fruit, honey, or peanut butter! Yep! Peanut butter oatmeal is one of our favorites!!

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Breakfast meat: Sausage and bacon, and sometimes ham are all considered "breakfast food". To be sure you're eating the best quality, you should go to your local farmer. Check around for good deals, but be sure your meat was not raised on corn, or with any hormones. If you are going to buy your breakfast meat in the store, try to avoid any added nitrates if possible. I try to always get the Hormel, Natural Choice brand. It doesn't have any preservatives, or artificial ingredients and they claim that their product is "minimally processed".

Cereal: We buy Mom's Best Naturals brand in the organic section at Kroger. Actually, it's not organic, but it is whole grain, and it doesn't have any artificial flavors, colors or preservatives. They also don't have any hydrogenated oil or high fructose corn syrup. AND...I like to stock up on it when they're on sale for $2.00 a box. That's cheaper than any other cereal brands I know of!

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Fruit & Yogurt: This really shouldn't need much explanation. Fruit is good for you and so is yogurt. We love all kinds of fruit and our favorite kinds of yogurt is YoBaby from Stonyfield. It's organic and natural and filled with probiotics and healthy fats for brain development and cell growth. I buy as much as I can of this when it's marked down and throw it in the freezer. Works for us! My kids love yogurt and we don't have a cow or goats, so this is the best I can do at the moment. :)

When buying yogurt, be careful of all the added ingredients. Avoid any and all yogurts {or foods for that matter} that claim to be "lite, fat free, or sugar free". While this may sound good to the average consumer, it is not healthy. Contrary to popular belief, some fats are good for you, such as the fat in fresh, raw milk.

The term, "sugar free", usually means that it's sweetened with artificial sweeteners that are more dangerous than sugar. Our bodies know what to do with sugar. They have no idea how to process those man made chemicals we like to call "sweeteners". Because our bodies can't break them down and eliminate them properly, they {our bodies} tend to store them {artificial sweeteners}. Which is why so many people have a problem losing weight. Also be ware of those special yogurts made for children, as most of them have added food colorings and other artificial flavorings. Let's be sure the food we're eating is natural and not artificial. I can't figure out for the life of me why anyone would want to eat artificial food anyway???

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They Cry for Tolerance, Yet There is None!

2012-08-02T09:01:00.005-05:00

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As an American AND a Christian, I strongly believe that every man and woman has the right to believe what they want to believe. That belief didn't start with our Founding Fathers. It started in the Bible. Jesus never forced Himself on anyone. He did say that He was the Way and there was no other. But He never forced anyone to believe Him, or to be saved.

I'm a Libertarian. As a libertarian, I believe that everyone has the right to do, say, write, and be whatever they want to. You can live by your own creed - mine just happens to be the Bible! The role of government is to protect the people. So, if you are doing something that's harmful to another person, you should be stopped.

Abortion is harmful to PEOPLE.

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Babies are people and abortion KILLS PEOPLE. Abortion also has physical, devastating, and life changing effects on the mother. I am against abortion. PERIOD. I don't argue with people about it, but I don't feel any person has the right to end the life of another for any reason.

Were you raped? You can accept the child as a blessing that came from tragedy, or you can chose to place the child in a home that will love him/her. Is there a chance that the baby or the mother may die in the process of pregnancy and/or birth? Let God decide what happens. Trust Him. He knows what is going on. He knew and allowed you to become pregnant. Maybe He will use you and your experience - whatever the outcome - to bring souls to Him. It may be that they see HIM through You and your Faith in Him. He is able to work it all out, save you, save the baby, get the glory and in due time others may be reached with the Gospel!!

Everyone is crying for "tolerance".

I looked up the definition of the word, "tolerance". According to dictionary.com the term, "tolerance" means, a fair, objective, and permissive attitude toward those whose opinions, practices, race, religion, nationality, etc., differ from one's own; freedom from bigotry.

Ahhh, that lovely word, "bigotry".... Last night I posts a status on my facebook page about Chick-Fil-A. I didn't think it was going to be a big deal. This is after all, supposed to be a CHRISTIAN site! My status said something about the fact that we don't have a Chick-Fil-A in our area, but from what I had heard, this whole "scandal" had not hurt them any. I didn't think there was anything offensive in that. I was simply referring to the fact that so many people are out there were standing WITH Chick-Fil-A for whatever reason. Perhaps some are just sick of the fact that we are slowly losing our freedoms!! {Not so slowly, really!}

I actually had to delete that status because I had ladies arguing with me, calling me hateful for that status...hateful because I mentioned that Christian restaurant chain didn't lose any business over their Christian beliefs??? I even had a lady drop a pretty big "naughty word" right there on my page and then get angry with me when I deleted it! I let her say her say even though I deleted that one comment and she still thought I was being a "hater".

Why is that when Starbucks comes out with a declaration of supporting "alternate life styles" and I decide NOT to go there, I get bashed?? I never once went to their page and called them names. I could have. I never once said anything hateful about them at all, even though I could have done that as well. I simply shared the link with the information explaining WHY I had chosen not to re-visit their store. {this was on my personal fb page} I was amazed at the people, CHRISTIAN people - FRIENDS - that were opposed to me stating my own opinion on my own wall.

Was I shocked at some of them? Yes. Was I mad at them for offering an opposing view point? NO!! Did I get defensive and try to prove why they should be of the same opinion I am? NO! I gave the information. I explained my thoughts and feelings. I made my decision and I stuck with it. I am free to do this and so are you - free to agree - free to disagree. {Opposed to my opinion is fine. Opposed to me voicing my opinion is NOT!}

So, Why Then...

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do so many people get all defensive when others of us say we are still going to frequent a restaurant who's owner has Christian view points? So he gave his money to a few causes that some don't agree with. News Flash: that's his right!! Once you have given someone money it becomes theirs to do with as they see fit. If you don't like what he's doing with your money; don't give it to him. End of story. That would settle it.

But there are SO many people that have been all worked up over it. They call names, and yell and scream. If you don't know what I'm talking about, you can go to Chick-Fil-A's fb page. {I'm not even going to link over there because I'm so over this whole thing!!} For more information on Cathey's interview you can go here.

This post is not about Chick-Fil-A. It's about "tolerance". They're all saying that Christians are "haters". Biggot, crazy church lady, and zealot were all terms to used to describe me last night when I gave my view point and the reason for it. I didn't call anyone any names as I could have done. I didn't ban any one or delete any comments - except for the one comment with the offensive language. I didn't say or do anything that could have hurt anyone.

And, don't give me that, "it could hurt someone's feelings" argument. It's a tough world out there, people, if that little status hurt someone's feelings, we've got issues!! {And, I'm pretty sure we do!}

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What about my feelings? Where's the tolerance for those of us that feel these things are wrong? Where's the tolerance for Christian ideas and view points? What about the fact that this is MY page? MY site? Am I not allowed to have my own opinion on my own site anymore? I should be allowed to say that the sky is orange and green with blue and purple polka-dots on my own site. I should be allowed to believe whatever I want.

The problem is not that we hurt feelings with our Christian beliefs. The problem is that Scripture is convicting. No one wants to be told they're living in sin. No one wants to be wrong. I know I don't. I don't enjoy going to church and hearing the preaching and feeling the conviction that the Holy Spirit brings... I don't like it. It's not comfortable. But it is necessary. It is GOOD, even.

As far as tolerance goes, it's been Christians that were tolerant throughout History. The American belief that all men should be free to believe the way they chose was NOT new with our founding fathers. It is a Christian belief that came over with our fore-fathers on the Mayflower and was handed down to them by theirs. They were looking for a place where they could be free to worship as they chose. At the same time they didn't force others to believe because their way because they felt EVERYONE should be free to believe in God - or not to.

Tolerance is a good thing. It's a Bible thing - not that God will tolerate our sin. He will not. But that we should allow others to believe the way they want without being ugly to them. I believe we should live out and preach the Bible. We are not commanded to force our convictions and our beliefs on others. We are commanded to share the Bible and the Gospel with them. The problem with this is that Scripture is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword. It really does cut and hurt. It really does "step on our toes". You are free to preach your own beliefs. But you are not, or should not, be free to stop me and my 'preaching'...even though I don't believe woman should be preachers.... Ooops, just opened another can of worms!!

TOLERANCE, people, I need a bit here too.... :D

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