Vim and Vigor

This moment

 

(I'll take 'Signs that show your family is starting up a hobby farm' for $4oo, Alex)

This moment

Reflecting :: Reminiscing :: Rejoicing

Inspired by Soulemama

Health in the mail!

Mail's here!  I LOVE getting the mail.  At least most of the mail.  Not bills.  Nope.  However, when an order comes in a box from Bulk Herb Store....that's like Christmas!  Woo-hoo!  When the CVS man (what Miss K calls the UPS man), comes to our door, I'm afraid he gets a bit overwhelmed by all of us clamoring for the door.  1 over-excited woman, 4 crazy kiddos, 1 overwhelmed baby, and a jumpy dog at the door would scare anyone, don't ya think?  I'm so thankful he keeps coming back! Anyways, here's the lowdown on what I ordered:

 

 Mmmmm....I could smell this cinnamon the second I opened the box.  It is so potent and fresh!  It has many benefits...including helping to stabilize blood sugars.  I think this is important for all of us, even if we aren't diabetic.  This cinnamon was a wonderful addition to our applesauce last night and our soaked oatmeal this morning.  My husband and oldest daughter commented on how it smelled better and tasted fresher than the regular store-bought cinnamon we previously had.  I agreed.

 This daily boost is something I throw into our smoothies--any flavor we mix up,  I just add a heaping teaspoon or so.  It's a whole-food way of getting in your vitamins!    It doesn't seem to impart any flavors into our smoothies that we have noticed, and I enjoy giving the added health benefits to my ever-growing family.  So easy to do!

 I've been trying to dring up to 3 cups of green tea every day.  Full of anti-oxidants and also helps to prevent certain types of cancers.  Also, it is said to be a metabolism booster.  Hey, I'll take any help I can get....and the pomengranate gives it a lovely flavor boost.  Isn't it gorgeous to look at even?

 My hubby and I enjoyed this DVD the other night---gave us some ideas of things we'd like to try.  Homemade butter and mozzarella cheese anyone?  The kefir smoothies we already enjoy a lot of, but we also learned a lot of new skills we haven't tried before, and with starting a little farm, need some advice from those who have gone before us.  Looking forward to viewing volumes 2 and 3 at some point as well.

Last but not least, I ordered some more eden salve, as I have almosted emptied my container.  Just this week I used it on a burn my Lady K received, and it healed so quickly.  Also, it worked great on diaper rash, and some dry skin on the baby's hip.   It really is nature's healing touch.  I may try to make this this on my own at some point soon---but for now, this busy mama appreciates this version and it's wonderful addition to the natural remedies I have on hand for my family.  Highly recommend. That's what works for us!

 

Here's to more fun in your mailbox,

~Joy~

Egg rolls--kid friendly version...

 Suppertime is a time we all look forward to hearing about the days events, and having quiet, peaceful lively conversations.  Yes, with 5 kiddos ranging from 3 months to 14 1/2 years, it gets a bit crazy.  I might have one refusing to eat, and one who won't sit down, and another crying to be nursed, while another is just politely asking for the 30th time to please pass the potatoes!  I wonder what in the world we are doing trying to act civilized, when really we belong in the zoo!  Ha!  But then, I feel that gentle nudge of the Holy Spirit, and remember how important this is.  We are not just eating a meal together.   With the prayer before the meal, we are teaching our children thankfulness to the Creator who gave us the food--we are nourishing young minds and bodies so they can be all God created them to be--we are loving our family by listening and showing them we care--so amazing what happens when we all sit around the family table. 

Sometimes after I take a deep breath during all the craziness, I'll take a moment to look at each face.  The baby has calmed for I am nursing, and I look at that precious face....so new and fresh with so much potential.  I notice my eldest has appeased the demanding child by lovingly serving the potatoes to her sibling.   The preschooler sat down and is now eating, and the one who chose not to eat everything, is gently being talked to by Daddy, and has agreed to at least try a few bites.  We have been given a great gift in these children....how good is our God!

Sometimes it is hard in our home to get lots of nourishing foods in our kiddos.  This is one meal that is nourishing, frugal, and also gets tons of veggies into those tummies!  Plus, it is sooooo tasty!

 First, we throw in the food processor any veggies we care to:  Dig around in the bottom drawer of the fridge...any veggies about to go bad?  ( I try to 'shop' in my fridge every day to catch what otherwise might be deceased shortly!) We enjoy carrots, red and orange bell peppers, celery, yellow squash and zucchini.  Garlic and onion are something we never leave out, due to the flavor they add to this dish.  We do leave out cabbage, for our children are not thrilled about the smell as it's cooking with the other veggies.  But hey, they're still gettin' a ton of wonderful vitamins, so I won't complain! Throw 'em in and chop 'em up....

Then, put a dabble of coconut oil in a hot pan, and throw your veggies in.  I usually add some seasonings after they have cooked for a bit.  Sea salt, pepper, garlic powder, some Liquid Bragg's Aminos...all are nice.  I also usually throw in some leftover chicken, from a whole chicken I may have cooked in the crock pot.  Give a little taste, and see if it's to your liking.  If so, get out your egg roll wrappers...

 Lay out an egg roll wrapper, and have a little bowl of water nearby.  Dab your finger in the water and it along all the edges of your wrapper.  This makes the wrap stick together when you fold it.

 Get a spoonful of your veggie mixture and put into the wrapper.  It does help if it is in more of a diagonal line, and not so much of a pile.  The camera angle doesn't help here.  If it is in a line, it wraps much easier.  Example of how I fold....(not an expert here by the way.) If I were folding the picture above, I would do the right corner first, then the opposite corner.  Make sure it is snug to the food.  Tuck in the sides a bit--Then, fold the top down, and roll it toward me.  If anything isn't snug, I may dab a little water on it, to make it so. 

 There you have it....

We then put some olive oil, (could also use coconut oil here or lard), and put a few inches into a small pan.  Bring to a boil and put the egg rolls in, one at a time.  (This is how we do it, obviously you could do more if you like =)  You will have to flip them over after a minute or so.  When both sides are brown, get them out quickly, so they don't get too dark.

Our ruffians love to dip them in apricot preserves (duck sauce), and terryaki sauce is also a favorite. 

 

Hope you enjoy!

 

Blessings,

~Joy~

{This post is a part of Monday Mania, Real Food Wednesday, Works for me Wednesday, and Pennywise Platter}

 

This moment

 

 

:: Remembering ::

:: Reflecting ::

:: Rejoicing ::

Inspired by Soulemama

Cinnamon Applesauce--homemade version

 

 

 

Recruit a little buckaroo to assist

Peel apples

Cut up apples

Put apples and 1/4 cup water per apple and cook over medium on stove

When soft, mash 'em up

Add cinnamon if desired

Enjoy with a simple lunch

 

 

 

 

:: New arrivals ::

 

Our family has of late, has had a new vision.  I say new, yet it really has been in the works for a while.  We are going to have a little farm here!  (And yes, we may still be moving to MN....but wherever we land, it will be a family farm and we are thrilled to be on a new adventure together.)  My husband and I believe that children can learn the value of hard work, the joy that can come from that work and having animals, as well as a bit of "suffering", from life on a small scale farm.  We mean suffering in the sense of working hard, sacrifice and responsibility.  These are things we desire to instill in our children, and feel this is a way to help them learn these lessons, because they happen very naturally on a farm.  You don't have to work hard to come up with ways for them to learn these lessons!  We hope it will come from how we live and interact with each other and the animals as well.  

We also are very intentional about where we buy our food from.  We try as much as possible to buy organically grown local food.  Well, you can't get any more local than your own backyard now can you?  Along with our garden, where we will have our veggies, and hopefully fruits as well....we'll have chicken and duck eggs, some meat, and other wonderful foods  provided for us right outside the back door.  Our oldest daughters will help in their own ways, and learn some special lessons as well.  One will be raising her own goats, and another will help in the money side of things when we posssibly sell at the local farmer's market and such.  So many possibilities for growth and learning in so many ways!

  The first two new additions to the family are:

 

Snuffy and Gravy.   Yes, Miss Lady K named them.  Aren't they the sweetest names?  She picked them out herself, and they are her duckies.  It was hard to pull her away from her little red chair for her nap, for she sits there to watch over her little children.   She said she would be a good mama, and she is!  She'll help feed and water them each day, and help lay down bedding for them. 

 

 

Well, Snuffy and Gravy...get ready!  Because with Miss K as your mama, it's bound to be an exciting life!

 {This post is a part of Works for me Wednesday, Real Food Wednesday, and Pennywise Platter}

 

 

:: sweet lessons from my sourdough ::

Feeling the need to simplify.  Not a lot of words here tonight.  Just a very busy mama who has but a few minutes to hop on here and share what I'm learning myself.  If I can encourage you in any way to search out the best for your family, then my minutes are well spent. 

:: On the counter ::  Sourdough starter...(I named her Helga, since I feed her like a little pet =) I have longed to add sourdough to our diets for quite a while.  But, first things first.  Pregnancy...Childbirth....a new nursing relationship....all these things have especially taken time and my focus these last few months.  That's okay.  If you are desiring to change your families' diet, take a lesson from Helga here.  Slow and steady wins the race.  Sourdough starter takes time to grow.  There is just no rushing it....I know of many when first learning about the way that nourishing foods can change our lives for the better, (including myself), have tried to change too much at once.  It usually doesn't work out well that way. 

I would encourage you to remember that other things in your life---God, family and such, should come first.  When you have time to learn more, do so.  Take it one step at a time.  For instance, lately I have been learning much about fermented and cultured foods.   I started with dairy kefir.  I now feel fairly comfortable with it, use it in our diet a lot, and am ready to move on.  My next project is Helga, my sourdough starter.  This week I made this sourdough spice cake pictured in the 2nd and 3rd pictures in this post.  Great recipe, that everyone in my family loved, by the way! I will also be trying sourdough english muffins tomorrow. Next week...maybe sourdough waffles, and the big one....sourdough bread...yummm.

If I work on one thing at a time, I am much less apt to get overwhelmed and burnt out. In this way, my small accomplishments that I do make, push me on toward bigger and better things.  I can look back now and see how foolish it was of me to try to change everything at once.  When I took it one day at a time, things seemed to change at a more comfortable and natural pace.  That not only benefited me, but my family as well.  Slow changes are harder to balk at, because they happen so naturally. 

Remember now, slow and steady wins the race.

And, yes, that was more than a few words, now wasn't it?

 

 

 

 And, who wouldn't want to give these sweet boys the best food possible?

{Where to buy a sourdough starter (16 types of starters available!) or kefir grains to get you started?  I heart Cultures for Health}

 

Blessings,

Joy

 {This post is a part of Real Food Wednesday, Works for me Wednesday, Pennywise Platter, Fight Back Friday and Frugal Friday}

 

This moment

 

Remembering:: Rejoicing:: Reflecting

This Moment

Inspired by Soulemama

All's fair in love and chocolate chips--musings from mama

 

Mama's musings are just a picture and a quick tip from me or someone else that I use in my every day life with our big buncha kiddos. My best friend, and lover of all things natural, Nina, had a WONDERFUL tip for me a while back that I now use every time I make cookies.  She's got 5 kiddos, including a set of twins---and she's got gobs of great ideas, and is so willing to share them with others.  Her idea was this:  when making cookies that have chocolate chips or something similar in them, instead of mixing them in the batter, just put a similar amount on top of each cookie--pressed onto them right before they go into the oven.  Makes for a little chocolate bit in each bite, no more chocolate-chipless bites. And, the kiddos think it's pretty fair all around since everyone has the same amount of chocolate!  Plus, don't they just look purty?  (Yes, I spelled it that way on purpose!)  I use an ice cream scoop (a trick my mother-in-law taught me), to scoop out the cookie dough onto the sheets.  That way the cookies are all similar in size, and it goes much faster! If you'd like the recipe for these very nourishing and tasty treats, (so healthy we eat them for breakfast..shhhhh), just check out my post here.

Happy baking,

Joy

This moment

 {Please indulge me for a few words this morning.}

 When I saw my littlest girl, now 3 years old napping the other day with her door open, I just had to sneak in for a couple of pictures. 

So often our days can be filled with struggles.  She's gettin' the award for most strong-willed child in my family this year.  It was almost a tie with her oldest sister, but I believe she will win in the end.  She's persistent that way. 

Notice the ensemble.  Not one layer, not even two layers....but four (4!) layers of clothing on! Let's see....I recognize the pink love sleeved shirt for the bottom layer, next comes her yellow nightgown, then her purple nightgown,and please don't forget her much loved cotton jumper dress!  Layers are in. Remember that tomorrow morning when you're wonderin' what to wear. 

Little ones always look so angelic as they're caught in peaceful dreams.  It's easy to forget that they could ever be naughty or disobedient.  No,they are just your sweet little one,with those cute little features you could gaze at for hours. 

 As I was pondering all of these things, and photographing my girlie, I noticed something.  Her hair looked almost greasy.  Almost wet-like, and I had given her a bath only that morning!  Also, her pillow had something white smeared all over it.  As I gazed at her sweet, dimpled hands I noticed white lotion all over them.

She had gotten into the lotion....and gotten it everywhere!

All I could do was shake my head and smile.....how could I be mad at that moment?  I think that's what the good Lord does with me on a daily basis, I'm sure.  I get myself into trouble very quickly, and I'm sure there are times that he just shakes His head and smiles.  He forgives me as easily as I forgave my girl.  He loves me us even more than I love her, as hard as that is to believe. Thank you Lord for this lesson today, I needed a reminder of your love. 

May you bask in His love today,

Joy

{I have an awesome giveaway going on from Bulk Herb Store  right now....there will be 5 (five!) winners, and all you have to do to enter is leave a comment on the giveaway post, located here.  The winners will all receive a DVD copy of Making Herbs Simple Vol 1...a valuable resource I have had in my home for a couple of years! Giveaway ends Monday, March 14th, 8:00 a.m. EST}

(This moment was inspired by Soulemama)