Archive | February, 2014

Book Review – February 2014

28 Feb

Hello hello! I am grabbing a few minutes in between everything to get this typed out (although I just realized I left the hummus and chips over on the kitchen counter… sigh). It is time for our monthly Book Review! I cannot believe how fast this month (mostly) went. I did not read as much of a variety of books this month as I had planned. I had wanted to start a book on Jewish culture and beliefs but will scootch that over to next month! I did have everything from a huge disappointment, to a try-and-read-as-much-as-you-can to ‘i’m in love with this book and all I want to do is read’ this month.

Well, let’s get started and hopefully you find something new to try!

  • Hans Brinker – by Mary Mapes Dodge  – — yes this was on last month’s list too! I FINALLY finished it. I must say I really enjoyed this classic ‘childrens’ tale although my interest did wane a bit in the middle. She does a fantastic job of describing Holland and telling the reader about the history of the place. The characters were delightful. My only problem was that it took me so long to read that I forgot who some of them were! sad. All in all, a delightful book.
  • A Northern Light – by Jennifer Donnelly  — another one that I started last month. this one, on the other hand, was a huge disappointment. I got to disc 3 (yes, it was an audiobook) Turned it off right away in shock at what I’d just heard and sent it back to the library the next day. sad.
  • Lights of the Veil – by Patty Metzer – – this is one of my ABSOLUTELY FAVORITES. I probably read this book three or more times a year. It is set in modern times, mostly in India – which makes it intriguing and fabulous right there. Christian faith and Hindu faith collide in this love story. Erica Tanner unexpectedly meets her late sister’s only son only to be kidnapped hours later and taken to India. Through bravery and lots of prayer, Erica unexpectedly makes a friend of  Prince Sajah Araji and through it all tries to fulfill her promise to her sister to not let her son be raised Hindu. It is a fantastic love story with suspense mixed in. All in all, a book that pulls you in from the first sentence ( I even had to read the first paragraph to my OH because her imagery is so wonderful)
  • Kisses From Katie – Katie Davis  — This one I heard of  from a blog I follow – Beyond the Cover  ( http://www.beyondthecoverblog.com/)  – and was able to get it from the library. It is a story of a young girl – fresh from high school- who put off college, said goodbye to her friends and boyfriend and headed to Uganda to do missionary work and how God changed her life, and those around her. Her entries are honest and touching – there isn’t any ‘prettying it up’ in this book.  It is a great, moving book. I absolutely recommend it. (I will say that the due date came and passed before I finished this! I read as much as I could before I absolutely had to take it back, which means I made it through all but the last two chapters)
  • The Shepherd’s Voice – Robin Lee Hatcher — This is another one of my favorites.  Finally free from prison, Gabe Talmadge can’t find work during the Great Depression. So he heads home to Ransom, Idaho to seek help from his harsh father. But he is rescued by a young woman that owns a sheep ranch. He is turned away by his father, but finds forgiveness and acceptance in Akira Macauley and in God. But tragedy strikes again and he must decide between his new faith and new life or if he will once again slide into the pit of despair and hopelessness. I absolutely adore Akira. If you must know, it’s more how I thought I would turn out to be! I love her depth of faith. This story is very sweet and a must read!
  • Duty and Desire – by Pamela Aidan — This is book two of her series on Mr. Darcy. Thank goodness for the library! This one is set more in his world – London and Pemberly. You get to know his sister, Georgianna, and some of his other relatives and friends more in this book. One of my favorite of his friends is Lord Dyfed Brougham. A great character. I am not sure that I have ever read this before… which is so fun! I just started this the other day so you will hear more of it next month!

I hope you found something you want to try  – let me know if you want more descriptions for the books…I have been hmming and hahing (how DO you spell those?) over it while I’ve been writing.

Well, it’s my OH’s birthday tomorrow – so if you know him – overwhelm him with your version of happy birthday on his voicemail or facebook. hehe. but don’t tell him that I encouraged you in it…

Happy Reading!

~Laura

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The yes-it’s-actually-working-for-me- skin treatment

25 Feb

I thought I would share this again! I bought another bottle of the Lotion with Potion over the holidays and they have changed their formula. While I still like it, and love that they’ve added peppermint, it didn’t last near as long as the last bottle (that one lasted a year! and here it is only 3 or so months later) It is still a lotion that I love though. Happy Cleansing!

Laura's avatarthe start of a good life

I have had, what i call, ‘skin issues’ (i absolutely hate the other words used for it ‘acn–‘ ‘pimp—‘ look , i can’t even type them. that’s how much i really do not use those words…) since a very early age. I can still remember my mom , bless her heart, telling me that since i started getting it so early, it would clear up sooner than most girls. . . . well, here i am 28 years old and still fighting it!
and losing to it mostly.
But recently i have found some things that have helped. and how overly glad that makes me!!!
So, i thought i would share them with you, in the chance that it might help you with your battle of the dreaded ‘issues’
step 1:
in the beginning of this year i splurged (well, that’s not entirely accurate, my OH did..) and bought Bare…

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Reusable Dusting Wipes (and other genuis)

21 Feb

Even if you don’t really care what chemicals are in the cleaning products on the shelves of your friendly – or not so friendly – store, this DIY cleaner is a huge money saver! And that is something I think most everyone can appreciate! I have LOVED having these ready to go when I need to do a quick swipe or an intense clean. Let me give you an example :

we have been overrun by ants. They started out a few at a time and now you can hear a thwak-smack of us killing them consistently throughout the evening. Disgusting. So a few days ago,, I grabbed one of these pre-soaked cloths and wiped down every inch of our bedroom walls. The vinegar, lemon and rosemary oil make for a great cleaner and smells so fresh and clean. The rest of the house is going to get similarly wiped down as soon as I can! 

I found a great list of DIY cleaners – from everything from tub cleaner to fruit and veggie wash on Popsugar’s site. Fabulous list. I plan on making several more of these cleaners but for now, this one I am a fan of! 

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I did make a few adjustments to the original ‘recipe’ .  I cleaned an empty peanut butter jar to use for this project. Added 3 cups water and 1 cup vinegar. I peeled a lemon, tossed the peel in and dropped 10-20 drops of rosemary essential oil. (feel free to use what scent you prefer!). Then I grabbed some small towels and smooshed them in. =) So simple and quick. And the best part?? Use one, wash it and smoosh (a great word, that) it back in the jar. Being OCD, I pushed them down to the bottom of the jar so they could soak longer. 

And there you go! A chemical-free super cheap cleaner! Here’s the original link. 

http://www.savvysugar.com/DIY-Dusting-Spray-32429125/

here’s the link for the whole list of cleaners! 

http://www.savvysugar.com/DIY-Cleaning-Products-28901279/#photo-33362792

 

Another fun project I did recently was transfer our loose leaf tea (it’s mostly what we use anymore. We have this great tea shop here,   Townshends Tea house  ( http://www.townshendstea.com/ )   that we love getting our teas from) to containers. I don’t know about you but I really do not like trying to scoop tea from a little bag. Frustration.  

I had saved some tins from hot chocolate months before , so after rinsing and drying those out. This is what I came up with.

ImageThey aren’t very pretty to look at but they are so much better than the bags! one day I will get some better (i.e. prettier) paper to cover them with rather than the printer paper. 

Happy Cleaning Friends!

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Melt in Your Mouth Make You Come Back for More Candy Bites

17 Feb

Have you ever had those days where just getting out of bed is too difficult? Where the thought of cleaning the bathroom, or running a load of laundry drains the last reserve of energy out of you?

That’s where I’ve been since October. And let me tell you, it gets old – fast. The house didn’t get very clean, the meals were pathetic and coherent conversation was rare, but my OH was good about it. I spent more time in front of my computer and TV these past months than I normally ever would. Going out running errands with my mom would leave me completely exhausted with a migraine drilling a hole in my temples.

not fun. 

Naps became a necessity. Sleep at night became fitful. Symptoms popped up that really worried me. Finally I made an appointment with my naturopath. We did a blood draw to run labs on my thyroid. Years ago, I had taken hormone replacement therapy and thyroid pills but they did nothing for my migraines so I was skeptical that anything would work.

Two weeks in of taking them, I was certain I had been right. Nothing had really changed – other than my mood swings (which was so nice to have my calm personality back!!!) Finally I am seeing some results. Yes, I still need a ridiculous amount of sleep – Example: I get up to make my OH’s breakfast and go back to bed for a couple hours. Then need an hour or so nap three hours later.  But most of the worrisome symptoms have disappeared. I’m so relieved. My migraines are easing off bit by bit – for now. It is nice to feel halfway normal again. 

So because of that, I have been able to mess around with the amounts for this ‘candy’. It is deeeelicouuuuus , but i am hoping to tweak it a bit more to get the consistency and flavor that i am really going for. Super simple. Quick. Delicious. Gluten, dairy and egg free. What more could you ask for? 

Melt-in-your-Mouth-Make-You-Come-Back-for-More -Candy Bites

Butter – 1/2 cup (1stick) – softened

Cacao powder – 1 1/2 TB

Coconut Palm Sugar – 3/4 cup

Salt – smidgen

Coffee grounds – 2TB (brewed grounds of course!)

Nut mix – about 1/2 cup

Cream the softened butter. Add rest of ingredients except the nuts. I like to chop my nut mix up a bit in the little blender before I add them in. Taste test mix. Feel free to make it a bit sweeter if you like! Add nuts. Scoop onto a plate or small dish and spread out. Put in freezer til firm. Cut into small squares and serve.

~Like I said, I am still experimenting with the amounts. I am also thinking of making it without the coffee next time (as we tend to eat it late at night and the caffeine isn’t sleep-friendly). Another switch I am thinking of is somehow adding in pomegranate. MMMM. Still pondering that addition though. Enjoy! And please let me know if you try it out! 

My next baking attempt will be rice pudding – since I made way too much rice the other night for dinner! 

Until next time, Laura

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beginnings of the avocado plant!!!

 

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Happy Birthday Mom

16 Feb

Can I tell you all a little secret. lean in close so you can hear. 

closer.

 a bit closer.

there you go – okay 

“I have the sweetest mom one could ask for”

Not only is she my mom, but she is one of my closest friends. The days are just wrong if I don’t at least talk to her on the phone. She is strong and independent and has a great sense of humor (which I inherited!)  Over the years, my friends have adopted her as their mom also  and have even told me to invite her along with us on our hanging out time. Now, if that’s not a cool mom, I don’t know what is. 

I was lucky enough that she was able to stay at home and raise us kids until I was 14 years old. Looking back on my childhood, she is always there. She became one of the first people I would turn to for advice, prayer or a hug. She taught me all her ‘home ec’ knowledge and shared stories of her own childhood in Oklahoma and California. She has an ‘Okie’ accent with some words – and apparently I’ve picked up some of those as well!

She has turned the hardships in her life into a strong faith and foundation for her family to lean on.  

 

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So Happy Birthday mom – I hope you have felt all the love  we hold for you. I pray blessings for you in the coming years. And don’t forget – I love you more. (hehe) 

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Some Fun in the Winter wonderland

11 Feb

Snow. Snow. And some more snow. – was pretty much how our weekend went! It just dumped on us! We were house-bound both Saturday and Sunday. While it was nice, I will admit to going a little stir crazy yesterday. I had already read, messed around on pinterest, tried my hand at knitting again, cooked and cleaned all I could take…. So today I made sure that me and Lady got OUT and had some fun. So I headed to my mom’s place ( where my sister and her family live nearby!) and grabbed a couple kids and got out in the snow. 

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Because who can go play in the snow without making snow angels?????

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his favorite part – making me pull him up by his coat

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don’t call it a bottom!

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Were you and your family able to get out and play together?? Tell me about it, or even better, share a picture! 

psssst – don’t forget, Valentine’s Day is this Friday!!!

Thanks for stopping by, Laura

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Happy Birthday Dad

6 Feb

I am a blessed woman. Let me tell you why:

My dad’s a pretty awesome guy

Here’s the background: he met my mom when she was pregnant with me (both my parents had previously been married and divorced), started dating her while each toted 2 kids around. He was there when I was born. That day was the first time he kissed my mom (how romantic is THAT?). And when I was 9 months old, they got married. Now, that means that they automatically had 5 kids – and didn’t get their honeymoon until 15 years later. Right from the beginning we all were ‘his kids’. He worked his tail off to fully provide for us, to teach us what we would need to know to be independent, thriving adults. Fast forward to today? He has 11 grandbabies – and another on the way! – and is still working hard so he can continue to help those around him, including his kids and grandkids.

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With grandson number 7

A word of pride from him means so much because you know you’ve earned it. He is the reason I made it through every math class I had to suffer through. He is the reason I can chop wood, rototill a garden, work on my cars and play (albeit poorly) golf. So, happy Birthday Dad, even though you are gone working right now and we can’t celebrate with you, know that we love you and are proud to have you as our dad.

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surrounded by grandkids numbers 8, 9 and 10

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mom and dad

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giving me away

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GAPS or Anti-Inflammatory Diets instead of Pain and Regret

3 Feb

Trust me. 

It’s not worth it.

That cupcake calling your name? It is throat seizing up.

That perfectly baked roll taunting you? It is stomach cramps.

That smorgasobord of delights covering the counter? Their names are Pain and Regret.

That was my weekend. From a memorial on Saturday to the Superbowl yesterday – Pain and Regret were my constant companions. 

Not only do I have a restricted diet, I also have the unfortunate need to eat a full-on meal every two to three hours. When placed in a position of either not eating – and letting my migraine escalate to elephantine proportions – or eating foods that my body hates, I end up choosing food. I try to pick options that will do the least damage, but before long, Pain and Regret are pulling at me.

Inspired by our stomachs lurching and gluten-induced lethargy, my OH and I started talking last night about healthier eating and ways to ‘heal our guts’. This prompted me getting comfy on the bed, airborne sizzling in a big blue mug, my golden retriever snoring peacefully on the floor next to me and powering my laptop on. I had heard a little bit about the GAPS diet and ‘anti-inflammatory’ diets so I started my search with those. I like the concept of the GAPS diet – healing through food, but it does seem very intense. (Read : detailed and strict ) Which, to me, is why it could really work. You are being very conscious about what you are putting in your body and healing the digestive system. My only problem with it, with what I’ve read so far, is that you do have to be on top of it even more than I am used to. Nothing wrong with that of course. But am I up to it??

I then read some on the anti-inflammatory diet and it seems a little more up my alley. (read: slightly lazy) hehe. I found several sites that talk about it, but i found one that gave a nice graph of what to eat and what to avoid. Nice and simple. I’ll add the links to both ‘diets’ at the end of this post for you. I’ll share a list of anti-inflammatory foods for you, there are others but I’ve mixed it up to fit what I can eat – just look up ‘anti-inflammatory’ on google if you want a longer list. =)

~Fatty Fish

~Dark Leafy Greens

~Nuts

~Berries

~Soy (avoid heavily-processed soy)

~Ginger and Turmeric

~Garlic and Onions (I have to go carefully with these as they are nightshades…)

~Olive Oil

~Tart Cherries

 

Suffice it to say, that my OH and I  are newly energized to eat well. Even less processed than we do – which isn’t much. More vegetables and fruit. Less Pain and Regret. More Health and Energy.  

On a side note : How about that Superbowl huh??? We had so much fun watching it and enjoyed most of the commercials. Still not sure why we would want to see people lacking in the clothing department. We liked how patriotic the ads were. Very cool. Plus our Seahawks won! I did feel bad for the Broncos though, it seemed like nothing was going their way. (I am a sympathetic football game watcher) Now it’s time to focus on the last episode of Biggest loser tomorrow night and then the Winter Olympics! YAhoo! 

~Laura

GAPS – http://gapsdiet.com/INTRODUCTION_DIET.html

-Anti-inflammatory – http://www.fammed.wisc.edu/sites/default/files/webfm-uploads/documents/outreach/im/handout_ai_diet_patient.pdf

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