Mason Jars and Sourdough

I love jars. I know you remember just how much I love jars.  I love that you can use them for almost anything.

One new way we have been using jars around our house is by putting leftovers in them. They secure and keep your food fresh while being clear so you can see what is in them.. Isn't that just too cool?!

It never ceases to amaze me that good products, such as Mason jars, have been around for so long.

Generations and generations of my family have used Mason jars. I have made it my personal conquest to find the oldest jars possible. Look at the ones above-aren't those just so beautiful? Yeah, they need cleaned up again but do you know how many uses there are for these babies?

Well the reason for my talking yet again about how much I love jars is that I began to make my own sourdough this week. I used Laura's recipe and instructions. These instructions are GREAT but I have to tell you, they should make a book called "Sourdough for Dummies". I was so worried about beginning this adventure. Therefore, I decided to document my days of sourdough making for you!

Now I have to warn you, this was one of the few days that I have been in a good mood of late... Be warned... I am a goober... :)

The Birth of My Sourdough: Day 1 

(If you are interested in step one of making

sourdough here is Laura's Day 1)

Most people feel like this when starting sourdough. I know I did. My friends told me how hard it was and I totally went for it. Now y'all I have proclaimed honesty and openness on this blog and this might turn out to be a total flop but we will see together, won't we?

But "Put a Smile on Your Face and Make the World a better place..." Okay, back to semi-seriousness. This is me after I decided to take the the dough dive! (I told you I was a goober. I even think my own jokes are funny!) Isn't Dylan just a great photographer?!?

Here are the ingredients you will need: 1 cup whole wheat or rye flour, jar or bowl, one cup water, stirring spoon, rubber band or tie, and Laura says cheese cloth, I didn't have cheese cloth so I used a cloth napkin.

Pour in flour and by pour in flour, I mean actually IN the jar....

 

Okay that's better..... :) Now while you're on roll add the water to the flour and stir.

Last step put on the cloth on over rim of jar and tightly secure with the rubber band. Now I had the thought of doing sourdough with cheese cloth nativities for Christmas next year? Think that thoughts a winner? Just kidding...

Come back tomorrow for The Birth of My Sourdough: Day 2!

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*This post is linked to Things I Love Thursday!

Punctuation Uncovered...

No Boys Allowed!

Ok y'all... This is definitely a girls only conversation. Therefore, NO BOYS ALLOWED! Hurry, run and lock the door. Try to ignore the tapping on the door and the sweet little voice saying "mama- whatcha doing?".

Okay, all clear? Now let me tell you I have had every kind of "womanly" problem out there. For six months straight out of last year, I was on my punctuation. It was horrible. I was in pain and uncomfortable.

I had heard rumors that the punctuation product company was putting chemicals on them to make you punctuate longer. I had done a lot of research on diapers and the chemicals in diapers affecting my children's bums, so why wouldn't that be the case in punctuation products?

So after doing more research, I decided to take the leap and try cloth punctuation products (Should we call it PP for short? Wait! That brings about a whole new discussion! :) Get it Pee-Pee? Haha... Can you tell I live in a house of boys?).

Oh my! It was so worth it! I will never go back! They are so soft and no pain at all. It is great! If you cloth diaper, it is so no different!

I researched a lot and the website I decided to try Joyful Living Naturals. Here are a couple of reasons that I absolutely will go NO where else to buy cloth punctuation products:

• I know there are a lot of young mothers out there that are in the same boat as I and that boat being lack of money. We have to watch our money carefully and Joyful Living Naturals was by far the cheapest.
• Joyful Living Naturals shipped quickly. I was worried that I would not have them by my next punctuation, but that was not the case at all. I had them within a week.
• I bought a bundle so I didn't get to pick out the fabric. It did not matter. The fabric was so adorable!
• I have washed them numerous times and the are still in great shape!
• I was worried that bring cloth, they would leak. Nope, sure didn't!
• I was also worried that they would be think and viewable (kind of like a panty line). I was pleasantly surprise how thin and comfortable they were.
• Okay I know this is getting w.a.y. t.o.o. personal for you but I am a curvy woman and I really hated it when the sticky "wing" stuff rubbed and with the the cloth punctuation products, they snap and that's all she wrote! Saa---wweeet!

So Joyful Living Naturals have really become something I love especially with my "sentence" (hahaha! Sometime I crack myself up!) coming and that my friends is NOT a Thing I Love this Thursday!

Things I Love Thursday: Ever Earth Toy

One of the Christmas toys Lincoln received was an Ever Earth car track. It is the coolest toy ever! Lincoln adores it and I think the world of it too!

To read some awesome facts about Ever Earth toys click here.

Besides those awesome facts, I loved this car track because:

1. This toy is just too adorable!
2. It does not take up too much room and stores nicely on a shelf.
3. It's durable and sturdy. My boys have fallen on it, dropped it, stepped on it and the list continues but this toy never bends, breaks or snaps.
4. Lincoln received the car track as a gift but Dylan also likes it. This is one of the few toys where they both sit and play nicely together playing. That is just huge at our house!
5. I know if you clicked the link you know that it is an Earth friendly toy and made from wood. One of my goals this year was to try and be more conscious of the products we bring into our home and how they affect the environment.
   

This isn't something only Lincoln loves, it's a thing I love too! Do you want to add something you love this Thursday? Diaper Diaries is the place to do it!

Dora

As you all know, this is Christmas week. This is the one week a year when I wonder.... "Can we please just not eat anymore?"

Christmas brings about the hustle and bustle and we all need to de-clutter. Now I want to set the record straight, my children are not clutter but all the attention they need while I am running around like a crazy woman does become overwhelming.

Now please do not tie me up and stone me but this week I am just so in love with Dora and Diego. No matter what is going on around the house, just pop in Dora or just find Diego on the TV Menu Guide (or DVR it!) and they are totally focused on the television.

Now I am a control freak when it comes to how much and what my children watch but this week, Dora and Diego has saved my children's lives and my sanity. This week, Dora and Diego are something that I totally love. I also found printable (free!) Dora sheets that my older son loves to color. They can be found here, here, and here!

So if you are a mom like me who doesn't really allow her children much TV, give Dora a try. She is a life saver when it comes to a Mom's Christmas Sanity!

stained glass

Stained glass products just really amaze me... You take something as beautiful as glass and then add a little color and it's a beautiful thing!

A friend of mine took up stained glass work and he is really great at it!

I bought a few gifts and I even bought a piece for myself. I wanted to just give y'all a gander at it. You will be totally impressed and I am sure that my friend would love some more business if you are interested!

So here is the nativity scene that I purchased. It is just a beautiful piece of work. I adore it! It is truly something that I love!

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This is linked to Things I Love Thursday.

my thoughts on Marley & Me

I recently rented Marley & Me from the library. I really enjoyed this movie and I wanted to share a few of my thoughts with y'all (especially since I am not a pet person, sorry dear friends).

Marley & Me spoke volumes to me. One of the main reasons was the movie did not portray the perfect marriage. In movies sometime, I feel like an untrue, perfect picture is being painted of married life, especially after having children. Not only did this movie not portray that, it showed how a commited relationship is supposed to be.

When the single, had it all best friend, questioned whether John and Jen would be staying together, the husband stated that it was just a fight and of course they would work it out.

The whole movie, being the single, eligible bachelor was shown in the positive light, but in the end, it was the married with children man that appeared to have the life they both wanted.

I also enjoyed that the wife/mother, made the choice to stay home and take care of the house and family. Once again, they did not portray a rosey life, but one that many families go through. She made the sacrifies of a mother and stood by her husband and his dreams continually.

A lot of movies show the beautiful romance but stop after they are together. It doesn't make for a good romantic comedy when the marriage is crumbling under pressure, money is tight, and where making love used to be, there are children with grubby hands.

However, there was one tiny (okay maybe not so tiny) little detail that I would like to disagree with. It is most certainly due to my faith, but I still believe it should be thrown out there. The main idea of the book/movie was that when everything else was falling down and apart, the dog was there. He was the constant in their lives.

I just think it should be said (and I'm sure it wouldn't make a great Hollywood movie) that the only stability and constant we have in our life is Jesus Christ. He is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 11:8), not a family pet.

With all that being said, the movie was one that I loved. It was an easy watch and even though I would not allow my children to watch it, I wasn't nervous if they walked into the room.

So take some time out of your busy day and rent Marley & Me. I'm sure you will enjoy it!

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This is post to Things I love Thursday.

Blik

This is day two of decorating on a budget and today I want to share a unique decorating tip and site with you.

Now I am a strong believer that sometimes time costs just as much as money. I am a fan of a lot of color and wall decor. Therefore, I wanted shapes and images on the walls. I am not a good painter nor do I know anyone that could have the patience or strong hand to do what I wanted done. So my husband and I looked into a site called Blik (for website click here).

I love this website and I love the product I received from them. People always comment on how great the wall images look. So I wanted to share this awesome product with you! Blik graphics is truly a thing I love!

Here are a few pictures of the Blik graphics on our home walls.

This post is linked to Things I Love Thursday.

Things I Love Thursday: My Favorite Kitchen Gadget!

Going with the theme of food this week, I wanted to share a Thing I LOVE in the kitchen.

I think this handy, dandy kitchen gadget is much more than something to help you prepare meals, it is something to help you save money!!

Would anyone like to take a ponder and guess?!?

Ok... ok... I'll tell you... Drum roll please....ddrrrrrrrrrrd...

Whoever invented this suckers should have won a Nobel Prize (is that possible for kitchen gadgets!?)!

I don't know how anyone could have ever worked (lived) in the kitchen without them! There is not one kitchen task that I do that does not involve a spatula.

I have found also, a spatula saves our family a lot of money. When you use a spatula to remove food from bowls, I find that we "spatula out" an extra serving. AN EXTRA SERVING?!? That is lunch for my husband tomorrow.

The lesson of this post, if you do not own a spatula... RUN! to the nearest store and grab yourself one of these handy, dandy kitchen gadgets!
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This is linked to Things I Love Thursday.

Turbo Jams!!

I have began a weight loss journey and much to my chagrin, I had to begin exercising. I detest exercising with a HUGE passion! I always played sports growing up and had a good metabolism, now not so much. I have tried running. I have tried walking. I have tried committing to the gym. But, I found nothing that interested me.

I am a strong believer that if you are not having fun and you are not interested in your work out, you're not going to do it and you're not going to stick with it.

Enter TURBO JAMS!!

I have never seen a workout like this! The energy and motivation is contagious! I LOVE doing it. I cannot wait to do it. I have been sick for the past week and I have yearned to get back to Turbo Jams! It makes me feel good, it makes me feel happy! I can see results. Turbo Jams is something that I love!!

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This post is linked to Things I Love Thursday at Diaper Diaries.

Kohl's Clearance Racks

So this past weekend, I went shopping at Kohl's. We were in desperate need of clothes at our home- Andy's work clothes were starting to look tattered and worn, Dylan out-grew the hand-me-down givers, and I have been losing a little bit of weight so I had nothing that fit me right.

My budget was $250. I know this sounds like a lot but that is our clothing budget for the year and I have to find clothes that will "hold-up" because boys are hard on clothes and I want them to still be nice for Lincoln to wear when he reaches that size.

So with $200 and my 30% more off coupon, I struck out last week on a mission to find Andy and Dylan's clothes. Mommy's could wait. If there wasn't enough money for mine, that is just fine, BUT my boys NEED to look nice.

So with $200 I bought Dylan:

• 16 super-hero nice t-shirts
• 3 pair of jeans
• 2 sweat outfits
• 3 long sleeve t-shirts to wear under the t-shirts
• 1 dress shirt and matching tie

I bought Andy:

• 13 button-down dress shirts
• 3 polo shirts
• 7 pair of dress pants
• 2 work out shirts
• 1 pair of lounge pants

This cost me $200-- leaving me with $50 and gave me $40 in Kohls Cash. So this weekend I went back with my Kohls Cash and this is what I got for myself:

• 16 clearance shirts
• 2 pairs of jeans

I was so excited. So I got three of our wardrobes for the year on $250. I am super-pumped! How about you? Anyone get any good deals lately?

Great deals on clearance racks are what I love!

Home IS the Most Important Place on Earth

The Most Important Place on Earth by Robert Wolgemuth is one of the best books I have EVER read. It is an incredible book that gives great wisdom, advice, and encouragement towards being a "different" home.

A "different" home in that we should not be conforming into other families in our neighborhoods. We should be the family that is a family, not just rooming buddies.

This book talks about what your home should say about you and your family. Is your home filled with the aroma of Christ and His love? Is your home filled with loving words and actions?

Robert Wolgemuth showed me that there is WAY more to being a parent and wife than meeting basic needs. It is so much more spiritual and deeper.

After reading this book, I found myself asking myself: Is my today list really so important that I am missing out on key memorable experiences with my family? Is my house being spotless more important that love radiating through it's halls? This is when I started looking at my life and what was really important.

Another key idea in The Most Important Place on Earth is how words meaning and how they are said are so important. One thing that really hit me straight in the forehead was when he talked about when we know that we are going to tell our children "no" and just because we don't want to deal with it right then we say "We'll see". Now I don't think that is a blatant lie, but I also know there is more then what I am saying.

I just LOVE this book and I would recommend it to ANY parent who wants the Lords will their home and their family!

For More Things I LOVE Thursday click here!

Little People Airport

I am not a big "we need every toy out there" type of mom. I am grateful for all the toys we have (which happens to be too many!). We do not buy a lot of toys for our kids at Christmas or for their birthday, but they have many adoring admires who do (such as my mother, who happens to love her grandbabies very much!!).

I try to put at least half of the toys they get up and bring them out when the days are trying. Over this past week, I had much to do and wanted to spend some time concentrating on it. I found this Little People Airport in the closet.

Oh my goodness! What a blessing this was! It was a gift for Lincoln, but Dylan and Lincoln l.o.v.e it!

I love that there are not a ton of parts to trip over and step on. It is just a really great toy. I, believe it or not, actually enjoy playing with them and the airport.

I love making new memories with my boys and things they enjoy. This is just another to add to the list!

For more Things I Love Thursday head on over to Diaper Diaries!

Things I Love Thursday! --- KitchenAide Attachment

The pictures pretty much say it all! You put the attachment on the mixer and it sifts the sauce through. You do not even need to take the skins off the apple. It makes it a beautiful pink color!!

For more Things I Love head on over to Diaper Diaries!

My Dream and Shaklizing

*For all of those who are wondering, my mom is doing fine. She is feeling much better since her surgery.*



So since I have begun learning to sell Shaklee, I have really been thinking about my dream. They want to you to look ahead and see what you are working towards. I have big dreams. So here are the basics of them in the next 20- 25 years:

* I want to live on a paid for farm.


* I want to have begun breeding horses.


* I want to have a ranch hand to help me.


* I want to be totally debt free with my kids have gone through college or on their ways.


* I want to have enough land to build houses for my kids and their families to live on the family farm.



I really hope that beginning the Shaklee business will help achieve those dreams and make them a reality. So with that said, I have been Shaklizing my house. It's hard to sell healthy home cleaners and health products when my house is disgusting. So I have been cleaning and putting Shaklee products out.



So now to the new product I love: Shaklee Basic-G.

It is now known that household cleaners are the cause of 75% of respiratory problems. Shaklee's cleaning products are non-toxic and are easy to use. They are also a great economical product. A 16 oz bottle of concentrate makes more than 5000 bottles of windex! Incredible, isn't it? I love the fact that I can hand my 3 yo this cleaner and let him help without being worried about how it will affect him. These are truly awesome cleaning products! If anyone is interested in doing a review on their blog about Shaklee cleaning products just contact me and I would love to send you a sample to try out! For more Things I Love Thursday head on over to Diaper Diaries.

Dave Ramsey Envelope System

As I sit here right now, looking at the budget and the paycheck deposited in the bank, I am thankful for Dave Ramsey's Envelope System.

It makes paying cash for everything so simple and I am joyous when all the envelopes are full.

We are trying to become debt free using the DR Total Money Makeover. It has been a humbling and at times fun journey, but sometimes it just feels hard.

We are learning the art of watching our money and where it goes. We did horrible the month of April. I was not very budget conscious in lots that I did. But I am excited that tomorrow is May and a new month to try again is here. I am so glad that I have a Heavenly father to remind me where money should go and that I can come to with questions regarding me money. The Bible has so many verses in it about money.

1 Timothy 6:10
For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

Proverbs 22:7
The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.

These are just a few verses about money. The verses that I love are the ones were God tells us it's alright to screw up, everyone does but with His grace all things are possible!

Matthew 19:26
Jesus looked at them intently and said, "For humans this is impossible, but for God all things are possible."

So if you are trying to get out of debt- look into Dave Ramsey's program and grab your Bible. Those will be the best paying off debt tools you can find!

For more Things I love Thursday head over to Diaper Diaries.

Things I Love Thursday- Free At Last...

Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand. -Isaiah 41:10

When I read this verse on a blog today, I thought about how it was just what I needed. I am fearful about so many things right now. So here is a quick list so all of you can be praying for me to remember this verse.

• I am afraid of the dark and being home at home at night. I am really paralyzingly afraid. I pray for God's protection but often don't hold tight to Him after I ask.
• I am afraid that I am not teaching my family enough about the Lord. Another paralyzing fear I have is not seeing anyone in my family and friends or ANYONE for that matter in Heaven. I know that I do not quite understand Heaven but I do not know how it could be a perfect place if someone I care about it not there.
• I am terrified that I am a bad mother. That I am making mistakes in how I am raising my children, how I am teaching them about the great, miraculous, loving Lord that I hold so dear. I fear that they will make some of the same mistakes I made. I know that they will have to learn for themselves but I am scared that they will turn away and not turn back.
  
• I am fearful that I am making the wrong decision about homeschooling my children. I feel the Lord's gentle push but is it the right thing?
• I fear that I am always going to be overweight and unhealthy.
• I fear that I will have no more children.
• I fear that I am not a good helpmate and companion for my husband and that I don't make him proud.
• I fear that something is going to happen to my children, husband, parents, family, etc.
• I fear that I am not the woman and following that my Sweet Jesus wants.
• I fear that I am inadequate, a failure, and too stupid to do the task that God has in place for me.
• I fear... I fear... I fear...

Now that we have all of those out of the way and I pictured myself handing each one of those to God, I want to share a great post with you. You can find it here. In this post she is talking about bringing things to the Lord that we just feel are too much for us. This was just what I needed today.

So friends, fear not. We have a wonderful God who knows our futures, loves us, takes care of us, and has us in the palm of his hand. So what I love is a God who takes care of me and cherishes me and watches over me.

For more Things I Love Thursday head over to Diaper Diaries.