These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things

Guess you can tell what I've been up to lately. After a rather busy weekend I succumbed to a sore throat, achy body, and a general overall lousy feeling.

I'm back on my feet (somewhat) today after a day of rest and many healthy "treatments". Here are a few of my favorites:

Routine Care and Immunity Boosting

• Emergen C- we love these little packets- contains 1000 mg of vitamin C & many extras (our Walmart carries these)
  
• garlic capsules- taken daily to boost immunity

Sore Throat Treatment

• gargle with warm salt water (I remember doing this as a child)- it really works and is so soothing!
• make a warm drink of lemon juice and honey- sip on this throughout the day to relieve a dry scratchy throat

Overall Lousy Feeling

• Berry Well- we just love this stuff. A teaspoon 3 times a day helps shorten an illness and reduce the severity.
• Echinacea Complete Care Wellness Tea by Celestial Seasonings- two to three cups a day as soon as you notice any symptoms.
  

Ear Ache

• Garlic Ear Oil- I wished I had known this remedy when the children were younger- it seems as if we went through dozens of antibiotics. For achy ears we put drops in the ear canal three times a day. I haven't used an antibiotic for ear aches in eight years!
  

What about you? What are your favorite home remedies?

Monday Meditation

I really don't pay a lot of attention to all the imperfections in my home until I start to clean. Suddenly it begins to become painfully aware how many things are broken and worn out. The pedal on the trash can, the vacuum cleaner taped together, the broken window, the couches painfully in need of an upholstery job, etc. etc. Thoughts can run rampant and this mother of many can end up easily becoming depressed.

Last week we were getting ready to have a few folks over for dinner and if you have a larger than "normal" family like we do a few families quickly adds up to about fifty people. Right inside our front door is a door mat given to us by a very special family last year for Christmas. The inscription reads: "As for me and my house we will serve the Lord".

While getting ready for company and staring at the rug I was trying to decide is it too worn out, should I put it up before our company comes? Then it dawned on me the reason why it was "worn out"- feet passing in and out. That's it -we're here to be used- our homes, our possessions, our lives given for the glory and service of Christ.

Worn out or just coming into season-how's it with you?

It's Not Too Late

The other day I was visiting with a friend and she made the comment, "peppers are selling for $1.00/each you can buy a plant for cheaper than that". I thought how true.

With the price of food lately even if you're an armchair gardener growing just a few things can translate into big grocery savings. And the best news, (depending upon where you live) it's not too late. When I was in Walmart today I noticed they still had pepper, tomato, and other vegetable plants for sale.

In Patricia Lanza' s Lasagna Gardening for Small Spaces: A Layering System for Big Results in Small Gardens and Containers she has tons of tips for growing vegetables in containers. So, if traditional gardening is not "your thing" and you'd still like to save a little on your grocery budget you may want to give her method a try.

On the other hand, it you love to garden and are bursting at the seams with produce, pour yourself a big glass of iced tea, and get some good food preservation tips at the carnival of home preserving.

Happy Friday!

Easy Rag Quilt

My girls had so much fun making this rag quilt












If you can cut squares and sew straight lines you can make this quilt.

Check out these easy directions

I Really Don't Know What I Was Thinking

We had been blueberry picking once already and come home with five gallons, but the bushes were still loaded and I couldn't stand the thought of leaving so many on the bush.

Soooooooooo, back we go and home again with five more gallons. My thought being they are so delicious, so easy to freeze, so wonderful to cook with and on and on.


Anyway, if you have a surplus too, here are some more ideas-

Blueberry smoothie-

Fresh blueberries, frozen bananas, and yogurt

Wonderful Blueberry Oat Coffee Cake
Preheat oven to 325 degrees

Topping
4 Tablespoons butter melted
1 cup oats

Cake
Wet ingredients:
1 cup milk or buttermilk
2/3 cup honey
4 eggs


Dry ingredients:
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
5 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon

2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

Directions
Mix the topping ingredients together and set aside. Combine the next four wet ingredients and mix well. In a separate bowl combine the next five ingredients dry ingredients and mix together. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, mix briefly, and pour into a greased 9x13x2 glass pan.

Sprinkle the blueberries and topping on top. Bake in preheated oven for 30-40 minutes.

Does anyone have a recipe for blueberry jam?

Has anyone dehydrated blueberries?

It's Been Awfully Quiet Up There...

..so today I thought I'd go check. I'd seen the girls in and out, up and down quietly doing....something. Let's go see.

What fun laundry bags!

This idea came from Romantic Home Sewing by Christina Strutt.



Chapters include: Living Room, Bedroom and bathroom, Clothes and accessories, Gifts, Instructions, Templates, Stocklists, and Index.

In addition to the beautiful photography and clever ideas there is a full section in the back complete with instructions and templates.

Check your library- that's where we got ours.

Monday Meditation

May the mind of Christ, my Savior,
Live in me from day to day,
By His love and power controlling
All I do and say.

May the Word of God dwell richly
In my heart from hour to hour,
So that all may see I triumph
Only through His power.

May the peace of God my Father
Rule my life in everything,
That I may be calm to comfort
Sick and sorrowing.

May the love of Jesus fill me
As the waters fill the sea;
Him exalting, self abasing,
This is victory.

May I run the race before me,
Strong and brave to face the foe,
Looking only unto Jesus
As I onward go.

May His beauty rest upon me,
As I seek the lost to win,
And may they forget the channel,
Seeing only Him.