Twilight Buzz

There has been quite a bit of buzz about the newest movie installment of Stephanie Meyer's vampire series. Although I have not read them, and don't intend to, I thought these two reviews might be helpful, if you are looking for a Godly response to the Twilight mania.

How Twilight is Re-Vamping Romance by the Botkin sisters and Abstaining from Madness by Jasmine.

They might even change your perspective on some other books you are reading or have read.


Blessings to you as you seek to serve the Lord!

Frugal Tip of the Day

If you plan of doing any online shopping this year for Christmas, you might pop on over to Frugal, Freebies and Deals' ShopatHome extra cash back post. Here are just some of the extra cash back amounts:

·Target.com – 6% cash back
·Walmart.com – 4% cash back
·Kohls.com – 4% cash back
·Snapfish.com – 20% cash back
·Gap.com – 12% cash back
·OldNavy.com – 10% cash back
·Macys.com – 8% cash back
·Barnes & Noble – 14% cash back
·Best Buy – 4% cash back

You can find all the details here.

You can also enter to win a $100 Walmart.com card from Frugal, Freebies and Deals while you are there.

One Full Friday

I've been quite busy today in my kitchen and I thought I would share pictures with you all! Do you mind?

First we had homemade yogurt (it's not finished culturing so I'll have to post pictures of the yogurt later).

Then we started a pan of pinto beans for dinner tonight and a birthday party tomorrow afternoon.

They are still simmering and softening up for our dinner in a little while.


The beans were followed by cutting up a bag a pepper I got on sale the last time I was at the grocery store. I just cut them in rounds and froze them so they will be ready when I want to make stir fry.



Then we cooked and blended carrots for Wee Beloved, who will be starting on solids soon. I freeze them in ice cube trays so they are in meal size portions when I need them. Each cude is around 1 tbsp. I also picked these up on a good sale so now we will have baby food all ready when she is!




I think that was a good morning's work. What did your Friday hold for you?

A Beautiful Giveaway

Miss Jen at Blessed Femina is having a giveaway for a handmade potholder
and apron. Pop on over there and check out her blog. While you are at it, make sure to watch the new Emma with Romola Garai and Johnny Lee Miller. She has the link posted here.

Frugal Tip of the Day

I love finding ways to reuse or repurpose things so there is less waste and more money for things that my family needs. I also like to try new ways to keep things organized. Here is one I tried of today.

When you have two little ones in diapers, you use a lot of baby wipes. And those plastic containers add up fast. I used one to store crayons that had their box destroyed by years of abuse, but that still leaves me with about 15 more to use, so today I repurposed one to hold my yarn so I can keep it neat and all in one place...and my little ones can't run off with it as easily! I just ran the yarn up through the slit in the top and presto! A handy yarn dispenser!

Anyone else have any tips on repurposing or recycling you’d like to share? :D

No Sugar and Yet Chocolate

My husband, my parents and I have committed to one month with no sugar. If you knew me well, you would know this is like asking an addict to give up their addiction. (Notice that I am not an addict myself. :D) Anyway, the biggest problem is that I can't go without chocolate for a month and just try to find chocolate in the stores without sugar. (I can't have "fake sugars" or splenda either.) So here is my first lifesaving recipe. I will try to post one each week of my month so if any of you need them someday, you will be able to survive too!

(For those of you who can have sugar, make sure to pop on over to see Lisa at Stop and Smell the Chocolates.)


Special Treats

1 cup chocolate chips (grain sweetened)
1/2 cup peanut butter (fresh ground or some kind without sugar of course!)
1 Tbsp honey
1 tsp vanilla

Melt chocolate chips completely in a double boiler.



Remove from heat and add peanut butter, honey and vanilla.


Stir in well. Place teaspoon-sized amounts on a cookie sheet or cutting board and place in the freezer until they are hard.


Store in the freezer since they melt easily. Enjoy!!!

Grandma Sherwood and the crochet quilt

My Great Grandma Sherwood was born in 1893 and passed away when I was only 6. I have only a few memories of her from visits before she passed on, and ever since we traveled this summer to near where she was born in Missouri, I have been thinking about her a lot. She used to tell my mom when she was a little girl that when they would butcher a pig, they would eat everything but the squeal. Listening to her stories or hearing my mom tell them to us over the years, reminds me of reading The Little House books. They shared many similar stories, as I'm sure most people of their day would. I only wish I could have known then just how much those stories would matter to me now.

One of the few things I remember from her house was a blanket that used to lie on the back of her couch. It was made of crocheted squares, black with white trim and a different colored flower in the center of each square, and sewn together like a quilt. I have no idea who made it or who has it now but I was thinking about it the other day and decided that I am going to make one of my own. I have no idea how long it will take me but I finished the first square the other night. I will continue to post them as I finish them.

Maybe someday my great granddaughter will see mine and the traditions of home and family will continue.

(I apologize for the sideways photo. Blogger refused to upload it right side up no matter how many ways I tried. *shrug* Ah, the joys of technology!)

First Apple Pie of the season!

My mother-in-law brought some fresh apples from a local farmer's market to the handiwork day on Wednesday. I thought I would share some before and after pictures with you.

Before


After

I'm sure my dear husband will be happy with the transformation! :D

Speaking of the handiwork day, I promised pictures which I would gladly post if I had them. The only pictures from that day were of my babies and their Omi. And I can't take credit for knitting them together. I did take a picture of my project from that day. It's the lemon and cream washcloth on the left. I'll have to share the story of the square on the right in an upcoming blog post.


It did go well, though. We had cucumber sandwiches, tea with fresh cream, chocolate chip cookies, fudge and lemon poppy seed bread. We talked, laughed and worked on crochet and cross stitch projects. I'm looking forward to our next handiwork day already!

Handiwork Day

Tomorrow I am hosting my first handiwork day. It will just be one of my best friends, my mother-in-law and myself but I'm sure we will have a great time together. I'll be sure to post pictures of what we make. Of course it wouldn't be a ladies get together with out tea! Yummy! :D

If you are in the neighborhood, stop by!

Domesticity

Today was one of those days where I woke up without any plans and by lunch time I had washed dishes and laundry, swept, vacuumed and mopped floors, dusted and rearranged two different rooms. Oh, and I canned 3 more jars of nectarines. I had planned to do more canning but my dear baby needed my attention so I will have to finish that another day.

What domestic pleasures have you been enjoying lately?

Children are a Blessing from the Lord

I just read this story about a Jewish woman who took to heart Psalm 127 and taught her children to love children too.

Should the Lord tarry, this is where I pray I will be.

Woman dies with 1,400 descendants.

Adventures in Domesticity

Today I canned for the first time. (I should note that I had help from my mother-in-law, without whom I would have been a bit lost.) I wanted to share pictures of my lovely jars of nectarines all ready and waiting for the winter to come.

This is my first year for many things. I now make my own yogurt which is a big hit with my husband and older daughter. I was making my own ice cream each week until the ice cream maker broke. Now I'm just waiting for an email back to see if I can get a replacement part for it. And I even tried my hand at making butter, although I was less than happy with the result. I guess I'll just have to try again.

I also froze 2 quart size bags of strawberries, 2 cups of blueberries, 17 cups of zucchini and enough yellow squash for two dinners.

And all this with two babies under 2!

God is good!




Note: The small jar in the pictures is plum butter from my mother-in-law and the patty pan squash are from my mother's garden.

So...

It's been five months since my last post. Since then, so much has happened that I don't think I want to take up ten pages to write it all down. So instead you will get the Cliff Notes version...or "Cliff Notes according to His Beloved".

~March 17, 2009 Baby #2 arrives safe and sound. Another Baby Girl, called Wee Beloved. She is welcomed with open arms by her Papa, Mummy and Big Sister, Baby Beloved.

~April 15 brought the end of our second busy season together. And with having two babies 1 and under at home, I was even more thankful for the day Papa Beloved was finally able to be home with us.

~In May, we packed up the family automobile and headed out for a good ol' American road trip. We covered 11 states in 2 weeks, all with a 15 month old and a 2 month old in tow. :D Best of all, we came home just as sane as we left and more than willing to do it again.



~In July, the girls and I spent a week home alone while Papa Beloved traveled to Chicago for a business trip. We had a sleep over with some of my brothers and sisters, which was so much fun that the following week we had the one brother over who didn't get to come the first time. On both occasions, we had pizza, told stories and stayed up quite late. Hey, what else are big sisters for? :D

~Now as the summer is winding down (which I couldn't be happier about!), I am looking back at good times with my family and plenty of time spent learning more about my Lord. There were some trying moments of course but even in those, God showed Himself faithful and we are all better for the lessons learned.



It's nice being back here blogging away. I'd love to hear about your summers, if anyone is inclined to share. I miss my old friends!

Well, until then...

P.S. For those who are interested, the photos are from our road trip. In order of appearance; 1) Laura Ingalls Wilder's one room school house in De Smet, SD. 2) The Gateway Arch in St. Louis, MO. 3) Laura Ingalls Wilder's Home in Mansfield, MO.

A Pastor with GUTS!

I am indebted to a friend on Facebook for this story. I had to share it with all of you.

A Pastor with GUTS!

Thought you might enjoy this interesting prayer given in Kansas at the opening session of their Senate. It seems prayer still upsets some people... When Minister Joe Wright was asked to open the new session of the Kansas Senate, everyone was expecting the usual generalities, but this is what they heard:

Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, 'Woe to those who call evil good,' but that is exactly what we have done.

We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values.

We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery.

We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare.

We have killed our unborn and called it choice.

We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable.

We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self esteem..

We have abused power and called it politics.

We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition.

We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression.

We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment.

Search us, Oh, God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and set us free. Amen!


The response was immediate. A number of legislators walked out during the prayer in protest. In 6 short weeks, Central Christian Church, where Rev. Wright is pastor, logged more than 5,000 phone calls with only 47 of those calls responding negatively. The church is now receiving international requests for copies of this prayer from India , Africa and Korea.

Commentator Paul Harvey aired this prayer on his radio program, 'The Rest of the Story,'and received a larger response to this program than any other he has ever aired.

With the Lord's help, may this prayer sweep over our nation and wholeheartedly become our desire so that we again can be called 'one nation under God.'

If possible, please pass this prayer on to your friends. 'If you don't stand for something, you will fall for everything.'

A Quick Post...Baby Arrived

Our second daughter arrived safely March 17th just before 10pm. We are still working on a name for her. We want to chose one that will be special, not just something cute.

God blessed us with an easy birth and so far a speedy recovery. I have been so blessed by all the help from the Grandma's who have been coming over to help me get past these first few days. My dear husband has even been here to help me, in spite of it being the middle of tax season. He is my hero! :D

So, I will probably not be posting too often in the next few weeks until we get into a new groove. Thank you to all of you who have been praying for us and please continue to pray that God will help us to bond as a family and bless those around us.

A true classic...

So I came across this post on Smockity Frocks and I had to pass it along. (Just click on the video box below to watch for yourself.) You learn something new every day and today I learned that according to Bill Clinton, the "human embryos" that are going to be used for stem cell research as part of President Obama's new plan are not fertilized. I'm still unclear as to how you can have an embryo that isn't fertilized, but you know I'm not a Rhodes scholar. And I have to say that I'm so proud that he was once the President of our great nation. Yeah...what an honor for us...

Attention Homeschoolers!

I am speechless at this story; a mother of three is being told by a judge that although her children are 2 grades ahead in school, that they need to be placed in public school so they can get a "more well-rounded education." I would encourage you to visit the blog, Homeschool Injustice, which has been set up to keep us all posted on the latest happenings in this case. And I would remind all of us that if we will not stand up and be counted now, there will be no one left to stand up when they come for our children. This is a battle for our children's future and it is worth the fight.

A Spring Giveaway!

It's Spring!!!!!!!!! (Or will be soon...) Domestic Lady is giving away a beautiful apron! Pop on over and enter to win! Grandma Ladybug's Spring Giveaway!

A Story of Choosing Life

In this world of surrendering life to the slightest whim, here is a story of a young mother who chose life against all the "wisdom" offered her. I would encourage you to visit Myah's blog, The Story of Faith Hope and read their story.

Nesting

Before my daughter was born, we were house sitting so I missed out on all those cleaning and homemaking times. I think I have a double portion this time.I am now at 37 weeks and in the middle of nesting big time! Just today I rearranged my pantry and washed all the dishes that I have been neglecting. But in the past week, I have washed numerous loads of laundry, including all the clothes for our new baby, made two pair of Easter pantaloons and cut out the dresses, bought, gathered and organized all our birthing supplies and stocked our pantry and freezer with easy-to-put-together meal supplies.

As I was thinking about all the nesting I've done I wondered if any of you would like to share your nesting stories. I was pondering too if nesting is stronger with girls or boys and does it get stronger or weaker the more children you have? I know I'm not the only one who has done this and I would love to read stories from all of you!

Blessings!

As I was posting...

While I was typing the preceding update, our computer died again, hence the delay in posting it. Needless to say, we have had plenty of things come up to keep me from posting with any regularity. But I will try to be here as much as I can. Although with our new baby due in less than a month, who knows...this may just be my last post for another few months!

Is everyone this busy? I guess I'll know if no one answers. :D

An Update

It is not for lack of something to say that I have been so quiet here on my blog. We have been rather busy.

In addition to our move in mid December, we had a wonderful Christmas with our families and relaxed on New Years, spending some much needed family time together after my husband finished 80 hours of CPE in the last two weeks of December. During those same weeks, we had a huge snow storm that nearly buried us, literally. In just one day we had 26 inches of snow. If I remember it right, the news reported that there was only 2 days in 16 that we didn't get any snow.

This weekend our daughter will celebrate her first birthday and next week my husband celebrates his 26th. So I am planning two parties in a week's time. I love that they are birthday buddies. But this year I want to make sure that they both get their special day. I'm still trying to make it up to my husband who spent last years' birthday in the hospital and our small celebration which his mother and I had spent the afternoon decorating for was interrupted by a change in room. :(

Then there are the illnesses. I was on babysitting duty for my little siblings two days this week as my mom was not feeling well. And my daughter came down with Roseola this past weekend. My baby sister is still healing from her bout with shingles and I just got a call saying my nephew has chicken pox. So needless to say, it's been a crazy, crazy month or so.

Maybe things will finally slow down for a while, but with tax season coming and our second child on it's way the end of March, I don't think we are in any danger of being overwhelmed with peace and quiet anytime soon.

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