The beautiful waiting room

The Lord has finally brought me out of a waiting room and onto the mountaintop.  This has not been just a week, or month long waiting room.  It has been 4 years and there were times I thought it was never going to end.  The most beautiful lesson that I learned, was to praise Him, even when I am broken.  To worship His name, even when there is not a song left in me.  Did this lesson happen over night...no.  He waited for that perfect moment, when I had truly surrendered my whole, but broken, self to Him.  I have had numerous health problems over the years, but none compared to what I went through, these last 4 years.  The worst of it began around last October, with severe dizziness, migraines almost everyday, pressure as though my head was literally going to explode and fatigue through every fiber of my body.  I was broken.  I felt as though I was a prisoner in my own body.  Last Thursday was the final straw.  I had had enough.  I prayed one simple prayer, with only 6 words.  "Lord, not my will but Yours", but I meant every word.  Then the doors that opened up, were nothing short of a miracle.  Talk about everything falling in place, like only He can do it!!  Could this have happened without my praising Him?  It may have, it may not have.  Will there always be a physical healing every time that I have health issues?  No.  Sometimes the physical healing that takes place within someone, is through a physical death, and a heavenly healing.  We will never have a thorough, physical healing while here on Earth.  We will not have that perfect, healing until we are at the feet of our Lord.  He does not promise us no pain, heartache or suffering.  What He does promise us, is that, if we claim Him as our Lord and Savior, there will be a day that we will be made whole.  No more suffering, no more pain, no more heartache.  What a promise.
"Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."
~Hebrews 11:1

What will you pass on?

Last night, as I was watching my oldest daughter sleep, I kept thinking to myself, "Am I a good mom?"  I know that every mom, at one time or another, has thought this to herself.  So many times, when I ask this question...I feel like I come up short.  At some point during the day, I may have blown it with my patience, or yelled instead of listening or put my chores in front of my time with my kids.  I pray everyday, for the strength to get through my day.  But then I have to think to myself, do I just want to get through?  Is that good enough?  The answer is a definite NO!  I think it is great to want to be the best mom I can be, but I think it is also good for my kids to see me struggle at times.  I want them to see that I cannot do this on my own, but with my Heavenly Father's strength.  I want them to know that it is okay to mess up, but to seek forgiveness when I am wrong.  I want them to know that they are loved, even when they are acting unlovable.  There is only One other that loves my kids more than I do, and that is the One that created them.  He has given them to me, and that is not a responsibility that I take lightly!  I know that I will always fall short, as a mom, because I am only human.  It is in those moments that when I do fail, that my kids will be watching closely.  They will see how I will respond and who I turn to when this happens.  When they see me turn to my Heavenly Father for strength and forgiveness, THAT is when I will be a great mom!  And that is what I hope to pass on!

Has it truly been almost a year since I last posted?  I still want to post on how to make, bake and cook homemade, but I have also been feeling like I need to use this as a tool to reach others about my Lord and Savior.  Our Sunday School class has brought such growth in to my life as well as my husband's life!  We are almost done with the book of Genesis and God has revealed so much to me in this book.  It is so beautiful how everything and I mean EVERYTHING is weaved together in the Bible.  It is not just a book telling us what to do or what not to do.  It is a tapestry, of faith, love, sacrifice and everything else that we need to better our lives with.  So, I hope you enjoy this journey of mine as I learn more and more of what God has in store for my life and my family's life.  May you have a beautiful and blessed day!

Something for the kids...

How many times has your little girl or little boy come to you and ask to play with some play dough?  You go to the cupboard and open the container, and low and behold the dough is all dried up!  I finally stopped buying the stuff about 4 years ago, when I found this recipe.  It makes a huge recipe, you can pick the color and if you keep it in a Ziploc bag, it will keep for a REALLY long time!  The best part, you already have the ingredients in your cupboard:)  So, here...we...go!

Homemade Play Dough

2 cups flour

1 cup salt

4 tsp. cream of tarter

2 cups water

2 Tbs. oil

Food coloring of your child's choice:)

Mix all ingredients in a medium sauce pan.  On low heat, cook, stirring constantly until mixture forms ball and is no longer sticky.  Remove from heat.  Place on table and work until smooth.  Store in an air tight container or a Ziploc bag.



Homemade Granola Bars

Homemade Granola Bars

3/4 lb. mini marshmallows (1/2 bag)

1/8 cup butter

1/8 cup olive oil

1/4 cup honey

1/8 cup peanut butter

2 1/4 cup rice krispies

1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs (about 4 rectangles) (or ground flax seed is optional)

2 1/2 cup oatmeal

1/2 cup crushed peanuts

3/4 cup raisins (optional)

1/4 cup coconut

1/2 cup choc. chips

Melt butter, oil and marshmallows on low heat until melted.  Stir often so it does not burn.  Remove from heat and add the peanut butter and honey.  Mix all other dry ingredients together in a separate large bowl.

Pour the melted items onto the dry ingredient mixture and stir.  Choc. chips tend to melt slightly as you stir it.  Pour and press into a 9x13 pan that has been greased with butter.

Recipe can be doubled and put into a large jelly roll pan.  These wrap individually well in cling wrap for lunches and snacks!

Let's talk laundry soap...

I don't know about you, but the last thing I feel like spending a ton of money on, is laundry soap.  Our family goes through detergent, like it is going out of style:)  You know what, though?  With 4 kids and a husband that works in a Tool shop, it is going to happen.  And that is okay!  I want my kids to explore, get muddy and have fun.  We only get 1 childhood, and I want our kids to live life to the fullest.  They are country kids, and I LOVE IT!  I got fed up with trying to buy the cheap kind of soap, but then paid with the fact that the stains just didn't want to come out.  So, I decided to do a little research.  I have a dear friend, Michelle, that has helped me with this.  She showed me the ingredients,and how to make the soap.  Do you know, that for about $25-$30 a year I can do our families laundry.  And the best thing, this soap works AWESOME!  It makes 5 gallons at a time, and lasts for a long time.  So, I will give you a list of what you will need, and when you have it all, then it is laundry soap making time.

List of Supplies

5 gallon bucket

1 package of Ivory bar soap (usually comes in 4,6,8)

1 box Borax

1 box Washing Soda

Tea Tree oil or Lavender oil (if wanted)

Making Laundry Soap

1. Grate 2 bars of soap into 2 quarts water

2.  Heat the soap and water on medium heat until the soap dissolves

3.  When you have the mixture ready, pour into the 5 gallon bucket

4.  Add 1 cup Borax, and whisk thoroughly

5.  Add 1 cup washing soda, and whisk thoroughly

6.  Add 5-6 drops of essential oil (my 2 favorite are Tea Tree & Lavender)

7.  Add enough water to fill the 5 gallon jug to within 2" from the top

8.  Now whisk everything together

9.  Keep whisking everything together every 2-4 hours for the next 24 hours.

10.  Now it is ready to use

Use 1 cup mixture to every one load of laundry

*It is normal if the soap is a little thick or like jello at first.  It will still clean really well, and after awhile it smooths out.  I whisk it every time before I use it.  You probably do not have to, but I have gotten into the habit of it.

Benefits and Uses of Whey

Benefits and uses of Whey

The best benefit of whey, is for you digestive system.  Whey is a great source of minerals and digestive bacteria.  When you have an upset stomach or the stomach flu, just drink a few ounces and it will help.  I try to drink at least 2 Tbs. a day to help with my colitis.  It has helped tremendously! 

The best way I have found to use whey in cooking, is for Sauerkraut.  It tastes awesome, and is quite easy to make.  I will share the recipe in another post:)

The best way to make whey, is by making cream cheese.  You can also use the whey from ricotta cheese, which I do most often.  It will have a bit of a bitter taste, just because it will have some of the apple cider vinegar.  But remember, Apple Cider Vinegar is crazy good for you!

Now I will show you how to make cream cheese.  You will be amazed at how EASY it is:)

Cream Cheese and Whey

(this is made with raw milk)

Leave the milk out at room temperature, preferably in a cupboard or dark space, and the natural bacteria will do the work for you.  It will turn it into cheese and whey.  You will know when the separation has occurred, because you will have cheese on top and the transparent whey is on the bottom.  This will take about 3-5 days, depending on the temperature of you home!

Pour the container into a cheese cloth that is on top of a colander, and the colander is resting on top of a bowl.  The Whey will drip through the cheese cloth.  This will take a few hours, and make sure that the cheese cloth is clear of the colander and bowl. 

Take the cheese cloth with the cheese in it and put it around a dial rod.  (tie corner to corner and put the dial rod through)  Then put a rubber band around the cheese cloth, or if you have made the knots strong enough, you won't need a rubber band.  The dial rod is so you can hang the cheese cloth to finish dripping the whey.  I lay the dial rod across a bowl, so I can catch the rest of the whey.  Just make sure to not squeeze the cheese.

Once it has stopped dripping, you now have cream cheese and whey.

*This is for Raw Milk only!