Busy with Life

Hi everyone! Oh my goodness, I have not posted in so long! So here is the reason. My husband finally got a job in the Florida park service as a ranger and we had to move 4 hours to a new town! It has been exciting and scary all at the same time. We are so thankful that God has blessed us with this opportunity and are looking forward to the future.
It has been a change, as we had to move away from our family and our Church. Hopefully we will find a new church family soon. Since moving, I have also not had computer service and will not have any for a couple more months (this is a rare time borrowing a computer)but I hope to have a computer soon.
God Bless!

God is Good

When we get up every morning, do we thank God for another day that he has given us? Or do we just go about our business and more or less take everything for granted? Yesterday I was thanking God for him holding my husband in his palms. On his way to work yesterday the fog was thick and left the visibility low, and just over the hill a man had lost control of his car trying to avoid a stopped car and directly hit my husband in the front. The truck will have to be totaled. But my husband and the man from the other car stepped out alive, and God gave my husband presence of mind to direct traffic before anyone else became hurt. So hold your loved ones close, never take them for granted and thank God for each new day he gives us as he has given my husband another day with his wife and his children.

Spiced Nuts

I was in the mood to make some treats today and while at the store I remembered a recipe for spiced nuts that I used to make as a girl around this time of the year.
I love the spicy scent that they put off while in the oven.
I was trying to come close to the recipe from Felicity's cookbook from the American girl collection, and I just kind of dumped and added till I got the spice/sugar ratio right. There are a lot of different variations of spiced nut recipes on the web.



I used almonds, pecans and walnuts and dipped them into egg whites mixed with a little water, then coated the nuts with the sugar/spice mixture (I used ground allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg and a little pumpkin spice) and then transferred them to a lightly greased cookie sheet and baked them in the oven at 350* for about ten minutes. I let them cool thoroughly to make sure they were set.

I had an old jar that I like to use for candy, and decided to decorate it with the fall season in mind. I printed out some designs on adhesive label sheets so that I can take it off the jar later.
I found this great website for scrapbooking printouts, (where I got the labels and cutouts) and it's free!
http://www.scrapbookscrapbook.com/themes.html

Fall Decorating

I have finally finished decorating my mantle! I thought with the way prices have been sky high lately, I would not be able to decorate for fall this year. But lucky for me, Michael's craft store has a wide variety of fall items that are up to 50% off.
Plus I used some twigs, vines and pomegranates from my yard that helped my budget. I love doing seasonal decorating. My husband and children seem to appreciate it too. I think it makes the home more exciting and homey for the family.
I also made a wreath for under $10. And with using fall decor picks, it made the project quick and easy. I had the wreath made in under ten minutes.


We are renting right now, so most things do not go together because I can not do to the home as if it were mine, so I try to overlook the hodge podge of things and do the best I can.
















I know the angel picture
needs replaced. I have been thinking of leaning a frameless, beveled mirror on the mantle. If anyone has any ideas of what else I could do on a budget, let me know! Happy Autumn!

Happy Autumn!

Hi everyone!
Well here we are in our first week of the fall season. I hope that everyone is enjoying the cool down after a hot summer. I have been busy with fall cleaning and am looking forward to start my fall decorating. I was thinking today about how I was one of those women who used to use all of the harmful cleaning products that you find on the cleaning aisle of the supermarket. And probably just because it's what my mother and grandmother used and the idea that using the most powerful strongest stuff you can find would make a cleaner safer environment for the family. Wrong! After my mom started going more natural a few years ago I followed suit, and have learned the benefits of staying away from harsh chemicals.

Some examples are:
*Cheaper on the budget than normal cleaning products.
*No strong chemical odors that let your guests know that you just finished cleaning house.
*No chance of your child getting rushed to the E.R. because of an accidental poisoning( I had to call poison control twice with my daughter before I switched( and yes I kept my chemicals up and away from my children and it still happened)Note: the ingredients I have listed on my blog are not harmful if ingested, but there are others used in natural cleaners that should be kept out of children's reach. So to be safe do your research on the products you use.
*Does not pollute the environment.
*Will not cause harm to the body i.e. cancer, hormonal imbalances, chemical burns, asphyxiation and etc.
* Is safe to use around food.
There are so many more reasons to go natural with your cleaning products.
And you don't have to be overwhelmed by switching, because you can start out small. I am still a work in progress in green speak, and there are things that I still have to phase out and make a substitute for.

Here are a few of the main products you can use:
*Baking soda- I like mixing mine with a couple drops of my favorite essential oil to make my own scented cleanser. I also put it in a shaker that way it is easy to distribute. If you sprinkle it onto your counters and use a wet sponge, it will clean up the counter like you would not believe!

*Vinegar- Can be mixed with the baking soda to make a drain cleaner or anything else that needs some extra elbow grease. Great for mopping the floor to get any buildup removed.

*Lemons- Can use the juice mixed with baking soda for a lemony cleanser. Is great for cleaning wooden cutting boards if you slice it in halves and rub across board.

*Club soda- One of the things it can be used for is a glass cleaner.
There are so many other way's to use these products.
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Here are a few links to get you started on your green journey!
www.ewg.org
www.gorgeouslygreen.com
www.natural-healthy-home-cleaning-tips.com
Good luck!