Spa Day

The last two years around Valentine's Day, a friend and I have had a tea party for some girls. This year my friend Hannah suggested a spa day. I was all for not dressing up :)

We started brainstorming some ideas that would be easy and fun for the girls. I am very thankful for Hannah and her help. I could not do an event like this without her. She is a blast to work with! And she is not afraid to tell me when my ideas are bizarre :)

We decided that we were going to have a theme of pamper yourself like a princess and have the time revolve around the Bible character of Esther. I learned a lot just reading through the book of Esther.

We all wore our pajamas!

We decided that we were going to have three stations to entertain and pamper the girls during the time.

• At our first station we did a honey facial. The girls also got to put cumcumbers...or as some of them called them pickles...on their eyes.
• At the second station, the girls got to do a sugar hand scrub.
• At the third station, the girls got to paint their fingernails. It was fun to watch them pick out the bright and glittery colors.

I was intrigued at the end that the girls were divided in thirds about which was their favorite activity.
Here are some pictures from the day. I love all the smiles on the girl's faces!

Free Coffee!

I love coffee, and there is nothing better than free coffee! Walmart.com is currently offering a free sample of Gevalia coffee. Can't wait to get mine in the mail!

Recipe: Oatmeal Pancakes

Do you like my fancy plate?

My husband has been quite the pancake maker here recently...and let me tell ya, I really like it!

I was at my parents the other day and my mom had made these pancakes. I had to ask her for the recipe. The recipe originally came from my Great Grandma and uses less flour than the normal.

Oatmeal Pancakes
Mix: 1 1/2 c. rolled oats & 2 c. sour milk (My mom used part yogurt- would be great for my homemade yogurt!)
Let stand for a short time.
Beat in

• 1/2 c. flour (we used whole wheat)
• 1 t. soda
• 1 t. salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 t. sugar

Makes 12 4" pancakes. This is a thin batter.

 

These are very filling and taste very good...especially if your husband makes them for you :)

Ichabod Crane? Or is there another?

I was reading my Bible the other day, and I was reading the very familiar time of Samuel. I am sure many of you are familiar with this event and could probably retell without prompting.

Samuel is in the temple when God is calling him, but Samuel thinks that it is Eli who is calling him.

image from here

Remember this story?

Well, there was someone in this story whose name came up that I knew nothing about. Ichabod. Any idea how he belongs?

Let me fill ya in because I am guessing that you don't know. Samuel told Eli that both of his sons would die, which they did. Eli also died.

Well, Phinehas, Eli's son, had a wife. She was near due when Phinehas was killed. She delivered a some and named him Ichabod.

In I Samuel 4:21 we are told. "And she named the child Ichabod, saying, The glory is departed from Israel: because the ark of God was taken, and because of her father in law and her husband."

She died in child labor. There is this boy. No father. No mother. No grandfather. Consequences of sin.

image from here

I got curious what happened to Ichabod. So I searched his name in the Bible and the only other time that he was mentioned is in I Samuel 14:3 "And Ahiah, the son of Ahitub, Ichabod's brother, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, the LORD's priest in Shiloh, wearing an ephod. And the people knew not that Jonathan was gone."

This doesn't tell us much about him at all. I wish this was one of the places that we could go back and fill in the details of what happened in his life.

Researching Ichabod is done!

Recipe: Homemade Yogurt

I had been seeing all these different people online who were making yogurt. Needless to say, this peeked my curiosity because yogurt is expensive...and contains a lot of sugar.
I had bean wanting to try this process, but it is a long process that just seemed kinda daunting to me. Procrastination! I am pretty good at that...

There are a few differerent methods out there that I thought about doing.

• Cooked on the stove then put in a cooler
• All in a crockpot
• Stove and crockpot

And the winner of which one I decided to do?!! The last one. Yes, maybe the most on the dishes end, but it seemed to make the most sense to me.

So, I got home from church on Wednesday night and decided to start the process. What else is one to do at 9 o'clock when your husband is at work?

Here is the recipe that I used:

Recipe: Homemade yogurt

Ingredients and supplies:
1/2 gallon milk
1/2 cup yogurt starter (any yogurt with live, active cultures will work. I use Dannon Naturals but most yogurts will work. Just read the label to make sure it has live cultures!)
Large pot
Crockpot crock
Thick towel or blanket
Thermometer (optional, but highly recommended)

I started with my milk in a pan over a medium heat. You need to raise the temperature to 185F.

Here is my milk that is frothing at 185F. I let mine hold at this temperature for a few minutes, because they say it will get thicker. Make sure that you stir a lot during this phase so that the milk doesn't stick too badly to the bottom.

Remove from the heat and cool enough to put in the crock liner. You don't want to crack the liner. To make sure that mine didn't crack, I put mine in a cup at a time. Better safe than sorry!

Let the milk cool to 120F. 

Take out 1 cup of milk and add it to your live starter. Mix these up well.

Pour the starter into the crock and stir.

Cover the crock in a towel and let sit for at least 7 hours. This is where it was nice. The starter did it's work while I was asleep!

Refrigerate after the 7 hours.

Add anything to the yogurt that you want to make it flavorful. Fruit. Jelly. Vanilla. Granola. The options are endless.

So the consensus. I liked the yogurt...although it does taste different. My husband. Not so much.

I will be making it again in the future! I want to know if you try one of the recipes or if you make your own yogurt.

Goals for the Week

I have some things that I have been putting off. I have 8 things that I want to get done before next Monday. I will come back on Monday and let you know what I have done and some new goals for that week.

1. Finish Reading Already Gone
2. Run twice
3. Finish Cooper's birthday gift
4. Plan a youth group activity
5. Finish the two banners that I have started on
6. Research Ichabod
7. Start brainstorming some garden ideas
8. Make some homemade granola bars

Now to see how many of those I can get done! Hopefully all of them, right?!!

Do you have any goals for this week?

Thankful Thursday

You know that feeling of getting stuck behind a school bus on a long road...and doesn't it seem to be on the mornings that you are already running late?

image from here

I love the bus driver that I get to follow in the mornings. The driver will pick up a child and then pull over so that you can pass them. What a blessing this is in the mornings. Things look better just because of this one selfless act.

It was also awesome to see the beautiful creation of God this morning. The fog was patchy til I hit town and it was absolutely beautiful!

I want to hear what you are thankful for today!

Ebates: Where it Pays to Shop Online

I don't know how many have seen ebates online and been afraid to try anything like it. It is true, that you can get paid for shopping online! I got my big fat check in the mail for $44.26. I will take it :)

Right now, if you sign up, you get a $10 gift card to barnes and noble, target, the home depot, magazines.com, or ebates after you have spent $25 dollars at one of their stores. Not as daunting as that sounds.

How does it work? If you are buying something online, go to the website through ebates. Purchase something through one of their approved sites, and you get get a percentage of the money back.

Do I get paid right away? You will get paid quarterly. If you don't make enough for them to issue a check, the money will just carry over until you have a quarter that you reach their threshold.

Is there any hidden fees? Is it a scam? Nope. Completely free and safe. I have been a member since 2009. I have gotten close to $100 back during that time.

Do I buy things online just to get the credit? No way! They are things that I am going to buy anyways, so may as well get a little back for it. Scott hears a lot, are you going through ebates to order that. We booked our hotel rooms for our honeymoon through ebates.

How do I sign up? Go to ebates and simply enter your email address. They will take you through the process. I will get credit for you for signing up through this link. So, if you sign up, I ask you to click on that link.

Have any of you used ebates and want to tell us what you think?

Playing Dukes of Hazard on a Frosty Day

My MIL had this wonderful experience the other day. She had a great attitude about the situation. I had to share with you her view on what happened.

image from here

Let me tell you about my adventures yesterday. Maybe I already told you there is a little Christian school a few miles from here that needed a sub teacher so they contacted me to see if I could help out. I was happy to help them. It is so much fun to work with the kids. Last week I was asked to cover a whole week in kindergarten. I couldn't wait!! I bubbled daily as I love that age group.

Thursday night the weather man said to watch out for Friday fog. On Friday, no fog was seen so I was feeling spiffy do and ready to get to school.

The weather was perfect or so I thought. I was driving down a twisty country road with a couple of tricky corners. I thought I got a flat tire, but soon discovered it was black ice  that I was fish tailing on.
I swerved this way, then that. Suddenly the back end floated to the opposite direction and I was a ditch. It didn't appear deep, yet I was down low, very low, in a deeply rutted ditch.

I was able to roll my window down  and, not wanting to get muddy, I carefully climbed out. I was half afraid the car would finish rolling over so I rather scooted  quickly. A lady came to my rescue so I could warm up in her car. She proceeded to call a cop in case there was more serious damage. I was  on my way to work at the Christian school so I had on a fashionably long skirt. About a half hour later a policeman crept closer to evaluate the car.

The lady said: "He's running your tags."

Me: "Yes, that's a good idea. I assume I look like criminal material wearing my skirt and a parking my car in this ditch without legal permission."

The lady and I laughed.  We shared a few pleasantries and then she was on her way.

The mid-thirty-something cop (squinting his eyes, doing a double take... and a triple take, glanced at my car and then looking at me) asked a few questions then he examined the situation much closer. The story goes something like this.

Policeman: "I have to ask! How on earth did you get out of there with about 18 of clearance space between the car and that ditch?"

Me: "Well, there was nobody around so I hiked my skirt, stretched my leg and climbed out."

Policeman: "No, really. You have to explain this to me. Wait a minute." (He came right out and laughed.)

Policeman: (Eyes wide open, eye brows raised and smiling in disbelief) "You are telling me that you played "Duke's of Hazard" and climbed out of that window, through that little bit of space between the ditch with the car that is sitting at THAT angle?"

image from here

Me: (Smirking) "Well, you can see that I'm outta there so you know I had to have climbed out."

Policeman: (giggling)  "Seriously. What are you? About 36?"

Me: (Snickered a little, too.) No, Sir. I will be 56 in April."

Policeman: "WHAT??? You, a 56 year old, playing  Duke's of Hazard through an 18 inch opening, on a cold day, no less.  Are you OK?" (Asking only because he has to, I assume, because he was seriously chuckling as he spoke.) "You know I'm going to tell this."

Me: "I'm running a little late for work because someone took his sweet  time gettin' to me and my Duke's of Hazard Honda Accord. Running late is not normal for me."

Policeman: "Well, one of knows there is black ice on the road so taking my time is a good thing. There is no reason for me to write this up. Do you want me to call a tow truck?"

Me: "I think I would rather ask this farmer for help so I can get a move on."

Policeman: "You go ahead and ask if he can help. I will wait here for you."

I walked to the back door of the farmer to ask if he would mind  pulling me out with his tractor. He said he doesn't pull people out as much as he use to because it happens far too often. This time he kindly obliged telling the cop and me that I was the 4th person to be pulled out of that ditch within a 24 hour period and he didn't do the pulling, but by the look of his ditch that is why my car was snuggling up to the other side of the ditch. The cop patiently waited with me while the farmer scraped the ice from his tractor to assist this damsel in distress.

Policeman: Hey, usually truck owners love to stop and help when a la.., well, when someone is stuck. They buy trucks because they like to help people. Hey, Mary? You know you will have to climb back inside your car Duke's of Hazard style in reverse to steer your car to get it out of the  ditch when the farmer pulls you out. Don't you?"

Me: "Nahhhhhhhhh. No way. C'mon. Can do that for me? You can climb in the higher other side, while I hold the door open for you. I promise to ignore any mud you get in my car."

He did climb in and my car was out in just a few minutes. The farmer didn't let me pay him. He and the cop told me it was a blessing for them to help me out leaving me the impression this was the most enjoyable morning they had in a long time.

Other than running late for work, which isn't my typical thing to do and fortunately it was excused, and having my car in the ditch, which was in great shape until they pulled me out ripping  my bumper, I am left with the memory of that cop's imagine of me playing  Duke's of Hazard.

What do you think the department guys and their families talked about at dinner last night? 

Mary

Honey Facial

image from here

In order to get ready for the spa day, I had to try out the facial that we are going to do. I needed to know how much to make for the girls. I couldn't convince my husband to try the facial out with me. Bummer!

We found a recipe that was all natural and fairly cheap. That is my kind of facial!
The ingredients were very simple.

half a banana

1 tablespoon orange juice

1 tablespoon honey

Mash up the banana and then add the other two ingredients.

Put a thin layer on your face...you can do a few...and let sit for 10- 15 minutes.

How many of you are going to try this out? I bet most of you have these ingredients around. Or if you don't now, will have them in the next week!

Free Printable Paper Dolls

I remember the books full of paper dolls that I had when I was little! You can print out some free paper dolls. Get some good card stock and a fun time will ensue!

Thanks, Money Saving Mom!

Pamper Yourself Like a Princess: Esther

I have to admit, that I have to have a hard time spending time pampering myself. I just don't like spending the extra time and money on myself. If I could just get by with the basics in life, I would be totally ok.

A friend of mine and I are having a spa day at church where the girls will get to pamper themselves for the morning. We always try to do some little program with the day. This year we decided to do the story of Esther.

image from here

One day, Scott had a meeting at the hospital, so I sat in the cafeteria and read the book of Esther. Wow. Read that book with the mindset of what can I get out of this for a spa day.

I just scribbled down some things that jumped out at me, and I want to share them with you.

image from here

These all come from Esther:

2:2-4 Beautiful young virgins were called to find a new queen.
2:8 Esther was a prospect
2:9 They were given cosmetics and a portion of food
      she advanced to the top 7
2:12 They went before the king after 12 months of purifying...12 months. I can't imagine!
      6 months were devoted to oil and myrrh
      6 months of spices and ointment
2:13 Time to go before the kind- they were given whatever she wanted
2:15 Esther only took what the king's advisor advised
2:17 The king loved her more than all woman and placed a crown on her head

image from here

 Did you catch that they took a whole year to pamper themselves? What is your favorite thing to do to pamper yourself? You can fess up now, because we just learned it is ok :)

What Constitutes Racism?

My husband is currently taking a fashion class. He is overly excited about getting to take this class! He sent me an email today with a video that he had to watch. I am not sure what it has to do with fashion, but it was an interesting take on racism.

I think that any discrimination could fit into this video. Picking out something in someone and then making fun of them for that characteristic.

Was there anything that you were made fun of when you were little that made an impact on you?

Making a Siren Train!

I am very glad to have a husband that loves our niece and nephew...and the soon to come niece. I really don't know what I am going to do when the baby comes out as a boy. I am dead set that it is a girl!

We went and picked up the kids. On the way to our house, they enjoyed the hills. They put their hands up in the air and said "wee." Hopefully, their parents don't mind this too much. And of course everything on the road, no matter how flat it was, became a hill!

Gotta find those sunglasses. He lost them somewhere in the transition.

I had gotten a gingerbread train on sale after Christmas for $2. Cooper loves trains! So Scott and I set out to assembling it the night before so that the kids could decorate the train.

Cheesin' with their train. The decorating began. They did a great job of sticking the candy on. I gave it to them with icing on the back and then they stuck the candy on.  

Decorating!

 Cooper got icing on his fingers, so I told him to lick his fingers...and the eating began!

May as well just eat that leftover icing.

And of course, had to share!

Finished product. Very worth my $2.

Then there became a princess time.

I had a great time with these two little guys and can't wait til we get to have them over again!

Happy Valentines Day!

Valentine's Day! A day that most people decide that they need to be nice to others. What a fun day that can make for. Shouldn't every day be like that?

image fron here

I came across this list the other day that I wrote down one time. My youth pastor shared it with the youth group. What an appropriate evaluation on Valentine's Day.

Love suffers long. (Do you have a whole lot of patience with this person?)

Love is kind. (Are you kind to this person? Do you look for ways to help them?)

Love does not envy. (Are you jealous or angry because this person has things you don't)

Love does not put itself first. (Do you consider yourself better than others?)

Love isn't puffed up. (Do you brag and draw attention to yourself? instead of the other person?)

Love doesn't behave itself unseemingly. (Do you always behave in ways that are inappropriate and inconsiderate of others?)

Love doesn't seek its own. (Do you look out for your own interests first?)

Love isn't easily provoked. (Do you get angry easily?)

Love doesn't think evil. (Do you wish the other person would have bad things happen to them?)

Love doesn't rejoice in iniquity. (Do you get pleasure from things that are wrong?)

Love rejoices in the truth. (Do you tell the truth even when it makes others look better?)

Love bears all things. (Are you willing to put up with anything and forgive?)

Love believes all things. (Do you expect the best from and for others?)

Love endures all things. (Do you suffer wrongs with longstanding patience?)

Love never fails. (Are you consistent and reliable?)

Is there someone that you need to work on loving more today?

The Foot and a Half Sword

Do the names Ehud and Eglon ring a bell?

If so, your Bible knowledge is far better than mine! The events that these two men take place in are very familiar in my mind though...

A little bit to jog your memory...

• a two-edged sword. This sword was one cubit or about a foot and a half long.
• a king who they thought who was relieving himself.
• a body swallowing up a sword.

image from here

Any luck pulling this event to mind? You can read about it in Judges 3:15-25. I just remember when I was little being so engrossed in the fact that this king's body sucked the knife inside of his body. Never did I pay attention to the fact that this knife was a foot and a half long. Wow! Heaven forbid my body would ever be big enough to swallow that knife up!

So not spiritual, but I am amazed how Scripture can be read and taught and we miss little facts about what is going on. Even if we grew up in church, we are far from a Bible expert.

What stories have jumped out at you in a new way recently?

Prime Example of History Repeating Itself

Sometimes when I am reading my Bible, I get to this list of people and places that I know nothing about and I tend to just skim over them. My mind was doing that this morning, but I still thought that there were some very interesting things lumped together here.

God told these groups of people to get rid of the idol worshippers out of the land. They all failed. Skim through and see what happened in each group.

Sorry for a whole lot of words!!!

Joshua 13:13

Nevertheless the children of Israel expelled not the Geshurites, nor the Maachathites: but the Geshurites and the Maachathites dwell among the Israelites until this day.

Joshua 16:10

And they drave not out the Canaanites that dwelt in Gezer: but the Canaanites dwell among the Ephraimites unto this day, and serve under tribute.

Joshua 17:11-13

¹¹And Manasseh had in Issachar and in Asher Bethshean and her towns, and Ibleam and her towns, and the inhabitants of Dor and her towns, and the inhabitants of Endor and her towns, and the inhabitants of Taanach and her towns, and the inhabitants of Megiddo and her towns, even three countries.
¹²Yet the children of Manasseh could not drive out the inhabitants of those cities; but the Canaanites would dwell in that land.
¹³Yet it came to pass, when the children of Israel were waxen strong, that they put the Canaanites to tribute, but did not utterly drive them out.

Joshua 15:63

As for the Jebusites the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the children of Judah could not drive them out; but the Jebusites dwell with the children of Judah at Jerusalem unto this day.

Judges 1:21

And the children of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites that inhabited Jerusalem; but the Jebusites dwell with the children of Benjamin in Jerusalem unto this day.

Judges 1:30

Neither did Zebulun drive out the inhabitants of Kitron, nor the inhabitants of Nahalol; but the Canaanites dwelt among them, and became tributaries.

Judges 1:31-32

³¹Neither did Asher drive out the inhabitants of Accho, nor the inhabitants of Zidon, nor of Ahlab, nor of Achzib, nor of Helbah, nor of Aphik, nor of Rehob:
³²But the Asherites dwelt among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land: for they did not drive them out.

Judges 1:33

Neither did Naphtali drive out the inhabitants of Bethshemesh, nor the inhabitants of Bethanath; but he dwelt among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land: nevertheless the inhabitants of Bethshemesh and of Bethanath became tributaries unto them.

Judges 1:34-36

³⁴And the Amorites forced the children of Dan into the mountain: for they would not suffer them to come down to the valley:
³⁵But the Amorites would dwell in mount Heres in Aijalon, and in Shaalbim: yet the hand of the house of Joseph prevailed, so that they became tributaries.
³⁶And the coast of the Amorites was from the going up to Akrabbim, from the rock, and upward.

Judges 2:1-5

¹And an angel of the LORD came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said, I made you to go up out of Egypt, and have brought you unto the land which I sware unto your fathers; and I said, I will never break my covenant with you.
²And ye shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land; ye shall throw down their altars: but ye have not obeyed my voice: why have ye done this?
³Wherefore I also said, I will not drive them out from before you; but they shall be as thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare unto you.
⁴And it came to pass, when the angel of the LORD spake these words unto all the children of Israel, that the people lifted up their voice, and wept.
⁵And they called the name of that place Bochim: and they sacrificed there unto the LORD.

PaperBackSwap: Great way to trade books!

What a great day to curl up in a window seat like this and read a book and watch the snow fall! Maybe I will have to talk to my landlords about getting one of these added to the house!

image from here

If I were able to curl up with a book, I would curl up with a book that I am currently reading...and need to make the time to pick back up!

A few years ago, I hear about this website, PaperBackSwap, where you can trade books. It is a great way to get rid of books in exchange for some new to you books. I was able to get Under the Overpass from this site. 

To start, if you list 10 books online, you will 2 book credits that you can requests books from other members. The member will send those books to you.

The only catch to this service is that if people request your books, you have to pay the shipping to mail them. This typically costs around $2 to $3 to send a book. But not bad in exchange for a new to you book! Your books do have to fill certain qualifications as far as quality.

This is a great way to get rid of books that might not have a whole lot of resale value, but are a good read. In exchange, you get a good book to be able to read. Not too bad in my book!

Workin' So I Can Be Lazy!

Mornings and I don't get along. I am the bad one that usually eats her breakfast at work as I am getting my things ready for the day.

I love breakfast burritos from sonic, but would never take the time to make eggs in the morning and sonic is not on my way to work...who am I kidding. I wouldn't stop because I am too cheap!

What is one to do in this case? Try out a freezer friendly breakfast burrito. Money Saving Mom has a recipe that I have been wanting to try for a while. Really, it is a pretty simple recipe. But knowing that something will hold up well in the freezer is always a nice thing!

I decided to only make half of the batch...that is what happens when you only have 10 tortillas...

 Here are my green peppers, onions, and I decided to add some broccoli to the mixture.

 I then added my eggs to the mixture.

 They are getting close to being done! I decided to let them cool down before I rolled them up into burritos.

I put the egg mixture into the burrito to roll up. Money Saving Mom recommended wrapping them up in paper towels and then aluminum foil to make them easy to pull out and serve. I tried a few different options. Just in a container for those that I will pull out at home. Just paper towels in a container. Now to see what I like the best.

I am thinking that these will taste good dipped in some salsa!

What else would you add to the recipe? I am thinking that jalepennios would be a good addition next time.



Here is the recipe from money saving mom.

Freezer-Friendly Breakfast Burritos

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/3 cup chopped onion
• 1/3 cup chopped green pepper
• 18 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 cup chopped ham
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 20 flour tortillas

Saute onions and green pepper in butter. Beat eggs and milk together and pour into the skillet with the onions and peppers.
Add the ham, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until eggs are set. Mix in cheese and let melt.
Scoop 1/2 cup egg mixture onto tortillas. Fold ends under and roll up. Freeze (see instructions below) or put all burritos in a baking dish, top with extra cheese (if you’d like) and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until heated through. Serve with salsa.

Freezer Instructions:
Wrap burrito in a paper towel and then in a sheet of foil. Seal tightly and place in freezer bags. When bag is full, remove all air and seal. Freeze.
To serve: Remove foil and put paper-towel-wrapped burrito in microwave. Reheat for around one minute. Serve with salsa.