Blessings - Laura Story

In case you were wondering...this is my favorite song right now. :):):)

A Garden Apron

I was feeling creative today and decided to make an apron especially for gardening.

What attire says "garden" better than overalls! 

A while back I purchased a denim overall jumper at a second hand store for $1.50 and today I repurposed it into my garden apron. 

Since I am a girly girl I had to add a few ribbons and bows! 

 And of course I saved some matching ribbon to wear in my hair!

I love the way it turned out.  It has tons of pockets for holding  garden gloves, seeds, small gardening tools, and anything else I have a mind to put in there. 

It took me less than an hour to make and cost me less than $2.00.  That's my kinda project! 

Now if we can just get some warmer weather so I can use it!

Beautiful Lips....Homemade Lip Balm

I made lip balm today for the first time!  It was so easy and fun and I will definetly be making more.    I love making products that I know exactly what is in them.   There is a feeling of satisfaction that comes over me when I make something myself instead of purchasing it in the store.  It makes me feel all Susie homemaker.   It's a feeling of self reliance and proficiency.  I love chapsticks and lip balms and I know it's going to sound a little bias, but this is the best my lips have ever felt. :) So much better than a store bought product.  My lips feel so soft, smooth and fresh!  Here's the recipe I used:

3 tsp. grated beeswax (or pellets)

3 tsp. cocoa butter (can also use shea)

2 tsp.  olive oil (or other oil such as almond or coconut)

2 drops of honey

4 or 5 drops of spearamint flavored oil

1 vitamin E capsul (cut open and use liquid)

The vitamin E acts as a preservative and is optional.  This made enough to fill 4 chapstick tubes.  I purchased the tubes on ebay and I also purchased a pippet from ebay to fill the tubes which was much easier then trying to funnel the mixture.

There are so many  different recipes on the internet (just ask google) and I am going to be trying some different ones soon.  I think I wil try a wild berry next time and add a smidge of color. 

If you are wanting something all natural for your lips but don't want to take the time or spend the money to make lip balm I have a very simple mixture for you:

One drop Olive oil
One dropy Almond Oil
One drop Honey

That's it!  Apply to your lips before going to bed!

Remember....don't wait for you lips to get dry and chapped.  Apply lip balm on a regular basis and your lips will stay moisturized and soft and supple.

If your lips are already really dry and flakey try this great lip cure:

1/2 teaspoon honey
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon olive oil

Mix together all ingredients and apply to your lips and leave on overnight. In the morning you will awake to smooth, soothed lips. If you have any mixture left it should be stored in the refrigerator because of the fresh lemon juice.  It's sort of like a deep conditioning treatment for your lips!

Beautiful lips are natural lips!

I scream, you scream, we all scream for SNOW cream!

We have snow again and I'm okay with it!  Maybe because, even though they are covered in snow, all the flowers and trees are blooming and giving me a reminder that spring is coming...soon. 

We started the week with warm beautiful weather and ended it with cold, snowy beautiful weather.  Who can complain about that?!   Last I checked we have 5 inches and it's still snowing.  It's a perfect snow for building a snowman and once again it is clinging to all the trees, branches, and anything standing, making it all look like a winter wonderland.  What is prettiest is the forsythia bush all bloomed out in yellow, now covered in a white blanket of snow.  I'm thinking tomorrow will be a perfect photography day.

My nieces are spending the night with us and I discovered that they never had snow cream before.  We quickly remedied that.  We fixed up a huge bowl of delicious snow cream and the smiles on their faces brought a smile to mine.

photo credit

Everyone always asks me for my recipe and truthfully I don't have a traditional recipe.  I go out and get a big old bowl full of ice cream (make sure it's clean)  add a can of evaporated milk, some sugar and vanilla till it tastes right.  You just stir or blend that until it has the right consistency!  It is deelish!!

Refreshingly Uplifted

This weekend I was blessed to be able to attend a Homeschool convention on Friday and Saturday.  My body is tired, my pocketbook depleted, my heart encouraged and my soul uplifted.   Not only do I come away from an expo with new books, curriculum, guidance and new ideas for homeschooling  my children, but I also leave refreshed in spirit. 

I am really excited about some of the talks I heard and some of the books and curriculum I purchased.  In the next couple weeks I am hoping to find the time to share with you some of those things.

But for now...must. get. rest. :)

Butterfinger Cake

One of my favorite desserts is a Butterfinger cake.  It is pretty simple to make and oh so yummy!

Ingredients

1 chocolate cake mix (plus ingredients to make according to box)
2 packages of snack size butterfingers
1 can of sweet condensed milk
1 tub of cool whip
sprinkles (optional)

Make the chocolate cake according to the package. 

While it is baking, unwrap all the Butterfingers and put them in a Ziploc bag and pound away (I use a meat tenderizer) until they are all crumbly. 

As soon as the cake is done take it out of the oven (do NOT let it cool) and begin poking holes all over with a wooden spoon handle.

As soon as you get that complete, open your can of sweet condensed milk and pour it over the cake evenly.

Now let the cake cool.  When it is completely cool, top it with the crumbled butterfingers.

On top of that, add your cool whip!

You can add sugar sprinkles for a little color...

...and last, get a fork and enjoy.  Unless you are going to share it with the rest of the family.  Then I would recommend cutting and serving on plates. ;)

The Perfect Book for Country Living

I call it my country Bible. It's loaded full of so much useful information.  I am convinced that everyone that desires a simple, country life, whether you live in the country or the city, could benefit from this book.  It's like having a loving, seasoned family member that has farmed and lived off the land their whole life, to run to and ask your pressing questions about gardening, bread baking, herbs, livestock and so much more.  I keep it handy at all times and sometimes I pull it out and flip through the pages just to read, not to gain knowledge on any certain subject, but to gain knowledge in general.   Even more so, I get it out for guidance.  It was very helpful when we had our first kit of rabbits.  It helped me through raising chickens, building the coup, raising ducks and gardening.  This year I am going to plant potatoes for the first time and it's my trusty Country Living Encyclopedia that I am turning to for direction.  There was a time that I could call upon my dad, or my grandpa and glean from their knowledge, but now that they have gone on, I am so thankful that I have such a book to help me stumble thru my attempts of country living, however feeble they may be. :)

More Bunny Talk

Our bunnies are getting so big. We have sold 2 of the first litter and tomorrow we have someone coming to get 4 or 5. I'm hoping for 5 and that would be all of the first litter. They will be going to their new home at Purina Farms and will be a part of their petting zoo. We were so excited about that. We know they are going to get good care and plenty of attention from lots of sweet little kids!   They are all so tame, thanks to Bethany holding and playing with them so much.  Friday is a little spit fire, but we figure you have to expect a Friday to be little wild. :)

Wednesday

Friday!

 A tisket a tasket, bunnies in a basket!!

Pinny's litter is a little over 3 weeks old.  They get in and out of their nesting box and today I caught one of the babies doing the funniest thing.  It flipped over on its back and tried to shimmy under its mom to nurse.  She wanted nothing of it, but the little bunny was determined.  He kept after her, flipping over and shimming,  until he got spooked by my laughter and climbed into the nest box.  It's very cute how they climb the wire nest box.  There are 3 steel and 3 black.   I love this age!  They are so cute and cuddly! 

Pinny is Dakota's rabbit so he named these Greg, Peter, Bobby, Marsha, Jan and Cindy. :)

It's the BUNNY BUNCH!!!

Weather we like it or not

Where can you wake up to 4 inches of snow on Monday and expect temperatures to be in the 70's on Thursday.  That's right....Missouri!

Today we woke up to a winter wonderland.  It was a very wet snow so it clung to all the trees and every other object standing, making for a truly beautiful sight. 

It may of been beautiful but I cannot wait till Thursday to enjoy some warm weather.  Me and the kids are planning a trip to the park to enjoy the beautiful day.

A day or two ago I noticed that the crocus' were blooming.  So even though we are covered in snow, it is a nice reminder that spring really is on its way!!

Hidden Bible Books Puzzle

If you are someone who likes puzzles I have one for you.  Here are the directions... 30 books of the Bible are found in the paragraph below. (Actually, 31 if you can find the variant of one Old Testament prophet's name? Print it out and circle those you can find.  Let me know if you can find them all!!


This is a most remarkable puzzle. It was found by a gentleman in an airplane seat pocket, on a flight from Los Angeles to Honolulu, keeping him occupied for hours. He enjoyed it so much, he passed it on to some friends. One friend from Illinois worked on this while fishing from his john boat. Another friend studied it while playing his banjo. Elaine Taylor, a columnist friend, was so intrigued by it she mentioned it in her weekly newspaper column. Another friend judges the job of solving this puzzle so involving, she brews a cup of tea to help her nerves. There will be some names that are really easy to spot. That's a fact. Some people, however, will soon find themselves in a jam, especially since the book names are not necessarily capitalized. Truthfully, from answers we get, we are forced to admit it usually takes a minister or a scholar to see some of them at the worst. Research has shown that something in our genes is responsible for the difficulty we have in seeing the books in this paragraph. During a recent fund raising event, which featured this puzzle, the Alpha Delta Phi lemonade booth set a new record. The local paper, The Chronicle, surveyed over 200 patrons who reported that this puzzle was one of the most difficult they had ever seen. As Daniel Humana humbly puts it, "The books are all right here in plain view hidden from sight." Those able to find all of them will hear great lamentations from those who have to be shown. One revelation that may help is that books like Timothy and Samuel may occur without their numbers. Also, keep in mind, that punctuation and spaces in the middle are normal. A chipper attitude will help you compete really well against those who claim to know the answers. Remember, there is no need for a mad exodus; there really are 30 books of the Bible lurking somewhere in this paragraph waiting to be found. God Bless.