In the interest of time but in an effort to keep my site updated I have decided to share some recipes that I have found using roses.  I started collecting rose recipes years ago in anticipation of the day when my daughters would grow up and get married, I thought we could incorporate some of them into the showers and the wedding ceremony.  None of my girls are married as yet, but I'm still holding on to the recipes just in case.  Some of these would make lovely gifts as well.  My younger girls and I may try our hand with a few of these to incorporate into our tea time!

~ Enjoy

Rose Vinegar

Steep petals in white wine vinegar for 2 weeks in a warm place out of direct sunlight. Cook with rose vinegar or use as an astringent wash for the face body.

Rose Petal Jam

You'll need the following:

• 1/2 lbs. rose petals
  
• 1 & 1/4 cup of sugar
  
• 3 tbs. organic lemon juice
  
• 3/4 lbs. raw, unfiltered honey
  

Simmer petals in a small amount of water until tender. Add the sugar, honey and the lemon juice and cook gently until this mixture is a thick syrup consistency.

Allow the mixture to cool a little, then pour it into sterile canning jars and seal.

Rosehip Tea

Make an infusion of rosehips with a pinch of cloves, cinnamon and a slice of lemon.

To make an infusion, add 1 cup of boiling water to 1 ounce of herb. Do not boil the herb in the water. That's how you make a decoction...

Strain herbs out and serve the "tea" to restore and stimulate your vital energy.

Rosehip Syrup

For this syrup you'll need:

• 1 & 1/4 cup of boiling water
  
• 1/4 lbs. rosehips
  
• 1/2 cup raw, unpasteurized honey
  

Pour boiling water over the rosehips, cover and leave to steep until it is room temperature. Strain the mixture in to a sauce pan, add honey add heat slowly to bring the liquid to a boil. Simmer gently until it thickens to the desired consistency. Cool and bottle.

Use this syrup as a topping for cake, ice cream or with other items of your choosing. Mixes well with sparkling water for a delightful beverage! Also does wonders for a sore throat.

Rose Water Mouthwash

Mix equal parts of rosewater and tincture of myrrh (Commiphora mol mol) for an alternative to OTC mass-marketed "green stuff".

Candied Rose Petals

Begin by slightly beating one egg-white in a small bowl. Sprinkle a layer of sugar on a small plate. Dip the rose petals first in egg-white, then in sugar so they are coated on both sides.

Dry these confections on a rack. Store the candied petals on wax paper, each layer separated by a paper towel or piece of cheesecloth.

Use these on candy trays, as a garnish for fruit cups, as a decoration on cakes and pies or to adorn a serving plater for a special meal.

Rose Petal Punch

A handful of strongly scented rose petals will delicately flavor a punch for a summer evening.

2 - 3 hours before you wish to serve the punch, put a good handful of fresh, scented rose petals into a mixing bowl. Sprinkle a tablespoon of sugar over the roses and pour over it a large bottle of sparkling wine or apple cider along with the juice of one lemon. Chill.

When ready to serve, strain off the liquid into a punch bowl and add additional fresh rose petals and any berries in season. Serve in tall glasses.

Rose Petal Ice Cream

• 2 cups heavy or whipping cream
  
• 4 scented deep crimson rose heads
  
• 2 large brown eggs
  
• 3/4 cup sugar
  
• 2 tsp. honey
  
• a pinch of ground cardamon or seeds from a few pods
  
• 1 cup milk 

1. Put the cream, milk cardamon and rose petals in a saucepan and bring to just below the boil. Remove from heat, cover and leave to infuse until cool.
   
2. Whisk egg yolks in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy, 1-2 minutes. Whisk the sugar and honey a little at a time, then continue whisking until completely blended.
   
3. Strain the rose-infused milk into the egg mixture and return to the sauce pan or a double-broiler. Cook very gently until slightly thickened, but do not let it boil.
   
4. Chill this mixture (custard now) and then freeze or process in an ice cream maker. Store in the freezer.
   

   * Before adding custard mixture to the ice cream maker, I like to add a little rose water and fresh rose petals minced lightly

   I love to eat Rose Petal Ice Cream along side soft summer fruits such as raspberries, cherries or strawberries topped with (of course) Rosehip Syrup or more rose petals.

Posted in Book Reviews

I came across a wonderful story today called "The Little Garden" by Charles Spurgeon.  You can read it over at Pen Stripes and Ink Blots here http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/emilee. Emilee has a beautiful blog, and I have her web site, Genteel Girlhood,  featured in my side bar at my Beauty and Grace blog.

Take a few minutes and visit her site and read this post, it is a lovely reminder that often being "uprooted", while painful, is necessary for growth!

~ Blessings!

In an effort to foster some Spring Cleaning,  a friend of mine and I are planning a yard sale for next weekend.  In light of this I may not be posting much here for the next couple of days.  This blog is not really my primary blog I guess you could say anyway.  The site that is really nearest and dearest to my heart is In Beauty and In Grace, which is devoted to raising girls to beome godly young women.  I will probably be making more of an effort to post at this site, so if you'd like you can visit me there, here is the link.

In Beauty and in Grace

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/KAlexaLott

I am also starting a Mother and Daughter Reading Group over at homesteadblogger.  This group is designed primarily for girls 8-12 years of age to encourage them in their reading while allowing for some special time for mom's and daughters to spend together.  Don't let your daughter's age or reading ability be a hindrance in joining us however, even if your daughter is not reading well on her own you can certainly read to her and join in the fun!  Girls of all ages and reading abilities and their mothers are encouraged and welcome!  The group will begin on April 1 and our first book club selection is The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes.  If you are interested in joining us or to learn more, visit us here

The Mother and Daughter Book Group

http://www.homesteadblogger.com/BeautyandGrace

And if that isn't enough, and you'd like to see another completely different side of me, the kind of fun and quirky side I guess you'd say, you can visit me at my space, here

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=49542002

This was actually my "original" blog.  I don't update it much, although I did do a few of those fun "surveys" today, you know the ones, "Which Disney Princess Are You?", they are goofy in a way, but fun.  But since this type of thing isn't really in keeping with the spirit of my blogs here I save them for my space.  I opened this account so that I could keep up with two oldest daughters (21 and almost 18), who live in Texas.  They have myspace accounts and I couldn't post comments unless I had an account and was their "friend".

So, depending on how "well" you want to get to know me, visiting all my other blogs should give you a little glimpse into my world!

~Wishing You Joy on the Journey!
Kim

I was both shocked and saddened this morning to log onto one of my Yahoo groups and to find this headline in several of the posts,

"Boycott Homeschool Blogger!"

Apparantly this was in response to an article encouraging boycotting Home School Blogger for their advertising and financial support of Debi Pearl's book To Train Up A Child and Created To Be His Help Meet.  You can read the full article here, but I need to warn you that some of the language may be offensive and references to the members of the Home School Blogger community as a whole are not flattering.  Here is a link to the article/post http://www.odonnellweb.com/mtarchives/002299.php.

Since I am a member of Home School blogger and obviously have a very different opinion of this community I felt that I had to respond.  I am including a copy of my response below (with grammatical corrections, I tend to type a little fast when I'm passionate about something, :0)!)

I don't usually post much here, although I do read the posts almost daily, life is just so busy.  But when I logged on this morning and saw "boycott Homeschool Blogger" and then read some of the posts I felt that I had to reply.

I am a member of Home School Blogger, I actually have two blogs there.  If you care too you can visit them here

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/KAlexaLott

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/KimLottman

Since becoming a part of this community I have made a lot of friends (as much as you can have online friendships, I guess some would say they are pretty superficial), but the community as a whole has been very kind and supportive.  I have gleaned a lot of wisdom from and been encouraged and inspired by many of the posts I have read on various other blogs.  I have also gained access to a wealth of resources, many free and online.  Our family uses a Charlotte Mason approach to our homeschooling and the Ambleside Online curriculum http://www.amblesideonline.org , so many of the books we use are in the public domain, free, and online.

Just a few weeks ago when a homeschool mom from Arkansas passed away after a c-section, the outpouring of love and support to this family was amazing.  The way the members of this community rallied together for a woman and a family they only knew through her blog and Yahoo groups was unbelievable to me.  Countless other families with children who are suffering with cancer and other diseases are linked on blog after blog to bring awareness to these children and their need for prayers.

I have also read Debi Pearl's latest book, Created To Be His Helpmeet.  While I did not agree with everything that she has written, I did feel that there was lot of good relevant information in this book.  I can say personally that being reminded of some of these things and putting them into action in my marriage helped to turn us from a near divorce to the place we are now, best friends.  Now I am not saying that it was Debi Pearl's book that saved my marriage, it probably had very little to do with that actually.  We achieved this by both my husband and I totally surrendering our lives and wants to God and letting Him work, but I will say that I was inspired and encouraged by some of the things that I read in her book.

Now, I have to admit that this is the only book she has ever written that I have read.  I have not read any of her books on child training.  If based only upon what I have read in some of your posts, I would have to say that I would not agree with some of her views on child training, but again, I have not read these books.  Until she wrote Help Meet I had never even heard of Debi Pearl.

While I may not agree with everything this author or any author writes I will not be boycotting Home School Blogger or removing my blogs.  I receive emails almost daily encouraging me to boycott various web sites and products, and while I can respect the convictions of other individuals, to be honest if I had to stop and think about what every company that I support either through blog hosting or buying a bottle of ketchup personally supports and advocates, I would probably never leave my house.  I worked for Barnes & Noble for several years.  If you knew some of the things that this company supports through advertising and/or financial contributions you might never set foot in their stores again.  The Walt Disney company openly supports Gays and Lesbians, which I do not judge but do not agree with, yet I still want and plan to take my children to Disney World.

In the end I guess what I am trying to say is that I don't believe that I can judge Home School Blogger or any other company by their support for one cause and in this case, one book.  If I decide that I am not going to support one company, take American Girls for instance in light of their recent support of Girls, Inc., then I would personally have to decide to do that straight across the board, which for me would mean no more Barnes & Noble, no Walt Disney, no American Girls. Then I would have to research every other company I support, which would in turn mean every brand name and even the stores I purchase these products from and I don't have time to do that.  I have also read a lot of books in my life time and I don't think I have ever agreed with everything I've read in any of them.  But, that doesn't mean that I didn't learn from or benefit from them.  You take what's right for you and leave the rest, at least that's what I do.  Maybe that makes me naive or even worse, lazy.

Sorry this is so long, but when I saw the posts I was just saddened to think that there is this "idea" out there about the community of women and families at Home School Blogger because I have been really blessed by the people I have met there, there are a lot of GOOD things about it too!

Thanks for reading,

Kim

So, here's raising a tea cup to Home School Blogger!  I would encourage you to continue your support of this wonderful community!

Blessings,

Kim

Posted in My Hearts Treasures

I can't imagine that there is anyone, especially if you're a hopeless romantic like me, who hasn't heard of The Victorian Trading Company. But just in case there's a new heart on the horizon in search of a little beauty, you owe it to yourself to visit their web site.  While, you're at it, request one of their catalogs, then curl up on a lazy Sunday afternoon and ~ DREAM ~!

http://www.victoriantradingco.com/index.html

Thanks to a comment on my post on Victoria I came across the most wonderful site! Words of Simplicity!  This is a beautiful site and it's contents, bringing simplicity to life, are near and dear to my heart.  I couldn't do it justice to try to describe all the wonderful things that wait in store for you there, you really will just have to see for yourself!

http://www.womenofsimplicity.com/wordpress/.

~ Enjoy!

Posted in My Hearts Treasures

Posted in My Hearts Treasures

My favorite flower is the pink rose.  To me there is just no other flower that is more lovely, more delicate.  I have loved them since I was a little girl. 

My paternal grandmother was an avid gardener and always had the most lovely flower gardens.  She lived in a very old house in Keller, Texas which has since been torn down and a church parking lot now covers what was once the floral wonderfland of my childhood.  I remember that the pink roses grew on the north side of her house just outside her living room window.  When you sat on the couch, where she often did, you could see them through the white lace curtains.

The older I get the more I realize that I am very much like my grandmother, though I honestly did not know her well at all.  She had scarlet fever when she was young which apparantly caused her hair to turn completely white at a very young age.  Because of that she always seemed very old to me.  She also had false teeth which did not fit well in her mouth and so to keep them from slipping or falling out she would talk with her teeth clinched, which of course caused her to come across a bit stern.  But I do remember a jolly side of her too, flittering about her home cooking and cleaning which she loved to do, her long white hair pulled up in a  bun atop her head and when she didn't have her teeth in (which only her immediate family was allowed to see), her face was very warm and happy. 

I wish now that I had take more time to really get to know her, to learn her secrets on gardening, she could grow anything.  I think of her often, and more especially when I see a pink rose.

When I was a little girl I had a head full of golden girls!  Looking back I realize now that they were beautiful, a real God-send.  But as I grew older my school-friends began to make fun of them, I remember one boy in particular calling me "Rat Hair".  In my efforts to straighten my hair I ended up doing more damage than good and ended up with a dried out frizzy mess.

When I was in my twenties I had to have an ovary removed and literally came out of surgery with straight hair!, must have had something to do with a hormome imbalance, no one could really explain it at the time.  Finally I had what I "thought" I had wanted all of my life.  But alas, my hair retained just enough curl not to be straight and was just straight enough not to be really curly, the battle continued!

A few years ago in desparation I cut it R-E-A-L-L-Y short, my thought was that the less hair I had to deal with the better!  But even this proved not to be true, short hair was actually more work than long hair because it had to be styled every day to look good.  And so for the past several years I've been letting it grow out with a vow never to cut it again.  Yes, I will be old and gray hopefully with hair down to my knees and no I don't care that I'm over 40 (my hairdresser seems to think that all women over 40 should have short hair!). Seeing as my hair grows about a quarter inch a year I may die trying to achieve this but how long it gets really isn't the goal, just as long as it grows and gets longer!

This week I found this website http://www.ylcf.org/gotcurl/ (which is also where I found the images above) and decided to give some of their tips a try.  Although the thought of not washing my hair every day is foreign to me I can see now where years of doing so, and blow drying it every day as well has damaged my hair and contributed to it's frizziness!  So, we'll see how it goes.  Yesterday I rinsed it and soaked it in conditioner and then after it dried I put it up in a French Twist.  It was the first time in months I have actually liked the way it looked!  Very feminine, very romantic! That's a start!

~ Enjoy

Posted in Book Reviews

Back in 1994 when I was living in Charleston, South Carolina (that's Chawl-stun), a good friend introduced me to the writings of Alexandra Stoddard.

The first book I purchased and read is titled Living A Beautiful Life 500 Ways to Add Elegance, Order, Beauty and Joy to Every Day of Your Life .  In this book, Ms. Stoddard encourages us to celebrate every day, with simple elegance and meaningful rituals. 

One of the things that I learned from this book was to enjoy my small collection of tea cups on a more regular basis.  I had them stored away in a small cabinet above my refrigerator, but Ms. Stoddard suggests that we bring these treasures out of hiding and use them in our every day lives.

A few years ago while I was working for Barnes & Noble I had a chance to get an autographed copy of one of her books, I was so thrilled.  She has actually written over 20 different books now and I own several of them, though I am most fond of her titles that deal more with decorating and bringing beauty into our lives, a few of her other more "self-help" titles are very good as well.

To find out more about Alexandra Stoddard and the books she has written, you can visit her at  http://www.alexandrastoddard.com.

~ Enjoy!

Posted in My Hearts Treasures

I love Vintage Fabric!

For as long as I can remember I have loved soft pastel shades of pink and blue adorned with beautiful flowers, especially roses!

During my "career" years of working for Barnes & Noble it seemed hard to appear professional or at least be taken seriously in my Laura Ashley dresses.  And it seems that my wardrobe changed from a sea of soft pastels and roses to solid shades of black and grey.

But over the past few years as I have become a SAHM again, my love for these more feminine shades and designs has returned.  It seems a bit odd to me however that the fabrics and prints that I wore only a few short years ago are now considered "vintage".  Nevertheless, I've always thought I had what some might call an "old soul" (no, I do not believe in reincarnation!).  But I've often said I was born in the wrong era.  I would have loved to have been a young bride and mother in the 40's, 50's and even early 60's, when the roles of men and women were more defined, or at least in line with my beliefs!

I love everything about being a woman, especially being a wife and mother and these colors and prints just resonate with my heart and soul!