Posted in Keeper of the Home

If you could have any super power in the world what would it be?  After watching this, I would like to think that my Super Power is being "Invisible".  Watch & be blessed and you will know what I mean:

Posted in Keeper of the Home

In a spray bottle mix:
2 cups of water
1/4 cup of white distilled vinegar
approx.  1/2 teaspoon of liquid soap or detergent (Mrs Meyers lavender adds a great scent)

OR for the BIG job:
2 cups rubbing alcohol (70 percent isopropyl)
1/2 cup ammonia
1 tsp dish detergent (liquid)
top with water until you have 1 gallon of window cleaner

© Copyright 2008 Jacque Ward http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/wacque/

Posted in Keeper of the Home

After much contemplation and hours of perusing the internet, these are the links that I have come up with that I like for my eco-friendly grocery bags:

http://crafts.sleepingbaby.net/clothbags.html

http://www.morsbags.com/

http://noimpactman.typepad.com/blog/2007/03/plastic_bags_ar.html

http://www.myrecycledbags.com/

http://www.corridorsandcuttings.moonfruit.com/

http://www.marloscrochetcorner.com/round%20plastic%20bag%20tote.html

http://www.marloscrochetcorner.com/Plastic%20Bag%20tote.html

But in the end none of these are what I ended up doing because lo and behold, dh decided to clear out his drawers and he handed me a stack of T-shirts just perfect for this:

http://www.marthastewart.com/article/good-thing-t-shirt-bag

So in just under an hour I now have about 10 T-shirt grocery sacks.  I decided to sew up the bottoms and insert a cardboard to make them more sturdy for groceries but as I found out yesterday -- they can't hold the WHOLE world and I need to watch how much goes in to them.  I was a little embrassed at first but thankfully I have children who do not see this as wierd but as in saving the environment so it was a very good thing LOL

Posted in Keeper of the Home

Ahcaramba - if my house is clean, my homeschool is a wreck; if school is good then dh is missing me; if dh is happy then I'm not blogging; if I am blogging then my house is a wreck -- It is a vicious cycle that I can't seem to balance. 

So much has happened since the beginning of the year that I want to blog about but I just don't seem to have that plate juggling down to an art form yet -- I plan to update soon with pictures until then I hope your New Year is off to a great start, your school year is even better, your house is being organized and staying tidy, your madly inlove with your dh and that you are blogging more than I

Many blessings in 2008!

Posted in Keeper of the Home

 The Legend of the Christmas Rose

On their journey to Bethlehem, the Wise Men happened to meet a peasant girl named Madelon.  As Madelon gazed upon their gifts, she was saddened because she had nothing to give to the Savior ~ not even a flower because it was winter.

She noticed the fragrance of a lily and looked up to see an angel, who had heard her sad cries.  The angel waved the lily and made the pathway bloom with Christmas Roses.

Madelon gathered some blooms in her arms and followed the Wise Men.  After the Wise Men had presented their gifts, Mary noticed Madelon standing there and told her to present her gift.

The Holy Child turned and smiled at the peasant girl and when the fingers of JESUS touched the white flowers, they turned pink.

The last rose in my garden bloomed today.  Very late for November but it has been an exceptionally warm Fall.  I felt sad because my roses and flower beds have been so neglected this year with all the yard work and wall building that has been going on.  I take comfort knowing that by the next season the work *should* be complete and I hope to have a beautiful flower garden once again that the hummingbirds will delight in, but for now it remains a work in progress. 

What struck me this year though, was that fact that the rose hips were sooooo big (I guess I usually pull these off).  I thought that this must be the year to try my hand at doing something with them.  Rose hips are soooo expensive at the health food store and they tout of being so good for you.  The size of these and their beautiful orange just encouraged me to try. 

You must wait until after the first frost in order for them to be perfectly ripe and then you can pick them.  They pull off the bush fairly easily and you don't want to wait too long to do this.  If they are deep red to purplish then they are a bit too ripe to use the fleshy fruit and at that point you may need to dry them whole instead.  If they dry on the bush, I am told that they loose their flavor and their vitamins.  Mine seemed to be picked at the perfect time although, I have never really done this before so I'm just guessing LOL. 

At this point, I decided I would like to clean them up and maybe make some rose hip syrup although there are several things you can do to preserve them especially if you have more than a pound or two.  Since I do not have enough to make jelly or much else, I figured syrup would be the best but I have read that they can be frozen at this point and just eaten as a snack or dried and they keep nicely.

The flesh is really wonderful tasting and it is said to be higher in vitamin C than an orange.  My kids tasted & loved the fruit which was a cross between an apple and an orange -- sort of a sweet tangy and the consistency of a firm tomato.  The dog keep trying to steal them from me too but she just likes being weird LOL.

You must scrape the seeds and the itty bitty hairs that are on the inside out.  I gather that they are not bad for you but rather uncomfortable and make some itch.  Those little hairs also don't strain too well after being cooked unless you use a muslin bag strainer which I do not have.  The skin on mine peeled right off while I was cleaning them otherwise you can send them through a sieve to get those bits out after cooking. 

You can not cook them in metal pans or utensils other than stainless steel or you risk discoloration of the fruit and loss of its precious vitamin C stores.  When the supply of oranges dwindled during the World War II, many children picked rosehips (being paid 3 pennies per pound), which were then turned into syrup; gaining prizes for collecting the most fruit and earning badges.  

I can't really give you an exact recipe in that I had a scant 1/2 cup after the hips were cooked down so I really had to fudge on the syrup.  The pulp that is left over after straining, we will add to our yogurt because it still has so much flavor.  If ever I do this again I will gather many more rose hips and I probably will do it like this site suggests:  http://www.jeremytaylor.eu/rosehip_syrup

Posted in Keeper of the Home

Great article on everything you could possibly need to clean green.  From carpets to rodents, metal & glass, deodorizers to disinfectants, kitchens, bathrooms and everything in between.  This would be a great one to put in a "dowry" control journal for our young ladies & gentlemen.  I'm putting it here so I can find it again: 

Clean and Green

Posted in Keeper of the Home

I can't honestly say that I am feeling any better from the other day but a good nights sleep does make all the difference in the world.  So the first step into not slipping into depression is to get the proper amount of SLEEP -- even if it means popping in a video while you take a nap through the day so the kiddos don't decide to re-roof the house or see if the fish will swim down the toliet.  (Not that a video will prevent any of this unless you actually chain them to the couch and hide the goldfish ROFL)

My next step is to find somebody, anybody to take the kids for an hour or two, (or a month  ~ just kidding), just to have some peace and quiet (hopefully to sleep).  I used to be, and I still am extremely cautious of who I let watch my boys (probably too cautious) but when I am slipping into depression I guess it is better that grandma ruin them uh I mean spoil them, than they watch their mom going through this crazy phase.  If truly nobody can do this for you then the next best thing is to schedule a play date for your kids.  I know it sounds crazy to have someone over but your kids are so busy with the fresh meat each other that they don't have time to bother you and you get a mini break.  Yes, I know it is tough to open up your home to strangers (even when they are only a foot tall) when you feel as awful as you do but somehow it helps you and your kids.  Sometimes even reaching out to another mom and inviting them for lunch works wonders in that you stop focusing on yourself and start focusing on others.

What I found that helped tremendously today, was just getting some fresh air.  A walk is great and excercise would be even better -- but I wasn't up for either of those so I just took the kiddos to the park and sat on the bench enjoying the sunshine and spring breeze.  When it is winter and cold, I find an indoor play station - BK or McD's.  A walk in winter is really good too but I am just not into pretending to be a popsickle.  I think the key here is to just have a change of scenery; going anywhere that is different than home and where nobody cares if you are in makeup or not.  Maybe a different library than the one you frequent or a new park -- anywhere that is not home.  

This one is really tough for me but don't suspend your routines or school because your in the dumps.  Sometimes just forging on and doing what your suppose to be doing gets you out of your funk.  Maybe it is a doddle day where you do the things that are supposed to be good for you but they end up being a blast.  Make a list of all the fun things that your kids can do alone or with you that you never seem to do.  For example on my Doddle Day list is making the world map puzzle, playing with the talking globe, watching some previously taped eposides of Nature and Plaza Sesemo (the spanish version of Sesame Street), painting just to paint and listening to some books or music on tape -- nothing graded or checked - just fun.  None of these things are in our lesson plans so the kids feel like it is a day off and I get a mini break while still doing routines and school.  Trust me staying in your pj's all day really doesn't feel wonderful when the day is over.  As flylady would say babysteps.....

And of course I saved the best for last and yet it always seems like if we kept it first then there would never be a well to dig out of.  Of course we take our deep dark depths of depression to the Lord and we cry out, and somehow that is why we are in that place that we so despreately want to climb out of.  That is what God wants us to do, is to cry out to Him but then we need to take it to the next step and seek Him out.  We need to pray, go to His word and let it wash us clean.  I have found that it really doesn't matter where we go in the Bible because God will speak to us wherever we turn but I like to do word studies about where I am or what I think I am lacking (rest, peace & hope are a few that come to mind).  God shows me His love and I feel better.  Another good place to read are in the Psalms and then PRAY.   

This list doesn't replace seeing a doctor nor do I claim to be one.  These are just notes to myself for getting out of and not slipping into my well.  My hope is that it helps you to not slip in too far or remind you where the footholds are.

The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.  Deuteronomy 31:8 NIV

Posted in Keeper of the Home

In case I ever forget how to say NO - this is how to do it: