Homemade whipped cream frosting

Stumbled across some healthy gluten free icing and whip cream/cool whip frosting recipes. Here's the one I used to frost Isaiah cupcakes. It's only 2 ingredients!!

1 cup heavy cream

2TBSP agava nectar

1TBSP of vanilla extract. (optional)

Whip with hand blender until it reaches peak. Fluffy. :)

This recipe was good, but the vanilla was just what it needed for me. :D It Frost about 10 cupcakes, but I made a double batch and saved the rest for my coffee. :D

Latest smoothies

I was looking for more ways to incorporate natural probiotics. I don't like yogurt.. :/ So I've been making smoothies with Keifer or yogurt almost every morning. The kids actually ask for them almost every day and are sad when I tell them today is not a smoothie making day. I also wanted to use mostly in season fruit. So here it is:

1 apple (cored not peeled) the skin has the majority of nutrients.
2 pears (peeled mostly and cored)
Handful of frozen strawberries
1 banana (optional)
1/2 cup Kefir. or yogurt
1/2 cup liquid (we've been using fresh local apple cider or raw milk)
About 2TBSP flax seed.

Blend and enjoy! If too thick just add more liquid. I just dump, so the liquid amounts are estimates.  :)

How to kick a cold

So our family (all 4) came down with an awful cold. We haven't gotten a cold in 9+ months and Aaron almost never gets colds. It was one tough virus. I knocked us all down quit a bit. :( I went to Lori's at first sight of cold after reading my health Bible. :) Isaiah came down with cold first Thursday and then the rest of us by Friday and Isaiah was better by Saturday and the rest of us were better by Sunday. 

Mercedes has a cough still, but that's just due to the fact the girl can not blow her nose and sucks up her snot continually. So for her she had to get better without getting the gunk out...

One easy and quick change we made was NO sugar and VERY little processed foods.

I have a book called Prescription For Nutritional Healing. I recommend everyone have the book especially if you have children. I got it off Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/Prescription-Nutritional-Healing-Fifth-Edition/dp/1583334009

Here's a list of things I bought according to the book and what I did:

Down 8oz of water with 2tbsp of RAW apple cider vinger (BRAGGS brand) and if you are brave enough a sprinkle of cayenne pepper. (this alone will kick the cold) I do this for 1 to 3 days.

Zinc lozenges- make sure they do not contain citric acid, sorbitol or mannitol, because these inhibit absorption.  I bought NATURE'S PLUS
Herbal Actives ImmunActin Zinc Lozenges http://store.lorisnatural.com/store/product/38069/NP-Immunactin-Zinc-60l/ 

Also these zinc lozenges contain: olive leaf,  elderberr, echinacea &  goldenseal. 

Raw garlic- I added this to our foods, ate it raw and for the kids added it to there bath. (They would not eat raw) :)

Vitamin C- For this I juiced oranges and lemon. If you don't have a juicer you can still hand juice some oranges. 

Vitamin D3- We laid out in the sun for at least an hour everyday.

Stayed active- Staying active is really important. 

Eucalyptus and lavender essential oil- we added this to our baths and showers. I also put the eucalyptus in a dish with cut up raw garlic by our beds. Important to only buy 100% pure oils and they are expensive, but worth it to me. :)

Echinacea tea with raw honey

Good nights sleep- At least 8 hours

We continued to take our multivitamins- Natural vitality liquid (Calm multi for kids) and juice plus vitamins. If you are taking cheap vitamins from the store then stop and go buy quality ones. Cheap vitamins can actually do you more harm than good.

The book also mentions sipping on good organic chicken or turkey broth, olive leaf, elderberry, echinacea &  goldenseal. 

 

The zinc lozeges contain most of the above!! :)

Most of the above was from the book. I was really amazed how fast we got over everything. Seems like a lot of work and money, but it wasn't. Being sick longer would have been more work. 

Next up I will tell you how we got rid of double ear infections and pink eye. We got that back in January. :(

 

Energy peanut butter balls!

Most amazing peanut butter balls

• 1 cup organic (dry) oats   (I use old-fashioned oats)
• 1/2 cup organic coconut flakes (shredded and un-sweetened)
• 1 cup organic peanut butter  
• 1/2 cup organic ground flax seed and/or chai seeds
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips minis   
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon   (optional)
• 1/3 cup local raw honey
• 1 tsp. organic vanilla
• 1/4 cup raisins  (optional)

To make:
Stir all ingredients together in a medium bowl until thoroughly mixed.  Let chill in the refrigerator for half an hour. Once chilled, roll into balls of whatever size you would like.  (Mine were about 1″ in diameter.)  Store in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to 1 week.

I also put nuts and dried fruit in sometimes.

Cops came to the door

So after thee initial shock wore off, I realized just how crazy the whole event was. So I decided to write what the cop must have been thinking verses what really happened.

Cop gets several 911 calls from a young female... He looks into the information they have on the homeowner the calls are coming from. Oh great they have guns... Better get my armor on and get over there fast..

Me: Cedes comes into the room and wakes me up. Baby starts crying.. ugh, I better go get him. I lay back in bed with the kids and try to wake up.

Cop pulls up.. Hmmm, house seems innocent enough. Wait pretty small maybe the wife killed her husband to collect life insurance money.

Me: kids STOP jumping on bed before someone falls of it. We're getting up in 2 mins.

Cop: I better get in there. Where's my gun... Bangs on door. No answer. Bangs again. Still no answer. Oh crap something is definitely wrong. Time to brake down door.

Me: who the heck is knocking at the door that LOUD! Probably the water meter guy, he always knocks LOUD! Well I better check just to make sure. Oh s***! it's the cops! Why in the world is he here. AHHHHH!!! I got to get dressed and quick before he brakes down the door! Oh wait take mouth guard out!!

Cop: Ok, the door is coming down! Oh wait someone's coming. Lady answers. She looks like she's been drinking or drugs and wait what is that blood on her shirt!!

Me: OH man, I can't seem to open my eyes. Oh great I have a huge ketchup stain on my shirt... Looks like blood. He's asking about Cedes falling, wait no, that's a birth mark. Oh good he believed me.

Cop: 2 cute kids she has. Oh just a birth mark. Oh phone is right at child level. Looks at mom who is checking her phone. Sure enough dumb mom leaves phone for kid to call 911. Ok, I'm out of here.

Me: Thank goodness he's leaving... Sit down and calm down. Oh this would be a good FB post.

Thanks for reading. And yes, I wasn't dressed, barely awake, mouth guard wearing and ketchup stained shirt.

Muffins

So after juicing tonight I decided I should  find something to do with all the yummy pulp. So I decided to use the apple, lemon, spinach, carrot and orange pulp to make muffins. I found a recipe online and then altered it a little. If you don't have pulp from juicing you could grate some carrots & apple and throw in some apple sauce too make up for the 4 cups pulp.

So here it is:

Use any combination of fruit pulp you have on hand to make your own muffins. You really can't go wrong!

4 cups of any fruit pulp
1 cup of olive oil (or any kind really)
3 eggs
1 cup of honey
3 cups of whole grain flour
1 tbsp baking soda
1 tsp of nutmeg, cinnamon or spice of choice
1 tsp of vanilla

The next items I mention are completely optional, but completely yummy when added: 

raisins (or any dried fruit)

pecans (or any nut)

Mix the fruit pulp with the honey, eggs, vanilla, oil and mix. Add the dry ingredients. Pour into muffin cups or greased muffin tins. Bake for 40 minutes at 350 degrees.

Working MOM

I want to start off saying this is not meant to condemn, make someone feel inferior or challenge a mom's decision to work outside the home that the Lord told too do so. This blog is my feelings and experience that the Lord has done through my temporary working outside of the home.

So most of you know that my co-worker asked me to come fill in for her while she was in Mexico for 2 months. She asked me about this a year ago and I said yes.

I am working around 20 hours a week. Part time at my old place of employment before having kids. What the Lord has been speaking to me is wonderful. He has changed me, grew me, solidified me and loved me through this time.

First I'll talk about growing me: In this month I have had to change a lot of things, which has been a challenge. God proved to me that I could be a working mom and make it. I definitely thought I couldn't do it. However, it was God who truly has given me the strength to do it and it helps that it's temporary. :0)

Changed me: This time around I feel as I've worked I've done so with my whole heart serving as to the Lord. I feel that this time I have really had the Lord's heart with me as I worked. Working to help and serve others instead of trying to get by with as little effort as possible. I think that's how I worked most of the time before. Not all, but it was my outlook for the majority.

Loved me: The Lord loved me through this time. He has shown himself faithful in so much. I believe it was the Lord that my brother was with us in this season. It made leaving my kids so much easier. :) He has given me a lot more energy and strength for this time. Joe you're the best brother ever and uncle. I am the luckiest sister alive

Finally solidified: In this time he has solidified my desire to be a stay at home mom. This time has shown me that working outside of the home 3 days a week has shifted my focus. Now I am glad the Lord gave me this opportunity, because it came at the perfect time. I wouldn't change my decision at all. What I am saying is that working outside of the home is not what the Lord wants for me or my family permanently. It has become obvious to me that I am unable to serve my husband and my kids in the way God has asked me too and work outside of the home. The Lord has birthed a passion inside of me to take such good care of my family. A passion that he certainly put in me not something I did on my own. I have experienced how slowly my focus has become more about me and my job and less about my family. For this time it's what's necessary, but it's not what the Lord wants for ever to take place in my family. I have had less energy for my husband and kids while working outside of the home. I have less of a desire to cook as healthy. I have had less time to take my kids to fun places. I've had less time to have alone time with the hubby. All this to say I am a better lover to God, my husband and kids when the majority of my time is at home. It's shown me that the desire to be a stay at home mommy is of the Lord. It's shown me that even though being a stay at home mom is harder then working outside of the home it doesn't have to be less rewarding. It doesn't have to feel like a chore. Being a stay at home mom should be the greatest, most enjoyable, most important and most rewarding job I can have. But it takes the Lord to feel all those feelings each day. In my fleshly nature it's easy to only see the difficult, time consuming, constantly draining and selfless job it can be at times. But with the Lord's help I can see the former each and everyday I choose too.

I hope this encourages you, challenges you and inspires you. Thanks for listening. :D

About a book...

So, I'm reading a book and it's really good! My MIL gave it to me. I thought I would share a little of it. It's called "The Way They Learn"-how to discover and teach to your child's strengths. I'm enjoying reading about myself just as much about my kids personalities. Ok, so here's a little in chapter one.

Perception: The way we take in information.

Concrete- This quality lets register information directly through our five senses: sight, smell touch, taste and hearing. When we are using our concrete abilities, we are dealing with what is here and now-the tangible, the obvious. We are not looking for hidden meanings or trying to make relationships between ideas or concepts. The keys phrase simply stated is "It is what it is"

Abstract: This quality allows us to visualize, to conceive ideas, to understand or believe what we can't actually see. When we are using this abstract quality, we are using our intuition, our intellect, our imagination: We are looking beyond what is to the more subtle implications. The key phrase for abstract is "It's not always what it seems."

Although everyone uses both concrete and abstract perceptual abilities every day, each person is more comfortable using one over the other. This becomes his or her dominant ability. 



Now on to ORDERING: The way we use the information we perceive.
Once we've taken the information in, we all use two methods or ordering what we know. Accordering to Gregorc, the two ordering abilities are sequential and random.

SEQUENTIAL: A sequential method of ordering allowing our minds to organize information in a linear step-by-step manner. When using sequential ability, we are following a logical train of thought, a conventional approach to dealing with information. Those who have strong sequential ordering abilities may prefer to have a plan and follow it, rather than relying on impulse. Their key phrase is "Follow the steps"

RANDOM: Random ordering lets our minds organize information by chunks and with no particular sequence. When we are using our random ability, we may often be able to skip steps in a procedure and still produce the desire result. We might even start in the middle or begin at the end and work backwards. Those with a strong random way of ordering information may seem impulsive or more spontaneous. It appears as if they do not have a plan. Their key phrase is "Just get it done"

So everyone you can pick one of the first 2 and then one of the second 2 and that gives you your learning styles. And this is to help you find your child's too.

Here's a little brake down of the 4 different combinations. Look for yours.

Concrete Sequential (CS): Hardworking, conventional, accurate, stable, dependable, consistent, factual and organized.

Abstract Random (AR) sensitive, compassionate, perceptive, imaginative, idealistic, sentimental, spontaneous and flexible.

Abstract Sequential (AS): analytical, objective, knowledgeable, thorough, structured, logical, deliberate and systematic

Concrete Random (CR): quick, intuitive, curious, realistic, creative, innovative, instinctive and adventurous. 

Now that we have all the info to figure us out I want to share a story from the book. The hysterical thing about the story is that this same situation happened to me and the hubby just two weeks ago. I was dying laughing while reading.

I (Kathy am a strong CR) Now onto the story. "One year it was almost Christmas, and my (AR) sister Sandee, one of her small children, and I were Christmas shopping in a department store. When we got to the escalator with the stroller, Sandee noticed a sign that said, "no strollers allowed on the escalator." While she was reading the sign, I was busy loading the stroller onto the moving stairway. Sandee was horrified. "The sign says no strollers on escalator!" she cried. I looked at her. "Oh are the stroller police going to get us?" I asked sarcastically. " Sandee, this sign is for people who don't know how safely put  a stroller on an escalator. "Since I do know it doesn't apply to me." For me it was simply a guide line.

OK, this exact story happened to us 2 weeks ago. Because I had both husband and brother who are rule keepers they won and we took the elevator. But I tell you I didn't like it. LOL. Everything about (CR) seems to fit me and my daughter for that matter. I with out a doubt understand this everyday. We both are strong willed and butt heads a lot. HA! Sure does make an interesting family unit here. :)


Please read, laugh and post what you are. Thanks!  :D