Keeping little hands busy

I've mentioned before that we're cutting down on watching TV. But as we walk this out there are certain struggles that have come up. One of these is keeping my girls busy! Because they are used to watching tv they tend to come to me saying "momma I'm bored". You'd think at 4 and 2 they wouldn't even know to say that! But sure enough after awhile it seems we run out of things to do and then the tv comes on.

What I've started doing is keeping an arsenal of shows that are approved, but that I know they won't just sit and watch. That way even though the tv is on they'll still be playing or even maybe trying to do what they see. One GREAT show for this purpose are the Homestead Blessings DVDs. There are a bunch in the collection and each video teaches different homesteading skills. The women in the videos are a mother and her three daughters. They are all modestly dressed and are a great example for showing that modesty doesn't have to ever be compromised, even with farm chores. (to find out where to purchase these and other dvds see this post)

Here is a sample video:

And here's a whole video:

Another thing that I'm starting to realize I MUST do is, include them more. I grew up with children being shewed out of the kitchen, so this is totally different than what I'm used to. But having my girls in the kitchen will keep them busy, while also training them for the future. So I've decided to take on certain projects to not only include them but also encourage learning a skill.

This week we made some raspberry jam and baked bread! For the jam I just took a bag of frozen berries cooked them down and added some sugar. That is my normal method mostly because we eat it right away. If I was canning them I'd use pectin. I let my 4 year old pour the berries and stir everything up.

The bread we baked is a quick bread recipe, because telling my girlies they have to wait 2 hours for the dough to rise just didn't seem like it would be a good idea lol. We bake bread weekly for Shabbat so they are pretty familiar with the process, but this time I let them help with everything not just the shaping.

showing all the ingredients



watching the yeast work

kneading the dough

getting to enjoy the fruit of their labor

The recipe (this makes 3 or 4 loaves):
2 1/2 cups warm water
6 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp oil
3 tbsp yeast
6 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp salt

Pre-heat oven to 400*. Mix the oil, sugar, water, and yeast then let sit for 5 minutes. Add the flour, salt, and baking soda. Mix, knead (about 5-10 minutes), and shape. Bake for about 30-40 minutes. Enjoy!

...with quietness they work, and eat their own bread... -2 Thesalonians 3:12

Linking up with Eco Kids Tuesday

Home Remedies

I don't normally talk about these kinds of things, but this was too good not to share! The other night I was up late (or early depending on how you look at it) with a sick 2 year old. She was coughing, struggling to breath, and just all around uncomfortable. I had given her some cough medicine earlier but it just wasn't helping her. So I prayed about it and then decided to google some natural remedies. I stumbled across some information about making a syrup out of thyme and honey. Being desperate, and tired, I figured it couldn't hurt. 

It worked like a charm! She was back to her normal self after just taking it once! I've been giving her a tablespoom full every few hours since and her cold is pretty much cleared up. She does have a bit of a cough still but she is no where near as bad as she was. My 4 year old was also starting to come down with something, so I gave her some and she is fine now. 

With all that, how could I not share it with ya'll?? So here you go, the super simple recipe with pictures. Oh, and for this batch I added some lime for an added kick. 

Boil 3 tablespoons of dried thyme leaves, for 20 minutes

Strain out the leaves. I just used a coffee filter
but if you have a tea strainer that should work. 

Add 1/2 cup of honey.

Add the juice of one lime, and stir. 

Then pour into a container and store in the fridge.

 Once cooled take 1 tablespoon every 3-4 hours for kids*, 2 tablespoons for kids 6 to 12, and 3 tablespoons for adults.**



* DO NOT give to a child under 1 year old!
** I am not a doctor and these are just my suggested dosages, please use your discretion when taking or giving to someone else.


...and the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for medicine. -Ezekiel 47:12

Slow Cooker Wednesday

I'm so excited!!! While my family and I were away, in North Carolina, my aunt gave me a crock-pot and a hand-mixer that has bread hook attachments! Now I already had a Crock-Pot but this one is a much newer version and getting it resparked my interest in making easy slow cooked meals. So I've decided to start a series called Slow Cooker Wednesdays! I picked Wednesday because it's our church's prayer and bible study meeting night and I could use the extra time that using the slow cooker will allow.

Soooooo tonight's dinner is slow cooked lasagna, fresh baked bread, and corn! YUM!

For the lasagna you'll need: half a package of frozen spinach thawed and drained, 1 container ricotta cheese, 1 box lasagna noodles, 1 can pasta sauce, 1 bag (2 cups) mozzarella cheese.

I mixed the spinach with ricotta cheese to use as a filling. Then I put down some sauce in the bottom of the Crock-Pot, followed by lasagna noodles broken to fit. Then I put some of the spinach ricotta mixture followed by a layer of shredded cheese. Then I just kept repeating that process until the Crock-Pot was full. then I just covered it and set it to high. I left it on high for about an hour and then switched it to low. It's not ready to eat yet but here's what it looks like so far:

For my bread I'm following this recipe:

I'm linking up with:

This and That....

So I've been away a bit this week. Not that I have a lot going on, but, I've been taking care of my hubby whose been having a terrible tooth ache, and my little ones needed attention too! But I didn't want to let the whole week go by with out posting and I have a few things I wanted to share. First I won this BEAUTIFUL Extra Wide Headband head covering from Lexie's blog In Him I Trust. It's from the Sowers of Hope Boutique.  I love it! (Thanks Lexie!)

Next, I would be a TERRIBLE friend if I didn't tell you all about this microwave cake! It took about five minutes to put it together and bake it! Talk about a quick desert anytime! 

• large coffee mug
• 4 tablespoons plain flour (do not use self-rising)
• 4 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons baking cocoa
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 egg (We don't eat eggs so I used vinegar)
• 3 tablespoons milkshopping list
• 3 tablespoons oil
• Small splash of vanilla
• ---------------
• • Add dry ingredients to mug, & mix well .
  • Add egg & mix thoroughly.
  • Pour in the milk and oil and mix well.
  • Add vanilla, mix again.
  • Set mug in the microwave & cook for 2½ to 3 min at 1,000 watts.
  • Cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed!
  • Some report that 2½ minutes works best. It depends upon your microwave. So, watch carefully to not over do it!
  • Remove from microwave.
  • Allow cake to cool a little, then tip out onto a plate, if desired.
  
  
  Last but not least is this delicious fruit salad I made for Shabbat. I just figured apples and kiwis would taste good together. But I had not idea it would be THIS good. I took 4 kiwis and 2 green granny smith apples cut them into bite sized pieces and mixed with fresh lime juice from a whole lime to preserve the apples color. Everyone was very well pleased. 

I pray that you all have been having a great week and are looking forward to a beautiful Sabbath. 

Shalom!