Another has stolen my heart...

I have found a new love.....

It's name is....Pintrest!!!!

I have not thought much of Pintrest for a long time, but recently a friend showed me how to use it properly and explained exactly what it was for, and I am in love!!

I have an organisational board, for all those fab ideas on structure, pretty tidying ideas and the like, a Girly stuff board, with all the beautiful hairstyles, clothes and shoes that I like, and a Disney board, where I have just pinned all of my favourite pics of mostly disney princesses, to be honest!!!! 

It has made me realise and hone in on what I like, what appeals to me, and as I stand back and look at it all, I most definitely see myself more clearly, and that is something that I have always struggled with: what is really me and what has been influenced by others. 

So I find that I love feminine, pretty things, floaty dresses, long, long hair, tea cups and saucers, aprons, Homestead skills, the pioneer life (with a few modern comforts!) and of course, I have a sneaking feeling I am actually a Disney Princess living in the happy ever after section of real life!

Ariel, with 4 children!

I make no apologies anymore for who and what I am. 

I have been made this way by my gracious God and I am slowly learning to love who I am. 

All from a little board site!!

Who says the internet is all bad.....?

Mixed Blessings

Today has been a day of mixed blessings on the homemaking front.

I have been trying, over the last few days, to soak and dry some mixed seeds I have. 
I soaked them overnight in a salt mixture, and rinsed thoroughly, then set in my oven to dry them.

2 days later, and they are still not dry and they were frankly starting to smell!!

They also had a slimy coating on them!!

Yuck!!!

I hate wasting food, but they had to go.

Ok, move on, I thought. I had soaked some oats to make some oatmeal cookies that would be nourishing, so I made them, put them in the oven, and...... I ended up with a flapjack-looking goo!! It tastes scrummy, but cookies, it ain't! 

At this point, I felt a little deflated, I have to admit!

But....

I have been meaning to give Ghee a try for so long, to cook with, and found a great home tutorial here, so, I sucked in a deep breath and plunged in!!

Success!!!!



My beautiful golden jar!! Ahhhh....

I was beginning to feel a little disheartened, what with the fermenting failure last week, but this little jar of sunshine has lifted my spirits once more. 

It makes me want to try again. 

"Failure is not falling down, it's staying down"- Mary Pickford.

Great quote. 

Now to live it. :)

Burnt hand sos

Had a little mishap yesterday with my magic elixir!

After simmering my chicken broth, with a whole chicken, (as I planned to use the meat in sandwiches) I went to sieve the broth, as you do.

Only, the chicken seemed to want revenge for boiling him whole, and decided to jump from pan to sieve, making a huge splash as he went!!

I managed to stop it burning my front, as it splashed all down me, but my poor hand took the brunt!!!

I Slathered it in butter, as it was all that was filtering through my mind in the way of natural treatments, but it was still very painful. 

Once that had melted, I tried coconut oil. This was good. It took the sting right out, and it smelled lovely, (so that made me smile. A little. It really hurt!)

It was this point where I praised God for home schooled children, because Haribo was on hand to help me change into my pjs out of my soaked skirt. I told him this is the circle of life. I dressed you for years, now it's time to help your mama when she can't do it herself!!

I still love my stock, but I have a feeling a full hazmat suit may be required next time!!!

If at First You don't Succeed...

So You know I tried to go no 'poo for a while last year?

Yeah, the time I failed miserably? 

Well, after seeing Red from Red and Honey issuing a 1  month no 'poo challenge, I was inspired to try again!! 

It has been irritating me (and my scalp) to be using shampoo again, and, although I love the smell of some commercial shampoos, I hate the thought of what I am doing to my body. I am convinced that if I can make a few transitions in my personal care routine, I will see a huge change in my hormonal reactions! 

Some of these changes include going back to my homemade natural deodorant, changing to cloth mama pads, and.... yep, you guessed it, trying no 'poo again.

The last time I tried it, it took me about 4 weeks to realize that my hard water was not helping the issue. In fact, it was making everything very much worse!! the gunk was driving me up the wall, to the point where I HAD to wash it with shampoo. 

This time, though, I am prepared, and have done a ton of research on the interweb, and I have some more trouble shooting ideas to help me persist this time! (I hope!)

So today is day one. I have boiled up my water, washed with Baking Soda and rinsed with Vinegar, had the slick feeling (this is apparently vital) and even done a little oil treatment, and I feel very clean! (my hair was a grease bucket after 4 days no washing!)

We shall see how we go....

Homemaker's Binder

I was updating my homemaker's binder last week, after seeing some inspiration on another blogger's site, and I though I would share with you what I have been up to. 

I was never the sort of woman who would have needed a binder, I just wasn't that organized, and my family scoffed at me when I first made it up. We all use it now,however, and especially for me, it has become a source of great joy and comfort. 

"What is she talking about?" you may be asking.

This is what I am talking about: my Homemakers Binder :)

Not the flashiest thing in the world, but full of a wealth of information about our family. 

I just grabbed the nearest binder I had, and put it together with stuff I had, or downloaded, but I updated it this week to include a few extras.






I start with my Chore chart. I love this from The Confident Mom, i just need some pointers, so I go for the full version, although she also does a blank version, for the Super efficient among us!! (NOT ME) 

This is printed and stored in my binder, and week by week it comes out and is stuck to the fridge. What I like about this is there are clear jobs to do each day, and the kids can come independently and choose a job to do, tick it off, and we are done!









Next, is my new addition of a birthdays page. I am SOOOO bad at remembering birthdays, I have them on my phone, on my main calendar, but I felt I needed a central place where I could see all the birthdays in the month in one place, so I printed this great template from Fun With Mama
and the main birthdays and anniversaries are on here.
(It's also cute, and I love it!)







I have also included a Holiday Gift Tracker, from iheart organizing, which I used for the first time this year, and it worked great! 
All of our Christmas gifts were in one place, and I could keep track on just how much I was spending.(would be great for those with large extended families to buy for.)




Next comes my spare meal planner sheets, which I got from The Project girl. I really find that now we have started to use this, we can't function without it now!
lovely lay out too, with room for notes on soaking and prep, and again, goes on the fridge for all to see, so when I get the usual cry from 4 children, "what's for tea mum?" I can tell them to go and look on the fridge and it will tell them. 
Happy mummy!!







I also added a utilities main page, with account numbers, emergency phone numbers and renewal dates. This has been added, because I have found that, as we do most of our account management online, if the internet goes down, as it has recently, I have no idea what the phone numbers are, nor my account numbers, so one main page is a huge benefit, and DH has already used it!! This is the one we use.

I then have all of my recipes organized into breakfasts, lunches, dinners, soup, dessert, etc. 

So that is what's in mine, but you can make it personal to you, with an Emergency Telephone List, a To Do List, a Monthly cleaning list, a Gardening template or anything else that you feel fits your family.

I love my binder, and all the family know where the main things are. In the binder, in the kitchen, next to the coffee pot!



                  

Thoughts and feelings

Another week, another way to feel inferior, it seems.

I love looking through other blogs, and I sign up to a lot of great sites on Facebook all about nourishing food, Greener living and Homestead/sustainable living.

I have dreams. 

I have plans.

I have doubts. Doubts about my ability vs. my desire, about my gifts, about whether I can do the things I want to do in life.

Will God bless me with the house I would love when I am rubbish at keeping my present house clean?

Can I look after chickens, when I struggle to find time to walk my dogs every day?

Can I grind flour, soak recipes, grow food, bake bread, teach kids, and bring up more babies, if the Lord so blesses us, all every day, day after day?

In short, AM I EXPECTING TOO MUCH!!???

I read a great post this week, about not crying about what you sign up for. Very inspiring, and I DID sign up for this. I signed up for homeschooling 4 children. I begged my husband to let me cook from scratch and to try to eliminate more of the processed foods from our lives. I also begged him for another puppy, because one wasn't enough!!

I love my life, I really do. I love the life we have chosen. I love spending time with my kids, and I love feeding them nourishing food, lovingly prepared. 

If I want to follow my dreams, can I?

Can I do all these things? Can I learn? Or can I just be patient and wait until Abba Father moves and equips me with the skills I need to do the things HE asks, not what I want. 

Right now, I'm not feeling very patient. But that doesn't mean I can't be. With a little Help from my Father....

Slowly slowly fill the pantry..

Do you ever get an urge to clear out and start again?

This is how I get every few months. I get slack with things and then need a jump start.

At the moment it's my kitchen appliances.

I REALLY need would like a stand mixer at the moment. I have a small hand mixer, but a lot of the recipes I would like to make more often are made a lot easier by having one. 

So I do my usual, I begin researching, and trawling Amazon and Ebay to find just the one I want. 

I have no means to buy one yet, that's the problem.

I have a list on my refrigerator of all the things that I would slowly like to add or replace in my kitchen, and it's just not happening quickly enough for me!

My list includes (but is not limited to...)

• The aforementioned Stand Mixer
• A Grain Mill
• A Dehydrator
• A Slow cooker
• 2 more Cast Iron Frying Pans
• A Pizza Stone
• and a new collander!

I know it's a small thing, and I know that Jesus is teaching me patience at the moment, but today, I am not being a very good student. 

I am very blessed to have a working kitchen, I know this, and I know I need to wait and add slowly, I'm just feeling impatient today.

Is there anything that you are waiting somewhat patiently for? 

Wait with me, and we can wait in joy together. 

From tomorrow morning.......

Come on brain, Get in Gear!

If you don't use it, you lose it.

I have found that to be a very true statement. As I sit, trying to remember how to edit movie footage, I find it to be even more true!!!

My brain knows this information, but I am struggling to drag it from the deep recesses of my mind, in order to get some footage ready for our church Harvest supper on Saturday.

It takes me back to when I was at college, getting my projects ready, fighting through hrs of images and video clips to put to my music compositions. I love it, and I loved learning how to create something that others could enjoy. 

This is how I see singing and songwriting. It has taken a long time for me to be able to say that, as I have always worried and felt that songwriting is too personal to share with anyone else. 

I have been songwriting since college, but since meeting the Lord, He has been giving me lyrics, and so many of my songs are borne out of my worship, about what I want to say to my Savior! 

I have been very lucky really, when we consider my opening statement, that my voice stays in pretty good condition, even when I haven't used it properly in a while. That doesn't mean, though, that I have the right to get lax with it, and of late, I have a little. 

I feel prompted, with the difficulties I have had editing, to get my brain and my butt in gear, and start vocal training on a regular basis again.

Next door neighbors, I'm sorry in advance.......

It's ALIVE!!!!!!

I'm very impressed!!

I've been making a Ginger bug for my fermented Ginger Beer and I think it's now ready!!!

I found the recipe Here and have been trying it out, having never tried fermenting before.

It looked like slush for days, but the recipe says that it is ready when it starts to bubble as you stir it.

It's BUBBLY!!!! 

I'm really looking forward to making this, as it is a healthy, probiotic soda, and I do have to say, I get a little bored of drinking just water.....

So another week of fermenting in the bottles, and we will be ready to taste.

I will let you know how it all goes....

True Worship

I am so glad that Jesus takes us through seasons and doesn't dump everything on you at once....

He has been taking me back to what worship is about. I have sung since i was 13 yrs old, and spent a long time working in the pubs and clubs in Northern England, notoriously some of the hardest crowds in the world. When I met Christ, I thought this would just translate to my calling in Him. 

Not so!!!!!

I love to sing, and I do believe I am called to lead God's church in worship, but my heart has had to be made right first. 

My biggest problem is pride. As a performer, I have always defined myself by my voice and my ability to sing. Everyone around me has always done the same. This doesn't wash with God. 

I am not accepted by him because of what I do, I'm accepted by Him because he loves me. Because he chose me before the foundation of time. 

I have had to be stripped of everything that I got my strength from, so that my strength comes from the Lord. I have had to learn AGAIN what true worship is, that it is not a performance on a stage, it is not to be done Just on a Sunday morning, but should be WHO WE ARE!!!! we should have an attitude of Worship, thanking the Lord at all times, working as unto the Lord, whether it is in church, or doing the dishes, or putting the 13 load of laundry on that day, or driving to work, or helping your neighbour with their groceries. 

All things done to the Lord are tiny acts of worship. It tells Him and the world that Jesus is Lord and THE Lord of your life. 

THAT is true worship, my friends, not singing a few songs on Sunday morning..... 

Thank you for that lesson again, Abba...

My week got better

So I have been home schooling all 4 children for 1 full week and they are still alive and breathing!!!!! (you laugh, it was a close one!)

Actually, despite the stresses and strains of settling back into the school routine, the loss of our local weekly Home Ed group, and teaching a very particular boy the ropes, we have had a good week.

Learning how to teach a new child is hard. All my babies learn differently, and obviously have different needs, and Little bud in particular has very specific strengths and weaknesses, so it has been an eye-opening week. 

I know we can do this, despite my near atomic breakdown yesterday, sobbing to Jesus that I can't do it, that I'm not patient enough, and  all the 'not enough's' I could come up with. The scripture that got me off my sopping wet pillow was "i can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me" Phil. 4:13 

When Abba asked me to home school our children, He gave me the scripture 2 Corinthians 12:9, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness" 

It is this that I cling to now, when I feel overwhelmed. My Father told me to do this, and he would strengthen me. I trust in Him and Him alone. I have to, or every day would be spent sobbing on my pillow!!

I am a new creation, and my Abba loves me, and believes in me. 

That's all I need. 

And some coffee......

How hard can it be....?

Famous last words, eh! 

Why do I do it to myself???

If you have seen my weekend recommendations this week, you will have seen that I have been finding out about the effects of sugar on the body. 

You see, I have very soft teeth, bones and nails. I was reading a lot on the KOTH website about why soaking your grains is so important, and found that it can leech calcium and other essential nutrients from your body. 

This got me wondering......

Could this be my problem? I got to reading, through other sites, about sugar. Sugar doesn't rot ones teeth in the way we think it does. The way the body deals with too much sugar is to do very much the same thing as the un-soaked grains do. It leeches nutrients out of the bones and teeth.

Now anyone who knows me, knows that I have the BIGGEST sweet tooth EVER!!!! 

Not only has this lead to weight problems my entire life, but I am now starting to think this may be some of the reason my teeth break so very easily, despite my best oral hygiene efforts.

So....... I have tried to cut out sugar from my diet.

Yes, you heard me right, I am cutting out sugar. I had managed no sugar for 1 full week until I succumbed to a chocolate biscuit on Sunday at church, and after a very stressful day today, I have caved again and had a lolly after dinner, but I feel that is not too bad, considering I usually have something sugary sweet at every meal!!!

I have suffered a few headaches, but overall, I feel fine.

I have included fruit in my non sugar diet, as the natural sugars are dealt with slightly differently than commercial sugars, and I need the vitamins from the fruit too.

Today, as I said though, has been particularly stressful in a couple of ways, and tonight, even though I know it will only be a false high, and I will crash later, I have indulged. 
And I already feel a little ill. 

Habits are so hard to change. Anyone else struggled with sugar cravings?

Recommendations from this week...

Ahhhhh, a weekend's rest!

Saturday has always been the day that I try to do very little, as Sunday is a busy day for us, but recently, Hubby has been working extra shifts and our boys go to Kickboxing lessons on a Saturday afternoon.

As we have been without a car for a while now, this means a bus trip and a two hr class for us to sit in on. 

Daddy usually takes the boys, but with his shifts, it's been Mama's turn. So no day off.

However, a cancelled lesson means a day to relax, so here are a few of the websites and blogs I have been interested in this week.

Links

Is your vision of your personality too narrow? @youngwife'sguide (this is me!!)

10 Things you didn't know about sugar post on thehuffingtonpost.com  (currently on day 3 without sugar, feeling a little off, but I'm the girl who passes up on dinner to eat pudding, so I shouldn't expect any less really!)

Week 15 of 52 ways for more Serenity in life and home @Domesticserenity

Ferments @realfoodlover (trying the ginger beer ferment as we speak)

Enjoy!

Balance: the whys and wherefores

It never takes much for me to get out of balance.

I am an extremely faddy person. I get fixated on things and they become all i think about. then I want to try things myself, and praise God I have an accommodating husband!

I go mad and then..... 3 weeks later I'm done. 

This happened with simple, green, clean living. 

I saw some blogs, read some research and that was it, I was away. 

I wanted to change everything at once, because when you know this stuff, you cant un-know it, can you!?

Well, you guessed it, a lot of my "simple living" ideas went out the window very quickly. 

Then I felt guilt for not doing it! 

The things we put ourselves through, eh! 

So I've been praying, and I feel we have come to a place where I need to start taking a more relaxed approach. 
A great tip I saw on another blog was work out what matters to YOU, not what you have seen others do. 

It is important to us to homeschool our children. It is important to us to eat nourishing real food, but sometimes we like to eat takeout, and once in a while, that's fine too. It's important to us to limit the amount of chemicals in our house, and I want to reduce my sugar intake. but most of all, it's important to us to model a life with Jesus to our children, by living a life with Jesus in front of our children, mistakes and all. 

So, I share with my kids what God is doing in my life, they see the changes that are taking place in me and DH, and we encourage them in their own walks.

THAT'S important to me.

NOT all the other stuff. Praise You God, for showing this stubborn woman a different way.

Different.......but not

The first day as Little Bud Gee........ and he has been a little toe-rag!!!!

You know how it is, right? Temper, tiredness, and rules! Not always a good mix.

Anyway....

We were visiting with some friends today and on the way there (a very long walk) we got to talking. My 11 yr old, Smudge, was saying how much his feet were hurting. This turned into a full blown conversation on how amazing our bodies are and how God made us.

I love that we get to bring God into our every day life, and it made me realize that even though I sometimes doubt, I am making a difference. I am making a difference right where I am, to 4 future grown ups, who will go on to influence their worlds. 

Being a mama is the best job in the world. 

Please Jesus, help me get it right......

Breathe through it....

I knew it would end like this!

I have been fighting with my sewing machine for a good 2 hrs today!

I agreed to alter a skirt for a friend, and I haven't used a sewing machine for years, but I thought it's like riding a bike, you never forget....

Cue 2 hrs of repeatedly trying to get the needle to pick up thread!! 

I have been working with the Lord recently about having and keeping my peace in all situations. So, of course, I need to go through some situations where I have cause to lose my peace!

I'm keeping calm with the children for the most part, so today, it's the sewing machine. 

Actually, I prayed through the whole thing, and when I knew I was about to get cross, I walked away and decided to do it by hand.

It took a little longer, but it saved my patio door, and my peace.

Looks like Abba is helping me in more ways than one at the moment!

Summer reading

I am an avid reader, and that is mainly due to my mama's influence. I can devour a book in a day, if I get the chance, and have often got into trouble by staying up all night to get a brilliant book finished, just because I couldn't put it down. 

So I thought I would share what I have been reading over the lazy days of summer.

I have been reading a lot of Francine Rivers' books lately and still my favorite has to be Redeeming Love, a fictional story based on the book of Hosea. I have read this book at least 5 times and will always go back to it. I love the way Rivers deals with tough subjects without glorifying them, or using titillating language. I have always found her so easy to read and well paced, giving good description, but not laboring the point.
I also love her 'The Mark of the Lion' series, a trilogy about a Roman family in the first century AD and the effect of a small Jewish slave girl on their lives. This literally slays me every time, I find myself asking the same questions as the heroine, "Am I doing enough?"

I've also been re-reading 'The Shack' by Wm. Paul Young. 
Now this book has been the focus of some very heated debate, but I have got SO much out of this book and would urge everyone to at least give it a chance. Dealing with the age old question, "can God be good and allow evil?", this book is thought provoking and always speaks straight to my spirit.

So those are the books that have drawn, changed, entertained and spoken deeply to me this summer. How about you?

School time approaches...

School thoughts are now creeping in to summer.....

Ordering supplies, organizing curriculum, cleaning the room/chairs/table down.

Boo is asking me every day why on earth we are starting to think about school with 3 weeks left before we start back! I keep telling her, this is what mamas have to do! They have to think ahead and get organized. Otherwise the curriculum wouldn't be here on time. There would be no pencils when you reach for one. 

The other thing she doesn't realize is that I am the sort of mama who, if I don't do it now, as I think about it, I will forget and it won't get done at all!

I am a list mama. I need to write it down and have a plan. I absolutely don't always get everything done, but at least it's on the list. 

We have a family calendar with 6 columns on and I always, ALWAYS tell the children and my dear husband that if it's not on the calendar, we are not doing it. If you make an appointment, it goes on the calendar, even if it's just a coffee. DH's work shifts are all on there for the year, all birthdays, all kids activities, everything. 

I need it writing down, to make sure it doesn't get forgotten. That way, I don't get double booked and have to let people down, (which I hate) and I am not late (which I hate more!) 

That's how I have figured I work best (after years of frustration and trial and error) and like I said, that doesn't mean mistakes don't happen, or everything gets done (my kitchen floor is being ignored at the moment) but those are few and far between now. 

How do you manage your house? Are you a list-er, or are you a little more carefree?
Leave a comment below, I'd love to hear from you.

Fear of others...

I have a little dilemma.

We, as a family, have made a decision that I fear is going to be disapproved of, and I am beginning to be fearful of the repercussions of this decision. 

Don't get me wrong, it is absolutely the right decision, and we are pleased with the choice, but I have always been a people pleaser, and hate when people I respect disapprove. 

I am really trying to work with my Father to please Him, and not others, but it is still hard. 

The people that may disapprove are not really that important, they will not be around for very much longer, and I know I am being foolish.

I have to give myself a good talking to, and the word says to bring every thought captive to Jesus (2 Cor 10:5) so I know I just need to pray when I feel fear. Perfect Love casts out fear, so only Jesus can help me. 

DO you suffer from pleasing people? 
How have you cracked it?

Static movement

Can one move forward while standing still?

I have been pondering this question for a long time now. 

Let me explain...

Before I met my Savior, I was a singer. I still am, but my definition of myself was Kim the singer. It's what I did, but it was also very much who I was. It gave me my worth. If I didn't sing, I was nothing. I have been accepted, loved and defined by it my entire life. My mum loved that I was a singer. My whole identity was wrapped up in it.

Then I met Jesus.

From that point on, I was to be defined by what HE says I am. So In His mercy and wisdom, He has stripped me, over the last 6 years of any public singing at all. This coincided with the change of priorities from singing, and my career, to where it rightfully should be, my family. 
I was raised by a very independent, strong female, who always encouraged me to work, to drive, to go after what I wanted. 

Except I'm not a driven person. I'm not someone who has the desire to be that kind of successful. As my mother doesn't know Jesus, she doesn't understand this. So I felt like I was just.....wrong. I wasn't, am not, what my mum is. I'm different. I love my mother, she has been such a support to me through out my life, I'm just different. 

So, day to day life has changed so much for me and at one point a few weeks ago,I felt like I was standing still. We have been waiting for the Adoption of Little Bud to come through, there have been some relationship changes recently that have happened despite my best efforts, we have lost the car, so have limited mobility, and I said to my good friend, I have felt like I am standing in the middle of a storm and everything I know is flying around me, with me stood still in the middle!!!

But I have come to realise, that although I feel like I haven't prayed enough, that I haven't leaned enough on the Lord and probably... well, definitely have tried to deal with things in my own strength too much, I have grown.

I hear my Lord speak clearly, even when I haven't sat with Him in a week. I see His hand in my life, even when I don't understand it. I have had to come to the decision that He knows best and He knows me best. I don't get me sometimes. I'm with the Apostle Paul, when he says "the good that I will to do, I do not do, but the evil I will not to do, that I practice!!!!" Romans 7:19

But I'm also with him when he says "who can save me? I thank God - through Jesus Christ. 
He is the savior, not me. I will trust in him. 

So can you move forward while standing still? Yeah, I'm pretty sure you can, with Jesus.