Problem Solved

So we have been with out an oven for several months now....I do have an oven but there is a part that we need to get it fixed. We've ordered several parts that we thought were the right one but they weren't so I still am without an oven to bake anything...ho-hum!

One of our favorite treats is cookies...and I love to make them! Our favorite cookie has craisins and white chocolate chips in the mix and boy have we been missing them.

I came up with a solution to our cookie woes...I've been making no-bake cookies and decided that adding a few ingredients would make them similar to the ones we love...they were not exactly the same but good enough to pass the "no cookie left" test!

Here's the recipe if you ever find yourself without an oven or in a hurry....

No Bake Cookies...with added ingredients

2 cups sugar(we use turbinado)

1/2 cup butter(use real butter)

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup peanut butter

*Cook above ingredients to boil for one minute.

*Add following:

5 TBLS cocoa powder

3 cups oats or wheat flakes

1 cup chopped nuts(we have used almonds or pecans and like pecans the best)

1 cup craisins or raisins

*Stir until consistency is drop-able from a teaspoon

*Add 1 cup white chocolate chips...these will melt so if they are from the freezer they will not melt as much

Drop by teaspoon fulls onto wax paper and cool. Store in airtight container! Enjoy with milk, tea or coffee...

Thanks for stopping by...ta-ta

Garden Update....

Thought that a garden update would be fun for all of you!~

Aren't these humming birds daring...I was so close to them...And my son was even closer! Don't you just love the sound they make?

I looked up from my spot in the garden, I was "thinning the carrots" out and I laughed so much as our little guy had finally discovered the power of a hose...he had so much fun soaking big brother!

No, the carrots are not covered in dirt...they are actually purple carrots! We really like this kind as they are very sweet!

Thanks for stopping by...if you garden then I wish you happy gardening - if you don't then I wish you a happy "farmers market" shopping day!

P.S....the cow picture was taken with Shaina in mind...smile!

Exfoliate...Exfoliate...Exfoliate...

Before I dive into my post for the day I want to send a special message to a really special family whose school year began today....It is our deepest prayer that your lives would be enriched during the school year, that our Lord would give you wisdom and help you to accomplish what is expected of you during this school year, that you would see the Lord's hand in everything you learn. May you just be so blessed this school year...our hats are off to you excellent students and excellent teacher! http://mylifeonataffypull.blogspot.com Click on the link to meet these outstanding students...you will be so inspired and maybe you who do not home school will be encouraged to look into home schooling!

Okay, so times are tough on all of us these days...some tougher financially than others. I was talking with our neighbor and she told me to use used coffee grounds as an exfoliate!!!! I thought she was a bit nutty...but as usual I love the weird and unusual things of life and tried it - it worked like a charm. I began to think huh if it works on my face that well what wonderful things could it do for the rest of me? As most of you know we garden long hours and I have grown to love gardening barefoot...however the dirt doesn't like to leave my feet, but rather gets embedded in my toes and skin...so I tried the coffee grounds and low and behold I had clean feet again...hurrah!

Another use for coffee grounds is scrubbing the pans that you left on the stove all night because you thought you had cleaned everything...and were to tired to really investigate if you had or not...or truth be told discovered it after dishes were done and you had some tea and just wanted to read and thought "oh, bother I'll get it tomorrow". Yes, and by tomorrow morning the food you cooked had become one with the pan. But the coffee grounds did a great job (I really do not like sponges...I used to but became enlightened by a dear friend)...

Don't drink coffee...no problem places like Starbucks and Tully's Coffee who are really big on "green things" and "recycle" will give you their old coffee ground neatly packaged in a "garden compost" bag...

Happy Exfoliating...stay smooth!

Oh, What To Do...What To Do...

Oh, What to do on a hundred degree day? Can't very well stay in our little, sweltering hot, non-air conditioned(miss that so much), box so here is what we did today....

We started the day with family worship and reading the Word....then my dear husband took us out for lunch so I wouldn't have to fix lunch in the hot box....I was so thankful at his thoughtfulness!

I took the picture of the hay bales to show you all what I see every time we go to town...isn't it delightful! I really do love living in the country...just wish our living conditions were "normal"...

We then headed off to a more secluded part of the lake we live near, knowing that our regular spot would be packed and might be hard to keep track of all the children. Just look at the fun we had...it was a great day ending in a fun camp-out for the children!


This made everyone laugh...here little man is working hard on his "shelter"...those of you that know us will understand the "laugh" as we are big on survival and shelter....apparently our littlest has been listening to our conversations in his three years of life...

These huge drift woods made marvelous boats - who needs Walmart for floaters when the Lord provides.

Little man is helping with our neighbors horses...what fun for a youngster his age!

Nightie-night all!!!!!

Great Accompishment..Great Garden..Great Fun

Here is our little man learning the fine art of making chocolate milk....just look at that "I did it" grin! He made chocolate milk for his sister and brother and was so happy to deliver it to them..what a Great Accomplishment!

Enjoying the goodness of fresh chocolate milk...by the way the milk used was less than two hours old...mmmmm nothing beats fresh from the cow milk!

One of the blessings of my husband gardening as much as he does...our daughter has made her very own garden. It's growing wonderfully and she tends it just like her father does...with much care and attention to detail! She is growing beans, melon, tomatoes, peppers, peas, flowers and strawberries...It's a Great Garden!

This is our swimming hole for the summer. It's wonderful and seems to be a "secret"...as it is usually not crowded.

It's really fun when the speed boats whizz by and give us fun waves to splash in...it is a great place to have some much needed great fun!

One thing we, the parents, really like is that we can sit in one spot and see the swimming area and the playground...just with a turn of the head...nice!

A Day In The Life Of Us...

For almost eleven years now we have had some sort of garden. This year our garden is so big that its overwhelming to me. Its pert near an acre of garden...weeds...watering...sun...dirt....and I have been complaining a lot.....we garden most of our days here and the garden isn't just a quick hobby - we all spend several hours pulling weeds and watering - it usually takes us four hours to water only half of the garden....thus I've been really fussing over how much we must spend in this tremendous garden....I have seen my children start to complain and grumble at the garden and realized that I must stop...especially as God's word clearly compares complaining and grumbling to that of practicing witch craft...oh, joy!

So instead of complaining I will list some reasons I love to garden...we are together as a family, we are teaching our children how to grow a garden, we are teaching our children how to work hard, I have a tan, we ate our first pea harvest last night, we will have more than enough produce to share, sell and can...there is my list and here are some pictures for you to enjoy!

Yep, I garden barefoot, shorts and a tank-top....and I get covered in the fine...dusty dirt!

Well, I'm off to go help in the garden...have a wonderful day filled with no complaints! Oh, and if you are wondering we have...carrots, beets, cucumbers, peas, four different kinds of potatoes, tomatoes, squash, melons, peppers, bush beans, string beans, corn, fennel, a few herbs, berries...and flowers!

Happy 4th of July

In celebration of some special friends I copied this picture from her blog...so we'd match!

Happy 4th of July to all! We remember those who signed the Declaration of Independence and helped give us our God given freedom...have you read that incredible document? Do you realize that the signers of the Declaration became "criminals" and most of them were hunted down like dogs and killed on sight...just so you, their Posterity, could be free! I challenge you to read the Declaration and memorize it...understand it! The words are foreign to most but it is interesting to note that the Declaration was written in such a way that the simple farmer could read and comprehend it...how far we have come in our understanding...oh, how far! I haven't memorized it but do read it and read it to my children...little by little so we can understand it and not loose our God given right..."for my people perish for lack of knowledge"....

Our celebration started the evening before as we loaded up and drove down to the "Two Rivers Casino" - oh, horrors a Casino...we actually were warned by some locals to not go to the actual Casino but to park along the mountain side...glad we did as we could hear the drunks all the way up on the cliff that we were on...it was a spectacular event - there were boats in the water and loud and enormous fireworks.

On the 4th we went to go see a jousting contest...hmmm my thoughts are these people who put on the jousting could have included the curious audience better and some of them were ummmm quite rude to my 13 year old son...who really didn't need someone being rude to him on this particular day(I'll explain in a moment)...we went home to milk cows and grab some dinner...then it was off again to the little community park...and I mean little...the park is probably no bigger than a small backyard! There was music...could have done without that...and fun on the one slide and four swings...then finally the booming began...it was beautiful and loud! We did sit with people we have been getting to know over the past year here in our little part of the world...but it was bittersweet to us....

The bitter sweetness....we have some very special and dear friends that we have spent many 4th of July's with...and I really have to think of when we didn't spend a 4th with them...it just seems as though it's always been with them...and the last two years we have not been able to spend with them.

For some reason this year seems to be the hardest...I felt so sad and lonely for my dear friend who has a flair of making holidays so special...she always made fun foods, fun activities and it was such a delight to my eyes to watch our children play and enjoy being around one another! I think my oldest son took it the hardest this year as he really missed his best buddies but thankfully the Lord has kept that relationship open and growing.

They are life-time friends....kinds you don't meet everyday...the kinsd you hold on to and cherish as they are so dear and so rare a find....we miss them so greatly...more than I can express!

So our prayer is that the Lord bring us together for other 4th of July's - don't know how or when...but it will be a joyous re-union for sure and that will be something worth blogging about for sure!

P.S....you can visit our friends blog by clicking on the "My Life On A Taffy Pull" picture to the right - you will enjoy it I know!

Everything is big here...except my living space...

Today's post is just fitting as everything around here just seems to be huge...except my living quarters...this nice bull we are borrowing for a "job" that the A-I guy was unable to complete...if you were curious he's done with his job...isn't he amazing...we named him Major while he is here and if you haven't guessed my husband is just in love with him and feeds him a special treat every morning and evening...

Now look at this HUGE grub! Yes, it's a real live grub! My husband found three of them while he was cutting firewood for winter and of course he had to bring them home to the boys...they were thrilled...and well I had to take some pictures of it to share with all of you! I suppose if you were in the woods and very hungry you could put it on a stick and there you have it...instant hot dog...hmmmm I think I'd be a vegetarian at that point!

This is our favorite cow "Ruthie" she's giving you a hello sniff...she's just a sweetie and we all adore here!

Obtaining Righteousness....

Today was especially hard for me. I've been doing good...keeping my spirits alive and well...but today I had really want to be done here and done with this lifestyle...the dirt, two children sick with no place to really keep them secluded...the dirt, the small space, the dirt, the ity-bity tiny space that my husband calls the "kitchen" - which is a joke, the hours of working in the huge garden, not able to have company over, and the list goes on...! I'm frustrated and want to be in my own house on my own land...SO I let everyone know this and how tired of this place I am...I let them all hear me and I aimed my frustration out on my husband mostly and blamed him completely for this decision....eeek!

It felt wonderful to "blow"....at first...as he left to get firewood for the winter...he calmly told me to have a good day...humph!

I went for a walk and was SILENT...and QUIET...hmmmm I felt so much better when I got back and actually felt like I could make it through another day...

Later in the evening I sat down to read my word...I am in the book of James...and this scripture spoke volumes to me...corrected me more like it and I so wanted to share my experience with you...

James 1: 20....For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God

Do you see how profound this scripture was for me? I let my wrath of "man" forth and it certainly did not work the Lord's righteousness in my life or my families today...what a shame that I lost this morning to the wrath of "man".

Oh, friends in the Lord...let us each day try not to let our wrath out...being silent when things are tough and we are afraid, in doing so we will worketh the righteousness of God not the wrath of man...This will be a really hard lesson for me...

Well, that's my two cents for the day...I hope you enjoyed a peek at my heart and what the Lord is doing in my life....ta-ta thanks for stopping by!

Just The Two Of Us...We Can Make It If We Try....

As most of you know our living conditions have changed drastically...we are in a very tight trailer and all in the same space...all the time, thus there has not been any time for my husband and I to be quiet and alone...thus a long awaited get-away!

My creative husband found us a three-star hotel and paid half price for it because he googled "Price-Chopper" - I was so touched by what he did because he did it for me. He wanted his wife of 17 years to feel like a queen and I did...the hotel was gorgeous and overlooked the Spokane Park. Probably one of my favorite things about our get-away is that we walked from our hotel to all of the places you see here...downtown and along the gorgeous park along the falls...it was dreamy!

We both felt like we were given a second honeymoon...something that we both needed! Enjoy the pictures! The first one is of me as we left...whooo-hoooo is what I was thinking...I felt refreshed and excited to have my husband all to my self! I Love Him So Much! The Lord really rekindled our relationship as we were able to stroll along holding hands most of the time...We got a lot of "oh, cute" looks from on-lookers. Bet they thought we were newly married...teee-heee fooled them!

Elvis has left the building...

A perfect beginning to a fabulous date...coffee! We love coffee!

Spokane Clock Tower along the falls trails...beautiful walk.

Yep, thats my husband hanging off of this huge slide...fantastic isn't it! We named this slide after some friends of ours...you know who you are!

Okay, so I fell in love all over again....yes, with my husband but also with this darling cafe! Madeleine's French Cafe - it was the best little
cafe I've ever been too...I loved the decorations as they were very quaint...blues, yellows and can you see it...roosters and baskets and antique furniture....so me! The food was wonderful...so much so that we stopped for dessert and were so impressed we went back for breakfast and were not disappointed! http://madelines-spokane.com/

We did go to a movie, the new Robin Hood, and afterwards we tried something new...a Greek restaurant. We enjoyed a delicious fare of lamb, Greek meets and a delicious spinach entree... It was all so good - especially our breath afterwards! I don't think they have a website but it was called Santorini Greek Restaurant.

If you are ever find yourself in downtown Spokane you must try these two places - you will be delighted...ummmm call me first as I will want to join you!

Bye for now...thanks for stopping by!~