The Joys Of Family and Hearth

It was a cold, rainy day Saturday. Much of the state was getting snow dumped on them, but we live close to the water so it didn't get quite cold enough here. We did however have freezing rain and super high winds. We spent most of day watching movies! And staying warm. Since we do live by the shore, when we get hit by a storm we usually head to the beach to see what the ocean is up too. She was rough and was cutting out quite a bit of sand, It was low tide when we went. The wave caps were as far out as you could see. Here's a few pics of the ocean. After freezing at the beach we went and got some hot coco and then headed home to make some caramel apples. I used red delicious, I wouldn't normally use those but it's what I had... aren't they beautiful?! :) Dark Chocolate of course, many health benefits to dark chocolate. ;) Yummy caramel squares melting, added some heavy cream to make them really smooth. We went for a sweet and salty mixture. Using peanuts, mini m...

Some Autumn is one of my favorite seasons!! I love to decorate, cook, bake and enjoy the crisp air. I love being where I get to fully enjoy 4 beautiful seasons. The leaves are colored and falling here. Reminds me that winter is coming. Autumn Fires by Robert Louis Stevenson In the other gardens And all up the vale, From the autumn bonfires See the smoke trail! Pleasant summer over And all the summer flowers, The red fire blazes, The grey smoke towers. Sing a song of seasons! Something bright in all! Flowers in the summer, Fires in the fall! Here's some outside decor.. Aren't these guys sooo cute... I paid $5.00 each for them at an Amish Auction, What fun we had that day! In school today, we created a family prayer tree. We put everyone who is special to us on the tree and will pray through-out the month of November for each person on the tree. Below is a shot of my kitchen cabinet, Love my kids! I want them to feel how special to me they are everyday. I thank God for them eve...

Some sights from this weekend: Can you guess what's happening in this photo below?? From Our Home to Yours!

I've been up since 5am, after not hitting the sack until midnight. Three loads of laundry are done, and I've made pumpkin spice muffins for breakfast. Loaded the dishwasher, hand washed what was left. Poured two glass of raw milk for my little girls, while they have their muffins. Both woke up snuffy , One son still on antibiotics for bronchitis . I have a bill I must go pay today, and have to pick up hubby's script from pharmacy .. Did I mention we're camping this weekend, so we need clean laundry, food etc packed and ready for Friday, after son's re-check with Dr. At times my schedule seems overwhelming . Among all that is going on, I still must school everyone, clean, take care of pets, love my husband, love my children and love my extended family as well. It seems to me it is at these times I am often reminded by the Lord, how blessed I am. My life would be dull without these 5 souls I have to love, nurture, care for and be a mommy too, no matter how old they ge...

So Amy over at http://homesteadrevival.blogspot.com/ has issued a challe nge to come up with 3 days worth of meals, that require little thought in case of a disaster. This weighs on my mind heavily, I am in a suburban area. So if stores shut down due to a disaster, I would be scared, and probably have to keep the guns handy. OR we would have to move to a 'safe' place. That is also on our mind, where we would venture too. We have family in Vermont and our camper we can take anywhere. Now somethings we always have on hand are water, charcoal, wood, so this could be use for cooking, and ice. I probably would first utilize what I could from refrigerator/freezer, store what food I can on what ever ice i have until that is gone and then go to meal boxes. I think it's wise to keep a hidden stock of juice boxes, canned v-8, or sunny d bottles for this purpose as well. Back to the meals: Day One: B-instant oatmeal, water bottles, L-canned fruit, tuna, mayo crackers-water bottle, ju...

Ok guys, these are fantastic! One bowl, no bake healthy energy in a little bite! :) Thanks to http://www.moneysavingmom.com/ for sharing and to http://www.fooddoodles.com/ for the recipe!! 1/2 C Peanut Butter or any other nut butter 1/3 C honey, I use raw but you can use whatever 1C oatmeal-quick oats work well 1C shredded coconut 1-2 t vanilla, I can't tell us how much i use I just squirt it. :) pinch of sea salt, optional then for here you can add spices or anything else you like, I make mine with sunflower seeds, but you can do, chocolate chips, flax seed, dried fruit, what ever.. I usually do 1/2 cup of extras My current batch is sunflower seeds and chocolate chips. :) Mix it all up really good, put in fridge for about 30 mins. then make into little balls. :) Keeps in fridge in airtight container for a week. If you can make them last that long! :) should make about 2 dozen!

We love to cook here! But lately we've been at a loss as to what to eat.. So we decided to really try a nail down a menu. I figure this well help with budget, and with the pre-dinner panic that usually sets in around 3:00. We normally eat at 5:30, except on Mondays that is bible study night and we share a meal at 6:00pm with others. :) Meal planning is hard work, especially when you have a large family. But I think it's essential!! We also have created some theme nights. To help with the meal planning. Our Menu for the next two weeks: Monday: Soup Night-Pasta Fagoli with homemade bread. Tuesday: Chicken Pot Pie Wednesday: Pasta with Homemade sauce/gravy. Thursday: Honey Mustard Chicken Friday: Pizza Night Saturday: Sausage, Peppers and Onions Sunday: Roast Beef, Potatoes and Veggies, we eat early on Sunday around 3ish. Monday: Soup Night-Chili Mac N Cheddar Soup Tuesday: Breakfast for dinner Wednesday: Penne ala Betsy Thursday: Pork Loin w/veggies Friday: Pizza Night Saturday: ...

Our family loves this recipe!!! It was given to me by a friend! Thanks Christine!! :) 13lb whole chicken skin removed-you can use chicken legs, thighs, quarters whatever you want 1/2 C chicken broth 1/3 C soy sauce- or Mrs Braggs amino acids 1/3 C olive oil 1/4 C honey 1 t Worcestershire sauce or teriyaki 2 T balsamic vinegar 1 t sesame oil 2 T minced garlic Now I leave the skin on the chicken and remove it later, you can remove first and you will have less fat in the dish. :) Put chicken in crock pot, mix up the rest, pour over chicken. Low 8 hours, High 4 hours Once it's done, debone chicken throw meat back in crock, make some white or brown rice, delicious!!! :) From Our Kitchen To Yours!! :) Enjoy!!!!