SoapNuts

Ok, I have been reading lots of stuff about soapnuts lately and decided to give them a try!  I ordered just a few to being with because, come on, how good these little, brown fruit hulls be when it comes to getting laundry clean?  I took them out of the package and stared at them for a while little bit.  I put about four in a muslin bag and stuck them in the laundry with a little bit of essential oil.  AND...I have to say that they worked GREAT!!!!  Believe it or not, these little things actually got my laundry clean and they smelled fresh!  I do believe that if you have something pretty dirty, then you need to use a scoop of Oxy.  However, I'm giving these two thumbs up!  Thought that I would share with you! "

Here's a little info from wikipedia:
 Soap Nuts are natural soap berries that the Johnsons have been importing from from South Asian counties like India and Nepal since 2008. They contain large quantities of saponin in their shells and as such, act as a natural detergent.^[3][5][6] The reason they are considered eco-friendly is not only because they are a natural resource but also because they are antimicrobial and biodegradable.^[7"

These are the funky looking soapnuts.  They don't look like they would clean your laundry, huh?

...and that's all folks!

Blessings!

My Baby Girl

This Sunday, my baby girl turned 11!  I just remember her being born and how tiny she was and now she's turned into a "tween"!  I am so, incredibly proud of her!  She has become a sweet, young lady (so far), that is wise beyond her years.  I believe that she has an "old soul"!  I just love her so much!  Happy Birthday, sweet girl!

This pic is before church.  This is dressiest (is that a word? LOL) you'll see us!  HA!

Blessings!!

A Few of My Favorite Things

I've been meaning to post some of my fave things lately.  I have been an avid amatuer picture taker lately and wanting to share some of the things that I'm into these days!

Yes, I know that this bad boy is old, but it does EVERYTHING!  My grandmother gave it to my mom as a wedding gift and my mother handed it down to me.  Granted, I don't know how to do everything on this but I can do quite a bit.  I'm still a work in progress.

I ordered this timeline off of the CSPAN!  It includes all of the American Presidents!  Helps so much with school work!

This is our new home for our pet swimmy!  Yep, I dropped our other one when I was cleaning it so we needed a new home and I do believe that he loves it!! 

This is what I'm reading now.  Loving One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp.  If you want to be part of the online book club go to http://www.incourage.me/!

This is a necklace that I made quickly to go with an outfit for my bday! 

My new fave perfume!  Love Thinking of You by Mary Kay!  I got this as a Christmas gift from my mom!  It even has a little charm on the top!  It smells wonderful!  Not too heavy!

Hope you guys have a wonderful Friday!

Warm blessings and hugs!

Homeschooling

It's really a challenge somedays to homeschool.  However, I actually enjoy helping my kids learn because each of them have extremely different ways of learning.  My daughter needs to take the time to have things explained to her a few times before she "gets" it.  My son picks things up on the first time, but he stands up most of the time.  He has to be moving but hey, it works.  Yes, it can be a little annoying for me, but I'm not going to complain!  I have a son that will be starting kindergarten in next year and the question is:  to homeschool or public school?  I'm not sure but right now, when asked, he wants to stay with mama!  That', and the boy LOVES to wear costumes.  He's into aliens now.  That's the baby in him!  Friday, we take our fieldtrip to an Catawba Indian Reservation.  I believe that I'm more excited than the kids.

This is my daughter's 5th grade online class.  This would be the easiest thing she's done so far!  LOL!

Have a blessed day!

My Birthday

Saturday was my birthday, so myself and someone very close to me (one of my best friends) went to stay overnight in a hotel and just "hang"!  We ate some great food, walked around the downtown area, and got away for a while!  Around 9pm, we realized that it really was passed our bedtimes.  LOL!  Hmmm, does this mean that we're old?  I did break my diet but it was well worth it!  I don't think that I could have asked for a better birthday!  Great friend, great food, and time away!  Just what I needed! 

Hugs and blessings!

Upside Down

I wake up every morning and our fish is doing this.  Um, no, it's not dead.  I'm not really sure why it's doing this.  We have had this fish for three years.  That is a LONG time for us but I guess that he loves being with us!  Ha!  As soon as we walk in the room, he starts swimming around, like he knows that we're there!  Is this normal behavior for a fish?  I don't know.  However, my point of this picture is that this is what I feel like this morning:  UPSIDE DOWN WITH MY HEAD STUCK IN THE ROCKS!!!!!

Blessings and positive energy!

Scared

I have been debating whether or not I should open an etsy store to sale my jewelry or market it somehow.  I'm having trouble getting passed being scared!  What if it's not good enough?  What if no one likes it?  Why can't I get past this?  Why can't I just have faith?  All of these things go through my head over and over again.  I don't expect everyone to love my peices but I guess it's the fear of failure.  I'm just going to have to get over it do it!  Like my 10 yr. old told me "MOM, JUST DO IT, ALREADY"!  LOL!  Well, I guess that I should say...stay tuned...:):)

Love and blessings!

Happy Valentines Day!!

My kids woke up early because they were so excited to get their Valentines surprise. They are all about the candy! They showered me with hugs and "I love you's" ! It's not even 8am and they have completely made my day with their little words of kindness and little kisses! I guess I did do something right along the way:)

Early Morning

This is the view from my back deck.  The sun was coming up and NO ONE was up!  I love morning like this when I have a little of "me" time!  When I see the sun coming up over the horizon, through the trees, it just reminds me of God's love for us and how blessed I am to have another day to see the beauty in everything!  Oh, and to have a cup of coffee in the quiet:)

Have a wonderful Friday!  Stay warm and many blessings!

Homeschooling

I love homeschooling my kids.  I do, really!  However, by lunch, I'm ready to hide in a closet or hop in a hot bath.  It's my 5th grader!  My daughter who struggles with her studies she takes after me because school is NOT like it was when I was in school!  They are doing highschool stuff when still in elementary school!  Oh, and the math.  Yeah, the math.  It's NOTHING like it was when I was younger!  I have to really study to explain it to her.  Either I'm REALLY old or things have REALLY changed!  I'd like to go with the latter!!!  All of you teachers out there, you deserve awards!  Hmmm, does that mean that I deserve one too??? 

Peace, hugs, and blessings!!

Vegan Valentines Day

Ok, being vegan sometimes has it's challenges when it comes to feeding kids.  However, I found some amazing recipes that I'm going to try my hand at!  Lately I've been on a plant based diet and I can feel changes in my body everyday, but I have to share with you these yummy ideas!!! 

Baby spinach salad with raspberry vinagrette!  My kids LOVE this salad!!! It's delectable!

Chocolate Tofu mousse.  Yet another one that is a crowd pleaser!!!  So, I've decided to make these special dishes for my lovies for Valentines Day!  You can find these recipes @http://www.ecorazzi.com/2011/02/08/top-ten-vegan-valentines-day-recipes/

Now, to figure out what I'm going to get myself for the Vday:)  That's the drawback to being single!  Oh well, have a wonderful Wednesday!!! 

Peace, hugs, and blessings!!!

A New Day

Wow!  What a weekend!  I had a rough week last week so I'm glad to wake up this morning and it's a new day!  The sun is shining and I actually feel...BETTER than I have in a while.  After two hospital visits, a gazillion tests, and lots of blood drawn, the conclusion was that I am having RA flareups in my back which led to cortizone shots.  I wasn't sleeping and literally couldn't lay on my back.  I completely thought that my back was giving out on me and that brought on MAJOR anxiety.  So, came home yesterday, took something to sleep, and feel as though I may have made it over the hump.  Having days like I've had this past week really makes you appreciate the good days that you have.  A day of not hurting is a day for celebration!

On another note, I read the first chapter of Ann Voskamp's One Thousand Gifts and felt so much through that one chapter!  I cried and had to go hug my kids and just smell there scents and hear them laugh!  I encourage every one of you to read that book if you get the chance! 

I'll get back to posting my thousand things that I'm grateful for, but today I may need to take it easy.  I want to keep having days like today:)

Hugs and blessings!!

This is a picture of my cabinet.  The other side is the same way. I think that I may have a hot tea addiction.  Everytime I go to the store, I seem to pick up a box of hot tea!  I drink it everyday, a couple of times a day.  My kids drink it too.  This is something that I need to declutter.  Not only do I need to declutter the cabinet, but I need to declutter every part of my life.  Time to get rid of the negative and bring in the positive!  I think that everyone has a part of their life that needs decluttering!  I hope that everyone is having a wonderful start to their week! 
Hugs and blessings:)