Vitamin/Herb Water

How To Make Homemade Vitamin Waters...
http://www.herbsandoilsworld.com/naturally-flavored-water/

Here are five incredible recipes for beautiful tasting water infused with healthy herbs and fruits. These waters taste delicious and are loaded with vitamins!

Click the link to find out how to make them, click "share" to pass these recipes onto your friends and like *** Herbs & Oils World*** for more great ideas like this.

In the still of the morn

In th still of the morn I can eat the last homemade blueberry scone and not have to share.

 When I have enough energy to get up before the kiddos. It allows me time to get a few chores done, ones that I find relaxing. Yes, there are a few.

Like taking down cloth diapers fresh off the line that will need folded and put away.

I also like to do a quick pick up of scattered dirty clothes that are left through out the house and STUFF them into the wash machine.

Boy that makes my house seem instantly cleaner.

Also running a load of dishes before my crew wakes is a good thing.

We have not mastered a clean kitchen before bed.lol

I'll take clean and picked up where and when I can get it! lol

I love to sit in my quiet kitchen and ponder what I will do today.

What I will fix for dinner? What will the kids and I do today?

When the kids awake.......

Most days they are spent in our backyard, splashing in the kiddie pool,

Making a mud city to dig in. Riding bikes or swinging on the swing set.

There is the occasional squabble and skinned knee.

Request for a popcicle and to make some lemon aide.

There are questions to answer like whats for lunch?

Can I have candy?

But for now I will sit here quietly and eat the last scone.....in the still of the morn.

Peace+

Georgiann

Sweet Kitchen Helpers

The summer is fading fast and I miss not having a BIG garden.

I decided this year our family would not have time plant a garden or go to the

 Terri's Berries Produce Co-op.

Giving birth to my baby boy Ian, having my oldest son turn 18 and graduate from high school as well as host a boat load of house guest to see and attend it all was enough for me. The produce co-op is about a 35 minute drive one way (over an hour round trip).....a trip that I was not willing to do with a new baby. It feels like I just gave birth just yesterday.....I'm tired most days and still having nursing issues but I'm not complaining!! He's so worth a few years with out a garden!

I'm sorry to say that this year the ingredients for my beef stew were store bought and not organic and homegrown, my bread came from the store not from scratch but thats the way it is some years.

I really miss being in my garden, and watching my children dig, plant and pick what we'll have for dinner. But having Baby Ian in my life is so worth not having all that extra work a garden demands.

Thank you to all my blog friends that leave comments they mean the world to me.

Peace and Love,

Georgiann

Christmas Cookie Recipe

To get this yummy cookie recipe you must go over to 

The Rustic Kitchen. (my food blog)

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual over at Soule Mama's.

A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment to pause, savor and remember.

If you're inspired to do the same, go over to Soule Mama's leave a link to your 'moment' in her comments for all to find and see.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Peace and Blessings+

Georgiann

Happy to be nauseous! and recipe for a yummy treat!

Most folks think I'm crazy to want to be nauseous, but feeling sick means that things are going well.

For the past few weeks I have been retiring early to bed to sip Pregnancy tea and read books from my many stacks of Maternity books.

The butterfly mug in the picture was one I bought from the pharmacy 2 weeks ago when getting my progesterone picked up. Butterflies remind me of Christian.

I also made a few batches of watermelon freezer pops over the past week...

great for combating nausea!

                                                                 Recipe 

Watermelon seedless 3cups
Plain Greek Yogurt   1/2 cup
Honey 2 table spoons
Lemon  juice from whole lemon

Blend up in blender and pour in freezer pop holders.
Let freeze over night and then enjoy!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Well I'm off to get ready for my blood draw and pick up a few things at the store before the kiddos get home. The younger 2 have 1/2 days this week.

Peace,
Georgiann

{notes and pics from the farm week 3and 4}

Olivia was yelling for me to hurry uuuuupppp!

It was HOT and I was taking to many pictures! LOL

Week #3 at the farm

.75# greenbeans

2 onions

2 squash

1 cucumber

1# baby red potatoes

1 pint cherry tomatos

2 vine tomatoes

1 head of lettuce

1 bundle of greens

1 cabbage

1 pint of blueberries

u pick herbs

We also buy the flowers and bag salad mix.

WEEK #4 at the farm

1# Purple string beans

2# vine tomatoes
1 cucumber

2 squash

1 onion

1 head of lettuce

1 bundle of greens

2 pints of blueberries

u pick herbs

We also buy the flowers and bag salad mix.

 
Our Friday trips to the CSA farm have been nutriously rewarding! I pray to have time soon to post some of the yummy recipes I have been making with our garden harvest.
I have taken a ton of pictures of all my original recipes I have come up with.
 I just need some time to get the posts written up.
 
Have a great weekend!
 
Peace,
Georgiann

Jumping Ahead To Autumn!

In my neck of the woods I can already feel a nip in the air! I close my eyes and see colorful leaves drifting to the ground. I can smell the onions cooking at the State Fair. sigh*****

I know I should be enjoying the season I'm in but without my beloved garden.......it is hard to do!

Here in the Pacific Northwest the weather this summer never got to hot. In fact for the past week, life here has been cool and overcast.  It might seem premature to some of you living in regions of really hot weather but I have been dreaming of soup, warm bread, cozy casseroles and apple deserts!

Sipping cider, smelling cinnamon and looking through cookbooks is just a few short weeks away!
In my email this morning I got a video from  Gooseberry Patch! They must have known I was in the mood for this sort of thing! (good marketing because I'm sure I'm not alone).

I have a few  Gooseberry Patch  cookbooks but not this one! I am a cookbook addict so I might have to get this one if our budget allows? (it probley won't allow because hubby's work situation had been up and down.) I do like to dream though!




Remember to silence my play list before starting the short video!


Have a wonderful day!

Peace and Joy,
Georgiann

Happy St. Patricks Day

This day is not all about leprechauns, shamrocks and green beer. This is a day to honor and pray to St. Patrick. He was an influential saint who, 1,500 years ago, brought Christianity to the little country of Ireland. He was born about 385 in the British Isles, was carried off while still very young during a raid on Roman Britain by the Irish and sold as a slave. At the end of six years he contrived to escape to Europe, became a monk and was ordained; he then returned to Ireland to preach the Gospel. During the thirty years that his missionary labors continued he covered the Island with churches and monasteries; in 444 he founded the metropolitan see of Armagh. St. Patrick died in 461. After fifteen centuries he remains for all Irishmen the great bishop whom they venerate as their father in the Faith.

Today here in our house you will smell the cornbeef and cabbage cooking all day in the crockpot!

I am Scotch-Irish and this is a fun holiday for us.

 You can go here to find some other really cool

St. Patties Day recipes.

 

Peace and Blessings,

Georgiann

A busy momma's bestfriend

We are a large family.........we are a busy family.

Our days are slow and restful but our evenings seem to go 100 miles per hour.

So who's going to cook dinner?

I just signed up to coach kindergarden soccer

{Jackies co-ed team}

I run car pool for a few of Nicks soccer mates on his practice days.

Nick helps me coach Jackie's team!

His practices are on different days!

Nick has flute concerts and practices!

Noah has Cub Scouts!

 Derby races and Blue and Gold Banquet OH my!



I almost forgot....Jackie has Daisy Scouts!

Anyone want to buy Girls Scout cookies? lol

Just kidding.....we are done selling!

My oldest son Jarett is playing on 2 baseball teams and training for football.

He trains 5 nights a week for the different sports and practices after school 5 days a week.

He does not drive yet but a few of his friends do.....so we don't always have to drive him.

We have home school co-ops and church activities that keep us quit busy as well.



As busy as we are its, a good thing I have a crock pot and know how to use it!

My crock pot is my best friend! 



My kids love to take turns helping with dinner.

Loading the crock pot is so easy to do first thing in the morning. 

If I'm making bean soup as in the photo. I wash and load my dried bean the night before, then in the morning drain the water and add fresh (water) plus my other ingredients.

It's so nice to know dinners ready when we get home after a cold  practice or activity.

After soccer season I will have 4 kids in baseball.

Peace and Blessings,

Georgiann





The Sights,Sounds and Smells Of Christmas~

With only a few more days til Christmas I will be taking the rest of the week off~

I will be back on Monday~

I have much to do.....

Make some lemon lavender shortbread

Make some Chex Mix

Make some peanut brittle

Finish sewing our fabric gift bags

Help the girls finish making our gift tags

Help the girls sew their sachets for gift giving~

Wrap many gifts (with our fabric bags)~

Order the prime rib for Christmas Eve dinner~

I will also be snuggling up and reading to the kiddos from our

 many Christmas stories.......I was really late finding them! :(

December flew  by so fast!

I am also excited my mom is coming out for a visit.....I still need to wash the sheets for her bed! eeekkk!

Did I mention she will be here tomorrow?

Merry Christmas~

If you are new to my blog welcome and

 feel free to read some of my past posts!

Mama Little Elves {part 3}

Peppermint Bark

Step 1- Crush 30 round mint candies OR candy canes what ever your have.

We used a honey molasses candy cane from the health food section of Fred Myers.

(they taste like regular candy canes...but are more natural)

Step 2- Chop and melt 12 oz of white chocolate.

I used the micro wave to melt but you could also use a double boiler.

When microwaving only  go 25-30 seconds then stir, then go again.

You can easily burn it if you are not careful.

Your white chocolate should have cocoa butter listed as an ingredient

The real thing was hard for me to find and was expensive after I did track some down.

So we use the good stuff for our top layer (last step)

We cheated and used vanilla almond bark stuff...for just the bottom layer.

I know I know......

I forgot to mention....take a large cookie sheet, cover with foil and spray with oil spray.

Smooth white chocolate evenly in a 9x13 area....just eye ball it.

You don't want the layer to be to thin as the next layer,brown chocolate will be slightly soft!

So this is the "crust" layer if you will.

So after you smooth your white layer add some of your peppermint candy.

Refrigerate to harden while you get the next layer ready.

Now its time for the brown chocolate....we used a large (jumbo) Special Dark Hersey Bar

and a some Semi-Sweet Bakers Squares.

Chocolate should be at least 60% cocoa

Step 3 Melt 10 oz of brown chocolate and 6 tablespoons heavy cream

Then add 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract.

Let brown chocolate mixture cool slightly before added it on top of the white layer

..as you do not want the first layer to start melting.

Smooth chocolate layer on, being careful NOT to push to hard and stir the two layer together.

Refrigerate while getting the last layer ready~

Step 4 Melt more white chocolate (8oz) of the good stuff!

Smooth melted chocolate on top of the brown layer

Add the last of your crushed peppermint candy and

let chill in fringe for about 5 minutes to harden!

Break into pieces...as its hard to cut.

You can store at room temp or the refrigerator in a airtight container for about 2 weeks.

Jackie waited very patiently for THIS moment.....

Bon appetite~

Mamas Little Elves {part 2}

This little elf helped mama make Nut Crunch Granola.

Go here for the recipe.

So awesome to be in the kitchen with my little ones!

I am one blessed mama!

We are all having fun getting ready for Christmas.

After a busy day making things with the kiddos, hubby and I snuck out (ok we did tell a few of the kiddos) lol and did some Christmas shopping together. Then had dinner at Red Robin. I wanted to go to a Indian food place....but hubby (who never tried it, ahumm) said, he did not want to go there! :(

It was fun anyways!

On a different note.... I have a prayer request.

A gal Andrea, I know from church gave premature birth (due in March or April) to a baby girl

Jazmym Raye last week....the baby passed away a few hours later.

This was to be her 6th child!

The funeral is tomorrow.

Can you pray for their families grieving heart?

Also could you please pray for:

 Dana and her husband John from an online home school  forum I belong.

They will be having the funeral of her 22 month old son today.

Mattias Ryker passed away due to a freak accident in the home earlier this week, you can

read here and see his slide show.

Thank you :)

Mamas Little Elves {Part 1}

{Homemade Bath Tea}
THIS IS NOT A DRINK
IT IS A BATH SOAK!

This year all our gifts for family and friends will be homemade!

We are getting a late start on our gifts but.....that's how it is!

Last week Noah helped shop for all the supplies for our bath tea 

and was eagar to get started today.

You can find the recipe here.

This bath tea will given with a small muslin bag attached as well.

The recipient will just need to add the desired amount of herbed salts {tea}

to the muslin bag and hang it over the spicket, letting the water run through it.

Then soak,sip tea and read!

So fun and very easy!

Happy Gift Making~

I must cut this post short as it is bedtime here and

well the excitement of Christmas has my kiddos acting naughty not nice....just kidding.

You would think Santa was coming tonight!

They are good kids, just VERY EXCITED and we still have 9 days to go!

There is a lot of ruckus coming from the upstairs that I must attend to.

Peace and Love,

Georgiann