No Bake Protein Bites

These are a snack that would be all gone in a day if I let my kids eat them as much as they wanted. The nice thing is that they are so easy to make.I found a few recipes for energy/ protein bites and I mixed them alittle. Here is my creation.

No Bake Protein Bites

2 cups dried oats
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup chunky peanut butter
2 cups  coconut flakes
2/3 cup honey
1 cup wheat grem
1 cup chocolate chips
2 tsp vanilla

Mix everything well and form in balls. I do this with gloves on. You can refrigerator them before you form them but I have not really seen that is makes much of a difference. Once formed refrigerate.

Now how long do they last.. Well that is hard to say as every time I make them, they do not last longer then a 4-5 days.  They are loved by even me and I do not like coconut. But they are yummy.

Tattler Reusable Canning Lids: a Review

Hey everyone! Annette here :) I am excited to share a product with you that I will be using this up coming canning season. I recently purchased some Tattler canning lids when their website had a half off sale. I used them for the first time last week and I'm thrilled with the results. Tattler lids are a 2 piece canning lid. There is a plastic BPA free lid and a rubber seal. You still need to have a ring from the traditional metal lids.

They are slightly different to use than the one-time use lids. When you put the rubber seal and lid on before processing you don't tighten the ring down all the way. You screw it on just until the first hint of resistance. Then upon removing from the canner you tighten down each ring with a dish towel.

I just purchased 6 dozen more lids, 3 dozen regular and 3 dozen wide mouth. I have only used them in the pressure canner but all have successfully sealed. I will be trying them out in the boiling water bath canner today.

This is a great video on how to use the Tattler lids: http://www.youtube.com/watchv=XAfMVbrmw2I&list=PLlQgHMC9ugenCvn_6R4MhgbbAJmGsr1Qw&index=3

You can prchase Tattler lids from thier website: www.reusablecanninglids.com and they have free shipping, Amazon also sells them. Some local hardware stores sell them as well. My next blog post will be on the making and home canning of applesauce. I hope you all have a blessed week! Until next time... Annette

Living Without Health Insurance.

 For us, as a family, we can do this. Well I hope. None of us have medical issue. So we have decided to go without health insurance. Well our chooses were have insurance though hubby’s work and pay almost double of what we pay now, go with Obama Care and pay about triple, or go without. Then we looked back over the last few year we noticed that my hubby is the only one that has gone in for something and it was just to urgent care about 2-3 times a year. So with not having insurance, we have paid off one credit card that we will use as insurance.

So how do I care for my family?? Essential oils!!! Yup for the past year I have taken care of us with oils. Well mostly the kids and I. As I type this I have both of my kids on the couch, watching a movie with oils on. I will do other post about the oils I have and what I use them for.

I have always been a person who does not like meds. I do not like taking something that has a ton of side effects. So we have chosen to stay away from most meds. As I learn more about the oils and use them I have been able to personally deal with everything for me without the meds.

I look forward to being able to spend alittle extra if needed on better for you foods. Like Melissa has stated in other post, though, I am not going to stress about it. I am going to use common sense. I already make my own bread, pasta, tortilla, and most sauces. We started a garden last year, and I can not wait to get planting again. Also I can learned to can my own foods.

I will be doing more updates about living without health insurance. Also I am working on blog post about canning, gardening, recipes I use and making things on your our. As I do more blogs you will see that I am trying to get to my childhood dream of being Ma from Little House. 

I will add links to this post to the other blogs as I get them done. 

Spread your Fragrance

               Make sure to pamper yourself in some way so that you can spread your fragrance to everyone. When you make sure to get alittle time to yourself your enabling your ability to love others. This can be as simple as a foot soak or sometime at a spa treatment, whatever suits your style.

               By doing this you have spent time reflection on all the wonderful things that you have and are ready to cherish those things. I like to do my pampering on Sunday. Right before a new weeks starts. I want to be able, to be ready to face whatever may come my way.

Here are some things that I do that help me:
~ Detox Bath http://www.astitchofcountrytime.blogspot.com/2012/12/lavender-detox-bath.html
~ Foot soak with just warm water and Epsom salt
~taking a Sunday nap
~ asking to go to the store alone
~ sitting in the garden with a good book (when it is not too hot)
~ crafting...Yup I love to do crafts so just doing something by myself helps me relax.
~ Paint my nails.
~ Doing a simple face scrub

       I try to find ways to do it so that the cost is down. But the point is to relax and reflection. Once you are relaxed you can spread your joy to others. Everyone is watching you as you go throughout your day, What kind of a person do you want them to see.  Even if the only people that see you is your household, don't you want them to remember you as a mom who was spreading her joy and building up her house.

Proverbs 31:12 " She does him good and not evil ALL the days of her life."

Bookmarks!!

It always seems like I need a bookmark for something or other. So I make tons. I went to the dollar store and got some big paper clips and put ribbon on them. Fast, easy, and made tons. We have them in books all over the house. They have been  wonderful to have. ~Jen

Duck Tape Book Cover

It was such a sad day yesterday, part of my Bible cover fell off at church service.

I have had this Bible for about 15 years and I always carry it with me with every change of purse. Every purse change it has been one ideas that is a must move. It has been to Mexico, Florida, Virginia, the beach and a few places in between. Well I did not want to replace the Bible. So I thought that if maybe people can make dresses, wallets, purses, etc. out of Duck tape then I should be able to fix my cover too. So my hubby took me to Walmart after church and I found some tape I liked.

 

So now to figure out how to do it. I like to figure things out on my own. Yup I’m a rebel, I can not stand to follow directions..LOL So here we go. I did the outside of the front cover first. Making sure there was extra to fold on the side, top and bottom.

Next fold over the top and bottom.

Then the side. I did cut a little out so there would not be too much tape.

Now line the inside.

If your tape is in a pattern that you are matching up then continues the pattern as you line the bind and the back cover.

Repeat what you did on the front cover with the back cover.

Now the binding..I did have to over lap a piece because the seem came apart on the binding but the tape blends in so you can not really tell.

I cut the tape down short and folded it inside the binding.

And there you go. It looks like a whole new book now.

Turning Lemons into Lemonade for the summer

Parents,

As we head into summer let’s focus on making this a summer that counts. I have already heard so many people say this summer is going to be long, with having the kid’s home and nothing to do, but that all depends on you as parents! I have big goals this summer of things I want to do, but I know that I must look at the reality of it and will be making a plan to make the most out of it.

Each day of the week will be themed but not set. I am planning to do a learning day, one week it may be on Monday and the next it may be Thursday. The goal is to get in one day of each kind so each week we will have a day focused on learning. Other days include: Craft, movie/game, free, and outing day.

There are so many ideas that you can find to fill each day. Just make sure that the focus is on making some kind of memory that day.

Here are some ideas to get you going:

~We each will be making our own Summer Bucket list. I am letting the kids pick one thing that requires money and the rest have to be cheap or free ideas. Pinterest has tons of summer idea list to get the ball rolling. My summer board is: http://pinterest.com/jenhaddy/summer/

~ Our local city halls do movie in the park night.

~Join your local Libraries summer reading program. There is also one though Barnes and Noble. http://www.barnesandnoble.com/u/summer-reading/379003570/

~Make an “I’m Bored Jar” http://www.shabbybeachnest.com/101-idea-im-bored-jar/

No matter what you do remember to take time out to watch your kids. They will only be this age this summer and you do not want to miss it. Just like my husband said “Man, the kids are growing fast.” They are and will continue to. Stop and fly a kite with your kids before it is too late.