Joy in the Ordinary

Look around, really look around and you will find joy... joy in the everyday... joy in the ordinary things.

I feel like I haven't been a very good blogger lately.  Life is full and I feel like I am in a little rut.  Spring is slow in coming this year and I think that might have something to do with it.  There have been a few warm, sunshine days mixed in here and there.  I am thankful for those and have been enjoying them to their fullest. 

It is said the April showers bring May flowers.  I have a feeling that May is going to be full of beautiful blooms!

I think my girl might be ready to skip spring and head straight for summer!

I am in the process of starting a new adventure... composting!  I have two of these containers and am going to give it a whirl.  I am lucky to have a very supportive husband who is always willing to give me a hand when I start something new. 

 

As the school year is starting to finish up the calendar has been full.  Last week Megan had a school wide choir program. 

 

Today has been busy with a trip to the hardware store and yard work.  This evening we will be joining friends for dinner.  I hope that you are having a great weekend!

May your day be filled with joy and contentment!

 

What's Old is New Again

In honor of the 100th Anniversary of the Perfect Mason Jar blue jars are being produced again!  Yes! I found out about it here.   The link will also show you how to age new lids to look like old zinc lids.  I will be placing an order for some this weekend. 

May your day be filled with joy and contentment!

Pinned It, Made It: Oatmeal Banana Muffins

Banana bread is one of Chuck's favorite things.  I will often make it in muffin form as it is easier to put into a lunch box.  As I try, and I will emphasize try, to make things healthier I am looking for the perfect banana bread/muffin recipe.  I found this one and decided to give it a try. 

  
Next time I make these I will eliminate the white sugar.  I am going to try making a substitution with honey.

After these cool the texture is a little different.  Not bad, just not what I am use to.  I think the oatmeal gave them a good flavor.  I enjoy having a muffin and a cup of tea in the morning!

May your day be filled with joy and contentment!

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A Fistful of Love

One of the joys of motherhood is hearing the words "Mama, I picked these for you." Sure they are just weeds and on most accounts a sign of a lawn in need of a little maintenance. 

A fistful of love given freely, whole heartily.  To a mothers heart they are nothing but pure joy! 

 

... See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin.  Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ~ Matthew 6:28-29

May your day be filled with joy and contentment!

Snickerdoodle Coffee Cake

 

Chuck came across this recipe and asked me to make it for him.  It is super easy to put together.   

 

1 cup flour

1 cup sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup melted butter

1/2 cup milk

1 egg

 

Mix dry and wet ingredients in separate bowls.  Combine wet with dry ingredients.  Mix just until blended.  Pour into a buttered 8" pan.  Bake at 400* for 20-30 minutes.  Double this recipe for a 9x13 pan. 

 

This is delicious!   So good in fact that I doubled the recipe for a brunch at church on Saturday.  I had several request for the recipe.  I think it is good as is but Chuck asked that I try adding a cinnamon strudel topping next time.  That might make this dangerous!  Thank goodness the recipe is only for a 8" pan.  :)

 

May your day be filled with joy and contentment!

Joy in the Ordinary

Look around, really look around and you will find joy... joy in the everyday... joy in the ordinary things.

May your day be filled with joy and contentment!

Playing in the Dirt

On Saturday the sun was shinning and the warmth of spring was trying to make an appearance.   After lunch we headed out so Chuck could put in the raised bed that my dad built for Megan.

While he worked on that Megan and I readied a bed for some cool weather plants. 

The first in the ground was butter crisp lettuce. 

As we have been experiencing blow normal temperatures with freezing nights I knew that I had to protect my new plants.  Have you seen the Homestead Blessings Gardening DVD?  It shows a great way to cover your early plants with a frost cover.  The frost covers just so happened to be buy one get one free at the hardware store a few weeks ago. 

After the bed was planted the first step was to ad re bar to hold the support for the frost cover. 

For the support I needed something that was flexible enough to bend.  After looking at several options in the plumbing area I settled on a roll of pex tubing. 

The pipe slides over the re bar and what my mom calls the covered wagon is formed. 

While Chuck and I worked at filling soil in our new bed Megan played in the dirt with her cars.  She had a blast!

Finally the new bed was full and ready for planting.  A few cabbage plants were added to this bed. 

Then it was time to cover up my new babies.  The great thing about these covers is that rain and sun are able to come through the covers.  That means that until the threat of frost is over I won't have to worry about removing these as the sun warms and adding them back on before sunset. 

 
I was so happy to spend some time playing in the dirt!

 May your day be filled with joy and contentment!

Laundry, Laundry

One of the joys, blessings and sometime struggles is laundry. It is one of those never ending task that is much more enjoyable if you do it with a smile on your face.

I know that warm weather is just around the corner.  That means many hours spent outside gardening, cutting grass and watching the kids enjoy the sunshine.    Oh my I can't wait!  To get ready for all of the fun in the sun I used an afternoon to get my laundry supplies in order.  I started out making a big batch of laundry soap.  I used Zote instead of Fels Naptha and I like it much better.  Especially the scent. 

Do you see the blue flakes in the bucket?  I decided to add a box of Purex 2 Stain Fighter & Color Booster.  A little extra kick for all summer clothes. 

I recently made a batch of homemade fabric softener.  I could tell no difference in my clothes.  The only difference is in the cost. 

Since I decided this was going to be my go to softener I purchased this container for easy dispensing.  I also like that it is clear so I can see how much I have used. 

I am still loving the homemade stain remover.  It works fantastic!  The only problem is that it clogged the sprayer.  I am pretty sure that it is the baking soda.  I tried to heat up the water and dissolving the baking soda.  No go.  I resorted to buying a water bottle.  Problem solved!

Since I like to be nosey   take a peek at how other store things I thought I would give you a look at where I keep my laundry items.  I have cabinets above my washer and dryer.  I store my extra laundry detergent in a five gallon bucket on the top of my cabinets. 

Here is a look inside my cabinet.  I store my stockpile of baggies and dish washing tablets on the top shelf.  The bottom shelf has my laundry goodies and extra furniture polish. 

I now think I am ready for a load or two of laundry. 

May your day be filled with joy and contentment!