Merry Christmas

Merry Montage Christmas

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Goals for the Week

Life has been crazy around here lately. Now that Silas is on the move my days are instantly more busy. I am constantly on the go trying to create safe places for Silas to play and explore in the house. His new favorite spot is the recycle bin in the kitchen. I clean every bottle I place in it, so I'm not that concerned when he pulls something out to play with.

Besides how can I say no to that face?

I don't know if it is the weather changing, or the busy season of Christmas, or just plain laziness, but I have been having a hard time getting motivated and just trying to accomplish, well anything! Trying to get my act together to be a good wife, mother, and home keeper has been a daunting task. Things that I once loved doing (cooking for example) have even lost their appeal.

Silas is still waking up at least once during the night, so I'm still battling with exhaustion. I try to wake up early to do my quiet time, exercise and shower before my day gets started, but Silas is often waking up anywhere between 5 and 6 am. On the days that I am able to get up and do things before he awakes, I find myself with a lot more energy and motivation to get going.

I have set goals in the past, but I almost always set myself up for failure because I either make them too complicated or too numerous. This week I am trying to set myself up for success by creating 7 goals for the week.

1. 
   
   Finish my Christmas shopping- I have four more things left!


2. 
   
   Address and mail Christmas cards


3. 
   
   Daily quiet time for me and Silas- it doesn't have to be in the morning, even though I would prefer to start my day with God.


4. 
   
   Turn off the TV after the morning news- I have gotten into a really bad habit of just leaving the TV on during the day. I'm not even sitting around watching it, it was just on for background noise. Instead I have been more diligent about having Christmas music, the Christian radio station, or one of my favorite CDs on.


5. 
   
   Look up recipes and begin planning for real food alternatives- I am trying to cut out as many processed foods from out diet as possible. For two reasons 1) better health and nutrition and 2) trying to get our grocery budget down


6. 
   
   De-clutter, purge and reclaim the three hall and bathroom closets.


7. 
   
   Drink more water- I was really good during the hot summer months, and when I was teaching and talking all day. Now at home I'm just not drinking enough.

So that is my plan to slowly try and get it back together this week. Even though it is not on the list, I am also trying to stay on top of just keeping the house clean and clutter free. I have found a lot more dirt and dog hair around now that it is turning colder outside.

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DIY Homemade Fruit Strips

I love fruit gummy snacks. They were my favorite dessert in my lunchbox when I was a kid, and I still pack them in my lunch on days when I go to work as a substitute. In an effort to start cutting out processed foods, I have been looking for recipes of my favorite go-to snacks (fruit snacks, yogurt, popcorn, and granola bars). This past weekend I tried out a recipe for home made fruit strips (similar to fruit roll-ups.)

The ingredients are simple:

• 2 cups berries (fresh or if frozen, then thawed)


• 2 Tbsp honey

Berries are one of the fruits that I will only by organic, since the conventional grown berries are heavily sprayed. This time of year the fresh organic berries are VERY expensive, and hard to to find. So I buy frozen organic berries, you can get a lot for your money!

Mix the berries and honey in the blender until pureed. I should have done a few more seconds because I had three random whole berries when I poured the mixture out.

Line a baking pan with parchment paper, and pour the mixture onto the pan. Make sure to evenly spread the berry mixture to fill the pan.

Place the pan in the oven and cook on 200 degrees F for 3 to 4 hours. Check often, you want the mixture to feel dry and no longer sticky.

Cool the pan on a wire rack, the longer you allow it to cool the better.

Cut into strips. I found it easier to to just peel off the pan and tear into pieces as my fruit strips didn't easily cut with a pizza cutter.

The end results look more like beef jerky then fruit roll-ups, but they tasted delicious. I would suggest not using strawberries because the seeds got stuck in my teeth. I will be definitely be making these again!

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A Month of Thanksgiving

November brings my absolute favorite holiday, Thanksgiving. What makes this special day such a treasured holiday celebration for me, is it is the one holiday where you simply gather with family and friends and are reminded just how blessed you are. No consumerism or materialistic expectations, just good food!

I must admit that I do get frustrated when Thanksgiving is overshadowed by the Christmas rush. It seems that Christmas begins the day after Halloween. I'm one of those people who refuses to put up Christmas decorations, or look at Christmas items in the store, until the day after Thanksgiving. My fall decorations stay proudly out in display throughout November.

I love the meaning behind Thanksgiving, giving thanks to God for all the good gifts that He has blessed us with. That is the message of my blog. This year I am especially thankful that we have a new addition to the family to be thankful for. Everyday with Silas is truly a good gift!

I have been pinning Thanksgiving ideas on my Pinterest page to hopefully one day use with Silas, and if we are blessed with our future children. I want to instill in them a spirit of thanksgiving as well. To be reminded of all God's blessings and to always remember to give thanks to God.

I also love to host the Thanksgiving dinner at my house, to cook and to bake for the festive meal. After all, this is one of the best food days of the year! I am already beginning planning for the meal that I will cook and serve to my family.

In the spirit of a thankful heart, what could be cutter than my little Silas Scarecrow!

Join us for Gratituesday at Heavenly Homemakers!

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