Top 5 Posts for 2014

Another year is coming to a close and I wanted to share with you my TOP FIVE POSTS FOR 2014. I was hoping to share more, but with moving the blog over in May along with setting up and learning about the official counters and all, my numbers for the  year are a little wonky.   Who am I kidding?  Little is not the word for it and I still haven’t learned how to use Google Analytics to help me keep up with things. So I had to pull out my paper, pencil and calculator to help figure things out. Old school, I’m telling ya!

 Top 5 posts for 2014

Varsity Chili Sauce – I never would have believed this recipe would have been so popular when I shared it. My husband told me, if he had known, he would have done a better job on the picture.



A Little About How We Save Money – Who knew telling a story about a conversation the men, my husband works with, had about us would be so popular?  I didn’t even hit on all the ways we save money.



Tools of the Trade – Sharing my favorite kitchen tools has been popular.  But I too, love knowing what others use in their kitchens.



Sweet Potato Casserole – When I shared this recipe in November, I was a little surprised to find it in the top of the most popular posts because it was new.



Copycat Carrot Raisin Salad – I am amazed at this recipe! It is a perfect substitute for the famous salad. In fact, I had a Chick- fil- A representative email me with the exciting news of the original recipe being shared by the company for the holidays.

If you missed any of these, be sure to check them out.

A Daily Cleaning Schedule for the New Year

If you are like me and spend any amount of time on social media, then you’ve seen the many links on how to clean your house in a blink of an eye. While these links are quite helpful, the ones I have read say nothing about starting with a clean a house. Your house needs to be clean before any whipping it into shape in less than 15 minutes (* see below) can be done.

A DAILY CLEANING SCHEDULE FOR

THE NEW YEAR

Being able to clean your home without spending a lot of hours takes time for it to actually happen. Your house didn’t get into the shape it is in overnight unless you have the Tasmanian devil as a pet, so don’t expect to be able to have a deeply cleaned house in one day.  Choose a room to start with and move on from there, once everything is sparkly clean, then you can blink your eyes to a clean house, or so they say.

 How I created my cleaning schedule

Creating a list of cleaning jobs is a great way to see where all of your energy goes. Prioritize those jobs from most important, like clean laundry and the main room where unexpected guests drop in to visit, down to the never seen laundry room. Once you've established what is the most important, decide if it is a daily job, or one that can be worked on weekly.

I wrote about using a cleaning schedule several years ago. My schedule has changed a little since then, but I'm still using one. Whether you are a stay at home mom, or one who works outside the home, a cleaning schedule is a wonderful way to keep from cleaning the same area EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.

I can't say enough about recruiting help in keeping things clean. Moms, you are not a maid! I’m sure you have things in your life you would like to do or learn, so have your family help out where needed.  Dusting is a perfect job for the littles to learn. It’s easy and doesn’t require anything but a damp cloth and a very eager helper.

There are some who have larger families than mine, so laundry day is every day for them. Do you have pre-teens and teens not doing their own laundry?  Why? Teaching your children how to do their own laundry and on a set day, helps you as a mom to keep from having to climb Mount Washmore,  more than needed.  It only takes one or two times of not having clean clothes for them to learn to keep their laundry washed and dried, just ask my son.

You can see my weekly schedule below. Everyday has a specific job along with the daily cleaning that is done. I love this! It keeps me from feeling like I do nothing but clean every day.

I mentioned one time about never spring cleaning. Yeah, I just don’t like that idea. I’d rather work on a room every month or so and have a spring cleaned house year round. With our school schedule, every six weeks we have a break, so the “monthly” jobs are done during those breaks.

While my cleaning schedule may not work for some, it gives you an idea of breaking things down into little jobs to accomplish the needed house cleaning so you are not hiding in the back of the house when Aunty Myrtle rings your doorbell.

(*) I spend more than 15 minutes a day cleaning. Those who claim they spend less time, well, they just need to come here and show me how it’s done because I'm evidently doing something wrong.

Do you follow a cleaning schedule or are you a fly by the seat of your pants kind of cleaning gal? Leave me a comment, I'd love to hear about it.

Print your own A Daily Clean Home Checklist

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Merry, Merry Christmas!

It's going to be a quiet morning in our home today. With a 15 year old who has outgrown the excitement of getting up early to open presents and my husband getting to work a few hours this morning, I'm snuggling under a warm woolie spending time knitting.

Wishing you a Merry, Merry Christmas!

Every year we try to do our Christmas picture a little differently and this year was no different. Instead of dressing up and/or going out to a scenic spot for pictures, we decided to do a comfortable, relaxed picture in the corner of the living room. I suggested putting on something that we each like to wear, something that would represent the real individual. Of course, we couldn't leave out our new dog Mikey, who sat perfectly still while my husband was at the camera and then decided he was not having it when he knelt beside the rocking chair.

I hope you all have a  Merry Christmas!

A Laundry Soap Update

I haven't written about my laundry soap in a while. I thought I had written about it since we moved, but evidently I didn't because there is no post about it anywhere to be found. Here is A LAUNDRY SOAP UPDATE for those with inquiring minds who likes keeping up with my laundry.

A Laundry Soap Update

We have a town well for our water. It is icky and I don’t see how people drink it. I remember the first time, I turned the tap on and all that came out was a dingy liquid, not the sparkling clean water I was used to.  Believe it or not, over the past two years that water has played a role in our clothes becoming dingy after repeated washings and soakings.

During the summer, when I was grocery shopping I had my trusty Fels Naptha on my shopping list.  Wal-Mart was out of it that day and I found Zote further down the aisle while in search of a cheap jug of liquid detergent. I was a little hesitant about the citronella scent coming from the package but I bought it anyway.  When I opened the package, I found that the citronella smell was not a powerful, scary smell like the candles and burners for mosquitoes. Instead, it is a soft, pleasant scent and has no lasting effect on your clothes. You don’t have to worry about smelling like a human mosquito repellant walking around. :)

What drew me to trying Zote for a batch of soap is a friend of mine only uses Zote and doesn’t recommend anything else. Another thing I was interested in was the whitening power. Over the past year, I could have bought stock in Clorox because I was using so much on our whites. I really wanted to cut down on the use of bleach to keep from ruining what was being washed. After a couple of washings, our whites were whiter without having to use bleach. Over the last six months, I’ve only had to bleach a few things. YAY! I’m happy for that and I know our whites, kitchen towels, and dish cloths are happy also.

Zote costs the same as Fels Naptha and it is a larger bar. When making the soap, I did it the same way and found that the mixture has a little stronger washing power, so when I fill my smaller jug, I add a little extra filtered water and give it a good shaking.  A five gallon bucket lasts a little longer than six months because of this.

While I love Fels Naptha and would recommend it to anyone, I love the whitening power of Zote. As long as we are dealing with creepy water, Zote will be in my laundry soap.

You can read all my past posts about Laundry Soap.

Spending Quality Time with the Lord

I’m not a morning person. I do my best work at night when everything around me has settled down; just peace and quiet. The only thing I won't do at night is spend time alone with the Lord.  As a young person, I remember being taught to spend time with the Lord early on in the day so I could pray about that day’s happenings.  I was also encouraged to make sure I treated spending time with the Lord as if I would spend time with friends; carving out a moment in the day to spend reading my Bible and praying, making it a priority.

Spending Quality Time with the Lord

It was not until I was in college when I heard this statement from a Sunday school teacher, “If you can only read one or two verses a day, the Lord will be happy with those one or two verses”. That was hard for me to swallow because that is not what I was taught growing up and I honestly didn't believe the Lord would be too pleased with only five minutes of my day.

Even today, it’s hard to imagine only giving God five minutes out of 24 hours. We spend countless hours in front of a television and just as many hours on the telephone. We also spend more than five minutes reading a book and surfing the internet. Why is it so hard to give more than five minutes a day to the God who created us, loved us and sent His Son to die for us?

When I taught school, I had my devotions in my classroom before the day began. I made sure I left home in time to be able to have a quiet time before other teachers arrived and we met for our staff devotions because I just could not get up and get to moving earlier than I really had to.

Over the years, I tried having my devotions throughout the day.  I learned that waiting later in the day to have my devotions does not work. There is ALWAYS something that just so happens to come up that keeps me from having this special time with the Lord.  Trying to have that special time before going to bed, is also a not getting it done situation. By the time I’m going to bed, my brain has shut down and my body is shutting down for the night. I can’t fully concentrate on praying and reading my Bible.

I finally found that having my devotions as soon as my husband leaves for work, works for me. There’s peace and quiet in the house with nothing to hinder these moments. The busyness of the day has not kicked in for my mind to wander about.

During the winter months, my husband has to be at work at 4:00 in the morning. That means the alarm clock goes off at 2:30 and I finally get up about 2:50. Once the lunch and breakfast is made and my husband is out the door, I have my devotions around 3:45 and then I quietly curl up on the sofa and drift off to the sleep.  Once I wake back up, I can focus on cleaning the kitchen and getting school started.

If you are finding yourself not SPENDING QUALITY TIME WITH THE LORD everyday here are some things to consider:

•  Schedule your quiet time – see what time of the day works. While the morning only works for me, another time during the day may work for you. Do this for several days trying out different times throughout the day. 
• Allow plenty of time – Don't rush through your devotions, quality time with the Lord is going to take time. Spending time with Him should be enjoyable and rewarding.
• Alone time – While family devotions are a wonderful time for a family to spend together with the Lord, we all need to spend time with Him, alone. Jesus spent time alone with his Father – Matthew 14:23 
• Distraction free time – Spending time with the Lord needs to be a focused on Him only time. Find a place free from distraction. Jesus spent time in the wilderness seeking the Lord- Luke 5:16

No matter when you have your time with the Lord, purpose in your heart to be disciplined in following through with your special time.   There is so much the Lord wants to share with us, if only we will spend time with Him.

10 Gift Ideas for Women

When it comes to gift buying for me, my husband has it made, or so he says.  I guess the reason why he thinks it’s easy to buy for me is because I’m practical. If it is something that I can use in my daily life – I'm all for it. If it takes up room, gathers dust and has no real purpose, it’s not for me. He knows how I am about clothes, so clothes are out of the question.  Whether you are shopping for practical gifts or not, this list of items is sure to please the woman on your shopping list.

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10 Gift Ideas for Women

1. Cleaning Service Appointment – a great idea for anyone, the gift of having someone else come in and clean a house reduces the load of Getting It All Done.

2. Wind Chime – I love hearing wind chimes. The soft dings of the different tubes in the yard or on the porch are music to the ears.

3. Bird Feeder – if you have a bird lover on your shopping list, bird feeders are a perfect surprise. Don’t forget to add a small bag of bird feed to go along with the feeder.

4. Coffee and Tea Sampler Basket – create this gift yourself, don't buy a pre-made gift. Choosing a favorite flavored coffee and/or tea along with creamer and biscotti or a mini pound cake shows the love and effort in the gift.

5. Candles, Tart Warmer and Tarts – most women love scented candles.  Decide whether you want to give one large candle or an assortment of smaller scented candles in a basket. A basket of different scented tarts along with a tart warmer is another wonderful idea.

6. Perfume – every woman loves to smell good. Whether it is a classic fragrance that has been around for what seems like forever, or a new fragrance; perfume is always a wonderful gift to give.

7. Pajamas or Loungewear – a perfect, comfortable and relaxing gift idea.

8. Books or E-reader – if you have a book lover on your list and know who their favorite author is a copy of the newest release is a perfect gift. An E-reader is another idea for the one on your list.

9. Laminator - the perfect tool for homeschooling moms and scrapbook lovers.

10. Gift Cards – when all else fails on choosing the PERFECT gift, gift cards are always well received.

Have you missed these gift ideas? Teen Girl, Teen Guy, and the Hunter

Are you an Ebates or Swagbucks member?

Remember before making any purchases online click through EBATES so you’ll earn a percentage back . If you use SWAGBUCKS, you can also earn more Swagbucks (to cash in as FREE gift cards) while shopping.

10 Gift Ideas for the Hunter in Your Life

Do you have a hunter in your life? If so, then you know buying Christmas presents for them can be hard. (Yep, I understand because I have two.) But shopping for your favorite hunter doesn't have to be hard; in fact I'm sharing with you 10 GIFT IDEAS FOR THE HUNTER IN YOUR LIFE.

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10 Gift Ideas for the Hunter in Your Life

Thermacell Mosquito Repellant

It’s not just for the hunter! I use our Thermacell during the summer months when I’m outside in the early morning and late evening. It is unbelievable at how well this works! Turn it on and give it just a couple of minutes and the mosquitoes are running for their lives.

If your hunter already has the Thermacell then they probably need the cartridge refills.

LED Headlamps 

LED bulbs are the way to go! LHOSTE makes an 8 light mode toggle light. And the best part it's hands free.







My husband loves a clip on lamp when he is wearing a cap.  Lhoste makes a 6 light mode lamp that is hands free and it's rechargeable. They clip right onto the brim and stays put.The LED light bulbs give enough light for those early morning or late evening walks in and out of the woods.






Lhoste is known for their outdoor products and they offer a no questions asked lifetime warranty.

Camelbak Hydration Pack

Hunters need to keep hydrated and a perfect lightweight way is by using a hydration pack. Camelbak offers a variety of packs, but for the hunter who is not having to do a lot of walking the regular pack is perfect. For the hunter who will be walking or hiking long distances, the Camelbak Mule is a perfect match because of  extra storage option.

Buck 110 Folding Knife

Buck knives have been around for 50 years and they are still made right here in America.  The Buck 110 is a perfect size knife for most jobs. The blade holds a good edge and it is easy to sharpen. The lock back is a safety lock to keep the knife from closing when being used. Safe for hands and fingers!



Since 1902 Buck Knives has offered a lifetime on their knives because they believe in the integrity of their products. Their knives are proudly made in the USA.

Outdoor Edge Butchering Kit

Everything you need for butchering in a hard case. The four knives doubles as cutting tools for camping and outdoor cooking.  The handles are a rubberised TPR for nonslip safety.



Outdoor Edge stands behind their product with a lifetime warranty. If you have any problems, contact them for help.

Hunting Boots

Every hunter needs a good quality boot. Whether they are hunting during warm weather or arctic cold temperatures, a hunter’s feet need to be protected as best as possible. Rocky, Irish Setter and LaCrosse are all name brand hunting boots to consider.

Scentlok OZ Active Odor Destroyer Bag

Your favorite hunter would love waking up to a Scentlok OZ Active Odor Destroyer Bag.  It is a little pricey, but there is no need to spend a lot of money on scent blocking clothes.  The hunter places gear in the bag and plugs it in for 30 minutes in their vehicle. The ozone unit kills the bacteria that causes odors. The bag boasts of heavy duty liner and zippers with adjustable straps.

If your on a budget check out this Scent Crusher Multi Use Scent Free Tote Bag. You'll need the Scent Wafers and the Ozone Generator.

Estrus Betty by Montana Decoy

A decoy is the perfect tool for bringing in the shy bucks. The Estrus Betty Doe Decoy is made from lightweight, durable polyester fabric. Folds flat to a compact size of 13” x 10” and pops up to full size in seconds.Increases the effectiveness of calls and scents.Realistic deer decoy pose attracts bucks during all phases of the rut.Portable, packable and pairs great with our other deer decoys.

 Binoculars

Are binoculars on your hunter’s wish list? While binoculars are a more expensive purchase for a hunter, remember the more expensive brands carry better warranties. Check out Bushnell, Nikon, Vortex, and Leupold.

Gift Cards

I don't know anyone who would not be happy with gift cards. If you cannot make up your mind on the perfect gift, or you have a hunter who has everything, give the gift of money. A perfect way for allowing them to buy what they secretly want or even need.

If you found these gift ideas helpful would you mind sharing it?

Our Life: It Can Always Be Worse

We have all asked the questions, what else is going to happen, can it get any worse or what now. I’m sure there are many more ways to ask what else is there, but you know, no matter what we are experiencing at the moment in our life, it can always be worse.

Our Life: It Can Always Be Worse 

Even in the dark moments, it can get worse. 

But with the Grace of God, we can make it through.

I received a phone call this morning from my husband on his way home from work. He had the 3:00 a.m. early shift because of the snow storm that blew through the area. When I answered all I could hear was the wind blowing, so I knew something was wrong. I didn’t expect to hear, I totaled out the truck. When the conversation ended, and I hung up the phone, all I could ask myself is what else is going to happen to our family.

After the phone call, Jamie and I had our Bible reading, we read in Isaiah. It was as if the Lord saved that chapter for me just for today because it was to have been read on Friday. When I began reading Isaiah 40:10-12 my discouragement began to lift. As my eyes scanned the page, the highlighted words from Isaiah 40:28-31 quickly pricked my heart. I knew what they said even before reading them. By the time we got down to those verses, the last little bit of worry and fear left.

I have a Heavenly Father who keeps me in His arms and carries me through all that I face. He knew what was going to happen today and my husband’s life was spared. He spared me and my son the turmoil of losing a husband and a father. And I am grateful for that! I do not have a Heavenly Father who sleeps or rests, He is in COMPLETE control over everything in our lives at ALL TIMES. He gives me strength to face the situations.

At this very moment, we are without a vehicle. The family truck needs a new wheel bearing (which will be worked on this week) and the old standby is now totaled. But you know what, it can be worse. Instead of answering the phone to hear my husband’s sweet voice, I could have been answering to an unfamiliar voice explaining my husband was injured or dead.

I praise the Lord for His protection on my husband! I praise the Lord for sparing me and my son horrible grief! I praise the Lord for keeping me in His arms and providing our every need!

No matter what we are going through, it can always be worse.