Violet Rhodes

Jehovah Jireh

Published on June 23, 2026June 23, 2026 by Violet Rhodes1 Comment

Our long anticipated western trip for a family reunion was coming up rapidly. For days before, our schedule was brimming over with responsibilities and activities that couldn’t be avoided. Too many late nights were running me down.

That last night before leaving, I sat down wearily with my Bible and devotional book. I didn’t remember the verses I read, but a quote stuck with me. “God loves to provide for you! “

The exhaustion and failures in being the mom and wife I longed to be, loomed over, haunting me with guilt. “How can God really love to provide for me when I’ve messed up again?!” Yes I prayed and confessed but still felt down and ill prepared mentally for the long haul ahead. Travels with children and a toddler overwhelmed me in my raggled frame of my mind.

“I wonder how He will provide for me on this trip,” I thought. I know He always does, but I faced this trip with skepticism. This was a 9 day trip, not a weekend jaunt. My sleep is one of the quickest things to evaporate with the slightest stress. And then my 16 month old. She sleeps great at night, thank God! But travels in her car seat is where the real concern lay.

We woke well before dawn and headed out in the darkness. Surely the children would all go back to sleep! But the baby had no such plans. My fears rose with the sun. An hour after leaving, the crying began. Offers for snacks, toys and drinks. Prayers. Disciplinary actions. “Just go night night, honey.” “Waaaaahhhh, waaahh”, on and on she howled. “She has to learn,” hubby reminds me. “She’ll do better tomorrow,” he speaks with more optimism than I.

With hours of listening to my baby’s fussing, I was more than weary. I was in despair. How would I ever cope with this long day? With the days of travel ahead? I didn’t even try to keep back tears. Noise rapidly overstimulates my brain. Fatigue plagued me. But no matter how tired I am, fussing baby or not, I cannot sleep while traveling. My eyes burned from tears, dry contacts, and tiredness. Headache. My shoulders were tight. I felt the pain in my arm muscles/elbow that was bothering me for months. Countless prayers arose in the ‘groanings which couldn’t be uttered’ sort.

Let me clarify. I’m melancholy by nature, combined with gut/brain issues so it doesn’t take much to throw me in the gutters. I realize there are much worse scenarios life can bring and there are Mamas with much stronger brain health than me. So to you, my situation may sound pittly. Also, I’m beginning to wonder if being a 40ish mom doesn’t play into things too. Instead of the vigor of a 25 year old, my brain and body sags quicker with the demands of littles.

Back to the travels. I let my mind wander what I would ask if I could order anything I wanted. With my immediate needs plaguing me, these came to mind. Quietness. Solitude away from my children. A massage. A good long massage would feel amazing! A tidy room with a soft bed and cool sheets. A place to sleep undisturbed for many long hours. Waking refreshed, I’d bask in warm sunshine, reveling in the peaceful quiet of nature.

After 6 hours, Macie finally fell asleep for about 30-40 minutes. Grateful I was, but knew we were in for it. How would we survive 6 days of travels?! (Three days out and three back home) Tears coursed down my cheeks as we sped along, when suddenly, the vehicle dings merrily. The cruise had quit and soon Jerald informs me the transmission is acting up. I almost laughed. In my frame of mind, who knows what would go wrong next. It also humored me that exactly nine years ago this month, we were headed to Montana, just as we were this time, and our van’s alternator gave up the ghost. How’s that for a track record? Both times we were in South Dakota. I like the west but it appears our vehicles do not. With prayers and faith we rolled on another 30-40 miles to get our Yukon checked out.

Silly as it sounds, I was relieved my weepy self and fussy toddler were no longer the problem in focus. Our overnight plans haunted me because I was in no shape for socializing, managing children, getting them to bed, plus being gracious guests in my distressed shape. Being delayed with checking out the vehicle, put us further behind. We canceled our overnight plans with relatives. Instead of despair, relief flooded me.

The children and me lounged on the strip of grass outside the shop. Yes it was hot and windy, but oh the relief of a happy baby. God’s provision? Absolutely! I briefly imagined what if we were stranded and literally had to spend the night on the street. But deep down I knew God would provide. I had a kind, wise husband who would take care of his family. Most of all, I had a big God who would provide for His weary child. Just as I was happy to have my howling baby out of her seat and trotting around, God was happy to provide that strip of grass and fresh air for my baby and me.

The shop guy hooked up his scanner, cleared all the sensors, and praise Jehovah! We were back on the road with a working vehicle! The transmission kept working good the remainder of our travels. On hot days it heated up a little, but never quit working. God’s provision? Absolutely!

We stopped at Golden Corral for supper. Gladness filled my heart as I fastened Macie’s bib and prepped her plate, eager to see her enjoy the food. And just then the thought flashed through my mind- “God loves to provide for you just like you love to provide for your baby!”

Aahh, yes, God was providing for me and my family’s needs! Hubby found an Airbnb near Rapid City, SD. We rolled in there, unpacked, I bathed Macie and this Mama went to bed long before the usual bedtime. God’s provision? Absolutely!

And how many times did God provide for me that day? On that 9 day trip? How many times God provides for His children in ways we don’t even notice?! I have no answers. I don’t know why I still fret. Being over the hill, I really should have my act together. Instead it seems the older I get the more needy I become.

God also loves providing things for us that are pure enjoyment and not absolutes for survival. Brilliant blooms, intricate petals of flowers, the sweetness of summer fruits, the smell of freshly mown grass, or baking bread. The buzzing bees and hummingbirds, the beauty of the rolling ocean, the majestic mountains. He could have kept this world barren, with no color. He could have given us one single food or no taste buds. He could have kept this world in complete darkness, instead of creating sunshine. He gives so much more than we deserve!

“But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the Lord. Jeremiah 9:24

God is not scolding us for not managing better. When our emotions are fragile and the children’s chaos deplets our brain, it doesn’t mean we’re a failure. It means we’re dusty humans in need of God.

My own first response when I mess up is giving myself lectures. But when Elijah collapsed with exhaustion under the Juniper tree, God didn’t give him a lecture. He provided for his immediate needs.

God loves providing for you, weary friend! Trust Him when the baby fights sleep and the toddler howls. Trust Him when your loved one stays ill instead of recuperating. Trust Him when the relationship you put lots of effort in falls flat. Trust Him when there’s more tears than smiles. When you don’t know how you’ll manage through your changing circumstances, God will provide! But perhaps not in the way we imagine.

God’s provision is not always a cool pillow to rest our weary head. It’s not instant relief from pain, hardship, or stressful circumstances. It’s not a sudden, happy toddler or instant healing. We might not recognize God’s provision immediately, but it doesn’t mean He’s not providing. He just might be teaching us reliance on His grace in ways we wouldn’t learn otherwise.

The Hebrew meaning of Jehovah Jireh is: the Lord will provide. He provided for our family on this trip when it looked impossible. There were plenty of emotional needs going on with all of us. But we also had times of peace and prayer. Prayers especially for Macie and our vehicle, as well as imploring God’s help for all our moods.

You might want to journal His everyday providence in your life. I’ve found it helps solidify His provision in the past, to my forgetful brain.

Of Friends And Farmer’s Market

Published on May 29, 2026May 29, 2026 by Violet RhodesLeave a comment

It was a balmy summer day. The kind with puffy white clouds and cheerful, dappling sunshine. Toting our babies and baskets of goods, we gathered beneath the stately maples in Karla’s front yard. The weather was epic! Not hot or windy- definite blessings for the Nebraska plains.

We placed our wares on gingham covered tables, browsing, and delighting over the creative options.

The invitation came from Karla several weeks ago, who graciously offered to host us church ladies for a friends farmer’s market. The old fashioned sort where vendors swapped their goods. And so it was, twenty some ladies found themselves in her front yard on that summery Wednesday morning, bringing their handcrafted items.

Our host had sewn colorful cloth bags, placed at the beginning of the line, ready for us to fill. After the goods were arranged, we filed past the tables collecting our treasures. Many of the crafts and foods were embellished or labeled. It was just good, old fashioned fun!

These mini bouquets were my contribution along with mini jars of hummus. Indecisive me couldn’t decide which, so I did both.

Josie’s contribution was these avocodo paintings. She decided this last minute, putting in some long hours the night before. The paintings said *”Avo good day*”

Here is the recipe for the hummus I made.

Here’s a list of the items that were brought. We had around 20 vendors, so each one brought that many items. Everything was handcrafted or homemade.

Maple pecan butter
Honey butter
Mini banana and lemon poppyseed bread
Strawberry and blueberry preserves
Mini bread loaves
Protein balls
Mini layer cakes
Alfajor cookies
Hummus
Granola
Party mix
Vanilla extract
Tea bags and mini jars of honey
Dill dip mix
Cloth bags
Mini bouquets
Handmade cards
Hand soap
Potholders
Clothespin bags
Lisianthus flowers

Karla served us a tasty charcuterie style salad bar- a feast for the eyes and mouth both.

The towering maples spread their shady limbs over our gathering. We chatted with friends and held tiny, slumbering humans. A quilt for toddlers to play on and soft grass for mini bare feet. The day reminded me of the sort you read in books of yore. When life was slow and a social like this would be discussed and remembered for days to come. And so we will! One day we’ll look back at our babies and brim with tears for those sweet young tots. We’ll exclaim over our youthful faces and oh, the way our dresses were made back then! When we look on bygone days, we tend to remember the good and forget the hard. But in our day to day living, it’s easy to forget the good and see the hard.

Don’t overlook the gold in today’s moments. Of course there are things we wish were different. But remember, each moment is an opportunity to create good old days.

Find yourself a bevy of friends, craft your items and gather for a taste of nostalgia.

Nourish To Flourish

Published on April 28, 2026April 28, 2026 by Violet Rhodes3 Comments

I was a new bride, standing in our ample, hallway entry, scrutinizing ingredient labels. The church had generously blessed us with an overload of groceries. The hallway served for storage, until I could find homes for everything in the tiny kitchen. The new wife I was, I still remember crying about the overwhelm of realizing I was now soley responsible for cooking, figuring out meals and getting groceries. New responsibility typically brings with it a measure of fear for me. The realization hit me full force that it was up to me what our diets would look like. The health of my husband and later on, our children, depended alot on me and what style of cooking I chose.

We were given The Derstines Favorite Recipes cookbook as a wedding gift. In the back, it has a section on health, detox, and herbal recipes. They also shared of losing a neice to breast cancer, and the importance of detoxing, lymph flow, removing perfumes and parabens from our body products. This ignited the flame in me. With having cancer in my history, combined with new responsibilities, this is where my desire for healthy living was born. I scrutinized that honeymoon bodywash with the lavender color- this had parabens? The Shania Twain lotion in the hot pink tube that my friend and I raved over, this had harmful things that could cause cancer?! And what were all these unpronouncable, extensive words on food labels? I didn’t know much but quickly learned to scan ingredient labels and what words meant “bad stuff.”

Before I was married I drank Dr. pepper, ate raspberry zingers and gave no thought to the hideous amount of red dye and HFCS. Nourishing to flourish is a process, not an overnight change. Now days, I have zero desire for greasy burgers and fries. If you feed your body junk it will crave junk. If you feed your body whole foods, you will eventually gravitate towards that above processed foods.

The first swaps in food choices I made was, sea salt instead of Morton table salt. Also swapping baking soda from the orange box stuff to Bob’s Red Mill brand which was aluminum free. I also used that brand baking powder. I poured these in pint jars with labels. Tiny steps but changes nonetheless.

Although cooking is not my first love, fifteen years later, menu planning, groceries and cooking has become second nature. I love sitting down Monday morning to plan the week’s menus, utilizing what foods need used up and jotting down any needed groceries. I’ve also learned the joy of keeping my freezer stocked with prepared foods for hectic days or unexpected hosting.

It’s much harder to eat healthy when your away from home or traveling. A good guide to keep in mind is the 80/20 rule. If you eat real, whole foods/good proteins 80% of the time, the other 20% of eating less than ideal, won’t take your health down as rapidly. Do your best, take small steps at a time, but don’t stress perfection. On the other side, don’t take the, I can never get it right, so who cares, approach either. Small steps are better than none!

And please don’t think we’re perfection at this house. We are far from it! I feel I’ve slacked over the years, with the children getting older and enjoying their liberties, splurging at parties or away from home. Honest confession. I’ve even gone so far as to buy treats like hot dogs and egg rolls when Dad was gone, to make it special. Now you know I’m not completely crunchy!

A great way to start eating cleaner is to eat very basic. Use fresh, whole foods instead of processed. Peel carrots and bake those along with potatoes and a simple meat, instead of casseroles full of creamed soups and velveeta cheese. Grill chicken, bake rice and dice up a fresh salad instead of mac and cheese, boughten pizza, or processed meats like chicken nuggets and hot dogs.

I’m thrilled to see the changes in cleaner options available these days than there was twenty years ago. America is slow to learn. I’m going to share the healthier swaps I’ve made in our food department. It’s not in any order of importance neither is it all inclusive. Many of you are making healthier choices and I applaud you for that! In that regard, this may be old news for you. I’ve had this post in mind for awhile, and if it appears I’m behind times, you’re probably right.

HEALTHIER SWAPS:

White refined sugar: organic raw cane sugar. You can also use much less than a recipe calls for, often half the amount is enough.

Brown sugar: sucunat or coconut sugar

Raw local honey and maple syrup are good options. Store bought honey often has HFCS as filler. I’m learning about Allulose and monk fruit which I believe are both good, but don’t have much experience yet. This package below I found at Costco. Sugar alcohols are debatable. I rarely use them anymore. I still use liquid stevia glycerite and stevia powder for certain foods and drinks. Currently I’m using this organic microingredients stevia powder.

Flour: Organic flour is better but grinding your own and using freshly milled flour is much better. Crushed wheat is also a healthier option but here again, I don’t have experience with it. We use organic fresh milled or a gluten free flour mix. You can make your own with the recipe in this post.

Walmart carries a gluten free flour blend but I personally prefer this blend from Costco.

Instead of Seed Oils such as canola, corn and soybean: use avocado, olive and coconut oil. I use refined coconut oil as a replacement for crisco/shortening. Butter and lard are good options as well. I use Chosen avocodo oil and Terra Delyssa olive oil.

Oats: Oats are high in glyphosate, so buying organic ensures against that. I was pleased to find these sprouted oats at Costco.

Chocolate chips: Enjoy Life is a good brand with only a couple ingredients. Lily’s is a sugar free option but I personally don’t use, partially because of the price. Walmart carries this Bake Believe brand, but I was pleased to find this large bag at Costco.

Cereal: I keep homemade granola on hand but otherwise, not too much. Most cereal is full of sugar with little nutrients. I like to keep rice krispies on hand for use in baking and cheerios for toddler snacks. Here’s better options that I started using. Organic Morning O’s, Nature’s Path Crispy Rice and Three Wishes. Seven Sundays is a good brand too. Three Wishes cereal is made with chickpeas and very few ingredients.

Mayonnaise: Most mayonnaise is full of soybean oil! It might boast ‘made with cage free eggs’ or ‘made with olive oil’. But look closely. Even if its made with olive oil, its usually only partly! And what’s great about cage free eggs if it’s full of seed oil?! I love the Chosen avocodo oil mayonnaise or you can make your own. At times I have trouble with it not wanting to emulsify properly. I could never figure out why. Now I try to drizzle the oil in very slowly instead of having everything in the jar and then blending. But I’ve given in to the convenience of having mayonnaise in my pantry. I’ve found Costco carries it for the best price.

Ranch and other salad dressings: make your own, because they’re best friends with soybean/canola oil. Their next besties are MSG and preservatives. We buy Weaver’s Dutch Country Ranch dressing powder instead of Hidden Valley Ranch powder. Mix it with sourcream, nutritional yeast, garlic powder and salt for your own dip or add milk and mayo to make your own Ranch dressing. We use alot of Weaver’s Seasonings! We’ve switched from using Italian dressing to marinate meat, to simply using Weavers Grilling Dust for marinating. It’s delicious! When you buy store bought seasonings, it usually won’t have the good kind of salt in it, so keep that in mind. Weaver’s uses mostly Himalayan or sea salt.

Favorites of ours. I use chicken dust as a replacement for seasoned salt.

Along with seasonings, I’ve used Nutritional yeast for years. We love it on popcorn and avocado toast. I also like it on eggs. But recently learned of nonfortified brands which are a better option. Besides Anthony’s pictured here, a couple more good options are Sari, Foods Alive and THM.

I’ve made my own taco seasoning for years now. You can find the recipe here. McCormick is a clean option if you prefer buying yours.

Tortillas: Making your own is great! I never feel I have time for the effort involved, plus have no tortilla press. I was beyond thrilled to find these organic ones at Walmart a couple months ago!

Chips: We try to eat chips sparingly and find healthier options. This is a harder one to find without seed oils. We like Bettergoods brand guacamole flavored chips fried with avocado oil. The grain free tortilla chips are made with very clean ingredients. Costco carries a variety of chips made with avocado oil as well as Thrive Market. Learn to read labels. Just because it looks healthy or says all natural doesn’t mean it always is. Simply Nature has organic chips that are made with sunflower oil, which is still a seed oil.

Yogurt: Oikos triple zero is a great brand with zero sugar, zero artificial favors, zero fat and great protein. Chobani and Better Goods are better quality, though still have sugar. Homemade of course is great, especially when made with raw milk.

Milk: of course raw milk is best if you have access to it. But if you buy it like we do currently, we buy organic or A2A2. Costco carries both options.

Pastas, jellos and instant puddings: these are things I rarely make. But I’ve learned of better brands for when I do use them. Jovial is a gluten free brand of pasta that’s made from brown rice. (I don’t cook brown rice anymore, but for an occasional use like pasta I’ll use it). Banza is also gluten free and made with chick peas. I prefer using gluten free products other than those made with corn.

Simply Desserts is a brand of jello and pudding that is sweetened with eyrthrityol and has no food dyes. We so rarely have jellos/pie fillings that I don’t mind using this brand, even though it has eyrthrityol. It’s still better than the typical brands with loads of sugar and food coloring! And in all honesty, occasionally I use ordinary jello for a special dessert or something like Christmas cranberry salad.

Rice: The way basmati and jasmine rice are raised, doesn’t expose them to as much cadmium and toxins as regular rice. I buy either of those, organic in the Simply Nature brand. I don’t use brown rice anymore, because of the higher arsenic content, which is a carcinogen. I rinse my rice well, soak it a couple hours, then rinse again before cooking. This helps remove excess starch. Cooking your rice with broth instead of water amps up the nutritional value as well as the taste! I have plenty of broth on hand since we raise our own chickens and almost never cook rice with plain water anymore.

Peanut Butter: Peanuts and salt should be the only ingredients in your peanut butter jar. Peanuts are high in aflatoxins (a particular mold that’s been linked to cancer and other damaging health issues). There’s other foods with aflatoxins too, but peanuts are highest.) Any wonder many people have peanut allergies?! Peanut butter can go rancid quickly, even when stored in the refrigerator. Some years ago I learned Valencia peanuts are a better option, because they’re grown in a dryer climate, thus less susceptible to mold/ aflatoxins. Recently I discovered Costco carries organic Valencia peanut butter. You better believe it I was thrilled! A two pack like this was $9.99. Can’t complain on the price either. I still don’t use loads of peanut butter for myself personally. There’s heaps better protein options available without aflatoxins. The mixed nut butter is a good option if you want to avoid peanut butter.

Coffee: I’m no coffee drinker so I’m not telling you what to buy on that, but you could drink bone broth for a healthier alternative! Hah, as though I’d change anyone. (I’m quite aware coffee lovers are opinionated about their coffee and I won’t change them!) At the very least, drink your coffee with a protein filled breakfast instead of on an empty stomach. Or then stir collagen or protein powder into your coffee to give a bit of protein. Straight coffee on an empty stomach isn’t good for women’s hormones in particular. Don’t pounce on me. I didn’t come up with that tidbit.

Nonetheless, a few good brands of bone broth protein powders are: Ancient Nutrition, Designs for Health and Paleovalley. I love using these for a quick, protein breakfast. Plus they’re beneficial for your gut! I use Designs for Health unflavored version as well as Ancient Nutrition chocolate. With the unflavored, it’s handy to add in any flavors of choice. You can also add it to granola bars or protein balls.

I don’t recommend whey protein because of the liklihood of MSG and other junk in alot of powders. However, Just Ingredients is a very clean brand with whey protein from a good source.

Pop: We very rarely buy pop. Ollipop is something we enjoy occasionally. It has low sugar, clean ingredients with prebiotics, yet carbonated and tasty.

Where to shop:

For years, our grocery shopping was done between Walmart and Aldi. But we’ve gotten started with Costco in the last month and have decided to switch over to that. They have oodles of great options for cleaner foods, plus good prices. The perk of buying in bulk is super nice for staying stocked! They have a yearly membership fee but its quite minimal for the benefits they have. Azurea Standard has tons of good options as well. I never got onto it much because of the hassle of pick-up. I used Thrive Market for a few years. Shipping to your door is awesome, but it comes with a yearly membership fee, that felt a bit much for not more than we used it. It might be a great fit for you though. They have good options. If your looking for an in-store option, Whole Foods will likely carry many of these items.

We don’t have any bent & dent or health food stores nearby, so its easiest to order some things from Amazon. Like the jello I mentioned, nutritional yeast, stevia, certain cereals, bone broth protein and more.

In case it feels overwhelming to make changes, start with one change at a time. I would recommend avoiding seed oils. When you have better options figured out on that, remove high fructose corn syrup. Next be vigilant about removing food dyes and so on. As you learn to read ingredient labels, you will learn better options available. It will become easier, I promise. And kudos to you if you’ve gotten your health food department all figured out! ❤️ I’m still learning too.

Chasing Spring Blossoms

Published on March 31, 2026March 31, 2026 by Violet RhodesLeave a comment

What better time to celebrate new life than Easter? The power in Jesus’ resurrection is proof He’s living and real! No other religion could do the miracle of raising the dead to life and then living forever! Every spring, new life unfolds all around us, little reminders of His resurrection!

I had quite a number of new subscribers since my last post. In regards to that, I belatedly updated a couple things on my About page. One of which was a new link to the book of my cancer story. My apologies to those who may have clicked and saw it was outdated. Welcome, and thank you for being here! It’s my prayer that you will find content that encourages and blesses your life.

Ahhh Springtime! It thrills my heart how the sun waits to say goodnight for a couple hours longer, begging us to stay outside. Chirpy birds, greening grass and budding trees, who could say there is no God?!

Let’s chat about our kitchen tables. Obviously it’s a place for nourishing meals and interaction with families and friends. But aside from meals, what does our table look like? A flat, central surface will attract clutter sure as pies attract flies. And it’s ok. We need a place to put things. But who enjoys a constant disarray, where it needs cleared before every meal? If you don’t know where to start cleaning up, just clear the table. A clean kitchen table with a pretty centerpiece can give you courage when the rest of your house is crumbling. Daily resetting/clearing this surface will help combat the piles that (almost) magically appear.

I had fun playing around with a variety of centerpieces and shooting photos, to hopefully give you some inspiration. I know how fun it is to see other’s ideas, so feel free to send me your own inspirations! There’s countless options and ideas one could use for a nod to the season. With Easter coming up this weekend, why not celebrate with a beautiful bouquet for your table? Here are a few ideas:

Obviously any spring blooms are a win! Daffodils, tulips or lilies all speak Spring/ Easter. But the arrangement of colors and type of vase or vessel you put them in can make a huge difference in the appearance. Take a look at these centerpieces.

A glass vase or jar is classic, but I’ve learned, if you avoid clear ones, you won’t see the yucky looking water that happens after a couple days. Using a watering can as a vase lends to spring, though I will say it wasn’t exactly my style. I think a cuter watering can would make a difference, but this is what I use for watering my houseplants. If vintage tea cups are your style, that would make a cute vase as well, paired with a small stack of old books. Adding candles always adds coziness, but I don’t use them as much in spring or summer.

Scattering a variety of mini vases with singular blooms down the center of the table gives a unique twist. I’ll admit, I didn’t like my try at this, but it gives you the idea. I liked the mini vases on the wooden tray better. I loved the pottery with baby’s breath and white bird. It’s neutral, easy on the eyes and gives peaceful vibes. The pottery with tulips also struck me. Mini fresh plants grouped on a wooden cutting board or tray is also pretty, though it nods more to summer, in my opinion. Adding in small birds or real looking bird eggs in a nest is also cute! I stay away from bunnies and colored eggs because it has nothing to do with the true meaning of Easter.

A variety of table cloths or runners totally change things up. I don’t use tablecloths anymore except for company. Its cozy, but it feels a mite stuffy for me. The plaid runner is the only one I have, which I use occasionally. But I think that’s why I didn’t like a couple of the centerpieces because the runner didn’t jibe and looked too busy. An earth toned runner might look better with my brown vases.

This option here was my favorite which I kept on the table.

I had loaned out some vases for an event last week, and my friend graciously said I could keep the flowers that were in them. So that’s what I used in these pictures.

We are probably behind many of you in our growing season and don’t have any blooms yet. We moved from southern Indiana to Nebraska 8 years ago. Every spring I think longingly of the large patch of daffodils we left behind at our place there. They grew along the field, offspring of an old homestead. I could pick to my heart’s content, scattering bouquets through the house. Here’s a picture of Josie and me in that patch.

Shop your house, for trays, baskets, pitchers, pottery, or wooden bowls or cutting boards. (yes your house. You don’t need to go visit the store.) You can create a fresh look by pulling something out that you hadn’t used in a long while. A bowl with fresh lemons or red apples looks cheerful. Greenery and sprigs or apple/cherry blossoms stuck in pottery is lovely! I still remember one spring I was so ‘hungry’ for freshness in my house, I cut a bunch of greening sprigs along the edge of the woods and stuck it in jars, with decorative rocks in the bottom. When my husband came home, he laughed and says ”that’s weeds!” Weeds or not, it was pretty to me!

If you like keeping things like salt and pepper and napkins on the table, consider corralling all those little items in one large tray or basket, along with your pretty centerpiece. It helps tone it down to look like one item instead of 5 little things that tend to clutter.

A resurrection garden would also be a perfect Easter centerpiece. It’s something I’ve wanted to do with my children but have never yet managed it. Every year we make these super simple resurrection rolls which they always love.

And now for a fun springish kind of recipe! This Taco dip is very light and perfect for a Sunday night supper or maybe an outdoor party. It requires some prepping of ingredients which can be done ahead of time. It doesn’t take long to assemble and can be refrigerated for a couple hours. You can also add a layer of canned beans such as chili, black or pinto, for more protein.

We really like the Better Goods brand of chips, particularly the guacamole flavored ones. They’re lightly fried in avocado oil and have cleaner ingredients. Available at Walmart.

As homemakers, we get the privilege of decorating our homes and creating spaces to our likening. (And if you don’t enjoy home decor, its ok! It doesn’t mean your not a good homemaker. Please don’t think I’m trying to tell you to get your act together and pretty up your house.) Much more important than any decor is the ability we have to set the atmosphere in our homes, for peace or tension. We’ve probably all heard the convicting statement “if Momma ain’t happy ain’t nobody happy!” Some days we can barely keep our own boat afloat. Any flailing of youngsters or husbands in the wrong direction flip us over in turbulent waters of hormones. Often, motherhood doesn’t look like photos in parenting magazines. It’s more like running a marathon, exhausted and wondering how we can keep going one more day. And that’s exactly how God teaches us dependence on Him. We can’t keep going without Him to give us strength for one more step! And how grateful I am for God’s mercy and unending love, that’s not based on our performance level. When our children crunch on our last nerve and we messed up again! We ask forgiveness and trust God for better tomorrows.

Love your family! Create moments to celebrate Easter and new life this season!

Revival Survival

Published on March 6, 2026March 6, 2026 by Violet RhodesLeave a comment

Our church typically has a week of revival meetings in March, which is happening next week Lord willing.

How can we as moms simplify for a more enjoyable week? Don’t we all know how hectic it can be?! Especially if you have little tykes and school children. And when we get frustrated, the whole family gets disorderd moods. I certainly don’t have this down pat. The week still wears me out from the aspect of going away and getting to bed later every night. But here’s some practical tips for revival survival.

● Stay Home

Not from church, but through the day. Don’t go away more than absolutely necessary. Avoid appointments or other obligations this week if at all possible. If you really need groceries, and don’t already do this, consider doing pick-up. (We’ve done this on a regular basis now for a few years. It saves multitudes of time and energy for this often weary mother.)

Staying home gives more time for keeping the house tidy, your routines in place, naps on schedule, and focusing on preparation for the evening.

● Prepare Simple Suppers

Either cook extra the week before and tuck in the freezer or plan very easy meals that require minimal prep and clean-up. Or plan crockpot meals if that’s your style. Along with this, I’m planning to use paper plates because an offspring of ours capsized on the door of the dishwasher and ruined it the other day. You’re not wasteful if you use paper products even if your dishwasher works. You’re being efficient by simplifying for the necessary Bread of Life.

● Simplify Breakfast And Lunches

This might not apply to you, but when there’s school involved the morning after the night before, its super helpful to have quick breakfasts without much mess! I make it a point to keep at least 2 or 3 breakfast options in the freezer. This school year I have been doing this on a regular basis. This is huge for cutting down on stress for me. We generally have the same thing each week on the designated day. And I definitely want easy options when there’s a busy week!

As for lunches, I’m planning to bake a pizza early in the week for easy packing. Purchase pizza pockets if you’d rather. Or pot pies. Or make wraps. Just be prepared by having a little stash to pull out for simple lunches. Putting forethought into action is key to eliminating frazzled mornings.

● Do The Basics

This is not the week to undergo spring cleaning, major outside work, sewing projects or decluttering closets. I don’t plan anything other than the basics of cooking, laundry and cleaning. If I find time to do a little extra here or there, that’s fine. But it’s perfectly fine to do nothing else except care for your family and yourself! Take the extra time to sip your tea and relax instead of rushing on to another project. Take a nap if you can. Sit and do nothing for 15 minutes. No phone or magazine browsing. No reading. This might sound scary but its an awesome habit to cultivate on a regular basis. Productivity is not our identity. Not to speak of how much more rested our minds and bodies feel when we do this. (A work in progress over here!)

● Pack Your Diaper Bag

Every morning, check your bag and restock and prepare it for the evening. This is one less thing to do during that time crunch before rushing out the door. It won’t hurt your purse’s feelings to sit neglected for hours until the service.

● Prepare Clothes And Shoes

Especially if you have a row of preschoolers, bathe them in the afternoon before naps. And they really don’t need a bath everyday. Unless they’re a heavy spitter sort of baby or have been in the mud all afternoon. Have their clothes set out or hung aside in the closet. This makes it easier not only for you, but also when Dad or an older sibling is dressing them. And a side note, I may be old fashioned here, but don’t hesitate to hang up and re-wear clothes, for littles or yourself. If they’re not visibly dirty or smelly of course. I mean, we shower, use deodorant, sit in pews in regulated air for an hour and a half. Does every garment really need washed?

● Prepare Yourself Early

I find it helpful to shower late afternoon as well as do my hair. Having myself basically ready well before supper is a huge help. After dishes, it doesn’t take long to slip in my Sunday dress and covering. This sure beats blasting through the shower 15 minutes before its time to leave.

● Children’s Chores

Have the children do their chores as early as possible, to avoid adding to last minute rush. Also, have them wash up lunchbox and supper prep dishes, before supper. This makes clean up afterwards a breeze.

● Give Yourself Margin

A big key to eliminate a stressful week is to give yourself lots of margin. Keep your days relaxed and the unexpected won’t be as quick to trigger high blood pressure episodes.

Aim to have everyone ready to leave 10 minutes prior to departure time. Again, this gives margin for the unexpected. If there’s no unexpected, sit in your chair and congratulate yourself. Honestly, sitting for even 5 minutes before heading to church really does help achieve that calm atmosphere.

● Hosting The Preacher

Typically we have a sign up sheet to have the speaker over for a meal. This takes considerable effort for moms to juggle along with the rest of our responsibilities, but it’s a blessing to share physical food with the one who studies and prepares spiritual food for us every evening. Again- keep it simple! Prepare food the day before hosting to alleviate last minute frazzles. There’s enough to do with adding the finishing touches to the meal. Having the main dishes ready to slide in the oven long before necessary, majorly cuts down on stress. Your fridge will not be offended for hosting a casserole dish or two for an extra 24 hours. Plus, you have time to wash up cooking dishes without being in a tizzy.

My old faithful menu for preachers is taco salad. I think every one of them has always commented how good it was and how nice to have a lighter meal, after all the big meals they are typically served. Although there’s nothing wrong with serving the preacher a hearty meal. Just don’t stress it.

Keeping the house relatively tidy and giving the bathroom a quick ‘wipe swipe’, is likely enough. This is where the beauty of regular cleaning comes in. When you don’t let it get completely awful, you can skimp on the busy days, allowing more time for food prep, unexpected interruptions or other necessities the day of hosting.

● Prepare Your Heart

This should be at the top of the list, but because I was on the practical side of things, it’s listed here. We can’t expect to race through the day, pack our brains to the brim with constant activity, spin through the shower, roar off to church and expect to get revived. More than likely we’ll be nodding to sleep instead of the message. I realize with little ones, our days are still often full and noisy. I’m not talking about that. But be intentional to not plan anything else, so you can find quiet moments. Spend time praying for the speaker, the audience and especially your own heart. Ask God to show you whatever you need. Speaking to myself here. Sit in silence and muse over the previous night’s message. God speaks in a still small voice that we’re likely to miss if we don’t quiet our minds and hearts.

● Give Yourself Grace

These tips are just suggestions. My intention is not to make anyone feel guilty or inadequate for not doing them. You might run on the fly better than I. Things come up or are on the agenda that are unavoidable. And if you’re not able to make it to church on time, give yourself grace there too. God understands. Accidents happen. It’s when it becomes habitual is where the true problem lies.

And incase you wonder, my taco salad is nothing famous. Simply fix taco meat, (I add beans to it) and prep all the fixings. Shredded lettuce, diced or cherry tomatoes, shredded cheese, corn chips or crushed tortilla chips and homemade French dressing. Have the meat warm. Just before sitting down to eat, I mix everything in a large bowl and drizzle with dressing. Toss to combine and serve immediately. This pairs well with a side of biscuits and jam and sweet tea. And yes, I’m partial to Southern vibes!

What are your tips to simplify during a week of meetings? I’d love to know.

Brushstrokes Of February

Published on February 18, 2026February 18, 2026 by Violet RhodesLeave a comment

Over the years I’ve struggled with depression. Overall, I’m much better than a couple years ago, but it still crops up in late winter or when I battle insomnia, physical issues or pain. I had all this going on days before leaving for our anticipated Florida vacation. (Yes, I know, that alone should have boosted my spirits, and I was grateful, but its not like it cures a brain in despair when it sets in.) Thanks to God, and 3 chiropractor treatments in about that many days, I felt well by the time we left. Jerald too was dealing with various issues in health and business. Not being strong mentally, I can barely keep my head above drowning when my sanguine husband gets down. We just had alot going on that felt like adversity. When my brain is weak, it fogs my vision with a pitifully bleak lens. While in Florida, I aspired to write a poem, (albeit, rather elementary) of the two extremes of colors I saw.

God’s Canvas

My waking thoughts focused on pain,

Gloomy doubts hounded my brain.

The murky depths sent my spirit sagging-

No joy to be found with morbid thoughts nagging.

There was abundance of sighing

And a boat load of crying.

With sundry needs beneath my head,

Tormenting fear imagines me dead.

Desperate pleas for health and healing-

“God, please remove these fears that I’m feeling.”

The only colors that February day

Were varied shades of brown and grey.

One week later- how could it be?!

The rainbow of colors God showered on me?!

Brilliant red berries and geranium flowers

The green of the palms in stately towers

In vast expanse the deep blue lies

Of ocean water and clearest skies

Hibiscus and sunshine with soothing rays

Yellow brings cheer these February days

Orange in the citrus and sun in the west

With flying colors, God’s paints are the best!

We were able to suprise my Mom who was also in Florida for a few weeks. That was such a highlight for me! Our time there was an absolute balm for my soul. It was amazing how God worked out the details about the trip and provided that we could even go. Such a privilege and gift from Him for sure. While I realize we can not measure God’s love based on His gifts to us, this felt like a huge God hug!

What a privilege to be with my dear Mother and aunts. Mom is in the middle here with her two sisters, Rosa Yoder and Sarah Gingerich.We celebrated mom’s 79th birthday while in FL with her. Rosa and Sarah are both in their 80s.

We had balmy weather, but failed to be prepared for the evening chill that moves in as the sun lowers. It was much too cold to be barefooted and jacketless! A beach photo with the baby’s tongue sticking out, nonetheless.

Less Laundry, Less Loathing

Published on January 24, 2026January 24, 2026 by Violet Rhodes6 Comments

Has anyone found dreams fulfilled beneath loads of smelly garments? Or, how many of us have dreamed of life without laundry? Or maybe you love it? I personally loathe it, aside from the fact I’m grateful for clothes to wear. Laundry never ends; it only takes naps.

Before my new system a few months ago, there was always this cloud of dread on wash day mornings. Gather up towels and rags, lug hampers to the laundry and then spend 10-15 minutes sorting, spraying/scrubbing stains and finally getting the first load into the washer. After that was accomplished, it felt like I could start my day. If I don’t get a load in until 9 or 10 A.M, it feels lousy. But if I can have a load going while I’m gone driving school children and have it ready for the dryer or hanging out as soon as I’m back home, it feels like efficiency.

I’m still not in love with laundry, but the dread has lifted slighly since I switched up my system. We purchased a three bin, rolling laundry hamper. After showers, everyone throws their clothes into the correct bins and woohoo- sorting is done!

For a long time I didn’t purchase a divided hamper because I didn’t feel we had space. I determine to use a minimalistic approach before purchasing items. Figure out where I’ll put the item or exactly what I’m going to do with it before it’s in my home. I thought long and hard over where we could set it for entire household use. None of our bathrooms are large enough and the laundry room itself is narrow.

The children’s bedrooms are downstairs but they prefer to use the main floor bathroom. So their clothes ended up in Macie’s hamper in her room, which is right next door. We discussed and measured and decided we can make room for the new hamper in her room. It has been working beautifully!

I marked the bins so everyone can see which bin is for what.

This parks neatly in the laundry, while still giving me room to walk past changing out loads. And no, the sweet baby face is not included with the hamper.

So here’s the laundry scoop. With the new system, the number one thing I love is, the clothes are pre-sorted! This is huge since that always was the biggest hurtle for me. There’s still spots to spray at times, but I try to do that as soon as the clothes are removed. This also gives time to soak it in Luminate water if need be. Then it’s ready to throw in the correct load the next wash day. Also, I still need to gather towels and rags from the bathrooms and kitchen but that doesn’t bother me like sorting did.

Secondly, I love how this hamper keeps clothes nicely contained– no more stumbling over unsightly Mt. Everests on the floor!

The third great thing is, since I combine more clothes, I have less loads! Win win! Typically I have 3 loads each wash day.

Yes, I confess I throw towels and dish rags in with the light colored load. The dark towels I throw in with the underwear/wash cloth load. And, (brace yourself,) I wash all darks together- jeans, Sunday pants and the whole works. But please don’t tell anyone. I cringe to do that. Occasionally if there’s a bunch of jeans I’ll make a separate pile and feel like a virtuous woman. But so far, nobody has turned me in for not washing the jeans separately, so I plan to continue. But let me hasten to assure you, hubby has an office job which means his jeans are not grimy and greasy. Neither are Reece’s school pants terribly dirty.

Please don’t pass out over this, but I don’t sort pockets. Jerald has been excellent in removing items from pockets ever since I married him. There’s been few accidents. Reece is super possessive of his 3 pockets knives and wouldn’t dream of leaving them in his pants. Occasionally there’s been a few rocks or wrappers but very rare. I’m pleased, because in my opinion, digging in crummy, sweaty pockets plays no part in a peaceful morning routine.

Another thing I changed was washing 3 times a week- Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. This is a paradox because, no, I don’t like doing laundry, but by washing more often there’s less overwhelming mountains in a day. You may prefer washing a load everyday and never end up with mountains. But I knew that method is not for me, because it feels like a bother to constantly be tending a load. It’s an exuberant feeling to wake on non-wash days, knowing I can enjoy a quieter morning and do more appealing tasks than handling dirty clothes. Although, really, when are we ever done with laundry?? Not till the day we die!

The fourth wonderful thing about this divided hamper is wheels!! Jerald was very good at carrying out the heavy hamper from our closet. But still, there was times I did. Some days I was desperate enough I threw a towel on the floor, set the hamper on it and scooted it over the tile. Heavy hampers are a nuisance. I have a bad hernia on my belly and lifting heavy is just not cool when you got a hernia.

What is cool is these wheels!! The children still have to take turns pushing the cart to the laundry room, it’s that exciting. And me, when the last load is in? I whip that cart back in it’s place feeling like a professional worker of sorts. Did you know we can be professional homemakers?! Wheels. Get yourself a divided laundry hamper with wheels! My sympathy if your laundry room is on a different level of the house.

A great addition to your laundry system would be using non-toxic and environmental friendly laundry soap such as Tahor. We originally began Tahor in 2024 and due to the increase in sales and not having the time for it with our young family, we sold the business last year. Mckenzie Nisly, who lives locally, does a great job stirring up soap and managing the business! Try it out if you haven’t yet!

Here’s a couple pictures of our laundry this past summer when we repainted it and installed a few cabinets.

And After! My laundry room is narrow but I’m grateful to have it on the main floor! Also, keep the space tidy and it’s not as depressing to work in it.

Tell me, how do you manage laundry?

The Croup Group

Published on December 31, 2025December 31, 2025 by Violet RhodesLeave a comment

Our family doesn’t often get super sick. Last week, we got hit very suddenly. Jerald and I only had a touch of it; it seems to settle in children quicker. I wanted to share our experiences and remedies in hopes of helping others! Especially with babies, croup is nothing to mess with and I highly recommend keeping your shelf stocked for sudden sicknesses, especially coughs and croup. I’m also posting some fever information that may be helpful for young mothers.

Christmas vacation was here at last! Monday morning, I roared off with spinning tires, for an appointment in Omaha. With Jerald off work, he was home with the children. I started laundry, and between him and the children, they had it mostly finished till I got back. We started packing, and prepping the Yukon for our planned travels. I felt scatter brained all day, and the back of my mind was weighed down with the fear of sick children.

By Tuesday, Josie kept up a steady volley of coughs. Reece did a ton of sneezing. Poor Macie’s voice sounded raspy. Jerald and I both felt a little something in our throats- surely just frogs…?? I mean, we were leaving early on Christmas eve, weren’t we?! We continued dosing out vitamin C, Respaid, Juice Plus, garlic and OnGuard softgels.

I ambled around the house doing more packing. That afternoon I loafed on my recliner feeling depressed. Packing for trips is one of my “worst ever jobs.” And how would I ever cope with this batch of half sick youngsters? Not to speak of the boat loads of herbals and immune boosters to drag along.

By bedtime it was evident this Croup Group wasn’t going anywhere. A relief, but disappointment at the same time. I relaxed about packing, but had to kick into high gear by Christmas eve nursing my sick children. We were already slathering them up with garlic salve besides having them drink red raspberry tea, grape juice, and onion juice. Even my sweet baby happily downed a mixture of all of the above.

Still, nobody was getting better. Reece felt warm Tuesday evening and was up once that night but wasn’t anything to worry about otherwise. He never got very sick, besides hacking around and spitting out junk like we all did. He pretty much kept up his dancing and bouncing around the house, looking for availabilities to play games with him.

By Wednesday afternoon Josie lay conked out on the couch, getting warm with fever. I was mostly set on cruise, running to and fro, liberally greasing everyone with garlic salve and an essential oil blend for croup. Dishing out potions, whisking up warm lemon juice and honey for croaky throats, reminders to “drink your tea, drink your juice, here, drink some broth” “Have you been drinking water?!”

Let me tell ya, it keeps a Mama hopping to get this done. With it being Christmas vacation, my good man was at home helping me, but even then I was on the run more hours than not. And especially with a baby, I definitely needed extra hands.

I was loathe to pull out the onions, but I couldn’t go by the want to or not. I wasn’t waiting any longer. I chopped up a whole mess of those strong smelling things, fried them lightly with a drizzle of oil and salt and made cloth poultices for their chests. We spooned onions in plastic sandwich or ziploc sort of bags and slipped that over their feet, with a sock overtop to keep in place. It took two of us to get Macie’s onion poultices on and her prepped for bed. Sometimes even to get the herbs in her mouth. When she was grouchy or mad she’d pinch her lips shut.

This was our Christmas eve. The pungent aroma of onions and garlic permeated the house. Not exactly festive.

Old t-shirts are perfect for poultices. I sewed crude little pouches, letting enough of an opening to spoon in onions, then folded it over and fastened it with a safety pin. For Macie’s chest, we cut a pamper in half and laid it on top of the poultice, against her onesie, and secured it all with safety pins. Change out the onions about twice a day and for sure put fresh ones on before bedtime. It took a few days, but it does loosen croup!! We went through almost 3 bags of onions in about that many days. We also set onion halves around the house to help absorb germs/sickness. Please consider the humble onion as a best friend in sickness! Hoot all you want- I’ll take onions and garlic and all manner of herbs over a hospital stay any day!

I was worried about my girls that night. Thankfully Macie had no fever but I’ve heard so many scary RSV stories, I doubted myself and my home remedy capabilities. Thankfully, Josie’s fever never exceeded about 103. I have a tincture called Temp Assure that I give, then soak a rag with apple cider vinegar and lay that on her forehead. Soaking socks in vinegar and putting on their feet is another option, but her feet were full of onions. Sometimes I’ll rub diluted peppermint oil or an oil blend along their spine too. We beseeched the Lord much on their behalf. About midnight I checked her fever and it had come down, thank God! I always tell myself a fever is good for their body and it’s ok! Although I still get a little nervous and especially with a young baby, its important to seek medical attention. (More information on that further down) But I do not give Tylenol or anything like that to bring it down, unless it would be super high. I only use it as a last resort. It really is good for their bodies to fight a fever! It boost their immune system! Keep them lightly dressed, rub with oils, use vinegar soaked rags, give immune boosters, or try a lukewarm bath. Always, always push liquids! With fever, hydration is super important! Make them drink anything they will drink. Suck popsicles or crushed ice. If breastfeeding, feed as often as possible.

One more thing to try for reducing fever is whipping an egg white up with a bit sugar and vanilla (to make it palatable) and have them drink as much as they can. This is an old fashioned remedy that worked for me as a little girl. I keep this as a last resort since swigging down plain, raw eggs is rather gaggy.

The following information on fever is from a knowledgeable source and not original with me.

Notes on fever: Any fever in a baby under 3 months, should be seen by a doctor. Fever of 102 or more in a baby 3-6 months should be seen by a doctor. Any high fever that does not respond to treatment should be seen by a doctor. A fever over 107 degrees can cause brain damage. And here’s a couple more informative charts.

Any symptoms in the yellow or red charts should be seen by a doctor.

I wished so bad I had Nature Sunshine Seasonal Allergy (formerly ALJ) on hand! That is full of great herbs that are safe for infants even much younger than Macie at 10 months. But I did have Resp-Aid, which has many of the same ingredients, as well as Horehound Blend, which is another kid safe tincture with similar herbs. The bottle says not younger than 1 year but Macie was close enough and I certainly wasn’t risking croup elevating to RSV or pneumonia! I gave it cautiously at first then increased it in the next couple days.

These ingredients in Horehound Blend are, astragalus root, horehound herb, orange peel, mullein leaf, sage leaf, oregon grape root and ginger root. In a base of glycerin.

This is the tincture I use for fever and earache. I also make a roller bottle blend of oils to rub around the outside of the ear. (Tea tree, basil and lavender oils diluted with a carrier oil)

I also wished so much for straight Lobelia, to rub on her chest. I’ve heard that works amazing for croup. I ordered these items but of course, by the time they arrive, we won’t need them. I always try to keep tinctures and things on hand so we’re prepared for sickness. And I thought I was prepared, but I am going to be better prepared next time! Or maybe some other croupy baby will need them, and I can help out with having it on hand. If you live near me, please holler if you need croup herbs immediately!

This is what I want to impress on your minds; if you want to treat colds, earache, croup or whatever, YOU MUST BE EARLY AND CONSISTENT!! And by consistent I mean giving some kind of immune booster every hour or more. You can switch out with whatever ones you have on hand or prefer. Elderberry, Children’s cold and flu, Resp-Aid, Horehound Blend, Seasonal Allergy, Herbal cough syrup, Silver, Vitamin C etc. JUST BE CONSISTENT! Consistency wins the battle (usually). I’m not saying don’t go to the doctor. Use your own judgment and ask wisdom from the Lord. But you can’t expect natural herbal remedies to be compared to pharmaceutical meds to be taken once or twice a day and see results.

Also, besides onion poultices, rub chests and feet with salve often! You can switch off between garlic and Pneumonia salve or Lungah Fevah Shmeah. I only had the garlic. I know some people like Unkers and I hate to admit it, we finally got some for added tactics, but I do not like it! It may work, but I am not keen on rubbing oil/gas on my little people!! Yes, Petroleum is oil so, like gas, in other words. 🤯 Some pneumonia salves are made with olive oil or lard, and some with Vaseline. And since Vaseline is petroleum based, I’d recommend checking ingredients.

I didn’t have the chest rub on hand when we needed it, but I ordered it from Ann’s Naturals when I was restocking my supplies. It is a much healthier alternative to Unkers.

Give vitamin C often! Whole food vitamin C is best. You really won’t overdue it. (If they get diarrhea you will know) We simply gave lots of Juice Plus since we already have that on hand and take regularly. Pure Synergy is a trusted brand of whole food vitamin C that I’ve heard lots of good things about, although I’ve never used any. To get extra vitamin C into Macie, I poured a bit grape juice into a tiny bottle and opened up a capsule of Juice Plus berry blend. She guzzled this right down. I tried to do this two or three times a day. Vitamin C helps thin mucous, making it easier to get out.

I’m going to include the RSV protocol for any one who would be interested. It’s only pictures out of a Keeper’s At Home magazine so it’s not great quality. But if it can save some worried Mama and her baby from a hospital visit, I am thrilled to share it!

I haven’t ever used the Oregon grape root this protocol suggests, but that is one of the herbs in the Horehound Blend that I use.

Here is a list of recommendations to have on hand especially for croup or any colds:

Whole Food Vitamin C

Horehound Blend

Resp-Aid, or

Nature’s Sunshine Seasonal Allergy (ALJ)

Nature’s Sunshine VSC

Herbal Cough syrup

Garlic salve, Chest rub, or Pneumonia salve

Lobelia this is an herb to be used topically for croup. It is in some tinctures but what I’m talking about is for topical. You can put it in a roller bottle for easy application.

Essential Oil Croup Blend – In a 10 ml roller bottle, put 10 drops each of these oils. Breathe, Eucalyptus, Frankincense, Lavender, Lemon. Dilute with carrier oil.

As far as the essential oils I use, I currently have some from Doterra but have mostly switched over to Revive. Revive is reputable company with great quality and much much more affordable prices. Revive also has a wide selection of organic oils.

Most of these items can be purchased through catalogs such as Sun Lite Herbs 937- 464-9099, Ann’s Naturals 270-524-4680 (These two places are my favorites!! Ann’s especially has very reasonable prices!) Nature’s Warehouse would carry most of these too, as well as some health food stores. And of course, good old Amazon has some of these also.

Sun Lite Herbs carries both of the Nature’s Sunshine products I mentioned, plus the Horehound Blend, cough syrups, salves and so much more. The girls at Sun Lite who take orders are always super helpful and so pleasant to speak with.

Here you can see the prices and how many of Ann’s tinctures are safe for infants and children. The Resp-Aid is at the bottom of the page.

We were grateful for God’s healing on all of us and that there was enough improvement that we were able to leave for Indiana to visit Jerald’s parents on Saturday. It was a short visit, returning home late Monday night. We weren’t there for Christmas, but we were happy to overlap with more of the family just a wee bit before they left.

Do yourself a favor and stock your medicine cabinet with natural remedies before you need them this winter!

Handmaiden

Published on December 15, 2025December 15, 2025 by Violet Rhodes1 Comment

With the Christmas season upon us, I have been musing about Mary, the Mother of Jesus.

I have long been impressed how she called herself a handmaiden, which is the main focus I’ve been thinking about. Handmaiden particularly means a female servant, who’s essential function is to serve. She lives to accomplish her master’s will. Willing to serve in whatever way or place her master asks. A true servant heart will serve without thought of personal gain.

Luke 1:28 reads, And the angel came in unto her, and said, hail thou that art favored, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.

Long before she realized it, God had planned for her to be the favored, chosen one to carry His Promised Son. I believe she was living her life in a humble, quiet manner. Content to serve in the daily grind where she was called. She was not out soliciting attention to her good deeds or trying to shrug off her responsibilities. She was simply a lowly servant, faithful in the ordinary.

For most of us women today, our lives are similar in the repetitive, obscure places of service. We’re not pastors preaching powerful messages. Or leading massive Bible study or kids clubs. Cleaning the grimy bathroom or washing a child’s face is of no less importance. Can we find contentment in the service God asks of us?

God looked for a woman who would respond willingly. In complete submission. We see Mary’s response in Luke 1:38. …Behold the handmaid of the Lord. Be it unto me according to thy word.

It doesn’t mean she didn’t question or wonder at the astonishing news the angel brought. Verse 29 in this same chapter references her fears and confusion. She was a normal woman with hormones and feelings just like us. Who of us wouldn’t be disturbed by such exotic, yet heavy news?! And yet, she chose to believe! To submit. To release her fears and doubts to complete trust in her Savior God.

No doubt this new charge given her would bring accusations and gossip. Do you think she laid awake at night, playing conversations in her mind of how she would love to set them straight?! Did she wish to prove to them, she had nothing in this of herself? That she had not cheated on Joseph?

Are we humbly submissive in what and where God asks us to serve? Willing and ready, even when it takes us out of our comfort zone? Do we respond in cheerful obedience, even when it means sacrificing our time, or dreams? Can we forgive a misunderstanding or thoughtless comment made about ourslves? I’d dare say the gossip about Mary was much worse than most of us have faced. And yet, being the virtuous woman she was, I don’t think she retaliated. (Incase this is stepping on your toes, please know mine are being firmly squashed.)

What about our willingness to serve in some lowly place? There’s always needy spots in church. Are we happy to help? Especially in ‘behind the scenes’ service. Or do we wish we could serve in a more notable position? Or maybe we like to hide behind the safety of “others can do this job better“. While there’s truth to that, it’s not an excuse to not do our job. Suppose Mary had responded like that?

Some women want to travel, teach or serve in ‘noteworthy’ ways before they settle down and get married. But God’s call for them is to be a young wife. There’s plenty to be learned in marriage, or other noteworthy service so it’s not like you get out of bumpy terrain either way. Plus, I believe in God’s eyes, service is service. I don’t believe He measures it by noticeable or not noticeable.

Some young women would like to get married immediately or sooner. But God calls them to single service for Him for a few (or many) years. Neither is above the other. There’s lessons to be learned in either place.

Some women would love to mother a houseful of children, but find infertility to be their lonely companion. Some women had no thoughts on family size and fight tears and overwhelm at the realization of yet another little gift headed her way.

God calls some to walk the thorny path of cancer or precarious valleys of emotional health. Maybe your call is to walk beside someone precious who battles these things.

We all have dreams and heart longings. And God blesses each of us abundantly with good gifts! But sometimes the things He allows in our lives are way off our radar. Instead of curling clenched fists at the itinerary God asks of us, can we keep our palms open and uplifted to His will? It’s ok to feel that initial fear, confusion, and wondering questions with no answers. God knows. He sees our heart’s desire. Mary too was troubled. But her response then was humble acceptance, trust in her Savior, and eventually, a spirit of praise.

Luke 1:46 & 47 And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior.

Am I God’s handmaiden?

Christmas DIY’s

Published on December 6, 2025December 6, 2025 by Violet RhodesLeave a comment

Not only is the house beginning to look like Christmas, but it’s smelling like that too- I’ve just finished stringing up cinnamon ornaments and dried oranges.

Over Thanksgiving vacation, the children and I made the old fashioned cinnamon applesauce ornaments/cutouts as well as some salt dough ones. I had never made either one, although the salt dough ones are much like play dough except you then bake the shapes. Thanks to my friend Grace for recently sharing a recipe….

We don’t put up Christmas trees so we didn’t make either of these ornaments for that. But I think they’re very cute strung up with dried oranges!

For the salt dough:

Combine 2 cup flour and 1 cup salt, then slowly pour in 1 cup water. Knead 5 minutes. Let the dough rest in the fridge for 20 minutes. Roll out and use any sort of cookie cutters you like. While the dough is still soft, you can also make cute imprints by pressing on leaves, twigs or evergreen sprigs. Use a straw to punch holes in the top of each one. Place on parchment lined baking sheets and bake at 275 for 2 hours. You could also let these air dry but I preferred the baking so they’re done quicker.

Looks like sugar cookies, but the taste will quickly tell you otherwise!

This was a perfect project for the children the next afternoon. They’re always wanting something to paint.

These would look cute strung up with a garland of greenery. Or you can also use these as gift tags. Tie it on with a sprig of greens and gingham ribbon or jute cord for a cute, earthy look!

For the cinnamon applesauce ornaments:

Combine 2 cups cinnamon, 1 ¹/² cups applesauce, 2 T. ground cloves and 4 T. Elmers glue. Knead a few minutes. Sprinkle cinnamon or cloves on your surface to roll out the dough. We had some trouble with the dough cracking apart. We mostly used gingerbread men, stars and bells for the cut outs. Remember to use a straw to punch a hole for stringing. Let air dry for several days. I think these can baked at a low temperature, but we did the air dry method. We were waiting for the dried oranges to arrive anyway.

The cinnamon applesauce ornaments definitely won out in my opinion. Yes they were messier to work with than the salt dough, but the aroma!! It smells exactly like Christmas with no synthetics! And the dark color makes it pop more with the oranges.

I ended up stringing most of these since the jute cord can unravel as you thread the items on and the children quickly tired of it.

It’s best to tie the string and then evenly space them out.

This combo along with greenery also makes a cute centerpiece.

You can always use real greenery and add pinecones or whatever else you wish. I don’t like the mess of fresh greens, so I used some fake glittery greens.

The children also made paper snowflakes to hang by a couple windows. All of these extras hanging around makes things look full and a mite cluttered, but I’m OK with it because it’s temporary. And its cheap, simple fun for children and their mom.

You can dry your own oranges in the oven but I could guess how mine would turn out. (They wouldn’t! 🙂 So I opted to skip that and ordered these off Amazon. I don’t know if Hobby Lobby would have them this time of year or not?? I’m guessing Michael’s crafts would.