Author: Violet Rhodes

On Stevia and Sweeteners

Published on by Violet Rhodes1 Comment

🌿 After my last blog post on mint tea using stevia, I had several requests about the stevia or where to get it. So today I’d like to share with you the stevia and sweeteners I use and what I like. I’m not making claims on certain products, but just what I’ve found works for us and what I feel are safe to use.

It can look rather daunting when you first starting looking into using stevia or other sweeteners. One thing to be sure to check if your looking for a stevia is that there are no fillers or additives! Maltodextrin, dextrose, or fructose are all unhealthy ingredients that are sometimes used in cheap stevias. They take a small amount of stevia extract and mix it with a filler or two. How convenient for the marketers but not for our bodies! Maltodextrin is highly processed, usually made from corn, and is very high on the glycemic level, which means it spikes your blood sugar. Beware of these ingredients!

Some people declare the bad after taste and therefore hate all stevia. Yes, there are some with that after taste or can turn bitter if you use too much! I feel most of the ones I use have very little or no aftertaste. And too, your taste buds do adjust once you use these awhile. I’ve been using most of these for a number of years already so here’s what I like.

The Now Organic Stevia Extract Powder is an affordable, good stevia without fillers. It’s a very nice, fine powder. The Now Stevia Glycerite is another zero calorie sweetener but this is in liquid form. It’s base is vegetable glycerin, which is sweet alone and safe to use. (It’s also what is used to preserve many herbal tinctures) I love the Stevia Glycerite for sweetening drinks! It dissolves a bit easier than the powders and just does a good job. Nature’s Warehouse sells this but it’s called Better Stevia Liquid, but I think its the same thing. They also sell the Now Organic Better Stevia Extract Powder.

Trim Healthy Mama has a very good, pure, organic stevia powder. It is more pricy but is worth it. It has no fillers or additives. It is pretty clumpy so you have to be a little careful to not get too much in, because it comes out in clumps. This one can very easily get bitter if you use too much. Many people enjoy this stevia. You can buy it online or at Nature’s Warehouse.

Sweet Leaf Stevia Sweetener is another one that I feel is safe to use. I’ve used it some but do not have any on hand presently. This one could easily be found at a health food store or online.

More recently I’ve found out of a good stevia that comes from Bolivia. It’s called E.N.D. Stevia. But beware what you buy from Bolivia!! The Bolivian climate is an excellent place to grow stevia. The problem is, about 50% of the stevia from there is fake!! In fact, I had heard of and used just a little of another Bolivia stevia. It was shiny, white little crystals. I was pretty skeptical about it because of different things. So Jerald and I started researching and we came across this one blog that said enough to scare me! If you would like to read that article you can find it here.

The REAL stevia from Bolivia is in powder form and slightly green. Maybe you can see it in the pictures. It sweetens very well and I really like it! There is a definite difference in the two Bolivia stevias I tried. If you would like to purchase this stevia you can do so on Etsy.

I like to keep the powder stevias that I use the most, in small glass salt and pepper shakers. It’s so handy to just sprinkle in to my yogurt, shakes, smoothies etc. I freeze my fruits unsweetened and then when I get them out to use I let them thaw, then just sprinkle in to taste! “Just right!” says Amelia Bedelia 😂😂

Another sweetener combination I use is a mix of Erythritol, Xylitol and stevia. Erythritol and xylitol are both sugar alcohols that pass through your body without adversely affecting your blood sugar. Erythritol has a zero glycemic index and is easiest to digest. Xylitol is very low on the glycemic scale but can cause stomach discomfort. There is mixed research as to the positive and negatives of these sugar alcohols. I feel it’s fine in moderation, but would still feel stevia is a better choice. Both the Erythritol and xylitol can cause stomach discomfort or diarrhea but the xylitol is the worser culprit. That’s why I really like the following recipe because it uses less xylitol! This is great to use in baking because it adds bulk to substitute for the sugar. You can use it about anywhere you want to replace sugar. Be sure to buy Organic Non GMO. We buy the Erythritol and xylitol online at Amazon. Nature’s Warehouse also sells them as would most any health food stores.

Here is the recipe I use.

Simple Sweet

5 c. Erythritol

2 c. Xylitol

1 T. Better Stevia Extract Powder

2 T. Sweet Leaf Stevia Sweetner

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix very well. Store in airtight container. Use 1/3 cup to replace 1 cup sugar. Used with permission from Simple Foods cookbook.

I have already substituted Better Stevia for Sweet Leaf and it was fine.

If the 1/3 cup doesn’t make your food sweet enough, I would suggest adding in a bit of stevia to finish it off, till you get your desired sweetness.

I also use some Coconut sugar or honey in my baking. Coconut sugar is a healthy sugar with a lower glycemic level. It still raises your blood sugar some, but does not spike it like regular sugar. I feel it’s a very good, safe alternative, but if your trying to lose weight, I would be cautious in how much you consume. Coconut sugar can be found at Walmart.

Honey has a high glycemic index, however if it is raw, local honey, it still has health benefits. So again, if your trying to lose weight, I wouldn’t consume a lot, but is still a healthy sweetner. But Do Not buy Supermarket, pasteurized honey! It is much too likely it is mixed with high fructose corn syrup or some other additives. I read an article on this once, and I could definitely tell a difference between my store bought honey and the raw, local honey I use.

If you still don’t want to use any of these stevias or sweetners I suggested, you could at least use raw sugar. I buy the Zulka Morena Pure Cane Sugar in a green bag at Walmart. It is at least not quite as processed and bleached as regular old white sugar! But it’s still sugar! I use this for any regular baking/cooking for company or when I take food to gatherings. 🌿

🍰 Stop eating sugar, you are sweet enough already 🍫 🥰

🍯 Life is short and it’s up to you to make it sweet🌿 Sarah Louise Delany

Mint Tea and Custard Pie

Published on by Violet Rhodes1 Comment

Mint Tea

What is Spring or Summer without delicious mint tea?!….Some call it garden tea, Some call it meadow tea, some call it creek tea. Whatever you call it tea, would you like a glass of tea with me?

Do you know what is more refreshing than a pretty glass of mint tea? A glass of mint tea sweetened with stevia instead of all that sugar!😛 I really like the Now brand of Stevia Glycerite for drinks. 2 teaspoons nicely sweetens one gallon. If you are used to having it really sweet, you can try 2 1/2 teaspoons. And there is no bad aftertaste! I do not mind my family drinking a lot of this tea because they’re not drinking sugar tea. Reece slurps his down like it’s an emergency when I fill his sipper cup!

I do not have measurements for my tea and I’m guessing most of my readers know how to make this tea too, without specific directions…. I brew a batch of tea about like this for one gallon. Fill with ice and water and sweetner. A refreshing taste of summertime!!

Custard Pie

Jerald enjoys a good pie. One of his favorites would be Custard. A plain, simple, easy pie. I certainly can’t complain on it being too much work to make it for him! Especially when you have crusts in the freezer! I buy my crusts from our local bulk food store. I’m just not a crusty person! 😜 And when you can buy beautiful, flakey crusts at a very reasonable price, why not? It simplifies things for this mom, especially since we don’t eat a large quantity of pies.

And so it is I find myself, often on a Saturday, thinking what could I make for Sunday dessert? I like to make a dessert for Sunday because Sunday is a special day! Custard pie fits the bill at any given time. Especially if I want to surprise my man!

So this is how you make it. First, you dash out to the freezer and remove one of the pie crusts and let it thaw. It doesn’t take long, so you can immediately begin making the filling. Turn oven to 415*. Heat 2 1/2 cups of milk to scalding. While its heating, crack 4 eggs in a small bowl and whisk them up with 1/2 cup raw sugar, (or less) 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. By then the milk should be scalding but not burned yet. If you have a baby, it’s easy to forget things like heating milk temperatures, and thus you end up with burned milk. In that case, discard the milk and heat some more. Unless, of course, you like a burned flavor and black flakes in your pie, you can still use the same milk. So now add the very warm milk to the egg mixture and whisk it all up real nice. Pour it in the crust which by now will be thawed. Or maybe even over thawed because you had to change the baby’s diaper, hang out a load of laundry, and tend to your other screaming offspring. After it’s in the crust, sprinkle it lightly with cinnamon. If your young cook is helping, they will want to sprinkle the cinnamon which will get an overdose, but that is ok. Cinnamon is healthy and the pie still tastes good. If you have time and energy left, it’s lovely to drop in a few raspberries on top. (Fresh or frozen) Or even a few thin slices of fresh peaches. And oh yes I need to mention! This makes a tad more than one pie, so you just pour that extra filling into a small dish to bake. Very gently now, with no toddlers bumping you, set the pie in the oven along with the small dish of custard filling. Bake for 15 minutes, then turn the oven down to 350* for another 25 to 30 minutes. If your unsure if it’s finished, you can slide a table knife in the center to see if it comes out clean, then it should be done. As soon as the small dish of custard is cool, sneak into the bathroom or another private room to eat it by yourself. It’s a small reward for all the effort it took to make a simple pie!!

I never knew my Grandpa Kurtz, but Mom would always say that when he ate pie he’d say “pie without cheese is like a kiss without a squeeze.” 😍😍

Of Church and COVID-19

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As everyone everywhere has been affected in one way or another by COVID-19, it makes one aware of the many things we took for granted! One of those for me was Church. We love our church and church family, but having had that privilege of going to church taken away, it was extra special to meet together yesterday! (Sunday)

March 15 was our last church service. Nebraska never issued a stay at home order, but it was encouraged. Also, groups were not to be larger than 10 people. So our church decided to do in home services, meeting in small groups. While that was better than not meeting at all through those 8 weeks, it still was not like real Church! In this respect, going to church yesterday was a treat! I had to think of the verse in Psalms 122:1 I was glad when they said unto me, let us go into the house of the Lord.

Our church- Providence Mennonite Church

But how important is church to us on a regular basis, when we can go every Sunday, year after year? Does it still bring gladness to our hearts to go into the house of the Lord? It certainly should! Do we realize how important it is to our spiritual well being, to be part of a Biblical body of believers? How quickly we would be more apt to cool off and lose our fervor for God, if we did not have our brothers and sisters in Christ to help us along! Hebrews 10: 24, 25 says, And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more as ye see the day approaching. Also, the discipline it takes to study our Sunday School lessons and especially if we need to teach! Or for the men who need to prepare for devotions or the ministry as they study for messages. We are such weak, needy people in our earthly bodies. If we just coast along, we’ll soon coast right into an eternal destiny where we do not want to be!

We are still under some restrictions. We needed to comply with the 6 feet social distancing, no passing of the offering basket and such. The basket was conveniently placed on a chair where we filed past to enter the auditorium. We sat together in families, using every other bench. We could not have Sunday School, but someone had a children’s class. And then there was a devotional by our deacon and the message by our bishop. He preached a message on Mothers, since it was Mother’s Day. Afterwards, we were advised to file outside to visit if we wanted to do so. Outside it was easier to respect the distancing, plus safer with the abundance of fresh air! It was a sunny day, but chilly with a strong breeze! It was so good to worship collectively and to see everyone again!

Sometimes God takes things away from us so to teach us more important things of life…

How has your Church life been? Have you been able to start having services again? I hope so, but more than that, I hope your Spiritual life has blossomed even through the quarantine days. Perhaps God took social life away from us to shake us out of our normalcy, so that we focus on Him! We can find our satisfaction in Him, even when our whole lives were/are topsy-turvy! God hasn’t changed- oh wondrous thought! and He was not taken by surprise when everything shut down. God is always available and open. He will never “shut down!”

Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls; Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. Habakkuk 3: 17, 18

Springtime, Tea Parties, and Rainbows

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Spring has got to be one of the most loved seasons of the year! After months of frosty temperatures and barren landscape, the blossoming countryside is welcome indeed! Since living in Nebraska, Spring has become even more special to me because here the winters are longer than I was used to.

Only a little over a week ago we had a light snow! Which was rare this late in April, but still, snow! But recently we’ve been loving the beautiful days! The first rays of sunrise, with the wind still and birds chirping morning songs, often inspires me to get out for my daily walk. I love when it works out, but I don’t always get it accomplished first thing. What is priority to me while my children are yet sleeping is subject to change morning by morning!

With pleasant temperatures last week, I got to plant my petunias in the flower bed and fill my flower pots! The warm sunshine felt absolutely delicious! The children were outside with me for several hours. They both love being outside! Reece crawled all over and ate plenty of dirt that should help combat the corona virus! The porch looks much more homey now with my potted plants and fern. I really like the Kimberly Queen ferns. They can be found at Lowe’s or Orscheln’s. They grow more upright instead of just bushing out. They are great for a potted plant or hanging baskets. My sister lines her porch with these in hanging baskets every Summer, making a splendid picture! Another plant I’m a huge fan of is the Supertunias in the bubblegum pink color! These always do so well for me! I do not have a green thumb, but this kind of petunias makes me feel like I do! They are very minimal care.

Now Jerald. He is the true green thumb around here! He gets overly anxious and dreams of a great garden plot, with patches of pumpkins and watermelons! I get a lil worried because I know I’m the one who’ll need to put up the abundance of produce in a few months! He quickly assures me that we can always give things away. He just loves to grow things! This Spring he ordered a goodly assortment of raspberry bushes, asparagus and is planting an orchard of trees! I will happily take the fruit, yes, but the faith and patience until then? Well, I’ll just say I hope the trees don’t perish before we enjoy fruit. It’s not that I don’t trust him. It’s that I don’t trust trees. They take a long time to grow, not to speak of all the hardships they must endure meanwhile, and then if they actually produce delicious fruit! He also found some peony bushes for sale and wants to pick them up this week. Now I’m tickled about that! I love the scent and looks of peonies! I’m thrilled to finally be getting some that will hopefully, produce many gorgeous bouquets!

We also just got 70 baby chicks recently. Adorable little fluffy things. Although they don’t stay so adorable and soon start eating like crazy! Which is a good thing because we want them to join the freezer department come June. We may think life in quarantine is hard but imagine the quarantine of chicks and their expected end!! We have so much to be thankful for! 😅 We raise these for ourselves and several church families. We also have a few laying hens and enjoy having our own farm fresh eggs. It’s Josie’s job to gather the eggs as well as tend her little puppy Jackie.

Josie recently mentioned that we should have a tea party. “Someday, when you’re not so busy” she said. Ouch! How does she know mom is so busy? For some reason that old proverb ‘more is caught than taught’ came to mind. And so it was I decided we shall have one very soon. The event took place on Saturday. About the first thing she said when I told her what I was planning was, “but Reece can’t be out there.” Big sisters love their little brothers most of the time. On occasion they’re not wanted! 🤭 We had a lovely spread of meat, cheese and crackers. Blueberries, grapes, bars and lil peanut butter coconut balls. She picked lemonade to drink. We used dainty china and dined outside on the back deck. She was delighted and sweet memories were made. Simple pleasures!

Yesterday afternoon we had a light thunderstorm, then it kind of cleared off. It was mixed clouds and sun. Suddenly about 7:30 I realized it was raining again with the sun shining. “Where’s the rainbow?” I shouted. “There’s got to be one somewhere!” Jerald was doubtful but I was pretty sure there would be one. Sure enough there it was out over the fields in the east. I took off outside, barefoot, splashing through puddles and raindrops and started shooting pictures. I ran hither and yon, then dashed back inside. Only to discover it was more bright than ever! So I bounced back outside again, shooting more pictures. It was absolutely gorgeous with brilliant colors and even a complete double!! It was such a sweet reminder God’s promises are true and He is worthy of our trust!

I’d like to leave you with a delightful salad recipe to enjoy when you have fresh garden greens. Southwest Chicken Salad is a favorite and we actually eat it all year round. (Recipe used with permission from Stutzman’s Culinary Secrets.) This is how I fix the chicken.

Cajun Chicken Fingers

2 Tablespoons flour

2 teaspoons poultry seasoning

1 1/2 teaspoons garlic salt

1 teaspoon paprika

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

3 lbs skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut in cubes

4 Tablespoons butter

Mix the seasonings and flour in a small bowl. Sprinkle over the chicken and fry in the butter till cooked. Serve warm.

Chop up lettuce/greens, tomatoes, (or use cherry tomatoes) bell peppers, and avocados, as much as your family eats. The other toppings are black beans and shredded cheese. You can also use kernel corn if you wish but we usually don’t. And then for a lovely crunch, spread butter on both sides of about 4 tortillas and cut in small cubes. Toast in oven at 350* for approx 15 minutes.

Dressing: Mix 1 cup Ranch and 5 teaspoons barbecue sauce

I always keep everything separate and we fix our own plates. I especially like each item served separately if I’m having company. It looks beautiful, and then too, it looks like your having a great spread of food, when in reality, your only serving salad!😉 But if you wish, everything can be mixed up right before eating. But then you have the guess work of exactly how much to mix up, so you don’t end up with soggy leftovers. You may notice the avocados are missing in the picture and reason is, I did not have avocados when I did the photo shoot. I did not even think of it till later. That’s how managed I am!😜

A peaceful Sunday afternoon here finishing up this blog. Jerald just returned from his mushroom hunt with a few successful finds! Yay! Fresh mushrooms fried in butter…. Another sign of Spring!

He Is Risen!!

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The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulcher, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulcher. John 20:1

But Mary stood without at the sepulcher weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulcher, and seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. And they say unto her, “Woman, why weepest thou?” She saith unto them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him”. And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus. Jesus saith unto her, “Woman, why weepest thou? Whom seekest thou?” She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, “Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away.” Jesus saith unto her, “Mary.” She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master. John 20:11-16

What does the resurrection mean to us? There are some verses in Romans that are a beautiful analogy to our own new life in Christ. When we are sick of living for self, we must receive Christ into our heart and He will give us power to live a new life in Him! Jesus gave His life to make it possible for us to live in victory over sin (and to enjoy eternal life after death) and so we must crucify our old self to live in that victory. Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin. Romans 6:6-7

A right relationship with Jesus and being submissive to Him in our life is only possible because of His resurrection. Because of that, we can also walk in newness of life! Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection; Romans 6:4-5

Since Christ suffered for our sins and rose again by the power of God we also can have power to live new and holy lives in Him! What will we do with the crucified and risen Lord? Will we choose to crucify ourselves and utilize Christ’s power to live in newness of life, bringing glory to Him? Or will we choose to continue our selfish life? We make a choice. Even if we think we will remain neutral we are still making a choice. Christ has the power we need to live a new life in Him!

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16

Cleaning Conundrum

Published on by Violet Rhodes2 Comments

Is there anyone who is NOT quarantined presently? What are you finding to occupy your time? Have you started Spring cleaning? I want to clean windows and wash curtains but have not done much yet.

Today I want to share my cleaning schedule as well as what I use to clean with instead of chemical cleaners. (And a few other tidbits thrown in!) I switched to natural products years ago and its really not difficult at all because you likely have some of these in your house already!

But first of all, let me share with you my cleaning conundrum. I have a love/hate relationship with cleaning! I despise a crummy, cluttered house and simply could not function peacefully in a hullabaloo! However, I do not like to clean! But, I abhor a dirty house worse than cleaning, so I dutifully clean! (I’m also just a bit too particular in the cleaning department, due to my germaphobia). Thus it is I find myself in such a woeful predicament every Friday! I clean Fridays to get it over with before Saturday. Occasionally I’ll even clean on Thursday if Friday is too full, just to stay ahead of the dread of cleaning. 😩 But once I’ve gotten things cleaned around here, the heavy feeling of gloom just vanishes like the thunderheads after a Summer storm! It’s so liberating to be able to see my cleaning in the rear view mirror!!

So as you can tell, it takes discipline, and I find it helpful to maintain a basic weekly cleaning schedule as much as possible. If I stay after the general cleanup through out the week its not a Mount Everest to clean. I can whip through my weekly cleaning in two hours or less. I think. I’m not in the habit of timing myself and neither do I always get it done in one grand, uninterrupted stretch…..#momlife! And I don’t always clean everything throughly. If I’m extra pushed for time or something, I’ll skip dusting or skip cleaning the tubs that week etc. And some weeks you may feel you just absolutely don’t have time! But at least, give the bathrooms a quick wipe down with a Lysol wipe, gather trash and sweep floors. That alone helps a lot when you don’t have extra time. But another thing I do like about cleaning weekly is, that when I get company, I don’t need to spend lots of extra time cleaning! There’s more time for food prep or other necessities. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mean having a smudgy bathroom and cruddy floors for company. But a quick lil cleanup isn’t as extensive as a thorough scrubbing. And mopping before company? That’s fine, but for me I like to mop after company. (I know, I’m just kinda weird!😜) But when you mop on a regular basis, it’s not that bad and after a big batch of company my floor will need it worse than before. Am I making sense? Now if you come to my house you’re really going to check out my kitchen floor, huh?! And too, I know as moms we do need to simply “put up” with a bit more messiness and dirt. With my cleaning notes here, I’m not meaning a spotless house at all times! I need to remind myself of that frequently! (If I forget, my hubby does pretty good at reminding me that a spotless house is not the most important thing!)

Ok, finally, here’s my chemical free cleaning crew! For the toilets I sprinkle liberally with borax and a splash of white vinegar. Let soak a bit and scrub. For wiping it down, I have a large spray bottle filled with about half vinegar and half water and 20-30 drops essential oils. Most essential oils are naturally antibacterial and work as a disinfectant. White vinegar is also a natural disinfectant as well as hydrogen peroxide. This is my go to for disinfecting around home. It works well for germy areas such as doorknobs, countertops, sinks and toilets. Now if you’re worried about really yucky germs such as the virus floating around the world, then I would say use your Lysol wipes. Those are definitely stronger but then have the chemicals too….Honest confession here. I do keep those on hand but use sparingly.

For mopping my kitchen floor, I add approximately a cup of vinegar, several drops orange essential oil and just a tad of dish soap to my bucket of water. I use my wall mop (shmop) to mop with. Its microfiber, plus I like that I can throw the head in the washer with a load of laundry! It feels heaps cleaner to me than to use a mop that you use over and over but just hang up to dry between uses! I also like how the floor is not sopping wet this way, but dries quickly.

And by the way, I use Seventh Generation dish soap. Super good soap with 0% synthetic fragrances or dyes and is available at Walmart. Have you ever considered just why dish soap is colored or scented? Does it help clean dishes?! Not to my knowledge. But let me know if it does. I haven’t used those dish soaps for so long that maybe I forgot! 😛 Also, this dish soap does not dry out my hands near like the usuals such as Palmolive, Ajax, etc. And since we’re on the dish soap subject, do you have trouble with smelly dish rags? I don’t have much trouble with that but when I do, I rinse it with cold water, sprinkle liberally with baking soda and vinegar. Let it set and fizz awhile, then rinse with cold water again. I don’t use bleach so this is my method. Also, I’ve heard Dawn dish soap can be a culprit in making smelly rags. And rinsing your rag with cold water instead of hot, when you’re ready to hang up your rag, could help with smell too. And get out a clean rag everyday!! How can it clean anymore if it’s been all over the kitchen visiting every filthy mess around, then left lay in greasy, grimy dish water?! But truly, I think the bottom line of any smelly rags, even bathroom rags, is due to the laundry soaps used. But oh dear, I’m getting off the cleaning subject and visiting the laundry room! Excuse me! I’ll get back on track in just a jiff, but first I want to hint that you really should use a clean line of laundry soap too! Many out there are full of fillers, 1,4 Dioxane (a carcinogen), chemicals, and synthetic fragrances. The soap I use I buy at a store in Indiana but they do not ship, so I’m sorry that is really not helpful to most of you. But it is an amazing laundry soap! It’s in powder form and very safe. No suds or smell and you won’t have stinky rags when you use this soap! This soap can be bought at Wittmers Furniture and Gifts in Odon Indiana and I always stock up when we are back there visiting family. However, I’m in the process of trying out some other safe laundry soaps that are easier to source. And I hope sometime to share my findings with you.

Here is a natural bleach recipe you may wish to try. I used to use it but now I just add vinegar to my laundry for extra cleaning power or it can be used as a replacement for fabric softener. 2 cups hydrogen peroxide, 1 cup lemon juice, 2 cups white vinegar, and 11 cups water. Mix and fill 1 gallon. If you wish to disinfect a load of heavily soiled laundry, add 1 teaspoon tea tree oil to the load. I used to make my own dryer sheets too, using the following recipe. 1 cup vinegar, and 8-10 drops ecyluptus oil. Soak little cotton cloths in this and wring out a bit before throwing in the dryer. I actually don’t use these anymore but have switched to the Bounce dryer sheets that are free of dyes and perfumes. Or you can use wool dryer balls too.

For my sinks and tubs I have another spray bottle filled with liquid Castile soap, diluted with water. That and a scrub brush sends filth flying! For added cleaning power you can sprinkle on baking soda or borax then scrub. After I’ve gotten the worst of it, I like to go over the sinks with a Norwex rag to shine it up. I know you can clean using only those rags but I prefer some scrubbing power first. Now I know Norwex rags are expensive and you don’t have to use them! Spraying with the vinegar solution then wiping down does a good job too! Or, you can even use plain vinegar to shine up faucets, mirrors and windows. I don’t have one, but I know the Norwex window rag works really good for glass and mirrors. I just use my vinegar solution and paper towels. For dusting I like a dampened Norwex rag or even another microfiber cloth works good. You don’t have to spray that lemony Pledge to dust!

I love it that there is no strong smell with using these kinds of cleaners! Recently I bought some Lysol toilet cleaner because I thought the toilets needed some extra cleaning power. I used it twice but could not handle the smell! I’m not sure it even helped that much more… maybe a little, but that cleaner went out the door pretty quick! Another thing I love about these cleaners is the simplicity! This basket of cleaners fits neatly underneath the main bathroom sink and is the extent of my basic cleaners. No myriad of cleaners and bottles under every available space below each bathroom sink! (Which is rather like I grew up on!)

If you want to make a cleaner for scrubbing sinks and tubs and such, stir together 1 cup each of baking soda and borax. Then add 1 Tablespoon Castile soap and enough water to make a paste like consistency. You can also add essential oils if you wish. After scrubbing, rinse it down really well or it will leave behind a bit of grainy residue.

Here’s a picture of my liquid Castile soap. You can find it at Amazon or health food stores. I also use this (diluted) in pumps for sink side hand washing. Its extremely versatile! But yet so safe, that you can even use it for your own shower use! Or to bath your babies!

If you are Spring cleaning and wondering what to put in your water to wash the walls, try adding a bit of Castile soap. It don’t suds up a lot in a bucket of water, but still works fine. You can also add a few drops essential oil. Adding lavender oil is supposed to repel spiders.

Here are a couple cleaning quotes you might enjoy!

* Clean your house AND clear your mind!

*Dust is a protective coating for fine furniture.

*I make no secret of the fact that I would rather lie on the sofa than sweep beneath it.

*We dream of having a clean house- but who dreams of actually doing the cleaning?

Is God Good When Bad Things Happen?

Published on by Violet Rhodes

For some time I have been pondering along the line of God still being good, even when bad things come our way. Hardships come in many different forms. Some are very difficult such as a wayward loved one or the death of someone close. And on a less severe level, things such as sick children, pinching my finger while I’m doing a good deed, biting my lip when I’m chewing food etc. What do we do when it feels like everything is going wrong all day and we don’t feel God’s goodness? What are we feeling now with the current coronavirus? Are we panicking as the world is? Or are we able to fully trust in God no matter what lies ahead? We must remember that His goodness hasn’t changed. NOTHING changes God’s love for us and goodness to us!

I was wanting to write on this subject two weeks ago, but felt like I didn’t have the time just then to write on this deeper subject, so I wrote up something else and pushed this off till I could give it the attention it deserved. And I’m pretty sure God had something to do with it, because in the meantime, our Deacon preached a message entitled, Why Bad Things Happen To Good People. I so needed that message in my own life, besides it giving me lots of notes I could use to blog!

Quite awhile back in my devotional book, Prayers For A Simpler Life, the following sentence made a real impression on me. God’s goodness is not measured by the good things that come into my life. Why does it feel like it does have something to do with it? You know what I’m talking about don’t you? When my health is great, there’s money to pay the bills, the children pleasantly cooperate, and we find out our taxes aren’t nearly as high as we expected, it’s easy to say “God is so good!” Yes He is, but does this then insinuate when adverse things happen that God isn’t good? No! We absolutely cannot start thinking like this. But it’s something I greatly struggle with. Many times in the midst of severe struggles, I would pray “God, show me Your love!” “Show me You care!” But I’ve started praying “God help me trust Your love. Help me believe You’re still good.” I know, I know, there’s so many verses in the Bible that speak of God’s love and goodness, but in my darkest times, especially when I’m struggling with depression again, my mind finds it hard to comprehend that!

Job was an upright man, yet was severely tested. In the first chapter of Job, we read how Satan had to first get permission from God for the adversities he wanted to bring into Job’s life. That’s something we need to remember too. Any suffering we as God’s children face, must first pass God’s inspection, so to speak. And sometimes we think things are really bad and then it only gets worse! How can we keep our focus and remember it doesn’t mean God has forsaken us? Job 10:15 and 16 talk about how Job’s affliction just increased. That reminds me of a quote- Faith is not easy. It means not only believing God in times of trouble, but giving Him the freedom to increase that trouble. Not only trusting Him when our plans are disrupted, but trusting Him when our plans are crushed out of existence. Faith is believing that whatever comes into our lives is never beyond the sovereign control of the Almighty and that in His hands it can be turned into our eternal benefit and blessing.

Some key points to remember are:

1. All suffering has its roots from sin back in the Garden of Eden

2. All suffering that Satan wishes to bring upon God’s children must first have the approval of God.

3. We have a desire to know why bad things happen. It’s ok to wonder why, but to demand an answer from God is wrong. Satan can use that as bait for us and we can become bitter when there’s no answer. Some ways are only for God to know. Isaiah 55: 8 says, For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.

4. No matter how great trouble we’re in, God’s grace is always greater! But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Ephesians 4:7

Now why do bad things happen to God’s children?

1. Some things are simply a reaping for sin

2. Some trouble is because we live in a fallen world. Romans 8:22 says For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.

3. Some trouble is because we are capable of exercising our free will. We can choose to go outside of God’s plan.

4. Some suffering happens because of the laws of nature.

God also allows trouble so the unbeliever focuses on Him. What causes people to cry out to the Lord quicker than suffering and trouble? And for the Christian, God wants hardships and suffering to teach us humility and obedience, as well as to help us focus on the important things in life. God does not want us to rely on our earthly things. Maybe he sends a tornado or allows a house fire. How attached am I to ‘my’ things? Also, God wants us to learn to bless others through our own suffering. Most of all, God wants us to be refined. To still trust Him. To love and worship Him even when the dearest people or things are taken away from us. To glory in our tribulations.

Romans 5: 1-5 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope: and hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

It stands out to me when I see someone in severe affliction, someone who would have ‘reason’ to feel like God has forgotten him, to hear him say, that God is still good. Amid their adversity, they still find God being good and kind to them. Then is when someone saying, “God is good” is really attractive to me! Jerald’s uncle passed away a few years ago from pancreatic cancer. He was an excellent example of still voicing the goodness and blessings of God despite his own suffering. That can only be done when there’s a strong faith in God!

Lamentations 3:21-23 This I recall to mind, therefore have I hope. It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.

Sometimes we must make a deliberate choice to trust in God no matter what! In the midst of all that’s heartbreaking or disappointing in our lives, we must choose to purposefully praise God for who He is. He is always good. He is loving and merciful, and we can always trust Him!

  • The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble and he knoweth them that trust in him. Nahum 1:7
  • There are those who would love to have your bad days.
  • If we want an increase of faith we must consent to its testings.
  • The deepest level of worship is praising God in spite of pain, thanking God during a trial, trusting Him when tempted, surrendering while suffering, and loving Him when He seems distant. -Rick Warren
  • All that God works in my life is good, even when it might seem as evil to me. -Faith Sommers

So is God still good no matter what He allows in our life? Yes He is!

God is good all the time! All the time God is good!

Homemade Wipes and Honest Diapers

Published on by Violet RhodesLeave a comment

As all moms of littles know, wet wipes are a must for both hands and bottoms! Especially for on the road and away from home. I’d like to share with you alternatives to regular, chemical laden wipes. Please be careful what kind of wipes you use especially for babies. They’re skin is thinner and extra sensitive. And a lot of wipes have chemicals in them that are absorbed right into your baby’s skin and can also cause diaper rashes. (I would also be really careful what kind of soap, lotion and powder you use for baby but that’s a complete other subject!😊)

To make homemade baby wipes, cut a roll of Bounty paper towels in half. The ‘select a size’ kind is nice. Set the half roll in a large, empty coffee can. It fits perfectly! Now, mix up the following solution and pour evenly over the paper towels.

1 1/2 cups water

1 Tablespoon coconut oil or olive oil

1 Tablespoon witch hazel

1 Tablespoon aloe vera

2 Tablespoons liquid Castile soap

Set the container upside down for a day or so, to help it distribute evenly, before setting upright. I like to take out the middle cardboard piece because the towels are easier to cut and plus, then you can start pulling out the wipes from the center of the roll.

Now, you can also make hand wet wipes using the same method. Following is the solution for that.

1 1/2 cups water

1 Tablespoon witch hazel

2 Tablespoons liquid Castile soap or Lemongrass Tea Tree foaming liquid soap

5 – 8 drops each of any or all of these essential oils- lemon, orange, tea tree, eucalyptus.

If I have these on hand, I really like to use Doterra’s oil blends called Onguard and Purify. These are both especially good for targeting germs.

Pour over a half roll of paper towels.

If you want a safe wet wipe that you can just buy instead of making, I definitely recommend Water Wipes! I love these! They are 99.9% water and 0.1% grapefruit seed extract. These are actually what I use for my baby. And I’ve also switched to these for hand wipes for the road too, because of convenience. Now for these I make the same solution that I use for the paper towel hand wipes, except I only use 1 cup of water. You can use even less water if you want to, but I like to rather have mine a little extra wet than too dry. They clean better that way.

Take the wipes out of the pack and place a thin layer in the bottom of a container. Pour on a bit of the solution, then layer more wipes, solution, wipes, solution, etc until the wipes are all layered in container. It helps distribute the oils and soap more evenly this way.

My family has been away from synthetic smells for so long that we all hate scented wipes, soaps etc! But we love these! They smell so much better, plus they’re way better for your skin too!

And one more thing you can do with this same solution recipe. You can pour it into a small spray bottle and use it as hand sanitizer! Shake before use. Of course it’s not gel like the alcohol laden sanitizer is, but this will be a lot healthier for you! Simple, easy solutions for those germy hands, big or little! 👐🖐🖐

Witch hazel can be found in the health and beauty department at Walmart. They also carry the Water Wipes in the baby department or you can find them at Target too. The Liquid Castile soap we buy by the gallon from Amazon because it’s a staple in our house. Or you can also find it in most any health food store.

When Josie was born, I tried out several kinds of safer pampers. It wasn’t long until I had a favorite and that one is still my favorite now with Reece! The Honest Company makes a super absorbent, hypoallergenic and ultra soft diaper. They’re made without latex, fragrances/lotions and chlorine. They are made with plant derived materials and are very good quality! The diapers fit snugly and I hardly remember messes ever leaking out the sides because these hold so well!! They absorb super good too! And my babies pretty much don’t get diaper rashes. I contribute that a lot to diapers and wipes free of chlorine and other chemicals. Most diapers are bleached with chlorine and when they have chlorine, dioxins will be present too. Dioxins can do damage to the body, plus it is a carcinogen.

The Honest pampers are of course more expensive but we feel it’s worth it (think of your baby’s delicate skin and what all its absorbing). You can buy these from Amazon or Target and the prices are about the same. One thing that’s nice at Target is that they frequently run a sale that when you buy two boxes, you get a $10 gift card for the store!

Of course using cloth diapers for your baby would be a very good option but I am just plum not that virtuous! 🤨 If you are, kudos to you!!

And please, I do not want to make anyone feel guilty for what you are using for your baby! However, I would encourage you to at least check into healthier options and see what you could do differently. There are other safe alternatives besides what I shared, but this is what I like and have found works well for us.

Protein Bars and No Flour Muffins

Published on by Violet Rhodes4 Comments

Do you need an idea for something to put in your school lunches this week? Or maybe a healthy snack option to curb your preschooler’s hunger? Or a quick bit of dessert for supper? These are very quick, simple recipes that even young cooks could make. We enjoy both of these!

Protein Bars 🥥🍯

3 1/2 c oatmeal

1 c unsweetened coconut

1/2 c flax meal

1/3 c chia seeds

1 c peanut butter

1/2 c melted coconut oil

2/3 c honey

Stir together wet ingredients and pour over the dry ingredients in mixing bowl. Stir well to combine and press into a 9×13 pan. Refrigerate. These firm up nicely when you store them in the fridge.

These bars are very tasty and chuck full of good ingredients! I use Smuckers Natural Peanut Butter because it doesn’t contain extra sugar or hydrogenated oils. You can use either refined or virgin coconut oil. I grind up both my flax seed and chia seeds and keep them fresh in a jar in the freezer. A Juice Plus Doctor’s wife told me that chia seeds go right through you if you don’t grind them up first, so I like to make sure I get their super health benefits! (and just a hint, likely your picky eaters won’t notice them if they’re ground up!)

Banana Muffins 🍌🍌

1 c peanut butter

3 eggs

1/4 c honey

1 tsp vanilla

2 ripe bananas, mashed

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 c chocolate chips

Whisk together first five ingredients then add the rest and blend gently. Pour into lined muffin tins. Bake at 350 for 20 to 23 minutes. They will sink down a bit as they cool. Makes one dozen. (Used with permission from Simple Foods cookbook)

You would not guess these muffins have no flour in them! Using sugar free or dark chocolate chips is a healthier option. This recipe is also a great way to use up those forsaken bananas sitting in the fruit bowl!

Josie LOVES these muffins!! 😋

Where’s More Ketchup?!

Published on by Violet Rhodes1 Comment

I want to tell you how fun it is to organize kitchen spaces and what I have found to work for me. It may not be feasible for everyone but hopefully it will give you some ideas to inspire your own organization!

Now, I know we’re not all blessed with pantries. I never had one till we moved to this house and so having one feels luxurious! I know the frustration of conglomerated heaps of bags and cans and boxes! I would try to categorize somewhat, but that too can be difficult if you don’t have much space. One major thing that helps me is to utilize baskets in my pantry! You can use baskets/bins anywhere you have some room to store groceries. It’s ok if you need to store some things in a bedroom closet or another unusual place! Big totes would be especially helpful in that case. Find what works for you and your house.

These baskets help to keep items in their proper place rather than congregating all over the shelves. It still bothers me that they’re not all the same color but when I was buying them, I was unsure how many I would need and then later I could not find this aqua color. But I remind myself the baskets still work, even though it doesn’t look as nice as having them all identical!🤪 I found these at Walmart, but have seen them at Target also. Decide what you would like to put together in each basket and then label it. Yes, add labels! I know you know what’s in there, but when others in your household are looking for something, it helps to be able to say, “it’s in the drink basket” etc. Plus I think it looks nice too. I had chalk labels but I saw it was not practical because the writing rubbed off too easy. So I put practical above pretty and went with plain white labels. They stick well and the writing stands out heaps better and doesn’t get brushed off. ( but as you can see, I’m still using some on my pantry containers…. I still like the looks on there and just put up with the rubbing off! )😜 And just a side note here on labeling, masking tape also works beautifully to label jars and containers! I keep a roll in my kitchen just to label foods. It sticks well, but peels off easily without sticky residue left behind, and you can write on it with a permanent marker. Especially freezer items or jars of pizza sauce, salsa, and ketchup that someone may have a hard time deciphering which is which. I give credit to my mother- in-law for that tip on masking tape when I was newly married.😉

Now back to my pantry. I don’t store an excessive amount of extras like say cream of mushroom soup. Some people like to buy that by the case. Well, in that case, you might want to store most of that elsewhere and only keep a half dozen or so in your pantry to save on space. I personally don’t like to use a lot of that because it has MSG and other additives. So that’s why I can store my boughten canned items in two baskets. I also keep my can opener right there by the cans.

My most problematic area is the floor space of my pantry. It’s all too easy to plop bags of stuff in there and shut the door. I try to only allow that if it’s temporary. Like, if I’m going to be using a lot of it in the next few days, or if I simply don’t have the time to put things in their designated spots as soon as I get home with groceries. But the next day or as soon as I can, I try to put things away respectably. I’ve learned that large baskets help so much to control the chaotic prone atmosphere. I keep extra things in the baskets like flour, sugars, oatmeal etc. I like how I can fill up my flour or oatmeal containers, and if it’s the last I have of it, it gives me time to buy more before I’m completely out.

Also, having some margin is a must! How fun is it to pull off the cracker container and three others come crashing down in the process?! If I have to pull off the pretzel container and reach behind the chip container to pull out the crackers, and thus knocking another one over with my elbow, there will definitely be an occurrence of loud sighs from this Mama! You can’t expect things to stay neat if there’s absolutely no extra room. Allow a little extra space so everyone and everything can breathe a bit better!😅 And then when your family is eating supper and someone yells, “where’s more ketchup?!” you can calmly reply, “in the middle basket on the third shelf”.

Another area I want to tell you about is my container cabinet. I struggled a long while to keep it easily accessible, yet neat. I looked on Pinterest for ideas, but most of those did not work for me. Then, in one of my organizing streaks, I had this extra basket and was looking how I could use it. Its a bit taller so I turned it on it’s side and stacked my lids in it. So far it’s been a hit with me! I could finally keep them easy to reach without the others going whooshing down on the shelf as soon as I pulled out one lid! This also helped so that I could better stack my containers in each other, rather than storing the lids on the containers.

The turquoise basket I keep for my disposable containers like cool whip and yogurt. It keeps them together and when I need one, I pull out the basket to retrieve the item, then shove it back in. Works like a drawer. There’s no lids or containers sailing to the floor to get attention! (so I imagine their thoughts 😂) My rule is, once this basket is full, I pitch any extra containers because I don’t like clutter! But when I start getting a little low, then I save them again. I do not appreciate towering stacks of cool whip and yogurt and cottage cheese containers! But if you do, then by all means keep your stacks!

We do not use the toaster a whole lot so it doesn’t merit sitting on my counter. But neither do I want a big “awgishick” (for those who don’t know PA Dutch, a big hassle) when I do want to use it. I use my blender a lot more, so it sits up front. When I want the toaster, there’s room to push the blender to the side, pull the toaster up front, on the tea towel, and get it out. It’s on the towel so it slides better, plus it catches those crumbs that make cabinets cleaning so necessary at times! Occasionally, give that tea towel a good shake and be rid of those crumbs in a jiff!

Whenever I get done straightening up a closet or cabinets, there’s such a huge sigh of relief and feeling of accomplishment! Now, head to Walmart and buy a few baskets for yourself!