Girl's Book Club

We would like to invite you to join our Girl's Book Club. 


As an introduction to the club, Lamplighter has an amazing moving sale.   Click the here to go to their store and stock up on some great books.

Girl's Book Club

Part of the training to be a great helper to our family is to acquire as much knowledge as possible.  One great way to be well equipped for our upcoming challenges and God assignments is to have well rounded education in different areas such as Law, Science, Economics, Business, Marketing, the Sciences, History, Theology, Home management, the Arts, Communication, Nutrition, Health, Natural Medicine, current events, media & technology, missions and aesthetics.

We would like to welcome you to this Girl's book club as a way to encourage one another in reading books that will help us in our role and the good works God has prepared for each of us.

"The Fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge..." Proverbs 1:7

How the book club works:

1.  Sign up below and introduce yourself
     (name, age, what books you like to read...)

2.  Pick a book or topic you would like to read. 
     (For suggestions go to    
     www.blessedhomestead.com search A Book
    List for Girls, or you can go to our
    Lamplighter Link on the right or to our store)

3.  When you are done reading it, you may

     a.  Just leave a comment about the book, what you learned and if you

          recommend it.

     b.  You may share with us a book report or summary.

     c.  Share how this book impacted you, what you liked or didn't like.

     d.  You may also post a thread of discussion on the topic you are reading 

          about or the book you chose.

     e.  Choose to do an activity or something that inspired you by the reading and

          share about it, post some pictures.

      f.  Lapbooks are fun to do about the

         topic or book you read.  Don't forget to 

         share some pictures too.

4. Then begin another book and keep going!

5.  When you have decided on a book, let us
     know.  There may be others who
     would like to read the same book.  This 
     would be fun to have some discussion
     as we read together.

6.  Girls, young ladies and mommys of all  

     ages are invited to adventure in the club. 
     Encouragers and wise input is desired.

Girl's Book Club

Homemade Multi Purpose Healing Salve

We made this healing salve for all the awees we have everyday.  It is very easy to make, smells great, and heals the skin wonderfully.  We adapted it from http://campwander.blogspot.co.nz/2012/08/10-ways-to-use-all-purpose-healing.html.  But we didn't want to make a whole pint so that it will stay fresher next time we need to make some more.  But if you have a large family, quadrupling this recipe will suit you better.

All Purpose Healing Salve Recipe:

1/4  Cup Cold Pressed, Extra Virgin Coconut Oil
1 /4 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1  T. Beeswax Pastilles
1/8 t. vitamin e oil (optional)

To the jar add:
5  drops Lavender
4  drops Lemon
3  drops Tea Tree
1/4  teaspoon Vitamin e oil (optional)

Fills {1} - 4 oz jar of choice.

Coconut oil is a natural moisturizer as well as antibacterial.  Olive oil has lots of anti-oxidants, including Hydroxytyrosol as well as anti-inflammatory properties.  Lavendersoothes and heals, Lemon cleanses and disinfects while Tea Tree or Melaleuca is antibacterial and antifungal!

Melt the coconut, olive oil and beeswax in a warm bath, stirring with a knife every few minutes until melted.

This will take at least 15 min, you want a slow melt.

Add the EOs to the empty jars and pour into glass jars of your choice and let cool.

Put a paper towel over the jars while cooling and wait to cover with lids until completely cooled down.  Shelf life is approximately 8 months.

Suggestions from experience:  Use small jars and keep several around the house and few travel sizes handy.  We filled out one lip balm to keep in my purse and another small for the diaper bag.

10 ways we've used All Purpose Healing Salve

1.  Crazy good hand moisturizer!

2.  Amazing on dry, cracked heels and crusty elbows.

3.  All round moisturizer for dry climates.  I use it as a body moisturizer and even on my face, sparingly!

4.  Soothes and heals chapped lips or any chappy place.

5.  Soothes welts, burns and sunburn!

6.  Great for diaper rash.

7.  Keep your animals in mind! Great antiseptic wound care for animals (except cats).

8.  Antiseptic properties make it great for cuts and scrapes!

9.  Wonderful for elderly folks and their thin, fragile skin.

10.  A good remedy for eczema!

What are other homemade remedies you use?

Healthy Homemade Graham Crackers

Shabbat Shalom!  We ventured to have some fun baking graham crackers.  Destiny and Noah scoot their chairs to help as soon as they see flour in a bowl to make dough or batter.  Destiny is a real help.  Noah is great at cleaning up, with his mouth, the dough crumbs or batter from the bowl.  These crackers are tasty and very healthy because of the rice bran syrup which is high in all B vitamins and iron.

Here is the recipe I adapted from http://www.bakingandboys.com/2009/02/homemade-graham-crackers.html

HOMEMADE GRAHAM CRACKERS

2 cups sprouted soft wheat flour

3 Tbsp rapadura sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 cup cold butter, cut into pieces

1 1/2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon rice bran syrup or molasses (not to be confused with brown rice syrup)

1/4 cup water (may need a little more--I used another tablespoonful)

In bowl of food processor, combine flours, sugar, salt, baking powder and cinnamon.  Pulse a few times.  Add the cold butter and pulse until texture is dry and crumbly.

In a separate bowl, mix together the honey, molasses and water.  Add to food processor and blend together until it forms a ball.  Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for one hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Roll the dough out using two pieces of wax paper.  Roll the dough out pretty thin and cut with cookie cutters.  Make fork marks in the dough.  Transfer to baking sheets lined with parchment paper .You could sprinkle these with sugar or cinnamon/sugar before baking but I don't like to add more sweet to an already sweet treat.

Bake for 11-14 minutes until golden and crisp.  This recipe made 19  3 1/2 inch hearts.

How To Actively Engage Children In God's Word

This is a great way to get into God's Word with your children.  Doing this simple steps will become a natural way to engage in God's Word. I do these personally without thinking about the steps already.  Therefore, teaching it to the children is a powerful tool so they can individually seek out His Holy Word.  I start out doing this together.  We have been doing it for about two years now  The children, with their great memories, have memorized the entire book of James and Philippians.  We don't only want them to take God's Word to memory but to apply it to their lives.

Seven ways to actively engage with God's word:

1. Read it

We choose a book that we will focus on for the whole year.  We like short ones like the epistles for now.  I write out a passage on a big paper and tape it on the wall by our dinner table.  Every morning at breakfast, we recite it a couple of times for a whole week.  Once it's memorized, I write out the next passage (about 4-7 verses usually).

2. Sing it

At lunch time, we come up with a tune for a song for it, or chant it.  Adding hand motions helps engage the little ones and aids in memorization too.

3. Pray it

During our prayer time, we focus on this passage for our prayer time.  I will read it as a prayer.  For example, "Love one another", I would say, "Lord, help us to love one another..."

4. Meditate on it

I would simply read it and ask the children to ponder upon it for a quiet minute.  Then I would ask them to share their thoughts on the passage I just read.  For this to work, the ambient has to be set, by running water, very quiet, perhaps with soothing background music.

5. Proclaim it

By the end of the week, everyone will take a turn at reciting the passage alone.

6. Study it

We do this just as a table discussion while we eat by asking simple questions and bringing up other Scriptures that relate to the passage.  I would ask, What do think John means by "whoever hates his brother is a murderer".  Then, we would go to the sixth commandment and what Jesus had to say about it.

7. Live it

We just began a new way to put the Scripture into practice.  I write down 7 ways that we can apply this Scripture at home with each other.  I put the list in a week list and we secretly choose a name from our family member to whom we will apply the passage to.  For example, if I drew the name Destiny, every day I will do what the list says.  On practicing loving one another, Monday says to do a chore for them.  The children really like it and get excited about it, especially because it has to be a secret.  We reveal who we got at the end of the week.

How do you engage your children with God'sWord?  We would love to hear your ideas!

Simple Etiquette for Little People at Home

Our children will incorporate respectful etiquette as part of their normal lives if we start as early as possible.  Trying to teach a good manner later even at 5 years old will be harder.  The first three years of a child's life is the most important.  They are really the foundation for the rest of their lives.  Please spend as much time as possible with your little people.

Here is a simple list of Etiquette we teach at home:

1. Say "Good morning" and "Good night" to everyone in the house.

2. Greet our guests at the door with a smile and "hello!"

3.  Say "Good bye" to our guests and help them out the door.

4. Remember you manners: "Please" and "Thank you".

5. Stay seated at the table until you are excused.

6. If an adult drops something, pick it up quickly!

7. Protect children - especially babies - who are younger than you.

8. When you are eating a snack, offer some to the people near you.

9.  When people speak to you, look in their eyes and respond 

kindly.

10. When Daddy or Mommy asks you to do something, say, "Yes, dad!" or "Yes, mom!" and do it right away.

Good manners shows our respect for others.

Happy 9th Birthday To Our Young Artist And Best Carrot Cake Recipe

Danielle turned 9!  She was very grateful that the Lord answered her prayer of riding a horse before her birthday.

She had a blessed day full of fun with friends and family.  Her aunt Martha gave her an artist set and she has been gladly and busily drawing.

Danielle likes horses.  She likes to draw horses too.  Therefore, she asked me if I could bake her a carrot cake because horses like to eat carrots as treats.

Her Dad's prayer is that she would be a straight arrow in the hands of the warrior.  He gave her a bow and arrow to remind her that she is to be straight and polished as the arrow to be able to hit the target.

I baked this two-tier carrot cake that we were pretty happy with, in spite of the fact that I made up the recipe as I went.  I thought I would do an ice cream cake if it didn't turned out.  I will surely make this again so I had to write down the recipe:

Ingredients:

Cake:
3 C sprouted soft wheat flour
2 C rapadura sugar
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
2 1/2 tsp cinnamon
4 eggs or 3 jumbo eggs
1 1/2 C  of coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla
3 C grated carrot

Frosting:
16 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/3 C raw honey

2 tsp of orange zest
1 tsp vanilla

1.  Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Line 2 pie pans with parchment paper.
2.  In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients for the cake.  In a medium bowl, beat together all the remaining ingredients for the cake.  Pour into the dry ingredients and mix well.  Divide evenly between the three pans.
3.  Bake for 30-35 minutes until the cake bounces back when gently touched in the center.  While the cake bakes, use a wooden spoon to beat together the cream cheese, butter and lemon zest until smooth.  Add the remaining frosting ingredients and mix until smooth and lump free.
4.  Cool the cakes for 10 minutes in the pan, then invert onto a cooling rack.  Remove the pan and slowly peel away the wax/parchment paper liners.  Allow to cool completely before frosting.

Really, it was very delicious!  What's the point in making a cake and you can't enjoy it? Danielle loved it.  I can't wait for the next birthday.

Papa Bear Blueberry Muffins

Destiny likes to cuddle with the cute story of Goldilocks.   The story ends with everyone eating blueberry muffins.  Now Destiny like to help bake these and enjoy them with a glass of raw cow milk and cuddle with story.  They are also great with a bowl of homemade milk kefir and blueberries.  This was the kids idea.

Ingredients:

2 Cups sprouted flour

1/4 tsp salt

3 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 cup milk

2 Tbslp sorghum

2 Tbsp Rapadura

6 Tbsp melted butter

1 egg

1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Mix together flour with salt, baking powder and cinnamon.  Blend the rest of the ingredients, except blueberries.  Combine dry and wet ingredients.   Lastly, combine the blueberries.  Fill muffin cups and bake about 20-25 minutes until golden brown.

Makes 12 yummy muffins.

Since we don't have a stove oven, we bake al kinds of baked goods in our small toaster oven.  These silicone muffin cups stand alone and don't need a tray and don't stick.