Merry Night Before Christmas!

I love thinking about the night before the first Christmas.  I hope this song will be a blessing to you as you anticipate celebrating the Savior's birth tomorrow. May the song of salvation that was begun so long ago give you renewed joy and peace this Christmas!  "For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ."  ~2 Corinthians 4:6 (KJV)

Holiday Reading and a Few Trees

Just in case you are wondering what to do with all those school books over the Christmas break.....

Just don't pack all your books into trees!  The holiday season is such a nice time to catch up on your reading, isn't it? We have also been enjoying several books on CD while driving and doing our holiday prep around the house. I keep a little notebook handy so I can write down especially memorable language/writing as we listen (the children serve as my scribes in the car). This has been such fun.  It is quite delightful to pull out a glowing metaphor or simile, or some unexpected alliteration, in the midst of daily conversation with the family! Just one of the things that make our children wonder if their mother isn't just a bit above average in the "strange" department ( ba-ha-ha-ha...)! But perhaps one day they will grow up to be stunningly articulate and not take themselves too seriously as they go about their daily tasks...and finally see that there was method in my madness :).  Pleasant Reading, friends!

Reducing Dirty Dishes

One of the things I love about the Christmas season is the frequency of visitors in our home.  One day last week we unexpectedly had portions of three different families in our home on one single afternoon! I found myself washing cups by hand so that we could offer our visitors a beverage. I realized that, once again, our family was using way too many cups in the course of an average morning!  So, for my sake, and perhaps for yours, I revisit this post from my early blogging days. Although we forget from time to time and fall back into old habits, this remains the best way I have found to get us back on track and reduce the amount of dirty glasses in our sink.  

Human beings, when not properly trained and/or restrained, can generate a substantial pile of dirty glasses in a 24 hour period.  This was a shocking blow to me when my children, one by one, out grew their color-coded sipper cups.  I woke up one day and realized I had drinking glasses all over the house, and piles of them  waiting in the kitchen waiting to be washed. I was not pleased.

We have tried a few different strategies over the years, but I always come back to the 49 cent solution: rubber bands.  Buy one package of wide rubber bands; have each person label/decorate their own band; require them to choose one glass in the morning and put their band on this glass; hide all other glasses ( this part is optional, but extremely effective...).  Amazing! Less in the dishwasher, less mess around the house...ahhhhh. 

***additional note*** 

We often band our cups when we have guests visiting our home. This is a great way to avoid having to buy the easily-spilled paper cups for parties and large gatherings. We also save the bands of frequent visitors to our home. Children especially seem to enjoy knowing that we have saved their band for them! 

Meow....

 To say that I am "not good at keeping secrets" is an understatement. I am known for innocently asking things like, "What do you think about giving your brother the same book the kids and I just bought for you?"  Or , before a surprise party, boldly proclaiming, " All hands on deck! Let's get this place cleaned up!  The visitors will be here in half an hour!!"  Seriously. So, this time of year, I really do try to just  let a quiet "meow" suffice....an aloof Siamese, instead of a bubbling, yapping terrier...for a brief season!

The Cat


Observe the Cat upon this page.
Philosophers in ever age,
The very wisest of the wise
Have tried her mind to analyze
In vain, for nothing can they learn.
She baffles them at every turn
Like Mister Hamlet in the play.
She leads their reasoning astray;
She feigns an interest in string
Or yarn or any rolling thing.
Unlike the Dog, she does not care
With common Man her thoughts to share.
She teaches us that in life's walk
'Tis better to let others talk,
And listen while they say instead
The foolish things we might have said.

--Oliver Herford

Creative and Meaningful Gifts for Seniors

I share a birthday with two fabulous seniors...my sweet  Grandmother-in-love and neighbor  (pictured here), and a dear lady from my church, who always takes the time to give me a call if she isn't able to speak to me personally on Sunday!

Our family is blessed to have an above average number of senior adults in our lives. While we cherish a simple approach to Christmas gift giving, I find that this time of year is an ideal time to be an extra blessing to the older adults we cherish. Many of  the following gift ideas can be given with little or no monetary expense on the part of the giver, but they go a long way to show that you care for the needs and happiness of the recipient.  Here are some of the things we keep in mind as we consider gifts to seniors:

* Gifts of Service: Think of the areas where the senior is limited and attempt to meet a need around the home or yard. This can be done with labor you personally provide or in the form of a gift certificate to hire someone else to do the job.  Ideas include: gutter cleaning, computer maintenance, cell phone updating/lessons ( my son updates my contacts for me for Mother's Day every year and I love it!), snow shoveling, garden tilling, window cleaning, car washing/cleaning....and much more!

*Paying for a Regular Expense: Gift certificates for hair cuts, car maintenance, vet visits for pets; paying their phone or electric bill for the month.

*Gift From and For the Kitchen: If a senior is still living at home and able to cook for themselves, consider giving them a gift for their freezer.  Containers of pre-chopped vegetables ( items like celery, peppers and onions that are often used in cooking) can  be a real luxury for someone who has arthritic hands and finds chopping difficult. Freeze them individually on a tray ( thus avoiding a frozen hunk of peppers that are hard to separate!), then place in small zip lock bags in small amounts. Homemade soups can be frozen in ice cube trays ( for easy defrosting) and divided into freezer bags ( 4 cubes per bag) for single serving size portions.  Who doesn't love easy access to a hot cup of homemade soup on a cold day?  Freezable containers can be bought that hold meals "T.V. Dinner style" and filled with delicious, complete meals from your kitchen. Homemade cookies can be frozen and given as a gift for the freezer, or you gave a rolled "log" of homemade cookie dough for slice and bake cookies. Seniors can bake just one or two cookies at a time in their toaster oven for a warm and tasty treat! Homemade bread can be frozen after slicing so the bread can be defrosted and eaten one slice at a time. Remember to label everything  in large print, with defrosting/reheating instructions and expiration dates clearly visible.

*Favorite "Old Fashioned" favorites:  Seniors may not be comfortable ordering from the Internet themselves, but you have access to many of their "old favorites" that cannot be found in local stores. Perhaps they have a favorite cleaning product, like Bon Ami or Fells Naptha soap that is hard to find, or a favorite kind of candy (like Neco wafers,horehound candy, or Boston Baked Beans) that is not commonly found locally. Check out Internet and catalog options such as The Vermont Country Store, Mast General Store, or Lehman's and see what kind of things you can come up with that will feel familiar and be appreciated. If you are not sure, ask another senior for ideas! Place a collection of products together in a gift basket.

*Homemade Gifts: Grandparents and great grandparents love gifts that connect them to their grandchildren.  Frame some of your children's artwork, make a calendar for the new year with family photos, decoupage items using family photos ( jars for pencil holders,wooden trays, paper mache boxes...).  You can also have your older children write a 30 day devotional using their favorite Bible passages. Younger children can decorate the book with their artwork or you can add in some family photos. What a joy for a grandparent to be able to see the spiritual growth and maturity of their children's children!  

*Donations: Consider giving a gift to someone in need in honor of a senior.  Make it as personal as possible, perhaps giving to an individual or family your know personally. If appropriate, provide the senior with a prayer card for the recipient of the donation so they can be in prayer for them, and perhaps even with an address so they can encourage the recipient with a note or card as time goes on.

*Special idea for those in Assisted Living Facilities and Nursing Home Settings: Audio books or uplifting music; something to share with visitors: chocolates, instant coffee, hot chocolate, or tea bags if they have a microwave; pretty paper napkins to use with visitors or to brighten up their meal times; something in the way of room decor to personalize their room ( check with the facility for regulations); boxed cards and stamps so they can send birthday cards to loved ones; small photo books they can show to staff and visitors.

Enjoy blessing those wonderful senior adults this Christmas and let me know what ideas you have for blessing this special group of people!

GF/Allergy Free: Holiday Sweet Treats

The holiday season can bring a bit of extra stress for families dealing with food allergies.   SO much celebrating goes on around the meal table or the snack napkin! Particularly if you are dealing with children who have food allergies, being prepared at all times is a must. Today's post is going to focus on some ideas for holiday sweets and treats. They can be frozen and kept ready for you top pop into your food bag at a moments notice for cover dish dinners, an evening at a friend's house,  holiday parties or family celebrations.

* Gluten free cakes, brownies, muffins, and sweet breads are idea for freezing. For a special holiday touch I like to frost and decorate them. This obviously isn't something you want to do all the time, but pulling out all the stops at this season of the year can help allergic children feel included when everyone else is downing red and green Oreos and the like. Therefore,...once a year... I let down the "healthy mama" guard and go for it!

Here is the frosting recipe I use:

1 cup shortening (GF)
some GF vanilla ( approximately 1 teaspoon)
2 cups powdered sugar ( use 1 cup Agave Nectar or honey if corn is an issue...we prefer agave)
1 teaspoon salt

( a few spoons of water is sometimes necessary if using the powdered sugar)

Blend together until smooth, adding water if necessary.  For a red color I like to puree some defrosted frozen red berries and blend them into the mix.  Blueberries add a lovely purple color. Some unsweetened cocoa powder can be added for a chocolate flavor.

It is really amazing how much color comes from those berries...and without any nasty artificial colors! ( I am terribly sorry that I cannot show you any photos of finished products today.  Our camera is out of whack and is being sent off for repairs.  I feel like my right arm has been cut off or something, but am thankful for past photos that I can use!) I keep small containers of frosting in the refrigerator to use as needed during the holiday season, but also frost several individual pieces of cake prior to freezing for times when I need to grab something quick.

Other decorating ideas:
*Crush up some Yummy Earth Lollipops to use as colorful sprinkles
*Find other GF candies such as Annie's Gummy Bunnies, or organic jelly beans and gummy candies to use as decorations
*Crumble up some GF cookies and use as a topping on frosted cakes
*Crush organic candy canes to use as toppings

A small cookie cutter can be used to create a cute pattern  of whatever topping you choose. Simply press the cookie cutter into the frosting and fill the space with your topping before carefully removing the cookie cutter.

Frostings and toppings also come in handy for decorating GF cookies. Nothing is sadder than watching a child not be able to eat the cookies he has helped everyone else decorate!  My plan this year is to keep a few containers of the toppings listed above on hand for times when little ones are decorating cookies in group and family settings.

A few more ideas for special treats....
Milkshakes: Around this time of year,  Chick-Fil-A Peppermint Chocolate Chip Milkshakes are everyone's favorite "grandparent treat" around our house.  How do we handle this with our GF/dairy free/nut free/no artificial colors child?  Put some soy ice cream  in the blender with a little red berry puree and some Enjoy Life chocolate chips. It is red with chocolate chips just like everyone else's shake and is slurped down just as fast, too!

Chipwiches/Ice cream sandwiches: Two GF cookies with frosting in between... a nice twist on the same old cookies when everyone else is having a special treat.  An extremely yummy combination is chocolate chip cookies  with candy canes mixed in the frosting!! This also works well with soy ice cream in between the cookies !

 Wow!  Just reading over all of this makes me want to go brush my teeth! Perhaps in another post I will tackle main dishes or something a little more healthy :). What ideas do you have for making delicious holiday sweet treats for those with food allergies?

****************
Amazon is a great source for some of the products listed in this post!

Click to See Special Offers in our Grocery and Gourmet Store

*disclosure: contains affiliate links

Thanksgiving and Counting it All Joy

I started out yesterday with one goal in mind: cleaning out our playroom.  This was step one in my three part plan to reorganize and de-clutter our house by Thanksgiving Day. Well, life barged in and upset my plans.  Extra music rehearsals; dual-credit classes that don't take all week off for Thanksgiving; orthodontist appointments; sick children; a doctor visit and course of antibiotics for yours truly; and then, our quick "who doesn't need to dash to the grocery on the week of Thanksgiving" trip to the store...a "quick trip" that ended up involving  massive amounts of smoke ( well, steam I am told...but it looked like smoke to me!) coming from under the hood of our van and a parking lot streaming with bright green fluid. Oh, my.

Thanksgiving was on my mind as I sat in the parking lot, and it hit me that any run-of-the-mill pagan can be thankful when things are running like a well-oiled machine. There is no special grace in thanking God on a day when you feel just fine.  The grace is evident when He fills us up so much that we can count it all joy and breathe each breath with a thankful trust that He is working all things for our good. Thankfulness is really lived out  when our days ooze with peaceful surrender, and we march on like joyful little lumps of clay in the Master's hand....when things turn out "right" and when things don't.

My day turned out fine in the end. God reminded me to mentally turn my day over to Him and know that what He wanted accomplished in that day was far more important than what I had set out to do. And, yes, of course, there were a million little blessings along the way in the midst of it all: a mother in law who was just a phone call away ( even though her phone battery was technically dead), my husband's last minute change of plans involving a scheduled trip out of state, a husband who can fix cars, the kind army of elderly men who  kindly delighted in helping us in our predicament ( senior day at the grocery!),  being stranded at the grocery store at lunch time ( no hungry kids!), a stack of books in the car to keep little ones occupied, church and extended family that was geographically close enough to help us get to where we needed to be the rest of the day. God is good to us, isn't He?  I hope you have a lovely Thanksgiving Day remembering all the ways He has blessed you in the midst of all life's circumstances!

A Pleasant Quote: Keeping the World Sweet and Beautiful

  A friend sent me this quote several years ago while we were caring for a rather rough (but also endearing...) young man whose single parent was in the hospital with cancer.  It speaks vividly to mothers of boys, but also gives a picture of true femininity for our daughters and ourselves.  Good women of nerve, courage, and patience who make the world a kinder, more beautiful place...yes, that it just what I pray for all of us and for the young women in our care!

"It is the sisters and wives and mothers, you know, Caddie, who keep the world sweet and beautiful. What a rough world it would be if there were only men and boys in it, doing things in their rough way! A woman's task is to teach them gentleness and courtesy and love and kindness. It's a big task, too, Caddie - harder than cutting trees or building mills or damming rivers. It takes nerve and courage and patience, but good women have those things. They have them just as much as the men who build bridges and carve roads through the wilderness. A woman's work is something fine and noble to grow up to, and it is just as important as a man's. But no man could ever do it so well. I don't want you to be the silly, affected person with fine clothes and manners, whom folks sometimes call a lady. No, that is not what I want for you, my little girl. I want you to be a woman with a wise and understanding heart, healthy in body and honest in mind."

~from Caddy Woodlawn

Deal of the Day

Did you know that Vision Forum has a special "Deal of the Day" each and every day? Today's special is the High Impact Roman Short Training Sword Set...40% off the regular price! What a great gift for the active older boy in your family! Check out other wholesome, high-quality toys for boys and girls at the  website by clicking here: Vision Forum! ( The Deal of the Day can be found in the bottom left corner, so just scroll down a bit!)

*Pleasantburg Blog is a participant in the Vision Forum affiliate program.

Pleasant Projects: Making Your Own Teepee Tent

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, and playtime moving indoors more and more as the weather cools down, this is a great time of year to make a teepee tent!  I made this one several years ago after seeing one my friend had made. It is still a favorite with our little ones. It is cozy spot for doing a puzzle or reading a book...even taking a nap! I love to pull it out on rainy days and during the Thanksgiving season when we are reading books about native Americans.We have even used it for special events at church.  In case you are wondering, it can also be easily folded and stored in a closet or under a bed when not in use....I love that!

This tent was made using these directions from Sew, Mama, Sew as a spring board. ( If you have been reading this blog for very long you know how bad I am about following directions exactly. Look closely at the back of the tent you will see a circular "peep-hole"...yup, my first attempt at cutting the hole for the poles was incorrect.  I was going to just patch it in some colorful fabric, but it  turns out that it is really fun to have a little toilet-paper-roll-sized "window" for spying! )  I was easily able to acquire bamboo poles and a painter's drop cloth at our local hardware super store. For a punch of color I  used hot glue to secure the blue rick rack and red craft paint for the stars and circles.  I had a star stencil in my craft box and simply dipped the bottom end of a Crayola marker in the paint for the circles that are seen along the bottom edge of the canvas. I found a red bandanna  in our dress-up box and used it to cover the rubber bands that are holding the bamboo poles together at the top. The possibilities for decorations are endless. I think it would be lots of fun to let your children decorate the canvas for themselves. I'd love to see what designs you come up with, so send me a photo if you make one!  Happy Crafting!!

Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken

 Savior, if of Zion's city,
I through grace a member am,
let the world deride or pity,
I will glory in thy Name.
Fading is the worldling's pleasure,
all his boasted pomp and show;
solid joys and lasting treasure
none but Zion's children know!

---

Words: John Newton, 1779

Mrs. T's Favorite Kitchen Tools

We are not hosting Thanksgiving this year, so we have decided to have a few days of intensive declutting over Thanksgiving break. I have been mentally reviewing what we use regularly and what we no longer need. I also recently heard from someone who is cooking gluten-free for the first time and is finding out that it takes a long time to make things from scratch! She asked what tools I have found helpful so she could add them to her Christmas wish list. As I considered what is in my kitchen and what tools I use the most, I realized that nearly all my favorites were given to me as gifts!

Below you will see "Mrs. T.'s Favorite Kitchen Appliances and Tools."  Most of the items are listed as Amazon links, and I do need to clarify that I am an Amazon affiliate and receive a small percentage of the sales from Amazon links on this blog. If you would like to order these products from the links that would be, well...just groovy! However, my main intention in this post is really and truly to tell you what things I find helpful in my daily cooking! Now, on to the post...

* The Kitchen Aid Mixer:  I received one of these for my 40th birthday as a joint gift from everyone who knows me. Well, that is a small exaggeration, but many people pitched in to give me something I never in a hundred years would have been able to own otherwise, and I was deeply touched.  It has made all our baking so much easier. It not only mixes while I putter around the kitchen, it can knead dough while I attend to other duties ( love that!). It has a wide assortment of attachment you can add on if you desire, such as a meat grinder. Mine is red, which adds a cheery look to my kitchen counter!




*The Cuisinart Waffle Maker: This was a Christmas gift and is in operation almost every weekend.  It is great for making gluten free waffles for the freezer.  It has a timer and lets you know when waffles are done, and you are able to select the setting that determines how brown you want the waffles. It is very easy to clean, which is important when you are using appliances for both gluten free and regular purposes.




* High Quality Cookie Sheets: You guessed it, also a gift!  Heavy and easy to clean, these are in use almost every day at our house! If you are doing lots of baking I highly recommend good quality pans like these that cook evenly and are easy to clean!


*Good Cook Silicone Spatulas:  My mom bought some of these years ago and split the set with me. I love having more than one and am a big fan of "color coding" when cooking so I don't stir a gluten -free dish with a  spatula used to stir a non-GF dish.  I also have a very small spatula  that is handy for stirring and scraping out small containers.



*Smart Pot Crock Pot:  Um, yup. Also entered our kitchen as a Christmas gift! This is probably my biggest time saver. I can pop dinner in the crock pot in the morning while listening to someone read, and then just leave it alone, knowing it will automatically switch to the warm setting when the cooking time is done. Love it!



*Kitchen Aid Blender: My dear husband gave this to me for Mother's Day many, many years ago. It was an older model on sale at Tuesday Morning ( a close -out store). It has probably made three million smoothies over the years. I was quite alarmed last year when it suddenly stopped working.  Well, I am a Kitchen Aid fan for life.... we called them, they told us what part we needed, and for a mere ten dollars we were able  restore our blender to perfect working order! I am so thankful that someone still makes appliances that can be repaired instead of needing to be replaced!


*Joie Measure Mate:  I picked up one of these from Lehmans Hardware in Ohio this summer.  I can't find it on their website, but here is the link to the Joie Shop where you can see lots of fun kitchen tools. This little measuring cup measures in Tablespoons and ml, and I find it much easier to use than traditional spoons.

* Wilton Measuring Cups and Pampered Chef Measure-All Cup: Both of these cups are very easy to read, which I find makes measuring ingredients much less time consuming. The Measure-All is terrific for solid ingredients, but I prefer the Wilton for liquids. The four cup option is great for baking in bulk.




Well, I hope that is helpful to you, weather you are making out your Christmas list, considering gifts for others, or just adjusting to a new routine of gluten-free cooking. I'd love to know what kitchen tools you find helpful!

Unexpected Blessings from the Ugly Garden

Because we live on a shady city lot, I have to claim every little patch of sunshine and call it garden space.  I have one section of the yard with some garden boxes that my kind father made for me.  It is an orderly space...well planned and well kept.  And then I have the section of the yard that I call The Ugly Garden.  I had to just stick seedlings in the ground where ever there was adequate sun.  The area behind this garden patch boasts of an overgrown lot and a neighbor's broken down fence. There are no tidy boarders outlining what is yard and what is garden; it just all kind of runs together in chaotic fashion. None of it is very impressive looking.  However, an abundant harvest came from my Ugly Garden this year.  It isn't pretty, but it has good soil and needed sun, is well watered, and has lots of visiting bees.  God blessed this little patch with fruitfulness in spite of its aesthetic limitations.

At the end of the gardening season a wind storm blew down my last two tomato plants in the Ugly Garden. I just left them there to decay naturally, figuring that I would pile some leaves on top of them this fall and let them enrich the soil a bit this winter. You can imagine my surprise when, in the early weeks of fall, I noticed dozens of ripening tomatoes!  Although the plants had blown down, the roots were still in the ground and each branch had grown vertically towards the sunlight. The plants had kept right on blossoming and producing fruit, even though the main stalks were horizontal against the ground! In the few weeks just before our first fall frost, forty-one additional tomatoes came from my two blown-down-given-up-for-dead plants! What a lovely set of reminders this gave me: 1.) Keep your roots growing in the Lord and His Word--even if you get knocked over, you can keep on being fruitful if your roots are in place; 2.) Be careful not to give up on things and people too quickly--looks can be deceiving; new growth can come when least expected;God can use anyone and any situation to bear fruit for His glory!   3.) There is great benefit in giving things a little time; wait, pray and see what the Lord does. 4.) It is the Lord's blessing that brings the increase, not the labor of our hands. He may use our hands, but He may choose to work in other ways as well!
Be encouraged if you find yourself blown over by life these days.  Rest in Him, and let Him produce fruit in you for His glory!

I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.   ---John 15:5

Warm Breakfast Ideas ( Allergy-Friendly)

Fall is a super busy time at our house. I try to get up a full hour before the rest of our family so that I have ample time for Bible reading and prayer, along with some time to organize the day ahead while I clutch my steaming cup of coffee. This jump-start on the day makes all the difference. In spite of the urge to accomplish a few extra tasks in the morning hours, I love being able to offer a warm breakfast as chilly, groggy loved ones tumble out of bed. ( And there is also the added benefit of the stove heating up the kitchen a bit!) It doesn't happen everyday, but here are some time efficient, budget-friendly fall breakfast dishes that help us ease into chilly mornings. They can all be quickly modified for GF/CF diets.

* Baked Oatmeal: This is one of my favorites because it is very economical and the left overs make great afternoon snacks.  I really like this recipe, although I have one child who prefers that I leave out the baking powder, making a more crunchy oatmeal bar.  Other favorite flavor variations include drizzling pure maple syrup or honey over the top of the bars, mixing in bits of fresh apple instead of cranberries, and spreading a thin layer of  jam on top of the bars.  To make this recipe GF/CF I simply use GF oats, GF vanilla and soy/rice milk.

*Baked French Toast:  Here is a recipe for Baked Orange French Toast...yummmmm!  GF bread, or even GF Udi hot dog buns, can be substituted for french bread.

*Muffins:  I usually just make the normal muffins and then pull some GF muffins out of the freezer. This is a great homemade muffin mix to keep on hand.    For the GF freezer muffins I usually use a GF mix, Namaste being my favorite for our CF/CF/Nut free/Corn free needs.

*Homemade Applesauce, straight from the crock pot: This is especially wonderful if you have freshly picked apples! I get it started before going to bed in my Smart Pot crock pot that automatically shifts to the "warm" setting when the cooking time is complete. The apple-vanilla-cinnamon smell alone is enough to coax tired teenagers ( and parents!) out of bed! 

In addition to the main dish, a pot of hot tea, cider, or hot chocolate is always appreciated first thing in the morning.  Enjoy making fall mornings warm and memorable for your family!

Pleasant Projects: Jeweled Pumpkins

I have a fabulous mother-in-law.  Always dressed to perfection, she is one of those ladies who can pull off large clunky jewelry and wild handbags, all with out looking the slightest bit tacky!  She is just that kind of lady. And she is always coming up with unique ways to decorate her home as well.  Her ideas not only work, they look great!

Last year, she shared these little jeweled pumpkins with me. (This photo was taken on a really old camera and it doesn't do these glistening beauties justice...trust me !)  If you are looking for a really simple craft that will add a touch of sparkle to your fall decor, this project is for you.  You need to purchase a few sheets of stick-on jewels from your local craft store and collect a variety pumpkins. You attach the jewels to your pumpkins and that is that! This is great project to do with the little ones in your home...quick, easy,and hardly any clean up!   My mother-in-law had  several of her jeweled pumpkins in a pretty blue and white china bowl,  along with several non-jeweled gourds of various shapes and colors. The effect on her glass-topped antique table  was lovely.  I placed a couple of the pumpkins on our fireplace mantle and also put a few more on the table with our candles.  I think a large jeweled pumpkin would be a unique addition to a front porch or window display, especially if you also were using some colored fall lights. Something unique, with just a bit of sparkle....never a bad thing! Happy  fall crafting!

Fall Break...

"Then came October, full of merry glee."  ~Spenser

We have been enjoying a bit of a fall break...apple picking,  household chore day, time with friends and relatives. Be back soon!

Country Porch Blog Party

Today Pleasantburg is participating in the Country Porch Blog Party. Different bloggers have been introducing themselves this week and we encourage you to come on over ...just click the blog party button above and pull up a chair!    

And now, I will tell you a bit about Pleasantburg Blog...

When did you begin Pleasantburg Blog?

I began Pleasantburg blog last spring. After several years of building my

 "blogging confidence" with our private family blog, some friends encouraged me to branch out into the wider blogging world.  

What is the purpose of Pleasantburg Blog?  

My prayer is that this blog will inspire women of all walks of life to make their homes a pleasant place to live and visit.  Pleasantburg is not about perfection, and it is not about a pie-in-the-sky approach to life...it is about creating a haven of rest in the midst of a world that has many trials and troubles.  Topics include everything from practical homemaking subjects ( including dealing with food allergies) to spiritual encouragement for the Christian homemaker. 

Who is doing the writing here?

Mrs T. ! I am married to the wonderful Mr. T. and we have five children, ranging in age from 17 to 4 years. I spend my days homeschooling our children and working to make our home a pleasant place. I love to read and garden, and I am in the over 40 crowd.  I am saved by God's grace and grow more thankful each day for His work in my life and heart.  

What are a few facts your blog readers might not know about you?

I am an adoptee and have been reunited with my birth mother. Our youngest child was premature and spent  his first few months in the hospital. I love good guacamole :).

I hope you enjoyed visiting Pleasantburg Blog...please come back again!

Plan It, Don't Panic Menu Challenge : Week 3

Well, it is Week 3 of the Plan It, Don't Panic Menu Challenge. I neglected to post my menu for week 2, but here's what's cookin' in my kitchen this week! All dishes are gluten free and dairy free.  The Lemon Honey Chicken was a new recipe this week. I served it tonight and it was a huge hit!

Monday:  Crock Pot Cranberry Pork, rice, peas

Tuesday:  Lemon Honey Chicken ( also in the crock pot!), green beans, mashed potatoes

Wednesday:  Lentils and Rice, roasted sweet potatoes, kale

Thursday:  Chili, cornbread ( for those who can eat it), salad

Friday:  Baked potatoes with leftover chili, cheese, and broccoli for toppings; green salad

Enjoy feeding your family this week and check out Plan it, Don't Panic for other great menu ideas!

Gluten Free/Egg Free/Dairy Free Oatmeal Cookies

There is nothing quite like a warm cookie and a hot cup of tea on a fall afternoon! This oatmeal cookie recipe has become one of our favorite gluten-free cookie options.  It is also egg, nut, and dairy free! The recipe is one I modified to suit our food allergies. The original  recipe is for Oatmeal Crispies and is found in  the Aurora Mennonite Church cookbook entitled Our Treasured Recipes. You can read about this cook book and how to order one at the end of this post. 

GF Oatmeal Crispies

1 c. margarine (or butter)
1/2 c. sugar
1 tsp. GF vanilla
1 c. GF flour mix ( I have used GF baking mix in a pinch and they turned out ok...just a bit more like scones than cookies...and they were a bit hard when they cooled!)
1 1/2 c. GF oatmeal
a few handfulls of dried cranberries ( I think nuts would also be very good if you do not have nut allergies in your family)

Cream butter, sugar, and vanilla.  Add flour and oatmeal.  Chill dough in refrigerator for 1 hour. Spoon dough onto greased cookie sheets and press with a fork. Bake at 350 for around 15 minutes.

They, like all cookies, are best warm. Light your favorite fall candle, brew a cup of tea, and enjoy a pleasant, allergy-free cookie break this afternoon!

*Looking for gluten free flour and baking mixes?Amazon sells all our favorites!  Although Pamela' s is probably my most favorite, it is not a good choice if you have tree nut allergies in the family.  I have found that all of these brands work very well for times when I am not able to put together my own GF flour mix.  Buying them in bulk from Amazon is both handy and cost effective.( And there are even more options on Amazon that I haven't tried yet...check out the Amazon search box in my side bar and enjoy browsing through the entire gluten free section!)  Happy Baking!

From Duty to Joy

...not our clothes line... we don't have any adorable bunnies in our area, but isn't he cute!

One of the best things that about living in an older home is that things are (as a rule)  family size and built to last.  The dining room?  Large enough for a crowd. The bath tub?  Still in great shape, and I bet a young mom could bathe at least four small children at a time! The bedrooms?  Designed to house more than one child. The clothesline?  Ah.... steel poles, 45 feet apart, and four wonderful rows of clothes drying goodness. I love it.

I didn't start out loving the idea of hanging out our wash to dry, but with a vintage clothes line beckoning to me, I felt I didn't have a choice. It was something I felt was my duty...saving our family money and using what the Lord has placed right there in our back yard to meet our needs. But now, hanging out the wash is one of the best parts of my day.  It is the semicolon between history and math...a pause between two related sections of my day. It is an import break in ideas that causes the latter subject to begin with a peaceful lowercase letter. It is a bit of fresh air in the middle of the morning, and a time for the little boy of the house to run outside and  help mom by carrying out the empty basket and handing her the clothes pins. In the afternoon there is another load to go out on the line....an opportunity to listen to the children enjoying their time outside without hovering over them, and the chance to see if the red-tailed hawk will be back. It is time for me to realize that my small amount of time and energy, combined with God's sunshine, are enabling our clothes to dry free of charge, while others are paying their machines to do this work for them. And later in the evening, with the last load in hand, it is a time for me to go out into the dusk alone. I often jokingly sing, " I Go to the Clothesline Alone" (to the tune of  " I Go to The Garden Alone"), because don't we moms cherish those few moments of alone time when the Lord gives them to us!

I once heard a home school mom say that she punctuated her day with her own little "happiness islands".  It sounded a little fruity to me at the time, and it still does.  I don't want to be running off doing my own thing in the midst of the day, focusing on my happiness when I should be focusing on the Lord and on my family. But I do need some semi colons in the midst of my daily paragraphs. Just a "slow" task now and then, preferably one that takes me outdoors and gives me time with an individual child or alone.  The Lord is good to turn our duties into joys!

Servanthood

     "Could it be right," Amy had asked, "to turn from so much that might be of profit and become just nursemaids?"  The answer was yes.  It is not the business of the servant to decide which work is great, which is small, which is important or unimportant--he is not greater than his master. 
     "If by doing some work which the undiscerning consider 'not spiritual work' I can best help others, and I inwardly rebel, thinking it is the spiritual for which I crave, when in truth it is the interesting and exciting, then I know nothing of Calvary love," Amy wrote after many years of such "unspiritual" work.  


               ~ from A Chance to Die: The Life and Legacy of Amy Carmichael, by Elisabeth Elliot

Miss Messy Learns to be Tidy: Room Bucks and the Family Thrift Store Explained

It has been my experience that girls generally will mature into wanting a tidy room.  When they are little we try to help them by establishing a clean-up routine, be it daily or weekly, but eventually they start taking the initiative to keep thing tidy without mom having to tell them. Appreciation for beauty and discipline creeps in with age, and watching it happen is wonderful time, indeed!  In our house this has usually started to happen around age twelve and until then, well, I just wait and train as best I can :)....and sometimes I am better at it than others!

 This being said, our youngest daughter spent the summer having huge issues with clothing all over the bedroom floor. ( You may remember that she is my child who is forever dressing up like historical figures!). I tried limiting her clothing options, but then we ended up with too few clothes for our laundry routine, and good clothes that were stained because she didn't have a good supply of play clothes. One day, after reading a wonderful post by Kelly at Generation Cedar, I came up with the idea of Room Bucks. Kelly had the great idea of limiting her children's clothing, but putting the extra clothing in a "Family Thrift Store" where the children could buy extra items as they needed them. ( It turned out she was having the exact same issues we were having with limiting clothing...I love that about blogs! Somewhere out there is another mom with your problem! Anyway...) Our youngest children really don't regularly have money of their own, so I decided to give her the chance to earn one "room buck" ( play money) during random, daily room inspections. If clothing was put away properly, she would earn one buck. I also reserved the right to charge her a room buck if "the maid" had to come in and take care of a mess before guests arrived ( or for some other reason). I limited her to just a  few outfits, but gave her the chance to "buy" her items back from the Family Thrift Store for 5 room bucks each.  Dress up clothes could be rented for 1 room buck each, which would be returned to her once I saw that they clothes were put back properly.

The results have been amazing. She has enough motivation to put things away properly and is gradually getting back some of her clothes as her self-discipline increases. I no longer need to nag or feel exasperated over the mess. Love that! I see that she is beginning to grasp the concepts of both simplicity and stewardship, as Kelly talked abut in her post. I really love that! How do you help your children learn to clean up after themselves? Do you have ideas to share on teaching simplicity and stewardship? How has another mom inspired you recently?