This year we are starting a new tradition! We always do these nifty chocolate countdown calendars but this year I am adding in books to our routine! Any ways I can get my children to read I will take it. After each book is read they get to open their chocolate for the day too!
Reading is so important for our children’s minds and development. It can help them with speaking by reading out loud. Reading can also take them to far away lands right from a comfy seat in the house. Learning takes place every time their eyes gaze upon the words in a book. Some of our favorite books are from the Dr Seuss collection. You can find a great starter set here https://amzn.to/33FMaaM .
So, this year I picked out 25 books and wrapped each one separately. Each day all the way up until Christmas we will open one book as a family and each of us will take turns reading the book of the day out loud. Today’s book was Santa’s in Town. Most of the books are on the shorter side since we have a 3 year old in the mix. So this year encourage reading in your household with this awesome new tradition!
What are some ways you get your kiddos to read more? Have any great Christmas traditions?
It’s Small Business Saturday!! Over the years I have had quite a few small businesses and been in direct sales companies and I can personally tell you each sale is so important! Every time a mom makes some extra money to pay bills or buy a present for their child is so heart filling. So today consider shopping small! I am listing out some of my favorite small businesses and their websites. Please check them out and save this post because I will be adding some more as the day goes by and I find more awesome small businesses.
Small Business Saturday Shopping List!
First up is Norwex! These cleaning products are AMAZING! My favorite is the Enviro Cloth, it cleans everything really good with only water! Head over to Ali’s website to place your order https://alisonbuonome.norwex.biz/
Paparazzi Accessories is the best bang for your buck! These gorgeous pieces of jewelry are just $5 each! The perfect price point to get everyone a gift on your list. Visit Amie’s website here https://paparazziaccessories.com/257849/
The Hoppy Bunny is a service to help you find your next emotional support animal. Amy is amazing with animals and is ready to help you with more information about how bunnies can make the perfect emotional support animal. Check out her facebook page here https://www.facebook.com/The-Hoppy-Bunny-108409770600695
Love wine?? Donna has got you covered! She is the best wine chick and has all the wine you could need for your holiday parties, gifts, or just to pair with your dinner each night. Her website is http://www.myttv.com/THEWINECHICK
Get your nails looking on point for all those awesome holiday parties with Color Street! Stacey has got you covered on her website here http://www.colorstreet.com/SparkleWithStacey
Doterra is where you’ll want to get all your essential oils to combat the illnesses going around and to uplift your mood when holdiays can get hard or for the most awesome stocking stuffers! Head over to Jordan’s website to stock up on your oils here http://my.doterra.com/jordancollomy1
One of my favorite homesteaders to follow just so happens to be an amazing writer too! Her name is Michelle and she is one of the most inspiring people to me. If you love maple syrup or kombucha you must get some of her books! You can find her website here https://soulyrested.com/order/
For those who know me, know I am an official tea addict! My new found favorite tea are the loose teas I get from Laura at Steeped Tea! Head over to her website to get the most amazing loose teas plus all you could need for gift giving and beverages. http://www.partealife.com/
Need some make up or skin care to keep stylish and gorgeous this holiday season? Head over to Cheryl’s Younique website to place your orders for some amazing beauty products here https://youniqueproducts.com/CherylMitchellbeautifulyou
Want handmade gifts? Head over to my wonderful Aunt Wendy’s Etsy shop! She is so talented and her products will WOW everyone you gift them to. Head over to her Etsy shop here https://www.etsy.com/shop/WorldOfWendyDesigns
Have any Harry Potter or Wizarding friends?Head over to my friend Sarah’s Wizarding Apothecary Etsy shop for unique creations for the magical and wizarding worlds. Her etsy shop is https://www.etsy.com/shop/WizardingApothecary
Sarah also has a wonderful site filled with dried herbs, smoke blends, oils, and more! Visit her Maison Terre shop here http://www.maisonterre.net/shop/
Who doesn’t love candles during the holiday season?? Partylite has amazingly smelling and clean burning candles! Head over to Jessica’s website plus be sure to check out the outlet section for great deals too! Her website is http://www.partylite.biz/jessicabolduc
Be sure to keep coming back as I am adding more and more! I wanted to get you all started while I continue to copy links and add these wonderful businesses. Be sure to share as well!!
Thanksgiving is
coming in the next few days!! One of my favorite things to make for this
awesome dinner is homemade cranberry sauce. I have nothing against the canned
cranberry sauce but homemade gives such a better pop to the meal. Before we get
into this awesome recipe let’s talk about the meaning of this holiday. Not the
historical meaning but the gratitude part of it.
We need to be thankful for all that we are given. I see this holiday as a reminder to be thankful everyday for everything we have. I am thankful for the house we live in but I am also thankful for the little things too such as my husband turning my tea kettle on for me or my son doing the dishes with out being asked. Even down to the smallest thing like my fuzzy socks on a chilly winter day. Do you look through each day with a thankful heart? If we start each day with a gratitude mindset for what we have, we are less likely to long for the things we don’t have. Colossians 2:6-7 says, ” 6 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, 7 rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.” This day and every day we should be overflowing with thankfulness! “
One of the biggest things we should be thankful for is
the gift that God has given us! He has given us the best gift ever! What is
more deserving of gratitude then us receiving eternal life from our Lord. So be
thankful in every day and every moment as we move through this life.
Onto the RECIPE!!! Are you ready for this amazingly easy and superbly delicious cranberry sauce?? So all you need is fresh cranberries, sugar, orange juice, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt. This is one of my top favorites because it’s a dump and cook kind of recipe! All you need to do is throw everything in a sauce pot, turn the heat up to medium, simmer for 15minutes while stirring every so often, then cool. Is that not easy or what? You will be the hit of your thanksgiving dinner this year. You can even make extra and store in cute mason jars as gifts for your guests. You can also watch my Youtube video of this recipe being made here: https://youtu.be/2zZOAnVAGcc
Ingredients:
12oz Bag of Fresh Cranberries
2/3 Cup of
Granulated Sugar
1/2 Cup of Orange Juice
1/4 Tsp Ground Cinnamon
Small Pinch of Salt
Add all ingredients into pot on stove or into your
Instant Pot
For Stove top start at a medium heat, Instant Pot
start at High Sauté and turn down to normal once you have a boil
Continue stirring and simmering for 15 minutes
(Instant Pot ended up being only 7 minutes so use your judgement on the look
and feel of your sauce)
Turn heat off and let cool
Your homemade cranberry sauce is now ready to put into
jars!
Notes: If you feel your cranberries are boiling turn the heat to a lower setting until they are at a simmer.
Also a great tool I use to help me get my finished recipes into my mason jars is this awesome jar funnel I showed on the Youtube video. You can get your own here https://amzn.to/34qU2OU
Enjoy this awesome dish and let me know how yours came
out!
When you’re feeling icky and downright not yourself, do you grab for the chicken noodle soup? Well, I do! While there is nothing better than homemade chicken noodle soup (which I love to make when feeling good), today I grabbed a good ole can from the cabinet. Just a can of chicken noodle soup is great for warming you up when you have the chills or coating your sore, achy throat. However, I want to attack this cold so I opted to spice it up!
Here is a picture of my spiced up can of Progresso Chicken Noodle soup. Always have cans of this amazing soup on hand. By adding in just a few quick ingredients I was able to boost my immune system and clear my sinuses. Before I get started with what to add to your soups be sure to check out these microwave bowl huggers which are perfect for holding your bowl of soup while sitting in your favorite chair. https://amzn.to/34rIH13
Okay so tonight’s bowl of soup had fresh grated ginger and portabello mushrooms added in. There are so many things you can add though to really boost your systems while fighting a cold. Here are the various ingredients I add into my soups to boost my health.
Fresh Ginger
Tumeric
Fresh Mushrooms
Cayenne Pepper
Lemon (can be juice or zest)
Cinnamon
Local Honey
I am sure there are so many more things that can be added to your soups to boost your immune system to help you feel better but these are the ones that I personally use. What ingredients do you add to boost your health when sick? I’d love to add to my arsenal.
Before I sign off for the night I also was directed to this awesome berry that helps fight sickness! It’s called elderberry syrup. So far I have only started taking it for this cold but a trusted friend swears by it. I will say I do feel better than this morning with only taking one dose. Here is a link to one on amazon https://amzn.to/37wklVE
Tonight is all about the Air Fryer! I used my Ninja Air Fryer to do all the cooking in tonight’s dinner. Need an air fryer to make this dish? Find yours here https://amzn.to/37yPacr On the menu this evening we had Barbecue fried chicken, garlic fried green beans, lemon herb jerusalem artichokes, and mashed potatoes. The only thing that wasn’t prepared in the air fryer were the mashed potatoes as they were just instant potatoes. I’m going to take you step by step throughout this meal with pictures as I wasn’t up for a video recipe tonight. I did however take a quick video of how I bread the chicken in preparation for frying here https://youtu.be/E9mGW4BMBJU
The Finished Meal
First up was the Jerusalem artichokes. I received these in my first Misfits Market box and was so perplexed by them but I figured it out and they were a complete success! So what I did was cut them into rough small chunks and added them to a bowl. Then I added in the zest and juice of 1 lemon. Finally I added in basil and oregano and mixed them all up. After mixing them up I then added them to the air fryer with about 2-3 Tbsp of vegetable oil. These were set on air crisp at 390 degrees for 20 minutes. Be sure to stir them every 5 minutes so they don’t burn on one side.
Next I prepped the green beans while the artichokes were in the air fryer. First I cut off the ends and put the beans into the bowl. Added to the green beans are about 1 Tbsp of olive oil, dash of salt, dash of pepper, and 1 Tbsp of garlic powder. After mixing it all together, they are ready for the air fryer. The green beans also go in the fryer for 20 minutes at 390 degrees, stirring every 5 minutes.
Last but certainly not least is the chicken! While making dinner last night I had saved half of that package of chicken for tonight’s dinner, so the chicken was already cut into small chunks and sat in the refrigerator with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and barbecue sauce overnight. To bread them you will need a mixture of Italian style bread crumbs, flour, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. I use both flour and bread crumbs as I find the flour sticks better to the chicken giving it a full coat, while the bread crumbs give it that crunch we all crave in a good fried chicken. Be sure each piece gets and even coat and then on a plate ready to go in the air fryer. At this point your green beans should be ready to come out. Add another 2 Tbsp of vegetable oil to your air fryer and begin adding a single layer of chicken in. Each batch of chicken will be cooked on air crisp at 390 degrees for 20 minutes. For the chicken I only give a good stir at the 10 minute mark. The less mentionable part of my meal tonight is the mashed potatoes. Now, you could totally make some wonderful mashed potatoes with fresh potatoes and make them grand, however this was a last minute addition tonight so I used the boxed mashed potato flakes.
If you’ve given this recipe a try leave a comment and let me know if you liked it and if you did anything different to spice things up.
Hey everyone! So I need to tell you guys all about this awesome dish I’ve been making. So to start off let me tell you I am not a recipe kind of person. I do have cookbooks and I like to watch the food network, however even when I am using a recipe it is always just a foundation. I love taking recipes and really putting my own spin on things. So, take this recipe and don’t be afraid to make it your own and play with the amounts too. Cooking should be art and always a fun experiment. After reading and trying out my recipe tell me what changes you made and what you added!
I make this recipe in my Instant Pot however you can make it in a crockpot or even a stock pot on the stove. One of my favorite parts about this recipe is its a dump and go soup. There is such little prep to it but it tastes like you spent all day on it. Don’t have an Instant Pot? This is the one I have and it has been a life changer in the kitchen. https://amzn.to/33kfxzz
So let’s talk ingredients! Most important is the chicken. Sometimes I use the boneless skinless thighs but you can also use breasts as well. Before throwing it in, I cut the chicken up into small cubes. This helps it to cook faster and also is easier to eat off of your spoon. Once cut up throw it in your pot then comes the adding! Toss in a large can of Cream of Mushroom soup, a large can of spinach(drained and rinsed), a bag of frozen broccoli florets or chopped broccoli, and an onion(you can saute the onion in a saute pan with butter and garlic powder before adding for an extra added flavor element). Then come the spices! I add in salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika. After this put your top on and let it go. In the instant pot I pressurize on high for 20 mins , quick release the pressure then continue with the slow cook option for another 3-4 hours. In a crockpot you can cook on high for 3-4 hours then keep it on low until you’re ready to eat. On the stove top cook on med for 3-4 hours, stirring every so often to keep from anything burning at the bottom then switch to a lower heat until you are ready to eat.
Again this is an amazing dish as is in my recipe but please don’t be afraid to experiment! And when you do experiment let me know what you added or changed so maybe I can try it out too!
Joy is something I believe we all strive for. We may all have different ideas about what may bring us joy, but in the end joy is the true goal. The definition of Joy according to the dictionary is a feeling of great pleasure or happiness. So what brings you great pleasure and great happiness? Do you need to hit certain goals or have certain material things to bring you joy? Or are you like me and want to find joy in every aspect of life no matter how big or how small it is?
What is Joy to me? In my opinion joy is a choice I make. I choose to be joyful in every situation and moment of my days. Even when the house is a mess, the kids are running around like crazy, the chickens escape from the coop, etc… Finding joy in every situation will help drive you to a more positive and loving life. When we are joyful and at peace with our lives that spreads to others around us. A joyful heart can be overwhelmingly contagious. Choosing joy each day helps me to overcome the negative or the bad that may be happening around me. I live a much more free and less stressful life when looking at everything in a positive light.
The Bible also talks to us about Joy! Nehemiah 8:10 says, ” Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” If the Joy of the Lord gives us strength, wouldn’t it be even better for our joy to flow freely as well. I love that joy is correlated with strength because joy truly gives us the strength to persevere through even the hardest of times. Last year I lost my grandfather and it may have been one of the hardest days I have ever had to go through. Remembering watching his last breath and having to be the one to look into my grandmother’s eyes to let her know what had occurred without even muttering a word still brings me to tears. However, even in the hardest night of my life there is joy. I focus on the good things that happened. Firstly, my grandfather no longer had to suffer in pain and he is now up in heaven with our wonderful God. Another amazing thing is I watched family members who hadn’t gotten along so well come around that big blue rocking chair with love and sympathy for each other. And of course the major outpouring of love that came following that night from family and friends filled our hearts. Now, I’m not saying not to grieve or that you can’t be saddened especially in those circumstances but find the joy in the moments to bring you the strength to move through the grief.
Ecclesiastes 8:15 says, ” So I commend the enjoyment of life, because there is nothing better for a person under the sun than to eat and drink and be glad. Then joy will accompany them in their toil all the days of the life God has given them under the sun.” Enjoy life and joy will accompany you! Is it that easy? Yes it is! This is why I see joy as a choice. If we enjoy every aspect of our daily lives then joy will fill us. Of course no one is perfect so complaining is bound to happen sometimes but try to be more conscious of your thinking and attitude towards your days.
Do you have any scriptures that help bring you joy? Share them here.
My name is Jessica. My husband Robert and I have 3 children and live in Maine. Recently we moved up here from CT to start our homesteading life. We aren’t going cold turkey from everything but are taking it day by day. Each day we are learning more about things we can do to make our household more self sufficient and how to leave a smaller footprint on this earth.
We got married in February 2010 and are more in love than we were then. Are we the perfect couple? Definitely not! But that is the best part of marriage is not being perfect and learning to grow together.
Our children are 10, 7, and 2! I am a stay at home mom and homeschool all three of our children. Currently we use Time4Learning and add in all kinds of extra books, experiments, and more.
For animals we have 3 dogs at the moment but are expecting to grow in the next couple months! We have 2 English Mastiffs and a miniature dauschund. Arriving May 2nd/3rd will be 20 New Hampshire Red chicks. We are so excited to be starting our little homestead farm.
Another huge part of this homesteading journey will be growing our food. I love gardening and growing foods for us to enjoy. This year and the years to come I hope to grow enough to feed our family of 5 plus our chickens as well as being able to share with our community.
So that is a little about our life. Stay tuned to follow us on our homesteading life journey!
Collamati Homestead 