Wisdom Wednesday Link Up

A garden review.  Things that I did different this year:
1.  No till

2.  No crazy, exotic things

3.  Extra green bean and beets

4.  Added fruit

 

Why?  I am getting older and the things that I think about are different than when I was you know, younger.  My boys are getting older and working outside of the home which was a sudden reality. 

That meant that I either had to change my garden plans or shut up, do it by myself and enjoy it.  While I do enjoy it, it is a lot of work.  So this year I kept my row of flowers that is low maintenance.  I also added grapes, raspberry, rhubarb, blueberry and asparagus which after the initial planting are pretty much minimal maintenance. 

 

How are things going?

1.  Love the no till.  I think the soil is richer because of all the mulching and the weeds are less though not gone.

2.  I did not waste any space with exotic things because of adding the fruit and asparagus I also did away with space.

3.  Last year we ran out of green beans before Christmas.  This year I plan on not doing that again!

4.  All the fruit is growing well and I wait with anticipation for next spring since most of it will not produce much this year. 

 

My flower row of zinnia, cosmos, baby's breath, and calendula.

Red and gold potato patch.

French green beans, beets, cucumber and basil.

Tomatoes!  Beets!

I have 2 strawberry beds out of the garden.  We are transferring them in the fall to be inside the garden fence.  Onions and cilantro.

Red and white onions.

Pepper plants.

1 of 3 concord grape vines.

Baby grapes!

Tomato growing out of it's cage.

Swiss chard.

1 of 3 raspberry brambles.

Rhubarb.

1 of 2 blueberry bushes.

Baby cucumber!

The storm literally rolling in.

My hosta bed with cardinal vine on the trellis.

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2.	My Daily Walk - Tracy	25.	Apples of gold... To LIFE!	48.	What will you do about it ? A soul cries out
3.	That's Ironic	26.	Hotel Snacks-linky	49.	Keeping the Peace
4.	Dealing With Grief: A Practical and Powerful Tool	27.	Learning to Love Where you Are	50.	Antique Pinks and Greens
5.	Keepers at Home	28.	Seeing Jesus	51.	Family Fun for the 4th
6.	Ask a Missionary	29.	Are you strong enough to forgive?	52.	In service...
7.	$20	30.	When You Can't, God Can!	53.	I'm Not Here to Entertain
8.	Dreams. Imaginations & Bigger Still	31.	When God Intervenes - A Must Read	54.	Can I Joy Dare you? Week 25
9.	Teaching Whatsoever	32.	Saying Yes To A Wheekchair	55.	Practical step for Christians...
10.	Being Masculine in Marriage	33.	Our Savior's Momma	56.	Shabby Chic Giveaway
11.	Giving up tv! - Why we did it	34.	Why I Want My Children To Be Betrothed	57.	Kelly @ Exceptionalistic
12.	Doing the Dishes	35.	Do You Have A Diastasis? Find Out & Fix It!	58.	What does it take to be a good friend?
13.	What to do Today	36.	Keeping the Family Budget Tight	59.	I Want to Bear lots of Fruit!
14.	Into the Word {LinkUp}	37.	A Great Book for Boys	60.	A Gentle Identity Reminder
15.	Standing in Awe	38.	Made in the USA	61.	Sometimes I Can't Love 'Em Right
16.	Winter Wonderland Wednesday and Challenge	39.	Teens and Peer Pressure	62.	God Is Not a Tinky Doodle
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18.	My Happy Friend Who Has No Legs	41.	Is Modesty Relative?	64.	Need a Facebook Break?
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20.	What Makes Us Lousy Lovers?	43.	Young Keepers of the Home	66.	Karmen @ Blessings Beyond the Barnyard
21.	A Savior Who Never Grows Weary	44.	Planning the Perfect Beach Date	67.	How to Have Great Sex
22.	One-on-One Date with my Duaghter @LaughWithUsBlog	45.	Streaming
23.	Dancing with God	46.	Beauty For Ashes

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Wisdom Wednesday Link~up

Welcome to Wisdom Wednesday link~up party!

 

 

Today I will be discussing the wisdom in growing and storing your own food.  I am not a prepper by nature.  Though I am not against it by any means!  If you know anything about me you probably know I am not a keeper.  I just can't do it.  Maybe it was all those years moving every few years because of my dad being in the Army.  I do have a slight storage of food but I can not keep things stocked.  I use what I have stocked and then I delight in planning and buying to stock it up again.  I can't help but savor making jam for the upcoming winter and delighting in every single jar down to the last one.  If I never got to the last one because I had a storage for the next 5 years I think I would go mad!  If that sounds crazy welcome to my brain.

 

I do enjoy gardening.  I also enjoy harvesting and storing for the winter. I love soups and stews in the winter and there is no better way to add the healthy benefits of greens then to freeze them in the summer and add them straight to the pot.

 

Swiss chard is FULL of antioxidants.  However to help your body absorb antioxidants and minerals you should blanch them. Leafy greens contain oxalic acid. Oxalic acid interferes with the absorption of minerals so by blanching swiss chard you are reducing the effect.  Which is what you need to do to freezer swiss chard anyways!  You can also treat spinach and beet greens this way. 

 

 

I like to let mine grow big leaves.  The stalks get longer and I think I get two different ways to use them this way.  Then when I harvest I just make it a day by pulling up the whole plant cutting the leaves from the stalk and keeping them separate. 

 



 

Bring a big pot of water to a boil.

 

Run a sink full of cold water and wash the greens after the stalks have been cut off.

 

Keep the stalks for recipe below.

 

 Add greens to pot of boiling water.  Boil the greens for 3 minutes.  While you are waiting fill the sink back up again with clean cold water.  After the 3 minutes place the greens in the sink of water.  I like to keep the greens whole so that this part is easier to fish out of the boiling water.  If they were cut before hand you would have tiny pieces to drain and then wait to fill the sink.

 

After they are cooled off drain them and cut them.

 

Place them in a freezer bag according to whatever portions your family will use.

 

Leave a little bit open on the side and squeeze out excess water.  I suggest not taking a picture because as you look away you will continue to squeeze leaving a water mess all over the counter. 

 

Mark your bag with contents and the date.  That way if you decide to do a fall planting you will know what bags to use first.  And who can tell the difference between spinach and swiss chard in the freezer?

 

Now what to do with all of those stalks?  Compost?  Maybe but first try this and see if you like it.  Heat the oven to 400 and cut the bigger stalks in half.  Drizzle with olive oil, salt & pepper and roast for 20 minutes.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.  We stuffed our tacos with them along with some beef and peppers. 

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1.	Two Ways to Make the Most of This Season of Life	28.	Danger of High Self Esteem in our Kids Part 2	55.	Dawn W.
2.	Mini Vacation for a Good Cause	29.	Why I Homeschool @LaughWithUsBlog	56.	berry season means triple berry pancakes
3.	Emily Evans - a review	30.	A better book review: Simply Jesus	57.	When To Say No
4.	The Need to Maintain	31.	Lisa @ God Make Me A Godly Woman	58.	Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge
5.	My Little Loves + Linky	32.	The Opposite of Masculinity	59.	GF DF SF Oatmeal Chocolate Chop Cookies
6.	Encourage 24/7	33.	Quality Time with Your Kids	60.	Sonia
7.	My Daily Walk - Tracy	34.	Titus 2~The Godly Mentor	61.	Allowed to Grieve (a post about miscarriage)
8.	Don't Worry About a Thing	35.	Prudence - A Forgotten Word	62.	Why Soaring 4 Him is the way to go
9.	LIMITLESS	36.	Why I Want My Children To Be Betrothed	63.	67 Ways to Celebrate Summer
10.	New Spirit Filled Life Bible NKJV	37.	How To Make Facial Toner	64.	Christen Kieffner
11.	Love Changes Everything	38.	June Herb Sales	65.	Fasting and Prayer Go Hand in Hand
12.	Funnels	39.	DIY Bird Silhouette Art	66.	Choosing Your Words Intentionally
13.	10 Words to add to Your Vocabulary	40.	Great Books To Read To Your Kids	67.	Forgiven
14.	Your Husband Needs a Girlfriend!	41.	Being a Real Friend to your Spouse	68.	I Am So Overwhelmed
15.	What Makes Katie Angry? Read on...	42.	Little, Yet SO BIg!	69.	Abby of Life in the Fash Lane
16.	Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us	43.	11 Ways God Takes Amazing Care of Us	70.	Abby of Life in the Fash Lane
17.	The Faithful Momma	44.	Meal Plan Monday	71.	HOSTA LA VISTA, BABY
18.	Your Comfort Zone?? God Cares Not…	45.	Making friends is hard	72.	God's Side Of The Line
19.	When the Caregiver Needs Care	46.	When the Grass Looks Greener	73.	Renee
20.	Bouquet for My Mommy in Hospital	47.	Vintage Cabinet	74.	Saving Time Tips & Tricks!
21.	Build Or Repair	48.	Integrating Learning into Everyday Play	75.	apples of gold
22.	Chainsaw	49.	On Days I Doubt Being A Stay-at-Home Mom	76.	Bloggers in Nicaragua
23.	Easy Way to Organize Your Fridge	50.	Go Ahead	77.	The Exhausted Smiley Face Emoticon
24.	The Worth of Her Work (Prov)	51.	He Heals Me, He Heals Me Not @ Hope in the Healing	78.	A Sin Offering For Me First!
25.	Trust in the Lord with all your heart	52.	Serving as a mom	79.	A Peek Inside My Private Journal
26.	90% of the Time We Worry Over Nothing	53.	Angie @ The Ruth Project
27.	Simply Smelling Coffee Has Benefits	54.	Is it really the peanuts your child is allergic to

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Mint Leaves

It is the destiny of mint to be crushed.

Waverly Root ~ food writer

 

So fitting as it relates to mint.  If you have used mint at all you know that crushing it releases the desired essential oils.  Those lovely essential oils we are all so familiar with to flavor candy and tea.  When I first wrote about the herbs I was going to grow this year I gave you a recipe for mint syrup to add to tea, top ice cream with, add to coffee, the possibilities are endless. 

 

 

Today  I am writing to tell you an even easier way to use mint in your ice tea.  Ice Cubes! 

 

It is so simple and fun because as you are cutting and crushing the mint leaves the aroma will help lighten your mood and even energize you.  Mint is also full of magnesium of which is essential for over 300 bodily functions.  Including muscle and nerve function, maintaining a regular heart beat, strengthening your immune system as well as regulating blood sugar and blood pressure levels.  Maybe we could all use a daily dose of mint!

 

 

Once your mint has taken off and become full cut it all back at least half way.  It will grow back again in a few weeks for another cutting.  Take about 30-40 leaves and crush/cut/tear them.  Throw them into a saucepan with 2c of water.  Bring to a quick boil, take away from heat and let it all cool down until room temperature.  Strain the water and pour into ice cube trays.  You can add 1 mint leave to each cube making sure it is all submerged and freeze.  They will stay green since the water is at room temperature now and you will only have 1 full mint leave floating around in your glass as opposed to many little pieces.  You can also leave the mint leaf out all together, the ice cube is already minty enough. When that batch is done repeat collecting all the ice cubes in a freezer bag. 

 

 

The next time you pour yourself a tall glass of tea or fresh lemonade add your mint ice cubes. 
Enjoy!

 

 

 

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Wisdom Wednesday

 

Good Morning! 

 

In an effort to be held accountable to writing with/for a purpose I have signed up to co-host a link party with Simply Helping Him and Life is Good. I actually met Misty through a link party.  What is a link party?  Do I have to buy anything?  Will I be led to websites that might have suggestive material?  Will I ever be the same? 

 

When I first started learning to blog I would visit them and I began to notice that people said they were "linking up" to this or that blog link party. When I clicked on the little icon below the notice, I arrived at a site that led me to lots of other blogs. It is sorta like sitting down to relax or unwind with a favorite magazine or book.

 

Blog parties are like girls, they serve more than one purpose.  For the writer that hosts the link up party it helps increase traffic to their own personal blog by partnering with other bloggers.  It also helps other bloggers by letting them submit a web link so others can find them and visit.  For the reader or browser it allows them to have a smorgasbord of topics to read and learn from.  Because in the end it is all about learning and sharing and meeting new friends.

 

If you have a blog you can add a link to a specific blog post and you can find that at the bottom of this post.  All links are checked and read by all 3 ladies who host.  If there is any inappropriate links they will be deleted without any explanation.  If you are a reader just click on any of the links and enjoy!  If you read something interesting please leave a comment, they are a highlight to blogging. May I also warn you that you must be the one who governs your own time.  Even as a blogger I must do that!

 

Which is a great transition into my content for Wisdom Wednesday.  The dictionary defines wisdom as good sense, wise decisions, accumulated learning.  Proverbs 9:10 declares, "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding."

 

Many people think they are wise but until you know who God is and follow Him we truly do not know what truth and right is.  He defines those words.  Even as christians we can make unwise choices but that is the point.  Until you let God define what is unwise we are defining it and that is bad folks. We either let God define everything or we define everything.  One way leads to wisdom and life the other leads to folly and death.  Get Wisdom! 

 

 

 

 

 

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1.	Soap Mold	21.	The Grand Weaver (Reveiw)	41.	29 Years Ago: An Arranged Marriage
2.	As a Tree Beside the Water	22.	Face to Face	42.	Is Being a Mom Really That Important?
3.	Encourage 24/7	23.	Why do you Serve?	43.	Trusting God When It Hurts...
4.	My Daily Walk - Tracy	24.	The Unsubmissive Wife @LaughWithUsBlog	44.	It's New to Me
5.	You Are Never Forgotten	25.	Be Still!	45.	Would you give up your plans for God's?
6.	Serving Together	26.	How to Handle Worry	46.	Eight Sustainable Summer Goals
7.	Grace at the Centre of Your Quiet Time	27.	Get Real: Nobody's Perfect	47.	Staging our own "mutiny against excess" (book club
8.	Can You Really Trust God?	28.	Good vs best choices	48.	I Won't Be Reading Your Blog Anymore
9.	10 Tips for Summer Fitness	29.	Homeschool Mythbusters	49.	"Your Mom Was Never Harsh to You?!"
10.	Returning Generosity for Stinginess	30.	Calm (free graphic)	50.	Jen Stults
11.	The Redeemed Momma	31.	I Feel LIke a Failure	51.	You Can Be Successful without Owning Goats
12.	Fair Trade	32.	Goals for Me and the House mid-year check-in	52.	I Will Praise Him In This Storm
13.	Janis Cox	33.	Abby @ Life in the Fash Lane	53.	When God Whispers In Your Ear
14.	A Long-Term Perspective!	34.	SPACE	54.	The calm after the storm
15.	Godly Grief	35.	31 Days of Homemade	55.	Father's Day
16.	My thoughts on modesty...	36.	No Drama Mama: Mind your Own Business	56.	Strep, Strength & Survival
17.	Christian News	37.	Kids & Clothing: Why we let them choose	57.	Bitterness & Forgiveness
18.	Perfect Boiled Eggs	38.	Abandon to God	58.	Time: The Elusive Necessity in Marriage
19.	Auntie Em's Easy Microwave Corn on the Cob	39.	My Prayer is for “Anything,” What is Yours?	59.	Encouragement from: Candles in the Dark
20.	Describe Yourself :: Ephesians Style	40.	Migration Nightmare Diminish	60.	Chai Delight

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Hen & Chicks Soap

June Special
$3 Mayan Gold
$3 Blueberry

All others $4 and bars average 5oz.  Priority shipping is $6 for up to 7 bars and $11 for more.

Black Amber & Lavender
Deep and sophisticated this fragrance blends rustic Amber with bold Parisian Lavender. Combined with these main scents is a mysterious Black Myrrh, dulcet vanilla Tonka bean, and a splash of Egyptian Musk.
Saponified oils of palm, sunflower and coconut. Fragrance oil.

Almond & Cocoa Butter
Cocoa butter has been called the ultimate moisturizer, and has been used to keep skin soft and supple for centuries. Cocoa butter is often recommended for treatment of skin conditions such as eczema and dermatitis.
Saponified oils of palm, sunflower, coconut and cocoa butter. Fragrance oil.

 

Mayan Gold
This luxurious fragrance is a mix of rare woods, spices and amber. It is considered an oriental fragrance with a very unique note: chocolate!
Saponified oils of palm, sunflower and coconut. Fragrance and essential oil.

Turkish Mocha
Turkish Mocha has a creamy top notes of milk, cardamom, cocoa and a touch of nutmeg. The alluring, complex blend winds down to heady scents of vanilla and honey run, and of course, Turkish Coffee.
Saponified oils of palm, sunflower and coconut. Fragrance oil.

Blueberry
This is a single note scent. Just good old ripe, plump blueberry!
Saponified oils of palm, sunflower and coconut. Fragrance oil.

Blackberry Sage
Absolutely fantastic! The perfect blend of juicy blackberries tempered with sage.
Saponified oil of palm, sunflower and coconut. Fragrance oil.

Honey N Oats
Oatmeal has a long history of use as a softening agent that helps to soothe sensitive or irritated skin. Ground-up oats found their way into cleansing and beauty bars centuries ago, imparting an appealing texture, colour and scent.
Oatmeal is used in soap primarily as an exfoliantive glow.
Among all the cereals, oats are said to have the best amino acid balance and are a soothing, anti-inflammatory agent. Those who have used soaps with oatmeal content say that it relieves minor skin irritations and the itching from mild eczema.

I also add raw honey, sweet almond oil, coconut oil, palm oil, sunflower oil, and beeswax. It is the only thing I use to wash my face.

 

Any questions?  Please leave a comment or email me at henandchicks@live.com

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Fashionable & Functional

Functional
operational: in good working order, serving a purpose

Fashionable
currently popular, trendy

Sometimes those two words don't go together.  For instance...

 

The Shirt Clip

 

Breakaway Pants

 

Platform Shoes

 

These things don't say fashionable or functional but at one time in history they did.  Thank goodness we can learn from our past...ahhmmm.

As the lady of the house and a artist at heart I love to decorate my home.  Since I also have a husband and 3 boys I want fashion with function so I am not stuck cleaning all day on a nice summer day or cold winter day for that matter.  One thing I do is to use rugs.  Throw rugs.  It has been documented that when a person comes to a mat at a door they will wipe their feet most times.  If you will put a rug outside the door and inside the door most people will even wipe twice!  It works, I have seen it, I have done it.

Back door.

 

Inside and outside my front door.

Try it and see if it works!
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