And I will even tell you about a website I found the best prices without a coupon code!

These blankets are seriously one of the best baby gifts you could give someone. Doesn’t matter if they are a new, first time mom or an experienced mom having her 8th baby.  They are 100% muslin cotton. (different than the muslin used for quilting or patterns – this is MUCh softer and a different weave)

So soft and perfect for almost anything you could use a blanket for. Many mothers use them to swaddle their newborn baby with…but you can do much more with the Aden Anais® blankets.

We went to Hawaii last May with our 11 week old and I used the A+A (that is their acronym) blankets all the whole time.  I’m telling you these are the best baby gifts, you can’t have too many.  I use it to cover the carseat to protect our little one from the sun.  When we were on the beach, it was a perfect cover to protect the baby from the wind and sand.  It’s so light weight and breathable, that the baby was never too hot.

They are 47×47 cm – a nice large size.  I use it for a nursing cover, a stroller cover and a carseat cover.

I have had friends ask me the difference between the ones Target sells versus the ones in the Boutiques.

The Aden Anais ‘snobs’ say the Boutique blankets are better,  here is why:

• Bigger -  Target’s Aden Anais blankets are only 44×44.
• Better made – rumor has it that the Target blankets are more prone to tears.
• More Prints – Boutique Aden Anais Swaddle blankets have 4 prints to a package, Target 3 prints with one white/plain blanket.

The exciting news I just found is this website BestBabyGifts AdenAnais that sells them one at a time.  Normally you have to commit to buying a 4/pk.  I think you need and will definitely use all 4 swaddle blankets, but you may not like all four prints or want to mix’n match from different sets.  This website sells them one at a time so you can pick and choose.  How cool is that?!

OR if you want to give one to a friend without having to spend $40 on a 4 pack, you can just buy one or two ♥

Check this site out (they don’t have a ton of choices, but they do have the cute ones

Here is a diagram of how to swaddle, I thought it was really cute

What is your favorite print?

2 pounds ground beef
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 can (4 ounces) mild green chili peppers
Sea salt to taste
2 cans (8 ounces each) tomato sauce
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
16 ounces cream cheese, softened and cubed

Brown ground beef in a skillet with the onion.  Place cooked meat into a crock pot and add remaining ingredients.  Set crock pot on low for two hours.  Stir, taste, and add additional seasonings if desired.  Serve with tortilla chips.

Made With Real Cheese!

Bed Sheets - The Best Way To Store Bed Linens

I think this is brilliant!  Now off to my closet to implement this idea

Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients

• Pie Dough
• 1 1/2cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2teaspoon table salt
• 8 tablespoons butter (1/4 pound), chilled and cut into 1/4-inch pieces
• 4 tablespoons vegetable shortening , chilled

• Chicken Pot Pie
• 1 1/2pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts or boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 1can low-sodium chicken broth , with water added to equal 2 cups (or use 2 cups homemade chicken broth)
• 1 1/2tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 large onion , chopped fine
• 3 medium carrots , peeled and cut crosswise 1/4-inch thick
• 2small ribs celery , cut crosswise 1/4-inch thick
• Salt and ground black pepper
• 4tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2cups milk
• 1/2teaspoon dried thyme
• 3tablespoons dry sherry
• 3/4cup frozen peas , thawed
• 3tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves

Instructions

1. 1. For Pie Dough: Mix flour and salt in workbowl of food processor fitted with the steel blade. Scatter butter pieces over flour mixture, tossing to coat butter with a little of the flour. Cut butter into flour with five one-second pulses. Add shortening; continue cutting in until flour is pale yellow and resembles coarse cornmeal, keeping some butter bits the size of small peas, about four more one-second pulses. Turn mixture into medium bowl.

1. 2. Sprinkle 3 tablespoons ice-cold water over the mixture. Using rubber spatula, fold water into flour mixture. Then press down on dough mixture with broad side of spatula until dough sticks together, adding up to 1 tablespoon more cold water if dough will not come together. Shape dough into ball, then flatten into 4-inch-wide disk. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate 30 minutes while preparing pie filling.
2. 3. For Pie Filling: Adjust oven rack to low-center position; heat oven to 400 degrees. Put chicken and broth in small Dutch oven or soup kettle over medium heat. Cover, bring to simmer; simmer until chicken is just done, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer meat to large bowl, reserving broth in measuring cup.
3. 4. Increase heat to medium-high; heat oil in now-empty pan. Add onions, carrots, and celery; sauté until just tender, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. While vegetables are sautéing, shred meat into bite-sized pieces. Transfer cooked vegetables to bowl with chicken; set aside.
4. 5. Heat butter over medium heat in again-empty skillet. When foaming subsides, add flour; cook about 1 minute. Whisk in chicken broth, milk, any accumulated chicken juices, and thyme. Bring to simmer, then continue to simmer until sauce fully thickens, about 1 minute. Season to taste with salt and pepper; stir in sherry.
5. 6. Pour sauce over chicken mixture; stir to combine. Stir in peas and parsley. Adjust seasonings. (Can be covered and refrigerated overnight; reheat before topping with pastry.)
6. 7. To Assemble: Roll dough on floured surface to approximate 15-by-11-inch rectangle, about 1/8-inch thick. If making individual pies, roll dough 1/8-inch thick and cut 6 dough rounds about 1 inch larger than pan circumference.
7. 8. Pour chicken mixture into 13-by-9-inch pan or any shallow baking dish of similar size. Lay dough over pot pie filling, trimming dough to 1/2 inch of pan lip. Tuck overhanging dough back under itself so folded edge is flush with lip. Flute edges all around. Or don’t trim dough and simply tuck overhanging dough into pan side. Cut at least four 1-inch vent holes in large pot pie or one 1-inch vent hole in smaller pies.
8. 9. Bake until pastry is golden brown and filling is bubbly, 30 minutes for large pies and 20 to 25 minutes for smaller pies. Serve hot.

‘Do something every day, that takes 15 minutes or less, for the
next 30 days that in some SMALL way moves you forward’

Before you start grumbling about the commitment level here (I dare
you to be more wary of commitment than I am),

let me clarify…

I’m not asking you to make enormous changes…I just want to see what
happens when you decide to commit to taking 1 small action every
day for 30 days.

IT SHOULD BE SMALL…the ONLY rule of this Mission is that you must
be able to take this action in 15 minutes or less or it doesn’t
qualify. (And it doesn’t need to take a full 15 minutes
either…that’s just the top time.)

Here are some examples:

- Learn 1 word of Spanish a day (that’s small)

- Call or email 1 person you want to connect or reconnect with

- Walk for 10 minutes

- Walk for 1 minute

- Wake up and actually enjoy a cup of coffee or tea before you leap
into your day

- Write for 10 minutes

- Drink a glass of water (just 1)

- Write a letter to someone (yes a real letter, remember those)

- Touch your toes 10 times (or as close to your toes as you can get)

- Laugh for 1 whole minute (even if you have to start with a fake laugh)

- Take 1 picture

- Eat a piece of fruit

- Sit in silence for 1 minute (or 10)

- Listen to your favorite song

- Pet your cat or dog and really pay attention to them while you do

- Stare into the eyes of someone you love for 1 minute

- Stare into your own eyes for 1 minute

- Wake up and say, ‘Yes’ out loud

You get the idea…

What’s your commitment?

Yep, I just said that word and am now delving into the topic…

–My goal for you is to be educated–

Know ALL you can before making a decision. 

My motto is to not be controlled by fear or the unknown.

You probably are asking “why this topic” or “what does she have to prove” or “she is just choosing sides”.

First of all, there is an ABUNDANCE of info on the internet talking about how horrible circumcision is and how every boy should stay intact because that is the way he was born and it is inhuman to cut anything off the body of a baby.

There is almost NO info on the online talking about and discussing the Pro’s of circumcision.  Almost none.

Any mother would love to not expose her precious newborn to the pain of being circumcised.

For those of you who acknowledge there is a God, I have one question for you:

“God created sex.  And if sex is suppose to be a beautiful thing, then WHY would God command those in the Old Testament to cut a part of their penis off and totally ruin sex?  Why would God destroy a beautiful thing?”

What if the JOKE is on those who don’t follow the advise of God in Old Testament and don’t circumcise?  From what I can tell, most of the rules in the Old Testament were for the peoples protection, health and hygiene.

After much thought on this topic and talking to MANY new moms about whether or not to circumsize their new born son, I have come to the conclusion that the only way to REALLY know is by talking to men who were intact until adulthood and then had their foreskin removed after having full knowledge what it is like to have a foreskin, wash one, have sex with one, etc.

Here is a website that has exactly that info…  the testimonies are many and may be very helpful for you in this decision of whether or not to circumcise your son.

www.circinfo.net-men who know both sides…

Men who have been circumcised since birth don’t know what it’s like to have a foreskin.

Men who are not circumcised don’t know what it’s like to not be.

Men who have had both, have the most accurate info of what it’s like to not be circumcised and then to be.

This website: www.circinfo.net has every topic from Penile Hygeine to Why Are Men Born With Foreskin to Infections.  He has over a 1,000 references and his whole goal is to simple inform.

For the Biblically minded:

“Interestingly, the physical difficulties experienced by the uncircumcised may explain why the word for uncircumcised in Hebrew means “obstruction” or “to impede”, so explaining the Biblical term “uncircumcised heart” when referring to obstructionism.”

The KJV Only persons seem to have this commonality:
1)  Anger
2)  Putdowns
3)  Won’t listen
4)  Haven’t researched
5)  Usually won’t read any other version from fear it is of the devil.

Typically, others who will read other versions have also read the KJV and have a hard time understanding it in comparison.

And, people emotionally hold to the KJV because of familiarity.  They can change hairstyles, clothing styles, ways of communication and transportation, update their cars, cell phones and computers but are not even going to give a look at another Bible translation?

They do not realize there have been revisions of the KJV and they do not understand that the reason so many books are written about the Bible is because KJV IS hard to understand.

Is there a link between KJV only and their not reading from Genesis to Revelation and their not reading the Bible every day?
I think so.

Here is well-known author, speaker and evangelist Mark Cahill.  He is handing out this book for the lost and this book for the saved when he could hand out Bibles.

What would you rather be given?  The directions on how to operate your gun OR the gun itself.  If the Word is the sword then anything written about the word has no power to convict or convert.
Just like the sword has the ability to kill and shred but the instructions on how to handle the sword have no potency.

All this has led me to become more ambitious  in buying NLT Bibles for people as gifts so they can read the Word and understand it.     Most people have a Bible that I know, but would be clueless as to what Bible translation to get that would be different plus they wouldn’t know where to go.

Case in point is the Browns.  I kept telling Cathy about the NLT version.  She would nod her head and seemed neutral in interest about switching her bible even though she did not read the KJV because she said it was hard to understand.    In July, I gave them a NLT Bible.  Scott was soooo happy to get a Bible he could finally read and understand.  Rightly so.

This is a stronghold I believe.

For instance, when Bible translators go into Papua New Guinea, they translate all the different dialects into their current, as-they-speak language….in other words, street language.    We are held in the 1611 mindset even though and in-spite of better translating techniques and modalities.

Why is this rejected when everything else in our life is new, improved and technically advanced?

Satan?

What better way to hold people in the dark here in the USA.   We are holding to a silly tradition.

What we are left with?

One of four things:

• Either NOT reading the Bible at all,
• Reading the Bible and not understanding or
• Thinking it is boring OR
• Reading books about the Bible.

Read the story on The King James Bible

Follow the thought that the reason why it was printed and was ‘authorized’ was because it was in line with clergy thinking and ordaination

as compared to The Geneva Bible.

How sad that every country except English speaking countries have the Word in their street tongue while we are still reading archaic english 400 years old…………..what other 400 year old item do we keep duplicating and selling in this country?

Why not hand someone a Bible?

Because they cannot understand the 400 year old language with over 300 words with differeing meanings.

Serves 12 to 16

Ingredients

Bottom Layer

• 6tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter , cut into 6 pieces, plus extra for greasing pan
• 7ounces bittersweet chocolate , chopped fine (see note)
• 3/4teaspoon instant espresso powder
• 1 1/2teaspoons vanilla extract
• 4large eggs , separated
• pinch table salt
• 1/3cup packed (about 2 1/2 ounces) light brown sugar , crumbled with fingers to remove lumps

Middle Layer

• 2tablespoons cocoa powder , preferably Dutch-processed
• 5tablespoons hot water
• 7ounces bittersweet chocolate , chopped fine (see note)
• 1 1/2cups cold heavy cream
• 1tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1/8teaspoon table salt

Top Layer

• 3/4teaspoon powdered gelatin
• 1tablespoon water
• 6ounces white chocolate chips (see note)
• 1 1/2cups cold heavy cream
• Shaved chocolate or cocoa powder for serving, optional (see note)

Instructions

1. 1. FOR THE BOTTOM LAYER: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Butter bottom and sides of 91/2-inch springform pan. Melt butter, chocolate, and espresso powder in large heatproof bowl set over saucepan filled with 1 inch of barely simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth. Remove from heat and cool mixture slightly, about 5 minutes. Whisk in vanilla and egg yolks; set aside.
2. 2. In stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, beat egg whites and salt at medium speed until frothy, about 30 seconds. Add half of brown sugar and beat until combined, about 15 seconds. Add remaining brown sugar and beat at high speed until soft peaks form when whisk is lifted, about 1 minute longer, scraping down sides halfway through. Using whisk, fold one-third of beaten egg whites into chocolate mixture to lighten. Using rubber spatula, fold in remaining egg whites until no white streaks remain. Carefully transfer batter to prepared springform pan, gently smoothing top with offset spatula.
3. 3. Bake until cake has risen, is firm around edges, and center has just set but is still soft (center of cake will spring back after pressing gently with finger), 13 to 18 minutes. Transfer cake to wire rack to cool completely, about 1 hour. (Cake will collapse as it cools.) Do not remove cake from pan.
4. 4. FOR THE MIDDLE LAYER: Combine cocoa powder and hot water in small bowl; set aside. Melt chocolate in large heatproof bowl set over saucepan filled with 1 inch of barely simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth. Remove from heat and cool slightly, 2 to 5 minutes.
5. 5. In clean bowl of stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, whip cream, granulated sugar, and salt at medium speed until mixture begins to thicken, about 30 seconds. Increase speed to high and whip until soft peaks form when whisk is lifted, 15 to 60 seconds.
6. 6. Whisk cocoa powder mixture into melted chocolate until smooth. Using whisk, fold one-third of whipped cream into chocolate mixture to lighten. Using rubber spatula, fold in remaining whipped cream until no white streaks remain. Spoon mousse into springform pan over cooled cake and gently tap pan on counter 3 times to remove any large air bubbles; gently smooth top with offset spatula. Wipe inside edge of pan with damp cloth to remove any drips. Refrigerate cake at least 15 minutes while preparing top layer.
7. 7. FOR THE TOP LAYER: In small bowl, sprinkle gelatin over water; let stand at least 5 minutes. Place white chocolate in medium bowl. Bring ½ cup cream to simmer in small saucepan over medium-high heat. Remove from heat; add gelatin mixture and stir until fully dissolved. Pour cream mixture over white chocolate and whisk until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth, about 30 seconds. Cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally, 5 to 8 minutes (mixture will thicken slightly).
8. 8. In clean bowl of stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, whip remaining cup cream at medium speed until it begins to thicken, about 30 seconds. Increase speed to high and whip until soft peaks form when whisk is lifted, 15 to 60 seconds. Using whisk, fold one-third of whipped cream into white chocolate mixture to lighten. Using rubber spatula, fold remaining whipped cream into white chocolate mixture until no white streaks remain. Spoon white chocolate mousse into pan over middle layer. Smooth top with offset spatula. Return cake to refrigerator and chill until set, at least 2½ hours.
9. 9. TO SERVE: If using, garnish top of cake with chocolate curls or dust with cocoa. Run thin knife between cake and side of springform pan; remove side of pan. Run cleaned knife along outside of cake to smooth sides. Cut into slices and serve

I have been reading Nourishing Traditions and loving that book.  Watching Sarah on youtube – she has the blog:  HealthyHomeEconomist – it’s excellent.

Here are some of my favorite recipes and videos.  The recipes come from Nourishing Traditions and Sarah from the HealthyHomeEconomist does an amazing job letting you step into her kitchen and cook with her.   Making all the recipes seem simple, like making yougurt, kefir, kombucha, and whey.  Making sauerkraut, curried lentil soup and soaked wheat pancakes that leave you feeling like you can take on the day.

This is the Lentil Soup – or Curried Lentil Soup if you wish:

Pancakes (or waffles) that won’t leave you feeling heavy and tired:

Kombucha – we love Kombucha

Sauerkraut – yum! (impossible to buy this in the store)