I’m still not used to saying I have 3 children… Now #4 will be arriving in April! We are all so excited!
I think it’s funny how SEVERAL people have asked me if this will be our last one. I always say, I’m not sure, and that is the truth, I really don’t know.
Something I haven’t shared, is that, I, nor my husband, have any exact plans on the number of children we plan to have.
I’m sure that sounds a bit strange, especially for those who know me well. Because, I am a planner. If things do not go according to my planning and timing, I get very frustrated.
But, God has been working on me about that and I have been learning that when we plan a little less and surrender to His plans a little more (or a lot more), we can be much more blessed & less stressed, because His ways are the best! ❤️
I am extremely content with the thought of having 4 children to raise, but, if He sends us another, I will be just as excited for the fifth as I am for this one!
I’m not sure how many children God has in store for us. But, I surrender to God’s plans, no matter if it contradicts my own. I’m just living in the moment and taking one day at a time ❤️
Proverbs 16:9 – A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps.
Psalms 127:3 – Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.
Jeremiah 1:5 – Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.
We all need nuggets of wisdom as Mother’s to help us get through those tough situations with our children. So here are a few Bible verses and quotes from wise men & women I think deserve a read (and maybe some memorizing). I hope it blesses you as it did me.
1.” After a time of conflict it is extremely important to pray with the child, admitting to God that we have all sinned and no one is perfect. Divine forgiveness is a marvelous experience, even for a very young child.” -Dr. James Dobson
2. “The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame.”- Proverbs29:15
3. “It’s not a parents responsibility to have godly children. It’s a parents responsibility to make sure the children have godly parents.” -unknown
4. “And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.” -Deuteronomy 6:7
5. “Begin early to teach, for children begin early to sin.” -Charles Spurgeon
6. “Correct thy son, and he shall give thee rest; yea, he shall give delight unto thy soul.” Proverbs 29:17
7. “You are as much serving God in looking after your own children, training them up in God’s fear, minding the house, and making your household a church for God as you would be if you had been called to lead an army to battle for the Lord of Hosts.” -Charles Spurgeon
8. “And all thy children shall be taught of the LORD; and great shall be the peace of thy children.” Isaiah 54:13
9. “The process of shaping the child… shapes also the mother herself. Reverence for her sacred burden calls her to all that is pure and good, that she may teach primarily by her own humble, daily example.” -Elizabeth Elliott
10. “It is impossible to love deeply without sacrifice.” -Elizabeth Elliott
I’ve heard great things about this stunning wild herb! I have a ton of it growing in my backyard so I decided to do some research to educate myself on it. I am so glad that I did! With the knowledge I obtained, I now have some free medicine to put to use for a whole array of ailments!
If you decide to forage for this plant, I would choose a cold day to do it. This year it appeared that wasps and yellow jackets were especially fond of the pretty yellow flower clusters! 🐝But if you go out on a cold day you shouldn’t have to worry about them… too much anyway.
Goldenrod
Below is an extensive list from Natural Remedies & cures of all the issues that Goldenrod is said to help…
High Blood Pressure
Kidney Disease
Tuberculosis
Stress
Allergy
Arthritis
Flatulence
Diarrhea
Dysentery
Yellow Fever
Insect Bites
Nausea
Vomitting
Hiccups
Thrush
Sore Throat
Bronchitis,
Tonsilitis
Kidney Stones
Prostatis
Painful Menstruation
Wounds
Bloody Diarrhea
Ulcers in the Mouth, Throat and Private Parts
Colds
Cramps
Measles
Snakebites
Colic
Boils
Burns
Headache
Toothache
Cystitis
Urethritis
Inflammatory diseases of the urinary tract
Hemorrhoids
That’s a pretty long list right? So I came across a Goldenrod tonic recipe from group recipes and I am so excited to try it out!
This tonic is used for Urinary Tract Infections, kidney stones, sore throats, nausea, diarrhea, cramps, hiccups and lowering blood pressure.
It’s also super simple to make with only 2 ingredients, Goldenrod & Apple Cider Vinegar.
I hope you enjoy making this healthful home remedy as much as I did
Goldenrod Tonic
What you will need:
*Goldenrod flowers & leaves
*Apple Cider Vinegar
* Glass jar
Once your goldenrod has been washed and dried for a week to two, remove the flowering tops and place in a jar. Fill it completely full.
Next, add in the Apple Cider Vinegar until it is covering the Goldenrod. If your herb floats up just as mine did, use a spoon gently to push it under the vinegar.
Cover with a plastic lid and put away for 4-6 weeks before you begin to use your homemade medicine.
Thank you for reading todays post and watching my video! Please make sure you have subscribed to my blog and my youtube channel!
I have been wanting one of these for a very long time and just yesterday I realized I had everything already on hand to make one! So I thought, Why not?
I am NOT even close to being a professional “carpenter” so if I can make this than anyone can. 😊
I started off with a 1/4 inch sheet of plywood which was cut to 4ft x 3ft,4in. So that seemed like a good size and so I went with it.
If you were to build one you would ofcourse make it any size you wanted. It’s super easy to change and make your own.
I then placed 2 1″x6″ boards 3’9.5″ long on each side.
Next I put the top part of the hearth down which is 3’10” & secured everything together to the plywood with screws.
Then, the top 2 boards below the mantle, 2’9.5″ were applied and secured in place with a few screws.
I put a scrap piece of wood at the bottom at the back to give it more support. Then I put on the mantle, which measures 3’10”.
Next I put the front piece of the hearth on.
I added 2 triangle supports to the underside of the mantle.
Once I finally had the whole thing built, I could start on the really fun stuff. I thought long and hard what I was going to do for the “inside” of the “fireplace”. I almost painted it black, until, I remembered leftover flooring I had from when we put flooring down in our office.
Without any hesitation I plugged in the hotglue gun and went to work.
Although they were already sticky on the backs, it just wasn’t enough to hold them up, so the hot glue worked great for that.
After sanding down all the rough edges, it was time for a couple coats of white paint!
Then, I noticed that the cracks where I put my planks against the wood weren’t very pretty. But that was no problem, because I had some caulking on hand.
In no time it looked great with nice clean lines.
For the final touch I added some rope to the base to hide an unsightly gap.
I am in love with the final result and it cost me virtually nothing. Everything I used I already had on hand! It can’t get any better than that.
I hope you enjoyed my the little project today. If you did please make sure you subscribe to my blog and leave me a comment with your thoughts!
This is probably the most simple bread recipe I have ever tried. And for those of you who know me well, you know I love the simple things.
This recipe does not require any kneading. So no messy counters covered in wasted flour! 🙌
i try to cook as much gluten free as I can due to some health issues my husband had earlier this year. He’s so much better now, praise the Lord, but I still try to keep him from getting an overload of gluten. However, I believe we could all be better off without gluten anyway.
What me make this bread here☝
So i hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do 💕
INGREDIENTS
3.5 cups all purpose flour (I use Bobs Red Mill GF flour)
It has been a few months ago now but i had an awful cold that I just couldn’t get rid of. I finally looked into trying herbs that i already had on hand (which wasn’t many) to treat my cold.
For those of you who know me well, you know I do not like using any kind of medicine, as far as pharmaceuticals are concerned. I’m just very skeptical of all of them. Whether prescription or over-the-counter, I am not very fond of the idea of putting any of it into my body. Maybe I’m a bit too extreme about it but i just know too many ingredients and side effects to the drugs.
So if there is a natural alternative to helping my body fight off a cold or any sickness or disease for that matter, I’m all over it!
So, as I was getting to the point where I needed to try something to get rid of this cold, I looked at my options in my flower bed. I have a pretty good sized patch of sage growing there and did some research. I was amazed at how many ailments sage was good for.
So i whipped up a hot steaming cup of sage tea and with every sip I could tell it helped open everything up. I’m sure the warmth of the steam helped tremendously as well.
After enjoying my tea I went to bed and finally got some rest!
You can watch my Youtube video about Sage below.
Below is a list of all that Sage is good for and how to make a tea for you to enjoy. 🍵
Sage contains vitamin A which is important for normal vision, the immune system, reproduction; and helps the heart, lungs, kidneys, and other organs work properly.
Sage has vitamin C, “which is necessary for the growth, development and repair of all body tissues. It’s involved in many body functions, including formation of collagen, absorption of iron, the proper functioning of the immune system, wound healing, and the maintenance of cartilage, bones, and teeth.” (webmd)
Sage has several other antioxidants (aside from vit C) which help reduce the risk of serious health conditions like cancer.
Sage is anti-viral & anti-microbial which helps promote healthy flow of mucus.
Sage is an anti-inflammatory which relieves sinusitis congestion.
WHAT CAN I USE SAGE FOR?
Aside from helping you fight off cold and flu, Sage is also used for digestive problems, including loss of appetite, gas (flatulence), stomach pain (gastritis), diarrhea, bloating, and heartburn. It is also used for reducing overproduction of perspiration and saliva; and for depression, memory loss, Alzheimer’s disease and cancer (rxlist.com)
HOW CAN I USE SAGE?
You can use sage leaves fresh off the stem or you can cut large quantities to dry and store for later use.
I hung a large bunch of sage which I collected, cleaned and hung in my kitchen for about a week or so. Then, I picked off every dried leaf and stored it in a mason jar.
You could also crush the dried leaves finely to use as a seasoning in your favorite dishes; or to put into capsules, if you are wanting to take in larger quantities to fight any of the ailments mentioned above.
TEA
Boil a pot of water.
Poor into a mug over 2 fresh leaves (4 dry)
Steep for 5 minutes
Sweeten with honey or sugar to taste (if desired) you could also add lemon to add more flavor.
Enjoy 💕 🍵
Sage is an amazing medicinal plant that I have personally used myself with great success! However, I am not a licensed physician and cannot diagnose, treat or cure any disease. So make sure to use caution when taking herbs in large quantities.
I’m going to be completely honest and say I have always been skeptical of essential oils. I’ve heard all sorts of miraculous stories of sniffing some kind of oil healing people of anything from runny noses to cancer.
But, now I know that there really is something to them. When used properly, with the purest oils you can get your hands on, they really can help your body heal itself.
Our Story (Planter Fasciitis)
My husband had been having foot pain for months and we never could figure out what it was. That was until I spoke to a friend who was having the exact same symptoms and she had been officially diagnosed with planter fasciitis.
We finally had our answer… but after researching we realized that not much could be done to completely take the pain away. Everything suggested was to minimize the pain or get rid of it temporarily.
I was discouraged and my husband, understandably, was more so discouraged. We pretty much felt like he would have this pain for the rest of his life…
That is until, I met a wonderful lady who was a nurse for many years and had decided to persue a career in natural medicine. We told her about Jason’s (my husband) foot pain and she was quick to respond with these 3 essential oils: Panaway, Raven & Copiava.
So, that’s where our oily adventure began. (There’s so much more to this story that I will have to share at a later time. Jason was having other health concerns that we are now beginning to really see some benefits of using oils for.)
I ordered a starter kit from Young Living which had 2 of the oils she had suggested: Panaway & Raven.
I decided to try the two by adding many drops of each into a roller bottle of olive oil and began rubbing the mixture onto his foot every evening before bed. It was such a simple thing to try and it had a huge result.
After almost a year of daily foot pain, within 2 weeks of using essential oils, he was completely pain free! That has been over a month ago and he is still doing great! I no longer feel the need to rub oil on his feet, although I still do every once in a while just because I know there are many other health benefits to these oils.
Now essential oils are a part of my daily life. I am just so excited to share my husbands testimony along with everything else I have been learning.
My pregnancy also brings me to rely on oils a lot for aches and pains. And I hope to be sharing that information very soon!
If you or someone you know struggles with Planter Fasciitis, please share this story with them. It just might change their life!
Home Sweet Cottage 