A 'New' Chair

We have a very bad dog! His name is Tarzan. He makes me so mad sometimes! Hummm, maybe I need anger management! 

But this time his 'badness' actually was a good thing.

He was in the house (while we ran to town) since it was very cold outside. I felt sorry for him, caged up for the length of time we were going to be gone. So we let him free and left.

When we got home he had destroyed one of the kitchen chairs. He had scratched the seat up and torn out the stuffing. I was not happy at all.

Sometime later I found another chair just like it at the Thrift Store.

Then I got an idea. Why not buy this one and recover the torn one for our bedroom?

We have a 'roses' bedroom so I wanted it to match our room. I had an old shower curtain in all my boxes under the bed that had roses on it so I got it out and used it.

What the chair looked like before damage. I don't have a damage picture, tho.

I used eggshell foam to help cover the torn foam. And covered the seat.

I added a ruffle to the seat... I'm not sure whether I like it or not...

    All done... 

It took me about 1/2 hour and a little bit of sewing with the machine for the back. 

So if you need a chair covered, I'd say go for it! :) 

Raspberry Lemonade

I love Lemons and all the good they do for you! :) I don't know how it would work for others but I do know I have noticed a big difference since I have been drinking lemonade or lemon water. The cravings are better, the bloating is gone, the water retention is much better and the circles around my eyes have left! :)

So today I am posting a Raspberry Lemonade recipe...

1 Lemon (or 3 tbsp juice)

1/2 cup frozen (or fresh) Red Raspberries

2 Pkgs Stevia

1 1/2 cup water 

Blend well and strain the seeds out. 

Enjoy!

If the lemonade is too strong for you, begin with 2 tbsp lemon and taste test to get it to your liking.

Bread Making

Wow! It been busy around here! :) So much to learn and do! Not only for the children but also for me! We don't eat a lot of bread around here but the other day I took dinner to some friends and we baked bread to send along! 

 I used an old favorite recipe using some whole wheat and some white flour. 

It really does taste wonderful! :) 

 I'll include the recipe and if you feel like it, give it a go! :)

Honey Wheat Bread

1 cup warm water

1 Tbsp sugar

2 Tbsp yeast

2 Tbsp salt

2 Tbsp brown sugar (optional)

1 egg

3 cups Whole Wheat flour

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup honey

4 cups warm water

10 to 11 cups unbleached white flour

Put the 1 cup water, sugar and yeast in a lg bowl and let set til bubbly. (10min)

Add all but the white flour and mix well. 

Add the white flour and knead well.

 Oil the bowl, put the bread in and turn dough to coat.

Let rise til double in size. Divide into loaves or buns.

Let rise til just above the pans. 

Bake in a preheated 350* oven til nicely browned.

We made Hamsters out of our rolls since the family receiving them was a young couple with three small children! :) We figured they would like that. 

Chad making what he called a 'dust bunny'.

Cheyenne forming a loaf.

She loved to 'spank' it! lol

Learning how to tuck in the ends.

Chad making mini loaves.

Bread making lessons.

The finished Breads and the dinosaur farm! :)

Our Wellness Journey #5

It used to be that I struggled terribly with extreme exhaustion. It seemed like I could go to bed tired and get up tired. Every day!! It was awful!! :)
Many times I would fall asleep during school and wake up to find my children playing. And I wasn't even rested! It was so discouraging!!
I struggled so much with the inability to be a good wife and mother. Often I was stretched out on the couch crying because I hurt so much and I needed to get up but just had no motivation to face the agony.
I had others tell me that they get tired too; they just pushed through it and they were sure I could too! So I would try that.
BUT.... It never worked for long. And then I thought I was lazy and horrid and stupid. (I know, terrible self talk!)

I don't know if you have ever heard of Fly Lady or not but she is just amazing. With her help I learned to manage my work in little bits rather then in overwhelming chunks! Please, check her out!

Lowering my stress obviously helped me sleep better which in turn lowered my stress! Bingo!! Win,win!! :)

I love Fly Lady!!! 

And I have since learned the importance of  getting my sleep (!!!) so I use a sleep mask or bandanna. I sleep deeper and wake up much more refreshed! Also Steve bought me a 'noise maker' that I can set to play (I like the ocean sound) for 15 minutes, 30 minutes or 1 hour and then shuts itself off.
We turn everything else off so when we enter the deep sleep, there are no distractions to mess with our subconscious mind.
(Sleep is so important to keeping one's body in good shape and the stress levels lowered!!)
Steve only needs about 6 hrs of sleep at night while I on the other hand need 9-10.
If we are staying up late sometimes I miss out on the party but I usually just try to make up the time the next night or so by going to bed a little earlier. I have learned that most times it really doesn't pay to miss my sleep tho! It pretty much has to be a once in a life time thing before I compromise to much.
My children are so much like Steve and I, with Chad needing much less sleep then Shiny!
Below is a talk given by the nutritionist who's advice I follow. I am sure you will find it interesting!

 Chad and Shiny snuggling with the cats while I lay down for a nap. 

One of the reasons a nap is a big deal for me is because I need to be available for Steve while he is home in the evenings. I am done with pushing myself over the edge during the day and then being to tired to give him the attention he needs. We love to serve him, now that Mommy is well again!! The poor man used to come home to a tearful wife who was crashed on the couch. :(

I have a new goal!! To get the Trim Healthy Mama  book.... It was recommended to me by a friend. Have any of ya'll read this book? How do you like it?