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5.31.2018

Product Review: Getty Kids Hymnal - For the Cause

Getty Kids Hymnal - For the Cause
Getty Music

About the Product: In case it isn't obvious, this is a music CD. Getty Music is a music label created by Keith and Kristyn Getty from Ireland. They are known for their modern hymn-writing and re-inventing of traditional hymns. You can learn more about Getty Music, and what they do, at their website, www.gettymusic.com. This specific CD, For the Cause, is marketed towards younger kids and includes multiple children's choirs from around

5.30.2018

Recipe Reviews! Week 14

One perk to living here in Kansas is having fresh produce options in the spring and summer. This past week, a u-pick orchard/produce farm opened for strawberry picking. Little Pumpkin and I went last spring a few times, and the fresh strawberries were well worth the time and cost. I decided to go again this spring and as such, we had some delicious strawberries for our meals this week! Here's a picture of my strawberry picking buddy...

She was eating the strawberries, caps and all, and it took lots of instruction to get her to put the berries in the box! And, she didn't want to

5.28.2018

To Squat or Not - A Guest Post

Along the lines of MythBusters, or snopes.com, it would be helpful if there were a site to which you could go to find the truth about the latest health fads. For example, if you Google "Gluten Free" or "Keto" diets you will find 5,540,000 different opinions about whether they work or not. The same goes for squats- you can find information to support whatever opinion you already have.

Many people think squats hurt your knees, will cause incontinence, and if you do too many you will end up injuring your back. However, in terms of scientific evidence, researchers have found that exactly the opposite is true. There are stipulations, of course. First, you need to rule out other injuries. If you have a knee that hurts with walking, it will probably hurt with squatting. If you are dealing with prolapse, it would be good to get that taken care of before squatting. If you have recently had a lumbar fusion, check with your doctor before squatting. Actually, I met a lady that has had most of her spine fused, and she squats with better form than anyone I know. Which brings me to the second stipulation: It's important that you have perfect form.

Good form isn't good enough in this case. I have met more than a couple people that think they squat well, then start loading up weighted squats and end up with issues. Don't blame the squat because you rushed into it. Take the time to have someone watch you, take the time to try a variety of

5.26.2018

100 Squats a Day

A few months ago, my sister, Katie, asked me if I wanted to do 100 squats a day for 30 days. She had seen video online and wanted to try it to see what would happen. I said sure, but wasn't that committed. And, I never really heard anything more about it from her. Several weeks later, I asked her how the 100 squats a day program was going, and she said that she had started it, but never followed through long-term. We talked about it a bit, agreed to be each other's accountability partner, and decided to start May 1st. And that is how our "100 Squats a Day for the Month of May" began!

I've never really done squats, and I'm not sure Katie has either. Neither one of us are experts on the correct form and method. I knew that I should try and keep my back straight, though. And, I thought I was supposed to hold my arms straight out in front of me. Also, the slower, more controlled the squat, the more of a muscle workout. At least, that was my theory and method. I'm not sure what Katie's method/theory was- we never actually talked about how to do squats when planning this. We did end up inviting the Facebook public to join us on this squatting adventure, but I believe only one person did: another sister, Sally.

For the first week, I think Katie and I both did pretty well at keeping up with our 100 squats each day. And, I know that Sally was doing them whenever she had a spare moment - even in the library bathroom as she was waiting on her kids piano lessons to finish! The first several days, even though I tried to break up the 100 into sets of 20 or 25, my legs felt like jelly after each set. I felt a bit like an out of shape weakling working muscles that I've never really worked on before. I never heard Katie or Sally mention any jelly legs; they probably have better muscles going than I. I also found that my upper back would start to ache while doing squats. I figured that I was doing something wrong, or else needed to work on some

5.24.2018

Product Review: ColorLast Hair Serum by Arbonne

Pure Vibrance ColorLast Hair Serum
from Arbonne
About this Product: Pure Vibrance ColorLast Hair Serum is used to smooth your hair and give it a healthy shine while protecting from styling damage from hair dryers, straighteners, curling irons, etc. It is also supposed to help control frizz, aid in preventing your hair color (dyed) from fading, and be healthy for your hair. In looking at the ingredient list (which can be found here), it appears to have a lot of natural ingredients such as sunflower oil, lavender

5.23.2018

Recipe Reviews! Week 13

The recipes for this week were an interesting experience. Jason has asked if maybe we can just try one new recipe a week, and go back to making the food we used to eat! We have been eating more salads, sandwiches, and leftovers so the main entrée recipes are fewer. But, on to the recipes from this week!
Apple Muffins
I had a few apples to use up, and decided to make these muffins for breakfast one morning. It turned out to not be my best baking moment. In

5.16.2018

Recipe Reviews! Week 12

It has been a bit warm here, actually hot some days, with temperatures pushing 90 degrees. As such, it isn't always fun to cook, or bake, and make the house even hotter from the heat of the oven or stove. Since I haven't convinced Jason that fasting is not only better for the budget, but also for keeping the house cooler and saves time, I still have to make food. As a result, I have been trying to make foods that require less stove time because of that. So, this week's recipes included...

No Bake Energy Bites
I think this recipe comes from my sister, L., but it also possibly came from my friend, Tiffany. I can't remember which, but I know they both have

5.15.2018

Kids Book Review: Little Bunny & Little Duckling

Little Duckling & Little Bunny
Mini Look at Me Books from Barron's
Text by Giovanni Caviezel
Illustrations by Laura Rigo

These two little books were part of Pumpkin's Easter basket from Grandpa and Grandma. Little Pumpkin has really enjoyed these books, and likes

"Mom Photos" for Mother's Day

Yesterday was Mother's Day, and I shared this post that was sort-of related to the occasion. But, I thought I would do another post of "Mom Photos" for Mother's Day, too.
The oldest photo on my computer that had my Mom in it was this family photo. And, almost every other female in the photo, which happen to all be

5.13.2018

Impending Motherhood Celebration

Since it is Mother's Day, I thought I would revert back to my old style of blogging and share lots of photos of an event that celebrated my impending motherhood: a baby shower. This was the baby shower that was given prior to Little Pumpkin being born. And, strangely enough, both my mother and mother-in-law were able to travel to Wyoming and attend!

The shower hosts were my good friend, Brittany....

5.10.2018

Product Review: Salad Spinner

Progressive Collapsible Salad Spinner

About the Product: As you probably already guessed, this is a salad spinner that is collapsible! And, just in case someone isn't familiar with salad spinners, it is a kitchen gadget used to drain as much water as possible from freshly washed greens by spinning- much like a washing machine spins

5.09.2018

Recipe Reviews! Week 11

Just a reminder that my book give-away ends on Monday, May 14th! Be sure to go to My Reading Reviews and enter for a chance to win!

I was going to take a bit of a break from new recipes this week, but ended up cooking and baking anyways. Apparently people like to eat food, even though I always suggest fasting as a viable meal option! Also, I seemed to have forgotten to take photos of some of my recipes. I was sure I had, but now I can't find them. So I will try to wing it for you when it comes to those recipes.
This week included Jason's birthday, so I decided to mostly make recipes that he has told me are his favorite. This week's recipes included....

Better Bran Muffins
Whenever I make muffins, which isn't that often, Jason mentions that he always liked his Mom's Bran Muffins as a kid. I had never made them

5.03.2018

The Chef's Table: An Elite Meal

In case you didn't know, Jason and I went on a cruise this past December. (To read about our cruise, check out: We Took A Cruise, Continuing the Cruise, Our Favorite Day on the Cruise, and Cruisin' Home.) We sailed on the Carnival Glory to the Eastern Caribbean for a week. We didn't plan very much in advance as far as activities to do while on the cruise, but Jason did make dinner reservations for The Chef's Table. The Chef's Table is a small, group dining experience that includes a tour of the galley, and a private, exclusive dinner with the executive chef. Allow me to share our private, professionally created meal with you.
Our menu for the evening, which was rolled up, tied with a ribbon, and garnished with a star anise. (It got a little squished in the suitcase on the

5.02.2018

Recipe Reviews! Week 10

Somehow, this week, I did not make a dessert-type of recipe! I usually try to have a variety, but I guess the sweet side got skipped this week. Sorry! The recipes I did make include...
Tassajara Granola
I'm pretty sure this recipe came from Mary Z., a lady I worked with when I lived in Montana. I have been wanting to find a granola recipe that we

5.01.2018

My Reading Reviews: Praying the Scriptures for Your Children

5/14/18: The winner of the Praying the Scriptures for Your Children book give-away is Katie L.! Congratulations!

Unlike my previous book reviews, this month's book review is on a single book. And, I am giving away a brand new copy of this book to one of you! The instructions to enter for a chance to win are at the end of the review...

Praying the Scriptures for Your Children
By the Author Jodie Berndt

Jodie Berndt, a Christian author, has written three books about praying for your children in addition to co-authoring a few other books. In reading through her website, and blog (both can be found at jodieberndt.com), it appears that she is from Virginia and still resides there. She has not always