semi-done for 2 1/2 months

And now I have FINALLY finished it!

long[ish] screws with caps on them

for the hair bands and elastics

{I have no idea where to acquire them as they were just in our stash of odds/ends}

double ribbon for hair pins

one strand ribbon for smaller clips

tied to very small screws

small clips {smiles}

fewer empty spaces now!

it hangs from a hook at the top of their bedroom door

as I do not want to put a hole in the door

and there is not really any wall space available for it.

YEAH!!!

Just in time for making some Christmas bows.

EDITED to add [January 2012]:

The head bands were having trouble staying on with the board since it is hanging on a frequently used door, so they now have a home in a basket, but all other clips and bows stay in their place when not in use!! YEAH

Please also

check out these two ladies shops

if you need some bows!

[Tell them Tascha sent you.
I am not compensated, I just want to know if they get business from this post!]

Rachel’s Ribbon Candy

Chic Made Cheap

linked up at:
RaisingHomemakers
Proverbs31Thursday/RaisingMightyArrows
homemakerschallenge

at home or on the GO

by tascha | 3 comments

{almost} nutri-grain bars [original recipe/link no longer works]

My girls enjoy {nutri-grain} cereal bars [and the generic equivalents], but I really wanted to know that they were actually getting good nutrients out of it [especially when it was breakfast!], AND I was wondering about cutting the cost. So I googled it [lol] and found the above recipe to be the closest to something I was looking for. After making it according to that recipe, I made a few tweaks and made another pan -and they are [both] YUMMO!

breakfast {in a bar}:

[preheat: 325. grease: 9×13. bake: 30 min]

[dry] stir together:
1 1/3 cup wheat flour
1 1/3 cup rolled oats
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp each salt/baking powder
1/4 tsp allspice

[wet] mix together:
1 egg
1/2 cup [homemade] applesauce {what I used was homemade apple/pear butter}
1 tsp vanilla extract

[filling]
10 oz [aprox 1/14 cup] jelly or jam [homemade is wonderful here]
{I omitted the water and simply warmed it on the stovetop to help it be spreadable.}
1/4 cup mixed dried fruit and 2 Tbsp nut chopped {I used dry, roasted edemame as we have a nut allergy in the house.}

directions:

Combine dry and wet ingredients. proceed as the other recipe: 1/2 spread in the bottom of a 9×13 greased pan. spread out the jelly. sprinkle with the dried fruits/nuts. cover with other 1/2 of the oat mixture {the oat dough is quite sticky and is not really spreadable so it can be a slightly messy process}.

Bake at 325 for 30 minutes. can make 12+ bars depending upon how large you cut them.

Wrap individually in wax paper for easy grabbing. place in plastic bag/container.

Currently, they have kept about 5 days at room temp, but I am sure they would keep longer in the refrigerator. though I am not sure you will need them to!

ENJOY!

I have not yet figured out the cost per bar [equivalent size to the prepackaged], but I do know that these TASTE so much BETTER.

linked up at
raisinghomemakers

what did you say?

by tascha

My husband sent me a link the other day for an article entitled ‘Christian Cussing?’

This topic is actually something that had been on my heart and mind for a couple of months now, as I listen to my children mimic my speech.

As crazy as it may seem [today], I want my children to be well-spoken, use proper grammar and even know what the words they use mean.

With that being said, it is difficult for my children NOT to be exposed to illiterate speech. We live in an illiterate society.

[I am in no way trying to imply that every single person we come into contact with is illiterate. This is a generalization made from simply listening to people around me and is not meant to offend, just make aware. Words are important.]

{Even more importantly} I also do not want my children uttering profanity.

BUT, what is profanity? What is unacceptable speech?

Is it just the ‘major’ cursings [the Lord’s name in any way other than speaking to or about Him, the 4-letter words, etc. I am not going to spell them out]?

Or are slang [replaced] words wrong, too?

The linked article at the beginning of this post has quite a list of slang-I will not try to delve into that. Please read what he has listed. Some of those expressions I had never heard of. But several I had, and seeing their origin made me question whether or not I should say them let alone my children!

In Psalms 19 the Bible says:

Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression. Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.

If I am expressing words simply to let my emotion have voice [as the majority of reasons for cursing, swearing, or whatever you call it] are these ‘words of my mouth being acceptable in the sight of the Lord’? They have no use other than expressing feelings. They often are not even used in proper context. [Is God going to bring damnation on an object just because you don’t like it?]

These are just some thoughts that have been in my heart for a while.

Ecclesiastes 3:14

I would love to read your opinions [kind words, please], but I must show one example that puts shame on my head.

I have often spoken the words ‘oh my goodness’ when I am at a loss of how to express shock or sadness. Each time, I would feel a prick in my spirit that those words were being used vainly, but I did not fully examine it until recently [not many days before I read that article].

One question I finally faced gave me my shame:

Who/what IS my goodness?

Do I even HAVE goodness apart from The Good One?

So is that not in essence saying…. Lord, I have no respect for your name or the simple fact that You are good.

As I said. Just a thought.

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blankets & pillows & castles

by tascha | 1 comment

upon first glance you must think

this is a haphazard mess!

and, in a way, you would be correct 🙂

but there is control in the chaos!

with EVERY. SINGLE. couch pillow forming walls

and the coffee table edging the ‘front’

with all their throw blankets spread out.

one on top of the other.

[cause no one’s blanket can be left out!]

my girls lounge in their CASTLE!

can you find them? LOL

and yes, they KNOW they are PRINCESSES!

My girls ask to play CASTLE- and I know that I will have, at the very least, 30 minutes of relative harmony and very few questions. Of course, there is the mess. But he who makes a mess… you know it! Cleans it up! Mostly it is just putting the pillows back on the couches and taking their blankets back to their room…

and they will sit in their CASTLE and read books, color, watch TV, and play general make-believe very nicely-so I help them get all those stuffed animals back to their basket when it’s all done.

works for me .2

by tascha | 4 comments

taming the hair bows

[inspired by]

a cork board with no home

[and extra ribbon]

lightly spray painted white

[craft glue]

a pack of magnets
[from the craft store or walmart]

add hair bows

lots & LOTS of hair bows!

[going to put on pegs]
[to hang head bands and elastics]

And hang on the wall. Ours is not permanently hung anywhere yet, but it is very helpful for the girls to have a place that their bows BELONG. The decorativeness of it is just a bonus-that makes it FUN to put them away. oh YES!

AND, as you can see, we have plenty of room for MORE bows

-guess I’d better get busy. {{smiles}}