Cottage Farmhouse Living Room Makeover

I really felt like my living room had no rhyme or reason. And while I love eclectic decorating, it IS the epitome of me, my hubby said it was looking Eclectic hippie, and no offence to hippies, I just wanted a different style.

As much as I adored my green vintage sectional sofa it was not practical for our family of 6. It came apart so easy and my children thought it was so neat that they could split them up in two rows to make "theater seats". While I love their creativity and ideas, our living room is so small that it was a bit impractical. :)

Recently I stumbled upon The Old Painted Cottage and her blog was a HUGE motivator in my living room makeover. In fact I used her living room as my inspiration  While my makeover is nothing compared to hers, I am really satisfied with the outcome.

Last year our tax return went to paying for the new baby, new bed, you can read my article about our amazing bed here, paying off the rest of our debt, and a new (used) vehicle. This year we budgeted some of it to a new couch. 

We are not finished but I thought I would show you all my progress thus far.

And here is the finished product, while there are two of my children in the before picture I would like to assure you that I did not get rid of my girls, they just so happened to not be around when I snapped the after pic. :) 

Let me tell you a little about what we did here

• New wall color is Glidden's Natural Linen (I just love the name, so soft and comfy sounding). Exactly what I wanted.
• The trim: Wal-mart's Table Linen White
• The sofa is a chaise sofa by Ashley. I really wanted a white couch (I know call me crazy, especially with four kiddos, but....I new that wasn't possible so I opted for a neutral color sofa and I purchase a $20 Queen size blanket to throw over it, this can be easily washed again and again. (I already have once) :) But not because of the children.... I do have a couple rules. No one is allowed to eat on the sofa...AT ALL and you can't sit on it if you've been playing outside, clothes must be changed. We had those rules with the vintage green sofa and it stayed very nice and I was able to sell it.
• The front door is brushed on chalk board paint, if you are considering doing this it took three coats and was done in a day. Super easy. In chalk I wrote I Corinthians 13:4 "Charity suffering long, and is kind..." When chalkboard writing be sure to dot your I's and cross your T's. I say that because I forgot to cross my T in charity and long arms hubby fixed that for me. :)
• The clock is something I adore and I'd like to thank my brother for talking me in to getting it. I bought it at the strangest of places, if you ask me. A furniture rental store. I don't shop those places but happened to be in one searching for a sofa in a small town and it was one of my only options. The bad part about those rental places is they don't like to come down on the price. So I paid full price for this very large tin clock. My brother was like, "Aren't you going to buy it?" That was just the encouragement I needed....hahaha. 
• I had the Live, Laugh, Love sign already and the home interiors mirror candle sconces, these were moved from my kitchen.
• The door was lovingly made by my Amazing husband as a Christmas/anniversary gift. Our anniversary is on the 29th of December (I know weren't we crazy, two love birds wanting to marry in between college semesters).  This door belonged to the old rock house my Daddy grew up in. Hubby inset old tin off the barn in the door and wood burned our names, childrens names and birthdays, and wrote 'Livin on Love' on it. I cried huge grateful tears with this gift. I love gifts made by hand that take time and thought. They mean so much.

So there you have it. Still a work in progress. As I thrift store and flea market shop I am hoping to find some end tables to paint black, and a bookcase or armoire. 

Are you working on any makeovers in  your home?

~Marie

Linked to Liz Marie Blog

Natural Medicine Cabinet ~ Mountain Meadow Herbs

It has been a very rough winter with flu and sickness for us. Our family enjoys a real food diet, we purchase eggs,milk, and meat from our nearby dairy/farmer and I make all of our meals from scratch, with the occasional dinner out.

We have had the flu on and off for four weeks and our immune systems really needs a boost. We drink lots of herbal teas from the Bulk Herb Store. And they really help, but I truly felt our bodies needed a BIG boost. Herbal tinctures can provide that because they are a strong condensed form of the herb. 

I had been eyeing Mountain Meadow Herbs for a while and decided to place an order for some Immune Boosting Tinctures. Here is what I purchased:

*Winters Tonic Package

This package was a great deal because it combined three of the bottles I needed at a lower price, it included Winter Immune-Booster, Infant Immune Booster, and Herbal Respiratory. It was important to me to have the Infant Immune booster for the baby and since I am nursing I would need to take the Infant Immune Booster instead of the basic Winter Booster. My hubby and older children can take the Winter Immune Booster. I really liked the fact that I can take something to boost MY immune system with no dangers to the baby while nursing. Sometimes us nursing Moms can be limited with what we can take.

*European Elder Berry

This is another wonderful natural immune booster and I threw it in my order for good measure. Those times when the sickness seems to really have us down I wanted something extra.

*Liquid Calcium

Again as a nursing Mom it is so important that I get enough calcium but over the counter calcium seems to never work and does not really absorb into your system. This liquid calcium is derrived from herbs and plants, one of the best ways to get calcium for our bodies. This is now a part of my daily regimen. 

Every Wednesday Mountain Meadow Herbs runs a special bargain, this is a great time to try out some of their Herbal Extracts.

They are also offering a free 1 oz. bottle of Liquid Calcium with their special code posted on the main page of their site. This is an amazing deal!!

If you have ever considered trying Herbal Extracts I highly recommend Mountain Meadow Herbs. They are not limited to Immune boosting extracts they offer extracts for many ailments and illnesses, they specialize in herbs for men and womens health, pregnant Mommies and children.

What do you use to boost your immune system?

I am an affiliate for Mountain Meadow Herbs, when you make a purchase through my links I earn a small referral percentage of the sale.

Those who wish to sing.....

This was one of our kittens from a few years ago and I really liked this Swedish Proverb: "Those who wish to sing, always find a song"

I hope your day is filled with singing.

~Marie

Coconut Oil Oatmeal Muffins

I make these oatmeal muffins a lot. They come out of my favorite Betty Crocker that I grew up with....the 1971 version.

If your tired of your morning bowl of oatmeal this muffin is like a bowl of oatmeal on the go and tastes oh so scrumptious! My kids always gobble them right up, and I do too, not gonna lie.

When I received my jar of  Tropical Traditions Virgin coconut oil I knew I had to try it out in these. Oh mercy, I don't think I'll make them with any other oil again. Here's the recipe so you can try 'em out too.

Coconut Oil Oatmeal Muffins

1 egg

1 cup milk (I use almond or raw milk)

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/3 cup coconut oil 

1 cup quick oats

1 cup of flour (all-purpose or wheat)

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. sea salt

1/2 tsp. baking soda

Mix all together and fill muffins cups about 2/3 full. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes. Enjoy hot or cold.

The best oil Ever!

If you order by clicking on any of my links and have never ordered from Tropical Traditions in the past, you will receive a free book on Virgin Coconut Oil, and I will receive a discount coupon for referring you

Salted Coconut Oil Brownies

Who wants brownies? 

(Raises hand as high as possible like an eager child in a classroom....) "I do I do!" Would there be any other answer if brownies were in question?

I am loving my Tropical Traditions gold label coconut oil (more like getting spoiled with it). So I decided to try making brownies with it. Oh mercy! So glad I did that!

So was hubby. 

I made these yesterday and today I got this text, "Just a reminder to let you know how awesome your brownies were yesterday"

That translates to..."Please make more brownies...TODAY!" 

:)

And of course I did.

These are SUPER easy and SUPER yummy.

Salted Coconut Oil Brownies

Original Recipe found here

Here's what you will need:

1/2 cup coconut oil, melted

(I just put it in a saucepan on the stove on med. heat for a couple min, don't over heat)

1/2 cup cocoa (I add an extra tablespoon or two for good measure)

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp. salt

Mix all these ingredients together and spread in an 8" square pan that has been greased with coconut oil. Spread the batter in the pan, then take a good pinch of sea salt and sprinkle all over the top of the batter, I do this a couple of times.

Bake at 350 for 20 min. Don't overbake, these turned out perfect at 20 min. Mmmmmm

If you order by clicking on any of my links and have never ordered from Tropical Traditions in the past, you will receive a free book on Virgin Coconut Oil, and I will receive a discount coupon for referring you.

Tropical Traditions Gold Label Coconut Oil Review & Giveaway

Oh. My. Word. I am in love, okay my hubby has no need to worry...I'm just in food love. If that makes any sense. :)

Tropical Traditions so kindly sent me a free jar of their Gold Label Virgin Coconut oil and offered to give my readers a jar too. One lucky person will get a FREE 32 oz. jar of Gold Label coconut oil in a week. Are you excited yet?

Have I ever used coconut oil before? Yes

Have I ever used Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin oil? No

Is there a difference? Yes

Wow! WOW! WOW!

I have to admit I was a bit leery at first, I mean I just had a hard time imagining that this oil would actually taste good in my baked goods like pancakes, muffins, and even brownies. Boy was I in for a surprise. The flavor, texture, and moisture is phenomenal. I was expecting a dryer baked good but what I got was a yummy baked treat that was absolutely amazing.

But don't take my word for it, you've got to try some of this stuff out for yourself. We've got a super easy form below by PromoSimple that makes entering very.....well, simple. 

This week I will also be sharing recipes I have been making with my coconut oil so you can try them out too.

If you are in a toot and want to go ahead and try Tropical Traditions oil there is a link on the right of my blog that will take you to their website.

Win 1 quart of Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil!

Tropical Traditions is America’s source for coconut oil. Their Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil is hand crafted in small batches by family producers, and it is the highest quality coconut oil they offer. You can read more about how virgin coconut oil is different from other coconut oils on their website: What is Virgin Coconut Oil?

You can also watch the video they produced about Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil:

Tropical Traditions also carries other varieties of affordable high quality coconut oil. Visit their website to check on current sales, to learn about the many uses of coconut oil, and to read about all the advantages of buying coconut oil online. Since the FDA does not want us to discuss the health benefits of coconut oil on a page where it is being sold or given away, here is the best website to read about the health benefits of coconut oil.

Our Giveaway is open up to US & Canadian residents.

Please be sure and complete the required entry of Subscribing to the email newsletter, you will need to click on the link, it will take you to the Tropical Traditions newsletter sign up page, after you sign up, check the box that says you have subscribed. You will not receive any eligible entries if you do not subscribe to their newsletter. Thank you! All other entries are bonus entries to increase your chance of winning. Have fun and tell your friends.

Disclaimer:  Tropical Traditions provided me with a free sample of this product to review, 
and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose.  Nor was I under any 
obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return 
for the free product.

Chalkboard Farm Door

My hubby cleans houses part time. We have a house cleaning business and he's always coming home with unique decorating ideas he discovers in clients homes.

One just so happened to be a chalkboard door. When he told me I knew the Perfect spot for my chalkboard door, and then I came up with a couple about 20 others. I'll be scribbling chalk art everywhere in this house. :)

The chalkboard door he saw boasted a family's 'Bucket List' for that year. It included events and activities they wanted to make happen in 2013.

I love the fact that I can change what's on my door anytime my little ol' heart desires.

My facebook friend posted this little poem and I knew this is what I wanted to write on my back door. This old back door that leads into our laundry room certainly needed some sort of makeover and chalkboard paint just so happened to be the answer.

I went ahead and painted a little spot on the bottom for the girls to draw pictures and create their own art as they fancied. They were tickled pink. Pink chalk that is, and blue, yellow and green....

BECAUSE

we couldn't find white chalk...ANYWHERE! Yes I'm yelling, I was a bit frustrated that it was sold out at every wal-mart. We were also told that Wal-Mart no longer carries chalkboard paint but luckily we found some at Lowe's. That stuff is a bit pricey, but the good part...a little bit goes a long way, so a quart will do you good for a while, depending on how many projects you have.

We also painted a door in the living room but I won't be showing that to you until our big reveal of our Living Room makeover, which could take a few months, but I'm excited to share it with you.

Have a blessed day ya'll!

~Marie

Check out this adorable Melissa & Doug Chalk Bundle!

To view the Melissa and Dough Chalk Bundle click here: Melissa & Doug Eraser and Chalk Bundle

Inspirational Quote

I was going through some old photos I took a few years ago and decided to add an inspirational quote to my chippy paint mossy doors print.

I pray your day is Awesome and Blessed!

~Marie

3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies

I love making these 3 ingredient peanut butter cookies as a quick after school snack for the girls. They are so simple that this is the first recipe I taught my oldest daughter, she can whip out a batch in no time too.

3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies

You will need:

1 cup white sugar

1 cup peanut butter (crunchy or creamy)

1 egg

Mix all ingredients together and drop by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheet. Use a fork to make a criss-cross on the top. Bake at 350 for 9-10 minutes.

If your feeling ambitious you can make 4 ingredient cookies by adding 1 tsp. of vanilla. If your feeling extra fancy you can make 5 ingredient cookies and add a small handful of chocolate chip cookies. 

But rest assured if you are not feeling ambitious or extra fancy these will taste awesome with those three lonely ingredients.

If you don't have white sugar use a cup of packed brown sugar, still tastes awesome!

Don't forget to use some great tasting peanut butter.

To view Laura Scudder's Organic Peanut butter click here: Laura Scudder's Organic Smooth Peanut Butter, 16-Ounce  (Pack of 4)

Welcome to my Virtual Shelf Reliance Thrive Party

It’s A Virtual Shelf Reliance THRIVE Party!

Welcome to Cottage Homestead's THRIVE party!

I’m Kendra, an independent consultant for Shelf Reliance, and I’m here to tell you all of the great reasons that you should have THRIVE foods in your home.


I want to start off by thanking ­­Marie with Cottage Homestead for allowing me to join you here today! In return for hosting this party, Marie is going to receive 10% of all party sales in FREE products, as well as earning Half-Off products! Yay!!   If any of you are interested in earning FREE and Half-Off foods, you’re invited to host a virtual party as well! Just let me know you’re interested and I’ll get you all set up. Now, on with the party… If you’ve never heard of THRIVE, you’re probably wondering what it’s all about. Well, THRIVE is a line of top quality freeze dried foods by Shelf Reliance.

Freeze dried foods are not the same as dehydrated foods. Instead of using high heat, as the dehydration process requires, freeze dried products are processed at temperatures down to -50 degrees F. Approximately 98% of the product’s moisture content is removed by vaporization, leaving the foods with their full nutritional components, tastes, colors, and freshness in tact. 

The benefit of doing this is the extended shelf life freeze dried foods offer, without the use of any additives or preservatives. Most THRIVE products have a shelf life of 25-30 years when unopened, and 1-2 years even after being opened! There are so many benefits to having THRIVE foods in your home, not only for long term food storage, but for every day use as well! 

Let me share with you how these products are saving me time and money in the kitchen. But first… why’d I decide to become a consultant for Shelf Reliance? Well, over the past few years, I have come to really strive toward four major goals that pertain to my family’s eating habits:

• Eating More Nutritiously
• Saving Money on Groceries
• Spending Less Time Preparing Meals
• Becoming Less Reliant on the Grocery Store

So, when I discovered a product that can actually help me achieve my goals in EVERY SINGLE one of these areas… I was in love. I was so excited that I couldn’t wait to tell everybody I knew about it. And hey, if I could make money while sharing my new-found love, why not?! I must admit though… it wasn’t love at first sight. In all honesty, when I first heard about “freeze dried foods” I was quite skeptical. For some reason I was somewhat put-off by the sound of it… as if the foods would be stale, and tasteless. 

How do you cook with freeze dried foods, anyways? But when I got my hands on a bunch of THRIVE samples and had an opportunity to try them for myself, every misconception I had previously held to was immediately wiped away. They were SO GOOD!! And when my husband and kids loved it just as much as I did, I knew these foods were going to become a main staple in our home. (You can read my thorough product review with close-ups of the foods, and even watch a video of my kids taste testing THRIVE for the first time, HERE.)

THRIVE Can Help You Eat More Nutritiously & Save You Time What is one of the major reasons why people don’t eat more nutritiously? We have all the fresh foods we could need available to us, so why do we still opt for fast food and boxed dinners? Time. It’s all about time, isn’t it? The fast paced lives we lead today are often the reason we just don’t have time to prepare nutritious snacks and meals at home every single day. Chopping fresh produce and meat takes a lot of time. But there are those days when we just need something fast, which usually means a swing through the drive thru, or feeding our family unhealthy processed foods. THRIVE has the solution to this ongoing dilemma!

One of the great things about freeze dried foods is that they are already prepared for you. The produce and meat are washed, chopped, and ready to be added to any of your favorite dishes. The fruits in particular are delicious eaten straight out of the can for a quick and healthy snack (which is a fantastic way to get your kids to munch on something that is actually good for them!). The only prep work it takes to cook with THRIVE is allowing the food to reconstitute in a little bit of water for just a couple of minutes, then they’re as good as fresh!

 Another thing I love about THRIVE freeze dried foods is that you won’t find any additives or preservatives in the majority of their products. Green beans are green beans. Strawberries are strawberries. Period. No salt, no high fructose corn syrup or sugar… nothing. So you can be confident that you are feeding your family pure goodness when you use these items in your every day cooking. With THRIVE veggies and meats already chopped and prepared, there’s no reason you can’t have a quick, nutritious meal on the table in 30 minutes or less. Okay, we’ve talked a little about how THRIVE can help you eat healthier and save time, but now I’d like to share how THRIVE can also save you money!

Save with THRIVE! What’s the most expensive item in your fridge? 

Organic produce? Meat? Wrong! It’s actually the stuff you throw away!! Think of all of the produce and freezer burned stuff you toss every month. Spoiled grapes or berries, slimy onions, shriveled carrots or celery, sprouting potatoes and moldy mushrooms… so much of what comes out of the produce drawer in our fridge ends up being tossed straight into the garbage, doesn’t it? On average, Americans throw away over 25% of their groceries every single month. That’s HUGE! When you add up how much of your money is thrown straight into the garbage monthly, it can really add up to a significant loss. For instance, let’s say your monthly grocery budget is $500, if you are like the average American household you probably throw away around $125 in spoiled food every month. And I’m betting that’s money you could really use! Why not reallocate that portion of your monthly grocery budget toward foods that won't spoil?

 Having THRIVE’s freeze dried foods in place of the produce that typically goes bad in your home will save you big bucks every month. You’d never have to worry about mold growing in your berries, or your veggies spoiling because you didn’t use them in time. Imagine that… no waste!! Okay, so how else do we blow money on food? Eating out, right? How often do you eat out during the week? Again, it comes down to time, doesn’t it? Some days we just don’t have time to get a meal together at the last minute. THRIVE can help you on those nights when the family is starving and you have no time to put anything together. Instead of blowing a bunch of money to pay for somebody else to make your food for you, have several THRIVE Express meals on hand! Almost all of these hearty, complete dishes are table ready in 10-15 minutes, and can feed your family for less than the cost of what one person would spend eating out! Just dump it into a pot, add water, and heat. It’s super easy, and even my picky kiddos love these soups. (Just a head’s up, THRIVE Express meals are actually on SALE this month, and can be picked up for less than $6 per pack. A pack generously feeds four adults, and would be a real money saver compared to eating away from home.)

 Take a minute to check out the selection of THRIVE Express meals that Shelf Reliance has to offer, and then make a note to have a few of these on hand for quick and healthy backup meals. And how much of our money do we spend on impulse buys? How many times have you realized that you were missing a key ingredient in the middle of cooking something? I know I’ve done it plenty of times! And it always meant a quick trip to the store to pick up the item I needed. But running to the store for just one or two things isn’t a good use of time or money. You can’t forget to factor in the cost of your gas to get to the store and back. The pack of eggs you needed to run and get might cost you $1.50, but how much did the gas to get it add to that expense? Probably at least another $3.00.

When it really comes down to it, that’s an expensive pack of eggs! Not only that, but grocery stores know how to enlist those impulse buys. They’ve strategically placed tempting treats throughout the store, in hopes of catching your eye and begging you to grab just a couple of other things before heading to the checkout lane. I’m sure you’re guilty… we’ve all done it! So, that one missing ingredient that you ran to the store to get can end up costing much more than you’d anticipated shelling out. Doesn’t it just seem wiser to have backup ingredients on hand for just such emergencies?! Lucky for us, THRIVE carries just about every basic staple you would ever need. Powdered milk, powdered eggs, powdered butter, powdered shortening, even powdered sour cream … think of the things that you typically run out of in the middle of a recipe; you name it, it’s there. Add a little water and voila, you’re good to go. As a side note, the powdered eggs aren't only easy to use, and are fantastic to bake with, they're actually cheaper to use than store bought eggs! With over 200 whole eggs per #10 can, using powdered eggs for all of your baking can save you a little bit of money as well. Not only that, but you can actually eat the cookie dough without any fear of salmonella!! That's enough reason to have some on hand, right there!

 Another way you can curb your impulse buys is by signing up for Shelf Reliance’s “Q”. The Q has been best described as Netflix for food, and is a place where you can do your monthly shopping online without the distractions and temptations of a traditional grocery store. Every month, you choose what you’d like to put in your shopping cart, and they’ll ship it straight to your door. It couldn’t be easier. But, more about the Q in a moment.

THRIVE Helps You To Be Less Reliant On The Store A recent survey found that the average American household has enough food to sustain themselves for three days. THREE DAYS! But what if bad weather hits, like the recent derechos that caused thousands and thousands of people to lose power for a week, and stores are without power and unable to help customers? What if gas prices surge and truck drivers can’t make deliveries to grocery stores? What if inflation sets in and we can’t afford many groceries anymore? Or, what if you experience the loss of a job and have to live on an extremely limited budget? There are so many variables that our food supply depends on, and a problem with any one of them can disrupt the entire assembly line. It is foolish to think that we will always be able to get what we need from the grocery store when we need it. Having food storage, or a Home Store, that you can “shop” when times are tough is not only wise, it can be life saving.

 I’ll share a little personal story with you. In 2009, the Lord started pressing upon me and my husband to start storing up food. We’d never in our lives heard of people doing such a thing, but with the slowed economy and all we thought it would be a wise use of our money. Turns out, it was. In March of 2010, my husband was laid off. Work was slow, and they just couldn’t afford to keep him on any longer. It took six months before he found another full-time job (which he was also laid off from less than a year later!). 

During that time, we used what money we were able to bring in to pay our mortgage and other bills. And because we had food stored up, we ate just fine through the whole ordeal. Now that we have experienced first hand how incredibly important it is to have what we would need to feed ourselves and our children when tough times hit, we will never again go without at least a year’s worth of food stored in our home. 

Think of it as food insurance. We have car insurance, and home owners insurance to help us if we ever run into trouble, right? But what I hate about those kinds of insurances is that you pay the bill, hoping you’ll never need to use it, though if you don’t use it then you’re out all of that money you spent! Let me just ask you, what’s more important… having a car, or having food? So, why don’t you have food insurance? Reallocating a little bit of your grocery budget every month toward building up your home store is an incredibly important thing to do for your family. And the best part is that you’ll be using every bit of what you buy!! Shelf Reliance has made building your home store as easy as 123...

The “Q” If you don’t know where to start with food storage, The “Q” that we spoke about earlier makes it super easy to build your home store on a budget. I can even help you set it up. First, you would enter how many people are in your household, whether they are children or adults, and the Planner determines their caloric needs. Then you specify how many months of food you’d like to build up, anywhere from 3 months to several years! Next, you tell the “Q” what you’d like to set your monthly budget at, and The Planner automatically puts items in your cart that would fit your family’s needs. 

 The Q is completely customizable. If your family has special dietary requirements, or just doesn’t particularly like bananas per se, you can exchange that item from your cart for something else that you’d rather have. Every month you’ll get a shipment of food sent straight to your door, and your home store will soon be stocked with everything your family would need for your specified amount of time.

  Help Feed The Hungry When You Place An Order As if THRIVE foods weren’t awesome enough, the founders of Shelf Reliance have created their corporate charity, Thriving Nations, which donates 5% of all THRIVE profits to helping impoverished people in third world countries to become more self reliant by teaching them essential agricultural techniques and economic principles. You can feel good knowing that every THRIVE purchase you make is used to bless the less fortunate around the globe. Now do you see why I love this stuff so much?! 

Here’s Even More Great News! As a special perk for “attending” this THRIVE party, every one of you is eligible to receive an exclusive discount of up to 30% off retail prices on Shelf Reliance’s webstore! That means that you can get everything you would need to help save your family money, eat more nutritiously, and grow your home store for cheaper than ever! All you need to do is contact me at newlifeonahomestead@gmail.com, let me know that you were a guest at Marie’s virtual THRIVE party, and I’ll add you to my customer list. You will receive an email with a password that you will use to log in at Shelf Reliance. Once you’re in, you will always see the discounted price reflected on the screen, and you will get that discount on every order you place. 

 But the BIGGEST discounts will be given for “Q” customers who set up a Q budget of $100 or more. Not only will you see the absolute best prices available on the web, you’ll also get specials including occasional shipping discounts, monthly “Q-pons” which you can use for even deeper discounts on your favorite products, and points rewards you can earn for free products.

  Alright Kendra, I’m ready to place an order. What do I need to do? Your Six Steps To THRIVE Success…

 1. Make a list of everything you can think of that typically goes bad in your fridge, then make a plan to order the freeze dried form of these items so you never throw away spoiled produce (and money) again.

 2. Make a list of the basic baking essentials that you tend to run out of in the middle of cooking, then make a plan to order their powdered forms so you never have to run to the store at the last minute again.

 3. Make a list of the foods that you hate taking the time to prepare. Hate chopping onions? Get them freeze dried, they’re delicious!

 4. Decide if building a Home Store sounds like a wise idea for your family. Then determine how long you’d like your Home Store to sustain you, and how much money you can afford to spend every month on your “Q”.

 5. Email me to let me know that you’d like to be added as Marie’s exclusive party customer. I’ll get you all set up.

 6. Log in to Shelf Reliance with the password you’ll receive in an email, and start using your discount! You can place a one time bulk order for everything on your lists, or you can set up a monthly “Q” and get all of your family’s needs on a budget. Please remember to place your order before the party's closing date on February 4th 2013 .

If you have any questions or need help getting started, please don’t hesitate to ask. I’ll be more than happy to help you with anything you need. Thanks so much for joining Marie and I today!! It’s been a pleasure sharing THRIVE with you.

Almond Milk No Bakes

I found myself with only almond milk in the fridge today and the family is craving some no bakes after a week of sickness and bland food. So I decided to experiement with almond milk and make some no bakes this morning. And oh so nummy they are. You can't even tell the difference except, maybe........they are better. :)

I love the glossy shine they have. There are some cookies missing in this photo....not so sure how that happened....okay maybe I am.

Oats make a healthy breakfast, so these qualify for a healthy breakfast don't you think? We'll just ignore the 2 cups of sugar. 

Almond Milk No Bakes

1 stick butter

2 cups white sugar

1/2 cup almond milk

4 heaping Tablespoons of cocoa powder (I heap things a lot)

1/2 cup of peanut butter (I heap this too, the more PB the better, right?)

2 tsp. vanilla

3 heaping cups oats (and I heap these too, I'm just tellin' you like it is folks)

In a saucepan over medium heat cook butter, sugar, almond milk and cocoa. When this comes to a boil continue stirring for one minute. Then you can add your PB, vanilla and oats.

I like to use my handy dandy cookie scoop like the one below. Yup that's right, I use it for messy no bakes, it's awesome. Place on wax paper and try to wait for them to cool before you eat one.......or not. 

To view Norpro Stainless Steel 1 Tablespoon scoop click here: Norpro Stainless Steel Scoop, 1 Tablespoon, 35mm

I bought oats in bulk last month so I have been making lots of recipes using oats

To view Honeyville 50 lbs. Quick Rolled Oats click here: Quick Rolled Oats - Bulk 50 Pound Bag

Do you purchase any grocery items in bulk? 

Flirty Aprons

To see  Flirty Apron Womens Marilyn Sugar n' Spice Apron click here: Flirty Aprons Women's Marilyn, Sugar n' Spice

I just love wearing pretty aprons in the kitchen. Especially aprons with feminine design, retro look, and vintage appeal. These Flirty Aprons have all those qualifications.

Aprons have a way of making you feel pretty in the kitchen and they are empowering to cooking and baking I believe.

If you are planning on making a Valentines dinner for your man be sure to don one of these Flirty Aprons. 

Not only are these aprons just so darn cute, but they are affordable too.

This soft blue is the perfect background for the intricate damask design that this apron boasts.

To see Flirty Apron, Women's Original Apron (Blue Damask) click here: Flirty Aprons Women's Original Apron, Aqua Damask

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Who doesn't love red? Make a statement in the kitchen with this Sassy Red Apron.

To view Womens Sassy Red Flirty Apron click here: Flirty Aprons Women's Original Apron, Sassy Red

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Scarlet Blossom apron has that wonderful vintage appeal with lovely seams and edging to give you that slimming look.

To see Womens Flirty Apron Scarlet Blossom click here: Flirty Aprons Women's Original Scarlet Blossom Apron

Which Apron above is your favorite?

Make your Own Caramel Mocha Coffee

I am guilty of liking the caramel mocha latte from McDonalds.....I know such a shame. It's not like I get it all the time, it's certainly a treat if we are out and about but I still like it.

This morning I decided to recreate my own, which is by far better than any McDonald's caramel mocha!

Here's how I did it.

Pour a cup of your favorite coffee (I used Dunkin Donuts Turbo Boost)...really like LOVE that stuff.
Add 2-3 Tablespoons of cream
1 tsp. cocoa powder
1/8 tsp. Watkins caramel extract. ( I use the watkins caramel extract in everything. Brownies, cookies, and baked oatmeal. Adds a unique and delectable flavor)

To view Watkins Caramel extract click the link here: Jr Watkins Caramel Extract 8 Oz.

Stir and Sip! It's that easy..... :) 

I enjoyed it with some Turtle pecan biscotti that my sweet man surprised me with last night. Ah-mazing!

Nonni's turtle pecan biscotti are so good, to purchase your own click here: Nonni's Turtle Pecan Biscotti, 6.88-Ounce Boxes (Pack of 6)

We started school back this week and it was certainly a sweet treat to begin my day. I so enjoy the books we are reading. We finished Little House in the Big woods and are now reading through Little House on the Prairie. Suprisngly I never read these when I was little, so I anticipate the turn of each page as much as the girls do.

Little House on the Prairie (Full Color)

The happenings that Laura and Mary experience are certainly different from the things we deal with today. I was reminded today what a Technology age our children live in when Heidi made me laugh out loud while we were doing school.

I have been working with her on capitalizing the first letter of her sentences. She really does a great job with Grammar but she is such an absent minded little thing that she hardly ever capitalizes or uses punctuation.

Today she held up her sentences and smiled big and said..."Mom I remembered to use 'Caps Lock'. Oh I busted up laughing. I can just see Laura and Mary's face if they had been here. A puzzled look it would have been, I am sure.

This is what made me smile today.......what about you, is there something that brought a smile to your face today?

Pies, Decluttering, and Encouragement

Here is a pic of the pie I made Saturday night. I was short on blackberries but it was still tasty and everyone enjoyed it for breakfast on Sunday morning.

With the extra crust I cut them in pieces, buttered them and sprinkled turbinado or brown sugar and cinnamon on top. Baked those at 350 for 6-8 minutes.  Hubby and I enjoyed them with coffee and the kiddos chowed down on them too.

Today I have Buffalo Joes in the crock pot, a yummy sloppy jo recipe I got from the Crock On cookbook, you can find the link to it on the right of my page here. If you are interested in crock pot cooking I really recommend her cookbook. You can get it on the Kindle for only $5. 

I really love Turbinado sugar. It is fun to bake with and makes a great topping for muffins, pies, and cookies.

To view Turbinado sugar click here: Turbinado Sugar - 1 box, 1 lb

I read this book this weekend on decluttering your home. It had some great tips that I put into practice and was able to declutter some in my bathroom and living room. I still need to hit the kitchen and my bedroom.

To view Declutter Your Home - How to Declutter your Home like a Professional click here: Declutter Your Home - How To Declutter Your House Like A Professional

Do you have any books you recommend on Decluttering?

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On another note I'd like to talk about being an encouragement.

Encourage

Buy This at Allposters.com

I have been very burdened lately about really being the hands and feet of Jesus. My desire is to really reach out to others. Now I truly believe that my children are my first mission field and I have no desire to put them on the back burner to help someone else. Doing that reminds me of the Scripture in Matthew 8:36 "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?"

With that in mind I earnestly prayed last night before bed for God to show me how I can reach out. I live out in the country and homeschool my children so I was really questioning "how can I really be your hands and feet Jesus?"

Earlier in the week I had watched this video. It really hit a few spots in my heart and was encouraging to me.

This morning when I woke up the Holy Spirit spoke to me and I knew God had answered my prayer. He said "Write a letter of encouragement to _________" She is a newer Mom that I know needs the encouraging. I smiled in bed, God had answered my prayer. If we could only humble ourselves and pray that prayer everyday.......without ceasing even. And then act upon the command. 

What a blessing and encouragement we could be to others.