Herbs

I am so thankful that we have the freedom to treat our own illnesses, and sicknesses if we please/choose to!  Using herbs (the plants God gave us) is very important to me and it's exciting to see the benefits.

We of course used herbs when Heidi had cancer and were so thankful for her healing, but through the years I am learning there are SOOOO many more varieties that can benefit even more.

This last year we learned the benefits of red clover tops, we make it as a tea and when we get sick we start drinking it, that with some rest, we come around without using antibiotics. But, the owner of Queen of Trees has shared with me some herbs (that she sells in her shop) that I can add to the red clover to make it even more potent!!!

Last week I was looking on Etsy for some herbs for arthritis, and and sleep aid for my grandmother who suffers dearly....and that is when I found Queen of Trees.  I sent her a few questions and she was so informative, helpful and kind.  I had received such good reception from her that I sent a few more questions of which she answered so nicely without seeming overwhelming to me.

I settled on an order with a few things for my grandmother, mother, and our family. And cannot wait to start using everything, not to mention I have several items I still want to get.

You can visit her shop: I know she will be happy to answer any questions you may have!

Queen of Trees

One purchase I am so thrilled about is her Herbal Penicillin Syrup!  You can read more about here.

Here is some info from her site about one of the herbs used in the syrup

"**Usnea (Usnea barbata): (Anti-bacterial, Antibiotic, Anti-fungal, Anti-viral, Astringent, Diuretic, Parasiticide, Tonic, Tuberculostaic.) The name “Usnea” may have originated at the time of the Arabian school of medicine and pharmacy. Usnea is used both internally and externally for fungus infections and for viral and bacterial infections. An excellent anti-biotic and anti-fungal. Used for the treatment of pneumonia, tuberculosis, lupus, internal infections, strep, staph, Trichomonas, and other infected wounds. May be superior to the drug Flagyl (metronidazole). Better then Penicillin. "

The real exciting part for me is the kiddos don't mind the flavor, which is a HUGE plus for us Mommies!!!  And I love knowing I am helping in healing their bodies without chemicals and medications that will just bring them down.

As she says in her shop:

"Remember, Herbs Work... Love Your Body-Love Your Life.."

Oh yes and before I forget, if you have children don't forget to check out her Chidren's section in her store.

We LOVE to give our children a cup of chamomile before bed at night, we make it about an hour before bed  and it really helps to calm and relax them for bed.  QOT has it in a convenient tincture found here.

But it's not just for the kiddos, hubby and I love to drink it before bed as well, really calms the nerves for a peaceful evening and night!!!

Coffee & Zucchini

As I sit here to write about my recent happenings and things I've been cooking, I am enjoying a delightful cup of fresh ground coffee from Copper Canyon Roasters, picked up at my local farmers market.  

This cup is the Breakfast Blend: A careful selection of several coffee beans from Central America to Indonesia. This coffee has a little bit of a bite to it and will  get you up in the morning and on your way. A well balanced cup. I enjoyed it also this evening with some lovely zucchini brownies! WOW!

Our garden is pretty small this year, my second year to have a real garden but we are getting loads of zucchini so I am using them in all sorts of ways! 

Today I made Zucchini Salsa.  I really like this recipe a lot, found here.

If you like some heat to your salsa then follow the recipe exactly, however if your like me and like a milder salsa, I recommend instead of using 2 Tablespoons of crushed red pepper as it calls for, instead maybe just a teaspoon or two.  I am looking forward to adding a can to chili this winter, and stews.

Tonight I threw a pint on some chicken breasts and baked it in the oven.  Very tasty!

Ingredients:

• 8 1/2 cups zucchini, peeled & shredded
• 3 1/2 onions, chopped
• 1 3/4 green peppers, chopped
• 1 3/4 red peppers, chopped
• 1/4 cup pickling salt
• 1 tablespoon pickling salt
• 1 3/4 tablespoons dry mustard
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 1 3/4 cups white vinegar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 3/4 tablespoons red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 4 1/4 cups chopped ripe tomatoes
• 1 3/4 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 (10 ounce) tomato paste

Directions:

Day one:In a large bowl combine; Zucchini, onions, green pepper, red pepper and the salt Mix together cover and let stand over night.

Day two:

Next day rinse, drain well and put into a large pot then add mustard, garlic, cumin, vinegar, brown sugar, pepper flakes, salt,cornstarch, nutmeg, pepper, tomatoes and tomato paste.

Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes.

Pour into sterilized jars and seal

Water bath jars for 15 minutes if they have not sealed properly.

What are some of your favorite canning recipes this season?

Tea Anyone?

Happy Time Tea

We love having tea time, and one of my favorite blends of tea is Birthday Blend from Shady Gables Tea Room in Versailles, MO

It is so wonderful hot or cold.  Hot we add a little milk and sugar and iced I make a big pitcher and sweeten it, absolutely delightful.

Last week I made the best drop biscuit recipe I have ever tasted. Very light and airy, sweet and dainty perfect for tea time, I also used them for dumplings in chicken in dumplings.

Drop biscuits

2 cups of flour

2 T. raw sugar

4 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. cream of tarter

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup butter cut into cubes

2/3 cup milk

1 egg

Mix first five ingredients, then cut in the butter, stir in milk and egg. Drop by large tablespoons onto cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.  Lovely with honey butter.

Pioneer Week

I am hoping to do a  pioneer week with my girls soon, I do not have everything planned out as of yet, but so far I want to do our laundry outside with the washboard (I have actually done this before for three months straight when I sold my washing machine), bathe in a wash tub, cook outside on an open fire, and use our oil lamps.

I will turn off the computer for the week as well and I plan on logging and taking pictures of it all to share.

Each day I hope to do some new project with the girls like making candles, making a willow branch broom, or a new pioneer type recipe.

If anyone has any websites, books, or ideas for our "pioneer week" we would love it!

Here are some books we recently checked out

Buy here

Buy here

Buy here

Buy here

I really like the "Inside Laura's House Book" and would love to have that one in my own private collection!

Cheesy Omelet

We eat a lot of eggs, we have chickens and they are a good source of protein.  I created this omelet last week and then made it for Steve this morning and thought I would share it.

In a bowl scramble together two eggs, heaping teaspoon of miracle whip, 1/2 cup of mexican shredded cheese or taco cheese from aldi. Pour this into a non stick skillet with a light spray of canola oil spray.  Cook on medium heat, when it is close to being done take the juice from your salsa about 2 tablespoons and dribble all around one half.  Then gently fold over with spatula.  Sprinkle the folded side with a little Parmesan cheese, when it is ready to flip sprinkle the other side.  oh yum, the flavor in this omelet is wonderful!!!!

You have never tasted chocolate until you've tasted Calabasas......

I was beyond thrilled when Everything Etsy informed me that i was the winner for the Blog Party Giveaway from Calabasas Candy Co.   I could taste the chocolates in my mouth up until I received them in the mail yesterday.  And let me tell you, I was NOT dissapointed!!!  You can find their Etsy shop HERE!

Oh my goodness I am just a country girl so I had never tasted chocolate with salt on the top, and the sweet and saltiness goodness that occurs is just..........unexplainable.  My favorite was the Peruvian Dark Chocolate Fleur de Sel Caramel and the Dark Chocolate Covered Caramels found in the  Sampler Box.  The prices are so reasonable and I think these would make WONDERFUL mothers day gifts!!!  My husbands favorite was the Vanilla Fleur de Sel Caramel.

Here is what the shop owner has to say

"Calabasas is located near the California coast, and famous for a relaxed, health consious attitude. We work closely with a local chocolatier who selects only the finest exotic cocoa beans from around the world. Our cocoa beans are all organic and are ethically traded.

♥Our caramels are made from our own exclusive recipe using only the finest fresh ingredients. So buttery and delicious, they melt in your mouth! Check back soon for new and exciting flavors! Try our marshmallows, so light and creamy, almost like a dense mousse!

♥We are so excited to be featured in L.A. Magazine's February issue under their "L.A. List"!"

And homemade marshmallows, imagine eating a smores with one of these babies, you haven't lived until you have! ;-)  When you order make sure and get enough for friends because once you taste  them you WON'T want to share! And that is no joke!!!

Calabasas Candy Co.

Flowers & Food = Happy

My latest photos are of this lovely blooming tree in our backyard.  It's a true Bloomin' Idiot....if you've ever heard that term before, now it has true meaning! ;-) You can find the print in my etsy shop here!

I am offering these as a set of four notecards, my little sweetie picked these off the tree and put them in this mason jar just for her mama. Found here.

Now for some food! ;-)

My friend is loaning me her cookbook '1001 4-ingredient Recipes.  It's pretty cool. I liked this one for breakfast.  Take

*1 loaf of cinnamon raisin bread
*butter
*cooked bacon strips
*cheddar cheese slices

Makes a wonderful modified breakfast "grilled cheese". We loved it!

Bacon Quiche Bed & Breakfast Recipe

I really enjoy making extra special breakfast on Sunday mornings.  A friend had given me some yummy thick sliced bacon so I searched for a quiche recipe that sounded good to me and improvised it a bit. The original recipe from The Country Inn @ Camden/Rockport Maine can be found here.

You will need:

*an uncooked ready made pie crust
*8 strips of bacon (cooked)
*1/2 cup milk
*1/2 cup miracle whip
*1-1/2  cups shredded cheddar cheese
*5 large eggs
*couple dashes onion powder
*dash seasoned salt
*dash pepper

Directions:

Placed the shredded cheddar cheese into the bottom of the pie crust.  Mix milk, miracle whip, eggs, and seasonings together and slowly pour over cheese.  Top with the cooked bacon pieces.  Bake at 350* for 40-50 minutes. Let stand and cool, cut into wedges and enjoy with a cup of coffee or tea! Purely delightful!!!

Something borrowed, something blue

We went to a wedding yesterday and it was so lovely!  It had been a while since I had attended one and I had actually forgotten how much I love them!  When Steve and I married 8 years ago, I remember the loads of gifts that covered our tiny one bedroom basement apartment, seriously we could hardly walk anywhere!  But one gift stuck with me, it was simple but elegant and very thoughtful.

My friend Anne had taken a basket and filled it with some wine goblets, sparkling cider, and Milano cookies.  I just loved it, it was so simple but really great to come home too and enjoy a candlelit soak in the tub with the basket!

So I decided to mimic this gift.  You can make it to (very quick, I was pressed for time, so this helped) for around $25.  Much cheaper if you shop clearance!

*Trendy basket - $10
*Wine glasses - $5
*Pepperidge Farm Milano cookies - $3
*Sparking cider - $3
*White Tissue Paper - $1
*Wire sheer ribbon - $2

So I just stuffed the tissue paper in and nicely set the items in, then I took the sheer ribbon and laced it around everything, I did use scotch tape to tape it in places, it was super windy and I didn't want to chance it blowing away.  I also had a couple beeswax candles that I threw in. It was fun and all together took about 5 minutes.

Whispering Grace Note Cards

Each week I thoroughly look forward to participating in the Blog Party over at Everything Etsy

One day we were doing a photo shoot of a family at a place we call the water shed, it is a green park built by the utility company here in town made with natural resources. A beautiful unique place! 

My family was enjoying the area and snapping shots while I was doing the shoot and my five year old bent down and wanted to take this picture, so Daddy helped her! We think these make very unique one of a kind note-cards to send friends, etc. These could be customized as invitations, etc. These can be found in our Etsy Shop

Wordless Wednesday

I discovered wordless wednesday from Just Jingle

Comfort Food

Well our first day of spring was enjoyed by snow, rain, sleet, freezing rain.....you get the picture. So todays menu  included comfort food.  Quick and Easy Chicken & Noodles.  I just threw most of the ingredients in before church so I didn't have much to do when I got home.

In your crock pot add:

7 cups water
7 chicken bouillon cubes
3 chicken breasts (frozen is fine)
1 small diced onion
2 large carrots diced

Cook on high 3 hours, then remove chicken breasts, shred into bite size pieces and keep warm in microwave or oven.  Add 4 cups of frozen egg noodles to broth onions and carrots, cook on high for 30 minutes, add chicken back, stir and serve.  I mixed up some mashed potatoes and served this over tators!!!  Very comforting on a cold blistery spring day!!! ;-)

(note-card give-away coming soon, stay tuned!!!)

Newest Photo Creations

I am so excited to be a part of the Blog Party again @ Everything Etsy again!!!

I have some new prints available that I would love to share, these are available as 5 x 7's in my Etsy Shop MariesCottage but we can do notecards, larger prints, and more at your request!

This lovely red barn was down a very lonely country road, I had to cross two low water bridges (with no sides) to get to it. I love the windows in it, would be so neat remodeled into a house!

This photo was taken by my husband as we were standing in a field and it was near dusk, thus the title Horizon dusk, found in my store here.

On the way home from our photo taking venture, Steve got this shot of a crow at the stoplight intersection, I gave it a polaroid tint, and we titled it Solitary Crow, found here.

And this old storage shed I loved the distressed red paint on it, titled Covered in Red !

I have been busy this week improving and adjusting my Etsy shop, I received some wonderful advice from a fellow Etsian RhondasTreasures to make sure and have Shop Policies, that is something that I had not done, so today I filled out my shop policies to help ensure future buyers that their business is safe with Mariescottage.  If you have not done so yet in your Etsy shop I highly recommend it!!!  Have a wonderful day!!!

Pretty & Unique things

Today I want to share a few pretty and unique things that are aesthetically pleasing to me from Etsy.....the talent that abounds there is just fascinating to me, even the photographing of vintage items is at times absolutely outstanding!

This is an antique Columbian family metal scale from havenvintage. Her shop is wonderful and the colors are brilliant on there!!!! Something for everyones home! I was happy to be featured in her recent treasury

http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=119398

April in Paris Old Paper and Roses Antique Ephemera Collage 8 inch Background for Altered Art/ ATC Digital Collage Sheet by Tattered Vintage, their shop has some wonderful images!!!  Click here

I also fell in love with the Five Dollar French Market, I love these candles with the hand stamped french text!!!

And the simple elegance of this little girls gunne sax white dress, I can just see a little girl running through a field of spring flowers, with a crown of flowers adorning her head!  Click here to visit this wonderful shop

And these amazing soaps that are a piece of artwork within themselves. These are called Celtic Clover Oatmeal spa soap, wow I cannot wait to try them, her soaps are amazing! catherinefilippelli

Lastly!

These just scream dainty loveliness!!!!!  Salmon sweets silver earrings from the wonderful shop Lilyja who was so kind to include me in her recent treasury as well!!  

http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=119004

Sunday was a day of double blessings for me!!!

I hope to post later today on my weight loss as I said I would, have a beautiful day ALL!!!!

Spring Goodness

Today is pretty rainy, but we have experience some wonderful spring-like weather this past week and I loved it!

I love all the things that come with spring, the new flowers, the first blessings of spring, tiny bits of life peeping out here and there, and the wonderful smells and the cool breezes.

While visiting my mother there were some sweet tiny lilac crocus' presenting themselves and I just had to photograph them.  I am offering them as notecards in my etsy store, but it is available as a print of any size as well!

One thing I like about this photo is the crocus directly under it looks like a mirrored image but it is not, and I love the tiny specks of pollen as well.

Mom has an old rusty red vintage bicycle leaning against one of her trees and it was beckoning to me to take a picture as well.  Those notecards found here

As a kick-off for our notecards within the next week we will be holding a give-away for six of our notecards! Stay tuned and enjoy a wonderful weekend!!!

Simple & Sweet Card line by MariesCottage

This post is in response to the I Made It! Blog Party and Giveaway @Everything Etsy



Well as I have been absent I have been working on a few things.  Weight loss is a "big" thing I have been working on, I have lost 22 lbs. and am very thrilled, I will try to post about my weight loss in detail soon!!

Secondly I have been working on adding my photography in my etsy shop and creating a note-card line with some of my favorite prints.  Hubby and I both really enjoy photography so all of our work is original and by us.

Some of our work is featured in a restaurant here in our town, Neighborhood Pizza & Cafe and that has been really awesome for us!!!

These note-cards are of a rusty blue/green chair, hubby took this one and I just love the colors and everything about it!!!  Found in my shop here: Sit a Spell (title of these cards)

A bundle of vintage lace that is actually for sale in my etsy shop but when I saw the pic of it I just loved the simplicity of it so I changed it to a dramatic sepia and voila a perfect note-card to send with your etsy orders, makes a wonderful gift, or just to send sweet notes to a special friend!!! I titled this line: "Old Lace but no Arsenic"

And nothing is sweeter than a child helping out, holding a handful of bantam eggs from our sweet black frizzle bantam cochins!!!  I title this notecard line "my hands are small".  These cards are found here.

Let me know what you think, we are thrilled about these and super excited about adding more, many ideas rolling around in the brain, usually it's just time needed to make it all happen!! Have a glorious day and thanks for reading!!!