Monthly Archives: September 2016

Lunch, Bates, and Ketosis

September 16, 2016Finally FridayLife of Joy

Look who joined me for lunch this week.

Tiffany had a lunch date and I had some time to kill. So I picked up Lauren and Liam and we enjoyed lunch at Cracker Barrel. (I took a picture of Lauren too but it wasn’t very flattering, so I opted not to post it. )

I love the Cracker Barrel lunch special salad. The grilled chicken in it is delicious. It generally comes with either baked potato or soup. Since I couldn’t have either of the soups because of high carb items in each and I couldn’t have the potato either, they gladly let me substitute in broccoli and I added some cheese. The broccoli was perfectly cooked and delicious.

I enjoyed visiting with Lauren and loved having some cuddle time with my grandson. It ended up being a long but good day.

Have you ever heard of the Bates Method? It is a method for improving eyesight. Sean did the initial research and Tiffany has just recently been looking into it too. This is really helpful for me because Tiffany is a huge help to me. Here is a link where we are getting a lot of information.

Today Tiffany and I made it a color day. This is a good game to have children play as well, for completely different reasons. I chose yellow. It was a quick decision picked from the picture on the Colour Days page. Yellow isn’t a very popular color in my home, so there wasn’t a lot that I found but at least I was aware and played along.

Tiffany made some delicious Keto Snickerdoodle Cookies this week. They were so good she made a second batch yesterday.

I guess I should clarify this. They are delicious for cookies made without sugar and wheat flour.

I am happy because I just found out that I’m in ketosis, which is the state where your body burns fat instead of glucose. I definitely have a lot of that, so I shouldn’t run out of energy any time soon.

OH! If you didn’t notice, I have changed a few things on the website. I don’t have the recipe index up and running, yet, but I should soon. At any rate, if you don’t see the changes, you might need to refresh, delete your cache, or restart your device.

Well, I’m going to run for now. I’m off to crochet a pair of arm warmers for Tiffany.

Until next time, God bless,

Michele ºÜº

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Timelines

September 15, 2016Thoughtful ThursdayLife of Joy

When my kids were young, I made a timeline that went down the left side of our hallway, about a foot from the top of the wall, down into and around my sons’ bedroom. It then came back out their door and down the right side of the hallway. I wish I could find a picture of it. We had it up for many, many years. Unfortunately we did not utilize it as much as I wish we had.

I liked this method because it was easy to see how time had passed since creation. It got a bit tricky with some parts of the bible but it was good. It wasn’t about perfection for us, just a good visual.

Another method is to do it all on one wall or on a roll-up blind, to conserve even more space. I like the idea of the blind but it might get a bit difficult to roll back up with a lot of figures and events on it. And the figures would be curled too. Hmm, maybe that’s not such a good idea after all.

Another method is to keep a timeline in a book. Over on Simply Charlotte Mason, they have a free downloadable timeline they call “A Book of Centuries.” In the description they give instructions on how it can be set up. Here is another free download, based on Charlotte Mason’s methods. (Once you arrive at the webpage, the link to the pdf is in the second sentence.) In her pdf, she gives a couple of examples of how to use the pages/make your book. I think my favorite book type timeline is one that is folded like an accordion , so that it can be expanded to see where the individual item falls in the span of history.

All too late, I purchased timeline figures on cd from Amy Pak, Homeschooling in the Woods. I wish I had purchased it earlier; it sure would have made it easier on me. I used some inexpensive children’s picture Bibles for some of the biblical characters and events. I told my kids we were guessing at dates, when that was the case, because I didn’t ever want them to be confused about what is truth. (The Bible is truth and we can sometimes make mistakes about our interpretation.) She has a webpage with lots of timeline information that is definitely worth taking the time to read. She even gives a list of the dates/dating method that takes into effect the number of things you may want to include on your timeline and not use an extraordinary number of pages.

It’s important to do some research into the different kinds of timelines before you make either the financial investment or the time investment. So, I’m including a few links with either information on how to make a timeline and the various types of timelines or timeline figures or even some of both.

This first one I’m sharing was no longer an active page but I found it on the internet archive. You may have to copy and paste any link addresses on this page, directly into your browser, as it will probably be altered because this page is no longer active itself. It is a very good comprehensive resource for all things timeline.
This one has a lot of links and information about timelines.
This is a good article that I pulled from the archives that has an overview of how to make a timeline.
This one has a list of timeline resources, which is excellent!
Here is another good compilation of links and resources.
This one isn’t too big and is easy on the eyes.
This one is from The Homeschool Mom and has some good links. (The one that is a dead link is one I included above from the archives.)
This one has some timeline figures you can download.

Wow! That’s a lot of info but timelines are something that you will want to use for years and you don’t want to have to start over.

Well, I hope I haven’t given you too much information, so that you are overwhelmed. I hope you can find a method that will work for you and your family.

Until next time, God bless,

Michele ºÜº

Tripoli Monotangle

September 14, 2016Wonder WednesdayLife of Joy

This week’s Diva Challenge is a monotangle using Tripoli. This means that I cannot combine it with any other challenges/focuses this week.

Tripoli is not a tangle that I have used very much, mostly because it hasn’t turned out all that great for me. Some how I manage to get my triangles all discombobulated. Today I just embraced the wonkiness.

At first I was going to do a string with two mirroring “C’s” but decided that severely cut into the available drawing space and word force me to do all small triangles, like I ended up with in one section anyway. Since I’m trying to befriend Tripoli, I decided that I needed at least one large area, so I could make the triangles large.

I started with the bottom section and made my triangles of Tripoli small. They got wonky as I expected but I finished out the space.

In the upper section I started in the middle and with medium to medium-large sized triangles. I watched two Tripoli tutorials on youtube which helped a lot. One helped and the other, which I really liked. It actually makes me want to play around with Tripoli and try my hand at some of these but only in my drawing notebook. At any rate, I decided to fill the larger Tripoli with some different corner fills.

I remembered to scan the pre-shaded tile again today. I really like doing this because it makes me feel better about the finished product, many times.

I had some natural shading on the smaller Tripoli in one strip because the individual triangles were smaller and closer together than in other parts of the section. At first I shaded the hill (lower section) on the left side and left some of the right side unshaded. But then I started working on the larger Tripoli and found that I needed to change the light direction to the left corner instead of the right, so I did what we are not supposed to do and I erased the shading on the bottom section. Yes I did! Then I re-shaded it, leaving it lighter on the left side than the right side.

I decided to do a little shading between groupings of Tripoli to add some more definition. I think it turned out okay.

Thanks again to those kind people that take the time to comment. It is much appreciated and a great encouragement to me!!!

Until next time, God bless,

Michele ºÜº

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Breakfast/Brunch Pizza

September 13, 2016Tasty Tuesdaycheese, gluten-free, keto, pizza, tomto sauceLife of Joy

If I eat this whole pizza, I’m full for several hours. Breakfast sausage is great on it, as is bacon.

This is a good, filling breakfast or lunch; well actually, it could be eaten for any meal of the day. The toppings are completely up to you. On this one, I put pepperoni on all of it and canned mushrooms on half of it. It is a very simple recipe. I recommend that you get your toppings ready before you start to cook the “crust” so that you don’t overcook it.

Let’s get started.

Beat two eggs until frothy. I like to use my immersion blender and it is done extremely quickly.

Add 1 tablespoon almond flour and 1/4 teaspoon salt (or to taste).

And one tablespoon nutritional yeast or grated Parmesan cheese. I used the nutritional yeast. We cannot tell it is even in there. Supposedly, it adds a cheesy flavor but is very good for you.

And blend away.

Heat a medium size skillet, one that can go under the broiler. I use my cast iron skillet. I actually used my fajita pan today. Heat with your choice of oil, butter, or spray oil (like Pam).

Add egg mixture. Cook until nearly dry on top and flip.

At this point, I turn off the heat and add the toppings. Today I just used a plain canned tomato sauce.

Add about 1/3 cup of shredded cheese of your choosing. I used mild cheddar.

I shredded it very fine, so there seems to be a bit more than 1/3 cup.

I add the toppings on top of the cheese so that they get heated under the broiler before the cheese gets too done. Today I used pepperoni and some canned mushrooms. Use whatever you like. You could use sausage and bacon or ham. Really, use whatever you like. Although if you are considering veggies, I recommend sauteing them first, unless you want them nearly raw.

Put it under the broiler until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

If you eat the whole thing, it will keep you full for hours. If you share it with someone, you’ll be ready when lunch time rolls around.

Breakfast/Brunch Pizza

Ingredients

2 eggs
1 tablespoon almond flour
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast, or grated parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
spray oil, butter, or other oil of your choosing
2-4 Tablespoons tomato sauce, green taco sauce, pesto, garlic sauce, or alfredo
1/3 cup shredded cheese
toppings (I used pepperoni and canned mushroom)

Instructions

Beat eggs until frothy.
Add almond flour and nutritional yeast or Parmesan cheese and salt.
Blend again
Add oil to oven safe skillet over medium high heat.
Pour in egg mixture.
When the top is nearly dry, flip and turn off heat.
Add sauce, cheese, and toppings.
Place under broiler until cheese is melted and toppings are heated through.
Cut and eat. 🙂

https://lifeofjoy.me/breakfastbrunch-pizza/

Oh, I almost forgot! I give credit where credit is due. I got this from GinnysLowCarbKitchen.blogspot.com and adapted it to suit our tastes.

Until next time, God bless,

Michele ºÜº

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Respect, again

September 12, 2016Marriage MondayLife of Joy

Since The Bible instructs a woman to respect her husband, I am always open to ideas of how to accomplish this instruction.

Respect is such a tricky thing, at least to me. As a woman, I know what it looks like to show love. In the past I didn’t even have a clue how to show respect, but I have been on this quest to learn how to show respect and have learned a bit about it. However, I do not believe that I have a firm enough grasp on it yet, so I continue to seek wisdom.

In this continuing search, I have run across some good ideas and encouragement. I recently received this article in my email. In it Nina shared Ephesians 5:33 in the Amplified Bible. Wow! It sure does amplify it. Where it simply says, “and the wife see that she reverence her husband,” it says, “and the wife [must see to it] that she respects and delights in her husband [that she notices him and prefers him and treats him with loving concern, treasuring him, honoring him, and holding him dear].” Isn’t that amazing?!

I need to keep this scripture in front of me until it becomes a part of me. This Amplified version is clearer and gives some good insight into how I should reverence my husband.

I highly recommend the entire article. It is longer than what I can include here but it is definitely worth the read.

I hope you are encouraged and this gives you some ideas on how to obey what the Bible requires of us.

Until next time, God bless,

Michele ºÜº

Learning to Knit Again

September 9, 2016Finally FridayLife of Joy

It’s been a pretty quiet week around here this week. Sean stayed at a friend’s house and took care of their fur-babies while they were out of town for the long weekend. He did come home for the afternoon both Saturday and Monday. We enjoy spending time with each other, just being together. We don’t have to do anything big together.

At the church, there is a lady that made some dishcloths that we used in the kitchen. They were nice and I thought she said she had crocheted them. Since I crochet, I asked her for the pattern. She was gracious enough to send it to me.

When I finally printed it out, I realized it was knit and not crochet. I have knitted a scarf once but find knitting to be easier to drop stitches and harder to recover. But with crochet it is easy to fix mistakes. So, I was a bit sad that this was knit.

I finally decided to give it a try anyway. Of course, I had to relearn how to knit, since the last time I knitted anything was over a decade ago, possible even two decades ago. I couldn’t remember how to cast stitches on, so I looked on youtube and found a different way than what I had learned. It took me a while to figure it out and I reworked the first rows over a dozen times, maybe two dozen. But in the end, I finally figured it out. It wasn’t too difficult once I got going.

The first video I tried had the yarn on the right hand but when I crochet I have my yarn on my left hand. I was trying to do it they way she suggested and was really struggling. I found another video and she started out showing the use of the right hand but then she switched up. Wow! I couldn’t believe how much easier it was for me. It’s funny how you get used to doing certain things with one hand and then try to do the same, easy procedure with the other and find it extremely difficult to complete.

I gave up perfection and just kept reminding myself that it is a dishrag and it doesn’t need to be perfect. I used a variegated yarn because it was on sale. Sean and Tiffany call this my Fiesta Dishcloth.

That picture doesn’t look so good. Here’s a closeup.

It has this nice pattern on the edge where it is thick and then there is this holey pattern, and then the stitches. I like that it goes on the diagonal. The truth is that it is a very easy pattern. I’ll have to ask if I can share it with you all some Wednesday (art day).

Looks like I’ll be making a lot of these because I want a few and Sean and Tiffany have already asked for me to make them some for whenever they get married. So, I’m off to Amazon to find a good deal on this yarn.

I have not gotten to see sweet Liam this week. Although Lauren did send me a picture of my cute grandson on Labor Day. I’m hoping I get to see him this weekend.

~ Lifeofjoy.me — Liam chillin’ on Labor Day.

Well, that’s enough rambling for today. Have a blessed weekend.

Until next time, God bless,

Michele ºÜº

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Some Reasons to Homeschool

September 8, 2016Thoughtful ThursdayLife of Joy

Recently, I read this article online, which talked about nine things people don’t want to acknowledge about the current educational system. If you are currently homeschooling, it should encourage you that you are definitely doing the right thing. If you are considering homeschooling, it will definitely give you something to think about. And if you aren’t considering homeschooling, it will give you some things to think about concerning your children’s education.

Know that true learning is unforgettable, so if your children learn something that they are interested in they will remember it. When children are learning about things they are interested in, they are engaged, remember it, and love telling others what they know.

Well, I won’t ramble on any more about the article. Just go and read it for yourself.

Until next time, God bless,

Michele ºÜº

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Hibred, Jonna, Centre Square

September 7, 2016Wonder WednesdayLife of Joy

This week’s Diva Challenge, is what Laura Harms calls Use My Tangle. This month it is Aleesha Sattva’s Centre Square.

I also used WZTV’s focus, Hibred which is a Zentangle original tangle.

Then I used patterncollections tangle of the day, Jonna by Sandra Hoffner. I really enjoy combining focuses/challenges because I don’t have to think about what tangles to use.

I drew a simple string and then placed the tangles in stripes. I also tried to layer then, so it looked like some were on top of the others.

I remembered to scan the lineart before shading it this week.

And here it is shaded. I used my graphic 1 pen for centre square but it is nasty to shade over. It has a scratchy chalkboard feel. Yuck!

I used my 6B drawing pencil to get a bit more darkness, as well.

Well, I guess that’s it for this week. Thank you, in advance, to those that are so kind as to leave a comment. Comments are so encouraging.

Until next time, God bless,

Michele ºÜº

Keto Chocolate Mousse

September 6, 2016Desserts, Tasty Tuesdayavocado, gluten-free, ketoLife of Joy

Avocado, yes avocado, makes this mouse really good for you and you cannot tell it is there.

My family craves sweets. I haven’t for quite some time now; I think it must be the chelated magnesium I have been taking for the last four or five years. I really don’t crave anything but that does not mean that I done desire to have certain foods at times . . . those creamy foods or pizza get me in the end.

Anyway, we have been doing the ketogenic diet for the past several weeks and I have loved it. I get to eat protein and fat and cheese! However, my family has not been cravings free. Tiffany’s sweet tooth has pushed her to try things she wouldn’t normally try. I’ve already shared the picture of the cupcakes she made, but I’ll share it here again.

They were pretty good. I especially like them because they are not too sweet.

The recipe I’m sharing today is one way outside of Tiffany’s comfort zone. It is chocolate mousse but the main ingredient is avocados and she does not like avocados . . . until now.

She has made this a couple of times now, once with overly ripe avocados and once with near perfectly ripened ones. She did not feel that they were quite ripe enough but I think they were great. At any rate, here’s the procedure.

We are currently without a good food processor. I’ve begun saving my money to get a good one. I love my Kitchenaid mixer, so I’m saving to get a food processor I’ll enjoy as much.

We make the whole thing in the mixer. Consequently, the cream needs to be whipped first. So pour a cup of heavy whipping cream in the bowl, add some sweetener (we use 1 teaspoon Swerve) and whisk away.

Remove it to another bowl until we are ready to add it back in.

If you have a food processor or immersion blender, you can use that. Tiffany mashes the avocados up a bit and then adds the other ingredients. She just may use the immersion blender we have next time she makes this, now that I’ve mentioned it to her. We use a Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa, so it’s probably a bit stronger than the original recipe.

We also use coconut oil and find we need to melt it first so that it combines better.

After it is thoroughly blended, then fold in the whipped cream.

We have found that a few dashes of salt enhance the flavor.

It is rich and not real sweet. I tried adding a few drops of chocolate stevia but it didn’t do too good. I’ll try adding some of my stevia glycerite next time. It is filling and good for you, so enjoy.

This recipe was adapted from I Breathe I’m Hungry.

Keto Chocolate Mousse

Ingredients

2 avocados
2 tablespoons of coconut oil (melting optional)
1/2 cup Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa
couple of dashes of sea salt
4 tablespoons sugar free chocolate syrup (I'm still looking for a different one)
1 teaspoon Swerve
4 tablespoons heavy whipping cream

Instructions

Whip the cream with the swerve, until stiff peaks form; set aside.
Either put the rest of the ingredients in a blender or use an immersion blender
OR
Mash the avocado with a fork and combine the rest of the ingredients (except the whipped cream) and blend away, until thoroughly combined.
Fold in the whipped cream.
Enjoy!

https://lifeofjoy.me/keto-chocolate-mousse/

Until next time, God bless,

Michele ºÜº

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Keeping a Good Attitude

September 5, 2016Marriage MondayLife of Joy

Today is Labor Day in the U.S., which is a day to celebrate the contributions of the American workers. It is a federal holiday. We are celebrating very casually by enjoying time spent together and relaxing. I also think it is a good opportunity to remind my hubby that I appreciate him and all he does to provide for us.

I remember attending a workshop by Kirk Martin at our homeschool convention several years ago that dealt with how to handle fussing and such in the home. I learned a lot about myself from him. Unfortunately, I have yet to master what I learned though.

You see, he taught that the best way to keep peace in the home is to remain at peace yourself, no matter how frustrated you might be. I’m a very passionate person and as such, tend to raise my voice. But worse than that, it seems that I tend to react improperly when Mike and I have a conflict.

There are times that I’m a little uptight and Mike will say something that frustrates me, for whatever reason. These are the moments that I realize how much I still need to grow and mature.

It is important to react properly, even when you are going through things. It can be very difficult to respond correctly, especially to spouse/those in your household. It can be much easier with people outside your home because then you generally work harder to be acceptable and act correctly. It is harder at home because you let your guard down when you’re in your safe place.

I am sad to admit that I still respond with incorrect attitudes at heart and raise my voice in frustration, far too much. But the first step is realizing that there is room for growth and then the next steps are actually working on holding your tongue or saying things in a calmer, nicer tone than what has been the norm.

I encourage you today to take a self-evaluation and see what areas you can work on that will make your life, and ultimately, your marriage, better. And maybe take a moment to tell him you appreciate him and what he does for you and your family.

Until next time, God bless,

Michele ºÜº

Life Of Joy

A Place of Encouragement

Monthly Archives: September 2016

Lunch, Bates, and Ketosis

Timelines

Tripoli Monotangle

Breakfast/Brunch Pizza

If I eat this whole pizza, I’m full for several hours. Breakfast sausage is great on it, as is bacon.

Respect, again

Learning to Knit Again

Some Reasons to Homeschool

Hibred, Jonna, Centre Square

Keto Chocolate Mousse

Avocado, yes avocado, makes this mouse really good for you and you cannot tell it is there.

Keeping a Good Attitude