Monthly Archives: June 2018

My Grandson (and Son and Daughter-in-Love) Visited

June 15, 2018Finally FridayLife of Joy

Since Lauren has to work this weekend, they came up last weekend. Sooooooo . . . I got Liam pictures!!!!

He was warming up to Shiloh again. (He has to warm up to her ever visit.) He heard the camera click . . .

Such a ham! But such a cute ham!!! (I’m not biased at all! )

He likes to play with this window with people. Last month it was Sean. This month Tiffany.

And once again, he heard the camera click . . .

He loves his daddy! He enjoys “playing” video games too.

Yeah, he caught me again. (He’s just so stinking cute sometimes. LOL)

He also loves playing with balls. So we play at some point while he’s here. He’s good at bouncing it to me but not good at catching it yet.

He also had fun “drawing” with Aunt Tiffany this visit. It wasn’t very long lived, but it was cute.He watched Tiffany very carefully and tried to mimic her motions. It was darling.

I love the look on Lauren’s face, such a momma look!

Yeah, we had a nice visit! We don’t see them very often, so even though we hadn’t made it to church the last couple of weeks because Tiffany was not feeling well, we stayed home and visited with them. It was nice to has a leisurely breakfast of sausage and baked pancakes. Then we had sandwiches and fruit salad for lunch and ended our visit with some homemade cookie dough ice cream.

Brian and Liam loved the ice cream. It’s a little cheap ice cream maker we got from Aldi a couple of years ago. You keep the bowl in the freezer for 24 hours before using it. It doesn’t get really hard set but it is a nice soft serve consistency. It only makes about one and a half quarts, so Lauren had the last piece of strawberry cake I served the night before. (She loves strawberry and is not a huge fan of ice cream, so it worked out fine.) I can see I’m going to have to get another machine as my family grows.

Well, that’s enough for today. I hope you enjoyed our visit with my family. I sure do miss them since they are a couple hours away but I know I have it good.

Until next time, God bless,

Michele ºÜº

Signing and Children

June 14, 2018Thoughtful ThursdayLife of Joy

I recently heard of a young homeschooling momma whose young boy, about age 7, stopped talking. I cannot imagine what challenges she is facing, especially if she doesn’t know sign language in any form.

I learned sign language from books. Truth be told, God enabled me to learn it pretty decently. Unfortunately I never had a clue that teaching babies/toddlers was a thing, as I definitely would have used it with my children when they were young because they did not really talk much until they were two years old. Brian and Lauren (my son and daughter-in-love) are teaching my grandson some sign language and it is really helping them communicate better.

I found a few links to share with you today. I hope they might be helpful.

This one is a slide show that has 21 useful signs
This is a link to a youtube video showing 30 signs and giving you some information on how to make them and ways to remember them

A lot of libraries have baby sign language books and other resources available.

I found that there are lots of articles online touting the benefits of teaching toddlers and young children sign language. It can help them communicate more readily. It connects both sides of the brain and more.

I hope this helps some. As always, if you have any specific questions, let me know and I’ll try to help.

Until next time, God bless,

Michele ºÜº

A Bit of Color on Soul Star with Meer and Hollibaugh

June 13, 2018Wonder Wednesday, ZentangleLife of Joy

Over the weekend I tangled a tile but did not shade it right away. When I checked the Diva Challenge this week, I saw that there was no challenge again; I guess Laura has gone on her summer break without any guest post challengers this year–I hope she is okay (I may ask on her facebook page when I’m done here).

I really like the tangle Soul Star by Sonya Yencer. I used it this week with two other favorites of mine, Meer and Hollibaugh. I like Hollibaugh because it has such good contrast in it.

So here’s my lineart.

I decided I wanted to add some color. Now I didn’t really have the right things to do this with so I just used my prismacolor pencils with a blender. It came out rather rough. I’m going to be looking for the watercolor pencils next.

I only colored one Soul Star because I wasn’t liking how it flowed . . . new supplies coming soon, I hope.

Here is a picture I took outside on an overcast day.

I used a bit of a 6b pencil to add some extra depth to some of the shading.

Since I want to share this in a Purely Zentangle group, I also scanned it grayscale because color is not allowed there.

I really appreciate you stopping by. Let me know which picture you like the most. I’m trying to figure out which way is best to post my tiles. I don’t like small pictures because I have a hard time seeing details but I don’t really want you to see all the imperfections either.

Well, I’m off. Have a great day.

Until next time, God bless,

Michele ºÜº

Pizza Skillet

June 12, 2018Ground Meat, Main Dishes, Tasty TuesdayLife of Joy

The best part of pizza is the cheesy toppings and are very low carb.

I love pizza! No seriously! Life without pizza is not an option, so every diet/lifestyle change I have been on, I have found a way to get the yumminess of pizza legally for that way of eat. Some of them were more of a stretch than others, like the time we used Corn Thins as the crust and spread on tomato paste and added toppings or the time we used chicken breast for the crust.

Well, I’ve been at this for so long that I don’t always have to have the crust. Sometimes I just want the toppings. I made this recipe the other day because it is too hot to use the oven to make pizza right now.

This meal is all about the toppings you like most. I used 1/2 pound of ground turkey, 1/2 pound of ground chicken, some turkey pepperoni, and some turkey bacon. (I use turkey products because Michael cannot have the beef or pork right now.)

I gave the ground meats a head start, then added the turkey bacon, broke it all up and combined well.

Then added the turkey pepperoni slices. Some times I cut them into quarters but I wanted to bite down into whole pieces this night.

Once it’s all browned up and the juices cook off, add in some tomato paste, water, baking soda, and oregano.

Stir to combine.

I like some green pepper and mushrooms on my pizza but my kids don’t prefer it. So I cook it separately. Cut the veggies how you like them; we like ours diced.

Then either add them in with the meats as you brown them or in a separate pan to saute. I like mine caramelized.

Add cheese to the top of the meats and let it melt.

It is ready to eat when the cheese is melted nicely.

It kind of looks like my lasagna. Oh, I’m looking forward to creating that one.

I serve it with the veggies on top and with a side salad.

If you miss the crust, you can serve it on a piece of low carb bread. I’ll adjust the recipe to incorporate that in a future post.

Print
Pizza Skillet

Ingredients
1/2 pound ground meat (I used turkey)
1/2 pound sausage (I used chicken sausage)
several slices of turkey bacon (I guess you could use regular bacon)
most of a 5 ounce package of pepperoni (I used turkey pepperoni)
3 ounces tomato paste
6 ounces water
sprinkle of baking soda (about 1/8 teaspoon)
dusting of oregano (about 1/2 - 1 teaspoon)
veggies of your choosing
8 ounces cheese, shredded (I used colby jack)
Instructions
Brown the ground meats in a skillet over medium high heat.
Add bacon and break up the meats.
When nearly cooked through add pepperoni.
Either add veggies cut as desired to the meat or saute in another pan.
When juices have nearly evaporated, add the tomato paste, water, baking soda, and oregano.
Combine well. Sprinkle with grated cheese.
Reduce heat to Medium Low, cover.
Serve when cheese is nicely melted.
(Add veggies if you cooked them separately.)
3.1
https://lifeofjoy.me/pizza-skillet/

I hope you enjoy this as much as we do.

Until next time, God bless,

Michele ºÜº

Don’t Be Afraid to Talk Things Out (Fight?)

June 11, 2018Marriage MondayLife of Joy

The first year Michael and I were married was not the easiest. We had MANY “discussions” but I would not trade them because they helped us figure things out.

Now I am not a proponent of arguing and not resolving anything. The only good argument is one that resolves the issues that caused it. You don’t have to argue but Michael and I are both very strong, independent individuals that were determined to spend our lives together. This required some communication about expectations and most of the time these were not planned discussions; they happened on the fly.

Now in our younger years, we were a bit more hot-headed than we are now. At least I like to think we’ve mellowed with age. Some of our arguments have resulted in some of the things we continue to carryout to this day. For example, he texts me when he is headed home and how long it will be until he gets here. This is because we homeschooled and the kids and I were here, in our home, being active, which generally includes making messes. Michael would come in and it was very lived in which did not make for a good feeling for him when he came in the door. So his text (call in the early days) gave me the warning we needed to clean things up and for me to get dinner started. Since he is self-employed his hours and commute times change a lot.

You see, we’d had a discussion (which was probably more like an argument) many times when he’d come home to a cluttered living space and dinner not being thought about. He wanted peace and quiet, food, and a clean floor to walk on. If he had worked a 9-5 or such job and he always got home at the same time, it would have been an easier fix but it could fluctuate by one to three hours on any given day. Thus we instigated the “headed home” notification.

So although arguments are never necessary, since there is always a calm and collected way to have a discussion, they are not necessarily all bad either. Just ensure that you are working to a resolution and not just yelling or flinging insults. I’m a very passionate person and I have a loud mouth which means that inevitably I will raise my voice in a conversation, especially if I am frustrated. Of course, that doesn’t mean it is right, but not the end of the world. Just be sure to fight fair (no name calling and such) and work to solving the the situation that caused the argument to begin with.

I hope you find this helpful. It’s just me being open and honest.

Until next time, God bless,

Michele ºÜº

Our Trees and Plants

June 8, 2018Finally FridayLife of Joy

Our Mimosa trees are in bloom! I’m soooo glad. Michael thought they might be dead since they had zero signs of life in May and we usually see something by then (at least that is how we remember it).

I just think they are gorgeous! Not only are the blossoms pretty but even the leaves are pretty.

They remind me of a fern.

Ours have gotten quite large now.

When we moved here, it was just a little thing, similar in size to this one. It was a bit bigger though because it has another trunk or two, meaning that it is really a few trees grown together in a clump. But it sure has grown. The one we have by the house has really grown too. We transplanted the one in front of the house from my mom’s house.

The Bradford pear trees we have were this big when Mom and Dad gave them to us shortly after we moved out here.

This is the same tree today.

It’s a bit bigger.

This is my rose “bush.”

Maybe you can’t see it very good. Here’s a close-up.

Yeah, it kind of looks like I stuck a long stemmed rose in the ground out there. But this was a “bush” I planted a few years ago. Clearly I need some help with it. It is a lovely rose though. See.

See this sunflower patch on the left. These self-seeded (or he birds did it).

Look what a few of them are doing.

Yep, a few of them are growing along the ground and then popping up a flower.

That one growing beside it is about to bloom too.

I’ve been trying to keep on top of the weeds to keep them from overtaking the garden but I’m not doing a very good job at it. I was out pulling weeds for about 40 minutes the other day. I pulled so many weeds, my fingers got stained. This is my fingers after washing them a couple times.

Here’s a closeup of the other hand.

It finally faded and came clean but it took a while. I’ll probably have to get out there and do some more come Monday (this weekend Brian, Lauren, and Liam are coming, so I probably won’t do it until Monday) because it rained a lot yesterday and that will probably make them grow more.

My oregano has flowered. I don’t know what that means exactly.

I guess I need to harvest some and dry some. Now to research what to do exactly. Always learning.

Well, I’ve rambled enough for today. I enjoyed seeing the growth of our plants/trees. I hope you did. And if you have any suggestions for my poor rose “bushes,” please share it with me in the comments.

Until next time, God bless,

Michele ºÜº

Educating the Preschooler

June 7, 2018Thoughtful ThursdayLife of Joy

Much of the little ones’ time should be spent outdoors and in play. As you do things throughout the day point out the number of things or color of items. Name body parts and objects in the home and outside. All these things build a child’s vocabulary.

To give you ideas of activities you can do with your young child, Before Five In A Row is a great resource. (I was going to include a picture of it but I cannot locate my copy just now. )It has a treasury of ideas to draw from in one part of the book. In the other part of the book it shares some quality children’s books and some activity ideas you can do that relate to that book.

Unlike Five in a Row where you read the same story five days in a row doing a different activity with the child each day, Before Five in a Row is not repeated, unless child directed (I know some children that will ask you to read the same book to them over and over again but others do not.) You just pick up one of the books as you desire and do something with your child. Don’t make this schooly! Keep it fun and as impromptu as you can.

Before Five in a Row is a good way to get your feet wet with some activities that springboard from a book. I highly recommend it.

As I was preparing this post I looked up some Charlotte Mason ideas on preschool. I found that habits are a big focus. I’ll post more on that another day but want to mention this free resource for your further information. Smooth and Easy Days is just a little ebook to give you some basic information about habits and will give you some things to think about.

Until next time, God bless,

Michele ºÜº

Tangled Notepad

June 6, 2018Wonder Wednesday, ZentangleLife of Joy

I recently gave a small little notepad to Sean, my middle son. He promptly asked me if I’d tangle on it in white. Of course, not wanting to let him down I consented. The other day I tangled it while I was listening to an audio.

Since there is no Diva Challenge this week AND we had a visitor on Tuesday, I decided that I would just share the notebook cover as my art for the week.

I’m not sure that I’m finished with it. I still want to do a little shading but when you are drawing with white, it is a bit different to shade than with black. I’m considering using color pencils to add some shading because I don’t think marker would work . . . I think it would just bead up and then smear off.

Here it is before any attempt at shading. The dashed border was printed on the cover already. Tangles used are Tipple, Meer, Shattuck, Avreal, and Msst. You can see where I was struggling with my pen some, with Msst.

I appreciate you stopping by. I hope you’ll leave a comment so I know you did.

Until next time, God bless,

Michele ºÜº

Homemade Noodles the THM Way

June 5, 2018Pasta, Side Dishes, Tasty TuesdayLife of Joy

Low carb, low fat, low calorie homemade noodles. These are made from glucomannan, which is from the konjac root.

There are noodles that you can buy that are good for a low carb lifestyle. Mind you, they smell very fishy but if you rinse them enough and cook them they aren’t bad. One brand is Miracle Noodles. They tend to be a bit rubbery tasting but when used with the right sauces, are wonderful on a low carb way of eating.

Those noodles are made from the konjac root. More precisely they are made from the fiber extracted from the konjac root or elephant yam called glucomannan. In THM circles it is frequently referred to as “gluccie.”

Trim Healthy Mama has their version of these noodles but they are not always in stock. Plus they are not very much like homemade noodles. Enter Judy from Wonderfully Made and Dearly Loved who made a homemade noodle recipe using gluccie and oat fiber. Now, a word about oat fiber: not all are created equal. My first experience with oat fiber was with Anthony’s and the resulting product tasted like playdoh–yuck!!! Then I was told to try Lifesource and since it wasn’t very expensive, I gave it a try. Night and day difference!

Recently I tried the THM version because we order from them monthly and I only bought the oat fiber from Netrition, so the the shipping costs are prohibitive but since we already place an order with THM monthly, it doesn’t really add much more.

When I started making this recipe the other day, I didn’t realize that I was going to blog it, so I missed taking a picture of the first step. I’ll try to remember to take a picture next time I make these noodles and add it to this post then. The family loves these, so I’ll probably me making them again before long.

I make a double batch every time I make them. I tried a triple batch but found out that my food processor cannot handle it.

So you process the eggs in the food processor. Then add the dry ingredients and whirl to combine. Then add the broth.

Let it rest for a few minutes to allow those very thirsty ingredients absorb the liquid.

I bought the noodle press that Judy recommends so it makes quick work of making the noodles but the first time I made this recipe I rolled it out on parchment paper and used a pizza cutter to cut it into noodles.

Put on the size noodle you want and twist and cut.

Then let them sit in the refrigerator for a bit. Then add them to your recipe. This day I pan fried them in butter so they kind of reminded me of gnocci. I have also quickly boiled them in ham or chicken broth but must keep it short in the water.

In just a few moments they are done.

So, hop on over to Judy’s site and grab the recipe. It’s a keeper in my house.

Until next time, God bless,

Michele ºÜº

Are You Bitter?

June 4, 2018Marriage MondayLife of Joy

Did you know that bitterness can be as simple as thinking about an offense often? I never realized that before. It is a subtle sign of bitterness, but bitterness all the same.

Do you think negatively about your spouse? That could be a sign of bitterness against him. For more subtle signs of bitterness, read this short post I found recently.

Bitterness sours a relationship and you do not want your marriage soured. Next time a negative thought comes to mind, combat it with good thoughts instead. Pray for your marriage, you, and your spouse. Speak positive things about him. Dwell on good and not bad.

Basically, root out bitterness with love. Change your thoughts. Focus on the good.

I hope you’ll take a minute and read “You May Not Realize You’re Bitter,” as it was enlightening to me AND it offers some constructive steps of action to move beyond it.

Until next time, God bless,

Michele ºÜº

Life Of Joy

A Place of Encouragement

Monthly Archives: June 2018

My Grandson (and Son and Daughter-in-Love) Visited

Signing and Children

A Bit of Color on Soul Star with Meer and Hollibaugh

Pizza Skillet

The best part of pizza is the cheesy toppings and are very low carb.

Don’t Be Afraid to Talk Things Out (Fight?)

Our Trees and Plants

Educating the Preschooler

Tangled Notepad

Homemade Noodles the THM Way

Low carb, low fat, low calorie homemade noodles. These are made from glucomannan, which is from the konjac root.

Are You Bitter?