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Out West Trip

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After 12 States (Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan), 5,100 miles, 3,200 pictures, 10 days, and lots of memories, it's great to be home from our trip out West! I thought I'd share some of the highlights with you all! After being on the road for only 5 hrs., the three year old decided that she had to go 'potty' about every 10-15 min. but every time we stopped, she wouldn't 'go'. After about an hour, I was starting to think the trip might be a very 'BAD' idea at that point! Thankfully, she finally settled down and fell asleep and we didn't have anymore problems 'of that kind' the rest of the trip! I've never been a fan of Illinois and after driving over snakes on the road multiple times - it helped to confirm the way I feel about that state - I'm still not a fan of Illinois or the snakes! Iowa was flat and full of corn field

Fireworks In A Glass

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Fireworks are a beautiful and fun part of many celebrations, but not something you want kids to make themselves. However, even very young explorers can experiment with these safe underwater 'fireworks'. I have to admit, when my oldest daughter (who loves science experiments) wanted to try this one, I wasn't too sure - but even my hubby and I thought this was pretty cool! What You Need water oil food coloring tall clear glass another cup or glass   Create Fireworks in a Glass Fill the tall glass almost to the top with room-temperature water - (about 1" from the top). Pour a little oil into the other glass. (1-2 tablespoons) Add a couple of drops of food coloring. We used one drop each of Blue, Green, Yellow and Red, but you can use any colors. Briefly stir the oil and food coloring mixture with a fork. You want to break up the food coloring drops into smaller drops, but not thoroughly mix the liquid. Pour the oil and coloring mixture into th

Black Raspberry Pie

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Around our place, it's berry season.... we just finished the strawberries and are now full swing into raspberry picking.   We have both red raspberries and black raspberries. My personal favorite would be the black raspberries, as I think they are easier to prune, pick, and can be used in more recipes than the red, but that is just a personal opinion! This year I planted yellow raspberries, but it will be another year or two before they'll be ready to pick.  Oh and blueberries - this is our first year to pick blueberries! We don't have many, just a few handfuls so far, but they sure are yummy and so fun to pick right out of the garden - that is something new for us! Anyway, back to the subject..... I like to put both the red and black raspberries in the freezer to use in desserts throughout the winter. But, the kids love to pick and eat 'em right out of the garden, so sometimes I don't always get as many as I'd like to put away for later.

Book Reveiw: Fully Alive by Ken Davis

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Fully Alive: Lighten Up and Live - A Journey that Will Change Your Life  By: Ken Davis Rating: 5 Stars There are lots of motivational books on the market today, but this one stands out because it touches you where you live. I looked forward to every chapter!  We all have in us some hidden desire to be all that we can be, but somehow during the journey, life gets in the way. "The Glory of God is man fully alive.” That's exactly how we were wired to live. Yet sadness, depression, feelings of apathy and helplessness often characterize our lives. We survive but not thrive.  Ken's personal stories and down to earth tips make you feel like you can do better. Ken powerfully addresses not only the physical aspect of our lives, but the emotional, relational, and spiritual side of how to live FULLY ALIVE. His message in this book will absolutely help you live life as God intended it to be lived!  If you are ready to get off the couch and live

Book Review - The One Year Be-Tween You and God: Devotions for Girls

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The One Year Be-Tween You and God: Devotions for Girls  by: Sandra Byrd Rating: 5 Stars The first thing that I was impressed with, was that the book has a beautiful leather cover (much like a real Bible) with beautiful raised designs of butterflies and flowers, and even better than that, it has the Word of God in it. A devotional book for tween girls - a page for everyday of the year! Each devotion begins with a statement, thought, or question to God. Every girl is likely to make these statements and ask such questions . . . many of which they may not want to share with other people to find the answers. I liked the briefness of the devotions - especially for this age group, but I don't feel the content was jeopardized because of it. I felt it was full of wonderful topics that pre-teen girls deal with daily, and it is definitely a worthwhile book for any girl this age. I am giving this book to my daughter (who will be 12 in June.) And I’m sure that s

Ways to Go Green.....

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Happy Earth Day! The way we treat our planet has a direct affect on our health. What is a new commitment you can make to take better care of our Earth?     Drive less?   Carpool! Save gas money by splitting it with friends and reduce the amount of pollution going into the air. Even better….ride your bike or walk to work or to the grocery store if it’s close enough to your home.   Use non-toxic cleaners? Did ya know that 70% of all water pollution comes from household cleaning and that many cleaners are designated household hazardous waste by the EPA! Use Shaklee Basic H for all-purpose, non-toxic and safe cleaning of windows, mirrors, degreasing, floors, tubs, showers, bathrooms, you name it! It comes in a 16 oz bottle of concentrate and creates 48 gallons of safe, powerful cleaner. Just one bottle is $12.15 and is the equivalent of 5,824 bottles of 26oz Windex.   Use a filtered water pitcher - st op buying plastic water bottles? Buy

Easy, Delicious, Rhubarb Crisp

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Well, It's Spring-time here in East Central Indiana - and that means, that soon rhubarb will be plentiful! I have two beds of rhubarb in my garden  - both the Victoria and the Crimson Red. I like them mixed.  I love to freeze rhubarb.... it is so easy and it makes the best rhubarb crisp, jellies, and rhubarb cream pies!   Here is one of our family's favorite rhubarb deserts!  ~ Easy, Delicious, Rhubarb Crisp ~ 4 cups chopped rhubarb 1 package strawberry Jell-O 1/3 cup sugar 1 package white cake mix 1 cup water 1/3 cup butter melted   OPTION 1: Place rhubarb in a 9x13"  baking dish. Sprinkle with gelatin, sugar and cake mix. Pour water evenly over dry ingredients; drizzle with butter. Bake @350* for 1 hr. or until top is golden brown. (NOTE: I usually bake for around 1 hr. and 10 min.) OPTION 2: Place rhubarb  in a 9x 13" baking dish. Sprinkle with gelatin and sugar. Mix together cake mix and water and pour/spoon over top; dri

A Letter From Dr. Jamie McManus on Shaklee Quality

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Dear Friend, Welcome, and thank you for your interest in Shaklee.  I believe Shaklee products—and the quality and science behind them—are unmatched in the industry —and I would like to share why I believe this. I chose a career in medicine because I believe in health. I firmly believe that people can take control of their future health by virtue of their choices today, and my 16 years as a practicing family physician led me to believe even more strongly that prevention is where the future of medicine must go. Research confirms that nutrition, weight control , and wise supplementation can powerfully impact your vitality today and your health in the future. My passion lies in informing and inspiring people about the diet and lifestyle choices they can make that will help them feel better today and in the future. Ten years ago I decided to devote full-time energy to this pursuit, and since then I’ve spoken to hundreds of thousands of people in 45 countries. I’v