Showing posts with label blogs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label blogs. Show all posts

12/24/14

Mother Mary


As a woman and a mother, I am always drawn to Mary's story this time of year. I wonder what she was thinking and feeling. I love this painting as I think it captures her contemplative spirit as well as the holiness of the Christ child.

Others also seem to be thinking of her as well and there were two beautiful posts about Mary this week on Rational Faiths:

9/19/11

Montessori Monday: Guiding Principles

So, I hope you don't think this post is a cop-out, but we've been sick at our house lately. Hopefully we're over it just in time for the autumn flu/cold season.

While I have been interested in Montessori education for quite some time, I didn't know much about the basic philosophy. These are some resources that helped me understand the basics, the guiding principles, of Maria Montessori's philosophy.


9/18/11

Recipe of the Week: Sandwich Bread

Both the picture and recipe in this post are copyrighted by farmgirlfare.com



I love making bread, but had not yet found one that was light and non-crumbly enough to truly use for sandwiches. Then, this delightful recipe entered my life. A-MAZE-ING. I was so happy with my loaves and so was the family!

I found this recipe on one of my favorite sites, Farm Girl Fare. If you are relatively new to bread baking, as I am, you will find her post, which includes numerous tips and explanations, extremely helpful. If you already know what you're doing, here is the simple recipe:


Simple White Sandwich Bread


Makes 3 loaves


Ingredients:


4 cups all purpose flour


1 1/2 TBS instant yeast


2 TBS brown sugar


2 TBS melted butter


4 cups warm milk


6 cups bread flour


1 1/2 TBS salt


Instructions:


In a very large bowl, stir together the all purpose flour, yeast, and sugar. Pour in milk and butter. Mix well. Slowly add 1 cup of bread flour at a time, until you have added 4 cups. Dough should be sticky. Cover and let rest for 20 minutes.


Add salt and 1 cup flour. If the dough is too sticky to knead add more flour, up to one cup. Knead on floured surface 8-10 minutes. Add flour as needed to keep from sticking.


Let rise until doubled, about 65 minutes. When the dough is ready, you should be able to push a floured finger deep into it and leave an indentation that doesn't spring back.


Preheat oven to 375. Divide dough into 3 pieces. Shape dough into loaves and place seam side down in greased pans. Cover and let rise about 50 minutes.


Bake at 375 for 30-35 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from pans immediately and let cool 40 minutes before cutting.


*I made a couple changes: I didn't have bread flour, so I used all purpose. I substituted 1/2 cup flour with instant potato flakes to help the bread be less crumbly.*


Perfect with honey butter and strawberry jam ... Enjoy!

9/2/11

Recipe of the Week: Pickles!



I am so excited! I've been wanting to try homemade pickles for a while now and have been scouting recipes online. I wanted to make "refrigerator pickles" that don't need to be canned. These last about a month in the fridge. Maybe someday I'll try to make ones for long term storage.

Dan and I had fun using this recipe. Now all we need to do is wait 48 hours and try them out!

8/24/10

Vintage Rose Wraps



I stumbled upon these adorable headbands last week and just had to share with you. I wish I had a little girl to buy these for!

Check out VintageRoseWraps.com, visit their blog, or come see them at Swiss Days!

6/4/10

Not Just Another Blonde ...


... In Beijing!

Click on the button above to visit my friend Hao Danni's blog. Basically one of the most amazing people I know, Hao Danni and her husband both studied Chinese in Monterey, CA. She was in the same class as my husband. They are now living, traveling, and studying (and blogging!) in China.

Don't let this cute little blonde fool you with her love of fashion; she is one of the smartest, funniest people I know. It's no mystery why her blog, only launched this March, already has nearly 350 followers. (Including yours truly!) Hao Danni has a little something of everything. Amazing Pictures: check. Fashion and Beauty: check. Travel and Culture: check. Ethnic Cuisine: check.

Stop by, check it out, and I'm sure you'll want to stay for a while.


6/3/10

True Courage

Do you ever find it hard to wake up in the morning and just get through your day? Do you ever feel like you have more trials than you can cope with? I know my life is so easy compared with most people in the world, but I don't always feel that way. It's nice to be reminded of the power of faith, hope, and courage.


You can find her blog at: http://nieniedialogues.blogspot.com/

3/30/10

So Much to Blog, So Little Time

There is so much I want to blog about right now! I have so many ideas rattling around in my head, but they're going to have to wait for a while because I'm going to see my husband! Yea! I'm so excited ... but even though I leave in 2 hours I'm still not packed! So, this will be a short post. And I probably won't be posting very much for the next two weeks, but don't worry, I'll be back!

In the meantime I am super excited to tell you that one of the websites I featured in a previous post, Bella Luna Toys, is offering all my readers 10% off their products! Cool, huh?

"As thanks, I'd like to offer you and your readers a 10% discount off your next order. Just use the code BLOG10 at checkout! Also, be sure to check out my new blog "Moon Child" where I discuss the importance of play and the value of natural toys.http://www.blog.bellalunatoys.com."

I've been running around like a chicken with it's head cut off this week, so I haven't had a chance to check out the blog, but I will be doing that soon! Hmmmm ... what should I get Ethan for his birthday? Anyone have any ideas for developmentally appropriate toys for a one year old?

I'm thinking about this wooden train, but I'm thinking he won't appreciate it yet. It might be better for when he's two.



3/16/10

Cozy Kid's Room



I love decorating even though I've never really done it in real life. In my imagination I have a house I call my "Someday House," and I have it decorated just the way I like things. Simple, cozy, and warm. When I saw these pictures on one of my favorite blogs, Tutus and Turtles, I instantly fell in love. How perfect for a little boys room! Who wouldn't want a tent in their room? If you want to see the rest of the house, click here.

1/15/10

Tag Team

If you know me, then you know I love my friends and I love blogs. I especially love my friend Becca’s “food blog.” In quotes because it started out as a food blog and has now evolved into a blog about everything healthy. I highly recommend reading Becca’s blog because she really takes the time to research subjects and then put them into practice. Having a friend like this is great for me. I try to surround myself with people who know what they are talking about because, while I like learning new things, frankly I’d rather just take your word for it. Life is too short for me to spend researching the pros and cons of everything. And 9 times out of 10 Becca and I are on the same page about things, especially health and fitness related things. When I tell Dan that I learned something from Becca he just shakes his head and says, “You and Becca just like to tag team, don’t you?”

To read Becca’s blog, click here: A Word of Wisdom