Our Top Bar Hive!!

Checked out our Top Bar Hive on Monday! Two weeks after they were put in the hive they've done some great work! I am just amazed completely at their production! It's very beautiful and awesome!!

:)

Quick and easy running headband

When I run it drives me crazy to have my hair flapping on my forehead. I always have bangs, but when I run it is very annoying (when the sweat drips into my eyes it isn't too comfortable either!) My quick project tonight was to make a headband for running! :)



Here's how to make one for yourself!

Cut out a rectangle of cute fabric 5 1/2 inches wide and as long as the measurement from behind one ear to behind the other ear.

Also cut 2 of this same size rectangle out of an old cotton t-shirt (or some absorbent fabric).

Stitch the cute fabric to the t-shirt fabric, right sides together, leaving a little opening in the center of both short ends. put it on your head and hold it there with one hand :) while you measure the space left between the ends along the lower back of your head. Use this measurement to cut a piece of elastic (I used 1" wide) -- cut the elastic about 1" shorter than your measurement.

Stretch the elastic and measure this length. Cut another piece out of the old T-shirt :) to make a casing for the elastic, as long as the stretched-out length. Place the elastic into the casing, insert each end into the openings in the main body of the headband. Stitch the elastic/casing to the headband through all layers.

I also made a pleat at each end.

Trim your threads and try it on! :)

Dandelions! :)

Ahhh, dandelions!! I am one of those people who likes dandelions in the lawn :) Truthfully, even before I used dandelions for anything, I just like the look of those yellow flowers dotting the green lawn :) Weird, I know. . .

THEN a few years I discovered dandelion jelly. Yummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!! The recipe I use is from prarielandherbs.com (HERE!) with the only difference that I process it in a boiling water bath, which is not in that recipe.

If you have never tasted dandelion jelly, it is delicious -- tasted quite a bit like honey, but with jelly consistency.

SO-- NOW !! I have just found and tried, just this afternoon, dandelion salve!! I found the directions/recipe for this HERE on thenerdyfarmwife.com (love that name!!) It was very easy to make -- just covered wilted dandelions with olive oil and heated it up for a couple of hours, strained it, added a little bit of beeswax, and voila!




And guess what?! Remember what I said the dandelion jelly tasted like? Well, the salve smells like honey!

I'm definitely going to make more of this and use it for gifts!! Check out the recipe, you may just be inspired to try some yourself!

Gone South by Meg Mosely

Looking for a great summer fiction read? Give Gone South by Meg Mosely a try! :) This is a great clean book with some nice character development. It's enjoyable -- you won't want the story to end!

Letitia, the main character, entertains romantic ideas about her far-back-in-history ancestors; so much so that she purchases their original house and decides to jump full in and form a new life there. She fully expects to be embraced because of her historical ties; however, the reality is much the opposite. Her name alone sets people on edge and turns would-be friends into uninterested enemies.

Despite her disappointments, she finds the time and ability to serve the Lord through opening her home to a troubled individual. She helps this girl through many difficulties and. . .you'll have to read it to get more!!

Is it a romance? Only slightly. There's just a touch of that, not the focus. The focus is really the sweet story. Not really a romance, not history, not a mystery. . .just a good story.

I'd certainly recommend this book! It is one of the most enjoyable books I've read lately!

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher for the purpose of this review. I was not required to write a positive review.

Chronicles of Dinosauria by Dave Woetzel

Do you ever wonder about the Bible and dinosaurs? Does it talk about dinosaurs? Where did the fossils come from? This book, Chronicles of Dinosauria by Dave Woetzel gives answers and evidences for these and many related questions. He has traveled all over the world to many different places and learned many legends/stories and seen many artifacts which he uses as proofs to strengthen the Biblical account of the world. The flood, dinosaurs living as contemporaries to humans, even the persistance of dinosaurs/dragons in some form up to near history.

Different chapter titles relate the subject matter covered: The Creation and the Dinosaurs; The Flood and the Dinosaurs; Fossil Evidence of Dinosaurs and Man; Historical Evidence of Dinosaurs and Man; Artistic Evidence of Dinosaurs and Man; Cryptozoology Evidence of Dinosaurs and Man; Biblical Evidence of Dinosaurs and Man; Apologetics and Conclusion.

Each chapter is pretty short, the pages set up like a scrapbook of sorts. Text and photos as well as eye-catching illustrations by Richard Dobbs. As I read it (understand that I already hold the view that the Bible is Truth from God) it made great sense to me and was a nice full picture of a Biblical view of dinosaurs. I really appreciated all the different aspects of societies that he included as relating to these creatures.

The book was very interesting to me. This year as I homeschooled my kids, one of the books we read together was Dinosaurs of Eden by Ken Ham. This book reminded me of that one, but in a much expanded way. I plan to use this book in our homeschool as well.

Here's a short video about the book:



I did enjoy this book. It's very nicely illustrated and written. I enjoyed the content and the proofs from around the world. Some of the information I was familiar with, some I was not. I was/am a little skeptical about the cryptozoology section, especially since I live where one of those legendary creatures which was highlighted in the book is thought to dwell; we usually laugh it off as an impossibility, though the author of this book seems to think it could possibly exist :) Nevertheless, I find it a valuable book, whether for use in homeschooling or other family/personal reading. I'd recommend it.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review.

Sweet Sanctuary by Kim Vogel Sawyer

Sweet Sanctuary by Kim Vogel Sawyer is a historical romance set during World War 2. It's a romance with a twist, actually, without giving away too much information, it is not just a quick and happily ever after story.

The main characters, Dr Micah Hatcher and Lydia Eldridge live very different lives, with passions and service in different areas. They meet (again) and share each others' problems/burdens. There is another character, Nic, who is the bad guy but turns into the good guy! The characters are sweet and kind, for the most part. It's a Christian romance, so there are references to Christianity and Godly living.

I usually like these historic romances, but truthfully I didn't really care for this one. It's an easy read, but kind of leaves you hanging in different sections, and much of it just seems unbelievable. I don't always dislike unbelievable (I AM a big fan of happy endings!!) but somehow this one just didn't hit me as great. I have read other books by this same author and enjoyed them, just not this one. Read it if you want, but I'd suggest just borrowing it, not investing in a copy.

So -- would I recommend it? It's not objectionable, just not too interesting to me. I wouldn't really recommend it -- try some of the author's other books instead!

I received a free copy of this book for the purpose of this review. I was not required to write a positive review.

Prayer Warrior Mom by Marla Alupoaicei

This book, Prayer Warrior Mom, is subtitled, "Covering your kids with God's blessings and protection." The author, Marla Alupoaicei, is obviously concerned with you and I getting serious about praying for our children.

The author addresses many ideas in this book. Ideas about how to pray for our kids, why it is important, what can hold us back, how to develop prayer habits, how to use fasting as a discipline in conjunction with prayer, etc. So many different ideas for us parents (moms) to hold our children and concerns up to the Lord.

Marla references a lot of other authors' writings on the topic of praying for children as well as Scriptural references to prayer. She gives stories and illustrations about prayer and the outcomes of prayer. She talks about moms and their responsibility to pray for their children.

I love the topic of praying for our children. It is a very important thing to do, and I think any book which reminds us about this great responsibility serves a good purpose. Keeping the idea of prayer in our minds and at the forefront of our attention is a valuable thing. I did not love this book, however -- I felt like it was a little disjointed to me and went from one topic to the next to the next, just adding and adding and adding things that we should do. I wished a little bit that it had focused on fewer topics. I also feel like just adding a little reminder here that prayer is not a tool for manipulating God or His will. He does call us to pray and to "Cast all your cares on Him for He cares for You."

I'm not sure that I would recommend this book. There are so many great books about praying for your children out there. It is not objectionable, just not my favorite.

I received a free copy of this book for the purpose of this review. I was not required to write a positive review.