Another beautiful snowy day

Clinic visit at Duke Childrens

Had a great clinic visit at Duke Children's. Heavens creatinine level had come down to 1.7... Praise Jesus!!! Will be heading back to Durham on Tuesday for a dentist appt. Keep praying specifically.

Make your own Foam Soap

Do you love the foam soaps? I do, but what I don't like is the overuse of "antibacterial properties". You don't need antibacterial soaps, dish soaps, etc. to keep your hands, dishes or counters clean. All you need is to clean them with soap.

Anyways, back to the foaming soap and how to make your own without having to buy it over and over. Even if you purchase it from the Dollar Stores, it can become expensive. So, I have come to the solution of making my own with what I have already at home.
I use baby shampoo/baby body wash as it has sensitivity properties. It is sensitive to the eyes and skin and with as much as we all need to wash our hands, we could certainly use something sensitive.
So all you do is, keep your foam soap container, fill it with one inch of baby shampoo/baby body wash, then, this is an option but you don't have to, ( if you would like to add lotion this is where to do so), add some lotion (of your choice), just lightly squeeze the lotion bottle and count 1-1000, 2-1000, 3-1000, 4-1000. There, you have now added lotion to your foam soap.
Now, you need to add water until you are 3 inches from the actual opening, this provides room for the pump to sit down in the bottle.
After you have added the water, replace the pump and mix lightly by rocking the bottle back and forth. Do Not shake vigorously as this will result in over-sudsing. The lotion will break down eventually but not at a first. If you need to, after settling, you can rock back and forth again if needed.
There you have it! Foam soap! So the next time you run out, don't run out to the store, make your own with what you already have at home. Blessings ♥

I have added photos, from start to finish, to help you along.....

Mission Organization

Sometimes you just don't have enough room for all your goods that you purchase for your family. Sometimes you need a place to store small kitchen appliances so that you can store mush needed items in your cabinets, or so that your counter space isn't taken up by all those appliances.
Well, after our oldest and middle daughters moved out, we were left with two extra bedrooms. We really needed extra room as I like to shop by the month and plus over the last several years we had acquired lots of " unnessary things" which were also taking up space in our home.
So, I spent several weeks going through each room and bagging up the things that our family didn't need or use anymore, our youngest daughter went through her things and done the same. Now, you must know, we didn't toss these things in the trash, we simply added a few items to a local online auction site and they sold. Each item that we added that didn't sale, was donated to a local church that gives items to those in need. What a blessing, to clean out and help others in the process.
So now, we ordered four adjustable shelving units from www.Ginny's.com and they work perfectly and were very sturdy for the job that we need them to do, they are also very easy to assemble. So after they we're assembled, I sprung into action.....several weeks later, lol.
So, after selling and donating all the items we no longer needed, I jumped in...feet first. I was able to organize all my canning items ( I love to can from our garden), I was able to to organize all our cereals and others canned goods, also all of our detergents and cleaners, even wrapping paper and other items. Also, to keep the room cool and dark, we leave the thick curtains pulled closed unless i need more lighting when stocking up and we keep the heat vents closed off during the winter and cover them so that the room stays cool. We also have a shelving until that holds all of our small kitchen appliances so that our counters aren't cluttered and our cabinets aren't filled with them. I now can keep our KA mixers and steamer in the kitchen as we use these two items the most. This shelf is a must to keep your kitchen decluttered. Just a note, I picked this shelf up at a local department store (Roses) and it had a ding in it and the manager let me purchase it for $25, it never hurts to ask.
So, with all that said I have uploaded some pics of our "Family Pantry". Hope this either helps you organize or to get motivated to organize your own family pantry. The first pic is a Before pic and is dark as I couldn't even get to the window to open the curtain, the three pics following, are After pics.

http://bible.com/1/1CH16.25.KJV For great is the Lord , and greatly to be praised: he also is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the people are idols: but the Lord made the heavens. Glory and honour are in his presence; strength and gladness are in his place. Give unto the Lord , ye kindreds of the people, give unto the Lord glory and strength. Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come before him: worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. Fear before him, all the earth: the world also shall be stable, that it be not moved. Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice: and let men say among the nations, The Lord reigneth. Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof: let the fields rejoice, and all that is therein. Then shall the trees of the wood sing out at the presence of the Lord , because he cometh to judge the earth. O give thanks unto the Lord ; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever. And say ye, Save us, O God of our salvation, and gather us together, and deliver us from the heathen, that we may give thanks to thy holy name, and glory in thy praise. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel for ever and ever. And all the people said, Amen, and praised the Lord . Bible.com/app

Update

Just thought I would do a quick update on Heaven.

We had a Clinic visit last Tuesday...her numbers were great!!! Her platelets were 153, they haven't been that high on their own, in over 2 years!!! Glory & Praises to God my Saviour!!! Her Dr. is pleased with the way things are going. He wants her to stay out of public places as the flu is in full force. Her appetite is great and she is becoming more active each day. We have been back to her doing her school studies and that is also moving along very well. Please continue to pray specifically for her. Also please also pray for the other families on 5200 at Duke Children's.

As for supplies that are needed.....as I have been asked.....
***Gallon jugs of Spring Water for Heaven for us to cook with as it will be a while before she can drink well water again.
*** Lysol disinfectant spray....using a lot of this right now
*** Disinfectant wipes.....using a lot of these as well
*** Baby body wash for Heaven
*** Hand soap
*** Paper towels

These items listed above are what we are using the most of and much needed. Thank you all for any help you can give, there is no donation of items to small.

May Christ bless you all. And a big Thank You goes out in advance to you.

Mmm...good

Nothing like a hearty bowl of homemade vegetable beef soup after being out in the cold. Lovin' it!

This snow is a warm blessing.....

After Heaven and I made up some baked goods and got some laundry washed, dogs fed and a trip to CVS, in case of power outage, Heaven was able to enjoy her first snow since 2011. Thank You Jesus as this blessing warms my heart. ♥

Best bread I've ever made

This is a sweet bread, I actually forgot to add the butter so I just shoved cuts of butter in the dough as it was rising...oh my, it was so tasty.

Homemade kinda day...

After reading Gods Word and enjoying homemade hot cocoa, homemade bread and homemade strawberry jam, I jumped right into getting things done. Wound up with 11 pints of navy beans, 15 pints of pintos, they look weird in the blue jars...lol...anyways, I also finished up 4 loads of laundry, all floors swept and cleaned, dinner cooked, played the game Trouble with hubby and daughter, showered and now I am totally ready for bed.
Hope you all had a beautiful day as well.

Ooops...missed a day. ;)

This post is for 1-21-2014

Had a great day today as always I start it off by feeding my soul with Gods Word. Nothing like it!
Also today (1-21-14) marks 1 year that Heaven was admitted to Dukes Pediatric Bone Marrow Transplant Unit...better known as Cell Block 5200. We thanked God for bringing us through this journey and I couldn't ask for anything more than what He has already given us...which is a sevond chance.
So; with that said, today was a busy day. I decided to can up a bean mixture for chili. Yum!!! They smelled so good and looked good to. I canned them in some of the reproductive vintage jars and they look funny; but thats ok. Hubby said he preferred clear jars...oh well.
Anyway, let the dogs out to ryn a bit as snow was on the way, just wasn't sure when it would finally get here. So, canning was done around 2:30 snd then after cleaning up I started to make some homemade bread as I had an order for two loaves, I ended up making 4 instead. Oh it is the yummiest bread I have ever eaten.
The UPS man showed up with a delivery from a friend of ours from PA, yay!!! a box of yarn. It will keep me busy for a little while. LoL.
So we enjoyed our supper as a family while playing trouble and wstching the snow fall. Lovely; again; I could not ask for more.

Many blessing if Christ's abundance be for you and yours. Have a wonderful night.

Whew...its good to be home

Thank You Jesus for a beautiful day.

Started off our day with Gods Word.
Then baked a couple loaves old homemade bread.
Got some laundry washed up.
Went and fed up the dogs good...gonna be cold for the next several nights.
Checked on our honey-bee hives, they seem to loving thus day as well.
Now if we can get this grass thicket cleaned up good, we will work it into a garden for the first time.
Now I need to get my small garden lookin better than what it does.
At least the carrot bed turned out great.
Enjoy the rest of your day as we have enjoyed ours.
Blessings to you all.

Gorgeous

Mostly hung around the house today. Hubby has a relative working on his truck. Now we are just trying to stay warm. Blessings to yu all.

Game night

Playing jenga (imitation) with Heaven and Wayne

Sunset

End of a chilly yet, beautiful day.