no bake energy bites

I love healthy snacks for my children. I try really hard to make all of my childrens snack foods from scratch and by doing this I know exactly what they are consuming. So you can imagine my excitement when I found this recipe on pinterest that contained ingredients I would love for my children to eat. It was easy to put together and they are so delicious!

There is some variation to this recipe that can be followed but I am going to give you the directions exactly like I made them. The best thing about these is how easy they were to make and the fact that they are so nutritious. Some of you may think your child will not eat coconut or oats but don’t despair. I have a picky daughter who refuses oatmeal and a husband that doesn’t like coconut. Guess what? They both ate them and said they were good!

No Bake Energy Bites

• 1 cup (dry) oatmeal (I used old-fashioned oats)
• 1 cup toasted coconut flakes
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup peanut butter (I used all natural)
• 1/2 cup wheat germ*
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Method:

Stir all ingredients together in a medium bowl until thoroughly mixed.  Let chill in the refrigerator for half an hour.  Once chilled, roll into balls of whatever size you would like. Store in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to 1 week although they probably will not last that long.

Slightly adapted from: Gimme Some Oven (please visit her recipe for other options for this recipe)

*I purchased wheat germ from my local bulk food source however I am sure you can find it at a health food store. It is very nutritious and packed full of vitamins.

Linked Up:
Frugally Sustainable

paper boxes

I was asked to head up a baby shower at our church for one of the ladies that is expecting a baby boy in April. I am fairly frugal in my ways and was looking for a way to do some cute decorations without spending a ton of money. Something about spending a lot of money on décor for one party and then not using it again just doesn’t set well with me or my pocket book. I went browsing online for some inspiration and found this tutorial for paper boxes.

The directions are easy to follow and these were so simple to make. A pack of scrapbook paper cost $5.00 and I was able to make all the decorations for the baby shower from one pack. Not a bad price and for the baby shower I used them as part of the decoration on the main table. At the end of the celebration the momma to be was able to take the boxes home and I am sure she will be enjoying all of the amazing chocolate. After all what pregnant momma wouldn’t?

Have a blessed day!
Sarah

linked up:
Sew Chatty: Made With Love
Farmhouse Porch: Cowgirl Linkup

25 random things….

I am joining Shauna at Perfectly Imperfect today for the 25 random things link party. I thought this would be fun to do since I am just getting this blog started. So here goes.

1. I am married to a Southern Baptist Pastor. We had been involved in youth ministry for several years before taking the first pastor position in 2009. We have a wonderful church family and are very blessed to be a part of them.

2. I love color but I have a hard time decorating with it so I have a neutral colors in my home consisting of whites/browns/blacks. I do have a few red accessories thrown in the mix but that is about it.

3. I want long hair. I have made this the year to avoid the salons and harsh chemicals on my hair. I no longer use shampoo and conditioner on my hair. I used baking soda and apple cider vinegar for awhile and loved it but I know use an all natural shampoo soap bar that is made by a lady that lives local. The smell is amazing and I don’t have to use conditioner on my hair.

4. I may live in a small town but my heart belongs on the farm. I hope to be a full fledged farm wife someday with our own milk cow, beef cow, chickens, goats and of course my own horse.

5. One of my goals this year is to learn how to make soap and all of our other personal products like deodorant and toothpaste. I made my first batch of brown sugar vanilla body scrub yesterday and I loved it! That really fueled my drive to make more of own things. There are so many chemicals in the store bought versions and so I prefer to not use them and have them absorbed into my body.

6. I love driving down country roads. When the weather is warm I enjoy allowing my little ones and myself the chance to play in the water. This is something that we do every year and my children love it. I try to instill in them to love the little things in life.

7. I consider myself a very simple person. I enjoy the little things in life and it doesn’t take much to make me happy. I don’t have to have the latest styles, the hippest haircut or have my nails done to make me feel good about myself.

8. I find pleasure in not owning a lot of things to clutter my home. I love to decorate but keep things at a minimum.

9. I love to go to garage sales and auctions.

10. I never would have dreamed 10 years ago that I would be where I am today. I didn’t have a clue back then about real food or really how to cook if it didn’t come out of a box. These days I avoid all processed foods if I can and make everything from scratch.

                                                                                                                                                                 photo taken by my cousin


11.  My grandpa grew up Amish and so of course that means I am from the Amish descent. There is a huge family reunion each year in Illinois and I have yet to go to one but hopefully that changes this year. I love that I get to live near a community with Amish and I enjoy visiting their stores and talking with them.

12. Our family doesn’t watch television. We have a very small 19 inch television that the children can watch movies on. We feel that most of the things that are viewed these days are not good for children to watch and corrupt their minds.

13. I planted my first small garden last year and have hopes of doing another one this year.

14. I am in the process of switching all of our cookware over to cast iron. My husband bought me my first skillet yesterday.

15. I plan to take my hunters safety course this year and hopefully go deer hunting for the first time. I can’t wait to outhunt my husband ;)

16. We have four wonderful children but plan to add to our family in the future through adoption.

17. I just read the book Kisses From Katie and it was life changing for me in the way that I view the things that I think I need.

18. We purchased a motorcycle this past year and I love riding with my husband. There is something wonderful about riding together and being out in the open with the wind in my face and the sun beaming down.

19. My favorite part of summer is the 4th of July. My husbands family all gathers at the creek and we spend the day swimming, eating a picnic lunch, talking, fishing, roasting hotdogs and marshmallows all followed up with some beautiful lights in the sky.

20. We don’t travel much but my favorite trip has been to Colorado to celebrate our 10th anniversary several years ago. It is a beautiful state and I love the mountains.

21. I own a piano and would love to take lessons and learn how to play. I can read a few notes and play a few tunes but I would love to sit down and play anything that I wanted.

22. I love photography and photographing wildlife. I have done some photo shoots and would like to take some photography courses to become better at it.

23. I am a very impatient person. When I want something done it is very hard to wait. This can sometimes be a bad thing!

24. I enjoy doing furniture makeovers and turning other peoples junk into another persons treasure.

25. I am very thankful to be where I am in life and I am a very blessed woman. I anxiously await to see what Jesus has in store for us this year as our family is committed to being in the center of His will.

Have a blessed day.
Sarah

plaid quilts

I grew up in a home with a mother who hand quilted many quilts. Our home was one that had many piles of fabrics and you had to be careful if you sat in momma’s seat because more than likely there were several straight pins or needles in the arm of the chair. My mother loves auctions that are filled with quilt supplies and this is how she has mostly gathered her collection of fabrics. She learned quilting from my grandmother who has also made many quilts by hand. I am very blessed to own one of her masterpieces. Sadly quilting is getting to be a thing of the past that so many generations before us loved.

Growing up I vowed that I would never ever quilt! I had seen enough of it growing up and didn’t want anything to do with it. This past year found me desiring to sew and start my own collection of beautiful handmade quilts. I am happy to say that I have finally completed my first twin size quilt. Not only did I finish one but I finished two. Our oldest two children share a room and since one is a girl and one is a boy I needed something gender neutral. While browsing a quilt shop near our home one day I found these beautiful plaids and knew I had to do something with them.

They are not fancy and I didn’t even take the time to hand quilt them. I love the look of old blankets that are tied and so that is what I chose to do with mine. It was a simple quilt with blocks sewn together of various neutral colored plaids. My children love them and I am happy to have finally finished a project that I swore I would never do.

Have a blessed day!
Sarah

Linking up:
Homestead Revival: Barn Hop
Our Simple Farm: Simple Living

reusing the old things

One of my favorite things to do is to go to flea markets. I never know the treasures that I may find and it’s always something different each time ago. I live not to far from the small little town that I grew up in and driving down Main Street I can’t help but pull into some of my favorite small town shops. I love the old farmhouse style and I am always trying to find creative ways to spruce up our small home and thanks to Pinterest the ideas never seem to end. Here are two of my latest favorite photos and of course I will be hoping to locate them this year at some point during my treasure hunting days. Clicking on the photo will take you to the original source.

Have a blessed day.
Sarah :)