Princess

Yesterday was the British Royal wedding and a young woman became a princess because she married a prince...just like in the Disney movies.  My daughter Alyssa, loves princesses.  This started around the time she turned two.  She loves all the Disney princesses, especially Sleeping Beauty.  She pretends she's Sleeping Beauty cause she thinks she looks like her (blond hair and blue eyes).  I am the Belle princess because I have brown hair and brown eyes.  Lately, all Alyssa wants to do is wear dresses.  I only figured out why a few weeks ago.  Because duh, all the princesses in the Disney movies wear dresses and never pants.  Everyday she asks if she can wear a pretty dress.  If I don't dress her in a dress (one that she likes) she will find one and put it on.  Yesterday, the news was plastered with scenes from the royal wedding.  Alyssa's eyes got really big when I told her that this girl was going to be a princess because she was marrying a prince.

Princess Catherine and her Prince

The beautiful dress

My Princess

Easter pictures

Here are some pictures at and before our Easter celebration this year.  I hosted, and my family and Leonard's parents came.

Malachi and his Easter gift

My princess and her dada (she had such cute pig tails in her hair but
ripped them out after church)

Finding Easter Eggs!

Brother Chris and my Dad

Sister and boyfriend Kurt

Playing Euchre

Meme and Alyssa

Papa and Alyssa

Brother Ryan and his wife Nikki

Resurrection rolls

I really wanted to blog this weekend but we were so busy, especially yesterday.  In celebration of Easter, I decided to make resurrection rolls.  A few different recipes have been floating around blogland but I decided to try out this one.

Make some delicious Resurrection Rolls to explain Easter to your children!Rolls= Jesus' death and being wrapped in burial clothes

Butter = the oil in which Jesus was anointed

Marshmallow= Jesus' body, which was pure and holy, and was laid to rest in the tomb

Cinnamon=  the spices that were placed in the tomb with Jesus.

As the rolls bake (in the oven, or tomb), the marshmallow disappears. This represents the empty tomb after Jesus rose again!

• 2 cans Pillsbury Crescent Rolls
• Large marshmallows
• ½ stick melted butter
• ½ cup sugar mixed with 1 teaspoon cinnamon (I used extra cinnamon)

1. Unroll crescent roll dough and spread triangles out flat on greased surface. Take a large marshmallow, and dip it in melted butter. Then roll buttered marshmallow in sugar/cinnamon mixture.

2. Set marshmallow on wide end of crescent roll wedge. Bring the 2 corners of the base of the wedge up and over the marshmallow and pinch them together. Then roll the marshmallow towards the narrow point of the wedge.

3. Stand dough with marshmallow upright in a greased deep dish pie plate. Finish dipping and rolling marshmallows using remaining crescent dough triangles.

     *Note: Before I placed the crescent rolls in the pie plate I rolled them in cinnamon and sugar.   

       Because of that I ended up using more cinnamon and sugar than called for. 



4. Bake at 425 degrees 20-30 minutes or until rolls are golden brown on tops and bottoms. You may want to cover the bread with foil during the first 15 minutes of baking.





Yummy!

Measles on Good Friday

April 11th Malachi went to the doctor for his 15 month well visit.  During this time he received 5 shots because he was a little behind.  Yesterday (April 21st), I started to notice lots of little red bumps all over his chest, back, neck and face.  They were really light so I wasn't sure what they were.  The bumps kind of looked like chicken poxes.  I decided to call the doctor's office so I could talk to a nurse to see what she thought.  The nurse told me to bring him in because she couldn't diagnose it over the phone.  During the 15 month well visit, Malachi also was put on antibiotics because he had ear infections in both ears and the nurse said that the rash might be a reaction to the antibiotics.  I took him to the office and the doctor said it definitely was not chicken pox.  Her best guess was that the rash was a reaction to the MMR vaccine and that he had a mild case of measles.  And yes, he could possibly be contagious, especially around the immuniocompromised (people with weakened immune systems).  This morning when I got him out of bed, I noticed it was much worse.  Poor baby!  Luckily he doesn't have a fever and is acting completely normal.  The bumps don't seem to itch or really bother him, they just look bad. 



Eating breakfast

 A couple of body shots taken while getting dressed this morning:

The one below was taken this evening before bed.  His face got considerably worse during the day.

Good Friday

Today is Good Friday.  Many Christians around the world celebrate this day as a reminder of what Jesus did for them on the cross. 

Jesus himself was able to predict what would happen: 
Then Jesus and his followers left that place and went through Galilee.  He didn't want anyone to know where he was, becasue he was teaching his followers.  He said to them, "The Son of Man will be handed over to people, and they will kill him.  After three days, he will rise from the dead."  But the followers did not understand what Jesus meant, and they were afraid to ask.  (Mark 9:30-32)

An account of what happend on that day:
At noon the whole country became dark, and the darkness lasted for three hours.  About three o'clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eli, Eli, lama sabchthani?"  This means, "My God, my God, why have you rejected me?"  Some of the people standing there who heard this said, "He is calling Elijah."  Quickly one of them ran and got a sponge and filled it with vinegar and tied it to a stick and gave it to Jesus to drink.  But the others said, "Don't bother him.  We want to see if Elijah will come to save him."  But Jesus cried out again in a loud voice and died.  Then the curtain in the Temple was torn into two pieces, from the top to the bottom.  Also, the earth shook and rocks broke apart.  The graves opened, and many of God's people who had died were raised from the dead.  They came out of the graves after Jesus was raised from the dead and went into the holy city, where they appeared to many people.  Then the army officer and the soldiers guarding Jesus saw this earthquake and everthing else happened, they were frightened and said, "He really was the Son of God!" (Matt. 27:45-54)

Don't worry!  This is not the end of the story.  Jesus had to do this to take away our sins but he rose from the dead three days later.  This is why we celebrate Easter.

homemade laundry detergent

A few weeks ago, I decided that it was time to make another batch of laundry soap since I was almost out.  I made a batch for the first time about a year ago and absolutely *loved* it!  I think the soap works really well, makes my clothes nice and bright and is really cheap!  The recipe I used is actually from the Duggar family website and can be found here.  It makes a lot but I was fine with that because that means I only need to make some about once a year.  I am sure that you could half or even quarter the recipe.  They also have a powder version that is listed on the webpage.

Ingredients needed:

4  Cups - hot tap water
1  Fels-Naptha soap bar
1 Cup - Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda*
½ Cup Borax

Directions:

1. Grate bar of soap and add to saucepan with water. Stir continually over medium-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted.

Note: I started grating with a cheese grater but it was taking forever so I just threw it in the food processor.



soap boiling on the stove

 

2. Fill a 5 gallon bucket half full of hot tap water. Add melted soap, washing soda and Borax. Stir well until all powder is dissolved. Fill bucket to top with more hot water. Stir, cover and let sit overnight to thicken.

3. Stir and fill a used, clean, laundry soap dispenser half full with soap and then fill rest of way with water. Shake before each use. (will gel)

-Optional: You can add 10-15 drops of essential oil per 2 gallons. Add once soap has cooled. Ideas: lavender, rosemary, tea tree oil.

 

-Yield: Liquid soap recipe makes 10 gallons.

-Top Load Machine- 5/8 Cup per load (Approx. 180 loads)

-Front Load Machines- ¼ Cup per load (Approx. 640 loads)

*Arm & Hammer "Super Washing Soda" - in some stores or may be purchased at Meijer.com.   Baking Soda will not work, nor will Arm & Hammer Detergent - It must be sodium carbonate!!

TIPS FOR LAUNDRY SOAP: We use Fels-Naptha bar soap in the homemade soap recipes, but you can use Ivory, Sunlight, Kirk's Hardwater Castile or Zote bars. Don't use heavily perfumed soaps. We buy Fels-Naptha by the case from our local grocer or online. Washing Soda and Borax can often be found on the laundry or cleaning aisle. Recipe cost approx. $2 per batch.

 

Mercy Reigns

I love Shane and Shane!  Their song Mercy Reigns is wonderful.  I have been listening to them and this song for about 8 years and it is still amazing.  I can listen to it over and over and am never sick of it.  It just reminds me of Jesus and his mercy and unconditional love for us, which is a good reminder especially around Easter.  Here are the lyrics (courtsey of lyricsmania.com):

Lyrics to Mercy Reigns :

she hides her face, it seems too good
for Your embrace to find her
and say, "my dove, your voice is sweet
show me your form... your form is lovely"

Your mercy reigns
Your mercy comes
Your mecy falls
and rises with the sun
Your mercy reigns
Your mercy comes
Your mecy falls
and rises with the sun

its new every morning
its new every morning
its good enough for me

no ear has heard a melody
as sweet as yours for her
it seems too good, so undeserved
my heart faints now, for we are her

Your mercy reigns
Your mercy comes
Your mercy falls
and rises with the sun
Your mercy reigns
Your mercy comes
Your mercy falls
and rises with the sun

i will abide in Your love, Your love

(song of solomon 2:14, lamentations 3:22-23)