Seasons of Change

Welcome! Stay tuned, after a long absence we're "remodeling" so to speak. Lots of Changes are taking place and lots more are in the works. Starting with our new family member, born in late summer...

Photography by Jenny Gibson Photography

Secondly, our new name, Whispers in the Willows, is one that we feel better fits us. It more evenly wraps around us, and helps draw a connection to our family business. Our life, our knowledge, our family and our business are pretty much intertwined in a big ball of yarn, so we felt that our blog needed to tie in nicely to the rest of it. Our family business "Windy Willow Pond" has become a big part of our life, but more so, it is just an extension of what we already do. Our writings are not a production of fanciful perfection, it's our life, the good, the bad, the beautiful and the messy. We want to welcome our blog readers to enjoy the adventure with us, learn with us, laugh and cry with us. So come on over, and pull up a log as we enjoy the quiet moments, sharing all of ourselves through the Whispers in the Willows.  Here are a few things yet to come:

• We're going to be working really hard to add more content, including several stories and tutes that have been patiently waiting to meet the world. *cheeky grin* 
• You'll see some giveaways, and we're digging up more opportunities for giveaways and reader bonuses.
• A new feature called "what's new at the Pond" will share a little about the behind the scenes happenings at our family business. 
• Our MYO series is going to get some love. And will also be open to requests!

What would you like to see featured on our blog? Feel free to share below... As always, we thank you for reading. It sure feels good to be back! Blessings and Shalom!

Drool Worthy Smoked Beef

Hello again! We're back with a quick recipe and an update! It's been a long long time, and I have been uber busy. But I haven't forgotten to snap pictures along the way! We had lots of fun and hard work last summer and even some sadness. We said goodbye to our beloved cat Hanz...
 He was a delightful blonde maine coone who spent most of his time acting like a dog and cuddling with us. He was the absolute best cat. But sadly our neighbors dogs didn't think so and they got him during a sun nap. It was a hard goodbye. But we are thankful for the time we had, however short it was. Other things we were up to this summer included camping and building and cooking and learning about herbs and I have all sorts of things to share with you through the cold months. I also wanted to sneak in an update on our store! We've just finished stocking it for this friday so go have a look! (click on either of the links to our etsy shop or our hyena cart store ~ both stores offer different items!)

Now we'll start off short and sweet with a quick recipe.

Drool Worthy Smoked Beef (Hanz' favorite :-)

 

 1 large steak

2 tablespoons stone ground mustard

2 tablespoons Worchestershire sauce

1/2 cup green olives

1/2 cup sliced onions

sea salt and cracked pepper to taste

Take 1 large family sized steak and slice it in the middle, not quite all the way through, like you are making a butterfly, and lay it open. Then spread it with a mixture of stone ground mustard and Worcestershire sauce. Season with sea salt and fresh cracked pepper. Then sprinkle it with chopped green olives and sliced onions. Now you will close it up and tie it off so it stays together. You can wrap the whole thing in foil to make it easier if you like. Then you are going to set your BBQ to the hotter "smoke" setting and smoke it for 1 to 2 hours or until done. If you smoke it just right, you will get that pink outer edge! Beautiful. (A pink inside means it's not cooked) When it's done cooking, take it off the heat and let it rest to absorb all the juices again. Then slice it thin and serve! Enjoy!

28 And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of YHWH thy Elohim, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that YHWH thy Elohim will set thee on high above all nations of the earth: ² And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of YHWH thy Elohim. Deut. 28:1-2

Blessings,
Staci

MYO: All Natural Baby Powder or Dusting Powder

This fun little project was so quick and easy I'm certain anyone can do it in just minutes! It's as easy as 1.2.3... Just think- you can  make your own apothecary creations! It's so much fun, I'm going to share with you and I hope you will give it a try!

First you need to have a baby powder shaker! I just saved my old one, a travel size bottle from a gift pack that was given to me because I'm a packrat frugal! But you can buy one, or just get a clean empty spice bottle with a shaker lid. 

1. Gather Supplies.

The next you need to do is gather your ingredients! Put them all out on your work surface to make it easier. 

 You will need:

2. Measure and Whisk together.

 3 T Arrowroot powder

4 T Cornstarch 

2 T Cosmetic grade clay

Essential oils as desired.2-4 drops.

                                                                           Then use the recipe to measure out your ingredients. Stir them well with a wire whisk. 

Then... 

Wait for it...

3. Pour into shaker.

                                                                            Use a funnel to pour your HOME MADE ALL NATURAL BABY POWDER in your shaker. Don't forget to label it, with ingredients in case you forget. 

Go ahead, laugh out loud at how simple that was! (and try to refrain from kicking yourself for not doing it earlier!)

 

 Now go find an adorable baby butt and sprinkle some on!

Here are a few tips: 

*If you want it scented you can try adding a couple drops of essential oils. Lavender is a good one for babies. But take it easy- start with 2 drops and go from there. You can always add more but you can't take it back.

*Keep in mind that if your baby is sensitive to new products their could be a reaction, so know your baby, know their skin and act accordingly. 

*For a slow healing rash or other skin issues, you can even add powdered herbs like comfrey to help it heal. Try the herbs in a separate batch and stick with the basic batch for every day use. Use about 1-2 tsp of each powdered herb, depending on their strength, for this size recipe. 

*You can use the same basic recipe and concept above with mint oil, just a drop or two, for a cooling deodorizing dusting powder for mama to wear in the summer heat! I love it!

So there you have it- Fast - Fun- Refreshing- and Cheap!
 Home made body products for you and your family that are good for you and good for your wallet!

"She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands." Proverbs 31:13 KJV

Blessings,

Staci

Annnd Roll Film...

We'reeee Baaaaaaaaack  
We're creepy and we're cooky, we're little, big, and loopy, we're a home school family...

Baby boy turned 1!

Well ok, maybe not creepy, but definitely cooky. Hello again! :-) 

I know - I've been insanely busy absent for quite some time. Such is the life of a mom/teacher/wife/business owner/blogger. LOL Here are a few of the things we've been up to lately:

"Tractor" rides with daddy!

      Our youngest baby boy isn't a baby anymore! :-( He just celebrated his first birthday. Not to worry though- he's still very determined to be at the breast and attached to my hip - and I am totally ok with that! :-) I like them to stay with mama as long as possible, it helps things not seem to go by so quick!

  The spring time routine of mowing lawns in between the rain storms has started! And daddy thought he'd make it special and share a few rides with the kiddos! (Sans blade and low speed of coarse) What a loving daddy!

And below you can see that we are actually crazy enough to BBQ when ever we want. We enjoyed this one on a nice crisp cold day. From left you have smoked turkey, smoked marinated ahi tuna, and yummy southern style BBQ steak. (and no we didn't eat it all at the same meal :-) Sometimes I save time this way- I cook enough ahead to use for other meals.

And lip smackin' BBQ!

 So there are a few highlights... OK- these are all the glamorous parts, my favorite moments from recent times. But I have to say I am very excited to be back! I have been hard at work, snapping pictures and planning lots of fun things to share with you all! (all- ok I know I'm not a celebrity! :-) I can handle that - but I'm excited anyway because there are a lot of things in the works right now. Stay tuned!

^"6 Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: ⁷ Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, ⁸ Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest." Proverbs 6:6-8 KJV 

Blessings,

Staci

Depression Pie

AKA - Pinto Pie - This is a neat recipe. Probably from the south. Definitely discovered or made popular during the great depression. I'm not sure this exact recipe would have been used by the poorest of families, but at the very least a variation of it. As they say, necessity is the mother of invention. And well when all you have is beans, you find a way to make them go down and stay there. As funny as that may sound, eating beans day after day gets difficult, and you find yourself choking them down or going without because you can't stomach it. Well at some point a very creative mama came up with a way to help with that. Here is the recipe:

Pinto Bean Pie

1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar, packed
2 eggs beaten
1/3 cup butter
1 heaping cup mashed, cooked pinto beans
1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell
whipped topping or ice cream
Beat until creamy the granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs and butter. Add pinto beans; blend well. Pour into unbaked pie shell and bake at 375 deg. for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 deg. and bake an additional 25 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Serve with whipped topping or a scoop of ice cream. Optionally you could add a cup of walnuts or pecans. This will give it more of a pecan pie taste.

 Now, thinking in true desperation mode, you can cut back up to half of the sugar and it will still be palatable, serve without toppings, and use any wild harvested nuts. This is the way things were done, making do with what they had.

" ⁴Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name." Psalm 100:4 KJV

Blessings,
Staci