Homemade Foaming Hand Soap

My husband goes We go through a lot of hand soap. I keep trying to buy bulk refills that are free of triclosan and sodium laurel sulfate. It can be done, but they're pretty expensive. Luckily, I found an online recipe for making my own. Here's all you need:

1 empty foaming dispenser

1 tsp. glycerin
1/4 c. liquid castile soap (I use Dr. Bronner's almond)
~ 1 c. water (or fill to the top)

Add everything to the dispenser. Tada! You can find vegetable glycerin at health food stores or online at vitacost.com, my new source for green products. I've found Dr. Bronner at health food stores and Target. The essential oils in the soap make it fragrant.

What does the family think?

Husband: I like your hippie hand soap. Keep making it!
Baby (aka the parrot): Hippie soap.

This post is linked to Works for Me Wednesday.

P.S. I will be ending this blog on June 30, 2011.

Little Princes Review

Little Princes
by Conor Grennan


At its heart, this true tale is a love story.

Conor Grennan lived like a typical twenty-something: He partied. He had a job. He decided to spend his savings on a trip around the world, starting with volunteering three months in a Nepalese orphanage called Little Princes. (OK, so that might not be so typical.) Despite his lack of experience with children, he fell in love with these orphans. Soon their lives became entwined. He returned to Nepal later and met some children who had been purchased by a child trafficker. He made arrangements to move them to another orphanage, but they were taken by the trafficker before they could be saved. During this time, the civil war between the government and Maoist rebels intensified, so Conor had to flee.

Broke, unemployed, and now consumed with his failure to rescue the children, Conor did what any young person would do: he hung out in a law library to find out how to start his own non-profit to get the kids back. (OK, last joke.) Amazingly, he started Next Generation Nepal and raised the money to go back to Nepal to find these children and the parents of the children at Little Princes, who were mostly not orphans. These impoverished parents sold their children to child traffickers in hopes the kids could attend school and be safe during the civil war. That's not what happened. Attempts to reunite the families have succeeded in some cases, but not in others.

But the love story doesn't stop there. An online romance buds with a (beautiful) woman who saw a story about Conor in a local paper. And God, who has been reaching for Conor all this time, finally wins the heart of this man deep in a Hindu and Buddhist culture. This beautiful adventure shows what a man's passion can accomplish. (PG, highly recommend)

Endings and Beginnings

Memorial Day is one of those days that everyone celebrates. It's a 3-day weekend for most folks. It marks the beginning of summer. It spawns parades.

The point of Memorial Day is to remember and honor those who have lost their lives in our defense. Thousands of men and women have died prematurely in service to the United States. I invite you to do what you can to honor their sacrifice.

Meanwhile, I want my life to count. I want to end my days totally spent, using all my energy and gifts in service to God.

That means the blog is ending. June 30 will be my last post.

I have too many other things to do, things that mean more to me and my family, things that are more profitable and helpful to others.

I've enjoyed the ride. And don't be getting all nostalgic about the end of Bitterroot Mama. Save that for the soldiers.

Mom's Easy Lasagna

It's not the easiest lasagna recipe out there (those would be with no-bake noodles) or the most authentic Italian, but it's pretty stinkin' easy and yummy. Serve with a big salad and some breadsticks.

Mom's Easy Lasagna
9 lasagna noodles (at least half whole wheat)
1 jar spaghetti sauce
1 lb. hamburger meat, cooked and drained (opt.)
16 oz. ricotta (or cottage) cheese
1 egg
1 tsp. dried basil
salt and pepper, to taste
2 c. mozzarella cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Get a big pot of water boiling. Add lasagna noodles and cook until al dente.
3. Meanwhile, grease a 13" x 9" baking pan. Mix spaghetti sauce and hamburger.
4. Mix ricotta, the egg, basil, and salt and pepper to taste in a separate bowl.
5. The layering: Spread about 1/4 cup sauce on the bottom. Layer 3 noodles, 1/2 of the ricotta mixture, 1/3 sauce, and a teeny bit of cheese. Repeat. Place remaining 3 noodles on the top with the remaining sauce and cheese.
6. Put in oven. Bake for 30 minutes. Use your broiler for an additional couple of minutes, until the cheese is browned on top. Let it rest after you take it out of the oven. Then serve warm!

Chocolate Fish Giveaway

Are you ready for a giveaway? I am! After purchasing three packs of chocolate fish from New Zealand (no joke!) and only having 6 people at my Sisterchicks Down Under book club, I have a few left. These marshmallow-centered fish are covered in chocolate. The marshmallow has a strawberry flavor.

In New Zealand, chocolate fish are given as a treat when you do something well. I want to hear what you've done well lately, so follow the instructions below to enter.

Mandatory Entry: Leave a comment telling me something you've done well. Please leave your email address so I can contact you if you win.

Extra Entry: Follow my blog via Google Friend Connect and leave a comment telling me so.

Open to U.S. residents only. Two entries maximum per person. Contest ends on May 31, 2011 at 11:59 p.m. MST. Winner will be announced on June 1 and will receive the pictured 6-pack of Cadbury Chocolate Fish. I purchased the fish myself and was not compensated in any way by Cadbury company or coerced by their adorable bunny.

Operation World

Have you ever wondered what exactly to pray for a country? Lots of times it's easy - just turn on the news to another natural disaster. But how can we specifically pray for each country around the world? Jason Mandryk provides some answers in Operation World: The Definitive Prayer Guide to Every Nation. He asked church leaders, missionaries, and people within these countries how to pray for them.

This thick book covers every country in the world. Going alphabetically, he's assigned specific days to pray for each country, so you know that you're praying with the rest of the people who are following through this guide. Each country section begins with political/economic information, then leads to praises and specific prayer requests.

I've learned a great deal about geography (Did you know Brazil has the largest Japanese community outside Japan?) and I've frequently had my heart broken. (There are more abortions than live births in Bulgaria.) It obviously can't cover every need, but it's a starting point. This is an excellent resource for families, and I think it would make a great addition to family devotions. (G, highly recommended)

Alpacas at the Library

Gladiator with a volunteer (O'Malley's on the far left.)

Not sure if you go to your local library's storytime, but we do! Last week, we had a few special visitors: alpacas (who had recently been sheared). They were from a local llama/alpaca sanctuary and available for adoption. After seeing them kick the small children who walked behind them, I think we'll pass. We did, however, enjoy listening to Llama Llama Mad at Mama and other alpaca-ish books.

Pleased to Greet You

Do you ever wonder how much money greeting card companies are making? Three dollars a card times sixteen birthdays, plus the occasional baby shower, frequent thank you notes, graduation cards, sympathy cards...and I haven't even started with the holidays.

I'm not here to revolutionize the system (an e-card just doesn't cut it sometimes); I'm just here to show you how I organize my cards. Here's the box:

Just a plain plastic bin (with an unshown lid) that's a little wider than my cards. The dividers came with a box that's long gone. I have some generic cards and specific ones I've already purchased for people's birthdays. I put address labels and stamps in the front for easy access.

I have another plastic bin for blank cards and then a stack of the boxed sets that I purchased recently.

How I get cheap(er) cards:
1) Sign up with Hallmark and take advantage of the coupons they send. I've received a few promotions this year for buy-one-get-one-free cards.
2) Look at the cheap bins at Michael's and the Christian bookstore for very cheap sets (these are often fairly generic).
3) Keep on the lookout at yard sales.
4) Check out clearance sections of card companies (Dayspring, etc.) and other online vendors like eBay and Amazon.
5) Purchase boxed sets for special occasions. If you have a hard time remembering which set of parents got which anniversary card which year, write it inside the lid of the box.

This works for me! How do you keep up with the greeting card onslaught?

On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness

I don't normally like juvenile fantasy books (unless they're by Tolkien and C.S. Lewis), which is why I was so surprised that I loved On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness by Andrew Peterson. Perhaps we're long lost friends. (He is a pastor's kid from the South.) All I know is that the book had me sucked in and laughing hysterically.

Here's the plot: Three children live in a small town by the sea with their grandpa and mom. The town has been taken over by Fangs from Dang and life is not great. Janner and Tink (both boys) find a map at the bookseller's store to lost treasure in a mansion. An adventure enfolds from the discovery under the mansion that leads to the family's destiny, the town's destruction, and book 2 of the series.

Along the way, you'll read lots of footnotes to books that don't exist, but that add some background explanation to the story. You'll learn the alternate names of Adam and Eve (Dwayne and Gladys). You'll meet crazy and amazing forest creatures (including horned hounds and toothy cows). This book is a fun read that will delight middle-grade readers on up. (PG for thematic elements, highly recommended)

When a Signature Isn't Enough

Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer likes to veto bills a very special way: with a brand. Watch him at a veto branding session here.

Honeycomb Ice Cream

My family came to visit, so I wanted to make them a special dessert last weekend, the grand finale of the Mother's Day meal I cooked. This tasty treat can be made with or without an ice cream maker and comes from Wholesome Meals for Babies and Toddlers (Parragon Publishing), although it can't be served to babies under 1 due to the honey in it. It's a fun welcome to summer.

Honeycomb Ice Cream
makes ~ 1 quart

With Ice Cream Maker
Freeze the insert of your ice cream maker ahead of time.
In a large bowl, whisk 1 3/4 c. heavy cream until thick. Fold in:
1 1/4 c. plain (or vanilla) yogurt
1 tsp. vanilla
4 Tbsp. honey
4 Tbsp. maple syrup.
Pour the mixture into the frozen ice cream insert and start the machine.
When the ice cream is almost solid, add:
3 honeycomb chocolate bars, crumbled (couldn't find these except at the family candy store)
OR
3 Heath toffee bars, crumbled.
Pour the mix into a freezer-safe bowl and freeze until solid.

Without Ice Cream Maker
In a large bowl, whisk 1 3/4 c. heavy cream until thick.
Fold in:

1 1/4 c. plain (or vanilla) yogurt
1 tsp. vanilla
4 Tbsp. honey
4 Tbsp. maple syrup.
Pour into a freezer-safe bowl 1 1/2 quarts or larger, cover, and freeze for 2 hours. Stir with a spoon. Add:
3 honeycomb chocolate bars, crumbled (couldn't find these except at the family candy store)

OR
3 Heath toffee bars, crumbled.
and then stir again. Freeze for another 2 hours.
Repeat the mixing and freezing for 2 hours scenario 3 more times, until the ice cream is solid. Then, do yourself a favor and buy an ice cream maker. :)

For a little extra kick, I added about 1 tsp. of cinnamon. It really deepens the flavor, but you could use the base recipe to add lots of different add-ins: sprinkles, chocolate chips, strawberry pieces, etc.

It Seemed Like a Good Idea...

Apparently my bulb addiction extends to onion sets as well.

Note the 200 onions (100 white, 100 yellow) laid out in meticulous rows with the assistance of a yardstick.

Other than giving some to the in-laws, I may end up with an abundance because, well,

I only marginally like onions.

I guess we're going to become better acquainted.

12 Steps to a Great Multi-Family Garage Sale

I had a brilliant idea a few weeks ago. Hold a garage sale. In my garage. When it's going to be freezing and snowing/raining. I invited a few other people to join me in the freeze-a-thon, which is what it turned into, aside from making us some cold, hard cash. Here are some helpful hints I learned from my very first yard sale.

1. Check the weather. People will still come if it's nasty cold, but it helps with nice weather. I'm thinking our nice weather might turn up as one nice week in July this year.

If these sweaters weren't so small, I would have bought them
all and layered them on for sheer warmth.

2. Make it a party. Invite people that you like or that are willing to sell their junk with you. It's much more fun talking with people you like during the slow times. I also had the privilege of helping some ladies who don't live in convenient places be able to reach a larger audience. Don't forget to invite your neighbors! Most of my neighbors came over and said, "I wish I'd known you were having a sale. I wanted to have one too." 

3. Split up the work. Make it very clear when people are working their shifts, when people should bring their stuff, and when they should pick it up if it doesn't sell. I had about 500 plastic bags I'd been saving and another girl had 10 tables. Have someone get the change for the sale too!

4. Assign tag colors. Since K-Mart only had a few options for yard sale stickers, I bought a couple of packages with 3 colors in them and gave everyone a color. We split the cost of the stickers and it was very clear whose items were whose. If you want to use the same colors, you can write your initals on the tag.

5. Advertise well. With multiple people, the cost of a newspaper ad (however primitive-seeming) doesn't cost much. We bought the yard sale package (3 days, 4 lines, with stickers and 2 signs) for $17 and divvied it up. I posted a free ad on Craigslist the day before the sale and then put up signs on the main highway the morning of the sale.

6. Don't forget to advertise and bring big ticket items. We had info about a Bowflex and ice axe (it could still be yours!) hanging up and a 1963 Ford Falcon parked in the front of my house, all for sale. If you don't want to budge on a large (or small item), write FIRM on the price tag. If you are willing to negotiate, tell the people on that shift how low you'll go.

7. Don't open the garage until you're ready. You may never get it back down again, even though things are obviously NOT set up and are scattered helter-skelter around a garage that needs to be swept. Do as I say, not as I do.

Don't you just want to decorate your home with this cute sign?

8. Organize your stuff. Even though we lagged behind our customers, I had printed category signs off my computer the night before. We eventually hung them up. Some people said it was the most organized sale they'd ever seen. (I filed that compliment away immediately, as we should all do.)

It may look like the orange stickers were few and far between,
but I commanded high prices.

9. Create a pay tally. I took a simple piece of paper, drew some lines on it, and stuck the stickers under each person's name as the items sold. It helped to put the stickers on my hand so I could add them together before I stuck them to the page. If a sticker wouldn't come off an item, I just wrote down the amount on the person's column.

10. Offer something free. I couldn't sell baked goods in good conscience because it's not legal here (I called and asked), but I could give away free cookies. Some people took one, or two, or three.... We also had lots of free items ranging from empty egg cartons to my old dish strainer. (Seriously, who would want that?)

11. On the other hand, charge something. We had a fairly nice foosball table that one girl wanted to get rid of. (She undercut us with her prices.) She put "FREE" on it, but it wasn't moving. Since she wasn't there, I decided to put a $5 tag on it. It sold in 5 minutes.

12. Get rid of the leftover junk. We have lots of local places that take donations, but don't forget to try a flea market for neat finds, kid (and grownup) consignment stores for clothes, and used bookstores for book credit.

Multi-family sales Work for Me! What's your best garage sale tip?

UnPlanned DVD Winner!

The winner of the UnPlanned DVD was Kelly! I've contacted you by email.

To Be Perfectly Honest Review

Phil Callaway is a brave man. For one year he vowed not to lie and kept a journal of his experiences, the new true (!) story To Be Perfectly Honest: One Man's Year of Almost Living Truthfully Could Change Your Life. No Lie.

Phil is a comedian, which means that he spends some time performing and lots of time playing golf, exasperating his wife, and replying to emails from "Ruth Madoff" and atheists who will watch your pets in case of the rapture (no joke). The book followed all 365 days (plus a couple of extra ones where he had to restart) of his truth experiment, which looked similar to many of our lives. He deals with a mother losing her memory, adult children dating, and risky investment decisions. He also confesses to greed, lust, and not always liking the praise music at his church service.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. I laughed out loud reading it in the lobby of Lube Quick, so much so that the other person waiting wanted to know what I was reading. (Granted, anything has to be better than old issues of American Hunter.) I'm not into golf, so those conversations didn't interest me. I also couldn't understand why he didn't just laugh at the funny jokes an old man at his church told him. Some of the comments seemed self-serving and shallow, but I found the book entertaining, with a punch. In what instances do I lie? Am I indulging in some of the same sins? The study questions included are thought-provoking. If you want to laugh, read this book. [PG, recommended]

[I received a complimentary copy of this book from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing in exchange for an honest review. The opinions are my own. Plus, I wouldn't lie while reviewing a book about not lying.]

If you liked this review, please rank it at http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/bloggingforbooks/reviews/view/8220 so that I can continue to receive and review books through this program!

HatWoman

Our church put on a lovely Mother's Day tea this weekend.

The theme was "A Woman of Many Hats," highlighting the large number of roles that we play as women.

We were supposed to wear hats to the program. 

These are my in-laws. They wore cute hats.

I decided to wear the only hat I'll ever need as a Montana woman.

Sadly, I did not win a prize.

Neither did the cute-hats.

Almost A Chick-fil-A Sandwich

Almost as good as the real thing.

I love Chick-fil-A sandwiches. Unfortunately, I live 231 miles from the closest restaurant. In lieu of opening one myself, which I have seriously considered, I have turned to making them at home with this recipe from the Food Network Magazine.

I make it just like the recipe suggests except I don't use malted milk powder. They still taste excellent. Now, does anyone have a recipe for their spicy chicken sandwich?

Best Organic/Natural Products?

I've been trying for awhile to switch to greener personal care products, but with their cost and limited availability, it's been difficult to know which ones to get and where to get them. So, I thought I'd use this reverse Works for Me Wednesday to ask:

What is your favorite organic/natural personal care product* (or recipe) that really works?

*I define personal care products as ones that are used on the body and face. For example, sunscreen, moisturizer, toothpaste, shampoo, etc.

Thanks in advance for your help and don't forget to enter my giveaway for an UnPlanned DVD!

Milestones

Hello my lovely readers. Today I can announce that I have 50 followers (yippee!) and have been awarded The Versatile Blogger Award by I AM NOT SUPERWOMAN.

I recently started following your blog and enjoy it. Thank you for this award and for highlighting my insane number of book reviews.

Now I get to award this to 5 other bloggers. I have been waiting to share some of my favorite blogs and now I can share them with you and give them a wonderful award.
 
The Rules
If you accept this award you must:

~Thank the person who awarded it to you.
~Post 7 tidbits about yourself
~Award 5 other bloggers this award.
If you don't accept this award, I will be sad.

My 7 Tidbits
1. I love to cook, but hate doing dishes.
2. Every fall I plant about 100 bulbs. I am fairly addicted to planting them, sometimes ordering them direct from Holland.
3. I call my reading time "Introvert Recharge Time" because I just need to be alone. A lot.
4. My favorite flowers are gerbera daisies.
5. I go to the library at least twice a week, sometimes more, to get books for me and the baby.
6. I know all the words to the Llama Llama books by Anna Dewdney by heart. I think they're super cute.
7. I'm in 2 book clubs, one that I lead. I'm always looking for good book recommendations (especially for the church crowd).

The Winners!
Now, onto the winners of the Versatile Blogger Award:
1. Downright Domesticity - She makes me laugh all the time with her graphics and crazy stories. She also has a huge passion for cloth diapers.
2. Small Steps on Our Journey - She has awesome giveaways all the time and shares her very real life.
3. Silly Eagle Books - I love the kids' book reviews and fun crafts she posts.
4. The Cutting Back Kitchen - Fantastic recipes, posts about faith, and more! She will be moving soon, so make sure to follow her new blog.
5. so much shouting, so much laughter - This blog is full of beautiful reflections on faith. It's a constant encouragement.

So, check out these blogs and be sure to enter my giveaway! I'm off to do something versatile.

UnPlanned DVD Blog Tour and Giveaway

Today I'm participating in the UnPlanned DVD Blog Tour! Tyndale has graciously offered me and one of my readers a copy of this incredible DVD. That means a giveaway! (More details below.)

Review

Abortion continues to create conflict in the public arena. Christians believe that abortions end innocent lives, while pro-choice advocates, like Abby Johnson once was, believe they're empowering and supporting women.

This hour-long documentary follows Abby from her Christian childhood to becoming the director of a Planned Parenthood in Texas. It details her encounters with the pro-lifers who prayed and demonstrated outside her clinic to her ultimate decision to leave her job and become outspoken for life.

It's hard to approach this issue without the political and religious stigmas attached, but I felt that the movie didn't demonize either side. Pro-life supporters even admitted that some of the other demonstrators at events made them uncomfortable. It actually helped me sympathize with the people who work at Planned Parenthood and understand their rationale. It made me think through what ways are appropriate and effective to speak up for life. It also left me in tears for all the voices that were silenced before they could speak. I think the message of the film is that there's forgiveness in Christ for all sins, that you can never go so far that God can't forgive you and use you. I enjoyed this powerful DVD and think it would be a great addition to any pregnancy resource center or a personal reminder of the abortion issue. [PG-13, recommended]

Check out the trailer to the documentary here:

Giveaway

Now, for the giveaway! One winner will receive a certificate redeemable for a free DVD of UnPlanned.

How to Enter: Leave a comment below telling me why you want to win! Be sure to leave your email address.

One entry per person. US only please. The contest will end on Monday, May 9, 2011, at 11:59 p.m. MST. Winner will be announced next Tuesday and will be emailed! Winning number will be selected by random.org.

In Addition

A free webcast with Abby Johnson and other pro-life advocates will be held on May 17 at 8:00 p.m. at http://www.uniteforlifewebcast.org/. Be sure to register (for free) early. Abby has also written a book with the same name of UnPlanned. I have not read it.