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We have been fans of PACT Organic clothes for several years. Their socks are my absolute favorite! In fact I have giftedPact Organic Christmas sock gift packs several times to family members.
Two things I love about PACT Organic is that the fabrics are super soft (you will notice the softness when you wear them) and their clothing is better for both us and the environment. I wrote more about it a few years ago which you can read here.
These pajamas are made of soft, breathable, 100% organic cotton that is made without toxic chemicals and with 91% less water than conventional cotton. Did you know that organic cotton uses 91% LESS water than conventional cotton when produced? I think that is amazing!
PACT Dream Big Pajamas are available in kids’ sizes 18 months to 10. My 9 year old is wearing a size 10 and my 4 year old is wearing a size 5. I ordered up in size so they had some growing room and could get more use out of the pajamas. They are a little loose on my slender boys since I ordered up in size, but they stay on nicely.
These pajamas provide a snug fit for safety, with a pull-on waistband and banded cuffs at the wrists and ankles. They are also made with a tagless label on the back to prevent discomfort and skin irritation. The fabric is prewashed and shrink resistant. They wash well and are so snuggly and soft when they come out of the dryer. ​
These pajamas are tough too. They hold up to all the wrestling and tumbling in our busy house of four boys.
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I know I usually write about food, but I thought you would all enjoy seeing our new puppy. Isn't she a cutie! This picture was taken when we first got her.
Since we moved to our homestead, we have had a goal of getting a golden retriever or a golden doodle puppy. I grew up with golden retrievers and we have the space for a bigger dog so we decided to look for a golden retriever.
Since we were traveling to Ohio for Christmas to see family, I started looking for puppies online a couple of weeks before. I was able to arrange a puppy pickup for Christmas day. We drove about an hour south of Columbus to a beautiful snow covered farm where we picked out our sweet puppy. We bought her from the Zook family. If you are in the market for a golden retriever puppy, you can reach the Zook family at (937) 302-6427. We had a wonderful experience and feel confident recommending them.
​The boys did not know we were going to pick out a puppy. They thought we were driving to my parents' house and were surprised when we pulled into a driveway that was not their grandparents'. My parents live in the country too so it could easily look like we were on the way to grandma's. We did head to my parents' house after the puppy detour so the boys were able to share the excitement with family. My parents were very helpful since they have had golden retrievers and now have a golden doodle. My parents' had an extra dog crate which they very generously shared with us and loaned us their books on training golden retrievers.
Last summer we raised a huge garden and sold produce at the farmer's market and our own roadside stand. We also raised 4-H market lambs and pigs and baled and sold hay from our pastures. We saved all of the "farm" profits to put towards our new puppy. Amazingly, our puppy cost the exact amount that we had saved from our "farm" proceeds.
It took us a couple of weeks to name the puppy. We wanted a name that the whole family liked and one that was meaningful to us. We thought about Christmas themed names since we got her on Christmas day, but just couldn't settle on anything. Finally, our oldest thought of Marigold. We thought Marigold was very fitting since she is a golden color and our family has strong horticultural interests. In addition, the marigold was originally called Mary's Gold after the mother of Jesus, the Virgin Mary. We loved the name and it's origin and thought it was perfect for our Christmas puppy. Her full name is Marigold Holly so she is doubly representing both Christmas and horticulture, but we just call her Marigold or pup pup.
She is really becoming a part of the family. Our youngest, Robert, tells me all the time that she is his sister.
And like any puppy, you never know what she will do next. I was surprised to walk in and see this.
The dishes were clean, but I can't remember if the dishwasher was still warm or cooled down, either way, she liked it.
We are new puppy parents so I don't have a lot to recommend yet, but if you are potty training a puppy, this cleaner is essential! My sister recommended it to us and it really works. I started with this spray bottle and then bought the huge 128 oz. refill which was more economical. I have refilled my spray bottle twice already. This stuff is amazing at cleaning puppy accidents. No stains or gross smells left behind, just a fresh clean citrusy scent.
If you have a favorite puppy toy, treat, etc. please share. We are so new to the world of puppies and could always use recommendations. Our sweet Marigold has us wrapped around her little paw. She just climbed into my lap as I was writing this. It is amazing how much joy a pet can bring to a family!
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Our farmer friend baled the pastures so we got to fill the barn with hay again. This was our second cutting for the season so we have a lot of hay. We have sold a few bales and will sell a few more and have plenty of hay leftover for our 4-H animals in the Spring. Here are some pictures from our afternoon of stacking hay in the barn and some fun videos at the end because there is always fun to be had on the farm. Stacking hay bales is a lot of work, but when everyone works together it goes pretty quickly and there is a lot of fun to be had too. This one did not want to be left out. Getting ready to load hay in the wagon. Working together. Had to stop and put air in the wagon tires. The most beautiful view. Bucking hay bales to the top of the wagon. All in a day’s work. If you are going to stack hay bales, you want to wear thick jeans, long sleeves and work gloves. I had on thinner, more fashionable jeans that I wear all time and actually went in and changed into some old work jeans because the scratchy hay was going through my jeans. Good work gloves are a must. I bought several pair on clearance last year so we would have lots of gloves for everyone in the family. You can get kids sizes too. I keep them in a drawer in the kitchen so we always know where they are. There is a lot of fun to be had when bringing in hay with the family, like hay rides. This one wanted in on the action too! We were out getting hay so we picked up the trash can from the end of the drive on the hay wagon. The boys had a blast tackling hay bales. So much fun to be had on the farm!
You may have already seen this on facebook and instagram because this proud mama posted it everywhere. My husband who tends to be really creative made a fairy garden last week with the boys to enter in the Murray Woman's Club Floral and Iris Show.
The boys gathered everything for this project from the yard and the arboretum which is basically an extension of the back yard.
So much detail! They meticulously glued sticks together to build the house and furniture using a hot glue gun.
I love this little fishing pole. My husband made a little clay fish to dangle on the line.
They even made a little clothes line and tiny iridescent clothes to hang on the line. This stone was borrowed from our flower beds.
The boys made this tiny pecan shell vase and arranged small flowers in it. Our oldest made this little table and stool from sticks and an acorn.
My husband chipped away bits of stone from the large stone to make these little stepping stones.
I think this little tree is adorable. It is made from four pieces of Juniper glued together.
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The boys were so excited to win 1st place in the fairy garden competition!
I made a quick video of the fairy garden and posted to youtube.
The boys did an amazing job and had fun doing it! I am so proud of them and my awesome husband.
​While we wind down from our Thanksgiving feasts, prepare to make more room for the good times and company that are bound to come. As we enter December, be sure to take a break from your monotonous routines to slow down and spend some quality time with loved ones. In preparation for the arrival of cherished friends and family, take steps to make your house feel like a home to all who enter this holiday season.
​Decorate your home with coziness in mind
With the weather becoming increasingly colder or snowier, your guests are going to be in search of warmth once they hang their coats by the door. When giving your home a makeover for the holidays, be intentional about incorporating coziness into your decor. Keep these tips in mind:
Tis the season to break out the tree and Christmas decor! Placing a tree into the corner of the room will fill up space. Yes, it may make the room seem smaller, but the aesthetic of pine partnered with shiny ribbon and white lights will be sure to make the room feel cozy. Already have a tree in your living room? Try for a smaller one in your dining area!
​Allow your rooms to feel lived in
When expecting company, it is normal to feel the need to make your home look as tidy as possible. Making sure surfaces are wiped clean and messes are tidied up is one thing, but sometimes a room that looks too pristine and bare can work against you. This can make your guests feel uncomfortable making themselves at home in your house out of fear of messing things up. You want your loved ones to feel like members of your household, not just visiting guests. Take cues from farmhouse style living rooms, which utilize design techniques like draping blankets over chairs rather than neatly folding them away in order to make the space feel utilized. Leave out coasters and wicker baskets full of books in order to subtly convey that they do more than simply admire the space from afar. Play some festive music or leave a holiday movie playing on the television to create background noise. There are tons of fun Christmas movies available to choose from!
​Showcase memories with photos of friends and family
Show your loved ones they are valued by displaying your favorite memories that you’ve shared together. This is a great opportunity to get creative with frames as a significant aspect of your home decor. Fill the spaces your guests will spend most of their time in with lovely stills of moments spent with one another. Have too many photos to choose from but not enough frames? Before guests arrive for your big holiday gathering, create a wall of gratitude and post all of your favorite photos with loved ones. Use paint-friendly tape to prevent damage and sticky notes to create fun captions next to the photos. For a more designed focused take, try out a geometric wall display. For a quick and simple tactic, hang up the photos on a twine clothesline. Get into the spirit of the season by only displaying photos taken during past holiday gatherings! Let laughter lead the way! Although it’s wonderful to want to be the perfect host, try to be mindful of spending more time creating new memories with your loved ones rather than catering to them. After all, how else are you going to get new photos to add to your wall of gratitude? Remind yourself that those dishes will still be there when everyone has said their goodbyes, and a slightly disheveled living room is just a sign that people enjoyed themselves. Let the laughter of friends and family fill your house and you’ll quickly realize that the best way to make your four walls feel like home is by filling it with people who you love most.
I find it amazing that in 11 years of hosting kids birthday parties, this is the first time that we have done a Star Wars party. We have been so busy, that we literally planned this party in less than a week. We decided it would be fun to show a Star Wars movie on the barn and planned the party around that. A quick email invite, late night on pinterest, amazon prime order and of course some effort and we had a party.
These pool noodle light sabers were a huge hit and made great party favors. In fact, our kids have been playing with them for days. My husband made most of the light sabers for the party, but the kids have been making things all week with the extra supplies. They even made an elaborate shield.
I bought the light saber supplies at Walmart. All you need are pool noodles (which are unfortunately seasonal), duct tape, and electrical tape. My husband got really creative and made all different kinds including a pair of numb chucks. For most of the light sabers, he used a half length of pool noodle, but made some of different lengths too.
I always make a meal for our parties, but don't usually make theme food. This time I made some things with a Star Wars theme. There were so many great ideas online and it was fun to bring the theme into the kitchen. My husband formed this Jabba the hummus out of some store-bought hummus and peppers. It was adorable and delicious too.
We served with fresh cut vegetables for something healthy since we had sugary cookies and cupcakes. Gotta have some balance or the kids will bounce off the walls, LOL. I always make guacamole so I served some with chips. I saw some creative Yodamoles online, but didn't try to sculpt a Yoda out my guacamole. We can only do so much...
I didn't get the best picture to represent what these are, but these are cheese and cracker tie-fighters. I used some port wine cheese spread to "glue" hexagon shaped crackers to small slices of cheese sticks to make the tie-fighters. The only crackers I could find in this shape, were these small gluten free crackers which broke easily when handling, but they were delicious and a fun food for the party.
Pork carnitas has nothing to do with Star Wars, but it's one of our favorite meals and has become our party go-to main dish. So we served our favorite pork carnitas.
I wanted something really simple for the cake because with four kids I don't have time to do anything elaborate. I bought yellow cupcake liners at Walmart, made simple cupcakes in vanilla, chocolate, and lemon from cake mixes, and frosted them in homemade buttercream frosting tinted black,
I ordered yellow star candies and light saber cupcake toppers on amazon. Also, if using a cake mix, the Betty Crocker Original Recipe is my favorite, although it is getting harder to find in my local stores. It is the old fashioned fewer ingredients version and tastes more like homemade. I may have to order some to have on hand for cake emergencies, ha! Although, from my link it looks like its $15.99 a box! Yikes! I will have to see if I can find a better source. I used extra star candies as a decoration scattered on the black tablecloth on the food table.
Wookie Cookies
I decided to make Wookie Cookies, but wanted to keep them pretty simple. I used one of my favorite recipes adding cocoa powder to make them brown and eliminating the nuts and chocolate chips in the cookies. I melted chocolate chips to make the bandoliers and used white chocolate chips to finish them. I ran out of brown sugar so I used coconut sugar which works well too. I used this recipe because we love them and because the coconut and oatmeal would give them a bumpy texture like hairy Chewbacca. Wookie Cookies were a big hit at the party.
I doubled this recipe for the party.
Ingredients: 1 ¼ cups flour ½ tsp. baking powder ½ tsp. baking soda ¼ tsp. salt 1/4 cup cocoa powder ¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) butter softened ¾ cup packed brown sugar or coconut sugar 1/3 cup granulated sugar 1 ½ tsp. vanilla extract 1 egg 2 Tbsp. milk ½ cup sweetened coconut flakes 1 cup old fashioned oats Chocolate chips (for melting) Raisins (for the eyes) White chocolate chips for the bandoliers 1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. 2. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cocoa powder in a bowl. Set aside. 4. Beat butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Beat in egg. Gradually beat in flour mixture and milk. Stir in, oats, and coconut. 5. Drop by rounded tablespoons on parchment lined baking sheets. 6. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until edges are crisp but centers are still soft. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; press raisins onto warm cookies for the eyes. Remove to wire racks to cool completely. 7. Melt chocolate chips in the microwave then pour melted chocolate into a plastic zipper seal bag. Seal the bag and cut one corner so that the chocolate can pour out like from an icing bag. Draw a bandolier in a diagonal line across the cookie with the melted chocolate. Then place white chocolate chips on the melted chocolate to finish the bandolier. Makes 2-3 dozen cookies.
Linking up at Inspire Me Monday
I think it's funny how our approach to Halloween costumes has changed over the years as we have had more children and consequently have less time to devote to things like getting the perfect Halloween costumes for our kids. I told a friend this story with no intention of posting it, and she said you should write about that. I thought it was such an ordinary thing, but maybe it isn't in our perfect pinterest world of high expectations. So here is my story…I took the boys to a church Halloween party last week and when we pulled into the parking lot, the boys noticed children in costumes. Uh oh, huge Mom fail, I never even thought to have the boys put on costumes. I had spent the time between school pick-up and the party trying to get my 8 year old to sit still long enough to do his homework and making homemade applesauce. This is no easy task. It is hard to get him to do his homework every night. We finally got something accomplished with him sitting on a stool in the kitchen reading to me while I peeled and cored apples. This was a potluck church party so I needed to get the applesauce done to have something to take. Somehow I managed to make applesauce and get all four kids in the car and get there almost on time. We were less than 5 minutes late to a two-hour party, which is on time in Mom-time. I was feeling pretty good about this, and then we pulled into the parking lot and saw THE COSTUMES! The boys were pretty let-down and I felt really bad so we turned right around and went home. Luckily we live about 5 minutes away, but I knew this would make us a half hour late so I let go of the need to be on time for this one. I pulled into the driveway and said run into the house and grab something out of the costume bin. (We have saved all of our costumes over the years and they are in a big dress-up bin in the little boys’ room, a benefit of having 10 Halloweens under our belt.) I never even got out of the car. I stayed in the car with the baby while the boys ran into the house. A few minutes later, Captain America, a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, and a bat came bounding out of the house. I didn’t know what they would choose. We hadn’t even discussed Halloween costumes yet this year and here they were… three very happy boys dressed in costumes they have worn a million times. Most of our costumes are hand-me-downs, homemade, or purchased after Halloween on clearance or second hand and they are the best. One thing life with four kids has taught me is that simple is usually best and that everything doesn’t have to be perfect all the time. What are your kids doing this Summer? For many of us Summer time with the kids is a time to enjoy the outdoors, the sunshine and if you're lucky the ocean. As much as kids love Summer holidays, keeping them busy can be a challenging! If you've not got the luxury of a Summer camp then it's up to you as parent to find things to keep them busy. Failing that, your kids might spend all their time in front of a computer, tablet, phone or other screen and research has shown that spending too much time in front of a screen can have a detrimental effect on the health and wellbeing of children. Studies have shown that taking part in nature-based activities helps people who are suffering with mental health problems and can contribute to a reduction in levels of anxiety, stress, and depression. In fact, a daily walk in nature has shown decreased activity in a region of the brain associated with a key factor in depression. One in four people are estimated to experience bouts of mental health problems and it's on the rise. Prescription medications of antidepressants are also at a record high level and the demand for more invasive treatments are also on the rise. Health officials are examining different options for cost effective services for mental health sufferers and one of these options is a daily walk of 90 minutes or more. Let's go back to a time when children got excited to spend their time climbing trees and building forts rather than spending hours in front of the tv.
Joe at Nature Rated understands this all too well and has put together an infographic of 15 Summer activities to get your kids outside enjoying nature.
This is what it looks like: From baking a blackberry pie to constructing a pond or insect hotel, there's plenty for the youngsters to do. Head on over to his site for step by step instructions to get your kids outside and into nature. ​Thank you Joe for guest posting. An outdoor enthusiast, Joe is the lead editor at Nature Rated; a website which rates and reviews the best outdoor gear for people who quickly want to know what to buy. He believes in no fluff, to the point reviews, which help you choose the right gear for your next adventure. Whenever daily life gets him down he heads to the nearest lake or river with his kayak and camera spending time recharging his batteries.
We are trying to raise our boys to explore, create, and use their imaginations so their screen time is very limited. I love these ideas to get kids outside. We also want our kids to have a good work ethic and a great way to instill this is to let them help with outside chores and projects.
The boys helped clean the overgrown mint out the flower beds to make room for perennials. They have also been working hard in the community garden this summer.
Watch this cute video of the boys showing off their catch, which we did cook for dinner.
The boys love to go fishing and have already been twice this summer. Luckily we live close to the lakes and their Dad likes taking them. Fishing is fun, but just being outside at the lake is fun too. They could spend hours looking at rocks, shells, and exploring trails. ​What are your favorite ways to get your kids outside?
You might like:
There's nothing like waiting until the last minute, but for some of us, that's when inspiration hits and our best ideas come alive.
​ If you are one of those last minute creatives, here are a few ideas I hope will inspire you. ​
For more delicious recipe ideas, go to the recipes heading at the top of the page and use the drop down menu.
I don't know what it is about instagram, but I love it. I have only been (really) using it for a few months and know lots of people are not on instagram so I thought I would share some of my favorite pics. I post lots of pictures of the kids and our lives outside of Home Ec @ Home, so Mom you should love this!
Pretty excited about this, I just figured out how to add a caption that shows up when you hover the mouse over each picture. So hover to see what I have to say:) If you want to follow me on instagram, you can here.
Let me know if you are on instagram. I would love to see your posts!
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Welcome to Home Ec @ HomeHi, I'm Faith, a former Family and Consumer Science teacher turned food blogger. I love God, my family, and food. You can usually find me in the kitchen preparing family friendly, homemade recipes and taking lots of pictures. This website uses marketing and tracking technologies. Opting out of this will opt you out of all cookies, except for those needed to run the website. Note that some products may not work as well without tracking cookies. Opt Out of CookiesFan Favorites
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