♥Resurrection Day Wreath♥

This wreath is one of my favorites :) I know it's kinda plain and simple, but I'm getting to where that is what I prefer. There is symbolism in it as well. Dogwood blossoms because it is said Our Lord was crucified on a dogwood tree. THREE blossoms for the trinity. Green grass to symbolize new life!

 This wreath was so easy and pretty cheap. 

I found a straw wreath at a local thrift store for $.75, wrapped it with Yarn Bee Haute Fur Cypress (used my 40% off coupon at Hobby Lobby), found my cross at Hobby Lobby for 50% off, used white felt I had on hand, and other supplies on hand!!  All in all, it cost me about $9. 

To make it, I simply wrapped the wreath with the yarn. Try to wrap the strands close together and fluff as you go. To make the dogwood blossoms, cut a 1 1/2 in. strip off the short side of the felt. Then cut 1 1/2 in. pieces off the strips. You should have square pieces. You will need 4 for each blossom. Then you follow this illustration:

Source

I used pink scrapbook chalk to ink the blossoms. Watercolors or any paint can also be used. To attach the blossoms to the wreath, I used hat pins that I had colored silver using a silver metallic marker. I tied the cross on using a piece of silver cording I had on hand.
These dogwood blossoms would look so cute on a girls hairbow! Check out this brooch that was my inspiration:

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♥Have a blessed Resurrection Day !♥

This post is part of the Simple Living Wednesday Link Up and Welcoming Wednesday Linky Party!

Out with the old and in with the NEW!

Some of you may remember that at the end of last year, I decided to re-vamp my soaps. I was finally able to get all my supplies and have started making soaps again :)  I ordered a couple of soap molds and now my bars are uniform and prettier. They are also a bigger size! Here is a comparison photo of the old and new Honeysuckle to see the difference:

Another change is my recipes. I have tried many different recipes and have more knowledge on which oils I prefer to use. So now my soaps will stay the same.  I am also adding more scent, because I have noticed that the citrus scents fade.
NEW BARS are also a coming change! I have discontinued some that didn't sell well, and am adding some new ones. One new bar that I'm pretty excited about is a "camouflage" bar for all those hunters out there!  There will be some new names also, but I will let you know if they are replacing an old bar and which one.

♥My new line of soaps will be introduced in May♥

When something new comes in, all the old has to go... so I am having a sale on all my inventory.

♥ON SALE NOW FOR $1/BAR♥

Granny's Medicinal.... only 4 in stock SOLD OUT

Lemony Gritty....only 8 in stock

Litely Lemon....only 7 in stock

Honeysuckle....only 5 in stock SOLD OUT

Lemon Cream....only 10 in stock   

To see information/ ingredients about these soaps, please click on the "My WhimZ Shop" tab at the top of the blog.

 

♥Happy Love Day!♥

We are on a TIGHT budget this year. Here is what I did for my Loves:

Crushes with tag found HERE.

Bags of Kisses with tags found HERE.

Valentines were made with Google images and Adobe Photoshop. I made them into bookmarks, because we all LOVE to read :)

♥Now for a "LOVELY" bible lesson ♥

The word "love" is in the bible 135 times. This does not include all other forms of the word including "loved, lovest, etc...

The book of the bible that contains the word "love" the most times is......

1 John

Yep, that little book with only 5 chapters mentions LOVE 33 times.

The book of the bible that contains love in "all it's forms" the most times is....

Psalms

No surprise there... 65 times

There are different meanings of the word "love" in the bible. From what I studied today there are 3 distinct ones. There is the "friendly" love, the "man~woman" love, and "God's unconditional" love.

The word "heart" is mentioned 819 times in the bible. That does not include the other forms of the word. It's meanings include: The organ of the body, feelings, as well as "the center of everything"

I thought that was very interesting!

The words "love" and "heart" are mentioned together in the bible 19 times. My favorite is this:

But as it is written , Eye hath not seen , nor ear heard , neither have entered into the HEART of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that LOVE him.   ~1Cor. 2:9

Check out my Pinterest page for more great ideas including this one:

Here are a couple of freebies for you! Just right-click on the image and save it to your computer.

Here is a bookmark I created just for myself! But I'll share it with you♥

This is a Facebook Cover, but can be used for anything! I love this verse!

  ♥Enjoy!♥

Herbal tea to fight the cold/flu

This winter has brought so much sickness all around us. The flu is rampant, the new stomach bug that is deadly, as well as your common colds and viruses. My recent interest in herbal medicine has sent me to the kitchen cabinet for remedies instead of the drugstore this year. I went to my local library in search of some books on herbal medicine and they had 2. One was Culpepper's book, that I found very hard to read and understand. The other was a book by Dian Dincin Buchman. What a treasure find! I have been re-checking it out since Dec. because it is so full of information that is easy to understand and well organized. Thankfully, I found it on Amazon for under $2 and just received my very own copy in the mail this week.

My youngest son has had a cough that just hung around and wouldn't go away. I took my information from the book and made him a cough syrup that he said "actually tastes good!" It also worked! Then our school was hit hard with the flu and I threw together a flu-prevention tea to give them all. So far, we haven't had to deal with it (Praise the Lord!)  I have had a couple of days where I felt like I was trying to come down with something. This week is one of those times. I am making my tea and would like to share it with you. Most of these ingredients you already have in your kitchen.

WhimZB's Cold &Flu Tea

Ingredients:

Herbal tea: Peppermint for daytime, Camomile for nighttime

Cinnamon stick (or ground cinnamon)

Fresh ginger (or ground ginger)

Whole cloves (or ground cloves)

Rosemary (fresh or dried)

Cayenne pepper

Lemon (or lemon juice)

Raw, local honey

Supplies:

Tea or coffee cup

a cup larger than your tea cup

a fine mesh strainer

spoon

While your water is coming to a boil, get your ingredients ready. Choose your tea. Slice and peel a small piece of ginger (have you ever smelled fresh ginger? It is so nice... a spicy lemon scent ). You will need a pinch of Rosemary and 4 whole Cloves and just a 1in. piece of your Cinnamon stick. Place all of these in your cup.

 Next, cut up your lemon. If it's a large lemon, cut 2 slices and then quarter them. If it's a small lemon, cut in 1/2 and then quarter each half. You will only need 1 wedge. I like to keep lemon wedges in the fridge all the time for tea and lemon water. Do not add your lemon just yet.

Once your water starts boiling, pour it into your cup and let steep for 10 min. Then, place your strainer into the larger cup and pour your tea thru it. 

Next, take your strainer and place it into your tea cup and pour the tea back into it. (Straining the tea twice).

Last, squeeze your lemon wedge into you tea and add 1 TBLS honey and a tap or 2 of the Cayenne Pepper. (You can save your squeezed lemons and boil them with your water the next time)

Stir and ♥ENJOY♥

I drink a cup every couple of hours on an empty stomach.

If you used powdered spices, your tea will be "chunky", so prepare yourself. 

Now for the "why" of the ingredients I chose:

Peppermint tea: Settles the stomach and opens the sinuses. It is also great for headaches

Camomile tea: Settles the stomach and relaxes you, pain reliever

Ginger: Detoxifies and warms the body, also relieves pain

Rosemary: Relieves headaches, and has many anti-disease abilites

Cloves: Ani-nausea, flu- preventative, sleep aid

Cinnamon: Same as cloves

Cayenne Pepper: Source of vitamin C, soothes a sore throat, warms the body

Lemon: Source of vitamin C, soothes coughs and sore throat, brings down fever, settles the stomach

Honey: Sweetens the taste, destroys bacteria, anti-fatigue, helps boost your immune system

This recipe is very flexible. If you don't have, or don't like any of the ingredients, just omit them. If you cannot abide drinking tea, you can make a syrup by adding the powdered ingredients to the honey and lemon. 

**I am not a doctor and do not claim to be. This recipe is my own and helps with my families' illnesses**

You can also pair this tea with the Chicken Soup Recipe I posted earlier. If you have the mix already made and ready to go, just add LOTS of garlic to it when you whisk in the ingredients. Fresh is best, but I didn't have any, so I used minced garlic I keep in the fridge. Before serving, add as much Cayenne Pepper as you can stand. 

 ♥ENJOY!♥

This post is part of the following link-up:

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♥♥My Valentine's Wreath♥♥

It's February folks! Love is officially in the air♥ 

Since I am now making wreaths, I thought I might make one for myself. I don't know about you, but sometimes I get so into making things to sell or give other people, that I neglect to make things for my own house!

Last fall I made a yarn-wrapped straw wreath  that I decided to keep and decorate with the seasons. I used a bright green that will go with each season. Let me tell you, wrapping that wreath was NO PICNIC! It takes some time and patience, but I like the look of it. I did decide that I would NOT be selling any of those... too much work.   

You may be wondering how a "green" wreath could go with Valentine's Day. Well, for inspiration, I searched the web and Pinterest to find my perfect wreath. Not only did I want a yarn-wrapped wreath, I also wanted felt flowers. I had not yet tried to make them, but a former co-worker of mine (who swears she is not crafty) made a beautiful Fall wreath with them. I love felt. I always have. 

So here was my inspiration... I love this wreath!

SOURCE

I LOVE the gray flowers! Isn't it beautiful?  I decided to definitely do these colors. "But this wreath is not green... so how did you know yours would look ok"... you ask? Because... I also found............

This wreath!

I know, I know... there's no gray.... but that's ok... I knew it would work! So then began my quest to learn how to make those lovely felt flowers. I found LOTS of great tutorials on Pinterest! After I made them, I attached them to my wreath using hat pins... creating a "pearl" center. I decided not to use the pink because I just didn't like either of the shades I had. But I just love how good the red and grey look together! I'm not crazy about the top hearts... I may have to work on those. The "D" is a Christmas ornament a co-worker gave me.

  Here are some other Valentine wreaths that I found and liked:

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I hope I have inspired you. 
♥Enjoy!♥

This post is part of the following link-ups:

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Our Household is taking a Techno-break!

Two nights ago, the Lord laid upon my heart to fast the computer and watching movies. It's not that I spend time looking and watching BAD things.... but He wants me to spend more time with Him and with my family. You know... time actually "communicating" with my family, not just being in the same room. I spend a lot of time on the computer learning new things, getting ideas off of Pinterest and checking Facebook. And my family got used to us watching a movie nearly every night during the Christmas break. 

Not only does He want me doing this, but our WHOLE family! Computer, Ipod, Nintendos, and movies.  It will be hard..... but we can do this! Sometimes you just need to STOP.... and spend some time with those who matter most! See you in a week.

♥:)♥

Chicken Soup for the... Cold!!

Here in Arkansas we are experiencing flu outbreaks everywhere! Cold season is in full gear as well.  In the past, we looked out for and took care of each other. In fact, the bible tells us to. Somewhere along the line, that little gold nugget was lost, and people now only focus on themselves. I, myself, would like to get back into the "Love, -care -for, -and -look -out, -for- thy- neighbor" mode. I've always heard of chicken soup being good for you when you get a cold, but never really tried it beyond a cheap can of chicken noodle (that didn't really do anything but make me thirsty because of all the salt.) 

My reasons for not trying it before? 1) because no one in my family ever made chicken soup 2) I was sick.....so I didn't feel like trying to find a recipe and gathering all the ingredients, AND cooking it .

 Two Christmas' ago, my niece in-law gave each family a jar of "White Christmas Soup Mix ". It was so pretty!  It was noodles and spices and white stuff layered in a mason jar and tied with a pretty ribbon. All I had to do was get 8 cups of water boiling with the soup mix and add 1 can of chicken. It only took 10 min. to cook.  Easy enough!  So we tried it and ....... it was delicious!!!!!!!!!!!!! OH-MY-GOODNESS  delicious!!!  I had to have more! It was just too easy and it was so....... delicious!!!!!!!!!! (Can I stress that enough?)

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients

• 1 package Pioneer Country Gravy Mix (2.75 ounces)
• 2 tablespoons chicken bouillon granules
• 2 tablespoons dried minced onion
  
  
• 2 tablespoons dried celery flakes
• 2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
• 3 cups uncooked wide egg noodles or other pasta

1. Pour Pioneer Country Gravy Mix into wide-mouth pint jar. In small bowl, stir together bouillon granules, onion, celery and parsley. Pour into jar to make second layer. Add noodles. Seal with lid.
2. Make a Gift Tag: "Empty contents of jar into a large saucepan or Dutch oven. Add 8 cups water; heat to boiling on high. Reduce heat to medium; add 1 (10-ounce) or 2 (6-ounce) cans cooked and chopped chicken. Cover and simmer for 5 to 6 minutes or until noodles are tender, stirring occasionally. Makes 8 servings."
3. Attach gift tag and decorate jar as desired.

You can make up a bunch of these at once and have them ready to give them to friends or family when they are coming down with something. You can add a pretty ribbon and a label. Place it in a pretty basket or box with a can of chicken, a sleeve of crackers, and a Get-Well card and you're all set!

Personally, I made this not too long ago when my son and I were both down with a cold. This soup made us both feel so much better! I don't know if it was the spices, or the heat, or what exactly it was, but we both could breath better and felt better after eating it. And, by the way... it was DELICIOUS!!! It fills you up as well :) Be sure to make some for your own use!

Now personally, I am trying to make my own mixes this year. I was inspired by an e-book that I was blessed with called The Master Mix Way and she challenged me to prepare my own! Out of her book I created Ranch Dressing Mix, Taco Seasoning, and Spanish Rice Mix. I haven't made any Country Gravy Mix yet because I can't find a recipe that is close in ingredients to Pioneer Brand County Gravy mix. I love the taste of it!!  Today I looked up the ingredients to see what makes it so good and was not impressed... GOOD GRIEF!! So many ingredients I haven't even heard of.  So I attempted an online search that brought up 2 different recipes. One was simple, using powdered milk, flour, cornstarch and salk and pepper... but no flavors like the Pioneer brand. Another had lots of spices, but no powdered milk. So I decided that I need to do a little experimenting on my own. That will be a post for a later time :)

♥Enjoy!♥

This post is part of the Simple Living Wednesday Link Up and The Welcoming Wednesday Link Up! Check them out :)