Turn a Necktie into a Bowtie

Maybe your husband would like to try out a bow-tie, or maybe you would like him to try one, but can't justify spending more on neck accessories.  Or maybe you can't figure out if you would like to gift him with a neck tie or a bow tie.  Choose a neck tie and you can have both!  Did you know you could turn a neck tie into a bow tie?  Here is a step-by-step process of how to turn a regular neck tie into a double bow (2 leaf) bow tie.

Step 1.  Lay the tie down, backside up.

Step 2.  Fold the bottom part of tie to the center, just enough to securely tuck the end into the excess holder/tie label.

Step 3.  Fold left (skinny side) of tie into the center, folding to your desired presentation of bowtie's width.  You have just created 1 leaf (top layer) for each side.

Step 4.  Fold length back over to the left, creating 2nd leaf (bottom layer) on your right side.

Step 5.  Fold length back over to the right, creating left side's 2nd leaf.  Use your left finger to lock tie into place as you fold excess lengthwise at the tie's crease (see right hand in picture below).

Step 6.  Take length (that is now creased at the seam) and wrap it over the top center of your masterpiece and under the center of the bottom to the back again, forming your bow.

Step 7.  Pull excess through the loop in between the 2nd bow layer and the wrap-around you just did. More simply put, tie a single knot at the back with your excess.

Step 8.  Pull end through this loop one more time, very loosely to form noose.

Step 9.  Pull the noose at the bowtie (not the end, see picture below) in order to tighten bowtie.

Now you have a bowtie.  Next is to fit it on your man.

Step 10.  Once it is around the neck, pull end to tighten around neck, and wrap end within itself before lowering collar.

Voila!  Best part of seeing a bowtie on your man is knowing YOU tied it.  It may not be perfect, but lady, you went beyond what most men would do for themselves.

Buttery Calzones with Vegan Option

My calzone recipe is about as old as my son.  It is our family favorite.  There was actually a time when we had calzones almost the whole week, not just because I'm a creature of habit, but because they are really that good.  

Ingredients

Dough (Yields 4 calzones): 

2 1/2 C all-purpose flour

1 package yeast

1 C sink-hot water

1 T sugar

1 T salt

1 T garlic powder

Filling:

To your desire, but my favorites are mushrooms, onions, spaghetti sauce, cheese (Daiya), pine nuts, and spinach.

Mix water, yeast, and sugar into a bowl.  Set aside until bubbly.  Add into large mixing bowl with flour and remainder ingredients.  This dough is quite yeasty, which is my delight.  If you prefer more of a flaky calzone, add 1 t baking powder and 1/2 t baking soda to your recipe, omitting any rise time outside of the oven's preheat.  I mix with my own hands -- I find it works the best with doughs (I don't use a bread machine of any sort).  Divide dough into four.

Sprinkle flour on parchment to prevent eccesive stickiness as you handle dough.  Roll dough into desired pie size.  Spoon spaghetti sauce onto half of dough, leaving edges (maybe a cm round about) clear.  Add your additional toppings, cheese last.  Fold over and pinch edges.  If flour has left dough too dry, you can revive the stickiness with a dash of water on the edges.  Let rise up to 30 minutes.  Bake on bottom rack at 375 for 20 minutes.  Remove from oven and rub butter (I use coconut oil) on top of calzones.  Sprinkle more salt and garlic powder, and place back in oven until desired golden color, or up to 10 minutes more.  They are extremely hot coming out, so allow some cool-down.

10 Ways to Get a Mini-Workout with a Baby

The other day my husband and I pulled into the post office so I could send something off.  He took the carseat out of the car and walked the baby around outside.  She tends to scream when she's sitting in the carseat, but will calm down to a sleep when she's strolled inside of it in the fresh air.  That's my girl, she likes the wind to hit her face.  She closes her eyes and takes it all in, and it puts her in such a peace that she sleeps.  Wow, I can get spiritual with that, but I'll focus.  So, when I leave the building to find the husband, I catch him in the parking lot doing tricep extensions with the baby in her carseat.

We are only getting older, working out is essential.  The body starts to hurt and limbs and joints get to feeling dull when they aren't being worked.  It is just hard to find the time.  We don't live in an age where just going about our daily living is a workout -- whether its cleaning, commuting, or working for our food, etc.  These days, everything is push-button and a seated function.  We must work out in order keep fit and healthy.  How do you find the time when you have a full-functioning family, including an infant?

I'll be honest, it is a good week if I can get 3 - 30 minute increments dedicated solely to working out (like in a video) per week.  Things like jogging strollers and Mom-and-Baby workouts are really nice ways to keep baby and workout in one, but what if you just don't have the time to fit in a run?  These days, in order to stay fit and healthy, I have to also find ways to work out while going about my daily living.

1.  Commuting by foot.  Our library is a mile away, and the shopping plaza is a bit further.  To get to both means going uphill.  This a bit of a family fun exercise, because Bam will use his razor, Amira will use her skateboard, and Elisha takes in that fresh wind she loves so much in her stroller.  I get the shoulder, hamstring, and glut workout of pushing a stroller uphill, and a lat and quad workout on the way back home downhill.  If I do light groceries and stack them in the stroller basket and bags tied onto the handlebar, it's like weights!

2.  Carseat curls.  So before my husband used the baby in carseat for his triceps extensions, he did a few sets of bicep curls.  Hey, it was a long post office line.  Seriously, how many times do you find yourself standing in a line?  Pick up the carseat and knock out some curls.

3.  Carrier core strengthening while cleaning.  The baby wants to be strapped to me (or her Daddy) anyway, and the housework needs to be done.  I find that I get a good core (mainly back and sides) workout when I have her in the carrier and have to do slight bends, like when straightening things up.  Deeper bends that require squating for baby's safety while in carrier, like switching laundry and picking up stuff from the floor, give a good frontal core workout and of course you work the muscles you normally would in a squat.

4.  Plank reading.  I homeschool my children, which means much of the morning is taken up by me reading something:  the Bible, the reading or history lesson, etc.  Why not throw the book on the floor and make a goal of one page per plank.  Do you know how many muscles are used in a plank?!

5.  Pilates while being a pillow.  ... or a mattress.  I have found that I can get through the older kids' school lesson when I instruct it while I allow my daughter to sleep on me or in my arms, otherwise she is too demanding.  So I have a choice to sit on my butt for a few hours while she sleeps and I instruct, or lay that baby on my tummy for some of it and do some supine workouts with my legs (also using legs as weights for the core), bridge-work, etc.

6.  Rock and twist.  Babies like to be rocked.  Well, if you hyper-swing your rock, while you hold the baby close, to twist your torso on the ab axis, you get a good lung and oblique workout.

7.  Include dance in your music class.  Dance is very natural for kids, and it puts a baby to bed (strapped onto you).  I guess it reminds them of being in the womb a bit -- so close to hear your heartbeat and feel the legs' sways. For years, while in worship, I'd remember how the Bible mentioned David dancing with all of his might before the Lord, and wondered why I didn't see it incorporated into many worship services.  Our family does Israeli and Messianic dance -- a great exercise.  Dances like waltzes also make a good calf workout.

8.  Teach a sport.  I have a rule for my kids that their elective has to be either some involvement in music, art, or sport.  Sports are a great way to workout with your kids, and it seems less of a workout when it is a game.

9.  Peek-a-boo sit-ups.  A fussy baby takes up lots of time.  Plans for a workout go right out the window when you have a baby that just won't let you let her go.  Playing with baby all of a sudden takes precedence.  Set the baby by your feet and do a sit-up, while playing peek-a-boo.  You can also lay the baby on your legs, while your legs are extended out and you do a pilates roll-up/down, playing peek-a-boo.

10.  Grocery shopping lunges.  I kid you not, I have done this multiple times.  Normally I know exactly what I am buying and where it is in the store, but for the Mom who likes to go down every aisle, this one might be for you as you probably walk through the aisle just as slow as if you were walking lunges down the aisle.  When I do them, I alternate aisles, or if I am looking down a new aisle, I'll do them.  I'll lunge-walk the whole aisle, hand to shopping cart, or at least until I find what I am looking for within that aisle.

So you see your workout buddy can also be your baby -- the best kind to have, and mutually beneficial.  Baby gets to have you and you get to workout.

Homemade Samosas

If you're like me, when you eat Indian, it's such a tough decision on what to order.  The stomach is only so big!  Their entrees are yum, but so are their appetizers, like the samosas.  It's just that even their appetizers are so big that there's isn't room for the yummy masala that's coming next.  The struggle is real.

Indian is one type of food I don't mind not cooking and ordering instead.  Their foods are full of fresh spices, and since many in their culture are Hindu, they understand how to prepare meat-free deliciousness, for those of a vegan lifestyle.  I really only came up with this recipe because of cost-effeciency.  I hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:

Dough:

4.5 C all-purpose flour

2 t baking powder

9 T coconut oil (for vegan option, or soften butter for non)

6-7 T water to start, adding a T at a time to form

Filling:

Vegan-

3 potatoes, cubed small

1/2 onion

1 C frozen peas

1 T each:  curry, cumin, tumeric

salt to taste

Meat-

1/2 pound ground beef

1/2 onion

1 C frozen peas

1 T each:  curry, cumin, tumeric

salt to taste

Canola oil for frying

Mix ingredients for dough, and set aside.  Warning:  my water amount is an estimation, as with my doughs I add little at time until I receive desired texture.  You should do the same.  Texture should be dry enough to not stick to your fingers, but wet enough to have some elasticity and not crack when formed.  

Pre-cut and boil potatoes to cook, or pan-fry ground beef until brown.  Drain.  Add frozen peas, onions, and spices.  Mix fully.  I made both vegan and meat fillings, so I had leftovers of the fillings for the next day's lunch.  I just had to make more dough for it. 

In a large deep frying pan, add canola oil (or other high smoke point vegetable oil), heating on medium high.  Divide dough into 2-3 inch balls (enough to roll out into a 5 inch circle).  After you roll the balls of dough, heap tablespoons of filling upon middle of dough.  Fold the edges of the circle over the filling, in order to form a triangle, gently pinching the ends together as you fold.  Pan fry on each side until golden brown, with enough oil to cover half of the samosa.  Serve immediately.  Dough and 1 filling recipe yield approximately 20 samosas.

This dough is crispy and soft, and does well as leftovers (unlike most fried foods).  It was not soggy when I ate the leftovers the next day.  It is best to reheat, or keep warm, in your oven.

Alternatives to Pharmaceuticals in the Cold/Flu Season

I don't know where he got it from, but my son came down with a nasty cold last weekend, then the baby got it.  Now here sits our whole family, sick.  I saw it coming, of course, but tried to let it ride out in myself to give my immune system a nice exercise, and also for the baby's sake, building antibodies to deliver to her.  Plus, letting it come upon me full-blown gave me opportunity to test out my essential oils I've scarcely used for illness.  Most of my prevention-methods leave me not having an actual illness.  I see so many people still living by the over-the-counter medicine bottles and I'd like to share some alternatives our family has tried, and were left quite satisfied.

Cough Syrup and Chest Rubs
There's the type that brings stuff up and the type that promotes mucous or loosens stuff so that it can be brought up.  I don't know why anybody would suppress either one of these, but if your worry is that coughing too much may somehow damage the lungs or move you right into another lung condition, then why not help this defense mechanism's job by having more productive coughs.

Instead of...  Cough syrup or vapor rub as your suppressant

Try...  Ridding the culprit with using an expectorant or mucolytic.  Essential oils like cedarwood and eucalyptus, or your germ-fighting blend (like Young Living's Thieves, or equivalent).  Or if you want to calm down a violent cough, try soothing yourself with lavendar or frankincense.  You can replace your petroleum-based chest rub with coconut oil and any of these essential oils, applying also to the soles of your feet.

Fever-Reducer
Hey, I'm a Mom too.  It is hard to watch your little one be so miserable over a fever, and it is hard to be on watch all night trying to make sure the fever doesn't get too high.  There are reasons for that fever.  Heat is one of the body's strongest defenses to infection.  If you take away the heat, you had better be taking away the infection with it.  Most of us aren't taking antibacterials or antivirals internally, while we are taking away fevers internally.  I do keep a bottle of acetaminophen in my cupboards, just in case, but the last time I used it for one of my children was almost 5 years ago.

Instead of...  Acetaminophen

Try...  Taking in antibacterials, antivirals, antifungals, antimicrobials, internally.  Garlic is my ultimate favorite.  I'm not talking about those odorless pills.  Neither can you bite a clove in half and swallow it whole.  The magic in the garlic is odor itself.  Allicin is responsible for that lovely odor and it is also responsible for its strong infection-fighting capabilites.  Alliin is an odorless component within garlic, while allinase is the enzyme.  You have to crush the garlic to bring these 2 together, making the alliin.  Up to 10 minutes passing time will prove its highest concentration, before swallowing.

I can also attest for onions in socks.  I see that some have taken it upon themselves to say this doesn't do anything, though onions claim to be a toxin-remover and purifier.  I have successfully used onions with my older 2 with each fever, and like I said, the last time I used an actual fever-reducer was close to 5 years ago.  At one point of time, Bam had a fever of 104.  I put onions in his socks and immediately drove him to the ER.  By the time we got there, the fever lowered to 100 degrees -- which is manageable and safe as I have been told by doctors, while still providing enough heat to do the job.  So I went back home.

Runny Nose & Watery Eyes
Liquids have a way of trapping things.  Remember the Rainbow vaccuum?  It was Kirby's competitor, which promised to trap more things within itself because of the water system it had going on.  I bet they copied that from the Lord's design in mucous membranes.  These are yet another defense mechanism and way to trap and get the foreigner out of the body.  It would be nice if mucous took a little time to thicken so you're not pouring liquid right out of your nose, and if watery eyes didn't also mean very sensitive eyes.  This sounds like allergies, doesn't it?  Actually, many cold medicines include antihistamines for the nose and eyes.  We've tested some alternatives.

Instead of...  Antihistamines

Try...   Peppermint, lavender, and lemon essential oils.  I figured if the pharmaceutical companies treat it like allergies, why don't I use my own allergy mixture.  Doesn't it feel like you can feel every single piece of microscopic dust in the air hit your eyeball when you have sensitive, runny eyes?  You can barely keep your eyes open.  This mixture opens things up, calms them down, and keeps the overly sensitive area clean.

Body Aches
This normally accompanies fever.  Most of our ailments (including pain) are caused by inflammation.  This is no different with a fever.  When I researched online, I saw some responses from the medical community that fevers cause the body's release of certain chemicals that cause muscle spasm to inflammation.  No wonder ibuprofen is a go-to.  It hurts to walk, so you sit down.  It hurts to sit.  Waaaaa! 

Instead of...  Acetaminophen and ibuprofen

Try...   Analgesics and anti-spasmodic, like oregano essential oil; and an anti-inflammatory, like frankincense; and magnesium complex as a natural muscle-relaxer

Restlessness
Okay, so we hear it is best to just sleep it off, but what about those that can't sleep because of all of the above?  Some people just go alternating between an over-the-counter day formula during the day, and its counter night formula for night.  That is just no way to live.

Instead of...  daytime and nighttime cocktail formulas

Try...  Lavender foot-rubs or foot-baths, ylang ylang applied to the back of the neck and lower back, and magnesium complex.

To protect myself I must say I am not a doctor, nor do our government agencies that backup pharmaceuticals back up natural alternatives as listed here.  I came by these by good old fashion research, logic, and experience.

Mommy, You Sound Like a Dude

Almost all kids have lying down to an art.  I had often told my daughter that she needs to not be so quick to answer me, because a person's (especially a child's) first instinct is to protect themselves, including their ego, and often that means lying.  My son, however, is a unique cookie.  He is brutally honest most of the time.  He will tell you if he doesn't like something, why, and his feelings towards things.  In a way I think this a blessing, though often some may choose the disvalue of lying rather than the disrespect of honesty, if there is such a thing.  Way too many adults today are trying to "find themselves" because they have spent their lives lying about how they feel, or following something for someone else.  Or many adults are trying to stem their bad behaviors back to the root of the problems, which generally boils down to their feelings and perspectives on a certain thing.  Bam is very much in touch with his feelings and, in that sense, we can deal with the root of his disobedience without having layers to uncover.

Instead, his honesty leaves us with a different challenge:  a word fitly spoken.  Don't get me wrong -- he openly calls out beautiful things as he sees them; however, with the non-complimenting, but even convicting, the boy seems to lack tact.  I could give many examples, but one that had me pondering the past couple of days was when he said, "Mommy, you sound like a dude."

I sound like a dude?  I understand that we live in a generation where this could become a compliment to a woman.  However, for a woman who embraces her feminity, this was disturbing.  What made him say that?  I can tell you that he said it twice to me in one week, and in both instances it was immediately after I spoke loudly and authoritatively over my house.  

First of all, in my spirit I know that 1) I am an adult in here and authority over my children, and 2) I am my husband's first assistant; but I also know that am not him.  The Bible talks about a meek woman being precious in the sight of the Lord.  What is meekness?  A pastor once told me it is likened unto a father and son wrestling.  The father is more than capable of actually pinning down the son, but yields and allows his son to pin him down.  It is not lack of strength, but yielding that strength.  In fact, I will submit to you that it is actually exercising even greater strength to yield than to not.  For example, do you think it takes God more strength to destroy man than to let him live?  Dear Reader, you should know that it takes significantly more strenth to longsuffer, to pardon, to yield.  Women, it is not an inferiority complex issue, this is an issue of order.  We're talking about order than even a 6 year old boy can see, or lack thereof.

In passing, Brant once said he was about to add chips to his chili but didn't because the bag wasn't opened.  I am the master of the kitchen, mainly because I plan and prepare the meals, but geez does a man have to ask to eat the food of his house?  I had to slap myself internally and told him this is his house, he can have whatever he wants.  Then in my own passing, I lightly mentioned how the kids left and didn't do their chores, making more work upon me.  He stepped up and said he would do it.  It was just not right -- I turned around and said, "It's not your job."  His job is to provide and protect, and mine is this house and the children.  I don't bother myself with the provision of this family, and I wouldn't want it neither.  I also don't want to bother with the protection of it.  Both are a stumblingblock for me, as they feed the anxiety and vanity that I am prone to have.  Yes, call it old school, but to this order's defense, it just kills me to see his authority and strength crumble under me -- it makes me have to take on his job and mine, and all women I know who have tried a man's job before are stressed out, unhappy, or awaiting a man to take that place.  What I like instead is the peaceful rest and security I feel falling asleep in the arms of a man strong in authority, that he made known in the position he holds in his family -- a man capable, by what I see, to let me rest.

There is something so freeing about submission -- not having to be your own God, your own Lord, your own strong tower.  I know I am speaking of the Lord, but isn't that what the husband is supposed to exemplify?  Let your Bridegoom be your Bridegroom, and...let your bridegroom be your bridegroom!  How freeing it was for us when we let Him be our Bridegroom.  Surely when we let our bridegroom be our bridegroom, it will not disappoint.