Month: September 2018

Tea for two …for you and me!

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How great is it to have a “girls day” out?  I so enjoy getting together with friends and enjoying a cup of tea.  I was privileged to have a double duty day the other day with two “Teas” in one day.

The first one was at my church for our kick off “Ladies Fellowship”.  It was designed to gather the ladies for a fun morning filled with some yummy food, tea, a devo, a few games and some fun costumes to wear.

The second one was just for me….yup just for me!  My daughter-in-law took me out for a belated Mother’s Day present to a “high tea” at a tea room.  What a treat….not only to have a day for me but to spend the entire afternoon with my daughter-in-law and one of my best friends!  We drank one cup of tea after another, we enjoyed tea sandwiches, tea cakes and treats and of course scones.  I just loved the fact that when we first walked in….we were able to smell all the teas in little cups so we could choose just the right one for us to make a pot of tea from. The twinkling lights, the decor, the cute little tables …..the entire place was so charming!  I can’t wait to go back for a Christmas High Tea and then to do some Christmas shopping with the girls this year.

How about you….do you ever host a tea at your church?  What ideas can you share with me?  I would love to see pictures of your teas as well.  Send me some comments and pics below.

Lynn A. C. Wilson – Resume of a Mother

Hubbard Squash and pumpkin Goodies

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At one point we became members of a 4H group… for a fund raiser they would make pumpkin pies to sell at a annual fall festival. People swarmed over to our table to get these homemade pumpkin pie’s as if they were something really special. Being new to the group I couldn’t figure out what was so interesting about these pies… since it didn’t looked any different from any other pumpkin pie I’ve seen in the local supermarket. So I had to ask them what the secret was… and they shared it with me, it was Hubbard Squash.

First of all I have never heard of that style squash… and when I went to look for it here in New Jersey I had a hard time finding it. One fall afternoon we were in Pennsylvania… and I spotted this weird looking blue colored squash, when I asked them what the name of it was lo and behold it was “the Hubbard squash”. Absolutely overjoyed that I found it… I picked it up for just a couple of dollars and brought it home.

At first glance I thought I would just cut it into chunks and cook it down like I would for a pumpkin. There was no way in the world unless I got an axe that I could actually cut into this thing. So I decided to put the whole thing in the oven and cook it down and it took about 12 hours. So I have continued doing this for the past 12 years or so.

One of our favorite outings is to go to Pennsylvania and hit the Amish farm markets in the Fall. There I can get a 5 to 7 pounds Hubbard Squash… anywhere from $3 to $5 dollars. This is a good size to make several loaves of bread, muffins, soup and or cookies. It freezes well… And taste just like pumpkin but even better!

Here are a few pictures of it going into the oven, what it looks like coming out of the oven, cutting it open and scooping up the pulp etc. I will put it in freezer bags… and freeze it for when I need to bake. Check out this funny looking squash… try it out and taste and see how delicious it is! Let me know if you have any good pumpkin bread recipes to share!

Before going in the oven…

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After cooking on 200 for about 10 hours…

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The first cut before cleaning out the pulp…

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Cleaning out the seeds….

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all cleaned out….

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yummy pulp for pumpkin pie, bread, soup, muffins and cookies….

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Lynn A. C. Wilson – Resume of a Mother

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Essential Oil Candle

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This was something new for me to make… an essential oil candle. I have joined an essential oil’s club where you receive a check each month. The kit usually includes a project, four different oils, and about six recipes and any extra ingredients that you might need to make them. My kit is through a company called “Simply Earth”… and so far I have really enjoyed using all of their oils.

They included the recipe, a candle, and Himalayan Sea Salt to make this candle. They recommend that the candle does not sit directly on the salt… So I was able to find a candle holder at the dollar tree and also one at Michael’s crafts.

The recipe was easy… take the Himalayan sea salt, are used 10 drops of orange oil and 10 drops of fennel oil. I mixed it together in the salt. I then put the salt at the bottom of the glass jar… attached the glass jar lid with the extended candle holder, added the candle to it and then lit the candle. The fragrance in the kitchen was excellent and we really enjoyed the scent of the mix of the two oil’s.

Here’s a copy of the recipe card and some pictures of what I used and how I put it together. img_2605img_2606

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Lynn A. C. Wilson – Resume of a Mother

Surf Ups… Autism Day!

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Many people are misinformed and have a distorted view of Autism, disabilities, and what can be achieved! We have told our son he can do anything he wants… he might need to do it in a different way, but he can do it!

We are blessed here in New Jersey with several organizations that help people with disabilities and Autism. We have an organization called POAC, NJ Autism Warriors and organization that has come to New Jersey for this event in particular called “Walk on water”.

This day was created entirely for people with Autism and disabilities to have the freedom to feel the Atlantic Ocean surround them… to allow them to learn how to surf with a professional by their side… and to allow them to have the opportunity to know that they can do anything when they put their mind to it.

I have personally never surfed, but I have a few friends who have, and they said that there is nothing like riding a wave and the freedom it allows you to feel.

These kids were blessed one by one with riding the wave, winning an award, having a day set aside just for them and the list goes and on.

For one day they felt like they could be like everyone else. For one day they could feel proud. For one day they could feel like they were “all that”.

We were blessed to have such a special and awesome day for our family!!!

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Homemade Laundry Detergent! Yay or Nay?

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I used to watch people make their own detergent and I thought that they were nuts!!!! I could not understand why anyone would take the time to do this when you could go to your local grocery store with a coupon in hand and catch a good sale and purchase some that was already made up in a pretty bottle.

I am on a kick to make everything homemade these days…that I can make for our home. I really enjoy making things for my family whether it be for a delicious meal, something pretty for the house… or even laundry detergent.

We struggle with hard water/ high iron and my wash has never looked better after making this detergent. My cloths stay newer looking. I love the simplicity of it…simple to make, simple to use and no fragrances to deal with.

When I make a batch it seems to last me about 6 months or so and it costs about $7 to make. I tend to use a little more in my wash since I usually only do extra-large loads and also I use a little more than normal due to the hard water. (Normal amount would be 1 tablespoon per size of load… For example 1 tablespoon for small, 2 tablespoons for medium load.) But all in all for $7 and it lasting 6-8 months, I think that is pretty good deal. As well as I just down right like it!!!! When is the last time that you only paid $7 dollars for laundry detergent that lasted you six months?

Here is my recipie….hope you enjoy it. Let me know in the comments below if you make your own and if you like it. Also do you have any other different recipes to share?

Homemade laundry detergent recipe:

I will let you know I get a big tub and I dump all the ingredients into it. I then store it in an airtight container… and I put some in a smaller container to use on a daily basis. On the larger container that I store the bulk of it in… I have the recipe written on the lid of it so that I always know where to find the recipe.

Lynn A.C. Wilson – Resume of a Mother

I hit a wall!!!! Emotional whiplash!

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Have you ever been there?  Have you ever hit an emotional wall so hard that it felt like whiplash?  Well I have….and yikes!

Our summer season is usually filled with lots of fun day trips, but not this season. We usually have one day where we would run some errands… and maybe hit the beach or similar afterwards. Then one day is spent doing a day trip or a mini vacation day. And of course the evenings would be filled with visiting friends, listening to some local concerts on the beach, and any other summer event that’s here at the Jersey shore. Why wouldn’t you… why not fill your summer with lots of fun before you settle into the fall and winter seasons. This is the normal for us… but not the case this summer! Somehow we slipped in and out of this summer with out ever really taking advantage of a summer fun season. We were extremely busy, with on going things, but when all is said and done we really didn’t feel like we had a relaxing and enjoyable summer, but one that was filled with just extreme busyness. But the question remains in our minds… what were we even busy with? Why did we come out exhausted… and not feeling refreshed and rejuvenated from a beautiful summer season. Why do we feel like we’re spinning our wheels and feeling fried and an emotional wreck?

My schedule is normally full with work and our regular activities of life…but we soon started to realize that so many unusual things were happening and I could feel myself slipping into a wall of emotional overload.  With extended family, church, ministry, friends and our normal needs of a “special needs” family…we seemed to be on overdrive for the past few months.  I woke up one day realizing that I could hardly breathe, lift my head and or want to even do anything at all.

I had a friend who suffered from “work burnout”.  I have heard of this but could not really relate.  My friend in the end… ended up in recovery for several months.  I was not at that point ….but looking over a 10 day period of our life that took place this past summer, we began to realize that 7 different major stressful events took place in that short amount of time. This left me feeling completely empty.

I am blessed to have a husband and partner in life who noticed how I was feeling and he also realized that he was falling into the same situation. So it was time to sit, chat and make a list of what all just happened to us.  We were both amazed that we could almost still function with all that hit us so hard and fast. After chatting with each other we needed to dissect each area where there was an emotional wall.

We gathered our emotional bandages, an emotional neck brace and some emotional crutches and started making a plan.  It was not easy to dissect all of this but we needed to do it. With some time in prayer and reflecting on some verses of scripture and a good hard look at what was happening we have made a recovery plan.

I normally know myself enough and when I am reaching “overload”, I can stop, stand still and regroup but not this time.  It came too fast and too hard.  Now that we have a plan we can take one step at a time and regroup together.

I hope all of this makes sense to you….if you break your arm you see the hurt and discomfort.  But when you break your spirit it does not leave any visible things for people to see that you have discomfort.  This made me realize even more that behind every face is a story and to be more kind to those around me as well…since you never know what people are going through.

One brick at a time of the wall is now coming down.  In some case we just got a bulldozer and took the wall down and oh boy did that feel really good. We are on the road to recovery… by making better decisions, better choices, and being wiser people. Life is enjoyable and should be… But we need to sit back and realize when we are overloaded with stress and stressful situations. There needs to be a time of refreshment, a time to be able to regroup, and a time to be able to reflect what has just happened so that you don’t hit an emotional wall.

Lynn A. C. Wilson – Resume of a Mother

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Roasted Tomato Sauce

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How many times have you wanted some homemade tomato sauce or as some would call it …homemade gravy for your pasta? The thought of letting it cook all day in a pot, even though the smell wafting through the house would be so yummy… is just too much for a busy mom. So what we end up doing is opening a jar of sauce and calling it a day.

My friend Janelle… From Parsnips and Parsimony YouTube is the one that shared this yummy recipe on her channel. Check out her website for this delicious recipe the way she originally made it and many other wonderful recipes.

www.parsnipsandparsimony.com

Her recipe calls for basil which I did not have but I did have green peppers, so I tweaked the recipe a little bit as well as I used garlic powder instead of fresh garlic. When creating a recipe it’s not always worth running out to the store for one thing when you can improvise with what’s already in the pantry and create something similar.

Janelle took her delicious roasted tomatoes and put them in a blender to make a sauce… I will be putting mine in bags and place them in the freezer to add a delicious fresh taste to my crockpot recipes.

This was a great way to use up a bunch of ripe tomatoes that we picked at the Amish gardens in Pennsylvania. We will have some wonderful meals made throughout the winter months using these tomatoes.

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Give it a try… and let me know what you think. It’s a whole lot quicker and easier and less bother to roast them up in the oven… then to make homemade tomato sauce on the stove top.

Thanks to my friend Janelle for this inspirational recipe!

Lynn A. C. Wilson- Resume of a Mother.

Quick and easy breakfast on the go…

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If you’re like me… Breakfast is one of the hardest meals to make. I am not a big egg eater… and neither are my kids, although my husband will enjoy one now and again. I find it hard to come up with some recipe ideas for something quick and easy.  Especially when we’re always running out the door first thing in the morning most days.

So what’s a mom to do when you work full-time and you need to have a healthy quick breakfast that you can grab and go with? Breakfast sandwiches, breakfast burritos and many of these other types of quick breakfasts are good too, but I just found a quick and easy recipe that turned out to be very yummy and simple to make when you have a busy schedule.

Only three ingredients:

  • 2 to 2 1/2 cups of rolled oats (I found 2 1/2 cups worked out better)
  • Half a cup of honey or half a cup of maple syrup (your choice and I preferred to only use 1/4 of a cup)
  • One cup of peanut butter (natural is better for less sugar)
  • Mix all three ingredients together, place a piece of wax paper in a baking dish, add your mixture to the dish and pressed down firmly to even out the mixture in the dish. Put it in the refrigerator for several hours or even overnight, and then enjoy.

Let me know if you have any other ideas for a quick and easy breakfast. Send a comment below with your recipe.

Lynn A. C. Wilson –  Resume of a Mother

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Horses…therapy… & Autism. Finding peace!!!

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We had been invited for the past couple of years to go horseback riding with one of our Autism support groups. It always seemed to fall on a day that either I had to work or we had other events going on, and honestly I didn’t think much about it. For some reason this year I felt compelled to make a point of attending. I was absolutely amazed and blessed after we went to see how beneficial it was!

This particular horse ranch is designed to assist people with any sort of disability and will teach them how to ride a horse in a safe environment. The trainers are certified and definitely know how to handle children with Autism! Our son found peace, he found joy, and I watched him actually be able to relax and be calm like I had never seen before. If you know anything about Autism in children this is very unusual!

When we arrived they gathered all the kids together and then they had them pick out their helmets for protection, before they could ride a horse. They then divided them into two groups and each group needed to find a buddy. Our son was in the first group… We started on the other side of the barn, where he was able to learn how to care and feed a horse.

Gavin was able to brush a horse named Lady, he was able to feed a horse named Terminator, he was able to talk to a horse named Finn and it was amazing to watch him and Finn together. The horse just stood there ever so kind, as Gavin just continued to talk and talk and talk to the horse. I watched a gentle and loving side of Gavin come out as he was able to connect with this beautiful animal.

In addition to brushing the horses and feed them…the kids were able to get some great lessons on the care of a horse in general. They then brought them to the next room where they lined up to have the opportunity to ride a horse.

One by one they brought them in and saddled them up with a horse based on the size of the child and the size of a horse. Once they were on the horse, two of the trainers walked them around three times in a very large enclosed barn. Gavin was able to also ride a horse as he did a gallop around the barn, which was a real treat!

I saw a different spark in Gavin’s eyes… this day was a huge blessing to him and I can truly understand why these beautiful animals are therapeutic.

We will continue with horseback riding lessons in this next home school year and Gavin also would like to volunteer there one day a week as well. Looking forward to some new adventures!

Lynn A. C. Wilson – Resume of a Mother

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