Upcycled Crayons

 Love the Art...Not so much the massive bin of broken crayons...If you use muffin papers, make sure you double or triple up. The wax can seep through and get onto your pans.

I do prefer our beeswax block crayons, with their brighter colours. Although I have not had success in making beeswax crayons that really work...I am wondering if this upcylcled crayon project combined with some beeswax would work well?

This is a great way to use up that hoard of broken, peeling crayon mass...Do You Have One of Those?

If you have any other ideas or stories of upcycling crayons...please share.

Warmly,

Patty-Jean

...Cherish

Ultimate Best THM Brownies

"Eeewe, mommy-muffins," one child declares...
"YES" - I think to myself - I've successfully created my own food group that children aren't going to demolish. Sometimes mommy-muffins, brownies, bread/muffin-in-a-mug {all grain-less, and refined sugar-less, THM friendly} can be a little unappetizing. {THM=Trim Healthy Mama was a small time book and I use to converse with the authors Pearl and Serene at Above Rubies Mama+Baby retreats annually...before their book went TOTALLY Viral...an understatement.

Recently I wasn't very satisfied with any of the paleo-low-glycemic brownie recipes I had found...and so I went to town to discover the Ultimate Chocolaty Brownie, THM style*.  The closest brownies I could find was from Stacy Makes Cents. Lovely - but too small of a recipe...I need some freezer stalk up  so I can always have a back-up plan when needed. Plus I wanted to substitute a couple of things.

*Trim Healthy Verions are "S", Satisfy, for low glycemic (using healthy non-neuro-toxic sweeteners), low carb but Full Fat OR "E", Energize for some Carbs but Low fat.
**This recipe fits nicely into the large rectangle Pampered Chef Stoneware bake wear.

Sincerely, Patty-Jean

Don't forget to contact me at littlequiver(at)gmail.com

 about my May GiveAway Draw for my YL Team!

One Tip for your Washer AND Your Health!

 ...From the Wife of an Appliance Repair Technician...{me}

A little while ago, my personal repair man {husband}, brought home some wet blankets. He asked if I didn't mind throwing them in the dryer. "They are clean, just used them in testing a washer I was working on. They've been washed several times."

No problem...I SHOULD have line dried them. But it was below 0 and I didn't really want frozen blankets. {Mistake #1}

Led to Mistake #2.

Fifteen minutes into the dryer running, I could not stand the fragrance, the smell of the detergent was giving me a headache, even though the dryer is ventilated to the outdoors. In the kitchen, the next room over from the laundry,  I was suffocating in artificial, headache inducing scent.

Rang up hubby quick. "I just have one request, can you please, please not use other people's laundry detergents? The toxic fragrance is giving me a killer headache".

"You know what the crazy thing is?" says my Repair Man. "I don't ever use detergent! People use so much detergent that the residue is almost permanently in their machine."

Your washer and your laundry will thank-you for putting LESS detergent in it! A little vinegar gives a little Love on (or in) your servant, the washer. If you've ever cloth diapered than you know, detergent is often the cause of stinky - falling apart diapers and the same goes for the rest of our laundry.

With skin being our largest organ, and soap residue staying on clothing, it's no wonder so many folks' healthy is compromised with those toxins being absorbed throughout the hours of the day...The quickest way for our bodies to absorb something is through inhalation - Lovely when it comes to Essential Oils - Horrendous when it come to artificial fragrance.

Alternatives?...I'd love to hear alternatives in the comments! What healthier detergents do you use other than the regular brands on store shelves?

Two Kilometer Baby Wearing Earth Walk

Massive chunks of ice on the opposite riverbank from our home remind us that the chill hasn't let go yet!

So Chilly, that the sap barely runs...this will be the first time we've tapped our trees in my adulthood - and so I don't really know what to expect...But the experience is fun anyways.

 A Mom {Marcia}  from our local Natural Living Play group, offered her home for an Earthday Walk!

 How can one not totally be romanced by nature when walking through Cedarwoods, with mossy, root winding forest floors?

Five mothers and fifteen children...lots of room to run, and some of the freshest air in the world...needless to say my littlers slept well that afternoon.

The Best Classroom...hands down, has to be the Outdoors...Exploring...Breathing...Touching...Feeling...Hearing...so many layers of learning and learning styles met here!

 Three baby wearing Mamas trekked the trail, hauling on fronts or back babies from 4 months to 19 months for 2 Km.  When its chilly like it was this Earthday, I'm relieved to have my littlest so close for the warmth on my back.

Happy Spring {Whenever it comes here}...

The Puppy...

 We said we'd never get a small dog...and we are continually learning Never to say Never. A little over a year ago, a ball of puff puppy arrived at our door, despite many efforts {A Dog Really wasn't practical in our modest cozy home; with a baby and four other young siblings} - he would not leave...

...This process went on for over a month and involved the local dog rescue...
We had watched the original Benji movie for a family movie night just a week before. Did I tell you that Irony is my middle name?
When you have your first child, you CANNOT Imagine how you could love Another as much as that first child...and the apprehension, Mama feels, pregnant with her second, can she love another as much as the first? And we are blown away how Love multiplies with each expansion of the family. You could say Something like that happened with this guy.

Life is the best school...these days I'm pondering Living out Love.
A wise man said, judge a situation by the fruit produced. Is it loving, is it patient, is it kind, or is it self-preserving and "me first" motivated? I want to weave this true love, that does not make assumptions based on my little knowledge, into all areas of life. In my relationships with my children, husband, friends and in our business as well. Living out love in business is interesting, because while other peers in business might be RACING, with that me-first mentality...I feel like it looks more like sowing seeds, even though you may not harvest them all. Someone else will harvest seed you'd sown, but you will end up harvesting seed that someone else sown.

 So today, I turn my attention to sowing, sowing into my family, investing in them, and sowing seeds into my sphere of influence. And the blessing arrives, sometimes in the most unexpected forms, like Cedar (smiling above).

Warmly,

Patty-Jean

Thieves Pack Giveaway!

 These just arrived - and I'm excited to give them away at the end of the month!

Will they go to You? At the end of this post there is a recipe {from Pinterest/BabyStepsToEssentialOils} to make your own foaming soap...but if you are short on time, Young Living carries a safe and healthy Thieves foaming soap!

When we started using Young Living oils - I didn't have high expectations - so we were blown out of the water with them as we incorporated them into our lifestyle and medicine cabinet!

If you think Essential Oil are everywhere - it may seem like that, but the truth is only a tiny bit of the population are using them, the vast majority know little to nothing about them and yet everyone can use this oil love in their lives! Here's my little poster when I'm showing folks the opportunity side our oily lifestyle. The numbers below are very low estimations and do not include signing bonuses. 

It's encouraging to me that these numbers are based on helping only 5 people into a wholesale membership, and help them do the same! When I read The Four Year Career, it empowered me. To think that even if I seemed to fail, in that it takes me many more years, than four to build this...We Are Still Better Off! New members of my team, please ask, and I'll get you a copy of The Four Year Career for free!

 

So in celebration of Spring, I'm giving away to one of my team members a gift pack containing: Thieves Foaming Handsoap, Thieves Toothpaste, and Thieves Waterless Hand Purifier {over $50 retail total}. If you want In on this Spring Draw, join our team! Be sure to ask me for your free copy of the Four Year Career.

Warmly,

Patty-Jean St Hilaire

Simple Seder Supper

 Friday afternoon the children designed their own Seder Plates...

Passover is special to us and when some may be planning easter hunts, we planned our Seder Supper.

It's fascinating to me that Atheism is on the decrease not the rise. The more I know God, my Maker, the more I realize I know little about anything! Historically folks have paraded their faith, fought for faith and died for it as well.

Ultimately the Life question is Did We Learn to Love? Did we live, releasing Love into our spheres of influence or did we withdraw Love?

Any faith that releases devastation and chaos rather than Love, I question. 

Philosophical conversations are always fun and thoughtful. I remember sitting up late with peer professional university dance students drinking wine many years ago - and faith, life and death and eternity was the topic of discussion. I was fascinated as each took turns sharing their convictions and fantastical ideas...each different...

 I listened...and try to listen more than talk..."speaking" from experience, my mouth gets me into trouble, but listening always out wins talking...

 When they were all talked out...I said...Wow, so many different ideas about what might happen to our souls or spirits after death - So, I have a question - If you can decide the destiny of your soul, How come you can't control events today? As simple as, can you change the color of your hair (without dye)?...Everyone was completely Silent...Yikes...Did I say something wrong? I thought.

...Gasp, I heard..."Oh Patty-Jean, don't say that! You just messed my whole belief system!" - one said.
And let it be also with me! If I think I got it, I probably don't {smile}...and so we press on..."further up and further in", C.S. Lewis

The whole order of a Seder Supper, could seem long and difficult for a five children from ten to nineteen months...but there seemed to be just enough change and hands on tasks the speaker {husband, papa} gave as he read...

We really don't want to get too religious - otherwise the power is lost anyways..."holding to a form of godliness but denying it's power"...this year we followed this Haggadah from Ann Voskamp's site. I hope in future years we can be creative and develop our own version of this...

Blessings on Your Household in This Season!

Patty-Jean

Aroma Sieze Giveaway

March was our greatest giveaway so far! Aroma Sieze Young Living Oil Blend was up for grabs and it got even more exciting when the blend went out of stock mid month!

This Young Living journey for a household has been an upward adventure - and the beautiful individuals and households joining my team each month are unique, intelligent, open minded, and poised for upward adventures as well!

I shook up the ceramic goblet, and said, "close your eyes, Selah!" She dug her hand in mixing the names of current and new members who placed orders this month up...and pulled out the perfect winner!

She said after, "Mom I prayed, God would choose the winner." Yay, Congrats Katherine! How encouraging it is to see this go to someone who is already so enthusiastic about the blessing that YL is to each of us!

I really appreciated Dr. Mary Starr's post this week on the difference between Young Living oils and something from a health food store.

This week we will finalize April's giveaway draw prize which will be open until the end of the month to any of my new or currant team members who place an order either first time premium kit order Or an order through their wholesale account.

Be blessed this Passover weekend - be sure to watch for the blood moon on Saturday - the third blood moon in this half centuries Tetrad !

In the Manitoba Sun

Yesterday...
...testing the waters of sitting in the northern manitoba sun, on the deck with just a light jacket, rubber boots and a cowl...

 What I should have been knitting was Tea Cozy!

Snatching a chill-pill moment! 

It is all about environment, is it not? The hand made ceramic coffee mug...or in this case my painted one...add to the mini-vaca!

I gulped the tea down before it got too cold...yup, it wasn't quite warm enough to be a tea sippn', more like a tea gulping.

Grabbing those moments - soaking in some Vit. D {or the ability to produce it} - gazing up at those glorious mysteries...{waiting for the sap to run}...

This is my project from an old Living Crafts edition...I'm a little sorrowful that I didn't test the gauge out...perhaps it'll be for me, perhaps it'll shrink enough for one of the girls. Later this week, c'mon back for my Cedarwood Oil Project!

warmly,

Patty-Jean