'Garlic Lovers' Garlic Knots

This is new recipe that I just came up with. We used to get these awesome garlic knots at a restaurant that we used to go to every other week. We stopped going because we started avoiding wheat and that's pretty hard to do in an Italian restaurant! Tim and I got talking about them one day and how much we missed them and then I said, "well, duh! I could make them!!" So I did and here's the result!

For this recipe I'll be using a Chebe breadsticks mix, but you can use whatever breadstick/dough recipe that you want.

You will need:

• Chebe mix or other dough recipe
• About 1 cup of olive oil
• 1/2 cup minced garlic

Here's how:

First, pre-heat your oven to whatever your dough recipe calls for--375 if you're using Chebe mix.

Then take a measuring cup and put about 1/2 cup or so of minced garlic in.


Then take your olive oil and fill it to the 1 cup line. Stir it and set it aside.

Now make your dough. Take your completed dough ball and divide it into 12 equal balls. Roll them into a strip and then tie them in a knot and place them on a baking sheet. Make sure to use a pan with a lip around the edge. ;)


Throw in the oven for about 15 minutes (this will again depend on your recipe). Pull them out and drizzle your olive oil and garlic over them. This will kind of happen in two stages; you'll drizzle the olive oil first and then kind of 'plop' the garlic on. If your meat (or whatever you're eating these with) is done you can eat them right away, if its not, turn off your oven and throw them back in the oven until the rest of the meal is done.



ENJOY!!

Cloth Diapering with Thirsties Covers and GMD Yellow-edge Prefolds

Jenny P. asked, "Did you/do you use any of the larger sizes as well, or are the smalls really that versitile? They say they're good to 15lb. How do they work in the "real world"?"

As mentioned in my previous post on cloth diapering, I use Thirsties covers and Green Mountain Diaper Cloth-eez Prefolds. This is how they work for us:

This picture is showing an X-Small (NB) Thirsties wrap (green-right hand side)--the back of the prefold is folded under to fit the wrap.

The red is a size small. The prefold doesn't need to be folded under anymore.

Here is the Medium (orange) and Large (yellow) covers with the same small, yellow-edge prefolds:

I hope that gives a good visual. It's much cheaper to do it this way. I've used my prefolds for 2 1/2 years straight (that's washing and drying over 100 times!) and they are only now just starting to show signs of use. I highly recommend them.

Two Hands

I keep waiting for a time to blog where I have two hands free to type, but Miss Elsa has other things to say about that! So I will just type with one hand.

I've decided to try to do a series on paper/disposable products and switching to more "green" options. I will also be covering the 'hows' and 'whys' of doing so.

Here is the list that I'd like to cover. Some we have not gotten rid of yet, but plan to! I will also note at this time that the only thing that we have TOTALLY done away with at the moment is tissues; mostly owing to the fact that Tim has always used handkerchiefs and I so very rarely need to blow my nose that I don't think I have EVER bought a box of tissues:

• Paper plates
• Paper towels
• Napkins
• Toilet Paper
• Nursing Pads
• Feminine Needs
• Diapers and Wipes
• Tissues
• Sandwich Bags

At this point, I'm still taking suggestions for blogging, so PLEASE, suggest away! :) Any questions that I can answer? Probably my best topics would be reenacting and natural living.

Cloth Diapering

This is in response to Jenny P's questions to mamas about cloth diapering.

We cloth diaper. I've gotten all my supplies at Green Mountain Diaper's. They are a Christian business and they'll even send you free books and such with your orders.

I started cloth diapering with my son (aged 2 1/2) a few weeks after he was born. He is potty trained now, though he still wears diapers at night. We now have a 6 month old girl who we've cloth diapered since the first week or two as well. So yes, with your first baby, I too, agree with Amy and Serena; disposable diapers for the first few weeks until you're ready to give it a try! Nursing is more important than cloth diapering! :)

I got three dozen yellow edge prefolds and I have used them from the NB stage to the toddler stage. I wash them about every 3 days. I do not use Snappis or anything like that. I just fold the prefolds into thirds and lay it in a Thirsties cover. I tried the Bummis Super Brite NB size but I found them to be too small with the prefolds. With Elsa, I went straight to the Thirsties XS/NB size. They worked GREAT! Both of my babies started out at about 7lbs and kinda skinny BUT they both got chubby fast! I also only get three wraps in each size. You'd reuse the cover if its just been peed in. If its been pooped in, then it will need to be diligently rinsed out and hung to dry.

In my 2 1/2 years of cloth diapering, I could probably count the times that I've had leaks on one hand and that's usually because it wasn't fastened quite right, etc--that's not counting an overnight diaper that didn't have a doubler (oops :P). I use doublers at night for Elsa that a friend gave me, though the GMD's hemp doublers look really nice! For Nathaniel (and when Elsa gets bigger) at night I use two diapers laid flat and then folded into thirds. I do not soak them or anything extra. We also don't have hot water to the washing machine and I haven't had any problem with that either.

I have two large wetbags--one for washing and one for dirty diapers. I have one wetbag for the diaper bag, but I'd like another one. I also have one of their changing pads which I love--again, I'd like another one.

If I missed anything, just ask! I love cloth diapering! It has saved us SOOO much money and I love the thought that I'm not putting horrible chemicals next to such sensitive skin!

I also posted some pictures and descriptions about the GMD prefolds and Thirsties covers which you can see here.

Tell The Coming Generation: Part One

I've been thinking ("a dangerous past time, I know"--name that movie!) and meditating on our countries current situation and lack of godly leaders. I was flipping through one of our new psalters this morning and came to Psalm 78B, I've always liked this selection but like it EVEN better now in the new version, its just much clearer. This is what it says:

O come, my people, to my law
Attentively give ear;
The words that from my mouth proceed
Incline yourselves to hear.
My mouth will speak a parable,
The sayings dark of old,
Which we have listened to and known
As by our fathers told.

We'll from their children hide them not,
But tell the age to come
The praises of the LORD, His strength,
The wonders he has done.
His word He unto Jacob gave,
His law to Israel,
Which He our fathers did command
To teach their children well,

That children yet unborn might know,
And their descendants lead,
To trust in God, recall God's works,
And His commandments heed;
And not be what their fathers were--
Rebellious through and through,
For they would not correct their hearts,
Nor unto God stay true.

-Psalm 78B The Book of Psalms for Worship

I am also reading in my devotional reading Isaiah, which includes a lot of cities/countries being destroyed for the evil in them--which of course makes me ponder my dear country and all that's going on right now.

Today, as I pondered this Psalm, I wondered also about the Israelites and the, "The people did what was right [or "evil"] in the eyes of the Lord" phrases. According to this Psalm, the people did what was evil in the eyes of the Lord because the previous generations FORGOT the Lords glorious deeds, might and wonders that he did. I think this is where the U.S. is today. We (the nation) have forgotten the wonders he did for our country, the freedoms we were allowed, the blessing of our soils and lands. We live at a time where ANYTHING but God is god (just look at scientists who admit there really isn't that much supporting evidence for evolution but won't turn to think that there might be "something out there"). We may not mold idols out of gold, but we sure have replaced them with a whole lot of other stuff; Materialism is running rampant! I mean, have you watched TV recently? It is a big reason that we don't have dish/cable--but that's a WHOLE 'nuther post! ;) The Earth is also another big god right now; to "prevent Global Warming", to be "Green", save the animals from extinction. The being green and saving the animals all have good, valid points if we're to be good stewards of the earth, but REPLACING God and telling lies about how we're all going to die if we don't stop driving SUVs?? Not so much.

Anyway! Back to the Israelites! I got to thinking and wondering about turning our country around, what did they (the Israelites) do? How did they do it? I remembered from the Truth Project, the phrase "Remember, Repent, and Return". So remembering being the first thing to do, how do we remember?

Stay tuned for part two! :)

Ah Monday...

Mondays, Mondays. I really, officially hate Mondays. Except maybe holiday Mondays! ;) Poor Nathaniel is cutting a molar right now and he is pretty miserable with it. I also desperately needed and wanted a nap today but every time I was almost asleep a fly would buzz in my ear! OR then there was the few times that I was almost asleep and a mouse started chewing in the wall! I guess I was just not meant to go to sleep this afternoon! I had a good time snuggling up with "Meester" anyway! But Monday is almost over! Tuesdays are usually a nice day! So I will just look forward to that! :) For tomorrow, we are planning on going to a local farm that sells wonderful produce. We will get our produce for the week as well as some young chickens.

I have been reading The Makers Diet by Jordan Rubin (yes I put So Much More aside for a while since I own it and TMD is the library's). I am finding it an EXCELLENT read. It is VERY much the diet that we already follow, the biggest difference being that TMD followers do not eat pork (we do) and certain types of fish. It is biblically based (hence the name) but what I especially like about it is (so far) I have not gotten the feeling that he thinks that you can not have a healthy life or that you are a bad (or sinful) person if you do not follow this diet. I will review it more when I finish it! :)