Bonds Clear All Juice

Don't you just love a remedy that really works? Me too! This remedy was made because in my family you have two kinds of men. men who don't like taking medicine and men who think medicine heals everything! Being the Wife and Mommy God has called me to be I asked Jesus to lead me into what's best for the men in my family when they are sick. He gave me some insights and wisdom about what to make with ingredients that he made and that is what I did. I pray that it brings your family decongested noses, soothed and coated throats, reduced coughs, better sleep, easy breathing and better feeling, in Jesus Name. Amen. 

Clear All Juice 

This recipe yields a little over 24oz. You will need a cheese cloth or straining cloth . 

Ingredients 

2 tbs Grated Yellow Root  (I purchase Golden Seal by Alvita from Whole Foods, I only use one (1) tea bag) 

3 tbs Grated Ginger Root

1 large lemon sliced 

1/4 cups of Honey

2 1/2 cups of boiling water 

Boil water. Grate yellow root and ginger root into bowl. Slice lemons and place in bowl with ginger and yellow root. Pour boiling water into bowl over all ingredients stirring. And pressing lemon slices gently with spoon. In a separate bowl with a cheese cloth or tea cloth on top, Make sure it's secure (maybe with a heavy duty rubber band), pour the mixture onto the cheese cloth into the empty bowl. All of The ingredient will be left on the cloth and you should have a yellow tinted juice in your bowl. Let the juice cool. You can sit in the fridge if you like. After completely cooled, add honey and stir vigorously. Then enjoy! 

Expect a few moment of hacking up mucus. The juice will also taste a bit spicy, don't worry, it's just the ginger. 

Of course I use this remedy for my family but always check with your doctor to be sure these ingredients are safe for you and your family. 

To wellness and good health, 

L.A. 

Here are some pics of my process 

Receiving blanket turned into a kid infinity scarf - DIY

*******SPONTANEOUS PROJECT ALERT****

So today I decided to create the most adorable infinity scarf for my sons.  I must say this was one of my most spontaneous crafts to say the least. After looking online for  numerous designs for kid friendly infinity scarves and not finding any to please me, I came to the quick conclusion that I need to make them. I decided that the specifics for the scarves will have to be flannel (slightly thick material) and Multi color to go with their other outer wear pieces. Coincidentally, before leaving out to go to the fabric store I was folding old baby laundry (just because I love to reflect on how little they use to be) and ran across my boys receiving adorable blankets. Not only were these the blankets I swaddled my boys in when they were just a few pounds but they also met my scarf specifics. So of course, pulled out my scissors and sew machine, then Voila an adorable scarf!! 

Here the receiving blanket folded. Please note, this is a standard size. 

 

I cut the blanket in half (the long way) and stitch the sides together so the scarf can be long. 

Then I folded (one time over) and stitched a very long seam <--- picture not shown. Also I stitched everything inside out. 

Next, I pulled the fabric outward and folded one end inward and inserted the other end into the folded insert. As you can see below, one side was slightly smaller but it isn't that noticeable. 

I am very satisfied with these scarves. They are warm and fit my boys just right. Perhaps I may go to a thrift store and find more blankets and make more for gifts for the holidays. 

Special thanks to my bestie, JJ, for naming this blog :) 

Modern day swaddling, 

L.A. Bonds 

No Sew, No Glue, Floor to Ceiling Curtains - BUDGET FRIENDLY!

You know, many don't know this but I'm frugal and very picky.  I'm one of those women that walk into a home store  looking for specific items, nothing more or less.  I usually have a list, a budget to stay within and two ideas for alternatives. Most of the time I spread my shopping over numerous stores to find a few things and other times, I just don't buy anything at all. I'm just too picky to spend money on something I don't want. However, my entire system was thrown out into the ocean when I opened my imagination to the possibilities for my living room curtains. 

First, it WAS TIME to switch out my light weight spring/summer curtains to bring in a heavier weight fabric with a pattern.  My mind and budget was set to purchase window panels (4) for $60 a piece at Bed Bath & Beyond. Once I arrived I couldn't help but wonder into the dinning section. OKAY, I LIED, I went straight to the dining section first. Don't judge me, I love linen :) ..... However to my surprise u see a very large Clearance section with tons of beautiful outdoor cloth table coverings. Yes table cloths! One design in particular caught my eye because it had similar colors to the curtains I planned to purchase. I pulled the table cloth off the shelf, looked at the measurement and almost burst into "DIY Praise break" because the width and length were the exact dimensions I had in mind to purchase.

So I searched through the infamous CLEARENCE like and found four, still packaged, table clothes for $14.99 a piece. Just $14.99!!!! (Not the price on the packaging) 

Of course, I throw the packages in my basket with full excitement! I prance over to the curtain area to  see about those drape clips but again God highlights ANOTHER product I had never used or imagined using to hang curtains, better yet table clothes. I discovers Cafe Clips. Bless The Lord for the inventors of this product! Not only are these clips for hanging fabric but they pinch the fabric soooo perfectly to fall so beautifully. The other best part about this discovery is that it came in a pack of 18 for only $3.99. 

Shall I remind you that those clips I was going to purchase came in a pack of 8 for over $10. Needless to say, I throw those in the basket and prance to the register singing " A whole new world" like I was Aladdin lol.  

When I got home, my installation only took me 20 minutes. 

 

I really love the way they look and puddle on the the floor. They are thicker then the other curtains but not as much I would like so I plan to line them in the coming weeks before we experience our two weeks of "winter" here in Georgia. Hehe! 

Special thanks to those on Facebook and Instagram who helped me decide which DIY  project to post on my blog today. I really was torn lol. 

Saving time and money, 

L.A. 

God is speaking.

Sometimes it's best to just sit still and ask God to speak.

I've come to learn that when I ask God to speak, I hear Him say "I've been speaking" . You see, out of all of my worrying, all of my planning, all of my praying...He's been speaking. Sometimes he speaks when I see an older married couple holding hands-Thats when he saying "love your husband and cherish him more". Other times, He speaks when my five year old request to spend time with me, I take it that God is trying to tell me then, to pay attention and take more time with my children. But my favorite is when, my laptop abruptly shuts down, my kindle has no charge and my iPhone is frozen....HONEY, That is when God is yelling at me.

Now don't get me wrong, I love God, my husband, children and the convenience of my devices but they can't speak to me like God can. They can't pull on my convictions and convince me to believe that spending time with them will give me clarity, peace, security and everything else that my soul craves to have on a daily basis. They can't ease or comfort me or see completely pass my "know it all-I got myself together-I need a hug-but these dishes need to be clean-and i need to plan something" self. As a matter fact, no one, not even my husband or my parents can love me pass what I have done to them intentionally or unintentionally, LIKE GOD.

So I encourage you to listen. I read online a great quote that said "Don't let the noise of your world keep you from hearing the voice of the Lord."

God is speaking to you right now, good thing you're already sitting still.

L.A.

This post is dedicated to Elder Patton that passed away a few months ago in the wonderful state of Mississippi. A few weeks after I fully committed my life to Christ in 2005, he stopped me in the hallway and told me that God gave him a message for me. With conviction and love in his eyes he said "God want's you to Stop, Look, and Listen". Today, Elder Patton is in paradise and I am so glad that his love and his purpose was not in vain on earth. 

Atlanta Summer Reading Programs GREAT FOR BOYS, 2014 (Pin Now, Read Later)

It's finally here-Summer Vacation! The kids are home 24/7 and if you have boys like us your food is also gone and your energy is drained :) Needless to say you are looking for activities and outings that will keep your boys mentally stimulated while having fun. Well look no further, Georgia Public Libraries has two great summer reading programs that not only inspires your boys to read but also earns them a free ticket to a baseball or basketball game. Here is the info (from their sites) and the websites to add to your kids summer vacation schedules. Visit your local library today! 

What is on your kids schedule for the summer? 

L.A. 

The Atlanta Braves Summer Reading Group 

This summer, the Atlanta Braves, the Georgia Public Library Service and SUBWAY® Restaurants are encouraging students to continue learning throughout the summer months.

The 2014 Atlanta Braves summer reading program, Home Run Readers presented by SUBWAY® Restaurants is an educational outreach initiative that promotes literacy among youth.

Home Run Readers rewards students in grades K-12 throughout the state of Georgia with a FREE Braves ticket and SUBWAY® Restaurants Fresh Fit For Kids Meal for reading books and completing an online activity.

www.braves.com/reading

The Atlanta Hawks Check It Out Reading Challenge 

Students in grades K-12 who successfully read at least five books will receive:

• A Check it Out Reading Challenge bookmark (while supplies last)

• A free youth ticket with the purchase of at least 1 adult ticket to a 2014-15 Atlanta Hawks regular season game

www.checkitoutreading.com

The boys reading "Little Brother are..." by Beth Norling 

My Secret Garden: Evening and Morning Glory Flower plants (seeds)

This picture collage shows the progress of evening glories and morning glories. This floral vine will soon have it's gigantic floral buds because it leafs are reaching maximum size (as big a hand). The floral blooming season for this plant is mid summer. To get to this process there was a lot of work that need to be done. To start, the evening glory is a very hard seed that must experience a lot of pressure before being planted. I had to nick the seed (7 times with a nail clipper), sand it with course sandpaper, and then soak it for 48 hours. This is the way I break down the hardness of the seed so that when I sow it, it can receive the moisture and oxygen it needs to grow. As you can see, I start my plants indoor so that I can watch them carefully. I monitor their growth by measuring them and charting their height by day.

 Within the same week of planting them in their pods they reached a height of 7 inches and leaf width of 3cm. Soon after, they were planted in the large planter below. These plants, like most plants experienced transplant shock. Transplant  shock in plants is almost unavoidable. Let’s face it, plants were not designed to be moved from place to place and when we do it, we have to be even more aware of them. They were planted in a potting mix (by Sta-Green) with a slow release fertilizer. I do not recommend this mix for this plant because it can do well without the fertilizer. In my case, this is the only potting mix I buy because of the other plant seeds I purchase throughout the year. The growth was shocked after planting and the leaves experienced browning. However the stems were getting strong. So regardless of what it looked like, the stems were showing signs that the roots were transitioning into their new home very well. Therefore I cut all the dead leaves off to send energy back to the roots.

By cutting the shoked areas off,  this it gave the plant the energy it needed to grow faster and healthier. During this journey there has been signs of rust (a fungal disease) and intruding insects but my best friend (she has one growing morning glory vine in the planter also)  took care of it right away by simply pruning back the infection before it spread.

 This summer I anticipate the flowers to take over the tomato cage and be a stunning arrangement of colors and fragrance in the middle of our driveway,  blooming in the night (evening glory) and in the morning (morning glory). Stay tuned for more progress pictures.

Pinterest Party : Ideas, Decor Ideas and FREE PARTY PRINTABLES (Pin now)

Here's the scoop.... I have some cool ladies in my Kingdom Marriage small group. We laugh, we talk, we encourage and we PIN! In fact, We pin a lot! We are infatuated with the online goal boarding company Pinterest. The only problem is we pin so much we don't find time to pull away from our screen to make the things we pin. (insert superhero instrumental here) PINTEREST PARTY TO THE RESCUE! In one short convo me and the ladies pick out a date, a location, a craft and i whipped up a invite (even through we didn't need one, but I'm a party perfectionist, so oh well) to email them. Voila! The party was in the works.

So of course I ran to Pinterest and searched "Pinterest Party" decor and ideas. To my surprise, there were tons of ideas! So I just chose a couple of cool looking inexpensive ideas to recreate. In addition i searched for FREE PINTEREST PARTY PRINTABLES and shockingly there were none....that were free. So of course, my years of graphic designing kicked in and I opened my laptop and got on Adobe Illustrator and created my own. Yes, I have them for you, FOR FREE! *in my Oprah voice* "YOU GET A FREE PRINTABLE! YOU GET ONE! AND YOU GET ONE TOO!" lol.

Check out the pics from our first Pinterest Party! (Scroll Down for FREE PRINTEREST PARTY PRINTABLES)

Our craft was body scrubs and bath soaks (I made lots of mini ones to give to my girlfriends for mother day and to give to my oldest sons teacher before summer vacation)

 The punch was delicious! I got the recipe from fellow pinner and blogger, Julie, from Table of Two blog. Click Here for the recipe link. I didn't use alcohol, I used Raspberry Ginger ale as a substitute.