Sunday Thoughts: Ecclesiastes

Posted on July 9, 2011 by Charla

Remember the song by the Byrds, “Turn! Turn! Turn!” from the 60’s? Most of the words come straight from the Bible:

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

King James Version (KJV)

¹To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

²A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

³A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;

⁴A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

⁵A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

⁶A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

⁷A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

⁸A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

Friendly Friday 7-8-11

Posted on July 7, 2011 by Charla

Welcome to Friendly Friday!

Remember, YOU can host the link list on your blog, too! Just get the InLinkz code and copy it directly into your post. The code is different every week, so be sure to get the new code when hosting Friendly Friday on your blog. Hosting the list is a great way to get even more traffic to your blog and make Friendly Friday more beneficial for everyone.

Thanks for joining the Friendly Friday celebration hosted by Christi at Frugal Novice, Xenia at Thanks, Mail Carrier and Charla at Healthy Home Blog! We invite you to join us every Friday to make more friends in blogville, get more blog followers and follow other great blogs out there.

To join in the Friendly Friday celebration, include your family-friendly link in our list, follow the hostesses in the first 3 spots and then start blog hopping! Visit other blogs on the list and comment to give them some blog love. Then take a minute to follow them through Google Friend Connect – this is a good way to keep up with other blogs, but also lets us show support to each other! Please DO NOT list your giveaways here, links must be to either your homepage or your Friday posting with your blog title. All others will be deleted.

When people comment on your blog and let you know they’re a part of Friendly Friday, return the favor and follow them back. This way everyone gets traffic and followers out of participating, and it’s a win-win situation. We would love for you to also grab our Friendly Friday button and post it on your blog and/or in a post – the more bloggers that find out about Friendly Friday and participate, the better!
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Spotlight on Friendly Friday Followers! We love your participation and want to show it! In addition to gaining followers, each week we’ll select three blogs at random and will feature links and a write-up for those blogs in the content of next week’s Friendly Friday post. There are so many seriously wonderful blogs out there, and this will be a great way to highlight some of those each week. Say hello to the lucky chosen 3 for this week (and feel free to stop by and give them a little extra love):
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Jennifer @ A Self-Confessed Foodie lives in St. Paul, Minnesota, and is a consultant for an IT consulting company. She has two blogs, enjoys photography, reading, traveling, scrapbooking, crafting,and playing with Maddy, her 3 year old Golden Retriever. Jennifer shares her recipes, restaurant reviews, product reviews, entertaining tips and much more! She says she “loves feeding people and frequently uses her friends and colleagues as guinea pigs.” By the way, she has some great tips and tricks for lemons.
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The Life of Jennifer Dawn is where Jennifer shares about her life, her husband and toddler. They are expecting their second child after having two “heartbreaking miscarriages.” She is not only a wife and mom but also a teacher, and she juggles all of this while still enjoying her hobbies, crafts, and blogging. Jennifer shares these on her blog along with recipes, tutorials, and designs from her Etsy Shop. Her favorite times are spending time with family, and she feels blessed!
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Sara @ “Deal”icious Mom is a wife, mom, and and a Special Education High School teacher. She’s very busy but still has time for deal hunting and sharing her great buys, “deals and steals,” and freebies. Sara also gives great tips on coupons and in-store and online deals. Her tips include places such as Amazon, Target, Hobby Lobby, McDonalds, The Disney Store, just to name a few. She in constantly searching for deals and invites her readers to leave comments if they know of a deal and would like to help.
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Now that you know about these 3 wonderful blogs, it’s time for you to join in! Add your family-friendly link below and we’ll see you back here every Friday! And don’t forget, you can get the InLinkz code to share the link list on your blog, too.

Return Address Labels & Stampers

Posted on July 3, 2011 by Charla

Back when we had our own business years ago, we had a stamper with our business name on it. A lot of people nowadays have stampers for their own home use such as the invitationbox.com self-inking stamps. Some prefer labels because of the cute designs, but stamps can have just as cute designs as the labels. Either way, they are a big convenience when addressing just a few envelopes or a whole stack of cards or invitations.

Menu Plan Monday 7/4/11

Posted on July 3, 2011 by Charla

Hope everybody has a safe and happy Fourth of July! This is a busy week for us plus it’s hot in Texas, so here’s our cool menu:

Monday: Hot dogs, beans, icy cold fruilattes made with fresh Texas peaches, organic strawberries & banana

Tuesday: Hamburgers, fries

Wednesday: Chicken tenders, veggies

Thursday: Eating out (Yay!!!)

Friday: Haven’t a clue right now 🙂

The Story Behind the Song: Indescribable

Posted on July 3, 2011 by Charla

When this awesome song comes to mind, most people automatically think of Chris Tomlin who does a powerful job of portraying God’s majesty as he and his group sing “Indescribable.” Isn’t he the one who wrote it? I was surprised to find out that he didn’t write it but Laura Story wrote the words and tune to this well known song. She’s the one featured not long ago who wrote the song “Blessings” after her husband, in his early 20’s, was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Laura is definitely a gifted song writer!

So what inspired Laura to write such a song as “Indescribable?” She says she was driving in the mountains, enjoying God’s beautiful creation. She just started singing…indescribable…uncontainable…you placed the stars in the sky and know them by name! She finished the song later, using Job chapter 38 with God’s own description of His power and might. And that’s how this great song came to be.

Millions of people now know the words to Indescribable as it stayed #1 for seven weeks. Yet, Laura does not take credit for the song. She says, “I always think the last song I wrote was my last song. Just when my mind is completely blank and I don’t know if I’ll write a song again, God surprises me. The songs are His – I’m just the first person who gets to hear them.”

Summer Vs Winter

Posted on July 2, 2011 by Charla

These 100 degree summer days here in Texas are what we call “scorchers.” It’s hard to imagine that in six months people will be using an infrared heater, central heat, or a fireplace to keep warm. During the winter where I work, it gets cold in the school hallways. Then, I would love to have the heat we’re having right now. It all depends on the environment one is in. I’m sure some people are wishing for the cold days of winter in place of this Texas heat!

Losing Something in the Grass

Posted on July 2, 2011 by Charla

It’s so frustrating to lose something small out in the yard. Our grass doesn’t grow very fast like it does in wetter regions. In those areas, the grass can get tall fairly fast, and if someone loses something then they might need to consider metal detectors to help them find it (if it had metal in it). But really, little things can get hidden in any length of grass. A long time ago, I dropped some coins in the grass and it took forever to find them! A metal detector would have come in very handy! Have you ever lost something in the grass?

NOVICA Review & Giveaway

Posted on July 1, 2011 by Charla

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Until recently, I was unfamiliar with NOVICA. In fact, I had never heard of it, but that soon changed. Part of NOVICA’S mission is this, “At the deepest essence of our philosophy, we want to create a bridge between you and the many talented artisans across the globe. We want you to know about who you’re buying from. We want you to feel that attachment to the product and to the hands that created it.”

Their handcrafted treasures come from these parts of the world:

Andes
Bali and Java
Brazil
Central America
India
Mexico
Thailand
West Africa

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When I was given the opportunity to select something from NOVICA, it took me a while to browse through the jewelry, home decor, and gifts made by talented artisans worldwide. Did I want to get something like Womens Robes, or Sarongs, or maybe Floral Bracelets? There was so much to choose from!

.I finally decided on the beautiful earrings you see below and was excited when a box arrived at our house less than a week after it was shipped. The fine quality of the earrings was obvious as soon as I took them out of the gift box. They were crafted by hand by Lilly Rahmann who uses bronzite and citrine in this unique design. (She is from Thailand and makes other beautiful jewelry as well.) I really do like these earrings!..

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Novica Live:

F.F……………………………………………………………………….
For those who are interested in their new home party division, NOVICA LIVE is a great opportunity for you to either become a consultant or host a party:

“For our consultants, getting in early is a big opportunity in direct sales. They’ll be able to make some good money and support artisans worldwide. We’re expanding across the country right now and signing up new consultants every week.”
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With that said, on to the giveaway.

Win it:

One lucky reader will win a $35 gift code to NOVICA. This contest is open to all U.S. residents. Entries will be accepted until midnight CST Friday, July 15, 2011. Winner will be chosen by Random.org.

Mandatory Entry:

Visit NOVICA‘s site and let me know in a comment what you might choose if you win.

Bonus Entries:

Be sure and leave a separate comment for each entry. And if you’ve previously subscribed, followed, or liked Healthy Home Blog, let me know that in a comment, too. That counts!

“Like” Healthy Home Blog on Facebook.(1 extra entry)
“Like” NOVICA on Facebook. (1 extra entry)

Click the Facebook “Share” button below this post to share it on your FB wall (1 extra entry)
Follow me on Twitter. (1 extra entry)
Follow NOVICA on Twitter. (1 extra entry)
Subscribe to Healthy Home Blog by email or RSS Feed. See “Follow Me!” box at the top of this page. (1 extra entry)

Follow me through Google Friend Connect on my sidebar. (1 extra entry)
Leave a NEW comment on as many other posts as you like. Be sure to let me know which posts you commented on below. (1 entry per day)

Make sure to leave a separate comment for each entry.

* I was supplied with a gift code for myself and one for this giveaway. I was not compensated monetarily for this article. All opinions are mine and are honestly given.

Friendly Friday 7/1/11

Posted on June 30, 2011 by Charla

Welcome to Friendly Friday!

Started as a way to document her journey to getting in shape, Let’s Talk About Me is a blog sharing Sara’s thoughts on everything from awesome posts she has read to her daily life to a Stumble Me Friday Blog Hop and much more. You’ll never know what you might find next, but the fun in visiting is wanting to find out!
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Carrie’s description of her blog reads as “Carrie Actually is a purposefully nicheless personal blog about my quest for a rich and fulfilling life as I recover from young adult cancer.” An amazingly talented writer, Carrie writes about anything and everything that interests her and is going on in her life and makes you immediately feel her friendly nature and knowledge on a wide range of topics.
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Isabelle at Life Through My Eyes is a self-proclaimed quirky, random, sarcastic 25-year-old with a dry sense of humor that comes through in her posts about her life, her work, and everything in between. Stop by to find out what working, studying, traveling, baking or more is up next!
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Central Market Recipe: Grilled Portobello & Arugula Burgers

Posted on June 28, 2011 by Charla

Here’s a recipe I would like to try: Grilled Portobello and Arugula Burgers. I haven’t tasted anything made from a Central Market recipe that I haven’t liked. By the way, the best time to shop at CM is around noontime. They have lots of samples, the best one being back in their meat market. You can usually get a little plate with samples of some type of beef, some type of fish, and a delicious salad.

Menu Plan Monday & Recipe for Cheese Spatzle

Posted on June 26, 2011 by Charla

The summer is flying by! Here it is time to do another menu for the week. One thing we do want to have is a repeat of last week’s fresh vegetables with a fried okra, squash, & onion medley. I made a big skillet full last week, and there were no leftovers. This time, though, I think I’ll use yellow squash and zucchini. My mouth is watering just thinking about it!
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I just remembered something! We bought some egg noodles imported from Germany at Aldi’s today. They have a recipe on the package that sounds so yummy. Our son especially liked the sound of it, and you moms know how it is when your children are home from college for the summer. I fix his favorites when I can!
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Monday: Skillet grilled chicken, Fried Veggie Medley (fresh okra, squash, zucchini, & onion in a light cornmeal batter fried in olive oil just until barely done), salad
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Tuesday: Chicken Alfredo with Broccoli (a favorite of my husband and our son; must be made with butter), salad
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Wednesday: “Cheese Spatzle” recipe on package of Aldi’s Spatzle Swabian Egg Noodles~Homemade (with Swiss Cheese, chopped onions and a little butter) with added chicken, salad

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RECIPE FOR CHEESE SPATZLE

INGREDIENTS:

1 bag Deutsche Kuche Spatzle, 17.6 ounce bag (skinny egg noodles from Aldi)
7 ounces grated Swiss Cheese
1-2 cups chopped onions (These are a must! The browned onions give this recipe a wonderful flavor!)
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons milk (optional – this is not in the recipe but I would add a little milk next time to make it less dry)

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Cook the noodles according to directions on the bag. Drain and put in casserole dish. Layer noodles with cheese and butter. Bake at 375 degrees for 5 minutes or until browned. While noodles are baking, saute onions in olive oil until browned a little. Add to the top of the noodles after they come out of the oven. Serve with salad. Enjoy! (This recipe was a hit with my husband and our son.)
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Thursday: Salmon patties, corn, salad
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Friday: Green Chili Chicken Enchilada Casserole, black beans, fresh-made guacamole

Giveaway Coming Soon: NOVICA $35 Gift Code

Posted on June 24, 2011 by Charla

Watch for a great giveaway, a gift code to NOVICA for $35, that I plan to be having soon. Actually, it will be a review and giveaway. I chose some beautiful earrings to review that are made by an artisan in Thailand.
If you are not familiar with NOVICA (I wasn’t until just recently), then I recommend going to their site and looking around at all the many things they have made by artisans in other parts of the world.