Unless...

"Unless we make it a habit to give thanks, we habitually give our family grief." *

"Unless we consistently speak praise, we consistently speak poison." *

"Unless we are intentional about giving God glory throughout the day, our days unintentionally give way to grumbling." *

Thankful, but not thankful enough,

Nichole

*all quotes by Ann Voskamp, from her blog, http://www.aholyexperience.com/

Did you know?

Perfectly boiled ~fresh~ eggs

Did you know that it is virtually impossible to have fresh from the farm boiled eggs that peel beautifully and have that fantastic yellow instead of what some call the "green halo"? Until you have tried to boil and peel a fresh egg, you probably don't. 

As many of you already know, we had eighteen hens before we moved up here from south Ga. My mom and dad took 10 of them and every time we have a visit together, they makes sure that they bring me as many as they can. Well, we were blessed with a visit this weekend as Keith had gone out of town. They were great company and helped so much. We probably would not have made it to church had they not been here. And, with them came several dozens of eggs.

Sometime last week my great friend, Brandy, had sent me a link to a blog explaining how to cook a perfectly boiled egg using fresh eggs. You see,  I have tried to do this. And, I have tried many ways. I end up losing half of the egg whites when I am peeling them and they are always ugly, although very edible, and I would be embarrassed to serve them to anyone whole. Until now.

Eggs from the grocery store are old. Sorry :( . They have sat long enough for the air to collect under those invisible holes in the shell and so when you boil them, it is the air that allows for any easier peel. The way you create that for a fresh egg is to gently prick a hole into each end of the shell. Don't penetrate all the way through. I used a thumbtack.

Then you gently place the eggs into water that has come to a soft boil. Simmer them for approx. 15 minutes. This will NOT be a hard boil. In the meantime, prepare a bowl of ice water. Once the eggs have finished softly "boiling" place them into the ice water for 5-10 minutes. The other recommendation was for 15. I experimented with 5, 10, and 15. I felt like 5-10 minutes would suffice. 15 minutes made them too cold for my liking. The ice bath is to stop the egg from continuing to cook so that it retains the beautiful yellow and not the "green halo".  Instead of gapped up, cratered, half-missing eggs, we have smooth and clean whole boiled eggs!

To me, this was a great find. Because, I will ~prayerfully~ search high and low for farm fresh (preferably organic) eggs to feed to my family. One day, maybe they will be from our own chickens again. We probably go through ~are you ready for this?~ 4 to 6 dozen eggs a week.....easy. We use a lot in baking, but we also have them for breakfast and as a snack. 

So, go out and find you some fresh eggs and give this a try. It is like magic. :)

Thankful that everyone but Mallory (one day maybe she will) loves eggs,

Nichole

Over 7 weeks have passed

Our little Mercy is a little over 7 weeks old now. She is growing so much and starting to interact with us by smiling and cooing. It is a sweet age.

At about week 5 she began to sleep for about 8 hours straight at night. I thought it was too good to be true and she would surely go back to waking every 3 hrs to eat, but she hasn't! She sleeps from 8 to 10 hours straight for over 2 weeks now. I am amazed and shocked. We have never experienced this at such a young age with our babies. Keith and I are resting well!

We are still working with her on the infant potty training. For several weeks she hardly had a stinky diaper because we caught them all in the potty. However, over the last week we have missed them about as much as we have caught them. One particular day we didn't get her to go pee or poo in the potty, so I knew she was boycotting the whole thing :) We could always tell with Maleah, because she was a grunter. Mercy is not. She becomes very relaxed and concentrated at the same time.

She may also be working herself into eating about every 3 hours instead of 2.

Speaking of eating, the other day we were at the dinner table and I had to nurse Mercy. When she had finished I put her up near my shoulder and began to gently pat her on the back. A few minutes and out came a good burp. I immediately told her that she was a good girl and expressed my praise to her for burping so well. I look over at my other little ones who were looking at me with a questioning expression on their faces and I quickly realized that we had been scolding them for burping at the table and here I am telling the baby "Great Job!" They couldn't understand. Funny how age changes things! I can just see myself telling Joshua, after a great big burp, "Good job, buddy! See if you can give mommy another one." He would love it :)

It is also time for me to start getting back into shape. I have committed to walking for now and hope to add other elements of exercise as I build up my strength. I would like to lose about 10-12 pounds. It will be harder than it used to be. I am not as young and spry as I was with Madison (I dropped all my weight by the time she was a couple of months old) and so I know that I will have to work hard at it.

I have just about all of my energy back. I am looking forward to building my strength back. It is time. Mercy was worth every pound, though.

Thankful that some things are getting back to normal,

Nichole

Who's Horsin' Around?

Our girls are!

Monday was Morgan's 11th birthday. Happy Birthday, Morgan!! She wanted to take one of her lessons and use it on that day. So, we spent almost 3 hours at the horse riding stables with each girl taking their turn with the trainer. It was cloudy and cold, but everyone had a great time. They love the horses and the trainer is excellent.  They are learning so much about riding and horses in general. They would like to offer some riding tips and horse facts for all those out there who are interested!

Morgan's riding tip: When you are trotting on a horse, don't forget to breathe! If you hold your breath, which I did, you will get a sharp pain in your side.

Morgan's horse fact: There is a certain spot on a horse, particularly with the female horses, that if you press too hard while grooming them, they will kick. It is located between their behind and rib cage. This is where the female carries her baby and then where she feeds the foal once it is born.



Meghan's horse riding tip: To properly balance while riding a horse, you need to sit up straight and relax. And, don't lean to one side!

Meghan's horse fact: Horses don't eat meat.

Mallory's horse riding tip: Don't ever walk under a horse. It will startle them and you will get hurt badly!

Mallory's horse fact: Grooming a horse is when you remove the dirt from their hair with a spiky-looking thing :), brush them, and clean their hooves.

Madison's horse riding tip: When riding a horse, don't panic! The horse can feel your energy.

Madison's horse fact: Horses lose more energy laying down then standing up.

Maleah's tip: Don't go in the corral when the girls are riding horses, because "the horse is donna eat me"!

Thankful for the beauty and strength of horses, and girls and boys who love them, and a God who created them,

Nichole

Boggs Family gets to model

Or atleast part of the Boggs Family :) Yesterday we headed to downtown Woodstock and had a little fun modeling these great baby wraps and carriers for my friend Andrea.

It was windy and a little chilly, but Mercy and Maleah were kept warm by being so close to mama and daddy. Meghan, on the other hand, was cold. I think she had fun anyway.

Downtown Woodstock is a really neat place. It had sort of a mix of country/Atlanta feel to it with the big Ace Hardware store close to a row of more updated and contemporary stores that ranged from clothing, yoga, coffee shop, yogurt shop, business, etc...

When we came home I teased Keith about how many other almost 39 year olds get a chance to model carrying their little toddler or newborn. Most men that age have been way past having any more children and yet here we are just like it was when we first started and were much younger. The faces look older and the bodies (mine) look older, but yet we are still blessed with the joy of little ones. Hard work? Yes. But worth it.

Thankful for little hands and little feet and little voices and little messes and little laughs and little hugs and little people,

Nichole

Maleah LOVES this song....



May this bring a little sunshine to you today. Just like it does for her....and us.

Thankful for songs that lighten the load,

Nichole

Happy February!

We have concluded the first month of the 2012 year and now we head into February. This year will no doubt go by as fast or faster than all the years we have said goodbye to already. May we give each day our full attention with purpose in mind and God's presence with us.

We all know that February also has the special holiday of Valentine's Day. It is a time that we give special gifts to those we love. For some it may be stuffed animals, flowers, jewelry, or a box of chocolates.

Nothing says Happy Valentine's Day like chocolate! Would you consider buying our chocolate package or any individual item to send to a loved one this Valentine's Day?

The package includes:

a rich chocolate syrup that is made with organic cocoa and sucanat (a natural sweetener made from molasses). It is great for making chocolate milk as it pours and mixes easily, and also great as a topping for ice cream. We also offer a chocolate syrup made with organic cocoa and organic agave nectar. This is also a delicious syrup and those who may deal with blood sugar issues might find this syrup to work well for them as agave nectar has a low glycemic index. Please be sure to specify which you would like.

organic hot cocoa that is made with honey granules (a natural sweetener), organic cocoa, and organic dry milk. It is great made with hot water and topped with whipped cream or for a richer and creamier beverage you could use hot milk.

all-natural chocolate wafers made with organic cocoa, sucanat, and organic butter. It has a deep chocolate flavor and goes great with a cup of coffee or cold glass of milk.

"Love Them With Chocolate" package- $20.00

Standard Shipping is $6.95

Take a look over at our store for more detailed pricing on all the items that we offer.

Thanks!

Nichole