Family Nativities

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It’s time! I decorate wholly with Nativities this time of year. I LOVE the Incarnation of Emmanuel (even though I don’t particularly care for it being celebrated at a time we know he wasn’t born.) But I’ll take any opportunity that I can get to preach Christ!

I’ve added at least 1 Nativity each year of my adulthood. I have over 35 nativities!

One problem you can run into in doing this is small children. We have plenty – and have had all but the first of those 31 years – and now have grands too. So I’ve looked for and added plenty of “child proof” nativities that they can handle for those places that are “in-reach” of the little ones. I put my glass “pretties” up higher.

I have wooden nativities, plastic nativities, resin nativities, fabric nativites in addition to the more fragile glass, ceramic, and pine cone nativities.

I highly recommend having a child-proof nativity that your children can play with and reenact the story of Jesus birth. This will help them to interact in the meaning of Christmas for themselves, rather than seeing that the “Jesus” part is something for grown-ups that “we can’t touch”. And leaving them to only the “gift-getting” part.

Here’s a whole section of Children’s Nativities. Yes, our children have the twaddly plastic “Veggie Tales” one, in addition to others. Order one today – for your decorating, and as a gift to your children that shows the true meaning of the HolyDay and that they can play with.

AND if you order through ANY of our CBD links (which the Nativities below are) you can get FREE shipping with a $25 or more order, until Dec. 8th. Just choose Standard Shipping for your order, and enter the Promo Code:

You can also use our CBD Search Boxes or any of the links on our Recommended Resources catalog pages, to order Christian books, music, videos, gifts, and homeschool resources.

Here’s a couple I like and below are pictures of my Nativities (from a few years ago.)

664872: Wooden Nativity Playset Wooden Nativity Playset
By The Learning JourneyInvite young children to experience first-hand the birth of Jesus! With highly durable, quality wood construction, this 19-piece nativity set will provide hours of fun. It includes a three-dimensional stable and figures. Recommended for ages 3 and up.
38081X: Nativity Puppet Glove Set Nativity Puppet Glove Set
By Roman, Inc.Children can reenact the Nativity story with cute and fuzzy puppet gloves, each finger featuring a felt character from the story. Child size gloves are suitable for Sunday School, for children to play with in church, and for making the Christmas story come to life for little learners.

My Nativities

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Pizza – Friday Food

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fridayfood2.jpgWhat could be better than Saturday night Pizza – and here’s a Good for You-Naturally!™ recipe.

Lisa’s Good for You-Naturally!™ Pizza

Pizza Crust:

1 1/2 c. water
1/2 t. unrefined salt
4 c. + whole wheat flour
scant Tbl. instant SAF yeast
1 1/2 t. extra virgin olive oil

Mix. Add more flour as needed to knead.
Knead. Rise – 15-20 minutes is fine, while you prepare your other ingredients. Divide in half (makes 2 “hand tossed” type crusts – 3 or 4 if you like THIN crust). Roll out on corn meal covered Pizza Peel. Top with sauce, toppings and not-cheese. Bake 450° on baking stone for 8-10 min.

Pizza Sauce

  • 2 c. tomato sauce (organic, no salt added)
  • 1 small or half medium diced onion (organic)
  • 1/2 tsp. ground oregano (or 1 tsp dried leaves) (all spices should be organic, if possible, and definitely not irradiated)
  • 1/2 tsp. dried basil
  • 1/8 tsp. garlic powder
  • 1/8 tsp. black pepper
  • 1 tsp. (organic cold-pressed extra virgin) olive oil
  • 1/4 tsp. (raw unfiltered) honey

Toppings

We like many different veggie toppings (organic, if possible, and fresh). Many times we just do quick and easy – black olives, mushrooms, green peppers, onions. Zuchinni, carrots, broccolli, cauliflower, tomatoes, spinach are some other favorites for some of us. Soy mozzerella (or raw goat’s) cheese can top it all, if desired.

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Friday Food – for Thanksgiving

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a couple days early. I thought you might like these before Friday this week.

Yams and Pumpkin are 2 of our favorite fall foods – and “musts” on our Thanksgiving table.

I grew up on the typical “Thanksgiving Sweet Potatoes”, yams with maple syrup (fake, “pancake” syrup) and marshmallows. I never knew how sweet the potatoes were by themselves, not needing any further sweetening to make them GREAT!

Freedom & Simplicity™ Mashed Yams

We bake them, pull the skins off, and mash them with butter and a bit of sea salt and pepper. A sprinkle of nutmeg on the top for festive serving finishes this off. Put them in the oven in a glass casserole dish to heat through. What could be easier? YUMMY!

Pumpkin Pie is a must for Thanksgiving. (We love Pumpkin Bars too, but I’ll save that recipe for another day.) This pie can be cooked in a crust or crust-less for a Pumpkin custard.

Lisa’s Good for You-Naturally!™ Pumpkin Pie

Crust:

  • 2 c. freshly milled, organic whole wheat pastry flour
  • Mix in: 1 tsp. unrefined salt (Real®, himalayan, or celtic)
  • Cut in: 2/3 c. unsalted butter, (preferably organic)
  • Add: 5-7 Tbl. ice cold, purified water (starting with the smaller amount, only adding more if needed.)

Mix together, just until mixed. Don’t over mix or over handle. Form into a ball, roll out – on pastry sheet, or between wax paper. Place in pie pan. Trim edges. Pour in filling.

What to do with the leftover crust dough? Make Nothin’s. I made these with my mom when I was little. Roll out the leftover dough, cut into strips – aprox. 1/2-3/4″ wide, 3-5″ long. Brush with melted butter, sprinkle with cinnamon and Coconut Sap “Sugar” or Sucanat (yes, it was with sugar in the old days.) Put on a Baking Stone or cookie sheet, and bake at 400° approx. 10 minutes.

Filling:

  • 11/2 – 2 cups (approx. – 1# can) organic pumpkin (not pie filling)
  • 1 cup not-milk (homemade almond or other milk substitute)
  • 2 Tbl. melted unsalted butter (opt.)
  • 2 large free range, organic eggs (use 3 if they are smaller)
  • 1/2 c. honey
  • 1/2 – 1 tsp. real vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
  • 1/4 – 1/2 tsp. ginger
  • 1/4 tsp. ground cloves (opt.)

Beat eggs. Add other ingredients and mix well, with mixer or in blender. Pour into pie shell (if desired.) Bake at 400° for 45 – 55 min. until knife inserted halfway between edge and center comes out clean. If crust is browning too fast, cover with silicone pie crust shield. Pie will set more as it cools.

If you have to have whipped cream on top, make it real whipping cream (or full fat coconut milk whipped cream), add a few drops of real vanilla, and drizzle of honey or maple syrup and beat until peaks form. Chill bowl and beaters before whipping. Stop beating before cream turns to butter, soft peaks are better than breaking it down into butter.

Have a Blessed Thanksgiving!

For Me and My House ~ At Jesus’ feet,
Lisa @ Me and My House ~ Discipleship for Life!
1 Thessalonians 5:23
Order Christian & Home Ed Resources here

Thanksgiving’s Coming!

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And we all know (at least in America) what that means – a tendency toward not only (if even) gratefulness for our blessings, but also towards gluttony. The “rich man’s delicacies” are not only a danger, but a reality, in many of our celebrations. Too many rich foods, too many cooked foods, too many “deceptive foods”. But most will say, “I’ll start a diet ‘tomorrow’.” “I’ll ‘be good’ after Thanksgiving – well at least until a week or 2 before Christmas.” or “Oh well, it’s the holidays. I’ll eat what a want for the next month, but then I’ll crack down.”

Our celebrations don’t have to be void of feasting (that is not gluttony), but neither do we have to have a defeatist mentality, and succumb to a month of gorging ourselves with deceptive foods. Enjoy reasonable amounts of your holiday foods on Thanksgiving (or any other “feast” day), but then help your body recover, by consuming a large, if not total, portion of your foods as living, raw foods, for the next several days. It would be a good idea also to get on a fiber cleanser to help “clean house” and get rid of accumulated wastes that have built up in your body.

On the holiday:

  • Start your day with raw, fresh fruit/vegetable juice or BarleyLife, to get a good nutritional boost for the day.
  • Try to stick to raw fruits and vegetables, or other Good for You-Naturally!™ raw foods (see below) for the rest of the day, besides the feast meal.
  • Drink plenty – a LOT – of pure water throughout the day.
  • At your feast meal, take only small portions of the “worst for you” foods that you just can’t pass up.
  • Take larger portions of the Good for You-Naturally!™ foods that are available, especially the raw, living foods available.
  • Make sure there are plenty of Good for You-Naturally!™ choices – that you enjoy! – by preparing them yourself. (This is after all a special meal, not a deprivation meal.)
  • Don’t overeat. When you are full, (in fact before you are full,) STOP! There is no reason to gorge yourself. There will still be food available to you the day after. If there is something you really want to eat, but even in taking small portions didn’t get to, wrap up a small portion of it, and save it for Friday.

On the day (or several days) after – (it takes 3 days of only raw foods to neutralize 1 steak meal; I’m sure 1 Thanksgiving meal is no better than equivelent to that):

  • Start your day with raw, fresh fruit or vegetable juice or BarleyLife, to get a good nutritional boost for the day.
  • Fix a nice fresh fruit salad for breakfast.
  • A great raw veggies salad luncheon.
  • Snack on Good for You-Naturally!™ raw foods.
  • Have a different, large, fresh veggie salad for supper. Add a few steamed fresh veggies, if you’d like. And if you must, a baked potato or other Good for You-Naturally!™ cooked food.
  • If you must, eat your small portion of the one food you saved over.

For your Good for You-Naturally!™ snacks or even meals – Plan Phi into your pre and post holiday foods. It’s a ready to eat, quick, convenient, 80% raw, organic, filling, snack or meal food, perfect to help us through the Holidays! Snack on it instead of all the not-so-Good for You-Naturally!™ foods while you are preparing, or waiting for the feast foods or over those days after.

Order your Phi now!

Apple Cinnamon Phi and Cranberry Phi are perfect flavors for the holidays! PhiPlus is a good every day snack! (PhiPlus and Cranberry Phi are certified organic. Apple Cinnamon Phi contains many organic ingredients, but is not completely organic.)

If you want something 100% raw – try the:

  • Fruitalicious (sweet and yummy low pressure and sun-dried fruits) or
  • Trophiphy (delicious tropical treat of mixed nuts and topical fruits) or
  • Veggielicious (low pressure dried mixed vegetables – for a crisp, convenient raw veggie snack).

Also try a Cake of Dreams – a Good for You-Naturally!™ twist to the traditional Christmas Fruit Cake.

The Cake of Dreams is an exceptional combination of delicious all raw fruits, berries, and nuts, seasoned with a hint of cinnamon, topped with coconut and pecans, and drizzled with a heart healthy chocolate. A wonderful healthy holiday treat that will have everyone coming back for more!

Christmas will be here before you know it and The Wholefood Farmacy offers you a wonderful way to give the gift of health in a convenient and delicious way. When you shop on your Wholefood Farmacy website, you will enjoy the relaxation and convenience of shopping from your own home, and your loved ones will enjoy the rewards of healthy and delicious whole foods.

Price: $24.95

Have a blessed – and healthy Holiday!

Order your BarleyLife, Phi and other Wholefood Farmacy foods today and I’ll try to get you a couple recipes for Thanksgiving by tomorrow – rather than waiting until Friday.

For Me and My House ~ At Jesus’ feet,
Lisa @ Me and My House ~ Discipleship for Life!
1 Thessalonians 5:23
Order Christian & Home Ed Resources here

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Today’s Menu – Thanksgiving!

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TodaysMenu

Real Life Good for You-Naturally! Menu Planning

Today’s Menu

Here’s our Thanksgiving Menu. An optimal menu? No. A traditional menu for generations of our family? Yes. Made mostly Good for You-Naturally!™ (foods I don’t prepare are out of my hands) 🙂 – just way too much cooked food. (See tomorrow’s post for help in balancing this.)

  • Turkey
  • Mashed Yams – recipe to come on Wed.
  • Mashed Potatoes and Gravy
  • Bread Stuffing
  • Scalloped Corn
  • Creamy Mushroom Green Beans
  • Bow-Tie or Cloverleaf Dinner Rolls, Butter and Fruit Spread – recipe for dinner rolls another time.
  • Stuffed Celery – peanut butter and cream cheese (not together) 🙂
  • Green Salad
  • Cranberry Sauce
  • Black & Green Olives
  • Pumpkin Pie – recipe to come on Wed.
  • Pecan Pie

What is not “traditional” on our family’s menus has been raw veggie salads.  I have added, in my contributions to the meal, a “Green” Salad of some sort over the last several years (whether others eat much of it or not.)

I’ve made Spinach Salads – Spinach Strawberry is good, but strawberries are pretty high, if available at all. I’ve made an orange and spinach salad – hmm, wonder where that recipe is? It went over well. I’ve been looking at a Red Leaf Lettuce and Orange Salad, but thinking perhaps I will make Pear and Butter Lettuce this year.

Remember to include your “greens” in your Thanksgiving Menu! and Count Your Blessings!

For Me and My House ~ At Jesus’ feet,
Lisa @ Me and My House ~ Discipleship for Life!
1 Thessalonians 5:23
Order Christian & Home Ed Resources here

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Thanksgiving MEGA-Sale

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Our Annual Thanksgiving MEGA-Sale is here!

November 15-30

Bounty of L.E.D. – ALL of our Lifestyle Education through Discipleship™ resources for one ridiculously low price!

Thank You Special – FREE Me and My House Exclusive resources of your choice for orders over $25

BONUS! resources – FREE from our friends with any order of Me and My House Exclusives. Gifts from Teaching Goods Things, Kap and Pen Publications and more to come!

Other FREE resources and offers from us and other friends, no purchase necessary.

Don’t miss the Thanksgiving MEGA-Sale – get all the details here.

For Me and My House ~ At Jesus’ feet,
Lisa @ Me and My House ~ Discipleship for Life!
1 Thessalonians 5:23
Order Christian & Home Ed Resources here

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Nutrition Seminar

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gfyapple.jpgReminder – Only one more week to register for the

Freedom & Simplicity™ of Good for You-Naturally!™
Health through Biblical Nutrition Seminar

November 22nd – North Platte, NE

Learn:

  • How to make truly healthy eating choices – that taste good!
  • What’s wrong with the S.A.D. (Standard American Diet)
  • Simple food preparation! – Hate to cook? Have we got a deal for YOU!
  • Transitional Steps toward lifelong changes for a Good for You-Naturally!™ Lifestyle of Eating

See more details and register – before Nov. 17th!

For Life & Health –
For Me and My House ~ At Jesus’ feet,
Lisa @ Me and My House ~ Discipleship for Life!
1 Thessalonians 5:23
Order Christian & Home Ed Resources here

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Simple Snack – Friday Food

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fridayfood2.jpgIt’s been a busy week, so I’ll just give you a VERY SIMPLE Snack Recipe this week – but so YUMMY! and Good for You-Naturally!™

Apple Wedges and Almond Butter

My dc LOVE this, (and me too,) – and even dipping the apples (or other fruits or veggies) into non-homemade, organic, nut only butters works – peanut, cashew, almond, or sesame could be used.

Almond Butter:

Fit Champion Juicer with blank for “homogenizing” foods (rather than juicing). Turn on and pour in Raw Almonds. Push through with food pusher. Feed slowly for a creamy nut butter, faster for chunky.

If butter is too dry, more like almond meal, sitr in just a bit of olive oil, or put through Champion again with just a bit of olive oil. You can also make nut butters in a blender or food processor if you don’t have a Champion.

Tip: The natural oil in your almonds will flow better, making a creamier butter, if your almonds are a bit warm, not cold from the fridge. I usually warm mine up just a bit on the dehydrator, set at 110°. You don’t want to heat them higher, or you will destroy the enzymes.

Slice Apples, or other fruits or veggies, and dip/scoop into the butter, and eat. Bananas aren’t the best scoopers since they are softer, but you can still put a hunk of nut butter on them for a great, yummy snack or lunch.

You got a hankerin’ for chocolate? It’s not exactly the same, but carob is a Good for You-Naturally!™ substitute. Stir some vegan, malt sweetened carob chips into the nut butter before scooping onto the fruit, for an occasional treat.

For Life & Health –
For Me and My House ~ At Jesus’ feet,
Lisa @ Me and My House ~ Discipleship for Life!
1 Thessalonians 5:23
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My Baby

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Not my normal type post today. Not a normal day. Today’s our baby’s birthday. She was born 18 years ago.

Today’s a dreary snow flurry day, but no bitter cold blizzard like 18 years ago.

18 years ago I went to vote that night when I came home. Today we know the results of the election of 2 days ago. 18 years ago we lost our gubernatorial seat, and they also retained the senate seat. This year we kept our senate and house seats, but lost our Presidential seat.

18 years ago she would have come home to 4 older sisters. Today she’d be living with 4 younger brothers, plus 2 younger sisters. But she still wouldn’t have been able to vote yet – missing it by 2 days would have been a ‘bummer’ I’m sure.

18 years ago our baby was born – and died, 3 hours after she was born. Today I visited her grave, for the 18th time on this day.

We’d be taking her out for dinner for her 18th birthday tonight. It would be quite the celebration. The guys aren’t here tonight – off shopping at Cabela’s. I think we girls will go celebrate – her who has gone before us.

Happy Birthday Mykayah!