Saved Alone

Hi, friends.

I hope you are having a lovely day. 

Today, I wanted to share one of my favorite hymns of all time with you.

It never ceases to amaze me how God can use something so horribly devastating, and turn it into something beautiful and useful for His glory.

Enjoy.

Horatio Spafford  

{Courtesy of American Colony Hotel}
In 1871, tragedy struck Chicago as fire ravaged the city. When it was allover, 300 people were dead and 100,000 were homeless. Horatio GatesSpafford was one of those who tried to help the people of the city getback on their feet. A lawyer who had invested much of his money into thedowntown Chicago real estate, he'd lost a great deal to the fire. And his oneson (he had four daughters) had died about the same time. Still, for two yearsSpafford--who was a friend of evangelist Dwight Moody--assisted the homeless,impoverished, and grief-stricken ruined by the fire.After about two years of such work, Spafford and his family decided to takea vacation. They were to go to England to join Moody and IraSankey on one of their evangelistic crusades, then travel in Europe. HoratioSpafford was delayed by some business, but sent his family on ahead. Hewould catch up to them on the other side of the Atlantic.Their ship, the Ville du Havre, never made it. Off  Newfoundland, itcollided with an English sailing ship, the Loch Earn, and sank within 20minutes.  Though Horatio's wife, Anna, was able to cling to a piece offloating wreckage (one of only 47 survivors among hundreds), their fourdaughters--Maggie, Tanetta, Annie, and Bessie--were killed.Horatio received a horrible telegram from his wife, only two words long: "savedalone."  Spafford boarded the next available ship to be near his grieving wife, andthe two finally met up with Dwight Moody. "It is well," Spafford told himquietly. "The will of God be done."  Though reports vary as to when he did so, that belief ledSpafford to pen the words to one of the English language's best-known hymns. Somesay he wrote it on the ship to meet his wife, around the place where his daughters died.

It Is Well With My Soul

Words: Horatio G. Spafford, 1873

Music:  Philip P. Bliss, 1876

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,

When sorrows like sea billows roll; 
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say, 
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

It is well, with my soul,

It is well, with my soul,

It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,

Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate, 
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!

My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more, 
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:

If Jordan above me shall roll, 
No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life 
Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.

But, Lord, ‘tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,

The sky, not the grave, is our goal; 
Oh trump of the angel! Oh voice of the Lord!
Blessèd hope, blessèd rest of my soul!

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,

The clouds be rolled back as a scroll; 
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend, 
Even so, it is well with my soul.

Isn't that amazing? 

Much love, 

xoxo

A Family Affair

Hey there, ya'll!

It seems like we have been running a lot lately. 

And I don't mean for the Couch 2 5K Program.

{although I have completed week three now!  how about you?  it's not too late to start.  you'll feel better, I PROMISE.}

:-) 

Let me explain.

Do you ever feel like even though you are constantly busy, you get no where?

Of course you do!

It's that little thing we call life{and the bottomless piles of laundry}.  

The balancing act of home and work has been a little tricky for me lately.
My attitude has a lot to do with it, too.

{mine could use a serious adjustment at times}

"Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, [therewith] to be content."  Philippians 4:11

Easier said than done, right?

Allow me to rant.

My husband works nights.  UGH.

I know that in everything I am supposed to give thanks, but it tends to get old.

REAL FAST.

We are like two ships that pass in the night.  He goes to work, I go to bed.

I wake up, and he is just laying down.

Poor guy.

I should really be counting my blessings because I get a full nights sleep and he RARELY does.  

But I still don't like it.

*sigh*

I won't even go into the tactics I have to use to keep the kids quiet while daddy sleeps!  lol!

Truthfully, I am blessed beyond what I deserve.  I have a hardworking husband who is an amazing father and he would do anything for us.  I love him and I pray that God provides Him with the perfect job that he has for him.  If that means 3rd shift, away from, us, so be it!  God's ways are higher than mine.

{slaps self in face for needlessly complaining}

I'm going to stop complaining now.  :-) 

The girls and I had an opportunity to get out today to our local fair and share some of our favorite things with people.

We set up our awesome, safe, proven, products for a few hours with some great friends and froze had a great time!  I can't believe that it's a few days into summer and we needed parkas and wool gloves!

Ridiculous!

Miss Madelyn and I shivering in our shoes smiling all pretty like.

The girls and our wares.  

Our kids totally LOVE everything from Shaklee.  That's why we call it a family affair!  They can truly tell what the products and opportunity have done for our family and they are very supportive.  We want them to understand that we are doing this 

a} because God put it in our path and said..."GO!' 

 b} we wanted to create a healthier life for our family  

c} we want to help others learn the importance of prevention, nutrition and how it can change their lives for the better.   WAAAAY better!

We are Team Krause and we love sharing this opportunity!   We really want to teach our kids to make wise choices in every aspect of their life.   We can't stress enough that the choices that we make today, will have a direct impact on our future!   We are proud of them for being so supportive of us.

I LOVE this old building on the fair grounds.

Team Krause: girls.

Just being normal.  :-) 

What did you do today?

I hope you had a wonderful day! 

Blessings,

If you ever have any questions about what Shaklee can do for you, I'd love to chat.

xoxo

Chickens, a Birthday, and a Prayer Request

Hi, friends!

The chickens have officially flown the coop.

Literally.

As I have told you in past posts, my husband and I decided to get some chickens this year.  He has lived on a farm his whole life, so he knows what he's doing.  

Me on the other hand...not. so. much.

Rabbit trail...

Every Sunday, we have the privilege of eating dinner with my in-laws after church.

I'm talking, home grown fried chicken, mashed taters n gravy, veggies from the garden{fresh or canned from the year before}, and the BEST pie you have EVER had, usually made with home made lard and fruit canned or frozen by my husband's mother. 

It's the REAL deal.  And it's always AMAZING.

{photo from Country Living}

{photo credit here}

Well, we decided that it was time to raise our own chickens

A.) Because it tastes waaay better

B.) We thought it would save us some money on the hefty meat portion of the grocery bill.

Needless to say, I will not be taking part in the butchering of these fine fowl.  I have seen that done once before, and it still haunts me.  Nope.  Not gonna do it. :-) 

Although our coop is not done, YET, we have made it livable for now to get the stinky little things out of our garage. ALL 56 of them.  Yes.  We had 56 chickens in our garage.  YIKES! 

'You might be a redneck if'....ummmm...nevermind.

More progress in pictures soon to come!

Moving on from embarrassing facts, today we celebrated my dear hubby's birthday.  We made cards and had a nice birthday meal at his request.  

He wanted a classic from my mother's recipe collection.  French Meat Pies.  They are SOOO good!

It was super low key and simple.

Just the way we like it.

My card to him.

He is perfect for me.  Thank you, Lord.

The kids cards{and a birthday badge that Henry INSISTED on him wearing!}.

I just had to tuck in this beautiful African Violet that a lady GAVE to me at the  H.O.P.E. walk the other night.  She was such a sweetie!

My husband LOVES our country and the American flag, always has, so flag cakes have become a tradition for us.

The kids had so much fun decorating the cake{fruit pizza}.

YUMMY!

This is my favorite photo of the day.  I spent most of the day in the kitchen cooking and baking so it was awesome to sit back and just watch my family enjoy the great meal that the Lord provided for us.

The day did not come without it's ups and downs.

I have a request to all of my prayer warriors out there.

PLEASE remember my niece in your prayers.  We found out some things today that require immediate prayer and I am so thankful that we can bring it to the 

Throne of Grace and leave it there.

Thank you so much!

It rained like everything here today, and usually when it rains it feels so dreary, but this was such a beautiful, refreshing, pouring down rain with bright beams of sunlight in between the clouds.   All I could think about was God literally showering us with His love and blessings...even through the storm.  It was so comforting to me!  Despite the heavy rain and heavy hearts at our house today, we know that God has our best interests in mind and He knows our sorrow and pain.  Oh, yes, He cares.

:-) 

Much love, 

xoxo

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." 

Romans 8:28

Happy Father's Day

Thank you, Lord, for giving me such a wonderful father.

Thank you for my husband, and for giving my children a Godly example to lead them.

Thank you for being my Heavenly Father, instructing me, guiding me, and chastening me when I need it.

This is how I know you love me.

"Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him."

Psalm 103:13

Blessings to you for a wonderful day celebrating the fathers in your life!
:-) 

How I Disinfect my Home Safely

Hi, dear friends!

Today I am going to introduce you to one of my best friends!

Shaklee Basic G or Germicide

*love*

Do you like my queen?  :-) 

There are a lot of questions concerning disinfectants and the negative effect{s} that they have on our bodies, so I would like to show you how to get the disinfecting power you need to kill unwanted germs in your home, without the damaging effects of chemicals.

Ahhhhh....I can breathe better already!

As I have mentioned in previous posts, I LOVE to clean and I hate germs!

All of my stinky, toxic, cleaning products used to make me sooo happy!  The way that I thought that they were working is by how strong of  smell that they gave off!  EEEEK!  

I have to admit, the stronger the bleach, lysol, pine sol, or whatever smell it was, the cleaner I thought things were.  That's just how I associated it...until I started to understand why we should never, never, never use these chemicals in our homes{or anywhere else}!

Out of 81,000 chemicals registered with the EPA in the past 30 years, less than 20% have been tested for toxicity.

We are basically a giant science experiment. 

First, let me give you some facts.

*Chlorine bleach is the chemical most frequently involved  in household poisonings in the U.S. 

*Common household cleaners and appliances may give off fumes that can be triggers for childhood asthma.

*Chemicals such as lysol and bleach{MANY M ORE} are KNOWN to be harmful to children, particularly to developing nervous systems and brains.

*A babies skin is five times thinner and more permeable than adults, making them more susceptible to absorbing much larger amounts of toxins.

*Dioxin is the NUMBER ONE ingredient in Lysol.  Did you know that it was also the main ingredient in  'Agent Orange',  the chemical used in herbicidal warfare against the Vietnamese???  If you do a search, you will be shocked!  I used to use this ALL THE TIME!!!   It is also a  known CARCINOGEN{cancer causer} and is 500,000 times more  deadly than DDT Ethyl Alcohol.

Click here to do more of your own research!

I could literally go on for HOURS.

:-)

I only tell you these things because it was so eye opening to us! 

When we eliminated these chemicals from our lives, we felt so much better!  

The headaches I used to get went away, too.  :-) 

 We believe that our homes should be the safest place in the world.

Now, I am going to share with you how Basic G actually kills MORE germs, safely, AND it will save you money!

I use Basic G on anything that I want to disinfect such as...

*Toilets
*Sinks
*Floors
*Carpet
*Outdoor furniture
*Door handles

*Showers

*Appliances

*Trash cans

*Diaper pails
*MUCH MORE!

Basic G  is... 

Nonflammable.

Biodegradable. 

Non-toxic. 

Cleans, Disinfects & Deodorizes.

To use...

Mix 1/8 tablespoon to 16 oz spray bottle.

Mix 1 tablespoon to 1 gallon of water{how I use it}.

Basic G has a 3 year shelf life.

Its residual effectiveness lasts up to three days after application. 

Chlorine (bleach) used as a disinfectant is effective no more than one hour.  

Kills up to 99% of bacteria.

Basic G kills 32 pathogens while Lysol only kills 8 pathogens!!! 

Bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa1 Staphylococcus aureus1 Salmonella enterica Acinetobacter calcoaceticus Bordetella bronchiseptica Chlamydia psittaci Community Associated Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (NRS384) (USA300) Community Associated Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (NRS123) (USA400) Enterobacter aerogenes Enterobacter cloacae Enterococcus faecalis – Vancomycin Resistant (VRE) Escherichia coli1 Fusobacterium necrophorum Klebsiella pneumoniae1 Legionella pneumophila Listeria monocytogenes Pasteurella multocida Proteus mirabilis Proteus vulgaris Salmonella enteritidis Salmonella typhi Salmonella typhimurium Serratia marcescens Shigella flexneri Shigella sonnei Staphylococcus aureus – Methicillin resistant (MRSA) Staphylococcus aureus – Vancomycin Intermediate Resistant (VISA) Staphylococcus epidermidis2 Streptococcus faecalis1 Streptococcus pyogenes (Strep)

Viruses *Adenovirus Type 4 *Herpes Simplex Type1 *Herpes Simplex Type2 *Human coronavirus *Influenza A / Hong Kong Flu Virus* *Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) *Rotavirus *Rubella (German Measles) *SARS Associated Coronavirus Animal Viruses *Avian Influenza (H5N1)*Avian polyomavirus *Canine distemper *Feline leukemia *Feline picornavirus *Infectious bovine rhinotracheitis *Infectious bronchitis (Avian IBV) * Newcastle Disease *Pseudorabies (PRV) *Rabies *Transmissible gastroenteritis virus (TGE) Fungi Aspergillus niger Candida albicans Trichophyton mentagrophytes (Athlete’s Foot Fungus) —————————————- 1 ATCC & antibiotic-resistant strain 2 Antibiotic-resistant only * Virucidal

Because Basic G is SUPER concentrated {like the rest of Shaklee cleaners} it also saves you money. 

One quart of Basic G makes over 500 12 oz. bottles{64 GALLONS!}!!!

One quart typically lasts about a year for regular household uses.

WHEW!  That is some great stuff!

Thank you so much for hanging with me on this long post.  I feel so blessed that God led our family to this knowledge and it is such a privilege to share it with you!  I hope that you learned something useful today and will take into consideration all the dangers that may be lurking under your kitchen cabinets right now!  

Please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have about Basic G or any other Shakee product.
Added note:  Shaklee also sells Germ-Off wipes, which are have the same disinfecting power in a wipe form.

Have a wonderful day!

Blessings,

My Dad's Birthday and a Recipe

How was your day today?

I didn't get to go for my jog because of the weather.

{rain, rain, go away...come again another day!}

Does it count that I 'ran' all day in the van?

:-) 

Today is my wonderful father's birthday!

He is such a great example to me and I love him very much.

The boys have been very busy preparing for his birthday with homemade cards and the girls have been hard at work making knitted accessories for him.  Madelyn knitted him an army green bookmark with a cross on it and Eleanor knitted him a 'chocolate candy bar'.  Really!  She knitted what looked like a chocolate bar and then a wrapper to go around it.  She even used gold in between the 'bar' and 'wrapper' to look like foil.  

My girls LOVE. TO. KNIT. and I'm totally ok with that!
{except when they neglect their chores} lol

This is kind of what Elly's looked like...just to give you her inspiration.

My dad loves chocolate.

{that's where I get it from}

Anyway, seeing as my dad is THE HARDEST person to shop for, I was going to make him a homemade German Chocolate Cake{his fave}.  My mom had already done that, so she suggested that I make him something with rhubarb since it is in season and he loves it!

I happened to have rhubarb frozen from several weeks ago in the freezer and  I also had some yummy strawberries.  Enter...Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp. 

I had JUST gone to our local bulk foods market and found organic rolled oats and evaporated cane juice for ridiculously low prices. 

 $.90/lb for rolled oats and the cane juice was only $1.54/lb.

AWESOME!  You can hardly buy conventional foods at that price! 

Oh, how I love our little market!

Anyway, I thought you might like the recipe for this because

 it was really yummy and better yet, it was super easy!

Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

Ingredients

• 1 cup white sugar
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3 cups sliced fresh strawberries
• 3 cups diced rhubarb
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup rolled oats

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, mix white sugar, 3 tablespoons flour, strawberries, and rhubarb. Place the mixture in a 9x13 inch baking dish.
3. Mix 1 1/2 cups flour, brown sugar, butter, and oats until crumbly. You may want to use a pastry blender for this. Crumble on top of the rhubarb and strawberry mixture.
4. Bake 45 minutes in the preheated oven, or until crisp and lightly browned.

Here is the finished product!

Here is a pic of my family.  My sister, mom, me and my dad.

I love them so much!

Happy.

Here are the kiddos posing with grandpa after showering him with gifts and serenading him with 'Happy Birthday' and Jack's favorite song of all time...

Victory In Jesus.

It was really great to see my family today even though it was a short visit.  

We just never know what a day will bring and I'm so thankful to have my parents still with us.

Not everyone is so fortunate, so I really try to count my blessings. 

After 'running' around today, I rushed home to meet my husband and we headed to a dear friends' for dinner.

They are a part of our Shaklee team and more importantly, they are totally kindred spirits.   

Don't you love when you meet someone and it's like you've known them forever?  

It is so wonderful to know that God brings people into our lives to bless us and we are so thankful for that!

Much love,

xoxo

Humble Beginnings

I witnessed a miracle today AND escaped a potentially HORRIFYING 

situation while out on my morning jog.

I was on my way home{week one, DONE!}, minding my OWN business and  totally enjoying the BEAUTIFUL day that the Lord gave us when I saw 'it'.   Like a flash of lightening from out of nowhere.

Mr. {or Mrs.} Skunk.

Talk about SCARY!

I think my blood pressure went through the roof  as I watched him/her scurry across the road RIGHT in front of me{like 2 feet away}!

Praying that I didn't see the tail lift,  I slowly started jogging sideways WAAAY over to the other side of the road.  I was home free.  Stinky pants decided that I wasn't a threat to him, apparently.  Thank the LORD!  

I definitely didn't have plans this week to take 7 hour tomato soak baths.  There are lots of places to go and people to see and that definitely wouldn't be happening had I been sprayed by a SKUNK! 

That was my miracle. :-) 

I told you yesterday that my husband and I were the recipients of a major award.

Mr. UPS man came by yesterday, which is always an exciting thing for me!  

Getting mail is so much fun, don't you think?

 I shoved down the kids slowly opened the back door to meet Mr. UPS and he handed me 'the package'.

I had no idea what was inside.

The kids and I all huddled around it, scissors in hand, all grasping at the tape and seams to see who could rip it open first{we excite easily}, and this is what we found...

A box from Tiffany's.

TJ MAXX is more my style, but I'll take it!

 Nathan and I had earned a gift from Shaklee!  Yet another perk for working for such a great company!  

It's not something that I would probably ever see myself buying, but it has meaning to us.

We actually had no idea that we were getting anything, so to be rewarded was really nice.

 Out of the Team Up challenge prizes, I chose the crystal pitcher and cup.  I thought I could definitely use it for fresh flowers and also be reminded of how little is MUCH when God is in it!  We, on our own, have so little to offer, but with God on our side, we can move mountains!  We are so thankful that God led our family to Shaklee, so that we He could make a better living for our family and for SO many others as well!  We feel truly blessed!

A literal reminder!  {This was my sweet hubby's idea}

It means a lot to us and we will always be grateful for our humble beginnings.

I hope you have a wonderful day!

Blessings, 

Little Is Much When GOD Is In It

1. In the harvest field now ripened
There's a work for all to do;
Hark! the voice of God is calling
To the harvest calling you.

2. In the mad rush of the broad way,
In the hurry and the strife,
Tell of Jesus' love and mercy,
Give to them the Word of Life.

3. Does the place you're called to labor
Seem too small and little known?
It is great if God is in it,
And He'll not forget His own.

4. Are you laid aside from service,
Body worn from toil and care?
You can still be in the battle,
In the sacred place of prayer.

5. When the conflict here is ended
And our race on earth is run,
He will say, if we are faithful,
"Welcome home, My child well done!"

Chorus:
Little is much when God is in it!
Labor not for wealth or fame.
There's a crown and you can win it,
If you go in Jesus' Name.

Lyrics/music: Kittie Louise Suffield

                                                                                                 

{click on image for more info!}