Vibrant Eggs, Dyed Naturally

This time of year there are some pretty amazing craft-tastic ideas online and in magazines making it entirely possible to devote days to creating museum-quality oval. I prefer the less design and more rustic approach. After all, they're eggs you might be stashing somewhere in the lawn. And with a small child in the house, this is not a project likely to involve X-Acto knives and tiny electrical tape stencils. Easter is a reminder of fertility and abundance, so I say turn on the color and let loose.

Back in Russian we wore dyeing eggs with onion skins, which gives a pretty spectacular result, especially if you rub them with oil to add shine. This year I took the idea of coloring eggs with vegetable scraps a step further and creates a larger palette.

How To Make Vegetable-Dyed Eggs

Keep in mind the effect of the dyes varies depending on how concentrated the dye is, what color egg you use, and how long the eggs are immersed in the dye. .

Hard Boiled Eggs, room temperature, or white and brown eggs, preferably not super-fresh

• Purple Cabbage (makes blue on white eggs, green on brown eggs)
• Red Onion Skins (makes lavender or red)
• Yellow Onion Skins (makes orange on white eggs, rusty red on brown eggs)
• Ground Turmeric (makes yellow)
• Red Zinger Tea Bags (makes lavender)
• Beets (makes pink on white eggs, maroon on brown eggs)
• Oil (canola or olive)

Clean the eggs so there are no particles sticking to their shells.

To prepare a colored dye, first chop the cabbage, chip or peel away the dry skins from the onions, or shred the beets. In a stainless steel saucepan, boil enough water to generously cover the number of eggs you'll be dyeing. Add the dye matter and bring to a boil, turn heat down to low and simmer, covered, for 15-30 minutes. Dye is ready when it reaches a hue a few shades darker than you want for your egg. Examine a sample in a white dish. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature

Pour mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into another stainless saucepan, or into a bowl then back into the original pan if that's all you have. Stir in the vinegar. For the dyeing, it's best to use a pan with a flat bottom, like a Dutch oven, or a large jar as pictured above. Arrange the room-temperature eggs in the pan in one layer and carefully pour the cooled dye over them.

Place in refrigerator until desired color is reached. Massage in a little oil to each, then polish with a paper towel. Keep in refrigerator until time to eat (or hide.)

Note: You can also start with raw eggs and cook them in the dye bath.

My Home and Family

Women traditionally invested their time in the daily tasks that are necessary for keeping their household and family in orderly manner. Let's take a look at PROVERBS 31:10-31 and see how we are instructed to be "homemakers" (Greek ~ oikourgos ~ literally means homeworkers also in Titus 2:5)

Common Tasks:

• Drawing Water (Genesis 24:19,20,42,44)
• Making Clothing, Laundry (Proverbs 31:13; Acts 9:36 - 42)
• Preparing Food (Proverbs 31:21)
• Caring for Children (Proverbs 31:21)

Social Tasks:

Looking at Genesis 18:6 and 1Timothy 5:10)

• Offering Welcoming
• Offering Food
• Offering Rest
• Offering Hospitality

Spiritual Tasks:

Women have always played an important role in the spiritual nurturing of their children. We have to remember that we have to invest a lot of time in developing a nurturing skills even though it comes natural for most women. We have a unique role of influence and responsibly for instructing our children and guiding our children in the right direction.

• Shaping the spiritual values of children (Deuteronomy 6:7-9; Proverbs 31:21 and 2Timothy 1:3-5)
• Preparing for the Sabbath - filling the oil lamps, cooking special foods in advance of the Sabbath
• Praying for our children and family and lifting them up at all times

We have been sold a lie!

Ladies, those of you who work either because you want to or by circumstance have no other choice. We cannot have it all! When we attempt to have it all something or someone will suffer. Be honest enough to realize that work at home takes the higher place in your life.

Our home is more forgiving and thus more and more gets neglected. It takes a huge amount of time and energy to keep a house in tip top shape, feed our husbands and children with home cooked meals, and make sure your love and care is given to each and everyone of them.

Being home is a full time job! Their is no doubt about it! If you work outside of your home then you are working only part-time in your home. I often hear women say things like that a clean house is overrated and home cooked meals are not important. I know this because I gave that excuse to myself on multiple occasions. What I'm asking is that we do not contribute to spread this lie that you can work and have family without any loss. It doesn't mean that we cannot work, but we need to go into it with our eyes wide open. In my own case when I worked outside of home both my work and home suffered. I was split between the two and could not give a 100% at any place.

I'm not saying that we cannot work, just when we are faced with doing work outside our home we need to be aware of the fact that holding a job will require us to allow more hours than there are in a day to take care of our family the way we are instructed to. We will never be able to do both job fully and have success in both worlds.

When we are faced with the option of working consider this, God have instructed us to be helpers for our husbands and we have to take care our our home first and foremost. Their are a lot of opportunities that you can take, by working from home. Make sure you do your research first and beware there are a lot of scams out there. You can waste a lot of your energy and time and not earn a dime! Consult and talk with people that are close to you, to see if working from home is something that you could do.

Today I've read a very good post by a new friend of mine called Raising Daughters with an Entrepreneurial Spirit. Even if we are not entrepreneurial we need to learn how to be one and then turn around and teach our sons and daughters to be the same.

In any case, pray before you make that choice and ask for wisdom and guidance.

I WORK FOR A KING

"I work for a King. He has put me in charge of his home. When He comes to see how I have managed His possessions and His children, I do not want to be found wanting. I want to do my best. Everything I have is on loan from Him. I have room and board and a job to do, but it is all for Him. Therefore I want to dress my best and do my best in all my work. I also want to be creative, for this is a sincere attempt to glorify Him and His beautiful creation. How I manage my home is a form of worship to Him." --Lydia Sherman

Can't sleep? Fix your sheets!

Tossing and turning, not getting the sleep you need? Well first try a few things that work like a charm!

Making your bed every day!

A survey of 1,500 people found that taking the time to neaten your bed in the a.m. makes you 19% more likely to sleep soundly than if you get into a messy bed that night.

Using a new detergent!

Pick one that has a fragrance you love. The same survey found that three in four of us enjoy a better night;s sleep when lying on sheets that have a pleasant aroma!

Take the family on a factory tour!

Summer is here!

And I'm sure that you want to do something fun with kids this summer. One of the things that I'll be doing is taking them to different factories. Summer is the perfect time to hop in the car and visit America's most popular factories! If you have boys and they love anything that is on wheels take them to Boeing, Mercedes or Harley Davidson factory. Going to a Dairy Factory should be fun for all. Just finish the visit with a tasting ice cream!!!

You can find a lot of information on all tours and find those closest to you if you visit FactoryToursUSA.com or pick up the book Watch it Made in the USA.

Wishing you and your family a summer filled with fun and unforgettable memories!

Never underestimate the power of prayer.

One of the most powerfull things we can do for our children is our daily prayer for them. Today I would like to challenge all of you to a 31 Day Commitment of prayer. Our world is taking a turn for the worst and kids are right in the middle of all of that mess. Pray for your children and ask our Heavenly Father to protect them and to open His Grace to them.

Here is the Plan for every day!

31 Days of Prayer for Your Child

1 salvation “Lord, let salvation spring up within my children, that they may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory” (Isaiah 45:8, 2 Timothy 2:10).

2 growth in grace “I pray that they may ‘grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ’” (2 Peter 3:18).

3 love “Grant, Lord, that my children may learn to ‘live a life of love,’ through the Spirit who dwells in them” (Ephesians 5:2, Galatians 5:22).

4 honesty and integrity ” May integrity and honesty be their virtue and their protection” (Psalm 25:21, NLT).

5 self-control ” Father, help my children not to be like many others around them, but let them be ‘alert and self-controlled’ in all they do” (1 Thessalonians 5:6)

6 a love for God’s Word ” May my children grow to find your Word ‘more precious than gold, than much pure gold; [and] sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb’” (Psalm 19:10).

7 justice ” God, help my children to love justice as you do and to ‘act justly’ in all they do” (Psalm 11:7, Micah 6:8).

8 mercy ” May my children always ‘be merciful, as [their] Father is merciful’” (Luke 6:36).

9 respect (for self, others, authority) ” Father, grant that my children may ’show proper respect to everyone,’ as your Word commands” (1 Peter 2:17a).

10 strong, Biblical self-esteem ” Help my children develop a strong self-esteem that is rooted in the realization that they are ‘God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus’” (Ephesians 2:10).

11 faithfulness “‘ Let love and faithfulness never leave [my children],’ but bind these twin virtues around their necks and write them on the tablet of their hearts” (Proverbs 3:3).

12 courage “May my children always ‘Be strong and courageous’ in their character and in their actions” (Deuteronomy 31:6).

13 purity “‘Create in [them] a pure heart, O God,’ and let their purity of heart be shown in their actions” (Psalm 51:10).

14 kindness “Lord, may my children ‘always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else’” (1 Thessalonians 5:15).

15 generosity “Grant that my children may ‘be generous and willing to share [and so] lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age’” (1 Timothy 6:18-19).

16 peace, peaceability “Father, let my children ‘make every effort to do what leads to peace’” (Romans 14:19).

17 joy ” May my children be filled ‘with the joy given by the Holy Spirit’” (1 Thessalonians 1:6).

18 perseverance ” Lord, teach my children perseverance in all they do, and help them especially to ‘run with perseverance the race marked out for [them]‘” (Hebrews 12:1).

19 humility ” God, please cultivate in my children the ability to ’show true humility toward all’” (Titus 3:2).

20 compassion ” Lord, please clothe my children with the virtue of compassion” (Colossians 3:12).

21 responsibility ” Grant that my children may learn responsibility, ‘for each one should carry his own load’” (Galatians 6:5).

22 contentment ” Father, teach my children ‘the secret of being content in any and every situation. . . . through him who gives [them] strength’” (Philippians 4:12-13).

23 faith ” I pray that faith will find root and grow in my children’s hearts, that by faith they may gain what has been promised to them” (Luke 17:5-6, Hebrews 11:1-40).

24 a servant heart ” God, please help my children develop servant hearts, that they may serve wholeheartedly, ‘as to the Lord, and not to men’” (Ephesians 6:7, KJV).

25 hope ” May the God of hope grant that my children may overflow with hope and hopefulness by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13).

26 the willingness and ability to work hard ” Teach my children, Lord, to value work and to work hard at everything they do, ‘as working for the Lord, not for men’” (Colossians 3:23).

27 a passion for God ” Lord, please instill in my children a soul that “followeth hard after thee,” a heart that clings passionately to you (Psalm 63:8, KJV).

28 self-discipline ” Father, I pray that my children may develop self-discipline, that they may acquire ‘a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair’” (Proverbs 1:3).

29 prayerfulness ” Grant, Lord, that my children’s lives may be marked by prayerfulness, that they may learn to ‘pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests” (Ephesians 6:18).

30 gratitude ” Help my children to live lives that are always ‘overflowing with thankfulness,’ ‘always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ’” (Colossians 2:7, Ephesians 5:20).

31 a heart for missions ” Lord, please help my children to develop a heart for missions, a desire to see your glory declared among the nations, your marvelous deeds among all peoples” (Psalm 96:3).

Can you serve your boss and others at work, helping them to succeed and be happy, even when they are promoted and you are overlooked? Can you work to make others look good without envy filling your heart? Can you minister to the needs of those whom God exalts and men honor when you yourself are neglected? Can you pray for the ministry of others to prosper when it would cast yours in the shadows?

Donald Whitney


Christ told his disciples not to be anxious about tomorrow, but he never said not to consider tomorrow. Intelligent problem solving demands careful consideration of the future effects of present solutions.

R.C. Sproul