Prayers for a trial

This is the part where things get real.

So often I tend to stick to the "happily ever after" posts, sugar coating what is happening in my life. It's easier to write simple stories on faith or my children's adventures in scouting.

But life is not always easy.

For several years, our family has battled with the effects of the Recession:

• years of unemployment
• long-term underemployment
• growing debt as we tried to stay afloat
• uncertainty
• worry, and the worst:
• Depression

We've battled from the brink of all of these. I am proud to say that my small strands of faith helped with this. But it's a battle far from over.

My husband still battles with Depression, and it's far from over. He suffers from what we call "Bad days." It's when he hides in his hole, barely able to come out.

He lost his job two months ago, unrelated to his battle with Depression. And he's had two interviews but no successes. Two months later, we are still waiting to see if the state will even give us unemployment.

It's a tough battle. It's an uphill road of faith.

And this is where I ask you for help.

I need prayers.

Prayers for my husband to find faith, faith in himself, faith in God, through this trial.

Prayers for my young children, who are again having to grow up too fast. 

Prayers for me, while I try to balance work and the challenges at home with the extra cross.

Thank you. And if you list your requests below, I'll be sure to pray for you as well.

Peach-Prosciutto Ice Cream

Fresh peaches are one of my favorite parts of summer, and when my daughter wanted to make her father homemade peach ice cream for Father's Day, I was all for it.

And then she added a twist.


She was thumbing through my review copy of  No-Churn Ice Cream: Over 100 Simply Delicious No-Machine Frozen Treatsby Leslie Bilderback. And she saw the magic word: Prosciutto.

Now, we've had this smoky, salty ham in peas and pastas, but ice cream? This was something new. But the results were amazing. A little sweet, a little salty, a lot of summer.

Peach-Prosciutto Ice Cream

Ingredients

3 large fresh peaches, sliced

1/4 cup water

finely grated zest of 1 lemon

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

pinch of salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

13-oz. can sweetened condensed milk

1 cup milk

2 cups heavy cream

2 oz. prosciutto

Directions

Combine the peaches, water, zest, juice and salt in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the peaches release their liquid. Continue cooking until the fruit breaks down, the liquid evaporates and the mixture becomes jammy. Remove from heat and cool completely.

Chop prosciutto finely.

Puree the cooled peaches, either by passing through a fine mesh strainer, or running through a food processor or blender. 

In a large bowl, combine the peach puree, nutmeg, sweetened condensed milk, and milk.

In a separate bowl, whip the heavy cream until it reaches soft peak. Fold the cream and prosciutto into the peach mixture, then transfer to a shallow freezable container.

Cover with plastic wrap or waxed paper pressed directly on the surface of the ice cream, and place in the freezer for six hours.

Reprinted with permission

Save Time with Amazon School Supply Lists

Back to school time saving tip: Amazon has loaded many schools' school supply lists on its website. While I can't swear by the price comparison versus hitting the local sales, it can certainly save you the headaches of kids who want a folder with ___ on it, or not finding any glue!

Check out their School Supply Shopping Site, and search by zip code to find your school!

15 Minion crafts to celebrate the Minion movie launch

Today on my Girl Scout blog, Use Resources Wisely, I'm sharing 15 fun and unique ways to craft your way toward celebrating the launch of the new Minions movie. Check it out!

How I'm not paying for school supplies - thanks to ibotta

School supply lists get longer each year. And the costs keep going up.

This year, between two students, we're being asked for three dozen folders, one box of specialty brand colored pencils for art and two sets of headphones for the computer room. And that's on top of the traditional school supply lists we've grown accustomed to.

I printed off my children's lists and groaned at the length, and wondered how I'd afford it all.

And then I relaxed, realizing I don't have to worry at all.

For the last year, I've used the ibotta app to submit receipts for everyday grocery items I buy. Granted, there are many, many name-brand groceries I don't purchase, but if I am buying it anyway, or even better partnering with a Cartwheel discount or paper coupon, I take advantage of this service.

Dollar by dollar, quarter by quarter, I've amassed more than $125 toward my school supplies, which I'll be cashing out soon for a Walmart gift card. And that's with doing very little effort. 

By submitting rebates on everyday items like milk, eggs and orange juice throughout the year, I've saved enough to pay for most of my school supply shopping this month!

Groceries and beauty/wellness products are the biggest categories on ibotta, but you can also score with discounts for baby supplies, specialty gifts, sports items, restaurant chains and clothing from major retailers like Macy's, Kohl's, Target and Cabela's. 

Online shoppers will love it come Christmas shopping season, when you can often get rebates of $5 to $15 off of $50 to $100 purchases.

But it doesn't take much effort to collect funds for this year's school supply shopping. You can scroll the item list, check out a task to unlock a rebate and then scan in your receipt after your purchase.

Ibotta recently launched cash back on any brand, which is a blessing. I can even get discounts on produce like bananas and lemons.

 If you'd like to check out ibotta, visit my referral link to get started: https://ibotta.com/r/ghueqyw

What's the best deal you've scored through ibotta? 

The new Cinderella movie: Have courage, and be kind

My daughter and I had the chance to attend an early screening of Disney's new Cinderella movie this week.
At first, I questioned why her Girl Scout council was promoting this event for older girls - after all, it's just a Disney movie.

But this may be one of my favorite live-action adaptations of classic Disney films of all time.

If you're looking for singing mice and bippity boppity boo, go back to the 1950s original. Instead, watch for a Cinderella who shows poise and strength despite the increasing abusive treatment from her stepmother and stepsisters.

Have courage, and be kind

"Have courage, and be kind" was the advice given to Cinderella by her mother on her deathbed. It's a message Cinderella struggles to uphold during difficult times, but she ultimately lets her light shine through even in her darkest moments.

On a day when she has suffered enough, she takes her horse for an escape into the woods, where she encounters none other than the prince, who's hunting. Her compassion for a hunted deer catches his attention, and in their discussions she learns on how he torn between following his father's orders and following his heart. She offers him the advice of "Have courage, and be kind."

I loved the movie, and I loved the message. But I was surprised by some unintended results.

My daughter, a fourth-grader, has never truly overcome being bullied for a good portion of last year. While the behavior was put to an end, she deals with trust issues, sadly, with most of the girls in her grade. And while she longs to be part of the group, there's a part of her that hangs back, that hides her true self.

The day after the preview, she shared with me her disappointment that a new girl was invited to lunch, "but no one invites me." Yet she lacked the confidence to even approach the girls she liked. My advice? "Remember the movie: Have courage, and be kind."

The next afternoon, she reported that she joined some girls at lunch and had a wonderful time. I asked if she was asked or if she just joined. She had summed up her courage - the kindness I never worried about - and put herself out there. And, not to my surprise, she was accepted for who she was.



Cinderella comes out later this month, but you can order the Cinderella: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack here. 

Lego Birthday Party on a Budget

Birthday parties are a cause for excitement - and discouragement.

Excitement for the little ones. Discouragement due to the messy house and even messier costs of excitement.

I've always tried to limit the costs of my child's birthday party to $75 or under, but I know there has been some budget creep. 

This year, when my son wanted a Lego theme for his seventh birthday, we went for it. 

We brought out every Lego in the house and set up a building zone in the toy room.

We let the boys watch The Lego Movie and munch on bowls and bowls of freshly popped popcorn while it rained.

We had plans for a low-key homemade cake with a small Lego figure and vehicle on top. When the cake crumbled - literally - we went to a plan B  - Lego "cup"cakes - literally frosting and cake pieces in a cup. Those first-graders gobbled it up.

And when the rain finally came to an end, we took advantage of the still-warm weather to play games on the driveway.

Our goodie bags were replaced with a bag with a thank you note, a Lego Ninjago DVD we got on Black Friday, and a copy of the Lego magazine (which we received for free just by emailing the Lego company.)

Did anyone notice there was no bounce house? No unique location? No wild activities? 

No. These were just boys having a good day.

Just remember: Bigger isn't always better.