Deanna’s Weekly Scribbles
January 7, 2022
This week around the Love home:
Weekly News:
Happy New Year! How has 2022 started for all of our LoveandScribbles readers?
Here at the love house, the majority of us are still a bit sad that Christmas is over.. But moving on we must!
Personally, I love New Years! I love the fresh starts, the newness, the extra motivation to declutter and organize! New calendars and planners and all the things make me smile.
I love to set new goals for myself and our family!
I don’t think my family likes it as much as I do, but they will survive 😉
One of my personal goals involves this community here and working to connect more and post regularly! I hope you’ll allow me to share some of the things that have blessed our family. I hope to share recipes, and oily tips, homeschool thoughts and encouragement. Starting with a weekly email, Deanna’s Weekly Scribbles.
Stay tuned and hang in there with me as this blog goes through some changes and hopefully upgrades in 2022! It’s going to be amazing!
What’s on the menu this week:
Have you tried our Creamy Italian Chicken yet? This is the recipe that made me “famous” with my nieces and nephews, so it is always dear to my heart! If you are looking for a comfy, easy recipe to serve this week, check it out!
How we used oils this week:
‘Tis the season for sore throats and sniffles, so here is how we have been arming ourselves!
- My kiddos love “spicy tea”. I use Thieves Vitality with warm water and a little honey.
- We love having the Thieves’ chest rub for those nights that everyone is feeling a little congested.
- The Thieves throat lozenges from Young Living are very soothing and have an extra boost of immunity-building oils!
- Super important to build up our natural immunities during these winter months, so we make sure to have our elderberry syrup in the fridge! Here’s our easy tutorial for making it in the Instant pot: https://www.loveandscribbles.com/recipe/instant-pot-elderberry-syrup/
If you are sensing a thieves theme, you are right! It’s such a powerful tool, year-round, but especially during these cold winter months! Give us all.the.thieves.products!! If you want to shop for any Young Living products, check out the link to our yl website here: https://www.myyl.com/loveandscribbles
School and Family this week:
We enjoyed the break from school. But now it’s time to get back at it. Our boys were blessed with one extra day off because we were able to get carpets installed in the main areas of our house! What a blessing! We actually did quite a bit of home improvement in the most recent weeks. Some of the more messy projects that we’ve been putting off. So, I painted our playroom/den. And white-washed the brick around our fireplace insert. The plan was to paint down the hallway too, but after Christmas, I kind of just spaced on my to-do list… Until New years.. Oops! The carpet makes a humongous difference!!! And it’s so motivating to get to the rest of our to-do lists!
Anyways, as far as schoolwork goes:
We are currently rereading the Lion, the witch, and the wardrobe. One of my favorite read a loud. If you haven’t, I hope you’ll consider adding it to your read-aloud list. It’s magical, it’s whimsical, it is even wintery 🙂
Shop for the Chronicles of Narnia on Amazon!
Weekly Verse:
Numbers 23:13
I bought this sweatshirt from thecrappychristianco
Based on Numbers 23:13 that says,
“ God is not a man, that He should lie. Nor a son of man, that He should repent; He has said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?”
I thought this saying and verse were the perfect reminders to trust that the Lord is faithful! He will do what He has promised to do for us!
Weekly Book Thoughts:
I’ve been working on making reading a priority for myself! I actually made my 2021 goal of reading 30 books! My kindle and the Library e-lending app called Libby, really helped me accomplish that! Now that it has become more of a habit, I am rarely without something to read!
I hope to share some of my favorite reads with you this year!
What’s Coming This Month:
- I’m challenging myself to a No-Cheat Challenge with THM. Do you know about Trim Healthy Mama? It’s an amazing community of families committed to eating healthy by skipping processed sugar and focusing on fueling our bodies with good fats and healthy carbs! I highly recommend the starter book if you want to learn more about this healthy eating lifestyle! (I’ve lost 27 pounds since Feb. 2021, and feel so much healthier!
You can grab the Trim healthy mama books on Amazon– here!
- As I mentioned earlier, Stay tuned as we make some changes to the website at loveandscribbles.com and pray for opportunities for the Lord to use this platform for His glory in the coming year!
Thanks for your time friends,
Hope you’ll reach out to us and let us know how your 2021 has begun!
How can we pray for you? Encourage you?
Deanna Grace
Loveandscribble.com
Deannagrace@loveandscribbles.com
Easy Christmas Gifts From Young Living
Did you know a lot of things have changed in the ways you can order from Young Living?
If you’ve looked into becoming a part of Young Living Essential Oils before, then you probably remember something about having to start out with a premium Starter kit, in order to unlock the wholesale prices on the products. Those kits are still available and a fantastic way to try out some of our favorite oils and products BUT no longer do you HAVE to order one of kits to get started.
Now, in order to get access to the amazing wholesale prices, all you have to do is order 100pv (about $100) in your first order OR set up a subscribe and save, a monthly subscription with at least one product in it (this is awesome for those items we use all the time, like deodorant, laundry detergent, hand soap, toothpaste, etc…). Wala, You get the benefits of joining Young Living and get to completely customize the items you get to try out! Oh, and You’ll keep those benefits for a whole year!
May I suggest a fun way to take advantage of all these new benefits?
How about getting some of your Christmas shopping done at the same time? (Don’t forget to add some fun things for yourself) let me show you some of my suggestions for easy gifts this Christmas!
These Christmas gifts would be perfect for a hostess gift or coworker. Those hard-to-buy for family members or friends! There are even some great options for your friends with new babies. And stocking stuffer ideas too!
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oh life!
oh hey there!!
I have missed this little corner of the internet.
I won’t go into details of why I haven’t been around. life is full of ups and downs, priorities change, usually out of necessity, and dare I even say survival at times.
Lots of things have changed, in this world and even in our family and home. 2020 was well 2020. And then the beginning of 2021 brought the biggest loss my heart has ever felt, when I had the honor of being by my Dad’s bedside as he left this earth for his eternal HOME. The hole that is left in not having my Daddy here, is simply indescribable. The pain doesn’t lessen, as much as it just becomes a familiar part of everyday life. Tears come freely at random times, and I don’t mind them. It feels good to remember him, miss him and allow myself to be sad sometimes.. There have already been so many moments and things that He would be so proud of.
This summer we had the most amazing time taking our little family to my favorite place in the whole world. Kings Canyon National Park, staying in my Dad’s favorite campsite. So many amazing memories overwelmed me, as this was the place we camped as a family my whole childhood and even into adulthood.
We had the added joy of getting to meet up with friends that are more like family. The same family we have 30 years worth of camping memories with. After a 17 year gap of time, It was like entering a bizzar time warp, watching my friends that I grew up with, playing with my boys, in “our” river! Just wonderful and hopefully the start of continued traditions.
Now, as fall 2021 is approaching we have started school. We still homeschool, this year we have a pre-k, 2nd grader, and 4th grade.
We are thankful to have many of our ministry opportunities back, with some fun new ones as well.
We have continued to love our young living oils and products. And love to share them with others. It’s a large piece to our focus on switching to natural, healthy things for our bodies and around our home. I have some exciting new bundles to share with you!
Well, that seems to sum things up I guess. As I said, some things have changed a lot. others have stayed the same.
In the near future, I hope to come back to writing here at Love and scribbles. I’ll be sharing Young Living oils and Our homeschool adventures. Eventually, I hope to return to posting recipes, though not committing to the time and effort that endeavor requires just yet. I still use our Instant Pot pressure cookers daily, so feel free to ask, if you have questions about them! I love to help people become more familiar with our favorite appliance!
blessings to you all,
Deanna grace
ps. thanks for still being here.. stay tuned for some new posts and things coming soon.
Planning For Emergencies: It’s Not as Difficult as You Think
How are you doing in 2021?
To be honest, I’m a bit numb from everything. God is still good! So, so good!!! But, if I pay too much attention to this crazy world, I get overwhelmed and confused, and scared.. and well, it’s still ALL of the emotions. So, I started asking what can I do with all of these feels? If you feel like me in the beginning of this new year, stick around we are going to talk about Planning for emergencies and it’s not as difficult as you think. But, first a little bit more about why I”m focusing on this right now.
Whipped Cream
Homemade Whipped Cream. It’s easier, cheaper, and oh so yummier than store-bought, promise!!!
Only 3 ingredients!!! and a simple kitchen tool and you’ve got homemade whipped cream!
God Wastes Nothing
God wastes Nothing
Have you been struggling with your thankfulness list this Thanksgiving?
If so, I want you to know, you are not alone! I know in my heart that I have so much to be thankful for. I know that I am blessed And God is still good. But, geez, 2020! right?
I’ve been a bit melancholy about the whole thankfulness topic. Which really isn’t like me. Thanksgiving is one of my favorite Holidays and practices. But, it’s been tuff for me to process all of what 2020 has been like. How about you?
It’s a lot. But, then, I saw this ornament from bykyleighrose on Etsy. And I just couldn’t get this statement out of my mind!
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Instant Pot Creamy Mac N Cheese
The long-awaited moment has arrived, to finally share my Instant Pot Creamy Mac N Cheese with you all!
Sharing this recipe has been on my list for a while. I’ve made this Instant Pot Creamy Mac N Cheese a hundred times. And released the recipe as a class-exclusive when I was hosting in-person Instant Pot instruction classes. But, I can’t keep it a secret any longer 🙂
This Instant Pot Creamy Mac N Cheese is a favorite. Not just for our boys (even my husband loves it) our friends and their kids, but for those I’ve shared this recipe with already… I’m being told it has quickly become a favorite go-to meal for them as well!
So, I just needed to share it with you all!
This Instant Pot Creamy Mac N Cheese is all the things Mac and Cheese NEEDS to be! And trust me, you are going to want to make this!
It’s creamy!! and it’s the perfect amount of gooey- goodness, So simple to make and we ALWAYS have the ingredients in our pantry and fridge for any time we need to make it.
Whenever we have extra kids for a play date, or if my husband and I want to make something special that maybe the boys don’t like, or on a date night (man, those are rare these days) when I need to make something for the boys to eat before we leave… guaranteed it’s going to be Instant Pot Creamy Mac N Cheese on the menu! 🙂
I also, keep this recipe in mind whenever I need an extra side to a meal I’m making.. like when my husband decides to BBQ and I didn’t really have a plan… It’s Mac N Cheese to the rescue 🙂
so, without further ado.. here you go!
Instant Pot Mac N Cheese
all you will need is:
1 lb Macaroni Noodles
4 cups Water
1 tsp Dried Mustard
1 tsp Salt (more to taste)
half a stick of butter
2 cups of shredded cheese ( or more to taste, who measures cheese??!!)
1/4 cup of heavy whipping cream or half and half
Dump noodles, water, mustard, and salt into the pot, stir together.
Place lid on Instant Pot, make sure the valve is set to seal.
Select manual ( or pressure cook) for 4 minutes
After cooking is done, let the pot naturally release pressure for a few minutes, then open the valve, if it starts to spray water, close the valve and let it sit for a couple more minutes.
once opened, stir the butter, cheese, and cream into noodles, and serve!
Need an Instant Pot? or accessories shop our Amazon wish list here:
For more recipes please check out our Recipe page here!
Loveandscribbles is an affiliate blog. some of the links will give us an affiliate credit if you shop through them. Thank you for your support!
Photo 39618336 © Darryl Brooks – Dreamstime.com
Rate this recipe!
| Prep Time | 5 minutes |
| Cook Time | 4 minutes |
| Passive Time | 15 -20 minutes for pot to heat up! |
| Servings |
servings
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Ingredients
- 1 pound Macaroni Noodles
- 4 cups water
- 1 tsp ground mustard
- 1 tsp Salt plus more to taste
after cooking
- 4 tablespoon Butter
- 2 cups shredded cheese we like cheddar! ( you can always add more than 2 cups, who measures cheese??)
- 1/4 cup half & half or cream
Ingredients
after cooking
|
Rate this recipe!
|
Instructions
- pour noodles, water, mustard, and salt in the liner of your instant pot. Stir and place on the lid. Make sure the valve is set to SEAL.
- Press the button that says either manual or pressure cook and set to 4 minutes the pot will heat up (about 15 minutes or so) then cook for the 4 minutes. Allow Pressure to Release manually for at least 5 minutes. (water could spurt out of the valve if you release to soon. be careful) Once you release all pressure, open the lid, mix in butter, milk, and cheese and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
I really hope you enjoy this recipe! It is very much loved around this home and with our friends and family! Perhaps it will become a favorite in your home as well.
For other recipes please check out our recipes at loveandscribbles.com
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getting back to things in 2020!
Sometimes, you just have to start.
It has been months since I have written anything…. I want to post more recipes, and ideas, and tips, and all the things… and EVERY time I sit down to do so, I can’t. Or won’t.
So, today, I am just going to post something.
I know everyone is talking about this year.. and how crazy it is and all the things. You probably don’t need another person talking about it. But, this is where we need to begin.
How are you all doing in 2020?
It’s August already, almost halfway through actually!?! My heart and head feel stuck processing April still. and yet here we are pressing on.
I pray you have felt the Lord’s blessing, even in the midst of the unknown, and unchartered territory. HE is still good and faithful.
It’s also ok to feel overwhelmed and unsure. I don’t think the Lord would expect any different from us. He knows we are only human after all.
I would like to say, I’ll be back to share what this blog Is meant for soon. And I will certainly be trying to.
We are prepping for school right now, to start in just about 2 weeks. I always get myself a little buried under all the prep and organizing. I’d love to share some new things we are trying this year. I think we may have found some things that will be really helpful. wether you find yourself homeschooling, charter, or distance learning perhaps we can share ideas that can help us all!
We always tweak things a bit, to find what will work for us each year!
I have lots of recipes in the posting process. And hope to push them out to you all very soon.
For now, I just wanted to get “back in the saddle” sort of speak.
So, know that I’m praying for your families and am filled with Hope despite all things around us.
Please let me know how I can be praying for you!
your friend,
Deanna grace
at loveandscribbles.com
Easy Easter Ideas for at home this year!
Here’s a list of Easy Easter Ideas at home for our families this year!
April doesn’ look like anything any of us had hoped for or planned on….
I know lots of us are super bummed… I have no problem admitting that this has been hard for me.
One thing I’m determined to do, is to still make Easter special for our family.
I know it won’t look the same, there won’t be new outfits and fancy church services, Family BBqs or giant egg hunts BUT there are some pretty fantastic and creative ways to still celebrate the season and remember Jesus!
One thing that hasn’t changed (maybe the only thing) is that God loved us so much that HE gave HIS only Son Jesus so that anyone who believes would have Eternal Life! AND not only did HE die for our sins, He conquered death and the grave and gave us NEW RESURRECTED LIFE when he rose from the grave!!!
And THAT will always be a reason to celebrate!!!
I thought I’d share some Easy Easter Ideas
I’ve gathered a list, some we do every year, most are ideas I’m possibly trying this year. And most of them have been found on Pinterest. (I”ll share the original pin where I can)
Some of these links are a part of my affiliate with Amazon.com. Thank you for supporting Loveandscribbles by shopping through them!