Which is why I would like to share with y’all a lovely giveaway over at one of my dear friend’s blogs!

Miss Miriam at “Maidens of Virtue” is celebrating her one year anniversary of her blog and giving away two adorable prizes to two special winners!

This ring is what I am hoping to win as it is so sweet!

SO hop on over and enter HERE for your chance at winning these lovely prizes!

Blessings,

Mrs. Jocelyn Klotz  from “Homemaker In Progress” !

We pray it will be a blessing to you, and that you enjoy this yummy recipe!

Hello Practical Simplicity readers!

I am Jocelyn Klotz.  The LORD brought my family and the Konvalin’s together for the first time a little over a year ago when we came to visit their church during a family trip to California.  We quickly found that we have a lot in common; one of which, is a passion for eating and living a naturally healthy lifestyle.

Along this line of natural health, I would like to share with you one of our family’s favorite, healthy winter desserts.  Actually, we have it throughout the year too, but it’s especially great during the winter season when unhealthy sugary treats abound and you desire a healthier alternative.

My Background:

I am your average housewife whose eyes have been opened to truth, Biblical truths, in the area of health and nutrition.  I do not have a medical degree but I would definitely consider myself an “informed consumer”.  I am certified as a Raw Food Teacher/Chef through the Living on Live Food program and have studied natural health on my own for over the past 9 years.  I don’t proclaim to know everything, but what I do know, I share.

A Biblical Focus:

When it comes to natural health, our foundation, as with any other area in our lives, comes from the Word of God.  If you are new to natural health, I would like to list three simple principles for your consideration from Rex Russell’s book, What The Bible Has To Say About Healthy Living.  These principles have been foundational in our own family’s Biblical approach to health.

1. Eat the foods God created for you.

2. Don’t alter God’s design.

3. Don’t let any food or drink become your god.

The Recipe:

I hope you will be encouraged to try this recipe.  It is absolutely DELICIOUS, easy, and totally healthy.  I have another version of this recipe, but this is the easiest.  To give credit where credit is due, the original recipe came from The Nourishing Gourmet blog, but I have tweaked it slightly to suit our tastes.   You may want to double or triple the recipe. Enjoy! 

“Divine Coconut Peanut Butter Fudge”

INGREDIENTS:

½ cup virgin coconut oil

½ cup raw cacao powder (raw chocolate)

½ cup coconut sugar or honey

¼ cup peanut butter or almond butter (optional)

Seeds from 1 vanilla bean (or ½ tsp. vanilla extract)

Dash of sea salt

Melt the coconut oil (be careful not to overheat).  If using granulated coconut sugar, blend it in a blender until it is a light powder.  Mix all ingredients together until well combined.

Place parchment paper in a loaf or glass pan.  Pour fudge into pan and place it in the refrigerator or freezer to set.  Cut into candy-size pieces and serve cold.  Coconut oil melts above 76*.  Store in refrigerator for 12 months.

*This recipe substitutes well with other ingredients.  Feel free to experiment!

Article by:

~Mrs. Jocelyn Klotz~

]]> http://practicalsimplicity.com/blog/2011/04/surprise-guest-post-recipe/feed/ 4 http://practicalsimplicity.com/blog/2011/02/a-refreshing-post/ http://practicalsimplicity.com/blog/2011/02/a-refreshing-post/#comments Fri, 18 Feb 2011 20:52:06 +0000 practicalsimplicity http://practicalsimplicity.com/blog/?p=986

We read this this morning (a book that I miss Antoinette am reading this year) and knew we needed to share this with y’all!  It was so encouraging and refreshing to read and pray it will be a blessing to you as well!

“Perhaps O tried soul, the Lord is doing this to develop thy graces. There are some of thy graces which would never be discovered if it were not for thy trials. Dost thou not know That thy faith never looks so grand in summer weather as it does in winter? Love is too often like a glow-worm, showing but little light except it be in the midst of surrounding darkness.
hope itself is like a star – not to be seen in the sunshine of prosperity, and only to be discovered in the night of adversity. Afflictions are often the black foils in which God doth set the jewels of His children’s graces, to make them shine the better. It was but a little while ago that on thy knees thou wast saying, “Lord, I fear I have no faith: let me know that I have faith.” Was not this really, though perhaps unconsciously, praying praying for trials? – for how canst thou know that thou hast faith until that faith is exercised? Depend upon it, God often sends us trials that our graces may be discovered, and that we may be certified of their existence. Besides, it is not merely discovery, real growth in grace is the result of sanctified trials. God often takes away our comforts and our privileges in order to make us better Christians. He trains His soldiers, not in tents of ease and luxury, but by turning them out and using them to forced marches and hard service. He makes them ford through streams, and swim through rivers, and climb mountains, and walk many a long mile with heavy knapsacks of sorrow on their backs. Well, Christian, may not this account for the troubles through which thou art passing? Is not the Lord bringing out your graces, and making them grow? Is not this the reason why He is contending with you?”

“Trials make the promise sweet;
Trials give new life to prayer;
Trials bring me to His feet,
Lay me low, and keep me there.”

~ Morning Feb. 18 “Morning and Evening” by C.H Spurgeon~

Much love and blessings,

Miss Cassaundra

Has won our last and final giveaway!!!  Congratulations my dear!

Her, her mother, and older sister, have this wonderful blog, that you can visit by clicking on her name above!  We hope you enjoy your visit and will add them to your favorites once you read some of their wonderful and encouraging articles, projects, and sweet randomness they have to share!

Well, sadly it is over, our celebration was a great one and we are so glad you came to join us in celebrating our 2nd year of business with us and hope you enjoyed it as much as we did putting it all together for y’all!

Thanks again dear readers for a great Anniversary Blog Party!

Much love and blessings,

Miss Laure Elizabeth

We hope this magazine will draw you closer to the Savior, and encourage you in your biblical roll as a godly young woman in the home!

Now for our last and final giveaway of this wonderful blog party!

Well, actually we will not be posting our final giveaway till next week due to some changes in the Konvalin household that are giving us less time on the computer (and time period) to put this last one together….but it is coming and we hope you will enjoy it!!!!

It has been such a blessing to receive e-mails from our dear readers with words of sweet encouragement at this time, and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts so very much!

I (Miss Antoinette) will be posting part 2 of our road trip photos soon as well!

Leaning on our Savior,

We pray all our dear readers have a most blessed Thanksgiving today!  May you continualy thank the Lord for his many blessings and trials in your life that He has gratiously given to strangthen, and encourage you, to lift up His glorious name on this day of thanksgiving! There is so much to be thankful for!

What better way to celebrate than by our first president’s Thanksgiving deceleration! :

A Thanksgiving Declaration from George Washington

Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence
of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and
humbly to implore His protection and favor; and Whereas both Houses of
Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me to “recommend to
the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer,
to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and
signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an
opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety
and happiness:”

Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of
November next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the
service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of
all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all
unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind
care and protection of the people of this country previous to their
becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable
interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the
late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which
we have since enjoyed; for the peaceable and rational manner in which we
have been enable to establish constitutions of government for our
safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately
instituted for the civil and religious liberty with which we are
blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful
knowledge; and, in general, for all the great and various favors which
He has been pleased to confer upon us.

And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers
and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him
to pardon our national and other transgressions; to enable us all,
whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and
relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National
Government a blessing to all the people by constantly being a Government
of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully
executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations
(especially such as have shown kindness to us), and to bless them with
good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and
practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among
them and us; and, generally to grant unto all mankind such a degree of
temporal prosperity as He alone knows to be best.

Given under my hand, at the city of New York, the 3d day of October, A.D. 1789.

“Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for His steadfast love endures forever!”~1 Chronicles 16: 34~

Many blessings this Thanksgiving day,

Mrs. Donna & Miss Antoinette

PS. We are having a BIG sale over at our Etsy shop!  Enter the code: THANKSGIVINGDAY at the checkout and receive 20% off your entire order!

I am SUPER happy to announce that “Practical Simplicity Newsletter” is FINISHED!!!

You can view, save, and/or print this lovely fall issue by following this link:

♥HERE♥

I pray this newsletter will bless many and that y’all would come better acquainted with my little business (and myself) with some encouragement, and fun little things in the process.

So sit back, have a cup of tea (or another warm beverage you prefer) and pray you will enjoy this newsletter!

Much love and blessings,

PS. This newsletter and (Lord willing) as other issues are done, I will be putting the links to them on my side bar in a page called “Newsletter Issues” so you can view newer or older issues as they come about!

1828 Webster’s Dictionary!!!

I (Miss Antoinette) have wanted one for my hope chest and it would be such a blessing if I won!

Course, if not, that is ok too, I know whoever wins will be tremendously blessed I am sure!

Please see her blog HERE (or above) to see the rules!

For those of you here from her blog, WELCOME!!!

Here are the following instructions:

~If you have and Older Brother leave this comment at Pioneer Beauty..” Chivalrous“

~If you have and Older Sister leave this Comment at Pioneer Beauty..” Lovely Maiden“

~If you have a younger brother leave this comment at Pioneer Beauty..” Boy Knight“

~ If you have a younger Sister leave this comment at Pioneer Beauty..”Fair Maiden“

~If you are an only Child leave this comment at Pioneer Beauty..”Crown and Glory“

( IF MORE THAN ONE APPLIES…PLEASE PICK ONLY ONE..TO LEAVE AT PIONEER BEAUTY)

Thanks for stopping by “Practical Simplicity~ For His Glory” and happy hunting!!!

Blessings,

I have some very exciting news to share!

I know we still owe y’all an update blog post, but life ceases to stop at this point and just have not gotten around to it just yet, but we pray it will be up soon so hang in there!

one of the things I (miss Antoinette) have been working on is new items for my Etsy shop which will be available soon, and…………… drum roll please…..

“Practical Simplicity Newsletter”!!!!

That’s right, I am working on my first of (Lord willing) many seasonal (4 issues a year) newsletters for my business and here are some of the things you will find in this up and coming fall issue:

1. Recipes

2. New items/updates

3. Business highlight (highlighting another family business)

4. Scripture/encouragement

and much more!

I am soooooooo excited about this and I know those of you who I have told already are too!  But, for those who had no clue you are now invited to request your very own copy of this newsletter!  Simply leave me a comment telling me if you would like it mailed to you by snail mail or e-mail and I will add you to that particular list!   If you are not specific, I will automatically add you the the e-mail list! (for those of you who request it by snail mail, I will e-mail you for your address)

Because this is my very first time creating a newsletter, your feedback is most important to me so that I can best serve y’all so once you receive your newsletter (when it comes out that is) please if at all possible send me an e-mail through my web-site with what you liked or disliked about the newsletter or what you think should be added to it to make it better!

As of right now I am not charging for this newsletter (for snail mail) but if you or your family wished to support the newsletter and my business, donations are always welcome and greatly appreciated but not mandatory, only if the Lord places it on your heart!

Feel free to let others know about this newsletter and feel free to post about it too if you wish!

I pray that this newsletter will help give you a better understanding of my business, and get a behind the seines look at it too!  That it would encourage you in your walk with the Lord and make you feel at home, as if we were sitting in the room together enjoying one another’s company!

I pray this newsletter would be a blessing to you and your family, and I cannot wait to see how many sign up!  May this newsletter be honoring and glorifying to our Lord and Savior among everything else!

*1 Corinthians 10:31*

Blessings in Christ,

PS. I have added a page titled “Newsletter Info.” on the side of our blog for newcomers to our site to learn about our newsletter!!!

I am so thankful to the LORD for life.

The life He has given me in my own existence, my precious patient husband, and that of the lives of the three children that He blessed us with that I was told I would not have.

Life is a precious gift not to be taken for granted or squandered away.

“Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, whoforgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”

Psalm 103: 1 ~ 5

Our tradition for this day is to celebrate the healthy way with smoothies and shots of wheatgrass juice from Jamba Juice. Yum…………

It would be wonderful if all of you could be here and join us in our

celebration.

What are you thankful for today?

PS. You can read my daughter’s sweet note on her Google Buzz page HERE!