Coming this Saturday morning – our Heavenly Homemakers Homemade Vanilla Extract will be offered for sale.  It will be first come first serve, and there is a very limited supply.  So, watch for it, and be ready if you are interested!

Be sure to check out how our homemade vanilla is made, and learn to make your own vanilla here.  :):

I’ve told you about my sweet tooth.  You know I love my desserts.  I seem to think I can’t live without chocolate.  Daily.  At least once.  If not twice.  It can be a problem.

That’s why I like to have fun experimenting with natural sugars and whole food ingredients to put together tasty treats that are better for us.  Does making these natural sugar treats give me permission to eat the entire pan?  Um…no.  Unfortunately, I still have to use some self control.  Unless it’s chocolate.  Oh wait, no – even if it’s chocolate.  Especially when it’s chocolate.

Here’s an example of one of our favorite natural sugar treats:  Coconut Macaroons.  They are easy to make, use real maple syrup to sweeten them, and hey look at that – this recipe doesn’t even contain grains!

Coconut Macaroons

4 egg whites
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 Tablespoons arrowroot powder
1/2 cup real maple syrup
2 cups unsweetened, shredded coconut

Separate eggs, putting the whites in a mixing bowl and the yolks in the fridge for tomorrow’s breakfast.  Beat the whites and salt with a hand mixer until soft peaks form.  Continue to beat and add vanilla, arrowroot powder and maple syrup, one at a time.  Fold in the coconut.  Drop by spoonfuls onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.  Bake at 300 degrees for 30 minutes, then turn the oven to 200 degrees for one hour to let them crisp up.

If you’re interested in having several more simple and healthy(er) dessert recipes on hand to treat your family, you’ll be happy to know that we’ve made a combo pack of our Have Your Cookie…And Eat it Too! and Have Your Cookie…and Eat it Two! ebooks – and discounted the cost for a limited time.  (Click on each of those links to read the specifics about what recipes you’ll find in those eBooks.)

Have Your Cookie…and Eat it Too! and Have Your Cookie…and Eat it TWO! ebook package

$11.90
Get both books now for just $7.95!

In addition, I’m excited to share that I’ve teamed up with two other bloggers who each have even more healthy desserts to share with you!  If you purchase my above Have Your Cookie eBook Package, you will be sent coupon codes so that you can purchase both Kate’s Treat Yourself and Katie’s Smart Sweets for 50% off!! Don’t miss out on this deal!  Sales and discount codes are valid through Saturday, March 10.

Katie’s Smart Sweets

Kate’s Treat Yourself

Any questions?  Let me know!

Friday, February 10,  is the final day of our eBook Overload sale.  Grab it now for only $25!  There are 10 eBooks in this package, which means you’re getting a great deal on a great big package of healthy recipes.  Read more details about this package and all that is included here.

Heavenly Homemakers Ebook Overload
$40.00
$25.00

Once again, we’d like to say thank you for coming to our brunch this week (still more to come!).  As a gift to you this Christmas, we are handing out $5.00 Gift Certificates to the Heavenly Homemakers Shop.  These certificates are for every one of you, and may be used on anything in the shop (except for the hand crocheted items).  Because we have many items under $5.00 in our shop, this means that you can even pick out something for free!

Your gift certificate code is:  CHRISTMAS5.  Limit one certificate per person. This certificate is valid until midnight on December 25, 2011.

Merry Christmas!

Matt and I are trying to get our next post up in our Healthy Marriage Tips from A to Z series, but shucks, when Mama is sick, Daddy has to do his jobs and Mama’s too.  He’s holding down the fort wonderfully, and taking great care of me too.  In the meantime, I thought I’d hop on here just to whine a little bit let you know that really, a post is coming, but not until Matt has the kids fed and I can find a way to look at the computer without my head splitting open.

I tried to avoid it.  The kids all passed this around and I thought I’d avoided it.  Guess not.  :(

However, I discovered yesterday that if I added exclamation marks to a few emails, no one could even tell I was sick!!  See?!!

I missed telling you about this yesterday, but wanted to be sure and let you know that Lilla Rose is offering free shipping on orders over $20 – SUCH a fantastic deal to take advantage of!!  These flexi-clips and other great hair accessories make great Christmas gifts!!  (exclamation marks make everything better!!!)

We’ll be back eventually with the Ww tip in our marriage series.  If you think of it, pray for my healing and for my family as they try to manage our home while Mama’s in bed.

And just in case you’re also sick or otherwise going through a tough time, here are a few exclamation marks for you to borrow!!!!!!!!