Rachael Eliker's Blog, page 90

Relief Society

Relief Society is the largest and oldest women's organization in the world and in the eloquent language of 1842, part of it's purpose is "the relief of the poor, the destitute, the widow and the orphan, and for the exercise of all benevolent purposes."
Getting organized.This past Friday, I invited a neighbor to go with me to a humanitarian project involving women from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who lived on the west side of Indianapolis. Being given an assignment to help w...

I Don't Do Ho-Hum

Making progress on the front!High school ended over twelve years ago but sometimes, I feel like I'm right back where I was, especially when someone criticizes something I've done, either behind my back or to my face. At various times of my life and at various stages, whether a missionary, stay-at-home mother or woman in leadership positions, I've heard my fair share of unkind words directed unmistakably at me.
Remember what the house looked like a few short months ago???This week, I was the un...

Biting Flies

This is how bad the biting flies are at times:(And part of my hesitation in wanting to get on Dancer--she's got a great buck!)

Creamy Garlic Pasta

This is a one-pot pasta creation that's a special treat!
Ingredients:
2 teaspoons olive oil3 teaspoons minced garlic2 Tablespoons butter1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon salt1/2 teaspoon pepper3 cups chicken broth1/2 pound spaghetti or angel hair pasta1 cup grated parmesan cheese1/2 cup heavy cream2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley or 1 Tablespoon dried
In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium-low heat. Add garlic and stir for about a minute. Add butter until melted. Add salt, pepper an...

My Writing Process Blog Hop

Toni Mari, author of And We Danced and the newly released Join the Dance , invited me to participate in an author's blog hop and I'm thrilled to be chosen! I connected with Toni while networking with other authors in the same genre as Headed for the Win  and have loved getting to know her better via email correspondence, her website and reading And We Danced, a charming, exciting look at what it takes to compete in the upper levels of dressage as a youth, mixed perfectly wit...

County to State

"I WANT A COOOOOW!"A few months ago, signs for the Hendricks County fair started popping up in our neighborhood so one mild afternoon, I decided to take the girls for a visit. Any reason to see animals is a good reason (especially if they're the kind we don't have. Yet).  We scratched sow bellies... That cutie pie was only a week old! ...cooed at baby alpacas...  ...and watched horses who could lope slower than molasses in wintertime. Seriously. Even the barrels class barely riled...

Free, Free, Free Range Chickens

I hope I can find their eggs...You can't get much more free than that...

Fame!

Recognize anyone famous? The original drummer of Imagine Dragons is sitting right behind me...I was reviewing my list of goals this past month and have been rather pleased at how many have been achieved already this year. Then it got me thinking: what new goals would I have next year (I like to plan ahead, haha). I looked at a few other people's goal list and found it interesting that several people put on their bucket list that they wanted to meet someone famous (one guy had that he wanted t...

Doll Detangler

All the dolls in our house are well-loved which generally means, they've been well-used. All of their once-silky hair quickly becomes a tangle of unbraidable knots. But, there is a way to fix it.
Use a broad toothed comb then a finer one to get all the snarls out.
Ingredients:

1/2 cup fabric softener
1/2 cup water

Mix softener and water thoroughly. Spray doll's hair or soak it directly in detangler solution. Comb gently--use a wider toothed comb before a smaller, finer comb--rinsing and reapplying...

It's Alive!

Next time, I'm bringing Raven to help pull me along. And then, I'm going to fix up my bike so we can go REALLY fast!I've had a double jogging stroller for several years now and have loved and used it literally to death. The straps all disintegrated and though fixing it was in the back of my mind, it hadn't happened. Until last night. I resurrected the stroller with a few yards of nylon strap and a thread and needle, pumped up the tires and after dropping off Evelyn at school, took Claire and...