Cuban Black Beans and Rice

This is a Cuban favorite and one of my favorites as well. Some of the best black beans and rice can be had in Ybor City, the Cuban district of Tampa Florida. Anybody who has not had Cuban cuisine is in for a treat as it truly is delightful. This recipe is designed to be cooked in the crockpot.

1 lb. black beans soaked overnight and drained
1 large onion chopped
1 large bell pepper chopped
2 tbls. minced garlic
2 bay leaves
1 can Rotel
2 tbls. olive oil
5 cups water
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. salt
3 cups cooked rice for serving

Place everything in crockpot except for the rice and cook 6-8 hours on low. Remove bay leaves and serve over cooked rice. This is a great meal with fresh homemade bread and a salad. Enjoy

May We No Longer Be Silent by Paul Craig Roberts

(my comments in red) What has happened to the church? We stand by and let a country "claiming" to be God's Chosen people annihilate a people. How disgusting is that? Where are the warriors of God? Those who stand for Truth and Righteousness? They have been bought and sold so many times by identity thieves they no longer know who they are or what they stand for. Today my challenge is to all Christians, but mostly those of us here is America. Get your heads out of the sand, for evil is out and about. Take up your sword in one hand and your Bible in the other. Become the warrior of God that you proclaim to be. Stand for the Truth, because the Truth will set you free. If you play in the dark shadows with the big boys, you will in the end get burned. May those who have eyes see and ears hear. I for one stand for the tribes of Judah and Ephraim and proclaim that I will stand for the truth. Will you? Do you even know who you are?
May We No Longer Be Silent
Paul Craig RobertsCounterpunchDecember 30, 2008
The title of my article comes from the sermon of the Episcopal Bishop of Washington DC, John Bryson Chane, delivered on October 5, 2008, at St. Columba Church. The bishop’s eyes were opened to Israel’s persecution of Palestinians by his recent trip to Palestine. In his sermon he called on “politicians seeking the highest office in [our] land” to find the courage to “speak out and condemn violations of human rights and religious freedom denied to Palestinian Christians and Muslims” by the state of Israel.
Bishop Chane’s courage was to no avail. When America’s new leader of “change” was informed of Israel’s massive air attack on the Gaza Ghetto, an area of 139 square miles where Israel confines 1.4 million Arabs and tightly controls the inflow of all resources–food, medicine, water, energy–America’s president-elect Obama had “no comment.”
According to the Jerusalem Post ( December 26), “at 11:30 a.m., more than 50 fighter jets and attack helicopters swept into Gazan airspace and dropped more than 100 bombs on 50 targets. . . . Thirty minutes later, a second wave of 60 jets and helicopters struck at 60 targets . . . More than 170 targets were hit by IAF aircraft throughout the day. At least 230 Gazans were killed and over 780 were wounded . . .”
As I write, news reports are that Israel is sending tanks and infantry reinforcements in preparation for a ground invasion of Gaza.
Israel’s excuse for its violence is that from time to time the Palestinian resistance organization, Hamas, fires off rockets into Israel to protest the ghetto life that Israel imposes on Gazans. The rockets are ineffectual for the most part and seldom claim Israeli casualties. However, the real purpose for the Israeli attack is to destroy Hamas.
In 2006 the US insisted that the Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank hold free elections. When free elections were held, Hamas won. This was unacceptable to the Americans and Israelis. In the West Bank, the Americans and Israelis imposed a puppet government, but Hamas held on in Gaza. After unheeded warnings to the Gazans to rid themselves of Hamas and accept a puppet government, Israel has decided to destroy the freely elected government with violence.
Ehud Barak, who is overseeing the latest act of Israeli aggression, said in interviews addressed to the British and American publics that asking Israel to agree to a ceasefire with Hamas would be like asking the US to agree to a ceasefire with al Qaeda. The terrorism that Israel inflicts on Palestinians goes unremarked.
According to the London Times (December 28), “Britain and the United States were on a collision course with their European allies last night after refusing to call for an end to Israeli airstrikes on Hamas targets in Gaza. The wave of attacks marked a violent end to President George W. Bush’s sporadic Middle East peace efforts. The White House put the blame squarely on Hamas.” The British government also blamed Hamas.
A d v e r t i s e m e n t

For the US and UK governments, Israel can do no wrong. Israel doesn’t have to stop withholding food, medicine, water, and energy, but Hamas must stop protesting by firing off rockets. In violation of international law, Israel can drive West Bank Palestinians off their lands and out of their villages and give the stolen properties to “settlers.” Israel can delay Palestinians in need of emergency medical care at checkpoints until their lives ebb away. Israeli snipers can get their jollies murdering Palestinian children.
The Great Moral Anglo-Americans couldn’t care less.
In his 2005 Nobel Lecture, British playwright Harold Pinter held the United States and its British puppet state accountable for “the systematic brutality, the widespread atrocities, the ruthless suppression of independent thought.” Everyone knows that such crimes occurred in the Soviet Union and in its East European empire, but “US crimes in the same period have only been superficially recorded, let alone documented, let alone acknowledged, let alone recognized as crimes at all,” this despite the fact that “the United States’ actions throughout the world made it clear that it had concluded it had carte blanche to do what it liked.”
Soviet crimes, like Nazi ones, are documented in gruesome detail, but America’s crimes “never happened. Nothing ever happened. Even while it was happening it wasn’t happening. It didn’t matter. It was of no interest. The crimes of the United States have been systematic, constant, vicious, remorseless, but very few people have actually talked about them You have to hand it to America. It has exercised a clinical manipulation of power worldwide while masquerading as a force for universal good. It’s a brilliant, even witty, highly successful act of hypnosis.”
America’s is “a scintillating stratagem. Language is actually employed to keep thought at bay. The words ‘the American people’ provide a truly voluptuous cushion of reassurance. You don’t need to think.”
Pinter presents a long list of American crimes and comes to Iraq: “The invasion of Iraq was a bandit act, an act of blatant state terrorism, demonstrating absolute contempt for the concept of international law. The invasion was . . . an act intended to consolidate American military and economic control of the Middle East masquerading–as a last resort–all other justifications having failed to justify themselves–as liberation.” Americans and their British puppets “have brought torture, cluster bombs, depleted uranium, innumerable acts of random murder, misery, degradation and death to the Iraqi people and call it ‘bringing freedom and democracy to the Middle East.”
“How many people do you have to kill before you qualify to be described as a mass murderer and a war criminal?” Pinter’s question can also be asked of Israel. Israel has been in violation of international law since 1967, protected by the United States’ veto of UN Resolutions condemning Israel for its violent, inhumane, barbaric, and illegal acts.
American evangelical Christians, who are degenerating into Zionists, are Israel’s greatest allies. Jesus is forsaken as Christians swallow whole the Israeli lies. A couple of years ago the US Presbyterian Church was so distressed by Israel’s immorality toward Palestinians that the church attempted to disinvest its investment portfolio from assets tainted with Israel. But the Israel Lobby was stronger. The Presbyterian Church was unable to stand up for Christian principles and knuckled under to the Israel Lobby’s pressure.
This is hardly surprising considering that the US government doesn’t stand for Christian principles either.
America’s doctrine of “full spectrum dominance” means that, like Lenin’s dictatorship, America is not bound by law or morality, but by power alone.
Pinter sums it up in a speech he had dreams of writing for President George W. Bush:
“God is good. God is great. God is good. My God is good. Bin Laden’s God is bad. His is a bad God. Saddam’s God was bad, except he didn’t have one. He was a barbarian. We are not barbarians. We don’t chop people’s heads off. We believe in freedom. So does God. I am not a barbarian. I am the democratically elected leader of a freedom-loving democracy. We are a compassionate society. We give compassionate electrocution and compassionate lethal injection. We are a great nation. I am not a dictator. He is. I am not a barbarian. He is. And he is. They all are. I possess moral authority. You see this fist? This is my moral authority. And don’t you forget it.”
If only our ears could hear, this is the speech we have been hearing from Israel for 60 years.

Handkerchiefs

My Daddy and Grandaddy alway carried handkerchiefs. You know those nice little squares of cotton material that each man carried, just in case. They could be used to wipe a tear from a little girl's eye, or keep a sneeze under control. It seems like current generations have forgotten about this simple and precious little piece of cloth. Wome used to carry handkerchiefs as well. In fact, no well bred lady of Victorian times would be caught without one. Of course, while men's handkerchiefs were practical and plain, women's hankies were quite beautiful. They very often sported the latest embroidery skills practiced each evening after supper by the fire. With the invention of paper tissues it seems the handkerchief was put by the wayside. I think you can still by men's handkerchiefs in the stores, but ladies handkerchiefs can only be found where vintage linens can be had. However, our family has brought back the handkerchief. We have many made our of scrap pieces of cloth for everyday use, but our crowing glory are the delicate embroidered square pieces of cotton muslin that my daughter and I now carry in our purses. We have several of these and have quite enjoyed this project. Besides, it is just one more paper product not purchased and one more thing that we do for ourselves. Handkerchiefs can be as plain or as decorative as you like. As I said we have quite a few for everyday use in the house (we all have allergies) made out of scraps of fabric too small to really do anything else with. Then we have those that are a bit fancier for carrying with us. Hnadkerchiefs have definitely seen a revival in our home.

My morning Me Time

I love this time of time. It is my special time to just "be". I lead a very busy life as I am sure most of you do. Somedays seem busier than others with so much to do and just not enough hours in the day. The only true quiet time that I get to sit and think and just "be" is this time of morning. I think that is why I get up so early. I get up before daylight and spend my time on the computer. The house is quiet and even the birds are not quite waking up yet. It is a good time for me to just have some down time and do things that I want to do for myself. I don't ever turn on the television during this time, as I find it annoying and too noisy. I will read the news, read my Bible and just take some time to rejuvenate my mind. I think that is one thing all of us mothers need, especially those of us who stay home and have our children all day. One thing we lack is time to spend with ourselves. I like myself. She is a pretty neat person and a good friend, although sometimes a bit too critical. I can always count on her to be there when I need her and she can be a great motivator. Myself is definitely a person that I don't want to lose contact with. I love my children and my husband, but I do need my quiet time to just think without having to think about anything in particular. Myself is a friend that will be quiet and still for as long as I want to think or reminisce. So do you ladies have time or make the time to spend with yourselves? I love my children and love having them with me all day, but it is a lot of stimulation from the time they hit the floor to the time they go to bed. At night I am really just to tired to do much thinking. In fact, if I sit down I soon find myself sleepy and exhausted. This time of year doesn't help matters when the sun is gone by 4:30 or 5 pm. By 8 pm when the children go to bed, it oftens feels like midnight. So I get up early in the morning, get my coffee, turn on the computer, read my Bible and just be me. I get to be me for a glorious 2 hours each and every morning. It keeps me grounded in a life where the days are a whirlwind of chores, children, schoolwork, and projects. So find some time for yourself ladies. We live very busy lives and this time is ours to just "be". God bless.

Meat without Refrigeration

Meat is tricky without refrigeration. Many people eat more meatless meals, but you can still have meat. Living on a farm your meat stays fresh as long as it is still running around the pasture and yard. But what do you do when it is no longer running free. Well, there are some things. You cannot store raw meat for long periods of time without refrigeration, it is dangerous. However, you can store meat. If you butcher then you may can your meat. I like to go ahead an make up lots of soups and stews and such and then can it. Some people like to just can the meat and then use it for whatever. Canning meat is a delicate process as it can spoil ( becoming deadly) very easily. Get a good manual on how to can meat (Backwoods Home has several good articles) and then follow them precisely. Knowing exact temps is a must to canning meat. Jellies and such you can eyeball, but don't with meat. You can also salt cure meat. This is the old method of sticking your meat in a bucket of salt and letting it sit. It is a good way to preserve meat, but sure makes for a salty diet. Definitely not for those with high blood pressure. However, salt cured meat has a long shelf life especially if the outside temperatures are cool. Smoked meat is another good way of preserving meat. Again following temperatures and length of time in the smokehouse to properly preserve the meat. You can also dehydrate the meat using either a food dehydrator, or a slow open fire with the meat hung over the fire to dry. This is also called making jerky. Dried meat can be reconstituted to a certain extent, but is best used in stews and soups where it has a chance to be in a liquid for long periods of time. Even then it is a little chewy and not quite like fresh. Chickens are great farm animals, because you can butcher, cook and eat. No storage required. Same thing for meat rabbits. Of course larger animals like hogs and cows might require some thinking about what you are gonna do with the meat. I recommend a combination of all of the above with these animals. Remember you would get real tired of eating the same thing day in and day out over the winter months. So we are still seeing it is possible to live without refrigeration, even when it comes to something as tricky as meat.

That incredible weed-the Dandelion

The Dandelion is an incredible weed. In suburbs and cities across the country, people spend thousands of dollars each year trying to rid themselves of this terrible pest to gorgeously manicured lawns. However, I am in the country and gorgeously manicured lawns don't exist here. I am happy to have my dandelions. In fact with the drought we have suffered the past several years what small patch of grass I did have has been reduced to a large postage stamp of a lawn. If it weren't for the dandelions, then I might have to sweep my front yard like my grandmother did as a child. However, the dandelion has at least kept it green. I have many dandelions as they are prolific breeders and I have discovered that they are great for something else, fresh salad greens. Yes the small dandelion leaves are quite tasty and healthy in a winter salad. They also provide some much needed living nutrition during those months when nothing else will grow. Dandelions don't mind a little cold and you might even find some still green and healthy under those first snows of the season. I don't really know though, I don't have to worry about snow. Dandelions here grow year round and year round provide my family with fresh salad. They are rich in vitamins and provided you don't use chemicals anywhere on your property are perfectly safe to eat. You can even cook dandelions like you do collards or turnip greens. I have never done this, but I know some old timers who have. As a salad the leaves have a very mild flavor, kind of like Bibb lettuce or mache lettuce. They are a little thicker than most lettuces, kind of like a spinach leaf. You don't want to eat the root of the dandelion. This is how I harvest them. I take a small spade and dig up the dandelion, then bring them in the kitchen and cut off the small leaves. Leave the big ones as they tend to be bitter. I then put the unwanted parts (roots, stem, and big leaves) in my kitchen scrap bucket for the compost heap. I then wash the harvested leaves and prepare my salad. Simply as that. Eating what God provides is a wonderful additon to your winter produce. So take a new look at the Dandelion and enjoy a fresh salad for supper tonight.

*Please make sure that you have not used any type of chemical in your yard or near your yard. If you live in town with neighbors then refrain from eating your dandelions as you never know what your neighbor might have sprayed that traveled to your yard. Chemically treated dandelions no matter how well washed are poisonous, so please be careful. I use no chemicals anywhere on my property. I also have no neighbors near who do, so I am very sure that my dandelions are safe.

Bartering, the Currency of the Past

The coming economic depression means that a new means of procurring supplies is going to have to take place. The oldest means of getting what you need is to barter or trade. Not many people in today's society do this anymore. Instead they pay for things they need with worthless pieces of paper, essentially giving nothing for something. Bartering is when you trade something that you have plenty of for something that you need. For instance, I do free alterations for a farmer who gives me half a hog each year. I get a good portion of meat and he gets all of his clothes repaired. No money trades hands, but we are both happy and satisfied. With the coming economic depression bartering is going to become necessary for survival. Not many families are prepared to barter or even to know how to go about it. One thing you can do is get out in your community and talk to people. Talking to people is one way to find out what they have and what you can trade for it. As those worthless pieces of paper, currently called Federal Reserve notes, become more worthless bartering may mean you eat or don't eat. So here is a list that I found online that will give you a good idea of what you might have abundance of and what people might be looking to trade. This list is kind of old, but is still a good starting point.
BARTERING
100 Items to Disappear First in A Panic
By Joseph Almond
#1. Generators (Good ones cost dearly. Gas storage, risky. Noisy..target of thieves; maintenance, etc.)
#2. Water Filters/Purifiers (Shipping delays increasing.)
#3. Portable Toilets (Increasing in price every two months.)
#4. Seasoned Firewood (About $100 per cord; wood takes 6 - 12 mos. to become dried, for home uses.)
#5. Lamp Oil, Wicks, Lamps (First choice: Buy CLEAR oil. If scarce, stockpile ANY!)
#6. Coleman Fuel (URGENT $2.69-$3.99/gal. Impossible to stockpile too much.)
#7. Guns, Ammunition, Pepper Spray, Knives, Clubs, Bats & Slingshots
#8. Hand-Can openers & hand egg beaters, whisks (Life savers!)
#9. Honey/Syrups/white, brown sugars
#10. Rice - Beans - Wheat (White rice is now $12.95 - 50# bag. Sam's Club, stock depleted often.)
#11. Vegetable oil (for cooking) (Without it food burns/must be boiled, etc.)
#12. Charcoal & Lighter fluid (Will become scarce suddenly.)
#13. Water containers (Urgent Item to obtain. Any size. Small: HARD CLEAR PLASTIC ONLY)
#14. Mini Heater head (Propane) (Without this item, propane won't heat a room.)
#15. Grain Grinder (Non-electric)
#16. Propane Cylinders (Urgent: Definite shortages will occur by September, 1999.)
#17. Michael Hyatt's Y2K Survival Guide (BEST single y2k handbook for sound advice/tips.)
#18. Mantles: Aladdin, Coleman, etc. (Without this item, longer-term lighting is difficult.)
#19. Baby Supplies: Diapers/formula/ointments/aspirin, etc
#20. Washboards, Mop Bucket w/wringer (for Laundry)
#21. Cookstoves (Propane, Coleman & Kerosene)
#22. Vitamins (Critical, due 10 Y2K-forced daily canned food diets.)
#23. Propane Cylinder Handle-Holder (Urgent: Small canister use is dangerous without this item.)
#24. Feminine Hygiene/Haircare/Skin products
#25. Thermal underwear (Tops and bottoms)
#26. Bow saws, axes and hatchets & Wedges (also, honing oil)
#27. Aluminum foil Reg. & Hvy. Duty (Great Cooking & Barter item)
#28. Gasoline containers (Plastic or Metal)
#29. Garbage bags (Impossible to have too many.)
#30. Toilet Paper, Kleenex, paper towels
#31. Milk - Powdered & Condensed (Shake liquid every 3 to 4 months.)
#32. Garden seeds (Non-hybrid) (A MUST)
#33. Clothes pins/line/hangers (A MUST)
#34. Coleman's Pump Repair Kit: 1(800) 835-3278
#35. Tuna Fish (in oil)
#36. Fire extinguishers (or.. large box of Baking soda in every room...)
#37. First aid kits
#38. Batteries (all sizes...buy furthest-out for Expiration Dates)
#39. Garlic, spices & vinegar, baking supplies
#40. BIG DOGS (and plenty of dog food)
#41. Flour, yeast & salt
#42. Matches (3 box/$1 .44 at WalMart: "Strike Anywhere" preferred. Boxed, wooden matches will go first.)
#43. Writing paper/pads/pencils/solar calculators
#44. Insulated ice chests (good for keeping items from freezing in Wintertime)
#45. Workboots, belts, Levis & durable shirts
#46. Flashlights/LIGIITSTICKS & torches, "No.76 Dietz" Lanterns
#47. Journals, Diaries & Scrapbooks (Jot down ideas, feelings, experiences: Historic times!)
#48. Garbage cans Plastic (great for storage, water, transporting - if with wheels)
#49. Men's Hygiene: Shampoo, Toothbrush/paste, Mouthwash/floss, nail clippers,etc
#50. Cast iron cookware (sturdy, efficient)
#51. Fishing supplies/tools
#52. Mosquito coils/repellent sprays/creams
#53. Duct tape
#54. Tarps/stakes/twine/nails/rope/spikes
#55. Candles
#56. Laundry detergent (Liquid)
#57. Backpacks & Duffle bags
#58. Garden tools & supplies
#59. Scissors, fabrics & sewing supplies
#60. Canned Fruits, Veggies, Soups, stews, etc.
#61. Bleach (plain, NOT scented: 4 to 6% sodium hypochlorite)
#62. Canning supplies (Jars/lids/wax)
#63. Knives & Sharpening tools: files, stones, steel
#64. Bicycles...Tires/tubes/pumps/chains, etc.
#65. Sleeping bags & blankets/pillows/mats
#66. Carbon Monoxide Alarm (battery powered)
#67. Board Games Cards, Dice
#68. d-Con Rat poison, MOUSE PRUFE II, Roach Killer
#69. Mousetraps, Ant traps & cockroach magnets
#70. Paper plates/cups/utensils (stock up, folks...)
#71. Baby Wipes, oils, waterless & Anti-bacterial soap (saves a lot of water)
#72. Rain gear, rubberized boots, etc.
#73. Shaving supplies (razors & creams, talc, after shave)
#74. Hand pumps & siphons (for water and for fuels)
#75. Soysauce, vinegar, boullions/gravy/soup base
#76. Reading glasses
#77. Chocolate/Cocoa/Tang/Punch (water enhancers)
#78. "Survival-in-a-Can"
#79. Woolen clothing, scarves/ear-muffs/mittens
#80. BSA - New 1998 - Boy Scout Handbook (also, Leader's Catalog)
#81. Roll-on Window Insulation Kit (MANCO)
#82. Graham crackers, saltines, pretzels, Trail mix/Jerky
#83. Popcorn, Peanut Butter, Nuts
#84. Socks, Underwear, T-shirts, etc. (extras)
#85. Lumber (all types)
#86. Wagons & carts (for transport to & from open Flea markets)
#87. Cots & Inflatable mattresses (for extra guests)
#88. Gloves: Work/warming/gardening, etc.
#89. Lantern Hangers
#90. Screen Patches, glue, nails, screws, nuts & bolts
#91. Teas
#92. Coffee
#93. Cigarettes
#94. Wine/Liquors (for bribes, medicinal, etc.)
#95. Paraffin wax
#96. Glue, nails, nuts, bolts, screws, etc.
#97. Chewing gum/candies
#98. Atomizers (for cooling/bathing)
#99. Hats & cotton neckerchiefs
#100. Goats/chickens
Posted by www.y2knewswire.com

Master Bedroom

Wash all bed linens and pillows
weed out unused clothing in closet
polish furniture
clean under bed
clean carpets
straighten and clean closet
repair any clothes that need repairing
clean cobwebs
dust books and tidy them up
clean out drawers
refurbish drawer and closet satchets
vacuum mattress

Garden Deep Clean

Pull Weeds (those suckers grow year round here)
mix compost into beds
make fence repairs and extend fence
layer wet newspaper over beds (weed control)
make sure all dead plants removed

We are planning on a bigger garden this year so one thing that needs to be done is a portion of the fence moved and new fencing built so that we have more room.

Preparing for the Coming Depression

I really hate to sound so negative, but if you haven't realized by now our economy is collapsing and heading toward a full scale depression. What will be worse about this depression is that there are so few that are self sufficient. In the 1930s, the majority of the population was in agriculture. Now agriculture has been deemed a thing of the past and most of the population lives in urban settings covered with concrete and steel. So while in the 1930s farmers could at least feed there families and most farmers in a community shared what they had with those in town that didn't have as much, nowadays nobody has anything to share. Most people today don't know how to fend for themselves and rely on their own self sufficiency. They rely on the grocery trucks, the power company, the gas company, etc. to be there and provide the modern day conveniences they have come to rely on and need. What happens if the power goes out, gas supply interrupted, and grocery stores stand empty? For those who haven't started, start learning now. Visit some of the other blogs in my blog list, check out the articles, and read the posts. Your families survival depends on your learning what you need to know. Oh, I am sure if times get really bad the government will help a little, the bread lines will be very long though. And then are you willing to sell your soul to the devil for a slice of bread and a bowl of watered down broth. I am not. Be prepared, learn now, and survive.

Making the Most of Your Home Binder

Spending the time needed to create a home binder is pointless if you don't use it. In order to use it you need to create the habit of using it. It takes about 21 days to firmly establish a habit. So that first 21 days is important to get you in the habit of following your binder and establishing your routines. This also means that if you follow your binder and establish that as a habit then the routines in it will also becomes habits. Why are habits important? Habits are important because they are things that you do without thinking about them. When applied to your homemaking and homesteading then they become second nature and are no longer chores. So get to establishing those habits and make a point of following that binder.

Using Genealogy to teach History

We teach history in our home, not social studies. I find history very important and want my children to learn about history. The funny thing is that I hated history in school. Then I decided to take on my family genealogy. You cannot learn and discover your family's history without delving into the history of the world around them. This one project changed my mind about history. It created a love of history that I never had and a yearning to know more. How did that happen? It became personal. Instead of just words, facts, and dates in a book that had no meaning; history intertwined itself with my ancestors and ultimately in who I am. So I decided that maybe this would be a grand way of teaching history to my children. Using our genealogy research and working alongside my child as we research together, history has taken on new meaning for her also. It is no longer this far distant happening of the past because knowing that our ancestors lived throu it and experienced it makes it very up close and personal. You might enjoy this journey through time also. There are many genealogy sites to help get you started. Some are free and some are not. The choice is yours.

Surviving Our Economic Black Hole

Ok folks, if you haven't realized that our economy is collapsing then now is the time to wake up and smell the barnyard. Actually, I think my barnyard smells better than the current US economy. For those of you who are counting on Obama to save us, forget it. He is controlled by the same puppet masters who care not one whit for your well being. The time is now to take control of your own destiny, something most Americans have not done for generations. We depend on corporate farms for our food and clothing, we depend on large manufacturing for our clothing and goods, we depend on banks for our fake money supply, and we depend on employers for money to buy the things we need to keep us alive. Guess what, quit depending on others for your own survival! These people don't care about you. All they see is the bottom line and I can guarantee your family is not their bottom line. So what can you do to survive the coming collapse, and it will collapse. Here are some plans to put in place.

1. Live debt free. Get rid of all possible debt. I know that is hard to do this late in the game but it is possible to rid yourself of some debt and learn to live without it. If you have two cars and are making 2 car payments, consider selling one and paying off the other. If you have credit cards get rid of them and stop using them. If you have a huge monstrous home in the best suburb around consider selling it for something smaller and more affordable. If you can't afford to pay cash then you can't afford to buy it.

2. Start using trading websites like Craigslist and Freecycle. Trade what you don't need for things you do need.

3. Cut your living expenses. Learn to make your own clothing, stop wasting money at the grocery on things like expensive cleaners, toilet paper, paper towels, tissues, premade meals, shampoo and conditioner. It is much cheaper to buy fabric on sale (or trade for it), make your own cleaners and beauty products, and use cloth where you normally use paper. Cut down on your utility bills, turn off lights and use candles or oil lanterns, get rid of that expensive satellite or cable, use a clothesline instead of a dryer, don't run your dishwasher unless it is full.Some other things to do, reuse your shower water to flush the toilet and water the plants. Drive only when you have to and do all errands at one whack instead of multiple trips.

4. Provide your own needs as much as possible. Grow a garden and learn to can, you can learn to make your own soap and household cleaners. Keeping a few chickens, if possible, will provide both meat, eggs, and feathers for stuffing blankets. Learn to hunt and fish if possible. We fish all summer and fill the freezer with fresh caught fish, then we hunt in the winter and fill the freezer with deer meat. Raising a few meat rabbits can be done in small spaces and provice much needed meat for your family.

5. Learn to reuse. We reuse just about everything. Old sheets become pajamas, pillowcases, playclothes, and handkerchiefs. Old towels become kitchen cloths, cleaning cloths and diapers. Newspapers are used to clean windows and glass, then go into the compost pile for the garden. Kitchen veggie scraps go into the compost pile, which also happens to be where we get our worms for fishing. Stained t-shirts are cut up for potty cloth, diapers, and cleaning cloth. Old clothes are remade into new clothes for smaller people, or saved if they are in good shape.

6. Shop differently. When I do my grocery shopping the first place I go is the bent and dent store. This is the store that buys all the cases that the chain grocers won't accept. If a case has one dented can in it the retail grocer rejects the whole case. That is where the bent and dent comes in. They buy the rejected case at cost and sell the rest of the case at a much cheaper value. For instance, at my chain grocer Delmonte peaches are 1.29 a can. At the bent and dent they are 2 for 1.29. During the growing season visit pick your own farms and then learn to can what you pick. This is much healthier and much cheaper. Also visit the farmer's market for your produce. It is cheaper and healthier than what they sell at the grocery. This of course, means learning to eat what is in season at the time and what can be grown in your local area. Consider joining a farm co-op. Usually you get a box of fresh veggies a week in exchange for a few hours of labor at the farm. It is a good deal. If you farm yourself, then find other farmers in your area and trade what you each need.

7. Learn, learn, learn. Learn everything you can about cutting costs, doing things for yourself and being self sufficient. If you are lucky enough to have parents or grandparents that lived through the great depression then milk them for every ounce of knowledge that you can.

8. Stock up. Having a stock of food and supplies means that when you do have to shop elsewhere you only buy what is on sale and discounted. When you need something then you risk paying full price. When you don't have to have it right then you can wait until it goes on sale. Also, buy in bulk when you can. I buy my flour and sugar in 50 lb. sacks. Those 50lbs. cost half of what the same 50lbs. costs in the grocery.

Surviving the economic collapse means changing your mindset. It means that you look forward to a simple life outside of commercialization and you learn to distinguish needs from wants. Start learning in earnest now and you and your family might survive without the bread lines that are coming.

Oh,no! The Winter Cold!

Well, despite our usual good health we have all caught a winter cold. I can't stand winter colds. You don't quite feel bad enough to stay in bed, but you do feel bad enough that regular chores are exhausting. So what do you do and how do you do it naturally. First eat healthy and drink lots of water. Both of these will help your body's immune system fight the bug that is getting you down as well as give you energy. The water will help flush all toxins from your body. The next thing to do is get lots of vitamin C and zinc. Both of these boost your immune system. Many people think that the amount of vitamin C in their daily diet is enough, but when your body is fighting you need 3x the recommended daily allowance. The way that I make sure to get my vitamin C is to drink a glass of OJ with every meal. I also will eat 4 to 5 vitamin C laden fruits each day. That will keep a steady amount of vitamin C in your body. Your body does not store this vitamin so there is no worry about overdose. For my zinc I take Zicam which is nothing but zinc. Follow the directions on the bottle. Echinacea is a wonderful herb also that can be made into a tea or taken in pill or liquid form. It also helps boost the immune system. Follow these simple things and you will be feeling better in no time.

Why I am Still Sewing

Yes, I am still sewing. You would think that since I have been sewing for two weeks straight that I would have finished by now. I haven't. I am slow for one and then my sewing projects always get more elaborate the more I think about them. I will get posted the things that are finished so you can see what I am talking about. Instead of a simple bishop dress, I will just have to add a bunch of elaborate embroidery, ribbons, pleats and lace. So my simple projects turn into major endeavors. I did not get the last two outfits finished for my children for Christmas so I am finishing those now. Then I think I will start on Easter dresses soon so that I have plenty of time for my project to get more elaborate. It will also be spring in a few months and so if I start now that I will not feel rushed to get spring and summer clothes finished for the girls. The amazing thing is that I have sewing to do for myself and never seem to get around to it. Maybe one day soon! Well, I had better get to work for now. It is time to get the house back in order from the holidays.

Solution for Pet Stains

Pet stains are a pain in the neck and people often pour all sorts of chemicals on their carpets and floors and are still left with a smell. First lets talk a little bit about the chemistry of pet urine. Urine is mostly ammonia, which is a base meaning that it has a higher pH than the neutral of 7. Some common bases are soap, bleach and household ammonia. To rid the smell of the ammonia you need to bring the pH to the neutral of 7. The opposite of a base is an acid which has a pH lower than 7. Many people try adding commercial pet removers which don't neutralize the odor they simply mask it for a little while with heavy perfumes. Most commercial pet stain removers are bases. When you combine two bases then you move farther away from neutral and have done nothing but compound the problem. What you need is an acid. Common household acids are: vinegar, lemon juice and tomato juice. I would not recommend tomato juice for your carpets because of the red stain that will be left behind. However, soaking the area with white vinegar neutralizes the pH of the ammonia and takes away the smell. So to get rid of those pet stains, soak the area with vinegar (I recommend white), then soak up with a towel and let dry. If you still smell an odor it is because the urine got under the pad and the vinegar did not, so do it again being quite liberal with the vinegar. Always try to get to the stain while it is still wet as sometimes when it sets into the fibers of the carpet it is almost impossible to completely get rid of. Baking soda swept into your carpet will also keep odors at bay.

Dairy without Refrigeration

Now that Christmas is over we can get on track with our living without refrigeration hints and tips. Let's talk about milk and butter/margarine. There are several options for milk. One is powdered milk. Some people don't care for the taste, but I mixed some up and gave it to my family without telling them it was powdered milk and they didn't know the difference. The great thing about powdered milk is that you can mix up what you need when you need it. The boxes have a long shelf life and several boxes can provide a lot of milk. The next option is canned evaporated milk. This milk has had a lot of the water removed and gone through the canning process making it shelf stable. You reconstitute it with water and it is almost at good as fresh but not quite the same. I did the taste test on the family and they could tell the difference. My two year drank it happily though with no signs of rejection. The third option is the shelf stable ultra heat treated milk in a box. This milk tastes like fresh but has a shelf life of 6 months. I have heard some people say that fresh milk from the dairy case can be kept out in cool weather for several days if necessary, but this is not something I have tried nor do I recommend. With all the infections from the cows being passed down in regular grocery store milk I don't think I would trust it with the high levels of bacteria. That is up to you. I do know this milk can sit out for a few hours with no problems, but I don't know about days. Butter/margarine are easy. If you buy the sticks then you can let them soften and put them in a sealed plastic tub. Just mash them in to fit the tub. Or you could buy the margarine in a tub already and just keep it out. My mother has never refrigerated her butter or margarine and she has never had a problem. So milk and butter are easy without refrigeration. Happy self sustainability!

Much to be done

Folks I ask your forgiveness, but I must be MIA until Friday. I am still making Christmas presents. I decided this year that I would put as little of my money into a failing economy as possible. It was the corporate interests that got us into this mess and I would not aid them. So I have been making Christmas presents. Unfortunately, I did not realize how time consuming some of my projects would be. Since I don't have a machine that does embroidery and heirloom sewing technique all must be done by hand, the old fashioned way. And while I usually don't mind and find this a peaceful endeavor, at times I have wished to be able to speed up my hands. So, as I am still desperately trying to finish and spend time with my children doing our usual holiday fun stuff, please forgive me if I do not see you until Friday. May God shine upon your Christmas day and bring blessings to you and yours. In His Service, Kat

Running from the Status Quo

A hundred or so years ago women in the home worked hard, often sporting calloused, chapped hands to show for it. Then came modern appliances and services that made the homestead woman's life much easier. Women could take some time to pamper themselves and didn't have to labor so hard to take care of their families. So why would women give up these modern conveniences and voluntarily return to back breaking hard labor and callouses? Homesteading women across the country are doing just that and loving every minute of it. What makes these women do this? Well here you go, take a look at what makes these women tick.Most homesteading women I know feel like they were born in the wrong time period. We don't fit in with most modern day women. We have no desire to get a manicure or go shopping. This would be pointless for us anyway because usually the gardening has taken care of our fingernails until they are just about nothing, and new clothes would just get dirty in the mud that we slog through during the winter. We actually enjoy those splinters from the hoe in our hands. Why in the world would we use a tiller, that would make things entirely too easy? We homesteading women enjoy hard work because it gives us the feeling that we have accomplished something during the day. We tend to be a bit hyperactive anyway and sitting still for too long of a period of time drives us crazy. We find that we like the things of the past and don't look forward to future technologies and schools of thought.We homesteading wives tend to be creative and truly enjoy showing off our creativity. We will try to make something out of anything. We will use old towels to make diaper covers and old sheets to make pajamas. We never throw anything away because we can always find another use for it. While the rest of the world is screaming to reduce waste by reusing items, we giggle because this is something we do for fun. The more we can make for ourselves the happier we are about it. Many times we homesteading wives take this creativity right to the brink of insanity as we insist we can make cups out of the newspapers, saving water for washing, and then throw them into the compost pile for the garden See triple use for one product and we saved on water to boot because they don't have to be washed. Ok, so that is a bit much. However, we do that stuff all the time and our friends who live in town just shake their heads.Yes, we are indeed a kooky bunch of women who constantly seek the harder way to do things because to us it is most fulfilling. Speaking of harder things, we actually take on the task of educating our children also. Why in the world would we send out children off for the day when it is so much fun to sweep up the cookie crumbs off the kitchen floor a dozen times a day? Or rewash the clean laundry because the children decided to get into a mud ball fight while building their volcano for science? It is so much fun having our children around all day and we get to enjoy the "I don't want too's" that other moms miss by sending their children off. We truly do enjoy the confrontation from parents who do send their children away about how we are ruining our children socially and educationally. It keeps our brains active coming up with different responses to these accusations. Instead of sitting our children in front of the television we keep ourselves young at heart by playing games, jokes and tricks with our children. Yes, folks, we homesteading moms truly do like our children and don't mind being one ourselves some of the time.
We love having a healthier lifestyle and don't have to buy any expensive workout gear to accomplish it. Pushing a fully loaded wheelbarrow uphill 20 times a day gives us plenty of exercise in our ratty jeans and tennis shoes. Grocery store food tastes funny to us and we would much rather sweat in the garden to harvest our fresh produce for supper than eat the stuff they call food in the grocery. We don't mind only eating what can be grown during that particular season and we consider sweating in the kitchen canning during the heat of summer to be as beneficial as a steam room.We homesteading wives are never seen as normal and we enjoy being a little quirky. In fact at times we try to see just how quirky we can be. It is humorous to see people shaking their heads at our tales of trial and tribulation trying to figure out new uses for old objects. City folks never know what to expect from us homesteaders. We wear our babies, love our children, and don't mind the callouses on our hands. We are a different breed of women and we love what we do.

Tool Shed deep clean

Empty trash
Clean any dirty tools
straighten tools and put back in proper place
sweep floor
sweep down spider webs
tidy and clean up work table
purge anything broken and put on inventory list

Kitchen Deep Clean

Kitchen deep clean duties:
Empty and clean refrigerator
clean microwave inside and out
clean drip pans on stove
clean oven
wash canisters and knickknacks
straighten and tidy drawers
wipe down walls
wash inside window
clean fan filters and hood
clean cabinet fronts
clean light fixtures
clean and tidy under sink
straighten and organize cabinets

Gotta love Freecycle

With the economy the way that it is with jobs being lost and hours being cut, many are wondering what they will do and how they will survive and get the things that they need. I think the time has come to return to the old way of doing things. When my grandparents were my age and of course younger, people in the community traded with each other. Say I have eggs and you have butter between the two of us we have eggs and butter. Let me introduce you to a great website based on the old idea of bartering. It is called Freecycle. It is a great website. If you have something you don't need someone else might need it and if someone else has something they don't need then you might need it. I highly recommend checking out freecycle and any other trading site that you might find. Trading is the wave of the future as our money become worthless.

Cinnamon Sugared Pecans

This is a great snack to satisfy a sweet tooth. It also makes a great holiday gift idea.

Ingredients:
3 cups pecan halves
2 1/2 tsp. butter
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup water
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Directions:
1. Melt butter in skillet then add pecans. Stir to coat all pecans. When pecans are thoroughly coated them add them to a cookie sheet and roast in oven at 275 degrees for 20 minutes. Stir several times during roasting.
2. Combine sugar, cinnamon, salt and water in a pot; cook while stirring over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. The boil to the soft ball stage or 236 degrees using a candy thermometer. The soft ball stage is when a small amount of the syrup dropped into chilled water forms a ball but is still soft enough to flatten when picked up by your fingers..
3. When soft ball stage is obtained then remove from heat and add vanilla. Add pecans and stir until the mixture is creamy. Turn onto waxed paper, seperate the pecans with a fork and let them cool and set.
4. Enjoy!

Water in Winter

Ok, folks, we all know how hard it is to drink our daily ration of water when the cold north wind is raging outside. Ice water is just not something that we want in the winter and plain water just doesn't taste very good. We all know that our body needs plenty of water to stay healthy. Also, winter dehydration is a leading contributor to fatigue. A simple tea kettle has greatly helped my water consumption. Hot herbal tea enjoys that I get my daily dose of water and stay warm and cozy while doing it. I enjoy having my antique tea kettle in my kitchen. It not only looks nice, but makes me want to use it. I drink several cups of herbal tea a day. This helps me fight dehydration that I used to suffer every winter. Dehydration also leads to fatigue. In fact, if you are feeling particularly tired and have no energy try drinking some water or grabbing a warm cup of tea. Many times this will perk you up and beat away the exhaustion that is knocking at the door. Some of my favorites are chamomile and peppermint. I also like to add some lemon balm to my chamomile. Make sure your tea is herbal because regular tea has caffeine which increases dehydration. So try to stay away from caffeine. Sweeten your tea with honey and you have a great cup of wholesome comfort.

The Southern Way to Date Items

Before Noah Webster decided that everyone needed to write the same and speak the same, Southrons did things a little differently. Many Southrons are rejecting this idea of homogenisation, though. We are beginning to return to the way we have always done things which are considered proper and correct according to the Oxford English Dictionary which has been in existence a lot longer than Mr. Noah Webster. One of these things is the way we write a date. The original way to date things is with the day first, then month, then year. This is the way that Europeans still write their dates. For instance, today would be 17 December 2008 writtenly properly. We Southrons have always been proud of our heritage and proud of our dinstinctions and differences. This is just another little way that we can return to those things and celebrate being Southern.

Today 17 December 2008

Well, I am still not finished with sewing. I do believe I took on too many sewing projects for Christmas for the children. I will get them done, but I will be left with very sore fingers. I do all of my embroidery by hand, which has already taken a toll on my fingers. I am also still way behind. Sewing for my children's Christmas presents also means some pretty late nights and lack of sleep. That must be one of the drawbacks of homeschooling, the children are always home. My sister is coming home for Christmas this year. It will be nice to have her home. We don't get to see her much because she lives in Maine, so anytime that she gets to come home is a treat. We do want to take a train trip to see her and had planned one summer before last, but my husband was not able to get the time away. Maybe soon. It has been years since I have traveled by train. There is a bit of nostalgia in traveling that way. It is definitely a much more personal experience that flying. If you have never traveled by train, then it is something everyone should experience once in their lifetime. When I was a child we traveled by train more than we flew anywhere. Well, anyway so much for my reminiscing. The point of this post was to explain why the blog has been slow the past few days. I am swamped with sewing and buried under bolts of material, ribbon and lace. I will get back to posting several posts a day once I can find my way out. May God bless you all.

Today's Duties List

I know today's duties list seems a bit odd. I have decided since time is running short and I am way behind on my sewing for Christmas then that is what I need to do today. Duties, except laundry, will just have to wait. So today will be a sewing day. I pray that I finish the dresses for Sunday at least. I think I took on too much sewing for Christmas, but God willing I will get it all done. Sometimes you just have to break out of the routine to finish what needs to be finished.

Parental Rights are under Attack

I received this letter yesterday in my email. I am a member of an organziation called Parental Rights.org This group is fighting for parental rights in this country. The UN has a convention and Clinton signed this treaty stating that parents only have the rights that are granted them by the state. In other words you are only allowed to make the decisions for your child's care as long as the state grants you those decisions and at any time they can take away your child and your rights as a parent. It is an evil socialistic and communistic law. We are fighting this. Please go to www.parentalrights.org and learn more about the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. This law has destroyed families around the world and is now poised to attack the American family. Here is the letter that I received from Michael Farris.

A Letter from Michael Farris,President of ParentalRights.org. Dear Friend of Parental Rights,I was in the United States Senate this past week meeting with lawyers for a Senate office. They told me directly what I have been hearing indirectly on a regular basis ever since the election.Those who want to change family policy in America to comply with international law are preparing a full-scale effort to seek ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child during this next Congress. Barbara Boxer recently told a planning group that they intend to use children’s health care as leverage to seek ratification of this UN children’s rights treaty.Please link to our website to see a succinct summary of the problems with this UN treaty. The strength of their forces has been greatly increased with the addition of Hillary Clinton as the nominee for Secretary of State. She will have direct control over the submission of this treaty to the Senate and will acquire the authority under international law to sign any other treaty on any subject. Hillary Clinton was the person who made the announcement for the Convention on the Rights of the Child when her husband’s administration signed the treaty. Seeking its ratification is a lifelong dream for her.Our situation is grim if we were to look only at the position of the elected officials.However, recent post-election polling demonstrates that almost 70% of Americans do not believe that the use of international law in American courts on such matters is appropriate. Less than 20% favor the use of international law. (The rest are undecided). Virtually every sub-group in America opposes this kind of use of international law. America is on our side. However, we have to be able to get the word out to help people hear the truth about the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.Our proposed Parental Rights Amendment will permanently stop this treaty. So we have a one-two punch planned for the internationalists.First, we must build a huge grassroots movement of patriotic Americans who believe that good families should be able to raise their children without worrying about compliance with international law. Second, these same grassroots forces need to convince our elected officials that we are not content with defeating this treaty for today alone. We insist on a permanent solution. We need the Parental Rights Amendment. I need you to do two things to help this become a reality. First, please send a copy of this letter to everyone you know who believes in parental rights and American patriotism. Second, we need to raise a war chest to get prepared to launch a massive grassroots campaign. The other side has millions of dollars left in their campaign coffers, and they have the President of the United States, the Secretary of State and all the media waiting to carry their message. We can win the debate because we have the truth on our side. And we have public opinion. But we won’t win if we can’t reach people. Will you please make as big a gift as you can to support Parentalrights.org? Here is what they are saying about us. At the hearing which featured Barbara Boxer, one of the speakers said that the people who will oppose this treaty are the “narcissistic sovereignty crowd.” In other words, those who love America first are so guilty of excessive self-love that he describes us as having the mental illness of narcissism. This is their real heart. Not only do they want international law to control our families. They think that we are mentally ill for loving America. It is time for those of us who believe in loving our families and loving America to rise up! We will not surrender this country or our children to such people.Get involved today! The battle is about to begin.For God, family, and America,Michael Farris

All Natural Air Freshener Spray

Commercial air fresheners are loaded with chemicals, and I simply didn't want my children breathing them. However, I did on occasion want to give my home a dose of freshness. Especially, during the winter when we are closed up the house can get kind of stale. So one thing I discovered was that I could make my own that was healthy, non toxic and smelled good too.
Citrus Air Freshener
small spray or spritzer bottle
essential orange oil
essential lemon oil
Instructions:
Fill bottle with water. Then place 10 drops each of lemon and orange oils in bottle. Shake and use.
Both lemon and orange are really great at deodorizing the air and adding freshness. Enjoy.

Age Appropriate Chores

Children need chores and parents who care what kind of adults their children turn out to be give chores to their children. Chores give children a sense of responsibility and accomplishment. Children that have chores and are praised for their efforts at responsibility have self esteem. Chores create a work ethic in children that is sorely lacking in today's society. Chores also teach children the skills needed for their own home in the future. As you can see I am a firm believer in chores. Even my 2 year old has chores. She puts the silverware in the silverware drawer, puts her toys away with a little help and supervision, and is learning to sweep up after herself with a child sized broom. At this age chores are fun, take advantage while you can. Here are some age appropriate chores for your children.
Age 2-3 pick up toys, put away silverware and plastic containers, help to sweep and help with the laundry
Age 4-7 Make bed, clean up dinner table, unload dishwasher, sweep kitchen, sort laundry, keep a tidy room
Age 8-12 Learn to do their laundry and clean their room. Clean kitchen after dinner and load dishwasher. Take care of family pet and vacuum
Age 12 and over They can do what you can do. This age group can handle any chore you throw at them with proper teaching.
It is important to teach the child how to do the chore and don't criticize because they don't do it the way you do. Be happy that they are doing it and helping you with the load of running a home. Enjoy!

Homesteading Truth

There seems to be a large move toward homesteading and self sufficiency. Much of this move is made because people are preparing themselves and their families for economic crisis and depression in this country. If I had one piece of advice to new homesteaders, it would be this: Homesteading is hard. You can read all you want, but it does not prepare you for the actual work. Many people have visions of a lovely garden, chickens running around the yard, fresh milk in the refrigerator, and clean sheets blowing in the breeze. What they don't envision is what happens to all new homesteaders, failure. Failure happens to all of us at some point, just like it has happened to all homesteaders for thousands of years. Homesteading is a skill. It is a skill that takes practice, just like any other skill. Even after acquiring the skill, failure still happens. I had a garden failure this year. I planted a beautiful garden and it was growing well. Until an old pine tree crashed down in the middle of it, crushing many just maturing plants. Then my daughter left the gate open twice; and the pony ate the cantaloupe, squash, and zucchini plants. The garden was hit hard this year. It went from being a garden to provide all veggie needs, to providing veggies through the growing season. So my advice to all new homesteaders is to practice after you have read. If a person has never been able to grow a houseplant, they cannot possibly imagine the nurturing that a garden requires. Farming is learned often from trial and error. Waiting to do the learning when you most need it could be a fatal mistake if your family depends on your skill for their survival. Homesteading is hard. Homesteading is also very rewarding. My advice to those thinking about homesteading-get to practicing. Learn and practice what skills you need now, before you depend on it for your livelihood.

15 minutes to Home Organization

Anybody can do anything for 15 minutes. It really is not that long of a time period, but a lot of progress can be made in 15 minutes of total concentration. If you are having problems with organizing your home then the 15 minute clean is for you. Pick something that needs organizing and in 15 minute increments concentrate on purging, cleaning and organizing that area. It may simply be a drawer and that is fine. That is one less drawer that is out of control. I suggest setting a timer and when the timer goes off, then stop. Come back later for another 15 minutes if necessary. Total concentration is the key and focus on the task at hand. It really can make a difference in getting and out of control home under control. Remember purging is the key, get rid of what you don't need and throw out what needs to be thrown out. Doing this makes organizing what is left a breeze.

This Week's Deep Clean

Living Room
Sweep down all spider webs
move furniture and vacuum
clean baseboards
polish/oil furniture
dust paintings and clean photo frames
wash all glass/knicknacks
straighten and dust books
vacuum furniture
clean carpets
scrub fireplace hearth
tidy drawers

Front Porch
sweep down cobwebs
sweep front porch
sweep/dust furniture
sweep front walk
clean up toys
clean windows
beat rug

Chicken House
This used to be a real good chicken house clean and raking the yard, but since out chicken house fell apart and chickens killed, this is a rebuilding. I am rebuilding a new chicken house and predator proof fencing around the yard so that we can restock our chickens. Unfortunately we have a wild dog pack that lives in the area as well as the neighbors dogs. They kill chickens and will stop at nothing to get to the chickens. We have had two flocks, both lost to these predators with the exception of one hen that was killed by a snake. So this week I am working on the rebuild.

Ham, Egg, Potato Cheesy Casserole

This is a great casserole for Saturday morning breakfast.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 c. ham diced into bite size pieces
2 tbls. olive oil
1/2 onion diced small
1 large potato diced small
1 1/2 c. grated colby or cheddar cheese
6 eggs
1/4 c. milk
1/4c. sour cream
salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
place olive oil, ham, onions, and potatoes in a skillet and cook on medium high heat until onions are soft. Stir often to ensure all of them get cooked. Salt and pepper to taste.This takes about 10-12 minutes. While this is cooking put eggs, milk and sour cream in a bowl and mix well. When the ham mix is finished place in a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish, layer the cheese on top and then pour the egg mixture on top of everything. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Serve with hot biscuits or toast and you have a complete filling meal for breakfast.

History of the False Rapture Doctrine

Today I want to take a look at the false rapture doctrine being taught in the churches today. In this first post I would like to look at the history of this relatively new teaching. This teaching began in the 1830s and prior to that time had not been taught in the churches. This doctrine originated with a mentally ill young woman named Margaret McDonald in Glasgow Scotland. She had a series of visions in which it was prtrayed that the church would be whisked away. Twp priests learned of these visions and coined them as their own. Thus the rapture doctrine was born. This doctrine teaches that the church will be whisked away from the earth before the tribulation of the end times. It is not biblically sound and the scriptures are twisted and taken out of context. Ms. McDonald said herself that her visions of this doctrine felt wrong:


"I felt this needed to be revealed, and that there was great darkness and error about it; but suddenly what it was burst upon me with a glorious light."
-- Margaret MacDonald (Spring of 1830)
(Source: The Incredible Cover-Up by Dave McPherson)

It seems people love this doctrine and much money has been made from these falsehoods. There are more books in Christian bookstores teaching these books than there anything else. Why do people fall for and love this doctrine? Because it is what they want to hear. They don't want to hear that they may have to go thru some difficult times and actually make a stand for Christ. That is work and the current generations are lazy and don't want to work. The rapture doctrine is the easy way out, we don't have to make a stand because Christ will wisk us away in the nick of time. The rapture doctrine is the cowards way out. We have two warnings by God against these sorts of doctrines an knowing the history of this rapture doctrine it amazes me at how well they fit exactly. Let's look.

Ez.13:17 Likewise, thou son of man, set they face against the daughters of they people, which prophesy out of their own heart; and prophesy thou against them. (KJV)
Ez 13:20 Wherefore thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against your pillows, wherewith ye there hunt the souls to make them fly, and I will tear them from your arms, and I will let the souls go, even the souls that ye hunt to make them fly. (KJV)

Is it coincidence that God warns us of doctrines to make our souls fly and that is exactly what the rapture doctrine teaches, that we will fly away. No this doctrine is a false feel good doctrine. However as we will see in future posts it is a very dangerous doctrine indeed. May God bless you in your studies.

Cheese kept out of the cold

Continuing on our journey towards no refrigeration we now take a look at cheese. Most of us go to the store, take the cheese from the refrigerated section, and come home and put it in the refrigerator. Does cheese need to be refrigerated? Or is there another way to store cheese? Well there are a couple of things that you can do.
Waxed cheese stores for a month or so if kept in a dark area away from heat. An unheated basement would be good in the summertime. In fact, root cellars were for storing food and escaping tornadoes back in the day. If it is hot summertime, cheese will not keep as long.
Unwaxed hard cheese, like cheddar, can be stored by wiping with vinegar and wrapping with wax paper. It will last for a couple of weeks like this if kept in a cool dark area away from heat.
Hard cheese can be kept on the counter wrapped in wax paper if you plan to use it within the next week.
Soft cheese doesn't fair so well. It can be kept out, but will only last a day or two.
Another way to store hard cheese is in olive oil. Take a clean, sterile, and cool mason jar, large enough to hold your cheese. Cut the cheese up into chunks or large strips, place in the jar. Then pour olive oil to fill the jar of cheese. Again hard cheeses can keep this way for quite some time depending on the heat of the days. Cold weather they keep longer, hot weather only a few weeks.
The thing to remember is that cheese softens as it ages, so I always recommend start with hard cheese. Soft cheese use within a couple days of making or purchasing.
Processed cheese like American and Velveeta don't need refrigeration. Just place is the cabinet and use.
Just one more thing we don't need a refrigerator for.

Homeschool Tracker

As everyone should know by know I am a little obsessed about organization and staying on track. I apply my need for organization to our homeschool as well. I use a free program called Homeschool Tracker. They have several programs but the basic is a free download and easy to use. I spend two weeks out of the summer organizing our homeschool year and gathering the materials that I want to use. I then enter everything into Homeschool Tracker basic and periodically I can take a look to make sure we are on track. This program is also a great way for those parents that need to keep records to do just that. You can keep attendance, reports, books read, field trips, assignments, resources, and teacher notes. Anything you need, this program can do. However, they do have a Homeschool Tracker Plus which will do more than the basic. I don't need to get fancy and we are not required to keep anything other than attendance records so the basic works for me. I know some states require a lot more so you may want to check out the plus to see if it would suit your needs better. I highly recommend checking into it. If nothing else it keeps you moving in a forward direction.

Garlic Herb Bread

This recipe is for a 2 pound loaf of bread made with a bread machine.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups warm water
4 tsp. margarine or butter
1 tbls. minced garlic
4 cups bread flour (I use whole wheat)
2 tbls. honey or sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tbls. dried herbs (herb de provence or Italian herbs work well)
1 3/4 tsp. yeast ( I use yeast for bread machines)
Instructions:
1.Measure and add liquid ingredients to the bread pan
2. Measure and add dry ingredients, except yeast, to the bread pan
3. Use your finger to form a dry well in the flour. Be careful not to get any of the wet ingredients in this well. Then add the yeast into the well that you made. The yeast cannot come in contact with the wet ingredients so pour carefully.
4. Place the bread pan in machine and choose Basic bread setting.
5. Choose your crust color and press start button.

This bread is a great addition to Spaghetti, Lasagna and soup recipes.

Ham and Lentil Soup

Do you ever wonder what to do with those lentils in your pantry. Well, here is a great recipe for using those beans.

Ham and Lentil Soup
Needed:
2 c. lentils
2 c. diced ham
2 ribs celery diced
1 tbls. minced garlic
3 large carrots diced
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper to taste
2 quarts water
Instructions:
Add all ingredients to crockpot. Turn on low and cook 8-9 hours. I usually check mine every now and then just to see if it needs a little more seasoning. Serve with warm homemade bread and a salad for more veggies.

Good morning!

Good morning from Whisper Wind. we are moving slowly this morning. The rain moved out and the frigid cold moved in. It was tough getting the fire going before I even had my coffee. We have two fireplaces in our home and use them to heat the house, until we go to bed. We don't every leave the fire going while we sleep, so we use our central heater for that. I much prefer the fireplaces. They always seem to make a home feel warm and cozy. We also love to gather in front of the fire for schoolwork on cold days. It was hard getting up this morning cold mornings always make the bed feel so much better. But alas, duty calls and I had to get up. Friday is a pretty easy day around here. It is the days that we tie up all loose ends and get the house tidied for the weekend. The weekends are a nightmare around here. It seems the house gets messier over the weekend than the rest of the week. So I try to tidy and straighten again in preparation for this household meltdown. I guess that is why Monday's is such a busy hectic day around here, I am trying to get the house back in order from the weekend. Well, I guess I had better get busy for now. Even though it is an easy day it is still a full one.

Inflation and What it Means to You

Well inflation is here and if the federal government has its way it will get worse. The 700 billion dollar bailout is now over 2 trillion dollars and rising. Where is the government getting all this money? Simple, the Federal Reserve Bank is printing it as fast as they can and then the Federal Government (and consequently we the people) buy it from them. This "money" is not money at all it is paper and nothing more. That is another story, though, we are talking about inflation. So what is inflation? Well, to make it really simple inflation is when the value of the dollar goes down, and the cost of goods goes up. You have less buying power. What cost you today 1.00, tomorrow will cost 1.25 and two weeks from now will cost you 1.75. Meanwhile pay rates can't keep up and at the rate of unemployment (500,000 jobs lost in November alone) means that you can no longer afford to buy that 1.00 item at the cost of 1.75. Now, we have economists in Forbes Magazine calling for a drastic decrease in the dollar overnight. Each American at this point is in debt 500,000 dollars. That isn't personal debt folks that is what your government has given of your future earnings to big bankers and corporations who could not manage their businesses! What does this mean for you and for me, us little guys struggling to make ends meet. It means you don't have much time left before you may have to go stand in a bread line. We take a stick of gum for granted. When Russia was the communist Soviet Union people in Russia thought gum was a luxury item. Are you prepared for rising food costs, clothing costs, utility costs. If you are struggling now then chances are you aren't. I highly recommend learning everything you can about being self sufficient. If you think you can't because you live in the city, think again and then check out the Path to Freedom Project. Those folks live in the middle of San Francisco and they put me to shame. Our goal here at Whisper Wind is to be self sufficient. I learned a lot from my grandparents and then I have learned more over the years. There are things I am still learning. So I encourage you all to join me and let's all learn together and teach each other. I always say to prepare just in case of an emergency and folks our economy is a category 7 hurricane and 10 category 5 tornadoes wrapped up in one and this monster is headed straight for us. I know that sounds like doom and gloom, but folks this stuff is real. The spending gets worse in Washington and they no longer care what We the People have to say. May God Bless and keep you all.

Keeping Eggs out of the Cold

Just a few ways to keep eggs without refrigeration

1. Fresh eggs can be kept on the sideboard or kitchen counter for up to a week with no refrigeration.

2. For keeping fresh eggs up to 6 months- Take a small amount of salt butter (must be salt butter, no margarine and no salt free butter, as salt butter does not go rancid) put it in one hand and coat the shell of your fresh egg so that every pore is covered. Air is the enemy of your egg. Doing this seals the air so that it doesn't make the egg go bad. Next dry a sufficient amount of bran in the oven making sure it is thoroughly dry. Moisture is the number 2 enemy of eggs. Layer some of the bran ina box and place your eggs small ends down in the bran not letting the eggs touch the bottom of the box. Once you have a layer of eggs, then layer on some more bran, making sure you get in between the eggs. Then place another layer of eggs and another layer of bran. Now you are done and your eggs will last about 6 months.

Always check your eggs before using, there are a couple of ways. Place the egg in water, if it floats and doesn't sink throw it out. Always crack eggs in a seperate bowl in case one is bad you haven't ruined a whole recipe or meal.

Disclaimer* I do not recommend any of this for store bought eggs as they are already several weeks old when they get to the store. I have not had a problem with this storage method, but that is not to say that someone else won't. Please understand that I am not responsible for the quality or non quality of your preserved eggs. Thanks.

Dependant on Refrigeration

We in American society today are so dependant on refrigeration. In fact the bigger the refrigerator the better. Well here at Whisper Wind we want to cut down and possibly cut out our refrigeration needs in the future. Why would we want to do this? How can we possibly do this? We NEED refrigeration! Well, no we don't. My grandparents did just fine without it as did generations before them. Only the wealthier folks in the city had an ice box (the kind of refrigerator that took a huge block of ice delivered every other day by the ice man). Folks in the country didn't have ice delivery, so they had no need of an ice box. How did they live without refrigeration? Well, I have decided that I am going to share what I have learned about non-refrigeration as we here at Whisper Wind farm slowly but surely dwindle our need for that energy sucking monster. One think hurricane Ivan taught us was that it was really bad, really expensive to depend on a refrigerator or freezer. So come join us in our quest towards independence and away from dependence.

Peanut Butter Pie Recipe

This is an awesome peanut butter pie recipe. It is wonderfully creamy.
Ingredients:
1-4 oz. pkg. cream cheese
1/2 c. powdered sugar
1 c. peanut butter
1/2 c. milk
1 8 oz. tub whipped topping
1 graham cracker pie crust

Instructions:
Beat cream cheese and sugar until creamy then add peanut butter and milk. Beat again slowly until smooth. Blend in the topping until there are no white streaks. Pour into pie shell and freeze. Serve with whipped topping, peanuts and drizzled with chocolate. Enjoy

Games?! Really?!

Homechooling with games, who knew education could be this fun. We use quite a few games in our homeschool curriculum from boards games to internet games. Old fashioned board games like Scrabble and Boggle are great vocabulary and spelling builders, while Monopoly and Life teach about finance and math. See education can be fun and when you kid needs something a little more high tech to suit their fancy then we can turn to the internet. Some great sites for all things in the educational department are Funbrain and I Know That. Both sites have wonderful games that help your child with whatever they need help with. My daughter was having a hard time learning her multiplication tables. We tried flash cards and drills and whatever else that I could think of and still struggled. Finally, I happened upon these sites and found some games that deal with multiplication tables. Within 2 weeks of playing the game that she liked the best she had her tables memorized and has not had a problem since. Wow what a fun way to learn with no frustration. Even though she doesn't need the game anymore she still likes to play it in her free time. Of course their are more game sites than just these two, they just happen to be our two favorite. National Geographic also has games for kids as well as other popular channels. So think about adding a little extra fun in your home education program and see how quickly they learn.

Dressing Our Little Girls

I have gotten to where I sew most of my children's clothing. Why? I have girls. I got tired of trying to find clothing that was appropriate for little girls. The clothing industry for our children is appalling, but for our girls is downright ridiculous. I go to one store and all I find are jeans and t-shirts. The t-shirts are so worn and thin looking that they remind me of the old worn out t-shirts that my husband wears only to work around the farm. However they want me to pay a small fortune for this horrible t-shirt. So I head to another store and the clothes are a bit more than jeans and t-shirts, but the problem here is that they are not appropriate for the age of my child. The clothing industry seems to think that our little girls need to dress and look like 20 year old harlots. They sport their short shorts, micro mini skirts, and revealing dresses. And since when were little girls supposed to wear 2 inch heels. I don't want my daughter looking like a rock star. I want her to look like a fashionably dressed young lady from a good Southern Christian Conservative family. No, I don't want her dressed like a nun or in any way dowdy. And no I don't see the need for her to wear dresses all the time. We live on a farm and a little girl in a dress is courting disaster (and lots of sewing repairs). I do, however, want her to look like a little girl and not a miniature tramp. So, the solution is that I sew most of their clothes with the exception of the jeans that my daughter wears around the farm. I know many women think that they cannot sew, guess what, neither could I. I had some sewing lessons in junior high school and believe me that was a long time ago. I bought a machine anyway and headed to the fabric store. Armed with nothing more than the desire to start sewing clothes for my children. I found some fabric and then started hunting for patterns. I also found a handy dandy little sewing guidebook. I started with some simple things and have worked my way up from there. Now, I am doing things that are a little more difficult. Whenever I find something I like, then I peruse the Internet trying to find out how to do it. I love bishop dresses. They are such beautiful dresses, but I had no idea how to smock. I first learned how to make one without smocking and now I am teaching myself with the help of the Internet how to smock. I will let you know how that goes. I also discovered a by-product of sewing my children's clothing. I save money. Boy do I save money. I have seen dresses in some of the pricier children's boutiques for 70 dollars or more. I would go home and learn how to make the same style dress and can make it for 10 dollars or so. I am a slow seamstress so it takes me awhile and sometimes I feel like I have taken on more than I can chew. I would love to have a machine that embroiders, but I don't. So I hand embroider, which I am also teaching myself how to do with another little handy dandy guidebook from the fabric store. My grandmother tried to teach me to sew when I was young, I had no interest. I know she would be laughing now as I desperately seek to find out how to do something. Patterns are great and I love vintage patterns. It seems that children prior to the 1960s were so much more well dressed than children these days. Today we dress our children as if they were just an afterthought, while children in the past were dressed as beautifully as any Madame Alexander collector's doll. I have found that I can pick up vintage patterns online, just google vintage patterns or check out ebay. I have even found some at flea markets. Now that I am sewing I am always on the hunt for sewing bargains. I have gone from having to run to the fabric store for every notion that I needed to having a huge supply to choose from. This came from just picking up a little here and a little there for a little of nothing. i once bought a whole gallon size ziploc bag of buttons at a yard sale for a dollar. There are tons of buttons in there and they were all vintage buttons. What a great way to add a special touch to an outfit. The point of all of this is that I now can dress my children like children, and not miniature adults. The second point is that I can save a ton of money doing it. Yes, it is time consuming and sometimes frustrating and tedious. In the end though it is definitely worth it. I have put some links to vintage children's patterns on the blog for any other mothers interested in taking control of their children's attire. God bless and happy sewing.

Loving Our Husbands

Tit 2:4 That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children
Wow a little verse that packs a big statement. It is easy for mothers to forget that their husbands are to come first in God's order of the family. I think we women tend to forget that our marriage is a covenant with God, but having children is not. I know I am guilty at times of putting my husband on the back seat while I raise the children in the front seat and sometimes God will send me these little reminders of our contract with Him. I am blessed that He sent me such a loving husband and a wonderful father and sometimes I forget in the rush of the day to appreciate that gift. I have though been accused at times of spoiling him and I have, but that is a good thing. My husband is my best friend, but sometimes I am not a very good friend. I think that happens with all of us at some point or another. We have been together for 15 years and we are still learning about this thing called marriage. We sometimes are not very good friends. Marriage is a work in progress, but if we don't uphold our end of the contract then our work is in vain and the progress stops. So today, I plan to do something to let my best friend know how much he is valued and may the progress move along for at least another 15 years. May God bless your friendship also.

My home management binder

I couldn't do without my home management binder. It is the workhorse of our home and farm. Mine is not as pretty as many women's I know. It's only decoration is the duct tape holding it together. However, I simply can't do without it and use it everyday. I got the idea when I discovered flylady . Her site is wonderful for anyone looking to better organize their home and time. I started out by copying her journal and then over the years I have tweaked it to fit my needs. I run a farm and wanted to be able to apply the principles to the whole farm, not just the house. I have tried to get the pictures to load and am having problems, so for right now all I have is the descriptions. I will try to get the picture thing cleared up.

First I will describe the binder. It is a three ring binder and each section is divided by a divider.

Section 1 Daily Routines and Reminders: In this section you will find my morning routine, my afternoon routine, and my bedtime routine. Establishing habits is a good step to organization because a habit is done without thinking about it and no effort. So this section I have established my habits. I also have in here my little reminders to myself. I tend to be forgetful and have a lot on my mind so this keeps me from forgetting quite as much as I used to.

Section 2 Weekly Plan I have a basic weekly plan on household duties that need to be done. Into this plan I will insert chores that tend to be seasonal like canning and soapmaking. I can during the summer and make soap in the winter. If you have been following my daily chores this week you will have noticed another seasonal duty, putting up pecans. So onto a basic routine that remains the same each week, I will insert seasonal chores. I also keep in this section a running list of projects or repairs that need to be done. That way these things are easily inserted into my daily routine so that I don't forget them.

Section 3 Deep Clean Zones Each week I take one section of the house and one section of the farm to do a deep clean. In the weekly plan is the light cleaning, but this section contains deep cleaning. Furniture gets moved around, drawers get straightened and purged of unnecessary items and such. I have the home and farm divided into 6 zones so that each zone receives a really good deep down clean every 6 weeks. The weekly clean keeps them tidy and company ready the rest of the week.

Section 4 This section is my weekly menu planning and grocery list. I make 6 weeks worth of menus. I have 3 sets of these that I rotate out to keep things interesting. I always make sure that I have the food necessary to cook all these meals on hand at the start of the 6 weeks. Technically if something happened I could do without the grocery for at least 6 weeks. When I use something out of the pantry then it goes on the grocery list. Before I go to the grocery store I go to our backup food storage. Whatever is gathered from there I place a check mark by it on the grocery list so that I know it needs to go in the backup and not the pantry. It sounds tedious and complicated, but really it isn't. It just keeps my food supplies rotating so that nothing gets old and stagnates.

Section 5 Recipes This section not only includes my most used recipes, but also all recipes needed for the meals in the menu section. That way they are handy and I don't have to try to remember which cookbook that certain recipe was in.

Section 6 Food Supply In this section I keep an inventory of what I have and what I need to replace. This helps from season to season in that I know, maybe next year I need to put up more jelly because I ran out before the berries ripened or some other such need. Another example is that last year we put 4 deer in the freezer. We were out of deer meat by late summer and hunting season didn't start again until November. So during that time I had to buy more meat from the grocery costing us more money on the grocery bill. This year we will try to put up more deer meat.

Section 7 Budget and Finance In this section I have our family expenses and budget. I have a ziploc bag in which bills that are paid and ready to mail go. My husband gets paid twice a month. I mail out 1/2 the bills one paycheck and 1/2 the other paycheck. My income is erratic so I do not enter that into our budget. I also keep labels and stamps in this bag as well to make bill paying speedier. A task I certainly hate to do. I also keep calendar pages here with all of our appointments and such on it.

Section 8 Homeschool This is the section where I keep references to websites that I want to use throughout the year and other sources that i want to use. I also keep a written account of what I would like for us to accomplish when. That way I can easily keep track of these things without having to go to the computer and look.

Section 9 Emergency Contacts and Personal Contacts I keep emergency numbers here as well as the numbers and addresses for the people that i contact the most.

Section 10 Writing In this section I keep submission guidelines to all of the magazines and websites that I submit articles to. I also keep a list of articles written, when submitted, where submitted, whether they sold or returned. this helps me keep tracks of where all I have articles out and how long they have been out. Many magazines will keep an article 3 to 6 months before letting you know if they will use it so that is a long time to remember. I write it down.

That is it, my binder in a nutshell. You can adapt this binder to fit your life and your needs. I just know that having the routines established makes the non routines fit in smoothly without upsetting a whole day. I hope you have fun working on your binder and enjoying the freedom that it gives you.

Gumbo Recipe

Tonight we are having Gumbo. The great thing about Gumbo is that it is a great way to us those little bits of meat that you have leftover. The next best thing about Gumbo is that it can be cooked in the crockpot. Here is a great crockpot Gumbo recipe:
Needed:
3 tbls. flour
3 tbls. oil
2 cups frozen cut okra
1 large onion chopped
1 stalk celery sliced
1 bell pepper chopped
1 tbls. minced garlic
1/4 tsp. ground red pepper (optional)
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 16 0z. can undrained diced tomatoes
3 cups meat of choice (chicken, turkey, ham, smoked sausage, shrimp)*
1 1/2 c. uncooked rice ( I use brown, you can use white)
3 cups water
Instructions:
1. In small skillet combine flour and oil on medium heat and cook til golden brown (about 5 min.) then lower heat to medium and cook until reddish brown (about 10-15 minutes)
2. Place flour and oil mixture (this is called a roux) in 4 qt. crockpot. Stir in all ingredients except shrimp (if you are using), rice and water.
3. Cover and cook on low 7-9 hours
4. When ready to serve cook rice in water as directed on package.
5. If you are using raw shrimp add to the gumbo while rice is cooking, mix well. Shrimp needs to cook about 20 minutes in covered crockpot. So time your dinner wisely.
6. Serve gumbo over rice and enjoy

*you can use one meat or any combination of meat that you have handy or wish to use. If using chicken I always cook it first. I usually use chicken left over when I bake a hen so it is cooked. If you are making without using leftovers then I suggest cooking chicken and turkey.

Roasting pecans

Roasted pecans are a great healthy alternative to other salty snacks. They are also easy to do. Here is the recipe:
About 4 cups pecans
3 tbls. butter
salt to taste
In a skillet melt the butter, once melted add the pecans and stir to thoroughly coat them with butter. Then salt to taste. Place them on a cookie sheet spread thin and bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes. I imagine this recipe would be able to be applied to whatever nuts you have handy or growing in your area. Here in the South we have pecans. Enjoy.

Good Morning

Good Morning! What a glorious day it is today! It is pouring down rain. I love the rain. It has such a cleansing effect on everything and when it is over it all smells fresh again. A good day for writing as Wednesday is a big writing day for me. Being so busy with home chores and duties means that I have to force myself to make the time to get all of those ideas written down. I sold two articles this week, which I am delighted about and have another article ready to send out. I pray that it does. I have had to rely more on my article writing than my art for income. With the economy art sales have literally stopped. In fact one of the shop owners that carries my work asked me to come and pick up some of it. She still has quite a bit, but nothing has sold out of her shop in 6 months and very little sold from the other two shops that carry my work. A little over a year ago I started producing prints (limited editions), card sets, and bookmarks. I swore that I would never produce prints, but because my originals stopped selling I needed some income. Now even the prints sell rarely. Last year I still had commission work and this year none. Usually this is my busiest time of year for commissions, needless to say I am getting a lot more sleep than I used to. Well, that is the nature of the business and I am blessed that at least my articles are selling. I am blessed in so many ways that I thank God everyday that I awake to new challenges and new opportunities. The extra time has allowed for extra study of God's Word, allowed me extra time for my genealogy hobby, and extra time with my family. I am certainly not as tired and sleep deprived. The loss of income is rough for our family, but it gives us the opportunity to be creative. I take this time to thank God for my tribulations because without them I would never build character. Without them I would never be able to discover how with Him all things are possible. He is my rock and I gladly accept the opportunity to draw on His strength when my own is so weak. I pray that you all find strength and courage in these troubling times with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Feminism vs. Femininity

"I will therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully. For some are already turned aside after Satan." —1st Timothy 5:14
Prior to the 1960s women stayed home. Rarely did they work if they were married. Most women looked forward to the day when they managed a home and raised children like their mothers and grandmothers before them. This is not to say that women were dumb or uneducated and fit for nothing else. Actually quite the opposite were true, women of that time were very well educated. My great grandmother graduated summa cum laude from Oglethorpe University in the late 1800s. She certainly was not dumb. Nor were any other women who were to run a home. Running a home requires much knowledge and the ability to apply it. Something happened in the late 1960s and that something was the full blown force and movement called Feminism. While it was active and growing prior, the 60s was when it hit full force. This movement has ruined every generation of women and men since that time. Feminism is not to be confused with women's rights. Women's rights are basic human rights that everyone is born with. The right to be treated respectfully as a human being. Feminism on the other hand demands that women be equal to men. This rejects God's lawful order and authority in which women are to be help meets to men. Feminism teaches women that they are oppressed and have no value or worth unless they behave and act like a man. Feminism has confused men as to what their role in society is. Men are afraid to be men and be the heads of their family because they have been raised to think that this is oppressive behavior. Feminism in society has taught women that in order to have any worth they must get out of the home and be like men. What has happened is that women are now trying to play dual roles and are in a constant battle against themselves. Many career women spend their days wishing to spend more time at home raising their children. Instead, they think that if they do that then they are nothing more than slaves. They are in constant conflict with themselves. Unfortunately society has almost made it so that families cannot live without two incomes. I blame the feminist movement for this and not the woman sitting at a desk regretting the time missed with her children. This is one reason we have chosen to step out of society. I believe that this is one reason we see so many women today on antidepressants and so many men stepping away from their role as head of the house. Men have been neutered in their masculinity and women have been deprived of their femininity. A feminine woman is like a treasure to a man. Something delicate and fine to be cherished and protected. Modern day feminists are hard and cold. Instead of creating the diamond out of coal, society has reversed the process and instead turns diamonds into lumps of coal. Women working outside the home should not see this as a jab at them, just use these things to further assess your life and priorities. We are always to examine ourselves against the Word of God, and this is one opportunity for all of us at home or not to do just that. May God Bless you in your journey.