Yarb d'farb knarb

Salted Chocolate & Caramel Shortbread

2011-12-10T19:38:00.001-05:00

Most years, I make chocolate covered caramel apples for gift baskets at Christmas time. So around Halloween & Thanksgiving, when caramel apple wraps show up in the supermarkets, I stock up. These flattened rounds of caramel are simply wrapped around the apple and are so much easier, faster, and less messy than dipping in melted caramel.

This year I was looking at the wraps and wondering what else I could do with them. I got the idea to spruce up some store-bought cookies for a holiday treat. This is what I came up with. Not genius, but still yummy. :9

I bought some shortbread cookies and the kids and I cut the wraps into squares and mashed them onto the cookies. You can use two of the triangular pieces to cover a cookie so there's no wasted caramel.

Then I melted some semi-sweet chocolate chips with a smidge of bees' wax and shmeared a thin layer on the bottom of each cookie and waited for the chocolate to harden up.

Next I used a fork to hold each cookie over the pot while I covered the top with chocolate. Tap the handle of the fork on the edge of the pot to get rid of excess chocolate. (I never in my life, thought I would use the words "excess" and "chocolate" together.)

And lastly, I sprinkled each cookie with Celtic Sea Salt.

Again with the waiting. But once the chocolate was hard.....

Cup O' Chocolate Comfort

2011-12-09T16:03:00.001-05:00

I spotted THIS over on Heavenly Homemakers and decided to try it out this morning. I made a slightly bigger batch because my two oldest can eat a lot of breakfast. It was warm, smooth, and filling -just like she said. I bet it would even be good cold. But after we had all had a cup and there was quite a lot left in the pot, I got a wild urge to try it as hot chocolate.

So I dumped in a handfull of semi-sweet chocolate chips, a pinch of salt, a few sprinkles of cinnamon, a dollop of blackstrap molasses (if molasses can be said to dollop) and some more milk because it was pretty thick from these additions.

The result was creamy, chocolatey and yummy!

Nest Boxes Made From Buckets

2011-09-14T18:34:00.000-04:00

This is our little coop. Bull built it. He used clear corrugated siding for one wall and the door. This is to let in light and so we only have to stand on the back porch with a flashlight to see that the chickens are OK if we hear a commotion. Smart man!

These photos were taken last year when we first got our chickens. We have more chickens now, plus two turkeys, and three guineas. They will all be roosting in there this winter. Bull may have to build an addition... a wing?

But what I wanted to talk about today, was the free (or cheap) and EASY nest boxes.

I got the idea from my wonderful Uncle Whit. (Uncle Whit is not his real name. I chose it because I remember being amazed at all the amazing things he used to whittle from wood when I was a kid.) He just screwed five gallon buckets to fenceposts around his farm for his chickens to lay in. So that's what we did on the inside of our coop. Then we cut the lids so that there was an opening big enough of the chickens to get in and out, but we left a lip to keep the hay (and eggs) from falling out.

The hens like them and they were so much easier than building something out of wood. They are easy to clean too. Just pop off the lid, rake out the hay, hose them out if you see the need, and pop the lid back on.

I think we actually bought these buckets, but I have since learned to ask the nice folks in the bakery section of our local grocery stores for their empty frosting and bread mix buckets. They are usually already washed out for me and they come with air-tight lids (which will be important for the next project I will post about).

So there ya' go! The easiest, cheapest, coolest nest boxes I have seen. :D

Whiterock

Farm Life... and Death

2011-09-08T09:46:00.000-04:00

It's been a bad few weeks for animals on the farm. Our Rooster died. Roo was a good rooster. I liked him a lot. He was good to his girls and I could trust him around my little guy. He was never aggressive toward us.

He wandered into the road and got hit by a car. We also lost three hens that way. Yes, we need a fence. Yes, they shouldn't be in the road. But seriously, we don't live at a sharp curve, or on a hill. You can see what's in the road in front of our house for a good long way before you get there. It's not a busy road by almost any standard. It is a country road, lined with farms and more than one with free-roaming, road-wandering chickens (and dogs, and cats, and horses). All the chickens who were killed were bright white, like most of the flock. And they do try to get out of the way of cars. So how hard is it to avoid them? I know the guy we actually saw hit one, didn't even try. He didn't even slow down. In fact he hit the gas after the deed was done. Guilty much?

Sigh.

And then we lost all three of our keets (baby guinea fowl). It turned cold and rainy this week and they couldn't keep warm. We lost two of them in one day, before we realized that they were in trouble. The three older guineas and the lame rooster that shared their run and coop had been doing a beautiful job of keep them tucked under a wing, so we hadn't been worried. After that, I moved the last keet inside with a guinea hen to keep it company, while I spent the day moving and setting up their coop to be dry, warm and out of the wind. Then I put them all back out there and they did fine that night. But last night they didn't go into their coop (they like to sleep in the run, for some reason) and the last keet died.

So, it's been a rough few weeks.

Roo

Mmmm

2011-08-30T11:34:00.001-04:00

Just wanted to let y'all know that Pear Honey goes wonderfully with cinnamon-ginger pancakes! Yum!

Fast, Slow-Cooked Beef Stew

2011-08-24T23:49:00.007-04:00

I saw a recipe for slow-cooker beef stew. The concept was not new to to me but the recipe sounded so good that I decided to make it tonight. Poor planning, on my part caused me to have to "adapt" it, just a tad. =) I didn't have all the ingredients and I didn't have enough time.

The missing ingredients weren't that hard to get around, actually. We didn't have stew meat, but we did have fajita strips. I went out to the garden and dug up some potatoes. I replaced some of the beef broth with wine and some with water. Also, I changed a few things to suit our preferences - less tomato paste and upped the amount of veggies.

The time issue was solved buy using a technique I often use when making stew on the stovetop. And that is, I roast the veggies in the oven, before adding them to the rest. Not only does this speed things up, but it adds color and flavor to the veggies.

So now I will try to get this into a recipe format so you can try it out and see your family enjoys it as much as mine did.

Fast, Slow-Cooked Beef Stew

1 lb stew meat (or fajita strips)
2 Tbs steak seasoning (recipe below)
All-purpose flour, as needed (about a cup)
6 or 7 medium potatoes (or as many as you care to dig)
6 or 7 carrots
1 large onion, chopped
~3.5 oz of tomato paste (I buy this paste because it comes in a jar so I don't have to use it all at once)
2 cups of red wine
3 to 4 cups of water
1 tsp dried thyme
1 bay leaf
olive oil
salt & pepper, to taste

Spread out the beef and pat it dry with a paper towel (it doesn't have to be bone-dry). Season with steak seasoning and toss in flour to coat. Heat a few tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and brown the meat, a few pieces at a time, adding more oil if needed. As you remove the browned meat, put it in the crockpot.

Once all the beef has been browned and removed, put the chopped onions in the skillet and cook until tender. Stir in the tomato paste and the wine and scrape up any browned bits. Simmer for couple minutes and then into the crockpot that goes too. Add about 3 cups of water, thyme, and bay leaf. Turn crockpot on low.

Meanwhile dig some potatoes, or just retrieve them from your pantry. Wash and cut them into about 2 inch cubes (peel or don't peel - it's up to you), and peel and slice the carrots. Put the potatoes and carrots into a large baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and season liberally with salt and pepper. Bake at 400º until they are just tender and have begun to brown (do not overcook).

Stir the potatoes and carrots into the meat mixture in the crockpot. Add more salt, pepper, or water, if needed, and cook on low for about 3 hours, or until veggies are cooked through. Serve with buttered bread.

Steak Seasoning

2 tsp salt
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp freshly-ground black pepper
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp (that's a good sized pinch) coriander

This is the best steak seasoning I have ever had anywhere. I make up a large batch of this to have on hand. Besides using it on steak, roasts, and beef for stew, get some extra thin-sliced steak from your butcher and season with this mix before pan frying, for the best cheese steak sandwich you'll ever make at home. Yum!

Chopped

2011-08-23T11:31:00.003-04:00

I saw a set of cheater chopsticks that are hinged like a clothespin and I thought, "I can do that!" So I did. And you can too. Easy. Maybe not as easy as the rubberband trick, but a lot cooler. =D

So here's how you hack a set of chopsticks in five easy steps:

1. Get some to-go chopsticks and a clothespin.

2. Take them both apart.

3. Slip the end of the chopstick in the hinge from the clothespin, like this. Decide where you want the crossbar to go and mark it. Mark the other chopstick in the same place.

4. Make a small groove for the crossbar to fit into. Yep, I just used a butterknife.

5. Assemble. This may take a little maneuvering, but it's not *that* hard. You'll figure it out.

And there ya' go! Easy!

And here, Pickle is trying them out. If I did it again I would place the hinge a bit closer to the end and turn the sticks so that the crossbars went across the widest sides of the sticks, instead of the narrowest... and that is my advice to you. Have at it!

Pear Honey

2011-08-22T11:29:00.016-04:00

I looked at several recipes online and after checking with my mom (an experienced canner) I didn't follow any of the recipes. Here's what I did...

Peeled and cut up a bunch of slightly overripe pears, tossed them (with the peelings) in a really big pot and barely covered them with water. Brought this to a boil and then covered and simmered until the pears were mushy.

Used a potato masher to break up the pears and simmered for about another 20 mintutes. Strained this thru a cotton cloth [flat cotton diapers (not prefold) are great for this and you can by them cheap at Walmart] and measured the resulting liquid.

For the first batch, I had 10 cups. This went into a stainless steel pot and half that amount of sugar was added. So for 10 cups of juice I added 5 cups of sugar. I also added about 1/8 to 1/4 of a cup of lemon juice (to taste) and a teaspoon of vanilla (again, to taste). Brought this to a boil and simmered on med-low until it was as thick I liked. You can test for this by spooning a little on a saucer and sticking it in the fridge to cool down and then see if it is as thick as you want.

For the second batch I had 8 cups of juice so I added 4 cups of sugar, the lemon and vanilla, and it was cooked in the crockpot, on high, with the top off and an cloth draped over it. It took longer to get thick but I didn't have to stand and stir it toward the end, to keep it from burning.

For both batches, as soon as they were ready and still good and hot (keep them on low while you work) I ladled them into hot sterilized jars, wiped the rim, set the lids (these were kept ready in *very* HOT water) and screwed down the rings. Then I put the jars together on a towel and draped another towel over them so they would cool down slowly. Mom always does this and says it helps them seal better. They all sealed perfectly.

So there you have it. Not quite a recipe, but certainly a method you can follow to make your own Pear Honey. And it is SO worth it. Yum! See for yourself.

Leftover Oatmeal Cake

2011-08-21T10:44:00.009-04:00

The pear honey turned out worderfully! We had some on French Toast this morning and I have another batch going right now. This time I am trying to make it in the crockpot. I didn't want to stay up cooking it last night and I didn't want to try and find room in the fridge for the juice so I put it in the crockpot and left the top ajar with a towel over it. This morning, I took the top off and carefully draped the towel over the open crock. So we will see if this works.

Meanwhile, here's a recipe for Leftover Oatmeal cake!

Yep, oatmeal cake. Deeeelicious! I tend to think of this recipe as the second half of my crockpot oatmeal recipe. I used to make the oatmeal for the morning and then use the leftovers for this cake for after supper.

Leftover Oatmeal Cake

Cream together:
1/2 cup butter
2 cups sucanat (OR half white sugar & half brown sugar OR all white sugar plus 1 TBS molasses)
2 eggs
1 tsp of vanilla
2 cups (more or less) cooked oatmeal

Sift together:
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. (or more!) cinnamon

Add sifted mixture to creamed mixture and beat well. Pour into greased and floured 9 x 13 cake pan. Bake 35 minutes or until tests done. Add topping.

Topping

Combine:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup margarine
1/4 cup cream or milk
1/2 cup chopped nuts
1 cup coconut.

Spread on hot cake and broil 2 - 4 minutes until the topping begins to brown. Watch closely! (I have made the topping without nuts or coconut and it was still great.)

This cake is very rich and moist so serve in small pieces.

Busy Getting Nothing Done

2011-08-20T20:31:00.005-04:00

I washed, peeled, and cut up some pears this morning. Put them, along with the peels, in a huge pot and covered them with water. I cooked them until they were soft, mashed them, and let them cool. The plan is to make some pear honey and jelly.

I went outside around noon, while the pear mash was cooling, and picked more pears and a few figs. But when I came inside and immediately felt like I was going to throw up and/or pass out. I had gotten too hot without realizing it. Honest, I didn't feel that hot and I wasn't even sweating that much. I took a nap. Now I'm trying to finish the pear honey and get a late supper on the table.

I did not get the fall garden seeds started, nor did I get the garden prepared. The kids pulled the corn stalks out, but appearently, that was as far as it got.

-sigh-

I will let y'all know how the pear honey turns out. I know it is tasting really good so far. But it will be a long night of cooking and canning it. Hopefully I will remember to take pictures if all goes well.... if I mess it up then there doesn't need to be photographic evidence of that, now does there? :)

House Mouse

2011-08-17T23:46:00.007-04:00

Not the furry kind of mouse. The computer mouse. I started goofing around with a photo of our house using 'Paint', the program the kids use to draw things on the computer. The result is not professional looking by any means. But I was determined not to spend a ton of time on it, like I tend to do when i get ~~obsessed~~ interested in something sometimes. So this was a "get it done", not a "get it perfect" project. Maybe in a few years we will make some of these changes in real life, but for now I thought I would share what I am thinking about for our little brick ranch.

BEFORE....

AFTER....

Right now, the steps to the porch are at the side, under the carport. This is very convienient on rainy days, but every time I walk out the front door I think there should be stairs on the front of the porch. It would look more welcoming from the "curb" (we don't have a curb in the country, but you know what I mean) and it would be more convienient when exiting the house to do orchard work --which is to the right as you go out the door. So I want to leave the current steps in place and add some grand front steps.

Also, we have thought about building an addition that would add a master suite and a dining room (not shown in the rendering). This would free up space to do a MUCH needed expansion of the kitchen into the current dining area. The concern with this idea is that we know we would never, ever, be able to find a match for the unique brick the exterior is clad in. So the addition would have to be 'wood' siding, and how do you make that blend with the rest of the house?

My thought is to add more wood to the front of the house so the addition won't look like quite so out of place. That is why I added craftsman-style pillars, a railing, shutters, a gable and chose wood for the steps.

And I would definately add better landscaping than what you see here... but like I said, I was determinded to not obsess.

Random Chicken

2011-08-17T22:52:00.002-04:00

A portrait of one of our hens, a photo by Whiterocks_pics on Flickr.

A fine portrait of one of our hens. This particular hen is nameless.

Eggs: The Good, The Bad, And The Hidden

2011-08-16T22:16:00.004-04:00

egg, a photo by Whiterocks_pics on Flickr.

I found a clutch of eggs that the hens had hidden under the lean-to of the shed. I knew that some of the eggs had been laid today, because the hens were locked out of the chicken coop and they couldn't get to the nestboxes. But some of them might be much older. Soooo I wanted to be sure they weren't bad... without cracking them open.

And as you know, the interwebz speaks to me whenz I googles it. Here's what I found out.

According to Harold McGee, author of On Food & Cooking (Canada, UK), Hannah Glass gave this practical advice to cooks around 1750, and it's as valid today — a "way to know a good egg, is to put the egg into a pan of cold water; the fresher the egg, the sooner is will fall to the bottom; if rotten, it will swim at the top."

A very fresh egg, placed in water, it will lie on the bottom. A week-old egg will lie on the bottom but bob slightly. An egg that is around three weeks old will balance on its small end, with the large end up. And a bad egg will float.

So now you know!

Troublemakers!

2011-08-15T10:32:00.001-04:00

DSC_0324, a photo by Whiterocks_pics on Flickr.

Look at them! They look innocent enough, all cute and clucky, but they are troublemakers I tell you! A group of our youngest chickens have discovered our wonderful, sweet, elderly neighbors' flowerbeds. Bad chickens! Bad! The offenders are caged for now and some decisions about fencing will have to be made tonight. Then the wing clipping will begin. Bad chickens!! [sigh] I can't stay mad at them long.... they are so cute... and rotten!... and cute. [sigh]

Bunny Cake

2011-08-13T00:16:00.008-04:00

Bunny Cake, a photo by Whiterocks_pics on Flickr.

This is my version of Bunny Cake, a recipe given to me by a dear friend in the U.P. of Michigan, Jen Bach (hi, Jen!). It's called Bunny Cake because that is how some of her kids say Pannukakku. It makes a wonderfully delicious and easy breakfast! [Disclaimer: Even though I have kept the name, I do not claim that this is a propper Pannukakku.]

PANNUKAKKU (Finnish Pancake)
Pronounced "bun-a-guck-ooh"

1 stick butter
6 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
2 cups whole milk

In a 9x13 inch baking pan, melt the butter in the oven while it preheats to 375 degrees. Meanwhile, with electric mixer, beat eggs until blended and frothy. Add sugar and vanilla; beat until sugar is dissolved. In a separate bowl, stir salt into flour. Alternately add flour mixture and milk to egg mixture, mixing well between each addition. Add approximately 2/3 of the melted butter and mix in. Pour batter over the remaining butter in the pan.

Bake in preheated 375 degree oven for 35 minutes. Serve warm.

In the photo above, it has been dusted with powdered sugar and topped with sour cream and homemade dewberry syrup. But I think my favorite way to eat it is with powdered sugar and fresh raspberries.

Lamp Transformation

2011-08-11T20:31:00.001-04:00

bottleslampbefore, a photo by Whiterocks_pics on Flickr.

http://matsutakeblog.blogspot.com/2011/03/its-done-glampsformation.html

Card catalog centerpiece

2011-08-01T16:26:00.001-04:00

card catalog centerpiece 3, a photo by Whiterocks_pics on Flickr.

I like this idea, but I don't haven any card catalog drawers. Maybe I can find an old box about this size.

"I'll Be Back"

2011-04-20T10:09:00.002-04:00

Hey everybody! I got overwhelmed, in over my head.... Life grabbed me by the leg and pulled me under for a while. I am still treading water and looking for that set of floaties I know I had at one point, but I am breathing and that is good. Shore is in sight.

Soooooooo, I want to start blogging again. My life has changed, my address has changed, lots of things have changed. Now it is time for this blog to change. A new name and a new look are on the way. Stay tuned. I'll be back.

Fermented cod liver oil giveaway over at Keeper of the Home!

2011-04-20T09:41:00.004-04:00

WIN 10 BOTTLES OF EMULSIFIED FERMENTED COD LIVER OIL
I understand that many of you are wrinkling up your nose as you read this, but for those of us who know the benefits of fermented cod liver oil this is a chance we can't pass up! Having a son on the autistic spectrum and not a lot of money to spend on supplements for him, I am absolutely giddy with the prospect of winning TEN bottles of one of the most important, nutrient dense, whole foods supplements he could take! Thank you for this giveaway, Keeper of the Home!

EDIT: Looks like she revised her post to clarify that it is ONE bottle for each of TEN WINNERS. Oh well, I still want to win one.

The headline that almost happened...

2010-06-24T13:37:00.005-04:00

"Justifiable Child Endangerment" says County Judge.

Three minors, all brothers, were found Thursday duct taped to a pine tree in rural Minnesota. Authorities have detained a charming, talented woman they claim as their mother - though she denies any mutual genetic material - as their primary suspect. She was found in the boys' home hanging upside down cleaning the chest freezer which appeared to have been left open for an undetermined amount of time with 2/3 of the contents (including a stash of Breyer's ice cream snagged on super sale price) scattered across the floor and a pint of frozen cranberries scattered throughout the frozen goods left in the freezer. Several gallons of fresh strawberries were found in the kitchen, apparently left by the suspect in mid-cleaning for a jam making project.

"The neighbor came to get us for a job and I guess we just forgot we had left all that stuff out on the floor." said the oldest of the brothers.

The youngest of the boys was heard saying, "I told her there wasn't any rhubarb left in there from last year!"

"Oh, brother," was the only comment from the third child.

A judge has reviewed the evidence and the suspect is expected to be released without charges. She is being detained in the local county jail where she has refused contact with court appointed attorney services and is reportedly napping.

"We may have some trouble getting her to leave," states county sheriff. "She refers to the cell as a retreat center with room service."

The above news story was written by my friend SarahK after sending her boys out to the freezer to look for rhubarb and later discovering thawed food all over the floor and the freezer door open. I'm very impressed with her self-control. Although, if the nap spoken of, had been a sure bet... I'm not so sure she could have resisted.

Tying a String

2010-06-20T12:42:00.003-04:00

Two strings are walking past a bar, and they see a sign that says, "No Strings Allowed". The first string gets mad and says he is going to go in and demand his rights. So he walks in and sits at the bar. The bartender says, "Are you a STRING?!" and the string says, "Yeah, and I...." That was it, he was thrown out. The second string looks at the first string and says, "You handled that all wrong. Watch me." Then he throws himself on the ground and rolls around and wriggles and wallows and gets all dirty and gnarly and tangled up with loose threads at the top. Then he walks into the bar, sits down, and demands, "Give me a Root Beer!" So the bartender eyes him up and down and says, "Are you a string?" And the string says, "Nope, I'm a frayed knot."

That is a joke my Daddy told me when I was a kid. He was always telling me jokes and getting a kick out of me laughing at them. They were really old jokes, but I'd never heard them before so he loved telling them to me. Now he tells old jokes to my kids.

HAPPY FATHERS' DAY DADDY!

You Missed Again

2010-06-18T12:17:00.002-04:00

Conversation overheard in the kitchen this morning...

Pickle: You poked me en mah ieeeee!
SweetPea: No I didn't! I wasn't even near your eye!
Pickle: Dat mean you misst.

(Pause)

Pickle: You poked me en mah ieee ugh-ens!
SweetPea: No I didn't! I didn't even try --
Pickle: DAT JUSS MEAN YOU MISST UGH-ENS!

This too!!!

2010-06-18T11:17:00.001-04:00

I'd love to win this too!
Excalibur Dehydrator

Don't Ask

2010-06-17T12:53:00.002-04:00

After getting off the potty, Pickle said, "Momma, I tink I runned out." I said, "Run out?" He said, "Yeah, I tink I runned out. I doan ha-uh any mower." And I this is where I went wrong and asked, "Don't have any more what?" To which he replied, "Poop."

And again....

2010-06-17T10:10:00.001-04:00

I'm still trying to win these. They look wonderful!
Again, here's the link.... Homestead Blessings Videos

Another giveaway...

2010-06-17T10:01:00.002-04:00

I'm entering a few giveaways 'cause the stuff is too good to pass up. LOVE Graham Gardens! Here's the link to the giveaway.... Graham Gardens Giveaway

2010-06-03T14:50:00.003-04:00

I want to win the contest for the "Homestead Blessings" 10 DVD Set at Raising Homemakes, so I have to share the link with others, who will then enter and lessen my chance of winning.... so don't enter this contest. LOL!

Pickle's Thoughts on a Proper Farm

2010-05-18T17:05:00.000-04:00

While snuggling with Pickle, we talked about our future farm and what we would grow... he said potatoes. We talked about names for cows... he thinks Sukie is "a wealy bootifuh name" but he likes Daisy, too. We talked about chicken names... he likes Poppy, & thinks the cow & chickens need to share a barn. And he wants to be a cowboy & share the barn too, & keep his hair cut like a boy on a farm.

Pickle Quotes

2010-05-12T12:29:00.006-04:00

Here are just a few Pickle quotes from yesterday... most were said before 12 o'clock.

Me: "I love snuggling with you!"
Pickle: "Aw, you ah so cuuute."

Pickle: "It time to go to Nanny house?"
Me: "We're not going to Nanny's house today."
Pickle: "Oh, ok.... affer lunch?"

[While palying with my hair]
"I like you cuhly ha-er."

[While holding the controler for an RC truck and running full tilt]
"Momma look! I push da red buttens en I SUPUH FASS BOY!"

[Putting on his Auburn cap]
Pickle: "Momma, I wa-rin my tiger hat!"
Me: "Yep"
Pickle: "Tiger rih-wee ANGWY. He angwy tiger."

[Playing with his toy animals]
"One di-saur figh udder di-saur [fighting sounds].... Poooor di-saur."

And my absolute favorite Pickle quote of the day...
"Momma, a liddle bird ow-side, was seeenin' Jesus Luz Me."

Abortion Fails to Deliver -- In Every Way

2010-01-22T15:10:00.005-05:00

Since Roe vs Wade, the amount of women & children at poverty level has increased to a majority, not decreased as was supposed would happen. This is because men are now less likely to marry a woman bearing their child --after all if she hadn't wanted to raise a child alone she could have aborted it. Our culture of abortion isn't freeing women from "unwanted" children, it's freeing men to be childish.

Thank God, I was blessed with a man who stepped up and decided to call me "My Lovely Wife" instead of relegating me to "My Baby's Mama". And thank God or the life of our precious son (who is almost 16yo now), and the two children that followed him.

Herbal Roots Zine: Giveaway Monday - Wildcraft!

2010-01-04T12:19:00.000-05:00

Herbal Roots Zine: Giveaway Monday - Wildcraft!

Obama in Office is America's Greatest Crisis

2009-03-19T13:15:00.003-04:00

We Were Warned

2009-03-02T17:45:00.003-05:00

Lovely Ladies - Not Just Girlfriends

2009-02-26T10:59:00.002-05:00

I have friends, I've never met. I have mentors who, most of the time, don't even know I'm there "listening" and learning.

I live a fairly isolated life out here without a lot of "girlfriends". I've never been good at the whole "girlfriend" thing anyway. Never have been a very social person. I like my life to be kind of slow and quiet. I'm a stay at home mom, by choice, and I'm not unhappy about it. But, I must say what a blessing it is, that, any time of the day or night I can associate with true ladies... people I look up to for various reasons.

Some of these ladies are "rough and tough" country folks who, two weeks after giving birth at home without a midwife, can handle a sick calf and a mama cow with an infected udder, while their husband is away. Some grow a garden and preserve their harvest. They can milk a cow or a goat, make cheese, sew their own clothes or make quilts to keep friends and family warm.

Some are sassy, and city-sophisticated. They know their kids better than anyone, and their bible better than most. They worry that they may be drinking too much coffee or wearing too much makeup and they are quick to tell you about God's love.

Some have a dozen or so children at home. Some are almost through their first, full-term pregnancy. Some have grandchildren all across the nation. And many of them have children in heaven.

Some live with chronic pain and illness. Some live with fear of rejection. They juggle tight budgets, allergen-free diets, home businesses, Sunday School classes, homeschool or after school activities.

Their husbands should count themselves blessed to have them. They make their husbands richer, his work easier, his nights more pleasant, and his house a home... He can be confident in her abilities and comfortable in her arms.

Some of them are married to great guys who understand that. And some of them are married to guys who simply don't give nearly enough thought to 1Pe 3:7 "Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered." or Eph 5:25-31, "Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh." [Or Pro 5:15-19; Mal 2:14-16; Mat 19:3-9; 1Co 7:3; Col 3:19; for that matter.] and fear the Lord who wrote these things.

I'm not saying these ladies are perfect. They are not perfect, BUT they are all trying very hard to do the best they can with what they have, while continuing to learn, grow, and love those around them. And that's what makes every one of them so lovely to me.

Thanks Ladies.
WR

Imputed Righteousness

2008-12-18T09:43:00.005-05:00

Go here....

http://www.nogreaterjoy.org/podcasts/live/

And listen to the one titled "Imputed Righteousness". This message will not be there forever, so don't put it off.

WR

To Did and To Didn't List

2008-12-12T20:43:00.004-05:00

Remember my To Do list from September? If not.... it's only two posts down.
Well I wanted to update.
So here's the honest and ugly truth...

The baby clothes are still here. As well as summer clothes and clothes they have simply grown out of.

The earrings are finished and SOLD! We made some money! We also learned from our mistakes and will hopefully increase our profit margin next year (I need to be able to pay my salespeople )..... if Bull lets me do this again next year. LOL!
Rearanged most of the kitchen but stalled and never finished.

The herbs are still in plastic bags, piled in a cabinet.

Haven't gone thru the toys and gadgets and probably won't before the new year.

Ain't gonna happen. LOL!

BooHoo

2008-10-02T10:43:00.002-04:00

I just finished reading the first book in the Little Britches series aloud, to the kids. Even though I knew before starting the book, that his father was going to die at some point, I could barely read through the tears! Rooster was a man and barely let a tear escape (but a few did). SweetPea is still crying.

BTW, I've haven't accomplished even one of the things on my to do list. Boohoo!

WR

To Do List

2008-09-29T13:28:00.005-04:00

There's stuff that I've been meaning to get done around here for months! And I've never gotten around to it (that's typical of me). Well this week, while Bull is out of town on business, I'm going to pull out a few of these projects, make great big ol' mess, and try to finish before he gets back.

Here's my list. It's all mundane stuff, nothing creative, just stuff that needs to be done.

To Do:

I've got a ton of baby clothes (from the last two kids!) that I just couldn't bear to part with, so they are in boxes and bags all over the house.... I'm over it. I'm going to go thru them, keep a few extra special things, and sell the rest. We need the money and space.

Last year SweetPea and I hit the after Christmas sales and bought a bunch of supplies to make Christmas themed earrings to sale this year. We worked on them 'til we ran out of fittings, so now's the time to dig 'em out, finish them up, and see if we can make our money back. LOL!

I need to rearrange my kitchen. It is beyond inefficient right now. I not only want to move the microwave, and see if I can find a place for all the large items that are just sitting on the counter now, I also want to.....

Clean out the herb cabinet. I'm going to get rid of old stuff and try to find containers for everything. It would be so great to have a matching set of small, medium, and large tinted jars with printed labels.... ok, back to reality. I'll probably try to cram everything into canning and baby food jars and label them with a permanent marker. But it will be nice to get rid of all the plastic bags I'm using now.

It is a MUST to go thru the kids stuff and get rid of broken, unused, and forgotten toys and gadgets before Christmas comes around. So why not get a start on it this week?

Clear off or set up a space for me. I used to do art work on commission. Now I don't have the attention span for it. But, maybe, just maybe, if I have a nice sunny space set aside to work in, with all my stuff right there and organized.... ok, stop laughing honey -you too Daddy and Special K!

What I Did For Vacation Bible School

2008-09-28T16:50:00.003-04:00

This is a recollection of what I taught the kids in my VBS class a couple years ago. It's not complete, some of it's in the wrong order, I need to edit for repetition, and add a few more links and verses, but I wanted to get it out before Sunday was over. I hope it will be helpful to someone....

I started out by saying how excited I was to get to talk about the Gospel with them. I told them that I love talking about the Gospel with young people; it was my one of my favorite things to do, so I was very excited to about it.

I showed them a "Science & the Bible" printout first. It talks about just a few of the scientific facts found in the bible, that the scientists of the that time didn't understand, but that we now know are true.

After going through the handout, I said, "God's pretty smart, huh? Now we're gonna see how smart you are" and I pulled out the optical trick called "Read the Triangles" and a sheet of trick questions called "Intelligence Test Questions" and went through those with them by asking for volunteers. They all laughed and got a big kick out of them.

I got another volunteer and asked him how many sodas he could name. I had to stop him at ten. By this time all the kids were in a great mood and were participating very well. Then I asked him how many of the Ten Commandments he could name. He named about three or four. A few of the kids made comments like, "Wow, it's a shame that people know more sodas than Commandments!" They made my point for me! Then a boy said, "I think I can do it" so he stood up - and as soon as he started, I could tell from the way he phrased them, that he had probably memorized them from a "Hey Kid's" tract (the same ones we bought to put in their goody bags at the end of the week). He said them in order and he only missed two.

Then I said that Jesus had been asked, once, what was the greatest commandment and I asked them what He said. They didn't know. So I briefly told them the story and what the two great commandments were. I said that these two were a summery of the Ten Commandments, and showed them how you can split the commandments into the "love God" commands and the "love your neighbor" commands.

I asked them what the Ten Commandments are for. I got a bunch of answers from them and then I said they were God's standard for righteousness, and I defined righteousness as "right-doing". I told them that He gave us the Commandments/the Law to us to show us where we've sinned and not been righteous.

Next, I went through a few of the "Good Test" questions (have you ever lied, stolen, disobeyed your parents, used “God” or “Jesus” to express anger, etc.) and then showed them how Jesus had used the Commandments, by reading Mark 10:17-27 with them. I talked about the “Why do you call me good?…” question and how Jesus was challenging the young man to admit that either Jesus was God or his idea of “good” was wrong. Jesus used the “love your neighbor” commands and the man said he had kept them all. It says that Jesus loved him, so He showed him where he had gone wrong, he had not kept the “love God” commands – he was one of “them that trust in riches” – he loved his stuff more than God.

Then I really slowed down at the last couple verses and emphasized with my voice that the disciples wondered, “Then who can be saved?” and Jesus answered, “With man it is impossible.” I paused here and said, “Jesus just said that with man it is impossible to be saved!… But look at the next part… with God all things are possible!” That’s good news!

Next I said I would show them why Jesus said it was impossible with man. I went through a few of the verses that say we have all gone astray, there is none good, etc. and followed it up with hatred is murder in God’s sight, so even the intent of our heart is judged. That really made an impact!

So I used an illustration to make it clear why hate is murderous. I said, “Come on now, you all know that if we had the power to call down lightening, there would be a lot fewer people walking around.” Nods all around. I continued, “Well it’s not out of the goodness of our heart, that we don’t hurt the people we hate – it’s because we are afraid of--" here one of the kids interrupted and said “--the consequences!” I said, “Right! We are afraid of what will happen afterward. It’s not because we are good.”

I asked them if they knew the biblical definition of sin, and I read James 4:17 and 1 John 3:4. I drew a target on the board and explained that the first verse was about falling short of a known target and pointed to the board. And the second one was about breaking through a set boundary. Then I drew a field around the target and put a fence around the field and illustrated “breaking” or trespassing/transgressing that boundary. I pointed out how some of the commandments say “do” something, in other words, “hit this target” (tap on the target), and others say “don’t do” something, in other words, “stay in this boundary” (tap on the field).

I said it is not unreasonable for God to require that, when we are faced with the choice, we choose what we know is right (hit the target) and to not choose what we know is wrong (don't break the boundary). That’s reasonable.

But we haven’t done that. We can’t say that when we lied we didn’t know that lying was wrong. We can’t say that when we’ve stolen something that we thought it was the right thing to do. There are times when we knew what was right and we chose to do wrong anyway. We’ve sinned.
Then I read James 2:10 and asked them if that made sense to them – that breaking one part of the Law, is the same as breaking it all. They weren’t sure, so I took out a paper chain, with ten links, that I had made. I said that I had made it good and sturdy and asked if anyone would like to hang from the top of a building by it. They said no, I asked why not and one said, “I’m not ready for a funeral,” I prodded, with "What-do-you-mean?", and he said the chain would break. I came back with, “Well, yeah, but probably only one link”. Then they got it!

I said, “If you are holding on to the commandments to keep from dropping into hell then if you break one you will fall just the same as if you had broken them all.” And I pointed out that if you violate even one of our civil laws you are considered a criminal – a lawbreaker, and can go to jail because you broke the law. The commandments aren't ten separate laws they are one Law -God's Law. "We haven’t kept God’s Law and that’s sin and that’s why Jesus said that with man it is impossible to be saved..." :dramatic pause:

"But with God all things are possible!" That's good news! It's GREAT news! The word gospel, means "good news". Then I went through a whole list of verses I have printed out about how Christ came to suffer for our sins. He took our iniquities (defined it as lawlessness) He was wounded for our transgressions, and on, and on, through about 10 or 11 verses (and a few more that came to me off the top of my head).

The ones I had printed off:

1Peter 2:24
Isa 53:5
Isa 53:6
Isa 53:10
1Peter 3:18
John 3:16
John 3:17
John 3:18
Romans 3:23-26
Romans 10:3-4
Romans 10:9-10

When I got to Isaiah 53:10, I stopped and asked them why in the world it would it please God to do that to His own Son. A couple of them said, because it saved us. I talked about the fact that Christ was bearing our sins and because God is just (as in a just or righteous judge) and holy, He must punish sin. So His judgment came down on all the sins of the world in His Son’s body on the cross.

One of the kids said something like; “You mean it pleased God to do all that to His Son, just to save us?” And I said, “Yes, that’s how much He loved you! I’ve heard it said that, even if you were the only person on the whole earth Jesus still would’ve come down and died for you. And I think it’s true. Look at John 3:16.” I told them that if you read it with your name in it then it becomes personal. I read it with my name in it. For God so loved [WR] that He gave His only begotten Son, that if [WR] believes on Him she should not perish but have everlasting life.

I think I stopped at John 3:17 and explained God didn’t strike us dead the first time we sinned but we stand condemned for that sin. And so people who don’t believe on Christ’s name are condemned already, both because of their sins and then ultimately because they reject Christ. If a criminal is guilty of crimes and is on death row, he is going to die because of the crimes he committed. But, if the governor writes him a pardon and he refuses it, then he will die for his crimes because he refused the pardon. People who never heard the name of Jesus aren’t condemned to hell for never having heard --they are already condemned, because they sinned. Also, John 1 says that Jesus is the true light that gives light to every man that comes into the world, and Romans 1-3 says that they are without excuse because know the truth, God showed it to them. So even those in hell who never heard the name "Jesus" still had a chance to believe but rejected the truth and turned from the light because they loved the darkness.

Then, after all the verses, we went on to talk briefly about the resurrection and how that was the sign that God saw Christ’s sacrifice as an acceptable payment for sins --and it lets us know that if we also accept it then we can have eternal life. A man on death row may receive a pardon but of he refuses it he will still die.

Somewhere in all of that I used the courtroom analogy a few times and explained that we were lawbreakers, death was the sentence (talked briefly about the difference between the first death and the second death), but Jesus paid it for us so that we can be set free from the penalty of our sins.

I don’t remember if it was that night or the next night but I fielded some questions like, what if we confess our sins and what if we do good works to make up for our sins. But I answered by using the court analogy again and pointing out that a criminal who confesses isn’t set free – the judge has to have legal grounds to free him. That’s what Jesus’ sacrifice did. It is the legal grounds upon which God can dismiss our case. Also trying to do good things to make up for sin, was like trying to bribe a judge. If you washed the judges car on your way into court, and then brought it up as a reason for why he should let you go, what do you think would happen?

I continued to explain why 'good works' aren't enough, by talking about the fact that we owe God prefect righteousness every day (do good and don't do evil), if we failed to be righteous yesterday, then being perfectly righteous today could not make up for it, because we already owed Him that much today... For example, if you owe me $2 a day, every day, but didn’t pay me yesterday, then paying me what you owe me today wont make up for it – you already owed me that. And I talked about how Paul said that he counted all his good works as dung (told them what that was) so that he may win Christ. Abandon all hope in your works and turn to Jesus as your only hope.

A few more things I remember…

I let them all read a comic strip called “What Do People Say About You?” that I had found the day before. It’s made for kids, and is about a guy trying to make excuses for himself. It talks about the law, ends with the Gospel of Christ, and invites them to believe and ask God to forgive them. It was very light – not written with in a “heavy-handed” way and a bit humorous. And I gave out the “decision cards” from the church's packet and let them fill those out.

I talked to some of the kids individually

Most of Wednesday, after going through the lesson, I tried to answer questions and address things that I thought might have not been clear. I asked them a lot of questions and engaged them in discussion, so as to judge if they were confused about anything.

I used a lot of illustrations and analogies to try and make clear that it’s because we have already broken the commands that we cannot do good to make up for it, and that’s not what the law does anyway– it just shows you your sins, it doesn’t take them away, Christ’s sacrifice does that. It’s his perfect record of goodness/righteousness that gets you into heaven by replacing or covering your imperfect record. Law is just a mirror so we can see our sins, but when you see that you have egg on your face you don’t wash your face with the mirror – you go to the water to wash. Jesus is the living water.

The last night of VBS I printed off a bunch of verses on God’s love to show that His love is almost never mentioned without being directly connected with the sacrifice of Christ.
Here are the verses I used, about God’s love:

♥ For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have everlasting life. - John 3:16.

♥ Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. - John 15:13.

♥ But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. - Romans 5:8.

♥ But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) -Ephesians 2:4,5.

♥ And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour. - Ephesians 5:2.

♥ Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. - 1 John 3:1.

♥ Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: - 1 John 3:16a.

♥ In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. - 1 John 4:9,10.

♥ And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. - Revelation 1:5,6.

I read a little story [will edit to link to it later] to illustrate how God showed His amazing love for us on the cross by His own substitutionary (defined it) sacrifice that upheld the Law like never before by meeting it's holy demands, carried out the penalty against sin, and at the same time made a way for us to be justified (defined it – “just as if I’d” never sinned). Romans 3:19-26.

I talked about how when we are saved, we want to obey God and please Him out of sheer gratitude for all He’s done. Before, we obeyed to try and stay out of Hell - but after, we obey out of love for the one who first loved us. Our good works, as Christians, are not for salvation and we don't count them as righteousness. Christ is our righteousness. And I said that we ought to want to go out and tell others the good news. And lastly I talked about getting baptized and what it symbolizes.

WR

Come In and Stay Awhile

2008-09-27T08:58:00.006-04:00

Ya' know I've got that Feedjit widget over in the side bar.... well I've noticed that a few of my repeat visitors arrive on the same page every time, a page other than the home page. And then they don't stay long. So I'm thinking some of you may have bookmarked my blog while you were viewing a category or a post. If that's the case, then when you show up it may look like I haven't posted anything new 'cause it's the same thing you were looking at the last time you were here. So if this is happening to you, [I'm posting this in as many catagories as I can so maybe you will see it] just click on the "Home" link in the menu at the top of the page to check for new posts.

I'd also like to invite y'all to look around the sidebar. I've added a link to a page where I will be adding videos and audios about Christianity, Health Issues, How-to, and whatever else strikes my fancy. I don't have much there yet, but I wanted you to be aware of it.

There's also a new gadget from Blogger called Followers. I didn't know what it was all about, but the description basically said it is for people who like like my blog, to let me know they are following it. It also lets folks who read my blog, find the blogs of other folks who read my blog.I figured that was cool so I added it.

Anyway, I want to encourage y'all to look around and take a little more time checking out the blog.

WR

Friday's Favorite

2008-09-26T08:43:00.005-04:00

Today's favorite is a raggedy looking old teddy bear rocking chair. It's mine, from my childhood, so it's probably over 35 years old. My sister and I each had one and we've kept them for our children. I've never seen another one like them.

The poor thing is pretty worn out --well, he has been through quite a lot. His fur is matted, and he's stained, and generally looks dirty even when he's been cleaned. Threads are hanging, the glue is brittle, and his screws need to be tightened.

But he still has both his googly eyes and the red ribbon around his neck. I think he is still quite charming... And so does Pickle.

This is "his" chair for now. He will pull, push, and drag it around so he can sit and rock wherever he wants in the living room. In this picture he's "reading" a book in his room.

I've been thinking that one day I'll have to replace the rocking springs and try to fix him up a little so he will still be around for my grandkids. I don't know if they will love him as much as I do, but I hope so.

WR

Trans Fats and You - Part 3

2008-09-24T21:12:00.013-04:00

[Read part 1 HERE and part 2 HERE]

Partially hydrogenated oils are even worse for you than the refined vegetable oils they are made from, because the nickel catalyst, under high heat, causes the hydrogen atoms to change their position on the fatty acid chain.

Before hydrogenation, pairs of hydrogen atoms on the fatty acid chain are on the same side; this is a called a double bond. This double bond causes the chain to bend slightly and electrons are consentrated there. This is called the cis formation, and it's the configuration most commonly found in nature.

But during the hydrogenation process, one of the pairs of hydrogen atoms is moved to the other side of the chain so that the molecule straightens out. This is called the trans formation and it is rarely found in nature. Most of these man-made fats are toxic to the body, but your digestive system doesn't recognize them as a toxin and tries to use them like it would a natural fat.

It uses them in cell membranes, instead of naturally saturated fatty acids, and your cells actually become partially hydrogenated!

Once placed in your cell wall, trans fatty acids, with their reversed hydrogen atoms, wreak havoc on cell metabolism. The reason is that the needed chemical reactions can only take place when electrons in the cell membranes are in certain arrangements or patterns --which the trans fats have altered.

Also, cell integrety is compromized because trans fats are stiffer than saturated fatty acids and the cells become too stiff to function normally in the body. Think in terms of hardening arteries, high blood pressure, neurological disease (1/3 of your brain is made up of saturated fats -which trans fats replace), heart disease, liver disfunction, and cancer.

In the 1940's, researchers found a strong correlation between cancer and the consumption of fat. What were the fats they used in this study? They were hydrogenated fats. But hydrogentated fats were, until recently, catagorized as "saturated fat" in studies, so the results were presented as though natural saturated fats were the culprit. You find out exactly what kinds of fats were used, in order to find the truth in any study on "saturated fat".

Partially hydrogenated fats also interfere with your bodies ability to use essential fatty acids, causing a deficiency in these vital nutrients. This can cause many health problems, including hormonal and s*xual problems, increased blood cholesterol, and a seriuosly compromised immune system.

Lipase enzymes perform some essential roles in digestion and absorbtion of dietary fats. But human lipase enzyme doesn't work on the molecular configuration found in trans fats. So trans fats remain in the blood stream for a much longer period of time and is more prone to form arterial plaque. How trans fats contribute to coronary heart disease is fairly well understood, but the mechanism for trans fat's effect on diabetes is still being studied.

Trans fats have been associated with a host of serious diseases, like cancer, atherosclerosis, diabetes, obesity, immune system dysfunction, low-birth-weight babies, birth defects, decreased visual acuity, sterility, lactation problems, and problems with bones and tendons. Yet the continued popularity of partially hydrogenated margarine over butter speaks to the power of the advertizers over common sense. Your best defense is to avoid it like the plague.

An added warning…. Don't trust the "0 Trans Fats" label. The FDA says that 0.5 grams of trans fat per serving (and who eats just one serving anyway) is the same as none. So you have to check the ingredient list for hydrogenated oils.

WR

Trans Fats and You - Part 2

2008-09-24T20:59:00.009-04:00

[Read part 1 HERE]

Trans fats are found in partially hydrogenated oils, but how are they made?

In the old days, oils were extracted from the fruit, seed, or nuts that contain them, with slow-moving, heavy, stone presses that generated very little, if any, heat. But today, it's done by first crushing the seeds and then heating them to 230 degrees to get the oil flowing before squeezing the crushed, hot, seeds at 10 to 20 tons of pressure per inch --this generates even higher temperatures.

All this heat and pressure causes the weak carbon bonds of unsaturated fatty acids, especially triple unsaturated linolenic acid (an omega 3), to break down and create free radicals. Not only that, but antioxidants (like vitamin E), that are supposed to defend the body against these free radicals, are destroyed by the high heat and pressure.

Throughout the process, the oils are exposed to damaging light and oxygen. The combination of all these things almost guarantee the oils will be rancid. But don't worry, you'll never be able to tell by the time they're through processing it.

We're not done yet. In order to get every last drop of oil from the crushed seeds, processors take the pulp and add one of a number of solvents — usually hexane, a known carcinogen, but there are other equally nasty choices. Solvents also act on the pesticides that are on the seeds, causing them to dissolve off the seeds and into the oil.

These solvents are not, themselves, suitable for human consumption so they have to try to remove them. They do this by boiling the oil (more heat) to get the solvents to evaporate. Up to 100 parts per million remain in the oil.

Next BHT and BHA, both suspected of causing cancer and brain damage, are often added to these oils to replace the natural preservatives (like vitamin E) that were destroyed.

Up 'til now, I've just been telling you how the liquid vegetable oils (corn oil, soybean oil, canola oil, etc.) on the grocery store shelves are produced. But you needed to know this before we moved on to hydrogenation.

Hydrogenation is the process that turns polyunsaturated oils which are normally liquid at room temperature, into an oil that is solid at room temperature, like margarine and shortening.

Manufacturers start with the cheapest oils (that would be soy, corn, cottonseed or canola, which are already rancid from the extraction process described above) and they add tiny metal particles --usually nickel oxide. The oil with the nickel in it is then subjected to hydrogen gas in a high-pressure, high-temperature reactor. I don't really know how the nickle oxide is removed from the hardened oil. (If anyone has info on this, please let me know.)

Soap-like emulsifiers and starch are also squeezed into the mixture to give it a better consistency. Then, again, under high heat and pressure, the oil is steam-cleaned. The steam cleaning may be how the nickle is removed, but its main purpose is to deodorize the oil, which by this time has a very unpleasant oder and color.

For example, margarine's color at this point in the process, is grey. This color is removed by bleach and then dyes and strong flavorings are added to make it resemble butter. Finally, the mixture is compressed and packaged in blocks or tubs and sold as a "healthy" alternative to butter.

[Read part 3 HERE]

WR

Trans Fats and You - Part 1

2008-09-24T20:44:00.015-04:00

Take a peek at Jenny's post at Nourished Kitchen...
Health News: Trans Fats & Colon Cancer

Here are a few more examples of studies on the health effects of trans fats.

A major comprehensive study was published in April 2006 in the New England Journal of Medicine. It included the following: On a per-calorie basis, trans fats appear to increase the risk of coronary heart disease more than any other macronutrient, conferring a substantially increased risk, even at low levels of consumption (1 to 3 percent of total calories). A 2% increase in energy intake from trans fatty acids was associated with a 23% increase in the incidence of coronary heart disease.

In a cross-over diet trial, scientists took 29 healthy men and women and put some of them on a diet high in trans fat (in the form of partially hydrogenated soybean oil), and others on a diet high in saturated fat (in the form of palm kernel oil). After four weeks on their respective diets, the subjects were switched to the other diet. For each subject, the researchers took four measurements of artery dilation in the arm. They found that the ability of the blood vessels to dilate was 29 percent lower in people who ate the high trans fat diet compared to those on the saturated fat diet. Blood levels of HDL cholesterol (that's the good cholesterol)were 21 percent lower in the high trans fat group compared to the high saturated fat group. (A recent study indicates that keeping HDL cholesterol high may help to reduce the risk of clot-related stroke in elderly men. Click here for information.)

Click here for a study about the role of trans fats and systemic inflammation in heart failure.

In a study in Australia, scientists got dietary information and fat biopsy samples from 79 people who had just had their first heart attack. The researchers also got dietary information and biopsies from 167 people without heart problems. The researchers specifically questioned the participants about the type and amount of fat's they ate. The heart patients and healthy individuals were matched for age, gender, and socioeconomic background. Trans fats were found in significantly higher amounts in the fat tissue taken from the heart attack patients than in the fat tissue of the healthy volunteers. The connection between heart attack risk and trans fats remained even after scientists made statistical adjustments for the supposed detrimental affects of saturated fats in the diet.

In a study in Seattle, 179 cases aged 25 to 74 were out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients attended by paramedics in Seattle from 1988 to 1999. 285 controls, matched to the 179 cases by age and sex, were randomly identified from the community. Participants were free of previous clinically diagnosed heart disease. Blood was obtained at the time of cardiac arrest (cases) or at the time of an interview (controls) to assess trans fat intake. Higher total trans fat in red blood cell membranes was associated with a modest increase in the risk of primary cardiac arrest after adjustment for medical and lifestyle risk factors. Trans isomers of linoleic acid were associated with a three-fold increase in risk.

One 2007 study found, "Each 2% increase in the intake of energy from trans unsaturated fats, as opposed to that from carbohydrates, was associated with a 73% greater risk of ovulatory infertility.

An increased intake of trans-fatty acids may raise the risk of breast cancer by 75 per cent, suggest the results from the French part of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition. And one recent study has found connections between trans fat and prostate cancer.

And research from Wake Forest University indicates that trans fats make you fatter than other foods with the same number of calories -- but that's not all. They found that trans fats increase the amount of fat around the belly. They do this not just by adding new fat, but also by moving fat from other areas to the belly.

"Trans fat is worse than anticipated," Wake Forest researcher Lawrence L. Rudel, PhD, says in a news release. "Diets rich in trans fat cause a redistribution of fat tissue into the abdomen and lead to a higher body weight even when the total dietary calories are controlled."

[Read part 2 HERE and part 3 HERE]

WR

Twofer Tuesday

2008-09-23T19:46:00.001-04:00

Two posts, that I enjoyed, from other blogs.

One for good info...
The Homemakers Resource: Tipster Tuesday: Saving on Chicken

And one for good laughs...
My Little Locust Eater......

WR

That's My King!

2008-09-21T06:00:00.001-04:00

Friday's Favorites + Salt

2008-09-19T16:35:00.005-04:00

We buy Celtic Sea Salt from The Grain & Salt Society and our latest order arrived yesterday. So I decided that, not only would I show you one of my antique store finds, I'd show you how I "prep" my salt.

First, today's favorite... This is an old general store "5 pounds" jar that I got for $5 at a really great junky little antique store (which I rarely get to shop at, let alone buy at). I love this jar!

We buy the salt in five pound bags, so this jar has been perfect for storing it.

When the salt arrives, it is still damp. When you put damp salt in a salt grinder it will clump. Not only that, but when you try to grind it will stick to the outside of the grinding mechanism and if you don't get it off it will clump up and dry hard.

So this is what I do... I cut open the bag and spread the salt out on the largest, rimmed, cookie sheet I have. Then I put it a warm oven for a few hours and stir it occasionally. When I think it's sufficiently dry, I take it out and let it come to room temperature.

Then I add powdered kelp.

I stir again, scoop it into the jar, and refill the salt grinder.

This time, I also put some in a jar for my Mom and Dad.

And here's that wonderful jar of salt.

WR

Wellness Wednesday Tag

2008-09-16T23:17:00.016-04:00

Hmm, it's Wednesday... and you want to talk about a health-related topic... don't you wish you had a nifty little graphic, with some witty alliteration, to put at the top of your post?

Well, here ya' go! ; )

Feel free to use the above graphic with a few conditions...

I took the photo as well as creating the graphic elements so do not alter the image (other than adjusting its size) or use any part of it for any other purpose without my express permission.
The graphic needs to link back to this post on my blog.
Only G-rated blogs may use this graphic.

Oh, and I would really appreciate a comment with a link to your blog, if decide to use this graphic.

Thank you,
WR

The "Good" Test Video

2008-09-15T14:29:00.004-04:00

Yes, this is long... but it is WELL worth your time to watch it all the way through!

No 'Bucha Pictures

2008-09-15T10:25:00.002-04:00

Ok, time to 'fess-up. I didn't make the Kombucha right away and when I did, it was while I was trying to do a couple other things at the same time. So I forgot to take any pictures of the process. Maybe I'll remember to take some when I harvest this batch and made the next one.

WR

Candida Cleanse - Update

2008-09-14T23:14:00.003-04:00

I feel like I have hit a wall with the Candida cleanse. I'm just not seeing any further improvement. For instance, I'm still having issues with my scalp, eyes, and ears, although not as bad. And the rashes, though A LOT milder are still there.

I think I'm going to have get very strict with myself and start looking into other supplement options.

I'm going to let the kids go off the diet, but we are not going to go crazy with the forbidden foods. We are going to continue to keep the sweets and simple carbs to a minimum.

WR

Giveaway: Organic Valley Coupons

2008-09-14T00:59:00.003-04:00

Nourished Kitchen is giving away $1-off coupons for Organic Valley Butter. I love this butter. In fact I just bought some of their special edition butter from cows pastured on green, summer, grass. I've been using it to make butter oil and giving it to my kids with some Cod Liver Oil because they've all had a cold (Rooster first, then SweatPea, and now Pickle). Bull caught it too but he can't swallow oil without gaging at least twice. So he won't let me come anywhere near him with spoon these days.

WR

New Finds

2008-09-11T16:47:00.005-04:00

I added a separate blog roll for new [to me] blogs I run across called "New Finds". These are blogs that look interesting, but I'm just getting familiar with them, so I don't know if I want to add them to my regular list, yet.

Now, I'm ok with differing political views as long as the blog owners are not pounding their podium and as long as they're not too wacko. The same goes with religious views (to a point --there are some beliefs I wouldn't want to be responsible for giving an audience to, on Judgement Day).

I'm saying all this just so you know that I don't know everything about these blogs yet. And while I may not agree with everything I've seen so far, I haven't found anything particularly offencive. If you do run across something offencive or disconcerting, let me know so I can take that blog off my list.

WR

The SCOBY's Are Here!

2008-09-09T13:02:00.003-04:00

The SCOBY's arrived yesterday! Thank you Floydian!

A SCOBY is a Symbiotic Colony Of Bacteria & Yeast and it's used to brew Kombucha. Kombucha is a probiotic drink and a good substitute for other not-so-good-for-you drinks.

So, SweetPea and I will be making 'Bucha today. I'll take pictures and write more about it tomorrow.

WR

Our "Real Food" Plan

2008-09-06T20:43:00.035-04:00

I read labels. Yep, I'm one of "those people". Ya' know, the ones you see in the grocery store, with a baby in the cart chewing on the handlebar, two other kids blocking the aisle by chasing each other around in circles screaming "I'm gonna to tickle you!", while she's distracted staring at the labels on the sour cream containers so she can find the one that just says, "Cream, Cultures".

We have been on the path to a healthier way of eating for a while now. And, even though we still aren't where we'd like to be, I thought I'd let you in on our plan to get there.

First, you have to understand that we believe the best food is real food. Real food may not be what you are used to thinking about when you think of health food. But nutrition is all about nutrients. We, as a society, seem to have lost sight of this very important fact.

We all know, at least superficially, that good health is dependent upon "good nutrition". But what that really means, is that your body relies on a steady supply of a wide variety of nutrients in order to properly function and repair itself. And the best place to get these nutrients, is from food. Specifically, nutrient-dense, real foods. Problem is, most of the food we eat here in the USA, especially the "health" foods, are either mostly devoid of usable nutrients, are "fortified" with a few synthetic nutrients that your body doesn't know what to do with, or they all contain the same few nutrients over and over again.

So, the goal we are moving toward, is to make every bite count by getting rid of the empty-calorie, processed junk and eating nutrient-dense, real foods.

These are the kinds of things we eat at our house:

Beef
Chicken
Pork
Eggs
Milk & dairy products
Veggies
Fruit
Nuts & nut butters
Whole grain bread, rice, and pasta
Olive oil, coconut oil, butter
Natural sweeteners

These are the things we normally try to avoid, or are working toward eliminating from our diet:

Soy
High fructose corn syrup
Hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated anything
Oils processed with solvents or high heat
Canola oil, Soybean oil, and Safflower oil in any form
Highly processed or chemically preserved foods
Artificial sweeteners, colors, and flavors
White flour (bread, pasta, etc.)
White rice
Sugar

The veggies we eat are organic about 95% of the time, or they come from our garden.

We don't eat very much rice or pasta (pasta is basically just empty calories), but we do eat quite a bit of bread. I don't make our bread (SweetPea would like to learn how, though), but we buy only whole wheat bread with no high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) or hydrogenated oils.

When we can, we travel about 1 1/2 to 2 hours (one way) to buy organically raised, grass-fed beef, beef liver, beef bones, and pork. But that's not as often as we would like because it is a long, expensive trip. The bones are for making beef broth/stock --a very healthy, nutrient-rich food.

The milk we drink is real milk, and we would like for more of our dairy products to be raw and organic.

We usually buy eggs that come from pastured or free-range hens. As for chicken meat, buying pastured chickens is just too expensive for us right now, so we would like to start raising our own chickens for meat and eggs. We've had a few laying hens in the past so that's no biggy. But we would have to learn how to "process" [slaughter & clean] chickens at home if we didn't want a meat locker telling us which parts of our own chickens we would be allowed to keep after they'd processed them. (They usually don't let you keep the feet, heads, etc. because they can sell these to ethnic markets and exporters.)

We want to do more wild harvesting of fruit, berries, and nuts, grow our own fruit trees and berry bushes (we have some planted but they're not producing, yet), and get our mature pecan trees to produce better. But even if they don't, with a little planning, we should be able to pick up all the pecans we want from some local trees we know about.

We need to eat a wider variety of meat --like lamb, game birds, more fish, and venison. The venison shouldn't be hard to find, here in the Southeast. But you pretty much have to be a hunter to get game birds inexpensively. And lamb may be a pipe dream, unless we raise our own. And though we do have the land to raise at least one lamb or miniature cow, none of us are familiar with animal husbandry so that's kind of a scary thought. LOL!

And I'm looking forward to adding tallow, schmaltz, and lard our list of cooking fats, but we haven't found affordable organic sources for them yet. I plan to ask the butcher about beef and pork fat the next time we make the trip. If I can get the raw fat from him then I will render it to make tallow and lard. To learn more about why we would include these supposedly unhealthy fats, click HERE.

The sweeteners we use are honey, maple syrup, molasses, stevia, and occasionally one of the varieties of unrefined sugar. Unrefined sugar isn't completely unrefined, it's just sugar that has not had all the molasses and nutrients removed in order to make it white and give it a more neutral flavor. It resembles brown sugar, but conventional brown sugar is just white sugar with some things added back in to make it brown and flavorful - it doesn't have the nutrients of the cane juice that it came from.

Another thing we need to eat more of is fermented and cultured foods. I used to make kombucha but I ruined the SCOBY's. Just recently, an OLF volunteered to send me some of her spares. So as soon as they arrive, I'll be in the 'bucha making bidness again!

We do eat organic, whole milk yogurt with live cultures, and I make kefir. I use the kefir in just about anything that I would use buttermilk in. But other than Pickle and myself, no one else in the family will drink it straight. Although, Rooster and SweetPea do get some in an occasional smoothie. So, I ought to get my act together and make some sauerkraut, more beet kvass, and try some of the recipes I have for fermented condiments and "pickled" veggies.

Now I must admit that during our yeast cleanse, things have been different. We buy stuff I would never normally buy, because it is "legal" on the diet, convenient, and keeps us all from feeling deprived. Also, Bull "has to have" sodas (I find myself craving them, too). So he brings home at least one 2 liter just about every weekend and we all partake. Usually he'll only bring home sodas that are made with sugar instead of HFCS. During the candida cleanse it has been only sodas sweetened with Splenda (which is one of those things I would normally avoid like the plague).

I know that some of the things I've talked about, need some 'splanin' but that will have to wait 'til another day and another post. I just wanted to get started on this topic and so this post is the first but not the last time I will talk about what I'm learning and trying to put into practice concerning real food and nutrition.

Long Time No Say

2008-09-05T09:27:00.003-04:00

Wow, it's been a whole week since I last posted!

I've got loads of ideas for posts and some in the works, but it seems whenever I'm online I'm busy with something else.

I hope to post another favorite today, I need to give an update on the cleanse, and I'm working on a post about nutrition and good health for Wednesday. Oh! and then there's that post about plantain that I promised to write.

Sorry to have gone AWOL for a while... don't give up on me.

WR

Friday's Favorites

2008-08-29T23:59:00.003-04:00

This is a painting done by my mother! She is a self-taught artist. She can work in pencil, charcoal, ink, pastels, oil paint, and acrylic paints. I love this painting. She lets me hang it in my home and she gave another beautiful work to my sister. The one my sister has, is of a red fox in the snow. I wish I could show you all her work, she has them all over her home. I grew up around this kind of beautiful art and wanted to be an artist just like my mom. Unfortunately, I can't paint a landscape to save my own hide. So I most just work in portraiture (when I can concentrate enough and have enough time to myself to do it -- which ain't often these days).

WR

P.S, I reserve the right to edit the snot out of this post tomorrow (since it is very late now and I am typing in a hurry) and still call it a Friday's Favorites. :-p

A Bird in the [S]and - Part 2

2008-08-28T00:29:00.002-04:00

I started this post a while back but couldn't post it 'cause I couldn't get the photos off the camera, and then after downloading them, I forgot about them for a while. So here's the conclusion to A Bird in the [S]and.

I said that I'd try to get pix of the baby Killdeer when they hatched. Well I was at my parents house when it happened, but Bull tried to get a few photos for me.

This is the first baby Killdeer that hatched... and the only one we got a picture of.

Here's Momma Killdeer.

And sadly, there was one dud. This egg never hatched.

Yay! Dirt!

2008-08-27T05:37:00.002-04:00

What? My feet are dirty? Really?

Oh.

I'll get it off, Mom.

My hands too?! Where? Here?

And my lip, you say? I'll get that too, Mom. No need for a bath.

Ok, all done. Gotta go back outside now --buhbye!

Update on Mom

2008-08-26T19:28:00.005-04:00

Mom was released from the hospital and she had her first post-hospital doctors appointment yesterday. The doctor she went to see was her "blood doctor" and he said that the thinks she had a stroke, even though the they didn't find any blockages with a CAT scan (an MRI would have been better but she can't have one). We know that she was treated as though she had a stroke when she went to the emergency room, so that was a good thing. The sooner you are treated for stroke the better your chance of full recovery.

We may never know if she actually had a stroke or not, but we do know that her health has been getting steadily worse for about a decade. So something needs to change. She has too many serious health issues that the doctors have never been able to do anything about or even diagnose with any certainty.

Anyway, she is doing a little better, but not good, and still needs your prayers.

Thanks,
WR

Girls Poop Daisies

2008-08-25T22:21:00.005-04:00

The kids and I saw this the other day.....

...and we were all laughing pretty hard. Then I said, "It's true! We do! Don't we?" and nudged SweetPea for some backup. She stopped laughing, looked at me, and with all seriousness...........

..........You ready for this?..........

..........She said...........

"I'd rather poop butterflies and rainbows."

WR

Please Pray for My Mom

2008-08-18T16:54:00.007-04:00

She's in the hospital.

These are her symptoms:

Muscle tremors (She shakes like a Parkinson patient -can't keep her head still; can't touch her finger to her nose and then to the dr's finger)
Weak and dizzy
Nausea
Her blood pressure is fluctuating between normal and low (she usually has high bp)
A sensation of falling when she closes her eyes

They've done a CAT scan and there were no blockages. They doctors here are saying they don't know what's wrong or what direction to go in.

Candida Cleanse Day 26

2008-08-16T17:26:00.006-04:00

This morning I felt worse than yesterday. I have had terrible inflammation of the digestive system for the last few days and finally broke down and took a dose of over the counter antihistamine. I can't say that I noticed any change other than increased drowsiness.

So I made myself eat some soup made of beef broth, shredded cabbage & carrots, with olive oil drizzled over top. Then, when I felt a little stronger I started on a home remedy for the die-off.

I took some plantain seeds that I had harvested from my yard and "sifted" them somewhat, so that I had more seeds than husks. Then, because I don't have a coffee grinder, I set up a kind of mortar and pestle with my egg-separator and the end of a wooden, child-sized, rolling pin.

SweetPea and I took turns crushing the seeds 'til I thought most of them were probably cracked. Then I took a spoonful and washed them down with a big glass of water. I've been drinking a good amount of water since then and I think this has been the most effective thing I've tried. I feel much better. So good in fact, I think I'll cook supper.

I will post more about Plantain (what, how, why, etc.) in another post.

Oh and I think the blue nails, Tuesday night, was from low blood pressure. Herxheimer reaction can cause a drop in blood pressure and I already have low blood pressure so mine dropped really low. So taking the cayenne was the right thing to do. Although, if I had known it was low blood pressure at the time, I would have infused olive oil with rosemary and rubbed in on my chest because that works to bring blood pressure back up pretty quickly.

WR

Candida Cleanse Day Whatever

2008-08-15T22:22:00.005-04:00

I'm still somewhat sick. I have spells of being very tired and I'm generally weaker than normal. I'm also only eating about one good meal a day and have frequent abdominal "discomfort" and some bouts of sweating. Not so many trips to the bathroom but that's probably because I'm not eating as much and so that kind of thing doesn't seem to hit me 'til the evenings. But I am able to go out and get some things done during the day and not have everyone ask me if I feel ok (I think acting normal when you are sick is a female trait). I haven't stopped the candida cleanse but I'm not taking as many anti-fungals as before. Started adding back in a Candida Clear twice a day and will be rotating it out for something else about every other day or so. I am now certain this is a Herxheimer reaction.

WR

Candida Cleanse - Sick as a Dog

2008-08-14T09:34:00.016-04:00

Ok, here's what's been going on with me for the last two days.

I had been having some severe itching in some spots where I'm prone to have yeast rashes along with the other aches and pains I described in my candida cleanse posts. Then Tuesday I realized something was happening.

I developed a headache with painful "stuffy" ears and my eyes hurt so bad I just wanted to keep them closed. Then came the body aches. I hurt all over. I was certain I was coming down with the flu. I started sweating while doing nothing more than sitting on the couch. But, even though I lost my appetite, I never got nauseous or threw-up like I always do with the flu.

I actually felt a little better for a while in the afternoon after getting outside for a bit and was able to eat a small meal (the only one of the day).

That evening, I was going to the bathroom a LOT, and I began to get chills and could not get warm. I was extremely dizzy/lightheaded (I was drinking to stay hydrated so I'm pretty sure that wasn't the problem) and told my older children what to do if I should pass out (because I felt as though I might, at any moment). My hands, feet, and nose felt like blocks of ice, and I was extremely weak.

After the kids were in bed and I started getting ready to turn in, it was getting ridiculous how cold my hands were and so I was moving them more to try and warm them. That's when I noticed that my nails were turning blue. At first I wondered if I had a blood clot but then reasoned that it probably wouldn't affect both my hands and there would probably be other symptoms like swelling. Also I had started spotting (women will know what I'm talking about without my giving TMI) so then I thought maybe my blood was "too thin". In any case, I decided to take some cayenne. I knew it would help me warm up and has the added benefit of regulating blood pressure and bleeding problems.

I was still feeling like I could pass out at any time but I was too weak to stay up long enough to see if the cayenne was going to work so I went to bed.

Several times early in the night and would wake-up enough to be aware that I was warming up but that the feeling of vertigo and being near unconsciousness was still there and I felt the worst I had all day. I thought about calling my sister but didn't know what she could do other than take me to the hospital and I didn't want the kids to wake up to something like that and so I told myself that if it got any worse, then I'd call. Eventually I slept well, and woke up feeling a little better.

So yesterday, I had a milder version of the same... sweating, headaches, body aches, diarrhea, weakness, loss of appetite (though I was able to eat more than the day before), ears hurt, eyes hurt, but with the addition of abdominal cramping and minus the spotting, dizziness, and chills. I've lost 7 lbs in two days.

Today I feel better than yesterday, but I'm still not 100%.

During this time I stopped taking the Candida Clear and other supplements except for grapefruit seed extract. I figured if had the flu then the GSE might help. And last night I took some saccharomyces boulardii. But I suspect it may be a Herxheimer reaction (immune system reaction to severe die-off), because none of the kids are sick, even though right up 'til Tuesday, I was sticking my finger into Pickle's mouth a couple times a day to apply a homemade teething ointment.

Well, I need to go rest now so I will be up to taking Rooster to football practice later today. I just wanted to post this here because it's easier than trying to update my OLFs individually. Hope y'all understand and forgive the "impersonal" reply.

WR

Meet Mr. Nice Guy

2008-08-11T14:28:00.009-04:00

Purchase this tract HERE.

(I am in no way affiliated with Living Waters Ministries and receive no money from your purchase.)

Homemade Probiotics [Kefir]

2008-08-11T12:53:00.004-04:00

Probiotics are a must, while on a Candida cleanse. You have to replace the Candida that you're killing off, with something that will compete against what remains and keep it at bay. Otherwise it will just keep growing back. I bought some probiotic supplements but I also make my own in the form of.... KEFIR!

Kefir is an odd word (but then, kefir is an odd beverage so it's only fitting). It doesn't follow English phonic rules. Of course, it's not an English word, so why should it?

When we try to apply our phonic rules to the word kefir we come up with kē'-fûr or KEE-fur. LOL! That sounds so funny to me! I'm a Southern gal, so I know what it's like to be laughed at for how you talk.... but, KEE-fur coming out of the mouths of otherwise very dignified folks, never fails to make me smirk. I sounds like a nickname I would have come up with in jr. high if I'd had any friends named Keith. "Hey! Keith... Keif-FEE... KEE-fur, meh man!"

But I've heard the correct pronunciation from a Russian acquaintance (also from recordings online) and apparently, it's pronounced with a short e and a short i sound, kě-fĭr' or keh-FEAR, with the emphasis on the second syllable. It sounds sort of mysterious and foreign, but pleasant. Not at all like an annoying nickname. LOL!

Well, enough of that...
Now, on to the kefir grains!

Beware: what you are about to see are kefir grains in their naked state... au naturel... nothin' on but a milk coat. Don't be afraid, they are harmless (and it is only a picture). In fact these ugly little fellows might become your best budd's. Some folks become very attached to their grains. I used to call mine Freddy, Fred, and Ed, but then they kept multiplying, so now I just call them The Bumpy Boys.

And these are they, er, them, er.... Here they are!

Or at least some of them. I recently decided to split up the gang and start making two batches at once. And so I photographed the process so I could do this little show and tell.

Now, on to the making of the kefir!
This is really simple, folks. Here's the equipment.

Kefir grains (in the Newman's Own jar), a clean spoon to get them out (oh, and a clean bowl, if you want to wash them --or take a picture of them), a clean jar for the new batch to percolate in, and milk (I use real milk and highly recommend it -- just look at the cream line on that milk! Yumm.).

After you've got all that together, fish out the grains with the clean spoon... [Now some folks are really upset at me right now 'cause I'm telling you that you can use a metal spoon. It's supposedly a no-no to let metal touch the grains. But I think that's been blown way out of proportion. Sure, it would be pretty dumb to store your kefir or kefir grains in a copper pot or some such thing --you'll kill 'em. But I don't think that a two second ride on a stainless steel spoon is going to leave a lasting impression on their health. Ok, now on with the show!]

...and either wash them off with filtered water (no chlorine! chlorine is used to kill microorganisms --Duh!) or just plop them in the clean jar. Some folks wash them every time. I washed them this time, but I usually don't. I read a study that said they are healthier and produce more probiotics if you don't wash them so often.

But let's say you washed them. Then, pour the milk in the jar up to where it starts to curve, and add the grains.

Put the lid on the jar, but don't tighten it too tight. You want air to be able to escape. And put the jar in a warm, but not hot, place. Shake the jar a few times in the next twenty-four hours (remember to tighten the lid first and loosen it after).

I usually leave the jar out for twelve hours, and then put it in the fridge for twelve, before using the kefir. But these two batches had to be left out longer because I was using fewer grains per batch.

The finished product should be slightly thick, kinda like a yogurt smoothie. And it will have a sharp taste, kinda like a mix between plain yogurt and buttermilk.

Now on to drinking the Kefir!
Here's a batch that's thru ripening. I had just poured some for Pickle and there he is drinking it.

Here's a picture to show you the characteristic pattern that forms when kefir washes down the sides of the jar.

Now on to more info!
Here's a website with more information about kefir than you ever wanted to know. Dom's Kefir In-Site

Here's to your health!
WR

New and Improving

2008-08-09T13:29:00.003-04:00

As you can see, the blog is going thru an overall --I mean an overhaul.
Stay tuned.

WR

My Loot

2008-08-05T11:44:00.008-04:00

This is what I got when I went shopping. Bull gave me a budget so I didn't get as many pants and shirts as I would have. Oh, I could have left off of the hooded towel I got as a gift for someone, but I just couldn't leave it behind since it matched the robe I'd already bought for the same baby, and because I didn't see any outfits I could get for Pickle for the same price or less.

Anyway, I got a three-piece set of PJs: one top, one long bottoms, and the cutest little boxer briefs. I also got an outfit for fall that has a hoody, a long-sleeved t-shirt, and blue jeans. And three of the board books we wanted (I decided to save them for Christmas).

Here's the towel I bought this time, and the robe I got last month (these are for a baby who's not born yet).

Everything was below retail. The PJs are Carter brand, and retail for $24 but I got them for $7, and the fall outfit was $15 and I got it for $8. I forget how much the robe was (it and the towel are also Carter) but I think I spent $6 or $7 for it and the towel was $17 but I spent $7.

I know there are better bargain hunters than me out there, but for somebody who doesn't like to go shopping I think I did pretty good.

WR

Going Shopping

2008-08-03T12:12:00.002-04:00

Today, I'm going out to get Pickle some PJ's and a few shirts and pants. I also found somewhere to get some of our favorite board books for him at about half price, so Ill be picking up some of those. I haven't decided yet, whether to put the books away 'til Christmas or let him have them now.

WR

Friday's Favorites

2008-08-01T20:18:00.010-04:00

This Friday's Favorite is a set of antique bowls Granny Trudy gave to me when she gave me the blue pitcher.

One is a deep, rich brown and the other is a beautiful soft green. There were supposed to be three bowls in the set but Granny could only find two, the smallest one was missing. I believe the small bowl was probably an earthy yellow. She said the other one was around the house somewhere and when she found it, she would let me have it too. As far as I know, she never found it. She started getting forgetful and I never asked her about it.

But I love the two I have. And when I had a place to display them I kept them out all the time but now I try to find a place for them at Christmas.

Oh, and the chair in the pictures used to sit on my grandparents front porch.

Hey

2008-07-28T19:32:00.001-04:00

Don't feel like bloggin' right now. Will update later.

WR

Green Beans. I has 'em.

2008-07-26T10:51:00.006-04:00

I have a pile of green beans in the fridge and more in the garden waiting to be picked. It's really not that much --too much to cook before they go bad, but hardly enough to make it worthwhile to can them, IMO. But I need to get out there and pick them and then go to Mom and Dad's house so Mom can show me how to can them anyway. That's what I need to do, but this is how I feel about it...

Friday's Favorites

2008-07-25T17:13:00.022-04:00

I collect a few patterns of dinnerware. None of them are fancy or very valuable. They are just patterns I really like. They give me a homey feeling when I look at the them. I like to use them whenever we have people over for a special occasion and they fit right in with our nothing fancy house where we eat in the kitchen 'cause we don't have a dining room (and I like it that way). I also use the serving pieces when I take food to a family dinner at Christmas or Thanksgiving.

This is one of the patterns I collect.

It was made by Metlox in the 1940's or 50's. It was never really given a name as far as I can figure, and was just offered as a premium to customers of A&P grocery stores in California. Because of that, the pattern is often called the Premium Rooster by those that know some of the history. (I've also seen it called the Skinny Rooster.) But since it was not widely distributed or sold, and because it doesn't really have a name, it is really hard to find any info on this pattern.

This also makes it very hard to find the pieces when you want to buy them, because people don't know how to describe it when selling it. I mean, what do you look for when searching for it on Ebay? LOL! There's no standard name for this pattern and it often doesn't even have the Metlox mark on it anywhere. So what you see, is everything I have of this pattern.

Usually, the rarer the pattern, the more expensive it is. But despite the fact that this one is hard to find, it's not really worth that much money --which is fine with me, 'cause I could not afford to collect it if it was. And since I only collect it because I like it, I don't care if the value of my "collection" is low.

Oh, and I almost forgot about this guy.

Believe it or not, he's a part of this pattern. Looks nothing like the painted rooster but this is the relish tray that went with this dinnerware. The olives, gherkins, cheese cubes, or whatever, were piled in each side of the tray and the picks to skewer them with were placed in the holes in the sides of the chicken.

Doesn't he make you smile?!

WR

Blessed

2008-07-25T00:34:00.003-04:00

I've been counting my blessings lately and thought I'd share a few of the things on my list. These are not huge things, nothing profound, just little things I've been thanking God for -- you may think some of them are silly but am thankful for every one of them.

Tomatoes from the garden that are piling up all over the kitchen counter.

Fresh figs, summer squash, and peaches given to us by family.

Blueberries, found on sale, to eat with my cottage cheese.

A second freezer with frozen tomatoes, figs, grapes, and blueberries in it for when the fresh ones are all gone.

Harvesting onions, peppers, or greenbeans right out of the garden when I need them for something I'm cooking.

New recipes, that my family loves, from friends I haven't even met.

A bag of free pecans that we picked up various places earlier in the year.

Learning where the good pecan trees are so we can pick up even more next year.

Watermelons on the vine and lots of cantaloupe blooms (and the hope of cantaloupes soon).

Wild bees to pollinate our garden and ladybugs to eat the aphids.

Purple Martins who kept most of the moths out of the garden and flies out of the house (the flies have always been really bad here, 'til this year).

Being able to see such beauty every day when I walk outside.

Wildflowers and weeds in my yard, instead of a boring stretch of plain ol' grass.

Learning how to tell which weeds are toxic, which are useful, and which are just very pretty if you give the a place of their own to grow.

The fig tree that we thought had died last year, came back this year and is doing well.
Finding little things on sale that I can use to bless others.

All the people who have blessed me so many times in so many ways.

Candida Cleanse Day 4

2008-07-24T20:35:00.003-04:00

Not a lot to report, really. I itch all over, it's not that bad except on my scalp (that's where it's always been the worst). Ears, throat, and the roof of mouth itches. Body odor is still bad, and breath is too. And I know you won't believe this is related to Candida but over the years I've learned that, for me, it is... the plaque in my mouth has gotten really bad. It gets very thick on my teeth throughout the day. When I had the Candida under control I was surprised at how much cleaner my teeth stayed.

Breakfast:
Cottage cheese with flax seed oil and fruit.

Lunch:
Leftover casserole.

Dinner:
Chili.

Supplements:
Super Enzymes at each meal
Grapefruit Seed Extract in a small cup of orange juice at breakfast
Candida Clear with breakfast and dinner
Two capsules of Gr8-Dophilus
Pau D'Arco Tea

WR

Candida Cleanse Day 3

2008-07-23T20:40:00.009-04:00

I was so tired today I almost fell asleep sitting up, once or twice. So when Pickle went down for his second nap, around 4:30, so did I. SweetPea woke me up when Pickle woke up, two hours later. I could have easily gone back to sleep and slept through 'til morning. I am still just as tired as I was before the nap.

Breakfast:
Yogurt with fruit and nuts.

Lunch:
Hot dog quesadilla -chopped and sauteed, hot dog, onion, and bell pepper put it on a flour tortilla, sprinkled with cheese, folded tortilla over, and fried 'til crisp.

Dinner:
A TexMex casserole.

Supplements:
I took Super Enzymes at each meal, Grapefruit Seed Extract in a small cup of orange juice at breakfast, Candida Clear with breakfast and dinner, and two capsules of Gr8-Dophilus after dinner.

Symptoms/Die-Off:
Irritated bloodshot eyes (really bad last night but mostly gone today)
A painful, itchy skin rash on upper thigh and another starting under arms
Irritated, but not congested, nasal passages
A little queasy
Stronger body odor
Dizzy/lightheaded
Fatigue
Ears ache
Itchy throat
Flem in throat

WR

Ugh

2008-07-23T10:09:00.006-04:00

It's only 10:30 AM and I am pretty frustrated today because I have a couple of posts that are ready to go but I can't post them because I can't find the cord for the camera so I can't download my pictures to the computer and use them in my posts and the posts just wouldn't be the same without those photos and I don't feel well today 'cause the die-off has started and has me feeling lightheaded, foggy, and bit dizzy or as some would say, "out of my head" but I still had to take SweetPea to her piano lesson this morning and the last I time took Pickle to Dr. Gary, I asked if we should go to the pediatrician about the fact that his left foot still turns in some and he said that if it was his child he wouldn't because he could just treat him at home and keep an eye on it but because Pickle is not his child, as a professional, yes he would advise me to take him to be x-rayed just to be sure, and after he adjusted him, he had him run up and down the hall several times and said that he wanted us to bring him back one more time, so we have an appointment today and like I said, I don't feel well... oh, and the library just called and we need to go pick-up a book that Rooster requested.

WR --The newly crowned Queen of the Run-On Sentence

Candida Cleanse Day 2

2008-07-22T16:43:00.008-04:00

I cut out refined sugar and started restricting simple carbs like bread, rice, and potatoes yesterday. I've taken a couple of doses of Candida Clear so far. I am also taking a Super Enzymes tablet with my meals --when I remember. It contains an enzyme that breaks down the walls of yeast cells. And last night I drank a cup of ginger tea, which made my throat burn with every sip but it didn't taste bad at all.

Today I ate an omelet and bacon for breakfast, a bowl of plain yogurt with fruit, nuts, and probiotic powder in it for lunch, and Rooster is cooking pork roast for dinner. Breakfast and lunch were so good it made me wonder why I don't eat like this all the time.

I find it interesting that I'm not craving chocolate. I love dark chocolate but it's not on my GOT-TO-HAVE-IT-NOW-! list at the moment. Actually I'm craving ice cream, doughnuts and soda, but that's nothing new, I've had those cravings for months. The soda craving is usually the worst, but right now I'd push one of my kids down to get to a doughnut! Ok. not really, but you get the picture. Yeast loves sugar so that's probably why I've been craving the more sugary things instead of the dark chocolate.

The sore spots in my mouth are gone. My ears are still stuffy and are starting to hurt. I'm still tired, and now my throat is itchy and my eyes are getting "sore" and "sticky" (hard to describe) . These are some of the symptoms I've had off and on from the Candida infection and, since it's only the second day, are probably not from the cleanse or die-off. But I have been spending an unusual amount to time in the bathroom. Which probably is from the antifungals.

So that's it for today. I know you just can't wait to hear more. LOL!

WR

Candida Cleanse

2008-07-21T22:21:00.003-04:00

I'm going to start a new category for my posts about the Candida (yeast, of the harmful variety) cleanse. I'll update fairly often, if not everyday, to let y'all know how it's going.

Today, I have some sore spots in my mouth, and my ears feel stuffy. I'm also pretty tired, but I've done this cleanse before and know it will get worse before it gets better.

Here's a recent post I made on a forum, about what I'm doing...

For antifungals I have three bottles of Candida Clear, one bottle of Formula SF722, a 16oz bottle of food grade H2O2, Pau d'Arco, Garlic, locally grown and made whole Goldenseal tincture, VCO, Beat Kvass, and several other things that I can't recall right now.

I plan to take the Candida Clear while cycling some of the other things in and out over about three months. I will restrict my diet but I probably wont do a complete "yeast fast" type of diet. I plan to cut white sugar completely out and cut back on carbs. But I will continue to use honey and natural sweeteners in moderation (cutting back most severely in the beginning).

I also have three or four bottles of gr8 dophilus (TTU8), will be eating a good yogurt, and drinking kefir (beet kvass has probiotics too, and I need to get a SCOBY for KT) while on the antifungals. I also hope to make some sauerkraut.

When I stop the anitfungals I will take Saccharomyces. It's a beneficial yeast that I learned about when my dad got sick. It survives the stomach acids and completes very well with the bad guys for space in the intestinal tract. It goes by the brand name Florastor but you can get it much cheaper if you search for Saccharomyces and buy an "off brand".

I will continue watching my diet to make sure I don't eat too many sweets and get enough cultured foods from there on out.

That's the plan anyway.

Day by Day

2008-07-21T09:08:00.008-04:00

I've decided to do a lot more "This is My Day" type of posting. Kinda like a public diary. I've been spending less time at my favorite online communities and so this is a way to feel like I'm staying in touch with my OLF's --ya know, meet that need to "chat". LOL!

Well today, I am starting a cleanse to rid myself of Candida. The other family members (except Pickle) are kinda doing it along with me. All but one of them volunteered so the last one got drafted. LOL.

I'm not going to be as strict on them as myself, of course. But it's a lot easier to just cook once at each meal, than to make a meal for everyone else, a different one for me, and then sit down to eat while watching the rest of the family nom on stuff I can't have.

If I had to do that, this would be my next post...

more cat pictures

The only other stuff going on today is a trip to the library. Yay! We love library day! And I have to think of something to do with the TON of figs Mom and Dad brought back for me. I can eat a lot of figs (YUM, they are one of my favorite fruits) but not this much, and I don't' want to can them 'cause you have to add a lot of sugar to do that. I'll probably freeze most of them and put the rest in the fridge for snacks.

See Ya',
WR

Going Home

2008-07-20T09:48:00.006-04:00

I've been staying at my parents house this weekend, to take care of their birds while they were away. It's been a nice break from the routine. The first night it was just me and Pickle and we had some great one on one time!

But I didn't eat like I should and by the second night I was not feeling well and became quite tired and grumpy. Also, Pickle did not have a good nap all day (he normally has two) and was quite hyper and unable to listen to correction. So Bull took him home and Rooster and SweetPea stayed with me last night. Unfortunately, we didn't get as much time together. They are older and run off to play or do their own things. :sigh:

Well, I'm heading home today as Mom and Dad will be back later this afternoon. The birds are still alive (thank God), I am rested, and would like to spend some time with My Man before he has to go back to the daily grind.

WR

Happy Shopper

2008-07-19T12:55:00.006-04:00

My shopping trip yesterday, turned out to be a good one. For my cousin's baby girl, I got four adorable sun dresses with bloomers, and a set of four really nice bows made from grosgrain ribbon. The bows matched the dresses pretty well so I was happy to find them. I also found two cutesy hats for my great niece. And I only spent around $15 for all of it. Not bad, huh?

WR

Out

2008-07-18T11:20:00.004-04:00

Brockleesgirl [littlemama] will be happy to know that I'm getting out today! LOL!

But I'm just going to pick-up our milk and taking Pickle to his last chiropractic appointment. I'm taking Dr. Gary some tomatoes from the garden.

Then I'm going shopping for a gift for my cousin's baby (that's not born yet). It's a girl --I LOVE shopping for baby girl stuff!!!

I wish I had a sewing machine to sew cutesy, girly, baby stuff.... and the time to sew cutesy, girly, baby stuff.... and knew how to sew cutesy, girly, baby stuff.

:sigh:

WR

I Confess...

2008-07-15T14:12:00.011-04:00

Ok, ok! I confess! I'm one of those goofy moms who makes up stupid little songs and poems for and about my kids. I do it all the time, without much thought (and it shows! LOL!).

Here's one of my "masterpieces". *snort*

[SweatPea]'s a banana,
She's long and thin,
The only thing she's missin' is the yellow skin!

This next one shows off my originality. *sputter*

I love you.
You love me.
One and one and one makes three.
Two little boys and a girl for me.
Growin' our family tree.

Some of them the kids don't like, some they laugh at, and some they remember and repeat. Every once in a while I come up with something I can't help but laugh at, and simultaneously hope they wont repeat in public. :) My latest is in that category. Ya' see, Pickle has a mild diaper rash, and I made this one for him while changing his diaper.

I have a b*tt.
My b*tt is red.
It's at the opposite end from my head.
Not many things my b*tt can do,
All it does is f*rt and poo.

WR

Thank You Dr. Gary!

2008-07-14T09:59:00.018-04:00

Dr. Gary is our chiropractor. He's a Christian, a husband, a father to four boys, and a really good chiropractor. (He also likes garden-fresh tomatoes.)

I've had mild back pain for years. At times it was worse than usual but then it would ease up again. I just thought it was something I had to live with. Then I got pregnant with Pickle and my back started getting worse. I hoped things would go back to normal after the birth.

Some time after that, Bull injured his back and started having tingling in his legs that just wouldn't go away. Some days it was so bad that he couldn't concentrate on anything else. He decided to try a chiropractor.

The first one he went to wouldn't give him a plan of treatment that ended with recovery. He seemed to want dh to just keep coming back --and tell all his family and friends how much they all needed see the chiropractor too. There was a heavy pushing of products and services and they wanted Bull to invite everyone he knew to come to "parties" at the office were they too could hear about these products and services. And to top it off, Bull was not seeing any benefit from his visits. So he stopped going, but his back wouldn't let him just forget the whole thing.

About that time, someone recommended Dr. Gary. So Bull decided to give it another try.

By then I had recovered from the birth and surgery (my second C-section) and was starting to understand that a lot of things were just not getting better --and my back was one of them. I was having back pain that was waking me up every night and I started each day in pain. So, Bull decided to make an appointment for me too. Dr. Gary got Bull in working order fairly quickly and help me immensely (our insurance doubled our copay before my treatment was over, and I was feeling so much better that I decided to stop going for a while).

Then recently, when pickle had been walking for a few months, we began to worry about his inability to go two days in a row without falling down and hitting his his head. The boy constantly had a bruise or knot on his head somewhere, and I regularly watched him for signs of a concussion.

His feet tended to turn in, but the left foot more so than the right. And believe it or not his adorable little baby b*tt crack was crooked! It veered to the left at the top and it had been that way since he was born, but thank God that was beginning to straighten out.

Still, the constant falling was not getting better, it was getting worse. Once, he gave himself two busted lips, a bloody nose, and a bump on the forehead, by falling repeatedly on the hardwood floor, over the span of three days. So we took him to Dr. Gary.

He told us that Pickle's hip joints seemed loose, especially the left side, and if after a few appointments we didn't see any improvement then we should take Pickle to a pediatrician to have x-rays done (it takes a special set-up to x-ray toddlers) to check for serious abnormalities. Well after a few adjustments, things seemed to be improving so I made a few more appointments.

Now, after about six appointments, Dr. Gary is still a little concerned with the position of Pickle's feet but he said that the looseness in his hips is so much improved that he only has one more appointment to go. And I can't believe how dramatic the change is. He went from an almost constant stream of booboos to practically none.

So I am very happy to say that Pickle is now running around and screaming in delight, instead of running and falling and screaming in pain (well no more than any other 1 year old)!

Friday's Favorites

2008-07-11T22:35:00.004-04:00

Sorry this post is so late but it's been a busy day. Well anyway, here's this Friday's Favorite...

It's a new favorite thing. My sister and BIL brought it back for me from their weekend in the mountains. It is an egg separator made to look like a silly chicken. Too Cute! I haven't had an opportunity to use it yet but I know the kids will all be gathered around to see the egg "snot" come out of the chickens mouth. LOL!

THE BEST EVER!!!

2008-07-08T13:34:00.018-04:00

We recently bought a new vacuum cleaner, and apparently it came in...

(please excuse my bare naked bed)

..."THE BEST BOX EVER!!!"...

I think it has a lot to do with this little guy. He loves the box,...

...and the older kids love to play with him as he plays in the box.

And they have always said he is...

..."THE BEST TOY!!!" we've EVER given them. LOL!

They are THE BEST KIDS EVER!!!

WR

Friday's Favorites

2008-07-04T07:43:00.002-04:00

Just thought I'd take an occasional Friday to show y'all a few of my favorite things. And though I will be talking about things, many of these things are dear to me because of their connection to some of my favorite people and places.

For instance, this really old, lowly little blue pitcher...

This was Granny Trudy's pitcher. She gave it to me a few years before she got sick. It was just stowed away on a back shelf in her pantry. At some point, someone broke the handle off and glued it back on so they could keep right on using it.

I love that rustic quality it has, with all it's little bumps and divots. I love the color of it --it reminds me of denim and cornflowers. And I love the fact that it was handmade by some long ago artist, who probably never thought of himself as an artist at all. He was just making a household necessity... but it's beautiful.

And of course it's one of my favorite things because it was my Granny's, and she wanted me to have it.

Happy 4th of July

2008-07-04T06:54:00.001-04:00

Cherish your freedoms!

A Bird in the [S]and...

2008-07-01T10:00:00.005-04:00

You've heard the old saying, "A bird in the hand is better than two in the bush", but we've found that for these feathered friends its, "A bird in the sand...". They've made a nest out of a sandy spot in our side yard! As you can see, it's right out in the open, not hidden in a bush or a tree as most other birds prefer.

Bull saw a bird sitting on the ground one day about a week ago, and though it was hurt. So, he started over toward it and it started limping around with one of it's wings out, which looked for all the world as though he was right --it's wing was broken. Then he saw the egg.

There was a depression in the dirt and a single, speckled, egg was resting sweetly in it.

He called us all out to see it. I ran back in and got the camera and took a few pictures of the egg. And since the hen had long since given up on making us believe we could have a quick lunch if only we would follow her away from the nest, she and her mate were perched in some trees at the edge of our property.

We didn't know what kind of bird this was so I posted the pictures on WellTellMe and asked my OLFs [OnLine Friends] if they could, well, ...tell me. ;D

They said it was a killdeer. Killdeer make their nest on the ground in open areas and they will pretend to be injured in order to lure predators away from the nest. The eggs are camouflaged really well by the dark speckles. Even when you are standing very close to them, they are surprisingly hard to spot.

I looked up some info on them and found out that the hen lays one egg a day for four days before she starts incubating them. So, we had found them on day one.

I also found that the eggs incubate for four weeks! Bull was ok with that --no mowing the side yard for a month.The reason they incubate so much longer than other birds, is because Killdeer do not feed their young in the nest. The babies hatch and immediately start following mom and dad around hunting for food.

So I decided to take photos periodically, to document the experience... and so that, just maybe, I'll get a photo of the babies before they are gone.

I'll keep you posted.

WR

P.S. All the close-ups were taken with a "zoom" lens, I wasn't actually that close to the birds or the eggs. Also, if you look closely at the photos of the Daddy bird standing over the nest you can see the eggs on the ground between his feet.

Still Here

2008-07-01T00:08:00.003-04:00

I'm still blogging. In fact I've started several new posts but they are all in my drafts folder. I haven't have time to finish any of them. I'll try to get one posted tomorrow. I know you're all on the edge of your seats. :rolling eyes: LOL!

WR

Cloth Diaper Sweepstakes

2008-06-28T13:01:00.006-04:00

Win a Bum Genius Starter Kit in the "Beat the Heat!" Contest!

No purchase necessary to enter & win! Just got to http://blog.thenatureschild.com/2008/06/beat-heat-summer-contest.html and answer the question "How do you beat the heat?" by midnight on July 31, 2008. Winner will be picked at random from all entries.

The winner will be announced by email to all entrants on or before August 10, 2008.

Winner will receive: 18 bumGenius diapers, a diaper sprayer, a dozen cloth wipes, and bottle of odor remover OR a gift certificate to the Nature's Child of comparable value ($250) that will be honored either online or in their brick & mortar location in Charlottesville, VA.

A Bee in My Bonnet

2008-06-23T00:51:00.006-04:00

The blog will be a mess for a few days... Please, bear with me as I attempt to redecorate the place (i.e. play around with the code to see what happens).

Thanx,
WR

Scentsational Gardenias

2008-06-22T11:58:00.027-04:00

Stand anywhere in my yard. Take a DEEP breath.... Hhhhmmmmm... smell that? That intoxicating fragrance is coming from my Gardenia bush. I only have one, but the breeze carries the sent all over the yard.

Gardenias From My Front Yard

I wondered if Gardenias had any medicinal value, as I tend to believe that most plants do. So I looked it up...

Chinese herbal medicine makes the most extensive use of the gardenia. Its Chinese name is zhi zi. The traditional medicinal actions attributed to gardenia include calming irritability; cooling blood and clearing away heat (a yin/yang imbalance often characterized by deficient yin); reducing swelling; and moving stagnant blood that has congealed in one place, usually following trauma. Gardenia is considered to be very effective as a hemostatic agent, which means that it stops bleeding; and also effective in treating injuries to the muscles, joints, and tendons. Gardenia is commonly used in Chinese herbal formulas to treat infections, particularly bladder infections; abscesses; jaundice; and blood in the urine, sputum, or stool. Because of its perceived ability to ease agitation or irritability, it is also used in formulas to treat anxiety or insomnia. It is also helpful in correcting menopausal imbalances reflected in insomnia and depression, nervous tension, headache, and dizziness.

The United States Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service phytochemical and ethnobotanical database lists the following species of gardenia as having specific medicinal properties:

Gardenia gummifera. This species can be helpful in treating digestive problems, including dyspepsia and diarrhea; or used as an astringent and expectorant for nervous conditions and spasms.

Gardenia storckii. This variety can be used in treating constipation.

Gardenia lucida. This gardenia has antiseptic properties that can kill both bacteria and insects.

Gardenia pseudopsidium. This species has been used to treat smallpox.

Gardenia jasminoides. This gardenia has been found to be helpful in the treatment of pain, nose bleeds, fever, and influenza; in healing wounds and reducing swelling; and in treating mastitis, hepatitis and the hematuria that accompanies bladder infection.

Gardenia augusta. This variety has shown effectiveness in the treatment of headaches, fever, delirium, mastitis, and jaundice related to liver problems.

Gardenia campanulata. This plant is used in healing wounds, burns, and scalds; in reducing swelling; as a treatment for fever and influenza; in treating jaundice associated with liver problems; and in stopping bleeding.

Gardenia labifolia.This gardenia has been found effective in treating the bites of certain snakes.

Preparations
The kernel within the gardenia berry is often removed for use in herbal poultices put on sports injuries such as sprains, pulled muscles, or inflammation of nerves. The use of gardenia poultices is particularly common in Chinese medicine. Traditional Chinese practitioners make a paste of the herb with flour and wine. The powdered berry is given in both and capsules. When gardenia is used to stop bleeding it is usually burned before it is simmered in water.

Precautions
Chinese herbalists state that gardenia should not be used when there is cold deficiency (watery) diarrhea present.

Side Effects
Gardenia has laxative properties, and can cause loose stools when taken frequently or in large amounts.

I have really been enjoying the scented flowers this season. First came the honeysuckle down by the road. Then my dog rose bloomed for the first time since we transplanted it a few years ago. But the Gardenia has got to be one of my favorite fragrances. It takes me back to my childhood... bursting through the door of Granny Trudy's house, out into the yard to play, hearing the screen door slam behind me, running past the blue and green Hydrangeas, and taking in the wonderful smell of Sweet Shrubs and Gardenias in bloom.

But unlike Sweet Shrubs, Gardenias not only smell good, the blooms are big and beautiful and can be packed together for an attention-getting arrangement on your dinning room table. (I'm enjoying them now, as sit and type this --hmm, the whole house smells wonderful.)

This old-fashioned flower may not only hold a lot of good memories for me, but also a lot of new uses!

WR

Proud Momma Has Piano Photos

2008-06-20T23:02:00.003-04:00

Sweetpea learning to play the piano.

Sweetpea, on stage, playing the grand piano.

Useful & FREE Sewing Patterns or Instructions

2008-06-20T23:02:00.000-04:00

Here are instructions for making a diaper bag.
http://www.bundlesoflove.org/diaperpattern.htm

How to make a baby romper (onesie) from a t-shirt.
http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Baby-Romper-from-a-T-Shirt

Instructions for making a newborn footed sleeper.
http://www.touchinglittlelives.org/nbsleeper.html

Here's a pattern for a footless sleeper for a preemie (4 to 6 lbs).
http://www.touchinglittlelives.org/prsleeper.html

Instructions for using a towel to make a bath robe for a baby. http://www.sewmuch4retirement.com/projects/babyrobe/babyrobe.html

Adult bath robe from towels.
http://www.ez-fit.com/bath_towel_robe.cfm

How to make a t-shirt dress.
http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/cr_kid_crafts/article/0,1789,HGTV_3256_1371470,00.html

Baby Booties
http://www.heatherbaileydesign.com/Booties.html

A different kind of baby booties.
Click Here

Great instructions on how to bind a quilt
http://heatherbailey.typepad.com/photos/continuous_quiltbinding/index.html

Really nice headbands
http://www.heatherbaileydesign.com/Headband.html

Instructions for Peasant Skirt
http://www.jcarolinecreative.com/Merchant2/peasantskirt_inst.html

Simple baby quilt (three for one --very easy --although, you do need specialized quilting tools)
http://quiltmaker.com/patterns/patt230.pdf

Hand Towel Bib
http://www.mormonchic.com/crafty/dsh_twl_bibs.asp

Proud Redneck Momma Has Photos

2008-06-18T09:00:00.002-04:00

Muddin' with the 4Wheeler!

Muddy Rooster! LOL!

Show and Tell

2008-06-17T10:09:00.016-04:00

While I'm waiting for pickle to wake up from his nap so we can go to the library, I figured I'd post some photos I took at my parents house yesterday. They have an emerald isle, secreted away, in a sea of subdivisions. And they really make the most of their little paradise. They have planted a veggie garden, grape vines, fig, peach, apple, and pear trees, blueberry bushes, flowers and greenery galore, a weeping willow, a corkscrew willow, and numerous other trees and shrubs. Needless to say it is beautiful! Here's a small glimpse of what you'd find there, if you were to stop by for a visit (click on the photos for a better view)...

Willow trees and garden

Blueberries

This pretty fellow

Young figs with...

Grape vine in the background

The fountain/bird bath

The birds

An odd fall leaf in Spring?

Can you find the toad? He's staying cool by half burying himself in a shady spot.

Here he is!

Hey, Honey...

2008-06-15T10:35:00.008-04:00

REMEMBER THIS MOMENT (x3)?

WE LOVE YOU!!!

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!

(What about the grumpy dads --we don't have "Unhappy Fathers" Day?)