Evening Rambles

I have had a lot on my mind lately. I have gave a family of 5 and now a dear friend of mine a place to live. The family of 5 was from North Dakota. The mommy was being verbally abused by the dad. She met my brother years ago online and we all have been in touch since then. She got out of relationship and moved here and stayed but ran out of money because there was no places for her to live. Her mom sent her money to come live with her. I miss her and we still do keep in touch (Hi! Brandi!)

Now I have a friend staying here who moved in with a guy she met online. They were dating in person for 9 months. Everything was going good. She was in a car accident 2 years ago. All sorts of physical therapy, 2 surgeries, more therapy, etc. Well her second surgery was scheduled for 6 weeks ago. He asked her to move in. Her surgery went "ok" still in pain. Well she was on pain meds and he then said you act like my ex. I want you out. So a week and a half ago she was without a home. So a day after Brandi and her kiddos went back she moved in.

I have not heard of such horrible living styles until late. Brandi is verbally abused. Tina has seen her share of all sorts of abuse. I thank God everyday for my parent's, my family, my husband, my children, and my life. I have not seen any of it and have been pretty much blind to it all. I feel horrible about it all. Thank you again God!

The other thoughts in my mind have been with the coming of the Lord. I am not as Biblical as a lot of others but alot of happenings have pointed to His coming. My daddy passed almost 3 years ago. His last days he told my mom "my dad is calling me back, he needs help, there is some big plans" With all these hurricanes, floods, storms, etc. etc., all the financial woes in the world. The killing of children in China with the formula (thank you God for breastfeeding) on and on. I'm not that Biblical but I am and this sounds like the coming of the Lord. Do you think? I follow a ladies blog. Jen Backus, her son Samuel, passed in May at the age of 6 to childhood cancer. http://www.samuelbackus.com/BackusBlog.html the last part of the post of 9/16/08 wow how amazing. I believe something big is gonna happen. Any thoughts???

For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 1 Thessalonians 4:16

Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. 1 Thessalonians 4:17

Count Your Blessings Monday

My Lord~I am blessed to be the child of such a great God...Helping me get the negative out of me about different things in life. Thank you God~You are great...

My husband~who is allowing me to do what I love. For being such a great hubby and protecting me from the rigors of the working world. For letting me be frugal and saving money by not sending me out in the working world. Saving money with no gas and no daycare. Thank you for being who you are and I love you so much~

My children~I love my children. I love being here for them whenever they need me. I love everything that goes with caring for them. Thank you for being such wonderful children. I love you.

My mom~Somedays aren't always easy with my mom. She has arthritis so storms bring her pain. Her surgery scars bring her belly aches. But I am thankful she is still here and still here to spend time with and make memories.

For my dad~He has been gone for almost 3 years. I thank God everyday for giving me such a wonderful man to be my daddy. He taught me so much. How to cook, how to be a great parent, how no question is never a stupid question.....I would give anything to hug him and say I love you and to sit down and have a "movie" conversation with him (he would discuss every movie or book he has seen or read and just talk for hours about it) I miss him so much and have so much to tell him. ~I love you so much daddy~



Down On The Farm

Cafemom

Check out my Group at CafeMom

Keeper's Of the Home

My Mountain Morning: Silent Sundays - 9/7/08

My Mountain Morning: Silent Sundays - 9/7/08

Christmas Countdown! 100 Days till Christmas

Grandma's Apron

Great Grandma "Fannie Mook" Erb circa 1952

The principle use of Grandma's apron was to protect [ pointing out the obvious, right from the dictionary definition] the dress underneath, but along with that, it served as a holder for removing hot pans from the oven.

It was wonderful for drying children's tears, and on occasion was even used for cleaning out dirty ears.

From the chicken-coop, the apron was used for carrying eggs, fussy chicks and sometimes half-hatched eggs to be finished in the warming oven.

When company came, those aprons were ideal hiding places for shy kids. And when the weather was cold, grandma wrapped it around her arms. Those big old aprons wiped many a perspiring brow, bent over the hot wood stove.

Chips and kindling wood were brought into the kitchen in that apron. From the garden, it carried all sorts of vegetables. After the peas had been shelled, it carried out the hulls. In the fall, the apron was used to bring in apples that had fallen from the trees.

When unexpected company drove up the road, it was surprising how much furniture that old apron could dust in a matter of seconds.

When dinner was ready, Grandma walked out onto the porch, waved her apron and the men knew it was time to come in from the fields to dinner.

It will be a long time before someone invents something that will replace that "old-time apron" that served so many purposes.

Author Unknown~

Count Your Blessings Monday

I am grateful for many things today. Many many great things have happened!

My husband
My husband
My husband
CMC Joist for hiring my husband (just got the call they hired him)
My mom for giving us a place to live and to have the privilege to care for her
My children for being very polite and loving
My mother in law for being the loving caring mother she is
The doctor's for healing my mom


Thank you Lord for answering so many of my prayers!

Free offers I Found

Free 2 Year Subscription to PARENTING MAGAZINE

No strings attached! http://www.valuemags.com/freeoffer/Parents-BBS.asp

FREE Life Of Jesus Quizzes and Cassettes from YOUR STORY HOUR.

You can sign up for the lessons by calling 1-800-987-7879 or you can sign up online at http://www.yourstoryhour.org/article.php?id=16. You complete four quizzes at a time and they send you a cassette. You continue this until you collect all of the cassettes in the series. When you have finished all of them, they will send you a case to put the cassettes in. One free offer per family.

Two Free Movies on one DVD from Feature Films For Families!!!

I grew up watching movies that were produced by Feature Films For Families. I think they've made some of their own, and they taken others and edited them so they were wholesome. Well, they are offering 2 movies on 1 dvd for free on their site. Their site says, "The best way to know if you like our value based films is to watch one FREE on us!!!" You fill out a form and a representative will call you. They will tell you the titles they are offering and after you choose one, they will send you the dvd (you dont even have to pay shipping!!). You will also get a $5.00 coupon to use on a future purchase!! If you arent familiar with their titles, you can look around their site to see what you like. For younger children, they have a few cute cartoons: The Seventh Brother, Tiny Heroes (The Sequel to the Seventh Brother), Willy the Sparrow, Scamper the Penguin and they have others but I havent seen them yet. The ones I mentioned are really cute and my two year old and four year old love them. Now, when I was around 10-13ish, I watched and liked: No More Baths, Split Infinity, In Your Wildest Dreams, and The Butter Cream Gang. Those are GREAT!! Go to: http://www.familytv.com/freedvd.aspx , I'm not sure how long this offer will last, SO HURRY!!!

Above Rubies Magazine

If you go to www.aboverubies.org you can sign up to receive their free magazine. They do ask that you make a donation to support their ministry, but the magazine is free. I get it and I love it. One I get it, I read the entire thing in a day, and wish I had more to read. The articles are very encouraging. They cover topics like homeschooling, being a better wife and mom, growing closer to God and lots more. It really is great and I wanted to let you know about it.

Free Samples and Coupons from Procter & Gamble

I got the coupons out of the newspaper and noticed on the P&G insert that you can sign up for coupons and sample from their company. You have to check off the offers you are interested in and confirm your request. I am not sure how many you can get but free is free, and they are items that even if you cant use them, you can give them to someone who can. Plus, who doesnt like getting things in the mail? Enjoy! www.pgbrandsampler.com

Coupons

Who doesnt love free stuff and saving money?? I found a new website where you create a free account and then you can print coupons. I checked Walmarts coupon policy and they accept internet printed manufacturer coupons. You've got to click on this ad to the right, and get your coupons today! I already printed over $16.00 worth of coupons this morning! This is not a scam; I highly recommend this!

SAVE $2.00

Schiff Vitamins

5 Foods You Should Never Eat

Thursday, August 28, 2008
5 Foods You Should Never Eat
Five Foods You Should Never Eat
by Leanne Ely, C.N.C.

In a world where the list is king, doesn't it make sense to know what not
to eat in addition to what you should eat?

That's how I look at it and you know how much I love me a good list! The
foods you should never eat are deserving of their own list too, doncha
think? But I've done one better on this particular list. While I've named
the culprit in disturbing your peace (health and weight), I've also named
the hero in restoring your well-being (begin applause now).

Let's get right to business then and get rolling with this list. If you
stick with me, you'll know how to dodge these negative nutritional bullets
and make better choices at the grocery store and when dining out.

Culprit #1:
Deep Fried Anything. Sorry, but if you order deep fried, make deep fried
or even use the words deep fried, you might as well look for a
cardiologist at the same time. Deep frying is positively the worst
possible choice for having anything prepared. And don't let the words,
"lightly fried" fool you either, as in tempura! It's all wickedness!

Hero #1:
Sauteed for Flavor. This cooking technique uses minimal oil (preferably
olive oil) and gives your food the flavor and complexity you're looking
for. I sauté my green beans after steaming them in olive oil (not virgin,
that's too fine an oil for heat), a lot of fresh garlic, a little sea salt
and a liberal grinding of fresh pepper. Unbelievable taste with very
little fat and no bad fat, either.

Culprit #2:
White Bread. Thud. Did you hear that? That's the sound of white bread
landing in your gullet. It's squishy, gooey and gluey and it's adhering to
the sides of your intestines, do you feel it? Blech. Considering the
negative nutrition associated with denatured flour, why would anyone make
that choice in this enlightened century? Lose the white bread already!

Hero #2:
Sprouted Wheat Bread. Okay, check this out. When you sprout grain, then
make it into bread, not only is a lot easier on your digestion, it's
packed full of nutrients traditional bread doesn't have! Consider this
nugget: your body looks at sprouted grain as veggies, not starch! That's
good news if your thighs sprout inches just by eating a sandwich with two
pieces of bread!

Culprit #3:
Shortening and/or Margarine. Solidified fats get that way through a
process called hydrogenation, which in turn, makes a multitude of sins
called trans fats. Yes, we've all heard how bad trans fats are, right?
Well, not only does margarine lower your HDL (good cholesterol) it also
raises the bad (LDL). Ixnay all the way on margarine (and it's evil twin
shortening…which is essentially unflavored margarine).

Hero #3:
Butter. Hallelujah and pass the butter already! Butter, though a definite
saturated fat, will raise your good cholesterol unlike margarine. Just use
it very moderately. Try Better Butter: half unsalted butter and half extra
virgin olive oil whipped together and kept in the fridge in a covered
dish. Just like soft spread margarine only 300 times better!

Culprit #4:
White Rice. Oh. My. Gosh. Are you really still eating white rice? This
depiction of a grain is full of nothingness. The fiber is missing, the B
vitamins are virtually unheard of and the glycemic load will take you one
step closer to Type 2 Diabetes, if that's your go-to carb! Dismiss this!

Hero #4:
Brown Rice. With three times the amount of fiber, more B vitamins as well
as other nutrients, the carb load on brown rice is much easier on your
body and a smaller amount will satiate, too. What's not to love about
that, especially if you're trying to lose a few pounds?

Culprit #5:
White Sugar. To quote Gomer Pyle, "Surprise, surprise, surprise." I bet
you knew sugar would be on the list, didn't you? How can it not. Did you
know that consuming white sugar will actually stun your white blood cells
from doing their important health preserving work? Yes, sugar impacts your
immune system! It doesn't just eat your teeth and add to your belly fat,
it disrupts immune function. Repent from your sugar eating ways and return
to the healthy fold!

Hero #5:
Dark Chocolate and Fruit. You thought I was going to list alternative or
artificial sweeteners, didn't you? Studies have shown that people who
consume diet drinks tend to gain weight doing so. Why is this? The
hypothesis is you can't fool your body like you think—if it tastes sweet,
your body may still react to it and gain weight. Stinks, doesn't it? But
we need to LOSE our sweet teeth, people! That's the problem, not finding
the golden panacea that tastes just like sugar. If you want something
sweet, have some fruit and an ounce of very dark chocolate (FULL of
phytonutrients, yay!) Once you get over your addiction to sugar, this
decadent treat (a bowl of fresh raspberries with melted dark chocolate
drizzled over the top) will knock you flat. You'll happily say no to
donuts!

That's it, y'all! If you want recipes, go to www.savingdinner.

com and help
yourself to all we have to offer.
posted with permission

Liver and Cheese

Three handsome male dogs are walking down the street when they see a beautiful, enticing, female Poodle.

The three male dogs fall all over themselves in an effort to be the one to reach her first, but end up arriving in front of her at the same time.

The males are speechless before her beauty, slobbering on themselves and hoping for just a glance from her in return.

Aware of her charms and her obvious effect on the three suitors, she decides to be kind and tells them, 'The first one who can use the words 'liver' and 'cheese' together in an imaginative, intelligent sentence can go out with me.'

The sturdy, muscular black Lab speaks up quickly and says, 'I love liver and cheese.'

'Oh, how childish,' said the Poodle. 'That shows no imagination or intelligence whatsoever.'

She turns to the tall, shiny Golden Retriever and says 'How well can you do?'

'Um. I HATE liver and cheese,' blurts the Golden Retriever.

'My, my,' said the Poodle. 'I guess it's hopeless. That's just as dumb as the Lab's sentence.'

She then turns to the last of the three dogs and says, 'How about you, little guy?'

The last of the three, tiny in stature but big in fame and finesse, is the TacoBell Chihuahua.

He gives her a smile, a sly wink, turns to the Golden Retriever and the Lab and says.

Liver alone. Cheese mine.

Making Home: ANSWERS & ADVICE: "Older Women, Teach the Younger Women..."

Making Home: ANSWERS & ADVICE: "Older Women, Teach the Younger Women..."

I have always wanted to be taught and teach the younger mothers. I tried one and she acted offended. But her friend thought it was cool and paid close attention to me. And she does not have any children....

Wagon train passes through Sunbury

SUNBURY -- Traffic was slowed through Sunbury this morning as a small wagon train passed through the city.

A group of young Amish men from Lebanon County was on their way to visit friends and relatives in Centre County.

During a stop for drinks, candy bars and cigarettes at a Front Street convenience store, one of the travelers said they left home Monday and expected to reach their destination Friday.

Angel Bottom Musings: The Lost Art of Aprons and Canning

Whatever happened to the era of canning food and wearing aprons? I would have loved to live in that era. I have inherited from my wonderful mother in law her collection of canning jars. I am going to bring that era back in my home. My children are so excited to have the collection and to have a pantry full of yummy food.

That and what happened to the home full of children. Now it's can't afford it. I want to have lived 50 years ago and have my home just like that. Lots of children, grow our own food, the wife takes care of the home, doesn't have regrets of staying home, etcetera.

I know I can do all this myself but I have guilt and hubby doesn't want anymore children. I cry and get so angry at him for this. Then I feel guilty for it. I feel guilty for staying home and the kids not having all the stuff others have.

Not sure what this post was all about but I feel better (a little) after writing it out.

WFMW- how about another Apron Giveaway?

WFMW- how about another Apron Giveaway?

Posted using ShareThis

Uses for Dawn Dish Soap

Uses For Dawn Blue Dish Washing Liquid

Take a look under the sink where you keep your cleaning products.

See a

: bottle of Original blue Dawn Dishwashing Liquid? Say 'Hello' to a very

: versatile and surprisingly multi-purpose household product.

ICE PACK. Partially fill a strong zip-type sandwich bag with Dawn

: Dishwashing liquid, close and freeze. Just to be safe, double bag it.: Freeze. The liquid soap stays cold much longer and it can be re-frozen many: times. It will conform to the place you need an ice pack.

BUBBLE PARTY. Combine ten parts distilled water and one part Dawn

: Dishwashing Liquid to make your own bubble solution. And add 1/4 part white: corn syrup (like Karo ) if you want to make more sturdy bubbles. Gather up

: things like clean soup cans that have both ends cut off or Hula-Hoops with: makeshift handles attached. If you want to, you can pour the solution into a

: plastic kiddy pool and make huge bubbles. Turn it into a scientific

: experiment and go on a hunt for bubble-making items in your kitchen. This is: a super cheap idea that's lots of fun.

HAND DEGREASER. Forget those pricey automotive hand cleaners. Full strength

: blue Dawn Dishwashing Liquid cuts through grease and gets hands and nails

: clean with no harsh chemicals.

CLEAN AUTOMOTIVE TOOLS. Soak them in a solution of Dawn dishwashing liquid

: before you put them away to remove all the oil and grime. As a bonus Dawn

: will help prevent rust from forming on the tools.

MANICURE SECRET. Soak fingers in full-strength blue Dawn. It makes the

: cuticles soft and easy to work with. And it removes the natural oil from the

: fingernails, which allows the polish to adhere very well.

REPEL ANTS. Spray countertops, cupboards and any other area where you see

: ants with a solution of Dawn and water. Wipe dry. The slight residue of Dawn

: that remains will not be a problem at all for kids or pets, but ants hate

: it. Should you see a trail of ants, go ahead and hit them with the Dawn

: spray . You'll see. It will kill them.

BATHROOM CLEANER. Original blue Dawn Dishwashing Liquid has some kind of

: miraculous quality about it that makes it 'melt' through stubborn soap scum

: and hideous build-up on showers and tubs, no matter whether porcelain,

: acrylic or fiberglass. Use it straight up and you'll bless the day you read: this column.

HAIR PRODUCT BUILDUP. Once a month use original Dawn as you would shampoo.

: It will remove excess oil from your hair and scalp and strip away any

: build-up of styling products without any damage. Perform this once a month

: and you won't have to buy expensive salon products that do the same thing

STAIN SPOTTER. Original blue Dawn Dishwashing Liquid used full-strength gets

: just about any kind of spot out of washables. Keep a small squeeze bottle in

: the laundry room so it's always handy.

BONUS

: Dawn Dishwashing Liquid is biodegradable, while other chemical: solvents may not be.

DOUBLE BONUS from Maggie

:Ever had a CD so scratched up it could no longer: be used? Try some Dawn Dishwashing Liquid on it, gently working it into the: grooves with your fingers, and then rinse completely with clear water. Dry

: gently with a soft cloth. Voila! Repaired and useable CD!!

Count Your Blessings

My Monday blessings are:

Being alive
My children
My husband
The opportunity for my hubby to have the job interiew for the job he "wants" and we need for me to stay home.
My house and being able to help a family get away from domestic violence
My husband
My husband
My husband
CMC Joist for giving my husband the job interview for the jobe he "wants" and we need.

Free Ebook!!!

To all my valued readers I am giving away How to Make a Teddy Bear ebook! Right click the picture below

Enjoy!