Thank God I'm a Country Boy...

Enjoying the simple things in life...

Hello my dear, dear friends... I hope this evening finds you all well. 
I have had some things on my heart that I want to share with you tonight, some news from my husband that makes these things even more real to me.  On this roller coaster ride of life we don't know what the next turn will hold... whether we will be plummeting into a valley or climbing a high mountain... It is uncertain, it is sometimes frightening... but we as children of the Living God have a safe and secure end to all of this twisting and turning. 
My husband has just informed me that he may be losing his job come Tuesday.  It is a sudden blow to our family.  It is scary, but it is not something that our God, Jehovah-Jireh, The One who Provides, can't handle.  He is able.
So my mind is how we can be even more frugal minded than we already are.  Suppers can be made a bit more cheaply and stretched a bit farther, I have my website that I am trying to sale some things and my Etsy.  We don't do a whole lot of extra-curricular activities so that is not a big thing.  I try and limit my trips to run errands... maybe instead of once a week I could make it once every two weeks.  And these things are well and good... BUT... I don't want them to cloud my focus.  I don't want them to dampen my spirit and choke my joy. 
Things that are precious to me, things that are simple and lovely and good... I am going to focus on those...
God's sweet promises
A good morning kiss from my husband
The early morning snuggle time with my children
The rain on the roof
Freshly picked vegetables from the garden
Hearing my children pray
Seeing kindness from my kids to their siblings or others
The strong arms of my husband
Snowflakes
Beautiful skies painted by God's own hand
Piano Music
Laughter
Open windows and a gentle breeze
Candlelight
Church hymns sung acapella
Warm soup on a cold and dreary day
My husband reading the Bible to our family
Homemade gifts
Flowers
Smiles
Hearing, I love you Moma
These things and more are the real and true things, the things to be treasuring... not the material, not the temporal...
We trust that through this valley God will be glorified... that He will be lifted up.  That He holds us with His Almighty Hand and we can be at peace knowing He will never let us fall.
God be with you dear ones.

WARNING for dog owners!!!!

birthday party on the cheap

This article is from my inbox, but I thought it was very creative, so I wanted to share it...

Birthday Party on the Cheap
by HubSub Urban Mom
Host your own decorate-a-bear theme party for $7 per child

As a single working mom of 3 kids, I was used to throwing
creative and fun budget birthday bashes. But my then 5 year
old stumped me when she requested a party where she can bring
her friends and cousins to a place where they can make and
dress their own bears. After doing some research, I found the
cheapest option to be about $15-$20 per child for just a bear
and a top, and that didn't include food or a cake, so it was
definitely not in my budget for about 15 kids. I stretched my
creative mind and came up with a home-based-decorate-your-own-
bear party theme called "A Beary Special Friend" that cost me
about $7 per child, which included the bears with
clothing/accessories for all the kids, the cake, and enough
food for the children and adults.

The Invite

The invitation was a simple one pager created on my computer
using teddy bear and balloon clip art that I printed on my
color printer. I had invitation-size envelopes on hand
already, but if you don't want to spend the money to purchase
these envelops at your local office supply store, you can
create a flyer and simply fold it and affix a sticker if they
are hand-out invites. You can purchase letter-size envelopes
at the dollar store if they need to be mailed.

Story Hour

The party started with "Story Hour." This time allowed for the
kids to arrive, hang out and color pictures of clip art teddy
bears I printed on regular computer paper. Once everyone
arrived, I assembled everyone on the floor next to the
fireplace to hear the story "A Beary Special Friend."
Basically, I wrote a story and designed it using more teddy
bear clip art and big font so that it could be read aloud by
my 10 year old while she showed the pages to all the kids. I
printed and assembled everything in a thin binder decorated
with a "book" cover. The story was about a teddy bear that
lived in Bear Town and was visited frequently by kids in the
summer. The kids always met a bear that they got to take home
as a friend, and one particular bear was not picked by the end
of summer since there were not enough kids. The story ended by
asking kids if they would like to meet and take home a bear
for a friend, and of course, the answer was a resounding
"Yes!"

Meeting a Beary Special Friend

The kids were then taken to another room where they were
greeted by bears artfully arranged on the table. First they
picked a colorful basket to hold their bear. Then they got to
pick a bear and name it. From there, they got to choose from
various themed clothing and accessories packaged in clear big
food storage bags. They had their choice of fairy bear,
princess bear, police bear, fireman bear, detective bear, or
baby bear. Once everything was chosen and named, they picked a
spot at the table and began to dress their bears. You
should've seen and heard the excitement! Five year olds have a
wonderful imagination and they came up with some great
adventures for them and their new furry friend!

Feeding the Masses

The food was simple. It included pigs in a blanket, macaroni &
cheese and chicken nuggets, which was a feast enjoyed by 5
year olds who had their new furry friends seated next to them.
The adults feasted on homemade sourdough bread, chicken
fettuccine and a simple salad. I made punch from bargain
packet drink mix placed in my fancy punch bowl (bought a long
time ago from a thrift store) with fresh sliced apples
floating on the top. I also had coffee and tea available for
the adults.

The Birthday [Cup]Cake

I've used this recipe for all three of my kids, but it came
especially handy when my 5 year old was diagnosed with an
allergy to eggs. This can be used for both cakes and cupcakes,
but when throwing a party where many kids are invited, I find
cupcakes to be the easiest since it simplifies and speeds up
the serving process to 25+ kids and adults. I used store-
bought frosting bought on sale at Food Rainbow for 79 cents
and decorated the cupcakes using a box of teddy bear graham
snacks and a package of gummy bears bought at the 99-cent
store.

I then "drew" the number 5 using some of the cupcakes placed
on a foil covered cookie sheet with more teddy bear graham
snacks scattered artfully around. The rest of the cupcakes
were placed on a three-tier serving piece and placed next to
the cookie sheet. She loved it. The kids loved it because they
sang "Happy Birthday" and were given their cupcakes without
having to go through the agony of waiting for a piece to be
cut and served to them. It also eliminated the FAQ's such as
"Can I have the corner piece?" or "Can I have the piece with
the pink flower?" And the pictures of her birthday cupcake
came out great.

3 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
6 tbsp. powdered baking cocoa (not hot cocoa mix)
2 tsp. soda
1 cup oil (you can substitute 1 cup melted margarine/butter)
2 tsp. vinegar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups water

Sift dry ingredients in a bowl. Add oil, vinegar, vanilla and
water. Mix well. Pour into cupcake lined pans half or three
quarters full.. Bake at 350 degrees for about 24 minutes. Cool
1-2 minutes in pan, then remove and cool on counter or cookie
rack. Frost and decorate after completely cooled. Yields about
1 1/2 to 2 dozen cupcakes.

Games and Party Favors

Normally I have games, prizes and party favors for the little
guests, but with the "A Beary Special Friend" theme, the bears
they decorated tripled as both the game, the prize and the
party favors so it was great for my budget! I also placed the
leftover teddy bear graham snacks and gummy bears in small
colorful bowls placed throughout the table and surrounding
areas. Kids and adults alike snacked on them throughout the
party.

The Bottom Line

$17 - The Bears: 15 bears + tax at my local Dollar Store. The
bears were about 14" long and came in various colors.

$17 - Bear Baskets: 15 colorful plastic basket bins with
handles + tax. These could later be used to store small toys,
crayons, cars or hair accessories if they outgrow the bear.

$15 - Bear Clothes/Accessories: I was able to find police and
fireman accessories, fairy wings and wands, tiaras, magnifying
glasses, mini note pads, colorful pens, baby t-shirts, baby
blankets and hair accessories in the toy, party and baby
sections of my local Dollar and 99 cent stores. Many of these
items made multiple themes for 1 to 2 bears so I was able to
keep costs down. I also used ribbon and fabric scraps that I
already had.

$50 - Food: I bought store brand hot dogs, biscuit dough,
cheese slices, macaroni pasta, bulk grated cheddar cheese, a
bag of frozen pre-cooked chicken nuggets, fettuccine pasta, a
couple of jars of Alfredo sauce, 3.5 lbs. of chicken breast, 4
packets of drink mix, 2 apples, 2 heads of lettuce, 4 carrots
shredded for the salad, 1 zucchini, and 2 bottles of store
brand dressing. I already had condiments (ketchup, mustard)
for the pigs in a blanket and the flour and yeast for my
homemade sourdough bread that purchased previously in bulk.

$3 - Birthday [Cup]Cake: I purchased a box of teddy bear
graham snacks, a bag of gummy bears, and frosting. I already
had the other ingredients in my pantry that I always keep
handy since I like to bake.

$0 - The Invite: I already had the computer paper and
envelopes on-hand.

$4 - Decorations: I purchased a bag of balloons, simple white
paper plates, a package of colorful napkins. I already had a
bulk purchased box of plastic forks and reused balloon sticks
from another party.

$105 - This was the total for the entire party (bears, food,
cake). That works out to be $7 per child, lower if you factor
in about 7 adults because this cost also covered enough food
and cake for everyone.

Of course, costs may vary depending on your menu and what you
find at your local discount stores. Even if you doubled my
costs above, the per-child cost would still come up cheaper
than the $15-$20 bear-and-top-only option since food and cake
are covered in my budget birthday bash. Most frugal folks plan
way ahead of time, and that is what I did so it gave me the
benefit of time on my side. I always stopped into my local
discount stores when I was in the area to check out the
stuffed bear merchandise and made my purchase when I found the
right bears. I also asked the store staff and they gave me an
approximate timeline of when the bears were arriving. I had
seen them previously stocked months prior and was told they
were coming back. The menu was based purely on my 5 year old's
fave foods, which happened to be much appreciated by the other
children. Pasta and chicken are always safe bets for adults
and it is relatively cheap compared to other options.

Most importantly, my 5 year old loved her bear party, her
friends and cousins had a blast, and the adults were truly
impressed, all of whom shared the idea with their co-workers
and relatives with young children. Enjoy and I hope you and
your young child have a beary fun time too!

5 foods you should never eat...

This is from my inbox.  I do enjoy some of the foods on the bad list, but I will try to cut back after reading this...

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 sautee 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.

APRONS RULE!

Awhile back someone askd me to post a few pictures of my many gingham aprons. Here are a few.  love the ones with the "Chicken Scratch" worked in them.

Oven Fried Chicken

Oven Fried Chicken

Ingredients

• 1 cup corn flake crumbs or bread crumbs
• 1/2 tsp. dried thyme leaves
• 1/2 tsp. dried oregano leaves
• 1/2 tsp. paprika
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 2 egg whites, lightly beaten or 1/4 cup milk
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
• 2 Tbsp. butter or margarine, melted

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In pie plate, combine crumbs, thyme, oregano, paprika and salt. Pour egg whites into second pie plate. Dip chicken in egg whites, then into crumb mixture, coating evenly. Place chicken in greased shallow 1 quart baking dish. Drizzle butter over chicken. Bake, uncovered, 20-25 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in the middle.

Moist Chocolate Cake

Moist Chocolate Cake
 
2 C. flour
1 t. salt
1 t. baking powder
2 t. baking soda
3/4 C. unsweetened cocoa
2 C. sugar
1 C. vegetable oil
1 C. hot coffee
1 C. milk
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla extract
Favorite Icing:
1 C. milk
5 T. flour
1/2 C. butter softened
1/2 C. shortening
1 C. sugar
1 t. vanilla extract
Sift together dry ingredient in a mixing bowl.  Add oil, coffee and milk; mix at medium speed for 2 minutes.  Add eggs and vanilla; beat 2 more minutes, batter will be thin.  Pour into two greased and floured 9" cake pans or 2 8" cake pans & 6 muffin cups.  Bake at 325 for 25-30 minutes.  Cool cakes 15 minutes before removing from pans.  Cool on wire racks.  Meanwhile for icing combine the milk and flour in a saucepan, cook until thick.  Cover and refrigerate.  In a mixing bowl beat butter, shortening, sugar and vanilla until creamy.  Add chilled milk/flour mixture and beat for 10 minutes.  Frost cooled cake.

Family Traditions

Wowzers! I must have bored ya'll to tears yesterday with my Lacto-Fermented lecture... sorry about that, I thought I had more on board with me. :) haha
I thought I would tell you tonight about some things we do around our house... some of our habits, of our traditions.  Some so fun they have been adapted to other households we are in contact with.
We like to sit around the table at supper time.  I feel it is important to sit together, this is the heart... the family meal, the time to talk, to listen, to hear what is important to our family.  Around the dinner table we play
High and Low
So here is how tonights High and Low session looked...
Mom: So Abram whats your High/Low?
Abram: My Low (in Abramish) Popa Ronnie took away the excavator. (My Dad parks his equipment in a field beside our house... when he moves it to go to a job Abram is distraught)
My High-the good supper.   (the reason supper was so good for him is that we had applesauce to go with it, the child LOVES applesauce!)
And so we go around the table from youngest to oldest including Moma and Daddy until we share our best and not so best times with each other.
Like I said, it is a contagious thing... our nieces have taken it home and they now do it, a friends children took it and now they do it... and so on.
Another thing we sometimes do is have *Movie Night*
Oh, this is a grand thing.  Moma makes popcorn, the lights all get turned off, the curtains are all pulled and we watch a movie (usually one from our collection). 
We had movie night tonight because we are still recovering from our bought with a stomach bug.  Everyone got comfy and we watched Nim's Island.
Sometimes we even try to get the FULL movie experience by making our own commercials... My Cameo has a now infamous commercial that we all giggle about when it is brought up...
~~~Slim Jim... It's GOOD for you!~~~
Just say that and we all roll. :)
So what about you guys? Do you have some family traditions that you want to share?  Some special things that you do for fun...  If so let me know... I would love to hear from you.
And Dear Marcy and so many others... So sorry it has taken me all week to get this out for you...

3 cups all-purpose flour plus additional flour for kneading 2 cups whole wheat flour
1/3 cup toasted wheat germ
2 packages active dry yeast
2 teaspoons salt
2 cups milk
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup solid vegetable shortening

Place 1 1/2 cups each all-purpose flour and whole wheat flour, the toasted wheat germ, yeast and salt in a large bowl. Using an electric mixer, preferably a heavy-duty one with a paddle attachment, briefly mix together the ingredients.

In a saucepan over low heat, melt the shortening. Add the milk and sugar and heat until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is very warm, but no hotter than 120 or 130 degrees. With the mixer at low speed, slowly pour milk mixture into flour mixture until blended. Increase to medium speed and beat mixture for about 2 minutes. Add 1/2 cup each white flour and whole wheat flour and beat 2 minutes more. Add 1 cup white flour and beat until dough comes away from sides of bowl.

Knead dough on a lightly floured surface about 8 minutes or until smooth and elastic. (Use very little additional flour.) Place in bowl, cover with plastic wrap and set aside to rise in a warm place until double in volume, about 1 or 1 1/2 hours.

Gently punch dough down and divide dough into four equal portions. Divide each portion into fourths and allow dough to rest just 5 minutes. Form the small portions into balls and with fingertips fold edges under to form even circles. Place on lightly greased baking sheets, about 2-inches apart and with fingertips flatten each bun to a 3-inch circle. (If you prefer the sides of the buns to remain soft, place them closer together. Then as the buns rise the sides will touch.) Cover with a towel and set aside to rise until doubled, about 1 hour.

Adjust rack in lower third of oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees at least 20 minutes before baking. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden and buns sound hollow when tapped lightly. Cool completely on wire rack before slicing. (Or cool and freeze, well-wrapped, for up to 1 week.) Makes 16.

To form hot dog buns: Divide dough in half. On a lightly floured surface, pat or roll out each portion to a rectangle about 14 x 5 inches. Cut about eight 5 x 2 inch strips from each rectangle. Between the palms of your hands, roll each portion into 6-inch long buns. Place buns, about 2-inches apart on lightly greased baking sheets. Cover loosely with a cloth towel and set aside in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. Bake as directed for hamburger buns.

Variations
Wheat Berries: Add 1/3 cup wheat berries and a dash of salt to 2 cups boiling water. Cover saucepan and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat, and allow to cool, covered, for about 1 1/2 hours or until tender. Drain and dry them well. With wooden spoon, stir wheat berries into dough before kneading it.

Walnuts: Toast 1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts in a 325 degree oven about 10 minutes. Cool and with a wooden spoon stir into dough before kneading it.

Olives: Coarsely chop 1/3 cup pitted, oil- or brine-cured black or green olives. With wooden spoon (or paddle attachment and mixer at low speed) stir olives into dough before kneading it.

Good Site for Identifying Wild Herbs

I happend upon this really neat photo index for herbs this morning, while attempting to identify a lovely little plant that popped up after our much needed rains. 

NaturesHerbal has some links to other "herby" things, too.  I found a Poison Ivy  Relief kit that my dear friend Debbie needs right this minute! 

Speaking of Poison Ivy relief....I am searching, without much success, for Jewelweed seeds.  I found a source for plants, but would prefer seeds if possible.  If any of you are fortunate enough to have Jewelweed growing wild on your homestead, I would be so very thankful if you would share some seed with me.  I will gladly pay for the seeds and the postage if you would be kind enough to send them my way! 

Blessings,

Catherine

Black Eyed Pea Soup Recipe

Black Eyed Pea Soup Recipe

1/2 pound sliced bacon
2 cups diced celery
2 cups diced green peppers
2 cups diced onions
1 can beef broth
2 cans whole tomatoes
2 cans black-eyed peas

In large Dutch oven, cook bacon until crisp; remove with slotted spoon, drain on paper towel. Add celery, green pepper, and onion to bacon drippings; saut until soft, about 5 minutes. Drain off excess drippings. Add beef broth to Dutch oven; bring to boil. Add tomatoes and black-eyed peas; bring to boil again, then lower heat and simmer 30 minutes. Serves 10.