A Sunny Place

Purity Balls...

I recently read through an article about Purity Balls. Have you ever heard of them? I hadn't, but I like the idea! There is a beautiful ball at a nice hotel  or somewhere - men dress up and take their daughters at suited up in beautiful gowns! Everything is very elegant and the fathers also make commitment to their daughters  to be their protectors and protect their own purity as well as their daughters!  I think it's beautiful - have any of you any experience with such an event? 

ws

Tomatoes, canning & musings!

Not all of these red beauties came from my garden (in fact {sheepish grin} most did NOT).  My kind MIL made my spaguetti sauce for me and brought it to me all ready to can!  I did my own pizza sauce and I tried something new today.... sausage!  My DH loves sausage (in fact - everyone in my family except me does!)   I have a bushel of pears I picked up today, green peppers that need chopped and frozen in the fridge - more tomatoes that need picked and 3 more bushel on order next week that I'll pick up at an Amish place nearby!  Plus I have more sausage in the fridge that needs canned!!

DH is painting trim in the kitchen/dining room.  We purchased this place 3 yrs ago and the whole place was plain beige.  I had color in our old house, and I have missed color on the wall!  You can tell - because the first color of choice is yellow for my kitchen! A nice cheery color!  yeah!! What fun!

Anyway - I better not stay on here long while DH is working away -have a blessed evening!!

Update on Glenda

Another letter from dearest Glenda.

They have decided to remove her kidney completely this coming week in a surgery, it's function is close to nothing, and the doctors feel that it is best for her considering all her health complications.

Her garden has not done very well this year.

She has finally made some direction with the health insurance and the bill she has to pay is still large - but not as before.

Please continue to keep this precious family in prayer as they struggle through this!!

ws

Burnt Mouth/Tongue Syndrome - have you had it?

I ended up with Thrush 2 1/2 months ago - my mouth was very sore by the time I went to the doctor. I was prescribed medicine and got through it and not all my symptoms went.  The sensation that my tongue was burnt (always felt that way even though I hadn't) wouldn't seem to go away. It would feel better and then come back strong.  Sometime my whole mouth felt a burning sensation!  There did not seem to be any rhyme or reason to it! My doctor kept telling me to give my mouth more time to heal.  After a long time passed - then I went in he told me he had no idea what I had - but didn't think it was thrush anymore so take another 3 weeks and then call him if it didn't change.  So we are now moving into the 3rd month and I finally started doing more research and ran across some things.

I started applyling tea tree oil in my mouth 3 times a day after I brushed after a meal.  I tried hard to stay away from most carbs (only some whole grain) and most sugars and all refined.  I have fudged a few times, but I have tried to be good overall.  I have also been praying, because this does make life and cooking a little more difficult.  I tend to be a sensory cooker. I don't often use recipes and having my taste affected (I had a metallic taste in my mouth and some things my taste buds were actually altered and they did not taste normal or good to me!) really affected how I cook. 

I could eat no fresh fruit without it zinging or burning my tongue!  The feeling in the tip of my tongue was very dulled.  Last week I distinctly remember feeling water move across my tongue when I drank some cold water and realizing I hadn't felt that for a very long time!  I was very excited! :)

So I have pleaded with my Father for healing - so that I can still benefit and use the food we have here for our family and not incur great expenses to feed a weird diet.  I want to be a good steward of what we have and try to feed our family a healthy diet overall. 

I applied the tea tree oil and tried to cut back my diet. I am going on almost 2 weeks where I can say my mouth feels mostly normal!  I even ate fresh garden tomatoes on my sandwich tonight.

I have to fight the urge not to rub my tongue on the roof of my mouth (when your mouth is sore - you get into weird habits that come without being conscious of them) and has felt pretty good an other than the tea tree oil - the bitter taste I believe is gone! Thanks be to God!!! 

Have any of you ever dealt with this? 

Have a wonderful day!

Twas our first day of school and it went quite well!

It was our first day of school today! :0)  And overall it went well.  The girls prevailed with pleasant attitudes and even excitement (my oldest enjoys the "fun" parts - but not always the workbooks parts!)  My 2 1/2 yr old did not proceed without interruption -but he did quite well overall -and I was thankful! 

We use AOP Horizons for our Phonics, Spelling, Penmanship, & Math.  We use Sonlight for the rest!  Our Sonlight time is everyone's favorite time!  I sit on the couch with a daughter on either side snuggled up against me!  During read aloud time they almost always beg for 1 more chapter!! :0)

It took a while to get through our morning, but the first week is always not as smooth as when we can fall into the routine better, the girls know what to expect on their new subjects, etc.  It will add some extra time to work on Penmanship and Spelling this year.  I really would like them to have a good base so that it will help them later on in this whole Language Arts area!!

I really do enjoy it though!  Even though it makes the rest of the day busier with my trying to scramble to get housework, etc done,I do enjoy having as part of our day! (but of course it is the beginning of the year!)

Blessings!

wendy

Please Leave a comment or encouragement for Glenda....

Leave a comment or encouragement for Glenda - i f you don't have time to snail mail her - I will print them all off and mail them to her for you!!! :0)

Thank you for taking the time to do this - she needs encouragement right now!!!

{{Leave below - since I don't have direct access to her blog}}

wendy

UPDATE FROM GLENDA!!!!!!!!!!

Please pray for Glenda & send her a note!  -- here it is in Glenda's own words:

"As far as how things are going I am still in a lot of pain. I keep fighting infection after infection.  My kidney is working at less than 20% and will never work at more than that, the doctors have cancelled and rescheduled  the visit for my operation.  We finally have dates --I go the 18th of the month for the perc (?)tube to be put in my side and kidney, then on the 27th they will go in and start removing the stone little bit at a time, this is a long process.  The stone is getting bigger.  I didn't think it was possible yet it is.  I do ok for a few days here and there and then I am back on the couch running high fevers, hurting all over.  No matter what I am still going to church.  It takes a lot out of me, but is worth it!

As far as our needs we are ok.  God is keeping things going. I clean homes, 2 now,,we lost the third due to me not being able to clean weekly.  Some times alI I can do is drive there and the children clean.  These homes are only every two weeks so it's not that often.  James and Steven work with men from the church now and then.  So that also helps.  We have cut all bills down to only what we have to, to live on. It's not easy but we can live and that's all that matters!

Right now I am fighting with the insurance company, they are doing everything they can to get out of paying the medical billls.  Right now I just keep praying and calling!  It's scary!

The garden did not do so well.  I think it was the heat!

{Homeschool} - We started back last week. I told the children I had to get things going. We needed a schedule!  So far they love their books!

Let everyone know that I miss them all! I think of them daily and one day I will be back online!

God Bless!

Glenda Gay"

I heard from Glenda!!!

I sent Glenda a note and a SASE and she wrote me a letter and I can post it with a note to you all too!  I will try to get to that later today in more detail - so check back!  But for now... She is still battling infections.... waiting for her surgery..... her houses to clean have dwindled due to her physical inability to clean them.... they have cut their expenses to as minimal as possible!

I will try to fill int he details later today for those of you that follow Glenda.  If you have time - please drop her a line! Since she can't hear from you through her blog - she feels cut off somewhat... and wonders how you are.  She posted her address on her blog - so check it out - and drop her a line if you can, please!!!  I know we don't snail mail much any more - but she needs encouragement!!! :0)

Blessings to you!

wendy

Update on Glenda!

Check out Sweetie's latest blog to see a brief update on Glenda! She didn't title it as that - so in case you hadn't noticed - you might see it now!!!

http://www.homesteadblogger.com/ajoyfulplace/106424

ws

Do you ever feel tired?

Do you ever feel tired?  I am tired right now - I feel as though I've been tired forever.... I've been dealing with some fatigue (and another issue that my doctor isn't sure what it is - but has my lymph nodes slightly enlarged - my tongue zings whenever I eat fresh fruit, and then feels burnt for several days after...) anyway. 

Then VBS - and didn't get to bed until late each night, to be awoken by my 2 yr old at 6 AM- then Friday night - full moon - left the oldest sleepwalking (and then I stayed awake to make sure she wouldn't do  it again) just as I was to drift off again - she began whimpering and crying.  FInally after she was settled - the 2 yr old was whimpering - then crying.... finally at 4 AM I fell asleep - then on Sunday I had one of the worst headaches I've felt in years!  So it has left me tired..... plus hubby has been snoring more and keeping me awake...  So for some reason it feels as though it's been a long time since I felt alive alert awake and enthusiastic!   sigh.....

I'm finishing up blueberry jam right now - supper is in the crock pot - I need to fold one of my beginning several loads of laundry coming off the dryer... and hopefully get to bed early tonight!

BTW - I am not complaining - really - there are others - such as Glenda facing much worse - I'm just stating the facts and Lord willing, this too ALL shall pass.  Someday I'd like to enjoy fresh fruit again! :0)

ws

16 inches of hair...

Canning Season is upon us!!

Canning season is upon us!  My canner is on the blink- so fortunately  I have my mom's - but processing 2 bushel of beans today with one canner has taken some time!  There are probably 3 more cannerloads snapped and in the fridge - I probably will need to finish them tomorrow afternoon.  I generally try not to on Sunday - but I may need to.  But that will be our big main green bean push. I have 30 qt from last year - since I did over 80 qt last year - so that should be enough.  If we get some free - I may do more - but not any huge quantity! :0)

We did order a large canner today - because I generally am doing larger quantities and it should help. They were on sale at Lehman's - it should fit 14 qt!  I have never used that large of a canner!!

Other than that - doing up berries and frozen things!

blessings!

wendy

It rained in our basement...

Our almost 7 yr old daughter ran inside to wash her hands.  About 30 min later  I went in to get a drink of water (we were installing a garage door opener).  I thought I heard water running, so I went on the search.  I opened the bathroom door to see the faucet on FULL blast - the sink was overflowing - the floor was a huge puddle, the inside of the cabinet was a huge puddle - I began to mop up and called for my daughters - I sent them for towels and then to check the basement - after their report I headed down to see a HUGE puddle on our basment floor - the couch nearby - soaked, carpet -partially soaked - water madly dripping down along 2 different rafters because so much was coming down it couldn't all drip in one place - also dripping out of an electrical connection box!  I placed a bucket under the worst drip and began to clean up the mess...

Then later I discovered my son had colored on all the piano keys (yes, every  single white key) while I had been in the shower - and we also had to call PC because he decided to use my cleaning toothbrush that was in the laundry room in his mouth and used CLorox bleach pen as his toothpaste (bleh.....!)  I was helping his older sister get dressed to go somewhere....

So life  continues to be interesting at our house - hence why I don't post very often...

Heirloom Seed Swap?? Anyone interested?

All this talk of the loss of heirloom seeds, do you know of a good source?

Would anyone be interested in organizing or participating in a seed swap/purchase?  Also a tutorial on how to process the seeds? 

I officially tried heirloom seeds for the first time this year and had moderate success.  The green peppers and tomatoes did NOT turn out - but the rest seem to be doing well so far (other than my carrots - 2nd year in a row they did not come up.  Our local green house actually saves their own seeds from year to year on many of their products and plants and sells them.  He was telling me about a special process his wife has to extract and preserve her special tomato seeds.

Thanks.

wendy

We have been spoiled by our gas prices and still are...

I know there is a lot of talk about the HIGH cost of gas, and it is - it's really pinching our lifestyles as a whole. I grew up in a country where prices were high and peoples income was much lower than ours ($500 a year) and so very FEW people had vehicles and if they had a vehicle, they generally had just ONE!  In our whole church there were probably 3 or 4 cars that parked out front of the 200  that attended.  People didn't have cars, they used the PUBLIC transporation system and they did not travel about from town to town - they went to the corner market to get their produce daily and few things to eat that they could afford.  They rode the bus to work or downtown to shop if they needed to go that far.  People set up markets  and sold their wares, handmade and whatnot.  The main produce/meat market was a stuffy stinky place with no refrigeration in tropical weather.  Milk came in by car- a jeep would drive up and holler "LECHE!"  (milk) - you were waiting and you ran out with your container and they dipped the still warm milk out of the pail and ladled the raw warm milk in and you ran in and scalded it or pasteurized it for the protection of the health of you family. 

I heard something on the news this morning in Belgium the price is something like $3 per liter of gasoline, try the math on that one (a liter is much less than a gallon). We are still paying "low" prices.  We've just been SO spoiled to gad about when we please, and own a couple vehicles. 

It is somewhat unsettling to see the prices rising.  Those of us with limited income will have to continue to adjust our living and cut whatever we can and reevaulate the way we live.  But there are still so many so far worse off than us, so I am thankful for what we have, and where we are able to live.

May we count our blessings, even as the prices continue to rise... 

Would you share pressure cooker recipes, please?

We just purchased  a pressure cooker and I would like to find some tried and true normal recipes (rice, beans, and some meat dishes) - if you would be willing to share.

thanks!!!!

wendy

One useful tool for help with the rising cost of food & energy costs...

This book was originally written in the 70's when they were facing some of the issues of today - rapidly rising food costs.  Check it out and see if you can get yourself a copy  it is titled:

More-with-Less Cookbook by Doris Janzen Longacre

Basically she talks about other countries diets, compared to our own, and our overuse of meat (proteins) and underuse of whole grains and basic foods.   Eating a more basic diet will improve different areas of our lives, health, costs, & responsible use of our environment.  Birthdays & celebrations can become true feasting times, as opposed to every day being a day of feasting.

It's truly an interesting book.  I am rereading mine and plan to dig into it again and pull out some more recipes!

My bread timer is beeping - better run!

Hope this helps!

wendy

My husband has a job! :0)

My husband accepted a position at a local company for a job beginning on July 7, Lord willing!  This should give him time to wrap up all the loose ends and hopefully sell what he needs to on our business. 

We are thankful - to have something concrete and definite and hopefully more will fall in place soon!!!

:0) yeah

ws

A sweet day so far....

Some days are fun... some sad... some normal... some yuck... yesterday I felt absolutely rotten! I even laid on the couch for a while- my body was freezing cold and I was covered with a quilt & my head was burning hot.  My 6 yr old laid her hand on my head and it felt so good.  Without request she went over and got me a freezer bag of ice and wrapped it in a rag with a rubberband to hold it and came and laid it on my forehead!  she was so kind.  At the end of the day [as has been my recent custom after they are tucked and prayed into bed] I asked her what her favorite part of the day was.  She told me, "Mommy, when you didn't feel good and I got to take care of you!"  That brings tears to my eyes!

Today has been a wonderful day.  The sun {& SON}  is shining, there is blue sky, I feel pretty good (just a little tired), and the kids have been sweet today!  We were awakended at 6 by our 2 yr old alarm clock and we ate homemade toast, I had half a mug of mint tea with honey.  I set about to fold laundry and put it away - the kids played nicely.  Our 2 yr old played, even built something with blocks and wanted me to come see it! He normally runs/climbs/torments his sisters or just gets into things - but he played!!  After I got the 3 loads of laundry folded and put away we came downstairs and  I read to them several stories. The girls were snuggled on each side, and the 2 yr old cuddled in my lap - perfect fit for all 3, precious! Then I made deer-burgers on homemade buns, Organic fries, and leftover baked beans.  They played a little more (quietly even) while I had a phone call from a friend asking about gardening  and then I put the 2 yr old to bed.  We are going to grandma's after his nap - so right away - he opened his door and poked his nose through the cracked door.  "Grandma's?" he asked!  It was so cute! so I rocked him to sleep (simply precious) and placed him in bed. Down I came to make a cup of fresh ground coffee and read my e-mail and blogs.  The coffee tastes good, I still feel good, and the girls are quietly playing in the front room, while I e-mail/blog and the youngest sleeps!  What a precious, sweet, wonderful day!  Thanks be to the  Lord!!!!!!!

May you have a blessed day also!!!

blessings,

wendy

Administer basic First Aid as needed, provide some nutrition, and extinguish all big fires.

This was my husband's e-mail response to me today when I told him I wasn't feeling the greatest! :0)  Wasn't that kind and funny!!! :0)

Hope it brought a smile to your face!

blessings,

wendy