There has been so much talk all over the Yahoo Groups world over this. So much that "I" personally am really needing a break from it. I recieved the bottom article thru my email subscribtions and I just loved what she had to say!
Are Rising Prices Scaring You? We are getting e-mails and it has been all over the news - "What do we do? They are rationing rice!!" I haven't decided if I should just laugh or start tearing my hair out. First everyone panicked over the price of gas... then it was the price of apples, then milk and now rice. What I find so amusing about the whole thing is a lot of those same people who are in a panic are still using their gas to go to the movies, to go on vacations, to travel for sports activities, to go shopping and to go most any place they want to go. So many people complain about the price of gas when it costs $4.00 a gallon but don't bat an eye when going to Starbucks to pay $4.00 for one cup (8 oz. or 1/8 of a gallon) of coffee that they could have made at home for pennies. Despite all the fuss, most Americans have not substantially changed their lives because of gas prices. Then there is another whole group who complain about how they "aren't like other people". They don't spend a penny on anything and they still have nothing and, because their lot in life is so miserable, they have a right to be afraid of what is happening in the world and in their lives. They have a "What about me?" attitude all of the time. The Bible says that God does not give us the spirit of fear but of power and love and a sound mind. Even if you aren't a Christian, I want you to really think about those words because they apply to human nature in general. We are living in a world that is crazed with fear and because of that we have lost power over ourselves, our lives and our circumstances. Because of that fear we have very little love for anyone. When you love someone or something your main thoughts are focused on that person or thing that you love. What do you think about all the time? --Your spouse, your children, joyful things and happy things or do you focus on yourself and on how these terrible prices are going to affect you? Do you know how powerless you become when you give way to fear? When you're constantly afraid, you can't function properly at work which leads to not getting a pay raise or worse yet, getting fired. You can't get your mind off of that which you fear and it filters into every area of your life. You become short and angry with your family when they try to talk to you, ask you something or want to spend time with you because they are interrupting your focus on your fear. "How am I going to get some rice (or gas, or milk or apples)", "If there's a shortage of rice now, I'm sure that is going to lead to a shortage on ALL food", "If there is a shortage of food, that will mean I can't go on vacation this summer or buy that new car." You say but that's silly and doesn't even make sense. No it doesn't and that is where the sound mind comes in. Where there is fear there is total loss of rational reasoning or what I call "common sense". When someone isn't of sound mind (not using common sense), they think there is going to be a shortage on rice and they panic. They tell everyone they know. The word spreads and then everyone panics and runs out to hoard rice. All that fear has a snowball effect which then creates a shortage of rice where there wasn't one. If people had not given over to fear and had been of sound mind (using common sense) they would have thought, "No big deal, we'll have pasta instead or just do without rice for now." They would go about their daily business without giving it another thought and focus on more important things like how to be a kinder more loving spouse or parent. When people aren't consumed with fear they can think more rationally, which helps them make wiser and more practical decisions. When fear is gone they have peace and joy and patience and most of all they are more loving. Think about it. How much of your life is ruled by fear? If you filter back through most negative emotions, most of them begin with fear of something. Do you buy things you can't afford because you are afraid of what people will think of you? Do you spend more on gifts for your friends and your children's friends because you fear that people won't love you? Take a serious look at the things you obsess about. Do you obsess about them because of some kind of fear? I don't know how to tactfully and gently say this but lately I have seen quiet (and sometimes loud) fear in a new thing called "becoming green and saving the environment". This is really just another form of fear. When people become obsessed and overcome, it is usually out of fear and not out of rational thinking. I'm not saying you shouldn't try to save the environment if you think that it needs saving. I'm simply saying don't let things that stem from fear of something control your life in such a way that you lose all of your life's joy and your capacity for reasonable and rational thinking. Jill Cooper and Tawra Kellam are frugal living experts and the editors of Living on a Dime. |
Good Evening Ladies! What a wonderful day I have had! :-) I left for my usual "errand day" trip into the city and my friend went with me. I had several small errands to run so it took most of the day. I didn't leave home until 10:00 this morning and got home a little after 5:00pm.
Well when I got home .......................... MY GRAIN MILL WAS HERE WAITING FOR ME BY THE DOOR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am sooooooo excited! FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!! After wanting one for so long, it's here. :-) Well while in town my friend and I went to the "Health Hut" and I got a small bag of Organic Whole Wheat Berries as the ones I ordered from the Coop will not be here until next Monday or Tuesday. Since I was expecting my mill anytime I wanted to have some on hand to "play", so I just got a tiny bag to give it a whirl. It is so agrivating to me how EXPENSIVE organic foods are! I think it is absolutelty ridiculous what they get on alot of it. Here it is all natural and no gunk, but yet they charge you triple. I'm sorry, but $5.99 for a CAKE MIX! Nuts, just nuts! Ok, I'm done venting now. :-) I was also able to pick up 3 more 5 gallon buckets at the bakery with nice lids (but will need Gamma seals soon).
So my "to do" list this weekend will be getting my kitchen and pantry in order as well as BAKING SOME BREAD!!!! HEE HEE! :-) My dh has to work Sat. and Sun. :-( I am kinda bummed, but I understand.
Well I need to get at my emails as I am wayyyyyyy behind. But I just had to tell ya all that my grain mill was in! I just have to make sure and make 3 loaves for my Step dad! LOL! :-)
Luv,
Carrie |
Evening Beloveds! Wow, it's June already! Doesn't even seem possible.
I just love that word...."Beloved". Beth Moore, says it all the time while addressing her felow Sisters in Christ and it has just stuck with me from al of the bible studies I have done of hers. She is a wonderful teacher and I enjoy her very much. :-)
Well the weekend is almost to a close. it is just after 8:00pm here at Hidden Creek Homestead. I could almost head for my nest now. :-) My dear sweet man is still outside working on my cottage house.........bless his heart! He has been workign on getting the roof trusses up so he can get the roof done with all the rain we have had...............he is worried about the flooring. It is still nearly 80* here! The sun is just now beginning to go down. It was a lovely weekend, a little warmer then we thought, but still lovely. I already updated you on our Saturday so I will just fill you in on today. We stayed home from church due to lack of sleep, gas. I have a feeling with gas prices climing that we will have to rotate between Wed. night service and Sun. morning, doing only 2 of each a month. I had my 8month old grandson today! He is such a good baby and real love bug! He loves to cuddle. :-) He just went home about an hour ago as I had him nearly all day. I really enjoyed it. I don't get to spend time with him near enough do to our shedules, distance and gas.
I am going to be getting back to my "weekly" menus in advance as well as my home bunder as I have been slipping there. I also am wanting to get back into my "once a month cooking" meals. So tomorrow I will do mostly paper work (I think) LOL! :-) I also need ot make some business calls as we a re not totally out of the woods from last Friday but are seeing some definately light! THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR YOUR PRAYERS, SUPPORT AND GRACE! I luv you dear sisters!
So what did you all do over the weekend?
Luv,
Carrie |
I wanted to thank all of you whom have posted such warm and kind comments to us! It has truly touched my heart when I needed to have some kind words. THANK YOU! It is so difficult to even the faithful Christian to not let their "flesh" get in the way when one is so down and out. I love the Lord with all of my heart, but I am mere human and will stumble here and there. Only Christ Jesus is perfect. My dh and I have been blessed with some "love offerings" and to those individuals we are most grateful. We have a very long way to be able to make our farm payment ( at the minimum) and also have our car (which ABSOLUTELY CAN NOT BE LATE) and our electric which also can not be late due to a strict budget and pay arrangement after our house fire. I will begin listing items on Ebay today and trying to get some parties lined up. We are not looking for "handouts" but mere "help-ups" as our Pastor says, with out doing our fair share in trying to help up oursleves. I do not understand God's plan in all of this, but we are doing the best we can. After our foreclosure on our old house that would not sell a few months ago, that we were/are on thin ground already and options are slim and next to non here. Please know my family and I are greatful and thank you from the bottom of our hearts! God Bless You All, Carrie |
Ok Carrie..............deep breath........... Ok, this is very hard to post here, more so then my Yahoo Groups I am on as this is soo much more "out there". I prayed about it, and was led to post here so I am. I did not sleep to good if at all last night and truly feel as if I have been ignored by God. Now of course ...................MY HEAD KNOWS DIFFERENT, but getting my heart to let it sink in is another matter entirely. My dh and I have had so manyyyyyyyyyy hard times situations over the past 2 years. The past several weeks have been beyond words and now the past 2 weeks is almost beyond existence for us!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have literally have no more physical strength, patience, prayer, tears (well maybe a little tears) left in me. I have ALWAYS BEEN A GIVER, not a whiner, complainer, beggar. I absolutely dislike having to ask for help, more then you know. I am so ashamed of where we are right now, but a couple dear friends have told me it is only a "season" of likfe we are in.....................WELL I WANT THIS SEASON OVER! I SO VERY MUCH WANT PEACE, I JUST WANT TO LIVE A PEACEFUL LIFE WITH MY FAMILY HERE ON OUR HOMESTEAD. I don't mind staying home, not "shopping with the girls" in the city, going for coffee, etc. I enjoy being H.O.M.E.! We moved here 2 yrs ago as we felt led by the Lord to "simplify" our lives and get out of the city. So we booted our "non paying" renters out, and out moved here with the plans of selling our home in the city, living in this tiny house fo ra year and then building a modest small REAL log home. We never planned on having a house fire, going through a horrible court situation with an out of control teenager, having my mother killed, having a foreclosure, ETC., ETC., ETC., ETC.! It has been very hard on my dh and he has pulled away from God in the sense that he turn into a "John Walton" of sorts. I know he feels like such a failure because he can not seem provide enough for his family no matter how hard he works. He feels like God has given up on him/us. (this is not the man I know). I have had to be the strong one for our family for quite sometime and I do not have that strength anymore! I just want to run home to mom and I know I can't. I have prayed, cried, yelled, screamed, pleaded and prayed some more...............it doesn not help....things just keep happeneing everytime we turn around. Fixing this house after the fire, adding on a bedroom and all the repairs we have to do, more then took our savings and them some. We have to let some bills go, be paid late etc. Just when we get a break................we get knocked back down 10 steps..................... Well yesterday started out to be a really great day! We headed to the city to get my dh check, pay our farm payment, get the part for the refrigerator that came in (so we still will have a working fridge), diapers, goat feed, cat food, groceries and gasoline. Well we got his check, deposited it, I had a some money in their already, went and payed our payment, a latch for the door, and then for groceries..............I had $40 worth of meat and a few staple items.....I gave the gal my debit card and it was declined, so she ran it thru as a credit transaction...still declined, I was like now way as we had just deposited money and plus I had a bit int here already....so I said I would just write a check. We left and I called the bank as it was after 4:30pm by this time and the lobby close at 5 on Fridays. I call them and they tell me I am $1300.00 NEGATIVE!!!!!!!!!!! I was like no way! To make a horrid story short..................I had a levy put on my accoutn for $1800.00 from our foreclosure and it took the $1100.00 I had in there, so the check I had just wrote out for our $837 farm and HE loan payment, the check groceries and the check for the door latch, and the check for our lunch.................ARE NOW NO GOOD and I will be charged $38.00 per check for an insuffiecent check fee. Ok, I am hyperventalating at this time................NO JOKE!!! I immediately called the bank were we just paid the mortgage payments to to see if they could back out the payment and I'd come get the ceck.......yea right Carrie as this is they end of the day on a HOLIDAY WEEKEND! We drove back to the drive thru where we put the money in at and tried to get my dh check back...NOPE! THAT WAS ALL THE MONEY WE HAD IN THE WORLD!!!!!!!!!!! I then called the manager tot he grocery store and returned our groceries for is I hadn't the check would have bounced and we would never be able to write a check there again. My daughter met us at a gas station and wrote us out a check for gas (enough to get us home) as we were almost on empty, remember I said we needed gas. Now we are stuck home with absolutelty NO MONEY, no gasoline, no diapers, not even cloth, less then half a gallon of milk, no eggs, no butter, no bread, a few potatoes, no meat, some oatmeal, pancake mix, a few kool aid packets and a few canned veggies. But come Sunday night will not have barely anything here. And I am scared to death about the goats! If we do not make our house payments by the end of the month ................I don't even want to think about that. And our Van payment is due today.........and if we are late past the grace period....they will start repo proceedings again. My dh is off until Tuesday but we do not even know how he is going to get to work (gas wise). I have asked an old friend about borrowing the money we just lost.............I have not heard an answer back as of yet. I have plenty of things here to sell .............. but know one is buying. We put some of our land up for sale and if only that would sell...............we WOULD BE MORE THEN FINE WITH EVERYTHING! If there is anyway that any of you can find it in your hearts to help us, we would be most greatful. I am sorry if this has offended anyone in the fact that I am coming to you all for help. As I said, I have things to sell and will continue to try and do so. I am merely trying to help my family. For my Christian Sisters out there, please PRAY HARD FOR US! You will never know how hard this was for me to humble myself and to post...........please forgive me. Thank you for your understanding. In Christ, Carrie |
What a hectic last couple of days. Tuesday night I started back up with my ladies bible study. We are doing Beth Moore's new-revised "A Woman's Heart...God' s Dwelling Place". My SIL is going with me. Then we awoke yesterday to hunters here, then my step daughter's fiance' come to help my dh on my cottage ouse earlier then we were ready for, anddddddd brought a sick child with him! UUGGHH! I so do not want anymore sickness here. Then an hour later, my dh brother, his wife and 2 grand daughters showed up out of the blue! GGGRRRRRRRR! So much for getting anything done that "I" needed to do. Then I was looking at our bank account online...... ......... ..and.... ......... ...GGRRRRR, a check that a gal had written to me for some of my moms things HAD BOUNCED!!!!! !!!!!!
Ok, so not a good day yesterday! Now I can not find this gal and it was a very sizeable check which made a chunk of our farm payment. Now I have to call and explain to our bank (2 actually), and the lawyer we make the payments to why we can not pay this week. I am really feeling very bitter right now and I do not like that. I am sooooooooo tired of whinning and oh woe is me..........but I am truly feeling like God has left us, or that I am being punished for getting back in to the Word. I know.....silly, but it just how we are feeling. And all of this right before my 40th birthday Saturday!
I am going to try and repost some of the "Designer" purses for sale from my moms Estate again as well as some of my Creative memories Inventory, etc. We had a mass of issues a few weeks ago, thougth we were finally gaining some P.E.A.C.E. and now this. I just want to burry my head in some dirt!
Please pray for us.......... ......... thank you dear ones. |
BLESSING OUR HUSBANDS...... Pray for your husband daily, not just casually ("God Bless Hubby")but for specific areas of need and blessing.
Thank God for your husband's strengths, for the growth you see, and for the kindness that he shows you and the needs he meets in your life. Meditate often (at least once a week) on the scriptures that teach your responsibilities and position in the home. Listen to him. Try to really hear what he is saying when he communicates with you. When he seems perplexed and troubled do not pressure him. Support him by prayer, your presence, and words of encouragement. Be ready to share your observations and insights in a meek spirit, but openly and honestly, when he asks you. You can be his best counselor. You can anchor him when he needs it most. Encourage him. Do not nag him, or boss him. Do not argue with him even if you are sure he is wrong. He may have something in mind that you are not aware of or do not understand. Ask his counsel and advice. Only say up-building and affirming things about your husband to others. Do not criticize him even in a joking manner. Very rarely should you find yourself sharing anything about his faults or failings, and then only with someone who is truly in a position to help. Bless your husband in public. Do not apologize for his background, weaknesses or failures. This will build up your reverence for him and help establish the trust that you should both have for each other. If your husband has failed, entreat him in meekness, don't exaggerate the issue or berate him. Let him know that you want him to be your leader not only by what you say but by what you do. You get that message across by the way you respond to the leadership he gives does give you. Seek to please your husband even when he does not spell out what he wants you to do. Try to determine what his heart's desire is and do it as fully as possible. Teach your children to honor him, respect him, and bless him. You do this best by your own example. Depend on him. Be very sensitive to areas in which he wants you to act independently. Do not run away with this responsibility. Handle it carefully. If in question choose dependence not independence. Seek opportunities to serve your husband in love. Find ways to show him that he is your "Lord." When you need to make a appeal, prepare carefully. Choose your words wisely. Choose the time well so that you can have his attention and time to explain yourself. That way you can be sure that he understands you. When he is weary, at the end of a long day is not a good time to communicate weighty matters. Always let your husband have the last word, the deciding vote, the majority rule. Show appreciation for the way he provides for you. Let your husband know that you love his attention to you and his singleness of heart for you. Bask in this attention and help him relate discreetly to other women especially by letting him know what makes women respond. Reserve yourself, your beauty, and your charm for him. Maintain true modesty and reserve while relating to other men.
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Morning Everyone! My dear sweet husband is on vacation this week so I guess that means I am on "vacation" as well! LOL! Although we are not going anywhere, it is a working vacation. He took the time off so he could work around the homestead and get some more done on my Cottage House and get our garden in. We had a busy day here at the homestead yesterday! We were outside nearly all day and evening. The day started with my dh going and getting the lawn tractor tires all sealed up so that "I" could mow our huge lawn (approx. 6.75acres around the house). Oh I can't tell you how much better the place looks as it was our first mowing of the season and it was quite tall! We also got our chickens moved into the old chicken coop (on Sun.) as we needed the kennel panels they had to expand our goat space. I have 2 new Nubian goats coming soon, so we had to swap pens around and enlarge the goat pen. One is the mamma to the doe I got last year. I was very blessed for the owners to give her to me. She is freshened so I will have to milk her. I am very nervous about that as I have not milked for years! LOL! :-) My dh also has to figure out how to build me a milk stand out of "scraps" we have here, as well as a milking shelter. I also have a kid doe coming from the same people, this Nubian doe kid is black and white. She will be my first black one. My dh and I are partial to the brown Nubians. I am very excited to be getting the milk for our family. I am definately going to be making soap to sell! My dh is also wanting me to make cheese........but I now how much work that is. LOL! :-) Love, Carrie |
Good afternoon! I pray that all of you moms out there are having a wonderful day with your familes!!! I wish I could say the same......I am very saddened in how my oldest 2 children have acted today, or shoudl I say how they "have not" acted. My oldest daughter has not even called me, nor has my oldest son. I called him to ask him a question and he didn't even wish me a Happy Mother's Day before I said something. Oh well.............. I will just continue to get ready for my new goats coming here in the next couple of days. Love, Carrie |
Chicken Enchilada Casserole 1/2 c. onion, chopped
2 tbsp. butter
3-4 chicken breasts (boiled, boned & chopped)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 sm. can chopped green chilies (mild)
1 carton sour cream (8 oz.)
Flour tortillas
Cheddar cheese (grated)
Sauté onions in butter until clear. Add chicken, soups and chilies.
Mix in sour cream. Grease casserole. Line bottom with tortillas, then
spread half chicken mixture over tortillas. Sprinkle with cheese.
Repeat. Bake at 350 degrees until cheese melts. Use a 9 x 13 inch
casserole. Yield: 8 servings
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I made this yummy dish last night and it was a huge hit with my family!!! My husband just loved it! I actually only used the cream of chicken soup and forgot to add the cream of mushroom soup and it was just fine that way! LOL! :-) We also had salsa to top it off with. :-)
Also, last night, a darn fox got another one of precious hens........ leaving us with only 2 now that are laying! Our other chicks will not be ready ti lay until July at the earliest. :-( My dh is just sick over this. He loves the birds.
My dh was working on putting the floor down on my new cottage house last night and he is going to be on vacation all next week so we can get that done and our garden in. God willing.... |
The Pantryby Donna Martin In these uncertain times, it is best to be prepared for the unexpected. If it is an unplanned visit from friends or family, a power outage, or the loss of a job, a pantry permits for a level of preparedness. By simply picking up a few extra items every time you do your weekly shopping, you can be on your way to having a well-stocked pantr The concept of a pantry is more than storage. Your pantry should be a place where you have a good supply of basic ingredients and a few less expensive convenience foods. If a preparedness pantry is your objective, begin by deciding how many weeks you would like to have food for, then begin picking up a variety of sale items. This is where a wise shopper can set out to carefully pick out items for her pantry with little expense.
What are the benefits of a pantry? We live in an era of the corner grocery store, so many women feel there is no longer a necessity to have a well-stocked food pantry. Not so many years ago, food was stored for an entire year. Whatever food a family stored from the harvest would have to last them until the next harvest. Just as the ant stored up his food in Proverbs 6:6, we should also store up in “times of plenty.” (I guess they had to pray a lot, and hope none of their children had a big growth spurt.) My hope is that you will change your mind in this area, because a wise woman “looks well to the ways of her household...” (Prov 31:27a).
There are five reasons why having a pantry makes sense. 1. Time Savings - With some preplanning, you can save extra trips to the store. For those of you who live out in the boondocks, you’ll appreciate this point. Having our pantry has kept me from making a 30-minute round trip to the store at inconvenient times. 2. Money Savings - Take advantage of the sales, and place that extra food away for another time. 3. Always Ready for the Unexpected Guest - Do you have the ingredients for a meal on short notice? You will never have to apologize that you have to go to the store or that there is nothing to eat. 4. Preparing for Adversity - We have had to use our preparedness food several times. For instance, when an unexpected bill would come up and we were unable to make another trip to the grocery store until payday. Another time we use it is at Christmastime. Last minute expenses have sent me into our pantry, and I’ve felt blessed to have it.
Where do I put all this stuff? Storage space for everyone always seems to be at a minimum, but there are a number of places you can begin to store food for your pantry. If your kitchen can’t handle any more storage or a cabinet to set them in, consider a linen or coat closet, your basement, or indoor storage area. Some people store their food in a box under their bed. Others will install shelves along a wall entering their basement. Our pantry is in our downstairs storage closet on a set of shelves. Remember, not all of this food needs to be readily available, so you can base it’s location on how often you will need to access it.
When you begin to fill your pantry, you can use some of the convenience shelves and lazy susans, which stores offer, for better use of your space. Organize the shelves so that you can find things when you need them...such as: keeping the bottled juices together, canned veggies, canned fruit, paper towels, and so on.
Now What? If you decide to keep food items for long-term storage, you must still use your food. All of these items have a shelf life, so you’ll need to keep an eye on the dates and purchase more as you use them. As you add to your pantry, make sure you have the ingredients for a full meal. If you have several odd items that you aren’t so sure about, find recipes that you can make with that particular item, and be certain you have all the ingredients. Be sure that you have the ability to cook the foods you have, in the event of a power outage. Are you cooking on a camp stove or your grill? Tailor some of your meals around the method of cooking you plan to use. If you do plan to use your outdoor grill, make sure you have plenty of aluminum foil stocked up. I have read where many people prepare meals in aluminum packets. Lastly, have a substitution chart available so that you can improvise for any missing ingredients. This is always a handy tool.
What about moisture? Moisture will reduce the shelf life of your food. If humidity and moisture is a factor, there are moisture absorbing products you can use that will help eliminate the dampness in your pantry area. That is, if the space isn’t too big. If this is ineffective, then you may have to place the perishables in plastic food bags or plastic storage containers. Don’t use garbage bags, because some are treated with insecticides. Keep everything as dry as possible, otherwise the critters will move in and take over. Conclusion Enjoy your peace of mind and a practical insurance policy. I have had a pantry for about a year, and I wish now that I had been doing it all along. I have been trying to build our pantry up, and always end up being blessed by it time after time. God is preparing us, as Christian women, for the time to come. Many of the skills and ideas our mothers and grandmothers used have been lost. My father uses a pantry, and my mother-in-law still has a fairly well stocked freezer and canned goods pantry. Storing up is not fear, or depression era mentality. It is a biblical principle that previous generations learned for which our corner-store generation finds no need. |
I got this from a friend and wanted to share. :-)
God's Answers to Negative Thoughts
You say, "It's impossible."
God says: "All thing are possible". (Luke 18:27)
You say, "I'm too tired."
God says: "I will give you rest". (Matt 11:28-20)
You say, "Nobody really loves me."
God says: "I love you". (John 3:16 - John 13:34)
You say, "I can't go on."
God says: "My grace is sufficient."
You say, "I can't figure things out."
God says: "I will direct your steps." (Proverbs 3:5-6)
You say, "I can't do it."
God says: "You can do all things in Me." (Phil 4:13)
You say, "It's not worth it."
God says: "It will be worth it." (Romans 8:28)
You say, "I can't forgive myself."
God says: "I forgive you." (I John 1:9 - Romans 8:1)
You say, "I can't manage."
God says: "I will supply all your needs." (Phil 4:19)
You say, "I'm afraid."
God says: "I have not given you a spirit of fear."
You say, "I'm always worried and frustrated"
God says: "Cast all your cares on ME (I Peter 5:7)
You say, "I don't have enough faith."
God says: "I've given everyone a measure of faith."
(Romans 12:3)
You say, "I'm not smart enough."
God says: "I give you wisdom." (I Cor. 1:30)
You say, "I feel all alone."
God says: "I will never leave you or forsake you."
(Heb. 13:5)
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I'm sorry it has been a little while since I have shared with you all. A couple weeks ago I began to switch bedrooms with my kiddos as my dh is building me my very own Cottage House for my craft/office/guest space. Our house is so small with no storage space to speak of so this will be a real blessing! I am so veryyyyyyyyyyyy excited! Anywho...I got quite ill in the middle of everything with Upper Respiratory, Sinus infection and Penomonia! That was on April 25th and my vocal chords are still not back in shape yet and I can barely talk. UUGGHH! :-) This morning I have been able to enjoy all the birdies outside my windo just a singing away, and while I was watching my Blue Jays.......I noticed that my Cheery Tree has finally bloomed! THANK YOU JESUS!!! At just that moment........a Doe Deer and her baby walked up our front lawn near the brush and walked right under my cherry tree! Oh what a beautiful site! I couldn't get my camera fast enough and they had moved on. :-( Yesterday I made my first batch of sun tea for the season! :-) I am just now getting to enjoy a glass. YUMMY! I am also needing to bake some bread and figure out what is for dinner. I am thinking spaghetti, fresh bread, and peaches. :-) How about you all?????????? |
Oh the sun is shinning again today here at Hidden Creek Hills! Thank you JESUS!! We had a nice day here weather wise yesterday. I want to thank all my dear sister friends for your prayers and would very much like you to continue to pray for us. We are awaiting the judges ruling on one of the issues that will effect us dramatically (survival wise). So I have HAD TO keep veryyyyyyyy busy to keep my mind off things. :-(
I was not online all day yesterday as I had a friend over to help me play "musical rooms"! :-) If you may recall, I posted a litle while ago about how we were going to switch bedrooms with the kids. Our bedroom is quite big, and since my dh is going to build me a little office/craft cottage, we will not need all that space for just our bed and dressers. Plus it will give the kids more room once the divider wall is up to seperate the room into two rooms for them. So yesterday we got my "work area" of my bedroom switched with Dakota's side of his old bedroom. I painted it as well, as his old room had the ugly dark brown paneling and since the computor was being moved first as the computor guy was coming to re-hook up my internet (satelite) I had to get that part of my new room painted right away so that I didn't have to move the pc once it was all hooked to paint. :-) Oh it looks sooooooooo pretty now with the "country white" and offwhite lace curtains. And the best part is I have windows all arounf my desk!!!!!!!!!!! YEAH!!!!!!!! I will send a picture soon. Today my friend was back and we switched out the closets and I was able to pitch alot of J.U.N.K. out of my kids closet!!!! We also got all of my scrapboking stuff from my room all toted up and moved out of the cormer of my room so Dakota's toy box could go in. Then after my friend left, my daughter came out with my grandson to help my dh move 2 of the dressers. We did not get the beds moved so now tomorrow I will have to clean up all the little piles everywhere and clean my kitchen up that is just aweful after all the moving things around! LOL! :-) I am praying we can get the beds moved tommorrow.
I put my back out yesterday some how so my dear friend Joyce came to help me again today. Well I am beat, so I am off to bed!
In Christ!
Carrie
Carrie
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Well this sure is a very odd spring here in these parts! :-( It has been a very longgggggg winter and the most snow we have had here since 2000. It is almost like "Indian Summer" only it is "Indian Winter". LOL! :-) We had had snow one day and then sun and upper 50's the next. I am very anxious for the nicer weather so they we can get busy on the first of many Homestead projects we have here. You all know about those big long "to do" lists right???? LOL! It is so hard to believe that 2 years ago we had just moved out here and then 3 weeks later had our house fire! Time has gone so quickly. It is just so hard to believe. I know like so many others, we are very anxious for warmer weather and plenty of SUNSHINE! :-) We also lovvvvve, love, love to camp so we can not wait to get a weekend away as a family and do just that! LOL! :-) Well I am off to get so much need things done here. Have a great day you all! HUGS! Carrie |
Well I am finallyyyyyy able to sit down at my computor..............(sigh)..........I should say what a crazy last couple of days!!! I had an a very hectic morning today before I was able to get out the door to take Dakota to PreSchool. Then had to run to the electric company that is two towns away for me. From there I stopped by a dear friends to help her with her pc that was given her fits. I ended up being over there alot longer then I had planned (visiting ya know) LOL! :-) Then I got home, started a wonderful pot of bean and smoked ham soup, had to sac a Tupperware party of orders, sac up some Usborne Book orders, then feed the critters, and come back inside clean up from dinner and do the dishes, chopped up my remaining green peppers and red onions. I got the cutest "Ball" freezer containers (plastic) with screw top pastel colored lids. ( I just love "cutesy" things if they are practical. :-) I ended filling one med. container and two small ones. I just diced up my green peppers and red onions, mixed them up together and dumped them in. It is so nice to grab them out of the freezer when I need them for cooking. I have alos been do some more fine tuning in my kitchen of my kitchen gadgets and such. Getting rid of the old and worn out, replacing what needs to be replaced and giving away what I dont need. I got my new Pampered Chef cranberry red rubber spatulas and a stainless steel/silicon whisk last Friday and I just love them! :-) My old ones were just plum wore out after 12 years! LOL!
Yesterday I took Dakota to the Dr. and we were there for almost 2.5 hours between the blood tests and XRAY of his tummy at the hospital (across the street from there). All I know at this point is that he has diagnosed Dakota with "Cronic Constipation" as well as "Encopresis". I am waiting on the Chrones Disease, Lead poisoning, and wheat test results. The XRAY showed his colon is completley filled with P---P! UUGGHH! My poor baby. I have to start him on a regiment of Miralax and Milk of Magnesia two times a day of each. The Dr said it will take a good 3-4 months to get him good and cleared up. (sigh) He also said that once the medicine starts that the pain will increase and get steady until he is cleaned out. Woohoo...................NOT!!!! I am just thankful there was no talk of surgery at this time. :-) From there I got home in enough time to prepare for my Girl Scout Troop meeting, the girls had a good time and we set some good goals and activity plans. I got home around 9:00pm and was ready to crash in bed! |
Morning!
It is a gloomy thunderstorming out right now and I believe it is suppose to most of the day. I am just thankful that it held off yesterday so that we were able to get all the work done that we did! We did not go to church as my dh said we needed to get the animals situated before all the rain comes. It was suppose to rain yesterday but did not. :-) Thank the Lord!
We got up and my dh went outside and got a head start while I finished up a few things in here first. Then I went out to help him. We got the new larger chicken pen done and moved into the barn so that we could move the baby chicks (who are growing like weeds) out of the rabbit hutch they're in and out to the barn. We put plastic wrap around the sides of the wire to help with drafts and will be hanging the red heat lamp over top. Then we began rearrangin the gost pens as my dh was finally able to get rid of Zander our pygmy buck so we were expanding the Tilda's and Murphy's pen so it would be bigger and get some grass under their feet. They now also have a huge tree to rub against and chew on! LOL! :-) We also cleaned out their barn stall and put fresh straw down............... peeeeeeeeeeU! It was a smelly job but had to be done! LOL! :-) Our hens laid eggs right while we out there, it was halarious! Dakota couldn't get over to get them fast enough. LOL! We didn't get at the chicken pen as of yet, but will. We are going to use the dog kennel fencing we had for Zander, move the small chicken hut in there, place chicken wire over the top and then we will be able to pen them up at night until our new coop is built.
My son and the girls came out also for a little while so Grandma was able to show them all her critters! LOL! We also had them jump on the trampoline and play on the swing set a bit. They just weren't here long enough. :-( After they left we finished up with the barn stall and picked up junk around the yard that the snow had hid all winter. When we were ready to call it a night, we went over to the next town and got footlong Subway sw as they are on special right now for only $5.00 and we were just starving! They sure were good too.LOL! Saturday I went into town with a friend and did some errands, and got feed and groceries. It was a nice time with her. We had a good talk and great time. I couldn't believe the how much cat food at Walmart had gone up in just the past week or so. It went from $8.67 to $10.22! Ouch! We will be doing alot more table scraps for them and cutting abck on the cat feed. When I got home my stepdaughter, her bf and all their kids were here. She had brought back Jackson my Yorkie as she cut his hair for me. Jackson was wayyyy overdue! :-) I also picked hima new doggy pillow as he other just stunk horibly! Icky pooey! I forgot to get bird seed for my feeders though but it will have to wait until next payday. Well that was pretty much our weekend. Today I am going to be working alot of homestead paperwork, researching some things, menu planning for the week and some cleaning. Blessings to you All! Carrie |
Well after taking a more then anticipated break from blogging.....I'm back! :-) Today was an absolute busy day and it feels good to be HOME! :-) I started my day by sleeping in to long and then had to take my daughter to schol as the buses were oly running on hard surface roads. UUGGHH! It has been like over 2 weeks now and gettinf quite ridiculous. They expect us moms to drive the kids in when the roads are not good enough for the buses??????? Well anyway, after I dropped Jessi off I then had to run Dakota to Preschool. I then came right back home to get freshened up for my outing at the Jr./Sr. High for a Girl Scout Info. table. The area Volunteer Rep and I both went to try and interst some girls for the troop I am starting here in our Rural area. I know it is hard to get the "older" girls interested in GS, but I have 3 all signed up so far and 6 more saying they will join. I am very excited about this! :-) While up at the school over the lunch hour, I was absolutely shocked by they way many of the girls dress, what they let "hang out" and the amount of make up they put on! Oh I so wish I could HS my daughter. I can't wait to homeschool my son. Ok, so perhaps you are wondering why I can't HS my daughter, well I am remaried as of 8 yrs ago and my daughters Father would never allow it. :-( My son however is mine and my dear husbands so I will be HS hime. Thankfully by the time he is ready to start with HS, my daughter will only have one year of public school left. After I was done at the school I had to come and make some much needed phone calls and do some paperwork, start supper and then head to town for church. All in all it was an ok day, just busy! :-)
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Praise the Lord..................Halleluiah............AMEN! :-)
We are all done at the old house! I think we have broke the record for the world's longest move. It only took 22months! :-( It has been very rough past two days. Every muscle in my body aches, I got soaken wet, and I'm froze! WE got up and left by 7:30am yesterday morning to try and be the storm that was coming by 9:00am and we were done and back home by 12:45pm. We were to have rain, then freezing rain, and snow...........up to 8in. The freezing rain started in, just as soon as we got everything loaded and went to leave the old house and head to the storage garage.
Then the storage garage had water coming in like crazy! I am so upset about that. So we put everything that was not plastic up on top of the plastic tubs that we could to help protect them. I will be having to look for a new storage garage. Woohoo! NOT! :-( I don't ever want to have to move again. My DH and I are both wet, frozen and soar!
We are just very thankful that sue to the temps being warmer then they thought.....we didn't get all the snow they thought we were going to have! We are so ready for spring, to plant our garden, flower beds and begin construction on my office cottage, new chicken coop and goat shelters.
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The Lord has been making it very clear to me that Sunday's are for a day of worship, rest and family............FIRST AND FOREMOST!! If you can not get to church on Sunday or live to far out/away from a church....you can still Home Church with your family. We have missed many Sundays this winter do to weather conditions. That's one of the drawbacks to living out here in the sticks. :-) Pioneers more times then not, lived no where near a church or even a school and had to make do at HOME.
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The above paragraph is where I left off and forgot to finish...............LOL!
Sabbath is soooooo vitally important to BELIEVERS in the WORD. Many Christian people "CHOOSE" to work on Sundays....if they only understood the word. Even my own DH does sometimes, but it is only when he is literally forced to. He works for Quaker Oats in Maintence and is repsonsible for snow plowing and when things break so he has no choice when it's "his time" for forced overtime. Now I realize there are others in similar situations, and that is ok. I am referring to those who do so by choice or tell there employers they can schedule them for Sundays. GEN 2:3 says....."And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done. Now if the Lord blessed it and made it "holy".......why would any Christian "choose" to take away from that?
As our Pastor reminded us................Years ago, it was so nice as Stores would ALL be closed in HONOR OF THE LORD for it was the SABBATH DAY. Families attended church together and often had huge family meals afterwords. These families were closer, kids were more respectful, divorce rates were quite low etc. If only the "WORLD" were this way today....................
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