Hundred Acre Woods

Blessings!

   As I said...Fall is in the air!

   For the last few days we've had...well...what you would call, gully washers! It has poured for three days now and shows no signs of stopping anytime soon. Lord willing we'll have a little reprieve in the next couple days as our landlords are intending to be here to fix the pump and pumphouse.

   The weather tells us that this probably won't happen. It says that we are to have heavy rains for the next week before it clears up for about a week and then our fall begins and those rains will be with us day in and day out for the next several months:)

   I love the rain but not when I have to be out in it for hours at a time several days in a row. Although it does make coming inside for some hot cocoa and cider that much more appreciated:)

   I have been praying that we get a little break from it while the landlords are here so that the job can be done quickly and easily. I have emailed them to let them know that our weather is not cooperating at this time so we'll see what they decide to do. I would just hate to see them come all this way (they live out of state) to be slowed down by all this icky weather. If they DO come anyway, we'll do our best to help as efficiently as possible and get it done and out of the way:)

   I must say that I am very ready for fall and winter to be here. The girls and I have been talking about Christmas already:) We love the decorations and lights, the wonderful foods and family time:) I am looking forward to the inside projects like sewing, mending, crafting and general family time that seems to come with being sequestered for the cold months:) And, as always, we are hoping for a white Christmas:)

   Our cleaning projects are coming together finally. The last two projects we really have now are the kitchen and the mudroom. With canning and other such activities, the kitchen sure takes a beating around this time of year. We pull in boxes of jars, containers of other items necessary for this project. Counters never seem to be cleared off, the table seems to be forever buried and the floor is a constant issue with all the spills and drips that happen. We wipe quickly with a sponge or paper towel but never really get it all up until your feet begin to feel a little sticky:P The mop gets pulled out, floor gets a lick and a promise and on we go with the project. Once we are finished with our putting up of all our harvest, we'll clear the room out and get on our hands and knees and scrub, scrub, scrub:)

   The mudroom always seems to need cleaning and mopping. With that being the outside door to the farmyard, the floor is forever dirty. Sweeping, usually does the trick until it begins to rain, then there's mud. Mud needs mopping and by the time the mop is barely dry it needs it again. The mudroom also tends to become the catch-all during harvest time. We place excess boxes on the drying and freezer tops, the shelves become messy, any flat surface seems to be used up with clutter.

   I can rest in the fact that once we are finished, all of it will be cleaned up. Spit and polished for winter. Back to normal and easy access once again. The larder will be full, the house kempt, and slower days to enjoy together:)

   I pray that you too are experiencing the coming Fall season with eagerness and joy.

God be with thee!

Sister Lori

Thank You Jesus For Everything!

My mission for this week is to avoid all negative thoughts of failure and despair by making my actions control my thoughts; to smile often; move swiftly; to raise my voice to strenghten my confidence; make allowances for the moods of others and to refuse to allow any set back or problem to discolor my day.

Working on this weeks mission, I have found my thoughts very positive. You see when I think positive it comes back to me I have found. I don't listen to the news or read the news paper and that is really helping me in this process. I know it is out there although I don't want it to get inside of me that way I just stick to what the word says and keep believing it. Doors of negativity open in many ways and decernment allows me to SHUT IT before it gets near. I am blessed to be living a life separated from the things that block the blessings so I walk in His presence knowing I am not ever alone. I Bless You Father for all you are doing and all you have done for it just opens up within me the Kingdom.

It's all about Your will for my life.

Blessings Always, rilda

Thank You Jesus For Everything!

My mission for this week is to avoid all negative thoughts of failure and despair by making my actions control my thoughts; to smile often; move swiftly; to raise my voice to strenghten my confidence; make allowances for the moods of others and to refuse to allow any set back or problem to discolor my day.

Today this is my focus! Thank You Jesus for showing me how to be more like thee.

Have a blessed day one and ALL.

God loves you so lovingly!!!!!

Rilda *U*

Thank You Jesus For Everything!

Hello dear ones! I just love this time of year. I did a new photo show of my Fall displays if you care to take the time to see them. I enjoyed decorating~ for it makes my heart sing Joyfully. I have been doing a sudy course and different projects. I have so many I am going to do. A few days ago I made a wreath from my harvest of plant which I do not know the name of ~ maybe you do. I have it in my flower garden and know it is good for drying. Here is what I did.

My dry goods a wire wreath holder and scissors and a few flowes [ not seen].

During, Just keep going in the angle.

Do one layer then come with second one lapping and tucking over the ends for cover up.

Adding flowers I love for color.

This is the end result although it will be displayed inside as it's home. Better view in daylight outside today.

Blessings!

   Well, it took us two days but we finally finished this batch! I love pearbutter. It's a lot like applebutter but I think tastier:) To me, applebutter just tastes like thick applesauce. Pearbutter, on the otherhand, has a unique taste all it's own:)

   I forgot to get pictures of before we started the pears:( But here's the picturpedia of the event:)

   First thing was to cut the slightly yellowed pears in half and carefully core them. Putting them into a tall pot on the stove. Approximately 10lbs of them for each batch. We added two coffee cupfuls of water and set the heat to medium high until it began to bubble.

Once it begins to bubble we turn it down to low and cover it. It simmers for about 20 minutes. Stirring it occasionally until it looks like lumpy soup.

It is then ladeled into the fruit sieve. Make sure the plunger is at the bottom before adding the fruit or it will cause an icky plug at the bottom and it's harder to clean that out after you are done.

 The bowl catches the fruit pulp while you "churn" the plunger around in circles inside the sieve until it squishes all the pulp into the bowl and leaves you with just the pear skins stuck to it. Once it's full you'll want to scrape that off and start again.Once you are done with the fruit, you'll want to scrape the outside of the sieve to clean off the rest of the pulp before proceeding to the next step.Pour the pulp into your crockpot slowly so as to not splash and burn yourself.

now it's time to measure out your spices...You can add a little sugar if you like. I do to soften the spices a little...Don't forget to add a cup of real orange juice! Unlike apples, pears don't have as much natural ascorbic acid. You can add the orange juice (which I prefer because it adds to the flavor) or you can add a couple teaspoons of ascorbic acid which you can find in your pharmacy section in your local drug store.Mix it all in with your wooden paddle...or spoon whichever you prefer:)Turn your crockpot on low and let it cook overnight. The next day...Your sauce should be cooked down to about half. You can cover it for awhile but be sure that you cock the lid so it's not a real seal to allow the steam to escape. The top one, as you can see, wasn't cooked down to half so I uncovered it and let it cook another two hours.

   Load up the canner with the jars to heat them up.I heat them to boiling before removing them for filling.Place the seals over them.Place the rings on them and tighten them down.Once they are sealed, place them back into the hotbath for another 10-15 minutes before removing. Place them in a cool place where they can sit undisturbed for 24 hours and listen for that pingpingping as they let you know you've succeeded:)Pearbutter is one of our favorites. This year we'll have a larger supply because this year...we have a pear tree! There are still more on the tree and so we'll be repeating this again this week.

Have a very blessed weekend!

God be with thee!

Sister Lori

   I have touched on the issues with our sweet daughters now I would like to make mention of saving our sons. Society, today would like our sons castrated right along with their fathers. Non entities. Made to be less than a man.

   Our boys are being treated like they are stupid and worthless. Unless they have a woman to guide them, they are doomed to a life of loneliness.

   Our sons need to know they are valued. Not just by us moms but by their Creator. The one who really counts:) In the great scheme of things, our sons are God's sons. Loaned to us to teach and encourage them as boys to become men of God.

   These days, most boys aren't being taught the simple rudimentary things. Respect for authority, respect for themselves, respect for their families and loved ones. They aren't being taught to say please and thank you, to treat their womenfolk with any sense of femininity. Just as a girl will behave like a girl if treated like a girl, so will a boy behave like a boy should if treated like a boy:)

   Long ago, my husband felt it was very important to teach our sons to be good, sensitive and responsible men. He taught the the basics of work ethics and very importantly, how to treat a woman with respect. He taught them that certain behaviors were not appropriate around the women. Things like spitting, and a few other boy things they do naturally.

Matthew, doing what boys do:P

   My sons were taught to hold a chair out for their sisters and myself. To hold open doors and offer to carry things. Likewise my husband taught my girls how to be treated. I taught them how to behave as girls should deserving of the treatment:)

    My husband made sure to take us out someplace public to eat. Not fast food, but a place where he and the boys would treat the women with respect and gentlenesss. Where we women would treat our men with respect and meekness.

Home is always different and fun:)

   Our Kristina remarked early on how much of a gentleman our Matthew was. How he opened doors for her, held her chair. Throughout their courtship, he would make sure she was comfortable, made sure she waited in the car until he could help her out of it. Since they were always in the backseat of our car along with the sisters, this meant helping his sisters out as well:)

Matthew and Kristina during their courtship

   There is so much that we need to be teaching our boys. Their importance in the lives of their women. How important their women are in THEIR lives:)

   Encourage your sons. Save them from the loading chute of societies meat markets. Our sons have value. They are needed. They are MEN! Men of God:)

God be with thee!

Sister Lori

OKAY, what is your favorite time of year?  I think spring would be my most favorite because the earth is thawing, new life is springing up...and everything looks fresh and oh the wonderful smells of spring.  BUT THEN each time a new season begins I think,...no this is my favorite one!  LOL  How about all of you? 

Right now I am enjoying the crispness of fall, and the wonderful colors God is displaying with the leaves changing.  Our garden is almost done, but it seems that our beans (green and yellow) will be producing forever...the more we pick them the more we get!  NOt that I am complaining...but they did absolutely wonderful this year!  Our cucumbers did fantastic too!  Peppers were normal, and corn well lets just say our animals enjoyed them more than we did!  My one lonely tomato plant has many green tomatos on it...I am beginnning to think I may have to dig it up and bring it inside before our heavy frost appears! 

May you have a wonderful Monday!

Blessings KS 

   Have you heard the latest "terms of endearment" for the young women today? I won't even begin to share those here. If you haven't heard them, chances are you haven't exposed your daughters to it. If you HAVE then you know They Deserve Better!

   I want to say that society is responsible and in a way it is. However, it's an elite side of society that has turned this into an expected position for women today. Those elite are the feminazi's. Heard of those? I have a theory. (who doesn't?:P) Through observation, I have figured that the difference between a feminist and a feminazi is the feminist hates men. The feminazi hate women who love men. Make sense?

   There was a time when we called them "bra burners". Now it's become an accepted term and the meaning is softened and many Christian women even buy into it! There is no question about equality. Actually equality has always existed between man and woman. God created woman to be mans partner for life. He didn't create woman to be on her knees before man, under his foot, a slave to him. He created woman to "help" man. To "share" his burdens. You see? It's always been!

   Those women who feel threatened in some way by men, are insecure within themselves. Those women who seem so sure of themselves, who seem in control of their lives, who are "equal", are insecure, fearful and unhappy. On the outside they will show their strength by putting down men both verbally and emotionally. They will never hesitate to talk badly about their boyfriend, husband, brother and father. They pass it off as a joke. Always funny to hear about how a woman is smarter than a man. But is it? I personally find it sad, frustrating and downright angering.

   Our daughters are being taught the same thing! Those sitcoms on television...when was the last one you watched that actually uplifted the father/husband/brother? And I'm not speaking of the Christian channel or old television shows, I'm speaking of todays television. Today's outlook. When was the last time you heard the wife say to her friend, "I'll have to ask my husband if that's okay first and I'll let you know"? Or "Thanks Bro, you sure saved the day"?

   Today's programming is poisoning our daughters hearts and minds. It's molding them into women who will have no respect for their fathers, brothers and eventually husbands. Provided they have not been talked into relying on another woman for her needs (and wants).

   This is not the only area where our girls are being influenced. Our girls are also influenced by the company they keep. Friends who are taught these very things. Those "friends" we allow our daughters to have, have such a strong influence over them that often we are unaware until it's too late. When those attitudes seep in and taint their relationships with their fathers and brothers. Those are the friends that many Christian parents believe THEIR child will be a good influence on. The ones we say are "good girls deep down". Jesus taught that His followers should travel together not alone. We should never expose ourselves to these temptations and influences alone. It's dangerous to our walk. It is so easy to be turned around and before you know it, you are laughing at those inappropriate jokes, even sharing a few of your own. Complaining, in a joking way, about your husband or son or brother.

   There was a time when I thought that was funny too. When I didn't give it a second thought to join in on those moments of tearing down my husband, sons and brothers. Often right in front of them! Why? Because it was funny? No! It was because I was insensitive, unloving, and completely in the wrong. God was not pleased.

   It has been many years since all these things were a daily part of my life. I still see the aftermath of those days in my children from time to time. Poisoned by me! But I also see children who now struggle to do what is right. Daughters who sometimes allow their frustration to boil over and spouting words of anger and spitefulness. It's not often but now and then it happens.

   Me? Not any more. I love my husband. I don't want to do anything that would hurt him. I don't want anyone to think that I don't respect my husband or that I think he is beneath me in any way. My daughters see their father as their protector, their teacher, their knight in shining armor:) The father that is there for them throughout all their ups and downs. Who takes care of them when they are sick or hurt. Who comforts them when they are hurting. Who shows them direction and compassion all at the same time.

   All of us have daughters that deserve so much better than society is willing to give them. The women of today (and I speak of the women who believe that they must be superior to men), despise the daughters who are respectful and loving to their fathers, brothers and eventually husbands.

   Like myself, they will hear the name calling. Slave! Stupid! Brainwashed! Used! Abused!

   I admit that there are those that are in abusive situations and that isn't right. I am speaking only of those who are in godly situations. Women who know that there is no shame in being a submissive wife. A strong mother is a mother who is willing to show her daughters, by example, what a loving and respectful and fulfilling marriage is.

   Take your daughters back. Save them from those influences that are turning them from their God given roles. Show them how wonderful their ultimate relationship with their husbands, sons and brothers can be. The deserve better:)

God be with thee!

Sister Lori