Would like to say have a Happy New Year and for those folks driving, please drive carefully and may god be with us all...
Blessings Brenda
Endings and Beginnings
Posted on Wednesday, December 31, 2008 at 04:36 by Tea Kettle & Lavendar - 1 Comments - Post Comment - Link
The end of a year. Time has surely flown by. I sit here and think of just one year ago making my annual resolutions, to which many were not kept. Fondly, I remember the activities and functions happening at my niece's school, her birthday slumber party, the Memorial Day parade, fireworks and county fairs. I remember my mother and I going to the country in Pennsylvania and "us girls" seeing The Little Mermaid on Broadway and how very cold it was that day. I also remember the sadness with both my grandmother and my uncle joining my father in Heaven. Thankfully, my faith has remained strong and has brought much comfort to me.
Now a new year is upon me and again I make my resolutions. I have my usual resolutions of eating heathier and completely giving up Pepsi. I also want to exercise more. But there are many things that I want to do differently this year. I am going to become more faithful in my time with Christ. Family is going to be more focused for me as well as taking time to plain enjoy life and all its beauty and simplicity. I will make time for crafts and reading and working on making my family recipe book a reality for Christmas 2009. I will also become more responsible financially watching how I am spending my money. In these difficult financial times and with job insecurities, things must be tightened.
A new year with new possibilites and the freshness of the morning fresh dew. What a thrilling time this is. I pray that each of you has a truly blessed New Year with much health, peace and happiness but most of all, with a renewed faith.
Well, I tried to fix the goofy non-link I put in the last post, but the form here at HSB didn't feel like opening for me.
Ahhh, the joys.
Here is the link to Granny Miller's Blog. She has amazing information over there, full of pictures and tutorials. Just fun and informative reading.
GRANNY MILLER
and in case it doesn't link this time.... http://grannymillerblog.blogspot.com/
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Posted on Wednesday, December 31, 2008 at 12:19 by Heritage Hill Homestead - 7 Comments - Post Comment - Link
Miss, Mrs. or Mr. Anonymous left this comment on my last entry about the fire at our neighbor's house...........
"Why would even think of chasing after fire trucks? They need to do thier job. Not be bothered by nosy neihgbors!!!! It wasnt your business, leave the work to the firemen. "
My answer to that would be that we are fortunate enough to live in a rural area where folks look out for each other and care about our neighbors! As I mentioned the owner had moved and we had talked with him about keeping an eye on the place for him as he was not there full time anymore. We were absolutely the only people that had a contact number for him or even knew where he was living now. He is not the type of guy to have a lot of close friends, but we had gotten to know him pretty well and enjoy visiting back and forth. Hubby has helped him move farm equipment from field to field and such and he has helped us move big bales of hay for our critters. Just generally neighborly exchanges. I also know his sister from going to school together( many years ago now). Under other circumstances, I would agree that people should not bother firemen, policemen, or other emergency workers..............however, I would ask you if your house was burning, wouldn't you like for someome to supply your contact information or at least try to let you know of the situation?
I know I sure would hope there was a caring neighbor, not a nosey one, that would take the time to help out!
Yesterday was such a nice day here, but, I was not able to be outdoors much enjoying it. I baked a batch of cinnamon rolls and had lots of laundry to catch up on, I don't think I had done any all last week! Today was almost as nice. I baked 2 pies this morning and then did go outside this afternoon. This was the first time in a long time I was able to do a couple of extra things outdoors. For a long time any spare time was spent getting ready for the Nativity. I put up a hay feeder for the goats and got the extension cord put up and the tank moved to use the stock tank heater the rest of the winter. For hay feeders, I like to wire a hog panel or piece of one, to the outside of the fence. That way it is easy to fill from the outside and the goats can pull it through the fence. It works great!
Last evening we went to my cousin's home for our little family (my Dad's side) get together. We had a nice meal, sandwiches and salads, and lots of snacky things everyone wanted to get rid of after Christmas!
I can hardly believe that tomorrow is New Years Eve........wow. We do not usually do anything special and have no plans for this year. A couple of years ago we had 2-3 couples over for chili and visiting, that was kind of fun. Maybe we should have planned something this year, but I am tired!
Speaking of tired, it is almost midnight and I think I should be in bed!
Step 1: Using one strand of the blue yarn and one strand of the white yarn (holding them together as if they were one strand), wrap the 12 pegs according to the method shown in the Round Loom instructions.
Step 2: Wrap and “knit off” five rows of knitting, using the hook as shown in the Round Loom instructions.
Step 3a: Using the crochet hook, take the loop from the 1st peg and then from the 2nd peg.
Step 3b: Pull the 2nd loop through the 1st loop and place the loop back on the 2nd peg.
Step 3c: Take the loop from the 3rd peg and then from the 4th peg. Pull the 4th loop through the 3rd loop and place the loop back on the 4th peg.
Step 3d: Continue in this manner until you have taken the 12th loop through the 11th loop and placed the loop on the 12th peg. You will now have 6 loops on the loom.
Step 4: Wrap the loom 2 more times. Now some pegs will have 3 loops and others will have 2 loops. For the pegs that have 3 loops on them, knit the bottom 2 loops over the top loop. For the pegs that have 2 loops on them, knit the bottom loop over the top one, just like normal. When you are finished, there will only be one loop on each peg.
Step 5: Wrap and knit off 9 more rows. Thread the blue yarn needle with one strand of yarn, and sew the yarn through the loops on the pegs (pulling the loops off the pegs as you go). When you have sewn through all the pegs, pull the two ends of the yarn to gather the material and tie them in a tight square knot. (This is the same method you would use to finish a hat on the Round Loom.) Repeat Steps 1 – 5 to make a mitt for the other hand.
Step 6: You can string a ribbon through the holes in the top of the mitts or, using one strand of yarn, make an I Cord (see directions below) and put a pom-pom on each end to string through the holes.
I Cord: Using any 2 pegs on any of the looms, wrap 2 loops on each peg in a figure 8 design. Take the bottom loop over the top loop and over the peg. Continue wrapping in the figure 8 and knitting over. This will form your I Cord.
Step 1: Using 12 pegs wrap both strands around these pegs and turn and knit back and forth for 12 rows
Step 2:Take the beginning stitches and put them up and over the pegs as you would if you were making a brim on a hat, knit these stitches and continue knitting for another 12 rows
Step 3: Cut the yarn you are knitting with about 14" from the knitting. Using the yarn needle thread the end of the yarn back through the 12 loops on the pegs and pull tight for the toe.
Step 4: Tie the yarn at the toe and then sew or weave up the top or front of the bootie.
Step 5: Finish by chaining a piece of yarn about 12" long and thread through the fold on the top of the bootie. Make a pom-pom and tie on each end of the string. You could also use a piece of ribbon if you do not want to make the pom-poms.
SIZE: 24 months (2 yrs), Child 7-8, Adult Medium, Large Finished Width 2¾ (3½, 4¼, 5) inches Finished Length 6 (8, 10½, 11½) inches Note: Pattern is written for smallest size with changes for larger sizes in parentheses. When only one number is given, it applies to all sizes. To follow pattern more easily, circle all numbers pertaining to your size before beginning.
CORRECTIONS: (applied Feb 27, 2003)
Top Shaping: Row 1 (RS) Ssk, k to within 2 sts of marker, k2tog; ssk, k to within last 2 sts, k2tog.
Palm (RS) K12 (14, 17, 20) sts; remove markers, place the 9 (11, 13, 15) sts on stitch holder or strand of yarn; k12 (14, 17, 20) - 24 (28, 34, 40) sts. Cont in St st until piece measures 5 (6, 5,9, 10)” from beg.
The above is only a summary of corrections; the corrected pattern text is below (if free) or shipped upon completion of order (if purchased)
Granny Miller shared this -- there's more to her post, go visit.
I was happy to see our bank was very near the bottom of the list, but honestly, the way things are going (and have been for quite some time...hind-sight is 20/20, isn't it?) I'm still not comfortable with that.
No, we aren't giving up the banks altogether. At least not yet. DH's paycheck is direct-deposited, so I have no choice but to use the banking system. At least for that day. I pull out all money as soon as it's in there and deal in cash. One, it keeps me from messing up and handing the bank some extra fees for not paying close attention to the checkbook. And two, it's just plain good sense these days when the phrase 'bank run' seems to be on so many lips.
Just say it happens. Just play a what-if game. What if...you had all your money in a nice, safe, bank account and you bank was unable to open for access to you? What would you do? What if...you savings, your stocks and bonds through a work pension, etc. were just pieces of printed paper and you really had nothing? How long could you last?
Yeah, I know, people freaked over the whole Y2k things years back and look, nothing happened. But what about the folks who were prepared, at least on some level, if it had happened as reported? It was winter for most of the country. They had heat sources set up. Some people didn't. They had food and other needs set aside, at least for several weeks, some were prepared for a much longer term. Some folks barely had a cupboard of needs, let alone a pantry. Some had money kept in cash and the like for use in bartering, trade and what purchases might be available. Some didn't.
What would you do? I mean, really....no food in the house, little in the way of ready and accessible cash, no alternative sources of heat, water, and so on? I know...I'm an odd duck. My family said so many times (ok, they still do, quite often, actually). But where would everyone have come to if Y2k amounted to something? My house. I had food a plenty, I had water and heating and lighting. I had resources already in place to sustain for a good while, and then replenish for the most part. LOL...I had no short supply of toilet paper, either. Don't laugh...never underestimate the power of a well-stocked toilet paper supply to those in need.
What if it never happens...a bank run or closure? Would you \really be any worse off learning some new skills, knowing how to do something, even if you never have to actually put the skills into practice? What if it isn't a bank run in the future...what if it's something that happens in great numbers every single day in our country....plant closures, jobs leaving in droves, unemployment lines growing by thousands? How do you eat? How do you keep living the life you are used to?
I'm an odd duck. Yes, I'd like to be off the grid here, but that's just me. I prepare and plan and work for that day, and I train my children for that day. If we never have to actually live that lifestyle, that's ok. My family is prepared to keep living with a very little bump in the road should it be thrust upon us just the same. I like knowing that we have the skills to do without the common luxuries, and that we can be just as happy without them.
Are you brave enough to see if your bank is the next in line to fail?
Are you and your family prepared to survive if you should lose all of your money (Federal Reserve notes)?
Can you survive without money?
Do you understand hyperinflation?
Chris Brunner's post over at Lew Rockwell yesterday got me curious and I checked my bank.
The Texas Ratio of my bank is 14.
But then I'm not surprised.
Small locally owned banks aren't in trouble and are not beholding to Wall Street, nor to the criminals at the privately ownedFederal Reserve Bank .
The current wave of predictable bank failures is due in large part to central economic bank planning and global fiat currencies.
The large multi national global corporations and entities which seek to nationalize private property and make us all dependent debt slaves have lost control of the current economic situation.
The proof of this is in the overnight interest rate and the artificially controlled prices of oil, gold, and silver.
Never forget, Federal Reserve notes are NOT real money.
Nor are they Constitutional.
Federal Reserve notes do not define wealth nor are they dependable security.
Hard assets have always been true security in difficult economic times.
Stored food, guns, ammo, land, gold, strong community ties, silver, livestock, energy independence and the skills of self reliance are the foundations of security and real freedom.
Our ancestors knew this.
An online friend shared this and I felt I wanted to pass its wisdom along as well. My children are fairly easy-going with simple and basic things...we don't have yearnings here for iPods and Wii and such things. For the most part, my children have grown up finding fun in basic things...we have an assortment of plain wooden blocks here and matchbox cars and tractors, my 8 year old is tickled pink with a new notebook and some colored pencils. LOL...they were telling everyone at church about the peppermint sticks they just got.
Alot of what most people label as a need isn't that at all. It's a pure, selfish want. There is a big difference in wants and needs. We could all get along with much fewer things in our lives, even those so-called time- and labor-saving devices we stock our homes with. I have a friend who was so happy to receive the gift she claimed she just had to have to make her transition to a more simmple lifestyle...a breadmaker. LOL...I'm not laughing at her (and she knows it). I had one once. It kept me in bread for many years. Then I realized I could just as quickly produce more with the same amount of effort as I was getting one from that machine. I suppose it's a growing step.
Look seriously at what you claim you can't do without. Look seriously at the things surrounding you that are supposedly there to make your life 'easier' or more 'simple'. More than likely, if you are truly honest with yourself, your needs weren't really needed, or even appreciated, at all. They were just wants.
"I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength." Phillipians 4: 12-13
Each day, I see emails or other writings from people who are struggling financially. Yes, times are hard for most families now. In the emails and blogs, I often read how the struggles are affecting the families. They are very worried about everything from their employment, losing their home or car, and just making the utility payments. Many of the emails come from those who read my blog. They read about our lifestyle and tell me that they wish they had thought about living that way before all the struggles happened. For some reason, they feel we are untouched by the economic issues. We may not be as affected as those with huge debt, but we are affected in some ways.
I often think on the stories I have read in the Bible about the times when the Lord stepped in and brought about change in His people. If I may, I have to go on memory here as I have been unable to read the Bible in nearly a year due to my vision. I wanted to say that there were times when the Lord's people were doing very well. They were living a life of plenty and had riches. It seems that each time they reached that position in their lives, it wouldn't be long after that they would start to forget the Lord and that the riches they had came as blessings from Him. They built up idols that had more importance to them than the Lord. They were puffed up with what "they" had acheived of their own efforts and work. When they would reach this point, the Lord always stepped in. The people had to be humbled and reminded of the Lord and from Whom their blessings came from.
Over my adult years, I have watched how society in general has become. I am speaking in general terms, please take no offense for what I am saying , I say with love. I have watched as many families are consumed with the ideas of having the best of everything. They want a large home, new vehicles, and the newest version of anything that catches their eye. They have convinced themselves that they "need" these things and are willing to get into a deep debt to obtain them. Credit cards have been a downfall to many families. The convenience of being able to get what they want on a whim has gotten out of control. People, in general, have forgotten what it is like to save up for the expensive things. They want it now and buy it on credit with little thought to what their payments will be like.
Many parents are feeding this example to their children in heaping spoonsful. The child asks for the newest video game system or other equally expensive entertainment and the parents give it to them. As soon as a newer version of that gift is on the market, the kids are asking for it because they "need" it. Often the system that they already have is still sufficient, but the child sees only that there is a newer version that is better. That gift that was given is no longer viewed as being acceptable. The same goes for clothing. I remember one family who's daughter was obsessed with having jeans of a particular label. The family was not wealthy. They had to save up to give each child a school clothing budget of $150 for buying their clothing for the new school year. This daughter used over half of her budget on a single pair of jeans! The mother then spent a large portion of the son's budget on the daughter so that she would have enough new clothing to start off the school year. The son was left with enough money for a single outfit that certainly did not come from the mall, as his sister's clothing did. The daughter's whim and desires came before the true needs of her brother. She was raised without the knowledge of the difference between a need and a want. Nor was she taught to show love to her brother by being sensible with her own budget so that he would have what he needed also.
Over the last month, I have watched on the Freecycle group the wanted ads. People were doing their Christmas shopping through Freecycle. Normally it wouldn't bother me at all. This time it did. I saw ads from people asking for laptop computers, game boys systems, a Wii system, iPods, and other such items that are very expensive. They seem to have forgotten that Freecycle was originally set up as a way to keep unwanted items out of the landfills. One ad said that they "needed" a DVD player for their 18 month old. The ad that really got to me though was a woman who had been through a house fire. Insurance had paid for the home but not the contents. She was asking for furniture. She went on in her wanted ad to say that she would like 3 TVs, and gave a list of solid wood furniture she also wanted. The last thing she stated was that she wanted pictures of the furniture you offered her, which would give her a chance to pick and choose what she wanted. I am sorry for her. She is in need of prayer. She has lost everything in a fire, yet she still is not humble enough to want only the necessities. She is instead wanting donations of furniture and furnishings of the quality that she had prior to the fire. She is a prime example of what I am writing about. Because she had the items once, she feel entitled to have them again even though she cannot afford them herself.
This brings me back to my original point. Whenever the Lord's people became too prideful in their wealth, He allowed them to be put into a position of becoming humbled again. Today, we are seeing families (and governments) that have allowed over spending of their financial resources to get out of control. Families and governments are living beyond their means in an effort to have it all.
I don't see the financial struggles and hard times as a punishment from the Lord however. I see it as an opportunity for us to be humbled and reminded of where our priorities should be. It is up to each of us to decide if we are going to use this as a time of reflection on how the Lord may be using this in our own lives or are we simply going to panic and blame the Lord for our struggles. The Lord is loving and does nothing to cause us harm. While His ways are not always easy for us, sometimes what may seem the hardest is the thing that is the most loving. It is like when your child strays a bit too far in one direction and you have to rein him in help guide him into the direction he needs to be going. I see this situation as one of those times. The quest for possessions and living beyond our means has gotten out of hand and in order to save us from our own folly, the Lord has allowed this time of learning and growth.
It is my prayer that each of us will truly open our hearts and minds to what the Lord wants in our lives. That each of us will get honest with ourselves and our Lord in how we have handled our stewardship over the blessings He has given to each of us. And if the Lord has to grow us in an uncomfortable way, I pray that we all are willing to be humble enough to allow Him to teach us.
This weblog will be a compilation of happening's here in my home. I will be including homemaking tips, recipes, and encouragement for the homemaker who realizes she is a God-ordained Keeper of her Home.
