TNMomof3

Thanksgiving Wishes

Nothing purchased can come close to the renewed sense of gratitude for having family and friends.   ~Courtland Milloy

This season, I am increasingly aware of the blessing of family and friends.  And you wonderful folks here are some of those I feel priveleged to count among my friends; though our connection is just a "cyber" one, I feel a kinship with many of you who are part of this little community. 

I received this little poem in my inbox from another dear friend, and would like to share it with you:

I pray you have a lovely Thanksgiving holiday, surrounded by the the blessing of family and friends, enjoying some of the bountiful harvest from your gardens! 

I will be back visiting with you on the Front Porch soon.   Our family is once again "on the move", so it may be a few days until the computer has a new spot in our little nest, and is set up and ready to go.  First must come other things...the kitchen, the bedrooms, the bathrooms (oh, they need some serious attention), and of course, a nice sunny spot indoors for my potted herbs. 

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!!!

Blessings to you and yours,

Catherine

Pumpkin Pie Coffee Creamer

Pumpkin Pie Coffee Creamer

Save on Shaving Cream

Don’t you love the ease of shaving with your favorite shaving cream or lotion? Well, you can get that simple time saver for less!

When your shaving cream or lotion runs out, don’t replace it. Instead use olive oil! Olive oil is a bit thicker than other oils, but also provides essential moisture to your skin. Rub it on your leg and shave as usual. If this seems like the end of this frugal practice, hold on, because you will also save on your moisturizing lotion. When you use olive oil in place of shaving cream, you won’t need to moisturize your skin afterwards. DOUBLE SAVINGS!

This tip works with men as well, and since olive oil doesn’t have an odor, no purchasing of separate products. Now that is a simply frugal savings!

These are my thoughts.

Leslie Valeska

~Contributing Writer~

Leslie Valeska is the lucky wife of Thomas.  With children ranging in ages from 4-16, she has had a lot of time to learn and experience much of the fine art of homemaking. She is a writer, speaker, and vintage seamstress. For FREE daily tips and a FREE E-zine on simple and frugal living visit her blog Journey to Simplicity. Need a source of encouragement, inspiration, and support on your journey to Godly womanhood? Visit Simple Journey Ministries (she has a FREE E-zine too!) Of course, don’t forget to visit the Simple Journey Bookstore!

Thanksgiving is coming soon!

Thanks Gardening

With the Thanksgiving holiday quickly approaching (where did this year go?); I've been pondering having a thankful heart.  Our family has much to give thanks for- health, a home (not our dream home, but a roof over our heads nonetheless), friends, family, and for the time being, 2 gardens! 

Gardening is one of those things that we just "do" in our family.  For me, growing things is not only a hobby, but a passion I suppose.   As I ponder giving thanks, and more importantly....living thanks to Him who gives to us so generously and abundantly; I am seeking ways to make gardening a way of giving and living gratitude.  

Here are a few thoughts:

Sharing the harvest, a simple place to start.

Planting an extra row of edibles to donate to a food bank or needy famililes.

Saving seeds and sharing those with other gardeners.

Starting a community garden and teaching others the skills to grow their own food.

Market gardening, and donating part (or all) of the profits to the needy or perhaps to a missionary.

Hosting a "Harvest Festival" that gives honor and glory to the Lord of the Harvest.

Giving the gift of seeds to a needy family.

Supporting mission efforts that teach sustainable agriculture.

Anyone else have ideas to share?

Give Thanks to the Lord, for He is good!

Thanksgiving, after all, is a word of action.   ~W.J. Cameron

Blessings,

Catherine

Happy Birthday to Richard!!

 

Happy birthday to my son Richard! He is my oldest child..  and definitely not a “child” anymore! He turned 26 yesterday.. hard to believe where all the years have gone! 

 

Richard is in the Army and currently deployed in Iraq. His unit will be back in North Carolina (Ft.Bragg)  in 5 weeks! And then home to us in Washington in time for Christmas! The family can’t wait to see him!!

 

Here are a few current pictures of him:

 

    

 

 

And this is Richard with his girlfriend Lolot:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Birthday to my boy! 

This Weeks Menu

Pizza: Sierra’s Birthday! 

Fall Baking: Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

 

Winter Harvest

Conventional wisdom would tell us that the time for putting up produce has come and gone with summer's long, warm days.  But, that just isn't so!  There are many ways to keep preserving the harvest even as we head into late fall and early winter.  Here are a few ideas:

Cranberries -  Take advantage of the low prices and abundance of this versatile autumn fruit.  I like to stock up on the 3 lb. bags available at Costco and other discount stores.  Just throw the bags into your freezer for future batches of homemade cranberry jelly, breads, muffins and even for juicing.  Canning cranberry jelly is super easy.  Because of it's high acidity and natural pectin content, you only need to put your jars in a boiling water bath for about 5 minutes.  Little half-pint jars of cranberry jelly are a great addition to a Christmas gift basket.  Write to me if you would like my recipe for Honeyed Cranberry Jelly.

Yams & Sweet Potatoes - Again, another veggie that is in season right now.  You must have a pressure canner to can these gems, but they are great for the freezer too!  Simply boil them whole till tender, remove skins and chunk up or mash.  Then, freeze in quart bags.  Now you have them ready-cooked for those last minute meals.

Nuts - Plentiful and nutritious late season crop.  Buy them in bulk in their shells for the best prices.  Once shelled, most nuts freeze very well.

Pumpkin - Now that Halloween has passed, your local pumpkin patch, farmer's market or grocery store may be eager to sell their leftover pumpkins.  Buy small to medium sized pumpkins and keep them in a cool (not cold), dry, dark place.  They will keep for several months if they are not cut open.  When you are ready to use them, you can bake them like squash, scoop out the flesh and freeze for pies, breads and soups.

Apples - Still delicious and fresh in the markets.  Prices are low, so stock up!  There is no end to what you can do with apples - applesauce, apple butter, pies, juice - can them, freeze them and/or dry them.  You can be enjoying delicious, freshly made apple treats through the months ahead by putting in a little time and effort now.

I have learned that no matter what the date says on my calendar, I can always find something to "put by" to keep my pantry filled with fresh, home-preserved foods.

Lisa Vitello

Lisa publishes the New Harvest Homestead newsletter for women who want to live a simpler, more home-centered lifestyle.  Back issues are packed with recipes and information for canning and preserving all of the foods above and lots more!