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Thankful Thursdays

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Thankful Thursday

Each week on thursday I am going to be listing 10 things I am thankful for.

1. My Lord, he is so good to me and never gives up on me. He keeps molding me and trying to make me in his image. Some times I wonder why he has not given up on me yet, but his love for me shows through in his patience with me.

2. My Dear Hubby, he is also so very patient with me. I have been so down lately and he is doing so much for me to help me out around the home and to help me get my focus back upon the Lord.

3. My children, they are so sweet to their mama and they so want to please me and help me around the house.

4. Our friends at church and on the net have also been a big encouragement to me and I know that the Lord has placed friends in our lives to help us encourage one another.

5. Our home, yes it is small, only 1000sq ft for all of us, but it is cozy, it keeps the weather off of us and it is ours.

6. My garden, I was looking at it yesterday and realized that everything that we have planted was given to us. I have not spent one cent on the garden and yet the Lord has graciously provided for us to have one. I also have not planted more than one thing it but my Mr. Fix it has been taking care of the garden for me this year.

7. My country, I am so thankful to be living in a country that allows me to raise my family in the manner in which I believe I should. The Lord has given me this great privilage and I pray that I do not abuse it.

8. My piano, I grew up in a home where music was very important and then when I got married I did not have a piano for almost 6 years. Then when we did get a piano we had to leave it when we moved, just to big and heavy to move, this actually happened twice. So when I was given another piano my DH said we would be moving it if we ever moved, and when it came time for us to move again the piano came along. (thanks sweety)

9. The internet, I know, I know, it can be used for all sorts of evil purposes but I am so thankful for it as I have made some wonderful friends on it and have found many sites that bless me and help me as I strive to be the women the Lord would have me to be.

10. TODAY!!!!! The Lord is not obligated to allow us another day and yet he in his love allows us another day to live for him. What are you going to do for him today??

TODAY'S VERSE from HEARTLIGHT

Free Potholder Patterns...TipNut

Here’s a fun freebie download, it’s a set of six different panhol potholders.

Free Potholder Patterns...TipNut

Kitchen Fire UPdate: Oven here!

We got our oven yesterday.  We are all so happy.  I can't imagine not having one.  I know people who wouldn't have hurt without an oven, but for us it was torture.  LOL!  Even my little  3yo understood we couldn't make bread, cake, muffins, etc. 

Last night to break in the stove we made a half batch of sugar cookies.  After I got to starting on them I was freaking out with each ingredient... sugar?  (I threw out the open sugar, do I have any other sugar?),   Cream of tartar (we threw out most every spice in the cupboard, but I had a spare new one in the bulk cupboard), almond extract?  (I knew I threw it out, but I had recently bought some new that I hadn't opened and it was ok).  I didn't have any regular white flour, but I did have bread flour... the cookies ended up a bit heavy, I imagine from the higher gluten content.  I imagine we won't eat the entire batch anyways... Steve and I are trying to eat healthier and the girls are just not woofing down the sweets.  It was more of an effort to give Paige some Mommy time.  She saw the oven and said... Mommy, I want to make cookies.  She wanted some "normal" back into her life... so we made cookies. 

As we were placing the cookie dough onto the sheets Paige looks up to me and says so sweetly... Mother, I am glad our oven is back... with a soft sigh. 

The oven does look almost identical to our other one... which we were told to replace as close as possible.  Even thought we had just bought the oven this January, the model is not a current one, even thought it was new.  So, we had to find something as close as possible with the current models.  We lost our warming burner.. .to get it was another $100, but we didn't use it and it was in the way.  But now all the burners are able to cook with two different sizes... so it was a trade off.  I am happy with the exchange.  I would have liked to have gone back to a gas top /bottom electric oven, but that was more yet and not comparible in price... I just find I am not crazy about the flat top stove.  It is not flexible in my mind and the pans swim on the top surface... driving me crazy!  But DH loves it and I will eventually get used to it.  Dh says if I can't manage after a year he'll buy me an LP stovetop... But that seems silly to me altogether! 

Anyways, we all just sighed when the oven came... life is feeling more normal. 

Warmly, ~Melissa

Todays Quote...Our Nation needs to heed this quote

Goods4Girls

Goods4girls is a really neat site! Please click on the link to find out more about it.

I am making some cloth pads to send the Goods4girls site. This site accepts donations of cloth pads. They take cloth pads to girls in Africa.

The cloth pads that are sent muct be made with cotton / flannel, it must have wings, and it must have a waterproof barrier in the pad. For all the rules, go to this link - http://www.goods4girls.org/2008/02/how-to-donate.html

I sell cloth pads in my blogstore, ~From the Past~

http://www.homesteaderbelle.blogspot.com

For every pad purchase at my store, I will make a pad and send to good4girls.

                          ~*Belle*~

******What a beautiful day******

It is absolutely beautiful outside and I do believe it is going to be very warm which is about time I hasten to add.  We don't appear to have had much of a summer so far and it is almost the end of July.

I am feeling good today & especially after ministry that both my DH & I had yesterday evening.  This was ministry and prayer that was much needed after the sadness we suffered during our honeymoon. It was a very emotional evening last night for both of us. There were lots of tears (and sobbing from me at one point), but more importantly we were able to hand over our situation to Jesus.  Andrew was brilliant here too and I don't think he has opened up emotionally or cried before with others being around - so this was a bit of a breakthrough for him too. 

I am believing & praying that the Lord is softening & opening up Andrew's heart and will continue to do so.

I have also been looking for some part-time work whilst waiting to get my own business working from home up and running.  I saw an add in the local paper yesterday for a telephonist/dispatcher for a local taxi firm.  This vacancy involves working from home and it is part-time. I telephoned one of the partners of the company and I have an interview at her home on Friday in the morning.  I am praying that I will get this job as in a lot of ways it would be perfect whilst I get my own business up and running (which is going to take a little while).  The only thing that I don't like is that it involves working for a couple of hours on a Sunday morning 7 - 9am as I don't agree with working on Sundays - two hours is fine though & I can just get up earlier, get ready for church, work and then go.  Please pray that I do get this job.  This will also involve a couple of training sessions at this lady's home (who part-owns the Company) but this job would get me started.  I also need at least 16 hours as I would then qualify for Working Tax Credit which would help our finances especially as Andrew's job is no longer secure especially after working for the same Company for 28 years!

Well, I need to go and do some cleaning before heading off into town to run a couple of errands.  Have a wonderful blessed Tuesday

Daily Devotion 205

Salsa!

Good Morning my friends, I am up and feeling froggy today!  I look forward to all that the day holds around here... I have a lot to do and we have VBS tonight so I have to get moving... Have a GREAT one! God's blessings to each and all... (((hugs)))

I have had a few requests for my Hot and Spicy Salsa Recipe.  If you have visited my blog before then you know most of 'my' recipes are more of an approximation instead of exactness.  But I am happy to share and you can add, take away, whatever you like!

Ok, I had peppers, whatever kind, how many you like... cayenne, jalapeno, habanero, bell, cherry hot, Thai hot...
I took about 3 overflowing hand-fulls.  I cut off the stem, and tossed em into the food processor, yes seeds and all!

I took a HUGE onion and chopped it in the food processor as well.

Cilantro... SO good! Chop up several sprigs... this is a beautiful thing so be sure you use it.

Now as I take this out of the food processor I am putting it all into a big 8 quart stock pot. 

I now began adding tomatoes.  I would take my tomatoes and if there was any blemish I would cut that off and then quarter them and toss them in the food processor.  I really do not know how many I ended up using, I just kept processing until I had enough to fill my stock pot.  Sorry this is not more precise... but this doesn't have to be!  If I had to guess how many I would say it took about 20 tomatoes.  Remember that is a GUESS!!!

Ok, I have an almost full stock pot, I would say we are about 3 inches from the top!

Add about 1/3 cup vinegar, doesn't matter what kind.
Add about 1/4 cup sugar
Now this is a big guess because you just need to taste and see.... 4-5 Tbsp of Salt
SEVERAL-MANY grinds of freshly ground black pepper
1- 6 oz can of tomato paste
(I did not add these in previous batches and my salsa was a bit on the juicy side, these helped to add a bit more RED and to thicken things up a little!)

At this point taste... if it needs more salt, add it, if it is too sweet, add a little lemon juice, if it needs some more heat throw in some Texas Pete or maybe some horseradish... ooooooh that gives me a good idea!

I let that simmer for a good 30 min or a little longer if you need.  Get it good and hot, but not necessarily boiling.

Have your jars hot and clean and have your lids ready.

When you have it in your jars have your hot water bath ready... you want to process this for a good 15 min, in really hot water.  You  want to make sure you are getting a good seal.

Georgeously Green: Beauty

I mentioned yesterday that I am reading Gorgeously Green by Sophie Uliano.  I am half-way through this book and find it so fascinating.  Most people believe that to go "green" you have to wear birkenstocks, grow your underarm hair, and eat twigs.  Mrs. Uliano proves this theory wrong.  She has 8 steps to living an Earth-Friendly (hate that word) life.  I'm going to go through a few steps.  The first is just becoming aware that everything you do impacts our environment in some way.  Boring.  The 2nd step is to use healthy, environmental/organic beauty products. Fun.

First of all, pull out your make-up, shampoos, conditioners, body lotion, baby supplies, anything that you smooth on your body.  Look on the packages for these ingredients that The Environmental Working Group says is dangerous:

1. Coal tar: Used in dandruff shampoos and anti-itch creams, coal tar is a known carcinogen.  Coal tar-based dyes such as FD&C Blue 1, which are used in toothpastes, and FD&C Green3, which is used in mouthwash, should be avoided.

2.  Fragrance:  This ubiquitous term is used to mask hundreds of ingredients, including phthalates, which disrupt the endocrine system and could cause reporductive and developmental harm.

3. Hydroquinone:  Commonly found in skin lighteners and facial moisturizers, it is a neurotoxin and is allergenic.

4.  Aluminum:  Often used in eye shadow as a color additive and also used in deodorants, it is listed as a carcinognic, toxic, and mutagenic.

5.  Triclosan:  This chimical is used in almost all antibacterial products, including soap, toothpaste, and cosmetics.  Triclosan is often contaminated with dioxins, which are highly carcinogenic and can also weaken your immune system, decrease fertility, and cause birth defects.

6.  P-Phenylenediamine:  This is the chemical that has given a bad name to regular hair dye.  It can damage your nervous system, cause lung irritation, and cause severe allergic reactions.  It's also listed as ,4-Benzenediamine; p-Phenyldiamine and 4-Phenylenediamine.

7.  Lead and Mercury:  Lead could appear in toothpaste as a naturally occurring contaminant of hydrated silica.  It is a neurotoxin that also appears as lead acetate in men's hair dye.  Mercury is found in a cosmetic (and vaccine) called thimerosol.

Some other chemicals that are bad, but not extremely dangerous are:

Parabens, Phthalates, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Polyethylene Glycol, Formaldehyde Producing Preservatives, Talc, Acrylates and Methacrylates, Alcohol, Isopropyl, Tocopherol Acetate, Phenonip, Quaternary Ammonium Compounds, Cationic Surfectants, Benzyl Alcohol, Silicone Derived Emollients, Carbomber 934, 940, 941, 960, 961C

To find out if a certain cosmetic is safe go onto www.safecosmetics.org.  For a list of Gorgeously Green approved products go onto www.gorgeouslygreen.com/cheatsheet.  I will have more information in the days to come on living a gorgeous lifestyle "green".

Blessings,

~Farrah