Its pretty quiet right now. Except for the thunking of copious amounts of walnuts tumbling out the three in the back yard. I’ve been watching Sassafras out their in the yard with buckets- diligently filling each with walnuts- dumping and filling some more. She’s about got hit a few times with the ka-thunking nuts but continues to steadfastly fill buckets. I am amazed at her diligence and stick-to-it-iveness. I doubt I’d be out there singing and talking to myself and continuing picking up (well, I would be doing the talking to myself part)- I’m sure I’d have quit after the about the 3^rd five gallon bucketful. I would probably have shaken my fist at that tree and murmured a few things when it kept showering down more nuts. I doubt I would have persevered as she is. She’s been out their for a good half hour or so. It is a joy to watch my beautiful daughter in the warm afternoon sun.
I do believe I have it in me to join her and fill up a couple of buckets.
And then
Perhaps
a bit of sweet chocolate for the two of us.

The "financial" woes of our nation are on the hearts and minds of many in our nation right now. 

I am not surpised in any way by the economic crisis we face. What did Americans think would happen when it has lived on a steady diet of debt and allowed our government for decades to get deeper and deeper into national debt? It does not take a rocket scientist to understand that our nation's economic crisis is due to poor financial management. We can't point a finger at our nation and it's leaders without taking a good look at our own lives. Americans are addicted to debt. YES, I say addicted.  Pretty strong words, ya think? Americans want everything and they want it right now. They want their government programs and don't realize that everything comes with a price tag. They want their new cars, new homes and fancy electronic gadgets and don't think twice about putting down plastic to pay for it.

Then there is the concern over the upcoming election. Most of my loved ones and friends are very concerned about things. They are concered about the moral and social demise of our nation.  They are concerned and rightfully so.

So now what?

I was talking the other day to a good friend. She was expressing her family's reponse to our economic woes....... there was concern in her voice...... she was worried...... her response is to stockpile food and get a gun.

Now I want to say that I think it's great to have a full pantry, anytime of year and under any enconomic state we may find ourselves in.  But, I do not believe our trust should be in what  "we are doing" or "what we can do" or what our "government" plans to do or will do. I believe , whole heartedly that our trust is to be in the Lord. The Word of God tells us that the Lord watches over the sparrow and even the lilly of the field is dressed beautifully!   When times get tough, we need to earnestly place our trust in the ONLY safe harbor of  security  --- the Lord!

" Trust in the Lord with all your heart , and lean not unto your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths."  ~~ Proverbs 3: 5 & 6

Too many Americans have forgotten this proverb.

Many have invested heavily in the stock market. My husband was a broker for a few years. He could tell stories about what goes on in the stock market.  It's really just a more polished way of gambling.  I am sorry if that offends some of you.  Many are seeing their retirement funds disintegrate before their very eyes.  In the news the past few days there have been reports of some committing suicide because of their financial woes.

What is happening here?

Friends, let us not dispair! Let us not put our trust in our stocks, our savings account, our food storage or even our guns! 

May I gently encourage you to place your trust in the ONLY SAFE SECURITY we have -- and that is the Lord God!

" It is the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is His faithfulness."  ~~ Lamentations 3: 22 & 23

Great is His faithfulness! He will not fail us !!   Let us not turn to "man made" answers to our problems. Let us seek His face, humble ourselves and He has promised us that He will heal our land. 

My prayer is that all of us will seek His face, seek a closer walk with Him ..... and trust, trust, trust that He will provide, protect and continue to shield us!

~ gloria ~

If only the temps would drop a bit so that I could feel like it was officially fall! The wind is blowing the leaves off of the trees today. The colors are at their peak and I'm looking forward to viewing them in all of their splendor on Sunday when our family gets together with my BIL and his family to ride down the Abingdon Creeper Trail. I hope I remember to take the camera this time. I have blown soooo many photo opportunities this year by forgetting the camera. 2008 is going to be a very small section in the kids' scrapbooks whenever I get around to working on them again. I've given up feeling guilty about not keeping them up to date ... I figure I'll catch up when they go to college and then I'll be able to turn them over to them once they are graduated and on their own!

My husband got confirmation last night direct from the CEO of his company that next week is the week when he will FINALLY get a raise! Hallelujah! It's been a long time coming and it has really increased our faith that our company is going to make it through this economic turmoil. They have spent two years restructuring themselves to make it through this recession ... they were actually a bit ahead of the curve on that call and I am so thankful for that! We do not want to have to look for another job elsewhere, especially with the housing market the way it is.

Tomorrow, the pumpkins arrive for our church's Pumpkin Patch. Last year was our first year doing this and I hope this year runs smoother. Gonna spend most of the day at the church tomorrow working on last minute projects before we open next Thursday. My sister is sending me a bunch of homemade jewelry to sell on the weekends at the Patch and donating a portion of each sale to our chosen charities. I will, of course, be wearing all of the EarBling that she created for me and taking orders for those as she just really can't send me one of everything. I finally found a divided container to hold all of my beautiful crystal dangles and I should take a picture to share them all with you ... they are divided out by color now and it makes it so much easier to choose a pair to wear each morning.

Even with me opening up the house on cool mornings, our electric bill last month was $35 more than the previous month. On the bill was a note stating that we would see 30% increases on our monthly bills this winter. Yikes! So, we plan to do a couple of things to help out this winter. With me home by myself each day, I can bundle up and crank the heat down. I may look into buying a small space heater to keep me toasty. At night, the beds will be layered down to keep us warm so that I can turn the thermostat down for the night. I'll just warm up the house about 30 minutes before the alarm goes off. We are putting all of our plugs on power strips that we can turn off each night and/or leave off until needed. Finally, we are going to be putting those foam insulation things into all of the light switches and plug sockets. They are supposed to help a lot! Last winter, I put heavier drapes on the windows and kept them closed to keep the rooms warmer and that worked well, too.

I have barely started my cross-stitch project, but at least it's now ready to just pick up and stitch. My daughter is working on a project as well and learning the not-so-fun task of ripping out stitches when the count is done incorrectly. Oh well - live and learn, right? She is enjoying it for the most part. I cross-stitched a lot while in high school and before children came, so I am hoping that she developes that same affinity for this craft as it is fairly easy and inexpensive. I love to cross-stitch gifts for others and have a few planned for the future, but am going to start on something for me now. I usually have a couple of projects going at the same time to prevent boredom. Time to get off the computer and get on with the rest of my day - there is laundry to fold, a kitchen to clean and some other odd chores awaiting my attention. I hope you have a great holiday weekend!

I assigned categories for the pieces of health information that I plan to write about.  These categories focus mainly on the acronym NEWSTART.  I have added a couple other categories which really do not relate to the NEWSTART acronym, and may continue to add a category or two as necessary. 

The NEWSTART acronym is described below:

N- Nutrition

E - Exercise

W - Water

S - Sunshine

T - Temperance

A - Air

R - Rest

T - Trust in God

Remembering the different parts of NEWSTART can help one to remind themselves of the areas that can improve one's health.  We hardly ever fall apart because of ONE problem, but rather it is usually a combination of health struggles.  Making changes in one area may show improvement, but it likely is not going to be a lifelong answer to our struggles.  NEWSTART can help us towards a healthier lifestyle.  It isn't about diet to lose weight, or sleeping pills to get our rest, but simply getting back to what we were designed to live by. 

DISCLAIMER:

A disclaimer that I want to add is that some of us have bodies that are far along in disease processes.  Changing late in the game is likely not going to cure us, however, we may see decreased symptoms by making healthy lifestyle changes.  A diabetic may still be a diabetic, but their blood sugar levels  are easier to control.  Also because of sin,  our bodies have become run down after generations of misuse.  That means our children can have problems like allergies or other horrible diseases that are not caused by how they are living, but rather a compilation of problems in our own genetics that we have passed down to them, or problems caused while growing in the womb...not to mention the exposure of so many things that are just considered normal these days... (chemicals, pesticides, immunizations, pollution, etc.) that can adversely affect one even though many others can take those exposures without much of a symptom at all.  So, do be realistic in making changes, they won't cure us overnight and they may not cure us at all.  Some changes may relieve us of some symptoms, but some changes could be detrimental to our specific medical condition.     

What does that mean?  If you have a medical condition or your children are sick, please read for guidance of where to go for information, not to substitute for medical treatment.  Making changes without your medical doctor's knowledge can cause big problems.  Medications you may be on may become too strong when making changes to a healthier lifestyle and without some guidance from your doctor on how to wean from your medications, you may end up sicker trying to live healthier than when you just lived "as is" with your medications.  Also, if you are ever feeling concerned or overwhelmed with a situation, do not try to do it on your own, just because it is healthier.  Our gut feelings are there for us to seek help.  And sometimes we do not notice something going terribly wrong because we are untrained in knowing what to look for. 

Now, I do not want this to deter you from trying natural remedies or lifestyle changes.  Just when you do it, make wise choices and if under medical care, take it to your doctor to explain what you are wanting to try.  Some doctors are not supportive of healthy lifestyle/home remedies... in that case, find one who is and one who knows what you are talking about because not all doctors know what home remedies even are as many are not trained in that area or they have seen disasterous cases from one trying to cure themselves on their own.  Often a person will misdiagnose a problem and the "cure" they are using will never work, but only cause the problem to continue without restraint. 

 Many medical missionaries treat others with home remedies and teach unschooled mothers and fathers in treatments where medical facilities are too far away or too expensive.  These treatments are taught and used all over the world and have improved lives.  Why we don't use them here in America boggles my mind.  With medical care so expensive and drug treatments sometimes noneffective or the side effects so damaging, we need to go back to some simple ways of healing. 

In summary, I do not feel anyone should be afraid of remedies or lifestyle changes.  Many changes are as simple as not eating cheetos and eating a whole grain cracker instead.  Some home remedies you can practice even while on medications and see increased results above what just the medication alone will do.  As your skill improves, you will feel more confident.  As time goes by, you will understand how our bodies work and see why something will or will not work in a situation.   Be wise in your decisions; pray and ask for guidance. 

Warmly, ~Melissa

Today has been a long day.. I am getting ready to head to bed.. I took a nap today as I had a headache and just didn't feel real good.. Tomorrow morning I do not have to go to my 1st class so I do not have to be at school till 11.. WOOHOO I am excited about that..

Tonight was kinda a fend for yourself sandwhich and chip kinda night.. The kids loved it. We are going to try to do something fun this weekend.. I have no idea what yet, but we are thinking..

What do ya'll have planned for this weekend?? I have to finish mowing the yard and a few things, but other than that not much is planned as of yet.. I think we will do some baking.. The kids love to cook so we will do some of that and make some fall recipes since it is going to be a wonderful fall weekend here in North Missouri..

Well I am off to bed.. Talk to you tomorrow..

God Bless,

Mars

As always, there's good news, bad news and in between news....

Let's start with the good, so we can look back and say... "Hey.. it ain't so bad!"

DH has found a job, It isn't the best, but it'll help pay the bills! YEA! But it may also take away his disability that he earned back when he was hurt so many years ago. (Oh! That goes in the "Bad" news, right?) Anyhoo~ he's a delivery driver. It pays by the trip, and tonight, my precious dh is taking off to go to KY at 9pm for an overnight delivery. I'm not used to being without him! But, we will survive. We have the Lord here and I'll make sure to lock up tight after he leaves and before I head off to bed....

We've been having revival at church this week, and it has been good. The young preacher is wonderful and he's doing alot of good! The past two nights, we've had 4 saved, and 3 re-dedications! YIPEE!

I just had an offer to buy our bird for a straight up $800. I think I may take it. DH doesn't want to get rid of the bird, but it bites, and it doesn't let him touch it. And we need the money! LOL!

Bad news is...

We're behind in bills, I don't have the children's school schedules ready, and another nurse at work is angry with me (I just found out today) because she says that "I don't work as hard as she does." Now we have to have a meeting with all 4 nurses that work days, and "clear the air" so to speak.  I just have a question... if I don't work as hard as she does... then why do I NOT get breaks or lunches and have 21 patients to take care of and she has 12 and takes breaks and lunches? Just a thought.... but I didn't know she was upset with me until today (it all came out in an impromptu meeting we had with the boss today) and frankly, it rather has me un-nerved a bit.

And the in-between news is that... Amelia goes tomorrow for her pre- employment physical, and gets her uniforms and her schedule!

We went today and got her a picture ID (which was like pulling teeth) and yesterday to get her work permit.

I am a proud Momma!

:)

She cooked supper tonight, chicken legs and thighs, creamed corn, homemade biscuits and mashed potatoes.... yea, I know.. lots of starch, but good hillbilly cookin'!! And she sure is turning out to be a fantastic cook!

Well... suppers on the table, so I am getting off here and filling my belly before I work on the children's schedules tonight.

~Blessings to all who read here~

FRUGAL UPSTATE

Some helpful suggestions on:

A Wise Woman Builds Her Home

I don't know about everyone else, but now is the time to start making changes in how we consume and spend money. 

I am not going to live in fear and I know the Lord will provide, but I also know I need to use wisdom and be self-controlled if we are going to get through these hard times.