First of all, have any of you ever used the Balancing the Sword bible study? What a super study. We are learning so much. He says in the beginning that you can usually get through a book in a year, but we started 3 weeks ago and are in the first chaper of John. I do think we'll start going faster in time, but we've not really read much from Isaiah and the prophets before so we're really digging in. How amazing our Creator is. I am learning along with my kiddos about trinity and also about our salvation. I used to be with the "once saved always saved" group, but then when we were attending the Mennonite church for all those years, they challenged my thinking. So, I'm back on the fence, but researching...and listening to the Holy Spirit.

Also, this marketing class is tough, but doable. I'm getting ready to turn in my first assignment. Although I don't think I will have all the answers as well as most, I do think I can hold my own....and learn SO MUCH! Goodness, what a knowledgable and encouraging group of ladies! If I gain nothing else from this, I think I will love my encouragement. I hope I can encourage others as well.

BTW, some of you have inquired about my chickens....yes, they are in the freezer with the pig. It was not so bad, but it's not something a person wants to do often. We're going to be eating moose awhile as I'm just not ready to boil up one of my girls yet. And the pig is.....well....it's just too fresh, too. ((sigh)) What happened to me lately? I'm such a softie. I mean, I've never enjoyed the killing process, and my husband has protected me from most of it. I only help out once the animal is unrecognizable. But lately, well, they still look like my chickens...

Oh, one more thing. I'd love input on this. I have tons of meat left over from last year. It's a mix of moose and our cow. It's steaks, stew meat, and maybe even a roast or two, I can't remember. Anyway, Gene's moose was much bigger this year, plus we have our pig and the chickens, so I really needed to do something creative with our older meat. Gene suggested just grinding it up. We never seem to have enough burger when it's all said and done. But what I did instead, as  a trial, was to fill up all three crock pots with meat and season them differently. One was taco meat, another was just seasoned meat for stroganoff or soups, etc. The third was not seasoned much, and I put bbq sauce on it and cooked it down. Golly, what a blessing to have that in the freezer. It made 17 stuffed full quart bags of meat. And I have another batch just like it to go. With this batch, I'll do taco meat again, the bbq one again, and a seasoned one, but with onions and bell peppers with it. Sound good? If anyone else has ideas, I'd love to hear them. Having cooked meat in the freezer will be so nice when we have weeks like the one we have coming up:-)

God Bless You, Everyone! Have a super week!

Tan