During the German/Nazi occupation of Holland in World War II, Corrie Ten Boom and her sister Betsie had one evening of fright.
As the planes of the Germans and British fought overhead, Betsie arose from bed to make tea. Corrie could not sleep and decided to join Betsie for a cup of tea.
They chat and comforted one another throughout the night and when things quieted down, returned to bed.
As Corrie felt in the darkness, she found her pillow. Blood trickled from her finger as she touched something there made of sharp metal. Here is what happened (from The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom):
"I raced down the stairs with the shrapnel shard in my hand. We went back to the dining room and stared at it in the light while Betsie bandaged my hand. 'On your pillow', she kept saying.
'Betsie, if I hadn't heard you in the kitchen---'
"But Betsie put a finger on my mouth. 'Don't say it, Corrie! There are no 'if's' in God's world. And no places that are safer than other places. The center of His will is our only safety--O, Corrie, let us pray that we may always know it!"
What an amazing thing to say.
May we always know that the center of His will is the perfect place to be and is not dependent upon our surroundings.
Blessings,
Camy
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Friday, May 16, 2008
All In A Day's Work
So, today is the day we decide to plant our garden.
The soil is tilled up and prepared. The seeds are sorted.
I head out the door with Greyson (11), Elijah (9), Rachel (7), John (almost 5), & Samuel (2 1/2).
The littler ones go on their merry way to play while Greyson, Rachel, & I get the seeds planted. Rachel is thrilled to have her own raised bed for flowers and one pumpkin plant. Greyson asked permission to use 1/2 of one of the raised beds for his own.
The next thing you know, Rachel and Greyson are arguing over the pumpkin seeds.
As this commences, I survey the area for John and Sam.
"Where are John and Sam?" I ask Elijah.
"They're headed up to the fort," Elijah responds.
"Get them down here! They can't go up there alone!" I exclaim.
All seems to be fine. Greyson and Rachel have worked things out with the pumpkin seeds, and we manage to haul Sam and John down our very large hill (kicking and protesting!) back to the yard for better supervision rather than losing them to the woods.
After a messy and complex job of untangling 3 long hoses (that were left out all winter), I decide to see if they are still operable (after wiping the slime off my hands). Greyson takes one and hooks it to the faucet. It works. We then attach another hose to reach the garden and discover it is clogged and not working. As I attempt to disconnect the hoses, the blockage had put the water under a lot of pressure. When the hoses were unhooked a massive spray erupted and dampened Sam. Greyson and I look at each other, both of us thinking "GREAT!"
Sam, in turn, discovers how well the water that covers him mixes with the dirt (already on him) as well as the dirt on the ground. He begins to decorate his face with it. What a mess!
It occurs to me that Elijah is now missing. He decided it was more fun to play with his Legos than work outside.
"Elijah, get outside or you will be grounded from your Legos for one week!" I demand. This threat speaks plainly and clearly to Elijah, who loves his Legos with all of his heart. He comes running outside.
In the meantime, I realize that John and Sam are out of sight...AGAIN.
And so it goes.....
We did eventually get the seeds planted and watered, the children washed and cleaned up, and my nerves under control (grin).
This is, for us, all in a day's work.
Blessings,
Camy
The soil is tilled up and prepared. The seeds are sorted.
I head out the door with Greyson (11), Elijah (9), Rachel (7), John (almost 5), & Samuel (2 1/2).
The littler ones go on their merry way to play while Greyson, Rachel, & I get the seeds planted. Rachel is thrilled to have her own raised bed for flowers and one pumpkin plant. Greyson asked permission to use 1/2 of one of the raised beds for his own.
The next thing you know, Rachel and Greyson are arguing over the pumpkin seeds.
As this commences, I survey the area for John and Sam.
"Where are John and Sam?" I ask Elijah.
"They're headed up to the fort," Elijah responds.
"Get them down here! They can't go up there alone!" I exclaim.
All seems to be fine. Greyson and Rachel have worked things out with the pumpkin seeds, and we manage to haul Sam and John down our very large hill (kicking and protesting!) back to the yard for better supervision rather than losing them to the woods.
After a messy and complex job of untangling 3 long hoses (that were left out all winter), I decide to see if they are still operable (after wiping the slime off my hands). Greyson takes one and hooks it to the faucet. It works. We then attach another hose to reach the garden and discover it is clogged and not working. As I attempt to disconnect the hoses, the blockage had put the water under a lot of pressure. When the hoses were unhooked a massive spray erupted and dampened Sam. Greyson and I look at each other, both of us thinking "GREAT!"
Sam, in turn, discovers how well the water that covers him mixes with the dirt (already on him) as well as the dirt on the ground. He begins to decorate his face with it. What a mess!
It occurs to me that Elijah is now missing. He decided it was more fun to play with his Legos than work outside.
"Elijah, get outside or you will be grounded from your Legos for one week!" I demand. This threat speaks plainly and clearly to Elijah, who loves his Legos with all of his heart. He comes running outside.
In the meantime, I realize that John and Sam are out of sight...AGAIN.
And so it goes.....
We did eventually get the seeds planted and watered, the children washed and cleaned up, and my nerves under control (grin).
This is, for us, all in a day's work.
Blessings,
Camy
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
A Little Fruit For That Yogurt?
A spring cold has been slowing me down this week. It has caused me to be very tired! However, the light at the end of the tunnel is getting brighter each day. Soon, the reminder of better health will present itself.
Here is a recipe for a delicious fruit mixture to put into the creamy yogurt posted yesterday:
2 cups of fruit (I like blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, peaches...or combo of them!)
2 tsp. corn starch
1/4 cup of honey
Combine the above and bring to a boil in saucepan. Stir until thick. Pour in a canning jar and use as needed for jam, ice cream & pancake topping, or yogurt flavoring. Refrigerate what you don't use.
note: You can use frozen fruit in the recipe, too! Also, you could skip the honey and use an alternative sweetener like sugar, agave nectar, or stevia (you would only use about 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of stevia.....test the flavor to make sure you don't add too much stevia). Xylitol would be another option, yet I do not have the experience with it yet. I'm hoping to get some from my co-op soon.
Enjoy!
Blessings,
Camy
Here is a recipe for a delicious fruit mixture to put into the creamy yogurt posted yesterday:
2 cups of fruit (I like blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, peaches...or combo of them!)
2 tsp. corn starch
1/4 cup of honey
Combine the above and bring to a boil in saucepan. Stir until thick. Pour in a canning jar and use as needed for jam, ice cream & pancake topping, or yogurt flavoring. Refrigerate what you don't use.
note: You can use frozen fruit in the recipe, too! Also, you could skip the honey and use an alternative sweetener like sugar, agave nectar, or stevia (you would only use about 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of stevia.....test the flavor to make sure you don't add too much stevia). Xylitol would be another option, yet I do not have the experience with it yet. I'm hoping to get some from my co-op soon.
Enjoy!
Blessings,
Camy
Monday, May 12, 2008
Thick, Creamy Yogurt....HOMEMADE!
I've been making yogurt for many years. At first it seemed cool to be able to do it. The chemistry of turning milk and bacteria into a thicker substance by using heat.
At first it seemed to me that the yogurt would match the American store bought yogurt. Wrong. It was thinner and not as sweet. Thus began my long journey to duplicate American yogurt, which resembles more of a parfait.
This past weekend proved success, and it was a lot easier than the experiments I had been conducting for years w/ gelatin, pectin, and agar (seaweed) powder. Here are the instructions:
1) Mix the following in a 3 quart pan:
2) Scald this mixture on medium high heat for a few minutes. Make sure to stir constantly, scraping the bottom of the pan (so milk won't scorch!). Keep it nice and hot for about 3 minutes so cornstarch can activate). If it is getting too hot and threatening to burn, reduce heat to medium. Just make sure to keep stirring.
3) Remove milk mixture from heat. Add 1/4 teaspoon of stevia powder or 1/4 cup of sugar and whisk well to combine.
4) Let milk cool to between 100 and 115 degrees. This may take a few hours, depending on the air temperature. I like to use my instant-read thermometer to judge the temp. Add 1-2 Tablespoons fresh yogurt as a culture. Whisk well.
5) Put milk and culture into appropriate container (I use glass quart jars) and cover. Incubate at a warm temp that doesn't exceed 115 degrees for 4 or more hours until yogurt is thick and a spoon can tap the top w/o penetrating the surface of the finished yogurt. For incubation, I use my Excalibur dehydrator at the 115 degree setting. You could also use a cooler w/ a heating pad inside it. Set the heating pad on low, put the jar of milk inside, cover w/ a towel, and put lid on the cooler. (note: the longer the incubation period, the more sour the yogurt will get.)
6) When yogurt has finished, put in refrigerator until cold.
7) For a "fruit on the bottom" product, take 1/2 pint canning jars, put 1-2 Tablespoons of jam in the bottom, and then spoon plain yogurt on top until jar is almost filled. Cover w/ screw top lid. I make a few of these for my husband's lunch.
I make 3 to 4 quarts of this yogurt at a time. All of our children enjoy it.
Blessings!
Camy
At first it seemed to me that the yogurt would match the American store bought yogurt. Wrong. It was thinner and not as sweet. Thus began my long journey to duplicate American yogurt, which resembles more of a parfait.
This past weekend proved success, and it was a lot easier than the experiments I had been conducting for years w/ gelatin, pectin, and agar (seaweed) powder. Here are the instructions:
1) Mix the following in a 3 quart pan:
1 quart of whole milk (which produces the thickest yogurt. You could use a lower fat version but may not get the same results)
1/4 to 1/2 cup dry milk powder (increases thickening, but not necessary)
1 Tablespoon of corn starch
2) Scald this mixture on medium high heat for a few minutes. Make sure to stir constantly, scraping the bottom of the pan (so milk won't scorch!). Keep it nice and hot for about 3 minutes so cornstarch can activate). If it is getting too hot and threatening to burn, reduce heat to medium. Just make sure to keep stirring.
3) Remove milk mixture from heat. Add 1/4 teaspoon of stevia powder or 1/4 cup of sugar and whisk well to combine.
4) Let milk cool to between 100 and 115 degrees. This may take a few hours, depending on the air temperature. I like to use my instant-read thermometer to judge the temp. Add 1-2 Tablespoons fresh yogurt as a culture. Whisk well.
5) Put milk and culture into appropriate container (I use glass quart jars) and cover. Incubate at a warm temp that doesn't exceed 115 degrees for 4 or more hours until yogurt is thick and a spoon can tap the top w/o penetrating the surface of the finished yogurt. For incubation, I use my Excalibur dehydrator at the 115 degree setting. You could also use a cooler w/ a heating pad inside it. Set the heating pad on low, put the jar of milk inside, cover w/ a towel, and put lid on the cooler. (note: the longer the incubation period, the more sour the yogurt will get.)
6) When yogurt has finished, put in refrigerator until cold.
7) For a "fruit on the bottom" product, take 1/2 pint canning jars, put 1-2 Tablespoons of jam in the bottom, and then spoon plain yogurt on top until jar is almost filled. Cover w/ screw top lid. I make a few of these for my husband's lunch.
I make 3 to 4 quarts of this yogurt at a time. All of our children enjoy it.
Blessings!
Camy
Friday, May 9, 2008
Toddlers and Their Compulsions
Today was "one of those days." It featured a toddler, a spray bottle of wood cleaner, & a napping mother. This is a bad trio.
All of us have been more tired than usual this week. It could be due to the slight cold we have running through the house.
As the afternoon was in session, it suddenly hit me that a nap was necessary. My eyes closed without a struggle, and the catnap commenced.
I was awakened by the sound of our 14 year old son's voice scolding his little toddler brother Sam.
Half-awake, my sloppy form stumbled on a diagonal path toward the dining room. My countenance became like that of a deflated balloon as I witnessed half of the dining room covered in wood cleaner spray. GRRRRRR. Sam's compulsion for spray bottles had seized him once again.
The disappointing fact is that I had already cleaned this room earlier in the day.
After muttering my disapproval in a slightly louder than normal tone, Sam just stared at me with those big brown eyes (now edged w/ crocodile tears). The dialogue went something like this:
"Sam! You are NOT to touch the spray bottles!" (gee..I wish I had a dollar for every time I have said this to him!)
"Yes, momma." (his usual reply to the above statement)
I then hugged him and told him I was sorry for getting angry. Sigh.
Toddlers and their compulsions!
Blessings :o)
All of us have been more tired than usual this week. It could be due to the slight cold we have running through the house.
As the afternoon was in session, it suddenly hit me that a nap was necessary. My eyes closed without a struggle, and the catnap commenced.
I was awakened by the sound of our 14 year old son's voice scolding his little toddler brother Sam.
Half-awake, my sloppy form stumbled on a diagonal path toward the dining room. My countenance became like that of a deflated balloon as I witnessed half of the dining room covered in wood cleaner spray. GRRRRRR. Sam's compulsion for spray bottles had seized him once again.
The disappointing fact is that I had already cleaned this room earlier in the day.
After muttering my disapproval in a slightly louder than normal tone, Sam just stared at me with those big brown eyes (now edged w/ crocodile tears). The dialogue went something like this:
"Sam! You are NOT to touch the spray bottles!" (gee..I wish I had a dollar for every time I have said this to him!)
"Yes, momma." (his usual reply to the above statement)
I then hugged him and told him I was sorry for getting angry. Sigh.
Toddlers and their compulsions!
Blessings :o)
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
The Grocery Shopping Game
Many are frustrated by the latest economic forecast. The news media is full of hype about current food and gas prices.
It does seem that our economy is going through one of its occasional troublesome phases, yet I believe that in time, it will bounce back to fairer weather.
In the meantime, we clever homemakers need to put on our thinking caps and be a bit more deliberate in how we plan and manage grocery shopping.
Instead of becoming depressed and frazzled, let's be positive and make it a challenge. A challenge is good for the mind! How can we provide meals and sundries for our homes with the dollar amount we have budgeted (I hope you have a fixed amount predetermined for your shopping!)?
Sometimes I'll use my grocery money for homeschooling materials or clothing purchases. I then have to get creative with the reduced amount of money left for that budget. Here are a few things I do:
It does seem that our economy is going through one of its occasional troublesome phases, yet I believe that in time, it will bounce back to fairer weather.
In the meantime, we clever homemakers need to put on our thinking caps and be a bit more deliberate in how we plan and manage grocery shopping.
Instead of becoming depressed and frazzled, let's be positive and make it a challenge. A challenge is good for the mind! How can we provide meals and sundries for our homes with the dollar amount we have budgeted (I hope you have a fixed amount predetermined for your shopping!)?
Sometimes I'll use my grocery money for homeschooling materials or clothing purchases. I then have to get creative with the reduced amount of money left for that budget. Here are a few things I do:
- Have a menu system for the week. I do not like to be too strictly regimented, so my menu is extremely flexible: (Mon: Spag/salad/garlic bread Tues: Mexican Night Wed: Casserole or crockpot night Thurs: Beans & rice or baked potatoes/soup Fri (our family popcorn & movie night): pizza, hot dogs, or burritos Sat: Hamburger in some form (sloppy joes, taco salad, meatloaf, etc.) Sun: Large family dinner night (we eat early) pot roast, mashed potatoes, vegetable, & dessert.)
- Use a lot of ground beef & sale meats. I try not pay under $2 per pound for meat. You have to pay attention to sales in order to do this. Perhaps your area's prices vary, so pay attention to a minimum price and stick to it. There have been times when I have used o ly ground beef all week to fulfill our menu requirements...it's quite easy actually!
- Institute one vegetarian meal per week (ours is usually Thursday or Friday)
- Serve the same breakfasts and lunches each day, with a little variation. We have hot cereal for breakfast (cereal or homemade granola is a special weekend treat if budgeted), sandwiches or leftovers for lunch w/ homemade yogurt and carrotsticks or fruit, and fresh fruit, yogurt, popcorn, cinnamon toast, or homemade cookies for an afternoon snack.
- Put a limit on how much milk, cheese, butter, and eggs you buy each week. I buy 4 gallons of milk per week, that's it. My children know that if they drink it up, they will have to wait until the next grocery day for more.
- Plan how much you will spend at each store you visit. It's easy if you shop at one place. However, if you shop at multiple stores, determine a set amount of money for that store. For me, this varies from week to week. Some weeks I spend more at the warehouse club store. Other times, I may just buy more at the healthfood or grocery store. I like to purchase bulk items once per month.
- Buy store brand items. In our experience, they have not differed much in quality.
- Reduce the amount of paper towels you buy. Use rags for cleaning and wiping.
- Try to eliminate buying processed foods. Substitute healthier choices of fresh fruit or veggies.
- Split bulk items w/ a friend. Determine how much you pay per unit, and divide the cost. For our large family, we do not need to do this. Our purchases are often in bulk.
- Do not buy commercial cleaners! Research the Internet or get a good book from the library that features recipes for homemade cleaners.
- Make your own stuff. Examples: bread, babywipes, cleaners (as mentioned above), yogurt, cakes, cookies, granola, pudding, etc. See Hillbilly Housewife for some great ideas on menu planning and frugal recipes!
- Think to yourself when you are shopping in the grocery store "Do we need this item?"
That's all I can think of for now.
I hope this encourages you :o)
Blessings.
Friday, May 2, 2008
Laundry Soap Wannabe
I love doing laundry. That's right. It's my dirty little secret. Well, I love most of the laundry routine...except putting all of the clothes where they need to go after they are washed, dried, and folded.
Our routine involves collecting the dirty laundry from all of the cracks and crevices of the house (it's amazing where I find dirty socks!!), sorting it by light or dark, and then transporting it to the laundromat. Our septic system is not re"septive" (get it? LOL) to the loads and loads of laundry that our large family produces, so we wash it at the laundromat and then dry at home.
There's something about the laundromat atmosphere that entrances me. Perhaps it's the white noise of dryers and washers tumbling away, the smells of clean clothes, the faces of different individuals saying "hi" as we share a common task, the kind attendant whom I am getting to know so well. I use the same 2 triple loaders each time. It is a pleasure for me to gaze through the front loading washer window as the dry clothes begin to slowly spin, get wet, and then slish and slosh.
I have discovered an effective laundry detergent, which really isn't a laundry detergent, but an automatic dishwasher powder. It is by Seventh Generation and I purchased it at Target for around 5$ for a good-sized box.
It is my goal to use the least amount of synthetic chemicals as possible in cleaning and laundry products, so I purchased the dishwasher soap originally for the dishwasher. Due to the extreme hardness of our water at home, the Seventh Generation powder did poorly in the dishwasher. I hated to see that big box go to waste, so I thought surely it would be usable as laundry soap. It has water softeners in it as well as other substances that would be practical for washing clothing. It is free of perfumes and dyes, a bonus for the sensitive skin people in our family.
My usual laundry soap, Dr. Bronner's Sal Suds (great stuff for washing anything in the laundry and home & is highly concentrated), was running low, so I grabbed the Seventh Generation Dishwasher powder. I used 1/4 cup of dishwasher powder, 1/4 cup washing soda, and 10 drops of tea tree oil per triple load.
What a joy when I realized it worked so well! I'm not sure how it would work in a top-loader washing machine. It is necessary for me to pre-treat stains (I do have 6 boys!).
So, there ya go! Perhaps you may want give the Seventh Generation dishwasher powder "laundry soap wannabe" a try!
Back to the dishwasher soap. I did find a great dishwasher powder and dishwashing detergent that is free of synthetic ingredients: Citra Dish. Both the automatic dishwasher powder and the liquid dish detergent work well, in my opinion. They work in spite of our hard water! I also like the mild citrus aroma of these products.
Happy laundry and dishwashing!
Blessings :o)
Our routine involves collecting the dirty laundry from all of the cracks and crevices of the house (it's amazing where I find dirty socks!!), sorting it by light or dark, and then transporting it to the laundromat. Our septic system is not re"septive" (get it? LOL) to the loads and loads of laundry that our large family produces, so we wash it at the laundromat and then dry at home.
There's something about the laundromat atmosphere that entrances me. Perhaps it's the white noise of dryers and washers tumbling away, the smells of clean clothes, the faces of different individuals saying "hi" as we share a common task, the kind attendant whom I am getting to know so well. I use the same 2 triple loaders each time. It is a pleasure for me to gaze through the front loading washer window as the dry clothes begin to slowly spin, get wet, and then slish and slosh.
I have discovered an effective laundry detergent, which really isn't a laundry detergent, but an automatic dishwasher powder. It is by Seventh Generation and I purchased it at Target for around 5$ for a good-sized box.
It is my goal to use the least amount of synthetic chemicals as possible in cleaning and laundry products, so I purchased the dishwasher soap originally for the dishwasher. Due to the extreme hardness of our water at home, the Seventh Generation powder did poorly in the dishwasher. I hated to see that big box go to waste, so I thought surely it would be usable as laundry soap. It has water softeners in it as well as other substances that would be practical for washing clothing. It is free of perfumes and dyes, a bonus for the sensitive skin people in our family.
My usual laundry soap, Dr. Bronner's Sal Suds (great stuff for washing anything in the laundry and home & is highly concentrated), was running low, so I grabbed the Seventh Generation Dishwasher powder. I used 1/4 cup of dishwasher powder, 1/4 cup washing soda, and 10 drops of tea tree oil per triple load.
What a joy when I realized it worked so well! I'm not sure how it would work in a top-loader washing machine. It is necessary for me to pre-treat stains (I do have 6 boys!).
So, there ya go! Perhaps you may want give the Seventh Generation dishwasher powder "laundry soap wannabe" a try!
Back to the dishwasher soap. I did find a great dishwasher powder and dishwashing detergent that is free of synthetic ingredients: Citra Dish. Both the automatic dishwasher powder and the liquid dish detergent work well, in my opinion. They work in spite of our hard water! I also like the mild citrus aroma of these products.
Happy laundry and dishwashing!
Blessings :o)
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