By Kathy | January 21, 2009
I really enjoyed reading my friend Kelly’s blog today. Her children are some the most well-behaved children you’ll ever meet…oh and they are SO FUNNY! I loved looking at the picture of them making dumplings. It reminded me of the days when my kids were little, I always let them have something to ‘cook’ with, even if it was just a bowl of flour and a spoon. :o) The mess was worth it!!! Today I am reaping the benefits of letting my girls have free reign in the kitchen (well within reason). They still experiment with different flavors, which can be hard to swallow sometimes. ;o) Overall they are both very good cooks. It comes with a lot of frustration. They cook and ‘forget’ to clean up! Some meals would be eaten in segments because they had to learn the timing thing out. Sometimes I would get in there to cook and realize I didn’t have key ingredients, now THAT is very frustrating. But it has been worth it, I wouldn’t trade all that training for the world on a silver platter! I’ve had some request for the Dumplin recipe so here it is:
Chicken and Dumplings
All ingredients can be adjusted some.
Heat chicken stock, chicken, salt and pepper.
Get it good and hot.
In a bowl:
a stick of butter
2-3 cups of flour
1 T baking powder
Blend together with pastry cutter
Add 1 cup of milk.
OR use your favorite biscuit mix OR use tortillas
You can roll them out and cut them into 1”x2” strips OR just drop the dough in my teaspoons. I just drop them in.
You can add a little basil if you like.
Cook 15 minutes or so. I like to add a little sour cream.
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By Olivia | January 15, 2009
Now isn’t this interesting? What sorrow to realize the magnitude of such a mistake so late in life, when you have so little time to stop the snowball you helped start. *Warning, not for young readers.*
… "The fall in the birth rate, he said, was an "epidemic" far worse, but given less attention, than obesity. Young Austrians, he said, were committing national suicide if they failed to procreate. And if it were not possible to reverse the population decline they would have to understand the necessity of an "intelligent immigration policy." Eighty five year old Carl Djerassi the Austrian chemist who helped invent the contraceptive pill now says that his co-creation has led to a "demographic catastrophe."
The assault began with a personal commentary in the Austrian newspaper Der Standard by Carl Djerassi. The Austrian chemist was one of three whose formulation of the synthetic progestogen Norethisterone marked a key step toward the earliest oral contraceptive pill. Djerassi outlined the "horror scenario" that occurred because of the population imbalance, for which his invention was partly to blame. He said that in most of Europe there was now "no connection at all between sexuality and reproduction." He said: "This divide in Catholic Austria, a country which has on average 1.4 children per family, is now complete." He described families who had decided against reproduction as "wanting to enjoy their schnitzels while leaving the rest of the world to get on with it." The head of Austria’s Catholics, Cardinal Christoph Schonborn, told an interviewer that the Vatican had forecast 40 years ago that the pill would lead to a dramatic fall in the birth rate in the west. "Somebody above suspicion like Carl Djerassi … is saying that each family has to produce three children to maintain population levels, but we’re far away from that," he said."… Read the article in its entirety here . If you haven’t watched the documentary Demographic Winter, you NEED to watch it. Here is the link: http://www.demographicwinter.com/index.html
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By Kathy | December 23, 2008
Use a wet oasis in a basket or what ever you’d like, the more unique the better.
First fill in the lower outer edges with larger greens.
Fill in open spaces with 2-3 different greens.
Use pine cones, berries, ornaments, twigs…anything to garnish your arrangement.
These are good for ourdoors-entryway arrangements, or anywhere in the house. Be sure to watch the little ones if you are using live berries! If you keep them watered they will last 2-3 weeks.
For more ideas for decorating with evergreens you can have a little tour of our humble home:
Interior Decorations
Front Porch Decorations
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By Kathy | December 23, 2008
The purpose of hospitality is to make your guest feel welcome. They will notice a warm smile and a cheerful attitude a lot more than they will notice how the food tasted or if the house is spotless. True hospitality is from the heart, because the greatest gift you can give anyone is your time and attention.Here are a few ideas for Christmas place cards that only take a few minutes and they’d be a great project for the kids to make, because hospitality is a family event!
All of these would be great items for the guest to take home.
.Glass Christmas balls, a metallic marker, ribbon and a piece of greenery. Other options would be a small craft pearls on a string, raffia, velvet ribbon…
Goblet and a permanent marker. It washes off with hot soapy water. Not only will they know where to sit, but as the day/evening goes on, they’ll know which glass is their’s.
Silk poinsettias and a permanent marker. Write name on one petal.
Ribbon with wire sides, pipe cleaner, a small Christmas ball and hot glue. Fold and twist two pieces of ribbon, glue in the back. The wire makes it easy to form. Glue the head on.
Place the name card in the arms (pipe cleaner).
Use an evergreen leaf, a silver or gold metallic marker, some ribbon or raffia.
Pine cone with raffia tied to the bottom and the name card slid in the top. Or you can lay it on it’s side and do the same.
Two candy canes tacked together with low temp glue gun. Add ribbon of your choice and tack on the name card. This is perfect for the kids table.
Wood slices with wholes for a ribbon to also be used for a wall hanging. These can say Welcome, Merry Christmas, Christmas 2007 or a name.
Wood slices propped up on a glass.
Try to have extras made up in case you have surprise guest. If you are not sure who is coming, just write Christmas 2008 or Merry Christmas.
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By Olivia | December 14, 2008
If I cook great dishes, make them into literal works of art as I work them up in a commercial kitchen, and serve them to people I’ve never met, or will ever meet again, I am called a chef, an artist!
But, if I cook those same dishes for the ones I love most and I nourish my family in the realm of my fathers home, it is said that I am wasting my talent.
If I go to school for years, become a CPA, and manage books for other people that I have absolutely no ties with; I’m a career woman, I’m independent, I am a woman of the twenty first century!!!!
But if I, after years of studying, keep my dad’s books, I am then wasting MY life, all that training down the drain!
If I take care of a other people’s children, I become their nanny, I am then a childcare professional, I am valuable and important!!!
But, if I take care of and nurture children GOD gives me, then I am old-fashion. I am repressed by a sexist society of dominate males! I am told I am WASTING MY LIFE!
If I care for rooms, homes or offices that belongs to strangers; I’m a housekeeper, a cleaning professional.
But, if I remove dust bunnies out of my own home and make it clean and orderly for my family; It is thought that I am a house wife and am wasting my life with coupons and soap operas! (who has time for soap operas???)
What is the difference between the examples above? Why is nanny-hood OK, but motherhood frowned upon? Why is professional respected and domestic criticized? Why is going through a secular college an assumed event in every high school graduate’s life, but simply learning at home and continuing education in many mediums highly disregarded?
The answer is clear. Karl Marx saw it plain and simple. Feminism. If we as a culture can get Mom out of the home, make her feel that she has to bring in a paycheck or other wise she is useless, then we can easily destroy the family. When you destroy the family, you will then destroy the local church. If the churches are destroyed what is stopping the destruction of communities and countries?
Everything… EVERYTHING has a foundation. The foundation for society is family.
God gave us this order for governing:
Self-Government
Mother & Father
Church Elders
Government Officials ( Police\Judges etc..)
GOD HIMSELF
In the end we end up answering to God. This is the pecking order so-to-speak, plainly laid out before us. If we can destroy this order by neglecting self-government (personal responsibility), remove parental authority, reject church authority, believe ourselves above the civil law, then God help us as we place ourselves in the hand of an angry God. If you think God is not serious about His principles and precepts, I suggest you read what happen to the Israelites.
To sum it up, we as women cannot listen to the ridiculous lies of the Feminist society. Period. Our culture KNOWS the power of a strong, Biblical woman. The problem is, I don’t think we as Christian women realize the power we possess!!!
The power we possess is not a corporate power, not a power in the sense that we are as physically strong as men, but it is a deep power that determines the culture of tomorrow. The power Moses’ Mom knew she possessed. By raising that baby, she helped lead Israel out of slavery into the PROMISED LAND!! The power of Moms, who for centuries have rocked the cradles of the men WHO CHANGED THE WORLD!!!
The feminist idea of power has taken that true power away from us and we MUST get it back. No one else can do what God has designed us as women to do.
Let our sons in their youth be as grown-up plants,
And our daughters as corner pillars fashioned as for a palace;
Psalm 144:12
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By Tonya | December 11, 2008
Who can find a virtuous wife?
For her worth is far above rubies.
The heart of her husband safely trusts her;
so he will have no lack of gain.
Proverbs 31:10-11
So often we read Proverbs 31 and think that it is utterly impossible to be “that” woman. When I was newly married, I was told that this passage was written by a mother in law advising her son as to what type of wife to marry. And, that mothers in law expect way too much of a wife for their sons. Therefore, I was free to disregard this passage as unrealistic and unachievable. Regrettably, I heeded this advice for too many years. I want to encourage you to be like the wise woman who builds up her house rather than who tears it down with her own hands (Proverbs 14:1).
Recently this passage has been on my heart. Who can find a virtuous wife? As precious as rubies are, a virtuous wife far exceeds their value. Wives who honor their husbands, as helpmeets to them as unto the Lord, are so rare. Although the world may tell you that honoring, obeying, and respecting your husband make you less valuable, they have it backwards. They don’t understand Biblical economics at all! I have learned over the years some hard lessons. When I fight against my husband, it doesn’t make our home peaceful. It doesn’t elevate my status in the home. It tears it down, brings chaos and disorder. It makes my husband distrust me and my judgment. This is not a good thing!
How do our husbands safely trust us? What does this mean? I believe that this verse encompasses so many areas in a marriage. I want to discuss just a couple of them. Very early on in our marriage, we had the opportunity to socialize with a few couples in a very close setting. We were in an AF training program, so we spent a lot of time with the other married couples. We were able to observe how they interacted with each other and learn what didn’t work. One of the wives would constantly argue, tear down, and gossip about her idiot of a husband. She would share how she made him cry by scolding him. Needless to say, we were mortified. I learned that my words to others about my husband have a huge impact on how others view him, respect him (or not), and treat him. I vowed then that I would never tear him down in front of others. He safely trusts that I won’t do that. He knows I won’t. I also do not tear him down in private. Although others may not be impacted by my words, my husband would be. This is far more damaging than what others think of him. We also met another couple a few years later whose wife was the complete opposite of the first wife. She praised her husband often. I think every conversation we had included at least one comment about how awesome and wonderful her husband is. They were newly married at the time, but twelve years later, she still talks the same way. Her husband blossomed under her doting and high opinion of him. He adores her! He truly trusts in her, that she will praise him, honor him, and build him up. He has no concern that his reputation will be harmed by his wife. Wow. I want to be like that. By the way, he is a humble man, not prideful for all of the compliments at all.
Another way our husbands safely trust in us is financially. This is another tough one. We need to remember always to be thankful for how the Lord provides for us through our husbands. All good gifts come from God. Although it is our husbands who bring the paycheck home, it truly is from God and not our husbands alone. When we are discontent, we are really discontent with what God is providing for us. So, when we have a certain budget, how do we manage it? Do we plan our menus, hospitality, and other expenses accordingly? Or, do we fly by the seat of our pants and hope it all works out in the end?
Finally, I want to encourage you to be in constant prayer for your husband. Show him that he can safely trust in you in this area. Show him that he can share his needs with you and that you will be faithful to bring them before the throne of grace daily. I believe this area is of highest value, for the rest will surely come easier when we are praying for our beloveds. We want the Lord to build up and strengthen our husbands. We want them to walk closely with the Lord. Praying for them, learning from them, and trusting them encourages them to safely trust in us, so he will have no lack of gain.
From Home-Making:
“One of the first essential elements in a wife is faithfulness– faithfulness, too, in the largest sense. ‘The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her.’ Perfect confidence is the basis of all true affection. A shadow of doubt destroys the peace of married life. A true wife by her character and by her conduct proves herself worthy of her husband’s trust. He has confidence in her affection; he knows that her heart is unalterably true to him. He has confidence in her management; he confides to her that care of his household. He knows that she is true to all his interests–that she is prudent and wise, not wasteful nor extravagant. It is one of the essential things in a true wife that her husband shall be able to leave in her hands the management of all domestic affairs, and know that they are safe. Wifely thriftlessness and extravagance have destroyed the happiness of many a household and wrecked many a home. On the other hand, many a man owes his prosperity to his wife’s prudence and her wise administration of household affairs.”
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By Olivia | December 11, 2008
One way to determine the decline of a civilization is by the amount of clothes they wear. The African tribes, who are primarily Godless, wear little to nothing. As a modern civilization, do we Americans truly understand the power of clothes? Some of us do, most of us don’t. The phrase “clothes don’t make the person” is only half true. John G. Paton, a missionary, tells of an South American tribe called the Hebrides that normally go around naked, when a girl wants a husband, she puts ON a mini skirt and dances around the fire. Clothes are powerful. How clothes effect the people around you is so important, we can’t afford to take it lightly.
Let’s cover three major aspects of clothing.
1. God tells us to cover our nakedness and He provides coverings for us.
When we are in Gods grace, we are covered, He covers us, provides for us, physically as well as spiritually. In Ezekiel 16 God uses an analogy of an unfaithful wife, to show Israel how He feels, and the importance of clothes. He finds a baby, abandoned and bleeding (Israel in her repentance after tribulation) He tells the baby to “Live”, and makes her to thrive; when she is old enough He makes her His bride. He givers her the best clothes, jewelery, home, etc… then she trusts in her own beauty, she takes her fine clothes and adorns herself, she becomes immoral, she follows after lovers (as Israel in it’s time of plenty, followed after false gods) she turns from her Husband. She offers up her children, the children of her Husband, to idols as food. So the Husband takes from her the fine clothes and lets her lovers have her. They destroy her. It isn’t until her heart is changed, and she becomes ashamed and repentant that He remembers her and he reestablishes His everlasting covenant, He clothes her… again.
This is so prophetic to American culture. God took us, a group pilgrims, grew and prospered us in to the country we are today. He gave us good soil, freedom, justice, etc… then we became proud and pompous. We are playing the harlot, we follow after the gods of entertainment, fashion, comfort and greed. We are offering the children He gave us, up to these idols. He has stayed his wrath, but for how long? Look around, you can already see that He is leaving us to our lovers, our idols. We are self destructing. Starting with the disrobing of our bodies.
2. The effect of clothes on individuals.
How do clothes make you feel? Cliche, I know, but still a very important part of clothing. If you say clothes don’t make you feel anything then you are either lying or numb from the hairline down. When you are cleaning, you put on sloppy clothes, when you go to town you put on decent clothes, when you go to church or a special occasion you dress in your best. If you were to wear the sloppy clothes to a Christmas party you will feel the effect of your clothes. Do your clothes make you feel sexy? Do they make you feel like YOU are powerful? Are we supposed to feel this way? It comes to this, do you seek the approval of sinful man or the approval of God? Man says, feel sexy, feel powerful, feel good all the time. God says, (context, Paul is telling Peter what to tell the women about expensive clothes and hair preparations)… rather let it be the hidden man of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a meek and gentle spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.”1 Peter 3:4
Blue jeans are often thrown about in the modest argument. Are they immodest? I think it depends on what type you are wearing. Some say blue jeans are very immodest and won’t EVER wear them. I understand this, what do blue jeans do but focus on legs, hips and wear the legs meet. Should we be drawing attention there? Well, you say, they are more practical, I can’t work in a skirt. What type of work are you doing? Do you feel more masculine when wearing pants? Do you walk differently? Do you act differently?
The aspect I like least of blue jeans is that for centuries women have been portrayed as gentle, beautiful creatures, (think Victorian, Regency ect..) But in this ‘new age’ of liberated women, we look like small men. We have lost beauty. This is how my mother’s and my generation will be remembered. I will not say blue jeans are bad, that is between you, your father and God.
My generation is really struggling with the modesty issue. We want to be different from the world but we don’t want to look un-stylish or unfashionable. So we compromise. We don’t have low cleavage, but we wear tight shirts that show our fashionable curves. Our shirts don’t ride above our belly buttons, instead they hug our hips. Yeah, we’re covered, but we are still showing our bodies. When God told us to cover our nakedness, I don’t believe this is what he meant.
Since it is the Christmas season I’ll use a Christmas analogy. Your parents by you presents, but wrap them so tightly you can tell by the outline what it is. Those presents sit there off limits, while you think about them. You are not thinking about how pretty the wrapping paper is.
Neither are the men thinking about how cute your sweater is.
Saying clothes don’t make the person, is like what you say reveals nothing of your heart. True and untrue. You can lie and say things you don’t really believe, you can wear a full length jean skirt and be as immodest as though you were not wearing anything. Modesty is wearing your heart for God on the outside.
3. The effect of clothes on a civilization.
As I mentioned earlier, to tell the stage of degeneration in a civilization, check the amount of clothes the people are generally wearing. The women are a major building block of civilization. We are the daughters, the cornerstones.
Modesty is not a personal choice. It effects everyone.
If you had a husband or son in the armed forces and some enemy attacked and was holding your husband’s/son’s life in their hands, would you for a second consider not begging them to spare your loved ones life? It is just as serious for we women to be begging our sisters to cover themselves for the sake of our brothers. We should be begging for their spiritual sake, for their spiritual lives! It is well known how men struggle with lust. “If a man has not lusted he is lying or dead.”- Unknown. Their spiritual lives are on the line. Which is more important, earthly life for 80 years or eternal life for, well, ETERNITY?
I will post more on this in the future I am sure, but for now I leave you with this; We were created only a little lower than the angles, we must dress with dignity.
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By Jennie | December 11, 2008
Folks, unbeknownst to most of us, Congress recently enacted sweeping changes to safety standards that could bring to an end 90% of home businesses and mom and pop shops in the US. Under the guise of getting lead paint out of imported toys, these standards require unbelievable amounts of regulation for those who produce items (including clothing) for sale for children. Retailers will have to pass inspections and get certificates to prove that what they are selling doesn’t contain anything that could harm children (including latex and other additives besides lead). This goes for anything you sell even on sites like eBay (including second-hand). If you make a profit from it, you must have a certificate to prove that all items you sell are lead-free, latex-free, etc.
This is a huge problem for the vast majority of us who own small, family-run businesses and for anyone even thinking of starting a business. The regulations we already have to follow (state and local sales taxes with monthly reporting, fees and rules for creating an LLC, local business licenses, etc.) are irksome enough, but to pile on hundreds more may mean the death of a lot of excellent, home-based businesses. If you think the economy is in a nose-dive now, just picture what will happen if 90% of small retailers have to shut down because they are unable to afford to meet the requirements contained in these standards, which go into effect on February 10.
You can read about it at http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/national-bankruptcy-day/ and read below to sign the petition to relax these regulations for small businesses here in the US.
Even if you don’t run a home business, please consider supporting those who do!
Please Sign the Petition Below:
“CPSIA Impacts on Children’s Apparel Industry”
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/economicimpactsofCPSIA?e
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By Kathy | October 31, 2008
These are pretty simple to make. They are good to give right on through the Thanksgiving season. Wrap these with a jar of jam or a loaf of pumpkin bread and they make the perfect hostess gift.
You will need:
- small amount of green fabric
- small amount of orange, maybe 1/4 of a yard
- scraps of batting (I always save my quilting scraps of fabric and batting)
- Orange thread
- Sewing machine
- scissors
Cut a strip of green fabric about 1 1/2 - 2 inches wide and 12 inches or so long.
I was just estimating and using scraps that I already had cut, it does not need to be exact.
Fold the strip in half and press it;
fold both sides in and press it;
then in half again, press it, like a double bias tape.
Sew a zig zag all the way down. The purpose is to hide your raw edges.
Cut your orange fabric to look like a pumpkin.
I folded my fabric 4 times to get 4 pumpkins pieces,
I cut all 4 at one time.
The fabric was right sides together twice, so that they would be the same shape.
Be sure to make the bottom of the pumpkin flat so that it will be easy to stitch up.
Cut 2 layers of batting, place it under the pumpkin.
place wrong sides (non-printed side) of pumpkin together;
put them on top of the batting.
Place your stem as shown; gently lay the top layer of pumpkin down,
making sure it is even with the other pumpkin.
Pin your stem and pumpkin in place.
Starting a couple of inches over from the center bottom,
stitch around the pumpkin; remove your pin when you come to it.
Leave a 3-4 inch opening at the bottom.
Trim off excess fabric, batting and stem that is sticking out.
You may want to trim a little of the batting off at the bottom here.
Then fold your opening under, making a small seam, you can press it if it helps.
As closely to the fold as you can, sew the opening closed.
Be sure to backstitch to hold it secure.
Starting at the top center, sew half circles to make it look like a pumpkin. When you get to the bottom center, while your needle in down in the fabric, lift your presser foot up, turn your pumpkin in the opposite direction, put foot down and sew upward. continue this until you have enough lines sewn.
Visit Teaching Good Things to buy a set!
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By Kathy | October 14, 2008
My daughter, Olivia and I were vendors during the Fall Festival at the John Looney House, a local pioneer homestead. Along with us were three other families that are friends of ours. These families have the same vision we do as far doing things as a family, teaching our children responsibility and a good work ethic. These families had items that they and their children made. Some had baked goods (and they sure were GOOD!), some had crocheted items and sewn items, some handmade cards, some packaged their freshly ground wheat and sold it, Olivia had her homemade bath products and quilts. My camera battery was just about dead so I did not get any pictures of our booths. Just for the record, my husband and other daughter were set up at a flea market a few miles away, selling their goods.
This was a GREAT opportunity for families to use their skills to be productive and a way to market their goods. Children need to experience the hard work of creating something and then the ability to sell it. This will help teach them the value of a dollar! We usually do 2-3 festivals a year; it is a lot of work but it is a perfect learning experience.
A couple of other families we know came and played bluegrass and sang most of the day. It was GREAT! As I watched the banjo pickers and the boys climbing the tree over them I felt like I had gone back in time, a time when families came together in community for fun.
A few families even danced an old time dance….the Virginia Reel maybe? It was fun to watch!
Some people think we’re strange because we homeschool, we encourage having as many children as God gives and we work together as a family. Being out in such a public way and enjoying ourselves is a good way to show that we are normal folks! It is a GOOD THING to love and serve each other. It is a GOOD THING to be married and have children! It is a GOOD THING to walk along side your children and teach them.
There were 6 families at this little Fall Festival with 40 plus well behaved children total. What a ball we had. At one part of the day I sat down and looked around and gave thanks to such a merciful, Heavenly Father, who has blessed me with my family and with such good friends; friends that love the Lord and are willing to train up the next generation to be givers to society not takers.
Parents, no matter how many children you have, no matter what your economic status is, train up your children to love God, teach them His truths, teach them to serve others, and to be productive. Encourage them to think past today and plan for the future! Is that hard to do? You betcha! It takes a lot of work, but is there anything more worthy? We as parents are responsible for shaping the next generation! Don’t grow weary in doing good!
Kathy Brodock
Teaching the good things for real life!
Teaching Good Things
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