Stephanie

I enjoyed peeking through a window into your world this morning Westie. Yes, Spring is upon us and time to get busy, busy, busy. My mom is doing the same thing that you are with the mobile homes and rvs. They have one behind their house and looking for one to put on the other property which would be consider an alternative bug out location. Great option. Make sure you take pictures of that cocktail dress when you're done.

God has entrusted each of us with much of value as well. And to whom much is given, much is required. (Luke 12:48) What has God placed in your hands, in your life, in your safe keeping and how will you Ergazomai ἐργάζομαι ? Remember the usage list for Ergazomai ἐργάζομαι 1) to work, labour, do work 2) to trade, to make gains by trading, "do business" 3) to do, work out a) exercise, perform, commit b ) to cause to exist, produce 4) to work for, earn by working, to acquire ************ God has INVESTED in you and in turn expects you to INVEST wisely so that there is an INCREASE. This applies to every area of our lives. He calls us to accountability. He wants you to Ergazomai ἐργάζομαι . In summary I feel that the Lord has revealed to me that each step I take, each thought I think, each dollar I spend, each word I speak, each moment that I live...should be ON PURPOSE and with a PURPOSE. I am to labour, trade, commit, produce and acquire so that I can give Him a return from His investment in me. So, how does this apply to prepping? For me, I now believe that the Lord has directed me to be diverse in the way I invest my monies, times, energies, thoughts, talents. A wise investor is diversified. They don't put 'all of their eggs in one basket'. That way, if a basket is dropped, you haven't lost everything. I will invest in all the aspects of my life. My children and family. My physical, spiritual and mental well being. My homestead. My prepping skills, tools, stocks. My home and family protection. It's not all about anyone of these things. I can improve all areas by investing wisely and reaping the benefits of a productive life.

Ergazomai ἐργάζομαι Part II As I read the parable that Jesus told in Matthew 25 I was keenly interested in how each of them reacted and then the results of the actions that they individually took. Remember, I had been praying about what I should do next, what I should with what I had, what I should focus on. As I began to read the verses where Ergazomai ἐργάζομαι was used, I began to get a better understanding of what the word meant. Here are a few more of the verses. I will make the word bold that they translated from Ergazomai ἐργάζομαι. Mat 26:10 When Jesus understood [it], he said unto them, Why trouble ye the woman? for she hath wrought a good work upon me. Jhn 6:27 Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed. Rom 13:10 Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love [is] the fulfilling of the law. Gal 6:10 As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all [men], especially unto them who are of the household of faith. Jam 2:9 But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. *note: other translations say committed sin instead of convicted. So, here we have five different translations of one Greek word Ergazomai ἐργάζομαι . Try reading our original Matthew 25:16 and substitute one of these five instead of traded. Immediately he went and '''wrought a good work" Immediately he went and "laboured" Immediately he went and "worketh" Immediately he went and "did good" Immediately he went and "committed (or acted with convicted)" Now we're starting to get a better grasp of what Ergazomai ἐργάζομαι means and as for me, I was really starting to understand what I was to do with whatever God has entrusted to me. To be continued....

Good job arby!! I'm so glad you are blogging! Keep it up! That old enemy procrastination has been on my case a good bit too, be we won't let him win!

I love Word Studies! And this word caught my attention. Ergazomai ἐργάζομαι It is a Greek word that is found in the Scriptures 39 times. These are all found in the New Testament of course since it is a Greek word. I came across this word as I was reading the parable of the Talents found in Matthew. I have been doing some contemplating in the last week or so about living a purposed life and making my moments count. In this parable, Jesus tells of three servants who were entrusted by their master with talents (gold,money,valuable assets, or abilities). Each of them reacted differently. The each were given a different amount, according to their ability. And then the master went away. Story of the Three Servants (Matthew 25) Seeing as I have been praying about how I could best put my time, resources, monies, talents to good use - I was interested to see what the three servants did and how it worked out for them. Now, two things I want to point out here. First, when translating from one language to another, sometimes there is not a literal word to be used, it may not exist in that second language. So, sometimes translators have to choose words or phrases to best convey the message of the original text. Secondly, because of this, you may find differences in translations. BUT, themessage should be unaltered. The Word of God is not like any other book, spiritual writings or historical accounts. It is unique, it is living, it is always applicable to our lives. Here is a usage list for Ergazomai ἐργάζομαι 1) to work, labour, do work 2) to trade, to make gains by trading, "do business" 3) to do, work out a) exercise, perform, commit b ) to cause to exist, produce 4) to work for, earn by working, to acquire ***** Okay, I think that's enough for Part I, but believe me, I'll be back for more...I am captivated by this word.

Judy, you are an amazing human being! I am glad to know you and call you a friend!

I finally got the comment to take, apparently the entry was 'locked' , I don't know how that happened, but I fixed it! Anyway! It's wonderful to take old recipes and make them healthier while keeping their flavor and 'comfort'. Well done!!

I'm so glad you are here Karelle! You must be a special lady to have raised such a special lady!

Very nicely explained! Thank you Aaroun, I'm going to use this to review with my older boys in homeschool.

And a BUMP from me too!

Thank you Aaroun, last summer one of my sons broke his leg in an unusual manner and this explains it so well.

I'm a busy mom, I get tired, overwhelmed and just outright pooped sometimes. In the past, on a day like that, I'd ask dh to stop by and pick up something convenient. After all, hungry kids, a frustrated mom, lack of time, a small crisis of some manner, and etc... were the recipe for disaster. And so I excused it. Now, while we still eat out (very occasionally), it is a planned event, not a matter of convenience. In my life, Convenience has been Redefined. It started rather simply. I needed a well stocked pantry. I needed to have things on hand. I needed to have an extra loaf of bread in the freezer or even a gallon of milk, I needed to have the basics available to me. Then, it went a step further. I had to increase my skills and be able to turn that flour into biscuits without a huge ordeal. I needed to be able to improvise, out of milk...no problem we have powdered. No bread, no problem, I can make a batch of flour tortillas fairly quickly. I also began to think ahead. No one wants to face seven hungry kids without some sort of plan. I began to experiment with foods that I wanted to incorporated into our menus. I learned to try to have a big pot of some kind of soup available at practically any given time. Vegetable soup, Lentil Soup, Split Pea Soup, Potato Soup, Cabbage Soup, I could go on. Then a huge step towards Redefining Convenience, I learned to home can. It was the meat canning that really changed my outlook. What a time saver! Going to make chicken enchiladas? Just open a can of cooked, seasoned, tender and flavorful chicken. You could eat it right out of the jar if you wanted to. Need a quick Spaghetti dinner, boil some noodles, open a can of your home canned ground beef, a jar of sauce...you're done! Finally (and I'm skipping over a lot) I arrived at this newest project of mine. Learning to use dehydrated foods. I'm now amazed at how convenient these foods can make your life. I ordered (some months ago) from Harmony House their Vegetable Pantry Stuffer http://www.harmonyhousefoods.com/Vegetable...t41_p_1845.html I also ordered some things from Honeyville grains (Powdered Buttermilk, Powdered Sour Cream, etc). The last week or so, I've finally begun to open up some of the sealed quarts and tried incorporating them. I took a day to cook only from preps. I am so TOTALLY won over. You can make a vegetable soup that is wonderful out of these dehydrated goods. I even tried the TVP beef bits in my soup which were wonderful in a soup form. I made a hominy casserole and added the powdered sour cream and the dehydrated assorted bellpeppers, wonderful. I made buttermilk biscuits with the powdered buttermilk, lovely! This is how Convenience has been Redefined in my life. Quicker than I can run through a drive thru, faster than a speeding pizza delivery, I can have a wonderful meal, without chopping, dicing, peeling, processing, etc... I haven't purchased a really nice dehydrator yet to do more of the dehydrating myself yet, but will one day. You do have to have a good source of water to rehydrate but that could be found in the liquid/broth/juice of your canned vegies. I can't imagine spending unplanned money on convenience food any more. Convenience (for me) has been Redefined!

They are both such handsome fellows!! Welcome to the World Carter! Congrats Big Brother Reagan!!

wow! Angela! You have such a vivid imagination, that was a party to remember! Good job!

You're on a journey and you don't ever really 'arrive' but you will realize one day that you've traveled a far distance, made progress and gotten some where. Keep up the pace!

I'm sorry i don't know anything about this but, I did run some searches. Will any of these help? http://www.herbalremedies.com/hairregrowth.html http://www.ayurvedictalk.com/herbal-remedi...r-alopecia/149/ http://altmedicine.about.com/cs/herbsvitam.../a/Alopecia.htm

This is really cool Aaroun, thank you for the pictorial. I can't wait to show this to my dh as he and my boys have altoid tins for a different purpose. They use their for charring cloth. I am going to slowly but surely add these to our BOB's.

A little over a year ago I ordered the nicest whittling beginner's kit for one of my sons for their birthday. He thought he'd like to give it a try, I thought it could develop into a neat hobby for him. He tried it, He didn't like it. It was too painstakingly detailed for his happy-hyper self and so, I gave him the money I had spent to go on something he liked and inherited the tools, books, blanks and etc... for myself. From the beginning, I was captivated. Taking a piece of wood and making something out of it? I spent hours and hours on my first project, a detailed cowboy boot. I took it to Georgia to show everyone when we had the get together at Darlene's. I took it to Arkansas when we visited my family. Westie said, Stephanie, I think you've found your niche'. My mom said, I'm not one bit surprised (naturally my mom would say that). But, I was surprised and secretly delighted that it seemed I might have discovered a hidden and unexplored talent. Alas, as with so many of my projects, I found myself distracted and doing other things. As we have seen a few warm days here and there in the deep south, I pulled out my whittling bag over the weekend and sat myself on the swing by the catfish pond. I decided to start a new project with one of the whittling blanks, a dog. At some point the younger children meandered over to observe me and ask about what I was doing. I proudly pulled out my ONE finished project, that little 4 inch Cowboy Boot. They admired it and went about their play. A good hour had passed and I had made a little progress on the dog, just a little as whittling is a series of tiny cuts and grooves and slivers of wood. I decided to put my things away, feeling refreshed and focused. I thought I'd try to walk around the pond until my legs ached with exertion. As I carefully gathered my glove and thumb protector and gingerly closed the extremely sharp knife... I saw it, at my feet. There laid my Cowboy Boot that I had so proudly shared. Evidently my pet Border Collie had discovered it and decided the nice soft wood would make for a good chew. It was ruined. I couldn't help myself, I just cried. Silly girl, I tried to tell myself, it's nothing to cry about. But, still I did. I looked at the disfigured creation and announced, "It is ruined." I stuffed it in the bag and took off for my walk at a brisk pace, wiping my tears as I did. I couldn't even bring myself to tell my husband or children. I felt so angry, so frustrated, so much more than I thought I should feel over such a little thing. As I walked I remembered the passage of Scripture that talks about the Potter and the clay. Do you remember? It says that the vessel (that the Potter was forming on the wheel) was marred in his hand as he made it. Unlike me, the potter did not cast it aside as ruined. Instead he did an amazing thing...he made it again, another...that's how the KJV reads. He made it again, another. With legs that were aching but a heart that wasn't, I retrieved that little boot from my bag and looked at it closely. Could it be made into something again, another? I felt a bit deflated as I realized I didn't posess the skills to figure it out. God, on the other hand can figure out what is required to remake our broken and damaged lives. He will use our imperfections to bless others. He will take us in His hands and make us again, another. I'm saving that boot, and Iam practicing on my whittling. One day, I'm going to take that piece of damaged wood and make something out of it. It won't be today, but one day I will do it. In the mean time as I work on the newest piece and learn to follow the wood grains and to take little tiny chips, slivers and grooves, I am growing more skilled. Perhaps there is a relationship, a situation in your life that has been chewed up until it is barely recognizable and doesn't even resemble what it started out to be. Could it be you even that you don't recognize in the mirror anymore? Allow the Lord to begin His creative work, He is a Master Craftsman. Some of the chiseling may hurt a bit, some of the grooves may be down right painful. But in the end, in the hands of the Master, you can become a thing of beauty that is cherished by your Creator.

Judy, you have such a wonderful ability to Word-Weave! It's no wonder you were such a successful reporter. Now, as to that brother of yours...the next time you see him I think you should make his 'ordinary life a little dangerous'. Perhaps dropping a piece of firewood on his foot? Oops!

Westie, this sounds so good. I have a question? Do you harvest wild mushrooms? I want to do this so bad, we have mushrooms everywhere around here, but I'm too skeered! I have books and the kids and I have studied them and various web sites, but I've never been brave enough to actually cook them and eat them.

I'm so happy with you and for you! Wow, the memories this stirs in my soul! I pray that this will be settled and that this precious child will be able to have the security of a loving home! Keep us updated!!

(((WG))) Be sure to let us know what the Dr. says and don't rule out any options, where there is a will there is a way.

Thank you for taking the time to present the visuals and the lists, I absolutely love to see inside the EDC's/BOB's of other people. It is a great way to be inspired with new ideas to improve my own. I did want to note one thing. In my state there is not a requirement to register the guns you own. Individual state laws vary greatly. I am required to obtain a permit to carry the firearm off of my property or in my vehicle.

My husband and five sons are involved in a program that is similar to Boy Scouts that is called Royal Rangers. They have an extension group called FCF (Frontiersmen Camping Fellowship). If there is such a group in your area, I highly recommend it. This coming weekend my dh and two oldest sons will be attending the first part of their orientation into this program. http://royalrangers.ag.org/fcf/index.cfm I am busy collecting the required items that they must bring. I thought you might be interested in a portion of the list. New Testament Pencil Sharp Pocket Knife Matches Poncho Can w/lid for charring cloth Flint & Steel Notebook Candle Sleeping Bag 100% cotton patches Ground Cloth Warm clothes including camo pants and hiking boots Canteen Mess kit including utensils, cup, pan, bowl. Later, if they make it through the initiation which for one thing requires no talking for 24 hours they will begin to gather "Period Correct" clothing, equipment, weapons, tools, etc... They will be learning how to make do with what a Frontiersman would have had. I am so excited that they are learning these skills and feel they will be better prepared to face whatever life throws at them.