Stephanie

(((Vic))) This just blessed my heart. What a testimony to the faithfulness and goodness of the Lord.

Wow, that is so amazing. I'm going to be sharing this with my children. BTW, that little girl is precious. I have a question, and I hope it won't be offensive, please forgive me in advance if it is. Why is there such poverty? Are they trying to live off the land and not work away from home? Farming? Sheep herding? Thank you Rezgirl for giving us this window into your world.

I think I'll tell you a bit about me. I think I've been assuming that everyone already knows, but maybe you don't. I live in Alabama with my dh Henry and our seven children whom we have been blessed to make our own through the miracle of adoption. We have been married 26 years! I assure you he is the only man on earth who could live with me that long, he is amazing and the love of my life. Our children, and how they came to us, are miracles indeed. Just briefly, the are ds1 - 14 (joined our family at age 8) ds2 - 13 (our first adoption and came as a 2 week old premie 5lb infant ds3 - 9 (was 2 mos old when he arrived) dd1 - 9 (birth sister to our other daughter, came at age7) dd2 - 8 (came at age 6) ds4 - 5 (straight from the hospital at 2 days) ds5 - 4 (birth brother to the girls and was 3 yrs old when he came) I was born in Louisiana, lived in Texas and Mississippi during my growing up years and then married and was imported to Alabama 25 years ago. Alabama has been good to us, my dh and dc were all born here, but I have a secret yearning to return to Texas. shhh ... don't tell anyone. All of my family lives in Arkansas and the sensible thing to do would be to move there, but dreams aren't always sensible. Three years ago we bought an older house on 5 acres of land and have been going about making it into a homestead.We have a pond, a creek, goats, chickens, dogs and a parrot. In a few weeks Aslan, our Anatolian puppy will be joining the family. If you know me at all, you know that I love the Lord. I'm doing my best to live a life that is pleasing and acceptable to Him. I love the Word of God and use it as the Plumb Line, as a standard for all things Spiritual. MrsSurvival is a wonderful resource for me. I have made 'real' friends in a way I would never have thought possible on an internet setting. I have conquered my fear of pressure canning! I bought a Nubian milk goat and she delivered her baby right here on our little homestead. I'm enjoying my chickens immensely, they are wonderful homestead animals. I home educate my children in a very Eclectic manner. That basically means I'll use any method or manner I can to help my children learn how to learn. That's my goal, I know I can never teach them everything, but if I have taught them how to teach themselves, to read, to investigate, to learn...I have done a good thing. We're hoping to have a big garden this year and better success with it as we try some new techniques. This is an area I'm still trying to learn and grow in. With a famly our size, we need to be gardening! Well, just thought I'd tell you a bit about me!

Ginger, this was a wonderful Backyard Parable! Thank you! As a Back Yard Chicken owner, I could so relate to what you experienced. There are wonderful lessons to be learned in the world around us if we will just stop and open our eyes and ears.

Judy, Thanks for this, it has given me some good food for thought. It's made me remember the times I have said to my children, "I know you better than you know yourself."

I have used it several times and we love it. You put 2TBS of oil in the bottom of the pan and 1/2 cup of popcorn kernels and in 3 minutes flat, you've got perfect popcorn without any kernels left unpopped (practically). The handles are wooden and you just stand there 3 minutes cranking the crank/handle. This keeps the kernels rotated and prevents burning. You cook it on med heat (this is important) and when the handle becomes difficult to turn, you know you're full of popcorn.

Did you know that Popcorn is a Whole Grain and has lot of nutritional and healthy benefits? I've always been a fan of Popcorn in its many varied forms. Whether it was dripping in butter at the Theater or in a box of Cracker Jacks at the ball game...formed into a PopCorn Ball at Halloween or caramelized with brown sugar... yum yum yum! I have loved it when I wasn't counting calories and I have loved it when I was. On its own, it's nothing but good... our adding toppings are sometimes tasty tantalizing culpits of extra sugar and fat and well, you know. I can remember when microwave popcorn was all the rage!! What an amazing thing it was !! I can't imagine how many bags I must have bought and eaten since that time, countless. Now, as the mom of seven snackers, I am even more fond of this tasty, frugal, healthful food. When you consider nutrition and costs, Popcorn wins hands down over Chips and such. Finally, I decided I was going to give up the Microwavable Bags, big decision, but we were spending too much on that convenience. So, I started buying 1 lb bags and standing at the stove, shake, shake, shake... for the shortest of times it was a novelty, my kids were amazed. Funny, but they had never seen popcorn popped the old fashion way. Last month I put on my prepping hat and bought a 50 lb bag of popcorn at Sam's , talk about a huge savings, it was huge. And talk about a lot of popcorn, it was a lot. But, after a while, I grew weary of standing there at the stove, shake, shake, shake and if you left your post...well, we all know what burnt popcorn smells like. So, I went on a quest! And I have found the answer to our Popcorn Dilemna. Have you heard of a whirly pop? Here's what it looks like, they sell them all over the internet and we actually found one at our local Target store. http://www.amazon.com/Wabash-Valley-Farms-...8568&sr=8-1

Very poignant reminder that by being prepared, you were able to calmly handle the situation. Thank you MM.

Wow, I guess we see which quote was the hands down winner! Westie you are right about people being afraid to leave ... or continue or really, graduate in my opinion. Lewis also said this, "If we really think that home is elsewhere and that this life is a "wandering to find home," why should we not look forward to the arrival? " Louis, thank you for adding that link and also for the reminder of that memorable line from the Narnia Adventures. As often as my children and I have listened to these on tapes, I recognized it at once. And it's a good one. He has another one about an egg too that I really like, "It may be hard for an egg to turn into a bird: it would be a jolly sight harder for it to learn to fly while remaining an egg. We are like eggs at present. And you cannot go on indefinitely being just an ordinary, decent egg. We must be hatched or go bad." PCS, I couldn't have chosen just one either! That's why I had to make a list and that was hard enough!

I can't wait to read the next entry. And Pictures!! If you can add some of the pictures that you've shared now and then on the forums! ((((Rezgirl)))

(((Necie))) I did enjoy your first blog entry and looking forward to more! The Turkish names are so meaningful and a lot of fun to poke around with. Can't wait to get Aslan home!

C.S.Lewis is one of my favorite authors. He died the same year I was born, the same day that Pres. Kennedy was assassinated. He was a brilliant man who continues to impact the world through his writings. He penned such works as the Chronicles of Narnia which have recently gone to the Big Screen. His words have impacted me greatly over the years of my life so I thought I would share some of his more famous quotes with you this morning. Enjoy! And tell me which one you liked the best! Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art... It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things that give value to survival. There are two kinds of people: those who say to God, "Thy will be done," and those to whom God says, "All right, then, have it your way." A young man who wishes to remain a sound atheist cannot be too careful of his reading. Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important. Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another, "What! You too? I thought I was the only one!" God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing. I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else. If we really think that home is elsewhere and that this life is a "wandering to find home," why should we not look forward to the arrival? Miracles are a retelling in small letters of the very same story which is written across the whole world in letters too large for some of us to see. The future is something which everyone reaches at the rate of 60 minutes an hour, whatever he does, whoever he is. Thirty was so strange for me. I've really had to come to terms with the fact that I am now a walking and talking adult. You don't have a soul. You are a Soul. You have a body. C.S. Lewis Quotes

How nifty! Thanks Westie, what a cute project for me and the girls one day! I didn't understand at first that it was BOTH a bonnet and an apron, cool!

I'm enjoying the Personal Blogs option of our new home. I've been doing some investigating, can't resist those shiny new buttons.. and thought I'd share a few tips with my Blogging Buddies. At the top of the page you will see two 'buttons' concerning 'blogs'. One says 'my blog' and takes you to your own created blog where you can make an entry to your own blog, create your own blog and set blog controls. The other button simply says 'blogs' and it will take you to a page where you will see a list of recent blog entries from others. On that page you will likely see at the very top a featured blog for the day. Below that you will see many others. If you will notice in the far right hand corner of each mini blog blurb you will see a heart. If you click on that heart you will be making that a 'favorite' blog and your favorites will show up right under the Featured Blog each time you visit that page. When you click on a blog that you are interested in reading, you can leave a comment. Unless, the blogger has chosen the option of 'no comments' in their personal blogging options. About personal blogging options... did you know that you can make your blog private so that no one can read your posts? Did you know that you can then invite people to read those private posts by creating a Private Club? Interesting way to share something very personal that you don't want all the membership to read about. You also can customize the way that your blog looks in your blog controls, for instance choosing a 'skin' (background). The last thing I want to mention is concerning personal responsibility. If you don't care for the subject matter of a personal blog, don't read it. When you are posting or commenting, be considerate of others. If you think that someone needs to moderate a blog, let Darlene know. My favorite blogs are the ones who are sharing personal experiences, projects, funny moments and basically a window into the lives of people I consider my friends. If you need any help, ask! We're all learning together with the new possibilities before us.

No grays yet, but my day is coming I'm sure. My baby sister has had them for years. Truly cute blog MM! Keep it up!

(((Rezgirl))) I love this song, and it has brought comfort to many people who have been separated from their loved ones. Thanks for sharing your heart with us this morning!

That is so funny! Meatballs that he didn't like! Great way to start my day laughing!

Thanks for doing this Ginger! I know in advance I'll enjoy it so much! ((((Ginger))))

This morning I feel a wee bit weary, it's been 'coming on' for several days. That feeling of drudgery for things that normally make me smile. It blossomed into full fruition this morning when I needed to make biscuits. I just didn't want to do it. I thought wistfully of the days when every weekend I opened a bag of those lovely little frozen biscuits and set them effortlessly on the cookie sheet. Then, I regretted the fact that I had thawed out a turkey to bake today. My idea of canning some of it doesn't even appeal to me in the least at the moment. Do you ever feel tempted to 'fall off the wagon' ? I do. Sometimes I just get tired. I know this is the best way to live, I know that we are saving money, avoiding preservatives, making wise decisions. But, last night, as I rolled out 3 dozen flour tortillas, I found myself thinking I'd have gladly paid 5 or 6 dollars for a few packs from the store. I'm sharing this for those of you who may get discouraged and think no one else ever somtimes remembers more 'convenient' times. So today, my sweet dh put the turkey in the oven after he scrambled some eggs for breakfast. I blew my nose and washed my face and will get the cornbread started. As preppers, we have not chosen the easiest or most convenient path. And now and then, we may wander off picking daisies. Perhaps once in a while we just need to give ourselves a break. But, in the end, we pull ourselves up by our bootstraps and continue toward the destination we have set our sights on. Happy journey friends!

This is such a fun idea Westie! I've heard of folks doing a Holiday Tree before. I hope you'll do some pictures for us. I have no idea about August. Never realized it didn't have any sort of holiday....hmmmm

Oh Westie!! If those Sugar Free No bakes work I am going to be so excited. I always loved the No bakes but the sugar just was over the top for my diabetes! Thanks for sharing these!! (((Westie)))

Burnie is so cute! And your canned goods look so wonderful! ::

Thanks for resurfacing this thread Westie. For the month of March the children and I are going to do a Unit Study on Anatolians, seeing as Aslan is on the way. We'll be studying origins, the Turkish language, puppy training, etc...

Ahhh...now you're telling me I've got to be balanced about it! Oh dear! And thanks for passing along the flipper, I could sure use a new one!

Marilyn, Thank you for the work you are doing. I was thinking of Tabitha aka Dorcas from the Scriptures as I was thinking of your committment to doing good deeds. She is mentioned in Acts 9. You are blessing so many people just like she did with her seamstress abilities. God bless you abundatnly for your faithfulness! ((((MomM))))