Tuesday, February 28, 2012

KEFIR AND YOGURT

 I can't seem to get a my mind together to write.  We have been busy ~ don't know what we have done but we have been busy!  Seems time just has a way of going on while we keep trying to get some semblance of order to my house.  I have been working in my sewing room trying to organize, but seems I get deeper in.  A couple weeks ago we saw  a yard sale and stopped.  I saw this big box of scraps and it was only  $2.00.  I really got a deal.  Most pieces were 2-4 yards. Some was trim.  I had to wash it all then find a place to put it.   I already had bags of stuff pulled out.  So ~ where to put it all was the question.

Silas made me some shelves in my laundry room.  You know the stuff you don't use on a daily basis?  That was all under my snack bar ready to fall out when I needed something.  If it didn't fall out ~ it was way in the back and I had to get down on all fours to find it.  So he decided to make some shelves in the laundry room to hold the big pots and pans and bowls and appliances etc.  I made a curtain to go over it.  Now I am in the process of  getting my kitchen cabinets in order and getting my snack bar so it is not so cluttered.  Oh, that's right!  I'm telling you about the shelves to tell you we had a cabinet in the laundry room that we put in the sewing room.
I now have a place to put all my material.  When that is all done I want to start a quilt again.

Did you ever try Kefir Milk?  You really need to read up on Kefir to see the probiotic benefits plus a lot of other benefits for your body.  My sister ordered me the grains and I am hooked.  You can make a drink with it for your breakfast.  Just add a little honey and a banana or other fruit and it is delicious.  I have read several blogs that have posted about it.  You will probably have to order the grains or get them from someone that has grains.  The grains look like small curds of buttermilk.  They multiply.  So far mine has doubled in about a week.  I think I only had about a teaspoon to begin with.

I also have been making yogurt.  It taste just like the plain yogurt you buy in the store.  When you drain it you get whey.  Don't throw the whey away.  Look it up and see the benefits it has.    Just a few things for you to do in case you have a lot of time on your hands!lol


Need to go.  We are in revival and we need to get dressed.

Oh, I want to tell you about the best biscuits you can make.  Even parts of self rising flour and heavy whipping cream.  Roll out, cut, cook at 425 for 20 minutes or until brown.    I use 2 cups of each.
These are so good.

Saturday, February 11, 2012

SAINTS

 SAINTS
Here in the south we hear a lot about the Saints Foot Ball games.  Seems fans have to celebrate before and
after every game and sometimes in between.  There is no doubt about whose side people are on.  That's all
you hear if you walk in a store or homes and sometimes even at church.  Near time for games there is
 tail gating parties all over.  I'm not really a sports fan but I do like to hear when our teams win.

I started thinking about the Saints of God.   Romans 1:7   "Called to be saints."  1Corinthians 1:2 
  "Called to be saints"  
Seems to me like we  are all  have a calling by God.  That is to be a Saint.   I wonder how many of us
celebrate our calling.  Do we talk about it when we see someone that may need to be told about Jesus?
Do we act like a saint?  Do we look like a Saint of God?  Are we taking our calling serious?

I read somewhere a question was ask; Why were the Saints, Saints?
It is quite simple.
      Because thy were "Cheerful." when it was difficult to be Cheerful.
     Because they were "Patient" when it is difficult to be patient.
     Because they pushed on when they wanted to stand still.
Because they kept silent when they wanted to talk.
Because they were agreeable when they wanted to be disagreeable.

Seems we have work to do along these lines.  We read of the Saints in the Bible where it says
"Of whom the world was not worthy."   I think of the missionaries in Mexico that were martyred last week. 
Truly they were Saints.  Willing to go even if it meant their lives.  So many others have given their lives for
 the sake of the gospel and souls! 
What really gets me is to hear people say they are Christians but don't know were they will go when they die.  
That is not on a foreign field.  It is here in this great land of ours where we have so many opportunities.  
Yet our missionaries go to foreign fields ~ forsaking this worlds goods just  for the privilege of telling and
 giving the gospel to others so they can be saved from hell and go to a place that God has prepared for them.  
Heaven!  I know the Saints will celebrate there!

WHAT IS A SAINT?

A JEWEL in disguise.
A PRINCE in peasant's garbs.
An  IMMORTAL LIFE in dying flesh.
An AMBASSADOR of the King Eternal, detained on foreign  soil.
A MONARCH at the foot of the throne, waiting for his crown.
A ROYAL SLAVE in a prison of clay, preparing for a mansion.
A TRAVELER  on a rocky road, bound for the streets of gold.
A WATCHMAN on the midnight hills, to greet the everlasting Day.
A DIAMOND in the rough, being  polished to shine as the stars.
A NUGGET of gold in the crucible, to be refined from it's dross.
A PEARL in the oyster, to be delivered from the  body of flesh.
A LAMP in a dark, dark night, soon to blaze forth with everlasting light.
A STRANGER in the midst of enemies, hurrying on to live in everlasting fellowship.
A FLOWER in a garden of briars, soon to unfold its petals where the Rose of Sharon blooms.
Unknown


Saturday, February 4, 2012

THIS, THAT AND THE OTHER

 Silas checking last years Squash
  

We had beautiful squash plants last year.  They started blooming and were loaded.  We knew we would have a bumper crop of squash in our little garden. Since Silas loves squash so much I was happy.
When the bloom falls off the squash usually start growing.  We waited and waited but no squash.  We have never seen that before. We have no idea what happened.  Beautiful plants and blooms but no squash.  Has anyone one of you gardeners ever comes across this problem?  Someone told us they were all male plants.  That was hard to believe.  We need an authority on this!

Silas is getting his rows ready for the spring garden.  He will
plant more squash. We still have cabbage and green onions in the garden.  I don't think he will plant more cabbage, although the
heads are beautiful.  We eat cabbage but not that much.  I have made coleslaw quite a bit and steamed cabbage a few times. Has
anyone ever frozen cabbage?  I did freeze turnip roots this year.
(We like mustard greens with the turnip roots cooked in them) You have to have cornbread with mustard greens. No getting around that.  Guess you know I was raised country style.


I googled turnip roots and there it was ~ exactly how to put them in freezer.  Not that we raised so many.  A friend from church
brought us two big bags of roots.  Gigantic ones!  I did not want to waste them so that is when I started a search.  I did put up mustard greens.  We had plenty of them.  We ate some, gave some away and put some in the freezer.  I am cutting up shallots and putting them in the freezer.  Also, I have a few chives.  

I use to buy the seasoning mix with onions, green onions, bell pepper etc.  I can not cook without seasoning.  But I found I save money by cutting up the shallots, chives and regular onion
mixed together in the freezer.  I did not put green bell pepper because one cost about a dollar and half.  We are going to give them a try in our garden this year.  


Oh, one more thing!  We have two short rows of strawberries that at blooming beautiful.  We see some fruit already.  My sister gave me about four plants last year.  I picked a few strawberries then.  We left the plants in the ground and they multiplied.  We wound up with a enough plants for a couple rows this year.  We are going to have more rows next year.  I am from strawberry country ~ not that I am a pro on how to grow them.  I just know the farmers use to put straw around the plants.  I picked quite a few when I was a kid.  I was always afraid of a snake.  Later, the farmers put a black plastic down ~ then put the plant through 
plastic.  That is what we are going to do this coming year.  

We are finally getting eggs from the hens we raised.  We are up to four a day.  We have nine hens so when the others start laying we will have plenty eggs.  They are so rich looking when you cook them.  Taste so much better than store bought eggs.  

I made my second batch of laundry detergent yesterday.  This sure does save money.  I guess we are looking for ways to economize like a lot of other people are doing.  

What do you do with roosters?  Silas and grandsons are killing roosters to go in the freezer.  Between us, we had an abundance.
Are they tough ~ are they good for dumplings?  Guess we will see!

Well, this is what is going on in our part of the world right now.  What are you doing?

Have a blessed week end,  be sure to go to church with your cup right side up.  Might ought to bring your saucer too.