Dear, sweet Blog Friends,

I am very ill and won't be posting for a few days. Kidney problems. Will start visiting and writing again shortly.

Take care,
Elizabeth
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A Beautiful Life post

Melissa, over at The Inspired Room, is hosting A Beautiful Life...Her readers are posting how we find Balance and Beauty in our lives, especially when we are feeling stressed and overwhelmed...

Boy, I feel frazzled a lot and one of my favorite ways to bring myself out of it is...

If it's evening, I cut off all the lights and light my favorite candles...
Then I light my favorite incense, Frankincense and Myrrh, from Maroma....
Then, I turn on peaceful, instrumental music...
I breathe deeply and remember that all is well...

Then, when all is quiet and peaceful, I say a prayer. My heart longs for prayer when all is quiet. I want to fill the quiet with the swellings of my heart. Almost always, God answers me back with peace...And I am okay for a little longer in life.

God bless,
Elizabeth

Preparing Our Families

Hello, Friends!

I would like to talk to you today about a subject that has occupied a considerable amount of thought and action on my part in recent months. The subject is Food Storage. No, I don't just mean the preserving of garden foods or owning a well-stocked pantry, although both of those play a part. I am talking about the stocking and rotation of a long-term food and water storage system.

Why store food and water? There are several reasons for this, some of which are practical and others for emergency preparedness. My family recently experienced a financial downturn of a considerable nature when my husband lost his job last September. As you can imagine, money has been extremely tight. Having some food storage helped us enjoy some of our favorite food items at a time when we couldn't afford to buy them from the store. This has been extremely helpful.

Another reason for having a good food storage is to be prepared for emergencies. Gone are the days when most people lived on a family farm which provided for their needs and when communities were largely self-sufficient. We are dependent on a fragile network of circumstances that provide for our welfare: inter-state trucking of goods, the banks, foreign trade of commodities. If something were to disrupt any one of these things (further economic downturn, national emergencies, natural disasters), the results could be disasterous. Stores would sell out of goods quickly and then what? It's good to have a back-up system of one's own so that our families can be cared for in case of these emergencies.

It is also just darn nice to have a full larder, plus a great supply of all the basics. It is much cheaper to buy in bulk than to buy smaller amounts at the grocery store. In fact, I prefer eating organic, but the cost is prohibitive for me at the local health food store. Buying in bulk has reduced this cost so that I am able to afford my staples free of pesticide and herbicide residue. Isn't that great? I'm living greener and cleaner! Also, no more running out to the store because I've run out of one of the basics: flour, salt, rices...When I have a good storage system going, I only have to shop for fresh fruits, veggies and meats. And in the summer when my garden is going, I only have to shop for meats. How great is that?

One of the things that has helped me save money with my storage system is learning how to largely cook from scratch, rather than buying pre-packaged foods (it's also healthier). Once I learned the ropes, cooking from scratch really is no more time consuming that using ready-prepared meals.

How does one begin a food storage system? There are several great sites one can check out to get an idea of amounts/per person...Check out this site: Food Storage Made Easy. This site is full of helpful, simple and fun ways to go about building your own personal safety net for food. It's amazing how much one can do by investing small amounts of money, such as $11/week, consistently towards storage.

As for coping with natural or national disasters, a good site to check out is the American Red Cross Disaster Preparedness. They have a lot of great ideas for having a family plan to prepare for different contingencies.

Although I have at times freaked myself out over what could happen in the future during these unsettled times, I do not advise living in fear or becoming a survivalist. I am a contingency planner and I like to know that my loved ones will be alright if everything went to heck. But I love to live in the blessings of the day and give thanks for all that is right with the world. I like to enjoy myself and have fun. But what peace of mind I have when I know that we are prepared for the worst while living for the best!

Blessings to you and yours,
Elizabeth

Updates

Hello, Lovely Friends!

I am a bit harried today, rushing around to accomplish fifty things at once. Since I don't have a lot of time to put into this post, I think that I will use this time and space to update you on our lives.

First of all, this is my husband's second week at his new job. Last week was pretty tough for him. The contrast between what he had been told he would be doing and what he ended up doing made us both worry that this job might not end up being as good of an opportunity as we first thought. However, much discussion followed and his circumstances are better this week. I pray that conditions continue to improve and that this situation is a benefit and a blessing to our family. I will let you know more as I know it. Thank you again for your prayers.

As for the children...This has been a very difficult school year for my son. His teacher is not a good match up with his needs. At one point, when I had my son's agreement, I tried to switch him out of his class, but the principal wouldn't agree to that without trying to work things out with his teacher first. Unfortunately, it's still a tough situation, but Robert will not move now. I have prayed about this situation quite a lot and my heartfelt impression is that I need to keep him in school ("Please, Mama, homeschool me!"), and that he will just have to tough out this school year. HOWEVER, I am putting down my foot with the principal about which teachers I want and which one I will not put up with next year. That, I feel adamant about. Robert is striving to do his best in a difficult situation and I am proud of him (although he does come home and play "Kill The Teacher" games with his friends in the afternoons).

Sarah is "dual-enrolled" for 7th Grade this year. She studies everything at home, except Math, which she takes up at the Middle School. She is doing well in everything. When her school work is completed, she fills her time with reading (currently loves the Twilight series), writing a novel and singing and playing guitar. I am also very proud of her.

As for me, I am running to keep up...You, too? I have lots of plans for this Blog, which is my hobby, but haven't had the time to implement any of it yet. I am currently learning to knit, craft and do home decorating projects. I will share those as I go.

I don't know about you, but I watched the Inauguration, yesterday, and was quite moved by President Obama's speech. My prayer is that the Lord will guide him as he guides the future of this nation. We desperately need someone who will require us to make better decisions than we've made in the past, especially where finances are concerned, who will inspire us to do service and encourage us to work hard to ensure a better future for our children and grandchildren.

God bless us all!
Love,
Elizabeth

Menu Planning Monday and a Recipe

Hello Friends and Lovely Ladies,

It's so great to look forward to a new week with the rest of you. Hope that you are anticipating a good one!

First, for those of you who are part of Menu Planning Monday, here are my menus (and links) for the upcoming week:

Monday - Sausage Bean Stew, Bread and Fruit Salad

Tuesday - Smothered Mexican Lasagna, Salad and Mixed Fruit Cup

Wednesday - Penne Pasta with Cannelini Beans and Escarole

Thurday - Baked Turkey Legs, Lemon orzo, Steam Broccoli

Friday - Homemade Pizza, Tossed Salad

Saturday - Leftovers

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Super Moist Quick Bread

6 eggs, beaten
1/2 c. honey
1 1/2 c. brown sugar
1 c. veggie oil
1 t. vanilla
3 cups whole wheat flours
3 cups white flour
2 T. cinnamon
2 t. baking powder
2 t. baking soda
2 t. salt
3 cups mashed banana OR pumpkin or canned sweet potato (drained and mashed)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 3 8x4 loaf pans.

Whisk/mix first five ingredients. Add mashed banana OR pumpkin OR drained/mashed canned sweet potato. Mix dry ingredients together and then add to wet mixture. Divide evenly between three pans. Cook 50 minutes. This is approximate. Check after 30 and continue every ten minutes until toothpick comes out clean.

ENJOY!
Love,
Elizabeth

Show and Tell Friday

Hello, Friends!

Thank you for stopping by to see my Show and Tell today, as usual this is hosted by Kelli, at There Is No Place Like Home. If you have been here before then you know that I love sharing some of the things I have recently been sent of my mother's or my grandmother's. Today, I want to show you my grandmother, Mimie's, jewelry box (above). Mimie was not a wealthy person and by the time she died she was greatly reduced in her circumstances, so nothing she owned was very expensive, but her jewelry is still pretty and fun to look at.
Little poinsettia earings...One needs to be glued. See the screw backs? That was very common for earrings up through the 40's and 50's.
Some fancier ones, probably for church or evenings...
Pretty faux diamond pin and matching earrings - these are clip-ons...
Another pin and earring set.

I never knew Mimie. She died the year before I was born. However, I am told that I look like her. Sometimes, I wear Mimie's jewelry to church. I feel close to her when I do.

Have a lovely day!
Elizabeth

A Lovely Dream

Mary Cassatte (Mother and Child)
Dear, sweet friends,

I had another baby dream last night. I have them fairly regularly...I dream that I am either a new mother again or, as with last night, I have been gifted with a baby. I am always holding them, admiring them or lovingly talking with them. In these dreams I feel the great longing to have just one more, which of course I can't.

I always wanted four or five children of my own, but I married late in life, had a miscarriage and then my blessed two - one girl and one boy. Their lives set my own life on fire. Everything after their births seemed lit from within, even the years when I have experienced immense trials. I tried one last time to have a child in my early forties, but it didn't work out. I lost that pregnancy and with it, the hope that I would have more.

I have two precious baby friends right now, outside of my dreams - one is my little grand-niece Willow Kate and the other is the brand new son of my church friend, Cindy H. I love those two little souls. They are very beautiful.

Ooh, to hold a baby in one's arms. I am very thankful for my blessings, but sometimes how I long to do it all again - enormous belly, labor pains, no sleep. What a miracle it is.

My life before marriage and children was of a very high quality. I enjoyed my work, had lots of friends, so much to do, no money problems. I shopped designer clothes, attended premiers and events, saw the Bolshoi, the Kirov and Baryshnikov many times. I rubbed elbows with celebrities and had loads and loads of fun. Although I wanted marriage and children, I wasn't wasting away for what I didn't have. I knew I was blessed.

Then I married.

Looking back, I certainly miss my youth, but no longer the designer fashions. The premiers and cultural events were fun, but I'm okay without them. I definitely do not see celebrities in my current life and that's okay. My life after children is certainly smaller and confined by many challenges and sometimes severe financial struggles. But most days feel like a miracle, super-charged with love and tenderness. We have our moments, believe me. But all and all, my little family, as goofy and crazy as we all can be, feels as though there is a halo placed around us, not because of how good we are but because of how much we love each other. Many days have been burnt into my memory, because ... all because two dear children call me "Mama".

Love,
Elizabeth

Organization Tip, Recipe and Pay It Forward!

Hello, Lovely Friends!

Today, I have a number of things to tell you about...

First of all, this is the first week that I am on my new schedule. Yes, my middle-age brain damage has finally forced me to use an extensive list everyday, so that I don't spend most of my waking hours wandering around the house trying to figure out what to do first.

As you can see, this list is very detailed and tells me to do just about everything but "breathe" and "swallow". Hey, it works for me and I must say that yesterday, my first day on this list, was one of the best days that I have ever had - very peaceful and productive.

If any of you are dealing with your own brain damage and would like a pdf of this list, if it would a help to you, you are welcome to e-mail me at: appleseedacademy@yahoo.com and I will send you off a copy that you can tweak for your own needs.

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Whole Grain Waffles

• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 3/4 cups skim milk
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 cup flax seed meal
• 1/4 cup wheat germ
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, oil, applesauce, and vanilla. Beat in whole wheat pastry flour, flax seed meal, wheat germ, all-purpose flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt until batter is smooth.
2. Preheat a waffle iron, and coat with cooking spray. Pour batter into waffle iron in batches, and cook until crisp and golden brown. (from allrecipes.com)

NOTE: I used regular whole wheat flour and I substituted the flax, and wheat germ for 1/2 more of the flour. Turned out light and yummy!

And the finished product looks like...

You must try these!

See my brand new waffle iron...
Bought it for $5 at a local thrift shop. I'd been wanting one of these...The Lord is great!
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Lastly, my friend, Beth, over at Aunties with Advice, is passing on a "Pay It Forward". The rules are like this...

"Be one of the first three bloggers to leave a comment on this post, which entitles you to a handmade gift:-)

Winners must post this challenge on your blog, meaning that you will Pay It Forward, creating a handmade gift for the first three bloggers who leave a comment on YOUR post about this giveaway!

The gift you send can be from any price range and you have 365 days to make/ship your item. This means you should be willing to maintain your blog at least until you receive your gift and have shipped your gifts. And, remember: It’s the Spirit and the Thought That Count!

When you receive your gift, feel free to blog about it, sharing appropriate Linky Love♥♥♥

If you are not one of the Top Three to comment on this post, you can still play along. Please start your own 'Pay It Forward chain', and encourage your blogging friends to do the same."

So, ladies, the first three of you to leave me a comment will win a handmade gift.

God bless you all and have a nice day!!
Love,
Elizabeth