Wednesday, March 31, 2010
PLEASE PRAY!!!
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
"Saucey" Beans and Rice
This week I tried something different and it was so simple and tasty!
Monday, March 29, 2010
Which of You Do NOT Want Free Beef?
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Winner Winner, Chicken Dinner!! How We Afford It
I had a blast making these videos to show you how we afford to eat real food. Sorry about the foil noise in the first segment. I promise the rest is better ;-) I broke it down into two sections because I know it is so hard to take the time to watch long videos on blogs. (six minutes each)I did this because so many people ask, 'how can I afford to eat like this?', and I personally find it easier sometimes to just 'see' it being done. I hope this inspires you. I also posted the steps below, as well as the final cost analysis.
*Procure Organic Free-Range Chicken
*Prep chicken for roasting
*Roast Chicken
*Serve reasonable amount of protein per person
*"Pick" chicken for meal later in week
*Put carcass in stock pot with water and vinegar (for at least one hour or overnight)
*Put stockpot on in morning to simmer all day with veggies of choice (carrots, onion, celery)
*12 hours or so later turn off and strain stock into jars
*Re-pick chicken
*Refrigerate stock until cool
*Pour into freezer bags and freeze flat
As stated in the video, for $36.00 I got:
* two ample protein based dinners,
*two very full lunches,
*two 3- ounce portions of chicken breast for lunch for myself,
*enough 'picked' chicken for stir fried rice and
*9 1/2 quarts of delicious, good for you bone broth!
According to my husband who is way better at math than I am, that is 78 cents per serving, per person for organic, free range chicken!! (46 servings) Woo Hoo!!
AND!!
9 1/2 quarts of stock that easily could sell for $4.50 a quart. ( I have paid this much, on sale, for organic chicken stock) that is $42.75!!!
So, do you get that???? I paid $36.00 (2.85 lb.) for the chickens and I got 46 servings and over $42.00 worth of organic chicken stock!
(for our Tuesday leftover meal, this week, White Chili, I actually have enough for another lunch for the children)
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Gift From a Sweet Friend and God
Thank you my sweet friend, Linda, you made my day! The details behind me getting this bag are too many to type, but trust me, this bag will always remind me of how much my Jesus loves me!
This Market Bag is adorable! The quality is amazing! Please go check out Linda's blog, Prairie Flower Farm. She has a very sweet blog and on her sidebar you can see all the really neat things she makes and sells.
Let's Visit!
As I was meditating on Isaiah 40:29-31 this morning,
And to those who have no might He increases strength.
Even the youths shall faint and be weary,
And the young men shall utterly fall,
But those who wait on the LORD
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.
The word 'wait' struck me so I looked it up in my word study dictionary, and this is what I found.
Wait means to bind together (by twisting) to be joined, to meet, to lie in wait for someone, to expect, to hope, look patiently, to be confident.
So, those who bind themselves together with the Lord, who are joined to Him, who lie in wait for Him, who are expecting, hopeful and look patiently to Him shall renew their strength.
Monday, March 22, 2010
$ 75.00 Give Away!!
Did I mention, $75.00 U.S. Wellness Meats Gift Certificate??!!
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Have I Learned the Lesson?
Thank God in everything [no matter what the circumstances may be, be thankful and give thanks], for this is the will of God for you [who are] in Christ Jesus [the Revealer and Mediator of that will].
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Yummy and Fresh
If you have never used a jicama (pronounced HEE-kah-mah)before, give it a try. They are very crisp, watery and lightly sweet . Nutritionally, 1 cup of sliced jicama has a mere 46 calories, and 11g of carbohydrate (of which 6 huge grams are fiber) and 30% of the daily value for vitamin C.
Here is the link:
I hope you enjoy this. We are loving it!
Winners Announced!
Monday, March 15, 2010
Bible Giveaway!
Saturday morning!
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Quiet Your Heart
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Are You Tired?
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Priceless!!!!
Friday, March 5, 2010
Comforting AND a Promise!
When He has tried me, I shall
come forth as gold.
It is so hard, I know!
The work "know" in this verse is one of my favorite Hebrew words, yadha, which is a word used to express such an intimate knowledge.(taken from The Complete Word Study Old Testament) It is even used for the word meaning intercourse between a man and woman. It is that intimate. So, this says that God intimately knows the way (our journey, way of life, lot in life)! The God of the universe, the great I AM knows the way that I take, the way that YOU take! I get a sense of His very fingerprints all over my life! Isn't that comforting?
Also, it says that when we are tried, we SHALL come forth as gold! No maybe, no, 'I hope so', nope, it says we SHALL! come forth as gold. There is the promise!
This promise is found in many places, one favorite is 1 Peter 5:10
And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, Who has called you to His [own] eternal glory in Christ Jesus, will Himself complete and make you what you ought to be, establish and ground you securely, and strengthen, and settle you.
To Him be the dominion, power, authority, rule forever and ever. Amen.
WooHoo! My God is intimately involved in all that is going on in my life now AND He will complete and make me what I ought to be! Oh, don't you just love Him!?
"And let us not lose heart and grow weary and faint in acting nobly and doing right, for in due time and at the appointed season we shall reap, if we do not loosen and relax our courage and faint. "
Praying for strength to persevere and hold on through this purifying of your faith. Faithful is He Who has called you, He will be all you need!
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Testing of Your Faith
I asked Him why I seemed to 'faint' in the battle? Why I am overwhelmed when the flood comes in? Why I can't seem to stand upright and feel as though I am always going under and can't even see Him in the middle of the mess? When I come out of it, then I see Him, and I see the foolishness of my thinking. I see the doubt and fear, but not when I am gasping for air as the waves are sweeping over me.
I read a devotional based on the verse, "without a vision the people perish" and it said, 'faith must first have visions: faith is always born of vision and hope! We must have the gleam of the thing hoped for shining across the waste before we can have an energetic and energizing faith. . . We need a transformation in "the things hoped for" . . .we need to be renewed in mind, and renewed in mind daily."
I believe these verse helped to 'renew my mind' as to the purpose of these trials and the hope we have in Christ.
( I am going to turn the words around to speak to you)
You were chosen and foreknown by God the Father and consecrated by the Spirit to be obedient to Jesus Christ (the Messiah) and to be sprinkled with [His] blood: May grace (spiritual blessing) and peace be given you in increasing abundance [that spiritual peace to be realized in and through Christ, freedom from fears, agitating passions, and moral conflicts].
Praised (honored, blessed) be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah)! By His boundless mercy you have been born again to an ever-living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
Born anew into an inheritance which is beyond the reach of change and decay [imperishable], unsullied and unfading, reserved in heaven for you,
Who are being guarded by God's power through [your] faith [till you fully inherit that final] salvation that is ready to be revealed [for you] in the last time.
You should be exceedingly glad on this account, though now for a little while you may be distressed by trials and suffer temptations,
So that the genuineness of your faith may be tested, your faith which is infinitely more precious than the perishable gold which is tested and purified by fire. This proving of your faith is intended to redound to your praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One) is revealed
Without having seen Him, you love Him; though you do not [even] now see Him, you believe in Him and exult and thrill with inexpressible and glorious (triumphant, heavenly) joy.
[At the same time] you receive the result (outcome, consummation) of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
You must know that you were redeemed from the useless way of living inherited by tradition from your forefathers, not with corruptible things such as silver and gold,
But you were purchased with the precious blood of Christ (the Messiah), like that of a sacrificial lamb without blemish or spot.
SO, SINCE Christ suffered in the flesh for us, for you, arm yourselves with the same thought and purpose patiently to suffer rather than fail to please God. For whoever has suffered in the flesh having the mind of Christ is done with intentional sin [has stopped pleasing himself and the world, and pleases God],
So that he can no longer spend the rest of his natural life living by [his] human appetites and desires, but he lives for what God wills.
Beloved, do not be amazed and bewildered at the fiery ordeal which is taking place to test your quality, as though something strange (unusual and alien to you and your position) were befalling you.
But insofar as you are sharing Christ's sufferings, rejoice, so that when His glory [full of radiance and splendor] is revealed, you may also rejoice with triumph [exultantly].
Therefore humble yourselves [demote, lower yourselves in your own estimation] under the mighty hand of God, that in due time He may exalt you,
Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully.
Be well balanced (temperate, sober of mind), be vigilant and cautious at all times; for that enemy of yours, the devil, roams around like a lion roaring, seeking someone to seize upon and devour.
Withstand him; be firm in faith [against his onset--rooted, established, strong, immovable, and determined], knowing that the same (identical) sufferings are appointed to your brotherhood (the whole body of Christians) throughout the world.
And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace [Who imparts all blessing and favor], Who has called you to His [own] eternal glory in Christ Jesus, will Himself complete and make you what you ought to be, establish and ground you securely, and strengthen, and settle you. (Yeah!!)
To Him be the dominion, power, authority, rule forever and ever. Amen.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
A Word for Those Struggling
Say to those who are fearful-hearted,
“ Be strong, do not fear!
Behold, your God will come with vengeance,
With the recompense of God;
He will come and save you.”
“ Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by your name;
You are Mine.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.
When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned,
Nor shall the flame scorch you.
For I am the LORD your God,
The Holy One of Israel, your Savior;
You are precious in My sight,
You have been honored,
And I have loved you;
Fear not, for I am with you;
Be not dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you,
Yes, I will help you,
I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’
Even to your old age, I am He,
And even to gray hairs I will carry you!
I have made, and I will bear;
Even I will carry, and will deliver you
Remember the former things of old,
For I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is none like Me,
Declaring the end from the beginning,
And from ancient times things that are not yet done,
Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand,
And I will do all My pleasure,’
You will keep him in perfect peace,
Whose mind is stayed on You,
Because he trusts in You.
Trust in the LORD forever,
For in YAH, the LORD, is everlasting strength.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Who Is Master of Your Life?
Well, generally. But as the day has gone on, I have continued to ponder this and I realized that maybe it wasn't God.
I started to realize that on a good day it was Jesus, but what about last week when I was overwhelmed with the fear that I was never going to get better? What about when I was so angry because nothing is changing? What about when I am swallowed up with hopelessness? What about when I push my agenda on my day and watch out to anyone in my way? What about when I doubt God is even leading me? What about when I just want to quit!? What about when I am rehearsing all the negative and difficult in my life?
Hmmmm, who is the master of my life in those moments? Not Jesus. Not my Father.
As a rule, yes, Jesus is Master and Lord over my life. I do live my life for Him and every circumstance and situation has been through His Almighty fingers before it has every been allowed into my life. But, if I am being honest, which the Holy Spirit has been so gracious to point out ;-) there are moments when 'others' rule over me . . .fear . . .doubt . . . hopelessness . . .self . . .
Yes, there are real 'reasons' and 'excuses' for some of this behavior, real physical reasons, but I also believe that if God says to 'thank Him in/for all things' and 'to trust in the Lord with all your heart', He means it and He will provide a way for me live through these experiences in a God honoring way.
Lord Jesus, forgive me for allowing others to rule over me when you have set me free. I bow before Your Majesty and claim you Lord of all my life. Cause my heart and mind to line up with this truth. Convict me when fear or doubt tries to take the throne. Open my eyes to see. I love you, my Lord, I serve YOU! In Jesus precious name, Amen.
Party Time!
1. What's your favorite time of the day, and why?
MORNING! Yes, I love the morning, when it is still quiet and dark. I grab my tea and my bible and soak up time with the Lord! Truly the best time of the day! Or maybe 5:30, my beloved comes home.
2. If health wasn't an issue, what food could you live off of?
Oreos dunked in milk, whole, so your whole mouth oozes with mushy Oeros. AND Doritos and the canned Jalapeno Cheese Dip! A girl can dream, right?
3. If you could have one wish granted (besides wishing for more wishes), what would it be?
To feel all better! ;-(
4. What's one thing that you get teased about a lot?
My passionate personality.
5. If you could choose one movie, book, or TV show to spend your life in, which would you pick? What type of character would you be?
Steel Magnolias comes to the top of my head. I think I would like to be Truvy, played by Dolly Parton, no, not for the obvious reasons! I loved her character, I love to 'do hair' and she does have a tiny waist. (too vain for you? sorry)
6. If you could have one talent that you don't already have, what would it be?
SINGING!!!
7.If money were no object, where would you go on vacation?
Italy with my beloved! (you are not giving trips away, are you???)
8. If you were an awesome singer, which genre would you sing?
See # 6, I am so not! After I was done sitting at my piano worshipping the Lord for hours with my exceptionally beautiful voice I would probably belt out a country love song.
9. If you could have a $10,000 shopping spree to one store, what would it be?
Some wonderful furniture store or an antique store.
10. If you could live in any point in time, when would it be?
Little House on the Prairie days! Wait, they did have blogs back then, right?
11. If every outfit in your wardrobe had to be one color, what would it be?
Black, I don't think I would get sick of it.
12. If you were one of the seven dwarves, which one would you be?
(Doc, Grumpy, Sneezy, Sleepy, Bashful, Happy, or Dopey)
Sleepy, right now, due to Adrenal Fatigue. Happy, if I am going by what I think I used to be like before I got sick. Dopey, often times, especially while trying to get a joke. Bashful, in a crowd of new people. Sleepy, right now, did I say that already? Grumpy, when I don't get my way and/or PMSing. Doc, is what I like to think I am when it comes to solving health problems.
13. What's the last album you listened to?
I don't think I really listen to music that often, hmmm, must be a Selah CD.
14. What's something we'd be surprised to know about you?
I don't wash my feet. ;-)
Homemade Taco Seasoning
A couple of months ago I came across a homemade taco seasoning called, Best Ever Taco Seasoning. I have used it in several applications and I think it's name is accurate.
I hope you give this a try. Now you won't have to wonder what are those "spices" in your store bought packets or jars. I have read several places that companies can use words like, "spices" or "natural seasonings" which may or may not include MSG without having to label it as such. MSG is a neurotoxin (Neurotoxin: A substance that causes damage to nerves or nerve tissue. For example, lead is a neurotoxin.) and it is in so many processed foods. If you still have processed foods in your pantry ;-) go read some of the labels. Here is a link, and another, that shows you the various words to look for.
Best Ever Taco Seasoning
•1 tbs chili powder
•1/4 tsp garlic powder or granulated
•1/4 tsp onion powder
•1/4 tsp cayenne
•1/4 tsp dried oregano
•1/2 tsp paprika
•2 tsp ground cumin
•1 tsp course salt
Directions
1.Mix together and store in airtight container.