How we got the bible in english

Bryan Denlinger - The Real Bible Version Issue EXPOSED from Marco Ponce on Vimeo.

Less stuff = more happiness?

For the last 6-8 months I have been in a new process in my life. I have greatly diminished the amount of stuff I have. First it was because we were moving from a 3,400 square foot home with 3 sheds on 16 acres to our 5th wheel and a 30 foot storage trailer. Now its just because I am finding I don't need even all the stuff I saved from the move.

In the storage trailer we built shelves along each side to store totes and other stuff. It is very handy and I don't think I could get rid of it.

On the other hand we also have a very small storage unit we are paying for each month. I have a strong desire to completely empty the storage unit and either integrate the items into the storage trailer or get rid of them. Last night I lay in bed thinking of things I could do with the items in the storage shed. Today I am going to implement my plan.

Many months ago when I started this process I thought it would be awful to get rid of so much stuff. I mean I practically gave most of it away. That part did hurt a little. But bigger than that is the freeing aspect of having less stuff. I have lately discovered that you don't really own stuff, it owns you. You have to house it, clean it, arrange it, take care of it and on and on.

In owning less stuff I find I have much more time for other things like sewing and gardening. I don't have to spend all my time dusting or other maintenance of my stuff.

I keep my keepsakes of course. I cant seem to get rid of all my pictures and a few of my nick nacks. I have some toys that were my mom's when she was a child and I keep them of course. Ideally things like that should be on a shelf where others can see and enjoy them.

This week I have been on a no spending on non necessities time. I have bought a few things but not without really thinking about whether they were necessities or just wants. It has helped me continue my re-education of myself in the buying and spending department. I don't need things to make me happy. I don't need things to be someone. Things don't define who I am.

I will continue to sort through my stuff/things and continue to rid myself of the luggage I have spent years accumulating. I'm not saying I want to be a minimalist or even that I want to get rid of most everything I have. Not at all. But I do want the things I decide to keep to be meaningful to me and my family. I want to be able to maintain the things I decide I want to keep and not have them be a burden to me or my family. If I died today I want my kids to have an easy time going through my stuff and not dread the thought. After all, is all my stuff what I am about? Does it make me who I am?

How about you? Are THINGS very important to you? Do you feel the need to shop often? Do you think that the more things you have the happier you will be? If you cant have something do you think it will hurt you in some way? Can you live with out it?

I realize not many people would choose to live the way we do and that's ok. I also know that when you live on a farm and or have animals you have to have more stuff. I am not condemning that in any way. What I am writing about is my stuff and my self and my life and how I feel about all that. I am just finding that for me I really do like having less stuff.

New Pink Monkey Affiliate

Pink Monkey has a new affiliate. Yolanda from Simply Homemaking is our newest Pink Monkey affiliate and we are so excited to have her on board. Yolanda's blog address is:
http://simplyhomemaking60.blogspot.com/ stop by and say hi. Yolanda is a big do it yourself type person. She has a lovely greenhouse and lives on several acres. Yolanda is a from scratch cook and sews for a living.

Welcome Yolanda.

For a list of Pink Monkey affiliates and sales reps see the right side bar.

up date on no spending week

The other day I bought ice for .94 and it got me to thinking I should invest in ice cube trays and make my own ice. I spent $3.25 on 6 ice cube trays. It takes almost 3 days to make ice in our tiny freezer. This morning we are defrosting the freezer to see if it helps the process.

I have also bought two packages of ice pops which are not a necessity and 9.00 worth of bread and produce. The produce could be counted as a necessity but is it really? I am going to say no and count it in my spending.

Total spent so far this week
ice .94
ice cube trays 3.50
produce and bread 9.00
ice pops 5.00
total so far on my no spending week 18.44.
I am not giving up though. While this is not a no spending week it is way better than I usually do. I am going to keep trying.

I dont know if this is true but I sure enjoyed it.

General Cosgrove was interviewed on the radio recently. Please follow his reply to the lady who
interviewed him concerning guns and children.

Regardless of how you feel about gun laws you have to love this!
This is one of the best comeback lines of all time
.
In a portion of an ABC radio interview between a female broadcaster
and General Cosgrove who was about to sponsor a
Boy Scout Troop visiting his military Headquarters.
FEMALE INTERVIEWER:So, General Cosgrove, what things are you going to
teach these young boys when they visit your base?

GENERAL COSGROVE: We're going to teach them climbing, canoeing, archery and shooting.

FEMALE INTERVIEWER: Shooting! That's a bit irresponsible, isn't it?

GENERAL COSGROVE:I don't see why, they'll be properly supervised on the rifle range.

FEMALE INTERVIEWER:Don't you admit that this is a terribly
dangerous activity to be teaching children?

GENERAL COSGROVE:I don't see how. We will be teaching them proper
rifle discipline before they even touch a firearm.

FEMALE INTERVIEWER:But you're equipping them to become violent killers.

GENERAL COSGROVE:Well, Ma'am, you're equipped to be a prostitute, but you're not one, are you?

The radiocast went silent for 46 seconds and
when it returned, this interview was over.

No spend week spending????what???

Ok today is the first day of my challenge to myself not to spend and I have already spent money.
I bought a tank of propane for $22.00. I am not going to count that because that is a utility for us since we live in the 5th wheel. With out propane I cant cook or take a warm shower.

I also bought a bag of ice for 94 cents. We have a tiny fridge with no place in the even smaller freezer for ice cube trays so I bought ice. Now I wonder if I can find space for ice cube trays?? I do consider ice a non necessity so I will count that in my total spent on my no spending week.

I might be able to buy 3 or 4 ice cube trays and make my own ice for the price of a bag or two of ice. We will have to see about that.

Spent so far on my no spending week.
.94 for ice.

No shopping week

This week I have challenged myself to a no shopping week. I am going to try to go all this week without buying anything that is not a necessity. I also challenged my friend Christina and she took me up on it. Do you want in on this challenge too?
This is what we are doing.
No shopping except for what we consider absolute necessities.
If we do think we have to buy a necessity we must tell each other what we are buying or bought.
IE, milk or bread or what ever.
I will post what I buy if I buy anything so you can all see how I am doing.
The reason I am doing this is I am trying to break the consumer hold that shopping has on me. I do not want to have the dreaded disease of affuenza any more. I am going to shake it and become a good steward of the resources God has given me.

News from Bush Bunny Brenda~Moz~Africa

BUSH BUNNY BASHING THE BUSH FOR BEANS!

There was no time to lose, as 2 hours into my first day back, one of the village chiefs informed us that illegal food buyers were already working in several of the villages that normally sell their beans to us. We prayed for wisdom and the Lord brought forth several key village leaders with the authority to help us secure and guard beans in major villages until June 1st, which is the legal buying date. So the race is on, and the BUSH BUNNY TEAM is racing in the fast lane to make sure our kids have their precious protein for 2011.

THE SHORTEST DISTANCE BETWEEN A PROBLEM AND IT’S SOLUTION IS THE DISTANCE BETWEEN YOUR KNEES AND THE FLOOR. Those who kneel to the LORD JESUS can stand up to anything. We live by that daily here at our mission station.
GOD’S TIMING IS NEVER LATE

On April 10th, Eric and our super missionary, Grandma Linda (73), went out to Impire village, 16 miles into the bush to visit the church. They greeted the family who had the miracle baby, Esperanca, whom Jesus raised from the dead after being dead in utero for 2 weeks. The Muslim parent’s became immediate believers after seeing this, and it is still the “testimony of the year” out in that area.

To get to Impire, they had to cross a major bridge over a deep river. This bridge had been under water for over a month, but all went well with their crossing. On Monday morning, the whole bridge collapsed into the river bed, making the road impassable. There is no doubt that God’s angels were on duty to protect our team.

This concrete bridge was only 2 years old, and was essential to our food buying in that area of the county. At this time, we wait to see what alternative route might be organized by June for our truck and tractor.

FOOD CRISIS CURTAILED BY O.U. FOOD RESERVES

April is harvest time, so food is plenty. Each year at this time, we release the remainder of our emergency corn and bean reserve to the most needy in our area.

Both the Balama hospital and the Balama High School Dorm students received gifts from us to avert a major hunger problem. The food donations usually given to support these groups were cancelled last month. The hospital’s food supply for the patients was almost gone, and the school dorm was desperate for anything to feed 200 of the most promising 8th, 9th, and 10th graders who come from remote villages all over the county.

Orphans Unlimited built and organized this dorm system in 2001 to help break the poverty cycle in the underprivileged village students whose parents could not afford a high school education for their children. These young men and women took entrance exams to qualify for the 200 dorm beds, as the county wide competition is stiff with over 1000 trying to qualify each year.

To help support themselves, these kids raise a large garden and farm 5 acres with an army of strong backs and their hoes. Because they didn’t receive any food donations in February, they had to live strictly off what they harvested in March. Our truck and crew happily gifted them with 200 bags of corn and 18 bags of beans this week.

The hospital was gifted with 100 bags of corn and 9 bags of beans.

A SPIKE AND “3 MEN ON A CROSS”

On Good Friday, I pulled out a huge carpenter’s spike over 7 inches long, and with my drama “3 men on the cross”, gave an object lesson to an open air crowd of over 100 men who had come to seek work at our mission station. In this culture, men rarely come forward at an altar call as most are from Muslim families and fear persecution or death for their response.

So I wasn’t surprised when no one responded. I ended by teaching them how to pray and receive Jesus in their own home. EASTER MORNING, I was quite surprised to see 3 of those men come forward to receive Jesus. They confessed that my words had entered their hearts, so before our church crowd of 250, they confessed Jesus Christ as their Savior.

THIS IS A RARE HAPPENING WITH MEN in our area, and I was truly blessed at how God is moving among the men in Balama.

BUSH BIBLE SCHOOL is in its 2nd week with 98 students enrolled to study God’s Word. We need more pastors, and “growing our own” is the only way we can plant more village churches.
I hope all of you had a Blessed Easter Weekend with your family.

Love in Christ, Bush Bunny Brenda and the Balama Team

Bush Bunny Brenda is the missionary I met a few weeks ago who lives and works in Africa. She sends out a news letter now and then so I thought I would reprint it here on my blog. Brenda wrote the book African adventures and works with Orphans Unlimited. If you have any questions about this ministry I invite you to contact www.orphansunlimited.org you can make a donation or buy her book from there or just find out more about the mission work they are doing in Africa.

“Crispy Onion Roasted Potato’s”

1 or 2 jars white potatoes, drained and rinsed
1 packet onion soup mix
1 stick (½ cup) butter, melted
garlic powder
pepper
Preheat oven to 350° F. I
n large mixing bowl, place potatoes, onion soup mix, sprinkle with garlic powder and pepper to suit your taste.
Pour on melted butter and toss to evenly coat potatoes.
Place in a greased baking dish. Bake at 350 ° F until crisp and nicely browned.s

I have lots of jars of potatoes I have canned so I started looking for new recipes to use them in.

Homemade onion soup mix

Homemade onion soup mix:
1 tablespoon minced onion flakes (more -or- less/to taste)
1 tablespoons beef broth powder (Low Sodium if you are on a sodium restricted diet)
1 teaspoon onion powder
http://livingonfoodstamps.blogspot.com/

The following recipe calls for onion soup mix. Make your own for less.

Another bottled meat recipe

Here's the Recipe:
1 Quart Bottled Stew Meat, Reserve the Juice
2 Tbsp. Dehydrated Celery
Dehydrated Celery is one of my favorite things to use!
(I've get mine in the #10 cans from Walmart.)
1 Envelope Dry Onion Soup Mix
1 (15-ounce) Can Diced Stewed Tomatoes with Juice
1/2 Beef Broth (Reserved from Bottled Stew Meat)
Optional Pantry Item:
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce
(It adds a nice flavor it you have it, but it also tastes great without!)
Instructions:
Place all of the ingredients into a crock-pot
and cook on low for 3 hours.
Serve over potatoes!
http://preparednotscared.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2011-03-21T21%3A56%3A00-06%3A00&max-results=32

Ribbon basket

A friend of mine sent this photo to me, I do not know where she got it so I cant give credit. Isn't this the easiest, neatest way to keep ribbons in order?

What I'm reading.

http://www.orphansunlimited.org/

I am currently reading this book, African Adventures by Brenda Lange. She is a native Texan who sold and gave away everything she owned to go to Africa to be a missionary. She has been in Africa for somthing like 22 years. Our family heard Brenda speak at a church a couple of weeks ago and we were very impressed with her love of God, dedication to the orphans in Africa and how she gave up everything to serve the Lord. She never plans to retire and works tirelessly to help the orphans now and later by helping them to learn a trade. One of her newest projects is to give micro loans to people to help them get started providing for their own families.
This book is only $10.00 plus shipping. Please consider buying the book and reading it and send along a few extra dollars to help her with this worthy mission.

Wheat Chili Chowder

1 C whole kernel wheat, washed
3 C Water
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 C rice
1 lb groud beef
1/2 C chopped onion
1/2 C chopped green pepper
1 Tbl chili powder
1 tsp garlic salt
1 can corn
1 large can tomato sauce (16oz)
1 tomato sauce can of water
1 C grated cheddar

In a covered baking dish, put wheat, water, and salt. Bake at 250 degrees for 4 hours. Add uncooked rice and cook one more hour. Saute' ground beef, onioins, and green peppers until meat is almost done and add to the wheat. Add the rest of the ingredients except cheese and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese and cook 15 minutes more uncovered. Add a little water if necessary before you put the cheese on top.
This is a recipe I got from my friend Tina. I was at her home one day years ago and she had made this recipe. So far I have gotten it from her twice. I am posting it here so I can file it under recipes so I can find it next time I want to make it.

What's in the freezer?

Check out how this lady keeps her freezer contents organized. http://chiotsrun.com/2011/04/18/preparing-for-a-bountiful-season/ I use a spread sheet but I think this is a much better idea.

Three monkeys denounce evolution

Three monkeys sat in a coconut tree
Discussing things as they're said to be;
Said one to the others, now listen, you two,
There's a certain rumor that can't be true:
That man descended from our noble race,
The very idea is a disgrace!

No monkey ever deserted his wife -
Starved her babies and ruined her life;
And you've never known a mother monk
To leave her babies with others to bunk,
Or pass them on from one to another,
'Til they scarcely know who is their mother.

And another thing you'll never see;
A monk build a fence 'round a coconut tree
And let the coconuts go to waste,
Forbidding all other monks to taste.
Why, if I put a fence around a tree,
Starvation would force you to steal from me.

Here's another thing a monk won't do;
Go out at night and get on a stew,
Or use a gun or club or knife
To take some other monkey’s life.

Yes, man descended, the ornery cuss

But brother he didn’t descend from us!



(Author Unknown)

Washing laundry in a wringer washer outdoors.

This is what my laundry room looks like when I am not using it. I pull the wagon with the two big tubs over by the washer on the right. Then I turn on the water faucet and begin to fill the washer. I use the recommended amount of laundry soap on the bottle. After I turn on the agitator and get the bubbles going I begin adding clothes. I add clothes a piece or two at a time and water to the top. The clothes must not only agitate but they must move to the middle of the washer, on down and around the outside and back up in order for the machine to be working and washing the clothes properly. After I get the first load of clothes going I fill my two rinse tubs. The first tub has a splash of white vinegar to cut any soap left in the clothes. The second tub has a splash of fabric softener. If I am washing towels I skip this rinse so my towels remain absorbent. If I were washing cloth diapers I would skip this step as well and just rinse the second time with plain water. After the clothes have agitated about 15 min. I go inside and do some work in there while the clothes soak in the washer. After while I go back outside and begin running the clothes through the wringer for the first time of the day. I hang on to the clothes as they pass through the wringer so they don't fall onto the ground and get dirty again. As soon as I have all the clothes from the first load into the first rinse I add a tad more soap and then the next load of clothes so they can be agitating while I am doing the wringing and rinsing of the first load. After I have wrung the clothes out the first time I then put them into the first tub. Remember this tub has a splash of vinegar. I use my wonder washer/breathing washer to agitate the clothes a few times in the first rinse. I do this for maybe 3-5 minutes. I grab a piece of clothing from the first rinse and squeeze it out a bit. Then I run the garment through the wringer. This is the second time the garment will go through the wringer. After I wring the item out I place it into my second tub which has a splash of fabric softener in it. I move my wonder washer/breathing washer to the second tub and agitate the clothes there for a few minutes. Just plunge up and down a few times. Its really easy. Now for the third and final run through the wringer. With big bulky items like jeans I lay them on the washer to situate them. Some of the old wringers would break buttons and zippers. Mine must be newer because the rollers in the wringer move apart when a bulky item is run through. If your machine is not like mine and will snap or break buttons and zippers its a good idea to fold the buttons or zippers to the inside of some of the fabric. Run the clothes thought the wringer for the final time. Hang on the line to dry. I hang the jeans like this because I read that if you hang wet jeans upside down like this that the weight of the jean/water will sort of iron the jeans and they wont be wrinkly. It works. The first load is on the line. As you can see I wash in small loads because that is all my machine will handle. In this load was a pair of jeans, a pair of denim shorts, a pair of denim Capri's, a pair of mens under drawers and two t-shirts.

• I have read some places where people say this is a hard way and time consuming way to wash clothes. I don't think it is hard and really I don't think I spend much more time doing the wash this way then I would running to a laundry mat. Plus the savings for me are considerable. Add in the fact that public laundry mats gross me out. I always sit on the edge of my seat and try not the think about how the people who have used the machines before I do live their lives and what weird things they do with their clothes. I know I am weird and silly but that is how I am.


• The best part about doing my wash this way is that I can be watering the garden while I am washing clothes. I also use the water twice. Well really many more times than twice, I wash 2-3 loads with the same water, just adding a bit more soap for each load. After I am done with the wash and rinse water I use it to water the garden or shrubs.

• I don't have to pay for the water here in this rv park but that is no reason to waste it. I asked Jeff to change out the cap on the dump drain so we can be using the gray water from showers and dishes to be watering the garden and shrubs as well. This is a tiny bit harder than the way we do it now because when we need to flush/dump the black water we will have to change the caps and then change them back. But with the water situation the way it is I think its a small thing that I can do for God's world.

Meals using canned meat

• I can a lot of meat so I need to have lots of menus that use canned meats. Here are a few of my ideas for using different canned meats. Having canned meats is like fast food.


• chicken and noodles


• chicken and dumplings


• chicken salad


• chicken quesadillas


• chicken Alfredo


• bar-b que chicken (just tear the chicken up and heat with sauce)


• garden salad with chicken pieces


• chicken, rice & broccoli casserole


• beef and noodles


• stew


• bar-b-que beef


• pork chili (this is my favorite, I just open a can of pork chunks, drain, add some salsa, heat and eat on a tortilla)


• bar-q-que pork


• bacon ~I either just unroll the parchment paper and lay on a baking sheet and cook that way or I peel it off and fry it up in a pan. When I do it that way it tends to crumble so it turns into bacon bits. I then use the bacon the same way I would if I fried it from the package. Oh and after its canned it only takes about 3 minuted to cook.

Do you have recipes using canned beef, pork or chicken? Leave me a comment. I love new recipes.

Trash pocket for my work area

• I have a small desk I use constantly. I am either working on my computer there or I use the desk to put my sewing machine on when I want to sew. When I am sewing I always have snips of thread or small pieces of material I need to dispose of.


• I needed a trash can but as you know I live in an RV and space is premium here. I tried hanging a plastic bag there and it worked but it sure wasnt pretty. I decided to make a trash pocket that would be useful, washable and would look nice. This is what I came up with. I really like it.

Make your own pumpkin pie spice

• I found this on a blog called living on food stamps. Although its not pumpkin pie season I wanted to post this so I could have it on file if and when I need it. These are her words, not mine.


• Pumpkin Pie Spice is obscenely expensive. And we are fast approaching Pumpkin Pie, Pumpkin Bread, Pumpkin 'Everything' season so whattaya do (that was a rhetorical question)? I'll tell you what I did: I went to a Dollar Store and bought 2 oz. jars of each: Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Ginger, All Spice & Ground Clove for $1 each.


• Total: 10 oz. of spices for $5. 1.12 oz. For $4.98 This is what pumpkin pie spice costs where she lives.


• Pumpkin Pie Spice #1


• 1/4 cup cinnamon


• 1 Tbsp. allspice


• 1 1/2 tsp. each ginger and nutmeg


• 1 tsp. cloves




• #2 Pumpkin Pie Spice


• 1/4 cup ground cinnamon


• 1/8 cup ground ginger


• 1 Tablespoon nutmeg


• 1 Tablespoon ground cloves




• #3 Pumpkin Pie Spice


• 1/4 cup ground cinnamon


• 2 tbsp ground ginger


• 2 tsp ground cloves


• 1 tsp ground nutmeg


• 1/2 tsp ground cardamom (optional)




• Apple Pie Spice


• 1/4 cup ground cinnamon


• 1 tbsp ground allspice


• 2 tsp ground nutmeg


• 2 tsp ground ginger


• 1/2 tsp ground cardamom (optional)


• Combine all ingredients and seal in ziploc or vacuum seal bag (or jar). I like to quadruple the recipe & store it in a Jelly Canning Jar. Let me know what you think.




• http://livingonfoodstamps.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2010-09-13T14%3A55%3A00-07%3A00&max-results=7

Our little garden and my bike basket

Jeff was hoeing ditches for water ways. He was getting tired and when I told him he should save some for another day he said "boys like to make ditches, dams and waterways momma." He did a good job, boy that he is. We have tomatoes, green peppers, jalapenos, zucchini and yellow squash planted in the garden. In containers I have tomatoes, cucumbers, salad mix and cilantro. I still need to plant cucumbers, okra and maybe carrots in the garden.

My bike basket made from a second hand basket that had a handle. I sawed off the handle and attached the basket to my bike with two zip ties. Works fine.

Brenda Lange Missionary

Kaleena's Mexican Casserole

Kaleena’s Mexican Casserole

1-2 # hamburger (browned and drained)
Add taco seasoning.
1 can cream of chicken
24 oz. sour cream
1 can green chilies (optional)
Mix together. Crush some tortilla chips and line bottom of baking pan with them. Pour hamburger mixture over. Top with shredded cheese.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 min.

Bike basket

After buying my new bike I wanted to put a wicker basket on the front. It just seemed like that would look neat and also be a place to carry a water bottle or whatever. After looking at baskets, wicker and wire I decided to find another way to get a basket for my bike. I didn't want to strap an old milk crate on, I wanted it to look nice even if I didn't buy a new basket.

I decided to look around the thrift stores as I get the chance to see what I could come up with.

Yesterday on our way home, Jeff and I stopped at a Goodwill. I was surprised they were open on Sunday but they were. Anyway I found a nice big basket with a handle.

When we got home, Jeff got his hack saw out and I sawed off the handle.

Then we attached the basket to my bike using those zip ties.

Jeff commented that the color looked nice.

I think it will work fine.

Cost $4.99

O x y m o r o n s

• 1. Is it good if a vacuum really sucks?


• 2. Why is the third hand On the watch Called the second hand?


• 3. If a word is misspelled In the dictionary, How would we ever know?


• 4. If Webster wrote the first dictionary, Where did he find the words?


• 5. Why do we say something is out of whack? What is a whack?


• 6. Why does "slow down" and "slow up" mean the same thing?


• 7. Why does "fat chance" and "slim chance" Mean the same thing?


• 8. Why do "tug" boats push their barges?


• 9. Why do we sing "Take me out to the ball game" When we are already there?


• 10. Why are they called " stands" When they are made for sitting?


• 11. Why is it called "after dark" When it really is "after light"?


• 12.. Doesn't "expecting the unexpected" Make the unexpected expected?


• 13.. Why are a "wise man" and A "wise guy" opposites?


• 14. Why do "overlook" and "oversee" Mean opposite things?


• 15. Why is "phonics" Not spelled The way it sounds?


• 16. If work is so terrific, Why do they have to pay you to do it?


• 17.. If all the world is a stage, Where is the audience sitting?


• 18. If love is blind, Why is lingerie so popular?


• 19. If you are cross-eyed And have dyslexia, Can you read all right?


• 20. Why is bra singular And panties plural?


• 21.. Why do you press harder On the buttons of a remote control When you know the batteries are dead?


• 22. Why do we put suits in garment bags And garments in a suitcase?


• 23. How come abbreviated Is such a long word?


• 24. Why do we wash bath towels? Aren't we clean when we use them?


• 25.. Why doesn't glue Stick to the inside of the bottle?


• 26. Why do they call it a TV set When you only have one?


• 27. Christmas - What other time of the year Do you sit in front of a dead tree And eat candy out of your socks?


• 28. Why do we drive on a parkway And park on a driveway?


• I dunno, why do we?

Stitches

• When my oldest daughter, Brooke was a little girl she jumped off the wood pile and cut her knee. She ended up with 3 stitches. Of 5 girls she is the only one who ever had to get stitches.




• Joy is the only daughter to break a bone. She fell on her wrist playing ball in about 7th or 8th grade. She said she heard it snap. Ick.




• Thursday, Shelby, Brookes 7 year old daughter jumped off the porch into an aquarium and sliced her leg open on her shin clear to the bone. She isn't very big so the cut goes almost from knee to ankle. Luckily her mom and dad both knew to apply pressure to stop the bleeding. It probably took both of them to do it too. They ended up taking her to the emergency room and she got 3 stitches inside and 12 on the outside.


• Brooke called and told me about it and then she sent a picture. Oh my. It looks awful.


• I am glad I am past those days of child rearing. I don't think I could take it any more.


• I have five daughters and so far I have two granddaughters. It looks like we are just starting the next generation of bumps, bruises and stitches.

Hop

Hannah, Jeff and I went to see the movie Hop this evening. It was cute. After the movie it was so neat to walk out of the theater onto the square. The weather was warm and it was beautiful walking to the car. The square was so pretty at night. It was like going back in time.

God and Dog

• http://www.andiesisle.com/GoD_and_DoG.html


• I saw this at Wendy usually wanders and enjoyed it very much. Sweet music and words.

Neat top bar hive

I have been interested in top bar hives for a while now although I don't have any hives of any kind. I do like to read about them and if I ever get the chance I will know a tiny bit about being a bee keeper. Anyway this came in my email from Instructables and I think its pretty neat. For instructions go here:

http://www.instructables.com/id/Make-your-own-Honey-Cow-Top-Bar-Bee-Hive/

Staying put

• Jeff and I have decided not to continue our land search. With the times like they are we decided to wait a year or so and see how things pan out. There is a huge oil and gas boom here so land prices have skyrocketed. We want to see what happens after all the initial workers move on to the next place. Will prices stay high or level out?


• One good reason not to continue with the search is the relatively low rent which includes all utilities and the fact that we have lots of freedom and space. Also that they are allowing us to plant a garden.


• We also have our clothes line planted and our wringer washer outside by the 5th wheel. This saves lots of money.


• A new guy moved in today and I told him we hang our clothes outside and he said oh there is so much dust. I cracked up. I told him there was no dust here, and that we came from the panhandle of Oklahoma and that is a dusty place and we hung our clothes out then. He agreed it was much dustier there than here.


• I just read on the yahoo news that the Oklahoma panhandle has not been as dry as it is now since 1921. That's pretty amazing since they were a huge part of the dust bowl of the 1930's.


• Jeff's boss said his brother in law will come and roto-till the garden space for us. I just need to get with the owner to see exactly where they want us to put the garden. We will be much later than others who already have their gardens up a foot or more but in this climate I think we can garden most of the year.


• This will also give us time to completely knock out our remaining debt. We paid off over $150,000.00 worth of debt when we sold our home in Oct. but we still have some remaining. We are going to sock it to the debt and do it with gazelle intensity. Dave Ramsey fans will know what that means.


• Also Joy will graduate Bible college in May and plans to move to this state to continue her education. We have to figure out what that means for our family. Do we buy a travel trailer? Should she live on campus? Rent an apartment? Decisions to be figured out.


• I am almost done getting tags and licenses switched and will be glad to be done with that.

London Broil

CROCK POT LONDON BROIL

• Printed from COOKS.COM --------------------------------------------------------------------------------


• Read more about it at www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,191,142163-235205,00.html


• Content Copyright © 2011 Cooks.com - All rights reserved.


• 1 london broil


• 1 pkg. ranch salad dressing mix


• 1 pkg. Italian salad dressing mix


• 1 pkg. brown gravy mix


• 1-1/2 cups water


• Mix all the dry ingredients with the 1-1/2 cups water. Place roast in crock-pot. Pour the mixture over roast and cook on low overnight. Once you do this recipe - you will never prepare any other way. The gravy it makes - is to die for.


• This is definitely a male favorite and will fast become a family favorite.


• Submitted by: Phyllis Chittum http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1912,142163-235205,00.html


• Edited to add: We had this last night and it smelled very good while it was cooking and tasted great too. I couldnt find Italian dressing mix so I used a bottle of Italian dressing which made it kind of sweet. Next time I will look up how to mix up my own Italian dressing seasoning. This was very good, the whole family loved it and we will be making it again.

I get to have a garden

These pictures are from the internet but they are nice pictures of gardens.

• I was speaking to the owner of the RV park and he suggested I plant a garden. I was so excited. He is even going to help me find someone to till it for me. He said I can pretty much do whatever I want here. Here is the list of the veggies I want to plant.


• tomatoes


• cucumbers


• green peppers


• jalapenos


• lettuce


• yellow squash


• zucchini squash


• okra


• carrots

• Today Jeff bought me a real nice hoe. I have been working on the stickers here. There are loads of them and it will keep me busy for a while. The new hoe is heavy and very sharp. It should last the rest of my life.

Tuesday

• Yesterday was busy doing laundry. We had lots because we went to the beach over the weekend, so we had towels, and sand and such.


• We were also busy trying to change tags, license's, and such like that.


• Today we are hoping to complete the moving changes. Some are much easier than others.


• I think we are going to enjoy living in this new (to us) RV park. As I sit at my desk my view is a field of at least a quarter mile before the next house. I cant even see it clearly because of the trees.


• Monday we planted 4 tomato plants in buckets and 3 buckets of cucumbers. Pretty much anywhere we found a pole we placed a bucket planter by it.


• I am going to ask permission to plant some morning glories in the ground by the antenna pole.


• I have been saving 2 litre bottles to make some planters from to hand outside somewhere for lettuce, basil, spinach and the like.


• I sure wish I knew how to make the paragraphs work again so I wont always have to use these bullet things.


• Mollie and Hannah took the pick up to wash and they washed out the bed as well. They laid the hitch to the side and forgot it. When they went back an hour or so later it was gone. Shucks.

Sunday Poetry

• One Day


• Someday, I'll meet the Maker of the sunset's glow.


• He'll show me how the colors mixed, just so.


• He'll show me, too, the way the rainbow curves And help me make my own (if I've the nerve).


• He'll explain all equations so I will understand And magnify the crevices all across the land.


• Mysteries I cannot fathom will be explained, at last.


• He'll help me see the beauty of the ages past.


• He'll let me look at Jesus heart, 'til


• He knows I understand The way it broke and why He has those nail scars in his hand.


• Then, He'll draw me close beside Him and He'll bring Jesus, too.


• We'll watch the vastness of His whole universe in view.


• One day (it won't be long now), and the dark glass will be clear.


• We'll see our Hope of Ages face to face, so very near.


• He'll touch our faces with those loving nail scarred hands.


• One day, there will be nothing that we cannot understand.


• ~ * ~ If you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.


• For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved." Romans 10:9-11


• As the Scripture says, Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.


• © by Joan Clifton Costner

We are moving again

• We found a nice tiny RV park about 5 miles out in the country. We called the number and it turns out its a man Jeff now works with. Its cheaper rent and lots of shade and very quiet. We will begin moving this weekend.


• Now I wont feel the pressure to find a place so fast. Its very pleasant there.

Cranberry Salad Dressing

When we visited Jeff's family in Arizona a couple of weeks ago his step mom made this great salad dressing.

• 4 T. cranberry cocktail (frozen)


• 4 T. Red wine vinegar


• 1 1/2 T. Dejan mustard


• 1/2 c. oil pepper


• Mix together and pour over your salad made with greens, dried cranberries, red onion, cucumber, and avocado.

Organizing my land search

• In the area we now live are many, many small towns. Some only have a few homes and no business but have town names none the less. In order to organize my land/home? search I have come up with a way to keep track of where I have been, where I want to go and likes and dislikes.




• I re purposed a small 3 ring binder. One of those that is about 5X7 or so and listed addresses and descriptions of homes. At the top of each page I wrote the town name. I then list the addresses below on that page with price, acreage and any other particulars I want to remember. I also write down how many bedrooms and bathrooms there are if there is a home on the property. Did I like something particular in the photo's? I note it if I did. Price per square foot and the like.


• When I actually see the place I have listed I make notes and personal observations. For example a lot I looked at yesterday was advertised as 10 lots. In my opinion if it was 10 lots they were extremely small. Like 20-25 feet wide. I do not yet know what is considered normal for a lot in this area. Where I am from a lot is usually 50 X100 to 150 feet. Most of the time 150 feet.


• This method will also help me to keep from looking at the same place twice unless its a place I want to see again. It also helps me organize my thoughts on areas I like or don't like.


• One of my goals is to find a place that will allow Jeff not to spend too much time driving to and from work. The company allows a certain distance and pays for gas and provides a pick up but who wants to spend more time than necessary driving?

Do you have hints to make my search easier????