Pretty much

A dress for Kastyn and a dress for her doll

My granddaughter received a doll for Christmas and asked me to make matching dresses for her and her doll.  I made these pillowcase type dresses in answer to her plea.  If they fit I will make more of them.  I took lots of measurements and notes so I will be able to adjust as needed.  I hope both dresses fit because they are so cute.

Garden update

 

This is a tour of my little garden.  Its a smallish fenced area of patio that was not being used.  We bought an old dog pen that had a door and makeshift fenced the area.  About two years ago we built the two cinder block raised beds and filled them with rotted horse manure.  That was the extent of my garden until I bought a few of the black tubs from a rancher.

 

 

 Left to right in the pictures above and below.  3 jalapeno plants, 3 jalapeno plants, red onions in one tub, green onions in the next tub, then another tub of red onions followed by two tubs of garlic, one tub of cucumbers and two tubs of green pepper plants.

 In the background is a tomato plant, three Brussels sprouts and a swiss chard on the left.

 This bed has lettuce, cilantro, and spinach and a few tired looking green pepper plants.

 Three of these tubs have cabbage, one has zucchini and one has yellow squash.  The last one will have more cucumbers.  I haven't decided what to plant after I harvest the cabbage, probably more squash because we love it.  Or maybe bush beans.

This is the flower bed at the front of my house.  I never planted flowers there so I decided to use it to grow tomatoes.  I cut the bottom off the 5 gallon buckets and Hannah buried them about half way.  She then filled them with super dirt which we bought for $25.00 a pickup load from a town close by that makes it.  Its suppose to be 100% organic.  I've spoken to people who have used the super dirt and they have had great success.  Its certainly cheaper than a bunch of bags of potting soil or manure or what ever.  It looks like good stuff.  We just have about 2-3 black tubs worth of it left in the back of the pick up.  I'm hoping it does well.  I would like to plant about 6 more tomato plants out front so I can can up a bunch of tomatoes but I don't know if Hannah will go for burying any more 5 gallon buckets.  She said it was a hard job, much harder than hauling all that super dirt to the back yard and garden to put in the black tubs.  Go figure.  In any case I am pleased with my garden so far this year.  My goal is to expand a little each year.  I did that by adding 10 black tubs in the raised bed area and the 6 tomato buckets out front.  I will continue to expand as I am able and Hannah and Jeff will help me.  I like providing our family with food.  I know Hannah loves walking outside and picking vegetable that she needs for the recipes she is making.

Making hair bows

After spending way too much on professionally made hair bows for my granddaughter I decided to try my hand at making some.  They are sure harder to make then I thought.  I did get fairly good at a couple of simple designs.  I will keep trying and  I will get better.  These are my first tries.

Missionary update

MUD HUT COLLAPSES DURING MASSIVE RAINS LAST SATURDAY NIGHT—ALL CHILDREN SAFE!

 

 

Last week, on Saturday, I told you that the Provincial (State) Social Service Director had notified us of the 5 member “Child Headed Household” who needed full support from our program as their mud hut was in poor condition.  We received the request late Friday afternoon, just as a heavy rain storm hit.

 

Rain poured down causing massive flooding for the next 36 hours dumping 6.5 INCHES (163mm) of rain on Balama.

I spent the night praying for all our orphans, their homes, our food warehouses, and other buildings, for water ran 6 inches deep everywhere I looked.

 

The already compromised mud hut of these orphans collapsed on Saturday night.  NO ONE WAS HURT thanks to quick thinking Emelia, the 19 year old young lady who heads this household.  She was able to get the kids out BEFORE their hut collapsed.  They spent a miserable night in their neighbors kitchen, as many mud huts all over Balama went down during this storm.

 

 

 

EMILIA and her family just arrived at our house last Sunday morning.

 

Sunday, at 5 a.m., I sent AWANA Youth Pastor Carlitos Jorge by bicycle to their house to check on these children.  When he came back saying their house was totally destroyed, I organized a group of men to help them carry what they could salvage to the main road.  Our driver, Genito, fetched this family and their belongings with our 4 wheel drive Land Cruiser.  We gave them emergency refuge in a large empty room in our Foster Father’s home next to the Boy’s Dorm.  On Monday, Feb. 8th, Emelia, her 2 small children, and her 3 orphan brothers, will move in with one of our foster mothers who has a large vacant room at her house.

 

  (NOTE:  A teenage girl without parents can easily be seduced by a man, for she has no one to guide her.  Such is the sad case of Emilia.  This week, she began receiving daily counseling from Anna, our Orphan/Foster Mother Supervisor.  By living with a responsible Foster mother, Emilia will learn what her mother would have taught her about child care, and we will add to that how to become a righteous woman in the eyes of our Lord.)

 

It will take a few months, but our building team is collecting huge fence posts and bundles of bamboo in order to build Emilia’s family a house on the only remaining vacant lot the church owns.  We looked all week, trying to buy a mud hut in our area, but none exists.  The “Pao Peeky” type building (sinking fence posts deep in the ground at 1 foot/30cm intervals, then tying them together with bamboo and mud) makes stronger walls than mud brick, and is the only type of housing that can be constructed in the rainy season.

 

Our big family is growing!  We give thanks to JESUS for answering our prayers to keep these children safe.  

 

Emelia’s 3 brothers are super excited about getting to go to school with uniforms, books and a new back pack!  Even with all Emelia has endured, she has qualified to enter into the 6th grade.  At 19, she will now get to continue her education for the foster mother will be able to watch over the children while she is in school each afternoon from 12 noon to 5pm.

 

Again we extend our thanks to our friends in Wichita, KS for their generous gift that is making possible this

construction of a new mud hut in the rainy season!

 

SCHOOL STARTS ON FEB. 8TH!

 

 

 

FERNANDO is so proud and happy to have his own new school supplies. THANK YOU to his faithful sponsor church. That happy, healthy smile is so beautiful.

 

 

Staff handing out school supplies to our 60 school-aged orphans.

 

 

 

 

ATUMANE (R), and assistant LUIS (L) complete the last of the 60  school uniforms on their pedal powered Singer Sewing machines. Fabrication begins in November, as it is time consuming work.

 

 

 

Today broke with a beautiful sunrise, and found our team organizing 2  tables full of school supplies, back packs, school uniforms (made at our base on foot pedal Singer Sewing machines by our sewing team of Atumane and Luis).  It was a busy 3 hours, but all 60 school age orphans received everything from notebooks to pencil sharpeners THANKS TO YOUR GENEROUS LOVE GIFTS!

 

AUSTRALIAN MOM SENDS SCHOOL SHOES TO OUR CHILDREN

 

 

Down the road, about 6 miles from our Balama Mission Base, an Australian company is setting up a huge graphite mine.  Their management staff dropped by this week, surprising us with a suitcase full of shoes!

 

  Alex, wife of Peter, the health and environment manager at the mine, has taken us under her wing.  The mine staff from Australia works on a rotation schedule, so as they fly from Australia to Balama, Alex has the men bring a suitcase full of nice shoes and clothing for our orphans as part of their baggage. 

 

The bag we received 2 days ago contained shoes for 16 of our orphans!  Those children were so excited!  The 48 children who didn’t receive shoes were taken immediately to buy shoes at the Balama market by 5 members of our staff. They just returned overflowing with joyous laughter, for I could hear them coming long before they arrived at my house to show me their new shoes. 

 

 

 

"CUTE SHOES", THE UNIVERSAL COMMENT WHEN GIRLS GO SHOPPING... Our girls and boys were sooo excited.

 

 

 GOD IS GREAT, ALL THE TIME!

 

Thank you Alex and family for all your hard work!  We also thank your special “Courier Service” for bringing the gifts to our doorstep.

 

Blessings and Hugs,

Bush Bunny Brenda Lange

Wait, what happened to January?

     Today is February 1st and I can hardly believe it.  January flew by with sickness and a long trip. 

        I  started off January with being sick.  Then we drove 17 hours to Arizona to see Jeff's family.  Both of his brothers were there and his sister lives there so he got to spend a lot of time with all of them.  It was an eventful trip with a few exciting things that happened.

     I got to meet a dear facebook friend who is also an author and her husband.  We figured we had been online friends for at least 6 years.  We went out to eat and I don't think we ever stopped talking from the moment we met.  When I was ready to leave she gave me an autographed copy of her book, A Deadly Habit.

http://www.andreasisco.com/

    On Monday after we returned home I got a tooth pulled that turned out to have a large abscess on the root.  I was fine until about 24 hours later when I began to get sick.  I think some of the infection from the tooth got in my sinuses and caused a problem.  I have been sick ever since.  I put in a call today to the dentist and am waiting on a call back.  This morning it seems to of moved into my ears.  I'm not good at being sick so this is pure torture for me.  I rarely get sick so this is hard for me.

     Last evening we drained two number ten cans of diced tomatoes and spread them on dehydrator trays.  They will be finished soon.  I think they will fit in a sandwich baggie.  We saved the juice to drink.  It felt good on my throat.  The dehydrated tomatoes will be much easier to store and take up much less space than two large number ten cans.  I'm going to go through my pantry and see if there are things that are close to their expiration date that I need to dehydrate.  I might as well put my new 9 tray Excalibur to work.  I still have my 4 tray Excalibur so I can put both of them to work.

     I hope you are all well and staying warm this crazy winter.

Goals for this new year.

     I typically do not make new years resolutions because they are hard to keep, I do however set goals.  This year my goals are to clean and de clutter my house, shop much less, eat at home more often, eat out less and to write letters and cards often.
    
      I started my card and letter writing before the end of the year.  I am trying to write about six letters a week.  So far I have been able to do that.  I know my letter writing skills are not very good because I have not used them in so long.  I will be going through my address book and writing to old friends, new friends and relatives.  I don't care if they don't want to write back I just thought it would be a good thing to do.

     On the cleaning and de cluttering part, I have started and feel much better in a simple and clear environment.  I don't think my sewing room will ever be un cluttered just because of all the fabric and sewing machines and items I have in there but that is no reason it cant be clean and neat.  And let me tell you it sure was not clean or neat before yesterday.  I had never let it get so messy.  ugh.  It was so bad I could not even sit down to sew a seam.  I spent a couple of hours in there yesterday and its much better but there is still a way to go on it.

     When Joy and Mollie were here over the Christmas break they packed up my store that I had had in my garage.  I want to paint that room and put some beds in there so it will be easier when we have company.  And also company can feel like they have their own space to be.

     Are you making and keeping goals for the new year?  If so, what are they?  Leave a comment and tell me about them.

Happy Birthday Jeff

December 24th is my husband, Jeff's birthday.  For most of his life that day has been pretty much taken up with other goings on so the last few years we have tried to make that day a little more special for him.  He likes to go to the beach on that day because he thinks its so neat that its warm enough where we live to do so.  Last year it was much colder that day and we had to wear jackets.  This year it was in the upper 70's.  Much more pleasant.  We asked a lady near by to snap a pix of us and she did so.  We think it turned out quite well.

Even though it was warm it was still quite foggy.  Our hair was damp and my glasses even fogged up and stayed that way for a long time.  I think Jeff had a good day because he got to spend it with us and do things he wanted to.

 

Pasta Dressings

I always wanted recipes for different pasta salads and today I came across this. 

Reflection Joy's writing

Reflection

This assignment, while difficult and time consuming, has actually been really enjoyable. I love history. Reading about it; watching it on tv; or re-living it through plays. It was so incredible to get the opportunity to create my own history. I was amazed to watch the development from complex society to global trade partner. I actually feel as if my society existed. I know it may seem silly, but I actually imagined the life of the people. What did a day look like to them? How did they make a living? Were they happy? Answering these questions and many more helped me develop my empire, Amia.

One thing I never took in to account when reading about societies in history is all that goes into building one. It is an incredibly intricate process. Several different things have to develop and many at the same time. It was also hard to know when to introduce a change into the society. I wanted everything to seem as if it developed naturally, as if Amia was really growing and becoming complex, but it was hard to know when to change something. So many things had to happen in order for one small thing to change. I definitely have a new found respect for people who started or maintained large empires or even small kingdoms. It is not as easy as it may seem.

All in all, I had a lot of fun creating Amia. It pushed me outside of my comfort zone and forced me to think outside of the box. Creating a people group, start to finish, was an amazing process that allowed me to really go in depth into a society and learn what all went in to creating one. I am really proud of what I created and I cannot wait to share it with everyone. Enjoy!

 

Canned Lemon Curd

Canned Lemon Curd

• 2½ cups superfine sugar*
• ½ cup lemon zest (freshly zested), optional
• 1 cup bottled lemon juice**
• ¾ cup unsalted butter, chilled, cut into approximately ¾" pieces
• 7 large egg yolks
• 4 large whole eggs

Special Equipment Needed: lemon zester, balloon whisk, 1½ quart double boiler*** (the top double boiler pan should be at least 1½-quart volume), strainer, kitchen thermometer measuring at least up to 180°F, glass or stainless steel medium mixing bowl, silicone spatula or cooking spoon, and equipment for boiling water canning.
Yield: About 3 to 4 half-pint jars Please read Using Boiling Water Canners before beginning. If this is your first time canning, it is recommended that you read Principles of Home Canning.
Procedure:

	1.	Wash 4 half-pint canning jars with warm, soapy water. Rinse well; keep hot until ready to fill. Prepare canning lids according to manufacturer's directions.
	2.	Fill boiling water canner with enough water to cover the filled jars by 1 to 2 inches. Use a thermometer to preheat the water to 180°F by the time filled jars are ready to be added. Caution: Do not heat the water in the canner to more than 180°F before jars are added. If the water in the canner is too hot when jars are added, the process time will not be long enough. The time it takes for the canner to reach boiling after the jars are added is expected to be 25 to 30 minutes for this product. Process time starts after the water in the canner comes to a full boil over the tops of the jars.
	3.	Combine the sugar and lemon zest in a small bowl, stir to mix, and set aside about 30 minutes. Pre-measure the lemon juice and prepare the chilled butter pieces.
	4.	Heat water in the bottom pan of the double boiler until it boils gently. The water should not boil vigorously or touch the bottom of the top double boiler pan or bowl in which the curd is to be cooked. Steam produced will be sufficient for the cooking process to occur.
	5.	In the top of the double boiler, on the counter top or table, whisk the egg yolks and whole eggs together until thoroughly mixed. Slowly whisk in the sugar and zest, blending until well mixed and smooth. Blend in the lemon juice and then add the butter pieces to the mixture.
	6.	Place the top of the double boiler over boiling water in the bottom pan. Stir gently but continuously with a silicone spatula or cooking spoon, to prevent the mixture from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Continue cooking until the mixture reaches a temperature of 170°F. Use a food thermometer to monitor the temperature.
	7.	Remove the double boiler pan from the stove and place on a protected surface, such as a dish cloth or towel on the counter top. Continue to stir gently until the curd thickens (about 5 minutes). Strain curd through a mesh strainer into a glass or stainless steel bowl; discard collected zest.
	8.	Fill hot strained curd into the clean, hot half-pint jars, leaving ½-inch headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace if needed. Wipe rims of jars with a dampened, clean paper towel; apply two-piece metal canning lids.
	9.	Process in the prepared boiling water canner according to the recommendations in Table 1. Let cool, undisturbed, for 12 to 24 hours and check for seals.

Table 1. Recommended process time for Canned Lemon Curd in a boiling-water canner.
		Process Time at Altitudes of
Style of Pack	Jar Size	0 - 1,000 ft	1,001 - 6,000 ft	Above 6,000 ft
Hot	Half-pints	15 min	20	25

---

Shelf Life: For best quality, store in a cool, dark place (away from light). Plan to use canned lemon curd within 3 to 4 months. Browning and/or separation may occur with longer storage; discard any time these changes are observed.
Prepared lemon curd can also be frozen instead of canned for up to 1 year without quality changes when thawed. Package in freezer containers after straining and cooling to room temperature. To thaw, place container in a refrigerator at 40°F or lower for 24 hours before intended use. After thawing, consume within 4 weeks. (See Freezer Lemon Curd, http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/publications/nchfp/factsheets/freezer_lemoncurd.pdf)
Preparation Notes:
* If superfine sugar is not available, run granulated sugar through a grinder or food processor for 1 minute, let settle, and use in place of superfine sugar. Do not use powdered sugar.
** Bottled lemon juice is used to standardize acidity. Fresh lemon juice can vary in acidity and is not recommended.
*** If a double boiler is not available, a substitute can be made with a large bowl or saucepan that can fit partway down into a saucepan of a smaller diameter. If the bottom pan has a larger diameter, the top bowl or pan should have a handle(s) that can rest on the rim of the lower pan.
For more detailed information on boiling water canning, see "Using Boiling Water Canners" at http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/publications/uga/using_bw_canners.html
Variation:
For Lime Curd, use the same recipe but substitute 1 cup bottled lime juice and ¼ cup fresh lime zest for the lemon juice and zest.
Other citrus or fruit curds are not recommended for canning at this time.

---

Happy Birthday Kastyn (4)

Joy's story Part 3

·         These networks grew and thrived as the Amian Empire continued to flourish. Although

the trade network within Amia was continuing to grow, the Council soon recognized the need for

a more extensive trade network that encompassed other empires and continents. While Amia was

known for its blacksmith’s and their beautifully made swords as well as an abundance of natural

resources, the need for fine items such as silk, porcelain, and spices soon began to grow. As a

result, the Council sent 12 ambassadors, seven women and five men, to the neighboring and far-

reaching empires to develop trade agreements. Upon returning, not every ambassador was

successful, but they were able to secure trade agreements throughout much of Asia and parts of

Northern Africa. These trade routes soon became known as the Amian Trade Routes. They

included Europe as well as routes from China and India through the Middle East, Turkey, and

much of Northern Africa including Egypt. Each region played a part in the trade route. From

Amia came skillfully crafted swords and weapons. They also traded an abundance of seafood and

wood from their thick forests. From China came silk and porcelain, India supplied fine spices

and ivory, and Egypt supplied grain and textiles.

Shortly after the development of the Amian Trade Routes, the Amian government

underwent some major changes. Men began to play a more significant role in the government.

Amian ambassadors ran into problems while trying to secure trade agreements. In most of the

other areas of the world, women had little to no role in government. As a result, some rulers

refused to do business with the woman ambassadors sent from Amia. To combat this, Amia

began to have more men as ambassadors to the foreign countries. Men were also able to achieve

·         a higher status in government including a seat on the Council. The Council has nine members

and men were able to fill four of those seats. While woman still hold the majority in the Council,

men began to be seen as equal partners in government and political matters. The Council also

developed a more complicated and intricate government by delegation each member a region of

the Amian Empire to oversee. Eight of the nine members of the Council were delegated a region

of Amia. The Head of the Council oversaw all regions and “ruled” in the Amian capital of

Alessa. The eight Council members were responsible for all that happened in their region. They

oversaw the collection of taxes, the judicial system, and crop intake. They were responsible for

delegating and appointing new officials when needed. Each of the eight regions was in charge of

security for their portion of the trade route. They policed the roads, ports and posts that ran

through their region, keeping merchants and business owners safe.   

Due to the expansion of the trade networks, Amia’s population continued to increase.

Their cities grew larger and the government became more developed. The Amian people were

able to sell their livelihood along the trade routes and make a good living. People from all over

settled in Amia and the cultures and traditions soon began to merge. The Amian Empire became

a melting pot for hundreds of different peoples, cultures, and religions. People flocked to Amia

seeking a new place to live and missionaries came bringing new religions. While extremely

skeptical of the new religions at first, Amians slowly began to adopt these new practices. Islam

and Christianity were both introduced to Amia through the trade routes. Both religions were

similar to Amia’s religion in their worship of one god. While both religions were extremely

popular, the Council adopted Islam as their official religion. Some Amians still worshiped the

Guardian Spirit, but most were either Muslims or Christian. The Council did not seek to demand

their people to adopt one religion over the other. Amians were free to choose their religion and to

worship their chosen god in peace without fear of repercussion.

Life in Amia was great. They had come a long way from those fourteen people, escaping

slavery, fleeing for their lives and searching for a better one. Their tiny group of people had

developed into a global powerhouse. The Amian Empire continued to thrive and grow for several

more centuries. Many of their culture and traditions can been seen in the people groups of

modern day. Their ways will forever be entrenched in the culture of the continental Europe and

many of the surrounding lands. The original fourteen members could never have known the

impact their rebellion would cause and they have truly left their mark on the world forever.

 

Pressure Canning Black Bean and Corn Salsa

Pressure Canning Black Bean and Corn Salsa

Ingredients from my own kitchen makes approximately 12 pints jars

1 pound dried black beans
8 cups corn
2 cups tomatoes, chopped (I used a combination of red, yellow, and orange tomatoes)
2 onions
6 bell peppers, chopped and seeds removed
3 hot peppers, chopped seeds removed
2 tbsp red pepper flakes
1 cup cilantro chopped
1 tbsp cumin
¼ cup lime juice

Directions

1. Soak the beans overnight in warm water. On the next day drain and sort the beans.

2. Add the beans to a large stockpot. Fill the pot with water to cover the beans by two inches of water. Boil the beans 30 minutes while stirring frequently.

3. Drain the beans again. Place the beans back in the stock pot along with the corn, tomatoes, onions, peppers, red pepper flakes, cilantro, cumin, and lime juice. Fill the pot with water until the water level is one inch above the vegetable level. Bring the vegetables to a boil while stirring frequently. Boil for 10 minutes or until the onions turn translucent.

4. Ladle the hot vegetables and beans into pint jars. Add brine to the jar to completely cover the vegetables. Leave a 1” headspace. Add the lids and adjust the two piece caps.

5. Process the jars in a pressure canner at 10 pounds of pressure for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Prickly Pear Cactus Jelly

Today I had the great fortune to help a friend make Prickly Pear Cactus Jelly.  She did all the prep work.  Picking the prickly pears, burning the tiny pokey things, boiling the pears and making the juice.

The juice was a beautiful rich color.  We ended up making 3 batches with a total of 47 jars.  31 quarter pints, 10 half pints and 6 pints.

                                                    Here's Andi doing all the work.

 
                                             Me sitting down stirring the pot.

This is Pamela

My friend Andi lives on Mt. Echo ranch.  They have a very historic place.  The stage coach used to stop right there on the land they now own.  Andi said we can make Muscatine grape jelly and persimmon jelly from fruits grown right there on their land.  Isn't that neat?  We had a good day.