I confess, I woke up this morning at about 1:00am thinking about gardening:-) There were so many possibilities of planting different veggies & fruits racing through my head.
So here I am, sharing a piece of our humble garden:
 - Potatoes
- Strawberries
- Bell Peppers
- Tomatoes (roma & celebrity)
- Beets
We still have some heirloom green beans and cucumbers growing indoors and I'm looking forward to adding zuchinni &watermelon our little patch.
BTW, due to my past ambitious pursuits, I've learned to start in moderation. Plus, I've learned that it helps to have the children excited about the garden as well!Here are a few links I just found about making a raised bed from cinder blocks:http://www.raised-bed-gardening.org/2009/04/building-cinder-block-raised-garden-bed.htmlhttp://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/sqfoot/msg030801361723.htmlhttp://www.gardenguides.com/84865-build-raised-garden-bed-cinder-blocks.html
 Also, here's a picture I found online which shows another aspect to growing in the cinder blocks
Finally, according to my limited research, one disadvantage of the cinder blocks is regulating the water and temperature (they dry out faster and warm the area quickly.)
Keep this in mind that this is my first year with this "experiment." I'm no expert and I've yet to develop a green thumb, but I think this method will help meet our gardening goals this year.
 Yesterday, we had a great field trip to 2 local Farmers Markets and then came home for some "Homekeeping Delights."
After lunch, the ladies and I discussed some of our topics & assignments, then we watched part 1 of a YouTube video suggested by a local sister (http://gatheringyourgrub.blogspot.com/) about Sensible Food Storage (below) This is a pdf copy of the book and other resources from the blog referenced in the video (Note: Mrs. Dewitt gives permission to copy this information for others):
After watching part 1 of this video, it provoked some questions in our gathering & I'd love to hear your feedback if you can help us in our homekeeping pursuits:- If we get good coupon deals for buying several boxes of cereal, can we empty them and store the contents in the airtight buckets?
- How does the air & moisture effect the food quality if we're opening the containers repeatedly for use?
- Do we need to sterilize the buckets before we use them?
- Do dehydrated foods have a longer life span if we dehydrate ourselves & store OR if we buy them dehydrated and store them?
We also set a goal to research the local "Pick Your Own" farms so we can save money and store our foods (dehydrate, freeze, can) in bulk later this summer. We even discussed possibly getting fresh fish at a discount and freezing them as well......Keep the ideas flowing ladies!
Proverbs 31:10-31 talks about a capable, or virtuous, woman. I wanted to pose a similar question: WHO CAN FIND A "CAPABLE" HUSBAND?Sadly, many married women, myself included at times, take their husbands for granted. Over time, it's not uncommon to see some wives become overtly critical and bitter in their marriages. Are you this type of wife?There is another option....to love, respect and appreciate the man that you've been blessed to be a help for (regardless of his "perceived" flaws.) If you're willing to put in the work, you WILL reap the blessings of your commitment...I'm a living testimony of it!
Here is a challenge I shared with a few sisters earlier this year. It requires a conscience focus on praying for your husband and being an encouragement to him as he leads his family.DOWNLOAD HERE:http://www.reviveourhearts.com/pdf/30DayChallenge.pdf
I'm also posting a few pictures of moments I captured which made me appreciate just how hard Marlon works and how capable he is: Lastly, Don't forget to SHOW and TELL your husband just how much you love and appreciate him TODAY :-)
We're approaching our 3rd of week getting together with fellow homekeepers to encourage and support each other in our homekeeping pursuits (http://www.joyfuljunction.com/1/post/2011/05/encouragement-for-homekeepers.html) . I've been really motivated to get things in order after meeting with these ladies and gathering the children, so I wanted to post some notes from the group. Perhaps you can glean from our time together and share some ideas from our topics of Couponing, Gardening & Meal Planning.
ENJOY:
 | homekeeping_delights.pdf | | File Size: | 328 kb | | File Type: | pdf |
Download File
In the past, I have blogged about the importance of a fathers influence, training and discipleship for their sons. It is also worth mentioning the impact of a fathers role with their daughters.
A few years ago, I read this article entitled "Dad's Daughters," and it shared some perspective about a fathers relationship with his little princess. If you're up for it, take a look and let me know what you think?ARTICLE:http://www.nogreaterjoy.org/articles/general-view/archive/2006/march/24/dads-daughter/  Dad treats the girls for a rare pedicure/manicure experience
 Lunch with Dad
This was a precious moment that Marlon caught on film:
Do you delight in homekeeping? Or is it tedious position you take for granted?
Since leaving the business world in August 2005 at the request of my husband, I've developed a passion for homekeeping delights. I figured, if this is my new focus, I might as well teach myself how to thrive in the art of being a homemaker.
After months of seeking out examples of fellow homekeepers and resources to help me in this new endeavor, I began to appreciate the beauty of being a keeper of our home (Titus 2:5)
Now, that we're in another phase of our lives (establishing ourselves in the northwest,) I've gotten a little off my path to homekeeping. So, with the accountability of a few fellow homekeepers, we began gathering on a weekly basis to encourage and share our experiences. We get together, discuss relevant topics, set goals and have some hands on activities (see pics.)
Right now, our focus is simple:
- Couponing
- Gardening
- Meal Planning
Ultimately, my hope is to continue to delight in homekeeping and encourage others in this blessed position!
Any tips or resources you want to contribute will be greatly appreciated!
Last week, our children had the opportunity to meet our mayor and provide some community support by helping plant trees for arbor day:
A few days later, Marlon attended a local business brunch and got to meet Mr. Mayor as well.
So, I guess it's official....we've left our mark in Idaho :-)
A friend just mentioned this nifty tool to help plan meals in a pinch.
On the Betty Crocker website (http://www.bettycrocker.com), just click under recipes & use the "Easy Meal Finder". All you do is add up to 3 ingredients, then the type of meal your making and it will list SEVERAL recipes to help your decide what to prepare.For example, I just inputed 1.Ground Turkey and 2.Chili Beans. It gave me several recipes such as casserole, chili and toastadas. Now I can just make a list to purchase my missing ingredients and Viola, dinner in a pinch.Next, I just put in "Lentils" and it pulled up even more recipes including a slow cooker curry dish. This is a great help when I get stumped in the k. I admit, I'm impressed and this is a Super Cool Tool---THANKS BETTY C! (And thanks AT for this link :-) )
BTW, this link is especially helpful for the ladies challenged in the cooking department (not everyone has the gift of cooking naturally and this will help develop the skill):
http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes
I recognize that amongst the Christian home educating community, there is a lot of emphasis put on negative peer influence. However, I'm convinced that there are many occasions where peer influence can be a positive, confidence building experience.
Recently, Millennium was enjoying the company of a peer his age from Texas. I decided to take the older boys out for a couple hours of indoor swimming so they could expend some of their "young energy."
The Rec Center where they swam has 5 pools. Two of the pools, (the diving pool and lap swimming pool) require a swim test to be approved by a lifeguard. Although Millennium has had 3 years of Red Cross swim lessons in Tennessee, he was still apprehensive about taking this test with the possibility of failing. Until....he and his friend wanted to push themselves and take the challenge.
Needless to say, Millennium passed the test with a thumbs up from the life guard and had a GREAT TIME doing backflips and swinging jumps in the dive pool. Thats what I call positive peer influence (encouragement from a friend to take on a realistic challenge).
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