Sabbath Praises

Today as we approach the election, I thought that it was the perfect time to share this great song - Love God, Love People. It is more important than ever for us to love one another. Yes- we may have different views or opinions but we can still love one another. Happy Sabbath! :O) 

What a Rainbow REALLY Symbolizes

 "How great the condescension of God and His compassion for His erring creatures in thus placing the beautiful rainbow in the clouds as a token of his covenant with men. It was God's purpose that as the children of after generation should ask the meaning of the glorious arch which spans the heavens, their parents should repeat the story of the flood, and tell them that the Most High had bended the bow and placed it in the cloud as an assurance that the water should never again overflow the Earth."

PP106

Creator and Redeemer!

 "The Creator and His creatures rested together. Wouldn't you have done the same? Don't you love to take time to celebrate together with your children? Well, God did not want a birthday celebration just once a year, but once a week-every week, on the seventh day, He wants us to remember that we can rest in His faithfulness. So, He set it apart and made it holy so that His children would have a constant reminder that He is their Creator and eventual Redeemer.

By the way, check this out! We start to get a glimpse of the creation-redemption theme running from Genesis to Revelation when we analyze this one word in genesis 2:2: "completed" (as it relates to the seventh-day rest celebrating the completion of Creation). The word used in the Septuagint (LXX, the Greek translation of the Old Testament) for "completed" in Genesis 2:2 is the same Greek root word that Jesus cried out at the cross!! "it is completed!" "it is finished!" "it has been accomplished!" (John19:30). Woo-Hoo!"

From a great little book "I will give you rest~ The eternal gospel for the weary soul" by Elizabeth Viera Talbot

Read this little book about 3 years ago and saw this quote in my facebook memories but it was so good I had to share it here.

Above and Beyond

 I am sure that many, if not all of you who read this post were impacted in some way with the shut downs that happened around Covid. And I am guessing you might have been one of the many who noticed that many of the things that you were looking to buy were no longer available in the stores. That situation is enough to cause anyone to become some what of a prepper. No, I am not a crazy prepper that is hoarding all sorts of things. But I have decided since then that I will do my best to try to have a little extras of the basic and all so that if something flies off of the shelves again then maybe we will have enough until a new stock is able to be brought in. And I think this is a good idea for us all to do. 

I have just been buying an extra can or two where and there so I can have a working pantry and then a pantry store. Once I use things in my pantry - I get stuff out of my pantry store to replace it and add those things to my grocery list. One of the main things that I have been looking for for over 6-7 months was Hormel Tamales. I used to always love to keep a couple of cans on hand. Because if I needed to make a quick meal for my family - I could open a couple of cans, make up some spanish rice and pick a veggie and have a meal. Well I have seen the same exact thing every time I have gone to the store - an empty shelf. Well thankfullly someone mentioned to me that they had seen tamales at Dollar General - so last week i went to check DG again. I had checked a couple of weeks before but had not found any. Well last week I lucked out- not only did I find several cans - but they were having a 2 for $3.00 sale! I was so happy! The next time I went to Walmart - I looked and sure enough there were NO cans of tamales- I also noticed that the price at WM for the tamales was 1.57. So not only did God lead me to finding some tamales but I also saved 7 cents per can! What a blessing!!! God went above and beyond and I am so thankful!! 

I Will Not Buy Vaseline

 I have never really liked commercials. Yeah - every so often there are some enjoyable ones like some of the Sonic commercials, but mostly they are boring. Well lately I have noticed a trend I am NOT liking. It seems that even the commercials seem to have a propaganda. They are doing their best to deceive people into believing what ever that company believes. And Vaseline is the one that got my attention this week. 

We have DirecTV so I usually fast forward through commercials and that works great. But since I have been watching more Youtube lately and there are all sorts of commercials on there and you have to watch at least the first 5 seconds of the commercials before you can "Skip" them. And then sometimes you are busy doing something else and can't skip them - then you are forced in to hearing what they have to say and I was very disappointed in a commercial that I heard that Vaseline did and I decided that I haven't really liked their products that much any way and the 1 jar of vaseline that I have - I have had for years and lucky for me - I can buy off name brands if I ever need any more. 

Vaseline is not the only one that is trying to spread their own propaganda and trying to cause more division in our country, there are others as well. I would suggest that you think about what you buy and what you want to support with your money. And as they say - money talks. Yeah - I know that my choosing not to buy any of their products will not hurt them- but it will make me feel better. Because every time I see the jar of vaseline in my bathroom - I think of the divisive message that they are putting out there and it does not bring peace. 

I am SO disappointed in so many of the companies that have chosen to try to spread more hate and division in our country. These companies have the ability to make a positive impact and yet they choose to try to bring our country down instead. And I for one am choosing not to support the companies that I are trying to cause division. I am sure many of them get past me - since I do my best NOT to watch commercials  But I choose not to suppose companies that are spreading a negative propaganda. 

God Shut Them In

I wish I could claim writing this but I can not. It is something that was floating around Facebook. The reason I am sharing it with you all today is because what it did for me. I had been having a challenging time with anxiety for a couple of days. Anxiety did not want to leave me alone and I was not enjoying it at all. Then a friend shared the following and just understanding that concept helped to calm my heart. I hope it is a blessing to you as well! 

 "I have always thought that Noah was safe inside the Ark because he built it according to God's specifications. I thought that perhaps it was the strength of the gopher wood and the soundness of the architecture that ensured that the waters of the flood would not come into the Ark.

But today I encountered a verse that shifted this whole paradigm.

Let's read what Gen 7:16 says .." The animals going in were male and female of every living thing as God had commanded Noah..

THEN GOD SHUT HIM IN....

Don't miss this.... even after Noah had built the Ark, it was God Himself who shut him in, in order to shut out the waters of the flood... In other translations this verse says "The Lord sealed them inside."

May the Almighty God seal us inside His Ark of protection through this last quarter of 2020.

It is not the fact that you have locked your house that keeps you safe at night, it is not your good driving skills that keeps you safe on the road, neither it's your healthy eating habits that keeps you healthy - only God can shut you in and shut out the devil that is seeking to devour you.

Father we pray that in this last quarter of the year, as we walk into the streets and as we drive on the roads, Oh God shut us in. Father we pray for our children that in the midst of dangers and molesters... You will shut them in, keep out the flood waters of abuse, rape, murder, accidents, diseases and untimely death... Oh God shut us in, shut us in your Ark of protection , into your Ark of compassion..

May GOD SHUT US IN AS WE OBEY HIM AND TRUST IN HIS WORD. Amen!!!"

No Best Deals, But...

 Well I am sorry to say there is no best deal post today. I just have not been able to go thrift store shopping. I really do miss it. It wasn't like I had to buy something every time I went but it was so fun just to go and look and see if I could find treasures. It was neat to look for things that my family needed and to sometimes find them for a good deal. 

I am sure hoping that the restrictions will loosen up. I have heard several people say that the news media is saying that the Covid numbers are going up - but I know for my country the numbers seem to be going down. I also heard a popular youtuber say that overall the cases may be going up but that they had heard a story, I think she said on NPR that the death rate was going down. 

So last week my husband and I went and voted. I was so happy to have that out of the way. I have to take my Mother in law to an appointment on election day so I am glad not to have to try to figure out when to go vote in the middle of trying to get my MIL to her appointment and all. The appointment is like a good 45 minutes away and then we have to park in a parking garage and then the appointment will be at least an hour or more. So this will take a big hunk of our day. The cool thing about voting is that we did not have to wait in any lines and I got an "I voted" sticker for the very first time ever! 

Well that is all for today. Maybe next week I can have a post - we will just have to wait and see. :O) 

Sabbath Praises

Dropping in to say a quick hello! :O)

 Good Morning~ Sorry for no posts for a few days. I have a few great ideas for some posts just haven't had a chance to get on here and get them written out. This has been a busy week. I have been working in our yard and cleaning up a big mess. Where we had our wood pile had gotten over grown with prickly, berry vines. Not only that but to be honest that whole area had gotten out of hand. Not neatly stacked wood and certainly not easily accessible when needed. So it was high time to get out there and work on cleaning it up. I sure wish I had have gotten a before photo so I could have shown you a before and after, once I am done- not there yet. 

So our temperatures have been in the 80's the last few days and today it is suppose top be lowering throughout the day. It was hard to decide what to wear. I put on jeans and am actually hot right now. But when I go get groceries later, I will probably be glad that I have them on. Then Sunday - another day in the 80's- and then it is suppose to have a cold few days with rain. Weird weather we are having. How about where you live? 

This week my husband and I got out and voted! We were very lucky because when we got to the place to vote - there was NO line! and we were in and out of there in about 10 minutes or so. I was SO happy to have that out of the way! And for the first time in all the years that I have voted - I got an "I voted" sticker!! That was awesome! After we voted we went to Dickies for lunch - they have an awesome baked potato and they put tanglers on top! Tanglers are little onion rings. They are delicious!! And they had chocolate ice cream. They kind of go back and forth so you never know what they will have. I think it is fun! Something to look forward to in this crazy, mixed up world of ours. 

Well I am hoping to get some posts typed up soon. Hope you all are doing well. 

Lemonade out of Lemons

 So one of my responsibilities is a bit challenging. It causes me to have to wake up at 4:30am at least once if not twice a week. Although I am a morning person, that is awfully early. I am needed to be at my son's house to be there while he is finishing his day at work and my daughter in law is beginning her work day. I am only over there for about 1 - 1 1/2 hours. Once my son is there and we visit a bit - I am off. I decided since I am already in town to go check out HEB. I figured out that they clearance some of their produce things in the morning. So I have found some good deals. And the store is pretty empty that early. I also sometimes stop by the park on the way home for a walk. And if you read this post shortly after it is published I am probably at HEB or walking - making good use out of my time being up and out of the house early. 

So being up super early may be challenging but I have taken the lemons and turned them into lemonade! And I am thankful to be looking at it like this. Life is brighter when we do! 

P.S. So I wrote this a week ago and now another situation has come up that seems to be a lot of lemons and I am  having to try to figure out a way to make lemonade out of it. Hmm/... how will I do that? 

Repurposing and a Project Complete

As you all know I have been getting into canning and not only canning but storing food in mason jars. This will help them last longer. Well once I got this great craftsman shelving unit to put in my sun room - that is when I heard that you need to keep your food in a dark, cool place. Well lots of sun comes into our sunroom. And so I began to think - how can I solve this issue and still be able to get the things I need when I want to without a lot of hassle, that was the important thing. I had come up with an idea to use some insulation board around the shelving unit but that would be hard to get in to get what I needed and I use stuff on this shelve. So I had to put my thinking cap on and just think about it for a while. 

Then I came up with the idea that I could make a curtain. And I knew the exact fabric I wanted to use. A friend had bought me a couple of yards of fabric one time - it was one of the options of a boarder fabric for a Block of the Month we were doing. Although I liked the fabric - I did not like it for this quilt so I just folded up the fabric and put it in my drawer - thinking I can use it for something else. Well that something else was a curtain for my shelve. 

But the question then arose - how will I had the curtain- and when I was out rearranging some things on my shelf I found a package of these hooks- that had actually came with some rolls of food saver bags. Well I did not have room to hand the rolls of bags up anywhere but I had known that those hooks would come in handy sometime, so I have placed the bag on a shelf. So when I found the bag - I knew that was what I needed to do - I would just have to learn how to make button holes on my sewing machine. 

But while I was figuring out the best way to make the curtains and to do button holes I took advantage of the hooks - to hand some herbs on - drying them, getting them ready to start another batch of antibiotic elixir. 

Oregano 

Rosemary 

Once the curtain was up I did not think it would be a good idea to put the herbs there - I am afraid if the herbs had oils it could damage the fabric - what do you think? 

So I set up a temporary way to hand them so they could dry - and in less than a week they were dry! 

Here is my curtain. There is a place or two on that right side that I want to put up a little bit of velcro because I did not put the button holes in the right places and there is a gap on the top in a couple of areas. But other than that I am quite happy with how it turned out. It is longer than it needed to be on both sides - meaning that when the two pieces come together there is a pretty big overlay - so I have each side folded back a few inches. 

I can either just move the curtain out of the way or I can unhook the section I need in order to get in there and get what I need. Easy peasy! 

I am so happy with how it turned out. I am happy that I was able to repurpose a few things I had to make this project work - without any money spent - special for it!! I think that ability is now more than ever an important skill to have!! 

 

Take Advantage of the Resources You Have

 There are so many very useful resources that many of us have - especially if we have access to a computer. And if you are reading this - then it applies to you too...lol. For too long I didn't take advantage of some great resources and to be honest - some of these things that I will share with you have really helped me thought these chaotic times. 

This morning I received an email from The Old Farmers Almanac and they had an article about "The Best Ways To Use Fall Leaves"  and I went and read it and learned a few very interesting things. The one that I think will really help me is that they suggest when you save leaves for a compost pile - that because leaves are high in carbon- that after you use several inches of leaves- to add a 1 inch layer of "green" material - like grass clippings or manure - because these things are high in nitrogen and they help break down the leaves. I have raked up my leaves in the past and put them in a barrel but the leaves have not broke down as fast because I didn't realize I needed to be adding nitrogen dense things to help. 

It was after I read this and was writing things down into my gardening book that I realized that I have not been taking advantage of some great resources that I have. I have allowed things - like when the email comes from Old Farmers Almanac then sometimes I feel overwhelmed because there is so much information. So I am going to have to just look through the different articles and see which one sounds the most interesting and take the time to read it. I am sure I will learn so much more when I take the time to read the articles. 

Youtube is another resource that I did not full take advantage of until the last 6 months and boy and I glad I did. I have learned SO, SO much over that time period. It is the reason why I have started canning, dehydrating, making antibiotic elixir, and natural cough syrup and so much more. It has helped me be more resourceful here around the house.

 I am So thankful that when I was reading a blog that someone shared a link to Homestead Tessie's Youtube Channel and that I went and checked it out. She has a very peaceful way about presenting things and it brought peace and calm into my life and has inspired me to be more of a homesteader. And it has brought so much more enjoyment. Especially with all the havoc going on in the world. Sin is abounding - it is like it isn't even hiding any more... and it can be so disturbing. But when we put our focus on God and trust Him to take care of us we can have more peace. And I am sure that He is the one that led me to learning more about what I can do around my homestead. And it has really helped bring peace and satisfaction. 

So look around your house and your life and see what resources you may have been missing out on. And see what you can do to take advantage of the blessing of having them! You may be surprised at how they can change your life! :O) 

My Best Deal (a bit different- but oh so good!)

 I know you are all used to my posts about my best deal being about a great deal I got. But today's post will be different. But it just made sense in these crazy, chaotic times to share this in a blog post about my best deal. It is going to be a little bit more serious than my usual blog posts about my best deal. 

For 11 weeks I was unable to go to church. I am sure many of you went through something like this as well. Some of you may still be unable to go to church and if that is the case~ I am SO very sorry. It was very hard for me during this time. And I am sure, now, that I was depressed. One of the ways that I used to try to be alright was to spend too much time and money on Ebay. I found a great style of Lularoe tops that I loved and I bought my fair share....maybe even more of them. During this time I spent too much time watching tv. I was so discouraged. I don't think I realized how depressed I was during that time - till I have started feeling better over the last couple of months or so. 

The things that helped me the most come out of that discouragement was getting back to church! Being around fellow believers who had put their trust in God. And allowed me to do that same. They allowed me the freedom to make the choices of how best to take care of my health. No forcing me to jump through unrealistic hoops, not forced social distancing. They gave everyone the choice to hug or not, to shake hands or not. And we were able to lift our voices in praise to our Saviour and Redeemer and that felt awesome! They had children's stories - with the children and when a little boy prayed after the story was over I had goose bumps - because I was so thankful for even the little things that many times we take for granted! I am SO thankful for my church and the freedom to worship. This is something we may not have for very much longer and we need to appreciate it while we can. 

Another thing that helped me is that I began watching Youtube videos- I am first introduced to Homestead Tessie and her calm nature just helped calm my soul in this hectic world. And soon I found a few more youtubers that I love - like Rain Country and others. I am slowly finding more that I like. What I have loved is all the things I have learned from these awesome ladies! And that learning has helped me so much. 

I am unable to volunteer at the thrift store and I don't think that I will be welcomed back when all this mess is over. So it is a good thing that I have other things in my life. And learning and doing all these new things have helped me feel accomplished. It has helped me feel like I am being a better steward of my property, home, and time and it has been a real blessing to me! It has helped pull me out of that pit that I had fallen into. 

So my best deal- is that God led me to the right church where I could freely worship Him! He led me to a great youtuber who inspired me to a more homestead type lifestyle! And He has given me plenty of wonderful things to fill my time! Yes - life is chaotic right now - the elections coming up just just a few weeks and the uncertainty of it all is a bit unsettling but keeping our eyes on Jesus and putting our trust in Him is the best deal we can have!! 

Sabbath Praises

Good Morning! I hope you all have a great week end! May God bless you in a special way. :O) 

Another Unexpected Surprise in My Yard

Last week I shared how I was happily surprised to find elderberry growing in my back yard! 

Well the beginning of this week I noticed a little bunch of yellow flowers in my yard and I thought to myself, "I wonder if that is another great plant to have." Well I was very busy and just forgot to go get a photo to try to figure out what it was. 

A couple of days later a friend was sharing on Facebook how she was out out foraging for goldenrod. I noticed the yellow flowers in her photo and was reminded about my yellow flowers. So I went and got photos of my flowers:

And I asked my friend if they were goldenrod and sure enough they were!! Yay! I was so excited! 
God has provided us with things we need for our health - we just have to be willing to pay attention and be willing to learn. I went back out and gathered some, being sure to leave some. It is very important to leave a few so that they can go to seed and then they can come back next year! I was thankful that a lady shared that on her video I watched about goldenrod. Somethings you just don't think of on your own. I would much rather leave some out there and have it come back again next year. 

To be honest, I almost waited too long before checking on these plants. Next time when I feel the nudge that I need to check something out, I hope that I will do so in a timely manner.

Now I have some goldenrod handing in my sunroom drying. It feels good to be resources and use what you have been blessed with! :O) 

 

My Newest Favorite Essential Oil...series part 2

Today's post about essential oils will be a neat household hack that I learned a week or so ago! This is an idea that you will want to use what ever your favorite essential oil is. It could really be anything. I started doing this hack with Chamomile oil but to be honest - I think that I will be using different oils to find out which I like for this hack. 

So this idea to to help your bathroom stay smelling fresh. 

I love lavender scented toilet paper! 

Now this will not make all your toilet paper smell like lavender or what ever oil you use but it will help a fresh scent to be released every time you get some toilet paper. 

So what you do is you drop a couple of drops of your favorite essential oil onto the cardboard of the toilet paper roll. I would put a drop or two on each side. Then hang the toilet paper up and each time you get toilet paper - you should get a whiff of your favorite smell! 

 

Like I said you could try any oil. 

 Here are a couple of the ones I think would work great! 

Just a little hack to help your bathroom smell a bit better! And you get to choose which scent you use! :O) 

On the ones I have tried so far - it is not a strong scent - just a light one. 

Next Week I will try to posts what I used when I made up a roller container for headaches.  

Oopsy!

 For those of you who may have already checked out my blog this morning - there were a few more photos that I wanted to add to it and I just did - so please go check it out again so you can see what I ended up with! Thanks so much! :O) 

Two Ingredient Cough Syrup

Today I want to share how I made a natural cough syrup with only two ingredients. And more than likely you have these two things in your pantry already. 

I did not come up with this on my own. The youtube video below share many different great home rememdies and it will be well worth your time to watch. I highly recommend that you have a tablet of paper and to be ready to take notes. This information is well worth having on hand. If you are like me - even if I think something would be a great idea- I may not always remember it later, when needed, and especially with all the many things she talks about. 

You will only need 1 items for this cough syrup. Well two food items - you will also need a jar. I made mine in 2 pint sized mason jars. 

*Onions 
*Honey 

So the directions say to chop up onions. Then you will layer onion - about 1/2 inch and then pour 1 teaspoon over the onions and continue to do the layering until your jar is full. Then add about 2 teaspoons over the top of the onions. Then put your lid on. 

I think that she says that we need to shake it up ever so often. Not sure on that you will probably need to watch to make sure. I think she talks about onions in the beginning - then she continues on and talks about neat things you can do with garlic, ginger, potato, castor oil, and charcoal and maybe even more.  

You will need to let the jars sit for 24 hours and then you drain the liquid from the onions and this liquid is your cough syrup. 

Adults take 1 - 2 tsp 3 times a day. 

Children 1/2 - 1 tsp doses 

So for 2 pints I used 3 onions and about 1/4th of a cup of honey. I think pretty reasonable. 

So 24 hours later - you can see the onions have broken down - the onions had actually went down at least 2 inches or so. 

I drained the juice from the onions and I ended up with one full half pint jar of cough syrup! 

And No I have not tasted it yet. 

Yes - we paid 16.00 for this honey from a farmers market - it has the honey comb in it. I have heard that the honey comb has some healing properties as well. 

You can make this syrup up and just keep it on hand. In the video a lady said she kept a jar in her fridge all the time. Honey lasts a super long time - don't know if it ever truly goes bad. So this is a great thing to do in advance and have on hand for when you need it. 

Since local honey is said to help with allergies - it might even be something good to take if you begin to feel the drainage that comes along with allergies. 

Here is the video. 

My Most Recent Canning Adventure

As you know I have been doing some canning lately. Once I started doing it and found out how fun it was to learn something new I have continued on to see what all I can learn and salsa seemed the best thing to try next. 

I found a great recipe for cherry tomato/ corn salsa in the New Ball book. And it is delicious!! 

Isn't it pretty with the corn in there? 

My husband doesn't really like chunky salsa so on the next batch I had to blend up the tomatoes. 

Although he said he wanted to tomatoes blended up the next time I did get his seal of approval. 

One little lesson I learned on my last batch of salsa- is to be sure and taste what ever you are making to can. On the last batch I did not have enough cilantro and it ended up tasting too limey. So I am experimenting with it - hoping once I open the jars - if I add a bit of cilantro maybe it will taste better. 

Oh and one thing we have done is added black beans when we are about to eat the salsa- I really like it that way!! 

This week I will be taking a bit of a break from canning because I have other things I want to work on - like cleaning my carpets and cleaning the fish tank and such. 

Are you a canner? If so what have you been canning lately? I would love to hear from you!! :O) 

Garden Harvest

I am SO happy to report that this is the majority of the harvest from last Thursday! I added about a handful of tomatoes to my salad and I chopped up one of the peppers. Oh and I also got a red bell pepper from my garden - not pictured. 

 I am so thankful for the cooler weather and for extra rain several different times that helped my garden to continue to grow. Last year my Japanese eggplants had died off by this time of the year. In fact, this year they did stop producing for a month or 2 and then after we got some good rains picked back up. I am enjoying roasting them! 

My little peppers are coolapenas - I think is what they are called- they are a bit smaller than jalapenos and they are mild. Next year I will probably be planting a jalapeno plant as well. That way I can use my own instead of buying them for salsa. 

My tomato plants seem to be coming back a bit since the horned tomato worms were working so hard to destroy my plants. I have quite a bit of green tomatoes on some of my plants. 

There really is something special about harvesting your produce. There is a feeling of accomplishment and peace. It really is good for the soul. 

I did not get as much planted for my fall garden yet- but there are still a few things that I can plant. I just have to look at my notebook and find out what all I can still plant. I will let ya'll know what else I plant. 

So my question today is - do you have a garden and if so what have you been able to harvest lately? Have you planted anything for a fall garden? If so - what? :O)  

Best Deal

So this weeks Best Deal Post is a bit late, sorry. 

So this week I went to my favorite little thrift store nearby. And I looked through the things they had outside and their free boxes. And I really lucked out on what I got. 

I actually had to make 2 trips to get this. The first time I got the back part with the electrical cord. And when I got home and realized that there was a little motor - my husband said that there should be something to put on it. And I remembered this color wheel. It was a couple hours later but I ran back to the store and sure enough - it was still there! Yay! I was very excited! 

I have not idea what we will do with it. We may end up giving it to one of our sons, I really don't know. But it is fun to find things - especially vintage things. 

If you want to look this up - you can type in Penetray Color Wheel. I believe there is a youtube that shows one similar to this one - "Pentray Vintage Christmast Color Wheel." 

And by the way - this was in the free box!! 

What a deal!!! 

 

Sabbath Praises

"Why does kindness seem so revolutionary? 

When did we let hate get so ordinary?" 

Blessings to you on this Sabbath Day! :O) 

Homemade Antibiotic Tonic

This is an awesome video from one of my favorite Youtube Channels - Rain Country! 

Ever since I saw this awesome video - I have been dehydrating some of my herbs- rosemary and oregano. 

 I found a bottle of glycerin at Walmart. And as soon as I got it, I mixed up my first batch of Antibiotic Tonic. 

So directions were basically to fill up jar about 3/4 of the way with herbs- there are others that can be used - but the ones I used were:

Rosemary 

Oregano 

Thyme 

Then add some of the food grade glycerin.  About 3/4 of jar of glycerin - 1/4 water. Stir and stir till well combined. Put lid and ring on and shake well. 

Store in a cool, dark place. And Shake at least 1 time a day. 

6-8 weeks later it should be ready. 
You will strain the herbs out and then it will be ready to use. 

There are many more great details of how to make this antibiotic tonic in the video. It will be WELL worth your time to watch. 

I will now be working on getting more of my herbs dehydrated and ready to start another batch. 

If you try it let me know. :O) 

My Newest Favorite Essential Oil series part 1

 Today I wanted to share my newest favorite essential oil. I wish it had not taken me so long to find this awesome oil! Chamomile essential oil smells SO good. I have really enjoyed learning more and more about essential oils and what great things you can use them for! 

Today I want to share something that I decided to do by accident really. 

I had ordered some fractionated coconut oil from Amazon. I wanted to make up a roller container of a headache blend for myself and my son and needed some more carrier oil. This is how it showed up: 

Yes - that is oil all over the box. All but about 2 oz of the 16 oz of oil spilled out. I salvaged what I could. And in the process - noticed how wonderful the oil felt on my hands!! And when I realized how much I LOVED the smell of teh Chamomile oil - I knew I needed to make up a face lotion with the fractionated coconut oil and Chamomile oil! 

The next time I went to Walmart - I found a bottle of fractionated coconut oil. 

Added a few drops of Chamomile Essential Oil. And came up with a fabulous face lotion. 
This is what I am using on my face every night. 

And I absolutely love it! No more high dollar stuff that probably isn't that good for my face anyway! 

Nothing like not only saving money but also coming up with something more luxurious! 

Be sure and come back next week when I will share some more ideas of how to use this, and other essential oils!! :O)  

An Unexpected Surprise in My Yard

For the last year or two I have had a plant that has these purple berries on it and I have wondered what they were. The birds loved them, I could sure tell that! But what where they? 

Recently someone showed a video about how they made an elderberry syrup and when I looked up the elderberry plant I was happily surprised to find out that it was what was growing in my yard. In fact, this year I had another plant start growing by my bird feeder and then I actually had a plant start growing in a planter- but it was a bit small so I have replanted it! 

One plant started growing by my birdbath this year! So happy to have it! 

And here is the original plant that I have had for a couple of years. I just didn't know what it was. 

I am not getting a whole bunch of the berries but I am picking them as I can and dehydrating them and storing them until I get a cup - then I plan on making myself some of the syrup to see how I like it. 

Yes - you can buy some dried elderberries but I have enough other things I want to put my money to - so for now I am making do with what I have and God blessed me with some elderberry plants in my yard and this year I am taking advantage of them!! I will share more when I actually make the syrup! 

Have you made elderberry syrup and if so what did you think? Anything I need to do before I make some? 

 

Attention Canners:

 So recently as I was watching a youtube video - I learned something that I thought would be very important for any of you that are canners would need to know. As you all know there have been shortages of different things through the last 8 months. And I am sure that you have noticed it being more and more challenging to find canning supplies. Well the video that I watched read a letter from the company that is over Ball and Kerr and a couple more. And basically they said that as of Oct 1, 2020 they will no longer be shipping supplies to the stores. They will be focusing on getting jars and supplies ready for next canning season - I think they said that they plan to start sending things out in March of next year! Wow! I was so disappointed especially since I have just gotten into canning in the last month or so. Many canners are very smart and stock up on supplies. And thankfully I have a decent amount of supplies right now - But there are a few items I would like to find to stock up on - like wide mouth lids for example. 

So this post is just a heads up to any of my readers who may be canners- if you do not have the canning supplies you will need for the next 5-6 months- you may want to get out and check the stores now. I have been lucky at HEB lately. I check Walmart each time I go as well. I went to Winco today and they had a good supply but not what I was looking for. I have heard that TSC and Ace Hardware stores also carry canning things. 

I would suggest you be careful of who you buy supplies from - on line. I have also heard of people getting shotty products when they thought they were getting good quality. Also people are buying stuff and then price gouging - so just try to avoid those situations. Just keep checking different places and hopefully you will find what ever supplies you need. 

I hope that this was helpful to some of you and I hope that I have gotten the word out so that you will have the opportunity to get out to the stores and find what you need. Good luck!! 

Blessed Ark of Rest and Security

Today I wanted to share something beautiful that I found in the book that I told you all about on my Best Deal Post. I have only read the first 8-10 pages and I already know I will LOVE this book! It is on the excellent level that my "The Cross and It's Shadow" book by Stephen N. Haskell. I hope you are blessed - I know I was! :O)

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"What lesson was to be taught by the Ark, with its contents? It is well known that an ark had been used at different periods in the history of this world prior to this time. When the Lord was to bring a deluge upon the world, He commanded Noah to build him an ark for the saving of himself and his family. When Moses was born, and it was expected that he would be drowned according to the command of pharaoh, his mother secured and ark, and hid him therein. In this ark he was afterward discovered by the Egyptian princess, and his life was saved. Thus we learn that the ark was a symbol of protection, safety, care, preservation. But in the ark which God commanded made, was deposited the law of God, the Ten Commandments. What can we therefore learn from both the ark and the law?"

"We read in the 40th Psalm, the following prophecy:

"Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required. Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me, I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart."

And to whom this prophecy refers is explained by the apostle Paul:

"Wherefore when He cometh into the world, He (Christ) saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: in burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. Then said I, Lo. I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me.) To do thy will, O God. We thus see that the fulfillment of this prediction is none other than Jesus Christ. Then the place in which the law of God was deposited in His life, was His heart. In the fleshly tables of His divine-human soul were inscribed by the finger of God's own Spirit the divine and eternal precepts of Jehovah's unaltered law. Then it must be apparent that the ark, the place of safety, was a symbol of the life of Christ in which was placed the law of Jehovah."

"Was not His life a living "witness" as to who is the true and living God and as to the nature of His character? Oh, precious Ark of Safety! In Him is a sure and blessed Ark of Rest and Security! God could place His law in that heart, for He knew it was safe. It would never be betrayed; it would never be forsaken; it would never be misrepresented! It would always be preserved. What Jesus did with God's law, is what He will do in every soul who will trust in Him."

Getting My Herbs Ready for a Project

So my dehydrator has been very busy lately. I have been dehydrating rosemary for an antibiotic extract that I am planning to make. I wish I had have learned about this sooner because it will have to sit for 6- 8 weeks once I get it all mixed together. 

Anyway I will need rosemary, oregano, and thyme for this project. Here are a few shots of the rosemary I have dried so far- will need to do more. 

My oregano plant is much smaller than my rosemary bush and it is kind of hiding behind the rosemary. But here is what I have dried of it so far- not a lot but I have heard that when you use your herbs- but clippings off of them that they grow more so I am hoping that this is true. Oh and the great thing is that it doesn't take the oregano very long at all to dehydrate! Much shorter time than the rosemary for sure. 

As I mentioned I will need Thyme as well - I am not growing Thyme at this time...lol 

Don't know if it grows well here or not, I will have to ask around. 
Anyway I will have to get some of it to add to my mixture. 

I will also need to buy some food grade glycerin for this project and a pint jar or two - if I can get enough herbs I will do more than one! 

I will post the video soon so that you can watch it because you too may want to make some of this stuff. 

This world is becoming more and more crazy and the more things we can learn to do to take care of our health the better. That is why I am learning and trying new things. Hopefully they work!! 

My Best Deal

I just have to say that I think it is so great that God will lead me to excellent books! 

Last week I went to my favorite little thrift store- they are still mandating masks - so I do not go in and shop but they have a few things for sale outside and they have free boxes outside- bonus for me - NO mask is required for the outside stuff, thankfully!! 

Well I went through the boxes they had and picked up several free books- but this one by far is the best one I got. It is a book that was actually written in the early 1900's. And this was reprinted in 1990. 

I have only read the first 8-10 pages and I know I will love reading it. 

I will have a post coming soon where I will share little sections of the book with you. 

Oh and by the way - if you think this looks like an interesting book and would like to check it out - you can look it up and find a pdf of the book. 

So today's best deal - was a free book!!! :O) 

 

Sabbath Praises

Encouraging Words for Being a Keeper At Home

Today I wanted to share a little encouragement for my fellow Keepers at Home! This is her part 2 of her talk about keepers at home. 

This is one of my favorite Youtube channels. She has many different DIY videos. So much to learn. 
It really blessed me, I hope it blesses you as well. :) 

Same, but Different and More

This is probably something that many of you already realize but I just learned it so I wanted to share just in case I was not the only one in the dark about this. 

Not every Ball Blue Book is the same thing! 

I thought that is was the same book that they just kept updating a cover, but no. 

This first book is dated 1977 with 96 pages. 

This one is dated 2011 with 128 pages. I had found it after the older one and had given it to my son because he had seemed interesting in canning a few years ago when I found the book. 

And then I was watching a youtube video when someone showed the new Ball book- and explained how they are always updating the books. This one is dated 2016 and has 368 pages. It not only has recipes to can but also recipes of how to use some of the things canned. 

At one point I was going to just get rid of my first two books but for now I think I will hold onto them and look them over. Each one has some cool things that make them a special book. Very helpful and informative when learning a new skill. 

So last week I got another box of peaches and ended up making up another batch of peach butter and I also canned some sliced peaches. I was very disappointed because for the first time I had some syphoning- which means some of the juices from inside of the jars came out into the canner while canning. When that stuff comes out it makes it even harder for the jars to seal. So I have several jars in my fridge waiting for next Sabbath when I will be making a peach cobbler for our family meal. At least I have a great way to use them up. But I was still very disappointed because I had been successful up to that point - every jar had sealed nicely up to that point and this just made me sad.  

I did end up with a row of sliced peaches for my shelf. I will have to do some more research and figure out where I went wrong and hopefully by the next time that I can anything that could syphon I will know what to do to prevent it from happening. 

Oh by the way I went to HEB last week end - like an idiot I went on Sunday -but I was rewarded because they actually had a row of Ball regular mouth lids! I had not seen those in a really long time so I made sure I picked us several boxes. It is best to have extras on hand - so if you find some be sure and get some - if you are going to be canning that is! lol