Farmer's Market Co-op

For years, my husband and I have toyed with the idea of setting up a booth at a farmer’s market on the weekends. We have enough of them around here, that’s for sure. However, we’ve never actually done it because the initial cost of creating enough merchandise to fill a booth and the cost of the booth was always out of reach. We were not alone.

Thankfully a friend of mine came up with a brilliant solution: a market co-op! Several families get together each week and sell their fresh eggs, jams and jellies, hand crafted items, and homemade goodies, splitting the cost of the booth.

 We are also blessed that the laws governing cottage industries changed last December here in Florida. As long as these things are labeled properly, we can sell them at a farmer or fresh market. It’s been an interesting endeavor so far, and I pray we start doing better than breaking even each week once the weather cools. 

During the few weeks we’ve sent up our booth, my friend and I have learned a lot! First, a canopy is a must! Second, vertical space is more important than horizontal space. Hanging merchandise and signs attract more attention than merchandise lying on a table. And third, keep good records of who has paid their table fees along with what has sold for whom. 

We still have a few details to iron out to keep the booth running smoothly, like more and better signage, but I’m pretty excited about having the opportunity to bring our hand-crafted items to market!

As you can see by the photos, we do have quite an interesting collection of goods, kind of like a general store in a booth. Well, at least you know it's all Made in the USA!

Do you have some crafty friends? Why don’t you get them together and take your goods to market! Be sure to check your local laws about selling food items first, please.

Thanks for stopping by! If you’re in Pinellas County, Florida, be sure to stop by the Azalea Fresh Market at the Azalea Rec Center on Saturday mornings! Maybe our little co-op will be coming to a farmer's market or website near you soon! Pray that we can find some clear directions on how to make that happen!

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

Betty

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Menu Plan Monday 7/30

A friend was recently lamenting about her grocery bill. When she told me how much she spent each week on food and household items like paper goods and cleaning supplies, I understood her lament. Even for a family of 6, two hundred dollars a week is a lot to be spending on basic necessities!

Can you guess what my first question was? Yep, you guessed it. Do you create a menu every week?

Can you guess her answer? Yep, you guessed it. My friend does not plan her meals for the week. Everyday, she asks that dreaded question, “What’s for dinner?” Nothing kills a budget more than not having a plan!

What are you waiting for? Start with a dinner plan for one week. Then create your grocery list from that plan. Make sure you check the pantry and refrigerator for things you might already have.

Once you’re comfortable with your dinner planning, add in a plan for breakfasts and lunches. Some ladies plan each of these meals. I’m more of a these-are-your-options-pick-one kind of person. Take a minute to think about what your planning style is, and work with it.

I pray you have a blessed week with less stress because you created a menu plan!

Don’t forget to stop by Organizing Junkie for more menu ideas! If you’re looking for some new recipe resources, check out this Recipe Index Round Up.

Menu Plan for Week of 07/30/2012

Breakfast 

Fruit, granola, yogurt, smoothies.

Lunch

Lunch of the week – Salads, wraps or leftovers

Fruit of the week – Apples, oranges, cherries, nectarines  

Dinner

Monday – Spicy three beans and rice, tossed salad

Tuesday – Roast chicken, mashed turnips and taters, veggies, salad

Wednesday – Eating out! Yay!!

Thursday – Big salads, garlic bread  

Friday – Jared’s Cooking Lesson: Grilled sausage sandwiches, tossed salad

Saturday – Baked mac & cheese, tossed salad

Sunday – White chili, tossed salad

                                                             

Snacks – Crackers and peanut butter, fruit, yogurt, carrot and celery sticks, or popcorn.

Thank you for stopping by!

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

Betty

Vegetable Powder

We like our food full of flavor around here. One of my favorite tricks to add flavor is to add vegetable powder. Since I already dehydrate a wide variety of foods, I usually have what I need on hand.

Vegetable Powder

½ cup dried tomato chips

¼ cup dried carrot pieces

¼ cup dried celery pieces                               

¼ cup dried onion pieces

¼ cup dried mushroom pieces

2 tablespoon dried parsley

Place everything in a spice grinder and pulverize into a powder. Store in an airtight container, such as a handy dandy half-pint canning jar.

If you have a small spice grinder like I have, you’ll want to grind smaller amounts at a time. Pour each load into a small bowl. Stir well and grind one more time so everything is evenly mixed.

Use this powder in soups, stews, gravies, etc. I use it in place of beef base, beef bouillon, and beef stock in most recipes. It adds so much flavor without adding salt!

Thanks for stopping by! Do you have a vegetable garden? Don’t forget to toss some of your harvest into the dehydrator. Do you buy extra when different fruits and vegetables are in season to can or to freeze? Pick up a few more for the dehydrator. Dried veggies are wonderful in a soup or stew and dried fruits make some amazing desserts!

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

Betty

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Versitile Vinegar

I am always amazed when I learn that a simple, ordinary, inexpensive item right under my nose can be used is some extraordinary ways. This natural wonder can wipe out tarnish, soap scum, mineral deposits, and more. With vinegar’s popularity as a cleaner on the rise, I thought I’d re-run an old post, sharing a bit of the history of vinegar and some great ways to use vinegar around your house.

What is Vinegar?

The word vinegar is derived from the Old French vin aigre, meaning “sour wine,” which is a pretty accurate description of vinegar. Centuries ago, a cask of wine was discovered that had gone past its time and became something new. That something new turned out to be a very useful acid.

According to the Vinegar Institute website, “The strength of vinegar is measured by the percent of acetic acid present in the product. All vinegar sold in the United States at the retail level should be at least 4% acidity as mandated by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA). Typical white distilled vinegar is at least 4% acidity and not more than 7%. Cider and wine vinegars are typically slightly more acidic with approximately 5-6% acidity.” All these percentages mean that vinegar is an acid that is strong enough to create an environment that inhibits the growth of mold, mildew, and some bacteria such as E. coli and salmonella, but mild enough to touch with your bare hands.
Uses
Check out all the different ways you can use vinegar in your home:

Coffeemaker: To remove mineral deposits in your automatic drip coffeemaker pour equal parts vinegar and water into the machine’s water reservoir. Brew about three cups of the solution through the coffeemaker. Turn the coffeemaker off and let stand for 30-60 minutes. Turn the machine back on to complete the cycle. Now, run the machine through two cycles with clean water.

Tea Kettle: Bring 4 cups of undiluted white vinegar to a boil in your tea kettle. Remove from heat and let sit for about an hour. Empty and rinse the kettle with clean water. Fill the kettle with clean water and bring to a boil. Let sit about 10 minutes, empty and rinse. 

Rusty Cast Iron: Grandmas favorite cast iron skillet that you rescued from the attic or awesome yard sale find is not destined for the scrap heap just because it’s covered with rust. Submerge the skillet in undiluted white vinegar overnight. The vinegar will eat away the rust! Rinse clean and season as usual. However, do not leave it longer than overnight. Once that vinegar eats away the rust, it will start working on the pan.  

Glassware: For spotless hand-washed glasses add one cup of vinegar to the rinse water. For spotless glasses in your dishwasher, forget the expensive rinsing agents. Fill your dishwasher’s rinse aid reservoir with vinegar instead.

Shower Heads: To combat mineral deposits on shower heads, pour undiluted vinegar into a plastic bag. Tie bag around the shower head, making sure the clogged holes are submerged in the vinegar. Let sit overnight. Rinse with water in the morning.

Drains: Keep drains flowing freely with ½ cup of baking soda and ½ cup of vinegar poured down the drain monthly. After pouring the baking soda and vinegar down the drain, let sit for about 15 minutes. This should give you ample time to call the kids in to oooh and aaaah over the foaming action and give a quick talk about volcanoes. Then flush with cold water. If you time this with your coffeemaker or tea kettle cleaning, you save a little vinegar.

Bathrooms: To combat soap scum, mold, and mildew on your showers, tubs, sinks, and walls, spray affected area. Let sit for fifteen minutes, then wipe clean. Reapply as needed. For an added boost, scrub area with a baking soda a water paste, then spray with the vinegar. Wipe clean after the mixture stops foaming. 

Pet odors: Neutralize pet odors on carpets and upholstery with a diluted white vinegar spray. Mix three parts water to one part vinegar and pray on affected area. Always be sure to test in an inconspicuous spot (like under the couch, behind a chair, etc.) before treating a large area.

Bug Spray: Apply undiluted vinegar to the skin with a cotton ball to deter bugs. Honest, you won’t smell like a salad for long. Once the vinegar dries, the scent disappears but the bugs will hate the way you taste.

Sunburns: My mother told me this one many, many years ago. I thought she was crazy. Now, I reach for the vinegar first when treating sunburn. Simply apply undiluted white or cider vinegar to the affected skin with a cotton ball. Reapply as necessary.

Weed killer: Spray undiluted white vinegar on weeds. It’s as simple as that. Reapply when new weeds grow. Also works on grass growing through the cracks in your sidewalk or driveway. Just don’t apply when it’s raining. The vinegar will wash away.

Fabric softener: For an inexpensive fabric softener, add ½ - 1 cup of vinegar to your washing machine during the rinse cycle. The vinegar will soften your clothes, brighten your colors, remove soap, prevent yellowing, attack mold and mildew, and reduce static cling!

Ink: Last but not least, I want share something fun you can do with vinegar. You can make ink! Grab the kids, pretend it’s Colonial Times for the day and check out these recipes from Home Science Tools.

Berry Ink. Use 1/2 cup fresh berries or thawed frozen berries; push them through a strainer so that you get pulp-free juice. Add 1/2 teaspoon of vinegar (to hold color) and 1/2 teaspoon salt (as a preservative) and mix well. You can use a glass baby food jar as your "inkwell", if you have one.

Walnut Ink. Crush the shells of 12 walnuts by putting them in a sock and hammering them lightly. Pour the shells into a saucepan and cover them with water, then let them simmer for 30 minutes. After that, remove them from heat and let them soak overnight. Strain the shells out of the ink and add 1/4 teaspoon of vinegar to help preserve the color. 

Do Not Use vinegar on marble! Even though it is a mild acid, it can pit marble. Also, do not soak metals in vinegar for long periods. The vinegar will start dissolving the metal. I once filled my canning pot with vinegar to work on the hard water ring staining the inside of the pot. I also threw in the rack. I didn’t need the pot right away so I left it sit for a couple of days. When I finally emptied it, everything looked fine, and the pot was fine. However, the vinegar dissolved the coating on the rack and it quickly turned to rust. Vinegar is a wonderful cleaner. Just use a little care and caution when using it on metal and marble.

Isn’t vinegar amazingly versatile? Personally, I really like the pickles and salsa I can make with it, and you can’t beat that $2 a gallon price tag! For more information, be sure to check out these great resources.


Vinegar Resources

Talking Dirty with the Queen of Clean, by Linda Cobb
Real Simple magazine, April 2009, realsimple.com
Vinegar Tips website, http://vinegartips.com/Scripts/
The Vinegar Institute, http://www.versatilevinegar.org/index.html

Thanks for stopping by! Yes, I use a lot of vinegar. I have seen recipes to make my own, but I’m a little leery of making vinegar. I make wine, and I’m a little concerned that something horrible will happen, and my yummy wine will turn to vinegar. I am certain that I’m over-reacting, but I really like my homemade wine!

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,
Betty

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Powdered Laundry Soap

I have been making homemade laundry soap in the liquid version for years. I had seen my fair share of clothes caked with un-dissolved powdered soap to scare me away from powders forever…or so I thought.

When I was making a batch of laundry soap, I paused a moment to read the box of washing soda. A bold splash in the corner of the box claimed that washing soda “improves liquid laundry detergent performance up to 40%.” Why does it only improve liquid laundry detergent and not powdered? Inquiring minds wanted to know!

After quite a bit of research, I learned that once the ingredients are mixed with water, the mixture starts losing its effectiveness. They work wonderfully for a washer load, but these changes take place over time while sitting in the bottle. I noticed that when I started using the second bottle, things didn’t seem to get as clean. Honestly, I thought it was just me and my bad eyes, or we were just working on messier projects.

So, I’ve changed to the powdered soap and love it even more than my liquid! The liquid was easy enough to make, but the powdered is even easier. I store mine in a plastic ice cream tub with a retired measuring spoon inside and the instructions written with a Sharpie™ on the outside. 

Powdered Laundry Soap

2 cups grated bar soap (Fels Naptha, Zote, Ivory, etc.)

1 cup washing soda

1 cup borax

Mix all ingredients together and store in an airtight container. Use 2 tablespoons for a large load of laundry. Yes, just 2 tablespoons! Also, if you start the water running into the washer first, then add the soap, then add the clothes, you don’t have to worry about un-dissolved soap caking in the creases of your clothes.

I don’t like grating the bars by hand, and I used to bribe one of the kids to do it for me. Now, I just pull out the food processor and grate six to twelve bars at a time, storing the shavings in a zipper-seal plastic bag. I also use a mixture of Zote™ and Fels Naptha™ soaps.  Why? Because if I’m buying the soap, I’m at a grocery store and buy Fels Naptha™. If my husband is buying the soap, he’s at a home improvement store, and they carry Zote™. Therefore, I end up with a mixture of bars on the shelf. I don’t think using a mixture of bar soap changes the effectiveness of the laundry soap, just the scent.

By the way, if you are not a fan of borax, just substitute washing soda for the borax. I know many people are concerned that borax is toxic. It is. In fact, it’s a great cockroach and ant eliminator. It also does the same thing in the laundry as the washing soda. Doubling up on the washing soda works just fine, too.

Last but not least, if you can’t find washing soda, you can make it in your kitchen. Holly Homemaker posted a wonderful tutorial on How to Make Washing Soda, complete with all the important science so you can make it with confidence!

Thanks for stopping by! I am out from under the mountain of laundry the kids brought home from camp, but I am also out of laundry soap! Time to throw together another batch. That should take all of about 5 minutes. Whatever will I do with the rest of my time??

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

Betty

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Menu Plan Monday 7/23

The kids have returned home from 4-H camp but would be more than happy to go back! Evidently, it was an exceptional week this year with Jared receiving the Junior Head Award and Colleen being asked to return as staff next year. Both things are pretty big honors. I’m one proud mama!

This week will be filled with garden planning, organizing my sewing room, and adding a few items to my inventory for the Saturday Market. I’ll tell you more about that in a post later this week. However, for now, I’m asking everyone to please, pray for this new market. It’s really having a rough start.

Jared mastered chicken enchiladas before he left for camp and decided that he wants to learn how to grill. Expect a lot of grilled dishes over the next few weeks!

I pray you have a blessed week with less stress because you created a menu plan!

Don’t forget to stop by Organizing Junkie for more menu ideas! If you’re looking for some new recipe resources, check out this Recipe Index Round Up.

Menu Plan for Week of 07/23/2012

Breakfast 

Fruit, granola, yogurt, smoothies.

Lunch

Lunch of the week – Salads, wraps or leftovers

Fruit of the week – Apples, oranges, cherries, nectarines  

Dinner

Monday – Homemade pizza, tossed salad

Tuesday – Roast chicken, mashed turnips, veggies, salad

Wednesday – Pulled pork, French fries, tossed salad

Thursday – Big salads, garlic bread  

Friday – Jared’s Cooking Lesson: Grilled sausage sandwiches, tossed salad

Saturday – Orange chicken with broccoli over rice, tossed salad

Sunday – Gumbo, tossed salad

                                                             

Snacks – Crackers and peanut butter, fruit, yogurt, carrot and celery sticks, or popcorn.

Thank you for stopping by!

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

Betty

Recent Observations

It’s been an interesting week around here. Ok, it’s always an interesting week in the home of a family who strives to redefine normal one day at a time. However, this week I chose to keep track of some of my more interesting observations. You might not find them as interesting as I do, but I’m posting them anyway.

If you’re riding your bike to the store and getting a gallon of milk, take the trailer. The milk crate bunge-ed to the rack will fall over…and so will the bike…with the rider attached.

Wal-mart needs a bigger bike rack.

Jo-ann Fabrics needs a bike rack.

Many drivers have forgotten how to share the road with a bicycle.

Many drivers have no idea what the rules are for a “right on red.”

Many drivers have no idea that they shouldn’t park on the sidewalk.

Riding your bike in the rain makes you feel like a target in a BB gun shooting gallery.

Wearing a large hat to protect your head and face makes the driving rain hurt less. You still get wet, but you don’t feel an overwhelming urge to take cover from falling shrapnel.

We use four times more milk when the kids are home.

Ice cream lasts three times longer when the kids are not home. So does whipped cream. And hot fudge.

I do twice as much laundry when my kids are not home than when they are. Why? Because I clean their rooms when they’re gone.

My house is messier when my kids are not home than when they are. Why? Because I clean their rooms when they’re gone.

The dog has no idea that the kids haven’t been here all week.

My dog either goes deaf or forgets her name or both when it’s time for a bath.

I don’t really miss my kids when they’re away. I love them. But I don’t miss them.

I love hanging out alone with my husband when the kids are away.

I make the oddest observations.

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Great Giveaway at Deep Roots at Home

Our water quality has really declined horribly over the last couple of months. A simple filter had always been enough to filter out any impurities and leave behind good tasting, refreshing water. Not anymore.

Our first clue, was that a glass of water left on the nightstand overnight was not drinkable in the morning. Yuck!

So, we've started researching better filters and refilling 5-gallon carboys from a water filling station in the meantime.

How timely to find this giveaway at one of my favorite blogs! Jaqueline over at Deep Roots at Home is giving away a Royal Berkey Water Filter System!

What I really love about this system is the ability to have clean drinking water without electricity!

It'll be a little while before we can afford such an expensive system, but I think it will be worth it.

Thanks for stopping by! Make sure you head on over to Deep Roots at Home to enter to win this wonderful giveaway. If you're not feeling very lucky, you could always head over to the Bulk Herb Store and purchase the system directly from them.

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,
Betty

Confessions of a Do-It-Yourselfer

Hi. My name’s Betty, and I’m a Do-It-Yourselfer.

Hi, Betty.

Now, I’m here today to tell you: it’s not my fault! I am merely a product of my parents. I grew up watching my mother sew dozens of dresses for me and clothes for my brothers. She made our Halloween costumes every year. How could I not be influenced by that? In fact, there was a sewing machine in my bedroom by the time I was 8-years-old! What, did they expect that I wouldn’t use it! I was sewing my own doll clothes by the time I was 9 and hooked. I would scrounge on the floor of my mother’s sewing room for any scraps I could make into a new Barbie fashion. Pinks, purples, plaids, paisleys, it didn’t matter. I scavenged them all. Needles, pins, thread, all mysteriously vanished and found they’re way to my secret stash. I just couldn’t get enough. I was out of control. And then, she taught me to crochet. The door to the world of DIY swung way open and I bolted through!

But it’s not all my mother’s fault. My father had a hand in this, too. He introduced me to auto-mechanics. Somehow it became his mission to keep our old junkers running long past their expiration date. Sometimes we even used real parts but more often reached for soup cans and wire clothes hangers. Either way, the results were the same: that amazing rush when you turn the key in the ignition of the biggest piece of junk on four wheels and the engine roared to life once again. I wasn’t even 14. By 16, my father had me hooked on furniture refinishing and deck building. I would spend hours in the basement, stripping some oddly painted auction find to reveal its beautiful oak heart buried beneath layers of latex.

So you see, it’s really not my fault that I’m working on a quilt made from retired clothes, or that I have homemade hand soap drying on a rack in my pantry or that my kitchen throw rugs came from old t-shirts. I am simply a result of my upbringing.

Over the years, I tried stopping hundreds of times but never lasted. Something always sent me back to my old ways. I married a carpenter. I worked for a craft company with an awesome employee discount. I joined Pinterest. My habit went from bad to worse.

Fighting my addiction to using my hands has been an uphill, struggle, fraught with peril and peer pressure. That’s right, peer pressure, too. My friends are DIY’ers. They quilt, they can, they scrapbook, they grind their own wheat, they make their own bread, they even do the laundry with homemade laundry soap. I tried to be strong. Really I did. I knew I had a tendency toward this problem, but they made it seem so easy. “Here, look at this pretty quilt I made,” she said, and my hand shook as I reached for the colorful calico. “Oh look, a scrapbooking Bible study. How cool is that,” she said. “Try some of this bread topped with homemade jam made from strawberries I grew in my backyard,” she said. I knew what they were doing. I tried to walk away, but, oh, that bread just smelled so good. I caved.

My husband doesn’t help. He’s always looking around for a project to build, like chicken coops, drying racks (for my soap and pasta), wine racks for my homemade wine, and crates for my canning jars and his homebrewed beer. In fact, he even encourages me to continue with this craziness by actually liking what I make. Is there no where I can turn?

The media and merchandisers don’t help either. Entire television networks are dedicated to do-it-yourself projects. Coupons and sales flyers show up every week in my mailbox and Sunday paper. Magazines about cool crafts, sewing, crocheting, you name it, are on the shelves everywhere, right in plain sight. Countless times I tried to shield my children from them, but it was no use.

 

My mother and mother-in-law taught my daughter how to sew, how to latch hook, how to crochet, and the worst of them all, how to quill. You can’t just un-teach that! She’s a goner.She's so far gone that she purposely went out an learned how to knit and how to refinish her hardwood floor. 

I still had hopes for my youngest, though. I thought by homeschooling him, I could protect him. And then, my husband took him to work with him. He let him use a hammer, a screwdriver, power tools. Now, when I go to the craft store to feed my own addiction, he gets lost in the wood aisle. Yesterday, he came home from the library with books on robotics and building instruments. We’re doomed.

I know I have to be strong for my family. Somehow I have to get the strength to give it all up. Ok, maybe next week. Jo-ann’s is having an awesome sale this weekend. Clearance material will be 50% off and I do need new curtains……

Thanks for stopping by and enduring my silliness today. Would you like a little more homemade strawberry jam for that hand-rolled fresh-out-of-the-oven biscuit? I'd be more than happy to share my recipe...

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

Betty

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Menu Plan Monday 7/16

The kids are at 4-H Camp this week, enjoying the great outdoors in the Ocala National Forest. I will be here at home, taking advantage of everyone’s absence by cleaning and completely re-arranging a couple of rooms…without interruption! Yay!

Although this isn’t the first time both of my kids have gone away for a week, it is the first time I realized how much fun it is to cook just for my husband. We are having a few things that I just can’t afford to make when I’m cooking for four of us. Menu planning was quite fun for this week!

I pray you have a blessed week with less stress because you created a menu plan!

Don’t forget to stop by Organizing Junkie for more menu ideas! If you’re looking for some new recipe resources, check out this Recipe Index Round Up.

Menu Plan for Week of 07/16/2012

Breakfast 

Fruit, granola, yogurt, smoothies.

Lunch

Lunch of the week – Salads, wraps or leftovers

Fruit of the week – Apples, oranges, cherries, nectarines  

Dinner

Monday – Shrimp and broccoli in a garlic sauce over angel hair pasta, tossed salad

Tuesday – Grilled salmon, rice pilaf, steamed broccoli, salad

Wednesday – Steak and cheese hoagies, French fries, tossed salad

Thursday – Big salads, garlic bread  

Friday – Homemade pizza, tossed salad

Saturday – Grilled chicken sandwiches topped with grilled pineapple and caramelized onions, tossed salad

Sunday – White chili with tortilla strips, tossed salad

                                                             

Snacks – Crackers and peanut butter, fruit, yogurt, carrot and celery sticks, or popcorn.

Thank you for stopping by!

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

Betty

On God's Sovereignty and Death

Do you believe in God’s sovereignty? You know, that soul-deep belief that God really is in control…of everything. That birds eat, flowers grow, and God knows the exact number of hairs on your head and cares about each and every one kind of acceptance that God is in charge. Yeah, I used to think I understood God’s sovereignty, too. Then a few things happened that made me question my own understanding.

If you’re a Christian, your head probably knows that God is amazing and powerful and omnipotent and omnipresent. To God goes the glory…for everything. So, what do you think about death? Do I have your attention now? I thought so.

Three things happened n the last couple of years that had me questioning my understanding of God’s sovereignty: I read the book Eat to Live, A friend’s mother passed away, and my oldest brother took his own life. Each of these events revealed something flawed in my thinking.

The book Eat to Live is an excellent book about changing your diet to improve your health. However, throughout the book, the author really emphasizes how what you eat can lengthen or shorten your life span. That got my attention. Who has control over the length of my life? Me or God?  Do I or don’t I believe the Bible? 

A person’s days are determined; you have decreed the number of his months and have set limits he cannot exceed. Job 14:5

I do believe how I eat and care for myself can change the quality of my life, but I also believe that God set the length of my life long before I was even born. As Job said, I cannot change God’s decree for me, but when a loved one dies, we often voice a lot of coulda’s, woulda’s, and shoulda’s.

About a year ago, a dear friend lost her mother. My medical knowledge is pretty limited so I’m a bit sketchy on the details. However, I do know a blood clot was involved. While going through her mother’s papers, my friend found a note on a to-do list concerning a bruise that wasn’t healing. Evidently, her doctor was out of town, and she decided to wait for him to return instead of seeing another doctor. I bet you can already see the questions forming in my friend’s mind. If her mother had seen another doctor and gotten that bruise looked at, she’d still be alive.

We all have those questions when a loved one dies. If she had seen the doctor sooner…If the ambulance could have gotten through traffic faster…If he had eaten a better diet…If she had exercised more…If we had taken him to a different hospital…but how do all of these questions line up with God’s Word? Are our days determined or not? According to Job, none of our coulda’s, woulda’s, or shoulda’s would have changed anything.

That realization may be comforting to some but a little depressing to others. Take heart. Jesus reminds us:

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. Matthew 10:29-31

“Not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care.” Nothing, not even the death of the smallest creature is outside the knowledge and will of God. I don’t always understand the will of God. Let’s face it; His ways are way higher than my very human ways! But these verses remind us that in spite of the little details we believe would have changed everything, God is in control. Remember:

The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; Psalm 24:1

I struggled a little bit with the idea that God is in control when my brother died a couple of years ago. Isn’t it odd that when both of my parents died, each of a sudden heart attack, I readily accepted their deaths as God’s will, but when my brother took his own life, I started questioning what I understood about God’s sovereignty? How does my belief that God has determined our final day of life line up with my brother’s ability to choose the day he died. In fact, how does it explain any untimely, unnatural death that results from an accident, murder, or suicide? The truth is it can’t.

Since no one knows the future, who can tell someone else what is to come? As no one has power over the wind to contain it, so no one has power over the time of their death. Ecclesiastes 8:7-8

“No one has power over the time of their death.” No seemingly untimely death happens according to man’s will. The day my brother died was the day God determined he would die…by whatever means suited God’s purpose. I suppose to some that makes God seem harsh and single-minded. Like I said, I don’t proclaim to understand God’s will. I’m just starting to realize what it means to accept God’s will.

Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails. Proverbs 19:21

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

For some, the reality that God knows the date and circumstances of every single death of every single living creature, including humans, is a little overwhelming. It’s sometimes difficult to connect our Sunday School version of God with the realities of the newspaper headlines and the heartaches in our own lives.

I’m no theologian or Bible scholar. Every once in a while, I share here on my blog some little nugget of understanding that the Lord sent my way. These verses helped me accept my brother’s death a little better. My brother had attempted suicide many times over his lifetime but survived each time. I spent a lot time asking the same question most ask when an event of this magnitude strikes: Why? And What if…? These verses helped me see God’s control over our lives, and I was able to stop asking What if…?

I may never stop asking Why?, but at least I’m more able to accept the answer, “God said so.”

Thanks for stopping by! By the way, no I do not obsess or worry about the day of my own death. Who can add a single hour to their life by worrying? Not me! Besides, I don’t worry because I know where I’m going after I die. Do you?

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

Betty

The Morris Tribe's Homesteading Blog Carnival 
The Prairie Homestead's Barn Hop
The Modest Mom's Monday Link Up 
Frugally Sustainable's Frugal Ways, Sustainable Days 
Deep Roots at Home's Encouraging One Another Link Up 
Raising Homemaker's Wednesday Link Up
We are THAT Family's Works for me Wednesday 
GNOWFGLINS Simple Lives Thursday  
Homemaker by Choice's Homemaking Link Up
Shared on Dandelion House's Farm Girl Friday  
Little House in the Suburbs 
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Far Above Rubies Domestically Divine 

Forget the Fertilizer

Many of you are surrounded right now with flourishing and maybe not-so-flourishing chemical-free vegetable gardens. Here in Florida, most of us are looking at empty garden plots as we let the land rest for summer so we can grow from the beginning of fall through to the end of spring. If you’re looking at a garden that seems to be struggling to produce a single tomato or you just ended a why-did-I-even-bother growing season, you might be tempted to forgo your homegrown organic methods and give into the enticing advertising promises of commercial fertilizers.

Don’t do it! Synthetic fertilizers might produce an amazing bounty for a season, but the long-term results are much less impressive.

Instant Gratification

Although nature has the ability to provide your plants with all the nutrients they need, it takes time to turn those nutrients into something the plant can readily use. Synthetic fertilizers usually bypass those natural cycles, and the nutrients are ready for the plants to absorb right after application. Even slow- or time-release fertilizers provide a certain amount of nutrients immediately, whereas natural fertilizers like compost and manure take time to break down.

Unfortunately this instant gratification comes at a cost. Applications of synthetic fertilizers decrease the population of the beneficial microorganisms that create a hospitable environment for your plants. Aithout these microorganisms, the soil cannot recover after the harvest. You’ve just created a seemingly never-ending cycle of fertilization.

Environmental Hazards

Here in central Florida, we battle an environmental problem called red tide, which occurs when algae blooms in the Tampa Bay. The algae bloom depletes the water of oxygen, suffocating all aquatic life. During low time, the beaches are littered with all types of dead sea creatures. At one point, algae blooms and red tide had become such a big problem that the sale of chemical fertilizers is now banned during parts of the year here.

Not only does this algae bloom cause problem in saltwater, it effects freshwater, too, and turns the air toxic. I've been at the water's edge during red tide. I am a healthy person with no history of breathing problems, and I was gasping for air.

How does an algae bloom occur? Unused nutrients from synthesized fertilizers leach through the soil into groundwater. Improperly applied fertilizers run off during rain or irrigation and wash into waterways. The excess nutrients from the fertilizer encourage rapid algae growth causing an algae bloom.

Organic Material

If your soil seems to lack nutrients, your soil might be lacking organic material. Organic material like compost, mulch, and manure allow the soil to retain moisture, prevent soil compaction, provides oxygen, and promotes a healthy environment for the microorganisms that, in return, create a healthy environment for your plants. Fertilizer might help with some nutrient needs for your plants, but it does not improve the overall health of your soil.

A Struggling Garden

If your garden is struggling, are you sure those struggles are nutrient related? Check for pests and diseases. Incorporate organic material into the soil. Have your soil tested through your local cooperative extension office. Check your soil for sand, silt, and clay. Overly sandy soil, like we have, lacks the organic matter to create and hold on to useful nutrients. Heavy clay soils retain too much water and compact too tightly for roots to spread. 

At some point, you just realize that a struggling garden cannot be saved this season. However, ending the season right can set both you and your garden up for a successful growing season...next season.

End of Season Care

If your garden is producing nicely this season, then “Yay!” for you, especially if this was your first attempt at a vegetable garden. Just remember that every piece of fruit and every vegetable you harvested was formed from nutrients that the plants pulled from the air and soil. Because we harvest those fruits and vegetables instead of letting them turn back to the soil, we’re pretty much robbing the soil of nutrients. Just like the farmer’s field that has to lie fallow for a season to recover, your garden needs a season to recover.

Improve your garden’s ability to produce a healthy and abundant crop by preparing it properly at the end of the growing season. Many of you will be harvesting the last fruits of your labors for the season in a month or so. Some of you are already looking at a wilted and dying garden. If you’re in the Deep South, you’re looking at a patch of ground overrun by grass and weeds, and you’re wondering why your veggies didn’t grow this well, and why can’t the front lawn—where you actually want the grass to grow—look this good?!

So, what do you do next? Cover that garden with a nice thick layer of compost, manure, and mulch. And I mean thick! A good 4 to 6 inches thick! Call around to local horse stables, barns, and farms. You might be surprised at just how cheap a truckload of manure is. We were quite blessed this year to find a stable that loaded our truck with manure for $10. For a total of $30, we covered our 800-square-foot garden with about 6 inches of manure! You cannot get that in a bag at any big box store!

After you spread that manure and add in the compost from your backyard compost bin, till it all into the soil. If you only have a small garden, turn it by hand with a spade or pitchfork. However, if you have a sizable garden, beg, borrow, or rent a tiller! Bribe a neighbor or friend who owns a tiller with an offer of lunch and a can of gas. Share the cost of a rental with a friend and do two gardens for the price of one.

For years, we turned our garden by hand, believing that a tiller was not only out of the budget but also not a big benefit to the garden. We were so wrong! A tiller turns the soil better and deeper than any of us ever could by hand.

Also, turning the soil can be hard work. Around here, tilling happens in 90-degree weather, unless you try to get it done in the mosquito cloud of early morning. A tiller changes the job from a several-hour back-breaking chore to a much more pleasant stroll through the garden.

Finally, tilling every couple of weeks while the garden is “resting” really annoys the nematodes in the soil! Although soil solarization—trapping the sun’s heat under plastic, baking the soil for 6 to 8 weeks—is reputed to work well on nematodes, our attempts produced little more than a pile of sun-baked brittle plastic cluttering up a local landfill. Regularly working the soil has yielded the best results.

If you’re in a cooler climate, and your garden is buried under a foot or two of snow in the winter, pile on the manure and mulch before the snow hits and let the weight of the snow do its job on your garden.

Thanks for stopping by! I hope this post convinces you to walk away from the bags of chemical fertilizers and their empty promises of abundant crops. Don’t make me tell you all the problems the manufacturing of those fertilizers cause!

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

Betty

The Morris Tribe's Homesteading Blog Carnival 
The Prairie Homestead's Barn Hop
The Modest Mom's Monday Link Up 
Frugally Sustainable's Frugal Ways, Sustainable Days 
Deep Roots at Home's Encouraging One Another Link Up 
Raising Homemaker's Wednesday Link Up
We are THAT Family's Works for me Wednesday 
GNOWFGLINS Simple Lives Thursday  
Homemaker by Choice's Homemaking Link Up
Shared on Dandelion House's Farm Girl Friday  
Little House in the Suburbs

Real Food Summit

Would you like to know more about eating and growing real food and why "real" food is such a big deal? Check out the Real Food Summit going on right now online!

Until July 16th, Underground Wellness will be posting three presentation each day that provide a wealth of information about our agricultural industry and how we can eat healthier and make a difference.

Unfortunately, each day's presentations are only available for free that day, so check back daily! It's worth it! If you register your email address, you can download Joel Salatin's Real Food Defined video for free. 

By the way, if you're wondering what all the hubbub is about GMOs, you need to go right now and listen to Jeffery Smith's presentation on GMOs, what they are and they're impact on our environment and our health,. Eye opening! Again, this video will only be available for free today! It is worth taking the 30 minutes to check it out right now!

If you're wondering what I get out of promoting Real Food Summit, I'll tell you. Nothing. Yep, nothing. Well, except the satisfaction of knowing that I've shared important information about our food supply that I think everyone needs to know. You want to know why we live the way we do, raising chickens and growing our own groceries in our backyard in the middle of a city? Watch these videos! This is why we do what we do!

Menu Plan Monday 7/9

“The work on a ranch is never done.” That goes for the urban homestead, too! Each season brings a new set of chores and jobs to do. Because our summers are so hot and humid, we don’t grow much food, but the garden still needs some attention.

Our summer gardening chores include covering the garden with a thick layer of manure, compost, and mulch, tilling it into the soil, and letting it finish composting in the hot sun.

Hubby set up a new irrigation system for the garden as well. We are always working on improving our watering to lessen our water usage. That one’s tough. Our best growing season temperature-wise is also our dry season. Unless I can put up a water tower in my backyard, we simply cannot stockpile enough rain barrels to last the season.

We’ve also planted a mango tree, a dozen pineapples, a couple of blackberry bushes, a couple of blueberry bushes, about 20 sweet potato plants, and about 40 feet of okra. Two trays of herb seedlings are taking over my kitchen, but I still haven’t planned the fall garden or started those seedlings. Wow, am I behind! However, on a more efficient note, I have my list ready for all the coming soon to a big box store near you back-to-school sales!

Anyway, my quiet summer has been anything but. The kids go to 4-H camp next week, which means this week will be spent checking camp clothing, scouring thrift stores for any items they’re lacking, and dreaming of a week of peace and quiet. I love my children, and I will miss them, but I’m smart enough to take advantage of the alone time!

I pray you have a blessed week with less stress because you created a menu plan!

Don’t forget to stop by Organizing Junkie for more menu ideas! If you’re looking for some new recipe resources, check out this Recipe Index Round Up.

Menu Plan for Week of 07/09/2012

Breakfast 

Fruit, granola, yogurt, smoothies., oatmeal, or the cereal of the week: Honey Nut Toasted Oats

Lunch

Lunch of the week – Salads, wraps or leftovers

Fruit of the week – Apples, cantaloupe, watermelon, nectarines  

Dinner

Monday – Hearty vegetable stew over garlic smashed potatoes, tossed salad

Tuesday – Roast chicken, smashed turnips, green beans, carrots, salad

Wednesday – Spaghetti, tossed salad

Thursday – Big salads, garlic bread  

Friday – Jared’s Cooking Lesson: Chicken Enchiladas Final, beans and rice, and salad

Saturday – Minestrone, tossed salad

Sunday – Buffalo chicken wraps, tossed salad

                                                             

Snacks – Crackers and peanut butter, fruit, yogurt, carrot and celery sticks, or popcorn.

Thank you for stopping by!

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

Betty