Sunday, December 25, 2016

Stressed Out

Stressed out?

When we have a lack of faith in what God can & will do, we feel it in stress.

Psalm 37:8-9 (NIV)

^"Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;
do not fret—it leads only to evil.For those who are evil will be destroyed,
but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land."

In Matthew 10:19-20 shows us the Holy Spirit helps us.

Matthew 10:19-20(NIV)

^"But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you."

With Luke 12:22-34 shows us other ways to resist to worry about what is in God's control.

Luke 12:22-34 (NIV)

Do Not Worry

^"Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?
“Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith! And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them.But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.
“Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

Philippians 4:6-7 points us to turn our worries & stress into prayers.

Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV)

^"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Also try reading:
Psalms 100, Psalm 18, Psalm 93

Psalm 23New International Version (NIV)

A psalm of David.

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
    He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
   he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
    for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk
    through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
    for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
    they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me
    in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
    my cup overflows.
Surely your goodness and love will follow me
    all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
    forever.

He leads me to still/quiet waters, what does that mean?
God's peace & rest for us to have. He brings us to it & it is up to us to choose to enter in to it. Some of us are unable to enter in to it. What do we do then? It sometimes take practice making that choice over & over again.

If what I offer here is relevant to you in any way, please consider donating. As I tend to my family (disabled hubby and homeschooled kids) I write in my free time. No knitting here but I love Taco Bell now and then and your donations help keep the spicy food coming. Every donation is appreciated!!!

Donations are not tax deductible.

Tuesday, December 20, 2016

Washing Machine

This is the wash machine that replaced my whirlpool front loader. I had the whirlpool front loader for about 5 years before it stop working completely. There were lots of problems with it along the way. It started out great! I did enjoy the washer. But it did have it's moments of the water pump not wanting to drain the water for one reason or the other. That was very much a pain. Since we have gotten this Electrolux Washer, I do not have any problems. I have owned it for about 6 months now. I have used it on all types of laundry & dirt. No problems with it. It runs like a champ!!! Very quiet!

There is a light on the inside of the washer. Very nice to have. I don't miss any clothing items when removing it to the dryer. The washer machine is very powerful on the spin cycle. The clothes come out near dry, so I don't need to run the dryer as much.

I still have the whirlpool dryer for now. That is still running. Both washer & dryer are stackable. When you are living in a small space that is a winner feature!! The Electrolux washer was taller than the Whirlpool washer which made the dryer an inch or two taller. That was nice too.

The settings on the Electrolux washer stumped me. I never had so many choices to do laundry with. Then I tried out all the settings. I was impressed with them. I do enjoy the sanitizing setting for the towels. It makes the towels soft again. Something with that cycle works on return the towels back to the soft thick brand new towels.

I do use my homemade laundry soap. You can look through House Stuff posts to get the recipe for that. I do enjoy washing clothes with the Electrolux washer.

Donations are not tax deductible.

Sunday, December 18, 2016

Rejected

Do you feel rejected or unwanted?

When we are carrying around the feeling of rejection or unwanted it can be a gaping hole in us. Nothing we do, people say, eat, or amount of people we surround us with will fill the hole.

What do we do then?

First you would want to see where the feeling is coming from. While you are doing that, The Sapphire Leadership Group, Inc. has free audio that will help build up the inner you, here is a link: http://theslg.com/content/148-free-cd-album-downloads-category. Listen to Baby Blessings: Names of God; Blessing Your Spirit: Beloved Son; Blessing Your Spirit: Precious Daughter;Blessing Your Spirit: Friend. If you can put the on in the back ground while you go through your day or while you are sleeping. The volume does not have to be loud. It may take sometime to build the inner you up.

Donations are not tax deductible.

Tuesday, December 13, 2016

Taco Night!!

Taco Night at our house is the most favorite happiest time. We try to have it once to twice sometimes more a week.   We make our own beans, rice & meat. When we do, we make a lot so we can reheat & have a fast meal.

We use hard shells & soft burrito shells. Some of us like the crunch & some like the soft. Sometimes someone will do both!

For the meat, we use 1 pound of ground beef to 2 pounds of ground turkey with our own taco seasoning.   Some folks might be wanting to walk away at this point about the turkey.   You can't even taste the different.   Subbing the turkey meat cut cost big time.   Could drop the beef all the way but beef is not all bad. I got growing men here & they need whats in the beef to be health strong men.

The beans, we make a couple different ways it depends on what we have on hand when we make it. We have ground our own dry beans.   That takes time a lot of time to get it very powdery.   Less chunks the better.   Then we would add the hot water & seasoning. Plus we add onions & cheese to it. YUMMY!!!! If we have refried beans in the can we add seasoning, onions & cheese. Then there is the dry mix of refried beans you can buy. That seems to be the favorite. We still add onions & cheese & seasoning. We add all the other stuff to make the beans taste better. Let's be honest, beans taste like dirt by themselves.

The rice we have different ways to make that too! Just like the beans depends on what we got when it is time to make them.   We have used plain white rice then added whatever we wanted to make it our version of Mexican Rice, which equals cheese & spicy!! We will use yellow rice package stuff. That is our favorite. We still add stuff to it!! Then there is the can mexican rice. Its good but not as good as the yellow packaged stuff.

You can top your tacos with whatever yummy stuff you like. We use mild sauce brand from Taco Bell. We have tried different companies, not as good. We could make our own version. May be at another time. We also use, which is hard to find in the stores Taco Bell Bold & Creamy Chipolata Sauce. That is yummy!!!

You have noticed I did not give the full recipe to anything. Did that on purpose. Some family secrets need to be kept. May be at a later date I share some of the recipes. Would need to do a family meeting for that. Keep checking back for updates on Taco Night Recipes!!

Donations are not tax deductible.

Sunday, December 11, 2016

Overwhelmed

Feeling overwhelmed?

It's very easy to get overwhelmed when we pulled our sight off of God & onto everything that comes at us & what we are dealing with.

Don't worry about details beyond your control, Genesis 7:16 (NIV)
^"The animals going in were male and female of every living thing, as God had commanded Noah. Then the Lord shut him in."

What cause us to forfeit peace with God, Genesis 21:7( NIV).And she added, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.”

When you are feeling overwhelmed what do you have your eyes on? Is it on the waves that are crashing down on you or on the One who can pull you up out of the waves? Once our eyes are on the waves that keep pulling & pushing us down, it may not be easy to adjust our eyes off of them. With help we can look above & start to walk out a different view.

Donations are not tax deductible.

Tuesday, December 6, 2016

House Cleaning

I make my own household cleaner.   I have tried all the different cleaning products out there. Nothing compares to making my own.   My life is busy, I need things simple. Making my own laundry soap & household cleaners is worth it & simple.   Besides cheap!!!!

You will need: White distilled Vinager, Baking Soda, 1 pint glass jar, one 24 oz spray bottle, fresh orange peels, funnel & a strainer.

For your everyday cleaning of the counter tops, sinks, stove top, cabinets, refrigerate, walls, spot clean on floor, bathroom sink, showers, bath tubs, outside of toilet, mirrors, windows & trash cans.

Take one 16 oz mason jar fill with orange peels. Then top off with vinegar. Let sit in a dark place for at least 2 weeks & shake it everyday. If you can let it sit long great!! After sitting for at least 2 weeks, pour vinegar out through a strainer. I use a 2 cup measuring cup to hold strainer vinegar. Now you can pour that vinegar into the spray bottle.   May want to use a funnel. Then top off with Distilled vinegar. Shake & start cleaning!!!!

For a degreaser & harder to clean spots, add baking soda to the dirty area, spray the orange cleaner & scrub a little. Repeat if you need to.    After using the baking soda, you may want to follow up with more vinegar cleaner. It will help remove the chalky residue.

For toilet & floor cleaner, I use 1 cup baking soda to 1 cup vinegar in a bucket of warm water.

When I started making the cleaner, we all noticed the non chemical smell, our eyes, nose & lungs felt better. Plus you don't ever have to worry about chemicals near your food.

Since we started cleaning with the cleaner, we also noticed less ants & to no ants on the counter in the summer. Our very used older stove looked brand new after using the orange cleaner & baking soda on it. It removes soap scum from the bathroom.

Donations are not tax deductible.

Sunday, December 4, 2016

Any Health Problems

Our health is very important. Staying healthy can be hard if we have a family history of sickness & disease. There are steps to stop the flow of family history of sickness & diseases. It's more than eating right, getting plenty of rest & exercise. Those 3 steps are key players. We can do more to have better if not great health.

You may feel that you have been ill for so long, you have no idea what healthy would even look like. If you gave up on health & came in agreement with sickness, disease & death but want out of that agreement there is a way.

Some might feel that they are not worthy of health. Their life choices have locked them in to sickness & disease. That could not be so far from the truth. Jesus did not come for everyone else & skip you.

Donations are not tax deductible.

Tuesday, November 29, 2016

Cars

Here are some of the items I use in my own car that help make my life easier.   I use the sunscreen in the front window to block out the sun.   Yes!! That is Star Wars.   Your choice to pick whatever picture you want on it or no picture.   It helps keep the steering wheel from becoming a wheel of fire, the leather seats from burning the skin off of us & the car a bit cooler in the summer.

For all my night driving in all kinds of weather, I prefer to use the Sylvania Silver Star Ultra. They shine light on the road & on to the shoulder of the road. I'm able to see clearly anything in the road & on the side of the road.   It lights up the down the road too!! No matter the type of night or weather I'm able to see clearly.

The wipers I use to keep the window clear are Rain-X.   These hold up to the rain & winter snow.   They do not squeak.   No matter what the weather my windows are clear. They are also easy to put on.   Some wiper brands have not been so easy. I'm not going to drop their name or give them a bad report. Their brand just did not work for me. Rain-X is user friendly.   User friendly stuff goes a long way for me.

The washer fluid I use in the car to remove any unwanted bud marks or slop from other cars is Rain-X De-Icer. We use that year round. Yes! Even in the summer. It gets the nasty bug marks off the window.

Here are some products that make my driving time more enjoyable.   These can make for easy Christmas gifts!!

Donations are not tax deductible.

Sunday, November 27, 2016

Relationships Strained

How do you connect with people?

Relationships that are strained are hard to live with. Things that might cause the strain may not be the other person. Strains can be triggers in us that the other person might hit & set off. Then we react to what we are feeling & not react to what is really happening.

Other things that can put a strain on relationships are not having clear boundaries, wounds from past relationships, word vows (that will never happen to me again), being in unhealthy relationships, ungodly soul ties, the list can go on & on.

What do we do?

If we are willing to face ourselves & any pain inside of ourselves we can change strained relationships into health relationships that are life giving. It can take some time & not all relationships can be turned around. Relationships are a two way street & both people must be willing to change.

Donations are not tax deductible.

Tuesday, November 22, 2016

Flashlight

The Stanley FL5W10 Waterproof LED Rechargeable Spotlight is very light weight & bright. The charge lasts. My oldest got one for Christmas one year & I liked it so much I had to get one. If you hunt, fish, walk at night, have it in your car, or use it for when the power goes out, this flashlight is worth every penny you spend on it.

The flashlight beam lights the path before you. You will have clear view of where you are walking at night. It will float if you drop it in the water. You have a chance to retrieve it. I have dropped it & it has survived the drop.

Another flashlight that we use & keep in the car. It has 3 legs that make it stand with a rotating head.

Stanley 95-111 Mini Tripod LED Flashlight

This helps free up your hands when having to work on the car or any other projects around the house. This is a great stocking stuffier.

Donations are not tax deductible.

Sunday, November 20, 2016

Something Blocking You?

Have any goals in life & having problems reaching them?

Is there something always blocking you? Do you feel like you keep hitting the ceiling & can not get pass it, no matter what you try or do?

Sometimes there can be something holding us back or blocking us that we had no idea that could. It could be something in our own thinking or something else?

When we know there is something we need to be doing but are unable to move forward to do it, can be very frustrating. The blocks can be caused by our own thinking, word vows from the past, principles of life not being applied or something else.

Donations are not tax deductible.

Tuesday, November 15, 2016

Laundry

1 bar of Fels Napa Bar soap grated
1 cup of Borax
1cup of Super Wash Soda
1 cup of Oxi Clean

I also use a Black & Decker Food Processor to grate & mix the soaps.

To mix & grate the bar soap. Put one cup of one of the powered soap in the food processor before grating the bar soap. It will make mixing easier. Mix well before adding the other 2 cups of dry ingredients. Once everything is mixed, store into a container.

When removing the lid to the food processor, be careful of the dust. Do not inhale the dust.

I have HE washer & use only one tbsp for a heavy load. I use less for smaller loads.

For the fabric softener, I use Distilled Vinegar & Essential Oils Tea Tree Oil & Lavender about 20 drops in 32 oz of vinegar. If you are using Tea Tree separate from the Lavender only put 10 drops from each.

I use Tea Tree Oil to keep bugs away in the summer. You can use whatever scent of oil you like.

Donations are not tax deductible.

Sunday, November 13, 2016

Unwanted Patterns

Noticed any patterns in your life you want to stop?

Some of the patterns could have been passed down from generation to generation.   Or you started our own. It could be how you think to the food choices you pick. Sometimes it takes fresh eyes to help see where the pattern might have started or the steps of the pattern.

Start by looking at what you want to change. Write it down, this helps to stay focus on one thing at a time.   Then keep your eyes open during your day to see what might trigger the pattern to start, write that down.   Jot notes down what happens during the pattern.   How do you feel during it, will be good to write down also. Look over what you wrote down to see if you notice the pattern anywhere else in your life or your family life. Information is powerful when you are looking to change your life.   Contact me, I can help.

Donations are not tax deductible.

Tuesday, November 8, 2016

Coffee

Coffee is a must for my mornings.   I have not always been a coffee drinker.   In my younger years I would go to a coffee shop & have a cup of coffee while I visited with friends.   Then I got married & it was once in a while with dessert.   Had my first child & still was only when I was up all night with him.   My coffee maker & grinder would last forever. Since I would rarely was used it.

As the family grew to 2 kids, coffee was a must. I started to wear out coffee makers & grinders left & right.   I have tried all different types & brands along the way.   All of the coffee makers made coffee & the grinders all ground the beans.   I did not favor one over the other until we lost power in a storm & no way to make coffee. I'm sure my hubby thought of some way to make coffee for me. But there had to be an easier way.

When visiting one of our friends house they had a coffee press. No power need to make coffee!!! Let all rejoicing begin!!!!!!!    Over the years I tried different brands of coffee presses all worked just fine. I'm using right now the Hamilton Beach Grinder, Travel Coffee Press (when I have the need to travel) & Coffee Press.

Now all I need is hot water. No problem, that is the easy part.   I use for my everyday use is a electric tea kettle. In about 3 minutes I have hot water.

I'm not going to get in to the brand of coffee or even the creamer I use. Everyone has their own likes & dislikes.   I will say my coffee is the reason I roll out of bed in the morning.

Donations are not tax deductible.

Sunday, November 6, 2016

Who are You in Christ?

Do you know who you are in Christ?

Do you know the treasures that are in you? Sometimes it can be buried under stuff that we picked up through life. Contact me, I got shovels to help dig.

These books are helpful: for guys Wild At Heart by John Eldredge; for girls Becoming Myself:Embracing God's Dream of You by Stasi Eldredge

How do you know the design God gave you? What is driving you deep down?   The stuff God put in us from when we were being created in our mother's womb is part of our design, the treasures that lay deep within us.

As we grow through are childhood into being adults, the treasures get unpacked & built up. Sometimes the treasures don't even get unpacked to be built up or only part way. Then what do we do?

We can go to God & ask Him to send people to us to help us. We need help sometimes from people & sometimes only from God.   Here's a small prayer that might help you.......God please send Your people to surround me who are safe & trust worthy that will help build me up & help me unpack the treasures You put in me. Lord help me to be open to receive the help. In Jesus name, Amen.


Donations are not tax deductible.

Tuesday, November 1, 2016

Health

What do I do to stay healthy?

Beside the eat healthy, plenty sleep & water, exercise, washing your hands & not doing anything that would cause your body to get run down.   There are other things I do to help my body stay healthy. I will be sharing links to stuff that I use, hope you find it helpful.

I drink elderberry tea.   This tea helps my body fight any germs that may try to make me sick. Besides the delicious flavor & it is approved by my kids (they prefer it with raw honey), I have not come down with anything since last winter. Before I started drinking Elderberry tea, each time I went to Grand Rapids with my husband (for TBI appointments), we would come back sick. Since we started drinking the tea days before the appointment, day of the appointment & then a few days after. No head colds, no sore throats, no flu, nothing!!

I wear Skecher's Air Relaxed Fit shoe, makes me want to walk. Remember the exercise part, yeah, not my favorite thing to do. But walking in these shoes helps motivate me to walk. The memory foam on the inside forms to your foot like a hug. Then the added air bags on the bottom of the shoes is like walking on clouds. My feet, legs, hips & back do not get sore. I my best walking through the woods & dirt roads but on the rare times I need to hit the stores to walk there, I know my feet are covered in these. Then in the winter for exercise I help the men here chop wood & move the snow.

I use the Contigo Water bottle for my water. It keeps it cold for a long time. I can even put ice cubes in it!! The opening opens up bigger to fit ice cubes in.   When I'm in the car, it fits in the cup holders or the side pocket on the door. It's rare that you see me without it!

We use Organic Sambucus Lozenges if we get a scratchy throat. It taste great!! It has the Elderberry goodness in the lozengers plus zinc & vitamin C.

Donations are not tax deductible.

Sunday, October 30, 2016

Ungodly Vows

Ungodly vows or word curses over us can block us from daily goals/ life goals/even from God. We can come under them from us speaking or thinking it is truth.

When ungodly vows are made we can enter into curses on us & generations to come. Ungodly vows can be pass down from past generations.

Sorting out what is in line with God & what He has for us is not as hard as we might think.   It is easier with help & fresh eyes.   It goes along with when your in the middle of it, you are unable to see clearly but someone from the outside looking in can be helpful.

An example of an ungodly vow is, "I can't do anything right." That is far from truth.   We can make small vows/word curses that have an impact on our lives.   It can be freeing to remove them from our lives.

Taking control of our thoughts is a step to line us with truth. If our thoughts are free to run with whatever pops into our head without questioning where it comes from & is the thought lined up with truth makes a difference.

With ungodly vows & ungodly thoughts removed from us & truth is in us, we can then move forward in our lives in areas we were locked down before. Some have even said," It was like a weight was removed from their shoulders."

Donations are not tax deductible.

Tuesday, October 25, 2016

Printer

The printer I use at home, I love this printer. It is user friendly. Load paper in the front, scans, faxes, copies & is wireless!! Each color has it's own ink cartridges, so if you only use the black ink only replace that one. It is smaller in size but with lots of power. I have tried other printers in the past. None of the other printers I feel measure up to the HP printer.

Donations are not tax deductible.

Sunday, October 23, 2016

Bitterness & Unforgiveness

Are you carrying bitterness & unforgiveness?

Ephesians 4:31 NIV
^"Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice."

Bitterness & unforgiveness can eat us alive. Forgiveness is not for the person you are upset with or mad at. It's for you to walk in & live peaceful. Forgiveness is not letting the person who caused you pain the free pass to cause you more pain in the future. Each person is accountable for their actions & words.

Colossians 3:13 [Full Chapter] NIV

"Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you."

Bitterness & unforgiveness can cause our filter of information coming in & going out to be tainted. Once we clean out the bitterness & forgive, we will have a new view on how we filter information. Then other people interactions with us will be completely different. The new filter will be like new eyes.

Keeping our heart pure from bitterness & unforgiveness helps keep our relationship circuits running in our heads. With the relationship circuits running, we can communicate better with each other.

Saturday, October 22, 2016

Edge Of A Storm

Do you feel like you are on the verge of the next storm of your life? May be you are already in it. Are you done living your life from storm to storm? There is hope & help, contact me.

Sometimes it's hard to hold our heads above water when waves of life keep hitting. Sometimes we need someone to come along side of us to help hold us up while we are pushing forward. With help you can soar above the storm & deal with the waves of life.

If we are focused on the waves & the storm, that is all we see & it consumes us. Changing our view & focus can help. Not easy at times but it can be done. Having someone by your side, in your corner, can help in those hard times.

Having our gaze on what truly matters helps us through the storms & pulls us up from the waves.

What do you have your gaze on?

There are many things we can lock our sight on but where is it taking us? Are you walking in the peace that you want?

How do we even get to the peace we want? Setting the goal of wanting to walk in peace is the first step. Next is to practice on keeping the gaze locked. It may be only for an hour, but the next time you can try for longer. It may be helpful to be able to talk with someone while doing it. Having people that are uplifting in your corner will help. Also be forgiving to yourself if you stumble in this. Beating yourself up for not nailing it will just add to the waves.