Dec. 27, 2009 - What do you call the time between Christmas and New Years?

Well, Christmas is over, I wish it wasn't. Its so fun, everybody is so happy and friendly around Christmas. Not that some people aren't nice all the time, its just that more people are all smiley.

But that's beside the point. I was going to talk about Planning for New Years, and Getting my Permit (Hopefully soon to be my LICENSE)  Well, we have virtually no idea who's house we're going to have New Years at....why is it called New YEARS? Its only ONE new year. Not several.....Rabbit trail.....anyway. We have this thing with part of my family, where we rarely decide who's house we're going to have the party at BEFOR the party is actually supposed to happen. We do it almost every year. I ask my parents "Have you talked to them about where we're having Christmas?"  "Do you know if Thanksgiving is at Aunt Suzy's this year?"  Then they get mad at me for pestering them (Which is perfectly reasonable I guess....doesn't mean I like it). But I digress.

Am I boring you yet?  Have your eyes started to drift shut of their own will? Are you getting that empty feeling in your mind? I though you might be.  Okay, I can take a hint. I'll talk about something a bit more interesting.....Oh, wait one more thing about New Years. I think it would be cool if you were worn in 2000. When its 2001, you're 1. 2002, you're 2.....Etc

Okay okay, I'm done with that topic, really I am....seriously......


Well, Nathan (12 year old brother) has BB practice tomorrow, Matthew has it the day after that, and Sarah the day after that! Oh, and my Uncle is visiting! He's staying with my aunt and uncle. We're probably going to get together with them and do some fun stuff this week....Here's hoping.


I'm tired, its not really that late, but I haven't had a reasonable nights sleep in......awhile, so I'm going to go ahead and finish up here.  Hope all my little rants and random thoughts didn't bore you too much!


Have a Happy, safe New Year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

• Post A Report!!!!

Saturday, December 26, 2009 - How to Help a Messy Sibling

First. Before we go any farther, let me make something clear. This is not a degrading post on my sister. She is a dear, sweet girl. She loves to come up to me and give me lots of hugs and kisses throughout the day. She loves spending time with people and doing things with them. She has very beautiful eyes and a sweet smile. And she is very musically talented. While it is true that she is a bit unorganized, she has many other sweet qualities.

However...

My sister Emily is quite messy. A trail follows her through the house, and, left to herself, her room would be a disaster. In fact, I have proof of this for you. This is a picture of my sister's bed when she was three years old (she slept on the floor every night, hee hee):

And this is what her room looked like last week, at six years old now:

She and I spent a while cleaning and organizing this wreck. Because... she was moving into my room! And there was no way we were going to move all that stuff into my room and dump it on my floor. She moved in the next day (Elisabeth moved in with Amy). And ever since then, the room has stayed nice and clean! True, I have not allowed a day to go by without getting any mess be straightened out, but that is the point of this post. I would like to share some things I have learned about helping a messy little sibling keep his/her room clean.

First of all, be kind. Emily does not want to listen to me if I am yelling at her and telling her to "pick this up, now pick that up! Come on Emily, move faster!" No, I have to do it gently and kindly, with a smile in my voice (and on my face, too!).

Secondly, work with your sibling. Don't be a slave driver. I help Emily clean. Perhaps she will put her clothes away while I make her bed, or vise-versa. True, she was the one who made the mess, so it is not my responsibility to clean it up for her. But in a family, we have to work together. And it really is a lot more encouraging to have someone working with you, not just telling you what to do.

Thank and praise your sibling when he or she finishes. Give a hug. Emily loves hugs.

Don't say things like "You are such a mess." "Come on, I have other things to do today than watch you clean." "Won't you ever learn to be neat and tidy?"

Do say things like "Good job!" "Isn't this a lot better?" "You're a good worker." "I love you."

Remember to work with them daily otherwise the task will become gargantuan, discouraging both you and your sibling. And your parents. I also just realized something yesterday. I need to train her to recognize the mess, and then clean it up on her own without me telling her what needs to be done. It will take a little longer, maybe, but I will have to stick with it until she can clean her room quickly and effeciently. Better yet, I'm hoping eventually she'll just keep it clean, and then we won't have to keep cleaning it again every day!

• Post A Report!!!!

Saturday, December 26, 2009 - Pillowcase

Yesterday I got out my rotary cutter, my mat, my square ruler, and a bunch of fabric scraps. The plan was to make a doll quilt. I didn't know what I'd do with it, but I wanted to make something... Soon I had a nice stack  of 3 inch squares. Some were old nighty fabrics, some from jackets mom had made, left overs from dresses we had made and a few more.

I arranged them into strips and sewed them together. Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures... Then I decided that it was a little too small so I took some left over fabric from a dress we had made for Emily and cut out a border. I Alison what I had done so far and she said, "You should make that a pillowcase!" I did need a new pillowcase and I thought it would be a cute one so I decided that there would be no doll blanket after all. After asking mom what she thought, we decided that it would be best to sew it on to the top of a pillowcase we already had. After ripping out the seams in the pillowcase and sewing and sewing and doing more sewing, we had this:

Mom gave me a green pillowcase we had sitting around (we bought it because we needed the sheet to back a quilt) to sew it onto. I asked her if I could have the other pillowcase in the set too so my pillows would match and she said yes. It's too bad that the other sheet in the set is too big for my bed... I might attempt to make it fit anyway... :-) This is my favorite square on it. The fabric was a leftover from this year's summer nighty.

The only problem is that I have two more pillows that don't match... My next project is... Well, I haven't decided but I'm hoping I'll find something soon.

• Post A Report!!!!

Dec. 25, 2009 - White Christmas

For all of you that are just DREAMING of a white Christmas...

This morning, heading out to the barn.  It's hard to say how much snow we have now with some blowing & drifting.  Some places only show 12"....

And other places, like our front yard, measure 15 - 20".  At any rate...it's still snowing!

We'll be here all day - why don't you stop in for a sledding party and some leftovers.

• Post A Report!!!!

Dec. 24, 2009 - No Homeschooling, No Christmas for the Johansson Family

As you celebrate Christmas this year, please remember all the parents who are still fighting for their right to homeschool, and for parents who have had their children taken from them by force without just cause because they homeschooled their children--like the Johansson family of Sweden. This Christmas we can rest easy knowing that the gifts that we bought for our children will help further their education or offer a new way for your family to have fun together. The Johanssons have been denied Christmas with their only child, and so much more. 

Tia Linschied
Senior Editor of HSB

• Post A Report!!!!

Dec. 22, 2009 - It's The Most Wonderful Time of The Year?

Here are some little known (or maybe unknown) facts that are not paid much attention to (I didn't just write this up on my own - I was looking on the internet and such, I can't not take all the credit on having these ideas ).

How Christmas got started:  It did not start out with Jesus being born in the manger or Santa Claus giving gifts.  It was actually a pagan holiday of worshiping the sun!

Gift Giving:  We may say we're following what the wise men did or after God's Gift to us - but we're giving them to each other - not to Jesus.


The Christmas Tree: Jeremiah 10:2-5 "Thus saith the Lord, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them.  For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe.  They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not.  They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not: they must not go.  Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good."  I also read that the wreath was used to decorate the buildings for worship.

 

Then, I and most people just think that they're making it into a Christian holiday now, so it's ok.  But check out a few more verses..  Matthew 15:9 "In vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men."  Mark 7:9 "Full well lye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.


The Candy Cane Legend


Look at the Candy Cane
What do you see?
Stripes that are red
Like the blood shed for me
White is for my Savior
Who's sinless and pure!
"J" is for Jesus, My Lord, that's for sure!
Turn it around
And a staff you will see
Jesus my shepherd
Was born for Me!

(Finally, something Christmas started as Christian!!) 

Well, with all that startling news (and only two days until Christmas ), how shall we end this?  Well, I read something in a magazine that was talking on the same thing, that I sort of liked.  It went something like this...  If you feel that you should not do Christmas, then don't.  But don't treat badly the ones that do.

Well, have a very Merry Christmas!!  We're planning to have family over at our house both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, but there is also supposed to be a big snow storm starting tomorrow night, I sure hope that doesn't affect to many things!!! 

God Bless, Amber 

• Post A Report!!!!

Dec. 21, 2009 - What should I post about?

Hi Everyone!

Sorry, I haven't posted much!  Any ideas on what to post about???

I do have some pictures of Elsa but aren't loaded onto the computer yet.

What are you all doing for Christmas?  On Christmas Eve we will have my da's family over, wich is only my Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt, Uncle, cousin and Uncle. :)  We'll see how much snow we get though, Hopefully not Enough to cancel it!!  And on Christmas Day our Grandma will come over!  FUN!

Maybe I will do this tag from Naenut!!

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Both, but mostly wrappign paper. 

2. Real tree or Artificial? Artificial 

3. When do you put up the tree?  Dec. 2nd :p  Dec. 1st is my dad's b-day

4. When do you take the tree down? After christmas :P  I don't know!

5. Do you like eggnog? Never had it.

6. Favorite gift received as a child?  Hmm..probably a talking grill.  But it wasn't working so we retured it and didn'tget another one, I was SO SAD!  I think I got a talking stove or something too!! (but we returned it too. :(  )

7. Hardest person to buy for? Probably dad, or mom

8. Easiest person to buy for? Sister, Amber 

9. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes!

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail!! But a few by e - mail

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Umm.. I didn't get any 'bad' gifts!  LOL

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? Charlie Brown Christmas?  IDK!  LOL

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? No

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Umm, IDK

16. Lights on the tree? Of course!!!

17. Favorite Christmas song? Mary Did you know? Or, O Holy Night

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Stay at home usually Or just liek 30 min, away and On Christmas day usually 1 hr. away, But this year, stay home!! YAY!

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeers? no

20. Angel on treetop or star? Star

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Both :)  Ones from parents on Christmas Eve.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? Idk

23. Favorite ornament theme or color? None

24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? You just asked what my fav. thing to eat on Christmas was and I said IDK, I still say that. LOL

25. What do you want for Christmas this year? Hmmm...IDK

26. Who is most likely to respond to this? I don't know! 

27. Who is least likely to respond to this? I don't know!

You can do this if you want, If you do, please tell me!!

Love,

Anna

• Post A Report!!!!

Dec. 21, 2009 - The Simple Woman's Daybook - Monday, December 21st, 2009

For Today, Monday,  December 21st, 2009
Winter begins at 11:47 a.m. today

Outside My Window... took Elsa out at around 5:00 a.m. and all was dark & peaceful.  I love the quiet of country living.  It's a relatively warm 19 degrees with no wind, looking for highs in the mid-20's this week and snow Wednesday through Friday.  Today's normal hi/low is 25/9.

I'm thinking... grateful that Elsa is laying down, giving me a little time on the computer.         

From the learning rooms....school is out for the year.  Yeah!    

I am thankful for...renewed heath and a good night's sleep.     

From the kitchen...
M - Chicken on the grill
T - Amber's Choice
W - Spaghetti
TH - Christmas Eve at our house with all the traditional foods - feeding 10
F - Christmas Day at our house - mom is coming - more of the same
S - More leftovers, yum!
S - Soup 

I am wearing... jammies yet, sports socks, hair is long.  

I am reading... Thru the Bible Each Year...
This week: OT: Micah - Haggai; NT: Revelation, KJB
also, more about pet nutrition
     
I am hoping... for a productive day.  

I am creating... memories for my girls.

I am hearing... Elsa chewing on her raw meaty bone (will post more about that later).
   
Around the house & barn... baking & cleaning, cleaning & baking.        

One of my favorite things... a happy, peaceful home
  
I am going... to the store today to pick up all the food-stuff I need for Christmas.
   
A few plans for the rest of the week (besides school)...
M - Laundry & iron, Clean basement & barn & oven, bake cookies  
T - More Ironing (I'm way behind), Clean top floor & shampoo bedroom carpets, bake cookies
W - More Ironing, Clean main floor & shampoo carpet, bake cookies
TH - Cooking, feasting, enjoying family
F - More feasting, enjoying family    
S - Resting & Family Time
 S - Church & Family Time 
 
A picture thought I am sharing with you...

 Anna sledding down our hill yesterday (photo taken from our familyroom).

That's all for today!
Thanks for stopping!  Have a Blessed Week!
 Much thanks to our hostess Peggy for the Simple Woman's Daybook

• Post A Report!!!!

Dec. 26, 2009 - Bringing Up Puppy - Naturally (Part 2)

Elsa enjoying her raw meaty bone.

Okay, in a recent post we established that kibble (dry commercial pet food) or most all commercial pet foods, wet or dry for that matter, is made up of the 4 D's (dead, diseased, disabled, and dying animals) and other contaminates and that this so-advertised "nutritious" food is a major contributing factor in the illness and shortened lifespan of our beloved companion animals.  So then, what should we feed our fur babies to help ensure more years to their life and more life in their years? 

The answer is as old as the first canines & felines themselves...naturally!  Commercial pet foods have only been in grocery stores since the 1950's, so what did the poor dears eat before then?  Ask grandma & grandpa; it was...table scraps and whatever they hunted on their own of course.  There was no such thing as buying dog or cat food and they didn't have to have all the vet visits they do now either.  Bowser did just fine, and he didn't have to eat the same ole crunchy kibble day in and day out -- how boring!  Oh, btw, with the exception of table scraps, their meals were RAW too, there has yet to be found an undomesticated cooking it's meal before it ate it.  God specially designed our furry friends to be able to process all that gross stuff without incuring the harmful effects - amazing!

So, here's where it gets a little tricky.  One can read 10 different sources on the subject, and get 10 different answers as to exactly what to feed our dogs & cats.  Some say cooked, some raw, some say a combination, some say grains included, some say no grains, dairy, no dairy...AUGH, the differences are endless.  So I'm no expert, and obviously not all these people are either, but the one thing they all agree on is NO KIBBLE.  After that, it's whatever you are comfortable with.  Just feeding your pet homemade food puts you way ahead of the game.

Personally, I bought our puppy a bag of "super high quality" kibble to start since all the puppies were being fed kibble at the breeder's and I needed a bit more time to learn about what to feed our puppy before we switched to an all natural diet.  I bought Nutri Source Large Breed Puppy food.  It was a 30 lbs. bag that lasted me exactly 6 weeks and 1 day for our giant breed puppy (the last of it is in her dish right now) and that's with ocassionally feeding our puppy real raw meaty bones & other people food from time to time.  The bag cost me a whopping $50.00!  It is recommended that if you do choose to continue with kibble, get the highest quality you can afford.  Read the ingredients!  Never should you read the word "bi-products" as some of the first ingredients listed.  Your bi-products or meal is your 4-D poison mentioned above.  Yet, I have to say, that in reading the ingredients on my expensive kibble package, they only list just over 50% of the nutrient breakdown, such as 26.0% crude protein, 14.0% crude fat, etc., so that brings me to the question of what's the other 40+ % that's not mentioned?  Filler of some kind I guess.  Although chicken is the first ingredient listed, it looks like it has a lot of grain.  Pretty pricy grain if you ask me.

So I guess my two biggest issues when considering feeding our dog homemade food with raw meat was: (1) the grossness factor & wouldn't my dog get sick on raw meat...you know, E. coli and all, and (2) sounds way too expensive for me.  Well, after now going through a bag of raw bone marrow and other raw fruits & veggies around the house, yes, it's gross compared to the neat little kibble, but really not as bad as my weak stomach imagined.  Being we have a big puppy, I have to choose my battles when it comes to a "clean" house.  She doesn't slobber, but she laps up her water and then leaves her bowl dripping all the way, so feeding time is just another one of those compromises.  I usually put down a big OLD towel on our tile floor and that is her "Place" where she is allowed to eat her bone.  (A good command to teach dogs is "Place" -- some place you designate they must go when you say the command "Place" and that they must stay until you say they can come).  Even at 3 months old, she is doing pretty good at staying in one place with her bones.  And as I mentioned before, dogs & cats are designed by God to be able to eat raw without ill effects.  In fact, studies have shown that dogs and cats are MUCH healthier if they do eat raw rather than cooked meat and bones.  Some benefits of raw is that it can eliminate problems such as doggy odor; bad breath; tartar on teeth; eye discharge; excess wax in ears; fleas & worms; and even cancers plus it builds a strong immune system.  And oh yes, never cook your bones...uncooked are much more pliable and less likely to splinter and choke the animal.   Things like neck bones are perfect, but if you are worried, use a meat grinder and grind the bone too with the meat; and (#2) the cost.  Well, I can't say my 30 lb. bag of kibble for $50 was cheap in the first place.  And neither is paying $500 - $1,500+ for a dog only to feed it cheap feed that cuts it's lifespan in half.  Homemade can be expensive, but remember, if you feed your animal right, it will only eat once or twice a day and some even suggest it fasting for one day a week - so six or so meals a week isn't bad.  It really pays to shop around for a good deal.  You won't be buying Bowser the same high cuts of meat that you and your family are eating, but rather, cuts that most people don't want -- chicken & turkey necks, chicken backs, liver/organ meat, bone marrow, and the like.  I have an advantage living in the country, we have a couple of good meat markets and lots of farmers around.  I can get a bag of bone marrow with lots of fat & even a good amount of meat on them for $1.59/lb. which is half the price of what another large chain store wants for their dog bones that have no fat or meat on them.  I'm just starting, but will be stopping at a couple of butchers and seeing what kind of deal I can cut on getting chicken & turkey necks & their "throw-aways".  Also, we have chickens, and although Anna would never let me butcher our chickens for dog food, we do get a lot of eggs in the summer - free food!  (and no, they don't associate what is on the farm with what is in their bowl).   I will be expanding our garden even more this summer just for raw veggies for the dog.  I cook our carrot peels & put them in the food processor for a nice veggie mush.  Oatmeal & banana are cheap & make a nice hardy breakfast mixture (for the dog) as well as soaking some homemade bread in warm water.  Most anything we eat that is unprocessed (no twinkies), our puppy can have too.  I really don't think feeding our puppy homemade will be any more expensive than what I paid for that kibble - probably slightly cheaper.

Please Note:  Besides chocolate, there are several other foods that are toxic to dogs, like grapes & raisins, onions, coffee, etc.  Do check out several sites that list "Toxic foods for dogs" as they differ a bit.  I don't agree with all that is mentioned on some of these sites, but when it doubt, don't feed it to your pet. 

So there you have it.  Like I say, I am just learning and still reading.  Besides the book & link I mentioned on my last post, here are a couple of other books you might want to read...


Raw Meaty Bones by Tom Lonsdale   
This book seems to be thee book on the subject of feeding our dogs raw meat and highly recommended by holistic vets.  I just ordered it on Amazon.

 
The BARF Diet by Dr. Ian Billinhurst
  "Barf" stands for "Biologically Appropriate Raw Food" or "Bones and Raw Food".  I guess you can call me a Barfer now, lol.  I want to read this book, but I'm going to see if I can get it through intra-library.

There are many books and online sources that can give you menu ideas and what to feed and how much to feed your size pet.  The variables can make your head spin, but I don't think it's a huge exact science.  It just takes some trial & error and commonsence.  Our grandparents pets did just fine and often lived to a ripe old age without all these "experts" and your pet can too.      

  Just one more thing...kibble is not the only thing potentially harmful our beloved pets...vaccines and flee & tick products are equally harmful or more so. 

Really, in reading many of these books & articles, many, in my opinion get carried away when it comes to all-things-natural for your pet.  Afterall, our pets are just that, companion pets, and sometimes helpers/workers, but just like all humans, it is appointed unto man once to die.  We do our best, but one must draw the line on some of the rediculous lengths some go in caring for animals.  Since Creation, man has been appointed as having dominion over our animals and all of creation - not the opposite. 

Thinking naturally for our puppy has reminded me in a very real way the importance of not only caring for our beloved pets, but also caring for ourselves/myself with moderation in all things as unto the Lord.  Afterall, it's just not right that my dog should eat healthier than I or my family.  I'm working on making healthy changes around here for ALL of us - not just the dog.  

What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?  For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.

 I Corinthians 6:19-20     

• Post A Report!!!!

Saturday, December 19, 2009 - Washing Dishes By Hand

Sometimes progress isn't always the best thing. For several years we've used the dishwasher to wash our dishes. Well, most of them. Of course there were always the dishes left over that couldn't go in the dishwasher for one reason or another, so my sister (or Mom) was stuck washing them. Why not me? you ask. Ha. It was my sister's job, that's why! Up until recently, it was my job to empty the dishwasher. This happened daily, sometimes twice a day.

Well, a few months ago, Mom decided we were going to quit using the dishwasher. Just an experiment to see if it made any difference on our electric bill. We kids (I was, at least) were skeptical, but went along with it cheerfully enough. Surprisingly - I found I love washing dishes! We quickly worked out a schedule. Emily is to wash the breakfast dishes, Elisabeth and I do the lunch dishes, and Amy and Mom do the supper dishes. It works out pretty well!

• Post A Report!!!!