Posted By arkimi1 in Homemaking

Today I finally went and pulled up the collards and decided to cook them.  To some of us, Jett and I, this was a good thing..... to Shawn, not so good.  But that is besides the point....

Collards might be a bit intimidating as they can be sold in such big packages at the store, or you might remember them as being yuck, but they can be yummy and easy to prepare if you have the time.

You can buy collards, or any green, already washed and cut, but I didn't have that option.  Jett and I cut them up ourselves. 

The main thing is that they need to be cut into pieces and washed well.  Most people recommend filling up your sink with water and washing them well before you start.  This bothers me on many, germ-filled levels, so I cut mine up first. 

To prepare them you need to remove the hard, center rib.  I either slash on either side of it, or fold the leaf over and do one cut removing the rib. 

I then cut what is left into managable pieces.

Washing them is easy to me in my salad spinner.  You could also just dunk them in a bowl of cool water and then lift them out or use a strainer.  I usually rinse them a couple of times and then just let them drain.

Before cooking you might want to gather all of the left-over stems and disgarded leaves and head out to the compost pile.  You'll be thankful come time to replenish your beds if you have a good compost to add.

How I cook collards, or any green.....

2 large bunches of collards (this will be alot)

1/4 pound of bacon (4-5 strips)

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves of garlic, chopped

1/4 cup basalmic vinegar

1/2 cup brown sugar

4 cups of chicken stock (may use 3 cups stock and 1 cup bourbon)

salt and pepper sauce to taste

. Cook bacon in large, heavy pot over medium heat.

. Add onion and garlic, cook until golden.

. Add the vinegar and stir to scrape any pan drippings.

. Add the brown sugar and stir until dissolved.

. Add the collards in small batches, stirring them until all the leaves are wilted and coated in the pan juices.  They will cook down in volume very quickly and you can get alot more in the pot than you thought you could.

. Add the stock.  My recipe actually calls for the bourbon-stock combo, but I tend to like bourbon a bit too much so I won't keep it in the house.  I would recommend Southern Comfort if you are so led.

. Add salt and pepper sauce and bring to a boil.

. Reduce to simmer and cover the pot.  Cook at least 2 hours until greens are tender. 

Posted By Ginger Atkins in homeschooling

I'm constantly amazed by the beauty and design of our Creator. Our family really enjoys trips to the local aquariums and zoo.  Family field trips are one of the many joys of homeschooling.

Posted By Ginger Atkins in In My Humble Opinion

One of my favorite verses is Psalm 113:9, "He maketh the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of children. Praise ye the LORD. " 


That partly explains  why the following two articles raised my eyebrows upon reading. In a nutshell, some think we can save the planet from global warming by radical population control.


See the article :  http://newsbusters.org/blogs/matthew-balan/2009/12/11/jack-cafferty-all-endorses-global-one-child-policy-fight-climate-chan


and this one:


http://newsbusters.org/blogs/carolyn-plocher/2009/12/11/canadian-financial-post-whole-world-needs-adopt-china-s-one-child-p


The authors clearly document how a declining population cannot support an aging elderly one. The solution,  to a people already acclimated to the state limiting their family size, would simply be euthanasia. All in the name of saving the planet.

There's the idiocy of idolatry. In order to save the planet, we have to kill ourselves.  And I thought Survivor was only a tv series.  Fewer people with more stuff is what it boils down to. To which the Savior said:

Posted By jenny

We hear so much talk today, with so many teaching to, "believe in yourself." Where does it come from, is it even a Christian principle?

Well, many Christian leaders and counsellors believe that self esteem is the key to a fruitful Christian life and until we have it, we will never be happy. Many secularists and even Christian leaders believe that a lack of self esteem is the cause of most of the troubles in the world today.

What is self esteem? Well, basically a good, or elevated opinion of ourselves. It is interesting to see that the dictionary definition has pride as a related synonym! The Bible never teaches us to trust in ourselves. Psalm 73:6 "Therefore pride compasseth them about as a chain; violence covereth them as a garment."

Proverbs 11:2 "When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly is wisdom."

So, in the previous two verses pride is something that brings shame. It states clearly that with the lowly is wisdom. To be lowly, is to show humility, wisdom and meekness. We are to trust God and to look up to Him for wisdom, not to the world. We are deceiving ourselves if we think we are better than we actually are.

Our consciences are stirred within us, if we do something that is wrong. That conscience is God given. Romans 2:14,15 " For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;) In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel."

The trouble is, the self esteem movement is telling us to silence this inner voice as it is our enemy, yet God has clearly intended it for our good. It is quite clear that in the Bible sin is the cause of the trouble in our society today, not self esteem. Sin is a rather hated word these days, even in Christian circles. people see it as negative. In fact unless we can be made aware of our sinful state before God, we can never be converted. Jesus saves in His mercy. It will not be an easy life, when we choose to take up our cross and follow Christ, yet many people teach us that if we come to Jesus all our problems will be solved, we will have a prosperous life and so on. I believe that Jesus entered this life in the lowly circumstances which he did, to teach us a lesson. If Jesus humbled himself like this, he expects us to humble ourselves. Not to deceive ourselves that we are some great one who is so pleased with himself.

The ultimate conclusion of self esteem, is that the self becomes the most important. Myself matters first. This is not so, as when we became Christians we are called to a life of service to God and other people. We have a duty to share the gospel. The Bible says we will be hated for his names sake.

What are we passing on to our children? Are we teaching them to trust themselves and to have self confidence, or are we teaching them to trust in a God who is all wise? I am not saying we should be negative with our children and not reward their good behaviour, that would be indeed wrong. We should never elevate children, or anyone for that matter and make them think they are great in themselves. We need to be truthful to ourselves and we need to show our children, when they go wrong. The Bible contains all the wisdom we need. The major psychologists were known for their deep disdain for biblical Christianity, eg Freud, Maslow, Ellis, and Rogers. They were people who believed in humanism and man's great achievements. They are preaching another gospel and sadly, many 'Christians' have followed. We need to turn our eyes on Christ, not the foolish wisdom of this world.

Posted By jenny

It is not often that we have snow that actually stays in England, but this December it is a bit different.

We have all been enjoying sledging, from the youngest, who is nearly 2, to the oldest who is erm....well, let's just say 16!

Of course there is a learning experience when it comes to snow and every snow flake has a different pattern. That shows the uniqueness of God's creation. Not any two alike, as there are no two humans alike. We are all individuals in God's sight and are all responsible for our own actions.

I would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and may you know God's blessing. Not to forget the gift that God gave us in his son. John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him shall not perish, but hath everlasting life."

Posted By arkimi1 in Homemaking

This is one of those ideas that is just too easy and just too cool.  I wish I could say that I came up with it, but I didn't.

I have always wanted to make crackers, but I don't want to spend alot of time on something that might not work, or might taste nasty.  This was quick and painless....

I made a 'normal' whole wheat (hard white grain) bread... instead of making loaves, I made them into baguettes.  These were probably 2 or so inches in diameter.

After they were cooked like normal, I let them cool and sliced them into thin-ish slices about 1/4 inch thick.  I then brushed each side with garlic oil and put them in my food dehydrator for a couple of hours on a medium heat setting until they were crisp and crunchy.

This was just too easy! 

The garlic oil is made by combining 1/3 cup olive oil, 4-5 cloves of minced garlic, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1 tsp (or more) of Italian seasoning.  Put this in a pan over medium heat and stir until the garlic sizzles.  Remove from heat and store if not used.

I'm using them as a base for hummus, a cheese ball, and, of coarse, spinach dip!

Posted By arkimi1 in Gardening

One of the perks of living in Georgia is that you can still garden in the winter....  Quite frankly, I am a pretty lazy gardener.  I threw some seeds out this past fall, and it amazes me that things actually grew.  Next week I'll be picking and eating my collards along with some kale and baby spinach that are shooting up.

Posted By arkimi1 in Homemaking

This recipe actually was for a pumpkin cake, but because I went nuts and bought a ton of sweet potatoes on sale and needed to use them, mine ended up this way. 

They actually substitute pretty well in place of pumpkin, and I like the taste better as well.

2-1/2 cups soft white wheat flour

2 cups sucanat or brown sugar

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon (or more)

1/8 tsp nutmeg

1/8 tsp ginger

1/2 tsp cloves

2 cups of pumpkin (I cooked mine in the pressure cooker and then mashed it a bit)

4 eggs

1 cup olive oil

Blend together dry ingredients, make a well, and add the remaining wet ingredients.  Beat until smooth.  Pour into a greased 9x13 pan and bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes.

Frost when cooled with: 8oz package of cream cheese whipped with 1/4 cup of sugar (or honey, but I like mine white and it's not that much sugar).

Sorry the picture is messy, but I wanted to show a picture and we had eaten the whole thing except for this last piece.

Posted By jenny

Do we like to do things so other people see what we are doing? Maybe we pray publicly at church, or we do things just so we can be seen by other people.

Is our Christian faith outward, or inward? Is it just a show for others, or is our heart truly changed?

Matt 12:38  Beware of the scribes, which love to go in long clothing, and love salutations in the marketplaces,and the chief seats in the synagogues, and the uppermost rooms at feasts: which devour widows' houses and for a pretence make long prayers. These shall receive greater d a m n a tion.

Joel 2:13  And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.

The Jews used to tear their clothes, as an outward sign. Here, we are told it is not in this outward sign, but rather inwardly in our hearts. True repentance comes from the heart and only the Lord knows if we are truly sorry.

In the society in which we live, so much is focused in making a name for oneself and being seen and obtaining honours from men. We are indeed egocentric at heart, worshipping self. Other religions are an outward show, certain rituals must be performed, or certain clothing worn. True Christianity is no such thing, it is a religion of the heart. A heart truly humbled in repentance for all the sin we have committed and fully giving ourselves as a living sacrifice to God, accepting his free gift of salvation. Yes, that's right, it is a free gift we need do nothing except come in humble repentance and accept his sacrifice on the cross, which paid for our sin.That is not to say we come to Jesus and then carry on as before, that is not true. If we still want to carry on in sin, we need to question our salvation, as  true Christians we will want to follow Jesus and do good and be very sorry when we get it wrong. It is not egocentric, but Godfocused and content for him to have all the glory.

Amen, that we need not a whole list of rituals. Amen that salvation is free. At one time in my younger days, I thought I was a Christian, but nothing changed, in fact I wanted to carry on in sin, just as before. A couple of years later, I had the most awful conviction and burden of sin. I confessed it all and my spiritual eyes were opened. I am pleased to say my burden went and I had a new joy!

If we are not convicted of sin we need to pray for that conviction and take care that we are not one who is just an outward show. A bit like a Christmas present, with all fancy wrappings, and yet when we open it contains nothing, it is just a showcase for a shop front.

Posted By arkimi1 in general meandering

Does God want us to be happy?  Does He want us to be joyful?  Or does He want us to live in sadness at the sin around us?

Sorry, but I don't have any real scriptures here, and maybe that's my problem, but these are some of the honest questions I've been asking myself lately.

In my neck of the woods there seems to be a somewhat angry debate about the validity of celebrating the holiday of Christmas.  There are those who consider it to be a pagan-inspired celebration filled with idolatry.  There are other who claim it as the birth of the Saviour.

Honestly, I want to pass no judgement either way.... I really don't care what you, under the leadership of your husband, choose to celebrate, or not celebrate, as the case may be.... 

I guess what does  bug me is that there is so much anger behind those who are defending whatever side they might be on...  This is what I don't get.

My perception is that those who choose not to celebrate seem offended by those who call themselves Christians and do celebrate; that they feel that anyone well-studied enough would 'get it'.  The other side is then offended as they are called ignorant.

I'm not for tolerating sin.  But this almost seems like one of those issues like homeschool, churches, and speaking in tongues.  What might be right for one, isn't always right for us all.  We all have different convictions and roles to play in the big scheme of things.

I would just encourage everyone to really live their convictions.... whatever they may be.  Debate and discussion will only make your decisions stronger, so I'm not against that.  It's just that sometimes we have to agree to disagree, and show love and respect to our Christian brothers and sisters. 

I guess in my naivete, I would like to think that God wants us to have a joyful and happy life.  I think He knows our time here on earth is a trial, but maybe he wants us to come thru it with a smile on our faces and in our hearts.  However you choose to spend the coming weeks, this is what I wish to you and yours:  a smile on your face and in your hearts....