Menu-Planning Monday -- Back in the Groove

So here I am, trying to get back in the blogging groove again. Let's start simple: Menu Plan Monday! Here's what we'll be having for dinner this week:

Monday: Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, glazed carrots, dressed bananas.

Tuesday: Baked fish, Dick's Rice (made with consumme, so good!), pinto beans, corn bread

Wednesday: Crockpot Sticky Chicken, white beans, broccoli, rolls

Thursday: Ham Sandwiches and Split Pea Soup

Friday: Pizza, Salad

Saturday: Curry Chicken, Dal Makhni, Rice, Naan

Sunday: Pasta Salad, Cold Cuts

Sunday Hymn Post - He Hideth My Soul

A wonderful Savior is Jesus my Lord,

A wonderful Savior to me;

He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock,

Where rivers of pleasure I see.

Refrain: He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock, That shadows a dry, thirsty land; He hideth my life in the depths of His love, And covers me there with His hand, And covers me there with His hand. A wonderful Savior is Jesus my Lord, He taketh my burden away, He holdeth me up and I shall not be moved, He giveth me strength as my day. With numberless blessings each moment He crowns, And filled with His fullness divine, I sing in my rapture, oh, glory to God! For such a Redeemer as mine. When clothed with His brightness transported I rise To meet Him in clouds of the sky, His perfect salvation, His wonderful love, I’ll shout with the millions on high.

A giveaway link...

I'm so excited to pass this giveaway link on to you! I really enjoy this blog site, and would love to win their fantastic prizes! Once you've entered their contest, take a look around their new location. I'm certain you'll like it!

Mash here: http://foodstorageandsurvival.com/?p=492

Near the Cross

Jesus, keep me near the cross,
There a precious fountain
Free to all, a healing stream
Flows from Calvry's mountain.

In the cross, in the cross,
Be my glory ever;
Till my raptured soul shall find
Rest beyond the river.

Near the cross, a trembling soul,
Love and mercy found me;
There the bright and morning star
Sheds its beams around me.

In the cross, in the cross,
Be my glory ever;
Till my raptured soul shall find
Rest beyond the river.

Near the cross! O Lamb of God,
Bring its scenes before me;
Help me walk from day to day,
With its shadows o'er me.

In the cross, in the cross,
Be my glory ever;
Till my raptured soul shall find
Rest beyond the river.

Near the cross I'll watch and wait
Hoping, trusting ever,
Till I reach the golden strand,
Just beyond the river.

In the cross, in the cross,
Be my glory ever;
Till my raptured soul shall find
Rest beyond the river.

Thrifty Gardening

We've all seen 'em. You know the ones. The folks who walk into the local big-box garden center looking to fulfill their dreams of growing 4 pound tomatoes or blue ribbon-worthy pumpkins. Whatever their motivation - from a yearning for simplicity, a desire to eat more organically, or frugality - they've now decided to put in a garden. And could there be anything more inviting to a salesperson than the sight of the new gardener staring at the mountains of plants and supplies? Whether they grew up on a farm or could rival Billy Crystal for the lead role in "City Slickers" the novice gardener can drop a pile of money before ground has even been broken. In larger cities you may need to wear a garlic necklace to repel the hoardes of sales-hungry garden center helpers, but in Bowling Green and the surrounding areas folks are nice and pretty understanding of the need for frugality. In any case, preparation and education are key to spending only what you must to obtain your desired results.

Much like shopping in thrift stores, a list is probably the single most valuable tool for the thrifty gardener. You'll find seasoned gardeners poring over books, magazines and websites as they sip coffee and watch the snow fall. By the time Spring nears, they've got a really good idea of what they'd like to include in their garden. As winter wears on, they check the mailbox more often than Ralphie Parker waiting for his decoder pin. Why? The catalogs. They arrive long before the first Robin, but are just as certain a harbinger of the gentle days of Spring. Even if you don't plan to purchase plants via mail order, catalogs are a great way to find out what's new and what works in your area, and to begin to budget. With your list or garden blueprint in hand, you may enter the garden center with more confidence.

Of course, the basic need for all gardeners is good soil. Do you get confused when you hear people talk about adding things to the soil to change the Ph? So do I. Just take my cue and head on over to the Extension Office. Don't know where it is? Shame on you! These folks can answer all kinds of questions about horticulture in Warren and surrounding counties - and it's free! They even offer a soil test. Now, it isn't free, but available for the nominal fee of around $6.00. The results of that test will help you know what you need to have the best soil in your garden. The test will pay for itself many times over in yield and crop quality. Hop on over to their website and look around: http://ces.ca.uky.edu/Warren/horticulture. You can even follow them on Facebook! Just enter the keywords "UK Cooperative Extension--Warren County Horticulture"

Next to good soil, you need good plants. If you don't plan to start your plants from seed, you'll need to find a resource that has done it for you. To find the best plants at the best prices, I'd suggest you ask around. For whatever reason, gardening is exploding in popularity this year and you can be the beneficiary of some really fantastic local resources. There are greenhouses galore in addition to the farmer's markets. Starting plants from seeds can be tedious and time consuming, but offers near infinite choices in variety. With careful planning, for the cost of one greenhouse-grown plant you can have trays and trays of seedlings ready to set as soon as Jack paints his last frost of the season. Consider purchasing seeds from non-traditional sources as well as the tried-and-true. I got 150 heirloom pepper seeds for the grand total of 50¢ on eBay earlier this year. The seller had fantastic feedback, so I took a chance. By the looks of things, it was a great deal. Heirloom varieties can be more expensive, but have some distinct advantages that make them the more frugal choice. They are said to provide tastier, more nutritious fruit. They are open pollinated, which means that you can save your seeds from year to year. “Seeds saved from heirloom vegetables will produce plants that are true to type, unlike hybrid seeds. If you try to save seed from hybrids, you usually won’t get good results,” says Andrew Kaiser, manager at Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. Heirlooms also tend to be less uniform than hybrids, meaning they won't all ripen at once. That's an advantage when there just aren't enough hours in the day to can or preserve that bountiful crop.

After you've gotten your soil in shape and you've bought or grown your own sets, it's time to plant and maintain. Regardless of the latest fashion or gadget, all you really need are the basics: a spade, a hoe, a hand trowel. If you're a southern woman a big floppy hat seems to be a necessity, but I really like my old-fashioned sun bonnet. A pair of old shoes will serve just as well as the cutesy garden clogs, and an old leaky hose easily replaces a topside soaker. Old mini-blinds find new life when cut down to size and shape for plant stakes - recycling an old product and saving you around $5. The latest foam plant ties retail in a popular seed catalog for $12.95 for 32 feet. Pantyhose and knee-highs with runs are free and just as gentle when tying up heavy plants like tomatoes. An old bucket and free plastic kids' meal cup will water your plants just as well as the new OXO watering can - and it won't cost $19.99. (What? Are they insane? I could give you the website I found that one on, but I won't.)The one area in which I absolutely do not skimp is good quality gloves. They are absolutely necessary when working in garden or yard, and can be found at relatively reasonable prices throughout the year.

Just like thrift shopping, a heaping dose of common sense is your greatest tool to keep your gardening endeavors frugal. Are you lacking in that department? Unsure of yourself? Or do you just need some support? A Google search for "frugal gardening" netted 278,000 results as of this writing. Pour yourself a cuppa something wonderful, tuck the kiddies into bed and have a blast learning more about your new hobby. Even better, enlist your family and/or friends to help. Start a gardening co-op in your neighborhood. Take a class or two, if you have the time and money. Shop online to find great deals if your time is limited during daylight hours. A little knowledge and research goes a long way, so make the most of those rainy days and nighttime hours. And if, by some chance, you happen upon that so-cute copper Labrador retriever weathervane that is on sale for ONLY $369.00 (ha!) do what I did and step. away. from. the. keyboard. Until next time, I wish you well.

Mrs. Pharris is a graphic designer and the author of several poems and short articles. She is a homemaker, small business owner, homeschool mom and wannabe tightwad. She lives with her husband – who wishes she were more of a tightwad, and her son – who is glad she isn’t, a dog that eats anything and a cat who won’t.

So there!

Looks like fun!

I'm BAAAACK!

Friends, the surgery has quite done the trick! I found out my poor body has been battling several severe conditions for decades! Can you believe it?? Other than the typical winter junk (colds, asthma) I feel FANTASTIC!

I'll be posting a lot more now, and have so much to share!! But right now I'm on deadline for the sports magazine...see you again soon!

Long Absences

Dear friends, my long absences are unavoidable. I'm having a multitude of health issues. Hopefully my newly scheduled hysterectomy will alleviate some of them.

I have found a wonderful website, HysterSisters. Women helping and supporting other women. It isn't an overtly Christian site, but the premise is absolutely Biblical. Titus 2. ;-)

If you have had, are considering or are curious about a hysterectomy please visit this wonderful site! There's a link to the right.

For my FB friend...

I've been invited by a treasured friend from my past to join the "United Against Westboro Baptist" group. My initial reaction was "Oh Yeah!" - a reaction stemming from my emotions more than my brain.

First,from a Constitutional standpoint, I cannot join. Because taking away their right to peacefully assemble (no matter how hateful their rhetoric), it becomes the first domino on a downhill slant. Next could be the Tea Partiers, then Christians engaged in street preaching, then Christians in general, then Jews, and so on. So no, as much as I hate what they say, I cannot support revoking their First Amendment rights. (Amendment I: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.)

Instead, I will support Rolling Thunder, a great group of bikers, several of whom I'm privileged to know (albeit online). Here's part of what they do: One other task that Rolling Thunder undertakes is protecting family members of fallen soldiers from protesters, namely representatives of the Kansas-based Westboro Baptist Church, who claim that soldiers are dying due to God's punishment for America's stand on gay rights." To learn more, check out this article: http://www.rollingthundertn1.com/Newsarticles.htm

Now, from a Christian standpoint. I find Westboro's actions repulsive. Their actions are a blot on the Christian community. Not because they call sin sin but because of their lack of love. I suppose I need to put out a disclaimer: I am a sinner saved by grace. A horribly flawed person whose sins were numerous. The only claim I have to Heaven is through the grace of God through the birth, death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ. The only right I have to name sin as sin is by the written word of God, the Bible.

But the Bible doesn't only teach us about sin and sinners, it teaches how to know God's own. Those who have come to saving grace through Christ and are living according to his word. Jesus said you will know them by their fruits. (Mat. 7:16) The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control. (Gal. 5:22)

Now, back to Westboro. They love to protest at military funerals. They love to hoist their signs that say things like "God hates Gays" and "Thank God for Dead Soldiers". I'm trying to figure out which of the fruit those signs exemplify....hmmmm....waiting.....waiting.... I got nothin.

Okay, so how about their signs, God hates Gays? Why don't we see what God himself has to say about that? K, I got one for that..."For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3:16) So now we see that God loved the world. That includes old people, fat people, ugly people, pretty people, (we're all okay with that so far, huh?) gay people, tax evaders (hey, wait!), athiests, witches, satanists, murderers. Don't argue with me. God means what He says. And He said "the world". That's everybody, all of us. Now, let's not get too shook up...there's a requirement there. They've got to believe in Him to not perish...and once you have become a sinner saved by grace, there is still a lot of work to be done. So we can't just very flippantly say, "Oh, I believe in Jesus." and expect to have eternal life. God's Son didn't die on a cross so we could get our "fire insurance" and then live the way we want, but that's a lesson for another day.

Westboro is wrong...God does love gay people. And so should we. You've heard "love the sinner, hate the sin"? That's entirely doable. I love my son very much. But I really hate it when his attitude is snotty, or when he lies to me. In fact, all that does is cement the fact to me that I am to raise him in fear and admonition of the Lord. It creates in me a love greater than that of a mother -- that of a child of God praying for His salvation and assurance of Heaven. I have many gay friends. I love each and every one of them. I cannot and will not condone their lifestyle, as God's word teaches that homosexuality is sin, but I will continue to love them enough to pray for them.

Back to Westboro, I cannot judge their relationship with God. But I can look at fruit (or the lack thereof). And for those who don't know it, I can reference the entire chapter of Matthew 7. If you're not familiar with it, here is a link to it online. My version of choice, the New American Standard Version. http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+7&version=NASB

This has been a really long note, I know. I thank you for hanging in to the end. I love you. Each and every one. I'd love to spend eternity with you...praising God throughout the ages.