Enjoy!
Monday, September 30, 2013
Cute, Cute, Cute!
I am sure you all know by now how much I love animals, particularly my Molly. I also love to see cute pictures of animals. I get sent a lot of them on Facebook. Here is the latest!
Enjoy!
Enjoy!
Friday, September 27, 2013
Apples, Apples, Everywhere!
Over on Facebook, my stepmother asked me for some yummy apple recipes. This post is for you Gloria!
Here are some wonderful recipes that use apples. I have included some sugar free recipes as well.
Mini Apple Pies (This is an easy, quick recipe. The key to less work is cold ingredients.)
Apple Cinnamon Muffins (You can very easily make these with no sugar. Leave it out of the recipe and omit the topping. They are just as good without the topping!)
Apple Butter (This is a unique way of making apple butter and much faster that the traditional method.)
Applesauce (Use super sweet apples and you don't need sugar!)
Easy Apple Crisp (While in this post I use canned apple pie filling, here is a really yummy one using fresh apples.)
These are on my list to try next:
Old Fashioned Apple Dumplings
Sauteed Apples
And of course, apples aren't just for desserts either!
Apple Cole Slaw
Grilled Cheese with Apples and Arugula
Apple and Oats Bread
Apple and Cranberry Stuffing
Thanksgiving muffins
Butternut Squash and Apple Casserole
Spiced Apple and Butternut Squash Soup
For those of you who can't or don't like to eat sugar:
Whole Wheat Apple Pie
Apple Pineapple Crisp, No Sugar, No Flour
Cranberry Applesauce
Apple Spice Cake
Gluten Free, Sugar Free Apple Cake
Just a few more that I found unique:
Apple Graham Dessert
Fall Harvest Baked Apples (This recipe uses maple syrup instead of sugar.)
Vegetarian Macaroni and Cheese with Apples
Apple Cheddar Pizza with Toasted Pecans
Apple, Sauerkraut and Cheddar Quesadillas
Baked Apple Cinnamon French Toast
What do you do with all those apple peels? Try your hand at making vinegar!
I hope this gets you motivated to try some new apple recipes. Not only are apples delicious sweet treats to eat all by themselves, but with just a little effort you can make them into memorable treats the whole family will love!
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
No Running Water! Emergency Preparedness to the Rescue!
We had a problem early last week. We didn't have any running water. Late Monday morning, I heard Molly barking so I look out the window to see what the problem is. I don't see anything that would require barking but what I do see is water bubbling up in my front yard!
So I go out front to look at it. Yup, it is bubbling up. I try to shut the water off at the meter by the road, but it was stuck so I shout for my husband to come do it. A few calls to some plumbing companies, and a few hours later, we had a team on their way. In the meantime, we don't have any water. Well, as I informed my husband, we do have water, we just don't have any coming from the tap. So I start to pull out some of the water that I store for emergencies. (You can see a post on how you can store water here.) If our great-great-grandparents had to 'fetch' their water every time they needed it, it really wasn't going to hurt us to do the same for a while.
Here's the water station I set up in the kitchen.
Here is water station for the bathroom sink. I put one of these bottles in each bathroom. I also store water for flushing the toilets and that container went into the bathroom as well.
Well, the final result was a break in the main water line to the house. I was afraid that it was going to require digging up the entire front yard but the leak was at a junction, the line itself was fine.
I was canning green beans that day and I forgot to take a picture of the hole in my front yard while the plumbers were working on the line. However, here is a picture of the spot now. (Unfortunately, they didn't do a good job of 'saving' the grass to put back on top of the dirt.) By the time they were finished, it was dark. I took this picture the next morning.
As you can see here, they added an 'access box' that will prevent the need to dig up the yard if something like this ever happens again. All in all, we went about 12 hours without water. Not a crisis, but an emergency nonetheless.
The lesson here is that emergency preparedness isn't just for severe weather. It is for anytime 'normal' conditions are not present. When you prepare for emergencies, you can ride them out without missing a beat!
So I go out front to look at it. Yup, it is bubbling up. I try to shut the water off at the meter by the road, but it was stuck so I shout for my husband to come do it. A few calls to some plumbing companies, and a few hours later, we had a team on their way. In the meantime, we don't have any water. Well, as I informed my husband, we do have water, we just don't have any coming from the tap. So I start to pull out some of the water that I store for emergencies. (You can see a post on how you can store water here.) If our great-great-grandparents had to 'fetch' their water every time they needed it, it really wasn't going to hurt us to do the same for a while.
Here's the water station I set up in the kitchen.
Here is water station for the bathroom sink. I put one of these bottles in each bathroom. I also store water for flushing the toilets and that container went into the bathroom as well.
Well, the final result was a break in the main water line to the house. I was afraid that it was going to require digging up the entire front yard but the leak was at a junction, the line itself was fine.
I was canning green beans that day and I forgot to take a picture of the hole in my front yard while the plumbers were working on the line. However, here is a picture of the spot now. (Unfortunately, they didn't do a good job of 'saving' the grass to put back on top of the dirt.) By the time they were finished, it was dark. I took this picture the next morning.
As you can see here, they added an 'access box' that will prevent the need to dig up the yard if something like this ever happens again. All in all, we went about 12 hours without water. Not a crisis, but an emergency nonetheless.
The lesson here is that emergency preparedness isn't just for severe weather. It is for anytime 'normal' conditions are not present. When you prepare for emergencies, you can ride them out without missing a beat!
Friday, September 20, 2013
The Countdown: 10 Things You Need to Know How To Do Before You Lose Electricity!
#1: Keep Your Family Safe From Harm
Since we are about to hit the active period during our hurricane season here in the US, I thought it would be beneficial to create a 'Top 10 List' of things you should know how to do without electricity. Most of these things will be extremely important if you had to go without electricity for a few weeks (or longer). However, many of them also apply to power outages of just a few days. So, every Friday, until we countdown to #1, I will highlight a necessary skill to keep your house running as 'normal' as possible. Once you learn about these 10 things, you should be able to keep your house running normally during any power outage from a few days to a few months or longer, if that becomes necessary.
I do want to mention, none of these things will include the use of a generator. While generators do work short term, IMHO, there is no way you can store enough gasoline to keep the generator running for a long term outage. My strategy is to use 18th and 19th century skills to keep my house running. I don't even own a generator.
I created this 'Top 10 List' and the subject matter and countdown order are mine alone. You may not agree with my list. That is no problem! You are welcome to share your ideas in the comments section. We all learn when differing viewpoints are shared respectfully!
****************************************************
I don't like to think about this, but the world is full of evil. Pure evil. When we (as a society) eliminate God from our everyday world, Lucifer fills the void. I don't like it, but I accept it. And because I accept it, I am determined to protect my family from it if/when it becomes necessary.
When the power is out, long term, because of a winter storm, hurricane, tornado, earthquake or any other disaster, evil can come knocking on your door. Don't think it will happen? How on earth did people turn into such monsters during hurricane Katrina? What about hurricane Sandy? When power goes out for a long time, looting happens. It is almost like we return to living in the wild west!
In my opinion, the most important thing you must know how to do when you lose electricity is to protect your family from others. There are lots of ways you can do this. Research options you are comfortable with and learn how to use them. At our house, we choose to protect ourselves with guns. I went to the range earlier this week and took a picture of my target when I was done. I used a Glock 19 at 50 ft. The target is eight inches wide.
Your answer to personal protection may not be guns. I know some people who are proficient with a bow and arrow. (I think I am going to have to learn that skill!) Some people are skilled at karate. You will need to determine for yourself what is the best way to defend your family.
This is a really important issue everyone should think about. My concern is not about the 'things' in my house. They can all be replaced. My concern is keeping everyone in the house alive and unharmed. I had someone at church tell me once that they could not shoot a person for any reason. I have a different point of view. If the decision comes down to whether I live or the person coming to my house to harm me lives, the answer is obvious. However, I hope I never have to find out what it is like to shoot someone in my home. After all, we are all children of God and I really don't want to have to harm anyone to prevent them from harming me. Still, I will shoot if my life or the lives of others in my home are in jeopardy.
Before it gets to that point, there are some things you can do now to harden your house to prevent unwelcomed access. There is a product called The Door Sentinel that can be easily added to your door to prevent anyone from kicking it in. There is also a kind of film you can put on your windows that will prevent someone from breaking them and gaining access. You can learn about both here. You can also do things like plant thorny bushes under the windows and use motion sensors (on battery backup) on the outdoor lights. It really would be better for everyone involved if you could prevent unauthorized access in the first place!
Police are not always available in the aftermath of a disaster. In a situation like this, you are responsible for your own safety. Think about how you are going to protect your family from others who want to do you harm.
If you liked this post, you may also like:
When the power is out, long term, because of a winter storm, hurricane, tornado, earthquake or any other disaster, evil can come knocking on your door. Don't think it will happen? How on earth did people turn into such monsters during hurricane Katrina? What about hurricane Sandy? When power goes out for a long time, looting happens. It is almost like we return to living in the wild west!
In my opinion, the most important thing you must know how to do when you lose electricity is to protect your family from others. There are lots of ways you can do this. Research options you are comfortable with and learn how to use them. At our house, we choose to protect ourselves with guns. I went to the range earlier this week and took a picture of my target when I was done. I used a Glock 19 at 50 ft. The target is eight inches wide.
Your answer to personal protection may not be guns. I know some people who are proficient with a bow and arrow. (I think I am going to have to learn that skill!) Some people are skilled at karate. You will need to determine for yourself what is the best way to defend your family.
This is a really important issue everyone should think about. My concern is not about the 'things' in my house. They can all be replaced. My concern is keeping everyone in the house alive and unharmed. I had someone at church tell me once that they could not shoot a person for any reason. I have a different point of view. If the decision comes down to whether I live or the person coming to my house to harm me lives, the answer is obvious. However, I hope I never have to find out what it is like to shoot someone in my home. After all, we are all children of God and I really don't want to have to harm anyone to prevent them from harming me. Still, I will shoot if my life or the lives of others in my home are in jeopardy.
Before it gets to that point, there are some things you can do now to harden your house to prevent unwelcomed access. There is a product called The Door Sentinel that can be easily added to your door to prevent anyone from kicking it in. There is also a kind of film you can put on your windows that will prevent someone from breaking them and gaining access. You can learn about both here. You can also do things like plant thorny bushes under the windows and use motion sensors (on battery backup) on the outdoor lights. It really would be better for everyone involved if you could prevent unauthorized access in the first place!
Police are not always available in the aftermath of a disaster. In a situation like this, you are responsible for your own safety. Think about how you are going to protect your family from others who want to do you harm.
If you liked this post, you may also like:
- 10 Things Countdown: #10 Think Safety First
- 10 Things Countdown: #9 Maintain Cleanliness
- 10 Things Countdown: #8 Wash Clothes
- 10 Things Countdown: #7 Cool or Heat Your Home
- 10 Things Countdown: #6 Provide Essential Lighting
- 10 Things Countdown: #5 Store Shelf Stable Foods
- 10 Things Countdown: #4 Have & Use Non-Electric Appliances
- 10 Things Countdown: #3 Handle Sanitation
- 10 Things Countdown: #2: Obtain Safe Drinking Water
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
Avoiding Common Canning Errors
One of the blogs I follow is Jackie Clay's Homesteading blog on the Backwoods Home Magazine website. She is a true guru on home canning (among other things) and has even written books on how to do it!
She has written an excellent article on things you can do to avoid common canning errors. Anyone interested in learning how to can should read this article If you have experienced any kind of problem while canning, or know of someone else who has, this article has advice for you! If you want to learn how to can, but haven't tried your hand at it yet, read this article to learn how to avoid potential problems.
I think canning is fun! Made with fresh ingredients and free of artificial preservatives, food you can yourself tastes better and is better for you than anything canned commercially! Take it from me, it is very rewarding to put up your own food for the winter.
I hope you enjoy this article!
Avoiding Common Canning Errors
She has written an excellent article on things you can do to avoid common canning errors. Anyone interested in learning how to can should read this article If you have experienced any kind of problem while canning, or know of someone else who has, this article has advice for you! If you want to learn how to can, but haven't tried your hand at it yet, read this article to learn how to avoid potential problems.
I think canning is fun! Made with fresh ingredients and free of artificial preservatives, food you can yourself tastes better and is better for you than anything canned commercially! Take it from me, it is very rewarding to put up your own food for the winter.
I hope you enjoy this article!
Avoiding Common Canning Errors
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