The Best Time to be a Proverbs 31 Woman

 

Proverbs 31 contains the sayings of King Lemuel as told to his sons. Verse 1 says that the king's mother taught them to him. Verses 1-9 contain the advice to the sons while verses 10-31 are the epilogue, also known as "The Wife of Noble Character". Verse 10 of Proverbs 31 asks who can find a wife of noble character. 

In today's society, no matter where you live, is that an easy task? I have three sons who are yet unmarried and I have to tell you that I pray a lot for them and for their future wives, if that is even an option anymore. That said, I know that there are a lot of Proverbs 31 women in the United States, but I feel that the numbers are dwindling. Still, there is hope.

So, with that in mind, I suggest that today is an excellent time to either become a wife of noble character or persevere in that Proverbs 31 woman role knowing that our time here on earth is short. We can be a light to the world by becoming a living example of what a righteous woman looks like.

A woman of noble character is one whom her husband (or family if not married) is proud. Her husband has full confidence in her. The Bible says that she brings him good all the days of her life. That's quite a statement. I think that's also hard to do, especially as we see the signs of Christ's return nearing. Things are getting ugly out there and sometimes it's easier to lash out at others, often our husbands, when we're down and out. However, we must remember to speak kindly about our men in front of others. We want to bring them good, not harm.

The Proverbs 31 woman also works with her hands to create clothing for her family. She sells things at the market to help bring an income to the family. She is not idle and she feeds her family well with what she has. In return, her children rise up and call her blessed, as does her husband. 

This woman also helps the needy outside of her own household. Rather than sit around with friends gossiping about others, she is working hard to help those who need it most, be it with food, shelter, or clothing. I bet she talks about Jesus to them because that is WHO they need most.

So, why do I think this is the best time to be a Proverbs 31 woman? Simply put, there are needs that must be met and people whose hearts God has made tender are ready to receive the help she can provide. Families are being torn apart but they don't have to be. You can be the glue that binds your own family and you can be a light and an example to other women who need to do the same.

Grocery costs these days have gone out of sight. Do you have a garden? Are you being wise (don't let the oil in your lamp go out by being idle) and putting up all that you can grow? A whole lot of people are warning of a coming food shortage or famine. If you do have a garden, let me urge you to can, freeze, or dehydrate all that you can for your own family's needs. If you truly think you have too much (think more than six month's supply or beyond - I aim for a year's worth), consider sharing with neighbors or extended family. 

In years past, I have dry canned some stuff. This year I am dry canning probably three or four times what I usually do. Like everyone else, I love rice and beans. I pressure can most of my dry beans so that they are readily available when needed. The rice, however, I dry can so bugs or moisture don't get into the plastic bags the rice comes in. I also dry can dehydrated herbs that I grow so they will stay fresher. I also dehydrate peppers and then dry can them as well.

Right now is still a good time to stock up on essentials. I'm not talking about hoarding but rather getting a supply of necessities and food items stocked for your family's use over the next several months up to a year's worth. Christians don't seem to stress the need to stockpile like they did back in the day. I think that's pretty sad. The Mormon church has been instructing their church members to stock up a year in advance for ages. It's a prudent thing to do. Why shouldn't we be doing the same? 

Look for sales in the stores. Stock up on what you need now, a little at a time if need be. When I go to the store, I often buy two instead of one of something I need and can't make or provide for myself. For you, this could be toiletries, over the counter medicines or supplements, household products like dish soap or laundry soap, or many food items (like rice) that you can't grow yourself. 

As for clothing, I don't expect we can all make our own. However, with inflation as high as it is you could look for used clothing at the thrift shops or garage sales. With garage sales, however, I find that many people think that they can get top dollar for their used stuff. Be careful. There are discount stores out there like B2 in Michigan that sell great new clothing at slashed prices. 

As times get more difficult, those who are unprepared will come knocking on the doors of those who have done their due diligence. Will we help them? I guess it depends on whether we have the extra to spare. Your own family should come first. 

I have thought a lot about the imminent coming of the rapture of the church to Heaven. If I have preserved too much food or stocked up on goods that I really didn't need, then perhaps someone who is "left behind" will come up on our home and will use what I have stockpiled. Maybe they will go into my bedroom and find my prayer journals and Bibles (I have a few different translations). Maybe they will read them before it will be illegal to do so and maybe a light will click on in their spirits. Maybe they will believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thus be saved.

Being a Proverbs 31 woman is not always an easy thing to do, but it is something in which to aspire. I hope you will begin preparing or continue toward preparing for what could very well be a difficult and trying time. 

Please be hopeful and fend off feelings of despair. God has not given us a spirit of fear but one of joy in knowing that, as things get darker and darker, the Light is coming soon.

Garden Planning with Frances Hodgson Burnett

 

This year, I intend to shake things up in my garden just a little bit. I guess I have been inspired by a book I have been reading - Unearthing The Secret Garden. Marta McDowell has done a marvelous job of giving the reader a glimpse into the life of Mrs. Burnett, especially of her love of nature's beauty and abundance that in turn inspired the massive success of The Secret Garden (available in about any form you like, even a movie of the same name starring Margaret O'Brien).

Here are only some of the trees and plants that Mrs. Burnett enjoyed and that may have inspired her books:

• Violets
• Scarlet Pimpernel
• Indian Corn
• Dahlias
• Chestnut Trees
• American Linden
• Maple Trees
• Delphiniums
• Crocuses
• Oak Trees
• Petunias
• Roses
• Snowdrops
• Crotons
• Poppies
• Snapdragons
• Primrose
• English Bluebells
• Tulips
• Hyacinths
• Daffodils
• Clematis
• Jasmine
• Larkspur
• Anemones
• Marigolds
• Lilac
• Lilies of all sorts
• Sunflowers

I have watched lots of gardening videos online featuring the best in the practice from Wales to the southern United States. These people have been working outside to prepare for spring and it's an appealing process right now. But, since winter, with its accompanying snow and cold, is in full force here in the north, I am in planning mode. That's all well and good for me because it gives me the opportunity to take time to rest and to dream, and plan, for a different or better garden.

Here's where Frances Hodgson Burnett and The Secret Garden come in. My plan is to incorporate more beauty and possibly more herbal health into my garden.

As far as size goes, I don't plan to increase anything in that area. However, I do intend to make the most of the space that I do have. After all, I do not have the luxury of being able to pay a gardener to help me. 

I have four small beds in the back of the house, mostly under pine trees with pheasant pens providing additional shade, that the previous owner had planted. In one of the beds, is a large amount of Yarrow which is quickly taking over the entire area. I will keep some of the Yarrow (it's a great ground cover as well as useful in homeopathic medicine for blood clotting). I would like to pop in some California Poppies (useful for a relaxing tea and other purposes), a bit of Calendula (use in tea, balms, etc.), and maybe a mint like Bea Balm along with some Sage.

The other beds are filled with lovely flowers such as Roses, various Lilies, herbs, and even Asparagus and Chives. I just need to do some weeding to clean up the beds. 

Out front, I have Echinacea, Roses, wild violets, and other flowers that I still have not identified. Again, a heavy weeding and cleaning will do wonders there. I think I will put in a few Nasturtiums to add a pop of color and variety - and it's a blessing that the sun shines nicely in that area.

As for the actual vegetable garden area, I already have Lavender, Bee Balm, Lemon Balm, Chives, Bergamot, and Sage. Last year I put in some Thyme, but it would take a great miracle for any Thyme to reseed and come up given the cold winters. This year I intend to pop in some Basil and Calendula, along with some Marigolds here and there. 

Shall we talk about Sunflowers? The flowers below are a type of sunflower; they grow low to the ground, however. What variety are they? I don't know. They were there in the beds in front of the house when we moved here and I will be sure to keep them. They bloom every year and are a beautiful perennial.

I will put tall sunflowers someplace where they won't shade my sun loving veggies and/or flowers.

Hopefully, I will have a freshened up garden space(s) that I will enjoy. When planning your own beautiful garden, try to pick plants that you enjoy, be they edible or not. I chose to include mostly plants and flowers that are culinary and/or medicinal. You might just want lovely plants that bring you joy.

That's the largest blessing from gardening - the joy that you inevitably get from it. Wishing you the best season yet!

Making the Home a Little Better - One Day at a Time

 

As most of you know, we live in northern Michigan on a small plot of land where the sun seldom shines - quite literally. Our house sits in a "valley" with a large hill covered in trees (the hill used to be part of the first ski club in the state) to the East and a tremendous amount of trees to the West. By the time the sun gets over the ski hill, the clock has turned to noon. My garden is on a small hill on the east side of the property and it gets as much sun as it can get anywhere close. The sunniest place is in our yard (facing south) and that is where I chose to put my greenhouse last spring. That turned out to be a good choice.

I have struggled over the years we have lived in the northern woodlands to make the most of what I have been given. I do not like snow and what do I get? An average of 136 inches a year, give or take. The cold season lingers and I swear that we only get winter and summer, with winter taking the larger portion of the year. I count myself fortunate in those years that summer lasts more than two months. 

This year I had the greenhouse and what a blessing that was! I was able to start plants in the house in April, then move them to the greenhouse early May. It was still cold outside (in the 50 degree Fahrenheit range) with snow still lingering over the garden bed. Take the gloom and doom of everyone shouting COVID, and it was not a very fun time.

But here is the blessing. I was laid off work since libraries were not considered to be "essential" in Michigan. I had time on my hands to do that which really matters to me. I was able to start numerous plants and work to keep them warm in the greenhouse with the occasional aid of an electric heater. I was able to place those young plants outside in the garden toward the end of May, when they should be planted.

I was able to bless others. I had so many tomato plants that grew suckers that I clipped them, placed them in water, and waited for sprouting to occur. And it did. I gave away close to twenty tomato plants that were all started from suckers. I was told later that those plants were strong, healthy, and provided their owners with a whole lot of beautiful tomatoes.

My husband and I raise wild species of waterfowl and pheasants on our farm. We also raise sheep and goats along with chickens. How blessed we were to be able to spend more time with those animals, creating better and healthier environments for them. My husband was able to raise quite a few baby ducks and pheasants, as well as some quail, that we took to swap meets around Michigan and Indiana. We did a fairly good business and hope for an even better next summer.

Mandarin Duck

So, how did we make our home a little better this year? I think that maybe the best thing we did was to work on our home business and the farm. I had such a huge success with the tomatoes in my new greenhouse that I canned a lot of them. We now have a good stock of salsa, tomatoes, and sauce on hand for the winter. I found lots of beans (black beans, navy beans, and pinto beans) at great prices at the bulk food store in Shipshewana, Indiana while on a trip to the swap meet with our birds. Guess what is canned and ready for meals this winter? You guessed it - beans! And not only that. I have canned salsa verde (tomatillo overload in the garden this year), many varieties of jam, vegetable broth, sauerkraut, sweet pickles and also dills, and even elderberry syrup (my dad's recipe). 

The freezer is full too. 

I had meant to do a lot of spring cleaning in the house, but that never happened. Now, my plan is to fall clean, which may turn into winter clean. I have already got a good start on the living room. 

I'm back to work and our library remains open. Nothing looks the same and sometimes I panic. I wonder why Jesus hasn't come back yet. The news never reports anything good anymore. 

One thing I can do is my job as a wife and a mother. I can do my job as a Christian, being sure that I am faithful to spread the Good News of Salvation. 

The Bible says that God does not operate on our time scale. He knows when the moment is right and that is when Jesus will come and take us home - in the twinkling of an eye. Until then, it is my job to make my home - my piece of the world - a little better, one day at a time. 

Canning Alternatives for Frazzled Lid Hunter

There has been a shortage of canning lids for purchase this year. Have you noticed? If you didn't stock up earlier and you are an avid home canner, then you likely have done more than noticed the shortage.

First of all, there are reasons for the shortage. The shut-downs in production due to COVID-19 restrictions is the biggest reason. When you must close your factories, how do you produce the product?

Secondly, now that production is back in place, it's difficult to stock up the stores that have back-ordered the lids. 

Thirdly, people are buying up stock as quick as they hit the shelves, seemingly creating more shortages.

The truth is, there is a shortage but not a shortage of canning lids available. Personally, I have noticed an uptick in the cost of the lids locally. Perhaps that isn't the case for you. Ball has them for sale on their website. If you buy in bulk, the price isn't too bad. I don't know how long you have to wait for delivery, though. The canning season is nearly over too.

There are ways to preserve the harvest without canning. Here are some of my favorites:

• Good old freezing works well and I haven't noticed shortages in freezer bags. If you have a vacuum machine and bags, you will find that your food lasts longer in the deep freeze. I usually don't use too many freezer boxes because they take up more space, but I do use repurposed spaghetti sauce jars to store some things in the freezer (dehydrated herbs and veggies that might not have all of the moisture out of them - more on dehydration following). If you plan to use glass jars in the freezer, it's best to put them on door racks to avoid breakage. 
• If you don't have freezer space, you can dehydrate vegetables and herbs easily. I have a Cabela's brand dehydrator that I use constantly during the summer and early fall. I dry herbs of all kinds as well as many fruits and veggies. Some of my faves are zucchini chips, cucumber chips, strawberry slices, apple slices (dip in lemon juice first to avoid browning), and cilantro. To  keep your food healthy and full of vitamins, try not to put the heat setting over 110 degrees F. If you don't have a dehydrator, you can always use your oven at the very lowest setting. Check on it often! Place your dehydrated foods in jars or plastic containers with lids. If moisture gets in, your food will begin to rehydrate and then mold, so be sure they are sealed well or placed in the freezer. The advantage of dehydrated foods is mostly that they use up far less storage space than other preserved items. 
• Root cellars and cold storage works for root crops. I don't have a good place to store squash, potatoes, carrots, and other good candidates, so I use other methods of preserving them. 
• One way that I like to preserve food, especially when I don't have a ton to put up, is by fermentation. Fermentation uses salt as a preservation tool, as well as the fermentation itself. In a nutshell, fermenting food means that you are allowing the natural enzymes to partially break down the food, making it more digestible. To learn more about fermenting, go to this post by Plantables.

I hope you will find ways to preserve your hard work without solely relying upon canning lids. I have been using all of the above methods (other than cold storage for root crops) and have been very pleased with the end results.

Homemade Vegetable Broth

It's that time of the year when we are all cleaning out our gardens and prepping them for winter. That is, those of us in the northern part of the country are. We have already had a frost or two and most of the stuff in the garden doesn't look so hot. We had a terrible tomato year, as the spring took forever to warm up and most of the summer weather was less than summery. Cabbage and greens did great, as usual. For prepping the garden, I have been tearing out most of the bigger stuff and just tossing it on top of the ground, then layering hay and straw from the goat barn. 

This year I found an old garbage can (rubber), and my husband cut out the bottom of it. I scrounged around until I found a lid that fit it. I guess finding what you need is a good reason to keep some things around that you normally would dispose of. At any rate, I have placed the bottomless garbage can just outside of my garden (it's fenced in) so that I can easily reach it for putting in garbage scraps and what have you all winter long. The lid is necessary to keep snow out. The can is a blue but I wish I had a black one. I want the stuff to heat up. The theory is that I will have some usable compost come spring.

A couple of weeks ago I gathered up some last of the season produce out of the garden, veggies such as green beans, zucchini, rutabagas (add some zing), oregano, and onions. I had some organic celery from the store, as well as dehydrated morel mushrooms that we found a couple of years ago. 

Throw everything into a large stock pot, cover it with plenty of water, bring it to a boil, and then simmer for a couple of hours. Strain out the veggies, twice if you don't want any "sediment" on the bottom of your jars, and you're ready to can it. 

Vegetable broth is low acid, so I pressure can it. It takes 25 minutes at 10 lbs. pressure for quarts, or 30 minutes for those of us over 1000 feet in altitude. Add 5 minutes for every 1000 feet.

My broth comes out a pretty color due to the mushrooms. This is a good food item to have during the winter and is a great way to use up a little of this and a little of that at season's end.

Gardening - Use What you Already Have

If you are anything like me, you've heard it time and again that the best way to save money is to "use what you already have". This year, we are working harder to use, and re-use, what we have. 

Over the years, we have accumulated more than the average family should. On top of that, we've moved several times and accumulated other people's junk that they not so nicely left us. 

My garden needed a  few things. In the grow bags below, I am trying out a sweet potato that supposedly grows well here in the north - Beauregard. This was definitely NOT a great year to try them because even though they are supposed to be cold hardy, they still need heat. Our spring was very late in coming and then we had cold rains combining with the cool days and colder nights. My sweet potato slips came and I couldn't keep them in the house forever, hoping and praying that it would finally warm up.

I planted them. Not all of them survived, but there are six plants in the large bag, one in a small bag, and three in the other small bag. Now, sweet potatoes vine, unlike white potatoes (which do great in our northern Michigan climate). One day while I was at work, my husband took extra lumber and scrap pieces that he had in the work shop and crafted this platform, complete with a "trellis". Next year, I can always use it for flowers or whatever else I decide to put in the grow bags - they are re-usable. As of this morning, the vines in the large bag were already long enough to begin training on the trellis. This picture was taken last week.

Below is another gardening project Hubby did for me. He used an old antique table top that was left here by the previous owner and made me a garden table. The table top is heavy and I think he said porcelain, like our antique kitchen sink. The bottom shelf is constructed of wood. He had some lattice that he placed on the back. The whole thing stands about three feet high.

I have to tell you, this table sure is handy. The best thing about these two projects is that they were crafted with love but without having to buy anything to make them.

Tackle it Tuesday - Pickles and Ingredient Substitutions

I needed to can dill pickles but I didn't have any dill heads. Help! What happened was that my husband accidentally tilled up all of the dill I had growing in my garden. Could I substitute dill seed and/or dill weed? The answer is yes! According to the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving, you can sub 1 to 2 tsp. dill seeds or 2 tsp. dried dill weed per head of fresh dill. Whew!

Gardening in Your Area

Choosing the right plants for your area of the country (or the world) can sometimes be a daunting task. Gardening catalogs are filled with all sorts of choices for virtually every vegetable, fruit, flower, or tree imaginable. People often make mistakes when they pick what looks or sounds good to them.

Take sweet potatoes, for instance. I cannot grow them all that well up here in the northern end of Michigan. Our evenings tend to be a bit on the cool side - I'm talking 50 degrees or less - and the daytime temps don't always get above 70. Toss in a very short growing season (we get a killing frost sometimes in August) and you have a recipe for not so good sweet potatoes.

What DOES grow well up here are peas, lettuce, spinach, green beans, and other crops that don't mind the colder nights. Tomatoes might make it until August and September, but most years they are a disappointment.

When you research, or learn from personal experience, you can easily find a great variety of plants that will grow well in the area in which you live and garden.

As I said earlier, peas grow amazingly well here. Below is a picture of snow peas I picked yesterday. They have been trimmed, washed, and placed in a pot of boiling water for two minutes. This blanches them so they can be frozen for winter use.

After boiling, they are rinsed with cool water to stop them from cooking further. They are drained of excess water.

I like to use Food Saver bags and vacuum seal the food that I freeze for long term storage. The peas below are not sealed until frozen. If you try to seal a bag right after filling, you'll likely find they won't hold a seal. The peas are too wet and the dampness keeps the bags from sealing.

Tackle it Tuesday - Catching Up

If you're trying to juggle both career and homemaking, you are not alone. In fact, the Proverbs 31 Woman did it - and she did it well.

These days, I am working a part-time job at the library, working part-time from home as a freelance writer, and - yes - working full-time as a homemaker. To tell you the truth, I'm struggling a little to balance it all out, or to at least balance it so it works smoothly.

This week I've made a vow to quit procrastinating in the area of writing. In the past couple of years, I found that my life was getting busier and busier, so I put off the easily put-off: my freelance career. The result was not more time but was, instead, a frustrated wife and mother who felt that her own desired career was put on hold in order to make everyone else happy and comfortable. You know what a bad thing that was. It made for a crabby wife and mom - one who was letting the seed of resentment creep in. No more, however, as I have been making an hour's writing time a day a priority. Mind you, an hour is not much, but the hours do add up and they come together in a decent finished product. I have had two unfinished novels on hold, both of which I have begun to dig into a bit deeper with a committment to finish them and get them out the door and into the hands of a publisher.

Yesterday, I made a batch of soap and got it "incubating." Tomorrow I will cut it into bars and let it cure for a month. I didn't have any essential oils but I did have a bottle of fragrance/flavor oil in orange cream. I used that in this batch of castille soap and it turned the soap a beautiful yellow with a luscious smell. When one must improvise, she often finds that what she was doing turns out wonderfully.

My garden is, I believe, the victim of cutworm. They have destroyed one tomato plant and one bell pepper plant. Tonight after work I will be collaring my plants with stiff cardboard.

Another project I am working on, and have almost completed, is a book bag to place for sale on Etsy. It's coming out beautifully, in pink and gray. I work on it while I watch a little tv with the family. I really don't watch, but listen while I knit. I guess I sit in the family room in order to spend a bit of time with my husband and children.

Time is time and it is manageable. You just have to make a list of priorities and work on down that list as you can. Don't ever say that you "don't have time" because you really have all of the time there is. The real issue is: How will you manage your time? Hopefully you can answer, "I will manage my time in a way that honors God and my family."

Preserve that Produce!

It's summer - are you gardening? I am trying to put up food for the winter in larger quantities this year since we ran out very early last year. We had a horrible garden last summer due mostly to a very cold spring and then weird weather all summer. This year, things are more like normal, which in the north, is still pretty cool.

A great cool weather crop is spinach, and I have already harvested most of the crop. Aside from the usual blanch for 2 minutes and then freeze method, I decided to dehydrate the leaves - yes, dehydrate spinach!

The picture is of very crispy spinach leaves, a lot of it.

Now, you're wondering why dehydrate greens - I did it to conserve on freezer space. Even more than that, I did it to have a healthy spinach store that I could simply crumble into soups and such this winter. By dehydrating and then adding directly to the pot, I'm not losing vitamins and minerals that would normally go down the sink with the blanching water.

Other greens that dehydrate well:

• cabbage
• chard
• kale
• celery leaves - great for crumbling into potato soup!
• beet greens
• turnip greens

I've also been dehydrating strawberries. They are great for putting into oatmeal or cold cereal. And of course, I dry lots and lots of chives, oregano, sage, basil, and peppermint.

The next few years sounds as if they'll see big price increases in the food market. I strongly urge everybody to preserve all that they can to help alleviate a chunk of the grocery budget.

Look for a Safer Brand

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of SaferBrand. All opinions are 100% mine.

My daughter loves caterpillars - tent worms in particular. She has a handful that she collected last week and she keeps them in a cottage cheese container. They are her pets and she has them named, each one of them. On top of that, she gives them "a swim" by putting them in buckets of water. That part I don't mind so much....

We are in the midst of another bad tent worm year. They are everywhere, literally covering the bicycle trail and the roads. Last year, we had a terrible time with them. They covered the young trees in our yard.

My son decided that he could kill those worms easily by spraying them with Malathion Plus. What seemed like a good idea to him was not such a good idea for the trees, not to mention our cat and three dogs - and us! This product is a strong chemical compound containing Malathion and petroleum distillate. It smells strong too.

When I looked up petroleum distillate, I found this: "Petroleum distillates are hydrocarbon solvents produced from crude oil. These solvents include mineral spirits, kerosene, white spirits, naphtha, and Stoddard solvent." (Sage) Kerosene alone is a possible carcinogen.

Malathion is not so toxic, or so some say, unless you get it inside of you by ingesting it or absorbing it through the skin. Then it quickly results in malaoxon, which is very toxic. Acute exposure to Malathion can result in skin and eye irritation, cramps, nausea, diarrhea, excessive sweating, seizures or even death. Now, I wonder what happens if you inhale it? I guess I really don't want to know.

 It turned out that the chemicals did kill the tent worms. In the process, they apparently killed most of the trees. One of our trees only has leaves on the bottom third of the branches. We and the dogs are fine - the cat has died.

This year, for health sake, it's either organic gardening or nothing. Safer Brand's EndALL insect spray is an organic solution to the caterpillar (and other garden/yard pests). It kills 45 different insects without the use of harsh chemicals that can harm you, your children, or your pets. It won't kill your trees either. Check it out and, at the same time, take a look at the other organic products Safer Brand carries.

Happy SAFER gardening!

Snow Brings to Mind Gardening

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Safer® brand. All opinions are 100% mine.

Amanda and I went out in the deep snow yesterday and played. We also took a walk in our now covered garden. I thought the brussels sprouts plants looked like small Christmas trees until I got close enough to really look at them. This last summer was the first time we planted sprouts since moving up north ten years ago and when I set them out I didn't think they would do well. What really concerned me was that I wanted to grow and harvest without using chemicals. That's hard to do with plants like cabbage and brussels sprouts because the cabbage white butterflies absolutely flock to them.

They came in droves. I really didn't know what to do and in the end it was resort to chemicals or handpick the worms off the plants. My husband doesn't have the same patience in gardening as I do, so a bit of chemical spraying eventually hit the plants. Interestingly, the chemicals didn't work so well. It was back to handpicking.

Now tonight I visited saferbrand.com and looked up what their website suggested concerning cabbage worm control. They say that B.t. (Bacillus thuringiensis) works well. I guess I should have spent a little bit of time researching. Next spring and summer I'm going to try it.

If you're planning to garden this coming spring and summer (and fall in some parts of the country) and you especially want to do so organically, you'll find the information at Saferbrand's site to be a big boost to your efforts. I'm bookmarking it for further reference - there are a lot of pesky insects I need to research and the insect library is my targeted source.


Got a Facebook account? Jump to Safer brand's facebook page and become a fan to stay on top of the organic gardening scene.

Safer brand is officially on twitter for those of you who prefer following them there.

Staying Moral in Financial Crisis

Let's face it - times are hard right now for people across the United States and other countries right now. Money is hard to come by; thus food is hard to come by. 

Not too many years ago, people were dependent upon the local grocery stores for their food. It used to be that they grew everything themselves. This wasn't so hard to do because the head of the family did not go to work outside of the home each day. It didn't matter if you lived in town or out of town - they could grow their own gardens and even their own animals without intrusion of this city ordinance and that city ordinance. THEY DID NOT DEPEND UPON THE GOVERNMENT FOR NECESSITIES!

Now look at us today. The majority of Americans do not have enough food on hand to last them a couple of weeks should the grocery stores close for that long at a time. What compounds the problem is that a good chunk of us cannot afford to buy the groceries even if the stores ARE open! And here's where the real trouble comes in.

People are resorting to immoral means to get their money and their food (as well as non-necessities). For the second time in the past year my husband has received a letter telling him that his personal information has been stolen from a database. This time it is name, address, telephone number, credit card number and credit card expiration date.

You're saying, "I'm a Christian. I do not steal!" 

I am not accusing my readers of stealing or breaking any of the commandments, but I do think we need to pause to look at ourselves now and then. The Bible calls it examining ourselves to see if there is any presence of sin in our lives.

We are all tempted at one time or another - so was Christ. The difference between sinning and being tempted to sin sometimes gets blurred. Jesus didn't have trouble knowing where the temptation ended and where the sin began. He quoted God's word to Satan and cut it off immediately BEFORE the temptation had chance to get past the blur.

So, while these times are difficult, we must remember to quote the word of God before we act upon those temptations - temptations to out and out steal, to pocket the change when the cashier accidentally gives us too much, to lie in order to receive benefits, etc. Remember, God cares for His own.

I believe that when we stay honest and we work hard to gain an income and food God's way, we will be blessed and will have such a great testimony in the end. People will come to salvation because they have seen our faithfulness.

Thankful Thursday - October 1

This week I've had some nice surprises. One of them is this Calphalon baking pan set that arrived in the mail the other day. It's a reward from AC Nielsen for participating in their Homescan program. The pans are wonderful and I'm SO thankful because this is something I've needed for a long time.

Today we took a 4 mile hike on the biking trail. I'm thankful for the beautiful weather today and that we have placed to bike and hike. In this case, practically across the road from our house.

Some of you won't agree, but I think Brussels sprouts are wonderful. I am grateful to have grown quite a bit of them in my garden this year. These were just picked. I won't get too many more, but I do love that I have several packages in the freezer.

One of my favorite blessings is the new furnace our church gifted us with last spring while my husband was recovering from a pulmonary embolism. We are going to be warm this winter.

Lynn's hosting Thankful Thursday this week. Please be sure to visit and say hi.

Goodbye Mosquitoes and Hello Summer Fun

Summer is coming and you know what that means - backyard barbecues and fun in the sun and all of it shared with blood sucking mosquitoes. Not only are they a pesky bother, they can make you and your family (pets included) sick. Heart worms are only one of the many problems mosquitoes can cause. I have a son and a daughter who are both allergic to mosquitoes and they really swell up badly when bitten.

There are some things that you can do to help reduce mosquito populations in your yard and reduce your chances of being bitten.

Remember to keep water from standing on your property because mosquitoes lay their eggs in water. When those eggs hatch, you have a mosquito invasion.

Use a natural mosquito repellent and bug spray when you go outdoors and when there's a strong chance you'll encounter insects such as mosquitoes and ticks.

Put up a mosquito trap. A good environmentally safe trap is the Mega-Catch. And when you compare the costs of these traps to other ones such as propane based traps, you'll find the Mega-Catch to be very cost effective. Scientific tests have shown the traps to catch an average of 3707 mosquitoes per night - that's a lot of itching!



You might want to read some Mega-Catch reviews to learn more.

Don't let mosquitoes ruin your summer this year. Learn about mosquitoes and what you can do to prevent them from doing so when you visit megacatch.com.

Free Chocolate and Other Things

I'm just full of posts tonight :) Seriously, though, I forgot to tell everyone earlier that every Friday you can go to the Mars Real Chocolate site and enter to win a coupon for some free Mars chocolate. I did it today and was one of the winners. I will receive a coupon in the mail. I'm a chocolate addict, so this is something great for me!

Jeff took me out to supper tonight. I didn't want to go because I'm on this kick right now about saving money and only spending on necessities. Eating out isn't a necessity. Anyway, we went to La Senorita and had a nice Mexican supper. It sure was packed out. I must be the only one who balks at a supper out!

A friend of mine e-mailed today to say that her house had a tree drop on it because of a tornado that whipped through the area (Liberal, MO). She's asked for prayer because they don't have insurance. I haven't heard the extent of the damage yet, but praise the Lord she and her family are safe!

We've been having some thunderstorms here recently. They aren't all that violent, though, and are providing rain for my gardens. The rhubarb and raspberry plants are really going to town. The flowers are all doing well, too. The lillies we planted last year have already multiplied and are coming up all over.

Summer's coming!

The Mosquitoes are Coming...

I don't know about you but the one problem I have with summer is the invasion of mosquitoes every year. You try to avoid them and the horrible itching they cause by spraying yourself down with products filled with DEET and other chemicals, but you just can't stop them from invading your personal space.

I run around our yard all summer long to make sure that there are no buckets with drops of water in which mosquitoes can lay eggs. It really doesn't matter, though, because I think they come over here from the neighbor's yard with the sole intention of keeping us from sitting on the porch to enjoy the cooler night air.

From reading a mosquito magnet review, I've learned that there are other tactics that one can, and should, use against an insect that has the ability to transfer dangerous diseases such as West Nile Virus. Who knows what other diseases are transmitted to humans via mosquitoes? I'm not sure it's all been researched completely as yet. We would probably be shocked if we knew.

The mosquito magnet seems to be a great way to stamp out mosquitoes from your property and your actual person without having to resort to repellent sprays that comprise of questionable ingredients. From what I've seen and read, these traps lure and kill billions of tiny mosquitoes and keep them from destroying your summer fun.

Tackle it Tuesday - Cool Weather Crops

Today was a busy one for me. I (with the help of Jeff and Jonathon) got the garden tilled! Yes, you heard me correctly. Our friend with the tiller loaned it to us so we could dig up our garden with a machine rather than with a shovel.

I was beginning to sweat over this because, if you want to have abundant peas, lettuce, and other cool weather crops, you have to get the seeds in the ground EARLY! The year I planted spinach in April was the year I harvested so much that I was giving it away to anyone and everyone because my freezer and pantry ran over.

It took a couple hours to till this garden (I have three plots) so that the soil was nearly powdery. I bent down and scooped up some of the wonderful cool earth. Ah, it smelled wonderful! You have to love gardening to say this :)

Later tonight, before the sun set, Jeff staked out a few rows and I dug and planted them with leaf lettuce, beets, spinach, and peas. The plant you see in the picture is my chive plant. It just gets bigger and bigger every year. We've already snipped some and used on pizza. Oh my, so good!

Toward the end of the month we'll plant the rest of the garden, but I'll sure sleep well tonight!

Deer Controlling your Garden?

Isn't this deer cute? If he's in the woods or a field, or even in the zoo, yes. Simply adorable. But what if he's in your garden? Not so adorable.

Gardening is not made any easier when animals and insects invade what you've worked so hard to build. Deer especially wreak havoc in gardens because they eat just about anything green - or any other color for that matter. They can destroy a plot of corn pretty fast.

I'm not sure how it is in other parts of the country, but here in the north woods, deer are amazingly abundant and they don't care whether your garden is planted just for you or not. They make it their own personal business to invade that space.

Gardeners, unite! Deer Off is a product designed to repell pesky animals like deer by placing an odorous layer of repellent on your garden or grass. If the animals get past the garlic and rotten egg smell, they're sure to be deterred by the hot pepper taste. You know what the best part of this product is, other than it comes with a battery operated reusable spray bottle that makes spraying large gardens easy?

It's a natural deer repellent so it isn't something that's going to harm wildlife or your children and your own pets. It's fully organic too and that is truly important to me, because I don't want any chemicals in my family's food.

I hope you'll take the time to learn about deer control and the advantages of natural repellents over chemicals and other harmful measures.

Be Prepared for Bug Invasions

My husband and I love to work outside with the "greener" things in life. Every summer, we plant three vegetable/herb gardens, as well as flowers and bushes around the house and yard. This year we decided to get adventurous and ordered raspberries and additional rhubarb plants. We're going to be busy. What we don't have time for are pesky insects.

It seems like the biggest threat to our plants are beetles. Every year during the early part of summer, these little beetles (they call them rose beetles up here) hatch and they literally fill the air, landing in our hair and in our plants. They don't bite us or anything like that, but they eat the plants, especially flowers.

Chemicals are not the best way to combat insects in our gardens and yard, we've found. The times that we bought expensive harsh chemicals were a waste because they had no effect whatsoever, other than make us a little poorer perhaps.

Complete organic gardening is my goal. After talking with other gardeners and researching organic gardening, I've decided to give organic pest control a try.

There are good products acclaimed by organic gardeners, such as one by Safer Brand. Its organic bug patrol kills over 40 insects. Hopefully I can outwit a tiny insect!