Decisions,, decisions,,,,,,

Greetings,,

After much thought and prayer I have come to some decisions.  First I will only be posting once a week at least through the rest of this year.  So look for my posts on Monday of each week.  I have a lot on my plate right now and I am feeling a bit stretched and pulled at the moment at least until I get better organized.

I want to remind you the Christian Based Fibromyalgia Support Group will start tonight at 6:30pm at New Hope Christian Fellowship Church.  This is an organizational meeting and we will make such decisions as to how often we will meet, how we will promote the group, etc.  If you live in the Clinton, IL area and have fibromyalgia or know someone who does we invite you to join us.  For directions you can see the church web site at http://newhopeclinton.org/ 

I am going to be setting up for the Apple and Pork at the Catholic Church on North Monroe St. here in Clinton.  I will be helping sell some friends antiques as well as a few of my own.  If I have time to make fudge I might have some there to sell as well.  My fudge was a big hit last year.  So getting ready for that will also have me busy the next couple of weeks.  I will not be selling my ceramics there this year.

I am still trying to get unpacked and settled.  The unpacking is going slow as I have so many other obligations going on as well.  But it will get there, eventually, LOL.  And I also need to get back to working on ceramics just as soon as I get some things moved in the basement.  I have orders to fill.

Please bear with me as I make more decisions and changes.  Life is always changing,,,, its a good thing, LOL.

Watch for some money saving hints and tips next week along with a really good recipe using pumpkin!

Until next time,,,,,,,Blessings!

Changes are in the works, and works are in the changes,,,,,

Greetings!!

Sounds like a snazzy title, LOL.  Well you might notice the first change is the name of the blog, it is now "The Frugal Homestead".  I believe any home whether it be in the country or in the city is our "homestead".  It is really whatever you want to call it.  And home is what you make of it.  It can be your sanctuary or the place you hang your hat at night and leave in the morning.

Many people are finding it harder and harder to make ends meet in this economy.  Things are tough and going to get tougher.  This economic mess  has been coming on for decades and its not going to get fixed over night.  Many people have lost jobs and have not been able to find new work, and that continues to be the case.

It is my hope to be able to post money saving tips, hints and tricks to help you stretch your budget.  Some of the tips you may have heard of before, some not.  I'll post some recipes from time to time that will also help to stretch the food budget.  I hope you will also feel free to contribute when you have an idea.  This should be a place where we can reach out and help each other, sharing ideas, thoughts, recipes and prayers.

I have not decided yet how frequent I will post, but it is liable to change in the near future.  Don't worry though, I will let you know, LOL.

While I am writing this morning I want to let you know that here in the Clinton, IL area we are starting a Christian Based Fibromyalgia Support Group at the New Hope Christian Fellowship Church tomorrow evening at 6:30pm.  This will be hosted by yours truly, LOL.  For more information you can go to their web site at  http://newhopeclinton.org 

Please bear with me as I start making changes for the posts here and get things set up better.

Until next time,,,,,,Blessings!

The Frugal Homestead,,,,,

Greetings,

This thought has been on my mind for several weeks now of changing my blog to "The Frugal Homestead".  With today's economy only getting worse I see a need for people to learn how to be frugal and stretch their budget dollar as far as they can.  Being frugal takes planning and preparation.  It takes making a real effort and not just going willy nilly crazy in the stores.  For those of us with lower incomes it is becoming a necessity to be as frugal as possible.

Many people have lost jobs over the last few years and finding new work is becoming more and more difficult.  Trying to live on a fixed income if you are retired or disabled is also very difficult.  The cost of living is going up rapidly but the income is not.  Many people face the question of whether to buy food or buy medicine.  These are very hard times we live in.  So perhaps, I can help ease the pain at the grocery store when you get to the check out or help with saving on utilities to help stretch the budget.  I have learned a lot of tips over the years that have helped me, perhaps they will help you too?

I might also change the frequency of when I post and not post 6 days a week any more.  But I have not decided that for sure yet.

I would like to share tips, recipes, canning, freezing and drying food types.  I will also share scripture from time to time and perhaps some "how to" pictures and videos.  Becoming as frugal as possible means going back to a lot of the old fashioned ways of doing things.  Cooking from scratch is a major thing.  Do you have any idea how much money is waisted on frozen or boxed goods?  They are OK in a pinch once in a while but really not good for the food budget or your health.  I'll talk about gardening and putting food up for the winter.  Making your own spaghetti sauce from the garden.  Raising and drying herbs both for cooking and medicinal purposes.  And who knows what else I will come up with, LOL.

So my question to you is do you want to see the blog change and go into a new direction or do you want it to stay the same?

Until next time,,,,,Blessings!!

Gutten Appetit,,, a cook book purchased in Arthur,,,,

Greetings!

A few days ago I made a trip to Illinois Amish Country in Arthur, IL.  You might have seen my post with pictures from my trip.  I purchased this cookbook from an Amish shop called Clear View Fabrics and Books.  I have enjoyed going through the book and will share some recipes from time to time.

While I was in Arthur I picked up a couple of pumpkins for baking to make filling for my pumpkin pies and also some pumpkin bread.  That is why I chose the recipe for today, it is for a pumpkin pie.  For some reason none of the pie recipes include a bottom crust but I am assuming they would make the pie with a bottom crust to help hold its shape.  I am also including a recipe for pie crust found in this cookbook.  Hope you enjoy them!!

Arlene's Easy Rolled Pie Crust by Mrs. Louie Jr. (Olive) Peachy

4 c. unsifted flour            1 egg

1 tsp. baking powder           1 T. vinegar

1/2 tsp. salt            1/2 C. cold water

1 1/2 C. shortening

Sift flour, baking powder and salt together.  Cut in shortening.  Add egg, vinegar and cold water.

Pumpkin Pie by Elam and Nina Nissley Family

1 1/2 C. white sugar            2 C. mashed pumpkin

1 1/2 C. brown sugar            4 egg yolks

4 T. flour            4 C. milk

2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice            4 egg whites

dash of salt

Mix everything together, except egg whites.  Beat egg whites until stiff and fold in last.  Bake at 350* for 45 minutes to 1 hour.   Yields two 9 inch pies

************************

A scripture for the day, found in another book I bought while in Arthur called "God's Wisdom for your life"

Luke 6: 20-23 (NLT)

Then Jesus turned to his disciples and said, "God blesses you who are poor, for the Kingdom of God is yours.  God blesses you who are hungry now, for you will be satisfied.  God blesses you who weep now, for in due time you will laugh.  What blessings await you when people hate you and exclude you and mock you and curse you as evil because you follow the Son of Man.  When that happens, be happy! Yes, leap for joy!  For a great reward awaits you in heaven."

**************

Thank you dear Lord for these timely and most precious words!!  Yesterday, I was attacked for trying to live the life you have chosen for me, for wanting to follow you.  People have shown their hate and anger towards me because of my close relationship with you.  I pray for them O' God that they might find a close relationship with you and walk in your ways.  In Jesus name, Amen!!

Until next time,,,,,,Blessings!!

Digging potatoes,,,,,,

Greetings,

Well I have procrastinated a bit too long on digging potatoes and now I must get it done today.  We are to start raining this afternoon and continue for the next several days.  I lost my window of opportunity!!  But I must admit I did have other things that had to get done.  Yesterday was a goof off day, but much needed to refresh my body.

I enjoyed my trip to Illinois Amish Country, in Arthur, IL.  I posted pics of my trip yesterday on this blog.  Also pics are posted on the Amish America blog.  I hope you enjoy them!

I am going to keep this short as I have so much to get done today.

Hope you have a wonderful day!

Until next time,,,,,Blessings!!

Some pictures of Illinois Amish Country,,,,,

Greetings,

I did not post first thing this morning as I usually do because I made a trip down to Illinois Amish Country in Arthur, IL.  What a beautiful day God blessed me with for this trip!!  The sun was shining, a beautiful blue sky, and temperatures were just perfect for a day trip, in the low 70s with no humidity.  What an awesome day!!

The first stop on the trip was a place called Clear View Fabrics and Books.  What a cool store!!  I will be going back there for fabric when I start to sew clothes again later this fall.

This is the sign outside the store.  The store is on the owner's personal farm in a separate building.  Like most places around the Arthur area, this place is out in the country and not downtown.

This horse and buggy were parked outside the store while its owner was inside buying fabric and perhaps a few books.

As you face the store, their house and barn are located to the right of the store.  That's an easy commute, LOL.

This is an Amish School House out on a country road, I stumbled on it when I got a little side tracked, LOL.

I did not stop in and visit this business but apparently they make and sell rugs.  Perhaps next time I will pop in for a look around.

There is laundry hanging on the line near the house.  I just liked the looks of this place and snapped the picture while driving down the road.

The two mail boxes, with two different names caught my attention at this farm.

An Amish lawn mower??  It does seem to be cutting the grass.  There were actually 2 of them working this field.

This little Amish boy was working in the fields with his father.  No doubt he is learning how to care for his own farm someday.

Well, I was able to stock up on some baking supplies while at Beachy's Bulk Foods.  I also picked up a neat cook book from Clear View Fabrics and Books which I will share some recipes from in another post.  I picked up a couple of other books at Yoder's Restaurant where I stopped for lunch.  And I will be sharing them in another post as well.

I had a really enjoyable day and look forward to my next trip down there.  I still want to make it out to Miller's Dry Goods and a few other places.

Until next time,,,,,,,Blessings!

Not much news today,,,,,,

Greetings,

Not much news today.  I have just been busy unpacking and putting things away.  I hope to make a trip to Illinois Amish country within the next few days.  I love stocking up down there, prices are so reasonable.

Today, I am making egg salad, apple pie and roasting a couple of chickens on the grill.  I have to make a quick trip to the grocery store also.  So today is pretty much a muddling type of day.  Lots of little jobs to get done.  My eggs are already cooking on the stove and the chickens are thawing.

Now that the eggs are cooked, I am going to get ready to head to the store.  Hopefully tomorrow I will have something more to write about.  Have a great day!!

Until next time,,,,,,Blessings!

Unpacking and cooler temperatures,,,,

Greetings!!

I am very busy unpacking today.  I have been busy in the kitchen this morning putting all my kitchen items into place.  I love to cook and bake so there is a lot of it.  I have one full cabinet dedicated to baking pans and think I will be spilling over to the cabinet next to it.  These are not small cabinets either, LOL.

All my candy making supplies are in a cabinet by themselves also.  I will be making home made candies and fudge to give as Christmas presents this year, LOL.  I have molds for some of the candies that I hope to make room for in the cabinet too.

I have several sets of good mixing bowls to put away yet and then my bread making supplies.  Still lots to do but the work is worth it to finally get the boxes out of the way.  Its nice to be getting settled in.

The temperatures are much cooler today.  So much so that I had to put sweats on this morning.  Just two days ago the temperature was over 100 before the heat index factored in.  I love the fall temperatures and will be looking forward to baking pies and breads and making home made applesauce.  I so love baking in the fall!!

I need to get back to work.  Hope you all have a wonderful day!!

Until next time,,,,,,Blessings!!

New Hope Christian Fellowship Church in Clinton, IL

Greetings!

Recently I posted about Ministry work and the local Church, today I want to touch on that a little more with one of the local churches who is setting a good example of ministry work.

New Hope Christian Fellowship Church here in Clinton, IL is a church filled with people with the desire to do ministry work, reaching out to their community to help others.  They have many plans in the works.  First, there will be a food pantry opening soon at the church to help feed the hungry.  They are busy building shelves and getting equipment such a freezers in place at this time.  They are hoping within a few weeks it will be up and running.

I will be starting a Christian based fibromyalgia support group at the church.  Our first meeting will be Tuesday, September 13th at 6:30pm.  This will be an organizational meeting to make such decisions as how often we will meet, etc.

Pastor Dan Melton plans on having specialists come in and help people trying to find jobs to "write a winning resume", and to learn how to conduct themselves in a job interview and so on.

We have a family in need that the congregation is reaching out to with food and cash donations.

As Christians we must all be about our Father's business.  That is the business of helping others.  This is a church that takes that mission very seriously.  I am blessed to be able to work with Pastor Dan and the congregation at New Hope Christian Fellowship Church.  I manage their web site, facebook page and twitter account.  Soon I will be writing a weekly blog for their web site as well.

I ask that you keep this church in your prayers as they continue to reach out to our community and to the world.

Until next time,,,,,,,,Blessings!

Ministry work and the local church,,,,,

Greetings!!

Over the last several weeks this subject has been weighing heavy on my mind.  Ministry work and the local church.  First lets think about what ministry work really is.  I believe it is reaching out to your local community and beyond helping to provide for both the physical needs and spiritual needs of others.  Some of the physical needs would be food, shelter, clothing and furniture.  Jesus says in Matthew chapter 25 we are to, "feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit the sick and imprisoned and be hospitable to the homeless."  Does your church do these things?

While providing for the physical needs of others we can also provide for the spiritual needs by sharing the gospels.  Talking to people about the saving grace of Jesus.  Give them guidance and hope.  Share with them Christian reading materials and try to help them come to a relationship with Christ if they do not already have one.  If they are in a relationship with Christ then we can reinforce and support that relationship.  Help someone to grow in their faith.  Be encouraging to them.

I believe all Christians, no matter how far along they are in their faith walk should be ministry minded and always willing to reach out to another person.  It is our duty so to speak.  I also believe a church that is not active in ministry work is not much more than a social club where people get together once or twice a week to hang out rather than to do the work of the Lord.  A church without ministries is not setting a good example of Christian behavior to the community or world around them.  Jesus said let your light shine like a city on a hill.  It is not works that gives you salvation but works that shows you are saved.

Jesus sacrificed His life for us.  If we are to be like Jesus we must be willing to make sacrifices to help others.  It is sad to see that so many have fallen away from doing what the bible teaches us to do.  Many think, "its not my problem", or, "let someone else help, I have my own life to deal with", and other similar statements.  I wonder if those people who think these things would feel the same way if they suddenly found themselves falling on hard times?

Times are tough right now, the economy is very bad and getting worse every day.  There are more natural disasters such has hurricanes, earthquakes, floods and tornadoes, not to mention severe droughts, huge wild fires and more.  Would you reach out to a flood victim, the drought victims in Texas or victims in some other area or would you say, let the government take care of them?  Yes, I agree, FEMA needs to do what they were created for, but so do we!!  If your church is not involved in ministry work, I strongly encouraging them to start and if they refuse, I strongly encourage you to seek a church who is.  Read carefully the scriptures in Matthew 25 and hopefully you will understand why I say this is so very important.

Until next time,,,,,,,Blessings!!