Our Third Birthday!

Image Courtesy of Adamsolkoff.com

Well, turning 3 is a big deal when you are a child. You get to go to more places, have learned a little bit more, get to do more things, and are a little more grown up. Yes, when my children turned 3, we all cheered!

This blog is like a family member at times.  I think about it when I am doing other things.  I see ideas for it when I go places, I can do more things with it now than when I started it 3 years ago. I guess, for me, this is a time of celebration.

Since I started to track the statistics on this blog, hundreds of thousands of visitors have come calling.  What have they shown the most interest in?  Take a look below:

1. As was the case last year, the post on using Clear Jel continues to be the most viewed.  I get the most questions and comments from this post as well.  I love this product not only for its performance, but its versatility and indefinite shelf life.
2. A new surprise in the line-up is the post of Mother's Day done in 2011.  Why this is, I am unsure.
3. Still in the top five is the post on using Mylar Bags.  I love the versatility of this product and have used them in a variety of ways, even for gifts! 
4. Number four is the post on Canning Hamburger.  I can't tell you how very convenient this item is to have on hand.  You can make a variety of meals with very little time by having this item on your shelf.  
5. The next winner in our line up is a post on making your own cake mix with ideas for Gourmet Cupcakes.  
6. Another personal favorite in our line-up is the post on Canning your own Beans.  Again, if you are looking for convenience and a real time-saver, this is a great option!
7. Another surprise to me is the post that is coming in at number seven, entitled "What is a Relief Society Coordinator?"
8. This post is about a controversial subject.  It is on canning butter.  This is an area where some feel it is acceptable and others say it is too low in acid to do.  I am asking you to research this subject on your own and make an informed decision. You will find plenty of resources on the web. 
9. And rounding out the most popular posts of all time is a post on Shortening Powder.  Make sure that you read the comments below as some wonderful readers have left some very helpful hints!

My thanks goes out to those wonderful Bloggers who have put a link to our site on their own blogs.  Thank you so much for your faith and confidence!  I am humbled greatly by this. The reason I started this blog was to be of help to my own ward/congregation at the time. Everyone is so busy, so I thought that making information available 24/7 might help them in their quest to be prepared. I no longer have that calling or assignment, but I have been bitten by the "preparedness bug" and continue to learn and see opportunities in all facets of my life.    

I look forward to learning more and going more places together this year.  Thank you for visiting.  I hope that I have made you feel welcome and that you have been able to take away some helpful information.

I look forward to the upcoming year....who knows what we will learn together?

Mary's Treasure Box....a new Christmas Tradition

You may be wondering why I am talking about a Christmas Tradition in February.  This is a book written by Carolyn Walz Kramlich.  It tells the Christmas Story from the point of view of Mary, relating the events of the Savior's birth to her Grand-daughter.  Well, the fact of the matter is that this book can be quite costly if you are not looking throughout the year for it.  I was first introduced to this  book a couple of years ago.  I attempted to get it in that Christmas season, and the cheapest I could find it was for around $80.00. I decided to wait until the following year.  

I purchased this book, along with a companion book called Benjamin's Box around Easter of last year.  I guarantee that it was much more reasonably priced at that time.  Even as of this writing, it is running between $23.00 and $25.00 on a number of websites.  You can see how I made my own Benjamin's Box by going here.  

Well, I used some of the items from Benjamin's Box and added the other pieces to accompany Mary's Treasure Box.  

I wanted to be authentic, so I found real Frankincense and Myrrh in this beautiful set sold at our local Catholic Supply Store.  I also found these online.  Don't wait until the last minute, I learned that I was lucky to have purchased the last set in the local store. 

  

Some of the items that are needed are boxes/containers for the Frankincense and Myrrh.  Initially I found little cardboard boxes at my local craft store.  However, I came across these ring boxes that seemed to fit the story best. They were not very expensive either. The gold bracelet that is called for in this story is actually a hanging earring base that is intended for additional beads etc to be attached to it. (I have, however, cut off a small circle that was on the opposite side of the small circles that is intended for the earing hook to be attached too).  I guess that I felt it looked a little 'regal' with the other small circles still attached..  

I made "Treasure boxes" for each of my married children who have had little ones at home.  I placed Frankincense in one box and Myrrh in another.  I learned that I needed to put a rubber-band  on the round box as the lid easily slid off and the contents would spill.  (I gave my adult children instructions to remove it before the story was read to the grandchildren). 

You will also need a 'flute' (a small toy whistle), and wool.  

I took poly-fill (like you would put in a quilt or a pillow) and rubbed a sharpie marker in certain spots.  I them just rubbed the poly-fill against itself to make the grey wool.  In addition, you will need a piece of linen which I found in my fabric scraps.

The book essentially calls for 2 different bundles.  I put the stated items into squares of maroon and gold fabrics with blue and maroon ribbons (as shown in the book).  

Place both bundles in a wooden box (which I picked up at the craft store)

So, how did we read this book to our grandchildren in different parts of the country?  I made a power-point with the pictures from the book.  I scheduled an on-line meeting (from a free service) so that they could see us.  I should have uploaded the power-point a day or two or ahead of time, but didn't. It took too long to upload and we were trying to read this to them before they went to Church etc.  (We only had 30 minutes that might have worked for everyone on both coasts and in between) Thus, we winged it and read the story and showed the pages.  (Lesson learned for next time).  

As we came to each point in the story where each item was needed, the children and their parents took them out of their bundles and experienced the story with actual items.  I think we all really liked the real Frankincense and Myrrh!

Now, the parents can purchase their own copy of the book if they wish, or let us read it to their children again....it's up to them.  

However, if you wish to do this, start early.  It is worth the effort.  

Good luck!

"Nonnie....let me show you our......Chickens!"

I recently traveled to the east coast. I was visiting a new little family member who had just made an appearance.  While there, my grand-daughter wanted me to meet.....her chickens! I knew my son had been trying to raise chickens to be a little more self-reliant.  Well, it appears that he has succeeded.  The family often gets 'green eggs' (and no ham!). My grandchildren are quite enthralled with the egg laying venture.  

I wondered how much it cost to feed them.  I came to learn that they keep their vegetable scraps as well as the egg shells.  They break the egg shells into very small pieces.  They take the vegetables and shells and feed them to the chickens.  Reportedly, the egg shells help the eggs that are laid in the future to have hard shells.  I kidded them that they were teaching their chickens.....to...be...cannibals!  

These folks live in a temperate climate, but still provide 'housing' for their flock.  

I haven't taken this step yet, and most likely will not due to the restrictions of the area that I live in.  However, I am very pleased to see one of my children make this choice to be more self-reliant.  Maybe one or more of my kids did learn a thing or two when they lived with their Dad and I.  We can only hope:)

Consider it!

Is it cold outside?

I took this picture in a Museum in Sunriver Oregon while on a family vacation.  Don't you just love the designs and dyes?  Thankfully, we are not required to sheer the sheep and make such beautiful blankets today.

There are a variety of different types of blankets.  Certainly, we can purchase many different types...and I sure have over the years.  Some have had Star Wars, Disney, or Flower-power designs.  However, I have learned to make them over when the 'fascination' for the themed design had long since past.  Learn how to make a Duvet cover for blankets or comforters that are not longer in vogue.  I measured the blanket, added 1/2" to 3sides and 2 Inches to the fourth side.  Then I cut 2 exact pieces and sewed them up on only 3 sides.  I finished the raw edges on the fourth side and then stitched in some velcro every few inches to close the fourth side.

Pillow shams can also be made over, just unpick the back from the front, topstitch on a new front, then sew the back on again.   Simple as pie....really.

So, re-use and recycle those themed blankets and comforters....give them a second life!

New Videos' from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Do you remember the fabulous videos unveiled during the First Presidency Christmas Devotional?  Well, there are two more Bible Video's that have been produced and are now available for viewing.

Jesus Teaches a Samaritan Woman



Jesus Teaches about the Widow's Mite


They also have wonderful photo's that can be viewed as well.  These are wonderful!