Being Prepared - Powerless Cooking Options

(The next installment in a series on preparation. You can find other posts covered by searching this blog for "Preparedness".)

She hath killed her beasts; she hath mingled her wine; she hath also furnished her table.

Proverbs 9:2

When we left off this series I was going to do a post on powerless cooking, aka solar cooking. Since then I have come across many articles on the internet that talk of solar cooking and how to make your own solar oven or even where you can purchase them.

ETA...I have to be honest here and tell you that while doing this is on my to-do list we haven't quite reached a point where we've done it. I sure hope to sometime in the upcoming months, and will blog about the experience of making/baking in a solar oven when I do. Until then...

The wonderful gals over at FoodStorageMadeEasy even did a post about this since then (click on their name to go to the link).

So, instead of re-inventing the wheel, I'm going to simply provide you with some sites that will help you DIY'ers out there. If you want to purchase one already made then you can simple enter "purchase solar cooker" into your browser and I'm sure that many options will pop up.


~ http://solarcooking.org/plans/

~ http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/blogs/diy-hacks/diy-solar-oven-460611

~ http://diysolar.dasolar.com/group/diysolaroven

~ http://www.builditsolar.com/Projects/Cooking/cooking.htm

~ http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/daily-diy-solar-oven.htm


And there are many more links out there if you cannot find one in these that you like. As you may have noticed browsing through the sites, they vary from extra fancy to the basics. In fact, here's one that you can make with a Pringles can!

~ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NADsg-v9q8

(That might be a fun science experiment for you homeschoolers or scouts out there!)

Whatever you do, remember, this is not about fear or panic, but being prepared for whatever. If you power gets knocked out because of storms this spring you want to be able to make delicious food for your family while the electric and gas companies are busy working. Solar ovens (and other cooking options mentioned in previous post) will help you do that.

Why not give a few of these options a try this spring and summer so you can see what works best for you and your meal plans and also to work out any kinks in emergency planning. :)

In the next post on this topic we'll begin discussing food storage and the things you need to build a 72-hour kit and more.

Until then, much hugs and prayers,

White Brite - Product Review

Before I begin, let me state that I have not been contacted about reviewing this product nor am I being paid in any way or form for this review. It is simply a Pinterest pin that I had marked to try out and am passing along a review to help you decide if it will work for you or not.

I stumbled across a Pinterest pin in which a blogger raved about White Brite by Summit Brands. This product is a laundry additive to help, well, whiten and brighten. I thought if it did half of what she said, then it would be worth buying to save me time (from making my own).

The product packaging promises to make "your dingy whites bright!" and "removes yellowing & rust stains from white laundry." As a homeschooling mom grading this product, I would have to give White Brite a C- with the potential to go higher.

It should be noted that I have not tried this product on colors to "brighten". My express purpose in trying it out is strictly from a whitening standpoint.

CON: White Brite is not widely available. I grew frustrated trying to find it in grocery and mass merchandising/drug stores and thought I would have to order it through Amazon. I decided to try the local Wal-mart (which I rarely go to) and it was there.

(BTW, if you are interested in trying this product, click on the hyperlinked name above the photo and you will be taken to their website. The last time I was there I found a $1 off printable coupon.)

PRO: The pricing is a plus. It is on par with--if not better than--other laundry whitening products. One single packet of RIT (which is a small to medium load in your washer) cost $1.69 at my walmart (only sold in liquid) and I would need two packets of that for one load. The 1lb 14oz. bottle of White Brite was $3.99 (pre-coupon). It does not state how many loads that bottle will do, but after doing a load, I would say between 10 and 15 loads if you use the standard 1/2 cup dosage.

CON: One moment of confusion. On the package label (back) it says, "Use with your regular non-bleach alternative or oxi detergent." If I'm using another one of those, why do I need to use this product as well or vice versa? I'm also not sure if that means it will only be 100% effective if you do use it in addition to using other additives.

CON: Dosage does not consider load-size. Unlike RIT which tells you how much product to use depending on your load size, this bottle has a generic 1/2 cup usage per load. I ended up using 1 cup for a super-sized load of whites with stains. PRO: It does tell you that if you have stubborn stains, to "increase dosage and/or contact time."

The directions recommend that you fill the washer/add White Brite. Then add clothes and let them sit for five minutes (before the machine cycle starts). After that you can add your detergent and any other additives. I let the clothes soak for ten minutes (which would be recommended for stubborn stains). I added a mix of newer whites, older whites, stain-free and stained whites.

PRO: Easy to use. The bottle is fairly easy to grip and pour from. Being in powder form, you can easily pour and measure it out.

CON: Bad Smell. (It should be noted, my clothes did not smell, but the contents did). It was strong and pungent. I can't describe the exact smell, but it had a hint of the expel stuff we use to keep critters from our garden mixed with chemical soaps. Not as strong as the expel stuff, but strong enough that I could still "smell" it after an hour. I have to admit that at this point I almost panicked and quit the experiment because I was concerned about what I was adding to our clothes--items that would touch our bodies. Braved through it, opting to do a second rinse cycle for this one time.

And the results...

White Brite performed best on newer, unstained items that have not had a chance to get very dingy. I did notice a brighter white on those items. If most of your whites are new or already pretty white and bright, White Brite might help you keep them that way.

White Brite did poorly on whitening older items and dingier items. I did notice a shade of whitening, but not enough to make a difference to my pocketbook or sense of smell. Now, it could be that with repeated uses it makes them whiter (kind of like OTC tooth whiteners do with teeth, one application doesn't do it). I just don't think I can bear the scent to do it each time I toss a load of whites to find out. It also did not remove the stains, even with extended "contact time" as recommended. In some cases, stains were not as bright but still there and noticeable.

My final opinion is that while the idea is great, I will stick with my standard bleach or homemade whitening additives. They do the same job this product does for a fraction of the cost and without the offensive smell.

That said, if you cannot make your own or use bleach White Brite might be an alternative to consider. It says it is safer than bleach and you can use it on a lot of materials and cycles (delicates, whites, colors, etc.).

A Happy, Healthy Heart ~ A Pray For Me Monday Post

JAMES 5:16 "Therefore confess your sins to each other and
pray for each other so that you may be healed.
The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective." (NIV)

PSALMS 116:2 "Because He has inclined His ear to me,
Therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live" (NKJV)

Join me as I blog with Pray for Me Mondays hosted by Tiffany at Home Grown Families and Pamela over at Troop Petrie. Basically, it works like this: both blogs are hosting this blog link-up and will post about relevant topics and may perhaps have a prayer request and will pray together with their readers, coming together in agreement to go before the Throne of Grace.

* ~ *

Some of you may know, Darling Groom and I are currently doing a study (through our church) on Mike Storm's book, Parenting 101: A Practical Hands-On Guide to Raising Remarkable Kids. It is a very easy read but it really makes you stop often and pray and deals with a lot of your own past and relationships with your parents as you seek out Godly ways to continue the good and break the chains of the generational curses.

One particular thing that caught my heart was about the amount of genuine encouragement we give our children. Mr. Storm points out how when our children are born and learn to roll over, crawl, talk, walk, etc., they receive a constant stream of encouragement. He also talks about how the older they get the more and more it drops off.

The Bible teaches us that out of the abundance of the heart the the mouth speaks (Luke 6:45) and also teaches us to think on those things that are lovely, pure, holy, etc. (Philippians 4:8). At what point did our hearts change toward our children that we constantly give them the do-nots more than the dos. Yes, safety probably played a big part in it (don't touch the stove, it will hurt), but why? Our brains are wired to hear the command, not necessarily the "don't".

Don't believe me?

Okay, let's try this: you are watching what you eat. On the table is a birthday cake and in the fridge, some berries.

If I were to tell you, "Don't eat that birthday cake," what do you think you'd be thinking about all day? What would you be craving? That's right! That birthday cake would be front and center of your thoughts. And the more you tried to not think about the cake, the more you most likely thought of it.

Now, let's flip this. Same scenario and the cake is still sitting on the table, but this time I tell you, "Let's eat healthier. There is a bowl of fresh berries in the fridge for you." What are you thinking about now? Most likely, you are thinking about the berries, good for you and there is a lot less struggle for you to want them, less rebellion and temptation--all around a better option and it was a simple matter of phrasing things.

We have been concentrating on using more uplifting phrases and it's been a learning curve for all of us. Our children have even asked me what is going on because they have noticed an obvious difference.

I have also been trying to apply this to my marriage. I've never struggled with nagging, but there are times that when I get frustrated I will speak sharply. I have often had to ask Darling Groom to forgive me and pray with me. A lot of times that I do speak that way is because I want things to be done MY way. Talk about pride. It's an excellent example of how to not be submissive. So, a lot of prayers lately has been for God to direct my words to be more kind and loving.

So anyway, this week, while decluttering I came across an article in a Prevention magazine I was getting ready to toss. The brief article was titled, Tongue-lashing Leaves Scars by Sari N. Harrar. You're thinking, yeah, knew that already. But did you know that for your own heart (and your spouse's heart) keeping the sharp words to yourselves makes you physically healthier? According to this article, the University of Utah researched married couples having brief conversations on sensitive subjects (finances, in-laws, etc.), then they checked arteries with a CT scan. Women who heard (implied or actually said) or made hostile comments such as "you can be so stupid" were 30% more likely to have hardened arteries. For the men, it was controlling phrases like "do it my way" (heard or said) and the risk was the same. In fact, Ohio State University research concluded that harsh exchanges between spouses lowered their immunity enough to slow down any physical healing by at least a day.

Proverbs 18:21 tells us that the power of life and death is in the tongue. Here is scientific proof of that verse. When we view that evidence through the lens of Scripture it just confirms that our Lord created us to be encouraging and uplifting to one another at the benefit of their health and even our own!

This week, I hope you'll join me in praying that we all learn to speak to each other in God's love and design and that we become more intentional in speaking good into our husband's lives, our children's lives and that we can encourage them in the simple every day words we use. Pray that God continually reminds us that the state of our spiritual heart and emotional heart can affect our physical heart and to create in us a clean--happy and healthy--heart.

Hugs & Prayers,

Courageous ~ A Sing Your Praise Sunday Post

If you haven't already viewed the movie Courageous, might I recommend it? (It is now available on DVD.) My husband and I were blessed enough to view it together at the theatre and I could not wait to purchase the DVD to watch with our children (who are a little older, might be a little too intense for young ones in one or two spots).

I pray that God directs us all in how to be courageous this week!

(video link removed.  If you are interested in viewing this video, please go to YouTube, search for Casting Crowns/Courageous.  Thank you)

Looking Ahead ~ 2012

Motivation.

What a word. Dictionary.com describes it as, "the act or instance of motivating, or providing with a reason to act a certain way..."

More importantly, the Bible describes in many verses motivation and where our hearts should be.

~ But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness... (Matthew 6:33)

~ And let us not weary of doing good... (Galatians 6:9)

~ Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. (I Corinthians 15:58)

~ Commit your way to the Lord, trust in Him... (Psalm 37:5)


These verses are just a sampling of sound instruction for our motivation. And like so many of us, I have often fallen short of seeking my motivation of the Lord and sought out the advice of others or even relied on my own (often-wrong) motivation.

The new year always seems to bring us into a sense of new opportunities. Some like to make resolutions (been there ain't doing that again!) but it sounds so, well, resolute and so most give up within three months. Some set goals for the year, a little more vague, but again, without the right motivation most of us won't reach those goals.

We need to seek the correct motivation in order to have a better chance to succeed. (Sorry, I hate using "chance" but it fit here). For example, if I had a goal to lose weight, that's not a bad goal, but let's face it, there is something in our rebellious spirits that as soon as we say we are going to do it, will fight us all the way. Some of that could be because we tend to overdo it (another lesson in the importance of discipline and self-control). And some could even be that the enemy wants us to feel defeated no matter what.

That is why motivation is so important.

Why would we want to lose weight? Is it to be healthier? Then maybe that should be the real goal/resolution. Being skinny would be a consequence of being healthier, as would a host of other beneficial things. Is it because we are the temple of God (I Corinthians 6:19), well all then all the more reason to change the goal and reap the benefits as a side, not the main purpose.

I'm not telling you what to do, goodness knows that could lead to a mess, lol. I am just offering some advice from someone who has been there and God has really been dealing with me to simplify and seek out the true heart of the matter and a lot of times that means finding the true motivation for why I have done things--good and bad. He's showing me how what I do and how I do it and why I do it affect others in my life and on this blog.

Last month (maybe even my last post) I had asked you to pray for me because I felt that somehow I had gotten away from the purpose of the blog and needed to seek God to find the purpose He intended again, not my own. Thank you, by the way for your patience during my absence and for the prayers. It means much. That said, God has shown me that I just need to keep my focus on Him (motivation) and He will do what He wants to do with it. If this blog grows, then great, if it only ever reaches one person, then great. I need to remember this.

So, with that, I look forward to getting back on track and talking with you again. I have missed you all greatly and appreciate you all very much.

I encourage you to also seek God and ask Him to show you the motivation of your heart. It's very eye-opening to say the least! :) But I think you'll be all the wiser and have a better foundation for doing all those things you do!

And now, bring on 2012! :)

Much love, hugs and prayers,

Pray for Me Monday!

.

JAMES 5:16 "Therefore confess your sins to each other and
pray for each other so that you may be healed.
The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective." (NIV)

PSALMS 116:2 "Because He has inclined His ear to me,
Therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live" (NKJV)

Join me as I blog with Pray for Me Mondays hosted by Tiffany at Home Grown Families and Pamela over at Troop Petrie. Basically, it works like this: both blogs are hosting this blog link-up and will post about relevant topics and may perhaps have a prayer request and will pray together with their readers, coming together in agreement to go before the Throne of Grace.


It's a very chilly, gray kind of day here. One that (depending on your mood) could induce you to cuddle and get cozy or could add to the oppression or depression within your heart and magnify it. I hope and pray that you all experience the first.

Time is short this week but I didn't not want to miss this opportunity to pray with you.

Tiffany has requested prayer for dealing with insecurities. Pamela is going through some personal struggles and needs prayer to find Godly strength to rise above the circumstances and do things the way God wants her to instead of the way her flesh wants to. Please pray for these beautiful women when you think of it this week.

As for us here, we are thankful that most of the sickness and dental issues seem to be running out of steam in our home. It's been a wild ride. All the while, God has been reinforcing some things in my life, some things I need to take care of and one of them includes this blog and it's direction which seems to have gotten a little off-track. Please, if you think of it this week, take a moment to pray that I follow God in all things and that I seek Him first and that I heed the words He lays on my heart.

I would also like to send out a more "generic" prayer request. It seems that so many of our friends are enduring things right now that are designed to bring them down and discourage them, or to rile up their anger or just plain distract them. Please pray that God show each of us our weaknesses and remind us to go to Him and that we get direction for strengthening our spiritual armor.

What about you? What do you need prayer for?

Feel free to leave a prayer request here in the comments, or you can go to Tiffany or Pamela's blogs and do so there (or find their emails if you wish to send a private prayer request). If you are a blogger, we would love to have more company and you can link up at Tiffany or Pamela's blogs. :)

Until next week, much love and prayers,

If you have a prayer request, please feel free to post on this blog or be sure to visit Home Grown Families or Troop Petrie to add your request(s) there.
You can also find the linkup for your own blog, if you wish to participate in that way.

How Many Kings ~ a Sing Your Praise Sunday! Post

It's December, and whether you celebrate Christmas or not, if you love God then you cannot help but be touched by the reminders of just how much He loves us!

One song that has been on my heart these past few days sums it all up perfectly. It's by a band named Downhere and the song is titled "How Many Kings."

If you know it, sing along and thank God for this ultimate display and action of love. If you don't know it, please sit back and listen to the lyrics and enjoy.

(video link removed, please visit YouTube if you are interested in viewing.  Thank you)

Thank you, Lord, for the ultimate gift of yourself and for everything you did for us then and now. We praise Your name!

God bless you all,

Hospitality Book Giveaway

Hi all! Sorry I have been MIA, it's been a little crazy around here the past two weeks, but good to know that God is in charge no matter what. Will try to catch you up over the next few days/weeks, but until then, I wanted to share a great giveaway with you.

My sweet cyber-friend Rebecca is hosting a giveaway on her blog today!

If you would like an opportunity to win "Given to Hospitality...Cottage or Mansion" by Judy Ann Lewis, then please go visit Rebecca over at Rebecca's Hearth and Home.



There are several ways to increase your entries, so be sure to read through her post thoroughly! While you're there, tell her that Tamara said, "hi!"

Be Aware - A Mr. Monday Post

It's Monday and you know what that means--time to celebrate our fabulous misters.

I just have to say, this past week or two, Darling Groom has once more gone above and beyond, what we thought was an illness turned out to be some dental issues and he helped take care of everything so I could concentrate on dealing with this. He's such a ...

***WE INTERRUPT THIS REGULARALY SCHEDULED POST
TO BRING YOU AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE
FROM DARLING GROOM***

If you've read my blog or know us personally, then you know that my husband is all about safety. He has asked me to use this Mr. Monday to share some safety tips with you.

First, however, he wants me to encourage you to not be bound by a spirit of fear. If you find yourself falling into this trap, remember that God is always with you and that perfect love casts out fear. This post is not designed to make you afraid, rather to give you a few tools to be more aware. He has such a heart for women's safety (I did mention he has a wife, daughter, mother, two sisters, seven step-sisters, aunts, cousins, countless nieces, etc., right? LOL).

Darling Groom's thoughts are that God did not create us to live in fear, but neither did He create us to be oblivious. Everything is in God's control, no matter what, but that does not give us a pass to stop looking out for ourselves or our family. If you knew a snow storm was coming, you would most likely stock up and make sure your family had what it needed for shelter, food and warmth during that time. You trust in God to keep you safe, but you also use the knowledge He provides to care for your loved ones. The same thought-process applies here.

While you are out and about this season (actually, all year) these are some things Darling Groom wants you to keep in mind:

~ If at all possible, shop during daylight hours.

~ He realizes that it does get dark earlier now, so if you do go out after nightfall try to shop in groups of 3 or more.

~ At night, park underneath parking lot lights.

~ No matter what time of day, try to park next to a cart well, that way you only have one side of your car exposed. If you are by yourself, try to make sure the driver's side is the one next to the cart well.

~ Wear an over-the-shoulder hip purse (one that crosses your body and allows the purse to be put in front, by belly or hip). A fanny pack could work too, IF you put your clip under your clothing (not exposed for someone to loosen). Better yet, if you could find a small coin purse and put in your front pocket with everything you need. Do not use wristlet purses (they can break when pulled on), shoulder bags (they can be yanked off or ripped at straps) or anything that can tempt others to reach inside or grab. Also do not put your purse in the cart! Make sure it's on you at all times.

~ Only carry the cash, credit/debit cards you intend to use. Leave the rest at home. Also, make a note of what you carry with you.

~ When using cash, be aware of your surroundings and do not put it all in one lump. You do not want to be flashing cash around. Even if it's a bit, when it's in a bundle it can appear to be a lot from a distance.

~ Take care of everything before you leave the store. Make sure your money, receipts and phone are put away, your keys are in hand and walk out with purpose.

Darling Groom says, "Do not be distracted!"

I cannot tell you how often we will be out shopping or at dinner and we see women coming out of stores/restaurants and they are so preoccupied with their phone conversations or their texts. His heart just breaks because they are busy talking, digging in their purses and not paying attention to their surroundings. It's a sad state that we need to be so aware, but the truth remains that we do.

He put it to me this way...if there were a thief and two women came out of a store at the same time that thief had a choice. One woman had her keys in her hand, looked all around to be aware of her surroundings, head up. Not fearful, but purposeful. The other woman had her phone between shoulder and ear, was pushing her cart with one hand while the other was digging through the purse she was looking into. Now, back to the thief, which lady do you think makes an easier target to steal from?

~ When you get to your car, lock your purse in your car before you begin to put your things in the trunk, or put it in the trunk before you begin loading. Less temptation.

~ If you feel uncomfortable in any situation, leave as quickly as possible and do not worry about hurting anyone's feelings.

But most importantly, Darling Groom wanted me to remind you all to stay safe so you can enjoy your family during this (and every) time of the year.

***WE NOW RETURN YOU TO YOUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED POST***

...and that is why I just thank the Lord that He gave us such a wonderful provider and protector in Darling Groom!

For more information about Mr. Monday,
please visit my friend Heather over at
Servant, Wife, Mother

Five Question Friday

So, Pam over at Troop Petrie participates in a fun little Friday link-up (sponsored by My Little Life) and I've been reading her posts for it when she puts them up. Decided this week it might be fun to participate as well.

This week's questions (and my answers):

1) Do you have a go-to song that always puts you in a good mood? While the song changes with the seasons in my life, would definitely say YES! Right now, my go-to song is by Steven Curtis Chapman and is "Do Everything" (found on the album, Recreation). I can't help but be cheered by this bouncy little reminder of the command given to us in Colossians 3:23. When I remember that I'm serving God by wiping up spilled milk or picking up a dirty sock, the chore and my attitude suddenly don't seem so terrible! (You can find the video at the end of this post, if you'd like to hear it and cheer your Friday up!)

2) Are you a real-Christmas-tree kind of person or do you go with a "real" fake one? Real trees smell nice (when they are watered properly) but I cannot abide the pack of pine needles left behind and the time it takes to get them out of the carpet beneath. The fake tree we have now is getting very old and it is a huge thing (at base it is 5 feet across). I think I'm going to talk to hubby about replacing it with a Jesse Tree.

3) What are you thankful for? Oh wow, this one is a good one and it would take up too much space to list it all. If you check out my blog on Thursdays, I've been trying to list these things (22 items each week). But if I had to give a very short answer, my God and my family.

4) Which fashion fad from the past do you wish you could wear today? Oh, that would be easy--the dresses from Regency era (only without all the hassles of past undergarments or lack of them, lol). So much so that I did purchase a pattern from Sense & Sensibility patterns to make my own "updated" version of a day dress. That will be a winter project as I've never sewn a dress before.

5) Do you wait until the "low fuel" light comes on before you fill up the gas tank? Um, no. We have a very good and very trusted mechanic. The cars we drove before, well, he told us that their gauges were weird and that we could actually do more damage to the car by letting it get under a fourth of a tank (wear and tear on engine). Sfter years of driving those cars, now we automatically just fill it up when it gets to the half-way mark but if we forget, a fourth of a tank is our lowest limit.

Thanks to My Little Life for such fun questions this week. Be sure to visit her site to find more fun answers (and link-ups!) for Five Question Friday.

And for those of you who wanted to see the video, here ya go! Enjoy. :)

Have a fabulous Friday!