Thoughts and Prayers

This is sort of a forward from a friend. She lost her father recently, so I am asking all of you to send some prayers her way. She posted this collection of quotes, and I was so moved by the ones she chose, I had to share them with you.

When you were born, you cried and the world rejoiced.
Live your life so that when you die,
the world cries and you rejoice.

-Cherokee Expression


"I would rather be ashes than dust! I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dry rot. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet. The proper function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them. I shall use my time."

-Jack London


Love the earth and sun and animals,
Despise riches, give alms to everyone that asks,
Stand up for the stupid and crazy,
Devote your income and labor to others...
And your very flesh shall be a great poem.

-Walt Whitman


"This is the beginning of a new day. You have been given this day to use as you will. You can waste it or use it for good. What you do today is important because you are exchanging a day of your life for it. When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever; in its place is something that you have left behind...let it be something good."

-Unknown


You must be the change that you wish to see in the world.

-Mahatma Gandhi


Life is an opportunity, benefit from it.
Life is beauty, admire it.
Life is bliss, taste it.
Life is a dream, realize it.
Life is a challenge, meet it.
Life is a duty, complete it.
Life is a game, play it.
Life is a promise, fulfill it.
Life is sorrow, overcome it.
Life is a song, sing it.
Life is a struggle, accept it.
Life is a tragedy, confront it.
Life is an adventure, dare it.
Life is luck, make it.
Life is too precious, do not destroy it.
Life is life, fight for it.

-Mother Teresa

(almost) Wordless Wednesday

I don't normally do these kinds of posts, but I thought today it fit.

"WHY WE SHOULD ALWAYS PRACTICE PROPER TOOL SAFETY"

(2 days later)

Vinegar. Don't Cheap Out!!

Okay, I have noticed this recently, and it is starting to bug me. The grocery stores in my area are getting pretty slack in stocking brand name vinegar. I know, they want to sell their store brand, to make a little more money, but is that little bit of extra money really worth forgoing the slotting fees companies pay to have their products on the shelves, and cost to our environment?
How does this affect our environment? Simple, most (if not all) store brand vinegars are made from petroleum. Yep, the same stuff they use to make gas for your car, Vaseline, plastics, and many additives in the food you eat and the medicine you take. Pretty gross, huh?
When buying vinegar (or anything, for that matter) check to make sure it's a natural product. Natural vinegar is made from grains (or apples, in the case of apple cider vinegar). This is the stuff you want. Yes, it can be a little more expensive, especially when all the grocery store will carry are the super small bottles of the natural stuff (for $3.98) and then the gallon size in the store brand only (for $2.00).
I know times are hard, people are out of work, and money is tight all around. But think about what you are really paying for. When you buy synthetic products, you are saving money, but the Earth suffers in return.
Do you want the planet to still be habitable when your grandkids are growing up? If you do, then buy vinegar made from grains (or apples) and when buying ANYTHING, check the label. Do your part (even if it's a small one) and buy natural products!

Peace and love,
from the swamps of the PeeDee

Canned Peaches, 5 months later...

Some of you may have seen my post on my first canning experience. I canned peaches and okra. The okra was an epic fail. I ended up having to call my cousin and tell him to toss the jar I gave him, because I didn't think I did it right, and didn't want him (or his little girl) to get sick. This was so embarrassing. And that got me wondering...did I do the peaches right?
Fruit, and tomatoes, are easier to can, because they are high acid produce. Low acid fruits and veggie's require a little more work. If you are just starting out, I would suggest starting easy, do tomatoes, or fruit. Be careful with these too, though. Some of the newer, hybrid tomatoes do not have the acid content that the older varieties have, so you may need to add vinegar to the mix to bring the acidity up. (Please check you books on this, because I am no expert, and these are not intended to be exact directions.)
Now, on to the peaches. I was a little concerned about it, so they sat in our pantry. Until this past week. Money was a little short, so we were eating from the pantry instead to going to the store once a week for fresh stuff. My girls are fruit addicts. So they kept bugging me about fruit, fruit, and more fruit. So, out came the peaches.
My husband was the guinea pig for this experiment. He knew I was a little concerned, so he did the first test taste. And he didn't get sick! I DID IT RIGHT!! Yay!
One thing I noticed with the peaches is that the ones at the top of the jar started to discolor a little. Not sure if it's because I didn't use a heavy syrup, or maybe I just didn't put enough syrup in the jars. But, discolored or not, the peaches have been a life saver (by reducing tantrums, and saving us some money) and a welcome comfort. Warm spiced peaches on warm bread (either warmed up, or homemade) is a wonderful treat on a cold winter day (which we have had many of this year).
So, my canning advice for beginners is: start with something easy. Do your homework before you begin. And, if you suspect a problem, just toss the stuff. It may seem like a big loss, what with all the produce and the time involved, but it would be a much bigger loss if you or someone you loved got sick from something you canned.
Here is a link explaining the main risk in canned foods. canningpantry.com/botulism
One of the most powerful natural toxins is botulism. This is the bacteria that can grow in honey (hence, not giving honey to kids under the age 1, a rule we have broken and never had problems with, but we use local honey from a trusted supplier) and in improperly canned food. Read up on it. Educate yourself. And then, start getting your equipment together, because canning season isn't that far away!
Happy Gardening!

I got an award! :) Paying it Forward Feels So Good!

**The Splash Award!**

First, I must apologize, because I received this award a few days ago, and have not said anything about it. Want to say a BIG thank you to I am NOT a VOLCANO for this award.
I am a new recipient of the Splash Award! Go me!
I am so grateful to receive this, to know that my blog is being noticed, and more so to be able to pass it on to other blogger's out there.

The Rules:
Put the logo on your blog/post.
-Nominate up to 9 blogs which allure, amuse, bewitch, impress or inspire you.
-Let them know that they have been splashed by commenting on their blog.
-Remember to link to the person from whom you received your Splash Award.

This took some work, because there are some great blogs out there. It was hard to pick, but here it is.

My nominees for the Splash Award are:

Modern Mom of How to Survive Life in the Suburbs

Tamara of The (UN)Experienced Mom

Shelley of Shelley's Swag

StockpilingMom and Stockpiling4US of Stockpiling Moms

Neva of Mostly Flummoxed

These women have put together some great blogs. I am a stay at home mom, I love coffee, and I love to save money, so that is why I chose the ones I did.
When you get a chance, check out their blogs, and you'll see why I love reading them.

Knives for Women...Suggestions Please!

Ok, so I used a BK7 today for the first time. Can't say I liked it. It worked fine, but the handle is huge! Way to big for my hands. Used a RAT3 too, and it is great! I love it! But don't think it would be my tool of choice for chopping. Looking for a good machete type knife, long heavy blade, full tang, but with a small handle. Any suggestions?? Maybe a RAT5 or 6. Anybody got experience with these? How big are the handles? Are there any bushcrafting women reading this? Would love to hear from you!
Thanks in advance.

Favorite Quotations

Since my facebook favorite quotes is getting kind of long, I decided to do a blog post on it. I will be doing these occasionally. Feel free to add your own favorites on my Facebook page. :)
**note - I cannot guarantee the authors on all of these. Some are status updates from friends on Facebook, others, just stuff I like**

There Are Eyes That See But Say Nothing At All..There Are Ears That Hear But They Don't Recall..In This City Of Ours. So We Followed Your Man Back To Your Front Door And We're Waiting For You Outside, 'cos Not Everybody Here Is Scared Of You. Not Everybody Passes On The Other Side. No Police, No Summons, No Courts Of Law.. And We Could Spent Our Whole Lives Waiting For Some Justice To Be Done.Unless We Make Our Own. - via Jeff G.

talk is cheap because supply exceeds demand - Jen G.

“Stay committed to your decisions, but stay flexible in your approach" - Tom Robbins (via - Jen G.)

Luck favors the prepared. - The Incredibles

“Cleaning and scrubbing can wait for tomorrow,
For babies grow up, I’ve learned, to my sorrow.
So quiet down, cobwebs. Dust, go to sleep.
I’m rocking my baby, and babies don’t keep.”
Author Unknown (via Tabitha D.)

its not a cry that you hear at night, its not somebody who's seen the light. its a cold and its a broken hallelujah. - Leonard Cohen

more to come. hope you enjoyed these. leave your favorite quotes on my facebook page! I would love to hear from you.

Peace and Love,
from and swamps of the PeeDee

Got Gear?

I've been doing the happy dance all afternoon. A good friend dropped off a couple presents for me and my husband today. We each got a misch metal ferro rod with antler handle and a key chain pill case with cotton balls saturated with Vaseline already inside.
Some of you are not familiar with bushcraft. I know I mentioned gear in "Me and My Multitool". Well, as it turns out, women (at least, this one) like gear too. I love the art of bushcraft, but I am not very good at it, yet. I can build a shelter, I know a few wild edibles where I live, and can start a fire with a Bic, but that's about it.
Not anymore. I have now started my gear collection, and will continue to put together my kits.
Kits, you say. Why do you need more than one? Well, most bushcrafter's have their EDC (every day carry) kit, and then a bigger kit for when they go out into the woods (or into the bush, hence the name, bushcraft). This is not just camping. You don't carry a cooler, you (most of the time) don't carry a tent. You definitely aren't sleeping in an RV. Bushcraft is more along the lines of "tribal knowledge". Old ways of doing things. This is not ultralight backpacking, it's not normal camping.
So far, the only gear I have is a small multi-tool, my new ferro rod, and my vaseline/cotton ball filled pill case. I do not, as of yet, have a pack or a decent knife. I will continue to post as my gear collection and my knowledge base grows. When I learn something new, I will share it (failures and all).
I'm know some of you are wondering why I made this post. Honestly, I just wanted to brag a little. I'm so happy to finally have some gear to call my own, and will be much happier when I have mastered it...though, I'm sure, that is a long time coming.
I plan on getting my pack at the flea market. Just going to start with a used alice pack. Got my eye on a couple different knives. One I am definitely getting for my EDC is the Blind Horse Knives Patch Knife. Got to find an ankle sheath for it. If any of you out there know where I might find one of these, please let me know. Also, looking for suggestions on a good knife for my pack (I am looking to get a big chopper, and a smaller fixed blade utility knife {think RAT3 - the old style, before it was RC-3}). I like the RAT3 because the handle is short, and fits my hand well, and it is good quality. I would like to find a chopper with a smaller handle, but still good quality, full tang, carbon steel, etc.
Please share your comments/suggestions here or on my Facebook page.
Peace and Love!
from the swamps of the PeeDee

PS - I would not know any of this information if my husband had not become obsessed with Mr. Dave Canterbury 2 years ago, when he started watching the Pathfinder videos on YouTube. So, a big thanks go out to my husband, Ryan, and to Mr. Dave, for sharing his knowledge, and helping us all learn together. Also, a big thank you goes out to Ken for my new gear, and to all the other Pathfinders who have become friends and have shared their knowledge with us all.
*Two is one, one is none.* -Dave Canterbury.

Midwives for Haiti

Had to share this. Found it on Facebook. Here's a quote from the Facebook page:

Haiti has the worst maternal mortality rate in the Western Hemisphere. Midwives for Haiti is a non-profit that is changing that by training skilled birth attendants in Haiti to save the lives of mothers and babies.

Company Overview:

American nurse-midwives and other health professionals donate time in Haiti (and fund-raise in the US) to support the program. We train Haitian midwives in basic skills in 6-12 months. M4H now has Haitian staff, textbooks in Creole, and collaborates with other Haitian organizations. We are a baby non-profit, but we are growing!
Board members include Terrie Glass, Stephen Eads, Ken Heatwole, Jessica Jordan, Brenda Burgess, Stephanie Shareck Werner

Mission:

Reduce maternal mortality and improve the health of women and infants in Haiti by training skilled birth attendants.

Products:

Our vision: All Haitian women will have access to prenatal care and deliver with the assistance of a skilled birth attendant.

If you are able to donate, please do so. With the recent tragedies in Haiti, this is needed more than ever. Click the link above for more information, and/or to donate.

Pet Product Review: Arm & Hammer Essentials Corn Fiber Cat Litter

I know some of you probably aren't cat people. My husband isn't really a cat person either. The only cat he ever liked was his cat, Slater, who unfortunately passed away shortly after we got married. Since that time, we have not had an inside cat...until now.
One of my hubby's childhood friends (still a current friend) and his fiance (congrats J. and A.) so generously gave us a cat. When we got her, I went out and bought some normal dollar store cat litter. That was the worst idea ever! The cheap stuff is just that, CHEAP. No clumping, no odor control, no nothing. Worst dollar I ever spent. So, while at Wal-Mart earlier this week, I looked for some good quality litter.
Why spend good money on something that your pet is just going to poop in? Well, I wanted quality stuff, that would be easy to use, wouldn't smell, and did not cost a fortune. I found it.
Arm & Hammer has a line of products called Arm & Hammer Essentials. The cat litter is corn fiber. It is a super-clumping formula, controls odor so well that you wouldn't know we had a cat, and isn't too expensive. An 11lb bag is around $8, which is about the same as a 20lb bag of regular clay litter. Seems pricey, but it's supposed to work so well, that you don't have to completely change the litter as often. So far, it has lived up to it's claims. And our cat seems to like it; no adjustment period or problems at all. I know cats can be a little finicky...they were once worshiped as Gods...and they have never forgotten this. :)
I am very impressed with this product and would recommend it to anyone with a cat. For the tree-hugger's out there (no offense to anyone...I consider myself a tree-hugger!) it is biodegradable. I would not recommend putting it in your compost pile or anything (as cats can carry some pretty nasty diseases) but if you have a field or some woods near your house, then you could just dump the leftovers out. They will break down.
Hope you found this review helpful. If you know of anymore eco-friendly pet products, let me and my readers know in a comment here or on my Facebook Page.

Me and My Multitool (or...the inner workings of the male brain, from the female perspective)

If you are married, I'm sure you've seen some crazy stuff. I know I have. Here's a short list of some of the weird things I've seen, heard, or just noticed (repeatedly) after 6 years...

1)Men like tools. Multiple tools, many of which perform the same function. However, they will only use a few of these on a regular basis. There will be 1 favorite (in my experience, it will be a multi-tool or a knife)

2)A man will use said favorite tool for everything, from working on his vehicle, to cleaning under his fingernails (or, as I have personally witnessed...multiple times...pulling off a dead toenail/fingernail that was damaged due to improper tool safety)

3)Men have a different definition of clean than women. To a woman, clean means clean, freshly laundered, hung up or folded and put away. To a man, clean is the equivalent of warm...hence the putting of dirty clothes in the dryer for ten minutes before wearing (for the 4th day in a row).

4)Men hate doctors. To avoid going to the doctor, a man will go to any lengths. This includes, but is not limited to: duct tape, lighters/hot knife, super glue, fishing line, or animal fat. Yes, I said animal fat. I have a friend, who, when he gets a deep bad splinter (read: large shard of wood - he's a carpenter), he will take raw fat back and rub into the wound. This causes an infection, which in turn, pushes the "splinter" closer to the skin surface making it easier to remove. Once removed, one of the above methods will be used to close the wound. Band-Aids are very seldom employed for such an injury, and antibiotics are out of the question (because that would require a trip to the doctor).

5)Men like gear. Gear is different from tools. Gear refers to tents, tarps, packs, cordage, knives (knives fall into both categories of tools and gear), canteens, old metal coffee cans, scrap pieces of wire (for modifications to gear), and anything else that a sane female would probably consider trash. The gear does not have to be in good condition.

6) Men like modifications. This is why gear does not have to be in good condition. Even if it's brand new, a man will always find a way to make something "better". They will take a perfectly good pair of pants and cut the bottoms off to make shorts, and then cut the pockets off the bottoms to attach to another piece of gear.

7)Boots and Cars. These two would normally require a whole blog to go over, but I wanted to provide a brief overview. Boot are expensive, and when they get the ones they have drooled over for months/years, they will not be quite right...ever. Cars are not expensive. The modifications made to these cars, however, will be. The key to cars (so to speak) are: big motors, big tires, negative gas mileage, and loudness.

This is just a random sampling of stuff that I have noticed. If you know of something that should be on this list and isn't, PLEASE leave a comment here, or on my Facebook page. I like to know in advance what I am getting into. :)

Hope you enjoyed this.

Peace and Love,
from the swamps of the PeeDee

How to Boil an Egg

I know what some of you are thinking....how hard is it to boil an egg. Well, trust me, it's harder than you think. But after years of watching the cooking shows on PBS, I finally got it down. So here it is...How to Boil an Egg (the Jaque Pepin way).

Place your eggs in a pan with cold water. Make sure the eggs are completely covered. Salt the water if you wish.
Put the pot on the stove and turn it to High.
Wait for the water to start boiling good.
Put a lid on the pot, and turn the eye off. Set your timer for 8-9 minutes.
When the timer goes off, immediately take the eggs off the stove and submerge them in ice water. This will stop the cooking process.
Keep them in the ice water until completely cool (of course, you can eat them while they are still warm, but do not let them sit and stay warm, as they will over cook.)
Once they are cool, store in the fridge. I don't let boiled eggs sit in the fridge for more than about 3 days. I've had food poisoning more than once, and do not take chances. If you find some info on exactly how long it is safe to keep boiled eggs in the fridge, please let me know.
If, when you peel the eggs, there is a green line around the yolk, then the eggs are overcooked, and will have a slightly off smell. You can still eat them, but they will not be as good.
Hope this helps.

Peace and Love,
from the swamps of the PeeDee

Got Kids??

Well, the holiday's are over. Presents unwrapped, decorations put up (if you're lucky), and things are starting to get back to normal. My question is, what to do with all this stuff?
We have 3 kids, our oldest just turned 4, our middle child will be 3 in February, and our youngest is almost 6 months old. So we got A LOT of stuff for Christmas.
We hosted Christmas Eve at our house this year, for the first time. For about 3 days, our house (at least the visible parts) were cleaner than ever before. Now, 2 weeks after Christmas, we are living in C.H.A.O.S. all over again (for the non-Flybabies reading this, CHAOS is Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome). So what to do.
I am interested in all ideas. How do you find time to clean, cook, spend quality time with the kids, quality time with your significant other, run errands, keep up with laundry, and all the other things that come with being a mom. Please, I am begging!! I love the FlyLady site, but it just is not working for me (or maybe I am not working hard enough...because the site makes it seem so simple). Our house is constantly a wreck, I am constantly behind on laundry, dishes, general cleaning....
Any and all advice will be more than welcomed.
Thanks in advance.

with love,
from the swamps of the PeeDee

Murphy's Laws of Parenthood

This may have been done before, but since it has been going on around our house a lot lately, I thought I would prepare some of you child-less people for what is to come. So here they are:

Murphy's Laws of Parenthood

1. When preparing for a family get together or party, your dog(s) and or your child(ren) will poop, pee, or spill something on your carpet ten minutes after you finished steaming it (& 2 hours before the guests arrive, because you did this last, so that you would not have to deal with this situation).

2. If you are having a party with seldom scene old friends, the day of the party, your septic tank will back up into 1 of your bathrooms. Resulting in 1 bathroom being shared by 8 adults and 1 child.

3. If you spend more than a minute deciding where to place your grocery list so you won't forget it, then, trust me, you will forget it.

4. When Christmas shopping, it does not matter how many time you check your list, how many times you go through the presents, you WILL forget someone! If you have children, then 1 child will end up with more presents than the other. And YOU will pay for this dearly in years to come (the severity of the payback depends on the age of the child getting fewer presents).

5. If you have 2 children sharing a room, and they are really close in age, then you will almost NEVER be able to find 2 matching shoes that fit the child you are trying to dress (unless you are a major neat freak, in which case, you're invited for a free "vacation" at my house!)

6. As a parent, you will eventually (or constantly, depending..) crave peace & quiet. And you will get it...but pretty soon it will dawn on you that it has been a very long period of peace & quiet. When you check, you will find your child(ren) sitting in their room making scrambled eggs (with real eggs!) on their carpetted bedroom floor.

7. When you wake one morning, you will hear nothing but silence. So peaceful, so very seldom that you get to enjoy waking up before the kids for some serenity with your coffee. You will very slowly get out of bed, stroll lazily towards the kitchen, savoring this oh so rare moment. You will casually start making coffee, then possibly go sit at the table and enjoy the quiet while the coffee brews. You turn your head to look out the window and admire your back yard, and you will see... your children. Outside, in the cold, in nothing but t-shits ( literally, no diapers, no pants...nothing) rolling around on the frost covered ground playing with the dogs.

8. You will one year decide to have your child's birthday party at a park. Here are 2 possible scenarios....
1) you get to the park to find about a dozen other parents who had the same idea. You end up with a couple picnic tables about a half mile from the play ground. You will lose half of the pizza's to ants, that come from nowhere and get into everything. Right as you're starting to eat, someone (thanks mom) will point out that you forgot to buy bowls and spoons for the ice cream. Mad dash (again, thanks mom) to the store to get bowls & spoons, but by the time everyone is ready for ice cream and cake, the ice cream has turned to soup! (This was the first attempt, as a "learn the hard way" kind of person...I did it again)

2) Since the party is at the park, you invite lots of people (say 75-100). After all, how hard is it to grill hot dogs? You figure on about half the people showing up (standard rule where I'm from, maybe not so in your area), so you buy 10 packs of hot dogs & buns, get the charcoal, & stay up the night before making 50 cupcakes. You get to the park, put together the grill, get the coals going, & start grilling. You then realize the party start time is long past, and only about 10 people are there (and 1 child, other than the birthday girls siblings). So you eat, open presents, & start packing up. You now have 50 hotdogs & buns, 35 cupcakes, 25 bottles of water and 3 12 packs of soda that you must decide what to do with. You consider giving it to the people who show up as you are leaving, but they have their own stuff, so you take it home. (3 months later, we still have half a case of water and some sodas sitting on our porch, and numerous packages of hotdogs in the freezer...)

This is just a random sampling of the sitcom worthy events that go on when you have kids. Everyone has stories like this. I would love to hear some of your favorite "Murphy Moments". Leave a comments, or post on my Facebook Page Wall.
Lots of Love,
from the swamps of the pee dee

What is Normality??

According to Webster's Online Dictionary, the definition of NORMAL is : conforming to a type, standard, or regular pattern.
There was a lot of talk over the holidays revolving around what is and isn't normal, in regards to family life.
I think this is a topic that very few people are qualified to discuss. After all, who is normal? I know I'm not.
We were all created by God, as special, unique, one of a kind creatures. There is no one out there exactly like you, or exactly like me. So why, if we are all a little bit different, is there such a controversy when someone goes beyond "a little different" to what some people call crazy.
I believe that God has a plan for each and every one of us. No one knows what God's plan for them is, so why should we assume that we know what is best for others?
And I wonder what Jesus would think if he knew that his birthday celebration was spent bad mouthing people who were not there to defend themselves and give their side of the story.
Live and let live people. If you disagree with someone, fine. That's your right. Everyone is entitled to their opinions. But that does not mean that your opinion is a fact. Just because you don't agree with someone or understand something, that does not automatically make it wrong.
We should all be more concerned with what we are doing, how we are living our lives, and what we are doing to HELP those who may need our help, instead of concerning ourselves with how we can change someone else to fit our standards.