My First Seed Catalog Of The Season!

 My first seed catalog of the season came today! I can't wait to sit down with it and start planning my garden and writing my wish list for the year! :)

Does anyone else get excited when the seed catalogs start coming in the mail?

Tips For Taking Fish Oil Supplements

Fish Oil Supplements

After finding out we were expecting I searched for a good prenatal fish oil supplement to start taking. Every time I took it, though, it made me nauseous. It didn't help that I was feeling pretty sick already due to first trimester morning sickness. Ugh. 

I know it is common for fish oil supplements to cause nauseousness. I have been given some tips from others and found these things to really help. If you are having trouble taking fish oil supplements I hope these suggestions will help you, too.

1. Take your fish oil supplement with a meal. This seems to help quite a bit.

2. Store your fish oil supplements in the refrigerator. This has been the single most helpful suggestion. For some reason keeping my capsules cool makes them stop causing me to be queasy when I take them.

3. If your daily dose is two capsules take them at different times during the day. I don't know why I didn't think of this on my own. It makes sense to break them up into smaller portions at a time.

If you are curious, this is the prenatal fish oil supplement I am taking. I have not noticed any changes since I have been taking it, but I hope it is doing it's job. We will see if the baby comes out with a full head of hair. :)

Refried Beans

Refried beans are super simple and super delicious!

They are inexpensive and very versatile. They can be a main course simply dished up in a bowl plain, (they are that yummy), or, you can top them with cheese, sour cream, salsa, lettuce, olives, etc.... Wrapped up in a tortilla they make great bean burritos. They are, also, an excellent way to stretch taco meat. 

 Soaking the dry beans in water with baking soda added is an important step. It makes the beans more digestible, ie.,  less gassy.

The ham shanks in this recipe provide a wonderful smoky flavor to the beans, and are relatively cheap, (my local grocery store sells them for $0.99/lb.). The little scrap pieces of ham left on the bone once the beans have been cooked can be saved and eaten with another meal.

So,without further ado:

Simple Refried Beans

  1 lb.(2cups) dry pinto beans

2 small ham shanks

1/4 cup oil or lard

1 large onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

about 1 1/2 tsp. salt

 

Rinse beans and pick out any shriveled beans and rocks. Put beans into a bowl and cover with several inches of water. Stir in about a 1/2 tsp. baking soda. Soak beans 12 -24 hours. Drain and rinse beans. Put into a crock pot with the ham shanks; cover with an inch of water. Cook on low 5 hours. Heat oil in skillet. Saute onion and garlic in oil. Spoon beans into skillet with a slotted spoon. Mash the beans until smooth with a potato masher. Add the salt and mash a little longer. Turn off heat and enjoy!

Rinsing the dried beans.

Soaking the beans with baking soda.

Draining the soaked beans.

Cooking the beans in the crock pot with ham shanks.

Chopped onion and minced garlic.

Mashing the beans.

Adding "about 1 1/2 tsp." salt. Like my measuring spoon?  :)

 Yummy bowl of warm refried beans! Mmmmmm!

How I Make Laundry Detergent

Ingredients:

Grate Soap:

Measure:

Stir:

Homemade Laundry Detergent

1 bar Fels Naptha (5.5 oz.) soap

1 1/2 cups Washing Soda

1 1/2 cups Borax

Grate the bar of soap; mix with 2 quarts of water and slowly heat until the soap is dissolved, stirring occasionally. In a 5 gallon bucket put the washing soda and borax; stir in some hot water until the powders dissolve. Pour the dissolved Fels Naptha soap into the 5 gallon bucket. Fill the bucket up with warm water. Stir well. Use 1/2 cup in each load of laundry.

This is really cheap and it works well! 

Search Me, O God

Lord, search my soul, try every thought;

Though my own heart accuse me not,

Of walking in disguise,

I beg the trial of Thine eyes. 

Doth secret mischief lurk within?

Do I indulge some unknown sin?

O turn my feet whene'er I stray,

And lead me in Thy perfect way. 

Author Unknown

Home Remedy For Earaches

This is a simple home remedy for earaches that has helped me a great deal.

Garlic Oil

1 clove garlic, crushed
1 - 1 1/2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil

In a small bowl mix garlic and oil together. Let sit for a few minutes (3-5) to allow garlic to infuse the oil. With head tilted to one side put a few drops of the oil into the hurting ear. Make sure the oil trickles all the way down the ear canal. The oil trickling down may feel quite unnerving, but it usually will bring immediate relief when it reaches the ear drum. Put a piece of cotton ball or wadded up tissue into the ear to keep the oil from running out. I put this into my ear periodically when I have an earache throughout the day and especially at bedtime until my earache is gone.

 Disclaimer: The information on this website is not intended to take the place of your personal physician’s advice and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

Happy Thanksgiving!

 O give thanks unto the LORD; for He is good; 

for His mercy endureth for ever.

  ~1 Chronicles 16:34 ~

Did you know that these or similar words are repeated in the Bible at least nine times? 

This isn't just a once-a-year sort of thing, but a daily attitude of thankfulness 

that we all need to have!  We have so very much to thank God for. I don't know about you, 

but I often need to remember how much God hates unthankfulness and complaining, 

and ask Him to forgive me, and to deliver me from it in my life.  

Praise His Name for His many blessings to us, though we are so undeserving!

  Psalms 136:1   O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.

Psalms 136:2   O give thanks unto the God of gods: for his mercy endureth for ever.

  Psalms 136:3   O give thanks to the Lord of lords: for his mercy endureth for ever.

  Psalms 136:26   O give thanks unto the God of heaven: for his mercy endureth for ever.

Praise the Lord!

Why should we praise the LORD? 

1.The LORD is worthy:

Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.  Revelation 4:11

2.  The LORD is great:

Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable.  Psalm 145:3

3.  The LORD is good:

O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever. 1 Chronicles 16:34

4:  The LORD is holy:

Exalt ye the LORD our God, and worship at his footstool; for he is holy.  Psalm 99:5

5: The LORD is righteous:

The LORD is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works.  Psalm 145:17

6:  The LORD is merciful:

The LORD is merciful and gracious. Slow to anger and plenteous in mercy.  Psalm 103:8

 7:  The LORD is gracious:

Gracious is the LORD, and righteous, yea, our God is merciful.  Psalm 116:5